Homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes enters peak period in NW China's Qinghai Xinhua) 09:23, July 29, 2023 Tibetan antelopes are pictured alongside the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 28, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang) Tibetan antelopes are pictured near the Qinghai-Tibet Highway in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 28, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Han Fangfang) Tibetan antelopes are about to pass through a bridge of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 28, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Han Fangfang) Tibetan antelopes are pictured in Hoh Xil, a natural reserve in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 27, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang) Tibetan antelopes pass through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway to return to their habitat in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 28, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Han Fangfang) Tibetan antelopes pass through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway to return to their habitat in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 28, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang) Tibetan antelopes are about to pass through a bridge of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 28, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang) Tibetan antelopes are pictured near the Qinghai-Tibet Highway in Hoh Xil, a natural reserve in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 27, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang) Tibetan antelopes are pictured in Hoh Xil, a natural reserve in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 28, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Han Fangfang) Tibetan antelopes are about to pass through a bridge of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 28, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang) Tibetan antelopes are pictured in Hoh Xil, a natural reserve in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 27, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang) Tibetan antelopes pass through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway to return to their habitat in northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 28, 2023. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth, leaving with their offspring in late July. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" for the species. Some Tibetan antelopes among them return to their habitats through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. According to the Hoh Xil management office under the management bureau of Sanjiangyuan National Park, more than 300 Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the homebound migration of Tibetan antelopes has entered its peak period. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang) (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) Soldiers in comprehensive chemical training China Military Online) 14:23, July 29, 2023 A soldier assigned to a chemical defense element of a brigade under the PLA 75th Group Army tests the contamination status of another soldier during a comprehensive chemical training exercise on July 12, 2023. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Teng Zhaoseng) (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) (Photo : Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Former United States President Donald Trump's controversial Mar-a-Lago classified documents case brings a fourth person into mix, Yuscila Taveras, who is the IT worker who was told to delete surveillance footage. A fourth person has been indicted in former United States President Donald Trump's controversial classified documents case and was identified as Yuscil Taveras, an information technology worker. Taveras is the Mar-a-Lago employee referenced in the superseding indictment, adding significant new accusations against the Republican businessman. He is believed to oversee the surveillance camera footage at Trump's Florida property, where classified documents from the White House were kept after he left office. Trump's Mar-a-Lago Classified Documents Case Previously, Special Counsel Jack Smith heard testimony regarding odd conversations between Taveras, Walter "Walt" Nauta, and a recently unveiled co-defendant in the case, Carlos de Oliveira, the property manager of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, regarding surveillance footage. The Washington grand jury also heard testimony regarding de Oliveira's unusual behavior toward the video footage before the case was relocated to southern Florida. The IT worker is currently at the center of new accusations that were added to the former president's indictment, including an exchange he had with the new co-defendant on June 27, 2022, as per CNN. During their conversation, de Oliveira allegedly asked to talk privately with Taveras inside an "audio closet," which included questions about how long the footage from the security tapes lasted and whether or not they could delete the footage. When the information technology worker said that he would not know how to do such a thing and did not believe he would have the right to do so, de Oliveira said that "the boss" wanted the footage removed from storage, the indictment wrote. For months, prosecutors have circled the questions of how much the defendants' actions day-by-day during the summer of 2022 were prompted by the former president's direction. The situation resulted in the criminal inquiry having to look even into suspicious yet unexplained events, such as the pool draining at the Florida beach club that caused a flood inside an IT room. Read Also: Democrats Kill Republican Bill Banning Flying Non-American Flags on Government Buildings New Charges Against Trump The situation comes after prosecutors unveiled new charges against Trump on Thursday, accusing the former president of mishandling classified documents after he left office, presenting evidence that he told the property manager of Mar-a-Lago that he wanted surveillance footage from the estate deleted from storage, according to the New York Times. The original indictment against the Republican businessman was filed last month in the Southern District of Florida and claimed that Trump violated the Espionage Act when he illegally held on to 31 classified documents from the White House. Additionally, the initial indictment charges Trump and Nauta with a conspiracy to obstruct the government's repeated attempts to retrieve the documents and put them back where they belong. The recently identified co-defendant in the indictment, de Oliveira, is known to have worked for the former president for nearly two decades. He started working under Trump as a valet at the latter's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, before being promoted to property manager in January 2022. He is also charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and one count of making false statements. The latter charge is related to an interview that de Oliveira had with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in January, where he said that he did not have any involvement in or knowledge of boxes containing the classified documents being moved, said the Washington Post. Related Article: Carlee Russell Case: Alabama Woman May Go to Prison for Hoax Kidnapping @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/us-led-coalition-makes-23-close-encounters-with-russian-aircraft-in-syria-in-2023---moscow-1112250415.html US-Led Coalition Makes 23 Close Encounters With Russian Aircraft in Syria in 2023 - Moscow US-Led Coalition Makes 23 Close Encounters With Russian Aircraft in Syria in 2023 - Moscow A US-led coalition made 23 close encounters with the Russian aerospace forces in Syria in 2023. Two such cases occurred in April, one in May, four in June and five in July. 2023-07-29T20:31+0000 2023-07-29T20:31+0000 2023-07-29T20:32+0000 military syria russian defense ministry's center for syrian reconciliation us military us military russian aerospace defense forces russian aerospace forces us /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/105517/69/1055176920_0:121:2328:1431_1920x0_80_0_0_ab3ccce0cd0c36616fa9f1f5542fc134.jpg "During 2023, the coalitions aircraft made 23 dangerous close encounters with the aircraft of the Russian aerospace forces, during 11 of which the crews recorded the exposure of Russian aircraft to weapons guidance systems, which led to the automatic operation of on-board defense systems and the shooting of false thermal targets," Gurinov told a briefing. Two such cases occurred in April, one in May, four in June and five in July, Gurinov said, noting that this indicates a steady increase in the number of dangerous encounters by the US-led coalition in Syria. He also said that the coalitions failure to follow deconfliction rules and violation of the Syrian border threatens the fragile balance of power in the region. "The non-compliance of the US-led coalition with the deconfliction rules and the violation of the Syrian state border threatens the fragile balance of power in the region, achieved thanks to Russias efforts, has a destructive effect on the development of the situation, and also aggravates the situation in Syrias airspace," Gurinov added. syria Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russia, syria, us, russian center for the reconciliation of opposing sides in syria, us military, russian aerospace forces https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/us-to-continue-contacts-with-russia-on-operations-in-syrian-airspace--1112242259.html US to Continue Contacts With Russia on Operations in Syrian Airspace US to Continue Contacts With Russia on Operations in Syrian Airspace he United States will continue to engage with Russia on operations in Syrian airspace, including in the context of the recent incidents with US drones, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Saturday. 2023-07-29T10:54+0000 2023-07-29T10:54+0000 2023-07-29T10:54+0000 military russia syria us su-35 russian armed forces /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107902/80/1079028088_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_f84d32167b6e96954ccdb8e32aa9c990.jpg "We will continue to engage, using the established channels to convey our concern, and we will continue to engage senior leadership as appropriate. But again, we will continue to operate as we have always operated in the air spaces, and we will protect our interest and our resources," Austin told a press conference, following the AustraliaUS Ministerial Consultations. On Wednesday, Rear Adm. Oleg Gurinov, the deputy head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said that an MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle of the US-led coalition in Syria had come into dangerous proximity to Su-35 and Su-34 aircraft of the Russian airspace forces. Gurinov called the actions of the US-led coalition "extremely provocative," but noted that thanks to "high professionalism" of Russian pilots, a possible collision had been prevented. The similar incident occurred on Friday, Russian officials said. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230716/us-ramps-up-systematic-looting-of-syrian-oil-ships-35-tankers-out-of-country-1111927580.html russia syria Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russia, us, su-35, su-34, russia in syria, syrian airspace https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/weekly-news-wrap-biden-gate-heats-up-russia-africa-summit--1112233774.html Weekly News Wrap; Biden-Gate Heats Up; Russia Africa Summit Weekly News Wrap; Biden-Gate Heats Up; Russia Africa Summit The Hunter Biden scandal has expanded to the White House, and the Russian leadership is working with African leaders for a new world order. 2023-07-29T04:06+0000 2023-07-29T04:06+0000 2023-07-29T12:14+0000 the critical hour radio russia ukraine taiwan israel russia-africa summit 2023 joe biden hunter biden /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/07/1c/1112233602_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_d692542303f0de4e1d2c48feb72c4f70.png Weekly News Wrap; Biden-Gate Heats Up; Russia Africa Summit The Hunter Biden scandal has expanded to the White House, and the Russian leadership is working with African leaders for a new world order. Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to discuss this week's news story. North Korea is being returned to the world's economy by Russia and China. Also, Republicans encouraged Kamala Harris to travel to Taiwan in a move that would enrage China.Dr. Nicolai Petro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island, joins us to discuss this week's news story. The dynamics that drove Russia to begin its special military operation are in question as supporters blame NATO expansion and opposition figures ignore the historical context of the conflict.Kweku Lumumba, the former co-chair of the Atlanta Green party and the coordinator of KOSSA, joins us to discuss this week's news story. The Washington Post released a massive article about Haitian and Cuban migration near the Bahamas without discussing the imperial colonial machinations of the US empire that drove the migrating travelers to such desperation.Ajamu Baraka, former VP Candidate, Green Party, and Netfa Freeman, Host of Voices With Vision on WPFW 89.3 FM. Pan-Africanist and internationalist organizers come together to discuss this week's news story. A coup in the African nation of Niger raises questions about the world powers battling each other on the continent. Also, day 2 of the Russia-Africa summit kicks off.Jim Kavanagh, whose work can be found at Jim Kavanagh's Substack, thepolemicist.net, and Counterpunch, and Steve Poikonen, national organizer for Action4Assange, come together to discuss this week's news story. The Hunter Biden scandal is expanding and threatening the presidency of Joe Biden. Also, President Biden is appointing neocon monsters to his administration, and the Russians warn Poland against threatening Belarus.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik. russia ukraine taiwan israel china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Garland Nixon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg Garland Nixon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Garland Nixon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg the critical hour, special military operation, nato expansion, a coup in niger, russia-africa relations https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/what-is-russias-ban-on-gender-change-1112224377.html What is Russia's Ban on Gender Change? What is Russia's Ban on Gender Change? Russia banned gender-reassignment surgery and hormone therapy in all cases except when allowed for health reasons. 2023-07-29T13:00+0000 2023-07-29T13:00+0000 2023-07-29T13:00+0000 world pyotr tolstoy russia state duma us europe vladimir putin gender reassignment law transgender /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/07/17/1083447042_0:131:3073:1859_1920x0_80_0_0_3d2c1e8303be0bca7fa2ab6c2826a4d6.jpg President Vladimir Putin on July 24 signed a law banning gender change operations after the upper and the lower chambers of the Russian Parliament passed the legislation earlier this month. From now on, gender reassignment will only be allowed for medical reasons.What's in the Law Banning Gender Reassignment?The new federal law bans medical interventions (including the use of drugs) aimed at changing the gender of a person, including the formation of sex characteristics of the opposite sex. Additionally, the law annuls a marriage if one of the spouses changes gender and bans a person from adopting children after gender reassignment.Are There Any Exceptions?The only exception will be medical interventions related to the treatment of congenital physiological anomalies, as well as genetic and endocrine diseases caused by an abnormal formation of the genitals in the childhood. These interventions will be allowed on the basis of decisions by medical commissions of organizations subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Health. Based on the results of these medical interventions, commissions will issue the medical reports necessary for changing civil status records.The list of medical organizations, as well as the procedure for issuing decisions and medical reports with regard to gender reassignment, will be determined by the government of the Russian Federation.What are Disorders of Sex Development?Disorders of sex development (DSDs) are a group of rare conditions including chromosomal, gonadal, and anatomic abnormalities. These pathologies are caused by atypical development of the internal and external genital organs of the male and female reproductive system. Some of these conditions can be detected immediately after the birth of a child if his/her external genitalia have an altered structure. In other cases, the diagnosis is made later, if a person has a delay or absence of puberty, or abnormal secondary sex characteristics.Was Gender Change Previously Allowed in Russia?Between 2016 and 2022, almost 3,000 of Russian civilians changed their documents due to gender reassignment, according to Vice Speaker of the State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy. In 2022, there were 996 of those cases throughout the country.In 2013, amendments to the law on the Russian registry offices were made. In Article 70 of the Law "On acts of civil status" a clause appeared that a change in the record of a civil status act due to gender reassignment could be made on the basis of a document issued by a medical organization.In October 2017, the Russian Ministry of Health released an order on the issuance of a document on gender reassignment by medical organizations. According to the ministry, a medical commission which included a psychiatrist, a sexologist and a medical psychologist had to deal with issues of "sexual reorientation." Prior to that, a psychiatrist provided a patient with a referral for the establishment of sexual reorientation after he/she was diagnosed with transsexualism.Vice Speaker Tolstoy explained that certain provisions of the federal law will not apply to persons who underwent gender surgery before the day it comes into force. When Was the First Gender Surgery Performed?It is believed that first gender change-related surgery was performed by the Institute for the Sexual Sciences, founded by Magnus Hirschfeld in Berlin. In 1926, the institute reportedly performed the first operation to remove the mammary glands of a woman who decided to change her sex. In 1930, the first penectomy, an operation to remove the penis, was carried out. Patient histories were not preserved.Elmer Belt is believed to be the first US surgeon to have performed gender affirmation surgery in around 1950.In the USSR, the first gender reassignment operation was performed by Viktors Kalnberzs, a surgeon working at the Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics, in the Latvian SSR, between 1970 and 1972. Kalnberzs was later criticized by the Ministry of Health of the USSR "for carrying out a mutilation operation that does not correspond to the structure and ideology of the state."Why Did Russia Ban Gender Reassignment Without Medical Reasons?There are many instances when people have opted to have this life-altering surgery without any underlying physical conditions and then struggled to change back, as Vice Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament Vladislav Davankov stated during his speech on May 25. "We have prepared a bill that does not allow changing gender following a mere request by a person in this position," he said.Furthermore, Russian lawmakers noted that some private medical entities are profiting from different types of gender change-related surgeries without performing a thorough examination of their patients' conditions.These operations are not that expensive, making uncontrollable gender transition and subsequent psychological problems with teens and adults a common thing, Russian lawmakers warned.There is a heated debate concerning gender surgery and consequent de-transition in Western society, too. Conservative Westerners oppose the uncontrollable change of sex, complaining that liberal forces are pressuring their respective nation's youth and minors into gender reassignment, sometimes without the consent of their parents.According to a study published on the website of the US National Library in 2021, 61.9% of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people reported regretting that they had ever pursued "gender affirmation", broadly defined. Of these, 13.1% reported a history of "de-transition." In October 2012, a British media outlet cited a woman who detransitioned in 2018 and said there are hundreds of people who have had gender reassignment surgery who wish they hadn't.In May 2023, a poll commissioned by a US mainstream newspaper indicated that the majority (57%) of American adults believe gender is determined at birth while 43% said gender is malleable. Another 55% of US citizens told Gallup in June 2023 that it is "morally wrong" for individuals to attempt a gender transition, up from 51% in 2021. Forty three percent of polled Americans said that changing one's gender is "morally acceptable". https://sputnikglobe.com/20230724/putin-signs-law-banning-gender-reassignment-1112113630.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230215/concerns-regarding-gender-equality-hobble-finlands-fgm-ban-1107451200.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20200114/no-idea-why-this-is-happening-norway-sees-spike-in-young-girls-up-for-sex-change-1078030150.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20200513/swedish-regulator-says-no-to-irreversible-gender-reassignment-surgery-for-teens-amid-increase-1079288587.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20191209/finland-addresses-sex-change-regret-as-gender-reassignment-soars-1077519847.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20220817/denmark-wants-to-give-toddlers-access-to-legal-gender-change-1099683400.html russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ekaterina Blinova gender changes, sex changes, ban on sex changes, law banning gender changes in russia, ban on gender changes in russia, vladimir putin signs law banning gender changes in russia, russia bans sex change, russia bans transgender, bans people from changing their gender, what russia's law to ban gender changes mean Melody Maker will put his five-race win streak to the test in the featured pace on Sunday (July 30) at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway. The track features 11 dashes on Sunday afternoon starting at 1 p.m. Melody Maker seeks his sixth straight victory on Sunday in the 10th race feature, named The Medastar Memorial with a $3,500 purse, for the team of owner-trainer Greg MacInnis and son-in-law Dale Spence at the controls. The Hes Watching five-year-old was never better than his last start in Summerside winning by nine lengths in 1:54. Sauble Attack won the top class last week and gets the services of Ken Murphy in the bike for trainer Paul Biggar. Top New Brunswick pacer Frontier Cruise will leave from post four with Brady Sweet getting the call for trainer Jean Belliveau. JJ Patrick (to be driven by Norris Rogers) has post two after some huge efforts in recent weeks while former Gold Cup and Saucer finalist Woodmere Ideal Art (David Dowling) has post three. The Backstretch Beat likes Melody Maker to continue winning: Melody Maker is the hottest horse in Prince County and after that open-length romp his last start in 1:54, we have to place him in the win position. The rail just adds to his appeal. The program also features a number of cooler presentations. Race 1 is the Ella Coughlin Memorial while Race 2 is sponsored by Illsleys Feed & Farm Supply Ltd. Island Groundworks sponsors Race 3 with Race 4 the Eric Johnston Memorial. The Glennie MacKay Memorial lines up in Race 5 and the Brian Andrew Memorial is carded as Race 6. Race 7 is the Allstar Cresting pace, Race 9 is presented by Five Eleven West Restaurant & Catering and the Race 11 finale is sponsored by Sherrys Heating Services. For entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Summerside Raceway. (Red Shores) Derek Stout's homebred four-year-old pacer Kioti may have had a late start to his career but he's on a roll now and won his fifth straight at Century Downs on Friday, July 28. Picking up where he left off a month ago, Kioti resumed his winning ways in an $8,300 conditioned pace, leading wire-to-wire in 1:52.3, the fastest mile on the card and just a tick off his lifetime mark taken last time out. Mike Hennessy guided the 1-5 favourite through fractions of :27.3, :56.1 and 1:24.1 en route to the 2-1/4-length victory with Outlawchippendale (Brandon Campbell) following in the pocket and Crazy I M (Dave Kelly) finishing more than dozen lengths behind in third. He paid $2.40 to win. Trained by Doug Stout, the son of Mystician has hit the board in all 16 of his starts amid a successful debut campaign, winning nine and earning $41,331. After starting his career at Cal Expo this past winter, Kioti was a runner-up in the Ed Tracey Memorial Stakes eliminations and final in his first Century Downs starts before kicking off his current win streak. He's won his last five races by a combined 28-1/2 lengths. To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Century Downs. From early on, breeder Ron Mersky had a really good feeling about Railee Something. Ever since then, the three-year-old trotting filly has done nothing to change Merskys opinion. Railee Something has won 11 of 19 career races, hit the board an additional five times and earned $332,636 for Mersky, who retained ownership of the daughter of International Moni-Railee Priti. She is the 2-1 morning-line favourite in the first of Saturdays two $40,000 Hambletonian Oaks eliminations for sophomore female trotters at The Meadowlands. Im not a person who stakes horses a great deal, said Mersky, who will start a horse in the Hambletonian Oaks for the first time. But I am a person who also, and I dont want to sound braggadocious, but I think I have a pretty good eye. Ive been around a while. When I saw [Railee Something] early on, I told people that this one is it. She was a beautiful, well-mannered, intelligent filly. If I could put it in one word, its presence. She simply had presence. She was so balanced. You could call it the look. She had that. She has been a joy and continues to be a joy. Railee Something will start her Oaks elim from post five with Yannick Gingras in the sulky for trainer Ron Burke. The eight-horse field includes 2022 Jim Doherty Memorial winner Instagram Model, the 5-2 second choice from post three for driver Andy McCarthy and trainer Annie Stoebe, as well as Delvin Miller Memorial division winner Heaven Hanover, who is 3-1 and leaves from post two with Tim Tetrick driving for Marcus Melander. Burke sends Railee Something to the Oaks off a career-best 1:52 win in a division of the Tompkins-Geers last week at the Big M. The filly has won five of seven races this season, with her two setbacks being second-place finishes behind highly-regarded Oaks hopeful Bond (the 5-2 second choice in the second elimination). Yannick has done a great job with her, Mersky said. Hes masterful in terms of getting to know her, her getting to know him. The last race was good for her because she got to sit in a hole. I noticed Yannick had a comfortable ride, so that was good. She has a wonderful stride; she eats up ground. Thats her best quality, with determination. She deserves a shot here. She really does. I would be kicking myself if I didnt give her a shot. Railee Something began this year by twice beating older horses at Oak Grove in Kentucky, where she was trained by Roger Cullipher. She raced four times on the Pennsylvania stakes circuit before heading to The Meadowlands for the Tompkins-Geers. Im very appreciative to Roger and Ronnie and his staff, said Mersky, who might be best known as the breeder of millionaire pacers Ginger And Fred and Fred And Ginger. Well keep on keeping on as we can. Ive had good horses before, Ive had disappointments too, but this one, when you get to be my age, its a very nice thing. As for his hopes Saturday, Mersky said, I dont believe in good luck, I just want a fair shake. Thats all. The top five finishers from each Oaks elimination will advance to the $500,000 final on Aug. 5 at The Meadowlands. Elim winners draw for post positions one through five followed by the remaining finalists receiving their posts in an open draw. OBrien Award winner Righteous Resolve, who won last years Peaceful Way Stakes, is the 2-1 morning-line favourite in the second Oaks elimination. She will start from post eight with James MacDonald driving for trainer Matt Bax. She has an Ontario Sires Stakes victory to her credit in two starts this year and was first-placed-second in the other. Bond, with trainer Ake Svanstedt in the sulky, will leave from post one. Quick Stop, who won a Del Miller division two weeks ago, is the 4-1 third choice and will start from post three with Tetrick driving for Anette Lorentzon. Saturdays card at The Meadowlands also includes two $100,000 eliminations for the Hambletonian Stakes for three-year-old trotters. Post positions for the Hambletonian and Oaks finals will be drawn Tuesday (Aug. 1) at a press conference and luncheon hosted by Hogan Equine Clinic in Cream Ridge, N.J., beginning at 2 p.m. Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. (EDT) at The Meadowlands. The Hambletonian eliminations are races six and nine. The Oaks eliminations are races seven and eight. Click here for a PDF program to view the full list of entries on July 29 at The Meadowlands. (USTA) Newsroom is writing quite a story. The son of Always B Miki-Well Hello There put up another mile worthy of an exclusive Friday night at The Meadowlands on a card that featured 10 $20,000 divisions of the second leg of the Kindergarten Series for two-year-olds of each sex and gait. The trip from post eight was less than smooth, but it proved to be no problem for the Joe Holloway trainee in the third of three divisions for pacing colts and geldings. Parked out every step from the get-go, Newsroom didnt clear the lead until just before the half, and from there, he toyed with his seven overmatched foes, hitting the wire 3-3/4 lengths in front of second-place finisher Ivy Park in 1:50.1, the fastest of the mile of the year for a two-year-old, eclipsing the previous best by three-fifths of a second. His strength and power are pretty impressive, said winning driver Dave Miller. What can you say? He went a big trip tonight. He was a little aggressive getting out of there, but once he made the lead, he relaxed. I drove him all the way through the lane, and down by the wire, he was still kicking. A typical Always B Miki. He just keeps going. Now three-for-three lifetime for owner Val D Or Farms, Newsroom paid $3.20 his biggest win payout yet after being sent to the gate as the 3-5 public choice. The other male paces went to Rock The Captain N (Captaintreacherous-Rocknroll Arden) with driver Todd McCarthy and trainer Tony Alagna in 1:52 as the 5-2 second choice and Lou Vuitton (Sweet Lou-Shark Lightning) in 1:52.4 for Miller and Ron Burke at 4-1, also the second choice in the wagering. The three winners in the colt and gelding trots were Winter Soldier (Face Time Bourbon-Jumalay Mass), who took his pari-mutuel debut for Andy McCarthy and Alagna in 1:53.4 as the 2-1 second choice; T C I (Cantab Hall-Nicoles Promise), who followed up a win in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes with a 1:54.4 victory for Miller and Burke as the 2-1 second choice; and Tony Adams S (Muscle Hill-Dreamgirl Hornline) for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt in 1:56.1 as the 6-1 fourth choice in the wagering. In a pair of filly trotting divisions, 4-5 favourite Cheval Rapide (Father Patrick-Shake It Cerry) made it two Kindergarten wins in as many tries for Yannick Gingras and Nancy Takter in 1:54.2 while International Model (International Moni-Flying Glider) scored for Scott Zeron and Domenico Cecere in 1:55.2 as the 9-2 third choice. Taking the two filly paces were 12-1 outsider (the fourth choice) Sarasota Hanover (Stay Hungry-Surfside Sexy), who picked up her first career win for Zeron and Linda Toscano in 1:51.4 while Pressure Cooker (Heston Blue Chip-Better Be Steamin) completed a pacing filly sweep for Zeron and Toscano, also in 1:51.4, as the second choice at 8-5. Zeron led the driver colony with four winners on the card. Miller was next with three jaunts down victory lane. Cecere, Toscano, Burke and Alagna all had training doubles. There were no winning tickets sold on the 20-cent Pick-6, creating a carryover of $8,531 for Saturdays program. Free past performances for every race of every Big M card are available by going to playmeadowlands.com. A carryover of $14,932 led to just over $150,000 in new money being bet into the Early 10-cent Hi-5 pool for a grand total of $165,169. Those with tickets with the winning combination of 5-9-10-2-8 cashed in for $359.27 for 10 cents despite the race being won by 3-5 favourite Yanaba. Betting was brisk on the 14-race card at $3,028,176, the 46th time from 60 programs this year that wagering exceeded the magic $3-million mark. Racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m. Sitting atop the marquee are a pair of eliminations for both the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks. The post time for the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks on Saturday, Aug. 5 has been changed to 3:30 p.m. Post time for the $1-million Hambletonian is unchanged at 4:45 p.m. (Meadowlands Racetrack) This week's Rewind is another version of Picture Parade, a regular monthly feature where readers get to look at some old photos and if they wish, submit who they think is pictured. This time the central theme is all about Hambletonian Day. This year's edition of this classic race will be held on Saturday, August 5, so just a week away. All of this week's old photos were taken on or near Hambletonian Day at some point in time over a rather lengthy period since this year will mark the 98th renewal of the Hambo. All 11 of the top photos include someone with Canadian "roots", such as trainers, drivers and ownership of Hambo winners. Most of the photos will carry the same description. #1 - Can you identify the driver in this photo? Also if you wish to make further identifications or comments please do so. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) #2 - Can you identify the driver in this photo? Also if you wish to make further identifications or comments please do so. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) #3 - Can you identify the driver in this photo (pictured left and right)? Also if you wish to make further identifications or comments please do so. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) #4 - Can you identify the driver in this photo? Also if you wish to make further identifications or comments please do so. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) #5 - Can you identify the driver and trainer in this photo? Also if you wish to make further identifications or comments please do so. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) #6 - Can you identify the drivers in this photo? Also if you wish to make further identifications or comments please do so. Obviously we have a little different scenario here but I am sure our picture experts will have the answers. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) #7 - Can you identify the driver and trainer in this photo? Also if you wish to make further identifications or comments please do so. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) #8 - Can you identify the driver in this photo? Also if you wish to make further identifications or comments please do so. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) #9 - Can you identify the driver in this photo? Also if you wish to make further identifications or comments please do so. This man had his picture taken a lot of times on Hambletonian day but it's ben a long time since he was around. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) #10 - Can you identify the driver in this photo? Also if you wish to make further identifications or comments please do so. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) Bonus Photo #11 - Can you identify the driver of #4 at the rail, the eventual winner of this Hambletonian held at Goshen, N.Y. (Photo courtesy of The Hambletonian Society) Who Is It? Can you identify the gentleman shown in the photo above? He didn't win a Hambletonian but he did win the leading driver's award at Roosevelt in 1983 when this was taken. Quote For The Week: "Being male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of age. But being a gentleman is a matter of choice." - Vin Diesel, actor and producer. Blast From The Past This picture was displayed in a Rewind quite a few years ago but I decided to show it again as it is pretty cute. For many years the late Doug Palmer of Schomberg, Ont. was a very active participant in Ontario harness racing circles as a breeder, owner and driver. He also specialized in raising and showing Belgian horses at the fairs, a practice that was followed by his daughter Beth. This 1979 photo shows his grandson Kevin Myers who was then just five years old. At the end of each lead shank was a lot of horsepower. This pair were headed to that year's Royal Winter Fair show. The Palmer Belgians became widely known thanks in part to Carlsberg. Another trademark was the use of the name "Remlap" for their horses which just happens to be Palmer spelled in reverse. During a time when teacher and principal shortages are persist nationwide, Culpeper County Public Schools reports it is in good shape regarding educators to teach students in the new academic year. The shortages, especially in rural communities, prompted a Virginia U.S. Senator to reintroduce legislation addressing the issue as well as that of increasing teacher diversity. This is our new teacher week, so a great time to talk about new teachers to CCPS, said local school division spokeswoman Laura Hoover in an email Thursday. The good news is that we are not having trouble filling vacancies this year. This year has been a better recruiting year than last year. Another factor is that the school system has a 90% retention rate of certified staff. There are still a few vacancies with school less than two weeks away, but applications continue to come in, Hoover said. Last week, Culpeper County Public Schools welcomed 93 new teachers. In this group, we have para-educators who have been working with us who are now becoming teachers, we have substitutes that have decided to become full time teachers. We have many CCPS alumni as well, Hoover said. The school system offers quite a few incentives for teachers, including a mentorship program, tuition reimbursement, wellness incentives, attendance bonuses and other teacher appreciation efforts by the schools. Overall, we are in good shape for the upcoming school year and welcome all of our teachers back on Monday, Hoover said. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, recently reintroduced the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals Act, to address staff shortages in education across America. Our nations educators are critical to ensuring students success, which is why Im committed to finding solutions to address teacher and principal shortages in Virginia and across the country, Kaine said in a statement. Im proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill to expand teacher training programs and help boost diversity among the teacher workforce. Shortages at schools across the country, particularly in rural areas of Maine, impede students ability to reach their full potential, Collins said. The bill would increase access to high-quality teacher and leader training programs and extend federal support for recruiting well-prepared educators for areas most affected, she said. According to the U.S. Department of Education, an overwhelming majority of states report teacher shortages in mathematics, science and special education. The latest Virginia Department of Education report on teacher shortages showed more than 3,500 unfilled teaching positions across Virginia in the 2022-23 school year. The workforce also remains largely white, despite increased diversity in the student population, according to the release from Kaines office. The Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals Act would encourage school districts to create partnerships, including Grow Your Own programs, with local community colleges and universities to ensure their programs are educating future teachers in areas where there is a shortage of educators as well as set aside a separate fund of existing federal dollars for states to address state teacher and school leader shortages. The measure would improve educator preparation programs, increase teacher and school leader diversity, require states to identify areas of teacher or school leader shortages by subject across public schools and use that data to target their efforts. It would also increase support for educator preparation programs at minority-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities and Tribal colleges and universities to support a diverse and well-prepared educator workforce. (Photo : Michael TRAN / AFP) (MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images) Hollywood actor Michelle Yeoh finally ties the knot with longtime partner former Ferrari CEO Jeadn Todt after a 19-year-long engagement. Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh has finally married her longtime partner, former Ferrari CEO Jean Todt, after a 19-year-long engagement. The Malaysian-born superstar, known for her roles in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," and Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," took pictures where she held her Oscar statue that she won this year. Michelle Yeoh Marries Jean Todt Brazilian racing driver Felipe Massa also shared the wonderful news in an Instagram post congratulating the newlyweds. His post featured the wedding card during the event and included some pictures. As seen on the wedding card, the ceremony was held on July 27 in Geneva, Switzerland, and it was also revealed that the couple first met in Shanghai, China, on June 4, 2004. The former Ferrari CEO then proposed to Yeoh less than two months after, on July 26, 2004. The card also included a short statement: "She said yes today after 6992 days on July 27 2023 in Geneva, surrounded by loving family and friends. We are happy to celebrate this special moment together," as per When in Manila. Yeoh is also known for her roles in various other films, such as "Tomorrow Never Dies," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and "Crazy Rich Asians." She became the first Asian actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Even Wang in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Before her relationship with Todt, Yeoh married Hong Kong entrepreneur Dickson Poon from 1988 to 1992. On the other hand, the former Ferrari CEO, who is currently a motor racing executive, has a son, Nicolas Todt, from a prior marriage. Another image from the wedding ceremony showed the Oscar-winning actress wearing a cream silk shirt and a tasseled cream skirt while standing next to Todt. The series of images shared via social media also featured Yeoh wearing a different wedding outfit, a nude lace dress with a silk bodice. Read Also: Dwayne Johnson Gives SAG-AFTRA 'Historic' 7-Figure Donation in Support of Striking Actors Ending 19 Years of Engagement In one photograph, Yeoh and Todt, who only wore the same dapper blue suit throughout the celebrations, smiled and embraced. During the actress' Oscar win earlier this year, she said it was a historical moment and expressed her gratitude to the Academy for acknowledging and embracing diversity and true representation, according to People. During the ceremony on March 13, Yeoh gave a rousing speech that she dedicated to all the little boys and girls who look like her. She said that her achievement marked a beacon of hope and possibilities and proved that dreams come true. In a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Todt confirmed his marriage with Yeoh. In his tweet, the former Ferrari CEO said that now that his other son, Massan, discreetly spread the good news, he can happily confirm his union with Yeoh. During an interview last year, the Hollywood actress briefly discussed marriage. She said it was simply a piece of paper that did not change anything for her and her relationship with Todt. However, she noted that it means a lot to her partner, which made it mean a lot to her, said NBC News. Related Article: 'Cruel Summer' on Top: Taylor Swift Breaks All-Time Record for Most Top Billboard Hits @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In 2023, Nebraska finally joined the 48 other states that empower parents to choose the best education for their children despite their income or ZIP code. I was proud to cosponsor and support LB 573, the Opportunity Scholarships Act, joining with colleagues from across the state to pass a bill that was long overdue. Many of us may disagree on many other issues, but we came together on this. I am very disappointed to see efforts to stop parents from putting their children in a better school. It is very important citizens from Western Nebraska stand behind families and let school choice finally become a reality in our state. In their attempts to roll back the law, the Nebraska State Education Association (NSEA) is distributing myths and false information. They claim that this program would take money away from public schools, despite the legislature passing historic levels of funding for public education this past session. They are not telling the truth. There is clear evidence that similar programs in other states have not cut funding for public education. Perhaps more disturbing to me are the suggestions that school choice is not helpful in rural communities like mine. In fact, experience in states that have led the way on this issue shows that all types of communities, rural and urban, benefit from this. Half of the six Florida counties with the highest private school enrollment are rural. It is in those communities that school choice can be especially crucial. In 2021, 8,500 students in Floridas 30 rural counties used school choice scholarships. In rural communities, school choice can be used to help children attend schools that already exist, or help entrepreneurs create new schools. For example, every student enrolled in the Gold Star Private Academy in Bristol Florida uses a school choice scholarship to attend. I anticipate many untold opportunities arising for students in LD 43 once school choice becomes a reality. School choice is coming to Nebraska. Support for empowering parents is higher than ever as confidence in the one-size-fits-all government education system reaches historic lows. When a child cannot get what is needed and there are no other educational options, parents should have the opportunity to make a different choice. I hear it from my constituents, and I know Im not alone. Even NSEA allies who ran a recent poll full of biased questions could only find split opinions. The support for this policy is far wider than they would like to admit. And thats why their allies continue to desperately mislead the public, hoping that special interest money and a statewide campaign of false information will block opportunity for Nebraska families. We wont fall for it in Western Nebraska. Under our constitution, 5% of the signatures collected must come from thirty-eight of our ninety-three counties. This ensures the population centers in Lincoln and Omaha cannot pass a referendum idea like this without significant support from the rural part of Nebraska. For the sake of our children and their future, every Nebraskan of all backgrounds should decline to sign the petition being circulated that would repeal this law. Twelve local teens will take the stage for the Scotts Bluff County Fair Pageant on July 29, hoping to be the areas next big pageant winner. Girls competing for Miss Scotts Bluff County and Miss Scotts Bluff County Teen have reason to get their hopes up. Just this summer, Morgan Baird, of Gering, earned the Miss Nebraska crown and has already been seen at a large number of area events. And, of course, another former Gering teen, Teresa Scanlan, took the coveted title of Miss America in 2010. Scanlan had been crowned as Miss Scotts Bluff County during the 2009 pageant. Other notable winners are JaCee Pikington, crowned Miss Nebraska Outstanding Teen in 2009; Ashley Bauer, earning the title of Miss Nebraska 2007 and Jennifer McCafferty, awarded Miss Wyoming 2007. Organizer Cheryl Engelhaupt, who has been involved with the pageant for the entire 27 years of its existence, said six girls have signed up to compete in the Teen division and six will compete in the Miss division. Engelhaupt said there is a good slate of competitors this year. We usually run between 12-15 girls, she said. Contestants in the Teen division are: Madisen Meek, Anna Meier, Addison Peck, Sienna Osthoff, Kylie Backus and Wailynn Hooton. Contestants in the Miss division are Brooke Margheim, Adrianna Casias, Jadyn Wetherington, Aleena Wagner, Jalyn Wagner and Janeva OBannon. Two titles are given in the Miss division: Miss Scotts Bluff County and Miss Old West Balloon Fest. In the teen division, the girls are competing for the titles of Miss Scotts Bluff County Teen and Miss Old West Balloon Fest Teen. The pageant added the Old West Balloon Fest titles in 2015. Last year, another title, Miss Western Nebraska was given, with a third title added due to the number of contestants. Every year, from the time that girls begin preparing and practicing before the pageant, Engelhaupt said she sees a lot of growth in the girls. The girls gain confidence and poise, even learning to interact with others and skills like interviewing. A lot of times, we have first-timers, Engelhaupt said. And I tell the girls, Everybody had a first time. Throughout the week, as they start learning their dances, start learning the opening number and practice through the week, we teach them. Our previous queens work with them, working with them on interview, what to expect ... and we even go through evening gowns. Also, she said, that evolution in confidence and other life skills is particularly true of the girls who win the pageant and go on to compete in the Miss Nebraska and Miss Nebraska Outstanding Teen pageants. As the girls compete, and attend events, she said, they learn how to interact with others, volunteer in the community and in other ways. It builds camaraderie. Its kind of like a family, like a sisterhood, Engelhaupt said. The scholarship pageant has also helped its contestants experience success in other areas of their lives. Our program gives over $5,000 in scholarship money that these girls use for college and to go on and further their education, she said. We have a lot of good support in this area, which makes us the pageant that has given the most money in the state of Nebraska, as a local pageant. Engelhaupt said that only the Miss Nebraska pageant has given away more scholarship money, which awards thousands of dollars each year. A lot of times, thats why the girls enter, because it helps them through school. On pageant night, Engelhaupt said, the private interview makes up 30% of the score; talent, health and wellness, where the girls model sportswear and fitness wear and evening gown, each earn the girls 20%. Onstage question wraps up with 10% of the score. A variety of talents are planned to be onstage, with girls performing dance to singing opera. This year, the pageant will be held at 7 p.m. at the Gering High School. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. For more on the Scotts Bluff County Fair Pageant, visit its Facebook page, facebook.com/ScottsBluffCountyFairPageant. North Carolinas summer storms and scorching temperatures over the past few weeks are a reminder that we are in the swing of the hurricane season. Hurricane season lasts until November, and sadly, weve already seen tornadoes hit and damage Nash County. These disasters dont just bring stormy skies they bring scammers, too. Its critical that you prepare to stay safe from severe weather and to protect yourself from scammers looking to exploit your crisis. Follow these tips and stay up to date on guidance from your local and state officials to ensure youre staying safe this summer. Always plan ahead. Create an emergency plan with your family so youre not caught off guard when a hurricane hits. Be familiar with your towns emergency guidelines and know how youll evacuate and where the shelters are located. Think carefully about how youll care for anyone in your family who needs extra attention, like elderly or disabled family members, small children, and pets. Keep essential documents and supplies handy. If you know severe weather is approaching, be sure to have everything you need packed and ready to go. If you need to evacuate, you dont want to waste time searching your home for the things you need. Always have a disaster kit prepared and be sure all household members know where to find it. Include clothing, battery-operated flashlights, and enough food and water for each family member for several days. Make sure you pack important documents like drivers licenses, Social Security cards, insurance cards, bank documents, passports, and bills. Keep a list of emergency phone numbers including for our Consumer Protection Division, 1-877-5-NO-SCAM, so you can report scammers if needed. Watch for price gouging and scams. Scammers and storm chasers exploit the danger and destruction that a hurricane brings. Dont give out personal information to unknown callers, even if they claim to represent government agencies. And if you want to help others by giving to charity, give to organizations you know. Scammers often create fake organizations with compelling names and websites. If the governor declares a state of emergency, North Carolinas price gouging law goes into effect. That means it is illegal for businesses or contractors to unfairly raise their prices, and our office enforces that law. So, its critical that you report any suspected incidences of price gouging to us at www.ncdoj.gov/gouging. Research contractors and businesses you may hire. When the storm passes, your home may have damage that requires a contractor to help with repairs. But dont hire just anyone. Look up online reviews, check the Better Business Bureau website, or call my office to see if the company is reputable. Always shop around for written estimates and read any contract carefully before signing. Make sure you are satisfied with the work before paying the full bill. To learn more about how you can be prepared this hurricane season, visit readync.gov. If each of us does our part to prepare, we will all be able to recover more quickly when disaster strikes. Recently, my wife Judy, our dog Nessie, and I watched a TV program titled, Back to the Moon, an episode in the NOVA series on Public Television. Warning: You have to be careful when you watch PBS; you might accidently learn something. Nessie the dog was doing more sleeping than watching, as she is a terrier and therefore more concerned with things terrestrial than in things celestial. As you should expect from the title of the program, it was about humanitys approaching return to the lunar surface. Did you realize that it has now been almost 54 years since Neil Armstrong left his footprints (and the $38 million Lunar Rover) on the moons dusty surface? The date was July 20, 1969, the mission was called Apollo 11. So far, altogether a dozen men have trod the lunar surface. We had expected, back in the early 1970s, that within a few years there would be an American colony on the moon, with an astronomical observatory free of the interference of Earths atmosphere and, possibly, the discovery of mineral deposits, perhaps even water, inside our sole natural satellite. For various reasons, some of them political, the moon was not settled and explored as we thought it might be. If you are a reader of science fiction, you may have known that the moon was explored ln several novels more than a century ago. In fact, one of the novels to which I am referring, Jules Vernes book set in the late 1860s (and published first in 1869), has science fiction predating science fact by exactly a century! Two books, one by the Frenchman Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905), and one by the Englishman Herbert George (H.G.) Wells (1866-1946), told of these literary lunar expeditions in the books respectively titled, From the Earth to the Moon (1865), and The First Men in the Moon (1901). My brother Jeff and I read the Classics Illustrated comic book versions of both books when we were in junior high school. Generally speaking, Verne was more the engineer of the two writers; he was interested in the technology of the future, while Wells was more an anthropologist, concerned with how society might change as the future, and future technology, affect it. Monsieur Verne solved the problem of getting to the moon by means of an extraordinarily large caliber, hollow artillery shell. In his book, Verne went into detail explaining how big the shell and the cannon-like hole would have to be, how much it would weigh, etc. We know now that the acceleration caused by the explosion of the amount of gunpowder or other explosive material necessary to propel the astronauts and their craft beyond Earths gravitation field known as escape velocity would have been enough to reduce the three passengers to a gooey, gelatinous mass. In case you were curious, or were planning a launch of your own, from the Earths surface, escape velocity is about 11.2 km/s, which is approximately 33 times the speed of sound, or 7 miles per second (a little over 25,000 miles per hour). I found it interesting to note that Verne picked the launch site to be in Florida, near the city of Tampa. Tampa, as you know, is on Floridas Gulf Coast, while Cape Canaveral is on its Atlantic Coast. I stumbled upon one other coincidence: in Vernes novel, two states are rivals to have the honor of being the moon voyages starting point: Texas and Florida. Again, presaging reality, the two states most closely associated with Americas space program are Florida, with launches emanating from Cape Kennedy (Cape Canaveral before 1963 and after 1973) and NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Nonetheless, Vernes 54 voyages extraordinaire, were very popular and his novels were commercially successful. Mr. Wells proposed a more-gentle solution to the getting to the moon problem: He envisioned painting the space capsule with a material he called Cavorite, which had the remarkable property of being gravity-resistant. As the novels main character explains it, various substances have the ability to block radiant energy, which the character states that gravity is. So, blocking off Earths gravity, like blocking the suns rays with an opaque material, would allow the moons gravity to pull a capsule toward it. In the novel, Cavorite is named for its eccentric inventor, Joseph Cavor, who is one of the two main characters of the book. This Cavorite, of course, was pure fantasy, but if there had been such a substance, it would have, perhaps, gently crossed the 239,228.3 miles (385,000.6km) between Earth and her nearest neighbor. This Earth-to-Moon distance is an average, as our moon is not always the same distance away from Earth, its orbit not a perfect circle. The apogee (closest distance) of the two is 225,623 miles, while the perigee (farthest distance) is 252,088 miles. This difference in distance affects moons gravitational field and therefore changes the height of our ocean tides. It also makes the moon appear larger during apogee. While not as popular as his novels The Time Machine, The Invisible Man or The War of the Worlds, there was an interesting and entertaining movie adaptation of The First Men in the Moon. The 103-minute technicolor film was produced in Britain in 1964 based on Wells book. I recommend it; it is probably available on a DVD. In the movie, two male astronauts, played by Edward Judd and Lionel Jeffries, accompanied by the attractive Martha Hyer, make it to the moon as described above. There, they discover an insectoid population of moon creatures which they name Selenites. I must mention that Ray Harryhausen, the film special-effects genius, contributed to the film in several areas. Monsieur Verne is better known than Mr. Wells, as more than a few of his books have been made into Walt Disney movies. Verne also authored more books than did Wells. Verne gave us such popular scientific adventures as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth and Around the World in Eighty Days. There was an 1870 sequel to Vernes first lunar book, titled Around the Moon which has been largely ignored. I have not read it, but plan to. You can read both of Vernes books online for free through Project Gutenberg, which boasts it has 70,000 free books online. In Vernes first moon book, he got the apogee and perigee reversed. However, his estimate of the moons apogee was only about 7,000 miles off. When you are considering a voyage of some 250,000 miles, this is a small error (slightly less than 3 percent). I understand that a few years ago scientists measured the Earth-to-Moon distance to an accuracy within a few centimeters using a laser beam. Verne, ever engineer-minded, went so far as to figure that the escape velocity his hollow artillery shell (space capsule) would need to have. His gigantic, hollow artillery shell (space capsule) would have a diameter of nine feet; it would be cast in aluminum and would weigh 19,250 pounds. Made by North American Aviation, the actual Apollo 11 command module (CM-107) and named Columbia, measured 11.42 feet tall and was 12.83 feet at its widest, and weighed 12,250 pounds. The Apollo 11 rocket needed a velocity of about 25,000 miles per hour to escape Earths gravity. It is also interesting that the name, Columbia, is very close to Columbiad, the name of the giant cannon that shot Jules Vernes astronauts to the moon in his 1865 sci-fi novel. Day 3 of Anime Expo 2023 started out with a bang for attendees interested in the U.S. premiere of Rurouni Kenshin . Not only were fans treated to the first adaptive episode of a beloved anime series but also graced by the presence of the producer Masami Niwa, Kenshin Himuras voice actor Soma Saito, and Kaoru Kamiyas voice actress Rie Takahashi. All in all, the experience was memorable in more ways than one. Images: Aniplex of America Inc. Rurouni Kenshin Twitter This was Saitos first visit to Los Angeles who greeted the crowd with a hello. Takahashi also expressed her excitement and how happy she was to be there. When asked how they felt to be in front of the American fans, Saito iterated how amazing it was whereas Takahashi showed how happy she was for receiving a lot of the fans smiles. Niwa pointed out that it had been five years since his last visit and that it was an honor to be with the other two guests that day. Although the visit to America was in part to promote the series adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin, the guests also found time for personal endeavors around L.A. County. Saito, who is into music, bought a guitar and had the opportunity to catch one of Shohei Ohtani's home runs (Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional player for the Los Angeles Angels). Takahashi, on the other hand, visited a lot of vintage stores and did some shopping. Getting back to the series adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin, however, there was plenty to talk about. Saito and Takahashi were both asked to describe their mindset upon confirmation of receiving their respective role on the show. Saito pointed out how big of a fan he was of Kenshin from the old series. Because of that, he felt a great responsibility to voice the character. Takahashi, on the contrary, indicated that it was a big surprise when her manager gave her the news. She humorously pointed out that she thought her manager was going to quit on her, hence, leading to her surprised state. Regarding how they prepared for their role, Saito said that his preparation involved reading old volumes of the series in order to project Kenshin into an anime setting. Takahashi added on by describing Kaoru (the character she plays) as someone who is strong and feminine - such a recognition allowed her to put everything into acting. Given how invested Saito and Takahashi were in each of their characters, they were given the opportunity to share what Kenshin, as a series, meant to them and what they thought about the U.S. premiere. Saito was excited to impart something to the fans who watched and he got goosebumps when he saw Kenshin moving on the screen. Takahashi added how she could not wait for what happens next despite already knowing some of the content. One of the most interesting junctures of the panel discussion was when Niwa (the producer) was asked to explain the state of Japan during the era that Kenshin took place. The knowledge he shared helped set the stage for those interested in the history of Japan and how the series revolved around it. Niwa indicated that Bakumatsu was a huge turning point in Japan which it was a transitional period from the shogun government to the Meiji period. The Meiji period, as Niwa explained, outlawed carrying swords which led to the end of the samurai age. Despite that, Kenshin sided with the Meiji Party during this transitional period. Their party ended up winning in the end. As a side note, Niwa encouraged those who were interested in Japanese history to go seek knowledge online. When talking about the first episode, Takahashi was asked what her favorite moment was. She acknowledged it was the first encounter between Kenshin and Kaoru because it set the stage for the series. Both Saito and Takahashi also commented on the opening theme song (Hiten by Ayase & R-Shitei) and the ending theme song (Edge by Reol). Saito considered the songs to be huge moments because of his musical endeavors. Takahashi took it a step further by indicating that the tempo of the opening theme personally reminded her of the spring season whereas the ending theme gave her a walking sensation. As the panel headed toward its conclusion, a video was played where Makoto Koichi (voice of Myojin Yahiko) and Taku Yashiro (voice of Sagara Sanosuke) delivered a special message to the fans in attendance. They expressed how much they would have liked to be there with the crowd given their excitement about the Kenshin series. Rounding out the panel, Niwa expressed his nervousness about bringing Kenshin to the present day; however, hearing the attendees applause gave him hope. Saito added on by thanking the attendees for joining them that day and expressed that life is a journey - Kenshin is a samurai on a journey and that it has just begun. Takahashi pointed out that many individuals from the show wanted to come to L.A. but could not make the trip. Despite this, the team was going to continue working hard so she asked everyone to continue to support them. The panel concluded with the guests sounding off with a Rurouni followed by a reverberating Kenshin from the crowd. PCIT Vs Polyplex Corporation Ltd (Delhi High Court) Delhi High Court held that tax credit could not be extended to the assessee, because it had not paid tax in Thailand, i.e., that benefit under Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA could only be extended in a situation where the tax had actually been paid. Facts- The respondent/assessee claims that it is eligible for tax credit qua tax which, though payable in the country from where the income emanated, was not paid because of the statutory regime operating in that country. The respondent/assessee, in seeking tax credit qua tax payable [though not paid], has sought to place reliance on Article 23 of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement [DTAA] obtained between India and Thailand. It was the respondent/assessees stand that it ought to be given tax credit qua the tax which it was spared from paying, on income by way of dividend, received from its subsidiary in Thailand, in consonance with the provisions of Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA. Thus, the issue at hand centres around the concept of tax sparing, which is embedded in several DTAAs arrived between India and other countries, including Thailand. Conclusion- Held that tax credit as claimed, could not be extended to the respondent/assessee, because it had not paid tax in Thailand, i.e., that benefit under Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA could only be extended in a situation where the tax had actually been paid. In view of the rationale provided by us hereinabove, this argument is completely misconceived. The concept of tax sparing is embedded in several DTAAs which have been executed by India, such as with France, Jordan and Oman, apart from Thailand. Insofar as the Indo-Thailand DTAA is concerned, credit for tax sparing works for residents of Thailand, as well as India. This is a mechanism which is engrafted in DTAAs to incentivize investment for economic development. FULL TEXT OF THE JUDGMENT/ORDER OF DELHI HIGH COURT The above-captioned appeals, which are four (4) in number, are directed against a common order dated 24.01.2019 [hereafter referred to as impugned order] passed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal [in short, Tribunal]. 1.1. The impugned order concerns Assessment Years (AY) 2010-11 (ITA 573/2019), 2011-12 (ITA 574/2019), 2012-13 (ITA 571/2019) and 2013-14 (ITA 575/2019). 2. The disputants before us, via their respective counsel, have conveyed that the controversy at hand is common to all four AYs and therefore, a decision rendered vis-a-vis one AY, will cover and/or apply to the remaining AYs as well. Notably, this position was also adopted before the Tribunal. 3. Accordingly, as was the case before the Tribunal, we will be adverting to the facts, as obtained in AY 2010-11. 4. Before we proceed further, we may indicate that the broad issue which arose for consideration before the statutory authorities [including the Tribunal] and us, concerns the following: 4.1. The respondent/assessee claims that it is eligible for tax credit qua tax which, though payable in the country from where the income emanated, was not paid because of the statutory regime operating in that country. 4.2. The respondent/assessee, in seeking tax credit qua tax payable [though not paid], has sought to place reliance on Article 23 of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement [in short, DTAA] obtaining between India and Thailand. 4.3. It is the respondent/assessees stand that it ought to be given tax credit qua the tax which it was spared from paying, on income by way of dividend, received from its subsidiary in Thailand, in consonance with the provisions of Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA. Thus, the issue at hand centres around the concept of tax sparing, which is embedded in several DTAAs arrived at between India and other countries, including Thailand. 5. On the other hand, appellant/revenue seeks to contend that because the tax was not paid by the respondent/assessee on dividend received from its Thai subsidiary, i.e., Polyplex (Thailand) Public Limited Company, it could not be granted tax credit on dividend income, which was otherwise taxable in India at the rate of 30% (plus surcharge and cess, at the applicable rates). 6. Thus, before we proceed further to adjudicate the issue at hand, the following broad facts concerning AY 2010-11 are required to be noticed. 7. The respondent/assessee had e-filed its return of income for AY 201011 on 13.10.2010. The income declared for the said AY was Rs.11,41,46,171/-. The return of income (ROI) was processed under Section 143 (1) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 [hereafter referred to as, Indian Income Tax Act]. 7.1 The ROI was picked up for scrutiny, whereupon it was discovered that the respondent/assessee had claimed tax credit amounting to Rs.1,60,74,706/- in respect of tax, which it would have to ordinarily pay in Thailand on dividend received from its Thai subsidiary, but for the statutory regime obtaining in Thailand, which exempted levy of tax in that country. 7.2 It is important to note at this stage that the respondent/assessee had included in its ROI, dividend income amounting to Rs.68,81,05,808/- earned from its Thai subsidiary. 8. But for the exemption granted under the statutory regime obtaining in Thailand, the respondent/assessee would have to pay tax, in Thailand, at the rate of 10% on dividend received by it from its Thai subsidiary. On account of this, the respondent/assessee claimed tax credit for the amount quantified at the said rate, i.e., 10%, under the provisions of paragraphs 2 & 3 of the Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA. 9. The Assessing Officer (AO), however, disagreed with the stand taken by the respondent/assessee and thus, declined the tax credit sought in the ROI. 10. The respondent/assessee, being aggrieved, carried the matter before the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) [in short, CIT(A)]. The CIT(A), via a common order dated 24.06.2016, rejected the appeals preferred against the assessment orders concerning the aforementioned AYs. 11. In the Tribunal, however, the respondent/assessee was successful. It was able to persuade the Tribunal that, having regard to the tax sparing concept which is embedded in several DTAAs, including the subject Indo-Thai DTAA, it was entitled to tax credit at the rate of 10%, on the dividend income received from the Thai subsidiary. 12. It is in this backdrop that the aforementioned appeals came to be lodged before this court. Submissions of Counsel 13. In support the appellant/revenues case, submissions were advanced by Mr Kunal Sharma, learned senior standing counsel, while on behalf of the respondent/assessee, submissions were made by Mr Ved Jain, Advocate. 14. Mr Sharmas arguments can, broadly, be paraphrased as follows: (i) The AO had rightly declined tax credit. The respondent/assessees stand that in view of Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA, it could get tax benefit concerning tax which it had not, infact, paid, was flawed. (ii) The CIT(A) correctly noted that paragraph 6 of the promotion certificate issued to the Thai subsidiary, based on which a claim was made that dividend distributed did not suffer tax in Thailand, did not, as a matter of fact, refer to dividend. (iii) The Tribunal took a view that to obtain benefit under Article 23(2) of the Indo-Thai DTAA, it was not necessary that the respondent/assessee ought to have paid tax: what was relevant was whether it was liable to pay tax, and if so, that tax was not paid in view of exemption granted in that behalf. This was an erroneous conclusion, as it went beyond the scope and ambit of the Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA. The respondent/assessee was not granted exemption, as envisaged in Article 23(2) of the Indo-Thai DTAA. (iv) Furthermore, the respondent/assessee failed to furnish proof of such exemption being accorded to it. Thus, the Tribunal erroneously concluded that tax had not been paid in view of the exemption extended under the statutory regime prevailing in Thailand. (v) The respondent/assessee did not pay tax, for reasons other than those provided in Article 23(2) of the Indo-Thai DTAA. (vi) The exemption relied upon by the respondent/assessee was, in fact, extended to its Thai subsidiary. The exemption permitted the Thai subsidiary to not pay tax on the dividend distributed by it. In the hands of the respondent/assessee, however, the dividend distributed and/or remitted to the respondent/assessee, became its income, and hence, the respondent/assessee cannot be allowed to rely upon the exemption under Thai law, to claim tax credit in India, under the Indian Income Tax Act. (vii) The Tribunal, erroneously, interpreted provisions of Thai statues, which, being in the domain of foreign law, presented pure questions of fact. Given this position, the Tribunal ought to have remanded the matter to the AO. (viii) In the given facts, the respondent/assessee could have claimed benefit of under Article 23(2) of the Indo-Thai DTAA, only if it had paid tax in Thailand. Since the respondent/assessee had not paid tax in Thailand, it was rightly declined tax credit by the AO. 15. Mr Ved Jain, on the other hand, on behalf of the respondent/assessee, emphasized the following aspects, in defence of the impugned order rendered by the Tribunal: (i) The concept of tax sparing credit runs through several DTAAs executed by India, including with Oman, Jordan and France, apart from Thailand. (ii) Under tax sparing provisions, tax credit may be claimed even for tax which, though payable, is exempted on account of incentives granted by the source country. Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA would show that these benefits are available to the recipient of income, as in this case, in India, as well as those who reside in Thailand. [See Article 23(2) and Article 23(3) alongside Article 23(4) and Article 23(5) of the Indo-Thai DTAA]. (iii) The Thai subsidiary of the respondent/assessee was granted exemption from corporate income tax vis-a-vis its net profit under Section 31 of Investment Promotion Act B.E. 2520 (1997) [in short, Investment Promotion Act]. Besides this, the dividend distributed by the respondent/assessees Thai subsidiary is also exempted from tax under the provision of 34 of the Investment Promotion Act. (iv) Section 70 of the Revenue Code B.E. 2481 (1938) of Thailand [in short, Thai Revenue Code] levies tax at the rate of 10% on companies incorporated under foreign law, qua assessable income which emanates from, or is received in Thailand. (v) Tax could only be levied, as per the Indo-Thai DTAA, on the dividend distributed by the Thai company, in Thailand. [See Article 101 of the Indo-Thai DTAA.] 1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State. 2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident, and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the dividends is a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax shall not exceed (a) 15 per cent of the gross amount of dividends, in a case where the company paying the dividends is engaged in an industrial undertaking and the beneficial owner of the dividends is a company of the other Contracting State owning at least 10 per cent of the voting shares of the company paying the dividends ; (b) in the case not covered by sub-paragraph (a) above, 20 per cent of the gross amount of dividends if the company paying the dividends is engaged in an industrial undertaking or if the beneficial owner of the dividends is a company of the other Contracting State owning at least 25 per cent of the voting shares of the company paying the dividends. 3. (a) The term dividends as used in this article means income from shares or other rights, not being debt-claims, participating in profits, as well as income from other corporate rights assimilated to income from shares according to the taxation laws of the Contracting State of which the company making the distribution is a resident. (b) In this article, the term industrial undertaking means an undertaking falling under any of the classes mentioned below : (i) manufacturing, assembling and processing ; (ii) construction, civil engineering and ship-building ; (iii) production of electricity, hydraulic power or gas or the supply of water : (iv) agriculture, forestry and fishery and the carrying on of a plantation ; (v) any other undertaking entitled to the privileges accorded under the laws of either Contracting State on the promotion of industrial investment ; and (vi) any other undertaking which may be declared to be an industrial undertaking for the purposes of this article by the competent authority of the Contracting State in which the undertaking is situated. 4. The provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2 ) shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident through a permanent establishment situated therein or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein and the holding in respect of (vi) Since the dividend income received by the respondent/assessee has been offered to tax in India, at a higher rate i.e., 30% (exclusive of surcharge and cess), the respondent/assessee is entitled to tax credit at the rate of 10%, in accordance with Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA. [See judgment dated 21.04.2017, passed in ITA 578/2016, titled PCIT v. Krishak Bharti Cooperative Limited, which was cited with approval in the judgment dated 17.12.2021, passed in ITA 177/2021, PCIT-3 v. Krishak Bharti Cooperative Limited. Reasoning and Analysis 16. Having heard arguments in the matter, and after etching out the broad issue which arises for consideration, it is quite evident that the controversy veers around the interpretation of Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA. Thus, for the sake of convenience, the said Article is extracted hereafter: ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION 1. The laws in force in either of the Contracting State shall continue to govern the taxation of income in the respective Contracting States except where provisions to the contrary are made in this Convention. 2. The amount of Thai tax payable, under the laws of Thailand and in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, whether directly or by deduction, by a resident of India, in respect of profits or income arising in Thailand, which has been subjected to tax both in India and in Thailand, shall be allowed as a credit against the Indian tax payable in respect of such profits or income provided that such credit shall not exceed the Indian tax (as computed before allowing any such credit) which is appropriate to the profits or income arising in Thailand. Further, where such resident is a company by which surtax is payable in India, the credit aforesaid shall be allowed in the first instance against income-tax payable by the company in India and as to the balance, if any, against surtax payable by it in India. 3. For the purposes of the credit referred to in paragraph (2), the term Thai tax payable shall be deemed to include any amount which would have been payable as Thai tax for any year but for an exemption or reduction of tax granted for that year or any part thereof under the provisions of the Investment Promotion Act (B.E. 2520) or of the Revenue Code (B.E. 2481) which are designed to promote economic development in Thailand, or which may be introduced hereafter in modification of, or in addition to, the existing laws for promoting economic development in Thailand. 4. The amount of Indian tax payable under the laws of India and in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, whether directly or by deduction, by a resident of Thailand, in respect of profits or income arising in India, which has been subjected to tax both in India and Thailand, shall be allowed as a credit against Thai tax payable in respect of such profits or income provided that such credit shall not exceed the Thai tax (as computed before allowing any such credit) which is appropriate to the profits or income arising in India. 5. For the purposes of the credit referred to in paragraph 4, the term Indian tax payable shall be deemed to include any amount which would have been payable as Indian tax for any assessment year but for an exemption or reduction of tax granted for that year or any part thereof by the special incentive measures under the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), which are designed to promote economic development, or which may be introduced hereafter in modification of, or in addition to the existing provisions for promoting economic development in India. 6. Where under this Convention a resident of a Contracting State is exempt from tax in that Contracting State in respect of income derived from the other Contracting State, then the first-mentioned Contracting State may, in calculating tax on the remaining income of that person, apply the rate of tax which would have been applicable if the income exempted from tax in accordance with this Convention had not been so exempted. 17. Paragraph 1 of Article 23 provides that taxation of income in the respective Contracting States shall continue to be governed by the laws in force in either of the Contracting States, except where, the provisions made in these laws are contrary to the Indo-Thai DTAA. In other words, in case of conflict, the provisions of the Indo-Thai DTAA would prevail. This is also the mandate of Section 90(2) of the Indian Income Tax Act. The said provision, explicitly, states that the provisions of the said Act shall apply only to the extent that they are more beneficial to the assessee, when examining issues concerning grant of relief of tax, in avoidance of double tax, in relation to an assessee to whom any DTAA applies. 17.1 Paragraph 2 of Article 23 allows tax credit against tax payable in India under the Indian Income Tax Act, qua Thai tax payable under the laws of Thailand, and in accordance with the provisions of Indo-Thai DTAA, whether directly or by deduction, by a resident of India concerning profits or income arising in Thailand, which is subjected to tax both in India and in Thailand. Paragraph 2 specifies the caveat that tax credit cannot exceed the amount of tax payable under the Indian Income Tax Act (as computed before allowing any such credit), which is appropriate to the profits of income, arising in Thailand. 17.2 Where the resident is a company which is liable to pay sur-tax in India, the aforementioned tax credit is to be allowed in the first instance against income tax payable by the company in India, and the balance, if any, can only thereafter be adjusted against sur-tax payable by it in India. 17.3 Paragraph 3 of Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA defines the term Thai Tax Payable. The said paragraph provides that it shall deem to include any amount which will have to be payable as Thai tax for any year, but for exemption or reduction of tax, for that year or any part thereof, under the provisions of the Investment Promotion Act, or of the Thai Revenue Code, which are designed to promote economic development in Thailand, or which may be introduced hereafter, for modification or in addition to the existing law, for promoting economic development in Thailand. 17.4 Paragraph 3 of Article 23, thus, by employing a device of deeming fiction, includes in the expression Thai Tax Payable as adverted to paragraph 2 of the very same Article, that tax which would have been otherwise payable, but for an exemption or reduction of tax granted for that year or any part thereof, under the two statutory enactments referred to therein. Para 3 also alludes to the fact that the said statutes are designed to promote economic development in Thailand. Clearly, the provision is configured to incentivize investments in Thailand, by granting tax credit for that amount which, otherwise, would have been payable as tax to the Thai state, but was not paid due to exemption or reduction granted under the said enactments. 17.5 Paragraph 4 and Para 5 of Article of 23 are a mirror image of Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the very same Article. Para 4 enables a resident of Thailand to claim tax credit with respect to Indian Tax Payable, while paragraph 5, like paragraph 3, introduces a deeming fiction with regard to the Indian Tax Payable. The only difference being that insofar as exemption or reduction of tax granted in the year in issue or any part thereof with regard to Tax Payable in India, instead to adverting to any statute, the Indo-Thai DTAA refers to special incentive measures provided in the Indian Income Tax Act. 17.6 Paragraph 6 of Article 23 provides a clue as to the rate at which tax credit can be accorded by, inter alia, providing that it would be that rate of tax which would have been applicable, if income exempted from tax in accordance with the provisions of Indo-Thai DTAA, had not been so exempted. 18. Ordinarily the term tax payable would mean tax, which is owed or due, although not paid. However, the meaning of the expression has to be found in the treaty executed between two Contracting States. The treaties/ DTAAs often (as in the instant appeals) define the term tax payable. The intent of the Contracting States has to be, thus, ascertained from the term, as contained in the DTAA, and not what would ordinarily be the meaning of a given expression or term. 19. Therefore, the meaning of the expression Thai tax payable or Indian tax payable has to be found in the definition embedded in the DTAA/treaty. 20. As is seen from a plain reading of Article 23 of the Indo-Thailand DTAA, credit for notional tax is granted to give a fillip and/or incentivize economic development/activity. This is a decision which is taken by Contracting States and therefore, unless there is ambiguity, the interpretation which is to be given to the expression Thai tax payable or Indian tax payable is to be based on a plain reading of what is provided in paragraphs 3 and 5 of Article 23. The said paragraphs exemplify mutuality of interests in giving stimulus to investment for securing economic development in both countries. 21. As to whether this is a best way forward is not for this court to question. There are critics of such provisions, but this is a decision which lies with the Contracting States. Critics say such tax sparing provisions could lead to double non-taxation. That tax sparing as a concept exists is discernible from the following extract set forth in Klaus Vogel on Double Taxation Conventions2 commentary: Whenever the credit method is applicable to items of income from foreign sources, tax benefits offered by the source State for reasons of economic or social policies, especially in the form of incentives to encourage economic development, are siphoned off by the State of residence State. Rather than benefitting the tax payer, the incentive benefits the residence States revenue authorities (always provided that, as usual, the amount of tax collected by the source State is lower, at least on account of the reduction, than the residence States tax). The tax incentive is thus cancelled out. That effect can be avoided by the residence State calculating the credit as if the tax in the source State remained at the unreduced level (credit for notional tax, tax sparing or tax matching credit) (no. 72 OECD MC Comm. on Article 23). A credit for notional taxes is typically granted in tax treaties concluded between developed and developing countries. Many developing countries insist on the inclusion of a tax sparing provision during tax treaty negotiations in order be able to attract foreign direct investment and promote economic growth by granting tax incentives. Some countries are willing to grant a tax sparing provision to allow their resident enterprises to compete in the source State under nearly the same conditions as other investors. Tax sparing conditions come close to facilitating capital import neutrality. . 22. Having examined the scope of Article 23, it is clear that the facts obtaining in the above-captioned appeals would have us agree with the Tribunal, that the respondent/assessee was entitled to claim tax credit on dividend income received from its Thai subsidiary, in respect of Thai Tax Payable, which it would have to pay, but for the exemption accorded to it under the provisions of Section 34 of the Investment Promotion Act. In other words, if the exemption available under Section 34 of the Investment Promotion Act had not kicked in, the dividend income would have suffered tax at the rate of 10% under Section 70 of the Thai Revenue Code. For the sake of easy reference, the relevant provisions of the Investment Promotion Act and the Thai Revenue Code, are extracted hereafter: Investment Protection Act Section 34. Dividends derived from a promoted activity granted an exemption of juristic person income tax shall be exempted from computation of taxable income throughout the period the promoted person receives the exemption of juristic person income tax. Thai Revenue Code Section 70. A company or juristic partnership incorporated under foreign laws and not carrying on business in Thailand but receiving assessable income under Section 40 (2)(3)(4)(5) or (6) which is paid from or in Thailand, shall be liable to pay tax. The payer of income shall deduct corporate income tax from such assessable income at the corporate income tax rate and remit it to the local Amphur office together with the filing of a tax return in the form prescribed by the Director General within 7 days from the last day of the month in which such income is paid. Section 54 shall also apply mutatis mutandis. 23. As noticed by us hereinabove, the same benefit concerning tax credit is available to a Thai resident, under Article 23(4) and (5) of the Indo-Thai DTAA. 24. The fact that the Revenue Code and the Investment Promotion Act are specifically mentioned in Article 23(3) of the Indo-Thai DTAA, persuades us to hold that even though foreign law raises an issue of fact, which requires proof of the given fact, no proof is required in the instant case, as the foreign law in question is referred to, specifically, in the DTAA which is being executed by Contracting States, i.e., India and Thailand. Thus, the argument advanced on behalf of the appellant/revenue that Tribunal ought to have sent back the question of the exigibility of dividend income to tax and its exemption, being subject matter of foreign law, to the AO, does not impress us. 25. The other argument advanced on behalf of the appellant/revenue, that paragraph 53 of the Promotion Certificate issued by the Board of Investment does not advert to dividend income, does not impress us either. A bare perusal of the document shows that the said certificate has been issued under the provisions of Investment Promotion Act, which as noticed hereinabove, is referred to Article 23 (3) of the Indo-Thai DTAA. Paragraph 5 of the Promotion Certificate, in no uncertain terms, inter alia, states that the under Section 314, paragraph 1 of the Investment Promotion Act, the promoted person shall be granted exemption from corporate income tax levied on net profits earned from promoted activity. Notably, Paragraph 65 states that under Section 34, dividend distributed from the promoted activity to which exemption from corporate tax is granted under Section 31, shall also be exempt from inclusion of tax calculations throughout the period in which the promoted person remains exempt from corporate income tax payments. Dividends are distributable profits, and if, as per paragraph 5, net profit is exempt from corporate income tax, dividends could not possibly amenable to tax. As noticed above, paragraph 6 of the said Certificate, specifically alludes to exemption of dividends distributed, from levy of corporate income tax. The appellant/revenues argument therefore is, in our view, untenable. 26. This apart, the appellant/revenue had not advanced this submission before any of the statutory authorities. 27. To sum up the entire edifice, the appellant/revenues appeals are based on the proposition that tax credit as claimed, could not be extended to the respondent/assessee, because it had not paid tax in Thailand, i.e., that benefit under Article 23 of the Indo-Thai DTAA could only be extended in a situation where the tax had actually been paid. In view of the rationale provided by us hereinabove, this argument is completely misconceived. The concept of tax sparing is embedded in several DTAAs which have been executed by India, such as with France, Jordan and Oman, apart from Thailand. 28. Insofar as the Indo-Thailand DTAA is concerned, credit for tax sparing works for residents of Thailand, as well as India. This is a mechanism which is engrafted in DTAAs to incentivize investment for economic development. 29. Interdiction of such provisions would, in our view, be detrimental to the larger public interest. 30. Thus, for the foregoing reasons, we are disinclined to interfere with the impugned order passed by the Tribunal. 31. According to us, no substantial question of law arises for our consideration. 32. The ITA No.573/2019 concerning AY 2010-11 is dismissed. As indicated right at the outset, since the issue raised in the said appeal is common to the remaining appeals, the said appeals would suffer the same fate. Accordingly, ITA Nos.571/2019, 574/2019 and 575/2019 are also dismissed. Note. 1. Article 10, Indo-Thai DTAA 2. Reimer & Rust (eds), Klaus Vogel on Double Taxation Conventions, 5th edn (2021) which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such a case, the provisions of article 7 or article 14, as the case may be, shall apply. 1 5. Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other State may not impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company, except insofar as such dividends are paid to a resident of that other State or insofar as the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with a permanent establishment or a fixed base situated in that other State, nor subject the companys undistributed profits to a tax on the companys undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in such other State. 3. 5. Under Section 31, paragraph one, the promotion person shall be granted exemption from corporate income tax, levied on net profits earned from the promoted activity in the aggregate amount of no more than one hundred percent of its investment, exclusive of land value and working capital, for eight years from the first day the activity starts generating such earnings 4. Section 31. A promoted person shall be granted exemption of juristic person income tax on the net profit derived from the promoted activity as prescribed by an announcement of the Board, of which the proportion to the investment capital excluding cost of land and working capital shall be taken into consideration by the Board, for a period of not more than eight years from the date income is first derived from such activity. 5. 6. Under Section 34, dividends distributed from the promoted activity, to which exemption from corporate income tax is granted under section 31, shall also be exempt from inclusion in tax calculations throughout the period the promoted person remains exempt from corporate income tax payments. Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), releases Trade Notice No. 19/2023-DGFT on 28th July 2023. The notice extends the last date for submission of applications to obtain export licenses for broken rice to Senegal, Gambia, and Indonesia, in compliance with a Delhi High Court order. In compliance with the Order dated 26.07.2023 of the Honble High Court of Delhi, Trade Notice No. 19/2023-DGFT partially amends the previous notices to extend the deadline for submission of applications for broken rice export licenses. The extended deadline is now 11th August 2023. The extension applies to Senegal, Gambia, and Indonesia. Exporters seeking to obtain export licenses for broken rice to Senegal, Gambia, and Indonesia can now submit their applications until 11th August 2023. The extension is in accordance with the Delhi High Courts order, aiming to facilitate the export process on humanitarian and food security grounds. Government of India Ministry of Commerce & Industry Department of Commerce Directorate General of Foreign Trade Trade Notice No. 19/2023-DGFT | Dated: 28th July, 2023 To 1. All Regional Authorities of DGFT 2. All Customs Commissionerate 3. Members of Trade Subject: Procedure for allocation of quota for export of broken rice on humanitarian and food security grounds, based on requests received from Governments of other Countries. In compliance with the Order dated 26.07.2023 of Honble high Court of Delhi at New Delhi in W.P.(C) 8625/2023 & CM APPI,s. 32737/2023, Trade Notice No.16/2023 dated 20th July, 2023 read with Trade Notice No.13 dated 03.07.2023 read with Trade Notice No. 12/2023 dated 30.06.2023 read with Trade Notice No. 08/2023 dated 20th June 2023 is partially amended to extend the last date for submission of application, for obtaining licence for export of broken rice to Senegal, Gambia and Indonesia, upto 11th August, 2023. This is issued with the approval of the competent authority. (S.K. Mohapatra) Joint Director General of Foreign Trade E-mail: mohapatra.sk@nic.in (Issued from F. No. 01/91/171/35/AM20/E-file/Part-2/E-35458) Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), releases Trade Notice No. 18/2023-DGFT on 28th July 2023. The notice addresses the procedure for allocating export quotas for broken rice on humanitarian and food security grounds, based on requests from the Governments of Mali and Bhutan. The export policy of broken rice was amended by the Government of India, making it Prohibited. However, the policy allows export based on the permission granted to other countries to meet their food security needs, upon request from their government. Requests from Mali and Bhutan for importing 1.00 Lakh Metric Ton and 48,804 Metric Ton, respectively, of broken rice from India during FY 2023-24 have been approved. The mode of allocation is objective and transparent, with applications submitted through an online portal. The allocation will be based on pro-rata to average exports of all varieties of rice to the respective countries in the previous three years, subject to minimum thresholds. Exporters seeking allocation under the approved quota can apply online from 28th July 2023 to 7th August 2023 through the DGFT website. The exporters allocated the broken rice quota must submit the Landing Certificate within 90 days of completing the export. Non-compliance or mis-declaration may lead to blacklisting and legal action. The notice aims to ensure a fair and transparent process for broken rice export quotas on humanitarian and food security grounds. Government of India Ministry of Commerce & Industry Department of Commerce Directorate General of Foreign Trade Trade Notice No. 18/2023-DGFT | Dated: 28th July, 2023 To 1. All Regional Authorities of DGFT 2. All Customs Commissionerate 3. Members of Trade Subject: Procedure for allocation of quota for export of broken rice on humanitarian and food security grounds, based on request received from Government of Mali and Government of Bhutan. Government of India amended the export policy of broken rice under HS Code 1006 40 00 from Free to Prohibited vide Notification No.31/2015-2020 dated 8th September, 2022. 2. The Government of India further amended the export policy of broken rice vide Notification No. 07/2023 dated 24th May, 2023 incorporating the following policy condition: Export will be allowed on the basis of permission granted by the Government of India to other Countries to meet their food security needs and based on the request of their Government. 3. The request received from the Government of Mali and Government of Bhutan for import of 1.00 Lakh Metric Ton and 48,804 Metric Ton, respectively, of broken rice from India during the FY 2023-24 have been approved by the competent authority. 4 Accordingly, applications are invited from exporters of rice for allocation of quota. In order to maintain objectivity and utmost transparency in allocation of the quota, the mode of allocation is decided as under:- I. Applications may be submitted through an online portal; II. Allocation may be made with minimum threshold of 2000 MT by sea and 100 MT by land. III. Application would be allowed only if the exporter applies for quantity more than the minimum threshold. IV. Allocation will be first made on the basis of pro-rata to average export of rice (all varieties) respectively to the country concerned in three years previous to FY in which the item was prohibited and quantity applied for, whichever is less subject to minimum threshold. V. Any unutilized quantity will then be reallocated again to the eligible exporters on pro-rata basis as in point V. 5. Based on the above mode of allocation, the procedure to apply for the export authorization under approved quota is outlined as below: a. Exporters can apply online through DGFTs ECOM system for Export Authorisations Non-SCOMET Restricted Items (Please refer Trade Notice No. 03/2021-22 dated 10.05.2021. There is no need to send hard copy of the application via mail or post. b. Validity of the Export Authorisation will be till 31st March, 2024. c. Online applications filed from 28/07/2023 to 07/08/2023 will only be considered. d. The documents to be submitted along with the application must include the following: i. Export data for export of rice (all varieties) to Mali and Bhutan during three years previous to FY in which the item was prohibited; 6. All applicants seeking export authorization for restricted items may apply online by navigating to the DGFT website (https://www.dgft.gov.in) -> Services -> Export Management Systems -> License for Restricted Exports. 7. Deficient applications or applications received through mails or by post will not be considered. 8. The exporters who have been allocated the quota of broken rice will submit the Landing Certificate within 90 days of completion of export of allocated quota of broken rice. 9. In case of any mis-declaration by an applicant or any applicant failing to export the allocated quota to the respective Country(ies), within the specified time period, will be black listed for the next two financial years and action under the relevant provisions of FT (I)&R) Act, 1992, as amended, shall be taken against the applicant. This issues with the approval of competent authority. (S.K. Mohapatra) Joint Director General of Foreign Trade E-mail: mohapatra.sk@nic.in (Issued from F. No. 01/91/171/35/AM20/E-file/Part-2/E-35458) The Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), releases Trade Notice No. 17/2023-DGFT on 28th July 2023. The notice addresses the procedure for allocating export quotas for Wheat, Wheat Flour (Atta), and Maida/Semolina to Bhutan based on humanitarian and food security grounds. The notice informs about the prohibition of wheat and related products export and approves the requests from the Government of Bhutan for specific quantities. To ensure transparency, the mode of allocation is outlined, with applications to be submitted online through an online portal. The allocation will be based on pro-rata to average exports of the past three years, subject to a minimum threshold. Exporters seeking to apply for allocation under the approved quota can submit online applications from 28th July 2023 to 7th August 2023. The allocated exporters must submit the Landing Certificate within 90 days of completing the export. Non-compliance or mis-declaration may lead to blacklisting and legal action. The notice aims to ensure objectivity and transparency in allocating export quotas on humanitarian grounds. Government of India Ministry of Commerce & Industry Department of Commerce Directorate General of Foreign Trade Trade Notice No. 17/2023-DGFT | Dated: 28th July, 2023 To 1. All Regional Authorities of DGFI 2. All Customs Commissionerate 3. Members of Trade Subject: Procedure for allocation of quota for export of Wheat, Wheat Flour (Atta) and Maida/Semolina on humanitarian and food security grounds, based on requests received from Government of Bhutan. Government of India vide Notification No. 06/2015-20 dated 13.05.2022 prohibited export of wheat. Export of Wheat or Meslin Flour (Atta), Maida, Semolina (Rava/Sirgi), Wholemeal atta ad resultant atta] under HS code 1101 was prohibited vide Notification No. 30 dt. 27.08.2022. 2. The following requests from Government of Bhutan have been approved by the competent authority:- Export of 14,184 Metric Ton of Wheat Grain ; 5326 Metric Ton of Wheat Flour (Atta); 15,226 Metric Ton of Maida/Semolina; to Bhutan in FY 2023-24. 3. Accordingly, applications are invited from exporters for allocation of quota. In order to maintain objectivity and transparency in allocation of the quota, the mode of allocation is decided as under:- I. Applications may be submitted through an online portal; II. Minimum threshold for Wheat, Wheat Flour (Atta), Maida/Semolina will be 100 MT by land transport to neighboring country. III. Application would be allowed only if the exporter applies for quantity more than the minimum threshold. IV. Allocation will be first made on the basis of pro-rata to average export of Wheat, Wheat Flour (Atta), Maida/Semolina to Bhutan in three years previous to FY in which the item was prohibited and quantity applied for, whichever is less subject to minimum threshold. V. Any unutilized quantity will then be reallocated again to the eligible exporters on pro-rata basis as in point V. 4. Based on the above mode of allocation, the procedure to apply for the export authorization under approved quota is outlined as below:- a. Exporters can apply online through DGFTs ECOM system for Export Authorisations Non-SCOMET Restricted Items (Please refer Trade Notice No. 03/2021-22 dated 10.05.2021. There is no need to send hard copy of the application via mail or post. b. Validity of the Export Authorisation will be till 31st March, 2024. c. Online applications filed from 28/07/2023 to 07/08/2023 will only be considered. d. The documents to be submitted along with the application must include the following: i. Export data for Wheat, Wheat Flour (Atta), Maida/Semolina to Bhutan during three years previous to FY in which the item was prohibited. 5. All applicants seeking export authorization for restricted items may apply online by navigating to the DGFT website (https://www.dgft.gov.in) -> Services -> Export Management Systems -> License for Restricted Exports. 6. Deficient applications or applications received through mails or by post will not be considered. 7. The exporters who have been allocated the quota of Wheat, Wheat Flour (Atta) and Maida/Semolina will submit the Landing Certificate within 90 days of completion of export of allocated quota. 8. In case of any mis-declaration by an applicant or any applicant failing to export the allocated quota to the respective Country(ies), within the specified time period, will be black listed for the next two financial years and action under the relevant provisions of FT (D&R) Act, 1992, as amended, shall be taken against the applicant. This issues with the approval of competent authority. (S.K. Mohapatra) Joint Director General of Foreign Trade E-mail: mohapatra.sk@nic.in (Issued from F. No. 01/91/171/35/AM20/E-file/Part-2/E-35458) WOODLAND Three candidates have thrown their hats into the ring to be the mayor of Woodland. One incumbent and two newcomers are vying for the seat in the August primary and ballots are due Tuesday. The three candidates are Mayor Will Finn, electric power company employee Todd Dinehart and Woodland attorney Janna Lovejoy. Finn is running for his third term and has lived in Woodland since 2005. He said hes running for re-election to continue the positive trajectory that hes built over the last two terms. I want to see through the projects that weve already started, and make sure that those are done and completed, Finn told The Daily News. Finn, 45, in his day job, serves as the public information officer and trooper for district five of the Washington State Patrol. He points toward his strong relationship with Woodlands business community, which he built up during the pandemic, as a sign of his leadership abilities. We didnt put extra restrictions on them. We helped them get to a point where they could expand their businesses to outside locations, you know, basically expanding onto patios, he said. We didnt charge them permitting fees. We put a system in place with our COVID dollars that we received from the federal government to ensure that they were able to pay their bills. Dinehart, 52, is a 28-year resident of Woodland and a regular during Woodland City Council meetings. He works as the vice president of employee experience at PacificCorp and is running on accountability, transparency and trust three ideas he doesnt believe Finn always lives up to. Dinehart has never run for public office before but is a vocal critic of the council and said he would prioritize constructing exit 21 off Interstate 5. The interchange at the south end of town handles traffic entering and exiting I-5 at State Route 503, which is heavily congested, especially during the weekday rush hour. I want to partner with our local, state and county to get funding for exit 21, said Dinehart. Finn also agrees on the importance of fixing exit 21. Lovejoy did not return phone calls or emails to The Daily News by deadline, but writes in the countys voters guide that traffic congestion and road repair are among her major priorities. Finn and Dinehart agree on another issue. They both signed a petition to add a referendum asking voters to repeal a recently passed law, SB 5599, that allows the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families to be contacted by shelters instead of parents if a child in their care is pursuing reproductive health services or gender-affirming medical care. I dont think we should be taking away parental rights, said Dienhart. Finn said the government is overreaching. I think the law is a poor law, and I think the state Legislature sold this (as) something different than what it is, he said. There is a protection in place that says, well, we cant help you (parents) because the child has decided that due to the way that they feel internally about their sexuality allows them to essentially hide from the world. And I dont think that that is right, Finn said. Lovejoy doesnt mention similar issues in her candidate statement. She writes in the voters guide that she has been a Woodland lawyer for 30 years and plans to institute an open-door policy at City Hall and improve access to local government through technology. (Photo : Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) US President Joe Biden has acknowledged four-year-old grandchild with Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts. Friday marked the first time President Joe Biden publicly acknowledged his seventh granddaughter, Hunter Biden's four-year-old daughter Navy. The president said, "Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward." Joe Biden Publicly Acknowledges Seventh Grandchild A source with knowledge of the situation tells ABC News that President Biden and the First Lady have been "following Hunter's lead" on this matter, allowing him space to assess the situation as the legal proceedings unfolded. According to the Associated Press, Hunter Biden resolved a child support dispute with the mother of his four-year-old child, Lunden Roberts, last month. After Roberts sued for child support, DNA testing established Hunter Biden's paternity, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues. Hunter Biden has been open about his drug addiction struggles, for which he has sought treatment more than seven times. In 2014, he was discharged from the Naval Reserves as a result of a positive cocaine test. Hunter Biden has four other children, including three adult children with his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and his youngest child, Beau Biden Jr., who was born in 2020 with his current wife Melissa Cohen. Cohen and Hunter Biden wed in Los Angeles, California, in May 2019, just six days after meeting. Hunter Biden told ABC News in an exclusive interview that, five months after the wedding, he and his wife had separated "I fell in love with her immediately. And since then, my affection for her has grown daily." Melissa and Hunter met through a mutual acquaintance, who wrote Melissa's number on Hunter's hand and insisted he contact her. Within days of meeting Melissa, Hunter received a matching "shalom" tattoo, and they were married at her apartment less than a week later; neither of their families were present, and the wedding photos were taken by an acquaintance with a cellphone. Read Also: Michigan School Shooter Ethan Crumbley's 'Chilling' Journal, Texts Reveal Gruesome Fantasies Joe Biden Criticized For Delay to Recognize 7th Grandchild Per Daily Mail, Joe Biden's statement continues, "This is a family matter, not a political issue. Jill and I want only the best for our grandchildren, including Navy." The stunning reversal, which was published late Friday afternoon while Joe Biden was out of town and preparing to leave for his beach property in Delaware, was the result of months of duress from the mother and political opponents. Joe Biden himself drew attention to the issue with some of his pronouncements, such as when he referred to his "six grandchildren" at a White House event while stumbling over their names. At the White House Christmas party, for which the East Wing spends months preparing, there were only six stockings on a fireplace mantle, with none for Navy. This occurred in the midst of Hunter Biden's protracted child support dispute in an Arkansas court, where he was attempting to reduce his monthly payments to reflect his changed circumstances. The case was resolved at the end of June. This week, it was disclosed in a federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, that Hunter had been amassing millions through international business transactions while admitting substance abuse and intermittently seeking treatment. This case also placed the president's son in the spotlight of the national media at a time when President Biden is running for re-election and facing constant attacks from former President Donald Trump. In the beginning of this month, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was questioned about the Navy in response to a New York Times report on the topic, which followed extensive coverage by other news outlets. The New York Times published an article over the weekend about Hunter Biden's daughter in Arkansas. A correspondent inquired, "Does the president recognize this little girl as his granddaughter?" Jean-Pierre responded, "I don't have anything to offer from here." Two individuals familiar with the discussions told The Times that White House aides were instructed during strategy meetings to publicly state that the president and first lady have only six grandchildren. In Maine, where he discussed manufacturing and the significance of labor, the president once again cited his father and emphasized the importance of family in his political identity. This year, he traveled to Ireland in search of distant relatives. All of this highlighted the refusal to acknowledge his flesh and blood. Beau Jr. is named after Hunter Biden's deceased sibling, Beau, who lost his battle with brain cancer at age 46 in 2015. When Hunter was only two years old, his mother, Neilia, and sister, Naomi, were slain in an automobile accident. He and Beau were also gravely injured because they were in the vehicle. Related Article: Hunter Biden Counsel Accused of Lying in Criminal Tax Case; Republicans Seek To Block First Son's Plea Deal @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. When people finalize a deed, lien or most other real estate transactions in Cowlitz County, they are not just paying for the staff time to complete the work. A total of $203.50 is mostly set aside, by law, for state, county and city programs to combat homelessness. Currently, Cowlitz County has accumulated about $2.7 million in this fee revenue, up from its typical $1 million annual income. But, instead of using that money on recent housing proposals presented to the board, commissioners have decided to wait. Meanwhile, hundreds of people in Cowlitz County continue go without permanent housing. The majority living without shelter, as seen in the countys most recent annual state-mandated count of unhoused people. In April, the county closed recent requests to use that document recording fee money for projects focused on housing or homelessness, with an interest in those that address youth. Two projects Longviews HOPE Village and Community House on Broadways planned youth shelter requested the money, and neither were given the OK. The first proposal was rejected after commissioners in December decided against even considering in a regular meeting to help pay for the Longview site after years of different board makeups discussing the option. Community Houses proposal to create a 24-bed overnight youth shelter on the corner of 12th and Broadway was also tabled for further deliberation. Deliberation is important to make sure public funds are being used well, but its time to revisit Community Houses proposal with an eye towards a final decision. Four months ago, Commissioner Rick Dahl said the board hadnt decided one way on the plan and would prefer to see exactly where the gaps are in funding before committing the document recording fee revenue. Back in March, Community House notched a big win after the state awarded them a $5.3 million. In total, the project cost is estimated to be about $8 million. However, grant funds cant be used for certain parts of the renovation, which is why county document recording revenue is needed. Not only would funding Community Houses project add additional shelter beds to the community, it would also help a population that is currently underserved. According to the countys five-year plan on homelessness, there are no other shelters in the county like the one Community House has proposed. While there are beds for lone adults, whole families or single parents taking care of kids, people 13 to 17 years of age currently dont have a similar place in the county which they can look to for help. Teens experiencing homelessness are at risk of violence and exploitation to an alarming degree. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that unsheltered homeless teens are at a higher risk for mental health problems, and that 80% of children experiencing homelessness have experienced a serious violent event by the age of 12. Getting kids off the streets and under a roof can have an immediate impact on their safety, which is paramount. A 10-city study performed by Loyola University from 2014 to 2016 found that, while human trafficking is a serious risk for all homeless youth, it had an even more pronounced effect on unsheltered teens. One in four unsheltered teens reported being trafficked for sex. Most of those trafficking victims said they participated out of fear of sleeping on the streets, and that homeless shelters werent just giving them a roof over their head, but a safe haven from the people who abused and trafficked them. Providing a shelter to youth like Community Houses plan would likely do the same. We think thats a worthwhile use of public money. Community House has already started work on renovations, and wed like commissioners to soon discuss the projects budget again, including finding the gaps in grant funding and determining how the county can help fill them. But, if Community Houses proposal is rejected too, there are plenty of other local organizations that could use the millions. Funding for Lower Columbia CAPs group home for six chronically homeless men was cut by the commissioners in February. Campus Towers eight affordable apartments for seniors being built on 20th Avenue previously received $752,000 in county document recording fee revenue, and could likely use more. Commissioners also OKd $692,000 in document recording fee revenue to the Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washingtons Sunrise Village apartment complex planned for 38th Avenue and Pennsylvania Street in Longview. Maybe that affordable housing site needs more money too. Newest commissioner Dahl ran on having the county be independent from state and federal funds. However, the $2.7 million in document recording fee revenue is not a separate request for state or federal dollars, but already earmarked for the specific purpose of helping our countys residents find shelter. Instead of holding on to the millions, commissioners need to help the hundreds of people living on county streets and in temporary shelters today. The longer the money isnt used, and the longer nonprofits like Community House have to wait for an answer, the longer more people, including children, will be on the streets. Thats something nobody wants. In a significant development for the cryptocurrency industry, Crypto.com has received approval from the Dutch central bank, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), to offer its services in the Netherlands. The exchange made the announcement after successfully registering as a cryptocurrency service provider, following a thorough review of its business operations and compliance with the countrys stringent Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and counter-financing of terrorism requirements. With this registration, Crypto.com joins the ranks of 36 other cryptocurrency-related businesses that have gained approval from the DNB, including prominent players like Coinbase Europe, eToro, and Bitstamp. The approval showcases Crypto.coms commitment to upholding the highest standards of compliance and regulatory measures, providing a green light for its expansion into the Dutch market. Cointelegraph had an exclusive conversation with Tobias Oudejans, DNB press officer for supervision, fintech, cryptocurrencies, resolution, and payment systems. Oudejans clarified that, due to legal requirements of supervisory laws, the DNB could not comment on specific registrations. However, he shed light on the registrations significance, explaining that it empowers cryptocurrency service providers like Crypto.com to offer cryptocurrency wallets to customers and facilitate fiat currency transactions on cryptocurrency exchanges. It is worth noting that Crypto.coms services were already accessible in the Netherlands even before the official registration announcement. However, this formal approval from the Dutch central bank solidifies its position in the countrys market and underscores the companys commitment to compliance and legitimacy. According to Oudejans, Dutch-based users have been legally allowed to avail themselves of Crypto.coms services. However, he emphasized that a company without proper registration would be operating unlawfully if it solicited or advertised its services to Dutch users. This highlights the significance of regulatory approval for cryptocurrency firms operating in various jurisdictions, as compliance with local laws is crucial for a seamless and legitimate business operation. The Importance of Regulatory Compliance for Crypto Companies The cryptocurrency industry has grown exponentially over the past decade, attracting investors, traders, and businesses from around the world. As the crypto market gains mainstream acceptance, regulatory authorities have been closely monitoring its developments to ensure consumer protection, financial stability, and compliance with existing laws. Regulatory compliance is essential for cryptocurrency companies seeking to operate in different countries. Each jurisdiction has its own set of laws and regulations governing cryptocurrencies, and companies must adhere to these rules to avoid legal repercussions. Failing to comply with regulations can lead to fines, legal action, and reputational damage. In recent years, regulatory scrutiny on the crypto industry has increased significantly. Regulators have been particularly concerned about the potential use of cryptocurrencies for illicit activities, such as money laundering and terrorism financing. As a result, compliance with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations has become a top priority for crypto companies. By obtaining regulatory approval, cryptocurrency service providers like Crypto.com demonstrate their commitment to adhering to the highest standards of compliance and regulatory measures. This not only ensures the safety of customer funds and data but also helps build trust and credibility within the market. Additionally, regulatory approval enables crypto companies to operate with confidence, knowing that they are operating within the bounds of the law. It also opens up new opportunities for expansion into new markets and allows companies to offer their services to a broader customer base. Crypto.coms Expansion in the Netherlands The approval from the Dutch central bank, De Nederlandsche Bank, represents a significant milestone for Crypto.coms expansion into the Dutch market. While the companys services were already accessible in the Netherlands before the official registration announcement, the regulatory approval solidifies its position and legitimacy within the country. With the DNBs approval, Crypto.com is well-positioned to expand its innovative cryptocurrency solutions to Dutch users. This includes offering cryptocurrency wallets to customers and facilitating fiat currency transactions on cryptocurrency exchanges. The companys compliance with AML and counter-terrorism financing requirements ensures that its services meet the highest regulatory standards in the country. The expansion into the Dutch market presents new growth opportunities for Crypto.com. The Netherlands has a growing crypto community and a tech-savvy population, making it an attractive market for cryptocurrency companies. By gaining regulatory approval, Crypto.com can now tap into this market with confidence, knowing that it is operating in accordance with Dutch laws and regulations. Setting a Positive Precedent for the Industry Crypto.coms approval by the DNB sets a positive precedent for the cryptocurrency industry. As one of the leading crypto service providers, Crypto.coms successful registration demonstrates the growing importance of compliance and responsible business practices in the industry. By proactively seeking regulatory approval and complying with local laws, cryptocurrency companies can build trust with regulators and customers alike. This can pave the way for further regulatory acceptance and cooperation, benefiting the entire crypto ecosystem. Furthermore, the approval showcases the continued maturation of the crypto industry and its efforts to align with traditional financial regulations. As the industry evolves, regulatory compliance will play an increasingly crucial role in shaping its future growth and adoption. Challenges and Ongoing Developments While Crypto.coms registration is a positive step, the crypto industry still faces challenges in navigating the complex and evolving regulatory landscape. Each country has its own approach to regulating cryptocurrencies, creating a patchwork of regulations that companies must navigate to operate internationally. Moreover, as the industry continues to grow, regulators are likely to introduce new regulations and guidelines to address emerging risks and challenges. Crypto companies must remain agile and proactive in adapting to these changes to ensure ongoing compliance. Crypto.coms approval in the Netherlands also comes at a time when other players in the industry are facing regulatory challenges. Binance, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, recently announced its decision to withdraw its efforts to register as a cryptocurrency service provider in the Netherlands. The exchange also decided to cease operations in the jurisdiction after facing challenges in obtaining approval from the DNB. This contrast between Crypto.coms success and Binances withdrawal highlights the importance of a proactive and compliant approach to regulatory matters. Companies that prioritize regulatory compliance and work closely with regulators are more likely to succeed in expanding their services to new markets. Conclusion Crypto.coms approval by the Dutch central bank, De Nederlandsche Bank, is a significant milestone for the company and the broader cryptocurrency industry. It showcases Crypto.coms commitment to upholding the highest standards of compliance and regulatory measures, setting a positive precedent for the industry. As the crypto market continues to evolve, regulatory compliance will remain a key factor in determining the success and growth of cryptocurrency companies. By proactively seeking regulatory approval and adhering to local laws, companies can build trust with regulators and customers, enabling them to expand their services to new markets with confidence. The approval from the DNB presents new growth opportunities for Crypto.com in the Netherlands, a market with a growing crypto community. The companys expansion in the country highlights the maturation of the crypto industry and its efforts to align with traditional financial regulations. As the crypto industry continues to navigate the complex and evolving regulatory landscape, companies must remain agile and proactive in adapting to changes in regulations and guidelines. By doing so, they can ensure ongoing compliance and position themselves for success in the ever-evolving world of cryptocurrencies. Further questions about Texas A&M Universitys administrative leave policies were sent in a letter Friday from A&M Faculty Senate speaker Tracy Hammond to A&Ms acting President Mark Welsh in response to the reported suspension of A&M professor Joy Alonzo in March. Earlier this week, The Texas Tribune outlined the events of how Alonzo was accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a lecture on the opioid crisis at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston this March and suspended a mere hours later after A&M Chancellor John Sharp communicated directly with Patricks office about the incident and promised swift action. Alonzo was reinstated two weeks later after an investigation. In a letter shared with The Eagle, Hammond said going forward she is concerned with making sure administrative leave policies are appropriate and followed and how those policies were applied in Alonzos situation. Hammonds letter said they were told A&Ms standard approach for administrative leave, per the office of the vice president for faculty affairs, at the time of Alonzos suspension stated: Faculty members may be placed on leave with pay at the recommendation of the department head by the faculty members dean, with concurrence of the senior associate vice president for faculty affairs, pending an investigation. Notification must be given to the faculty member in writing by the dean of the college/school and must include the reasons for placing the faculty member on administrative leave with pay and the terms of the leave. The administrative leave with pay should be with appropriate provisions for useful duties, including appropriate access to materials and facilities. A faculty member may appeal the decision to the senior associate vice president for faculty affairs by submitting an appeal in writing. On behalf of the Faculty Senates executive committee, Hammond asked Welsh if the policy described to them was documented at the time of Alonzos administrative leave and followed during her administrative leave case. The executive committee also requested a robust policy implementing sufficient safeguards to be formalized in a published A&M rule or standard administrative procedure after feedback from the Faculty Senate. From the facultys perspective, Professor Alonzos administrative leave appears to have been instigated on a hasty reaction that short-circuited reasonable due process under the circumstances, Hammond wrote. We want to work with you to avoid that kind of outcome in the future. Sharp met with the Faculty Senates executive committee and A&Ms Council of Principal Investigators on Wednesday, one day after the executive committee called for him to meet with them to discuss political influence in faculty matters after The Texas Tribunes report on the Alonzo situation. Hammond thanked Sharp and Welsh for how responsive they have been throughout the last week in her letter Friday. In a letter to Faculty Senate members Thursday afternoon, which was also shared with The Eagle, Hammond said Sharp understands the gravitas of the situation and wants all of the facts to come out. Hammond noted Sharp emphasized a commitment to academic freedom during their meeting. Hammonds letter said Welsh will meet with the executive committee Aug. 7 to hear additional concerns about how processes such as these are handled and how faculty feel theyre currently struggling with freedom of speech. Welsh is also expected to address the entire Faculty Senate at its regular meeting on Aug. 14. Welsh is quickly getting up-to-speed on important efforts and recent issues and is looking forward to meeting with the Faculty Senate and its executive committee in August, A&M officials said Friday afternoon. Before receiving Hammonds letter Friday afternoon, Welsh already initiated the creation of a task force under the Vice President of Faculty Affairs to review A&Ms current policies and procedures related to faculty administrative protections, according to A&M officials. A&M System spokesman Laylan Copelin said in a statement Thursday A&Ms independent investigation into the matter had no interference with Sharp, and Alonzo said she had no issue with how the university handled her case. Copelin also noted Sharp said changes to the process would have to be made by A&Ms president, since the chancellor doesnt dictate those policies. (Photo : BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) In a move likely to enrage China, the United States has unveiled a weapons aid package for Taiwan worth up to $345 million. The White House announced on Friday that the Biden administration is sending Taiwan a $345 million cargo of munitions from US stockpiles. This is the first time the United States has sent equipment from its own inventories to Taiwan using the presidential drawdown authority. US Announces Military Aid Package For Taiwan In the annual defense measure enacted by Congress for the 2023 fiscal year, roughly $1 billion was allocated for presidential drawdown packages for Taiwan. Drawing down from US inventories is a fast method to transfer materiel, as demonstrated by the administration's shipment of over 40 drawdowns to Ukraine since August 2021. According to CBS News, drawdowns circumvent the lengthy foreign military sales procedure, which can take years to deliver weapons and equipment. Not yet known are the contents of the drawdown package for Taiwan and its estimated delivery date. The transfer of materiel is part of the United States' commitment to bolster Taiwan's self-defense in order to deter or repel a potential Chinese attack. China is developing the military capability to occupy Taiwan by 2027, but according to senior US officials, this does not indicate that China has decided to attack or invade Taiwan. The announcement is likely to enrage Beijing just as US and Chinese relations have begun to improve following the Chinese surveillance balloon incident. Several senior leaders have conferred this summer, but military-to-military relations have remained stagnant. Since Li assumed office in March, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has not conferred with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu. Per ABC.net, Beijing has repeatedly demanded that the United States, Taiwan's most significant arms supplier, cease arms sales to the island. The White House stated that the bundle would include Taiwanese defense, education, and training. Washington will send man-portable air-defence systems, or MANPADS, as well as intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms, and missiles, according to two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters prior to the announcement. The objectives are to help Taiwan counter China and deter Beijing from assaulting by providing Taipei with sufficient weapons to make an invasion prohibitively expensive. While Chinese diplomats protested the move, Taiwan's trade office in Washington stated that the United States' decision to remove arms and other materials from its available stockpiles would serve as "an essential instrument to support Taiwan's self-defense." It committed in a statement to cooperate with the United States to preserve "peace, stability, and the status quo" across the Taiwan Strait. The bundle is in addition to the nearly $19 billion in approved military sales of F-16s and other key weapon systems to Taiwan. The delivery of these weapons has been hampered by supply-chain problems that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been exacerbated by the strains placed on the global defense industrial base by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Taiwan will not have to wait for military production and sales because this aid is part of a presidential authority approved by Congress last year to draw munitions from current US military stockpiles.This expedites the delivery of weapons more quickly than supplying financing for new weapons. Similar authority has been used by the Pentagon to ship billions of dollars' worth of munitions to Ukraine. Related Article: Vladimir Putin Pledges Free Grain to African Allies After Black Sea Deal Collapse China-Taiwan Tensions Taiwan separated from China during a civil conflict in 1949. President Xi Jinping of China maintains China's right to take over the island, if necessary by force. China has accused the United States of converting Taiwan into a "powder volcano" by pledging billions of dollars in arms sales. In deference to Beijing, the United States maintains a "One China" policy under which it does not recognize Taiwan's formal independence and has no formal diplomatic relations with the island. However, US law mandates Taiwan to maintain a credible defense and handle all threats to the island with "grave concern." China routinely dispatches warships and aircraft across the buffer zone in the Taiwan Strait, as well as into Taiwan's air defence identification zone, in an effort to intimidate the island's 23 million inhabitants and degrade its military capabilities. Related Article: Kim Jong Un Brags Drones, ICBMs to Moscow's Defense Minister as North Korea, Russia, and China Celebrate 'Victory' 70 Years Ago @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. College Station city councilors approved four of five rezoning requests for properties to be rezoned for middle housing use during Thursday nights meeting at City Hall. Areas that are eligible for middle housing include a mix of housing products: small lot single-family homes, townhouses, courtyard houses, duplexes (two units), small multiplexes (three or four units), medium multiplexes (5-12 units) and live-work units. The city has made it clear this new zoning does not allow more than four unrelated people to live together, which has been a debate among residents and the city as to areas this can and cannot be permitted. Middle housing lends to shared housing, which does allow for more than four unrelated people to live in a single-family dwelling in the proper area. City staff have previously stated that being zoned middle housing does not automatically allow more than four unrelated people within a home; as shared housing can be allowed within the middle housing zoning district with an additional review through a minor site plan application. Shared housing uses allow more than four unrelated people in a home, but with additional requirements, according to city staff. Four areas along Cooner Street in College Station were approved in a 4-2 vote councilmen Mark Smith and Dennis Maloney were opposed to rezone from either multi-family use or duplex to middle housing. The lots that were rezoned include: a 0.28-acre lot at 207 Cooner Street; a 0.21-acre lot at 502 Cooner Street; a 0.66-acre lot at 510-514 Cooner Street; and a 0.27-acre lot at 511 Cooner Street. The council, also in a 4-2 vote, with Smith and Maloney against, approved the rezoning from duplex to middle housing along a 0.17-acre lot at 400 Live Oak Street. However, the council unanimously approved a third rezoning request from duplex to middle housing for about 5.41 acres at 400-513 Aurora Court. In a separate consideration, the council unanimously approved a request to change the zoning from general suburban to middle housing for about 1.05 acres at 818-826 Avenue A, where the applicant plans to build duplexes, according to city staff. The larger debate among councilors came along Park Place and Highlands, Maryem and Luther streets. In a 3-3 vote, with councilmen Smith, Maloney and William Wright against, and Mayor John Nichols, and councilors Elizabeth Cunha and Bob Yancy in favor, the motion failed to rezone to middle housing. The request was for lots to come into compliance by rezoning from general suburban to middle housing. The lots that were denied were along: a 0.18-acre lot at 302 Park Place; a 0.36-acre lot at 306308 Park Place; a 0.35-acre lot at 611613 Highlands Street; a 0.17-acre lot at 607 Maryem Street; and a 0.16-acre lot at 301 Luther Street. The applicant, Crissy Hartl of Mitchell & Morgan LLP of College Station, was present at the meeting to answer questions from staff. During the discussion, Smith said he recalled hearing of a multitude of negative feedback when this redevelopment occurred on these lots. There was a lot of opposition to this, he said. When products first appeared in this neighborhood there was a lot of opposition. Michael Ostrowski, the citys director of planning and development, said during the discussion that since the city created the shared housing use, not one has been approved legally, and since middle housing lends to shared housing, this is a way to have developers come into compliance with the city. They [students] do need a place to go, we have tried to identify these areas in close proximity to campus to determine walkability and having less vehicular traffic, he said. The owner here is to trying to [be in compliance], before the start of the school year versus waiting for October. He also noted the citys Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved this rezoning request. Yancy explained his reasoning for being in support of the request. I trust our staff, he said. I do know what it is like to be a property owner whose property doesnt comply with what the city envisions and that it is important to the greatest extent possible that you try to. This property owner is trying to. I am very mindful of Ag Shacks going in the right place. I am more keenly aware of places they dont belong. Nichols also acknowledged the area they were considering was not an easy area and will be an ongoing discussion due to various factors that come into play when determining the best places for middle housing districts. Additionally, the council received several written comments regarding each proposed zoning area. One of the written comments they received from a resident addressed the use of middle housing overall. It is ridiculous that permitting allows [five-bedroom] housing but then people leasing those are subject to citations because it goes against [regulations], the comment read. Please change the law. Councilwoman Linda Harvell was absent from the meeting. A study released earlier this month by the U.S. Geological Study states nearly half of the nations tap water contains forever chemicals, but research from a Texas A&M University professor may have a solution. Susan Dai, an associate professor in Texas A&Ms Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, collaborated with Joshua Yuan, a former professor in that department, to research a possible cost-efficient solution for cleaning PFAS out of water around the country. This product, the one that we designed, I hope to have one stone for two birds, said Dai, whose research was partially funded by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. PFAS, per-fluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are chemical pollutants used in dental floss, firefighting foam, nonstick cookware, electronics and more. At certain levels, these forever chemicals can be harmful to human health and their surrounding environment, according to studies conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Currently, Dai said the best way to successfully remove PFAS is to absorb them with material such as active carbon and then send that material to be incinerated. This process can be time-consuming and expensive. Dai and Yuans approach offers a cheaper and more environmentally friendly solution for cleaning PFAS out of drinking water. Thats why I hope to come up with a low-cost and a more viable solution rather than the currently commercially available [one], like the thermal deconstruction method, Dai said. Bioremediation is usually regarded as low-cost and more sustainable, so thats kind of the thing I want to do, [because] my research is low-cost and sustainable. Dais solution uses plant-derived material to absorb PFAS from water which is then consumed as food for bioremediation microorganisms. Dai said this simpler solution cuts down on the action needed to safely dispose of PFAS. In the past, if we had an absorbent thats not deconstructive, so you have to enrich it then you have to leave the PFAS and move it off and then you burn it, she said. Now you can save all those steps by having one stone for two birds. You grab [the PFAS] then you destroy it on the same body. For now, Dai said she hopes her research can help areas that are most intensely affected by PFAS found in drinking water, such as areas surrounding the Ohio River, where the DuPont chemical company dumped PFAS for decades. I think its more feasible that well address those important areas further than the low-risk regions in the future, she said. Though the U.S. Geological Study (USGS) study detected PFAS in drinking water around the country, no such chemicals have so far been identified in Bryan or College Station drinking water. In a joint statement, the cities of Bryan and College Station said they are aware of the recent USGS study about PFAS chemicals in drinking water. In March, the EPA proposed regulations for certain PFAS chemicals, the statement reads. The regulations have not been formally approved. The proposed rules require water systems to monitor for PFAS, notify the public, and reduce levels if standards are exceeded. That mirrors the Bryan and College Station water systems approach to maintaining compliance with existing drinking water standards. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rates the Bryan and College Station water systems as superior, its highest rating, according to the statement. Our production and distribution systems are monitored routinely to ensure compliance with applicable regulations, and we present the results in our annual drinking water quality reports, the statement reads. We encourage customers to read the most recent reports and contact your city water department with questions. Jennifer Nations, water resource coordinator for the city of College Station, said residents should not be concerned about the safety or quality of their water. We live here, we work here, we drink the water, too, she said. We take our jobs very seriously, in providing safe drinking water to our customers. If a citizen has any concerns or is interested in learning more about their water, they can utilize College Stations annual water quality report. The report, which includes many chemicals and large numbers, can be hard for residents to understand at first glance, Nations said. If they have any questions, thats why we put my number in our report for people to call with questions, she said. Another thing that we did this year was we made a website for the report where people can just click on individual sections of the report and then they can also print it out if they want to try to make it a little bit more user-friendly. When first hearing about PFAS or other chemicals present in drinking water, residents may be motivated to buy a water filter, but Nations said there is no health-based reason to purchase one. I encourage them to read the report, find out whats in the water that they would want to remove, and then find a water filter that will remove that, Nations said. You want to look for a filter that has an NSF certification, National Sanitation Foundation. You can look all those up, and theyll have a rating showing how much of a particular contaminant is removed. Jayson Barfknecht, city of Bryans public works director, told The Eagle through a written statement that the citys water quality exceeds the standards set for a public drinking water supply. The City of Bryans water supply has operated under a state-approved status continuously since Dec. 30, 1952, Barfknecht wrote. The state-approved rating has been phased into a Superior Public Water System. State regulations for public water supplies must be at least equivalent to those outlined by the Clean Water Act, but are often more stringent. To maintain this superior rating from the TCEQ, Barfknecht said the city complies with several requirements including 24/7 direct supervision of water treatment by state-certified operators, submitting monthly bacteriological samples to the county health department for analysis and continuously monitoring and physically verifying chlorine residuals. These efforts are reflected in the citys annual water report which would alert citizens to any constituents that were out of range of the standard limits, Barfknecht wrote. The report also would notify residents if the city failed to adhere to any testing protocols or procedures. Barfknecht said the report is essentially an annual report card for the city of Bryans water system, as well as its adherence to operational procedures. City staff can be a good resource in eliminating many concerns, he wrote. If a citizen is more comfortable conducting their own research, following the links in the CCR is a great starting point to locating the information they desire. NASHVILLE, Tenn. In Tennessee, a request for police to release a school shooter's private writings has morphed into a complex multiparty fight that pits the parents of traumatized students against a coalition of local news outlets, nonprofits, and a Republican lawmaker with both sides claiming their position is in the public interest. The person who killed three 9-year-old children and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville on March 27 left behind at least 20 journals, a suicide note and a memoir, according to court filings. But there is no national standard governing if, or how, such writings are made public. Shooters sometimes release their writings themselves over the internet, prompting a race to suppress their spread. In 2019, the white supremacist who killed 51 worshippers at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, posted his anti-immigrant screed online. Five months later, a man who killed 23 at a Texas Walmart published a racist diatribe on the same message board. In other cases, killers have sent documents directly to news outlets, leaving them the decision of what to publish. Where a killers writings are seized as part of a search warrant as is the case in The Covenant School shooting the decision of what to release and when often rests with a local police chief or sheriff and is ultimately governed by state-specific public records laws. After a supervisor at a Virginia Walmart fatally shot six co-workers last November, police took only a few days to release his rambling last note. Michigan State University campus police waited less than a month to release a grievance-filled note from the person who killed three students there in February. Nashville police said they will release the Covenant shooter's writings but not until they close the investigation, which could take a year. In the face of this delay, multiple groups have sued for access, including a state senator, The Tennessean newspaper and a gun-rights organization. On the other side, The Covenant School, the church that shares its building, and many of the school's parents want to keep the records private. Such a fight is unusual but not unprecedented. A similar legal battle in the 2000s led to the eventual release of most of the Columbine killers writings, audiotapes and videotapes. In that case, Columbine parents fought for access to the records, believing they would show a coverup by the local sheriff. In the Covenant shooting, its the parents who want the shooters writings kept secret. Erin Kinney, mother of one of the slain children, filed a declaration with the court stating she has not seen the shooters writings but believes there are no answers to be found in them. I do not believe there was any motivation other than a desire for death, and there is nothing that could ever make the horrible act of killing children make sense, Kinney writes. The public release of these writings will not prevent the next attack. There is nothing in the journals to satisfy the yearning, overactive minds of the conspiracy theorists. The Covenant case is complicated by the fact that the shooter, who police say was assigned female at birth, seems to have identified as a transgender man. U.S. Sen Josh Hawley, of Missouri, is among those promoting a theory that the shooting was a hate crime against Christians. The refusal to release the writings has fueled speculation particularly in conservative circles regarding what the they might contain and conspiracy theories about why police won't release them. In the legal battle over the writings, both sides argue their position will prevent future shootings. There is a growing movement to deny mass killers notoriety after their deaths, limiting the use of their names and images, so posthumous fame wont be a motivating factor for future killings. Whether their writings should also be suppressed is a subject of some disagreement, even among mass shooting experts. Perpetrators are looking to make headlines, said Jillian Peterson, a criminology professor at Hamline University and president of The Violence Project. Perpetrators are looking to be famous for that. And so when we spread their videos, and their words, and their pictures, and their writings weve seen that before, that it does inspire copycats. Adam Lankford, a professor of criminology at the University of Alabama who studies mass shootings, said he thinks there is a way to make a killers writings public without inspiring copycats. The biggest problem is killers are sometimes made into celebrities, with their names and photos splashed across news reports for weeks, he said. Beyond the debate over the public good, however, lies the issue of Tennessee open records law, which has no special exception for the writings of mass shooters. Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, said if the parents argument is successful, it would not just apply in this one case. It is problematic to give victims in Tennessee a constitutional right to veto the release of crime evidence, she said. Theyre talking about this crime. Theyre talking about this shooter. But essentially, that is the right, the broad right, that they want the court to conclude victims have in Tennessee. 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 (Photo : Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images) Australia has suspended a military exercise with the United States following the loss of four personnel in a helicopter accident. Four Australian defense personnel are missing in the water off the east coast of Australia after being compelled to abandon their Taipan helicopter in the water during joint military exercises with the United States on Friday evening. Saturday at a press conference in Brisbane, Defense Minister Richard Marles stated that the search for the four crew members of the Australian Army helicopter was ongoing. Australian Military Helicopter Crashes Off Queensland The aircraft "impacted waters" in the vicinity of Lindeman Island, off the Queensland coast. According to the Australian Defense Ministry, a search operation involving both search and rescue aircraft and sea vessels is currently under way. In a joint statement with Deputy Prime Minister Eric Marles, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed their "thoughts are with the families of the missing." The mission was part of the United States' massive military exercises known as Talisman Sabre, CNN reported. The exercises are conducted every other year, alternating between the two countries, and frequently involve forces from other allies. Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, and Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense, who are both in Australia, spoke about those missing in the disaster. Austin stated that encountering accidents during training is "always difficult." "But the reason we trained to such rigorous standards is so that we can be successful and safeguard lives when responding to any type of emergency," he explained. Talisman Sabre Exercise Director Brigadier Damien Hill stated at a Brisbane press conference that the exercises have been halted to enable all participants, regardless of nationality, to contact their families and inform them of the situation. Marles stated that the families of the four missing crew members have been informed of the incident and that our hopes and thoughts are with the air crew and their families. For the second occasion this year, the Australian Army was compelled to ditch an MRH-90 Taipan into the ocean after a collision on Friday. The previous incident in March, which was attributed to engine failure, caused two injuries. The Australian government announced in 2019 that it would terminate its entire fleet of Airbus-made Taipans years ahead of schedule, characterizing the Taipans as a "project of concern for the past decade." According to Aljazeera, the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter of the Australian Defense Force plummeted into waters off the northeastern state of Queensland at approximately 10:30 p.m. local time (12:30 GMT) on Friday. The aircraft was participating in the Talisman Sabre, a joint Australia-United States military exercise involving 13 nations, including Japan, France, and Germany, and over 30,000 personnel. Officials have not provided an explanation for the incident, nor have they indicated when the exercises may resume. Since last night, searches for the missing aircrew have been ongoing. Brigadier Damian Hill stated that the exercises were suspended so that participants could "reach out to their families and let them know what's going on." Australia is undergoing its largest military overhaul since World War II, transferring its focus to long-range strike capabilities with an eye toward potential adversaries, including China. The chief of Australia's armed forces, Angus Campbell, described the accident as "a dreadful moment." The exercise was testing large-scale logistics, land combat, amphibious landings, and air operations as it entered its second week. It is the second plane accident in Queensland in two days. On Friday, a couple in their sixties werekilled when their aircraft collided with another aircraft that was landing at Caboolture Airfield. Read Also: US Unveils $340 Million Military Aid Package for Taiwan Amid Rising Tensions Against China US To Help Australia in Producing Missiles Moreover, the United States will assist Australia in producing multiple-launch rocket systems by 2025, according to Austin, who made the announcement on Saturday in Brisbane. Per The Strait Times, Austin said that the United States is expediting Australia's access to priority munitions through a streamlined acquisition process. Due to the COVID-19 disturbance, this is the first occasion Australia has hosted the high-level meeting since 2019. The Australian leader expressed optimism that missile production could begin in Australia within two years, as part of a shared industrial base between our two nations. As part of the bilateral engagement, American nuclear-powered submarines will visit our waters more frequently, according to Marles. After the conclusion of the two-day talks on Saturday, Marles and Austin were scheduled to travel to north Queensland, where the Australian and American militaries, along with 11 other nations, are participating in the Talisman Sabre war exercises. The events were postponed, however, after an Australian military helicopter participating in the exercises crashed into the ocean, with at least four persons on board believed to have perished. Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated on Saturday that the delegates convened with "heavy hearts" following the tragedy. Related Article: Kim Jong Un Brags Drones, ICBMs to Moscow's Defense Minister as North Korea, Russia, and China Celebrate 'Victory' 70 Years Ago @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A top Pentagon official slammed the recent UFO congressional hearing. He said that the claims made by the retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer are insulting to government employees. Pentagon Official Slams UFO Congressional Hearing According to ABC News' latest report, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, Pentagon AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office ) director, published a letter to show his disappointment. In his statement, Kirkpatrick said that he can't let the UFO congressional hearing pass without saying how insulting it was for the officers of the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community who joined AARO. He added that many of these employees now have anxieties about their careers being put at risk because of the whistleblower's claims. Via The Daily Mail UK, Dr. Sean clarified that AARO hasn't found any credible evidence to prove that the allegations of reserve engineering programs for non-human technology are true. "They are truth-seekers, as am I. But you certainly would not get that impression from yesterday's hearing," added the Pentagon official. Read Also: Congress vs. Pentagon: US House Committee to Question Vets With Knowledge of UFOs About Recent UFO Congressional Meeting During the recent UFO congressional hearing, retired U.S. Air Force Maj. David Grusch claimed that the government concealed a multi-decade program to reverse-engineer and collect UFOs. He accused the government recovered non-human biologics. However, the former defense intelligence official said that he had not seen any of it. Grusch clarified that he only learned these from anonymous individuals who have direct knowledge regarding the program. However, Pentagon spokeswoman Sue Gough clarified that the agency hasn't discovered any verifiable information to prove that the reverse-engineering of UFOs existed in the past or current times. The accusations made by Grusch concern Dr. Kirkpatrick. The Pentagon director said the allegations could lead to retaliation, such as murder intents and physical assaults. These risks are the reasons why law enforcement is a critical part of the AARO team. "Yet, contrary to assertions made in the hearing, the central source of those allegations has refused to speak with AARO," he explained. However, Sue clarified that there's no information yet to prove that any individual has been killed or harmed due to sharing sensitive information about UFOs. Related Article: Ex-Air Force Officer Says US Government Hides UFO Retrieval Program; Pentagon Denies Accusations @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Many Chinese Americans see China negatively; even other Asian Americans don't favor the country as well. This was revealed by in a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center; an American think tank. Chinese Americans See China Negatively According to USA Today's latest report, the Pew Research Center poll involved over 7.000 Asian Americans, including Chinese Americans. The survey was conducted between July 2022 to January 2023. The American think tank highlighted the views of Asian Americans located in seven different countries. These include Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, India, and China. Based on their findings, only four out of ten Chinese Americans favor mainland China. Meanwhile, only 14% of other Asian Americans see the country positively. Karthick Ramakrishnan, the director and founder of policy research hub AAPI Data, said that the findings of the Pew survey are not surprising at all. Ramakrishnan explained that this is because most Asian Americans (around 60% of them) are foreign-born. Because of this, the AAPI Data founder said that Asian Americans who come from authoritarian regimes tend to leave for a reason. Read Also: Chinese President Xi Jinping Rejected Calls To Tackle Climate Change Following a Meeting with US Climate Envoy John Kerry How Asian Americans See Other Countries Via its official survey, Pew Research Center also highlighted other findings showing how Asian Americans see other Asian countries. These include the following: For Japan, the majority of the Asian Americans surveyed see the country positively. However, Korean Americans stand out because only 36% of them favor Japan. For South Korea, more than 50% of Japanese Americans see the country positively. But, Japanese and Chinese Americans combined don't favor SoKor. For India, many Indian Americans have favorable views of the country. Filipino Americans come in second when it comes to favoring India. When it comes to the United States, the majority of the polled Asian Americans favor the American country. Specifically, most of them even believe that the U.S. will be the world's leading economic power in the next decade. "About half of Asian Americans (53%) say the United States will be the world's leading economic power over the next decade," said the American think tank. If you want to learn more details about the new Pew survey, you can click this link. Related Article: China's Teenage Suicide Rates Surge as Students Struggle With Heavy Course Loads @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Zip Code A new Android malware strain called CherryBlos has been observed making use of optical character recognition (OCR) techniques to gather sensitive data stored in pictures. CherryBlos, per Trend Micro, is distributed via bogus posts on social media platforms and comes with capabilities to steal cryptocurrency wallet-related credentials and act as a clipper to substitute wallet addresses when a victim copies a string matching a predefined format is copied to the clipboard. Once installed, the apps seek users' permissions to grant it accessibility permissions, which allows it to automatically grant itself additional permissions as required. As a defense evasion measure, users attempting to kill or uninstall the app by entering the Settings app are redirected back to the home screen. Besides displaying fake overlays on top of legitimate crypto wallet apps to steal credentials and make fraudulent fund transfers to an attacker-controlled address, CherryBlos utilizes OCR to recognize potential mnemonic phrases from images and photos stored on the device, the results of which are periodically uploaded to a remote server. The success of the campaign banks on the possibility that users tend to take screenshots of the wallet recovery phrases on their devices. Trend Micro said it also found an app developed by the CherryBlos threat actors on the Google Play Store but without the malware embedded into it. The app, named Synthnet, has since been taken down by Google. The threat actors also appear to share overlaps with another activity set involving 31 scam money-earning apps, dubbed FakeTrade, hosted on the official app marketplace based on the use of shared network infrastructure and app certificates. Most of the apps were uploaded to the Play Store in 2021 and have been found to target Android users in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Uganda, and Mexico. "These apps claim to be e-commerce platforms that promise increased income for users via referrals and top-ups," Trend Micro said. "However, users will be unable withdraw their funds when they attempt to do so." The disclosure comes as McAfee detailed a SMS phishing campaign against Japanese Android users that masquerades as a power and water infrastructure company to infect the devices with malware called SpyNote. The campaign took place in early June 2023. "After launching the malware, the app opens a fake settings screen and prompts the user to enable the accessibility feature," McAfee researcher Yukihiro Okutomi said last week. "By allowing the accessibility service, the malware disables battery optimization so that it can run in the background and automatically grants unknown source installation permission to install another malware without the user's knowledge." It's no surprise that malware authors constantly seek new approaches to lure victims and steal sensitive data in the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. Google, last year, began taking steps to curb the misuse of accessibility APIs by rogue Android apps to covertly gather information from compromised devices by blocking sideloaded apps from using accessibility features altogether. But stealers and clippers just represent one of the many kinds of malware such as spyware and stalkerware that are used to track targets and gather information of interest, posing severe threats to personal privacy and security. New research published this week found that a surveillance app called SpyHide is stealthily collecting private phone data from nearly 60,000 Android devices around the world since at least 2016. "Some of the users (operators) have multiple devices connected to their account, with some having as much as 30 devices they've been watching over a course of multiple years, spying on everyone in their lives," a security researcher, who goes by the name maia arson crimew, said. It's therefore crucial for users to remain vigilant when downloading apps from unverified sources, verify developer information, and scrutinize app reviews to mitigate potential risks. The fact that there is nothing stopping threat actors from creating bogus developer accounts on the Play Store to distribute malware hasn't gone unnoticed by Google. Earlier this month, the search giant announced that it will require all new developer accounts registering as an organization to provide a valid D-U-N-S number assigned by Dun & Bradstreet before submitting apps in an effort to build user trust. The change goes into effect on August 31, 2023. EV maker VinFast builds $4 bln US complex, gets nod for US listing By Nguyen Long Sat, July 29, 2023 | 9:15 am GTM+7 Vietnamese electronic vehicle (EV) maker VinFast announced Friday it plans a stock market listing in the U.S. next month and broke ground the same day on its $4 billion EV and battery manufacturing complex in North Carolina. A VinFast production line in Hai Phong city, northern Vietnam. Photo courtesy of the firm. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given VinFast the green light to proceed with its proposed SPAC deal. In May, VinFast announced it would go public through a business combination with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Black Spade Acquisition Co worth roughly $27 billion (equity value of $23 billion). The transaction is expected to close followed by the listing of VinFast in August 2023, subject to shareholder approvals and other customary closing conditions. Today represents a remarkable milestone in advancing VinFasts presence in the U.S. as we move towards our proposed U.S. listing, Thuy Le, Global CEO of VinFast Auto Pte. Ltd., said in a release. Today we also celebrate the start of construction of our EV factory in North Carolina. These achievements will help accelerate our commitment to the global green mobility revolution and our mission to help consumers make the switch to an EV easier and more accessible, while also opening a strategic capital-raising avenue for our global ambitions, she said. Dennis Tam, chairman and co-CEO, Black Spade Acquisition Co, said: We anticipate that the global lifestyle paradigm shift towards electric mobility will accelerate further and that VinFast will continue to distinguish itself as a trailblazer in the global EV arena. Black Spade, listed on the NYSE American, was founded by Black Spade Capital, which runs a global portfolio consisting of a wide spectrum of cross-border investments, and consistently seeks to add new investment projects and opportunities to its portfolio. VinFasts U.S. production facility The Vietnamese EV maker announced another big milestone Friday breaking ground on its EV and battery production complex in North Carolina with around $4 billion in total investment, and half for the first stage. This project is the first EV manufacturing facility in the state. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Vietnamese Ambassador to the U.S. Nguyen Quoc Dung, and representatives from state and federal governments attended the event along with VinFasts partners, customers, and industry experts. The plant will span an area of approximately 1,800 acres (nearly 7.3 million square meters) and be divided into five main production areas: a body shop, general assembly, press shop, paint shop and an energy center, among others. The plant is expected to commence production in 2025, creating an ecosystem of suppliers and thousands of jobs. VinFast breaks ground on its EV and battery production complex in North Carolina on July 28, 2023. Photo courtesy of the company. VinFast shipped its first batch of VF 8 electric SUVs to the US last November, arriving at the Port of Benecia in California in December. The Vietnamese startup's first customer deliveries started in March as the producer said more time was needed for a software update. Its first batch of VF 8 SUVs arrived in Canada in May, and customer deliveries started in June. The firm is expanding to European markets. In Israel in the Middle East, its sole distributor is B-EV Motors. Earlier this week, the Israeli car distributor introduced EVs made by VinFast in Tel Aviv ahead of official exports to be announced at a later date. Japan-invested firm inaugurates wood pellet factory in central Vietnam By Tri Duc Sat, July 29, 2023 | 11:49 am GTM+7 Idemitsu Green Energy Vietnam, a business invested by Japans Idemitsu Kosan, inaugurated a wood pellet factory in the south-central province of Binh Dinh on Friday. The factory in Hoai Nhon town has an annual capacity of 120,000 tons of green energy pellets that will be exported to Japan. Construction of the factory started in July 2022. Idemitsu Green Energy Vietnam's factory for processing wood and manufacturing biofuels in Binh Dinh province, south-central Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Agriculture newspaper. Idemitsu Green Energy Vietnam is certified by the Japan Gas Appliances Inspection Association (JIA) for using suitable and sustainable raw materials for production. It lauded Binh Dinh for its abundant workforce, strong links between industrial parks and traffic infrastructure, diversified wooden materials, and the support of local authorities to carry out the investment. Vietnam is embracing the circular economy with upcoming support policies from the government. Therefore, there are opportunities for businesses, including Idemitsu Kosan, said representative director Atsuhiko Hirano. The firm is committed to contributing to Vietnams energy transition towards carbon neutrality, he said. The factory is also Idemitsu Kosan's first step towards building a supply chain of three million tons of green energy pellets for the Pacific region a year, and also marks 50 years of Vietnam-Japan relations (1973-2023), Hirano added. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Pham Truong, Secretary of Hoai Nhon towns Party Committee, said the town earned $73.47 million from exporting wood products in 2022, or 33.63% of the towns total export revenue last year. Binh Dinh is among the top four wood processing hubs in Vietnam, according to Truong. In the first seven months of this year, Binh Dinh exploited 599,403 cubic meters of wood, up 2.3% year-on-year, according to provincial data. From January-July, the province recorded 21 cases of deforestation, totaling 5.5 hectares, up 23.5% but down 23.6% year-on-year, respectively. Besides, it planted 1,122 hectares of forest in the period, doubling year-on-year. In the seven-month period, Binh Dinh recorded an export revenue of $851.8 million, down 13% year-on-year. Of which, wood products accounted for $225.4 million, down 29.5%. Owner of Long Hau industrial park records $2 mln Q1 profit By Trang Nguyen Sat, July 29, 2023 | 9:44 am GTM+7 Long Hau Corporation, owner of Long Hau Industrial Park in Long An province, reported net revenue of over VND115 billion ($4.8 million) and after-tax profit of VND50.7 billion ($2.1 million) in Q1, up 0.8% and 9% year-on-year, respectively. As of March 31, 2023, the company's total assets had stood at more than VND3 trillion ($126.7 million), up 1% compared to the beginning of the year, of which liabilities hit more than VND1.42 trillion ($60 million), up 4%. Equity was VND1.59 trillion ($66.95 million), up 4%. The company has not published financial statements for Q2/2023. In the first half of 2023, Long Hau Industrial Park (IP) attracted 18 more investment projects. The number of projects in key industrial sectors like mechanical engineering and electronic equipment accounted for more than 50% of the new investment lines in Long Hau. The remaining 50% belong to light industries like apparel, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and warehouses, LHG's representative told Theinvestor.vn. At its 2023 general meeting of shareholders in April, the company set a revenue target of more than VND902 billion ($38.1 million) for 2023, up 23% year-on-year, with after-tax profit of over VND127 billion ($5.4 million), down 34%. Long Hau Industrial Park in Long An province, southern Vietnam. Photo courtesy of the IP. Long Hau Corporation, established on May 23, 2006 in Long Hau commune, Can Giuoc district, Long An province, is known as the owner of Long Hau IP with a scale of 137.02 hectares. The IP expanded by 108.48 hectares in 2009. The company also expanded its market share in central Vietnam with Long Hau Hi-tech Factory Area, located on an area of 29.6 hectares in Danang Hi-Tech Park. In 2010, the company was officially listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) as LHG. It currently has charter capital of more than VND500 billion ($21.1 million). At the close on Friday, LHG was trading at VND27,900 ($1.18) per share. Meanwhile, industrial developer Gelex reported net revenue of VND8 trillion ($337.75 million) in the second quarter of this year, equal to 88% of the same period last year, and after-tax profit of VND870 billion ($36.7 million), up 49% year-on-year. In Q2, GEX recorded revenue from the Yen Phong II IP, Yen My IP, and Dong Mai IP, with a total handover area of 77 hectares. The company said it will continue to focus on construction of infrastructure in the Thuan Thanh, Yen Phong 2C, Tien Hai, Phong Dien, Phu Ha, and Hai Yen IPs. Gelex's net revenue from energy and clean water reached VND370 billion ($15.6 million) in Q2. Total power output stood at 113 million kWh in the period and 259 million kWh in the first six months of the year, fullfilling 41% of the annual target due to wind power projects being affected by the low wind cycle in Q2 and hydroelectricity continuing to be hit by El Nino. The building materials and electrical equipment segments faced many difficulties due to falling demand. Electrical equipment earned VND3.67 trillion ($155.1 million) in Q2, down 17.2% year-on-year. In the first six months of 2023, Gelex, listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) as GEX, recorded net revenue of VND14.41 trillion ($608.5 million), down 18%, and post-tax profit of VND686 billion ($28.9 million), down 36%. In terms of operations, the driving force for growth in revenue and profit in Q2 came from the real estate and IP segment with VND1.77 trillion ($74.8 million) in net revenue. At the end of June, Gelex's total assets had stood at VND52.41 trillion ($2.2 billion), of which inventories hit VND8.23 trillion ($347.7 million). On the HoSE, GEX finished at VND22,550 ($0.95) at Friday's close. Quang Tri province okays resumption of Uni-President's shrimp breeding project By Tri Duc Sat, July 29, 2023 | 7:41 pm GTM+7 Vietnams central province of Quang Tri has given in-principle approval to Uni-President Vietnam Aquatic Breeding Co., Ltd.'s plan to resume its shrimp breeding project that was suspended in 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Provincial authorities made the decision on Friday at a meeting to review the Taiwan-invested companys request. The project was launched in March 2012 with an annual capacity of two billion shrimp and an investment of VND50 billion ($2.11 million). It earned the company a total of over VND200 billion ($8.44 million) during 2011-2021. The six-hectare project, located in Trung Giang commune, Gio Linh district, operated successfully until 2021. In April 2022, due to higher costs driven by the pandemic, Uni-President Vietnam Aquatic Breeding Company filed an application to terminate the project. In April 2023, the firm asked local authorities to consider approving the projects resumption and expansion worth VND131 billion ($5.5 million), with a target of starting operations again by December 2024. Quang Tri Vice Chairman Ha Sy Dong asked relevant agencies to help the firm implement the project and support its expansion plans. The Uni-President factory in Binh Duong province, southern Vietnam. Photo courtesy of the firm. Uni-President Vietnam, invested by Taiwan-based Uni-President Enterprises Corporation, entered Vietnam in 1999 with its first facility in the southern province of Binh Duong and an initial investment of $225 million. The firm now operates in five segments, namely food (such as instant noodles), animal feed (for cows, quails, chickens, pigs, ducks), water treatment, aquafeed, and wheat flour. In addition to its Binh Duong facilities, the firm also runs six factories in the provinces of Tien Giang, Ninh Thuan, Quang Nam, Ben Tre, and Quang Tri. According to the parent firms report for 2022, Uni-President (Vietnam) Co., Ltd. recorded a net income of TWD463.99 million ($14.79 million) on a net operating revenue of TWD12.92 billion last year ($411.81 million). Meanwhile, Uni-President Vietnam Aquatic Breeding Co., Ltd. posted a net loss of TWD29.22 million ($931,600) on a net operating revenue of TWD4.09 million ($130,600). Vietnam FDI sector posts $27.8 bln trade surplus in Jan-July By Tri Duc Sat, July 29, 2023 | 12:20 pm GTM+7 Foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam recorded a trade turnover of $258.63 billion, including crude oil, resulting in a trade surplus of $27.83 billion in the first seven months of this year. Overall, Vietnams export-import turnover fell 13.9% year-on-year to $374.23 billion in the seven-month period, according to the General Statistics Office. The FDI sector accounted for 69% of the country's total figure. Vietnam posted export revenue of $194.73 billion, down 10.6%, while import expenditure dropped 17.1% to $179.5 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $15.23 billion, nearly 12 times higher than the $1.3 billion recorded in January-July 2022. The FDI sector posted a trade surplus of $27.83 billion, including crude oil, while the domestic sector had a trade deficit of $12.6 billion. Trucks waiting at Tan Thanh border gate in Lang Son province, northern Vietnam, to export goods to China. Photo courtesy of Youth newspaper. Vietnams key export in the first seven months included electronics, computers and components worth $30.79 billion, down 3% year-on-year; mobile phones and components worth $27.8 billion, down 18.3%; machinery and equipment worth $22.9 billion, down 10.4%; apparel-textiles worth $18.93 billion, down 15.1%; and footwear worth $11.67 billion, down 17.1%. Products from the manufacturing-processing industry accounted for $171.5 billion of export revenue at 88.1%; followed by farm produce and forestry goods at $15.75 billion, or 8.1%; fisheries at $4.95 billion, or 2.5%; and fuel and natural resources at $2.1 billion, or 1.3%. Vietnams core imports were electronics, computers and components worth $45.38 billion, down 9.4% year-on-year; followed by machinery and equipment worth $22.65 billion, down 14.6%; fabric worth $7.42 billion, down 18.6%; steel-iron worth $5.56 billion, down 30.6%; and plastics worth $5.46 billion, down 30.9%. Materials for production accounted for $168.3 billion, or 93.8% of total import expenditure. The remaining 6.2%, or $11.2 billion, was spent on consumer goods. In January-July, China, the U.S., and ASEAN were Vietnams biggest trade partners with turnovers of $90.2 billion, $60.5 billion and $42.2 billion, respectively. Other top trade partners were South Korea with $41.5 billion, the EU with $33.6 billion, and Japan with $25.1 billion. China remained the biggest import market for Vietnam at $58.6 billion, while the U.S. was the biggest export destination at $52.4 billion. Orangeburg County Council agreed Thursday to hire Ohio-based SSOE Group as the architect for the new county courthouse. SSOE Group will be responsible for the design and management of the project, according to Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young. Council unanimously agreed to hire the firm during a special called virtual meeting. Councilwoman Janie Cooper-Smith was absent. Young said the cost will be based on the percentage estimated to be less than 10 percent of the overall construction cost. A total cost will not be known until the courthouse construction cost is finalized, although initial estimates are that the courthouse will cost between $30 million and $50 million. SSOE was unanimously chosen by a five-member county selection committee out of a list of five overall submissions, Young said. Submissions were narrowed down to three finalists and SSOE Group was unanimously chosen. The firm, which has an office in Columbia, has served as the architectural firm for a number of notable buildings, including the Columbia Museum of Art, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and the Richland County Main Library. The firm has also helped design and work on a number of judicial buildings, including renovations to the South Carolina Supreme Court, South Carolina Court of Appeals, Horry County Judicial and Administration Complex, Dorchester County Courthouse, Spartanburg County Courthouse, Florence County Judicial Center and Sumter County Courthouse. Orangeburg County announced plans to build a new courthouse in February 2022. The current Amelia Street courthouse was built in 1928 and officials say its past its useful life. Its also too small, with one large courtroom and several smaller ones. Orangeburg Countys courthouse needs at least six large courtrooms, officials say. In an effort to make the new courthouse a reality, the county has purchased several properties on Russell Street, totaling about 5.5 acres. Its paid a little over $2 million for it. In April of this year, the county approved borrowing $7.3 million for the first phase of construction. The money will go toward the demolition of existing structures, architecture, engineering and surveying costs, as well as additional capital projects. Part of the architectural fee is within this cost, Young said. Demolition work could begin in a couple of months. In other business: Council unanimously approved a proclamation recognizing National Health Center Week from Aug. 6-12. The theme for the week is: The roadmap to a stronger America. The week is sponsored by the National Association of Community Health Centers to celebrate and increase awareness of community health centers and their services. Council went into closed session to receive an economic development update related a project currently identified by the code name Project Trilogy. A company's identify remains anonymous until third and final reading is given. Lawrence L. Landy Weathers has been elected chair of the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Area Commission. The election was held at the governing bodys July meeting. Dr. Margaret Felder-Wilson was elected as vice chair. Weathers succeeds John Shuler, who served as longtime chair of the Area Commission. OCtech President Dr. Walt Tobin thanked Shuler for his many years of service as leader of the group. John has provided leadership and guidance over the years, particularly in helping the college navigate the challenges brought on by the pandemic. He has been a thought leader and advocate for OCtech during and before taking on the chair role, Tobin said. Im excited about Chairman Weathers assuming the role, and look forward to working alongside him and the other commission members as we chart the colleges future. Hes been an active member of the commission for many years, is passionate about the work done at the college, and will help build on the colleges history of preparing students for good jobs and great careers, he said. Weathers, a Bowman native, has served on the area commission for more than a decade. He and his wife, Susan, have two children and five grandchildren. Weathers graduated from Clemson University in 1972 with a degree in agronomy. He served the agricultural community for many years as a vice president of the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and is presently a committee member for the state Farm Service Agency. Weathers is an active member of Bowman Southern Methodist Church, and serves as vice chairman of Farmers & Merchants Bank of South Carolina and its parent company, FMB of S.C. Bancshares Inc. Weathers is partner and co-owner of Weathers Farms Inc. and Circle W Farms. Deciding where you want to live in a rural, urban, or suburban area largely depends on your lifestyle. For instance, if your idea of the perfect Saturday is a long hike through the wilderness, living in a big city probably isnt ideal. In fact, a large number of Americans are leaving large urban centers: Between 2020 and 2022, 2 million people left the countrys largest cities, driven in part by social distancing measures in the early days of the pandemic as well as the increased prevalence of remote work. While this trend has slowed somewhat in 2023, having access to the great outdoors is still top of mind for some but not all. In fact, more than 25% of American adults dont get enough physical activity, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. For those who do value making their way outside for exercise, Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live for people who love the outdoors using Niches 2023 rankings. Niche ranks places to live based on factors including the proximity to parks and beaches, air quality and how often residents engaged in physical activity. So South Carolina with rural outdoors meccas such as Orangeburg surely are high on the list, right? No. In fact, most of the cities on the list are on the West Coast, with California claiming nearly two dozen spots. No. 1 is Seattle. Seattle takes the top spot on the list of the best places to live for outdoorsy folks, thanks to its proximity to both world-class national parks and forests and excellent recreation within its city limits. And second is Los Angeles. Thats right, Los Angeles. From beaches to hills, LAs sprawling urban footprint contains a wide range of natural landscapes. Enjoy the sand and surf Southern California is known for at Will Rogers State Beach, Venice Beach, or Dockweiler State Beach. For a classically Los Angeles experience, hike high into the hills at Griffith Park to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood Sign. Or, if you prefer hiking with an ocean breeze, climb the Temescal Canyon Trail in Topanga State Park. Make of the rankings what you will regarding people buying into the West Coast as the great place to be outdoors. That may be, but people are leaving states such as California, which from July 2021 to July 2022 lost about 407,000 people to other states. And the leading states to which they are moving, according to U.S. Postal Service change-of-address data, would be on our list of top places to be outdoors: 1. Texas 2. Florida 3. South Carolina The double-edged sword in all this is that the outdoors paradise that is South Carolina is a factor in the states rapid growth and such growth threatens the very outdoors we cherish. About a dozen people spoke at a Rock Springs meeting earlier this month about a historic rate hike proposal brought by Rocky Mountain Power Wyomings largest electricity provider. Quote The two rate hikes would cost, on average, $19.72 more every month for the typical residential consumer, according to the companys estimates. Though more than 70% of Rocky Mountain Powers customer base consists of industrial users, most of the people who spoke at the public hearing were typical residential customers and community members who fear the impact these cost increases could have on their lives. Rock Springs Mayor Max Nicholson said the rate increases could threaten lives those who cant afford to pay their electricity bills would be vulnerable to severe weather, which could result in people being hospitalized and dying from the heat. The hiked rates, he added, could also hinder the citys ability to provide services. Rock Springs resident Elizabeth Domenici warned the increases would be catastrophic for small businesses. Another resident, Toni Bate, started to cry as she gave her testimony. I have hardly any money. I dont know where Id get the money to pay for this, Bate said. Though people in Wyoming can turn to various programs for energy assistance, one pandemic-era program, which helped more than 7,000 households pay for electricity last year, is no longer an option after it ended in June. The cost of rate increases Rocky Mountain Power, which is owned by parent company PacifiCorp, is Wyomings largest electric utility and has roughly 150,000 customers in the state. The company is currently proposing two rate increases. The first increase of an average 7.6% took effect on an interim basis at the beginning of this month, although its still subject to Public Service Commission review with a decision expected later this year. This energy cost adjustment mechanism rate hike would result in an extra $50.3 million for Rocky Mountain Power, which would cover a chunk of the roughly $90 million the company paid in excess of its forecast for last year. This change isnt unusual its normal for utilities to adjust prices each year in response to market fluctuations. But Rocky Mountain Power is also requesting a more significant general rate case increase of an average 21.6% for the next several years, bringing in about $140 million annually for the utility. This increase would take effect Jan. 1 and involve a more fundamental change to the utilitys payment structure. The two rate hikes would cost, on average, $19.72 more every month for the typical residential consumer, according to the companys estimates. (The rate increases vary among different customer classes, with some having a higher proposed increase than others. The 7.6% and 21.6% numbers are averages across all classes.) Its been over a decade since Rocky Mountain Power has asked for a rate increase of more than $40 million per year. Its most recent request of a similar scale came in 2010, when the company asked for an increase totaling about $97.9 million per year. State regulators ultimately approved less than half that amount. There are many factors driving the proposed rate hikes, Stacy Splittstoesser, the companys regulatory affairs manager for Wyoming, explained at the July meeting. There are increased fuel costs. Theres market volatility. There has been severe weather and drought. Rocky Mountain Power has cut costs in other areas; its renewable energy development, for example, has saved ratepayers more than $85 million, primarily from wind power and transmission expansion, according to the utility. Nationally, electricity rates rose about 1.6% and about 7.2% for residential consumers specifically between May 2022 and May 2023, according to federal data. For Wyoming, overall electricity prices actually dropped from 8.37 cents to 8.28 cents per kilowatt hour in that same time period, though residential rates creeped up about 3.5% from 11.51 cents to 11.93 cents. Paying for electricity The potential increase in electricity rates comes as the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) a pandemic-era federal program that, among other things, helped people in Wyoming cover their electricity expenses came to an end last month. The program provided assistance for eligible households for up to 18 months of unpaid past due rent and utility services incurred after March 13, 2020. From the time ERAP launched in April 2021 to the end of that year, 70 households in Wyoming received a total of almost $18,000 to cover unpaid electricity costs, according to data provided by the Wyoming Department of Family Services. The next year, that number jumped to 7,349 households for a total of about $2.4 million. (The significant jump in numbers from 2021 to 2022 is probably in most part because of changes that allowed states to use the funding more flexibly.) This year, through the end of June, 3,779 households received more than $1.3 million through the program to help cover their electricity bills. ERAP stopped taking new applications in November and ended in June. But there are still several other ongoing programs that help Wyomingites cover their electricity expenses, such as federal programs like the Wyoming Homeowner Assistance Fund Program (HAF) and the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) as well as the Energy Share of Wyoming, a private nonprofit. LIEAP helps low- and fixed-income households pay for heating costs in winter months and also assists with energy-related emergencies like utility shut-offs and heat loss from broken furnaces. Last year, 2,575 households received money from the program for heating electricity, totaling about $1.5 million. Crisis electricity payments for 2022 arent available, but in 2021, 1,657 households received more than $440,000 in assistance. The number of people who applied for the program nationally in 2023 is the highest rate since 2011, according to an April report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, the main educational and policy organization for state directors of the program. Thats not the case in Wyoming, where the number of households that have received assistance through the program to pay for heating electricity has stayed relatively level since 2019. The number of households receiving crisis electricity payments decreased about 15% from the same year to 2021. Nationally, about 20.5 million households were behind on their electric bills at the end of January, the National Energy Assistance Directors Associations report says. Families owed an average of $617 on their electric bills up from $594 in January of last year. Wyomings HAF Program, which launched in May 2021 and is ongoing, helps people cover past-due utility payments. Last year, it dispersed about $121,000 for 211 households to cover payments specifically for electricity, according to data provided by the Wyoming Department of Family Resources. So far this year, the program has given about $84,000 for 119 Wyoming households to pay for electricity costs. Its unclear how many Wyomingites are behind on their electricity payments for Rocky Mountain Power, or if that number has increased. Rocky Mountain Power spokesperson Tiffany Erickson said in an email that the company keeps customer account information private and is unable to provide this data. She added that when customers are behind on their bills, Rocky Mountain Power encourages them to work with customer service to figure out a payment plan. Customer service can also help people apply for private and federal assistance through the Energy Share of Wyoming and the Wyoming Department of Family Services, she said. Reviewing the rate hike Rocky Mountain Powers proposed rate increases arent a given. They still have to go through a review process with the Public Service Commission. As for the bigger 21.6% rate case in particular, the chance of Rocky Mountain Power getting 100% of what its asking for is unlikely, though its uncertain at this point how much of the utilitys request the Public Service Commission will approve. There are several groups including Wyomings Office of Consumer Advocate, an independent arm of the Public Service Commission that believe a substantial reduction is warranted and are intervening in the rate case. A public hearing on the 21.6% proposed rate hike is scheduled for Oct. 25. Another will be held Dec. 19 for the 7.6% energy cost adjustment mechanism rate hike. The Public Service Commission will also hold another public comment hearing on the two rate hikes, though the time and place has not been confirmed. Members of the public can submit written comments on the rate hikes at any time to the Public Service Commission by emailing wpsc_comments@wyo.gov. Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in Wyoming, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Star-Tribune app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board, which was created by lawmakers during the 2023 legislative session, will convene Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Wyoming State Capitol Extension in Public Meeting Room No. 6. The panel is set to become the first dedicated and independent charter school approval commission in Wyoming history. The board will outline its official operating procedures and learn about board etiquette and the history of charter schools in Wyoming, according to a Department of Education news release. Wyoming has only a handful of public charter schools, largely confined to the states urban centers. Previously, prospective charter schools had to go through local school districts for approval. Lawmakers have sought to make the approval process for new charter schools easier in recent years, allowing them to go directly to the state to obtain their charter. For a short time, the State Loan and Investment Board served as the approval body for the state, greenlighting new schools in Mills, Cheyenne and Chugwater last year. During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder advocated for a new dedicated board as a way to streamline approval for charter schools and expand school choice in Wyoming. In June, Degenfelder announced her three picks for the eight-member board, selecting Cindy DeLancey of Cheyenne, Joseph Feiler of Casper and Mitchell Schwab of Afton. Gov. Mark Gordon also appointed three members: John Masters of Cheyenne, Janine Bay Teske of Jackson and Doug Chamberlain of La Grange. Fred Von Ahrens of Green River and Alan Buss of Laramie were the final two selections, representing the State Board of Education and the University of Wyomings College of Education, respectively. Though the authorizing boards mission is to approve new charter schools, it will not do so anytime soon barring new legislation. Lawmakers included a moratorium on new charter schools alongside the launch of the board. The Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board can only approve one additional charter school between 2026 and 2028. Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in Wyoming, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Star-Tribune app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. NASA revealed that the organization is working to expand its digital platform power by revamping its flagship and science websites, upgrading the NASA app, and launching its own streaming service, NASA+. "NASA's legacy footprint presents an opportunity to dramatically improve the user experience for the public we serve," NASA chief information office in Washington, Jeff Seaton, explained. No specific date has been announced but the trailer stated that it will be launched sometime this summer. Read Also: Argentina Becomes 28th Artemis Accords Signatory After India New Stream Platform, NASA+ NASA promised that its incoming streaming service will not require a paid subscription. In addition, it will be available for both iOS and Android. According to the associate administrator for Office of Communication, Marc Etkind, the goal is to put space on demand within the viewer's fingertips. "Transforming our digital presence will help us better tell the stories of how NASA explores the unknown in air and space, inspires through discovery, and innovates for the benefit of humanity," Etkind stated. The NASA+ is expected to be integrated on media players like Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV. NASA Continues Efforts for Digital Visibility Aside from launching a new streaming platform, NASA also assured that the agency will continue to connect additional agency websites and multimedia libraries to streamline all the information across the whole NASA programs. "NASA+ videos showcases our discovery programs in an interdisciplinary and crosscutting way, ultimately building stronger connections with our visitors and viewers," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. Users can get an early access to the beta website and are encouraged to leave a feedback at https://beta.nasa.gov/ Related Article: NASA To Host News Conferences, Upcoming Crew Rotations Mission to ISS Twenty-eight citizens have been authorised to proceed with individual legal actions against the Office of the Police Commissioner for significant delays in the decision-making process concerning their applications for firearm users licences (FULs). The matter came up for hearing yesterday before High Court judge Nadia Kangaloo. Question: What is trending with patio barbecues? Answer: Well, it is no longer the stuccoed concrete block stand-alone with a grill on it, says Bruce Stumbo, co-operations manager, estimator and sales consultant with Rosie Right Design Build Remodel, a Rosie on the House certified partner. The barbecue on the patio is morphing into a full-blown kitchen with all the trimmings. Typically, the kitchen is the center of the home. Thats where we gather as a family and as guests. With more people wanting to extend activities outside, the kitchen is part of that extension. Stumbo tells us that outdoor kitchens are generally designed similarly to indoor kitchens for layout, easy access to appliances and cooking. There are some differences, though. Storage of food items tends to have smaller space requirements as indoor storage suffices for most of our storage needs. Refrigerators for such storage are typically under the counter. The other major difference in todays outdoor kitchens is the material used to construct them. Our outdoor kitchens need to be protected from the elements. The sun can wreak as much havoc on kitchen components as rain, sleet and snow. A cover over the prep and cooking area is needed. Several outdoor kitchens also cover a dining space. The materials used in constructing the kitchen are made for exterior wear. The counters are solid surfaces, and walls and half-walls are covered with exterior materials such as stucco, siding and stone. Cabinets are typically stainless steel which, in some applications, can be powder-coated to add color to the overall design. There are some manufacturers of composite cabinets that offer an embossed wood look that can provide design alternatives. These cabinets are generally made from a polymer that includes wood particles and uses a marine-grade glue not normally used on interior cabinets. They can withstand temperatures up to 265 degrees Fahrenheit, so they are safe for our desert dwellers. Sinks, ice makers and even dishwashers are becoming part of the outdoor kitchen story. There is plumbing designed for colder climates, like Summerhaven, to ensure proper drainage. As for appliances, Stumbo says gas cooktops and ovens (especially pizza ovens) are quite popular. Under-counter refrigerators, warming drawers, hoods and pretty much whatever your culinary needs are, can be satisfied for the outdoor kitchen. Q: How does the project work if I hire a contractor to remodel my patio? A: Initiating the design process has always been where the real magic of any remodel begins. Outdoor kitchens are no different. The design process is integral to the successful outcome of any project. Following an initial design meeting where you relay your project goals, the designer will produce some initial or preliminary sketches outlining possible solutions. This can be done in the home or in a design studio. It used to be that with all the design, materials and fixture selections, folks would have to visit multiple showrooms in multiple locations to look at the hundreds of options from which they could select the items they wanted. At a design studio, the process can be simplified, streamlined and quite pleasant. After the preliminary discussions, a designer will bring together a variety of alternatives based on your preferences. At the design studio, displays depict various finishes and products like counters, cabinetry and colors that are primarily chosen to inspire you. Given the thousands of different plumbing and lighting fixtures, ceramic tile designs and such, it is not possible for all of them to be in one place. Because you do not want to travel many miles to visit all the showrooms, the designer will make a preliminary presentation of choices based on their conversations with you regarding your preferences. As the design process progresses, alternatives will need to be explored. By having one location, a great deal of confusion is eliminated. You dont have to recall which showroom you saw what in, and all your selections remain in one location for you to revisit at any time during your project. As the design progresses, the estimator will help align design decisions with the budget. This happens at several stages in the process to avoid the heartache of creating a great design that doesnt meet budget expectations. The production team is brought in to discuss timing and scheduling. All of this happens in one location, under one roof, with the same company of professionals. When the design is finalized, you will have a project cost, schedule and specific scope of work that will allow your project to proceed, all within your comfort zone. That is the real benefit of a design studio staffed with professionals. With the goal of helping build 1,000 new homes in the next year, two Tucson business partners have combined their collective skills. The Urban Infill Project provides pre-permitted accessory dwelling unit designs (known as ADUs) to simplify the process for homeowners wanting to add a home on their property for an aging parent, a child in college or for additional income. Cofounders Valerie Lane and Lisa Bowers were introduced by mutual friends. We both had unexpressed passion for how to help the community grow, said Bowers, who has worked as a development liaison for 20 years. She brought the expertise on how to navigate the city and county with plans and permits and knows the bureaucracy. Ive developed the relationships over 20 years and know the most efficient way to get this done, Bowers said. And how to get in front of the right people. Lane, an architect and teacher of construction and building technology at the University of Arizona, is the perfect complement. Valerie brings creativity and design to it, Bowers said. Many people will use the ADU for intergenerational living and she understands how people move around the home. Whether its a large yard or a vacant lot, property owners can use the duos service to erect an ADU. They have seven pre-permitted design drawings that will receive expedited approval from the city of Tucson or Pima County, through the arrangement they have negotiated. Currently, Tucson and unincorporated Pima County are on board. Urban Infill is working with the towns of Marana, Oro Valley and Sahuarita, along with Santa Cruz County to adopt the model in those jurisdictions. Homes range in size from a 605-square-foot studio to a 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom model. If you hire an architect to draw up a custom design, it can take three to six months to get a permit, Lane said. Using our process, you can have a permit in a month. Construction is set to begin on Urban Infill Projects first two ADUs at a home in the Broadmoor-Broadway neighborhood, near Broadway and Country Club Road. The pre-permitted drawings range in price from $3,500 to $4,800 about half of the cost to hire an architect for a custom design. The cost of building an ADU in the Tucson market is estimated at between $200 and $250 per square foot, and the addition can increase the property value up to 30%. No single solution Although Urban Infill Project sells the permitting process and referrals and are not themselves builders, Lane and Bowers wanted to get their name out in the community and recently became members of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association. Tucson simply doesnt have the housing supply we need to support our current and future population (and) thats caused issues with housing opportunity, housing access and housing affordability, said David Godlewski, president of SAHBA. In order for us to address these challenges, and to have a healthy housing market, we need a full range of housing types from ADUs to high-end homes. He called the Urban Infill Project key to helping homeowners and contractors navigate the rules for ADU construction. SAHBA recognizes there is not one single solution to building enough inventory, Godlewski said. We are determined to support the variety of businesses and promote a range of policies that are needed. In 2021, the City of Tucson voted to allow casitas to be built on residential property and has made tweaks since then, such as allowing utilities to be shared with the primary home and not having to meet the requirements for solar, greywater and electric vehicle charging as is the case for new construction. The city recently launched a casita model plan design competition and will select up to 10 designs to be showcased on the Casitas in Tucson online gallery and have the permit fees for review and approval waived. An attractive option The housing shortage in the Tucson area and nationwide has brought renewed attention to ADUs, whether its a converted garage, basement or a new build. A fed-up public is now realizing that local constraints on building housing and resulting high prices and rents have plagued the United States most productive regions for decades, according to Emily Hamilton, a senior research fellow and director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. From an affordability perspective, ADUs are an attractive reform option because these units can rent for hundreds of dollars less than apartments in the same neighborhood. States with high rates of older residents are experiencing the largest growth in ADUs. Are ADUs the right approach for legalizing more housing everywhere? They have much to offer, Hamilton said. Because many homeowners can see themselves wanting the right to add an income-generating or relative-accommodating ADU to their property at some point, they may be the least contentious way to create opportunities for more housing within existing residential neighborhoods. Aside from adding more housing in the Tucson area, the Urban Infill Project is passionate about building in areas that are already developed. I am dedicated to housing issues and urban infill, Lane said. I feel very passionately that we have a lot of lots to work with within the city and building on the outskirts is irresponsible. When the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivers its precious asteroid samples to Earth on Sept. 24, two University of Arizona researchers will be among the first to examine the scientific treasure trove. Professor Thomas Zega and assistant professor Pierre Haenecour from the UAs Lunar and Planetary Laboratory are part of NASAs quick-look team, a small group of researchers assigned to conduct the first science on what the spacecraft collected from the asteroid Bennu. I get goosebumps just thinking about how I will be among the first people in the world to actually see the sample not just see it, but analyze it in detail, said Zega, who arrived at the UA in 2011, the same year NASA approved the universitys now-$1 billion asteroid sampling mission. We will know ahead of even the science team whats in the sample. But they wont have much free time to marvel at what they are seeing. The team will be on a tight, three-day schedule to collect the first images and measurements that NASA plans to release to the public soon after. Haenecour said they are tasked with conducting the really initial characterization of what the sample looks like and what it is composed of. Its really exciting to be among the first to put it under a microscope and get the first image to see what it actually looks like, he said. We expect to be surprised. They wont have a lot of material to work with, either. Haenecour said they expect to get roughly 100 milligrams of asteroid particles that stuck to the outside of the spacecrafts sampling device when it touched down on Bennu on Oct. 20, 2020. Thats about 2% of a teaspoon. Theyre going to just wipe some dust that was basically outside of the actual sample canister, put it in a vial and give it to us, he said. Then we have three days to do our suite of measurements to provide the initial characterization while theyre opening the canister. Rush job Luckily, Zega said, weve gotten really good at what you might call micro-sampling. Even a single speck of dust measuring just 20 microns across roughly one-quarter the thickness of a human hair can now be delicately carved into hundreds of slices for individual study, Haenecour said. So the short answer is that there is a lot we can do with very, very small particles, he said. For us, having 100 milligrams of something is decades worth of work. We can work on this forever. The quick-look team also includes Lindsay Keller from NASAs Johnson Space Center; Tim McCoy, curator of meteorites for the Smithsonian; Ashley King from the Natural History Museum in London; and UA alum Michelle Thompson, now a professor at Purdue University in Indiana. A handful of lab scientists and technicians at Johnson round out the team, Zega said. Team members have been practicing their quick-look procedures since last year. They expect to receive their tiny bit of Bennu within two days of the capsules return to Earth. Usually, scientific work is detailed, deliberate and you take your time doing it, Zega said, but the quick-look process feels more like shift work. We literally only have three days, he said. Id be lying if I didnt say that there is pressure involved in doing this kind of measurement, but the group that weve assembled is really good, very highly trained and capable scientists, and were all confident in our abilities to get the job done. The work will be done at the space center in Houston, where a new curation facility has been built specifically to handle the Bennu samples and the spacecraft hardware used to collect them. The facility is managed by NASAs Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, which oversees the worlds most extensive collection of extraterrestrial materials, including moon rocks, solar wind particles, meteorites and comet samples. Big plans OSIRIS-REx is now speeding back to Earth with an estimated payload of about half a pound of pebbles and dust from the asteroid. As the spacecraft swings past the planet, it will jettison its sample-return capsule to reenter the atmosphere and land by parachute somewhere in the Utah Test and Training Range, west of Salt Lake City, at just before 8 a.m. Tucson time on Sept. 24. A recovery team will collect the capsule from the range and secure it for transport the following day on a military flight to Houston, where the sample canister will be opened for the first time. Once its contents have been painstakingly processed and curated, one quarter of the material from Bennu will be turned over for study by members of the missions science team around the world, including a number of researchers at the UA. The remaining three-quarters of the haul from NASAs first asteroid sampling mission will be set aside by the space agency for additional research by other scientists now and in the future. At least some of that work will almost certainly happen in Tucson. Zega also serves as director of the universitys Kuiper Materials Imaging and Characterization Facility, a collection of state-of-the-art labs he helped assemble over the past decade or so in the basement of the Kuiper Space Sciences Building. On Wednesday, he led a media tour of the facility and its battery of electron microscopes, spectrographs and other advanced instruments, including one that uses an ion beam to cut those impossibly small slices from individual dust particles for further analysis. In one of the labs, a researcher was working with a lunar sample that was brought back during one of the Apollo missions, before she was born. The same sort of thing is expected to happen with the rocks and dust collected by OSIRIS-REx, which could fuel scientific work for generations to come. The kinds of instruments we have today, they didnt have in the late 60s and early 70s, and the kinds of instruments that were going to have 30 or 40 years into the future we dont obviously have now, Zega said. Capabilities are always improving, and the kind of science that we can do in the future will be very different from the science that we can do today. NASA paid for the construction of the Kuiper Building in 1966, and in December, the space agency awarded the university a four-year, nearly $3 million grant to support OSIRIS-REx sample science and other work in the labs there. Haenecour said the UAs set-up at the Kuiper Building is on par with the new curation facility at Johnson Space Center. Were basically one of the only universities in the U.S. with such a coordinated facility. We have all the instruments on site, so we can carry out all the measurements that we need to do with labs next to each other in the same building, he said. Tiny specks The last piece of the puzzle, as Zega described it, is scheduled for delivery to the UA on Thursday: a piece of scientific equipment called a NanoSIMS (short for nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry, of course). Arriving just in time to analyze material from Bennu, the device can map the composition of elements and isotopes in a sample down about one-billionth of a meter. Ultimately, scientists hope to learn about the origins of the solar system and life itself by examining clues preserved within the asteroids pristine, 4.5-billion-year-old rocks. Zega already has big plans for the first sample he gets into his lab at the UA. I want to slice and dice it, and I want to look at it in this instrument here, he said, motioning to the transmission electron microscope behind him. We think because (Bennu) is a carbonaceous asteroid of a certain type, its probably full of organic compounds and minerals that formed through reaction with water. Thats among one of the first things I hope to see. Haenecour said he, too, will be scanning for very, very small organics in the asteroid samples, as well as microscopic grains of stardust that are measured in nanometers and predate the solar system. A lot of the stuff he is looking for is roughly the same size as an individual flu virus cell, he said. The UA should get a head start on such research. Once Haenecour and Zega wrap up their work with the quick-look team in Houston, the two scientists plan to return to Tucson with a few of the asteroid particles that were used for the initial characterization. Those will be the first pieces of Bennu to be brought back for further study at the university where the OSIRIS-REx mission was born. Haenecour said the priceless grains of dust will be sealed away in little airtight vials, so he will probably just stash them in his carry-on bag. It should make for a memorable flight, he said. Thats going to be very stressful and very exciting at the same time. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: Access to the internet has become an essential aspect of everyday life. Our education, job opportunities, and services all rely on the internet. But, despite millions of Americans using the internet, the most marginalized communities are still struggling to get online mostly due to the lack of access to low-cost programs. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), created under the Biden administration, has been groundbreaking toward closing this gap, delivering connectivity to over 19 million American households. The connectivity program is estimated to run out of funding by the second quarter of 2024, if not sooner. We need a permanent sustainable solution. What is known is that once ACP expires the ones who will be most impacted are people of color. Cutting millions from ACP will create wider gaps in opportunities and learning than there already exists, further widening the affordability gap. A recent study found that the broadband affordability gap is concentrated in neighborhoods where 25% or more of the households lack home broadband. These communities, referred to as Americas most unconnected communities, include 57% more Black households, and 49% more Latino households than the national average. The ACP has been key to addressing the gaps and allowing the ACP to expire will worsen racial disparities when it comes to connectivity, but also the critical services that come with it. As a school board member I saw the Homework Gap, unfold in real time that resulted in the learning loss for years to come. The public education system suffered as a whole predominantly in communities of color. Analysis found that children in 31% of Black and Latino families and in 34% of Native American families did not have high-speed Internet access at home, compared to children in only 12% of Asian families and 21% of white families. The lack of access to connectivity for students in underserved communities equates to loss of resources to succeed academically due to the digital divide. The ACP is a lifeline for communities like mine; this would impact 433,770 households in Arizona who are currently enrolled and 33% of households with income less than $20,000 have no connectivity. Thank you to the Biden Administration for this program. I call on Congress to support the extension of the ACP program. We can ensure that students have the connectivity required for remote learning and narrow the educational gap and foster greater equity in the classroom. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: When Robert Oppenheimers first atomic bomb exploded on July 16, 1945, at 5:30 a.m., it caused seismographs in Tucson to record an earthquake wave generated by seismic energies radiating through the earth from the northeast. The scientific equipment at the University of Arizona recorded the atomic explosion 280 miles away at the Trinity site in southwestern New Mexico. The light flash from the top-secret test was visible up to 180 miles. Advanced systematic studies later determined the fallout and atomic cloud went further than the Manhattan Project ever imagined in 1945. Authors of the study claim that radioactive fallout from the test reached 46 states, Canada and Mexico within 10 days of detonation. The explosion was significantly larger than scientists expected. The mega atomic weapon device, packed with 13 pounds of plutonium, had power equivalent to 21,000 tons of TNT. The irradiated mushroom cloud went considerably higher into the atmosphere than scientists anticipated. The height was estimated at 50,000 to 70,000 feet as it floated across the country. The blast produced more heat and light than the sun, and large quantities of ash fell for days in the New Mexico desert. On that July morning in 1945, a spectacular flash of white-hot heat and light blanched the barren landscape around the test site. Tongues of red fire shot out at ground level and splashed across the desert floor. Green, yellow, scarlet flashes burst forth from the hulking hemispherical plume as it rapidly rose like an enormous sweltering blister and popped. Immediately the glowing fissionable cloud gushed up and up, boring a hole into the heavens, belligerently tearing for oxygen and room to expand. The cloud stem reared and appeared twisted like a left-handed screw as the mass soared into the predawn sky. The Atomic age showed its power to the world for the first time. Moments later, a bellowing, thundering sound echoed against the Sierra Oscura Mountains, the rocks, and the desert floor, for what seemed an eternity to Oppenheimers staff responsible for recording the blast. The sound was deafening as it bounced over and around the Jornada del Muerto. This area in the desert is known ominously from Spanish times as the Dead Mans Trail the Journey of Death. In 1945 the U.S. did not have national monitoring stations to track the fallout. Historical weather and atmospheric data were not available until 1948. Oppenheimers team placed crude monitors around small towns within 40 to 50 miles of the testing site. Before the test, officials are reported not to have warned residents in small communities, including ranchers in the area, Navajos, and Mexican settlers who drank water from cisterns and raised cattle in the area of Trinity. The government made few preparations to keep civilians safe. Not knowing or understanding the size of the explosion and damage, government officials planned to assess the fallouts reach later on horseback. Truly an underestimation. Officials proposed cover stories to tell the public that a remote ammunition depot exploded at a nearby White Sands military base. According to Alex Wellerstein, a science professor and historian today at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, these actions reflect scientists ignorance of the effects of radiation at the time of the experiment. 1940 census data indicates up to 500,000 people lived within a 150-mile radius of the test site; some families lived as close as 12 miles from Trinity. Civilians within a 50-mile radius of the area were stunned and bewildered by the blast. They were not warned before the test or evacuated after the test. People were likely exposed to deadly radioactive fallout and developed cancer and other diseases due to exposure to the blast. The true and total effects of the bomb test on people near the site remain unclear. At the time of the experiment, the government never conducted a full investigation into the effects of radiation. Communities downwind of the blast saw an unusual spike in infant deaths in the months following the explosion. Legal challenges from downwinders in the area of the test continue to this day. Oppenheimer openly worried that he had set a course for a future apocalypse. He quoted a Hindu scripture that was said to have run through his mind at the sight of the explosion: Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. Less poetic, his test director at the site, Kenneth Bainbridge, declared: Now we are all sons of bitches. According to Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy in the Biden Administration: Oppenheimer occupies a central role in our history for leading the nations atomic efforts during World War II and planting the seeds for the Department of Energys national laboratories. As time has passed, more evidence has come to light of the bias and unfairness of the process that Dr. Oppenheimer was subjected to, while the evidence of his loyalty and love of country [has] only been further affirmed. Oppenheimer, the father of the bomb that ended the war, was nominated for the Nobel Prize for physics three times, in 1946, 1951, and 1967, but never won. Julius Robert Oppenheimer died of throat cancer on Feb. 18, 1967, at age 62. The Manhattan Project was a race to see who could gain the power to destroy everyone else first. At the time, America won. A Sand Springs man was sentenced Thursday to more than 35 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a child and abusive sexual contact, federal prosecutors said Friday. Jeremy Nicholas Botonis, 44, was convicted by a federal jury on May 6, 2022, of sexually abusing a 13-year-old in 2019. U.S. District Judge Stephen Murphy sentenced Botonis to 35 years and four months for coercion and enticement of a child and two years for abusive sexual contact based on actions that took place in Indian Country. Those sentences are to run concurrently, followed by seven years of post-custody supervised release. Jurors found that Botonis sent hundreds of sexually explicit messages to the boy and touched him in a sexual manner, according to U.S. Attorney Clint Johnsons office. Devious individuals like Botonis use social media to gain access, groom their victims and violate their trust, Johnson said Friday. The victim in this case displayed incredible strength as he testified and is to be commended along with our law enforcement partners and federal prosecutors Chris Nassar and Stephanie Ihler for ensuring Botonis was held accountable for his predatory crimes. During an outing in the woods on Aug. 24, 2019, Botonis placed his hand on the childs clothed thigh as well as what the victim described as his private area, authorities said. Then he tried to kiss the child. When the child rejected the advances and pulled away, Botonis became upset and concerned that the child might tell his parents what had occurred. Later, Botonis bullied the victim into deleting messages that were associated with Botonis name and Facebook account, authorities said. The victims father later discovered other sexually explicit messages sent to his son, who then told his father what had happened, and the parent notified authorities. Federal agents were able to extract messages from the boys cellphone, finding 5,000 messages related to the case. They said Botonis began grooming the victim in May 2019 by sending increasingly flirtatious and suggestive messages in which he talked about the childs looks, professed his love for the victim, made sexual innuendos and described sex acts and fetishes. At one point, the child indicated that he was uncomfortable and did not want to receive any further sexual messages. Botonis initially was charged in Mayes County District Court, but the case was dismissed in April 2021 because of jurisdictional issues based on the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma. The victim is a Cherokee Nation citizen. The U.S. Attorneys Office charged Botonis in federal court a month later. Botonis has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility. Karoline Leonard Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Karoline Leonard 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 About 100 Tulsa-area high school students learned from local health care professionals Friday during Youth Medical Mentorships first Summer Medical Summit. At the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Youth Medical Mentorship brought in local health care professionals to speak with and teach high school students about various medical procedures and practices. Dr. Christopher McNeil, founder and executive director of Youth Medical Mentorship and a Union school board member, said the summit brings in students interested in health sciences and teaches them about necessary medical procedures. Were taking students through an accelerated version of what its like to be a doctor. Whats most important about this is its educational aspect from health care literacy, McNeil said. These are things everybody should know. After receiving a coat in a smaller version of a medical school white coat ceremony, the students rotated to various break-out rooms, where they learned about trauma protocols, birthing, CPR, choking, suturing, veterinary medicine, airways and laparoscopic surgery. Kayleahana Marshall, a Choctaw High School student, said she takes classes at school focused on health sciences, so attending the summit was another step toward furthering her education. She said she hopes to become an obstetrician and gynecologist. Kynden Jaiferguson, a student at Booker T. Washington High School, said she came to the summit because she doesnt have many opportunities to learn about health sciences at school or at technology colleges nearby. Schools have health or physical therapy but not programs like these, so I came to learn more about something I am really interested in more than what (my school) has provided, Jaiferguson said. McNeil said one of the main goals of his organization is to improve and develop recruitment and retention of underrepresented or historically marginalized students who want to work in medical fields. An April study led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that the life expectancy of Black people improves if they live near Black doctors. This is extremely important to me, McNeil said. It has always been something that hits home, but its never been something where we actually have numbers to back it up. McNeil said his organization takes a neighborhood approach, looking at where medical professionals are and are not coming from. He said he wants to improve the number of doctors in underrepresented neighborhoods to better improve life expectancies, health care experiences and resources. If we can get more doctors from certain neighborhoods, we can empower neighborhoods, McNeil said. What economic impact does that have on whole cities, whole counties, whole states? That starts in school. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Everyone has been pretty excited about the cage fight between Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Although there is sad news for those who want to see two tech billionaires throwing punches because it looks like Zuckerberg may be backing out. Zuckerberg Isn't Sure Anymore It has been an eventful few weeks for both Musk and Zuckerberg but above it all, the most anticipated event between them is the cage match. Based on the Meta CEO's statement to his employees, the only fight we'll see is between Threads and X. Zuckerberg says that he's not sure if it's "going to come together." It's a bit vague, so we can't really tell what's preventing the Meta chief executive from facing the Twitter (X) owner. On the bright side, Mark Zuckerberg didn't actually say the fight is off, as reported by Engadget. Hopefully, everything comes together. There seems to be no trouble with the venue since UFC president Dana White was more than happy to help the two out to make it happen. In fact, White was even enthusiastic about the fight based on his tweets (Xs?). The two tech billionaires have also been very public about their training. Just recently, a photo emerged on Instagram of Mark Zuckerberg showing off his physique after training, along with MMA fighters Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanvski. Musk has also been preparing himself. At first, the Tesla CEO did not take it seriously, joking that he would simply lie on top of Zuckerberg and do nothing, calling the move "The Walrus." He also said that he already has experience with "street fights" growing up in South Africa. Based on his recent posts, he is already training to fight as well. Podcaster Lex Fridman shared a photo on Twitter (X), with the caption saying that he did an impromptu training session with Musk for a few hours. He expressed that he was impressed with his "strength, power, and skill." But a few training sessions and the street fight that he claims he's been in might not be enough to defeat Zuckerberg, especially since the latter has actual experience. The Meta head has won gold and silver medals in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. Read Also: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg Are 'Dead Serious' About Cage Fight, Says UFC President Musk Challenged First There's been a lot of tension between Musk and Zuckerberg ever since Meta announced that it will be launching its Twitter rival, Threads. In response to a user on Twitter (X) saying that Zuckerberg knew jiu-jitsu, Musk said that he would be up for a cage fight. The Meta CEO responded by posting a screenshot on Instagram stories with the caption "Send Me Location." Musk, not backing down, suggested the Vegas Octagon. It's not going to be a hard thing to arrange since everyone obviously wants the match to happen. With that said, there's a lot of money in the fight, and venues would be glad to set it up. According to The Wrap, UFC President Dana White even claims that the match would have thrice viewership of the match between Mayweather and McGregor back in 2017. Related: Elon Musk Already Training for His Match with Mark Zuckerberg New York (CNN) Chick-fil-A is testing out two new restaurant concepts a four-lane drive thru with a kitchen above and a walk-up store for digital orders as it becomes the latest chain to try to get customers to skip the dining room. The drive-thru is set to open in Atlanta next year. Customers can either order ahead via the Chick-fil-A app and then receive their meals at one of two lanes dedicated for mobile orders or order as usual through a regular drive-thru lane. That models kitchen is about double the typical size. To get the food from the kitchen to customers, the restaurant will use an overhead conveyer belt with chutes down the sides, a system similar to that already in some restaurants, according to the company. The pick-up location is just that: Customers order ahead and then walk into the store to pick up their orders. Its slated to open in New York City next year and is designed for urban locations with lots of foot traffic. Speedy service is key for fast food restaurants, especially at the drive-thru, where a long line or a bad experience can scare off customers. Backed-up drive-thrus are even creating congestion for cities and towns. And digital orders can make for longer lines inside restaurants, where people kept waiting get frustrated. In recent years, fast food restaurants have been experimenting with new formats, including drive-thru systems that get customers through the line more quickly and smaller stores that cater to people who dont want to eat on premises. Every major fast-food chain, ranked by customer satisfaction Intro #23. McDonald's #22. Popeyes #20. Jack in the Box (tied) #20. Taco Bell (tied) #19. Wendy's #16. Sonic (tied) #16. Dairy Queen (tied) #16. Dunkin' (tied) #12. Subway (tied) #12. Burger King (tied) #12. Little Caesars (tied) #12. Panda Express (tied) #9. Arby's (tied) #9. Papa Johns (tied) #9. Five Guys (tied) #5. Chipotle (tied) #5. Panera Bread (tied) #5. Pizza Hut (tied) #5. Starbucks (tied) #3. KFC (tied) #3. Domino's (tied) #2. Jimmy John's #1. Chick-fil-A Randy Krehbiel Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Randy Krehbiel 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 Editor's note: This story originally published without noting that President Joe Biden could veto the measures as part of this process. The story has been updated. The lesser prairie chicken does a distinctive little dance every spring mating season. So, too, does Oklahomas congressional delegation every time the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service tries to add the lesser prairie chicken to the protected species list. While no one disputes that the lesser prairie chickens habitat has been significantly reduced over the years, the states congressional delegation maintains that farmers and ranchers working with state agencies more effectively manage whats left of that habitat than federal regulators. The bird has been off and on various lists for more than a decade. Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives followed the Senate in voting to rescind the Biden administrations listing of the lesser prairie chicken and the northern long-eared bat, which also has an Oklahoma presence. President Joe Biden could and likely will veto the measures. Third District Congressman Frank Lucas, whose district includes the lesser prairie chickens remaining Oklahoma habitat, said such listings are onerous and needless and infringe on our daily lives. Oklahomans are proud conservationists and great stewards of our land, he said. We recognize that sustainable, healthy land serves as the lifeblood of our rural communities. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation operates several volunteer habitat preservation and mitigation programs on the western fringes of the state. Lucas office said lesser prairie chickens numbered about 35,000 in 2020, an increase of 75% from a few years before. Overall, however, the species has been reduced by as much as 85%, according to biologists, and its range has shrunk from most of western Kansas and southeastern Colorado to near the Texas-Mexico border to intermittent parts of Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. The northern long-eared bat ranges across the eastern half of the U.S. as far as the mountains of eastern Oklahoma and through much of Canada. Its existence is threatened primarily by a fungus called white-nose syndrome, which U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin and others have argued would not be affected by an endangered species listing. Mullin authored the resolution to delist the bat. Oklahoma lawmakers have typically opposed additions to the endangered species lists because of the effect on such things as oil and gas exploration, construction and agriculture. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. The Vietnamese Ministry of Transport has proposed the prime minister increase the investment for the My An-Cao Lanh Expressway project in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap by over VND1.43 trillion (US$60.3 million) to VND6.2 trillion ($261.4 million) from VND4.77 trillion ($201.1 million). The Vietnamese prime minister approved the first phase of the expressway project and its $201.1 million price tag on December 27, 2021, according to the Ministry of Transport. Of the total capital needed, some $158.8 million would be borrowed from South Koreas Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) as an ODA loan to make payments for construction, equipment, technical consulting, design, and construction supervision costs. The reciprocal funding for the project was some VND1.1 trillion ($46.4 million), which will be used to pay value added tax as well as project management and site clearance costs. However, site clearance expenses have climbed by some VND353 billion ($14.9 million), construction costs, by VND788 billion ($33.3 million), project management and consulting costs, by VND80 billion ($3.4 million), and contingency costs, by VND218 billion ($9.2 million), according to the Ministry of Transport. The ministry sought the government leaders approval for an increase in the ODA loan to around VND4.5 trillion ($188 million) from nearly VND3.7 trillion ($158.8 million) and the reciprocal capital to over VND1.7 trillion ($71.8 million) from nearly VND1.1 trillion ($46.4 million). The 26.56-kilometer My An-Cao Lanh Expressway project will start at N2 Road in My An Town, Thap Muoi District, Dong Thap Province and end at the An Binh Intersection in Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap. The expressway, once completed, will allow commuters to travel at a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour. It will feature six lanes measuring 32.25 meters wide. In the first phase, the road will feature four lanes with a width of 17 meters and have a designed speed of 80 kilometers per hour. Construction of the project is expected to last five years since the ODA loan agreement with the EDCF took effect. On January 19 this year, the Ministry of Transport proposed the prime minister green-light adjustments to the investment plan of the first phase My An-Cao Lanh Expressway project. The cabinet leader later assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to verify dossiers on the adjustments. The Ministry of Transport has recently consulted with other ministries and localities over the proposal and asked the Export-Import Bank of Korea to clarify its ability to offer the $188-million ODA loan for the expressway project. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has proposed a sea ferry route between Can Gio District and Go Cong Dong District in the neighboring province of Tien Giang. The project carrying a price tag of VND114 billion (US$4.8 million) will be put into operation in the second quarter of next year. The department has sought the municipal Peoples Committees approval for a plan to operate the route, build criteria for and establish a working group to choose a firm operating the ferry service. The picked firm will be responsible for leasing stations, arranging ferries to transport passengers and cargo, and ensuring the service safety. The capital for the 12-kilometer route will be sourced from private resources. The operation of the ferry service, which can carry cars, motorbikes, passengers, and cargo between Can Gio and Tien Giang Province, is vital to meet the waterway transport demand and enhance the connectivity between Can Gio District to neighboring provinces, creating breakthroughs in socio-economic development, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport. It will also ease pressure on road transport, the department added. Once the Can Gio-Tien Giang ferry service is in place, it will pave the way for Can Gio to connect with neighboring provinces, contribute to the socio-economic development in Ho Chi Minh City and Tien Giang, and especially shorten the travel distance between the two localities by 40 kilometers and the travel time by 40-50 minutes. It will also help reduce the travel distance between Tien Giang and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province by 52-68 kilometers and the travel time by 45-65 minutes. Ho Chi Minh City has put a similar service from Can Gio to Can Giuoc District, Long An Province into operation in August 2018 and another from Can Gio to Vung Tau City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in December 2020, in addition to ferry route linking Can Gio and Nha Be districts in Ho Chi Minh City, according to the municipal Department of Transport. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has named an assistant foreign minister as South Koreas new ambassador to Vietnam, according to the South Korean Embassy in Vietnam. Choi Young-sam, the assistant in charge of political affairs to South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, received a letter of credence from the President in Seoul on Wednesday to become the countrys new ambassador to Vietnam. The new ambassador, who used to be a spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has had many years of experience in East Asian affairs. Choi replaced his predecessor Oh Young Ju, the first female Korean ambassador to Vietnam, who ended his tenure at the end of June and has been promoted to second deputy foreign minister. Vietnam and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1992 and the bilateral relations have since developed fruitfully. The two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December 2022. In June 2023, President Yoon paid a state visit to Vietnam, which was his first visit to a Southeast Asian country since taking office, demonstrating South Koreas respect for Vietnam. Vietnam is now South Koreas third largest trading partner, after the world's two leading economies, the U.S. and China. Leaders of Vietnam and South Korea have set a target to increase two-way trade to US$100 billion this year, about $13 billion higher than 2022. As of the end of May 2023, the northeast Asian country topped the list of foreign investors in Vietnam, with 9,666 projects worth over US$81.5 billion, according to official figures. South Korean businesses have been operating effectively in Vietnam, contributing to strengthening the relationship between the two countries. According to estimates by the Korean Business Association in Vietnam, South Korean companies are operating in all 63 provinces and cities of Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Vietnamese government and the Vatican have reached an agreement on the status of a Holy See resident papal representative in Vietnam, marking a significant move in the bilateral ties, according to a joint statement between the two sides. The Agreement on the Status of the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam was concluded and announced during the visit to the Vatican by Vietnams State President Vo Van Thuong, along with his spouse and entourage, on Thursday. The announcement was made after Pope Francis had a private audience with the Vietnamese state leader in Rome, according to a Vatican News report. In a joint statement issued the same day, President Thuong and Pope Francis assessed this as an important step in the context of the positive development of Vietnam - Vatican relations, a result of the exchange process in the spirit of respect, cooperation and mutual understanding. Pope Francis emphasized that the adoption of the aforementioned status is a model of mutual trust and a basis for promoting and expanding relations in the near future. President Thuong affirmed that Vietnam will facilitate the activities of the Resident Papal Representative, in accordance with the laws and regulations of Vietnam and the said agreement. The two sides believe that the Resident Papal Representative will fulfill the role and mandate given them by the Agreement and provide support to the Vietnamese Catholic community that inspired by the Magisterium of the Church, will fulfill its vocation of accompanying the nation and contribute to the countrys development. A resident papal representative is considered an intermediary step in diplomatic relations, below an apostolic nuncio, the Catholic News Agency reported. The Holy See has had a non-resident papal representative in Vietnam since 2011. Currently, the position is held by Archbishop Marek Zalewski, Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore. At the talk between President Thuong and Pope Francis, and then with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the two sides expressed high appreciation for the positive progress in Vietnam - Holy See relations and the activities of the Vietnamese Catholic community in recent years. Pope Francis affirmed that the Vatican wishes to see the relationship between the Holy See and Vietnam develop better and better. The Pope welcomed the visit by President Thuong, appreciating it as an opportunity for the two sides to discuss the Catholic situation in Vietnam and the relationship between Vietnam and the Vatican. He also recalled the good memories of previously receiving Vietnams high-ranking leaders, and expressed his affection for the country, its people and the Catholic communities in Vietnam. President Thuong affirmed Vietnams consistent policy of respecting and protecting freedom of religion and belief, and said the Vietnamese government constantly improves its legal framework to facilitate activities of all religions in the country, including Catholicism. Highly valuing the positive contributions of the Vietnamese Catholic community, the Vietnamese leader hoped that the Pope will continue instructing Vietnamese Catholic dignitaries and followers to go along with the State and the people, for the development and prosperity of the country. In this regard, Pope Francis emphasized that the Catholic Church in Vietnam needs to continue to better implement the vocation of accompanying the nation and good Catholics are good citizens. The Pope also encouraged Catholics and dignitaries in Vietnam to actively contribute to the development of the country and the Church. Among the current 16 different religions in Vietnam, Catholicism has the second-largest number of followers with over seven million Catholics, after Buddhism with more than 14 million, according to the white paper 'Religion and Religious Policy in Vietnam' released by the Government Committee for Religious Affairs. The other religions include Protestantism, Caodaism, Hoa Hao Buddhism and Islam, to name a few. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Hanoi Peoples Court on Friday condemned four ex-officials to life in prison for receiving bribes during Vietnams arrangement of flights to repatriate Vietnamese citizens stranded overseas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The four included Pham Trung Kien, former secretary of a deputy minister of health; Vu Anh Tuan, a former officer of the Ministry of Public Securitys Immigration Department; Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, former head of the Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Hoang Van Hung, an ex-investigator from the Security Investigation Authority under the Ministry of Public Security. Kien was found to have taken 253 bribes at a total value of over VND42.6 billion (US$1.8 million), the highest among the accused. He was the only defendant in the case on whom the Hanoi Peoples Procuracy had earlier proposed a death sentence. Pham Trung Kien, former secretary of a deputy minister of health at the court in Hanoi. Photo: Nam Anh / Tuoi Tre According to the court, the procuracys proposal was appropriate but Kien showed repentance for his violations, so it is unnecessary to remove him from social life permanently. Kien and his family have submitted over VND42.2 billion ($1.77 million) to ease the consequences of his violations. Meanwhile, Tuan and Lan received bribes valued at VND27 billion ($1.1 million) and over VND25 billion ($1.05 million), respectively. Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, former head of the Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: Nam Anh / Tuoi Tre Hoang Van Hung was charged with appropriating $800,000. During the trial, only Hung claimed innocence and denied the procuracys accusations, while other defendants pled guilty. There are good reasons to conclude that Hung had received a Samsonite attache case containing $450,000 to help Le Hong Son, former general director of Blue Sky Trading, Services and Tourism Company in Hanoi, and Nguyen Thi Thanh Hang, former deputy general director of the company, also involved in repatriation flights, escape investigations. Hung was a senior investigator but abused his power and position to appropriate a large amount of money. He did not honestly declare his violations, show repentance, and ease the consequences of his violations, according to the court. Therefore, the court handed down a heavier sentence on him compared with a jail term of 19 to 20 years proposed by the Hanoi Peoples Procuracy. Police officers take Hoang Van Hung (in white T-shirt), an ex-investigator from the Ministry of Public Securitys Security Investigation Authority, to the court in Hanoi. Photo: Danh Trong / Tuoi Tre Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung got a jail term of 16 years for receiving bribes totaling VND21.5 billion ($908,485). Seventeen other defendants accused of taking bribes will stay behind bars for 18 months to 12 years each. The 21 defendants receiving bribes must pay a fine of VND100 million ($4,212) each. The court gave a jail term of 18 months to four years to each of the four defendants charged with abusing positions and powers while on duty. Among 23 defendants giving bribes, mainly executives of enterprises, Nguyen Thi Thanh Hang, former deputy general director of Blue Sky Trading - Services and Tourism Company, received the longest prison term of 11 years, followed by Le Hong Son, former general director of the company, with 10 years. Four defendants charged with brokering bribery were given a jail term of of 15 months to five years each. Tran Minh Tuan, director of Thai Hoa Construction JSC, got a jail term of 18 years for appropriating nearly VND5.7 billion ($240,474) and giving bribes worth VND800 million ($33,750). Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung (standing). Photo: Nam Anh / Tuoi Tre According to the indictment, in early 2020, Vietnam closed itself off to the world in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The country organized nearly 2,000 flights during the COVID-19 pandemic to repatriate more than 200,000 Vietnamese nationals from 60 countries and territories, as commercial flights were not available during the period, according to the Ministry of Public Security. During the process of licensing the flights and approving the quarantine plans in localities from September 2020 to December 2022, 54 people were found to have committed law violations. Of the defendants, 21 were accused of taking bribes, while 23 were charged with giving bribes, four with brokering bribery, and four others with abusing positions and powers while on duty, the Vietnam News Agency reported. One defendant was prosecuted for committing fraud for property appropriation and the other is accused of committing fraud for property appropriation and giving bribes. The total amount of bribery money in this case reached $9.5 million, according to Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper. The Peoples Court of Hanoi launched the first-instance trial of the 54 defendants on July 11. The trial lasted for 18 days, 12 days fewer than scheduled. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Long An conducted a ground-breaking ceremony for the Vietnam-Japan friendship house project occupying an area of approximately 7,000 square meters in Ben Luc District on Friday. The project is part of the commemorative activities organized to mark the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations. This friendship house is designed to include various functional zones such as a cultural house, a restaurant, an exhibition area, and miniature landscapes featuring characteristics of Vietnamese and Japanese culture. During the ground-breaking ceremony, Ono Masuo, Japanese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, highlighted that the Vietnam-Japan relationship is currently at its closest, even the most remarkable level in history. He extended his wish for the Peoples Committee of Long An to persistently support Japanese individuals and businesses operating in the province, and foster further collaborative ties with Japanese localities. After the ground-breaking ceremony, a heritage forest planting event took place at the friendship house. Encompassing 20,000 square meters, the heritage forest replicates natural woodlands, featuring hundreds of verdant trees and ample open spaces thoughtfully designed to encourage outdoor activities and foster community interaction. As part of the celebration, the provincial Peoples Committee also organized the 2023 Japan Investment Promotion Conference in Tan An City. According to Huynh Van Son, deputy chairman of the committee, the province currently hosts 138 projects funded by Japanese enterprises, with an investment of approximately US$767 million. Officials of Long An Province and Ibaraki prefecture sign a joint statement to enhance their relations, July 28, 2023. Photo: An Long / Tuoi Tre Son emphasized Long Ans desire to enhance comprehensive collaboration with Japanese partners in smart city construction, e-government, human resource development, and the labor market. The province also aims to receive additional official development assistance (ODA) loans, non-refundable aid capital, and preferential loans from the Japanese government for various sectors, including public administration, water resource management, health, education, transportation, and urban facilities. In response, Consul General Masuo commended Long Ans strategic location bridging Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta, abundant agricultural resources, and numerous industrial zones. Additionally, Long An currently hosts the highest number of Japanese businesses investing in the Mekong Delta region. He expects further improvements in the local investment environment in the near future, which will serve as key factors in attracting more businesses to the province. On Friday and Saturday, the provincial Peoples Committee also held a two-day photo exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations. The exhibition showcased images of local foreign activities with different Japanese localities, as well as traditional products from both Vietnam and Japanese companies. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Authorities in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam on Saturday confirmed that a recent shooting incident occurred in Ninh Hoa Town, resulting in injuries to two individuals. Residents of Ninh Hiep Ward in Ninh Hoa Town heard a loud noise resembling a gunshot emanating from a local house at around 10:00 pm on Friday, according to the authorities. The residents then noticed two individuals inside the house sustaining injuries that raised suspicions of being gunshot wounds. Upon receiving the report on the case, the local police promptly came to cordon off the area and initiate an investigation, during which officials confiscated a firearm at the scene. The scene of a shooting in Ninh Hoa Town, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam, July 28, 2023. Photo: Thanh Chuong / Tuoi Tre The injured people were then transported to Ninh Hoa General Hospital for medical attention. The hospital reported that one individual sustained injuries in the eye, while the other had wounds in the back. Both were subsequently transferred to Khanh Hoa General Hospital for further treatment. The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Hit SBS series Alone Australia will screen on the History channel from August. Its a coup for the local adaptation, produced by ITV Studios Australia after a stellar run on SBS from March May. The History Channels hit nonfiction survival series Alone is going Aussie! The network is excited to bring Alone Australia, the highly-rated international version of the hit nonfiction survival series which originally aired on SBS, to American audiences, the channel stated. It begins stateside from Thursday August 10. A second season is understood to be in development for Australia having opened for casting in April. China renews orange alert for rainstorms Xinhua) 14:28, July 29, 2023 BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- China's National Meteorological Center on Saturday renewed an orange alert for rainstorms as heavy downpours are expected to lash multiple regions of the country. From 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday, heavy downpours and rainstorms are forecast to hit regions including Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Henan, and Liaoning, according to the center. Some parts of these regions are forecast to experience heavy rainfall, with maximum hourly precipitation surpassing 80 millimeters, accompanied by thunderstorms and gales. Local governments have been advised to brace for rainstorms and inspect drainage systems in cities and farmlands. The center has also suggested that dangerous outdoor power supplies be cut, and outdoor operations be suspended in open areas. China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) South Jeolla Province officials welcome arriving foreign tourists at Muan International Airport in this March file photo. Korea Times file By Lee Kyung-min A growing number of Vietnamese people are coming to Korea on vacation, making large purchases at retail chains and department stores in Seoul and other regions that have yet to snap out of years of financial slowdown from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report revealed on Friday. Behind the recent spike in spending by Vietnamese travelers here is the resumption of flight routes. Korea's international airports in Gimhae, Busan and South Jeolla Province's Muan operate direct flights to Vietnam. Data from BC Card, a credit card firm, showed the number of card transactions made by Vietnamese tourists in the first six months of this year spiked 468 percent from the year before. For context, the year-on-year increase was 358 percent for foreign tourists excluding Vietnamese. The data analyzed 1.2 million foreign tourists' card transaction history in the January-June period over the past three years. Vietnamese tourists made up 51 percent of their transactions outside Seoul, the data showed. Cities and municipalities that registered over three-fold increases in Vietnamese travelers' spending in the first six months of this year included Seoul, Jejeu Island, Gyeonggi Province, Busan and South Jeolla Province. In Seoul, Vietnamese tourists visited large shopping malls in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, followed by Gangnam district of Seoul, Yongdam 2-dong on Jeju Island where Jeju Airport's duty-free shopping area is located. Many went to Mangwon Market in Seoul, Yeosu in South Jeolla Province as well as Gimpo, western Seoul and Haeundae district of Busan where Shinsegae Centum City is based. Busan was a popular destination for Vietnamese tourists over the past few months, in part because of the city's promotional efforts to host the World Expo in 2030. A visa waiver program that allows travelers to stay in the country for 15 days without a visa was implemented by South Jeolla Province in March and has led to an increase in the number of Vietnamese tourists, the report said. However, the Vietnamese tourists failed to offset Korea's extended current account deficit in travel accounts. Bank of Korea data on May's international account balance showed the country registered an $820 million (1.04 trillion won) travel account deficit, meaning the growth of Korean travelers' total overseas spending outpaced the rise in spending by inbound travelers. Meanwhile, the number of inbound foreign tourists in June reached 961,000, up 321 percent from a year earlier. It was the highest figure since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. By country, Japanese tourists topped the list. In June, over 197,000 Japanese tourists visited Korea, up 3,256 percent from the year before. In the final episode of Who The Bloody Hell Are We? Adam Liaw looks to Chinese-Australian history which hasnt been told or isnt celebrated. Episode Three: Well over a million people in Australia now have Chinese ancestry and cook, TV presenter and author Adam Liaw is one of them. Deftly sidestepping nearly 200 years of racial stereotyping, Adam embarks on a journey to find out how people of Chinese descent fit into Australias story. Its a quest that takes him from the Chinese tradie who created the bank that became Westpac to the Chinese Australian roo-shooter who became an Anzac legend. Along the way, Adam busts the myth of the hardy Aussie drover, discovers a flourishing Chinatown in the Top End that was wiped off the face of the earth, and champions a forgotten Chinese Australian footballer who even a century past his prime can still kick the Adelaide Crows out of the park. Wednesday, 2 August at 7.30pm on SBS. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace during a visit to a British Army military base in the South West, to view Ukrainian soldiers training on Challenger II tanks. PIC: Ben Birchall/PA Wire Ben Wallace: the most outspoken supporter of embattled Ukraine, the man whose plans and stratagems have dominated British military and foreign policy to counter Russia since well before the invasion of Ukraine. Now, some would say this was because his hopes to become Secretary General of NATO had been thwarted whilst others believe that his recent, unguarded comments about Kiev have undermined his credibility. Its true, on July 12 he did say that whether (Ukraine) likes it or not people want to see gratitude, in terms of aid from the NATO allies. But, rather than a biting slap down, I see this more as a sign of exhausted exasperation from a man who has given his all. No, I know and respect Ben Wallace and I believe that his departure is a result of something bitterly disappointing for him, something far more important than his own hopes: the utter impotence of NATO. Ill pull no punches: I believe Wallace resigned straight after the catastrophic NATO summit in Vilnius not because he had done his stint, but because he realised that the alliance had callously let down the people of Ukraine. It was clear that President Zelensky had great faith that the Vilnius conference would culminate in a concrete sign or agreement that his country would be guaranteed membership once the shooting was over. He even launched Kievs long delayed spring offensive to show that it was only a matter of time before Ukrainian territory would be rid of its invaders and conditions would be set for Kiev to join the alliance. Whilst that offensive has so far achieved very little beyond thousands of Ukrainian casualties and the destruction of freshly delivered Western armour, guns and drones it has certainly demonstrated Kievs resolve. But its slow progress has also opened fissures. Not unreasonably, when quizzed by the Allies about the offensives lack of progress, Kievs generals have angrily pointed out that the West hasnt provided the right equipment nor enough of it. Story continues To rub salt into the wound, Western pundits have even suggested that any attack without air cover was bound to fail, only to get the acid reply that Kiev has been demanding lethal F16 fighter bombers for months with no result. All of this is set against the accession to NATO of Finland and now, after months of delay caused by Turkey, Sweden. Whilst the alliance has trumpeted its own expansion, Kiev must be asking what these countries bring to the party. They certainly have hardware and troops, but, as neutrals, neither has any combat experience and will require extensive training before they become effective in any contest against the worlds most battle hardened major power - Russia. Ukraine, of course, has plenty of experience and would be hugely useful to NATO, but few are in any doubt that admitting her whilst fighting continues would provoke the next world war. So, at Vilnius the Allies tried to soothe President Zelensky by the much publicised creation of the NATO-Ukraine Council, yet this is nothing more than a new name for the NATO-Ukraine Commission and a tired reaffirmation that Ukraine will become a member of NATO when Allies agree and conditions are met. In other words, Kievs case has progressed not one inch from when she was promised membership back in 2008. Now, its hard to predict what the eventual ceasefire will look like in Ukraine, but one thing is certain - Russia wont collapse and shell still be a threat. Thats why, of course, Ukraine needs security guarantees, despite NATOs worrying disarray. Look at the row over F16s jet fighters, for instance. America will be the main provider, but has said that itll be many months before they are ready. To hurry things along, Ben Wallace announced that Britain would start F16 pilot training almost immediately, but he didnt clear this with Washington and its claimed that that was the reason the White House scuppered his chances to become NATOs Secretary General. Meanwhile, Wallace teamed up with France to send long range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Kiev. Again, Washington was angry as this gave Ukraine the means to fire Western supplied weapons deep into Russia which crossed another of their red lines. So, with Turkey and Greece at each others throats, Germany in political turmoil and many members dodging the column on increasing defence spending, its easy to see why Russia tested the Allies determination even further last Monday. As part of Moscows missile assault on Ukrainian ports, weapons were fired at Reni, a small but important anchorage just across the Danube from Romania. And thats the point: Romanias a vital ally of Ukraine. Through her territory flows much of Western provided materiel that Kiev needs to sustain her fight and shes one of the few front line members of NATO. Now, Allied satellites would have detected the launch of those missiles and assessed that they were speeding towards Romania: powerless to intercept such fast moving projectiles in flight, there must have been some very uncomfortable moments for NATO commanders until they exploded dangerously close to Romania. Patrick Mercer is a former MP for Newark and Army colonel. Tim Shaddock and his dog have been rescued in the Pacific Ocean after surviving by drinking rain water and eating raw fish for months. (Nine news) Tim Shaddock and his dog Bella have been reunited after their separation following their time lost at sea. Mr Shaddock was reunited with his dog on Mexico's Manzanillo beach a week after their dramatic rescue by a crew of tuna fishermen. Their story made headlines in mid-July after the pair were spotted by a helicopter on 12 July. The sailor and his four-legged friend were rescued after spending two months drifting in the Pacific Ocean. Their boat had been partially wrecked in a storm, with steering, navigation and cooking equipment all destroyed. The 54-year-old Australian and Bella were 1,200 miles from the nearest land when the helicopter appeared after they had survived off nothing but rainwater and raw fish, living under a small canopy on board his wrecked vessel. After being rescued the pair had to go their separate ways, and he decided to leave Bella in Mexico after a crew member from the rescue boat promised to give her a happy and loving home. In an interview with The Times, Mr Shaddock said: "Im so happy to have seen my dog again. Shes still as lively as ever." It was reported that one of the reasons why Mr Shadock gave Bella up was due to the strict Australian rules to bring pets into the country. However, in his interview, he states that instead of returning to Sydney, he is hoping to explore Belize. He said that he is happy to put himself through another potentially dangerous journey but he is not happy to put his Bella at risk again. Shes been through a lot with me as it is, he explains. Im sad to lose her . . . shes a remarkable animal, says Shaddock. Ive had her since she was a pup, and she just hasnt stopped following me. When he left central Mexico for the coast last spring, Bella hopped into the car next to him of her own accord. I thought to myself, well thats it then. The pairs journey began in March 2020, after Shaddock could not return to Australia due to its notoriously strict pandemic restrictions, where 20,000 Australian citizens became stuck abroad. With his US tourist visa about to expire, he crossed from Houston, Texas, where he was working remotely, into Mexico, where he met Bella and started plotting a sailing route home. Everyone was social distancing, he jokes. I just took it a bit too far. Story continues Mr Shaddock said he left Mexico too late and was soon caught in "some big seas on the fringes of storms, and I was going backwards. I bit off more than I could chew, he admits. Most of my sailing experience is from when I was just a boy. The most offshore sailing I had ever done was along Australias Gold Coast, from Brisbane down to Sydney. A week on the boat, but always in sight of land. But across the Pacific sailing solo? Its a very long way. He was heading into the path of Hurricane Calvin before the helicopter appeared: "It was amazing, the very moment I realised I was in the path of the hurricane, the helicopter appeared. He was looking for the tuna, and the tuna were with me. The pilot, Andres Zamorano, radioed down to the fishing boat and approached Shaddocks catamaran where they found him looking relieved, and Bella with her tail wagging furiously. Hes a very lucky man, weve told him to buy a lottery ticket, says Zamorano. Even our 900-tonne tuna boat was forced to sail south to avoid the storm. His little yacht would have been smashed to pieces by now. Shes got a really good outcome, says Shaddock, of Bellas prospective new life with Genaro Rosales, 48, his three children, and their pug-chihuahua cross Vicente. The worst outcome was that she would lose her life out there with me. Reuters via Belarusian Defence Ministry More than 100 members of the notorious Wagner Group are moving towards Polands border with Belarus, setting off alarm bells among NATO leaders and local authorities. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki confirmed reports of the Russian mercenary groups movements on Saturday, saying his intel put mercenaries near the vulnerable Suwaki Gap in Grodno, approximately 10 miles from the Polish border. Along with recent trainings near the border, its the closest Wagner fighters have been to NATO territory since President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022. Now the situation is becoming even more dangerous, Morawiecki said at a press conference. This is certainly a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory. Local media in Poland and Belarus have reported sightings of more than 100 Wagner mercenaries moving towards the Suwaki Gapa thin strip of land that is the border between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, but is flanked by Belarusian and Russian land on each side. The news comes after the Belarusian Defense Ministry confirmed earlier this month that the Russian mercenary group had teamed up with Belarusian troops to share their ruthless tactics, with Wagner bosses declaring a a new beginning for the group in that country. A map highlighting the Suwaki Gapthe strategically-important 60-mile border between Poland and Lithuania, flanked by Russian and Belarusian land, that connects NATOs baltic members to the rest of its allies by land. The border is highlighted in red. Wikimedia Commons Morawiecki previously said he thinks Belarus, a key Russia ally, has been sending migrants to the Polish border en masse to overwhelm its forces there. Now, he fears, Russias next strategy could be to sneak mercenaries into Poland amid the allegedly orchestrated chaos at the border. They will probably be disguised as Belarusian border guards and will help illegal immigrants to enter Polish territory, destabilize Poland, Morawiecki said Saturday, but they will also probably try to infiltrate Poland pretending to be illegal immigrants and this creates additional risks. Its unclear what Wagner fighters would do if they succeeded in breaching NATO borders. However, given the groups infamous volatilitylike its former leader Yevgeny Prigozhins recent mutiny against Moscowand fractured leadership, anything is possible. Story continues Some war-torn Wagner troops, banished to Belarus as a deal to end Prigozhins short-lived mutiny, have said they wish to storm Poland, Belarus President and Putin pal Alexander Lukashenko said last weekend. The Wagner guys have started to stress us, Lukashenko said in a meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg. They want to go west, [saying] Lets go on a trip to Warsaw and Rzeszow. To beef up the border, Morawiecki says he ordered an influx of Polish troops and 500 cops to the region, where a wall is also being constructed to limit possible crossing points. The prime minister has repeatedly assured that Poland and its borders are secure. It is clear, however, that many Polish leaders view the recent near-border military exercises as a threat in itself. Zbigniew Hoffmann, the secretary of Polands National Security Committee, recently characterized the exercises as undoubtedly a provocation. Lithuanian soldiers training near the Suwaki Gap in 2017. The area, at the border separating Poland and Lithuania, flanked by Russian and Belarusian land, has long been viewed as one of NATOs most vulnerable. Reuters/Ints Kalnins The destabilization at the Suwaki Gap could have consequences on a global stage. If a Russian- or Belarusian-ordered attack were to occur on Lithuanian or Polish soil, NATOs Article 5, which bands members into a pact that an attack on one is an attack on all, would be invokedpotentially catapulting much of Europe, the United States, and Canada into war with Russia. The Suwaki Gap has long been considered one the most vitaland vulnerablestrips of NATO soil. If a conflict were to break out and the 60-mile strip were taken over by enemy forces, NATO would be completely cut off by land from its Baltic members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Russian troops training in proximity to the Suwaki Gap isnt unprecedented. In 2019, the Russian and Belarusian armies conducted exercises in Western Belarus with upwards of 12,000 soldiers and 950 vehiclesa move that put the West on high alert and drew public ire from its leaders. Article 5 has only been invoked once in its 74-year historyafter the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and at the Pentagon in 2001. Experts studying Russia, NATO and Eastern European conflicts have long identified the Suwaki Gap as the most likely inflection point if Russia were to instigate a war with NATO. For Putin, securing the corridor wouldnt just isolate the Baltic states, itd provide long-craved protection to the south of KaliningradRussias strategic enclave on the Baltic Sea, which is surrounded entirely by NATO nations. The port city is also home to Russias all-important Baltic Fleet. While Russian forces would be sorely outnumbered in an all-out war against NATO, many of the coalitions troops are based hundredsor thousands, in the case of the U.S.of miles away. Russia, meanwhile, has recently had as many 30,000 troops and heavy artillery stationed in and around Kaliningrad, reportedly ready for mobilization at a moments notice. The Suwaki Corridor is where the many weaknesses in NATOs strategy and force posture converge, said a 2018 report for the Center for European Policy in Washington. ...The gap is vulnerable. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. The leaders of 54 Indigenous communities in Brazil called on Friday for the government to take a concrete stance on the demarcation of their ancestral lands before a key Supreme Court ruling on the issue. The Supreme Court's so-called "trial of the century" could remove the protected status of some Indigenous lands, opening them up to agribusiness and mining. In an 11-point letter, the Indigenous leaders called on the minister of Indigenous peoples, Sonia Guajajara, to "fulfill her mission to demarcate Indigenous lands". The law currently only recognizes ancestral territories that were occupied by Indigenous communities at the time Brazil's constitution was promulgated in 1988. But Indigenous leaders say certain territories were no longer occupied at that point because communities had been expelled from them, particularly during the military dictatorship from the 1960s to the 1980s. The upcoming Supreme Court trial, which was postponed in June, will either validate or invalidate the 1988 cut-off. In Friday's letter, the Indigenous leaders argued that upholding the cut-off date would jeopardize their survival and lead to thousands of evictions. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's left-wing government has made the issue of ancestral land rights a priority, and signed in April decrees recognizing six new Indigenous territories, authorizing Indigenous peoples to occupy the land and have exclusive use of its resources. (AFP) Read more on FRANCE 24 English Read also: Lula's first six months reverse Amazon deforestation trend under Bolsonaro Brazilian lawmakers vote to limit recognition of Indigenous reserves Brazil opens investigation into 'genocide' of Yanomami Indigenous peoples Sam McClelland (left) is expected to sign a two-year deal at St Johnstone following his release by Chelsea The 21-year-old will sign a two-year deal at the Perth-based club following his release by Chelsea. The Limavady native spent the entirety of the 2022/23 campaign on loan at League Two Barrow, making 30 appearances in all competitions. McClelland moved to Chelsea as a trainee from Coleraine in 2018 and captained the Blues development squad on numerous occasions. However, he will now ply his trade in the Scottish top flight under Steven MacLean at McDairmid Park. The Saints have already crashed out of the Viaplay Cup and finished 9th in the Scottish Premiership last season. McClelland already has a senior Northern Ireland cap to his name after being a used substitute in a friendly against Ukraine back in 2021. Bertram Road, Smethwick West Midlands Police have arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder after he returned from Pakistan to the UK this week. Two men in their 40s were injured when shots were fired at City Computers in Bertram Road, Smethwick on January 12 earlier this year. Fortunately they were not seriously hurt. Following his arrest on Wednesday (July 26), 20-year-old Ahmed Aumair, from Birchover Road, Walsall, was charged with two counts of attempted murder, criminal damage and firearms offences. He appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday where he was remanded in custody. Three men have already pleaded guilty and await sentencing for the same incident. Haider Shabir, aged 20, and 23-year-old Mohammed Uwais Latif pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Mohammed Tayyib Wajid, aged 25, pleaded guilty to assisting offenders. All three will be sentenced on 11 August. Anyone with information concerning the incident can contact officers via Live Chat on the West Midlands Police website or alternatively, if you would like to speak to them, then please call them on 101 quoting 20/80288/23. A Colorado police officer on trial for placing a handcuffed woman in a patrol car parked on train tracks that was then struck by a freight train was found guilty of two misdemeanors. Fort Lupton police officer Jordan Steinke was charged with attempted reckless manslaughter, a felony, and two misdemeanors -- reckless endangerment and third-degree assault -- in connection with the September 2022 incident, which left the woman severely injured. Judge Timothy Kerns found Steinke not guilty of attempted reckless manslaughter, saying the court did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer "knowingly intended to harm" Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, the victim. But Kerns said Steinke did disregard "what she consciously observed," citing the presence of railroad tracks and signs on the highway, in explaining his guilty verdict in the misdemeanors. Kerns read his verdict in the Weld County courtroom on Friday. Steinke had waived her right to a jury trial, so Kerns decided the case. Steinke wept in court as the judge explained his verdict. Her sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 15. Her attorney requested an immediate sentencing on her behalf, though prosecutors said Rios-Gonzalez, who observed the verdict remotely, wanted to attend the sentencing in person. Steinke and a Platteville police officer were investigating a road rage incident when they pulled over Rios-Gonzalez on Sept. 16, 2022. Steinke placed Rios-Gonzalez handcuffed in the back of the Platteville police cruiser, which was parked on train tracks. A short time later, a freight train plowed into the vehicle. The horrifying collision was captured by police body and dash cameras, with the footage later released by the Platteville, Colorado, Police Department. PHOTO: Officer Jordan Steinke is on trial after leaving detained woman in police car on train tracks. (ABC News) PHOTO: Body camera footage released by the Platteville, Colorado Police Department shows the train collision on Sept. 16, 2022. (Platteville, Colorado Police Department) Rios-Gonzalez, 21, suffered a fractured tibia, broken arm, nine broken ribs and a fractured sternum in the incident, her attorney told "Good Morning America" last year. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Steinke knew the police cruiser was parked on train tracks but disregarded the obvious risk. Story continues "At the time she elected to place Yareni Rios-Gonzalez in the Platteville patrol car parked on the railroad tracks instead of her own patrol unit that was safely parked to the west of the railroad tracks," Weld County Deputy District Attorney Lacy Vells said in court this week. MORE: 'I just didn't want to die': Jadarrius Rose, Black trucker attacked by Ohio police dog while surrendering, speaks out The defense, meanwhile, contended there was no intent to harm and the incident was a "horrific" accident. "Officer Steinke was not trying to harm Miss Rios-Gonzalez," defense attorney Mallory Revel said in closing arguments on Thursday. "To the contrary, this accident has haunted officer Steinke every single day since it occurred. It was a horrific accident." PHOTO: Officer Jordan Steinke in court in Weld County, Colorado, on July 25, 2023. (Platteville, Colorado Police Department) Steinke took the stand on Tuesday, telling the court that she saw the railroad tracks but did not "perceive" the fact that the location was a railroad crossing. She said she did not see any reflective signs or gates indicating a railroad crossing at the time of the incident. "It was incredibly dark. I was miles outside of my jurisdiction," Steinke told the court. "I was fairly certain that that particular stop was going to end in a gun fight. I never in a million years thought a train was going to come plowing through my scene." She claimed she would not have put Rios-Gonzalez in the vehicle if she knew it was parked on train tracks and that she had "trusted" that the Platteville police officer's vehicle "was in a secure location at that time." The Platteville officer, Pablo Vazquez, has also been charged with reckless endangerment, among other counts, in the incident. His case is ongoing. MORE: Criminal charges called for against deputies, officer in alleged assault of 2 Black men Rios-Gonzalez is also suing police over her treatment. One of the attorneys representing her in the civil case, Chris Ponce, pushed back against the defense's argument ahead of the verdict and said the situation was not stressful. "Their defense is that this situation was so stressful to this officer that she simply did not notice that the train tracks were there," Ponce told Denver ABC affiliate KMGH. "It's our opinion -- again, as we've stated in documents that we've filed publicly -- that is just not true. It's simply not true. The train tracks were obvious." Ponce told the station his client would respect and accept whatever verdict is reached in the criminal proceedings. Rios-Gonzalez also faced charges stemming from the road rage incident prior to police pulling her over. She entered a no-contest plea earlier this month to misdemeanor menacing, according to The Association Press. She will avoid jail time if she follows the conditions of her deferred sentence, KMGH reported. Verdict reached in trial of cop who placed woman in patrol car hit by train originally appeared on abcnews.go.com North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un speaks with Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong during a reception held in Pyongyang, July 28 in this photo provided by North Korea's Central New Agency. Yonhap North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with a Chinese delegation that visited Pyongyang to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War and vowed to develop the two countries' relations to a "new high," the North's state media said Saturday. Kim hosted a reception for the Chinese officials led by Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong, Friday. The Chinese delegation was the first since the COVID-19 pandemic. "Reaffirmed at the talk was the stand of the parties and governments of the two countries to cope with the complicated international situation on their own initiative and steadily develop the friendship and comradely cooperation onto a new high stage," the North's KCNA news agency said. The meeting took place after Chinese and Russian officials stood shoulder to shoulder with Kim, Thursday, as they reviewed his newest nuclear-capable missiles and attack drones at a military parade in the capital. (Reuters) HA NOI The Government will propose policies regarding the global minimum tax to the National Assembly for discussion and approval in October, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at a recent meeting on law-making. Introducing policies to come up with the global minimum tax was essential for Viet Nam to ensure tax revenue but remain attractive to foreign investors as many countries are adopting the initiative. The global minimum tax of 15 per cent is part of a two-pillar initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). Viet Nam participated in 2017 and became the 100th member of BEPS, which now has 142 member countries. The OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS (IF), introduced in 2021, set the global minimum tax rate at 15 per cent for multinational enterprises (MNEs) with annual revenue of 750 million euros. This means that countries that invest abroad will essentially apply a global minimum tax of 15 per cent, starting from 2024, to collect the difference from the actual tax rate. Countries receiving foreign investment, including Viet Nam, are studying policies to complement the global minimum tax. A set of incentives and support policies for new investments will be developed to ensure the competitiveness and attractiveness of the Vietnamese investment environment. Chinh said that the two solutions would be proposed to the National Assembly for approval at a meeting in October following a shortened process. Top-up tax to be introduced In the draft resolution of the National Assembly about tax policies to adapt to the global minimum tax, the Ministry of Finance proposed top-up taxes to be imposed which would help Viet Nam ensure tax revenue but remain attractive to foreign investors. It is necessary for Viet Nam to issue regulations to adapt to the initiative, combat revenue leakages and remain attractive to investment, much like similar countries in the region that receive large amounts of foreign investment, the Ministry of Finance said. The ministry proposed the introduction of Qualified Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax (QDMTT) and income inclusion rules (IIR). QDMTT is a minimum tax that is included in the domestic law and is set to combat revenue leakages and profitshifting activities. It gives a country the right to charge top-up taxes on revenue from entities located in that country that were paying lower taxes. If Viet Nam does not apply the global minimum tax, it still has to accept that other countries will apply it and have the right to collect top-up taxes on MNEs paying a lower tax rate than the global minimum tax for their investments in Viet Nam. The imposition of QDMTT would help Viet Nam increase budget revenue, the ministry said. The finance ministry cited statistics of the Ministry of Planning and Investment showing that Viet Nam has attracted investment from 142 countries and territories. Major investors in Viet Nam include the Republic of Korea, Japan and Singapore which altogether accounted for more than 50 per cent of the total FDI in Viet Nam as of December 20, 2022. Viet Nams incentive policies on corporate income tax to attract FDI is considered attractive compared to other countries in the region, together with other advantages such as stable politics and abundant labour resources, which makes the country a capital magnet, the ministry said. The ministry estimated that around 335 projects with registered capital from US$100 million operating in the processing and manufacturing industry in economic and industrial zones were enjoying corporate income tax rates lower than 15 per cent, including projects of Samsung, Intel, LG, Bosh, Sharp, Panasonic, Foxconn and Pegatron. These projects accounted for just 1 per cent of the total number of FDI projects in Viet Nam but 30 per cent of the total FDI inflow, estimated at $131.3 billion. Data from the General Department of Taxation showed that there were 619 MNEs with 1,017 subsidiaries in Viet Nam which had consolidated revenue above 750 million euros in 2021. The tax authority estimated that about 112 MNEs in Viet Nam would be affected by the global minimum tax if it was applied from 2024. Accordingly, if countries all applied global minimum tax from 2024, those where the headquarters of the parent companies were located would receive an additional tax difference of around $616 million in 2024. Of the figure, the Republic of Korea would collect more than $452 million from the difference in tax from 18 MNEs with investments in Viet Nam and Japan $10.5 million from 36 MNEs. In the draft, the ministry also proposed to apply IIR, which would allow the country to collect more tax on Vietnamese firms investing abroad through a member company in a foreign country earning a minimum revenue of 750 million euros and paying lower tax than the global minimum rate. The ministry cited statistics that Viet Nam had 1,625 valid projects in foreign countries as of March 20 with a total investment of $21.9 billion, mainly in mining and agriculture industries. VNS HA NOI Many businesses have had enough of overly restrictive regulations on fire safety, and the clamour for a relaxation of the regulations is growing louder. Nguyen o Tung Cuong, chairman of the Vietnam Fire & Rescue Association, said over 230 businesses aired grievances to his association in March against fire safety regulations. The situation was also well depicted in the Provincial Competitiveness Index Survey, in which requirements related to fire prevention and fighting were among the four most-troublesome obstacles to businesses. Nguyen Huu Thap, chairman of the Business Association of Tuyen Quang Province, said the current regulations on fire safety entail high compliance costs for businesses. He took Decree No.136 as an example, which requires businesses to have certain fireproof facilities to be certified as compliant. Some facilities are costly, making it impossible to follow the rules for those in weak financial positions. "Fireproof elevator shaft gates can cost businesses up to VN1 billion, an unnecessary cost created by unnecessarily restrictive regulations," said Thap. He said many entrepreneurs had to cease operations owing to the unforeseen costs incurred by fire safety regulations. He called for the abolition of such "costly" regulations to bring them back to life. Nguyen Thi Thu Lien, a representative of the Association of Food Transparency, believed that it is unnecessary, under current fire safety regulations, to require shelves of 5.5m and above to follow a specific set of technical requirements. She also said it is duplicative to require businesses that have moved from one sector to another to re-apply for fire safety certification once they were certified for the first sector. "A certified textile company that has transformed into a fruit exporter should be spared the ordeal of re-applying for fire safety certification," said Lien. Nguyen Hong Hai, a presentative of the Vietnam Ship Agents, Brokers, and Maritime Services Providers Association, said firefighting vessels and vehicles had become mandatory for port-management companies under current fire safety regulations. The requirement for the facilities, which normally need hundreds of billions of ong to build, would add to their costs and put the logistics sector at a cost disadvantage. Hai called for the abolition of that specific requirement to improve the competitive position of port-management companies. Voices of the business sector have been heard by the Government, which has requested Vietnam Fire Koand Rescue Police Department take measures to untangle the issue. Around 10,000 businesses have been helped so far in this regard. And the good news doesn't stop there. The Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice are drafting revisions to Decree No.136 to lessen its compliance burden on businesses. The revised version is expected to be made public in August. The Ministry of Public Security is also urging the Government to revise the Law on Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting to make fire safety regulations more tolerable and less costly for the business sector. VNS HCM CITY Fruit and vegetable exports have been worth US$3.25 billion in the year-to-date, a 68.8 per cent increase year-on-year and already in excess of the 2022 figure of $3.16 billion. In July, they were worth $475.5 million, down 28.2 per cent from the previous month but up 90.7 per cent year-on-year, the Viet Nam Fruit and Vegetable Association said. The decline was because Viet Nam was just entering its second durian harvest season, and had little to export. Fruits and vegetables have seen the highest growth among all agro-forestry-fishery exports this year. Exports to China grew by 121.9 per cent in the first half of the year to $1.76 billion, and accounted for two thirds of all exports. ang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the association, called it a record year for exports, adding that durian, mango, dragon fruit, and banana were the biggest items. According to export businesses, durians and bananas from Viet Nam are becoming increasingly popular in many countries due to their improved quality. Viet Nam's durian output is abundant, and prices are more competitive than that of Thailand and the Philippines. Nguyen said vegetable and fruit exports could hit the 2023 target of $4 billion early. A surge in exports is expected also because it is the durian harvest season in the Central Highlands, which accounts for 50 per cent of the countrys output. Durian alone is expected to see exports of $1 billion this year. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that it is focusing on issuing farming area and packing facility codes to facilitate fruit and vegetable exports. VNS AN GIANG Around 33 artists from HCM City and the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang are showcasing their paintings and sculptures at the Museum of An Giang in Long Xuyen City. The exhibition is organised by the city Fine Arts Association and the provinces Literature and Art Association to mark the 135th birthday anniversary of President Ton uc Thang, whose home village is in An Giang. The showcase includes 47 paintings and sculptures, featuring a wide range of topics such as the beauty of the country, lifestyle, climate change and environmental protection. All the works are made of different materials including oil, lacquer, wood, stone, iron, copper, and mixed media. They feature surrealist, abstract, semi-abstract, and impressionistic styles. Bui Quang Vinh, chairman of An Giangs Literature and Art Association, said, Both associations spent three months preparing and choosing high-quality paintings and sculptures for the showcase. The works reflect the artists feelings and points of view on life. In the framework of the exhibition, the HCM City Fine Arts Association gifted a portrait sculpture of President Ton uc Thang, created by its chairman Nguyen Xuan Tien, to the Museum of An Giang Province. The exhibition is open daily until July 31. VNS NEW DELHI Over the course of its 28-year journey as a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Viet Nam has proven to be a proactive, dynamic, responsible nation contributing to the common prosperity of the region, said an Indian expert. Prof. Rajaram Panda, former member of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in New Delhi, said over the past 28 years, Viet Nam has taken the initiative and proposed numerous initiatives to cope with and address ASEAN's challenges and issues. Viet Nam was hailed for its prompt, urgent and highly effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the early months, making it a model for other ASEAN countries to learn from. The country has also made utmost efforts to formulate a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), he said. He added that Viet Nam has also been actively acting to protect ASEAN's central role. In its own way, Viet Nam has demonstrated its responsibility as an ASEAN member through its foreign policies. With a well-balanced foreign policy, Viet Nam has successfully found solutions without getting entangled in any conflicts. Regarding the three pillars forming the ASEAN Community, including Political-Security Community, Economic Community, and Socio-Cultural Community, the Indian expert believed that the second pillar is of utmost importance because achieving this goal relies on the foundation of economic development in the region. During its tenure as ASEAN Chair in 2020, he said Viet Nam made great efforts to promote and effectively uphold ASEAN's central and guiding role, toward the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in November 2020. Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, Collins Chong Yew Keat, a policy and foreign affairs expert at the Kuala Lumpur-based University of Malaya, said Viet Nam has always played an active part in and made active and responsible contributions to ASEAN activities, thus winning recognition and high evaluation from other member countries. He noted that it has shown support for the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), signed in 2002 to prevent conflict and build trust among the parties concerned. Regarding the Myanmar issue, Viet Nam and other Southeast Asian countries are making efforts via existing mechanisms, especially ASEAN, to minimise risks. Viet Nam has strongly advocated the peaceful settlement of disputes and is now an important pillar of the bloc. It is promoting cooperation with other ASEAN countries in terms of both economy and security - defence to guarantee regional peace and stability. It is also actively working with regional countries to secure benefits and progress for ASEAN members while reinforcing ties between the association and partners such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, and India. Viet Nam has established itself as one of the leading countries in enhancing cooperation and resolving challenges facing ASEAN, including the Myanmar and East Sea issues, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other non-traditional security threats, according to Collins. He held that the country has also made considerable contributions to the identification of the common development targets and orientations of ASEAN, especially in the economy. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting held in Viet Nam in 2001 adopted the Ha Noi Declaration on Narrowing Development Gap for Closer ASEAN Integration, which specified four priority economic areas infrastructure construction, human resources development, information and communication technology, and regional economic integration, which are critical to boosting ASEAN economic integration, bringing about benefits to member countries, creating a shield for trade and investment, and reducing members dependence on non-ASEAN countries. As superpowers are competing for influence in the region, the identification of the four above-mentioned economic priorities holds an important and indispensable role in the economic development of not only Viet Nam and Malaysia, but also other ASEAN countries, the expert went on. He said with its commitments and capabilities to realise them in some fields like digital economy, human resources, green economy, food security, supply chains, and others, Viet Nam is currently well-positioned to become a leading country in promoting not only its own interests but also the common interests and demand of ASEAN. The country will continue playing an important role in guaranteeing stability, peace, and common interests of ASEAN in the time ahead, Collins added. VNS ROME Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Friday hosted an official farewell ceremony for President Thuong, his spouse and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation in Rome. The Italian leaders and his daughter hosted both the welcome and farewell ceremonies and a national banquet for the Vietnamese President and his entourage, along with high-level talks and meetings between the two countries leaders demonstrate the special importance the Italian State and people attach to the Viet Nam-Italy traditional relations as well as Thuongs visit. Thuongs three-day State visit took place in the context that the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership. Viet Nam and Italy have maintained many bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the annual strategic dialogue at the deputy foreign ministerial level and the defence policy dialogue at the deputy ministerial level, as well as the Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation and Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation. Viet Nam remains one of the 10 emerging countries prioritised for trade and investment cooperation development by Italy until 2030. The two countries have created favourable conditions for businesses of each other to cooperate in areas of Italys strength and Viet Nams demand such as mechanical engineering, infrastructure, garment and textiles, footwear, wood processing, supporting industries, building materials, oil and gas, renewable energy, and food processing. At present, Viet Nam is Italy's largest trading partner in ASEAN, with two-way trade reaching US6.2 billion in 2022, up 11 per cent compared to 2021, according to Viet Nam Customs. Specifically, Viet Nam's exports to Italy last year totalled $4.4 billion, up 14 per cent over the previous year, and its imports from Italy - $1.7 billion, up 3.6 per cent. In the first four months of 2023, two-way trade topped $2 billion, down 2.7 per cent from the same period in 2022, in which exports decreased by 3 per cent. VNS President Joe Biden poses for a photo with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, ahead of a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Sunday, May 21. AP-Yonhap U.S. President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol for a summit at his retreat outside Washington, Aug. 18, the White House said Friday. "The leaders will celebrate a new chapter in their trilateral relationship as they reaffirm their strong bonds of friendship and the ironclad alliances between the United States and Japan, and the United States and the Republic of Korea," an official statement said. The summit, held at the Camp David presidential retreat in rural Maryland near Washington, D.C., will be a chance to "discuss expanding trilateral cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and beyond," the White House said. They will address the "continued threat" from North Korea and "advance a shared trilateral vision for addressing global and regional security challenges, promoting a rules-based international order, and bolstering economic prosperity." Biden has made a priority of getting close U.S. allies Japan and South Korea to overcome years of tension and work together in the face of nuclear-armed North Korea's ongoing saber rattling and fear of confrontation with superpower China. Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are at one of their lowest points, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nuclear warheads. In response, Yoon has pulled South Korea closer to long-standing ally Washington, and sought to bury the hatchet with former colonial power Japan. In April, Seoul and Washington said that if Pyongyang ever used its nuclear weapons against the allies, it would face a nuclear reaction and the "end" of its regime. (AFP) ROME Visiting Florence, capital of Italys Tuscany region on Friday (local time), President Vo Van Thuong held separate working sessions with President of Tuscany Eugenio Giani and Mayor of Florence Dario Nardella. Expressing his delight at visiting Florence, known as the birthplace of Renaissance art with numerous ancient architectural structures and museums displaying masterpieces by European and world-renowned painters, President Thuong praised the dynamic development of Tuscany region and Florence city in the fields of art, heritage conservation and sustainable tourism. Giani, for his part, congratulated Thuong on his successful State visit to Italy, saying that it is a manifestation of friendship and solidarity between the two nations and trust in strong and dynamic developments of bilateral ties in the coming time. Congratulating Viet Nam on its increasing position and role on the global arena, he said Tuscany expects to strengthen cooperation with Viet Nams northern province of Vinh Phuc and extend collaboration with other Vietnamese localities. Mayor of Florence Nardella expressed a wish to attract more Vietnamese students to the city for study and research, while stepping up collaboration with Vietnamese localities in education-training, cultural heritage conservation and energy. He also hoped that Florence would establish a twin relationship with a Vietnamese city. The Vietnamese President affirmed that Viet Nam attaches importance to strengthening strategic partnership with Italy and ties between localities of the two countries in particular. Hailing the establishment of cooperative relationship between Tuscany and Vinh Phuc Province, which serves as a model of exemplary cooperation between localities, he called on the two countries cities and localities to jointly hold cultural and people-to-people exchanges, as well as expand coordination in areas of mutual strength, such as tourism and industry. The Vietnamese guest later witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between Vinh Phuc and Tuscany and the presentation of a certificate on project expansion to Piaggio Group in Vinh Phuc. On the occasion, President Thuong and his spouse visited several cultural landmarks in the city. VNS HA NOI - President Vo Van Thuong's State visit to Italy and visit to the Vatican from July 25-29 continue to receive wide coverage by Italian newspapers. The AGCNews on July 29 ran an article about the tightened relations between Ha Noi and Rome after the Vietnamese Presidents visit. The article emphasises that Viet Nam and Italy have issued a joint statement on strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership, which reaffirms the strong relationship between the two countries and plans for future cooperation in politics, diplomacy, defence and security. It says during high-level talks, Italy has always affirmed its determination to promote comprehensive relations with Viet Nam, considering Viet Nam a priority for developing relations in Southeast Asia. Viet Nam continues to be one of the ten emerging countries that Italy prioritises to develop trade and investment cooperation by 2030. The article reviewed new steps in cooperation between the two countries, including the growing trade and investment partnership, with two-way trade turnover having doubled since 2010. Viet Nam is Italy's largest trading partner among ASEAN countries while Italy is Viet Nam's third largest partner among EU members. Meanwhile, the La Voce di Alba newspaper published an article quoting MP Chiara Gribaudo, Vice President of Italian Democratic Party as saying after her meeting with President Vo Van Thuong in Rome that the new trade agreements with Viet Nam - the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) - have been ratified by the Italian Parliament, which opens up new important commercial opportunities for businesses and show support for new business perspectives. VNA/VNS HA NOI President Vo Van Thuong official visit to Austria from July 23-25, State visit to Italy and visit to the Vatican from July 25-29 have been successful in all aspects, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son told the press. The visits were made at the invitation of President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Italy Sergio Mattarella and Pope Francis. This is the first visit to Austria by a Vietnamese President over the past 15 years, and the first delegation exchange at the head-of-state level with Italy and the Vatican in seven years, according to the minister. Taking place in the context of rapid, complicated developments of the regional and international situation, the visits vividly demonstrate the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and diversification and multilateralisation of relations adopted at the 13th National Party Congress, as well as Viet Nam's consistent policy of treasuring the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Austria, the strategic partnership with Italy, and the relations with the Vatican, he continued. Son stressed that the visits contributed to creating new momentum for the bilateral ties with Austria and Italy in all fields, from politics-diplomacy to trade-investment, development cooperation, education-training, science-technology, national defence and security, and culture. He described the visits as very important highlights in the context of Viet Nam and Austria turning a new page in their relationship with the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties last year, and Viet Nam and Italy celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership this year. Regarding specific outcomes of the visits, the minister said the President and his entourage engaged in about 50 activities in various fields, which had been covered widely by both local and international media. Austrian and Italian leaders regarded Viet Nam as a leading important partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and noted their wish that Viet Nam would work as a bridge between the European Union (EU) and the ten-member grouping. With Austria, Viet Nam affirmed a resolve to constantly cultivate and promote the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation in general, and the high political trust between high-ranking leaders of the two countries in particular. The two sides agreed on measures to continue implementing bilateral agreements, especially those on innovation, energy transition and culture, and to coordinate in materialising the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). The Austrian side said it would soon ratify the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and urge the EU to soon remove the yellow card warning imposed on Vietnamese seafood. Austria also pledged to continue its close coordination with Viet Nam and mutual support at regional and international forums, promote the image of land and people of the two countries, and enhance tourism cooperation, people-to-people exchange and mutual understanding. Meanwhile, Italian leaders agreed to increase high-ranking delegation exchanges via Party, State, Government and National Assembly channels, the FM said, stressing that the two sides issued a joint statement on strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership, and set forth major orientations and specific measures to advance their relations in a more intensive and effective fashion, particularly in politics, economy-trade, national defence and security, education-training, science-technology, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchange. The two sides concurred to work together at regional and international forums and in addressing global issues such as climate change, energy security and food, especially in the context of both nations joining the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). Notably, Son said, the Italian Parliament ratified the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) at the same time as President Thuong's visit, which is expected to help boost cooperation in such potential areas as digital economy, high-tech, green development and smart agriculture. In the Vatican, it was noteworthy that the two sides concluded the Agreement on the Status of the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Viet Nam, marking a significant development step in their relations, the official said. "This is a result of active discussion and exchange based on mutual respect and understanding and cooperation," Minister Son remarked. Both Pope Francis and Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed their impressions of the positive, diverse development of the belief and religious life in Viet Nam, including Catholicism, and shared the view that the Viet Nam Catholic Church should better fulfil the vocation of accompanying the nation and to be good Catholics and good citizens, and that Catholic dignitaries and followers in the country should make more contributions to the development of the nation and the church. On this occasion, President Thuong also met with representatives of the Vietnamese communities in Austria, Italy and Europe, where he encouraged the community to promote the spirit of unity, preserve cultural identity, actively integrate and act as a bridge of friendship between Viet Nam and other countries, Son said. With these important results achieved above, the Vietnamese foreign minister said the visits achieved very good results, creating important momentum to promote the sustainable, profound, effective bilateral cooperation between Viet Nam and these European partners. VNS BA RIA-VUNG TAU The cultivation of speciality longan varieties is providing farmers in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with steady livelihoods. The southern province has 13,723ha under various fruits, with longan topping the list with 1,745ha, according to its Plant Protection and Cultivation Sub-department. It includes 1,522ha of mature longan trees which yield 21,000 tonnes of fruits annually. The speciality varieties such as xuong com vang, bao cong, bap cai, and tieu are well-known for their thick flesh and sweetness, and fetch high prices. The bap cai variety retails at VN150,000 (US$6.3) a kilogramme. The provinces longans, grown in the coastal districts of Xuyen Moc and at o, are sold in supermarkets across the country and exported to China and Japan. Xuyen Moc alone accounts for 1,542ha. Tran Van Xuyen, a farmer in its Hoa Hiep Commune, has grown longan for 30 years and now has a 4ha orchard after starting with 1ha. He used to grow other crops such as corn and cassava, but since they were not lucrative he switched to the fruit since the soil in the coastal area is suitable for growing it, he said. His orchard consistently yields nine tonnes to a hectare every year, fetching him VN900 million ($38,000), he said. The Nhan Tam Agriculture and Service Co-operative in Hoa Hiep farms 20ha of the fruit and became the provinces first co-operative to get a production code for export to China and Japan. It is in the process of developing a longan growing area that will be granted a production code to enable exports to the EU and Australia. Tran Van Dung, deputy chairman of the Xuyen Moc Peoples Committee, said farmers have been taught about Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) and organic standards and obtaining production codes to enable exports. The province has set up a 1,000ha hi-tech longan farm that is equipped with automatic irrigation and fertilising systems, uses biotechnology and integrated pest management and has facilities for preserving and processing the fruit. In at o, the other main longan growing district, it has become a key fruit. It has developed tourism around its longan orchards. The Loc An Longan Co-operative has 12 farmers with a total of 23.7ha, and 10 host visitors in their orchards. Farmers in the province have begun their harvest and are getting high yields because of favourable weather. In at o, they are harvesting 6-7 tonnes of xuong longan per hectare this year but getting VN10,000-30,000 (42 US cent $1.3) a kilogramme lower than last year. But they are getting bumper harvests and steady demand, according to local farmers. Nguyen Van Tu grows the fruit on 5,000sq.m to VietGAP standards in at os Long My Commune and hopes to harvest around four tonnes. My family hopes to earn VN70-80 million ($3,000-3,400), he said. Truong Thi Bay in at os Lo An Commune said she grows the xuong, bap cai and bao cong varieties to organic standards and regularly harvests 10 tonnes. The district chose her orchard for development into a community-based tourism site in 2022, and she gets additional income from tourism, she said. VNS HCM CITY Despite expectations of a recovery, the labour and employment market in Viet Nam in the first half of this year did not see much improvement, according to a report of the payroll, recruitment and human outsourcing agency Adecco Vietnam. Overall hiring demand decreased by more than 30 per cent in the first six months compared to the same period last year when the economy resumed after the impact of the pandemic. Some sectors, such as consumer finance, real estate and retail, have experienced significant declines in recruitment. Other sectors, such as pharmaceutical, healthcare and technical sales, saw more resilient demand for skilled professionals. As domestic and international economies still inherit many potential risks, enterprises are gearing towards promoting lean personnel structures, focusing on recruiting replacement positions, and adopting a more selective approach to filling vacancies rather than expanding to new positions. Although the number of vacancies of IT companies decreased by 35 per cent in the first half compared to the same period last year, the requirement for IT skills is gradually becoming more common in businesses of most fields. Companies are increasingly looking for professionals with expertise in software development, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital development, and data analytics to meet their transformation needs. A significant drop in sales orders in industrial manufacturing led to a big lay-off in the labour force, especially in the electronics and semiconductor, textile, furniture, and chemical industries, said Truong Thien Kim, associate director of permanent recruitment services at Adecco Vietnam. As factories have been leaning towards digitalisation, automation and zero-carbonisation policies, there is a shift in labour requirements, with a decreasing demand for low-skilled and repetitive manual labour. Instead, they increasingly seek workers with expertise in robotics, process automation, and advanced manufacturing technologies, she said. Regarding the retail industry, due to the shift in consumer buying preferences, many businesses focus on optimising their online presence, leading to a reduction in hiring for traditional in-store positions. While the marketing and communications industry still maintains stable demand, traditional forms of media are seeing a decrease in job opportunities. Instead, positions related to digital marketing, search engine optimisation, search engine marketing, social media, content creation, and data analysis are highly sought-after by employers. The recovering market has facilitated the stability in recruitment demand in finance and banking. Highly sought-after positions are related to finance, accounting, risk management and investment analysis. Moreover, the emergence of fintech companies has created more job opportunities in this sector. The healthcare and pharmaceutical industry is anticipated to see a sustained demand for healthcare professionals in light of the Governments goal of improving healthcare infrastructure and increasing consumer demand. This field seeks professionals in a variety of roles, including physicians, brand managers and medical information specialists. Applying technology to upgrade the medical examination and treatment experience is also a trend that affects the industrys hiring requirements. Meanwhile, the construction and real estate industries have not shown any signs of recovery with very low recruitment demand. Nguyen Hoang Thanh Chuong, head of permanent recruitment services at Adecco Vietnam, predicts that the labour market in the second half of this year will continue to face many difficulties and has not seen any positive signs from employers. Several industries are expected to drive the job market, such as technology, healthcare, e-commerce, renewable energy and digital services, with increasing demand for skilled professionals. Open positions for expat are decreasing sharply, and mainly focus only on important functions in the early stages of the investment plan. The role of expat vacancies is mainly to train and transfer technology and domestic candidates with high professional skills will be prioritised by businesses to take on these transfers, he said. Technological transformation is taking place in various industries and is expected to continue to thrive in the second half of this year. Job seekers need to accelerate updating their skills in digital technology and utilising the application of artificial intelligence, digitalisation and automation into their current field to seize opportunities in a turbulent period with most strategies geared towards technology reform and cost optimisation. VNS Amazon's "punch" on two Vietnamese textile companies caused a serious decline in the production business of enterprises, leading to a wave of forced staff reductions. According to the domestic press, after the controversy Gilimex sued Amazon, this business reported a loss of nearly 39 billion dongs, the highest in the company's listing history. Meanwhile, partner Garmex Saigon - a large textile and garment export enterprise in Ho Chi Minh City - also reported a more than 33 billion dongs loss in the second quarter and laid off more than 2,000 employees. Garmex lays off more than 2,000 workers. Garmex Saigon Joint Stock Company (code GMC) announced its consolidated financial statements for the second quarter of 2023 with very poor results. According to the report, revenue in the first 6 months of GMC was just over 8 billion dong, down 97% compared to last year. In addition, the financial income also decreased from nearly 12 billion dongs last year to 2.1 billion dongs this year. In the first 6 months of 2023, Garmex Saigon reported a loss of 33 billion dongs, while in the same period last year, this famous textile and garment enterprise in Ho Chi Minh City also made a profit of more than 4 billion dongs. As of June 30, Garmex accumulated more than 54 billion dongs in losses. All kinds of selling, corporate management, and finance costs have been reduced and reduced sharply by Garmex Saigon. According to Garmex Saigon General Director Nguyen Minh Hang, the negative post-pandemic impact and political fluctuations in the world will cause global economic growth to continue to decline in 2023. The textile and garment industry - accordingly - is also affected by declining orders, especially in key markets such as the United States and Europe. Also read: Textile, garment industry ready to return to busier times in new circumstances Vietnam News - Latest Updates and World Insights | Vietreader.com On the other hand, one of the important reasons for Garmex's serious decline in production business comes from the need for more revenue from its partner, Binh Thanh Import-Export Production and Trading Joint Stock Company (Gilimex). Accordingly, in the first 6 months of 2022, Garmex had a revenue of nearly 224 billion dong from supplying orders to Gilimex, but this year, this amount is no longer available. According to Market Life, this could be a "follow-up" after Gilimex filed a lawsuit against the world's largest e-commerce giant, Amazon. This bold but risky decision not only "deals" heavy blows to Gilimex itself but also negatively affects other partners in the industry, such as Garmex Saigon itself. According to Ms. Hang, Garmex Saigon has rebalanced its personnel to suit the new situation to reduce the cost burden. In particular, this business has reduced 98% of its employees. According to the report, as of June 30, 2023, the total number of Garmex employees was 41, a decrease of 2,060 compared to the beginning of the year. From the beginning of 2021, Garmex has cut 3,769 jobs. Additionally, in the first half of this year, Garmex's personnel costs decreased by 77% over the same period, from more than 31 billion dong to 7 billion dong. How is Gilimex doing? For Binh Thanh Import-Export Production Trading Joint Stock Company (Gilimex - Code: GIL), in the first quarter of this year, the company announced a loss of nearly 39 billion dong, the highest in the listing history of GIL. For 2023, Gilimex sets a revenue target of VND 1,500 billion, profit before tax at about VND 103.5 billion, down 77% compared to 2022. The reason for the decline in the business plan was none other than Amazon's sudden cut in orders from the Vietnamese company. As Sputnik mentioned, at the end of 2022, Gilimex attracted public attention when conducting proceedings to sue Amazon for compensation of $ 280 million for suddenly "turning the car" and narrowing orders, causing Gilimex to suffer the excess production capacity situation as well as imported raw materials. Read more: Vietnamese company sues Amazon for 280 million USD Vietnam News - Latest Updates and World Insights | Vietreader.com Gilimex was Amazon's main partner from 2014 to 2022. And to carry out orders for Amazon, Gilimex had to turn down IKEA and Columbia Sportswear. After signing a contract with Amazon, Gilimex also had to spend tens of millions to invest in manufacturing facilities, building steel and fabric storage tanks to organize inventory in Amazon's warehouse. The company even employs more than 7,000 employees at multiple factories to produce more than 1 million storage units annually for Amazon. In addition, to meet Amazon's needs during the pandemic, Gilimex had to relocate production and packaging facilities to continue production amid the Covid-19 outbreak and epidemic prevention measures. Government diseases are constantly changing. Gilimex had hoped for a long-term agreement with Amazon and a guarantee of transparency, but in April 2022, after the demand for online shopping weakened, Amazon's side immediately changed and cut orders down to just a fraction. Vietnamese company still pursuing Amazon lawsuit. At the shareholders meeting at the end of April, Gilimex informed that the lawsuit will continue with the next steps. Business leaders also stated that the goal of Gilimex's Board of Directors and Board of Directors this year is to resolve the inventory and the lawsuit against Amazon completely. The sudden blow when "Amazon turned the car" caused Gilimex's business index to plummet. Last year, in 2022, Gilimex only recorded a pre-tax profit of VND 458.9 billion. This year, the company expects many large potential customers worldwide to replace Amazon, replenish orders for existing customers and grow to full capacity. Gilimex focuses on expanding to find large customers, M7A opportunities in the industry to increase capacity, actively investing in raw materials, and combining time optimization and reasonable investment value. In 2022, the company invested 126 billion VND to contribute capital to My Khang Investment JSC and Hung Khang Real Estate JSC. Therefore, this year, this unit is trying to promote the industrial real estate segment and will start to record revenue in 2023-2025. Closing today's trading session on July 27, GIL stock dropped to VND 30,700/share, while GMC of Garmex Saigon JSC was anchored at only VND 10,000/share. Nowadays, life in big cities causes many pressures for people, from noisy traffic to construction and commercial activities. These sounds have caused stress, anxiety and affect human health. Therefore, the need to find a peaceful, pure and unspoiled place is gradually becoming popular and favored by many people. The East Pole Tour is currently the ideal itinerary for those who love the sea. The first place to catch the sun in Vietnam The easternmost point on the mainland of Vietnam is in the territory of Mui Doi, Van Ninh district, Khanh Hoa province, with coordinates 1239'0" North latitude - 10928'0" East longitude. Mui Doi is located south of Ca Pass, about 530km from Ho Chi Minh City and about 100km from Nha Trang City. Trekking Mui Doi is becoming a new trend to explore nature and enjoy the outdoor life of many young people. Tran Thi Lan Anh (28 years old) a trekking enthusiast from Hanoi, has a strong passion for exploring and conquering wild nature. Not just simply watching, Lan Anh always yearns to experience the natural rhythm of life when preparing to embark on exciting journeys. This time she chose the Eastern Pole for her journey. "I feel very excited before the trip. Khanh Hoa is a beautiful and majestic land, welcoming us with wild landscapes and interesting experiences. I feel that our Vietnam is too beautiful." Also read: Check-in 3 emerging 'hot spots' in Khanh Hoa Vietnam News - Latest Updates and World Insights | Vietreader.com Experience trekking at the Eastern Pole Lan Anh's group went about 20 people. These people are passionate about trekking, discovering nature, and going beyond themselves. Before the experience, the group will take attendance and make a schedule. Lan Anh shared that the delegations should contact tourist services or local guides to set schedules and support services after determining the right time. Choose a reliable and experienced tour company to organize trekking to ensure the best safety and experience for the group. The company will contact and guide the team members to prepare all necessary equipment and note when participating in the trekking tour. The trekking tour goes through 4 terrains: Sand Dunes, a long coastline, a mountain pass, and Da Nhay rapids. Terrain 1: Sand Dunes This is considered a day-long walking tour, a form of outdoor adventure tourism in wild places. Walking through the dunes is one of the difficult points to conquer when the road is long, passing through the hot dunes for kilometers. The road from Dam Mon with 4km of sand hill road, including about 2km of hot sand, then 6km of steep rocky mountain road; Lan Anh's group had to overcome 4 mountains, including Cat Tham, Co Ong, Suoi Shrimp, and Bai Rang. "We had to go under the hot sun to cross the dunes. The sand was very shallow, quite difficult, and it took our strength to walk. But the more we went, the open skies determined us to overcome, give us strength and steadfastness in her heart," Lan Anh said. After more than 1 hour of challenging themselves with hot sand, the group saw the sea. This is where the second terrain begins. Terrain 2: Long coast The beach here is truly a beautiful sight, making the group unforgettable. The sea's clear blue blends with the deep blue sky, creating a majestic natural picture. Looking at the fine white sand and listening to the sound of the waves hitting the shore, a sense of peace and tranquility pervades each member. "It feels like a miracle to see the sea now. The coast here reminds us of forever; it is clear and blue. The waves hit the shore with each big wave. The whole group excitedly ran into the sea to cool off the foot and continued walking to a hut for a snack". After the group rested, the members continued to experience the third terrain. Terrain 3: Crossing the forest across the stream The next road, mainly forest and mountain roads, is more than 8km long from the campsite, which is very tiring. In exchange for tired footsteps, you can see the mountains and forests wild and green natural scenery. The terrain of the forest crossing the mountain impressed Lan Anh and the rest of the group because there were dense forests close to the coast. The group followed the trails and paths marked by water bottles because the trees here grow very well, and it is easy to lose track of the way. In the group, many people began to feel discouraged at this challenging journey. But everyone is always encouraging each other to keep going. Going about half of the way, the group will take a lunch break and, in the early afternoon, will continue to cross the forest and the mountain the rest of the way. The view from above looks down; the coast stretches endlessly like a soft green silk fabric. Arriving at Rang Beach, the group will camp and spend the night there. Bai Rang has no wifi or phone waves, restaurants or hotels, people to live in, or water. The tour will include transporting fresh water, food, and tents for the group. Around 3:30 a.m. the next morning, while it was still dark, the group got up and prepared for the final challenge of the journey, the final terrain. Terrain 4: Da Nhay Rapids The distance from Bai Rang to Mui Doi is only a few hundred meters, but it will take more than 1 hour to overcome the dangerous rapids. Jumping, crawling, and sliding over the rocks is arduous; the members must bring flashlights because it's only early morning, and shoes and gloves need a good grip. The last "pass" to touch Mui Doi - the East Pole is to cling to the rope ladder to climb the largest rock and reach more than 7m high. The group is equipped with safety ropes, and the tour leaders help all members climb safely. Lan Anh recalls, "Climbing up to the place, touching the pole, I felt proud; the scenery here overwhelmed me. We sat and waited for the sun to rise gradually. Welcoming the first rays of the sun of the Father. The country makes me feel happy, proud and looking back on the way I've come. All of them were memorable experiences and worth the difficulties we overcame." The adventurous and challenging trekking trip to Mui Doi by the Lan Anh delegation was an extremely memorable adventure. The whole team has overcome difficulties and challenges themselves. Most importantly, they have received the first sunlight when it shines on the Fatherland. Also read: Saluting the sun at Doi Cape in Khanh Hoa Vietnam News - Latest Updates and World Insights | Vietreader.com BOSTON (AP) Nearly a month after it was due, Massachusetts lawmakers said Friday they've agreed on a final state budget. Lawmakers are expected to vote Monday on the spending plan that will start July 1. The heads of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees said they have reached an agreement in principle reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget. Our respective teams are actively engaged in ironing out the details and working diligently to finalize the agreement, Sen. Michael Rodrigues of Westport and Rep. Aaron Michlewitz of Boston, both Democrats, said in statement. The two who did not reveal details of the final spending plan are part of a six-member conference committee charged with hammering out a compromise version of the separate proposals. That compromise version is the sent to each chamber for a vote and cannot be amended. We are confident that the Conference Committee Report will be filed in the coming days, ensuring that both the House and Senate will take up the report on Monday in formal session, Rodrigues and Michlewitz said. In May the Senate approved a $55.9 billion state budget proposal. One focus of the Senate plan was higher education. The Senate budget would let all Massachusetts students, regardless of immigration status, qualify for in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities as long as they attended a high school in the state for at least three years, and graduated or obtained a GED. It would also create a free community college program for nursing students. The Senate plan excludes a proposal to allow online sales of lottery tickets, unlike the House budget. The $56.2 billion House budget proposal approved in April would also set aside extra spending for the problem-plagued Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and bulk up the states rainy day fund. Both House and Senate spending plans would split an estimated $1 billion in anticipated revenue from the new millionaires tax" which Massachusetts voters approved last year between education and transportation initiatives, although they differed on the details. The vote on the House budget plan followed the release in March of Gov. Maura Healeys $55.5 billion state budget proposal. Once the final, compromise budget proposal is approved it will be sent to Healey, who has 10 days to review and sign the budget and issue any vetoes. WEST BATH, Maine (AP) A man who told police he killed his parents and their friends and shot at motorists on a busy interstate highway might try to show he was insane, based on pleas he entered Friday. The 34-year-old ex-convict Joseph Eaton entered pleas of both not guilty and not criminally responsible, leaving him the option of an insanity defense against charges including four counts of murder. At this point we are preserving the ability to move forward with the so-called insanity defense. Once we have more forensic information, full discovery, and are able to view the case as a whole, we will then decide how to proceed, Andrew Wright, one of his attorneys, told The Associated Press before the hearing in West Bath. Law enforcement officials say Eaton confessed to the killings at a property in rural Bowdoin, and to wounding three people while shooting at vehicles on Interstate 295 in Yarmouth. Eaton has been jailed since his arrest on April 18 near the chaotic scene along the highway, where traffic backed up as heavily armed law enforcement searched the area. The bodies were found in Bowdoin that morning, days after Eatons mother picked him up at a prison in Maine where he had done time for violating probation on an aggravated assault conviction, the latest in a long criminal history. Eatons parents, Cynthia Eaton, 62, and David Eaton, 66, were killed along with their longtime friends, Bowdoin homeowners Robert Eger, 72, and Patti Eger, 62, officials said. Also killed was the family dog, resulting in a cruelty to animal charge. He was also charged with stealing weapons. Police still dont know Eatons motive for the slayings. A criminal affidavit stated that an unsigned note found at the scene mentioned someone being freed of pain and that the writer of the note wanted a new life. A judge ruled Friday a Waco defense attorney may not call and question witnesses himself during his upcoming trial over charges that he tried to have a family members alleged abuser killed. Visiting Judge Roy Sparkman ruled Friday in Wacos 19th State District Court that Waco defense attorney Seth Sutton may not serve as his own co-counsel. In his first hearing on the case, Sparkman denied Suttons motion to act as his own co-counsel alongside his hired defense attorney, Clint Broden. Sparkman said he had a similar situation in a prior trial that caused much confusion and conflict. He also said he would allow Sutton and Broden necessary time to confer during the trial. Suttons trial on the first-degree felony charge of soliciting the murder-for-hire of former Waco attorney Marcus Beaudin will begin Aug. 14 with jury selection and a panel of potential jurors almost twice the size of a usual panel. Beaudin is himself under indictment on a third-degree felony charge of attempted indecency with a child, accused of trying expose the breast of a teenage family member of Sutton and trying to fondle her in 2016. Last month, Judge Thomas Wests office called in Sparkman to preside over the Sutton trial and some other hearings to help move the docket along. Sutton and Waco attorney Chelsea Tijerina were indicted in August 2020 in an alleged plot to kill Beaudin, Tijerinas ex-husband. Broden, Suttons defense attorney, said in November the case against Sutton is based on an overzealous undercover Waco police officers attempt to entrap Sutton. The officer had been undercover investigating Suttons motorcycle club. Broden previously said the undercover officer took advantage of a friendship developed with Sutton during the investigation and volunteered to kill Beaudin. Affidavits indicate Tijerina and Sutton met with the officer in May 2020 and provided details about Beaudins location, and Sutton gave the officer $300 to buy a gun to kill Beaudin. Tijerina died in a motorcycle wreck in May 2021 near her home in Hays County. Waco Assistant Police Chief Robert Lanning called the undercover officer off the case three times before Sutton first mentioned a desire to harm Beaudin, according to a notice appointed prosecutor Patrick Sloane filed July 17. In another filing, Broden refers to Suttons mention of harming Beaudin as nothing more than a revenge fantasy. Sloane, from the Texas Attorney Generals Office, was appointed to Suttons case after former District Attorney Barry Johnson recused the entire McLennan County DAs office a year ago. Sparkman will have a panel of 100 potential jurors called instead of the usual panel of around 60. He also granted Brodens request for Sloane to identify material from 10,000 pages of text messages, emails and web searches recovered from Tijerinas phone, setting a deadline of Aug. 2. Sloane will also provide an internal affairs file on the undercover officer to Sparkman next week for his own review and to share with Broden. Sparkman is a retired state district court judge from Wichita County. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands, prior to talks in Istanbul, Turkey, July 28. Courtesy of the foreign ministry South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin has met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussed improving the two countries' strategic partner relationship, the ministry said Saturday. Park met with Erdogan in Turkey (Turkiye), Friday (local time), during his four-nation trip, which will also take him to three other countries, according to the foreign ministry. It marks the first visit to Turkey by Seoul's foreign minister in eight years. In the meeting, Park expressed gratitude to the "brother nation" for dispatching around 20,000 soldiers during the 1950-1953 Korean War, marking the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement, according to the ministry. The minister asked for Turkey's support for the South Korean government's "audacious" initiative, which offers massive economic assistance to North Korea in exchange for denuclearization steps. He also called for the development of bilateral economic cooperation in the defense industry, nuclear power plants and infrastructure. Erdogan said he welcomes South Korean companies' investment in Turkey and hopes the two countries will improve their economic ties reciprocally, according to the ministry. The ministry added that Erdogan invited President Yoon Suk Yeol to visit Turkey in the near future, hoping to further facilitate exchanges between the two countries' high-ranking government officials. In a separate meeting on Saturday, Park met with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, to discuss bilateral cooperation in the defense, nuclear energy and infrastructure sectors. "We had in-depth discussions on substantive bilateral cooperation and geopolitical issues of the Korean Peninsula and the region," Park told reporters after the meeting. (Yonhap) Waco Independent School District teachers, administrators, staff and other employees will see a bump in their salaries this year after trustees Thursday approved a 3% raise for most positions. The salary increases, detailed in the 2023-24 compensation plan passed by the board, total some $3.9 million and continue a series of board actions in recent years to raise pay at a time when many districts across the state are experiencing teacher and staff shortages. Teacher salaries will rise from $51,475 to $52,975 under the plan, which was presented by Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Daniel Lopez. Teachers, administrators and professionals will see an average increase of 3%. Paraprofessionals and auxiliary employees will see an increase averaging 3% with some seeing increases between 6% and 12% based on years of experience. Higher minimum salaries are in store for custodians, instructional aides, child nutrition workers and other paraprofessionals. Waco ISD police officers under the pay grade midpoint will see increases of 10% to 13%, while salaries for new police officers will range from $42,228 to $55,542 plus a $5,000 signing bonus. Stipends for certain special education and bilingual education positions also will increase, Lopez told the board. In addition to salaries, the district will provide employees $456 monthly toward health insurance or $500 annually for a flexible spending account for employees waiving health coverage. In a separate action, trustees unanimously approved a 3% salary increase for Superintendent Susan Kincannon, bringing her annual salary to $278,673. Kincannon told trustees the salary increases in the compensation plan are in addition to $10.5 million previously approved for sign-up and retention bonuses to be paid out by September 2024. Teachers also will receive a $300 back-to-school supply allowance next month. Some 100 Waco ISD teachers have been approved to receive state-funded Teacher Incentive Allotments, ranging from $4,577 to $23,368 in supplemental income, in August. The allotments are based on a system of teacher performance measures the district developed for use in the state program. The increase in district salaries follows similar action last year when trustees approved $3.7 million in raises averaging 3%. Wacoans experiencing homelessness got a brief respite from the heat and the street Friday as they gathered at the convention center for the biannual Project Homeless Connect event. The one-stop event offered haircuts, hygienic essentials, veterinary check-ups for pets, bike repairs and medical screenings. Nicole Wiscombe, board member of the Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition, said the event is unique in that homeless people can find everything they might need in one place. Project Homeless Connect happens twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. The summer event, which typically draws about 100, saw 140 in attendance Friday. Benjamin Devore said the event is definitely a helper. He walked away with two bus passes, an eye exam appointment and a snack bag. Who doesnt like snacks? Devore said with a sparkle in his eye. These folks here, they have a lot of compassion for people who are homeless or are going through some kind of emotional or mental strain. They're very compassionate. Just the fact that they cared enough to come out when they can. It's gravy. Devore is currently living in his car and unemployed. He said though the lack of a job is less than ideal, hes quite enjoying his makeshift home. Though he smiled as he walked through the convention center, Devore said he had to be dragged there by his ear. You look for as much help as you can, but a lot of folks are embarrassed to ask, Devore said. I had to be pushed to get here today because I didn't want to come. I'm not against anybody for needing, because everybody needs, but I guess your ego gets in the way. You kind of unintentionally hurt yourself while trying to help yourself at the same time. But today is a blessing, so I can't get mad. Every day Devore writes letters to God, whom he credits for his joy. He said he oftentimes feels forgotten by society and alone. All in all, he said he is just grateful to be on this side of the ground. Shannon Eckley, chair of the coalition, said though there are many reasons why someone might become homeless, there has been a spike since the pandemic. Finances are always a reason for homelessness, but as COVID has hit everyone really hard, and there's a lot more financial instability, people are struggling to make ends meet, Eckley said. A lot of people who were one paycheck away from losing their homes and lost their housing. So we're seeing a lot more people on the street and living in their cars. In 2022, there were 195 homeless people in Waco according to the annual Point-in-Time Count. As someone invested in helping the homeless, Eckley said she doesnt see people leave homelessness as often as she would wish, but those stories do exist. It does happen, she said. We are seeing more and more successes. And the more folks that we have trained to do the work that we're doing, the more access we have to healthcare, to substance abuse, to the treatment that people need, the more likely it is that people will come full circle and will be successful. David Lefler has been on the streets since 2019 and said there are definitely worse places to be homeless than in Waco. You'd be surprised at some of the decent people who live out here, Lefler said. He said the nicest thing someone can do for him is to sit and chat. Wiscombe said shes noticed that many community members want to help, they just dont always know how to. We're all humans in this life struggle together, trying to figure out how to survive, Wiscombe said. Let's do it together, let's have some humanity and come together and help each other. It was dangerous to be a Black man in Waco in 1922 and 1923, as the community panicked over a spree of unsolved rapes and murders targeting couples driving in secluded areas. Even more dangerous, for a while, was to be a Black man in Waco with a gold tooth. Waco and McLennan County authorities rounded up five men of that description after the murder of Harrell Bolton and rape of his date, Margaret Harris Hays, near Bellmead on May 25, 1922. They were kept under guard at the county jail while a bloodthirsty mob waited outside to lynch whoever seemed guiltiest. One by one the men were marched from the county jail to the downtown home of Hays, who provided the description. One by one, she eliminated them as suspects. One of the gold-toothed inmates was Roy Mitchell, 30, who had seen the inside of a jail cell a few times before. On May 26, Mitchell was on his way to Hays home on Cleveland Avenue near the current location of In-N-Out Burger for his turn when shots rang out in the direction of the home. Soon word came that Hays had identified a Black service car driver named Jesse Thomas, 20, as the culprit, and the young womans father had killed him on sight. Mitchell was suddenly free to go, and made himself scarce. Soon a mob grabbed Thomas body and publicly mutilated it near City Hall in a replay of the infamous Jesse Washington lynching a few years before. Thomas was never an official suspect in any crime, and his innocence soon became clear, but no one would be held accountable for his killing or the public display that followed. Over the next seven months, the rapes and killings would continue before authorities finally zeroed in on Mitchell, who eventually was convicted in six separate murder trials. Sunday marks exactly 100 years since Roy Mitchell stood on the gallows built outside the McLennan County Jail, looked out on the crowd of thousands and said his laconic parting words: Goodbye, everybody. It was the last legal hanging in McLennan County. For decades it was reported to be the last legal hanging in Texas, taking place on the eve of a new law limiting execution to the electric chair in Huntsville. Former Dallas Morning News journalist Thomas E. Turner debunked that claim in a column in the Tribune-Herald on Feb. 14, 1995, calling it a left-handed brag Waco could do without. He pointed to Nathan Lee, who was hanged in Brazoria County on Aug. 31, 1923. Memory of the Mitchell saga has receded over the years, even as the community has come to terms with a heinous public lynching of a Black man that preceded it and cast its shadow over Mitchells case. In February, community leaders dedicated a state historical marker at City Hall marking the 43 documented cases of lynching in the county between 1860 and 1922, and detailing the 1916 lynching and public torture of Jesse Washington, a Robinson teenager. In that case, a mob seized Washington from the courthouse moments after a jury rapidly convicted him of raping and killing his employer, then burned and hanged him outside City Hall in front of a crowd estimated at more than 10,000. The incident drew international attention to Waco and blighted its reputation as an up-and-coming city. The Mitchell case serves as a sequel to the Washington debacle, demonstrating how Waco had changed in the intervening years, and how it had not. On the one hand, some historians say it proved public authorities in McLennan County were finally serious about shutting down lynch mobs and allowing the justice system to take its course. Deputies and Texas Rangers stationed around the jail and courthouse ensured Mitchells protection between his arrest in February 1923 and his execution July 30. On the other hand, Waco remained a Jim Crow city, a stronghold of the Ku Klux Klan. The circumstances of the murder investigations, including the dragnet approach that resulted in Thomas murder, raise questions about whether any Black suspect could get justice in Waco. Absolutely not, not here, said Don Wright, president of the Central Texas African American Heritage Foundation. There were very few places in the U.S. where that was the case. We were living in a time when there wasnt any way out of any accusation, especially somebody white against a Black person. John Kamenec, a retired surveyor who serves on the McLennan County Historical Commission, found himself so engrossed in the Mitchell story that he spent two years researching it and has written an unpublished 427-page manuscript on it. Kamenec loaned the Tribune-Herald a copy his manuscript, which is based on hundreds of news articles, genealogical records and court documents. Kamenec said most of the published histories of the Mitchell case are incomplete or inaccurate, and he thought the case was important in understanding the justice system of the 1920s. No. 1, I was just wanting to have a true narrative out there, he said. No. 2, theres a lot about police and people of that time. I just wanted to let people know what life was like back then. His manuscript weaves a complicated but intriguing tapestry of interconnected crimes between February 1922 and January 1923. Kamenec concludes Mitchell was likely guilty of those crimes and suggests he may have been involved in other unsolved murders. Kamenec said he does not know what motivated Mitchell, but a comment he made to his defense attorney in an early case suggested a motive: He said Black men would stop violating white women only after white men stopped violating Black women. Based on signed confessions and other evidence, Mitchell was indicted in eight murders, four rapes, two assaults with intent to murder and one assault with intent to rape. Six murder cases went to trial and ended in guilty verdicts. Mitchells yearlong reign of terror not only took its toll on the victims and their families but also on scapegoated suspects and on race relations throughout the community. Jesse Thomas was among the collateral victims. A service car driver who did odd jobs around town, he was never an official suspect in the killing of Harrell Bolton and rape of Margaret Harris Hays and perhaps never understood why he was summarily executed on May 26, 1923. By then, a massive manhunt was underway across the county with an estimated 2,000 men, and mobs had formed around the county jail. Bolton had taken Hays, a neighbor, out driving in the country the night before on a date in his Ford coupe. She was 26 and recently divorced, living with her father, Sam Harris. Around 9 p.m., they were six miles northeast of Waco on the Old Corsicana Road when a Black man emerged from the brush with a pistol, according to newspaper accounts from the time. The man shot Bolton three times, killing him, then took his watch and chain and some money. The gunman then raped Hays and took her walking through the countryside in the dark, telling her he planned to kill her. He then escaped on a freight train after 11 p.m., according to news accounts. In a May 27 Waco News-Tribune article, Hays described the assailant as well-educated. He asked me the name of the man he shot and where he worked, she was quoted as saying. He then added that he was certainly sorry he had committed the crimes and made this expression several times during our journey through the woods. By the next afternoon, volunteers were sweeping the countryside looking for the killer. County authorities stood outside the jail at Sixth Street and Columbus Avenue, warning the mob to let justice take its course. They asked the Texas Rangers to drive up from Austin to help defuse the situation. Just a few blocks away, a telegraph operator named Emmitt McClure, who had been deputized in the search for the killer, was driving around with his wife, looking for a suspect. Hays had described her assailant as a light-colored Black man with a gold tooth. At the city square, the McClures saw Thomas sitting on the running board of a car. McClure lured him to the home of Sam Harris and Margaret Hays, saying he wanted to show Thomas a lawn that needed to be mowed. At the porch of the Harris home, Thomas took off his cap as McClure announced to Harris that he had a suspect. Thomas was led into the bedroom of of Margaret Hays, who screamed, and by some accounts exclaimed, Thats him, Papa. Harris reached for a pistol and shot Thomas several times. Thomas fell outside the back door and died in a pool of blood. His body was taken to a funeral home on Franklin Avenue, where it sat in a hearse. When the jailhouse mob heard about the shooting, it rushed to the funeral home and seized the body. The rioters tied the body to a truck, dragged it to City Hall, near where Jesse Washington had been lynched. A crowd now estimated at 6,000 to 7,000 watched as rioters gathered wood and burned the body while taking souvenirs. Texas Ranger Frank Hamer and four other Rangers arrived soon after the burning with a Thompson submachine gun to keep the peace around the jailhouse. Harris would surrender the next day to Constable Leslie Stegall, who would soon be elected sheriff, but no charges were filed. Stegall continued to believe another gold-toothed inmate, named Sank Johnson, was the true culprit. In the next few days, he discovered the bullets found in Boltons body matched those used in a nonfatal attack on a couple in Cameron Park on May 8. Stegall took Sank Johnson before the couple, William Cottrell and Marjorie Sheffield, who denied he was the attacker. Mitchell would later be indicted in the attack. Sank Johnson was quietly released and lost no time pulling his gold tooth, Kamenec wrote. William Carrigan, a Rowan University history professor and Waco-area native, wrote about Mitchell in his 2004 book, The Making of a Lynching Culture: Violence and Vigilantism in Central Texas, 1836-1916. Based on oral history and personal interviews with Black residents, Carrigan wrote that the Thomas killing and public mutilation was insufferable to the Black community, a wound that could not be healed. Carrigan wrote that unlike Jesse Washington, Jesse Thomas was well-known and liked in the Waco community. His murder left Black Wacoans feeling that their community itself had been personally attacked, Carrigan wrote. Local pastors and American Legion officials condemned the mob violence, but no one was prosecuted. Soon enough, the killings continued, with a definite pattern emerging. On the evening of Nov. 20, 1922, Grady Skipworth, 19, and Naomi Boucher, 21, drove up to Lovers Leap in Cameron Park in a Ford coupe. Newspaper accounts say a Black man with a shotgun stepped out from behind a pavilion and forced them out of the car. He shot Skipworth, seized his watch, and threw him off the cliff. He ordered Boucher into the car and drove her to Circle Point, where he raped her. When it became clear the attackers shotgun was jammed, Boucher either jumped or was thrown over the cliff, according to various accounts. She survived and walked to a house in North Waco for help. The Texas Rangers, Waco police and McLennan County Sheriffs Department each rounded up suspects, but none seemed promising. Rangers and guardsmen joined city and county officers in guarding the jail and prohibited loitering on the square. Authorities received an anonymous note that led to the arrest of a Black man, Ivory Clay, who soon became the chief suspect. Boucher identified Clay as the killer, and her brother allegedly tried to organize a lynch mob to kill him. On Jan. 12, the case took a strange turn. Texas Ranger Rudolph Daniel Shumate became convinced while talking to Skipworths father that the young mans murder was a setup by Bouchers brothers in revenge for her perceived mistreatment. He arrested Boucher, still frail and on crutches, along with her two brothers, and spirited them to Dallas. Judge James Alexander of Wacos 19th State District Court, ordered the arrest of Shumate for illegal confinement and ordered all parties back to Waco. Shumate held out and shuffled the trio around various jails to elude capture before returning with them Jan. 16 to Waco, where they were released. A habeas corpus hearing was scheduled for Clay on Jan. 24. On Jan. 20, with Clay still in jail, another couple was attacked and killed. Edwin Holt, 42, and a married woman named Ethel Denecamp, 21, went missing while on a drive on Jan. 19. Their bodies were found side by side off Springfield Road, shot dead. Holts body had been dragged with a rope. Waco Police Chief Lee Jenkins arrested two white men, suspecting illegal liquor was involved. The Waco chapter of the Ku Klux Klan offered rewards for the Skipworth and Holt-Denecamp murders. The Klan had just held a massive parade down Austin Avenue on Jan. 18 and was on the rise in local and state politics, though it claimed to be opposed to mob violence. Former Sheriff Bob Buchanan, who had opposed a Klan march in October 1921 in Lorena, was ousted by voters and replaced with Stegall, who took office in January. But the Skipworth case seemed to be on thin ice. On Jan. 25, Judge Richard Munroe of Wacos 54th State District Court conducted a hearing for Clay. Munroe, who had overseen the Washington trial several years earlier, concluded the evidence against Clay was insufficient. Clay walked free and quickly boarded a train for Chicago, never to return, Kamenec wrote in his manuscript. On Feb. 1, charges were dismissed against the Bouchers, just as new evidence emerged that appeared to tie several cases together. There had been another attack on a couple on Jan. 9, this time on a road near Rosemound Cemetery. The couple had escaped after a struggle, but the assailant, described again as Black, had left his cap in the car. Stegalls team was able to find witnesses to identify the cap as belonging to Roy Mitchell. On Jan. 29, a deputy arrested Mitchell at Fourth Street and Austin Avenue on the pretense that he was wanted for his part in an illegal dice game. Stegall and his men proceeded to Mitchells home at 608 Jefferson Ave. and reportedly found a trove of evidence in several murders. Stuffed in a chimney flue was a rope later determined to match that used to drag Holt, along with a pistol identified as Holts. A later search of the home would reportedly uncover a watch chain belonging to Skipworth as well as an overcoat thought to belong to William Driskell, a cotton trader who had been murdered at his Barnard Street home in May 1922. At the farm where Holt and Denecamps bodies were found, a relative of Mitchell was found with a shotgun that belonged to Driskell. Soon, a half-brother of Mitchells would surrender a watch that belonged to Skipworth, saying he won it in a bet with Mitchell. Stegalls team would track down another man in Detroit who had received a watch belonging to Bolton. Stegall took Mitchell to a jail in Hillsboro to keep him away from the mob, and he and County Attorney C.S. Farmer attempted to interrogate him for days, accusing him of the murders of Driskell, Bolton, Holt and Denecamp. On Feb. 9, a few days after Mitchells return to the McLennan County Jail, Stegall announced a detailed confession, signed and corrected by Mitchell, who was highly literate and known for writing poetry in his cell. Mitchell would later repudiate the confession, saying he made it under duress and false promises of leniency. At each of the six trials, he insisted he had not killed anyone. Yet it is notable that Mitchell confessed to a triple murder that Stegall and other county officials had already declared solved. In that case, authorities arrested two young Black men near the small community of Concord near present-day Texas State Technical College. They were accused of robbing the home and store of William and Lula Barker at night, using an ax and a gun to kill them and a visiting boy, Homer Turk, 13. A young attorney, John Sheehy, vigorously defended the suspects, Benny Young and Cooper Johnson. In a 1976 memoir, Sheehy recalls working hard on the case, producing witnesses who said they were with the men the night of the shooting, and showing that the revolver found on Young was rusty and incapable of being fired. Still, prosecutor Frank Tirey persuaded the jury to find the men guilty, with Young given a life sentence and Johnson sentenced to hang. By the time Mitchell was found guilty in the case, Johnson had died on a county poor farm, leaving Sheehy to successfully seek a pardon for Young from Gov. Pat Neff. Sheehy, who also defended Ivory Clay, declined to defend Roy Mitchell after the confession. Judge Munroe appointed a seasoned team of defense attorneys to represent him in the six trials in March 1923 and on appeals before his hanging on July 30. In her 2005 book, The First Waco Horror: The Lynching of Jesse Washington and the Rise of NAACP, author Patricia Bernstein suggests the Mitchell trials were rushed but concludes local officials were serious about preventing mob violence. Sheriff Stegall and Police Chief Jenkins had every detail of security under control and publicly warned that officers would shoot to kill anyone who tried to seize Mitchell, Bernstein wrote. They brought in a small army of law enforcement officers as well as Frank Hamer and other Texas Rangers during the trial. In an interview this week, Carrigan, the Rowan University historian, said the Mitchell affair represented a mixed legacy for law enforcement. From a historians perspective, I believe he was probably guilty, Carrigan said. From a legal perspective, all those kinds of things would get thrown out today. It doesnt meet with modern legal standards and maybe didnt meet with legal standards then. It does muddy the water. Its hard to argue with people who want to question what happened. He said local leaders were keen on protecting Waco from the bad publicity it suffered during the Washington affair, and that might have pushed them to do the right thing. The Waco elite decided, We cant have this anymore, and decided there would be consequences if it was allowed to happen, he said. They wanted no lynchings in Waco to be splashed in the papers in Paris, London and New York. Theres no contradiction there with the racist rounding up of Black people on slim evidence. Yet Carrigan said he believes the case represents an incremental step in a Texas city heading more toward due process for all. Don Wright, the Waco Black history leader, said the Mitchell case came up when he and other community leaders were discussing how to commemorate the lynching of Jesse Washington. What came up was that maybe Mitchell really did commit some murders, he said. It was said he confessed to it, but was the confession under duress? Those clouds are hanging over it. From the times when it happened, its hard to know what happened. We all have our doubts. KYIV, Ukraine Russian forces on Friday struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro and pounded a key village in the southeast that Ukraine claimed to have recaptured in its grinding counteroffensive, while Moscow accused Kyiv of firing two missiles at southern Russia and wounding 20 people. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, marked Ukraine's Statehood Day by reaffirming the country's sovereignty a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who used his claim that Ukraine didn't exist as a nation to justify his invasion. "Now, like more than a thousand years ago, our civilizational choice is unity with the world," Zelenskyy said in a speech on a square outside St. Michael's Monastery in Kyiv. "To be a power in world history. To have the right to its national history of its people, its land, its state. And of our children all future generations of the Ukrainian people. We will definitely win!" He also honored service members and handed out first passports to young citizens as part of ceremonies. The holiday coincides with commemorations of the adoption of Christianity on lands that later became Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down a Ukrainian missile in the city of Taganrog, about 24 miles east of the border with Ukraine, and local officials reported 20 people were injured, identifying the epicenter as an art museum. Debris fell on the city, the ministry added, alleging the missile was part of a "terror attack" by Ukraine. Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, blamed Russian air defense systems for the explosion. Russia's Defense Ministry said it downed a second Ukrainian missile near the city of Azov, which like Taganrog is in the Rostov region, and debris fell in an unpopulated location. Earlier in the day, a Ukrainian drone was shot down outside Moscow, the Defense Ministry said. No injuries or damage were reported and the ministry didn't give an exact location where the drone fell. It was the third drone strike or attempt on the capital region this month. Since the war began, Russia blamed Ukraine for drone, bomb and missile attacks on its territory far from the front line. Ukrainian officials rarely confirm being behind the attacks. The strikes hit Russian ammunition and fuel depots, as well as bridges the Russian military uses to supply its forces, and military recruitment stations. The attacks also included killings of Russian-appointed officials in occupied Ukrainian territory. Three months ago, a Russian warplane accidentally dropped a bomb on Belgorod, injuring two people; Ukraine initially was suspected. In Dnipro, an apparent Russian missile attack wounded nine people in the area of a newly constructed and as yet unoccupied 12-story apartment building, as well as an unoccupied adjacent Security Service of Ukraine building. "Russian missile terror again," Zelenskyy wrote on social media. Video showed the apartment building's upper floors in ruins, with gray smoke billowing from them, and flames raging in the night at ground level, where shattered concrete and glass littered a courtyard. Russia often struck apartment buildings during the conflict, while denying it intentionally targets civilians. Meanwhile, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Col.-Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said his troops were pushing forward in parts of eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia and meeting stiff resistance as the war drags into its 18th month. "The enemy fiercely clings to every centimeter, conducting intense artillery and mortar fire," he said. Recent fighting has taken place at multiple places along the more than more than 600-mile front, where Ukraine deployed its recently acquired Western weapons to push out the Kremlin's forces. However, it is attacking without vital air support and faces a deeply entrenched foe. Zelenskyy posted a video Thursday night in which Ukrainian soldiers said they had taken Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region. Russian military bloggers said artillery fire at the Ukrainian troops effectively razed the village and reported more barrages Friday. Capturing the village, which in 2014 had a population of 682, would give Ukraine a platform to push deeper into Russian-held territory, the bloggers noted. The area has been a focus of Ukraine's counteroffensive since June, and its troops previously captured several other villages there as they slowly work their way across extensive Russian minefields. It was not possible to verify either side's claims in the war zone. Syrskyi said fighting that targets the enemy's artillery as well as its command and control structure is a priority as his troops probe Russian lines for weaknesses. "In these conditions, it is crucial to make timely management decisions in response to the situation at hand and take measures for maneuvering forces and resources, shifting units and troops to areas where success is evident, or withdrawing them from the enemy's fire," he said. Russia is trying to hold on to the territory it controls in the four provinces it illegally annexed in September: Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kherson and Luhansk. Photos: Russia bombards Ukraine's port city of Odesa, hitting beloved historic sites PRESS RELEASE The First Flight Society announced the 5th annual National Aviation Day at Dare County Regional Airport on August 19th, 2023. The event runs from 10AM-3PM and consists of Airplane Displays, Exhibitors, Speakers, and Food Trucks. The mission of the celebration is to provide a fun and educational experience promoting, honoring, and celebrating the accomplishments of the Wright Brothers and helping educate the world about aviation. NAD is a free event aimed at all ages. Speakers at the event include historian Larry Tise, FFS Event chair Tony Bruno and FFS Board member Danny Couch. Mr. Tises lectures will focus on Orville and Katharine Wright. His morning talk will be Sterchens: The Wright brothers and their sister Katharine and After Wilbur: Orville and Katharine. Mr. Bruno will speak about Aviation history of the Outer Banks, while Mr. Couch will talk about Billy Mitchell father of the Air Force. Confirmed exhibitors include Kitty Hawk Kites, Civil Air Patrol, Military Aviation Museum, Elizabeth City State University, Dare County Radio Control Flyers, Dare County, PaperPie, and Beach Gypsy Designs. NAD is also Orville Wrights birthday. Former president Franklin D. Roosevelt was the creator of National Aviation Day, deciding for the first time in 1939 that the nation should celebrate the growth and advancements being made in aviation. Mr. Wright, born in 1871, was still alive when the proclamation was first issued. Katharine Wright, sister of Orville and Wilbur was also born on August 19th, but in 1874. Dare County Regional airport (MQI) is located at 410 Airport Road, Manteo, NC 27954. Additional information can be found at www.nationalaviationday.org. Without the First Flight Society there would not be a Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The Kill Devil Hills Memorial Association, later named First Flight Society, began as a group of local businessmen who successfully petitioned the US Congress to fund and build a monument to the Wright Brothers 1903 achievement. The FFS plans an annual celebration at the Wright Brothers National Memorial on December 17th to celebrate and memorialize the work of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, NC. They created the Paul E Garber Shrine in 1966 to honor individuals and groups for achieving significant firsts in aviation development since 1903. Walter and Olive Ann Beech, the founders of Beechcraft, will be inducted this December 17th. (Charles Lindbergh, Tuskegee Airmen, Mary Feik, John Glenn, Katherine Johnson (Hidden Figures) and most recently astronaut Sally K Ride, among others. The First Flight Societys mission is: We tell the story of the Wright Brothers through community events, education, and the commemoration of the worlds very first powered flight, in Kitty Hawk, NC. More information about the First Flight Society can be found at https://firstflight.org America, take off your blinders. The Constitution allows any qualified person to run for the president of the United States. This isnt a mandate. This voluntary service requires monumental sacrifices benefiting America. A parent must provide for a minor child. Failure to adequately provide and perform what societys minimum mandates carries consequences. We must distinguish between mandatory obligatory and voluntary choices. U.S. jurisprudence protects our rights while helping us achieve our desires through litigation. The burden protecting their desires is on the individual seeking, not on the American society. A run for the White House is not mandatory. Those reporting or explaining proposed delays in the criminal prosecution of one person to voluntarily run for the presidency must distinguish the difference. The issue is: What a person must do vs. what a person wants to do. Remember, there are millions of alternative and qualified potential choices. Some think they are the best one for the office. Our legal system only protects an individuals rights, not desires. Rest assured if one person was the only person for the job, Americans will draft or appoint him/her. Besides, they can run in 2028 if they are successful in litigation now. Vernon Weems, Waterloo The semiconductor industry warned that there wont be enough engineers, computer scientists and technicians in the U.S. to support a rapid expansion this decade, threatening efforts to boost the domestic chip economy. Chipmakers are on course to add about 115,000 jobs by 2030, the Semiconductor Industry Association said, citing a survey it commissioned. Based on a study of current degree completion rates, though, about 58% of those projected positions could remain unfilled. Chip companies have long cited a struggle to find qualified U.S. employees. On July 20, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said production at a planned facility in Arizona will be postponed from late 2024 until 2025 because of a shortage of skilled workers. The move dealt a blow to efforts by the Biden administration, which is counting on federal incentives to revitalize semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. Were supposed to go from a $550 billion industry to a trillion-dollar industry in 2030, and thats going to take more talent, said John Neuffer, chief executive officer of the SIA. If we arent able to get our arms around this, our industry in general will falter. TSMC is one of a number of large chip companies a group that includes Intel Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. that have announced plans to build production facilities in the U.S. Theyre trying to take advantage of billions of dollars set aside by last years Chips and Science Act to bolster the domestic industry. Total industry revenue will grow to $1 trillion by 2030, almost double where it was in 2020, the SIA said. At that point, the field will need about 460,000 workers, according to the study carried out by Oxford Economics. Based on current trends, companies wont be able to fill 67,000 new positions. Not enough Americans are studying science, engineering, math and technology-related subjects, according to the SIA. And people from other countries who are acquiring those skills are leaving, the group said. At U.S. colleges and universities, more than 50% of masters engineering graduates and 60% of those with a Ph.D. in engineering are citizens of other countries. About 80% of those masters graduates and 25% of those who earn doctorates depart the U.S. either by choice or because immigration policy doesnt allow them to stay. The SIA CEO said that in the near term, the fix has to come from immigration reform that would allow the U.S. to retain more of the talent that its creating at its world-leading universities. Beyond that, the U.S. has to lure more students into the relevant education path, and the chip industry has to do a better job of attracting those that have the skills it needs. Neuffer said hes optimistic that lawmakers in Washington are ready to help address the skills shortage. The supply chain struggles during the pandemic may have actually helped matters because they raised the chip industrys profile, he said. No one is going to forget the chip shortages that we had and that chips are critically important, Neuffer said. One silver lining from the pandemic is theres a whole lot of people who give a damn about chips. Best-Paying Cities for Electrical Engineers Best-Paying Cities for Electrical Engineers The semiconductor trade has incurred rapid price increases after years of decline Electrical engineer employment by industry New Mexico offers the highest wages for electircal engineers Best paying small and midsize metros for electrical engineers 15. Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 14. Tulsa, OK 13. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 12. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 11. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 10. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 9. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 8. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 7. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 6. SacramentoRosevilleArden-Arcade, CA 5. New Orleans-Metairie, LA 4. Austin-Round Rock, TX 3. Fresno, CA 2. Birmingham-Hoover, AL 1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA JOHNSTON A monthslong review of state victims services policies including the pause in state funding of abortions for rape victims is ongoing but a decision is expected soon, a spokeswoman for Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said Friday. The policy decisions made as a result of that audit, including whether to permanently stop that state funding for rape victims abortions, will be permanent and will not require legislative action, Bird said. Bird on Friday discussed that ongoing review, her offices pending arguments before the Iowa Supreme Court on the latest legislation to restrict abortions in the state, and other topics during her appearance on this weekends episode of Iowa Press on Iowa PBS. Bird in April paused the attorney general offices practice of using the states victim compensation funds to pay for emergency contraception and, in rare cases, abortions for victims of sexual assault, while her office reviewed the policy. Later that month, it was reported that payments for emergency contraception for nearly 70 sexual assault survivors had yet to be reimbursed, according to a statement from Planned Parenthood North Central States, based on records from the Attorney Generals Office obtained by Iowa Public Radio. The Attorney Generals Office did not immediately respond to a request for an updated figure Friday. We are working on that audit and what the outcome of that will be. But youre right, we did pause payments to entities like Planned Parenthood and others that were being reimbursed for abortions and for Plan B, Bird said during taping. However, those services still remain available under Iowa law to victims. Its just whether public funds will pay for them. Bird was asked on the program whether, once the audit is done, that policy will become permanent. Bird answered yes, and her office later clarified that she meant whatever decisions are made will become permanent policy, but the specific decision of whether the state will cover the cost of rape victims abortions remains undetermined. Abortion law Bird said the U.S. Supreme Courts 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade paved the way for stronger restrictions on abortions to be considered constitutional by the courts. Bird also declined, as some conservative and Republican Iowans have, to call for the impeachment of the three Iowa Supreme Court justices who declined to overrule a 2019 district court judges decision to block the abortion restrictions passed in 2018. My role here is to defend and enforce the law. And here in Iowa, the issue that we have before us is defending the heartbeat law, and I am glad to do that and glad that the Iowa Supreme Court took it up so quickly so that more innocent lives arent lost, Bird said. Prosecuting local cases Bird declined to say what it would take for her to direct her office to prosecute a case that a county attorney declines to prosecute, but did say that such an instance has not yet arisen since she became attorney general after the 2022 elections. Iowa Republicans sweeping legislation that reorganized the executive branch of state government included language that clarified the attorney generals authority to prosecute any cases, even if a county attorney declines. The attorney general has always had that authority by state law, but the previous attorney general, Democrat Tom Miller, who occupied the office for roughly four decades, operated under a de facto policy of not prosecuting local cases unless a county attorney requested his offices assistance. Bird is a former Guthrie County attorney. As it stands today, there is no case in Iowa that we have intervened in without the request of the local county attorney, Bird said. Thats not to say that it couldnt happen at some point, but it would be an unusual situation. So far that kind of situation hasnt presented itself. But if it did and it was necessary, that could be a possibility. Photos: Republican presidential candidates share stage at Iowa campaign event Iowa Press airs on Iowa PBS at noon Sunday and at 8:30 a.m. Saturday on PBS World, and can be viewed online at iowapbs.org. DES MOINES Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has become a key player in the Republican presidential race, released a list of 2024 presidential candidates who will join her for one-on-one interviews at next months Iowa State Fair. Notably absent is current GOP primary front-runner and former President Donald Trump, who has faced criticism for attacking Reynolds over her commitment to staying neutral in the leadoff caucus state. Reynolds invited all 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls, including Trump, for a fair-side chat. The Republican governor has shrugged off pointed criticism from Trump, who in posts on his Truth Social social media platform blamed her for remaining neutral in the 2024 caucuses and claimed credit for her rise to the governors office in 2018. Other presidential candidates, well aware of Reynolds popularity with Iowa voters, rose to her defense. Those included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, seen as the former presidents top primary rival, whose campaign criticized what it called Trumps latest snub to Iowans. The Iowa State Fair has been a must-stop for decades for presidential contenders of both political parties in the year ahead of the first-in-the-nation nominating contests. While Ron DeSantis is committed to putting in the work necessary to win Iowa and will be hitting the accelerator in the coming weeks, Donald Trump is proving hes not up for the fight in the Hawkeye State, DeSantis campaign spokeswoman Carly Atchison said in a statement. Trump skipped a gathering of some 2,000 Christian conservatives earlier this month at the evangelical Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines. Its the most recent example of Trump shrugging off prominent multicandidate campaign events in the leadoff caucus state for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, opting instead for visits on his own schedule. Trump also skipped Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernsts 2024 Roast and Ride GOP fundraiser in June. Trump stopped in Cedar Rapids last week to record a town hall with Fox News Sean Hannity and visited a meeting of the Linn County GOP at an Elks Lodge. And Trump did plan to attend Fridays Republican Party of Iowas annual Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines. A pair of recent polls of Iowa Republican voters shows Trump holds a commanding lead ahead of the 2024 caucuses, despite swirling legal battles and criticism for attacking Reynolds. Reynolds will host fair-side chats with the likes of DeSantis, former U.S. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Vice President Mike Pence. I am so proud that I get to have the opportunity to introduce these candidates to Iowans at an event so near and dear to my heart, Reynolds said in a statement. The Iowa State Fair showcases the best of Iowa from our people to our culture and wonderful agriculture industry and its the perfect venue for a conversation with the candidates. The current full schedule is as follows: Aug. 10, 10:30 a.m.: Conservative talk radio host and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder. Aug. 11, 8:30 a.m.: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum; 9:30 a.m.: Former Vice President Mike Pence; 10:30 a.m.: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. Aug. 12, 8:30 a.m.: Ohio biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; 9:30 a.m.: Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley; 10:30 a.m.: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Aug. 15, 8:30 a.m.: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson; 9:30 a.m.: Texas pastor Ryan Binkley; 10:30 a.m.: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. Aug. 18, 9:30 a.m.: Michigan businessman Perry Johnson; 10:30 a.m.: Former Texas U.S. Rep. Will Hurd. Iowans can submit questions for candidates here: https://secure.winred.com/reynoldsgregg/fairsidechats The interviews will take place at JRs SouthPork Ranch. Chinas Defense Ministry opposes increased US military ties with Taiwan BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei on Thursday criticized the United States for stepping up military ties with Taiwan. He made the statement while commenting on the provisions of the US National Defense Authority Act of 2024 regarding Taiwan, as well as an agreement that was recently reached between the US and Taiwan on the supply of US anti-aircraft missile systems to the area. These outrageous actions seriously undermine Chinas national sovereignty and security, and threaten peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait area, Tan said, adding that China is seriously concerned about these actions and strongly opposes them. He said the Peoples Liberation Army of China pays close attention to the development of the situation in the Taiwan Strait and intends to continue to take decisive and effective measures to protect Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity. US and NATO are biggest risk to international peace and security: Chinese Defense Ministry BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) The United States and NATO are the biggest source of risk and instability to international peace and security. This was announced on Thursday by the official representative of the Chinese Ministry of Defense Tan Kefei. He made such a statement in response to a request from journalists to comment on the communique of the NATO summit held recently in Vilnius. Tan Kefei noted that NATO, as a military bloc, is known to have the worlds largest nuclear arsenal and adheres to a policy of first use of nuclear weapons. In recent years, the United States has continued to promote nuclear sharing under the guise of so-called security threats. The US has reportedly deployed more than 100 nuclear weapons in a number of European countries, significantly increasing the risk of global nuclear proliferation and nuclear conflict. China firmly pursues a strategy of self-defense in the nuclear field and has consistently adhered to a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, the spokesman said. We urge NATO to take practical steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in national and collective security policy and effectively maintain global strategic stability, Tan said. WtR Members of Say Sue Me pose outside Chicago's Empty Bottle, July 20. Courtesy of Say Sue Me By Kyle Decker CHICAGO Busan band Say Sue Me brought their unique brand of shoegazy surf rock (surfgaze?) back to Chicago on July 20. It was the second-to-last stop on their seven-city North American tour, the night after playing K-Indie Music Night in New York with Crying Nut. This was not their first time blowing the roof off the Windy City. They played an equally packed house in late 2019, also at the Empty Bottle, which has been one of Chi-town's most iconic small venues for 30-plus years. I was also able to catch the 2019 show and had planned on seeing them back in early 2022, but COVID-19 surges and finances forced the tour to be canceled, which was disappointing. But I have to say, this show was worth the wait. Pictures taken at a photo booth in Chicago music venue Empty Bottle show Busan Band Say Sue Me, July 20. It's a tradition for bands to be given free tokens for the photo booth. Bands keep the color ones, and the bar posts the black-and-white ones. Courtesy of Say Sue Me I first came to know Say Sue Me back in 2014. My old band, Daegu-based Food for Worms , had played a show with a Busan band called Genius, who were friends of Say Sue Me. I later went to Busan and caught them playing shows together at a small club called the Basement near Pusan National University. Say Sue Me's mix of 1960s surf rock and 1990s shoegaze hits you with a wall of sound and the energy of their live shows is infectious. It was easy to see why they had a rabid fanbase in their local scene me among them. On a personal note, I even included the classic Say Sue Me songs "I Know I'm Kinda Boring" and "I'm Sorry I'm Drunk" on the first mix CD I gave to the woman who would later be my wife. U.K. record label Damnably knew what they were doing when they snatched them up. " Where We Were Together " was my top record of 2018, and the track " Old Town " has held its place in my Top 5 songs ever since. Its themes of aging and growing apart from people hit home, and the guitar solo at the end is a heartbreaker. The Empty Bottle, which is also near and dear to me personally, is really the perfect venue for Say Sue Me's vibe. The 400-capacity venue has sat on Western Avenue in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood since it opened in 1992. Its "Music Friendly Dancing" awning and chalkboard door are Chicago landmarks in their own right. It was even ranked 12th on Rolling Stone's list of the best small rock clubs in America. Most importantly, it also maintains the charm of a neighborhood dive bar. Historically, somewhere in the venue, there has always been a cat, and the current Bottle cat was chilling on the bar both before and after the show. Considering fan favorite " But I Like You " includes the line "I like somebody who likes cats," it's really quite kismet. When I asked her about the venue, frontwoman Choi Sumi commented, "I like playing this place. The audience seems to really like us and has good energy. I felt like I could cut loose. I felt free." A cat sits on the bar at Chicago music venue Empty Bottle, July 20. Courtesy of Say Sue Me As someone who has seen them play Chicago twice now, I can say that Chicagoans love Say Sue Me. When the band opened with an older song, " My Problem ," everyone was familiar with it, suggesting that these Chicago fans are digging into the back catalog. Anytime guitarist Kim Byungkyu would go into a solo, the audience would flip out. This led me to walk around before and after the show to ask my fellow Chicagoans how they came to be familiar with Say Sue Me. "I don't honestly know," said Dan, 35. "Spotify or YouTube, I think. But as a Korean American, their sound really resonated with me." "He introduced me," said Michael, Dan's cousin. And the Dan-Mike pattern was pretty consistent across the people that I spoke with. One person found out about them through a streaming service algorithm, and then they subsequently dragged along their friend, family member or significant other. A young woman named Aubrey found out about them because their song " So Tender " was in the K-drama Nevertheless . Aubrey, in turn, dragged her friend, Vianna, to the show. A man named Sergio said it was their cover of Blondie's "Dreaming" that caught his attention. One group of fans said they go together to South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin every year and Say Sue Me was on several lists of bands to see at SXSW. This group included local music journalist Bruce Novak of the blog and podcast No Wristbands . Jeremy, 47, had been a fan of Say Sue Me's Japanese labelmates Otoboke Beaver and had seen Say Sue Me play with them. While speaking to others at the show, a fan named Aaron, 44, who found the band through music critic Steven Hyden, commented, "Their music has a cinematic quality. And the guitarist is great. But he also knows when to back off and let her (Choi) take the lead." Surprisingly, Say Sue Me were not the only Korean indie rockers on stage that night. Precocious Neophyte , a Chicago-based dream-pop band, has some familiar faces. Frontwoman Jeehye had been a member of Juck Juck Grunzie and Vidulgi OoyoO. Bass player Ethan was in Table People and Visuals. They even closed their set with a cover of Say Sue Me's " Let It Begin " with permission, of course. The record release party for their album, "Home in the Desert," will be in Chicago on Sept. 1 at DIY venue Sleeping Village. Members of Say Sue Me pose on stage with friends after a show at Chicago's Empty Bottle, July 20. Courtesy of Steve C A survivor of six heart attacks and a brain tumor, a grumpy bear of a man, whom has declared Russia as his new and wonderful home. His wife is a true Russian Sweet Pea of a girl and she puts up with this bear of a guy and keeps him in line. Thank God for my Sweet Pea and Russia. President Joe Biden speaks at Auburn Manufacturing Inc., in Auburn, Maine, Friday, July 28, 2023, before he signs an executive order to encourage companies to manufacture new inventions in the United States. FILE- Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum at the presidential palace in Niamey, Niger, March 16, 2023. Bazoum said Wednesday July 26 2023 that elements of the presidential guard tried to move against him and that the army will attack if they don't back down. Streets surrounding the presidential palace in the capital Niamey were blocked off as were some of the ministries. (Boureima Hama/Pool Photo via AP/File) Instagram Celebrity The actress, who was married to the Space X founder twice, announced her engagement on Thursday, July 27, by sharing on Twitter a selfie of her and her now-fiance. Jul 29, 2023 AceShowbiz - Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Thomas Sangster) and Talulah Riley are hearing wedding bells. "The Maze Runner" actor and Elon Musk's two-time ex-wife announced their engagement on social media, and upon catching wind of the good news, the Space X founder set aside time to congratulate the lovebirds. On Thursday, July 27, the 37-year-old actress shared on Twitter a selfie of her and her now-fiance. Alongside the snap, she exclaimed, "Very happy to share that after two years of dating, Thomas Brodie Sangster and I are engaged!" The tweet did not go unnoticed by Elon. The business magnate replied to it by simply writing, "Congratulations!" adding a red heart emoji. Thomas, for his part, announced his engagement to Talulah on his Instagram page. Alongside a picture of the duo on a gondola, he gushed, "Happy to announce that Talulah and I are engaged. Love is all around X," referring to his most iconic role in 2003's "Love Actually", where The Troggs' track "Love Is All Around" features. Thomas and Talulah went public with their relationship in March 2022 by hitting the red carpet for the 2022 British Academy Film Awards Gala Dinner together. At the event, which took place at The Londoner Hotel in London, England, the couple was seen standing closely while posing for the camera. They also wrapped their arms around each other. Meanwhile, Talulah married Elon in 2010. However, they called it quits two years later, only to remarry in 2013. The Tesla tycoon filed for divorce in 2014, then withdrew it. Two years afterward, his now-ex-wife filed for a divorce and it was finalized later that year. "We took some time apart for several months to see if absence makes the heart grow fonder, and unfortunately it did not," Elon said at that time. You can share this post! Cover Images/INFphoto.com Celebrity Several large U-hauls and a pickup truck are seen parked outside the estranged couple's former marital home in Santa Barbara, California, with piles of cardboard boxes surrounding the vehicles. Jul 29, 2023 AceShowbiz - Kevin Costner's estranged wife Christine Baumgartner has apparently started packing things up as her eviction date looms. Moving vans have been spotted at the actor's ocean-front estate in Carpinteria just three days before his estranged wife is supposed to vacate the house. On Friday, July 28, several large U-Hauls and a pickup truck were seen parked outside the estranged couple's former marital home in Santa Barbara, California. Piles of cardboard boxes, likely filled with Christine's belongings, surrounded the vehicles. Interestingly, the vans ended up at Kevin's beachfront compound, which is only about a half mile away. It's unclear where Christine is moving after leaving the home that they used to share together, but she could probably be staying at the beachfront house, at least for the time being, according to Page Six. Christine herself was not spotted doing the heavy lifting, while Kevin has been away for a vacation with their three children in Aspen, Colorado. Earlier this week, he was pictured picking up his sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 13, from the airport as they returned from a Hawaiian vacation with their mom. They later stopped by a grocery store to grab some stuff. The "Yellowstone" star wore a short-sleeve, denim button-up and light-washed jeans. He also sported a cowboy hat and sunglasses to hide his face. His teen children kept it casual in T-shirts and blue jeans as they pushed groceries carts through the parking lot and toward the family's car. Earlier this month, Christine was seen lounging on the beach with the three teens outside the Four Seasons Resort. They were joined by Kevin's friend Josh Connor, who is said to have been a "confidante" to Christine as she navigates her messy split from Kevin, during the tropical vacation. A source told The Sun that Josh had flown out to Hawaii to serve as a "companion" to Christine, and he is reportedly staying at the same swanky Four Seasons resort as her family. Despite their apparent closeness, sources told TMZ that there is "absolutely no romantic relationship" between Christine and Josh, who is also said to be good friends of Kevin. "They have been good friends for years," the source added. You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The 'John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum' actress treats her fans to a sexy picture of her celebrating 'Leo season' in style as she gets a head start on her celebrations of her 57th birthday. Jul 29, 2023 AceShowbiz - Halle Berry is proud to be a Leo. The 56-year-old Oscar-winning actress treated her fans to a sexy picture of her celebrating "Leo season" in style as she got a head start on the celebrations of her 57th birthday. Shared on Twitter on Friday, July 28, the picture saw the "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum" actress skateboarding in the street while wearing a white T-shirt and tropical-patterned bikini bottom. As she let her brunette locks look naturally messy and went makeup-free, she threw a smile at the camera. "sliding into Leo season," the "Catwoman" star, whose birthday is on August 14, captioned the snap. If the picture looked familiar, it was because Halle actually posted some snaps from the same photo shoot on Instagram in March 2022. Halle isn't a stranger to sharing sexy photos on social media. Back in April, she heated up the Internet by sharing a photo of her drinking wine while getting naked on a balcony. Accompanying the saucy snap, Halle simply wrote in the caption, "i do what i wanna do. happy Saturday." While some fellow celebrities, including Halle Bailey, Lena Waithe, Audra McDonald and Kelly Rowland, and fans gushed over the daring photo, a troll left a disapproval comment underneath the post. "Imagine being in your 50s, still posting nudes for attention in menopause when you should be chilling with the grandkids. Aging with dignity is no longer a thing," wrote the hater. It didn't take long before Halle caught wind of the comment. "Did you guys know the heart of a shrimp is located in its head?" she wrote back to the naysayer. Meanwhile, Halle discussed embracing her body in an interview with AARP magazine earlier this year. "We're all going to get older," she explained in January. "Our skin is going to shrivel up and we're going to look different. I see things changing with my face and body." Despite the changes, the "Moonfall" actress noted, "I've never put all my eggs in that basket. I've always known that beauty is deeper than the physical body you're walking around in." You can share this post! Universal Pictures Movie In a new interview, Benny recounts how director Christopher Nolan sent him interviews to help him prepare for his role as Hungarian-American physicist Edward Teller. Jul 29, 2023 AceShowbiz - Benny Safdie stars as the Hungarian-American physicist Edward Teller in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster "Oppenheimer". Teller spoke with a thick Hungarian accent and Benny explained that the toughest element of the part was to mimic the voice of his character. "The accent was something I was so nervous about. I remember Chris asking me, 'How's the accent coming?' And I'm just like, 'Oh my God, how am I going to accomplish this?' " the "Licorice Pizza" star recalled. "I didn't know if he was going to want me to do it. But he sent me all of these interviews and we talked about how Teller speaks and who he is. It was a long process of working together to really nail it down." Benny added, "I remember finally I was like, 'You know what? I could sound crazy, but I don't care. This is what Teller sounds like and I'm just going to do it.' I sent a voice memo where I just narrated what my breakfast was and how Teller really liked pineapple." The 37-year-old also grew bushy eyebrows for the movie. He explained how the director encouraged him not to pluck his brows so he could resemble his alter ego. Benny told Vulture, "I am proud to say that it's all my eyebrows." "Teller had the best eyebrows. Every once in a while I have a straggler that I'll just pluck out, cause it looks a little too crazy. But Chris said, 'Don't do that. Let's just let it go crazy.' I had the most insane eyebrows for months and months, and you just had to brush them out and then they shined in all their glory." You can share this post! Teachers stage a protest in central Seoul, July 29, calling for the normalization of public education. Yonhap Tens of thousands of teachers staged a large-scale protest in downtown Seoul, Saturday, calling for the normalization of public education, after a colleague took her own life at an elementary school last week. Police estimated that around 21,000 activists took part in the event, while organizers asserted that the number of attendees reached as high as 30,000. The protest came after a teacher, known only as a 23-year-old woman in charge of first graders at an elementary school in southern Seoul, apparently took her own life on the premises last week. Several allegations surrounding her death have surfaced, including claims that she was under immense stress due to parents' complaints about school violence. However, the school has denied the allegations. The participants wore black attire to express condolences for the teacher, while urging the authorities to come up with measures to safeguard teachers' rights and promote the normalization of public education. Earlier this week, the government and the ruling People Power Party agreed to move forward with a set of legal revisions aimed at protecting teachers' rights and enhancing their authority in classrooms. The decision comes in the wake of President Yoon Suk Yeol's instruction to devise comprehensive guidelines to address the erosion of teachers' rights. (Yonhap) Instagram Music Simon Le Bon and co are expected to donate proceeds from their upcoming gig in California to a non-profit organization to honor their pal who is battling cancer. Jul 30, 2023 AceShowbiz - Duran Duran hopes their benefit concert next month in honour of guitarist Andy Taylor will help the global fight against cancer. Proceeds from the gig, scheduled for August 19 at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, California, will go to the UK's Cancer Awareness Trust charity, after Andy left the band in 2006 and revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis last year. "We are heading to Northern California to play many of the songs that we wrote together with our dear friend, Andy Taylor, to help him and others in their fight against prostate cancer. It is the right thing to do," frontman Simon Le Bon, 64, said in a statement. Drummer Roger Taylor, 74, added, "We would like to thank our fans and the organisers of this benefit who have given us the chance to help our longtime friend and colleague Andy Taylor. We have always described ourselves as a 'band of brothers,' and that has never been more true than in this very moment." The Cancer Awareness Trust raises money to fight cancer and helps develop treatments that allow patients like Andy to extend their lives. Tickets for the upcoming gig are available now. Sir Chris Evans - the founder of Cancer Awareness Trust - told Rolling Stone, "Andy will receive the latest precision medical treatment, emanating from some recently successful clinical trials, along with the ongoing support that the Cancer Awareness Trust is providing. The incredible support of Duran Duran will mean many more people will benefit just like Andy has." Andy, 62, has revealed he's hoping to undergo new "nuclear therapy" to fight his cancer. He told the "Rockonteurs" podcast how after being diagnosed with incurable stage four metastatic prostate cancer he has gone from not expecting to live much longer to wanting to get back to full health. Andy said, "I'm starting my nuclear therapy. I've been having tests and scans and all kinds of far-out science stuff so the stage I'm at - which was stage four - like s***, basically, this therapy came into the UK only recently. It's very, very new." "Essentially it's a nuclear medicine. It's put into your body and it detects the cancer on the outside of the cells and it only hits cancer cells in your bones, which is mainly where it is with me, and zaps them. But if there's a healthy cell next to it, it doesn't touch it." "So it's not curative, but it can knock out and then it's got to start again and from what was kind of I'll not even say the term they used to have on the thing but I can get back (to) full fitness. I'll be fine for five years." You can share this post! Angel One Ltd. (formerly known as Angel Broking Limited), India's most trusted Fintech company, has launched the #SuperIsHere campaign. It is an AI-powered campaign that aims to encourage and empower billions across the nation to leverage the power of data and technology in their wealth-creation journey with the Angel One Super App. It also highlights the unique and unmissable features of the Super App, such as speed, security and reliable experience. The #SuperIsHere campaign, driven by one of the renowned Swedish director Anders Forsman, enlightens investors, traders, and intenders that the Super App platform is now available for the diverse investment journey. The super app is built with customer centricity in mind, which is the reason the brand is trusted by 1.5 crore Indians. Through influencer partnerships, social media posts, business channels, news channels, Google, Meta advertisements, OTTs etc, this tech-powered campaign communicates how GenZ and Millennials can leverage the Super App for a customized and simplified investment experience. To bring the SuperApp experience live in Tier 2, Tier 3 and beyond cities, the company has also planned activation programs at a large scale. Mr. Prabhakar Tiwari, Chief Growth Officer, Angel One Ltd., said, Our mission is to empower every Indian investor through Angel One Super App, delivering a seamless and technologically advanced experience for investing and trading at all levels. We have utilized extensive data to comprehend client needs, enabling us to tailor curated journeys within the app. Through the #SuperIsHere campaign, we showcase the advantages of the Angel One Super App, aiming to attract more clients and expand into underpenetrated markets, thereby fostering organic growth. Mr. Dinesh Thakkar, Chairman & Managing Director of Angel One Ltd., said, We completed 100% rollout of the Super App earlier this year. It has been built with deep understanding of how mobile apps are integral to our lives, and investors and traders are no different. #SuperIsHere campaign would create pan India awareness and appeal for our SuperApp. A one-stop shop that offers online trading & investing, direct mutual funds, sovereign gold bonds, NCDs and more, the Angel One Super App caters to clients including intenders, traders and investors. It ensures frictionless account opening and one-click bank updation. On opening the account, clients get a personalized home page, providing access to everything with a single tap, faster charting and order placement coupled with the highest level of transparency with charges displayed upfront. They can access data in offline mode for P&L, Funds and Order status basis last synced. A husband, father, leader and wanted criminal. While the image of the man with a handlebar moustache and gaunt cheekbones is well-known, there are many other aspects of Veerappans life that have remained hidden in the dark forests of South India. Netflixs upcoming docu-series, , unveils this saga with accounts from those closest to him. Directed by first-time docu director Selvamani Selvaraj, the series is produced by Apoorva Bakshi and Monisha Thyagarajan, founders of Awedacious Originals along with Kimberley Hassett. Helmed by Bakshi, one of the producers behind the International Emmy award-winning series and Hassett who is the co-producer of , this highly anticipated, defining docu-series will premiere exclusively on Netflix on August 4. For 17 years, Veerappan was the subject of India's longest and costliest manhunt. The cinematic series delves into the unseen and unheard, presenting firsthand accounts from individuals close to Veerappan and those who tirelessly sought to capture him. From shedding light on the authorities struggle to apprehend him to providing a political and social commentary that reveals the politics of disparity, the docu-series unravels his captivating tale and the disorder that ensued. Pointing out the significance of the documentary, producer Apoorva Bakshi of Awedacious Originals said, Veerappan was the most infamous outlaw in the 90s India, and his story is still relevant today for its profound historical and cultural significance. We strived to uncover his unique psyche beyond the physical image many know, through the accounts of those who have labored tirelessly with and against him. Our continued association with Netflix has enabled us to deliver an authentic, thought-provoking and seminal show giving viewers a comprehensive understanding of the man and his life. Director Selvamani Selvaraj reflects on speculation around Veerappan, stating, "For years, we had heard tales about Veerappans notoriety, yet no one truly knows what made him the dreaded criminal that he became and still be known as the Robin Hood for a section of the society. In this docu-series, through meticulous research, we have been able to dig deep into his complexities, unearthing untold stories and unexplored facets of his life. Our partnership with Netflix has allowed us to unravel the enigmatic personality and contribute to a broader dialogue that transcends Veerappan's individual story. Tanya Bami, Series Head, Netflix India said, We are committed to telling the most compelling untold stories from India in many diverse formats. Our next offering, The Hunt for Veerappan is a docu-series about the most notorious and dreaded bandits of India. This is an important story that Selva, Apoorva and Monisha have brought to life with a great amount of passion and rigour to uncover facts and truths about Veerappans life. Indian docu-series such as House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths, Indian Predator, Bad Boy Billionaires have resonated well with our audience and we are extremely excited about this series and are confident that our audience will be intrigued, shocked and moved by this story. The four-part docu-series will take viewers through the hunt in Tamil and English. It will also be available in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam, ensuring that audiences across different regions can join in the pulse-pounding chase and experience the untold story of Veerappan in their own language. Catch the untold story in The Hunt for Veerappan on August 4, exclusively on Netflix The film The Kashmir Files caused quite a sensation in India in 2022, and now Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi are back with a new series, The Kashmir Files Unreported, which will air on ZEE5 in August. As part of the series' promotion, the creators visited the mesmerising Dal Lake, where they met the warm-hearted Kashmiri people and immersed themselves in the local sightings. The picturesque location served as the perfect backdrop for the creators to reveal their powerful narrative that seeks to uncover the hidden truths of Kashmir's tumultuous history. Kashmir holds a special place in both Vivek and Pallavis hearts as they have spent months researching the history of Kashmir and speaking to Kashmiri Pandits to understand their plight. Hence, kickstarting the promotions in Kashmir, that too on the mesmerizing banks of Dal Lake was truly special for the creators. Enjoying the Dal lake ride and expressing his thoughts on the series Vivek Agnihotri said,Kashmir Files Unreported is like a valuable, important and priceless national archive presented by ZEE5. We started researching in 2018 and it took us 5 years of extensive research to gather our thoughts and necessary data to create the series. With experts, journalists and victims we have tried to showcase it in the most sensitive, authentic and sincere way possible. While living in the hustle and bustle of metro cities, we often forget the core of humanity which is compassion. This series brought me back to the core philosophy of oneness which emerges from the land of Kashmir. In between the fight for partition or divide, we become the victims and forget the core values of kindness and compassion. In the end we are all one. While shooting for The Kashmir Files Unreported the only question I kept asking myself - Is it honest, sincere, right, okay? I wanted to show everything in its raw form and I hope I have given justice to it. Many broken Kashmiri pandit families wrote emails to me saying that the film started their healing process after 32 years. That was very satisfying to hear. Through the series, people will come to know who were the perpetrators of terrorism and I am sure it will impact the younger generation too The Kashmir Files Unreported promises to be a compelling exploration of untold stories, skilfully interweaving real-life anecdotes, survivor testimonies, and authentic archival footage. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi set out on this journey with the intention of honouring the voices that have gone unheard for far too long. The series covers the historical, ethical, and geopolitical complexities that resulted in the heartbreaking massacre and mass departure of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in the 1990s. The series stands as a poignant tribute to the tenacity of the Kashmiri Pandit community, a testament to their unwavering spirit in the face of adversity. The Kashmir Files Unreported coming soon only on ZEE5! Will programmatic CTV media buying overtake linear TV? Exploring future scope In recent years, programmatic CTV media buying in India has experienced a rapid surge, driven by key trends and statistics. The increasing adoption of affordable Smart TVs and high-speed Internet has led to a notable shift in consumer viewing habits towards digital streaming and on-demand. How programmatic CTV media buying is changing the face of advertising In todays fast-paced digital age, the advertising landscape is witnessing a significant shift as consumers increasingly turn to digital mediums and streaming services. Advertisers and media buyers are swiftly adapting their strategies to leverage programmatic CTV media buying, recognising its potential to reach targeted audiences, offer better ROI, and provide greater insights and control over ad spends. Stage set for DATAMATIXX 2023 in Mumbai today Join the data revolution Organised by Adgully, the event's theme is "Unlocking Business Growth with AI & Data Performance," with a focus on the significant impact of data-driven strategies and artificial intelligence on business growth and performance. Shaping a transparent & ethical digital landscape: Will ASCIs guidelines work? In a bid to enhance user experiences and uphold ethical standards within the digital realm, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) recently unveiled its latest set of guidelines, titled Online Deceptive Design Patterns in Advertising. X factor - Twitters rebranding widens its scope, signifies massive overhaul: Experts Ever since Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022, the platform has been undergoing a series of transformative changes. Musks ambitious vision is to turn Twitter into an all-encompassing Everything App that goes beyond microblogging Elon Musk unveils major Twitter rebranding: "X" new name and logo Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, has announced a significant change in Twitter's branding. The microblogging site will now be known as "X," bidding farewell to the old name, Twitter. Bidding adieu to the Maharaja: Ad & brand gurus get nostalgic, but stress on moving on As per news reports, the regal-looking, somewhat roly-poly Maharaja mascot of Air India is set to be retired. Adgully reached out to some of Indias leading advertising and marketing gurus to know their views on the phasing out of the Maharaja, what the brand mascot had come to signify over the years, and whether the Maharaja is an aging reminder of a bygone era, or a strong brand icon that needs to be preserved. Account share: Netflix subscribers prefer extra cost over more subscription fee Netflix recently implemented a restriction on password sharing in India, following the success of a similar initiative in over 100 countries earlier this year. Sam Balsara to lead the Indian delegation to AdAsia '23 Seoul Sam Balsara, head of the Indian-owned Madison World will be the Leader of the Indian Delegation to the AdAsia'23 at Seoul. The AdAsia, a property of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) is scheduled from October 24th. to 26th. 2023. Cinematograph Bill: A comprehensive approach to film certification & anti-piracy measures The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced the introduction of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aimed at modernizing and enhancing the film certification process while curbing film piracy and unauthorized exhibitions. How Luxury Real Estate Brands Should Utilise Social Media to Build Trust and Credibility Authored by Mayank Ruia, Founder and CEO, MAIA Estates, in today's fast-paced world, developers have evolved from traditional marketing methods like hoardings, TV commercials, and newspapers to more advanced strategies. Creative excellence cannot be replicated by algorithms alone: SW Studios In this exclusive interview with Adgully, Pranav Agarwal, Co-founder, SW Studios, and Jaunty, Director and Producer of SW Studios, delve into the remarkable journey of SW Studios Farmley achieved Rs 150 cr ARR within 2 yrs, maintains high NPS of 90%: Abhishek Agarwal In an interaction with Adgully, Abhishek Agarwal, Co-Founder, Farmley, talks about his entrepreneurial journey and key learnings. He also shares about the growth of his company and ideas behind the brand. From consumer brands to VC: The inspiring journey of Sambit Dash, Partner, RPSG Capital In this exclusive interview Adgully, Sambit Dash, Partner at RPSG Capital Ventures, explores his inspiring journey of transitioning from the brand side to becoming a venture capitalist, and how his prior experience with consumer brands has influenced his current role. Tithi Sarkar joins Mercedes-Benz as Corp Comm Head Tithi Sarkar has recently joined Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India as the Head of Corporate Communications. She shared the news on her LinkedIn account. Hyderabad police have arrested Yadavelli Vallabh Reddy, the son of a Congress leader from Nalgonda area, for allegedly murdering his wife at their residence in Himayat Nagar, Hyderabad. According to the police, the couple, Vallabh Reddy and Lahari Reddy (27), had frequent squabbles, and on the night of July 13, 2023, a fight broke out between them and lasted until the next morning. Vallabh Reddy brutally assaulted Lahiri by banging her head against the door and kicking her in the stomach. Yadavelli Vallabh Reddy claimed that his wife, Lahari, died of a heart attack. He had brought Lahari to a corporate hospital with a head injury on July 14. Doctors declared her dead. Reddy had told doctors that Lahari fell down while doing household work and suffered head injuries. Lahari Reddys father, Koti Jaipal Reddy, had lodged a complaint with the Narayanguda police, raising doubts about the circumstances surrounding her death. Jaipal Reddy told police that he received a distress call that Lahari had fallen and sustained head injuries. When he rushed to the hospital with his wife, they were informed that Lahari had suffered a heart attack. While speaking to local media, the Police said that they have registered a case under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (tampering with evidence) after concluding that there was no history of seizures with the deceased and arrested Vallabh. Vallabh Reddy had remained composed, performed last rites, and participated in subsequent rituals. However, the autopsy report revealed that Lahari had also sustained internal injuries in her abdomen. Police arrested Vallabh Reddy on murder charges. He was also booked for causing the disappearance of evidence. A preliminary investigation revealed that the accused thrashed his wife during an argument on the night of July 13. He allegedly pushed her against a wall, resulting in the head injury. They had married last year and were residing at Himayat Nagar in Hyderabad. The countdown is on for the in-person return of Birmingham Freedom Fest. The celebration of heritage in the heart of the citys civil rights district comes back this Saturday, July 29 as part of Forging Justice, the citys commemoration of 60 years since the 1963 Birmingham campaign for civil and human rights. Saturdays day-long Freedom Fest is divided into two parts. The first half of the day will include a morning of empowerment sessions or free speaker sessions and panels centered around business, history, and culture. The second half of the day is a ticketed music festival featuring artists from around the country, including Ruben Studdard, Jidenna, and Big K.R.I.T. Planning to head to Birmingham Freedom Fest? Heres a quick guide to tickets and event times. THE BASICS When: The empowerment sessions kick off at 10:00 a.m. The gates to the music festival will open at 1:00 p.m. and the performers start at 3:00 p.m. Where: The events at Birmingham Freedom Fest will take place at three locations in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. The empowerment sessions will be at 16th Street Baptist Church (1530 6th Ave N, Birmingham) and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (520 16th St N, Birmingham). The music festival will be at Kelly Ingram Park (500 17th St N, Birmingham). Admission: The empowerment sessions are free and open to the public. The musical festival is $20.00. Tickets are available to purchase through tix.com on the Birmingham Freedom Fest website. THE SCHEDULE Empowerment sessions: The empowerment sessions start at 10:00 a.m. inside 16th Street Baptist Church. One afternoon session will be at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The panels will cover a number of topics including the 60th commemoration of the Birmingham civil rights campaign, the history of Black athletes, financial education, and the celebration of 50 Years of Hip-Hop. Music Festival: The music festival is in Kelly Ingram Park. The gates to the festival open at 1:00 p.m. and music performances kick off at 3:00 p.m., starting with a tribute to the 60th commemoration of the Birmingham civil rights campaign. Saturdays musical acts will run past 9:00 p.m. with performances by Ruben Studdard, Translee, Deqn Sue and Kelvin Wooten, and Jidenna. Big K.R.I.T will headline this years festival. Heres a schedule of the lineup so far: 1:00 p.m.: Gates open 3:00 p.m.: Opening tribute and 60th commemoration of the Birmingham Civil Rights Campaign 3:30 p.m.: Dre Murro 4:15 p.m.: Halo Wheeler 5:00 p.m.: Translee 6:00 p.m.: Deqn Sue and Kelvin Wooten 7:00 p.m. : Aretta Woodruff 8:00 p.m. : Jidenna 9:00 p.m.: Big K.R.I.T A Korean villager aboard an American warship in 1871 / Photo by Felice Beato courtesy of Terry Bennett's book "Korea, Caught in Time" By Robert Neff For many people, crispy fried chicken and ice-cold beer are just as much a part of the Korean summer as are the heat and humidity. Beer is extremely popular here so popular that in 2022, the average Korean adult consumed 83 bottles of beer a year . Korea clearly has an affinity with beer, but it is a fairly recent one. In August 1875, a British warship played host to a Korean magistrate and his entourage. They were guided about the ship and then the British captain had a keg of pale ale brought out and served to his guests. Apparently, they were not overwhelmed by this strange new drink as they gave "no signs of pleasure or disgust" while drinking it. When Percival Lowell arrived in Chemulpo (modern Incheon) in late 1883, he and his companions were transported to Seoul in palanquins and a couple of jinrikishas which were very recent introductions to Korea. The Korean drivers were "perfectly innocent of the way to handle the vehicles" and dumped one of the riders into a ditch. The accident left the jinrikisha "smashed beyond the possibility of mending on the spot and [it] had to be abandoned." Fortunately, prior to leaving the port, the porters took the "precaution to lash a couple of bottles of beer [that had been brought from Japan] into each chair." We don't know their initial impression of the beer but, considering the bitter cold temperature, it probably helped make the trek that much more bearable for those who were forced to walk. If you are interested in old photographs of Korea, I highly recommend Terry Bennett's book, "Korea, Caught in Time." An 11-year-old Florida girl was arrested after she texted 911 to report her friend was kidnapped by an armed man a claim she later confessed was actually just a prank inspired by a YouTube challenge. This kind of prank activity is dangerous were going to investigate every incident but today it wasted valuable resources that might have helped someone else who legitimately needed our help, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said. The child was taken into custody on Wednesday at her home in Port Orange. When authorities arrived on the scene, she was still in the process of texting phony tips to law enforcement officers, the sheriffs office said in a news release. The initial text was sent around 9:45 a.m. It alleged a 14-year-old was abducted by an armed male driving a white van on South I-95 in Oak Hill, the sheriffs office said. The girl said she was following the van in a blue Jeep. She continued texting updates for the next hour and a half, among them a description of the male suspect, who allegedly had a gun. The claim sparked a massive search that included local deputies as well as officers from Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach and Port Orange. The sheriffs office aviation unit also assisted in the efforts. Around 10:30 a.m., deputies managed to track the cellphone that was texting 911 to a home in Port Orange. Once at the residence, they spoke with the girls father, who said she was inside with her family. As deputies approached the girl, she was holding her cellphone, which was ringing as she walked out to meet the deputies. When answered, Volusia Sheriffs Dispatch was on the line and deputies verified they were on scene, the sheriffs office said. She told deputies she was inspired to prank 911 by a YouTube challenge and thought it would be funny. She was hit with one felony count of making a false police report concerning the use of a firearm in a violent manner and a misdemeanor charge of misuse of 911. ___ 2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. An investigation is underway after a man was found shot to death Saturday morning in Dale County. Ozark-Dale County E911 received a call about 9:15 a.m. of an unresponsive man in the 5500 block of County Road 33 in the Skipperville community, said Sheriff Mason Bynum. When deputies arrived, they found 27-year-old Demarcus Sam McKenzie II, of Skipperville, dead on the scene from a gunshot wound. McKenzies body is being taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy. Sheriffs investigators, along with Ozark police and crime scene technicians, are processing the scene. Bynum said ALEAs State Bureau of Investigation agents are also en route to assist. The sheriff said they do have some persons of interest who are being interviewed. Authorities are asking that anyone who was travelling in the area south of Highway 105 on County Road 33 and saw anything suspicious Saturday morning to call investigators at 334-774-5111. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by leaving a tip on the sheriffs website at www.daleso.com. Alabama state Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, is making progress after suffering a heart attack in South Korea, according to a statement from the senators brother, Dr. Gilbert Melson. Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, sent the statement at the request of Gilbert Melson. I arrived with several family members this morning [July 29th] in Seoul, Gilbert Melson said. We were able to meet with the treating physicians at the hospital and were encouraged by what we were told. Tim is making steady but guarded progress. Such progress will need to continue to be made before Tim is able to travel home. We are appreciative for the excellent care Tim has received at both hospitals. While his condition remains very serious and critical, the family is most grateful for the prayers of many Alabamians and beyond. We ask for your continued prayers. Melson was on a trip with other lawmakers to recruit businesses and STEM teachers when he fell ill, according to news reports. Orr, who was also on the trip, administered CPR to Melson, WAFF reported. Ellie Melson, the senators daughter, wrote in a Facebook post that Melson suffered a cardiac arrest, which means his heart stopped beating, Alabama Reflector reported. They were able to resuscitate him, but he is in critical condition. I wish we had more info the information we have beyond this is minimal, she wrote Thursday night. As you can imagine, the language barrier and time difference has been a challenge. Please pray for the team who is caring for him and that we make the best decisions for him in the upcoming days/weeks/months. Melson was elected to the Senate in 2014. He is a retired anesthesiologist and a clinical researcher. Melson is perhaps best known in the State House for sponsoring the bill in 2021 to legalize medical marijuana in Alabama. The priest defrocked by the Archdiocese of Mobile earlier this week has been located in Italy, according to a release from the Mobile County Sheriffs Office Saturday, which also said investigators found no reason to believe anything criminal had transpired. Alex Crow and an 18-year-old woman were found in Italy by a family member of the young woman who had traveled there to locate her. The young woman indicated she had accompanied Crow of her own accord. It appeared they were staying in separate bedrooms, Sheriff Paul Burch said, and the young woman insisted there was no intimate relationship. The investigation is still open and we are still checking into a few matters, however, there does not appear to be any (grounds for) criminal charges. Crow left behind a letter with the Archdiocese indicating he would never return to America. As of Saturday, he and the young woman remained in Italy. Crow had served in the Archdiocese since being ordained in June 2021, most recently as the Parochial Vicar at Corpus Christi Parish, until Wednesday when the Archdiocese issued a statement saying Crow had been stripped of his duties in the wake of his departure for Europe with the young woman, purportedly a recent graduate of McGill-Toolen High School, Crows alma mater. Fr. Crow abandoned his assignment in the Archdiocese, the statement read. His behavior is totally unbecoming of a priest. He has been informed by the archbishop that he may no longer exercise ministry as a priest, nor to tell people he is a priest, nor to dress as a priest. Much of Crows theological background involved the study of demonology and exorcism, with Crow saying in a 2022 podcast a minor exorcism had been performed on him by a priest several years ago. Crow wrote a thesis on demonology and exorcism while in seminary. There had been rampant speculation Crow and the young woman were traveling to the Spanish town of San Sebastian de Garabandal -- where apparitions of Saint Michael the Archangel and Virgin Mary which reportedly appeared to four girls ages 11 and 12 from 1961 to 1965 -- possibly for Crow to perform an exorcism on the young woman. The release from the sheriffs office, however, made no mention of Crow and the womans travel plans or the purpose of the trip. Prosecutors have decided not to go forward in the capital murder case against Casey White whose escape from Lauderdale County jail last year led to a nationwide manhunt. In a motion filed Friday, Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly said that since White is serving a life sentence for a felony murder conviction relating to the escape, there is no need to pursue a capital murder conviction. Connolly has already said that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty for White. If convicted, White would be sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole. The capital murder case involves the 2015 slaying of Connie Ridgeway of Rogersville. The trial was set to begin Aug. 14. In the one-page motion, Connolly listed multiple reasons for not pursuing the case though he reserved the right to reinstate the charges against White. White, who will turn 40 next month, will not be eligible for parole until 2081 at which point he would be 98 years old. The trial would require expenditure of significant state resources. Ridgeways murder remains under investigation and other people may be found to have been involved. Ridgeways adult children, Austin and Cameron Williams, supported not going forward with the trial. Lauderdale County Circuit Judge Benjamin Graves has not yet ruled on the motion. Austin and Cameron support the decision to suspend the prosecution at this time, Connolly said in a news release. Suspending the prosecution of Casey White will allow investigators additional time to complete their investigation and will preserve state resources. In the meantime, Casey White is right where he belongs in Donaldson prison. White escaped from Lauderdale County jail in April 2022. He was being held in the jail in connection with Ridgeways murder. His escape was facilitated by jail officer Vicky White (no relation). The two were on the run for nine days before Casey White was captured in Evansville, Indiana. Vicky White took her own life by shooting herself in the head as law enforcement closed in for the capture. In June, Casey White pleaded guilty to felony murder in connection with Vicky Whites death and sentenced to life in prison. Prior to the life sentence, White was already serving a 75-year prison term for an array of felony convictions relating to a 2015 crime spree. Updated today, July 28, 2023, at 5:05 p.m. with comment from Connolly. The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday filed a statement of interest in Alabamas congressional redistricting case, saying the court should use an analysis of historical election patterns and other factors to determine if the new map passed by the Legislature complies with the Voting Rights Act. Friday was the deadline set by a three-judge district court for parties in the litigation to file objections to the new map, passed last Friday during a special session. Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for civil rights for the DOJ, and U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona of the Northern District of Alabama, filed the statement. Congress has explicitly vested the Attorney General with authority to enforce Section 2 (of the Voting Rights Act) on behalf of the United States, the statement says. Accordingly, the United States has a substantial interest in ensuring the proper application of Section 2. The United States expresses no view on any factual disputes before the Court, nor on any legal questions other than those related to applying Section 2 to the proposed remedy in this case. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ruling of a three-judge district court that Alabamas congressional map approved in 2021 and used in last years elections most likely violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the influence of Black voters. Only one of seven districts had a majority Black population, while one-fourth of Alabama residents are Black. The Voting Rights Act does not guarantee a minority group representation in proportion to its share of the population. But the district court found, and the Supreme Court agreed, that other factors, including that Alabamas Black population is large enough and geographically compact enough for a reasonably drawn second majority district, and that voting in Alabama is racially polarized, weighed in favor of a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act. The new plan approved by the Republican majority in the Legislature leaves District 7 in west Alabama as the only majority Black district, with a Black voting age population of 51%, down from 56% under the 2021 plan. The new plan raises the Black voting age population in District 2 in southeast Alabama from 30% to 40%. Republican lawmakers said that would create a second district where Black voters had an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice, which the court said was needed to fix the likely Voting Rights violation. Democrats opposed the plan and said they would rely on the court to reject the map and draw its own plan. The DOJ, in its statement of interest, said a functional analysis is needed to determine whether the redraw District 2 with a 40% Black voting age population would give Black voters a realistic chance to elect a candidate of their choice. The DOJ said factors to consider include voting-age population, voter registration, political cohesion, bloc voting, historical election patterns, and others. As the ability to analyze districts electoral performance has become more sophisticated, the Department of Justice has relied on functional analyses to determine whether a remedy will provide minority voters with the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice, the DOJ said. On Thursday, the plaintiffs group led by Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, filed their objection to the new map. The Singleton plaintiffs suggested a map that would make District 6 in central Alabama, which would include all of Jefferson County, the second opportunity district for Black voters. The redrawn District 6 would only have a Black voting age population of 40%. But Democratic candidates have received more votes than Republican candidates in the proposed district in most of the elections since 2012, the Singleton plaintiffs said. There are two other plaintiff groups that supported a different plan during the special session. They are also expected to file their objections on Friday. The three-judge district court, which includes two President Trump appointees, will begin a hearing in the case on August 14. If the court rules against the Legislatures new plan, it is expected to draw the new map to be used in next years elections. Read more: Could Democrats win in Alabama congressional district that is 40% Black? A visibly confused Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., appeared to lose track of the proceedings of a Senate subcommittee hearing Thursday, prompting an awkward exchange with another senator during a routine roll call. The Senate Appropriations Committee met Thursday morning to discuss a range of bills, including Congress proposed $823 billion annual defense budget. About an hour into the hearing, the chair of the subcommittee, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., asked for a vote to report the defense appropriations bill favorably, subject to amendment. She motioned for a roll call vote, at which point the clerk called Feinsteins name first. But instead of casting her vote, Feinstein initially began to give a speech in support of the budget. After the clerk called Feinsteins name, an aide huddled next to the senator, whispering instructions to her. Murray can also clearly be heard telling Feinstein to say aye, but Feinstein responded, Pardon me? Murray repeated that Feinstein should say aye, just say aye. But Feinstein began reading off a piece of paper instead. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) had what appeared to be a moment of confusion Thursday as she began delivering a speech instead of voting during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. Instead, she was asked to say aye. https://t.co/9dZKZQgp3l pic.twitter.com/dzHdKDKNCL The Hill (@thehill) July 27, 2023 I would like to support a yes vote on this, Feinstein said. It provides $823 billion. Thats an increase of $26 billion for the Department of Defense, and it funds priorities submitted Feinstein was cut off by the same aide, and Murray again requested she say aye. Feinstein finally notched an aye vote. In a statement, a spokesperson for Feinstein attributed the clip, which went viral on Twitter, to the senator being preoccupied after a chaotic committee markup period. Trying to complete all of the appropriations bills before recess, the committee markup this morning was a little chaotic, constantly switching back and forth between statements, votes, and debate and the order of bills, the spokesperson wrote. The senator was preoccupied, didnt realize debate had just ended and a vote was called. She started to give a statement, was informed it was a vote and then cast her vote. SFGATE asked Murrays office why she was instructing another senator on how to vote, and if she believed Feinstein could still effectively do her job. Murrays office only responded to the first question, writing, Senator Feinstein began with remarks indicating her support for the bill, and Senator Murray was offering a reminder that committee members were on a roll call vote and not yet recognizing members who wanted to comment on any bill. Feinstein, who turned 90 last month, has faced questions about her mental decline and fitness to serve for years. Calls for her resignation have grown considerably in recent months, due to her lengthy absence from the Senate amid a series of medical issues. According to a petition filed on July 17 by her daughter, Katherine Feinstein, Sen. Feinstein has incurred significant medical expenses that havent been reimbursed by the trustees of her deceased husband Richard Blums life insurance policy for which Feinstein is currently the sole beneficiary. The trustees in question pushed back against the Feinsteins allegations. The trustees attorney provided a statement to SFGATE that they never denied medical expense reimbursement to the senator. We have not been presented with any evidence showing that Katherine Feinstein has power of attorney for her mother; nor has Katherine made it clear, either in this filing or directly to my clients, why a sitting United States senator would require someone to have power of attorney over her, the attorney wrote, in part. ___ (c)2023 SFGate, San Francisco Visit SFGate, San Francisco at www.sfgate.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The plaintiffs who won their arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court that Alabamas congressional district map most likely violated the Voting Rights Act said the new plan passed by the Legislature does not stop the dilution of Black voters. The group led by Evan Milligan of Montgomery filed a motion Friday night asking a three-judge federal district court to reject the Legislatures new plan, known as SB5 (Senate Bill 5), which the Republican majority in the Legislature passed over opposition from Democrats last week. The Republican lawmakers who sponsored SB5 said it followed the courts instructions that a remedy for the likely Voting Rights Act violation is either an additional majority-Black congressional district, or an additional district in which Black voters otherwise have an opportunity to elect a representative of their choice. The map leaves District 7 in west Alabama as the only majority Black district out of seven in a state where one-fourth of the residents are Black. The sponsors said the map creates a second opportunity district for Black voters in District 2 in southeast Alabama, where the Black voting age population was increased from 30% to 40%. But the Milligan plaintiffs, in their motion filed Friday night, said in the redrawn District 2 Black Democratic candidates received fewer votes than white Republicans in all 11 head-to-head election matchups since 2014, with an average margin of more than 10 percentage points. In seven elections held in 2018 and 2020, the Black-preferred candidate, Democrats, lost all seven by an average of 6.8 percentage points, the states own analysis said. In this regard, the new CD2 offers no more opportunity than did the old CD2, the Milligan plaintiffs wrote. In both plans, Black voters are unable to elect their preferred candidates. SB5 continues to violate this Courts order because nothing about the new CD2 meaningfully increases Black voters electoral opportunities, nor decreases the dilution of their vote. Election results in redrawn Alabama District 2, as shown in a motion filed by the Milligan plaintiffs in their lawsuit challenging the map. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com) The Milligan plaintiffs are Black voters in districts 1, 2, and 7, and two organizations Greater Birmingham Ministries and the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP. They are represented by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and other attorneys. Another set of plaintiffs, led by Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, filed their objection Thursday night. Sign up for the Black Joy by Reckon newsletter to get positive Black news stories, words of affirmation and weekly curated playlists delivered to your inbox twice a week: Enter your email to subscribe to Black Joy. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in the case on Friday. The statement, filed by Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for civil rights for the DOJ, and U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona of the Northern District of Alabama, urged the court to consider election result patterns such as those cited by the Milligan plaintiffs to determine whether the redrawn District 2 gives Black voters a realistic chance to elect a candidate of their choice. Lawyers representing the state and defending the plan are scheduled to file their response with the three-judge court by August. 4. The court has scheduled a hearing to start August 14. The court is preparing to hire a cartographer to draw a new map if it rules against the Legislatures plan. The new map will be used in next years congressional elections. Alabama has had one Black majority district out of seven since 1992, when a federal court drew a new map, resulting in the state electing its first Black member to Congress in more than a century. The map has not changed much since 1992. The current litigation started after the Legislature passed a plan in 2021, as required after every census. The three-judge district court held a seven-day hearing and ruled in January 2022 that the map likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act because it packed Black voters into District 7 and split the rest among other district in a way that diluted their influence. In June, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, affirmed the three-judge courts ruling in June and sent the case back. The three-judge court gave the Legislature the opportunity to draw a new map to fix the problem. This story was edited at 1:33 p.m. to correct the incorrect sentence that said Alabama has had one Black Democrat and six white Republicans in Congress since 1992. Some white Democrats have also been elected during that time. Read more: Could Democrats win in Alabama congressional district that is 40% Black? U.S. Department of Justice weighs in on Alabama redistricting case This is an opinion column. Now, this is how you resuscitate whats long since died. This is how you restore communities to what some of us once knew. Once livedsafe, vibrant places with more pride than police, more purpose than poverty. Where children dreamed of possibilities instead of harboring nightmares of pain and fear. Where people cared and took care of each other. This is how you repair broken families. How you plant seeds that bear the fruit of self-worth. Self-worth that inspires work not want, that pours into families emptied by conditions and circumstances, that empowers and prepares parents to be the first teachers in their childrens lives. This, too, is how you reduce crime. Major crime. Crimes that break our hearts. Crimes that destroy families and transform neighborhoods into killing fields of fear. Crimes that cost lives, especially young onesfor no justifiable reason. This is how you restore hope. Hope melted. Hope evaporated. Hope dissolved. Hope quashed. Hope extinguished for too manyreplaced with a void where people make decisions for today not tomorrow because a hopeful tomorrow is just not a thing. It aint real. Now, full stop: Im not so naive to believe the $50 million bestowed upon Birmingham by HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge as a Choice Neighborhood investment in Smithfield, Graymont, and College Hills one of eight awarded nationally, with the citys being the largest among the $370 million grantedwill alone accomplish all of that. RELATED: HUD awards Birmingham $50 million to revitalize Smithfield, Graymont, College Hills Not even the $294 million city officials say will be leveraged from Fudges grant will alone restore, repair or reduce. Demolishing public housing that should have been leveled at least a generation ago and replacing it with new dwellings alone will not restore, repair or reduce. Were it that simple hope-drained communities nationwide would have been eradicated long ago. Were it that simple, the failed near-century-old national experiment of concentrated poverty would have been flushed generations ago. Or maybe not. (See: They Cloned Tyrone.) So lets cram all poor Black people into depressing brick buildings, redline the owned homes around them out of any equity (wealth) growth, create a war on drugs (wink) thats really a war on Black men, lull them into dependency with programs that disincentivize families, work and worth; suck the jobs from their community, turn a blind eye to the influx of guns, and drain resources from their schools Imagine if those absurdities had not been enacted: There would be no cavernous generational wealth gap and minimal health disparities. There would be copious working-class jobs, infinitesimal differences in schools. There would be more Black men at home. There would be neighborhoods safe enough for a sunset stroll (on sidewalks) or watching the moonlight on the porch. There would be hope. Instead, that is not where we are. Yet we are here, too, with a comprehensive, multi-faceted, whole-neighborhood, whole-person plan, that finally offers the best chance of fixing what long since should have been fixed. What should have been restored, repaired and reduced. What should have been resuscitated. The Smithfield Choice plan is bold and broad. It includes programs and facilities targeting children and the adults in the home, including quality education (again, not just for youth) in a souped-up library, health programs, new businesses, and an incubator called the social innovation center that will be the center of workforce training for jobs paying a true living wage as well as critical wrap-around services, the buzz-phrase youll hear a lot between now and the many, many years required for this restoration, repair, and reduction to happen. (It didnt die overnight, so it wont be revived in a blink, either.) Bottom line: Building new homes means nothing without also building new people, new hope. We want people to know there is a grocery store up the street, that their kids can go to a decent school, Fudge said on a sweltering Wednesday morning in Smithfield. We are getting ready to change lives. Not merely living rooms. That is not enough. The preponderance of residents now in Graymont, Smithfield, in Colleges Hills simply want to live their lives. To wake up. Eat. Breathe. Work. To Survive. No, check thatto thrive. Just like you. They dont want to be defined by those living one breath at a time, those worrying little about the next onetheirs or someone elses. Just like you. They dont deserve to be swallowed by the whale of hopelessness, to wallow in the belly of despair, to feel forgotten. Bulldozing 900 worn homes and replacing them with 1000 subsidized, affordable and market-priced homes isnt alone the salve that restores, repairs and reduces. Now, finally, there is a plan to do more. Birmingham is the dog that chased the car, then caught it. Now it must fulfill and build. It must restore, repair and reduce whats too long been dead awaiting a viable revival. More columns by Roy S. Johnson Listen to Birminghams foot soldiers, whose voices are strengthened by pain Dear Black girls, they will believe you next time, despite what Carlee Russell did Attorney who argued historic redistricting case says Alabama will be much richer politically 51 years ago today, the Supreme Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional, really The new Hallmark movie Aloha Heart is set to premiere Saturday, July 29 at 8/7c. Aloha Heart follows the story of a conservationist who travels to Hawaii for her best friends wedding. However, instead of a relaxing vacation, she finds herself in wedding prep and helping the new hotel manager make changes to his family hotel. Where can I watch Aloha Heart without cable? Though airing on the Hallmark channel, those without a regular cable subscription can still live stream the movie premiere with Philo or FuboTV. If youre unsure which streaming service to go with, we can break it down. Philo is one of the cheaper live streaming services available as is allows users to stream over 70 live channels for just $25 a month. TV channels offered with Philo include Hallmark, Lifetime, AMC, HGTV, MTV, VH1, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, CMT, BET, TLC and more. Meanwhile, FuboTV is meant for those looking for a cable alternative with more channel options. FuboTV considers itself sports-focused streaming service. It comes with more than 100 live channels to choose from including exclusive channels like ABC, NBC, CBS and more for $74.99 a month. Both live streaming services offer free trials for new subscribers so you can watch Aloha Heart for free before committing to anything. Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani makes a statement Friday, July 28, in Niamey, Niger, in this image taken from video provided by ORTN. Niger state television identified him as the leader of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, the group of soldiers who said they staged the coup against President Mohamed Bazoum. AP-Yonhap Mutinous soldiers who staged a coup in Niger declared their leader the new head of state, Friday, hours after the general asked for national and international support despite rising concerns that the political crisis could hinder the nation's fight against jihadists and boost Russia's influence in West Africa. Spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said on state television that the constitution was suspended and Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani was in charge. Various factions of Niger's military have reportedly wrangled for control since members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France. Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africa's Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism. France has 1,500 soldiers in the country who conduct joint operations with the Nigeriens, and the United States and other European countries have helped train the nation's troops. The coup sparked international condemnation and the West African regional group ECOWAS, which includes Niger and has taken the lead in trying to restore democratic rule in the country, scheduled an emergency summit in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Sunday. The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned efforts "to unconstitutionally change the legitimate government." Its statement, agreed to by all 15 members including the U.S. and Russia, called for "the immediate and unconditional release" of Bazoum and expressed concern over the negative effect of coups in the region, the "increase in terrorist activities and the dire socioeconomic situation." Extremists in Niger have carried out attacks on civilians and military personnel, but the overall security situation is not as dire as in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso both of which have ousted the French military. Mali has turned to the Russian private military group Wagner, and it's believed that the mercenaries will soon be in Burkina Faso. Now there are concerns that Niger could follow suit. Before the coup, Wagner, which has sent mercenaries around the world in support of Russia's interests, already had its sights set on Niger, in part because it's a large producer of uranium. With the headquarters of the ruling party burning in the background, supporters of mutinous soldiers demonstrate in Niamey, Niger, July 27. AP-Yonhap "We can no longer continue with the same approaches proposed so far, at the risk of witnessing the gradual and inevitable demise of our country," Tchiani, who also goes by Omar Tchiani, said in his address. "That is why we decided to intervene and take responsibility." "I ask the technical and financial partners who are friends of Niger to understand the specific situation of our country in order to provide it with all the support necessary to enable it to meet the challenges," he said. If the United States designates the takeover as a coup, Niger stands to lose millions of dollars of military aid and assistance. The mutinous soldiers, who call themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, accused some prominent dignitaries of collaborating with foreign embassies to "extract" the deposed leaders. They said it could lead to violence and warned against foreign military intervention. Bazoum has not resigned and he defiantly tweeted from detention Thursday that democracy would prevail. It's not clear who enjoys majority support, but the streets of the capital of Niamey were calm Friday, with a slight celebratory air. Some cars honked in solidarity at security forces as they drove by but it was not clear if that meant they backed the coup. Elsewhere, people rested after traditional midday prayers and others sold goods at their shops and hoped for calm. "We should pray to God to help people come together so that peace comes back to the country. We don't want a lot of protests in the country, because it is not good ... I hope this administration does a good job," said Gerard Sassou, a Niamey shopkeeper. A day earlier, several hundred people gathered in the city chanting support for Wagner while waving Russian flags. "We're fed up," said Omar Issaka, one of the protestors. "We are tired of being targeted by the men in the bush. ... We're going to collaborate with Russia now." That's exactly what many in the West likely fear. Tchiani's criticism of Bazoum's approach and of how security partnerships have worked in the past will certainly make the U.S., France, and the EU uneasy, said Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow with the Clingendael Institute. "So that could mark potentially some shifts moving forward in Niger security partnerships," he said. Even as Tchiani sought to project control, the situation appeared to be in flux. A delegation from neighboring Nigeria, which holds the ECOWAS presidency and was hoping to mediate, left shortly after arriving, and the president of Benin, nominated as a mediator by ECOWAS, has not arrived. Earlier, an analyst who had spoken with participants in the talks said the presidential guard was negotiating with the army about who should be in charge. The analyst spoke on condition they not to be named because of the sensitive situation. A western military official in Niger who was not authorized to speak to the media also said the military factions were believed to be negotiating, but that the situation remained tense and violence could erupt. Speaking in Papua New Guinea, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the coup as "completely illegitimate and profoundly dangerous for the Nigeriens, Niger and the whole region." The coup threatens to starkly reshape the international community's engagement with the Sahel region. On Thursday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said the country's "substantial cooperation with the Government of Niger is contingent on Niger's continued commitment to democratic standards." The United States in early 2021 said it had provided Niger with more than $500 million in military assistance and training programs since 2012, one of the largest such support programs in sub-Saharan Africa. The European Union earlier this year launched a 27 million-euro ($30 million) military training mission in Niger. The United States has more than 1,000 service personnel in the country. Some military leaders who appear to be involved in the coup have worked closely with the United States for years. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, the head of Niger's special forces, has an especially strong relationship with the U.S., the Western military official said. While Russia has also condemned the coup, it remains unclear what the junta's position would be on Wagner. Supporters of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum gather to show their support for him in Niamey, July 26. AFP-Yonhap The acting head of the United Nations in Niger said Friday that humanitarian aid deliveries were continuing, even though the military suspended flights carrying aid. Nicole Kouassi, the acting U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator, told reporters via video from Niamey that 4.3 million people needed humanitarian aid before this week's military action and 3.3 million faced "acute food insecurity," the majority of them women and children. Jean-Noel Gentile, the U.N. World Food Program director in Niger, said "the humanitarian response continues on the ground." He said the U.N. is providing cash assistance and food to people in accessible areas and that the agency is continuously assessing the situation to ensure security and access. This is Niger's fifth coup and marks the fall of one of the last democratically elected governments in the Sahel. Its army has always been very powerful and civilian-military relations fraught, though tensions had increased recently, especially with the growing jihadist insurgency, said Karim Manuel, an analyst for the Middle East and Africa with the Economist Intelligence Unit. (AP) Traveling through liberal New England this summer, one still sees numerous Ukrainian flags flying from homes and businesses. Some creative residents have even painted their mailboxes in the now famous blue and yellow of the West's favorite victim state. On the surface, flying a Ukrainian flag appears to simply showcase the noble cause of confronting evil with good. However, given the Biden administration's recent decision to provide the Ukrainian military with cluster bombs, Ukrainian flag-flying is in danger of being less about supporting an oppressed people and more a sign of backing Biden's militarism in Eastern Europe. Cluster bombs are just one weapon in a huge arsenal Biden's administration has supplied Ukraine to the tune of a whopping $113 billion in aid since the war began in February 2022. This makes a mockery of the trite slogan "Standing with Ukraine." Instead, the slogan should be "Standing with Biden's militarism." To its credit, the Biden administration has been able to convince the American people that the astronomical sum is worth it. And the oft repeated mantra "for as long as it takes" signals that the flow of funds will continue without end. But besides the noble act of resisting Putin's Russia, what are the credentials of this nation that receives such generous American support? Unfortunately, Ukraine is not the freedom-loving Utopia the U.S. media and Biden wants us to believe it is. Although the Western press has tried to whitewash any reporting of the more unsavory aspects of those defending Ukraine, a quick search on Google reveals solid investigative reporting done by Western journalists before Russia's invasion. At that time, articles in the Guardian, the BBC, and Reuters meticulously depicted the white supremacist and antisemitic tendencies of militias like the Azov Battalion, noted for its essential role in the defense of Ukraine. One shocking piece by Time correspondent Simon Shuster quoted militia members claiming that "we are Aryans and will rise again" and "being tolerant to LGBT people, this is not natural. This is brainwashing." In addition, it's important to note that Ukrainian citizens themselves are fed up with the rampant corruption that defines the Kiev government. According to Transparency International, corruption more than resumption of conflict is the main fear of Ukrainian citizens and business-owners planning to rebuild Ukraine. One entrepreneur told Euronews that "the main issue is the amount of investment that could be stolen." It's disturbing enough that a U.S. citizen would fly the flag of a country he probably can't find on a map. What's worse is that no matter how well intentioned the flag-flying may be, it represents the Biden administration's support for corrupt Ukrainian officials, white nationalism, antisemitism, and human rights abuses. Biden's government is aware of this and, therefore, tries to limit the public's understanding of the true nature of the Ukrainian state and America's use of it as an arms depot and testing ground for U.S. weapons. This fact is clearly seen in the U.S. government's rush to justify the use of cluster bombs against Russia. Do those who continue to fly Ukrainian flags really believe the Orwellian statements of Biden's national security spokesman, John Kirby? Kirby said, apparently seriously, that the Ukrainians "are using [cluster bombs] appropriately. They're using them effectively, and they are actually having an impact on Russia's defensive formations and Russia's defensive maneuvering. I think I can leave it at that." Of course Kirby would like to leave it at that. But anybody with a functioning memory knows that successive U.S. governments have lied their way into and through wars since the Gulf of Tonkin, Kuwaiti baby incubator falsehoods, and the thoroughly discredited weapons of mass destruction fiasco. Currently, those who fly Ukrainian flags have been duped by the likes of Kirby to believe they are somehow defending the freedom-loving people of Ukraine against an unprovoked attack from the Russian madman Vladimir Putin. We've been down this well trod path before, most notoriously with the "freedom fighters" of Afghanistan's barbaric mujahideen and Nicaragua's murderous Contra rebels. Thus, anybody flying a Ukrainian flag and depending on the likes of John Kirby to inform him about Ukraine and cluster bombs should briefly review recent U.S. history and take a quick peek at Kirby's credentials. In a typically brazen statement in 2014 representing what Obama administration officials thought of the citizenry that lapped up its lies, Kirby had the following exchange with the AP's Matt Lee. "Is it not logical to look at this [NATO expansion] and say the reason that the Russian army is at NATO's doorstep is because NATO has expanded rather than the Russians expanding? In other words, NATO has moved closer to Russia rather than Russia moving closer to NATO," Lee said. Kirby responded, "NATO is not an anti-Russian alliance," to which Lee countered with the fact that "for 50 years it was an anti-Soviet alliance. ... Do you not understand how, or can you not even see how, the Russians perceive it as a threat?" One can only hope what Kirby said next doesn't apply to those who still fly Ukrainian flags. Trying to defend his support of a strong response to supposed Russian expansion west as well as justify his lack of historical knowledge, Kirby claimed ignorance, incredibly stating, "I barely got a history degree at the University of Southern Florida." Such absurdity can never be considered legitimate, especially when Americans have access to clear and damning facts at their fingertips. Finally, those who continue to fly Ukrainian flags should look more closely at a 2008 U.N. treaty banning the use of cluster bombs. Though many of these munitions will surely kill Russian soldiers, the U.N. notes that "cluster munition remnants kill or maim civilians, killing women and children, obstruct economic and social development, including through the loss of livelihood, impede post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction, [and] delay or prevent the return of refugees and internally displaced persons." Sera Koulabdara, a member of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munition Coalition, urged Ukrainians and Americans "to look at history and for the United States of America, our own history, in countries like Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Afghanistan [and] Iraq. ... You learn from the impacts and the legacies of wars that that this will have on human lives ... lives of civilians who have a name, who have mothers, who have fathers who care about them." Consequently, it is time that those who support U.S. policy in Ukraine, and especially those who fly Ukrainian flags, take a deeper and more substantive look at what that support entails: Biden's militarism. Dana E. Abizaid teaches history at the Istanbul International Community School and is a freelance contributor to the Daily Caller. Image via Pxfuel. The Department of Justice, with an assist from New York and Georgia, is currently working to convict former President Donald Trump on legal charges ranging from falsified business records, to mishandling of government documents, to insurrection, to obstruction of a government proceeding. That last one is my favorite. There are a lot of government proceedings that need obstructing. Just dont choose the wrong ones. The purpose of these legal cases is said to be that no one is above the law, and these serious alleged violations demand super-duper justice. The publicly financed law firm of Garland and Wray is on the case. They have a stable of lawyers willing to protect the country from the danger presented by Republicans, Donald Trump in particular, and for the damage done to Our Democracy, whatever that means. Any previous examples of above-the-lawism are dismissed as what-aboutism. Past illegalities are rendered mute simply by claiming them as a past example. Even almost-current violations of influence peddling and possible racketeering achieve a miraculous time-travel-like what-aboutism in which current alleged legal problems by current politicians and their family are dismissed what-aboutly, with present things treated as past things. One thing that is becoming obvious to all but the most intelligence-challenged is that the legal proceedings have become a political process disguised as a legal process. The purpose isnt to find the truth and prosecute a criminal; instead, its to interject a pretend-justice process into an election process to change the direction of an election. It is election interference by lawfare. Image: Donald Trump. YouTube screen grab. It is actually quite brilliant and mostly legal. Those seeking this political outcome designed it to be that way. It incorporates judges rulings that find novel legal interpretations to support the prosecutions arguments while denying the defense almost every argument claiming a politicized perversion of justice. This is a legalized perversion of politics. It is happening under the protection of a politicized DOJ. The media will report whatever the perverted justice system wants it to report, even if it is necessary to spread possibly-illegal prosecution leaks. If the defense team leaks, they would be deemed illegal leaks and added to the indictments. Of course, the DNC is all-in for this process. The Administrative State is on board with the DOJ running the politicized prosecutions. There are whole cadres of pretend Republicans who feign support for the law knowing that it is effectively eliminating the type of Republicans whom the DC-insider Republicans dislike under the enemy of my enemy is my friend justification. The news shows are liberally sprinkled with the RINO political pearl-clutching that advances this cutthroat political pig with a legal lipstick. The bottom line is simple. They are building a case of public opinion against President Trump, and they are building it with real cases in a court of law pretending to be legal. Like I said, brilliant. But there is a flaw. They have designed a process in which the ultimate jury that will finally decide this process is not a loaded New York, DC, or Atlanta jury. Those decisions are part of the politics of the fake legalities. Their decisions are as political as the indictments, the prosecution, and the judges rulings. The real jury is the Jury of Public Opinion, which the prosecutors hope will affect the results of an election. The timing gives this away. The all-important jury will be out until November 3. That jury will decide whether the prosecution is legitimate. That jury will decide between banana republic and rule of law. That jury will decide if a politicized DOJ and an anti-American administrative state will rule. That jury will decide on DEI, ESG, The Great Reset, Build Back Better, and The New Green Deal. That jury will decide whether our legal system will return to justice or continue to advance a preferred politics. And that jury might just prevent another civil war. The efforts to prevent an accurate vote of that jury will be enormous. There is no greater battle. We cannot depend on Republicans. We must do it and make certain it is enough. We want those who have broken the law, cheated, and stolen elections to face the legal consequences for what they have done, but we realize they may never face a true legal consequence. But there is still a jury that can decide their guilt. If they are to be punished for what they have done to our country and Donald Trump, re-electing Donald J. Trump is the beginning of that punishment. It may be the only punishment they see, and it will be more than many of them can take. The Jury of Public Opinion will have a vote, and everything is on the line. The enemies will pretend it is only about Donald Trump. That is part of the deception. It is really about us. To defeat us, they must defeat him. Navy Roberts has been rescued from her nonperson status with her grandpa, who is the President of the United States. The 4-year-old offspring of Hunter Biden and former stripper Lunden Roberts has been completely shunned by Joe and Jill Biden, who pointedly boasted of their devotion to their other grandchildren while refusing to acknowledge Navys existence. But, 2 days after Hinters sweetheart plea deal imploded in the courtroom of Judge Maryellen Noreika, suddenly Biden found the will to mention Navy for the very first time. Not out loud, much less on camera, but with a statement issued to People Magazine, which immediately featured it: President Joe Biden has offered his first statement on 4-year-old grandchild Navy Joan Roberts, the daughter of Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts, an Arkansas woman who filed a paternity suit against the president's son in May 2019. Our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," President Biden said in a statement provided exclusively to PEOPLE. Navy, one of the president's seven grandchildren, has recently been the subject of headlines as Republicans have criticized the president for previously touting his "six grandchildren." "This is not a political issue, its a family matter," President Biden's statement continues. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy. William Jacobson, founder of Legal Insurrection, nailed part of it when he wrote: Grandpa Joe tossed Hunters daughter Navy a verbal bone during an interview with People magazine. Just a bone, mentioning her name, nothing more. [italics in original] (snip) were entering an election year, his popularity is low, and the internal polling and focus groups must have been brutal. The false narrative of loving Grandpa Joe, concocted for the 2020 election, couldnt last when he ignored the existence of a poltically (sic) inconvenient grandaughter (sic). A granddaughter not even allowed to use the Biden name. An unnamed source told People: the recently resolved child support dispute between Hunter and Lunden has dictated how the relationship has played out so far. "You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navys parents happening until just a few weeks ago. As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunters lead," the source says, adding, "They are and have been giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out." Is this supposed to justify freezing Navy out, pretending that she didnt exist? Does giving space mean denying existence? The anonymous source continued: Thousands of families have faced similar circumstances, working it out in private, versus the spotlight," the source says. "At the center is a 4-year-old girl and everyone wants what is best for her, including all of her grandparents. Actually, no. Thousands of families have not publicly pretended for 4 years that one of the grandchildren doesnt exist, despite widespread criticism in the media. In addition to Joes popularity problems cited by Bill Jacobson, I have to believe that Hunter Bidens legal jeopardy had a bug influence on the reversal of policy on Navy. If pleading for mercy from the court, it helps to pretend that you have a loving and caring relationship with the child whose paternity you denied until forced to acknowledge it by another court. Having your parent freeze her out after your own years of neglect doesnt generate a lot of judicial sympathy. From President Biden's Inaugural Address, January 20, 2021 (the single-sentence paragraphs are from the original text): Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation. I ask every American to join me in this cause. Uniting to fight the common foes we face: Anger, resentment, hatred. Extremism, lawlessness, violence. Disease, joblessness, hopelessness. With unity we can do great things. Important things. President Biden pledged "Unity" in his Inaugural address, but see his call immediately following the words "uniting our people": "uniting to fight the common foes we face." Now, two and a half years after the Biden inauguration, the Biden/Garland persecution by prosecution of former president Donald J. Trump makes it obvious that for the incumbent regime, the major "foe" is political opposition. Further, an administration that respected diversity of political viewpoint would not pressure social media platforms to censor conservative opinion under the false label "disinformation." For the incumbent regime, "disinformation" is the term used to silence dissent. For the incumbent regime, a second presidential term for Donald J. Trump is intolerable for fear that it will prove to the American people that the founding concept of liberty is in the best interest of the country, not the repressive totalitarianism that the incumbent regime would impose on the American people. A few days following the Biden inaugural, the House of Representatives brought a second impeachment charge against former president Trump. (How does Congress try to remove from office a president who, days before, peacefully let office?) Mr. Biden did nothing to stop this bizarre abuse of legislative power. Nor did he stop Speaker Nancy Pelosi from trashing House rules and due process to create a select House committee consisting of fiercely anti-Trump members. Nor did Mr. Biden deter his Justice Department (never was it President Trump's Justice Department) from weaponizing its powers to hold perceived political foes for lengthy, intolerable periods of pre-trial detention. News, recently, of additional charges against Mr. Trump consequent to the unprecedented raid, a year ago, by armed agents of the FBI on the residence of a former president plus the likelihood of a Washington, D.C.based indictment of Mr. Trump, and, in addition, another, spurious, Trump indictment in Fulton County, Georgia make it obvious that the "unity" Mr. Biden called for in his Inaugural Address is the unity demanded by the ruthless, power-hungry head of totalitarian regime. Peter Navarro, a former top aide to President Trump who has been targeted by the Despotic Clique, recently wrote about the repressive nature of the Biden administration. His observations were picked up by The Washington Times, July 25. Mr. Navarro warns that President Biden's repressive policies could lead the country into civil war. May G-d and the spirit of American liberty prevent that from happening. But, to quote my late father, Sol Zukerman, "no good will come" to America if the incumbent president is not thwarted from using the word "unity" to cover-up his totalitarian goals. Bear in mind the admonition to an inquirer from Benjamin Franklin, who remarked, famously, that the Constitutional Convention had established a Republic, "if you can keep it." Here are the opening paragraphs of Mr. Navarro's description, from personal experience, with the "toxic" Biden administration. His observations, in toto, deserve serious consideration by the American people, including House and Senate Republicans, who want to "keep" our Republic: Roughly half of Republicans and over one-third of Democrats believe our country is on the brink of civil war. If such an unthinkable war breaks out, it will be the Democrats' fault. In their quest for power, radical elements within the Democratic Party have abandoned any pretense of fairness, tolerance and justice. In their "woke" new world, Democratic strategists use unscrupulous tactics to skew our election system even as weaponized bureaucracies like the Department of Justice, FBI, and National Archives now under Democratic control seek to destroy the Republican Party and its de facto leader, former President Donald Trump. For more than 200 years, Americans lived in a world of paper ballots with strict ID and signature match procedures where only legal votes counted. Today, through bends in the law and sleight of hand by Democratic secretaries of state, Democrats have created a "stuff the ballot box" world where absentee and mail-in voting, universal voting, automatic voter registration, drop boxes, ballot harvesting and relaxed signature match procedures have blown open the doors to fraud. The Democrats' persecution and prosecutions of Mr. Trump and his advisers are equally toxic to our democracy. Never did I imagine in January 2017, when I entered the White House to serve my country, that virtually everyone I would share a foxhole with along with the president himself would be assaulted with indictment after indictment and subpoena after subpoena, not just by DOJ but also by big-city prosecutors and blue state attorneys general. The Democrats' lawfare goal is to convict Mr. Trump of anything that will prevent him from running for president or serving if he wins. As Stalin's deputy premier Beria once boasted: "Show me the man, and I'll show you the crime." Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. San Francisco State University political scientist Aaron Belkin and Harvard Law School Professor Mark Tushnet, via a remarkable blog post, recently urged President Biden to simply ignore the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court if and when it is at odds with a left-wing political agenda. Tushnet is, distressingly, the former president of the Association of American Law Schools, while Belkin is president of Take Back the Court, a leftist advocacy group that wants to expand the size of the Supreme Court. (Traditionally known as court packing.) The group also preposterously claims that Republicans stole the Supreme Court to obstruct progress and undermine democracy. Yes, those rascally Republicans, always so bold in their actions (rolling my eyes), had the audacity to appoint members to SCOTUS when one retired or diedand they held the presidencyas the Constitution directs, subject to Senate confirmation. As Democrats have done for many decades. How this could possibly translate to they stole the Supreme Court to obstruct progress and undermine democracy is beyond any logical persons rationalization. Yet, the dictatorial duo utilized Balkinization, a legal scholar website, to write: We urge President Biden to restrain MAGA justices immediately by announcing that if and when they issue rulings that are based on gravely mistaken interpretations of the Constitution that undermine our most fundamental commitments, the Administration will be guided by its own constitutional interpretations. We have worked diligently over the past five years to advocate Supreme Court expansion as a necessary strategy for restoring democracy. Although we continue to support expansion, the threat that MAGA justices pose is so extreme that reforms that do not require Congressional approval are needed at this time, and advocates and experts should encourage President Biden to take immediate action to limit the damage. Yes, the Biden administration clearly must ignore the literal rule of law in order to preserve the rule of law! It must act outside of the lawand Constitutionto preserve our democracywhich is under existential threat from originalist justices. It must ignore and/or run roughshod over every democratic institution to engender progress and save our democracy. President Biden must ignore and eschew the judicial and legislative branches of government and issue an executive mandate, in effect a royal decree, overturning or superseding the findings of the Supreme Court of the United States. Because progressives dont like the ruling. (If the reverse were to occur, and, say, SCOTUS upheld Roe v. Wade, progressives would be demanding that the SCOTUS ruling be seen us utterly inviolate-- an infallible, unquestionable ruling issued by a wise and beatific body that has only the best interests of our beloved democracy at heart.) But that is only the tip of the hypocrisy iceberg of late. Abbe Lowell, lawyer for Hunter Biden, recently sent a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics requesting action against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for daring to show a couple (of the many) explicit photos of the younger Biden that he had on his now infamous laptop computer. Incredibly, Lowell states in the letter that the OCE has "a duty to make loud and clear that it does not endorse, condone, or agree with her outrageous, undignified conduct and brazen violations of the standards of official conduct." Um, that could more correctly be said about Hunter Biden, since it is his outrageous, undignified conduct and brazen violations of the standards of official conduct that MTG was highlighting. MTG did not snort the blow or covert with the hookers. Nor did she extort money from Ukraine with help from The Big Guy. Yet, to leftists, its Greene who is the problem, because she could possibly be a minor impediment to their never-ending quest for more and more control, greater and greater power. Ergo, sheand all those like her-- must be charged, intimidated, attacked, smeared, silenced, cancelled, imprisonedor whatever the hell else it takesso that their rule is not endangered. And if you think that sounds like the opposite of democracy, you are part of the problem, too. So screw you and SCOTUS too, they say. Because they have no intention of saving our democracy. They only wish to save their democracy. Which is no democracy at all. Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License Taiwan's military holds drills of the annual Han Kuang military exercises that simulate an anti-landing operations near the coast in New Taipei City, northern Taiwan, July 27. AP-Yonhap The U.S. announced $345 million in military aid for Taiwan, Friday, in what is the Biden administration's first major package drawing on America's own stockpiles to help Taiwan counter China. The White House's announcement said the package would include defense, education and training for the Taiwanese. Washington will send man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms and missiles, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters ahead of the announcement. U.S. lawmakers have been pressuring the Pentagon and White House to speed weapons to Taiwan. The goals are to help it counter China and to deter China from considering attacking, by providing Taipei enough weaponry that it would make the price of invasion too high. While Chinese diplomats protested the move, Taiwan's trade office in Washington said the U.S. decision to pull arms and other materiel from its stores provided "an important tool to support Taiwan's self-defense." In a statement, it pledged to work with the United States to maintain "peace, stability and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait." The package is in addition to nearly $19 billion in military sales of F-16s and other major weapons systems that the U.S. has approved for Taiwan. Delivery of those weapons has been hampered by supply chain issues that started during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been exacerbated by the global defense industrial base pressures created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The difference is that this aid is part of a presidential authority approved by Congress last year to draw weapons from current U.S. military stockpiles so Taiwan will not have to wait for military production and sales. This gets weapons delivered faster than providing funding for new weapons. The Pentagon has used a similar authority to get billions of dollars worth of munitions to Ukraine. Taiwan split from China in 1949 amid civil war. Chinese President Xi Jinping maintains China's right to take over the now self-ruled island, by force if necessary. China has accused the U.S. of turning Taiwan into a "powder keg" through the billions of dollars in weapons sales it has pledged. The U.S. maintains a "One China" policy under which it does not recognize Taiwan's formal independence and has no formal diplomatic relations with the island in deference to Beijing. However, U.S. law requires a credible defense for Taiwan and for the U.S. to treat all threats to the island as matters of "grave concern." The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022. The U.S. is set to announce $345 million in military aid for Taiwan, two U.S. officials said July 29. AP-Yonhap Crime is the explosive issue in the 2024 election, and unless vote fraud reaches heretofore undreamed of levels, it should propel the GOP to sweep many elections. Thats a big if of course. The letter copied below just sent by the president of the NAACP chapter in Oakland and by a prominent Black church leader does not name names or political parties, but it is hard hitting, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency and the application of massive resources (meaning police and prosecution and incarceration, presumably) to address the out-of-control crime wave that is gripping much of California. One of the signers, Bishop Bob Jackson, the founder and charismatic senior pastor of Acts Full Gospel Church in Oakland (their website is here), is a man that I have known about and admired for decades. He is a riveting, charismatic preacher. Through friendships with congregants there, Ive gotten to know the remarkable self-help-with-community-support gospel they follow. The welcome for strangers of any race who attend their services is warm and sincere. The last I heard, everyone there has a job, and if they dont when they join, they soon do, with lots of help and encouragement. I know from experience that they help each other out to succeed in whatever work they pursue. This letter shows the degree of disgust with the policies Democrats have sold that is bubbling up from the grass roots of the Black community not just in Oakland, but all over the country. The GOP must build on this movement. Here are the two pages of the letter, via this tweet: Hat tip: My friend Alex President Harry S. Truman knew that one bomb would not be enough to force Japan to surrender, so he ordered two. What many dont know is that there was a third bomb in reserve, just in case. This third bomb had not been assembled yet, but its plutonium corethe heart of the bombwas ready, and kept at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. When it became clear a third bomb would not be necessary, nuclear scientists at Los Alamos were delirious with excitement. Here there was in their hands, the rarest of the rare materiala 6.2 kg core of pure plutonium. They probed and prod the shinny metallic sphere and subjected it to countless experiments, until two sloppy scientists nearly blew up the laboratory and ruined it for every one. Both of them were dead within days, and the core acquired the nickname demon core. A replica of the demon core in a mock setup used by one of the physicists during a fatal experiment. Nuclear bombs are different from conventional bombs. There are no fuses or detonators. What we have instead is a mass of nearly critical radioactive materials. At the time of detonation, this mass is made supercritical by bringing more radioactive materials close together so that flying neutrons knock out more neutrons free from other atoms creating a self-sustaining chain reaction. At that time, there was no easy method to determine how much uranium or plutonium would be required to achieve critical mass. So scientists figured it out the hard way. At the head of the Critical Assemblies group was Otto Robert Frisch, an Austrian physicist. Frischs method was simple and dangerous. Frisch cut up the fissile materials into small bars 3 centimeters long, and stacked them up while keeping an eye on his radiation meter until criticality was achieved. To help slow down the reaction, he used uranium hydride instead of pure uranium. One day Frisch almost caused a runaway reaction when he casually leaned on the stack of uranium bars causing his body to reflect neutrons back into the stack. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the red lamps, that flickered intermittently when neutrons were around, glow continuously. Realizing what was happening, Frisch quickly scattered the bars with his hand. Frisch received a generation amount of radiation in the mishap, but not large enough to kill him. The same, however, couldnt be said for his fellow scientists who were to repeat his experiments later. The first fatality was 24-year old physicist Harry K. Daghlian, Jr. Daghlian was working alone late on the night of August 21, 1945, building a neutron reflector. He was placing bricks of tungsten-carbide around the sphere of plutonium to see how many bricks it would take to reflect enough neutrons back into the core for it to go critical. While working on the experiment, the neutron counter he used to measure the radiation coming off the plutonium core indicated that placing the last brick would cause the assembly to go supercritical. So Daghlian stopped and cautiously retracted his hand which held the brick he was about to lay. But then he dropped it, right over the core. A re-creation of the experiment Harry Daghlian was involved in. The moment the brick hit the assembly, the core went super-critical. Daghlian reported seeing a blast of blue light and a wave of heat. He instinctively knocked the dropped brick to the floor with his hand, but it was too late. In those few moments, Daghlian received a fatal does of radiation. He died 25 days later from acute radiation poisoning. A security guard, who was sitting at his desk twelve feet away when Daghlian dropped the brick, developed radiation-caused leukemia and died 33 years later. Harry Daghlian's blistered and burnt hand after he received his fatal radiation dose. You might think that a mishap as such would prompt scientists to become more cautious when conducting further critical mass experiments, which renowned physicist Richard Feynman likened to tickling the tail of a sleeping dragon. Yet, exactly nine months later, a second accident occurred with the exact same core. This time, senior physicist Louis Slotin, who succeeded Otto Robert Frisch, was conducting a different type of criticality experiment with the plutonium core. Slotins method involved lowering half a shell of beryllium over the core until the core was just about completely covered. The beryllium shell reflected the neutrons radiated by the core back into the core until the core achieved critical state. The idea was to stop just before this stage. Slotin used the blade of a flat head screwdriver which he wedged between the two components to keep them apart. The screwdriver was the only thing that kept Slotin and his fellow scientists safe from certain doom. Slotin conducted this experiment so many times in the past that he became brash. That afternoon of May 21, 1946, Slotin arrived in his trademark blue jeans and cowboy boots, and began tickling the dragons tail in front of seven colleagues. But this time his screwdriver slipped. The beryllium shell fell completely covering the core and in an instant the room was covered with a flash of bright blue light as the core went super-critical. Everybody started yelling at once. There was total pandemonium. The security guard in the room understood very little what was happening, but when he saw the blue flash and others started yelling, he ran out of the room and continued running towards the hills. He was later called back as the scientists tried to figure out where everybody was standing and estimate how much radiation each received. A recreation of Slotin's experiment made by the public historian Richard G. Hewlett. Slotin, who was closest to the core, took the bulk of the blow. He was exposed to over 1,000 rads of radiation, a terribly high dose anyone has ever taken. For comparison, when the bomb went off in Hiroshima, the radiation at a distance of one kilometer from ground zero was 400 rads. According to physicist Raemer Schreiber, who was present in the room during the fatal slip of the screwdriver, Slotins first words immediately after the incident were Well, that does it. He died after an agonizing nine days in the hospital. Nuclear weapon historian Alex Wellerstein provides a description of Slotins deteriorating health from the day of the incident to his death: Slotin vomited once prior to being examined, and several times more in the next few hours, but stopped by the next morning. His general health seemed acceptable. But his left hand, initially numb and tingling, became increasingly painful. This was the hand that had been closest to the core, and scientists later estimated that it had received more than fifteen thousand rem of low-energy X rays. Slotins whole-body dose was around twenty-one hundred rem of neutrons, gamma rays, and X rays. (Five hundred rem is usually fatal for humans.) The hand eventually took on a waxy blue appearance and developed large blisters. Slotins physicians kept it packed in ice, to limit the swelling and the pain. His right hand, which had been holding the screwdriver, suffered lesser versions of these symptoms. On the fifth day, Slotins white-blood-cell count dropped dramatically. His temperature and pulse began to fluctuate. From this day on, the patient failed rapidly, the medical report noted. Slotin suffered nausea and abdominal pain and began losing weight. He had internal radiation burnswhat one medical expert called a three-dimensional sunburn. By the seventh day, he was experiencing periods of mental confusion. His lips turned blue and he was put in an oxygen tent. Eventually, he sank into a coma. He died nine days after the accident, at the age of thirty-five. A recreation of Slotin's experiment made by the public historian Richard G. Hewlett. Standing near Slotin and watching over his shoulder was Graves. Slotins body partially shielded him, so he received a high but non-lethal dose of radiation. Graves was hospitalized for several weeks with severe radiation poisoning and developed chronic neurological and vision problems as a result of the exposure. He died 20 years later, at age 55, of a heart attack which may or may not have been caused by radiation exposure. Another physicist, Marion Edward Cieslicki, died of acute myelocytic leukemia, 19 years after the accident. It took two deaths for Los Alamos to finally bring an end to hands-on criticality experiments. They were always known to be dangerousEnrico Fermi himself had warned Slotin that he would be "dead within a year" if he continued performing the test in that manner. Further experiments were carried out using remote-control machines and TV cameras while all personnel stood at a quarter-mile distance. The plutonium core that killed Daghlian and Slotin was originally nicknamed Rufus, but after the accidents it came to be called the demon core. After the accident, the core was still highly radioactive and needed time to cool off. It was slated for test at Crossroads, but when the test was cancelled, the core was melted and the material was recycled to make new cores. The most recent update to Google Maps brings Assistant speech recognition features to users. With this, those seeking directions can tell the app where they want to go, and itd offer them route suggestions to take. Yes, you read that right, you can now tell the Google Maps app where you want to go and get directions. Well, over the past few years, this navigation app has offered users some speech functions. However, this speech function is not up to par with the available technology and using it is stressful for most users. This calls for a change, one that will make speech functions on the Google Maps app more effortless and useful. Google is now integrating their voice assistant into the Maps app for seamless usage. For some reason, this feature has been missing from Google Maps over the past few years. Now, users can tell the Maps app where they intend to go and get directions to their desired destination. Google Maps gets better with the Assistant speech recognition feature integration The recent upgrade to the Google Maps app brings assistant features and voice recognition. With this, users can talk to the app and get sound and accurate feedback for their requests. Considering that Maps is a navigation app, all conversations should be related to getting directions. You dont need to install any new Maps app update before you can start using this feature. Sitting on the search bar is a mic icon with which users can access the voice command features. Tapping on this mic icon will pull up an interface where users will set up this feature and grant the Maps app access to use the devices mic. Advertisement Once it is set up, users can start telling the Maps app where exactly they wish to go. As the user speaks, they can watch their words turn into text on the screen and spot any mistakes. This feature will come in handy for drivers in need of directions, so they dont need to pull over and type in their destination before they get directions. Now, with the tap of the mic icon on the search bar, users can tell the Maps app exactly where they want to go. Millions of Google Maps users around the world will put this Assistant speech feature to use while seeking directions. Head over to the Google Maps app on your phone to experience this new feature for yourself. (ANSA) - ROME, JUL 29 - Italian police on Saturday warned the country's elderly to be on their guard against the most common types of fraud and confidence tricks. One of the most common ploy used by fraudsters is to phone elderly parents pretending to be lawyers and ask for money to get children out of a jam. Another one is that of people pretending to be neighbours who are let into the elderlies' homes and steal from them, police said. Last year the over 65s in Italy suffered over 25,000 crimes by fraudsters and con artists, and the number is set to rise this year, the cops said. (ANSA). (ANSA) - ROME, JUL 29 - EU citizens don't want leftist utopias, Premier Giorgia Meloni told Fox News in an interview to be broadcast Sunday, an except of which was released Saturday. "The big difference between conservatives and the left is that we deal in reality, while they want a world which is not the one we live in and they're not worried about that," she said. "That is what is happening in Europe. "So they make many mistakes by trying to follow their ideological approach. Citizens are now grasping this difference and in difficult moments they ant to be governed by people who don't follow ideological utopias". Meloni was answering a question on politics in Europe. (ANSA). A senior Tory MP has urged ministers to change the rules, after a man who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit said he now feared having to pay for his board and lodging while locked up. Andrew Malkinson, 57, was wrongly found guilty of raping a woman in Greater Manchester in 2003 and the next year was jailed for life with a minimum term of seven years. He served 10 more years because he maintained his innocence, but his conviction was quashed by senior judges at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday after DNA evidence linking another man to the crime came to light. But Mr Malkinson is now concerned that he could, under current rules, face deductions from any compensation for the living costs covered during his time in prison. The rules can be traced back to a 2007 ruling by the House of Lords, at a time when it was the countrys highest court. But the chairman of the Commons Justice Committee Sir Bob Neill has added his voice to concerns about current practice. I think any fair minded person thinks this is just wrong. It goes back to a tightening of the rules of criminal compensation or compensation for miscarriages of justice in this case, by the Labour government in 2006. And the argument that was made was that the public might be potentially offended for forking out money towards people who are cleared on technicalities. The Malkinson case manifestly is not being cleared on a technicality. The DNA evidence makes it abundantly clear, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. To say its adding insult to injury is probably to put it more mildly than it deserves. Its clearly not right that somebody who was deprived of their liberty, because of the failures of the state and its institutions for a number of years, then should pay the state or be obliged to give some money back to the state, for the privilege of having been wrongly incarcerated. That surely offends any any kind of sense of justice. Andrew Malkinson has been cleared of wrongdoing (Jordan Pettitt/PA) He said that he would like ministers to change the rules to protect those wrongly convicted from paying such costs. The sums involved are trivial in the overall scheme of things, he said. A former British paratrooper has celebrated finishing his 19,000-mile walk of the UK coastline raising 500,000 for charity and returning home with a partner, dog and baby son. Chris Lewis, 43, was joined by hundreds of cheering supporters as he completed the final mile of his epic walk which began on Llangennith beach on the Gower Peninsula, near his home city of Swansea, South Wales, on August 1 2017. He set off from the beach alone six years ago, with just 10 in his pocket and a few days of supplies, hoping to raise 100,000 for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. On Saturday, Mr Lewis returned to the spot where it all began having raised five times that amount, with his adopted dog Jet, and fiancee Kate Barron, 36, who joined his walk almost three years ago. The couple welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Magnus Lewis, in May last year. He walked across the finish line, through bunting made by wellwishers from across the world, with his parents. Chris Lewis, with partner Kate Barron and their son Magnus and adopted dog Jet, as they complete the charity walk at Llangennith beach (Ben Birchall/PA) Ahead of completing their final mile, the family were told they had reached their increased target of 500,000 in donations and were handed a letter from the King offering his congratulations to them. Speaking at the finish line, Mr Lewis said: To say were chuffed is an understatement. This walk has restored my faith in humanity and hopefully other peoples too. I really am so proud and over the moon. Ms Barron, who left a teaching job in London to join Mr Lewis on the walk, spoke of how it had changed their lives immeasurably. I think this is something that is going to take a while to sink in, she said. Ive been walking for almost three years now and this has become a way of life for us. I think to wake up in a couple of days and not have that sense of mission to move forward every day on the coast is going to be so strange. I also feel so proud of us. Weve worked so hard on this. Chris Lewis has been walking the UK coastline since August 2017 (Ben Birchall/PA) Sir Andrew Gregory, chief executive of SSAFA, presented Mr Lewis with champagne as he crossed the finish line. He described how the charity had helped Mr Lewis, who served until 2004 and was a single parent to his daughter Caitlin. Chris, what you have achieved is remarkable, he told the veteran. The adventure along the coast saw Mr Lewis spend the first coronavirus lockdown on an uninhabited Shetland island, Hildasay. His bestselling book, Finding Hildasay, features a foreword by Ben Fogle who has supported Mr Lewis during his journey along with other famous faces including astronaut Tim Peake. Mr Lewis served with 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment and struggled to cope after entering civilian life. He decided to walk the UK coastline after suffering with anxiety and depression. The father-of-two was facing homelessness when he set off in August 2017, wearing an ill-fitting pair of borrowed boots with limited supplies. Three years into the task, he met Ms Barron in Scotland and she joined his walk a few months later. More than 147,000 people follow his Facebook page, Chris Walks the UK, while 26,000 people follow her page, Kate Walks the Coast. Their fundraising page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chriswalks North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, second from right, speaks with Russian Federation Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, second from left foreground, during a visit to the Weaponry Exhibition-2023 in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 26, in this photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). EPA-Yonhap Ukrainian soldiers were observed using North Korean rockets that they said were seized by a "friendly" country before being delivered to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported Saturday. Ukraine's defense ministry suggested the arms were captured from the Russians, the newspaper said. The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, including alleged shipments by sea, but has not offered proof and North Korean weapons have not been widely observed on the battlefields in Ukraine. North Korea and Russia deny conducting arms transactions. The leader of the biggest rail workers union has accused the Government of preventing a settlement of the long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions, which is causing fresh travel disruption on Saturday. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union walked out for the day, leading to the widespread cancellation of train services. The union has been embroiled in the dispute for over a year, with no sign of a breakthrough. Controversial plans to close most ticket offices have worsened the dispute. RMT members on the picket line at Euston this morning as 20,000 rail workers again take strike action in defence of our railway#StaffOurStations #SaveTicketOffices pic.twitter.com/X6hvNRR9Bh RMT (@RMTunion) July 29, 2023 There were picket lines outside railway stations across England on Saturday. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the decision to close ticket offices will only save about 89 million a tiny fraction of the 1 billion he claims has been spent by the Government to artificially keep the dispute going and prevent a settlement. He said: The public is being ripped off not only to financially underwrite this dispute that could have been settled 18 months ago, but also to fund the closure of ticket offices which they rely on. Closing 1,000 ticket offices will only save a small fraction of the money spent on rail company indemnity, to prolong the strike and the handsome profits they have made. Ticket office closures are not popular with the public and we have seen mass opposition across the country. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch joins the picket line outside Liverpool Lime Street station (Peter Byrne/PA) Not only are ticket office closures being used as a fig leaf for the wholesale de-staffing of stations, but this is the thin end of the wedge for getting rid of staff across the railway network, something our union will oppose vigorously. The elderly, vulnerable and disabled will no longer want to and in some cases be unable to use the railway because trained and friendly staff are waiting to assist them. Our union remains wholly committed to reaching a negotiated settlement on pay, jobs, security and conditions. But our members remain steadfast in their industrial action and will not be cowed into submission by anyone. Passengers were advised to check their travel arrangements as the strike will see wide variations in services across the country, with trains starting later and finishing much earlier than usual. If you are travelling on 29 July, services may be much busier than usual due to RMT industrial action. No longer travelling? Find out about ticket refunds and changes at https://t.co/N9fhJzH9QD pic.twitter.com/Hhe5FG2tvn Rail Delivery Group (@RailDeliveryGrp) July 28, 2023 In some areas only about half of train services will run, while others will have no services at all. In a message to families whose summer holiday plans have been affected by the latest walk-out, the RMT senior assistant general secretary said we need to stand together rather than fight each other. Standing on a picket line outside Euston Station in north London, Eddie Dempsey told the PA news agency: What Id say to them is, if theyre honest, people are going to find it difficult on a strike day. But everyone in this country is finding it hard when its not a strike day. And the reason for that is because weve got a Government that is presiding over a massive cost-of-living crisis, everybodys wages have been falling, all of our public services are under-funded, we can see all of the services we rely on in the country in a state of managed decline, nothings getting better. So, if people are being really honest, theyll recognise that everyone in this country is having a pretty difficult time virtually every day of the week, and so Id say to them, you need to join in with campaigns like ours. He said the public have been extremely supportive of the RMT strikes. Mr Dempsey said the union has had no formal negotiations of any kind since mid-April, claiming that the industry side havent got any mandate from Government for fresh talks. A Rail Delivery Group spokesman said the strike would disrupt the plans of families during the summer holidays. This will lead to disappointment, frustration, and financial strain for tens of thousands of people. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and understand the impact on individuals and businesses. Our advice is to check before you travel. Louise Haigh, shadow transport secretary, has written to Transport Secretary Mark Harper, telling him to get back to work and sit down with rail unions and operators to end the strikes. Labour said the transport secretary has not met either of the two rail unions at the centre of the rail strikes since before Christmas last year. Ms Haigh said: The fact that Mark Harper has refused to do his job whilst the British public have faced over a year of rail chaos is unacceptable. The very least we should expect from the transport secretary is to sit down with the unions and rail operators, to try and reach an agreement to end these strikes for good. The fact he has failed to do even that means we can safely add the transport secretary to the list of things that do not work in Britain any more. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said there has been a rise in racism in Ireland. The Fine Gael leader said this was very evident from people protesting outside accommodation centres for refugees and spreading nonsense conspiracy theories around replacement ideology. He added: And then people actually using violence against people who are of a different colour or of a different ethnic background and thats a matter of real concern. Mr Varadkar was responding to a question on whether he believed there was a rise of the far right in Ireland. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (right) shakes hands with Ukrainian actor Oleksandr Hrekov, who was attacked in Dublin (Clodagh Kilcoyne/PA) Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had previously said Ireland had not seen the same rise of the far right as other European countries. Asked if he agreed, the Taoiseach said he did not want to interpret the words of the commissioner but that he picked up that he was referring to far-right politicians being elected to parliament or government. Mr Varadkar said: Were not there yet. To the extent that we have far-right parties at all, theyre not significantly represented in the Dail. But we are seeing a rise in racism, thats very evident to me. He said that is why the Government has a national strategy against racism and is pursuing hate crime legislation. Mr Varadkar added: I see some people dismissing hate crimes as being wokeism or, you know, domestic and gender-based violence as being some form of wokeism. I totally disagree with that view of things. You know, a murder is a serious crime and assault is a serious crime. Hate crime is a serious crime, crime against women and men thats gender-based or sexual, these are all serious crimes and we need to treat them all seriously. The mother of murdered two-year-old James Bulger has condemned sick AI-generated clips of her son circulating on social media three decades after his death. An animated version of the dead toddler discussed his abduction and murder by two 10-year-old boys in 1993, in videos shared on TikTok which James mother Denise Fergus condemned as disgusting in an interview with The Mirror. The social media app said the clips have since been removed for violating its guidelines. The app for TikTok on a phone screen (Yui Mok/PA) James was tortured and killed by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson after they snatched him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12 1993. The pair were jailed for life but released on licence with new identities in 2001. Venables, 40, was sent back to prison in 2010 and 2017, the latter for possessing indecent images of children, and was turned down for parole in 2020. The videos on TikTok showed animated children, including one depicting James, detailing his abduction and murder. James body was found on a railway line two days after his abduction and some of the animated clips reportedly showed an avatar by train tracks. A slew of AI-generated likenesses of other missing or murdered children had also been shared on TikTok, according to reports. Others showed Madeleine McCann, who disappeared aged three while on a holiday in Portugal in 2007; 11-year-old Rhys Jones, who was murdered in Liverpool as he walked home from school in 2007, and Peter Connelly, also known as Baby P, who died after months of abuse in 2007. Ms Fergus, 55, told The Mirror the clips were disgusting and she is reportedly particularly upset by an avatar which looked like a photo of James and appeared to speak. She told the paper: It is one thing to tell the story, I have not got a problem with that. Everyone knows the story of James anyway. But to actually put a dead childs face, speaking about what happened to him, is absolutely disgusting. It is bringing a dead child back to life. It is wrong. To use the face and a moving mouth of a child who is no longer here, who has been brutally taken away from us, there are no words. I think these people must be disturbed. They have got to be. It is not just not nice for the parents to see. I dont think anyone at all should be able to see stuff like this. To see his little face moving when he is no longer here, it is disgusting. It all should be taken down and stopped. It is not fair on the people who have lost children, or lost anyone. We are not just saying take James down, we are saying take it all down. It is beyond sick. Who can sit there and think of such a thing? Ms Fergus husband Stuart reportedly contacted one produce of the animated videos, who appeared to be in the Philippines, and asked for the videos to be removed. The Mirror reported that the clips were often voiced in American accents, and also had Spanish and French versions. A TikTok spokesperson said: We want TikTok to be a welcoming place for everyone, and there is no place on our platform for disturbing content of this nature. Our community guidelines are clear that we do not allow synthetic media that contains the likeness of a young person. We continue to remove content of this nature as we find it. Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, has said he may look into getting a Dutch passport as England doesnt feel like home after what Ive been through. Mr Malkinson, 57, was wrongly found guilty of raping a woman in Greater Manchester in 2003 and the next year was jailed for life with a minimum term of seven years. He served 10 more years because he maintained his innocence, but his conviction was quashed by senior judges at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday after DNA evidence linking another man to the crime came to light. Andrew Malkinson (Jordan Pettitt/PA) As he set off from London for a trip to Holland, where he went backpacking in his youth and has the friendship of a trusted ex-girlfriend, he told the Daily Mirror: Its been a long time coming but this is the first day of the rest of my life. I was born here but I dont identify with it and it doesnt feel like home after what Ive been through. I feel more Dutch than English and Id like the Foreign Office to negotiate a Dutch passport. I dont think its a big ask on humanitarian grounds. The newspaper said Mr Malkinson has missed out on seeing his son grow up hopes to visit his sisters and their children in Australia, but also has to deal with type 1 diabetes. He told the newspaper: Im not well. If I make 70 Ill be doing well. Mr Malkinson is now also concerned that he could, under current rules, face deductions from any compensation for the living costs covered during his time in prison. The rules can be traced back to a 2007 ruling by the House of Lords, at a time when it was the countrys highest court. The chairman of the Commons Justice Committee Sir Bob Neill has added his voice to concerns about current practice. Sir Bob told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think any fair minded person thinks this is just wrong. It goes back to a tightening of the rules of criminal compensation or compensation for miscarriages of justice in this case, by the Labour government in 2006. And the argument that was made was that the public might be potentially offended for forking out money towards people who are cleared on technicalities. He added: The Malkinson case manifestly is not being cleared on a technicality. The DNA evidence makes it abundantly clear. To say its adding insult to injury is probably to put it more mildly than it deserves. Its clearly not right that somebody who was deprived of their liberty, because of the failures of the state and its institutions for a number of years, then should pay the state or be obliged to give some money back to the state, for the privilege of having been wrongly incarcerated. That surely offends any any kind of sense of justice. Mr Malkinsons mother Tricia outside the Royal Courts of Justice (Jordan Pettitt/PA) He said that he would like ministers to change the rules to protect those wrongly convicted from paying such costs. The sums involved are trivial in the overall scheme of things, he said. Mr Malkinsons mother Tricia, 76, said he has been damaged by injustice, and urged the public not to forget him as he will still need to find fairness and his place in society. She told The Times: This is not about the money, its about the fact hes lost 20 years of his life. Hes an intelligent man and this has been a waste of his life I wonder what he could have achieved if this hadnt happened. This is only the beginning. The court will decide later whether Mr Malkinsons convictions were also unsafe because of what his lawyer Edward Henry KC called deplorable disclosure failures, which mostly lay at the door of the Greater Manchester Police. They include police photographs of the victims left hand, which supported her evidence that she broke a nail scratching the face of her attacker, and the fact the two witnesses who identified Mr Malkinson had convictions for dishonesty offences and one was a heroin addict. None of this was available to Mr Malkinsons defence team at his trial and Mr Henry said the failure to disclose the photographs deprived Mr Malkinson of his strongest defence point his lack of any facial injury. The UK and India could sign a long-awaited trade deal before the end of the year, according to a senior Indian official. The countrys commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal told reporters on Friday: We want to finalise the deal at the earliest. He also said that it was possible that the deal could be agreed much before the end of the year. Talks remain ongoing between the two governments, after the initial target of securing a deal by Diwali last October was missed. Securing a post-Brexit trade agreement with India, a country with over 1.4 billion people, has been a key target for the Government. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Leon Neal/PA) The Department for Business and Trade insisted that the Government would only sign when we have a deal that is fair, balanced, and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy. A spokesperson said: The UK and India are committed to working towards the best deal possible for both sides. While weve made good progress in closing chapters, were now focused on the high ambition areas including goods, services, and investment. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will attend the G20 summit in New Delhi in September. Muslims spoke about the importance of standing shoulder to shoulder as a community as they attended the first day of the largest Islamic convention in the UK. Around 40,000 Muslims are expected to attend the Jalsa Salana, which began on Friday and ends on Sunday with some travelling from overseas to reach Oakland Farm in Alton, Hampshire, where the convention takes place. Fraz Ahmad, 19, a law student from Bradford who said he journeyed for five hours on Friday morning to reach Alton, told the PA news agency: I think its really important to remove the misconceptions around Islam and change the narrative, change the perspective, that people have upon it. By people coming here and having a look at what true Islam looks like, and what we believe Islam is about, thats the only way that narrative is going to change. The convention is held at Oakland Farm in Hampshire (MTA International/PA) The convention, which is in its 57th year, was formed with the help of around 5,000 volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, which is deemed to be the fastest growing sect within Islam. The convention offers people that chance to come together to self-reflect and focus on spiritual goals for the coming year and also features several highly symbolic services and sermons from the leader, or Caliph, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. On Friday, the Caliph hoisted the flag for the community alongside the Union flag, which was raised by Rafiq Hayat, the national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in the UK. The congregation gather for Friday prayer at the Jalsa Salana (MTA International/PA) It was followed by a sermon from the Caliph, who addressed the current issues facing the community and society as a whole. Across the weekend, around 270,000 meals will also be prepared onsite by the volunteers, and the bread factory at the convention provides around 9,000 rotis a flatbread which is eaten with meals every hour for the attendees. Sarah Ward, a 43-year-old primary school teacher from Kingston, south-west London, said it is really nice to see the diversity of the Muslim community as well as the unity that comes with the convention. We know, as Muslim women, were very diverse, were not monolith, were from different backgrounds, we have different skills, we have different passions, we do different jobs, but we come together as one community, the mother-of-three told PA. Around 9,000 rotis are made every hour at the conventions onsite factory (Hannah Cottrell/PA) Were united under our Caliph, and its really nice to see that diversity yet that unity thats there. Of the Jalsa Salana, Ms Ward added: As much as Jalsa changes in that the marquees might be bigger or we might have more facilities the essence of why we come to Jalsa is exactly the same. We come here to listen to the speeches of our Caliph, to self-reflect, to self-improve. Its a pause in the year where we come together and we just have that space to enjoy our sisterhood and focus on our spiritual goals for the coming year, and you always come away quite refreshed. Munazzah Chou, 38, from Farnham, said the five daily prayers which also include an extra special morning prayer at the convention are made more amazing due to the sheer scale of the Jalsa Salana. The Caliph, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, leads prayers and holds sermons throughout the convention (MTA International/PA) During Jalsa, everybody gets together and its an amazing experience, Ms Chou, a doctor, told PA. Prayer, in general, is all about coming together, standing shoulder to shoulder in a row, theres no hierarchy, and during Jalsa, the sheer scale of it makes it more amazing. The mother-of-three added that the convention provides the feeling of sisterhood and allows attendees to [express] our morals. Hospitality is a huge part of being a Muslim, so being hospitable towards travellers and everybody you meet, its a big part of that, and every year we get an experience of that, she added. Volunteers at the convention will prepare lunch and dinner for the 40,000 attendees (Hannah Cottrell/PA) Meals are to be cooked onsite over the course of the weekend, with 772 pots of food made to cater for the convention on Friday alone. The kitchen also plans to prepare around 270,000 meals in total from South Asian and European cuisines across the three days. Javed Uddin, 57, from Leicester who has been preparing meals for the convention for over 20 years, said he loves working here. Javed Uddin has been preparing meals at the convention for over 20 years (Hannah Cottrell/PA) Were all different ages, we come from different parts of the UK and abroad, and we all work together, Mr Uddin told PA. We usually cook dahls, which is lentils, in the afternoon, and then we cook lamb and potatoes in the evening. Mr Uddin, who works at Asda, added: When you do worldly things, you can work here like 14, 15 hours, which Ive done many times, and youre shattered and finishing at three, four, five oclock in the morning, but it just keeps you going. The site is also equipped with a roti-making factory, which produces around 9,000 rotis every hour which are then hand-packaged and sent across the site. Around 9,000 rotis are prepared every hour at the convention, before they are hand-packaged and shipped across the site (Hannah Cottrell/PA) Fathay Rashid, 31, from London who has been working in the onsite factory for around 10 years, said around 350,000 rotis will be prepared across the course of the three-day convention. Mr Rashid, who is a pilot, said they begin making the dough batches for the roti at 3am, the bread of which consists of whole wheat flour, water, sugar and yeast. Of his role at the Jalsa Salana, he said: I love it. Every year I come back to do this, its voluntary work. All the people you see every year, theyre like family, home. On Saturday, the Caliph will lead the afternoon prayer with the women in the female section of the convention, while all attendees will gather to pledge allegiance to the Caliph in a human chain formed of 40,000 people on Sunday. The sons of a US tourist assaulted in Dublin have thanked the people of Ireland for their kindness, as they said he is no longer in a coma. Stephen Termini, 57, from New York state, was seriously injured in an attack in Talbot Street in the city centre on July 19. The incident has prompted a wider debate on whether the Irish capitals streets are safe. On Friday, Justice Minister Helen McEntee announced an additional 10 million euro for gardai in the Dublin region. Mr Terminis sons, Michael and Jesse Rizzuto, have travelled from the US to visit their father in hospital. They set up an online fundraising page with a target of 10,000 US dollars (9,000 euro) to pay for their trip to Ireland. The Go Fund Me page has been deluged with donations. By Saturday the total raised had passed 127,000 US dollars (115,000 euro) with more than 4,400 people having donated. Jesse Rizzuto said the reaction had been nothing but the greatest. Everybody has reached out to us to say you know, this isnt what its like (in Ireland), we want to show you what its like, he told RTE. And I mean the donations, we never expected a turnout like this. I mean we had it set for a smaller amount just to get us over here and see him, but I mean everybody thats donated has left us comments as well like hey, you know, so sorry or hey, all the best for your family, this isnt what Irelands really like and the people dont stand behind that. And its amazing. Stephen Termini was seriously injured in an attack in Dublin city centre (PA) He added: How do you thank over 4,000 people? His brother Michael added: Were just so thankful about everything. Like I wish I could just line everyone up and shake everyones hand and give hugs and stuff. Michael Rizzuto said his father was out of a coma but improvements in his condition were slow. Its going to be like a long game here, he said. Jesse Rizzuto said there were signs of slight improvements in his fathers condition. Were taking it basically one hour at a time, he said. But he is making slight improvements that were very happy with, very happy with, hes showing some good signs of having a strong resilient body. Asked about the extent of an injury to one of his fathers eyes, Jesse Rizzuto added: Theyre still trying to do everything they can. So were leaving it up to their hands because theyre the professionals. Yes, as far as injuries go, yes, hes improving. Three teenage youths have appeared in court in Dublin charged in connection with the assault on Mr Termini. Strictly Come Dancing stars Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec have welcomed their first child together. The married couple announced the happy news with a photo which showed Manrara, 39, in a hospital bed cradling the newborn baby while Skorjanec, 33, leaned over them with a beaming smile. They said the baby was born on Friday and had been named Lyra Rose Skorjanec in the joint Instagram post on Saturday. Friends and famous faces congratulated the couple, including Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka Marquez who wrote so gorgeous!!! His fiancee, actress Gemma Atkinson, who gave birth to their second child this week, said just wonderful. Strictly star Oti Mabuse added CONGRATULATIONS best news ever and Amy Dowden described the baby as utter perfection. The couple announced in February they were expecting after they found out Manrara was pregnant in early December, just as they were about to start IVF treatment. Manrara, who quit her role as a professional dancer two years ago so they could try for a baby, told Hello! magazine that they had begun pursuing the idea of IVF after they had been trying for a child for the past couple of years but nothing was happening. Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec (Suzan Moore/PA) The dancer-turned-presenter said she was about to start the injections when she discovered she was pregnant. The professional dancers met in 2010 when performing in the live dance show Burn The Floor, and they tied the knot in 2017. They starred alongside each other on Strictly Come Dancing for many years before Manrara stepped down in 2021 to become a co-host of the spin-off show It Takes Two. Last year Skorjanec announced he was also leaving the BBC dance competition after nine years. 2 killed, 2 injured in gas explosion in China's Hebei Xinhua) 15:38, July 29, 2023 SHIJIAZHUANG, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Two people were confirmed dead, and two others were seriously injured in a gas explosion in Anping County, north China's Hebei Province, on Saturday morning, according to local authorities. The accident happened at around 10:13 a.m. in a street-front shop at Hongqi Street. The fire was extinguished at around 11:20 a.m. Preliminary investigation showed that the gas explosion was caused by the rupture of a natural gas pipeline due to a pipeline renovation. Five individuals related to the incident have been taken into custody by the public security authorities. Further investigation into the incident is underway. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference at Queensland Government House in Brisbane, July 29. AFP-Yonhap Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that the United States believes Russia's defense minister is in North Korea to secure supplies of weapons to aid his country's stalled invasion of Ukraine. Following Sergei Shoigu's arrival on a rare trip to Pyongyang, Blinken said that Russia is scrambling to buy arms from allies across the world. "I strongly doubt he's there on holiday," Blinken told reporters in Australia. "We're seeing Russia desperately looking for support, for weapons, wherever it can find them to continue to prosecute its aggression against Ukraine," he said. First Minister Humza Yousaf has hit out at Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar ahead of a campaign visit to Rutherglen. The SNP leader will meet with Katy Loudon, the partys candidate in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat at Westminster, on Saturday as the recall petition currently underway after Margaret Ferriers Commons suspension is due to close on Monday. Ahead of the visit, he said Mr Sarwar had been posted missing since UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer refused to commit to scrapping the two-child benefit cap earlier this month. The day after Sir Keirs comments, Mr Sarwar was interviewed by STV and wrote a piece for the Daily Record newspaper reiterating Scottish Labours opposition to the policy, and saying he would press the UK party to drop it. The First Minister said Anas Sarwar had been posted missing (Jane Barlow/PA) Mr Yousaf said: People across Scotland are struggling with the cost of living right now, and they deserve to know that politicians will do everything they can to help them through tough times. The SNP are absolutely clear: the two-child cap and the rape clause is an abhorrent policy, and it should be scrapped. Since Keir Starmers decision to retain the cruel, two-child limit, Anas Sarwar has been posted missing. I can understand why he is desperate to avoid scrutiny but he must be upfront with the people of Scotland and explain why his party is committing to retain a policy that will keep up to 20,000 children in poverty. It has long been known that Labour in Scotland is just a branch office of the Westminster party but never before has their powerlessness been so apparent, or on such an important issue. After years of claiming to oppose the Tories two-child cap and rape clause, Labour are now going to keep it and whatever Labour in Scotland desperately try to claim, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have been absolutely clear that they are not going to change course. Any Labour candidate now standing in Scotland including here in Rutherglen will now do so on a commitment that they will maintain among the very worst of Tory policies. They will be making a political choice to keep children and working families in poverty. By contrast, the SNP will unequivocally stand up for a fairer society. Our actions in Government are lifting an estimated 90,000 kids out of poverty this year. Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie, however, accused the First Minister of breathtaking hypocrisy, accusing him of galivanting around the country instead of governing. The lack of self-awareness would be laughable if not for the fact Scots are left struggling with an NHS in chaos and a devastating cost of living crisis, she said. When hes not talking about his constitutional obsession, Humza Yousaf is campaigning to keep the Tories in government by launching increasingly desperate attacks on Scottish Labour. A MRH-90 Taipan helicopter, similar to the one seen here in 2021, went down during a night-time military exercise Debris has been found after an Australian military helicopter crashed off the coast of Queensland, leaving four people missing, police say. The incident took place during US-Australian exercise off Lindeman Island on Friday night. Defence Minister Richard Marles said a search and rescue mission was immediately launched. "The four air crew are yet to be found," Marles said during a press conference on Saturday morning. He said that the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crashed near the island, in the Whitsundays, at about 22:30 local time (12:30 GMT). "Our hopes and thoughts are very much with the aircrew and their families," he said, adding that "we desperately hope for better news during the course of the day". "These are early days and there will be much more information to be provided about this incident," he said. Speaking at the same press briefing, the Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell said it was "a terrible moment". "Our focus at the moment is with finding our people and supporting their families and the rest of our team," he said. He said he appreciated the support provided by civil agencies, the police, the public and "our US allies" to assist the search and rescue operation so far. The MRH-90 Taipan went down during drills as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest bilateral military training exercise between Australian and the United States. Defence officials announced a pause in the Talisman Sabre exercise, which also includes soldiers from Japan, France, Germany, and South Korea. "I've initiated a pause X across Australia for all participants of Talisman Sabre to enable them all, regardless of their nation, to reach out and let their families know what is going on," Brigadier Damian Hill, the exercise director of Exercise Talisman Sabre, said. The exercise had been entering its second week and was testing large-scale logistics, land combat, amphibious landings and air operations. It was expected to wrap up by 4 August. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are both currently in Queensland as part of the annual Australia-US ministerial (AUSMIN) dialogue. DHAKA,Bangladesh (AP) Police in Bangladeshs capital on Saturday clashed with supporters of the countrys main opposition party, which said scores of its activists were injured during anti-government protests in parts of the city. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the transfer of power to a non-party caretaker government until the next general election, which is expected to be held by early January. Zias party and its allies accuse Hasina of vote rigging in 2018 and the party has been protesting over who should oversee the next general election. On Saturday, hundreds of activists of Zias party attempted to block several entry points to Dhaka, the capital, while police fired tear gas and charged with batons to disperse them. The opposition activists retaliated by throwing pieces of brick and attacked police vehicles with sticks, police said. On Friday, Zias party announced the sit-in protest at all the entrances of Dhaka and supporters of the ruling Awami League party also took to the streets. Faruk Hossain, a spokesman of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said officers arrested at least 90 opposition activists during the five-hour protest in parts of the city and 20 police were injured in clashes with the protesters. Zias party said later in the evening that more than 100 opposition activists were injured. The party also said that at least 124 of its members were arrested by police. Police said two senior leaders were detained briefly, but were later released. Hasina hopes to return to power for a fourth consecutive term and says the election should be held under her governments supervision as specified in the constitution. But Zias party and its allies accuse Hasina of vote rigging in 2018 and say she must step down to allow the installation of a non-party caretaker government to ensure a free and fair vote. Both sides held separate rallies on Friday. The United States, the European Union and the United Nations have urged the sides to demonstrate restraint and work toward holding a credible election. The US on Friday announced a new weapons package for Taiwan valued at up to $345 million, a move that is likely to anger Beijing at a time when the US has been attempting to reset its relationship with China. This package marks the first time the US has transferred equipment to Taiwan under whats known as Presidential Drawdown Authority, allowing the US to pull the weapons and other stocks directly from Defense Department inventories. Just like many of the weapons deliveries to Ukraine, this process accelerates the transfer of inventory. Its unclear what weaponry or equipment will be in the drawdown package the announcement did not detail its contents, as such announcements often do with Ukraine aid packages. Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners said the package includes self-defense capabilities that Taiwan will be able to use to build to bolster deterrence now and in the future. He added that the systems include critical defensive stockpiles, multi-domain awareness, anti-armor and air defense capabilities. Meiners said that the administration will continue to review the kind of equipment Taiwan will need for self-defense and assess the best authority to meet those requirements moving forward. Obviously the US has not changed our policy on Taiwan, Meiners said. We are committed to the One China policy [and] the Taiwan relations act. Taiwans Ministry of National Defense expressed gratitude to the US for its firm security commitment to Taiwan in a statement Saturday. Taiwan and the US will continue to work closely on security issues to ensure the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait as well as the status-quo, the statement read. In previous instances, the US has allowed Taiwan to purchase weapons from the US, a process that takes more time, instead of delivering the equipment directly from US inventories. Taiwans most recent purchase, which took place last month, included $332.2 million of 30mm ammunition and related equipment, as well as $108 million of logistics support. The Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office declined to comment. In early May, the islands defense minister, Chiu Kuo-Cheng, said Taiwan was in talks with the US for a fast-tracked $500 million weapons package. The package, he said at the time, would make up for delays in the delivery of other weapons, some of which had been diverted to fulfill the urgent needs of Ukraine. A week later, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers that a significant security package would be coming soon for Taiwan, part of the $1 billion Congress had authorized in drawdown authority for Taipei. But the package was delayed, in part because of an accounting error that forced administration officials to recount the value of the equipment provided to Taiwan. This is the first time we have done a Taiwan PDA, a senior administration official said earlier this month, and it has taken a bit longer than we would normally expect. At the same time, the Biden administration pursued diplomatic progress with Beijing, trying to reopen frozen lines of communication and restart dialogue. In June, Secretary of State Antony Blinken became the first top US diplomat to visit Beijing in five years. Blinken, who canceled a previous visit to Beijing after a Chinese spy balloon made its way across the continental United States, said the two countries had made progress toward improving and stabilizing relations between the two superpowers. His visit was a litmus test for whether the governments, increasingly at odds over Taiwan as well as over Chinas actions in the Indo-Pacific, could prevent relations from further deteriorating. In a sign of progress, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Beijing in early July. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Wayne Chang contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The Biden administration is sending Taiwan a $345 million package of weapons drawn from U.S. stockpiles, the White House announced Friday. This marks the first time the U.S. is sending equipment to Taiwan from its own stocks using the presidential drawdown authority. Congress authorized about $1 billion for presidential drawdown packages for Taiwan in the annual defense bill passed last year for the 2023 fiscal year. Drawing down from U.S. inventories is a quick way to transfer equipment, as evidenced by the more than 40 drawdowns the administration has sent Ukraine since August 2021. Drawdowns bypass the foreign-military sales process, which can take years to deliver weapons and equipment. What will be in the drawdown package for Taiwan and its estimated delivery date are not yet clear. Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Martin Meiners said the drawdown "includes self-defense capabilities that Taiwan will be able to use to build to bolster deterrence now and in the future." And he added, "Systems included in the $345 million package address critical defensive stockpiles, multi-domain awareness, anti-armor and air defense capabilities." The transfer of equipment is part of the U.S. commitment to support Taiwan's self defense to deter or stop a potential Chinese attack. China is developing the military capability to invade Taiwan by 2027, although senior U.S. officials say this doesn't mean China has decided to attack or invade Taiwan. "The decision-making process would still have to occur," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said earlier this month. "You want to make sure every single day President Xi wakes up and says today's not that day, and that that decision never comes. That's the whole essence of deterrence." The announcement will likely anger Beijing, just as the U.S. and China have started reestablishing relations after the Chinese spy balloon incident. Several senior leaders have met over the summer, but military-to-military relations remain dormant. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin still has not met with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu since Li took office in March. Evidence against Gilgo Beach murders suspect includes surveillance video of victim, prosecutors say U.S. sending $345 million in military aid to Taiwan Destination weddings trending again, but are they good? President Biden on Friday announced $345 million in military assistance for Taiwan, using an authority from Congress that draws weapons directly from U.S. stockpiles. The announcement was first published as a memorandum to the Secretary of State, directing the drawdown of defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan. The package is said to include intelligence and surveillance capabilities, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), firearms and missiles, according to a congressional staffer familiar with the package. Biden authorized the weapons transfer to Taiwan using a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) that Congress approved last year. National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters to stay tuned when asked Friday when the White House was going to make the announcement. Obviously we take our responsibilities to Taiwan and to improving their self defense capabilities very, very seriously, he said. Nothings changed about that. And well continue to look for ways to do that. The U.S. is working to outfit Taiwan with enough military capabilities to deter the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) from carrying out an invasion or blockade against the island. U.S. officials have warned that Beijing is readying its military to have the capability to move against the island by 2027. The PRC views the democratically-goerend island of Taiwan as an inalienable part of mainland China and Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he intends to see Taipei reunified with Beijing. Taiwan, while holding back from declaring its status as independent, is supported by the U.S. to have the defensive means and diplomatic clout to resist a forced takeover by Beijing, either through military conflict or economic coercion. Congress approved $1 billion in weapons transfers for Taiwan in the 2023 budget, and have urged the administration to fill a backlog of weapons sales to the country and raising alarm that resupplying the island in the event of a military conflict would be next to impossible. I am glad to see the Biden administration send this much-needed weapons package to Taiwan as Communist China eyes further aggression. However, this should have occurred much earlier and could have been more robust, said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and who visited Taiwan in May. This administrations repeated fear of escalation in providing critical weapon systems in the midst of a great power competition has only served to embolden Chairman Xi and his unholy alliance, he continued. The U.S. must remain committed to providing necessary defense articles to enable Taiwan in maintaining deterrence and self-defense capability. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Biden on Friday made his first public remarks about his 4-year-old grandchild Navy, the daughter of his son Hunter Biden, after silence from the White House over the young girl amid legal disputes between her parents. In a statement exclusively provided to People, Biden said that his son and Lunden Roberts, Navys mother, are working to provide a life for her. Our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward, the president said. This is not a political issue, its a family matter. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy. The New York Times earlier this month published a piece about the child, writing that shes never met Hunter Biden or her grandfather. After that was published, the White House dealt with questions in the briefing room from reporters about whether Biden accepted Hunter Bidens daughter in Arkansas as his granddaughter. Roberts, who is in Arkansas, filed a paternity suit against Hunter Biden in May 2019, and he appeared in court this May. In June, he reached a settlement in his child support case after he was ordered to sit for a deposition under oath to answer questions about his finances. An anonymous source told People that the president and first lady Jill Biden have been giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out and have been following Hunters lead throughout the legal proceedings involving the young girl. Biden has come under criticism from the right over not recognizing the 4-year-old child. The statement given to People, as a result, was significant. It was also given to a publication whose readership is estimated to be 69 percent female. Suburban women voters are a key block for the White House team in 2024. Hunter Bidens personal and legal troubles have been increasingly in the spotlight in recent weeks. He appeared in a Delaware court Wednesday, where his plea deal on federal tax and gun charges was put on hold by a judge who questioned the scope of the agreement. Updated at 6:20 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Joe Biden on Friday publicly acknowledged a daughter of his son Hunter for the first time, breaking a long-held silence on the matter by describing the situation as a family matter. Our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward, Biden said in a statement that was first reported by People. The statement went on to read: This is not a political issue, its a family matter. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy, read the statement. The statement amounts to the Bidens first acknowledgment of their seventh grandchild. The president spoke to his son and family about the overall situation with his grandchild, Navy, and wants whats best for her, including possibly meeting her at some point, according to a source familiar. The matter has grown politically sensitive in recent months as Hunter Bidens legal predicament entered the spotlight. Lunden Roberts, an Arkansas woman, gave birth to a girl and claimed Hunter Biden was the father in 2019. He denied paternity, but after a DNA test confirmed that he was the father, he eventually agreed in 2020 to pay $20,000 a month in child support. Hunter Biden sought to reduce the monthly payments, and last month settled a child support case. As part of the deal, Hunter Biden will give some of his paintings to his daughter, who can either keep some of her choosing or keep the money from any sales of those paintings. Roberts is also dropping her bid to change the girls last name to Biden, according to the court filing. In court filings in April, Roberts said Hunter Biden has never seen or contacted his 4-year-old daughter and that President Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden remain estranged from their grandchild. A source familiar with the situation pointed to the contentious legal proceedings for reasoning as to why the Bidens are now acknowledging their seventh grandchild. You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navys parents happening until just a few weeks ago. As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunters lead. They are and have been giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out, the source said. Now that much of the legal matter has been sorted, Navys parents are working on a way forward thats best for her, the source said. Thousands of families have faced similar circumstances, working it out in private, versus the spotlight. At the center is a 4-year-old girl and everyone wants what is best for her, including all of her grandparents, said the source familiar. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Marshall Cohen contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com SYDNEY (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Saturday for the immediate release of ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum and the restoration of democratic order in the country. Leaders of a coup in Niger declared General Abdourahamane Tiani as head of state on Friday, saying they had ousted Bazoum in the seventh military takeover in West and Central Africa in less than three years. Bazoum has not made a statement since Thursday morning, when he vowed to protect "hard-won" democratic gains in a post on social media. Blinken told journalists in Brisbane, Australia he had spoken to Bazoum by telephone, without providing further details. The U.S. is calling for his immediate release and restoration of democratic order, Blinken added. Before the uprising, Niger was seen as the West's most stable ally in an unstable region. Blinken said a U.S. economic and security partnership with Niger, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order, which has been disrupted in the last few days. "So that assistance is in clear jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately reversed," said Blinken, who is meeting with counterparts in Australia. (Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by William Mallard and Lincoln Feast.) DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) Darrin Lopez has been convicted and sentenced to 62 years in a state penitentiary, including time already served, for the 2020 shooting death of James "Jamie" Faith. James The 49-year-old American Airlines employee was shot and killed on the morning of Oct. 9, 2020, while he and his wife, Jennifer Faith, walked their dog in north Oak Cliff. His wife told detectives that a stranger in a black pickup truck pulled up and opened fire. She also claimed that the gunman tried to abduct her. "According to the witnesshe had duct tape, he grabbed her, tried to tape her wrists...tried to pull jewelry off her fingers," said Dallas Police Deputy Chief Avery Moore shortly after the killing. Detectives later became suspicious when they discovered Jennifer Faith was having an emotional affair with Lopez, her high school sweetheart. According to prosecutors, Jennifer Faith told him lies about being abused by her husband. Detectives said Lopez then drove from Tennessee to Texas to kill him. He was arrested and charged with the murder months later, in January 2021, by the ATF Special Response Team in Tennessee. During the Dallas Police Department's investigation, they found he and Jennifer Faith exchanged more than 14,000 calls and texts between Sept. 30 and Oct. 30, 2020. One message even described a five-year plan on "how they would be together." She pleaded guilty to a federal charge in the case last year and received a life sentence. Watch the "48 Hours" report on the case here. Hollywood expects earnings bumps amid strikes These U.S. cities are adapting to effects of climate change Trump, DeSantis to share stage as candidates for first time President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, and their grandchildren Natalie and Robert, take a selfie before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Dec. 27, 2022, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and then on to St. Croix, the U.S. Virgin Islands. AP-Yonhap President Joe Biden acknowledged his seventh grandchild for the first time publicly, Friday a 4-year-old girl fathered by his son Hunter with an Arkansas woman, Lunden Roberts, in 2018. "Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," Biden said in a statement. It was his first acknowledgement of the child. "This is not a political issue, it's a family matter," he said. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy." Hunter Biden's paternity was established by DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues. The president's son wrote about his encounter with Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine. "I had no recollection of our encounter," he wrote. "That's how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I've taken responsibility for." An attorney for Roberts did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The president, who has made a commitment to keep his family central to his public persona, has faced increasing criticism from political rivals and pundits for failing to acknowledge the granddaughter. According to a person familiar with the matter, he was taking the cue from his son while the legal proceedings played out. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters. Hunter Biden has four other children, including a son, Beau, born to his wife Melissa Cohen in 2020. He was named after the president's late son who died of cancer in 2015, leaving behind two children. Biden's grandchildren have played a distinctive role in his presidency, often accompanying the president or first lady on trips and making regular visits to the White House. The president has also credited his grandchildren with persuading him to challenge then-President Donald Trump for the White House in 2020. Biden's statement was first reported by People Magazine. (AP) WASHINGTON (AP) House Democrats are demanding the release of a transcript from a new FBI witness that they say contradicts Republicans' claims in the expanding congressional inquiry into President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on House Oversight Committee, sent a letter Friday to Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee, asking him to produce the transcribed interview this month with an FBI agent who worked on the investigation into the younger Bidens taxes and foreign business dealings. The witness was interviewed on July 17. This failure to release a transcript is the latest in your troubling pattern of concealing key evidence in order to advance a false and distorted narrative about your investigation of Joe Biden that has not only failed to develop any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden but has, in fact, uncovered substantial evidence to the contrary, Raskin wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press. The Maryland lawmaker claimed the closed-door interview with the unidentified agent conducted by committee staff directly undermined testimony released by Republicans last month from two IRS whistleblowers who allege that the Justice Department interfered with their yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden. Republicans said the transcript will be released but is not yet ready. The transcript is going through the normal review process where the witness reviews it and makes any corrections needed, the GOP majority tweeted Thursday night. Once that process has been completed, we will release it." House rules allow only the majority party to release transcribed interviews from a committee investigation, meaning minority Democrats have no direct power over the matter. Raskin says in the letter that it is unusual for the release of a transcript to take this long. However, it is not unusual for committee staff to handle whistleblowers cautiously and keep sensitive information tightly held. The letter from Raskin comes days after Hunter Biden's plea deal in a criminal case unraveled during a court hearing. A federal judge in the case raised concerns about the terms of the agreement. Republicans like Comer claimed vindication, having slammed the agreement as a sweetheart deal. The judge did the obvious thing, they put a pause on the plea deal, so I think that was progress, Comer said Wednesday. I think it adds credibility to what were doing. The president's youngest son was charged last month with two misdemeanor crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes on over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018. He had been expected to plead guilty Wednesday after he made an agreement with prosecutors, who wanted two years of probation. Prosecutors said Wednesday that Hunter Biden remains under active investigation, but would not reveal details. Residents, city officials and community leaders gathered Thursday evening at the Broadway Armory in Edgewater to raise complaints against recently announced city plans to move programming from the armory in order to provide temporary shelter for asylum-seekers. News in May that the city was eyeing the Broadway Armory at 5917 N. Broadway as a possible site immediately sparked questions and concerns from the Edgewater community and nearby residents who take part in Chicago Park District services for seniors and teens in the facility. Prior to the evening meeting, attended by more than 100 people, Edgewater residents, carrying signs and chanting, held a news conference outside the armory, saying they were left out of the planning process. Despite intervention from Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, 48th, to facilitate meetings and involve the community in the decision-making process , her efforts failed, she said in her latest letter to her constituents. Manaa-Hoppenworth confirmed in a letter that the regular programming at the armory is set to end this weekend, ahead of the opening of the shelter next Tuesday. However, contrary to initial reports, the senior center and a trapeze school will continue operating as normal. The rest of the parks programing, including the gymnastics facility, will cease or relocate. Since she learned of the citys plan, Ginger Williams, a director of the local senior citizen advocacy group Edgewater Village Chicago, collected signatures against the repurposing of the facility, saying that the most vulnerable would be displaced. Edie Tillis, a retired schoolteacher who runs programming at the armory, said the news made her sad. She carried a pink petition form and said shed already collected 500 names. She said the lack of programs for youths will have a deep effect on the community. Im so accustomed to working with children and with young people, and encouraging them. When you work as long as I have with young people, many times I can look on their faces and I can know something is wrong or something is going on, she said. Now theyre taking the whole building. Troy McMillan, a member of Save Our Broadway Armory Park, called the community center sacred. This is the heart of our community of this ward, she said. It serves as a community center and a safe place for some of our most vulnerable residents, our at-risk youth, our low-income working families, our older adults, our immigrants, our migrants, our refugees. These are our people. Pat Sharkey, a convener of the Coalition of Edgewater Block Clubs and Residents Associations, said the city is taking away programming from a community of thousands. Sharkey said the building is meant to be used for programming, not housing. At least 300 migrants are expected to be moved in, mostly adults with children, according to Manaa-Hoppenworth, though Sharkey said that number is closer to 600. Though the shelter is set to be temporary, there is no clear timeline for how long the shelter will be in operation. We want to talk to you about what that really looks like and what it means and what we can do to make it work, Beatriz Ponce de Leon, deputy mayor for immigrant, migrant, and refugee rights for Mayor Brandon Johnson, said to residents who sat in folding chairs in the armory gymnasium. We are not here permanently, we are not here for multiple years, we are here as a temporary shelter. Nearly 1,000 asylum-seekers continue to sleep on floors of Chicago police stations as the city grapples with finding and equipping buildings to become adequate settlers. Several park facilities, including the Leone Beach Field House in Rogers Park, Brands Parks field house in Avondale and Piotrowski Park in Little Village, have been turned into makeshift shelters. Matt Doughtie, an emergency coordinator with the citys Office of Emergency Management and Communications, explained to residents that city shelters must meet certain safety requirements to be allowed to house asylum-seekers. He said officials chose the armory because it was publicly owned and ready to go. Ponce de Leon said the city scrambled to receive three buses from Texas with migrants on Thursday alone. Every day more migrants are arriving to Chicago, mostly from Central and South America. Beginning August 1, the Broadway Armory will serve as a temporary shelter due to the overwhelming and growing need for shelter, read four screens that faced the audience, causing residents to boo loudly. The senior center at the armory is a satellite center of the Department of Family and Support Services where low-income seniors have access to critical services and activities. When the shelter opens, the senior dining center will continue to serve meals, but the computer lab and pingpong room will be closed. Though the senior center and the trapeze school, a private business inside the gymnasium, will remain in operation after the shelter opens, sharing the space may not be feasible, said Birgit Hampton, the new owner of the trapeze school. But even if its not the most ideal situation, were grateful the city is at least trying to accommodate us, she said. Initially, Hampton said she was upset when she learned that city officials had designated the armory as a shelter without taking into consideration the hundreds of seniors and children that frequent the space consistently. Hampton said that while she feels sympathy for the asylum-seekers and understands that the humanitarian crisis is forcing the city to take drastic measures to repurpose buildings into shelters, safety is her main concern. When the gym in the armory was turned into a homeless shelter during the early months of the pandemic, some of the schools equipment was damaged or stolen, Hampton said. But city officials have promised separate entrances for the school, the senior center and the shelter, she added. Thats my hope. The armory is a former National Guard facility that has five gyms and 13 meeting rooms. It became an important community hub for people in the area and surrounding neighborhoods in 1985, hosting programs and services for underserved communities including seniors and teens, according to Manaa-Hoppenworth. Stella Campbell, 72, and her husband Ken, 73, said the center is of extreme importance to the seniors in the area, who depend on the hot lunches and the services provided for them at low cost. There are few places like this in the city, she said. Ken Campbell said that what angers him is the citys decision to repurpose the space without taking the communitys concerns or suggestions into consideration. There are hundreds of other buildings that could have been turned into a shelter where maybe less people would have been affected if they had to cancel or relocate the services they provide, he said. Volunteers for the 48th Ward Neighbors for Justice set up a table outside the armory to collect donations. Support your new neighbors! read their sign. Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the identity of the speaker from Mayor Brandon Johnsons office. The error has been corrected. nsalzman@chicagotribune.com larodriguez@chicagotribune.com IRS agents wont be knocking on Americans doors unannounced anymore because of increasing worries over agents' safety and imposter scams. The agency this week said its ending its decade-long practice of sending collection specialists into the field to assist taxpayers in paying back outstanding liabilities such as explaining the issue or setting up installment plans and is shifting instead to scheduling meetings beforehand. The move reflects concerns over the escalating anti-IRS rhetoric along with worries that unassuming taxpayers may fall prey to scam artists, but it may also make it harder for the IRS and taxpayers to resolve tax issues as fast as before. "These visits created extra anxiety for taxpayers already wary of potential scam artists," Danny Werfel, current IRS Commissioner, said in the press release. "At the same time, the uncertainty around what IRS employees faced when visiting these homes created stress for them as well. This is the right thing to do and the right time to end it." The IRS says it's ending its practice of sending agents unannounced to taxpayers' homes. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) Safety concerns heightened IRS employees have been victims of violent crimes because of their occupation. For instance, a man intentionally crashed his aircraft into an IRS building in Austin, Texas, in 2010, killing one IRS worker and injuring 13 others. Perpetrators have also kidnapped, assaulted, and committed various crimes against tax employees throughout history. "In the IRS building, there's a wall that's got the badges of the people who died in the line of duty, Larry Pon, former IRS employee and CPA based in the San Francisco Bay Area, told Yahoo Finance. Recent viral, but inaccurate claims from social media users and some Republican lawmakers that increased funding for the IRS would add 87,000 armed agents who could come to taxpayer doorsteps have further flamed anti-government sentiment. That has helped to spark anger and fear toward the agency and its employees. "There has been a great deal of demonization of the service," Mark Everson, a former IRS Commissioner from 2003 until 2007 and vice chairman at alliantgroup, told Yahoo Finance. "I'm sure that the employees who are in this line of work feel at risk." "There's a climate out there suggesting that IRS employees are armed. And that is false," Doreen Greenwald, the national executive vice president for National Treasury Employee Union and a former IRS revenue officer, added. "When agents knock on somebody's door they don't know what to expect, so there have been incidents where employees have found themselves in dangerous situations." The only armed IRS department is the Criminal Investigation (CI), a branch investigating tax, money laundering, and Bank Secrecy Act laws. This is a small group compared with the overall IRS department. There are only 3,000 CI employees, or 3.8% of the agency's 79,070 staffers, according to the agencys most recent data book. "The blue shirt and the blue jacket those are the criminal investigation, the law enforcement part of the IRS, Pon said. They're the ones who raid people's houses. They're the ones with the guns." An agent from the IRS Criminal Investigation division works inside Palm Springs City Hall on Sept.1, 2015, in California. (Photo by Gregg Felsen/Getty Images) Prevalent scamming Typically, taxpayers who do get a special visit from the IRS would have already received multiple letters from the agency trying to resolve a tax problem. But the majority of Americans arent aware of the agencys procedures, making them vulnerable to imposter scams. "The IRS would never just show up. They would have already sent you letters," Pon said. "If an agent is at your door, there have been half a dozen letters that have been sent to you." Overall, government imposter scams were a top fraud type from 2014 to 2021, according to the Federal Trade Commission. So far this year, there have been 1,396 reported IRS imposter scams, totaling $2.76 million in losses. Nearly one in four victims reported a loss and the median loss was $279. Scammers often threaten victims with jail time for arbitrary unpaid tax bills to defraud the taxpayer. The agency has implemented security measures for taxpayers to verify IRS worker information. Legitimate revenue officers must provide two types of government-issued identification with serial numbers and a photo of the agent. Taxpayers can also call a hotline to confirm the officer's legitimacy. But even so, some scammers carry fake identifications, including counterfeit badges and business cards with non-working phone numbers. "But even with these different verification things, there were still challenges to the IRS personnel in the field," Greenwald said. "There were ongoing scammers that were out there pretending to be federal employees and that still worked." Thats because real agents can still be hard to identify because they look like regular people during assignments. "Agents drive their own cars," Pon said, "and wear their own clothes." Consequences of no visits Of course, there is a drawback from the IRS pulling back on in-field agents, Greenwald said, especially as the agency has been trying to ramp up its ability to help taxpayers. "You are able to resolve things quickly once you meet with the person," Greenwald said. For instance, Everson remembers when a taxpayer showed up at his door one Sunday night. "She was distraught. She didn't come with the intent of violence. She just wanted to get some help to resolve her problem, Everson said. Still, Greenwald said, the agency has to balance the benefit of collecting taxes with also protecting employees." The agency is choosing the latter. Rebecca Chen is a reporter for Yahoo Finance and previously worked as an investment tax certified public accountant (CPA). Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) A firefighter has been killed while fighting a massive wildfire in northeastern British Columbia, marking the second such fatality in the Canadian province this month and the fourth in Canada during this years record fire season. A release from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Saturday the 25-year-old man from Ontario was working Friday just before 11 a.m. in a remote area when his heavy-duty ATV rolled over a steep drop on a gravel road. Police say the victim, who has not been identified publicly, was transported by helicopter to Fort St. John but died en route. The RCMP say a workplace fatality investigation is underway. Provincial officials have confirmed the man was a contracted firefighter working for the wildfire service through a private B.C. company and died while fighting the almost 6,000-square-kilometer (2,316 square mile) Donnie Creek blaze. B.C. Premier David Eby issued a statement on Saturday saying the fatality coming so soon after Gales death has shaken people throughout the province and devastated the firefighting community. "This wildfire season has been profoundly awful," Eby said. Statistics from the provincial wildfire service show there are currently 363 active wildfires in British Columbia, with 11 new fires in the last 24 hours and 191 blazes classified as out of control. In total, there have been 1,517 wildfires in British Columbia this year, burning a record-breaking 15,397 square kilometers (5,944 square miles) of trees, bush and grassland. A special dog known for saving other animals by donating blood was in need of her own miracle recently. The dog, named Ivy, came close to death but was spared by a guardian angel. Ivy is a beloved one-year-old mixed-breed cur who The Smith County Animal Control and Shelter in Texas has deemed its "Hero Dog". "She is a very sweet girl that has an abundance of energy," Kaylee Collins, a shelter assistant at Smith County Animal Control and Shelter in Texas shared. Ivy joined the shelter on June 2 and was a part of its "Hero Dog" program, a blood donor initiative for dogs in partnership with Tyler Animal Emergency Clinic. Local veterinarians rely on donor dogs who undergo testing to give blood to animals in need. They are a lifesaving resource in moments of desperation for both owners and shelters. WATCH: Boy's musical talents make a difference to the lives of shelter dogs Ivy faces euthanasia Talks of euthanizing Ivy started after she kept getting passed up for adoption due to the shelter being overcrowded. In a last attempt to save her, Ivy was entered as a participant at the nonprofit organization "Saving Animals from Euthanasia." Ivy's story made rounds on social media asking people to help her find a home once she was available for adoption on June 2nd. If the dogs are adopted it is up to the adopter whether or not they would like to keep them in the Hero Dog Program, Collins said. If they do, they will receive free rabies vaccines and heartworm preventative for that dog as long as they donate. On July 21, Ivy found a home. "We are committed to rescuing as many animals as we can from kill type shelters, and to relocating them in preparation for their adoption," the organization's site reads. "We are committed to working with the public and shelters to discover and reduce the real causes of companion animal euthanasia. We are committed to the raising of awareness, the education and the development and implementation of effective programs that reduce both the numbers of unnecessary births and the destruction of the great number of adoptable animals." To claim a dog, you can contact the administrative office of Smith County Animal Control from Monday to Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Hero dog' facing euthanasia finds a home after community help A New York man who stole a police radio and badge from a Washington, D.C., police officer who was being beaten by a mob during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S Capitol was sentenced to over four years in prison Friday, prosecutors said. Thomas Sibick, 37, of Buffalo, stole the badge and radio of then-Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone, who has been one of several officers attacked that day to testify before Congress. Sibick was sentenced to 50 months, or four years and two months in prison, and was ordered to pay over $7,500, the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington said in a statement. He pleaded guilty in March. Thomas Sinbick with a U.S. Capitol Police Shield on Jan. 6, 2021. (Department of Justice) Fanone fought for his life against members of the violent mob on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum that asked for 71 months in prison. They called the attack on Capitol "an attack on the rule of law. Sibicks criminal conduct, assaulting a police officer who was in the course of performing his official duties, and stealing his badge and radio his lifeline in his time of need is the epitome of disrespect for the law, the prosecution argued in the sentencing memorandum. An attorney listed as representing Sibick did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening. Sibick's attorney argued in a sentencing memo that Sibick did not punch, kick, or otherwise attack Fanone like other people charged in the assault, and was limited to taking two items off of the officer's vest. Sibick "has been devastated by his actions that day," and has expressed his remorse, attorney Stephen Brennwald wrote. Sibick wrote in a letter to the judge that he was in a manic state, and he called his actions an "an embarrassment to myself, my family and my nation." "If I could tell Officer Fanone how deeply sorry I was for impeding him from doing his job, I would," he wrote. Sibick pleaded guilty to one felony count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, which is a felony, and one misdemeanor count of theft on March 3. His attorney argued for home confinement. Sibick has spent eight months in jail since his arrest. At least three other men Daniel Rodriguez, Kyle Young and Albuquerque Head have also been convicted and sentenced in the attack on Fanone as well as in the Jan. 6 riot. Rodriguez, who attacked Fanone with the stun gun, was sentenced to 12 years in prison last month. Young was sentenced in September to over 7 years in prison. Head was sentenced in October to 7 years. The attack on the U.S. Capitol occurred as Congress was formally counting the electoral votes affirming Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election, and after repeated lies that baselessly claimed fraud in the election. Trump is the target of an investigation before a grand jury in Washington over Jan. 6 and efforts to overturn the election. A federal judge in Florida has thrown out former President Trumps defamation lawsuit against CNN, in which the former president alleged that the networks use of the term the Big Lie associates him with Hitler. The lawsuit cites five times when CNN commentators and writers used the Big Lie to refer to Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent and stolen. The term is generally associated with the Nazis, and the origin of the term is associated with Adolf Hitlers accusations of wrongdoing against Jewish people. In dismissing the case on Friday, the judge ruled that the terms use is opinion, not fact, and therefore not liable under defamation law. Trump complains that CNN described his election challenges as the Big Lie. Trump argues that the Big Lie is a phrase attributed to Nazi Party politician Joseph Goebbels and that CNNs use of the phrase wrongly links Trump with the Hitler regime in the public eye. This is a stacking of inferences that cannot support a finding of falsehood, Judge Raag Singhal wrote. Singhal also wrote that defamation is significantly more difficult to commit against public figures, especially those as prominent as former presidents. Additionally, he said that just the use of the term the Big Lie does not inherently connect Trump to Nazis. CNNs use of the phrase the Big Lie in connection with Trumps election challenges does not give rise to a plausible inference that Trump advocates the persecution and genocide of Jews or any other group of people, the decision reads. The Court finds Nazi references in the political discourse (made by whichever side) to be odious and repugnant. But bad rhetoric is not defamation when it does not include false statements of fact. The exact origin of the term is disputed, but it is generally attributed to either Hitler or Goebbels. It is most closely associated with the quote, If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it, often attributed to Goebbels. The suit cited uses of the term by CNN host Jake Tapper, former commentator Chris Cillizza, and writer Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Trump initially requested a $475 million judgment against the company. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A Colorado police officer was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts after she put a handcuffed woman inside a police cruiser parked on train tracks, which was then struck by a speeding locomotive. Fort Lupton police officer Jordan Steinke was charged with attempted reckless manslaughter, a felony, and two misdemeanors reckless endangerment and third-degree assault in connection with the 2022 incident, which left Yareni Rios-Gonzalez seriously injured. On Friday, Steinke was found guilty on the lesser two counts, while she was acquitted of the more serious charge. Steinke waived her right to a jury trial, so Judge Timothy Kerns decided the case. Theres no reasonable doubt that placing a handcuffed person in the back of a patrol car, parked on railroad tracks, creates a substantial and unjustifiable risk of harm by the train, Judge Kerns said, adding that no evidence suggested the officer knowingly intended to harm Ms. Rios-Gonzalez. The incident unfolded on Sept. 16, 2022, near U.S. 85 and Weld County Rd. 38, north of Platteville outside Denver. Officers from several law enforcement agencies including those from Platteville and Fort Lupton were responding at the time to a report of road rage involving a firearm in Fort Lupton earlier in the evening, the Colorado Bureau of Investigations said at the time. Around 7:30 p.m. that night, a Platteville police officer, Pablo Vazquez, pulled over Rios-Gonzalez just past a set of railroad tracks, parking the patrol car behind her on the crossing. Steinke testified that she did not realize the cruiser was parked on the tracks when she placed Rios-Gonzalez inside, telling the court that she chose the vehicle because it was the closest. Just moments later, a freight train slammed into the vehicle. The brutal collision was captured by police body and dash cameras, and the footage was later released by authorities. I am sure I saw the tracks sir, but I did not perceive them, she said, adding that she was focused on the suspect and the potential threat she posed and was fairly certain that the traffic stop would end in gunfire. I never in a million years thought a train was going to come plowing through my scene, Steinke told the judge. Rios-Gonzalez, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, is suing over her treatment. Vazquez has also been charged with reckless endangerment, among other counts, in the incident. His case is ongoing. With News Wire Services With just a week and a half until the highly contested August 8 election, early votes are continuing to roll in at an unprecedented rate. With just a week and a half until the highly contested Aug. 8 election on Issue 1, there has been a surge in early voting across Ohio. This past week, Ohioans cast over 200,000 early votes. 115,000 of those were cast in-person, while 85,000 came from mail-in ballots. In total, 355,483 Ohioans have voted on Issue 1 since early voting began on July 11. The first few weeks of early voting already surpassed many officials' expectations for voter turnout. While many were concerned that the initial surge in early in-person votes would fizzle out, data from the Secretary of State's office shows that the number of early voters per day has increased. The past few days have seen over 19,000 early in-person votes per day across the state, compared with around 16,000 per day in the first 10 days of early voting. VOTER INFORMATION: Everything you need to know about Ohio Issue 1 and the August special election On July 24, some 20,573 Ohioans voted early. For comparison, the first day of early voting saw just under 15,000 votes statewide. Voters have also returned more absentee ballots per day as Election Day draws closer. Statewide data from early this week shows over 13,000 absentee ballots are coming per day. Aaron Ockerman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Election Officials, said the continued turnout has been "fantastic." "I would attribute that to the campaigns really firing up, and getting those mailers out there," he said. "Turnout is driven by issues and candidates, and the level of interest that voters are showing in those issues." What would Issue 1 do? The proposal, if approved, would require 60% of voters to pass a new constitutional amendment, instead of a simple majority of 50% plus one. It also would: Require citizens who want to place an amendment on the ballot to collect signatures from at least 5% of voters from the last gubernatorial election in all 88 counties, instead of the current 44. Eliminate a 10-day cure period that allows citizens to replace any signatures deemed faulty by the secretary of state's office. Campaign spending driving turnout, but uncertainty remains for Election Day Continued campaign spending has also been a big reason why Ohioans are getting out the vote. Ockerman said advocates on both sides of Issue 1 have been pushing voters to cast their ballots early. Campaign finance reports recently revealed that groups on both sides of Issue 1 have received millions in funding from out-of-state groups. While both sides have been spending vast amounts, One Person One Vote on the 'no' side has massively outspent its opponents. Local groups have also been campaigning heavily, including the League of Women Voters of Ohio. While the group opposes Issue 1, Executive Director Jen Miller says they've been centering their efforts around nonpartisan education and breaking down election logistics for voters not used to voting in August. "Were always really excited when Ohioans get out and vote," Miller said. "This is such a major issue, that it's my sincere hope that the numbers will continue to increase." More: Who's funding the Ohio Issue 1 campaigns? Donors from Illinois, D.C. and California Ohio hasn't held a statewide August election since 1926, making it hard to set expectations for turnout. When the election was first approved in May, many expressed concerns that a summer election would lead to extremely low turnout. Early projections left election officials across the state "scratching (their) heads," Ockerman said in early July. Voter turnout has continued to outpace benchmarks from the May 2022 election, which saw interest in primaries for governor and U.S. Senate. But Ockerman said that "without that historical context to look at, I think (the Ohio Association of Election Officials) is not sure whether the momentum will continue." And whether the surge will continue and drive high turnout for Election Day is "a million dollar question," he said. "We've seen it go both ways during the COVID years," Ockerman said. "Sometimes, you saw this massive early vote by mail and in-person, and then you saw... a smaller Election Day vote. But we've also seen where people showed up early and continued through Election Day." Election outcome hard to forecast While voter turnout is looking up, many are still unsure whether or not Issue 1 will pass or fail. A USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University poll saw 57% of respondents oppose Issue 1. An Ohio Northern University poll reported that the numbers are much closer, with support for Issue 1 having a slight 42-41 edge and 17% of respondents remaining undecided. The web-only ONU poll surveyed 675 likely voters and had a 3.7% margin of error. The issue has attracted national attention, largely because of its potential implications for reproductive rights. If Issue 1 goes into effect, it would make it harder for a constitutional amendment that would protect abortion rights to pass this November. Officials confirmed Tuesday that the abortion rights amendment will be on the November ballots. According to the USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University poll, support for the amendment is currently polling at 58% just below the 60% threshold that Issue 1 would impose. Early voting hours You can vote early for the August election at your county board of elections office. The hours for in-person early voting are: July 31: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. August 1: 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. August 2-4: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. August 5: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. August 6: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Issue 1: Everything you need to know about Ohio Issue 1 and the August special election LCarey@Dispatch.com @LilyLCarey This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Issue 1 early in-person, absentee voting surges ahead of August 8 John VanDenBerg suspects he was gardening when a mosquito got him. It was September 2018, and VanDenBerg, then 67, had been feeling a little "off" for a few days, he said, like maybe he had the flu. But one morning, as he was walking out of his Colorado home, he collapsed. "I just went down," VanDenBerg said. "That's the last I remember for quite some time." VanDenBerg had a severe form of West Nile virus, caused by a single mosquito bite. John VanDenBerg lies in bed paralyzed, with his dog, in Sept. 2018. (Courtesy John VanDenBerg) He developed inflammation in his brain. He lost his ability to read and write. His arms and legs stiffened with paralysis. "I didn't know whether my mobility would ever come back," he said. "It was a pretty scary time." The rise of West Nile While this summer saw the first locally acquired cases of another illness linked to mosquitoes, malaria, in two decades, it's West Nile virus and the mosquitoes that spread it that most worries federal health officials. Those bugs, a species of mosquitoes called Culex, are the CDC's "primary concern in the continental U.S. right now," said Roxanne Connelly, a medical entomologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC's Roxanne Connelly studies mosquitoes that can carry West Nile virus. (Lauren Dunn / NBC News) The combination of an unusually wet season from rainfall and melting snow packs and intense heat waves this year appears to be dramatically increasing the mosquito populations. And, CDC scientists say, those mosquitoes have become increasingly resistant to the insecticides that communities use in mass sprays to try to kill the bugs and their eggs. "It's not a good sign," Connelly said. "We're losing some of our tools that we normally rely on to control infected mosquitoes." At CDC's insect lab located in Fort Collins, Colorado home to tens of thousands of mosquitoes Connelly's team has found that Culex mosquitoes are living longer when they're exposed to insecticides. "You want a product that's gonna be able to knock them down, not do this," Connelly said, pointing to a bottle of mosquitoes exposed to the chemicals. Many were still flying. Experiments at the lab have not shown any resistance to bug sprays people typically use to repel mosquitoes during hikes and other outdoor activities. They continue to work well, Connelly said. But as the bugs grow stronger than insecticides, they're also increasing in dramatic numbers in certain pockets of the country. CDC worker Juan De Rivera looks to see whether mosquitoes exposed to insecticide have died. (Lauren Dunn / NBC News) So far in 2023, there have been 69 human cases of West Nile in the U.S., according to the CDC. It's nowhere near a record; there were 9,862 cases in 2003. But more mosquitoes now two decades later means more chances that people will be bitten and get sick. West Nile cases usually peak in August and September. "This is just the beginning of when we see West Nile start to take off in the United States," said Dr. Erin Staples, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC's Fort Collins lab. "We expect a steady increase of disease cases to occur over the next several weeks." In Maricopa County, Arizona, for example, 149 mosquito traps have tested positive for West Nile so far this year, compared with eight in 2022. Heavy rains that have created pockets of standing water, coupled with extreme heat, appear to be playing a role, said John Townsend, manager of Maricopa County's Vector Control Division of Environmental Services. "The water that is sitting there is just ripe for mosquitoes to lay eggs in it," Townsend said. Mosquitoes hatch more quickly in warmer water within three or four days, he said, compared with up to two weeks when they're in cooler water. An unusually rainy June in Larimer County, Colorado where the Fort Collins lab is based has also led to an "unprecedented abundance" of mosquitoes that can spread West Nile, said Tom Gonzales, the county's public health director. County data show five times the number of mosquitoes that can spread West Nile this year, compared with last year. The increases in certain areas of the country are "very concerning," said Connelly. "This is something different than what we've been seeing for the past few years." What are symptoms of West Nile virus? Since West Nile was first detected in the United States in 1999, it's become the most common mosquito-borne illness in the country. Each year, several thousands of people are infected, Staples said. West Nile does not spread from person to person through casual contact. Only Culex mosquitoes spread the virus. The bugs become infected when they bite sick birds, then spread the virus to people through another bite. There is no treatment or vaccine. The majority of people never feel a thing. One in five experience a fever, headache, body aches, vomiting and diarrhea according to the CDC. Symptoms typically appear between three and 14 days after being bitten. One in 150 people with West Nile virus have serious complications, including death. Anyone can become severely ill, but Staples said that people over the age of 60 and those with underlying medical problems are at higher risk. Five years after his West Nile diagnosis, VanDenBerg has regained many of his abilities, thanks to intense physical therapy. His feet remain numb, however, prompting him to rely on a cane. "I think I'm functioning really well mentally," he said, "but I have kind of a clunky walk." While the severity of VanDenBerg's illness is rare, it coincided with another tragic case. John VanDenBerg on his farm walking in May 2019. (Courtesy John VanDenBerg) When VanDenBerg collapsed on that September morning in 2018, he'd been on his way to a funeral for a friend who had died from complications of West Nile virus. The illness, he said, "can be very, very serious, and people need to know that. It can change your life." Protecting against West Nile While resistance to insecticides may be on the rise, Connelly's team finds that common repellents people use while outdoors still work well. Bug spray with ingredients like DEET and picaridin are best, according to the CDC. Other strategies to steer clear of mosquitoes: Dress in loose-fitting clothes that cover arms and legs. Use air conditioning when possible, or make certain that open windows and doors have screens. Regularly empty standing water from common backyard items, such as bird baths, flower pots and toys, where mosquitoes can lay their eggs. Follow NBC HEALTH on Twitter & Facebook. A police officer walks through a flooded street caused by heavy rains after Typhoon Doksuri's landfall in Xiamen, in China's eastern Fujian Province, on July 28. AFP-Yonhap China's weather service issued a red alert for torrential rain in the capital Beijing and surrounding provinces, Saturday, as Typhoon Doksuri swept inland bringing hazardous weather conditions to many parts of the country. Doksuri smashed into southern Fujian Province, Friday morning, with gusts of up to 175 kilometers per hour (110 miles per hour), and China's meteorological service said Saturday its "influence" was now being felt in the country's north. China has been experiencing extreme weather conditions and posting record temperatures this summer, events that scientists say are being exacerbated by climate change. Experts have warned Saturday's downpour could prompt even worse flooding than in July 2012, when 79 people died and tens of thousands were evacuated, according to local media. It is the first time since 2011 that such a heavy rainfall warning has been issued, local media said. The red alert will be in force from 8 p.m. local time, and covers an area of several hundred million inhabitants, including the metropolis of Tianjin, and the provinces of Hebei and Shandong. Several of Beijing's parks, lakes and riverside roads have been closed out of precaution, the municipal authorities announced Saturday. Heavy showers were reported in the capital Saturday afternoon and are expected to last through Tuesday. In Fujian's provincial capital, Saturday, authorities ordered residents to only leave their homes only if necessary. A fallen tree is seen after Typhoon Doksuri's landfall in Xiamen, in China's eastern Fujian Province, July 28. AFP-Yonhap Public transport has also been suspended. Doksuri had been a super typhoon as it tore across the Pacific Ocean earlier this week, but lost some intensity as it neared the Philippines. The typhoon killed at least 13 people there, and caused landslides and floods before tracking northwest to China and gradually weakening. It still brought colossal waves and howling winds to the country's southeast Friday, causing significant damage. In Xiamen, a major port city on the Taiwan Strait, heavy weather appeared to have ripped the roof off of a bus station and pushed it up against a nearby sign. Some streets in the city were strewn with fallen trees, while significant flooding elsewhere impeded passage by vehicles and brought police to the scene. Pictures shared on social media showed massive gusts of wind pummelling residential tower blocks on Friday in Jinjiang, a county-level urban area south of the city of Quanzhou. Videos of huge waves crashing over embankments and fierce winds whipping through urban areas were posted to the social media platform Weibo by the state-backed People's Daily. The stormy weather follows weeks of record heat in China. At the beginning of July, Beijing and the surrounding region broke temperature records, with local temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius. (AFP) Former Los Angeles attorney Thomas Girardi in court in 2014. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) More than 1,600 attorneys have been suspended by the California State Bar for violating rules about client trust accounts that were set up after disgraced L.A. attorney Thomas Girardi allegedly stole millions of dollars from his clients. The Client Trust Account Protection Program, which went into effect last year, requires attorneys to register their client trust accounts annually with the state bar, complete a yearly self-assessment of their practices managing client trust accounts and certify with the state bar that they comply and understand the requirements for safekeeping funds. After the reporting component is fulfilled, the state bar will then begin compliance reviews and investigative audits when appropriate. Originally, more than 1,700 attorneys were found in violation of the rules and enrolled as "inactive" with the bar, meaning they're not legally allowed to practice law. As of Thursday afternoon, that number has dropped to 1,641 after some of the attorneys fulfilled their requirements, according to Special Counsel Steven Moawad, who works for the bar's attorney discipline system. Moawad emphasized that the suspension is administrative and not disciplinary; none of the nearly 1,600 attorneys who were suspended were found to have been stealing money from their trust accounts. "The noncompliance with the rules is simply the reporting for now," he said. "It may be that people declined to report because they were stealing money from their trust accounts and they didn't want to be found out." Read more:Another legacy for Tom Girardi: Tighter regulation of California lawyers Another possibility is that some of the attorneys who were suspended may have already died, but the state bar doesn't have a database in order to track that status. "The only way we can find out about that is if the family member comes forward and says this person has passed on," he said. "There could be any number of reasons in-between for not reporting." Attorneys had from Dec. 1 until Apr. 3 to comply with the new rules. The people who didn't comply with the reporting requirement were then fined $75 for a noncompliance fee and told they needed to comply by June 30. The attorneys who were suspended were the ones who hadn't complied by June 30 and still hadn't turned in anything by July, when the bar began moving people to inactive status. Moawad acknowledged that the program was set up in part as a direct response to the allegations against former attorney Girardi, 84, who was indicted earlier this year in Los Angeles and Chicago on fraud charges for allegedly stealing more than $18 million from clients. Read more:Vegas parties, celebrities and boozy lunches: How legal titan Tom Girardi seduced the State Bar "We knew we had to do a better job of educating attorneys about what their responsibilities are with client trust accounts so we started to do this," he said. "It's a combination of Girardi and the fact that this is something that is just necessary." The state Supreme Court stripped Girardi of his law license last year. The State Bar acknowledged mishandling decades of allegations against Girardi, saying in a statement that the indictments serve as "further evidence of the seriousness of the abuse and malfeasance that ultimately led to Mr. Girardi's disbarment." Girardi got a national profile after his now-defunct firm Girardi & Keese won a case against Pacific Gas & Electric, in which the company agreed to pay $333 million to residents of Hinkley who blamed cancers and other diseases on contaminated water leaking from a gas pumping station. The case inspired the 2000 film Erin Brockovich starring Julia Roberts. Read more:Tom Girardi and Erika Jayne: What to know A government expert concluded last month that Girardi is mentally fit to stand trial despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He faces the possibility of a decades-long prison sentence if convicted. The Times extensively reported on how Girardi escaped discipline by the State Bar of California even after decades of accusations that he stole and misappropriated his clients' money. Sign up for Essential California, your daily guide to news, views and life in the Golden State. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. CHICAGO A ferocious line of thunderstorms swept through the Great Lakes area Friday night into Saturday morning with reported gusts over 60-80 mph, toppling trees and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands. The line of storms was still active into Saturday morning, sweeping across Ohio as dawn neared, triggering numerous Severe Thunderstorms Warnings. The storms pushed into western Pennsylvania and weakened after sunrise, but were expected to reenergize later Saturday, refueling from daytime heating with their eyes eventually on the I-95 corridor. The storms formed in Iowa earlier Friday evening with several wind gusts clocked a over 70-80 mph. A spotter reported an unofficial gust of 95 mph in Martelle, Iowa while Cedar Rapids hit a gust of 80 mph, according to the National Weather Service. One spotter reported a possible tornado in Franklin County one of three reported tornadoes. Spotters witnessed damaged shingles on roof in Park View, Iowa while an entire roof was blown off just across the Illinois border in the town of Red Oak. The storms continued their march through the Chicago area Friday night with gusts of 40-60 mph. Downed trees were reported in Momence, Illinois and a gust reached 60 mph in Mount Prospect. VIDEOS SHOW TORNADOES MARCHING ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS, CHICAGO METRO Thunderstorms trekked into Indiana and Ohio with a gust to 79 mph reported in Lowell, Indiana and a 74 mph gust registered at Grissom Air Force Base. A home suffered tree damage as the storms crossed into the Ohio town of Hicksville, as wind gusts hit 62 mph. At the storm's peak, over 300,000 people lost power in the Great Lakes area as of early Saturday morning, according to PowerOutgage.us, but that number had dropped to about 250,000 bypass 9:30 a.m. CT. So far there are no reports of any injuries. HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TV As the storms continue their eastward trek a much quieter Saturday is expected around the Great Lakes as the severe threat shifts to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The SPC has placed around 50 million people from the Appalachian Mountains to New England under a level 2 out of 5 on its severe weather risk scale on Saturday. Communities under the heightened threat include Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York and Boston. THE 5-POINT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK CATEGORY SCALE EXPLAINED On Friday afternoon, hail the size of baseballs was reported to have fallen outside of Omaha, Nebraska. The hail was estimated to be just shy of 3" in diameter and was one of several reports across the state. The SPC also received at least three reports of twisters across the Hawkeye State on Friday. One of the tornadoes was caught on video moving through fields in Franklin County, Iowa. PowerOutage.US reported over 150,000 outages across half a dozen states, with many a result of gusty winds downing trees and power lines. BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Ballots from Spaniards living abroad were counted Friday, and they gave a new twist to the inconclusive results from the general election. The conservative Popular Party gained an additional seat from Madrids constituency late in the day at the expense of the Socialist Workers Party. That change gives the right-wing coalition of the PP and the far-right Vox party 172 seats in the lower house of parliament and drops left-wing forces to 171. Forming a stable governing coalition will require one of the blocks to have the support of 176 lawmakers in the 350-seat body, and it's not clear that either side will be able to obtain enough backing from smaller parties. The countrys main political parties had been waiting for the count in the hope they might win seats from opponents and recompose the final picture. Results coming in from different constituencies during the day showed no changes across Spain until Madrid added the last-gasp surprise. The switch likely will make it even tougher to cobble together a government. Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is considered the only leader with a chance to form a coalition, since the Popular Party led by Alberto Nunez Feijoo is being shunned by other parties for allying with Vox. But Sanchez does not have it easy. He needs help from secessionist parties in the Basque Country and Catalonia, and it could be politically risky to bid for support from the Catalan party Junts, which is headed by Carles Puigdemont, a leader of 2017s failed secession bid in Catalonia. His party has seven seats, but its goal of forcing Spain to allow a secession referendum is Catalonia is highly unpopular, including in Sanchez's party. The new parliament is to convene Aug. 17 and it will have three months to vote in a new prime minister. Otherwise, new elections would be called. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stuck to familiar talking points during a speech to a prominent gathering of Iowa Republicans on Friday, even as his presidential campaign embarks on a widely touted reboot intended to reverse the governors flagging prospects in the race for the 2024 GOP nomination. Speaking at the Iowa GOPs annual Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, DeSantis painted a picture of a country in decline before turning to his record as Florida governor. He was quick to remind a generally friendly audience that he signed a six-week abortion ban in his home state, protected Second Amendment rights and eliminated so-called critical race theory an advanced legal concept from the curriculum in Florida public schools, where it wasnt being taught. He also reiterated his pledge to hold federal health officials, like Anthony Fauci, the former White House public health adviser, accountable a promise that has become a staple of DeSantis stump speeches on the campaign trail. We will usher in a reckoning for those like Dr. Fauci, who perpetrated COVID-19 mandate and lockdown policies, DeSantis said. You dont coddle bureaucrats like Dr. Fauci. You bring them in and you say, You are fired, and were going to hold them accountable for what they did. There were at least a couple new features to DeSantis talking points. He spoke briefly about his upbringing as a blue-collar kid who made the decision to join the Navy in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He was also quick to note that he is the only 2024 presidential candidate who is a veteran of a war. DeSantis served in the Navy as a lawyer advising a SEAL team and deployed to Iraq in 2007. DeSantis also laid into Vice President Kamala Harris a figure hes brought up with increasing frequency in recent days accusing her of spreading a phony narrative about the states new curriculum for Black history. Harris delivered a speech in Jacksonville last week, where she lambasted the new standards, which require students to be taught that slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit. Im not budging an inch, he said. We are going to fight back against these people, and we are not going to let them take over our schools any longer. Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife, Casey DeSantis, are introduced during the annual Roast and Ride fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, Saturday, June 3, 2023, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. He also mocked the Biden White House, joking shortly after taking the stage that, when he becomes president, there will be no cocaine in the White House. Cocaine was found in a heavily trafficked part of the White House earlier this month, though the Secret Service has said that it does not know who it belonged to. The Iowa Republican Partys Lincoln Dinner is a major affair for anyone seeking the GOPs presidential nomination, and DeSantis was only one of more than a dozen hopefuls including the primarys frontrunner former President Donald Trump pitching themselves to party officials and activists on Friday evening. Yet the speech largely echoed the same themes that DeSantis has stuck to almost daily since launching his presidential campaign in May. It also raises questions about what exactly DeSantis plans to change about his strategy amid mounting political troubles. DeSantis began the year as the subject of intense speculation that he was the Republican best equipped to beat Trump in the contest for the 2024 GOP nomination. Early polls showed him only narrowly trailing and in some cases leading Trump, who is running to reclaim the White House after losing reelection in 2020. Since launching his campaign just over two months ago, however, DeSantis has shown signs of real problems. His support in both state and national polls has sagged, and his campaign has burned through money at an alarming rate. While he raised over $20 million in the first six weeks of his presidential bid, he spent roughly $8 million of it. The financial challenges driven by a bloated campaign team, events at ritzy venues and frequent private jet travel forced the campaign to begin cutting staff earlier this month. This month alone, the campaign laid off 38 staffers, accounting for about 40% of his team. The idea, DeSantis allies and advisers say, is to create a leaner operation that will allow the governors record and personality to shine through. But aside from holding events at some smaller venues, its unclear how much DeSantis strategy and messaging has changed. There are signs that he is willing to engage more with the kind of mainstream and legacy news outlets that he once shunned, and hes begun highlighting his military service a little bit more. During a swing through Iowa this week, he spoke with reporters from outlets such as CBS and ABC News, and took questions from the press multiple times on Thursday. Yet his talking points and general demeanor as a conservative culture warrior appear to have stayed the same. On Friday, he spoke repeatedly about parental rights in education, his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and wanting to rid the U.S. military of what he sees as a woke agenda. Central to his pitch: that he is the only Republican capable of beating Biden in 2024. Were not getting a mulligan on 2024, DeSantis said. We either win this election and make good on all the promises that were making or the Democrats are going to throw this country into a hole that will take a decade to come out of. France and the EU have cut off financial support to Niger after a coup toppled the West African countrys democratically elected president. In a statement, France Nigers former colonial power called for the immediate return to the Nigerien constitutional order adding to the mounting international pressure on the coup plotters. The move came shortly after the European Union suspended all security cooperation to Niger earlier Saturday, and announced it would no longer provide financial support. Niger is one of the worlds poorest countries and receives hundreds of millions of dollars each year in assistance. Abdourahamane Tiani, a general who leads the countrys presidential guard, was declared the countrys new leader after President Mohamed Bazoum was detained earlier this week. This unacceptable attack on the integrity of Nigers republican institutions will not remain without consequences for the partnership and cooperation between the European Union and Niger, in all its various aspects, said Josep Borell, the EUs foreign policy chief. President Bazoum was democratically elected; he is and remains the only legitimate President of Niger. He must be released unconditionally and without delay. Leaders from Washington to Moscow have called for Bazoums release, so far to no avail. The African Union on Saturday demanded that Nigerien military personnel immediately and unconditionally return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority, within 15 days. The AU warned it would take necessary action, including punitive measures against the perpetrators, should the rights of political detainees not be respected. Borell and French President Emmanuel Macron both said they would be willing to support regional organizations, including the Economic Community of West African States, should they decide to bring sanctions against Niger. It is unclear to what extent international pressure would impact the decision of those attempting to seize power. An aide loyal to the deposed president told CNN there was infighting among the plotters. However, Nigers military have endorsed the coup. Niger lies at the heart of Africas Sahel region, which has seen numerous power grabs in recent years including in Mali and Burkina Faso. A key ally of the United States, France and other Western governments, Niger had been one of the few democracies in a region fraught with Islamist insurgencies. CNNs Tim Lister and Larry Madowo contributed to this report For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com When Mbengue Nyimbilo Crepin regained consciousness after collapsing in the desert, the sun had already set. Tunisian authorities had violently forced him, his wife and their 6-year-old daughter across the border to Libya by foot without water, in the blazing heat, he said. Nyimbilo crumpled to the ground, exhausted and dehydrated, but urged his wife to carry on with little Marie and catch up to dozens of other migrants ahead. God willing, we will meet again in Libya, he told them. Nyimbilo eventually made it there only to find out days later that his wife and daughter almost certainly did not. A graphic photo widely shared on social media shows the lifeless body of a Black woman with braided hair next to a little girl, their faces down in the sand. The child is curled up next to the woman, her bare feet red and swollen, likely from walking on blistering hot sand. Nyimbilo said he immediately recognized his wife's yellow dress, pulled up on her body, and his daughter's black sandals, sitting beside them. He shared recent photographs with The Associated Press showing them in the same clothing. He said he hasn't heard from his wife, Matyla Dosso, who also went by Fatima, or their daughter since that day in the desert, July 16. Nyimbilo believes Matyla and Marie are among more than a dozen Black migrants Libyan border guards say they've found dead in the desert border area of the North African nations since Tunisian authorities began conducting mass expulsions in early July. Nyimbilo is from Cameroon; his wife, Ivory Coast. They lived for years in Libya but hoped to finally make it to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea from Tunisia. The Libyan police border guard in al-Assa, near the Tunisian border, found the woman and child in the July 19 photo dead, spokesperson Maj. Shawky al-Masry said. He declined to provide further details or say where the bodies are now. Different border units have found at least 10 bodies on the Libyan side since last week, including that of another small child. Black Africans in Tunisia have faced increasing discrimination and violence since President Kais Saied's February remarks that sub-Saharan migrants are part of a plot to alter the country's identity and demographics. He said hordes of irregular migrants bring violence, crime and unacceptable practices." The speech to his security council inflamed longstanding tensions throughout the region and country, but particularly between Tunisians and migrants in the port city of Sfax and other eastern coastal towns. Tunisia has replaced Libya as the main point of departure for people attempting the deadly Mediterranean crossing to Italy, according to United Nations and other figures. Through July 20, more than 15,000 foreign migrants were intercepted by Tunisian authorities more than double that period last year, Interior Minister Kamel Fekih told Parliament this week. He blasted the influx of sub-Saharan migrants and said Tunisia can't accept becoming a transit country. Tunisian authorities have responded to rising tensions with a crackdown on Black migrants and refugees, and some have been rounded up from coastal cities and sent to Libya or Algeria countries with their own long track records of grave human rights violations, abuses against migrants and collective deportations. Human rights organizations, Libyan authorities and migrants themselves have accused Tunisia of violating international law with the mass expulsions across its borders. Tunisian authorities long skirted a direct response to those accusations, but on Thursday, the Interior Ministry rejected any responsibility about Africans outside its borders, a clear reference to those in the desert. The ministry stressed Tunisia's right to protect borders and insisted it carries out its humanitarian duty. Officials also issued a warning against publication of content from social networks and in news outlets, and made a veiled reference in a recent statement to prison sentences of up to 10 years for anyone circulating information it deems incorrect. This week, hundreds of people including pregnant women and children remain trapped in the border area between Tunisia, Libya and the Mediterranean Sea, while others are stranded on the Algeria side, U.N. agencies said, urging their immediate rescue. Libyan authorities have stepped up security near Tunisia and found hundreds of migrants stranded in temperatures that surpassed 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). They've shared dramatic photos and videos on social media of their desert encounters with exhausted migrants desperate for water, as well as graphic images of the deceased. Libyan guard Ali Wali said his team has seen through binoculars Tunisian security forcing migrants toward Libya. He said his unit finds more than 100 daily: Some migrants spent up to three days with no food and water in the desert. Without elaborating, Wali said those found are handed to relevant authorities. U.N. agencies and the Libyan Red Crescent say theyve provided food, water and other assistance. But according to another security official, migrants were taken to detention centers run by Libyas Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration, notorious for abuse. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Despite the growing evidence of abuse against some migrants in Tunisia and issues at the border, European leaders have doubled up their show of support for Saied, offering hundreds of millions of euros to stabilize the country with hopes it will also reduce migration. That didnt deter Nyimbilo and his family. Nyimbilo and his wife had already tried to get to Europe. Their previous five attempts to cross the Mediterranean, from Libya to Italy, all failed. Each time, they were intercepted by EU-equipped Libyan forces and imprisoned. Nyimbilo told AP his wife was raped twice in front of their child in detention. We had no more hope, Nyimbilo said of their time in Libya, where Marie couldn't even attend school because she's the child of immigrants. This country has traumatized us so much. So, on July 13, they left the coastal city of Zuwara and trekked through the desert with other migrants, making it to the border in the early hours of July 15. They continued to the town of Ben Guerdane, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) into Tunisia. The group split up to avoid attracting attention. But they grew desperate for water. Nyimbilo and his family walked to a main road in search of help. That's when a police car stopped and detained them, he said, and officers found their registration papers. When they saw it and realized we had left Libya, they beat us, Nyimbilo said. The next day, he said, they were loaded onto a truck with other migrants and dropped at the border, without water. Today, he said, he struggles to cope with his loss and to realize he'll never see his wife or daughter again. They'd survived so much failed voyages to Europe, assaults, even the 2019 bombing of the Tajoura detention center. He can hardly accept that Matyla and Marie died in the desert. "A bottle of water could have saved my family," he said. ___ Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain; Ganley from Paris; and Magdy from Cairo. Sarah El Deeb contributed from Beirut. The New Hampshire attorney generals office is actively working with local police to investigate an alleged attack on a gay couple in a city along the states eastern border with Maine. Our Civil Rights Unit is certainly aware of this incident and is actively working with the Somersworth Police Department and our law enforcement partners to look into it further, Michael Garrity, a spokesperson with the attorney generals office, said in a statement. Anyone who has information is encouraged to contact the Somersworth Police Department or the Attorney Generals Office, he added. William Poole, who owns a chocolate shop in Somersworth, N.H., with his husband, said on Facebook that they were assaulted by a group of juveniles who shouted homophobic taunts at them on Monday night. He alleged that the same group had attempted to break into their residence above the shop earlier this month and shouted slurs at them when confronted. I fear for my life and that of my partner, and I fear that our home and business with be further antagonized or damaged, Poole said. We will not reenter our home and business without police escort. I will defend myself and my home, and my partners life and our home. Given the additional incident just over a week earlier, Somersworth Police Captain Matthew Duval said in a press release that they are looking into whether the incidents rise to the level of civil rights violations. The citys mayor, Dana Hilliard, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that Somersworth stands by the couple and will do everything it can to help our fellow citizens and ensure that justice is brought against the assailants. The ugly face of hate continues to raise its head in all 50 states and is gaining strength through the open assault on all minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community, by elected officials who are validating actions of discrimination, hate, and assault through the narrative of intolerance they continue to spread, Hilliard added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Travis Scott performing at Astroworld on Nov. 5, 2021, in Houston. (Amy Harris / Invision/AP) The Houston Police Department has released its report into the 2021 Astroworld crowd-crush disaster that left 10 dead and hundreds injured. The 1,266-page report is the most detailed look yet into the decision-making that allowed the show, headlined and co-promoted by rapper Travis Scott, to continue well after authorities declared a mass casualty event. In HPD's interviews with Scott, he told police that he did not recall being given any clear signals to stop his set. "We asked if he at any point heard the crowd telling him to stop the show," the report says. "He stated that if he had heard something like that he would have done something. The first time he realized something was wrong or rather that there was a problem was when he was on the lift and he noticed the person down near the stage who then received medical attention." Normally if it was something drastic, Scott told HPD, someone would have to come hit the button or pull the plug." The report says that several witnesses recalled Scott being told through his in-ear monitors to stop the show, as there were "bodies on the ground." Others said they alerted his live audio team to tell him stop the show, but were rebuffed. HPD said that recordings of his in-ear monitor were too muddy to decipher. Read more:Travis Scott's 'Utopia' show at Egypt's pyramids is deserted after 'complex production issues' In June, a Harris County, Texas, grand jury declined to pursue criminal charges against Scott or any individual in the Astroworld catastrophe. Many civil suits remain against Scott and Live Nation, the shows promoter. One significant passage of the HPD report recounts a conversation between an Astroworld security executive, Marty Wallgren, and members of the shows live audio team. Wallgren recounted trying to alert Scott that they needed to tell him to stop the show, but the audio team allegedly refused. Marty stated again that the key rebuttal or argument against shutting down the show at 10 was that Drake still had three more songs or Drake has not yet completed his set. He repeatedly told them that he did not care how many songs Drake had left and that this situation was much bigger than Drake He stated that both 'Bizzy' [audio engineer Bilal Joseph] and the other guy resisted the directions they were given and actively impeded the ability for anyone to stop the show at a time other than the one they desired. Houston Police also interviewed Drake, who took the stage during a chaotic portion of the set. "We asked if he [Drake] ever heard from the crowd to stop the show. He stated that he did not hear that. He explained that the ear piece drowns out a lot of outside sound ... I asked him about the message that Travis Scott told us that he received which in summary asked him to end the show after the guest (Drake). He stated that he did not receive that message or was unaware of it. The report includes comprehensive interviews with survivors in the immediate aftermath of the event. One witness, Ayden Cruz, recounted the scene in the crowd. Ayden reported feeling his feet swept up off the floor and he fell down. Ayden said he felt like he was losing oxygen and he began to yell for help as he fell to the ground. Ayden said he turned to survival mode to get himself out from under people as he was getting stepped on and his feet began to hurt and he had to slip his shoes off to protect his feet from being crushed. Ayden reported he saw Brianna go down towards the ground then he heard her voice yelling 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe!'" The report also quotes an Astroworld camera operator, who says that a crane operator on site told the show's production team, There are dead bodies underneath the crane, people are getting hurt. Shut it down. Houston officials have yet to institute any comprehensive regulations around concert safety since the disaster. The HPD report came on the same day that Scott released Utopia, his first LP since his 2018 "Astroworld" album. Sign up for L.A. Goes Out, a weekly newsletter about exploring and experiencing Los Angeles from the L.A. Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. MIAMI The National Hurricane Center (NHC) continues to lower the chances of development for a tropical system spinning across the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Invest 96L now has a 0% chance of developing, and the NHC says it no longer has favorable conditions for tropical development. The NHC says showers and thunderstorms remain disorganized in association with the system and will eventually merge with a frontal system. The term "invest" is a naming convention used by the NHC to identify a system that forecasters are investigating for possible development into a tropical depression or tropical storm within the next week. James Chadwick won a Nobel Prize for his discovery of the neutron The Oppenheimer movie has inevitably ignited interest in one of the most contentious episodes of modern history - the birth of a nuclear weapon which unleashed unprecedented destruction. While the film focuses on the eponymous American physicist spearheading Allied efforts to make the atomic bomb, the team also involved British Nobel Prize winner James Chadwick. Yet little is known about Chadwick when compared to his peers, whose names read like a who's who of school science lessons. The shy but steely scientist is credited with discovering the neutron, before going on to lead the British contingent in the Manhattan Project, that was set up to build the atomic bomb. As World War Two drew to a close, American bombers would drop the devices over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, instantaneously killing more than 100,000 people. During their development, Chadwick was the only non-American with access to all of the group's research and production plants, according to experts. He famously admitted his "only remedy" on realising the inevitability of the nuclear bomb was to take sleeping pills, which he ended up doing every night for more than 28 years. James Chadwick's school in Cheshire now has a blue plaque in tribute to him Before his tenure at Los Alamos, Chadwick's career had developed in Manchester, often described as the birthplace of nuclear physics. The city had become a hub of science and engineering from the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-18th Century. But Chadwick's origins 20 miles away never indicated what he would later achieve. "He was not from any kind of wealthy background," says Dr James Sumner, a historian of technology at the University of Manchester. "He was certainly not from a traditional academic background." Born in the Cheshire village of Bollington in 1891, Chadwick himself described his family as poor, with his father failing to set up a business in Manchester. During an interview later in life, he admitted losing contact with a younger brother, adding: "I'm afraid I don't have a great family feeling." He "didn't take school very seriously" and recalled playing truant one day with his friend - the headmaster's son - "to go bird-nesting". "I have quite a vivid memory of being caned very severely for it." Despite this less than promising start, he later moved to a school in Manchester where he benefited from "extremely good" teaching and gained a university scholarship. The University of Manchester became known as the birthplace of nuclear physics "Manchester then, as now, is a very progressive city indeed," Chadwick recalled, saying he wanted to study mathematics with "no intention whatever of reading physics". But a mix-up, which involved sitting on the wrong interview bench and being "too shy" to ask for a subject change, inadvertently led to a successful career in physics. He studied under Prof Ernest Rutherford, the Nobel Prize-winning New Zealander whose model of the atom is still used in schools worldwide. "You don't let undergraduate students near the monumental, partly because the professors want all the relevant glory for themselves," says Dr Sumner. "At that time, there were just far fewer physicists and there was more glory to go around, so people like Chadwick could make a difference very early on." Chadwick (seated left) was one of Rutherford's (seated right) prolific students, along with Hans Geiger (seated centre) and Otto Hahn (standing right), who won a Nobel Prize for discovering nuclear fission Manchester had been steadily attracting scientific prestige after John Dalton pioneered studies in atomic theory and colour blindness, while fellow student James Joule became a household name after his work in energy conservation. "Once you've got a big name there, everyone else goes in and makes more discoveries," says Dr William Bodel, who researches nuclear technology at the university in Manchester. Others to pass through the university included J.J. Thomson - who is credited with discovering the electron - quantum physicist Neils Bohr and Hans Geiger, co-inventor of the radiation counter. "Chadwick was one of several who did forefront cutting edge research," says Dr Sumner. "He is publishing forefront discoveries in the hot new science of atomic physics and that's really when his career took off." He met Albert Einstein on occasions at a Berlin laboratory, where Chadwick was undertaking research with Geiger. But after World War One broke out, he was imprisoned at a camp when all Englishmen were interned. He still managed to pursue his scientific interests, making a magnet as the German officers - whom he described as "extremely lenient" - turned a blind eye. Chadwick (left) gained the trust of Lt General Leslie Groves (right), who was in charge of the Manhattan Project On returning to Manchester much weakened and poorer after the war, he was offered work by Rutherford and the pair soon took up opportunities at the University of Cambridge. His life underwent another change in 1925, when he married Aileen Stewart-Brown in Liverpool and two years later, the couple had twin daughters. As the science of physics continued to develop, Chadwick proved the existence of the neutron in the early 1930s after some speculative - or "quite silly" as he called it - experiments, following years of believing it was a main constituent of the nucleus. "When I did the experiments, as I did off and on, they were done at odd moments and sometimes when nobody was about," he said. Yet Dr Bodel describes the discovery as "fundamental enough to teach to school children". "Before him, it was known there was an extra particle, but it was difficult to detect." Chadwick said "it hadn't crossed my mind" that the breakthrough would earn him the 1935 Nobel Prize for Physics but, in his typically succinct way, he said he was "naturally, extremely pleased". The prize came at a parting of the ways with his mentor Rutherford, as they differed about new equipment to advance their research. Chadwick took up the offer as chair of physics at the University of Liverpool, saying he also wanted "more contact with other people with different interests". Following the outbreak of another world war, his expertise saw him join a British working group to study the possibility of developing a nuclear weapon. A destructive legacy The US declared war on Japan after the latter bombed an American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in December 1941, following a decade of deteriorating relations Four days later, Nazi Germany and Italy declared war on the US - two years after World War Two began Some months before the start of the conflict in 1939, scientists confirmed the discovery of nuclear fission, where the nucleus splits while releasing huge amounts of energy Efforts were undertaken to use its force for military purposes, culminating in the "airbursts" of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945 respectively On 10 August, Japan offered to surrender, thus bringing six years of war to an end Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica In 1943, Chadwick travelled as head of the British mission to Los Alamos in the US, where scientists were developing the first atomic bomb. But he felt "much more needed in Washington to keep in touch with our people there and to see what was happening in different places". He worked closely with project chief Lt General Leslie Groves, played in the film by Matt Damon, and spoke rarely about laboratory director Oppenheimer or "Oppie" as he called him. However, there were concerns "other countries would take up the business", according to Chadwick. "I was quite sure, you see, that the Russians could not be far behind in knowing about the project." James Chadwick died at the age of 82 Chadwick believed British participation was "helpful", even though "perhaps we had not many contributions to make". The explosions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed more than 100,000 people, with more dying from the impact by the end of 1945. "It completely changed the way we operate," says Dr Bodel. "The world was not the same after the Hiroshima bomb. We can't underestimate their contribution." Despite Chadwick's discomfort at the devastating impact, he went on to lobby for the UK to have its own nuclear arsenal after the war. "I don't have any doubts that the bomb had to be used. And I don't feel any guilt in having taken part in producing it. Why should I? Far worse things happened than that perhaps not many," he said. Additional research by Isobel Fry Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk MIAMI (AP) A federal judge in Miami on Friday criticized prosecutors for an apparent attempt to undercut a court order and take control of a oceanside condo belonging to a former Republican congressman ahead of a high-profile trial connected to a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela's socialist government. When David Rivera and an associate were charged last November with money laundering and acting as unregistered foreign agents for President Nicolas Maduro's government, prosecutors obtained a judges order freezing several banking and brokerage accounts as well as Florida properties that they said were the product of some $24 million in ill-gotten gains. Prosecutors also blocked eight more properties belonging to Rivera and his associate in Florida and Georgia that, while unrelated to criminal activity, would likely be seized if the two are found guilty. This month, in a harshly worded ruling, Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres said that the government had no right to take the innocent Florida assets without a conviction. Rather than lift the restraining order, the government then asked the court to reconsider and said that it had since determined that three of the properties including a condo that Rivera and his wife purchased in 2019 for $301,000 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida could also be traced to the defendants' alleged lobbying on behalf of Maduro's government. Judge Darrin Gayles on Friday expressed frustration with the governments change in strategy. This reeks of gamesmanship, said Gayles, who reversed his own sealed order of a week ago granting prosecutors' request that the real estate properties once again be frozen. It seems like the government simply filed this because it lost. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nalina Sombuntham said prosecutors first learned from investigators that the property could be directly tainted by Rivera's consulting work with Venezuela in May or June but didnt alert the court until July 14 a week after Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres issued his 23-page order freeing up the properties. Gayles, who is overseeing the criminal case, was unimpressed. It seems like youre wasting the courts time," he said. Rivera has been marred by scandals stretching back to his days in Congress from 2011 to 2013. He was arrested late last year on an eight-count criminal indictment alleging that at the start of the Trump administration he was part of a conspiracy to lobby on behalf of Venezuela to lower tensions with the U.S., resolve a legal dispute with a U.S. oil company and end U.S. sanctions against the South American nation all without registering as a foreign agent. As part of that effort, he arranged meetings in Washington, New York and Dallas for allies of Maduro with U.S. lawmakers and a top aide to former President Donald Trump, according to the indictment. To hide the sensitive nature of his work, prosecutors allege Rivera referred to Maduro in chat messages as the bus driver, a congressman as Sombrero and millions of dollars as melons. Court records show Riveras consulting work was closely coordinated with Raul Gorrin, a Venezuelan insider and media tycoon who has himself been sanctioned and indicted in the U.S. on money laundering charges. Part of the more than $20 million that Rivera was alleged to have received from Venezuela was used to pay maintenance on one of Gorrin's yachts, according to prosecutors. Rivera maintains that Gorrin was his attorney in Venezuela and that all of his work was conducted on behalf of PDV USA a Delaware-based affiliate of Venezuelan-owned Citgo and didn't require he register as a foreign agent. The dispute over Rivera's assets has slowed the government's prosecution of the high-profile case. Eight months after being charged, Rivera has yet to be formally arraigned normally a routine procedural step because he said he needs access to the disputed assets to pay his attorneys. Riveras attorneys in filings have accused prosecutors of waging a scorched earth attack against the south Florida GOP stalwart who once shared an apartment in Tallahassee with now Sen. Marco Rubio when both were state lawmakers. They lost, they got caught and they came to this court and it is wrong, David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Riveras co-defendant Esther Nuhfer said. Rivera was triumphant following Fridays hearing, accusing the prosecutors of misconduct. Judge Gayles was more restrained, making no such finding of wrongdoing even as he questioned prosecutors' actions. Todays decision shows that there are still honorable judges in America who will not tolerate misconduct from dishonest government prosecutors, Rivera wrote The Associated Press in a text message. Another victory for truth and justice. The U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of Florida didn't immediately comment. ___ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman The United Nations human rights commissioner on Thursday accused Mexicos military of obstructing an expert investigation into the disappearance of 43 students in a bloody incident that shook that country nearly nine years ago. Last August, a Mexican truth commission report concluded that the students, who disappeared en route to a demonstration in Mexico City, had been victims of state-sponsored crime. The students, from a teachers college in Ayotzinapa, were intercepted by local police and federal military forces while traveling through the southwestern city of Iguala in September 2014. Survivors from the original group of 100 students said police officers and soldiers suddenly opened fire. But dozens of students on the buses disappeared that night, and their fate remains unknown. An expert panel (GIEI) investigating the incident said earlier this week that it had not received adequate access to information and that the experts had no choice but to withdraw from the investigation and leave Mexico. Its report was followed by Thursdays statement from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico, which said Mexicos Armed Forces did not provide all the information requested by an independent panel investigating the disappearance. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks at a morning conference on July 26, 2023 in Mexico City. - Carlos Santiago/Eyepix/dpa/picture alliance/SIpa USA Since its creation, the GIEI has established the need to receive exhaustive and truthful information from all the authorities to clarify the facts of the forced disappearance of the students and other serious violations of human rights. Within this framework, the OHCHR deeply regrets that, despite the political will expressed by the federal government at the highest level, the Armed Forces have not provided all the information requested, the OHCHR statement reads. Mexicos president has, however, pushed back on the claims, defending the militarys level of cooperation. If progress has been made, its because of the cooperation of the navy and the army, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during a press conference saying Thursday. The priority is to keep searching for the missing students, he said, adding that 115 people have already been detained, including two generals and a former prosecutor. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday he received a letter from the Israeli prime minister offering to help with a probe into the 2014 disappearance of 43 students, after requests from Mexico to extradite a former top official. Tomas Zeron, head of Mexico's criminal investigation agency between 2014 and 2016, under the previous government, is wanted on accusations of having helped engineer a cover-up of the abduction of the youths from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College in the southwestern state of Guerrero in September 2014. Zeron, who Mexican officials say fled to Israel in 2020, has previously denied allegations of wrongdoing over the matter, one of Mexico's most notorious human rights scandals. Lopez Obrador requested help from then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in 2021, and last month said he had also written to current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I just received a letter from Israel's prime minister about his interest in helping us. Because one of the people who participated in covering up the crime ... is in Israel," Lopez Obrador told his daily press conference, referring to Zeron. "We are asking for him to be extradited," he said. He did not say whether Israel had agreed to Zeron's extradition. Israel's embassy in Mexico said it could not comment on correspondence between heads of state. Lopez Obrador took office in 2018 promising to resolve the case, which his administration has called a "state crime" for both the disappearance and an alleged cover-up that involved multiple levels of government. The remains of only three of the 43 students have so far been formally identified, and Lopez Obrador in recent days has vowed to find out what happened to the youths. (Reporting by Diego Ore; Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) TOKYO (AP) Toshihiro Mutsuda was only 5 years old when he last saw his father, who was drafted by Japan's Imperial Army in 1943 and killed in action. For him, his father was a bespectacled man in an old family photo standing by a signed good-luck flag that he carried to war. On Saturday, when the flag was returned to him from a U.S. war museum where it had been on display for 29 years, Mutsuda, now 83, said: It's a miracle." The flag, known as Yosegaki Hinomaru, or Good Luck Flag, carries the soldier's name, Shigeyoshi Mutsuda, and the signatures of his relatives, friends and neighbors wishing him luck. It was given to him before he was drafted by the Army. His family was later told he died in Saipan, but his remains were never returned. The flag was donated in 1994 and displayed at the museum aboard the USS Lexington, a WWII aircraft carrier, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Its meaning was not known until it was identified by the family earlier this year, said museum director Steve Banta, who brought the flag to Tokyo. Banta said he learned the story behind the flag earlier this year when he was contacted by the Obon Society, a nonprofit organization that has returned about 500 similar flags as non-biological remains, to the descendants of Japanese servicemembers killed in the war. The search for the flag's original owner started in April when a museum visitor took a photo and asked an expert about the description that it had belonged to a kamikaze suicide pilot. When Shigeyoshi Mutsuda's grandson saw the photo, he sought help from the Obon Society, group co-founder Keiko Ziak said. When we learned all of this, and that the family would like to have the flag, we knew immediately that the flag did not belong to us, Banta said at the handover ceremony. We knew that the right thing to do would be to send the flag home, to be in Japan and to the family. The soldier's eldest son, Toshihiro Mutsuda, was speechless for a few seconds when Banta, wearing white gloves, gently placed the neatly folded flag into his hands. Two of his younger siblings, both in their 80s, stood by and looked on silently. The three children, all wearing cotton gloves so they wouldn't damage the decades-old flag, carefully unfolded it to show to the audience. After receiving the flag today, I earnestly felt that the war like that should never be fought again and that I do not wish anyone else to go through this sadness (of separation), Toshihiro Mutsuda said. The soldier's daughter, Misako Matsukuchi, touched the flag with both hands and prayed. After nearly 80 years, the spirit of our father returned to us. I hope he can finally rest in peace," Matsukuchi said later. Toshihiro Mutsuda said his memory of his father was foggy. However, he clearly remembers his mother, Masae Mutsuda, who died five years ago at age 102, used to make the long-distance bus trip almost every year from the farming town in Gifu, central Japan, to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where the 2.5 million war dead are enshrined, to pay tribute to her husband's spirit. The shrine is controversial, as it includes convicted war criminals among those commemorated. Victims of Japanese aggression during the first half of the 20th century, especially China and the Koreas, see Yasukuni as a symbol of Japanese militarism. However, for the Mutsuda family, it's a place to remember the loss of a father and husband. Its like an old love story across the ages coming together ... It doesnt matter where, Banta said, referring to the Yasukuni controversy. The important thing is this flag goes to the family. Thats why Toshihiro Mutsuda and his siblings chose to receive the flag at Yasukuni and brought the framed photos of their parents. My mother missed him and wanted to see him so much and that's why she used to pray here," he said. Today her wish finally came true, and she was able to be reunited. Keeping the flag on his lap, he said, I feel the weight of the flag." By Ludwig Burger and Maggie Fick FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk has launched blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy in Germany, its first big European market, hoping Germans will pay hundreds of euros out of pocket for a drug that public health insurance plans are so far barred from covering. The drug, shown to help patients reduce body weight by around 15% when used along with exercise and lifestyle changes, is already available in the United States, but in Europe is so far on sale only in small markets Norway and Denmark. "The first patients have redeemed prescriptions in Germany," a spokesperson for Novo confirmed on Saturday to Reuters, in line with previously announced plans to launch the drug there at the end of July. The Danish drugmaker's share price has more than doubled in the two years since the drug debuted, turning Novo into Europe's second-most-valuable listed company after LVMH. Doctors and patients in Germany have told Reuters they anticipate high demand for the weekly injections, with many patients prepared to take on the cost, starting at 170 euros ($190) a month and rising to more than 300 euros as treatment requires the dosage to increase. Public health insurance plans, which cover about 90% of Germans, will not foot the bill, under a decades old law that bars them from covering weight-loss drugs. For the 10% of Germans with private health insurance, coverage will vary. Among major providers, Allianz says it will pay if a physician diagnoses a medical need, while Debeka said its plans exclude weight-loss treatments. Patient advocates and physicians have welcomed the arrival of Wegovy in Germany, where 18.5% of adults are obese, above the European Union average of 16%. The Robert Koch Institute, Germany's state public health agency, says diseases linked to excess body weight pose a considerable burden on health and social security systems. Novo is ramping up production to meet soaring demand in the United States, where the drug sells for as much as $1,350 a month. It says it will closely monitor prescriptions in Germany to ensure access for people with obesity, but it cannot not rule out supply delays. In Germany, Wegovy will be administered with the same injection pen used in Norway and Denmark, different from the one used in the United States, to avoid hitting supplies there. Wegovy's introduction in Germany will stir debate in a nation where the health care system has often treated obesity as a lifestyle choice rather than a chronic disease. Doctors say many Germans seeking to lose weight have already used Ozempic, a diabetes drug also made by Novo that is a lower dose version of the same ingredient as Wegovy. Physicians have worried that supplies would be strained by non-obese people seeking "vanity" prescriptions - a concern reflected in a Novo statement in mid-July saying physicians should "prescribe responsibly". ($1 = 0.8984 euros) (Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Maggie Fick in London) DENVER (AP) A Colorado police officer who put a handcuffed woman in a parked police vehicle that was hit by a freight train was found guilty of reckless endangerment and assault but was acquitted of a third charge of criminal attempt to commit manslaughter during a trial Friday. Jordan Steinke was the first of two officers to go to trial over the Sept. 16, 2022, crash that left Yareni Rios-Gonzalez seriously injured. Theres no reasonable doubt that placing a handcuffed person in the back of a patrol car, parked on railroad tracks, creates a substantial and unjustifiable risk of harm by the train, said Judge Timothy Kerns. But the evidence didn't convince Kerns that Steinke knowingly intended to harm Ms. Rios-Gonzalez," and he added that Stienke had shown shock and remorse. Steinke testified that she did not know that the patrol car of another officer she was helping was parked on the tracks even though they can be seen on her body camera footage along with two railroad crossing signs. Steinke said she was focused on the threat that could come from Rios-Gonzalez and her pickup truck, not the ground. Steinke said she put Rios-Gonzalez in the other officers vehicle because it was the nearest spot to temporarily hold her. She said she didnt know the train was coming until just before it hit. The judge found that Steinke observed the tracks, but failed to appreciate the risk. There was no jury in Steinkes trial, which started Monday. Instead, Kerns listened to the evidence and issued the verdict. Mallory Revel, Steinkes attorney, didnt immediately respond to requests by phone and email for comment. Steinke, who was working for the Fort Lupton Police Department at the time of the crash, was charged with criminal attempt to commit manslaughter, a felony; and reckless endangerment and third-degree assault, both misdemeanors. The other officer, Pablo Vazquez, who worked for the police department in nearby Platteville, is being prosecuted for misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and traffic offenses. He hasnt entered a plea yet. His lawyer, Reid Elkus, didn't immediately respond to a request by phone for comment. Vazquez pulled over Rios-Gonzalez on a rural road that intersects U.S. Highway 85 after she was accused of pointing a gun at another driver. Trains pass on tracks that parallel the highway about a dozen times a day, prosecutors said, and the sound of their horns is common in the area north of Denver. Rios-Gonzalez, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, is suing over her treatment. She later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor menacing, said one of her lawyers, Chris Ponce, who was in court to watch the trial. Rios-Gonzalez did not testify or attend herself. Steinke said she placed Rios-Gonzalez in the other police car temporarily because it was the nearest place to keep her secure, a move that is standard practice for high-risk traffic stops, said defense expert witness Steve Ijames. He also testified that in dangerous situations officers can become hyperfocused on particular threats and overlook things that turn out to be important in hindsight. Steinke, who drove at around 100 mph (161 kph) at times on her way to backup Vazquez, testified that she was surprised to see him sitting in his vehicle when she arrived, rather than pointing a gun at Rios-Gonzalezs truck. She said she quickly parked her patrol vehicle behind his and got out because it was the quickest way to get a gun in the fight. Steinke also said she did not notice the tracks or the ground when she squatted down to arrest a kneeling Rios-Gonzalez along the tracks after the suspect was ordered out of her pickup truck. When pressed by Deputy District Attorney Christopher Jewkes, Steinke replied, I am sure I saw the tracks sir, but I did not perceive them. She said she was focused on the suspect and the potential threat she posed and was fairly certain that the traffic stop would end in gunfire. I never in a million years thought a train was going to come plowing through my scene, Steinke said. The Weld County District Attorneys office didnt immediately respond to a request by phone for comment. ___ This story has been updated to correct that the officer was acquitted of the charge of criminal attempt to commit manslaughter, not manslaughter. ___ Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. BRASILIA (Reuters) - Paraguay's President-elect Santiago Pena said on Friday he expects talks with Brazil over the binational Itaipu hydroelectric dam to start on Aug. 13, after meeting with his counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, indicating that both countries are managing to find a financial agreement about its energy production. Both countries expect to reach an agreement about the financial bases of the energy tariff generated by the bi-national company. Under current rules, which expire this year and will be subject to review, each country is entitled to 50% of Itaipu's energy. Pena said he expects to maintain the sale of energy from the hydroelectric plant to Brazil "at a cost price" and that he expects both countries to ink a deal by the end of this year. (Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Valentine Hilaire and Alistair Bell) President Joe Biden on Friday publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild for the first time, while adding that his granddaughter Navy is "not a political issue." In a statement first reported by People that was obtained by NBC News, Biden said that he and first lady Jill Biden wanted the best for all of their grandchildren, "including Navy." Our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," the president said. "This is not a political issue, its a family matter. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy. Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts last month settled a paternity case over their daughter Navy in an Arkansas court after Hunter previously denied that he was the father. Friday's statement comes as Republican presidential hopefuls have increasingly taken jabs at the president for not counting Navy among his grandchildren in public remarks. Why dont you spend some time with your granddaughter in Arkansas, or at least recognize her existence before you start worrying about our kids? said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during remarks on parental rights to voters in Tennessee this month. "Would be nice if @JoeBiden finally steps up and acknowledges his own granddaughter," tweeted biotech multimillionaire Vivek Ramaswamy in early July. In April, on Take Your Child to Work Day, Biden said: "I have six grandchildren. And Im crazy about them. And I speak to them every single day. Not a joke. Matter of fact, I just got finished going through the calls." A source familiar with the situation told NBC News on Friday that the Bidens "are and have been giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out." You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navys parents happening until just a few weeks ago, the source said. As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunters lead. As part of the settlement last month, Hunter Biden agreed to pay an undisclosed amount in child support until Navy turns 18, will give her an undisclosed number of his paintings, and will discuss providing her a college fund. Roberts withdrew a counterclaim to change Navys last name to Biden, according to the agreement. Hunter Biden has four other children: three daughters with his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, and a son with wife Melissa Cohen. The president's two other grandchildren are the children of his late son Beau and wife Hallie. While the international community, including many African states, have condemned the coup in Niger, Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has his own take. In a long message posted to social media, Prigozhin blamed the situation in Niger on the legacy of colonialism and alleged, without evidence, that Western nations were sponsoring terrorist groups in the country. Niger was once a French colony and, before this weeks putsch, it had been one of the few democracies in the region. Prigozhin still appears to be at large despite leading an armed rebellion against the Kremlin in June. The short-lived uprising ended when Prigozhin and his troops agreed to head to Belarus but the militia leader was seen in St. Petersburg on Thursday meeting with an African dignitary on the sidelines of a summit between African nations and Russia. Prigozhins missive was also something of a business proposition. He said that his private military company, Wagner, was capable of dealing with situations like that playing out in Niamey, the Nigerien capital. Hundreds of Wagner contractors are in neighboring Mali, at the invitation of the countrys military junta, to confront an Islamist insurgency that is strongest in the area where the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger meet. What happened in Niger has been brewing for years, Prigozhin said. The former colonizers are trying to keep the people of African countries in check. In order to keep them in check, the former colonizers are filling these countries with terrorists and various bandit formations. Thus creating a colossal security crisis. Prigozhin then continued with his typical sales pitch. The population suffers. And this is the (the reason for) love for PMC (private military company) Wagner, this is the high efficiency of PMC Wagner. Because a thousand soldiers of PMC Wagner are able to establish order and destroy terrorists, preventing them from harming the peaceful population of states, he said. A number of CNN investigations, and others by human rights groups, have established Wagners involvement in and complicity with atrocities against civilian populations in Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic, where they have been employed to assist local defense forces against rebellions and insurgencies, and suppress opposition. Prigozhins comments on Friday were at odds with the view of the Russian Foreign Ministry, which called for the prompt release of President Mohamed Bazoum by the military. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) Santa Anita will replace its dirt training track with a synthetic surface as part of nearly $32 million in improvements planned as the venerable racetrack absorbs an influx of horses, trainers and jockeys from Northern Californias Golden Gate Fields after it closes later this year. The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita in Arcadia and Golden Gate Fields in the San Francisco Bay area, said Friday it will spend over $1 million to support the relocation of horses and people from the north, with an additional $500,000 going to bolster the states breeding program. TSG has budgeted $4.5 million for installing a Tapeta training track, the same surface that is used on the main racing track at Golden Gate. The project is expected to begin after Santa Anita hosts the Breeders' Cup in early November and be finished by the start of the winter-spring meet on Dec. 26. We think this will be hugely beneficial not only for horses that will come down from the north, who a lot of them have only ever known training on Tapeta, but it will be hugely beneficial for Southern California and Santa Anita as a whole because of the inclement weather policies that really are tough out in California, Aidan Butler, chief operating officer of TSG's 1/ST Racing, said on a teleconference. Gulfstream Park in Florida, also owned by TSG, and Woodbine in Canada currently race on synthetic surfaces. Santa Anita had a synthetic racing surface in 2007, as did Del Mar and now-defunct Hollywood Park when it was mandated by California racing officials. But drainage problems cost the track racing days and heavy usage also wore down the synthetic materials quickly. Butler acknowledged that history when he said, Just historically in California, there hasn't been a lot of success with synthetic tracks as a whole." He added, "We're pretty confident that a synthetic track will work in California, but I believe a nice way of going about this is to put it in as a training option and not immediately create such a jarring environment that Santa Anita has more trouble than it currently does. Craig Fravel, CEO of 1/ST Racing, said switching from dirt to synthetic on the main track was initially considered, but TSG will instead evaluate how a synthetic training track fares in Southern California's cool, wet winters and hot summers before making any future decisions. TSG will spend $2.5 million to build a new turf chute at Santa Anita, which it said will allow new races to be created at varying distances. Santa Anita will return to a fourth day of weekly racing starting with its winter-spring meet, adding 26 extra racing days. TSG is budgeting $23.2 million to improve barns in Santa Anita's stable area, starting with replacing the roofs. Another $500,000 will be spent over two years on building a state-of-the-art equine pool for hydrotherapy. TSG said it will fund an unspecified portion of 2024 health care costs for Golden Gate employees. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. (AP) A small plane towing a banner landed in the ocean off a crowded New Hampshire beach on Saturday, and lifeguards rescued the pilot, who was unhurt, authorities said. The single-engine Piper PA-18 plane landed about noon off Hampton Beach, witnesses said. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the pilot was the only person on board. Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno told WMUR-TV that the pilot was rescued by lifeguards, and wasn't hurt. The plane has since been pulled to shore and was sitting on the beach. The FAA said it would investigate the cause of the incident, along with the National Transportation Safety Board. The Hampton Police Department and the New Hampshire Beach Patrol did not immediately respond to messages for comment. Trump supporters gather outside a California GOP executive committee meeting in Irvine on Saturday to protest a change in the state's delegate allocation rules. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) In a move backed by former President Trumps campaign, the California Republican Party on Saturday changed its rules for allocating delegates in the states presidential primary a shake-up that could discourage other GOP candidates from campaigning here and make the state less competitive in next years nominating contest. Tensions flared as the California GOP's executive committee approved the plan, with some pro-Trump demonstrators denouncing the move, police getting called and two factions nearly coming to fisticuffs. Trump supporters gather in Irvine amid tensions as the California GOP executive committee met Saturday on new primary rules that could make the major state less competitive in 2024. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Although demonstrators argued that the state party leadership was trying to undermine the former president, the decision by the California GOP's executive committee reflects a concerted effort by the Trump campaign to mold state party rules across the country to benefit his candidacy. The Michigan Republican Party also recently changed its rules for awarding delegates in a way that's expected to benefit Trump. Republicans in Idaho, Nevada, Louisiana and Colorado are considering other measures that could give Trump an advantage. Read more:How Trump is gaining an advantage in the nitty-gritty battle for delegates The new rule in California means a Republican presidential candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote in the March 5 primary will win all 169 delegates from California, which has more than any state in the nation. If no one reaches this benchmark, delegates will be awarded proportionally based on the statewide vote. State party leaders argued that the new plan would draw candidates to compete in California. Todays vote ... was a massive victory for California Republicans who are eager to have a say in deciding who our Partys 2024 presidential nominee will be," state party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson said in a statement. "Republican presidential candidates will not only be encouraged to spend real time campaigning in our state and making their case to voters, but Republican voters will equally be encouraged to turn out to support their chosen candidate to help them win delegates," she added Former President Trump speaks to campaign volunteers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on July 18. (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press) But other Republicans say the plan will instead make California less competitive than if the party had stuck with some version of the system it has used for much of the last two decades, in which three delegates were awarded for each congressional district won, said Jon Fleischman, who was executive director of the state GOP in 2000, when it adopted this plan (though it didnt go into effect until after the 2004 election). Such a system allows a candidate to strategically target a handful of areas instead of trying to campaign and advertise in an enormous state with some of the most expensive media markets in the nation. The net effect of passing this proposal will be no presidential campaign will be incentivized to do any campaigning in California, period, Fleischman said. The cost to advertise statewide is too great and the impact of trying to motivate volunteers is too small. So they will go to other states and ignore California in the primary, as they ignore California in the general election." Trump's campaign supported the plan because polling shows he can win more than half the votes in California's GOP primary, allowing him to sweep up the state's huge haul of delegates, according to an executive committee member who had spoken with a campaign official. Trump strategists also believe a previous proposal that the California GOP scrapped could have helped Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said the executive committee member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about the insider conversation. Under that system, delegates would have been awarded by congressional district, with two going to the winner in each district and one delegate going to the second-place finisher. California is so big, with 52 congressional districts, that such a system would have created an enormous consolation prize amounting to more delegates than those awarded by multiple other states combined. Ken Cuccinelli, founder of the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC, blasted the state GOP's decision to go the other route. Smoke filled back rooms do not reflect the will of or benefit voters in any state. Yet across the country games are afoot to enhance the potential outcome of primary elections for one former president who half of the Republican electorate no longer wants as the party leader," said Cuccinelli, a former Virginia attorney general who served in the Trump administration, in a statement. But "even with these asinine primary rules changes," he added, "we remain confident Governor DeSantis will become the Republican nominee and 47th president of the United States. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Read more:Poll: Trump takes big lead over DeSantis among California Republicans Had it not changed its rules, the California GOP would have lost half of its delegates to the Republican National Convention a huge blow to the state's clout. Either of the plans that were considered would have met the national party's requirements for sending a full delegation. California's 2024 primary is scheduled for Super Tuesday on March 5, along with contests in more than a dozen other states. While California's overwhelmingly Democratic tilt has long made it uncompetitive for Republican presidential nominees in general elections, the state could play a significant role in deciding the next GOP nominee particularly if a candidate doesnt take a commanding lead in earlier contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. By the time California votes in the spring, Trump could be under indictment in four separate criminal cases. He has already been charged in connection with an alleged hush money payment to an adult-film star in the final days of the 2016 campaign, and with mishandling and illegally possessing classified documents at his Florida home after his presidency ended. Trump is also being investigated in Georgia on allegations that he attempted to overturn his 2020 loss in the crucial state to Democrat Joe Biden; and federal prosecutors have targeted the former president in an investigation into other efforts to keep him in office, including the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Although Trump's campaign is pushing for such primary rule changes in states across the U.S., some supporters of the former president denounced the state GOP's decision on Saturday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) But Trump's legal issues have not dampened support from his base including the more than 50 supporters who staged a protest at the Marriott hotel in Irvine on Saturday morning. The protesters saw the California GOP's earlier proposal as a purposeful effort to harm Trump, and remained angry that a decision was being made by the party's 100-member executive committee rather than by more than 1,400 members at their fall convention a reflection of the distrust of party leadership among conservative activists across the country. They unsuccessfully pushed for a candidate having to receive a certain percentage of the vote to be awarded any delegates. "There's a part of me that does think that maybe they're trying to take votes away from Trump, specifically, who's coming in strong, and so they're kind of thinking, 'What can we do to take away votes for Trump?'" said Bonnie Wallace, president of the Greater Pasadena Republican Assembly. As a state party delegate, she was able to observe the committee meeting, which was closed to the media, but she was unable to vote on the matter. "What I heard in there is, 'Oh, we need to open this up so all the candidates are welcome. ... If they get 5% of the vote, they'll get something," added Wallace, who carried a sign that read, "CAGOP & RNC/Why not Trump? Stop supporting corruption!" "You know, we need to whittle things down. We don't have participation trophies." The executive committee approved the delegate allocation plan on a 53-16 vote. State party officials said they could not wait for the convention to debate the matter due to a tight deadline for submitting plans to national Republicans. The protest was driven in part by fury and confusion sowed on social media, where far-right activists argued that Millan Patterson and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, who effectively controls the state party, were trying to derail Trumps candidacy. They are trying to change the laws so they can orchestrate a brokered convention at the National convention and steal the GOP nomination from Donald Trump," Laura Loomer, a Trump supporter from Florida who has a history of spreading conspiracies to her large online following, wrote on Twitter on July 20. "We cant allow [Millan Patterson] and [McCarthy] to get away with their deceptive rule changes that are designed to screw Donald Trump. Millan Patterson and McCarthy did not respond to requests for comment on the accusations. As demonstrators gathered Saturday outside the California GOP executive committee meeting in Irvine, two factions of Trump supporters nearly came to blows. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Protesters wearing red "Make America Great Again" caps and carrying American, Trump and "Don't Tread on Me" Gadsden flags gathered outside of the committee meeting, chanting Trump's name and "America first!" After they tried to enter the meeting and were blocked by security guards, Irvine police officers showed up and tried to cool emotions. Later, two pro-Trump factions began screaming at each other, with one side accusing the other of being white nationalists and the other responding that their foes supported open borders. They started jostling with one another and nearly came to blows before other protestors stepped between the two groups. Anna Bryson of Laguna Niguel, an executive committee member, was inside the meeting room but knew something problematic was occurring outside when she heard raised voices and then saw security guards race out of the room. Two pro-Trump factions began screaming at each other outside of a California GOP executive committee meeting on Saturday at the Irvine Marriott. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) "We have to fight for a vote at the polls. Not one another. Focus, people," said Bryson, who supported the rule change. "Get your friends and neighbors out to vote for the Republican Party," she continued. "And if you all are fighting with one another, you're not out there going door to door and talking about our great candidates." Get the best of the Los Angeles Times politics coverage with the Essential Politics newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Trader Joes has issued another recall this time, concerning its popular frozen falafel sold in over 30 states. On July 28, the Monrovia, California-based grocery store chain urged customers in a press release not to eat its Trader Joes Fully Cooked Falafel (SKU# 93935) after a supplier alerted the store of a possible contamination with rocks. If you purchased or received any donations of Fully Cooked Falafel, please do not eat them. We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joes for a full refund, the Monrovia, California-based company said in a statement. Recalled Product (Trader Joes) Trader Joes encouraged customers to throw away the bags of frozen falafel or return them to any Trader Joes location for a full refund. All potentially affected frozen falafel has been removed from sale and destroyed, the company added. The recall specifically includes the frozen falafel sold in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. The stores falafel recall comes within days of two other Trader Joe's recall announcements. On July 26, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report detailing a recall of Trader Joes Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup due to insects in the frozen broccoli florets. The report said the recall was initiated on July 10 and it applied to 20-ounce containers of the soup sold in Florida, Illinois, California, Texas, Washington, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. So far, 10,889 affected cases have been reported, according to FDA. Trader Joes did not respond to requests for comment from NBC News and TODAY.com on Wednesday. The FDA labeled the case as a Class III recall, indicating that exposure to the product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences. On July 21, Trader Joe's announced that it had recalled two popular cookie products, its Almond Windmill Cookies with sell dates of Oct. 19 through Oct. 21, and its Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies with sell dates of Oct. 17 through Oct. 21, also because of possible contamination with rocks. The following day, the company updated its announcement to include a third cookie product, Almond Windmill Cookies with a sell date of Oct. 2. Trader Joe's encouraged customers to discard the cookies or return them for a full refund. Customers with questions about the recalls can contact Trader Joes Customer Relations at 626-599-3817 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday, or send the company an email. This article was originally published on TODAY.com ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday urged Denmark to take urgent action to prevent burnings of the Koran, a Turkish foreign ministry source said. In a phone call with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Fidan condemned the "continuous vile attacks against the Koran". He told Rasmussen it was unacceptable to allow such actions under the guise of freedom of expression, the source said. Rasmussen on Saturday wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter: "Turkey and Denmark are close allies. Important to not let these acts succeed in creating division." He also reiterated Denmark's "strong condemnation of these provocative acts by few individuals." The comments came after a small group of anti-Islam activists set fire to Korans in front of the Egyptian and Turkish embassies in Copenhagen on Tuesday, after similar protests in Denmark and Sweden over recent weeks. Denmark and Sweden have deplored the burning of Islam's holy book but say they cannot prevent it under rules protecting free speech. (Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Additional reporting by Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen; Editing by Angus MacSwan and David Holmes) By Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will not invite Hong Kong's chief executive, who faces U.S. sanctions, to visit San Francisco during November's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, two congressional aides said on Friday. The U.S. is set to host this year's gathering of leaders of APEC, of which Hong Kong is a member. Hong Kong's top official John Lee was placed under U.S. sanctions in 2020 because of his role in implementing what Washington deems a "draconian" Hong Kong national security law when he was the city's security secretary. Reuters reported in June that a group of lawmakers, including Republican Senator Marco Rubio, sent a letter to the U.S. State Department urging it to bar Lee from the U.S. The Washington Post on Thursday reported the U.S. decision on Lee, citing U.S. officials, and on Friday two congressional aides confirmed to Reuters that the State Department had notified members of Congress that Lee would not be invited. Rubio said on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that it was the "right call," even if the decision took longer than it should have. "Hosting a sanctioned human rights violator who represses Hong Kongers is a nonstarter," Rubio said. In its 2020 designation of Lee, the U.S. Treasury Department said he had been involved in the "coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning" of people in the Chinese city who had protested against the national security law. A State Department spokesperson, asked about the decision, said the participation of all delegations in APEC events will be "in accordance with U.S. laws and regulations and on the basis of the spirit and principles of APEC." "We will work with Hong Kong, China to ensure appropriate participation in San Francisco," the spokesperson said, adding without giving details that U.S. President Joe Biden had begun sending invitations for the event. China's Embassy in Washington expressed Beijing's "strong opposition" to the U.S. decision. "This violates APEC rules, and breaks the commitments made by the U.S.," Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The APEC leaders summit is seen as a possible venue where Biden could hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the two countries seek to stabilize troubled relations. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Don Durfee and Richard Chang) KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25 from Jan. 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it. The explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to abandon the Russian heritage, including that of imposing the celebration of Christmas on Jan. 7. It cited Ukrainians' relentless, successful struggle for their identity and the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions, holidays, fueled by Russia's 17-month-old aggression against the country. Last year, some Ukrainians already observed Christmas on Dec. 25, in a gesture that represented separation from Russia, its culture and religious traditions. The law also moves the Day of Ukrainian Statehood to July 15 from July 28, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine to Oct. 1 from Oct. 14. The Russian Orthodox Church, which claims sovereignty over Orthodoxy in Ukraine, and some other Eastern Orthodox churches continue to use the ancient Julian calendar. Christmas falls 13 days later on that calendar, or Jan. 7, than it does on the Gregorian calendar used by most church and secular groups. The Catholic Church first adopted the modern, more astronomically precise Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. Protestants and some Orthodox churches have since aligned their own calendars for the purpose of calculating Christmas and Easter. Ukraine's religious landscape has fractured for years. There are two branches of Orthodox Christianity in the country, one aligned with the Russian church, even as it enjoys broad autonomy, the other completely independent of it. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the branch that is separate from the Russian church, announced earlier this year that it was switching to the Revised Julian calendar, which marks Christmas on Dec. 25. Its leadership last year allowed believers to celebrate the holiday on Dec. 25. Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Saturday that the rival Orthodox Church, which is aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, vowed to continue observing Christmas on Jan. 7. Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters Saturday that the move is a sign of something that has been happening for centuries and that has to do with the relations between the Catholic church and the Orthodox one. Zelenskyy on Saturday traveled to the war-torn Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia has illegally annexed, but only partially occupies, and met with members of the countrys Special Operation Forces. Zelenskyy noted in an online statement that Saturday marks their official day of recognition and also the anniversary of the deadly attack on the Olenivka prison in the Russian-held part of the region in which dozens of prisoners of war were killed. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of the attack, with both sides saying that the assault was premeditated in a bid to cover up atrocities. A United Nations fact-finding mission requested by Russia and Ukraine was sent to investigate the killings, but the team was disbanded in January 2023 due to security concerns. Zelenskyy described the attack as one of Russias most vile and cruel crimes in a video statement Saturday. In a separate Telegram statement, he hailed the soldiers in the Donetsk region for bringing closer the day when all our land and all our people will be free from the occupiers" and underscored the Special Operations Forces' role in the recent retaking of the village of Staromaiorske in the area. His visit to the east comes just days after Western and Russian officials said that Kyiv's forces intensified attacks in the southeast of the country as part of Ukraine's counteroffensive. Putin said Saturday that the intensity of Ukrainian atacks along the front line has gone down compared to two days ago. He reiterated that Russian forces are successfully repelling all attacks and in some parts of the front line are even mounting successful counteroffensive operations. ___ Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. (Reuters) - Ukrainian soldiers were observed using North Korean rockets that they said were seized by a "friendly" country before being delivered to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. Ukraine's defence ministry suggested the arms were captured from the Russians, the newspaper said. The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, including alleged shipments by sea, but has not offered proof and North Korean weapons have not been widely observed on the battlefields in Ukraine. North Korea and Russia deny conducting arms transactions. The North Korean weapons were shown by Ukrainian troops operating Soviet-era Grad multiple-launch rocket systems near the destroyed eastern city of Bakhmut, site of lengthy brutal fighting, the report said. Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Pyongyang this week to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, the first visit by Moscow's top defence official since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. During the visit, Shoigu was photographed viewing banned North Korean ballistic missiles with leader Kim Jong Un at a military expo in Pyongyang, signalling deeper ties between the two countries as they each face off with the United States. (Reporting by Josh Smith and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by William Mallard) By Mike Stone and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States unveiled a Taiwan weapons aid package worth up to $345 million on Friday, a move likely to anger China even as the Biden administration declined to publicly provide details on the arms in the package. Congress authorized up to $1 billion worth of Presidential Drawdown Authority weapons aid for Taiwan, which strongly rejects Chinese sovereignty claims, in the 2023 budget. Beijing has repeatedly demanded the United States, Taiwan's most important arms supplier, halt the sale of weapons to the island. In recent weeks, four sources told Reuters the package was expected to include four unarmed MQ-9A reconnaissance drones, but noted their inclusion could fall through as officials work through details on removing some of the advanced equipment from the drones that only the U.S. Air Force is allowed access to. The formal announcement did not include a list of weapon systems being provided. Taiwan's defence ministry thanked the U.S. for its "firm security commitment," adding in a statement it will not comment on the package details due to the "tacit agreement" between the two sides. Among the issues that could confound the inclusion of the drones was who would pay for their alterations, one of the people briefed on the matter said previously. Reuters could not determine if the drones were still part of the package. Taiwan had previously agreed to purchase four, more advanced, MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, made by General Atomics, which are slated for delivery in 2025. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory and has increased military pressure on the island over the past three years. It has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only Taiwanese people can decide their future. Foreshadowing the upcoming aid, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on May 16 told a Senate panel: "I'm pleased that the United States will soon provide significant additional security assistance to Taiwan through the Presidential Drawdown Authority that Congress authorized last year." Earlier this month, the top U.S. general said the United States and its allies need to speed up the delivery of weapons to Taiwan in the coming years to help the island defend itself. The Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) has been used on an emergency basis to expedite security assistance to Ukraine by allowing the president to transfer articles and services from U.S. stockpiles. The Taiwan PDA, however, is a non-emergency authority approved by Congress last year. (Reporting by Mike Stone and Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Jasper Ward, Dan Whitcomb and Yimou Lee; Editing by Richard Chang and Muralikumar Anantharaman) CANBERRA, Australia (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday pushed back against Australian demands for an end to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assanges prosecution, saying the Australian citizen was accused of very serious criminal conduct in publishing a trove of classified documents more than a decade ago. Australias center-left Labor Party government has been arguing since winning the elections last year that the United States should end its pursuit of the 52-year-old, who has spent four years in a British prison fighting extradition to the United States. Assanges freedom is widely seen as a test of Australias leverage with President Joe Bidens administration. Blinken confirmed on Saturday that Assange had been discussed in annual talks with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Brisbane, Australia. I understand the concerns and views of Australians. I think its very important that our friends here understand our concerns about this matter, Blinken told reporters. Mr. Assange was charged with very serious criminal conduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country, he added. Wong said Assanges prosecution had dragged for too long and that Australia wanted the charges brought to a conclusion. Australia remains ambiguous about whether the United States should drop the prosecution or strike a plea bargain. Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of of hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic and military documents in 2010. American prosecutors allege he helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk. Australia argues there is a disconnect between the U.S. treatment of Assange and Manning. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Mannings 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017. By Jarrett Renshaw BOSTON (Reuters) - Vice President Kamala Harris has shown a punchy side during a tour of nearly a dozen U.S. states in recent weeks, attacking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for backing "revisionist history" about slavery, telling Iowa healthcare workers to rebel against the state's new restrictive abortion laws and rallying Latinos in Chicago to fight "extremist" Republicans. On Saturday, Harris, the first woman and first woman of color to serve as vice president, opened the NAACP's annual conference in Boston, a key political event for Black Americans that will help define the issues Democrats focus on in the 2024 election. "We are in a moment where there is a full-on attempt to attack hard-fought and hard-won rights and freedoms and liberty. And what I know about the leaders here is that the members of NAACP are up to the challenge to fight," Harris, a lifetime member of the civil rights organization, told several thousand people inside the city's convention center. The high-profile appearances are part of an expanded role for U.S. President Joe Biden's much-scrutinized governing partner ahead of the election, senior Democrats say. She'll engage in many more campaign-style events in months to come, designed to reacquaint Harris with supporters, burnish her image with independents and reach out to Democrats' who haven't been hearing the Biden administration's message. It's a move that couldn't happen too soon, some influential Democrats say. "We have constantly said to the White House that they need to send her out more because we need the base that is Black voters and others - to understand what you are doing," Reverend Al Sharpton, a veteran civil rights activist and head of the National Action Network, told Reuters. Biden credits Black voters for his 2020 victory, with exit polls showing he carried 87% of the vote. But recent polls and turnout in the 2022 midterms reveal erosion in enthusiasm among the bloc that needs to be shored up before next November. Harris also made a surprise visit to a congressional black caucus event at Roxbury Community College, where she reminded the crowd of the role Black voters played in capturing the White House for Biden. She said as a result the administration capped insulin prices, increased removal of lead pipes and secured broadband for under served communities. Lets start registering folks now to vote, she said. Remind your friends and your neighbors to do that. The White House is also hoping to improve Harris' public image and historically low approval ratings. A recent NBC News poll showed 49% of registered voters hold a negative view of Harris, compared to 32% with a positive view, a net-negative rating of 17 that is the lowest for a vice president in the history of its poll. While it's too early to say whether her polls are improving, Harris's remarks are drawing new Republican fire, and highlighting divisions in the opposition. DeSantis on Friday accused U.S. Senator Tim Scott, the most high-profile Black candidate in the 2024 Republican presidential race, of accepting Harris's "lie" about Florida's new slavery curriculum requirements. His campaign accused another Black Republican who criticized the changes, which include teaching that slavery had possible benefits to the enslaved, of being a Harris supporter. Voters wary of the president's advanced age of 80 are expected to take a much harder look at the vice president. Some Republicans are already suggesting Harris could run the country if Biden wins in 2024. "We are running against Kamala Harris. Make no bones about it...[it's] Kamala Harris that's going to end up being president of the United States if Joe Biden wins this election," Republican candidate Nikki Haley told Fox News in June. Harris, who was more popular than Biden with women, young voters and even some Republicans when he picked her as his vice presidential running mate, has seen her ratings sag in office under a firehose of criticism from conservative media outlets and a portfolio that included the intractable U.S. issue of immigration. Some Democrats say she hasn't stepping up forcefully enough, or taken burdens off the President's shoulders. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade last year, though Harris has become increasingly vocal. She does better on subject matters and audiences she is comfortable with. Given the portfolio she was handed early on and the challenges it represented its simple campaign management to get her out front of friendly audiences where she can get some of her mojo back, said an adviser at the Democratic National Committee. (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell) WARSAW, Poland (AP) Over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, the Polish prime minister said Saturday. Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference that the mercenaries had moved close to the Suwalki Gap, a strategic stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian territory separated from the mainland. Poland is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and it has worried about its security with Russian ally Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern border. Those fears have grown since Wagner group mercenaries arrived in Belarus since the groups short-lived rebellion earlier this summer. The Poland-Belarus border has already been a tense place for a couple of years, ever since large numbers of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa began arriving, seeking to enter the EU by crossing into Poland, as well as Lithuania. Poland's government accuses Russia and Belarus of using the migrants to destabilize Poland and other EU countries. It calls the migration a form of hybrid warfare, and has responded by building a high wall along part of its border with Belarus. Now the situation becomes even more dangerous," Morawiecki told reporters. He added that this is certainly a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory. Morawiecki spoke during a visit to an arms factory in Gliwice, in southern Poland, where Leopard tanks used by the Ukrainian army are being repaired. The United States and its Western allies are faced with a difficult conundrum as they navigate potential responses to the military takeover in Niger if democratic rule is not restored. Under US law, if the US State Department formally classifies that takeover as a coup, it would require the US to cut foreign and military assistance to the Nigerien government, which could have serious consequences for the fight against terrorism and stability in the region. The Biden administration has not yet made such a determination, with State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel saying Thursday that this continues to be an evolving situation and it is quite too soon to characterize the nature of these ongoing developments. US officials stress that they are focused on diplomatic efforts to restore democratic rule, but on Friday, John Kirby of the National Security Council warned that a military takeover would imperil US assistance to Niger. Experts told CNN that punitive measures could push Niger toward Russian mercenary groups like Wagner and away from its partners in the West. It is also likely that the Wagner group, which has a significant presence in Africa, and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, may seek to exploit the situation for their own benefit. US officials have said there are no indications that the organization was involved in the military takeover. A senior US government official told CNN that there is a risk of Wagner trying to claim credit for anything that happens in Niger, but this is a domestic internal issue that Wagner did not instigate. However, the official did acknowledge that the Wagner group is opportunistic, and they do look for new avenues for them to gain influence and take advantage of instability around the world, including on the African continent. Washington has to thread a very difficult needle right now, because we have real hard security interests in Niger, said Cameron Hudson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The last domino in the region Niger has become a point of stability in the Sahel region of Africa, which faces a significant fight against terrorists and Islamist extremists, and is a key partner to the US, serving as a base for hundreds of US troops to assist with counterterrorism missions. Nigers neighbors including Mali and Burkina Faso have experienced coups of their own in recent years. Niger, unlike other African nations such as Mali and the Central African Republic, has not received assistance from the infamous Russian mercenary organization something US Secretary of State Antony Blinken commended it for on a recent trip to Niamey. Its the last domino, the last bastion and so, it will be very, very costly for the West to lose it, said Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at Brookings. The Biden administration is already under congressional pressure to respond to the situation on the ground in Niger from the top lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The United States must take swift action to hold anti-democratic forces accountable and send a clear signal that attacks on constitutional democracy will not be met with impunity, Democratic Chairman Bob Menendez and Republican Ranking Member Jim Risch said in a statement Friday. In a briefing Friday, Kirby again condemned the situation, which for now the administration sees as a feud between President Mohamed Bazoum and the putschists, apparently led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, the commander of Nigers presidential guard. We remind those attempting this power grab by force that an overthrow of democratically-elected President Bazoum would place US substantial cooperation with the government of Niger at risk, he said. Specifically, a military takeover may cause the United States to cease security and other cooperation with the government of Niger, jeopardizing existing security and non-security partnerships. A difficult geostrategic environment Hudson, a former US government official, told CNN that Niger is an essential part of our security posture in the region, and we cannot walk away from that. But the flip side of that is we have a playbook that we tend to follow when these coups happen: We impose sanctions, we restrict military assistance, we take away development assistance, he explained. Were in a geostrategic environment now where doing those things that we would normally do that would reflect our values in support of democracy could actually create the opening that the terrorists are looking for, that Russia is looking for, Hudson said. Felbab-Brown of Brookings told CNN that she does not know if a restriction of US military and economic aid would be enough to push the Nigerien putschists, who have not expressed explicit anti-Western sentiments, into the arms of the Wagner or other mercenary groups. But it will certainly push them much more towards that line, she said. However, Kamissa Camara, a senior adviser for Africa at the US Institute of Peace, argued that anybody could take advantage of the situation in Niger. Any international power or Western power could take advantage, said Camara, who served as Malian foreign minister under former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Were reshuffling the cards basically. We dont really know who this new general is who has seized power, she told CNN. We dont know who he is, what his motives are, what his interests are. So, anybody who finds that out could take advantage of it. Prigozhin trying to take advantage This week, as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted 17 African leaders at a summit in St. Petersburg, the Russian Foreign Ministry called for the release of detained Nigerien President Bazoum. However, Priogzhin, the Wagner head who led a recent unsuccessful revolt against Moscow, has already sought to propagandize the situation in Niger. In a message on Telegram, he blamed former colonizers for filling these countries with terrorists and various bandit formations and suggested that Wagner is ready to assist. Its not surprising that Prigozhin would try to position himself in that manner. He likes to take credit for unrest that Wagner has had no role in thus far, the senior US government official said. A number of CNN investigations, and others by human rights groups, have established Wagners involvement in and complicity with atrocities against civilian populations in Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic, where they have been employed to assist local defense forces against rebellions and insurgencies, and suppress opposition. Felbab-Brown told CNN that Prigozhin is trying to personally take advantage, given his precarious place following his failed revolt. He sees this as an opportunity to demonstrate to Moscow, to Putin, that he can still be of use, that he shouldnt be liquidated, she said. Still space for diplomacy here For now, diplomatic efforts across the administration and partners like the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore democratic rule in Niger continue. We believe that there is still space for diplomacy here, Kirby said Friday. Blinken spoke by phone Wednesday with Bazoum, who has been detained in his residence, and made clear that we strongly support him as the democratically elected president of the country, the top US diplomat said at a news conference in New Zealand. US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke with Bazoum on Thursday. US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke Thursday with President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, who is the head of ECOWAS, about the situation. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee spoke with Nigerien Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou and former President Mahamadou Issoufou to condemn the efforts to seize power as well as encouraged their roles in facilitating negotiations between President Bazoum and the instigators of this takeover, State Department deputy spokesperson Patel said. The US continues to remain deeply engaged and on this, were monitoring and paying attention very closely in touch with officials from the constitutionally elected government of Niger as well as our colleagues at the embassy, he said. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Tim Lister and Christian Sierra contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A Niger general, Abdourahamane Tiani, appeared on state television as the countrys new leader following a military coup that sparked international condemnation. Tiani appeared on Tele Sahel with a banner identifying him as President of the national council for the safeguard of the homeland. Despite the move, an official loyal to the deposed president said there was infighting among the plotters while France has said the coup is not final. The appearance comes a day after the West African countrys military endorsed the leaders behind the toppling of President Mohamed Bazoums government. Tiani said in the broadcast that Wednesdays coup was motivated by both the desire to preserve our homeland in a context of a deteriorating security situation, and poor economic and social governance. Nigers former government, he said, did not give Nigeriens a glimpse of a real way out of the (security) crisis. This video frame grab image obtained by AFP from Tele Sahel on Friday shows Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, speaking on national television. - ORTN Tele Sahel/AFP via Getty Images On Thursday, the Nigerien army command said it was supporting the seizure in a bid to thwart bloodshed. The militarys statement also warned against foreign military intervention, which it said risks having disastrous and uncontrolled consequences. Bazoum was reportedly detained two days ago by members of his own presidential guard. Tiani has led the body since his appointment by former President Mahamadou Issoufou. International condemnation Niger lies at the heart of Africas Sahel region, which has seen numerous power grabs in recent years including in Mali and Burkina Faso. A key ally of the United States, France and other Western governments, Niger had been one of the few democracies in a region fraught with Islamist insurgencies. The ongoing situation unfolding in Niger in recent days has prompted swift condemnation from the global community. French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that the coup was deeply dangerous for Niger and the whole region, and called for Bazoums release. Macron, who was on an overseas trip to Papua New Guinea Friday and spoke at a press conference alongside the prime minister, described Bazoum as a courageous leader who is making the reforms and investments that his country needs. He added that France once Nigers colonial ruler would support regional organizations should they decide to impose sanctions against the putsch leaders. He also confirmed that he had spoken with the Nigerien president several times since he was detained. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken also held a phone call with President Bazoum. Blinken reiterated the United States unflagging support and emphasized the importance of Bazoums continuing leadership in Niamey, while praising his role in promoting security in Niger and the rest of west Africa, the spokesman said. He also expressed his grave concern when speaking to Nigers former President Mahamadou Issoufou, saying that those detaining Bazoum had threatened years of successful cooperation and hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance that have supported the Nigerien people. Under US law, if the US State Department formally classifies the Niger takeover as a coup, it would require the US to cut foreign and military assistance to the Nigerien government, which could have serious consequences for the fight against terrorism and stability in the region. Supporters of the Nigerien defense and security forces demonstrate outside the national assembly in the capital of Niamey on Thursday. - AFP via Getty Images Frances foreign minister Catherine Colonna said Friday the coup was not final and there was still a way out of the current crisis for coup leaders if they listen to the international community. The European Union described the situation in Niger as a serious attack on stability and democracy, before warning that aid to the country could be suspended following the coup. The United Nations said on Friday its humanitarian flights in and out of Niger are temporarily grounded due to the closure of the countrys airspace. The UN is very concerned about the situation in Niger, the Office for Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement, adding that humanitarian assistance, development and peace programs would continue in the country. According to the humanitarian body, Niger had 4.3 million people in humanitarian needs, with 3.3 million in acute food insecurity situation, the vast majority of whom are women and children. Nigers coup plotters have ignored international calls to reinstate Bazoum, with the so-called National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) warning of consequences to any foreign military intervention in a separate televised statement on Friday. The CNSP also ordered the suspension of the countrys constitution as well as the dissolution of all institutions resulting from it before naming Tiani as head of state representing the state of Niger in international relations. However, a senior official loyal to Bazoum has suggested there is discord among coup leaders. The situation is still confusing at the palace, the aide said. The putsch leaders cannot agree on who will be the head of the transition, the disagreement is deep. The official said some of those involved in the coup are beginning to fear the sanctions of [African regional body] ECOWAS and the international community and want to negotiate their exit. CNN is unable to verify the officials comments. The aide spoke on condition of not being identified because of the security situation. The official also commented on the Tianis broadcast earlier Friday, labeling it a non-event before adding that Bazoum had no intention of resigning. He said the president and his family were in good health. Bazoums whereabouts unknown The presidents whereabouts remain unknown, though Macron is one of several global leaders who have said theyve been in contact with him since he was taken into custody. US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke with Bazoum to express her strong support for the democratically-elected leader, the spokesperson for the US Mission to the United Nations said. Bazoum is feeling well, Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said after speaking with him, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Mahamat added that Nigerian mediators are in Niger for talks with rebels. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also said he had spoken with Bazoum to convey to him all our solidarity. Bazoum took office in 2021 in the countrys first democratic transfer of power was following years of military coups. Niger has experienced four takeovers since its independence from France in 1960. The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom will see to it, Nigers presidential office tweeted on Thursday, after the coup was announced late Wednesday night. A man identified as Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane appeared in the video, flanked by several apparent soldiers, and announced: We have decided to put an end to the regime that you know. Abdramane later said all activities of political parties had been suspended until the new order. CNNs Eve Brennan and Lauren Said-Moorhouse contributed to this report from London; with Dalal Mawad, Oliver Briscoe and Joseph Ataman from Paris. Tim Lister, Jennifer Hansler, Josh Pennington, Niamh Kennedy, Caitlin Hu, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Bethlehem Feleke and Alex Stambaugh also contributed to this story. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Supporters of the Nigerien defence and security forces gather during a demonstration outside the national assembly in Niamey Niger's democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum has been overthrown by the very people who were supposed to protect and uphold his office - the presidential guards who stood watch outside his palace. President Bazoum was the first elected leader to succeed another in Niger since independence in 1960. Now his captors have suspended the country's constitution and installed Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani as head of state. Niger is a key part of the African region known as the Sahel - a belt of land that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. The area is plagued by jihadists and beset by military regimes. Western nations had looked to Niger as a bulwark against further disorder and spreading Russian influence in the region. But that turned out to be short-lived. Here's what you need to know about the crisis. Why is Niger important? As the largest country in West Africa, it's a bellwether state in many ways. Politically, it had been seen as an example of relative democratic stability in recent years, while its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso had already succumbed to military coups. Strategically, it hosts French and US military bases and is seen as a key partner in the fight against Islamist insurgents. In fact, the US state department describes Niger as "important as a linchpin for stability in the Sahel" and "a reliable counter-terrorism partner" against various Islamist groups linked to either Islamic State or al-Qaeda. Economically, it is rich in uranium - producing 7% of all global supplies. The radioactive metal looms so large in the country's economy that one of the grandest thoroughfares in the capital, Niamey, is named the Avenue de l'Uranium. However, Niger's people consistently rank as having the lowest standards of living anywhere in the world. Map Why did the coup happen? The Sahel region is a turbulent and unstable part of the world and democracy is currently in retreat there. Violent Islamist groups have gained ground by controlling territory and conducting attacks in the tri-border region between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The mutinous soldiers in Niger have cited this worsening security situation as a reason for their uprising, although Niger was handling the insurgencies far better than Mali and Burkina Faso before their own coups. The growing unrest has led some to believe that only harsh military crackdowns can solve the problem, hence the popular support that the coup seems to enjoy in some quarters. However, it is far from clear that a military junta would have greater success in tackling the insurgents than the recently ousted government. The takeovers in neighbouring countries have not made much difference. Adding to the instability in the region, climate change is causing desertification to spread southwards from the Sahara into the Sahel. Experts say temperatures in the Sahel are rising faster than anywhere else in the world. What's the international reaction to the coup? France, the former colonial power, has been stern in its condemnation of the military takeover. A statement by the French foreign ministry said President Bazoum was the country's sole leader, adding that France "does not recognise the authorities resulting from the putsch led by Gen Tchiani". It added that France "reaffirmed in the strongest terms the clear demands of the international community calling for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and democratically-elected civilian government in Niger". The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has called for the president's immediate release, while the African Union, the West African regional bloc Ecowas, the EU and the UN have all spoken out against the coup. The only voice in favour has been that of the leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has reportedly described it as a triumph. "What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonisers," he was quoted as saying on a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel, although his comments have not been independently verified. What's it got to do with Russia and Wagner? As well as jihadist groups, the Wagner mercenaries, who are active elsewhere in the region, have been seen as exercising a malign influence in Niger. Some supporters of the coup have been seen waving the Russian flag alongside that of Niger. Supporters of the coup have been waving the Russian flag Before the coup, President Bazoum had complained of "disinformation campaigns" by Wagner against his government - and there is little doubt that Wagner, which has exploited mineral resources in other African countries to fund its operations, would like to do the same in Niger. The US has said there is no indication that the Wagner force was involved in the overthrow of President Bazoum, but added that the situation continues to be quite fluid. Now there are concerns that Niger's new leadership could move away from its Western allies and closer to Russia. If it does, it would follow in the footsteps of Burkina Faso and Mali, which have both pivoted towards Moscow since their own military coups. What other global consequences could the coup have? President Bazoum's government has been a partner to European countries trying to stop the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea, agreeing to take back hundreds of migrants from detention centres in Libya. He has also cracked down on human traffickers in what had been a key transit point between other countries in West Africa and those further north. That may now be called into question. The Revs. Nancy Dederer, of Circleville Presbyterian Church, and Mark Nodo, of Trinity Lutheran Church, stood in front of the Circleville Police Department on Saturday, handing out chilled bottles from a wagon Dederer brought. "We want to be a presence for hope and peace and unity," said Dederer, who said she was concerned when she saw the video that has made waves nationally and divided this small town. A handful of other Circleville residents and a few from nearby Chillicothe came out in the Saturday heat to express their desire for accountability from the Circleville Police Department, whose K-9 officer Ryan Speakman released his police dog on an unarmed, surrendering truck driver earlier this month. Locals loiter near the Circleville Police Department, where barricades were set up for a Saturday protest in reaction to officer Ryan Speakman releasing his K-9 on an unarmed truck driver July 4. Only a handful of protesters showed up. A since-deleted Facebook page, Dismantle Circleville Police, planned the demonstration, and more than 1,000 people indicated they would come. But the fears of some onlookers that a protest would get out of control appeared to be unfounded early Saturday afternoon. More than twice as many spectators as protestors loitered on the sidewalks and street, which was blocked by cement barricades. Several people told The Dispatch the incident was blown out of proportion and they were there to make sure everything remained peaceful. A few of them had signs with messages such as, "U should of pulled over, stupid." A local man, who refused to give his name, stands next to several hostile signs Saturday near a protest outside the Circleville Police Department in reaction to officer Ryan Speakman releasing his K-9 on an unarmed truck driver July 4. Only a handful of protesters showed up, and about twice as many locals came to watch. "All of this has been turned into a racial thing, which it is not," Circleville resident Tim Fouch said. The truck driver who was attacked, Jardarrius Rose, 23, of Memphis, Tennessee, is Black. Circleville police fired Speakman earlier this week, but questions remain surrounding the reason for his termination, with some worried the police union will get Speakman his job back. Zack Brooks, of Circleville, who wore a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, said the arrest and the department leadership's response have brought a lot of shame to the community. Brooks said he wants to see Speakman charged with a crime and for police to be transparent about their internal review of the matter. Locals loitered near the Circleville Police Department, where barricades were set up for a Saturday protest reaction to K-9 officer Ryan Speakman releasing his police dog on an unarmed truck driver July 4. Only a handful of protesters showed up. What we know about what happened After Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers tried pulling over the commercial semitrailer July 4 for an inspection because it was missing a mud flap, Rose led officers on a chase across three counties. In a 911 call from Ross County, Rose told a dispatcher he was going to pull over but was scared for his life after he saw officers with their guns drawn. After about 40 minutes, in Circleville, where officers deployed "stop sticks" to deflate the truck's tires, Rose stopped and surrendered. Rose had his hands in the air when body camera footage shows a Circleville officer releasing the K-9 on him. Video of the dog attack during which a trooper can be heard telling the Circleville officer repeatedly to not release the dog on the surrendering man first came to light a little over a week ago. The situation has since received international attention, including reaction from Gov. Mike DeWine and the White House. The Florida-based prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced this week that he represents Rose. jlaird@dispatch.com @LairdWrites This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Circleville police dog attack divides local residents at protest Powerful thunderstorms are expected to erupt across the central United States in the coming days, bringing with them the potential for damaging winds, massive hail and flash flooding. A dome of high pressure firmly established over the Four Corners and southern Plains regions will yield a weather pattern that will dictate the storms' trajectories across the center of the nation. As the heat dome holds strong, it will continue to result in scorching temperatures and soaring humidity levels across the southern Plains. The combination of ample heat and high humidity will yield the perfect recipe for thunderstorms farther north that can stretch from the Front Range through the Plains and into the Midwest. Saturday morning, a dangerous complex of thunderstorms rolled through Nebraska, producing damaging wind gusts in places like Grand Island and Lincoln. These storms continued southeastward through the day, with damaging winds continuing across north-central Missouri and into western Kentucky. Progressing through this week, many of the same areas that faced the threat of severe weather over the weekend will continue to reside within the danger zone. The severe thunderstorm threat this week is expected to feature a heightened flood risk in addition to all other hazards that come along with severe thunderstorms. This heightened risk will come along from a boost in available moisture from an uptick in monsoon activity across the Southwest. Thunderstorms on Monday are expected to develop across portions of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska with some residents in that zone facing a moderate risk for severe storms Monday afternoon and night. Another batch of thunderstorms could erupt farther east on Monday, including areas from eastern Nebraska and southern Iowa into Louisiana. As monsoon thunderstorms blossom across the Four Corners and Central Rockies early this week, these too will ride around the fringes of the heat dome in the days to follow. This thunderstorm activity can regenerate for several days, so it is imperative to be prepared for the possibility of multiple storm rounds, and take necessary precautions to stay safe. The constant barrage of thunderstorms riding along the northern periphery of the heat dome early this week is expected to squash the heat farther south by mid- to late week. This can shift the corridor of thunderstorm activity farther south as well, bringing rain chances back into Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer. Donald Trump is attempting to reverse court rulings in two of the many politically charged cases involving the former president. Friday, Trump filed a notice that hes appealing a ruling that prevented him from moving the New York criminal case against him involving hush money payments to federal court. Earlier this month, US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied Trumps request to move the state case to federal court after finding the alleged criminal conduct was not related to his role as president. Trump asked for the transfer arguing the allegations involved questions of federal law. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal the reimbursement of hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. He is set to go to trial in Manhattan in March 2024. In the ruling, the judge wrote, The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the matter was a purely a personal item of the President a cover-up of an embarrassing event. Hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a Presidents official acts. Whatever the standard, and whether it is high or low, Trump fails to satisfy it, the judge wrote. RICO lawsuit Hail Mary Thursday, Trump launched a Hail Mary bid relying on the recent report from special counsel John Durham that criticized the FBIs Trump-Russia probe to revive the sprawling RICO lawsuit he filed against Hillary Clinton, Democratic National Committee, several ex-FBI officials and more than two dozen other people and entities. The move by US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks to dismiss the Trump lawsuit and to order sanctions against Trump lawyers involved in it was already on appeal at the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals. But the Trump team is now attempting a maneuver known as a motion for an indicative ruling, which allows for a trial court to take back jurisdiction of a case thats already on appeal in order to consider new evidence or other issues that hadnt been appropriately resolved. In a filing with the trial court on Thursday, Trumps lawyers argued that the Durham report corroborates facts that are key to the plausibility and probability of the claims the former president was making it in the case. Therefore, the introduction of this evidence is likely to change the outcome of this case at every level of the proceedings, the filing said. Durhams report, released in May, had scathing criticism for how the FBI handled its investigation into the 2016 Trump campaigns Russia campaign, claiming that the agency lacked the evidence to launch a full investigation into Russias election meddling. Yet, the Durham probe which inched along over four years, twice as long as the underlying Russia investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller fell well short of the hopes of Trump and his allies. Durham secured only one conviction, a guilty plea from a low level FBI agent who admitted to doctoring an email related to the surveillance of an ex-Trump campaign aide, while the other two prosecutions Durham brought in his investigation ended in embarrassing acquittals. Durhams final report also did not recommend any wholesale changes to FBI policies for handling politically charged investigations. In his RICO lawsuit, Trump claimed there was a conspiracy among the Democrats and government officials to fabricate information tying him to Russia in order to undermine his 2016 campaign. Middlebrooks, in dismissing the case last year, wrote that what the lawsuit lacks in substance and legal support it seeks to substitute with length, hyperbole, and the settling of scores and grievances. Middlebrooks later ordered sanctions against the Trump attorneys who signed on to the case, concluding that the pleadings contained factual allegations that were either knowingly false or made in reckless disregard for the truth. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Former President Trumps outsized influence is already being felt in GOP Senate primaries, underscoring his grip on the party even as he faces numerous primary challengers in the 2024 White House race. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, whos running to replace Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), endorsed Trumps presidential bid earlier this week. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R), whos running to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin (D), did the same prompting his GOP primary rival Alex Mooney to point out that he had come out in support of Trump last year. And prior to officially jumping into Montanas contested Senate race last month, former Navy SEAL and businessman Tim Sheehy said he supports Trump 100 percent. The public show of support for the former president is just the latest example of the political sway he continues to hold over Republicans, and could serve as a headache for party leaders who want the GOP to move on from him. Donald Trump continues to be the biggest elephant in the Republican tent, said Mark Weaver, an Ohio-based Republican strategist. Republican voters still want to see him as our partys leader. One Republican strategist described the strategy of endorsing Trump as the path of least resistance. In order to take back the Senate, youve got to win a couple of these key seats, and the only way to win back these key seats is to make it through the primary unscathed, the strategist said. Some strategists see the endorsements as a sign of how the presidential primary is likely to shake out. This is a greater sign than ever before that Trump is most likely going to win the Republican nomination despite the noise in the media, said Republican strategist Ford OConnell. Endorsing Trump at this stage is one of the safest things a candidate could do, he added. This is more about the candidates trying to cozy up to him. The eagerness from some Senate Republican hopefuls to embrace the former president comes after many of Trumps endorsed candidates performed poorly in their general elections last cycle. Former President Trumps endorsement continues to be a boon in a primary and a bane in a general election, Weaver said. The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (NRSC) is also taking a different approach in the 2024 cycle by playing a more hands-on role in some primaries. Like Trump, the committees Chairman Steve Daines (R-Mont.) has thrown his support behind Justice in West Virginias Republican Senate primary. While there has been tension and disagreement between Trump and Senate leadership, particularly on Trumps unfounded claims that he won the 2020 presidential election, Daines has said he is working with the former president ahead of 2024. We chat frequently. And hes very thoughtful right now looking at these races. He understands its important we have candidates that can win, Daines told CBS News in an interview earlier this month. If you notice, there hasnt been a wave of endorsements coming out so far, because I think were having these thoughtful conversations and getting on the same page. Trump has endorsed in less competitive GOP Senate primaries, like in Indiana, where he threw his support behind Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) a day after former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) announced that he would not run for the seat and after the NRSC endorsed Banks. And earlier this month, CNN reported that Trump told Mooney in West Virginia and potential Senate candidate Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) that he would not endorse them. Daines has endorsed Sheehy in Montana. Democrats, meanwhile, are seeking to use Trumps endorsement against him in the general election, harkening back to Republican losses in 2022. Trump is looming over Senate Republicans primaries and making the GOPs nasty infighting even worse, said Tommy Garcia, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. As Republican candidates fight for Trumps favor, theyre showing the voters who will decide the general election in their states why they should be rejected in 2024. And not every Republican running for Senate is immediately tying themselves to the former president. In Nevada, Sam Brown, who has been endorsed by Daines, has yet to endorse Trump despite volunteering for his campaign in 2020. His primary opponent Jim Marchant, on the other hand, has endorsed Trump. Marchant has also said Brown is the GOP establishments choice, pointing to his endorsement from the NRSC. Mitch McConnell & the establishment needed a candidate & found him in Sam Brown, Marchant said in a tweet earlier this month. We see Reagans bold-colored differences between DC & the real America. Weaver noted that while more anti-establishment candidates may try to use this attack line, theres still much to be gained from an endorsement from the Senate GOP campaign arm. Being endorsed by the Washington establishment can bring valuable contributions from interest groups around the country, but it can also bring some criticism for being too close to the Beltway, he said. Others caution that endorsements should not be seen as integral to the success of a campaign. Ultimately these candidates have got to focus on their message and theyve got to focus on having the resources to disseminate their message, the GOP strategist said. They need to be able to actually run a functional campaign and no endorsement is going to matter if those things arent done, the strategist added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Ukraine has passed legislation moving its official Christmas holiday to December 25, further distancing itself from the traditions of the Putin-aligned Russian Orthodox Church, which celebrates the holiday on January 7. The bill was passed by Ukraines parliament earlier this month. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed it into law on Friday. The legislations sponsors said its passage would help Ukraine abandon the Russian heritage of imposing the celebration of Christmas on January 7, and help Ukrainians live their own life with their own traditions (and) holidays. Ukraine and Russia are both majority Orthodox countries, but since Russia illegally annexed Crimea and began supporting separatists in Ukraines eastern Donbas region in 2014, a large part of the Orthodox community in Ukraine has moved away from Moscow. Russias war in Ukraine further accelerated the divide between the two branches of Orthodox Christianity, especially given that the head of Russias Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, fully endorsed the invasion and framed it as a culture clash between the wider Russian world and Western liberal values. The new law will effectively formalize what some churches in Ukraine had already begun practicing. A branch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine allowed its churches to celebrate Christmas on December 25 last year. Ukraines main Greek Catholic church said in February it was moving to a new calendar to celebrate Christmas on December 25 as well. The decision appears to be popular. In December, the Ukrainian government launched a poll asking citizens whether the date for Christmas should be moved to December 25. Nearly 59% of the more than 1.5 million people who voted supported such a move. Alla and Oksana, two teachers from the Zaporizhzhia region who had been forced to flee their homes, said they supported the decision to change the date. They added that they celebrated Christmas on December 25 last year and felt they would quickly adapt. Ukraine should be a civilized European country, Alla said. This should be the norm for us. Vitalina and Pavlo, a couple from Lviv visiting Kyiv, supported the decision but said the transition would be harder for the parents. Celebrating December 25 is logical. This is how Europe celebrates. We celebrated in December this year and there was nothing difficult about it. We want to be closer to Europe and to the world, Pavlo said. Tetyana, an Orthodox Christian from Kyiv, said the date was not important for her, but was ready to support the move because of its symbolic value. If necessary, we will celebrate on December 25. It is no longer about religion, it is more a sign of statehood. Let it be so. I support the president and my country, she said. The new law will also change the dates of several Ukrainian holidays that are celebrated on the same day as religious festivities. The Day of Ukrainian Statehood the countrys independence day will move from July 28 to July 15, while the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, when Ukraine honors its veterans and war dead, will move forward to October 1 from October 14. CNNs Darya Tarasova contributed to this report For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A Colorado police officer on trial for placing a handcuffed woman in a patrol car parked on train tracks that was then struck by a freight train was found guilty of two misdemeanors. Fort Lupton police officer Jordan Steinke was charged with attempted reckless manslaughter, a felony, and two misdemeanors reckless endangerment and third-degree assault in connection with the September 2022 incident, which left the woman severely injured. Judge Timothy Kerns found Steinke not guilty of attempted reckless manslaughter, saying the court did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer "knowingly intended to harm" Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, the victim. But Kerns said Steinke did disregard "what she consciously observed," citing the presence of railroad tracks and signs on the highway, in explaining his guilty verdict in the misdemeanors. Kerns read his verdict in the Weld County courtroom on Friday. Steinke had waived her right to a jury trial, so Kerns decided the case. Steinke wept in court as the judge explained his verdict. Her sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 15. Her attorney requested an immediate sentencing on her behalf, though prosecutors said Rios-Gonzalez, who observed the verdict remotely, wanted to attend the sentencing in person. Steinke and a Platteville police officer were investigating a road rage incident when they pulled over Rios-Gonzalez on Sept. 16, 2022. Steinke placed Rios-Gonzalez handcuffed in the back of the Platteville police cruiser, which was parked on train tracks. A short time later, a freight train plowed into the vehicle. The horrifying collision was captured by police body and dash cameras, with the footage later released by the Platteville, Colorado, Police Department. PHOTO: Officer Jordan Steinke is on trial after leaving detained woman in police car on train tracks. (ABC News) PHOTO: Body camera footage released by the Platteville, Colorado Police Department shows the train collision on Sept. 16, 2022. (Platteville, Colorado Police Department) Rios-Gonzalez, 21, suffered a fractured tibia, broken arm, nine broken ribs and a fractured sternum in the incident, her attorney told "Good Morning America" last year. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Steinke knew the police cruiser was parked on train tracks but disregarded the obvious risk. "At the time she elected to place Yareni Rios-Gonzalez in the Platteville patrol car parked on the railroad tracks instead of her own patrol unit that was safely parked to the west of the railroad tracks," Weld County Deputy District Attorney Lacy Vells said in court this week. MORE: 'I just didn't want to die': Jadarrius Rose, Black trucker attacked by Ohio police dog while surrendering, speaks out The defense, meanwhile, contended there was no intent to harm and the incident was a "horrific" accident. "Officer Steinke was not trying to harm Miss Rios-Gonzalez," defense attorney Mallory Revel said in closing arguments on Thursday. "To the contrary, this accident has haunted officer Steinke every single day since it occurred. It was a horrific accident." PHOTO: Officer Jordan Steinke in court in Weld County, Colorado, on July 25, 2023. (Platteville, Colorado Police Department) Steinke took the stand on Tuesday, telling the court that she saw the railroad tracks but did not "perceive" the fact that the location was a railroad crossing. She said she did not see any reflective signs or gates indicating a railroad crossing at the time of the incident. "It was incredibly dark. I was miles outside of my jurisdiction," Steinke told the court. "I was fairly certain that that particular stop was going to end in a gun fight. I never in a million years thought a train was going to come plowing through my scene." She claimed she would not have put Rios-Gonzalez in the vehicle if she knew it was parked on train tracks and that she had "trusted" that the Platteville police officer's vehicle "was in a secure location at that time." The Platteville officer, Pablo Vazquez, has also been charged with reckless endangerment, among other counts, in the incident. His case is ongoing. MORE: Criminal charges called for against deputies, officer in alleged assault of 2 Black men Rios-Gonzalez is also suing police over her treatment. One of the attorneys representing her in the civil case, Chris Ponce, pushed back against the defense's argument ahead of the verdict and said the situation was not stressful. "Their defense is that this situation was so stressful to this officer that she simply did not notice that the train tracks were there," Ponce told Denver ABC affiliate KMGH. "It's our opinion again, as we've stated in documents that we've filed publicly that is just not true. It's simply not true. The train tracks were obvious." Ponce told the station his client would respect and accept whatever verdict is reached in the criminal proceedings. Rios-Gonzalez also faced charges stemming from the road rage incident prior to police pulling her over. She entered a no-contest plea earlier this month to misdemeanor menacing, according to The Association Press. She will avoid jail time if she follows the conditions of her deferred sentence, KMGH reported. Verdict reached in trial of cop who placed woman in patrol car hit by train originally appeared on abcnews.go.com (Reuters) - Russia's Wagner mercenary group is ready to increase its presence in Africa, its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin told an African news outlet in an audio interview published online earlier this week. "We aren't reducing (our presence), moreover we're ready to increase our various contingents," Prigozhin told Cameroon-based Afrique Media. The telephone interview was posted on YouTube but had been viewed only 1,400 times as of late Friday. Reuters could not immediately verify the veracity of the audio, but a voice that appeared to be Prigozhin's could be heard under a French translation. In the interview, he said Wagner was fulfilling all its obligations on the continent, and was ready to further develop relations with African countries. Fighting on Russia's side, Wagner has taken part in some of the bloodiest battles of the Ukraine war. But its future role was called into question when Prigozhin staged a brief mutiny last month and the Kremlin said he would leave Russia for Belarus, where some of his fighters have started training Belarusian forces. However, he was photographed in St Petersburg this week during a Russia-Africa summit, including alongside a journalist from Afrique Media. Prigozhin confirmed to Afrique Media that a new rotation of Wagner forces had recently arrived in the Central African Republic ahead of a constitutional referendum on July 30 that could see President Faustin-Archange Touadera extend his term. "New forces have arrived, we control the territory of the republic," he said, without stating the size of the force. Russian mercenaries, including many from Wagner, intervened in 2018 on the side of the CAR government to quell a civil war that has raged since 2012. Wagner's role in CAR, Mali and elsewhere in Africa is a source of concern for Western governments, including France and the United States. Washington has accused the group of committing widespread atrocities and imposed sanctions on it as a criminal organisation. Prigozhin denies that, saying in the interview that all Wagner's activity was lawful and of benefit to the countries where it operates and to their relations with Russia. (Reporting by Mark Trevelyan, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) HOUSTON (AP) Just moments before rap superstar Travis Scott took the stage at the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival, a contract worker had been so worried about what might happen after seeing people getting crushed that he texted an event organizer saying, Someones going to end up dead, according to a police report released Friday. The texts by security contract worker Reece Wheeler were some of many examples in the nearly 1,300-page report in which festival workers highlighted problems and warned of possible deadly consequences. The report includes transcripts of concertgoers' 911 calls and summaries of police interviews, including one with Scott conducted just days after the event. The crowd surge at the Nov. 5, 2021, outdoor festival in Houston killed 10 attendees who ranged in age from 9 to 27. The official cause of death was compression asphyxia, which an expert likened to being crushed by a car. About 50,000 people attended the festival. Pull tons over the rail unconscious. Theres panic in people eyes. This could get worse quickly, Reece Wheeler texted Shawna Boardman, one of the private security directors, at 9 p.m. Wheeler then texted, I know theyll try to fight through it but I would want it on the record that I didnt advise this to continue. Someones going to end up dead. Scotts concert began at 9:02 p.m. In their review of video from the concert's livestream, police investigators said that at 9:13 p.m., they heard the faint sound of someone saying, Stop the show. The same request could also be heard at 9:16 p.m. and 9:22 p.m. In an Aug. 19, 2022, police interview, Boardmans attorneys told investigators that Boardman saw things were not as bad as Reece Wheeler stated and decided not to pass along Wheelers concerns to anyone else. A grand jury declined to indict anyone who was investigated over the event, including Scott, Boardman and four other people. During a police interview conducted two days after the concert, Scott told investigators that although he did see one person near the stage getting medical attention, overall the crowd seemed to be enjoying the show and he did not see any signs of serious problems. We asked if he at any point heard the crowd telling him to stop the show. He stated that if he had heard something like that he would have done something, police said in their summary of Scott's interview. Hip-hop artist Drake, who performed with Scott at the concert, told police that it was difficult to see from the stage what was going on in the crowd and that he didnt hear concertgoers pleas to stop the show. Drake found out about the tragedy later that night from his manager, while learning more on social media, police said in their summary. Marty Wallgren, who worked for a security consulting firm hired by the festival, told police that when he went backstage and tried to tell representatives for Scott and Drake that the concert needed to end because people had been hurt and might have died, he was told Drake still has three more songs, according to an interview summary. Daniel Johary, a college student who got trapped in the crush of concertgoers and later used his skills working as an EMT in Israel to help an injured woman, told investigators hundreds of people had chanted for Scott to stop the music and that the chants could be heard from everywhere. He stated staff members in the area gave thumbs-up and did not care, according to the police report. Richard Rickeada, a retired Houston police officer who was working for a private security company at the festival, told investigators that from 8 a.m. the day of the concert, things were pretty much in chaos, according to a police summary of his interview. His concerns and questions about whether the concert should be held were met with a lot of shrugged shoulders, he said. About 23 minutes into the concert, cameraman Gregory Hoffman radioed into the shows production trailer to warn that people were dying. Hoffman was operating a large crane that held a television camera before it was overrun with concertgoers who needed medical help, police said. The production team radioed Hoffman to ask when they could get the crane back in operation. Salvatore Livia, who was hired to direct the live show, told police that following Hoffmans dire warning, people in the production trailer understood that something was not right, but they were disconnected to the reality of (what) was happening out there, according to a police summary of Livias interview. Concertgoer Christopher Gates, then 22, told police that by the second or third song in Scott's performance, he came across about five people on the ground who he believed were already dead. Their bodies were lifeless, pale, and their lips were blue/purple, according to the police report. Random people in the crowd not medics provided CPR. The police report was released about a month after the grand jury in Houston declined to indict Scott on any criminal charges in connection with the deadly concert. Police Chief Troy Finner had said the report was being made public so that people could read the entire investigation and come to their own conclusions about the case. During a news conference after the grand jurys decision, Finner declined to say what the overall conclusion of his agencys investigation was or whether police should have stopped the concert sooner. The reports release also came the same day that Scott released his new album, Utopia. More than 500 lawsuits were filed over the deaths and injuries at the concert, including many against concert promoter Live Nation and Scott. Some have since been settled. ___ Finley reported from Norfolk, Virginia. ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70 ___ Find more AP coverage of the Astroworld festival: https://apnews.com/hub/astroworld-festival-deaths US officials are searching for Chinese malware hidden in various defense systems that could disrupt military communications and resupply operations, The New York Times reported Saturday. The administration believes malicious computer code has been hidden inside networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases, officials told the Times. The discovery has heightened concerns that hackers could disrupt US military operations in the event of a conflict, according to the Times. The two nations have been increasingly at odds over Taiwan as well as over Chinas actions in the Indo-Pacific. One congressional official told the newspaper that the malware was a ticking time bomb that could allow China to cut off power, water and communications to military bases, slowing deployments and resupply operations. Because military bases often share the same supply infrastructure as civilian homes and businesses, many other Americans could also be affected, officials told the Times. The malware revelations echo a pattern of recent breaches by China-based hackers previously reported by CNN. Last week, the email account of US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns was hacked, three US officials familiar with the matter told CNN. Earlier this month, Microsoft and the White House confirmed that China-based hackers breached email accounts at two dozen organizations, including some federal agencies. The Biden administration believes the hacking operation which Microsoft said was launched in mid-May gave the Chinese government insights about US thinking heading into Secretary of State Antony Blinkens trip to Beijing in June. Among the agencies targeted were the State Department and the Department of Commerce, which has sanctioned Chinese telecom firms. US officials and Microsoft analysts initially had trouble identifying how the hackers got into the email accounts, which made clear that they were dealing with a sophisticated hacking team, a US official told CNN. US officials have consistently labeled China as the most advanced of US adversaries in cyberspace, a domain that has repeatedly been a source of bilateral tension in recent years. The FBI has said Beijing has a larger hacking program than all other governments combined. Blinken raised the hacking incidents in a meeting with a top Chinese diplomat in Indonesia earlier this month, a senior State Department official told CNN, but the official would not get into the specifics of the extent to which the hack was raised. We have consistently made clear that any action that targets US government, US companies, American citizens, is a deep concern to us and that we will take appropriate action to hold those responsible accountable and the secretary made that clear again, the official said. CNNs Sean Lyngaas, Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Armenia to Romania Sergey Minasyan has paid a courtesy call on Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu. During the meeting, the Armenian Ambassador briefed the Romanian FM on details on the illegal Azerbaijani blockade of Lachin Corridor, the Armenian Embassy in Romania said in a readout. Minasyan congratulated Odobescu on assuming the post of Foreign Minister and expressed hope that her rich professional experience and skills will contribute to the further development of the Armenian-Romanian relations. Both sides emphasized that the recent positive dynamics in the rich historical Armenian-Romanian relations allows supplementing the bilateral agenda and raising it to a new qualitative level. The Armenian Ambassador conveyed to the Romanian FM details on the ongoing illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor and the resulting humanitarian crisis. Views were exchanged on prospects of multilateral cooperation, particularly within the framework of Armenia-EU comprehensive partnership. In this context, the importance of the deployment of the EU monitoring mission in Armenia was underscored as a factor contributing to regional stability. Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations highest court the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno-Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations. YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan itself is abandoning on a daily basis its fake narratives claiming to be willing to live in coexistence with the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ambassador-at-large Edmon Marukyan said on Saturday after a Nagorno-Karabakh patient was detained and taken to an unknown location by Azerbaijani border guards while being evacuated by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Armenia for treatment. Marukyan said the patient has been kidnapped by the Azeri authorities. On a daily basis, Azerbaijan is resigning from the fake narratives it has created regarding their willingness to live in coexistence with the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Today, 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan, who was being transported from Nagorno Karabagh to Armenia for a medical treatment, accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross, was abducted by the representatives of the border guard service of Azerbaijan and taken to an unknown direction. Neither the relatives of Khachatryan, nor the ICRC representatives or Russian peacekeepers are aware about the whereabouts of Vagif Khachatryan. His fate is unknown as of this writing, Marukyan tweeted. THE Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) yesterday filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge a High Court ruling that disqualified its 12 aspiring parliamentary candidates in Bulawayo. High Court judge Justice Bongani Ndlovu on Thursday ruled that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) erred in accepting the nomination papers from the candidates after the 4pm deadline when the nomination court sat on June 21. Our lawyers confirm that they have filed an appeal against the judgment under case number SCB86/23, CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere confirmed. The noting of the appeal suspends the operation of the judgment. Our candidatures are accordingly still on the ballot and remain there until the appeal is heard and determined. The High Court ruling had given Zanu PF three seats, namely Cowdray Park, Bulawayo South and Nine other seats were still going to have an election as there were more than three contesting parties. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court yesterday dismissed an appeal by self-exiled presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere who was challenging his disqualification. Kasukuweres team said they would lodge an appeal. Supreme Court judges Justices Chinembiri Bhunu, George Chiweshe and Susan Mavangira unanimously upheld a High Court ruling disqualifying Kasukuweres candidacy. We carefully considered the evidence and oral submissions by both counsels. The court is of the view the appeal lacks merit. The appeal be and is hereby dismissed with no order as to costs, the judges ruled. A Zanu PF activist, Lovedale Mangwana, had challenged Kasukuweres candidacy saying he was not eligible to contest having been out of the country for over 18 months. Election watchdogs yesterday said the August 23 election has been thrown into a credibility crisis because of an avalanche of court cases following the June 21 nominations court. They said citizens rights to vote and choose their leaders of choice had been trampled upon. The courts have a primary duty to promote the fundamental rights of citizens which include political rights of citizens, their practice must promote democracy, Election Resource Centre legal and advocacy officer Takunda Tsunga told NewsDay Weekender. However, in the 2023 environment, it has taken a very strict and restrictive approach towards the expansion of political rights. Tsunga said the judgments were questionable. The (Judiciarys) conduct has eroded citizen trust in the Judiciary which will impact on its ability to independently arbitrate on any post-election dispute and secondly, for parties and citizens to actually accept whatever outcome results from the courts, he said. Zimbabwe Elections Advocacy Trust director Ignatius Sadziwa said there was a clear weaponisation of the law against the opposition. The weaponisation of the law and meddling by the Judiciary in democratic processes is a clear sign that the impending elections are a foregone conclusion and its aftermath will be disputed, Sadziwa said. This is a sad chapter for Zimbabwes constitutional democracy, where the integrity and credibility of the Judiciary is put in question. The principle of separation of powers has been eroded unfortunately. Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya said the election process had been tainted by the court cases. This can only confirm that our electoral processes are tainted with partisan judgements, it only proves how compromised and captured the judiciary is, he said. Discredited yes, disputed not necessarily because its possible to prevail under the current circumstances like Zambia. We can only coin a phrase litigation democracy. Church leader Kenneth Mtata, said the country was heading towards the most discredited and disputed election. Our Constitution is at the throes of death. We the people must come to its rescue so that it can preserve our collective future, Mtata said. Newsday The snooping saga using the Pegasus spyware is still pending adjudication in the Supreme Court. The perpetual clash between the idea of security and the idea of privacy is a battle that animates the soul of all democratic institutions. Advocates for security propagate for an independent intelligence organisation that can monitor and prevent internal, and external, threats. On the other hand, advocates for privacy propagate for an intelligence organisation that operates within the realm of the law and is accountable to the citizen. For a democracy to function efficiently, it is imperative upon the permanent establishment to find the right balance between the two opposing perspectives. It is unfortunate that over the recent years the permanent establishment has failed to maintain this delicate balance. On the contrary, the weaponisation of law enforcement and intelligence organisations in pursuit of its political machinations has become the norm rather than the exception with the situation becoming progressively worse with each passing day. The snooping saga using the Pegasus spyware is still pending adjudication in the Supreme Court. The decision would have profound implications either way on the Right to Privacy of both those resident in India and its citizens. In the current Monsoon Session of Parliament, the government aims to pass the fundamentally flawed Digital Personal Data Protection Bill. A bill that claims to protect personal data. It is, therefore, imperative to return to the basics, and address the elephant in the room; i.e., the absence of any laws, rules or regulations governing the functioning of and oversight on intelligence agencies. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) was created in 1887 via an administrative order of the British. It was in response to the rising challenge of Indian revolutionary activities. The IB was created with an objective to monitor, and control any political movements that promoted the idea of Indian independence. It is pertinent to note that the bureau had its allegiance to the then establishment, and not to the people. Seventy-six years post-independence, it is unfortunate the essential nature of the IB has not changed. It has no formal character, is devoid of any constitutional or statutory backing, and continues to remain in the shadows. Thus, the bureau, which should have morphed into an instrumentality to protect the sovereign has no accountability to it. It is, therefore, imperative that there are proper checks and balances that must underpin the functioning of any institution. One of the biggest problems in India is that both law enforcement agencies and intelligence organisations have no sound legal basis. In 2009, I raised a question with regards to the legal basis of the IB, and the Research and Analysis Wing (RA&W). The government replied that the RA&W had no basis in law, while the IB derived its powers from being under Item No. 8 of the Union List under Schedule VII of the Constitution of India. However, this is can hardly be characterised as a legal basis of the IB. It is unfortunate, yet gospel truth, that India still follows its colonial legacy of having an unnecessary and manufactured culture of secrecy regarding its intelligence apparatus. Other democratic institutions are transparent about the functioning of their intelligence regimes, and have an accountability to their respective legislative organs. For example, the United Kingdom has created the Intelligence Services Act, 1994. This sets up a mechanism for legislative oversight. The Act mandates for a committee which is appointed by the Prime Minister and includes the Leader of Opposition. This committee is directly responsible to the Parliament and is required to present a report before the Parliament periodically. Similarly, in the United States, the House of Representatives, and the Senate have their own Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This scrutinises the intelligence apparatus of the United States, and has extensive powers over the policy issues, and budgetary appropriations. It is also pertinent to note that the absence of any legislative oversight on intelligence organisations results in providing them with untrammelled power; and this constitutes a potent and visible challenge to the very concept of the right to privacy. In the judgment of K.S. Puttuswamy v Union of India, the Honble Supreme Court recognised that the right to privacy is a fundamental right enshrined under Part III of the Indian Constitution. Similarly, the American judgment of Meyer v Nebraska, and the European judgment of Douglas v Hello recognised privacy as a right. Moreover, countries such as Japan and Singapore have enacted the Personal Information Protection Act, 2003, and the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) which codifies the protection of personal privacy. Thus, owing to its universal acceptability (state practice), and a belief carried out from a legal obligation necessary to protect the rights of the citizens (opinion juris), the right to privacy is a customary international law. Hence, the absence of any legislative oversight on intelligence organisations violates both municipal law as well as international law. With an objective to provide a proper legal regime and ensure adherence with international law, in 2011, I moved a Private Members Bill entitled The Intelligence Services (Powers and Regulation) Bill, 2011. This bill aimed to: (1) regulate the manner of the functioning, and exercise of powers of Indian Intelligence Agencies within, and beyond the territory of India; (2) provide for the coordination, control, and oversight of such agencies. This bill attempted to ensure equilibrium between the idea of security, and privacy to ensure effective functioning of democracy. Unfortunately, this bill lapsed in October 2012 when I moved to government. I have introduced a similar bill with minor modification which has been re-tabled in the Parliament. It is a must that the Parliament take the bill qua intelligence agencies into immediate consideration and pass it without any further let or demur. In conclusion, it is a must that transparent oversight and sound legal foundations are present to guide, and put a leash on the powers of institutions that have the means and ability to transgress upon the privacy of citizens. This is imperative to strike a delicate balance that upholds both the security of the state and privacy of the sovereign. It is the need of the hour for India to abandon its colonial legacy and embrace an accountable future. 2012 brought forth a shift in strategy for Mattel, with an update for both the STH and the TH series. It would be the first year with completely different line-ups for the two, as opposed to the past. Almost a decade ago, American cars were still a prominent part of any Hot Wheels series, but that was also starting to change. '69 Dodge Coronet Super Bee '67 Chevelle SS 396 Photo: eBay/User toysplusmore4u '70 Camaro Road Race '73 Ford Falcon XB '67 Ford Mustang Coupe Photo: eBay/User notatoyzzzz '71 Dodge Challenger '71 Maverick Grabber Seeing that 2012 revealed a total of 15 Super Treasure Hun t items, this story will be split into two parts. And the first half delivers an almost exclusive American line-up of machines, so more diversity will come with part two. I must also warn you that the farther back in time you'll go, the more difficult it will be for you to locate and purchase these collectibles. So proceed at your own risk.The '69 Dodge Coronet Super Bee is the oldest casting on our list today, as Mattel first used it in 2008. Phil Riehlman designed this, and the First Edition featured a brilliant Metalflake Yellow finish with five-spoke rims. The first Special Edition arrived in 2010 as a 10th Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Nationals model in Metalflake Green, rolling on five-spoke Mag-style wheels.This item alone can cost as much as $175, but let's focus on the STH instead. The Spectraflame Orange collectible appeared in 2012 and had Real Riders 10-spoke rims. It's more affordable than the 2010 iteration, with prices varying between $35 to $70. With 28 variations on the market, this was the only time the Super Bee achieved Super Treasure Hunt status, and we last saw a basic model in 2022.Most people will argue that the '60s and '70s were the golden years of American cars, and you can see that judging by Mattel's line-up of special Hot Wheels items. Brendon Vetuskey designed the '67 Chevelle SS 396 for its 2010 release, and there are 27 variations of it to buy before you can have a complete collection. Strangely enough, neither of the 27 items is a Premium model, but I'm still happy to own the 2019 release in Dark Red.The 2012 STH features a Spectraflame Maroon finish and the same type of wheels as the Collectors Nationals Super Bee. Price-wise, the Chevelle SS 396 isn't all that expensive, and you can buy one for less than $50. Alas, it's a bit too dark color-wise for my taste, but that seems to be a recurrent theme for that period in Hot Wheels history.The third Super Treasure Hunt on our list today is the '70 Camaro Road Race, a casting that first appeared in 2011. Dave Weise designed this, and you might not be familiar with his name if you haven't collected these cars for a long time. His last design appeared in 2012 and has retired from the business a few years later. The Camaro Road Race is less famous than the previous castings, as Mattel only made 18 variations until 2021.That's the last we saw of it, but a new design might yet to arrive. The STH featured a Spectraflame Red finish and Real Riders Exotic wheels which sounds like a rather odd choice but does an excellent job at it. Some sellers are asking as much as $100 for one of these collectibles, but you can still find one for less than $60 with some luck.Australians and Mad Max fans will instantly recognize this gem, a rare vehicle by any standards. Ford's Australian division built less than 1,000 GT 351 Coupe cars in just a few months. Mattel used it for the 2023 Ultra Hots line-up, but the Rob Matthes-designed casting first appeared in 2010. A Premium, Hot Wheels : Garage Ford edition and a rare Australian Expo variation came to be in 2011. Three thousand of the latter were ever made, and one can sell for up to $500. The 2012 Super Treasure Hunt is far more affordable at $60 or less.Interestingly, this casting has reached STH status twice, with a Spectraflame Gold model appearing in 2013. The 2012 wears a Spectraflame Purple coat featuring white and black stripes. Another difference is that the first STH used 10-spoke wheels instead of the 5-spoke design in 2013.Phil Riehlmann designed the '67 Ford Mustang Coupe for its 2011 release as part of the Hot Wheels Garage: Ford premium series of collectibles. This casting joined the Mainline series with a bang in 2012, as you could find two variations in stores simultaneously. One was the regular Metallic Brown Mustang, but the other was the Spectraflame Brown Super Treasure Hunt.The gold stripes didn't improve this item's look, but at least people were excited to see the Turbine Real Riders wheels on all four corners. These wheels have been around for ages, from 1983 to be more specific, but some updates have been made in recent years. As always, try to avoid the expensive, $100+ listings, as there are plenty of these cars to get for half that price.Rob Matthes also designed this '71 Dodge Challenger , and this casting has been around since 2011. Of 19 variations, two are particularly special: the 2011 Mopar Premium and the 2012 Super Treasure Hunt. Mattel opted for a Spectraflame Aqua Blue finish for the latter, and the black and white stripes make this casting look even more menacing than it already did.The 5-spoke Mag-Style Real Riders wheels have a Red Line series air to them, and this is one of the best STH models in part one of our story. But it's not going as high up on the list by the time we're done with part two, as there is at least one spectacular collectible for you to see. The '71 Challenger will cost you between $65 to $100 today, and expenses are already starting to pile up for the 2012 Super Treasure Hunt series.The last STH we will discuss today is also a '71 model. The Maverick Grabber casting debuted as part of the 2010 New Models set, featuring an orange finish and 5-spoke wheels. 2012 was a good year for the Maverick, with the launch of a limited-edition variation in Spectraflame Ice Blue. Mattel built 4,000 units, and one will sell for about $100. You will only pay a quarter of that price for the STH version, which features less-than-desirable Hot Wheels livery.Every time that happens, the car is bound to be worth less to collectors, yet the toy manufacturer insists on perpetuating this design year in and year out. People are already buying the product, so it seems futile to keep pushing the brand new through liveries so often. The Real Riders Wire Spoke rims can't save the day on their own, and several Mainline variations of the Maverick are more visually appealing than the STH.Alas, some of you may have different opinions on these cars, and I'd love to hear you out. I'm certainly more excited to reveal the second part of the story, as 2012 brought forth one of the few Hot Wheels Ferrari Super Treasure Hunt items. I've recently seen one collector selling his item for $200, which should give you an idea of how popular these tiny vehicles are.We still have eight more STH in part two, with two European models and one Japanese one on the list. Doing the math for part one, you'll need less than $500 for the seven above models. But if you pay close attention to the market, you'll know Mattel issues a complete set of the 2012 STH series at the time. With 2,000 units built overall, you can buy one for about $700 if you've got some negotiation skills to work with and if you find the right seller. SUV The Kia Sorento is a somewhat popular model in the US. The automaker has sold around 100,000 units every year since 2016. That's not very surprising, though. Americans like a higher driving position and enjoy the perks of a three-row, improved ground clearance included.After three years since the fourth generation landed in the US, Kia decided to refresh the model. That's how it brings the crossover in line with its newest units but without diluting its aura. This rejuvenation process adds a couple of novelties but keeps the vehicle's definitory traits.The same source that brought us the first glimpses of the 2024 Sorento now shows us the facelifted SUV sitting inconspicuously in a parking lot between other cars. It blends well with sedans, even though it's a fair bit larger than them. Admittedly, it helps that all the other vehicles are also white. That makes it harder to spot Sorento's overall dimensions. Still, the silhouette is undeniably Kia.The spotted unit confirms that Telluride and EV9 inspired the new T-shaped headlight design. Besides looking fresh, the new daytime-running light design also gives the crossover a boxier front-end look. It looks determined but not aggressive. It has enough novelty on the outside without adopting extrovert qualities.The side profile shows generous windowed surfaces, clear lines, and some plastic cladding covering the body parts most prone to road debris damage. It may not look very premium, but it's a good trick to make the Sorento look more practical and save owners from spending good money on paint.That's where we also notice a new wheel design, which makes us believe more options will follow as soon as the configurator is up.The facelift brings forward the updated taillights that are now joined together at the top. The rear camera remains visible, but the rear windshield wiper is carefully tucked away under the third brake light or safety brake lamp. The "Opposites United" design philosophy is working out rather well for the marque.Overall, this feels like a good facelift. It looks like the South Korean borrowed some BMW wisdom and are not risking useless updates or wild redesigns. Maybe that's why the new iteration doesn't take too much away from the OG fourth-generation model. It's a small yet welcomed improvement and it will certainly help with keeping sales at a satisfactory level.Even though we don't get a look at the cabin in this case, we've seen last time that the interior isn't very different on the 2024 model-year unit. There's just one new touch-sensitive panel introduced, new screens added, some brushed-metal inserts, and a couple of minor rearrangements done. Customers should also expect new interior colors. Cityscape Green, Interstellar Grey, and Volcanic Brown are joining the brand's updated offer for this vehicle.It remains to be seen if the 2024 Kia Sorento will be launched in the US with a price hike. The existing model-year crossover SUV has a starting pre-tax price of $30,090 for the LX trim. For years, the Alpha Wolf has only been a set of renderings previewing a pickup truck that would just keep on delaying its debut. But now, Alpha Motor Corporation has just announced the date of the official unveiling. Photo: Alpha EV July 31. That is the day when the Alpha Wolf will make its global debut at the Seoul Mobility Show. The company has finally shown a prototype ahead of unveiling the production version.But what is the Wolf, the pickup truck that has been advertised for years but never came? If that scenario sounds familiar, it does make sense: you have seen the exact same story with the Tesla Cybertruck. But the electric pickup has just entered production at Giga Texas, four years after it was revealed.Going back to the Wolf, it is an electric pickup truck on which Alpha has been working for the past three years. They first released a rendering back in 2020, with some basic information regarding size, towing capacity, and range.The Wolf should be 190 inches (4,828 millimeters) long, 75 inches (1,900 millimeters) wide, and 69 inches (1,765 millimeters) tall. That would make it even smaller than Ford's entry-level pickup, the Maverick.Alpha's model should be available with an extended-cab version (Wolf+), as well as with double-cab layout (SuperWolf). The Wolf should have an estimated towing capacity of 3,000 lbs (1,360 kilograms) and a bed under 6 feet long.The range of the electric pickup truck should be between 250 and 275 miles, provided by a lithium-ion battery pack. No info on the capacity has been released yet, but what we know is that the model will be available with either a single-motor rear-wheel drive or a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup. The pickup should accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0-07 kph) in 6.2 secondsAlpha Motor CEO and founder Edward Lee shows up in the YouTube video that presents the prototype anticipating the production model, which should start rolling off the assembly line towards the end of 2023. But will it? It would not come as a surprise if it didnt.Alpha has been presenting prototypes for years. None has ever made it to production, though. So far we have seen the Ace electric sub-compact two-door coupe, the Jax electric subcompact crossover, and the Saga electric compact sedan. So the startup has been trying to spread its tentacles in several sectors. But they have all been chopped off so far.Lee is the one who shows up in the video (embedded below) as CEO and founder of the company, but Alpha was supposedly founded by two former baristas, by two automotive show baristas, Joshua Boys and Jay Lijewski.According to hoctcars.com, there is something odd about the company. Leaving aside the who-is-the-founder saga, the registered address of the company is the same with that of anotherstartup, Neuron. But Neuron seems to have vanished.Furthermore, Alpha Wolf is the name of an Australian metalcore band, but with no connection whatsoever with the American car startup. Alpha has never offered any details regarding the Wolf designation. But the name of the vehicle is probably a refrence to the Alpha wolf, a model of dominance. If the upcoming model manages to actually be an Alpha wolf in the electric compact pickup trucks segment, that remains to be seen. Related to the Estate, Chevrolet Impala SS, Caprice, and Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, the last Buick Roadmaster was built on the GM B platform. It was a very big boy, with a wheelbase exceeding the one of the modern-day Toyota Camry and a total length of 215.8 in (5,481 mm) in the sedan body style and 217.7 in (5,530 mm) when it came to the wagon.You do know about the firepower, right? The last Roadmaster came with three different V8 engines, one with a 5.0-liter displacement and the other two with 5.7 liters. A four-speed automatic transmission delivered the thrust to the rear wheels. The version to go for was the LT1, which used the same engine as the C4 Corvette, kicking out 260 horsepower. That may not be impressive today, but we're talking about a family-friendly vehicle that's three decades old.As we already told you, Buick hasn't made a Roadmaster since 1996, despite several rumors claiming the moniker would be brought back from the dead. And it's clear that it won't return to the brand's family, not as we all know it, at least when it comes to North America. The brand's portfolio only comprises high-riders, and it's made of the Envista, Encore GX, Envision, and Enclave. In overseas markets, the GM-owned company hasn't ditched traditional passenger cars, so if it were to return from the dead, the Roadmaster would likely be kept away from the New World.But while the Roadmaster continues to be dead and buried, it has surfaced several times on the World Wide Web via image editing. The latest unofficial take came from jlord8 on Instagram, imagining what it would look like with fresh design cues inspired by the ones of the LaCrosse . Made at the Shanghai factory in China, the fourth-gen has been in production since this year. It's offered with two four-pots, mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox, and has a front-engine and front-wheel drive layout.Styling-wise, the modern-day LaCrosse has several futuristic traits and a new cockpit, and we've got to admit that it would look good as a five-door. Unfortunately, that won't happen, as estates have lost ground to crossovers and SUVs, and Buick isn't known for its risk-taking approach. But assuming they'd give the Roadmaster another shot, and they used the LaCrosse's design to make it happen, would you be willing to kick that high-riding vehicle out of bed for it? Let us know what you think about it by dropping a line below. Like the works of Charles Darwin or your average game of Pokemon, Main Battle Tanks are constantly evolving. As far as British MBTs are concerned, most roads tend to pass through the all-time classic Challenger series. With that in mind, feast your eyes on the admittedly unimaginatively-named Challenger 3, coming to a battlefield hopefully nowhere near you sometime in the mid-to-late 2020s. Photo: British Army Photo: British Army Tank geeks the world over laud the Challenger series of tanks as some of the finest war machines to come out of Britain in the late 20th century. But, for those who aren't up to date on their British tanks, here is a brief history around the moniker. Indeed, the Challenger lineage dates back to the Second World War, with a modification of the iconic Cromwell tank dubbed the Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger. With a mighty Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 engine at its heart and a brutal Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76.2 mm) cannon on offer, only a lack of better armor prevented the first in the Challenger series from being a more well-regarded cruiser tank.Nearly 40 years after the end of World War II, the Challenger line of main battle tanks began in earnest with the Royal Ordnance Factory FV4030 Challenger 1. A venerable bruiser of a machine that weighed a minimum of 62 tons, the Challenger 1's innovative Chobham composite armor would have been the toast of any MBT in the world had the American Abrams not worn such armor first. But regardless, the Challenger 1's 120 mm Royal Ordnance rifled cannon packed a mean punch as Iraqi T-72 crews discovered on the battlefields of the First Gulf War. Its 1,200 horsepower diesel engine allowed for an impressive top speed of 35 mph (56 km/h) to boot.But perhaps at no time since World War II did British ingenuity show its stuff more prominently than with the Vickers Defense Systems FV4034 Challenger 2. Nearly single-handedly, the Challenger 2 prevented Great Britain from having to order American M1 Abrams to supplement its reserves of MBTs starting in the early 90s. With the same basic engine as the Challenger 1 but sporting an upgraded variant of its L11A 120 mm rifled cannon dubbed the L30, plus upgrades to its thick Chobham armor, the Challenger II could theoretically lay waste to just about any other MBT in service today.That's why even two decades after its production run ended, Challenger 2s are high-ticket commodities actively being sent to battlefields in Ukraine to use in their campaign against Russia. But even the mighty Challenger 2 in service since 1998 can't defend the British Isles forever. Eventually, something newer or better is bound to take its place. But, as it turns out, the best thing to replace a Challenger 2 tank is an even better Challenger 2 tank. As far back as 2005, the British Ministry of Defense had been mulling over programs to extend the service life of the Challenger 2 well into the 2030s and possibly even beyond.Key areas which the MoD required to be improved include better target acquisition capability for the tank's commander and gunner, as well as upgrades to the Challenger II's hydrogas suspension and its Perkins CV12 turbodiesel engine. Upgrades to the Challenger II's armor were perhaps the most pressing matter on the docket for Britain's MBT. Novel means of active and passive anti-ballistics systems like the Rheinmetall ROSY smoke-based Rapid Obscurant System and Multifunctional Self protection System (MUSS) active protection systems were all points of consideration as the upgrade path for the Challenger 2 became clear.Several different military contractors were called upon to present proposals for a Challenger II upgrade solution, including the UK-based operations of American companies like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. But it was the combined team of the British BAE Systems and the German company Rheinmetall who pooled their recourses together to create a Challenger 2 upgrade path worthy of being a bespoke successor to this historic lineage. Dubbed the Challenger 3, this novel tank design admittedly shares a chassis with the Challenger 2. But where things start to get interesting isn't necessarily this tank's internals but rather its main armament.Breaking the tradition of Challenger tanks carrying rifled main cannons with its third iteration was undoubtedly a controversial decision. But looking at the Rheinmetall L55A1 120 mm smoothbore gun used in Challenger 3 tech demos, you can at least see the logic behind this decision. This cannon traces its lineage back to the L55 smoothbore cannon used on the Leopard 2A6/A7 family and therefore shares a wide degree of ammunition commonality with contemporary NATO tanks from other member nations like France, Germany, and the US. Complete with a sophisticated thermal imaging and target tracking system for both the tank's commander and gunner, there's little opposing Russian MBTs can do if a Challenger 3 lines them up in its sights.Even if an enemy vehicle identifies and fires at a Challenger 3, its sophisticated laser-based warning system and upgraded main hull armor make for a tank that's very difficult to knock out. An optional electronic active protection system first trialed on the BAE Systems Challenger 2 Black Night upgrade package before their merger with Rheinmetall actively works to defeat incoming radar or infrared-guided ballistics fired at the tank if all else fails. Meanwhile, upgrades under the hood, like common-rail fuel injection for the tank's Perkins V12 engine, combined with the latest third-generation adjustable hydrogas suspension and improved transmission and engine cooling systems, make for a tank as quick and reliable as it is deadly accurate in combat. Admittedly, this engine upgrade won't add extra horsepower to the 1,200 figure of the Challenger 2. But, extra reliability is always a plus.On paper, at least, all these enhancements to the basic Challenger 2 chassis make for a vehicle at least on par with contemporary NATO offerings like the M1A2 SEP and the Leopard 2PL. Compared to largely unproven Russian tanks like the T-14 Armata , there's a strong argument that the Challenger 3 exceeds the abilities of its rivals by a not unsubstantial degree. But alas, this doesn't mean the Challenger 3's development has been free of blemishes or controversy. When presented with BAE/Rheinmetall's design proposal in 2021, several members of the British Parliament commented that British tank designs might be " outgunned " by Russian tanks in a hypothetical combat scenario.That said, the woeful performance of Russian tanks in their subsequent Invasion of Ukraine brings this line of thinking very much into doubt. Further complaints came from a March 2021 meeting of the British Defense Select Committee. As a result of this meeting, a report was published on the website of the British Parliament stating, "Despite having spent around 50% of the allocated budget (800 million), the program has yet to place a manufacturing contract. The program has a current in-service date of 2024 (originally planned for 2017) and is some 227 million over budget. After a decade of effort, this abject failure to deliver against both cost (with an overrun now totaling over a quarter of a billion pounds of public money) and timescale (ISD seven years late) is clearly totally unacceptable."In spite of all the controversy, the Challenger 3 is still slated to enter full-scale production once initial ground tests have concluded sometime between 2027 and 2030. Meanwhile, the Russians continue to be bedeviled with problems manufacturing their counter to the Challenger 3, the T-14 Armata. With only a handful of T-14 prototypes manufactured in light of the War in Ukraine and only slightly more T90Ms, it's not a guarantee that Russia could amass a fleet of ultra-modern MBTs before the Challenger 3 is ready for mass production. Meanwhile, shipments of Challenger 2s have already made their way over to Ukraine to fight in this same conflict. Here's to hoping this war is done and dusted before the Challenger 3's development is finished, lest they also have to be shipped to the front line to join its predecessors in combat against Russia. Most millionaires have a summer house, whether a small log cabin or a Swiss chalet. But Jeff Bezos is no "most millionaires." Jeff Bezos is the world's third richest man, with a net worth estimated at over $150 billion as of this writing. Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez Host Oprah on Superyacht, Still Pack on the PDA https://t.co/Gq0nzhMaU9 TMZ (@TMZ) July 28, 2023 Jeff Bezos is a man accustomed to the best of the best, in the most literal sense. His latest "toy," sailing megayacht Koru, estimated at more than $500 million without the equally impressive shadow yacht that carries all its gear and toys, is the best example of that.And Koru is about to kick off a summer of fun for Bezos and his rich, super-famous friends while probably doubling as the venue to host an over-extended summer-long engagement party. That's a very long-winded introduction to saying that Koru is going into operation full-time after a very controversial and challenging build, extensive sea trials, delivery, and its maiden journey, which turned into a pre-honeymoon month-long cruise for Bezos and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez.Bezos and Sanchez are now in Capri, having only stepped off the vessel in the last month to have dinners or attend galas on land. Billionaire Oprah Winfrey, aka the Queen of Television, and her good friend Gayle King joined them for a luncheon date. According to one celebrity e-zine, having Oprah onboard is just the beginning of the summer festivities: "they'll be celebrating all summer with several groups of their famous friends coming aboard."Just don't call it a billionaires' club. Even though Oprah is one of the richest people in showbiz, with a net worth of $2.5 billion, she's not even close to Bezos' record-breaking financial achievements. But when it comes to popularity, reach, and credibility, few other celebrities carry Oprah's weight. Bezos is rolling with the A crowd, and he has just the boat for it.Bezos took delivery of Koru earlier this year and then, in May 2023, set out on the maiden journey , accompanied by Sanchez. Koru had been under the microscope before for of its gigantic proportions, innovative technology, its reported price tag, and the fact that it's the biggest sailing yacht in the world (and one of the few new builds), but it somehow became even more of a paparazzi magnet after delivery.Looking at it, it's not difficult to understand why: Koru is enormous, but it's also beautiful in a way in which no other motor yacht could ever be. A three-masted schooner of 127 meters (417 feet) in total length, with a design inspired by Oceanco's Black Pearl, another superb example of modern naval engineering inspired by the past, it features a black hull with a white superstructure, white masts, and white sails.In a further nod to the vessels of yore, it features an oversize figurehead carved out of a single piece of polished wood, bearing a striking resemblance to Sanchez herself. Koru sails accompanied by Abeona, the world's largest shadow yacht, so a proper superyacht to other rich seafarers, designed and built by Damen Yachting.Even those who hate cruises for whatever reason will admit that, if they must, there can be no better place to spend the summer than Koru. Especially if it's packed with A-listers. Until the Lexus LFA hit the streets, Japanese manufacturers had several attempts to introduce a production supercar. Arguably the boldest was the Jiotto Caspita, a wild ride powered by Formula 1 engines that unfortunately never made it past the prototype stage. Dome's second attempt to build a Japanese supercar Photo: Dome Co. Ltd One of the most extensively developed, over-engineered cars of its era Photo: Dome Co. Ltd Formula 1 power Photo: Dome Co. Ltd Killed by the Japanese asset price bubble Photo: Dome Co. Ltd During the supercar craze of the 1980s and 1990s, several carmakers dubbed their most ambitious creations "Formula 1 cars for the road". However, few were close to living up to that slogan.Though McLaren's first street-legal production model was called F1 and became arguably the best supercar of all time, it was powered by a bespoke version of a mass-produced BMW V12. Furthermore, it was innovatively built but didn't quite borrow any important technologies from Formula 1.The Ferrari F50 might be the only production supercar of that era that came closest to that statement. It used a Formula 1-derived pushrod suspension system, and its V12 engine was a modified version of the Tipo 036 that powered the 1990 Ferrari 641 Formula 1 car There were also two Japanese supercars that, although never made it into production, lived up to the "F1 car for the road" slogan.The most famous was the 1992 Yamaha OX99-11 , powered by the company's F1 engine with the same name (also known as the worst F1 engine of all time). The second, forgotten even by some JDM enthusiasts today, was the Jiotto Caspita, another wild supercar with a mid-mounted F1 engine put together by a lesser-known company.The Caspita started as the dream car of Yoshikata Tsukamoto, president of lingerie and underwear giants Wacoal and Minoru Hayashi, the president of race car builders Dome.Through their respective companies, the two supercar enthusiasts took control of the design house Jiotto during the 1980s and tasked it with designing Japan's "F1 car for the road". Once the final design was approved, Dome handled the manufacturing.Although virtually unknown outside of Japan back then, Dome was no stranger to building supercars. During the 1970s, the company, which had no prior experience producing cars, developed the Dome Zero . A futuristic mid-engine Japanese Lancia Delta, it didn't make it into production but transformed Dome into a reputable race car manufacturer.The supercar became Jiotto's most ambitious project. The company's stylists submitted around 200 design proposals, of which only three made the final cut.The winning proposal was submitted by Jiotto's founder, vice president, and chief designer, the experienced Kunihisa Ito, who previously worked for GM, Ford, Mazda , and Nissan. His Group C prototype-inspired design morphed into 1/5 scale mockups used to further the car's looks. Then, full-scale mockups were comprehensively tested in Dome's and JARI's (Japan Automobile Research Institute) wind tunnels.The result was a stunning, aerodynamically-efficient body with gullwing doors and an electronically-retractable rear wing. It was wide, low-slung, and looked way ahead of its time.Its monocoque chassis was fabricated by Mitsubishi Rayon using a highly-advanced technique meant to slash weight and improve the structure's rigidity to unprecedented levels. The technique involved wedging aluminum sheets between two carbon fiber layers and curing them in an autoclave. The whole process was repeated 15 times in two months to create the lightest, most rigid chassis a Japanese car had ever used.The double wishbone suspension's layout was inspired by Group C prototypes and Formula 1 cars of the era, but for increased comfort on public roads, it used electronically-controlled shocks that adjusted the height and stiffness based on the driver's input.Though Dome built the car, Hayashi and Tsukamoto decided to call it Jiotto since both their companies owned the design firm. But, like all great cars, it needed a model name, so they went for the Italian exclamation "caspita!" (which translates to Woh!)The Jiotto Caspita was unveiled at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show. Apart from its gorgeous looks, it impressed with the Subaru 1235 Formula 1 lump mounted in the middle.Mated to a six-speed gated manual, the engine in question was a state-of-the-art 3.5-liter flat-twelve detuned to 450 hp and 268 lb-ft (363 Nm) of torque to comply with emission standards. Former Italian race driver Carlo Chiti's Motori Moderni built the race-bred boxer for Subaru's 1990 Formula 1 program, but as it would turn out, it was an epic failure.It seems that it didn't do too well in the Caspita prototype either because the improved Mk II (built in 1993) dropped the Subaru-branded boxer for another F1 unit.In this upgraded Caspita, Dome packed the much more successful and reliable Judd GV V10. The new powerplant was also mildly detuned but still capable of revving up over 11,000 rpm while spitting out 585 hp and 276 lb-ft (374 (Nm) of twist.With this new engine, the Caspita was reportedly capable of accelerating to 62 mph (100 kph) in just 3.4 seconds, reaching a top speed that exceeded 202 mph (325 kph).So what happened with this excellent car between 1989 and 1993?Well, legend has it that Dome was obsessed with developing the ultimate supercar . The engineers wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect, and since the Subaru boxer-12 was far from it, they needed time to find a suitable engine and make it reliable enough for a production car.Moreover, they got wind of McLaren's F1 project, so they put in even more development time to make the Caspita better overall.The Mk II prototype finished in 1993 embodied Dome's vision for the ultimate "F1 car for the road". But, although a production run of 30 units was considered when the bookkeepers ran the numbers, they just didn't add up. The Japanese asset price bubble ravaged the country's economy, which sent shockwaves around the globe. The demand for supercars dropped, so a newcomer like the Jiotto Caspita stood no chance.Therefore, the project ended, and the two prototypes it yielded became museum pieces. The Mk I currently resides at Japan's Motorcar Museum in Komatsu, while its sibling can be admired in Dome's own museum located in Maibara.If you want to learn more about this amazing Japanese supercar, we recommend watching the YouTube video below by ispeedonthe405. The car specs are presented in English, but interviews with the test drivers are conducted in Japanese, and the video has no subtitles. The last time I spoke about Neocarbonix, the solution Nanoramic had developed to create composite electrodes was supposed to reach the market in 2023. So far, it has received a $3.6-million contract and a strategic investment from GM Ventures to eventually apply Neocarbonix in Ultium cells. Still, it is yet to be seen in production batteries. That should get easier when E-Lyte delivers a tailor-made electrolyte for Neocarbonix, which promises to be remarkable in itself. Allow me to explain why. BEV Photo: Nanoramic Photo: Nanoramic Batteries have their electrodes manufactured by wet coating with polymer binders and solvents that are highly toxic, such as N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). Even the polymers are not that safe. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances are under surveillance by the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and may have their use restricted. Batteries also apply polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as binders for electrodes. This is a conversation battery electric vehicle (BEV) advocates will always try to dodge, apart from how necessary it will be to eventually replace the battery packs.Neocarbonix allegedly does not need any of these substances to create electrodes and batteries with higher energy density . It delivers a carbon structure in electrodes that contains nanotubes, which increase conductivity and makes it easier for the ions to travel from the cathode to the anode and back.According to Nanoramic, a battery using electrodes made with Neocarbonix can be up to 30% more energy-dense than those using polymer binders. In a 2170 cell , that represents going from around 270 Wh/kg to 350 Wh/kg. The company claims it can also charge or discharge two times faster than a conventional one, which is an advantage that battery makers would kill to offer in their products. Charging times are a massive issue inadoption.Nanoramic also said Neocarbonix's thermal properties prevent it from aging and breaking like those electrodes with polymer binders do. In other words, it also promises to last longer and cost less. NMP, PVDF, and PFAS are expensive to deal with, especially in the drying phase of wet coating: toxic elements like NMP have to be recovered.As it only works with environmentally-friendly solvents, Neocarbonix wet coating process is much cheaper than conventional ones. Nanoramic also defends that it is much better than dry coating because it "creates porous electrode structures with large surface areas, which is critical to improving battery performance." The company also stressed that the dry coating advantages Tesla promised its 4680 cells would have and didn't deliver included the danger of dust explosions due to the use of fine dry powders.Nanoramic never spoke about that, but Neocarbonix probably increases energy density in one of these two ways: either it reduces the quantity of inactive material in the cells, or it allows them to improve their active material percentage. It may be the case that it delivers a bit of both. With ternary cells, that only gets them closer to their theoretical energy density limits. Developing a cell with a much higher energy density would depend on other chemistries, such as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) . Curiously, the battery startup Theion said it had achieved amazing advancements with this chemistry by using carbon nanotubes the same technology Nanoramic employs.The $3.6-million contract the company won came from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC) in collaboration with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The purpose of that agreement is for Nanoramic to develop a low-cost/fast-charge (LCFC) Li-ion battery. Considering the amount of money involved, it is not enough for Nanoramic to become a battery manufacturer. That said, it will probably develop the project for USABC and DOE, and they will find a way to make the resulting LCFC. Commisioning it to a battery manufacturer looks like the most likely development, but God knows how long that will take.We'll probably have to wait for GM to unveil the Ultium cell that will use this technology to see a production battery with Neocarbonix. As General Motors has a partnership with LG Energy Solution (LGES) for these cells, the South Korean company should be the first battery maker to adopt the carbon-structure electrodes Nanoramic conceived unless the company has other partnerships we have not heard about so far. If you think it through, it is strange that nobody employed it so far with so many alleged advantages. The company states Neocarbonix can be used with any chemistry, including lithium iron phosphate (LFP).It is not clear which advantages the new E-Lyte electrolyte can offer to a battery that adopts Neocarbonix. As the companies have just announced their partnership and the beginning of their work together, it is possible that they also do not know the impacts a tailor-made electrolyte can have in any production cell that adopts both solutions. The targets are evident, though: extending battery life and improving performance. The question is whether E-Lyte can deliver that compared to ordinary electrolytes, particularly in something that can work with any chemistry. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. A woman was driving on an Oakland, California, road keeping a safe distance from the car in front of her. Out of nowhere, the white sedan swerved to the left, stopped, and nearly blocked her from being able to go forward. Two people got out. They rushed toward the momentarily unsuspecting woman in an alleged attempt to carjack her. But she stood her ground. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety IIHS Photo: Dodge Photo: Henry K. Lee on Twitter They didn't stop Photo: Henry K. Lee on Twitter An important lesson for the rest of us Photo: Young Driver Woman escapes apparent armed carjacking or robbery attempt near Skyline & Keller in Oakland hills. 2 guys in Dodge Charger block her, and she drives around them as one opens fire. @oaklandpoliceca pic.twitter.com/nAkD85w0oq Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) July 26, 2023 UPDATE: 2 men & juvenile arrested in spree of carjackings & attempts across Oakland, incl this carjack try near Skyline & Keller, per @oaklandpoliceca pic.twitter.com/sQd94ThUTh Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) July 27, 2023 The) said in an analysis from last year that the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, the Dodge Charger Hemi, and the Dodge Challenger were the most easily stolen cars . Unsurprisingly, some nefarious actors use these vehicles for other illegal activities.It's worth noting that Chargers or Challengers don't have a particular security vulnerability (apart from some missing the steering lock system) like some Hyundai and Kia had, which have brought the brands a lot of headaches and have made buyers angry or remorseful.The disadvantage of the Dodge units' popularity among thieves is that many Americans like them, including the Police. As such, they can be quite unnoticeable for many people, including those working in security. The cars also boast plenty of horsepower, which can make them a target for thieves looking for a joyride.Moreover, some have found ways to dispose of essential parts like the engine or the transmission without much hassle. For shops willing to engage in such illegal activities, this is a questionable yet profitable endeavor.But the most recent example in this regard comes from Oakland, California. A woman's dashcam recorded the moment when a Dodge Charger slowed down to the right side of Skyline Boulevard and immediately pulled left as she was approaching the sedan.At first, the driver can be seen getting out of the Charger hurriedly and rushing toward the woman's vehicle holding what seems to be a firearm. Moments later, a masked passenger follows the driver's lead.Fortunately, this attempted armed carjacking victim kept her composure, correctly identified what was about to happen, and drove away immediately after one of the two suspects started banging on the side window. The woman said that in the heat of the moment, she thought they had fired a gun but later discovered that wasn't the case.She escaped that situation without damaging her property, the suspect's car, or the road markings. But the Dodge Charger kept following her even after she got out of that potentially dangerous encounter. Nevertheless, the woman figured out she should attract attention and kept honking constantly while avoiding being sideswiped. The suspects gave up after she took a left turn.Oakland Police were notified about the incident. They found the suspects less than a day after that interaction took place. Authorities confirmed that a third person was in the white sedan. The two adults and a juvenile were identified and apprehended after similar reports came from other drivers.Per local media, they are being charged with multiple crimes, including carjacking. That's a felony punishable by up to nine years in state prison, but the suspects risk even harsher punishments because they were recorded handling a firearm.Police also warned drivers that carjackings are an increasingly common occurrence in Oakland, California . The phenomenon witnessed a 10% increase over the same period last year.The woman said she had been driving on this road and in the adjacent area for nearly 38 years but will now find a different route for a while.Remaining safe while behind the wheel must be a top priority for drivers everywhere. If you plan on visiting an unknown location, keep your doors locked and windows up. Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you, and always be aware of your surroundings. Avoid driving in dim-lit or high-crime areas.It's also a good idea to trust your gut instinct. If something feels off, stay in your car and drive away calmly. Similarly, try and avoid confrontations. These types of interactions rarely lead to something good.If you want to be even better prepared, ensure your vehicle is in good condition before a drive. On top of that, a working dashcam is a good addition. Also, keep your phone charged. This way, you'll have proof of what happened and can call for help.At the same time, make sure you are well-rested before going for a drive. Studies have shown that impaired performance is noticed after 17 hours of not sleeping. Moreover, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that staying awake for more than 24 hours equals a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%. That's when thinking slows down, and the reaction time dramatically reduces.Although many drivers are unwilling to admit that they can zone out at times, the phenomenon of highway hypnosis has been well documented. When you get used to a specific route, the brain switches its autopilot mode on, making you more comfortable because it functions based on predictions.Coffee, music, A/C, and a proper driving position may help you avoid becoming inattentive.At the end of the day, maybe everyone should consider installing a bull bar. It might come in handy even when not on a farm. Reliability is without a shadow of a doubt one of the highest priorities of any pragmatic motorist. Reliability is closely related to quality, as in the real thing rather than the perceived quality a new automobile gives you while checking out a showroom full of 2023 models. NHTSA 1. Toyota RAV4 and Lexus NX Photo: Toyota 2. Honda CR-V and Acura RDX Photo: Honda 3. Mazda CX-5 Photo: Mazda 4. GM's Truck-Based SUVs Photo: GM 5. Mazda CX-9 Photo: Mazda 6. Subaru Crosstrek Photo: Subaru CVT 7. Toyota Corolla Cross Photo: Toyota AWD 8. Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX 460 Photo: Toyota 9. Subaru Forester Photo: Subaru SUV 10. Nissan Armada and Infiniti QX80 Photo: Nissan 11. Toyota Venza Photo: Toyota 12. Subaru Outback Photo: Subaru 13. Jeep Wrangler Photo: Jeep 14. BMW X3 and X4 Photo: BMW 15. Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator Photo: Ford 4WD 16. Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage Photo: Hyundai 17. Honda Pilot and Acura MDX Photo: Honda 18. Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento Photo: Hyundai 19. Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX Photo: Toyota 20. Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride Photo: Hyundai Insurance Institute for Highway Safety As far as consumer demand is concerned, sport utility vehicles are up there with pickup trucks in the United States of America. The world's second-largest market for new light-duty vehicles has plenty of SUVs to choose from, but still, which ones are best reliability-wise?In compiling this ranking, we used publicly available data from sources that include J.D. Power, Consumer Reports, U.S. News, Repair Pal, CoPilot, iSeeCars, and the. The federal watchdog is an invaluable source for those who know better because automakers with many recalls tend to have more reliability issues.Before going any further, it should be noted that said ranking comprises 2023 and 2024 vehicles currently in production or available to purchase directly from dealer lots. Older or future model years don't apply to keep the playing field level. You should also be prepared to read about one too many Toyotas because the Japanese automaker continues to focus on reliability more than the competition does. That being said, let's kick off with Toyota's most popular nameplate in the United States.Technically similar to the posher NX, the RAV4 isn't just another compact-sized crossover. It's become an institution in and of itself, and for good reason(s). From its relatively affordable sticker price to the generous list of standard equipment, reliability, availability of spare parts and maintenance items, and resale values, the RAV4 is one of if not the best pick in the segment.All sources available hail the RAV4 as one of the most reliable compact utility vehicles out there, and the NX is also held in high regards. It doesn't matter which engine and trim level you fancy because all of them promise top-notch reliability (as per available data).Both the RAV4 and NX come in combustion-only flavors, as hybrids, and with plug-in hybrid muscle. At press time, the 2023 model year Toyota RAV4 and 2024 model year Lexus NX are available to configure from $28,275 and $40,305 (sans the destination charge fee).Japan's largest and best-known automaker delivered 366,741 examples of the RAV4 in 2022 stateside, which puts the compact 'Yota in fourth place, right behind the Ram P/U line of pickup trucks, Chevrolet Silverado, and the Ford F-Series. Lower down the spectrum, there's the 'Rado's twin from GMC and of course the CR-V.Similar to Toyota, the second-largest automaker hailing from Japan made a name for itself by designing affordable yet quality-oriented automobiles during a time when most automakers were struggling with both. A byproduct of Honda's obsession with quality is reliability, which despite having gone down a bit in the past decade or so still is close to best in the industry.Similar in footprint to the Acura RDX, yet different in plenty of respects, the CR-V isn't available as a plug-in hybrid. The standard 1.5-liter turbo is joined by a hybrid option that allows for both series and parallel operation. If you drive it like the EPA expects you to drive, expect the CR-V Hybrid to return 40 miles per gallon (5.9 liters per 100 kilometers) on the EPA's combined test cycle.Technically speaking, the CX-5 is one of the oldest utilities to have made our list of most reliable SUVs. The 2017 refresh may have been advertised as being a serious overhaul of the first, yet it still features much the same platform and oily bits as the first generation.Is that a bad thing? Not really. The CX-5 rides softer and is less communicative steering-wise than older models, yet still is one of the better-handling crossovers in the segment. Its old bones aren't a problem either because an old platform, old transmission, and old engines mean that most design and reliability issues affecting pre-2023 models have been sorted out by Mazda's engineers.As of July 2023, prospective customers are presented with standard all-wheel drive, a 2.5L naturally-aspirated I4, and a six-speed automatic. Higher up the lineup, the CX-5 can be had with a 2.5L turbo I4.The biggest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit rarely gave us high-quality and reliable automobiles. On a micro level, one cannot forget how stout the Buick 3800 V6 engine was in almost every single application.Fast forward to the present moment, and GM's most reliable vehicles come in the form of body-on-frame leviathans. Based on the Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500, the automaker's body-on-frame SUVs fare much better than unibody SUVs in reliability rankings.The most affordable of the bunch is the Chevrolet Tahoe, which carries a starting price of $56,095 for the rear-wheel-drive LS with the 5.3-liter small block. At the opposite end, the Cadillac Escalade-V is a tremendously expensive leviathan with a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that belts out a whopping 682 hp.Oh, another Mazda! As opposed to the CX-5 from earlier, the CX-9 will be discontinued after the 2023 model year to make room for the CX-90. This, in turn, should translate to enticing offers on remaining stock.As implied by its designation, the CX-9 slots above the CX-5 and CX-30-based CX-50. Think of it as the CX-5's family-oriented sibling, a three-row crossover that features a turbocharged four-cylinder mill as standard.Not available to configure at the time of reporting, the CX-9 entered the 2023 model year at the end of August 2022 with a starting price of $38,750 (plus $1,275 for the freight fee) for the well-equipped Touring. The fully-loaded Signature trim level used to retail at $48,460.Previously known as the XV in certain parts of the world, including the Land of the Rising Sun, the Crosstrek received an extensive refresh for model year 2024. Based on its predecessor's Subaru Global Platform, the lifted hatchback is one of the most affordable compact crossovers you can buy today.The Base is $24,995, whereas the Premium, Sport, and Limited start at $26,145, $28,995, and $30,895. All combine a four-cylinder boxer with the Lineartronic, which is one of the better CVTs out there because it uses a chain instead of a more conventional belt.FB20D and FB25D are the codenames of the flat-four engines in question, which are naturally aspirated rather than turbocharged. More power and torque would've been interesting, but on the other hand, a force-fed engine is more stressed than a free-breathing lump.In the pantheon of best-selling production automobiles, the Corolla is by far the most popular of them all. Corolla number 50,000,000 rolled off the assembly line in 2021, and you might call this number cheating.It's hard to fathom how many variants and spin-offs bore the Corolla moniker since 1966. One of those spin-offs is the Corolla Cross, which replaces the C-HR subcompact crossover utility vehicle in the US.Slotted right above the $23,155 Corolla Hatchback, the $23,610 Corolla Cross is available as a hybrid as well. The fuel-sipping powertrain is $27,970. Its highlights include 196 horsepower at full chatter,, and 42 mpg (5.6 liters per 100 kilometers) combined.The long-running GX has entered a transitional phase. Dealers have a handful of 460s lying around, vehicles that are certain to sell pretty fast because they're mechanically simpler than the new 550 for 2024.Being a clean-sheet design, the 550 will surely be hindered by mechanical and software issues in the first years of production. The 460 went on sale for the 2010 model year, meaning that 2023 models are as reliable as body-on-frame sport utility vehicles can be. The GX 460 hasn't been recalled since November 2020, when Toyota called back 1.5 million vehicles in the United States market alone over Denso -supplied fuel pumps.The GX's closest equivalent is the fifth-generation 4Runner, which went on sale in the United States for the 2010 model year. The 4Runner will be redesigned on the TNGA-F platform for model year 2025, and with said redesign, it will also switch to force-fed engines.Internally referred to as SK, the fifth-gen Forester premiered in March 2018 for the 2019 model year at the New York International Auto Show. A versatile crossover that features a helluva lot of standard equipment, the Crosstrek's big brother starts at $26k for the Base. Its most exciting specification yet is the off-road-oriented $34,320 Wilderness trim level.Regardless of which Forester floats your boat, all feature a 2.5-liter boxer of the naturally-aspirated variety. And obviously, the only transmission available is the chain-driven Lineartronic CVT mentioned earlier.Oil consumption and carbon buildup are known issues of the 2.5-liter boxer, but fret not because both of them are common among engines equipped with direct fuel injection. Even so, the Forester is a fine choice in the hugely competitive compactsegment.The Armada and QX80 get a lot of flak for all the right and wrong reasons. On the one hand, they're antiquated designs from one of the most unreliable automakers in the biz. But then again, the Armada and QX80 are BOF SUVs powered by a free-breathing V8.Far more reliable than the Pathfinder and QX60, these fullsize behemoths also flaunt better-than-average interior trim. The fit and finish is pretty good for Nissan products as well, and in stark comparison to Nissan's unibodies both feature a torque-converter automatic instead of the automaker's dreadful CVT.The Armada starts at $50,700 in the United States, which makes it more affordable than the Silverado 1500-based Tahoe and F-150-based Expedition. The QX80 is pushing it a bit due to an MSRP of $72,700.More or less the North American brother of the Japanese market Harrier, the second-gen Venza rolled out for MY21 as a 2.5-liter hybrid. Consumer Reports and J.D. Power both recommend this crossover, which slots between the RAV4 Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid.33,683 units were delivered in the US during calendar year 2022, a huge drop compared to the 61,988 sold in 2021. This huge drop doesn't have anything to do with consumer demand. The actual reason for it comes in the form of supply chain-related problems, including the chip shortage. The lack of semiconductors will continue hampering the automotive industry into 2024.As opposed to the Forester's naturally-aspirated boxer, the free-breathing lump in the Venza combines direct fuel injection and port fuel injection. Toyota calls this combination D-4S, and the only Scooby with dual injection available today is the GR86-twinned BRZ.The Outback is an "AWD midsize SUV" if you believe Subaru's marketing department. Based on the Legacy sedan, the lifted wagon is surprisingly good off the beaten path if equipped with the right type of tires.Those who need even more off-road capability are offered the Wilderness trim level, which improves from 8.7 to 9.5 inches of ground clearance. The longer wheelbase of the Outback Wilderness further translates to a slightly better ride than the Forester Wilderness.Nine trims are listed on Subaru's configurator, with the Wilderness slotting between two XT trim levels. XT is another way of saying turbo'd boxer, a 260-horsepower lump thats also found in the Wilderness' engine bay. Touring and lesser specs make do with a naturally-aspirated engine that cranks out 182 horsepower.The JL and four-door JLU find themselves between two extremes, those being avoid and go for it. The truth is, Jeep has addressed plenty of this generation's problems. The Ford Bronco, meanwhile, fares much worse.Given the Bronco's ridiculously bad rollout and the limited number of vehicles produced yearly at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Michigan, the Bronco sells much worse than the Wrangler. The difference, however, may shock you: 58,580 units in the first half of 2023 versus 84,642 units of the JL/JLU Wrangler.Stellantis, the cross-border merger between FCA and PSA, also improved the Wrangler for 2024. The most significant change is the full-float solid rear axle of the Rubicon, which improves the off-road trim level's towing capacity to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms).BMW utilities produced in the United States, reliable? Are you sure? If not driven and maintained properly, every single new automobile available today will become a *Scotty Kilmer impersonation alert* money pit. How can you make a BMW SUV last longer?The best answer possible is to keep it simple and sensible. For example, rather than changing the oil every 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) as recommended by the Munich-based automaker, do it at 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) for peace of mind. High-quality oil is utmost important for the X3 and X4, more so if it's the six-cylinder engine of the M40i or the M-specific S58.The B58 is referred to as the modern-day 2JZ by certain peeps, although they are comparing apples to oranges. What is true about the B58, however, is that it makes more power and torque than BMW says it does. The same applies to the S58 in the full-on Ms, which offers 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm) of twist in the X3 M Competition and X4 M Competition.If you're in the market for an elephantine utility vehicle, the Expedition is a good bet. Similar to the Navigator, it comes in standard- and long-wheelbase guises. It does cost a pretty penny, though, namely $56,075 for the standard wheelbase or $63,140 for the big one.Step up to the Navigator, and Ford's Lincoln division charges you a staggering $82,765 or $98,350. What's most uncanny about these gentle giants is thatdoesn't come standard. Uncannier still, the Bronco Sport and Nautilus both feature AWD from the outset.Although based on the F-150, the Expedition and Navigator are equipped with independent rear suspension. The only F-150 with independent rear suspension is for the time being the Lightning.Two peas in a pod, the Tucson and Sportage had their share of problems in the past. It's hard to forget the notorious Theta engine recalls, but as you're well aware, Hyundai and Kia both learned from their blunders.Both crossovers switched to the Smartstream engine family for their current generations, the fourth for the Tucson and fifth for the Sportage. Depending on the market, displacements range from 1.5 to 2.5 liters.Being direct competitors to the RAV4, the South Korean crossovers are available with two levels of electrification: hybrid and plug-in hybrid. The combustion-only Tucson and Sportage are pretty swell as well, with Hyundai and Kia currently asking $26,900 and $26,290, respectively, for the base 2.5L engine.The Pilot and MDX may be manufactured in different facilities, but they're not exactly different under the skin. The standard engine is a 3.5L sixer, and the only transmission available is a 10-speed automatic designed with fuel economy rather than sportiness in mind.The MDX Type S, however, is worthy of the sport in sport utility vehicle. Similar to Type R in Honda's vernacular, Type S means performance at Acura. In this case, said performance comes courtesy of a turbocharged V6 with a displacement of 3.0 liters.Like the Explorer ST, the MDX Type S also flaunts three-row seating. It does cost a lot more than the Explorer ST, though: $67,850 compared to $50,005.The Santa Fe and Sorento feature the 2.5er of the Tucson and Sportage, yet tuned for slightly more power and torque. Not surprising in the least, the Santa Fe and Sorento also come as hybrids and plug-in hybrids.2023 is the final year of the fourth-generation Santa Fe. The newcomer will arrive in dealer showrooms for the 2024 model year with Land Rover- and Range Rover-inspired styling cues, both inside and out. As for the Sorento, a mid-cycle refresh will have to suffice.As of July 2023, the most affordable Santa Fe configurable on Hyundai's website is $28,750. If you prefer the Kia's design, that would be $30,090.Care to guess which is the best-selling Lexus in the United States? The answer is RX, a mid-size crossover that's nicer both inside and out than the Highlander . By comparison, the Highlander is the third best-selling 'Yota in the United States, having sold 113,264 units in the first half of 2023 as opposed to 150,742 examples of the Camry and 187,017 examples of the RAV4.The RX used to be available with three rows of seats, but alas, that variant was discontinued in favor of the 2024 model year TX. The TX is based on the Grand Highlander, which sold 159 units in June 2023.More than 200 inches long, the Grand Highlander and TX are certain to sell like hotcakes going forward. The TX is believed to start in the mid-$50k range, whereas the Grand Highlander can be yours from $43,070.Made in South Korea, the Palisade is joined at the hip to the US-built Telluride. The exterior and interior designs are all that separate the Palisade from the Telluride.The front-biased crossovers are very popular in the three-row crossover segment, although the Telluride has the edge over its brother due to better styling. Underneath the sheet metal, you're presented with a direct-injected V6 connected to an eight-speed auto.Capable of seating up to eight, the Palisade and Telluride are relatively affordable for what they offer. The 2023 model year Hyundai Palisade is $35,900, making it $90 more affordable than Kia's three-row crossover.If you still have any curiosities related to all things SUVs, please refer to the FAQ section below.Every utility vehicle imaginable will develop issues, regardless of your immaculate maintenance. But as a rule of thumb, you can't go wrong with a Toyota or a Lexus.The answer depends on the sources used for researching the most reliable SUVs out there, but everyone agrees that Toyota and the Lexus division are in a league of their own in terms of reliability.Based on the aforementioned, you already know by now.Any sport utility vehicle deemed Top Safety Pick+ by theis as safe as it can be for the segment it competes in. 2023 TSP+ winners include the CR-V, Highlander, and Telluride.iSeeCars is the best resource for longest-lasting sport utilities that money can buy. The V8-engined Land Cruiser (discontinued) and V8-engined Sequoia (discontinued), 4Runner, and Honda Pilot are the best-ranked SUVs of the bunch. iSeeCars analyzed over 260 million vehicles sold between 2012 and 2022 to determine which are the most likely to last 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers). Of the four SUVs mentioned earlier, only the 4Runner hasn't received a ground-up redesign since 2012.In many ways, they are. In terms of reliability, hybrids aren't as complex as plug-in hybrids, therefore resulting in fewer potential reliability issues.Crossover is the term used for unibodies (think RAV4, which uses the TNGA-K platform of the Camry), whereas SUV is used for truck-based utilities (think 4Runner, which features a boxed frame derived from the third-gen Tacoma's C-channel frame). However, automakers use said terms interchangeably.First and foremost, all-wheel drive means always on. Four-wheel drive comes in part- and full-time flavors. The difference between these systems is a transfer case for part-time 4WD and a center differential for full-time 4WD. As opposed to full-time 4WD, all-wheel drive doesn't offer hi/lo ranges.The all-electric Faraday Future FF 91 needs 2.27 seconds from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour), and the V12-powered Ferrari Purosangue is much obliged to hit 193 miles per hour (310 kilometers per hour).According to the Cars.com American-Made Index, the most American-made SUV is the Tesla Model Y Sales dwindled as the muscle car era came to an abrupt halt in 1971 but remained strong in 1970, with almost 37,000 cars delivered. And like most Mopars from the era, the Road Runner spawned quite a few gems. The 426 HEMI version is arguably the rarest and most desirable, but drop-top Road-Runners are also scarce.You see, convertibles weren't exactly popular at the time. In 1969, the first year when Plymouth offered a soft-topped Road Runner , only 1,890 customers went with this body style. That's only 2.3% of total production. In 1970, the Road Runner's second and last year with a convertible version, deliveries dropped to less than 2%, with only 658 units sold.As a result, combing the convertible body style with the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI results in the rarest Road Runner ever produced. That's because only 13 cars left the factory with this combo in 1969 and 1970. It's also one of the rarest Mopars ever made.The beige drop-top you see here is not one of those super rare and expensive HEMI Road Runners , but it's not exactly common either. Even though it's part of the 1969 lineup that saw 1,890 convertibles leave the assembly line, the four-barrel 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8 and automatic gearbox combo makes it one of 1,111 vehicles produced.If that's not rare enough for you, the Sand Pebble Beige color narrows that number even more. Much like the drop-top layout, this hue wasn't popular either. Mopar experts agree that only 1% of 1969 Road Runners were ordered in this finish, so we're talking about only 800 cars and 11 convertibles. However, the owner claims his unit is the only Sand Pebble Beige drop-top known to exist. The 1-of-1 claim makes sense if we also consider the two-door brown interior and the optional Light Package.But even if it's not a unique build, this Road Runner is one stunning piece of classic muscle car history . Not only restored to an impressive and factory-correct finish, but it's also a numbers-matching gem when it comes to drivetrain and body panels. That's something you don't see every day.What about that surprise hidden in the trunk? Well, it's not a rare jack kit or some unique feature. It's not even related to the car, but it's yet another item you don't see every day. I'm talking about an Imperial Airtemp air conditioning system. Built by Chrysler, the through-the-window unit is also all original and still has the original cardboard box from 1968.If you're unfamiliar with Airtemp, this company came to be in the 1930s when Walter P. Chrysler decided that contemporary AC equipment was too bulky and expensive for the then-new Chrysler Building . He commissioned a team of Chrysler engineers to find a better solution, and the Airtemp Corporation was created in 1934.Airtemp quickly became America's leading AC manufacturer and led the industry until the early 1970s. As other companies began making more affordable units, Airtemp lost money, and Chrysler sold the venture to Fedders in 1976. The plant was closed only one month later and sold to General Motors, which turned it into a Corvette facility.Anyway, the Airtemp Room Air Conditioners are very rare in this condition, and it's not something you'd expect to find in a Road Runner trunk. Go ahead and check them out in the video below. Over the last two decades, tiny houses have evolved from simple cabin-like DIY projects to true architectural wonders offering both aesthetic appeal and practicality in a compact package. Builders have started to incorporate clever space-saving ideas and design tricks to make small dwellings look and feel just like regular-sized family homes. Photo: KJE Tiny Homes Photo: KJE Tiny Homes Photo: KJE Tiny Homes Take, for example, the new Woodlake tiny home on wheels from KJE Tiny Homes. The California-based manufacturer has built quite a reputation for its beautiful compact dwellings that are as welcoming and sophisticated as conventional homes, and the Woodlake design makes no exception.Just like all tiny dwellings that come out of the manufacturer's shed, this small-in-size yet big-in-impact house was custom made, so the features were tailored specifically to meet the client's needs. It measures 28 feet (8.5 meters) long and 10 feet (3 meters) wide and includes a spacious living room, a beautiful kitchen, a ground-floor bedroom, two lofts, and a bathroom.Woodlake was designed to be used as an Airbnb, but the layout is also suitable for accommodating a family long term, and it can also be modified based on customer necessity.This home on wheels is bright inside and out, boasting an all-white exterior with black steel roofing and a luminous interior thanks to the beautiful white shiplap walls and the expansive windows throughput that allow plenty of natural light to get in. The shiplap walls, complemented by subtle wood accents, give the living space a tinge of modern farmhouse vibe.Normally, the tiny living trend goes hand in hand with minimalism, so the majority of manufacturers bet on simplicity and basic features for their builds. KJE Tiny Homes is one of those companies that don't go with the flow, and their designs stand out through special features that you usually find in conventional houses, like electric fireplaces, standing-height bedrooms, walk-in closets, accents walls, gourmet kitchens, and more.The Woodlake model is no exception, as it also incorporates some of these key design elements, which make it look like a stylish mansion on wheels. Grey accent walls in two of the three sleeping spaces, a rustic-looking fireplace in the living room, the distinctive ceiling design with LED lights, and the neutral color palette create a luxurious atmosphere inside this mobile habitat.As you walk through the full-light double doors, you enter the open-space kitchen and living room area, a perfect spot for peaceful family gatherings in the evenings.We've already seen several KJE-designed tiny homes with L-shaped kitchens, but usually the breakfast bar was functioning as a sort of partition between the kitchen and the living area. This is not the case here, as all the cabinets are placed against the wall, leaving plenty of room to move around.Plenty of cabinets and drawers below the kitchen counter, along with some wood floating shelves, provide enough storage space for cooking essentials. In terms of appliances, we can see the space is accoutered with a rectangular sink, a double-hob cooktop, and a mini fridge. Though compact in size , the kitchen offers sufficient countertop space to prep delicious meals for your family.The adjacent living room completes the common area of this house. The electric fireplace is the focal point and completely transforms the room's design. A thick wooden shelf over it can be used to display photos or decor items. A small loveseat sofa and an armchair would fit just fine in this space, while a TV counted on the wall above the fireplace would turn it into the family's favorite spot.Next to the kitchen, we find the bathroom, a small closet with washer/dryer hookups that would serve as the laundry room and one of the lofted sleeping spaces.The bathroom offers resident-style facilities . It is fitted with a corner shower with glass walls, a toilet, and a vanity with sink and mirror. The combination of white walls and furniture with black hardware makes it look lavish and sophisticated.The loft bedroom on this side of the house can be accessed through a removable ladder and features a wood railing for protection. It can comfortably house a queen bed, or it can be used as storage space, depending on the owner's needs.Two additional sleeping spaces are on the opposite side of the Woodlake tiny house, where you will find a main-floor bedroom with a second loft above it. Both these bedrooms fit queen beds and are airy enough due to the expansive windows that allow inhabitants to view the surroundings.The downstairs bedroom is a completely separate room, which makes it perfect for people who value privacy. The lofted one is accessed via a staircase and is also relatively private.The only thing that seems to be missing from this tiny house is storage space for clothes and personal belongings, but considering it was designed as an Airbnb rental, we assumed the features are geared towards that. However, if the design has caught your eye, the company can surely modify and adapt the layout so that wardrobes, closets, and other required features are included. I don't know about you, but in the last months, I noticed a flock of news and concerned social media commenters about the supply issues of critical raw materials needed for the batteries of electric cars. The popular wisdom is that Earth cannot provide all the resources we need for the "Electrify Everything" paradigm, so we'd better forget about EVs and embrace ICEVs, hybrids, and the future hydrogen-propelled cars. blackmail Longer range for bigger cars implies bigger batteries and more resources EV kWh pissing against the wind The hunger for critical minerals will be tremendous What's the toll? Aggressive innovation is simply too radical I was a fool to think debunking batteries-related myths would stop the naysayers from coming up with new "ammunition." This time, the lithium, nickel, or cobalt penury looks like a severe challenge, especially since most car manufacturers and suppliers complain about it. And now, the countries holding the most significant deposits of such metals want to transform it into a geo-politicalstrategy.There is a war out there besides the horrible one started by the Russian dictator against Ukraine. I'm discussing the fierce competition between car manufacturers regarding therange. The public is asking for more range from electric cars, on par with internal combustion engine cars. As if all the drivers out there travel hundreds of miles every day on their daily home-to-work commute.In the meantime, in case you didn't notice last decade's trend, the public favors bigger SUVs. For these to travel hundreds of miles per full charge, they require higher-capacity batteries than regular cars. As a result, bigger batteries require more materials. So, many analysts out there forecast supply shortages and support alternative mobility, which usually means fossil fuels-based solutions.Well, the Transport & Environment NGO has another approach at least for Europeans. How about using smaller electric cars instead of larger and heavier ones and relying on lower-capacity batteries with shorter-but-reasonable ranges? I know this is impossible for Americans, where the 19 feet (almost 6 meters) long Tesla Cybertruck or Ford F150 Lightning are just standardThe 131-capacity battery of Ford's electric pick-up weighs an astounding 1,800 pounds (0.8 tons). It needs a lot of critical materials, that's for sure. Depending on the chemistry, a 100-kWh battery contains more than 100 pounds / 45 kg of lithium, and around 200 pounds / 90 kg or more of cobalt and nickel, respectively.Such a big battery can provide heavy trucks, like the more than 6,000 lbs / 2.7 tons electric F150 , with around 300 miles / 480 km range, while a passenger car, like the less heavy Tesla Model S (5,100 lbs / 2.3 tons), can increase the range to around 370 miles / 600 km. Ford Mustang Mach-E RWD is 50% lighter than its big brother, and because of this, it gets almost the same range thanks to a 22% smaller capacity battery. The same goes for the smaller Tesla Model 3 Long Range: it's 20% lighter than its bigger sibling, but the 25% smaller capacity battery allows for a similar range.You clearly see where I'm going with this. Of course,contradicting the trend of larger and heavier SUVs will definitely not going to get me a popularity prize. But let me give you some numbers from the Transport & Environment study.According to T&E, electrifying passenger transport in the European Union will require 27 TWh of batteries by 2050 if all the new cars sold at the half of the century will be electric. Although the EU wanted to phase out internal combustion engines on the new cars sold from 2035, maybe you heard that Germany and others still want ICEVs running on synthetic fuels. But their share will probably be insignificant, so we'll discuss the 100% EV scenario.So, how many critical minerals do you think the EV fleet's batteries would require, assuming current technologies will still be in place at the time and ignoring the evolution to solid-state batteries? The correct answer is a lot (the following values are in million tons Mt): 2.9 Mt of lithium 0.8 Mt of cobalt 5.5 Mt of manganese 10.7 Mt of nickel.Note to the American public: these quantities could be used to make the batteries for around 50 million Teslas. By 2030, Tesla is expected to build at least 10 million cars annually. So, imagine that the quantities I mentioned before would be depleted only by Tesla in 4-5 years. This is to put things in context.Regarding the Europeans, those quantities are 200 times more than the raw materials consumed by the European battery industry in 2022! It's a tremendous effort, and given all the warnings and concerns related to the supply chain and critical minerals availability, the probability for the plan of electrifying the transport will most likely be near zero. Unless policymakers, governments, and industry will take action.T&E analysis suggests two scenarios as alternatives to the "business-as-usual" the car industry is following. The first one ("Accelerated Innovation and Fewer Car km" or simply Accelerated scenario) could see a drop of 30% in demand for critical minerals , while the second one ("Aggressive Innovation and Fewer Car km" or simply Aggressive scenario) would cut almost in half the needs.Maybe you've noticed the "Fewer Car km" syntagm. This is to say that T&E's study starts from the premise that policymakers will enact "stricter urban planning and car use measures." In other words, unpopular measures for what people nowadays are used to, like distance-based charges, congestion charges, parking pricing, speed limits, or even prohibition in some city areas.As a result, compared to the "business-as-usual" scenario, the passenger distance traveled by car could decrease by 10% in 2040-2050, while the shift to public transport could increase by 12% in the same period. The car occupancy could increase by 10% in 2040-2050, which is to say share-riding and rent-a-car programs will contribute to less car ownership.For those of you who are already outraged by this "dictatorship," I'm not done. T&E expects " weight-based vehicle taxation measures" so that people opt for smaller cars instead of "oversized, unsustainable, and pricey cars." Like SUVs or trucks oops, did I offend any American out there?This way, the average battery capacity could decrease from 68 kWh to around 50 kWh in 2050. This 25% reduction, combined with battery chemistry favoring lower critical minerals usage or even eliminating the need for some minerals (like the cobalt-free LFP technology, for instance), could see the need for only 19 TWh cumulative capacity in 2050.This translates to a reduction of a third in raw materials demand, and the values are as follows: 1.9 Mt of lithium (30% less than in a business-as-usual scenario) 0.5 Mt of cobalt (45% less than in a business-as-usual scenario) 3.6 Mt of manganese (30% less than in a business-as-usual scenario) 5.4 Mt of nickel (almost 50% less than in a business-as-usual scenario)Oddly, the T&E study doesn't emphasize the promising solid-state technology . Instead, it compliments the low-cost sodium-ion batteries, "which will soon be commercialized in China." Well, 2050 is still over two decades away, and battery development is swift. I suspect many pleasant surprises until then, but we'll have to wait. In the meantime, there's even a stricter scenario.According to the T&E study, this scenario "would require radical policies, including bans and scrappage of private cars to ensure less private car travel." I'm sure by now, both petrolheads and electroheads would like to burn me like a witch but hey, don't shoot the messenger! After all, these are just scenarios.In the Aggressive scenario, the average battery capacity would decline from 68 kWh to only 40 kWh in 2050. What does it mean? For instance, the electric version of the Jeep Avenger has a 54-kWh lithium-ion battery and a maximum range of 240 miles / 400 km. It's absolutely natural to imagine that two decades from now, a similar or even more extended range will be achievable with a 40-kWh battery or even less. Even considering that nowadays chemistry wouldn't change much although I bet it will.I mean, just look at the facts: the 30-kWh battery of the first-generation Nissan Leaf was good for a 105 miles / 170 km range, while the second generation's 40-kWh battery (a 25% increased capacity) allowed for a 60% longer range of 175 miles / 280 km. This evolution took only two years! So a Leaf-sized compact EV with a 40-kWh battery will probably have a range of at least 300 miles / 480 km.Compared to the business-as-usual scenario, the Aggressive scenario could see a 48% reduction in raw materials demand. Or the need for only 13 TWh of cumulative battery capacity. This way, the European demand for lithium and nickel would decrease from 11% to less than 4% from the known global reserves. This has a tremendous economic impact and also benefits related to reducing the pollution from sourcing these critical minerals.One thing is for sure: in order to reduce the dependence on critical materials, Europe must stop following the trend of bigger and heavier cars with bigger batteries. Which is feasible technologically, but the real challenge is to make people understand the real benefits of such a paradigm shift. Maybe it's time for the car industry to also shift the focus from unsustainable profitability to a just-for-all business model. Maj. Albin Narvaez stands near a series of outdoor recreation cages used for prisoners who are in administrative segregation at the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center in Fulton, Mo. Narvaez, who is chief of custody at the prison, said applications for correctional officers have increased since the state implemented a pay raise this spring. Vagif Khachatrian, a 68-year-old resident of the Karabakh village of Patara, was among patients escorted by the ICRC to Armenian hospitals for urgent treatment. He was detained at an Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor in what Karabakhs leadership and the Armenian government condemned as a gross violation of international law. Azerbaijani authorities said later in the day that Khachatrian was taken to Baku to stand trial on charges of killing and deporting Karabakhs ethnic Azerbaijani residents in December 1991, at the start of the first Armenian-Azerbaijani war. They claimed that he was indicted on these charges in 2013. A senior Karabakh official, Artak Beglarian, rejected the false accusations. He insisted that like many other Karabakh Armenian men, Khachatrian defended his homeland during the 1991-1994 and did not commit war crimes. He was neither a commander nor a deputy commander. He was a driver, Khachatrians daughter Tsovinar, who accompanied him during his aborted trip to Armenia, told RFE/RLs Armenian Service. She said her father was due to undergo a heart surgery in Yerevan. The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned Khachatrians arrest as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and war crime. It is aimed at completely disrupting the ICRCs activities in Nagorno-Karabakh at a time when Azerbaijan is keeping the Lachin corridor closed and impeding the entry of other international organizations to Nagorno-Karabakh, it said in a statement. Khachatrian is the first Karabakh patient arrested by the Azerbaijani authorities during the medical evacuations organized by the ICRC after Baku halted last December commercial traffic through the only road connecting Karabakh to Armenia. The Red Cross did not immediately react to his detention. There was also no immediate reaction from Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Karabakh. It is not clear whether they tried to prevent the mans arrest. Azerbaijan has repeatedly suspended the medical evacuations. On June 15, it also banned the ICRC and the Russian peacekeepers from sending limited amounts of humanitarian aid to Karabakh, aggravating the shortages of food, medicine, fuel and other essential items in the Armenian-populated region. The worsening humanitarian crisis there led the United States, the European Union and Russia to renew their calls for the lifting of the Azerbaijani blockade. Baku continued to reject such appeals this week. Gurgen Nersisian, the Karabakh premier, on Saturday also blamed Armenia for the crisis and Khachatrians kidnapping in particular, saying that this was made possible by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians May 2023 pledge to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh. Armenian opposition leaders have likewise claimed that the far-reaching concession made by Pashinian only emboldened Baku to tighten the screws on the Karabakh Armenians. 29 July 2023 16:25 (UTC+04:00) Elnur Enveroglu Read more Armenias allegation on the so-called blockade of the part of the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan and dire humanitarian situation are utterly groundless and false, and are nothing other than reckless attempts to manipulate the international community. According to AZERNEWS, this was told by Azerbaijani Member of Parliament Sevil Mikayilova, in a statement on Armenias groundless claims about the Lachin border checkpoint. Azerbaijani MP especially emphasized the provocative actions of Armenia in recent days around the border checkpoint of Azerbaijan. She noted that the Armenian side, which failed to achieve its goal, is currently trying to realize its nefarious intentions through some international humanitarian organizations. Abuse of humanitarian activities, including arbitrary denial of humanitarian assistance on the basis of political considerations constitute a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, and thus, must be rejected. In this regard, Azerbaijan resolutely condemns Armenias consistent efforts to abuse the issue of humanitarian assistance for its malign purposes and instrumentalize relevant international actors, most notably the ICRC, she said. Obviously, Armenia, through the illegal subordinate regime it installed in these territories, consistently abuses the presence of the ICRC in the area for its political agenda based on ethnic hatred and aimed at separation of the part of territory of Azerbaijan. Considering this point, S.Mikayilova noted that the Lachin border-check point established by Azerbaijan on international border with Armenia is a legal and legitimate act of Azerbaijan aimed at ensuring security of its borders. According to her, this is fully in line with international law and established international practice. The Azerbaijani MP also touched on the groundless appeals of Armenians rejected by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and noted that in any case, the Armenian side does not accept that it is unjust and tries to accuse Azerbaijan with various false claims. The International Court of Justice, by unanimously rejecting the request of Armenia on July 6, 2023, has essentially confirmed that Armenias claims for illegality of the border-check point of Azerbaijan have no ground. Besides, allegations on deliberate disruption of electricity and gas supply by Azerbaijan to the Garabagh region is equally unsubstantiated. Suffice here to recall the Order of the ICJ of 22 February 2023, in which the Court has essentially rejected Armenias request for indication of provisional measure on Azerbaijan on these allegations, she added. Moreover, since the checkpoint began its operation, civilian travel between the Garabagh Region of Azerbaijan and Armenia in both directions increased significantly, and more than 2,000 individuals have already passed through the Border Checkpoint until June 15, 2023, when Armenia resorted to open armed provocation to disrupt the functioning of the check-point. According to Sevil Mikayilova, Armenia is so far from international laws that they disregard the security of international organizations around the border with such armed provocations. This clear armed provocation took place at a time when the convoy of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was in the close vicinity of the border check-point carrying out pre-planned operation of accompanying the group of Armenian minorities living in Garabagh region to travel to Armenia for medical reasons. Thus, June 15 armed attack did not only target the Azerbaijani border servicemen, but also put under the danger the ICRC staff and civilians passing through the checkpoint, she emphasized. Despite the consistent calls of Azerbaijan and series of discussions with mediation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, Armenia continues to refuse providing a guarantee for non-repetition of such incidents, and thus, obstructs the full resumption of the work of the check-point. Azerbaijans consistent calls on Armenia for cooperation through the border and customs institutions to ensure smooth functioning of cross-border movement of persons, cargo and services equally have remained unanswered. On the contrary, Armenia, through its illegal subordinate regime, has imposed restrictions on the movement of Armenian residents of the Garabagh region, and effectively deprived them of the opportunity to use the border checkpoint without prior permission from Armenia-installed illegal structures. The MP also cited all this as the basis and noted that Azerbaijan is ensuring the convenience of two-way movement at the border checkpoint on the Lachin road. Mikayilova noted that pending Armenias lifting its restrictions on the free movement of civilians and cargo through the Lachin checkpoint and proceeding from the need for minimizing the impact of the situation on local civilian population, Azerbaijan has since been facilitating the passage of local Armenian residents through the check-point for urgent medical purposes. Yet, Armenia has not ceased its provocations and recklessly attempted to exploit ICRC-hired vehicles for smuggling of goods, such as electronic devices, micro-chips and other dual-use technologies to supply its illegally deployed armed forces in the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani MP noted with regret and called it a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, which was also a serious blow on humanitarian mandate and international reputation of the ICRC. In addition, Sevil Mikayilova mentioned in her statement that Azerbaijan offered ICRC an alternative road in the direction of Aghdam-Khankendi and noted that Azerbaijan is ready to provide any conditions for all transportation on that road. The availability of the Aghdam-Khankendi route for transfer of goods to local residents was reiterated by Azerbaijan at meetings with Armenia facilitated by international actors, such the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the Russian Federation. The EU Council President in his public remarks following the meeting encouraged the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi route as an important part of ensuring that the needs of the Armenian minorities in Garabagh are met, she noted. However, Armenias obstruction with respect to Aghdam-Khankendi and other routes continues to date. Armenia through the illegal regime in Garabagh orchestrates so-called public protests against the usage of alternative routes for the delivery of cargo and services, and recklessly, instrumentalizes the residents for its malign political agenda of ethnic and racial hatred. Given this fact the MP drew attention Armenias subordinate illegal regimes blocking of Aghdam-Khankendi road with concrete blocks in order to prevent cargo and vehicles, including those of the ICRC, to pass. Unfortunately, the deployment by ICRC of its doctor in Khankendi to facilitate the passage of persons in medical need has also been prevented, again based on political considerations. Such arbitrary denial of humanitarian assistance based on ethnic hatred is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, as it undermines the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence regarding the international humanitarian assistance and non-interference with the sovereignty and consent of the recipient country as reflected in relevant UN documents, S. Mikayilova said. Touching on the dirty intentions behind such acts of Armenian separatists, the MP emphasized that Armenias such behavior reveals its sinister objective of creating a false narrative of a blockade and humanitarian crises in the region. Certainly, the aim is to blackmail Azerbaijan with fake propaganda campaign based on fabricated accusations. Armenia seeks to impose its policy of ethnic hatred and segregation. By so doing, Armenia undermines the normalization process that has gained a historical momentum thanks to the active engagement of international partners. It is regretful to say that as a direct consequence, ethnic Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan residing in the part of the Garabagh region have now become hostage of Armenias malign political agenda. Armenia recklessly exploit them as a human shield to obstruct Azerbaijans efforts to reintegration. In her statement on the issue, Sevil Mikayilova also emphasized that Azerbaijan is taking alternative measures against such steps taken by Armenia. Also, the deputy added that Azerbaijan, as always, once again called on the Armenian side to maintain mutual respect and relations. Notwithstanding all political, military, informational and other blackmailing activities, Azerbaijan is determined to take further steps fully in line with its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to reintegrate ethnic Armenian residents into its political, legal and socio-economic framework as equal citizens. Azerbaijan once again call on Armenia to cease its actions targeting the sovereignty and territorial integrity, stop interfering with its internal affairs and fully honor its obligations and commitments with respect to normalizing inter-state relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of mutual recognition of and respect for each others sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, she concluded. --- Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 22:00 (UTC+04:00) Continuation of social reforms and preparation of a new social package has been defined as one of the priority tasks in accordance with the tasks set at the meeting on socio-economic results of the half-year of 2023 chaired by President Ilham Aliyev, Azernews reports. Labour and Social Protection Minister Sahil Babayev said this at the collegium held at the Ministry. According to information by the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population, it was stressed at the meeting that one of the priority directions is the attraction of citizens resettled to the territories liberated from occupation within the framework of the State Programme "Great Return". In order to ensure the permanent employment of these persons, it was highlighted the importance of their involvement in vocational training courses. Another priority is the implementation of social infrastructure projects in these areas. In this direction, DOST and Vocational Training Centre, a rehabilitation centre in Kelbajar and DOST branches in other liberated districts will be established. The Minister noted the goals of introducing innovations in the system of management and services in the social sphere in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, construction of social infrastructure in accordance with modern requirements and increasing accessibility of social services. In accordance with the order of President Ilham Aliyev, important steps were taken towards strengthening of social security system, an increase in social payments, and an expansion of active employment programmes were reported at the meeting. It was reported that the number of labour contracts increased by 1 per cent or 18.5 thousand contracts compared to the beginning of the year and reached 1 million 765 thousand, and a 10 per cent increase was registered in the wage fund. Active employment measures covered 171.6 thousand people, including 6.8 thousand people under the self-employment programme and 2.8 thousand people under the programme of paid public works. Revenues of the State Fund for Social Protection of Population made AZN 3 billion 271 million, which is AZN 197 million more than forecast, and expenditures - AZN 418 million more. 695 million manats compared to the corresponding period of last year for the population for pensions, allowances, scholarships and targeted state social assistance. AZN 3.9 billion or 21.4 per cent more was paid out. It was reported that the average monthly size of pensions increased by 18 per cent to AZN 433, including the average monthly size of retirement pensions increased by 17 per cent to AZN 466. The meeting discussed social protection and active employment, implementation of paid public works programmes, work done in the field of labour legislation and other directions, as well as upcoming tasks. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Abbas Ganbay Read more Being a country with high potential for renewable energy sources, Azerbaijan's overall technical potential renewable energy sources, including onshore and offshore totaled 292GW. According to the report by Azerbaijan's Economy Ministry, the economic potential of renewable energy sources is estimated at 27 GW, including 3 000 MW of wind energy, 23 000 MW of solar energy, 380 MW of bioenergy potential, 520 MW of mountain rivers. Despite having larger capacity of energy resources and being recognized as an energy exporter in the world, Azerbaijan pays a lot of attention to the use of renewable energy sources. One of the main goals of the energy security policy implemented under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is to strengthen the use of renewable energy sources in the country. It is no secret that Azerbaijan's interest in alternative energy is supported at the global level. A World Bank report shows that Azerbaijan can accelerate its green economic transformation to clean energy without emitting gases that affect the ecosystem. The World Bank supports Azerbaijan's green aspirations in the country's global ecological transition in its ability to overcome a fossil fuel-dependent growth model. Azerbaijan aims for a more environmentally friendly and sustainable economy, in compliance with international rules. Such rules and commitments include the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and commitments under the Paris Agreement on greenhouse gas emissions to meet its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). "Starting now and with public resources and fossil fuel export revenues, Azerbaijan can chart a new course towards a greener and cleaner future, and the World Bank stands ready to support Azerbaijan along the way," said Sebastian Molineus, World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan's clean energy projects include the 230 MW Garadagh Solar Power Plant and Masdar from the Arab Emirates with a signed implementation agreement. According to preliminary estimates, the solar power plant will generate 500 million kWh of electricity annually, save 110 million cubic meters of natural gas per year, prevent 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, and provide electricity to 110,000 homes. The total cost of the project is about $200 million. The 240 MW Khizi-Absheron wind farm. The Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and ACWA Power of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed an agreement on the implementation of this project in 2020. The wind power plant project with a total installed capacity of 240 MW will be implemented in Sitalchay village of Khizi district and Pirakashkul village of Absheron district. The wind power plant will generate 1 billion kWh of electricity annually, save 220 million cubic meters of natural gas per year, prevent the emission of 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and provide electricity to 300,000 homes. The total cost of the project is around $300 million and is expected to be fully financed by foreign investment. Construction of a solar power plant in co-operation with BP in Zangilan and Jabrail district, with a capacity of 240 MW, Khudafarin, and Giz Galasy HPPs are another opportunity to open a new way to investment in Karabakh. According to expert estimates, Azerbaijan will achieve great results in both production and export of green energy, with import agreements to countries such as Hungary, Romania, from Azerbaijan, via Georgia and the Black Sea, and supported by the European Union. At an initial level, 4 GW of energy is planned to be supplied to these countries, making Azerbaijan an important supplier of green energy for Europe. The total wind energy of the Caspian Sea, which could theoretically be utilized on the territory of the republic, is estimated at 157 GW, of which up to 35 GW are in shallow water (and therefore do not require serious financial outlays for utilization) and 122 GW in the deep water area. Against this background, the Azerbaijani authorities aim to produce 3 GW of wind and 1 GW of solar energy by 2027, 80 percent of which will be exported, and to create additional capacity of at least 6 GW of alternative energy. Green energy zone in Azerbaijan's liberated territories A green energy zone in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan emphasizes the construction of energy infrastructure and energy security as an important part of the reconstruction of the liberated territories. In line with this objective, 4 rehabilitated HPPs in Lachin, Kalbajar, and Sugovushan have already been commissioned as part of the rehabilitation of 20.2 MW of generating capacity: HEPP "Gulaberd" - 8 MW; Sugovushan-1 HPP - 4.8 MW; MHPP "Sugovushan-2" -3.0 MW; MHPP "Kalbajar-1" -4,4 MW. Also, the realization of a wind power plant with an estimated capacity of 100 MW in Lachin/Kalbajar will make an additional contribution to the creation of a "Green Energy Zone" in the liberated territories. Against this background, the Azerbaijani authorities aim to produce 3 GW of wind and 1 GW of solar energy by 2027, 80% of which will be exported, as well as to create additional capacity of at least 6 GW of alternative energy. As the main channel for supplying "green" electricity to Europe, the Azerbaijani authorities are considering a project to create a submarine cable 1,100 kilometers long, laid on the bottom of the Black Sea. Its capacity is estimated at no less than 1000 MW. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 10:30 (UTC+04:00) On 16-17 November, the Special Delegation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, and the Institute of Economics of the Ministry of Science and Education jointly organized "International Transport and Logistics Corridor: development impulses from Zangilan", an international scientific and practical conference will be held in Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan districts, which are part of the East Zangazur Economic Region, Azernews reports. The conference will discuss the impact of the Zangazur Corridor on the economies of the countries in the region and world trade, issues of technical-economic and financial security, as well as the possible impact on maritime transport. Representatives of state institutions managing transport, logistics, and communications, embassies of countries located on the Middle Corridor in Azerbaijan and international organizations, scientists from Azerbaijan and foreign countries, and inter-country logistics specialists are invited to participate in the conference. The conference will be held in person for 2 days, the first working day in Zangilan, the second in Baku. The presentation and discussions will be available for public viewing on the Internet. The working languages of the conference are Azerbaijani, Turkish, English, and Russian. Applications for participation, articles, and abstracts should be sent to [email protected] by 15 October this year. Materials for the conference will be published in the form of a book. The rules of paper presentation are available on the website of the Institute of Economics. Additional information can be obtained from the coordinator of the Organising Committee, Doctor of Philosophy in Economics, Associate Professor Azer Safarov (+994 50 747 26 49). --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 10:00 (UTC+04:00) In order to ensure the implementation of the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan of 19 July 2023 "On Amendments to the Rules of State Registration of Acts of Citizenship", approved by the relevant Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan of 31 October 2003, a Commission of the Presidium of ANAS was established, Azernews reports. The President of ANAS, academician Isa Habibbeyli addressed the meeting held for this purpose. Noting that President Ilham Aliyev has been carrying out purposeful, large-scale, and systematic work in the direction of West Azerbaijan since December 2022, the academician noted that decisions have already been taken on the initiative of the West Azerbaijan community at the level of the UN, UNESCO and other international organizations of the world, and even discussions are underway at the level of the European Union. He noted that the issue of West Azerbaijan, along with its socio-political, historical, and scientific significance, has already become part of the negotiation process with Armenia due to the foresight of President Ilham Aliyev and is de facto a subject of discussion at the international level. Isa Habibbeyli said ANAS has responded to the President's calls regarding West Azerbaijan and has taken systematic decisions in this direction from the first day. He underlined that large-scale works have already been carried out and by the decision of the Presidium of ANAS, the History Department of Western Azerbaijan at the Bakikhanov Institute of History, the Folklore Department of Western Azerbaijan at the Institute of Folklore, and the Toponymy Department at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics have been established. Nasimi Institute of Linguistics. At the same time, it was informed that the Coordinating Council of ANAS on Western Azerbaijan Studies has been established and several meetings have already been held, while the work on the dictionary of the encyclopedia has been continued by the working group established for the preparation of "Encyclopaedia of Western Azerbaijan". said that the dictionary will be discussed by the Presidium and the Coordinating Council on Western Azerbaijan Studies in September. He also said that the maps available at the Geodesy and Cartography Agency of the Institute of History and Oriental Studies of ANAS, the Institute of Geography of the Ministry of Science and Education, and the Geodesy and Cartography Agency of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources will be discussed and a unified decision will be made. Besides, he noted that the Toponymy Department of the Institute of Linguistics will prepare a "Collection of Toponyms" reflecting the restoration of the toponyms changed by Armenians. He informed that the maps available in the Institute of Geography of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Agency of Geodesy and Cartography of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources will be discussed and a unified decision will be made. Besides, he noted that the Toponymy Department of the Institute of Linguistics will prepare a "Collection of Toponyms" reflecting the restoration of the toponyms changed by Armenians. He informed that the maps available in the Institute of Geography of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Agency of Geodesy and Cartography of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources will be discussed and a unified decision will be made. Besides, he noted that the Toponymy Department of the Institute of Linguistics will prepare a "Collection of Toponyms" reflecting the restoration of the toponyms changed by Armenians. Academician Isa Habibbeyli informed that these days another issue related to West Azerbaijan has been put before ANAS. He noted that the relevant decree signed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov, "Rules of State Registration of Acts of Citizenship" approved by Decision No. 145 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated 31 October 2003 was amended and "Rules of State Registration of Acts of Citizenship" 1.5-1 was amended as follows: "When carrying out state registration of acts of citizenship, births, marriages and deaths to the Civil Registry Department and Consular Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan". The head of ANAS has already said that from now on ANAS will provide opinions and recommendations for the names of places in the Republic of Armenia to be recorded in accordance with the historical toponyms of Azerbaijan during the state registration of births, marriages, and deaths in the civil status registration department and consular office, citizenship acts, representation of the executive power. He noted that the names of places before the historical toponyms were changed by Armenians will be clarified in the same form and a conclusion will be given. After the speech, MP, chairman of the Community of Western Azerbaijan Aziz Alakbarli expressed gratitude to the leadership of ANAS for the systematic research conducted in the Academy on Western Azerbaijan. Aziz Alakbarli said he was born in Garalar village of Vedi district of West Azerbaijan, and by the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR Vedi district was named Ararat district, and Garalar village was named Aralez. He noted that since 1935 the historical toponyms belonging to our people in Western Azerbaijan were subjected to genocide and systematically changed by Armenians. The head of the community said that along with toponyms one of the important factors is the collection of micro toponyms belonging to our people in West Azerbaijan. Academicians Arif Hashimov, Govhar Bakhshaliyeva, Professor Kerim Shukurov, Doctor of Geographical Sciences Zakir Eminov, Doctor of Philosophy in History Jabi Bahramov, and Doctor of Philosophy in Philology, Associate Professor Elchin Ismailov spoke and expressed their opinions and proposals during the discussions. Later, a commission chaired by Academician Govhar Bakhshalieva and Deputy Professor Nadir Mammadli was set up at ANAS to ensure the implementation of the said decision and provide prompt conclusions and recommendations. Speaking at the end, academician Isa Habibbeyli said that today the main work of the Academy is to promote the ideology of Azerbaijanism authored by National Leader Heydar Aliyev and developed by President Ilham Aliyev, guided by the challenges of the modern era. He said the studies related to West Azerbaijan are also an important branch of this ideology and are responsibly carried out by our scientists. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 12:26 (UTC+04:00) Prof Sun Hang, director of Kunming Institute of Botany of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof Deng Tao, herbarium curator, Zhou Jie, director of Kunming branch of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhu Weidong, head of administration of Chinese Institute of Botany, visited Institute of Botany of Ministry of Science and Education. Azernews reports, citing the Institute of Botany. The purpose of the visit was to sign a memorandum of cooperation with the Institute of Botany and discuss joint projects. At the meeting, the Director General of the Institute of Botany, Professor Sayyara Ibadullayeva spoke in detail about the research areas of the Institute, international relations, ongoing projects, future goals, and prospects for establishing co-operation relations were widely discussed. Expressing gratitude for the detailed information provided, Professor Sun Hang highly appreciated the activities of the Institute and emphasized the possibility of establishing bilateral relations in the field of scientific research. The meeting continued to discuss the prospects for the development of joint cooperation relations, the exchange of personnel and experience, and other issues of mutual interest. S.Ibadullayeva presented the third edition of the "Red Book" of Azerbaijan and symbolic gifts to the guests. The scientists were familiarised with the conditions of storage of herbarium specimens of local and foreign flora stored in the Institute's Algoteca and Herbarium Fund and the ongoing work on the inclusion of herbariums in the European Database. Within the framework of the meeting, a memorandum of cooperation between the Kunming Institute of Botany and the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was signed. According to the memorandum, joint research of plant and fungal diversity, the study of the same plant species occurring in the flora of both countries, exchange of plant samples, molecular genetic analysis, organization of joint projects, personnel exchange of experience, etc. are possible. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 10:24 (UTC+04:00) Throughout the tumultuous 20th century, Armenia mercilessly subjected ethnic Azerbaijanis to unspeakable horrors, unleashing displacement and various forms of persecution that inflicted profound suffering and indelible scars on their memories. The brutal expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia between 1987 and 1991 marked the appalling conclusion of a century- long campaign to eradicate them from what was once their ancestral homeland. The Azerbaijani settlements in Armenia, which were once flourishing cradles of Azerbaijani culture, lay abandoned yearning for their rightful owners. As if this malevolence were not enough, the 1991-1994 occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia brought an even darker chapter of suffering. Approximately 800,000 Azerbaijanis were savagely uprooted from their homes, forced into a cruel fate of displacement. Cemeteries and sacred places of Azerbaijanis were demonstratively destroyed, desecrating their cultural legacy and inflicting irreparable wounds. The brutality of Armenia knew no boundaries. It carried out numerous massacres against innocent Azerbaijani civilians, claiming the lives of over 20,000 souls. To this day, the fate of 4,000 missing individuals remains a haunting agony, a painful reminder of the unresolved grief and suffering endured by the Azerbaijani people. In tent camps, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs endured unimaginable living conditions, devoid of basic services. This prolonged displacement, tore families apart, wrought havoc upon their social fabric, leaving them grappling with despair and uncertainty. For years, Armenia brazenly defied international law, clinging to its occupation and preventing the safe return of Azerbaijani IDPs. Only in the Autumn of 2020, when Azerbaijan liberated its occupied territories while countering yet another vicious attack by Armenia, did the IDPs finally glimpse a glimmer of hope to return home. Yet, the road to rehabilitation and reintegration has been paved with unprecedented challenges and hardships. With cruel intent, Armenia left the once-occupied territories heavily contaminated with landmines, rendering vast swaths of land uninhabitable deathtraps. With blatant disregard for human life, Armenia refuses to reveal the location of these hidden seeds of death, attacking the very essence of the international humanitarian law. The world's response to the unprecedent injustice inflicted upon ethnic Azerbaijanis has been nothing short of disheartening, exposing glaring double standards in addressing human rights issues. Despite the gravity of Armenia's heinous actions, the global community has turned a blind eye, failing to afford the Azerbaijani plight the empathy and support it so desperately deserves. The selective approach of the so-called "international community" is a disheartening display of bias and indifference, evident in their disregard for the immense suffering endured by the Azerbaijani people. They seem to prefer to conveniently forget the plight of ethnic Azerbaijanis, who have faced displacement, persecution, and massacres. Instead, attempts are made to shift focus towards non-existent and fabricated "potential" problems of Armenians residing in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. One of the disconcerting hoaxes perpetuated is the portrayal of the area of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed, as something exclusively related to ethnic Armenians, deliberately obscuring the painful truth of the past. The fact is that Azerbaijanis were brutally expelled from multiple settlements in that very area, including from Khankendi, Karkijahan, Malibayli, Garadaghly, and Khojaly. The haunting memories of the 1992 massacre in Khojaly, where Armenian forces orchestrated a mass killing of Azerbaijani civilians, still reverberate, leaving scars difficult to heal. The displaced Azerbaijanis are still unable to return to those settlements. Such a misleading narrative, painting a picture of exclusivity for the Armenian population, only serves to perpetuate an unjust and divisive approach. This lopsided view exposes the true colors of those who claim to uphold justice and human rights, as they blatantly ignore the rights and hardships of Azerbaijanis, fueled by ethnic and religious considerations. Such a stance endorses Armenia's war crimes, crimes against humanity, and racial discrimination, allowing injustice to prevail and perpetuating the cycle of suffering for the Azerbaijani people. Buoyed by this preferential treatment, Armenia persists in its arrogance, denying the right of expelled Azerbaijanis to return to their rightful homes. They shamelessly label the forced expulsion as "voluntary," a perverse attempt to strip Azerbaijani refugees of their fundamental right to return. Armenia's persistent refusal to engage in dialogue with the Western Azerbaijan Community regarding the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia, while labeling their legitimate cause as a mere "territorial claim," serves as yet another troubling testament to this state's adherence to a mono-ethnic policy and its deep-rooted Azerbaijanophobia. Furthermore, Armenia's assertion of the "exclusivity of Karabakh Armenians" echoes a deeply problematic and unsettling ideology, evoking historical parallels that should serve as a stark warning. Such a notion displays a dangerous belief in racial superiority and the exclusion of others based on ethnicity. The international community's failure to condemn Armenias misdeeds only reinforces the perception of pro-Armenia bias, leaving Azerbaijanis to bear the burden of injustice without the support they deserve. The displacement plight of ethnic Azerbaijanis stands as a haunting testament to humanity's capacity for cruelty and indifference. The scars inflicted upon the Azerbaijani people cry out for attention and action, demanding that the world unmask its double standards. It is high time for the international community to reflect on its actions, rectify its selective approach, and truly stand up for justice and human rights, regardless of ethnic origin or religion. Only then can we hope for a more equitable and inclusive world that rejects discrimination and embraces genuine peace and reconciliation. 1. Aziz Alakbarov Chairperson of the Board of the Western Azerbaijan Community; 2. Fatma Sattarova Chairperson of the Organization of Veterans of War, Labor and Armed Forces Veterans of the Republic of Azerbaijan; 3. Tural Ganjaliyev Chairperson of the "Return to Karabakh" Public Union; 4. Khatira Valiyeva Chairperson of "Khankendi Support for Internally Displaced Persons Public Union; 5. Konul Behbudova Chairperson of the "Missing Families of Karabakh" Public Union; 6. Vugar Gadirov Chairperson of the "Youth Organization for Return and Revival" Public Union; 7. Shamil Alakbarli Chairperson of the "Raising Awareness about the Khojaly Genocide" Public Union; 8. Novella Jafarova Chairperson of Azerbaijan Women's Rights Protection Society named after D. Aliyeva; 9. Saida Gocamanli Chairperson of the Protection of Human Rights and Rule of Law Public Union; 10. Saadat Bananyarli Chairperson of the Azerbaijani National Branch of the International Society for Human Rights; 11. Mehriban Mammadova Chairperson of "Humanitarian Studies" Public Union; 12. Rauf Zeini Chairperson of Azerbaijan National Non-Governmental Organizations Forum; 13. Ramil Iskanderli Chairperson of "Legal Analysis and Research" Public Union; 14. Hafiz Safikhanov Chairperson of "Azerbaijan Campaign Against Landmines" Public Union ; 15. Oktay Sadigov Chairperson of the Public Union "Support for Refugees and Deportees"; 16. Ray Karimoglu Chairperson of the Association of Mine Victims in Azerbaijan Public Union; 17. Sevinj Alizadeh Chairperson of "Zafar Support for the Families of Martyrs Public Union; 18. Shamistan Alizamanli Chairman of the "Support to the Promotion of Patriotism" Public Union; 19. Bahruz Mammadzadeh Chairperson of the "Servicemen of Special Forces, Families of Martyrs and Veterans" Public Union; 20. Seria Jafarova Chairperson of "Raising Awereness about Armenian Aggression" Public Union; 21. Faig Ismayilov Chairperson of the Organization for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan Public Union; 22. Telman Gasimov Chairperson of the "Scientific Research" Public Union; 23. Mushfiq Alasgarli Chairperson of the "Support for Innovative Initiatives in the Media" Public Union; 24. Umud Mirzayev Chairperson of the International Eurasia Press Fund; 25. Nasiman Yagublu Chairperson of the "Support to History and Press Research" Public Union; 26. Khalid Khalilov Chairperson of the "Vatan" Public Union of Akhiskha Turks living in Azerbaijan; 27. Maria Huseynova Chairperson of the "Support for the development of Azerbaijan-Bulgaria Friendship" Public Union; 28. Elman Ahmadov Chairperson of "Azeri Tat Cultural Center Public Union. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 10:25 (UTC+04:00) Foreign Ministry: Azerbaijan will ensure the rights of Armenian residents living in Karabakh on the basis of the country's Constitution, Azernews reports. For almost 30 years, the Republic of Azerbaijan has faced Armenia's military aggression, occupation of our territories, massacres of Azerbaijanis, not to mention the elderly, women and children, and almost one million Azerbaijanis have become internally displaced persons and refugees. Despite recognizing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in four resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council in 1993 and demanding the immediate withdrawal of the occupation forces from the territories of Azerbaijan, Armenia did not ignore all these calls, on the contrary, it further strengthened the status quo based on occupation, and in the occupied territories deliberately destroyed the historical and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people and pursued a policy of illegal settlement. The Armenian leadership made provocative statements such as "Karabakh is Armenia and that's it" and threatened Azerbaijan with "a new war for the sake of new territories". In 2020, during the 44-day Patriotic War, the Azerbaijani people under the leadership of the President, victorious Commander-in-Chief Mr. Ilham Aliyev won a historic victory and put an end to the occupation of our lands. Despite 30 years of occupation and deprivation, soon after the Patriotic War, the Azerbaijani side proposed basic principles and a peace treaty to normalize relations between the two countries on the basis of mutual recognition and respect for territorial integrity, sovereignty and border. Despite the fact that the Armenian side did not respond to Azerbaijan's peace initiatives for a long time and delayed the process under various pretexts, the Azerbaijani side resolutely continued its good faith efforts to promote initiatives towards a peace treaty, delimitation of borders and opening of communications. At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities took consistent steps towards dialog with the local Armenian residents of the Karabakh region, the construction of a new Lachin road, the use of small hydroelectric power plants in the Lachin region, a number of contacts towards the use and management of the Sarsang reservoir, as well as dialog with the residents of Armenia in the initial periods had positive results. On the other hand, the Armenian side, on the contrary, made an unreasonable proposal such as "ensuring the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians through Baku-Khankendi negotiations within the framework of international mechanism", hindered contacts between Azerbaijan and local Armenian residents, and actually continued its territorial claims to our country under a different name. Contrary to the provisions of the November 10, 2020 statement on the suspension of all military activities and other international obligations, as a result of Armenia's intensive mining of Azerbaijani territories, importation and burial of mines produced in 2021 in Azerbaijani territories, as a result of the international community deliberately turning a blind eye to Armenia's mine threat Since November 2020, 303 Azerbaijanis, including two journalists, have fallen victim to anti-personnel mines. Contrary to Armenia's commitments, it has not completely withdrawn its armed forces from our lands, on the contrary, it has rotated them through the Lachin road, supplied them with weapons and ammunition, continued to finance them from Armenia's state budget, and plundered Azerbaijan's natural resources. In order to control its borders and prevent illegal actions of Armenia, Azerbaijan established the Lachin border crossing point on its sovereign territories. Despite the fact that Azerbaijan ensured the passage of Armenian residents, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Russian peacekeeping contingent through the border crossing, the Armenian side spread false claims about the "tense humanitarian situation" in the region in order to continue its illegal activities on our territories. At the same time, on June 15, our border guards were fired at, an attempt was made to smuggle, and on July 26, trucks were sent to the territory of Azerbaijan without authorization. Despite the fact that the Azerbaijani side put forward a number of proposals, including the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road and other alternative roads to meet the needs of the residents of Armenia, and they were supported by the European Union and the ICRC, the Armenian side resisted those proposals and entered the territory by erecting concrete barriers on the alternative roads. The blocking of Armenia's claims regarding the humanitarian situation once again showed that they are political blackmail and manipulation. Armenia's goal is to attract third parties to the region, expand the geography of tension and derail the peace process.All this, especially the military provocations constantly committed by illegal military formations, including the recently intensified radio-electronic interference with civilian aircraft, is unacceptable and unacceptable. All these changes that have taken place in recent days Military provocations, including the recently intensified electronic interference against civilian flights, are intolerable and unacceptable. Responsibility for all these provocations that have taken place in recent days falls on Armenia and its leadership, which continues its illegal military presence on the territory of Azerbaijan, encourages separatism and hinders reintegration efforts. "It is unacceptable that a number of countries and international organizations, which have turned a blind eye to the occupation of our territories for thirty years, make biased statements against Azerbaijan. These countries and international organizations have ignored the presence of Armenian armed forces on the territory of Azerbaijan and Armenia's blocking of communications for the past three years. We demand from the countries and international organizations deceived by Armenia's manipulations and making biased statements to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, not to interfere in the internal affairs of our country and to put an end to the policy of double standards. ." . "Azerbaijan will ensure the rights of Armenia's residents living in its Karabakh region on the basis of the country's Constitution and will resolutely suppress any steps against its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement emphasized. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 14:30 (UTC+04:00) On July 29, the current operational situation on the conditional Azerbaijani-Armenian border and in the Karabakh economic region where the Russian peacekeeping forces are temporarily deployed was analyzed at a meeting headed by Defense Minister Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, Azernews reports. "High assessment given to our Army by the Commander-in-Chief increases responsibility of personnel even more" said Colonel General Zakir Hasanov At the meeting the Minister touched upon the recent intensification of the use of radio interference by illegal Armenian armed formations in our territories, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily deployed, against the GPS satellite navigation systems of passenger planes of local and foreign airlines. In order to maintain the professionalism, practical skills and combat effectiveness of the units at a high level, it is important to organize exercises conducted by the troops in accordance with the real combat conditions, regularly clarify operational plans, as well as pay special attention to further improve the quality of training. During the meeting, the issues of combat training and comprehensive support of troops, especially preparation for winter, were discussed in the new training period, and a number of upcoming tasks were brought to the commanders of the relevant branches of troops. The importance of strictly observing safety rules and taking the necessary firefighting measures when carrying out service and combat tasks was emphasized. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 17:11 (UTC+04:00) Su-25 ML attack aircraft, which Azerbaijan is modernizing together with Turkey, will be called "Lachin", Azernews reports. This was stated at a service meeting headed by Defense Minister Colonel General Zakir Hasanov on July 29. Colonel General noted the importance of the meetings held within the framework of the 16th International Defense Industry Exhibition IDEF-23 in Istanbul and gave specific instructions for the personnel to master the adopted weapons and combat equipment, study the fire capabilities of Su-25 ML attack aircraft (modernized "Lachin") and its effective use in the performance of combat tasks. It should be noted that on July 26, the signing ceremony of the contract on Su-25 modernization project was held between the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkish company TUSAS. The signing ceremony, held within the framework of the 16th International Defense Industry Exhibition IDEF-23, was attended by Deputy Defense Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan - Director General Agil Gurbanov, Chairman of the Turkish Defense Industry Committee Haluk Gorgun and other officials. The main purpose of the contract is to integrate Turkish-made smart bombs and missiles into the Azerbaijani Air Force's aircraft and perform works on modernization of their avionics. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 18:30 (UTC+04:00) The process of modernization of armament and equipment of the Azerbaijani Army with application of the latest technologies is underway, Azernews reprots, citing Azerbaijan Defence Ministry. The "Su-25" attack aircraft, which was sent to TurkIiye in a planned manner, was delivered to Azerbaijan after completion of modernization works carried out by the Turkish aerospace company "TUSAS". Test flights of the Su-25 ML (modernized Lachin), modernized within the framework of the Lachin project and handed over for use to our military pilots, were carried out. The tests of Turkish-made "smart" bombs and missiles installed on the airplane were completed, and in general, the work done was positively evaluated by military specialists. It should be noted that the contract signing ceremony on the Su-25 (Lachin) modernization project between the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkish company TUSAS was held on July 26 in Istanbul within the framework of the 16th International Defense Industry Exhibition IDEF-23. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 14:04 (UTC+04:00) To the family of Thomas Goltz We were deeply saddened by the news of the death of a renowned journalist, writer, publicist, a great friend of Azerbaijan Thomas Goltz. Thanks to his long-term and productive activity in the field of journalism, his rich experience and high professionalism Thomas Goltz has earned a great reputation, and with his in-depth research, comprehensive, unbiased analyzes and articles he has contributed to the achievement of peace and reconciliation in conflicts in "hotspots". Thomas Goltz was a great friend of Azerbaijan. He has visited Azerbaijan many times and witnessed the most important historical moments of our country. He was always treated with special respect and sympathy in Azerbaijan. Thomas Goltz was one of the first journalists to convey the information to the international community about the Khojaly genocide that took place in February 1992. The articles, books he wrote and films he produced about the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has been consigned to history, made an invaluable contribution to conveying the true voice of Azerbaijan to the world. I highly value the respect and esteem, and sincere friendship between Thomas Goltz and National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev. I always remember with fond memories my meetings and conversations with him, and particular our meeting in Shusha in May of this year. Bright memory of Thomas Goltz will always live in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people. I share your grief in these difficult times, and together with Mehriban khanum express our deepest condolences to all your family members. Ilham Aliyev President of the Republic of Azerbaijan --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 15:30 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov has sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Azernews reports, citing spokesman. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizadeh wrote about it on Twitter. The letter says that Azerbaijan, with the assistance of the ICRC, ensures free passage of residents of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan of Armenian origin through the border crossing point (BCP) "Lachin" and on average 25 to 30 people pass through the checkpoint every day. The letter further notes that in parallel, Azerbaijan offered to use the Aghdam-Khankendi route to meet the humanitarian needs of Armenians living in the Karabakh economic region and expressed readiness to provide all necessary conditions for this purpose. The letter notes that the Armenian side continues to refuse Azerbaijan's assistance. This shows that the current manipulation of the humanitarian situation is a political game. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 14:40 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter to His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, Azernews reports. The letter reads: "Your Majesty, Dear Brother, "On behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I cordially congratulate you and your brotherly people on the occasion of the national holiday of the Kingdom of Morocco, and convey my sincerest wishes. Azerbaijani-Moroccan relations have good traditions. I am confident that we will continue to make joint efforts to strengthen traditional friendly relations between our countries, expand cooperation of mutual interest both bilaterally and multilaterally." --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 17:30 (UTC+04:00) An agreement on the establishment of the Organization of Trade Unions of Turkic States has been signed in Shusha, Azernews reports. The event was attended by leaders and representatives of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan, the Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan, the Confederation of Trade Union Organizations of Turkish, the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan and the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan. Chairman of Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation, MP Sattar Mokhbaliyev recalled during his speech that the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States was established in 2009 in Nakhchivan: "The unification of brotherly countries became possible thanks to the efforts and determination of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye". An agreement on the establishment of the Organization of Trade Unions of Turkic States was signed within the event. It should be noted that the purpose of establishing the organization is to unite efforts for effective protection of interests and labor rights of workers, ensuring freedom of activity. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 20:30 (UTC+04:00) The West Azerbaijan Community (WAC) has expressed serious concern that the Council of Europe supports Armenia's fraudulent propaganda and demonstrates double standards, Azernews reports, citing WAC. In response to Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic-Buric's biased statement of July 28 on the topic of supplying residents of Armenian origin living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, the community noted that the issue is an absurdity created by Armenia to mislead the international community. "A group of separatist criminals, at the behest of Armenia, is blocking roads from other regions of Azerbaijan to Armenian-populated areas in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and demanding an exclusive route for uncontrolled supplies from Armenia. Armenia, desperately seeking a way to supply its 10,000-strong military contingent in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, is trying to blackmail Azerbaijan, weaken Azerbaijan's sovereignty over the said territory and strengthen separatist tendencies there. In this regard, it is regrettable that Armenia's tall tales about 'humanitarian crisis' were reflected in the latest statement of the Council of Europe," the structure emphasized. The West Azerbaijan Community, which includes hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis who suffered from ethnic cleansing by Armenia, strongly condemns the double standards and hypocrisy of the Council of Europe, which ignores the suffering of nearly one million Azerbaijanis forcibly expelled from Armenia and the liberated territories of Azerbaijan in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is mentioned that Armenia still denies the right of Western Azerbaijanis, victims of mass expulsion and ethnic cleansing, to return to their ancestral lands. "The fact that the Council of Europe, which positions itself as a "defender of human rights", against the background of indifference to the rights of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis subjected to Armenia's policy of ethnic cleansing, immediately draws attention to the mentioned false "humanitarian crisis", shows its bias. This contradicts the goals and principles set out in the Council's Charter, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Council of Europe should actively protect the rights of the exiled Azerbaijanis to return to their homes in Armenia and contribute to the elimination of the injustice committed against them. We call on the Council of Europe to reconsider its position, reject Armenia's false propaganda, put an end to its bias and discrimination against Azerbaijanis and maintain its commitment to justice," the statement of the West Azerbaijan Community reads. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 21:30 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (AJD) is negotiating the purchase of 7 mainline diesel locomotives TE33AC of Evolution series produced in Kazakhstan. 7 mainline diesel locomotives TE33AC of Evolution series, Azernews reports, citing AJD. "In order to update and modernize the locomotive fleet, AZD is negotiating the purchase of 7 mainline diesel locomotives TE33AC series Evolution, produced at the plant of the American corporation Wabtec in Kazakhstan," - stated in the response to the request. Recall that Wabtec Corporation organized the production of locomotives at the plant Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty (LKZ, JSC Lokomotiv) in Astana. LKZ was commissioned in February 2010 and produces the TE33A Evolution freight locomotive, specially designed for railroads with a gauge of 1,520 mm, and its passenger version TEP33A. It should be noted that this is not the first cooperation of Azerbaijan Railways with Kazakhstan. 8 years ago, AZD purchased TE33A Evolution diesel locomotive from Kazakhstan. The first of these diesel locomotives was brought to the country in 2015 by the first container train that arrived in Azerbaijan from China's Shihezi. According to the State Statistics Committee, 29 railroad locomotives worth $136.172 million (AZN 231,4 million) were imported to Azerbaijan from foreign countries in 2022. 21 of them (worth $135.133 million) (AZN 229,7 million) were supplied from Kazakhstan. In addition, 6 locomotives worth 750,000 USD (AZN 1,27 million) were purchased in Russia and 2 locomotives in Ireland worth 288,600 USD (AZN 490,620 thousand). --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 22:47 (UTC+04:00) The investigation of the criminal case initiated by the prosecutor's office of Azerbaijan on the facts of genocide, deportation of people of Azerbaijani nationality, destruction and damage to numerous property belonging to the state by members of illegal Armenian armed groups on December 22, 1991 in the village of Meshali, Khojaly region, continues, Azernews reports, citing the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan. "The investigation established that on the specified date, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan Vagif Cherkezovich Khachaturyan (born in 1955), a native of the village of Badara, Askeran region, who lived in this village and worked as a driver at the city motor transport enterprise in Khankendi, together with other persons of Armenian nationality, committed an armed attack in Meshali village with the use of various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, as a result of which 25 people of Azerbaijani nationality were killed, 14 people received injuries of varying severity, 358 people were forcibly evicted from their places of legal residence. In addition, Vagif Cherkazovich Khachaturyan, continuing joint criminal actions with persons with whom he had previously colluded, destroying and damaging property belonging to the state and villagers, caused material damage in the total amount of 5,496,900 manats. On November 12, 2013, a decision was made to bring Khachaturyan Vagif Cherkezovich as a defendant under Articles 103 (genocide) and 107 (deportation or forced relocation of the population) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, but the investigation did not know his whereabouts. By a court decision, a measure of restraint in the form of arrest was chosen against him with an announcement on the international wanted list. As a result of search activities, on July 29, 2023, Vagif Khachaturyan was detained by the servicemen of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan at the Lachin BCP, located on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, while trying to leave for the Republic of Armenia for treatment through the International Committee of the Red Cross. Vagif Khachaturian will be provided with accommodation in a medical facility in Baku, where he will be provided with the necessary medical assistance, and conditions will be created for visiting him by representatives of the ICRC. Currently, the necessary operational and investigative measures are being taken to bring other defendants to justice in the criminal case. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 July 2023 18:00 (UTC+04:00) "The world is undergoing a final transformation of the international system, within which the Western world is losing its central position," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said this at a press conference in Ankara following talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Chin, Azernews reports, citing to TASS. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said this at a press conference in Ankara following talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Chin. "The days marking the final transformation of the international system have come. A new geopolitical and geo-economic equation is emerging and Asia is at the very center of it. While the Western world is losing its central position, we see the center of world politics shifting eastward to our ancestral lands," he stressed. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Robert Price is a reporter for KGET-TV. Reach him at RPrice661@gmail.com or via Twitter: @stubblebuzz. The opinions expressed are his own. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Email Dan Walters of CalMatters at dan@calmatters.org. CalMatters is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining Californias policies and politics. For more columns by Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary. After it was reported that Joe Biden's White House lectured the Israeli government - which has faced leftist protests over its call for judicial reform - topontificating,former Democratic New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind ripped into Biden.In addition, on Sunday Biden told CNN that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government hadHikind tweeted, adding,Hikind wrote.Hikind said, noting,he pointed out.Then he turned to Biden's hypocrisy:he continued.Bullying right-wing Israel leaders has been a part of Biden's repertoire for decades. In 1982, Biden, then a senator, banged the desk in front of him with his fist at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting to warn Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to stop establishing new Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria. Begin famously responded: The problem with a huge spike in sexual assaults from illegal aliens has been plaguing Europe for a number of years. It gets less media attention here in the US, but it is happening here, too. There have been continual reports of illegal aliens previously deported for sexual offenses returning under Biden. There was a spate of sexual assaults by the unvetted Afghans Biden brought in during the chaotic withdrawal from that country. There are a growing number of reports of rapes and sexual assaults by illegal aliens. Two examples are in the news today of illegal alien sexual assaults. Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL) presented the case of a very young girl who was trafficked over the border by a previously convicted sex offender who claimed he was her father. Under questioning he ultimately admitted he was not her father and had only "rented" her. The little girl was taken away from the illegal alien sex offender but who knows what could have happened if he gone on into the interior with this child. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/07/28/watch-kat-cammack-details-chilling-case-of-toddler-trafficked-into-us-by-illegal-alien-sex-offender/ In another case, DHHS Secretary Mayorkas, a leftwing Cuban who would seem right at home with Fidel Castro, refused to release details on an illegal alien arrested in Tennessee for drugging and raping ten young boys aged between 9 and 17. Police found videos on his cell phone of him raping some of the unconscious boys. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/07/28/dhs-chief-alejandro-mayorkas-ignores-plea-to-publicize-details-on-illegal-alien-charged-with-raping-unconscious-boys/ This is what Biden's open borders in bringing in to our country. When the NC legislature last year adopted House Bill 951 due to the pressure of the RINO legislative leaders Moore and Berger, they put North Carolina on the same path as the EU on "green" energy, and particulatly Germany which has been on it longer. Germans have already seen massive rate increases due to switching to wind and solar, and new increases continue to hit frequently, but they are far from over. Germans now pay three times what North Carolinians pay for electricity. German Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck, a member of the far left Green Party, recently warned that more is to come, declaring that "tough years of green industrial transition will put a burden on people" noting that the German economy had already shrunk by 0.3% this year. Habeck has been an advocate of radical energy transition. German business leaders are already warning that the rising energy costs from wind and solar and the lack of reliability will put Germany on a path to de-industrialization. Some German companies have already packed up and left and others are eying opportunities to move elsewhere. The EU's Green Deal calls for moving to 50% "green" energy by 2030, while NC's HB951 tops that with a requirement to move to 70% by 2030. https://rmx.news/germany/germans-should-prepare-for-tough-years-ahead-due-to-energy-transition-green-economy-minister-warns/ https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/germans-should-prepare-tough-years-ahead-due-energy-transition-green-economy-minister On a hot summer day like today, what power source is providing out electricity? Wind and solar are bit players. It is coal, nuclear, and gas that is keeps the lights and the air conditioners on. In particularly hot and particularly cold weather, wind power production tends to fall off badly. Solar does not work at all at night, and very little when cloudy, foggy, snow covered, dew covered, etc. Another alarm bell is a political one and it comes from the UK, where former Conservative Party Prime Minister David Cameron put the government and the party on a "green" track, and his successors kept it there, especially Boris Johnson, to please his mistress Carrie who is an environmentalist activitist. Now that voters are seeing the "green" project taking real bites out of their pocketbooks and liberties, it has become a political liability to the Conservative Party and contributing to its stark electoral decline, the current prime minister, Sunak, is trying to backpedal as hard as he can on this political disaster. https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/unpopular-green-policies-come-back-to-haunt-tories/ Described by the Dubliner as a feast for the senses, a celebration of sexual expression and erotic freedom, Sexed Up promises to be a fun-filled night out for friends, solos and couples. Attendees can expect interviews, demos, audience interaction, performances and giveaways. Jenny (36) runs a variety of online workshops including Women On Top, Blow, Self Pleasure, The Principles of Sexual Freedom, and Sexual Confidence. Due to the growing demand for her workshops, she was inspired to launch her live tour. I did the first show in April in Dublin and the tickets sold out in 90 seconds, she says. I was shocked. I know thousands of people want to come to the online workshops, but I didnt know if that would translate to the in-person experience. The show is really about highlighting the importance of adult-based sex education. My whole view on sex education as science is that it can be a bit complicated and boring, but learning the basics on how to have a more satisfying sex life definitely shouldnt be. How can we learn the things that we need to know: learn about our bodies, about how they function, learn about anatomy. How can we do it in a way thats fun, thats unashamedly normal and really keeps pleasure at the centre? When I was creating the show, I wanted that to be the foundation of it. So, if someone was coming for one night only, what do they need to learn so they can take it into their sex lives immediately? so you can have a more satisfying experience, whether that is with themselves or with a partner or with multiple partners, whatever their story is. Jenny says the show is the first of its kind and promises a night full of laughter as she aims to educate audiences in an entertaining way. Its teaching sex skills, things like how to pleasure a penis, how to please a vulva, and also sex positions, she adds. I have contacted world-class performers and they have created choreography and performance very specific to what I wanted, and this is just to give people an idea of how they can get creative. How they can add things that they have around the house, like candles, into their life in order to spice things up a little bit. Theres nothing like this in the world. Even the performers, who are from all over the world, said they have never seen anything like this. I say Irelands first sex education show, but really its the worlds first sex education show. Jenny Keane's Sexed Up show There is never any nudity or live demos in the online workshops, all participants are anonymous and [computer] screens of others are not visible. Reflecting on her decade-long journey from starting out to launching her live tour, Jenny explains: My background in holistic sex education doesnt take a linear path in terms of a sex education course that you can take in university and then its four years long and you graduate with a degree. Mine started in California over 10 years ago. I had my eyes opened to the education that I never received growing up and I just started attending courses. Some were initially sex skills ones, such as how do you give a hand job or blow job? How do you ejaculate? What is female ejaculation? As I started to have more serious questions, I ended up studying somatic therapy [how the body expresses deeply painful experiences] specialising in trauma therapy, and ended up pursuing that path. Jenny began hosting one-on-one sessions and realised early on that the questions her clients asked and concerns raised were education-based. She then began running small group seminars as a means of addressing the most common queries. They were in-person and there were a couple of different topics, but mostly around female orgasm, she says. What was it? Where does it happen in the body? How can you orgasm? How does your body function? How can you access parts of your body to experience more or different types of orgasms? With the onset of the pandemic, Jenny, who was also teaching yoga at the time, launched her seminars online and promoted them via her Instagram page, which currently has a following of over 117,000. The Zoom workshops were initially attended by 100 people. Before long, she had increased the capacity to accommodate 500 participants and places were snapped up in less than 24 hours. The following weeks workshop had 800 participants and things just snowballed from there, she says. For the Blow workshop, we used cucumbers and apparently that caused a national shortage of cucumbers in Ireland, Jenny laughs. Before the workshop I thought, Oh my goodness, theyre going to need something to practice on. I would use a suction cup dildo and I had this image of thousands of people trying to get some suction cup dildos a couple of days before a workshop. I said, Do you know what: go to Lidl and get a cucumber. Read more Misinformation and knowledge gaps in menstrual health Jenny assumed the interest in her workshops, which she has now capped at 1,000 people, would wane, but that hasnt been the case. Most recently, Blow, for example, sold out in an hour. Woman On Top sold out in three hours, she says. I dont really have a schedule and kind of go with the flow of whats happening. It will probably be September or October before I announce new dates. Its every couple of months. Jennys clients, she says, come to her usually out of desperation or because they are searching for inspiration. She says one of the biggest sexual beliefs that we have been given is that sex is something we all know how to do. She explains: Sex is actually made up of a huge amount of different types of skills like communication, seduction, kissing, hand skills, mouth skills, movement and breathing. When we begin sexually exploring in our youth, we tend to try everything and some of those things work for us and some dont. Some of those things we get praised for, so were like, OK, Im good at that. Some of those things we might get shamed for or even slagged off. I mean, the amount of women who tell me theyve been told theyre not good at blow jobs, and this will stop people from pursuing the things they are good at. Theres never this idea that sex is something they can learn. Its this given in society that if you want to become an accountant, you have to learn the skills that you need. If you want to learn how to drive, you have to learn the skills that you need in order to be able to drive. Its socially acceptable if you dont know how to do those things and to seek out a mentor or someone who can support you. A promo poster for her upcoming event in Belfast When it comes to sex, its not as socially acceptable to seek out help and support, Jenny says. This is something that shes passionate about addressing. If you are not naturally good at certain things when it comes to sex, you can learn ways of doing things that will better support your own body or someone elses. For me, its really important that Im answering the questions and designing workshops based around the questions that people have and the things that are topical for people at the moment, she says. For example, the Principle of Sexual Wellness [workshop] would cover the difference between desire, arousal and libido. Often these get interchanged, like: I have no desire for sex or I have a low libido, and its teaching people what the difference is. I think one of the big things as well in that workshop is teaching the difference between desire and fantasy because that can get very confusing. I would get messages from people telling me, I sometimes fantasise about having sex with my husbands best friend, so does this mean that I dont actually love my husband and I love his best friend instead? It can ruin relationships not knowing the difference between fantasy and desire. And its very simple; I always say fantasy is something that starts in the head, but it doesnt necessarily mean its something that you want to pursue. A sexual desire will maybe start in the mind, but it is something that you want to pursue. Theres a huge difference between a sexual fantasy and desire, and hearing that for people can be just so relieving. Via the Woman On Top seminar, participants are encouraged to examine and reframe their thoughts in relation to their own body image. And then looking at things like how to take the lead, which is an important thing when it comes to getting moving into an on top position, Jenny adds. So, teaching people how to become comfortable doing this and then obviously then moving from friction-based pleasure to sensual-based pleasure. Friction-based pleasure would be the pounding, which most people experience. Sensual is much more about the rhythm, the flow, the kind of circular motion that really supports pleasure in female hips essentially and the base of female bodies. Blow [workshop] is how to pleasure a penis; so hand techniques, mouth techniques, combo techniques. Through her blog and social media, Jenny tackles topics that many steer clear from discussing, such as the use of lubricant. I just think theres a stigma and taboo around lube when it comes to injecting it into your sex life, and its because of this idea that our sexuality has a shelf life, Jenny says. That, especially for women, we get to a certain age and suddenly we are old and dry, and so suddenly using lube can be this signal that we are not good enough and were not young enough, but this is absolutely not true. There are so many people that need to use lube for so many reasons. If you have an active menstrual cycle, your ability to be aroused is changing pretty much weekly. And the speed in which you become aroused is changing weekly. When it comes to perimenopause and post-menopause and all of these things, its really important to know without using lube does not mean that youre less than. Using lube is a really beautiful way to add another layer into your sex life. If you find your mind wandering or you get a little bit bored, sometimes adding a flavour [flavoured lube] to that experience can just be a little bit activating for your mind. Sexed Up comes to the Mandela Hall, Belfast, on September 15. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets cost 80 and are available from Ticketmaster. For more from Jenny, visit www.jennykeane.com or @hellojennykeane on Instagram A Co Antrim man has been remanded in custody accused of stealing jewellery from a vulnerable neighbour. Kurt Graham appeared at Ballymena Magistrates Court by videolink from police custody on Saturday. The 26-year-old said he understood the charges but added: I dont agree with them. Graham, from Main Street in Ahoghill, is charged with aggravated burglary of a neighbouring flat where he was armed with a handgun and stole jewellery worth 1,000 plus. He is further charged with possessing a handgun under suspicious circumstances, possessing the handgun without a certificate, having a knife on Main Street, Ahoghill, and fraud by false representation by trying to sell the allegedly stolen jewellery. A detective constable told the court she believed she could connect Graham to each of the charges. She said police were objecting to bail due to concerns about the risk of further offences and witness interference. She outlined how the complainant, a 63-year-old partially deaf lady, told police that on July 24 she awoke to find Graham standing at her bedroom entrance and he showed her a black coloured handgun. According to the alleged victim, Graham asked her for a lift to Adairs Jewellers in Ballymena and she did so but on the way back, she spotted jewellery she owned falling out of a tobacco pouch the defendant had. She challenged him about the jewellery, said the officer, adding that when she went back to the jewellers, she was able to identify some items which belonged to her and those items have been seized by police. The complainant also found a knife lying in her car which has also been handed to police. While the incident occurred five days ago, Graham was not arrested until Friday, the court heard. The complainant is 63 and has been left extremely frightened, upset and tearful by this incident, said the detective. Under cross-examination by defence solicitor John McAtamney, the lawyer claimed that within the complex where Graham and the alleged victim live, front doors were rarely locked. He suggested that neighbours were regularly in and out of each others properties. The officer replied, however, that regardless of whether her door was not locked, Graham did not have permission to go into the alleged victims property. Mr McAtamney argued that Graham had a proposed bail address in Portrush which would keep him well away from Ahoghill and any potential witnesses. But District Judge Oonagh Mullan said the risk of further offences was too great so Im not minded to admit him to bail. Remanding Graham into custody, she adjourned the case to August 24. A former Sinn Fein MLA has said he was debanked by a local subsidiary of NatWest after grilling bosses at Stormont. Daithi McKay, who represented North Antrim for nine years, has described his experience of being left helpless at a supermarket checkout while trying to pay for his weekly shop. Writing in todays Belfast Telegraph Review, Mr McKay said he had to abandon his trolley and borrow money from relatives after his account was frozen and later closed without explanation. He recalled: I am told that the decision was made by an independent team that is hard to contact. Well, isnt that convenient. Mr McKay described the ordeal as a brutal end to his 40-year-old relationship with Ulster Bank, where his mother worked for 30 years and where he was once employed. Read more Eamonn Holmes unleashes furious rant at 'backstabbing' banks as NatWest boss resigns The former head of the Assemblys finance committee believes his role in holding banks responsible may have led to his account being shut down. When I was sitting as an MLA at the Assembly however, I was publicly critical of both Ulster Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland on a number of different occasions, he said. The thought did cross my mind that this was some sort of payback. In the absence of reasonable explanations for bank account closures across its customer base, many others are this week telling journalists that they are having similar suspicions about their own situations. This total breakdown of trust is the fault of NatWest and NatWest alone. It comes after NatWest chairman Sir Howard Davies blamed political pressure from Downing Street for the ousting of chief executive Dame Alison Rose who leaked details of Nigel Farages bank account to the BBC. An Ulster Bank spokesperson said it is subject to legal and regulatory requirements like other banks and insisted it treats compliance as a matter of priority. The sole survivor of the Kingsmill massacre has said the death of Malachy McParland the suspected lead IRA gunman in the attack means he will now have to answer for his sins. McParland (70) died from cancer in a hospital in Dublin earlier this month. The brother of one Kingsmill victim said it is mind-blowing that McParland was never prosecuted. Ten Protestant textile workers were murdered by an IRA gang at Kingsmill on January 5, 1976. Alan Black survived despite being shot 18 times. Mr Black said he believes no one responsible for the sectarian slaughter will ever be brought to justice, especially in light of the incoming NI Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill. I feel nothing about the death of Malachy McParland, he said. But hes met his maker now and I do feel that people have to answer for their sins. I take no joy in anyones death. McParlands death means he will never be brought to book for slaughtering all those innocent people and nearly killing me. The Kingsmill massacre happened a day after the loyalist paramilitary murders of three members of the Catholic Reavey family in nearby Whitecross and the killings of three members of the ODowd family some 20 miles away. A minibus carrying workers from a factory in Glenanne was travelling on a rural road to Bessbrook when it was waved down by an armed man carrying a flashlight. Believing it to be a security force checkpoint, the driver stopped and everyone was ordered off the vehicle. Exiting the van, the workers were confronted by another 11 armed men. The sole Catholic among the textile workers was instructed to step forward and was told to get down the road and dont look back. The remaining 11 men were gunned down. A total of 136 rounds were fired; one of the IRA murder gang checked to see if there were any survivors, shooting them in the head. Alan Black played dead and miraculously survived, despite being shot 18 times, with one bullet grazing his head. Malachy McParland, the suspected lead IRA gunman in the attack It is believed McParland was the lead gunman in the attack, which was admitted by a group calling itself the South Armagh Republican Action Force. The Historical Enquiries Team (HET) later found that members of the IRA carried out the mass shooting, despite the terror group being on ceasefire at the time. The HET said the workers were targeted because they were Protestants. Read more Daughter ripped from fathers arm by IRA gunmen in brutal 1998 murder calls for apology from Sinn Fein Mr Black said he believes no one will ever be brought to justice for Kingsmill. There just seems to be no appetite for it, he said. The [perpetrators] havent been brought to book in the past 37 years, so I dont think they will be now. McParland was living quite openly in Dublin for years, running a bicycle repair shop, and I have been told there was at least one open warrant for his arrest at the time of his death, but for all those years nothing was done. With this new Legacy Bill on the way, it just confirms what Ive known for a long time: well never get justice. Kingsmill victims John Bryans (46), Robert Chambers (19), Reginald Chapman (25), Walter Chapman (23), Robert Freeburn (50), Joseph Lemmon (46), John McConville (20), James McWhirter (58), Robert Walker (46) and Kenneth Worton (24) It is understood McParland was shot multiple times in a firefight with members of the Parachute Regiment near the Mountain House Inn on the Newry to Newtownhamilton Road six months after the Kingsmill massacre. McParland was part of an IRA team who attempted to ambush a covert Army observation post when a firefight ensued. Two other IRA men involved in the incident including Raymond McCreesh, who later died on hunger strike holed up in a nearby house and surrendered following the intervention of a priest, while McParland escaped across the border and was treated in a hospital in Dundalk. A fourth IRA man involved was captured the following day. It has been reported that two of four guns recovered from the scene had been used in the Kingsmill attack. In 1999, McParland was named under parliamentary privilege as one of the Kingsmill gunmen by then DUP leader Ian Paisley. The bullet-ridden van that was carrying the workers Colin Worton, whose brother Kenneth was one of the workers murdered at Kingsmill, said he cannot understand why McParland was never prosecuted. Its just mind-blowing that McParland was never brought before the courts; the security forces have known for decades he was involved, he said. He was shot in a shootout with the Paras and treated in hospital across the border, [remaining] in the South ever since, yet there wasnt even an attempt to extradite him back to NI. The IRA said it was involved in a war. Then that became a conflict. But my brother was not involved in a war or a conflict. He was just a normal, innocent man on his way back from a hard days work when he was murdered for no other reason than he was Protestant. A funeral service for McParland took place last Friday in Dublin. He was cremated at Glasnevin Crematorium. Detectives investigating a firearms-related report in the Dromara Street area of south Belfast have charged a man to court. The alleged offence took place on Friday afternoon, July 28. The 39-year-old man has been charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and threats to kill. He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court on Friday, August 25. As is usual procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service. Meanwhile, a 37-year-old woman has been released on police bail to allow for further enquiries. The family of Natalie McNally have taken part in Belfast Pride to honour her memory as someone who took an active role in the parade every year. Brendan McNally reposted a tweet from Translink, where Natalie had worked until she was killed. He said: Spotted! A thrill to be a part of this years massive pride parade. Though poignant. Nothing can fill what I miss. Ms McNally (32), was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed in her home in Silverwood Green, Lurgan, a week before Christmas last year. Her family said they would take part in Pride celebrations in her honour. Brendan said they were attending the event as his sister was "always delighted to organise and participate" every year. Writing on Twitter, he explained: "As marketer and activist, Natalie was always delighted to organise and participate in Translinks Pride activities. "Were honoured to join her colleagues on Saturday, as we march with the LGBTQI+ community to overcome poverty, discrimination and violence." Thousands of people took to the streets of Belfast as its largest ever Pride parade made its way through the city. More than 250 different groups signed up to take part in Saturday's event, an increase of 25% on last year. A downpour just before the start of the parade failed to dampen spirits and sunshine soon returned as colourful floats passed along the city's streets in a carnival atmosphere. Young and old were among the flag-waving crowds lining the route. The theme for Belfast Pride 2023 was Stand By Your Trans, and the parade was led off by trans, non-binary and gender diverse people. Co-chairman of Belfast Pride John O'Doherty said the event was unapologetically trans-inclusive. He said that message was a contributory factor in the large turnout. Three people have been remanded in custody charged with human trafficking for sexual exploitation and brothel keeping. Petru Samuel Balogh, 26, from Hugh Street in Belfast, Flortina Ciurar, 35, also from Hugh Street, and Ioan Mihai, 29, from Coombe Hill Park in the city, appeared before a district judge at Belfast Magistrates Court on Saturday. The three, all Romanian nationals, have also been charged with controlling prostitution for gain and money laundering offences. The charges follow a significant operation conducted jointly between the PSNIs Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit and Romanian authorities into an organised crime group. The operation focused on the activities of a group suspected of trafficking young Romanian women throughout Northern Ireland for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Balogh, Ciurar and Mihai appeared together in the dock for the hearing before District Judge John Meehan. Using an interpreter, all three confirmed they understood the charges facing them. A police detective constable, who said she could connect them to the charges, said they were detained following a year-long policing operation. Balogh and Ciurar made no application for bail. A bail application made by Mihais solicitor was rejected by Judge Meehan. All three will appear again before court next month. Details of the case against the three accused were outlined by the detective constable during Mihais bail application. The court heard the investigation was triggered when a woman presented to police claiming she had fled Balogh and Ciurar. The woman claimed she had been enticed to Northern Ireland on the promise of a job at an Amazon warehouse. On arrival she was told there was no such employment and she would be working as a prostitute, said the officer. Turning to the case against Mihai, the officer told the judge that the accused took out a tenancy at a property in Newtownabbey that was used as a brothel. The officer said when police visited this property Mihai claimed he was there as a sex buyer. The detective constable further told the court that the investigation has found evidence that more than 45,000 has been deposited in Mihais account as a result of his alleged involvement in trafficking. However, defence solicitor Ciaran Toner rejected the assertion that his client was involved in any organised crime or exploitation. He said Mihai did not deny involvement in the sex trade but insists he was in a business arrangement with a willing prostitute. The solicitor said the woman denies she is a victim of trafficking or that she has been coerced. The woman also claims she gains financially from the arrangement, the court heard. Mr Toner acknowledged that the woman has declined to make a statement to police. The idea this is some sort of sophisticated organised crime is not the case, said the solicitor. The judge refused the bail application, citing a risk of interfering with witnesses, committing further offences and a risk of fleeing the jurisdiction. DUP and Sinn Fein combine to defeat Alliance proposal to scrap allowances for party group secretaries Members of Belfast City Council have voted to raise special allowances for themselves - and voted against a review of extra pocket money going to a variety of roles at City Hall. Councillors were asked to vote on scrapping the allowance paid to party group secretaries at a recent committee meeting. Later, at the most recent full meeting of the council, they were asked to commission a review of all council roles for elected representatives that earn extra money under so-called special responsibility allowances. Both proposals were forwarded by Alliance councillor Sam Nelson, and both were voted down due to the combined voting power of Sinn Fein and the DUP. Mr Nelson described the party group secretary role as a dish-out for Sinn Fein and the DUP. At the most recent meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, Mr Nelson proposed that the committee agree that no allowance be paid for party group secretaries. Read more Staff grievances rise at Belfast City Council, but case numbers negligible Currently there are only two party group secretaries - one for Sinn Fein, and one for the DUP - each paid 3,150 extra per year, on top of other council allowances. This will go up to 3,250 per year. At the committee, on a vote, four members voted for the Alliance proposal and 13 against, and it was declared lost. Members also agreed to increase yearly pay for all special responsibility roles. In March elected representatives were asked by council officers to consider increasing the basic allowance paid to each councillor from 15,486 per annum to 16,394. After a Sinn Fein proposal, councillors agreed not to raise their basic allowance or special responsibility allowance, but increase the rate of dependents carers allowance. At the meeting Sinn Fein councillor Ronan McLaughlin told the chamber: It is scandalous we can decide on our own pay. However at the full council meeting earlier this month the chamber voted against reviewing the whole system of allowances, and ratified a decision to increase special responsibility allowances. Committee chairpersons will have their extra allowance raised from 5,460 to 5,500, and deputy chairs from 2,730 to 2,750. The Sinn Fein party group leader will have their allowance raised from 6,384 to 7,687, the DUP party group leader will have their allowance raised from 5,897 to 6,210, while the Alliance party group leader will have their allowance raised from 5,086 to 5,656. The SDLP party group leader will have their allowance raised from 4,438 to 4,548, the Greens party group leader will have their allowance raised from 4,114 to 4,179, while the UUP party group leader will have their allowance raised from 3,789 to 3,994. People Before Profit and the TUV have only one member each in the chamber, and no allowance has been proposed. Deputy party group leaders from Sinn Fein, the DUP, Alliance and the SDLP will have their yearly allowances raised from 3,150 to 3,250. Read more Belfast apartment block and coffee shop gets go ahead despite affordable rather than social housing plans At the meeting of the full council, Mr Nelson said: When I saw there was a party secretary role that we give a special responsibility allowance to six and a half thousand a year I have to be honest I didnt realise this role even existed. Thats maybe my ignorance, Ive only been here for a year, but I certainly dont know what the role carries out, and I am not entirely sure of the value of the role. And as far as I am aware we are the only council in Northern Ireland that gives this special responsibility allowance why is that? In committee I proposed we dont pay it. Unfortunately I did not get any other party supporting me, which I have to be honest surprised me. But rather than running through that again, I propose we call for a review of those roles that are under the special responsibility allowance, so we can see what some of these roles are, and what value they bring to the council And I think we have to look at the best way to support the democratic parties in this council. I am conscious there are smaller parties that dont get special responsibility allowances. And the party secretaries seem to me to be a dish-out to the two largest parties. In a recorded vote 37 councillors voted against the proposal for a review, from Sinn Fein, the DUP, the UUP, the TUV, and one independent, while 18 were in support, from Alliance, the Greens, the SDLP and People Before Profit. In April 2022 the council agreed to write to the Department for Communities to amend legislation to set up an independent process, similar to that for MPs, for allowances to be set by an independent body, rather than elected members. Belfast City Council still has not received a response from the Stormont department. Former rugby star and politician Trevor Ringland has urged people to make an effort to engage with controversial plans to deal with legacy in Northern Ireland. He also believes the Republic of Ireland should contribute to some sort of Troubles compensation fund. The proposed legislation would end Troubles-era court cases and inquests. In a letter published in Belfast Telegraphs Review, the former Conservative politician said that current structures set in place simply could not cope with the number of outstanding legacy inquests. Read more Legacy Bill: Survey launches to ask public how controversial info recovery body should operate The Legacy Bill understandably caused anger because it made it clear that justice would be difficult to deliver for many victims of the Troubles, Mr Ringland wrote. However, I believe we should all make an effort to engage with the proposals. They merely reflect aspects of the peace process that were never formally acknowledged but we already knew existed. The ex-Ulster player continued: In fact, in the majority of cases, the proposals offer honesty about what is achievable, as well as attempting to restore some balance to the way we deal with legacy. For example, there isnt a relatively small number of inquests outstanding, as is sometimes asserted, but over 1,400. These cases, including those involving the deaths of over 700 members of the security forces, all deserve the scrutiny currently being afforded to too few deaths. The current structure simply could not cope with this workload and therefore it cannot provide a process that is even remotely fair. The same is true for investigations by the Police Ombudsmans office. Last week, MPs voted 292 to 200 to reinstate the Legacy Bills most contentious element, which would offer immunity from prosecution for Troubles-era crimes if they co-operate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR). Addressing this, Mr Ringland stated: In addition, the significant number of civil actions aimed at the state have effectively become a state-funded Troubles compensation fund, but available only to those injured by the security forces. This is grossly unfair, given that 90% of deaths and injuries were caused by paramilitaries and none of these were justified or understandable. Perhaps the money that this costs could be invested in a more equitable scheme of compensation or in promoting reconciliation rather than deepening divisions. The Republic could contribute to this, given that it has drawn a line under legacy issues since 1998, including some questionable aspects of the role it played in our conflict, and yet is quick to condemn the actions of others. Across this island, we need to challenge our hatreds better and those who continue to promote them. The problem, should aliens from outer space ever arrive in Northern Ireland, is that when they demand, Take me to your leader, we could be stuck. Who do we say? Where do we point them towards? The empty corridors of Stormont? Hillsborough Castle? ID spoofing: I had 5,000 calls in just one day - NI artists warning after details stolen by scammers The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming a new law passed by Congress allows you to permanently remove any negative debt from your credit report that is over two years old. The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming that former White House Chef Tafari Campbell was found dead on the anniversary of Jeffrey Epsteins death. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle. Tasha Candee counts change for a customer at Theory Wellness in Great Barrington in 2021. Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission Chairwoman Shannon O'Brien said on Friday that the CCC is "in crisis" due to the pending departure of its executive director. Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, waves as China's Premier Li Keqiang stands next to him during the ASEAN-China summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November 2022. In recent years, the U.S. suspended joint military projects with Cambodia and then suspended arms deliveries. China has stepped into the breach. What is sponsored content? The Eagle provides fee-based professional writing, editing, design, web presence and social media services to businesses to help them tell their stories with the broadest reach possible. Let us help you tell your story today. Email kkirchner@berkshireeagle.com Submitted by Gun Owners of America, Last summer, weak Republicans teamed up with Anti-Gun Democrats to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Part of that law included funding for 'red flag laws nationwide. The reason for this is that the Anti-Gun lobby knows that a national red flag law is totally unconstitutional and would immediately be struck down by federal courts. So instead, they chose to bribe states with federal funds into passing their own 'red flag laws at the state level, where challenges to the laws could get stuck in court proceedings for years to come. According to the letter penned by Senator Roger Marshall of Kentucky and Representative Alex Mooney from West Virginia, the Biden Department of Justice has weaponized Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to Illegally bribe states into passing red flag laws. In the letter, the lawmakers state that the Justice Department gave Federal funding to States that did not meet the criteria for due process. "The Department of Justice appears to have weaponized the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to illegally fund ineligible red flag laws and bribe pro-gun states into passing gun confiscation laws." Interestingly, Minnesota passed a red flag law within 100 days of receiving $3.7 Million from this program. Legendary national security journalist Seymour Hersh has published a report this week alleging US intelligence helped the Ukrainians blow up the Kerch Bridge (or also, Crimean Bridge), which happened earlier this month and corresponded to President Putin refusing to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative deal. What's more is that Hersh's sources described that the US assisted in the initial, larger Kerch Bridge explosion which had initially temporarily disabled it in October 2022. "The Biden administrations role in both attacks was vital," he wrote in a Thursday Substack investigative article. "Of course it was our technology," an unnamed US official told Hersh, referring to the sea drone which detonated under the vital bridge on July 17. "The drone was remotely guided and half submergedlike a torpedo." The source cited is said to be a US intelligence official who is speaking out anonymously "from the point of view of those in the American intelligence community who dont feel they have the ear of President Joe Biden but should." "Our national strategy is that Zelensky can do whatever he wants to do. Theres no adult supervision," the US official complained. A section proving to be among the more blunt and controversial assessments from Hersh's report is as follows: At this point, with the Ukraine counteroffensive against Russia thwarted, the official said, "Zelensky has no plan, except to hang on. Its as if hes an orphana poor waif in his underwearand we have no real idea of what Zelensky and his crowd are thinking. Ukraine is the most corrupt and dumbest government in the world, outside of Nigeria, and Bidens support of Zelensky can only come from Zelenskys knowledge of Biden, and not just because he was taking care of Bidens son." There are some in the American intelligence community, the official said, who worry about Putins response to the recent Ukrainian drone attacks in central Moscow. Will Kiev be next? Over the course of the two attacks, there were multiple casualties and fatalities, including the parents of a 14-year old girl, the latter who was badly injured. The family was traveling on vacation when their car was blown apart during the July 17 bridge attack. A partial excerpt of Hersh's new report can be viewed below... * * * Lets take a look at recent events in the Ukraine war from the point of view of those in the American intelligence community who dont feel they have the ear of President Joe Biden but should. On July 17 Ukraine attacked for a second time one of Russian President Vladimirs proudest achievements: the 11.25-mile Kerch Bridge linking Crimea to Russia. The 3.7 billion dollar bridge, with separate spans for auto and train traffic, was opened for auto traffic in May of 2018 and for trucks five months later, with Putin himself driving the first one to make the crossing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made it clear before the Russian invasion early last year that he considered the bridge a legitimate military target. Ukraine initially attacked the bridge last October, using a truck bomb, but it was fully repaired within seven months. The most recent attack, by a pair of submersible drones, killed a couple who were driving across when the explosion occurred and injured their child. Damage to one of the auto spans was severe. The Biden administrations role in both attacks was vital. Of course it was our technology, one American official told me. The drone was remotely guided and half submergedlike a torpedo. I asked if there was any thought before the bridge attack about the possibility of retaliation. What will Putin do? We dont think that far, the official said. Our national strategy is that Zelensky can do whatever he wants to do. Theres no adult supervision. Putin responded to the second attack on the bridge by ending an agreement that enabled Ukrainian wheat and other vital food crops, stymied by the ongoing war, to be shipped from blocked ports on the Black Sea. (Before the war Ukraine exported more grain than the entire European Union and nearly half of the worlds sunflower seeds.) And Russia began steadily intensifying missile and rocket attacks in Odessa, whose initial target list has expanded from port areas to inner city sites. The official said there was a lot more than grain and sunflower seeds flowing into Europe from Odessa and other Black Sea ports: Odessas exports included illegal stuff like drugs and the oil that Ukraine was getting from Russia. At this point, with the Ukraine counteroffensive against Russia thwarted, the official said, Zelensky has no plan, except to hang on. Its as if hes an orphana poor waif in his underwearand we have no real idea of what Zelensky and his crowd are thinking. Ukraine is the most corrupt and dumbest government in the world, outside of Nigeria, and Bidens support of Zelensky can only come from Zelenskys knowledge of Biden, and not just because he was taking care of Bidens son. There are some in the American intelligence community, the official said, who worry about Putins response to the recent Ukrainian drone attacks in central Moscow. Will Kiev be next? Read Hersh's full report at Substack... As discussed here and elsewhere, the Hunter Biden plea deal (and its accompanying exhibits and diversion agreement) is a curious document: it reduces the power of federal prosecutors to convict Hunter Biden for more serious charges; it eliminates the potential for Hunter Biden to be a cooperating witness; it keeps the DOJ from Congressional oversight; its ambiguous terms could have foreclosed future prosecution of Hunter Biden for Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) charges; and it left Judge Maryellen Noreika rejecting it, for the time being, citing concerns with its potential unconstitutionality and its unprecedented structure. And that doesnt even take into consideration that the plea agreement was made after the statute of limitations on some of Hunter Bidens crimes had passed, after charging recommendations of the DOJ Tax Division were ignored, after the scope of the broader investigation was improperly limited, and after search warrants were rejected and witness interviews were sabotaged. But we want to get to something else that has been all but ignored until now how two prosecutors assigned to the Hunter Biden case, Leo Wise and Derek Hines, treated less serious tax cases as compared to the Hunter Biden case. Before we get to that, its important to understand who were dealing with. Leo Wise is a trial attorney in the DOJ Criminal Division Public Integrity Section. He has held that position since June of 2023; prior to that, he was the Chief of the US Attorneys Office for the District of Marylands Fraud and Public corruption unit (a position from which he was demoted after disagreements with supervisors over staffing). He has been with the DOJ since at least 2004. By all accounts, Wise is an aggressive prosecutor. Its in his DNA. He was part of the Enron Task Force, assisted in the racketeering trial against big tobacco (US v. Philip Morris), and prosecuted significant high-profile cases against corrupt leadership in Baltimore, including the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force, former Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh, and former Baltimore City States Attorney Marilyn Mosby. Wise also brought the biggest racketeering case in Maryland history. Assisting Wise on the Hunter Biden case is Derek Hines, an equally aggressive prosecutor whose current role is Assistant US Attorney at the DOJ Criminal Division. Hines, for example, was part of Wises prosecution team in the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force, which won indictments against 11 men eight Baltimore cops, two civilians, and one Philadelphia office who robbed drug dealers, sold drugs, and ran interference for drug dealers. Wise and Hines have been described in one Baltimore Sun article as relentless prosecutors who are like the terminator. They are hardliners who pursue stern sentences and prosecute even small-time crooks. Imagine you just filled up at the petrol station and you get a message on your phone saying: Did you know this purchase is equivalent to over 200 kg of carbon? If you used public transport more, youd save over half. This is a service that Cogo, a carbon impact platform is providing for mobile banking apps, such as NatWest with the aim to inform and change behaviours. And they are working in partnership with notorious communist Professor Susan Michies Behavioural Insight Team, which was responsible for the propaganda and lies published and spouted on a daily basis during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to manipulate you into giving up your freedoms and rights without a fight. Cogo is a carbon footprint management product that helps individuals and businesses to measure, reduce and offset their impact on the climate. It has a powerful algorithm that can calculate the carbon emissions of all transactions on an account. Cogas mission statement is to Support hundreds of millions of individuals and businesses across the world to be more conscious of the impact of their spending on people and the planet. Through their banking app products, businesses and consumers can track their individual carbon emissions. Coga has partnered with leading banks to transition their customers into a low-carbon economy including: Natwest, RBS, Coutts, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, ING, Ulster Bank, TSB, Mastercard, Satander, The Cumberland, Kiwibank and OTP Bank. Carbon footprint trackers are being embedded into these banking apps. For example, NatWest analyses your monthly transactions and matches them to their industry categories (grocery, energy, transportation). Carbon footprints are then calculated by multiplying transaction amounts by emissions factors. So, if you spend 15 on a dress at an average high-street retailer, thats 16kg CO2. The same 15 spent on a dress from a charity shop could have a lower footprint of around 4kg CO2. Now the UKs Behavioural Insights Team, also known as The Nudge Unit, which was prolific during the covid pandemic by their application of psychological and behavioural programming warfare on the people of the UK, has partnered with Cogo to explore how banks should approach their customers to be green. According to the Nudge unit, banks should use their wealth of data to provide carbon feedback on transactions, and introduce social credit-style rewards and incentives to encourage sustainable behaviours. The goal is to nudge you towards a net zero future by using carbon impact prompts within app transactions to reflect the emissions generated by your transaction. These messages would be delivered at just the right moment, i.e., at the point of purchase. These alerts are called carbon feedback. This is about transitioning to a low-carbon economy where you own less, reuse more and eat insects. The idea is that you would be incentivised to do the right thing to save the planet. For example, the BI team have suggested an exclusive bank card The bank offers you a special green bank card if the carbon footprint of your transactions is below a certain threshold. This card would entitle you to perks and exclusive discounts in selected stores. The classic carrot and the stick. You may also receive alerts to encourage you to consider purchasing second hand products or repairing your products. These alerts may offer guarantees to get your money back for faulty goods. This is about the push towards a circular economy where you will own nothing and be happy. The BI team said that banks have a licence to operate when it comes to introducing carbon feedback on transactions. And to seize this opportunity the Nudge unit recommends that Banks should nudge customers to take the sustainable actions that people are most willing to take. Another company called ecolytiq is also pushing ahead with carbon tracking. Banks like Rabobank and Tatra Banka have partnered with ecolytiq to integrate carbon tracking into their apps, while Tatra Banka has introduced a scheme that rewards sustainable purchasing. With rewards and possible penalties, ESGs carbon reduction is about changing our buying and travelling habits by changing our behaviours. Each country has a carbon quota, and it wont be long before everyone receives their own personalised carbon quota. Many platforms, not just financial institutions, are implementing carbon footprint trackers. Earlier this year in Davos at the World Economic Forum, Michael Evans, President of Alibaba Group, said: Were developing, through technology, an ability for consumers to measure their own carbon footprint [] Thats where theyre traveling, how they are traveling, what are they eating, what are they consuming on the platform J. Michael Evans, President of Alibaba Group, WEF 2022. Let us not forget the World Economic Forum published an article in September titled My Carbon: An approach for inclusive and sustainable cities where they said that COVID-19 was a test of social responsibility and that we need to monitor our own carbon levels. Even Norwegian supermarket chain E-Grocer Oda is now providing climate receipts to its customers to encourage them to buy the right things. Also in a French article titled Private Jets, Transport, Heating, Food What If We Set Up A Carbon Card? They gave the following example: Take a private jet to go to Hendaye, plan a trip to New York, fill up your car at the service station or buy a beef steak at the supermarket What if tomorrow, each of these CO2-consuming actions were limited by the allocation, for each citizen, of a certain carbon quota to be used? If banks are gearing up for this now, what will it be like when trackable and programmable central bank digital currencies are introduced? Simple, if youve used up your carbon quota, you cant buy that product. CBDCs will give the elites control over what you can own and what you cant. Meanwhile the Dutch are already talking about changing their laws to monitor all transactions over 100 euros, possibly to police for net zero compliance. And just last month we had the former deputy governor of the Peoples Bank of China touting a Communist China-like approach to CBDCs. He said: By programming CBDC, money can be precisely targeted for what kind of people can own and what kind of use this money can be utilized Bo Li, IMF, October 2022 Also, there is a new scheme for residents of Warwickshire in England. As a result, they can earn rewards and win prizes for tracking their active and sustainable travel throughout the District. Our society is slowly sleepwalking towards personal carbon allowances and mass social nudging, most likely linked to a CBDC. In other words, to decarbonize the west, were moving towards a net zero social credit system, based on sustainable behaviours. In the end, they dont want you to leave your house, and they dont want you to travel, because you are the carbon footprint they want to eliminate. Michelle Yeoh has married her long-term partner Jean Todt after a 19-year engagement, saying: Heres to many more to come. The Oscar-winning actress (60) posted a series of photos on Instagram of the pair at the wedding ceremony, including one of them admiring the wedding ring on Todts finger. Advertisement Another showed Yeoh looking delighted during the proceedings while dressed in an elegant white outfit featuring a silk shirt and a long ruffled skirt. Former Ferrari chief Todt (77) donned a navy blue suit, white shirt and decorative blue tie for the ceremony, which was held in an ornately-decorated room in Geneva on Thursday. Advertisement The Hollywood star also shared a photo of her with her new husband cuddled up in bed, which was decorated with white and purple rose petals in the shape of a heart and two swans made out of towels. Advertisement The last photo in the series made reference to her starring role in the 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies as the classic image of her on the back of a motorcycle with Pierce Brosnan had been edited to her with Todt, with the line Love Never Dies emblazoned across it. Yeoh wrote alongside the post: 19 years and YES!! we are married!! Thkq to our families who love us for all these years. We love you and heres to many more to come. Advertisement Former Ferrari Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa was among the famous faces in attendance at the ceremony. A message in the wedding programme posted by Massa on Instagram revealed the couple had been engaged for 6,992 days before they tied the knot. Advertisement The message read: We met in Shanghai on 4th June 2004. On 26th July 2004, J.T proposed to marry M.Y and she said YES! Today after 6992 days on 27th July 2023 in Geneva, surrounded by loving family and friends, we are so happy to celebrate this special moment together! Michelle Yeoh and Jean Todt in 2006 (Yui Mok/PA) Advertisement Earlier this year, Yeoh made history as the first Asian to win the Academy Award for best actress for her performance as a laundromat owner in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Advertisement Yeoh started her career in Hong Kong before becoming a Hollywood star with her credits including 2000s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2018s Crazy Rich Asians and the TV series Star Trek: Discovery. The actress will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as part of the class of 2024. Todt was the president of Formula One governing body, the Federation Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA), until the end of 2021. He was formerly a director of Peugeot Talbot Sport and then Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team principal before being appointed chief executive of Ferrari. A rally has been taking place in Dun Laoghaire in Dublin in support of refugees and asylum seekers this afternoon. Students' unions, trade unions and political parties have been participating in solidarity with migrants. Advertisement It comes after a series of protests and attacks directed against those seeking asylum in Dun Laoghaire and Ballybrack. Councillor Hugh Lewis' family home was attacked earlier this month, and he says the support he has received has been overwhelmingly positive. "They let me know what I already believe, that the vast majority of people understand the issue quite well. We have a huge heritage of emigration in Dun Laoghaire town itself. "Many Irish emigrants have left these shores un search of a better life, so that was reflected today in the march, and we had a great turnout right across the community." Advertisement People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd-Barrett says the Rally aims to shows refugees they're welcome in Ireland. "People seeking asylum, who have moved into the area, and who have un our opinion, been unfairly targeted with a campaign of unnecessary fears, particularly by a small group of far-right activists, who seem to be hell-bent on encouraging division and fear. "We want to counter that by showing solidarity and addressing the misinformation and fear they are trying to spread in the community. The sons of a US tourist assaulted in Dublin have thanked the people of Ireland for their kindness, as they said he is no longer in a coma. Stephen Termini (57), from New York state, was seriously injured in an attack in Talbot Street in the city centre on July 19. Advertisement The incident has prompted a wider debate on whether Dublins streets are safe. On Friday, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced an additional 10 million for Gardai in the Dublin region. Mr Terminis sons, Michael and Jesse Rizzuto, have travelled from the US to visit their father in hospital. They set up an online fundraising page with a target of $10,000 (9,000) to pay for their trip to Ireland. Advertisement The Go Fund Me page has been deluged with donations. By Saturday the total raised had passed $127,000 (115,000) with more than 4,400 people having donated. Advertisement Advertisement Jesse Rizzuto said the reaction had been nothing but the greatest. Everybody has reached out to us to say you know, this isnt what its like (in Ireland), we want to show you what its like, he told RTE. And I mean the donations, we never expected a turnout like this. I mean we had it set for a smaller amount just to get us over here and see him, but I mean everybody thats donated has left us comments as well like hey, you know, so sorry or hey, all the best for your family, this isnt what Irelands really like and the people dont stand behind that. Advertisement And its amazing. Stephen Termini was seriously injured in an attack in Dublin city centre (PA) He added: How do you thank over 4,000 people? Advertisement His brother Michael added: Were just so thankful about everything. Like I wish I could just line everyone up and shake everyones hand and give hugs and stuff. Michael Rizzuto said his father was out of a coma, but improvements in his condition were slow. Its going to be like a long game here, he said. Jesse Rizzuto said there were signs of slight improvements in his fathers condition. Were taking it basically one hour at a time, he said. Advertisement But he is making slight improvements that were very happy with, very happy with, hes showing some good signs of having a strong resilient body. Asked about the extent of an injury to one of his fathers eyes, Jesse Rizzuto added: Theyre still trying to do everything they can. So were leaving it up to their hands because theyre the professionals. Yes, as far as injuries go, yes, hes improving. Three teenage youths have appeared in court in Dublin charged in connection with the assault on Mr Termini. A Royal Marine drowned in an accident during arduous military training for operations with an elite unit, a coroner has ruled. Benjamin McQueen (26)was brought to the surface after being separated from other divers during a drill in Portland Harbour, Dorset, on November 14th, 2018. Advertisement He was declared dead after CPR was performed and a post-mortem examination by Dr Mark Ashton on November 25th, 2018 gave his cause of death as drowning, the inquest previously heard. The vast majority of the Marines three-week judge-led inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice in London was held in secret due to national security concerns. The inquest was held at the Royal Courts of Justice in London (Aaron Chown/PA) Advertisement On Friday, Sir Ernest Ryder, acting as judge coroner, said: On November 14th, 2018 Benjamin McQueen drowned during a military diving exercise in Portland Harbour, Dorset. He experienced complications during the dive. Advertisement He carried out one or more authorised emergency drills which would have rapidly depleted the supply from his breathing apparatus. He was recovered from the sea bed from a depth of about 18 metres, but despite appropriate attempts at (CPR) he could not be revived and was declared dead at 7.17pm. Advertisement Mr McQueen became a Royal Marine in September 2010 and later joined 45 Commando in Arbroath, Scotland. At 19, he was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick 14, for which he was awarded the Operational Service Medal. At the time of his death, Ben had recently become a member of an elite unit, Mr Ryder said. In a version of his finding of facts omitting national security-sensitive information, he said the sea was calm on the night of the dive but that being a dusk into night dive, the underwater visibility was extremely limited. Advertisement Mr Ryder said: There were two diving tasks being undertaken during the incident dive. One of the dive tasks was completed successfully and the divers involved exited the water. Ben and the other divers encountered a subsurface obstacle which they sought to negotiate. What happened next is the first of a sequence of complications during the incident dive. Advertisement Advertisement He said the complications were accidental but questioned whether they could have been foreseen. The Portland Harbour area in Dorset (Ben Birchall/PA) He added: First, I find that the lack of requirement for all signals to be acknowledged was a contributory factor in Bens death because there was a missed opportunity to abort the dive at an early stage when Ben started to get into difficulties and was not ready to proceed with the exercise. Second, Ben had to contend with becoming entangled underwater. This created a difficult situation which he attempted to resolve. From this stage onwards, it is clear that events unfolded very rapidly. He said the further details of his conclusions have been set out in my security sensitive findings of fact. In a joint statement, Mr McQueens parents Kathy (64) and Colin (65), from Southampton said his death was preventable. They also expressed concern it took about 40 minutes to locate their son and bring him to the surface. They said: His life was cut short because he was failed by the very organisation in which he put his trust. We do not know exactly what happened in Bens final moments, but we do believe Bens death was preventable. His legacy will be significant changes in dive training and ethos across the forces and an inspiration for others to face their fears as he so courageously did. We do not grieve as those who have no hope because we will see Ben again and his live and death have not been wasted. Advertisement In an additional narrative conclusion, Mr Ryder said: Bens unit collectively took diver safety seriously and conscientiously. But he said his death was contributed to by factors including not topping up breathable gas levels between the two dives and the lack of a training requirement for all signals to be acknowledged. He also called out inadequate risk assessment for the combined use of the equipment on the exercise which failed to identify mitigating measures for the risks arising insistence on careful progression; shallower water and ensuring breathable gas was topped up. And he said there has been insufficiently firm instruction on when student divers should surface. Mr Ryder intends to issue a prevention of future deaths report to the Defence Secretary calling for the following actions to be taken. Carrying spare breathing apparatus cylinders in safety boats in addition to those carried by the stand-by driver where possible, is the first action he is calling for. He added: I am reassured that this appears to be happening in Bens former unit but I have concern that this does not yet appear in policy guidance and it is a safety concern that may need to be more widely shared in defence. Advertisement Two, avoiding visits by senior ranking officers or VIP visitors to training courses leading to an acceleration of safety critical training. I am reassured that action has been taken in Bens former unit such that this should not recur in relation to the relevant diving training, but I have a concern as to whether this has been shared more widely amongst other military units. Mr Ryder also wants defibrillators to be available when particular kinds of diving training are being carried out. He said he has seen detailed evidence from the MoD on the changes made to the relevant aspects of military diving training since Bens death, and added: It is very clear that there has been a comprehensive and far-reaching review of policies, practices and organisational structures which will have very significantly reduced the risk of future fatalities. The UK and India could sign a long-awaited trade deal before the end of the year, according to a senior Indian official. The countrys commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal told reporters on Friday: We want to finalise the deal at the earliest. Advertisement He also said that it was possible that the deal could be agreed much before the end of the year. Talks remain ongoing between the two governments, after the initial target of securing a deal by Diwali last October was missed. Securing a post-Brexit trade agreement with India, a country with over 1.4 billion people, has been a key target for the British government. Advertisement Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Photo: Leon Neal/PA. The British Department for Business and Trade insisted that the UK government would only sign when we have a deal that is fair, balanced, and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy. Advertisement A spokesperson said: The UK and India are committed to working towards the best deal possible for both sides. While weve made good progress in closing chapters, were now focused on the high ambition areas including goods, services, and investment. Advertisement British prime minister Rishi Sunak will attend the G20 summit in New Delhi in September. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law moving the countrys official Christmas Day holiday to December 25 from January 7 the day the Russian Orthodox Church observes it. An explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to abandon the Russian heritage, including that of imposing the celebration of Christmas on January 7, and cited Ukrainians relentless, successful struggle for their identity and the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions, holidays, fuelled by Russias 17-month-old war on the country. Advertisement Last year, some Ukrainians observed Christmas on December 25 in a gesture representing separation from Russia, its culture and religious traditions. The law also moves the Day of Ukrainian Statehood to July 15 from July 28, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine to October 1 from October 14. Advertisement The Russian Orthodox Church, which claims sovereignty over Orthodoxy in Ukraine, and some other Eastern Orthodox churches continue to use the ancient Julian calendar. Advertisement Today is the anniversary of Olenivka, one of the most vile and cruel crimes of . The deliberate, pre-planned killing of captured Azov warriors. Let every loss of be retribution for its evil, and let every occupier, every Russian murderer, all those responsible for this pic.twitter.com/k8yS3MP0KB (@ZelenskyyUa) July 29, 2023 Advertisement Christmas falls 13 days later on that calendar than it does on the Gregorian calendar used by most church and secular groups. The Catholic Church first adopted the modern, more astronomically precise Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. Protestants and some Orthodox churches have since aligned their own calendars for the purpose of calculating Christmas and Easter. Ukraines religious landscape has been fractured for years. Advertisement There are two branches of Orthodox Christianity in the country, one aligned with the Russian church, even as it enjoys broad autonomy, the other completely independent of it. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the branch separate from the Russian church, announced earlier this year it was switching to the Revised Julian calendar, which marks Christmas on December 25. Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative has decreased the supply of grain onto global markets and destabilised global food prices. Russia is now using some of its best weaponry to target infrastructure housing and transporting grain.#FoodIsNotAWeapon pic.twitter.com/r8Fk9Vb3tv Advertisement Advertisement Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) July 29, 2023 Its leadership last year allowed believers to celebrate the holiday on December 25. Russias state news agency RIA Novosti said on Saturday the rival Orthodox Church, which is aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, vowed to continue observing Christmas on January 7. Mr Zelensky on Saturday travelled to the war-torn Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia has illegally annexed but only partially occupies, and met with members of the countrys Special Operation Forces. Mr Zelensky noted in an online statement that Saturday marks their official day of recognition and also the anniversary of the deadly attack on the Olenivka prison in the Russian-held part of the region in which dozens of prisoners of war were killed. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of the attack, with both sides saying the assault was premeditated in a bid to cover up atrocities. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 29 July 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/fMz5G0zMCP #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/40214yywD6 Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) July 29, 2023 A United Nations fact-finding mission requested by Russia and Ukraine was sent to investigate the killings but the team was disbanded in January 2023 due to security concerns. In a video statement on Saturday, Mr Zelensky described the attack as one of Russias most vile and cruel crimes. More than 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, the Polish prime minister has said. The mercenaries have moved close to the Suwalki Gap, a strategic stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian territory separated from the mainland, Mateusz Morawiecki said at a press conference on Saturday. Advertisement Poland is a member of the European Union (EU) and Nato and has worried about its security with Russian ally Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern border. Those fears have grown since Wagner group mercenaries arrived in Belarus since the groups short-lived rebellion earlier this summer. Advertisement The Poland-Belarus border has already been a tense place for a couple of years, ever since large numbers of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa began arriving, seeking to enter the EU by crossing into Poland, as well as Lithuania. Advertisement Polands government accuses Russia and Belarus of using the migrants to destabilise Poland and other EU countries. It calls the migration a form of hybrid warfare and has responded by building a high wall along part of its border with Belarus. Advertisement Now the situation becomes even more dangerous, Mr Morawiecki told reporters. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 29 July 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/fMz5G0zMCP #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/40214yywD6 Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) July 29, 2023 Advertisement He said this is certainly a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory. Mr Morawiecki spoke during a visit to an arms factory in Gliwice, in southern Poland, where Leopard tanks used by the Ukrainian army are being fixed. Advertisement When Andy died in inner Sydney nine years ago, the only thing found in his pockets was $80 in cash, chocolate wrappers, a small bible and a phone number given to him by a resident in case he needed help. A homeless man aged in his 30s or 40s, Andy had lived in Cadi Park in Pyrmont for at least seven years. He kept his belongings in the bushes and took shelter overnight in the doorway of a real estate agency. Police have released a computer-generated image of Andy, who died in a park in Pyrmont. Credit: Australian Federal Police Although he befriended various residents, who gave him food and clothing, attempts to connect him with community services never seemed to work. Andy would talk to the service providers, but he didnt accept their help. Residents described Andy as being quiet, courteous and shy. He seemed to spend most of his time sitting on a bench near the waters edge, watching boats go by. In 1938, like so many young Australians before and since, Bruce Dowding travelled to Paris and fell under Frances spell. As the French language teacher in his mid-20s picnicked with new friends, found romance and spoke the language he loved, Dowding could not have imagined that in a few years, he would be executed in a war. A nephew pays tribute: Former WA premier Peter Dowding at Melbournes Shrine of Remembrance. Credit: Jason South The incredible but little-known story of the Melbourne teacher turned agent for British intelligence and the French underground, who was beheaded by the Nazis in World War II, is told in a new biography. The book, Secret Agent, Unsung Hero, has been co-written by Dowdings nephew, former West Australian premier Peter Dowding, and writer Ken Spillman. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When Nicole Lee threw a plastic cup of tea at a wall at the Northern Hospital in Melbournes Epping, by her own admission she had lost touch with reality. Lees weight was dangerously low. She had fasted for two weeks and underwent emergency surgery after a self-harm incident. Her brain was starved, she says, and she tried to escape. In response, two security guards shackled her arms and legs to a bed for six hours. The restraints remained fastened to the bed for the next three weeks, and were used multiple times when Lee became agitated. Im not a big woman. Im an incomplete quadriplegic. I dont know why my legs were tied down, Lee said. It could have been avoided. Nicole Lee was shackled to the bed for six hours at the Northern Hospital. Credit: Nicole Lee Lee is president of People With Disability Australia and spends her days advocating for disability policy reform. Knowing the system, she was shocked by the hospitals willingness to use force, and dismiss her concerns. One minute Im being restrained, not listened to, gas-lit by a service, she says. A couple of weeks later, Im in Canberra speaking with Bill Shorten on the NDIS. Advertisement The Victorian government has committed to eliminating restraints in mental health facilities within 10 years. The Australian Medical Association opposes this, citing danger to healthcare workers. But Lee says nationally consistent and mandatory de-escalation training for all healthcare workers can reduce the need for restraints, protecting patients and staff. Experts claim over-use of restraints remains prominent in Victorian hospitals, where under-staffing and poor training makes force the default option. In its recent annual report, the states mental health watchdog identified inappropriate use of restraints as a significant concern, with 52 complaints received in the year, most of which were from emergency wards. Nicole Lee says restraints are still being over-used. Credit: Nicole Lee System gaslighting Three years earlier, Lee attended the same hospital in a different capacity. Representing the Victorian governments victim advisory council, she delivered a speech to a room packed with doctors, nurses, social workers and hospital executive staff. Lee started by sharing her experience of living with both a physical and mental disability and how this factored into her reliance on her abusive former husband. Advertisement For years, David Latham was Lees primary carer and abuser routinely raping and beating her for 10 years until the authorities intervened. Latham was sentenced to prison for these crimes but for Lee, the psychological scars remain. At the Epping hospital around August 2019, she spoke of the need for medical staff to listen to patient experiences and incorporate this into their treatment. Loading Your role is vital, she said, according to notes of the presentation. Look at the individual and possible barriers, ask direct questions, validate what you see and hear [and] dont be part of the system gaslighting. This is a position that University of Tasmania senior lecturer Dr Yvette Maker says is supported by a growing body of evidence that women, particularly those living with disabilities or history of abuse, are more likely to be traumatised by restraints. Being aware of that history, by having conversations around what might trigger people, might assist the person to be calm and relaxed and feel safe, Maker said. All of that requires appropriate staffing levels, skills and training. Lees speech was met with rounds of applause. Advertisement However, in March this year, when she presented to the emergency department with severe symptoms of anorexia nervosa she says none of these lessons had been learnt. I was treated poorly, spoken to badly, dismissed and told, We have real sick people, cant be bothered dealing with you. Work to do Restraints can be used lawfully to prevent imminent and serious harm to the patient or others, only after all reasonable and less restrictive options are exhausted. Laws that govern these practices are intentionally vague which experts say leads to over-use. Victoria has among the highest rates of restrictive practices nationally, says University of Melbourne expert Piers Gooding. Theres a lot of work to do. Emergency ward nurses, who could not be named because they are not authorised to speak publicly, said over-use was rife in under-pressure wards and training was unevenly rolled out. Hospitals enlisted private security companies to assist, with these staff more quick to use force. Gooding said hospital staff are not required to assess the patients physical strength in determining whether its appropriate to use restraints, but this may contribute to whether the treatment is considered reasonable. Advertisement Whats reasonable for a person who has quadriplegia and is slight of weight is going to be different from someone who is six foot tall and weighs 140 kilograms, he said. A report published by the Universities of Melbourne and University of Technology Sydney last week found use of restrictive practices breach international human rights obligations for treatment of people with a disability and strip people with disability of dignity including by inflicting trauma, pain, harm and violation. The report outlined an eight-point plan for eliminating restrictive practices, ranging from making them illegal to implementing a national redress scheme. Loading University of Melbournes director of the Centre for Mental Health Nursing, Bridget Hamilton, says training around restraints and de-escalation is not part of nursing degrees but rather designed and implemented by individual hospitals. Hamilton said this, combined with staffing shortages and the increasingly casualised hospital workforce, created inconsistencies in training. The Northern Hospital was particularly exposed to staffing pressures, Hamilton said, given its burgeoning and low socioeconomic population. Emergency departments are not terrific destinations for people in mental distress, she said. The Northern has been pinpointed as an area that needs more resources. Thats happening but it takes time. Maker says restraints can be traumatising for hospital staff as well, adding that its important to remember the issue is complex, and threshold for the use of restraints varies from one situation to the next. Advertisement Loading I have lost count of how many coffees I make in the morning, Chantakam said. But by the middle of the afternoon, Chantakam said the cafe was a ghost town. Like many cafes across the city, Tukk and Co closes its doors at 3pm, Tuesday to Thursday, and 2pm on Mondays and Fridays. We have tried staying open later, but there is just nobody around, Chantakam said. It is not financially viable. Its a far cry from the diners in the United States, famous for pouring big mugs of filter coffee at all hours. So, why is Melbournes cafe culture so different to other places in the world? Five places to get coffee after 5pm in Melbourne: Brunetti Classico, Carlton: open until 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 11.30pm Friday and Saturday Pellegrinis, Melbourne CBD: open until 9pm most weekdays and 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays Puzzle Coffee, Melbourne CBD: open until 6pm Monday to Friday and closes 7 pm Saturday to Sunday International Cakes, Melbourne CBD: open until 10pm Sunday to Thursday, midnight Fridays and 1am on Saturdays Cathedral Coffee, Melbourne CBD: open until 11pm Wednesday to Saturday In New York, coffee shops often act like a third living room, Studd said. They are a communal space because people are often living in tiny apartments or very condensed living situations. American-style cafes were overflowing with power points to plug in laptops, allowing people to work remotely, she said. Fabio Angele, owner of Brunetti Classico. They play a different role in New York and I think are active at different times of day because of the nature of that. Australias coffee scene, born out of the influx of European migrants decades ago, is driven by small operators and independent cafes that open early in the morning, producing high-quality coffee. Other countries are dominated by major chains, such as Starbucks, that operate for longer hours. Fabio Angele, director of Brunetti Classico on Lygon Street in Carlton and at Melbourne Airport, is filled with a sense of nostalgia when he reflects on the bygone era of Melbournes home of Italian cuisine. He remembered when the world-famous strip would thrum late into the night with hundreds of people sitting outside at cafes, sipping coffee. Thirty years ago, every second place was a coffee shop, he said. Loading But times have changed. The number of people that get takeaway coffees in Melbourne now is just astronomical. In Italy, that just doesnt happen people sit at the cafe and have their coffee. In Asian countries, there are a growing number of late-night cafes popping up, driven by a trend in socialising over a dessert accompanied by coffee, hot chocolate or matcha. Studd noticed during a trip to Japan that many coffee shops did not open until 9am a trend she attributed to people brewing their initial morning coffee at home. But the coronavirus pandemic has also shifted how Melburnians consume coffee. Traders are increasingly observing micro-trends: people are wanting coffee later, gravitating to booming suburban cafes, or just brewing their own at home. Fleur Studd says Melbournes speciality coffee scene is unlike any other in the world. Credit: Eddie Jim Theres definitely a growing market that is now seeking out a coffee later in the day and they are baffled by the Melburnian culture to shut a coffee shop at 4pm, Studd said. There are plenty out there who want a late-night caffeine hit. Loading Angele said he was considering extending Brunetti Classicos opening hours until midnight on Fridays, due to roaring night trade. Market Lane Coffee, which has eight locations, is also paying close attention to shifting customer behaviour based on location. Its Collins Street cafe in the CBD closes at 2pm, while the Queen Victoria and South Melbourne markets stores close at 4pm. But when Market Lane opened its Sydney Road cafe in Brunswick in 2020, customers were still pouring in for coffee after 3pm, prompting them to extend the opening hours until 5pm. Market Lane also installed a 24-hour vending machine in Brunswick, packed full of coffee beans and filter papers. Their data shows people are coming to buy coffee even after midnight. Bill Bitz, the owner of International Cakes on Lonsdale Street, said the daytime rush for coffee had never recovered from COVID-19 lockdowns. But night trade was the busiest hed seen it in the more than 50 years he had worked there. His peak hours are between 8pm and 1am. People who have gone to the cinema or out for dinner flock to his warmly lit store, where shelves are full of Greek-style sweets including chocolate pistachio rolls and baklava. Bill Bitz, owner of International Cakes, says demand for coffee is booming in the evenings. Credit: Justin McManus We get all different customers at night, the 73-year-old Greek-born pastry chef said. We have lots of Asian customers, Italians, Greeks, you name it. The most popular dessert is the galaktoboureko, a creamy baked custard pastry. The beverage of choice for night owls is a latte. A 39-year-old man has fronted Perth Magistrates Court charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a man six times in Perths northern suburbs. Hung Nguyen made a brief appearance in court on Saturday afternoon, speaking only to confirm his name and nodding when asked whether he understood the serious charge against him. Detectives spent Saturday morning doorknocking homes on Winship Avenue, where the man was allegedly stabbed on Thursday night. Credit: Nine News Perth. WA Police say the 46-year-old male victim had been sitting in a vehicle parked outside a Winship Avenue home in Wanneroo just after 8pm on Thursday when Nguyen allegedly approached, stabbing the man several times before fleeing the scene. He was later arrested and charged by Joondalup Detectives. The United States top foreign policy official has urged Australians to understand American concerns about Julian Assanges publishing of leaked classified information, saying the WikiLeaks founder is alleged to have endangered lives and put US national security at risk. In the sharpest and most detailed remarks from a Biden administration official about the matter, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Assange had been involved in one of the largest breaches of classified information in American history and had been charged with serious criminal conduct in the US. Blinkens comments, which represent a rare public display of disagreement between the US and Australia, highlighted the difficult task the Albanese government faces in its bid to convince the Biden administration to end its pursuit of Assange. The US is seeking to extradite Assange from Londons Belmarsh prison to face 17 counts of breaching the US Espionage Act plus a separate hacking-related charge. A highly anticipated report into authorities handling of the rape trial of former Coalition ministerial staffer Bruce Lehrmann could be hidden from the public for weeks as questions remain over the fate of top ACT prosecutor Shane Drumgold, SC. Former Queensland Supreme Court judge Walter Sofronoff, KC, is due to hand his findings to the territorys government on Monday but an ACT government spokesperson said Chief Minister Andrew Barr intended to table the report to parliament when it next sits late next month. Bruce Lehrmann has maintained his innocence over rape allegations he faced. The charges were discontinued last year. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen The government will consider the report through a proper cabinet process. This could take three to four weeks, the spokesperson said. Subject to the contents of the report, and any legal implications, the Chief Minister currently intends to table all, or part of the report during the August parliamentary sitting of the ACT Legislative Assembly. Our destination is a small nature reserve near Minca, a sleepy mountain town that has become a popular backpacker haunt in recent years. We reach the reserve about 8am (late by birding standards), but were still bombarded by a concerto of whistles, tweets, clicks and beeps as soon as we leave the car. I lose track of the number of species we see during our hour-long stroll through the forest, but it includes some of the areas endemic superstars, such as the Santa Marta brushfinch and the groove-billed toucanet. Colombia is legendary in birding circles because its home to the worlds highest number of species (exact figures vary, but its over 1900). More than 600 can be found here in the Sierra Nevada mountains, including an unusually large number of endemic species (27, according to Cristian) because it was once surrounded by an inland sea. Getting here requires effort. Theres only one access road, the 22-kilometre winding route from Santa Marta, which itself is a 4.5-hour drive east of Cartagena. At least its paved now. It used to be a dirt track, which quickly turned into a treacherous quagmire during one of the regular afternoon downpours. The reward? The delightful town of Minca, a bohemian hamlet surrounded by thick jungle and a dramatic cluster of snow-dusted peaks. Minca, Colombia. Credit: iStock Backpackers discovered it around a decade ago, which has led to a network of impressive hostels and boutique hotels, a sprinkling of laidback eateries (including an unexpectedly good French bakery) and a handful of organised tours. Despite its burgeoning popularity, its still the kind of place where youll see a farmer walking his donkey down the main drag, scattering chickens as they go. Popular activities include a guided tour of the nearby La Victoria coffee farm, a self-sustaining plantation that still uses machinery brought over from the UK in the late 1800s, and taking a motorbike taxi up into the mountains to watch the sunset. There are also many jungle hikes to swimming holes and waterfalls, although they start early because many get busy with Colombian day-trippers seeking a respite from the coastal heat. Minca is the sort of town that people visit and then forget to leave. One such character is Jose Gustavo Perez, the entertaining 83-year-old owner of rustic eatery Asadero Camarita. Originally from Colombias cattle-farming country, he specialises in the lowlands cowboy cuisine of slow-cooked pork, ribs and chorizo. The restaurant is also known for its special dessert a marijuana joint. Hes been smoking pot since he was 12, and he credits the lifelong habit with his enduring good health. To prove the point, he lights one up, lets out a high-pitched yeehaw and unleashes an impressive karate kick. Clearly, Ive been following the wrong advice. Days four to five: A walk on the rock star wildlife side Sometimes nature creates an area of such improbable beauty that you feel like giving it a standing ovation. Tayrona National Park is one such spot. Tayrona National Park: improbable beauty. Credit: Alamy Encompassing 180 square kilometres of land and ocean where the Sierra Nevada mountains plunge into the Caribbean Sea, it contains a rare diversity of habitats, from montane and cloud forests to mangrove swamps and pristine beaches. Consequently, its home to a prodigious variety of wildlife, including more than 100 species of mammals, around 30 different reptiles and over 300 types of birds. Thanks to its proximity to Santa Marta (less than an hour away), it can also be home to a lot of people, particularly during December and January when Colombians traditionally go on holiday. Its equally popular with backpackers, many of whom stay overnight in hammocks or tents in one of the basic beachside campsites. For the rest of us, a mid-week day trip is the best option, beginning early to get a head start on the crowds and the heat. Cristian ensures were at El Zaino (one of the parks three entrances) when it opens at 8am. As a result, we pass only a handful of people as we wind our way through the forest on a mixture of dirt trails and boardwalks. It doesnt take long before we stumble across one of the parks wildlife rock stars the endemic cotton-top tamarin monkey. With its brooding gaze and comical shock of white hair, it could be the front man for a simian Billy Idol tribute band. Once again, theres a list-ticking frenzy of birdlife, from a rufous-tailed jacamar to a whooping motmot, as well as countless lizards and a Central American agouti (a large rodent), that wanders nonchalantly across our path. As we approach the coast, pockets of dense mangrove start to appear, their roots crawling with blue-legged crabs. Our destination is Cabo San Juan, the most famous of Tayronas string of postcard beaches and one of the few that you can swim at (many have dangerous rips). Its notable for its pair of opposing bays, which are separated by a dramatic rocky headland. It takes us almost three hours to get there, by which time the humidity has rendered me a sweat-soaked hot mess and I eagerly cool off with a dip. Given how few people we saw during the hike in, Im surprised at how crowded the beach is and a little disappointed to find a sprawling campsite with dozens of tents and a large restaurant. My advice? Head for one of the quieter bays where you can appreciate natures handiwork with fewer distractions. Day six: Here cometh the Kogi men A Kogi Shaman: that they still exist is a miracle. Credit: iStock Spend any time in this part of Colombia and you will inevitably come across members of the Kogi, one of four indigenous tribes descended from the original Tairona pre-Columbian civilisation that thrived in the area before the Spanish arrived. Numbering about 20,000, they mainly live in remote settlements in the Sierra Nevada mountains but occasionally come down to the coast to buy supplies. As we travel around the region, we see a handful of Kogi men, always dressed in traditional white tunic and pants, handmade woollen bags slung over their shoulders, trudging along the roadside in sandals or wellington boots. That they still exist is something of a miracle given theyve been relentlessly persecuted by everyone from Spanish colonisers and drug cartels to Colombias own government. Even after retreating deep into the mountains, they were often caught in the crossfire of the decades-long conflict between the guerillas and the paramilitary. Given all this, youd understand if they wanted to keep to themselves. For a long time they did, living simple, subsistence lives with an intensely spiritual respect for nature. Meanwhile, the rest of the planet continued to pollute and plunder until eventually the Kogi broke their self-imposed exile to warn people about the impending environmental catastrophe via a 1990 BBC documentary called From the Heart of The World - The Elder Brothers Warning. After their message went unheeded, they tried again in 2012 with a film they made themselves called Aluna. Since then, the Kogi have allowed limited interaction with outsiders, and Cristian is one of the few guides they permit to visit with tourists. After a bumpy drive along a rough dirt road shadowing the Ancho River, we leave the car and hike uphill for 40 minutes to reach Tungaka, a Kogi settlement of 80 or so circular mud huts with thatched palm roofs. Cristian has brought some bread as a gift, so were immediately surrounded by an excited group of barefoot children, all identically dressed in simple white tunics. The adults, on the other hand, pay us little attention. The women continue weaving; most of the men are out in the fields farming. Over a picnic lunch by a nearby river, Cristian explains some of the Kogis beliefs and customs, which include strategically burying pieces of cotton to maintain environmental harmony and a meditative practice of coating a wooden gourd with a mixture of chewed cocoa leaves and lime. All in all, its the least tour-like community visit Ive ever experienced. Theres no traditional welcome, no dances, no gift shop just an insight into an ancient culture that treats our home with the respect it deserves. Days seven to eight: Carnivals, chicharron and conversion I lose track of the number of times Im told not to bother visiting Barranquilla. Instead, I should head to Santa Marta, its more photogenic neighbour, where Ill find attractive beaches and 16th-century colonial architecture. But Im intrigued. Surely, Colombias fourth largest city and biggest port must have some redeeming features? And it does. You just have to look a little harder to find them. Barranquilla is home to Colombias biggest carnival. Credit: iStock Barranquillas biggest claim to fame is that it hosts the countrys largest carnival, an exuberant four-day riot of dancing, parades and partying thats so impressive UNESCO awarded it a World Heritage listing. Even if you dont visit for the event (held a few days before Ash Wednesday), you can learn more about its history and see examples of the elaborate costumes worn by the annual Carnival Queen at the excellent Carnival Museum. To help me break through Barranquillas gritty, port-city facade, I recruit the services of Andrea Vivero, founder of local operator Caribia Tours. Over the course of a day, she shows me another side to the city, starting with the ornate pastel mansions built by European immigrants in the historic El Prado district. We also visit the glamorous Beverly Hills-esque Hotel el Prado, drink the best coffee of my trip at an artisanal roaster called La Casa En El Cielo (The House in Heaven) and feast on regional specialities including chicharron (deep-fried pork belly) and cayeye (mashed plantain banana-like fruits) at Cucayo, a popular chain restaurant overlooking the Magdalena River. The experience reminded me of the reaction I often got from people when I told them I was heading back to Colombia. Isnt it dangerous? Whats there to see? Why not just go to Peru or Chile? During my eight-day trip along the coast, I never once feel unsafe and experience wildlife, landscapes and cultures you simply cant find in any other South American nation. For this Colombian convert, the countrys perennial allure endures. Five more classic Colombian destinations Medellin Cradled by the yawning Aburra Valley, Medellin has shrugged off its violent narcos past to become one of Colombias most innovative metropolises, with first-class museums, parks and an enviable spring-like climate. Salento Salento is the gateway to Colombias best coffee plantations. Credit: iStock Located in the heart of the countrys lush, UNESCO World Heritage-listed coffee growing region, the quaint town of Salento is the gateway to Colombias best coffee plantations. Its also the starting point for tours to the spectacular Cocora Valley, home to the worlds tallest palm trees. The lost city Its a strenuous three-day jungle trek to reach this sacred city hidden deep in the Sierra Nevada mountains, but the reward is an impressive 32-hectare archaeological site built by the Tairona people that dates back to 800AD. Bogota A bit like Barranquilla, Colombias busy capital suffers by comparison with its prettier siblings, Medellin and Cartagena, but its still a vibrant city with grand squares, excellent museums and the atmospheric La Candelaria historic quarter. Rosario Islands Located an hour off the coast of Cartagena, this collection of 27 idyllic islands offers spectacular snorkelling and diving in a protected marine park. Visit on a day-trip or, better still, enjoy a few days in a beachfront resort. THE DETAILS TOUR Local specialist Impulse Travel can create a bespoke itinerary along Colombias Caribbean coast including accommodation, transfers and tours with English-speaking guides. See impulsetravel.co/en CRUISE Aurora Expeditions 15-day Costa Rica and The Panama Canal cruise from San Jose, Costa Rica to Cartagena departs April 19, 2024. From $20,295 a person, twin share. See auroraexpeditions.com.au FLY Several airlines fly from Australia to Cartagena via the US or Chile, including United Airlines and LATAM. See united.com; latamairlines.com CLIMATE Seoul, South Korea: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been joined by senior Russian and Chinese delegates while displaying his most powerful nuclear-capable missiles in a military parade marking a major war anniversary. It was a show of defiance against the United States while deepening ties with Moscow as tensions on the peninsula have reached their highest point in years. Kim attended Thursday nights parade with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese ruling party official Li Hongzhong from a balcony looking over a brightly illuminated Kim Il Sung Square, named after Kims grandfather, the founder of North Korea. Kim Jong-un (centre) with Sergei Shoigu (to his left) and Li Hongzhong (right) at the military parade in Pyongyang on Thursday. Credit: AP Edited footage from North Korean state TV on Friday showed streets and stands packed with tens of thousands of mobilised spectators, who roared in approval as waves of goose-stepping soldiers, tanks and huge, intercontinental ballistic missiles wheeled out on launcher trucks filled up the main road. People were brought from around the country to the capital, Pyongyang, to fill the crowd, state media reported. The parade began with warm-up events that featured ceremonial flights of newly developed surveillance and attack drones, which were first unveiled by state media this week as they reported on an arms exhibition attended by Kim and Shoigu. The fear had overtaken Jessica Nunez when her 14-year-old daughter went missing in September 2019. She then saw a handwritten note that Alicia Navarro had left in her room: I ran away. I will be back, I swear, the Arizona teen wrote. Im sorry. Navarro was missing for almost four years before she reported to a police station in a small Montana town close to the Canadian border and notified authorities that she was the missing teen from Glendale, Arizona, police said. Navarro, who is now 18, was found safe more than 1600 kilometres from her home. She was reunited with her mother in a scene that authorities described as emotionally overwhelming. Missing teenager Alicia Navarro four years ago (left) and after she was found this week. She is by all accounts safe, she is by all accounts healthy, and she is by all accounts happy, Jose Santiago, a spokesman for the Glendale Police Department, said at a news conference. The search for Navarro led to a nationwide effort involving the FBI and the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that generated thousands of tips to police about her whereabouts, according to authorities. Nunez posted a video on Facebook confirming that her daughter was found safe, saying it was a miracle her daughter was alive. For everyone who has missing loved ones, I want you to use this case as an example that miracles do exist and never lose hope and always fight, Nunez said. I do not have details but the important thing is she is alive. I want to thank the community and God for all that you have done. When Matty Healy of British indie rock band The 1975 decided to go off-script from their headlining performance and laid out a three-and-a-half minute profanity-ridden speech criticizing Malaysias LGBT lawswhich he admitted he didnt do any research for priorbefore kissing bandmate Ross MacDonald at the Good Vibes Festival 2023, it was not the stance of opposition the local LGBT community was looking for. In fact, the reaction was the very opposite for many of Malaysias queer individuals. Due to Healys controversial conduct, the highly anticipated three-day weekender was cancelled, leaving thousands who had prepared for the countrys biggest music festival in a state of unbridled loss and disappointment. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Good Vibes Festival (@goodvibesfest) While Healy and the rest of his team flew off in the dead of the night following their ban, his actions left a trail of repercussions in his wake. Everyone feels this loss differently, from F&B vendors and local artists to the LGBT community. Indeed, the focus of this controversy should not be on Healy but on the countrys already marginalised and vulnerable community which he put under the spotlight. With that said, we spoke to the real victims of Healys self-acclaimed act of social justice to voice their opinions on the repercussions of his stunt. Many steps back for the queer community Today, Malaysia remains extremely conservative over LGBT+ matters. Under Islamic law, homosexual acts are illegal in the Muslim country and punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Having said that, there have been numerous protests by LGBT+ activists to fight for equal rights. Just in March 2023, a Womens Day march was held to advocate for gender equality and LGBT+ visibility. However, many queer individuals believe that Healys actions and remarks have destroyed much of the hard-earned progress the community has made. Carmen Rose, a drag performer, calls Healys display totally selfish, uncalled for and nothing more than performative activism. Rose went on to say that he has pushed back progress queers in Malaysia couldve made in the past century. If he was advocating for LGBTQ+ rights here, what he displayed last weekend wasnt it. Miss Boom, another prominent drag artist, echoes this thought. [He] has undone the work of many local activists and advocates who have worked really hard to provide resources, safety, and a sense of community for queer Malaysians. Matty Healy and the 1975 leaving Malaysia thinking they've empowered the LGBTQ+ movement. #GVF2023 #GoodVibesfestival pic.twitter.com/32DbqMG6CG chino (@miggychino) July 21, 2023 Contrary to what Healy may think, shining a spotlight on the LGBT+ community in Malaysia poses more danger than good, especially in the way that he had done it. Rose and Miss Boom believe his actions have significantly hurt their community at a time that is increasingly unsafe for them to exist. I dont think that whatever he did or said is likely to bring about any positive changes that are going to reduce the stigma and discrimination queer Malaysians face on a daily basis. If anything, it has actually made us more fearful of our ability to safely express ourselves, Miss Boom continues. The fear has always been there for the LGBT+ community. In the past year, they have been on the receiving end of several government crackdowns from fines to detainment. Last year, police raided a Halloween party at REXKL that was organised by several LGBT+ members and their safe spaces have not been the same since. Tension and anxiety are also running high as state elections are just around the corner. Healys act of defiance could not have come at a worse time, as conservative parties could use this incident as political fodder to further their agendas. 20 people are being transported to JAWI for investigation in Black Maria truck. pic.twitter.com/yNclGCpH2I Numan Afifi (@NumanAfifi) October 29, 2022 Rose explains the nuances in the complex relationship queer folks have with the government that flew over Healys head. Minorities in Malaysia will always be targeted by bigots and what he displayed, gives them more excuses to punch us down and further alienate us. We know how the government is and were no stranger to being a scapegoat to them for whatever political games theyre playing. Miss Boom also lays out the harsh reality. The LGBT community has always been used as a target for religious governmental members to project their ideologies and further demonise us. There is already an insane amount of fear not just from LGBT+ people but also from friends, family and allies who wish to show support. With their safety now at an all-time low, she fears that this will open the doors for further restrictions on LGBT+ activities. As a malaysian queer, what matty healy and the 1975 did was WORSE for malaysian queers. Now we are gonna have tolerate the political shitstorm thats about to happen while they are fine getting drunk in another country. This wasnt their fight Shous castles are crumbling. (@shoukunz13) July 21, 2023 The drag artist also explains how Healys quote about the government policing who people can have sex with is flawed and reinforces stigma. In the minds of conservatives, it makes it sound like were all about sex when in reality, queer identity is so much richer and more complex than that, Miss Boom said. According to his Instagram stories, Healy did not show any remorse or acknowledgement of the consequences of his actions. Instead, he responded that its not as easy as it looks to resist kissing MacDonald. matty healys instagram story is disgusting. every country should ban him, actually. pic.twitter.com/04M8jqs1jk blonde mike faist era (@aggidilimanto) July 22, 2023 A golden opportunity gone in a blink of an eye Apart from the queer community, another group of people who have been affected by the incident are the local artists who were set to perform. For many aspiring artists in Malaysia, chances to grace the stage at Malaysias largest music festival alongside huge international names dont come often. As an independent artist who was slated to make her GVF debut on day two, it was supposed to be Mardianas biggest milestone in her career to perform her music to the masses. I cant quite express to you how truly heartbroken I was. My band and I have been rehearsing for months. View this post on Instagram A post shared by mars (@mardiana.x) She reveals that she had planned to perform seven songs for her 30-minute set, included a costume change in the middle of her performance and even engaged a local business to purchase necklaces that would be gifted to the crowd. If you look through my social media posts, youll see that almost all my posts from the past month were about GVF and how excited I was about it. So yeah, its a massive letdown. Even for a more established local artist such as Talitha Tan, performing at GVF was important for her for several reasons. For many, performing at GVF is a goal. To be a part of that means a lot to us. After losing her mother last month, Tan had planned to dedicate her set to her late mother. It would also mark her first performance since the tragedy. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Talitha. (@talithabe) Both Mardiana and Tan resonate with each others sentiments on the lack of opportunities in the local music scene. Its hard enough to grow and keep growing as an artist when the Malaysia music industry is small, Mardiana reveals. Tan also cites the lack of music festivals such as GVF in the country as well as support and awareness of local talent. For them, becoming a headlining act for such an event is a dream that they can hope to achieve one daywhich is why it also hurt to see Healy disregard the stage and his fans the way that he did that fateful night. According to Tan, it was an irresponsible use of influence. She continues, I think an artist should have the choice to have a personal narrative in their performances, as long as it is respectful to both the regulations and customs in where they are performing. As a songwriter, I think I can say that we are storytellers, but Im definitely not a politician. So, if I were to make a stand on anything in general, I would make sure to do my research, and preach what I actually know responsibly. View this post on Instagram A post shared by JAIE (@jaie.music) Whilst politics and music have always been intertwined, Mardiana also affirms that there is a time and place for everything. As an artist, you have the responsibility to educate yourself properly before deciding to make political statements that will affect or influence your fans. Jaie, another aspiring artist who was set to perform at GVF, called out Healys recklessness. I think there are much more effective ways to speak up and raise awareness that does not cause millions in damages to parties that arent responsible for what youre protesting against. View this post on Instagram A post shared by lullaboy (@lullaboyxo) Lullaboy, who had a successful GVF debut on day one, also concurs. He told us, I was a fan of The 1975 but their actions were reckless. There are respectful and smart ways to fight for what we believe in that dont result in hurting innocent people. An unforeseen and isolated incident On 27 July, the Arts, Live Events and Festivals Association (ALIFE) together with Future Sound Asia (FSA) held a press conference to discuss GVFs cancellation and strategies moving forward. Both parties affirm that Healys conduct was an isolated incident that no one could have predicted. Para Rajagopal, Chairman of ALIFE, states that throughout his 30 years of experience, he had never seen anything like this. Over the past few months, weve had Billie Eilish and BlackPink, and nobody did anything remotely like [what Healy did]. When questioned about Healys past track record of behaviour such as his scandal in Dubai in 2016, Wan Alman who is the Director of Entertainment at FSA, claims that they were aware of this but decided to move forward with booking the band. Theyve played many shows [since Dubai] without incident. They played at the Good Vibes Festival in 2016 without any incidents and were in Singapore two days before the recent festival with no incident. Further, they had received a contract in writing and assurance from The 1975s management team that the band would adhere to local performance guidelines. As a result, Alman reinforces that the organisers had done their best to ensure compliance and that the cancellation was solely the fault of Matty Healy and The 1975. This controversy has also sparked debate around the state of Malaysias live music scene and how it will affect future international acts from viewing the country as a place to perform. In regards to this matter, Rajagopal reveals that ALIFE and FSAs first course of action was to establish a team to work with authorities to ensure the momentum post-pandemic is kept up. He admits that the screening process has to improve whilst acknowledging that organisers walk a tightrope when assessing an artists appropriateness to be booked for Malaysia. It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to screen what is right and what is wrong. An artist could be doing something in their own private life, but we are engaging them for their musical ability. So, there are a lot of moving pieces to screen and decide what can work here according to the guidelines. In regards whether anything will be done against Healy and The 1975 for their conduct, Alman states that they have legal counsel and are considering legal action. Overall, sentiments remain positive as ALIFE and FSA are eager to bounce back from this incident. We are trying to learn from this. We are trying to improve ourselves because we are living in a very different society from the West. It is a work in progress but we will keep updating the industry on how we can create a safer environment for all the fans and the music industry as a whole, Rajagopal said. We have to move on from 1975 back to 2023. We are moving on together, he concluded to rapturous applause. For more pop culture news, head here. OAG, the worlds leading data platform for the global travel industry, has acquired Infare, the leading provider of competitor air travel data, from Ventiga Capital in a deal valuing the combined entity at over US$500m. Together, OAG and Infare have an exciting journey ahead to leverage a truly market-leading end-to-end data platform to serve mission-critical air travel intelligence needs across the world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230728627752/en/ With renowned industry heritage, both businesses share a deep passion for quality, accuracy, and customer-centricity. Together, there is a significant opportunity for OAG and Infare to better serve airline partners and the wider travel ecosystem with high-quality data and innovative solutions. Infare is the partner of choice for airlines demanding the highest quality competitor air travel data source to support their growth. Combining OAGs existing data solutions with airfare data creates a compelling proposition for customers who can get a broader picture of supply and demand. This enables customers to forecast resource, evaluate travel demand and competition, and build more complex and innovative models to drive revenue and profitable growth. Through the acquisition, OAG now grows to over 300 employees globally across 10 offices. Phil Callow, CEO of OAG, commented: The increasing dynamism in global travel and technology is fuelling a need for more sophisticated, granular data to understand, manage and unlock growth in air travel. The acquisition of Infare strengthens our ability to deliver consistent and accurate information across the wider supply and demand value chain. Together, we are enabling new and existing customers to thrive and innovate ahead of their counterparts. I am excited to welcome Infare colleagues to the OAG family. Nils Gelbjerg-Hansen, CEO of Infare, commented: Access to comprehensive and accurate data is paramount for making informed business decisions. Airlines rely on data to gain valuable insights into customer behaviour, market trends, and operational efficiency. Our technology platform, data sets, and intelligence software complement OAGs and will greatly benefit our customers worldwide. We see this as a unique opportunity to expand our services and introduce new innovative products for our customers, we are excited about the journey ahead together. Both management teams will continue in the Group and will retain a shareholding, with fresh backing provided by Vitruvian Partners. Ben Johnson, a Partner at Vitruvian, commented: OAG and Infare are both clear leaders in their respective global markets. The combination creates additional growth opportunities for both teams. Vitruvian is delighted to support this ambitious technology company and renew our relationship with them for the years to come. Niclas Gabran, Managing Partner at Ventiga Capital Partners, commented: It has been a pleasure working together with Nils and his team to build Infare into a leading travel data provider through organic growth and acquisitions. Infares next chapter as a part of the OAG family will undoubtedly create further growth opportunities both within and outside the air travel sector. About OAG OAG is the leading data platform for the global travel industry, powering the growth and innovation of the air travel ecosystem since 1929. It has the worlds largest network of flight information, covering the whole journey from planning to customer experience. Customers include airlines, airports, travel technology players, aviation service providers, government agencies, financial institutions, and consultancies. Headquartered in the UK, OAG has operations in the USA, Singapore, Japan, China, and Lithuania. For more information, visit: www.oag.com and follow us on Twitter @OAG Aviation. About Infare Infare is the leading competitor air travel data provider, empowering airlines to make effective pricing decisions. Infares mission is to fuel airline systems with high-quality competitor air travel data delivered daily, multiple times a day or live. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, the company has a global reach and presence worldwide. For more information, visit www.infare.com and follow us on LinkedIn. About Vitruvian Partners Vitruvian is an independent growth capital firm headquartered in London with a global presence. Vitruvian focuses on dynamic situations characterized by rapid growth and change across industries spanning technology, financial services, healthcare, and business and consumer services. Vitruvian is among the largest pools of capital in Europe supporting innovative and higher growth companies. Vitruvian Funds have backed over 90 companies and have assets under management of 15+ billion. Notable investments to date include global market leaders and innovators in their field such as Skyscanner, Sykes Holiday Cottages, CFC Underwriting, CallCredit, Travel Counsellors, Trustpilot, Farfetch, Just Eat, Wise, and Global-e. About Ventiga Capital Partners Ventiga is an entrepreneurial and growth-focused investor partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs and management teams to achieve sustainable, profitable growth and transformational value through active, engaged, and responsible ownership. Ventiga invests in profitable growth companies with superior business expansion potential, primarily in the B2B services space. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230728627752/en/ Floods in northern China have forced the relocation of several communities, but as residents flee to safer ground, many have tried to ensure their pets are not left behind. Since the heavy rains began on July 29, more than 1.4 million residents in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region have been relocated Aug 09, 2023 06:24 PM CAMEROUN :: ESIG GRADUATES 18TH BATCH :: CAMEROON The Yaounde International War College (ESIG) on Thursday July 27, 2023 graduates it's 18th batch of officers in a ceremony presided at the Secretary of State to The Minister of Defence in Charge of the National Gendarmerie, Galax Etoga. The 18th batch made up of 60 Officers drawn from 21 countries including Cameroon are going home satisfied with the knowledge acquired so far after eleven months of intense learning. The batch like the others were schooled on operational planning, Strategic analyses and conflict resolution on a national and global scale. Also, as part of their training, they carried out field trips both in and out of the continent to blend theory and practical. Speaking during the graduation ceremony the Secretary of State to the Minister of Defence in charge of the National Gendarmerie, Galax Etoga Landry, seating in for the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, congratulated the laureates for their hard work and sacrifices for the past eleven months during their stay at ESIG. He as well urged the Senior Officers to accompany the High Command as far as decision making is concern Speaking earlier, the French Ambassador to Cameroon H.E General Thierry Marchand appreciated the laureates and reminded them that what they have learnt so far is one of the best military higher training with its particularity that at the end a masters degree in strategic planning and conflict resolution is offered. The laureates of the 18th batch are going home satisfied with their heads loaded with knowledge and the spirit of collective coordination. An added advantage impacted in the officers who can now work together without friction of divergence view in their methodological approach towards conflict resolutions in Africa. TWEETER The 18th batch of ESIG made up of 60 officers drawn from 21 counties received end of course diploma on Thursday July 27, 2023 in a ceremony presided at, by Galax Etoga Landry SED/GN at Simbock. Toronto-based Lighthouse Immersive Inc., the venue operator for locations that hosted the Immersive Disney Animation experience, has filed for creditor protection in Canada, as well as a supplementary bankruptcy filing in the United States. Lighthouse Immersive Studios, a subsidiary company that produced the Disney experience, is not experiencing any financial difficulties and operating as usual. The U.S. Chapter 15 filing was made in Delawares U.S. bankruptcy court (case numbers 23-11021 and 23-11022). This type of filing is ancillary to an international creditor filing. The companys financial woes were foreshadowed last month when Lighthouse cancelled the Immersive Disney Animation experience in Houston, postponed the L.A. launch, and abruptly shut down the exhibit in both Atlanta and Dallas. At the time, it was not known that the company was experiencing financial difficulties. The company first attracted attention for its immersive Van Gogh exhibit, and has since launched a variety of touring immersive exhibits centered around King Tut, Monet, Klimt, and Frida Kahlo. Its Disney show, which premiered only eight months ago, was developed in collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios and showcased both classic and contemporary Disney animated films. Per a report in Bloomberg, the companys court filing reveals that they have obtained financing to remain operational through bankruptcy proceedings. Missed Delivery? If missed delivery or wet paper please call our office 909-628-5501 ext 110 Leave a detailed message with name, address, and phone number. Readers must call before 1 p.m. on Saturday. Re-deliveries are available for Chino residents until 1 p.m. Saturdays. Click Here Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to participate in a special one-hour, ranger-led program examining Cherokee iconography on Saturday, Aug. 12 at 11 a.m.The program will be held at the Passage Site, located next to the Tennessee River, between the Market Street Bridge and the Tennessee Aquarium. Participants will need to park in one of the pay-to-park parking lots near Market Street and West Aquarium Way.Officials said, "The Cherokee have always relied, and continue to rely, heavily on the use of symbols as part of their culture.Their belief on the complexity of the universe is explained through symbols which for many objects had dual meanings by serving utilitarian as well as spiritual purposes. Come learn more about those symbols and their meanings."For more information about programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/chch. Bradley County Fire Rescue Chief Shawn Fairbanks is retiring after three decades of service. His last day on the job will be Aug. 25. Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis said, "Chief Fairbanks has been an invaluable member of Bradley County Fire Rescue and Bradley County EMS, serving with distinction and demonstrating a profound commitment to the welfare of our community. "From his humble beginnings as a volunteer to his rise to the position of chief, his tenure has been marked by devotion to the safety and well-being of the residents of Bradley County. "As mayor of Bradley County, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Chief Fairbanks for his long and distinguished service. His leadership, expertise, and dedication have left an indelible mark on the fire service and the lives of countless individuals throughout our region. "On behalf of the entire community, I extend my warmest congratulations to Chief Fairbanks on his upcoming retirement. His retirement marks the beginning of a new chapter in his life, and I wish him the very best of luck and success in all his future endeavors." Effective Aug. 26, Deputy Chief Jeff Stewart will step into the role of "interim chief." County Mayor Davis said, "Deputy Chief Stewart is a seasoned professional with extensive experience within the department, making him well-suited to take on this leadership position. I have full confidence in his ability to uphold the high standards set by Chief Fairbanks and to guide Bradley County Fire Rescue with unwavering dedication during this transitional period. "Bradley County Fire Rescue has a rich and storied history in Southeast Tennessee, and I am immensely proud of the men and women who constitute our fire service. Their bravery, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication to the safety of our community have earned them our utmost respect and admiration. "As we embark on this new phase in the department's journey, I am excited about the prospects for its continued growth and excellence. Together, we will work tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of our community while building upon the remarkable legacy Chief Fairbanks leaves behind." Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Biology professor fired for teaching chromosomes determine sex files EEOC complaint A Texas biology professor fired for what attorneys say were "standard principles about human biology and reproduction" has filed a complaint against his former employer. Dr. Johnson Varkey, a former adjunct professor at St. Philip's College in San Antonio, filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) after he was fired in January in response to what the community college said were "numerous complaints" about a lesson he taught last fall on human biology, according to Plano-based First Liberty Institute. The complaint which accused Varkey of "religious preaching, discriminatory comments about homosexuals and transgender individuals, anti-abortion rhetoric, and misogynistic banter" centered on a student walkout in November 2022 after Varkey stated that biological sex was determined by chromosomes X and Y, according to attorneys. In response to the lesson, a "handful of students" walked out of his class and complained that Varkey's teaching "pushed beyond the bounds of academic freedom with [his] personal opinions that were offensive to many individuals in the classroom." While the students who walked out of Varkey's class were not identified, LGBT advocates insist sex and gender are often fluid rather than binary. Christian apologists argue that if sex and gender were not intertwined, cross-sex hormones or sex change operations would be unnecessary. Despite teaching the same "basic scientific concepts" in Human Anatomy and Physiology to more than 1,500 students since 2004, attorneys say Varkey received positive student feedback and was never disciplined before last November. While attorneys say Varkey taught from "school-approved and science-based curriculum," officials at St. Philip's claimed his teaching was of a religious nature and, on January 27, issued Varkey a notice of termination. Varkey, who identifies as a "devout" Evangelical and serves with his wife as a volunteer associate pastor at International Bible Church in San Antonio, said in his EEOC statement that he "never mentioned" his religious beliefs in class. "As a Christian, I also believe that God has ordained the sexual function for procreation, that children are a gift from God, and that, absent a compelling reason, one should not sterilize oneself," he wrote. "Although these are my religious beliefs, I never mentioned them in class. I did not preach any of my beliefs in class." "Thus, the allegation that I conducted 'religious preaching' is unsubstantiated." In fact, Varkey stated, in the interest of transparency, he would inform his students at the beginning of each semester that he serves as an associate pastor. "The College assumed I was preaching rather than teaching due to negative, discriminatory stereotypes about Christians," Varkey said. "This perception was inaccurate and discriminatory." A spokesperson for St. Philip's College, which is a part of the Alamo Colleges District, declined to comment on pending litigation in June, Keisha Russell, counsel for First Liberty Institute, said the college clearly violated state and federal law. "No college professor should be fired for teaching factual concepts that a handful of students don't want to hear," said Russell. "Dr. Varkey received exemplary performance reviews for nearly two decades, teaching fact-based, widely accepted science. "But now that cultural elites are at odds with these ideas, the school no longer supports professors who teach them. It is a blatant violation of state and federal civil rights laws to discriminate against someone because of their religious beliefs." Founded in 1898 and named after Philip, one of Jesus' 12 apostles, St. Philip's College is a "Historically Black College and Hispanic Serving Institution" and is part of a network that serves over 100,000 students in South Texas, according to its website. Church in hometown of Vicar of Dibley star reverses ban on female pastors A church in the United Kingdom, known for its connection to a British television star who famously played a female vicar, has decided to rescind a ban on female pastors amid mounting pressure from activists calling for equal opportunity in the clergy. St. Fimbarrus Parish Church in Fowey, Cornwall, has been without a vicar for four years. Although the Church of England laws permit women to serve as vicars, the church council announced in March it was looking to hire only a male to occupy this role. Fowey is the hometown of Dawn French, a 65-year-old actress renowned for her role as Geraldine Granger in the BBC television series "The Vicar of Dibley." A newly elected Parochial Church Council in Fowey, responding to the concerns of parishioners and activists, has unanimously voted to lift the ban, according to a statement. The council cited local and community-wide disappointment in the original decision, which they said was made without consultation and didn't represent the sentiments of the town or parish. "There was disappointment that this had happened without consultation and many expressed a strong desire for change," the new Fowey PCC said in a statement shared by media. "Following recent widespread consultation with the congregation and the wider Fowey community, the PCC has voted unanimously to rescind the previous PCC's resolution requiring male leadership." The church will now begin the search for a new part-time vicar, without any gender stipulations. The Chruch of England has allowed women to become priests since 1992. Rev. Angela Berners-Wilson, the first woman ordained as a priest in the Church of England, described the decision at that time as a "shame." The controversy in Fowey stood in contrast to the neighboring communities of Tywardreath and Golant, which recently welcomed Rev. Shona Hoad as their vicar. The Sunday Times reported at the time that many Fowey residents expressed frustration at their parish's decision, arguing that a female vicar could similarly revitalize their community. Church Warden Carol Carruthers said at the time of the decision was based on the fact that there is much "debate over the roles women play within the church." "The Bible, written 2,000 years ago, was ahead of its time in its progressive attitude to women," Carruthers said. "There is, however, debate over the roles women play within the church. The church council has agreed [to] a compromise position where we will both welcome women priests to teach the Bible faithfully each Sunday and lead communion, but seek an overall male priest in charge." In May, PCC announced that Carruthers and Chairman Andy Virr would not stand for re-election. The debate over women's roles within the Church is not confined to the Fowey church or the CofE but echoes similar discussions within the United States. Saddleback Church, the California-based megachurch founded by Rick Warren in 1980, was recently expelled from the Southern Baptist Convention for having a woman fill the office of teaching pastor. The decision was upheld at the SBC's Annual Meeting in June. Since Warren's retirement last year, the church has been led by Andy and Stacie Wood. Also, at the meeting in June, SBC messengers overwhelmingly approved a proposed constitutional amendment to prevent women from serving as a "pastor of any kind." The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message states that while men and women are both called to spread the Gospel, the office of the pastor is limited to men. Speaking in favor of his proposed amendment from the meeting floor, Pastor Mike Law declared: "We are not ashamed of 1 Timothy 2:12 or afraid of what the Bible teaches. We are not ashamed of our God and His Word." Those who favor prohibitions on women serving as pastors often cite 1 Timothy 2:12, which reads: "I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent." In a recent podcast interview, Warren, the bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life, laid out three Scripture passages that led him to conclude it was acceptable for women to become pastors. Warren cited Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2 and John 20:17. "This is not a battle between liberals and conservatives. All the liberals left a long time ago. Everybody in the SBC believes in the inerrancy of Scripture," said Warren. "Now we are talking about difference of interpretation." Parents group warns of Chinese Communist Party influence in American K-12 schools A Chinese Communist Party-sponsored program remains active in several schools throughout the United States, according to a national grassroots organization dedicated to defending parental rights in the classroom. In a Wednesday report titled "Little Red Classrooms" submitted to policymakers nationwide, Parents Defending Education highlighted contracts detailing Chinese government-backed programs known as Confucius Institutes and its K-12 programming, Confucius Classrooms. PDE contends these centers teach Chinese language and culture, establishing a connection between American K-12 schools, universities and the Chinese Communist Party. "Further research reveals the People's Republic of China fostered relationships with American K-12 schools through grants, sister school partnerships, and other programming since at least 2009," the statement reads. "Parents Defending Education tracked affiliations in 143 schools across 34 states and Washington, D.C. and at least seven are still active." Citing a report from the conservative education advocacy organization National Association of Scholars, PDE warns there are 13 Confucius Institutes still in operation while 108 have or are in the process of closing. The program is still active in Cloverport Independent School District in Kentucky, Minnetonka Public Schools and St. Cloud Area School District in Minnesota, Tulsa Public Schools in Oklahoma, Sisters School District in Oregon, Highland Park Independent School District in Texas and Seattle Public Schools in Washington. Three of these schools with ties to the Chinese government-affiliated programs are considered the top science and technology high schools in the nation, according to Parents Defending Education. The group also warned that the Chinese Communist Party had had ties to school districts near 20 U.S. military bases. According to PDE, Chinese state media has boasted about how Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms enable the CCP to further its "global influence." School districts typically receive funding and grants by partnering with Confucius Institutes from nearby universities, a contract that comes with some additional perks, including opportunities for American students to study in China, PDE warns. The group also cited a U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee investigation, which found that the Chinese government has made expanding Confucius Classrooms a priority, as this appears to be part of a strategy to influence the policies of nations worldwide. "The allure of Chinese language and culture programs have led American K-12 schools to forge ties with one of the United States' biggest foreign adversaries," Parents Defending Education stated. "While it's important to provide students access to Chinese language and culture programs in schools, American schools should not give the Chinese Communist Party unfettered access to our students." As The Christian Post reported earlier this month, a recent discussion hosted by the conservative policy think tank, the Hudson Institute, warned that China targets CCP critics and Western freedoms in the United States and other countries. Nina Shea, a human rights attorney and director of the institute's Center for Religious Freedom, moderated the discussion. The panel's participants consisted of Levi Browde, executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center; Olivia Enos, Washington director of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation; Ian Oxnevad, senior fellow for foreign affairs and security studies at the National Association of Scholars; and Ying Chen, conductor with Shen Yun Performing Arts. During the event, Oxnevad spoke on Confucius Institutes and how they often help promote CCP propaganda. At the end of the discussion, Oxnevad suggested that colleges and universities could eliminate CCP's presence from campus by enforcing Sec. 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which contains reporting requirements for foreign gifts. He also proposed a ratio funding policy that would make universities less eligible for American taxpayer money for every foreign dollar source. Nick Vujicic unveils AI-powered solution to spread Gospel globally: 'We can use it for the Kingdom' ORLANDO Amid concerns surrounding the emergence of new technology, evangelist Nick Vujicic is making a case that artificial intelligence and digital media can play pivotal roles in spreading the Gospel to diverse audiences worldwide. In a sit-down interview with The Christian Post, the 40-year-old motivational speaker and bestselling author unveiled his latest initiative, Multitood, which seeks to expand the Kingdom's impact through cutting-edge technology and digital content creation. "When we have the Great Commission to preach the Gospel to all nations and make disciples, it's more than just translating the Bible in [a variety of] languages. It's also equipping, encouraging and building the churches out there to be the hands and feet with digital content as well that they understand in their own language," he said. The Life Without Limbs founder revealed that 65% of his 16 million social media followers do not speak English, leading him to develop a custom video translation solution that seamlessly integrates AI technology with human expertise. Incorporating AI voice dubbing and translation tools, Multitood enables churches and content creators to reach audiences globally without language barriers. The software translates videos into more than 36 languages, adds and edits subtitles and natural-sounding voiceovers and streams them over the internet. "AI is getting better and better and better. And there are good things and bad things about AI. But we're so thankful we can use it for the Kingdom," he said. Traditional dubbing can be expensive and time-consuming, with costs ranging upwards of $75 to $100 per minute. However, the evangelist's AI-based solution has revolutionized the process by offering the same quality at a fraction of the cost $10 per minute per language. According to Vujicic, the feedback from churches using Multitood has been positive because it provides a cost-effective solution for translating sermons and podcasts into multiple languages, helping to share the message of Christ with diverse communities around the world. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected through digital platforms, Vujicic believes technology can be a powerful tool to advance the Gospel when harnessed for Kingdom purposes. He highlighted YouTube's move to support multilingual audio files for select channels, signaling a growing opportunity for content creators to reach global audiences with their messages. "Since 2011, God's given me a vision to really focus in on the first 36 languages that reach 85% of the world. And so what we must understand is, we can use the tools we have for His purposes," he said. "We have our own video player; JW Player canceled people like Daily Wire and Prager U. We obviously will be a noncancelable, ever-expanding ministry for people." In addition to his digital endeavors, Vujicic opened up about his passion for documentary filmmaking, aiming to produce six documentaries over the next three years through his production company. "I felt the Holy Spirit say, 'Make documentaries to wake up and equip and encourage the believers," he said. "And I really believe that the Church needs some encouragement. I don't see much of the Church right now strong enough to endure persecution. I think we've just started to taste in our mouths, what it means to be persecuted, marginalized, canceled or whatever. And I think this is when American churches need to stand up and really be the hands and feet like never before." The first documentary, "The Cost of Truth," tells the story of Evangelical Pastor Joseph Bondarenko, who was kidnapped by the KGB and told to renounce his faith in Jesus Christ or face torture. "He survived the torture, and now his mission is to wake up America and help Americans to stand up," Vujicic said. Other documentaries will feature Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who the evangelist contends advocates for biblical truths in governance, and others who stand for truth in the face of persecution. Through these projects, Vujicic hopes to wake up and encourage believers, equipping them to stand firm in their faith, especially during times of persecution and societal challenges. To further amplify his vision, Vujicic is organizing a short film competition through NickV.Productions.com to discover talented individuals in the film industry who can contribute their creative storytelling abilities to inspire a global audience. "I want to do less travel, more production behind the camera, and I'll be on some of these documentaries as we produce it," the father of four said. Through the power of media and technology, Vujicic hopes to equip believers with the strength to endure persecution and boldly stand for their faith in Jesus Christ. "I really believe with media, politics and business, it's Christians being the light in the dark place," he said. Vicar of Dibley church votes to ban women pastors despite 4-year vacancy While the laws of the Church of England allow female vicars, the council of a local church which was once home to the star of BBCs television series The Vicar of Dibley about a female priest has banned women from taking up the role at a time when the parish has been without a vicar for four years. St. Fimbarrus Parish Church is situated in the Cornish town of Fowey, England, home to Dawn French, the 65-year-old actress and comedian best known for her role as Geraldine Granger in the BBC series for 15 years. The parishs Parochial Church Council has passed a resolution not to have women vicars, and the Rev. Angela Berners-Wilson, the first woman to be ordained as a Church of England priest, described it as a shame, The Telegraph reported. It seems a shame that they are still without a vicar as they dont want a woman as Priest in Charge that is their right under Church-agreed legislation. However, at least they do accept womens priestly Ministry which is something! Berners-Wilson was quoted as saying. The CofEs General Synod voted to ordain women as priests in 1992, and ordinations began two years later. In 2014, it voted to allow women to be ordained as bishops for the first time. However, it is up to each individual PCC to decide who will lead their congregation. The church decided to ban women vicars after a few members said they would quit the church unless it was led by a man. Church Warden Carol Carruthers was quoted as saying that while their Evangelical church looks to the Bible for guidance on all matters of faith and while the Bible is clear about equality, there is "debate about the roles women play in the church." The Bible, written 2,000 years ago, was ahead of its time in its progressive attitude to women. There is, however, debate over the roles women play within the church. The church council has agreed a compromise position where we will both welcome women priests to teach the bible faithfully each Sunday and lead communion, but seek an overall male priest in charge." She added: We appreciate this can be difficult to understand looking from the outside into the church, but would robustly defend that this position is not sexist, is widely established in the worldwide church, and accommodates all views in the membership of our church without exclusion. The Fimbarrus churchs decision stands in sharp contrast to the appointment of Rev. Shona Hoad, who is now the vicar of the neighboring communities of Tywardreath and Golant, The Sunday Times noted. A local business owner, Sinead Hanks, was quoted as saying that Hoad is an excellent example of what a vicar should be. Hanks described her as young, dynamic and likeable. Her appointment has made the situation in Fowey more frustrating, as many people there would also like a female vicar to revitalize their community, Hanks added, calling the decision nonsensical and untenable. Wendy Jane, a parishioner, wrote a message for the Fimbarrus PCC on Facebook: Waiting ... as are a lot of Fowey residents, for your justification and explanation regarding this decision. Have you ever considered that your unhealthy views on women and their contribution to faith may be a reason that the congregation at Fowey church now consists of a handful of people? The role of women in church is also a subject of debate in the United States. Saddleback Church, the California-based megachurch founded by Rick Warren in 1980, was recently expelled from the Southern Baptist Convention for having a woman fill the office of teaching pastor. The church plans to appeal the decision at the denomination's Annual Meeting in June. Since Warren's retirement last year, the church has been led by Andy and Stacie Wood. In a podcast interview with former SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore, the bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life laid out three Scripture passages that led him to conclude it was acceptable for women to become pastors. Warren cited Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2 and John 20:17. This is not a battle between liberals and conservatives. All the liberals left a long time ago. Everybody in the SBC believes in the inerrancy of Scripture, said Warren. Now we are talking about difference of interpretation. 1 in 6 democrats believes violence is justified to restore abortion One in every six Democrats believes that force [is] justified to restore abortion rights, a new poll has found, underscoring the secular Lefts growing support for political violence. The number of Democrats backing abortion-related terrorism has doubled, from 8% to 16% since January a period when multiple states have enacted pro-life protections. In all, 31 million Americans support the use of violence to reinstate abortion in U.S. law, up from 22 million just three months ago, according to a survey from the University of Chicagos Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) released this month. The same percentage of Democrats agrees that force is justified to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president, as well as to coerce Congress or government officials. Support for violence against Congress began to rise after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives. Public support for the use of force to coerce members of the US Congress grew from 9% in January 2023 to 17% as of June 26, 2023, effectively doubling. While increasing across the political spectrum, the rise was sharpest among Democrats where it grew by about 2.5 times, the report notes. That translates to 44 million Americans willing to justify domestic terrorism to influence legislation. The Left has engaged in more than theoretical support for abortion-based violence (a redundant phrase). There have been at least 67 attacks against pro-life pregnancy resource centers since the still-unsolved leak of the Supreme Courts Dobbs decision last May, including the vandalism of Republican Congressman Tim Walbergs Michigan offices (which shares space with a pro-life organization) last June 21 and the firebombing of a CompassCare office in New York two weeks earlier. Churches have also borne the brunt of the onslaught. Family Research Councils Arielle Del Turco has documented a total of 543 attacks against churches between January 2018 and March 2023 including 57 abortion-related assaults on churches in the first nine months of 2022 and numerous attacks related to LGBTQ issues, often in tandem with legislation protecting children from the predatory transgender industry. Worse yet, the Department of Homeland Security has warned that churches face an elevated threat of violence until at least the 2024 election, 15 months from now, due to their stance on sociopolitical issues. The new report points to the broad, deep, and metastasizing problem of politically motivated violence, especially on the Left. Radicals threatened to kill and dismember Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley (California) Unified School District Board of Education, after the district defied Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and prevented teachers from hiding a childs gender transition from his or her parents. Four hundred miles to the north, students and LGBTQ activists assaulted and chased former NCAA womens swimmer Riley Gaines through the halls of San Francisco State University in April only for the vice president of Student Affairs to thank the mob for its restraint. A similar scene played out last year as police had to escort Alliance Defending Freedoms general counsel, Kristen Waggoner, through a threatening crowd that pounded on the walls while canceling a debate at prestigious Yale Law School. Although the CPOST poll does not cover the issue, LGBTQ advocacy has already spilled over into bloodshed. The mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville by a woman who identified as transgender left six people dead, including three children. After the far-Left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) added Family Research Council to its hate list, a deranged shooter attempted to kill FRCs entire staff. He succeeded in wounding building manager Leo Johnson and was later convicted of domestic terrorism. Even gay, lesbian, and transgender allies live in fear of left-wing extremists wrath. Radical LGBTQ activists threatened to blow up Target stores in multiple states after the chain removed some of their Pride-themed displays of infants and toddlers clothing bearing the rainbow insignia. We will not tolerate intolerance nor indifference, said one such bomb threat, which called Target officials pathetic cowards for soft-pedaling products designed to groom babes and sucklings into the LGBTQ lifestyle. For the Left, the phrase culture war isnt a euphemism. Previous polls have tracked Americans progressive support for reaching across the widening political divide with a closed fist. In 2020, Democracy Funds Voter Study Group found 21% of Americans said physical violence would be justified if the opposing party wins the presidential election. A 2018 poll from the Buckley Institute found one-third of college students agreed physical violence can be justified to prevent a person from using hate speech or making racially charged comments. The polling data hint at a reality people of faith already know: Secularists have adopted politics as a substitute for religion. Left-wing ideology makes for a graceless faith that visits retribution upon its enemies in this life. Rather than measuring the hearts relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son, woke inquisitors relentlessly monitor any signs of deviation from the party line, punishing heretics to condition Pavlovian obedience. As this author wrote in 2008: Leftists lack the religious grounding to recognize everyone as a divine soul and a tradition that teaches them to hate the sin but love the sinner. The faith of the Left is a political faith, not a religious one, their politics is the politics of bad faith, their God The God that Failed. As they share a secular religion, they promote a secular demonology: Those who fight for The Cause are not on the side of the angels they are the angels. Those who stand in their way are not good people misled; they are Beelzebub in gray suits ... Their opponents deaths simply clear the battlefield of hostile infantrymen. As this 15-year-old analysis shows, dehumanizing and, in extreme cases, eliminating ones perceived political enemies predates our present political moment. Political idolatry is, in fact, mans second oldest faith, noted Whittaker Chambers. Its promise was whispered in the first days of the Creation under the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: Ye shall be as gods. Unfortunately, the CPOST survey shares this erroneous view, stating the fact that the majority (52%) of Americans believe elections will not solve our most fundamental political and social problems constitutes a dangerous deep distrust of democracy. In reality, healthy skepticism of government understands that external force cannot solve our most fundamental problems, because they arise from within, out of the heart of men. Therefore, the solution must also ascend out of a purified, quickened, and illumined heart. Christians must restrict politics to its proper sphere in our culture. Legislation reflects, but does not set, our moral compass. We must normalize respect for the human person and its logical conclusion that the ends do not justify any means. Finally, Christians must speak courageously and without compromise, no matter the results. Unlike secularists, we do not measure our results solely by their impact on this world: Standing for truth in the word of our testimony brings an eternal reward. Thankfully, some leaders have met political idolatry with a newfound determination never to back down. We will not be silenced, said Nicole Neily of Parents Defending Education on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins last month. These are our children. Originally published at The Washington Stand. A plea to global Christians to pray for America Christians all over the world must start praying for America. I have looked at what is happening globally and have concluded that if America returns to its former glory as Gods own country, other nations, including my country Nigeria, will be restored. There is no doubt that America is the worlds leading superpower. A country founded on Gods principles and raised up by God to radiate light to other nations. The United States of America is one nation under God with a destiny and purpose that have been given to it by God. At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, when the founding fathers had reached a deadlock, Benjamin Franklin suggested that they pray. They did and God answered them. Far from being over, the battle for the soul of the country continues as strongly as ever before. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3). The righteous in America are getting marginalized and their voices are dwindling. America as a nation is seriously under attack and needs divine intervention. No nation has exported the Gospel of Christ like America has and no nation has been as generous in supporting missionary work globally as America has. If what is happening in America now is not stopped by serious prayer, Im afraid the Church globally will see darker days yet. Let us pray for President Joe Biden, for members of Congress, for judges, and for governors everywhere that God will grant them divine wisdom in leading and governing righteously. The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will (Proverbs 21:1). Another presidential election is right around the corner. We should pray to God to bring a God-fearing president one who is sensitive to the persecution of Christians worldwide and brave enough to openly serve Jesus and lead others to Him. We should likewise ask God for forgiveness on behalf of Americas citizens and plead with Him to bring national repentance. If God indeed delivers, righteousness and peace might still fill the land. The Church in America might still thrive, world evangelization might yet increase, and hopefully, a true movement of revival might spread to other nations as well. A lot hangs in the balance. Let us devote ourselves to prayer. God might yet show mercy to this once great and blessed nation. Helping your college student rediscover hope One weekend, when my kids were in middle and high school, they came to my wife, Susan, and me and asked for a tech-free weekend. Imagine that kids asking for time away from screens and devices. Admittedly, this was harder for us as parents than the kids, though we treasured a weekend of connecting while playing board games and spending time outside. Our kids crave connection, and in some ways, our technology has increased opportunities for it, and it has also isolated us from more natural forms of it. Johann Haris influential work Lost Connections on depression, anxiety, college-age youth, and social media use has never been more relevant. Interestingly, college students are often cited as being some of the most impacted by feelings of loneliness and helplessness when it comes to finding real connections in an increasingly digital world. The latest news reflects what we already know: we are in the midst of mental health crisis among our nation's young adults. In a recent survey conducted by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation, an alarming 40% of undergraduate students have considered dropping out due to emotional stress and personal mental health issues. This number has spiked from the previous year's data, which reported 34%. And it's not just a matter of academic pressure it's personal. The survey report found that young adults are disproportionately affected by anxiety and depression, with half of 18 to 24-year-olds reporting such issues in the year 2023. And then theres COVID, which has exasperated feelings of isolation. Sian Beilock, a cognitive scientist and president of Barnard College, writes in a recent essay, The Kids Arent All Right: But Hope Can Help: The events of the past few years have literally changed the brains of our young people, prematurely aging them in ways we used to primarily see in children suffering from violence or neglect. She goes on to note the importance of cultivating a sense of hope in very tangible ways: Overcoming the levels of despair were seeing will require helping young people build lasting resilience and connect to a deeper sense of purpose. We witnessed that desire for a deeper sense of purpose recently with the weeks-long revival at Kentuckys Asbury University (and other campuses) which saw students yearning for connection to something beyond themselves, yearning to find hope in the midst of a chaotic world. So, what can we as parents do to help our students rediscover hope? Empower them with frameworks The summer before my first year at college, my mom and dad gave me a long list of dos and donts before driving me down to campus. Once there, I met a kid on my wing whose parents provided different instructions: Remember two things: that we love you, and that youre baptized. I thought hed gotten off so easy. No rules! Then I realized they had done something much more comprehensive and much more helpful: he had a framework for relationships and systems to help him navigate the best choices. College preparation is an opportunity to remind our children that they are capable, competent and enough a chance to provide ongoing emotional support while encouraging their independence. We can best parent college students through connection rather than control, guiding them to make decisions that align with their values while recognizing there are no shortcuts or easy answers in this brave and often uncomfortable place of helping them ride the tension of testing their wings. Exercise habits for connection In his book, Atomic Habits, author James Clear adapted a saying from the Greek poet Archilochus: You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Habits are those systems that help propel our direction toward (or away) from our goals. If connection is the goal, what habits can we promote with our students to help them foster friendship and purpose? First, remind them of their deep roots. As college students navigate the transition to adulthood, it is now more important than ever to offer support tools and ways of staying connected with home. Sending care packages and positive notes, providing emotional support through phone calls, Facetime chats or text chains these small gestures can make a big difference for college students trying to find their place. Then, encourage them to leave the nest! The digital revolution means todays students are spending more time alone in their dorm rooms on social media and video games than outside on lawns, grabbing dinner with peers or engaging in the ample in-person activities campus life offers. Those in-person activities can help cultivate unlikely friendships that are crucial ingredients of health and well-being. Churches and other institutions can also help. A recent Baylor study revealed that students who connect with a congregation during college are healthier physically and emotionally and these results hold true even after college. The study states that by participating in weekly spiritual activities, college students created more meaningful relationships and discovered paths of personal growth. Encourage resilience Belmont University welcomed a special guest last year: country music legend Garth Brooks! He gave an inspiring performance, interspersed with answering the questions of Belmonts students. One young woman, troubled by Russias invasion of Ukraine days before this event, asked a question that especially resonated: It feels like the world is falling apart, and it feels like its self-indulgent for me to want to be a songwriter. Can you help me? His response was encouraging, as he reassured her that now more than ever her voice matters. Rather than thinking of songwriting as a matter of self-indulgence, he encouraged her to double down because she could help create the beauty the world desperately needs. What is your student passionate about? Fan that flame and allow them to uncover joy in unlikely places. It may be the key to unlocking a creative vision and releasing newfound energy. Our students need to know they can help inspire beauty, love and hope in others through their resilience. Teaching them to recognize their own inner strength is an important way to help them find happiness within and also understand the power of hope for those around them. Through their resilience, hope can be shared with the world in meaningful and lasting ways. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form ORANGE, Ohio -- Police were called to Pinecrest recently on separate reports of fraud and theft by deception involving crooked customers, with one arrest made and two suspects still at large. Responding to Verizon Wireless on July 19 on a report of a man possibly using a fake I.D., the first officer on scene saw a man leaving the store and told him to stop, at which point he started running and got in the passenger side of an awaiting gray 2015 Buick. Other officers arrived and detained the car, identifying the passenger as a Bedford Heights man, 20, whose photo was on the Ohio drivers license provided to the Verizon manager when he tried to purchase a $1,600 iPad Pro 512 Wi-Fi. But when officers ran the drivers license number, the personal information listed on the state computer came back to a different name, photo and identity: that of a Ravenna man, 19. The manager said he initially called police because the license did not look authentic and also had a damaged magnetic strip. The suspect had also provided the authorized phone number of the absent Ravenna man to access his Verizon account and buy the iPad Pro. When police went back out to the car being detained, smelled marijuana and searched it, they found an iPhone 14 as well as paperwork associated with the Ravenna mans account. When police called the number provided to the Verizon manager in order to buy the iPad, the phone in the suspects car rang. All of the evidence was collected and the Bedford Heights man was taken to the Solon jail on charges of theft and obstructing official business, with the driver, a Bedford man, 20, released from the scene. Then on July 24, police were called to the Pinecrest REI Co-Op to meet with the manager, who said the outdoor sports equipment stores cash register came up $2,000 short the day before. Management tracked the loss to around 1:30 p.m. July 23, when an unknown man and woman came into the store and bought two Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 watches, along with a Garmin Feni 7X Sapphire watch for a total of $3,025. The couple said they wanted to pay in cash. Security camera footage showed the woman counting out the money and placing it in stacks of $1,000. The cashier recounted the money and the woman then picked up the stacks and put them together -- while removing $2,000 off the bottom before handing it back to the cashier. The manager said the two suspects seemed to be engaging the cashier during the checkout to distract him, and he did not notice the short-change diversion as he placed it in the register. The suspects then left the store with the watches and the $2,000 sleight of hand, with the investigation continuing and police requesting a copy of the security video. Get police blotters by email every weekday for free with our new Police Blotter newsletter. Sign up at cleveland.com/newsletters Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun. CLEVELAND, Ohio - After an abortion rights amendment qualified to appear on the November ballot in Ohio, a new lawsuit from Republicans asks the Ohio Supreme Court to block the measure. Filed on Friday, the challenge argues that the abortion rights petition did not identify which state laws would have to be repealed if the constitutional amendment were to be adopted. The lawsuit points out that the amendment would repeal parts existing Ohio laws, including the Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act adopted in 2019, which bans abortion in Ohio after any embryonic cardiac activity is detected. This includes the prohibition of performing an abortion on a pregnant person who has an embryo with a fetal heartbeat, and other laws covering fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome and parental consent on abortions. A Hamilton County judge put the heartbeat law on hold while abortion-rights backers challenged it in court. Right now, abortion is legal up to 22 weeks. The lawsuit claims that the failure to outline these initiatives renders the petition invalid, and thus cannot be placed on the ballot in November. Attorney Curt Hartman filed the challenge on behalf of former state Rep. Tom Brinkman from Cincinnati and ex-legislative candidate Jennifer Giroux. The legal challenge came three days after the Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose approved the amendment for the November ballot, certifying that the required number of valid signatures were obtained to put the issue before voters. Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights needed 413,487 signatures from registered voters in half of Ohios 88 counties, signed by no fewer than 5% of the electors of each county, to qualify for the ballot. The campaign had submitted over 710,000 signatures July 5. If approved, the Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety amendment would fall under Article I of the Ohio Constitution. The proposed amendment would generally guarantee that patients could make their own reproductive decisions, including birth control, fertility treatment, continuing a pregnancy, or abortion and miscarriage care up until viability, which is around 22 to 24 weeks. After that point, the state could regulate abortion. However, abortions after that cutoff could be permitted if in the professional judgment of the pregnant patients treating physician it is necessary to protect the pregnant patients life or health. Pro-choice activists say that they have met every requirement necessary to be placed on the ballot, as evidenced by the certification by the Secretary of State. Anti-choice extremists know they cant win at the ballot box, so they have filed a lawsuit in a desperate attempt to silence the clear majority of Ohioans who support reproductive freedom, said Lauren Blauvelt, spokeswoman for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights to cleveland.com. Once the Court reviews all the relevant facts, we expect this challenge to be rejected. Currently, 50% plus one vote is necessary to approve an amendment to the Ohio Constitution. However, on Aug. 8, voters will decide in a special election whether to increase that threshold to 60% via State Issue 1. State Issue 1 also would expand signature-gathering requirements for constitutional amendments, but those changes wouldnt affect the abortion-rights amendment because they dont take effect until 2024. Ohio would become the seventh state in the country to vote on abortion rights. It follows Kansas, Michigan, Kentucky, Vermont, Montana and California. Michigan, Vermont and California voted to approve abortion rights measures, while voters in Kansas, Kentucky and Montana defeated anti-abortion measures. Zachary Smith is the data reporter for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. He can be reached at zsmith@cleveland.com. See previous stories at this link. In one of those mostly under-the-radar moves that often happen in the late stages of Ohios high-stakes budget process, Statehouse Republicans expanded the states annual August weekend sales tax holiday on school supplies -- which typically costs the state $20 million in revenue annually -- to a far bigger tax holiday starting next year. It will apply to almost everything people buy costing less than $500. And its intended to last until the lost tax revenue hits $750 million or thereabouts. Yes. You read that right. Up to three-quarters of a billion dollars with almost no limitations on what people can buy and still get the tax break -- other than no motor vehicles, watercraft, outboard motors, alcohol, tobacco and vaping products or medical marijuana, cleveland.coms Jeremy Pelzer reports. The new expanded tax holiday is slated to start Aug. 1, 2024. This years tax holiday will run as usual only on the first weekend of August, with no sales tax charged on school supplies costing less than $20 or clothing less than $75. As written into the budget by lawmakers, the expanded sales-tax holiday was supposed to last two weeks starting next year, but Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed that language on the grounds that the $750 million limit might be breached before the two weeks were up. He directed instead that the state tax commissioner and budget director work with the County Commissioners Association to decide how long the sales tax holiday should last next year. Lawmakers see it as a way to stimulate the economy, although economists are divided on the worth of such an approach, Pelzer reports, while critics argue the money could be better spent -- for instance, largely geared to low-income families. So what does our Editorial Board Roundtable think? As the headline on Pelzers story put it, Gimmick or generous give-back? Leila Atassi, manager public interest and advocacy: Tax breaks should be deployed in service to those who need them. Wealthier consumers are positioned well to benefit from sales tax holidays because they have the financial flexibility to time their purchases to coincide with the tax break. Families living paycheck to paycheck dont have that luxury. The state should consider tax reforms that more directly benefit lower-income Ohioans. Thomas Suddes, editorial writer: This is a publicity stunt to get a tax holiday headline for the legislature. There are far better uses for $750 million, starting with bolstered child care programs and supplemental aid for special-needs Ohioans. And the next time someone says Ohio cant afford to fully fund public schools, keep this tax holiday gimmick in mind. Ted Diadiun, columnist: I hate taxes, so Im struggling to celebrate this proposal. But I just cant get there. The school supplies tax holiday is a nice idea, assuming it helps people buy school supplies who normally wouldnt. But expanding it to other purchases strikes me as just a grandstand play thatll do nothing but cost the state three-quarters of a billion dollars. Eric Foster, columnist: Politically, its hard to argue against a tax holiday. The idea of no taxes is appealing to everyone. People might view them differently if they were asked what they thought was the best use of $750 million. Increasing teacher pay? Universal pre-K? Infrastructure? When the state says we dont have money for these things, remember you got a tax holiday. Lisa Garvin, editorial board member: The sales tax holiday extension seems like a let them eat cake moment. Long after the temporary savings have faded, a $750 million revenue shortfall remains. In their current tax-cutting mode, Republican lawmakers will balance the budget by decreasing funding to critical programs that would benefit Ohio families far more than a few extra days of tax-free shopping. Mary Cay Doherty, editorial board member: Tax holidays, like vacations, arent necessary but provide respite from lifes economic demands. And longer vacations are more restorative than weekend getaways. According to the website Statista, state taxes generated $37 billion for Ohio in 2022; only nine states had higher tax revenues. Thus, the expanded sales tax holiday seems an affordable vacation that will economically benefit Ohioans. Elizabeth Sullivan, opinion director: Ohio lawmakers are shelling out three-quarters of a billion dollars in taxpayer money (and maybe more, if they miscalculate when the $750 million will be exhausted) just for some not-so-cheap publicity, without making an iotas difference in the lives of struggling families. If they had all this extra cash, why not gear it to food aid, mental health or other needs? Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this Editorial Board Roundtable to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com Simon Potter | Getty Images When it comes to stocks, investors face a big question: How much exposure is enough? For investors already in retirement, how well they answer that question may have big consequences for how well they reach their goals. "About 37% of boomers have more equity than we would recommend for their particular life stage," said Mike Shamrell, vice president of thought leadership at Fidelity Workplace Investing. Baby boomers who are currently 59 to 77 years old and typically already in or near retirement face tight time horizons for when they need to draw from their nest eggs. Some boomers may be tempted to take on more risk due to guaranteed income from pensions or Social Security checks that cover their expenses. Others may be driven to try to make up for lost time if they feel their portfolios have fallen short of what they need. At Fidelity, the allocations to equities in retirement funds are about 10% higher than where they should be, Shamrell said. The firm's conclusion is based on comparing investments with the equity allocations it recommends in its target date funds, which provide a mix of investments according to specific retirement-age goals. The good news for almost half of boomer investors 48% is their allocations are on track, according to Shamrell. watch now Some of those investors with excess stock exposure may simply need to rebalance after recent market highs, Shamrell said. Experts say having the right mix of equities can go a long way toward helping retirees meet their financial goals. "Everybody should have at least some equities," said Carolyn McClanahan, a certified financial planner and founder of Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida. She is also a member of CNBC's Financial Advisor Council. Yet, there are some important factors to consider when gauging the right investment mix and adjusting those allocations as necessary along the way. 1. Assess downside risks skynesher When meeting with clients, financial advisors typically come up with an investment policy statement, which outlines the investing goals and asset allocations needed to get there. Importantly, a client's personal circumstances drive these goals, McClanahan noted. Clients typically fall into one of three groups: those who have more than enough money for retirement; those who are close to having enough, but who need to carefully manage their investment risk; and those who are not prepared. For the latter group, McClanahan typically advises working longer and making spending adjustments. Everybody should have at least some equities. Carolyn McClanahan founder of Life Planning Partners For the middle group, who are close to enough, crafting a careful investment strategy is essential, she said. Importantly, that may mean curbing the instinct to take on more risk to catch up. "Sometimes people feel like, 'If I make more money, I'll be able to spend more money and do better,'" McClanahan said. "We have to show them the downside risk of that you can likely lose a lot more money and then you're not going to be OK," McClanahan said. 2. Identify an investment sweet spot Carl Smith | Getty Images To pinpoint your ideal level of exposure to stocks, there are two important factors to consider: your ability to take on risk and your time horizon. "No one can predict with any level of certainty how long you're going to be around," said Sri Reddy, senior vice president of retirement and income solutions at Principal Financial Group. "There are plenty of people who are 80 or 82 today who will go on for another 20 years," he said. Consequently, not investing in equities is "not prudent," he said. That goes not only for a 20-year time horizon, but also for shorter five- or 10-year time frames. Though time horizons cannot be pinpointed precisely, investors can decide how much risk in the markets they can and should stomach. Most of McClanahan's clients who are in their 70s have a 40% stock allocation, she said. However, the ideal level of exposure depends on their goals and risk appetite. While some investors may welcome a 40% stock allocation to grow the money they hope to leave to their children, others may be more comfortable with just 20% in equities so they can preserve their money for the same goal, McClanahan said. 3. Beware the risks of 'play' money Equity exposure should be appropriately diversified, such as through a mix of U.S. large cap and small cap, international large cap and small cap low-cost passive funds, McClanahan said. Retirees who feel they are appropriately invested may want to dabble in stock picking with a small sum. But McClanahan cautions that kind of activity may have unintended consequences, particularly following recent market highs. One of the most important ways to make sure you're going to do well in retirement is good tax management. Carolyn McClanahan founder of Life Planning Partners One client recently used $30,000 to invest in stocks, got lucky in the markets and sold to preserve her gains, McClanahan said. But that move left the client with $8,000 in short-term capital gains she had to pay taxes on at regular rather than lower long-term rates, she said. What's more, that additional income may prompt the client to have to pay higher rates on Medicare Part B premiums. "One of the most important ways to make sure you're going to do well in retirement is good tax management," McClanahan said. 4. Staying the course is 'usually your best friend' marekuliasz | iStock | Getty Images Nicole Cueto uses ChatGPT in her travel advising side hustle. The AI cuts her "research time in half," she says. Artificial intelligence still has a long way to go before completely taking over most human jobs. But it can already make some side hustles easier and more lucrative, primarily by saving people time. "Automation, I think, is the key to reducing your workload," Sean Audet, a food photographer who uses generative AI tools like ChatGPT to write emails and business plans, told CNBC Make It earlier this month. "When a client first reaches out to me, I need to be able to quickly deliver a bunch of information about services and costs ... in a nice, succinct and personalized way." Time is particularly valuable for side hustles, where your bandwidth is limited by definition. Some gigs that can benefit from current AI platforms are highly lucrative, too paying up to $100 per hour. Notably, few if any of today's AI tools are "set it and forget it" style programs. Chatbots tend to output robotic-sounding language, and can "hallucinate" sentences that are simply wrong. Image generators still struggle to nail small details within larger pictures. Those errors can occur from even simple prompts. In March, researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley asked ChatGPT 3.5 and 4 OpenAI's free chatbot and an updated version available to paying subscribers, respectively to identify prime numbers. In June, they did it again. The results varied wildly, from 2.4% accuracy (ChatGPT 4, in June) to 97.6% accuracy (ChatGPT 4, in March), the study reported. Still, editing an AI's language can be faster than writing multiple paragraphs from scratch, Audet said. Here are three common side hustles where you can already save time and make money by using AI. Travel agents Nicole Cueto, a New York-based public relations consultant, makes money on the side by helping people plan their vacations booking flights, making reservations and planning excursions. She also has a profile on travel agent platform Fora, where she earns commissions when clients book hotels and experiences through her recommendations. In January, when Cueto started her side hustle, she spent five to seven hours planning one day of vacation. Using ChatGPT as a refined, filtered version of Google cuts her "research time in half," she says. Cueto has visited 43 countries and all seven continents, she says. Late last year, she realized she could monetize her passion for travel. Nicole Cueto "I've been to Paris a thousand times, but if I have a client that wants to discover the depths of the city from an old school perspective, I don't really know how to do that [from personal experience]," she says. "So, I'll type in, 'Give me a budget-conscious guide to Paris that incorporates historical neighborhoods where politicians lived in the 1880s.'" Following ChatGPT's proposed itinerary without further research would be risky, but Cueto says she doesn't mind doing the fact-checking. It's still more efficient than other search engines, she adds and saving time means taking on more clients and making more money. Since January, Cueto has made an average of $670 per month from her side hustle, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. She currently works 10 to 20 hours per week on it, charging roughly $42 per hour, she says. Content assistants Even as AI may replace human jobs, it can create new ones: Some companies have started hiring part-time content assistants, whose job is to generate blog, newsletter and social media posts using chatbots and then fact-check the results. These jobs, which are also referred to as AI content editing, can pay anywhere from $20 to $100 per hour, experts say. "You can literally copy and paste in a transcription and say, 'Turn this [speech] into a 700-word blog article that has five tips,'" Angelique Rewers, founder of small-business consulting firm BoldHaus, told CNBC Make It last month. Rewers called AI content assistants "the biggest new side hustle," adding that assistants should proofread anything they aggregate from ChatGPT to "make sure that it's not gobbledygook." The barrier to entry is low, Rewers said. ChatGPT is currently free to use, and aspiring side hustlers can learn to effectively generate prompts on YouTube. The job is starting to take off on freelance platforms, too, Upwork vice president of talent solutions Margaret Lilani told CNBC Make It last month. "We've seen a high demand for this category of work," Lilani said. Employers "are looking to build up the supply of freelancers who can support this demand." Artists In some cases, when AI saves you time, it's more useful to reinvest it in your future profits. Audet, a trained fine dining chef, realized he had a knack for photography while substitute teaching a "Pastry Arts" class at Red River College in Winnipeg, Canada. He turned his side hustle into a full-time gig in 2020, and says he now regularly uses AI to craft emails and build business templates. Trained fine dining chef Sean Audet was teaching in Winnipeg, Canada, when he was introduced to food photography. Now, it's his full-time job. Sean Audet Investors combing for value ahead of another big week of earnings should look no further, according to analysts. There's a whole bunch of companies that they believe are severely undervalued. CNBC Pro looked through top Wall Street research to find stocks that are underappreciated as earnings season continues. They include Amazon, Kontoor Brands, DigitalBridge , Block and WW International. Kontoor Brands UBS analyst Mauricio Serna is standing by shares of the maker of Lee and Wrangler jeans ahead of the company's earnings report on Aug. 3. "Kontoor Brands has two widely recognized denim brands and has strengthened its position as one of the leading players in the category," he said. Meanwhile chatter around the stock remains mostly balanced and positive, according to UBS. However, Serna warned investors to remain calm as a wholesale inventory rebalancing could cause Kontoor to lower its 2023 fiscal-year outlook when it debuts its quarterly results next week. "We thus don't expect the event causes sentiment around KTB to change much," he added. Shares of Kontoor are up 5% this year, but Serna sees this as an attractive entry point. The stock should outperform over the next 12 months, he said, as the denim market begins to heat up again. "We model an ~8% 5-yr. EPS CAGR and rate the stock buy as we believe this growth potential remains underappreciated," Serna said. Block "Strong and steady" is how Bank of America analyst Jason Kupferberg described the payment company in a recent note ahead of earnings next week. The firm said it's expecting an in-line quarterly report, but that doesn't mean the analyst is any less bullish on the stock. "We think consensus 2Q estimates are well-calibrated," he wrote. Kupferberg noted that even with the stock up nearly 25% this year, shares still have more room to run. "[The] recent stock price performance has been buoyed by the market's more favorable view on macro/crypto," he added. Still, Kupferberg wrote that shares are not getting enough credit from investors, especially with a business that has been incredibly resilient despite a rough 2022. "We believe SQ remains undervalued and business model resilience is underappreciated," he said. Block is scheduled to report earnings on Aug. 3. DigitalBridge Shares of digital-infrastructure company DigitalBridge are up 40% in 2023 as of Friday's close, but there may be even more appreciation to come, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Matt Niknam. "We continue to believe DBRG remains one of the most underappreciated stories among our coverage, with meaningful upside potential over time," he wrote. The firm said DigitalBridge is flying under the radar ahead of its second-quarter earnings on Aug. 4. Investors should expect a heavy dose of artificial intelligence specifics from the company as DigitalBridge is well positioned to be a key beneficiary, the firm said. In addition, Niknam said he sees no shortage of positive catalysts for investors to anticipate Despite a choppy market, DigitalBridge is making "incremental progress" in meeting fundraising goals, the analyst noted. Further, he thinks that the company is well positioned to demonstrate that it is delivering on its financial targets. A "cleaner and leaner" story is just starting to emerge with growth prospects looking up, Niknam wrote. "DigitalBridge's high-growth, and increasingly asset-light business model represent a unique approach to investing in digital infrastructure," he said. Amazon - Baird, outperform rating "B2B remains one of the most significant growth opportunities in e-commerce, but still somewhat underappreciated by investors. ... B2B is a multi-trillion TAM, still largely offline & where we think AI/ML can help speed the online shift & provide an advantage to technology-oriented platforms, such as AMZN. ... In AMZN's 2022 annual shareholder letter, CEO Jassy disclosed AMZN Business generated $35 billion of volume last year, & we continue to believe the category could become the single largest contributor to AMZN's online retail segment." DigitalBridge - Deutsche Bank, buy rating Despite a ~50% move higher year to date, we continue to believe DBRG remains one of the most underappreciated stories among our coverage, with meaningful upside potential over time. As DBRG finalizes its de-consolidation of the OpCo (on balance sheet) business, we believe a 'cleaner and leaner' story may resonate better with both Financials and TMT-centric investors looking at shares. DBRG high-growth, and increasingly asset-light business model represent a unique approach to investing in digital infrastructure. WW International - Morgan Stanley, overweight rating "We see an undervalued turnaround story with thematic exposure given the combination of a reaccelerating core business in addition to faster than anticipated traction in WW's new GLP-1 telehealth brand Sequence. A robust NT catalyst path provides opportunities for re-rating. We are positive on the upcoming 2Q earnings print as positive core trends, early green shoots at Sequence, and potential to talk to integration all could drive upside to estimates." Read more about this call here. Kontoor Brands - UBS, buy rating " Kontoor Brands has two widely recognized denim brands and has strengthened its position as one of the leading players in the category. ... We thus don't expect the event causes sentiment around KTB to change much. ... We model an ~8% 5-yr. EPS CAGR and rate the stock buy as we believe this growth potential remains underappreciated." Block - Bank of America, buy rating "Expect strong and steady performance to continue. ... We think consensus 2Q estimates are well-calibrated. ... Recent stock price performance has been buoyed by the market's more favorable view on macro/crypto. ... We believe SQ remains undervalued and business model resilience is underappreciated. ... Shares underperformed in '22 due to macro concerns, but we believe the stock is not being given enough credit for the general resilience the business has shown to date as well as its opex discipline." The United States unveiled a Taiwan weapons aid package worth up to $345 million on Friday, a move likely to anger China even as the Biden administration declined to publicly provide details on the arms in the package. Congress authorized up to $1 billion worth of Presidential Drawdown Authority weapons aid for Taiwan, which strongly rejects Chinese sovereignty claims, in the 2023 budget. Beijing has repeatedly demanded the United States, Taiwan's most important arms supplier, halt the sale of weapons to the island. In recent weeks, four sources told Reuters the package was expected to include four unarmed MQ-9A reconnaissance drones, but noted their inclusion could fall through as officials work through details on removing some of the advanced equipment from the drones that only the U.S. Air Force is allowed access to. The formal announcement did not include a list of weapon systems being provided. Taiwan's defense ministry thanked the U.S. for its "firm security commitment," adding in a statement it will not comment on the package details due to the "tacit agreement" between the two sides. Among the issues that could confound the inclusion of the drones was who would pay for their alterations, one of the people briefed on the matter said previously. Reuters could not determine if the drones were still part of the package. Taiwan had previously agreed to purchase four, more advanced, MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, made by General Atomics, which are slated for delivery in 2025. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, who faces sanctions in the U.S., will not be invited to San Francisco during November's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The United States will not invite Hong Kong's chief executive, who faces U.S. sanctions, to visit San Francisco during November's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, two congressional aides said on Friday. The U.S. is set to host this year's gathering of leaders of APEC, of which Hong Kong is a member. Hong Kong's top official John Lee was placed under U.S. sanctions in 2020 because of his role in implementing what Washington deems a "draconian" Hong Kong national security law when he was the city's security secretary. Reuters reported in June that a group of lawmakers, including Republican Senator Marco Rubio, sent a letter to the U.S. State Department urging it to bar Lee from the U.S. The Washington Post on Thursday reported the U.S. decision on Lee, citing U.S. officials, and on Friday two congressional aides confirmed to Reuters that the State Department had notified members of Congress that Lee would not be invited. Rubio said on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that it was the "right call," even if the decision took longer than it should have. "Hosting a sanctioned human rights violator who represses Hong Kongers is a nonstarter," Rubio said. In its 2020 designation of Lee, the U.S. Treasury Department said he had been involved in the "coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning" of people in the Chinese city who had protested against the national security law. A State Department spokesperson, asked about the decision, said the participation of all delegations in APEC events will be "in accordance with U.S. laws and regulations and on the basis of the spirit and principles of APEC." "We will work with Hong Kong, China to ensure appropriate participation in San Francisco," the spokesperson said, adding without giving details that U.S. President Joe Biden had begun sending invitations for the event. China's Embassy in Washington expressed Beijing's "strong opposition" to the U.S. decision. "This violates APEC rules, and breaks the commitments made by the U.S.," Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The APEC leaders summit is seen as a possible venue where Biden could hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the two countries seek to stabilize troubled relations. This illustration photo taken on July 24, 2023 shows the Twitter bird logo upside down in the background of Elon Musk's screen advertising an "X" as a replacement logo, in Los Angeles. X, formerly known as Twitter, has officially retired its famous blue and white bird logo. The icon on the mobile app changed to an "X" late Friday night in the latest phase of a sweeping rebrand the platform's owner Elon Musk announced earlier this month. The company previously introduced the logo on the web and launched the domain X.com, though Twitter.com also remains live. Musk, who acquired the platform for $44 billion late last year, wrote in a post Sunday that the company would soon "bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds." The transition from Twitter to X reflects Musk's vision to turn the platform into what he has called an "everything app." He shared a video of a large new X logo glowing on top of the company's headquarters early Saturday. City officials in San Francisco opened an investigation into the company Friday for allegedly installing the sign without proper approval, according to the Department of Building Inspection's website. The department filed two active complaints Friday with the descriptions "Structure on roof without permit" and "Unsafe sign" at the address for X's headquarters. In one complaint, a city official said they visited the building and asked company representatives for access to the roof. The official was denied access and told the structure is "a temporary lighted sign for an event." San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection and X did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. The Tesla CEO has long been enamored with the letter "x." SpaceX, Musk's rocket manufacturer, also features an X as its logo, and Musk recently launched a new artificial intelligence startup called xAI, with the lofty goal to "understand the true nature of the universe." But undoing years of branding behind Twitter's blue bird is a move that business analysts consider risky. The company has already struggled to retain advertisers as Musk's changes to the site have led some to fear it's not a safe place for brands to market. Musk recently hired former NBCUniversal advertising executive Linda Yaccarino as CEO, seen as a move to help reassure advertisers. In an email to employees Monday obtained by CNBC's Sara Eisen, Yaccarino wrote that X will develop experiences in video, audio, messaging, banking and payments that will "delight" users. She added that she and Musk plan to work across every team to keep the "entire community up to date." "Time to update.," Yaccarino wrote in a post about the mobile app's logo change Friday. Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 28) The largest branch museum of the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) in the Visayas will open its doors to the public on Aug. 1. Located within Plaza Independencia in Cebu City, the Central Visayas Regional Museum was inaugurated on Friday with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in attendance. In his speech, Marcos said the launch of the museum is in line with the government's agenda to promote tourism and national identity. "If you haven't been in there, you are in for a very special treat," the president said after touring the exhibits. "It is a milestone not only for the Queen City of the South and the whole province of Cebu but for the entire country, as the opening of this museum brings to the fore our rich natural, cultural, and artistic treasures," he added. According to the NMP, the new museum has five galleries "highlighting Cebu's unique geological features and publicly unfamiliar plant and animal species endemic to the place; significant archaeological finds about the Cebuanos and Filipinos history and prehistory; and, sustained ethnographic traditions inculcated in maritime history and industry." The building was originally the Cebu Customs House, established in 1910 to facilitate trade between Cebu Island and neighboring communities. It was converted into the Malacanan sa Sugbo in 2004, but was hit by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in 2013 and had to be closed. In December 2019, the Cebu Port Authority and the NMP signed a deal giving the latter the right to use the building as a museum for 25 years. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29) Up to 11 more tropical cyclones could enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) this year, according to the state weather bureau. "At least eight hanggang 11 na bagyo. At dito sa Angat [dam] for example, inaasahan natin na at least two storms or typhoons ang dadaan para supisyente tumaas yung lebel ng Angat," Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Deputy Administrator Nathaniel Servando said Saturday. [Translation: At least eight to 11 storms. When it comes to Angat, we're hoping two storms will be enough to sufficiently raise the dam's water level.] Tropical Storm Falcon, the sixth storm for 2023 and the third for July, entered PAR early Saturday morning. It came just two days after "Egay," which ravaged parts of Northern Luzon, left the country's weather monitoring area. Servando said the rains brought by tropical cyclones could have beneficial effects, such as improving water levels in dams, and even reducing the effects of El Nino. As of July 29, Angat Dam's water level was recorded at 191.70 meters. Its minimum operating level is 180, while its normal high water level is 210 meters. PAGASA announced on July 4 the start of a "weak" El Nino. Shortly after, Angat's water level fell below its minimum operating level. "Kapag may El Nino kasi, ang inaasahan natin na malalakas iyong mga bagyo, particularly towards the later part of the year, mga bandang September, October ang tinatamaan na dito lagi ay ang ating mga kalupaan, particular Visayas area," Servando added. [Translation: During El Nino, we expect strong typhoons, particularly towards the latter part of the year around September, October, that tend to make landfall in the Visayas area.] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29) There are now 14 reported deaths due to the effects of storm Egay and the enhanced southwest monsoon, or habagat, state disaster management officials reported on Saturday. In its latest situation report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said six deaths have been confirmed while eight fatalities were still up for validation. The NDRRMC also said it is still validating information on 13 people who were reportedly hurt and 20 missing individuals. Egay (international name: Doksuri), which reached super typhoon category while inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, also affected 172,293 families or 608,979 residents in 1,858 barangays in the country. Affected locals were mostly from Central Luzon. A total of 3,288 families or 11,043 persons are still in evacuation centers, the agency added. Mimaropa had the most number of evacuees. So far, authorities have provided over 39 million worth of aid to affected families. Power restoration efforts As of 8 a.m., the NDRRMC said 102 areas nationwide are still experiencing power interruptions. Half of these are located in the Ilocos region. In a briefing, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) said 50 out of 62 electric cooperatives are now operational. The NEA is currently ramping up its efforts, as well as coordinating with concerned agencies, to restore operations of the remaining twelve electric cooperatives that service 577,530 consumer connections. Energy officials said they are focusing their efforts on electric cooperatives in Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, and Abra. Damage Egay caused the most damage in Northern Luzon, mostly in areas in Cagayan Valley. The NDRRMC said 9,624 houses were destroyed during the tropical cyclone's onslaught. The agency added that damage to infrastructure was estimated at nearly 1.2 billion. The inclement weather also brought damage to agriculture pegged at nearly 834 million, and disrupted the livelihoods of around 76,000 farmers and fisherfolk. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29) Tropical Storm Falcon (international name: Khanun) intensified further as it moved north northwestward over the Philippine Sea, the state weather bureau said on Saturday. Falcon is forecast to steadily intensify within the next three days. It could become a typhoon late Sunday evening or Monday morning and reach its peak intensity on Tuesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its 11 p.m. bulletin. However, PAGASA said Falcon will remain far from landmass, and the raising of wind signals is unlikely. The storm was last spotted 1,210 kilometers east of Central Luzon, moving north northwestward at 15 kilometers per hour (kph) packing maximum sustained winds of 85 kph and gustiness of up to 105 kph. Falcon is the sixth tropical cyclone to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) this year and the third in July. It is expected to exit PAR Monday afternoon or evening, before heading to the east coast of China. Falcon will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon, or habagat, to bring rains and strong gusts of winds to western areas of Luzon and the Visayas in the next three days. The habagat is currently strengthened by Doksuri, a tropical storm over mainland China, PAGASA said. It was called Egay, peaking at a super typhoon category, while inside PAR. The enhanced southwest monsoon is expected to dump heavy rainfall over Zambales, Bataan, and Occidental Mindoro on Saturday. Light to moderate with at times heavy rains may be experienced over Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Antique, and northern Palawan. Gusty conditions are forecast over Zambales, Bataan, Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, and most of Calabarzon, Bicol region, and Western Visayas, PAGASA said strong bursts of winds will be expected over a large portion of Luzon and Visayas in the coming days. A gale warning is in effect along Luzon and Visayas coasts. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29) Beginning this year, the country will celebrate August 8 to 14 as "Philippine Space Week," following a proclamation by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Malacanang on Saturday said Marcos issued Proclamation No. 302 on July 25 upon the recommendation of the Philippine Space Council to highlight the substantial influence of space science and technology applications on the countrys development. There is a need to promote space awareness, celebrate the significant contributions of Filipinos worldwide in the field of space science, and espouse the value, benefits and impacts of space science and technology applications on the lives of Filipinos, read the document. The Palace noted that the yearly observance would coincide with the enactment of the Philippine Space Act on Aug. 8, 2019. Marcos ordered the Philippine Space Agency to identify programs and activities for the week-long event, as he enjoined all government entities and private sectors to participate in the celebration. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29) The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines (TECO) has awarded scholarships to 70 Filipino students this year. The Filipino scholars will be pursuing higher education in electronics, artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors, while some will study Mandarin. The Philippines is one of our priority countries and you have made the right choice in pursuing higher education in Taiwan, TECO Representative Wallace Chow said. One of this year's scholars, data scientist Zachary Bisenio, will be pursuing a master's degree in Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology. Taiwan is leading in the semiconductor industry and also in terms of Science and Technology products so the learning environment is very conducive for data scientists like us, Bisenio told CNN Philippines. Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) Chairman Silvestre Bello III said there are many opportunities for Filipinos in Taiwan. But the challenge is how to encourage these scholars to come back to the Philippines after pursuing their studies, he added. With the attractiveness ng benefits doon, karamihan sa grumaduate doon they get employed doon. Like for example yung 122, only 2 came home, Bello said in an interview. [Translation: With the attractive benefits in Taiwan, most of those who graduate get employed there. For example, out of the 122 Filipino students who studied there, only two came back home] Bello: Taiwan eyes to hire 28K foreign workers Bello also said Taiwan aims to hire 28,000 foreign workers this year. 600 factory workers, 14,000 caregivers, 8,000 agricultural workers. They prefer the Philippines when it comes to factory workers, Bello said. The MECO chief has yet to release details on these job vacancies. Bello is pushing for more economic partnerships with Taipei. He said he will be meeting with Finance Secretary Ben Diokno and lawmakers to discuss a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will ease the tax burden for Taiwanese businessmen interested in the Philippines. All the Asian countries have an MOU with Taiwan na wala silang double taxation, 'yun ang pinaka-discouragement ng Taiwanese na pumunta sa atin, he said. [Translation: All Asian countries have an MOU with Taiwan that prevents double taxation, which discourages business owners in Taiwan to go to the Philippines] Bello said more economic partnerships will allow the Philippines to benefit from agriculture and semiconductor technology from Taiwan. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. 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. Bhutanese Foreign Secretary Aum Pema Choden visits India, co-chairs India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks Foreign Secretary of Bhutan Aum Pema Choden visited India from July 28 to July 29 when she co-chaired the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks with her Indian counterpart Vinay Kwatra. A file image of Aum Pema Choden. Photo courtesy: Official Twitter (now called X) account of the Embassy of India in Bhutan She visited India at the invitation of Foreign Secretary of India Vinay Kwatra. The two Foreign Secretaries reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation and discussed ways to further strengthen it across diverse sectors. "Both Foreign Secretaries co-chaired the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks (Plan Talks). The Bhutanese side shared details regarding Bhutans 13th Five Year Plan," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. Foreign Secretary Kwatra conveyed Indias commitment to partner with Bhutan based on the priorities of the government and people of the Himalayan nation, and advancing the bilateral partnership, including newer areas. "The two Foreign Secretaries noted with appreciation the progress on bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, development partnership, cross-border connectivity, trade and economic ties, digital development, science and technology, skill development and furthering people-to-people ties," read the statement. It was agreed that both sides will continue to work to further strengthen such cooperation in keeping with the Joint Statement issued during the official visit of the King of Bhutan to India in April 2023. The Foreign Secretary of Bhutan called on the External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar on July 29. "India and Bhutan share an exemplary bilateral relationship characterized by utmost trust, goodwill and mutual understanding at all levels, strong bonds of friendship and close people-to-people ties," read the statement. The visit of the Foreign Secretary of Bhutan reinforced the long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries to discuss all issues of mutual interest. Need to address root countries to combat terrorism, says EAM S Jaishankar at India-Japan Forum 2023 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said there is a need to address the "root countries" to combat terrorism. S Jaishankar at the India-Japan Forum 2023 in New Delhi. Photo courtesy: S Jaishankar Twitter page He said there is a need for Japan and India to be on the same page in counter-terrorism. Speaking at the India-Japan Forum 2023 in New Delhi, S Jaishankar, was responding to his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi's remarks that the top priority of cooperation between like-minded countries India and Japan should be to counter-terrorism, reports ANI news agency. Spoke at the India-Japan Forum today in New Delhi. Appreciate my colleague FM Yoshi Hayashis thought provoking ideas and views. Made the following 6 points: 1.For India, Japan is the modernising inspiration that is particularly relevant as the Modi Government advances pic.twitter.com/h7ayNPRd5u Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 28, 2023 During the question and answer session, he said: "There are some really important challenges in the world, like missile nuclear proliferation and terrorism and it is important that we address root causes and root countries which are behind this and it is important that Japan and India are on the same page." S. Jaishankar held the 15th India-Japan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan on July 27 in New Delhi. The meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress made in the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. The Ministers engaged in comprehensive discussions covering a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional, and global significance. They highlighted the importance of further strengthening India-Japan partnership based on shared values and principles. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Its hard to imagine life in Arlen, Texas, without our friend Boomhauer Jeffery Dexter Boomhauer III, if were being technical. Sure, theres a lot we dont know about him: Is he actually a Texas Ranger? Does he use that limousine as a side hustle? Has he considered switching to decaf? Click right here to get the best of Cracked sent to your inbox. But we do know hes a reliable friend and sometimes a surprising, if occasionally indecipherable, voice of reason among his buddies. Obviously, we know Boomhauer best for his trademark speech pattern, which rings any number of bells for those of us who grew up in the South. With that in mind, we might overlook how often he surprises us with his knowledge and wisdom. So lets dive into some of his most brilliant moments, cause as he said, Id like the dang ol I think therefore you are man. 5 Boomhauer-Vision A Firefighting We Will Go has Boomhauer speaking in a way we can fully understand. While the other guys are mumbling about smoke alarms and ass-kicking, Boomhauer asks them to keep it down so he can finish reading an article about vintage Camaros. This begs the question: Is this how Boomhauer always hears them? Is this a glimpse into his own reality? Play Advertisement In this same episode, he is also the one who tells the fire chief that Dale is actually to blame for the fire, despite Hank trying to blame the deceased Chet Elderson. 4 On Grudges A long-kept secret gets uncovered during Its Not Easy Being Green when we learn that the crew accidentally crashed Boomhauers prized 65 Ford Mustang into the quarry years earlier, telling Boomhauer it was stolen by Yankees. Later in the episode, Bobby asks Boomhauer how long they should stay mad at Hank. Surprisingly, Boomhauer tells Bobby that life is too short to hold a grudge and that we should let ol bygones be bygones, man. Ultimately, he settles on two to three weeks. Play Advertisement Advertisement 3 Boomhauer Goes Hard Boomhauer legitimately performs one of the best renditions of Blue Moon of Kentucky ever in The Bluegrass Is Always Greener. Not only does he play one hell of a banjo, but he has the voice of a dang ol angel. Its completely unexpected, and an utter shame that you cant buy a full version of this cover. Play Advertisement Advertisement 2 Soul of An Artist In Ceci NEst Pas Une King of the Hill, Hank comments on how the purpose of art is to spruce things up. This annoys Boomhauer, leading him to scold Hank and call him ignorant. With thoughtful insights on Dadaism and Fountain by Marcel Duchamp, he states that Hank insults art by talking about it like its little toys in a museum and not ideas. I could easily listen to Boomhauer expand on this topic, as he clearly has a lot of thoughts. The current wave of shoplifting is especially frightening. It is not some invented panic. And others close to me have witnessed it in recent days. Crucially, even the dimmest criminal has now realised that there is no real law in this country. The problem has many causes. I do not think actual suffering is one of them. The old morality of this country has broken down. In the miserable 1930s, when millions lived in such deprivation that it would make modern young people gasp to see, theft of any kind was extremely rare. At the same time, the police have almost entirely disappeared, so the fear of getting caught has shrivelled. The Prosecution Service and courts have played their part, by making it clear they are not interested in punishment. And large numbers of people have now noticed this. Hence the man scooping up piles of fresh meat from an urban supermarket and heading straight for the exit witnessed the other day by a woman well-known to me. She was shocked and cried out: 'That's stealing!' He turned and grinned at her, before making an unhurried exit. He feared nothing. The Co-op last week complained that many of its stores have been abandoned by the police (pictured: Co-op store targeted by thieves) Thieves targeting a Co-op supermarket pictured as the chain accuses police of giving them 'freedom to loot' Twice in recent weeks I have been used as cover by obvious shoplifters at Marks & Spencer. The thieves have suddenly fallen into step with me as I have walked out of the store with my legal purchases. The alarm buzzers sound but shop staff cannot be sure which person has set them off. By the time they have worked it out, it is too late, even assuming they could have done much anyway. But this is nothing. The Co-op last week complained that many of its stores have been abandoned by the police. It says that the situation has become so bad, it may have to shut stores in some areas. Matt Hood, managing director of Co-op Food, explained how bad it has become: 'I have seen some horrific incidents of brazen and violent theft in our stores, where my colleagues felt scared and threatened. 'Too often, forces fail to respond to desperate calls by our store teams, and criminals are operating in communities without any fear of consequences.' Shop workers who try to intervene are threatened with screwdrivers or knives. Gangs smash through doors. Well, we know what will happen. Shops will hide expensive goods behind the counter, steel grilles will appear on windows, the numbers of people allowed into shops will be limited, staff will take refuge behind armoured screens, everything will become more expensive. Life will become dingy and unpleasant in a way our more deprived areas have known for years. But do you think it will end there? This is a warning. Actual anarchy is not very far off. Where people won't restrain themselves from blatant dishonesty and are not ashamed of it, and where the police are a fond memory, who and what will be safe? Yet, until our wealthy elite feel threatened, nothing will be done. If we had a political party which believed in enforcing the law and punishing crime and in making the police force do its actual job, it would sweep the country. Alas, we do not have such a party. How striking it is that, when we do so little about actual crime, we have become much readier to throw people into prison without proper evidence. The courage and principle of Andrew Malkinson, who endured 17 miserable years in prison rather than confess falsely to a crime he did not commit, is a challenge to every police officer, every prosecutor and every judge. These people all have a fierce moral duty to avoid and stop miscarriages of justice. Yet, in the case of Mr Malkinson, wrongly accused of a filthy rape on the basis of feeble, tainted evidence, what did they do? The trial should have been stopped, in my view, before it got under way. I have long said that the increasing gutlessness of our criminal justice system makes us all less free. Its very feebleness makes it look for easy victories and makes it less concerned with the basic rules about presumption of innocence. The courage and principle of Andrew Malkinson (pictured), who endured 17 miserable years in prison rather than confess falsely to a crime he did not commit, is a challenge to every police officer, every prosecutor and every judge Did a fear of homophobia protect a killer? Beyond doubt the best thing on TV for ages has been The Sixth Commandment, the BBC dramatisation of the terrible murder of the retired teacher Peter Farquhar by the manipulator and fraud Benjamin Field. There's the usual silly portrayal of the press, but we'll have to live with that, I suppose. But the wickedness of Field's actions makes the viewer's blood boil. How did he so nearly get away with it? It was Field's sinister siege of Mr Farquhar's neighbour Ann Moore-Martin (he was 26, she was 83) which eventually caused her niece to raise the alarm and so alerted the police. The age difference in the relationship was obviously suspicious. But so it was during his invasion of the life of Peter Farquhar, during which the two men shared a bed and underwent a 'betrothal' ceremony. Before Field came into his life, Mr Farquhar had been a repressed homosexual. Could it have been that some witnesses feared being accused of 'homophobia', one of the greatest sins of the modern age, and so squashed their suspicions? SINISTER: Ben Field (Eanna Hardwicke) with Ann Moore-Martin (Anne Reid) in The Sixth Commandment Has Nigel Farage really won a great victory over the forces of the Cultural Revolution? I don't think so. The bank which tried to cancel him had to be dragged, almost by force, into admitting it had done anything wrong. Those who eventually resigned quite plainly had no real belief they had done anything wrong. Much of the Left-wing media and the Labour Party still think Mr Farage is exaggerating or protesting too much. Here's the truth. Most British institutions, companies, media, educational establishments, churches etc are now in the grip of a severe, intolerant Left-wing dogma. We are in the twilight of free speech. Amol's quiz more of a Challenge than ever I've tried the new rejigged University Challenge and I'm amazed anybody still watches it I've tried the new rejigged University Challenge and I'm amazed anybody still watches it. Most people could never hope to answer the incessant questions about science and mathematics, which have nothing to do with general knowledge. Its relentless political correctness about everything from art to dates is wearisome. And then there is the new chairman, Amol Rajan. Mr Rajan is an engaging fellow and a good broadcaster but he does not sound as if he knows the answers, or in some cases as if he fully understands the questions he is asking. For anyone of my generation, there is something very odd about the chairman of a high-end quiz saying 'Haitch'. I know that this has now become pretty much usual, and I know that plummy-voiced people, such as I am, should stay out of such things, but teachers back in the 1950s regarded this pronunciation as a sort of crime, and ruthlessly discouraged it. Now it's growing wild. Some howl at it, others believe it can stop them sleeping. Animals use it as a navigational tool, and without it there would be no human race. Yet few people realise just how important the Moon is. Now, fascinating new Ch5 show Wonders Of The Moon, hosted by comic and amateur astronomer Dara O Briain, examines the mysteries and myths about Earth's only natural satellite, and the way it shapes who we are and our world. 'I love everything about space but the Moon holds a special kind of magic,' says former Stargazing Live presenter Dara. 'Without it we wouldn't be here. It's profoundly shaped our culture and inspired one of our greatest achievements.' Wonders Of The Moon, hosted by comic and amateur astronomer Dara O Briain, examines the mysteries and myths about Earth's only natural satellite, and the way it shapes who we are and our world. Dara and Earth as seen from the Moon And, as he finds out in the two-part series, new things are still being discovered about the Moon that could shape our future as well as illuminate our past. The show starts at Newgrange in Ireland, a 5,000-year-old man-made mound with the remains of a circle of standing stones. It functioned as a solar calendar, but new research suggests it was also one of the first lunar calendars. The word month comes from moon, and a lunar calendar could have helped farmers learn when it was best to sow seed and harvest crops, with the year's progress determined by the wax and wane of the Moon. Dara also travels to Kent to speak to astrobiologist Professor Lewis Dartnell to discover how the Moon's influence on life on Earth goes back much further in time, because it produces tides in our seas as a result of its gravitational pull. When the Moon was closer to us (it's moving away from Earth at a rate of around 3.8cm a year), tides were more extreme, meaning many sea animals had to work out how to survive on land, thus paving the way for humans. 'The tidal effect meant animals were given practice at walking on land before the sea came back and they got wet again,' says Professor Dartnell. 'Eventually there was this evolutionary drive to walk on land so they could get from a small tidal pool to a bigger one and so survive before drying out.' How big an impact the Moon still has on humans is debatable, but its impact on other creatures is clear. Dara meets a farmer in Cornwall to find out why cows are more fertile at a full moon, and learns from a fisherman how tides affect where fish populations thrive. But while it's been proved that humans do sleep less when there's a full moon, Dara discovers the idea it can affect menstruation or even crime rates is little more than 'pseudo-science'. Pictured: New research suggests that Irelands Newgrange site was one of the first-ever lunar calendars The series also examines our growing knowledge about the surface of the Moon itself, with new research on rocks collected on previous moon landings finding evidence of water on what had been thought to be a dry, arid surface. Dara also hears about plans for the use of machines on the Moon's surface that might find enough water to support life. Also, because the Moon has much less gravity than Earth, rockets could be launched to Mars from the lunar surface. 'I'm genuinely excited to know what that is going to do for people's imaginations,' says Dara, who says learning about the moon landings ignited his passion for astronomy. 'To point at the Moon and be able to say, 'There are people up there now', that is going to be a huge thing.' Wonders Of The Moon With Dara O Briain, Tuesday & Wednesday, 9pm, Channel 5. by Kazi Anwarul Masud It is generally recognized that any discussion on South Asia without reference to India would be putting the cart before the horse. In this article as well Indian geopolitical concerns would take precedence over other countries of South Asia. In an article, Antonia Collabasanu (July 20 2034-Geopolitical futures) has emphasized the importance of Franco-Indian collaboration as a preeminent feature of Indian politico-economic interest despite Indias isolationist policy she had been following since her adoption of non-alignment as her foreign policy anchor ever since her freedom from British domination in 1948. Antonio Collabasanu writes in her article that France is a natural strategic ally to India. Indias relative isolation from the rest of the world with no imposed borders, a large and dense population, and a central government having no choice but to deal with a broad subcontinent has resulted in a country formed of shifting systems that continuously challenge central authority. This divided landscape has historically made it easier for foreign powers, most notably the British, to conquer it. Indias birth as a modern state in the early 1950s was New Delhis first lesson in how shifting economics may alter political realities. Traditionally, Indian security threats have come either from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border or from the sea. SECURITY OF LAND THREAT AND SEA LANES VITAL IN INDIAS STRATEGY As it matured, India came to understand that while the land threat was difficult to manage, sea lanes were vital. During the Cold War, India conducted a nonalignment strategy. Both superpowers courted India, but instead, India chose to work closely with France, the only remaining European power in the Indian Ocean with whom it shared an interest in maintaining regional peace and stability. Indian Flag (File Photo) Later, India and France formally established a strategic partnership in 1998, and in 2008 the two signed the Strategic Partnership Agreement. In 2016, they signed a Joint Strategic Vision for the Indo-Pacific, which outlines their shared interests in the region and obligates them to work together to address challenges. At the meeting last week in Paris, the two countries committed to a new joint statement on the Indo-Pacific, reaffirming their shared commitment to the region and setting out a number of areas for cooperation, including maritime security, trade and investment, and climate change. The document was accompanied by a joint statement on cooperation in the field of space, which sets out a number of areas for future cooperation, including satellite navigation, Earth observation, and space exploration. In February, the Indian Air Force released a revised and somewhat ambitious doctrine aimed at transitioning India from an air power to an aerospace power. As India strives to develop a new, powerful personality as a spacefaring nation and an aerospace power, it seeks mutually advantageous relationships with other spacefarers, particularly those with whom India has a history of dependability, mutual understanding, and good faith. India has some experience in the field; the Indian Space Research Organization was founded in 1969, and it has since launched several satellites and space probes and has even launched its third moon mission. Partnering with another space player would make Indian space endeavors much more cost-effective. INDO-FRANCE FRIENDSHIP TO ENSURE SECURITY INTEREST France suits Indias needs perfectly. It established its Space Force in 2019, becoming the first European country to have a branch of its armed forces dedicated to space. Since the 1980s, India and France have conducted numerous joint military exercises, becoming more complex and sophisticated over time to encompass a wide range of scenarios, including air, ground, and sea operations. Moreover, as Indias traditional military patron, Russia grows more distracted and unreliable, New Delhi has become more attractive as a defense partner, becoming a loyal customer of the French military industry. In recent years, India has purchased a number of French-made weapons systems. They have also cooperated in the development of defense technologies, particularly aircraft engines. This fits nicely with Indias strategic outlook. India keeps a watchful eye on the waters from the Andaman Sea to the Malacca Strait, the Gulf of Aden to the Suez Canal, and the Strait of Hormuz to the Persian Gulf. Given the natural topographical fortifications that encircle most of India, the shoreline is one of the only locations exposed to attack or invasion. Frances military proximity to the straits gives India an advantage, especially since their interests in the region are largely aligned as they work with the U.S. there. In more practical terms, France helps India to keep Indian Ocean maritime routes safe and open. The importance of France is evident despite the refusal by Vladimir Putin to let France attend the summit of BRICS countries composed of Brazil, India, China, Russia, and South Africa. Chinas economic and geopolitical rise over the last two decades has included a growing presence and influence across the globe, not least in the Global South, where it is an important investor across multiple sectors. The Understanding Violent Conflict (UVC) and the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum (CPPF), through a decade of activities, are a leading node for a growing, yet fragmented interest in Chinas engagement with the world. CHINAS GLOBAL SOUTH INITIATIVE China and the Global South initiative aims to develop research capacity about China in the Global South and connect institutions and researchers producing knowledge on China in a global network. It builds capacity for knowledge generation and dissemination in China in the Global South by supporting research institutions, linking them to each other in an international network, and giving locally produced knowledge a greater voice in global academic and policy conversations. Chinas growth as the richest country in the world has changed its policy under Xi Jinping from that of Hu Jintao who advocated caution in letting the world know of Chinas growth lest it draws the attention of the developed First World. Xi Jinping totally disregarded this lesson and made no bones about Chinas ambition regarding Global South. In an article in Foreign Affairs( Chinas Southern Strategy Beijing Is Using the Global South to Constrain America By Nadege Rolland June 9, 2022). For the past decade, Nadege Rolland wrote that Chinese President Xi Jinping has endeavored to help China attain what it considers to be its rightful position at the center of the world stage. To do this, Xialong with the rest of Chinas leadershipis attempting to consolidate the countrys economic, political, diplomatic, and military power. It is also working to counter U.S. pressure in the Indo-Pacific region. Xis desire to turn China into the worlds most powerful state is, after all, coupled with an inextricable corollary: the imperative of stopping what he sees as efforts by the West to contain it. But Chinas grand strategy includes a third component: asserting its dominant position over a different international system of states. Chinese policymakers are attempting to create a sphere of influence comprising not just their countrys immediately contiguous region but also the entire emerging, non-Western, and largely non-democratic worldthe global South. Securing dominance over this vast swath of nations would provide a strong base for Chinas power while restricting the United States actions and influence. Ultimately, that could help spell the end of U.S. global hegemony. Between 1946 and 1974, Mao Zedong perfected his vision of how the struggle against imperialist powers should unfold by focusing on the global South. His three worlds theory envisioned a united front bringing together countries from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, constituting the Third World, in a common fight against the First Worldcomposed of the imperialist United States and (after the Sino-Soviet split) the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, China would cajole and neutralize the Second World, made up of middle powers such as Australia, Canada, Japan, and the states in Western Europe. Mao believed that a united front of developing countries led by China could encircle and isolate the hegemonic powers, much as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in its early years of political struggle had surrounded the cities from the countryside, in Maos words, eventually enabling the communist revolution to triumph. Toward this end, starting in the mid-1950s, Beijing provided technical and financial assistance to revolutionary and anticolonial liberation movements in the Third World. XI JINPINGS BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative is aimed at developing the infrastructure of poor developing countries of Asia and Africa that did not have the resources to finance such projects but were grateful to China for her assistance. One would be amiss in not pointing out the public warning sounded by Donald Trumps Vice President Mike Pence of the Chinese Debt Trap, Sri Lankan position on Humberto Port, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammeds refusal to accept a Chinese loan at a concessional rate, and Laotian Rail Road fiasco. The 16th Party Congress, in 2002, officially included developing countries as the foundation for Chinas diplomacybehind relationships with great powers and with Chinas neighbors, but ahead of its work in multilateral institutions. But China still nurtured developing countries in order to achieve major geopolitical objectives. By openly using economic aid and investment as incentives, China got countries in the global South to break off relations with Taiwan, helping diplomatically asphyxiate the island. Through a mix of similar inducements and appeals to shared anti-Western sentiment, Beijing leveraged the votes of developing countries in the United Nations to avoid international condemnation of its persistent human rights abuses. It was clear that China wanted its influence in the Global South. Marlea Clark of the University of Victoria has tried to define Global South generally as referring to countries classified by the World Bank as low or middle-income that are located in Africa, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, and the Caribbean. This definition uses the term in a descriptive manner and is simply the most recent in a long list of concepts used to identify, define, and cluster the poorer parts of the world. Therefore, like its predecessors (periphery; less-developed, developing, underdeveloped; third world) it lumps together very diverse economic, social, and political experiences and positions into one overarching category. This definition has been critiqued by some. Drawing on the work of Antonio Gramsci, whose essay The Southern Question drew attention to uneven national processes of economic development and the role of capitalists in processes of internal colonization, these scholars use the term global South to address spaces and peoples negatively impacted by globalization, including subjugated peoples and poorer regions within wealthier countries. Increasingly, many scholars note that while geography and geopolitical relations remain important, growing gaps in wealth and power within countries must be acknowledged. As an expert succinctly puts it, There are Souths in the geographic North and Norths in the geographic South. Linked to this second definition, other scholars and activists use the term to refer to transnational political subjectivity and subaltern resistance under contemporary capitalist globalization. Thus, this third definition of the global South looks beyond specificities of geographic location to identify the social agency of dominated groups. So, the answer to the question. DEFINITION OF THIRD WORLD TERMINOLOGY According to generally accepted terminology, the Western world is the First World; the Soviet Union is the second world; and the rest is defined as the Third World. But then the Third World definition had to be amended due to the phenomenal economic growth of China and her ambition for a seat at the table framing the rules binding the rest of the world. Chinas ambition notwithstanding India, for example, stood in Chinas way. Though Indias economic growth is miles behind that of China, her border dispute mainly in Arunachal Pradesh and eternal enmity with Pakistan which considers itself as the country of refuge for Indian Muslims forgetting that these Muslims had voted with their feet to remain in India. But then the controversial rule of the BJP regarding Muslims and the teachings of Vinay Savarkar may have become the instrument of killing the Muslims or in some cases, their forced conversion to Hinduism. According to available reports during 1947-1973 six million Hindus went to India from East Pakistan. This report indicates that Hindus were no less persecuted in then East Pakistan. There are reports of young Hindu girls being abducted and subjected to unspeakable atrocities. Though persecution of Muslims in India is not readily available Muslims in India were also met with atrocious treatment. Decades have passed from then and now. Unfortunately, the ruling partys treatment of the Muslim minority population leaves much to be desired. Countries of South Asia while acknowledging the preeminence of India in this region would prefer to give more attention to bread-and-butter issues. For us eradication of poverty is of far greater importance. Poverty, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. Poverty is said to exist when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs The problem of definition is further compounded by the noneconomic connotations that the word poverty has acquired. Poverty has been associated, for example, with poor health, low levels of education or skills, an inability or an unwillingness to work, high rates of disruptive or disorderly behavior, and improvidence. While these attributes have often been found to exist with poverty, their inclusion in a definition of poverty would tend to obscure the relation between them and the inability to provide for ones basic needs. Whatever definition one uses, authorities and laypersons alike commonly assume that the effects of poverty are harmful to both individuals and society. South Asians facing at the risk of de-globalization or decoupling which appear to be knocking at the door would like to bring back millions of people who have vanished under the carpet laid by the likes of Roman Senators who used to speak for the poor whom most of them had never met but paid obeisance to mad Emperors like Caligula. Kazi Anwarul Masud is a retired Bangladeshi diplomat. During his tenure, he worked in several countries as the ambassador of Bangladesh including Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea and Germany Celebrity psychic Inbaal Honigman says your star sign could mean some perfumes suit you better than others A celebrity psychic says you should look to your birth sign before choosing a scent this summer - particularly if you're hoping for romance. British Israeli astrologer Inbaal Honigman says certain star signs work better with certain fragrance notes - and you should make sure you have a compatible match before spritzing scents. Working with beauty brand Justmylook, who say search interest in 'pheromone perfumes' has surged three-fold in recent months, Honigman has laid out below exactly which high-street scents suit which star signs - and what you should wear to attract signs who are naturally a great match. British-Israeli celebrity psychic Inbaal Honigman told FEMAIL what scents to wear this summer that works with your star sign (stock image) Spicy Aries and delicate Libra If you're an Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. you were born between March 21 and April 19, and you often attract your opposite sign, Libra, born in late Autumn, falling within the September 23 and October 22 range. Aries are fiery and passionate - and this is reflected in scents like spicy cinnamon, invigorating ginger, or bold citrus. But the Libra, whose energy is defined by balance, justice and harmony, should aim towards fragrances they naturally gravitate towards - such as balanced rose, delicate jasmine, or harmonious bergamot. If you're an Aries with your eye on a Libra, Inbaal says go for Hugo Boss' Deep Red If you're an Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. you were born between March 21 and April 19, and you often attract your opposite sign, Libra, born in late Autumn, falling within the September 23 and October 22 range Earthy Taurus and exotic Scorpio Taurus are born during spring - anywhere between April 20 and May 20 and known to attract the Scorpio sign - born between October 23 and November 21. Taurus, are represented by the bull, and their earthy, earthy and sensual nature means they gravitate towards scents like earthy patchouli, sensual vanilla, and warm amber, according to Inbaal's research. But the famed psychic found Scorpio, the elusive and mysterious types, to be captivated by fragrances such as seductive musk, alluring patchouli, or dark and exotic spices. Britney Spears' Fantasy is the astrologer's choice for a Taurus planning to entice a Scorpio Taurus are born during spring - anywhere between April 20 and May 20 and known to attract the Scorpio sign - born between October 23 and November 21 Herbal Gemini and citrus Sagittarius Geminis are born between May 21 and June 20, and usually attract the Sagittarius among us, who are born a few months later in the peak of winter, between November 22 and December 21. Geminis are spontaneous, playful, and erratic. Driven by curiosity, they are keen on scents like lively citrus, fresh herbs, or vibrant florals. Sagittarius, the last fire sign of the zodiac, are always hungry for knowledge, and Inbaal says their adventurous spirit is captivated by fragrances such as exotic woods, uplifting citrus, or spicy cinnamon. For this pairing, Inbaal recommends Jimmy Choo's illicit perfume is a good match Geminis are born between May 21 and June 20, and usually attract the Sagittarius among us, who are born a few months later in the peak of winter, between November 22 and December 21 Vanilla Cancer and floral Capricorn Cancers are born in summertime - between June 21 and July 22 but their romantic counterparts Capricorns, are winter babies, born between December 22 and January 19. Cancers, represented by crabs, are known to be highly intuitive, often claiming psychic abilities. They love comforting chamomile, gentle jasmine, or soothing vanilla. Capricorns, on the other hand, are practical and determined, captivated by fragrances such as sophisticated vetiver, classic cedarwood, or traditional floral blends, according to the psychic's intel. Inbaal feels Hugo Boss' Ma Vie is best for the Capricorn/Cancer duo Cancers are born in summertime - between June 21 and July 22 but their romantic counterparts Capricorns, are winter babies, born between December 22 and January 19 Rose-loving Leo and airy Aquarius Leos, like Cancers, are summer babies - born in a period starting July 23 and ending August 22, they get on best with the Aquarius, born in a chillier period - January 20 through to February 18. Leos are known to be fiercely loyal and confident, just like the lions that represent them. This means scents like regal rose, confident bergamot, or luxurious oud are perfect for them. However, Aquarius, the last air sign of the zodiac, are better known as Leo's progressive and assertive counterparts - fragrances such as unconventional lavender, airy sage, or aquatic accords best suit them. If you're a Leo looking to pursue an Aquarius, check out Prada's Paradoxe Persona Leos, like Cancers, are summer babies - born in a period starting July 23 and ending August 22, they get on best with the Aquarius, born in a chillier period - January 20 through to February 18 Crisp and clean Virgo and calming Pisces Summer babies, Virgos are born between August 23 and September 22, while their Pisces counterparts are born between February 19 and March 20 Summer babies, Virgos are born between August 23 and September 22, while their Pisces counterparts are born between February 19 and March 20. An earth sign, Virgos are often are logical, practical, and meticulous. So scents like clean lavender, crisp eucalyptus, or fresh citrus are best suited to them, Inbaal finds. But, Pisces, the last of the zodiac, are intuitive, sensitive, and empathetic people - she recommends fragrances such as dreamy sea breeze, calming white musk, or delicate water lily for them. For this duo, Inbaal's intel suggests Virgos should go for Ariana Grande's Cloud this summer A former hotel manager has warned travelers to never leave their toothbrushes out in the bathroom in a bid to avoid any unhygienic mishaps. In a TikTok, Melissa Hanks, who is based in San Antonio, Texas, reveals something she has heard on the grapevine involving housekeeping and rude guests. She explains in the clip, which has been viewed more than 4,000 times: 'When turning your room while you're staying in a hotel, I have heard of housekeepers who clean certain areas in bathrooms with a guest's toothbrush that you don't want to have near your mouth.' Instead of keeping a toothbrush in the bathroom, she advises packing it away 'just to avoid any situation like this.' In a TikTok, Melissa Hanks, who is based in San Antonio, Texas, reveals something she has heard on the grapevine involving housekeeping and rude guests The travel pro highlights in the caption that she has 'personally never seen it [happen]' and 'it is definitely NOT okay to do this.' In the TikTok she also adds that she would fire a member of staff if she found out this had happened. Viewers expressed their horror over Melissa's revelation. One commenter wrote: 'In all my years of travel, I never once thought about this, Thank you.' Another added: 'Oh my gosh, yuck! Thanks for sharing this.' Like Melissa, a housekeeper said she had never witnessed this happen and she never touches 'personal stuff' when she cleans. Several viewers said they never let anyone in their room, including housekeepers, when they are not there. In another TikTok Melissa, who uses the handle @melly_creations, reveals some of things hotel guests can do to make the job easier for housekeepers. Instead of keeping a toothbrush in the bathroom, she advises packing it away 'just to avoid any situation like this' In her other TikToks, Melissa addresses a wide range of travel-related topics from how to check for bed bugs to how to book airport lounge day passes Firstly, she tells viewers to never 'leave garbage scattered around the hotel room' and to put it in the trash instead. She then says that it is 'very helpful' to put all used towels and washcloths on the back of the toilet so they are in one place and easy to get to. Thirdly, she says that it is well received if you tell the front desk when you check out, as 'that way, housekeeping knows that you're no longer in the room and can get into that room, get it clean and maybe get to go home sooner for the day.' 'Last but not least,' Melissa addresses the subject of tipping. She says travelers should always leave a tip if they have had a great stay and the room was clean. One viewer quizzed if they should tip daily or at the end of their stay, to which Melissa replied: 'If your room is being turned during the stay, leave a tip. If not, at the end of the stay.' In her other TikToks, Melissa addresses a wide range of travel-related topics from how to check for bed bugs to how to book airport lounge day passes. Hulk Hogan, 69, 'doesn't care' what his ex wives Linda Bollea and Jennifer McDaniel think about his engagement to 45-year-old yoga instructor Sky Daily - and is content in the knowledge that he has the full support of kids, Brooke and Nick. The WWE legend - whose real name is Terry Gene Bollea - announced that he was gearing up to get married for a third time with his much-younger girlfriend earlier this week, and now, a source close to the former wrestler has revealed that he is uninterested in whether or not his past lovers approve of the romance because he's so 'focused' on his new fiancee. 'Hulk's focus is on Sky and this new relationship and future marriage, he doesn't care about anything that Linda or Jennifer might think or not think,' they said. 'Sure, he hopes they are well, but he has moved on and it is all about Sky. He is looking to create a future and not focus on his past in any way.' Hulk Hogan , 69, 'doesn't care' what his ex wives Linda Bollea and Jennifer McDaniel think about his engagement to 45-year-old yoga instructor Sky Daily (seen) The WWE legend announced that he was gearing up to get married for a third time with his much-younger girlfriend earlier this week. They're seen together over the weekend Now, a source close to the wrestler (seen left with his first wife, Linda, and right with his second wife, Jennifer) has said he is uninterested in whether or not his past lovers approve Hulk and Sky got engaged after a little more than a year of dating on her birthday last week. The athlete popped the question during a romantic dinner date in Tampa, Florida, and gave her a stunning, six-carat diamond ring worth $100,000. Hulk was married to Linda from 1983 to 2009. They welcomed two children, a daughter named Brooke, 35, and a son named Nick, 32, during their marriage. The family is seen in 2005 He was previously married to Linda from 1983 to 2009, and Jennifer from 2010 to 2021. He welcomed two children, a daughter named Brooke, 35, and a son named Nick, 32, during his first marriage. Sky is also divorced and has three children of her own. As for what his kids think of his latest love interest, the insider said they are 'all for it' and just want their dad to be 'happy.' 'Nick and Brooke are all for it and think Sky is great and totally right for their dad,' they continued. 'They see how they are around each other and how she treats him and are really happy that their dad is happy. 'Brooke is especially happy that her dad has found love again because one of her dreams is to get married herself and start a family. Seeing her dad and Sky together has shown her that love is still alive.' He wed Jennifer in 2010, but they split in 2021. Now, the source has said of his new engagement: 'Hulk doesn't care about anything that Linda or Jennifer might think or not think' Hulk and Sky got engaged after a little more than a year of dating on her birthday last week. He confirmed the proposal at the wedding of his pal actor Corin Nemec on Sunday (seen) The source explained that Hulk is happy to have found someone who 'keeps him on his toes' and 'having fun' as he 'gets older.' Hulk needs someone to keep him moving, and needs something to live for, and Sky has been his person,' they dished. 'He's gone through it with marriages, and they all have their own story both good and bad. He gave Sky a stunning, six-carat diamond ring worth $100,000 'Now that he is getting older, he just wants to be happy and with someone that really protects him and does so much for him. 'Sky provides Hulk with so much love and guidance and he really loves her faith. He doesn't want to lose her and that is a major reason why he popped the question so early in their relationship, it was just the right thing to do.' Hulk confirmed that he had proposed to his girlfriend while giving a speech at the wedding of his pal actor Corin Nemec and his wife, Sabrina Nova, on Sunday. 'She was crazy enough to say, "Yes," brother,' he told the crowd, referencing one of his most famous catchphrases from his wrestling days. During the speech, he recalled meeting Sky at a party in early 2022, explaining that they struck up a conversation after he bought a round of drinks for everyone at the party and she came over to say thank you. He credited the newlyweds with bringing him and Sky together, explaining that it was Sabrina who demanded that he call her days after they met. The pair have kept their romance mostly under wraps, with Hulk sparsely sharing pictures with Sky on social media, and her Instagram set to private. As for what his kids think of his latest love interest, the insider said they are 'all for it' and just want their dad to be 'happy.' He's seen with ex Linda and their two kids in 2006 'Nick and Brooke are all for it and think Sky is great and totally right for their dad,' the source continued. 'They see how she treats him and are really happy that their dad is happy' The wrestling star's first marriage ended amid a slew of explosive infidelity accusations. At the time, a woman named Christiane Plante claimed that she had been embroiled in a secret love affair with Hulk while his family were shooting the 2005 VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best. During their divorce settlement, Hulk agreed to give Linda 70 per cent of the couple's liquid assets plus properties worth $3 million, as well as 40 per cent of any future revenues in his businesses. But while chatting with DailyMail.com in 2019, she claimed that he hid millions of dollars from her and drowned her in litigation so he can duck out of payments. 'It has been nine years since our divorce and I have received nothing but frivolous legal battles meant to harass and drain any monies I received upfront from our original divorce agreement,' she said. 'He's hidden money, transferred and diverted money, switched trademarks, cooked the books, everything he could to make sure I get as little as possible from the brand I helped him build and turn into a global success. 'I gave up certain rights at the time we divorced in exchange for what was agreed in the settlement agreement, and my ex has done everything possible to even wriggle out of that.' Adding ice to your glass of wine may earn you a frosty reception from drinkers of a certain vintage. But now one of the world's leading chefs has hit out at the 'cultural snobbery' of those regarding the practice as beyond the pale. Michelin-starred David Chang says whenever he puts ice in his wine it 'tastes like gold', but he feels like he's done 'something horribly wrong'. He tells drinkers to remember that wine is just a 'beverage' and not a 'cultural artefact' and they should be concentrating on drinking something as refreshing as possible. Dave Chang told his podcast listeners to remember that wine is just a 'beverage' and not a 'cultural artefact' And while an ice cube is a traditional accompaniment to a summery glass of rose, Chang whose flagship New York restaurant Momofuku Ko has two Michelin stars even recommended doing it all year round. Speaking on his podcast, The Dave Chang Show, he said: 'The other day, we were at the studio and there was a bottle of wine with most of it gone about a glass left in the bottle of white wine. 'We had to split it, because everything else was closed. I got out four glasses of ice. I poured wine into the glasses of ice and split the beer into two glasses over ice. One of the world's leading chefs has hit out at the 'cultural snobbery' of those sneering at ice in wine 'Drinking wine with ice tastes like gold. It's so delicious. I drink it all on ice right now. I don't just want to drink it in the summer now, I want to drink it year-round. The reason you're drinking it is not for the culinary snobbery, it's because it's a beverage. So drink it as a beverage, not as a cultural artefact.' The 45-year-old star of Netflix's Ugly Delicious previously sparked controversy for saying people shouldn't cook burgers on a barbecue. A poll of sommeliers by wine review website Decanter revealed putting ice in a glass of wine is the 'most annoying customer habit'. I won't say the life of a minister of religion is non-stop sex but it can sometimes feel like that. Yes, much of my time as a rabbi is taken up by prayer, discussions about the meaning of life, hospital visits and the like, but it also involves dealing with the messy bits of congregants' lives . . . which is where the sex comes in. Over the years, I've encountered couples who have broken every 'Thou shalt not' in the book. Take the case of Deidre, a woman in her mid-40s, whose personal circumstances took a dramatic turn after she fell down the stairs at home and broke her leg. Her husband recoiled at the idea of catering to the whims of their three teenage sons alone and so arranged for an au pair to move in and take on all the household chores. With her leg in plaster and confined to a wheelchair, Deidre accepted every invitation that came her way from friends offering to pick her up and take her out for the day. It seemed like a good arrangement until the day she came home to find that the au pair an attractive 20-something had left a notebook on the table. Yes, much of my time as a rabbi is taken up by prayer, discussions about the meaning of life, hospital visits and the like, but it also involves dealing with the messy bits of congregants' lives . . . which is where the sex comes in. Pictured: Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain When she idly picked it up, Deidre couldn't help noticing that the page at which it fell open featured a sketch of her husband naked. She flicked through the pages of what turned out to be a shockingly explicit diary with mounting horror. The au pair, who was clearly a domestic goddess in more ways than one, had not only slept with her husband, but each of her three sons. So it was a distraught woman who called me seeking advice on what to do next. After much anguished debate, we decided her family was worth saving and that, while each of her menfolk had gone astray, the triumphant nature of the remarks in the au pair's notebook suggested that the various episodes could be attributed more to her nymphomaniac tendencies than their predatoriness. The au pair was sacked, the husband severely reprimanded and to protect their fragile egos the boys were not told quite how generously their in-house femme fatale had shared her sexual favours. The leg eventually healed, as did the marital relationship (after the husband was given time off for good behaviour). But the worst part was the waiting as they sought to establish whether any of the various energetic couplings had left the au pair pregnant. Such an outcome would have been devastating not least because it would leave them with the embarrassing problem of having to work out who was the dad. If you are wondering why Deidre's first phone call was to me and not to one of her friends, it is because Judaism has always had a very liberal attitude to sex. While traditional Christianity often presents abstinence as the ideal with monks and nuns at the top of the sex-free tree Judaism sees sex as a positive act. Indeed, a lack of it is grounds for divorce. If you are wondering why Deidre's first phone call was to me and not to one of her friends, it is because Judaism has always had a very liberal attitude to sex The pleasures of the flesh are also discussed very openly in rabbinic writings and sermons, which tend to be about daily realities rather than the next world, so it is not uncommon to discuss one's love life with a rabbi. The rabbi may not be a sexpert, but he or she is no prude either. Still, even I was taken aback when a member of my congregation called Kate phoned me in distress. She told me her husband had just walked out to live with another woman, but in a way that made me sense a bigger problem. I arranged to go round to see her that afternoon and the full story came out: the other woman was her mother. Her husband had run off with his mother-in-law. Now the mother-in-law has been the butt of jokes since Roman times, when the poet Juvenal quipped that one cannot be happy while one's mother-in-law is still alive, but while they are often depicted as ogres and harridans they are never presented as temptresses. In this case, however, the husband had taken a fancy to his wife's mum and the attraction had been mutual. It was not only traumatic for Kate, but left her with two other problems. First, how to explain it to the children? One betrayer in the family was bad enough, but two would be hard for them to accept. Second, if he had run off with anyone else, she could have turned to her mother for support, both practical and emotional, but that source of comfort had been wrenched away from her. Sadly, Kate faced a toxic mix of hurt and anger that lasted for many years. By contrast, another congregant called Jonny came to see me because he wanted to make amends. He had had an affair with a woman abroad whilst travelling there on regular work trips. He claimed it was 'just a bit of fun: exciting, naughty, but we both knew it would not lead anywhere' and he'd decided to end it. I said that I was pleased to hear that, before asking why he had come to see me if it was now behind him? 'I want your advice as to how to tell my wife,' he said. 'I need to come clean, admit the affair and apologise. What's the best way?' I looked at him in amazement, not because of his honesty, but his stupidity. Yes, it sounded noble, going on his knees and confessing, but if she did not know then why destroy her trust in him or endanger the marriage that he was trying to save? I shocked him by saying that he should not do so and that, if he emotionally dumped on her in this way, he would be being ridiculously selfish. While he might rid himself of his guilt, he would land her with a world of pain and distress. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. If he felt awkward about keeping it secret, that was his punishment. Thankfully, he took my advice. They are both retired now, but if ever I ask the wife how she is, she often tells me how lucky she is to have such a wonderful husband. Brenda used to say the same. She and Cyril had a great marriage until he had a massive stroke in his 50s that left him in a vegetative state. At first she visited Cyril every day in hospital and chatted away to him, even though there was never any response. Eventually the strain of talking became too much and she took to just sitting there with a book. When she told her new neighbour, recently divorced Pete, how difficult it was visiting Cyril, he offered to go with her that weekend. He offered to accompany her the following weekend too and it wasn't long before it became a regular feature. One day Brenda said that, by way of thanks, she could cook him a meal after their next visit. He duly came back to her house . . . and never left. When Brenda came to see me, what struck me was how the hangdog look she had developed in the course of three lonely years visiting Cyril had been replaced by her former joie de vivre. But she needed to share her dilemma. She did not want to divorce Cyril, or end her weekly visits, nor did she want to give up her relationship with Pete. What did I advise? It was clearly adultery and, on the face of it, I should have told her to split up with Pete. But Cyril was being visited just as much as before and she was clearly happier than she had been for years. I felt that reality trumped morality: there was no reason for her to be entombed with her comatose husband. I told her as much, adding that, as long as she continued to care for Cyril, I had no objection to her and Pete staying together. She was greatly relieved and did both. But the story ended strangely. Two years later, Cyril died from pneumonia and, after a respectable interval, she and Pete got married. Within 18 months, however, they filed for divorce. Had the absence of the silent third person in the relationship led to it breaking down? Over the years, I've encountered couples who have broken every 'Thou shalt not' in the book, says Rabbi Jonathan Romain (above) Most of my relationship conundrums involve an excess of sex but, in the case of a man called Phil, the problem was quite the opposite. Naturally, this was even more of a problem for his wife, Jenny, who had a healthy sex drive. Unusually for members of their generation, they enjoyed a chaste courtship. But Jenny was definitely hoping that she would feel the earth move on their honeymoon. When they got into bed on that first night, however, he simply turned over and slept with his back to her. At first, she attributed this to shyness or exhaustion. But when it happened every night for the rest of the week and continued after their return home, she realised that married life was not going to be quite what she had expected. She was upset, not just by his rejection, but because she wanted to have children and that now seemed a remote possibility. When we spoke, she explained that Phil would not talk about it, nor would he consider any counselling. I asked about divorce but she felt that would be an admission of failure, and anyway, they got on very well out of bed. I also suggested considering adoption, but she wanted a child of her own. The solution was devious, but it worked. She told Phil that friends were coming for dinner and before they arrived they had a drink. The friends seemed to be late, so they had another drink. In fact, she had never invited them and pretended she received a message cancelling last minute. It meant they had to eat the meal themselves and finish off the generously filled drinks that she had poured for the four of them. Then she seduced him. He resisted and she had to chase him round the table, but eventually she got his trousers off and her womanly wiles did the rest. Nine months later the baby arrived and, although they never had sex again, Jenny decided that was enough and her sexless marriage is still going strong. Sex and death are often linked and never more so than in the case of Ron, who loved a pint, ate like a horse and never exercised. The result was that his weight ballooned over the years and his doctor often issued dark warnings about the potential consequences of his unhealthy lifestyle. The inevitable heart attack came about and it proved fatal. It also proved very painful for his wife, for they were making love at the time. Apart from the shock of suddenly losing her husband, his wife also had a more immediate problem. He was on top of her when he breathed his last and she found herself pinned down by the weight of a morbidly obese man. It took no little time and a great deal of exertion to free herself. At the funeral, I resisted the temptation to make any quips about him 'dying with a smile on his face' or 'the best way to go'. For his wife, though, the memory of their final moment of intimacy was forever associated with a nightmare that has haunted her since. Curiously enough, I had to deal with a similar scenario two years later, although this time there was one crucial difference. When the chap died mid-coitus, he was making love to someone who was not his wife. While traditional Christianity often presents abstinence as the ideal with monks and nuns at the top of the sex-free tree Judaism sees sex as a positive act. Indeed, a lack of it is grounds for divorce (Stock Image) The wife managed to keep the scandal secret from those outside the immediate family and only a few of us knew that her set grimace at the funeral was fury rather than grief. Concubines on the make can be another type that bring trouble to my door. Albert was a 79-year-old widower, so when his family felt he could no longer manage by himself, they employed a 35-year-old home help to look after his cooking and cleaning. However, at some point on her first day she stripped off and got into bed with him. While she did find time to do some cleaning on the side, this became a regular occurrence. The family tried to dismiss her but Albert refused to let her go, so they came to me for advice. My first reaction was to ask why they had a problem with the relationship: 'After several years of loneliness, isn't it great that he's enjoying himself again?' It turned out that their concerns were financial rather than emotional. They were worried that she would talk Albert into marriage and inherit his house when he died. So when Albert announced that he and his girlfriend were going on a month-long cruise, during which he planned to propose, they hired a private detective to investigate her background. What they discovered confirmed all their worst fears: she was already married to a nonagenarian in a care home, while living with a man of her own age by whom she had a child. They asked for my help in breaking the news to him. I agreed on one condition that I wait till after the cruise, so that Albert could enjoy a few final weeks of lustful excess with his conniving lover. I should stress that I come across many happy couples who do not stray and countless people of integrity. Congregational interactions are not an endless roll call of misdemeanours. But it cannot be denied that when it comes to relationships, like many a gently flowing river, currents swirl beneath the calm surface with an intensity that would surprise many a passer-by. Sex is often the cause. Thank you, God, for this wonderful gift even if it does get some people into all sorts of trouble. All names changed. Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain is minister of Maidenhead Synagogue and author of Confessions Of A Rabbi (Biteback). In a true riches-to-rags story, Lady Amelia Windsor swapped her high-profile parties and designer frocks for a pair of wellies to pick up litter during a Thames clean-up. The Tatler cover girl, 27, grabbed cleaning gloves, a litter-picking device and a bin bag in a bid to rid the riverside of rubbish. Famously dubbed 'the most beautiful member of the royal family', Ms Windsor used her status to raise awareness of non-biodegradable wet wipes clogging up London's sewage systems. The Duke of Kent's granddaughter was joined by a team of litter pickers and Natassia Nicolao, the founder of Conserving Beauty, who has invented the first entirely dissolving face wipes. Sustainability is a priority for the royal model, who previously collaborated with the high-end brand Pretty Ballerinas on a collection made purely from recycled garments. The Tatler cover girl, 27, grabbed cleaning gloves, a litter-picking device and a bin bag in a bid to rid the riverside of rubbish Famously dubbed 'the most beautiful member of the royal family', Ms Windsor used her status to raise awareness of non-biodegradable wet wipes clogging up London's sewage systems (pictured: Ms Windsor at the V&A 2023 Summer Party in June) The Duke of Kent's granddaughter was joined by a team of litter pickers and Natassia Nicolao, the founder of Conserving Beauty, who has invented the first entirely dissolving face wipes Sustainability is a priority for the royal model, who previously collaborated with the high-end brand Pretty Ballerinas on a collection made purely from recycled garments For her distinctly unroyal chores, Ms Windsor wore a relaxed outfit of cargo trousers matched with a plain grey strappy top and heavy black boots. She is also an ambassador for the organisation 'No More Plastic' and the Thames project is close to Ms Windsor's heart, as she resides in the capital in a flat she shares with her 30-year-old sister Marina. High Street pharmacist Boots is offering points on purchases of addictive codeine painkillers which customers can then use to buy 'treats'. The firm gives about 24 Advantage Card points worth 24p to customers buying Boots Ibuprofen & Codeine over the counter. It offers similar incentives for buying co-codamol, which are paracetamol and codeine tablets. NHS guidance recommends that GPs avoid prescribing powerful opioid-based painkillers such as codeine to tackle a growing addiction problem in the UK. UK medical regulators are currently considering whether to ban all over-the-counter drugs containing codeine, making them prescription-only. In March last year Boots told a parliamentary committee it would no longer allow customers to gain points on its Advantage Card scheme when purchasing codeine-based medicines. The firm gives about 24 Advantage Card points worth 24p to customers buying Boots Ibuprofen & Codeine over the counter. It offers similar incentives for buying co-codamol, which are paracetamol and codeine tablets UK medical regulators are currently considering whether to ban all over-the-counter drugs containing codeine, making them prescription-only However, The Mail on Sunday has found the practice is ongoing. Last week, we bought a 32-tablet pack of Boots Ibuprofen & Codeine for 9. This awarded our reporter 24 Advantage Card points. Boots encourages customers to accumulate these points, which can be spent on other Boots products. On its website, it tells customers: 'You can save [points] up for a big shop, like Christmas, or just treat yourself!' It also quotes a Boots employee called Caroline saying: 'I love hearing the cashier say I can use my points to pay for my shopping. It's a little treat every so often.' Experts warn the strategy could encourage people to buy codeine pills and raises the risk of customers becoming addicted. Addiction expert Professor Ian Hamilton, a lecturer at the University of York, said: 'It seems bizarre given the rise in opioid addiction in the UK. It doesn't take long to become addicted to codeine, and Boots should be discouraging use. It should reconsider this policy.' Opioid addiction has been an increasing problem in the NHS over the past decade. Since 2012, drug deaths involving opioids have nearly doubled. In the US, opioid overdoses have caused over 500,000 deaths over the past two decades alone, outstripping AIDS. Desperate to avoid a US-style crisis, the NHS has cracked down on opioid prescriptions. In 2020, new guidance was released recommending GPs do not prescribe the medicines for chronic pain because they are 'harmful' and cause addiction. This March, the NHS announced opioid prescriptions had been cut by almost half a million in the past four years. But medicines that contain lower doses of codeine co-codamol has about 8mg, half the strength of the prescription version can still be bought in pharmacies over the counter. In 2020, the UK medicines regulator said it 'will consider' reclassifying codeine-based medicines as prescription-only. The pills are prescription-only in at least 25 countries, including Germany, Japan and the US. Experts say the move would help cut addiction in the UK. 'It's clear that an increasing number of people are frequently buying co-codamol and taking it in large quantities,' says Prof Hamilton. 'It's very possible that these drugs may end up going under the counter soon.' Boots has previously spoken out against making the drugs prescription-only. In March 2022, the company submitted evidence to a Home Affairs Committee where it stated that increasing regulation on codeine-based medicines would 'drive this population to turn to more illicit substances, further compounding their addiction'. Instead, Boots said it planned to tackle the problem by training staff to spot the signs of codeine addiction. It also said that codeine-based medicines would 'no longer qualify for points as part of the Boots Advantage Card Scheme'. Experts criticised the company for continuing with this practice. 'Boots are incentivising people to buy very strong opioid painkillers, when potentially all they might need to relieve pain is a less-addictive painkiller or even something less medical,' says Nuno Albuquerque, head of treatment for the UK Addiction Treatment group, UKAT. 'Offering points for painkillers doesn't feel like the right approach, especially during a cost-of-living crisis.' A spokesman for Boots said: 'Boots Advantage Card holders can earn points on all pharmacy medicines but cannot redeem their points against opioid-containing pharmacy medicines. 'In addition, we do not run promotions on these medicines. 'Boots works closely with external medicines regulators and professional healthcare bodies to help tackle opioid misuse. Our pharmacists are trained to spot signs of potential medicine misuse and support patients in these circumstances.' DIY beauty has previously brought me out in a rash (literally). My teen self loved creating homemade products but such projects (perfume, body scrub!) were generally bad news for my dermis. On one particular occasion, I ended up with welts actual welts when I tried to concoct a tea-tree oil bath bomb. So the popularity of DIY beauty formulas on social media makes me apprehensive. Sunscreen made by mixing zinc oxide and coconut oil? Yucky and, quite possibly, not very protective. Deodorant whipped up from baking soda, shea butter and essential oils? Sticky! I sanctimoniously tell my teenage daughter there's a reason highly trained chemists spend years formulating the perfect product. But, this being the craft issue, my editor suggested I investigate homemade beauty. And once I put my cynicism aside, I realised that I was already using store-cupboard ingredients and deploying DIY hacks without being conscious of it. Store-cupboard hacks have also been a success at the University of Warwick, where recently researchers used a gloopy combination of honey and vinegar, known as oxymel, to kill bacteria successfully. Stock image used I'll admit, on reflection, there is something satisfying about saving money and packaging, and there's also that feeling of achievement when what you create works. My grandmother was a big advocate of homemade fixes always on a budget, she used to soothe my mother's childhood eczema by filling muslin bags with oatmeal and putting them in the bath. It worked (oatmeal is both anti-inflammatory and acts as a natural emollient). Store-cupboard hacks have also been a success at the University of Warwick, where recently researchers used a gloopy combination of honey and vinegar, known as oxymel, to kill bacteria successfully. Fancy trying out some DIY products? Here are the home hacks that, I can personally attest, 100 per cent deliver. Rub almond oil into nails Ever since make-up artist Ruby Hammer told me how brilliant super-cheap almond oil is for softening cuticles and making nails stronger, I've been a convert. Spread honey on your face This is another hack loved by Ruby, who regularly uses honey as a skin-softening mask. Meanwhile, fellow make-up artist Aimee Adams and now I dot it on spots and blemishes to reduce redness and boost healing (just remember to remove with cleanser before being seen in public). Keep Vaseline handy Forget chapped lips my grandmother used this classic product to give her lashes and brows lustre and definition, and I've adopted the same trick, as has my daughter. Spritz on an essential oil After asking some of the most chic people I know what perfume they wear, to be told, 'Oh, I mix up essential oils', I've started doing likewise. To create a unique-to-me scent, I simply add one drop each of a few of my favourite essential oils in my palm, blend with my fingers and apply to my pulse points. Essential oils, from 8, nealsyardremedies.com. Try an avocado face mask Not just for salads but a shot of super hydration for sunkissed skin, too. Making an avocado face mask is an occasional trick of mine while I'm on holiday. Also avocados abroad tend to be the perfect level of ripeness to mash easily and spread. Pass the salt water When I worked as a stylist and was on beach shoots I noticed that hairdressers would fill a spray bottle (from 3.95, muji.eu) with seawater and spritz through the model's hair for a simple and effective way to create soft waves. Boost moisturisers with socks or gloves. Doing this supercharges results, which is why, when my hands/feet are particularly parched, I'll massage on a hand or foot cream before bed then don gloves or socks overnight. Meanwhile, to up the power of my hair mask, I'll put on a shower cap for half an hour by trapping in heat and moisture it helps the product penetrate. Heat up your lash curlers Hold the falsies this pro trick is brilliant for lifting the lashes and opening up the eyes. Health and safety warning: do not let the curlers get too hot as you'll end up with burns. Instead just do a very quick blast on a low heat setting then touch them on the back of your hand to check their temperature first. GLOBAL DIY TRICKS JAMAICA Blitzed pineapple with sugar, coconut oil and lemongrass not only smells delicious but has serious skin benefits too, making it a popular Jamaican body scrub. The coconut oil moisturises, the enzymes in the pineapple chemically exfoliate, the lemongrass detoxifies and the sugar scrubs away dead cells, leaving skin brighter (and pina colada-scented). JAPAN For healthy-looking hair, rice water has been a Japanese beauty staple for centuries. Research suggests the amino acids in the water may indeed aid growth, while the starch helps give a noticeable shine. SOUTH KOREA Said to be anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing, super hydrating, antimicrobial and wound-healing, snail mucin AKA snail slime is very popular in South Korean skincare. It can be obtained by placing snails over a mesh in a dark room and collecteing the mucin from their trails. Sound a bit messy? Then check out COSRX, the global leader of snail skincare. MYANMAR A paste made from the ground bark of the thanaka tree has been used in Myanmar since the 11th century. Usually applied to the nose and cheeks to act as a sun block, it also has anti- inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-fungal properties. INDIA The social-media trend of hair oiling for glossier locks stems from Ayurvedic practices and millions of Indian women massage coconut oil into their scalps daily. Use as a pre-wash or overnight treatment. 'Sometimes I think that not having to worry about your hair any more is the secret upside of death' - Nora Ephron 3 Natural Remedies Weleda Revitalising Hair Tonic, 13.95, weleda.co.uk Anti-microbial, with circulation-boosting properties, rosemary is having a moment for its ability to help hair loss and flaky scalps. Stock image used Anti-microbial, with circulation-boosting properties, rosemary is having a moment for its ability to help hair loss and flaky scalps. No wonder this 100-year-old classic based on the herb is having a revival. Dirtea The Beauty Mushroom Tremella Powder, 49.99, victoriahealth.com Dirtea The Beauty Mushroom Tremella Powder, 49.99, victoriahealth.com With high levels of beta-glucans, polysaccharides and antioxidants, this add-to-your-drink powder loved by beauty insiders promises skin benefits including increased hydration and reduced inflammation. Olverum Bath Salts, 32, uk.olverum.com Created in the 1930s, Olverum's plant-powered, mineral-rich formulas calm the mind and boost the body. This is a favourite of Rosie's (and British royalty). Stock image used Created in the 1930s, Olverum's plant-powered, mineral-rich formulas calm the mind and boost the body. This is a favourite of mine (and British royalty). What did you do last weekend? Maybe you went shopping or watched a box set. What you probably didn't do was cast a pewter arrowhead. For the fashion entrepreneur and Great British Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant, this casual piece of crafting was just one of several he embraced at Blackburn's Festival of Making, a free celebration of craft set up in 2017. When you're as passionate about craftsmanship as Grant, there's no finer way to spend a Saturday. 'At one workshop, I made a flag,' he says, speaking over the phone from his home in Lancashire. 'At another, I did some printing using a Tetra Pak and a pasta roller. Just simple little things, but in making them you find yourself completely engaged and detached from everything else around you, which gives you a lovely bit of head space.' It took the imposed isolation of a global pandemic for Britain to cotton on to the fact that crafting is good for you. 'The calmness you feel when you're making something with your hands is so beneficial to your mental health,' says Grant, adding that he sees crafting as the perfect antidote to our increasingly screen-based existence. 'As the digitisation of our lives increases, so does our desire to be connected to something analogue and real. When we spend so much time on our phones, we naturally have an inclination to do things with our hands. It's built into our psyche, and makes us feel good.' He describes the show as 'like Disney World for sewing fans. Often dubbed 'the nicest show on TV', it's currently in its ninth season Grant, 51, who grew up in Edinburgh and studied materials science at Leeds University (he's also worked in a ski resort and as a nanny), certainly wasn't the boy his house masters at Edinburgh Academy would have deemed most likely to end up a judge on BBC's The Great British Sewing Bee. Often dubbed 'the nicest show on TV', it's currently in its ninth season. The contestants are aged between 20 and 73, and come from all walks of life, united by a love of dressmaking. 'It's one of those bits of telly where only good stuff happens,' is how Grant explains the appeal. 'It's rare to see reality TV that is actually real. When you watch our show, you get to know the people in a very straightforward, honest way. Nothing is produced or scripted.' He describes the show as 'like Disney World for sewing fans. You've got all the machinery, the haberdashery, every bit of fabric you could imagine, and you get to do challenges with a whole gang of people who love doing the same thing. That it happens to be a televised competition seems irrelevant to them. They spend their entire time helping one another out.' While he attributes the show's camaraderie to its contestants ('fascinating, lovely people you just want to watch'), he points out that sewing has always been a communal activity. 'People tend to sew in groups in clubs or classes. Even in our workshop in Savile Row, everyone's chatting while they're sewing, so it feels naturally collaborative.' Ah, yes, Savile Row. Grant's 'other' job is menswear designer, a profession he arrived at relatively late in life, aged 33, when in 2005 he bought the ailing London tailor Norton & Sons and set about reviving it (so successfully that, in 2010, he won Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards). He also owns the ready-to-wear labels E Tautz and Community Clothing, the latter a passion project launched in 2016 with the purpose of making high-quality, everyday basics, manufactured in Britain. By utilising factories at off-peak times, refusing to gift or pay influencers to wear its clothes and spending less than five per cent on marketing (most brands spend around 20 per cent), prices are kept as low as possible. As Grant says, 'It shouldn't be the case that only rich people can afford good-quality clothes.' The contestants are aged between 20 and 73, and come from all walks of life, united by a love of dressmaking Nor should it be that they are manufactured abroad. Grant works with 42 factories in 35 towns across the UK, employing 1,880 people. He's about to launch a campaign to restart production of underwear at a factory in South Wales, which produced Gossard's Wonderbras in the 90s but closed in 2001. 'There were once 2,000 skilled women there,' says Grant. It [the factory] was important to their communities, but it also gave them a sense of purpose and pride. We'd like to bring it back. 'Even 100 jobs would be a start. A lot of people have no idea how poor certain regions are, and how devastating the loss of industrial jobs can be to communities. In the UK there are now fewer than 100,000 jobs in the textile and clothing industry. At one time it was about 1.6 million. It is on its way back up. The problem is that most factories find it very difficult to get young people to train.' Grant believes there needs to be a cultural shift that starts in the classroom. 'I feel sad that schools are offering less opportunity for kids to have a go at making different things. When I was at school, I got to do metalwork, woodwork, pottery, art, even taxidermy. As a nation, we're extraordinarily creative. We punch far above our weight in the creative fields. It might be our multiculturalism, or the way we've been educated up until now. A CRAFTED OBJECT HAS VALUE AND HUMANITY 'In the past, children had the opportunity to learn all sorts of amazing skills. When you remove that from schools you are potentially causing an economic catastrophe. If I was in charge, I would be pumping more money into giving kids the opportunity to do creative, interesting stuff. We can get to maths later.' Crafting is also good for the environment, Grant believes. 'By turning something old into something new, we're reminding people that, if we want to reduce the impact of mass consumption on the planet, we should repurpose the stuff already here. 'But that requires skill, ingenuity and a problem-solving mind. And when you own an object crafted by somebody, it has more value and meaning. You can feel the humanity in it.' His most beloved possessions are those he's had for decades, including a pair of mittens knitted by his grandmother. 'She wasn't a great knitter,' he recalls. 'But they're the most cherished things I own. I feel a connection to her when I wear them.' He's aware of the double standard inherent in being someone who makes products but who advocates people acquire less, and isn't so idealistic as to imagine that they will ever stop entirely. Rather, it's a question of buying less and buying better. 'A lot of people feel pressured to buy new clothes because there is some sort of societal stigma around wearing the same stuff on rotation, particularly if you're young. For some, buying stuff has become a crutch for happiness. We need to fix that about ourselves collectively.' One person who would agree is the King, who founded the Prince's Foundation, of which Grant is an ambassador. (Grant is involved, too, with the foundation's Future Textiles initiative, which encourages young talent into the industry.) 'King Charles is a passionate advocate for repairing and keeping for ever,' he says. 'His face lights up when he sees somebody doing something with their hands. There's nothing guaranteed to get him more excited than having somebody whittle a spoon.' He recalls an anecdote the King told him about ordering a new pair of dress shoes from Tricker's, and how he'd insisted they reuse the grosgrain ribbon from his old pair. 'The ribbon must have been 40 years old, but he loved the quality.' It must be heartening for the UK's estimated 19.5 million crafters to know their monarch has been a craft aficionado for decades. 'King Charles is the patron [president] of the Heritage Craft Association,' Grant points out. 'He was mocked in the 70s and 80s for his views, but he has always been behind the idea [of reusing], and likes to keep things for ever.' A noble aim, and one which we can all emulate. It just takes a needle, thread and a modicum of patience. The Great British Sewing Bee is viewable on BBC iPlayer When most people meet a member of the royal family they would, you'd think, wear sensible shoes. Not Mr Motivator. Last month, the 70-year-old fitness guru met Queen Camilla at a charity event in London. She had chunky cream heels on; he was wearing canary-yellow Crocs. This was not the first time someone had elected to wear the round-toed sandals to meet a royal. When artist David Hockney, 86, visited Buckingham Palace last November, he wore a checked suit, knitted tie and the same lemony-coloured Crocs. (Only, unlike Mr Motivator's, Hockney's looked a little scuffed around the edges.) 'Your yellow galoshes,' said King Charles, himself wearing a pair of polished black brogues. 'Beautifully chosen!' More than 100 million pairs are sold every year; that's almost 200 every minute. Their popularity isn't just based on being a handy functional slip-on they're a style statement, beloved of the A-list and the front row alike. So how did they do it? What is it about these shoes? They're bogglingly ugly the sort of things you wear to take out the bins or, at a push, to march hastily to the shops on a morning when you've run out of milk. And still they're everywhere. More than 100 million pairs are sold every year; that's almost 200 every minute. Their popularity isn't just based on being a handy functional slip-on they're a style statement, beloved of the A-list and the front row alike. So how did they do it? THE SECRET WEAPON The company was started by three friends from Colorado Scott Seamans, Lyndon 'Duke' Hanson and George Boedecker. The trio were on a Caribbean sailing holiday in the early 2000s when they discovered a boating shoe made out of a foamy material called Croslite. They had never seen footwear like it: lightweight, shock-absorbent, easy to clean, comfy, durable, slip-resistant and buoyant. So they bought the rights to Croslite technology and started making Crocs. In 2002 the friends sold 200 pairs then marketed as sailing shoes for $30 (around 23) each at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show in Florida. (They called them Crocs, if you wondered, because like the scaly creature the shoes work just as well in water as they do on land.) THE HIGHS AND LOWS Supremely comfortable, Crocs sold especially well among people who worked on their feet: nurses, doctors, chefs, cleaners. The company plodded along happily for a while, then during the financial crisis of 2007 almost went bankrupt. By 2017, the three founders had left and former banker Andrew Rees took over as CEO. Crocs started doing bougie designer collaborations (more on that later) and Covid helped sales too (apparently, in a lockdown everyone wants to wear comfy shoes). Today Crocs has 340 shops, sells in 90 countries and employs 6,680 people. This year's revenues are projected to be upwards of 3 billion. The shoes are still cheap, though: a classic clog costs 35. Last month, 70-year-old fitness guru Mr Motivator met Queen Camilla at a charity event in London. She had chunky cream heels on; he was wearing canary-yellow Crocs THE FOAMY FABRIC Croslite is a proprietary resin derived from a polymer called ethylene-vinyl acetate. For non-boffins, that means it's a synthetic substance that feels like a sturdy foam. It's light, too; the heaviest Croc weighs just 450 grams. Croslite is also malleable: if you plop your Crocs in boiling water you can stretch them out. It all sounds marvellous but the snag Croslite isn't biodegradable or recyclable. Plus, in 2018, Crocs shifted manufacture of its shoes overseas from the US, to countries including China and Vietnam. Still, according to a study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the making of an average pair of synthetic trainers generates 13.6kg of carbon dioxide emissions. Crocs? Only 2.56kg. MORE THAN 100 MILLION PAIRS ARE SOLD EVERY YEAR; THAT'S ALMOST 200 EVERY MINUTE THE DIY CHARMS In 2005, Sheri Schmelzer, a 40-year-old mother from Colorado, made charms out of clay and plugged them into the holes of her children's Crocs. A year later, the brand bought Schmelzer's idea for more than 7 million. The charms or Jibbitz, as they're now called are essential paraphernalia for any serious wearer. There are daisy-shaped examples (4.99), a King Charles Coronation set (6.80 for five) and even a sapphire and diamond engagement ring version for 1,790. THE STAR COLLABS Christopher Kane came first. In 2017, the then 34-year-old Scottish designer created a pair of marbled Crocs replete with gemstone Jibbitz. They cost nearly 300. An article on lifestyle website Refinery29 wondered if it was an 'elaborate prank'. Either way, Balenciaga followed suit in 2018 with a pair of five-inch platform Crocs for 685. They sold out almost immediately. THE FAMOUS FANS The list is endless, but in short: Michelle Obama wore a purple pair to walk her dog; Helen Mirren wore a Union Jack-patterned pair on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show; and Kendall Jenner wore a camouflage pair to go shopping. Justin Bieber likes Crocs so much he created an exclusive collection with the brand in 2021, which not everyone was convinced by. When Bieber sent a pair to Victoria Beckham as a present, she said that she'd 'rather die' than wear them. Oh well, you can't please everyone. The primary weapon of the Russian navy in the Ukraine War has been the Kalibr cruise missile. This meant Kalibr-equipped Russian warships in the Black Sea were a priority. That led to using additional Kalibr-armed ships based in the Black Sea ports on the Crimean Peninsula.. The two classes of small ships available were Karakurts and Bykovs At the end of 2018 the Russian Navy achieved a rare feat, it put into service the first of two classes of new warships and did it on time. The first of 22 Karakurt (Project 22800) Corvettes entered service in the Baltic Sea. Nine more are in various states of construction in three shipyards. This is a new type of coastal corvette that is more capable on the open seas. Some of them are being built in the Crimean shipyards Russia acquired in 2014 when they basically took Crimea from Ukraine. The was followed by the similar Bykov-class patrol ships. Russia has been building a lot more small corvettes since the 1990s for a number of reasons. First, the Russian shipyards have proved more effective in building these small (under 1,000 tons) ships. Then there is the great need for heavily armed corvettes to serve as a low-cost patrol vessel that can handle just about anything it runs into during coastal patrols and can even be useful in wartime. Finally, there is a growing export market for this type of ship. The Karakurts are 800 ton ships that are 65 meters (213 feet) long and have a top speed of 56 kilometers an hour. They are armed with one 76mm cannon, eight launch tubes holding 1.2 ton 3K14 Kalibr anti-ship missiles (range 300 kilometers) or P800 anti-ship missiles (range 600 kilometers), two 14.5mm machine-guns, two AK-630 multibarrel 30mm autocannon for close range defense against missiles and aircraft and 32 57E6 anti-aircraft missiles (range 20 kilometers). There is also a launching pad for large helicopter UAVs. The crew of 30 can stay at sea for 15 days at a time before needing to refuel and resupply. Each Karakurt cost approximately $30 million. The Bykovs are 1,300-ton ships with armament and performance similar to those of the Karakurts. Only six Bykovs were ordered. Five are in service and that sixth one will do so by the end of 2023. Russia recently announced improvements in its primary submarine-launched missile, the 3M54/14, also known as the SS-N-27, Sizzler or Klub/Kalibr. This was mainly for the benefit of current and potential export customers and was based on experience during the Syrian campaign. Many Russian and some Indian, Vietnamese, Algerian and Chinese subs are already equipped with Kalibr. Even before the Syrian campaign the Kalibr (Klub is the less capable export version) had growing pains that the Russians appear to have remedied. For example, India was an early adopter but encountered reliability problems in 2010 when there were repeated failures of the Klub during six test firings. The missiles were fired off the Russian coast using an Indian Kilo class submarine, INS Sindhuvijay. That boat went to Russia in 2006 for upgrades. India refused to pay for the upgrades, or take back the sub until Russia fixed the problems with the missiles, which Russia eventually did. The Kalibr 3M14 land-attack cruise missile version had been around since the 1990s but had a lot of problems. These were addressed and the 3M14 officially entered service in 2012. This version has turned out to be the most popular and most frequently used. Russia has used it extensively in Syria. The 3M14 was launched from submarines, surface ship and aircraft against targets in Syria. Among the improvements made to the 3M14 based on the Syrian experience was to make it easier to change the target parameters before launch. The latest versions of American Tomahawk also allows targets to be changed while the missile is on the way. Russia is working on that upgrade. One thing to keep in mind that there are basically two distinct versions of the Kalibr. Most versions are the shorter-range 3M54 anti-ship version with a supersonic final approach speed feature. All of those used in Syria were the 3M14 land attack cruise missile which is basically a Russian version of the American Tomahawk. About a hundred of these were used in Syria, many of them fired at extreme range (over 1,000 kilometers) and a lot of tweaks and fixes were applied to the 3M14 and, where applicable, applied to the 3M54. The anti-ship version does not have any combat experience but the many tests have shown that 3M54 reliability has improved because of the frequent combat use of the 3M14. Each new variant has to undergo several test firings at actual targets after a system modification and this is where the Russians have noted improved reliability and performance with both versions. Since the first version of 3M54 appeared in 1994 about a dozen anti-ship and land-attack variants have been developed. All are basically designed to be launched from a torpedo tube but the ship/land based and air-launched versions vary in their configuration. As a result 3M54/14 weight varies from 1.3 tons to 2.3 tons. The basic submarine version is launched from a 533mm (21 inch) torpedo tube on a Kilo class or nuclear sub. The 3M54 warheads vary from 400-500 kg (880-1,100 pounds). The anti-ship version has a range of 220-600 kilometers but speeds up to 3,000 kilometers an hour during its last minute or so of flight. The export versions have a shorter range. The land-attack version does away with the high-speed final approach feature and has a 400 kg (880 pound) warhead. Current versions of the 3M14 have a max range of 2,500 kilometers (with a smaller warhead) and a new version, with a range of 4,500 kilometers, is in development. These longer-range 3M14s are believed to be mainly for use with nuclear warheads. What makes the 3M54 anti-ship version particularly dangerous is its final approach, which begins when the missile is about 15 kilometers from its target. Up to that point, the missile travels at an altitude of about 30 meters (hundred feet). This makes the missile more difficult to detect. The high-speed approach of the anti-ship version means that it covers that last fifteen kilometers in less than twenty seconds. This makes it difficult for current anti-missile weapons to take it down. The 3M54 is similar to earlier, Cold War era Russian anti-ship missiles, like the 3M80 ("Sunburn"), which has a larger warhead (300 kg/660 pounds) and shorter range (120 kilometers). Even older is the P700 ("Shipwreck"), with a 550 kilometers range and 750 kg (1,650 pound) warhead. P700 entered service in the 1980s and the improved P-800 in 2002. The first Russian version of the Tomahawk (3M14) was still in development at the end of the Cold War and was finally put into service by 2001 as a land-attack missiles. It took another decade to perfect the anti-ship (3M54) version, as the Indians noted in 2006. The success of the Kalibr came at the right time because the Russian navy has lots of problems that Kalibr can either solve or make less troublesome. This was clear in 2017 when the Russian defense budget was cut substantially and for the foreseeable future. There were already contingency plans for current procurement programs. For the navy that means fewer new submarines and instead more major refurbishment of boats worth keeping in service. The Russian submarine admirals were hoping they would get the money to build more competitive nuclear boats and put the Americans on the defensive some of the time. But now that goal has to be deferred. The refurbed boats will have better sensors but little can be done to improve noise control (how quiet the sub is underwater). They will not be able to go to sea as much as the American boats but that will mean Russia will have a nuclear submarine force nearly half the size of the American one and, with China building more nuclear boats, the West will still feel threatened at sea. Russia is also depending more on existing Kilo diesel-electric boats and new diesel-electric models with AIP (Air-Independent Propulsion) systems that allow a diesel-electric sub to stay underwater, silently, for several weeks at a time. '99% of the noise is coming from outside the house' he said In a letter obtained by DailyMail.com, he said he was getting more right than not The head of New York City's elite $62,000-a-year Browning School brushed off criticism of how he handled a transgender scandal as 'scurrilous tabloidism' - and claimed he is doing 'more right than not' in a high-handed letter obtained by DailyMail.com. John Botti dismissed criticism of his leadership at the all-boys institution over plans to admit transgender boys, who were born girls. The $700,000-a-year principal also brushed off missing fundraising targets, but told board members of his plans to relax over the remaining days of summer 'lest he be lightless come the school year'. Botti came under fire earlier this year after changing the school policy to allow for transgender boys. He was then scorned by an irate father who received a demand for an additional $60,000 in donations earlier this year. The father withdrew his children from the school in fury, writing in his own letter to the board how the school had retaliated against him by punishing his kids when he questioned the poor book keeping. I'm doing just fine! John Botti, the head of Browning School, gave himself a pat on the back in a recent letter to the board, despite a recent scandal over the school's gender policy Botti, pleased with his performance over the last year, says he's getting 'more right than not' The letter, according to some parents who do not wish to be named, demonstrates Botti's disregard for school families and sole focus on himself and the staff. It begins: 'I hope you are enjoying your summer even as we may wonder how it's all going so quickly! (It's mid-July already?) 'In any case, it's my custom to send a brief check-in note to the Board annually at about this time, and I appreciate your indulging me yet again. 'Briefly, here are some topics you may find of interest: I don't know that there is anything that I can add to the great work of [chief communications officer] Jan Abernathy in relaying information about the New York Post/Fox News scurrilous campaign of innuendo, unsubstantiated claims, and outright misinformation. 'It has been tabloidism, pure and simple, and I'm proud of our team and grateful to all trustees for the smart, patient, redoubtable support -- though I am also sorry for the emotional strain it has placed on so many.' Some parents were stunned with Botti's self-aggrandizing. One told DailyMail.com: 'It tells you everything about his style of leadership. The school cares only about the teachers - not about us or our kids.' The Browning School is one of New York's most exclusive. Tuition is $62,000-a-year Unimpressed: One father withdrew his three sons from the school earlier this year after a mishap over donations where the school tried to ask for an additional $60,000 on top of the $1million he had pledged Earlier this year, an irate father withdrew his three sons from the school after a mishap over a donation. The family had pledged $1million to the school and paid $348,000 of it. When the father tried to pay the remaining $651,400, he says he was told he in fact owed $710,000. He tried to communicate with Botti and the school about the error, but says he was given the run-around. It left him so angry that he withdrew the donation entirely. He claims that the school retaliated by routinely punishing his three kids, who had never before been in trouble. In his own letter to the board, the father said: 'After an aggregate 25 years of three boys attending the school, seven years of board service and more than $1.5million spent on tuition and donations, we are sending our sons elsewhere and discontinuing all ties.' There was also outrage earlier this year when the historic, all-boys school announced it would start admitting transgender boys. Botti did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. Brittany Higgins told prospective employers at a First Nations branch of government that she identifies as an indigenous Australian, according to texts with her best friend. This little-known fact about Ms Higgins was revealed during a conversation with Emma Webster on February 10, 2021, about her forthcoming job as a media advisor for the First People's Assembly of Victoria. Ms Webster was The Assembly's head of communications and strategic advisor at the time, and was trying to fast-track Ms Higgins' application so she could secure a position before it was publicly advertised. The exchange took place less than two weeks after Ms Higgins quit her job as assistant media advisor for then-employment minister Michaelia Cash, Daily Mail Australia can reveal. Her resignation left her free to appear on Channel Ten's The Project and publicly allege for the first time that her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann raped her inside Parliament House in 2019 - which he firmly denies. She previously told the ACT Supreme Court that she feared losing her parliamentary job if she was too vocal about her rape allegations so, with the guidance of TV host Lisa Wilkinson, she resigned - and apparently got a new phone number. Emma Webster accompanied Brittany Higgins to the ACT Supreme Court everyday last year during Bruce Lehrmann's criminal trial On February 10, 2021, Ms Webster asked Ms Higgins: 'What's your mob?' (mock-up of the text pictured) The conversation with Ms Webster began at 11.14 on February 10, five days before she made her allegations on national TV, with a message from Ms Webster: 'Hey Britt, we're looking to advertise the media advisor role in the next week.' 'I'm thinking of pushing for an immediate two month contract to get you working before that - what do you reckon? Then we can get you in for the media advisor role.' About half an hour later, Ms Higgins replied: 'Absolutely! I would love that. Would you like a copy of my resume now?' Ms Webster then tried to call the former Liberal staffer, but found her phone had been disconnected. The former staffer said, 'ah, leave it with me. I will give you a call tonight once I have my new number set up,' before sending her an email address instead. 'Amazing, will email you soon. So excited to get you on board,' Ms Webster wrote. Ms Higgins replied: 'Likewise! Thanks again for all the support.' Just before 9.30 that night, Ms Webster sent a follow-up message: 'Britt, what's your mob?' Ms Higgins replied and explained her grandfather had links to indigenous groups (mock-up of the text is pictured) Brittany Higgins is pictured, left, with her friend Emma Webster Ms Webster said Ms Higgins did not need to show documentation to prove she had indigenous roots (mock-up of the text is pictured) Ms Higgins didn't understand the question and explained she hadn't set her new number up. Ms Webster replied, 'haha I mean indigenous mob. Co-chair and CEO are curious,' - to which the former staffer replied with a laughing emoji. She then went on to explain that her grandfather was connected 'to either the Nyawigi or Gugu Badhun people, we're not entirely sure which one'. 'My grandpa tracked down and reconnected with his siblings from the orphanage in Townsville in 2011. After that, he didn't want to progress any further,' she said. 'We've all collectively as a family respected his wishes and just sort of left it for the time being until he's more comfortable proceeding further.' Five minutes later, she added: 'My grandma has all the documentation if you'd like e to get it for you this week.' READ MORE: Extraordinary public slanging match between high-profile News Corp journalists Samantha Maiden and Janet Albrechtsen Brittany Higgins is pictured with her fiance, David Sharaz, who also supported her in court Ms Webster replied: 'Totally get it. Sadly not an uncommon story - your grandpa, like you, sounds incredibly strong.' Responding to the documentation query, she added: 'Nah, no need at all. Literally just curiosity.' Ms Webster then explained The Assembly was looking to launch a 'truth-telling process' with he Victorian government, which would likely turn into a royal commission. 'It'll be an opportunity for Aboriginal Victorians to tell the true history of this country - stolen children, massacres, frontier wars - and how they've impacted the lives of First Nations people to this day. 'No doubt there will be stories like those of your grandpa.' Ms Higgins said: 'I'm genuinely so excited. It's such deeply important work and I feel honoured to contribute in even just a small way. Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.' Brittany Higgins alleges Bruce Lehrmann (pictured left, with his lawyer) raped her in Parliament House. He denies the allegation Two days later, Ms Higgins sent Ms Webster her new phone number. Two days after that, Ms Higgins made her rape allegations on television. She accepted the position at The Assembly and started working two weeks later and was charged with the task of improving the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter profiles of a Nira illim bulluk man, Marcus Stewart. Ms Higgins was in the position for two months. Ms Webster left The Assembly in August of that year and took up a role as director of government relations firm, Hawker Britton, and later became a permanent fixture by Ms Higgins' side during the criminal trial against Mr Lehrmann in October last year. The trial was abandoned due to misconduct by a member of the jury, before the ACT crown prosecutor dropped the sexual assault charge entirely due to fears over Ms Higgins' mental health. Earlier this year, the friends set up a company together, along with Ms Higgins father Matthew, called Power Blazers Ltd - dedicated t helping Australians navigate the justice system. No one living in or around Phoenix, Arizona on March 13, 1997, could possibly forget the night we all witnessed something in the skies we couldn't explain. I was 12 years old and winding down in our family living room before bed when our neighbor called. She told my mom, Cindy, that strange objects had been spotted hovering over the city. After they hung up, the phone kept ringing off the hook. Friends and neighbors were trying to get a hold of my mother. They wanted to know if she was seeing what they were seeing. At first, mom wasn't sure how to react. My dad was away in Washington D.C., and she didn't want to terrify a house full of kids, especially, right before bedtime. Eventually, she allowed me and my brothers to go out to the yard to take a look for ourselves. And there it was. Giant, bright objects floating in a straight line in the distance. Even today, it is hard to explain, and there are varying descriptions of what happened over Phoenix between approximately 7:30 PM and 10:30 PM. But there are hundreds of videos and news reports documenting the incident. See it for yourself. The first sighting was of an impossibly huge V-shaped object with five spherical lights flying from north to south. No one living in or around Phoenix, Arizona on March 13, 1997, could possibly forget the night we all witnessed something in the skies we couldn't explain. (Above) Amatuer footage of 'The Phoenix Lights' I was 12 years old and winding down in our family living room before bed when our neighbor called. She told my mom, Cindy, that strange objects had been spotted hovering over the city. The second incident, which I witnessed, was of nine seemingly stationary lights hanging over the city for hours, before suddenly disappearing over the horizon. My brothers were elated. They begged to scramble on to the roof and started singing the theme song for the X-Files. I was petrified. Was this the war of the worlds? An invasion of little green men? (Hey I was 12.) My mom herded us inside and tried to calm us down, but I was restless all night. 'The Phoenix Lights,' as it is called, is still considered to be one of the largest mass UFO sightings in history. And I couldn't help but think back to that night, as three U.S. military veterans testified before Congress on Wednesday. They all say they have first-hand knowledge of unidentified anomalous phenomena, or what everyone else knows as UFOs. Among the witnesses were former Navy pilot Lt. Ryan Graves, who says that after his squadron, stationed in Virginia, began using advanced radar technology in 2014, they started detecting signs of fast-moving objects, darting across the skies, making seemingly impossible changes in speed and direction. Then, Graves reveals, some pilots experienced 'near midair collisions with these objects' that he described as 'dark gray or black inside a transparent sphere.' Official reports were filed, and incidents were captured by aircraft cameras. And there's retired Navy pilot David Fravor, an apparent eyewitness to the famous 'Tic Tac' incident. He was stationed onboard the USS Nimitz in November 2004 in support ground troops during the Iraq War. 'The Phoenix Lights,' as it is called, is still considered to be one of the largest mass UFO sightings in history. And I couldn't help but think back to that night, as three U.S. military veterans testified before Congress on Wednesday (above). And there's retired Navy pilot David Fravor, an apparent eyewitness to the famous 'Tic Tac' incident. After taking off to conduct training exercises, he was flying over open ocean when he apparently saw something. 'We noticed some white water off our right side,' he read in his opening statement. 'We saw a small white Tic Tac shaped object moving very abruptly over the white water. There were no rotors, no rotor wash, or any visible flight control surfaces like wings.' 'This Tic Tac Object had just traveled 60 miles in a very short period of time (less than a minute) was far superior in performance to my brand new F/A-18F,' he continued, 'and did not operate with any of the known aerodynamic principles that we expect for objects that fly in our atmosphere.' Finally, there is David Grusch, a former Air Force officer and intelligence official. He says he worked on programs that examined vehicles not made by humans and accused the U.S. government of suppressing information on 'malevolent alien beings'. But what truly made waves in this hearing was his suggestion, at the prompting of Republican Congressman Tim Burchett, that people may have been killed as a part of a conspiracy to keep UFOs a secret. 'Personally, have you heard anyone [has] been murdered?' Burchett asked. 'I have to be careful answering that question,' Grusch replied. 'I directed people with that knowledge to the appropriate authorities.' Woah, that's even a bit too rich for me. UFOs are inevitably caught up in conspiracy theories and to throw more logs on the burning inferno is just not helpful. Grusch and Burchett better come forward with some evidence or they'll do their cause serious harm. For the record, on that March night in 1997, I became a believer. And my mother and I believe we are not alone in the universe. But to have said it at the time would have gotten us sized for tin foil hats. The day after 'The Phoenix Lights,' Arizona Governor Fife Symington stepped to the microphones with an aide wearing a ridiculous alien mask, long fake fingers and a shimmering metallic frock to mock the public frenzy. Only a decade later, did he say that he saw the lights too and much more. Symington claimed in a 2007 interview that he saw a huge craft pass over Squaw Peak, just north of Phoenix. The day after 'The Phoenix Lights,' Arizona Governor Fife Symington stepped to the microphones (above) with an aide wearing a ridiculous alien mask, long fake fingers and a shimmering metallic frock to mock the public frenzy. Only a decade later, did he say that he saw the lights too and much more. Symington (above, left) claimed in a 2007 interview that he saw a huge craft pass over Squaw Peak, just north of Phoenix. 'I'm a pilot and I know just about every machine that flies,' he said. 'It was bigger than anything that I've ever seen.' Of course, Symington also resigned as governor and was found guilty of fraud. Later his conviction was overturned. But, I'll take his testimony with a mountain of salt. There's no doubt that kooks and charlatans have glommed onto UFO conspiracies throughout history. But I know what I saw, and I'm not yet satisfied by the official explanations for it. The U.S. government says the otherworldly vision of an alien craft over Phoenix was just an illusion created by five separate A-10 Thunderbolt II planes flying in formation. The second sighting, they claim, was simply the illumination of flares dropped by another set of aircrafts on training exercises. I called my mother this week to check if her recollection of the event had changed. It hasn't. 'I don't have a reasonable explanation of what happened,' she told me. 'But I don't believe it was flares.' I, for one, am convinced that these unexplained events are worthy of being chased down. And even if 'The Phoenix Lights' does have a rational explanation, these more recent incidents do not. The public has a right to know if the truth is, in fact, out there. A popular roadside zoo in South Dakota has been filmed admitting it uses bottle rockets and chainsaws to separate bear cubs from their mothers during an undercover investigation by PETA. Supervisors at Bear Country USA, which keeps about 200 black bears across a 200-acre site, were filmed using 'violent' tactics which they admitted are 'bad on the morals'. Secretly-recorded footage, supplied to DailyMail.com by the Virginia-based international animal charity, also shows the cubs - which are just a few weeks old - stuffed into cardboard boxes after they've been taken from their dens. The charity, which went undercover at Bear Country USA between mid-March and early July, has alleged other animals, including wolves, red foxes and pine martens, are also mistreated at the site. Bear Country USA did not respond to multiple requests for comment from DailyMail.com. PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Welfare Debbie Metzler said: 'Screaming cubs and mourning mothers are Bear Country USA's bread and butter. A worker filmed kicking out at bear cubs told the investigator: 'If they... got your skin really, really well, pinch their nose as hard as you f****** can. It's the only way you can get them off.' In one video, tiny bear cubs yelp as they are packed into cardboard boxes in a store room at the park. PETA alleges the park 'traumatized bears and wolves by violently taking newborn cubs and pups from their mothers' Wolf pups taken from their mother are seen in a shoddy plastic box stuffed with torn paper Supervisors at the park make comments about how the bears are struggling after they've been taken from their mothers 'Generation after generation of bear families are torn apart by the sordid roadside zoo industry, and PETA urges everyone to stay away from any business that uses vulnerable baby animals as props.' In one video, tiny bear cubs yelp as they are packed into cardboard boxes in a store room at the park. PETA alleges the park 'traumatized bears and wolves by violently taking newborn cubs and pups from their mothers'. It's believed the cubs are taken from mothers who are captive bears that were also born on the site. In another clip, a worker explains how bear cubs are snatched from their mothers just weeks after they are born - before the animals are even able to open their eyes. 'We have a big, huge fiberglass pole and we jam it up in [a den], wiggle it around. Usually they run out, if they're with babies they don't want to,' he explains. 'Sometimes we'll have to take just a bottle rocket Boom!' The worker said employees also sit 'at the ends of the dens with shotguns' and adds: 'Once [the mothers] get out, if they don't go away, you know, we chase them with a four-wheeler. You just toss out some bottle [rockets]. Another is recorded saying: 'I climb in, grab the babies, drag them out and then hand the off to somebody on a four-wheeler, and they run them up to the van.' The bears become extremely agitated when they are separated from their mothers and become difficult to handle. '[These] triplets came from a really pissed-off mom,' a female worker is recorded saying. 'She would not get away from the den.' Bear Country USA, which keeps about 200 black bears across a 200-acre site, is accused of neglect after an undercover operation by PETA showed workers admit they use chainsaw and bottle rockets to separate cubs from their mothers A supervisor told the undercover investigator how he threw firecrackers to snatch cubs from their mother Wolf pups are also allegedly separated from their mothers, which PETA says causes distress Explaining another method to separate bear families, a supervisor adds: 'We take the chains off a couple chainsaws, and we just run them wide open so the mothers can't hear the babies screaming and want to circle around and come back.' A worker confesses: 'A little bit bad on the morals, you know, stealing children and taking them to a white van, you know?' Bear cubs typically spend at least 16 months with their mothers in nature, but PETA said they are separated after no more than eight weeks at Bear Country USA, causing 'severe psychological and physical distress'. 'Usually we like to get 'em before they're older so they, when they open their eyes, you know, they [imprint] on us,' a worker says in one clip. A supervisor allegedly instructed the undercover worker to 'refrain from going into detail that could be offensive to the public. guests do not need to know the entirety of the truth.' Further footage shows a supervisor kicking cubs as they run to her in a pen at the park. 'It looks bad, but we gotta do it. It's the only way we can be free contact,' she says. 'If they're not letting go and they got your skin really, really well, pinch their nose as hard as you f****** can. It's the only way you can get them off of you.' Bear Country USA was opened in 1972 by Dr Dennis 'Doc' Casey and his wife Pauline. The park has ballooned from m11 black bears when it opened to more than 200 today Locals around the park often bring aging horses which are butchered for animal feed. The PETA investigator filmed one staff member shoot a horse three times A caged red fox filmed by PETA's investigator appeared to suffer with an eye condition. PETA has reported Bear Country USA to several agencies over alleged animal neglect PETA alleges staff are instructed to 'physically abuse' unruly cubs, causing 'terrible trauma'. 'Workers were also injured at the roadside zoo,' the charity added. 'PETA's investigator was bitten and scratched on the arms, one bear 'rip[ped] out a chunk' of a worker's leg, another swatted at and lacerated the worker's heel, and a cub 'beat the s*** out of' a third worker's face. That worker said animal bites are 'something you get used to.'' The charity said that bears are fed with meat from ailing horses which are given to the park by locals and butchered by staff. The PETA investigator filmed one staff member shoot a horse three times. The investigation further alleged that other species, including red foxes and pine martens, are mistreated and 'denied adequate care'. Metzler said roadside zoos like Bear Country USA often operate with 'shoestring budgets' and staff 'often don't know what they are doing or don't have the ability' to care for animals. PETA said it has submitted its evidence to the US Department of Agriculture, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Department of Agriculture said its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has received PETA's complaint and launched an investigation. The charity has called for investigations into apparent violations of laws regarding animal welfare, neglect, endangered species, and worker safety. A senior constable and loving mum who shot herself inside a police station had been unwell and unable to complete a firearms exam earlier that day. Kym Slade, 48, died just after midday on Thursday, July 20, at Loganholme Police Station, south of Brisbane, after a police-issued gun was discharged. Queensland Police issued a statement confirming Constable Slade died under 'non-suspicious circumstances'. A Queensland Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday claims by police sources that she had failed a firearms test before the shooting was 'incorrect'. However, the spokesperson said the officer had had felt 'physically unwell' during skills and tactics training, which would involve the use of police-issued firearms. 'Upon discussion with Senior Constable Slade, it was determined given the circumstances, she shouldnt continue training on that day and arrangements were to be made for her to return on another day. Senior Constable Slade was provided support and transported back to Loganholme Police Station. Senior Constable Kym Slade, 48, died after she shot herself with a firearm at the Loganholme Police Station, south of Brisbane, a Queensland Police Service statement said A colleague said 'most people, including management, knew she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression' from her time in the force, but alleged that nothing was done to address the issues. 'They put a square peg into a round hole, causing her brain to explode, but that's what the Queensland Police Service does - they don't care about accolades, only pushing "problem" people from one s**tty place to another,' they said. 'In this case, they pushed too hard on a wonderful, kind, compassionate woman who would give the shirt off her back.' The colleague said Constable Slade had a 'heart of pure gold' and would often bring baked slices and gifts for people to work 'just because'. In the days after Constable Slade's death, colleagues flooded social media with tributes to the 'kind' and 'caring' woman - along with similar criticisms about the treatment she received during her 15 years in the force. One person wrote: 'Another casualty of the QPS... tortured at comms and unsupported everywhere she went. What a waste of a lovely person. 'It just goes to show that no one matters when employed by the QPS.' Another said: 'QPS have a lot to answer for.' A third person commented: 'Our people matter - yeah right!' A fourth replied: 'She obviously felt unsupported by those that should've had her back.' Senior Constable Kym Slade, 48, died at Loganholme Police Station at about midday on July 20 Colleagues flooded social media with comments after Constable Slade died on Thursday (pictured) A spokesperson confirmed an investigation into the situation was launched by the Ethical Standards Command, with oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commissioner. While some colleagues were critical of the QPS online, others wrote about Constable Slade's career highlights - including one who graduated from the police academy with her in 2007. The officer wrote: 'When we walked into those academy gates on December 3, 2007, never did any of us think that one day we'd have to say goodbye to one of our squad mates like this. 'So heartbroken that your beautiful soul is no longer with us. May you now rest in peace. Forever in the hearts of Squad 395.' Others remembered Senior Constable Slade as a 'beautiful soul' and were saddened by the fact her life had ended so abruptly. Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll confirmed the sad news in an email to staff on Thursday evening. Police colleagues lay flowers at Loganholme Police Station where Senior Constable Slade died about midday on July 21 Floral tributes piled up outside the station - many of them laid by police force colleagues past and present 'Just after midday today, Senior Constable Slade died following the discharge of a police issued firearm at Loganholme Police Station,' Commissioner Carroll said. 'I know you will all join me by keeping Kym's family, friends and colleagues in your thoughts at this extremely difficult time. 'I would also like to sincerely thank the police and first responders who assisted at the scene, my thoughts are also with you all. 'The coming days will be incredibly difficult for our organisation, so I urge you all to look out for each other.' Commissioner Carroll said the QPS had made support options available for officers and that psychologists, social workers, police chaplains and peer support officers were available. 'To all our members, I mourn with you tonight,' she said. 'With Honour She Served.' Community members placed flowers outside the police station as a tribute. Friends, family and colleagues of the officer have been offered support by the QPS in the wake of the tragedy. For confidential crisis support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. Just 18 months ago, childhood cancer survivor Jenna Croman had her life plan sketched out. The Sydney woman had just celebrated her 21st birthday, was studying criminal psychology at university, was writing three books and had dreams of travelling the world. But her world came crashing down earlier this month when she was told she had only weeks to live because metastatic cancer in her breasts had spread to her brain. Jenna, 22, has returned home to see out her final days. Her parents Nadine and Andrew and brother Jacob have taken time off work to fulfil her dying wish to spend what's left of her life at home and ensure she's comfortable as her health deteriorates. 'We're living each day the best we can,' Ms Croman told Daily Mail Australia 'As long as she continues to fight, we will fight with her.' Jenna Croman enjoyed a week's holiday in Japan in April (pictured with brother Jacob) after her breast cancer stabilised Three months on, Jenna's wish is to spend her final days at home (pictured with mum Nadine) 'It's heartbreaking to watch having seen her go through the first cancer, then breast cancer and now this.' 'Jenna had her whole life mapped out, including where she was going to live and how many kids she was having.' Her husband added: 'We don't know how much time is left. It could be two weeks or it could be five weeks. 'Our lives resolve around Jenna who needs 24/7 care with with everything, including showering, dressing and feeding. We can't go out anywhere.' Jenna was just three-and-a-half when she was diagnosed with pleuropulmonary blastoma, a rare childhood cancer that affects the lungs. She defied the odds and beat the cancer after several years of gruelling chemotherapy. Jenna (pictured at her year 12 graduation) was a bright young student who was studying criminal psychology Jenna was still cancer-free when she celebrated her 21st birthday at a 70s-themed party in December 2021 (pictured with her parents and brother) Four months later in April 2022, Jenna was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (pictured during treatment) In April 2022, Jenna felt a lump under her breast and after numerous tests, was diagnosed with metastatic cancer on both sides of her breasts. Further tests revealed bone lesions but doctors managed to stabilises the cancer through medication and radiation. It allowed Jenna to tick off a dream on her bucket list and travel to Japan three months ago with her brother Jacob and his girlfriend. Shortly after she returned, she began suffering intense migraines and ended up back in hospital, where an MRI revealed the cancer has spread to her brain. More radiation caused daily seizures before doctors told her devastated parents there was nothing more that could be done. 'It's s**t that I'll never approve or disapprove of her boyfriends, or get to walk her down the aisle,' her dad said. 'You always think your kids will be the ones looking after you in your final days, not the other way around.' At age three, Jenna was diagnosed with pleuropulmonary blastoma, a rare childhood cancer that affects the lungs Jenna was a happy and healthy 21-year-old before she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer Visiting Japan was a bucket-list item for Jenna Croman (pictured) Jenna's fighting spirit still comes through most days, despite her speech declining. 'Some days are better than others,' Mr Croman said. 'But every days she wakes us is a good day. We still see her wit and humour, or an eye roll if one of us makes a sarcastic comment.' 'The goal is that she'll spend her last days at home, which was one of her wishes.' Before the breast cancer diagnosis, Jenna was hoping to travel to the UK to study the history of Vikings and was in the process of writing three books. 'She was halfway through the final edit of her first book,' her dad said. The Cromans have been blown away by the public support, which has allowed them to not worry about living expenses. An online fundraiser has raised almost $40,000 so far. 'You can always make money, but not time,' Mr Croman said. 'Once we lose that time we have left with Jenna, we can't get that back.' Andrew and Nadine have taken time off work to care for Jenna at home Former gangster turned actor Dave Courtney has been hauled to court over blunt martial arts movie props in his famous south-east London home. Dave - who appeared in films including The Krays - was charged with housemate Brendan McGirr, 57, who runs an industry prop company, after knuckledusters, daggers and throwing stars were spotted. The bizarre situation unfolded this week despite photos of his 'Camelot Castle' home in south-east London frequently being published over the years - showing the items. But on December 29, 2022, when local police visited the address to discuss Courtney's New Year organised bare knuckle fights, they took exception. They returned half-an-hour later with a sergeant and identified various weapons scattered around the property. And this week Courtney and McGirr, who say they had no idea they were illegal and had them for years, were hauled before Bromley Magistrates' Court accused of possession of offensive weapons. Dave - who appeared in films including The Krays - had to go to court this week over the charge Pictures of the ex-gangster's home show a number of weapons used to decorate the walls A number of blunt bladed items are used as decorations in the popular Londoner's home Hardman Courtney - well-known for his white suit - beat the charge, which was wihdrawn after film props company boss McGill pleaded guilty to illegally possessing the items. Prosecutor Sophie Akister said officers had visited the address at approximately 6.40pm and only McGill was home, with Courtney on holiday. 'The officers wanted to speak to Mr Courtney because of intelligence reports regarding his New Year parties and organised bare knuckled fights. 'Mr McGill answered and allowed the officers inside, where they recognised various offensive weapons that are not allowed in a private place. 'They returned around thirty minutes later and noticed many swords, some in buckets, but they were all clearly blunt and Mr McGill produced weapons and handed them over to the police voluntarily. 'They were hanging on walls and strewn across shelves and other surfaces and none were in locked cases,' added the prosecutor. The six knuckle dusters were of various designs and the throwing star in question is a Japanese weapon known as a shuriken. Dave Courtney arriving at court this week, where he had the case against him dropped Dave Courtney's home and its contents have frequently appeared in the press and on tV Dave's white mansion is decked out with guns, swords, and suits of armour throughout it Courtney's home is a local landmark, bedecked with union flags and flags of St. George. ONE OF BRITAIN'S BEST-KNOWN LIVING GANGSTERS Dave Courtney, 52, made a name for himself through his affiliation with famous hardmen such as Reggie Kray. He was only nine when the Krays were jailed, but says he arranged security for Ronnie Kray's funeral in 1995. He became infamous as a knuckle-duster wielding debt collector, and claims to have been shot, stabbed and had his nose almost bitten off. He claims to have been found not guilty in 19 separate trials but in January 2009 he was given an 18-month conditional discharge at Bristol Crown Court, on a charge of possessing live ammunition. In recent times he has become a celebrity figure, making a living from appearances in numerous television documentaries and published six books. Advertisement It also has a huge side wall mural of the ex-gangster depicted as a knight sitting on a knuckle duster-themed throne surrounded by his men. 'In a statement to police Mr McGill said the items recovered were all film props belonging to his company. 'He felt possession of them was lawful,' explained Miss Akister. 'He said they were for the purpose of theatrical productions and film and television and were used in rehearsals and were like displays in a museum.' 'I am asking for pre-sentence reports in this case,' said David Richter, defending, before McGill was bailed to Bexley Magistrates' Court on August 14. 'We will go along with your request and we are going to adjourn for pre-sentence reports,' announced magistrate John Fitzgerald. 'You have pleaded guilty, but we are not going to sentence you today,' he told McGill. 'I urge you to co-operate with the Probation Service. It is your opportunity to state your case.' Speaking outside court after the charge was dropped against him, Courtney looked relieved. He told filmmaker Liam Galvin: 'Not guilty, but I wasn't actually guilty anyway. 'I'm proud of my friend for holding his hands up. 'We're going out for a meal, we are going to console Brendan. 'I don't think he will do community work - he'd rather go to prison. 'Don't get a knuckleduster in your drawer, they are against the law now, they'll get you nicked.' In the dawn hours of July 24, the skies over the sleepy towns of Reni and Izmail on the Danube river suddenly lit up with gunfire and explosions. Over the next four hours a dozen Russian suicide drones slammed into the ports, injuring seven people and flattening warehouses used to ship Ukrainian grain to the world's poorest. A new global food crisis looms off the back of the attack but, perhaps just as chillingly, it came within only a few hundred feet of hitting NATO territory. That's because, just on the other side of the Danube, is Romania - a NATO member. It is the closest Russia has ever come to striking the alliance, raising fresh fears of a showdown between the global powers that Joe Biden once branded 'World War Three.' 'This is a severe threat to NATO,' warned geopolitical strategist Alp Sevimlisoy. 'Russia is trying to conceal its inner weakness by pushing further than what was priorly deemed acceptable even by their own armed forces with these drone attacks.' A dozen Russian suicide drones slammed into the ports, injuring seven people and flattening warehouses used to ship Ukrainian grain to the world's poorest Melinda Haring, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think-tank, believes: 'As Putin's missile strikes get closer and closer to the EU and NATO countries, there is the possibility that the Russians will have an 'oopsie'. And he believes Vladimir Putin could go further, saying it is 'very likely we could see the use of Wagner as a proxy force' along the Danube to further disrupt shipping on the river. The bloodthirsty mercenary group - currently in exile in Belarus in the wake of a failed coup - have already been used to threaten Poland, another NATO member. Mr Sevimlisoy added: 'We need to make sure that necessary deterrence is in place so it doesn't create a threat to international shipping, and so that countries under attack can't be blackmailed by the Russian Federation.' Melinda Haring, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think-tank, concurred, adding: 'As Putin's missile strikes get closer and closer to the EU and NATO countries, there is the possibility that the Russians will have an 'oopsie'. If there is an 'oopsie' and a Russian rocket goes into Romania that is going to trigger a major crisis. NATO nations will get together and they will have to make a decision on Article 5, they will have to decide whether this is an attack on Romania and whether they have to defend it. 'It would be a big deal if rockets ended up on NATO territory.' The last time NATO came close to a clash with Russia was late last year when a missile struck Poland near the Ukrainian border, killing two farmers. World leaders, attending a G20 summit at the time, held frenzied talks over a response before it was revealed the missile had actually been fired by Ukraine and gone off-course. Ultimately, no action was taken - but for several extremely tense hours it looked as if the attack might trigger an Article 5 response, dragging NATO into the war. World leaders (clockwise from top left) Olaf Scholz, Pedro Sanchez, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden hold a tense conversations on the sidelines of the G20 summit after the strike on Poland Twin explosions hit Przewodow, a rural village located five miles from the Ukrainian border in south western Poland in 2022. The aftermath of one of the explosions, which killed two, is pictured A chunk of metal is pictured lying in the dirt after the explosion The same risks now hover over the Black Sea, only this time there will be no doubt if NATO is hit: Shahed drones attacked the ports, and Russia is the only side using them. Caitlin Lee, a drone expert at Georgetown University in the US, said it is no surprise that drones are being used for such attacks - which could increase in scale depending on the technology Russia is able to deploy. She said: 'Drones can sow chaos for Ukraine grain exports crucial to the economy, jam up the flow of military aid to Ukraine, and also generally disrupt Eastern European shipping. '[They] are an effective tool for these kinds of quasi-blockade, harassment operations because they can be produced in numbers large enough to barrage military and civilian shipping traffic. A damaged port infrastructure on the Danube River in the Odesa region, southern Ukraine, on July 24, 2023 'Explosive-laden surface drones could prove especially attractive around crowded ports and chokepoints because they may be harder to detect than airborne drones, which can be readily spotted on radar. 'These advantages might become even more pronounced if either side can produce even less detectable robotic submarines at scale.' Russia dramatically changed tactics in the Black Sea on July 17, when it abruptly withdrew from a grain deal that had allowed Ukraine to safely ship its lifeblood agricultural exports to world markets where it feeds some of the world's neediest. The move had been anticipated but Moscow went further, using drones and missiles to blow up Ukrainian grain silos in two of the three ports that were part of the deal. To date, 60,000 tons of grain has been destroyed - enough to feed 250,000 people for a year. And then Putin's generals turned their attention to the Danube, which had become a vital back-channel for Ukrainian exports and military aid. Kyiv had been shipping around a third of its grain upriver to the Romanian port of Constanta, which is outside the blockade that hems in its own ports, and from there to the globe. The attack caused shipping to snarl up, as companies refused to run the risk of having their vessels targeted. Wheat prices jumped as a result, threatening a fresh global food crisis that experts have previously warned could starve millions across the Middle East and Africa. The EU has tried to reassure markets, saying the bloc is ready to transport Ukrainian produce via road and rail at subsidised cost, meaning prices should stay low. Odesa is a key hub on the Black Sea for the importing of grain to poor countries around the world. Pictured: A pile of maize grains at the Izmail Sea Port, Odesa region, on July 22 But it remains to be seen how that will actually be achieved. Before the war broke out, Ukraine's ports were the source of 95 per cent of its exports. It is not clear whether the infrastructure even exists to get it out by other means. Timothy Ash, of the UK-based Chatham House think-tank, believes the sudden change of tack by Putin comes as he tries to distract from his own vulnerable situation at home. Mr Ash said: 'It's a reflection of Russian weakness. Russia's macro-[economic] performance has begun to deteriorate as snactions have begun to hit, currency is under pressure, central bank had to hike rates. I think this is about trying to leverage some sort of sanctions moderation. 'They [the Russians] are desperate to leverage whatever they can on Ukraine and global markets by stopping this grain deal to get sanctions [on their economy] moderated. I think it's really important that we work together to make sure that doesn't happen.' The bloodthirsty mercenary group - currently in exile in Belarus in the wake of a failed coup - have already been used to threaten Poland, another NATO member. Pictured: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg this week Asked what NATO should be doing to deter Russia from attacking the Danube again, Mr Sevimlisoy was forthright. 'We, as NATO must create a novel Stay-Behind structure within countries across the Danube and in the Baltics, composed of both military officials and politically independent civilians and have them function within a centralised NATO command structure,' he said. 'These would serve as the first line of defence & counter-offensive in the event of any proxy action by Wagner or the Kremlin and would also ensure our ability to maintain existing pro-NATO governance in the vicinity.' He added: 'The vanguard of the grain agreement is now the Turkish Armed Forces the TAF to become the supreme power of the region via the pan-continental campaign success of the military high command. 'In order to ensure both the security of the grain agreement and the sanctity of those that depend on the resource itself across the world, both the Turkish Navy and the Turkish Air Force as well as the British Navy and that of the US, must be granted permanent naval base capabilities for each respective nation across Ukraine's sea borders by leadership in Kyiv.' This is the shocking moment a group of women were brutally attacked outside a City of London restaurant by a rival group of protesters. CCTV footage captured the men kicking, punching and throwing cans at the women as they cowered in the doorway of the restaurant after fleeing from a hotel meeting. The assault only ended when a member of the staff at Rudd's Bar charged outside and beat off the attackers. Travis Bailey armed himself with a kitchen implement - a foot long stone pestle used for grinding spices - and defended the terrified women. The 22-year-old helped the women to safety inside and stood guard outside the bar until police arrived. Hero barman Travis Bailey armed himself with a kitchen implement - a foot long stone pestle used for grinding spices - and defended the terrified women. This is the shocking moment a group of women were brutally attacked outside a City of London restaurant by a rival group of protestors CCTV footage captured the men kicking, punching and throwing cans at the women as they cowered in the doorway of the restaurant after fleeing from a hotel meeting He said: 'I managed to hit one of two of the men and they ran away. The women were quite badly beaten and were terrified.' The incident caught on the CCTV cameras outside the restaurant in Blackfriars - took place as a group of women left a hotel near St Paul's Cathedral where they had been attending a meeting organised by supporters of the Government of Eritrea. More than 150 rival protestors opposed to the Government had heckled the women and other supporters as they arrived at the Leonardo Hotel. City of London police had kept the two factions apart but when a group of women left the hotel late on Thursday night they were followed, spat at and attacked. Travis said the bar and restaurant was closing when a brick crashed through one of their windows. 'The women were on the floor and were being kicked. The men had tins of baked beans and stones and were throwing them down on the women, he said. One of the stones thrown smashed our window 'I went outside and had the pestle from the kitchen with me. It was quite large and just did my best to protect the women. 'With other staff we pulled the women inside and waited for the police and ambulance to arrive. They were really shaken up.' One of the women who took sanctuary in the restaurant told Mail Online:' It was terrifying. We were chased and then just set upon. We are so grateful to the staff at the restaurant who came to our help.' Scene of chaos: Rudd's Bar near Blackfriars Station in The City of London The incident caught on the CCTV cameras outside the restaurant in Blackfriars - took place as a group of women left a hotel near St Paul's Cathedral where they had been attending a meeting organised by supporters of the Government of Eritrea The assault only ended when a member of the staff at Rudd's Bar charged outside and beat off the attackers Dozens of anti Eritrean Government protesters had earlier gathered outside the hotel to shout abuse at those attending a meeting inside organised by supporters of The People's Front for Democracy and Justice. Opponents of the regime accuse it of being a dictatorship. Detective Sergeant Dominic Shaw, City of London Police said: 'On Thursday 20 July, around 150 anti-Eritrean government protesters demonstrated outside a pro-Eritrean event at a hotel on Godliman Street. A high police presence was at the scene to try and maintain order. 'At around 8.30pm when guests were leaving the event a number of bottles and bricks were thrown at the delegates and they returned to the hotel. Around midnight, a group of protesters attacked the pro-Eritrean security. A high level of violence was used by both groups including improvised weapons. 'Four people were arrested for affray and violent disorder. They were brought into custody at Bishopsgate Police Station.' Over half a dozen roads will now be 40km/h Two suburbs will see the speed limits on multiple roads reduced from 50km/h to 40km/h to protect pedestrians and students. Willoughby and Ryde in Sydney's north are reducing speed limits on some roads due to high pedestrian traffic and the extension of certain school zones as of July 27. The limits will reduce from 50km/h within two weeks on all roads surrounding the North Shore Hospital in St Leonards, where the council says that doing so will make pedestrians safer. These streets include Herbert Street, Frederick Street, Westbourne Street and Reserve Road (south). Two suburbs will see the speed limits on multiple roads reduced from 50km/h to 40km/h to protect pedestrians and students Willoughby and Ryde in Sydney's north are reducing speed limits on some roads due to high pedestrian traffic and the extension of certain school zones as of July 27 The reduction of speed on roads in St Leonards will also affect private thoroughfares and those within hospital grounds. Streets around RNSH: The following streets in St Leonards will see their limits reduced from 50km/h to 40km/h: Herbert Street (between Pacific Highway and just north of Frederick Street); Frederick Street (between Herbert Street and 2 Frederick Street); Reserve Road (from Pacific Highway to the Hospital ground); Westbourne Street (from Pacific Highway to the hospital ground); and All private roads within the RNSH grounds. Advertisement Other traffic changes have also been announced for the area, which have been developed in accordance with Transport for NSW 'High Pedestrian Activity Areas' guidelines. 'This speed limit change introduces a High Pedestrian Activity Area in the town centre to provide a more pedestrian friendly environment,' Transport for NSW said. Added changes include gateways, traffic calming devices, and a new pedestrian crossing facility. Reactions to the new speed limits have been mixed, with some slamming the nanny state they see imposed on their roads. 'Tell all the vehicle manufacturers to set top speed no more than 15km/h,' one person wrote on social media. 'Maybe we should just not drive any more,' another added. Most saw the move as a revenue raising scheme that the government will use to slog more fines on drivers. '$$$$ ka-ching,' a simple comment online read in response to the announcement. 'More income for the government mad,' a fourth said. New limits in the area will be a welcome addition in keeping the community safe, Willoughby City Mayor Tanya Taylor said in a statement which endorsed the move. 'The precinct is a busy hub of activity generating significant pedestrian movement from the Transport Interchange, Royal North Shore Hospital, adjacent residential blocks, Gore Hill Oval and St Leonards TAFE NSW,' Cr Taylor said. 'The changes will alert drivers to the lower speed limit and make them aware of the presence of pedestrians.' Extended school zones will be the primary driver of reducing the limits in West Ryde and neighbouring Meadowbank. A notice in the area was posted explaining the change to locals. 'The existing school zone will be extended to improve safety of students using the pedestrian access point,' the notice reads. The limits will reduce from 50km per hour within two weeks on all roads surrounding the North Shore Hospital in St Leonards Other traffic changes have also been announced for the area, which have been developed in accordance with Transport for NSW 'High Pedestrian Activity Areas' guidelines This continues a trend which has swept across the city, which has had numerous speed reductions on roads and highways. Liverpool-Parramatta Transit Way recently took an extreme cut to its speed limit, which was reduced from 70km per hour to 50km per hour in late June. Two weeks prior, the entire CBD's speed limit was finally reduced to 40km per hour, which had been a contentious topic among locals since March when it was first announced. The council said at the time that the move would slash deaths and injuries on roads and that they intended to work with NSW state government to have it enforced. However, then-premier Dominic Perrottet dismissed the idea as 'ridiculous'. 'We have to speed up our city, not slow it down,' he told a frustrated caller to 2GB's Ben Fordham. 'I understand you need to provide safety but to have a blanketed approach is ridiculous. We are a global city we cant slow it down.' Listeners agreed with him. 'It's infuriating. Forty kilometres an hour is a ridiculous speed for modern vehicles,' caller Jeff said. 'Virtually every car that's built now has got ABS brakes so they don't skid, they've got good steering, they've got good tyres, there's absolutely no reason for it.' He said the problems are mostly caused by people walking around the city centre. 'Pedestrians are the worst breakers of the law you could find. They run across the road on Don't Walk signs, let alone flashing Don't Walk signs, where's the onus on them to take responsibility? Others mused during the debate that achieving a speed over 40km per hour in the CBD would be a pipe dream anyway. 'All this outrage about City of Sydney wanting to change the speed limit in the CBD from 40km/h. If you think you're going to be driving more than 40 in that traffic you're dreaming,' Thomas Nguyen wrote on social media. Congo is under growing regional and international criticism for the continued rebel, tribal and Islamic terrorist violence, especially in a few eastern provinces. The government uses the violence as an excuse for not doing more to control the corruption in the lucrative mining operations present in those provinces. The corruption persists because theres enough mining revenue to persuade army and government leaders to take the money and ignore the chaos. This is a common pattern throughout Africa whenever there is a valuable natural resource bringing in a lot of foreign operators and some shady practices. July 23, 2023: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) The EARF (East African Regional Force) has increased its civilian protection patrols along the Goma-Kibumba-Rutshuru-Kiwanja-Bunagana and Goma-Sake-Kilolorwe-Kitchanga supply routes. Bunagana is on the Uganda border. Kitchange is the site of a major refugee camp. July 22, 2023: In the village of Nyakova (Ituri province) a berserk Congolese soldier shot and killed at least 13 civilians. July 20, 2023: An explosive device accidentally detonated in the village of Lubwe (North Kivu province). The blast killed nine people and injured 16. Local officials said a man had found the bomb in a field and had given it to a militiaman. July 18, 2023: The United Arab Emirates signed a $2 billion deal with Congos Societe Aurifere du Kivu et du Maniema (Sakima). Sakima is a state-owned mining company with operations in eastern Congo. The UAE will build at least four modern mines. Sakima controls tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold mining concessions. In December 2022 Congo signed a contract with another UAE investment group. That deal involved the UAE handling ores mined by individual, independent miners. Chinas China Molybdenum Company (CMOC) group has agreed to pay Congos Gecamines state-mining group $800 million settlement between 2023 and 2028 and another $1.2 billion in dividends to settle a royalty dispute involving CMOCs Tenke Fungurume mine. Congo claimed China owed $7.6 billion in royalties and interest. In 2020 CMOC acquired a 95 percent interest in Congos huge Kisanfu copper and cobalt deposits (in Lualaba province). July 17, 2023: In the Central African Republic (CAR) several dozen Russian Wagner mercenaries arrived in the capital (Bangui). They are ostensibly deploying to help maintain security during the July 30 presidential election. July 16, 2023: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) local officials accused the M23 rebels of killing 11 people in an attack near Bwito. July 15, 2023: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) ADF terrorists killed at least four people. July 14, 2023: Ugandan president Museveni has accused former Congo president, Joseph Kabila, of giving ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) Islamist rebels sanctuary in eastern Congo. The very corrupt Kabila let the ADF exploit mineral mines and timber resources. Kabila was president of Congo from 2001 to 2019. The ADF now claims it is loyal to ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). Uganda and Congo officially regard the ADF as a terrorist organization. July 13, 2023: In the Congo capital (Kinshasa) Cherubin Okende, a prominent opposition politician, was assassinated in. Okende had once served as Minister of Transport. July 12, 2023: Congo and Angola agreed to rebuild the 1700 kilometer railroad line that connects Congos southern mining areas (primarily Katanga province) with the Angolan seaport of Lobito on the Atlantic Ocean.. The project will cost about $550 million. A U.S. investment group will provide some of the financing. July 10, 2023: In CAR (Central African Republic). A UN peacekeeper was killed while on patrol The Rwandan soldier was participating in a patrol in the northeast. Three of the attackers were killed and one captured. The UN peacekeepers have 16,363 uniformed personnel in CAR. July 8, 2023: In CAR, several hundred Russian Wagner mercenaries have left in the last few weeks. This was described as a rotation of forces. Other Wagner mercenaries will soon arrive as replacements. July 7, 2023: In Malawi (a small landlocked nation in southeast Africa) the government declared that learning the Swahili language is mandatory in schools in the country. Leaders believe Swahili fluency will improve Malawis ability to conduct business with Swahili-speaking countries. Tanzanian leaders said they were pleased with Rwandas decision. Swahili is spoken by most people in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. Swahili is a Bantu language that, over the centuries, has adopted many Arab words and phrases. July 3, 2023: The U.S. is considering a ban on imported products containing Congolese minerals mined by child labor or laborers working under abusive conditions. The proposed law would have an impact on the price of Chinese electric vehicle batteries using Congolese cobalt. June 29, 2023: The leaders of a coalition representing most Central African nations demanded an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all armed groups from eastern Congo. Their statement specifically targeted M23. The British government will appeal a court decision that said its plan to deport illegal asylum seekers to Rwanda is illegal. In 2022 Rwanda agreed to accept several thousand (or more) illegals. Britain would pay Rwanda around $180 million for taking back their citizens. June 26, 2023: In western Congo (Kiwango province) Mobondo tribal militiamen ambushed a convoy and murdered at least 20 Teke tribal traders. Fighters for the Mobondo attackers come from the Yaka, Suku, Mbala, Ndinga, and Songo tribes. The Yaka have several grievances with the Teke. One involves traditional payments to Teke chiefs. The other is a fight over land claims. The Mobondo battles have spread throughout Mai-Ndombe, Kwango, and Kwilu provinces. June 25, 2023: In Congo, UN officials are still trying to come up with a timetable for the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers. The problem is that there is still considerable violence in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. June 23, 2023: The Catholic leaders in Congo are criticizing the government for not making the needed preparations for December's national elections. The national election commission. The government has not yet arranged for international observers to monitor the election and insure fairness. The government has also been slow to work with opposition political groups and civil society organizations. There is also criticism of the government ignoring the persistent and increasingly violent internal security situation. June 20, 2023: The World Health Organization estimated that Congo now has 6.3 million internally displaced persons. That is more than twice as many as were present in late 2022. June 18, 2023: In CAR the Russian Wagner group is doing well in financial terms. The government is paying the Russians by giving Wagner Group substantial control over gold and diamond mines. It was estimated that Wagners 2023 CAR mining profits might be as high as a billion dollars. Another estimate was in excess of $3 billion. June 17, 2023: Congo asked the ICC (International Criminal Court) to investigate the increased violence in North Kivu province. Specifically, Congo wants the ICC to investigate serious crimes committed since January 1, 2022. The request is aimed at M23 rebels. Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting M23. June 16, 2023: Suspected ADF terrorists attacked the Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School in western Uganda, near the Congo-Uganda border. The attackers killed at least 40 students. They also murdered a guard and three other civilians. The ADF terrorists used machetes to kill 20 schoolgirls. They burned-to-death the 17 schoolboys. Six students were kidnapped. In what is believed to be a world first a British sanctuary have successfully taught Laila, a female Snow leopard, to willingly undergo an ultrasound examination. The breakthrough scan revealed that Laila was pregnant, with not one but two cubs, allowing the keeping team to begin preparations and support her in her third pregnancy at The Big Cat Sanctuary team in Kent, led by Simon Jackaman. Video of the scan shows Laila 'snacking' and happily resting on her side as the veterinarian gently glides the ultrasound scanner across the Snow Leopard's pregnant tummy. The deep bond and trust between Laila and Simon, having successfully worked with her for several years, has helped make her latest pregnancy run smoothly. On the afternoon of Saturday, 1st July 2023, the Big Cat Sanctuary's CCTV cameras captured the fantastic birth of not one but two beautiful Snow leopard cubs to parents Laila and Yarko. Third-time mum Laila has taken motherhood in her stride, and the Sanctuary could not be prouder. Joy! Ultrasound reveals Lalia is pregnant in what is believed to be the first time such equipment has been used on a snow leopard in captivity in the UK In what is believed to be a world first a British sanctuary have successfully taught Laila, a female Snow leopard, to willingly undergo an ultrasound examination at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent The two cubs, nicknamed 'Spot' and 'Stripe' as the female cub, have a long stripe running down her back and had their first health check around a week old, revealing that Laila had given birth to a boy and a girl The cubs will stay inside their den with mum Laila for around two months and take their first steps outside after being fully vaccinated Curator Briony Smith said: 'We were pleasantly surprised to receive another recommendation to breed our pair of Snow leopards, Laila and Yarko. They have been the perfect parents for two litters so far, and we are so grateful they could make a third, very valuable contribution to the conservation of their species. We were even more thrilled to have had our first little snow leopard girl born at the Sanctuary. Both cubs are doing incredibly well, and we are excited to see them grow.' The two cubs, nicknamed 'Spot' and 'Stripe' as the female cub, have a long stripe running down her back and had their first health check around a week old, revealing that Laila had given birth to a boy and a girl. The male weighed 550g, and the female weighed 660g. The cubs will stay inside their den with mum Laila for around two months and take their first steps outside after being fully vaccinated. This week the Sanctuary is open to the public for their annual open days, and guests will be able to see the cubs on CCTV. Trustee Lynn Whitnall added: 'We are absolutely delighted that Laila and Yarko, our snow leopards, have given birth to two beautiful cubs at The Big Cat Sanctuary. 'This is the third time Laila and Yarko have been successful with breeding cubs as part of the European Breeding Programme, and we are proud that their previous cubs have moved on to other zoos and wildlife parks all around the country. 'With less than 6,000 snow leopards remaining in the wild, these newest arrivals will play a vital role in ensuring that we have snow leopards around for future generations to see and appreciate.' Snow leopards are an endangered species and are classed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with around 4,000-6,000 remaining in the wild. Snow leopards face significant threats in their natural habitat as they are poached for their fur and the illegal medicine trade. The male snow leopard cub weighed 550g while the female weighed 660g Snow leopards are an endangered species and are classed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with around 4,000-6,000 remaining in the wild Laila and Yarko have partnered for many years as a breeding pair, and this is their third litter. They first became parents in 2019 and gave birth to two boys, Koshi and Khumbu, who are both part of the Snow leopard breeding programme. Koshi moved to Highland Wildlife Park and has started a family of his own and has three cubs. Last year, Khumbu moved to Twycross Zoo, hoping to do the same. In 2021, Laila gave birth to Shen, a beautiful male Snow leopard cub. Shen has recently embarked on a new adventure and has moved to Banham Zoo as part of the breeding programme, just like his two older brothers. The Big Cat Sanctuary is part of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme, helping to create a safety net for endangered species in the wild. Located in Kent, UK, it is a renowned facility dedicated to conserving and protecting endangered big cats. With a team of experienced professionals and state-of-the-art facilities, the Sanctuary provides a safe and nurturing environment for a variety of big cat species, including lions, tigers, leopards, and cheetahs. The Sanctuary works with the local and international community through education, research, and conservation initiatives. Residents of Polzeath, one of the most popular seaside villages in Cornwall, are breathing a sigh of relief after a crackdown on teen parties that turned the beach into an orgy of drugs, vandalism and underage sex. Every year citizens in the beautiful village on the north Cornish coast grit their teeth for the first few weeks of July as the children of some of the country's wealthiest families descend on them after private schools break up. Bearing the brunt of it this year has been Beach Ranger Andy Stewart, 53, who has been patrolling the beach nightly with two local cops and security staff from the Surfside restaurant trying to manage the hoards of public school kids, many as young as 12, who flock there to party. And his efforts seem to have worked. Andy, a retired local police officer who started as a Beach Ranger in 2019, confirmed 'the problems have eased and there is no more ongoing monitoring or enforcement'. Residents of Polzeath (pictured), one of the most popular seaside villages in Cornwall, are breathing a sigh of relief after a crackdown on teen parties that turned the beach into an orgy of drugs, vandalism and underage sex Bearing the brunt of it this year has been Beach Ranger Andy Stewart (pictured), 53, who has been patrolling the beach nightly with two local cops He previously told the Daily Mail he was most shocked by the amount of teens having sex in public this year. He added: 'I didn't notice it last year maybe because we were so busy dealing with the overt criminality and we didn't have floodlights or cameras. 'They are just way too young. One sweep of the torch and you can see kids having sex.' Infra-red cameras deployed for the first time this year caught images of hundreds of teens gathering after dark on the beach while locals and volunteer litter pickers have reported regularly finding alcohol containers, plastic drug bags, used condoms and underwear in recent weeks. This week with the state school summer holidays underway - the beach was a very different picture with young children playing in the surf and families relaxing on the sand. As the sun set the beach quickly emptied. One of the last to leave was retired BT engineer Bob Keeling, 78, who - in stark contrast to the privileged teens - spends hours every evening picking up litter. Bob, who has been coming to Polzeath for 40 years and spends around nine weeks a year in the village, said: 'We always have trouble with them when we come down. Their attitude is they don't care what they do because daddy will pay for it. 'People who run the campsites try to stop them staying because of the trouble they cause but they book under false names. 'They cause a lot of trouble stealing people's gates and burning them but it's just for the two weeks when private schools break up early. 'The whole village breathes a sigh of relief when they leave and go to the Caribbean.' Infra-red cameras deployed for the first time this year caught images of hundreds of teens gathering after dark on the beach (picture from 17 July this year) More teenagers were captured by infra-red cameras on Polzeath beach on the evening of the 24th July 2023 as the summer holidays bring underage parties on the beach There is a sign on the edge of the beach informing people that it is being monitered by CCTV Locals and volunteer litter pickers have reported regularly finding alcohol containers, plastic drug bags, used condoms and underwear in recent weeks A group of school kids pictured sat on the beach in front a fire earlier this week Bins were left overflowing after residents cleared up the rubbish left by teens on the beach Coke cans and other bits of rubbish were left discarded in the car park adjacent to the beach There is a sign warning beach goers that the area is an alcohol restricted zone A pair of Calvin Klein plants were among the items left strewn across the beach by the teens A Pimm's can was left opened sitting on the sand after the teens, some of whom are beleived to have been underage, spent a night partying on the beach Bob Keeling, 78, spends hours every evening picking up litter left on the beach by teens Gina Rowe, 85, a lifelong Polzeath resident who walks her dog along the beach every day, said: 'I blame the parents. They rent these huge houses along the cliff and we see them coming down and dropping their children off in their 4X4s and they will unload cases of alcohol to take onto the beach, they are clearly underage. 'It has been going on for years. It starts in early July and just gets worse from there then all of a sudden they are all gone and things go back to normal.' At the Galleon Beach Cafe on Polzeath beach, workers Cicely Winkley, Mollie Eddy and Kenda Armitage say they can spot the public school kids a mile off. Cicely, 19, who is working her first season said: 'They are like a different community where they all know each other and they all dress the same in Tom's Trunks and linen trousers. 'As soon as they walk in the door we know who they are and they never say please or thank you which really surprised me.' Mollie, 21, added: 'You also notice them because they walk in large groups down the middle of the road. 'I do find the floodlights and cameras uncomfortable, fair enough they want to see what people are doing but I grew up around here and we didn't have that when I was young.' Kendra, 21, who lives locally and is working in Polzeath for her eighth summer, said: 'They certainly help businesses in the town but they know that and I think there is an arrogance about 'we are spending this much money so we can do what we want'. 'It is sad there is this attitude and antisocial behaviour we don't want people to do anything dangerous. 'But I have never had a problem with anybody they are probably more scared of us than we are of them.' At the Galleon Beach Cafe on Polzeath beach, workers Cicely Winkley, Mollie Eddy and Kenda Armitage say they can spot the public school kids a mile off Chris Reynolds, 35, and Louise Marshall, 33, from Wiltshire arrived for a family holiday after the deceptively named 'snog week' ended Gina Rowe, 85, a lifelong Polzeath resident who walks her dog along the beach every day, said she blames the parents of the children attending parties on the beach While wealthy young people have been visiting Polzeath for decades. Locals say there has been a shift since Covid where families had little option but to Staycation in the UK. Century-old Cornish homes are being demolished and replaced with American-style glass and render homes and a tiny three-bed cottage sells for more than 1million. Chris Reynolds, 35, and Louise Marshall, 33, from Wiltshire arrived for a family holiday after the deceptively named 'snog week' ended. Louise said: 'I've been coming here with my family for 24 years. We love it because it's chilled, the beach is beautiful, there's a nice vibe and lots of places you can grab food.' Chris added: 'We tend to come at the end of July or early August every year. If there was vandalism and loud music late into the night we would have issues because we have a small child.' Spanish police hunted him after he allegedly stabbed his girlfriend 3 weeks ago He is ex-con who had committed burglaries and grevious bodily harm on the run A British man arrested after an international manhunt for a Costa stabbing is an ex-con who fled a UK dock where he was being tried for attempted murder by biting a policeman on the nose. Jason McInerney, 35, committed a string of crimes including burglaries and grievious bodily harm during his five months on the run following his violent court escape. He was only released from a British prison last year after serving nearly 15 years behind bars. Spanish police made the 'lawless' member of the travelling community one of their number one priorities after he allegedly stabbed his girlfriend following a day out at a Costa del Sol beach club just under three weeks ago and abandoned her by the side of the road. An international arrest warrant was issued for McInerney which it has now emerged ended with his capture at an undisclosed location in the UK 'in the last 48 hours.' Jason McInerney, 35, was wanted on an international arrest warrant after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend in Spain. He is pictured in 2008 after having escaped court while on trial for attempted murder Police launched an international manhunt for Jason McInerney after he allegedly stabbed his girlfriend at a Costa del Sol beach club (File image of La Cala de Mijas Beach) His alleged victim, a British woman who has not been named, has returned to the UK after hospital treatment for a knife wound to her leg and injuries sustained when she 'fell or was pushed' from the moving vehicle the fugitive is said to have been driving in Mijas near Marbella. READ MORE: Man accused of shooting bridegroom on wedding day bites detective on the nose as he flees court Advertisement Civil Guard detectives who led the hunt for McInerney are expected to make their first official comment on the arrest later today. McInerney made headlines in March 2008 as a 20-year-old by biting and breaking Detective Constable Mark Rudman's nose in a scuffle at Reading Crown Court while he was on trial accused of shooting a bridegroom at a wedding reception. MailOnline revealed at the time how he escaped after asking an official for a glass of water. Prosecutor Ian Hope threw off his wig and gown and tried to chase him but was tripped up in a corridor by a man described at the time as a member of a gang of accomplices who had arrived to help with the pre-planned breakout. Although McInerney escaped, two other men including his brother Kirk who were also being tried on attempted murder charges were caught by police and security guards before they could reach the court exit. Members of the public were warned at the time not to approach the violent fugitive. McInerney made headlines in March 2008 as a 20-year-old by biting and breaking Detective Constable Mark Rudman's nose in a scuffle at Reading Crown Court while he was on trial accused of shooting a bridegroom at a wedding reception (DC Rudman is pictured) After his capture at a hotel in Heathrow in August 2008 McInerney was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison after confessing to 11 burglaries, seven thefts, a robbery, an aggravated burglary, one count of previous bodily harm and one of actual bodily harm while on the run. Jason McInerney and his family's reputation of escaping custody Wayne Connor (pictured), Jason McInerney's brother, was snatched from a prison van while on his way to court in 2009 - becoming the fifth member of the family to flee custody during a 10-month period Jason's McInerney's family has a reputation of escaping custody, with at least four of his relatives having attempted to do so in the past. In 2009 McInerney's younger brother Wayne Connor was snatched from a prison van as he travelled to court from Feltham Young Offenders' Institution in west London. Then aged 20, he was eventually recaptured in a hotel room in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, after four days on the run. Police at the time said he escaped when two men wearing balaclavas smashed the driver's side window and threatened the officer with the gun. They demanded that the driver, who was accompanied by a second member of staff, release Connor from the rear of the six-cell van. Connor joined two of his brothers and two of his cousins as the fifth member of his family to try to escape from custody during a 10-month period. Months earlier, in March 2008, Jason McInerney made headlines after fleeing from the dock at Reading Crown Court while he was on trial accused of shooting a bridegroom at a wedding reception. MailOnline revealed at the time how he escaped after asking an official for a glass of water. Prosecutor Ian Hope threw off his wig and gown and tried to chase him but was tripped up in a corridor by a man described at the time as a member of a gang of accomplices who had arrived to help with the pre-planned breakout. Connor's other brother, Kirk McInerney, and cousin Martin Carty, both 18, also tried to escape during the same incident, but were stopped by police. Another one of Connor's cousins, who was 15, also fled the law in November 2007. He reportedly pushed past a guard and jumped into a waiting car as he was being escorted into Harrow Youth Court in Middlesex without handcuffs. Advertisement One of his crimes involved holding up a woman driver with an axe in July 2008 so he and another brother Wayne could steal her car after they hit a police motorcycle trainer out with two students when he attempted to stop a stolen Porsche they were in. One of the students suffered a broken leg and hip when the car was intentionally reversed onto him as he went to help the instructor. Thames Valley Police described Jason and Wayne after their guilty pleas and sentencing as 'utterly lawless and cowardly.' Jason McInerney was subsequently jailed for 16 years in January 2009 in a retrial over the Slough hotel wedding reception shooting. Kirk McInerney and a third defendant named as Martin Carty were sentenced to 15 years in prison. The 19-year-old victim had to undergo several days of hospital treatment after a bullet fired by one of the balaclava-wearing trio as he sat down at the top table in front of his wedding guests shattered his thigh bone and missed his genitals by inches. All three men were tried for attempted murder but were eventually convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and robbery. Spanish government representative Pedro Fernandez, confirming national and international arrest warrants were in place before McInerney was apprehended in Britain, said when it first emerged he was a wanted man: 'We hope to apprehend the suspect soon. 'We are aware he had a criminal record and been involved in significant criminal activity. 'He was in prison for a long period of time in England. We're talking about a person who presents a significant flight risk because he may have the infrastructure he needs to be able to flee Spain.' He also confirmed the stabbing victim had returned to Britain after hospital treatment for her 'serious' injuries. Speaking after the Costa del Sol stabbing earlier this month a spokesman for the Civil Guard in Malaga said: 'I can confirm a woman has been stabbed, allegedly by her partner. 'The incident occurred in the municipality of Mijas. 'The woman had to be treated for her injuries in hospital. 'We are still investigating whether she jumped out of the vehicle where the stabbing occurred while it was still moving or the alleged aggressor pushed her out. 'Because the incident is still under investigation I cannot say much more for the time being.' A spokesman for the Parole Board for England and Wales said yesterday: 'We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Jason McInerney following an oral hearing in April 2022. '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. 'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims. The alleged victim, a British woman who has not been named, was treated at the Costa Del Sol Hospital (pictured) in Marbella before returning to the UK 'Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing. 'Evidence from witnesses such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements may be given at the hearing. 'It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. 'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.' A UK Ministry of Justice spokesman confirmed he had been released on licence in May last year. Dramatic images show the heart-stopping moment a packed jet flew into the centre of a thunderstorm and was forced to make an emergency landing after being pummelled by hailstones. The Delta Airlines Boeing 767 had just taken off from Milan's Malpensa airport with more than 226 passengers and crew onboard and was bound for JFK in New York when it inexplicably headed towards the weather front. MailOnline has learnt that an easyJet plane was due to take off just before the American jet aborted its take-off and returned to stand because of the approaching weather front which caused havoc as it swept through last Monday. Graphics provided by Swiss based Meteomatics show the storm front to the west of Malpensa and the dark colours show the intensity of the storm as it approached just before 1pm. Aviation experts have expressed surprise that the pilot of the American plane decided to take off given the storm and the plane was later forced to make an emergency landing less than an hour after take-off at Rome's Fiumicino airport. Holes punched through the nose cone of the aircraft. The plane had just taken off from Milan's Malpensa airport and was bound for JFK in New York when it inexplicably headed towards the weather front Holes were also visible under the wing of the aircraft. Aviation experts have expressed surprise that the pilot decided to take off given the storm and the plane was later forced to make an emergency landing Pictures taken after the jet had landed safely show holes in the wings and severe damage to the cone at the front known as the radome where the weather radar is housed, with one pilot telling MailOnline it was probably caused by a lightning strike. Brad Guay from Meteomatics told MailOnline: 'When we heard of the incident, we went back to our weather data and created the graphics that you can see. 'From them you can see the storm was clearly visible and therefore avoidable but for some reason and we don't know why the pilot of the Delta plane decided to take off. 'The storm is quite clearly developing to the west of Malpensa and the 767 heads straight towards it and as it approaches the storm intensifies. 'The darker the colours the more intense the storm and the size of the hailstones we calculated to be around 4-5cm and they were impacting the plane at speeds of 150kph.' Data from flight tracking apps shows the 767 climbing to around 24,000ft within ten minutes of take-off before descending sharply 4,000ft possibly due to wind speeds, then levelling off an maintaining a height of 20,000ft before landing 70 minutes after take-off at Rome. Brad added: 'This storm and the subsequent damage could have been avoided but for some reason the plane still took off and you have to ask if that was an error by the pilot but that is something for the authorities to examine. 'Maybe errors were made by the pilot and the air traffic control at Malpensa who will have also been aware of the weather and it's interesting to note the easyJet plane ahead of the Delta aborted take-off. 'The data clearly shows the 767 taking off and then heading into the worst possible part of the storm did the pilot miss this? Was he not provided with appropriate information about the weather? These are all questions for the airline and the aviation authorities. 'Thankfully the plane landed safely but I'm sure it must have been a very scary few minutes for the passengers onboard.' Retired pilot Christopher Hammond, who flew for 43 years with British Airways and later easyJet, said: 'I would also say looking at the picture of the nose that looks more like a lightning strike to me as the damage is quite severe, but the other little holes are quite clearly hail' Retired pilot Christopher Hammond, who flew for 43 years with British Airways and later easyJet, told MailOnline: 'You have a pair of eyes and when you are sitting in the cockpit you look out of the window at the weather. 'I always said that if I didn't like the look of the clouds in front of me then I wouldn't take off and those clouds in that graphic look pretty evil and they are dark colours which show worsening conditions. 'With that sort of storm it's the wind you have to take account of as well, as it can push you thousands of feet and also end you down a similar height, so it can feel like being on a roller coaster. 'I can't comment on his actions specifically but if it had been me, I think I would have delayed take-off. I know I would have been grumbled at for sitting on the tarmac but better safe than sorry. 'Why anyone would want to fly into and through that storm is beyond me as potentially it is very dangerous but that's a question for the airline and I'm sure they will be asking the pilot that. 'I should say that air traffic control at Malpensa would also have been aware of it and so they should have mentioned something and the fact the easyJet pilot decided to cancel take-off is very telling. 'Some pilots are terrified by the weather and I think that's a very good think as it makes you more aware and I would have avoided that storm like the plague and if it means sitting it out for an hour then so be it. 'Hail and storms are unlikely to bring a plane down but they can cause considerable damage to an aircraft. 'I would also say looking at the picture of the nose that looks more like a lightning strike to me as the damage is quite severe, but the other little holes are quite clearly hail. The pilot did well to get the plane down safely and the passengers would have bene grateful. 'But I keep coming back to the fact that what I don't understand is why anyone would want to take off with that sort of weather front in the vicinity. I just don't understand a sense of self-preservation should have kicked in.' Steven Coury later told American TV: 'We all hear a noise that we have never heard before. One passenger looked out the window and saw the wing shaking violently like it was going to break off. 'I saw flashes of light, like lightening hitting the plane. The turbulence was like being on a roller coaster ride, dropping significantly.' MailOnline has also discovered that the 26-year-old 767 in question registration N189DN was also involved in another incident in June when flying from New York to Los Angeles. A little over four hours into the flight and while at 38,000ft the plane diverted to Salt Lake City after a faulty ice sensor was discovered and after being repaired on the ground and it was later cleared for take-off. But as it taxied to the runway an emergency slide deployed onboard causing minor injury to a cabin attendant who was hit and had to be taken to hospital. A picture taken by a passenger shows the slide squashed up against the door at the back of the plane. A spokesperson for easyJet confirmed one of its planes has decided to abort take-off because of the weather and told MailOnline: 'The captain of the flight departing from Milan Malpensa at the time made the decision return to the stand from the runway. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing less than an hour after take-off at Rome's Fiumicino airport (File Photo) 'This was made prior to take-off as the onboard radar had identified the thunderstorm and the pilot waited for the weather in the area to improve before departing safely.' Giacomo Borrelli, spokesperson for the Italian Civil Aviation Authority in Rome, told MailOnline: 'We are speaking with the parties concerned, including the airline, to obtain an understanding of the circumstances involved and the damage suffered by the airplane. 'After which a decision will then be taken as to what steps should happen next.' In a statement Delta told MailOnline: 'Delta flight 185 from Milan to New York-JFK diverted to Rome after experiencing a weather-related issue shortly after departure. The flight landed safely in Rome where passengers deplaned normally. Delta apologizes for the delay to our customers' travels. The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority.' They refused to answer any other questions. At first glance it could be any group of well-to-do friends enjoying a jolly dinner on holiday. A long, solid, varnished pine table, plain glasses, plastic pepper and salt pots, with plenty of candles to add atmosphere. If the coffee flasks are anything to go by, proceedings are coming to an end in the wood-walled cabin. The host in a blue sweatshirt cradles two bottles of whisky, offering a wee dram to others round the table. These never-before-seen pictures show the late Queen and Prince Philip at their most informal during a visit to Balmoral. They have an added poignancy at the moment as King Charles and Queen Camilla head to Scotland next week for their summer break. It will be the first time in living memory that the Queen is absent from the gathering on Royal Deeside. Few royal estates were as precious to Queen Elizabeth as Balmoral. At first glance it could be any group of well-to-do friends enjoying a jolly dinner on holiday. A long, solid, varnished pine table, plain glasses, plastic pepper and salt pots, with plenty of candles to add atmosphere. These never-before-seen pictures show the late Queen and Prince Philip at their most informal during a visit to Balmoral If the coffee flasks are anything to go by, proceedings are coming to an end in the wood-walled cabin. The host in a blue sweatshirt (pictured here is Prince Philip) cradles two bottles of whisky, offering a wee dram to others round the table Whether she was riding her beloved fell ponies through the pine-scented Aberdeenshire highlands with a Tupperware container of sandwiches or mushroom-foraging and enjoying picnics, Her late Majesty's annual sojourn offered a rare opportunity to shut off almost completely from the outside world. Life there was as simple as it came for the monarch. Friends fondly remember Prince Philip dubbed 'master of the grill' by his family using the barbecue, and the Queen in charge of the salads, decanting the dressing into glass jars for practicality and donning a pair of rubber gloves to do the washing up. Often it was just family eating in the log cabin at Glen Beg, which is decorated with inexpensive prints of local flora and fauna on the walls. The Queen was apparently driven to distraction by Philip's habit of encouraging their grandchildren to squeeze a tube of mustard in their hands and fire the contents at the ceiling. The marks can still be seen today. But Elizabeth and Philip would also invite a small group of friends to join them for a few days with casual dinners such as this one in the cabin. Guests would eat hearty local food, often caught or shot that day, from cheap plates and cutlery, washed down with beer, wine, tea and coffee. This year, however, the Balmoral break will be different. For a start, King Charles and Queen Camilla will not be staying at Balmoral Castle itself, as the Queen always did. I can reveal they will be basing themselves at Birkhall, their private home on the Balmoral estate. Charles inherited it on the death of the Queen Mother in 2002 and has poured his heart and soul into the property, turning it into somewhere he and his wife can truly call home. The couple spent much of the Covid pandemic here working, reading and walking, comforted by the soothing babble of the River Muick and entertained by the antics of the resident red squirrels, which cheekily wander inside the house in search of nuts secreted in the pockets of its laird. 'It is such a special place,' Charles says. Sources tell me the King and Queen will happily 'decamp' to the main castle for official visits, such as that of the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Scottish First Minister (although it has yet to be confirmed whether avowed republican Humza Yousaf will accept). But Birkhall will serve as their main base until the early autumn, leaving Balmoral without a monarch physically in residence for the first time since the 19th century. The castle will not remain empty, of course. All family members, I am told, are expected to stay at some point over the next few weeks. That is, except the Duke and Duchess of Sussex whose 'open invitation' to join family gatherings hasn't exactly been rescinded, but is certainly not expected to be accepted. Relations between father and son, I understand, are still not good, although the family feel encouraged by claims that Harry and Meghan are now determined to focus on the future rather than family recriminations. Whether she was riding her beloved fell ponies through the pine-scented Aberdeenshire highlands with a Tupperware container of sandwiches or mushroom-foraging and enjoying picnics, Her late Majesty's annual sojourn offered a rare opportunity to shut off almost completely from the outside world 'If true, that can only be a good thing and may offer a sliver of hope that at some point in the future personal relationships can be rebuilt,' one source close to the family tells me. 'It's been a very visibly challenging year when it comes to the Sussexes.' King Charles, I understand, is not thought to have read his son's vitriolic memoir Spare yet, but is aware of its contents. 'Why would he read something that he knows is going to be so hurtful?' another friend asks. Contact between Prince William and his brother is non-existent and there doesn't seem to be a reconciliation in the offing any time soon. 'You can read the room on that as to where things are [between them],' says a source, making clear that as far as William is concerned the subject is very much off-limits. 'It's sad, but it is what is. This is a family as well as an institution,' they added. Among the extended Windsor clan who are due to stay at Balmoral this year, however, are the Prince and Princess of Wales with George, Charlotte and Louis; the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their teenage children, Louise and James; Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, along with her son Peter Phillips and daughter Zara Tindall, both with their broods; and Charles's cousin, Lady Sarah Chatto. The beleaguered Duke of York will also be spending time up there with his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, and their young families. There had been some question over whether Andrew might join the family gathering at all following the late Queen's death. But I'm told the Duke's presence there this year was never in doubt. 'There are a large number of properties around the estate so not everyone needs to stay at Balmoral Castle itself,' one insider remarks, adding tactfully that they don't even have to bump into each other if they don't want to. Another source says more waspishly: 'Andrew not go to Balmoral? Just try and stop him!' In years gone by, the late Queen and Prince Philip famously loved to meet family members in the many bothies and picturesque wooden huts dotted over the estate for picnics after a morning walking or riding, along with the many dogs that congregate there with their owners at this time of year. Indeed, it is hoped the late Queen's corgis will return with their new owner, Prince Andrew, although whether they are likely to get on with Beth and Bluebell Camilla's two rescue Jack Russells is anyone's guess. Sources assure me that Charles and Camilla are still keen to ensure those special family moments endure, although whether the new king will take charge of the barbecue remains to be seen. 'Nothing can stay stuck in time forever, but Balmoral wouldn't be the same without its barbecues,' one local source tells me. 'It's one of the many things that will be the same, but different, with the new boss . . .' This year, however, the Balmoral break will be different. For a start, King Charles and Queen Camilla will not be staying at Balmoral Castle itself, as the Queen always did. I can reveal they will be basing themselves at Birkhall (pictured here), their private home on the Balmoral estate Their Majesties are also apparently keen to keep the famous Ghillies Ball, the traditional end-of-summer season celebration introduced by Queen Victoria to thank her loyal household, where tartan-clad senior royals can be found breathlessly dancing hand-in-hand with their staff. It's the undoubted highlight of the year for those who are invited. Queen Elizabeth adored the annual knees-up, though the ball was discontinued during the pandemic. But Charles who is no slouch on the dance floor, having learnt the famous Scottish reels since childhood has already given the green light to this year's event, I can reveal, much to the delight of castle staff. With so much change afoot, debate is inevitably raging over the future of Balmoral which, as a private estate and therefore not in receipt of taxpayers' money, is a huge drain on the King's private finances. There has even been talk that the castle could be turned into a permanent museum. My sources say this is absolutely not the case. It's true that there has been a long-standing ambition to open up the castle for a longer period each year to tourists to cover the cost of running the estate. This year, for example, Balmoral will be open to the public until August 16, with extra money-spinning events such as a film evening and barbecue on the lawn. Charles will spend the first week of August at the Castle of Mey in Caithness, the former home of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, before being joined at Birkhall by his wife. But there are practical difficulties to admitting the public. Balmoral is a fairly 'fragile' building despite its solid appearance, with little in the way of public conveniences and it needs updating. As one source says: 'You can't just throw open the doors and say, 'Come in chaps'. 'Quite a lot of things have stayed the way they are because Her late Majesty was in the last years of her life and it was entirely right that she had peace, quiet, comfort and familiarity. 'Between that and Covid, a lot of building projects have been put off. Ways are being looked at of increasing [public] access but those are still being sketched out. 'People like the fact that the castle is an authentic royal residence that the family still use.' The King, I am told, plans to base himself at Birkhall from early August until early October, coming and going as and when official duties dictate. He will mark his first accession day on September 8 there, taking time to reflect on a gruelling first year in the job for him, aged 74, and his 76-year-old wife. With so much change afoot, debate is inevitably raging over the future of Balmoral (pictured) which, as a private estate and therefore not in receipt of taxpayers' money, is a huge drain on the King's private finances. There has even been talk that the castle could be turned into a permanent museum Despite decades of planning for the late Queen's death, sources say it actually happened 'so quickly' that courtiers and royals were, inevitably, caught on the hop. 'It really did,' they insist. Only a day or two earlier, after all, we had that extraordinary and moving final photograph of Queen Elizabeth greeting then prime minister Liz Truss in her private apartments. The result was that the monarchy had to 'build the plane while flying it', to borrow a palace colloquialism, ripping up existing diaries, long-planned foreign visits and domestic commitments, as well as merging two large, well-established households. It's been exhausting, say insiders, and lessons have been learnt on the way, but the general consensus is the institution has come through in a good place. No doubt this Scottish summer will be laden with memories of the last for all those present, and with Queen Elizabeth's passing it is clear that some things will never be the same again. But after a challenging year it will also provide the chance for her family well, at least most of them to embrace old traditions, and hopefully create new memories of their very own. Not least over a convivial dinner at Glen Beg lodge. The Mexican military has recovered the boat of a missing American man off the country's southern coast, but the Maryland sailor who was piloting it by himself was not found. Donald Lawson's 60-foot, racing sailboat was spotted Thursday night by a patrol boat about 410 miles southwest of the port city of Acapulco, the navy said Friday. The navy's maritime and search unit is still searching for the 41-year-old experienced sailor. Lawson was seeking to become the first African American sailor to complete a solo, nonstop circumnavigation across the world on a sailboat no longer than 60 feet, which he named 'Defiant.' His brother, Quentin Lawson, told NBC affiliate WBAL that he was planning to reach the goal in 70 days starting this fall. Baltimore resident Donald Lawson is still missing after the Mexican navy located his 60-foot ORMA 60 Trimaran Mighty Merloe sailboat on Thursday night off the coast of the Pacific city of Acapulco Donald Lawson planned this fall to become the first African American to sail across the world in a boat not longer than 60 feet The capsized sailboat was located by Mexico's navy on Thursday about 410 miles southwest of the port city of Acapulco An aircraft located a boat that resembled Lawson's about 370 miles south of Acapulco on Sunday. The navy launched a search mission, but it wasn't until Thursday night that they were able to find vessel. A spokesman for Lawson's wife, Jaqueline Lawson, said Wednesday that the vessel had been located after authorities sent images to her, according to the Washington Post. However, the Mexican navy cleared any confusions that the photo may have caused by announcing that their vessels were not successful in finding it due to bad weather. It's unknown if the photo of the boat that was sent to Jacqueline Lawson was taken from the airplane on Tuesday night. Acapulco port authorities said that Donald Lawson arrived January 26 to undergo repairs to the motor and hull of the ORMA 60 Trimaran Mighty Merloe, which he purchased in San Diego in April 2022. He departed Acapulco on July 5 and was headed to the Panama Canal, where he planned to cross to the Caribbean Sea and continue north to Baltimore. Jacqueline Lawson told local media outlets that on July 9 she received a message from her husband, who complained he was encountering mechanical problems and the motor was losing power. According to the wife of Donald Lawson, the 41-year-old was going to return to Acapulco on July 12 when a storm damaged his wind generator Donald Lawson became interested in sailing at the age of nine, growing up to become the chairman of diversity, equity and inclusion of U.S. Sailing He contacted her again three days later to inform her that a storm had knocked out his wind generator and he would try to return to Acapulco. The last satellite positioning message received for the Defiant was July 13. His friend, Stephen Mann, said on Facebook on Thursday that he was on a boat that departed Acapulco on July 2 and that Donald Lawson was sailing right behind them. Mann said his vessel has been docked next to the missing sailor's for a few years and met him when he bought the Defiant. Baltimore resident Donald Lawson founded Dark Seas Project, which promotes diversity in sailing among minorities 'He should have overtaken us, only to be found capsized and now missing, lost at sea,' Mann wrote. 'There was no significant weather system at the time, but I can confirm many vicious squalls.' Donald Lawson, who is Black, grew up in Baltimore and from his first sailing opportunity at age 9, set his sights on making it his career. 'From that day forward, that was my goal - become a professional sailor,' he said in a profile published by U.S. Sailing last year. Donald Lawson is the chairman of diversity, equity and inclusion of U.S. Sailing and along with his wife founded the Dark Seas Project, which promotes diversity in the sport minorities. He started out cleaning boats, folding sails and stowing gear in Annapolis. The remains of a German mountain climber who disappeared while hiking along a glacier near Switzerland's iconic Matterhorn mountain in 1986 have been recovered, as melting glaciers have led to the reemergence of bodies and objects thought to be long-lost. The grisly discovery was made on July 12 by climbers hiking along the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt, police in the Valais canton said on Thursday. 'DNA analysis enabled the identification of a mountain climber who had been missing since 1986,' the police said in a statement. The police did not provide additional information on the climber's identity nor on the circumstances of his death. It published, however, a picture of a lone hiking boot with red laces sticking out of the snow that had belonged to the missing person. 'In September 1986, a German climber, who was 38 at the time, had been reported missing after not returning from a hike.' The boot is believed to have belonged to the German climber who went missing whilst hiking along the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt Zermatt in Switzerland where the remains of a German mountain climber were found 37 years after he went missing The climber's remains underwent a forensic analysis at Valais Hospital, allowing experts to link them to the 1986 disappearance, the police said. Shrinking glaciers due to climate change have led to the discovery of bodies of climbers who disappeared over the last decades. In 2015, the remains of two young Japanese climbers who went missing on the Matterhorn in a 1970 snowstorm were found and their identities confirmed through the DNA testing of their relatives. Last year Switzerland's glaciers registered their worst melt rate since records began more than a century ago, losing 6% of their remaining volume -- nearly double the previous record in 2003. McDonald's has unveiled plans for a new restaurant chain called CosMc's which is based on an extra-terrestrial mascot that featured in adverts more than 30 years ago. The fast-food giant provided details about the upcoming project in its second-quarter earnings on Thursday. CosMc's will have all of the DNA that makes McDonald's so successful but will come with its own unique personality. It is named after the brand's mascot CosMc which appeared in adverts in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is a yellow-colored character who is part alien and part robot and craves McDonalds food. The new spinoff chain of smaller restaurants will be tested in a few sites early next year. McDonald's has unveiled plans for a new restaurant chain called CosMc's which is based on an extra-terrestrial mascot that featured in adverts more than 30 years ago The fast-food giant provided details about the upcoming project in its second-quarter earnings on Thursday 'CosMcs is a small-format concept with all the DNA of McDonalds, but its own unique personality,' McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said on Thursday. The company will bring CosMc's restaurants to a handful of areas in 'a limited geography' in early 2024. More details will be shared on McDonald's' investor day which is set to take place in December. CosMc first appeared in the company's fictional world, McDonaldland, where Ronald McDonald and his other friends live. He has six arms and relocated from a home in outer-space when he found out about burgers and fries from McDonald's. Sales at McDonald's restaurants that have been open for at least 12 months rose over ten percent the second quarter of 2023 while globally the company saw a nearly 12 percent rise in sales, thanks in part to Chinese growth, reports CNN. The chain has struggled with other ventures in the past, famously divesting from other brands it purchased including Chipotle as the distractions were cited as a reason for a dip in McDonald's sales. It is named after the brand's mascot CosMc which appeared in adverts in the late 1980s and early 1990s He is a yellow-colored character who is part alien and part robot and craves McDonalds food 'CosMcs is a small-format concept with all the DNA of McDonalds, but its own unique personality,' McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said on Thursday The return of CosMc comes after the fast-food chain brought fellow mascot Grimace back to the forefront. It introduced the Grimace Birthday Meal and it included a bright purple milkshake. The mascot appeared in a 1980s ad which also featured Ronald McDonald, Grimace and McDonaldlands Professor. It showed an object which appeared to be a UFO landing before a head and six arms. pops out. 'Hi-ho Earth people, CosMc here. I popped in from outer space on a trade mission,' CosMc says. The mascot was later featured in a 1990s Nintendo game titled M.C. Kids with fellow McDonald's character the Hamburglar. The bone fragments suspected to belong to famed 18th-century composer Ludwig van Beethoven are being returned to Vienna after spending 30 years in a locked drawer in California. Beethoven was the definition of a tortured genius, battling deafness to compose symphonies he could not properly hear. The bones were in possession of California businessman Paul Kaufmann, who first gained possession of the fragments in 1990 after his mother, who'd lived in the south of France, passed away. He then found a mysterious key that opened a safety deposit box that contained another box inside with a famous name on it. 'A black tin container, actually, with a lid and scratched on the surface was the name Beethoven,' Kaufmann explained. The bone fragments suspected to belong to famed 18th-century composer Ludwig van Beethoven are being returned to Vienna after spending 30 years in a locked drawer in California The key opened the second box, leading to the fragments of a skull believed to be from the tragic composer, wrapped in tissue. Shocked, Kaufmann brought the skull pieces back to the Bay Area with him and spent the next three decades seeking out academics to try and figure out if they really were Beethoven. 'We later learned that the investigators were very excited about it,' Kaufmann told CBS News. They discovered that a great-great uncle of Kaufmann named Dr. Franz Romeo Seligmann supposedly got the fragments as far back as 1863. Beethoven's skull had been exhumed for research in an attempt to discover how he became deaf. 'And it was then handed down, all these 170 years, to me as the only survivor in the family,' Kaufmann said of the fragments, which are now named after his relative Seligmann. This past week, Kaufmann visited the Medical University of Vienna - near Beethoven's home - to return the Seligmann Fragments. Researchers at the university have already said they believe the fragments are the real deal but will do some further investigation at a DNA lab Beethoven was the definition of a tortured genius, battling deafness to compose symphonies he could not properly hear The bones were in possession of California businessman Paul Kaufmann, who first gained possession of the fragments in 1990 after his mother, who'd lived in the south of France, passed away 'It's totally exhilarating,' Kaufmann said. 'I can look up at the sky and see my mother and all my relatives so happy they're back to Vienna where they belong.' Earlier this year, geneticists pieced together the medical history of Beethoven, who died in 1827, using clues from five verified locks of his hair. The composer enjoyed a drink so much that his reported last words, after receiving a gift of Rhineland wine on his deathbed, were: 'Too bad! Too late!' But the new findings, that he was infected with the liver-damaging virus Hepatitis B, and had a genetic predisposition to liver problems, suggest his death from probable cirrhosis of the liver might not have been only due to alcoholism. A popular theory that Beethoven became deaf because of lead, used to sweeten wine in the 19th century, may have been overturned by the new study. That theory was largely based on a lock of hair thought to belong to the composer, which the new analysis now suggests came from a woman of Jewish Ashkenazi heritage. And there is a new exciting theory about the composer, as the genetic analysis found an illegitimate child within his family tree. This finding, from modern relatives of Beethoven whose genes were sequenced, is imprecise, and could have happened as late as seven generations after Beethoven. German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn and died in Vienna in 1827 aged 56 Scientists have analysed five locks of what is believed to be Beethoven's hair to sequence the genome of the prodigious composer But it is thrillingly possible that the composer himself was the product of an illicit affair, and only half-brother to his sibling Kaspar, although far more research would be needed to prove this. In 1802, Beethoven asked his doctor to describe his illness and to make this record public. The great man's health and cause of death have been debated ever since, but previously without the benefit of genetic research. Researchers, who examined 18 feet of Beethoven's hair in total, found no genetic cause for his famous deafness, which began with tinnitus and loss of high frequencies in his twenties and led to him being largely deaf by 1818. Neither was there a clear genetic cause for the 'wretched' abdominal pains and bouts of diarrhoea which plagued the genius from his early twenties, although coeliac disease and lactose intolerance can be ruled out and the composer had some genetic protection against IBS. In the summer of 1821, Beethoven had the first of at least two attacks of jaundice, a symptom of liver disease. Cirrhosis has long been viewed as the most likely cause of his death at age 56. Researchers discovered a number of genetic risk factors for liver disease and evidence of a hepatitis B infection in the months before the composer's final illness. An Ohio TikTok surgeon whose medical license was suspended earlier this month 'wounded or disfigured' at least 14 women - including a cancer survivor who was left with a hole in her chest after breast surgery', lawsuits claim. Dr. Katharine Roxanne Grawe, who went by the name Dr. Roxy and frequently livestreamed her surgeries on TikTok, lost her medical license after The Ohio State Medical Board found she violated standard procedures. Grawe is now facing lawsuits from at least 14 women over the past decade for allegedly botching their surgeries, according to Franklin and Delaware County databases in Ohio. One of the victims, Mary Jenkins, a cancer survivor who was left with a gaping hole in her chest after a breast reconstruction in 2012 said it 'nearly killed her'. 'The surgery literally almost killed me. So I sued her in 2016 and won my case,' Jenkins said in a TikTok video she posted Thursday. 'She appealed and lost her appeal. From the very beginning, my desire was for her not to hurt anyone else.' Dr. 'Roxy' Grawe is facing lawsuits from at least 14 women over the past decade for allegedly botching their surgeries, according to Franklin and Delaware County databases in Ohio One of the victims, Mary Jenkins, a cancer survivor who was left with a gaping hole in her chest after Grawe botched her breast reconstruction in 2012 said it 'nearly killed her' Jenkins confronted the former doctor after her license was revoked on July 12 because she wanted to be the first person she saw when she left the ruling When asked how she felt about Graw's medical license being revoked, Jenkins said she has a 'sense of peace and relief.' Jenkins confronted the former doctor after her license was revoked on July 12 because she wanted to be the first person she saw when she left the hearing. Grawe can be seen glancing up to say "Hi, Mary" before quickly walking away from trailing reporters in a video she shared on TikTok. 'In 2012 I went to Roxanne Grawe to have a tram-flap w tummy tuck for breast reconstruction post stage III almost stage IV breast cancer,' she captioned the video. 'She, in my opinion, tried to kill me but I survived,' she added. 'In 2014 I sued her. In 2016 the jury found her guilty of Malpractice/Medical Negligence. What I wanted was for her license to be permanently suspended.' 'Well, finally on 7/12/2023 the Ohio Medical Board permanently revoked her license so she couldn't disfigure/mutilate another person.' For 11 yrs, while still working to raise money to help cancer patients in need pay bills, I hoped it would happen and it finally did.' @msmaryajenkins In 2012 I went to Roxanne Grawe to have a tram-flap w tummy tuck for breast reconstruction post stage III almost stage IV breast cancer. She, in my opinion, tried to kill me but I survived. In 2014 I sued her. In 2016 the jury found her guilty of Malpractice/Medical Negligence. What I wanted was for her license to be permanently suspended. Well, finally on 7/12/2023 the Ohio Medical Board permanently revoked her license so she couldn't disfigure/mutilate another person. For 11 yrs, while still working to raise money to help cancer patients in need pay bills, I hoped it would happen and it finally did. Help me continue to raise money for others battling cancer by accepting the 5Alive Challenge. Text the word "ALIVE" to 707070 and click on the link in the reply text. It is time for the people battling cancer to get the help they need! #MomentsWithMary #drroxy #drroxyplasticsurgery #fyp original sound - MsMaryAJenkins Grawe filmed a TikTok of herself dancing in her clinic to a Megan Thee Stallion song Grawe was barred from practicing medicine for livestreaming operations which included a botched liposuction that caused a perforated bowel. Despite her efforts to regain her license, officials at the Ohio State Medical Board ruled to permanently revoke it earlier this month. Grawe had accumulated thousands of social media followers as 'Dr Roxy' and clients eve came to her after they were impressed by her TikToks. Grawe claimed she always asked permission, but the state medical board said it was inappropriate to share the footage - and that the procedures should have had her full attention. Speaking to the board, ABC6 reported that she said: 'I ask you from the bottom of my heart to please consider my thoughts with an open mind. 'This has humbled me more than you can know. I am willing to change my social media practices and I will never live stream a surgery again.' Grawe frequently looked at the camera and spoke directly to her followers while operating on her patients In response, a medical board member replied: 'We've seen an extreme lack of professionalism. 'Her posts done as a marketing ploy. In the video (referring to stream of surgery for Patient One named in case), you can see her looking at the camera and not paying attention to the patient. ' According to the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), states actively share information relating to practitioners who have been disciplined. The Physician Date Center (PDC) collects and maintains all actions taken against physicians which could hamper any work she wishes to do outside of the state. The FSMB say that states are notified within 24 hours should a licensee who has been sanctioned by another state appear in their territory, with the notified board free to initiate its own actions. The state medical board warned her in September 2021 that it was wrong to livestream her operations. She was urged to undertake remedial education courses related to plastic surgery complications, professionalism and ethics. She was asked to provide certificates of completion of the courses, along with summaries about what she learned and how she would apply it to her future practice. Yet Grawe continued to livestream the operations, the state medical board said. In November 2022 the board revoked her license, citing 'clear and convincing' evidence that her continued practice presented 'a danger of immediate and serious harm to the public.' Kelsey Cardenas said she agreed to livestream her breast augmentation, but now regrets going to Grawe's surgery In one case cited by the state medical board a patient was sent to the emergency room by a nurse practitioner at Roxy Plastic Surgery less than a week after receiving liposuction, a Brazilian butt lift and a skin-tightening procedure from Grawe. Free air was found in her abdomen and medical staff discovered that she was suffering from hepatic encephalopathy - loss of brain function when a damaged liver fails to remove toxins from the blood. Surgeons found her bowel had been perforated and she had a serious bacterial infection. The patient required a prolonged stay with multiple procedures to remove dead tissue, plus open abdomen and skin grafting, according to Grawe's notice of suspension. At least part of her procedure at Grawe's office was livestreamed on social media, according to the board. The board said Grawe was looking and speaking to the camera while performing liposuction on the patient's abdomen, and was evidently distracted from the surgery Dr. Roxy is pictured here leaving the meeting of the Ohio State Medical Board earlier today Dr Katharine Roxanne Grawe, a plastic surgeon who operated in her clinic in Powell, Ohio, lost her license in November. She is now seeking to have her license restored Despite battling to have her license reinstated, Dr. Roxy was barred from practicing at a meeting earlier today Some of Grawe's patients admitted they were lured in by the social media content she had shared. Kelsey Cardenas told ABC 6 she chose Grawe for her July 2022 breast augmentation after watching the TikToks. Cardenas said: 'As a woman, we already know how we pick ourselves apart about stuff. So to think it's that easy to go into her office and she can fix everything that is wrong with you.' After agreeing to have her operation shared on social media, it was a disaster and left her with huge scars that would not heal. Cardenas continued: 'They kept telling me, 'It will be better in two weeks, it will be better in two weeks.' 'It took 25 weeks. It was not until December that it was fully closed and I didn't have some sort of scab.' She said she is now traumatized by the footage of her operation and consulted other doctors who said they were appalled. She said: 'I went to the wound center. The doctor there was appalled. He said this is never going to look normal again without reconstructive surgery.' Russia has practiced ethnic cleansing for centuries. This involves moving one ethnic group and replacing it with another. Most Western nations now consider this a war crime though it still occurs and often goes unpunished. A current example is the Russian occupation forces in Ukraine who are now trying to ethnically cleanse the remaining Russian-occupied areas after outright failing to pacify the locals, who were remarkably uncooperative and often violently opposed to the Russian occupation. This was made worse by Russian efforts to get local Ukrainians to cooperate in accepting the fact that Russia now considered them Russians, by trying to take away Ukrainian identity documents, including passports, and replace them with Russian documents. That did not work and, worse, many local Ukrainians joined the armed partisans and that included killing Russian-appointed officials. Russia, per its centuries-old ethnic cleansing solution to troublesome minorities, believes the easiest way to get rid of the partisans is to send all the Ukrainians to Russia and replace them with Russians. Russia calls this filtration but this is a war crime according to the Geneva Convention. In March 2023: Vladimir Putin was indicted by the ICC (International Criminal Court) for war crimes. This all began when, having occupied portions of the Ukraine in the current war, Russia sought to find enough local Ukrainian collaborators to allow convincing propaganda videos to be made. This effort was disrupted by widespread and often violent resistance to the occupation, including attacks on collaborators and efforts to stage a fake election. Russian efforts to cut occupied areas off from the outside world have been energetic but not enough. Replacing Ukrainian cell phone service with Russian cell service was not enough. Civilians risked arrest and worse by keeping their Ukrainian cell phones to collect and smuggle out videos of what is really going on. This included threats, sometimes carried out, to cut electrical service and access to clean water. Threats were made and carried out to take children from families and send the kids to Russia as hostages. At first Russia resorted to what they called filtration to identify the Ukrainian civilians most hostile to the occupation and the planned referendum to justify Russian annexation of these areas. Filtration had worked in the past but was ineffective when the civilians knew that there was a war going on to liberate them from Russian occupation. This changed civilian attitudes in Crimea and Donbas that had been under Russian control since 2014. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces had been occupied by the Russians in the first month of the 2022 invasion and proved largely immune to filtration because the initial Russian offensive in the north was quickly defeated with heavy Russian losses. Russian troops who escaped that defeat were sent to Donbas, Crimea, Kherson and Zaporyzhzhia where they confirmed the defeat in the north. The Ukrainian military kept expanding and receiving more weapons from NATO allies. This led to the September 2022 Ukrainian offensive that drove Russian forces out of northeast Ukraine and portions off Donbas. Large quantities of Russian armored vehicles and trucks were captured intact, plus thousands of tons of artillery ammunition. Within weeks the captured materials, especially the artillery ammunition, equipped Ukrainian units successfully drove the Russians out of large parts of occupied Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya. The September offensive also put about 20 percent of Russian troops in Ukraine out of action. This caused problems in Donbas and Crimea where local men who had been conscripted into the armed forces refused to serve outside the provinces they came from. They would defend their home province but would not fight anywhere else. Russia had worse problems getting any new troops to serve in Ukraine because the news that Russia was losing in Ukraine had become common knowledge in Russia and military-age men were desperate not to be mobilized to serve in Ukraine. Those who did find themselves in uniform soon discovered that all the stories were true. The new troops were given decrepit equipment and less than two weeks training before being sent off to die in Ukraine. It wasnt just Ukrainian soldiers the Russian troops had to worry about. More civilians in Russian occupied areas were getting armed and organized so they could attack Russian officials and Ukrainian collaborators. The Russians sent to operate the filtration process were sought out for attack and Russian troops found that the safest thing to do was stay out of the way of the armed and angry partisans. A growing number of Russian civilians and Ukrainian collaborators were leaving occupied Ukraine for Russia. As a result of this, Russia is now trying to depopulate Russian -occupied Ukraine of Ukrainians and replace them with Russians. Rounding up Ukrainian women and children is relatively easy compared to the men. Many of their men were violently opposed to deportation and more of them joined the partisans. Russia doesnt have enough troops or Russian police to handle this so the occupied areas have become hazardous for Russian troops to operate in, and much more so for any collaborators or Russians imported to serve as local officials. So far no Russian civilians have appeared to replace the Ukrainians kidnapped into Russia. Apparently filtration works both ways and the armed and unarmed Ukrainians are trying to filtrate the Russians out of Ukraine. A West Virginia couple have been arrested after one of their starving children jumped from a second-floor bedroom window to find food. Ellio and Ryan Hardman, 33, were arrested after their eight-year-old daughter was found barefoot and holding her teddy bear at a nearby Family Dollar. The child told employees and law enforcement on July 7 at about 10:30pm that the only thing she had eaten was a sandwich made by one of her three siblings. As they starved, Calhoun County Police said that when they arrived at the child's home it was fully stocked with food. Ellio and Ryan Hardman, 33, were arrested after their eight-year-old daughter was found barefoot and holding her teddy bear at a nearby Family Dollar The child told employees of the Family Dollar and law enforcement on July 7 at about 10:30pm that the only thing she had eaten was a sandwich made by one of her three siblings The suspect's mother pictured on her Facebook page Family Dollar employee, Sandra Knicley, told WOWKTV that she was immediately concerned when she saw the young girl walking alone. 'It was sad and really concerning and we wasn't about to let her leave and go anywhere else,' said Knicley. 'So, we just took her to the back and took care of her until the cops got here.' Another employee, Kelly Hutchinson, told the outlet that the girl 'just walked up to us.' 'She said, 'I'm hungry. My mom and dad don't want me no more. Do you have anything I can eat?' Hutchinson claimed. Responding officers spoke to the Hardman's and asked if they knew where their daughter was. In the criminal complaint, her father said he'd believed she was upstairs with one of her siblings, however, she is known to leave home. When officers asked the famished eight-year-old why she'd jumped out of the window with several hazards underneath, she claimed 'she wasn't allowed downstairs.' Court records revealed that she would be punished by having to lay in her room for days without food. One sibling corroborated the despicable punishment tactic and said it could sometime last up to a week. During a search of the home officers said they found 'food in the cupboards, food pantry, refrigerator and freezer for the entire family - none of which appeared to be expired. They also said they found drug paraphernalia. Court records revealed that she would be punished by having to lay in her room for days without food The Hardman's have been charged with child neglect and held in the Central Regional Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond 'Me having kids of my own, it just broke my heart her saying she was hungry and haven't ate,' Knicley said. 'No little girl should ever feel like she's not wanted. No kid for that matter.' The girl and three other children were removed from the home, but it remains unclear where they were sent to stay. Not a lot is known about the Hardmans - however on their social media accounts Ryan appears to be a doting father. Multiple pictures of him taking selfies with his kids, appearing doting, are posted on his Facebook as well as a picture of him wearing a U.S. Air Force uniform. In other pictures, he makes references to being an aspiring professional wrestler. It is unclear whether Ryan has ever been or continues to serve in the Air Force. Evidence of a relationship exists on Ryan's page, with his relationship status set to 'in a relationship' the same cannot be said of Ellio who appears 'single.' Ellio's Facebook has less evidence of children but a post from last year shows the parent beaming with the caption: 'I do not care what you think of me.' The Hardman's have been charged with child neglect and held in the Central Regional Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond. DailyMail.com has reached out to Family Dollar and Calhoun County Sheriff's department but they did not immediately respond. James Bulger's mother has spoken out against perverse AI-generated videos circulating TikTok showing her son talking about his murder. Denise Fergus said the videos were 'disgusting', adding 'it is bringing a dead child back to life. It is beyond sick.' James Bulger was killed in 1993, abducted and tortured by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10, after his mother momentarily took her eyes off him. Now, users of the social media platform have used artificial intelligence to generate likenesses of the toddler, giving details of the tragedy. The videos are not unique. The 'trauma porn' trend has seen AI used to create 'fakes' of other missing or murdered children, including Madeleine McCann and Baby P. An AI image of James Bulger, shared on TikTok and describing the events of his tragic murder Two 10-year-old boys lured 2-year-old James Bulger from his mother at a shopping mall in Liverpool, England, then beat him to death Speaking to The Mirror, Ms Fergus said: 'It is one thing to tell the story, I have not got a problem with that. Everyone knows the story of James anyway. 'But to actually put a dead child's face, speaking about what happened to him, is absolutely disgusting. It is bringing a dead child back to life. It is wrong.' Stuart, her husband, said he asked one producer in the Philippines to remove the videos when he was first made aware of them. The reply said: 'We do not intend to offend anyone. We only do these videos to make sure incidents will never happen again to anyone. Please continue to support and share my page to spread awareness.' Stuart told The Mirror he had reported the videos to TikTok but not heard back. He said: 'Companies like TikTok should be held accountable. When you report it [to them] things should happen but it doesn't.' Denise has also called for TikTok to 'take it all down'. On February 12, 1993, Thompson and Venables premeditated the abduction of James Bulger, leading him away from his mother at the New Strand Shopping Centre to the Leeds and Liverpool canal. There, they dropped him on his head, Bulger sustaining injuries to his face. They then took the two-year-old on a two-and-a-half mile walk around Liverpool, claiming to be his brother. Thompson and Venables led Bulger to a railway line in Walton, where one threw paint in his eye. They kicked and stamped on him, throwing bricks at the child and placing batteries into his mouth. The boys then dropped a 22lb (10kg) railway fishplate on Bulgar, who sustained ten skull fractures. With 42 injuries, pathologists were unable to determine which attack was the fatal blow. Thompson and Venables laid Bulgar out across the tracks, whereafter his body was cut in half by a train. The attackers became the youngest convicted murderers in modern British history after a woman contacted the police, identifying Venables. CCTV footage and forensics later helped confirm their role in the killing. In response to the clips, a TikTok spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We want TikTok to be a welcoming place for everyone, and there is no place on our platform for disturbing content of this nature. 'Our Community Guidelines are clear that we do not allow synthetic media that contains the likeness of a young person. 'We continue to remove content of this nature as we find it.' TikTok continues to review and remove content against its community guidelines. The site gives users the option to report inappropriate content, but also has dedicated safety professionals to flag and remove content proactively. Denise Fergus, the mother of James Bulger, pictured speaking to ITV News 27 years after her son's abduction and tragic murder in 1993 Footage shows people wearing the Star of David, striped clothing and make up to look like bruises and cuts and talking to the camera as if they are dead In 2020, TikTok users came under fire for making 'trauma porn', dressing up as Holocaust victims and talking to the camera as if they were dead. The trend had people wearing the Star of David, striped clothing and make up to look like bruises and cuts. In others the user's background is the Auschwitz concentration camp where more than a million people died. Some of those making the content defended their actions, saying the intent was to 'educate people'. The director of survivor affairs at the US Holocaust Museum Diane Saltzman told Insider: 'Imitating Holocaust experiences dishonors the memory of the victims, is offensive to survivors and trivializes the history.' A confronting video shows the moment an elderly man stabbed his son-in-law multiple times at a busy train station in a 'flagrant act of vigilantism'. Warren Greenup was sentenced to eight years in prison earlier this month for trying to kill Cameron Parkin as revenge for alleged acts of domestic violence against his daughter. The 74-year-old pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to murder after telling police he wanted to slit his son-in-law's throat and 'kill the bastard'. CCTV footage from Sydney's Central Railway Station reveals the moment Greenup tried to put his gruesome plan into action on the afternoon of December 4, 2021. A confronting video shows the moment an elderly man stabbed his son-in-law multiple times at a busy train station in a 'flagrant act of vigilantism' At about 2pm, the surveillance footage shows Greenup wearing a white T-shirt and long beige shorts as he lingers around the entrance to the busy train station. As Mr Parkin stops to talk to a woman near the entrance, the elderly man rummages through a purple canvas bag on his shoulder. He walks towards the younger man and draws his hand back to reveal he's holding a large knife with a white handle. The CCTV footage shows Greenup rear his arm back before plunging the blade into Mr Parkin's back, taking him by surprise. The two men grapple and Mr Parkin punches his father-in-law in the face, sending him toppling backwards into a steel bollard. Mr Parkin rears back and clutches at his side, where his navy shirt is stained dark red with blood. The video footage shows Greenup recovering his feet and advancing towards Mr Parkin as the son-in-law backs away. CCTV footage from Sydney's Central Railway Station reveals the moment Warren Greenup tried to put his gruesome plan into action on the afternoon of December 4, 2021 The CCTV footage shows Greenup rear his arm back before plunging the blade into Mr Parkin's back, taking him by surprise The younger man runs into the terminal while looking over his shoulder at his attacker and holding his arms up as if to ward off another attack. Greenup advances after him holding the purple canvas bag containing a month's worth of his medications, which he prepared in the knowledge he was going to be arrested. The court documents reveal Mr Parkin was running through the concourse screaming 'Help me, I've been stabbed' as the 74-year-old pursued him with the knife still in his hand. A brave bystander eventually manages to convince the elderly man to put down the knife and sit down, and Mr Parkin walks back towards the train station entrance. The surveillance footage shows he has a large wet bloodstain covering a large portion of his back and another staining the right half of his shirt. His hand is also covered in blood from clutching the stab wound on his side. Judge Warwick Hunt told the court that none of his wounds were 'actually life threatening'. The two men grappled before Mr Parkin landed a punch on the older man while he clutched the knife When police arrived at the bloody scene, Greenup told them frankly that he had been planning to stab his son-in-law 'for a while'. 'He's been a real c*** to my daughter,' the court heard he told officers. 'I didn't do what I came out to do. I wanted to kill the bastard.' The 74-year-old admitted he had planned to surprise his son-in-law and slit his throat, but the victim had run away before he could fulfil the plan. During Greenup's sentencing, Judge Hunt said he had been 'seeking retribution' for Mr Parkin's alleged acts of domestic violence against his daughter. Judge Hunt told the court that Greenup had heard from his daughter about the 'repeated and lengthy abuse' she suffered at the hands of Mr Parkin and took it upon himself to commit the 'flagrant act of vigilantism'. The judge found there was 'some degree of provocation' but Greenup had overreacted. Medical reports tendered to the court suggested 'the level of overreaction' could be attributed to the elderly man's depression, which 'made a material contribution' to his murder attempt. The surveillance footage shows Mr Parkin with a large wet bloodstain covering a large portion of his back and another staining the right half of his shirt Greenup was sentenced to eight years in prison for trying to kill Cameron Parkin (pictured) as revenge for alleged acts of domestic violence against his daughter The court was told his decision-making processes were affected by his mental illness and he considered stabbing his son-in-law was 'an attempt to protect his daughter'. Judge Hunt concluded the 74-year-old had no remorse for his actions and wouldn't rule out the possibility that he would attack his son-in-law again. Greenup was sentenced to a minimum of four years and nine months. He will be eligible for release in September 2026. His wife and daughter wiped away tears and hugged each other after the verdict was delivered. Some asylum seekers at MDP Wethersfield have left for hotels and relatives Tory MPs have expressed fury after migrants who were moved to a former RAF base were allowed to move out to stay with relatives - and some were even reportedly moved back to taxpayer funded hotels within two days. A report claims that at least two asylum seekers left the MDP Wethersfield in Essex - where cases of tuberculosis, scurvy and scabies have been discovered - for hotel rooms. Another two also left the asylum accommodation to stay with relatives, the report said. The move has been slammed as making 'a complete mockery of our system' by critics, The Daily Express reports. Tory MPs have expressed fury after migrants who were moved to a former RAF base MDP Wethersfield (pictured) were allowed to move out to stay with relatives - and some were even reportedly moved back to taxpayer funded hotels within two days A report claims that at least two asylum seekers left the MDP Wethersfield (pictured) in Essex - where cases of tuberculosis, scurvy and scabies have been discovered - for hotel rooms Nearly 50 asylum seekers and migrants were sent to MDP Wethersfield just two weeks ago as part of moves by the government to cut the 6million a day fees paid to hotels. READ MORE: Suella Braverman buys tents to house 2,000 asylum seekers on disused military sites ahead of expected surge of Channel crossings Advertisement Jonathan Gullis, Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, told the Express that he thought it was a 'mockery' that two people got to live with relatives and two others were taken to hotels 'despite coming to this country illegally'. He said it also made a 'complete mockery' of government plans to clear out hotel rooms and keep people in 'less desirable accommodation'. Mr Gullis urged the government to enact their Illegal Migration Bill and to detain those who have 'behaved badly'. The number of asylum seekers housed at Wethersfield is set to rise to approximately 1,700 in the next few months - and a site like it will also open in Scampton, Lincolnshire. And it is planned that around another 3,000 will live on barges at ex military sites by this autumn - with the first set to be sent to Bibby Stockholm barge, which is moored in Portland, Dorset, next week. Officials say around 3,000 asylum seekers will be housed on barges or on former military sites by autumn. The Chatsworth Hotel which was used to house asylum seekers in Skegness Jonathan Gullis (pictured), Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, told the Express that he thought it was a 'mockery' that two people got to live with relatives and two others were taken to hotels 'despite coming to this country illegally' Asylum seekers are set to be sent to Bibby Stockholm barge (pictured), which is moored in Portland, Dorset, next week Another Tory MP, Craig Mackinlay, also criticised the move allowing asylum seekers to leave Wethersfield, telling the Express that it was 'not a pick and mix approach' about where they are going. He said officials should tell asylum seekers that they are staying in the accommodation provided, regardless of whether it was an ex-RAF base or a barge. The first migrants set to be housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge moored in Portland, Dorset, are expected to arrive next week. The government has faced criticism over its use of Wethersfield to house migrants - and the High Court has accepted Braintree District Council's challenge to hold a judicial review over the Home Office's decision to use emergency powers to set up the site. Former President Donald Trump made a rare appearance at an event with other presidential candidate to tell an Iowa crowd that 'there is only one candidate' who can 'win the election big.' Trump was the final speaker at the Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Dinner, which was attended by 13 Republican hopefuls, each only given 10 minutes to speak. It was clear that the ex-president won the crowd - receiving standing ovations and more applause than any other candidate - with the only Republican to bring up Trump's legal turmoil booed offstage. Whether he could win the next election after losing the last was another story, but he pointed to all sorts of polling data to make his case, claiming that his chief primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis 'is losing to Biden in all cases.' 'I wouldn't take a chance on that one,' he said, garnering laughs. Former President Donald Trump made a rare appearance at a 2024 event with other GOP candidates, attending Friday night's Lincoln Day Dinner in Des Moines Trump focused all of his attacks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who only vaguely constrasted himself with the ex-president during his 10 minutes onstage DeSantis managed only a gentle contrast, offering himself as the most electable of the field. And former Vice President Mike Pence delivered his familiar warning of 'the siren song of populism.' Trump didn't bother with any of the other hopefuls - only calling out the Florida governor. 'I've been an unwavering warrior for Iowa ethanol and I will remain your ethanol champion, very important to you economy. Ron DeSanctus has aggressively fought against ethanol, which I think would be devastating for Iowa,' he said, starting out his assault. Trump talked up his relationship with Iowa in other ways too. Many in the GOP field are running an Iowa-or-bust strategy, so if Trump squashes them in the January 15 caucuses, he has a much easier path to the nomination. 'I'm here to deliver a very simple message Iowa has never had a better friend in the White House than President Donald J. Trump,' he said at the top. He later gave himself credit for saving the Hawkeye State's first-in-the-nation caucus position. Former Rep. Will Hurd was the only candidate to bring up Trump's legal woes - and was awarded by the audience by getting booed Former Rep. Will Hurd was the only candidate to bring up Trump's legal woes - and was awarded by the audience by getting booed Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson also told the crowd that the party needed to move on from Trump. He was the only candidate to go over his allotted 10 minutes, getting his mic cut off 'I won Iowa twice by really a lot. And together we will crush crooked Joe Biden. The most crooked president in the history of our country by a lot. He's also grossly incompetent, he doesn't know what he's doing, he's destroying our country,' Trump said. The ex-president only briefly brought up his mounting legal woes, with Special Counsel Jack Smith filing a surprise superseding indictment Thursday, alleging that Trump had ordered surveillance footage at Mar-a-Lago wiped. 'By the way, if I weren't running, I would have nobody coming after me,' he said. 'If I was losing by a lot I would have nobody coming after me - they wouldn't be coming after me.' Only rank outsider Will Hurd, a former U.S. Representative, dared remind the 1,200 or so Iowa Republicans gathered at the Des Moines convention center of the brewing legal storm. 'Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020,' he said. 'Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison. And if we elect ...' Former Vice President Mike Pence said he 'understand the temptation to cling to what is familiar' but floated that the party should move on from his old boss He was cut off by boos and jeers. 'I know. I know... The truth is hard,' he said before wrapping up his speech a minute and a half early, hurrying offstage. Another longshot candidate, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, also called out Trump by name. He was also the only candidate - who went over the 10-minute time limit and had his microphone cut off. DeSantis shied away from hitting Trump directly, reheating his stump speech that majors on cutting down the federal government, focuses on his achievements in Florida and talks up the culture wars. He did allude to Trump's controversial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, when touting how he kept Florida open. 'You don't coddle bureaucrats like Dr. Fauci, you bring them in and you say, "You are fired," DeSantis said. Earlier he pointed out to DailyMail.com, that Trump keeping Fauci on staff was one of the areas where he's openly criticized the ex-president. 'He elevated Fauci, he left him in there, he didn't fire him. I would have done just the opposite,' DeSantis said. But the Florida governor ended with what might be his most important contrast with a president who failed to secure a second term in 2020: electability. 'We either win this election and make good on all the promises that we're making, or the Democrats are going to throw this country into a hole that's going to take us a generation to come out of,' he said. 'I believe that decline is a choice. I believe success is attainable, and I know that freedom is worth fighting for. 'This is our chance in 2024 to send the Biden Harris administration to the dustbin of history where it belongs.' Half the room rose from their seats and their plates of chicken and mashed potatoes for a rousing round of applause. Pence used the chance to take a swing at his old boss. 'Joe Biden has been a disaster for America. And I understand the temptation to cling to what is familiar over leadership fitted to the times,' he said in a familiar refrain from his stump speech. 'But I believe we must resist the politics of personality, and the siren song of populism unmoored to conservative values, because different times calls for different leadership to defeat Joe Biden.' Former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley poked fun at the Biden family drama saying that the mental competency tests she's pitched for office holders older than 75 are easy: 'What town were you born in? How many grandchildren do you have?' Some of the candidates had fun with the latest Biden family drama, with the president and first lady acknowledging their seventh grandchild for the first time. They did so in a statement to People magazine, as the Bidens head to their Rehoboth Beach home for summer vacation. 'Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,' it said. 'This is not a political issue, it's a family matter,' Biden's statement continues. 'Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.' Former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley alluded to the news, as she talked about how easy it would be to pass one of the mental competency tests she's pitched for office holders older than 75. 'There aren't a tough test,' she said. 'What town were you born in? How many grandchildren do you have?' she added to laughs. Hutchinson, who appeared directly after her onstage, used a similar line: 'I know how many grandchildren I have - seven.' Black cab drivers have been begged to check their vehicle for an urn containing the remains of a child, after the father tragically misplaced it on a journey. The man left the child's ashes in a black Adidas bag in a cab he took from Fenchurch Street to Smithfield Meat Market at 6.30am yesterday, according to City of London Police. Steve McNamara, general secretary at the Licenced Taxi Drivers Association, said he wasn't the 'slightest bit surprised' by the police's appeal. 'We've had babies numerous times, false teeth, mobile phones by the hundred every day, dogs, prosthetic limbs, you name it we've had it,' he told The Daily Telegraph. There is hope for the pleading father as Mr McNamara said by law taxi drivers must hand in any property left in their cabs into the police. Black cab drivers have been begged to check their vehicle for an urn containing the remains of a child (stock) City of London Police posted an urgent appeal on Twitter which has received 2,700 retweets so far He added that the most recent incident included 35,000 being left in a taxi - this was handed to the police by the driver. In response to the urgent appeal - which has received 2,700 retweets - many Twitter users expressed their hope that the man was reunited with his child's ashes. Property left in taxis are usually handed in to a London police station and forwarded to the Transport for London Lost Property Office. The police have urged anyone with information to contact them on 020 7601 2222. The NHS has heralded a 'new era' of healthcare that will see hundreds of thousands of patients treated at home to avoid long hospital stays. From September, 10,000 patients a day will be cared for on 'virtual wards', using wearable devices that allow doctors to monitor their vital signs remotely. Health chiefs believe the expansion of the scheme already the largest in the world will free up hospital capacity and prevent another winter A&E crisis. Every NHS region has set up virtual wards for frail over-65s, including dementia patients, and for respiratory conditions such as asthma or lung disease. From this month the scheme will cover under-18s, allowing terminally ill children to remain at home with their families. The NHS has heralded a 'new era' of healthcare that will see hundreds of thousands of patients treated at home to avoid long hospital stays From September, 10,000 patients a day will be cared for on 'virtual wards', using wearable devices that allow doctors to monitor their vital signs remotely. Stock photo of man receiving care at home Amanda Pritchard, the NHS chief executive, said: 'Our world-leading virtual wards programme marks a new era of NHS care and is a prime example of how the NHS has embraced the latest technology and innovation to meet patients' needs over the last 75 years. 'Research shows that people who are treated at home recover at the same rate or faster than those treated in hospital with the added benefit of being able to be with their loved ones or carers.' The Mail reported last year how the NHS plans to expand the 'hospital at home' scheme to treat 25,000 patients a day by next March. British schoolchildren have developed American accents after watching hours of US videos and TV programmes on YouTube during the pandemic. Teachers say the problem is more acute in disadvantaged areas where youngsters were left watching American content on smartphones and tablets, instead of being in class. English teacher Geoff Logan said: 'I have knowledge of children who returned to school since the various lockdowns with American accents ... Their voices have changed.' Mr Logan, who teaches in St Helens, Merseyside and has 40 years' experience, added: 'When you consider the amount of time that some young people spend on smartphones and on laptops, it isn't surprising to me that they mimic the accents. 'That's the way we learn language anyway, by mimicking the sounds we hear. Teachers say the problem is more acute in disadvantaged areas where youngsters were left watching American content on smartphones and tablets, instead of being in class (stock image) READ MORE: Increasing number of American children are speaking with British accents after binge-watching Peppa Pig during the pandemic Advertisement 'It used to be that you could have a shared conversation with a child or a class of children about a television programme. 'It is very, very difficult these days to find that common reference point because young people do not watch television. 'They watch streams of things and YouTube videos, where they get their worldview from, and most of these are American. 'If that's all you're watching it's quite reasonable to expect that gradually your voice will change and the way that you pronounce things will change. 'Should we be teaching our pupils spoken English in school? I'm hating myself for saying this, but yes, we should. 'I do it far more than I ever used to because I've decided there is a need for it. 'It annoys me that standard English is being abused in the way it is and it annoys me that there are too many Americanisms.' Bruce Lehrmann has slammed a decision by the ACT government to keep secret the findings of an inquiry into his abandoned prosecution. The ACT government will withhold the findings of the Sofronoff inquiry into the Mr Lehrmann's prosecution for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins for at least a month while it decides how to deal with what are expected to be serious adverse findings against ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, Shane Drumgold. In an Instagram post relating to the revelations, Mr Lehrmann wrote: 'Absolute disgrace! I remember someone saying that sunlight is the best disinfectant... The Drumgold protection racket continues. The chief minister should hang his head in shame.' Mr Lehrmann, a former political advisor, was accused of raping Brittany Higgins in Parliament House after a night out when they were colleagues in March 2019. He has always strenuously denied the allegations. Mr Lehrmann's trial was aborted in October 2022 due to jury misconduct and Mr Drumgold later dropped the charges amid concerns about the impact a second trial could have on Ms Higgins' mental health. Bruce Lehrmann has slammed revelations the findings of an inquiry into his abandoned prosecution would be kept secret for the next month It had been expected the findings of the Sofronoff inquiry, lead by Walter Sofronoff KC, would be released immediately after being delivered on Monday. But the ACT government will now consider the report 'through a proper cabinet process' that Chief Minister Andrew Barr said would take three to four weeks, with the Legislative Assembly 'updated' at the end of August. It is understood that at least two of the potential adverse findings against Mr Drumgold would form the grounds for his sacking from the role as top prosecutor. Mr Drumgold has been on leave since May and is not due to return until the end of August. Mr Barr said that subject to the contents of the report, and any legal implications, he intended to table all, or part, of the report during the August parliamentary sitting and 'may provide an interim response to some, or all, of the recommendations' at that time. 'Subject to the recommendations, a final government response may take several months,' he said in a statement reported by The Australian. Mr Lehrmann's trial was aborted in October 2022 due to jury misconduct and the DPP later dropped the charges amid concerns about the impact a second trial could have on Brittany Higgins' mental health The most serious allegations of misconduct against Mr Drumgold involve times where he misled Chief Justice Lucy McCallum during the course of the proceedings against Mr Lehrmann. Mr Drumgold has admitted two breaches but claimed they were unintentional. It is believed Mr Sofronoff is likely to find Mr Drumgold was entitled to bring forward the prosecution against Mr Lehrmann, but both he and some senior police may be found to have lost objectivity at various points during the case. At the inquiry, Mr Drumgold admitted he had formed the opinion that Mr Lehrmann should be charged before he had been interviewed. Potentially the most serious allegation against Mr Drumgold relates to a note made of a conference he held with former host of The Project, Lisa Wilkinson, four days before her now infamous Logies speech. Mr Drumgold said he had warned Ms Wilkinson about the danger of prejudicing Mr Lehrmann's upcoming rape trial. However, Ms Wilkinson rejects that, saying Mr Drumgold 'did not at any time' give her the warning he claimed. Mr Sofronoff may take the view that while Ms Wilkinson should have known better, the DPP could have been more forthcoming in warning that the speech would risk delaying the trial by several months, which is what happened. Mr Drumgold claimed he had warned journalist Lisa Wilkinson (left) about the danger of prejudicing Mr Lehrmann's upcoming rape trial. Pictured right, Brittany Higgins Mr Drumgold presented the note to Chief Justice McCallum as if it had been written contemporaneously by a junior lawyer at the meeting, but had in fact been written by himself days after Wilkinson gave her speech. At the inquiry, Mr Sofronoff questioned Mr Drumgold's concession that his submissions to the Chief Justice 'could' have had the effect of misleading her. 'It must have had the effect of causing Her Honour to think that the note was a contemporary note of the conference,' Mr Sofronoff said. 'How could it not have had that effect, having regard to the appearance of the document, and the absence of anything that would suggest that part of it was made five days later?' Another major threat to Mr Drumgold's position is from the so-called Moller report, which detailed discrepancies in Ms Higgins's evidence and suggested police did not believe there was enough evidence to prosecute Mr Lehrmann. Mr Drumgold tried to stop the defence obtaining the document, claiming it was subject to legal professional privilege even though he had not read it and had not checked with its author, Detective Superintendent Scott Moller. Mr Sofronoff could also make adverse findings about Mr Drumgold's conduct when he announced in December that he was abandoning the trial out of concern for Ms Higgins's mental health but suggested he still believed Mr Lehrmann was guilty. The speech was met with shock by many in the legal profession. Counsel assisting the inquiry Erin Longbottom asked Mr Drumgold: 'Did you turn your mind to the impact that statement might have on Mr Lehrmann, who was entitled to the presumption of innocence?' 'Possibly not as much as I should have,' Mr Drumgold said. This week, Mr Lehrmann addressed rumours he was looking to run for federal office in the affluent Sydney seat of Wentworth. Speculation about his political ambitions swirled recently after he updated his Instagram bio to say he's a 'prospective legacy Liberal MP for Wentworth', which was a swipe at a comment Ms Higgins had previously made about him. Mr Lehrmann recently updated his Instagram bio, setting off a swirl of rumours about his political ambitions According to a statement obtained by Sky News, Mr Lehrmann hinted there could be a chance he will vie for preselection in the wealthy eastern suburbs seat previously held by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. 'While I hail from country NSW I'm flattered and amused with the prospect,' he said. 'Politics 101 is never rule anything in or out, that's why the Prime Minister down to backbench MPs can backflip ten times over and get away with it. 'But if the good people of Wentworth need help cleaning up from a long and unfortunate period having Malcolm Turnbull and a Teal candidate represent them, then I'm close by.' If Mr Lehrmann does get preselected for the Liberals to run for Wentworth in the next election - expected to be in May 2025 - he would most likely be up against independent Allegra Spender, who won the seat from Liberal Dave Sharma in the 2022 federal election. Ford is recalling more than 870,000 newer F-150 pickup trucks in the U.S. because the electric parking brakes can turn on unexpectedly, causing drivers to lose control and crash. The recall covers certain pickups from the 2021 through 2023 model years with single exhaust systems. It's the third recall the company has made in the last two months, but the first for the Ford's F-Series pickups, which are the top-selling vehicles in the U.S. The company says in documents posted by government safety regulators Friday that a rear wiring bundle can come in contact with the rear axle housing. That can chafe the wiring and cause a short circuit, which can turn on the parking brake without action from the driver, increasing the risk of a crash. Ford is recalling more than 870,000 newer F-150 pickup trucks in the U.S. because the electric parking brakes can turn on unexpectedly, causing drivers to lose control and crash Drivers may see a parking brake warning light and a warning message on the dashboard. Ford says in documents that it has 918 warranty claims and three field reports of wire chafing in North America. Of these, 299 indicated unexpected parking brake activation, and 19 of these happened while the trucks were being driven. The company says it doesn't know of any crashes or injuries caused by the problem. Dealers will inspect the rear wiring harness. If protective tape is worn through, the harness will be replaced. If the tape isn't worn, dealers will install a protective tie strap and tape wrap. Owners will be notified by letter starting September 11. Those with questions can call Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. The recall covers certain pickups from the 2021 through 2023 model years with single exhaust systems The Ford F-150 on display during the 2023 New York International Auto Show This isn't the first time this summer the car manufacturer has had to make a recall in the United States. The company recalled more than 125,000 vehicles over fears that engine failures may cause fires - an extension to one announced days earlier involving more than 140,000 other models. The recall, confirmed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), includes 86,656 model year 2020-23 Ford Escapes, 35,501 model year 2022-23 Ford Mavericks, and 3,165 model year 2021-23 Lincoln Corsairs. It came days after Ford issued a statement urging owners of more than 140,000 SUVs to park outside over concerns they can catch fire at any time, even with the engine off. The concerning bulletin called for those cars, the model year 2015-19 Lincoln MKC, to also be pulled from circulation - days after the Michigan-based motor company pulled more than 175,000 2021-23 Bronco SUVs over a seat belt issue. The company says in documents posted by government safety regulators Friday that a rear wiring bundle can come in contact with the rear axle housing Ford says in documents that it has 918 warranty claims and three field reports of wire chafing in North America According to the firm - which has factories in the US and Mexico - the recall stems over concern of the location of a battery monitor sensor on the relatively new vehicles, which makes it susceptible to damage when parts are repaired. In the recall notice Ford said the concerns had been flagged with their Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) after the under hood fire allegations. The CCRG then carried out investigations into the fires throughout March, April and May but have so far been unable to determine the origins of the fires but the recall notice does note they originated near the vehicles' 12-volt batteries. Owners of impacted SUVs are expected to receive a letter informing them of the recall starting on June 26. To correct the issue, dealerships will install a fuse to the battery monitor sensor power circuit. NOKWANE- There should be wearing of traditional regalia for pupils in public schools every Fridays. This was an appeal made by Prince Bandzile during the Babukisi National Siswati Awards launch, which took place at Royal Swaziland Technology Park (RSTP) Nokwane yesterday. The event, hosted by Babukisi Foundation, was themed Lwati, nebuve yingcebo, which loosely translates to mean knowledge and nationality is wealth. The event saw the awarding of three pupils, who did exceedingly well in a Siswati language competition, as well as their teachers. All three pupils will get an opportunity to fly to Johannesburg in South Africa (SA) courtesy of Eswatini Air. The prince and his wife, Inkhosikati LaMnisi also made a contribution of E3 000 to the pupils. Commendable Meanwhile, making a preamble to his remarks, the prince expressed that it was pleasing to note that siswati was made a compulsory subject in schools. He said this was commendable in that it promoted the culture. Prince Bandzile shared that while studying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), what stuck with him was how he noticed that the people there always wore their traditional regalia on a daily basis. Likewise, even us emaSwati could adopt a similar custom, in that every Friday, all pupils should be in traditional wear. This should be done in all government schools, the prince suggested, to the ululation and clapping of hands in the auditorium. Prince Bandzile said by so doing when a learner goes to school in the morning in full traditional regalia, it instilled the spirit of patriotism and love for culture among young emaSwati. He added that this also encouraged pupils to know their identities. The prince also recommended that subjects should be taught in siswati. He made an example of some television programmes which were broadcast in a countrys native language. On another note, the prince mentioned that although the coronavirus pandemic stalled a lot of national events, which were the pride and identity of Eswatini, it was a relief when the pandemic ended. Importance He substantiated the relief with the fact that the first event hosted in the country was the Reed Dance Ceremony, which united emaSwati. He said this showed the importance of cultural events, as they portrayed the essence of culture and Eswatini identity. Prince Bandzile commended Babukisi Foundation for the great initiative it had started, and further congratulated the winning learners who would fly to Johannesburg courtesy of the foundation. He said by their travelling, it meant that our culture would not only end in the kingdom, but would be shared with others in South Africa (SA) as well. He said nations should be educated about the Swati culture, as encouraged by Their Majesties. The prince alluded to that this was a beautiful opportunity for the learners to learn about other cultures and appreciate their own. He also extended his appreciation to the RSTP Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for allowing the event to be hosted at the technology park. Babukisi Foundation Director Thobejane Magagula said the core mandate for establishing the foundation was to ensure that the rich Swati culture was preserved and passed on from generation to generation. Magagula said he understood that the vision he had did not belong to him, but to emaSwati. Imparting He shared that the programme was started in March 2012 at St Michaels, where someone conducted a lesson in siswati culture and traditions. From then on, we have been visiting several schools throughout the country, where we have been imparting knowledge on the culture in visual form, Magagula said. The director elaborated that a lot of Swati songs relayed history. He said some songs were created when forefathers were happy, while others were sad songs. Magagula shared that her grandmother once told her that emaSwati were not affected by stress, as they composed songs in their time of distress, as means to deal with their issues. Magagula said the event yesterday was the fruition of a dream to award emaSwati children who excelled in siswati. He said they should since be appreciated so that others could be motivated. He explained that while in the process of preparing this, RSTP offered flight tickets for the stars to travel to SA, as well as sponsored educational films created by students who are enrolled in the institution. Director of Education in the Ministry of Education and Training, Dr Ntombenhle Dlamini, extended her appreciation to Babukisi Foundation for educating pupils in schools since 2012. Dlamini said she was aware that the foundation especially played a role in paper three of siswati, which tested learners about the culture and way of life of Eswatini, which was the way of life for emaSwati. She reiterated the ministrys gratitude for promoting the culture, which she said was the wealth of the country. A church accused of 'comedy show' sexism because it didn't want a woman priest in the harbour town that Vicar of Dibley star Dawn French called home has done a U-turn and rescinded the decision. There was uproar in May when 800-year-old St Fimbarrus parish church in Fowey, Cornwall, passed a resolution to only have a male vicar, with some residents angrily claiming it turned the town into a laughing stock. But this week a newly-elected parochial church council said it would withdraw the move, opening up the possibility of a woman becoming priest. Dawn French, 65, whose performances as the Vicar of Dibley made her a TV icon, bought a Grade-II listed clifftop mansion in Fowey with her then-husband Sir Lenny Henry for 2.3 million in 2006. The actress sold the house to Welsh professor and scientist Sir Christopher Evans for 6.6 million in 2021. Sir Christopher, who founded biotech companies in the UK, made the Sunday Times Rich List 2020 in 583rd place with an estimated fortune of 208 million. St Fimbarrus parish church in Fowey, Cornwall, passed a resolution to only have a male vicar Dawn French, 65, whose performances as the Vicar of Dibley made her a TV icon, bought a Grade II-listed clifftop mansion in Fowey with her then-husband Sir Lenny Henry for 2.3 million in 2006 When the 'woman priest' row flared in May, it led to all sorts of ructions. Andy Virr, the Conservative councillor for Fowey, Par, Tywardreath and Golant, and Cornwall Council's portfolio holder for adult social care and health, quit as warden and chairman of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) in protest at the move. Fellow church warden Carol Carruthers and her husband, PCC treasurer Graham, also resigned after supporters of the 'no woman priest' rule were labelled sexist. Now there's a new PCC and it has overturned the move. The new PCC said in a statement that a number of 'concerned parishioners' felt the resolution to 'appoint a male-only vicar was misguided and unrepresentative of the parish and the town'. It added: 'There was disappointment that this had happened without consultation and many expressed a strong desire for change. 'Following recent widespread consultation with the congregation and the wider Fowey community, the PCC has voted unanimously to rescind the previous PCC's resolution requiring male leadership.' Some residents of Fowey were dismayed at the continuing controversy, which they fear is drawing ridicule (Stock image) The Rev Martine Oborne, who is among campaigners who have been calling for the system allowing parishes to reject women priests to be brought to an end, described the Fowey announcement as 'very good news'. The parish church will now advertise for a new part-time vicar with no specification about sex. May's shock announcement split the town. One resident said at the time: 'A prominent resident of Fowey used to be Dawn French, well known for playing the lead role in The Vicar of Dibley. 'So you might think the local church would be familiar with lady clerics and the associated comedy.' Another said: 'These individuals need to wake up and come into the real world. I think it would be quite refreshing to have a female vicar.' The 'no woman vicar here' decision was made by the PCC after some of the congregation said they could not remain within the church on theological grounds unless the priest was a man. Vicar of Dibley characters (L-R, back row first): Frank Pickle, Hugh Horton, Jim Trott, Owen Newitt, Alice Tinker, Geraldine and David Horton St Fimbarrus, built in the 13th century and one of the oldest churches in Cornwall, has been without a vicar for almost four years. The previous incumbent, the Rev Phillip de Grey-Warter, controversially set up a rival Anglican church, Anchor, in the town after leaving the Church of England. Earlier this year, the neighbouring parishes of Tywardreath and Golant welcomed a female vicar, the Rev Shona Hoad, as priest-in-charge. Some Fowey residents are dismayed at the controversy, which they fear is drawing ridicule. One said: 'The congregation dwindles further as less misogynistic worshippers have started go to Golant or Tywardreath for the services there. 'So Fowey hasn't got a comic lady vicar, nor a functioning vicar of either gender, and even the vicarage stands empty. 'It doesn't bode well for the long-term future of a classic church in the centre of the town.' The Diocese of Truro said: 'Fowey PCC passed a resolution under the House of Bishops Declaration. A change would require the PCC to revoke it and that is a decision for them. The diocese has no authority in that regard.' Gareth Wilson built the mansion on his farm near Kilbirnie, Ayrshire in 2021 A businessman who built a five-bedroom mansion without permission during the pandemic has been told to bulldoze it after losing a planning battle. Gareth Wilson completed the property on his Tennox Farm estate near Kilbirnie, Ayrshire in December 2021. The large sandstone building features a Spanish slate roof and a balcony, while inside there is a spiral staircase. Tennox Farm also features several business ventures including holiday rental properties. But Mr Wilson failed to submit formal planning permission to North Ayrshire Council before starting work during the pandemic. Officials ordered him to complete paperwork for the house in March last year but refused to grant retrospective planning permission months later. A businessman who built a five-bedroom mansion (pictured) in Scotland without permission during the pandemic has been told to bulldoze it after losing a planning battle Gareth Wilson completed the property on his Tennox Farm estate near Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, in December 2021 Officials said the 1.5 storey building had a 'negative impact' on the area and was not in keeping with the 'established character' of the countryside They said the 1.5-storey building had a 'negative impact' on the area. The Coal Authority had also raised fears the property could be affected by past mining and could be at risk of collapse. Planning authorities ruled that the building would have to be knocked down and returned to its previous state. Mr Wilson appealed the decision to the Scottish Government but officials have now upheld the council decision. He claimed the council enforcement was invalid due to a lack of specification and said it was 'excessive'. He had also insisted the decision was against his human rights. Officials ordered the businessman to complete paperwork for the house in March last year but refused to grant retrospective planning permission months later Planners ruled the building would have to be knocked down and returned to its former state Mr Wilson appealed the decision to the Scottish Government but officials have now upheld the council decision The house boasts stunning high ceilings and impressive features such as a free-standing bath tub The property has been completed with stone walls, high ceilings and wooden beams North Ayrshire Council said: 'It is considered that the development has a negative impact on visual amenity and is incongruous with the established character of the countryside area' Documents submitted on his behalf said: 'Upholding the notice without extending the compliance period would be contrary to the human rights of the appellant, his partner and family members. 'It is submitted that it would be disproportionate and therefore unlawful to uphold the notice without (at least) extending the compliance period.' North Ayrshire Council said: 'It is considered that the development has a negative impact on visual amenity and is incongruous with the established character of the countryside area.' In a written ruling, government reporter Fortune Gumbo said: 'I do not consider that there is a genuine housing need issue in play in this appeal as the appellant has other dwellings within the farm. 'Should alternative accommodation be sought outside the farm, the appellant, by his admission, is of considerable means and this would not be an insurmountable obstacle. 'The enforcement action proposed does not infringe on the appellant's (and family) human rights.' Mr Wilson was approached for comment. High Street pharmacies are having to close at an 'alarming rate' due to unfair competition from rogue mail order rivals, a trade body warns. The Company Chemists' Association says the closures risk leaving patients without the face-to-face care they need for minor ailments. It accused NHS England of failing to clamp down on 'distance selling pharmacies' (DSPs) which operate in breach of their contract. These firms benefit from lower costs as they do not have to rent, maintain and staff a bricks-and-mortar shop nor provide physical consultations. They are instead required to deliver medicine to anywhere in the country via post or courier to limit the impact on local providers. The Company Chemists' Association says the closures risk leaving patients without the face-to-face care they need for minor ailments But an investigation by the CCA, which represents chains such as Boots, LloydsPharmacy and Superdrug, found 72 per cent of DSPs deliver more than half of their prescriptions to patients from a single postcode area within ten miles of its pharmacy warehouse. This means they could be saving vast sums on postage by delivering the drugs themselves, while depriving other local pharmacies of business. The CCA says the number of DSPs operating in England increased by 247 between 2015/16 and 2021/22, while the number of physical stores fell by 673 over the same period. It accused NHS England of failing to clamp down on 'distance selling pharmacies' (DSPs) which operate in breach of their contract. Pictured: Boots, which is represented by the CCA It is now demanding urgent action to ensure pharmacies operate on a 'level playing field'. The Daily Mail has been running a Save Our Local Pharmacies campaign calling on the Government to protect the vital businesses. Malcolm Harrison, of the CCA, said: 'Pseudo-DSPs' are creating potential barren spots, breaching legal agreements, and are hastening pharmacy closures. It is down to NHS England to investigate, audit and challenge them...' DSPs are not allowed to dispense medicines to anyone on their premises. The savings that come from not providing patient access are off-set by the requirement to operate nationally and the expectation that they will need to advertise. An NHS spokesman said distance-selling pharmacies which failed to deliver medicines to anyone who requested them anywhere in England would be investigated. The grieving family of a mother who was killed in a suspected murder-suicide have raised more than $45,000 for her now orphaned son. It's understood violent former bikie Luke Noormets, 33, shot his ex-girlfriend and mother of his only child Georgia Lyall, 32, in the head on Thursday. The beloved mother was killed inside her South Guildford, east Perth, home at about 10.40am. Noormets' body was found some 30 kilometres away inside his burning Innaloo unit, west Perth, shortly after at 11.30am. WA Police believe the recently released former Rebels member killed Ms Lyall and made a triple-zero call before setting his unit alight and taking his own life. Mother Georgia Lyall (pictured with her now orphaned five-year-old son) was shot dead by her former partner, ex-bikie Luke Noormets Police believe Luke Noormets (above) killed Ms Lyall, called triple-zero, set his own unit alight and took his own life Ms Lyall's shocked loved ones created a GoFundMe on Friday to help support her mother, who will now raise the ex-couple's orphaned five-year-old son. 'On Thursday the world lost a beautiful, bright and bubbly soul in Georgia Lyall,' the fundraiser reads. 'Fiercely loyal, independent, funny and caring, there wasnt a day that went by where Georgia didnt make a positive impact on someones life. 'Our Georgia was selfishly and devastatingly murdered in her own home and those close to her are now faced with the crushing reality that life will never be the same. 'Georgia leaves behind her beautiful, vivacious and loving son. Georgia was an extremely dedicated mum who was doing an amazing job raising him on her own.' The GoFundMe has raised more than $45,300 from over 480 donations. Ms Lyall's (above) shocked loved ones created a GoFundMe on Friday to help support her mother, who will now raise the ex-couple's orphaned five-year-old son Police discovered Noormets unit burning (above) at about 11.30am on Thursday, his body was found inside Several donors described Ms Lyall as 'beautiful' and wrote how she impacted their lives. 'Georgia is one of the nicest people I knew. Cared about her family deeply. I am so very sad,' one person wrote. 'I have no words, absolutely devastating, such a beautiful girl,' another said. About one woman is murdered every week by her current or former partner in Australia, domestic violence organisation Our Watch reports. Western Australia has the highest domestic violence-related female assault rate of any state with 1,254 assaults reported for every 100,000 women in 2021. Luke Noormets was previously sentenced to seven years imprisonment for 'cold-blooded torture' during his time with the Rebels. Loved ones described Ms Lyall (pictured with her son) as 'beautiful', 'kind' and 'bubbly' and called her murder 'selfish and devastating' Noormets was sentenced to seven years imprisonment in 2019 after he tortured a drug dealer for 13 hours (pictured, Noormets' burning unit) The court heard Noormets lured a drug dealer to an address in Ashfield, east Perth, on June 12, 2017. When the dealer arrived, Noormets hit him across the head, stuffed him into a car and drove him to a nearby warehouse in Bayswater. Noormets reportedly tortured his victim for an agonising 13 hours, during which he bashed, waterboarded and set him on fire. In May, 2021, Noormets fought for his release with his lawyers arguing new 'compelling and powerful evidence' should overturn his conviction. The application was denied but a social media post in December that year showed Noormets out of jail and spending time with his son. A social media post in December that year showed Noormets out of jail and spending time with his son (pictured, Ms Lyall, Noormets and their son) Ms Lyall and Noormets' deaths are still being investigated. It's understood Noormets did not have a gun licence. National domestic and sexual violence hotline 1800RESPECT Lifeline 13 11 14 Aldi is to remove use-by dates from its fresh milk and encourage shoppers to switch to a 'sniff test'. The move follows a similar decision by Marks & Spencer and is part of a wider effort to reduce waste by allowing customers to decide if certain foods and fresh produce are still good to eat. Aldi will retain a 'best before' date as a guide, stressing milk can be safe past this date provided it has been stored properly and does not smell bad. Aldi will retain a 'best before' date as a guide, stressing milk can be safe past this date provided it has been stored properly and does not smell bad (stock image) According to waste reduction charity WRAP, nearly 300,000 tonnes of milk is wasted in the UK each year. Half of households state the main reason for pouring it away is due to it not being consumed by the use by date. Liz Fox at Aldi UK said: 'We hope shoppers embrace this change and look, smell, and taste their milk to see if it's still fine to use, so together we can reduce the effect food waste has on the environment.' Criminals behind a cyber attack on a Scots university say they will sell confidential data on the 'dark web' unless they are paid 450,000. The gang is demanding the ransom after stealing files, which include personal staff details, from the University of the West of Scotland (UwS). If the sum is not paid, it says it will sell the data to the highest bidder via its 'dark web portal'. Police Scotland last night confirmed it was investigating a 'report of a cyber incident' in Paisley on July 3 and that inquiries were ongoing. The attack has prompted warnings of the 'growing challenge' of cyber attacks, which have seen companies and institutions all over the world targeted by hackers. Criminals behind a cyber attack on a Scots university say they will sell confidential data on the 'dark web' unless they are paid 450,000 It is believed that the group responsible for the attack on UwS is a ransomware gang called Rhysida, which also recently hacked the Chilean Army. It has added the university, which also had several of its digital systems damaged by the attack, to its 'victim list'. The gang's dark web domain holds personal data belonging to staff such as bank details and national insurance numbers, as well as internal university documents. The university data is on sale for 20 Bitcoin, the equivalent of 450,000, and a message states: 'With just seven days on the clock, seize the opportunity to bid on exclusive, unique and impressive data. Leave your mail and comment. We cannot answer if your price looks like a joke.' It is the latest major cyber attack to hit Scotland, with car dealer Arnold Clark and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) both hit by similar 'ransomware' attacks in recent years. Arnold Clark customers had information including addresses, passports and national insurance numbers leaked on the dark web by criminal gang Play. Sepa was targeted in December 2020, when it had more than 4,000 digital files stolen after a similar cyber attack that cost it 5.5million. When a call was made to the UwS yesterday more than three weeks after the attack a call handler said they were unable to transfer calls as the systems were still down. They were also telling people awaiting email responses 'to wait it out as not everyone has their laptops back'. The gang is demanding the ransom after stealing files, which include personal staff details, from the University of the West of Scotland (pictured) The university confirmed the breach had 'affected a number of digital systems' and 'some staff data was accessed'. It said all 'appropriate steps' were being taken to manage the situation and that it was working closely with the police, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Scottish Government. A spokesman added: 'We have also reported the incident to the Information Commissioner. Our priority remains to ensure our university community and partners continue to be informed and supported, while we work with law enforcement agencies as part of the criminal investigation.' READ MORE: Massive cyber attack on thousands of firms including BA and Boots sees bank and contact details exposed to hackers in huge security scare Advertisement Cyber security analyst Abrar Khan, from Aberdeen-based TechForce, said he believed one of the major issues was people's lack of technical knowledge. He said: 'Everyone uses smartphones and everything is online but not everyone is so technical. Everyone is dealing with it [technology] in their daily lives. Criminals will take advantage of that and this is a growing challenge.' He said 'no amount of money spent on security' will prevent attacks unless people learn how to protect their devices. 'People should, if they are holding a device, know how to protect it,' he said. But while Mr Khan admitted that cyber crime was a growing problem, he said: 'I think the UK is dealing with it better than a lot of other countries. The UK is more proactive, rather than reactive.' Rhysida was first observed in May and is understood to have targeted a number of organisations worldwide, including the Chilean Army. According to cyber security website SentinelOne, the gang claims it is doing its victims a favour by targeting their systems and highlighting flaws with their online security. A spokesman for the National Cyber Security Centre said: 'We are supporting the university. 'The NCSC is committed to helping organisations manage their cyber security and publishes a range of expert advice and guidance.' The Scottish Government said it was aware the university was investigating an IT security incident and that support was being provided. The body of a 'much-loved' firefighter who disappeared as he attempted to swim the English Channel has been found more than a month after he went missing. Iain Hughes, from Dudley, set off from the Kent coast on June 20, accompanied by a support boat, but he went missing later that day in French waters. The 42-year-old father-of-two was aiming to raise 21,000 for the British Heart Foundation, Firefighters Charity, and Midlands Air Ambulance representing 1,000 for each mile of his swim. His disappearance sparked an extensive search by French and Belgian authorities which was later called off. Mr Hughes had trained for nearly two years for his cross-Channel charity swim, his employer the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said. On Friday, WMFS tragically confirmed that the body of a swimmer found in waters off Belgium has been formally identified as Mr Hughes. The body of 'much-loved' firefighter Iain Hughes who disappeared as he attempted to swim the English Channel has been found a month after he went missing. Mr Hughes' family say this photo (pictured above) 'sums up the Iain we loved'. Mr Hughes had trained for nearly two years for his cross-Channel charity swim, his employer the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said His disappearance sparked an extensive search by French and Belgian authorities which was later called off In a joint statement released through the fire service, Mr Hughes' family said they 'miss him more than words can ever say'. They said: 'Our lives were shattered when Iain went missing. He was our world. The news that his body had been found was unbearable. It still is. We miss him more than words can ever say. 'We are proud of Iain for so many reasons. He put his heart and soul into training for the swim, but that was Iain - determined to help and support others.' As of Friday, Mr Hughes' fundraiser had far exceeded his target by raising more than 56,000. Mr Hughes' family added: 'It is lovely to see how much money has been raised for his three charities, but also heartbreaking that he will never know the total. Thank you to everyone who has donated and who is still raising money. 'We also want to send our thanks and love to everyone who has been there for us these past few weeks. 'The photo we are releasing sums up the Iain we loved. 'We will not be giving media interviews and ask that our privacy be respected. Thank you.' On Friday, WMFS tragically confirmed that the body of a swimmer found in waters off Belgium has been formally identified as Mr Hughes (pictured) WMFS chief fire officer Wayne Brown said it is 'devastating news' and that 'Iain's family are foremost in our thoughts at this distressing time' WMFS chief fire officer Wayne Brown said it is 'devastating news' and that 'Iain's family are foremost in our thoughts at this distressing time'. He added: 'I know that many people have been affected by Iain's disappearance. 'We, in turn, have been touched by the hundreds of kind messages we have received, and the overwhelming response to Iain's fundraising page. Thank you.' WMFS said flags at its sites will fly at half-mast until sunset on Friday as a mark of respect to Mr Hughes. He joined the WMFS in 1999, at the age of 19. Tens of millions of Americans were confronted with both brutally hot temperatures and oppressive humidity on Friday as an unrelenting heat wave has now settled over the Midwest and East Coast and is expected to last well into the weekend. More than 175 million people in the U.S. were under excessive heat warnings and advisories until at least Saturday afternoon as midday heat index readings in many spots rose well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 C), the National Weather Service (NWS) said. Some of the nation's biggest cities, including Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, have opened cooling centers in public libraries and community centers for those who are unable to escape the hot temperatures. On average, around 700 people die in the US due to heat, nearly half of those are in Texas, according to the CDC. There is no official number from officials on how many people have died so far this year in the Lone Star state. In the city of Laredo, ten people died in the first two weeks of July. In Phoenix, Arizona, the heat has claimed around 13 lives so far in 2023. While in National Parks, the heat has claimed more lives at this point of the year than any other year since 2007, reports ABC News. A child jumps into the water at the Foster Pool in the Bronx borough of New York City One man feels the heat dressed in a coat and jeans at Coney Island during the heat wave A man purchases a fan at a Home Depot during a heat wave in Brooklyn on Friday The sun beats down on beachgoers on Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York as heat takes hold Although much of the country does not cool that much on normal summer nights, night temperatures are forecast to stay hotter than usual, prompting excessive heat warnings from the Plains to the East Coast. 'Extreme heat can be dangerous to health, and even fatal,' the city of Boston said on its website after it declared a heat emergency, adding that its street outreach teams will provide water on their routes. U.S. city officials and forecasters are urging people to stay out of the hot weather as it has the potential to cause heat-related illnesses, especially for those working or participating in outdoor activities, people aged 65 and older, children and those with chronic illnesses. 'Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors,' the NWS said. In Philadelphia, where the heat index could top out at 108 degrees F (42 C), officials extended public pool and spray grounds hours on Friday and Saturday. The city declared a heat health emergency as temperatures soared. In New York City, where the heat index was to reach 103 degrees F (39 C), officials posted a public service announcement video on social media urging owners to keep their pets well hydrated. 'It's very hot outside. Extreme heat like this can be dangerous. We have to be very strategic in how we combat this,' said New York City Deputy Mayor Philip Banks during a public safety briefing on Friday, telling residents to check on neighbors and loved ones. People sell umbrellas along the boardwalk at Coney Island during a heat wave in Brooklyn Air conditioners are displayed for sale at a Home Depot during a heat wave in Brooklyn Children play under a water sprinkler n Manhattan's Central Park, in New York City on Friday Washington, DC is under excessive heat warning until late Saturday Visitors to Otakon, an annual three-day anime convention, wear costumes outside Walter E. Washington Convention Center during a heat advisory in Washington D.C. A man walks with an umbrella after Washington, DC and surrounding areas were placed under excessive heat warning as a dangerous heat wave continues to affect the East Coast The National Weather Service issued a heat alert for millions including those in Washington, DC In the Southwest and southern Plains, oppressive temperatures have been a blanket for weeks . One meteorologist based in New Mexico called the prolonged period of temperatures over 100 degrees (37.8 Celsius) unprecedented. Electric grid operators across the nation declared hot weather alerts this week and told energy companies to put off unnecessary maintenance. Despite the extreme heat, however, no U.S. grid operators have taken more extreme actions. In New York City, utility Con Edison sent out a text blast asking residents to be frugal with air conditioning to conserve electricity. Overtaxing an electrical grid can mean blackouts, which are not just an inconvenience, but can lead to equipment failures and major pollution as equipment restarts. The country's largest power grid, PJM Interconnection, declared a level one energy emergency alert for its 13-state grid on Wednesday, meaning the company had concerns about ability to provide enough electricity. 'PJM currently has enough generation to meet forecast demand, but operators continue to monitor the grid conditions for any changes,' said spokesperson Jeffrey Shields on Thursday. Annie Mifflin, of St. Louis, swings her 9-month old son, Wyatt, through the cool water spray as they play at the Ronald Lee Logsdon Spray Park at Smothers Park in Owensboro, Kentucky People spend time outside after Washington, DC and surrounding areas have been placed under excessive heat warning Those in Washington D.C. were forced to suffer through the oppressive heat Trees provided a source of shade for those who decide to remain outside on Friday A man walks as he covers his head on a boiling hot sunny day in the nation's capital A man relaxes along the beach at Coney Island during a heat wave in Brooklyn New York City and much of the East Coast are experiencing their first real heat wave of the summer season with temperatures in the high 90's and a heat index of over 100 degrees People try to keep cool in the water at Coney Island during a heat wave in Brooklyn on Friday Umbrella sellers were doing a roaring trade for beachgoers in Brooklyn on Friday PJM isn't the only electrical grid to issue such an alert. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which mostly covers states in the Midwest and Northern Plains, issued a similar one on Thursday. The California Independent System Operator also issued an energy emergency alert for the evening on Wednesday, in part due to excess heat in Southern California, but that expired the same day. Anne Gonzales, a CAISO spokesperson, said they expect to be able to meet demand the next few days. A spokesperson for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which covers most of Texas, said they expect their grid will operate per usual during this latest blast of extreme weather across the country. The 'dangerous' heat wave, as the National Weather Service called it, may begin to subside on Saturday as thunderstorms and a cold front from Canada progress through the region. It seems the hottest temperatures happened on Friday. Moisture moved into the Southwest, cooling somewhat the southernmost counties of California and parts of southern Arizona, but excessive heat warnings remain for much of the region. Children cool off at the horse carriage water fountain in Central Park on Friday People participate in a water-balloon fight complete with super soakers People splash one another as they do their best to keep cool during stifling temperatures A child jumps into the water at the Foster Pool in the Bronx. July is on track to be the hottest month in recorded history as UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Earth has moved into an 'era of global boiling' People sunbathe during a heat wave in Manhattan's Central Park, in New York City on Friday People sunbathe during a heat wave in Central Park during 98 degree heat A child takes shelter under an umbrella while another one plays with a water sprinkler in Central Park People swim at the Foster Pool in the Bronx on Friday Thousands of beachgoers find refuge under umbrellas and in the water at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware as the National Weather Service called warned of "oppressive heat" throughout the weekend Beachgoers find refuge under umbrellas at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Children play in a water fountain during a heat wave at Battery Park in New York A lifeguard drinks water from under an umbrella at Rehoboth Beach. The East Coast is experiencing temperatures in the high 90's and a heat index of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit People wait in line to get on a boat to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island during a heat wave at Battery Park in New York under the blazing sun Beachgoers ride a ferry to the Rockaway beaches in New York City in a bid to beat the heat On top of the heat, severe thunderstorms are forecast for multiple regions of the country. There are forecasts with flash flood warnings for Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, west to the Middle Missouri Valley through Saturday morning. There are severe thunderstorm warnings with a chance of quarter-sized hail Friday night for the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Tornado watches are posted in Wisconsin and New Hampshire, in addition to the heat advisories and potential for severe storms. Scientists have long warned that climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, by deforestation and by certain agricultural practices, will lead to more and prolonged bouts of extreme weather. The boffins have already calculated this will be the hottest July on record, with the Southwest and parts of the South especially hit hard. Most of the Midwest and East also have been affected. Beachgoers are dwarfed by the world's largest rubber duck, which was installed on Playland Beach as people gather in the water to escape a heat wave Cases of water sit stacked at a Home Depot during a heat wave in Brooklyn on Friday A sign for cool drinks stands along a sidewalk at Coney Island Men purchase an air conditioner at a Home Depot during a heat wave in Brooklyn on Friday A worker stocks a fan at a Home Depot during a heat wave in Brooklyn People try to keep cool at Coney Island during the oppressive summer heat The growing frequency and intensity of severe weather is symptomatic of global, human-driven climate change that is fueling extremes, experts in the field say, with heat waves in much of the world expected to continue throughout August. Last month was the hottest June on record in the United States, dating back to 1850. It also was the 47th consecutive June and the 532nd consecutive month (44 years) with temperatures above the 20th-century average, according to the weather service. The hot weather throughout much of the U.S. is expected to cool by late Saturday, leaving behind chances of thunderstorms and mild temperatures into next week, the weather service said. Heat experts and environmental advocates said that these effects of the high temperatures will not be felt equally. 'The impacts of heat are highly inequitable,' said Ladd Keith, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona who studies heat policy and governance. He explained that people experiencing homelessness feel heat effects more than the housed, and low-income and communities of color are often hotter than more affluent and whiter neighborhoods. 'When we're talking about how to keep people safe, we not only need to be thinking about the neighborhoods that are disproportionately warmer during these heat waves,' said Jeremy Hoffman, director of climate justice and impact at Groundwork USA, an environmental justice nonprofit. 'But (also) the folks that can't avoid being outside during these heat waves, people that rely on public transportation, people that work outside, and the extremely elderly that may be living in substandard housing without a lot of ventilation and air conditioning.' But now the Home Office says police should have to investigate all reports Police forces will pledge that they will investigate every crime that has a 'reasonable lead' after years of officers not dealing with less serious offences. Some forces have been doing the 'bare minimum' to investigate offences such as vehicle and bicycle theft, shoplifting, and criminal damage to the point that they have effectively been decriminalised. But now ministers want police to sharply improve the rates of solving these crimes that affect huge numbers of Britons every day. Police chiefs will promise that officers will investigate every reported crime that has an avenue to gather evidence, such as doorbell and CCTV footage, GPS trackers or eyewitness accounts, The Times reports. Savage cuts to policing budgets taken during Tory austerity has meant many forces have given up in pursuing solving some of the most frequently occurring crimes. Police forces have pledged that they will investigate every crime that has a 'reasonable lead' after years of officers not dealing with less serious offences (Co-op store targeted by thieves) This was the moment a gang of thieves used a fleet of stolen Land Rovers including a car belonging to Richard E Grant to smash into jewellery shops, banks and petrol stations in a huge crime spree Constabularies will readily refuse to investigate crimes based on arbitrary figures, even if there is evidence to follow up - for example, some will not investigate shoplifting cases where less than 50 of goods were stolen. From January to March this year, police forces only charged suspects in two per cent of car and bike thefts, only three per cent of less serious assaults and just four per cent of both residential burglary and criminal damage cases. Some forces only do the 'bare minimum' to investigate some crimes, senior sources within the police told the Times newspaper. They added that treating common crimes as 'low-level' and in isolation ignored the major impact they had on the victims' lives as well as the possibilities of organised gangs. As the next election looms, most the the public believe the police do not bother investigating less serious crimes, according to polls. And earlier this week, the Co-op supermarket revealed they had recorded the highest levels of shoplifting in their history and planted the blame squarely on the police for not catching violent gangs who had been given 'freedom to loot'. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has announced plans to reduce police paperwork and wants forces to use the time to increase patrols and investigations. And forces this year promised to send an officer to all burglaries. It is expected that the announcement on forces having to investigate every crime will come in a few weeks pending an agreement between the Home Office, police chiefs and the elected police and crime commissioners. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has announced plans to reduce police paperwork and wants forces to use the time to increase patrols and investigations Some forces have been doing the 'bare minimum' to investigate offences such as vehicle and bicycle theft, shoplifting, and criminal damage to the point that they have effectively been decriminalised (file photo) Thieves targeting a Co-op supermarket as the chain accuses police of giving them 'freedom to loot' The new rules will take inspiration from a scheme in Greater Manchester after chief constable Steve Watson brought the force out of special measures. He said in May 2021 that officers would have to investigate every reported crime and investigate all reasonable lines of inquiry. And since then, GMP has seen a 38 per cent rise in burglary charges, a 22 per cent increase in robbery charges, and a 53 per cent increase in vehicle theft charges. Conservative PCC Lisa Townsend said 'we mustn't tolerate this idea that there are some crimes we dont investigate, as they have a huge impact on our communities.' The family of an elderly woman tragically beaten to death at a Sydney nursing home have revealed they were told about the horrific incident via email. Joan Hobbs, 89, was on July 17 beaten 'black and blue' with a walking frame by a male resident at the IRT Thomas Holt Aged Care Centre in the southern Sydney suburb of Kirrawee. The 86-year-old man, who like Ms Hobbs was a dementia patient, had gone into her private room and bashed her in the disturbing ordeal. She suffered severe injuries that left her face severely bruised and bones 'shattered all the way down' one arm. It has since been revealed the family were only notified of the terrifying attack hours later via email. Joan Hobbs (pictured), 89, was on July 17 beaten to death with a walking frame by a male resident at the IRT Thomas Holt Aged Care Centre in the southern Sydney suburb of Kirrawee Ms Hobbs was beaten 'black and blue' with a walking frame by a male resident at the aged care home In the email, seen by 7News, the centre said a registered nurse had assessed their mother and noted 'a big bruise under the left eye and bleeding from chronic metastatic melanoma'. 'Please feel free to contact us via phone for any queries,' the email stated. Ms Hobbs died five days after the email was sent. Ian Henschke from National Seniors said the ordeal was 'appalling'. 'If children were dying or losing their lives in childcare because the staff were not sufficiently trained or there weren't sufficient staff, we would be outraged,' he told 7News. 'We have to make sure lives aren't lost without purpose.' Meanwhile, Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said: 'This is why we mandated 24/7 nursing in all residential facilities'. Ms Hobbs' death has sparked calls for more staff in aged care homes. (Pictured is RT Thomas Holt Aged Care Centre in Kirrawee) Ms Hobbs' distraught daughters said the incident would not have happened if the aged care centre had been properly staffed. Erin Mulholland and Terri Hobbs, who are both nurses, said they don't blame the man who killed their mum, but have demanded action so it doesn't happen to someone else. Ms Mulholland had cared for her mum for six years and never wanted her to have to go to a nursing home. But her mother's dementia got worse and doctors advised the family that she needed full-time care. The family never thought another dementia patient would kill their mum in a place meant to keep them safe. 'Eight weeks later, she's dead,' Ms Mulholland said. Ms Hobbs' daughters, Erin Mulholland and Terri Hobbs (pictured), who are both nurses, have demanded action to prevent other similar incidents On July 17, the family rushed to Sutherland Hospital, where they saw the 'devastating' reality' of what had happened to their mum. 'When I saw the physical condition she was in, the injuries, I just, you know, fell apart,' Ms Hobbs said. 'Her left eye was swollen shut, you could see wounds on her arms, like defence wounds.' Ms Mulholland said they had no choice but to 'sit with her and wait until she died because nothing else was going to happen'. 'I'm just mortified, absolutely stunned that something like this could happen,' she said. 'She wouldn't understand what was happening, how frightened she must have been, terrified in those final moments.' Ms Hobbs added that she 'wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy, to see your mum hurt like that'. Channel 7 reported that the elderly man who attacked the retired social worker had only been at the centre for two days, as a respite patient in a locked dementia ward. The sisters say the system failed their mum and needs to be fixed. 'There are not enough nurses on the floors and that's a government issue they need to address,' Ms Mulholland said. 'We need more nurses per patient. How many more have to die before we do something?' They don't want charges laid against the man who killed their mother, and 'hold no malice' against a family they are sure is already suffering. 'There's nothing that can change what happened to mum now, but there is something that we can do to change what happens for other people in the future,' Ms Hobbs said. The family is now making funeral plans for their beloved mother, who would have turned 90 next week. 'She was an intelligent, beautiful, compassionate woman,' Ms Mulholland said. The incident has been reported to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and a police investigation is also underway. MBABANE Former Hosea and Ngwempisi MPs Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube are likely to stay in custody until they are sentenced. This is because their appeal against their application for bail, which was dismissed by Judge Mumcy Dlamini in December 2022, has not been enrolled in the second session roll of the Supreme Court. The court roll was issued on July 19, 2023. According to the court roll, one of the matters to be heard in the second session, which begins on Monday, is the application by government to reinstate its 2018 appeal against the High Court order that allows losers in the general elections to lobby for Senate seats. The incarcerated former Members of Parliament (MPs) are currently awaiting sentencing, after Judge Dlamini found them guilty of inciting members of the public to riot against government and murder, among other charges. They filed a notice of appeal in relation to the judgment that was issued by Judge Dlamini on December 15, 2022, dismissing their third application for bail. The former MPs three bail applications were heard by Judge Dlamini, who also presided over their trial. Mabuza and Dube, along with former Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane, who is still at large, were accused of inciting members of the public to riot against the Government of Eswatini in 2021, during the political unrest, which resulted in loss of life and destruction of public and private property. Judge Dlamini dismissed their first bail application based on that they made bare denials to the allegations made by the Crown. The judge said the High Court was functus officio when dismissing their second bail application. They took the matter to the Supreme Court and they were unsuccessful. Functus officio means the court had already dealt with, and determined, the matter and it was no longer qualified to deal with it any further. Dismissed On May 15, 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed five of the MPs six grounds of appeal. The court also refused to condone them for filing their appeal notice in respect of the first bail application late. The Supreme Court ordered that the appeal be struck off the roll and be reinstated upon obtaining leave of court. Regarding the second bail appeal, the court substituted Judge Dlaminis order of bail application dismissed with application removed from the roll due to being functus officio. The court also struck off the roll the new bail application and ordered that it was not to be pursued without leave of the Supreme Court. The former MPs amended notice of appeal was struck off the roll and it is not to be pursued without leave of court. They filed a fresh application for bail after their trial was postponed for about three months in September 2022, arguing that new circumstances had arisen. Judge Dlamini dismissed the application on December 15, 2022. The judge gave her reasons for dismissing the application two and half months later, on March 3, 2023. In their notice of appeal, Mabuza and Dube told the Supreme Court that Judge Dlamini erred in law and in fact in holding that they were bringing a third bail application when in fact this was a new application based on new facts and changed circumstances. They also argued that Judge Dlamini erred in law and in fact in holding that the court was functus officio and the matter res judicata when the new bail application was based on new facts and changed circumstances. Res judicata means that a matter has been adjudicated by a competent court and may not be pursued further by the same parties. Erred Judge Dlamini, according to Mabuza and Dube, erred in law and in fact in holding that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the bail application and used the Supreme Court judgment, which was irrelevant on the new facts and changed circumstances. Judge Dlamini stated in her reasons for refusing bail that once a court of first instance had heard the first bail application and refused it, its hands were tied. It cannot hear a subsequent bail application no matter the grounds. To do otherwise would offend the dictates of the doctrine of functus officio and res judicata, said the judge. Res judicata means that a matter has been adjudicated by a competent court and may not be pursued further by the same parties. Functus officio means having fulfilled the function, discharged the office, or accomplished the purpose, and, therefore, of no further force or authority. Judge Dlamini also said the Supreme Court made a definite pronouncement on the position of the law as regard subsequent bail applications by the same parties under the same charge. She said High Court was now bound by the principle of stare decisis (doctrine of precedent). In their third application, which they argued was a fresh application based on new circumstance, the pair first raised a point in limine to the effect that the High Court was competent to entertain their bail application by virtue of Section 96 (1), (2) and (5) read with section 96(1)(a) and (b) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act No. 67 of 1938. They further pointed out that their application was urgent. The accused former MPs stated that there was no likelihood that they would endanger the safety of the public or any individual or commit the said offences again. They said they would not evade trial by reason that they had already testified in their defence that they were born and bred in the kingdom. All the Crowns witnesses, submitted that Mabuza and Dube, had already given evidence and, therefore, they could not be intimidated by them (convicts). They further told the court that there was no likelihood for them to undermine the proper function of the criminal justice system or disturb peace and public order. The duo said the court may order proper conditions for their bail to ensure their further attendance to their trial. Regarding the Crowns case, the former MPs pointed out that they had given evidence and that their defence reflected that the Crowns case was very weak. They had denied the evidence by the Crowns witnesses and said all they did was to explain to the people about their constitutional rights. The petitions delivery banning order, which was said to have been contravened by them, they submitted, was unlawful. They denied that the riot by the people followed after they had encouraged them to continue with delivery of the petitions. Alabama's attorney general slammed Carlee Russell over how much time and resources she wasted after they charged her with two misdemeanor charges of filing a false report Friday. Nursing student Russell, 25, captured headlines after she went missing while on a 911 call on July 13, during which she reported finding a toddler by the side of the road. She now faces up to two years in jail and $12,000 in fines. After she turned up two days later claiming that a man with 'orange hair' abducted her, she told police that she had been kidnapped and spun an elaborate tale about escaping to her freedom. 'We don't see this as a victimless crime,' Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said at a Friday news conference. 'There are significant hours spent, resources expended as a result of this investigation.' She later admitted she'd made the whole saga up, confessing in a written statement that the kidnapping never occurred and it was 'a mistake.' Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall slammed Carlee Russell his department charged her with two misdemeanor charges of filing a false report Marshall said he intends to 'fully prosecute' Russell and said his office will take into account the police investigation to see whether additional charges are warranted. His office was asked to handle the prosecution because of the attention the case received, according to Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis. 'This story opened wounds for families whose loved ones really were victims of kidnappings,' Derzis said. 'Her decisions that night created panic and alarm for citizens of our city and even across the nation as concern grew that a kidnapper was on the loose using a small child as bait,' he added. 'Numerous law enforcement agencies, both local and federal, began working tirelessly not only to bring Carlee home to her family but locate a kidnapper that we know now never existed. Many private citizens volunteered their time and energy in looking for a potential kidnapping victim that we know now was never in any danger.' Russell, 25, was driving home from work in Hoover, Alabama, on July 13 when she called 911 claiming she'd seen a toddler in a diaper on the side of the road. She then called her brother's girlfriend, claiming the same sight, and screamed down the phone. The Russell family lives in a $800,000 house and hold steady jobs - her mother is a realtor and her father is a VP at a bank. Carlee Russell grinned in her mugshot today after being arrested for faking her own abduction Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis announcing charges against Carlee Russell today Quite why the spa therapist made up her story remains unclear. There were rumors she was trying to win back the attention of her boyfriend, from whom she'd recently split, when she staged the hoax. Russell was reported missing on July 13, after making a bizarre phone call to 911 in which she claimed she found a toddler on the side of a highway The boyfriend frantically appealed for information when she was missing then quickly distanced himself from her when her story started to crumble. Now, there are also questions over whether she will have to repay the $100,000 that was spent in the search for her. Russell's parents are yet to comment on her arrest and she is yet to explain why she lied. In a statement, her attorney said: 'My client has given me permission to make the following statement on her behalf: 'There was no kidnapping on July 13, 2023. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road. My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person. My client did not have any help in this incident, but this was a single act done by herself. 'My client was not with anyone or at any hotel during the time she was missing. DailyMail.com spotted members of Carlee's family visiting a Wells Fargo ATM today to withdraw the funds for her $2000 bond The relatives seemed to be in high spirits despite the looming charges against her After Russell 'disappeared' on July 13, her ex-boyfriend Thomar Simmons (pictured together) had posted frantic appeals for information on social media and then made a supportive post once Russell returned home. He has now spoken out to say he is 'disgusted' with her hoax 'My client apologizes for her actions to the community, the volunteers who were searching for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies, as well as to her friends and family. 'We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she addresses her issues and intends to move understanding that she made a mistake. 'Carlee again asks for your forgiveness and prayers.' Video captured the moment amusement park riders were left spinning in reverse for ten minutes after a popular 'Music Express' ride in Rye, New York, malfunctioned and the emergency brakes failed. In the now viral footage, riders can be heard screaming and requesting assistance while the ride seemingly experienced a glitch - leaving them temporarily stuck on the spinning amusement attraction which riders said left them 'traumatized'. The ride is designed to move backward, but at about 8:30 pm Sunday night, it sent passengers hurtling in reverse for nearly five minutes longer than the normal cycle. Giovanni Martinez-Roman, who had family members on the ride, shared the footage of the incident on TikTok. He watched his cousins stuck on the ride, which he said felt like an eternity. Furious riders exited the attraction, with some in tears and others ready for confrontation. Meanwhile, online viewers turned the traumatic incident into a mockery, making jokes on TikTok. Video captured the moment amusement park riders were left spinning in reverse for ten minutes after Rye Playland's popular 'Music Express' ride malfunctioned and the emergency brakes failed to function Furious riders exited the attraction, with some in tears and others ready for confrontation' 'They absolutely did not have the proper protocols to stop the ride I believe the workers handling the Ride should know what to do in a case like that,' Martinez-Roman said said to ABC 7. Someone in the background can be heart shouting, 'It's stuck! This is why you don't get on these rides.' The video shows what appear to be three repair man arrive on scene - and within 40 seconds, the ride successfully shuts off. In response to the incident, Rye Playland's General Manager Jeff Davis issued a statement, assuring the public that Playland takes such incident seriously and safety and well-being of their guests is the park's utmost concern. 'Safety is our number one priority and as such, the Music Express ride is currently closed as we work closely with the manufacturer,' he said. Davis claimed the park enacted safety protocols and worked closely with manufacturers to address the issue. In response to the incident, Rye Playland's General Manager Jeff Davis (pictured) issued a statement, assuring the public that Playland takes such incident seriously and safety and well-being of their guests is the park's utmost concern Riders were not satisfied and exited the ride visibly frustrated In the 35-second-long video, riders can be heard screaming and requesting assistance while the ride seemingly experienced a glitch - leaving them temporarily stuck on the spinning amusement attraction Fortunately, no injuries were reported, as the on-site EMS team responded quickly, evaluating all guests. Operators followed the protocols, leading to the park's maintenance team promptly shutting down the power to the ride. Riders, however, were not satisfied and exited the ride visibly frustrated. One little boy can be seen embracing his mother while balling his eyes out. Another man in a red t-shirt, had his chain thrown in reverse due to the impact of the ride, and got off appearing livid in an aggressive stance. Users online found humor in the incident which went viral on TikTok. 'Bro with the red shirt and the chain turned backwards mind went back in time on that ride he got off wanting to fight everybody,' one commented. '10 more minutes and they would've went back into time,' another said. 'Everyone gets off and they start walking like characters from The Walking Dead,' a third joked. A man in a red t-shirt, had his chain thrown in reverse due to the impact of the ride, and got off appearing livid in an aggressive stance Fortunately, no injuries were reported, as the on-site EMS team responded quickly, evaluating all guests Giovanni Martinez-Roman, who had family members riding, shared the footage of the incident on TikTok, which riders said left them 'traumatized. One little boy can be seen embracing his mother while balling his eyes out Users online found humor in the incident which went viral on TikTok Many were thankful nobody got hurt but surprised the workers were unable to shut down the ride sooner. 'At least no one got hurt and they got there money's worth respectfully.' 'It took them 10 minutes to think of unplugging the ride!! another said. 'Lawsuit????' one user questioned. While the park collaborates with the manufacturer to fully diagnose the problem, the 'Music Express' ride remains closed to ensure visitor safety. The 'Music Express' ride has been a staple at Playland park since its debut in 1981. According to the Playland website, the 'Music Express' is a fast-paced circular ride that travels along a track with numerous peaks and valleys. During the ride, vibrant lights flash wildly, and loud music plays to enhance the experience. Typically, a full ride on the 'Music Express' lasts approximately 3 to 4 minutes. However, in this particular case, riders experienced an extended cycle before the maintenance team intervened to stop the ride. Earlier this month, an Ohio amusement park was sued by a woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a metal object from fell on her head while riding Top Thrill Dragster rollercoaster. Rachel Hawes, 46, from Michigan, was hit in the head by a large L-shaped metal bracket which fell off the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point Park in Sandusky in August 2021. Hawes was rushed to hospital in critical condition and, although she survived, suffered 'serious, permanent, disabling personal injuries' which include 'skull fractures and traumatic brain injury' her lawsuit states. A prominent criminal lawyer was allegedly kidnapped as a 'warning' just months before he was shot outside a Sydney house last week. Mahmoud Abbas, who survived a shooting attack outside a home at Greenacre on Wednesday, was allegedly abducted and had his head and eyebrows shaved clean in a threatening show of force as part of Sydney's burgeoning gangland war in 2022. Whoever organised and undertook the kidnapping allegedly took a photo of Mr Abbas after the shave, which has been circulating through Sydney's criminal underworld, according to the Saturday Telegraph. Mr Abbas is not accused of any wrongdoing and there is no suggestion he has any links to criminal activity. The well-known lawyer is now recovering in hospital after undergoing three surgeries and is expected to make a full recovery. Mahmoud Abbas (pictured), who was shot on Wednesday, was allegedly abducted and had his head and eyebrows shaved clean as a 'warning' last year Whoever organised and undertook the kidnapping allegedly took a photo of Mr Abbas after the shave, which was then circulated throughout criminal circles, according to the Daily Telegraph Mr Abbas is expected to make a full recovery after being shot several times, with one shot narrowly missing his kneecap and another passing through his kidney Surgeons needed to remove one of Mr Abbas' kidneys after the shooting. Another bullet passed through his leg and narrowly missed his kneecap. Mr Abbas is just one of the latest victims targeted in the gangland war which has torn through Sydney since 2020. Ferenc David Stemler, 28, who was a member of the Ahmad organised crime network, was fatally shot at 2am on Thursday. Stemler, who was a drug importer, had previously spent time in jail alongside the family's leader and enforcer, Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad, the Saturday Telegraph reported. The now-deceased gangster was due to face court for charges of drug possession in the coming days and had pleaded not guilty. Stemler's links to drug supply and the shooting on July 7, are now a major focus of the investigation. Detectives suspect Stemler had links to the shooting at Adels Salon in Marrickville where brothers William Siale, 33, and Etuate Eric Siale, 20, were the target of a botched assassination as they went to get their hair cut, the Daily Telegraph reported. Stemler was the 22nd victim of violence linked to gangs in this most recent war. Mr Abbas was shot on the same street where underworld figure Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad was shot dead while visiting an associate in April 2022. Daily Mail Australia understands police are investigating witness reports that a suspicious Toyota Yaris was seen parked in the street moments Mr Abbas was shot. Shocked residents recalled hearing three gunshots, followed by sirens minutes later. 'There was a Toyota Yaris with two women sitting in it out the front of the house. It was there about 10 minutes before the shooting,' one neighbour told Daily Mail Australia. 'I wonder if they were keeping an eye out then their accomplice has come and attacked.' Footage from the scene minutes after the shooting shows the street cordoned off with several police cars and an ambulance in attendance. Another video show a conscious and alert Mr Abbas lying on a stretcher outside his home being treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital. Dozens of detectives have swarmed the street and were set to spend Wednesday afternoon interviewing neighbours as a police dog scoured for possible evidence. Mahmoud Abbas (left) is a prominent criminal defence lawyer in Sydney Underworld figure Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad (pictured) was shot dead while visiting an associate in the same Greenacre street The latest victim of Sydney's underworld war, Ferenc David Stemler (pictured), was shot on Thursday at 2am and was in the middle of a court case regarding his crime links It comes just days after three people were shot in an industrial area of the same suburb at 2.15am on Sunday. Mr Abbas specialises in criminal law and has represented a range of high profile Sydney identities including former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer and accused members of an ISIS-inspired terror cell. The Abbas Jacobs Lawyers website is currently down. Mr Abbas also represented the four men who allegedly abducted a Hamze associate from the northern beaches. He started his career working for well-known criminal defence lawyer Brett Galloway and is the son of a farmer from the NSW Snowy Mountains. Police in Florida have released an artist's impression of a women that was found dismembered with her remains stuffed into two suitcases. Last Friday, Delray Beach police found a suitcase floating in a the Intracoastal Waterway containing the human remains that had been chopped up. They later found two other suitcases nearby, which also contained other body parts believed to have belonged to the same victim. Police have now released photographs of the unique pieces of luggage that the victim's body was found in who is believed to have been murdered between July 17 and 20. Police in Delray Beach have released an image of what the woman whose remains were found stashed inside three suitcases floating on the Intracoastal Waterway may have looked like Delray Police Sgt. Casey Kelly is asking the public to look at the renderings and for residents who live along the Intercoastal Waterway to check their home video surveillance cameras Investigators also released photos luggage that the woman's body was located in One was a purple Palm Springs Ricardo Beverly Hills bag The second bag was a green-and-black polka dot Charlie Sport bag The first is a purple Palm Springs Ricardo Beverly Hills bag while the second is a green and black polka dot Charlie Sport bag. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Forensic Imaging Unit have also put together a reconstructed image of what the victim, who has not yet been identified, may have looked like. The artist rendition also contains a full body sketch complete with clothing similar to what the victim was found to be wearing. She had been wearing a floral tank top by the Brazillian brand 'Betzabe' with a black undershirt and black mid-thigh shorts Police said they believe the woman was between 35 and 55 years old and was about 5-feet-4. Officers first received a call about a suspicious package shortly before 11am last Thursday, when people who were feeding animals on a property while their owners were out of town noticed luggage dumped on the lawn. The artist rendition contained a full-body sketch that had similar clothing to what the victim was found wearing Investigators are still seeking to identify the woman, who was wearing a floral top made by a Brazilian company called Betzabe Delray Beach Police are pictured at the scene of an incident where a woman's dismembered body was found Florida police believe all of the remains belong to a single middle-age female victim Police in south Florida later found two other suitcases containing human remains nearby In Delray Beach, Florida, police found a suitcase containing dismembered human remains floating in an intracoastal waterway 'We are again asking for your help with reviewing your personally owned video surveillance cameras along the intracoastal waterway during the specified timeframe. 'If you think you recognize the victim from the artist rendering, please give us a call. If you saw something or have any information about this case, please contact us. No bit of information is too small,' police said in statement. Police have officially ruled the death a homicide, and have said that the remains are those of an unidentified adult female, who is either white or Hispanic, middle-aged between 34 and 54-years-old, with brown hair and approximately 5-foot 4-inches tall. She may have had tattooed eyebrows, and was wearing a floral tank top with a black undershirt and black mid-thigh shorts. 'At this early stage of the investigation, the remains appear to belong to one unidentified adult female,' officers wrote in their incident report. The Delray Police Department is asking anyone with information about the crime to call Detective Mike Liberta at (561) 243-7874. The worrying history of the helicopter involved in a crash that possibly killed four Australian Defence Force personnel has been revealed - as search-and-rescue choppers were seen carrying large pieces of debris from the area. An MRH-90 Taipan carrying four people ditched into the ocean off Lindeman Island, near Hamilton Island in north Queensland, at about 10.30pm on Friday. The wreckage of the Taipan was discovered south of Hamilton Island, near Dent Island, but no survivors have been found. The crew were participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre - joint military training between Australia, the US and 11 other ally countries. On Saturday the Australian and US armies, as well as civil services, established a one-kilometre exclusion zone where debris was found. However, the crash on Friday was far from the Taipan's first major incident. An MRH-90 Taipan carrying four people crashed in the Whitsundays on Friday night following 13 years of difficulties with the aircraft (pictured, an MRH-90 Taipan) Since the Howard Government purchased the fleet of 47 helicopters in 2004 and 2006, they have been grounded several times and involved in multiple crashes. The most recent crash happened just four months ago during a night-time counter-terrorism training exercise on March 22. The Taipan had ditched off the coast of Jervis Bay, on NSW's Central Coast, at about 9pm after suffering engine failure - reportedly due to old software. Australia's Taipan fleet was grounded following the incident but was brought back into operation a little over a month later. A Defence spokesperson at the time confirmed the helicopters would resume normal flying but with unspecified 'risk mitigations'. 'Defence has lifted the operational pause on MRH-90 Taipan flying operations,' they told the ABC in April. 'The MRH-90 Taipan fleet returned to normal operations on 6 April 2023, with risk mitigations in place. 'The risk mitigations will have minimal impact on planned flying operations.' The Taipan was ditched near the coast of Hamilton Island, north Queensland (above), at about 10.30pm on Friday night - no survivors have been found Several industry insiders have blamed the ADF for not knowing how to maintain or operate the European-designed Taipans, rather than the helicopters themselves. Chief of Army Lieutenant-General Simon Stuart last year told Senate the Taipans cost an astonishing $48,000 every flying hour. The first sign of trouble with the Taipans emerged just four years after Australia completed its fleet. In 2010 a Taipan's engine failed mid-flight near the Adelaide RAAF Edinburgh air base. Miraculously, the crew was able to land the helicopter back at the base with just one engine but the incident resulted in the entire Taipan fleet being grounded. In 2014 the Australian National Audit Office revealed in a damning report the Taipan's design and support system was 'immature' and had caused 'significant issues' to the ADF fleet. It also slammed the high operational costs of the helicopters. The Taipan fleet was grounded again in 2019 after encountering rotor blade issues and a third time in 2020 after crews encountered problems with sliding cabin doors. Australia's Taipan fleet has been grounded five times since 2010 and involved in several major incidents (pictured, an MRH-90 Taipan) That year half the fleet was shuttered. However, in 2021 the Morrison Government began Australia's move away from the Taipan fleet by agreeing to purchase US-made Black Hawks. The move was part of the AUKUS pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States announced that year. The deal will see the three governments working more closely together on a range of defence matters, including production and procurement. The Albanese Government followed through on the deal following the 2022 election and agreed to pay $2.8billion for 40 Black Hawks. The Black Hawks, whose use in the US Military has been long standing, are manufactured by a branch of US weapons giant Lockheed Martin. The purchase will bring an early end to the Taipan program which, prior to the 2022 Black Hawk deal, was due to end in 2037. It is unclear whether the 47-strong Taipan fleet will again be grounded following Friday's crash. A Taipan carrying four people ditched into the ocean off Lindeman Island at about 10.30pm on Friday during joint military training Exercise Talisman Sabre (pictured, a crewman with a Taipan in Townsville for Exercise Talisman Sabre on Thursday) AUSTRALIA'S HISTORY WITH THE MRH-90 TAIPAN 2004: The Howard Government bought 12 MRH-90 Taipans. 2006: Australia purchased another 34 Taipans. 2010: An MRH-90 Taipan experienced engine failure while in-flight near the Adelaide RAAF Edinburgh air base. The helicopter was able to land but the Taipan fleet was grounded as a result. 2014: The Australian National Audit Office published its preference for US-made Black Hawk helicopters over European-designed Taipans. Its report found the decision to use Taipans caused 'significant implications'. It cited the 'unforeseen immaturity' of the Taipan design and support system and condemned the fleet's high running costs. 2019: The Taipan fleet was grounded again due to issues with rotor blades. 2020: The Taipans were grounded again due to problems with some sliding cabin door rails which were deemed unserviceable. Half the fleet was shuttered. 2021: The Morrison Government announced it would dump the Taipans in favour of US-made Black Hawks as part of the AUKUS agreement. The Taipans were previously expected to be in use until 2037. 2022: The Albanese Government agreed to acquire 40 Black Hawk helicopters from the US for $2.8billion. 2023: In March, a Taipan crashed off Jervis Bay due to engine failure during night-time counter-terrorism training. Taipans were grounded as a result. In July, four ADF personnel go missing, feared dead, after a Taipan crashed off the coast of Hamilton Island in north Queensland during military training. Advertisement Saturday's retrieval operation has been focussed in the middle of the Whitsundays passage between North and South Molle Islands, the Courier Mail reports. Helicopters were seen carrying large pieces of debris from the site. Navy fast boats and other vessels, including a boat with a large crane, are also involved in the search. It's understood the debris is being held on the warship, Brisbane. Defence Minister Richard Marles addressed reporters on Saturday morning and confirmed families had been notified of the incident. 'We meet with a heavy heart,' Mr Marles said. 'Our hopes and our thoughts are with air crew and their families, with thoughts of the search and rescue crews as they go about their work right now. 'These are early days and much more information is to be provided about this incident. 'Defence exercises, which are so necessary for the readiness of our defence force, they carry risk. 'As we hope for better news during the course of this day, we are aware of the gravity of the act that comes with wearing the uniform.' Saturday's retrieval operation has been focussed in the middle of the Whitsundays passage (pictured, the flight path of one of the vehicles searching for the four missing people) This year's Exercise Talisman Sabre is the 10th in the bilateral training activity between Australia and the US. It was the largest ever, with more than 30,000 military personnel participating from 13 nations including Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, France, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. The 14-day exercise, running until August 4, tests large scale logistics, multi-domain firepower demonstrations, land combat, amphibious landings and air operations. Exercise Talisman Sabre has been paused in light of the accident. A man and woman arrested for carjacking and crashing the vehicle in spectacular fashion had charges against them dropped, San Francisco's district attorney announced on Friday - despite footage of the broad daylight crash going viral. Charges against Kevin Nelson, 36, and Jennifer Bonham, 31, both of San Francisco, were dropped 'pending further investigation and witness availability,' said the office of Brooke Jenkins, the Democrat DA. As of Friday, both were released from custody. The pair are accused of holding up a motorist in a Lincoln sedan and hitting him with their skateboards in the Castro district of the city, near 19th and Dolores streets, on Saturday, and then robbing him of his car. The thieves drove off, but crashed one block away on the other side of Dolores Park - plummeting 50 feet down a series of steps and through steep wooded hillsides, taking trees with the car as it flipped and landed on its roof. At least four people were seen escaping from the car and running off. Other than Nelson and Bonham, no other arrests were made. In March, Bonham was released from custody following an incident. A condition of her release was that she was not allowed to contact Nelson, reports The San Francisco Standard. Brooke Jenkins, the San Francisco district attorney, said on Friday via her office that charges against those involved in the carjacking and crash had been dropped Footage from the aftermath of the crash saw one person say: 'Come on, Kevin. Im sorry, I love you, come on Kevin please, Im sorry everybody. Kevin, come on, weve gotta go,' reports Mission Local. Nelson later sought treatment at a local hospital and was left bloodied by the crash, the website reports. The owner of the car identified himself to police at the scene, and told them what had happened. Nelson and Bonham were arrested three days after the crash. But on Friday, the charges were dropped. 'The charges against Ms. Bonham and Mr. Nelson have been discharged at this time pending further investigation and witness availability,' the district attorney's office said in a statement. 'Anyone with information is asked to call the San Francisco Police Department tip line at 415-575-4444.' Jenkins' office said that charges could be refiled. A resident of the area where the crash took place told Mission Local that the entire incident was out of the ordinary for the neighborhood. 'Logistically, its terrible. There isnt really a great getaway on the weekend here. This is definitely one of those neighborhoods where everyone has their Nest cams.' The stolen white car is seen smashing through a barrier and plunging through the trees The four-door sedan flipped and took down a tree as it plummeted down the stairs Video footage posted to YouTube shows the car from multiple angles crashing through the guardrail and tumbling down to the street where it landed on its roof The quiet, residential intersection near Dolores Park and the Castro District is usually a picturesque neighborhood block Her decision came the day after she retweeted her interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, highlighting her quote: 'We have got to get this city to a place where people understand that there is accountability for their actions, and where instead of us standing by and watching things like this happen, that we mobilize together.' Jenkins became DA in July last year, following the recall of her controversial predecessor Chesa Boudin. Jenkins worked in Boudin's office before quitting to campaign against him. Boudin's tenure was marked by soaring crime and accusations that he was soft on criminals. Jenkins promised to combat that, and has hired an additional 39 prosecutors, but has had limited success in her first year. In her inauguration speech, she declared: 'Starting today, drug crime laws will be enforced in this city.' According to the district attorney, her office has filed 819 felony narcotics cases, a 72 percent increase over her predecessor. Jenkins has promised, since taking office in July 2022, to get tough on crime: results have been mixed However, the San Francisco Public Defender's Office said her approach was 'regressive' and did not target the root causes of addiction and crime. 'Jenkins's regressive war on drugs ignores evidence-based solutions to the overdose crisis and human suffering... the overdose crisis has only worsened, and the renewed arrests for public intoxication are only putting people more at risk,' they said. Jenkins has had a mixed record on crime, with robberies surging and theft such a problem that many stores in the downtown areas have closed, unable to function. 'We're still seeing significant issues in that area of retail theft,' said Jenkins. 'I'm not going to sugar coat it, we still have a long way to go there as well. My office again, will be doing what it needs to as far as accountability.' An Adelaide mother with an extremely rare blood type is hoping for members of the public with the same blood to donate so she can have life-saving surgery. Amira's blood type is so rare it's found in only one in every 10,000 people, with a nationwide search under way to find a match so she can have much needed heart surgery. The mother-of-two is in an Adelaide hospital waiting for her operation, with the Red Cross' Lifeblood organisation launching an urgent appeal for donors to help the 37-year-old. Lifeblood medical director Dr James Daly said since the appeal was launched on Thursday, donations in Adelaide jumped by 118 per cent. Adelaide mother Amira (right) is seeking blood donations so she can have life-saving heart surgery Lifeblood medical director Dr James Daly has urged the public to come forward and donate blood to help Amira (stock image) Dr Daly said anyone with type O or A blood in Australia or internationally could be a suitable donor. 'Most people will be either O or A blood type, but Amira has a rare combination of other blood types that need to be matched, which means any donor with O or A blood type might prove to be a perfect match,' he said. 'We have identified a few suitable donors, but this mum will require a large number of units to see her through her surgery and finding as many donors as we can with the right blood type will ensure we can meet her transfusion needs both now and, in the future.' Dr Daly said so far three matches have been located, with another 15 donors needed to be found within the next few weeks. 'We've exhausted Australian supplies of this rare blood type and we're now working with international blood services to search for potential donors,' he said. The three current matches have been found in Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. Amira, 37, has an extremely rare blood type but people with types A or O can be suitable donors Amira's husband Ahmed thanked people who have already come forward and urged other people to donate. 'We are so grateful to family, friends and the wonderful people in the community, many of whom we do not know, who have heard about Amira's plight and have rolled up a sleeve to donate blood,' Ahmed said. 'I urge as many people as possible across the country with O and A blood to donate blood this week, so we can find more donors to help Amira. 'This is not a situation you ever expect to find yourself in. Any help or support is much appreciated.' Beyond commonly recognised blood groups such as A, B and O, there are more than 300 other variants ranging in rarity. A blood type is considered rare if a person lacks antigens that 99 per cent of people are positive for. People ordering takeout in New York City will now need to make a special request for ketchup, sauce, napkins, and even utensils to actually eat the food they receive from Monday, as the city introduces new, strict rules to reduce waste. Restaurants and delivery services will no longer automatically include plastic knives and forks, packets of mayo, dressing, or ketchup, napkins, or extra containers unless customers specifically request them, according to new rules by the Department of Sanitation. 'Delivery and courier services may not provide these items unless such items are requested by the customer,' the law stipulates. This new measures are as a result of the 'Skip the Stuff' law signed by Big Apple Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year. Restaurants that are found to be in violation of the rule will face penalties, starting at $50 for the first offense, $150 for the second infraction and $250 for a third violation. New York City is implementing new strict rules to reduce waste in takeout orders with customers required to specifically request ketchup, napkins, and utensils In the U.S., 561 billion disposable food service items are used every year, resulting in 4.9 million tons of waste New York City Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquez introduced the bill, drawing attention to the staggering amount of plastic utensils (approximately $40bn worth) discarded daily in the U.S. New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed the bill into law in February to 'help us secure a sustainable future by reducing plastic that ends up in our landfills.' There will be also be a 'warning period' until June 30, 2024, before the rules will be strictly enforced. Bronx Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquez introduced the bill, drawing attention to the staggering amount of plastic utensils (approximately $40 billion worth) discarded daily in the U.S. 'This bill aims to reduce the amount of unnecessary plastics and other items that food establishments give to customers. In the US, over 100 million plastic utensils are used daily and some analysts estimate that Americans waste $40 billion,' Velazquez said in January. 'While many of us try to recycle or save these items for the future, most of them end up in landfills where they can enter our water system and harm our ecosystem. Reducing this waste will hopefully help our environment at no cost to businesses, consumers or our city.' Diners will need to specifically request any single-use plastic plates, trays and cutlery Americans use more than 36 billion utensils and as many as 142 billion straws each year. Most restaurants provide the accessories for take-out meals even if the customer doesn't want or need them In the U.S., 561 billion disposable food service items are used every year, resulting in 4.9 million tons of waste according to the Skip The Stuff website. Americans use more than 36 billion utensils and as much as 142 billion straws each year. Most restaurants provide the accessories for take-out meals even if the customer doesn't want or need them. This law aims to reduce the amount of unnecessary plastics and other items being distributed by food establishments. The Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection found that more than 320 million tons of plastic are used annually, with 95 percent of it being single-use and just 14 percent of such single-use plastics being recycled. New York City hopes the new policy will help to reduce plastic waste, protect the environment, and promote sustainability. Restaurants and delivery services will no longer automatically include plastic knives and forks, packets of mayo or sauce, napkins, or extra containers unless customers specifically request them, according to new rules by the Department of Sanitation Due to the durability of plastic, items used for a few minutes can last for centuries as litter in the countryside or ocean after they break down into microplastics Mayor Adams signed the bill into law in February to 'help us secure a sustainable future by reducing plastic that ends up in our landfills.' 'The bill allows New Yorkers to 'Skip the Stuff' when ordering take-out or delivery, preventing unused plastic from ending up in our landfills, and making our city greener for generations to come,' he said at the time. New Jersey is said to be considering a similar ban. Across the country, Los Angeles has already brought in a new law mandating food be served in recyclable or compostable containers with reusable utensils customers dining-in. New York State has already banned plastic bags and polystyrene food containers since 2020. Sarah was locked out of her MyGov account Adelaide couple almost lost it all in MyGov hack A family have revealed how they almost lost it all after hackers stole their identity from an app designed to make Australians' lives easier. Adelaide couple Sarah and Aaron said they have been living in fear after Sarah's MyGov account was hacked last year. Sarah was alerted to the nefarious scheme after she was notified of being locked out of her account, and immediately contacted Centrelink. Tragically, the damage had already been done, with hackers changing Sarah's details, including her bank number, email, and phone number. Adelaide couple Sarah and Aaron (pictured) said they have been living in fear after Sarah's MyGov account was hacked last year The hackers changed Sarah's details, including bank number, email, and phone number (pictured: MyGov website) 'They've been able to rack up quite a bill which now we have to pay that back,' the couple told A Current Affair. 'They've also made victims of flood claims, single parenting payments. 'Changes that our kids have lived outside of Australia too, which neither of us or the kids ever have.' The changes meant that the family missed out on vital Centrelink payments following the hack. Old tax returns were also amended in a bid to get money, with the hackers also trying to take Sarah's superannuation. Amid the fallout, the family said they'd been forced to repay tens of thousands stolen from the government by the hackers. While Centrelink has since stopped making the couple repay the debts and refunded the money already paid, the impact was still being felt. Aaron said that after the eight-month ordeal many of the family's accounts were still frozen. Ordinary functions usually done on the MyGov app now require the couple to make a lengthy phone call. Tragically, the couple are not alone as people across the country are similarly swindled by hackers using the MyGov app. In May, Melbourne mum Sharon revealed she had been harassed for years after hackers broke into the common app. Kathla, a victim of last year's Medibank hack, also raised alarm bells after she started receiving worrying messages from MyGov. Aaron (pictured) said that after the eight-month ordeal many of the family's accounts were still frozen The Sydney Buyers Agent told A Current Affair she then received an email from MyGov stating she had re-registered for GST and an ABN. 'My accountant and I went through my ATO profile and found that my bank details had been changed to the hacker's bank details,' she said. 'My mailing address had been changed to the hacker's mailing address. 'I thought I had protected myself but somewhere along the line they have got enough information to hack me. 'The only hack I am aware of is the Medibank hacking.' Kathla said she eventually realised that it was her ATO account that had been targeted. Like many before her, the damage had already been done by that stage. 'I feel like I'm p**sing in the wind,' Kahla said. Kathla, a victim of last year's Medibank hack, also raised alarm bells after she started receiving worrying messages from MyGov 'I don't feel like my voice is being heard. I feel like I have a significant problem. 'It's like leaving the key in the front door and waiting for someone to turn it and anyone can turn it at any time.' ID Care managing director David Lacey said scammers target people during tax time when they are likely accessing the MyGov service. 'Since June, we've had a tenfold increase in people coming to us who have experienced impersonation of the tax office or MyGov,' he said. 'There's also a very hefty cohort in the community who have no idea how the criminals got their data. 'They're having to work out ''what else is going on with my name that I don't know about right now;', so they're playing the detective.' Kahla, Sarah, and Aaron said the government needs to better protect data, and also have a better system in place for those people impacted. ID Care managing director David Lacey (pictured) said scammers target people during tax time In a statement to Nine, Services Australia general manager Hank Jongen said the agency had robust protections in place. 'MyGov remains secure and has not been compromised,' he said. 'It's an unfortunate reality that opportunistic scammers steal identity information to carry out fraudulent activities. 'While we can't comment on individual cases for privacy reasons, we've reached out to these customers to provide support. 'Services Australia doesn't hold customers liable for any payments that are as a result of fraudulent activity by a malicious third party.' Russian forces on Friday struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro and pounded a key village in the southeast that Ukraine claimed to have recaptured in its grinding counteroffensive, while Moscow accused Kyiv of firing two missiles at southern Russia and wounding 20 people. In Dnipro, an apparent Russian missile attack wounded nine people in the area of a newly constructed and as yet unoccupied 12-story apartment building, as well as an unoccupied adjacent Security Service of Ukraine building. 'Russian missile terror again,' Zelensky wrote on social media. Video showed the apartment building's upper floors in ruins, with gray smoke billowing from them, and flames raging in the night at ground level, where shattered concrete and glass littered a courtyard. Russia has often struck apartment buildings during the conflict, while denying it intentionally targets civilians. President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, marked Ukraine's Statehood Day by reaffirming the country's sovereignty - a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who used his claim that Ukraine didn't exist as a nation to justify his invasion. 'Now, like more than a thousand years ago, our civilizational choice is unity with the world,' Zelensky said in a speech on a square outside St. Michael's Monastery in Kyiv. 'To be a power in world history. To have the right to its national history - of its people, its land, its state. And of our children - all future generations of the Ukrainian people. We will definitely win!' He also honored servicemen and handed out first passports to young citizens as part of ceremonies. The holiday coincides with commemorations of the adoption of Christianity on lands that later became Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. Ukrainian firefighters work to put out a fire in an administrative building after missiles strike in Dnipro Pictures posted on social media showed part of one building reduced to rubble and debris strewn across a large courtyard Ukrainian policemen block a road as an emergency service truck drives past near the site of the rocket blasts Both buildings were largely empty - the residential building because it had just been completed and units were being put up for sale. Pictured: Locals watch the site where the missiles struck in Dnipro One Russian missile struck an apartment block (pictured), Kyiv officials said, injuring at least nine people including two children The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down a Ukrainian missile in the city of Taganrog, about 24 miles east of the border with Ukraine, and local officials reported 20 people were injured, identifying the epicenter as an art museum. Debris fell on the city, the ministry added, alleging the missile was part of a 'terror attack' by Ukraine. Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, blamed Russian air defense systems for the explosion. Russia's Defense Ministry said it downed a second Ukrainian missile near the city of Azov, which like Taganrog is in the Rostov region, and debris fell in an unpopulated location. Earlier in the day, a Ukrainian drone was shot down outside Moscow, the Defense Ministry said, in the third drone strike or attempt on the capital region this month. The ministry reported no injuries or damage in the latest incident, and it didn't give an exact location where the drone fell. Since the war began, Russia has blamed Ukraine for drone, bomb and missile attacks on its territory far from the battlefield's front line. Ukrainian officials rarely confirm being behind the attacks, which have included drone strikes on the Kremlin that unsettled Russians. The strikes have hit Russian ammunition and fuel depots, as well as bridges the Russian military uses to supply its forces, and military recruitment stations. The attacks have also included killings of Russian-appointed officials on occupied Ukrainian territory. Three months ago, a Russian warplane accidentally dropped a bomb on Belgorod, injuring two people, in an incident where Ukraine was initially suspected. Pictured: Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of the damaged administrative building Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attacks as 'Russian terror' as Moscow claimed to have intercepted two Ukrainian missiles on the same day Russia, whose forces invaded neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022, says it does not target civilian sites Personnel conduct search and rescue operations at the scene in the wake of the Dnipro rocket attack Russia's forces have intensified evening and night-time missile attacks on a variety of targets - focusing in particular on port facilities around the city of Odesa after Moscow pulled out of an agreement allowing grain shipments from Ukraine's ports Meanwhile, the commander of Ukraine's armed forces, Col.-Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said his troops were pushing forward in parts of eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia and meeting stiff resistance as the war drags into its 18th month. 'The enemy fiercely clings to every centimeter, conducting intense artillery and mortar fire,' he said in a statement. Recent fighting has taken place at multiple places along the more than 1,000-kilometer (more than 600-mile) front, where Ukraine deployed its recently acquired Western weapons to push out the Kremlin's forces. However, it is attacking without vital air support and faces a deeply entrenched foe. A Western official said Thursday that Ukraine had launched a major push in the southeast. Putin acknowledged that fighting has intensified there, but insisted Kyiv's push has failed. Zelensky posted a video Thursday night in which Ukrainian soldiers said they had taken Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region. Russian military bloggers said artillery fire at the Ukrainian troops had effectively razed the village and reported more barrages Friday. Capturing the village, which in 2014 had a population of 682, would give Ukraine a platform to push deeper into Russian-held territory, the bloggers noted. The area has been a focus of Ukraine's counteroffensive since June, and its troops have previously captured several other villages there as they slowly work their way across extensive Russian minefields. It was not possible to verify either side's claims about what is happening in the war zone. Syrskyi said fighting that targets the enemy's artillery as well as its command and control structure is a priority as his troops probe Russian lines for weaknesses. 'In these conditions, it is crucial to make timely management decisions in response to the situation at hand and take measures for maneuvering forces and resources, shifting units and troops to areas where success is evident, or withdrawing them from the enemy's fire,' he said. Russia is trying to hold on to the territory it controls in the four provinces it illegally annexed in September - Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kherson and Luhansk. MBABANE -Barely a week after patients at the Mbabane Government Hospital protested over lack of drugs and poor service, residents of Piggs Peak petitioned the hospital over drug shortages. Residents, including some nurses, who took some time out to join the brief picketing at the entrance to the Piggs Peak Government Hospital, complained about the shortage of drugs at the hospital and also lack of service delivery by the Ministry of Health. The residents delivered a petition to officials of the hospital, but before doing so, they also chanted some songs and showed placards with messages about their demands. Injection One of the messages read, Phatsa wakho unjovo meaning bring your own injection or medication. Mzwandile Ntshalintshali, the Secretary of the Piggs Peak Branch of the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), was also among the residents. Nondiswa Shiba, who was also among the residents, read out the petition. Ntshalintshali used the platform to criticise what he referred to as poor service delivery by the government, adding that the situation was neglected in the countrys hospitals. Blocked He noted how patients at the Mbabane Government Hospital had blocked the entrance to the hospital in protest of poor service delivery. He also noted that over a week ago, they had also delivered a petition at the Maguga Hospital, which is one of the facilities used by some of the residents of Piggs Peak. He said they had not gone to the facilities as unions or political organisations, but that they were residents who used the hospitals too. In the petition, Shiba noted that the health facilities continued to lack basic health services. He said the Piggs Peak Government Hospital was besieged by the shortage of drugs and other basic necessities. She said this problem had been going on for a very long time and that many lives bad been lost in the process. Meanwhile, Dan Dlamini, a resident who was recently nominated for the position of Bucopho, said he was disappointed at the number of people who attended the brief protest. He said he was expecting that there would be many people in attendance because the situation of the shortage of drugs was affecting everyone. Indicated He said even some of the people who had indicated that they would attend the day before the action had not shown up. Meanwhile, in addition to complaints about medication, there were also concerns of the X-Ray which was not functioning and that sometimes patients were turned back or referred to other facilities. Medical personnel, who asked not to be mentioned, said this resulted in patients spending longer time waiting for assistance and that this caused the hospital to run out of beds. Noteworthy, a contingent of police officers was present to keep watch of the delivering of the petition. There were more police officers than the people who had arrived to deliver the petition. Some of the police officers were in civil, while at least 10 of them including the Station Commander, Superintendent Dino Nzalo, were present. At least five people were shot after a gunman fired 'dozens and dozens' of rounds during a community outreach event at a Safeway store in Seattle on Friday night. The incident occurred in the Rainer Beach section of the city. The victims are four males and one female, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said in a media briefing. Two are in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center and two are stable, one was treated at the scene and swiftly released. Diaz said the shooting began in the parking lot of the store close to a King Donut. The chief did not say if it was a targeted attack. Photos from the scene show at least 50 evidence tags on the ground, reports KIRO7. There are no reports of a suspect being in custody. A video posted from the scene showed police officers attending to a victim who was shot inside of the store. Photos from the scene show at least 50 evidence tags on the ground outside of the Safeway where five people were shot Two of the victims are said to be in critical condition after 'dozens and dozens' of rounds were fired at a community outreach event The gunfire broke out during a an event being held by the Seattle Community Safety Initiative which seeks to create safe spaces for citizens in the crime ridden city The city's Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell was at the scene and told the media that there were 'too many guns in the wrong hands' The gunfire broke out during a an event being held by the Seattle Community Safety Initiative which seeks to create safe spaces for citizens in the crime ridden city. 'They give out supplies, they give out free food, they play music. It keeps a festive and peaceful and safe environment and somebody just opened fire on the event,' a local activist told KING5. At the scene, Seattle's Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell told the media that there were 'too many guns in the wrong places and in the wrong hands.' Earlier this year, out-of-control crime in the Rainier Beach-area forced the United States Postal Service (USPS) to pause deliveries to an entire zip code for a week. Around 900 residents in the 98118 zip code did not receive their mail as delivery services were halted due to mail theft and 'equipment security concerns'. They were told to pick up their mail from the local post office and stood in long queues of up to an hour while delivery services were paused for a week before the ban was lifted. It comes as Seattle continues to experience rampant crime, drug issues and battles huge rates of homelessness. Seattle's violent crime rate is at a 15-year high, based on its annual crime statistics from 2022, with 5,642 cases reported- including 52 murders, 321 rapes, 1,759 robberies and 3,510 aggravated assaults. And property crime is the highest it has been since 2008 with 44,408 crimes recorded including 8,678 for burglary and 28,627 for larceny-theft. This year, there have been 16 murders, 103 rape offences, 429 robberies and 925 aggravated assaults. While 2,564 cases of burglary and 7,110 larceny-theft cases have been recorded so far in 2023. Mayor Harrell who was sworn in January 2022, is also battling a drug problem and homeless crisis with a growing number of homeless encampments. Tasmania Police hope an interstate cadaver dog can reveal where a missing Belgian tourist ended up after weeks of fruitless searches. Celine Cremer, 31, was last seen in the Philosopher Falls area near Cradle Mountain in the state's northwest on June 17. A two-week search for her was formally suspended on July 10 after experts advised she could not have survived in poor weather. Analysis of Ms Cremer's mobile phone activity last week raised hopes of finding signs of her in a new area of interest within the falls area. But police and SES were unable to find any sign of her this week. Belgian tourist Celine Cremer, 31, was last seen in the Philosopher Falls area near Cradle Mountain in Tasmania's northwest on June 17 Tasmania Police has resorted to bringing in a NSW Police cadaver dog. 'The cadaver dog is being used to further search that area today, and this will continue tomorrow,' Inspector Anthea Maingay said. 'Our thoughts remain with Celine's family.' A car belonging to Ms Cremer was found in the falls car park on June 27. Police believe it had been there since at least June 20, the last time her mobile had signal. It is believed she had set off for a short walk. A NSW Police cadaver dog has been brought in to help locate Ms Cremer She was reported missing by her family on June 26, sparking a major search involving police and SES ground crews, specialist swift water rescue personnel, drones and a helicopter. Philosopher Falls, a multi-tier waterfall encased in thick rainforest, is marketed to tourists as offering an Alice in Wonderland experience. It is part of a water race that leads into the ghost town of Magnet, next to a former silver mine. A student was expelled from university for posting footage of a corpse being dissected on social media. A video of a human body that had been donated for medical science was shared online by a student in a gross violation of strict ethical rules. Hundreds of Scots leave their bodies to medical science to help the next generation of doctors and scientists, with students able to practise surgery and study anatomy. But it has now emerged that a body bequeathed to the University of Dundee was filmed by a student in a dissection class and posted for pals to watch. The watchdog responsible for policing the strict rules about the use of dead bodies launched an investigation after the incident was reported. His Majestys Inspector of Anatomy for Scotland (HMIAS) probed the serious incident last year, but it was hushed up by the university and the authorities. A video of a human body that had been donated for medical science was shared online by a student in a gross violation of strict ethical rules. Pictured: File photo It has emerged that a body bequeathed to the University of Dundee (pictured) was filmed by a student in a dissection class and posted for pals to watch The inspector, who reports to SNP ministers, only made a vague reference to the appalling behaviour in his annual report. Dignity of deceased supposedly paramount Scots who wish to leave their body for scientific research and medical training can donate it to five universities in Scotland Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews. Medical students in the UK have been allowed to dissect dead bodies for almost 200 years, with the Inspector of Anatomy for Scotland acting as a watchdog since 1832. How they must treat a persons body after death is strictly controlled, with guidance about dignity and respect from the Human Tissue Authority, as well as in law under the Anatomy Act and Human Tissue (Scotland) Act. While alive and in a fit state of mind, donors must consent to how their body is used meaning that someone who did not agree to have their lifeless body filmed or photographed must have their wishes respected. The universities receiving donated bodies must have a named person responsible for ensuring the dignity of deceased people is maintained at all times and that there are systems in place to prevent the inappropriate use of images, according to the code. Advertisement He wrote: An investigation into the incident was carried out by me and the university in question and appropriate action taken. The SNP Government admitted the probe occurred because a student uploaded a video of dissection activity to social media. A university spokesman confirmed the student was kicked off their course after an investigation but refused to disclose whether the family of the person in the video has been informed. The university and ministers are now facing calls to reveal how this scandal was handled. The student responsible for the breach of ethical standards, whose identity has not been revealed, is understood to have accepted that he acted inappropriately. However, neither the Scottish Government nor the university would say whether the distressing case was reported to police. Guidance from the Human Tissue Authority says all parts of the body should be treated with respect and consideration and the university must ensure there are safeguards to prevent the inappropriate use of images. Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: Its vital we know how this scandal was handled. If the disciplinary action taken was appropriate, the full details should be disclosed. Dissection is a crucial component of medical training. But it needs to be approached with decorum and respect for the dignity of those who aid medical science by their donation. A University of Dundee spokesman said: We are humbled and grateful when a person chooses to donate their body to support medical training and research. The conduct of the student in this instance was not in keeping with the values that we teach. We will take decisive disciplinary action against any student who does not meet our expectations. A Scottish Government spokesman said: Public confidence in the body donor programme is essential for the education of healthcare professionals. The university took appropriate action as soon as staff were made aware. A desperate search has been launched for a 14-year-old girl who vanished from her high school more than a day ago. Jade Wright was last seen at a high school on Pittwater Road in Mona Vale in Sydney's northern beaches, at about 8.30am on Friday. NSW Police issued an alert for the missing teen on Saturday afternoon. 'Police and family hold serious concerns for her welfare due to her age,' they said in a statement. Jade Wright was last seen at a high school on Pittwater Road in Mona Vale in Sydney's northern beaches, at about 8.30am on Friday Jade was wearing black track pants with a red stripe and a white crop top at the time she went missing. She is described as having a Caucasian appearance and is between 150cm to 160cm tall with a thin build and black hair. Anyone who sees Jade is urged to contact Mona Vale Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Ukraine is understood to be targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces using rockets made by the invader's ally North Korea. The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down a Ukrainian missile in the city of Taganrog, about 40 kilometers (about 24 miles) east of the border with Ukraine, and local officials reported 20 people were injured, identifying the epicenter as an art museum. Debris fell on the city, the ministry added, alleging the missile was part of a 'terror attack' by Ukraine. Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, blamed Russian air defense systems for the explosion. Russia's Defense Ministry said it downed a second Ukrainian missile near the city of Azov, which like Taganrog is in the Rostov region, and debris fell in an unpopulated location. Earlier in the day, a Ukrainian drone was shot down outside Moscow, the Defense Ministry said, in the third drone strike or attempt on the capital region this month. The ministry reported no injuries or damage in the latest incident, and it didn't give an exact location where the drone fell. Ukraine is understood to be targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces using rockets made by the invader's ally North Korea. (Pictured: Putin, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un) The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down a Ukrainian missile in the city of Taganrog, about 40 kilometers (about 24 miles) east of the border with Ukraine Since the war began, Russia has blamed Ukraine for drone, bomb and missile attacks on its territory far from the battlefield's front line. Ukrainian officials rarely confirm being behind the attacks, which have included drone strikes on the Kremlin that unsettled Russians. The strikes have hit Russian ammunition and fuel depots, as well as bridges the Russian military uses to supply its forces, and military recruitment stations. The attacks have also included killings of Russian-appointed officials on occupied Ukrainian territory. It comes as Ukrainian soldiers were observed using North Korean rockets that they said were seized by a 'friendly' country before being delivered to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. Ukraine's defence ministry suggested the arms were captured from the Russians, the newspaper said. The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, including alleged shipments by sea, but has not offered proof and North Korean weapons have not been widely observed on the battlefields in Ukraine. North Korea and Russia deny conducting arms transactions. The North Korean weapons were shown by Ukrainian troops operating Soviet-era Grad multiple-launch rocket systems near the destroyed eastern city of Bakhmut, site of lengthy brutal fighting, the report said. Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Pyongyang this week to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, the first visit by Moscow's top defence official since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. During the visit, Shoigu was photographed viewing banned North Korean ballistic missiles with leader Kim Jong Un at a military expo in Pyongyang, signalling deeper ties between the two countries as they each face off with the United States. Russian forces on Friday struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro and pounded a key village in the southeast that Ukraine claimed to have recaptured in its grinding counteroffensive, while Moscow accused Kyiv of firing two missiles at southern Russia and wounding 20 people. A view of a house in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, destroyed by a recent Russian attack as the war continues to escalate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, toast at a banquet hall of the ruling Workers' Party's headquarters in Pyongyang, July 27 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, marked Ukraine's Statehood Day by reaffirming the country's sovereignty - a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who used his claim that Ukraine didn't exist as a nation to justify his invasion. 'Now, like more than a thousand years ago, our civilizational choice is unity with the world,' Zelenskyy said in a speech on a square outside St. Michael's Monastery in Kyiv. 'To be a power in world history. To have the right to its national history - of its people, its land, its state. And of our children - all future generations of the Ukrainian people. We will definitely win!' He also honored servicemen and handed out first passports to young citizens as part of ceremonies. The holiday coincides with commemorations of the adoption of Christianity on lands that later became Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. Three months ago, a Russian warplane accidentally dropped a bomb on Belgorod, injuring two people, in an incident where Ukraine was initially suspected. In Dnipro, an apparent Russian missile attack wounded nine people in the area of a newly constructed and as yet unoccupied 12-story apartment building, as well as an unoccupied adjacent Security Service of Ukraine building. 'Russian missile terror again,' Zelenskyy wrote on social media. Video showed the apartment building's upper floors in ruins, with gray smoke billowing from them, and flames raging in the night at ground level, where shattered concrete and glass littered a courtyard. Russia has often struck apartment buildings during the conflict, while denying it intentionally targets civilians. Meanwhile, the commander of Ukraine's armed forces, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, said his troops were pushing forward in parts of eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia and meeting stiff resistance as the war drags into its 18th month. 'The enemy fiercely clings to every centimeter, conducting intense artillery and mortar fire,' he said in a statement. Recent fighting has taken place at multiple places along the more than 1,000-kilometer (more than 600-mile) front, where Ukraine deployed its recently acquired Western weapons to push out the Kremlin's forces. However, it is attacking without vital air support and faces a deeply entrenched foe. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (left) guides Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (right) to the banquet hall during his visit to Pyongyang, with a large portrait of Russian leader Vladimir Putin hanging on the wall A Western official said Thursday that Ukraine had launched a major push in the southeast. Putin acknowledged that fighting has intensified there, but insisted Kyiv's push has failed. Zelenskyy posted a video Thursday night in which Ukrainian soldiers said they had taken Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region. Russian military bloggers said artillery fire at the Ukrainian troops had effectively razed the village and reported more barrages Friday. Capturing the village, which in 2014 had a population of 682, would give Ukraine a platform to push deeper into Russian-held territory, the bloggers noted. The area has been a focus of Ukraine's counteroffensive since June, and its troops have previously captured several other villages there as they slowly work their way across extensive Russian minefields. It was not possible to verify either side's claims about what is happening in the war zone. Syrskyi said fighting that targets the enemy's artillery as well as its command and control structure is a priority as his troops probe Russian lines for weaknesses. 'In these conditions, it is crucial to make timely management decisions in response to the situation at hand and take measures for maneuvering forces and resources, shifting units and troops to areas where success is evident, or withdrawing them from the enemy's fire,' he said. Russia is trying to hold on to the territory it controls in the four provinces it illegally annexed in September - Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kherson and Luhansk. A Guinean diplomat made a very unusual fashion choice as he attended the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg this week - opting for a shirt decorated with Vladimir Putin's face. The man, who was named in Russian media as Lama Jacques Sevoba, works in Guinea's embassy in Moscow. His bold shirt had the Russian warmonger's face plastered all over it alongside drawings of diamonds, in an apparent pledge of loyalty to Putin, who he said he 'loves very much'. He also wore a field service cap with the Communist hammer and sickle. Mr Sevoba told the Telegram channel DD Geopolitics: 'Ive had it for three years already because I love him very much, so I wear it any time, in any place. Guinean diplomat Lama Jacques Sevoba showed his love for Vladimir Putin at the Russia-Africa summit this week by wearing a shirt plastered with the Russian warmonger's face Putin has been attempting to win support for his war against Ukraine among African leaders (pictured on Friday) 'And today its to show my people that Russia and Africa will be even bigger friends than before.' Putin has been attempting to win support for his war against Ukraine in the Russia-Africa summit this week. READ MORE: Fresh humiliation for Putin as he faces poor turnout by African leaders at key Russian summit - days after he quit grain deal Advertisement He pledged large no-cost shipments of grain to six African nations, although Guinea was not included. The promise follows the scrapping of the Black Sea grain deal with Ukraine, which allowed exports to some of the world's poorest countries. 'Our country will continue supporting needy states and regions, in particular, with its humanitarian deliveries. We seek to actively participate in building a fairer system of distribution of resources. We are taking maximum efforts to avert a global food crisis,' Putin said. 'I have already said that our country can replace Ukrainian grain, both on a commercial basis and as grant aid to the neediest African countries, more so since we expect another record harvest this year,' he said. Russia intends to ship up to 50,000 tons of grain aid to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea and Central African Republic in the next three to four months, Putin said. However, Putin also faced humiliation at the summit, which took place on Thursday and Friday in St Petersburg, due to a poor turnout from African leaders. Putin also faced humiliation at the summit, which took place on Thursday and Friday in St Petersburg, due to a poor turnout from African leaders Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and President of the Republic of Burundi Evariste Ndayishimiye meet on the sidelines of the Russia Africa Summit Only 17 heads of state took part, fewer than half of the 43 who attended the first in 2019, while 32 other African countries were represented by senior government officials or ambassadors. The event came after Russia destroyed Ukrainian grain warehouses on the Danube River in a drone attack on Monday, targeting a vital export route for Kyiv in an expanding air campaign that Moscow began last week after quitting the Black Sea grain deal. The presidents of Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo were among those not attending the summit. Kenya's president, who was also a no-show, called the disruption to global grain supplies 'a stab in the back' for the Horn of Africa, where millions are under threat of starvation. Both Russia and China have been looking to increase their influence in Africa. China has purchased infrastructure on the continent for access to rare minerals. Russia has extended its influence in Africa with military deals, at times in return for mineral assets. Putin billed the two-day summit as a major event that would help bolster ties with a continent of 1.3 billion people that is increasingly assertive on the global stage. People watch a TV screen broadcasting Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing the plenary session Putin, right, and Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi arrive for a meeting on the sidelines of the summit Putin, right, and the Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya, Mohamed Yunus Bashir Buhwaish al-Menfi, shake hands Africa's 54 nations make up the largest voting bloc at the United Nations and have been more divided than any other region on General Assembly resolutions criticising Russia's actions in Ukraine. 'Today, Africa is asserting itself more and more confidently as one of the poles of the emerging multipolar world,' Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin. 'The forum will provide a further boost to our political and humanitarian partnership for many years to come. It will serve as a crucial event for Russian-African relations, making them even more comprehensive and far-reaching.' Meanwhile Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin also looked to have made a surprise appearance at the summit, mere weeks after his group of mercenaries aborted a rebellion against the Russian defence ministry. Prigozhin, 62, was pictured alongside a man believed to be a member of the Central African Republic's delegation to the summit. They were seen smiling together and shaking hands at the bottom of an ornate staircase, in an image circulated on the Telegram messaging app. An MP has blasted rules that could see an innocent man charged for his prison stay after he was wrongly jailed for 17 years for a rape he did not commit. Andrew Malkinson, 57, won his 20-year-battle to clear his name after he was convicted of raping a woman after a trial in Greater Manchester in 2003, in what the former security guard slammed as a 'set up'. The following year he was jailed for a life with a minimum term of seven years but remained in prison for a further 10 because he maintained he was innocent as he continued to live out a 'joyless existence' behind bars. His conviction was quashed by senior judges at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday after DNA evidence linking another man to the crime came to light. But Mr Malkinson is now concerned that he could, under current rules, face deductions from any compensation for the living costs covered during his time in prison. Andrew Malkinson, 57, won his 20-year-battle to clear his name after he was convicted of raping a woman after a trial in Greater Manchester in 2003 The father-of-one was jailed for a life with a minimum term of seven years but remained in prison for a further 10 because he maintained he was innocent The rules can be traced back to a 2007 ruling by the House of Lords, at a time when it was the country's highest court. But the chairman of the Commons Justice Committee Sir Bob Neill has voiced his concerns about current practice. 'I think any fair minded person thinks this is just wrong,' he said. 'It goes back to a tightening of the rules of criminal compensation or compensation for miscarriages of justice in this case, by the Labour government in 2006. 'And the argument that was made was that the public might be potentially offended for forking out money towards people who are cleared on technicalities. 'The Malkinson case manifestly is not being cleared on a technicality. The DNA evidence makes it abundantly clear,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'To say it's adding insult to injury is probably to put it more mildly than it deserves.' He added: 'It's clearly not right that somebody who was deprived of their liberty, because of the failures of the state and its institutions for a number of years, then should pay the state or be obliged to give some money back to the state, for the privilege of having been wrongly incarcerated. 'That surely offends any any kind of sense of justice.' He said that he would like ministers to change the rules to protect those wrongly convicted from paying such costs. 'The sums involved are trivial in the overall scheme of things.' Mr Malkinson is now concerned that he could, under current rules, face deductions from any compensation for the living costs covered during his time in prison. Pictured: Mr Malkinson outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, on May 3, 2023 Speaking days after his conviction was ruled unsafe, Mr Malkinson harrowingly revealed that he thought he would very likely die in prison. It was only the thought of his mother, Trisha Hose, 70, and his unwavering drive to prove his innocence that kept him going. 'I thought, I'm going to live and show them the truth someday, one day,' he told the Telegraph. 'I've always known I'm innocent. The fact they've overturned it is vindication, but they're just confirming the earth isn't flat to me.' Earlier this week the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) admitted the conviction was unsafe because there 'must now be a real possibility' Mr B will be charged with the attack. Mr Malkinson, who is originally from Grimsby, was released on a strict life licence in December 2020 and up until this week he was still labeled a rapist - 'the worst thing a man could ever be accused of', the innocent man said. It led him to contemplate dying. He told the paper: 'I didn't want to experience any more pain. I wanted to not exist.' At the time of the trial he said he knew 'he was being set up' but 'didn't know how.' After this weeks victory, he went back to his lawyers office in Clerkenwell, east London, to celebrate before heading bac to his hotel and falling as asleep after two decades of being 'emotionally exhausted'. Mr Malkinson's mother Trisha Hose outside the Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday after he was cleared Mr Malkinson said it has been 20 years since he was arrested and it has 'taken a huge toll on his life' During all those years in a jail cell, Mr Malkinson vowed to himself that if he ever got released he was 'not going to shut (his) mouth)'. The father-of-one is still coming to terms with the number of years he has lost. He says he was 'cheated' of his younger years, being only 37 when he was arrested. He wished to have more children, including a daughter, but he said that will 'never' happen now and he does not see himself being in a relationship again. Following the appeal decision, Mr Malkinson's mother was 'over the moon that it's finally been put to rest'. Now Mr Malkinson is living on benefits in a sea-side town, where he could be line for up to 1million for his wrongful conviction. But he could have to pay the prison for 'board and lodging' fees' at HMP Frankland and may be waiting or the sum for years. The innocent man was arrested on August 2003, two weeks after a young mother had been raped and left on the embankment of a motorway in Salford. She had been left unconscious after being strangled, and had a broken neck as well as a fractured cheekbone. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) admitted the conviction was unsafe because of this, and said there 'must now be a real possibility' Mr B will be charged with the attack. Speaking outside court on Wednesday, in a speech seething with anger, the wronged man said: 'I came to the police station in 2003. I told the officers I was innocent - they didn't believe me. 'I can to the Crown Court in Manchester in 2004. I told the jury I was innocent - they didn't believe me. Mr Malkinson's half-sister Sarah embraces him after he was cleared of rape after 17 years 'I came to this appeal court in 2006 and told them I was innocent - they didn't believe me. 'I applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which is supposed to investigate miscarriages of justice and told them I was innocent. 'They didn't investigate and they didn't believe me. Not once, but twice. 'Today we told this court I was innocent and finally they listened, but I have been innocent all along for each of those 20 years that came before today. Nothing that any police officer, court or commission said about me since 2003 changed that reality. 'You are here to gather news, that declaration from the bench behind me is not news to me. When a jury finds you guilty when you are innocent, reality does not change. You know you did not commit the crime. But all the people around you start living in a false fantasy universe and treat you as if you are guilty: the police, prison officers, probation officers, prisoners, journalists, judges. 'As a minority of one you are forced to live their false fantasy. On August 2, 2003, I was kidnapped by the State. It has taken nearly 20 years to persuade my kidnappers to let me go. 'Seventeen years, four months and 16 days of that time was spent in prison. 'All that time the real preparator, the real dangerous person was free. 'Now I am left outside this court without an apology, without an explanation, jobless, homeless, expected to simply slip back into the world. 'I spent 17 years on my guard against every threat, 17 years counting down the minutes to lock-up so I could be behind my door and safe from other prisoners - but not safe from my own mind. 'Imagining I would die there. Perhaps murdered in the kitchens by a fellow prisoner. Or left to die of hypoglycaemia in my cell in the night. Or being driven insane by the system and dying at my own hand.' His mother added: 'I have always known he did not do this terrible crime. 'The first time I got to talk to him after his arrest he said 'when they test the DNA they will know I am innocent'. He has been saying this same thing ever since. 'For nearly 20 years people have assumed that I was just a loyal but deluded mother in denial about what my son was capable of doing. 'I knew the system had got it wrong, but it seemed like there was nothing I could do about it. 'As a mother, not being able to help your child when they are in desperate, desperate need was the most painful experience you could imagine.' Mr Malkinson previously applied twice for his case to be reviewed by the CCRC but was turned down, eventually being released from prison in December 2020. After his release, advancements in scientific techniques allowed his legal team, supported by legal charity Appeal, to provide new DNA analysis that cast doubt on his conviction to the CCRC. The body then commissioned its own testing which found that DNA from the victim's clothing matched another man on the national police database. GMP confirmed in January that a man had been arrested and released under investigation in light of the new information, but no decision has been made as to whether he will be charged. A 30-year-old man has died after being stabbed multiple times in his torso after a spat with two men in Sydney's inner west. Emergency services rushed to the scene at Donnelly Street in Balmain on Saturday at around 3.40pm following reports of an assault. The victim was rushed to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a critical condition before undergoing surgery. The man was unable to be saved. Emergency services rushed to the scene at Donnelly Street in Balmain, in Sydney's inner west, on Saturday at around 3.40pm following reports of an assault The victim was rushed to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a critical condition The victim was stabbed during an altercation with two men who fled the scene (pictured, emergency services at the scene) NSW Police said the victim was believed to have been stabbed during an altercation with two men who fled the scene in a car. He also suffered injuries to his face. A car was found 6km away on fire in Preston Avenue in Five Dock a short time after the stabbing. A firearm was found in the car which has been seized for forensic examination. Crime scenes have been set up at Balmain and Five Dock. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Leichhardt Police Area Command or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Emergency services were seen holding up a white sheet as they worked to save the man Passers-by were moved away from the scene in Balmain Police have set up a crime scene after it was reported two men fled the area (pictured) A stolen dachshund's millionaire owner has revealed the 'horrifying' moment she discovered her puppy had been stolen by a hammer-wielding burglar in a 'targeted' home invasion. Twiglet, owned by Jo Vindis, 43, was captured on Wednesday with CCTV footage showing the 16-month-old pup being cornered and taken by a man holding a hammer. She was later returned to her family after an apparent good Samaritan saw the owner's appeal, came across the dog and pretended not to know it was Twiglet before paying 700 and returning her to her owners. Last night Ms Vindis said she was elated her puppy was back safe, telling the BBC: 'It was horrifying. 'We sort of realised quite quickly, because the alarm had gone off, that there had been a break in, and my husband was able to watch the video pretty quickly after it happened, so we knew almost immediately that she had been taken.' A stolen dachshund's millionaire owner has revealed the 'horrifying' moment she discovered her puppy had been stolen by a hammer-wielding burglar in a 'targeted' home invasion Twiglet, owned by Jo Vindis, 43, (pictured) was captured on Wednesday, with CCTV footage showing the 16-month-old pup being cornered and taken by a man holding a hammer Twiglet belongs to Ms Vindis and her husband Jamie, 47, who is the managing director of Vindis Group Limited, which makes 47million a year. Their home in Essex where only the beloved pet was stolen is worth at least 1million. The disturbing footage of the dog who cost 2,000 - being taken went viral after the family desperately shared it online but on Thursday night they received a tip-off. Ms Vindis said: 'When my husband said he had her it was yeah, disbelief, elation, just all the emotions.' Essex Police said inquiries were ongoing and no arrests had so far been made. Mr Vindis was contacted on Facebook by the apparent good Samaritan who said they saw the appeal and then saw the pet being offered for sale. It is understood police then went to Bedfordshire to collect the animal. Mr Vindis is the managing director of motoring business the Vindis Group, which was founded in 1960 by former spitfire pilot Frank Vindis. Twiglet belongs to Ms Vindis and her husband Jamie, 47, who is the managing director of Vindis Group Limited, which makes 47million a year Last night Ms Vindis said she was elated her puppy was back safe, telling the BBC: 'It was horrifying' Mr Vindis is the managing director of motoring business the Vindis Group, which was founded in 1960 by former spitfire pilot Frank Vindis Footage showed the moment the alleged thief broke into the family home 'dressed as a delivery driver to steal the dog' His wife told the BBC: 'Thank you to all of the coverage and all of the groups that shared, do DogLost were an amazing help to us as well. 'She was a bit bewildered last night, but I don't think there will be any lasting trauma for her.' Yesterday Ms Vindis told the BBC that she did not think the dog had been specifically targeted. But she said: 'But I don't think it could have been entirely opportunistic. He must have been looking at the properties and saw no-one was in. 'It is a quiet, rural and there is not a lot of through traffic. The idea that it could have been a dognapping did go through my mind, but we didn't get a ransom note or anything like that so I don't think so.' At the summit, he suffered retinal haemorrhage and encountered a dead body Iceland executive chairman Richard Walker has revealed how he almost went blind after climbing the summit of Mount Everest and suffered a panic attack sitting next to a corpse. The businessman, 42, embarked on the challenge over the spring break to raise 1million for the Iceland Food Charitable Foundation (IFCF), which is building the world's first Rare Dementia Support Centre. Upon reaching the peak of the world's tallest mountain, Mr Walker said the water in his drinking bottle was frozen solid in temperatures of almost 50C (58F) during the coldest May in living memory. It was also there that his eyesight started to deteriorate due to a retinal haemorrhage, losing around 60 per cent of his vision, The Grocer reports. Mr Walker was forced to sit down on the mountain top, next to a dead body perfectly preserved from a climb in 2021. Richard Walker, 42, executive chairman of Iceland, pictured with the Princess of Wales, climbed Mount Everest as part of a challenge for the company's charity endeavours Richard Walker posted on Instagram: 'After months of training, an exhilarating and challenging journey and plenty of support along the way we have reached the summit of Mount Everest' The father-of-two said: 'I still had another eight hours of descent ahead of me, with no water, and I just lay there, next to a dead body, utterly terrified. 'The wheels came off, emotionally, I was scared, and losing a lot of energy.' Mr Walker was accompanied by veteran mountaineer Kenton Cool, who had previously scaled the mountain in Nepal a total of 17 times. As the pair struggled to make their way down the mountain, they spent a second night at Camp 4, situated in Everest's 'death zone' above 8,000m. Despite running out of oxygen, Walker's vision gradually returned and they successfully made it back to Kathmandu. Just three weeks later, Mr Walker, who is the son of Iceland's founder Sir Malcolm Walker, was in Iceland HQ's Deeside being cheered by colleagues. But he said his return to work was too soon and even as an experienced climber, he underestimated the physical and mental strain of the journey. Upon reaching the peak of the world's tallest mountain, Mr Walker said the water in his drinking bottle was frozen solid in temperatures of almost 50C (58F) during the coldest May in living memory Mr Walker (pictured in conversation with the Princess of Wales) recently announced plans to stand as Conservative Parliamentary Candidate at the next general election and was placed on the party's shortlist of approved candidates Mr Walker also said he had an 'epiphany' about the success of his company and career and vowed to use Iceland's platform 'to do more good things in the communities we serve'. Among Iceland's endeavours is the Rare Dementia Support Centre, which is carrying out research into the causes of Alzheimer's Disease. Other community projects include the Iceland Food Club's interest-free microloans scheme, which was awarded a Gold Lion at this year's Cannes Festival. Mr Walker recently announced plans to stand as Conservative Parliamentary Candidate at the next general election and was placed on the party's shortlist of approved candidates. Although not one of the 'big four' supermarkets, Iceland is performing well against its competitors with 4bn sales last year. The company has also taken steps to help shoppers through the cost of living crisis. This week it announced a 20 per cent reduction on 500 lines a 26m investment to go hand-in-hand with a giant 'meal deal' on 1,000 lines. Mr Walker hails the step as unparalleled among UK supermarkets and adds that it means shoppers can feed their families for 10. In the New Year, Iceland also renewed the price freeze on its value frozen food range for another 12 months, keeping over 600 items from its 1 or Less range as near to 1 as possible. Around 20 per cent of Iceland's range is included in the policy. BIG BEND A woman and her three children were crashed to death by a vehicle while walking on a pavement at Goboyane, Big Bend. Goboyane is situated along the Big Bend/Lavumisa Road and the community was left shocked as the woman and her children were walking on the pavement when a red sedan veered off the road while attempting to overtake another. Both cars were driving towards Lavumisa from the Big Bend side. The woman was carrying an infant on her back, while holding the hands of her two other children, walking towards the Lavumisa direction. The driver of the red sedan failed to control his vehicle while overtaking another car and he smashed on the unsuspecting pedestrian with her children. The woman and the children were thrown towards an oncoming vehicle which was driving towards Big Bend. They were crashed by the two cars and according to eyewitnesses, they died on the scene. When members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) responded to the scene, the victims were transferred to the nearest health facility. A community member who identified himself as Mbhamali said they were shocked at the horrific scene. We are still shocked and we do not understand how this thing happened. It is shocking and I was among those who came to the scene and what I have witness angizange sengikubone (I have never seen such). We know the victims and that is why this accident is personal to us, said Mbhamali. Police officers who attended the scene took statements and said they were still going to investigate the cause of the accident. A giant elephant has been spotted on the loose in southern Italy after escaping from a circus. Surprising footage shows the big-eared giant heading for a supermarket in Calabria as it strolls along a busy road surrounded by mountains. A person filming from their car can be heard laughing and saying: 'He's going for a stroll. 'An elephant at the Eurospin [supermarket]!' Local media reported that the elephant broke free from a local circus and has since been returned, according to the BBC. A giant elephant has been spotted on the loose in southern Italy after escaping from a circus Surprising footage shows the big-eared giant heading for a supermarket in Calabria as it strolls along a busy road surrounded by mountains A person filming from their car can be heard laughing and saying: 'He's going for a stroll' Discussing the animal's adventure, one person wrote on Twitter: 'Brilliant.' Another said: 'How fun.' The elephant's escape comes just days after a wild animal initially believed to be a lioness was on the loose in Berlin, Germany, with more than 220 police officers armed with guns sent to hunt the creature. But the search was soon called off after Germany admitted the missing mammal was actually a wild boar. Authorities determined that there is 'no acute danger' to people in Kleinmachnow on the edge of Berlin where a potentially dangerous animal was spotted, saying they no longer believe that a lioness is at large and calling off the hunt. A search turned up no sign of such a predator and experts who analysed a video have concluded that it was likely a wild boar, they said. George Calombaris has banned a patron from his restaurant after the customer left a scathing one-star review complaining about the lack of Greek staff. The diner had visited the former MasterChef star's Hellenic House Project in Highett, in Melbourne's south-east, recently but left disappointed. They claimed they had the 'worst dining experience ever' after booking six weeks in advance. The customer said their table waited 45 minutes for their food after the manager forgot to put their order through. 'Typically, we weren't offered any compensation except that our food would be out in 5 mins. Which it wasn't,' they wrote in a one-star online review. 'I should've realised it was going to be a disaster when I had to ask for the menu after 10 mins. 'Like others, we've dined in many, many restaurants and were keen to try this 'authentic greek' experience. It was far from it. 'Practically none of the staff were Greek (inc the Manager who was of Indian descent) and the menu didn't reflect what has been posted online. Calombaris - this place is a joke and you've certainly got a few people fooled.' George Calombaris (pictured, with his wife Natalie Tricarico) has lashed out at a diner after they left a scathing one-star review The reviewer slammed the Hellenic House Project restaurant giving it one-star (pictured) which Calombaris posted to his social media on Saturday But the restaurateur hit back and said the patron wasn't welcome in his restaurant again But Calombaris hit back in a fiery Instagram post, telling the diner they were never welcome in his restaurant again. 'Won't lie. I am 99 per cent a very positive human. But this is horrible,' Calombaris wrote on Saturday. 'Yes, we made a mistake with your order. We are humans. And yes, my manager is Indian. You know who you are guys. You're not welcome ever to [the restaurant]'. 'You don't have to speak Greek or be a Greek to work at THHP. 'You just have to be a good human. I am so proud of my team. I hate racism. F***ing hate it.' The Hellenic House Project (pictured in Highett in Melbourne) restaurant's website describes itself as 'a modern day-Australian movement' His post was supported by some of his celebrity chef mates including co-host of My Kitchen Rules Manu Feildel. 'Well done George, people like this should just stay home. And that is a very polite way to say what I really feel like saying,' he commented. Gary Mehigan, one of the original judges who starred with Calombaris in MasterChef Australia, also weighed in with a quote from humanitarian Mohamad Safa. 'Our world is not divided by race, colour, gender or religion. Our world is divided into wise people and fools,' Mehigan's post read. 'And fools divided themselves by race, colour, gender, or religion.' Calombaris had posted a video to social media this week indicating there were teething problems with his newly opened restaurant. 'Thank you to all of the guests who have come through the Hellenic House Project ... yep occasionally we have missed the mark with some of you,' he said. 'Thank you for giving us a second chance. We are growing, learning, we constantly want to be better here. 'The team are doing an incredible job and I'm very proud of them.' The restaurant has a 4.3 star rating online out of 121 reviews. The Greek eatery is the TV chef's first venture into the hospitality industry since his empire went into administration in 2020. George Calombaris and the Hellenic House Project were contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia. The revelations come just as Wesminster is considering a booze ban for MPs MPs guzzled down 16,019 bottles of white wine and 8,500 bottles of red in 2022 Boozy MPs and their staff downed almost 500,000-worth of subsidised alcohol last year, a report has claimed. Nearly 50,000 pints and 16,019 bottles of red were among the various beverages guzzled by the House of Commons between 2022 and 2023. According to The Sun, 8,500 bottles of white were also sank within the thousands of orders made - producing a whopping grand total bill of 498,951. The 365 days of heavy drinking took place in the year of carnage that saw three Prime Ministers in No.10 - with Liz Truss breaking records for the shortest term of office at 49 days. These revelations also come as Westminster is considering a booze ban for MPs, following a number of 'behaviour problems' linked to alcohol. READ MORE: Officials consider making the house dry after it's revealed taxpayers spent 6.4m subsidising food and drinks for MPs last year Westminster's ethics chief claimed the House of Commons should look at introducing a booze ban for MPs Advertisement Earlier this week, Daniel Greenberg, the Commissioner for Standards, said the sale of alcohol on the parliamentary estate should be 'kept under review'. In an interview with Times Radio, he explained: 'I do think perhaps I can try to be helpful and say I do think these are conversations and discussions we should be having, but not in a kneejerk way - certainly not in a sort of instant reaction to a particular case that hits the headlines. 'I'm not going to say yes or no to withdrawal of support of that kind, because as I say, I think it's complicated. 'Do I think it's something that should be looked at in the round? Yes, as part of the landscape review of self-regulation by the House.' Among the beers guzzled last year, 7,500 were Carlsbergs followed by 6,074 Stellas and 4,300 Guinnesses. The Freedom of Information request also revealed that Champagne orders came to 2,800 - with Parliament's own brand selling for 49 a bottle. Meanwhile, just 19 orders for Cokes and Malibu were made throughout the entire time period. It's understood that MPs can go to eight restaurants and bars inside the Westminster estate, with some of these exclusive to elected politicians only. The boozy revelations come just as Wesminster is considering an alcohol ban for MPs The House of Commons' latest accounts reveal that taxpayers spent 6.4million last year effectively subsidising the cost of both food and drinks in MPs' bars and restaurants. This was down from 7.5million in 2021-22 and 9.1million in 2020-21. But it was still above the cost from the years before the Covid pandemic, with 4.6million spent in 2019-20 and 2.6million spent in 2018-19. Two well-known journalists working for the same publisher are locked in a war of words over their respective coverage of the Brittany Higgins saga following the collapse of the Bruce Lehrmann trial. Their opposing views played out in the pages of The Weekend Australian on Saturday, in a lengthy column by opinion writer Janet Albrechtsen. In her latest piece, Ms Albrechtsen examined the role of the media in first reporting Ms Higgins' claim she was raped in Parliament House in 2019 by her then-colleague Mr Lehrmann - who has always denied the allegations. Her column highlighted what appeared to be the souring relations between Ms Higgins and News.com.au political editor Samantha Maiden, who broke the story online in February 2021, hours before Ms Higgins would repeat the allegations during an interview with Lisa Wilkinson on The Project. News.com.au and The Australian are both owned by News Corp. The article drew on leaked text messages between Maiden and the former political staffer before and after the initial News.com.au article was published, until mid-2022. Two well-known journalists working for the same publisher are locked in a war of words over their respective coverage of the Brittany Higgins saga following the collapse of the Bruce Lehrmann trial. (Pictured: Ms Higgins with her partner David Sharaz on April 30, 2021) A rift emerged between Ms Higgins and the senior journalist in October 2021, when Maiden's byline appeared on a story casting doubt on a claim Wilkinson had made in her newly released memoir - namely that Wilkinson was paid significantly less than her Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic while an employee at Channel Nine. Seemingly siding with Wilkinson, Ms Higgins fired off a tweet suggesting Maiden should not have run the story. 'Pressing update in the midst of a sitting week from the political reporter of news.com.au,' she wrote. An upset Maiden reportedly texted Ms Higgins 38 times that night, accusing her of 'publicly attacking me'. Ms Higgins told her to 'chill' and insisted they were 'fine'. Maiden was offered a right of reply by The Australian, which duly published her 360-word response to Albrechtsen's column in full - something rarely done in journalism. In her response, Maiden said she'd had 'differences of opinion on various issues from time to time' with Higgins, which is 'the case in any normal relationship'. Their opposing views played out in the pages of The Weekend Australian on Saturday, in a lengthy column by opinion writer Janet Albrechtsen (pictured) Her column highlighted what appeared to be the souring relations between Ms Higgins and News.com.au political editor Samantha Maiden (pictured), who broke the story in early 2021 A rift emerged between Ms Higgins and Maiden in October 2021, when Maiden wrote a story casting doubt on a claim Lisa Wilkinson had made in her memoir. Seemingly siding with Wilkinson, Ms Higgins fired off this tweet suggesting Maiden should not have run the story She also made pointed remarks about Albrechtsen's supposed bias against Higgins, saying that her own journalism by comparison was more balanced. 'Thats how journalism works you seek the views of all participants in an issue and do not cherry-pick the evidence to suit a preferred narrative,' Maiden said. Maiden ended her response by saying she had 'caught up with Higgins recently' and 'was struck by the fact the kind and thoughtful woman I spent time with bears no relationship to the person who emerges in some of the reporting by those who have never bothered to pick up a phone and speak to her'. At least four people have been electrocuted in India after a Muslim religious procession bashed into a high-voltage overhead cable. Members of a procession in the eastern state of Jharkhand were killed and seven others were injured when a metal pole carried by some devotees hit an overhead cable, Bokaro district police superintendent Priyadarshi Alok said. The incident, where an iron 'Tazia' float came in touch with a live wire carrying 11,000 volts, occurred at around 6am on Saturday morning. Those injured were taken to the Bokaro General Hospital, where three remain in a critical condition. The Islamic calendar is currently in the month of Muharram, the holiest time for Shiites across the world, when large Ashura processions mark the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein in the seventh century. At least four people have been electrocuted to death in Jharkhand, India after a Muslim religious procession bashed into a high-voltage overhead cable Video footage showed the moment that the procession carried the float too close to the live wire. READ MORE: 31 people die after drinking batch of toxic alcohol in India Advertisement As the crowd approached the overhead wire, the float appeared to wobble and its top appeared precariously close to touching it. A loud bang was then heard alongside shouting as the float fell to the floor and the cameraman fled from the scene. A man in the procession could be heard shouting in Hindi: 'Stop, stop, stop! Didn't I warn you to stop?' Tazia are miniature replicas of the tomb of Imam Hussein. They are predominantly made from bamboo and decorated with colourful paper and fabric. Deaths by electrocution are common in India as a result of waterlogging during the summer monsoon season. Nearly 11,000 people on average die by electrocution in India every year, according to official data. As the crowd approached the overhead wire, the float appeared to wobble and its top appeared precariously close to touching it A loud bang was heard in the blast, as an iron pole in the float touched a live wire carrying 11,000 volts Elon Musk has taunted critics by lighting up Twitter's new X logo on top of the company's headquarters in San Francisco. It comes just days after the billionaire allegedly had the original blue bird sign removed from the building without notifying security. Musk stunned the world this week when he revealed the new logo and moniker of the popular social media platform. Posting on Twitter today, the Tesla founder posted a video of the X sign illuminating the sky as it made its way on top of San Francisco's Twitter building. Feedback on the switch was met with mixed reviews, with many taking the opportunity to mock the swap and removal of the famous blue bird. Elon Musk has taunted critics by lighting up Twitter's new X logo on top of San Francisco's headquarters Musk stunned the world this week when he revealed the new logo and moniker of the popular social media platform It comes just days after the billionaire allegedly had the original blue bird sign removed from the building without notifying security Supermarket giant Aldi took a swipe at the new branding in its latest instance of poking fun at other companies. The UK Aldi team shared an image of a 'new' logo, writing: 'Now launching....AldX, (It's the same as Aldi we just fancied a change)'. Social media followers enjoyed the joke and rushed to heap praise on the team for light-hearted humour. One person wrote: 'Have to admit, this social media team is bloody funny. It's definitely one of the best corporate accounts. I still remember the tweet about Eurovision scoring being as complicated as Tesco Clubcard prices from a few years back.' Images from today show the new X sign towering in the sky as workmen finish installing it on top of the company's building. The huge sign is even more noticeable at night - embellished with sparkling bulbs around its edges. Workers install lighting on an 'X' sign atop the company headquarters in San Francisco Feedback on the brand switch has been met with mixed reviews, with many taking the opportunity to mock the swap and removal of the famous blue bird The new installation comes after police were briefly called to the HQ after a worker began tearing down letters from the building's old iconic sign this week This week police were briefly called to the HQ after a worker began tearing down letters from the building's iconic sign just one day after Musk rebranded the platform. Police responded to a 'possible unpermitted street closure' outside the building on Monday afternoon after a man on a cherry picker was seen removing pieces of the company's sign - but later said no crime had been committed. As of 2.30pm work appeared to have halted for unrelated reasons and on one face of the sign all that remained were the letters 'er' and a bird. San Francisco Police Department officers suggested the work had been authorized by Twitter but not been properly communicated with building security. Musk explained his reasoning behind the dramatic rebrand of Twitter, saying it was time to 'bid adieu' to the old logo, telling a user on his platform: 'Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech and as an accelerant for X, the everything app.' Experts have warned that other companies, such as Twitter competitor Meta, may take issue with the rebrand, with X already widely used and cited in hundreds of trademarks. Ukrainian forces will re-enter Russian-occupied Crimea to reclaim the peninsula nine years after it was illegally annexed by Vladimir Putin, a top Ukrainian defence official has said. General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's defence ministry, made the dramatic claims while speaking to news outlet TSN in comments that signal a possible escalation of Kyiv's ongoing counter-offensive in the country's south and east. He indicated that Ukrainian troops would enter Crimea 'soon' but did not specify a timeframe. The Black Sea peninsula was seized by Russian forces in 2014 following the overthrow of the pro-Russian government of Viktor Yanukovych following the Euromaidan revolution. It boasts the port of Sevastopol, a major strategic base. Attacks in the area have stepped up in recent months, including a well-publicised blast which damaged the Kerch Bridge linking Crimea to Russia. Ukraine's counteroffensive was launched last month and made slow progress initially, although it appears to be gathering pace with a significant breakthrough. After two months of being held off along the frontline, Western-backed troops finally punched through the invaders' defences near Robotyne, in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia province. Commentators say the attack suggests Ukrainian forces may be capable of making inroads deep into Russian-held territory. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's defence ministry, said troops could enter Crimea 'soon' Recent attacks in the area have stepped up, including one blast which damaged the Kerch Bridge linking Crimea with Russia After two months of being held off along the frontline, Ukraine's Western-backed troops finally punched through the invaders' defences near Robotyne, in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia province Ukrainian servicemen practicing aiming their weapons today at a firing range in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, as the country's counter-offensive gathers pace Another Ukrainian soldier practices mine detection in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine The attacks, involving up to 80 tanks and armoured vehicles, destroyed Russian fortifications which had previously proved impregnable. Ukrainian commanders are understood to have used their best troops and best equipment, having previously held them in reserve. The army recaptured the village of Staromaiorske on the southern front in a major breakthrough for President Volodymyr Zelensky - who posted a video of his forces celebrating liberating the territory. 'The 35th brigade and the 'Ariy' territorial defence unit have fulfilled their task and liberated the village of Staromaiorske. Glory to Ukraine! said a soldier in the video. Zelensky posted the video of at least eight soldiers holding the Ukrainian flag aloft with the caption: 'Our South! Our guys! Glory to Ukraine!' Russian despot Putin said on Thursday that Ukrainian attacks in the south had intensified. Zelensky has acknowledged progress in the counteroffensive has been slower than desired, but last night touted 'very good results' from the front, without providing details. He said in his nightly video address on Wednesday: 'By the way, today our boys had very good results at the front. Good for them! Details will follow.' Ukraine's counteroffensive was launched last month and made slow progress initially, although it appears to be gathering pace with a significant breakthrough. After two months of being held off along the frontline, Western-backed troops finally punched through the invaders' defences near Robotyne, in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia province Commentators say the attack suggests Ukrainian forces may be capable of making inroads deep into Russian-held territory Ukrainian soldiers have claimed they have recaptured a village from Russian invaders in Donetsk as Kyiv ramps up its counteroffensive. Pictured: Kyiv soldiers hold Ukraine flag up after liberating village The liberation of Staromaiorske is a major breakthrough for Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured with Ukrainian service members as he visits a military hospital in the town of Ochaki) There are three axes to Ukraine's counter-offensive east towards the war-ravaged city of Bakhmut, south-east through Vuhledar and south towards the city of Tokmak. The advance near Robotyne is part of the southern axis Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Maliar also confirmed the Ukrainian army had seized the village. She wrote on Telegram: 'Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region has been liberated. Our defenders are currently carrying out clearing operations' of Russian troops.' General Sir Richard Barrons, a former chief of the UK's joint command, compared Ukraine's advances to those the Allies achieved in Normandy after D-Day in WWII. President Zelensky marked Ukraine's Statehood Day by reaffirming the country's sovereignty - a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who used his claim that Ukraine didn't exist as a nation to justify his invasion. 'Now, like more than a thousand years ago, our civilizational choice is unity with the world,' Zelensky said in a speech on a square outside St. Michael's Monastery in Kyiv. 'To be a power in world history. To have the right to its national history - of its people, its land, its state. And of our children - all future generations of the Ukrainian people. We will definitely win!' He also honored servicemen and handed out first passports to young citizens as part of ceremonies. The holiday coincides with commemorations of the adoption of Christianity on lands that later became Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. Ukrainian firefighters work to put out a fire in an administrative building after missiles strike in Dnipro Pictures posted on social media showed part of one building reduced to rubble and debris strewn across a large courtyard Ukrainian policemen block a road as an emergency service truck drives past near the site of the rocket blasts Both buildings were largely empty - the residential building because it had just been completed and units were being put up for sale. Pictured: Locals watch the site where the missiles struck in Dnipro One Russian missile struck an apartment block (pictured), Kyiv officials said, injuring at least nine people including two children The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down a Ukrainian missile in the city of Taganrog, about 24 miles east of the border with Ukraine, and local officials reported 20 people were injured, identifying the epicenter as an art museum. Debris fell on the city, the ministry added, alleging the missile was part of a 'terror attack' by Ukraine. Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, blamed Russian air defense systems for the explosion. Russia's Defense Ministry said it downed a second Ukrainian missile near the city of Azov, which like Taganrog is in the Rostov region, and debris fell in an unpopulated location. Earlier in the day, a Ukrainian drone was shot down outside Moscow, the Defense Ministry said, in the third drone strike or attempt on the capital region this month. The ministry reported no injuries or damage in the latest incident, and it didn't give an exact location where the drone fell. Since the war began, Russia has blamed Ukraine for drone, bomb and missile attacks on its territory far from the battlefield's front line. Ukrainian officials rarely confirm being behind the attacks, which have included drone strikes on the Kremlin that unsettled Russians. The strikes have hit Russian ammunition and fuel depots, as well as bridges the Russian military uses to supply its forces, and military recruitment stations. The attacks have also included killings of Russian-appointed officials on occupied Ukrainian territory. Three months ago, a Russian warplane accidentally dropped a bomb on Belgorod, injuring two people, in an incident where Ukraine was initially suspected. Holidaymakers in Costa Del Sol have been spotted racing each other to nab poolside sun loungers the moment the doors open. Footage shows a huge queue of people in holiday attire standing in a line as they hope to get their hands on the best beds. It comes after tourists in Tenerife were slammed as 'sunbed warriors' this week after they were spotted laying out loungers at 6.30am - three-and-a-half hours before the pool was due to open. New footage from Benalmadena, Costa Del Sol shows hundreds of vacationers waiting outside the pool area, only to start sprinting towards the sun beds as soon as they could. One tourist at the resort, Laury Mackie, told MailOnline: 'Gates open at 10am and off they go. 'There's a clear strategy... look at the determination in the directions they take. Watch the lifeguard and maintenance guy clearly taking the mick!' Holidaymakers in Costa Del Sol have been spotted racing each other to nab poolside sun loungers the moment the doors open One man even appears to run and grab two sun loungers from the corner of the area, put them on his back an carry them to his preferred spot. 'Then there's the world's strongest dad hurl two sun loungers over his shoulder,' said Ms Mackie. 'Funnily enough most of the dads seem to run in one particular direction...towards the self service beer.' She added: 'It's hilarious viewing as we all calmly wait to wander into the Adults only pool. 'The kids pool reminded me of the parents race at sports day in school...absolutely hilarious! I'd say there were 100 plus there each morning, god knows when they set up camp.' People at the front of the line appear more desperate to bag their space, sprinting ahead of the crowd, while those at the back seem more defeated. In a similar fashion Spanish locals were seen out before dawn to lay down their towels in a prime spot on a Costa Blanca beach this week. Footage shows a huge queue of people in holiday attire standing in a line as they hope to get their hands on the best beds The new footage in Benalmadena, Costa Del Sol shows hundreds of vacationers waiting outside the pool area, only to start sprinting towards the sun beds as soon as the doors open The early-risers in Torrevieja proudly planted their flags in the sand even before the sun rose. They began setting up at 5.30am just after council cleaners finished their night shift - as similar scenes also played out just over an hour's drive away in the popular holiday spot of Benidorm. One local dug his sun umbrella - in the red and yellow of the Spanish national flag - into the sand and plonked his deckchair beside it before disappearing. Another even planted a mini-Spanish flag into the top of his parasol - and stood next to it with his arms crossed in front of him as if he were defending his territory against foreign marauders. The decomposed remains of the two children had been discovered inside separate storage units in Arkansas and Arizona in 2002 A transgender murderer who killed both her babies and stuffed one of their bodies into a Tupperware container is to receive tax payer funded breast implants. Jessica Marie Hann, born Jason Michael Hann, was sentenced to death in 2014 for murdering her 10 week old daughter Montana and her two month old son Jason in 2001 and 1999. Hann was convicted over the killing of the two children after authorities discovered their decomposed bodies in storage units in Arkansas and Arizona. Reduxx reported that Hann was originally held on death row at San Quentin following his trial but was transferred to Central California Women's Facility after she began to identify as a women. After California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered a halt to the death penalty in the state, Hann was allowed to move into the general population and is now reportedly awaiting a tax-payer subsidized breast augmentation, according to the outlet. Jessica Marie Hann, pictured here, is said to be awaiting a tax-payer fundedbreast implant procedure Hann was transferred to Central California Women's Facility, pictured here, after she began to identify as a women In February of 2002, the badly decomposed remains of Montana were found in a Tupperware container after being abandoned in a storage facility in Arkansas four months earlier. Mann and her partner Krissy Werntz had been living in a trailer at the time and kept Montana's remains underneath their bed. The two then rented a storage unit to store their trailer, which was then sold at auction after the rent went unpaid. The buyer of the unit then found Montana's remains while emptying the contents of the container. Court documents say her hand was visible and her head was completely encased in several layers of duct tape. An autopsy of Montana found she had suffered fractures to her skull which had been caused by 'severe blunt force'. Her left tibia had also been fractured, with the Arkansas medical examiner saying that it was caused by bending or twisting her leg as 'if you wanted to break a pencil'. This discovery led police on a nationwide search for her parents and traced the license plate of the trailer to Hann. Born Jason Michael Hann, Hann began identifying as a woman in 2019, pictured here prior to her transition The two were found living at a hotel in Maine with a one month old named Michael, with police arresting the two and taking the child. Michael was then placed into foster care and according to court papers was unhealthy at the time. He was later admitted to hospital and it was discovered he had thirteen rib fractures, as well as fractures in his legs, both knees, and one of his ankles. After a CT and MRI scan, doctors said Michael had also suffered a bleed to the brain, which was caused by violent shaking on more than one occasion. In April 2002, just a day after their arrest in Maine, Mohave County Sheriff's deputies searched a separate storage unit in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Inside, deputies discovered a storage compartment underneath a bench which contained the remains of Jason. Authorities found his body inside a black nylon bag, which was wrapped in seventeen plastic trash bags that had been lined with air fresheners. The mother of the two children Krissy Werntz, pictured here, was sentenced to 15 years to life in connection with the death of her daughter Montana Jason's birth certificate and other paperwork had been left in the trailer connecting it to Hann and Werntz. An autopsy of the remains concluded that he had suffered a fractured rib that was consistent with him being grabbed and shaken. In February of 2006, Hann was sentenced to 27 to 30 years in prison for the case of her son's death, with his daughter's murder being tried separately. In 2013, she was then handed the death penalty for killing Montana and leaving her remains in the storage unit. At the time, Hann had said he never reported the deaths for fear he and Werntz were wanted for a fraud charge in the state of Tennessee. Werntz was sentenced to 15 years to life for the death of her daughter but avoided any charges relating to the death of her son. During he trial, Werntz said she was under significant duress during their relationship and that Hann had threatened to murder her if she went to the police. Werntz was also being held at the California Women's Facility but was granted a move after Hann was allowed into the population. A Colorado man has narrowly missed having his leg devoured by a 600 pound 12 foot alligator named Elvis after slipping over while feeding him a huge raw Turkey. Footage filmed by visitors to the Colorado Gator Farm captured the shocking moment in which a man only referred to as Chad was feeding the gator. Elvis can be seen patiently waiting in the murky brown water as a tour guide explains the feeding patterns of the mammoth reptile. 'If they can't get another alligator - like if we threw the turkey in there,' the man explains as he points to a larger alligator pen, 'there would be seven or eight of them tearing it apart death rolling in opposite directions to tear it apart.' 'One by himself, if he rolls, stuff just rolls with him so there's no use in that.' A Colorado man, named Chad, has narrowly missed having his leg devoured by a 600 pound 12 foot alligator named Elvis after slipping over while feeding him a huge raw Turkey The man goes on to explain how, when alone, an alligator will hold the meat or whatever they're eating high in the air and shake it from side to side. As he finishes his explanation, Chad begins to walk over to the other bank signaling to Elvis that he has the food. Gliding over slowly, Elvis takes his position to be fed. 'They're incredibly smart and he's like 'ok I don't have the food' he knows the food is in the yellow bucket and Chad has got the food, so he's going to go talk to chad,' explains the tour guide. 'Do you want me to just toss next to his face?' asks Chad before picking up the Turkey and slowly walking over to Elvis to throw it into his mouth. Getting ankle deep into the water, Chad throws the large carcass towards Elvis, but loses his footing on the slippery bank, and tumbles to the ground. Seeing a far more substantial snack, the gator launches towards him while Chad struggles to get back his footing, slips and rolls back while Elvis continues to snap at his leg. The crowd can be heard gasping and laughing nervously before the tour guide quickly intervenes telling Elvis to 'calm down.' 'I told you guys it might be the last appearance. That's not the closest we've had to losing the chad yet or a leg,' the guide explains trying to reassure the crowd. Elvis can be seen patiently waiting in the murky brown water as a tour guide explains the feeding patterns of the mammoth reptile The man goes on to explain how, when alone, an alligator will hold the meat or whatever they're eating high in the air and shake it from side to side As he finishes his explanation, Chad begins to walk over to the other bank signaling to Elvis that he has the food. Gliding over slowly, Elvis takes his position to be fed. 'He's a beast, huh, moves a lot faster than you'd expect doesn't he? That got my heart going how about you?' In post of the businesses Facebook page, with a short clip of the incident they wrote: 'Over the weekend Elvis had a hard time deciding if he wanted to eat turkey or Chad's legs. Who knew a 12 ft 600lb alligator could run so fast.' Another clip with a longer video was captioned: 'It's crazy how quickly doing an educational demonstration can turn dangerous. 'As you can see, Elvis wanted to eat the turkey Chad was offering. When the turkey didn't land in his mouth, Elvis was focused on where he saw movement. 'It's why whenever working with large reptile it's always good to have a backup with you! (and someone to record when it goes wrong.' The post adds a special thanks to Chad for 'pretending he was afraid' to seemingly 'give viewers something fun to watch.' 'He wasn't injured, and he promised to work on this turkey throwing aim,' the post continued. Getting ankle deep into the water, Chad throws the large carcass towards Elvis As he does, the gator launches towards him while Chad struggles to get back his footing, slips and rolls back while Elvis continues to snap at his leg The crowd can be heard gasping and laughing nervously before the tour guide quickly intervenes telling Elvis to 'calm down' There are no native alligators in Colorado, but there are some that have been brought there. Those that are there are of the American Alligator species. There are only two species of alligator and the other lives in china. American alligators are born black with yellow stripes which fade over time. There are about 300 live alligators at the Colorado Gator Farm which was founded in 1977. The farm has grown to include alligators, Nile crocodiles, emus, albino gators, a variety of snakes, tortoises, frogs and lizards. Year around warm water makes this unusual home outside of the tropics a thriving habitat in Colorado. Nearly all of the animals seen at the farm are pet rescues. MBABANE Cabinet has appointed a subgroup of ministers to assist in expediting medical supplies procurement after patients went on strike at Mbabane Government Hospital. The subcommittee is led by the Acting Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, Jabulani Mabuza, who is also the substantive Minister of Agriculture. Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Mabuza and his colleague in the Ministry of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg, are also part of the committee with the Minister of Health, Senator Lizzie Nkosi. The group has until the end of August 2023 to stabilise the countrys Health sector and ensure that all hospital needs are met. Expediting Part of their deliverables includes expediting the procurement of medicines and medical supplies for all hospitals and clinics in the country. Health standards are expected to be improved in September and the group of ministers were given leave to buy supplies on emergency bases in a quest to stabilise the health sector. Minister Nkosi confirmed that government was concerned over the current health crisis in the country. Set-up She said Cabinet took a resolution to set-up a subcommittee of ministers for purposes of looking closely to the matter. She further confirmed the timelines and said the group of ministers had to rectify a gap dating back to June 2023, after a stock-take was undertaken and a forensic audit was instituted with the health sector. It is true that Cabinet has appointed a subgroup of ministers to assist in expediting procurement and deliveries of medicines and medicinal supplies to health facilities. All other departments under the ministry have until the end of September to ensure that the standard is back to normal. However, the committee of ministers has set a target of end of August and we anticipate that the situation will greatly improve by the end of July, she said. Outstanding Nkosi said part of the work of the committee was to ensure that all suppliers were paid their outstanding fees and that by the end of September, government did not owe any of the current suppliers. She said one of the contributing factors of the crisis was the unpaid supplies, which delayed delivery, plunging the country into a difficult health situation. The minister stated that the Ministry of Health was continuing with its scheduled deliveries of medicine and medical supplies to health facilities around the country. It is important to note that even though government delivered some of the medicines and medical supplies, some items have not yet been delivered because of the lead times associated with medicine supplies. Ordered Since medicines are perishable items, once the ministry has placed an order with the suppliers, they in turn place orders with their manufacturers, who then proceed to manufacture the ordered medicines. This process can cause delays in the supply of medicines, said Nkosi. The minister said as additional medicines and medical supplies were received by the Central Medical Stores (CMS), these were also supplied to health facilities as emergency deliveries. She said there were still medicines that were harder to source; however, she stated that the ministry was continuing with emergency procurement and deliveries. She encouraged health facilities to continue flagging low stocked items, as they were already doing. The minister further confirmed that there were issues in treating orthopaedic patients. Shortage Government would also like to notify the nation that we do have a challenge with a backlog of orthopaedic cases that the Ministry of Health is working to resolve. We have a shortage in surgeons and we are working on a plan to get a lasting solution. This is part of the items that the group of ministers will be dealing with, she said. Orthopaedic is a branch of medicine concerned with the correction or prevention of deformities, disorders, or injuries of the skeleton and associated structures (such as tendons and ligaments). On Wednesday, patients, mostly suffering from orthopaedic related conditions, engaged on a picket outside the Mbabane Government Hospital. The patients protested and demanded that government provide them with drugs and medical attention. Chairperson of the ministerial committee, Jabulani Mabuza, did not pick his phone when called for a comment after 7.30pm yesterday. MAIL ON SUNDAY EXCLUSIVE: China's public health authorities cracked the genetic code of the Covid virus five days before the rest of the world even learned about the existence of the disease China's public health authorities cracked the genetic code of the Covid virus five days before the rest of the world even learned about the existence of the disease, according to a prominent British scientist. The revelation, confirmed by independent investigators, exposes the scale of Beijing's cover-up of the outbreak in Wuhan which experts fear inflamed the pandemic's spread with disastrous consequences. The genome sequence, vital for developing diagnostic tests and vaccines, was finally shared with the rest of the world more than two weeks later by a Chinese scientist defying the Beijing government by which time the sequence had been assembled by several of the country's private and public laboratories. 'As more information about the early stages of the pandemic emerges, we see a disturbing pattern of efforts to hide critical information,' said Bryce Nickels, co-founder of campaign group Biosafety Now. The professor of genetics at Rutgers University in New Jersey added that attempts to manipulate public opinion began in China but were later echoed in the US and other Western countries. The genome sequence, vital for developing diagnostic tests and vaccines, was finally shared with the rest of the world more than two weeks after it was cracked by a Chinese scientist defying the Beijing government. Pictured: Engineer tests experimental vaccine By which time it was shared the sequence had been assembled by several of the country's private and public laboratories. Pictured: People stand in line for Coronavirus PCR test, in Shanghai, China, in 2022 The disclosure came in private messages exchanged by four scientists in Australia, Britain and the US as they drafted a controversial article in a journal that played a central role in crushing debate over a possible laboratory leak origin. Their 'super secret' discussions on the Slack messaging system emerged from a US Congressional inquiry into the 'Proximal Origins' statement in Nature Medicine, which the journal's editor claimed should stop 'conspiracy theories'. The landmark article stated unequivocally that the scientists 'do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible' although the messages reveal their fears Covid could have come from a lab even after its publication. Pictured: Journalist Ian Birrell, who has led the way on reporting falsehoods on the source of the Covid virus Eddie Holmes, a Sydney University virologist and guest professor at China's Centre for Disease Control (CDC) when the pandemic began, admitted that Beijing was 'definitely trying to rewrite what happened'. He told his fellow authors: 'The CDC had a genome sequence on December 26 [2019]. They told people it would not pass between humans. Endless cover-ups.' He added a warning: 'Don't be fooled by George Gao' a reference to the Oxford-educated director of the Chinese body that oversees their response to public health emergencies. Although people had been falling sick in Wuhan since November 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) only learned about the outbreak of a deadly new respiratory disease on December 31. China did not provide the crucial confirmation of human transmission for another three weeks, even denying it to the WHO in mid-January despite doctors in Wuhan warning of contagion and taking strict preventative measures around sick patients. One study suggested that if China had responded properly in late December, the number of worldwide cases could have been cut by 95 per cent. Instead, Beijing clamped down on officials sharing their data and silenced whistleblowing medics. Gao, who retired last year, told Chinese state media the genetic sequences were released as soon as possible. Yet the first ones were actually obtained on December 26 with a sample taken from an infected delivery man that was sent to a start-up firm's diagnostic centre in Guangzhou, southern China. Experts fear Beijing's cover-up of the outbreak in Wuhan inflamed the pandemic's spread with disastrous consequence. Pictured: People queue for Covid testing in Macau, China in 2022 Beijing clamped down on officials sharing their data and silenced whistleblowing medics. Pictured: Security personnel in protective suits stand at the gate of a residential compound that is under lockdown as outbreaks of Covid continue in Beijing in 22 The company obtained a full set of data the following day and, alarmed over the likely discovery of a lethal new coronavirus, alerted the CDC, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and hospital chiefs in Wuhan. One researcher wrote a blog that appeared briefly online detailing how her fearful firm scrubbed down its facility and then sent its bosses to Wuhan to reinforce the significance of their findings. 'Everything was under intense, confidential and rigorous investigation,' she wrote. 'At this time the hospital and CDC people already knew that there were many similar patients and after we communicated the test results, emergency treatment was started.' Zhang Dingyu, head of Jinyintan Hospital, an infectious diseases centre, told a Chinese journalist they had taken the sequence to the Wuhan Institute of Virology on the same day for 'comparison', saying they thought it seemed a 'Sars-like coronavirus of bat origin'. Several other laboratories quickly followed suit sequencing the genome including one in Shanghai run by Zhang Yongzhen, a virologist who worked with Holmes and scientists in Wuhan. But they were all banned from sharing results. Eventually, Holmes posted the genome on a special forum on January 10 starting the race to develop treatments and vaccines. Gao told fellow scientists his organisation did not generate a genome until January 3. If the China CDC had sequenced the virus first, they would have said so because it would have been a large feather in their cap,' Holmes said. Gilles Demaneuf, a member of the Drastic team of independent researchers concluding a comprehensive report on the early days of the outbreak, confirmed the events following the initial genome sequencing on December 26. 'Jinyintan Hospital reviewed the almost-full sequence with Wuhan Institute of Virology, which confirmed risk of human-to-human transmission,' he said. 'By December 28, all key players knew precisely what they were facing.' Indicted Donald Trump was filmed taking the stage of the Iowa GOP's Lincoln Dinner soundtracked by a song with lyrics about being president or going to prison. 'One could end up going to prison, one just might be president,' the Brooks & Dunn song, which had been played for each candidate as they took the stage, blared in the background. In the footage Trump can be seen bounding up to the stage while a crowd of people wave, cheer and applaud. Taking a moment to look at the crowd, Trump beams as he walks toward the lectern. Trump has been plagued with a litany of legal woes including 34 felony counts in connection with hush money payments to a porn star and 37 felony counts for mishandling classified documents less than three months later. There are also two other ongoing criminal probes, both related to 2020 election interference, which may prompt further indictments of Trump and his allies. Indicted Donald Trump was filmed taking the stage of the Iowa GOP's Lincoln Dinner soundtracked by a song with lyrics about being president or going to prison The irony of the Brooks & Dunn song, however, appeared lost on the former U.S. President and his applauding audience - with the moment seemingly left unnoticed. Trump has never shied from his legal troubles and has on more than one occasion used them as proof of an apparent witch hunt that he believes has been launched against him. 'By the way, if I weren't running, I would have nobody coming after me. Or if I was losing by a lot, I would have nobody coming after me,' he announced at the dinner on Friday evening. The rare appearance with fellow candidates in Iowa was marked by the Republican frontrunner claiming 'there is only one candidate' who can 'win the election big.' Trump is currently ahead in the polls as of July 27 at 52.4 per cent about 37 points ahead of DeSantis. Trump was the final speaker at the Lincoln Dinner, which was attended by 13 Republican hopefuls, each only given 10 minutes to speak. It was clear that the ex-president won the crowd - receiving standing ovations and more applause than any other candidate - with the only Republican to bring up Trump's legal turmoil booed offstage. Whether he could win the next election after losing the last was another story, but he pointed to all sorts of polling data to make his case, claiming that his chief primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis 'is losing to Biden in all cases.' 'I wouldn't take a chance on that one,' he said, garnering laughs. DeSantis managed only a gentle contrast, offering himself as the most electable of the field. And former Vice President Mike Pence delivered his familiar warning of 'the siren song of populism.' Trump made a rare appearance at a 2024 event with other GOP candidates, attending Friday night's Lincoln Day Dinner in Des Moines Trump focused all of his attacks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who only vaguely constrasted himself with the ex-president during his 10 minutes onstage Trump didn't bother with any of the other hopefuls - only calling out the Florida governor. 'I've been an unwavering warrior for Iowa ethanol and I will remain your ethanol champion, very important to you economy. Ron DeSanctus has aggressively fought against ethanol, which I think would be devastating for Iowa,' he said, starting out his assault. Trump talked up his relationship with Iowa in other ways too. Many in the GOP field are running an Iowa-or-bust strategy, so if Trump squashes them in the January 15 caucuses, he has a much easier path to the nomination. 'I'm here to deliver a very simple message Iowa has never had a better friend in the White House than President Donald J. Trump,' he said at the top. He later gave himself credit for saving the Hawkeye State's first-in-the-nation caucus position. 'I won Iowa twice by really a lot. And together we will crush crooked Joe Biden. The most crooked president in the history of our country by a lot. He's also grossly incompetent, he doesn't know what he's doing, he's destroying our country,' Trump said. The ex-president only briefly brought up his mounting legal woes, with Special Counsel Jack Smith filing a surprise superseding indictment Thursday, alleging that Trump had ordered surveillance footage at Mar-a-Lago wiped. 'By the way, if I weren't running, I would have nobody coming after me,' he said. 'If I was losing by a lot I would have nobody coming after me - they wouldn't be coming after me.' Former Rep. Will Hurd was the only candidate to bring up Trump's legal woes - and was awarded by the audience by getting booed Only rank outsider Will Hurd, a former U.S. Representative, dared remind the 1,200 or so Iowa Republicans gathered at the Des Moines convention center of the brewing legal storm. 'Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020,' he said. 'Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison. And if we elect ...' He was cut off by boos and jeers. 'I know. I know... The truth is hard,' he said before wrapping up his speech a minute and a half early, hurrying offstage. Another longshot candidate, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, also called out Trump by name. He was also the only candidate - who went over the 10-minute time limit and had his microphone cut off. DeSantis didn't hit Trump directly, reheating his stump speech that majors on cutting down the federal government, focuses on his achievements in Florida and talks up the culture wars. He did allude to Trump's controversial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, when touting how he kept Florida open. Former Rep. Will Hurd was the only candidate to bring up Trump's legal woes - and was awarded by the audience by getting booed Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson also told the crowd that the party needed to move on from Trump. He was the only candidate to go over his allotted 10 minutes 'You don't coddle bureaucrats like Dr. Fauci, you bring them in and you say, 'You are fired,' DeSantis said. Earlier he pointed out to DailyMail.com, that Trump keeping Fauci on staff was one of the areas where he's openly criticized the ex-president. 'He elevated Fauci, he left him in there, he didn't fire him. I would have done just the opposite,' DeSantis said. But the Florida governor ended with what might be his most important contrast with a president who failed to secure a second term in 2020: electability. 'We either win this election and make good on all the promises that we're making, or the Democrats are going to throw this country into a hole that's going to take us a generation to come out of,' he said. 'I believe that decline is a choice. I believe success is attainable, and I know that freedom is worth fighting for. 'This is our chance in 2024 to send the Biden Harris administration to the dustbin of history where it belongs.' Half the room rose from their seats and their plates of chicken and mashed potatoes for a rousing round of applause. Pence used the chance to take a swing at his old boss. 'Joe Biden has been a disaster for America. And I understand the temptation to cling to what is familiar over leadership fitted to the times,' he said in a familiar refrain from his stump speech. 'But I believe we must resist the politics of personality, and the siren song of populism unmoored to conservative values, because different times calls for different leadership to defeat Joe Biden.' Some of the candidates had fun with the latest Biden family drama, with the president and first lady acknowledging their seventh grandchild for the first time. Former Vice President Mike Pence said he 'understand the temptation to cling to what is familiar' but floated that the party should move on from his old boss Former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley poked fun at the Biden family drama saying that the mental competency tests she's pitched for office holders older than 75 are easy They did so in a statement to People magazine, as the Bidens head to their Rehoboth Beach home for summer vacation. 'Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,' it said. 'This is not a political issue, it's a family matter,' Biden's statement continues. 'Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.' Former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley alluded to the news, as she talked about how easy it would be to pass one of the mental competency tests she's pitched for office holders older than 75. 'There aren't a tough test,' she said. 'What town were you born in? How many grandchildren do you have?' she added to laughs. Hutchinson, who appeared directly after her onstage, used a similar line: 'I know how many grandchildren I have - seven.' It comes after an employee sparked debate after denying their boss first-class A beaming passenger has been praised online after refusing to give up her prime first-class seat for a woman who wanted to sit closer to her teen. Dr Sabra, a TikTok creator and pharmacist, racked up almost ten million views after she shared her elated reaction to the confrontation. The short clip, captioned: 'POV: Flight agent asks me if I want to give up my 1A seat so a child sits with their family', saw her grinning from ear to ear after denying the mom. Viewers were surprised the mom even made the audacious request, as they were on a long-haul 10-hour flight from Seattle to Paris. Seat 1A has long been regarded as the most coveted on first-class airplane cabins and is often demanded by the great and good who feel its number befits a person of their importance. The denial comes months after one man sparked furious debate when he refused to give up his first-class seat for his boss, despite using his own credit card points to do so. Pharmacist and TikTok creator Sabra beamed after standing her ground and keeping the seat Dr Sabra showed her distaste at the mom's request as she paired her viral video with a popular TikTok background audio: 'Girl, f*** them kids and f*** you too.' 'That's a no from me dawg,' she captioned the video. 'Would you have given up your seat? Also, they ended up finding a solution so no, I am not a terrible human being. Also, the child was like 13.' She told BuzzFeed that she was upgraded on her flight by Air France, and denied the switch because she would have tragically had to move to the rear of first class, instead of the front. Poll Do you agree with Dr Sabra? Yes No Do you agree with Dr Sabra? Yes 5758 votes No 623 votes Now share your opinion 'It was still first class but all the way in the back,' she said. 'I kindly said that Id rather keep the seat I selected and she didnt insist. They went ahead and found another resolution pretty quickly.' She said she often receives first class upgrades because of her Delta status, but the incident occurred on her first ever international first-class flight, and she expected 'the "real" business class experience.' 'So that was one of the reasons why I was particularly excited about this flight and the seat that I had purchased and picked in advance,' she added. Sabra said that the airline actually asked her to switch before she even got on the plane, but she felt that refusing to give up the seat 'is not necessarily a lack of empathy. 'You can be kind and empathetic and still choose not to sacrifice your own experience and comfort for someone else's,' she added. 'I also think that parents should plan to sit together when they fly with their kids.' She refused to give up her prime A1 first class seat, one of the most coveted spots on a flight The exchange came on a long-haul Air France A350 10-hour flight from Seattle to Paris Many viewers slammed the mom for making the request, feeling it was her own fault because she didn't organize the flight in advance. 'As a mom, its a parent's responsibility to plan ahead,' said one. 'Just traveled to Europe for 1.5 months with my toddler and no one had to move.' 'Never switch unless it is an upgrade. Others poor planning is not your fault,' added another. Some even suggested that the mom's request may have been a scheme to swindle her way into the sought-after spot. 'Just know they booked two business and one eco thinking theyll strong-arm someone into giving up their seat,' said one. 'I wonder if some families actually on purpose buy the cheapest tickets, to plan to ask someone for their seat: "I got kids, pls move",' said another. She has revealed how she gets the state to pay for his $84,000 a year tuition fees and special accommodations A New York mother has shared how she receives $84,000 of taxpayer cash a year towards her son's private education. Melissa Petro's five-year-old son Oscar has ADHD, generalized anxiety, and a condition called pathological demand avoidance, which is defined by the Child Mind Institute as going to 'extremes to ignore or resist anything they perceive as a demand.' His challenging behavior resulted in expulsion from his Hudson Valley public school two years ago. Melissa and her husband scrambled to keep their son in education, turning to Otto Specht, a local Waldorf school, whose tuition fees, as well as the added cost of Oscar's individual accommodations and therapies totaled nearly $85,000 a year. The couple emptied their bank accounts, savings and maxed out credit cards to afford the enormous bill, then successfully sued the school district for reimbursement and continued support. Melissa Petro's five-year-old son Oscar has ADHD, generalized anxiety, and features of pathological demand avoidance The New York mother has shared how she receives $84,000 of taxpayer cash a year towards her son's private education 'As a child with a disability, our 5-year-old son, Oscar, is legally entitled to early childhood services and risks falling further behind developmentally without them' Melissa wrote in Insider. Following Oscar's expulsion the school district failed to secure a spot for Oscar at another school or offer a compensatory service, so his parents felt they had no choice but to enroll him at a private school for children with sensory differences and learning challenges. After doing so they sued the district for reimbursement after being told the authority were not legally allowed to place him at a private school. The New York City schools chancellor, David Banks, has previously accused parents following this course of action of 'gaming the system' by taking advantage of the law to hustle their children into a free private education. Melissa rejects this claim instead saying her family is simply 'desperate for help.' 'The state government acknowledges a lack of public resources for kids with special needs, so they're willing to pay private institutions to fill the gap and properly educate them in ways that suit them' Melissa explained. 'In the meantime, parents have to foot the bill in most cases. I've met parents who've liquidated stocks meant for retirement, remortgaged their homes, or borrowed enormous amounts from family members to come up with the funds. 'Then they wait, sometimes for years, for reimbursement' she wrote. The school district subsequently failed to secure a spot for Oscar at another school or offer a compensatory service Oscar's parents enrolled him in private school then sued the district for reimbursement Despite being reoffered a place for Oscar back at the local public school the Petro's have rejected it in favor of keeping him at the Waldorf school Despite being reoffered a place for Oscar back at the local public school the Petros have rejected it in favor of keeping him at the Waldorf school. Melissa explained that the public class size was too big, the children were not able to go outside as much and felt it was not right for her special needs child. Explaining the benefits of private education on her son she described how he has 'stopped chewing his clothes, a sign his anxiety is abating' and is 'less oppositional, more cooperative, and more verbal.' 'I will never stop fighting on behalf of my kid' the mother concluded. US trucking firm Yellow has laid off a large number of workers as the company copes with a cash crunch, and is reportedly weighing options including an imminent bankruptcy filing. The trucking giant on Friday told employees that it is 'shutting down regular operations' and laying off non-union employees 'at all of its locations' according to a memo seen by DailyMail.com. The layoffs could immediately impact up to 8,000 members of the company's sales force, business operations and technology departments -- and if the company fails, another 22,000 unionized drivers and freight handlers could face unemployment. Yellow is saddled with some $1.5 billion in debt as of late March, including $729.2 million owed to the federal government for a controversial pandemic-era loan the Treasury Department extended on national security grounds in 2020. Earlier this week, Yellow, which had $5.2 billion in revenue last year, narrowly avoided a driver strike by Teamster union members after failing to make a $50 million payment for employee benefits. US trucking firm Yellow has laid off a large number of workers as the company copes with a cash crunch, and is reportedly weighing options including an imminent bankruptcy Footage shared on TikTok shows one Yellow worker angrily shouting after learning his health care benefits and pension payments had ceased. The worker, who is believed to be operating in Florida , says: 'It's the motherf******s up there, I worked my a** for this company. This is my money y'all are playing with. F*** this s***.' The Wall Street Journal first reported that Yellow was preparing to file for bankruptcy, a move that could come as early as the coming week. For now, Yellow is keeping some customer service workers in place, because the company still has freight in transit that it is trying to get to destinations or back to customers, according to the Journal. A spokesman for the company declined to immediately comment when reached by DailyMail.com on Saturday morning. The company is the third-largest US carrier in the so-called 'less-than-truckload' segment, in which operators carry goods for multiple customers on the same trailer. The US trucking industry in general has faced recent struggles as operators adjust to a return to normal after the shipping boom of the pandemic, when demand for goods and delivery soared. But Yellow's debt load puts it in a uniquely precarious condition. In a memo on Friday, John Murphy, who is the Teamsters National Freight director, advised union employees to collect collect any personal belongings from all offices and terminals, in the case the facilities shutter and become inaccessible. He wrote that 'the likelihood that Yellow will survive is increasingly bleak' according to a copy of the memo published by FreightWaves. 'Yellow continues to clear its system, and it appears to be laying off personnel and closing entire terminals across the country,' wrote Murphy. An upset worker was filmed screaming at a Yellow warehouse after learning his pension was in jeopardy over the company's financial dire straits 'All Yellow employees should, in our opinion, prepare for the worst, as Yellow appears to be headed to a complete shutdown within the next few days. According to Satish Jindel, president of transportation and logistics firm SJ Consulting, Yellow handled an average of 49,000 shipments per day in 2022. As of this week, he estimates that number is down to between 10,000 and 15,000 daily shipments. With customers leaving - as well reports of Yellow stopping freight pickups earlier this week - bankruptcy would 'be the end of Yellow,' Jindel told the Associated Press, noting increased risk for liquidation. 'The likelihood of them surviving and remaining solvent diminishes really by the day,' added Bruce Chan, a research director at investment banking firm Stifel. In a Wednesday statement to the Journal, the company said it was continuing 'to prepare for a range of contingencies.' On Thursday, Yellow said it was in talks with multiple parties about selling its third-party logistics organization. Even if Yellow was able to sell its logistics firm, it would 'not generate a sufficient amount of cash to keep them operational on any sort of permanent basis,' Chan said. 'Without a major equity injection, it would be very difficult for them to survive.' As of late March, Yellow had an outstanding debt of about $1.5 billion. Of that, $729.2 million was owed to the federal government. In 2020, under the Trump administration, the Treasury Department granted the company a $700 million pandemic-era loan on national security grounds. Last month, a congressional probe concluded that the Treasury and Defense Departments 'made missteps' in this decision - and noted that Yellow's 'precarious financial position at the time of the loan, and continued struggles, expose taxpayers to a significant risk of loss.' The government loan is due in September 2024. As of March, Yellow had made $54.8 million in interest payments and repaid just $230 million of the principal owed, according to government documents. Yellow's current finances and prospect of bankruptcy 'is probably two decades in the making,' Chan said, pointing to poor management and strategic decisions dating back to the early 2000s. 'At this point, after each party has bailed them out so many times, there is a limited appetite to do that anymore.' Yellow is the third-largest US carrier in the so-called 'less-than-truckload' segment, in which operators carry goods for multiple customers on the same trailer In May, Yellow reported a loss of $54.6 million , a decline of $1.06 per share, for its first quarter of 2023. Operating revenue was about $1.16 billion in the period. A Wednesday investors note from financial service firm Stephens estimated that Yellow could be burning between $9 million and $10 million each day. Using a liquidity disclosure from earlier this month, Yellow had roughly $100 million in cash at the end of June, the note added - estimating that the company has been burning through increasing amounts of money through July. 'It is reasonable to believe that the Company could breach its $35 mil. liquidity requirement at any moment,' Stephens analyst Jack Atkins and associate Grant Smith wrote. The reports of bankruptcy preparations arrive just days after a strike from the Teamsters, which represents Yellow's 22,000 unionized workers, was averted. Yellow's CEO Darren Hawkins is pictured. His company faces potential bankruptcy A series of heated exchanges have built up between the Teamsters and Yellow, who sued the union in June after alleging it was 'unjustifiably blocking' restructuring plans needed for the company's survival. The Teamsters called the litigation 'baseless' - with general president Sean OBrien pointing to Yellow's 'decades of gross mismanagement,' which included exhausting the $700 million federal loan. On Sunday, a pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow Corp. operating companies, averting a strike - and giving Yellow '30 days to pay its bills,' notably $50 million that Yellow failed to pay the Central States Health and Welfare Fund on July 15, the union said. While the strike didn't occur, talks of a walkout may have caused some Yellow customers to pull back, Chan said. Talks between Yellow and the Teamsters, which also represents UPS's unionized workers , are ongoing. The current contract expires in March 2024. 'The financial struggles of Yellow are not related to the union and the contracts,' Jindel said, pointing to management's responsibility around its services and prices. He added the union wages from Yellow are 'lower than any competitor.' If Yellow files for bankruptcy and customers continue to take their shipments to other carriers, like FedEx or ABF Freight, prices will go up. Yellow's prices have historically been the cheapest compared to other carriers, Jindel said. 'Thats why they obviously were not making money,' he added. 'And while there is capacity with the other LTL carriers to handle the diversions from Yellow, it will come at a high price for (current shippers and customers) of Yellow.' Climate activists have been arrested by Scottish police after they attempted to scale wire fences in the middle of the night to break into an oil terminal. A number of This is Rigged protestors, which is a Scottish offshoot of Just Stop Oil, can be seen trespassing into the Grangemouth oil terminal. One of the eco zealots is stopped by a police officer as they attempt to climb the fence while two others were able to get away and run towards the main gates of the terminal. Each of the protestors were fitted with metal chains which could potentially have been used to tie themselves to objects once they were over the fence. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'We are aware of protestors at the Ineos site in Grangemouth. This is the moment climate activists from a Scottish offshoot of Just Stop Oil tried to scale a wire fence to break into an oil terminal The eco zealots from This Is Rigged can be seen trying to climb over the fence 'A number of arrests have been made and officers remain in attendance.' It is now suspected that Police Scotland have increased their presence on the site following previous protests. READ MORE: Moment eco-vandals spray paint on a portrait of King Charles Advertisement This latest attempt to break into the Grangemouth oil terminal comes after This Is Rigged destroyed a portrait of King Charles earlier this month by writing 'The people are mightier than a Lord' on it in spray-paint. Two people from This Is Rigged vandalised the painting in Edinburgh's National Portrait Gallery. Footage shows one holding a stencil on the glass covering the painting, while the other sprays it with pink paint. The Scottish activist group also blocked the access road to Scotland's only oil refinery by sticking themselves to the ground using concrete and superglue in yet another stunt. The climate activists said four of their number used concrete to secure themselves to the road and delay their removal by police, while a further two used glue to stick themselves to their compatriots. The group, which has demanded the Scottish Government vocally oppose new licences for fossil fuel developments and 'and create a fair and fully funded transition for oil workers', claimed the action has effectively halted the transportation of oil tankers from the facility. Scottish police officers can be heard saying 'don't pull' to the protestors One of the This Is Rigged protestors managed to climb over the fence He can then be seen running past a man towards the front gates of the terminal Police can then be seen detaining other protestors who did not manage to climb the fence Another clip shows the protestors in action outside the oil terminal The co-founder of the firm behind the doomed Titan submersible is now leading a project to create a floating colony of 1,000 people on Venus - just weeks after the disaster which killed five people. Argentinian-born businessman Guillermo Sohnlein, 57, left Oceangate Expeditions in 2013 after setting it up four years earlier alongside its CEO Stockton Rush. Rush, 61, was killed on board the Titan on Sunday, June 18, when the vessel imploded while on a voyage to see the wreck of the Titanic on the Atlantic seabed. Undeterred by the tragedy, Sohnlein states humanity needs to push the limits of innovation and has revealed plans to create a colony of 1,000 people on Venus by 2050, Insider reports. He has founded an organisation called Humans2Venus and insists placing humans on Earth's 'evil twin' is not as far-fetched a proposal as it seems. 'I think it is less aspirational than putting a million people on the Martian surface by 2050,' he said. 'Forget OceanGate. Forget Titan. Forget Stockton. Humanity could be on the verge of a big breakthrough and not take advantage of it because we, as a species, are gonna get shut down and pushed back into the status quo.' Argentinian-born businessman Guillermo Sohnlein (left), 57, co-founded Oceangate Expeditions in 2009 alongside its CEO Stockton Rush (right) Sohnlein has founded an organisation called Humans2Venus and insists placing humans on Earth's 'evil twin' was not as far-fetched as it seemed Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system, even hotter than Mercury despite the latter being closest to the Sun, with a surface temperature that could melt lead. Venus also has a thick, toxic atmosphere of carbon dioxide and yellow clouds of sulfuric acid, while NASA reports its atmospheric pressure is more than 90 times that of Earth. 'You're absolutely right that when you talk about going to Venus, it would raise eyebrows outside the space industry. And it even raises eyebrows inside the space industry,' Sohnlein said. Despite this, he explained he sees no reason why humans shouldn't try to take over the planet. He alluded to research, which claims there is a small section of Venus' atmosphere 30 miles from the surface - where human could, in theory, survive. He stated his belief that if a floating space station could be built that was fortified against the sulfuric acid in the clouds, a colony of 1,000 people could live in Venus's atmosphere. He did not address how this space station would withstand the 224mph hurricane winds that frequently batter Venus. In a blog post in February, Sohnlein wrote: 'I am not an engineer or a scientist, but I have ultimate faith in the abilities of both. Therefore, I always figured that they would be able to overcome the myriad challenges facing us in the extreme environment of space.' Rush, 61, was killed on board the Titan on Sunday, June 18, when the vessel imploded while on a voyage to see the wreck of the Titanic on the Atlantic seabed Venus, seen here in an image taken by NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft, was never covered in oceans because clouds created a greenhouse effect that prevented rain, a model suggests He said that since the age of 11, he had felt driven to help make humanity a 'multi-planet species' and had a recurring dream about being the first commander of a colony on Mars. Pushing the boundaries of possibility is part of Sohnlein's philosophy. He explained that with Oceangate, he and Rush both perceived deep sea exploration as the closest thing to going into space. VENUS: THE BASICS Venus, the second planet from the sun, is a rocky world about the same size and mass as the Earth. However, its atmosphere is radically different to ours being 96 per cent carbon dioxide and having a surface temperature of 867F (464C) and pressure 92 times that of on the Earth. The inhospitable planet is swaddled in clouds of sulphuric acid that make the surface impossible to glimpse. In the past, it has been suggested that Venus likely had oceans similar to Earth's but these would have vaporised as it underwent a runaway greenhouse effect. The surface of Venus is a dry desertscape, which is periodically changed by volcanic activity. Facts and Figures Orbital period: 225 days Surface area: 460.2 million km Distance from Sun: 108.2 million km Length of day: 116d 18h 0m Radius: 6,051.8 km Mass: 4.867 10^24 kg (0.815 M) Advertisement Oceangate's ultimate vision was to manufacture cheap submersibles that could be chartered to the seabed and discoveries along the way would help in the mission to get human into outer space. Other exploration firms have had similar goals and made lasting contributions to technology. SpaceX's dream was to place a million people on Mars and through its research, it created reusable rockets, Starlink and Starship mega-rockets. In an similar fashion, Sohnlein's venture group Humans2Venus, co-founded with businessman Khalid Al-Ali, will promote start-up ideas to transcend commercial barriers to moving humans on to Venus. Sohnlein added the group will seek to create methods to cut launch operational costs and finance space missions without support from government agencies. Insider contacted an independent expert to inquire whether sending humans to Venus by 2050 was a realistic prospect. Andrew Coates, a professor of space physics from University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, said it was possible with 'political will' and financial backing. But, he stated: "I suppose the question is why do we want to do that?" He said he regarded Venus as no worse a location than Mars, saying both would create extremely harsh and inhospitable climate for for humans. OceanGate, and in particular Rush, have come in for fierce criticism about alleged corner-cutting with the design and testing of the Titan submersible, and ignoring the scientific and engineering consensus. Rush died in the disaster, along with British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58; French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77; and British-Pakistani father and son Shahzada Dawood, 48, and Suleman Dawood, 19. In 2018, the director of maritime safety was fired for questioning the structural composition. That same year, an industry group told Rush that there were widespread concerns about Titan's design. Five people were onboard, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19 French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) was in the sub along with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition Rush boasted that Boeing, NASA and the University of Washington had all collaborated on the design, but all three have since said they were not involved in designing and testing Titan. James Cameron, the director of the 1997 film Titanic and an experienced deep sea explorer, has been among the most vocal critics of the Titan's design. He said there were several 'potential failure points' in the doomed Titan submersible - and a warning system probably alerted the five crew who perished shortly before the vessel imploded. A series of concerns were raised in recent years about the vessel's carbon fiber hull - the cylinder which carried the five crew who perished - and its porthole, which was allegedly not certified to the immense depths Titan ventured to. Rush even said the carbon fiber design broke a 'rule' and was accused of ignoring concerns from his own staff. Cameron, a renowned explorer who has traveled to the deepest known point in the ocean, said Titan had 'three potential failure points' and indicated that its 'Achilles heel' was the carbon fiber cylinder. He added the hull was broken into 'very small pieces' after Titan imploded when the hull fractured because of the pressure. A warning system probably sounded an alert and the crew tried to ascend in the moment before the implosion, he added. Sohnlein hit back at Cameron, claiming he 'knows nothing' about the company and its submersible program. Cameron 'is a very experienced ocean explorer and a sub guy himself, but knows nothing about OceanGate and that stuff,' Sohnlein told Insider magazine. Cameron gave a series of interviews following news of Titan's demise which criticized the 'fundamentally flawed' carbon fiber hull Concerns about the hull and porthole were also raised by OceanGate's former head of marine operations, David Lochridge, in court documents in 2018. The filings state the viewport was 'only built to a certified pressure of 1,300 meters, although OceanGate intended to take passengers down to depths of 4,000 meters'. Cameron delivered a damning assessment of the Titan craft during a series of interviews following the grim news it had been destroyed during its mission. He criticized the design for straying away from proven techniques in favor of experimental methods. 'There are three potential failure points and the investigation hopefully can localize it down to exactly what happened,' he told Good Morning America. 'The viewport in the front was an acrylic viewport. I'm told it was rated to less depth than they were diving to, which is one point. They also had two glass spheres on the sub, small glass spheres for floatation, which is a bad idea.' Cameron didn't clarify his statement about the 'glass spheres' but he said it was the carbon fiber hull that was the 'weakest link'. 'If I had to put money down on what the finding will be, the Achilles heel of the sub was the composite cylinder that was the main hull that the people were inside. 'There were two titanium end caps on each end. They are relatively intact on the sea floor. 'But that carbon fiber composite cylinder is now just in very small pieces. It's all rammed into one of the hemispheres. It's pretty clear that's what failed.' Cameron said: 'And they probably had warning that their hull was starting to delaminate, and it started to crack... It's our belief we understand from inside the community that they had dropped their ascent weights and they were coming up, trying to manage an emergency' Rush, who died in the Titan incident, said in a video posted online in 2021 that he had 'broken some rules' to create the vessel and added: 'The carbon fiber and titanium, there's a rule you don't do that well I did.' He also said in 2020 that the hull had 'showed signs of cyclical fatigue'. Carbon fiber is prone to delamination, the process whereby a material fractures into layers while put under pressure. Cameron said: 'The way it fails is it delaminates. You have to have a hull, a pressure hull, made out of a contiguous material like steel, or like titanium, which is the proven standard.' 'This OceanGate sub had sensors on the inside of the hull to give them a warning when it was starting to crack. And I think if that's your idea of safety, then you're doing it wrong. And they probably had warning that their hull was starting to delaminate, and it started to crack... 'It's our belief we understand from inside the community that they had dropped their ascent weights and they were coming up, trying to manage an emergency.' Footage from the frontline of Ukraine's counter-offensive shows the dramatic moment troops pummel Putin's forces and storm their trenches while under heavy fire in Russian-occupied Bakhmut. Bodycam video shows a crack team of soldiers from the third assault brigade raiding the Russian positions, marching behind a tank and dodging bullets and mines. One brave soldier appears to be struck in the head and injured, with his comrades strapping a bandage to stem the bleeding as they continue to push on. Eventually, drone footage shows the incredible moment the troops launch a barrage of gunfire on enemy positions before claiming Russian hideouts and trenches. It comes as their president today visited the frontline and hailed their 'performance of tasks for the sake of Ukraine' as 'truly heroic'. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he visited Ukraine's special forces in 'advanced positions' near the hotspot of Bakhmut as Kyiv ramps up its counteroffensive. Incredible bodycam footage from Ukrainian soldiers shows the moment they storm Russian positions President Volodymyr Zelensky said he visited Ukraine's special forces in 'advanced positions' near the hotspot of Bakhmut as Kyiv ramps up its counteroffensive The 3rd assault brigade shared footage of their fighters approaching the frontline ahead of a confrontation with Russian troops Drone footage shows the incredible moment the troops launch a barrage of gunfire on enemy positions Ukrainian troops can be seen weaving in and out of what appear to be abandoned Russian trenches Bodycam video shows a crack team of soldiers from the third assault brigade raiding the Russian positions The trenches are bombed at one point in the footage, which was shot by a drone following the assault Ukrainian servicemen can be seen claiming Russian hideouts and trenches in the footage Pictures showed Zelensky in a flak jacket meeting troops and looking at maps in a dimly lit, windowless concrete-walled room. He praised Ukraine's Special Operations Forces, saying on messaging app Telegram today: 'I am here to congratulate our warriors on their professional day, to honour their strength.' Zelensky said he was not at liberty to disclose details of the special forces' current operations, but stressed that its members recently helped recapture the village of Staromaiorske from Russian forces on the southern front. 'The guys inflict especially tangible blows on Russian terrorists,' he added. Since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, 17 members of special operations forces were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, 13 of them posthumously, Zelensky said. Zelensky said he visited a number of eastern Ukrainian towns including Chasiv Yar, Kramatorsk and Druzhkivka. In a separate statement, Zelensky's office said the president was informed about 'intelligence networks' in Ukraine's occupied territories and other operations. Ukraine last month began its highly anticipated fightback after stockpiling Western weapons and building up its offensive forces. Kyiv has however admitted making slow progress and called on the United States and other allies to provide long-range weapons and artillery. There are three axes to Ukraine's counter-offensive east towards the war-ravaged city of Bakhmut, south-east through Vuhledar and south towards the city of Tokmak. The advance near Robotyne is part of the southern axis Ukrainian authorities have said Kyiv's troops are gradually moving forward near the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces seized in May. Meanwhile to the south, a top defence official today claimed Ukrainian forces will soon re-enter Russian-occupied Crimea to reclaim the peninsula - nine years after it was illegally annexed by Vladimir Putin. General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's defence ministry, made the dramatic claims while speaking to news outlet TSN in comments that signal a possible escalation of Kyiv's ongoing counter-offensive in the country's south and east. He indicated that Ukrainian troops would enter Crimea 'soon' but did not specify a timeframe. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's defence ministry, said troops could enter Crimea 'soon' After two months of being held off along the frontline, Ukraine's Western-backed troops finally punched through the invaders' defences near Robotyne, in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia province Ukraine's counteroffensive was launched last month and made slow progress initially, although it appears to be gathering pace with a significant breakthrough The Black Sea peninsula was seized by Russian forces in 2014 following the overthrow of the pro-Russian government of Viktor Yanukovych following the Euromaidan revolution. It boasts the port of Sevastopol, a major strategic base. Attacks in the area have stepped up in recent months, including a well-publicised blast which damaged the Kerch Bridge linking Crimea to Russia. Ukraine's counteroffensive was launched last month and made slow progress initially, although it appears to be gathering pace with a significant breakthrough. After two months of being held off along the frontline, Western-backed troops finally punched through the invaders' defences near Robotyne, in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia province. Commentators say the attack suggests Ukrainian forces may be capable of making inroads deep into Russian-held territory. Dylan Mulvaney shared a video of herself excitedly bouncing up and down on an inflatable during a trip to the South of France as she celebrated 500 days of 'being a girl.' The LA-based transgender influencer, 26, enjoyed the warm weather by the seaside in a baby blue floral swim cap, a lick of lime green eye shadow and blue and white striped bathers. The video was marked by a milestone for Mulvaney who revealed it was day 500 of coming out to the world as female. But her paradise break came after she shared details of the 'trauma' she said she'd suffered in the wake of being gifted a special can of Bud Light to mark a year of being a woman, which triggered a conservative firestorm and tanked the brand. 'I'm having the best day ever, I've got my pina colada, it's my second one I'm in France. Bonjour,' she says before a montage of the TiKTok star launches to the sound of La Mer by Chantal Chamberland. Trans social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney has posted a video of her 'girls trip' to France just days after sharing the 'trauma' she's felt after her April partnership with Bud Light In the next sequence, Mulvaney bounces up and down on an inflatable jubilantly as her two friends sit on either side of her In the video Mulvaney is seen swimming in the crystal clear ocean, donning large white rimmed sunglasses, while beaming at the camera. In the next sequence, Mulvaney bounces up and down on an inflatable jubilantly as her two friends sit on either side of her. An ocean spray erupts on screen as the three women are seen being tossed from one end to another of the inflatable as it's pulled across the water behind a boat. The snapshot of the holiday ends with Mulvaney washing off the salty water in a public shower near the beach. While Mulvaney appeared elated on her vacation, day 500 was marred by lingering controversy connected to a promotional partnership with Bud Light in April. In a video posted just days prior, Mulvaney revealed the 'trauma' and 'lessons' she'd learnt in her journey becoming a woman - more importantly after day 365 when she posted the promotion. The partnership has seen Anheuser-Busch lose $27 billion in market cap value since the advert for March Madness. The 26-year-old shared a clip with her 11 million TikTok followers Wednesday highlighting that she'd always felt like a woman, even as early as the age of four. In the seven-minute clip, Mulvaney said: 'Day 500 is dedicated to my younger self who didn't get to celebrate so many awesome discoveries because I was just hoping to get by. In the video Mulvaney is seen swimming in the crystal clear ocean, donning large white rimmed sunglasses, while beaming at the camera An ocean spray erupts on screen as the three women are seen being tossed from one end to another of the inflatable as it's pulled across the water behind a boat The snapshot of the holiday ends with Mulvaney washing off the salty water in a public shower near the beach 'Today is actually day 9,705 of being a woman, because I've always been one.' While the 26-year-old didn't mention the Bud Light backlash by name she said: 'I learnt more since day 365 than I did that whole first year.' 'If I make the content that I want to make, and freely share my trans joy, I subject myself to a lot more trauma,' she added. 'So lately, I've chosen to scale back in order to protect my overall well-being, and it works. 'I am quite happy, but I'm not doing what I love, so it's kind of a bittersweet thing.' Mulvaney, who was born male, began to document her gender transition in March 2022 in a daily series of videos published on TikTok. She spoke about what she has learnt since the one-year mark in Wednesday's video and said on day 387 she realized that 'trust is something that should be earned.' On day 398 she discovered that 'misery loves company' and on day 422 she said hormone injections 'worked better... than pills.' Anheuser-Busch announced the decision to lay off about two percent of its US workforce in a statement released by CEO Brendan Whitworth on Wednesday In a video posted just days prior, Mulvaney revealed the 'trauma' and 'lessons' she'd learnt in her journey becoming a woman - more importantly after day 365 when she posted the promotion Feminizing hormone therapy is used for those transitioning from male to female. It requires injections, once or twice a week, which help to block testosterone and increase estrogen. Mulvaney said: 'It's been really beautiful to watch my body change. 'But something really ugly happened these last few months where I started to believe that if I just got really pretty and if I stayed quiet, I could still find success.' Bud Light - once America's favorite beer - lost its title for the top spot to Modelo following the controversial partnership with Mulvaney. Its parent company Anheuser-Busch announced its decision to lay off about two percent of its US workforce in a statement released by Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth this week. There are around 19,000 people employed by the company in the US, meaning approximately 380 staff are set to lose their jobs. 'Today we took the very difficult but necessary decision to eliminate a number of positions across our corporate organization,' Whitworth said. 'While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success,' he added. 'These corporate structure changes will enable our teams to focus on what we do bestbrewing great beer for everyone.' The transgender TikTok star has been shrugging off criticism since she entered into a disastrous partnership with Bud Light to celebrate '365 Days of Girlhood' Workers who are laid off will receive severance pay, paid out of their unused vacation time, receive six months of continued company-paid health insurance benefits and help finding a new job, according to an email sent to employees Wednesday. The restructuring 'will simplify and reduce layers within its organization,' a spokesperson said. But, the layoffs will not affect frontline workers, such as 'brewery and warehouse staff, drivers, and field sales reps among others.' The company faced a boycott from all sides of the political spectrum, though it was largely centered around those with conservatives politics. Mulvaney hit out at Bud Light last month and said its lack of response to the backlash has 'given customers permission to be as transphobic and as hateful as they want.' She revealed it has led to her being 'ridiculed in public' and that she'd 'felt a loneliness that I wouldn't wish on anyone.' Her version of events has been disputed by one of the teens she fought with A hospital worker who became known as the 'CitiBike Karen' has broken her silence after she was condemned online for a fierce confrontation with a group of black teenagers. Sarah Comrie, 36, was seen in viral footage in May in a hostile back-and-forth over a CitiBike near Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital, which she now claims erupted after she was ambushed by the high schoolers. Speaking with New York Times columnist Pamela Paul in a supportive article titled 'Don't Call Her Karen', Comrie said she only unlocked the bike for a moment before she was swarmed by the teens, who she claims harassed and cursed her out. One of the teenagers disputed this after the footage sparked furious debate online, claiming Comrie stole the bike from him after he docked it for only five minutes to avoid paying higher toll rates. Paul leapt to the hospital workers' defense in her column as she criticized the backlash directed at Comrie, who has been placed on leave from Bellevue Hospital and faced death threats and doxxing online due to her 'Karen' label. Sarah Comrie, pictured here tussling with the bike in the viral footage, has claimed she already paid for the CitiBike before she was ambushed by the teens The hospital worker was defended in a recent New York Times column titled 'Don't Call Her Karen' Comrie said the confrontation came after she had just finished a 12-and-a-half-hour shift, and she decided to use an E-bike on doctors' orders because she was pregnant and had a uterine infection. CitiBikes are a popular bike sharing service available in many major American cities, where users undock bikes and E-bikes using an app. The hospital worker claims that she approached a boy leaning on one of the bikes and asked if it was taken, and was told it was. This led her to take the bike next to him, and scan its QR code to unlock it. CitiBike receipts show she rented the bike at 7:24pm, but seconds later she says she heard a voice call out: 'Hey, that's my bike.' The next thing she knew, Comrie says she was surrounded by a group of teenagers, who repeated that it was their bike despite her paying and unlocking it moments before. While trying to explain that she had just rented the bike, she says one of the other high schoolers started becoming more hostile towards her. As tensions heated up, she says several of the teens then grabbed the bike and aggressively shoved it back into the docking station, automatically re-locking it. One of the young men physically blocked her from rescanning the QR code, she claims, before using his own phone to pay for the bike instead. Comrie said the escalating situation led her to yell for help, which is when she says one of the teenagers began recording on his phone in footage that subsequently went viral. The receipt for Comrie's ride showed she had rented the bike for only a matter of seconds as she wasn't charged for the ride The documents show that the ride was ultimately canceled, and she wasn't charged, before booking another bike minutes after the incident Footage of the incident opened with Comrie already in a furious exchange with the group, and one of the teens is heard telling her that he is recording the situation. She is heard screaming for help, saying: 'Help! Help me! Please help me!' While one of the men offscreen, tells her: 'This is not your bike.' The hospital employee then cries out for help again, and asks the man to 'please get off.' She then takes off her hospital badge in an apparent effort to hide her identity, as one of the men could be heard asking her: 'You know you're not getting this bike?' Comrie screams for help again and tries to get onto the rental bike, before swiping the man's phone. 'Why are you taking his phone?' one of the man's friends asks her. 'What's wrong with you? Do not touch his phone, do not touch his phone,' he tells the hospital employee. Comrie then tells the man that he's 'hurting my unborn baby,' to which the man replies: 'You put your stomach on my hand.' The hospital worker was seen bursting into tears at that point, although the high schoolers thought she was faking and accused her of crocodile tears. She then continues to climb onto the bike, hysterical with tears, as her coworker suggests they just 'reset the bike.' Comrie then steps off the bike and apparently stops crying as she pulls out her phone. 'Not a tear came down miss,' the friend says as the video ends. In the video, Comrie could be seen screaming for help as well as warning the men that she was pregnant Comrie could even be seen crying in the video as she hopped onto the disputed bike Comrie's version of events comes months after one of the teenagers, named only as Michael, told Newsone that the bike was his, but he docked it for a few minutes to avoid paying higher fees. He didn't dispute that she had booked the bike at 7:24pm, but says he pulled up to the hospital docking station at 7:19pm and locked the bike in for five minutes before Comrie appeared. Michael added that the fact he was standing by the bike before intending to book it out again makes him the 'rightful owner' at the time Comrie booked it. Poll Do you think Michael should have been allowed to claim ownership of the docked bike? Yes No Do you think Michael should have been allowed to claim ownership of the docked bike? Yes 406 votes No 3534 votes Now share your opinion Due to his family receiving benefits, he said he gets a discount on Citi Bike rides but after 45 minutes the rate on the bikes increases. In order to avoid the higher charge, he said he frequently stops his rides and resets the clock by re-docking the bike. 'I use the bikes to get to and from school. If Im traveling anywhere in the city, even if its from here to Brooklyn, my first option is Citi Bike,' he said. 'Its my preferred mode of transport. Its like my car. I cant say that all of this is not affecting me.' On the day of the incident, May 12th, Michael and four other teenagers rode bikes from the Bronx to Harlem at 5:53pm, then to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Receipts shared on Newsone show his travel from his native Bronx to Harlem, and then from Harlem to the Lowest East Side, stopping outside the Bellevue. Receipts also show that he had pulled up to the hospital at 7:19pm, with Comrie's receipt showing she had started to use the bike at 7:24pm. Receipts then show it docked a minute later, when Comrie says the bike was aggressively shoved back into the station. At 7:25pm Michael then started using the bike, his receipt shows, and finished his trip at 7:31pm when he redocked it again outside the hospital. He insists that they never left the bikes unattended and that four of his friends had been sitting on their bikes as they rested but he was standing next to his. A roughly 90 second video of the incident was posted on TikTok and Twitter shows Comrie arguing with the man outside of New York City's Bellevue Hospital (pictured) After Comrie's lawyer first opposed Michael's version of events last month, Michael said he has seen a disturbing change in attitude towards him. 'At first, I felt supported. It was like I went through this thing, people saw the video of it, and they were supporting me. When those receipts got released, everything flipped,' he said. 'People started calling me a thief, a thug, and a Black man.' N Korea pledges to develop cooperation with China to new high Pyongyang, July 29 (UNI) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hosted a reception for the Chinese delegation on Friday, during which the parties agreed to further develop cooperation and respond to the complicated international situation, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday. This week, the Chinese delegation, led by Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong, traveled to North Korea to take part in the celebrations of the anniversary of the end of the Korean War. It is the first visit of foreign officials to the country since the COVID-19 outbreak, KCNA reported. During the reception, North Korea and China reaffirmed their stand to steadily develop the cooperation onto a new high stage through close strategic and tactical collaboration, as well as to cope with the complicated international situation on their own initiative, the news outlet reported. A resort in Rhodes stands deserted after a mass evacuation as the wildfires spread across the Greek island. In pictures taken today, empty sun loungers can be seen lining the beach in Lardos, Rhodes, after the raging wildfires forced thousands of tourists to be evacuated from their hotels. The wildfires that have scorched Greece for more than two weeks were mostly under control today, but firefighters remained in key hotspots with strong winds still a threat, officials said. Three fires broke out today in the Peloponnese peninsula, with authorities protectively ordering the evacuation of four communities near the city of Pyrgos. Over 100 firefighters are active in the area, backed by seven aircraft and two helicopters, the fire department said. In pictures taken today, empty sun loungers can be seen lining the beach in Lardos, Rhodes, after the raging wildfires forced thousands of tourists to be evacuated from their hotels The wildfires that have scorched Greece for more than two weeks were mostly under control today, but firefighters remained in key hotspots with strong winds still a threat, officials said (pictured: empty resorts in Lardos) Nickolas Balgouranidis, and his wife Eleni Kottorou stand under the relative shade of a burnt tree on Glistra beach on July 28, in Lardos, Rhodes, Greece Three fires broke out today in the Peloponnese peninsula, with authorities protectively ordering the evacuation of four communities near the city of Pyrgos (pictured: an area ravaged by wildfire next to a hotel on the coastline in Lardos) Families relax on Glistra beach on July 28, in Lardos, Rhodes. The popular beach was ravaged by wildfire and the trees have been reduced to black stumps A holiday maker from the Czech Republic and her dog Olivier watch as a helicopter scoops up water to drop on wildfires on July 28, 2023 in Gennadi, Rhodes Earlier today the agency said there was 'no active front' in the three biggest wildfires in Rhodes, Corfu and central Greece that had forced thousands of people to flee in recent days. Nevertheless, more than 460 firefighters were still deployed in these three areas as a precaution, it said. 'There is no de-escalation of forces until the major incidents are checked,' it said. Fed by scorching temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds, the two-week inferno had sparked chaos at the peak of the busy summer tourist season. Some 20,000 visitors and locals fled from hotels and villages on the island of Rhodes. Hundreds more were evacuated in Corfu and other areas. Earlier today the agency said there was 'no active front' in the three biggest wildfires in Rhodes, Corfu and central Greece that had forced thousands of people to flee in recent days The popular Glistra beach was ravaged by wildfire that also destroyed the up-market Pizzaria that once stood Since the wildfires that swept across the south of the island over the last few days many of the tourist hotels have emptied with holiday makers returning to their respective countries, or finding alternative accommodation on other non affected parts of the island. Popular Glistra beach (pictured above) has therefore only seen a few people back to enjoy the beach and sea since the wildfire Some families were relaxing on Glistra beach in Lardos, Rhodes, yesterday Nickolas Balgouranidis, and his wife Eleni Kottorou visited Glistra beach in Lardos, Rhodes, yesterday and were pictured standing under a burnt tree. The couple, who are from mainland Greece, were working at Mitsis Faliraki Beach Hotel, before everyone was evacuated during the wild fires, and are now out of work. The popular beach was ravaged by wildfire that also destroyed the up-market Pizzeria that once stood. The fires killed at least five people and scorched nearly 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) of forest and vegetation, according to estimates by the Athens Observatory. Two pilots died on Tuesday when their water-bombing plane crashed while battling a blaze in Evia, while three more bodies were recovered in fires in Evia and near the industrial zone of the port city of Volos in central Greece. Nevertheless, more than 460 firefighters were still deployed in these three areas as a precaution, it said (pictured: the aftermath of the wildfires in Rhodes) Fed by scorching temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds, the two-week inferno had sparked chaos at the peak of the busy summer tourist season Some 20,000 visitors and locals fled from hotels and villages on the island of Rhodes. Hundreds more were evacuated in Corfu and other areas The blazes have also put political pressure on the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which was re-elected just a month ago. The citizen's protection minister resigned his post Friday after it emerged that he had taken a vacation as the country battled the wildfires. For more than 10 days this month, Greece sweltered under what some experts say is the longest heatwave recorded in July for decades. Temperatures, which reached 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit) this week, have begun to fall. National weather forecaster EMY predicted the mercury would not climb above 37C on Saturday, but said wind gusts could reach 60 kilometres (37 miles) per hour. Fires have also flared in Croatia, Italy and Portugal this week, and blazes killed 34 in Algeria in extreme heat that has left landscapes tinder dry. Doctors in Russia are in despair over how soldiers in Putin's war against Ukraine are returning home as 'aggressive zombies'. Fighters - many of them mobilised against their will - are coming back like 'animals', psychologically warped by the horrors they have experienced. Large numbers are now alcoholics or drug addicts embracing the violence and cruelty they have seen on the frontline, according to a shocking new report. 'Aggressive zombies will soon fill the streets of our cities,' a senior health official - who is also a doctor treating disturbed returnees - told Novaya Vkladka news outlet. 'They will massively beat and even kill passers-by. Large numbers of soldiers are now alcoholics or drug addicts embracing the violence and cruelty they have seen on the frontline, according to a shocking new report (File Photo) Ukrainian servicemen practicing aiming their weapons at a firing range in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on July 29, 2023 'And how to prevent it, I personally do not know. 'I just do not see other scenarios for the development of the situation with those who returned from the special military operation.' The calamitous human cost of Putin's war is in addition to more than a quarter of a million killed or physically maimed in the brutal war he started almost 18 months ago. The anonymous health official and doctor is working in Kemerovo, a Siberian region deeply hit by returning 'wounded, amputees, drug addicts, alcoholics, [and] people with mental and psychological problems'. Available doctors are each expected to handle between 200 and 250 such war returnees each month, he said. 'Injuries, PTSD - this is all, of course, a problem, it needs to be dealt with, but the main, in my opinion, problem in terms of prevalence and potential danger is addictions,' he added. 'Simply put, a lot of those who returned [from the war] are either alcoholics or, more often, drug addicts. 'Their main addiction is amphetamines [including speed]. 'And here everything is much more complicated and sadder in terms of the prospects for treatment and subsequent socialisation.' He warned that 'almost every other person' returning from Putin's bloody war admits to the use of psycho-stimulants. He described the crisis as 'hopeless' with shortages of doctors and many leaving because of intolerable pressures. 'This special military operation [war] is like another tombstone on the grave,' he said. 'There are almost no doctors left, and now the last ones are leaving [due to] unrealistic demands on them.' 'Injuries, PTSD - this is all, of course, a problem, it needs to be dealt with, but the main, in my opinion, problem in terms of prevalence and potential danger is addictions,' said the anonymous health official and doctor, who is working in Kemerovo (File Photo) Available doctors are each expected to handle between 200 and 250 such war returnees each month, he said (File Photo) One issue is that many doctors are being recruited for the war zone in occupied Ukraine. The doctor said: 'Not everyone supports the special military operation. 'Secondly, going there is dangerous 'And if you refuse, the management says only one thing: if you don't like it, quit. 'So [doctors] are leaving.' Neuropathologists are each expected under an order from the health ministry to take on 300 war returnees a month on top of their existing caseloads, said another medic. He said: 'What can be done with a patient in five to 10 minutes? That's right: nothing.' He told of one returnee who came to see him with his wife after turning into a violent monster following his war experience. 'He had never beaten [his wife] before,' said the doctor. 'He came back from the war a different person. The woman filed for divorce. 'This patient is really extremely aggressive, cannot control himself in the company of other people, and is constantly looking for conflict.' He was a stormtrooper in the notorious Wagner mercenary army, said the medic. The prognosis for treating this fighter is 'poor - given the degree of drug dependence and [early stages of] PTSD'. The anonymous health official said: 'Simply put, a lot of those who returned [from the war] are either alcoholics or, more often, drug addicts' (File Photo) He described the crisis as 'hopeless' with shortages of doctors and many leaving because of intolerable pressures (File Photo) The doctor - also anonymous for fear of retribution by Putin's regime - asked: 'What we can do? 'Only remove the acute condition with sedative drugs. 'Again, long-term work of a clinical psychologist is needed. 'But this, I am almost 100 per cent sure, will not happen. 'There are thousands of patients, and a handful of doctors and psychologists. 'And the result, sorry for the cynicism, is either [suicide] or [get killed with] a knife while drinking, or he will rob, rape, or kill someone and will be sent to prison. 'Personally, the first option is better - at least he will only harm himself.' The first doctor warned: 'There are thousands of people who have returned from the war. 'They have learned to kill. 'Their psyche has changed, including by drugs. 'Moreover, many of them went to war not to defend their "homeland" but in order to get out of a pre-trial detention centre or a penal colony early. 'So it was difficult to call them angels before. 'And now they are mostly animals, sorry to put it so harshly. 'It is like a cheap zombie apocalypse, where it is scary for a normal person.' The Royal United Service Institute published a May report examining how Russia's military tactics have evolved in the second year of fighting, citing Ukrainian military personnel who said the Russian soldiers they came across frequently appeared to be 'under the influence of amphetamines or other narcotic substances'. The men most likely to be battling while high are Russia's 'disposable infantry,' which largely consists of conscripts from the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, prisoners drafted by the Wagner Group, and mobilised draftees, the report said. The report added that these 'disposable' troops are sent in small groups to 'skirmish' with Ukraine's defense 'until killed'. Material recovered from the battlefield suggests the Russian soldiers are most likely consuming the substances in liquid form, the report said. The boss of Iceland has shared footage from his harrowing climb of Everest - during which he almost went blind - and revealed he decided to scale the world's highest peak in honour of his mother. Richard Walker , 42, embarked on the challenge in spring to raise 1million for the Iceland Food Charitable Foundation (IFCF), which is helping to fund building the world's first Rare Dementia Support Centre. The businessman documented the tough conditions he faced in a piece to camera, holding back the tears as he was clearly suffering after losing around 60 per cent of his vision during the descent. 'As you can tell, Everest has obviously beaten me up, and it is so much harder than I think normal people presume. I got it served to me on a plate!' he said in the emotional video. Mr Walker also revealed that his intrepid charity fundraiser for dementia research was in memory of his mother, Lady Walker, who passed away from Alzheimer's in 2021. Dramatic pictures of his climb show frost formed on his brow as he battled freezing temperatures to reach the summit Richard Walker , 42, embarked on the challenge in spring to raise 1million for the Iceland Food Charitable Foundation (IFCF) Mr Walker had to wipe away tears after his eyes were damaged during the climb. He reportedly suffered a retinal haemorrhage, losing around 60 per cent of his vision Describing his ordeal during a video, shared with MailOnline, the chairman said that his ascent of Everest was 'really strong'. While his team outpaced others to reach the summit, things took a turn for the worst during the descent. Poor weather and problems with his eyes took a toll, he said, and the group's plan of when they would get lower down the mountain was derailed. 'Physically we're fine, if exhausted. I had something strange happen with my eyes on the south summit down, which meant that I couldn't really see well on the descent, which gave it an added twist. 'It was already quite a busy descent, the weather wasn't great but we are safely at camp four. I got it handed to me.' Upon reaching the peak of the world's tallest mountain, Mr Walker said the water in his drinking bottle was frozen solid in temperatures of almost 50C (58F) during the coldest May in living memory. He said as he filmed the video on the way back down that the group had planned to be at camp two, nearer to basecamp, but had to stay higher up at camp four so he could rest his eyes. During a video, Mr Walker described the challenging descent and said the group waited higher up the mountain so he could rest his eyes Mr Walker, who previously climbed the North Col of Everest in 2011, revealed that he had undertaken the perilous climb to its summit as a tribute to his late mother His eyesight had started to deteriorate due to a retinal haemorrhage, losing around 60 per cent of his vision, The Grocer reports. Despite suffering with his eyes during the emotional video however, he also revealed the highs the group experienced during the incredible expedition. READ MORE: Iceland boss admits he underestimated physical and mental scale of Everest challenge Advertisement He described the scenery from the summit of Everest as 'stunning', and thanked his dedicated team for helping to get him there. 'Being on the summit was obviously surreal, a real achievement, but not really my achievement,' he said. He then paid tribute to his team, including his guide for making 'every right call, every step of the way'. He also thanked a sherpa, who was undertaking his 21st summit of Everest and 'made sure we were well looked after'. And he thanked another sherpa who supported him on the expedition and said 'they are the real heroes'. Mr Walker, who previously climbed the North Col of Everest in 2011, revealed that he had undertaken the perilous climb to its summit as a tribute to his late mother. 'I did this in memory of mum. It was very much unfinished business from 13 years ago, it was something I always knew I had to come back and do.' Richard Walker posted on Instagram: 'After months of training, an exhilarating and challenging journey and plenty of support along the way we have reached the summit of Mount Everest' Upon reaching the peak of the world's tallest mountain, Mr Walker said the water in his drinking bottle was frozen solid in temperatures of almost 50C (58F) during the coldest May in living memory Mr Walker, who has now raised over 510,000 on JustGiving, thanked Iceland customers for their support and generosity, and said donations would be match-funded and go towards a dementia research centre. 'The support I've received has been absolutely phenomenal. Everyone willing me on and wanting me to do this and believing in me, especially at times when I have doubted myself.' He added that the generosity of customers to Iceland's charitable drive means the company would clear 1million in fundraising. He paid tribute to those taking part in fundraising, saying 'you're climbing your own Everest'. Richard Walker, 42, executive chairman of Iceland, pictured with the Princess of Wales, climbed Mount Everest as part of a challenge for the company's charity endeavours Mr Walker is the son of Iceland founder Sir Malcolm Walker, and has received an OBE for his services to business and the environment as the chairman of Surfer's Against Sewage. His mother, the late Lady Walker, was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer's in 2011 and sadly passed away in 2021. Since then, he has worked with Professor Nick Fox of University College London Institute of Neurology, and learnt of his vision to build a centre that they say will exemplify how best to support people living with rare dementia. To support the fundraiser to build UCL's Rare Dementia Research Centre, click here. The pilot and his crew had been patrolling the seas off West Africa for several hours before finally, in the distance, they spotted what they had been searching for: a surfaced German submarine. For any Allied air crew during the Second World War, an enemy U-boat was a huge prize. So Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg wasted no time in preparing for a daring, but high-risk, attack before the submarine had time to dive and disappear. What happened in the next few minutes resulted in Trigg being posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) Britain and the Commonwealth's most prestigious gallantry award and receiving it in what are believed to be unique circumstances. Today, just days before the 80th anniversary of Trigg's remarkable act of courage, I, as the proud custodian of his medal group, want to tell the story of his life and untimely death. Lloyd Allan Trigg was born in Houhora, North Island, New Zealand, on June 5, 1914. The son of a farmer, he was sporty and played in his school's rugby first XV, before completing his education at Auckland University College. Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg wasted no time in preparing for a daring, but high-risk, attack before a German submarine had time to dive and disappear The VC, DFC and Campaign Medals awarded to Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg, of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, which fetched 120,000 at Spinks' 'Aviation Collection' auction on Wednesday July 26 Trigg had wed Nola McGarvie, and during the early years of their marriage he worked as an agricultural machinery salesman. Prior to the start of the Second World War, he was a non-commissioned officer in the part-time North Auckland Rifles. But Trigg had long been interested in flying, and in June 1941 he joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force and obtained his pilot's 'wings' after completing his training in Canada. He was promoted to flying officer in October 1942 and embarked for the UK to join RAF Coastal Command. The following month he was posted to West Africa, where he joined 200 Squadron, RAF, which was seeking out enemy submarines that were harassing Allied convoys in the Atlantic en route from the Indian Ocean and South Africa. Initially the squadron flew the light Hudson bombers from Yundum airfield, close to the mouth of the Gambia River. By the next summer Trigg had taken part in at least 46 operational reconnaissance patrols, convoy escort flights and anti-submarine patrols. On August 11, 1943, following intense conversion training, Trigg flew an American Liberator heavy bomber for the first time in an operational sortie. The plane had taken off from Rufisque airfield, east of Dakar, Senegal, on an anti-submarine patrol. Trigg and his crew were patrolling 240 miles south of Dakar when they sighted the German submarine, U468. Trigg immediately set a course to attack, but as the Liberator closed in it was crippled by the U-boat's anti-aircraft gunners. Rather than pull out and attempt to ditch into the sea, well away from the U-boat, 29-year-old Trigg maintained his course and, at less than 50ft (15m), with his plane ablaze, dropped six depth charges on to the U-boat. At that range the stricken aircraft presented an easy target for the submarine's gunners, who could see their shells blasting inside the open bomb doors of the Liberator. Your browser does not support iframes. Lord Ashcroft at the Malta Memorial where Lloyd Trigg is commemorated Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg VC DFC Captain of submarine U-468 - Oberleutnant zur See Klemens Schamong. His submarine was sunk by Trigg Seconds later, as the depth charges exploded with devastating effect, the Liberator crashed into the sea, killing Trigg and his seven crew, five of whom were New Zealanders. It was a heavy price to pay for taking out a submarine. The U-boat sank within ten minutes, and most of its 46 crew were killed or injured, some of whom fell victim to sharks and barracuda. However, its captain, Oberleutnant Klemens Schamong, and six of his men were spotted in a dinghy the next day by the navigator on an RAF Sunderland. The Germans were later picked up by a Royal Navy ship, HMS Clarkia. Under interrogation, the U-boat captain praised the gallantry of Trigg in the face of 'certain death' and said he deserved to be awarded the highest honour possible. Indeed, it was this recommendation, and another by the U-boat's First Lieutenant, Alfons Heimansberg, that led to the award of Trigg's VC on November 2, 1943. Its lengthy citation ended: 'The Battle of the Atlantic has yielded many fine stories of air attacks on underwater craft, but Flying Officer Trigg's exploit stands out as an epic of grim determination and high courage. His was the path of duty that leads to glory.' Trigg's VC and Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) were presented to his widow, Nola, by Sir Cyril Newall, the Governor-General of New Zealand, in May 1944 on the farm of Trigg's brother near Auckland, so family and friends could join in the celebrations. Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg VC DFC painting of the VC Action of pilot Trigg's Liberator B-24 Bomber and the German U-Boat U-468 Captained by Oberleutnant zur See Klemens Schamong Pictured: Trigg's Liberator B-24 Bomber In 2007, a researcher from New Zealand, called Arthur 'Digger' Arculus, who was making inquiries into the VC action on behalf of Trigg's relatives, tracked down Klemens Schamong, by then aged 90, to his home near Kiel, by chance the port where his U-boat had been built. Despite the passing of time, the former submarine captain vividly remembered his encounter with the Liberator. In a letter, he told Arculus: 'We opened fire from our deadly two 20mm cannons and the first salvo at a distance of 2,000m set the plane on fire. Despite this, Trigg continued his attack. He did not give up as we thought and hoped. His plane flew deeper and deeper. We could see our deadly fire piercing through his hull. And when Trigg was nearly over us, we saw his ash cans [depth charges] coming down on us and they exploded and damaged the boat to death.' Schamong also recounted how he had told his interrogators on that day in 1943 that 'such a gallant fighter as Trigg would have been decorated in Germany with the highest medal or order'. Indeed, Arculus obtained a copy of a declassified Naval Intelligence Division report from October 1943 which disclosed what had been learned from the interrogation of Schamong and the other survivors after their arrival in Britain as PoWs. It stated that the U-boat's anti-aircraft fire was so accurate that the Liberator was ablaze before it had properly lined up the submarine, adding: 'She nevertheless ran in to attack with great determination and without deviating to avoid the U-boat's sustained and heavy fire.' The Liberator crossed the submarine behind its bridge at a height of just 50ft, before it hit the sea and blew up. However, as it had roared over, the depth charges tumbled down, and two exploded with tremendous force within just 6ft (2m) of the submarine. 'The U-Boat was thrown violently upward and suffered catastrophic damage,' the report stated. The massive blasts ruptured the hull, tore engines, motors and transformers from their mountings, blew the fuel tank down and shook equipment off bulkheads. Water poured into the battery compartment and the sub filled with clouds of deadly chlorine gas submariners' worst nightmare. The posthumous VC was awarded to FO Trigg following his destruction of a U-boat off the West African coast, in August 1943, from a blazing Liberator bombe The U-boat went down inside ten minutes. Miraculously, a German rating found a rubber dinghy which had broken free from Trigg's aircraft, which he inflated and then climbed into with two other seamen. Eventually, Schamong, his first lieutenant and an engineer officer, supporting a wounded rating on his back, were hauled in comprising the U-boat's only survivors. According to the naval report, the two German officers 'were unreserved in their admiration of the courage and performance of the aircraft's crew'. 'Digger' Arculus also tracked down Patrick Dempsey, the navigator on the Sunderland aircraft that had found the dinghy while looking for the crew of the Liberator. Dempsey, aged 87 and living in Florida, recalled watching large sharks swimming around and under the dinghy. 'We could see them very plainly from the air,' he said. He added that he had worked out the position of the dinghy and radioed it to base. Dempsey said it was originally thought that those waving from the dinghy were British airmen from the Liberator, not German submarine crew. He continued: 'Then we prepared to drop two emergency supply packs, which were about the size of a man each.' The Sunderland made two runs, the first drop so accurate that the package almost hit the dinghy, scaring the survivors out of their wits. The second landed much further away too far to recover because there had been no paddles in the dinghy. The patrolling aircraft then dropped marker dye and headed home. HMS Clarkia arrived on the scene the next day and hauled the weary Germans aboard. Matt Limb, a battlefield guide and military historian, explained why Lloyd Trigg's VC is unique. He said: 'A small number of posthumous VCs have been awarded partially on the evidence of the enemy, but this is believed to be the only one in the medal's long and rich history awarded solely on information provided by the enemy.' The vast majority of gallantry medals whether to living recipients or those awarded posthumously are announced on the basis of supporting statements by comrades who witnessed the relevant act, or acts, of outstanding bravery. Wing Commander W. H. Ingle, Trigg's commanding officer, wrote to Trigg's widow revealing the circumstances of his death. He ended his letter: 'I hope it will be some consolation to you to learn of the gallant manner in which your husband died, fighting for his country. I am very proud to have known him.' Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg VC DFC Trigg is commemorated on the Malta Memorial in Valletta Today, I own the world's largest collection of VCs more than 200 and they are on display to the public at a gallery bearing my name at the Imperial War Museum, London. I became the proud custodian of Trigg's gallantry and service medals when they came up for auction at Spink in London in 1998, paying a then joint record price for any VC group of 120,000. The bodies of Lloyd Trigg and his crew were never recovered. With no grave, the flying officer is remembered on the Malta Memorial in Valletta. The monument is dedicated to the memory of 2,298 Commonwealth air crew who lost their lives around the Mediterranean during the Second World War and who have no known grave. Ahead of the 80th anniversary of Trigg's death, I flew to Malta to honour his bravery. There, I laid a poppy cross at the memorial to pay my respects to Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg VC, DFC, one of the bravest airmen from the Second World War. Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. For information on his life and work, visit lordashcroft.com. For information on his work on gallantry, see lordashcroftonbravery.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook @LordAshcroft. A three-year-old toddler who has only just become verbal was captured yelling 'I'm coming papa!' in a tear-jerking video the moment his grandfather returned from a work trip in Dubai. Sandra Merry Lemoine, 53, filmed the special moment between her grandson and her husband Terrell and posted it to TikTok on July 24. In the short 9 second clip, which has been viewed 3 million times, Sandra's grandson, Bennett is seen bounding toward his grandfather. The three-year-old, elated to see Terrell, could not hold back his excitement as he ran through the arrivals area of Lafayette Regional Airport in Louisiana. In a phone interview with McClathy News, Sandra said the video which has been liked 369,000 times and shared thousands of times over is 'more than just a video.' Sandra Merry Lemoine, 53, filmed the special moment between her grandson Bennett, 3, and her husband Terrell, 52, and posted the video to TikTok on July 24 Terrell, 52, works for an oil company on the water overseas and was gone for two months. Sandra said while the pair have seven grandchildren Bennett loves 'papa a little more' @sissymerry1969 His PaPa was gone a long time. Look at everyone looking at them. He didnt care original sound - Sandra Merry Lemoine 'It's a short video that everyone seems to love, but for us it's bigger than that,' she told the outlet. 'Bennett wasn't speaking and didn't speak until about three months ago. Him saying 'I'm coming papa,' is really special for us.' The 53-year-old said that the couple, who have been together for 25 years according to posts made to her TikTok, have seven grandchildren including Bennett. 'Everyone loves their papa. Bennett might just love him a little more,' she explained. Terrell, 52, works for an oil company on the water overseas and was gone for two months. She added that Bennett's parents live an hour away from the doting grandparents in the U.S. On Facebook the close relationship Sandra and Terrell have with their grandchildren is evident from the vast collection of pictures posted online Sandra also recorded a second video with Terrell doing a 'secret handshake' with their granddaughter upon his return 'Normally my husband gets in really late at night but this time he arrived at like 7:30 p.m., so they were able to make the trip,' said Sandra. The heartwarming moment left many who were at the arrival terminal in tears saying the reunion was emotional for some. Sandra's followers also commented that their own hearts melted and that Bennett 'wins the award for cuteness overload.' Sandra also recorded a second video with Terrell doing a 'secret handshake' with their granddaughter upon his return. She captioned the four second clip 'Papa doing his secret handshake with Buggy, yeah, he's pretty great!' In the video, Terrell and his granddaughter do the handshake ending the moment with a hug. Sandra said 'Papa loves his g-babies. And they ADORE him.' Sandra's love for her husband is also clear with pictures and videos of the pair over their decades long relationship as they grew their family Terrell, 52, works for an oil company on the water overseas and was gone for two months On Facebook the close relationship Sandra and Terrell have with their grandchildren is evident from the vast collection of pictures posted online. In several pictures Terrell is seen spending quality time with Bennett while Sandra is often surrounded by the beaming faces of her grandchildren. Sandra's love for her husband is also clear with pictures and videos of the pair over their decades long relationship as they grew their family. DailyMail.com has reached out to Sandra for comment but did not immediately hear back. A Labour-run council is charging motorists extra to park polluting cars in a double blow for those about to be hit by the expansion of London's hated Ulez fee. There are fears that other Labour-run councils will follow suit after Greenwich in South-East London decided to base its pay-and-display and resident-permit charges on a vehicle's carbon emissions. Drivers of older petrol and diesel cars must pay nearly three times as much as owners of expensive electric vehicles. Diesel vehicles will incur an extra 50 surcharge for residential permits, and if there is more than one vehicle registered to a property, each one will be subject to a 100 penalty. The new fees, which will apply from tomorrow, come amid growing fury about the decision by London Mayor Sadiq Khan to spread his Ultra-low emission zone from the city centre to all parts of the capital. The 12.50 daily Ulez fee applies to older petrol and diesel vehicles made before 2015, and will hit hundreds of thousands of hard-pressed motorists who cannot afford to buy a newer, cleaner vehicle. A Labour-run council is charging motorists extra to park polluting cars in a double blow for those about to be hit by the expansion of London's hated Ulez fee The 12.50 daily Ulez fee applies to older petrol and diesel vehicles made before 2015, and will hit hundreds of thousands of hard-pressed motorists who cannot afford to buy a newer, cleaner vehicle Last week, the High Court backed the extension of Ulez into outer London a move that could lead to similar schemes elsewhere in Britain Minister for London Paul Scully said: 'It's literally forcing people to pay for emissions when they're not driving their car. As usual it will punish the poor first and foremost. 'If you drive a big expensive gas- guzzler, chances are you have a drive or garage, so don't need a permit. The people who will really suffer are the ones who can't afford a big enough house and a modern, less-polluting vehicle. 'Taxing people for parking makes absolutely no sense. These charges won't make the air cleaner, they will just fill the coffers of a greedy council. 'The danger is this will start spreading to other boroughs and areas of the country. If they want people to drive cleaner electric cars they need to encourage gradual change, rather than punishing people who can't afford them.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has faced calls to force Mr Khan to delay the Ulez expansion. Senior Tories said he should 'get off the fence' and protect the extra motorists affected by the Ulez levy from August 29. Last week, the High Court backed the extension of Ulez into outer London a move that could lead to similar schemes elsewhere in Britain. Sir Keir has refused to say whether the zone should expand, claiming it is not a 'simple political decision'. He remained silent after Friday's court ruling. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak led MPs and campaigners in urging him to make Mr Khan postpone the levy or ditch it. But the mayor insists the scheme is needed to tackle air pollution. From tomorrow, all parking in Greenwich must be paid for using the PayByPhone app. Motorists enter their car registration, and the app checks DVLA records to identify their vehicle. Vehicles are in 13 emission bands based on how much carbon dioxide they emit. For example, someone driving an electric Tesla will pay 2.45 an hour in some areas, or 20 a year for a resident permit. But an older car or van costs 7 an hour, or 300 a year for a permit, plus 50 if it's diesel. Labour councillor Averil Lekau, deputy leader of Greenwich council, said: 'Strong action like this is essential to protecting the health and wellbeing of residents and tackling the detrimental impact poor air quality and carbon emissions have on our environment. 'These changes will encourage residents and businesses to embrace environmentally friendly ways to travel.' Hunter Biden downloaded sixteen private messaging apps prior to 2019, many of which utilized encryption, according to a new report. The apps included Signal, Chinese messaging app WeChat, and Wickr, an encrypted app once favored in the criminal underworld, according to a New York Post report on Saturday citing an analysis of Hunter's abandoned laptop by the activist group Marco Polo. The Wickr app did not appear on the iPhone backup included in the laptop, but had previously downloaded onto the phone from iCloud, suggesting it had been installed and then deleted, a person familiar with the analysis told the Post. There's no evidence of what Hunter Biden discussed on the app or with whom, but the person speculated that it could contain conversations pertaining to his father, President Joe Biden. Since the laptop first emerged in December 2019, Republicans have scoured it for any clues that could implicate the elder Biden in unsavory dealings. Hunter Biden, seen in a picture from his abandoned laptop, downloaded sixteen private messaging apps prior to 2019, many of which utilized encryption, according to a new report The apps included Signal, Chinese messaging app WeChat, and Wickr (above), an encrypted app once favored in the criminal underworld Though Wickr has often been mentioned in court documents related to drug dealing cases and other criminal activity, it also has many legitimate users. The encrypted app initially targeted corporate users who sought protection from hackers, and has contracted with the US military. Amazon acquired Wickr in 2021, and is in the process of phasing out the consumer application, known as 'Wickr Me,' with a pivot to focus on enterprise accounts. Hunter Biden has been the center of controversy for years, with issues arising over his business connections in Ukraine and China, and his former addiction to crack cocaine. On Wednesday, his planned plea deal to resolve tax evasion charges sensationally unraveled, when a federal judge raised questions about the broad terms of the agreement. Prosecutors said Wednesday Hunter Biden remains under active investigation, but would not reveal details. Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018 and had been expected to plead guilty in exchange for two years of probation. Though Wickr has often been mentioned in court cases related to drug dealing and other criminal activity, it also has many legitimate users, including the military (stock images) Republican critics had slammed the plea agreement as a 'sweetheart' deal, and their criticism was only bolstered by concerns raised in court. US District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised multiple concerns about the specifics of the deal and her role in the proceedings. The plan also included an agreement on a separate gun charge. Biden has been accused of possessing a firearm in 2018 as a drug user. As long as he adhered to the terms of his agreement, the gun case was to be wiped from his record. Otherwise, the felony charge carries 10 years in prison. The overlapping agreements created confusion for the judge, who said the lawyers needed to untangle technical issues - including over her role in enforcing the gun agreement - before moving forward. 'It seems to me like you are saying `just rubber stamp the agreement, Your Honor.' ... This seems to me to be form over substance,' she said. She asked defense lawyers and prosecutors to explain why she should accept the deal. In the meantime, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to the tax charges. Joe Biden has reportedly told his troubled son Hunter that he wants to meet his seventh grandchild 'when the time is right' - despite only acknowledging the four-year-old's existence for the first time Friday. The president had faced mounting criticism for his refusal to accept Navy Roberts, who Hunter conceived with Arkansas stripper Lunden Roberts, into his family. The move fueled speculation he was trying to avoid added scrutiny on Hunter Biden's suspect foreign business dealings as his 2024 reelection campaign ramps up. Reports indicated that White House aides were instructed to only speak of six grandchildren in public, and Biden himself faced backlash in April after telling a group of children that he had six grandchildren he was 'crazy about.' But in a statement to People, the president said this week that he and the first lady 'only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy'. Following the U-turn, insiders revealed to the New York Times that the president told his son he wanted to meet Navy, and the president plans to say he has seven grandchildren going forward. President Joe Biden faced mounting scrutiny for his refusal to acknowledge Hunter's four-year-old child Navy, which he did for the first time Friday. The two are pictured together arriving at Ford McNair in Washington, June 25, 2023 Arkansas stripper Lunden Roberts was locked in a bitter child support battle with Hunter that ended in June. She is pictured with her four-year-old daughter Navy Biden's reported decision to open his family up to the estranged child comes a month after Hunter settled a hostile child support battle with Roberts, in a deal that was heavily criticized. Despite allegations he has made tens of millions in foreign deals, Hunter pleaded financial hardship to the court and had his $20,000-a-month child support payments slashed to $5,000. The agreement also saw Hunter, whose budding painting career has seen some pieces sell for up to $500,000, turn over a number of his paintings to his daughter. Hunter Biden has claimed that he fathered his daughter Navy (pictured) during a dark part of his life Hunter, who has five children but has reportedly never met Navy, has said in the past that he fathered her during a low point in his life, and he has publicly battled a previous crack cocaine addiction. In Joe Biden's statement acknowledging Navy, it appeared that Hunter and Lunden put their legal battle behind them as it was said they are trying to 'preserve (Navy's) privacy as much as possible going forward.' 'Our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter,' the statement said. While the brief statement added that 'it's not a political issue, it's a family matter', Biden has frequently noted his six other grandchildren to bolster his family man image. Last fall, Hunter's daughter Naomi wedded lawyer Peter Neal on the White House's South Lawn, and the president frequently appears in public with Hunter's 3-year-old Beau, named after his son who died of brain cancer in 2015. Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden wedded lawyer Peter Neal on the White House's South Lawn last fall. The couple are pictured on their wedding day with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden Lunden Roberts announced the end of her child support with Hunter last month and said the two 'only want what is best for our daughter, and that is our only focus' Roberts, a former stripper from Arkansas, said she plans to teach Navy to hunt when she's old enough Biden's decision to acknowledge the child also comes weeks after Ms Roberts told the Times she and Hunter 'want what is best for our daughter, and that is our only focus.' She said their extended custody battle ended because the two 'worked it out amongst ourselves', and she dropped a request to have Navy's legal last name changed from Roberts to Biden - which Hunter had opposed. The issue had been plaguing Biden's reelection chances, and Republican presidential hopeful Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis even used the issue in an attack this week. 'The only reason you wouldnt want the parents involved is because you worry the parent would represent an impediment to you imposing your agenda on someone elses kids,' he said in Florida. 'When Biden says theyre not your kids, theyre all of our kids that is what he means.' Then he added: 'Now hes not talking about visiting his granddaughter in Arkansas or even acknowledging she exists but never, never mind that.' Former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley took a similar shot at the annual Republican Party of Iowa Lincoln Dinner Friday night when discussing how easy it would be to pass one of the mental competency tests she's pitched for office holders older than 75. 'There isn't a tough test,' she said. 'What town were you born in? How many grandchildren do you have?' The issue had been plaguing Biden's reelection campaign prior to his acknowledgement on Friday. He is pictured at the White House on July 6, 2023 Biden said in his statement: 'Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy'. Pictured: Hunter and Joe Biden in April 2012 The White House's struggle to spin the issue heated up earlier this month following a separate New York Times report led reporters to zero in on White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. 'There was a story in The New York Times over the weekend about Hunter Biden's daughter in Arkansas,' the reporter said. 'Does the president acknowledge this little girl as his granddaughter?' 'I don't have anything to share from here,' Jean-Pierre responded. Bank branches were once as vital pillars of town centres as police stations, post offices and libraries. Often housed in magnificent buildings, they were the community's fulcrum, with the bank manager in many cases a family friend. Now, as record numbers close, the buildings are being turned into everything from cafes to curry restaurants and betting shops. For more than 30 years, I have made an annual pilgrimage to Ambleside in the Lake District. It has lost all its banks. Despite a need for businesses to deposit takings, Ambleside's last bank, NatWest, shut in 2017. It is now a tapas restaurant. The Midland/HSBC branch shut in 2012 and is now Old Bank House Chocolate Shop. AT YOUR SERVICE: Staff at the grade two-listed NatWest in Milsom Street, Bath, which is now a hotel and restaurant, The Milsom The interior of the bank on the corner of George Street and Milsom Street, Bath which is now a hotel & restaurant called The Milsom Watchdog Which? says that nationwide nearly 6,000 branches have shut or been put on notice of closure since 2014. Hundreds of other towns are bankless, too, as financial institutions concentrate on mobile and internet banking. At best, bank closures inconvenience both businesses and personal customers (especially the elderly). At worst, they undermine the fabric of communities by forcing people elsewhere to bank (and shop). The result is a damaging knock-on effect as businesses suffer falling sales, some even closing. That's why The Mail on Sunday has long campaigned to save our banks. IMPOSING: This old NatWest branch in High Street, Oxford, is now The Ivy Oxford Brasserie HAS BEAN: This HSBC building in Western Road, Brighton, has become a coffee shop TAKEAWAY: Barclays bank in Prince Edward Road, South Shields, turned into a pizza parlour CONVERTED: This Newcastle HSBC now lets homes The former Lloyds TSB Bank building in The High Street, Southampton which is now a Bingo Hall From an aesthetic point too, a branch closure can scar a high street. In Ambleside last week a 'to let' sign swayed outside the old Barclays branch, which dominates the high street. The ground floor remains empty, nearly nine years on from Barclays shutting. Some abandoned branches remain blots on the landscapes for ever but others have been converted into shops or pubs (with Wetherspoons leading the way). Some chug along, such as branches in Clifton, Bristol, and London's Strand I have used at key points in my life. I cringe to think of begging for overdraft extensions there, feeling 2ft tall. But the bank branch at Loughborough University, where I opened my first account, is no more. I don't want branches to be culled, but the fact is they are dying on their feet. What we need is for them to be replaced by businesses that will make high streets great again. The family of a 'compassionate, loving and funny' teenager who who was stabbed to death in a 'fight' in Lancashire have paid tribute as he has been pictured. Matthew Daulby, 19, from Liverpool, was attacked in a double stabbing in Ormskirk just after midnight this morning and died in hospital, Lancashire Constabulary said as they launched a murder investigation. Another 19-year-old man was also hospitalised and treated for stab injuries but they are not thought to be life-threatening, the force added. Mr Daulby's loved ones paid tribute to him in a statement released this evening. Matthew Daulby, 19, from Liverpool, was attacked in a double stabbing in Ormskirk just after midnight this morning and died in hospital, Lancashire Constabulary said Lancashire Constabulary cordoned off Moor Street in Ormskirk as residents reported the suspected double stabbing in the town They said: 'Matthew was the most compassionate, loving and funny young man with a bright future ahead of him. 'He adored his family, and cared for them with utmost loyalty. He loved spending time with them and gave his love so generously, making sure everyone knew how much he loved them. 'He had a zest for life and was always looking forward to holidays with his family and friends. He was surrounded by love from his family and we will miss him every day, for the rest of our lives.' A photograph showing the smiling teenager was released by his family. Officers were called to Railway Road at 12.05am to reports of an ongoing disturbance. Mr Daulby was found nearby with stab wounds. A post-mortem examination to establish a cause of death will take place in due course. Two 19-year-old men, from Liverpool and Melling, have been arrested on suspicion of affray and remain in custody. The arrests relate to an altercation in Railway Road involving a number of males. A 'significant area' within the town centre was cordoned off to allow police to investigate. The force is urging anyone with relevant information, CCTV, dashcam, or mobile phone footage to come forward. The force is urging anyone with relevant information, CCTV, dashcam, or mobile phone footage to come forward (police pictured investigating the scene) Another 19-year-old man was also hospitalised and treated for stab injuries but they are not thought to be life-threatening (police pictured at the scene) Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Fallows, from the force's major investigation team, said: 'This incident has resulted in a young man losing his life and first and foremost my thoughts are with Matthew's loved ones at this time. 'We have launched a murder investigation and there are a number of individuals we are looking to identify and speak to. 'Although we are looking into what led to the altercation in Railway Road, this is being treated as an isolated incident. 'You will see a number of officers carrying out enquiries in the area over the coming days and I would encourage anybody with information pertinent to this investigation to come forward. 'We are particularly keen to hear from anybody who has footage from Railway Road and surrounding streets in the minutes before the altercation took place and the minutes after. 'You could have captured something that could be key to this investigation.' Washington, July 29 (UNI) US President Joe Biden approved up to $345 million in defense aid to Taiwan, the president said in a memorandum to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority to direct the drawdown of up to $345 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan," the memorandum said on Friday. The Biden administration has repeatedly said that it seeks to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and remains committed to prior agreements between the United States and China regarding Taiwan. However, the aid also comes amid a break in military-to-military contact between the United States and China. UNI/SPUTNIK AKS 1036 A businessman who has been ordered to demolish a mansion built on his estate without planning permission is an upstanding member of his community according to neighbours. Farmers near Gareth Wilson's Tennox Farm say he has helped the local economy and that nobody objected to his 3 million home in Kilbirnie, Ayrshire. They also rejected the council's claims that Wilson's five-bedroom ranch style home isn't in keeping with the area, pointing out that it can't be seen from any roads or neighbouring farms. One farmer, who spoke to MailOnline but asked not to be named, said: 'Gareth has been asked to demolish the property, but I can't see why anybody would be the least bit bothered by his house to be honest. 'It's his land and if he has done all the groundwork to make sure it is safe to be built on I'm fine with that. Gareth Wilson, 44, is a director of the family firm Wilson's Auctions, a family owned business, formed in 1936 by William J Wilson and now run by his son Ian Wilson A businessman who built a five-bedroom mansion (pictured) in Scotland without permission during the pandemic has been told to bulldoze it after losing a planning battle 'His place is beautiful and there has been no expense spared.' Mr Wilson, 44, is a director of the family firm Wilson's Auctions, a family owned business, formed in 1936 by William J Wilson and now run by his son Ian Wilson. The company has grown from a single auction site in Northern Ireland to become the largest independent auction company in the UK and Ireland with an annual hammer total in excess of 400 million. Wilson completed the property on his Tennox Farm estate near Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, in December 2021. He has been told to bulldoze the large sandstone building, which features a Spanish slate roof and a balcony, while inside there is a spiral staircase. Tennox Farm also features several business ventures including holiday rental properties. But Mr Wilson failed to submit formal planning permission to North Ayrshire Council before starting work during the pandemic. Officials ordered the businessman to complete paperwork for the house in March last year but refused to grant retrospective planning permission months later Officials said the 1.5 storey building had a 'negative impact' on the area and was not in keeping with the 'established character' of the countryside Officials ordered him to complete paperwork for the house in March last year but refused to grant retrospective planning permission months later. A neighbour said: 'He has been here a long time. He is a nice chap. He must be devastated and he will be furious considering the amount of business he has brought to the valley. 'He did all the groundwork and tests. It is very private. Maybe he thought he wouldn't get caught. 'You can drive round and you won't see it because it is completely secluded. 'We all keep to ourselves here. 'We all know each other and we would all help each other but nobody has their nose in anybody else's business. That's not what the farming community is about. 'He's a nice guy. 'He has plenty of money behind him and he will fight it all he can.' One local said the property has been built to the highest standard, but admitted she cannot understand why Wilson did not seek planning permission before going ahead with the build during the pandemic in 2021. She said: 'Gareth will know that he had to get planning permission. Mr Wilson appealed the decision to the Scottish Government but officials have now upheld the council decision The house boasts stunning high ceilings and impressive features such as a free-standing bath tub 'There is a quarry behind him and there has always been concern about unstable ground. 'There are lots of mines around here and some houses nearby were not mortgageable because of the mines underground. 'I can't imagine with him being the astute man that he is spending a fortune to build the property without checking the foundations were good. 'I read about it in the local paper and I did think it was a bit silly not to seek planning permission before going ahead.' One local farmer said: 'I know Gareth. He is well liked in the community and has helped bring a lot of money into the local area. 'I don't think anyone will have been consulted on this by the council because the nearest neighbours to Gareth live over half-a-mile away and are outside the consultation area. 'Everything he does he does to the absolute highest standards. He rents properties on Tennox Farm and they are all absolutely beautiful buildings. Gareth Wilson completed the property on his Tennox Farm estate near Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, in December 2021 'I'm not sure the council can say it is not in keeping with the local area when it is on his own land and is so secluded you wouldn't even know it was there. 'The house is gorgeous. 'He's built a perfectly lovely house and they want him to tear it down but they allowed a big metal shed that was built as a house in nearby Dalry to go ahead.' Officials said Wilson's 1.5 storey building had a 'negative impact' on the area and was not in keeping with the 'established character' of the countryside The Coal Authority had also raised fears the property could be affected by past mining and could be at risk of collapse. Planning authorities ruled that the building would have to be knocked down and returned to its previous state. North Ayrshire Council said: 'It is considered that the development has a negative impact on visual amenity and is incongruous with the established character of the countryside area' Mr Wilson appealed the decision to the Scottish Government but officials have now upheld the council decision. He claimed the council enforcement was invalid due to a lack of specification and said it was 'excessive'. He had also insisted the decision was against his human rights. Documents submitted on his behalf said: 'Upholding the notice without extending the compliance period would be contrary to the human rights of the appellant, his partner and family members. 'It is submitted that it would be disproportionate and therefore unlawful to uphold the notice without (at least) extending the compliance period.' The property has been completed with stone walls, high ceilings and wooden beams North Ayrshire Council said: 'It is considered that the development has a negative impact on visual amenity and is incongruous with the established character of the countryside area.' In a written ruling, government reporter Fortune Gumbo said: 'I do not consider that there is a genuine housing need issue in play in this appeal as the appellant has other dwellings within the farm. 'Should alternative accommodation be sought outside the farm, the appellant, by his admission, is of considerable means and this would not be an insurmountable obstacle. 'The enforcement action proposed does not infringe on the appellant's (and family) human rights.' Mr Wilson was approached for comment. As the notoriously sweary media mogul Logan Roy in Succession, Brian Cox was a frosty patriarch who ruled his empire and his bickering children with an iron fist. But the actor revealed a much softer side last week strolling amiably through Primrose Hill, ice cream in hand The 77-year-old Scottish star, who won a Golden Globe for his performance as billionaire Roy in the HBO drama, appeared to be alone as he picked up the treat from a roadside ice cream van in the well-heeled North London enclave. Wearing sunglasses and an indigo shirt, Cox proved he is still a dab hand at dealing with drips albeit not in the boardroom this time as he stopped to wipe away ice cream from his moustache and beard. Now Succession is over, he will return to the London stage next year as another monstrous father, in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night. As the notoriously sweary media mogul Logan Roy in Succession, Brian Cox was a frosty patriarch who ruled his empire and his bickering children with an iron fist He appeared to be alone as he picked up the treat from a roadside ice cream van in the well-heeled North London enclave But the actor revealed a much softer side last week strolling amiably through Primrose Hill, ice cream in hand The 77-year-old Scottish star won a Golden Globe for his performance as billionaire Roy in the HBO drama He will also front Amazon's James Bond-based gameshow, 007's Road To A Million. But most recently, Cox has been lending his support to the strike by members of Hollywood's Screen Actors Guild over pay and the threat to their livelihoods posed by artificial intelligence. Speaking at a rally in London, he invoked Roy's foul-mouthed fury to argue for 'legislation that says ''AI f*** off'''. He's clearly no melt. One of Britain's most picturesque country estates, owned by successive generations of dukes for almost 700 years, may be set to welcome a new 'regal' owner. Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Sir Brian May, 76, was spotted viewing the Rothbury estate, which has historically been owned by the Duke of Northumberland. The musician, who was knighted by King Charles this year, was accompanied by his wife, actress Anita Dobson, as he toured the rural estate in a private helicopter. It is up for sale for the first time since 1332, with an eye-watering 35 million price tag. Rothbury councillor Steven Bridgett said: 'We all hope this is a case of the Duke selling to Queen! It would be lovely if Brian May splashed out and bought the Rothbury estate. I think most people would agree that it would be in very good hands if he were to buy it.' The estate sits on the edge of the Northumberland National Park and includes areas of special scientific interest, the Simonside Hills, Iron Age hill forts and stone-built farms and cottages. Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Sir Brian May, 76, was spotted viewing the Rothbury estate, which has historically been owned by the Duke of Northumberland. He was accompanied by his wife, actress Anita Dobson (pictured right) It is close to Rothbury, the market town which lends its name to the 9,486-acre estate. The Duke of Northumberland, 66, gifted the land to his youngest son, Max Lord Percy, 33 who put it on the market earlier this month. The sale does not include the Duke's home, Alnwick Castle, which is the family seat. Sir Brian seemed to show special interest in a nearby pub, which would be part of the purchase. A farmer said: 'We could see the helicopter circling over the pub he looked like he was properly checking it out. We were speculating on whether he'd call in for a pint! 'I gather one of our postmen bumped into him and said, 'You look just like Brian May', and he said, 'That's because I am Brian May'.' The helicopter landed at one of the estate's 12 farms before Sir Brian and his wife, 74, continued the tour by car, accompanied by an estate agent. Later, the helicopter was tracked heading towards the 25 million mansion in Surrey where the couple live. One neighbour said: 'Brian May's helicopter landed over there [in that field], and he and Anita came over and said hello to everyone. 'I think they had a picnic lunch. They were here for a good two or three hours. They were very nice, but I'm not particularly starstruck so I didn't ask him for a photo.' The estate sits on the edge of the Northumberland National Park and includes areas of special scientific interest, the Simonside Hills (pictured), Iron Age hill forts and stone-built farms and cottages Another added: 'We've talked about nothing else since Brian May came here it has been the hot topic on our local WhatsApp group. He seems like a really solid, down-to-earth bloke so would fit in well in rural Northumberland.' Sir Brian is a popular choice for the new landlord among locals, who say they admire his stance on preserving the countryside. Sir Brian, an avid animal-welfare campaigner, bought 157 acres of agricultural land in Dorset in 2013 and has since turned it into a woodland wildlife sanctuary known as May's Wood. The Rothbury estate itself is home to a range of wildlife including red squirrels, red grouse and curlews. The moorland areas, meanwhile, are breeding habitats for rare species such as merlins and cuckoos. Estate agent Knight Frank says the 'landmark sale [involves] the largest single block of land to come to the market in England in the past 30 years'. A spokesman for Brian May refused to comment. A grandfather was dropped by solicitors acting for him over a property sale after he was wrongly flagged as a 'politically exposed person' and a potential money- laundering risk. Richard Moore, 76, a respected cancer charity trustee, had been confused with a US lawyer with the same name and middle initial who was disbarred in 2018. 'It's just the most ludicrous situation I look nothing like this other chap,' said Mr Moore, who edited The Times of Tunbridge Wells newspaper before retiring. 'We have the same name, but that's it and he lives more than 3,500 miles away.' The blunder follows the row over the closure of Nigel Farage's Coutts bank account after the former Brexit Party leader claimed he was designated as a politically exposed person (Pep), a term that originated in a 1987 crackdown on corruption and money laundering for anyone with a 'prominent public function'. Richard Moore (pictured), 76, a respected cancer charity trustee, had been confused with a US lawyer with the same name and middle initial who was disbarred in 2018 Mr Moore's case which he calls 'disturbing' is thought to be the first to come to light of someone identified as a Pep being dropped by a conveyancing solicitor. Despite being able to demonstrate beyond question that he and the US attorney were different people, Mr Moore was told by RM Legal Solicitors in Southampton that 'due to your position [as a Pep] you are a higher risk with regards to AML (anti-money laundering) and therefore we are unable to act for you in this matter'. As a result, Mr Moore's flat sale fell through and he lost 2,000. He had argued that it would take 'a few minutes on the internet to establish it was a mix-up' but RM Legal's managing partner, Russell Mozumder, said the firm did not have the resources to investigate further. Initially, Mr Moore, from Heathfield in East Sussex, was told that RM Legal was happy to assist with the sale of his Eastbourne flat. It used a firm called Thirdfort to carry out routine money laundering and identity verification. Such online firms flourished during Covid. Previously, vendors presented their bona fides in person. 'One of the things I cannot understand is why they said they had found a potential Pep match in the US when I had given them pictures and a video of myself,' said Mr Moore. 'Surely all they had to do was compare them. He's bald and I've got a full head of hair. It makes me think that the checks were carried out by robots.' He added: 'I'm a pensioner with nine grandchildren. The state pension doesn't leave much for money laundering!' Thirdfort declined to tell The Mail on Sunday exactly how it arrived at its conclusion that Mr Moore was a potential Pep. Russell Mozumder (pictured) is a Managing Partner at RM Legal, which dropped Mr Moore after he was wrongly flagged as a 'politically exposed person' and a potential money- laundering risk In its report on Mr Moore, Thirdfort said he passed all the document checks. In assessing his identity using his photo IDs and video, it said: 'The face in the document matches the face in the video. The live video is not a spoof.' But in a section on Peps, the report details what it calls a 'match' and refers to the inclusion of the other Mr Moore a Maryland lawyer in the US Department of Justice's list of disciplined practitioners. It does not say why the American Mr Moore was disbarred and neither do online court documents. Thirdfort told Mr Moore by email that 'where a Pep is included as a potential match, this is then at the discretion of the receiving firm to conclude if this is an exact match and to conduct their own further investigation if they feel the need to do so. 'At no stage does Thirdfort advise that an individual is explicitly a Pep. We certainly do not wish to cause any upset for anyone who interacts with Thirdfort and appreciate the information we are dealing with is very sensitive. 'We wish to reassure you that we are here to protect both law firms and their clients when undertaking legal transactions and as mentioned, as we are searching a global list of Peps and sanctions the results surfaced are not explicitly connected to any kind of record for yourself. 'We are simply highlighting that there was a match under your name and informing RM Legal of this information.' The term Pep was little known until the Nigel Farage scandal. Family members and 'close known associates' of Peps can also be classed under the category as they are seen as more susceptible to money laundering. Peps are meant to be subjected to enhanced scrutiny by banks when they hold accounts. But a growing number of lenders have simply begun rejecting or closing down accounts for those identified as Peps. Mortgage applications can also be rejected by lenders if someone is deemed to be politically exposed. Mr Mozumder told The Mail on Sunday that RM Legal was 'under no obligation to accept instructions, and may decline to act', adding: 'The law governing money laundering, to which these checks primarily relate, is strict and the penalties for non-compliance are severe including custodial. 'We take our obligations in this respect very seriously and have robust processes (including but not limited to Thirdfort) in place to ensure our compliance with them. 'If we cannot satisfy ourselves that we can comply with our processes and our legal obligations in respect of a potential new matter, we clearly cannot accept those instructions. To do otherwise risks placing us in breach of the law. As a small firm we simply do not have the resources to commit to investigations of all cases that our processes flag as potential risks, and we will not simply ignore or bend the rules.' Nigel Farage hit out at the 'extraordinary arrogance' of the departing Coutts boss for having 'completely ignored' emails over the 'de-banking' row Thirdfort said in a statement: 'We provide a range of identity verification and anti-money laundering compliance services to regulated professionals to help them meet their regulatory obligations. 'Regarding screening for politically exposed persons (Peps), we source and provide potentially relevant hits from a wide range of databases and information. Pep screening is a complex operation and not an exact science. 'Once our clients are presented with potential matches, with the benefit of the information they have from the individual and the overall context, it is for them to interpret and interrogate the results. 'Based on all of that information, the firm will then decide how to proceed. Every regulated firm has its own risk assessment and policies which govern how they operate in the context of the legal requirements.' A disgraced teacher who lost her job after being discovered half naked with a 17-year-old pupil in a layby has launched a National Lottery funded support group for fellow sex offenders and criminals. Eppie Sprung, now 37, was handed 7,530 through a National Lottery Community Fund grant to set up the website for her project where she hopes to allow offenders in Scotland to 'share their experiences' and 'navigate discrimination'. Revealing how her life has been impacted after being convicted of being a sex offender, Sprung wrote in her blog: 'Hi! I'm Eppie. Mum, wife, daughter, sister, friend, volunteer, business owner and sex offender. 'That's not something that's comfortable to write and it's certainly not something that's comfortable to live with! 'But here we are. I made a series of bad decisions a long time ago that hurt a lot of people and that led to me living with the title of "sex offender" for the rest of my life.' Disgraced teacher Eppie Sprung (pictured outside court in 2012) who lost her job after being discovered half naked with a 17-year-old pupil in a layby has launched a National Lottery funded support group for fellow sex offenders and criminals Eppie Sprung, now 37, was handed 7,530 through a National Lottery Community Fund grant to set up the website for her project where she hopes to allow offenders in Scotland to 'share their experiences' and 'navigate discrimination' Former English teacher Sprung, who then went by her married name Sprung Dawson, admitted having sex with Matthew Robinson, after offering the dyslexic pupil help with lessons at Catholic St Joseph's College in Dumfries, Scotland. She was caught by police having sex with him and naked from the waist down in the front seat of her car in a layby after she had driven the boy out to the countryside from a school dance that they had both attended. Sprung was struck off from teaching after it came to light and it ended her two year marriage to husband Ranald, a lecturer. She then moved her young lover into her marital home - leaving his family furious. They later broke up in 2015. Sprung, who has since reinvented herself as a business consultant, was struck off by the General Teaching Council For Scotland (GTCS) in Edinburgh after being found unfit to teach. She was not present at the hearing, but in a statement read to the GTCS panel, she agreed to being struck off and admitted having sex with Mr Robinson. Sprung Dawson pleaded guilty in July 2013 to sexual activity with a person under 18 while she was in a position of trust as his teacher. The convicted sex offender avoided jail after her conviction and was given a six-month community payback order which required her to take a course of psycho-sexual counselling. She has now founded and is the chair of Next Chapter Scotland, which aims to help people with criminal records 'navigate any discrimination they may face'. On her blog she wrote: 'I started Next Chapter Scotland because I feel passionately about people with criminal records sharing their experiences: to help others to find a way through their own challenges; and to help anyone without a criminal record to understand the lifelong impact a criminal record can have.' She has also written posts complaining about needing to pay more for home and motorbike insurance and being banned from Facebook and AirBnb due to her conviction. Former English teacher Sprung, who then went by her married name Sprung Dawson, admitted having sex with 17-year-old Matthew Robinson (pictured), after offering the dyslexic pupil help with lessons at Catholic St Joseph's College in Dumfries, Scotland Sprung announced last month that her organisation has received a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, and that she will use the money to develop its website and social media presence. Next Chapter have advertised for help, offering a 5,000 budget. The group says they plan to move from being an unincorporated association to a charity in the coming months are are recruiting charity trustees. Sprung has said he wants half the board to 'either have a criminal record or a family member with a criminal record'. A National Lottery Community Fund spokeswoman told The Mirror: 'This project has received a 7530 grant to set up a website where people in Scotland with previous criminal convictions can access practical information and advice to help them move on with their lives and make a more positive contribution to society.' An influencer who laughed while her dog viciously mauled two guests at an Airbnb party was sobbing in court as she apologised to her victims. Holly Snelgar's English pit bull called Kaiser bit Jennie Lawrenson three times in December 2021. The dog also bit Ms Lawrenson's partner Myles Waldron who came to her rescue, Manchester Evening News reports. The couple investigated a disturbance at Ms Lawrenson's Airbnb apartment in Manchester city centre, which Snelgar and her friends had rented. The court heard how Snelgar and her friends became 'aggressive' and 'laughed' as the dog launched the attack. Snelgar, 25, also launched a foul mouthed tirade and kicked an officer when police were called to the disturbance. Holly Snelgar's English pit bull called Kaiser bit Jennie Lawrenson three times. The dog also bit Ms Lawrenson's partner Myles Waldron who came to her rescue, Manchester Evening News reports The court heard how Snelgar and her friends became 'aggressive' and 'laughed' as the dog launched the attack Snelgar, 25, also launched a foul mouthed tirade and kicked an officer when police were called to the disturbance The influencer from Hampshire begged the judge for forgiveness as she apologised for her 'drunken and debauched' behaviour. She told the court: 'I will never forgive myself for what has happened, but I hope you find somewhere in your heart to accept my apology, I am truly so sorry. 'I still hate myself everyday for what I have put you through. I could not regret this night any more if I tried.' The dog could have been destroyed, but the judge said it made 'considerable progress' and was no longer a danger. It is currently being looked after at a dog's home. If the pet is ever returned to Snelgar, she must keep it on a lead in public and attend eight training classes with the dog. Prosecuting, Katie Walden told the court how Snelgar was staying at the Airbnb on December 8, 2021, on Dale Street in the Northern Quarter in Manchester with two male friends. Ms Lawrenson and Mr Waldron, who lived in the adjacent flat, were awoken at 4.30am by noises coming from the flat. Ms Lawrenson then realised the door was left open and that the flat was a 'mess', so she asked the trio to leave the property. The dog could have been destroyed, but the judge said it made 'considerable progress' and was no longer a danger. It is currently being looked after at a dog's home. If the pet is ever returned to Snelgar (pictured here with a French bull dog), she must keep it on a lead in public and attend eight training classes with the dog While she was standing in the doorway, the dog moved towards her and bit her arm. She screamed and Mr Waldron came to help, shouting 'get that f****** dog off her'. Prosecutor Ms Walden said that none of the three occupants did anything and that Mr Waldron noted that Snelgar was laughing. Mr Waldron was able to get the dog off his partner and it bit her second time, this time on the leg. The couple tried to lock the flat from the outside, but the dog managed to wriggle out and knocked Ms Lawrenson to the floor, where he continued to bite and scratch her. The dog also bit Mr Waldron's leg. Ms Walden said: 'The occupants of the Airbnb all engaged in aggressive behaviour in the hallway, with punches being thrown and a vase being thrown by one of the males. 'Ms Lawrenson remembers hearing Ms Snelgar say, 'it's defending me' throughout the attack.' Police were called, and the attending officers thought Snelgar was 'extremely intoxicated'. Ms Walden said Snelgar had to be restrained as she tried to attack Ms Lawrenson. She also attempted to get back into the flat to get her dog. Snelgar, who was not legally represented during the hearing on Friday, addressed the court and apologised for her actions, saying she 'resents' herself every day When she was put in handcuffs, Snelgar told the officer: 'Don't f****** handcuff me, who the f*** do you think you are? Get off me.' She also kicked him in the leg and abdomen. In an interview, Snelgar said she had been 'black out' drunk during the incident. Ms Lawrenson has been left with scars after the attack and an ensuing three-day hospital stay. She said she and her partner 'feared for our lives' and felt 'terrorised'. Ms Lawrenson said in a statement read out to the court: 'They allowed the dog to attack me on three separate occasions by not restraining it. 'I don't understand why they didn't try to stop me being attacked three times. She told me during the incident she had the dog to protect her. I'm very lucky that I have a partner that came to my rescue and put himself at risk to save me.' She added that she will 'always feel guilty' for putting her partner in danger and that it had a lasting effect on the couple as talking about the attack would make her cry. 'We have moved out of the area due to no longer feeling safe. After 14 years with no problems renting out my serviced apartments, following the attack I have had to install video cameras,' the statement continued. Snelgar, who was not legally represented during the hearing on Friday, addressed the court and apologised for her actions, saying she 'resents' herself every day. She added that the incident would not have occurred if she hadn't been drinking. She now had new friends and was not drinking alcohol anymore, Snelgar continued. 'From the bottom of my heart I am so sorry for the pain I have caused you,' she said. 'I put everybody in danger that night, including my dog.' Snelgar, from Hampshire, was convicted of assaulting an emergency worker at Manchester Magistrates' Court in May (pictured here in May outside the court) Judge John Potter hit out at Snelgar's 'drunken and debauched' behaviour during the sentencing. He said: 'Your actions, Ms Snelgar, in relation to your dog that day and more importantly your victims, were reckless, extremely unpleasant, harmful and inspired by drink. 'You, Ms Snelgar, should be thoroughly ashamed of the harm that you have caused other people, who were doing nothing more than running their business.' Snelgar, from Hampshire, was convicted of assaulting an emergency worker at Manchester Magistrates' Court in May. She was also found guilty of two charges of owning a dangerously out of control dog. She received a two year community order, and was ordered to complete 125 hours of unpaid work, and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. The judge ordered Snelgar to pay Ms Lawrenson 300 in compensation, and pay 200 to Mr Waldron. Failed NY gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon owes more than $2,000 in fines to the city of New York, despite earning $1 million an episode for the Sex and the City reboot. According to the New York Post, Nixon racked up the extravagant debt after purchasing her $4.4 million Kips Bay residence for false fire alarms set off in the building. As construction started at the East 32nd street townhouse, fire alarms deafened neighbors in September and October 2021, despite no threat. The Fire Department of New York slapped the 57-year-old with a thousand dollar fine for 'failure to prevent unnecessary and/or unwarranted alarm(s).' Just months after the incident, another alarm blared during construction resulting in a $935 fine in January 2022. Nixon's alleged fine-dodging came two years after the famously-woke actress said she supported shoplifters who target drug stores. Failed NY gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon owes more than $2,000 in fines to the city of New York, despite earning $1 million an episode for the Sex and the City reboot As construction started at the East 32nd street townhouse, fire alarms deafened neighbors in Sept and Oct 2021 despite no threat - leading to thousands of dollars in fines for Nixon Its claimed that Nixon is yet to pay off these debts despite earning a whopping one million dollars per episode of the SATC reboot, 'And Just Like That.' A representative for Nixon told the outlet that the fines had been contested and paid, but no proof had been provided. DailyMail.com has also contacted Nixon's representation for comment but did not immediately hear back. City records obtained by the New York Post still list the fines as outstanding. 'Cynthia Nixon has been exposed for not complying with the very laws she claimed to abide by during her run for governor,' Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens), who chairs the fire and emergency management committee, said. 'These fines were levied because she negligently wasted taxpayer resources on multiple unnecessary alarm calls. 'And now this multimillionaire can't be bothered to pay her two thousand dollar debt to the city? Miranda would never do that,' she added referring to Nixon's SATC character. Back in 2018, Nixon challenged Andrew Cuomo for Governor of New York but lost in the Democratic primary Nixon took a swipe at former New York governor Andrew Cuomo after he was stripped of his honorary Emmy Award and resigned from his position Its claimed that Nixon is yet to pay off these debts despite earning a whopping one million dollars per episode of the SATC reboot, 'And Just Like That' Back in 2018, Nixon challenged Andrew Cuomo for Governor of New York but lost in the Democratic primary. Speaking of her failed run a veteran FDNY member said: 'It's absolutely infuriating.' 'This is a candidate for governor who ordered cream cheese, lox, tomatoes, red onion, and capers on a cinnamon raisin bagel. 'If you don't know the rules of how to eat lox on a bagel, you can't be trusted.' Nixon's neighbors were equally annoyed by the star who they claim appears to think she's above the law. 'Alarms going off and she isn't paying the fines?' Paul Gray, 60, who lives on the block said to the outlet. 'If she can get away with it, so should everybody else.' Nixon also allegedly has outstanding fines with the Sanitation Department. In June 2022 she was fined $50 for a garbage bag outside her building on a non-collection day. And in March, another $50, for failing to clean litter within the 18-inch curb line of her home. Its been claimed she hasn't paid either of these according to the post. Nixon has always presented herself as an actress with a deep interest in politics - she's seen here at an abortion rights rally The now, 57-year-old can often be found on the front line of issues including most recently joining the picket line outside Netflix in support of the Writers Guild of America strike Nixon has always presented herself as an actress with a deep interest in politics. At the age of 52, Nixon ran against Cuomo but lost. A few years later he resigned from his position following a report that he had sexually harassed 11 women. Nixon had been highly critical of Cuomo during her bid, going as far as to call him a liar. Cuomo was also stripped of his honorary Emmy after his resignation which Nixon took particular delight in - tweeting after his downfall: 'The difference between me and Andrew Cuomo? Neither of us is governor, but I still have my Emmy(s).' The now, 57-year-old can often be found on the front line of issues including most recently joining the picket line outside Netflix in support of the Writers Guild of America strike. A small town in Oregon is divided after a local restaurant brought in a robotic server, with some customers embracing the strange sight and other recoiling in fear. Sherry Andrus, who owns The Cazadero restaurant in Estacada, Oregon, recently leased the robot named Plato after struggling to find enough human servers to keep the floor fully staffed, she told Fox News in an interview published Saturday. Andrus was excited to introduce Plato to customers in a Facebook post in April -- but was surprised when some customers reacted with fear and anger. 'NO THANK YOU,' one person wrote, with another vowing 'I will never go there again' and one asking 'why in earth!?' In person, the reaction has been less hostile, though Andrus told Fox News that at least one restaurant customer insisted that he did not want the robot near his family, a request she accommodated. A small town in Oregon is divided after a local restaurant brought in a robotic server, with some customers embracing the strange sight and other recoiling in fear The reaction was not all negative, however, and some responded to the Facebook post with enthusiasm. 'If it has facial recognition, it can bring me my beer of choice when I sit down. That would be cool,' one person speculated. 'People sure like to complain. Give poor Plato a chance!' another wrote. Others made lighthearted jokes about 'Skynet,' the malicious artificial intelligence from the Terminator movie series, or kidded that the robot took tips in batteries. Andrus says that a key misconception is that Plato is replacing human servers. Not so, she said -- the robot will simply allow her overstretched workers to cover more tables promptly by taking over food delivery and bussing away dirty dishes. 'What was so frustrating is the misunderstanding that a AI is replacing people's jobs,' she told Fox. 'The server positions, the bartender positions are still there. This is just a tool to help them do their job better and be more efficient for the guests.' Many responses on Facebook revolved around tipping, and the restaurant responded by saying that it hoped customers would not skimp on tips for human servers. 'Our servers will be able to provide a better experience because they won't be pulled in a million different directions. It would make me sad if they don't get recognized for their service,' the restaurant said in a reply to a comment. Developed in Paris and manufactured in Europe, Plato was unveiled by United Robotics Group in November at a restaurant trade show in Orlando Sherry Andrus, who owns The Cazadero restaurant in Estacada, Oregon, recently leased the robot named Plato after struggling to find enough human servers The restaurant is in Estacada, a town of about 3,700 about a 45 minute drive outside Portland Andrus bought The Cazadero in 2018, and since then has contended with rising food and labor costs, including Oregon's minimum wage, which is now $14.20 per hour and does not have exemptions for tipped workers. She has also struggled with finding workers in Estacada, a town of about 3,700 that is a 45 minute drive outside Portland. 'You already have a small pool to work from,' she said of the labor market. 'That we're out in a rural area makes it even harder.' Plato is manufactured by United Robotics Group, which calls it the newest generation of service robots or 'cobiots' designed to support humans across multiple industries. Developed in Paris and manufactured in Europe, Plato was unveiled by the company in November at a restaurant trade show in Orlando. Plato is an 'autonomous mobile platform' designed to help servers deliver food and drinks and bus tables, while responding to unexpected situations and obstacles, the company says. 'The architecture used in the development of Plato's 'neural engine' is designed for seamless updates adapting to fast-changing environments,' said Xavier Lacherade, Managing Director of Aldebaran Robotics, part of United Robotics Group. 'A complete set-up can be done without any technical knowledge in less than one hour simply by pushing the cobiot manually or remotely configuring it on a tablet, and modifications can be applied with ease.' Members of a Crown Court jury were taken to meet Kevin Spacey and shook hands with the actor after they cleared him of sexually assaulting four men, witnesses have claimed. The group of jurors are said to have met with Kevin Spacey and been thanked by him following his trial at Southwark Crown Court. Around half dozen members of the jury reportedly waited outside the courthouse to see if they could meet him, according to reports, with it even described as a 'meet and greet' by one journalist. They were taken back into the foyer to meet Spacey, where he was also said to have 'made a brief bow towards them with his arms crossed across his chest', Variety reports. The actor appeared to be weeping and thanking the jurors, The Sunday Times has reported, and the scene was described as being 'like watching Spacey greet his fans on the red carpet'. One court reporter who was outside on Friday said that he had 'never seen anything like it', according to the newspaper. Actor Kevin Spacey speaks to the media outside Southwark Crown Court, London, after he was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men Actor Kevin Spacey (L) arriving at Southwark Crown Court with his entourage during the trial Some jurors are also thought to have shaken hands with two of Spacey's team, including his assistant and friend Evan Lowenstein, as they came by. The double Oscar winner was overcome with emotion when the jury at London's Southwark Crown Court returned not guilty verdicts on all counts following the high-profile trial. Spacey was accused of abusing his fame and power to carry out nine sex attacks on four men during his tenure as artistic director of the Old Vic theatre. But he insisted the claims were 'madness' and accused the claimants of 'lying for money'. He reportedly celebrated the not guilty verdict, which came on his 64th birthday, at a London private members club hours after it was delivered. He was spotted sipping whisky with about seven friends at the Groucho Club, a private members spot in Soho on Wednesday night, according to reports. A witness told Page Six 'he looked very proud' and 'was sitting by the entrance for everyone to see.' Some jurors are also thought to have shaken hands with Spacey's assistant and friend Evan Lowenstein (pictured together at the Emmy Awards in 2016) 'He spent the evening nursing a whisky,' the onlooker said. 'They didn't sing Happy Birthday but everyone seemed in good spirits.' Spacey reportedly left the club at around midnight, with an umbrella shielding him from the rain. The conclusion of Spacey's high-profile trial on Friday saw him dramatically cleared of sexually assaulting four men. On the steps of the court after the verdicts were delivered, the US actor thanked the jury, his legal team as well as his longtime friend Lowenstein for standing by him. A court sketch showing Spacey dabbing his eyes after the not guilty verdicts came through He said: 'I imagine that many of you can understand that there's a lot for me to process after what has just happened today. 'But I would like to say that I'm enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts, carefully, before they reached their decision. 'I am humbled by the outcome today. I also want to thank the staff inside this courthouse, the security, my legal team and Evan Lowenstein for being here every day.' Speaking of the impact of the allegations against him earlier in the trial, Spacey told the jury: 'I've lost everything.' The allegations against the actor not only shredded what had been a glittering career but also had major financial implications, with the star told to pay 25.5million to the producers of House of Cards after he was sacked. He has also been landed with at least 1million in defence fees and suffered the humiliation of being edited out of the Sir Ridley Scott film All The Money In The World. Republican presidential candidate, former Rep. Will Hurd, said Saturday that he was 'fully expecting' to be booed and heckled when he told a ballroom full of Iowa Republicans that former President Donald Trump is running for president to 'stay out of prison.' Hurd, 45, announced his presidential run late last month, and was among the 13 candidates to appear at Friday night's Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines. The ex-Texas rep distinguished himself by being the only candidate to get jeered at, telling the angered audience that the 'truth' about Trump was 'hard' before walking offstage, a minute and a half before his 10-minute timeslot was done. 'If you're running for the Republican nominee, and you're afraid to fight Donald Trump, and you're more interested in kissing his butt, than you're not prepared to be the leader of the free world,' Hurd told DailyMail.com in an interview Saturday on board a flight between Des Moines and D.C. Hurd expressed that he was miffed that the other GOP hopefuls - outside of him, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie - have been handling the ex-president's legal drama with kid gloves. Former Rep. Will Hurd told DailyMail.com that he 'fully expected' to get booed and heckled at the Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Dinner when he told the crowd that Hurd happily commented on the latest twist, Special Counsel Jack Smith's superseding indictment that alleged Trump had ordered surveillance footage at Mar-a-Lago wiped. 'Well look, I've never been indicted and I'm not a lawyer. But if you're trying to hide and destroy evidence, it's a sign that you know what you're doing is wrong,' Hurd said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told DailyMail.com Friday, 'I'm not a legal commentator,' when pressed why he wouldn't confront Trump on his latest legal woes. 'And why they're afraid to bring it up, why they're afraid to engage in real competition of ideas, I don't know the answer,' Hurd said Saturday. 'But guess what, the American people need a chief executive who's going to be honest, who's going to tell it like it is, even if the truth is uncomfortable.' One of those truths, according to Hurd, is that Trump is going to cost the Republican Party the general election, if he's again the nominee. Hurd pitched that there was real potential to increase the size of the GOP by adding independents and conservative Democrats to the fold - those who don't like some of President Joe Biden's progressive policies. Former President Donald Trump got the most positive reception at Friday night's Lincoln Dinner, which attracted 13 Republican presidential hopefuls who only were allowed 10 minutes to speak 'The reality is the Republican Party has the opportunity to not just have two years of conservative leadership,' he said, referencing the current GOP majority in the House. 'We could have eight, 12, 16 if we put up the right candidate. Independents and Democrats are sick and tired of the direction that the ... Democratic Party is going.' 'But with those voters, all these indictments, the fact that there's more indictments, is just only making them go stay put where they are,' he said. As far as Trump's MAGA base, Hurd believed some of those voters could be persuadable as well. 'I do believe and I've seen this in polling data and being on the ground, people who love Donald Trump and voted for him twice recognize that this baggage - and it seems like every month there's additional baggage - hurts his chances in the general election,' Hurd said. Most polling, however, still shows Trump way ahead. The Real Clear Politics polling average has the ex-president 34 points ahead of the next best candidate, which remains DeSantis. Just five weeks into his presidential bid, Hurd isn't even tabulated into RCP's average yet. At Friday's Lincoln Dinner, Trump - by far - got the best reception, with audience members giving him multiple standing ovations and sustained applause. Hurd told the 1,200 Republicans gathered at the Iowa Events Center that, 'Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again.' 'Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison,' he said. That line got the loudest boos. 'We were fully expecting that,' he said. 'But what I actually wasn't expecting was the number of people that actually applauded when I was speaking truth to power.' There was scattered applause throughout the ballroom. 'We're still 24 weeks away from an election,' the former congressman also pointed out. The Iowa caucuses are scheduled for January 15. 'And here's the thing. The thing I've always learned being in tough elections - everything tightens up when you get closer to an election,' he said. 'And so I just think the more this information comes out - it appears [Trump's] lawyers are going to be testifying against him. It appears that former senior staffers are going to be testifyig against him - and we'll see what evidence comes out,' he said. 'But ultimately, we will be done with Donald Trump once and for all, we need to beat him in the primary. And that's what I'm looking forward to doing,' said Hurd. Baghdad, July 29 (UNI) At least four people died as a result of a fire in the city of Kerbala in central Iraq during preparations for one of the Day of Ashura processions, the Iraqi civil defense authorities inform. The fire occurred at a market in Kerbala on Friday. The civil defense authorities said on social media that four bodies were found after the blaze. The cause of the fire, which occurred during Day of Ashura preparations, is under investigation. According to preliminary data, there was an explosion of a gas cylinder. Ashura is a Muslim holy day observed on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. UNI/SPUTNIK AKS 1027 People-traffickers are using emojis to bypass filters aimed at blocking online advertising for illegal small boat crossings. Social media giants, including Chinese-owned TikTok, have faced increased pressure to crack down on criminal gangs exploiting their platforms to tout for business. But smugglers have been staying one step ahead by using emojis instead of keywords and photos, which can be easily detected by software introduced to automatically trawl for illegal adverts. Among the symbols being adopted by the gangs are small boats and lorries, as well as the British and French flags and a variety of landmarks. Border Force predicts that the next three months will follow a similar pattern to last year, when 51 per cent of the record-breaking 45,755 small boat arrivals many of whom found passage through social media adverts arrived in August, September and October. Among the symbols being adopted by the gangs are small boats and lorries, as well as the British and French flags and a variety of landmarks A group of people thought to be migrants crossing the Channel in a small boat headed in the direction of Dover, Kent (File Photo) Last night, Natalie Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover and Deal, called on TikTok to prove it was taking people-smuggling seriously. She said: 'It beggars belief that a boat emoji and British flag can defeat the great computers of Tiktok. The law must be changed so that if they don't take down this illegal material, social media firms will face legal sanctions. 'Let's call time on the TikTok traffickers.' Earlier this year, Border Force chiefs claimed that advert blocks had led to a decrease in crossings, particularly from Albania. But traffickers are circumventing the problem. One advert says: 'Boys ready for journey tonight. Maximum 25 people on (emoji of a small boat).' Another features the word 'Rruge' Albanian for 'road' with an emoji of the British flag and a pointed finger, superimposed on a photo of a red phonebox and the Houses of Parliament. In the caption space underneath are emojis of a boat, lorry, plane, the Union Flag and salute. Last night, Natalie Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover and Deal, called on TikTok to prove it was taking people-smuggling seriously (File Photo) In other adverts emojis of the English, British and French flags are used instead of words to signify a journey's start and end points. The adverts also promise would-be migrants that they can meet King Charles and will get good jobs once in the UK. All the posts we found were removed from TikTok, and the accounts that posted them were banned, after we approached the firm. A border security source said: 'Smugglers are one step ahead at every stage. This is a ruthless trade. They're not stupid. Social media giants must get a grip.' After this newspaper told TikTok of our findings, a spokesman said its guidelines were clear. 'We prohibit content that facilitates human smuggling and trafficking,' they added. 'We have removed the content shared and permanently banned the accounts for violating these guidelines. 'We work closely with UK law enforcement and industry partners on this issue.' Deborah Meaden has been accused of hypocrisy over her climate change stance after she used a BBC event to lecture on saving the planet while previously holidaying in far-flung locations. At a Bupa eco-Disruptive event in London, the Dragons' Den star told the BBC that time is running out on climate change, saying: 'I have been concerned about sustainability and climate change for a very long time but it's always something that was going to happen way in to the future of course it isn't, it's happening now.' 'It is here and now, and we need to deal with it here and now, and not think we've got time.' The businesswoman also highlighted how she and others in business began to raise concerns around six years ago, saying they 'now know more about the planetary impact'. But critics on social media app Twitter have queried Ms Meaden over her prior visits to a string of long-haul destinations. At a Bupa eco-Disruptive event in London (pictured here with Bupa Group's CEO Inaki Ereno), the Dragons' Den star told the BBC that time is running out on climate change, saying: 'I have been concerned about sustainability and climate change for a very long time but it's always something that was going to happen way in to the future of course it isn't, it's happening now' The businesswoman also highlighted how she and others in business began to raise concerns around six years ago, saying they 'now know more about the planetary impact' Ms Meaden, 64, has spoken about trips to the USA, Australia, Mexico, Botswana and South America. On Twitter, user Unity News Net highlighted Ms Meaden's globe-trotting history, saying: 'Deborah Meaden is being hailed by the BBC on her concerns on climate change and peoples' carbon footprint', before pointing out an interview published in 2022 where she speaks about her travel. Ms Meaden responded to the tweet with fury, stating that she 'hasn't flown long haul in nearly six years' and claims the interview was first published in 2012. She added that 'a lot has changed since then'. Delta Air Lines is being sued for $2million after a 16-year-old girl and her mother were allegedly groped by a drunk passenger who had downed at least 10 vodkas and a glass of wine. The lawsuit states that the sexual assault took place on a long haul flight out of New York's JFK as the mother and daughter were on their way to Athens for a vacation. Despite the pair pleading with Delta flight attendants for them to stop serving the man more booze, the two claim they were 'blatantly ignored'. Upon arriving in Greece, they further alleged that the drunk man was simply allowed to walk freely off the plane rather than be taken into custody by Greek police. The mom and her daughter claim flight attendants continued to serve their abuser vodka, even though he was already considerably drunk. In a statement to DailyMail.com, a Delta spokesperson said: 'While we dont have any specific comment on this pending litigation, Delta has zero tolerance for customers who engage in inappropriate or unlawful behavior. Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and our people.' Delta Air Lines is being sued by a mother and daughter who claim they were both sexually assaulted on board a nine hour flight to Athens by a drunk man The man, who continued to drink 10 vodkas is alleged to have placed his hands on the teen's back, touched the girl's leg and tried to unpick her bra strap before moving onto her mother The suit said the man 'frightened' the teen as he placed his hands on her back, and 'made obscene gestures' while screaming and demanding that she reveal her address to him, together with other personal information. The man 'did not care that the girl was a minor and underage,' it added. After the girl's mother complained to a flight attendant on board, she was dismissed by the airline representative who simply told her to 'be patient'. The man eventually got up from his seat to use the bathroom and 'loudly puked' yet, upon returning the teen and her mom were dismayed to find flight staff had continued to serve him yet more booze, as he returned with a glass of wine. Rather than move the man away from the pair, who were distressed by his behavior, a flight attendant is alleged to have told him to 'stop talking.' This only enraged the man further resulting in a profanity laden, rant from the drunkard who called the mother and her daughter 'f***ing bitches.' Pleas to Delta flight attendants allegedly were ignored with no action being taken against the man who was still served booze. Greek police were also not alerted upon arrival ( file photo) It may come as no surprise that the teenage girl then had a panic attack and put her head in her mum's lap for comfort 'only to feel the intoxicated, Delta passenger's clammy fingers underneath her shirt, climbing up her back, fingering her bra strap and moving over her body', according to the lawsuit which is seeking $2 million in damages. This caused the girl jumped out of her seat and burst into tears according to the lawsuit seen by the New York Post. The man is finally alleged to have moved onto the mother putting his hands on her leg before she too screamed at him to stop what he was doing, while jumping out of her seat. Once again, the mother pleaded for Delta flight attendants to intervene and contact the police upon landing, but she was roundly dismissed and also told to 'calm down and think about it'. Eventually the victims were allowed to switch seats for the remainder of the journey to Athens. When the plane finally landed the flight attendants offered a paltry 5,000 airline miles by means of an apology. By means of comparison, a round-trip domestic ticket in the United States usually starts at around 25,000 miles. Delta are not commenting on the lawsuit but say they have 'zero tolerance for customers who engage in inappropriate or unlawful behavior'. The situation in Israel is as serious as I have seen it. I have many friends there and never before have they spoken about attempting to move their money out. The nation is turning in upon itself. The immediate cause is the attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself facing a serious fraud and bribery case, to curb the powers of Israels Supreme Court. The protesters including army reservists (an almost incredible situation) - believe this is the start of a slide towards autocracy. Or anarchy. But if Israel faces a mountain of very particular problems, it is not the only country struggling to make democracy work. Im writing from a United States more deeply divided than at any time since the Civil War. The elections in Spain have failed to resolve a crippling political divide. The protesters including army reservists (an almost incredible situation) - believe this is the start of a slide towards autocracy. Or anarchy Throughout Europe, the politics of post-war consensus are collapsing into a never-ending arm wrestle. If Israel is an extreme example, perhaps, it is also a good illustration. For decades it has depended upon American power and support - and still gets 3billion a year of US aid. But American power in the region has been waning since the turn of the Millennium. Other powers are rising, Turkey in particular. China and Russia are extending their influence in the Mediterranean. The American Sixth Fleet no longer stops at Israeli ports so frequently as before. And without American guarantees about the future, the answers to the present become harder to find. This is true across the West. Consensus is easy in a world which gets better every day in every way as we have been promised since 1945. As American power dims, so do the dreams it seemed to guarantee. A, colder, darker, less secure future is hard for electorates to swallow. If this is about the collapse of old certainties and the rise of China, it is also about gas and oil. Can Washington really control a world, in which Saudi Arabia, the autocracy with the planets greatest oil reserves snuggles up to Russia, the autocracy with the worlds greatest gas reserves? The answer is a no. Yes, shale has come to Americas rescue, but for how long? Meanwhile the central fact about western Europe is that it has no significant reserves of oil or gas. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has made us painfully aware of that. Our room for manoeuvre is small. Yet for Israel there is hope precisely in this dilemma because, for all the current violence, Israel has hydrocarbons which Europe needs. There is gas in the the Leviathan, Tannin, and Tamar fields in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Israel has known this since 2009 yet has bizarrely failed to exploit the reserves because it refuses to pump the gas through Turkeys vast network of pipelines and over the only land bridge to Europe. Why the obstinacy? In part because America dislikes the idea of handing yet more strategic power to Turkey, the most troublesome of NATO members. Meanwhile, Israels policies on new settlements and the Palestinians are profoundly opposed by Turkey, a leading Muslim nation. Compromise does not come easy to either side. For a while there was talk of driving a pipeline direct from Israel to Greece through the Eastern Mediterranean, the solution favoured by Washington. But the Eastern Med is to some extent controlled by Turkey these days and America will not, or cannot, force the issue through. Times have changed. I believe Israels reluctance to deal with Turkey will soon be overcome. Behind the scenes there is a new mood of realism. Israeli diplomats know that Americas decline means Israel must stand on its own feet and sell every cubic inch of gas it can to energy-starved Europe. There would be no crude quid pro quo for using Turkeys pipelines not for the moment. But the diplomats know very well there would, eventually be compromises on Gaza, on West Bank settlements and on beleaguered East Jerusalem, which Ankara is determined should remain the home of all three Abrahamic faiths, not just Jews. There seems little alternative. Europe, meanwhile, must find its own answers. https://substack.com/@erbilwrites Ghislaine Maxwell is so broke she may have to represent herself in her legal appeal against her conviction on child sex-trafficking charges, it was claimed last night. The disgraced socialite has told friends she is penniless and has no money to hire lawyers. Maxwell's former marital home in Manchester-by-the-Sea in Massachusetts was sold last week for 4.5 million but it is unlikely that she will see a penny from the sale. While she alleges that her money was used originally to buy the property, it was in the name of a company controlled by her ex-husband Scott Borgerson, who has always insisted she has no ownership in it. To add to her woes, she claims that around $1 million (780,000) worth of her jewellery previously 'disappeared' from another property in New Hampshire. Scott Borgerson pictured with his wife Ghislaine Maxwell at an Artic Circle event Maxwell's former marital home in Manchester-by-the-Sea in Massachusetts was sold last week for 4.5 million but it is unlikely that she will see a penny from the sale The disgraced socialite has told friends she is penniless and has no money to hire lawyers Maxwell, now 61, was arrested there, at remote Tuckedaway in Bedford, in July 2020. A source said: 'Ghislaine's jewellery has vanished. The FBI broke down the doors when she was arrested and the house was trampled through by who knows who? 'There were security people, maids, cops, the FBI. All she knows is that a million dollars worth of jewels have disappeared.' Last year Borgerson, 47, said he was selling the couple's marital home because it was linked with 'ugly' memories. The house, 25 miles north of Boston, is owned by Tidewood LLC, a limited liability company controlled by tech executive Borgerson. Who is Daphne Barak? Daphne Barak is an interviewer and documentary film maker, whose subjects have included Nelson Mandela, Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton, Johnny Depp and Michael Jackson among many others. Daphne's best-selling book Saving Amy, based on her months' filming with Amy Winehouse and her family, is being adapted into a scripted eight part TV series by Halcyon Studios Advertisement Maxwell's friends insist she used money from the sale of her New York townhouse to purchase the home in 2016 for $2.45 million (1.7 million) . 'Ghislaine has not a penny left,' a source said last night. The sale of the house in Manchester-by-the-Sea went through last Wednesday. With seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, 1.5 acres of land and access to a private beach, it had been listed at more than $7 million (5.5 million) before the price was dropped. Maxwell was accused of 'pimping' for former lover Jeffrey Epstein and helping him obtain under-age girls for sexual services. She was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in jail. She continues to deny the charges and is in the process of appealing her conviction. She now faces the prospect of spearheading her appeal from behind bars at the Federal Correctional Institution, Tallahassee. One source said: 'She's incredibly bright. Obviously she doesn't want to have to represent herself but if there is no money to pay lawyers she could end up fronting her own appeal.' The appeal is expected to go all the way to the US Supreme Court.Maxwell claims she was prosecuted only after convicted paedophile Epstein took his own life in jail in August 2019 as he awaited prosecution on multiple child sex charges. 'If Epstein had lived, Ghislaine would never be where she is today,' a friend said. 'It is very telling that of all the people in Epstein's world, she is the only person in jail.' Under US law, once her appeal is completed and if she loses she can apply to be extradited and serve out her term in a UK prison, something she intends to pursue. Daphne's latest book, Struggling for One America, written with Erbil Gunasti, is published by Skyhorse Publishing and is available to buy here. Read her pop culture scoops here and here. Britain's security against countries such as Russia and North Korea is being threatened by woke financial institutions that refuse to invest in the defence industries, Ministers have warned. The Government is growing increasingly concerned about the refusal of the City to back British firms, such as BAE Systems, due to so-called environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. ESG investing also known as 'socially responsible investing', 'impact investing' and 'sustainable investing' aims to optimise the effect of investing on the environment, society and corporate governance, and investments must include consideration of human wellbeing and the environment. As a result, some investors are taking their money out of tobacco firms or oil giants, for example. But investors including the Church of England and Legal & General are also avoiding the defence sector on 'ethical' grounds. Writing in today's Mail on Sunday, City Minister Andrew Griffiths (pictured) and Defence Minister James Cartlidge said that 'peace needs defence, and defence needs an industrial base' They add: 'It is perverse that as war rages on our continental doorstep there is a parallel universe where the defence sector is being shunned. There is a troubling misunderstanding within investor preferences and the defence sector... that risks starving the industry of capital at competitive valuations' (pictured: James Cartlidge) Nearly two thirds of institutional investors have divested from firms involved in security and defence, or are considering doing so. Writing in today's Mail on Sunday, City Minister Andrew Griffiths and Defence Minister James Cartlidge said that 'peace needs defence, and defence needs an industrial base'. They add: 'It is perverse that as war rages on our continental doorstep there is a parallel universe where the defence sector is being shunned. There is a troubling misunderstanding within investor preferences and the defence sector... that risks starving the industry of capital at competitive valuations.' Their warning follows the row over the cancellation of Nigel Farage's Coutts bank account, which led to the resignation of Dame Alison Rose, the chief executive of its parent bank NatWest, and Coutts chief executive Peter Flavel, after it emerged that Mr Farage had been 'debanked' because of his political views. A senior Treasury source warned last night that the same 'disease of wokery' had infected investing, adding: 'It is as wrong for investors to defund an industry that protects peace and democracy from threats such as Putin as it is for a bank to cancel its customers based on their lawful political views. 'The core role of financial institutions is to help people save, access credit and to invest. 'These are noble purposes, but it goes wrong when managers conflate the interests of customers with their own woke agendas. The uber-liberal values embraced by the woke-ists depend on our nuclear shield.' Mr Griffiths and Mr Cartlidge add: 'If Russian tanks roll further into Europe, the freedom we all take for granted would go out the window.' How perverse to shun this sector at the very moment war is on our doorstep By Andrew Griffith, City Minister, and James Cartlidge, Defence Minister When Russia invaded Ukraine, the British people were unequivocal in their response to President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for aid. Alongside humanitarian support and the Homes for Ukraine host scheme, the UK has provided vital military aid, training 18,000 of its personnel and enabling it to reverse much of Russia's advance. It was widely recognised that giving Ukraine the means to defend itself including British military hardware was the right moral choice. That choice was to support what most of us think is a vital ethical principle the pursuit of peace. But peace needs defence, and defence needs an industrial base. So it is perverse that as war rages on our continental doorstep there is a parallel universe where the defence sector is being shunned. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the British people were unequivocal in their response to President Volodymyr Zelensky's (pictured) call for aid There is a troubling misunderstanding within investor preferences and the defence sector which includes firms such as BAE Systems, Babcock and QinetiQ that risks starving the industry of capital at competitive valuations. In one survey, around 40 per cent of institutional investors stated they had rejected or stopped investing with an asset manager due to concerns about Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues. Yet it is blindly apparent that all businesses rely on the peace and stability delivered by the Armed Forces and the industrial base which supports them. The UK defence sector has embraced ESG considerations in a range of ways yet whether because of deliberate discrimination or the unintended consequences of a broad-brush approach, defence companies are swept up in ESG investment groupthink, with profound consequences for us all. The biggest is that divesting from defence companies undermines Britain's long-term security and democratic freedoms not least the freedom to support environmental and social causes in the first place. There are not too many ESG outfits in Russia or North Korea. A failure to invest in defence and security firms also damages the economy. Defence is a huge nationwide creator of employment, with 141,000 direct jobs and many more indirectly across the supply chain. What's more, there are wider applications of technologies first developed in the defence sector and vice versa. The internet, satellite navigation and jet engines were born as military applications before creating sectors and changing our civilian way of life. Military-grade cyber capability protects us all. Failure to recognise this robs investors and society alike of the opportunity to capitalise on tremendous innovations. Without healthy access to investment, our industrial capacity and technological edge is blunted, with fewer companies becoming more reliant on Government support. And without a domestic defence industry, Britain would become simply a customer, rather than a producer. Keeping ahead of the curve requires a strong and well-funded defence and security industrial base. There could hardly be a bigger or more positive social responsibility than investing in peace. Investing in defence companies is a good thing for our values, for investors and for society. If Russian tanks roll further into Europe, the freedom we all take for granted would go out the window. The quicker investors realise this and come on board the better. The Scotland-based boss of Paddington train station in London who earns 300,000 a year flies hundreds of miles to other UK stations rather than take the train, a report has claimed. Michelle Handforth, who lives in Aberdeen, claimed almost 10,000 in the last financial year for 72 flights to stations across the country. Ms Handforth, 60, who works for National Rail, is also in charge of other sites in Reading, Bristol and across Wales. She used to work as the chief of Aberdeen Harbour Board before she was hired as Network Rail's managing director in July 2021. Her contracts says she is permitted to work from home and that travel and accommodation expenses are paid for by her employer 'where required', The Sun reports. Network Rail chief Michelle Handforth (pictured), who lives in Aberdeen, claimed almost 10,000 in the last financial year for 72 flights to stations across the country Ms Handforth is the boss of train stations across the UK including Paddington in London Network Rail offered Ms Handforth the deal as they say they need to be 'innovative and flexible' to be able to hire the best people. But their latest annual report, which was recently published, the quango owned up to missing targets for passenger satisfaction in their boss' area, with poor scores given due to failures in overcrowding, cleanliness and the station environment. Flights she took last year include two 536 return trips from Aberdeen to Bristol via airline Loganair. Network Rail spent a total of 188,006 on domestic flights last year and 315,026 flying internationally, according to The Sun. Jonathan Gullis, Tory MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, slammed Network Rail saying it was an 'embarassing state of affairs' that rail bosses have to fly to visit their own stations. He also criticised Ms Handforth's 'extortionate salary' considering that trains are frequently late and poor value for money. Prisoners are complaining their tuck shop sells only cakes after fruit and vegetables were removed as they are used to make alcohol. Many jails have limited supplies of 'fermentable food products' such as fruit, vegetables and Marmite, hoping to stop inmates using them to brew moonshine. But inmates at Isle of Man Prison have complained to the governor that cakes are the only things left on sale. A recent report by Charlie Taylor, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, found the tuck shop stocked almost exclusively sweet items, including cakes, flapjacks and doughnuts. Other items such as tinned and fresh fruits, raisins, nuts and jars of Marmite were removed from sale due to 'security concerns'. But inmates at Isle of Man Prison have complained to the governor that cakes are the only things left on sale But a prison source said many inmates are increasingly choosing a healthier lifestyle A common way to make alcohol in prison is to mix fruit with sugar and bread and leave it somewhere warm for a few days. The resulting illicit hooch is often shared with cellmates or sold to other inmates. But a prison source said many inmates are increasingly choosing a healthier lifestyle. He said: 'Prison food is no great shakes at the best of times. Prisoners want and need access to healthy foods.' Conspiracy theorists have a new focus for their attention - a 'pyramid' in Antarctica. Despite the continent being covered in snow and ice, and having no permanent human population, social media users are convinced a mysterious triagular structure can be seen from satelitte images. But where has this supposed 'pyramid' come from? That's a question which is currently baffling social media users everywhere. The huge pyramid-shaped mass was spotted in satellite images taken over the southern part of Antarctica's Ellsworth Mountain range. A huge pyramid-shaped mass was spotted in satellite images taken over the southern part of Antarctica's Ellsworth Mountain range - the object has baffled social media users A number of strange looking peaks were found in the area, with one measuring two kilometers in each direction of its square base - a design similar to the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt. But after images of the 'pyramids' resurfaced this week, people have begun sharing theories on how the enormous structure could have come to be. Taking to Twitter, one user said: 'Wait how they moved the pyramids from Egypt to Antarctica?' Some have suggested artificial life or fabled secret society 'the Illuminati' are behind the apparent structure, while others attributed the design to humans. Others have offered even more outlandish ideas, one user wrote: 'This structure belongs to the civilization which existed before the flood. Around 10,000 years ago Antarctica was warm.' However, before you get too sucked in to the theory, the 'pyramid' in question is actually just a mountain. The puzzling structure is a feature of glaciated areas known as 'pyramidal peaked mountain'. The Ellsworth Mountain Range was discovered in 1935, it is more than 400km long and consists of peaks made out of rock The mountain range is located in Antarctica on the western margin of the Ronne Ice Shelf in Marie Byrd Land 'The pyramid-shaped structures are located in the Ellsworth Mountains, which is a range more than 400 km long, so it's no surprise there are rocky peaks cropping out above the ice. The peaks are clearly composed of rock, and it's a coincidence that this particular peak has that shape,' Dr Mitch Darcy, geologist at the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, told IFLScience. 'It's not a complicated shape, so it's not a special coincidence either. By definition, it is a nunatak, which is simply a peak of rock sticking out above a glacier or an ice sheet. This one has the shape of a pyramid, but that doesn't make it a human construction.' The Ellsworth Mountains are the highest mountain ranged in Antarctica, forming a 350km long and 48 km wide chain of mountains in a north to south configuration on the western margin of the Ronne Ice Shelf in Marie Byrd Land. The mountains are located within the Chilean Antarctic territorial claim and were discovered in 1935 by Lincoln Ellsworth on a trans-Antarctic flight from Dundee Island to the Ross Ice Shelf. The temperature in the Ellsworth mountains average around a frosty -30C, and the range only has a short window to visit, with the best time for expeditions being through November to January. His thoughts come as the US Senate considers a Bill on the disclosure of UFOs Aliens may be the last thing you consider when thinking of GCSEs, with English and Maths usually topping the agenda. But one British UFO hunter boldly claims that Ufology may soon 'become a mainstream subject' as the world heads towards an extraterrestrial 'paradigm shift'. Former detective Gary Heseltine wants to revamp traditional academia both within the UK and abroad as he believes that new US legislation has the potential to bring to light the truth about alien visitors. It comes as the US Senate considers the UFO Disclosure Bill, which if passed would compel the American government to publicly release records relating to possible UFO sightings. If this happens, Heseltine believes it would be 'the most profound moment in human history' and one that we are 'unprepared for' in terms of teaching children and adults alike about UFOs and their significance. Ex-cop Gary Heseltine believes that Ufology may soon be a 'mainstream subject' READ MORE: Unravelling the mystery of 'Britain's Roswell': UFO expert reveals his new theory on the Suffolk forest On three separate nights over Christmas, military personnel were convinced they had seen strange flashing lights near to a Royal Airforce base in Suffolk Advertisement It is for this reason that he is helping to create a series of online courses - taught by himself remotely - to help educate people about such phenomena. Heseltine, who is vice president of the International Coalition for Extraterrestrial Research (ICER), says his views are backed by 30 countries who are also pushing for new History and Religion courses to be made. 'We see our role as trying to be educators for what is coming,' he told MailOnline. 'So, we're preparing courses, and we will be totally reliant on funding. But it will come as and when you're either on the brink or after that paradigm shift where "it's" acknowledged. 'Because then people are going to go "we'll we need to brief our people", theyll come to us and say "we'll fund courses for you to do". 'If you do your basic kindergarten at school, are you going to teach history in the same way? 'I think there will be university degrees and Ufology will become a mainstream subject. Whichever name you want to call it, essentially, ufologists will become a mainstream.' Heseltine's thoughts come just as the US Senate is expecting to consider the UFO Disclosure Bill which seeks to make make all information relating to 'unidentified anomalous phenomena' (UAPs) public. If passed, records must be publicly disclosed no later than 25 years after they were created unless the president believes their release would threaten national security. Heseltine believes this legislation will help bring the truth about UFOs to light and the UK may even follow suit in its own legislation. So far, 'Evidential History' is the only ICER course to have taken place, which occurred during February over the course of six hours 'As of when and if this major disclosure event happens we're talking about the most profound moment in human history, and the world at the moment is totally unprepared for it, because 95 per cent of the world thinks it's foolish. Ex-cop Gary Heseltine (pictured) is reshaping the course of traditional subjects in an attempt to prepare humans for life among extraterrestrial entities 'So that's going to be huge "hit the brick wall" for some people. 'And part of ICER's remit over the last couple of years is to start developing courses for all sections of society - religion, aviation, because people are going to go from nothing to suddenly "we need to catch up here".' So far, 'Evidential History' is the only ICER course to have launched. It first took place in February as part of a six-hour lesson over two days. Religion, Aviation and even Technology are up next, but these are still within their development stages. The courses are designed for anyone of any age, with the more specialist classes to come at a cost that has not yet been set. Associate Professor Geoff Dancy, a political scientist at the University of Toronto, agreed with a number of ICER's key points, but told MailOnline that education should always be grounded in 'established historical and scientific propositions'. So far, 'Evidential History' is the only ICER course to have kickstarted He said: 'In principle, ICER supports the scientific method, and it resists dogmatism (see their About and Mission pages). I support that. The problem is that they do not really follow the scientific method, which in essence roots claims in observable and replicable evidence. 'Obviously textbooks and teaching curricula should be based on established historical and scientific propositions. 'We can never prove or disprove any proposition with 100 per cent certainty, but some propositions, or claims, have a great deal more evidentiary support than others. The evidence presented by ICER on its website is not good. It is what we may refer to as anecdata.' The associate professor also said that governments may be hiding details on extraterrestrials, but stressed that many conspiracy theories surround this. 'The idea that "the government" is hiding details about extraterrestrials is interesting and possible,' he continued. 'And as far as conspiracy theories go, it's one of the least pernicious. Belief in aliens is not itself a conspiracy theory; the idea that authorities are hiding information about aliens is a conspiracy theory. 'But there is an irony here. If all of the observable evidence of aliens remains hidden - because of a conspiracy - then there is no available data to support the proposition that aliens exist. 'If conspirators are successfully hiding information about extraterrestrials from the masses, then groups like ICER are rooting their propositions in what they believe, not what they know. In the end, this is not science, because science is based on overcoming doubts, not supporting beliefs.' Edward Carver in LA Review of Books: WHEN HE died unexpectedly in 2020, American anthropologist and left-wing activist David Graeber was best known for his 2011 book Debt: The First 5,000 Years, a revisionist history of money, and his involvement in Occupy Wall Street. He helped coin the catchphrase We are the 99 percent. But before he became a swashbuckling public intellectual, his work focused on Madagascar, where he did doctoral research on the legacy of slavery in a highlands village. In his posthumous new book, Pirate Enlightenment, or The Real Libertalia, he returns to the subject of Madagascar to tell a story that challenges Eurocentric ideas about the origins of the Enlightenment. Pirate Enlightenment was first published in French in 2019. The publishing house that released it, Libertalia, is in fact named after a pirate utopia in Madagascar that was depicted in an English-language book in the 1720s but probably didnt exist. Graeber is interested in the legend only insofar as it indicates the kind of political stories that were circulating in European coffeehouses. He regards it as a European fantasy, in which the Malagasy act only as antagonists to the utopians in the tale. The Real Libertalia of Graebers book is, in contrast, about the political arrangements of the Malagasy. This builds on Graebers other work, including There Never Was a West, or Democracy Emerges from the Spaces In Between, a 2007 essay in which he argues that the ideas of freedom, democracy, and equality are not principally Western. In The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity (2021), he and co-author David Wengrow, an archaeologist, dig up evidence that many complex societies existed without much hierarchy and that Enlightenment conceptions of human liberation flowed from many ancient and Indigenous traditions. More here. I would return to every country in this list in a heartbeat,' the YouTuber reveals Lexie Alford holds the Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to travel to every country on the globe, visiting all 196 by the age of 21 Lexie Alford holds the Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to travel to every country on the globe, visiting all 196 by the age of 21. Something she learned along the way? It's that certain countries are full of surprises. Drawing on her experience, the 25-year-old Californian, who has nearly half a million subscribers on her YouTube channel Lexie Limitless, created a video in which she lists the top five places that astonished her the most in her travels. She tells MailOnline Travel that some of the most surprising countries are off the beaten path destinations and 'are almost taboo to travel to because of what we hear about them on the news'. She remarks: 'Going to those places myself and forming my own opinion is always so interesting.' She adds that she often experienced the 'most genuine kindness and hospitality from the locals' in the places she least expected. Lexie had a positive experience in every country listed, she reveals, saying: I would return to every country in this list in a heartbeat! Arranged in no particular order, the countries that surprised her the most are revealed below PAKISTAN Lexie describes visiting Pakistan as 'one of the most surprising adventures of my life'. She's pictured above in the Karakoram mountains during her trip there Explaining why Pakistan surprised her, Lexie says in the video: I love going to places that contradict everything that I've been told to believe about them. I honestly felt very intimidated about visiting Pakistan until the moment my passport was stamped into the country. She says that contrary to her expectations, she discovered not only new tastes and sights but also a renewed sense of appreciation for the kindness of people in faraway places. Whats more, she was blown away by the countrys 'vast landscapes. Visiting Pakistan gave Lexie a 'renewed sense of appreciation for the kindness of people in faraway places' Lexie who began travelling at an early age with her travel agent mother - describes travelling across the north of the country as a 'crazy experience, with highlights including driving along the Karakoram Highway in the Karakoram mountains, often referred to as the most dangerous road in the world. She recalls: The local driver swerved recklessly around loose gravel corners with heart-pounding 500-ft-plus drops off the side of the road. Lexie says that the region's Fairy Meadows mountain meadow, which lies near the 8,126m (26,660ft) Nanga Parbat mountain, is one of the most peaceful, beautiful places she has ever visited, adding: I would have never expected it to be in Pakistan. Summing up the experience, she says: All in all, Pakistan turned out to be one of the most surprising adventures of my life. Going to a country that's been so badly portrayed in the media and in contrast having such fulfilling experiences was one of the most empowering opportunities I've had as a female traveller. TURKMENISTAN Lexie explains that it took forever to get her visa processed to visit Turkmenistan, and she was required to book her trip through a tour company Lexie notes that Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat, holds a few Guinness World Records for the most white marble buildings' Lexie says that it took forever to get her visa processed to visit Turkmenistan in Central Asia, noting: Its also one of the only countries in the world you cant visit without booking a tour with a guide company. She continues: I have an affinity for the most bizarre off-the-beaten-path destinations. When I mention travelling to Turkmenistan, people give me this blank confused stare and then ask: "What is it - a place, a city, what?" The country's capacity to surprise in part is down to its capital city, Ashgabat, which Lexie describes as 'one of the strangest cities in the world'. She notes that the entire capital is made out of gold and marble buildings and it holds a few Guinness World Records for the most white marble buildings and the world's largest indoor Ferris wheel. She adds: There's a very secretive energy in the air. Lexie says that a must-visit in Turkmenistan is the Darvaza crater, also known as the Door to Hell, which is a flaming natural gas pit in the middle of the desert 'I decided to bring an extremely long pole and marshmallows to roast (above) over the open flames,' Lexie says of visiting Turkmenistan's Darvaza crater Lexie explains that Turkmenistan has the sixth largest natural gas reserves in the world, which is the explanation for the very apparent wealth throughout Ashgabat. She was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that locals were friendly and welcoming towards her. She says: 'The very few locals I encountered while travelling throughout Turkmenistan were very excited to share their unique culture and cuisines with us.' The YouTuber adds that a must-visit while there is the Darvaza crater, also known as the Door to Hell a flaming natural gas pit in the middle of the desert. She describes the site as a beautiful addition to an otherwise mysterious landscape, adding: When planning ahead for this trip, I decided to bring an extremely long pole and marshmallows to roast over the open flames. Being able to share this experience with kind and funny locals made it a memory that I would never forget. She concludes: 'Although travelling in Turkmenistan is restrictive and closed off, I found myself captivated by its architectural wonders and the genuine kindness of its people.' VENEZUELA I was blown away by how much beauty there is throughout the country,' Lexie says of Venezuela For anyone that's heard the stigma that Venezuela is too scary to travel through, that is not my experience at all,' says Lexie. She continues: 'I held preconceived notions about Venezuela's political situation, yet I discovered awe-inspiring natural wonders and encountered resilient, compassionate communities that challenged my perspective.' Lexie says that planning her trip there certainly took much more effort than other places as it took her months to get her visa processed but she notes that the best things in life aren't always the easiest. The high point of her journey was visiting Angel Falls, the worlds tallest uninterrupted waterfall, which lies in Canaima National Park. To reach it, Lexie flew by plane to the national park, before taking a boat ride past some 'epic waterfalls'. After a night spent sleeping in a hammock 'surrounded by nocturnal animals', a hike led her to Angel Falls. The YouTuber says shell never forget the feeling of pure discovery and adventure she experienced when they made it to the colossal water feature. One of the things that stunned her the most, she reveals, was how free of travellers this world-famous landmark was. She says: 'To my surprise, there wasn't a single other tourist there at one of the most incredible natural wonders of the world. We didn't even encounter any other travellers throughout our entire trip.' ICELAND Lexie says that Iceland, with its volcanoes and hot springs, feels like a 'different landscape' 'Iceland was synonymous with icy desolation in my mind, but it astounded me with its breathtaking beauty, dynamic landscapes, and surprisingly rich cultural heritage,' says Lexie. The record-breaking traveller says that the country offers 'by far one of the most diverse terrains on Earth', adding that exploring its landscape was the closest she had ever felt to 'being on a different planet'. The content creator admits that Iceland is 'the most touristy place' in the top five list, but says that it's 'touristy for very good reasons'. Recalling her travels there, she says: Throughout the landscape, youll find everything from volcanoes and hot springs around every corner to frigid glacial lagoons and vast snowy peaks. Sunsets last for more than an hour and waterfalls pour out of every cliff. Iceland is an ideal destination for travellers looking to immerse themselves in total isolation. All you need to see the country is a driver's license and a craving for independence. EGYPT When asked what surprised her the most about Egypt, Lexie reveals its that the country rewards you when you travel off the beaten path'. She's pictured above at the pyramids of Giza Pictured left is Lexie beneath the Great Sphinx of Giza while to the right is Lexie next to the Djoser Pyramid in Al Badrashin. She says the latter is 'often overlooked in comparison to bigger pyramids' When asked what surprised her the most about Egypt, Lexie reveals its that the country rewards you when you travel off the beaten path. She explains: When I spent time in Cairo after exploring the Great Pyramids of Giza, I asked a taxi driver to take me somewhere that most tourists dont usually visit. Since locals always know the best spots, we drove outside the city to a place called Al Badrashin. 'We arrived at this step-shaped pyramid [the Djoser Pyramid] that has stood in the middle of the desert for nearly 5,000 years. The Djoser Pyramid is actually thought to be the oldest intact pyramid in the world.' Lexie says that Egypt is home to the most well-preserved history in the world She was taken aback by the 'complete lack of tourists' visiting the site, as she says it's 'often overlooked' in favour of larger pyramids. Lexie reveals: 'As I walked around this ancient masterpiece in the late afternoon, I was astonished that I was completely alone out there. She continues: Experiences like this reinforce the idea that going a bit deeper into a country will reward you exponentially along the way. Generally, Lexie found that Egypt is home to the most well-preserved history in the world. She says that visiting sites such as the Abu Simbel temples and 'getting to look into the faces of real mummies' in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is 'like stepping through time and into the past'. It wasn't just the country's wealth of history that amazed her, however. Lexie says: 'I thought travelling in Egypt would be incredible because of the ancient monuments alone, but I was amazed by the vibrancy of its modern-day culture and the diversity of experiences you can have there like diving in the Red Sea.' To see more videos from Lexie, visit her YouTube channel 'Lexie Limitless' . Tarmac delays are almost double what they were ten years ago, with severe weather and staffing shortages among the contributing factors. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there were 22,425 tarmac delays over an hour long in the U.S. from January to April in 2023. This compares to 12,739 tarmac delays of the same length during the same time period in 2013. For the first quarter of this year, Chicago O'Hare International Airport witnessed the highest number of tarmac delays (1,726), followed by John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York (1,307), and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey (1,285). If you've got a flight coming up and worried about disruptions, read on for in the in and outs around tarmac delays, as outlined by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT). Tarmac delays are almost double what they were ten years ago, with severe weather and staffing shortages among the contributing factors (stock image) What is a tarmac delay and when to the DoT's rules apply? A tarmac delay is defined by law as the 'period of time when an aircraft is on the ground with passengers and the passengers have no opportunity to deplane.' The DoT's tarmac delay rules only apply to incidents at U.S. airports and to 'covered carriers.' A covered carrier means 'a certificated carrier, a commuter carrier, or a foreign air carrier operating to, from or within the United States, conducting scheduled passenger service or public charter service with at least one aircraft having a designed seating capacity of 30 or more seats.' Passengers who experience tarmac delays at a foreign airport while flying to the U.S. may be protected from extended tarmac delays but the DoT notes that these will comes under the laws of another nation. How long can an airline keep me on the tarmac for? For flights departing from a U.S. airport, airlines are required to safely disembark passengers before three hours of waiting on the tarmac for domestic flights and for international flights, the limit is four hours. The same timeframe applies to flights landing at U.S. airports. In some cases, the DoT notes that waiting time might be longer due to 'safety, security, or air traffic control-related reasons.' Airlines are required to provide passengers with information around a delay after 30 minutes of waiting on the tarmac. Afterwards, it is up to the airline to give updates when they 'deem appropriate.' A tarmac delay is defined by law as the 'period of time when an aircraft is on the ground with passengers and the passengers have no opportunity to deplane' (stock image) If an airline offers me the opportunity to disembark during a tarmac delay, is it required to let me back on for eventual takeoff? An airline might offer passengers the option to disembark during a long delay if it is safe to do so. However, the DoT says that 'passengers should be aware that if they choose to get off the airplane during a tarmac delay, airlines are not required to let them back on.' This means the flight might take off without them and then it would be the passenger's responsibility to find another flight at their own cost. They might also be left without their luggage, as the airline might not be required to unload checked baggage before take off. To retrieve their bags, passengers will need to arrange a delivery or pickup with the airline. What rights do I have during a tarmac delay? The DoT stipulates that airlines must provide passengers with 'a snack, such as a granola bar, and drinking water no later than two hours after the start of the tarmac delay.' The airlines are not required to serve full meals during delays, even if they are lengthy. But they must have enough food and drinking water to serve every passenger. If there are safety or security concerns, the pilot might request for the food and beverage service to stop. For instance, 'when an airplane is taxing on an active runway, it may be unsafe for flight attendants to hand out food and water.' Along with a snack and water, passengers are entitled to a number of other things during tarmac delays including working toilets, a comfortable cabin temperature and 'adequate medical attention, if needed.' She has been a fashion phenomenon and one of pop culture's most beloved characters of the past 25 years. But now Carrie Bradshaw - the fictional sex columnist played by Sarah Jessica Parker - is on the outs with fans, who say she's been a narcissistic monster all along. Spurred by the withering reviews of the Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That..., viewers are now calling out Carrie for her rotten behaviour over the years - and many say it's only become more toxic over time. A blog post by a SATC super-fan forensically documents some of Carrie's worst moments - from her early days of standing up 'best friend' Miranda in a restaurant while she tends to dinner for lover 'Mr Big', to demanding an apartment down-payment from another friend, Charlotte. Other fans have also called out her horrific treatment of long-time love interest Aidan Shaw, who recently made his return to AJLT. Carrie Bradshaw (top right), played by Sarah Jessica Parker in the HBO franchise, is drawing criticism from longtime fans Carrie's behaviours have been branded 'toxic' by many despite the show's massive success during the 1990s and 2000s. An exchange in the most recent episode of AJLT sparked fury online after Carrie appeared to 'slut shame' Charlotte for discussing the use of condoms to protect against STDs. 'Why in the hell is everybody so in love with Carrie Bradshaw?' New York writer Mark Herrera asked on Medium. 'Both in the show and in real life (I know Im not the only person who feels this way, but she still gets way too much of a pass). She's the absolute worst! 'I'm no psychology expert, but she seems like an actual, full-blown narcissist. She's a garbage human being and nobody seems to give a f**k!' Fans have also called out her poor treatment of long-time love interest Aidan Shaw, played by John Corbett (pictured) Carrie and Aidan's on-again off-again relationship played out for three seasons and has spilled over into the reboot And Just Like That Herrera singles out Carrie's on-off relationship with Aidan - which set the backdrop of much of SATC seasons three to six as well as the film sequel - as a glaring example of gaslighting. 'Let's get the obvious out of the way: as previously referenced, she cheated on Aidan with Big. A LOT. And only stopped once she got caught and reprimanded by Charlotte,' he wrote. 'Even putting that gigantic black stain aside, she frequently displayed an array of behaviours throughout her relationships that, today, would be considered "toxic".' Indeed, fans will remember Carrie not only cheating on Aidan with Big several times after he sanded the floors in her apartment and saved the shoe-addicted serial spender several thousands of dollars, but after begging for him back she proceeded to treat him... terribly. Not only did she blame Aidan for breaking her laptop, despite the fact it was her fault for not having a backup system, she raged at him when he bought her a brand spanking new one. She also tried to force Big and Aidan to be friends after the cheating scandal, inviting the man who ultimately helped break Aidans heart into his private country house he built with two hands. After Aidan decided he wanted to propose to Carrie, she moaned about the ghetto gold engagement ring he chose for her and when Samantha finally helped Aidan get a new one, she wore the ring around her neck. She then broke up with Aidan AGAIN after he bought her apartment and the one next door to make them a home, and yet he still goes back to her in Just Like That The man is a glutton for punishment. Other fans have criticised Carrie's long-time mistreatment of her so-called 'best friends', citing several examples where she has put her own interests and issues above theirs. 'When Charlotte got engaged to Harry she put the post-it over her ring (paper covers rock) because God forbid anyone be happy while Carrie is in a "crisis",' noted one Reddit user. 'Also why not celebrate Charlotte's engagement rather than spend the evening obsessing over yet another one of her issues?' 'Im no psychology expert, but she seems like an actual, full-blown narcissist' one columnist claims of Carrie She made Aidan go and rescue a naked Miranda when she fell over and nearly broke her neck in the bathroom, and then trotted over bagels without cream cheese to 'make up for it'. But what she was really doing was masking the opportunity to whinge about her relationship with Aidan being 'rocky' after SHE cheated on him with Big. Not to mention left a very pregnant Miranda to see Big off when he moved to the Napa Valley in Season 5. In a piece published shortly before the premiere of AJLT, writers Jess Commons and Guy Pewsey published '9 Times Carrie Bradshaw Was Actual The Worst' in Grazia, specifically her 'fat shaming' of Samantha. 'Remember when Samantha put on a truly tiny bit of weight in the first Sex And The City film? Carrie greeted her at the door, noticed an extra inch around her dear friend's stomach, and physically recoiled before staging an intervention. Bad form, Carrie.' Viewers of the widely-panned reboot AJLT have also been quick to note how Carrie's behaviour become more destructive this season with a recent example of Charlotte asking Carrie for a condom to give to her teenage daughter Lily. 'Carrie is borderline offended at the idea, as if condoms are a tragic hallmark of youth and not a responsible fact of sexual activity for many people,' wrote pop culture bloggers Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks aka The Fug Girls. 'Even Charlotte points out that, sure, pregnancy isn't an issue but what about STDs? 'You thought I had an STD situation?' Carrie chortles, aghast. Pray tell Carrie. What is an STD situation? And how can you evaluate one on site? 'Is Carrie implying that people with STDs look dirty? Or are somehow easily identifiable as infectious?' Carrie Bradshaw, and actress Sarah Jessica Parker, became a fashion icon as a result of the show SATC reboot And Just Like That... has divided fans and critics since its debut in 2022 Fans quickly chimed in with responses. 'A woman who met her future husband when she spilled a bunch of reservoir tips (condoms) out of her bag in the pilot,' replied one, referring to the famous moment Carrie met 'Mr Big' for the first time. 'Carrie continues to be the worst sex columnist ever',' another said. But it's Carrie's famous demand for Charlotte to give her a down payment for an apartment - back in season four of SATC - that has been singled out as the moment her narcissism was on full display. 'If you've ever started to wonder exactly when Carrie Bradshaw turned from plucky, charming rom-com heroine to raging narcissist, the answer is episode 'Ring a Ding Ding', declares Vox's Alex Abad Santos. 'The episode is the final one addressing Carrie's broken engagement with Aidan. 'After he leaves, she receives a legal document asking her to pay for her apartment, which he had purchased under the premise that they would live there together. The love triangle between Aidan, Mr Big and Carrie was a divisive topic during the show's final seasons 'Carrie doesnt have the money for the down payment; by her own accounting, she has spent all her money on shoes. 'She proceeds to try to scrounge up cash any way she can, notably by zeroing in on the expensive engagement ring left behind in the wake of her friend Charlottes broken nuptials. 'Why didn't you offer me the money?' Carrie demands, before launching into a lecture about the ways she herself has always supported her friend. 'Charlotte's reasonable, loving response that Carrie is a 35-year-old woman who needs to fix her own finances offends Carrie to her very core. She storms out of her friend's apartment. 'At the end of the episode, a sufficiently browbeaten Charlotte does give her the 2.17 carat Tiffany ring and goes so far as to tell Carrie that it was wrong not to offer her $30,000 for her down payment. 'Carrie accepts the money and tells Charlotte she will pay her back. The series never shows Carrie cutting Charlotte a cheque.' More recently fans took offence to a bizarre storyline on AJLT when Carrie refused to discuss vaginal odour on her podcast and, as a result, forced the closure of the entire studio. Aidan makes a return to the franchise, with actor John Corbett reprising the character 'The whole arc is juvenile and, frankly, a little offensive,' railed Marie Claire. 'It's tomfoolery like this that reminds us precisely why we need Samantha Jones to tell Carrie to just say the f***ing word.' Samantha has been notably absent from AJLT which was collateral from an off-screen falling out between Parker and Kim Cattrall. As a result many fans and critics have turned on the series which they say suffers in Cattrall's absence and lacks the wit and spark of the original. (Cattrall has, however, recorded a small cameo which is yet to air on the current season of AJLT.) The show's writers have also copped some criticism for a number of nonsensical storylines in the reboot which die-hard fans say are confusing and unauthentic to the original characters. 'I continue to be baffled that AJLT is a television show not written by ChatGPT under the prompt 'Write a TV series aimed at women that will make the broadest possible number of women feel sickened and distressed', wrote one viewer. Carrie, with original love interest and eventual husband Mr Big (played by Chris Noth) Debuting in 1998, Sex And The City was one of the most-watched shows in HBO history 'I can't believe this comes from the same people that caused a stir in the nighties with their daring subjects and incorrection. This is bland, boring and pointless,' said another. And finally, can we talk about Carrie's penchant for wealthy suitors to fund her ridiculously overindulgent lifestyle? First there was Big, an entrepreneur and financier who lived in the Upper West Side. He also offered to pay for the downpayment of her apartment following her split with Aidan and years later built her one of the most epic walk-in closets of all-time in a Park Avenue apartment she would never be able to afford. Aidan, a self-made furniture designer who rans his own successful business, Jack Berger, a humour writer who came from family money, and how could we forget Aleksandr Petrovsky, a famous artist who became Carrie's lover in the final season. Let's face it, she was never going to settle for a humble loving bartender like Miranda's Steve. Premiering in 1998, SATC was hailed a breakthrough in subscription television and drew comparisons with shows like The Sopranos and The Wire for its unflinching realism and massive popularity. Parker's portrayal of Carrie Bradshaw also carved its own place in pop culture history and gained huge momentum in the fashion world where her outfits were often copied or replicated. But while we can all celebrate her fashion for years to come, her character has been stained by downright horrific behaviour. The Dukes Of Hazzard actor John Schneider made his first Hollywood appearance since the devastating death of his wife Alicia Allain and insisted her passing will lead to 'remarkable, great things.' Speaking exclusively on video to DailyMail.com, a tearful Schneider delved into his struggle with losing his wife, his music and filmmaking partner, to cancer in February. Schneider, 63, who is most famous as Bo Duke from the iconic US TV action series, is determined that his life will be focused on helping others cope with grief, despite admitting he will never get over his own loss on an 'awful road'. He revealed that part of his healing process after Alicia's death was to write a new album We Are Still Us to 'honor her,' even though it tested him. Schneider spoke as part of his first on-camera interview since her death at the Drinks With Dee Dee Sorvino cabaret show in Hollywood, where he supported the eponymous entertainer, who lost her husband, Goodfellas icon Paul Sorvino, a year ago. Still painful: Dukes Of Hazzard star John Schneider spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com at the Drinks With Dee Dee Sorvino cabaret show in Hollywood about his struggle with losing his wife Alicia Allain in February Loved-up couple: Alicia, a producer, actress and musical collaborator to her husband, died from breast cancer at 53; John and Alicia seen in May 2017 in Tucson, Arizona Tribute to his love: Schneider performed his songs after completing an album titled We're Still Us, which is 'all about' his late wife The country music artist's goal is to encourage people to express their emotions for loved ones while alive, rather than when it's too late. Schneider, who appeared in the Superman spinoff show Smallville, endured mixed emotions when returning to work on his latest album. For years, the married couple composed together, but he vowed to continue their work and to produce a tribute to their love in music. Schneider said: 'My bride Alicia and I did our own movies and our own music, so we didn't work for anybody. So that was very, very helpful. 'Now that, really, my much, much, much better half is not here, but waiting for me, I am trying to honor her professionalism and trying to honor her skill,' he explained. 'I just finished a new album that I think is the best thing I've ever done. It's all about her, it's called We're Still Us. The actor added that he was 'very proud' of how the music turned out. 'And I do believe it's helpful, but honestly, I don't see a time where this doesn't hurt like hell,' he said of the difficult subject matter. Classic: Schneider is most famous as Bo Duke from the iconic US TV action series The Dukes Of Hazzard Similar struggles: Schneider spoke at the Drinks With Dee Dee Sorvino cabaret show in Hollywood as part of his first on-camera interview since Alicia's death (pictured with Dee Dee) Painful but comforting: Schneider explained of the album: 'It hurt so bad to write. It hurt so bad to sing. But the final product is going to be healing for those who are going through this' Schneider explained of the album: 'It hurt so bad to write. It hurt so bad to sing. 'But the final product is going to be healing for those who are going through this; of which, statistically speaking, two people get married, one of them is going to die first. 'We all think that cancer and losing your spouse are things that happen to other people,' he warned. 'No, these are things that can happen to you in my case, way too soon, [at] 53. 'She and I are going to do remarkable, great things because of this, not in spite of it, but because of this,' he continued. 'And I'm anxious to see what those things are, but I'll do it.' Actress Allain, known for her roles in Leather Jackets, Caged Fear and The Badge. died after a courageous four-year battle with breast cancer According to a report from Fox40 Jackson news, Allain was diagnosed with stage 4 HER2 negative breast cancer in 2019. Reports claimed doctors gave the actress five years to live. Allain and Schneider, who married in 2019, worked on eight films together, along with several music projects. The Dukes of Hazzard star regularly posts notes and letters online to Alicia about his loss. 'Every day I write a letter to heaven,' he said. What could have been: 'We all think that cancer and losing your spouse are things that happen to other people,' he warned. 'No, these are things that can happen to you in my case, way too soon, [at] 53' Always in his thoughts: The Dukes of Hazzard star regularly posts notes and letters online to Alicia about his loss. 'Every day I write a letter to heaven,' he said Helping hand: He admitted that he never dreamed in his 'wildest imagination' that he 'would be a well-educated support system for people who lost the loves of their lives' 'What I've discovered is that there are there's a huge demographic of people who've lost a spouse out there, and people are afraid to talk about it. So we really have no support system,' he stated, adding that 'we need that.' 'Now, did I ever dream in my wildest imagination that I would be a well-educated support system for people who lost the loves of their lives? No, but that's where I am.' With tears welling up in his eyes, he added: 'So that's what I'll do.' Schneider shared that he hopes his healing journey will allow others to realize the importance of their relationships. 'I think people need to know it's OK to love someone that much,' he said. 'In fact, it is how you should feel about your spouse. 'I have a lot of people say, "I wish my spouse felt that way about me." 'Well, maybe they do and you're just too busy in life to realize it,' he continued. 'So if I can help one couple out there realize that they are perfect, then this will not have been in vain. ' Later on stage, Schneider added: 'I'm so grateful that Alicia never, ever, ever wondered for a second.' Schneider said he expects to one day be reunited with Allain in heaven: 'I did not lose her. I know where she is and one of these days if I do not screw it up I will meet her there. It is up to me now. 'She went home in February this year,' he said while visibly emotional. 'It's hard. There is nothing to prepare you for it.' Schneider spoke as he supported Dee Dee Sorvino, the co-founder of Sorvino Vino, at the iconic American Legion Post 43 in Hollywood. Words of wisdom: Schneider shared that he hopes his healing journey will allow others to realize the importance of their relationships. 'I think people need to know it's OK to love someone that much,' he said Waiting for the day: Schneider said he expects to one day be reunited with Allain in heaven: 'I did not lose her. I know where she is and one of these days if I do not screw it up I will meet her there. It is up to me now' Dee Dee performed a range of show tunes and classic hits reflecting on her extraordinary marriage to movie star Paul, who was the father of the Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino. The touching performance won her a standing ovation, with many audience members moved to tears. 'In commemoration of the one-year anniversary of Paul's passing, I had the desire to do something special,' Dee Dee said. 'I believe that performing at the Legion is an event that my late husband would have wanted me to do' Schneider reflected: 'She and Paul were, and I believe still are, a delightful couple, and we have something in common. She lost Paul. I lost my bride. We're kind of holding each other up, which is a good thing.' For more details on Dee Dee's projects visit www.sorvinovino.com. Sarah Michelle Gellar is living la dolce vita in Italy and sharing snaps with her 4.4 million followers on Instagram. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum, 46, shared a series of photos on her Instagram Stories on Friday wearing a sexy one-shoulder black bathing suit which displayed her enviable frame. She lounged in a pool at the Terme Di Saturnia, Hotel And Thermal Resort Spa Tuscany, Italy. The Cruel Intentions actress tagged her husband Freddie Prinze, Jr., 47, in a shot of a wall covered in floral wallpaper. '@RealFreddiePrinze I need this wallpaper at home,' she captioned the photo. La dolce vita: Sarah Michelle Gellar is living la dolce vita in Italy and sharing snaps with her 4.4 million followers on Instagram The Scream actress also shared a photo where she is in a pool that had spa jets, letting him know she wanted one of them at home. In another snap, she showed the bar area of the hotel and also told Freddie she wanted that at their home, writing '@RealFreddiePrinze and this bar.' The hotel the Wolf Pack actress is staying at is located in an area of Italy known for its natural hot springs. She shared a photo of herself in a pool and captioned it: 'Yup, Ive mastered spa life in [Italian flag emoji].' The mom of Charlotte, 13, and son Rocky, 10, has been sharing snaps all month of her family having a fabulous time on their Italian vacation. Sarah and Freddie met on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer in 1997 and married in the fall of 2002. They teamed up on screen again for Scooby Doo in 2002 and its 2004 sequel Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. The couple welcomed daughter Charlotte in 2009 and son Rocky in 2012. The Ringer alum revealed earlier this year that her daughter wants to follow in her parents' footsteps. 'Does it scare the s*** out of me? Well, we have rules in place,' she said. 'She can't be in front of a camera until she graduates high school,' Sarah said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. She added: 'She says to me, "Thats unfair. You were a child actor." Yes, I was. But I was not the child of two famous parents.' Italian nights: The Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum, 46, shared a series of photos on her Instagram Stories from her Italian spa getaway Spa trip: She lounged in a pool at the Terme Di Saturnia, Hotel And Thermal Resort Spa Tuscany, Italy Floral: The Cruel Intentions actress tagged her husband Freddie Prinze, Jr., 47, in a shot of a wall covered in floral wallpaper Snazzy bar: She showed the bar area of the hotel and also told Freddie she wanted that at their home, writing '@RealFreddiePrinze and this bar' The Scooby-Do star started her career in her mid teens and found worldwide success when she was cast as the titular character in Buffy. But Sarah did give Charlotte some hope. 'I'll never stop her from being on a set. But shes just not going on camera while shes living under our roof,' she explained. 'Therell be different expectations for her, so she needs to learn everything there is first,' she said. Gizelle Bryant announced the passing of her father, Curtis Graves, in an Instagram post that was shared on Friday. The 52-year-old reality television personality shared a photo that showed her, as well as her three daughters, spending time with her late father, who passed away at the age of 84. The cast member of The Real Housewives of Potomac, who is currently involved in a trademark dispute with Eminem, also penned a short message that read: 'Thank you for being the best Dad that a little girl could ever want or need.' Bryant, who wrote that she would miss Graves 'everyday of my life,' did not reveal her father's cause of death. The media figure's eldest daughter, Grace, also shared a tribute of her own to her Instagram Story. Dearly departed: Gizelle Bryant announced the passing of her father, Curtis Graves, in an Instagram post that was shared on Friday The social media personality posted a photo showing her standing next to her grandfather following her high school graduation. Bryant's eldest daughter added emojis of a dove carrying an olive branch and a heart to her image. Graves had previously made a name for himself as a longstanding advocate for social justice and racial equality. The late community figure was the first African-American individual to serve Texas House of Representatives ever since the Reconstruction era. Graves was also acquainted with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the two worked together on several occasions. He eventually joined NASA's Academic Affairs Division and eventually became its Director for Civil Affairs before he retired in 2003 in order to focus on photography. Graves also appeared in Real Housewives of Potomac's first season which aired in 2016. Bryant spoke about her father's impact on her life during an interview with Bravo, where she expressed that he inspired her to prioritize activism during her early years. Letting everyone see: The 52-year-old reality television personality shared a photo that showed her, as well as her three daughters, spending time with her late father, who passed away at the age of 84, during a family gathering; she is seen in 2022 Speaking her mind: The RHOP cast member also penned a short message that read 'Thank you for being the best Dad that a little girl could ever want or need'; they are seen with Erika Liles in 2017 In remembrance: The media figure's eldest daughter, Grace, also shared a tribute of her own to her Instagram Story Known for it: Graves had previously made a name for himself as a longstanding advocate for social justice and racial equality 'For me, it starts with my dad. My dad was very involved with the Civil Rights movement years ago in Houston. For my daughters, this is third generation,' she said. The reality television personality added that 'my second job out of college was working for the national headquarters of the NAACP and now it's my daughters." Bryant also spoke about an instance where her late father found out that she, as well as her children, were promoting a rally on her Instagram account. 'My father saw my Instagram post and called me and he said, "You know what? That made me so proud,"' she recalled. Ascot TV presenter Rosie Tapner placed her bets right when she decided to court rugged adventurer Ross Turner, for the pair are now engaged. 'My bestest friend in the world asked me to marry him, and of course (through so many happy tears) I said yes,' says Rosie. The Burberry model, 27, showed off the sparkler that Ross, 34, proposed with on a beach under Cornwall's Brea Hill. 'I'm feeling like the luckiest girl in the world,' says Rosie, who was the first person to zip-wire across the River Thames, hurtling at 40mph while 170ft in the air. Meanwhile, Ross and his identical twin brother Hugo hold world records for being part of the youngest four-man crew to row the Atlantic. Loved-up: Ascot TV presenter Rosie Tapner placed her bets right when she decided to court rugged adventurer Ross Turner, for the pair are now engaged 'My bestest friend in the world asked me to marry him, and of course (through so many happy tears) I said yes,' says Rosie. At the start of July, the couple took the plunged and moved to the countryside together from London. At the time, Rosie penned on Instagram: 'New Home. Today we waved goodbye to London and hello to the countryside. 'Without doubt the most tiring and exciting couple of days moving out! SO happy to see the back of London! Heres to the next big adventure together' And at the end of 2022, the couple jetted off on their first holiday together to Pico Island in Portugal. Alongside a loved-up snap, Rosie wrote: 'Pico Island you did not disappoint! 2 weeks of total heaven, walking, swimming, climbing, dolphins, whales and time together! 'Love going places out of seasonquite literally the only people there! Now back to work and the lead up to Christmas' Rosie, who is close friends with Cara Delevingne, signed with fashion icons Balenciaga when she was just 15. One year later she was on the cover of Vogue UK and fronting campaigns for the likes of Burberry and Ralph Lauren. She shot to fame when she performed the Harlem Shake dance with the pair backstage at Topshop last year after she signed with Kate Moss and Cara's agency Storm. Loved-up: At the start of July, the couple took the plunged and moved to the countryside together from London Career: Rosie, who is close friends with Cara Delevingne, signed with fashion icons Balenciaga when she was just 15 and is now an Ascot presenter Speaking to MailOnline at the time, Rosie said: 'I'm just walking for Topshop this season, partly because of school. I've got a lot on at school at the moment. 'It's easy for me at school because I've got that grounded life where I don't need to think about all of this. 'I absolutely love this hype, it's amazing but I just try to keep my head out of it and not read too much into it. My favorite thing is going back to school and having normality. I was in Miami last week, shooting the Topshop campaign in the 80 degree heat, and then came back to Englands rain and just hung out with my friends. Its hilarious really.' Advertisement Kevin Costner's wife Christine Baumgartner moved out of the couple's Santa Barbara mansion and into a mini-home just down the street on Friday, days before she was court ordered to vacate the property. Moving vans were seen outside of Costner's home in Carpinteria, California, earlier in the day, and took Baumgartner's, 49, belongings to her new abode, which sits on a vacant lot owned by the Yellowstone actor, 68. The large lot, which is located on the same street as her marital home, was littered with shipping containers and a miniature home isolated in the middle. Meanwhile a U-Haul truck was pictured parked outside the mansion, located in the small seaside city in southeastern Santa Barbara County, and was later seen returning in the afternoon to collect more belongings from the beachfront estate. Baumgartner who filed for divorce from the Yellowstone star in May, and has complained of struggling to find an appropriate rental in the area was ordered to vacate the $145M property by end of month. Moving day: Moving vans were seen outside of Kevin Costner's home in Carpinteria, California, on Friday, as his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner moved out of their home amid their bitter divorce Mini home: Baumgartner moved into a mini-home, which sits on a vacant lot owned by the Yellowstone actor just down the street from their marital home, days before she was court ordered to vacate the property New abode: The large lot was littered with shipping containers and a miniature home isolated in the middle Ordered to vacate: Baumgartner, 49 who filed for divorce from the Hollywood star, 68, in May was ordered to vacate the $145M property by end of month; The pair seen in 2022 The cozy new home features a green roof, a wooden deck and a small outdoor grill along with plenty of seating options. A dirt road nearby leads to a number of white shipping containers. Earlier in the day helpers at Costner's residence were seen moving items from what appeared to be the garage onto the truck. A bicycle was among the items being loaded on. Since proceedings began, the divorce has been far from amicable, from Kevin claiming that his ex refused to leave the mansion despite giving her $1.45 million for a new residence, to Christine alleging the actor was trying to make her and their children 'homeless.' Christine insisted she has no plans to 'strip' their mansion in Santa Barbara of items before leaving the grounds which she has been ordered to do by July 31. Kevin who was spotted with the pair's three kids the day prior in Aspen, Colorado and Christine have been locked in a very contentious split over the past few months. The drama goes back weeks when Kevin asked her to exit the home. Now the tension has been focused on what she takes when she leaves the house. Earlier this month sources told DailyMail.com that Baumgartner fears the Yellowstone star is 'out for revenge' against her after she filed for divorce, and will have police escort her out of their Santa Barbara home. 'He wants to humiliate her,' a close friend of Christine said. 'This isn't about the house, it's about making Christine's life a living hell for actually going through with the divorce.' 'Christine said she wouldn't be surprised if Kevin had her escorted off the property by police,' the friend says. 'It was Christine who wanted to make this transition as peaceful as possible for the sake of the children. 'Kevin has done the complete opposite. He's not thinking about the kids, about how traumatizing this is.' Baumgartner shared in new legal documents that she will be showing photos in a PDF to Kevin's attorneys of what she plans to remove from the mansion, according to a report from ET. And that means there should be no 'emergency hearing' over what belongings will be taken out. Christine said a hearing was 'uncalled for.' Also in the filing, it was revealed that Baumgartner rented an 'off-site' storage unit to house some silverware, some pots and pans, a Peloton bike, family heirlooms, clothing and personal items from friends. There was also a 'mother/daughter horse picture' she wanted to keep. And it was added that Costner would 'not be harmed' by Baumgartner during the removal of her items. Hard to maintain the lifestyle: Christine has previously complained of struggling to find an appropriate rental in the high-end neighborhood Cozy: The cozy new home features a green roof, a wooden deck and a small outdoor grill along with plenty of seating options Interesting arrangement: A dirt road nearby leads to a number of white shipping containers Close to the beach: Though the new location is certainly much more modest than the former multi-million mansion, it still offers close beach access Ugly battle: This comes after Kevin accused her of ransacking the home that they had previously shared Accusations: Through his attorney, the Bodyguard star accused his ex of taking his belongings 'without his knowledge or consent,' which he claims has increased significantly The latest: A U-Haul truck was pictured parked outside the mansion, located in the small seaside city in southeastern Santa Barbara County, earlier in the day to take Christine's belongings Returning: The truck was later seen returning in the afternoon to collect more belongings from the beachfront estate Stunning: The picturesque property has a stunning beach view Last week, a judge ruled she must confer with Kevin before taking any property from the estate. She has been barred from taking art, furniture, furnishings or appliances with her, without his explicit consent. It was also stated that she will be barred from removing any property, apart from her clothing, toiletries, handbags and jewelry from the mansion. This comes after he accused her of ransacking the home that they had previously shared. Through his attorney, the Yellowstone star accused his ex of taking his belongings 'without his knowledge or consent,' which he claims has increased significantly. Baumgartner previously wrote in court filings that she was hesitant to leave her home without having a plan and funding in place, if only for the sake of her children, whom she doesn't want to have to move multiple times. She claimed that 'Kevin wants me to rent [a] place without [a] financial plan in place. However, [I] have our three children to think about. It is contrary to their best interests to commit to rental that [I] may not be able to afford, particularly as that would ultimately lead to multiple relocations. 'My goal has been and continues to be maintaining as much stability for our children as possible, which includes having the proper resources and plan in place so that [I] can establish [a] stable home for them, rather than making temporary and inconsistent housing arrangements,' she continued. The Yellowstone star was on the hook to help his estranged wife relocate per their prenuptial agreement, but it was a relatively paltry sum for their lifestyle. Costner would have paid her a reported $1.5million to find a new home, but with California's elevated home prices particularly if she tried to stay near Costner she may have had difficulty finding something similar to the luxury she and her children are accustomed to. Costner has deposited $1.5million in Baumgartner's bank account to get her to move out of his mansion, and he said he had given her $200,000 earlier in their marriage in line with their prenuptial agreement. However, Baumgartner hasn't touched the money, as she says doing so would rob her of her ability to contest the prenup's validity. Difficult: Since proceedings began, the divorce has been far from amicable, from Kevin claiming that his ex refused to leave the mansion despite giving her $1.45 million for a new residence End of the month: Christine insisted she has no plans to 'strip' their mansion in Santa Barbara of items before leaving the grounds which she has been ordered to do by July 31 Drama: The drama goes back weeks when Kevin asked her to exit the home. Now the tension has been focused on what she takes when she leaves the house Revenge? Earlier this month sources said Baumgartner fears Costner is 'out for revenge' against her after she filed for divorce, and will have police escort her out of their home Bitter divorce: 'He wants to humiliate her. This isn't about the house, it's about making Christine's life a living hell for actually going through with the divorce,' a source said Who takes what: Baumgartner shared in new legal documents that she will be showing photos in a PDF to Kevin's attorneys of what she plans to remove from the mansion Ruling: Last week, a judge ruled she must confer with Kevin before taking any property from the estate Barred: She has been barred from taking art, furniture, furnishings or appliances with her, without his explicit consent Personal belongings: It was also stated that she will be barred from removing any property, apart from her clothing, toiletries, handbags and jewelry from the mansion The former couple initially tied the knot in 2004, with Christine filing for divorce on May 1 after 18 years of marriage. She noted that their date of separation was on April 11, and cited the reason for the split was due to 'irreconcilable differences.' The divorce filing had left Kevin 'blindsided' and the star actually had plans to file for divorce first, sources told The Sun last month in June. He had assumed that the two were going to split amicably and follow steps in their prenuptial agreement. Costner also claimed Baumgartner had made payments to her own divorce attorney via a credit card that belongs to one of Costner's employees, according to documents obtained by TMZ. The latest bickering between the former couple comes just days after a judge determined that Costner must pay $129,000 per month in child support, which was a little over half of what Baumgartner had been requesting, but more than double what the actor and director said he should pay. In documents, Costner's legal team wrote that Baumgartner 'has shown a disturbing propensity in the last several months, both before and after separation, to take [Kevin's] property without his knowledge or consent, especially since this case was filed.' One of the more puzzling claims in the documents is that Baumgartner allegedly paid a criminal defense attorney $25,000 that came from a property fund that Costner had set up. He claimed that he was unaware of the payment, and the money should only have been used for real estate transactions regardless. More puzzling, though, is why Baumgartner would want or need a criminal defense attorney in the first place, and the filing doesn't appear to clear up that question. The documents allege another inappropriate payment, this time a sum paid to Baumgartner's divorce attorney Susan Wiesner, which Costner's team claims was charged to 'the credit card of an employee which is traditionally used for Costner family house charges and paid by [Kevin].' They also accuse the designer of getting cash advances on multiple credit cards paid by her ex but issued to household staff members. The arrangement with the employee credit cards appears to allow Costner's employees to buy necessary supplies for the family immediately, without having to come to him or his estranged wife for funds. Hesitant to leave: Baumgartner previously wrote in court filings that she was hesitant to leave her home without having a plan and funding in place Lifestyle: Costner was on the hook to help his estranged wife relocate per their prenuptial agreement, but it was a relatively paltry sum for their lifestyle Lucxury: Costner would have paid her a reported $1.5million to find a new home, but with California's home prices particularly if she tried to stay near Costner she may have had difficulty finding something similar to the luxury she and her children are accustomed to Although several of the claims in the filing appear to have allegedly taken place after Baumgartner filed for divorce from the Dances With Wolves star, Costner's lawyers also appeared to accuse her of having planned out her split in advance with large purchases. The filing claimed that Baumgartner had purchased a luxury car months before separating or filing for divorce, which might not be out of the ordinary for the wife of an ultra-wealthy star like Costner, but the documents claim that the couple normally leased all of their cars. However, the former couple's prenuptial agreement allegedly allows Baumgartner to keep her current car, and the new filing suggests that she may have upgraded it in order to have a better car after the divorce. The attorney's allege that the pricy purchase indicates that Baumgartner 'had been planning her exit long before she told [Kevin] in April 2023.' Costner's lawyers state in the filing that he tried to address these alleged purchases by asking Baumgartner to sign a document stating that she would not 'loot the residence' before departing, though she refused to sign it. They further claim that the Waterworld actor is find with her taking all of her property, and he is supposedly open to her taking other things as long as she tells him before hand and they agree on it. The details of the couples prenuptial agreement reportedly required her to move out within 30 days of either party filing for a divorce, a deadline she had missed after she was the first to file. She previously said in court filings that she would leave the estate on August 31, following the results of a court date originally scheduled for July 12. In the documents, Baumgartner agreed to vacate the premises at the end of August as long as Costner complied 'with whatever support and fee orders that the court makes on July 12,' according to TMZ. Ugly divorce: The couple tied the knot after four years of dating in September 2004. Baumgartner filed for divorce in May after 18 years of marriage; seen together in 2008 Parents of four: The former couple share three children: sons Cayden, 16; and Hayes, 14; along with their younger daughter Grace, 13 The latest decision stipulates that both Costner and his ex with split their children's healthcare costs 5050. The former couple share three children: sons Cayden, 16; and Hayes, 14; along with their younger daughter Grace, 13. Baumgartner previously claimed in court docs that Costner informed their children about their split over a 10-minute Zoom call without her. In court papers obtained by PEOPLE in June, Baumgartner claimed that Costner blindsided their children with the divorce over Zoom despite her wishes to deliver the news together. 'After a 24-year relationship, from his hotel room in Las Vegas, Kevin told our three children that we were getting divorced over a 10-minute Zoom call without me present,' she alleged. 'I am still confused by his motivation to do this via a very short Zoom session, especially since he was planning on being home five days later. 'He also could have easily come home from Las Vegas to have the conversation in person.' Christine had wanted to tell their children about the divorce with Kevin. Hailey Bieber is the September cover girl for Vogue Japan. The model and businesswoman struck a pose in a cream colored top, adding black trousers. Hailey, 26, sported brown gloves and a large gold bangle, opting for drop earrings. She styled her short brunette hair sleek and center parted with smokey eye makeup to round out he look. Hailey is wearing Saint Laurent and Tiffany's jewelry. Strike a pose: Hailey Bieber is the September cover girl for Vogue Japan The Vogue cover was unveiled one day after Hailey was spotted stepping out on Thursday afternoon for a solo errands run. The star flashed her flat midriff in a white crop top and baggy low-slung jeans while out and about in Los Angeles. Hailey slung her purse over one shoulder while rocking small framed sunglasses and her short hair pulled back. One day prior, Hailey wore a similar outfit while heading to pick up cold beverages - opting for light wash cutoff shorts, a white crop top and a darker denim jacket. Last week, Hailey shared a series of snaps of 'summer energy so far'. The beauty sported an orange bikini with a patterned crop top that was sheer, highlighting her trim figure. Hailey also donned a tiny green string bikini for a mirror selfie, as well as a snap of herself putting her Rhode skincare brand onto her skin while wearing a towel over her hair. Wow factor: The Vogue cover was unveiled one day after Hailey was spotted stepping out on Thursday afternoon for a solo errands run Pretty: The star flashed her flat midriff in a white crop top and baggy low-slung jeans while out and about in Los Angeles Casual: One day prior, Hailey wore a similar outfit while heading to pick up cold beverages - opting for light wash cutoff shorts, a white crop top and a darker denim jacket Summer hails: The beauty sported an orange bikini with a patterned crop top that was sheer, highlighting her trim figure Chic: In January, Hailey chopped off her long tresses into a short bob, revealing the news on her Instagram page In January, Hailey chopped off her long tresses into a short bob, revealing the news on her Instagram page. In March, Hailey cut her hair even shorter, grazing her chin. In June 2022, Hailey was asked about how she feels about starting trends and fashion styles. The stunner, who is married to Justin Bieber told People: 'I find any influence I might have on anyone very flattering. Anytime somebody comes up to me and is like, "I look at your style all the time, and I love your style. I'm very inspired by it."' Adding: 'I still get jittery. That is the best part of creating for me. I can't even believe that people want to look at what I'm doing and that their inspired by it. I feel so grateful for that. I think it's really cool and really amazing. And I feel like I'm in it with them,' she said. Nicole Kidman is back in her native Australia for a visit and she's wasted no time catching up with her mother, Janelle. The 56-year-old Hollywood superstar enjoyed a day out in Sydney with her mum on Friday. The pair, who headed to a friend's home, cut stylish figures as they hopped into a car to their destination. Nicole looked chic in a slim fit black blazer worn over a wool vest and white dress shirt, to which she added a tie. The Stepford Wives actress had on a pair of wide cut beige trousers and a matching designer slouch bag. Nicole Kidman is back in her native Australia for a visit and she's wasted no time catching up with her mother, Janelle. Both pictured She finished her look with a pair of large sunglasses and high end leather loafers, while wearing her hair in a half up do. Janelle meanwhile went for a classy ensemble including a grey jumper over a navy blue polka dot dress shirt. The matriarch added a pair of black trousers and small backpack, while carrying a puffer jacket over her arm. She finished her look with designer sunglasses and a pair of comfortable black sneakers. The 56-year-old Hollywood superstar enjoyed a day out in Sydney with her mum on Friday The pair cut stylish figures as they hopped into a car to their destination Nicole looked chic in a slim fit black blazer worn over a wool vest and white dress shirt, to which she added a tie The Stepford Wives actress had on a pair of wide cut beige trousers In an interview with the Fresh Air podcast recently, Nicole spoke briefly about her mother's health issues. She said they'd managed to visit the Art Gallery of New South Wales after-hours, where they took in the Matisse: Life & Spirit exhibition, describing it as 'soothing balm'. 'We're down here primarily to take care of my mother and to have her surrounded by her grandchildren,' she said. 'So luckily yesterday, even though Omicron is raging through this country, we were able to take her into the gallery after hours and show her the Matisse exhibit, which coming from a mother who's raised me in the arts, it was soothing balm. She added to her look with a pair of large sunglasses and high end leather loafers Nicole had her ginger hair in a half up do She also wore a smattering of accessories including dainty earrings Nicole carried a designer slouch bag that matched the colour of her trousers Janelle meanwhile went for a classy ensemble including a grey jumper over a navy blue polka dot dress shirt 'Matisse was soothing balm last night.' Later in the interview, Nicole said she felt privileged to be able to see the world through her mother's eyes, describing it as 'so beneficial'. 'I'm at the place where I'm being given the chance to view the world, because of how close we are, my mum is giving me the chance to view the world through an 81-year-old woman's eyes,' she explained. 'That is so beneficial right now, because she's so cognisant. She has every brain faculty available, so she hasn't lost anything. She hasn't lost any memory, which is fascinating, and she's extremely bright. The matriarch added a pair of black trousers and small backpack, while carrying a puffer jacket over her arm She finished her look with designer sunglasses and a pair of comfortable black sneakers In an interview with the Fresh Air podcast recently, Nicole spoke briefly about her mother's health issues She said they'd managed to visit the Art Gallery of New South Wales after-hours, where they took in the Matisse: Life & Spirit exhibition, describing it as 'soothing balm' 'We're down here primarily to take care of my mother and to have her surrounded by her grandchildren,' she said 'She's giving me access, because she's also very direct and very honest, and so I'm getting access to the world through her eyes, my mother's eyes, so therefore a part of me almost at 80.' She added: 'It's her perspective, obviously. There's many different 80-year-old perspectives, but it's her perspective, and her particular path, but I'm drinking it in and learning.' Nicole also shared a heartfelt birthday tribute to her mother live from the 2023 Oscars red carpet in Los Angeles. The Australian actress and her husband Keith Urban were being interviewed by Sonia Kruger on The Morning Show, when she revealed it was her mum's birthday. 'So luckily yesterday, even though Omicron is raging through this country, we were able to take her into the gallery after hours and show her the Matisse exhibit, which coming from a mother who's raised me in the arts, it was soothing balm' she added Later in the interview, Nicole said she felt privileged to be able to see the world through her mother's eyes, describing it as 'so beneficial' 'I'm at the place where I'm being given the chance to view the world, because of how close we are, my mum is giving me the chance to view the world through an 81-year-old woman's eyes,' Nicole explained 'That is so beneficial right now, because she's so cognisant. She has every brain faculty available, so she hasn't lost anything. She hasn't lost any memory, which is fascinating, and she's extremely bright' the actress added She went on: 'She's giving me access, because she's also very direct and very honest, and so I'm getting access to the world through her eyes, my mother's eyes, so therefore a part of me almost at 80' 'It's my mum's birthday today. Happy Birthday mama. We love you soo much,' Nicole said to the camera. Keith added: 'Happy Birthday JJ.' 'We did a party for her when we were back in Sydney... She is the heartbeat of our family so we love you mama,' Nicole continued. In December 2021, the mother-daughter were spotted at the Being the Ricardos premiere in Sydney, with the two women appearing together on the red carpet. 'It's her perspective, obviously. There's many different 80-year-old perspectives, but it's her perspective, and her particular path, but I'm drinking it in and learning' Nicole said Nicole also shared a heartfelt birthday tribute to her mother live from the 2023 Oscars red carpet in Los Angeles Although they didn't pose for photos together, Nicole made sure her mother was well taken care of, lovingly holding her hand as she chatted to her. Nicole recently revealed that her daughters Sunday, 14, and Faith, 12, who she shares with husband Keith, especially love visiting Down Under. 'The girls love it too. So we're very much always back and forth. It's a huge part of our life seeing my sister and all my nieces and nephews and mama,' she said. Nicole also shares adopted children Bella, 30, and Connor, 28, with her ex Tom Cruise. Kyle Sandilands and wife Tegan (nee Kynaston) have a surprising link to one of the couples from season 11 of Married At First Sight Australia. Filming is well under way for the Channel Nine matchmaking show, with the first wedding kicking off on Thursday as it revealed a notable detail. Melbourne-based Tori Adams and her groom Jack Dunkley tied the knot at the Swifts mansion where Kyle, 52, and Tegan, 37, held their $1million wedding. The radio shock jock said 'I do' to the mother of his son Otto in April at the $60million heritage-listed gothic mansion in Sydney's Darling Point. Months later, Tori and Jack shared their TV nuptials at the same exclusive venue where season 10 couple Melissa Sheppard and Josh White also got hitched. Kyle Sandilands, 52, (left) and wife Tegan (nee Kynaston), 37, (right) have a surprising link to one of the couples from season 11 of Married At First Sight Australia Daily Mail Australia revealed the first look at MAFS' newest couple on Thursday just before they walked down the aisle. Photos showed Tori stepping out of a limousine and making her way to the venue in a strappy white gown and matching veil on the day. Her A-line wedding dress gave onlookers a glimpse at her tattoo collection, which included several words written on her wrist and a large rose on her shoulder. Melbourne-based Tori Adams (left) and her groom Jack Dunkley (right) tied the knot at the Swifts mansion where Kyle and Tegan held their $1million wedding The business development manager appeared pensive as she lifted the skirt of her dress to prevent it from getting dirty, revealing a glimpse at her white heels. Jake was later seen arriving at the venue, sporting a black tuxedo and a man-bun hairstyle that had a shaved section underneath. The Gold Coast personal trainer looked calm as he strutted towards the Victorian home, which previously hosted the wedding of KIIS FM shock-jock Kyle and Tegan. The new season of MAFS Australia is expected to push the boundaries like never before by featuring the most diverse cast yet, Daily Mail Australia can reveal. Sam Powell-Pepper welcomed daughter Billie Rose to the world on Friday night with fiancee Brya Waghorn. The Port Adelaide prime mover, 25, and his partner announced the birth of their second child just hours before his AFL Showdown against Adelaide. In a series of heartwarming posts to their Instagram pages, the lovebirds documented their happy memory with photos of their new bundle of joy. The Western-Australia native kicked things off by posting a black and white image to his Stories which showed Billie fast asleep on her father's chest. Hours later he posted another image of himself sitting on the hospital bed cradling Billie and his first daughter Frankie Rose. Sam Powell-Pepper, 25, (left) welcomed daughter Billie Rose to the world on Friday night with fiancee Brya Waghorn (right) Meanwhile, Brya shared her own photos of Billie all rugged up in a peach wrap with white rainbows and a huge matching bow. The little tot was wide awake at this point, with Frankie hopping up onto the hospital bed to hold her newborn sister. Friends and fans flocked to the influencer's comments to gush over the adorable photos and congratulate the happy parents. The Port Adelaide prime mover and his partner announced the birth of their second child just hours before his AFL Showdown against Adelaide In a series of heartwarming posts to their Instagram pages, the lovebirds documented their happy memory with photos of their new bundle of joy. Pictured is Sam's eldest daughter Frankie Rose 'Congratulations to you all. How lucky for Billie Rose to have you and Sammy as her parents and Frankie as her big sister. She is perfect,' one person wrote. 'Billie Rose, you are just perfection. Can not wait to meet you,' another said. A third commented: 'Stop it right now! She's perfect. We love you Miss Billie. I can't with Frankie she's the best big sissy.' The happy news came just a few months after Sam popped the question to Brya on Henley Beach in South Australia. Karl and Jasmine Stefanovic were doing their bit for charity on Saturday. The married couple attended the Men Matter Raceday on the Gold Coast, with Karl playing MC on the day as $200,000 was raised for men's health charities. Jasmine embraced the Barbie trend by donning a baby pink suit consisting of a well cut blazer and matching trousers. The 39-year-old wore a discreet camisole under the jacket and finished the look with comfortable white sneakers. For makeup, the shoe designer opted for a peachy palette with a nude lip gloss and pulled her blonde hair off her face. Karl and Jasmine Stefanovic were doing their bit for charity on Saturday. Both pictured The married couple attended the Men Matter Raceday on the Gold Coast, with Karl playing MC on the day as $200,000 was raised for men's health charities Jasmine embraced the Barbie trend by donning a baby pink suit consisting of a well cut blazer and matching trousers Karl meanwhile was dapper in a well-tailored navy blue suit paired with a white dress shirt. The Today show host added a polka dot tie in a matching tone and added a pair of leather dress shoes. The 48-year-old donned designer sunglasses as he made his way into the charity event. Once inside, the couple sat down for a meal and wine as they mingled with other guests. The 39-year-old wore a discreet camisole under the jacket and finished the look with comfortable white sneakers For makeup, the shoe designer opted for a peachy palette with a nude lip gloss and pulled her blonde hair off her face Karl meanwhile was dapper in a well-tailored navy blue suit paired with a white dress shirt The Today show host added a polka dot tie in a matching tone and added a pair of leather dress shoes Jasmine added some fine gold accessories to her ensemble It comes after Jasmine broke her foot while holidaying in Europe last month. It is believed the couple spent some weeks apart, with Jasmine staying in Queensland with her family and daughter Harper. Meanwhile, Karl fulfilled his hosting duties for Channel Nine's breakfast show in Sydney. Recently, Karl and Jasmine returned from their lavish trip to Paris, where they attended the wedding of millionaire chicken heiress Tamie Ingham and chef Guillaume Brahimi. Once inside, the couple sat down for a meal and wine as they mingled with other guests It comes after Jasmine broke her foot while holidaying in Europe last month It is believed the couple spent some weeks apart, with Jasmine staying in Queensland with her family and daughter Harper Meanwhile, Karl fulfilled his hosting duties for Channel Nine's breakfast show in Sydney Karl has long been friends with Brahimi after being introduced by mutual acquaintance James Packer. He served as emcee at the ritzy nuptials spread across two raucous days culminating in a reception at the famed Maxim's bistro. The dad-of-four was photographed living it up with wife Jasmine in the French capital, first attending a welcome soiree at cult restaurant Girafe Paris. Karl and Jasmine, who were staying at the $13,000-per night Hotel Costes while in Paris, spent two weeks abroad in total. Pixie Curtis put on a lavish party Saturday night as an early 12th birthday celebration and final farewell to her friends before she jets off to Singapore. The pre-teen, her mother Roxy Jacenko, and younger brother Hunter will be leaving Sydney permanently and relocating to Asia where her father Oliver Curtis works. And it seems Pixie has decided to leave her home city with a bang as she had one last red-themed hurrah with her friends. The young entrepreneur donned a stylish beige dress for the occasion which flowed right down to her ankles to a pair of strappy shoes. With her auburn hair tumbling down her back, Pixie couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she posed up a storm with her family and school friends. Pixie Curtis (pictured) put on a lavish party Saturday night as an early 12th birthday celebration and final farewell to her friends before she jets off to Singapore She arrived at the venue in a black hire car with her closest besties as her proud mother, 43, acted as chaperone for the night. Her father and brother, eight, also made an appearance at Pixie's big night, looking every inch a matching father-son duo with white T-shirts and tan slacks. The hall where dinner was served was decorated all in a red Singapore theme with Pixie's name splashed across the floor and entrance. The pre-teen, her mother Roxy Jacenko, and younger brother Hunter will be leaving Sydney permanently and relocating to Asia where her father Oliver Curtis works And it seems Pixie has decided to leave her home city with a bang as she had one last red-themed hurrah with her friends The young entrepreneur donned a stylish beige dress for the occasion which flowed right down to her ankles to a pair of strappy shoes Every seat featured a goodie bag for guests with gorgeous red flowers and lush green plants decorating the centre of the long tables. A delicious red and white cake was placed centre stage in a huge plant art piece dotted with red fans, making for the perfect picture opportunity. It comes after Roxy, founder of the Sweaty Betty PR firm, revealed in June she was leaving Sydney to live with her husband in Singapore. She arrived at the venue in a black hire car with her closest besties as her proud mother, 43, acted as chaperone for the night Her father and brother, eight, (both pictured) also made an appearance at Pixie's big night, looking every inch a matching father-son duo with white T-shirts and tan slacks The hall where dinner was served was decorated all in a red Singapore theme with Pixie's name splashed across the floor and entrance Every seat featured a goodie bag for guests with gorgeous red flowers and lush green plants decorating the centre of the long tables A delicious red and white cake was placed centre stage in a huge plant art piece dotted with red fans, making for the perfect picture opportunity She admitted her life in Sydney will have a stark difference to her upcoming new life overseas as 'no one knows her there'. 'No one has any preconceived idea of who or what I am, no one has any expectation, and best of all, no one actually cares!' she told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'In Singapore it was a matter of "Roxy who?" I actually found it really refreshing and a bit liberating.' Their big move is likely to come very soon as the family have already secured themselves a luxury pad in Singapore. Friends and family knew exactly where to go when they arrived at the venue and were greeted with a Welcome to Singapore sign adorned with Pixie's name It comes after Roxy, founder of the Sweaty Betty PR firm, revealed in June she was leaving Sydney to live with her husband in Singapore She admitted her life in Sydney will have a stark difference to her upcoming new life overseas as 'no one knows her there' Janette Manrara has announced that she has welcomed her first child with her husband Aljaz Skorjanec. The former Strictly Come Dancing professional, 39, took to Instagram on Saturday to confirm that she had given birth to a baby girl the day before. She shared a sweet black-and-white photograph of herself lying in hospital and cradling her newborn daughter while Aljaz, 33, stood over her and smiled. In an accompanying caption, Janette confirmed her daughter's adorable name as she celebrated her new arrival. She simply penned: 'Lyra Rose Skorjanec. July 28, 2023,' along with an emoji of a red rose. Congratulations! Janette Manrara has announced that she has welcomed her first child with her husband Aljaz Skorjanec Her celebrity friends were quick to take to the comments section to gush over Janette and Aljaz's jovial baby news. Ashley Roberts wrote: 'Lyra Rose is here!!!' before adding in another post: 'So beautiful!!! Love you!!!' While former Strictly dancer James Jordan added: 'So happy for you both. Sending love from the Jordans.' Gemma Atkinson said: 'Just wonderful', with Gorka Marquez adding: 'So gorgeous.' Sophie Ellis-Bextor commented: 'Yay! Welcome to the world Lyra. Congratulations! xx' while Jake Wood said: 'Welcome to the world Lyra1!!! You have chosen amazing parents.' Janette announced that she and fellow Strictly pro Aljaz were expecting their first child together in February, after struggling to conceive for more than two years. The couple, who have been together for 13 years, announced the news in an Instagram post in conjunction with a magazine cover shoot for HELLO! Magazine. Captioning an official photo from the spread, Janette, 39, wrote: 'We're so happy to share our special news!' Detailing her pregnancy in an accompanying interview, the Cuban-American choreographer admitted she had struggled to conceive for more than two years, prompting fears that it might never happen. Gushing: Her celebrity friends were quick to take to the comments section to gush over Janette and Aljaz's jovial baby news 'For the past couple of years we hadn't been using protection but nothing was happening, so we thought IVF was the next best thing for us to do,' she explained. 'I turn 40 later this year and the NHS offers really good services to women under 40. The doctor said that as soon as I got my period we would start injections, but my period never came.' 'I know that IVF can be really strenuous on a woman's body and there is no guarantee it will work, so to know that this little miracle just came from a wonderful night we had together is amazing. I think the baby decided to make Mum and Dad panic a bit before saying, 'ok, fine, I'm coming up now.'' Janette explained how she told Aljaz she was pregnant by handing him the positive pregnancy test and that they 'cried and hugged,' adding 'it was quite a moment'. Aljaz admitted he was 'beside myself' and hoped the baby would look more like Janette than him. Janette has kept fans up to date with her pregnancy and was sweetly surprised with a Winnie-the-Pooh-themed baby shower earlier this month. Not revealing their child's gender before the birth, Janette took to Instagram to give an insight into the occasion, telling how her loved ones surprised her with the party. She shared a whole host of snaps from the gorgeous affair, which came complete with Winnie-the-Pooh decorations and coordinated gold and yellow balloons. Janette was joined by her close pals Ashley Roberts and Katya Jones and was also surprised by her mother Maritza, who flew over from Miami especially for the party. Janette told how her sister Lesly Marie had arranged for her mother to attend as a surprise, while Aljaz's family also came over from Slovenia. The lavish party featured a sweet sign on the door reading 'Janette's baby shower' before a tour of the stunning interior was given. The Winnie-the-Pooh themed party also featured huge posters with quotes and illustrations from A A Milne's books and a whole host of yellow and gold balloons. Pregnancy: Janette (pictured in June) announced that she and Aljaz were expecting their first child together in February, after struggling to conceive for more than two years Adorable: Janette then kept fans up to date with her pregnancy and was sweetly surprised with a Winnie-the-Pooh-themed baby shower earlier this month Baby shower: Janette was joined by her close pals Ashley Roberts and Katya Jones for the sweet baby shower The snacks on offer included delicious scones and jam, an array of desserts and cakes, and popcorn presented in honey pots. There was also a Winnie-the-Pooh cake, made by Eric Lanlard, decorated with figurines of the book characters and paper bees. An adorable moment also showed the moment Janette looked completely stunned as she walked into the surprise event, before rushing to hug her family. Another clip then showed Janette bursting into floods of tears as her mother walked into the room and shocked her even more, after secretly flying over for the party. It came after Janette gushed over her husband Aljaz and claimed would 'breastfeed the baby if he could' as she prepares to give birth for the first time. Janette told Closer: 'He's wanted to be a dad since day one and he's so obsessed, he would breastfeed the baby if he could! 'He wants to be a co-parent 100 percent and we'll be a real team.' The dancer also revealed how her husband sends her memes of baby tips and advice he's found online, adding: 'As a working mum, having someone like that on your side is such a breath of fresh air!' She previously said of Aljaz: 'The most surprising thing for me, from Aljaz is just the level of support he's shown throughout this whole pregnancy.' 'I knew he always wanted to be a Father; I felt in my heart that I knew he was always going to be an amazing Dad, but to see it come to life with his excitement and his curiosity and his ability to really just take care of me is amazing.' She added: 'He doesn't let me lift a feather! He is just the most incredible husband and it's so nice to see how involved he wants to be and he wants to know about everything happening to me and my body. 'I think as a woman it's so comforting to know that I have a real partner in this whole process, and that he's with me all the way. I love that.' She continued: 'It's just the excitement of being a family, finally. We've known for a long time that we've been wanting to be parents, and now we have this little miracle coming, our lives are going to completely change forever once it arrives. Adorable: Janette was also surprised by her mother Maritza, who flew over from Miami especially for the baby shower Romance: Janette and Aljaz first met back in 2010 in London through their careers as professional dancers and went on to tie the knot in 2017 'To know that, again, we have each other and we're doing it as a team, and hopefully we create a wonderful human being, that will be beautiful for our planet. 'Just the excitement of being in a new home as a new family all of it really! I'm just super happy that this is even happening.' Janette and Aljaz first met back in 2010 in London through their careers as professional dancers and Aljaz joked that he was ready to propose after five hours. Janette previously credited Strictly for helping them to stay together, as it meant they both lived in London rather than having to do long-distance between Slovenia and Los Angeles. The loved-up pair finally exchanged vows seven years later in 2017 in three separate ceremonies in London, Slovenia and Miami. James Cook was seen holding hands with a mystery blonde as they left the Chiltern Firehouse on Friday night after a romantic date night. The ex-husband of Poppy Delevingne, 43, didn't hold back from showing off his loved one - who is a dead ringer of his former flame. The businessman dressed down for the occasion, as he donned a quirky silk bomber jacket and a pair of skinny blue denim jeans - and contrasted the quirky look with a pair of white trainers. James looked in great spirits while leaving the swanky 5-star hotel with his date in tow. The former model beamed alongside his ladylove as the duo made their way to the car to head home for the night after a romantic evening of fine dining. Date: James Cook was seen holding hands with a mystery blonde as they left the Chiltern Firehouse on Friday night after a romantic date night Meanwhile, James' date looked typically chic in an all-black ensemble as she held hands with James as they left the restaurant. The blonde beauty donned a lace black camisole top which featured a plunging neckline and paired the chic top with a pair of skinny black denim jeans. She wore a black leather jacket over the top as the evening chill kicked in. The businessman and his mysterious lady made their first public debut in May when they were spotted enjoying some drinks in Mayfair. Exes James and Poppy, 37, have not addressed their split publicly but are said to have called time on their union at the beginning of last year. While the pair are said to have remained friends and still mix in the same social circles, it appears James is now moving on romantically. Loved up: The ex-husband of Poppy Delevingne, 43, didn't hold back from showing off his loved one - who is a dead ringer of his former flame Casual: The businessman dressed down for the occasion, as he donned a quirky silk bomber jacket and a pair of skinny blue denim jeans Quirky look: He also contrasted the quirky look with a pair of white trainers Night out: James looked in great spirits while leaving the celebrity hotspot Romantic evening: The former model beamed as the duo made their way to the car to head home for the night after a romantic evening of fine dining Chic: James' blonde beauty looked typically chic in an all-black ensemble And the news was ultimately confirmed by James' public appearances with his mysterious woman, as well as Poppy's recent relationship with her toyboy Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece, 24, - as it appears they have both moved on. The English socialite was seen enjoying the company of her royal beau again earlier this month, as the new couple spent some quality time at the Chiltern Firehouse in London - a place that seems to be the former pair's favourite. Despite the 12-year age gap between Poppy, 36, and Prince William's godson, 24, they are believed to have been enjoying each other's company for a while now. The son of Crown Prince and Princess Pavlos, known as Tino to his pals, has often been considered one of Europe's most eligible royal bachelors. He is the grandson of Greece's late King Constantine II, who was a cousin of King Charles and one of Prince William's five godparents. He died aged 82 in January. Poppy and James, who works for his family's aerospace company, tied the knot in 2014 at a Knightsbridge church ceremony, with sisters Cara, 30, and Chloe, 37, among her many bridesmaids. Rumours started to circulate about their marriage when James resigned as a director of her company Poppy Delevingne Limited, the firm which files the accounts for her 'photographic activities'. Stunning: The blonde beauty donned a lace black camisole top which featured a plunging neckline and paired the chic top with a pair of skinny black denim jeans Heading home: She also wore a black leather jacket over the top as the evening chill kicked in Celebrity dating app Raya had a new account added in November featuring pictures appearing to be of James, but he never confirmed whether it was his account or if somebody had opened a parody account. Alongside a series of brooding snaps, James describes himself as a CEO in the business and entrepreneur industry. One black and white image originally featured on his Instagram page with Poppy in the snap, yet he cropped her out for his dating profile. He had originally shared the picture on his social media in May last year alongside a birthday tribute to his wife. The image - which is the last photograph of Poppy on his Instagram feed - was captioned: 'Happy happy birthday my love cant wait to celebrate with you when you get home. @poppydelevingne.' Split: It comes after James and Poppy, 37, have not addressed their split publicly but are said to have called time on their union at the beginning of last year MailOnline has contacted James and Poppy's representatives for comment. The Mail On Sunday reported last January that the pair had 'consciously uncoupled' after being little more than friends for the best part of a year. The following month she flashed her ringless hand to photographers at Perfect Magazine's London Fashion Week party at The Standard. Poppy looked gorgeous on the night in a striking black and white gown, enjoying the celeb-packed bash with friends Georgia May Jagger and Iris Law. The same month, Poppy's husband James was posting from Chamonix, France, enjoying a ski trip with friends. It's believed that Poppy moved into her own place in West London, with an insider spilling: 'James is refusing to accept things are over.' Despite the reported split, the pair have continued to mix in the same social circles, with the pair attending Glastonbury Festival together alongside pals Sienna Miller, Alexa Chung and Matt Smith in June. Tammin Sursok is turning 40 in a matter of weeks. And the former Home and Away star has some trepidations about the milestone birthday. The 39-year-old tells this week's issue of Stellar Magazine that she's worried about how ageing will affect her career. 'I'm not nervous about turning 40, I'm nervous of what that represents' she told the publication. 'I think the fear of turning 40 is just I don't want to work less. I remember having my first kid and they said I was no longer an ingenue I was 29 years old'. Tammin Sursok is turning 40 in a matter of weeks. And the former Home and Away star has some trepidations about the milestone birthday. Pictured in this week's Stellar Magazine Tammin has been candid about her body image struggles in the past, admitting that she 'desired to be wanted, to be lusted over' as a young girl and struggled with an eating disorder. Posting a series of heartbreaking stories to her Instagram in honour of International Women's Day, the actress reflected on the devastating effects she suffered being objectified by men. The first story she shared was about a young boy she had a crush on who told her she needed to lose weight at the age of 15. She revealed she was 'paralysed in fear and lust' when he approached her, saying: 'My heart stopped. I had daydreamed for years that this moment would come.' 'I'm not nervous about turning 40, I'm nervous of what that represents' she said But her dream came crashing down when the boy brutally told her: 'You need to go to Jenny Craig [weight loss program].' Sursok moved on to her next story which recounted a time when she had dropped to 45 kilograms in weight by forcing herself to throw up after a meal. 'I had spent the last 40 minutes ramming my chapped and raw knuckles down my throat. I knew this routine well. I had become an expert at lying,' she said. 'I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and saw my eyes; they looked like they were bleeding. I weakly smiled at my reflection. I was 100 pounds (45 kilos), I thought, now people would love me.' The former Home and Away star said she 'desired to be wanted, to be lusted over' as a young girl and struggled with an eating disorder 'I think the fear of turning 40 is just I don't want to work less. I remember having my first kid and they said I was no longer an ingenue I was 29 years old' she added Finally, Sursok told the story of the 30-year-old man she dated at the age of 21 who she let make fun of her body because 'I was taught in school that boys that like you make fun of you'. The South African-born Australian finished her post by adding she used to cry over her post-baby body and spent over 30 years being told 'the only way to happiness, worth and love was for other people to view my body as good enough'. She said: 'To all my fellow women warriors that have ever struggled with self-worth, body image and the fear to break free of old belief systems, I see you. May we all love ourselves.' Tammin lives in Nashville with husband Sean McEwen and their two daughters, nine-year-old Phoenix and four-year-old Lennon. For confidential 24-hour support in Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Holly Willoughby looked effortlessly chic as she did a spot of shopping at Decathlon during her family summer holiday to Portugal on Friday. The TV presenter, 42, usually jets off to Portugal with her TV producer husband Dan Baldwin and their three children every summer, and has done so again this year. However, it was claimed Holly and Phillip Schofield could be set for an awkward run in on the Algarve as sources said Phillip is planning a trip to his nearby villa, while Holly is currently at her 2million holiday home. But Holly appeared to be in good spirits as she flashed a smile while running errands at Decathlon during her sun-soaked getaway with her family. For the outing, Holly looked as stylish as ever in a pastel yellow summer dress with a frilled neckline and straps. Glam: Holly Willoughby looked effortlessly chic as she did a spot of shopping at Decathlon during her family summer holiday to Portugal on Friday Getaway: The TV presenter, 42, usually jets off to Portugal with her TV producer husband Dan Baldwin and their three children every summer, and has done so again this year She styled her glamorous dress with a pair of brown strapped sandals and simply accessorised with a shell anklet. The This Morning host shielded her eyes with a pair of square black sunglasses and kept her essentials in a brown shoulder bag. She was seen leaving the shop with a Decathlon bag in one hand as she appeared to have had a successful shopping trip as she loaded up her car. Holly often spends time at her 2million Portuguese holiday home with her family and, for many years, she has done so with former co-host Phillip at his adjacent villa. However, following Phillip's scandal two months ago - when he admitted he had an affair with a much younger colleague, Holly has taken a holiday. But things could be set to get even more awkward after Phillip has revealed will not sell his Portuguese home and will continue to enjoy sunshine breaks there. Sources have claimed Phillip is planning a trip at his villa, which is situated on the exclusive resort despite his and Holly's bust up - which began when he didn't tell her about his brother's court case, which saw him being found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a three-year period. Phillip told MailOnline: 'We have absolutely no intention of selling our family home in Portugal.' Stylish: Holly appeared to be in good spirits as she flashed a smile while running errands at Decathlon during her sun-soaked getaway with her family Chic: For the outing, Holly looked as stylish as ever in a pastel yellow summer dress with a frilled neckline and straps Good form: The This Morning host shielded her eyes with a pair of square black sunglasses and kept her essentials in a brown shoulder bag Summery: She styled her glamorous dress with a pair of brown strapped sandals and simply accessorised with a shell anklet Errands: Holly was seen strolling back to her and looking as glamorous as ever during the shopping trip Sources say that he will continue to holiday there as he, his wife Stephanie and their two daughters Molly, 30 and Ruby, 27, 'absolutely love it there'. One said: 'Phil loves his time on the Algarve and will be going back there very soon which obviously means there is a very big chance that he will run into Holly. 'It is very sad, they enjoyed some really happy and fun times there together but why shouldn't he go back? 'They both own their homes and neither will be backing down. Can you just imagine how awkward it will be though? Phillip is desperately sorry for hurting Holly and essentially ending their friendship, he has apologised to her but equally it is hard for her to forgive it all.' Phillip's holiday home boasts a swimming pool, beach views and a spacious terrace where he has previously entertained Holly and her family. They were once so close that Phillip would enjoy dinners with Dan, while Holly would have 'girls nights' with her former co-star's daughters and wife Stephanie. Both Phillip and Holly have shared pictures of their holidays on their social media, along with other stars such as Declan Donnelly and his wife Ali Astall and Bradley Walsh. Holly jetted out to the Algarve in May after Phillip was ousted from This Morning. When Holly returns from her long holiday in September, This Morning will be centred around the presenter, after ITV bosses decided not to make a big money hiring to replace Phillip Schofield. Break: Holly enjoyed the balmy temperatures as she enjoys a long holiday over her summer break from This Morning Stunning: She made sure to capture attention as she looked as stylish as ever during her outing Busy: Holly was seen packing items into the boot of her car after she did a spot of shopping at Decathlon Jobs: Holly was seen packing her car and carefully placing the items in the boot before heading off Holidays: Holly often spends time at her 2million Portuguese holiday home with her family and, for many years, she has done so with former co-host Phillip at his adjacent villa Run in: However, it has been claimed Holly and Phillip could be set for an awkward run in on the Algarve after their fallout as sources said Phillip is planning a trip to his villa Run in: Sources have claimed Phillip is planning a trip at his villa, which is situated on the exclusive resort despite his and Holly's bust up The Daily Mail revealed the star will have rotating co-hosts when she fronts the under-threat show from Monday to Thursday, rather than chiefs poaching a bigger star from a rival show or channel. Insiders at This Morning say that they will mostly be Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle, though Holly will be joined sporadically by Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond, who currently host on Fridays and holidays. It means that Holly's dream that she would be paired with Alison, 48, is over because she is too busy to commit to working four days on the daytime show, insiders said. Holly is to sign a new contract 'any day now', which will be even more lucrative than the 700,000 deal that she is already on, it has been claimed. James Stewart has warned young actors that they should refrain from partying too hard at the Logie Awards. With the ceremony - and after parties - set to take place on Sunday night, the Home and Away star says that careers can be damaged by celebrities getting too loose. 'The foyer is going to be filled with a bunch of potential people who are going to hire you in the future' the 47-year-old tells Perth Now. 'It's that one night. You got to keep stringing sentences together and don't make a fool of yourself. 'If you have to do the Macarena, do it for two seconds and shake hands, look them in the eye and be able to walk into the audition room next week. That's important.' James Stewart (pictured) has warned young actors that they should refrain from partying too hard at the Logie Awards James added that the hardest partying is best done in private. 'There are always closed doors. Some parties behind closed doors are meant for a reason' he said. James is up for the prestigious Most Popular Actor award at this year's Logies. However he said on Thursday that he doesn't think he can win against the other nominees in his category which include Ray Meagher and Sam Neill. With the ceremony - and after parties - set to take place on Sunday night, the Home and Away star says that careers can be damaged by celebrities getting too loose 'The foyer is going to be filled with a bunch of potential people who are going to hire you in the future' the 47-year-old said. 'It's that one night. You got to keep stringing sentences together and don't make a fool of yourself' If he does take home the win for Most Popular Actor, James said he'll be thanking the Home and Away cameramen, reported The Courier Mail. 'I just want to thank our crew they're the ones doing all of the really hard yards, doing 14 hours a day,' the actor said. 'They see us at our best and at our worst. And, you know, if a cameraman that's been doing this for 30 years, if he comes up to you and gives you a pat on the back and goes, 'That was good,' you know it was, because he's seen a million of them.' He added: 'I'd like to thank them, but I'll only get about four seconds before Sam Pang [host] makes a joke at my expense.' Travis Scott released his Utopia album on Friday to much acclaim from his fans. To his frustration, the Houston Police Department released their report on the 2021 Astroworld Festival tragedy on the same day, which his attorney's doesn't think is a coincidence. 10 people, ranging in age from nine to 27, died after being crushed in the crowd of 50,000 at the concert at NRG stadium November 5, 2021. More than a dozen people were hospitalized, and some 300 were treated for injuries at the scene. Travis' lawyer, Kent Schaeffer, told TMZ he believed HPD had a two-fold mission in releasing the 1,266 page report on the same day as the Utopia release - to hurt Utopia album sales and to take the heat off of law enforcement for not holding Travis criminally accountable. Report: Houston Police released their 1200+ page report on the 2021 Astroworld tragedy on the same day Travis Scott released his Utopia album A rep for Travis also told TMZ: 'The timing of the Houston Police Department report's release, coinciding with the launch of Travis Scott's highly anticipated album, is anything but coincidental.' 'Travis Scott and his team were, as anticipated, fully cleared of any wrongdoing associated with the Astroworld tragedy by a grand jury based on the very report released today,' they continued. 'It is outrageous that HPD has chosen to resort to tactics that attempt to discredit Travis and his team, casting doubt on how the unfortunate events at Astroworld.' The rep pointed out that 'Travis's commitment to his audience's safety and well-being is well-documented' and claimed that 'he actively stopped the show three separate times.' 'We encourage the Houston PD to make peace with the fact that Travis Scott and his team were found innocent of any wrongdoing and to focus on what really matters making sure tragedies like Astroworld never occur again under their watch, the rep concluded. Utopia is the first LP Travis has released since the incident. The police say the timing was unintentional. According to the outlet, the rapper's legal team is pushing back on some allegations in the report. One of those comes from a security guard who claimed he tried to get the Butterfly Effect artist's team to call off the show during Drake's performance, but was told Drake had to finish the set. Schaeffer said the injuries occurred before Drake took the stage but no one brought it to Travis' attention. He also claimed the police could have stopped the concert sooner than they did. Unintentional: Utopia is the first LP Travis has released since the incident. The police say the timing was unintentional Mission: One of Travis's attorneys says releasing the Astroworld report on the same day Utopia dropped served a two-fold mission - to hurt Utopia album sales and to take the heat off of law enforcement for not holding Travis criminally accountable No indictment: A grand jury refused to indict Travis in June. 10 people died in a crowd surge at the November 2021 festival. More than 500 lawsuits have been filed since the tragedy, including some aimed at Travis and Live Nation, the concert promoter According to the report, Travis told investigators he was told to stop the show after Drake's set, and his attorney said he followed all their instructions. A 56-page event operations plan had been put together before the festival began. It included detailed protocols for various dangerous scenarios including a shooting, bomb or terrorist threats and severe weather. It did not include information on what to do in the event of a crowd surge A grand jury refused to indict the Down in Atlanta rapper in June. 'Everything was presented to the grand jury, and they found there was no criminal liability on Travis' part,' Kent Schaffer said at a news conference. 'He never encouraged people to do anything that resulted in other people being hurt.' More than 500 lawsuits have been filed since the tragedy, including some aimed at Travis and Live Nation, the concert promoter. Families of two of those who died have already settled out of court. Sofia Vergara is in the midst of a divorce from Joe Manganiello and she's getting support from her America's Got Talent co-star Heidi Klum. The Colombian beauty, 51, and the supermodel, 50, have been texting each other. The Sun reported that the German beauty 'knew something was going on with the marriage, but was always respectful and a friend to lean on.' 'Heidi has been a really great support for her and they have exchanged messages of support over the past few months,' the outlet added. In fact, the whole cast and crew of AGT have been there for the Modern Family alum during her split. Friends: Sofia Vergara is in the midst of a divorce from Joe Manganiello and she's getting support from her America's Got Talent co-star Heidi Klum The source continued: 'Of course, Simon and Howie, too, have sent messages - certainly, Simon, as he has done for many of his showbiz friends, has her back. 'The production team knows that Sofia's divorce was big news and that viewers will be interested in seeing her live after the announcement.' And if fans are hoping for a glimpse into Sofia's mental state when AGT airs, they may be waiting a long time as her fellow judges will have her back. 'Everyone knows that live TV can produce differing emotions in people, so they are prepared to be respectful should Sofia's emotions get a little too much and her inner determination to stay strong falter on air,' the source explained. Sofia has been friendly and open on the red carpet and when she arrives to tape AGT, but that may also change in light of her divorce. 'If she wants to talk to the media, that is solely her decision, but currently, we understand that she has no plans to go into depth or major detail about the divorce,' The Sun reported. Sofia and the True Blood actor, 46, split after seven years together. A source told Daily Mail that the pair had grown apart after the 'true versions of themselves started showing.' The couple shared a statement saying: 'We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.' Split: The Colombian beauty, 51, and the supermodel, 50, have been texting each other. The Sun reported that the German beauty 'knew something was going on with the marriage, but was always respectful and a friend to lean on' AGT family: In fact, the whole cast and crew of AGT have been there for the Modern Family alum during her split Gal pals: Heidi has been a really great support for her and they have exchanged messages of support over the past few months,' the outlet added Its over: Sofia and Joe split after seven years of marriage The couple are currently determining who gets custody of their beloved 10-year-old Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix, Bubbles. 'They still have a few issues to figure out, like custody of their dog, Bubbles,' US Weekly reported. 'But Sofia hopes they can move forward in a calm, fair fashion.' The couple cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split. 'She would rather go out with friends and he would rather stay home, so they wouldn't spend a lot of time together,' the outlet reported. 'They've been living separate lives for about a year now, so it was time to call things off.' And the Hot Pursuit actress is getting support from her friends on the AGT cast and crew. Conrad Ricamora is a married man. The actor, who is currently starring in Here Lies Love on Broadway, said 'I do' to his partner Peter Wesley Jensen in a low key ceremony at New York City Hall on Friday. Both grooms were casually dressed in sweaters and slacks. The How To Get Away With Murder actor, 44, wore gray pants and a green sweater with a white shirt. His husband donned a navy blue sweater and pants for the ceremony. I do: Conrad Ricamora and his partner Peter Wesley Jensen tied the knot in a low-key ceremony at New York City Hall Friday 'Happily hyphenated, introducing the Ricamora-Jensens,' the Lost actor wrote on Instagram next to a photo of a post ceremony hug. 'Lots of great things happened these past few weeks, but this is the highlight of my life,' he said of the happy moment. The big day also took place one day before Peter's birthday. 'Happy Birthday to my favorite person in the world,' Conrad wrote on a photo of him and his husband on social media Saturday. Peter has already changed his last name to the hyphenated Ricamora-Jensen on his Instagram page. Among the 'great things' that have taken place recently for the couple include Emmy nominations for Fire Island. Conrad stars as the romantic lead in the film about a group of queer best friends who gather in Fire Island Pines for their annual week of love and laughter until a change of events upends their plans. The movie earned nominations for Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Hyphenated: 'Happily hyphenated, introducing the Ricamora-Jensens,' the Lost actor wrote on Instagram next to a photo of a post ceremony hug. 'Lots of great things happened these past few weeks, but this is the highlight of my life,' he said of the happy moment Double celebration: The wedding took place one day before Peter's birthday. Conrad shared his happiness writing 'happy birthday to my favorite person in the whole world' Emmy nominations: Conrad stars in the Hulu movie Fire Island as the romantic lead. The film received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie History: Conrad helped make history on Broadway as part of the first all-Filipino cast to star in a musical. He plays Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino in the musical about the rise and fall of the Marco family (Seen here with Jose Llana and Arielle Jacobs) Conrad is also part of Broadway's first all Filipino cast in Here Lies Love. The musical focuses on the infamous former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos and her family's rise to power and fall from grace. Conrad stars as Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino, a political rival who was assassinated. In an interview with People that took place before the actors strike, the California-born star said he was working on his character by 'redoubling down on Ninoy and the character and rereading his letters and visiting the video footage of him.' The actor said his playing in the musical is a source of quiet pride for his father, who immigrated to the US from the Philippines as a child. 'When this show came around, this pride that I'd never seen in him before came forward about where he was born and about the story that I was telling on stage... I mean, he saw Here Lies Love, what was it, 15 times already!' Being single looks good on Sofia Vergara. The Modern Family alum, 51, looked absolutely gorgeous in a skintight, cheetah-print dress and a pair of black Christian Louboutin platform heels in West Hollywood. Her long, thick, lush hair fell down her back in loose waves as she arrived to The Bird Streets Club restaurant with a female friend around 7:20 p.m. She accessorized her chic ensemble with a large Chanel handbag, worn on her shoulder. It is one of the Colombian beauty's first public outings since she and Joe Manganiello, 46, announced that they were divorcing after seven years of marriage. Night out: Sofia Vergara looked absolutely gorgeous in a skintight, cheetah-print dress and a pair of black Christian Louboutin platform heels in West Hollywood Having fun: Her long, thick, lush hair fell down her back in loose waves as she arrived to The Bird Streets Club restaurant with a female friend around 7:20 p.m. Sofia and the True Blood actor grew apart after the 'true versions of themselves started showing,' a source told the Daily Mail. The couple shared a statement saying: 'We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.' Among the issues the couple has to hammer out is who gets custody of their beloved 10-year-old Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix, Bubbles. 'They still have a few issues to figure out, like custody of their dog, Bubbles,' US Weekly reported. 'But Sofia hopes they can move forward in a calm, fair fashion.' The couple cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split. 'She would rather go out with friends and he would rather stay home, so they wouldn't spend a lot of time together,' the outlet reported. 'They've been living separate lives for about a year now, so it was time to call things off.' The Hot Pursuit actress is getting a ton of support from her America's Got Talent family, including Heidi Klum, 50. The Sun reported that the German beauty 'knew something was going on with the marriage, but was always respectful and a friend to lean on.' 'Heidi has been a really great support for her and they have exchanged messages of support over the past few months,' the outlet added. Chanel: She accessorized her chic ensemble with a large Chanel handbag, worn on her shoulder Out and about: It is one of the Colombian beauty's first public outings since she and Joe Manganiello, 46, announced that they were divorcing after seven years of marriage Split: Sofia and the True Blood actor grew apart after the 'true versions of themselves started showing,' a source told the Daily Mail Keeping busy! After her night out, the star shared a selfie while on a plane as she traveled to Tampa to promote her new beauty line, Toty, on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) The source continued: 'Of course, Simon and Howie, too, have sent messages - certainly, Simon, as he has done for many of his showbiz friends, has her back. 'The production team knows that Sofia's divorce was big news and that viewers will be interested in seeing her live after the announcement.' And if fans are hoping for a glimpse into Sofia's mental state when AGT airs, they may be waiting a long time as her fellow judges will have her back. 'Everyone knows that live TV can produce differing emotions in people, so they are prepared to be respectful should Sofia's emotions get a little too much and her inner determination to stay strong falter on air,' the source explained. Chloe Ferry put on a glamorous display at the launch of her new beauty salon in Newcastle on Friday. Geordie Shore star Chloe, 27, flaunted her ample cleavage and showcased her taut abs in a figure-hugging white dress with cut away detail. The garment featured a bra top with a plunging neckline which was connected to the skirt section by wraparound lengths of material which formed a criss-cross pattern at the sides. Television personality Chloe's impressive hourglass figure was complimented by the lower half of her ensemble as she arrived. She added a few inches to her stature by wearing a pair of open-toed white heels. Stepping out in style: Chloe Ferry, 27, put on a glamorous display in an all-white ensemble at the launch of her new beauty salon in Newcastle on Friday Looking good: Geordie Shore star Chloe flaunted her ample cleavage and showcased her taut abs in a figure-hugging white dress with cut away detail Chloe was joined by former Coronation Street cast member Kimberly Hart-Simpson who commanded attention in a bright orange trouser suit with belted detail on the jacket. The actress, 36, who appeared in the ITV soap as character Nicky Wheatley in 2020 and 2022, wore some cargo style trousers with large pockets and a matching jacket. Her jacket was secured shut with a harness which was buckled closed at the front. Former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Chloe enjoyed a party at her new salon before it opened for the public. She then held a more private launch ceremony for friends and family later in the evening. On Thursday, she posed for a slew of snaps outside the venue while surrounded by her new seven-member team. 'Prosecco, DJ, Saxophone Player, cake, cheeseboard, pancakes, discounts off treatments and much more!' she wrote in a caption on an Instagram post as she promised a memorable launch night for her guests. 'We are now fully open and taking brand new bookings... offering you all aspects of beauty and aesthetic treatments!' the reality star added. In style: The garment featured a bra top with a plunging neckline which was connected to the skirt section by wraparound lengths of material which formed a criss-cross pattern at the sides Fashion focus: Television personality Chloe's impressive hourglass figure was complimented by the lower half of her ensemble as she arrived Peachy: Chloe flaunted her plump behind as she posed with a large pink balloon outside her new salon Sheer beauty: She added a few inches to her stature by wearing a pair of open-toed white heels Hostess: Former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Chloe enjoyed a party at her new salon before it opened for the public Behind closed doors: She then held a more private launch ceremony for friends and family later in the evening Entrepreneur: This isn't the first venue of its kind that she runs, as she is also the owner of Chloe Ferry Cosmetics and Hair Repair Club, offering 'hair replacements' to men While the others pictured were in their all-black uniforms, Chloe stood out in a baby-pink ensemble. This isn't the first venue of its kind that she runs, as she is also the owner of Chloe Ferry Cosmetics and Hair Repair Club, offering 'hair replacements' to men. She previously said that she 'thrives on' helping others, and is clearly enjoying transforming the barnets of those struggling with hair loss. Chloe revealed last year she'd thrown herself into work and the gym in a bid to mend after her father's death in December 2021. She lost him to cancer but finds it such a challenge to accept that he's gone that she often texted him afterwards, forgetting he was no longer alive. 'Its kind of a situation where it still doesnt feel real,' she lamented to The Sun. 'Its the worst thing thats ever happened in my life... I think thats why Im focusing so much on the gym because its taking my mind off it.' Fortunately, after a tough couple of years, her latest beauty venture seems to have the once-forlorn Geordie Shore fave smiling again. Passion: She previously said that she 'thrives on' helping others, and is clearly enjoying transforming the barnets of those struggling with hair loss Focus: Chloe revealed last year she'd thrown herself into work and the gym in a bid to mend after her father's death in December 2021 Difficulties: She lost him to cancer but finds it such a challenge to accept that he's gone that she often texted him afterwards, forgetting he was no longer alive Grief: 'Its kind of a situation where it still doesnt feel real,' she lamented to The Sun. 'Its the worst thing thats ever happened in my life...' Celebration: Chloe was seen celebrating the opening of her salon with pals in a picture shared on Instagram It comes after Chloe's 22-year-old friend was left black and blue with two broken eye sockets after a British thug battered her on holiday. Gabriela Hacatoroglu bravely tried to help a girl in Portugal when she saw a man 'screaming' at his sobbing girlfriend - but ended up being his punching bag. She was knocked to the ground from a single punch - the swing was so powerful she could not remember 'if he punched her twice', according to The Sun. Chloe said the attack was 'f***ing disgusting' on social media. Gabriela, from Newcastle, said she and her friends were leaving NoSoloAgua beach club in Portimao on Sunday when they saw a girl they were chatting to inside crying. She told the Sun: 'We asked her why she was crying and she said her boyfriend had hit her. 'We could see him shouting and screaming from the other side. His friend was trying to push him back because he was getting so aggressive towards her.' 'So we said to him, 'why are you screaming and shouting at her?'' Famous friends: Chloe was joined by former Coronation Street cast member Kimberly Hart-Simpson who commanded attention in a bright orange trouser suit Dressed to impress: The jacket featured belted detail, while she wore some cargo-style trousers with large pockets Edgy sense of style: The jacket was secured shut with a harness which was buckled closed at the front Born to perform: Kimberly appeared in ITV soap Coronation Street as character Nicky Wheatley in 2020 and 2022 Supportive pal: Kimberly was seen leaving Chloe's salon after stepping out to support her friend at the launch event Gabriela said the British man then unleashed a hurl of abuse at her and her friends. While the group was waiting for a taxi, she claims the man continued his tyrannical behaviour, so she walked over to try and calm him down. The man then allegedly pushed her, sending her 'flying'. She said: 'I think I then went to push him back, but as I did, he punched me straight in the face. 'I'm not even sure if it was once or twice. I just remember the pain. 'I was on the floor, and he ran away before the police came.' Gabriela was rushed to a hospital and given scans and X-rays. She was then transferred to another hospital before she was allowed to go home with her friends. After a check-up in the UK, medics revealed she had two broken eye sockets and a fractured nose. She says the man got a flight back to the UK soon after the attack and hopes Portuguese police will track him down. Keeping it casual: Chloe wore a skin-tight blue unitard before later slipping into her white dress for her launch party Gabriela added: 'I was just trying to calm down the situation. I'm not a shy person, I'm not scared of many things, so I was fine going up to him. 'For him to attack me like that, I was gobsmacked, to be honest. 'There was so much anger in him, I can't explain it. Who else is he going to do that to?' Gabriela - who works at Chloe's salon CM House Of Aesthetics - has taken time off work to recover from her horrific injuries. Alessandra Ambrosio is living her best life in Ibiza this week. The Brazilian supermodel, 42, looked absolutely fabulous in a floral bikini featuring a thong bottom that showed off her incredibly toned backside. The former Victoria's Secret model shared several snaps to her official Instagram account. She captioned the post: 'From morning till sunset on the beach,' and added a smiley face, sun and wave emojis. The mom-of-two wore a straw cowboy hat in some of the snaps and a sand-colored knit coverup in others as she posed on the beach and in the surf. Beach babe: Alessandra Ambrosio is living her best life in Ibiza this week . The Brazilian supermodel, 42, looked absolutely fabulous in a floral bikini The model also shared a photo of delicious-looking meal featuring a veggie-laden salad, a plate of sliced lemons, oranges and limes, poke and a Caprese salad. Alessandra posted a photo of herself lying in on some pillows in the sand, which has been molded into overlapping circles. A pic of the sun setting behind a mountain in the distance with the ocean in the forefront of the photo rounded out the post of vacation snaps. The new photos come after the beauty graced the cover of Vogue Mexico and opened up about her long and illustrious career. She opened up to the outlet about her modeling aspirations, revealing that she enrolled in a modeling class when she was 12. 'I started my career as an ambitious teenager and have had the privilege of working with so many incredible designers, photographers and brands, I have learned so much,' she told Vogue. She was 20 when she signed her lucrative contract with Victoria's Secret. And as she gained experience, she became more comfortable with expressing her opinions. Cheeky: The bikini's thong bottom showed off the model's toned derriere Strike a pose: The former Victoria's Secret model shared several snaps to her official Instagram account Surf and sand: 'From morning till sunset on the beach,' she captioned the post and added a smiley face, sun and wave emojis Model: The supermodel opened up to Vogue Mexico telling the outlet she enrolled in her first modeling class when she was 12 Circles: Alessandra posted a photo of herself lying in on some pillows and straw mats in the sand Giddy up: The mom of two wore a straw cowboy hat in some of the snaps and a sand-colored knit coverup in others as she posed on the beach and in the surf Sunset: A pic of the sun setting behind a mountain in the distance with the ocean in the forefront of the photo rounded out the post of vacation snaps. Yummy: The model also shared a photo of delicious-looking meal featuring a veggie-laden salad, a plate of sliced lemons, oranges and limes, poke and a Caprese salad 'I think as I learned more about modeling, I felt more comfortable using my voice and collaborating more with the people I work with,' she explained. And she's grateful for the chance to travel the world and have a platform to speak out on the issues that are important to her. 'Being a model has given me a platform to champion causes I'm passionate about, like environmental sustainability and women's empowerment. 'It means using my voice and my influence to have a positive impact, to uplift and inspire others,' she said. It was something of a downgrade from her previous means of nautical transport, but The Crown star Imelda Staunton seemed content to swap the Royal Yacht Britannia for a tiny motor boat called Donald Duck in Corfu last week. Ms Staunton, 67, who plays the late Queen in the hit Netflix show, looked relaxed as her husband Jim Carter, 74, who starred as butler Mr Carson in Downton Abbey, was given a crash course in piloting the vessel. The pair enjoyed a cosy lunch at Taverna Agni in north-west Corfu before strolling down the jetty to the 18ft Donald Duck where a local instructor gave Carter a quick lesson. A witness said: 'The instructor taught Jim how to steer and reverse the boat before they headed out into the Mediterranean. Imelda was smiling and looked very happy.' Avlaki Boats charges 80 a day to rent the Donald Duck. Company founder Nicholas Salvanos said: 'To be honest we didn't know she was famous. She and her husband were a really kind and happy couple. They were very nice to chat to and loved spending time on the water.' Imelda Staunton, 67, who plays the late Queen in the hit Netflix show, looked relaxed as her husband Jim Carter, 74, who starred as butler Mr Carson in Downton Abbey, was given a crash course in piloting the vessel Ms Staunton took over from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II in season five of The Crown, released last November. She will reprise the role in the sixth and final season due later this year. In the fifth series she portrayed the Queen weeping when she was forced to give up Britannia in 1997. It was one of only a handful of times the monarch was filmed crying during her 70-year reign. Ms Staunton's Corfu holiday is not the first time she has enjoyed the Greek island's charm. In 2005, she appeared in a TV film adaptation of Gerald Durrell's My Family And Other Animals, which was also filmed there. Arch Resources (NYSE:ARCH Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Thursday. The energy company reported $4.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $5.82 by ($1.78), Briefing.com reports. Arch Resources had a net margin of 33.74% and a return on equity of 96.62%. The business had revenue of $757.29 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $670.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $19.30 EPS. Arch Resourcess revenue for the quarter was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. Arch Resources Stock Performance Arch Resources stock traded up $1.20 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $123.75. 535,510 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 434,916. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $113.46 and a 200 day moving average of $129.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Arch Resources has a 12 month low of $102.42 and a 12 month high of $173.90. The firm has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.70. Get Arch Resources alerts: Arch Resources Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a None dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 31st will be paid a $3.97 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from Arch Resourcess previous None dividend of $2.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 30th. Arch Resourcess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1.63%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arch Resources ARCH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. B. Riley cut their target price on shares of Arch Resources from $198.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Monday, June 26th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Arch Resources in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ARCH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Arch Resources by 45.7% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 179,762 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $23,631,000 after buying an additional 56,371 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Arch Resources during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,499,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Arch Resources by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 32,392 shares of the energy companys stock worth $4,258,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Arch Resources by 1.8% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 930,558 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $122,331,000 after purchasing an additional 16,321 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Arch Resources by 23.8% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 78,976 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $10,382,000 after purchasing an additional 15,190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.18% of the companys stock. About Arch Resources (Get Free Report) Arch Resources, Inc produces and sells metallurgical products. As of December 31, 2022, the company operated seven active mines. It also owned or controlled primarily through long-term leases approximately 28,292 acres of coal land in Ohio; 952 acres of coal land in Maryland; 10,095 acres of coal land in Virginia; 306,263 acres of coal land in West Virginia; 81,450 acres of coal land in Wyoming; 234,087 acres of coal land in Illinois; 33,047 acres of coal land in Kentucky; 362 acres of coal land in Montana; 248 acres of coal land in Pennsylvania; and 19,018 acres of coal land in Colorado, as well as smaller parcels of property in Alabama, Indiana, Washington, Arkansas, California, Utah, and Texas. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Arch Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Arch Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Arkansas Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (BATS:IGV Free Report) by 17.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,499 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 530 shares during the period. Arkansas Financial Group Inc.s holdings in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF were worth $1,066,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new position in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF by 91.0% in the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the companys stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF by 117.6% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the companys stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC increased its position in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 204 shares of the companys stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF in the 4th quarter worth about $146,000. Get iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF alerts: iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF Stock Performance Shares of IGV traded up $5.15 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $359.46. 473,215 shares of the company were exchanged. The company has a market cap of $6.40 billion, a PE ratio of 41.65 and a beta of 1.06. The firms 50 day moving average is $341.25 and its 200-day moving average is $306.72. iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF has a 52 week low of $123.69 and a 52 week high of $183.23. iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF Profile iShares North American Tech-Software ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P North American Technology-Software Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P North American Technology Software Index (the Underlying Index). Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IGV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (BATS:IGV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lowered its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report) by 6.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,108 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 3,758 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.s holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $3,612,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dakota Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 1st quarter worth $332,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 111.5% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,052 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $150,000 after buying an additional 1,082 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 53.2% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 165,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $12,075,000 after acquiring an additional 57,444 shares during the period. Ergoteles LLC bought a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 1st quarter valued at $1,997,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 25.1% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 338,563 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $24,725,000 after purchasing an additional 68,018 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.57% of the companys stock. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. HSBC began coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Friday, July 14th. They set a reduce rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Atlantic Securities lowered their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Wednesday, June 28th. They issued an outperform rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. 51job restated a maintains rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $72.00 to $66.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $72.07. Insider Activity at Bristol-Myers Squibb Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, EVP Rupert Vessey sold 50,385 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $3,378,818.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,202,182.06. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink . 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Shares of BMY stock traded up $0.68 on Friday, reaching $61.41. The company had a trading volume of 11,592,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,267,654. The stock has a market capitalization of $129.01 billion, a PE ratio of 17.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The businesss 50-day moving average is $64.37 and its 200 day moving average is $67.99. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a one year low of $60.05 and a one year high of $81.43. Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.24). Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 51.75%. The company had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.93 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.01 EPS for the current fiscal year. Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 7th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is currently 66.47%. About Bristol-Myers Squibb (Free Report) Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS:EFV Free Report) by 25.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,743 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,598 shares during the quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF were worth $618,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 66.5% during the 4th quarter. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 536 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of 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. Central Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Howe & Rusling Inc. bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Barclays PLC bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Get iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF alerts: iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Price Performance Shares of BATS EFV traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $51.05. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,069,231 shares. The stock has a market cap of $15.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.51 and a beta of 0.84. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF has a one year low of $49.15 and a one year high of $59.57. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $49.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.03. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Company Profile iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Value Index. The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS:EFV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bezeq The Israel Telecommunication Corp. Ltd (OTCMKTS:BZQIY Get Free Report)s stock price fell 12.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $5.49 and last traded at $5.49. 198 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 61% from the average session volume of 509 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.25. Bezeq The Israel Telecommunication Stock Up 3.1 % The stocks fifty day moving average is $5.98 and its 200-day moving average is $6.68. Bezeq The Israel Telecommunication Company Profile (Get Free Report) Bezeq The Israel Telecommunication Corp. Ltd provides communications services to business and private customers in Israel. It operates through Domestic fixed-line communications, Cellular Communication, Internet, International Communication, and ICT Solutions, and Multi-Channel Television segments. The company offers telephony services, including basic telephony services on the household telephone line, as well as associated services, such as voice mail and caller ID; national numbering services; and transmission and data-communication services. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Bezeq The Israel Telecommunication Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bezeq The Israel Telecommunication and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BNP Paribas SA (OTCMKTS:BNPQY Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 104,100 shares, a growth of 78.6% from the June 30th total of 58,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 293,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days. BNP Paribas Trading Up 1.4 % BNP Paribas stock traded up $0.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $33.06. The companys stock had a trading volume of 107,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 283,226. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.61 billion, a PE ratio of 7.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.48. BNP Paribas has a 1 year low of $20.19 and a 1 year high of $35.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The stocks fifty day moving average is $31.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.70. Get BNP Paribas alerts: BNP Paribas (OTCMKTS:BNPQY Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The financial services provider reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.62). The firm had revenue of $13.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.61 billion. BNP Paribas had a return on equity of 8.82% and a net margin of 22.04%. On average, analysts anticipate that BNP Paribas will post 5.3 EPS for the current year. BNP Paribas Increases Dividend BNP Paribas Company Profile The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 19th were issued a $1.7982 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 18th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.67%. This is a boost from BNP Paribass previous dividend of $1.66. BNP Paribass dividend payout ratio is currently 39.59%. (Get Free Report) BNP Paribas SA provides various banking and financial products and services in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through three divisions: Corporate & Institutional Banking; Commercial, Personal Banking & Services; and Investment & Protection Services. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for BNP Paribas Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BNP Paribas and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Traders bought 132,365 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 49% compared to the average daily volume of 88,576 call options. Analyst Ratings Changes BA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. SpectralCast reiterated a reiterates rating on shares of Boeing in a research report on Wednesday, June 21st. Bank of America raised Boeing from a neutral rating to a buy rating and lifted their target price for the company from $225.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Thursday. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of Boeing from $200.00 to $220.00 in a research report on Monday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Boeing from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, Northcoast Research cut shares of Boeing from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, April 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $240.86. Get Boeing alerts: Boeing Stock Performance BA traded up $4.85 on Friday, reaching $238.60. The company had a trading volume of 5,768,014 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,931,792. Boeing has a fifty-two week low of $120.99 and a fifty-two week high of $240.13. The stock has a market cap of $143.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.20 and a beta of 1.41. The companys fifty day moving average is $211.71 and its 200 day moving average is $208.84. Insider Buying and Selling at Boeing Boeing ( NYSE:BA Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The aircraft producer reported ($0.82) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.99) by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $19.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.37) EPS. The businesss revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Boeing will post -1.42 EPS for the current year. In related news, EVP Howard E. Mckenzie sold 412 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.36, for a total value of $84,196.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,181 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,511,109.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.15% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Boeing Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Boeing by 109,667.8% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,055,730 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $3,058,456,000 after acquiring an additional 16,041,103 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Boeing by 734.7% in the 1st quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,359,740 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $926,140,000 after acquiring an additional 3,837,422 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Boeing by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 35,950,526 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $7,636,970,000 after acquiring an additional 2,682,272 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Boeing by 1,071.3% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,592,100 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $550,640,000 after acquiring an additional 2,370,800 shares during the period. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its position in shares of Boeing by 175,431.2% during the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,141,481 shares of the aircraft producers stock worth $452,195,000 after buying an additional 2,140,261 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.22% of the companys stock. About Boeing (Get Free Report) The Boeing Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, services, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight and launch systems, and services worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Boeing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Boeing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Borregaard ASA (OTCMKTS:BRRDF Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 22,200 shares, a decrease of 29.3% from the June 30th total of 31,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 0 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently days. Borregaard ASA Price Performance Shares of OTCMKTS BRRDF remained flat at $15.45 during mid-day trading on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 499 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,440. The businesss fifty day moving average is $15.46 and its 200 day moving average is $15.65. Borregaard ASA has a 52-week low of $12.65 and a 52-week high of $15.75. Get Borregaard ASA alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, Handelsbanken began coverage on Borregaard ASA in a report on Monday, April 3rd. They set a market perform rating for the company. Borregaard ASA Company Profile Borregaard ASA develops, produces, and markets specialized biomaterials and biochemicals in Norway, rest of Europe, the United States, Asia, and internationally. It operates through three segments: BioSolutions, BioMaterials, and Fine Chemicals. The BioSolutions segment provides biopolymers for a range of applications, such as agrochemicals, batteries, industrial binders, and construction; and biovanillin for flavor and fragrance companies, as well as for food and beverage industry. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Borregaard ASA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Borregaard ASA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Centrica plc (LON:CNA Get Free Report) insider Amber Rudd acquired 1,485 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 125 ($1.60) per share, for a total transaction of 1,856.25 ($2,380.11). Amber Rudd also recently made the following trade(s): Get Centrica alerts: On Monday, June 26th, Amber Rudd bought 1,574 shares of Centrica stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 118 ($1.51) per share, for a total transaction of 1,857.32 ($2,381.48). On Thursday, May 25th, Amber Rudd bought 2,105 shares of Centrica stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 116 ($1.49) per share, for a total transaction of 2,441.80 ($3,130.91). Centrica Trading Up 0.6 % Shares of CNA opened at GBX 134.20 ($1.72) on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 313.83, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.40. Centrica plc has a 1 year low of GBX 65.78 ($0.84) and a 1 year high of GBX 135.55 ($1.74). The company has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 121.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 111.01. The firm has a market cap of 7.47 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,032.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.22. Centrica Cuts Dividend Analyst Ratings Changes The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 5th will be issued a dividend of GBX 1.33 ($0.02) per share. This represents a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 5th. Centricas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -2,307.69%. CNA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating and set a GBX 130 ($1.67) target price on shares of Centrica in a research note on Tuesday, June 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Centrica from GBX 140 ($1.80) to GBX 150 ($1.92) and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 4th. Finally, Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Centrica in a research note on Friday, June 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of GBX 137.60 ($1.76). Centrica Company Profile (Get Free Report) Centrica plc operates as an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, North America, and internationally. The company operates through British Gas Services & Solutions, British Gas Energy, Centrica Business Solutions, Bord Gais Energy, Energy Marketing & Trading, and Upstream segments. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Centrica Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Centrica and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG Free Report) had its price objective lowered by TD Cowen from $2,350.00 to $2,200.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. TD Cowen currently has an outperform rating on the restaurant operators stock. A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on CMG. 888 restated a maintains rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,075.00 to $1,981.00 in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,350.00 to $2,300.00 in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,600.00 to $1,750.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group increased their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,050.00 to $2,200.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $2,139.72. Get Chipotle Mexican Grill alerts: Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance Shares of CMG stock traded up $29.54 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $1,912.52. The company had a trading volume of 685,013 shares, compared to its average volume of 297,172. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a twelve month low of $1,344.05 and a twelve month high of $2,175.01. The company has a market capitalization of $52.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.31. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $2,072.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,826.95. Insider Buying and Selling Chipotle Mexican Grill ( NYSE:CMG Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 26th. The restaurant operator reported $12.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $12.25 by $0.40. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 47.64% and a net margin of 12.00%. The firm had revenue of $2.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.30 EPS. Chipotle Mexican Grills quarterly revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 44.35 earnings per share for the current year. In related news, CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 1,077 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,055.00, for a total value of $2,213,235.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,978,085. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Robin S. Hickenlooper sold 74 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,056.73, for a total value of $152,198.02. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 853 shares in the company, valued at $1,754,390.69. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 1,077 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,055.00, for a total value of $2,213,235.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 23,347 shares in the company, valued at $47,978,085. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,528 shares of company stock worth $19,738,136 in the last three months. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Traynor Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 16.5% during the second quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 141 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the second quarter valued at about $210,000. Retirement Income Solutions Inc bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the second quarter valued at about $218,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 8.2% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 1,956 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $4,184,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.8% during the second quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,053 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $4,391,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. 91.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile (Get Free Report) Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It offers burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newport Beach, California. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Corrado Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report) by 2.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,807 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after buying an additional 1,961 shares during the quarter. Pfizer accounts for approximately 1.9% of Corrado Advisors LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Corrado Advisors LLCs holdings in Pfizer were worth $2,848,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 153.4% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,844,070 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $156,838,000 after purchasing an additional 2,326,950 shares in the last quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC now owns 36,877 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,505,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,832 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,136,000 after purchasing an additional 1,609 shares in the last quarter. Petredis Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Petredis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 72,854 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $2,972,000 after buying an additional 1,298 shares during the period. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 610,815 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $24,921,000 after buying an additional 3,123 shares during the period. 67.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Pfizer alerts: Insider Activity at Pfizer In related news, Director Scott Gottlieb purchased 1,000 shares of Pfizer stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $38.42 per share, with a total value of $38,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $192,100. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.05% of the companys stock. Pfizer Trading Down 0.4 % Shares of Pfizer stock traded down $0.14 during trading on Friday, reaching $36.06. 24,044,296 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 24,199,912. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $37.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.24. Pfizer Inc. has a twelve month low of $35.35 and a twelve month high of $54.93. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $18.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.49 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 37.53% and a net margin of 31.25%. Pfizers revenue for the quarter was down 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.62 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 3.35 EPS for the current fiscal year. Pfizer Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, July 28th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 27th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.55%. Pfizers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.28%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, May 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Pfizer from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 17th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Pfizer from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 21st. UBS Group cut their price objective on Pfizer from $41.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Pfizer from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Pfizer has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $45.88. Pfizer Company Profile (Free Report) Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Pfizer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pfizer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Inlet Private Wealth LLC lessened its position in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR Free Report) by 4.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,008 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 1,199 shares during the period. Inlet Private Wealth LLCs holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $2,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 105,280.8% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 54,417,593 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $5,227,354,000 after purchasing an additional 54,365,954 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,835,398 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,136,909,000 after purchasing an additional 2,621,089 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 10,698,627 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,027,710,000 after purchasing an additional 50,408 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,509,981 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,007,719,000 after purchasing an additional 229,530 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter worth approximately $702,606,000. Institutional investors own 75.63% of the companys stock. Get Emerson Electric alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Emerson Electric from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and increased their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. 888 reissued a buy rating on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Thursday, May 4th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Emerson Electric from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $103.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued a buy rating and set a $96.00 target price on shares of Emerson Electric in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Emerson Electric from $105.00 to $103.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $99.47. Emerson Electric Trading Down 0.9 % Shares of EMR traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $90.97. The stock had a trading volume of 2,793,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,274,262. Emerson Electric Co. has a fifty-two week low of $72.40 and a fifty-two week high of $99.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $86.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.24. The firm has a market cap of $51.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The industrial products company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. Emerson Electric had a net margin of 27.35% and a return on equity of 16.94%. The firms revenue was down 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Emerson Electric Co. will post 4.2 EPS for the current year. Emerson Electric Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 12th were given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 11th. Emerson Electrics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.58%. Insider Transactions at Emerson Electric In other news, VP Lisa Flavin sold 48,718 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.65, for a total value of $4,367,568.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 51,748 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,639,208.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders. Emerson Electric Company Profile (Free Report) Emerson Electric Co, a technology and engineering company, provides various solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. The company operates through Automation Solutions, AspenTech, and Commercial & Residential Solutions segments. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Emerson Electric Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Emerson Electric and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First National Bank of Omaha lessened its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK Free Report) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,646 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 146 shares during the period. First National Bank of Omahas holdings in Chesapeake Utilities were worth $467,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $142,000. Advisor Partners II LLC purchased a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities during the 4th quarter worth approximately $203,000. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities during the 4th quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, Colony Group LLC purchased a new position in Chesapeake Utilities in the second quarter worth approximately $207,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.71% of the companys stock. Get Chesapeake Utilities alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several research analysts recently weighed in on CPK shares. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on Chesapeake Utilities from $116.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Friday, July 7th. StockNews.com started coverage on Chesapeake Utilities in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Insiders Place Their Bets Chesapeake Utilities Trading Down 1.4 % In other news, COO Jeffery S. Sylvester sold 1,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $231,553.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 8,123 shares in the company, valued at $989,950.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . 2.68% of the stock is owned by insiders. NYSE:CPK traded down $1.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $118.36. 49,292 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 79,386. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The business has a 50-day moving average of $123.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.94. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a twelve month low of $105.79 and a twelve month high of $138.49. The company has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.90 and a beta of 0.56. Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The utilities provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.06. Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 10.57% and a net margin of 13.20%. The company had revenue of $218.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $242.00 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year. Chesapeake Utilities Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. This is a boost from Chesapeake Utilitiess previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. Chesapeake Utilitiess dividend payout ratio is 47.11%. About Chesapeake Utilities (Free Report) Chesapeake Utilities Corporation operates as an energy delivery company. The company operates through two segments, Regulated Energy and Unregulated Energy. The Regulated Energy segment natural gas distribution operations in central and southern Delaware, Maryland's eastern shore, and Florida; regulated natural gas transmission in the Delmarva Peninsula, Ohio, and Florida; and regulated electric distribution in northeast and northwest Florida. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CPK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Chesapeake Utilities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chesapeake Utilities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First National Bank of Omaha reduced its stake in shares of 3M (NYSE:MMM Free Report) by 20.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,070 shares of the conglomerates stock after selling 3,768 shares during the quarter. First National Bank of Omahas holdings in 3M were worth $1,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dfpg Investments LLC bought a new stake in 3M in the 4th quarter valued at $531,000. Mirador Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in 3M in the 1st quarter valued at $304,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in 3M by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 310,297 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $37,211,000 after buying an additional 7,902 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in 3M by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 35,800 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $3,763,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in 3M by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,795 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $9,929,000 after buying an additional 1,845 shares during the period. 64.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get 3M alerts: Insider Activity at 3M In related news, insider Khandpur K. Ashish sold 9,432 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.27, for a total value of $936,314.64. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,943 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,011.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. 3M Trading Up 0.6 % 3M stock traded up $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $111.88. 2,892,010 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,632,854. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.44. 3M has a fifty-two week low of $92.38 and a fifty-two week high of $152.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.15, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.96. The firms 50 day moving average is $100.75 and its 200-day moving average is $106.18. 3M (NYSE:MMM Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The conglomerate reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.44. 3M had a negative net margin of 4.43% and a positive return on equity of 38.99%. The company had revenue of $7.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. The companys revenue was down 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that 3M will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year. 3M Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 19th were given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 18th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.36%. 3Ms dividend payout ratio is -211.27%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an underweight rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of 3M in a report on Friday, July 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of 3M from $95.00 to $100.00 in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of 3M from $100.00 to $111.00 in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com lowered shares of 3M from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of 3M from $110.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, 3M presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $115.83. 3M Profile (Free Report) 3M Company provides diversified technology services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Safety and Industrial; Transportation and Electronics; Health Care; and Consumer. The Safety and Industrial segment offers industrial abrasives and finishing for metalworking applications; autobody repair solutions; closure systems for personal hygiene products, masking, and packaging materials; electrical products and materials for construction and maintenance, power distribution, and electrical original equipment manufacturers; structural adhesives and tapes; respiratory, hearing, eye, and fall protection solutions; and natural and color-coated mineral granules for shingles. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MMM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for 3M (NYSE:MMM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for 3M Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for 3M and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Forza Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO Free Report) by 235.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,688 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 7,503 shares during the period. Novo Nordisk A/S makes up 0.9% of Forza Wealth Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Forza Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $1,701,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Delta Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Delta Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,557 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,998,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 27.5% in the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 301 shares of the companys stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 1,551 shares of the companys stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC grew its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 7,886 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,067,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RENASANT Bank grew its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. RENASANT Bank now owns 2,884 shares of the companys stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 6.30% of the companys stock. Get Novo Nordisk A/S alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several analysts have recently commented on NVO shares. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a strong-buy rating for the company. HSBC started coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Friday, July 14th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Finally, Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Up 0.7 % Shares of NYSE NVO traded up $1.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $157.82. 1,096,188 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,370,226. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52-week low of $95.02 and a 52-week high of $172.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $160.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.88. The company has a market capitalization of $354.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.27. The firm had revenue of $7.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.86 billion. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 32.53% and a return on equity of 77.39%. Equities research analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Novo Nordisk A/S Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novo Nordisk A/S and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Forza Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report) by 8.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,063 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after purchasing an additional 2,085 shares during the quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Pfizer were worth $1,063,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PFE. RB Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 6.7% in the first quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 5,446 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. raised its stake in Pfizer by 1.1% in the first quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 36,081 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,868,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. United Bank raised its stake in Pfizer by 0.6% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 46,671 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $2,416,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC increased its stake in shares of Pfizer by 136.3% during the first quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 36,766 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,903,000 after purchasing an additional 21,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Pfizer by 6.4% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,337,418 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $69,238,000 after purchasing an additional 79,887 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.80% of the companys stock. Get Pfizer alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Pfizer In other Pfizer news, Director Scott Gottlieb acquired 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $38.42 per share, for a total transaction of $38,420.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $192,100. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.05% of the companys stock. Pfizer Stock Down 0.4 % NYSE PFE traded down $0.14 on Friday, reaching $36.06. The company had a trading volume of 24,044,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 24,199,912. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.57 billion, a PE ratio of 7.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $37.62 and a 200-day moving average of $40.24. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $35.35 and a 1 year high of $54.93. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.23. Pfizer had a return on equity of 37.53% and a net margin of 31.25%. The firm had revenue of $18.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.49 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.62 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 3.35 EPS for the current fiscal year. Pfizer Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 28th will be issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 27th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.55%. Pfizers dividend payout ratio is currently 32.28%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth PFE has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pfizer from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, June 30th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Pfizer from $41.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $49.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Pfizer from $43.00 to $42.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Credit Suisse Group cut shares of Pfizer from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 29th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $45.88. Pfizer Profile (Free Report) Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PFE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Pfizer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pfizer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 66,907 shares of the health services providers stock, valued at approximately $8,504,000. Foundry Partners LLC owned about 0.09% of Universal Health Services at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 10,079 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $1,461,000 after buying an additional 828 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,674 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $1,691,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 22.9% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 19,853 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $2,878,000 after buying an additional 3,699 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 9,784 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $1,418,000 after buying an additional 606 shares during the period. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,026,512 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $728,594,000 after buying an additional 113,259 shares during the period. 84.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Universal Health Services alerts: Universal Health Services Price Performance UHS stock traded up $0.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $138.74. The stock had a trading volume of 768,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 667,542. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.50 and a 52 week high of $158.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $144.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.20. Universal Health Services Announces Dividend Universal Health Services ( NYSE:UHS Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The health services provider reported $2.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.10. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.02% and a return on equity of 12.47%. The company had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.50 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 10.2 EPS for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Universal Health Servicess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.31%. Analysts Set New Price Targets UHS has been the subject of a number of research reports. SVB Securities raised shares of Universal Health Services from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and upped their price target for the stock from $147.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, May 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. They issued an underweight rating and a $143.00 price objective for the company. VNET Group reissued an assumes rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, June 2nd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $149.00. Insider Activity In other Universal Health Services news, CEO Marc D. Miller sold 44,110 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.65, for a total transaction of $6,292,291.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 160,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,878,634.95. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Marc D. Miller sold 44,110 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.65, for a total value of $6,292,291.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 160,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,878,634.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 800 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.97, for a total transaction of $112,776.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,944 shares in the company, valued at $415,015.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 74,697 shares of company stock worth $10,547,996 in the last quarter. 15.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. About Universal Health Services (Free Report) Universal Health Services, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals, and outpatient and behavioral health care facilities. The company operates through Acute Care Hospital Services and Behavioral Health Care Services segments. Its hospitals offer general and specialty surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, emergency room care, radiology, oncology, diagnostic and coronary care, pediatric services, pharmacy services, and/or behavioral health services. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UHS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Universal Health Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Universal Health Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gyroscope Capital Management Group LLC grew its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL Free Report) by 13.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,020 shares of the enterprise software providers stock after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Gyroscope Capital Management Group LLCs holdings in Oracle were worth $1,117,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Oracle by 843.3% during the 1st quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 283 shares of the enterprise software providers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Tanglewood Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 43.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Oracle alerts: Oracle Trading Down 0.4 % NYSE ORCL traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $115.99. The company had a trading volume of 6,910,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,621,225. The stock has a market capitalization of $314.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.01. Oracle Co. has a 1-year low of $60.78 and a 1-year high of $127.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 55.54. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $113.72 and a 200 day moving average of $98.72. Oracle Dividend Announcement Oracle ( NYSE:ORCL Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 12th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $13.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.74 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 17.02% and a negative return on equity of 470.73%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 12th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. Oracles dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.29%. Insider Activity at Oracle In other Oracle news, Director Jeffrey Berg sold 4,866 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.31, for a total value of $609,758.46. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 207,409 shares in the company, valued at $25,990,421.79. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Lawrence Joseph Ellison sold 1,750,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.95, for a total transaction of $211,662,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,145,732,353 shares of the companys stock, valued at $138,576,328,095.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey Berg sold 4,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.31, for a total value of $609,758.46. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 207,409 shares of the companys stock, valued at $25,990,421.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,175,443 shares of company stock valued at $510,658,596 over the last 90 days. 43.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $120.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Oracle from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Oracle from $93.00 to $109.00 in a report on Monday, June 12th. Piper Sandler reissued an overweight rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Oracle from $125.00 to $135.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $119.37. About Oracle (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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Oracle Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Oracle and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sonic Healthcare (OTCMKTS:SKHCF Get Free Report) is one of 67 public companies in the Diagnostics & Research industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its rivals? We will compare Sonic Healthcare to similar companies based on the strength of its valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, dividends and earnings. Dividends Sonic Healthcare pays an annual dividend of $0.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Sonic Healthcare pays out 67.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Diagnostics & Research companies pay a dividend yield of 2.9% and pay out 73.5% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Get Sonic Healthcare alerts: Valuation and Earnings This table compares Sonic Healthcare and its rivals revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Sonic Healthcare N/A N/A 24.50 Sonic Healthcare Competitors $633.76 million -$131.90 million 346.49 Profitability Sonic Healthcares rivals have higher revenue, but lower earnings than Sonic Healthcare. Sonic Healthcare 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. This table compares Sonic Healthcare and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Sonic Healthcare N/A N/A N/A Sonic Healthcare Competitors -31.00% -5.11% -3.29% Insider & Institutional Ownership 31.8% of Sonic Healthcare shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.9% of shares of all Diagnostics & Research companies are held by institutional investors. 31.9% of shares of all Diagnostics & Research companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Analyst Ratings This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Sonic Healthcare and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Sonic Healthcare 0 0 0 0 N/A Sonic Healthcare Competitors 58 279 470 39 2.58 As a group, Diagnostics & Research companies have a potential upside of 108.59%. Given Sonic Healthcares rivals higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Sonic Healthcare has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. Sonic Healthcare Company Profile (Get Free Report) Sonic Healthcare Limited offers medical diagnostic services to medical practitioners, hospitals, community health services, and their collective patients. The company provides laboratory medicine/pathology testing services, such as biochemistry, cytopathology, genetics, haematology, histopathology, immunoserology, microbiology, molecular pathology, prenatal testing, toxicology, and ancillary functions; and radiology services, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, X-ray, mammography, nuclear medicine, PET CT, interventional procedures, and bone mineral densitometry. It also offers primary care medical services comprising general practice clinics, occupational health services, skin cancer clinics, after-hours general practice services, general practice IT solutions, and community-based healthcare services. The company operates in Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, Belgium, and internationally. Sonic Healthcare Limited was incorporated in 1934 and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Receive News & Ratings for Sonic Healthcare Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sonic Healthcare and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Inlet Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 2.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 231,196 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 4,810 shares during the quarter. Altria Group makes up 2.7% of Inlet Private Wealth LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Inlet Private Wealth LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $10,316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Altria Group by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 404,894 shares of the companys stock valued at $21,248,000 after buying an additional 6,324 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,647 shares of the companys stock valued at $974,000 after buying an additional 929 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in Altria Group by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,711,773 shares of the companys stock valued at $141,690,000 after buying an additional 89,334 shares during the period. Finally, First Western Trust Bank acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $498,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.38% of the companys stock. Get Altria Group alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms have commented on MO. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. They set a buy rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 4th. One 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, Altria Group currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $46.00. Altria Group Price Performance Shares of MO traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $45.48. The companys stock had a trading volume of 5,905,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,728,557. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $45.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.62, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.59. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.35 and a fifty-two week high of $51.57. Altria Group (NYSE:MO Get 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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current fiscal year. Altria Group Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were issued a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.27%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. Altria Groups payout ratio is 120.90%. Altria Group 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. iShares Canadian Select Dividend Index ETF (TSE:XDV Get Free Report)s share price dropped 0.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as C$28.08 and last traded at C$28.10. Approximately 38,436 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 18% from the average daily volume of 32,464 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$28.34. iShares Canadian Select Dividend Index ETF Price Performance The businesss fifty day simple moving average is C$27.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$28.12. iShares Canadian Select Dividend Index ETF Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 24th. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for iShares Canadian Select Dividend Index ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Canadian Select Dividend Index ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM Free Report) by 56.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 93,252 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 33,712 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF were worth $3,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of EEM. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF during the 1st quarter valued at about $146,000. AMI Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 5.7% in the first quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,268 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $509,000 after buying an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 62.5% in the first quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 65,005 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,935,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 14.5% during the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 8,965 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 1,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 9.3% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 892,269 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $40,286,000 after purchasing an additional 76,229 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the companys stock. Get iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF alerts: iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Stock Up 2.4 % EEM stock traded up $0.99 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $41.93. 34,122,137 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 32,218,496. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has a 52-week low of $33.49 and a 52-week high of $42.53. The stocks 50-day moving average is $39.86 and its 200 day moving average is $39.69. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Profile iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, formerly iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund (the Fund), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded equity securities in global emerging markets, as measured by the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the Index). Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EEM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB Free Report) by 3.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,317 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock after acquiring an additional 967 shares during the quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLCs holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $2,940,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LYB. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. raised its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 18.9% in the 1st quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 3,598 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 572 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the first quarter worth about $207,000. Forza Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 9.5% during the first quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,859 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 938 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 14.0% during the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 44,383 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $4,167,000 after purchasing an additional 5,456 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Petredis Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Petredis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,870 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $2,147,000 after buying an additional 353 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.58% of the companys stock. Get LyondellBasell Industries alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. SpectralCast reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a report on Thursday, June 29th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $113.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $102.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $81.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered LyondellBasell Industries from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their target price for the stock from $113.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $97.00. LyondellBasell Industries Stock Performance Shares of LYB stock traded up $1.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $98.37. The company had a trading volume of 2,057,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,004,857. The stock has a market cap of $32.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.05. LyondellBasell Industries has a 52-week low of $71.46 and a 52-week high of $101.30. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $90.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.40. LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.70. The business had revenue of $10.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.80 billion. LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 28.95% and a net margin of 6.40%. The businesss revenue was down 22.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.00 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. LyondellBasell Industries Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.08%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 26th. This is an increase from LyondellBasell Industriess previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. LyondellBasell Industriess payout ratio is 54.11%. About LyondellBasell Industries (Free Report) LyondellBasell Industries N.V. operates as a chemical company in the United States, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Poland, France, Japan, China, the Netherlands, and internationally. The company operates in six segments: Olefins and PolyolefinsAmericas; Olefins and PolyolefinsEurope, Asia, International; Intermediates and Derivatives; Advanced Polymer Solutions; Refining; and Technology. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for LyondellBasell Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for LyondellBasell Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc boosted its holdings in Edison International (NYSE:EIX Free Report) by 8.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,233 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 1,502 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Incs holdings in Edison International were worth $1,358,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in EIX. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora bought a new position in shares of Edison International in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Edison International in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Edison International in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Edison International in the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Almanack Investment Partners LLC. bought a new position in shares of Edison International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors own 88.83% of the companys stock. Get Edison International alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes EIX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Edison International from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Friday, July 21st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price objective on shares of Edison International from $66.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 17th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Edison International from $79.00 to $86.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Edison International from $67.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Finally, Guggenheim cut shares of Edison International from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $73.55. Edison International Stock Performance Edison International stock traded up $2.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $72.95. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,498,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,746,245. Edison International has a 1-year low of $54.45 and a 1-year high of $74.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $68.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.27. The company has a market cap of $27.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.31, a PEG ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.80. Edison International (NYSE:EIX Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.06. Edison International had a net margin of 6.12% and a return on equity of 12.48%. The business had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. The businesss revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Edison International will post 4.72 earnings per share for the current year. Edison International Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 5th will be given a $0.738 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 3rd. This is a boost from Edison Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.05%. Edison Internationals payout ratio is presently 134.70%. About Edison International (Free Report) Edison International, through its subsidiaries, generates and distributes electric power. The company supplies electricity to approximately 50,000 square mile area of southern California to residential, commercial, industrial, public authorities, agricultural, and other sectors. It also provides decarbonization and energy solutions to commercial, institutional, and industrial customers in North America and Europe. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Edison International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Edison International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Westpac Banking Corp trimmed its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI Free Report) by 4.8% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 59,929 shares of the communications equipment providers stock after selling 3,035 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corps holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $17,147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. HM Payson & Co. grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 52.3% during the 4th quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 134 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. 82.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Motorola Solutions alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other Motorola Solutions news, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.13, for a total transaction of $14,556,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 91,843 shares of the companys stock, valued at $26,738,252.59. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 1,933 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.01, for a total value of $558,656.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,611 shares of the companys stock, valued at $465,595.11. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.13, for a total value of $14,556,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 91,843 shares of the companys stock, valued at $26,738,252.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 101,933 shares of company stock valued at $29,642,156 over the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Motorola Solutions Price Performance A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MSI shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $303.00 to $329.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Motorola Solutions from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, July 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $310.00 to $335.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $301.67. Shares of MSI stock traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $291.04. 898,922 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 741,315. The company has a market capitalization of $48.81 billion, a PE ratio of 36.38, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.93. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.76 and a 12-month high of $299.43. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $287.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $278.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.15. Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $2.17 billion for 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 businesss revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.53 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current year. Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 14th. Motorola Solutionss dividend payout ratio is presently 44.00%. About Motorola Solutions (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. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Motorola Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Motorola Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Inlet Private Wealth LLC lessened its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Free Report) by 7.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,309 shares of the companys stock after selling 267 shares during the quarter. Inlet Private Wealth LLCs holdings in Novartis were worth $304,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Argent Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 3,303 shares of the companys stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp grew its position in Novartis by 2.7% during the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 4,055 shares of the companys stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Novartis by 1.1% during the first quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,479 shares of the companys stock valued at $964,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Novartis by 3.6% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,242 shares of the companys stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 2.4% in the first quarter. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. now owns 5,002 shares of the companys stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.07% of the companys stock. Get Novartis alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NVS shares. HSBC began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 14th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Novartis from $75.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $82.25. Novartis Trading Up 0.3 % NVS stock traded up $0.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $104.17. The company had a trading volume of 773,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,092,870. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $74.09 and a 52-week high of $105.61. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $220.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.96, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.55. Novartis (NYSE:NVS Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 19th. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.15. Novartis had a net margin of 14.76% and a return on equity of 25.12%. The business had revenue of $13.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.32 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.56 EPS. The companys revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 6.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Novartis Profile (Free Report) Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company operates through two segments: Innovative Medicines and Sandoz. The Innovative Medicines segment offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It also provides cardiovascular, ophthalmology, neuroscience, immunology, hematology, and solid tumor products. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NVS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Novartis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novartis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pennon Group (OTCMKTS:PEGRF Get Free Report) and Manila Water (OTCMKTS:MWTCY Get Free Report) are both utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk. Dividends Pennon Group pays an annual dividend of $0.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Manila Water pays an annual dividend of C$6.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 72.5%. 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. Manila Water pays out 10.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Manila Water is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Get Pennon Group alerts: Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Pennon Group and Manila Water, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Pennon Group 0 1 2 0 2.67 Manila Water 0 0 1 0 3.00 Profitability Pennon Group presently has a consensus price target of $815.00, suggesting a potential upside of 8,710.81%. Given Pennon Groups higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Pennon Group is more favorable than Manila Water. This table compares Pennon Group and Manila Waters 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 Manila Water N/A N/A N/A Earnings & Valuation This table compares Pennon Group and Manila Waters gross 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 $0.29 31.88 Manila Water N/A N/A N/A C$58.75 0.15 Manila Water is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Pennon Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Insider & Institutional Ownership 44.0% of Pennon Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of Manila Water shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. About Pennon Group (Get 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 Manila Water (Get Free Report) Manila Water Company, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides water treatment and distribution, sewerage, and sanitation services in the Philippines and internationally. It also offers integrated used water, pipework, engineering, procurement, and management services. The company provides its services to approximately six million people in the East Zone encompassing 23 cities and municipalities, including Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, Marikina, Quezon City, Paranaque, and Manila, as well as Rizal towns comprising Angono, Antipolo, Baras, Binangonan, Cainta, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililia, Rodriguez, San Mateo, Tanay, Taytay, and Teresa. It serves residential, commercial, semi-business, and industrial customers. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Quezon City, the Philippines. Receive News & Ratings for Pennon Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pennon Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Radisson Mining Resources Inc. (CVE:RDS Get Free Report) shot up 3.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as C$0.15 and last traded at C$0.15. 51,961 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 119,736 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.15. Radisson Mining Resources Stock Performance The businesss 50 day moving average is C$0.16 and its 200 day moving average is C$0.18. The company has a market capitalization of C$42.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.00 and a beta of 1.53. About Radisson Mining Resources (Get Free Report) Radisson Mining Resources Inc, a gold exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mining properties in Canada. Its flagship project is the 100% owned O'Brien gold project that comprise 120 claims covering a total area of 5,875 hectares located in the Abitibi Temiscamingue region of Quebec; and the Douay property, which comprising 30 claims covering an area of approximately 1,606 hectares located in the James Bay territory. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Radisson Mining Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Radisson Mining Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Raymond James Trust N.A. cut its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 0.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,549 shares of the companys stock after selling 357 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A.s holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,059,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 85.6% in the 4th quarter. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC now owns 542 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 153.8% during the 1st quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 731 shares of the companys stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 58.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Altria Group alerts: Altria Group Stock Performance Shares of NYSE MO traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $45.48. The companys stock had a trading volume of 5,905,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,728,557. The firms fifty day moving average price is $45.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.62. The firm has a market cap of $81.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.59. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.35 and a 1-year high of $51.57. Altria Group Dividend Announcement Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.89 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 245.43% and a net margin of 22.44%. The businesss revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.27%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. Altria Groups payout ratio is presently 120.90%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms recently weighed in on MO. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. They set a buy rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $46.00. About Altria Group (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. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Robert Half International (NYSE:RHI Get Free Report) issued an update on its third quarter 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $0.76-$0.90 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of $1.14. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.48 billion-$1.58 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.66 billion. Robert Half International Trading Up 1.9 % Shares of RHI stock traded up $1.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $74.56. The stock had a trading volume of 1,423,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,047,750. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $74.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.91. Robert Half International has a 12 month low of $64.65 and a 12 month high of $89.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.03 billion, a PE ratio of 14.51, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.35. Get Robert Half International alerts: Robert Half International (NYSE:RHI Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The business services provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.13). Robert Half International had a return on equity of 34.51% and a net margin of 7.84%. The business had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.60 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Robert Half International will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year. Robert Half International Dividend Announcement Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 25th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 24th. Robert Half Internationals payout ratio is currently 38.10%. RHI has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Robert Half International from $88.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Robert Half International from $84.00 to $76.00 in a report on Thursday. Credit Suisse Group reduced their target price on shares of Robert Half International from $63.00 to $57.00 in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Robert Half International from $63.00 to $53.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Robert Half International in a research note on Wednesday, May 31st. They issued a buy rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $71.22. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Robert Half International A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Waverly Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Robert Half International during the first quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Robert Half International in the first quarter valued at approximately $201,000. qPULA Trading Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Robert Half International in the first quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its stake in Robert Half International by 28.5% in the 1st quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,706 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Robert Half International by 435.9% in the 1st quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,401 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 1,953 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.34% of the companys stock. Robert Half International Company Profile (Get Free Report) Robert Half International Inc provides talent solutions and business consulting service in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company operates through three segments: Contract Talent Solutions, Permanent Placement Talent Solutions, and Protiviti. The Contract Talent Solutions segment provides contract engagement professionals in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal and administrative, and customer support. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Robert Half International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Robert Half International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Robinson Value Management Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of M&T Bank Co. (NYSE:MTB Free Report) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,364 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 291 shares during the quarter. Robinson Value Management Ltd.s holdings in M&T Bank were worth $1,598,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp acquired a new position in M&T Bank during the 1st quarter worth about $277,000. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in M&T Bank by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,505 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in M&T Bank by 320.1% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 7,204 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $861,000 after acquiring an additional 5,489 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new position in M&T Bank during the 1st quarter worth about $238,000. Finally, Tobam lifted its stake in M&T Bank by 62.2% during the 1st quarter. Tobam now owns 1,382 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.62% of the companys stock. Get M&T Bank alerts: M&T Bank Trading Up 1.3 % Shares of NYSE:MTB traded up $1.83 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $140.05. The companys stock had a trading volume of 770,888 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,633,294. The firm has a market cap of $23.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. M&T Bank Co. has a 1 year low of $109.36 and a 1 year high of $193.42. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $126.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $132.74. M&T Bank Announces Dividend M&T Bank ( NYSE:MTB Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 19th. The financial services provider reported $5.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.16 by $0.89. M&T Bank had a return on equity of 13.26% and a net margin of 26.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.10 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that M&T Bank Co. will post 16.29 EPS for the current year. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 1st were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 31st. M&T Banks payout ratio is 30.81%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. DA Davidson reduced their price target on M&T Bank from $138.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. UBS Group lowered M&T Bank from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, April 10th. Citigroup cut their target price on M&T Bank from $150.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Monday, June 26th. SpectralCast reissued a maintains rating on shares of M&T Bank in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on M&T Bank from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $158.91. Insider Transactions at M&T Bank In other news, Director Rudina Seseri sold 700 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.40, for a total value of $82,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,736 shares of the companys stock, valued at $205,542.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Rudina Seseri sold 700 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.40, for a total value of $82,880.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,736 shares in the company, valued at $205,542.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daryl N. Bible acquired 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $120.61 per share, for a total transaction of $1,206,100.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,206,100. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.97% of the companys stock. About M&T Bank (Free Report) M&T Bank Corporation operates as a bank holding company for Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company and Wilmington Trust, National Association that offer retail and commercial banking products and services in the United States. The company's Business Banking segment offers deposit, lending, cash management, and other financial services to small businesses and professionals. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MTB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for M&T Bank Co. (NYSE:MTB Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for M&T Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for M&T Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) (OTCMKTS:SVCBF Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,696,500 shares, a decline of 18.8% from the June 30th total of 3,321,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3,370.6 days. Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) Stock Down 2.8 % Shares of OTCMKTS:SVCBF traded down $0.37 during trading on Friday, hitting $13.18. 513 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,827. Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA has a 1-year low of $11.75 and a 1-year high of $15.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $13.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.51. Get Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) alerts: About Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) (Get Free Report) Featured Stories Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ), a forest products company, develops, manufactures, and sells forest, wood, pulp, and containerboard products in Sweden, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers various sawn wood products; wood solutions for industrial buildings comprise construction timber, outer panels, dimensionally planed timber, laths, base rafters, planks, and shaped timber products; wood solutions for merchants include joists, batten, and untreated and painted outer panel, as well as pressure-impregnated wood products; and marine and land transportation services, including forwarding services using RoRo vessels, container express, and road and rail. Receive News & Ratings for Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK Free Report) by 2.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 107,138 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,173 shares during the quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,537,899 shares of the companys stock valued at $270,007,000 after purchasing an additional 47,005 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 17,520 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,944,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. Crescent Sterling Ltd. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $806,000. Alaska Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 181.8% during the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,775 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,204,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.60% of the companys stock. Get Merck & Co. Inc. alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc. In other news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total value of $1,865,788.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 45,710 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total value of $1,865,788.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 45,710 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 75,436 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.03, for a total transaction of $8,752,839.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 154,493 shares in the company, valued at $17,925,822.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 144,711 shares of company stock valued at $16,973,762 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance A number of research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Mizuho restated a buy rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $128.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $123.53. MRK traded up $1.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $106.34. 6,789,315 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,843,042. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $269.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.35. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $84.52 and a 52-week high of $119.65. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.42. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $14.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.81 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 22.52% and a return on equity of 37.92%. The companys revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.s payout ratio is 57.03%. Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile (Free Report) Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO Free Report) by 12.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 87,501 shares of the mining companys stock after acquiring an additional 9,603 shares during the period. Rio Tinto Group makes up 0.8% of Soltis Investment Advisors LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Soltis Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Rio Tinto Group were worth $6,003,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 23.9% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 61,529 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $4,947,000 after buying an additional 11,879 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 33.8% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 6,549 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 1,654 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 19.4% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,539,846 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $123,803,000 after buying an additional 250,480 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Rio Tinto Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $499,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 13,466 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $1,083,000 after buying an additional 7,894 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.44% of the companys stock. Get Rio Tinto Group alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts have commented on RIO shares. Argus decreased their price target on Rio Tinto Group from $80.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 28th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Rio Tinto Group in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Rio Tinto Group from an underweight rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Rio Tinto Group from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Rio Tinto Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $72.00. Rio Tinto Group Stock Down 1.4 % Rio Tinto Group Increases Dividend NYSE:RIO traded down $0.95 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $66.10. 3,010,747 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,183,597. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $64.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.01. Rio Tinto Group has a 1 year low of $50.92 and a 1 year high of $80.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is a boost from Rio Tinto Groups previous semi-annual dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. This represents a yield of 6%. About Rio Tinto Group (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. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Rio Tinto Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rio Tinto Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D Free Report) by 22.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 77,247 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 14,092 shares during the period. Soltis Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Dominion Energy were worth $4,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in Dominion Energy by 1.2% in the first quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 10,630 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $903,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners boosted its holdings in Dominion Energy by 1.7% in the first quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 7,635 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $649,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Dominion Energy by 49.8% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 394 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Dominion Energy by 0.3% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 40,479 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $3,440,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ergoteles LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Dominion Energy by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 4,719 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.58% of the companys stock. Get Dominion Energy alerts: Insider Activity In related news, COO Diane Leopold sold 6,250 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.16, for a total transaction of $307,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 100,115 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,921,653.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.14% of the companys stock. Dominion Energy Stock Performance NYSE:D traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $53.50. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,930,413 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,272,188. Dominion Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.47 and a 12-month high of $86.28. The firms fifty day moving average price is $52.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.74. 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 $44.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.41, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.45. Dominion Energy (NYSE:D Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. Dominion Energy had a net margin of 7.05% and a return on equity of 12.67%. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Dominion Energy, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year. Dominion Energy Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $0.6675 per share. This represents a $2.67 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.99%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 1st. Dominion Energys payout ratio is currently 186.71%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of Dominion Energy from $63.00 to $60.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Dominion Energy from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Dominion Energy from $61.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Monday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Dominion Energy from $63.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Friday, June 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Dominion Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 7th. They issued a neutral rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $57.70. About Dominion Energy (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. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Dominion Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dominion Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS Free Report) by 16.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,072 shares of the banks stock after selling 2,579 shares during the quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in UBS Group were worth $279,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in UBS Group by 192.6% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,814 shares of the banks stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,194 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in UBS Group in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in UBS Group in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. First Manhattan Co. bought a new position in UBS Group during the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of UBS Group by 120.3% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,238 shares of the banks stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,222 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.44% of the companys stock. Get UBS Group alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on UBS Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on UBS Group in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. They set an equal weight rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $20.59. UBS Group Price Performance Shares of NYSE UBS traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $22.27. 2,956,906 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,643,001. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $20.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.58. The company has a market cap of $76.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.42, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.10. UBS Group AG has a 12-month low of $13.80 and a 12-month high of $22.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. UBS Group (NYSE:UBS Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The bank reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $8.74 billion during the quarter. UBS Group had a return on equity of 11.46% and a net margin of 14.99%. As a group, research analysts forecast that UBS Group AG will post 0.85 EPS for the current fiscal year. UBS Group Profile (Free Report) UBS Group AG provides financial advice and solutions to private, institutional, and corporate clients worldwide. It operates through four divisions: Global Wealth Management, Personal & Corporate Banking, Asset Management, and Investment Bank. The Global Wealth Management division offers investment advice and solutions, and lending solutions. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for UBS Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for UBS Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 374,800 shares, a decrease of 19.6% from the June 30th total of 466,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 105,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days. Currently, 2.2% of the companys stock are sold short. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. Get Sturm Ruger & Company Inc. alerts: Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Trading Down 1.4 % RGR stock traded down $0.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $52.92. 48,276 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 110,303. The stock has a market capitalization of $937.21 million, a PE ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 0.50. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.50 and a 1-year high of $67.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.98. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Cuts Dividend Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. ( NYSE:RGR Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $149.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.80 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 12.52%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 12th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.45%. Insider Transactions at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. In related news, CEO Christopher John Killoy sold 10,105 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total value of $535,767.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 50,827 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,694,847.54. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 148.4% during the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 996 shares of the companys stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 44.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,139 shares of the companys stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $86,000. 64.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (Get Free Report) Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells firearms under the Ruger name and trademark in the United States. It operates through two segments, Firearms and Castings. The company provides single-shot, autoloading, bolt-action, and sporting rifles; rimfire and centerfire autoloading pistols; single-action and double-action revolvers; and firearms accessories and replacement parts, as well as manufactures lever-action rifles under the Marlin name and trademark. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Sturm Ruger & Company Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sturm Ruger & Company Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Summit Financial LLC decreased its position in Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC) by 11.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,479 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 3,631 shares during the quarter. Summit Financial LLCs holdings in Bank of America were worth $843,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BAC. Roundview Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Bank of America by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 135,764 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $5,596,000 after acquiring an additional 2,013 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its position in shares of Bank of America by 150.3% in the 1st quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,985 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 1,192 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Bank of America by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 405,098 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $16,698,000 after acquiring an additional 16,319 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Bank of America in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $586,000. Finally, Pearl River Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank of America in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $534,000. Institutional investors own 67.34% of the companys stock. Get Bank of America alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Bank of America from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Bank of America in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Bank of America from $41.00 to $40.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Bank of America from $32.00 to $33.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Bank of America from $38.00 to $33.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $36.26. Bank of America Stock Performance BAC stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $31.89. 33,274,062 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 52,251,566. Bank of America Co. has a one year low of $26.32 and a one year high of $38.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $254.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $29.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.61. Bank of America (NYSE:BAC Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.04. Bank of America had a return on equity of 12.01% and a net margin of 19.97%. The company had revenue of $25.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.73 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Bank of America Co. will post 3.41 EPS for the current year. Bank of America Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. This is an increase from Bank of Americas previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.29%. Insider Activity at Bank of America In related news, insider Dean C. Athanasia sold 77,806 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.48, for a total transaction of $2,449,332.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 353,971 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,143,007.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders. Bank of America Company Profile (Free Report) Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional and money market savings accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, noninterest-and interest-bearing checking accounts, and investment accounts and products; and credit and debit cards, residential mortgages, and home equity loans, as well as direct and indirect loans, such as automotive, recreational vehicle, and consumer personal loans. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BAC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bank of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Synergy Financial Group LTD purchased a new stake in Twilio Inc. (NYSE:TWLO Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 3,720 shares of the technology companys stock, valued at approximately $248,000. Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Twilio during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in Twilio by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 27,002 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,013 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Twilio during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $260,000. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in Twilio by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 50,739 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $3,381,000 after purchasing an additional 1,683 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its stake in Twilio by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 113,234 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $5,544,000 after purchasing an additional 9,882 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.29% of the companys stock. Get Twilio alerts: Twilio Price Performance Shares of NYSE TWLO traded up $2.96 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $64.06. The companys stock had a trading volume of 10,324,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,604,832. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $64.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.54 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 6.16 and a current ratio of 6.16. Twilio Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.00 and a 1-year high of $98.67. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Twilio ( NYSE:TWLO Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The technology company reported ($0.37) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.58) by $0.21. Twilio had a negative net margin of 34.79% and a negative return on equity of 6.91%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $999.82 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Twilio Inc. will post -1.52 EPS for the current fiscal year. A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Twilio from $75.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Twilio from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Twilio from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and upped their price objective for the company from $56.00 to $71.00 in a report on Monday, July 17th. Mizuho downgraded shares of Twilio from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $55.00 in a report on Friday, May 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Twilio from a sector perform rating to an underperform rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $55.00 to $50.00 in a report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $73.21. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Twilio news, CFO Aidan Viggiano sold 1,172 shares of Twilio stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.44, for a total transaction of $53,255.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 212,897 shares of the companys stock, valued at $9,674,039.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Twilio news, CFO Aidan Viggiano sold 1,172 shares of Twilio stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.44, for a total transaction of $53,255.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 212,897 shares in the company, valued at $9,674,039.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Elena A. Donio sold 6,485 shares of Twilio stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.07, for a total transaction of $434,948.95. Following the sale, the insider now owns 425,177 shares of the companys stock, valued at $28,516,621.39. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,024 shares of company stock valued at $2,132,369 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 4.20% of the companys stock. About Twilio (Free Report) Twilio Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides software and communications solutions in the United States and internationally. The company operates cloud communications platform that enables developers to build, scale, and operate customer engagement within software applications. Its customer engagement platform provides a set of application programming interfaces that enable developers to embed voice, messaging, and email interactions into their customer-facing applications. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TWLO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Twilio Inc. (NYSE:TWLO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Twilio Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Twilio and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Berkeley Group Holdings plc (OTCMKTS:BKGFY Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,100 shares, an increase of 211.9% from the June 30th total of 4,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 22,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.6 days. The Berkeley Group Trading Up 0.8 % OTCMKTS BKGFY traded up $0.08 during trading on Friday, hitting $11.39. 12,360 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,522. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 3.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $10.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.42. The Berkeley Group has a 12-month low of $6.92 and a 12-month high of $11.80. Get The Berkeley Group alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BKGFY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of The Berkeley Group from GBX 4,500 ($57.70) to GBX 4,800 ($61.55) in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. HSBC cut The Berkeley Group from a hold rating to a reduce rating in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $4,169.00. The Berkeley Group Company Profile The Berkeley Group Holdings plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the residential-led and mixed-use property development activities in the United Kingdom. The company is also involved in land selling activities. It operates under the Berkeley, St Edward, St George, St James, St Joseph, and St William brand names. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for The Berkeley Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Berkeley Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI Get Free Report) updated its FY23 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of $15.45-16.00 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $15.65. The company issued revenue guidance of +0-2% (Implying $4345.25- $4432.2 million), compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.57 billion. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Valmont Industries from $389.00 to $352.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 17th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Valmont Industries in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Get Valmont Industries alerts: Valmont Industries Trading Up 0.8 % Shares of VMI traded up $2.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $262.17. 376,403 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 150,115. Valmont Industries has a 52-week low of $254.92 and a 52-week high of $353.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $282.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $300.49. The firm has a market cap of $5.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.08. Insiders Place Their Bets Institutional Trading of Valmont Industries In other Valmont Industries news, Director Theodor Werner Freye sold 549 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $293.00, for a total value of $160,857.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,749 shares in the company, valued at $1,684,457. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Insiders own 2.00% of the companys stock. Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the 1st quarter worth about $287,000. Toroso Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $285,000. Cardinal Point Wealth Management Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the 1st quarter valued at $272,000. Advisor Partners II LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $240,000. Finally, Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valmont Industries during the 1st quarter worth $233,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.39% of the companys stock. About Valmont Industries (Get Free Report) Valmont Industries, Inc produces and sells metal products in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, and internationally. The company operates through two segments: Infrastructure and Agriculture. It manufactures and distributes steel, pre-stressed concrete, composite, and hybrid structures for lighting, transportation, and telecommunications equipment, as well as electrical transmission, distribution, substations, and renewable energy generation equipment; and provides coatings services to preserve metal products. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Valmont Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Valmont Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 7,379 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock, valued at approximately $234,000. Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Uber Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $580,568,000. Altimeter Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Uber Technologies by 167.5% during the 1st quarter. Altimeter Capital Management LP now owns 30,760,000 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $1,193,422,000 after acquiring an additional 19,260,000 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in Uber Technologies by 6,754.1% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 9,808,165 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock valued at $242,556,000 after buying an additional 9,955,565 shares in the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Uber Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $178,126,000. Finally, Scge Management L.P. acquired a new position in Uber Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $155,008,000. 73.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Uber Technologies alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Uber Technologies In other Uber Technologies news, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold 100,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.51, for a total value of $4,751,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,316,243 shares in the company, valued at $62,534,704.93. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold 100,000 shares of Uber Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.51, for a total value of $4,751,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,316,243 shares of the companys stock, valued at $62,534,704.93. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Tony West sold 12,501 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.85, for a total transaction of $473,162.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 181,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,879,237.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 238,143 shares of company stock valued at $10,798,399. Company insiders own 3.84% of the companys stock. Uber Technologies Trading Up 3.3 % Shares of UBER opened at $48.14 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $42.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.29. Uber Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $22.39 and a one year high of $48.43. The company has a market capitalization of $97.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -27.83, a P/E/G ratio of 9.59 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The ride-sharing company reported ($0.08) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.10) by $0.02. Uber Technologies had a negative net margin of 9.95% and a negative return on equity of 43.94%. The company had revenue of $8.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.18) earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 28.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Uber Technologies, Inc. will post 0.11 EPS for the current fiscal year. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Tigress Financial began coverage on Uber Technologies in a research note on Friday, July 21st. They issued a buy rating and a $66.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Uber Technologies from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 14th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Uber Technologies from $50.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Barclays boosted their target price on Uber Technologies from $45.00 to $57.00 in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on Uber Technologies from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 21st. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $52.06. Uber Technologies Company Profile (Free Report) Uber Technologies, Inc develops and operates proprietary technology applications in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia excluding China and Southeast Asia. It operates through three segments: Mobility, Delivery, and Freight. The Mobility segment connects consumers with a range of transportation modalities, such as ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and other modalities; and offers riders in a variety of vehicle types, as well as financial partnerships products and advertising services. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Uber Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Uber Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Axos Financial (NYSE:AX Free Report) had its price target boosted by Wedbush from $42.00 to $49.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Wedbush also issued estimates for Axos Financials Q1 2025 earnings at $1.36 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.39 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $5.65 EPS. AX has been the topic of a number of other reports. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Axos Financial from $43.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Axos Financial from $62.00 to $58.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Axos Financial from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 4th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Axos Financial from $44.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Axos Financial has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $53.00. Get Axos Financial alerts: Axos Financial Stock Up 5.1 % Shares of AX opened at $48.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a PE ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 1.44. Axos Financial has a 1 year low of $33.15 and a 1 year high of $51.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $41.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.13. Insider Buying and Selling Axos Financial ( NYSE:AX Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.14. Axos Financial had a net margin of 25.02% and a return on equity of 17.46%. The firm had revenue of $231.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $221.94 million. Analysts forecast that Axos Financial will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In related news, EVP Andrew J. Micheletti sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.29, for a total transaction of $247,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 503,689 shares of the companys stock, valued at $20,797,318.81. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.81% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axos Financial Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axos Financial in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Axos Financial in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,178,000. State of Wyoming grew its holdings in Axos Financial by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,131 shares of the companys stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Axos Financial by 51.6% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,252 shares of the companys stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 426 shares during the period. Finally, Tobam grew its holdings in Axos Financial by 362.4% in the 1st quarter. Tobam now owns 1,845 shares of the companys stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 1,446 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.42% of the companys stock. Axos Financial Company Profile (Get Free Report) Axos Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides consumer and business banking products in the United States. It operates through two segments, Banking Business and Securities Business. The company offers deposits products, including consumer and business checking, demand, savings, time deposit, money market, zero balance, and insured cash sweep accounts. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Axos Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Axos Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BJs Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,150,000 shares, an increase of 28.5% from the June 30th total of 6,340,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,250,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days. Currently, 6.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. BJs Wholesale Club Stock Performance BJ stock opened at $66.03 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $8.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.47. BJs Wholesale Club has a 12 month low of $60.33 and a 12 month high of $80.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $63.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.02. Get BJ's Wholesale Club alerts: BJs Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 23rd. The company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.01. BJs Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 53.66%. The company had revenue of $4.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that BJs Wholesale Club will post 3.9 EPS for the current fiscal year. Analyst Ratings Changes Insider Activity at BJs Wholesale Club A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of BJs Wholesale Club from $77.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of BJs Wholesale Club from $83.00 to $74.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of BJs Wholesale Club from $87.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of BJs Wholesale Club from $65.00 to $62.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of BJs Wholesale Club from $90.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $74.40. In other BJs Wholesale Club news, EVP Monica Schwartz sold 15,168 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.85, for a total transaction of $938,140.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,605,749.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJs Wholesale Club Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BJs Wholesale Club by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 12,142,318 shares of the companys stock worth $923,666,000 after purchasing an additional 139,425 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of BJs Wholesale Club by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,445,807 shares of the companys stock worth $300,581,000 after purchasing an additional 147,014 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BJs Wholesale Club by 771.0% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,719,578 shares of the companys stock worth $234,371,000 after purchasing an additional 3,292,549 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BJs Wholesale Club by 61.7% in the 2nd quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 3,665,484 shares of the companys stock worth $230,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of BJs Wholesale Club by 180.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,615,939 shares of the companys stock worth $173,071,000 after purchasing an additional 1,684,174 shares during the last quarter. 93.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About BJs Wholesale Club (Get Free Report) BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates warehouse clubs on the eastern half of the United States. It provides perishable, general merchandise, gasoline, coupon books, promotions, and other ancillary services. The company sells its products through the websites BJs.com, BerkleyJensen.com, and Wellsleyfarms.com, as well as the mobile app. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for BJ's Wholesale Club Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BJ's Wholesale Club and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rightmove (OTCMKTS:RTMVF Get Free Report) is one of 96 publicly-traded companies in the Internet Content & Information industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare Rightmove to related businesses based on the strength of its earnings, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations and valuation. Dividends Rightmove pays an annual dividend of $0.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.0%. Rightmove pays out 32.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Internet Content & Information companies pay a dividend yield of 26.0% and pay out 4.4% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Rightmove lags its peers as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio. Get Rightmove alerts: Institutional and Insider Ownership 55.1% of Rightmove shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 26.6% of shares of all Internet Content & Information companies are held by institutional investors. 35.1% of shares of all Internet Content & Information companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Profitability Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Rightmove N/A N/A N/A Rightmove Competitors -10.21% -10.76% 0.66% Earnings & Valuation This table compares Rightmove and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. This table compares Rightmove and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Rightmove N/A N/A 8.09 Rightmove Competitors $3.99 billion $791.00 million -159.50 Rightmoves peers have higher revenue and earnings than Rightmove. Rightmove 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. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Rightmove and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Rightmove 1 0 0 0 1.00 Rightmove Competitors 366 1259 3292 81 2.62 Rightmove presently has a consensus target price of $4.00, suggesting a potential downside of 42.28%. As a group, Internet Content & Information companies have a potential upside of 56.74%. Given Rightmoves peers stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Rightmove has less favorable growth aspects than its peers. Summary Rightmove peers beat Rightmove on 9 of the 13 factors compared. Rightmove Company Profile (Get Free Report) Rightmove plc, together with its subsidiaries, operates property portals in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through Agency, New Homes, and Other segments. The Agency segment provides property resale and letting advertising services on its platforms. It also offers tenant references and rent guarantee insurance services to landlords. The New Homes segment provides property advertising services to new home developers and housing associations on its platforms. The Other segment offers overseas and commercial property advertising services; non-property advertising services that include third party advertising and data services; and mortgage services. It serves estate agents, lettings agents, and new homes developers. Rightmove plc was founded in 2000 and is based in Milton Keynes, the United Kingdom. Receive News & Ratings for Rightmove Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rightmove and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Severn Trent (OTCMKTS:SVTRF Get Free Report) and H2O Innovation (OTCMKTS:HEOFF Get Free Report) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership. Profitability This table compares Severn Trent and H2O Innovations net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Severn Trent alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Severn Trent N/A N/A N/A H2O Innovation 1.46% 9.46% 4.48% Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Severn Trent and H2O Innovation, as reported by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Severn Trent 0 2 0 0 2.00 H2O Innovation 0 0 0 0 N/A Insider and Institutional Ownership H2O Innovation has a consensus price target of $3.29, indicating a potential upside of 38.71%. Given H2O Innovations higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe H2O Innovation is more favorable than Severn Trent. 37.3% of Severn Trent shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.9% of H2O Innovation shares are owned 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. Valuation & Earnings This table compares Severn Trent and H2O Innovations gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) 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 39.96 H2O Innovation $145.66 million 1.46 $4.03 million $0.03 79.03 H2O Innovation has higher revenue and earnings than Severn Trent. Severn Trent is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than H2O Innovation, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Summary H2O Innovation beats Severn Trent on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks. About Severn Trent (Get 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 H2O Innovation (Get Free Report) H2O Innovation Inc. designs and provides integrated water treatment solutions based on membrane filtration technology. It operates through three segments: Water Technologies and Services, Specialty Products, and Operation and Maintenance Services. The company offers membrane filtration technology for municipal, industrial, energy, and natural resources end-users; and aftersales services, as well as digital solutions to monitor and optimize water treatment plants. Its products include the FiberFlex open-source technologies for water treatment systems; and the flexMBR for wastewater treatment systems. The company also offers specialty chemicals, consumables, and specialized products for the water industry, including reverse osmosis (RO) membrane chemicals, such as antiscalants, flocculants, biocides, and cleaning chemicals; corrosion resistant equipment for desalination plants; flexible grooved-end couplings, fiberglass reinforced polyester (FRP) cartridge filter housings, self-cleaning disc and screen filters, bag filters, cartridges, and strainers; and maple equipment and products. In addition, it operates, maintains, and repairs water and wastewater treatment systems, distribution equipment, and associated assets. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Quebec City, Canada. Receive News & Ratings for Severn Trent Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Severn Trent and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL Free Report) Zacks Research boosted their FY2023 earnings estimates for shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report issued on Wednesday, July 26th. Zacks Research analyst M. Basu now expects that the transportation company will post earnings per share of $6.37 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $6.00. The consensus estimate for Delta Air Lines current full-year earnings is $6.67 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Delta Air Lines Q2 2025 earnings at $2.25 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $7.54 EPS. Get Delta Air Lines alerts: Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 13th. The transportation company reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $15.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.44 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.36% and a return on equity of 59.56%. Delta Air Liness revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.44 EPS. Delta Air Lines Stock Down 0.1 % A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $45.00 to $54.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $50.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 11th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, July 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $51.00 to $54.00 in a report on Friday, July 14th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $56.88. NYSE:DAL opened at $45.71 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $29.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.46. Delta Air Lines has a fifty-two week low of $27.20 and a fifty-two week high of $49.81. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.56. Delta Air Lines Cuts Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 7th. Investors of record on Monday, July 17th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 14th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. Delta Air Liness dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.62%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 7,513 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.90, for a total value of $277,229.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 107,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,977,155.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 7,513 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.90, for a total value of $277,229.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 107,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,977,155.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael P. Huerta sold 3,350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.43, for a total value of $162,240.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 27,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,330,129.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.89% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 15,283 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $534,000 after purchasing an additional 901 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 9,575 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Nwam LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at $229,000. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at $216,000. 68.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Delta Air Lines (Get Free Report) Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Seoul-Incheon. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Delta Air Lines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Delta Air Lines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Eloro Resources Ltd. (CVE:ELO Get Free Report)s stock price traded up 5.4% on Friday . The company traded as high as C$3.55 and last traded at C$3.50. 144,360 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 36% from the average session volume of 106,080 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$3.32. Eloro Resources Price Performance The stock has a fifty day moving average of C$3.50 and a 200-day moving average of C$3.44. The firm has a market capitalization of C$260.58 million, a P/E ratio of -18.42 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 3.75, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. About Eloro Resources (Get Free Report) Eloro Resources Ltd. engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties. It explores for gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, tin, bismuth, indium, and other base metal properties. The company holds 99% interest in the Iska Iska project, a polymetallic property consisting of one mineral concession covering an area of approximately 900 hectares located in Potosi Department, southern Bolivia; and 82% interest in the La Victoria Gold/Silver project that consists of 16 concessions covering an area of 8,933 hectares located in the North-Central Mineral Belt of Peru. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Eloro Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eloro Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of First Horizon Co. (NYSE:FHN Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of Moderate Buy by the eight analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $15.42. Several research firms recently issued reports on FHN. StockNews.com lowered First Horizon from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on First Horizon in a research note on Wednesday, June 28th. They set a neutral rating on the stock. TheStreet lowered First Horizon from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on First Horizon from $13.00 to $13.50 in a research note on Thursday, June 29th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on First Horizon from $14.00 to $13.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 8th. Get First Horizon alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other First Horizon news, Director Colin V. Reed acquired 25,138 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $9.96 per share, for a total transaction of $250,374.48. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 187,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,788.92. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other First Horizon news, Director Colin V. Reed acquired 25,138 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $9.96 per share, for a total transaction of $250,374.48. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 187,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,788.92. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director William H. Fenstermaker acquired 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $11.62 per share, for a total transaction of $116,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 256,312 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,978,345.44. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 42,036 shares of company stock worth $436,725 in the last quarter. 1.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows First Horizon Stock Up 2.5 % A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FHN. Soros Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in First Horizon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,132,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in First Horizon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $133,345,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in First Horizon by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,368,182 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $418,736,000 after buying an additional 3,173,357 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in First Horizon by 1,877.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,889,299 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $51,372,000 after buying an additional 2,743,189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec acquired a new stake in First Horizon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,982,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.79% of the companys stock. Shares of NYSE:FHN opened at $13.79 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The business has a fifty day moving average of $11.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.93. The stock has a market cap of $7.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.29, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.91. First Horizon has a 52-week low of $8.99 and a 52-week high of $24.92. First Horizon (NYSE:FHN Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.01. First Horizon had a return on equity of 13.44% and a net margin of 24.64%. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $820.19 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.34 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that First Horizon will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current year. First Horizon Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.35%. First Horizons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.75%. About First Horizon (Get Free Report First Horizon Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Horizon Bank that provides various financial services. The company operates through three segments: Regional Banking, Specialty Banking, and Corporate. It offers general banking services for consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments. See Also Receive News & Ratings for First Horizon Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First Horizon and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Raymond James Trust N.A. trimmed its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX Free Report) by 3.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,418 shares of the natural resource companys stock after selling 1,417 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A.s holdings in Freeport-McMoRan were worth $1,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Jump Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 1,412.8% in the first quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 118,214 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $4,836,000 after purchasing an additional 110,400 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 14.5% in the first quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 73,820 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $2,338,000 after purchasing an additional 9,329 shares during the period. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 47.2% during the first quarter. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,936 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $566,000. Finally, Summit Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 22.8% in the first quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 8,135 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 1,508 shares during the last quarter. 79.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Freeport-McMoRan alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Thursday, June 29th. They issued a market perform rating and a $41.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $49.00 to $48.00 in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an equal weight rating and issued a $38.50 price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a research report on Friday, July 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $39.29. Freeport-McMoRan Stock Up 0.8 % Freeport-McMoRan stock opened at $43.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $62.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.08 and a beta of 2.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.94. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.03 and a fifty-two week high of $46.73. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.01. Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 20th. The natural resource company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $5.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.61 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 9.45%. Freeport-McMoRans revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.58 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current year. Freeport-McMoRan Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Freeport-McMoRans dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.69%. Insider Transactions at Freeport-McMoRan In related news, Director Sara Grootwassink Lewis acquired 4,000 shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $34.90 per share, with a total value of $139,600.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 17,800 shares in the company, valued at $621,220. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.78% of the companys stock. Freeport-McMoRan Company Profile (Free Report) Freeport-McMoRan Inc engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. It primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals, as well as oil and gas. The company's assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Tyrone and Chino in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Freeport-McMoRan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Freeport-McMoRan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG Get Free Report) and Baloise (OTCMKTS:BLHEY Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, profitability and risk. Dividends The Hartford Financial Services Group pays an annual dividend of $1.70 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Baloise pays an annual dividend of $0.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. The Hartford Financial Services Group pays out 29.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Baloise pays out 24.6% 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. The Hartford Financial Services Group has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years. The Hartford Financial Services Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth. Get The Hartford Financial Services Group alerts: Earnings and Valuation This table compares The Hartford Financial Services Group and Baloises top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio The Hartford Financial Services Group $22.36 billion 1.00 $1.82 billion $5.81 12.43 Baloise N/A N/A N/A $1.14 13.53 Analyst Ratings The Hartford Financial Services Group has higher revenue and earnings than Baloise. The Hartford Financial Services Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Baloise, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for The Hartford Financial Services Group and Baloise, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score The Hartford Financial Services Group 0 5 7 0 2.58 Baloise 0 0 1 0 3.00 The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has a consensus price target of $85.46, suggesting a potential upside of 18.30%. Baloise has a consensus price target of $155.00, suggesting a potential upside of 909.11%. Given Baloises stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Baloise is more favorable than The Hartford Financial Services Group. Insider and Institutional Ownership 90.2% of The Hartford Financial Services Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of The Hartford Financial Services Group shares 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. Profitability This table compares The Hartford Financial Services Group and Baloises net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets The Hartford Financial Services Group 8.33% 18.45% 3.41% Baloise N/A N/A N/A Summary The Hartford Financial Services Group beats Baloise on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks. About The Hartford Financial Services Group (Get Free Report) The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. provides insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its Commercial Lines segment offers insurance coverages, including workers' compensation, property, automobile, general and professional liability, package business, umbrella, fidelity and surety, marine, livestock, and reinsurance through regional offices, branches, sales and policyholder service centers, independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents, and reinsurance brokers. The company's Personal Lines segment provides automobile, homeowners, and personal umbrella coverages through direct-to-consumer channel and independent agents. Its Property & Casualty Other Operations segment offers coverage for asbestos and environmental exposures. The company's Group Benefits segment provides group life, disability, and other group coverages to members of employer groups, associations, and affinity groups through direct insurance policies; reinsurance to other insurance companies; employer paid and voluntary product coverages; disability underwriting, administration, and claims processing to self-funded employer plans; and a single-company leave management solution. This segment distributes its group insurance products and services through brokers, consultants, third-party administrators, trade associations, and private exchanges. Its Hartford Funds segment offers managed mutual funds across various asset classes; and exchange-traded products through broker-dealer organizations, independent financial advisers, defined contribution plans, financial consultants, bank trust groups, and registered investment advisers, as well as investment management, distribution, and administrative services, such as product design, implementation, and oversight. The company was founded in 1810 and is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. About Baloise (Get Free Report) Baloise Holding AG, together with its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the insurance and banking businesses in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg. It operates through Non-Life, Life, Asset Management & Banking, and Other Activities segments. The company offers various non-life insurance products, including accident, health, general liability, motor, fire and other property, marine, credit protection, and legal expenses insurance. It also provides life insurance products, which include endowment policies, such as conventional and unit-linked life insurance; group life insurance products; term insurance; immediate and deferred annuities; and policy riders, including premium waiver, accidental death, and disability. In addition, the company engages in the banking activities in Switzerland; and offers asset management services. Further, it has interests in equity investment companies, real-estate firms, and financing companies. The company sells its products and services to individuals, small and medium sized enterprises, and industrial clients. Baloise Holding AG was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.Baloise Holding AG operates as a subsidiary of Baloise Group Receive News & Ratings for The Hartford Financial Services Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Hartford Financial Services Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hikma Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:HKMPY Get Free Report) is one of 221 publicly-traded companies in the Drug ManufacturersSpecialty & Generic industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Hikma Pharmaceuticals to similar companies based on the strength of its risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, valuation, profitability and institutional ownership. Dividends Hikma Pharmaceuticals pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Hikma Pharmaceuticals pays out 10.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Drug ManufacturersSpecialty & Generic companies pay a dividend yield of 3.2% and pay out 54.7% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Get Hikma Pharmaceuticals alerts: Profitability This table compares Hikma Pharmaceuticals and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Hikma Pharmaceuticals N/A N/A N/A Hikma Pharmaceuticals Competitors -58.43% -390.94% -10.15% Analyst Ratings Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Hikma Pharmaceuticals 0 0 0 0 N/A Hikma Pharmaceuticals Competitors 209 845 1767 36 2.57 This is a summary of recent ratings for Hikma Pharmaceuticals and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat. As a group, Drug ManufacturersSpecialty & Generic companies have a potential upside of 21.24%. Given Hikma Pharmaceuticals rivals higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Hikma Pharmaceuticals has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. Insider & Institutional Ownership 22.8% of shares of all Drug ManufacturersSpecialty & Generic companies are owned by institutional investors. 26.7% of shares of all Drug ManufacturersSpecialty & Generic companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Earnings and Valuation This table compares Hikma Pharmaceuticals and its rivals gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Hikma Pharmaceuticals N/A N/A 17.36 Hikma Pharmaceuticals Competitors $833.52 million $13.37 million 213.74 Hikma Pharmaceuticals rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Hikma Pharmaceuticals. Hikma Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Summary Hikma Pharmaceuticals rivals beat Hikma Pharmaceuticals on 6 of the 10 factors compared. Hikma Pharmaceuticals Company Profile (Get Free Report) Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC develops, manufactures, markets, and sells a range of generic, branded, and in-licensed pharmaceutical products. The company offers its products in solid, semi-solid, liquid, and injectable final dosage forms in North America, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. It operates through three segments: Injectables, Generics, and Branded. The Injectables segment provides generic injectable products primarily for use in hospitals. The Generics segment offers oral and other non-injectable generic products for the retail market. The Branded segment offers branded generics and in-licensed products to retail and hospital markets. The company provides its products in various therapeutic areas, including respiratory, oncology, and pain management. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Receive News & Ratings for Hikma Pharmaceuticals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hikma Pharmaceuticals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Invesco Income Growth Trust Plc (LON:IVI Get Free Report) passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 278 ($3.56) and traded as low as GBX 270 ($3.46). Invesco Income Growth Trust shares last traded at GBX 278 ($3.56), with a volume of 47,441 shares. Invesco Income Growth Trust Stock Up 1.5 % The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.32, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market capitalization of 162.22 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.42. The firms fifty day simple moving average is GBX 278 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 278. About Invesco Income Growth Trust (Get Free Report) Invesco Income Growth Trust plc is a close-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Invesco Fund Managers Limited. It is co-managed by INVESCO Asset Management Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United Kingdom. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Income Growth Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco Income Growth Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kodiak Gas Services (NYSE:KGS Get Free Report) and Antero Midstream (NYSE:AM Get Free Report) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends and institutional ownership. Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of current recommendations for Kodiak Gas Services and Antero Midstream, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Get Kodiak Gas Services alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Kodiak Gas Services 0 1 6 0 2.86 Antero Midstream 3 1 1 0 1.60 Kodiak Gas Services currently has a consensus price target of $22.86, suggesting a potential upside of 20.49%. Antero Midstream has a consensus price target of $12.25, suggesting a potential upside of 3.38%. Given Kodiak Gas Services stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Kodiak Gas Services is more favorable than Antero Midstream. Profitability Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Kodiak Gas Services N/A N/A N/A Antero Midstream 34.36% 18.13% 6.92% Institutional & Insider Ownership This table compares Kodiak Gas Services and Antero Midstreams net margins, return on equity and return on assets. 51.0% of Antero Midstream shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Antero Midstream shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Valuation & Earnings This table compares Kodiak Gas Services and Antero Midstreams top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Kodiak Gas Services $729.68 million 1.95 N/A N/A N/A Antero Midstream $919.98 million 6.18 $326.24 million $0.70 16.93 Antero Midstream has higher revenue and earnings than Kodiak Gas Services. Summary Antero Midstream beats Kodiak Gas Services on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks. About Kodiak Gas Services (Get Free Report) Kodiak Gas Services, LLC provides contract compression infrastructure services for the oil and gas industry in the United States. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in Montgomery, Texas. Kodiak Gas Services, LLC is a subsidiary of Kodiak Gas Services, Inc. About Antero Midstream (Get Free Report) Antero Midstream Corporation owns, operates, and develops midstream energy infrastructure in the Appalachian Basin. It operates through Gathering and Processing, and Water Handling segments. The Gathering and Processing segment includes a network of gathering pipelines and compressor stations that collects and processes production from Antero Resources' wells in West Virginia and Ohio. The Water Handling segment delivers fresh water from sources, including the Ohio River, local reservoirs, and various regional waterways; uses water handling systems to transport flowback and produced water; and offers pumping stations, water storage, and blending facilities. The company was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Receive News & Ratings for Kodiak Gas Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kodiak Gas Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $5.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.60, Briefing.com reports. Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 35.87%. The business had revenue of $8.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.32 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.55 EPS. The companys revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Molina Healthcare updated its FY23 guidance to at least $20.75 EPS and its FY 2023 guidance to $20.75- EPS. Molina Healthcare Stock Down 1.9 % Shares of NYSE:MOH opened at $301.46 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $17.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. Molina Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $256.19 and a fifty-two week high of $374.00. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $291.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $289.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Get Molina Healthcare alerts: Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 0.5% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,315 shares of the companys stock worth $1,766,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 4.3% during the third quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 921 shares of the companys stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Toroso Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 5.1% during the third quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the companys stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 3.4% during the first quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,733 shares of the companys stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Molina Healthcare by 85.9% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 132 shares of the companys stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.09% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades About Molina Healthcare Several brokerages recently commented on MOH. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Molina Healthcare from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, June 20th. They set a neutral rating and a $310.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $380.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. They set an overweight rating and a $354.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $348.00 to $341.00 in a research note on Friday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $350.92. (Get Free Report) Molina Healthcare, Inc provides managed healthcare services to low-income families and individuals under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. It operates in four segments, Medicaid, Medicare, Marketplace, and Other. The company served in across 19 states. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Long Beach, California. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Molina Healthcare Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Molina Healthcare and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSE:ONC Get Free Report)s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of C$2.41 and traded as high as C$3.71. Oncolytics Biotech shares last traded at C$3.70, with a volume of 145,058 shares changing hands. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, Jonestrading set a C$9.00 target price on Oncolytics Biotech and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of C$6.75. Get Oncolytics Biotech alerts: Oncolytics Biotech Price Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 13.88 and a quick ratio of 8.86. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$3.15 and a 200-day moving average price of C$2.41. The firm has a market capitalization of C$237.13 million, a PE ratio of -9.74 and a beta of 1.77. About Oncolytics Biotech Oncolytics Biotech ( TSE:ONC Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 5th. The company reported C($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of C($0.10). Sell-side analysts forecast that Oncolytics Biotech Inc. will post -0.41 EPS for the current year. (Get Free Report) Oncolytics Biotech Inc, a development-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery and development of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of cancer. The company is developing pelareorep, an intravenously delivered immunotherapeutic agent, which is in phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive / human epidermal growth factor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer and advanced/metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Oncolytics Biotech Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Oncolytics Biotech and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. bought a new stake in EMCOR Group, Inc. (NYSE:EME Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,309 shares of the construction companys stock, valued at approximately $213,000. A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advisors Preferred LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EMCOR Group by 183.0% in the first quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC now owns 11,642 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $1,915,000 after purchasing an additional 7,528 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of EMCOR Group by 283.3% during the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,451 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $1,049,000 after acquiring an additional 4,768 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EMCOR Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $505,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its position in shares of EMCOR Group by 7.5% during the first quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 8,600 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $1,398,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ausbil Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of EMCOR Group by 32.7% during the first quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd now owns 10,759 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 2,650 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.67% of the companys stock. Get EMCOR Group alerts: EMCOR Group Stock Performance Shares of EME opened at $211.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company has a market capitalization of $10.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.06 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $180.02 and a 200 day moving average of $165.05. EMCOR Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $112.85 and a 12 month high of $212.71. EMCOR Group Announces Dividend EMCOR Group ( NYSE:EME Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The construction company reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.58. EMCOR Group had a return on equity of 24.20% and a net margin of 4.13%. The business had revenue of $3.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.99 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that EMCOR Group, Inc. will post 11 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 20th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 19th. EMCOR Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 7.16%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on EMCOR Group in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating for the company. Insiders Place Their Bets In other EMCOR Group news, CEO Anthony Guzzi sold 11,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.37, for a total value of $2,160,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 224,722 shares of the companys stock, valued at $44,128,659.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Anthony Guzzi sold 11,000 shares of EMCOR Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.37, for a total value of $2,160,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 224,722 shares in the company, valued at $44,128,659.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP R Kevin Matz sold 13,462 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.46, for a total value of $2,227,422.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 191,709 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $31,720,171.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,462 shares of company stock valued at $6,423,718 over the last ninety days. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. EMCOR Group Company Profile (Free Report) EMCOR Group, Inc provides electrical and mechanical construction, and facilities services primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom. It offers design, integration, installation, start-up, operation, and maintenance services related to electrical power transmission, distribution, and generation systems; energy solutions; premises electrical and lighting systems; process instrumentation in the refining, chemical processing, and food processing industries; low-voltage systems, such as fire alarm, security, and process control systems; voice and data communications systems; roadway and transit lighting, signaling, and fiber optic lines; heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and geothermal solutions; clean-room process ventilation systems; fire protection and suppression systems; plumbing, process, and high-purity piping systems; controls and filtration systems; water and wastewater treatment systems; central plant heating and cooling systems; crane and rigging services; millwright services; and steel fabrication, erection, and welding services. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EME? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for EMCOR Group, Inc. (NYSE:EME Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for EMCOR Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EMCOR Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO Free Report) had its target price upped by Raymond James from $70.00 to $76.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the financial services providers stock. BRO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup upgraded Brown & Brown from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $62.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Brown & Brown from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Brown & Brown from $69.00 to $68.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Brown & Brown from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Brown & Brown from $73.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $70.80. Get Brown & Brown alerts: Brown & Brown Trading Up 0.0 % NYSE BRO opened at $70.59 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36 and a beta of 0.77. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $66.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a current ratio of 2.78. Brown & Brown has a 52 week low of $52.82 and a 52 week high of $72.99. Brown & Brown Dividend Announcement Brown & Brown ( NYSE:BRO Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.08. Brown & Brown had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 18.34%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $997.51 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 24.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Brown & Brown will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 16th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 9th will be issued a $0.115 dividend. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 8th. Brown & Browns dividend payout ratio is 17.83%. Insider Buying and Selling at Brown & Brown In other news, Director Bronislaw Edmund Masojada acquired 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $65.78 per share, with a total value of $263,120.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $263,120. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.02% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clear Street Markets LLC grew its holdings in Brown & Brown by 93.7% in the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 461 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brown & Brown during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. PSI Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brown & Brown during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brown & Brown by 1,427.8% during the 2nd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 550 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brown & Brown during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. 69.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Brown & Brown Company Profile (Get Free Report) Brown & Brown, Inc markets and sells insurance products and services in the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Retail, National Programs, Wholesale Brokerage, and Services. The Retail segment provides property and casualty, employee benefits insurance products, personal insurance products, specialties insurance products, risk management strategies, loss control survey and analysis, consultancy, and claims processing services. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Brown & Brown Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Brown & Brown and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sezzle (OTC:SEZNL Get Free Report) and Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF Get Free Report) are both financial services companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, risk and earnings. Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of recent recommendations for Sezzle and Synchrony Financial, as provided by MarketBeat. Get Sezzle alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Sezzle 0 0 1 0 3.00 Synchrony Financial 1 7 6 0 2.36 Synchrony Financial has a consensus target price of $37.00, suggesting a potential upside of 6.97%. Given Synchrony Financials higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Synchrony Financial is more favorable than Sezzle. Institutional and Insider Ownership Valuation & Earnings 92.5% of Synchrony Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Synchrony Financial shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. This table compares Sezzle and Synchrony Financials gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Sezzle N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Synchrony Financial $17.53 billion 0.83 $3.02 billion $5.40 6.41 Synchrony Financial has higher revenue and earnings than Sezzle. Profitability This table compares Sezzle and Synchrony Financials net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Sezzle N/A N/A N/A Synchrony Financial 12.90% 19.79% 2.32% Summary Synchrony Financial beats Sezzle on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks. About Sezzle (Get Free Report) Sezzle Inc. operates as a technology-enabled payments company primarily in the United States and Canada. The company provides payment solution at online stores and various brick-and-mortar retail locations that connects consumers with merchants. Its platform enables customers to make online purchases and split the payment for the purchase in four equal interest free payments over six weeks. Sezzle Inc. was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. About Synchrony Financial (Get Free Report) Synchrony Financial, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a consumer financial services company in the United States. It provides credit products, such as credit cards, commercial credit products, and consumer installment loans. The company also offers private label credit cards, dual cards, co-brand and general purpose credit cards, short- and long-term installment loans, and consumer banking products; and deposit products, including certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, money market accounts, and savings accounts to retail and commercial customers, as well as accepts deposits through third-party securities brokerage firms. In addition, it provides debt cancellation products to its credit card customers through online, mobile, and direct mail; and healthcare payments and financing solutions under the CareCredit, Pets Best, and Walgreens brands; payments and financing solutions in the apparel, specialty retail, outdoor, music, and luxury industries. The company offers its credit products through programs established with a group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations, and healthcare service providers; and deposit products through various channels, such as digital and print. It serves digital, health and wellness, retail, home, auto, powersports, jewelry, pets, and other industries. The company was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. Receive News & Ratings for Sezzle Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sezzle and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM Free Report) by 29.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,344 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 560 shares during the period. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc.s holdings in Unum Group were worth $53,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNM. Ahrens Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 514.7% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 1,543 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 1,292 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $63,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 197.6% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,860 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,235 shares during the period. Finally, New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.94% of the companys stock. Get Unum Group alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $46.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. They set an overweight rating and a $57.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $48.60. Unum Group Stock Up 0.3 % NYSE:UNM opened at $48.84 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.92, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $31.31 and a 1-year high of $49.49. The companys fifty day moving average price is $46.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Unum Group (NYSE:UNM Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 11.78% and a return on equity of 14.67%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 7.5 EPS for the current year. Unum Group Increases Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 28th will be paid a $0.365 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 27th. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. This is a positive change from Unum Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. Unum Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 20.68%. Insider Transactions at Unum Group In related news, COO Michael Q. Simonds sold 18,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.72, for a total transaction of $786,960.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 222,088 shares in the company, valued at $9,709,687.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, COO Michael Q. Simonds sold 18,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.72, for a total transaction of $786,960.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 222,088 shares in the company, valued at $9,709,687.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Puneet Bhasin sold 14,609 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.47, for a total transaction of $678,880.23. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 62,506 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,904,653.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 55,988 shares of company stock worth $2,513,529 over the last 90 days. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Unum Group Profile (Free Report) Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block and Corporate segments. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Unum Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Unum Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Telia Company AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:TLSNF Get Free Report) crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $2.50 and traded as low as $2.30. Telia Company AB (publ) shares last traded at $2.30, with a volume of 4 shares. Telia Company AB (publ) Stock Down 1.9 % The businesss 50 day moving average price is $2.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.50. Telia Company AB (publ) Company Profile (Get Free Report) Telia Company AB (publ) provides communication services to businesses, individuals, families, and communities in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. It offers mobile, broadband, television, and fixed-line services; and networking, cloud and security, mobility, enterprise mobile network, contact center, managed mobility services, collaboration solutions, enterprise telephony, Internet of Things (IoT), carrier ethernet, dedicated internet access, wavelengths, IP Transit, dark fiber, and colocation solutions. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Telia Company AB (publ) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Telia Company AB (publ) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tesco PLC (OTCMKTS:TSCDD Get Free Report)s share price dropped 2.6% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $9.92 and last traded at $9.93. Approximately 48,796 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 264,678 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.19. Tesco Stock Performance The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.59. About Tesco (Get Free Report) Tesco PLC, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a grocery retailer. The company operates through convenience and hypermarket store formats, as well as engages in the wholesale business. It also provides retail banking and insurance services. The company operates in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Tesco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tesco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Gorman-Rupp Company (NYSE:GRC Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, July 28th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be given a dividend of 0.175 per share by the industrial products company on Friday, September 8th. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 14th. Gorman-Rupp has raised its dividend payment by an average of 7.6% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 16 years. Gorman-Rupp has a dividend payout ratio of 45.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Get Gorman-Rupp alerts: Gorman-Rupp Stock Up 10.1 % Shares of NYSE GRC opened at $30.77 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $805.56 million, a P/E ratio of 78.90 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $27.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.40. Gorman-Rupp has a 1 year low of $22.67 and a 1 year high of $30.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Analyst Ratings Changes Gorman-Rupp ( NYSE:GRC Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $160.47 million for the quarter. Gorman-Rupp had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 6.96%. Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Gorman-Rupp in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gorman-Rupp Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Gorman-Rupp during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in shares of Gorman-Rupp by 61.0% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 1,327 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Gorman-Rupp by 209.2% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,824 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,234 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Gorman-Rupp during the first quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in Gorman-Rupp during the first quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Institutional investors own 59.18% of the companys stock. About Gorman-Rupp (Get Free Report) The Gorman-Rupp Company designs, manufactures, and sells pumps and pump systems in the United States and internationally. The company's products include self-priming centrifugal, standard centrifugal, magnetic drive centrifugal, axial and mixed flow, vertical turbine line shaft, submersible, high-pressure booster, rotary gear, diaphragm, bellows, and oscillating pumps. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Gorman-Rupp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gorman-Rupp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tillys, Inc. (NYSE:TLYS Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy by the four research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $9.00. Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on TLYS shares. TheStreet lowered Tillys from a c rating to a d+ rating in a research report on Monday, June 5th. StockNews.com lowered Tillys from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Friday, June 2nd. Get Tilly's alerts: Tillys Price Performance Shares of Tillys stock opened at $8.56 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.79. Tillys has a 12 month low of $6.05 and a 12 month high of $10.35. Insider Buying and Selling at Tillys Tillys ( NYSE:TLYS Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 1st. The specialty retailer reported ($0.40) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.34) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $123.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $124.99 million. Tillys had a negative net margin of 0.41% and a negative return on equity of 1.56%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.03 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Tillys will post -0.75 earnings per share for the current year. In related news, Director Janet Kerr sold 10,211 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.06, for a total transaction of $72,089.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $163,255.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Janet Kerr sold 10,211 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.06, for a total transaction of $72,089.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $163,255.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $7.73 per share, for a total transaction of $38,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 3,439,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,587,257.70. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 423,070 shares of company stock worth $2,932,467 in the last three months. 27.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Tillys by 15.9% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,320 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 1,689 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Tillys by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 79,694 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $551,000 after acquiring an additional 2,238 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Tillys by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 64,619 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $498,000 after acquiring an additional 2,767 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC raised its holdings in shares of Tillys by 34.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 13,285 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 3,388 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Tillys by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 21,750 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 3,416 shares in the last quarter. 86.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Tillys Company Profile (Get Free Report Tilly's, Inc operates as a specialty retailer of casual apparel, footwear, accessories, and hardgoods for young men and women, and boys and girls in the United States. Its apparel merchandise includes tops, outerwear, bottoms, swim, and dresses; and accessories merchandise comprises backpacks, hydration bottles, hats, sunglasses, small electronics and accessories, handbags, watches, jewelry, and others, as well as hardgoods consists of skateboards, longboards, and related equipment for skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Tilly's Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tilly's and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Titan International, Inc. (NYSE:TWI Free Report) by 71.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,199 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 11,379 shares during the period. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc.s holdings in Titan International were worth $285,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of TWI. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Titan International by 5,040.0% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,799 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 1,764 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Titan International by 65.2% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,516 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Titan International in the 1st quarter worth $71,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank bought a new position in Titan International in the 2nd quarter worth $92,000. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in Titan International in the 1st quarter worth $105,000. 80.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Titan International alerts: Titan International Price Performance Shares of Titan International stock opened at $12.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 2.07. The stocks fifty day moving average is $11.38 and its 200 day moving average is $12.24. The stock has a market cap of $768.92 million, a P/E ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 2.18. Titan International, Inc. has a one year low of $9.23 and a one year high of $17.29. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Titan International ( NYSE:TWI Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $548.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $559.52 million. Titan International had a return on equity of 40.65% and a net margin of 8.52%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Titan International, Inc. will post 1.78 earnings per share for the current year. Separately, StockNews.com raised Titan International from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, June 21st. Titan International Company Profile (Free Report) Titan International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells wheels, tires, and undercarriage systems and components for off-highway vehicles in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States region, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, and internationally. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Titan International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Titan International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tilt Investment Management Holdings PBC increased its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR Free Report) by 4.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,514 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Tilt Investment Management Holdings PBCs holdings in Ventas were worth $280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VTR. Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 8,274 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 25,800 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,162,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 13,395 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $827,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Ventas by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 33,043 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,432,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Ventas by 2.3% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 10,355 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $449,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. 92.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Ventas alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages have commented on VTR. Credit Suisse Group lowered their target price on Ventas from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an equal weight rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday, July 20th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Ventas from $57.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ventas from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Ventas in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. They set an overweight rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four 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 an average target price of $53.00. Ventas Stock Performance Ventas Dividend Announcement NYSE VTR opened at $48.13 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -267.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.20. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $35.33 and a 1-year high of $54.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $46.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.98. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 13th. Investors of record on Monday, July 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 30th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. Ventass payout ratio is -999.94%. Insider Activity at Ventas In related news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,242 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Friday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.57, for a total transaction of $52,871.94. Following the transaction, the director now owns 24,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,044,156.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the companys stock. About Ventas (Free Report) Ventas Inc, an S&P 500 company, operates at the intersection of two large and dynamic industries healthcare and real estate. Fueled by powerful demographic demand from growth in the aging population, Ventas owns a diversified portfolio of over 1,200 properties in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Ventas Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ventas and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Meitei people participate in a rally organised by Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) amid ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, in Imphal, Saturday, July 29, 2023. (PTI Photo) Imphal: A massive rally was taken out here on Saturday to protest against the demand for a 'separate administration' for areas inhabited by the Kuki community. Tens of thousands of demonstrators from across five valley districts of the state participated in the rally, demanding the territorial integrity of the northeastern state where race riots began in early May. The protest march, organised by Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), began at Thangmeiband in Imphal West district and culminated at Hapta Kangjeibunand in Imphal East, covering a distance of 5 km. Holding aloft placards, demonstrators raised slogans against those who demanded separate administration, and against "illegal immigrants from Myanmar". The demonstration was held on a day when a delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition alliance INDIA arrived here to assess the ground situation. Notably, ten MLAs from the Kuki community in Manipur had, in May, demanded a separate administration, stating that the administration had miserably failed to protect the Chin-Kuki-Zomi tribals. Kukis, who have demanded a separate administration, have however not made clear the definition of a separate administration as also the areas for which they are claiming such a dispensation. The committee that organised the rally was also against the ongoing talks, reportedly being held in Delhi, between a home ministry team and former Kuki militants. Sarat, a protester who came from the Bishnupur district, said, "After almost three months of arson, killings and torching of our houses, how can we give up our land." K Gandhi from the Uripok area, who participated in the rally, said, "We want the army to take action against militants." The demonstrators held a meeting at Hapta Kangjeibunand and demanded the implementation of the National Register of Citizens and convening of a special Assembly session before August 5 to discuss ethnic violence in the state. More than 160 people lost their lives and many were injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached Imphal to assess the ground situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. (PTI) Imphal: A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached here on Saturday to assess the ground situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. The team of opposition MPs will visit several relief camps to meet victims of the ethnic clashes that broke in the northeastern state on May 3. The MPs reached Imphal by a commercial flight from Delhi. After their arrival here, the delegation will go to Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place, to meet victims from the Kuki community in the relief camps there. "From Imphal, they will go by a chopper to Churachandpur due to security issues. As only one helicopter is available, the members of the delegation would be divided into two teams, and the chopper will make two trips to ferry them," a security official told PTI. One team, comprising Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and others, would reach Churachandpur first and visit a relief camp set up at the Boys' Hostel of Churachandpur College. Another team, comprising Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and others, would go there and visit a relief camp at Don Bosco School in Churachandpur, a source in the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee said. "After returning to Imphal, the team led by Chowdhury will go to another relief camp at Moirang College in Bishnupur district by road to meet victims from the Meitei community," he said. The other team of opposition MPs will go to the Ideal Girl's College relief camp at Akampat in Imphal East district and will visit another camp at Lamboikhongangkhong in Imphal West district. "On Sunday morning, the delegation will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest," the MPCC official said. The team is scheduled to return to the national capital on Sunday afternoon. Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes since early May between the majority Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills. Over 160 people have been killed in the violence so far. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (PTI) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised regional parties for using language as a tool for politics and promoting hatred. Speaking at the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam on the third anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) launch, Modi stated, " Bhasha ki rajneeti karke nafrat ki dukaan chalane walon ki dukan band ho jayegi Shutters will come down on all those who have opened up shops of hatred on the basis of politics over language. NEP will give due respect and credit to every language in the country." He stressed that it is unjust to judge young people based on their language rather than their talent. He acknowledged the significance of different languages in the world and their contribution to the development of many countries. He cited his own use of Hindi at international forums like the United Nations, where translation may cause slight delays in applause, but it doesn't diminish the importance of language. "There are different languages in the world and all have their own importance... Most of the developed countries have progressed on the basis of their native language... Despite having so many native languages, we presented them as backward...," the PM said. Modi highlighted India's position as a hub of new possibilities, with several countries expressing interest in establishing IIT campuses and global universities showing enthusiasm for setting up their campuses in India. "The world is looking at India as a nursery of new possibilities. Many countries are approaching us to open IIT campuses there. Two IIT campuses -- one in Tanzania and one in Abu Dhabi -- are already about to start operations... Various global universities are also reaching out to us, expressing their interest in setting up campuses in India," Modi said. He also released education and skill curriculum books translated into 12 Indian languages and initiated the first installment of funds under the PM SHRI Scheme for schools. The NEP was designed to provide equal importance to traditional knowledge and futuristic technologies. It introduces a new 5+3+3+4 system of education, starting at the age of 3, to bring uniformity throughout the country. The Prime Minister announced the approval of the National Research Foundation Bill in the Parliament and the impending release of the National Curriculum Framework under the NEP. He mentioned the efforts of stakeholders in education for developing new curricula, regional language books, and strengthening the research ecosystem. The two-day Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam offers a platform for various stakeholders, including academics, policymakers, industry representatives, teachers, and students, to share insights and best practices for implementing and advancing the NEP 2020. The Opposition delegation that will visit Manipur on Saturday (PTI) New Delhi: A delegation of 21 INDIA bloc MPs will pay a two-day visit to Manipur beginning Saturday to assess the ground situation first-hand and then make recommendations to the government and Parliament for a solution to the problems in the violence-hit state. Ahead of the visit, Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi called for an inquiry under a retired Supreme Court judge into the violence in Manipur. Addressing a press conference here, Congress MP and whip in Rajya Sabha Naseer Hussain said the MPs from 16 parties would visit the affected areas and people both in the valley and the hills. They would also visit two relief camps in both the places and assess the situation themselves. Sources said the opposition bloc had written to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who allowed the delegation to visit the state. The delegation would be meeting Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Sunday morning, Hussain said. The Congress leader said the MPs have sought to use helicopters there and if allowed, they will be able to visit the far-flung areas of Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place. "We have got permissions from the state government to visit the affected areas as also the relief camps. We have also got permission to meet the governor, who has allowed time to the delegation on Sunday," Hussain told reporters. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA have neither the will nor the ability to resolve the Manipur violence," he said, adding that ever since the Monsoon session of Parliament started, the opposition has been continuously demanding a discussion on Manipur. "PM Modi should come to Parliament and give a statement and prepare a roadmap for peace in Manipur," he asserted. The delegation will include Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress, TMC's Sushmita Dev, JMM's Mahua Maji, DMK's Kanimozhi, NCP's Mohammad Faizal, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP and T Thirumavalavan of the VCK. JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JD-U), CPI's Sandosh Kumar, CPI(M)'s A A Rahim, Samajwadi Party's Javed Ali Khan, IUML's E T Mohammed Basheer, AAP's Sushil Gupta, Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena-Uddhav Thackeray), D Ravikumar (DMK), Phulo Devi Netam and K Suresh (Congress) will also be part of the 20-member delegation which will leave on Saturday morning and return on Sunday afternoon. Gogoi said, "The BJP wants to give the picture that everything is fine in Manipur but it is not so with violence continuing. That is why we want that an inquiry should be conducted under a retired Supreme Court judge as to how did the state government fail, how did people got access to weapons in this quantity, what was the administration doing." "The chief minister (N Biren Singh) himself admits that there are more than 100 FIRs. Why was the administration sleeping for two months. There should be an inquiry under a retired Supreme Court judge and all INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) MPs will go to Manipur and find out the truth and will put forward that truth before Parliament," he told PTI outside Parliament. Trinamool Congress' Dev said the opposition delegation wants to give the message that "we are with the people of Manipur". "We are concerned, we want peace to return...the government has failed, so we want to go there and see what solution can be found," she said. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader T R Baalu said the opposition The delegation will be leaving for Manipur Saturday morning and will find out what went wrong, the extent of damage and loss of lives and property. Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader Premchandran said the intent of the visit is to have a first-hand information about the happenings in the state. "The violence is still going on so we would like to have first-hand information and suggest some solutions and recommendations to the government and Parliament before the discussion comes there," he said. "We would like to visit the relief camps regarding rehabilitation of the victims. What is the real cause of the violence, we want to find out," he said. Congress leader Naseer Hussain alleged that massacres, violence and rapes are happening in Manipur for the last 86 days. On Friday too, he said, 47 MPs have given notice under rule 267 demanding a discussion, but the discussion is not happening in either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. "Instead of talking on Manipur, PM Modi is giving advice to the chief ministers of other states. Our demand is that the prime minister should come to the House and discuss Manipur," he said. Hussain alleged that weapons looted from government armouries are being found in houses in Manipur and added this is a matter of national security. The opposition bloc had been demanding that a delegation of their leaders be allowed to visit the state but till now they had been denied permission in view of the situation there. The opposition has been demanding a statement from the prime minister in Parliament on the situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur followed by a full-fledged discussion on it. The northeastern state of Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence since May 3, in which more than 160 people have lost their lives. A top police official emphasised that citizens should clear their challans without waiting for reminders from the police. (DC File Photo) HYDERABAD: The traffic police has begun insisting on immediate challan payments. A techie from Kukatpally, who was caught at PVNR Marg (Necklace Road), stated, "Police checked my vehicle number and forced me to cough up the pending challan amount of Rs 450. He warned me that he would seize my vehicle if I did not pay." A woman motorist said she had an appointment with a doctor when the traffic police stopped her. "It was pouring heavily and we requested them to consider the circumstances and let me proceed. But they insisted on an immediate payment, making me wait in the rain." Satya, a private employee from Yousufguda, said, "During heavy rainfall, roads are inundated with water leading to traffic jams and unsafe driving conditions. The police take advantage of the situation and click pictures and issue wrong parking and wrong side driving challans. Enforcing traffic rules is essential at this point in time to curb heavy traffic but threatening to issue challans or seize vehicles is not fair. This feels like they are just looking to extract money." Radhika from Khairatabad narrating a similar experience said, "While I was rushing to my office, a constable stopped my vehicle for a challan check. Within seconds, he asked me to pay a pending amount of Rs 150. Despite explaining that I was already running late for work, he forced me to pay immediately. He threatened to seize my vehicle." Civil rights activist Vinay Vangala urged the Hyderabad traffic police to adopt a more humane approach during the monsoon season. "The traffic police are behaving as if we are deliberately avoiding paying challans. It is a similar situation in all three commissionerates. While they might have monthly targets to achieve, it is crucial for them to consider the weather conditions. Their primary responsibility is to issue fines for violations and regulate traffic to prevent jams and to create nuisance. Moreover, there are court orders in place to ensure that commuters are not unnecessarily disturbed to clear immediate challans." A top police official emphasised that citizens should clear their challans without waiting for reminders from the police. There are no specific locations and no daily targets for collecting challans, he clarified. Source: Twitter Haridwar: Prime Minister of the Balochistan government-in-exile Naela Quadri has sought the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the United Nations (UN) for its freedom from Pakistan's illegal occupation. "Prime minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government have an opportunity today to rise in support of Balochistan at the UN, which they may not have tomorrow," Quadri told reporters on Friday, after performing a puja at the VIP ghat of the Ganga here in Uttarakhand, praying for Balochistan's freedom. "Balochistan, which was once an independent country, is under the illegal occupation of Pakistan, which is looting its mineral resources and subjecting its people to all sorts of atrocities. Baloch girls are being raped, houses and orchards are being set on fire," she said. "NTPC Group generated 103.98 billion units in Q1 FY24 as compared to 104.42 billion units in Q1 FY23. NTPCs standalone gross generation in Q1 FY24 is 88.55 billion units as compared to 90.49 billion units in the corresponding previous period," it said. Following the two-day talks that end on Saturday, Defence Minister Richard Marles and Austin are set to travel to north Queensland where Australian and US military are taking part in the 'Talisman Sabre' war games, along with 11 other nations. I did not and will not watch the film Bawaal but from what Ive read, there was a poor choice of terminology and symbolism. Trivialization of the Holocaust should disturb all. I urge those who dont know enough about the horrors of the #Holocaust to educate themselves about it. Blinken confirmed that Assange's case had been raised in the bilateral talks, saying he understood the views of Australians on the sensitive issue. "Mr Assange was charged with very serious criminal conduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country," Blinken told the press conference. "It was also found that Nathuni Mukhiya, the identifier of the father and his wife, is a fictitious person and no such person ever functioned as Mukhiya of the said village and it has also established that release order...dated November 10, 2015, was not signed by Mansi Samadar, the then chairperson, and Renu Kumari Singh, the then member, CWC (Child Welfare Committee) Sitamarhi. The said order was found to be fake and forged," the CBI has alleged. 'Help me see bodies of my son, husband': Mother of woman paraded naked in Manipur to Opposition MPs A delegation of 21 MPs from the Opposition bloc is on a two-day visit to the state, meeting people affected by the violence. Stalin sought to know whether Shah will muster the courage to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi why he has given berths to people who have been convicted by courts in his Cabinet. Everyone knows that the BJP uses investigating agencies as washing machines. The country knows the BJPs trick of threatening its political enemies through agencies and converting them into clean politicians once they join the party, the DMK chief alleged. "I have said earlier too that we made a mistake last time and were overconfident. This time we are not overconfident. I am saying with guarantee that we will win more than 160 seats (in the 2023 polls)," he told reporters while detailing the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government's achievements in power generation, infrastructure and other sectors. At around 10.45 pm, when the fleet reached near metro station Sector 76, the driver of a black-coloured Mahindra Scorpio UP 16 DM 3155 obstructed the VIP fleet while driving rashly and negligently. The escort police team signalled the SUV to stay away from the fleet. However, a little later the SUV hit a traffic police vehicle in the fleet, the police said. This new module has links with the same foreign-based handlers who had targeted Shiv Sena (Samajwadi) leader Rajeev Mahajan in Batala on June 24. They were controlling this separate module through these operatives to carry out different targeted killings in the state, he said. "The ship swiftly arrived datum and assessed the damage. All 8 crew of distressed IFB were recovered and after relentless efforts by ship staff of ICGS Arnvesh the flooding onboard fishing boat was controlled and the boat was made operational," it said. North American Construction Group (TSE:NOA Get Free Report) (NYSE:NOA) had its price target boosted by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets to C$34.00 in a report issued on Thursday, FlyOnTheWall reports. BMO Capital Markets price objective suggests a potential upside of 4.23% from the stocks current price. Several other research analysts have also weighed in on NOA. CIBC increased their target price on North American Construction Group from C$23.50 to C$27.50 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. National Bank Financial increased their target price on North American Construction Group to C$33.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Raymond James increased their target price on North American Construction Group from C$26.00 to C$30.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, April 28th. TD Securities raised North American Construction Group from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from C$27.00 to C$36.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, National Bankshares increased their target price on North American Construction Group from C$27.00 to C$33.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$35.61. Get North American Construction Group alerts: North American Construction Group Trading Down 0.9 % Shares of North American Construction Group stock opened at C$32.62 on Thursday. North American Construction Group has a fifty-two week low of C$12.65 and a fifty-two week high of C$34.30. The firm has a market cap of C$861.49 million, a PE ratio of 13.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.56. The businesss fifty day moving average is C$25.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$23.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 125.83. About North American Construction Group North American Construction Group ( TSE:NOA Get Free Report ) (NYSE:NOA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The company reported C$0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of C$0.80 by C$0.16. The company had revenue of C$242.61 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$224.07 million. North American Construction Group had a return on equity of 24.56% and a net margin of 9.06%. Analysts anticipate that North American Construction Group will post 3.403 earnings per share for the current year. (Get Free Report) North American Construction Group Ltd. provides equipment maintenance, and mining and heavy construction services in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Its Heavy Construction & Mining division offers constructability reviews, budgetary cost estimates, design-build construction, project management, contract mining, pre-stripping/pit pioneering, overburden removal and stockpile, muskeg removal and stockpile, site preparation, air strip construction, site dewatering/perimeter ditching, tailings and process pipelines, haulage and access road construction, tailings dam construction and densification, mechanically stabilized earth walls, dyke construction, and reclamation services; and Equipment Maintenance services. Read More Receive News & Ratings for North American Construction Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for North American Construction Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG Free Report) by 18.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,100 shares of the industrial products companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.s holdings in Graco were worth $737,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GGG. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its holdings in Graco by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 6,270 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Graco by 18.1% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 86,910 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $6,176,000 after buying an additional 13,302 shares during the period. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its stake in shares of Graco by 8.3% in the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 96,025 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $6,879,000 after buying an additional 7,396 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in shares of Graco by 8.2% in the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,834 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Graco by 74.3% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 9,636 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $684,000 after buying an additional 4,108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.47% of the companys stock. Get Graco alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other Graco news, Director J Kevin Gilligan sold 16,320 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.88, for a total value of $1,303,641.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,462 shares in the company, valued at $1,394,864.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director J Kevin Gilligan sold 16,320 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.88, for a total value of $1,303,641.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,462 shares in the company, valued at $1,394,864.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Claudio Merengo sold 21,793 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.32, for a total value of $1,750,413.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,468,731.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 67,358 shares of company stock worth $5,367,802. Corporate insiders own 2.98% of the companys stock. Graco Stock Down 1.4 % Shares of Graco stock opened at $79.09 on Friday. Graco Inc. has a one year low of $58.17 and a one year high of $87.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.38 and a quick ratio of 2.07. The stocks 50-day moving average is $83.21 and its 200 day moving average is $75.45. The firm has a market cap of $13.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.90, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.82. Graco (NYSE:GGG Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $559.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $576.14 million. Graco had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 23.10%. The firms revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.68 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Graco Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year. Graco Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 17th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 14th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. Gracos payout ratio is currently 31.97%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GGG shares. William Blair reissued a market perform rating on shares of Graco in a research note on Monday, June 5th. DA Davidson increased their price target on Graco from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Graco from $75.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. StockNews.com lowered Graco from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Graco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Three 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 stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $83.00. About Graco (Free Report) Graco Inc designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide. The company's Industrial segment offers proportioning systems to spray polyurethane foam and polyurea coatings; equipment that pumps, meters, mixes and dispenses sealant, adhesive, and composite materials; and gel-coat equipment, chop and wet-out systems, resin transfer molding systems and applicators, and precision dispensing solutions. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Graco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Graco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO Free Report) by 8.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,726 shares of the medical research companys stock after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.s holdings in Bio-Rad Laboratories were worth $827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BIO. Heritage Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Bio-Rad Laboratories by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC now owns 66 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. WASHINGTON TRUST Co raised its holdings in Bio-Rad Laboratories by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 78 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. CI Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Bio-Rad Laboratories by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 84 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Bio-Rad Laboratories in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, AIA Group Ltd raised its holdings in Bio-Rad Laboratories by 203.1% in the 4th quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 97 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. 64.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Bio-Rad Laboratories alerts: Bio-Rad Laboratories Stock Down 1.3 % Shares of NYSE:BIO opened at $416.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 5.56 and a quick ratio of 4.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.34 billion, a PE ratio of -63.70 and a beta of 0.89. The firms 50-day moving average is $381.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $432.26. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. has a 1 year low of $344.63 and a 1 year high of $572.70. Analysts Set New Price Targets Bio-Rad Laboratories ( NYSE:BIO Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The medical research company reported $3.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.24 by $0.10. Bio-Rad Laboratories had a negative net margin of 7.01% and a positive return on equity of 4.10%. The company had revenue of $676.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $689.28 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.94 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. will post 13.81 EPS for the current year. BIO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories in a report on Friday, June 16th. They issued an overweight rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Bio-Rad Laboratories currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $603.00. Insider Buying and Selling In other Bio-Rad Laboratories news, CAO Ajit Ramalingam sold 198 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.30, for a total value of $72,923.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Bio-Rad Laboratories news, CAO Ajit Ramalingam sold 198 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.30, for a total value of $72,923.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael Crowley sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.39, for a total transaction of $189,695.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,040 shares in the company, valued at $2,291,515.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 17.06% of the stock is owned by insiders. Bio-Rad Laboratories Profile (Free Report) Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc manufactures, and distributes life science research and clinical diagnostic products in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company operates through Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics segments. The Life Science segment develops, manufactures, and markets reagents, apparatus, and laboratory instruments that are used in research techniques, biopharmaceutical production processes, and food testing regimes. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Bio-Rad Laboratories Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bio-Rad Laboratories and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Amalgamated Bank decreased its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS Free Report) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 58,758 shares of the construction companys stock after selling 446 shares during the quarter. Amalgamated Banks holdings in Masco were worth $2,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 47,616 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $2,222,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in Masco by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 14,600 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $681,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in Masco by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,369 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Masco by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 4,703 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Masco by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,547 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.60% of the companys stock. Get Masco alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have issued reports on MAS shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Masco from $59.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $60.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, July 13th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Masco from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $56.00 to $57.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $62.85. Insider Activity at Masco Masco Stock Down 1.2 % In other Masco news, CFO John G. Sznewajs sold 20,361 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $1,099,494.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 187,784 shares in the company, valued at $10,140,336. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink . In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 188,040 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.77, for a total transaction of $11,239,150.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 200,305 shares in the company, valued at $11,972,229.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website . Also, CFO John G. Sznewajs sold 20,361 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $1,099,494.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 187,784 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,140,336. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 287,151 shares of company stock worth $16,606,832. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $61.25 on Friday. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $55.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.96. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.33 and a fifty-two week high of $63.85. The stock has a market cap of $13.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.22. Masco (NYSE:MAS Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The construction company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.08 billion. Masco had a negative return on equity of 237.83% and a net margin of 9.65%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 3.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Masco Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 11th will be paid a $0.285 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Mascos payout ratio is 31.93%. Masco Company Profile (Free Report) Masco Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes home improvement and building products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company's Plumbing Products segment offers faucets, showerheads, handheld showers, valves, bath hardware and accessories, bathing units, shower bases and enclosures, sinks, toilets, acrylic tubs, shower trays, spas, exercise pools, and fitness systems; brass, copper, and composite plumbing system components; connected water products; thermoplastic solutions, extruded plastic profiles, specialized fabrications, and PEX tubing products; and other non-decorative plumbing products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Masco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Masco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK Free Report) by 21.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,184 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 17,546 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Rockwell Automation worth $18,541,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. New Hampshire Trust acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Delta Asset Management LLC TN acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, First Manhattan Co. boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 125 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.28% of the companys stock. Get Rockwell Automation alerts: Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.00, for a total value of $48,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 940 shares in the company, valued at $305,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.00, for a total value of $48,750.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 940 shares in the company, valued at $305,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Frank C. Kulaszewicz sold 7,729 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $2,395,990.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,660 shares in the company, valued at $4,234,600. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,217 shares of company stock worth $4,687,705. Company insiders own 0.64% of the companys stock. Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.9 % NYSE:ROK opened at $333.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $38.28 billion, a PE ratio of 29.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $315.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $294.40. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $209.27 and a 12-month high of $348.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The industrial products company reported $3.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 42.15% and a net margin of 15.82%. Rockwell Automations revenue was up 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Investors of record on Monday, August 14th will be issued a $1.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 11th. This represents a $4.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. Rockwell Automations dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.55%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ROK. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Friday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Tuesday, June 27th. They set a hold rating and a $335.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $262.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $290.00. Rockwell Automation Company Profile (Free Report) Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ROK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Rockwell Automation Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rockwell Automation and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Roper Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:ROP Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of Moderate Buy from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $525.13. Several equities research analysts recently commented on ROP shares. Barclays boosted their price target on Roper Technologies from $525.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Roper Technologies from $532.00 to $569.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Roper Technologies from $483.00 to $503.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 18th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Roper Technologies in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Argus upped their target price on Roper Technologies from $490.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Get Roper Technologies alerts: Insider Transactions at Roper Technologies In other news, Director Robert D. Johnson sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.15, for a total transaction of $112,537.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,903 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,657,235.45. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Roper Technologies news, Director Robert D. Johnson sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $495.19, for a total value of $445,671.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,846 shares in the company, valued at $2,894,880.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert D. Johnson sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.15, for a total value of $112,537.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,903 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,657,235.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,450 shares of company stock worth $695,366 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Roper Technologies Roper Technologies Price Performance Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in shares of Roper Technologies by 106,490.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 186,254,169 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $89,551,004,000 after buying an additional 186,079,431 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Roper Technologies by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,877,050 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $3,912,029,000 after buying an additional 436,317 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Roper Technologies by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,725,350 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $3,404,484,000 after purchasing an additional 41,777 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Roper Technologies by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,294,847 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,892,695,000 after purchasing an additional 68,038 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Roper Technologies by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,409,974 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,473,416,000 after purchasing an additional 95,728 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.48% of the companys stock. ROP opened at $492.40 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.94. Roper Technologies has a 1 year low of $356.21 and a 1 year high of $502.13. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $467.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $448.29. Roper Technologies (NYSE:ROP Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 21st. The industrial products company reported $4.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.99 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Roper Technologies had a net margin of 50.21% and a return on equity of 10.61%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.95 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Roper Technologies will post 16.47 EPS for the current year. Roper Technologies Cuts Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $0.6825 per share. This represents a $2.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 7th. Roper Technologiess dividend payout ratio is currently 10.05%. Roper Technologies Company Profile (Get Free Report Roper Technologies, Inc designs and develops software, and technology enabled products and solutions. The company offers management, campus solutions, diagnostic and laboratory information management, enterprise management, information solutions, transportation management, financial and compliance management, and cloud-based financial analytics and performance management software; cloud-based software to the property and casualty insurance industry; and software, services, and technologies for foodservice operations. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Roper Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Roper Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in WestRock (NYSE:WRK Free Report) by 26.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,208 shares of the basic materials companys stock after purchasing an additional 4,589 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.s holdings in WestRock were worth $677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WRK. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of WestRock in the 4th quarter valued at about $194,739,000. Greenhaven Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of WestRock by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 12,686,720 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $386,564,000 after purchasing an additional 2,752,196 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of WestRock by 273.4% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,255,317 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $44,137,000 after purchasing an additional 919,165 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of WestRock by 2,279.4% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 745,868 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $22,727,000 after purchasing an additional 714,521 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in WestRock by 454.4% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 701,868 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $33,009,000 after acquiring an additional 575,259 shares during the last quarter. 84.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get WestRock alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In WRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price objective on WestRock from $42.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Friday, June 30th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on WestRock in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on WestRock from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, Bank of America raised WestRock from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $33.25. WestRock Stock Performance Shares of WRK stock opened at $33.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.73. WestRock has a 12-month low of $26.84 and a 12-month high of $43.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. WestRock (NYSE:WRK Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.26. WestRock had a positive return on equity of 9.98% and a negative net margin of 5.86%. The business had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.17 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that WestRock will post 2.34 EPS for the current year. WestRock Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 10th will be paid a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. WestRocks payout ratio is currently -22.63%. WestRock Profile (Free Report) WestRock Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides fiber-based paper and packaging solutions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It operates in four segments, Corrugated Packaging, Consumer Packaging, Global Paper, and Distribution. The Corrugated Packaging segment produces containerboards, corrugated sheets, corrugated packaging, and preprinted linerboards to consumer and industrial products manufacturers, and corrugated box manufacturers. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for WestRock (NYSE:WRK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for WestRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WestRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Families bereaved by state forces during the Troubles gathered in Culturlann Ui Chanain for the Derry launch of British Legal Impunity: The stories of women, men and children killed by the British army and RUC. Launched on Saturday afternoon, British Legal Impunity is an initiative spearheaded by the Pat Finucane Centre (PFC), human rights group. It comprises a series of short films in which family members are interviewed about their dead loved ones. Paul OConnor, the advocacy manager of the PFC, said the event was to show each family they work with their finished film. He added: We have done interviews with those families to deal with this whole question that we have had. Two Secretaries of State have now said that the vast majority of security force killings were lawful. Brandon Lewis said it and so did Chris Heaton-Harris and we have Karen Bradley [British Secretary of State, January 8, 2018 to July 24, 2019] also saying these were people acting under orders in a dignified and professional way. So we said, Theres another story here that needs told, so we carried out this project, which was to interview 28 people. 25 of them were family members from Derry, Belfast, Armagh, Tyrone and Down, families that we work with, to share with the world their experience. An experience of total and absolute impunity, of a complete failure to to ever investigate or to ever prosecute. The situation we are facing today is, it is 2023, no member of the British army or RUC has ever properly been held to account for any of the killings carried out by them. 26% of all children that were killed were killed by the British army and there has never been a prosecution in those cases. So, the intention today is to launch the project first and foremost for the families, said Paul OConnor. Following Saturdays launch, the films will be available for the public to view. Paul OConnor added: They will be permanently available in the Museum of Free Derry, in a cubicle type arrangement and anybody in the city that wants can go into the Museum and click on to the individual stories of what happened, for example, to Tobias Molloy from Strabane or to Stephen McConomy or to Sammy Devenny or to Gary English or to Denis Heaney. When they click on a name, people will see a 10 minute film explaining what happened and the experience of the family. British Legal Impunity is from around the North and it is very, very powerful testimonies from the families, for eternity, that are going to be out there forever, to let people see. This idea of the witch-hunt is fake news. There is no more fake news than this claim that there has been a witch-hunt. In actual fact, there have been no successful convictions. There have been four soldiers found guilty of murder while on duty. They all received life sentences. They were all released within three to five years of their life sentence using the mechanism of the Queens pardon and they were all reinstated in the British Army. That is total impunity, said Paul OConnor. Paul OConnor was of the opinion the British Legal Impunity project was not going to prevent the passing of the Legacy Bill in the British Parliament. He said: This is not going to stop the Legacy Bill because they dont care. They really dont care. Heaton-Harris will leave here and never come back and he will never look back. He doesnt care. Brandon Lewis will never look back. Karen Bradley. They come, they go and we go on with our lives and the families we work with go on with their lives. But British Legal Impunity will at least be a very powerful statement that will be there for the thousands of people who will pass through the museum of Free Derry every year. And we will have a second version of the project that will travel and it will be available in Belfast and elsewhere. Louth businesses switching to solar power can expect their new energy system to pay for itself in three years two years ahead of government predictions, one of Irelands leading solar PV firms has said. Funding packages of between 2,700 and 162,600 have been introduced to encourage more businesses to install a solar photovoltaics (PV) panel system, which generates electricity when exposed to light. According to the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, the grants, operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, will support 20-30% of the investment cost, reducing payback to as little as five years. But Adrian Casey, the co-founder of Swyft Energy, one of Irelands leading solar PV firms, said some businesses could see payback in three years. He said a medium-sized business consuming 42,000 units per year at a rate of 36 cent per kilowatt/hour (kWh) could reduce their energy bills by up to 8,000 per year by installing a 30 kilowatt (kWp) system. Prices for a 30kWp system, he said, start from 32,000. But amendments to the grants unveiled by Environment Minister Eamon Ryan on July 4, reduced the cost of install of such a system to 23,400 meaning firms paying the 36c rate could expect payback in three years, Mr Casey said. On average, small-to-medium sized businesses are installing 30kWp Solar PV systems, equivalent to 64 panels, covering 128 square metres, Mr Casey explained. This type of system generates roughly 26,000 units of electricity per year, and depending on the businesss electricity consumption pattern 70 to 80% of this power would be used on site, with the excess electricity sold back to the grid. Larger premises such as warehouses consuming 200,000 units per year at a 23 cent electricity rate could generate around 135,000 units with a 150kWp, 320-panel system, he added. This type of system costs 145,000 and would reduce annual energy bills by around 25,000, Mr Casey said. Previously, businesses of this size could expect payback in six years. With the new announcement, a 150kWp system will receive a grant of 32,600, reducing the cost to 112,400 and the payback to four-and-a-half years, Mr Casey said. Firms which decide to install a new solar PV system can also benefit from the Accelerated Capital Allowances (ACA) scheme, whereby the cost of the system can be offset against profits to reduce companies tax bills. Solar PV is one of the only purchases that a company can claim 100% of the ACA in the year of purchase, Mr Casey said. Switching to solar power also helps businesses improve their carbon footprint and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) profiles, he added. A 30kWp system will reduce CO2 output by roughly 10 tonnes per year or 300 tonnes over the 30+ year lifespan of the system, Mr Casey said. That is equivalent to planting 2,800 trees. How do commercial solar panels differ from domestic panels? Solar panels for businesses average 1.9m by 1.2m and are larger than panels installed on the roofs of domestic premises, which normally measure 1.7m by 1.1m. The larger panel means the wattage per panel is also typically bigger, usually 470-500W versus 400-430W for a domestic install. The number of panels used by a small-to-medium (SME) sized business can range between 30 and 140 panels, compared to an average of 12 used by family dwellings. What are the benefits of switching to solar? The main benefit is a significant reduction in energy bills. Overheads can be reduced further by selling power back to the national grid. Other benefits include a reduction in a firms carbon footprint, and an improvement in its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) score. A typical, medium-sized, businesses in Ireland will see an annual CO2 reduction of 9.9 tonnes, with small businesses reducing emissions by 5.8 tonnes. A business which actively cuts its carbon footprint while improving its ESG score demonstrates to its customers, employees, and future employees, that it cares about the environment. Solar panels also increase energy independence, and boost the value of commercial property. How much do commercial solar panels cost? The cost of a commercial solar panel system for a small to medium-sized business can vary between 20,000 and 80,000. Costs will depend on business needs and available roof space. The amount of energy required and the power of the panels are also significant factors. The average medium-sized business in the Ireland uses around 25,000 to 50,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity each year; it's 15,000 to 25,000 kWh for small businesses. A business should expect to pay between 20 and 45 cent per kilowatt hour for its electricity. Grants available and payback period Funding packages of between 2,700 and 162,600 have been introduced by to encourage more businesses to install a solar PV system. Grants from Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland will support 20-30% of the investment cost, meaning some businesses could see payback in as little as three years. Firms which decide to install a new solar PV system can also benefit from the Accelerated Capital Allowances (ACA) scheme, where the cost of the system can be offset against profits to reduce the company tax bill. Breakdown of SEAI grants Solar PV Systems Grant Value Up to 6kWp Up to 2,400 /kWp installed between 7kWp-20kWp 300 per kWp /kWp installed between 21kWp-200kWp 200 per kWp /kWp installed between 201kWp-1000kWp 150 per kWp Solar Planning Exemptions Planning permission for solar PV and planning is no longer required for rooftop systems unless the install is located in a Solar Safeguarding Zone (SSZ). SSZs are areas located near airports, helipads and aerodromes. If your property is within a SSZ and the install is greater than 300sqm (roughly 140 panels), you will need planning permission. A Glint and Glare report will be required as part of your planning application. A full list of SSZs can be found on www.myplan.ie. ESB ESB need to be notified of your solar PV install for safety purposes, and to allow you export to the grid if applicable. Your solar installer will complete this application for you. There is an application fee required. ESB will then decide on the level of solar PV export allowed for your property. XOCEAN, the ocean data company based in Rathcor, Carlingford, on Thursday announced the creation of 300 new jobs as part of its strategic growth plan. The jobs announcement comes as the XOCEAN team welcomed Minister of State for Trade Promotion and Digital Transformation, Dara Calleary, to mark the official opening of its new Technical Centre. From this facility, XOCEAN serves a growing list of international customers, primarily in the rapidly growing offshore wind market. XOCEAN says it is transforming how ocean data is delivered, using innovative marine robotics known as Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs). This innovative technology is designed and manufactured by the company in Ireland. The new Technical Centre, located at Rathcor, provides an operational hub for the companys growing fleet with a team of highly qualified engineers and robotic experts ensuring that the vessels are serviced on returning from offshore missions all over the world. The company has doubled its headcount to over 200 over the past 12 months and plans to grow it further to 500 over the next two years, with roles available in all areas of the business including engineers, technicians, field operatives, data analysts, qualified mariners, geophysicists and project managers. Welcoming the announcement at their new site in Louth, Minister Dara Calleary said:: Im delighted to officially open XOCEANs new marine robotics Technical Centre which will result in the creation of 300 new jobs in the coming years. Ireland is one of the largest maritime states in Europe and has become a global leader in the USV market and marine-tech sector. Supported by the Government through Enterprise Ireland, XOCEAN is a young, but truly innovative company which is offering a safe and efficient USV service with both economic and environmental efficiencies. This is a fitting example of a highly innovative Irish company based in the region, providing a jobs boost in the local area while also making an impact in the global marine-tech sector. James Ives, CEO, XOCEAN said: Were delighted to welcome Minister Calleary to open our new Technical Centre. XOCEAN continues to experience rapid growth, driven largely by the major expansion of the international offshore wind market and the need for clean, renewable energy globally. XOCEAN is delighted to be supporting many of the worlds largest energy companies through the delivery of safe, cost-effective and ultra-low-impact ocean data. The future looks set to be an exciting time for XOCEAN as we continue to grow our brilliant team and our fleet of USVs to meet growing market demands. Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland added: Enterprise Ireland works closely with Irish companies to help them build scale and expand their reach in overseas markets. XOCEAN is a fast-growing company in the marine-tech space and is a perfect example of an Irish technology company with global ambition. With plans to continue to roll out USVs in multiple sectors and markets, Enterprise Ireland looks forward to continuing to work with the XOCEAN team as it grows and expands internationally while creating jobs at home in the local region. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. A Cork musician has recalled the moment, four decades ago, when he produced a young Sinead OConnors very first recording. It was only a couple of years later that Brian OReilly realised that the young schoolgirl he had recorded in his Fermoy studio was THE Sinead OConnor. Brian, the founder of the legendary group Loudest Whisper, had established Studio Fiona in 1979, and one day in the mid-1980s his brother Paud asked him if he would do a favour for a friend. Joe Falvey was a teacher in Newtown School in Waterford, and a student of his wanted to record a demo tape to enter a song contest, so he had got in touch with Paud. Mr Falvey had heard the shy 16-year-old student singing and playing guitar around the school, and was struck, as so many millions more would later be, by her great talent and her otherworldly voice. He arranged for her a slot at T&H Doolans pub in Waterford, her first gig, where her voice silenced the entire room, something he described on RTE Radio 1 this week as a shattering moment. It was the most memorable moment of my life, Mr Falvey told Oliver Callan. Everybody turned around and said What, in the name of God, is that? The power, from this young, slim girl I had heard her singing around the school, but this was power. When his student said she wanted to enter a song in a competition, he arranged to bring her to his friends studio in Fermoy, where over a three-hour session she made her first recording. In the mid-1980s Brian OReilly produced a young Sinead OConnors, inset, first recording, which he still has. Picture: Eddie OHare Speaking to The Echo from his home in Spain in the wake of Sinead OConnors death at the tragically young age of 56, Brian OReilly remembered the day Mr Falvey arrived in the studio with his student. He recalled that she had two fellow students with her, as backing vocalists, and Mr Falveys brother travelled from Cork to play keyboard, with Brian himself playing bass. She did three songs for the demo, and she played a bit of guitar, and I remember she was asking me What can you do with a voice, how can we manipulate it, or what effects can you put on it? I said the voice is the best natural instrument, so you can put a bit of reverb on it, like youre in a church, or a bit of delay, as if youre inside in a big canyon, Brian remembered. She did Black is the Colour, she did an original, and I cant remember the other one. Brian described her death 40 years after her recording session in Fermoy as a great shock and a terribly sad loss to all who loved her. He remembered a young woman who, even then, had known the musical sound she wanted, and who had the raw talent and the stamina to go on to great success. When young people come into the studio, what you try and do is help them along, and I know I had often come across people who talked down to you, so I made it my policy to try and be helpful to people, to try and encourage them. Brian joked that his friend Joe Falvey must be a musical lucky charm, as he had not only discovered Sinead OConnor, he had also sat beside Rory Gallagher in school. It was only later, when Sinead OConnor became so big, that Joe said to me, Do you realise who that was? Loudest Whisper will play the Corner House on Coburg Street on Thursday 31 August. A Cork man who caused a 79-year-old widow torment and torture by ripping tiles off her roof at three oclock in the morning appealed his jail sentence and said he was in a very dark place at the time. Anthony Rutherfords barrister, Nikki OSullivan, said that the appellant wanted to have a psychiatric report to put before Cork Circuit Appeals Court but that this was not yet available. Ms OSullivan said: It is acknowledged that it was a very distressing incident for the victim but he was in a very dark place at the time. Judge Helen Boyle said that in the circumstances she would adjourn the appeal until October 11, with the accused remanded on continuing bail. However, the judge said that if defence did not have the psychiatric report by that date then they would have to rely on a doctors report and that one way or another the appeal would have to proceed. At Cork District Court, 50-year-old Anthony Rutherford previously of Comeragh Park, The Glen and Lus Na Meala, Banduff, Cork - was sentenced to eight months in prison on a charge that on October 17, 2021, he damaged 1,000 worth of roof tiles at a house at Fir Grove, Riverview Estate, Ballyvolane, Cork. Rutherford gathered over 1,000 compensation for the householder. Sergeant Pat Lyons said at the original case that after 3am on October 17 2021, the 50-year-old spent 20 minutes on the roof. Defence solicitor, Frank Buttimer, said at the district court: Strange as it may seem, people were pursuing him. Having run away he climbed up on the roof to get away from them. When the gardai arrived it would have been better for Mr Rutherford to go down but now he is worried about them and he is anxious to get away from the guards. He always said he was being pursued and that he took the tiles to protect himself from the people down below. Judge Olann Kelleher asked: Can I just be clear he is saying he was pursued and went up on the roof of this 79-year-old woman and he took tiles off to protect himself from the people pursuing him? Mr Buttimer confirmed that this was what the defendant was saying. Victim Impact Judge Kelleher said: I have read the victim impact statement from this 79-year-old widow living in Riverview estate in Ballyvolane. At 3.10am this man gets up on the roof and takes tiles off the roof. He might have been concerned for himself. He had absolutely no concern for the owner of the house. She says, The memory of the noise that night will haunt my thoughts. I only sleep now in the safety of daylight. I now rely on my children more and more. I have an increased sense of dependency. I feel I have become a burden for them all. This man has taken all that away from her. I do empathise and sympathise with how she feels at her age or any age. The judge noted that Anthony Rutherford suffered from anxiety but also that he had previous convictions for causing criminal damage and burglary. A CORK TD has called for the immediate reinstatement of the eviction ban amid a rise in homeless numbers, but the Tanaiste has said that while the increase is concerning, an indefinite eviction ban would make matters worse. According to the Monthly Homelessness Report for June 2023, published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on Friday, 12,600 people were accessing local authority managed emergency accommodation during the week of June 19-25. The figure is an increase of 159 from May, when there were 12,441 people living in emergency accommodation. A total of 570 adults accessed local authority-managed emergency accommodation in the southwest region during the week of June 19-25, of whom 532 were accessing accommodation managed by Cork City Council and Cork County Council. There were 97 families in emergency accommodation in Cork and Kerry at the end of June, compared to 93 at the end of May. Commenting on the latest figures, Sinn Fein TD for Cork North-Central Thomas Gould said he believes the increases are a direct result of the governments refusal to extend the eviction ban and failure to deliver sufficient homes for people. This is traumatising for children this government are allowing a generation to grow up in a time where homelessness is normalised and secure housing is becoming a rarity. That is scandalous. Each of these figures represents families or individuals who have been failed by Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Green Party, he continued, calling on the Government to reinstate the ban on evictions and to freeze rents for three years. Tanaiste's Response However, speaking at an event in Cork today, Tanaiste Micheal Martin said that while the Government is very concerned about a rise in homeless figures, an indefinite eviction ban would make matters worse. If it was this position that you had an indefinite eviction ban, then more people would have left the market and more people would continue to leave the market. What the rental market needs now is a degree of certainty and clarity into the future and in the forthcoming budget we hope to provide that. But also supply - supply is the key, he said. The Fianna Fail leader was speaking today after he turned the sod on a 9m infrastructure project in Ballyvolane which will pave the way for 753 new homes. There have been some very big projects announced," he said. Recently the Government announced a huge project in Dublin, for example likewise in respect of this project here. If you look at the figures from the beginning of the year - for quarter one and quarter two - there are a very accelerated number of commencements in the private side and the social housing is going very strongly, which takes pressure off the private sector as well. Again, as I say, on top of that, we will see what more we can do, he concluded. A fifth man has been charged with the murder of a Killarney father of seven in Rath Cemetery Tralee last October. Michael Dooley aged 28, of of Bay 11, Halting Site, Carrigrohane, Cork, was brought before Dingle District Court on Friday. He faces one charge: that he murdered Thomas Dooley at Rath Cemetery in Tralee, on October 5 last year. Detective Garda Brian Mackey gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution. He said Michael Dooley replied "I am an innocent man, taken away from my family on the basis of lies that that woman said about me", when he charged him at 22 minutes to 11pm last night. Judge David Waters remanded Michael Dooley in custody. He will be back before the district court in Tralee next week. Four men have already been charged with Thomas Dooley's murder. Their trial has been fixed for the Central Criminal Court at the end of May next year. Two months have been set aside for that trial. Thomas Dooley was a 43-year old father of seven from Hazelwood Drive in Killarney. He was attacked while he and his wife, Siobhan, were attending a funeral at Rath Cemetery in Tralee last October. A 40-year-old man who is barred from his familys rural home and from communicating about them on social media posted vile comments about his estranged wife and one of his daughters arising out of a sex abuse case. He came before Cork Circuit Appeals Court where he appealed through his solicitor, Eamon Fleming, against a prison sentence of eight months for breaching the barring order by posting the comments on social media. Mr Fleming stressed that there had been no physical breach of the order in that there was no question of the appellant returning to the family home. The solicitor said the accused had quite a dysfunctional childhood and was essentially applying to have the prison term reduced and allowance made for the fact that he had been granted bail but unable to raise it so he had spent the last four months in custody. Mr Fleming suggested that even if the appeal judge was minded to affirm the order of eight months that she would allow for the four months already spent in custody. Garda Karen OFlynn, who investigated the case, showed Judge Helen Boyle a copy of the online comments. Judge Boyle said that the appellant was making really vile suggestions in his online comments. The judge added that as verbal abuse it was appalling and really shocking. Judge Boyle concluded by refusing the appeal and affirming the order imposed at district court level. The judge also refused the application to take account of the four months spent in custody with consent to bail that could not be reached. The eight months will be served from now. Mr Fleming submitted that this was harsh and effectively meant that the accused was now facing into a one-year sentence. Judge Boyle said it had been open to the her to increase the sentence on appeal and she had not done so. Mr Fleming acknowledged that an increased sentence was a risk in taking an appeal. One of the terms of the barring order was that he would have no communications with the parties, including by social media. A FORMER Ballincollig Gaelscoil earmarked for Ukrainian families was set on fire in an incident being described as extremely sinister by members of the community. Gardai have launched an investigation following the disturbing incident that saw three people wearing balaclavas start a fire at the former site of Gaelscoil Ui Riordain in Ballincollig on Thursday night/Friday morning. The alarm was raised at around midnight. Emergency services arrived at the scene at 12.10am. A rapid response limited the amount of damage caused but locals are believed to be extremely shaken by the incident. The scene was described by a source from Cork City Fire brigade as very high risk in contrast to other calls. A spokesperson for the gardai said they are investigating an incident of criminal damage by fire that occurred at a vacant premises in Coolroe, Ballincollig in the early hours of Friday, July 28, 2023, the statement read. Gardai received a report and attended the scene at approximately 12.10am. Cork City Fire Brigade were alerted, who also attended a short time later and extinguished the fire. The damage caused to the former Gaelscoil building in Coolroe in Ballincollig in last nights suspected arson attack. A spokesperson for Cork City Fire Brigade said the incident could have been very different. A rapid response prevented this building from burning down. It had the potential to be very nasty but the speed of Cork City Fire Brigade meant it wasnt able to escalate. Former Lord Mayor and Fianna Fail councillor Colm Kelleher condemned the act, saying: Its very disappointing to see this happen in a former school that is currently being retrofitted to accommodate Ukrainians. There are reports of people in balaclavas going in there which is extremely worrying. Id like to praise the fire service who were at the scene within minutes and brought the fire under control. I am told that the damage is minor. That being said, it does set back the retrofitting of the school to accommodate Ukrainian families. Hopefully, the works being done to remedy the fire damage can get underway and the retrofitting of the former school can continue to accommodate Ukrainian nationals. He urged anyone with information to come forward. Local Fine Gael councillor Derry Canty echoed his sentiment, adding: I can only describe it as disgraceful. This is nice community, yet we are having people bringing all this bad news on top of us. Anyone with information relating to the incident is being advised to contact Ballincollig Garda Station on 021 421 4680 or Anglesea Street Garda Station on 021 452 2000. Three Cork Garda stations are to receive new recruits following a graduation ceremony at Templemore yesterday. Eighty-seven gardai were attested as sworn members of An Garda Siochana during the attestation ceremony at the Garda College in Templemore on Friday afternoon. Eleven of the 87 recruits are from Cork, with one set to be stationed in Mayfield. Fermoy Garda Station and Midleton Garda Station will also both receive one recruit each. Darren Lane who was awarded the Commissioners Prize with Lilly Lane, Ballyphehane, Cork, all set for the Garda passing out parade, Templemore. Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Garda Commissioner Anne Marie McMahon said: Policing and the needs of our communities have changed significantly over our long history and continue to change. An Garda Siochana is changing too, responding to the needs of a diverse society. But our tradition of community policing remains as important as ever. What this means is proactively policing with communities. This means upholding a victim centred community focused service and respecting the human rights of all individuals regardless of circumstance. Miriam Tomas Fernandez, Spain, Gillian Quinn, Galway and Katelyn Caherlane, West Cork, attending the Garda passing out parade. Picture: Brendan Gleeson Garda Training The new gardai started their training in November last year, where they experienced a blend of online learning, on-site learning in the Garda College, as well as learning in garda stations. Deputy Commissioner McMahon further added: You are here today having gone through a rigorous training programme because of your drive to keep people safe. Your commitment to uphold law and order. Your dedication to public service. You are here today because you want to make a difference. This is the job of a garda, and its a job worth doing. The 87 new recruits brought the total number of sworn gardai to 13,949. There are 289 recruit gardai currently in training and 175 new recruits will enter Garda College on Monday, July 31. Sixty-two of the newly sworn in gardai will be placed in Dublin and 10 will operate in the east of the country. Seven will be placed in the south and eight will be placed in the northwest of the country. CORK City Council chief executive Ann Doherty has moved to provide context around comments she made on Monday night following a visit to social housing at Noonans Rd and St Finbarrs Rd. Tenants of the 60-year-old development had accused the council of having abandoned them in rodent-infested, mould-ridden dilapidated homes. After The Echo highlighted their plight, Ms Doherty visited the neighbouring developments with the assistant chief executive, Brian Geaney, and the city architect, Tony Duggan. Speaking to residents during the visit, Ms Doherty said she intended to sit down with the housing maintenance team. I mean some of you showed me things and told me things that a couple of arses need kicking, to be honest, because its not acceptable, and that will be dealt with. The comments, reported by The Echo, were described by city councillor Ken OFlynn in a letter addressed to Ms Doherty on Wednesday as deeply disrespectful and he claimed they had caused tremendous hurt, disappointment, and confusion among local authority staff. However, Ms Doherty, in an interview with The Echo on Thursday, said that when she had made her public comments on Monday night, they had been informed by an earlier, private conversation with a tenant on St Finbarrs Rd, and she had, in fact, been referring to the actions of a private contractor working on behalf of Cork City Council. Ms Doherty said she had been referring to an allegation made to her by a resident that a person working on behalf of Cork City Council had moved rubbish from the back of one house into another, vacant unit. That was the motivation for my comment and just before we came outside and we were all talking together, she called me and she said That was done by a contractor and I said Doesnt matter, its done on our behalf, I stand by my point that asses would need to be kicked if someone did that, she said. When then we were doing the summary I looked at [the woman who had made the allegation and one of her neighbours] and I said Things have been brought to my attention that I have said asses need to be kicked about, and they will, if required. That was the context, Ms Doherty said. Local Councillors and Cork City officials meeting with local residents of Noonan Road and St Finbarrs Road in Cork recently. Picture: Howard Crowdy It was half past ten at night, we were all standing around there. I wasnt talking about any particular staff, or group of staff, it was very much around an occurrence. Ms Doherty said the staff of Cork City Council do the best job they can, and were all motivated to do the right thing. There isnt a person I believe that gets out of bed in the morning thinking How can I do my job badly. Local Councillors and City officials who visited buildings affected by dampness in Noonan's Road and St Finbarr's Road in Cork.Included are William O'Brien, Chairman Residents Assoc; Cllr Dan Boyle; Cllr Mick Nugent; Cllr Fiona Kerins, Cllr Shane O'Callaghan. Cllr Paudie Dineen, Cllr Mick Finn, Cllr Sean Martin, Brian Geaney, Deputy CE Cork City Council; Tony Duggan, City Architect; Ann Doherty, CE Cork City Council; Cllr Terry Shannon, Cllr Thomas Maloney and Cllr Colette Finn, Deputy Lord Mayor. Picture: Howard Crowdy They dont always have the tools they need to do their job, in the sense of resources are limited, et cetera, but thats a context, but my comment was not about a generalisation, it was very specific to something, she said. Ms Doherty said that she was following up on the allegations made against the private contractor, and she said the controversy was distracting from what had been a very positive meeting with tenants on Noonans Rd and St Finbarrs Rd. Im really concerned that were distracting from the substantive issue... that Noonans Rd needs to be redeveloped, she said. We committed to the council that we would go and do a site visit, we met an amazing community, wonderful people who have lots of challenges, so I would prefer to be focusing my energy at the moment, and the energy of my staff, on finding a pathway to making the decisions that need to be taken in order to address the issues that present in Noonans Rd. Cork City Council was asked by The Echo for the name of the private contractor in question so a right of reply might be offered to them. A spokesperson for Cork City Council said they were not in a position to name any contractor, but were committed to working with the residents of Noonans Rd and St Finbarrs Rd to address the issues of immediate concern to the tenants. THE next section of the N22 Baile Bhuirne Macroom Road scheme is due to open in less than two weeks, with the final stage set for completion later this year. Cork County Council have said that this latest opening is of an 8km section of Type 2 dual carriageway, which runs between Carrigaphooca to the west of Macroom and Tonn Lain to the east of Baile Mhic Ire. A Type 2 dual carriageway is a divided all-purpose road with two lanes in each direction. Following on from the opening of the Macroom Bypass Section last December, the opening of this section of the new road will bypass the bad bends on the existing National Primary Route between Baile Bhuirne and Macroom improving road safety for all users, said the Mayor of Co Cork, councillor Frank OFlynn. To facilitate the opening of this new section, the new N22 Macroom bypass road will be closed temporarily from 9am on Tuesday, August 8, to Friday, August 11. This is to allow the safe removal of the temporary roundabout at Carrigaphooca, west of Macroom Town. The alternative route for Westbound traffic during this closure will be by way of Macroom Town Centre. Eastbound traffic will be able to get on the Macroom bypass at the Millstreet Road Junction. Once the N22 reopens to traffic after this closure, road users will then be able to travel on 16km of the new dual carriageway between Coolcour Roundabout and Tonn Lain, Baile Mhic Ire. The existing road will be redesignated as the R618. Cork County Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and contractor, Jons-John Craddock JV have acknowledged the continuing co-operation and assistance received from road users, residents and businesses in Macroom and surrounding areas during the construction phase of this project. The remaining 6km of the new 22km dual carriageway between Tonn Lain and Baile Bhuirne is progressing well with completion scheduled for later this year. The first stage of the Macroom bypass between Baile Bhuirne and Macroom was opened in December 2022. As reported in The Echo recently, there has been a 53.8% reduction in nitrogen dioxide levels in Macroom town following tests carried out before and after that section of the Macroom bypass was completed. A 33-year-old man hassling taxi drivers in Cork city centre was approached by gardai and he reacted by clenching his fists and telling them I know the law. Dean Osterloo of Mill Park, Old Mallow Road, Cork, appeared before Cork District Court where he pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening behaviour and related charges. Judge Olann Kelleher sentenced him to two months imprisonment suspended on condition that he would keep the peace for the next two years. Sergeant Ciaran Kelleher described the background to the incident on July 23 at St. Patricks Street, where Garda Anita ORourke and her colleagues arrived at the scene. At approximately 6 pm gardai were responding to a separate call at Daunt Square and as they were parking the garda patrol van a man approached the van and stated that there was a man who was drunk and abusive to members of the public. The man was pointed out to garda as Dean Osterloo. Gardai observed this man approaching taxi drivers at the rank on St Patricks Street. As gardai approached, he was shouting abuse at a taxi driver waiting at the rank. He was escorted away from the taxi. There was a strong smell of alcohol emanating from him and his eyes were bloodshot. Garda ORourke asked for his name and refused to give it. He was very aggressive and began to clench his fists. He said, I know the law and told gardai to f*** off. There was a large number of members of the public present and he continued to be abusive and aggressive. as he was volatile and abusive he was handcuffed. Diarmuid Kelleher solicitor said of the accused, He did apologise to An Garda Siochana before the court. Sgt. Kelleher said the defendant had 39 previous convictions. Mr Kelleher solicitor accepted that but said that many of those dated back a long time and that the defendants rate of offending had greatly reduced. Mr Kelleher said Osterloo had a slip on alcohol following the recent death of a relative in the UK. He is ashamed of his behaviour, the solicitor said. As well as the suspended jail term for engaging in threatening behaviour, the accused was given 100 fines for being drunk and a danger and failing to give his name when required by gardai. CORK City Library closed today at 12.30 due to fears for the safety of the public and staff due to planned demonstrations in the city centre. Cork City Council said: "In light of planned demonstrations on Grand Parade, Cork City Library will close to the public at 12.30pm on Saturday 29th July. This decision is taken in the interests of the safety & well-being of the public and library staff." Earlier this month the head of Cork citys public libraries has asserted that the security of library staff is paramount and that work is ongoing to establish a procedure on how best to deal with protestors who have been harassing workers. Public Notice In light of planned demonstrations on Grand Parade, Cork City Library will close to the public at 12.30pm on Saturday 29th July. This decision is taken in the interests of the safety & well-being of the public and library staff. pic.twitter.com/Kdwf03kdfk Cork City Council (@corkcitycouncil) July 29, 2023 Cork city librarian David OBrien joined a meeting of Cork City Council in the wake of an ongoing series of incidents involving far-right protesters objecting to the availability of what they term pornographic books related to LGBTQ+ matters. During those incidents, library staff were filmed against their wishes and, according to Forsa trade union, have been called groomers and paedophiles. At the council meeting, Mr OBrien said from the outset of these incidents, he contacted various people locally and nationally seeking advice on how best to respond. He said there have been ongoing discussions with senior management in city council. We have been working on it, we are working on it there is a process being put in place where we will have a procedure that goes with that, he said. Mr OBrien stated that several risk assessments have been carried out. One of those risk assessments resulted in the library being closed in March when there was a right-wing and left-wing pro and anti march outside the door where there were lines of gardai who have been very good to us on a local basis, who kept the crowd apart and we made a decision, for the first time in 130 years, to actually close the doors, he said, stressing that the safety of library staff is paramount. Mr OBrien was speaking following a suspension of standing orders proposed by Labour Party councillor John Maher to discuss a joint motion he tabled with Green Party councillor Colette Finn. Kenneth Fox The Minister for Justice has admitted there is no timeframe for legislation to outlaw sex-for-rent practices 18 months after the government pledged to tackle it. As the Irish Examiner reports, Minister Helen McEntee described landlords seeking sex-for-rent arrangements, by preying on vulnerable people desperately seeking accommodation, as absolutely horrendous. It should never be the case that somebody is put in that position, particularly vulnerable people," she said. When the issue was first revealed, Minister McEntee told the Dail there was a gap in the law that left vulnerable renters exposed to unscrupulous landlords and that it was something that "needs to be addressed". We are trying to bring forward proposals as quickly as we possibly can. However, Ms McEntee admitted on Friday that "we dont have a timeframe" for enacting new laws but said the government was "trying to move on it as quickly as possible". The Ban on Sex for Rent Bill, introduced by Social Democrats TD Cian OCallaghan in March 2022, was not progressed after pre-legislative scrutiny. The Department of Justice will look at the issue following finalisation of a review of prostitution laws. That review was due to be completed at the end of last year but was delayed. A new lead researcher is now being recruited to complete the prostitution review after the department agreed that the previous researcher was not able to complete the study. When told that one woman targeted by landlords seeking sex-for-rent arrangements in Dublin has had to seek counselling because of her experience, Minister McEntee said: It is absolutely appalling what has happened to the lady in question. "It shouldnt have happened, and I hope she is doing okay. I wish her the best. We are moving as quickly as we can, and we have a huge amount of work in the zero-tolerance strategy to try and address a number of different issues. Recently, a video that depicted two KukiZomi women being sexually harassed and paraded by a group of men went viral, bringing attention to the incident that occurred more than two months ago when the violence first started in Manipur. Reportedly, this horrific incident happened on 4 May and that on 18 May a first information report (FIR) against unknown armed miscreants was filed in Kangpokpi district of Manipur. The FIR was filed two months ago, but no arrests were made despite the charges of kidnapping, gang rape, and murder. It is only after this video went viral that a few arrests in this case were made by the police. It has also been reported that before taking the women hostage from the police custody, the group of armed men also allegedly killed the father and brother of the youngest woman among the two victims in this case. The graphic details of this case are enough to send shivers down the spine of every sensitive person, and yet it is unclear how the police administration in Manipur, after registering an FIR in this case in May, did not raise an alarm about the breakdown of law and order to the state government. Another, and more alarming possibility, is that despite sufficient information about such similar incidents, the state and union governments showed no urgency or even refused to intervene in this situation. It took a viral video for not only the entire world but also the countrys own ruling government and media establishment to take notice of what has been transpiring in Manipur for the last two months. One only wonders if Manipur Police and the state and union governments would have continued to maintain an attitude of studied ignorance towards Manipurs volatile situation had this two-month-old video not surfaced on social media. The outside world may have only now realised the gravity of the sheer breakdown of law and order in Manipur after seeing this video, but how is it that the state government was unaware about all such incidents (many of which may have not been recorded on camera) happening within its own jurisdiction? Connected to the failures of the state government are the lacklustre efforts of the union Ministry of Home Affairs, which, in what can only be called a bizarre interpretation of federalism, took the tokenistic step of deputing a chief minister from a neighbouring state to monitor the law-and-order situation in Manipur. The formation of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) seems to have unsettled the ruling party at the union government. The Prime Ministers invective-laden attack on this alliance of the 26 opposition parties is a sign that the significant moves towards the opposition unity are being perceived as a threat to the electoral political calculations of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The hurried move to hold a meeting of the NDA in Delhi on the very same day as the opposition parties were meeting at Bengaluru and the urge to show that the number of parties that are part of it is larger than that in the INDIA betrays the anxiety on part of the ruling leadership. Notwithstanding their bluster and boasts about having brought 38 parties together under the umbrella of the NDA, the ruling party and its leadership know very well that most of these 38 parties have only marginal to negligible electoral presence, whereas the INDIA consists of parties that have substantial electoral presence across the states and also proven governing capabilities in the states as well as the union. Therefore, the ruling party seems to be resorting to ridiculing or disparaging the choice of the name for the opposition alliance, attempting to engineer defections or splits in the opposition parties, misusing central agencies as pressure tactics and ultimately banking on the internal contradictions within the opposition alliance to create fissures. For example, the split in the Nationalist Congress Party can be seen as a desperate measure by the BJP to prevent the consolidation of popular support behind the Maha Vikas Aghadithe constituents of which are significant parts of the INDIAand recover some electoral ground in the second largest state in terms of Lok Sabha seats, where it could well end up facing notable reverses. An outstanding aspect of Bihars labour market trends has been its declining female labour force participation. This is despite the states high economic growth over the last 15 years. This paper draws on the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) 61st round (200405) and 68th round (201112), and the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020 data, which comprises information on the labour force. Data shows that both the female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) and the female workforce participation rate (FWFPR) declined between 200405 and 201819, with a slight increase between 201819 and 201920 in Bihar. The increasing FLFPR/FWFPR trend is also evident in the recent PLFS report, 2022 for urban Bihar.1 The FLFPR increased from 17.8% to 18.5% in urban India, and declined from 33.3% to 24.7% in rural India between 200405 and 201920. During the same period, the FLFPR in Bihar declined from 6.8% to 6.1% in urban areas, and from 13.8% to 6.4% in rural areas (Figure 1). Between 200405 and 201920, the FWFPR increased from 16.6% to 16.8% in urban India, whereas it declined from 32.7% to 24% in rural India. In Bihar, the FWFPR declined from 6.5% to 5.3% in urban areas and 13.8% to 6.4% in rural areas during the same time period (Figure 2, p 40). The FLFPR/FWFPR trend shows that the rural parts of Bihar have had a much larger decline than its urban counterparts. Here, it is possible that females frequently engage in activities that are either not measured or reported in labour statistics, such as household chores. However, the decline in FLFPR is a reality of Bihars labour market outcomes. In that, Bihars FLFPR trend demonstrated a U-shaped curve trend, with a decline between 200405 and 20182019, followed by an increasing tendency after 201819. #AgendaPresidencial | Actividades oficiales por la conmemoracion de los 202 anos de independencia del pais. ?? ???? #28dejulio #ConPunchePeru ???? ? pic.twitter.com/ty6xB1toN6 The war in Ukraine as well as the Wests sanctions regime against Russia, has increased the geopolitical significance of the Central Asian Republics (CAR) in German security considerations. Germany has initiated a new drive to boost its ties with CAR in response to Russias prolonged military intervention in Ukraine. The German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Kazakhstan in the third week of June, reinvigorating the Kazakh-German strategic partnership and economic relations. Economy, energy, and connectivity dominated the talks between Steinmeier and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. After spending two days in Kazakhstan, Steinmeier also visited Kyrgyzstan. Rail-road infrastructure projects are transforming Central Asia from a landlocked to a transit region between Asia and Europe. The dry port of Khorgos, in Kazakhstan, right at the border between China and Kazakhstan, handles more than 20 trains per day, coming from China. Astana is significant because 85% of German foreign trade in Central Asia is conducted with Kazakh companies. The total bilateral trade between the two is $9 billion. Moreover, Berlins energy security requirements necessitate alternatives to Russian oil resources. Technology in exchange for raw material is the broad theme that drives the relationship. Berlin has promised to enhance exports of education and technology to Astana. Steinmeier and Tokayev launched the construction of a green hydrogen plant worth $54.3 billion by Svevind Energy, the German-Swedish company. The Kazakh-German Engineering Institute was also inaugurated during the Presidents visit. In return, Kazakhstan has announced an increase in its crude oil exports to Germanys PCK refinery in Schwedt by 10%, using the land transportation links. Firefighters worked to extinguish a fire that broke out at a landfill near Rome's Ciampino airport. The office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday shared a video said to show Ukrainian troops celebrating the retaking of Staromaiorske village in the Donetsk region. From: Mitchell P. Davis -- Editor and Publisher of www.ExpertClick.com Washington , DC Saturday, July 29, 2023 Attention all Interesting, Extraordinary, and Credentialed Journalists, Experts, Authorities & Spokespersons! As an ExpertClick.com member You'll be in Good Company we carefully screen profiles before acceptance in the system, review all content provided, and try to have a friendly atmosphere by discouraging agressive, negative or abusive content. 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Apply now and get ready to make headlines, laugh, and conquer the world together! Fairfield, MT (59436) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. For Release En Espanol WASHINGTON Heartland Tri-State Bank of Elkhart, Kansas, was closed today by the Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Dream First Bank, National Association, of Syracuse, Kansas, to assume all of the deposits of Heartland Tri-State Bank. The four branches of Heartland Tri-State Bank will reopen as branches of Dream First Bank, National Association, on Monday, July 31, under normal business hours. This evening and over the weekend, depositors of Heartland Tri-State Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual. Depositors of Heartland Tri-State Bank will become depositors of Dream First Bank, National Association, so customers do not need to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage. Customers of Heartland Tri-State Bank should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from Dream First Bank, National Association, that it has completed systems changes to allow its branch offices to process their accounts as well. As of March 31, 2023, Heartland Tri-State Bank had approximately $139 million in total assets and $130 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits, Dream First Bank, National Association, agreed to purchase essentially all of the failed banks assets. The FDIC and Dream First Bank, National Association, are also entering into a commercial shared-loss agreement on the loans it purchased of the former Heartland Tri-State Bank. The FDIC as receiver and Dream First Bank, National Association, will share in the losses and potential recoveries on the loans covered by the shared-loss agreement, which is projected to maximize recoveries on the assets by keeping them in the private sector. The agreement is also expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. Customers with questions about the transaction should call the FDIC toll-free at 1-866-431-1725. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m. Central Time (CT); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CT; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m. CT; on Monday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT; and thereafter from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT. Interested parties also can visit the FDICs website. The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $54.2 million. Compared to other alternatives, Dream First Bank, National Associations, acquisition was the least costly resolution for the DIF, an insurance fund created by Congress in 1933 and managed by the FDIC to protect the deposits at the nations banks. FDIC: PR-58-2023 Christine Baumgartner is moving out of the house she shared with Kevin Costner. Kevin Costner's wife moves out A number of moving trucks were spotted outside of 'Yellowstone' actor Kevin's ocean-front estate in Carpinteria, California last week as his estranged wife Christine, 49, removed her belongings, according to TMZ. Christine has been ordered to vacate their California mansion by the end of the month after a judge reinforced the premarital agreement they both signed in 2004. Christine - who has children Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13, with Kevin, 68 - filed for divorce in May after 18 years of marriage citing irreconcilable differences. The split has been messy, with Kevin previously accusing Christine of taking his property without knowledge or consent. Documents obtained by Page Six show the actor claimed his ex bought personal items and took out cash with credit cards from the staff that runs the family house, and that he believed she devised this plan before she filed for divorce in May. He said in the papers Christine had allegedly shown a disturbing propensity in the last several months, both before and after separation, to take (Kevins) property without his knowledge or consent, especially since this case was filed." The documents, filed on 13 July also alleged Christine paid a Los Angeles lawyer $25,000 from her husbands property funds without his knowledge. They added she paid her divorce lawyer Susan Wiesner on the credit card of an employee which is traditionally used for Costner family house charges and paid by (the actor.) The new "Chandni" campaign must've caught your attention on the internet! While the musical couple Sachet-Parampara have never failed to impress with their music, this time they made the heads turn with their innovative campaign to announce the song title. The song produced by Bhushan Kumar was announced today after creating a massive buzz around the name "Chandni." They kept it simple, yet brilliant. The campaign kicked off with a captivating reel on Sachet and Parampara Tandon's official Instagram handle, urging all the girls named 'Chandni' out there to join forces in announcing their next track. Taking the excitement to the streets, Sachet & Parampara were then spotted at various popular locations in Mumbai, armed with eye-catching placards, scouting for real-life 'Chandnis'. Well, it's not quite surprising that the loyal fans of the duo actually joined the hunt! We also recently saw heartwarming pictures featuring all the lovely 'Chandnis' who became an integral part of this enthralling campaign. While we kept wondering the reason behind calling out girls named 'Chandni' particularly, turns out the name itself is the title of the song. With the cat finally out of the bag, the song is touted to be a peppy romantic number shot in the exotic locales of Dubai. "Chandni" will be out on 4th August on T-Series' Youtube Channel. Cusco chosen as best city in Central and South America the number one city in South and Central America. The capital of the Inca Empire has been awarded the World's Best Awards by the prestigious travel magazine Travel+Leisure as The annual survey was conducted from October 2022 to February of this year, with the participation of thousands of verified subscribers. The complete list of winners has been published online and will appear in the magazine's print edition in August as well. Cusco received this recognition in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and again this year, confirming its importance in national and international tourism as one of the most sought-after destinations. It is worth noting that Travel+Leisure is an U.S. magazine considered one of the most influential travel media outlets in the world. It is published 12 times a year with a readership of 4.8 million readers and also has a web platform. "It is a culinary destination with representation from many regions through fusion. There are plenty of hotels to choose from, and it is a very walkable city with charm on every corner," mentions one of the voters on the Travel+Leisure website. Readers also praised the fascinating history, magnificent architecture, friendliness of the locals, cleanliness, and craft shopping in Cusco. How to get to Machu Picchu?: Article on Matador Network The renowned travel platform, Matador Network , has published an extensive photo essay about the train journey from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and the subsequent path to Machu Picchu. The article was written by travel journalist Lauren Breedlove, with whom PromPeru shared relevant information about this world wonder. "Your first glimpse of that view over the ancient citadel will be memorable, rain or shine. Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu mountains add excitement, and you'll get to see highlights with your guide, such as Intihuatana (the Sun Dial), Temple of the Sun, and the Sacred Plaza, among others. Don't forget to take some photos of the alpacas," reads the article. Other media outlets highlighting its charm include Global Traveler with the article "7 Reasons to Put Cusco on Your Travel List" and Trazee Travel with "7 Must-Visit Places in Cusco." Promotion of tourism in the U.S. market Tourism plays an important role in the Peruvian economy, generating employment and foreign currency. Despite the challenges of recent years, the tourism industry in Peru has proven to be quite resilient and is on track to recover and continue growing. PromPeru joins efforts with the private sector to position Peru in the U.S. market as a safe country with wonderful destinations to explore, as it is one of the main sources of travelers to the country. PromPeru's actions, such as investing in international tourism promotion, campaigns, and participation in international fairs, have helped position the country as an attractive destination for travelers. Editor's note: Information provided by PromPeru. (END) NDP/RMB/MVB The fascinating archaeological sites, landscapes, rich culture, gastronomy, and festivities of Cusco transport us to a world full of magic and tradition. This unique combination of history, nature, and adventure makes the Imperial City an attractive topic for U.S. media.Publicado: 29/7/2023 Anupamaa New Entry: Since its premiere in 2020, Anupamaa, a family drama featuring Rupali Ganguly alongside Gaurav Khanna in the lead roles of Anupama and Anuj respectively, has captured the hearts of its fans. Produced by Rajan Shahi, the show has consistently topped the TRP charts, keeping viewers engaged and entertained. The dedicated team behind the series has been working tirelessly to further boost its popularity. Anupamaa boasts a talented ensemble cast including Sagar Parekh, Madalsa Sharma, Sudhanshu Pandey, Nidhi Shah, and Ashish Mehrotra, each playing crucial roles. Currently, the storyline revolves around Anupama's decision to back out from going to the US with Malti Devi at the last moment. This choice was made for the sake of Choti Anu, who is struggling after Maya's death. ANUPAMAA TWIST: SAMAR TO DIE IN RUPALI GANGULY'S SHOW? Nevertheless, this decision has angered Malti Devi, and she is now determined to seek revenge on Anupama. On the other hand, the show's latest promo has left loyal viewers in a state of shock as Toshu informs Anupama about Samar's death. While it looks like a dream sequence, the makers are planning new twists and turns for the viewers. ANOTHER NEW ENTRY IN ANUPAMAA Anupamaa: Is Samar Really DYING In Rupali Ganguly's HIT Show After Maya? Here's The TRUTH Anupamaa: Wondering Why Devika Aka Jaswir Kaur Is Missing From Rupali Ganguly's Show? Actress Breaks Silence According to the latest buzz, the top-rated Star Plus show is all set to witness a new entry and the makers have roped in a talented actor for the part. According to a Tellychakkar report, Viraaj Kapoor has been roped in by the makers of Anupamaa for the pivotal role. It seems like he'll be seen as the illegitimate son of Anuj's brother Ankush. Yes, you read that right! In the recent episodes, there seems to be a noticeable emotional reaction from Barkha whenever Ankush's son is mentioned, indicating that she is hurt and irritated by the matter. However, in the ongoing storyline, it is revealed that Ankush has been thinking to bring his illegitimate son into the Kapadia mansion and grant him his rights. Despite this plan, Barkha has issued a warning to Ankush, making it clear that she strongly opposes the idea of him bringing his son into their lives. She has expressed her desire to sever any connection with him and maintain distance from the situation. The tension between them is evident as the storyline unfolds, leaving the audience intrigued about the future developments in the plot. For the unversed, Viraaj Kapoor has played pivotal roles in several popular shows including Tera Yaar Hoon Main and Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala. Now, it'll be interesting to see how his entry as Ankush's son will affect the whole Kapadia family. Keep watching this space for more updates! During a recent interaction Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yoshimasa Hayashi, publicly expressed his admiration for Man of Masses NTR Jr., hailing him as not only a brilliant performer. The minister's appreciation for NTR Jr.'s talent and popularity underscores the deep cultural connections between India and Japan and reflects the power of cinema in fostering international bonds. Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi's passion for Indian cinema came to light when he mentioned NTR Jr. as his favorite actor from the recent RRR release. NTR Jr.has an illustrious career in the Indian film industry, particularly in Telugu cinema, where he has garnered a massive following both in India and in the world. The minister's endorsement further highlights the actor's global appeal and influence beyond borders. My Favourite Star Is Rama Rao Jr --- Minister Of Foreign Affairs Of Japan - Yoshimasa Hayashi Bravo @tarak9999 pic.twitter.com/zZOxL2Ko2n NTR Trends (@NTRFanTrends) July 28, 2023 NTR Jr.'s ability to connect with people from all walks of life has captured the attention of millions in India and now, it seems, has garnered admirers in the political realm of Japan. Man of masses NTR Jr is currently shooting for his much awaited film Devara which is directed by Kortala Siva and is scheduled to release on 5th April 2024. DEERFIELD, Ill., July 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Surgalign Holdings, Inc., (OTC: SRGAQ) ("Surgalign" or the "Company"), a global medical technology company focused on elevating the standard of care by driving the evolution of digital health, today announced that following a competitive court-supervised marketing and sale process, including a competitive auction, the Company has selected Xtant Medical Holdings, Inc. ("Xtant") as the successful bidder for its hardware and biologics assets and Augmedics, Inc. as the successful bidder for its digital health assets ("Augmedics" and together with Xtant, the "Successful Bidders"). The sale and marketing process, including the auction, was conducted in accordance with bidding procedures approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, where the Company's chapter 11 cases are currently pending. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors participated in the auction as a consultation party. Xtant's bid for the hardware and biologics assets consists of a cash purchase price of $5 million and the assumption of certain liabilities, as set forth in the asset purchase agreement. In addition, Augmedics's bid for the digital health assets consists of a cash purchase price of $900,000 and the assumption of certain liabilities, as set forth in the asset purchase agreement. Both of the Successful Bidders' bids maximize the value and minimize the remaining duration of the Company's chapter 11 proceedings by providing a clear path forward for the Company to consummate a chapter 11 plan and return value to its stakeholders. Terry Rich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Surgalign, stated, "We are pleased to have concluded the sale process and believe with Xtant and Augmedics, our technology and its potential will live on. I cannot thank our customers and partners enough for their support through this process. Further, I want to acknowledge the entire Surgalign team for their unwavering commitment throughout the years, and for their ongoing passion to develop the best solutions to help drive better patient outcomes." The applicable asset purchase agreements between the Successful Bidders and the Company will be presented for approval to the Bankruptcy Court at the sale hearing set for August 8, 2023. The Successful Bidders and the Company will work to close the transactions promptly following approval of the sales by the Bankruptcy Court. Additional information about Surgalign's chapter 11 proceedings is available through the Company's claims agent Kroll Restructuring Administration LLC ("Kroll"). Interested parties can view documents by visiting https://restructuring.ra.kroll.com/surgalign, or by calling the toll-free hotline at +1 (833) 939-6015 or for calls originating outside the U.S., by calling +1 (646) 440-4843. Inquiries can also be sent directly to Kroll at surgaligninfo@ra.kroll.com. White & Case LLP is serving as the Company's legal counsel, Alvarez & Marsal Securities, LLC is serving as investment banker, and Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC is serving as financial advisor to the Company. About Surgalign Holdings, Inc. Surgalign Holdings, Inc. is a global medical technology company committed to the promise of digital health to drive transformation across the surgical landscape. Uniquely aligned and resourced to advance the standard of care, the company is building technologies physicians and other health providers will look to for what is truly possible for their patients. Surgalign is focused on developing solutions that predictably deliver superior clinical and economic outcomes. Surgalign markets products throughout the United States and in approximately 40 countries worldwide through an expanding network of top independent distributors. Surgalign is headquartered in Deerfield, IL, with commercial, innovation and design centers in San Diego, CA, Warsaw and Poznan, Poland, and Wurmlingen, Germany. Learn more at www.surgalign.com and connect on LinkedIn and Twitter. Forward Looking Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, our management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by our management, and such forward-looking statements include (among others) statements regarding anticipated future financial and operating performance (including forecasted full-year revenue and number of HOLO sites secured), product rationalization and expense reduction initiatives and the results thereof, potential third party financing and anticipated cash needs. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are based on certain assumptions including general economic conditions, as well as those within the Company's industry, and numerous other factors and risks identified in the Company's most recent Form 10-K, 10-Q and other filings with the SEC. Our actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results reflected in these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results reflected in these forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties relating to the following: (i) the Company's access to adequate operating cash flow, trade credit, borrowed funds and equity capital to fund its operations and pay its obligations as they become due, and the terms on which external financing may be available, including the impact of adverse trends or disruption in the global credit and equity markets; (ii) risks relating to existing or potential litigation or regulatory actions; (iii) the identification of control deficiencies, including material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting; (iv) general worldwide economic conditions and related uncertainties; (v) the continued impact of the COVID-19 and the Company's attempts at mitigation, particularly in international markets served by the Company; (vi) the failure by the Company to identify, develop and successfully implement its strategic initiatives, particularly with respect to its digital surgery strategy; (vii) the reliability of our supply chain; (viii) our ability to meet obligations, including purchase minimums, under our vendor and other agreements; (ix) whether or when the demand for procedures involving our products will increase; (x) our financial position and results, total revenue, product revenue, gross margin, and operations; (xi) failure to realize, or unexpected costs in seeking to realize, the expected benefits of the Holo Surgical Inc. ("Holo Surgical") and Inteneural Networks Inc. ("INN") acquisitions, including the failure of Holo Surgical's and INN's products and services to be satisfactorily developed or achieve applicable regulatory approvals or as a result of the failure to commercialize and distribute its products; (xii) the failure to effectively integrate Holo Surgical's and INN's operations with those of the Company, including: retention of key personnel; the effect on relationships with customers, suppliers, and other third parties; and the diversion of management time and attention to the integration; (xiii) the number of shares and amount of cash that will be required in connection with any post-closing milestone payments, including as a result of changes in the trading price of the Company's common stock and their effect on the amount of cash needed by the Company to fund any post-closing milestone payments in connection with the acquisitions; (xiv) the continuation of recent quality issues with respect to our global supply chain; (xv) the effect and timing of changes in laws or in governmental regulations; and (xvi) other risks described in our public filings with the SEC. These factors should be considered carefully, and undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement in this communication speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. Copies of the Company's SEC filings may be obtained by contacting the Company or the SEC or by visiting Surgalign's website at http://www.surgalign.com/ or the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/. We undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements except as may be required by law. MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2023 / Nicolas Lorenzon - Monetizing Digital Creativity: Nicolas Lorenzon's Strategies for Success in Subscription-Based Ecosystems When Nicolas Lorenzon began generating content for subscription-based digital platforms, he became an inadvertent influencer in his local economic scene. Recognizing the potential of these platforms as viable sources of income, he penned an ebook to guide others towards financial independence through digital content creation. Drawing on his own experiences, Lorenzon's ebook provides an in-depth guide to navigating the terrain of these digital platforms. It offers insights into key aspects like account verification, profile design, automated welcome messages, and subscriber-exclusive posts. By integrating these features, creators can enhance their revenue streams, even when offline. Lorenzon's shift to digital content creation was more than just a career move. It led to a significant economic transformation, expanding his income horizons and granting him a newfound financial freedom. This, in turn, positively affected his quality of life and mental tranquility. For those contemplating digital content creation as an income avenue, Lorenzon's advice is unequivocal: approach it with a business mindset. Dedicate time and resources to understand the platform's dynamics. The more you comprehend, the better your ability to capitalize on its potential and optimize your revenue. In the age of cyber threats, Lorenzon emphasizes the importance of privacy and content protection. He advocates the use of privacy tools to limit access from specific geographical locations. These platforms give creators control over their content, safeguarding their revenue and protecting them against potential content theft. Lorenzon underlines the need for a balanced approach for financial success. It's about creating high-quality content to attract subscribers and engaging with them to nurture loyalty. A strong social media presence is essential to draw subscribers. Maintaining them, however, requires nurturing a personal relationship. All these tips and more are interwoven into Lorenzon's ebook. Lorenzon's personal journey wasn't without obstacles. He had to navigate the social stigma that often accompanies digital content creation. He also dealt with unauthorized sharing of his content, leading to legal actions. Unfazed, he remains committed to his path, valuing the economic independence it provides over societal approval. The structure of Lorenzon's ebook mimics his own journey, starting from scratch and documenting each step along the way. It aims to equip others with proven strategies, saving them time and effort. Success stories associated with Lorenzon's ebook are many and varied. They range from a student earning $1,690 in a single day to an anonymous creator making $3,000 in their first month. Such accounts attest to the significant financial benefits these platforms can offer when navigated skillfully. In the dynamic world of digital content creation, Lorenzon emphasizes the role of staying updated. Understanding the latest trends and shifts on digital platforms enables creators to adjust their strategies and maximize their earning potential. This, Lorenzon insists, is a critical aspect he shares with his readers. Lorenzon's ebook serves as a roadmap for new content creators who may overlook the wealth of tools available on these platforms, erroneously believing that posting content is the sole key to earning. His guide helps them evade these pitfalls. Nicolas Lorenzon's journey demonstrates the untapped financial potential in subscription-based digital platforms. His ebook serves as a compass, enabling others to learn from his experiences and enhance their financial prospects. His story is an exemplification that with the right guidance, anyone can seize the financial opportunities these platforms present. You can buy this e-book at: https://nicolorenzon.com.ar/ About Nicolas Lorenzon Nicolas Lorenzon is a pioneering digital content creator and author who has carved a niche in the rapidly evolving landscape of subscription-based platforms. His entrepreneurial spirit and innovative methods have not only reshaped his personal financial journey, but have also empowered countless others through his instructive ebook. A firm believer in the democratization of wealth through digital opportunities, Lorenzon remains dedicated to educating aspiring creators on monetizing their online presence, navigating potential challenges, and maximizing their economic potential in the digital space. Press Contacts Tree Connections Inc. Juanma Salazar management@tree-connections.com 1-786-368-0625 SOURCE: Nicolas Lorenzon View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/771064/Leveraging-Subscription-Based-Digital-Platforms-Nicolas-Lorenzons-Strategy-for-Economic-Empowerment Licify, a Bogota, Colombia-based procurement and financial software startup for the construction industry, raised $3.4m in funding. The round was led by Brick & Mortar Ventures and Accion Venture Lab, with participation from Dash Fund, G2 Momentum Capital, and Columbia Universitys VC fund. The company intends to use the funds to expand to Mexico, to further enhance its product offerings, develop strategic partnerships, and drive the adoption of its digital payments services. Led by Fernando Olloqui, CEO, Licify provides digital supply-chain management software and financial solutions tailored for the construction industry. The company offers a range of innovative products and services that streamline procurement planning, bidding, billing, and payment conciliation, enhancing efficiency and driving economic growth. The previous funding rounds enabled the company to achieve over 17,000 clients in Colombia and facilitate over $2 billion in business between builders and its supply chain in the last two years. FinSMEs 29/07/2023 Solink, an Ottawa, Canada-based physical security company for businesses, closed $60m Series C funding round. The round was led by the Growth Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management with participation from existing investors OMERS Ventures and BDC IT Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to expand its global coverage and to invest in the future of physical security through new AI-native products. Led by Michael Matta, CEO, Solink provides secure and real-time access to security cameras and business intelligence, helping organizations identify risk and transform the way they operate. The companys Video Management System (VMS) uses customers existing security cameras to make them searchable and accessible in the cloud. Solink serves more than 18,000 customer locations in 15 countries including the ones of companies like Tim Hortons, The Container Store, PGA TOUR Superstore and other retailers, restaurants, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing and logistics, property management and education among others. FinSMEs 29/07/2023 If there is one country that has been highly successful in tiger conservation, it is India. According to the 2022 Census, there are 3,167 tigers across the country, accounting for nearly 75 per cent of the worlds wild tiger population. The 2018 Census released in July 2019 put this figure at 2,967. India has seen a gradual surge in the number of tigers, from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,226 in 2014. Besides efforts by wildlife conservationists and forest officials, experts cite nature tourism as one of the reasons for the roaring success in increasing the number of tigers in India. On International Tiger Day, lets take a look at how tourism has impacted Indias tiger conservation efforts. Indias tiger story There were an estimated 1,827 tigers when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched Project Tiger at the Jim Corbett National Park in 1973. It was aimed at not just reviving the dwindling tiger population but also preserving their natural habitat as these big cats are at the top of the food chain, noted Indian Express. Marking 50 years of Project Tiger in April this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the success of the project has been a matter of pride for not only India but the entire world. India has not only saved the tiger but has also given it a great ecosystem to flourish. India currently has 53 tiger reserves spanning over 75,000 sq km, a significant rise from just nine five decades back. Speaking to PTI, wildlife conservationist Prerna Bindra said: This achievement of conservatising tigers, despite our population density and other pressures, hasnt come easy and its been a gradual process since the onset of Project Tiger. We can be justifiably proud that the tiger continues to thrive in India, even as it is unfortunately extinct in some range countries. This success can be attributed to our peoples tolerance, political will and a strong legal and policy framework, one of the strongest in the world. Moreover, protecting tigers leads to saving forest ecosystems as these apex predators keep a check on herbivores, which would otherwise clear forests of plants and trees, conservation experts told the financial newspaper Nikkei Asia. Protecting the tiger means protecting large landscapes and everything within, from butterflies to frogs, and termites to elephants, as well as the trees and the rivers, Anish Andheria, president of the Wildlife Conservation Trust, a Mumbai-based nonprofit conservation agency, was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Role of tiger tourism Experts have acknowledged the role of nature tourism in protecting endangered species. Wildlife enthusiasts run to tiger parks such as Ranthambore, Pench, Bandhavgarh, Tadoba and Sariska to catch a glimpse of the majestic creature every year. Tiger tourism not only generates revenues for these reserves but also for the local communities and conservation bodies. Wildlife expert Julian Matthews told The Telegraph in 2015 that nature tourism is providing the invaluable economic imperative, the myriad of local jobs, and the millions of passionate advocates for the parks that still harbour the greatest densities of tigers in India. Matthews, also a founder of Travel Operators for Tigers, wrote for Outlook Traveller, in 2019: Visitors pay to see the mystical cat in its mythical lands. The passionate visitor returns home to advocate and petition for the beasts long-term security. Safari-goers make authorities and protectors accountable for whats in these wild landscapes day in and day out. They fund the building of an economy that generates rural jobs and new livelihoods that make a landscape and its creatures worth preserving. A study by the Centre for Wildlife Studies published in Nature journal last September showed that tigers were the biggest attraction for tourists visiting Bandipur, Kanha and Sundarbans tiger reserves. Since nature tourism is gaining popularity, we conducted a survey to understand tourists preferences this could help managers of protected areas to strategise and generate revenue better, the lead author of the study Dincy Mariyam said at the time. Previous studies have shown that Indian tourists account for nearly 96 per cent of all visitors to nature reserves across the country, noted Nature. According to the Nikkei Asia report, the number of tigers has seen a hike in areas that are more popular with tourists. This may be because tourists help in keeping a check on poaching activity as well as sometimes contribute to unearthing previously unknown knowledge about tigers. Daleep Akoi, conservationist and proprietor of Jims Jungle Retreat, an eco-friendly wildlife lodge near Uttarakhands Jim Corbett National Park, told the newspaper, As soon as tourism picks up, there is more government attention on the park, which actually means better monitoring and protection mechanisms. ALSO READ: Indias tiger population is rising and so is that of humans: How will we accommodate the big cats? Concerns about nature tourism While experts have noted the many positives of tiger tourism, some have flagged the lesser talked about concerns. Unregulated tourism can lead to tigers being reduced to a selfie experience as seen in some countries, according to a 2016 report by World Animal Protection, a UK-based not-for-profit agency that works for animal welfare, reported Nikkei Asia. In 2019, scat samples from tigers in Madhya Pradeshs Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger Reserves found that the big cats were more stressed during the tourist season than otherwise, reported Outlook magazine. Wildlife scientists have also called for the protection of tribal people who are largely dependent on forests for their livelihood and food sources. In 2015, London-based charity Survival International released a statement advocating for thousands of Baiga and Gond tribal people who were illegally evicted from the Kanha Tiger Reserve. Stephen Corry, Survivals then director, said at the time, as per The Telegraph: Whats happening in Kanha epitomises the ugly side of the conservation industry thousands of tourists career through the park in noisy jeeps, clamouring to take photos of the beleaguered tigers. Meanwhile, Baiga communities that have carefully managed the tigers habitat over generations are annihilated by forced evictions. Wildlife activists contend that nature tourism should not be banned but regulated. According to Outlook, Qamar Qureshi, senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India, said earlier: Wildlife tourism is a very important tool for conservation. By placing a ban on tourism, we would be robbing an entire generation of that experience and a chance to take up conservation as a profession. With inputs from agencies A delegation of Opposition MPs on Saturday embarked on a two-day visit to make an on-the-spot assessment of the ground situation in ethnically strife-torn Manipur. They will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey, and visit relief centres in the northeastern state. Since 3 May, Meitei and tribal communities in Manipur have been engaged in ethnic warfare. MPs from the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), DMK, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal-United (JD-U), and CPM are included in the delegation. The delegation will make recommendations to the government and Parliament for a solution to Manipurs problems, based on their observations, according to PTI. Also read: CBI to probe Manipur video horror: When and how the agency investigates matters The agenda Before leaving Delhi for Manipur, Congress leader Chowdhury told reporters that their objective is to visit as many relief camps as they can and speak with those who have been impacted. The MPs from the opposition boarded a commercial airplane towards Manipur. Two groups of MPs, who would independently visit locations to assess the situation, have been formed. According to NDTV sources, after arriving in Imphal around noon, the opposition leaders would board a helicopter and fly directly to Churachandpur, where they will meet with Kuki tribe chiefs, members of the civil society, and womens organisations. The MPs will also write a report about the visit and then ask for a debate about it in Parliament. Congress MP Chowdhury said, We are going there not to raise political issues but to understand the pain of the people of Manipur. We have been appealing to the government to find a solution to the sensitive situation which has emerged in Manipur. It is not a law and order situation but there is communal violence there. We are going to assess the real situation on the ground in Manipur. Our endeavour is to make an assessment of the situation prevailing in the state. We hope that the state government will not create any hindrance during our visit, Chowdhury said, adding that the government should make efforts to restore normalcy in Manipur, bring peace and resolve the pain and suffering of the people of the state. He added that they will also meet Governor Uikey and apprise her of their experience during their visit. According to PTI, the grand-old party leader said, The government wants to pass of the Manipur violence as a law-and-order situation, but it is not just that as ethnic clashes have taken place there. The government should not try and evade the issue as it is being discussed all over the world. Gaurav Gogoi, the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, demanded an investigation into the violence in the northeastern state before the visit under the direction of a former Supreme Court judge. According to sources who spoke with the news agency, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh was written to by the Opposition bloc INDIA, who then authorised the delegations visit. PTI reported, The MPs have sought to use helicopters in Manipur and if allowed, they will visit the far-flung areas of Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place. Also read: Why refugee influx from Myanmar is a growing concern in Manipur, Mizoram The visiting MPs There are 21 MPs from opposition parties currently in Manipur. Besides Chowdhury and Gogoi, the delegation includes Sushmita Dev from TMC, Mahua Maji from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, DMKs Kanimozhi and D Ravikumar, Mohammad Faizal from Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Lok Dals Jayant Chaudhary, RJDs Manoj Kumar Jha, Revolutionary Socialist Partys NK Premachandran, VCKs T Thirumavalavan, JD-Us chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh and Aneel Prasad Hedge, Javed Ali Khan from Samajwadi Party, IUMLs ET Mohammed Basheer, AAPs Sushil Gupta, Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackerays Arvind Sawant, Phulo Devi Netam and K Suresh from Congress. Also read: Dont interfere: Why Manipur CM Biren Singh has hit out at Mizorams Zoramthanga Criticism The opposition delegations trip to Manipur comes precisely one month after Congress leader Rahul Gandhis 29 and 30 June trip there. His convoy was blocked on the first day of his visit, so he took a helicopter from the state capital Imphal to the violent Churachandpur area. The opposition MPs visit comes at a time when the BJP, which is in power, has urged them to skip visiting the state. The Opposition, according to the BJP, is attempting to incite unrest in the state. Union minister Anurag Thakur described the visit as an act. He told the media, It is just a showoff by the INDIA alliance MPs who have gone to Manipur. The opposition and its allies never spoke when Manipur used to burn during their rule in the state. When they come back from Manipur, I would request Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to bring them to West Bengal. I want to ask him does he agree with the atrocities against women in the state In Rajasthan where there are killings and crimes against women, the opposition did not go there. Will the INDIA alliance also go to Rajasthan? During the current Monsoon Session, there has been a standoff in Parliament over the Manipur issue as the opposition MPs have demanded both a lengthy discussion on the subject and a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has insisted, nevertheless, that Amit Shah, the home minister, will reply to the opposition. Weeks ago, the PM was criticised by the opposition for remaining silent on the subject. The situation in the northeastern state has caused heated exchanges in the Parliament, and the session has been mostly abandoned due to adjournments and the lack of progress. A no-confidence motion against the government in the parliament has also been proposed by Congress. The motion has been approved by the Lok Sabha Speaker, but no date has been set for the no-trust vote. In response to calls for resignation, the government of Chief Minister N Biren Singh has decided to call an assembly meeting at the end of this month or the beginning of August. Also read: Gang-raped, assaulted, killed: How women have become easy targets in Manipur Manipur violence After a Tribal Solidarity March was arranged in the hill districts on May 3 in opposition to the Meitei communitys demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, violence broke out in Manipur. Thousands of people have been displaced and more than 150 people have already died as a result of the violence. Attacks have been made on homes, houses of worship, and places of government. Tension over the displacement of Kuki people from the reserve forest area sparked a string of minor protests before the violence. The majority of Manipurs Meiteis live in the Imphal valley and make up roughly 53 per cent of the states total population. Another 40 per cent of the population are tribal people who live in the hill districts, including the Nagas and Kukis. With inputs from agencies Elon Musks Twitter rebranding has become the talk of the town. The micro-blogging site owner earlier this week replaced the iconic bird with the letter X. Now, the city of San Francisco has opened a complaint and launched an investigation into a giant X sign that was installed on Friday on top of the downtown building formerly known as Twitter headquarters. But why? Lets take a closer look. Also read: The X factor: Will Elon Musks rebranding of Twitter hurt the social media giant? Investigation on City officials say replacing letters or symbols on buildings or erecting a sign on top of one, requires a permit for design and safety reasons. The X appeared after San Francisco police stopped workers on Monday from removing the brands iconic bird and logo from the side of the building, saying they hadnt taped off the sidewalk to keep pedestrians safe if anything fell. Any replacement letters or symbols would require a permit to ensure consistency with the historic nature of the building and to make sure additions are safely attached to the sign, Patrick Hannan, spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection said earlier this week. Erecting a sign on top of a building also requires a permit, Hannan said Friday. Planning review and approval is also necessary for the installation of this sign. The city is opening a complaint and initiating an investigation, he said in an email. Also read: Why Elon Musks X is banned in Indonesia More trouble for X Indonesia has temporarily banned X.com due to its regulations outlawing gambling and online pornography. According to Indonesias Ministry of Communication and Informatics, the site was blocked because the domain had previously been used by sites that disregarded the nations strict rules prohibiting negative content, such as gambling and pornography. EnGadget quoted Usman Kansong, the director general of information and public communication at the ministry, as claiming that X had been contacted by the government to provide further information about the sites purpose. Earlier today, we spoke with representatives from Twitter and they will send a letter to us to say that X.com will be used by Twitter, Kansong said on Tuesday. Due to the change, the platform, which purportedly has 24 million members among Indonesias 270 million people, is currently inaccessible to Indonesians. Moreover, the generic nature of the letter X may also make it difficult for the company to register new trademarks and protect them. This is because rival companies like Microsoft and Meta have a tonne of trademarks on X that could obstruct Musks aspirations for Twitters future. Also read: Twitter rebrands to X: Tracing Elon Musks obsession with the letter The X factor Musk unveiled a new X logo to replace Twitters famous blue bird as he remakes the social media platform he bought for $44 billion last year. The X started appearing at the top of the desktop version of Twitter on Monday. The Tesla CEO has described the micro-blogging platforms rebranding, which received a mixed reception from users, as the first step towards changing it into an everything app that offers services other than social networking, like payments and banking, like Chinas WeChat. Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla, has long been fascinated with the letter X and had already renamed Twitters corporate name to X Corp. after he bought it in October. One of his children is called X. The childs actual name is a collection of letters and symbols. Additionally, Musk has often used the letter X throughout his organisations. In 1999, he co-founded x.com, an online bank that subsequently became PayPal. In 2017, he obtained the name from PayPal once more and claimed it to have sentimental value. However, experts have criticised the move. Bloomberg quoted experts as saying that the value of the social media firm was slashed by Musks rebranding of Twitter from somewhere between $4 billion to $20 billion. According to Steve Susi, director of brand communication at Siegel and Gale, It took 15-plus years to earn that much equity worldwide, so losing Twitter as a brand name is a significant financial hit. With inputs from The Associated Press BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Saturday, criticized the visit of the Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc to Manipur, labeling it as political tourism. Tiwari, expressed disapproval towards the leaders for sharing photos of their travel on social media and suggested that they should instead concentrate on assessing the situation in the northeastern state. He further recommended that the leaders focus on discussing the issue in Parliament. Speaking to news agency ANI, the Northeast Delhi MP said, Instead of analysing the situation there (Manipur), they are posting pictures on their way to and from the airport, so are they on political tourism? They should consider having a discussion in Parliament #WATCH | On Opposition MPs of I.N.D.I.A parties visiting Manipur, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, says "Instead of analysing the situation there (Manipur), they are posting pictures on their way to airport and from the airport, so are they on a political tourism? They should consider having pic.twitter.com/VDAzpKEtAi ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 Earlier today, a delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition INDIA alliance arrived in Imphal to gain insights into the on-ground situation in the state, which has been grappling with ethnic violence since May 3. The team of opposition MPs has planned to visit various relief camps in order to meet the victims affected by the clashes in Manipur. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asserted that their main focus is not engaging in political activities but rather to advocate for an end to the violence and the swift restoration of peace. He emphasized the international attention on the situation in Manipur. Upon arriving in Imphal via a commercial flight from Delhi, the delegation immediately went to Churachandpur, where recent incidents of violence occurred, to meet with the victims from the Kuki community residing in the relief camps. In response to the BJPs accusations of politicizing the Manipur issue, Congress lawmaker Gaurav Gogoi refuted the claims, stating that they would have preferred to be part of an all-party delegation led by the Prime Minister. However, he pointed out that the Prime Minister has not addressed the situation in Manipur in Parliament. On Sunday, the opposition MPs have scheduled a meeting with Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan to discuss potential measures and initiatives aimed at resolving the conflict. Union minister Anurag Thakur criticized the two-day visit of the opposition MPs, describing it as a mere display for publicity. The senior BJP leader accused the previous governments of remaining indifferent when Manipur faced turmoil in the past and claimed that they did not raise objections in Parliament during those times. Additionally, he asserted that after the delegations return on Sunday afternoon, they would disrupt the functioning of both Houses of Parliament. Over 160 individuals have lost their lives, and several others have been injured in Manipur following a Tribal Solidarity March that took place in the hill districts. The march was organized to protest against the Meitei communitys request for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis make up approximately 53 percent of Manipurs population, while the tribal communities, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute around 40 percent of the population. During the two-day visit of a delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition coalition INDIA to Manipur, the mother of one of the two women who were paraded naked by a mob on May 4 made a heartfelt plea. She urged TMC MP Sushmita Dev and DMK MP Kanimozhi, who were part of the delegation, to assist her in seeing the bodies of her son and husband, who were also killed on the same day during the violent incident. She also told the two leaders the situation is such that Kukis and Meteis, the two warring communities, cannot live together anymore. Her daughter was raped, and her husband and son were killed by the mob in the presence of Manipur Police but till today, not a single police officer has been suspended, Dev told PTI-Video. They have got a huge shock. They are saying that there was a mob of more than 1,000 people, and they have made a specific demand, which I will raise with the governor, she said. The girl alleged that she was raped in front of the police, but nothing was done to help her, she added. Dev claimed that the girl is scared of the police now. If a victim does not trust the police anymore then it is a constitutional crisis. Kanimozhi said the victims father served in the Army and protected the nation, but could not protect his family. It is so sad to see a woman whose daughter was raped. She lost her husband and her son on the same day and there is no justice for them, she said. The viral video of the May 4 incident renewed the national attention on Manipur, where violence broke out nearly three months ago, killing over 160 people since then, and injuring hundreds. The violence erupted on May 3 after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei communitys demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipurs population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mainly in the hill districts. With inputs from PTI Indian woman Anju,who traveled to Pakistan to meet her Facebook friend Nasrullah and eventually got married, leaving her Indian husband Arvind Kumar in Alwar, received generous gifts from the CEO of Pak Star Group of Companies, Mohsin Khan Abbasi. To help Anju, now known as Fatima,Pakistan businessman presented her with 10 Marla housing land and a cheque worth PKR 50,000. These gestures were made to warmly welcome her and support Anjus transition to her new life in the country. Anju received 10 Marla housing land,cheque of 50K, & other Gifts, given by Islamabad Based businessman & CEO of Pak Star Group of Companies Mohsin Khan Abbasi. CEO PSG said that, #Anju has converted to Islam and married Nasrullah,so we are welcoming her. #AnjuNasrullahLoveStory pic.twitter.com/22j5CWM9LC Ghulam Abbas Shah (@ghulamabbasshah) July 29, 2023 A video capturing Mohsin Khan Abbasis interaction with Anju and Nasrullah, along with his statement about the gifts, is going viral on social networking sites, thanks to Pakistan-based journalists. According to Abbasi, Anjus arrival from India and her decision to convert to Islam are reasons for celebration, and the gifts are a gesture of welcoming and congratulating her. He expressed immense happiness and stated that the gifts were a small way to show appreciation for her. Anju has come here from India and converted to Islam. So these gifts are to welcome her, to congratulate her as we are immensely happy. This is just a small attempt to appreciate her, Mohsin Khan Abbasi said. Mohsin Khan Abbasi stated that when someone moves to a new place, one of the main challenges is finding suitable housing. As his company had an ongoing project, they decided to offer accommodation to Anju by providing her with a plot in her name. Additionally, they gave her other small gifts to ensure that she feels welcomed and supported after converting to Islam, with the aim of making Pakistan feel like her home. Anjus father expresses his sorrow and disappointment at his daughters actions Earlier Gaya Prasad Thomas, the father of Anju, a married Indian woman who travelled to Pakistan to meet her Facebook friend Nasrullah and got married to him on Tuesday, expressed his sorrow and disappointment at his daughters actions. She is as good as dead for the family. She has no right to come back to India. If she returns, then she has to face strict punishment. What she did is wrong and people who do that deserve punishment, Gaya Prasad Thomas said while speaking to ANI. Anju, a married Indian woman travelled to Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and married her Facebook friend there on Tuesday. Further, talking about the same, Thomas said that Anju has no right to take her two children. A minor girl, aged 12, was allegedly raped by two men in Madhya Pradeshs Satna district. The victim was found covered in blood and bitten multiple times. The crime took place near a renowned temple in the area and the accused, who have now been arrested, reportedly worked for a trust managing the place of worship. They are reportedly associated with Maa Sharda Devi Mandir Management Committee, Maihar. We got information on Friday morning that around a 12-year-old girl was raped in the district. After a preliminary inquiry, the police arrested two accused in this case. The girl is undergoing treatment and she has been referred to Rewa. Strict actions will be taken against the accused. Further investigation is underway, Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Lokesh Dawar said. The victim continues to remain in critical condition. The incident took place on Thursday in the temple town of Maihar. The two accused men had allegedly lured the girl into an isolated place following which they assaulted her, police said. The accused have been identified as Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya, according to a PTI report. Accused inserted hard object in victims private parts The two men had allegedly inserted hard objects into the minors private parts after taking her to the isolated crime scene. I am not denying that a stick or some other object was inserted into the 12-year-olds private parts by accused Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya. But this is something that can only be confirmed only in a medical report. We are still awaiting her medical report. Yes she was bleeding and doctors are monitoring her health, Satna Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Gupta said. The news of the incident prompted an angry crowd to reach the hospital where the girl is getting treated. Police and district officials rushed to the hospital to prevent the situation from escalating. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan responds Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the incident was distressing and ordered officials to take swift action against the accused. I have received information about the rape in Maihar. My heart is full of pain, I am distressed. The police have arrested the criminals. Instructions have been given to the administration to make arrangements for proper treatment of the girl. No criminal will be spared, strictest action will be taken, Chouhan said. , , Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) July 28, 2023 Meanwhile, the Maa Sharda Devi Mandir Management Committee issued a statement saying that the accused, who were employed with them, have been sacked after a criminal case was filed against them. Their indecent act has tarnished the image of the temple, the statement said. Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey went to the relief camps in Manipur on Saturday ahead of the visit by a 21-member delegation of the Opposition. Uikey has urged the visiting I.N.D.I.A alliance leaders to contribute to the restoration of peace and order to the violence-hit state. She has also asked leaders from all parties to help pacify the situation in the state. People are asking when peace will be restored to the state. I make constant efforts to bring communities and stakeholders together in the interest of restoring peace to the state. We are also calling on all political parties to help us in this effort, she said. The governor interacted with displaced people in the relief camps where they described their ordeal to her. #WATCH | Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey consoles a woman who narrates her story to her at a relief camp in Churachandpur pic.twitter.com/xQrSQz3ahb ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 The government will provide compensation to people, to lost family members to the violence and also suffered loss of property. I will do everything possible to bring peace to Manipur and towards the welfare and well-being of the people, across communities, she assured. #WATCH | Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey meets people staying in a relief camp in Churachandpur The government will provide compensation to people who have lost members of their family and suffered loss of property. I will do everything possible for peace and the future of the pic.twitter.com/N43FZhKsoc ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 The twenty member MPs delegation having MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha includes K Suresh, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh, Sushmita Dev, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Sandosh Kumar, AA Rahim, Prof Manoj Kumar Jha, Javed Ali Khan, Mahua Maji, PP Mohammed Faizal, Aneel Prasad Hegde, ET Mohammed Basheer, NK Premachandran, Sushil Gupta, Arvind Sawant, D Ravikumar, Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan, Jayant Singh and Phulo Devi Netam. In the coming week, we want to keep before the Parliament what the concerns of people of Manipur.Those who used to talk about one India have created two sides in Manipur, said Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Imam Hussain on Saturday, saying his courage and commitment to the ideals of justice and human dignity are noteworthy. Muslims across the world, especially Shias, commemorate the death of Hussain on this day in the battle of Karbala. Better known as ashura, it is the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram. We recall the sacrifices made by Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS). His courage and commitment to the ideals of justice and human dignity are noteworthy, Modi said on Twitter. Ukraine has made a significant change to its official Christmas holiday, moving it to 25 December, in contrast to the Russian Orthodox churchs celebration on 7 January. The bill signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday, growing rift between the churches in Kyiv and Moscow, particularly since Russias invasion of Ukraine. The relentless and successful struggle for their identity contributes to the desire of every Ukrainian to live their own life with their own traditions and holidays, reads an explanatory note to the bill on the parliaments website. In the past, the church followed the tradition of celebrating Christmas on 7 January, aligning with the Moscow Patriarchy, which has expressed support for Putins actions in attacking Ukraine. Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox church and a strong supporter of Putin, even stated that Russian soldiers killed in the conflict would be absolved of their sins. However, last year, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine permitted its followers to observe Christmas on 25 December instead. This move indicates a notable shift in the churchs stance and highlights the ongoing tensions between the two churches amid the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. The new laws intention was to break away from the Russian tradition of observing Christmas on 7 January, as it was seen as a part of Russias cultural influence on Ukraine. For centuries, Ukraine had been under the spiritual guidance of Moscow. However, in 2019, a faction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church decided to sever ties with Moscow due to Russias annexation of Crimea and its backing of separatist movements in eastern Ukraine. This move reflects a significant shift in Ukraines religious and cultural dynamics, as the country seeks to assert its independence and identity. In May 2022, the Russia-backed faction of Ukraines Orthodox Church also declared a break from Moscow. Shifting the Christmas celebration to 25 December is just one aspect of a broader national effort to dismantle symbols associated with Russia, the Soviet Union, and communism. This process gained momentum in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea and initiated a pro-Moscow rebellion in the eastern Donbas region. The change in the Christmas holiday is a reflection of Ukraines ongoing efforts to assert its independence and distance itself from Russias cultural and political influence. The government of Manipur on Saturday resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all illegal immigrants from Myanmar in the on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, an official release said. Manipur shares a border with Myanmar which has been facing instability since a military coup in 2021. On instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India to complete the campaign for biometric capture of illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State of Manipur by September 2023, the Government of Manipur has resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State from today, the release said. The release said that a team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) assisted the State Government officials in capturing biometric data of illegal immigrants in Imphal East District today. On instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India to complete the campaign for biometric capture of illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State of Manipur by September 2023, the Govt of Manipur has resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all illegal Myanmar pic.twitter.com/sx68ji2ZOO ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 A team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs for training and handholding of State Government Officers in this campaign, assisted the State Government officials in capturing biometric data of illegal immigrants at Foreigners Detention Centre, Sajiwa, Imphal East District today, it said. The campaign will continue in all districts until biometric data of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State are successfully captured. The same is targeted for completion by September 2023, the release added. Manipur violence Over 160 people have been killed in ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities since May. Violence broke out after tribal groups organised a rally on 3 May against the Manipur High Courts direction to the state government to consider granting Scheduled Tribe status to the majority Meitei community. With inputs from agencies Giving a special message at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad on 24 May 2023, to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Pakistans nuclear test Lieutenant General Khalid Kidwai (Retd) provided a new insight into Pakistans otherwise ambiguous nuclear doctrine. What General Kidwai says matters because he is currently an advisor to Pakistans National Command Authority (NCA), which controls Research and Development and all other policy matters concerning nuclear weapons. He has a deep association with Pakistans nuclear programme as he founded the Strategic Plans Division (SPD) which he headed for nearly fourteen years, and has been the central figure overseeing the development and expansion of Pakistans nuclear arsenal for the past twenty-five years. Iqbal Malhotra in his remarkable book, The Mullah and The Poppies: A Tale of Deception, has very clearly brought out how Pakistans nuclear programme benefitted immensely from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as the West was compelled to turn a blind eye towards Pakistans ambitious nuclear programme. Surprisingly General Kidwai admitted to this during his talk and said, Allah was clearly on our side when he provided breathing space to Pakistans nuclear programme when USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979 as international focus on Pakistans nuclear progress was pushed to the background. Expanded Scope of Pakistan Nuclear Policy During his address, he reiterated some of the long-standing positions of Pakistans nuclear policy, such as the strength of its nuclear triad based on land, air, and sea-based capabilities to deter India. He also discussed full-spectrum deterrence that is both horizontal and vertical deterrence. In his words, full-spectrum deterrence comprises horizontally of a robust tri-services inventory of a variety of nuclear weapons [that] is held on land with the Army Strategic Force Command, the ASFC; at sea with the Naval Strategic Force Command, the NSFC; and in the air with the Air Force Strategic Command, the AFSC. Vertical deterrence covers strategic, operational and tactical ranges. However, what stood out in his statement was that vertically the spectrum encapsulates adequate range coverage from 0 meters to 2,750 kilometers as well as nuclear weapons destructive yields at three tiersstrategic, operational, and tactical. Full Spectrum Deterrence While articulating FSD, General Kidwai talked of possession of full spectrum of nuclear weapons in all three categories strategic, operational and tactical, with full range coverage of the large Indian land mass and its outlying territories. The second element he said was that Pakistan possesses an entire range of weapons in yield coverage and the numbers to deter the adversarys pronounced policy of massive retaliation. He explained that this implies that counter-massive retaliation punishment will be as severe if not more. The third aspect was about the liberty of choosing from a full spectrum of targets, in a target rich India notwithstanding the Ballistic Missile Defence, to include counter-value, counter-force, and battlefield targets. FSD was approved by Pakistans National Command Authority at its meeting on 5 September 2013. The policy was developed in response to Indias war fighting concepts of Cold Start and Pro-Active Operations (PAO) to provide a range of options to the decision-makers. Implications of Minimum Range Reducing the minimum range to Zero meters is unprecedented and points to a major shift in Islamabads nuclear policy thinking. Zero-range weapons suggests that Pakistan is either going to develop frontline weapons with yields as low as a fraction of a kilotonor Pakistan could possibly lay nuclear land mines across the border to deter any offensive. However, this statement does not provide any details of the existing scientific research and design testing. Keeping with the spirit of ambiguity, there is unlikely to be a follow-up soon to clear the air. Pakistan has always kept its nuclear policy vague and deliberately ambiguous; its missile ranges are the only aspect that has always been announced publicly through after every missile test. General Kidwais statement, does not divulge whether the zero-range announcement refers to a technical milestone in Pakistans nuclear development or is a rhetorical escalation. Prior to Kidwais statement, the officially announced lowest range in Pakistans nuclear inventory was the Nasr, or Hatf-9 ballistic missile, with a range of 60 kilometers. The first solid-fuel tactical ballistic missile test fired in 2011 was projected to be a response to Indias Cold Start doctrine, which had received huge flak for its potential security risks and command and control challenges. The upper limit of 2,750 kilometers refers to the land-based surface-to-surface medium-range ballistic missile Shaheen-3, which was first test-fired in 2015 with the stated aim to reach the Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar, thereby denying New Delhi the strategic bases for a potential second-strike capability. The upper limit was restricted to 2,750 kilometers to signal that Pakistans nuclear missile program is only India-specific and does not pose a threat to any other country in the region and beyond. The bigger question is what strategic objective Pakistan wishes to achieve by going below the already controversial 60-kilometer range to zero-range weapons. As FSD is aimed at plugging the perceived gaps in Pakistans deterrence posture, the apparent announcement of a zero-range policy seems to have been developed in response to a growing perception that Indias 2019 airstrikes on Balakot had called Pakistans nuclear bluff. While defending Nasrs development and its role in nuclear planning, Pakistani officials have often contended that use of any nuclear weapons on the battlefield would have strategic consequences. While this position might have allayed Western concerns regarding Pakistans attempt to lower the nuclear threshold, it may also have inadvertently made the use of Nasr less than credible. Quid Pro Quo Plus On 6 February 2020 while speaking at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London, General Kidwai chose Latin, a language not commonly used except by the Holy See, to articulate Pakistans declared policy by stating Quid Pro Quo Plus. During his talk, he stated that Pakistan must shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the vital strategic balance in the conventional and nuclear equation with India as the critical determinant of the state of strategic stability in South Asia. The strategic imbalances as per him had always been created by India to which Pakistan had always responded appropriately. He then dwelt upon the measures taken by Pakistan, while countering these. The details listed were the first use of rudimentary nuclear deterrence along with quickly counter mobilising their conventional force during Exercise Brass Tacks. The second measure was the response to the Pokhran tests in May 1998, which were followed up by Pakistan carrying out its own tests and declaring itself as a nuclear weapon state. Incidentally, 28 May, the day Pakistan detonated its first nuclear device is celebrated as the Day of Greatness, and the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had stated on 30 May 1998, We have settled the score. Pakistans response to Balakot, according to General Kidwai was shooting down two Indian aircraft and deliberately precision bombing an area close to where India Commanders were visiting with the aim of not causing any physical casualties. As the memory of the event is still clear in everyones mind, we know how far removed from reality this statement was. He also stated that Pakistan will not allow any no new normal to prevail and will always seek to maintain the status quo ante. This is important for it clearly brings out that they will continue to maintain their revisionist policy and support terrorism. They feel that large scale wars are in the past and being well aware of the disparity in the conventional forces between the two nations their focus is on increasing their nuclear arsenal. Imran Khan the then Pakistan Prime Minister had threatened nuclear war over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act at the First Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December 2019 and had earlier mentioned the same while referring to removal of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, while speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2019. The Indian response was appropriate, by calling it brinkmanship and not statesmanship. Pakistans Predicament Pakistan today is destabilised to a large degree by both its internal and external situation. Internally, apart from the numerous fault lines existing and the challenges being faced by religious fundamentalists and their proxies their main institutions have developed cracks which are visible. There is turbulence in the political space and the army and of course the economy is in tatters. Externally for them India remains the paramount threat and the rise in Indias global stature and importance in the global strategic space wherein it is being wooed by world leaders across the globe, buoyancy in the economy, the capacity and capability building that is taking place are all matters of concern. The Indian Armed Forces which are modernising, and adding to their technological capabilities have demonstrated their resolve while standing up to China at Galwan. All these point to a growing conventional asymmetry the gulf of which is constantly widening. They are also worried that our Ballistic Missile Defence will place Indias critical strategic targets outside Pakistans capability to destroy them. The growing differential is what is worrying and leading to a feeling of isolation particularly as terrorism as an instrument of state policy has been checked to a large degree. Hence General Kidwai chose this platform for strategic signalling to reassure the people of Pakistan that the possession of nuclear weapons by Pakistan remains important and they not only pose a credible threat to India but are also capable in ensuring the security of the nation. At the same time, it is a signal to India that there is no place for a conventional war under a nuclear overhang and it has closed the window of any future surgical strikes as was witnessed during Balakot. They are stating that they have no option other than escalating a conflict with nuclear weapons and that nuclear deterrence is now inbuilt at every level; tactical, operational and strategic. By constantly developing nuclear weapons which they know they cannot use and a conventional army that has failed to win any war, Pakistan has chosen the path of relying on the use of terrorism under the nuclear umbrella as its stated policy for achieving its strategic goals. The sword and shield strategy is what they feel will give them security, the sword being terrorism and the strategic shield being nuclear weapons. Conclusion Strategic stability does not only hinge on nuclear weapons and deterrence, but is based on all elements of national power. As a responsible and mature nation, we should not let the nuclear bluff by our adversary deter us from instituting measures and taking appropriate action for safeguarding our national interests and values when it is necessary. To quote Brigadier Arun Saghal (Retd), We should be prepared with our own response mechanism to deal with any such situation created for us on the borders and that Pakistan remains highly unsatisfied with the rapidly improving situation in Kashmir. India remains a responsible nuclear power and our doctrine of no first use with massive retaliation causing unacceptable damage puts the onus of Indias reaction on the player who initiates the first step. The principal takeaway from history to remember is that a nuclear conflict that cannot be won, cannot be fought. The author is a retired Major General of the Indian Army. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. A 21-member delegation from the Opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A is en route to Manipur to assess the ground situation in the violence-hit state. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) has decided to send 21 Members of Parliament from 16 parties for a two-day on-the-spot assessment. In the coming week, we want to keep before the Parliament what the concerns of people of Manipur.Those who used to talk about one India have created two sides in Manipur, said Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi. The twenty member MPs delegation having MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha includes K Suresh, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh, Sushmita Dev, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Sandosh Kumar, AA Rahim, Prof Manoj Kumar Jha, Javed Ali Khan, Mahua Maji, PP Mohammed Faizal, Aneel Prasad Hegde, ET Mohammed Basheer, NK Premachandran, Sushil Gupta, Arvind Sawant, D Ravikumar, Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan, Jayant Singh and Phulo Devi Netam. We are going there not to raise political issues but to understand the pain of the people of Manipur. We have been appealing to the government to find a solution to the sensitive situation which has emerged in Manipur, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said. Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on visit of 20 MPs from opposition alliance INDIA to violence-hit Manipur We are going there not to raise political issues but to understand the pain of the people of Manipur. We have been appealing to the government to find a solution to the pic.twitter.com/GcdNsMLWzP ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 He added, It is not a law & order situation but there is communal violence there. It is also affecting its neighbouring states. The government has not fulfilled its responsibility. We are going to assess the real situation on the ground in Manipur. We are going to Manipur today to understand the agonies and atrocities faced by the people there. We want to hear their expectationsAs opposition MPs, we will support in all ways to bring normalcy there, PP Mohammed Faizal, NCP-Sharad Pawar faction MP said. INDIA delegation of 20 Members of Parliament will visit #Manipur today We are going to Manipur today to understand the agonies and atrocities faced by the people there. We want to hear their expectationsAs opposition MPs, we will support in all ways to bring normalcy there: pic.twitter.com/nGI98pbJmI ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 Police begin process of recording statements Manipur Police have got in touch with the two women who were paraded naked in May and then sexually assaulted, and are in the process of recording their statement, PTI quoted officials as saying on Friday. They said keeping in mind the situation arising out of ethnic clashes that broke out in the state on May 4, a team of women officials and personnel from Manipur police was formed to probe the case. The officials said the team had met the family members as well as the two women and the process of recording their statements has begun. With inputs from agencies BJP President JP Nadda on Saturday held a core committee meeting in Rajasthan ahead of Assembly elections in the state. VIDEO | BJP national president @JPNadda held the partys core committee meeting in Jaipur, Rajasthan, earlier today. pic.twitter.com/OLyjftCYUG Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 29, 2023 With the Assembly Polls coming closer, the political heat in Rajasthan has intensified with the Congress and BJP slamming each other over a variety of issues. Most recently, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot claimed that the PMO removed his three-minute speech for Prime Minister Narendra Modis event in Rajasthan. Meanwhile, responding to Gehlots tweet, the PMO tweeted, In accordance with protocol, you have been duly invited and your speech was also slotted. But, your office said you will not be able to join. During PMs previous visits as well you have always been invited and you have also graced those programmes with your presence. You are most welcome to join todays programme. Your name is very much there on the plaque of the development works as well. Unless you have any physical discomfort owing to your recent injury, your presence will be deeply valued, the PMO added. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the red diary will reveal secrets that would ruin Congress in the upcoming polls. Addressing a rally at Sikar in Rajasthan, the Prime Minister said that the Congress has only run Loot ki dukaan and Jhooth ka bazaar in Rajasthan in the name of running government. The red diary is a fresh product of the Congress loot ki dukan. It is said that the dark deeds of the Congress are recorded in the diary, which will defeat the party in elections in the state, Modi said. The red diary was recently produced by the now-dismissed Congress leader Rajendra Gudha in the state assembly. He claimed the diary contained the details of the alleged irregular financial transactions of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Declaracion del Secretario de Estado, Antony Blinken, por el aniversario de la independencia del Peru:https://t.co/LzYTJAN0qT BJP National President JP Nadda made a major rejig in the partys central office-bearers on Saturday in preparation for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. Tariq Mansoor, a Pasmananda Muslim and a Member of the Legislative Council from Uttar Pradesh as well as the ex-vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, has been brought on board as the BJP vice president. The Bhartiya Janata Party has also accommodated its former Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar as a national general secretary. Meanwhile, the party has C T Ravi, a leader from Karnataka, and Dilip Saikia, a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, as its general secretaries, with sources indicating that they may be contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, according to PTI. Also joining the post of national secretary is former Congress leader A K Antonys son Anil Antony. Anil had left Congress earlier this year to join BJP. Most of the office-bearers have been retained as vice presidents, general secretaries and secretaries in the new list. BJP West Bengal Vice President Dilip Ghosh has also lost his post. There are 13 vice presidents, nine general secretaries, including B L Santhosh as the in-charge of organisation, and 13 secretaries on the list. Former Union minister Radha Mohan Singh, a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, has been dropped as a party vice-president. With inputs from PTI The 21-member delegation of the Opposition has reached Manipur and their first order of business was to visit relief camps in the violence-hit state. The twenty member MPs delegation having MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha includes K Suresh, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh, Sushmita Dev, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Sandosh Kumar, AA Rahim, Prof Manoj Kumar Jha, Javed Ali Khan, Mahua Maji, PP Mohammed Faizal, Aneel Prasad Hegde, ET Mohammed Basheer, NK Premachandran, Sushil Gupta, Arvind Sawant, D Ravikumar, Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan, Jayant Singh and Phulo Devi Netam. #WATCH | Manipur | Opposition MPs of I.N.D.I.A parties visit a relief camp in Churachandpur district. pic.twitter.com/R2TukSVMGk ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 The 21 MPs of the I.N.D.I.A alliance went to a relief camp in the Churachandpur district. It was important for us to come and meet the victims here, the sad part is that the Government of India should have sent a delegation but Opposition parties have to send a delegation here, TMC MP Sushmita Dev said. #WATCH | Manipur | After visiting a relief camp in Churachandpur district, TMC MP Sushmita Dev says It was important for us to come and meet the victims here, the sad part is that the Government of India should have sent a delegation but Opposition parties have to send a pic.twitter.com/wZDqEjneXJ ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 RJD MP Manoj Jha said, We met several people in the relief camp here and listened to their problems. We have assured them that there will be a change in the situation and we are all working in that direction. #WATCH | Manipur | After visiting a relief camp in Churachandpur district, RJD MP Manoj Jha says, We met several people in the relief camp here and listened to their problems. We have assured them that there will be a change in the situation and we are all working in that pic.twitter.com/ltsRKN6Weo ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 After reaching Imphal, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi told ANI, We want the people to be heard. We are going to convey their demand in Parliament. We have come to represent the people of Manipur and their concerns. Manipur Governor visits relief camp Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey went to the relief camps in Manipur on Saturday ahead of the visit by a 21-member delegation of the Opposition. Uikey urged the visiting I.N.D.I.A alliance leaders to contribute to the restoration of peace and order to the violence-hit state. She has also asked leaders from all parties to help pacify the situation in the state. People are asking when peace will be restored to the state. I make constant efforts to bring communities and stakeholders together in the interest of restoring peace to the state. We are also calling on all political parties to help us in this effort, she said. Show-off Slamming the Opposition over its visit to Manipur to assess the on-ground situation, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, It is just a showoff by the INDIA alliance MPs who have gone to Manipur. The opposition & its allies never spoke when Manipur used to burn during their rule in the state. When they come back from Manipur, I would request Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to bring them to West Bengal. I want to ask Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury does he agree with the atrocities against women in the state, he added. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, Instead of analysing the situation there (Manipur), they are posting pictures on their way to airport and from the airport, so are they on a political tourism? They should consider having discussion in Parliament. A major US-Australia military exercise was paused after a defence helicopter that was part of the drills crashed into the Pacific, leaving four crew members missing on Saturday. Australias Defence Minister Richard Marles said the MRH-90 Taipan went down late Friday night in sub-tropical waters near Hamilton Island, Queensland. The chopper was taking part in Australias Talisman Sabre exercise which features over 30,000 military personnel from Australia, US and other nations. As we speak to you now, the four aircrew are yet to be found, Marles said after a nearly overnight search, which is set to continue Saturday. According to AFP, all four missing crew members are Australian. The families of the four aircrew have been notified of this incident and our hopes and thoughts are very much with the aircrew and their families, Marles added. We desperately hope for better news during the course of this day. It is, however, still not clear what caused the accident. About Talisman Sabre The Talisman Sabre exercise is a biennial combined Australian and United States (US) training activity that is participated by allied forces. It is designed to train respective military force elements in planning and conducting Combined Task Force operations to improve combat readiness and interoperability between the ADF and its allies. It is a major combined (ie international) and joint (ie Army, Navy and Air Force and Marines) exercise involving thousands of troops on the land, sea and in the air and major assets such as Australian and allied warships, fighters, bombers, helicopters and armour and artillery. The Australian Police on Saturday said that debris from an Australian military helicopter, that crashed into the Pacific while taking part in the Talisman Sabre exercise, had been found in the ocean. However, there is still no sign of the four missing crew members. Militaries from at least three nations have joined police in looking for the crew of an MRH-90 Taipan that went down late Friday night in subtropical waters off the northeast coast of Australia. We have located a number of items of debris that would appear to be from the missing helicopter, said Queensland Police Superintendent Douglas McDonald. He insisted hope had not yet faded for finding the crew alive, saying At this time it remains a search and rescue operation. He added that on Sunday planes and boats from the Australian, Canadian and US militaries would join the search and rescue operations. Talisman Sabre was paused after a defence helicopter that was part of the drills crashed into the Pacific. Australias Defence Minister Richard Marles said the MRH-90 Taipan went down late Friday night in sub-tropical waters near Hamilton Island, Queensland. The chopper was taking part in Australias Talisman Sabre exercise which features over 30,000 military personnel from Australia, US and other nations. The incident was, according to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, a stark reminder of the risk that the men and women who serve us take, and the courage that they show every day in the service of their country. While both Australian and US officials expressed concern about the incident, they insisted drills were needed to ensure both militaries were match fit. About Talisman Sabre The Talisman Sabre exercise is a biennial combined Australian and United States (US) training activity that is participated by allied forces. It is designed to train respective military force elements in planning and conducting Combined Task Force operations to improve combat readiness and interoperability between the ADF and its allies. It is a major combined (ie international) and joint (ie Army, Navy and Air Force and Marines) exercise involving thousands of troops on the land, sea and in the air and major assets such as Australian and allied warships, fighters, bombers, helicopters and armour and artillery. With inputs from AFP Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will arrive here on Sunday on a three-day visit to participate in the 10th anniversary celebrations of the ambitious multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the foreign office said on Saturday. The Vice Premier, who is a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, will visit Islamabad from July 30 to August 1 at the invitation of Pakistan, the statement from the FO said. Vice Premier He will attend the 10th-anniversary celebrations of CPEC and call on the President and the Prime Minister, FO said, adding that He will also be the chief guest at an event celebrating the decade of the CPEC. The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013. The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistans Balochistan with Chinas Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Chinas ambitious multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The BRI was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to further its influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments all over the world. The initiative also led to allegations of smaller countries reeling under mounting Chinese debt after Sri Lanka gave its Hambantota port in a debt swap to China in 2017 on a 99-year lease. Vice Premier He has played a prominent role in Chinas international economic relations and implementation of the BRI. As the Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (2017-23), he also was instrumental in the planning and execution of multiple CPEC projects in Pakistan. The Pakistan FO said that the visit reflects the importance attached by Pakistan and China to further deepen their All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. It also reaffirms support on issues of each others core interests; enhances economic and financial cooperation; advances high-quality development of CPEC; and explores new avenues for strengthening trade and investment ties between the two countries. Tensions in the East and South China Seas have increased as a result of certain unnamed nations frequently sending out ships and aircraft to show off their military force for self-interest, according to Chinas defence ministry on Saturday. Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for the ministry, said the measures have significantly exacerbated regional tensions, despite the fact that the overall situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea was largely stable, in response to a Japanese defence assessment highlighting Chinese threats. Tan claimed that Japans annual defence document deliberately exaggerates the so-called Chinese military threat and presented a wrong perception of China. He claimed that China had made forceful representations to Tokyo indicating its steadfast opposition to the publication. He reaffirmed Japans ongoing meddling in Chinese domestic affairs, violations of international norms, undermining of the foundation of Sino-Japanese relations, and aggravation of the Taiwan Strait issue. Japans annual military report, which was published last week, provided a sombre assessment of the threat posed by Chinas territorial ambitions, its security alliance with Russia, and a belligerent North Korea. It expressed worry that Russias use of force to settle a disagreement set a precedent that undermines the security of nearby Taiwan, which Beijing sees as its own territory, and condemned Russias war on Ukraine as a serious violation of international law in last years document. Japan declared in December that it would double its defence spending over the following five years, beginning the countrys largest military buildup since World War Two. China-Russia cooperation in the field of defence is based on non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third parties, and is committed to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world, without posing a threat to any country, Tan said. (With agency inputs) French President Emmanuel Macron will on Saturday chair a defence meeting on the coup in Niger, the presidency said, after a powerful general declared himself the new leader. Former colonial master France has some 1,500 troops in the West African nation, which is one of its last allies in the Sahel region after French forces had to withdraw from neighbouring Mali earlier this year. The high court of Hong Kong has rejected the Chinese governments bid to ban Glory to Hong Kong, a pro-democracy protest song. The high court said that banning the song could create a chilling effect and seriously undermine the freedom of expression. The government, on the other hand, argues that Glory to Hong Kong insults Chinas national anthem and that its distribution and online publication can give people the false impression that Hong Kong is an independent country. I am unable to see a solid basis for believing that the invocation of the civil jurisdiction can assist in the enforcement of the law in question, Judge Anthony Chan said in his ruling. Chan added that the court is entitled to the duty of protecting human rights which includes freedom of expression. Innocent people might be discouraged from legitimate activities involving the song for fear of the severe consequences of breaching the injunction, he said. In 2019, the song had become an unofficial anthem during the pro-democracy protests. Human rights activists welcome ruling The high courts ruling was well received by Chinese human rights activists. The Hong Kong government should respect the decision and refrain from making further attempts to censor the protest song Glory to Hong Kong and other political expressions, Sophie Richardson, the China director at Human Rights Watch said. She added, It should also stop its aggressive campaign to undermine internationally guaranteed human rights. Before the ruling was passed, aw-Nian Huang, an assistant professor at Taiwans National Chengchi University, had said that the injunction by the government, if passed, would have expanded Beijings aim to increase territorial control over Taiwan. For multinational tech companies, it implies that they will continue to confront in the Hong Kong market the dilemma they have faced in the Chinese market choosing between adhering to existing international norms of internet freedom and compromising with Chinas vigorously promoted digital authoritarian governance model for the sake of economic interests in the Chinese market, he said. US President Joe Biden will host the leaders of Japan and South Korea next month for a summit at Camp David, the White House announced Friday. The August 18 meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is the latest sign of warming relations between Japan and South Korea as they move to set aside generations of tensions and mistrust while the United States deepens its commitment to Asia. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the leaders will discuss expanding trilateral cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Expected topics include the threat posed by North Korea and ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and with the Pacific Islands. The invitation spun out of a brief photo-op that the three leaders had at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May. The Biden administration has been urging stronger economic and defense ties between South Korea and Japan as it looks to bolster the region against Chinas assertive territorial moves, as well as to secure their cooperation to support Ukraine fight off Russias invasion. Amid severe shortage of natural gas, the agriculture sector of Pakistan is facing a crisis as the cash-strapped nation struggles to meet the demand for urea fertilizer. Pakistan may face severe shortfall of urea in the ongoing Kharif season, as well as the upcoming Rabi season, according to the fertilizer review committee (FRC), a body that monitors the availability and prices of fertilizers, The News reported. The reason behind this is the low domestic production capacity, which is affected by the insufficient supply of natural gas to the fertilizer industry. Natural gas accounts for 70 to 80 percent of the cost of urea production, the report said. YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Many international organizations, governments and international human rights advocates are united in assessing the serious humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh and call for an end to the blockade of Lachin Corridor, Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said on July 29. In a tweet, Badalyan called on Azerbaijan to implement its obligation and not deviate from it. Many international organizations, governments, international human rights advocates are united in assessment of serious humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh &in call to lift Lachin Corridor blockade as confirmed by ICJ and ECHR. Instead of deviating from its clear obligation, Azerbaijan should implement it, Badalyan tweeted. She also shared the previous statements made by Freedom House, Human Rights Watch and the ICRC calling on Azerbaijan to end the blockade. Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations highest court the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno-Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Nigers ousted leader Mohamed Bazoum Washingtons steadfast support, and warned those detaining him that hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance was at risk, the State Department said Friday. General Abdourahamane Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, has declared himself the new leader of Niger after a coup earlier this week in which the pro-Western Bazoum was detained. Blinken, who was wrapping up a multi-nation Pacific tour, called Bazoum for the second time in as many days to offer Americas unflagging support, department spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement. The US secretary of state also praised Bazoums role in promoting security not only in Niger but the wider West Africa region, and said Washington would keep working to ensure the full restoration of constitutional order and democratic rule in Niger. In a separate call to former Nigerien leader Mahamadou Issoufou, Blinken expressed concern over Bazoums ongoing detention, and that negotiations to ensure constitutional order in Niger were at an impasse. He told Issoufou that he regretted that those detaining Bazoum were threatening years of successful cooperation and hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance to Niamey, and asked Issoufou to keep working on Bazoums behalf, Miller said. Washington had already warned it could cease security and other cooperation with Niger, where about 1,000 US troops are stationed for now. Blinken also spoke with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna about the situation in Niger, emphasizing the urgency of efforts to restore constitutional order in the jihadist-hit West African nation. When questioned about Russian assaults on American drones in Syria, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin called on Russia to respect aviation regulations and stop engaging in irresponsible behaviour on Saturday. In the most recent of several near encounters between Russian and American military aircraft in the area, the U.S. military reported that a MQ-9 drone over Syria was severely damaged when it was struck by a flare from a Russian fighter jet earlier this week. We call upon the Russian leadership to make sure that they issue guidance to their troops to abide by the laws of the sky and make sure that they cease this irresponsible behaviour, Austin said, when asked about the incident in a news conference in Brisbane, Australia. Austin is in Australia for the annual Australia-U.S. Ministerial (AUSMIN) discussion, as is U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Well continue to engage using the established channels to convey our concern and well continue to engage senior leadership as appropriate. But, again, we will continue to operate, as we have always operated in the airspaces, and we will protect our interests and our resources, said Austin. (With agency inputs) The US is set to announce $345 million in military aid for Taiwan, two US officials said Friday. It would be the Biden administrations first major package drawing on Americas own stockpiles under a new policy intended to speed up military aid to help Taiwan counter China. The package includes man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms and missiles, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters ahead of the announcement. US lawmakers have been pressuring the Pentagon and White House to speed weapons to Taiwan, to help it counter China. The aid is part of a presidential authority approved by Congress last year to draw weapons from US military stockpiles to support Taiwan. This gets weapons delivered faster than providing funding for new weapons. The Pentagon has used a similar authority to get billions of dollars worth of munitions to Ukraine. Taiwan split from China in 1949 amid a civil war. Chinese President Xi Jinping maintains Chinas right to take over the now self-ruled island, by force if necessary. Getting stockpiles of weapons to Taiwan now, before an attack begins, is one of the lessons the US has learned from Russias invasion of Ukraine, Pentagon deputy defense secretary Kathleen Hicks told The Associated Press earlier this year. Ukraine was more of a cold-start approach than the planned approach we have been working on for Taiwan, and we will apply those lessons, Hicks said. Efforts to resupply Taiwan after a conflict erupted would be complicated because it is an island, she said. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announces: At the invitation of the government of Pakistan, Special Representative of President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier of the State Council He Lifeng will travel to Pakistan from July 30 to August 1 to attend the Decade of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor celebration event in Islamabad. Samsung Galaxy M44 with the model number SM-M446K has surfaced in Geekbench listing revealing Snapdragon 888 SoC, 6GB of RAM and Android 13. To remind you, the Galaxy M33 with Exynos 1280 SoC was launched in Korea as Galaxy Jump 2 as a Korea Telecom exclusive, since the SM-M446K model number in the M44 has K, it is said to head to KT soon as Galaxy Jump 3 in Korea. Even the Galaxy M34 that was launched in India a few weeks back is powered by Exynos 1280 SoC. The jump from Exynos 1280 to Snapdragon 888 is huge, since it was a flagship SoC used in Galaxy S21 series in some markets back in 2021. This is the first time Samsung is using a Snapdragon 8 series SoC in a mid-range M series. Even though Samsung launched the Galaxy M33 globally, it is not clear if we can expect the M44 to launch in markets outside Korea. Samsung launched the Galaxy S21 FE powered by Snapdragon 888 SoC in India after a year of the launch of the Exynos 2100 version in the country. We should know more details about the Samsung Galaxy M44 smartphone in the coming weeks. Source | Via The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is taking relevant measures through dialogue within the framework of its capacity concerning the detention of a 68-year-old citizen who was being transported by the ICRC from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for treatment, ICRC Armenia communications manager Zara Amatuni told ARMENPRESS. July 29, 2023, 16:33 ICRC says taking relevant measures after Artsakh patient gets kidnapped by Azerbaijani border guards STEPANAKERT, JULY 29, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: She said that until today the Red Cross was able to transport people patients or those who had expressed desire to reunite with their families through procedures arranged previously. Regarding this specific situation, I have to say that we are addressing all problems to the corresponding authorities, but we will do so through dialogue and it will be confidential, as of this moment I cant convey any other details on the incident, Amatuni added. On July 29, a Nagorno-Karabakh patient was detained and taken to an unknown location by Azerbaijani border guards while being evacuated by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Armenia for treatment. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh has issued a statement regarding the abduction of a 68-year-old citizen of Artsakh. July 29, 2023, 21:56 UN Security Council must immediately discuss Bakus illegal blockade of Artsakh STEPANAKERT, JULY 29, ARTSAKHPRESS: On 29 July, a 68-year-old citizen of the Republic of Artsakh, who was being transported to Armenia for medical treatment under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was abducted by representatives of Azerbaijan from the checkpoint illegally established in the Lachin Corridor. The passage of the citizen of Artsakh was agreed in advance through the mediation of the ICRC. The illegal arrest of a citizen of Artsakh, being under the protection of the international law and the ICRC mandate , constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, provisions of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020 and legally binding Orders of the International Court of Justice and ECtHR, and clearly demonstrates the true intentions of Azerbaijan towards the people of Artsakh. It is evident that if Azerbaijan's policy of forced subjugation of Artsakh, which Baku presents to the international community as its resolution plan, succeeds, abductions, illegal detentions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other massive violations of the rights of Artsakh Armenians will become a widespread. In case of the control over the citizens of Artsakh, the Azerbaijani authorities will not miss the opportunity to subject them to illegal detention, torture, deprive them of their lives or violate their human rights in any other way. If falling under the control of Azerbaijan, the Armenians of Artsakh have practically no chance of survival and humane treatment. Thirty-eight civilians who fell in hands of the Azerbaijani military during the aggression against Artsakh in 2020 have already become victims of this inhumane policy of Azerbaijan. All of them were tortured and brutally killed. Three other civilians, as well as three police officers and twenty-one military personnel of the Republic of Artsakh, were killed by Azerbaijan after the war and the signing of the trilateral ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020. The abduction of a civilian is yet another example of Azerbaijan's state policy of widespread and systematic violations of the rights of Artsakh's residents directly arising from the establishment of an illegal checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, which has become an instrument of intimidation of the Armenians of Artsakh, infringement of their rights and dignity, as well as an excuse for committing war crimes. Having subjected the people of Artsakh to starvation and other hardships for almost eight months, deliberately and arbitrarily depriving them of the right to receive humanitarian relief, the Azerbaijani authorities have now resorted to persecuting vulnerable citizens of Artsakh on an individual level. We demand that all involved international actors, including the ICRC, take urgent and effective measures to immediately release and repatriate the abducted citizen of Artsakh, put an end to crimes against humanity committed by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh, as well as prevent the escalation of these violations into the crime of genocide. We consider it imperative to consolidate the efforts of all involved actors for a complete and unconditional cessation of the blockade and the establishment of a long-term international mechanism to protect the rights and security of the people of Artsakh from Azerbaijan's genocidal policies. We insist that the issue of the ongoing, nearly 8-month-long illegal blockade, carried out as part of Azerbaijan's state policy of annihilation of the people of Artsakh as such, be promptly addressed by the United Nations Security Council. We call upon the International Committee of the Red Cross, as the only international organisation present on the ground and endowed with the relevant international mandate, to urgently express its public position and provide the international community, particularly the member states of the UN Security Council, with detailed factual and legal information regarding the situation in Artsakh and Azerbaijan's actions, says the statement. On July 29, the President of the Republic of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, sent a letter to Luis Moreno Ocampo, a leading specialist in international law, former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and lecturer at Harvard and Yale universities, asking for an expert opinion on whether the deepening blockade of Artsakh corresponds to the crime of genocide. July 29, 2023, 22:43 President Harutyunyan asks international specialist for expert opinion STEPANAKERT, JULY 29, ARTSAKHPRESS: As the President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), I request your expert opinion regarding the current situation of 120,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. We considered that your practice as the founder Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (2003-2012), particularly your request to issue an arrest warrant for Genocide against the President of Sudan, would be relevant to provide us with the information required. We need your opinion on three questions: Skaneateles' Antique and Classic Boat Show, now in its 45th year, returned to Clift Park Friday. Hours are 3 p.m. to dusk Friday, July 28; 9 a.m. to dusk Saturday, July 29; and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, July 30. Admission is free. The show, hosted by the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society and the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, draws exhibitors from throughout New York state, the East Coast, the Midwest and Canada. Visitors will have an opportunity to learn about, and meet the owners of, some 90 runabouts, launches, sailboats, canoes, rowing craft and race boats, many restored to their original condition. CYBERSPACEAdult companies Stunner Media, Grooby and Yanks.com have jointly announced a new zero-tolerance policy against DMCA removal companies that file "unfounded" claims on their intellectual property. This move comes as a response to the recurring issue of such notifications, which the group says has had negative repercussions on their businesses and industry reputation. The three companies acknowledged the importance of legitimate DMCA removal companies that assist content creators in safeguarding their intellectual property. However, they said they have become increasingly concerned with the actions of certain DMCA removal companies that repeatedly file unjustified claims against content they in fact own. Under the new policy, each time Stunner Media, Grooby or Yanks.com receives a DMCA notification for content they own that is issued by a DMCA removal company, a standard billing of $100 per item will be imposed on the notifying party, a fee is based on the violation of 17 U.S.C. 512(f). Furthermore, if the DMCA removal company fails to pay the imposed fee within 14 days of receipt, Stunner Media, Grooby and Yanks.com reserve the right to take additional actions to ensure the prevention of future unwarranted DMCA claims. These potential actions include pursuing legal claims for damages, court costs and attorneys fees based on abuse of the DMCA, exposing the infringing company's details on webmaster boards and social media, contacting the models represented by the DMCA company to inform them of potential legal consequences, reporting the company to Google for punitive actions, and making public statements warning potential clients about the poor business practices of the infringing company. Kenny from Stunner Media, Steven from Grooby, and Todd & Billie from Yanks.com assert that they have previously raised complaints with DMCA removal companies seeking resolution, but these efforts have been met with unfulfilled promises. Their new policy is fully outlined in the open letter below: To All DMCA Companies: We respect that you are running a business that is aimed at helping companies and models protect their intellectual property and rights. Some companies are far less diligent, poorly managed or just ignorant to the law, than others. We've received multiple notifications over the past 18 months from adult platforms, tube sites and Google that there have been DMCA's filed against us, for content which we uploaded to those properties and own 100% of the intellectual property (or in Google's case, links to content that we own), from DMCA Removal companies, many which are repeat offenders. Each time we receive one of these unfounded DMCA notifications, we have to spend our time disputing the DMCA and it can also have a cumulative negative effect on our relationship with platforms and Google. While you are in the process of making profit for your company, you are wilfully neglecting the negative effects on ours. With immediate effect, each time we receive a DMCA notification for content we own, from a DMCA removal company, we will be billing that company $100 for each item based on violation of 17 U.S.C. 512(f), to be paid within 14 days of receipt. In the event the company does not pay within that time, we will look at what additional avenues we can take to ensure that this does not keep happening. These avenues include; pursuing legal claims for damages, court costs, and attorneys fees based on abuse of the DMCA. posting the details of the infringing DMCA company on all webmaster boards and social media to inform others of the poor business practices of that company. contacting the model that the DMCA company is working on behalf of, and letting them know the full extent of legal claims that can be made against them for falsely claiming ownership of property, and suggesting they find a DMCA removal company that shows more diligence and doesn't put its clients in potential legal jeopardy. reporting to Google on the company in question and asking for punitive actions to be taken against them. making a statement each time the infringing company advertises, attends trade shows or gets press from the media to inform and educate potential clients that they should consider other companies who are more diligent. We've made complaints to companies, and been paid lip service on how they will correct it, yet unwarranted DMCA claims continue to originate from them. While we understand mistakes can be made, in claiming copyright (or stating we do not have that ownership) you are causing harm to our companies and the adult industry in general, and going forth we will have a zero tolerance policy on this. There is a need in the industry to have good DMCA removal companies, and they do exist. Thank you for your understanding and we truly hope that no further action will be needed. Any paysites wanting to be added as a signatory should contact [email protected]. The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany Jul 30 The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, 423 N. Beaver St., Flagstaff. 978-774-2911. 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Come join in prayer, fellowship, friendship, come and see! www.epiphanyaz.org, or 978-774-2911 for more info. https://go.evvnt.com/1834276-0. PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH Jul 30 3430 N. Fourth St., 3430 N. Fourth St., Flagstaff. 928-526-9578. 10-11 a.m., We invite you to join the family of Peace Lutheran Church (LCMS) on Sunday at 10:00am for in person blended service (Combined Liturgical, hymnal based and Praise Worship) with Holy Communion. Pastor William Weiss Jr. (Pastor Bill) will be presiding. The service will be live streamed on our website (peacelutheranflagstaff.org) and on YouTube. Fellowship and refreshments are available before the worship service beginning 9:15am. https://go.evvnt.com/1859995-0. BEACON UU SUNDAY SERVICE: "Building Community" with Khara House Jul 30 Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 510 N. Leroux St., Flagstaff. (928) 779-4492. 10-11 a.m., ALL ARE WELCOME! You BELONG at Beacon - Spiritually open and intentionally inclusive since 1958. What does it mean to belong? At its heart, the Lived Black Experience Project seeks to answer that question by shining light on the invisible peoples, places, spaces, and stories of people in Flagstaff in order to form a more inclusive narrative about what it truly means to be a community. This talk will focus on the importance of creating a narrative that recognizes a wider range of people who are part of our community in order to foster the feeling that all are part of, rather than apart from, our broader community. By creating places and spaces for all, we recognize Flagstaff's community history, celebrate present progress, and cultivate a better future. Khara House preaching with Nancy Paxton, Worship Associate. Music by George Murphy, Paul Beier, and Kim Angelo with Simon Cunningham, accompanist. Khara House currently serves as a Flagstaff City Councilmember. She is the Secretary for the Lived Black Experience Project and serves on both its steering committee and the board of the Southside Community Association. https://go.evvnt.com/1855466-0. Flagstaff Federated Community Church Please join us for in person services Sundays at 10 a.m. We are located at 400 W Aspen Ave. on the corner of Aspen and Sitgreaves in Downtown Flagstaff. All are welcome to our services. For more information about Flagstaff Federated Community Church please call our office at 928-774-7383, Mon Thurs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Church of the Resurrection Sunday Church Services 740 W. University Heights Drive S., 740 W. University Heights Drive S., Flagstaff. 928-853-8522. 10-11:30 a.m., Church of the Resurrection Presbyterian Church in America (PCA): We invite you to join us for worship at 10 a.m. on Sundays at 740 W. University Heights Drive South. Please feel free to contact us for information on our mid-week gatherings and for more information on our church. You can find us at www.cor-pca.org and www.facebook.com/CORFlagstaff or we can be reached at corflagstaff@gmail.com and (928) 699-2715. Leupp Nazarene Church The church, near mile post 13 or Navajo Route 15, has been holding services by teleconferences and doing drive-up meetings. For information, call pastor Farrell Begay at 928-853-5321. Teleconference number: 1-7170275-8940 with access code 3204224#. Services are 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays and 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Christian Science Society of Flagstaff 619 W. Birch Ave. Bible Lesson services every Sunday 10-11am (Zoom option: https://zoom.us/j/369812794). Testimony Meetings every Wednesday: 5:30-6:30pm (Zoom option: https://zoom.us/j/971672834). Zoom password: CSS. felicilin at 29-07-2023 11:57 AM (1 week ago) (f) The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, has demanded the immediate release of Mr Theodore Chinonso Uba, a journalist working with Osisa FM in Owerri, Imo State. The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, has demanded the immediate release of Mr Theodore Chinonso Uba, a journalist working with Osisa FM in Owerri, Imo State. The group in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Goodluck Ibem, President General and Comrade Okey Nwaoru, Publicity Secretary and made available to journalist on Friday, said the intimidation, harassment and unlawful arrest of Uba is a plot to gag the press so that they will not perform their constitutional duties. Recall that Imo Police Spokesman, Henry Okoye, while reacting to the arrest of Uba popularly known as Nonsonkwa, said he was reportedly arrested by operatives of the Force CID Abuja. The police spokesman said, This is to clear the air against insinuations that have gone viral alleging that he was arrested by operatives of Imo Command Operatives. While condemning development, the group said journalists are the watchdog of our society and any attack on them is an attack on all Nigerians and we do not allow it to happen. The group in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Goodluck Ibem, President General and Comrade Okey Nwaoru, Publicity Secretary and made available to journalist on Friday, said the intimidation, harassment and unlawful arrest of Uba is a plot to gag the press so that they will not perform their constitutional duties.Recall that Imo Police Spokesman, Henry Okoye, while reacting to the arrest of Uba popularly known as Nonsonkwa, said he was reportedly arrested by operatives of the Force CID Abuja.The police spokesman said,While condemning development, the group said journalists are the watchdog of our society and any attack on them is an attack on all Nigerians and we do not allow it to happen. Quote We call on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun to immediately and unconditionally release the detained journalist who from all indications is a victim of persecution and intimidation for performing his constitutional duties. We demand that compensation be paid to him for denying him the freedom to life and human dignity as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. We call on journalists all over the world, the international community, the United Nations, all lovers of democracy and all Nigerians to stand up in defense of democracy that is on the verge of collapse in Nigeria. The press is the cornerstone of any democracy and an attack on them is an attack on our democracy. We warn that an attack on journalists should not be heard again. Enough said! Post Reply Posted: at 29-07-2023 11:57 AM (1 week ago) | Addicted Hero Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: Can Samsung dethrone the best Flip smartphone in 2023? Features oi -Carlsen Martin Samsung just concluded its Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event for its foldable smartphones. While the Galaxy Z Fold 5 featured minor upgrades and the hefty price tag, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 was the star of the show, with its larger cover display that offered more functionality than ever before. However, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 isn't the only clamshell folding smartphone to make considerable upgrades to its cover display. The recently launched Motorola Razr 40 Ultra also brings a large cover screen. In fact, the Razr 40 Ultra has the largest external display in the segment. But how does it compare against the Galaxy Z Flip 5? Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: Specs Comparison Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Motorola Razr 40 Ultra Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC 6.7-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2640 pixels) LTPO AMOLED Display, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1,250 nits Peak Brightness 6.9-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2640 pixels) LTPO AMOLED Display, 165Hz, HDR10+, 1,400 nits Peak Brightness Cover Display: 3.4-inch HD+ AMOLED (720 x 748 pixels), 306 PPI Cover Display: 3.6-inch AMOLED (1056 x 1066 pixels), 144Hz, 413 PPI, HDR10+, 1100 nits Peak Brightness 8GB/256GB, 8GB/512GB 8GB/256GB Rear Cameras: 12 MP with OIS, PDAF + 12 MP (Ultrawide) Rear Cameras: 12 MP with OIS, PDAF + 13 MP (Ultrawide) Front Camera: 10 MP, f/2.2 Front Camera: 32 MP, f/2.4 3,700 mAh, 25W Wired Charging (No Adapter), 15W Wireless Charging 3,800 mAh, 30W Wired Charging, 5W Wireless Charging IPX8 Rating IP52 Rating Starting Price Rs 99,999 Starting Price Rs 89,999 Aesthetics The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra features a mix of metal and glass or vegan leather, depending on the variant you choose. The Razr 40 Ultra also folds flat and comes in a few attractive shades. The overall design is more streamlined, while the IP52 rating does offer some resistance to splashes of water. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 features an Armor Aluminium frame and has complete glass protection. For the first time, Samsung has also eliminated the gap and has a superior IP8X rating but more on that later. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 airs of the side of subtility though. Judging by aesthetics alone, Motorola does look the better of the two. While the Galaxy Z Flip 5 does feature a better build on paper, although we have come across several stories that say otherwise. Display The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra features a larger screen than the Galaxy Z Flip 5, both on the inside and out. Both the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Razr 40 Ultra feature LTPO AMOLED panels for their primary display, although the latter offers a higher 165Hz refresh rate. Moreover, the Razr 40 Ultra also has a 144Hz cover screen for smoother navigation. Performance When it comes to performance, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which is customised for the device, does hold a clear advantage on-paper. However, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip is quite capable and can achieve just about anything its successor can. Cameras We haven't tested the camera system of either phone, although on-paper Motorola does seem to have an edge. However, Samsung's software prowess cannot be ignored here. Judging by past experiences, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 should offer better camera performance, easily edging out the Razr 40 Ultra. But Samsung's hardware is pretty much the same as the previous generation. Battery Motorola incorporates an ever-so larger battery on the Razr 40 Ultra, although the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip on the Z Flip 5 is more efficient, so it is safe to say battery life should be more or less the same on both devices. However, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra arrives with faster charging and an adapter in the box, which is a rarity on Samsung smartphones, irrespective of the price tag. You do get faster wireless charging on the Z Flip 5, although we prefer the adapter in the box. Brand Experience Experience does feel like an important factor when it comes to foldables. While Samsung is the most experienced foldable smartphone brand in India, the Motorola Razr was the first clamshell folding phone in the world. Moreover, the Galaxy Z Flip smartphones of the past haven't been all that reliable. Then there's the IP8X rating, which is definitely an advantage in Samsung's corner, although Samsung, like most brands, do no cover liquid damage even during the warranty period. It is too early to talk about the Razr 40 Ultra's durability issues as it only just hitting the Indian market. Pricing The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra features a price tag of Rs 89,999 for the 8GB/256GB variant. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 price in India is set at Rs 99,999 for the base 8GB/256GB model and Rs 1,09,999 for the 8GB/512GB variant. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: Final Thoughts We won't comment on the software experience just yet as we have yet to experience both devices. But does the Galaxy Z Flip 5 do enough to dethrone the Razr 40 Ultra has as the best flip smartphone in India this year. In our opinion, no, on paper, it simply does not. However, paper very rarely tells the full story and as with any foldable, experience is everything. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Smartphone Shipments Have Been Declining Steadily In The US: How Bad Are Apple, Samsung, And Others Suffering? Features oi -Alap Naik Desai Smartphone shipments have been falling for the last nine months in the U.S. The concerning trend has affected the majority of smartphone manufacturers. But despite the downturn, phone makers are optimistic for a few valid reasons. The US smartphone market shrunk by 24 percent year-over-year in Q2 this year. Let's look at how the leading smartphone manufacturers have fared, and how they are trying to wade through the uncertain times. Biggest Market Losers Include Samsung But Not Apple? The US market was once one of the most vibrant and reliable for companies such as Samsung, Apple, Motorola, and even Google. However, the ongoing financial turmoil, rampant job cuts, and overall gloomy outlook about future economic growth have severely affected the sale of smartphones. Consumers are hesitant to upgrade, suggest a few reports. Analysts had predicted that the just-ended quarter too wouldn't bring a positive uptick in sales, but the severity wasn't. The US smartphone market shrunk by a whopping 24% in Q2 2023 on a Y-o-Y basis. Although Samsung is part of the losing brigade, the biggest loser this quarter was TCL-Alcatel, which saw a decline of 69 percent in smartphone shipments. Samsung was second. The South Korean tech giant's smartphone shipments fell by 37 percent, while Motorola's shipments declined by 17 percent, claims market research firm Counterpoint. Apple hasn't been the exception, but the iPhone maker did manage to fare a lot better. Despite the severely shrunken market, Apple's shipments dropped by just 6 percent. This makes the company and the analysts bullish about the upcoming iPhone series. Google surprised analysts as it was the only company that increased its shipments by 48 percent. It is, however, important to note that the search giant's smartphone market share was minuscule, to begin with. Who Is The Market Leader In Smartphones And Why? Americans have traditionally preferred the iPhone, and their loyalty has helped Apple retain the top stop. Apple Inc. currently leads the market with a 55 percent market share. Samsung has secured 23 percent of the market, while Motorola is a distant third with 9 percent. It is interesting to note that Apple has steadily captured the US market, primarily by snatching it away from Samsung and other smaller brands. Needless to say, this is a concerning trend for the South Korean company. Given the market condition, it is no surprise that manufacturers and brands are coming up with new and innovative designs in addition to the conventional candy bar smartphones. Multiple leading brands, except Apple, have launched foldable Android smartphones. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Upcoming phones launching in August 2023: OnePlus Open, Redmi 12 5G, Vivo V29 series, more Features oi -Carlsen Martin July was an incredibly busy month for smartphones. We saw the launch of several devices including the Nothing Phone (2), Samsung's foldables, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G, and many more. However, as the dust clears on the month of July, we head into August. And if the rumours are to be believed, the next month promises to be just as exciting. Both OnePlus and Xiaomi are expected to bring foldable smartphones next month. Here is our list of upcoming phones launching in August 2023. Upcoming Phones August 2023 (China Launches) The OnePlus Ace 2 Pro will debut as the second smartphone from the brand to utilise the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. OnePlus also confirmed that the Ace 2 Pro will be the first smartphone to use an aerospace-grade 3D cooling system. The OnePlus Ace 2 Pro could debut globally as the OnePlus 12R. The Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 is set to get its debut in China next month. The Mix Fold 3 will take on the likes of the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, although there's no information if the device will be unveiled outside China. The Mix Fold 3 will also offer a capable camera system co-developed with Leica. Upcoming Phones launching in August 2023 (Global) OnePlus is expected to unveil its first foldable smartphone in August 2023. The smartphone is expected to be called the OnePlus Open. The device is expected to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, a main 2K AMOLED display, and a triple-camera setup, which is similar to that on the OnePlus 11 5G. The OnePlus Open launch event might take place on August 29 in New York. The Vivo V29 series is expected to make its global and Indian debut next month. The Vivo V29 series will include the Vivo V29 and Vivo V29 Pro. The Vivo V29 series will arrive as a rebranded version of the Vivo S17 series, which debuted in China back in May. Realme will introduce its first flagship smartphone of 2023 next month. The Realme GT 5 has already been teased and is expected to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Additionally, the Realme GT 5 will also feature a 144Hz OLED display and a 50 MP triple-camera setup. The Realme GT 5 could debut sometime in China next month, following which it will be unveiled globally. Upcoming Smartphones August 2023 (Sales) The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is yet to go on sale in India and globally for the first time in August. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 brings standard generational upgrades over its predecessor. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 will also be available for purchase in India and across the globe from August 2023. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 eliminates any gap when the device is folded and more importantly has a new and improved cover screen that covers half of the back panel. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 price in India starts from Rs 1,54,999. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 price in India has been hike to Rs 99,999 for the base model. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G had first been unveiled in July 2023 but the device will go on sale in India for the first time in August 2023. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 is expected to debut in India's sub-25K segment. It expected to go on sale in India from August 5. Upcoming phones launching in August 2023 (Unique Aesthetics) Infinix is set to launch a new smartphone series in India. The Infinix GT 10 Pro launch date in India is set for August 3. Moreover, the company also confirmed that the Infinix GT 10 Pro price in India will fall in the sub-20K segment. The Infinix GT Zero 10 Pro features a unique design and finish with LED lights. The Tecno Pova 5 Pro is also expected to make its debut on August 7. The Pova 5 Pro 5G will take a page out of Nothing's playbook with an LED light back panel. However, unlike Nothing's single white LED light, the POVA 5 Pro 5G boasts support for RGB colours at the back, promising a more dynamic and vibrant visual experience. Upcoming Smartphones in August 2023 (Budget Smartphones) Xiaomi is gearing up to launch two new budget smartphones in India on August 1. The Redmi 12 4G and Redmi 12 5G are launching in India on August 1. The Redmi 12 5G is expected to feature a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip, a 90Hz FHD+ display, a 5,000 mAh battery, and a 50 MP primary camera sensor. The Moto G14 is set to make its debut in India on August 1. Motorola's latest affordable smartphone will feature a Unisoc chipset, FHD+ display, 50 MP primary camera sensor, and a 5,000 mAh battery with 20W fast charging. The Moto G14 price in India is expected to fall between Rs 10,000 and Rs 11,000. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Tuesday saw the opening of a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office in Flagstaff that will be largely focused on investigating and cleaning up hundreds of abandoned uranium mines across the Navajo Nation. The office comes as the agency, in cooperation with local partners, works toward a goal of remediating 110 high-priority mines by 2030. As it opens, the office, which is located on the U.S. Geological Survey campus near Buffalo Park, will have a staff of at least 14 employees. That number could increase, according to office manager Jacob Phipps. Of those, three of the remedial project managers are Navajo, although Elsa Johnson, the EPA community involvement specialist, said the agency would like to increase the number of Navajo EPA staff working on this project as well. EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman said the office represents a commitment to the cleanup effort and an important step in that journey overall. Some people might say, Well, its only an office opening, Guzman said. But really this is so much more than an office. It's a commitment, it's a relationship, it's a place that brings people together with us here today. I mean, the folks in this room collectively, we can get that 10-year plan done. It is perhaps ironic that the new field office comes as thousands of moviegoers are flocking to see a film telling the story of the first atomic weapons creation. Throughout the Cold War and the nuclear arms race, nearly 30 million tons of uranium ore were extracted from Navajo lands under leases with the Navajo Nation. There are more than 500 abandoned uranium mines in that area, and homes and water sources with elevated radiation levels, all of which continue to impact the health of residents and tribal members. Potential health effects include lung cancer from inhalation of radioactive particles, bone cancer and impaired kidney function from exposure to radionuclides in drinking water. Guzman told the Arizona Daily Sun that the focus is on addressing the highest priority sites first, those with high levels of contamination near communities. So we're going for the big stuff first, and the stuff around communities. Once we're done with that, [other sites will follow]. But we're starting with the hardest stuff -- which we have to because that's where the people are, Guzman said. I can't stress enough how this current leadership under the Navajo Nation is partnering us; they have a level of urgency for action. Officials and tribal members conducted a house blessing the morning the office opened. Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency Executive Director Stephen Etsitty said those working out of the office will contribute to the effort to heal the earth and protect communities from the legacy of uranium mining on tribal lands. Etsitty, who has previously worked for the EPA, said he sees the new field office as one representation of a more significant commitment on the part of the EPA, both in working on the issue of abandoned mines and with tribes across the Southwest. He compared the commitment this week to his memories of working for the EPA. I recall when I was a GS 9, we were wanting to get to tribal environmental agreements with all the tribes, 148 in Region 9. And we were scratching our heads: with our resources, how are we going to get out away from San Francisco; it took so much energy to fly from San Francisco to Phoenix and get a rental car and visit all the 21 or 22 reservations here in Arizona, and the multitude in Nevada and all in the state of California, Etsitty said. "And I said, Hey, give me a truck, a horse trailer and a horse and a budget for horse for horse feed. Ill get the information. Etsitty also told the gathered group of officials, That idea didn't go very far, but here we are now. This is a great accomplishment. I have to say thank you for the decision to invest in this manner." Expanding opportunities The opening of the field office comes at an opportune time for the agencies work to remediate abandoned uranium mines. Johnson said much of their field work had to be put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit tribes particularly hard. But just within the last year, as concern over the pandemic has lessened and areas have started to open up, that work has been able to restart. COVID really impacted our work. But we didn't stop our work. We were busy with Navajo EPA and responsible parties and trustees going through and reading documents, Johnson said. And we're excited because we have time critical remedial actions going on and things are happening. And we are really excited for the work ahead. As a community involvement specialist, Johnson works directly with chapters across the Navajo Nation, both explaining the process and hearing feedback from tribal members and those residents often living nearby abandoned mines. Chapters across the Navajo Nation play a significant role in determining how abandoned mines are to be cleaned and have done important work lobbying toward those efforts, Johnson said. Last spring was our first time back in the field. We were like kids in a candy shop. So we were out again visiting chapters, Johnson said. In addition to the work on abandoned uranium mines, Guzman said, the new field office also offers other opportunities. She said in all likelihood it will allow the EPA to increase its presence and activity on other environmental issues across northern Arizona. Guzman said it is not uncommon that EPA field offices are established with a single goal or project in mind, but evolve to work on several different issues. You know," Guzman said, "our San Diego office started as the border office. But we have people there now with the water division, with enforcement, air. So already we're having those conversations, because, as I said, even though superfund has been the anchor here [there are plenty of issues to be worked on alongside that issue]. So thats a whole other level of commitment. The opening of the office comes as the issue of uranium mining still weighs heavily on residents of northern Arizona on and off tribal lands. A coalition of tribes around the region are pushing the Biden administration to create a new 1.1-million-acre national monument around Grand Canyon National Park, in large part to prevent the expansion of uranium mining throughout the area. During a public hearing on the proposal last week, a spokesperson for Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren pointed to the legacy of uranium mining across the Navajo Nation as one reason the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument should be enacted. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Himes Statement on ODNI Report Regarding Chinese Support to Russia US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence - Democrats Washington, July 27, 2023 Washington, DC a Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released an unclassified assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on the support provided by the People's Republic of China to Russia in their war against Ukraine. The report was mandated by the FY2023 Intelligence Authorization Act, which was authored by the House Intelligence Committee, and can be viewed here. "The United States' Intelligence Community has played a pivotal role in anticipating the perils, seen and unseen, that Ukraine faces as Russian forces continue their violent assault," said Ranking Member Jim Himes. "This unclassified assessment, mandated by last year's Intelligence Authorization Act, details the extent of China's support for Putin's ongoing invasion. Russia's war against Ukraine has been enabled in no small part by China's willingness to support them, in direct and indirect ways. I hope this report makes clear to Beijing that the United States, and the world, will know if they take further actions to enable Putin's brutal invasion." You can view the full report here. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Brazil Rejects U.S. Request To Extradite Alleged Russian Spy Sergei Cherkasov By RFE/RL's Russian Service July 28, 2023 Brazilian authorities said they have rejected a request by the United States to extradite Sergei Cherkasov, who Washington alleges collected information on the war in Ukraine while posing as a graduate school student. According to Brazil's Justice and Public Security Ministry, Washington's request is without grounds as Brazil's Supreme Court had already approved Cherkasov's extradition to Russia, which had been paused as Cherkasov is currently under investigation on espionage charges in Brazil. In addition, Cherkasov is currently serving a prison term in Brazil he was handed for document forgery, the statement said. In June 2022, authorities in the Netherlands said they had prevented a Russian spy, identified as Cherkasov, from infiltrating the International Criminal Court (ICC) as it investigates war crimes allegedly committed by Russian troops during Moscow's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The General Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands (AIVD) said at the time that the suspect came to the country in April 2022 using an elaborate deep cover story that he had built up over the previous 12 years. According to AIVD, Cherkasov is an agent with Russia's military intelligence (GRU) and used a fake identity to portray himself as a 33-year-old Brazilian citizen named Viktor Muller Ferreira. The statement also said that Cherkasov was immediately deported to Brazil upon his arrival, where he was arrested on a charge of identity fraud. Brazilian police said then that Cherkasov initially arrived in the country in 2010, positioning himself as a Brazilian national. He then resided for several years in Ireland and the United States before he returned to Brazil and started preparations to move to the Netherlands. In April this year, the United States officially requested Brazil to extradite Cherkasov, saying the Russian man had conducted espionage activities in Washington in 2018, posing as an international student. However, Russia was first to request Cherkasov's extradition, saying the man is suspected of international drug trafficking. Bellingcat and The Insider investigative groups suggested then that Russia's move was to secure Cherkasov's safe return to Moscow. The Wall Street Journal has named Cherkasov as a possible candidate for exchange for its correspondent Evan Gershkovich, who was detained while on a reporting trip in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in late March. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/brazil-cherkasov-alleged- russian-spy-extradition/32524364.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Report: Chinese Support Is 'Critical' to Russia's War Effort By Rob Garver July 28, 2023 A declassified report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released Thursday says that support from China is "critical" to Russia's ability to continue waging its war against Ukraine. The report, which was requested by Congress, assesses how a range of actors, including the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party, state-owned Chinese companies and other Chinese entities, are supporting Russia's economy and its military, nearly 18 months after the Kremlin's unprovoked attack on Ukraine. "Beijing is pursuing a variety of economic support mechanisms for Russia that mitigate both the impact of Western sanctions and export controls," the report finds. "The PRC [People's Republic of China] has increased its importation of Russian energy exports, including oil and gas supplies rerouted from Europe. Beijing has also significantly increased the use of its currency, the yuan, and its financial infrastructure in commercial interactions with Russia, allowing Russian entities to conduct financial transactions unfettered of Western interdiction." The report also finds that China has been directly supporting the Russian war effort by selling technology and "dual use" equipment a meaning items that may have both civilian and military uses a to Moscow. Enabling a 'brutal invasion' The report was released by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Representative Jim Himes, the most senior Democrat on the committee, said, "This unclassified assessment, mandated by last year's Intelligence Authorization Act, details the extent of China's support for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's ongoing invasion. "Russia's war against Ukraine has been enabled in no small part by China's willingness to support them, in direct and indirect ways. I hope this report makes clear to Beijing that the United States, and the world, will know if they take further actions to enable Putin's brutal invasion." Representative Mike Turner, the committee's Republican chairman, had not issued a statement about the report as of Friday afternoon. China responds Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning commented on the report in her daily news briefing Friday, saying there was nothing out of the ordinary involved in her country's trade with Russia, while decrying Western sanctions on Moscow. "China is engaged in normal economic and trade cooperation with Russia and other countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit," Mao said. "We oppose unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or mandate from the Security Council. China-Russia cooperation does not target any third party and shall be free from disruption or coercion by any third party." China and Russia have significantly deepened their relationship in recent years. In the days prior to the launch of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin announced that their countries' partnership had "no limits." Oil and gas In the wake of the invasion, a united front of nations led by the United States applied an extraordinary web of sanctions, severing the flow of goods and services between Russia and most major Western markets. The report finds that since the invasion, trade with China has replaced much of that lost commerce. In 2022, bilateral trade between Russia and China hit a record high, with Russian imports from China rising by 14% and exports to China jumping by 43%. Much of Russia's exports to China came in the form of oil and gas products that Moscow previously sold to the West. China's purchase of the petroleum products has been a valuable source of income for the Kremlin, and steep discounts on Russian fuel have been a boon to China. China is providing supertankers to move Russian oil to market as well as the insurance coverage that shipping companies demand, after sanctions cut Russia off from the global maritime insurance market. Semiconductor trade One of the West's major efforts against Russia has involved cutting the country off from a reliable supply of semiconductors needed for many modern devices, including military vehicles and weapons systems. The report notes the appearance of a web of newly formed businesses in Hong Kong, which it characterizes as "shell companies" that are being used to purchase semiconductors on the open market and then resell them to Russia in violation of U.S. export control rules. China is supplying both dual use goods and some explicitly military material to Russia, the report says. "[C]ustoms records show PRC state-owned defense companies shipping navigation equipment, jamming technology and fighter-jet parts to sanctioned Russian government-owned defense companies," the report reads. "Russia has continued to acquire chips through circuitous routes, with a large portion flowing through small traders in Hong Kong and mainland PRC, according to foreign press." After Russian banks were largely cut off from systems that allow cross-border payments, many began to rely on Chinese banks to facilitate trade between the two countries and between Russian companies and firms in third countries that are not participating in Western sanctions. Russia has also been accepting payments and purchasing goods using China's currency, the yuan. By August 2022, six months after the beginning of the invasion, Russia's use of the yuan in offshore payments had increased by a factor of 10. Open source Ian Johnson, a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told VOA that even though much of the material in the report was drawn from sources that were already public, its assembly in one place makes the scope of Beijing's support for Moscow clearer. "I don't think it's new, but it reinforces and systematically explains what many people have felt: that China is trying to help Russia as much as possible without getting in big trouble regarding sanctions," Johnson said. "They're trying to push the envelope as much as possible, and anything they can do a by sopping up extra energy that Russia hasn't been able to unload, letting them use the yuan a makes it a little bit easier for Russia," he said. "All these things are also in China's interest. It's not entirely altruistic. They have many reasons for wanting to keep Russia afloat." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CENTCOM Commander Visits Egypt U.S. Central Command USCENTCOM July 28, 2023 Release Number 20230728-01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TAMPA, Fla. -- From July 27-28, General Michael "Erik" Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, traveled to Egypt and met with Lieutenant General Osama Askar, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and his staff in Cairo, and Commander of the 2nd Egyptian Field Army, Major General Staff Mohammed Abd El Rahmman Rabie at the Rafah border crossing in the northern Sinai. The trip focused on shared security concerns, including border security; enhanced partnered training, including the upcoming BRIGHTSTAR 23 exercise; and opportunities to reinforce the long-standing U.S. and Egypt military partnership. During their meeting, General Kurilla expressed gratitude to Lieutenant-General Askar for Egypt's continued leadership in regional security issues and their role during the recent non-combatant evacuations from Sudan. With next month's BRIGHTSTAR being the largest in many years, General Kurilla and Lieutenant General Askar covered the final preparations for the exercise. The two leaders placed special emphasis on the live fire and planning events that include over 7,000 military members from 33 countries. "The growth of the BRIGHTSTAR Exercise is key to improving the interoperability between CENTCOM forces, Egypt's Armed Forces, and all the other regional forces participating," said General Kurilla. "Egypt's leadership is critical to security in the region." The leaders also discussed the continued efforts to improve security of the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip with a particular importance on the Rafah border crossing. On July 28th, General Kurilla traveled to the Rafah Border Crossing in the northern Sinai where he met with the Major General Staff Rabie, Commander of the 2nd Egyptian Field Army. The two commanders visited multiple facilities at the crossing site and walked to the border crossing gate discussing current capabilities and upcoming improvements to the crossing. "The frank and candid discussions we have with Egypt are the hallmark of the close mil-to-mil relationship we have," said General Kurilla. "Our mutual desire for stability in the region is the foundation of our 30-plus year military mutual support." -30 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address July 28, 2023 Transcript Opening Remarks by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III; Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles DEFENCE MINISTER RICHARD MARLES: So welcome, everyone, here this morning. And can I welcome my good friend, Lloyd Austin, the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America. It is an enormous privilege to have you here this morning, Lloyd. Since coming to office over the last 48 months, Lloyd and I were reflecting last night that we've met on numerous occasions in different parts of the world, and during that period of time, we've become really good friends and I think that is emblematic of the state of the relationship between our two nations. But it is an honor for me to be able to host Lloyd here today because this is the first time that we will have met in Australia. So it is fantastic to have you here. In meeting today, as part of the Defense Ministers Meeting in the late -- as part of an -- AUSMIN tomorrow, I would reflect that we last met in -- in Washington in December, and at that meeting, we agreed on a number of force posture initiatives, a number of increased engagements of the United States in Australia, and since then, they have happened. The additions to what we see with the Marine rotation in Darwin, the fantastic presence of the United States at Exercise Talisman Sabre, which is happening as we speak and which Lloyd and I will be able to watch on Sunday, that speaks to the fact that our relationship is going from strength to strength but it also speaks to the fact that what we agree that we will do, we end up doing. And again, that says a lot about the state of our friendship. This meeting today happens as the first AUSMIN after the government released the Defense Strategic Review and the government's response to it, and we look forward to discussing ways in which Australia and America can work together, which will enhance and take forward the priorities of the Australian government in respect of the Defense Strategic Review. It's also the first time that we will be meeting since announcing the optimal pathway, by which Australia will acquire a nuclear submarine capability under the banner of AUKUS. And no doubt we will talk about the progress of that program, which is clearly critically important to Australia's future defense capability. As we meet today, we do so in a world which is complex, which, in many respects, is volatile, and which, in many respects, is threatening. We see the global rules-based order under threat in Eastern Europe and we see it under pressure in the Indo-Pacific. The way forward in respect of all of that is not obvious but one thing is really clear -- now is the time to be working closely with friends, and Australia has no better friend than the United States of America. The alliance between our two countries is at the heart of Australia's national security and our world view, and we look really forward to progressing that relationship over the course of the next two days. Lloyd? SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III: Well, Deputy Prime Minister Marles, thanks for hosting me here in Brisbane. It is indeed great to be here. And thanks for sharing your troops with me this morning. They look great, the band sounds great. And a special thanks for this unbelievable weather that you have here today. I'm impressed with the way that you've been able to arrange the weather. (Laughter) I look forward to our conversation today, along with our discussions tomorrow at AUSMINS with Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Wong. Together, we're making important steps to deepen our unbreakable alliance. Our two proud democracies share core values and a long history of working together to defend the rules-based international order. Today, our cooperation is key. It's key to our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific in a world of rules and rights. We seek a region where all countries are secure and prosperous, where states follow international law and international norms, and where disputes are resolved peacefully without coercion. And I know that both of our countries are concerned about attempts by the People's Republic of China to depart from these principles. We've seen troubling PRC coercion from the East China Sea to the South China Sea, to right here in the Southwest Pacific, and we'll continue to support our allies and partners as they defend themselves from bullying behavior. Now, our two countries have worked tirelessly together with our like-minded allies and partners to help Ukraine fight for its freedom throughout Russia's reckless war of choice, and we will continue to work together for a world where autocrats can't invade their peaceful neighbors with impunity. So I look forward to discussing many key issues today, including our respective defense strategies, our ground-baking -- ground-breaking force posture initiatives and our efforts to integrate Japan into them, and our multilateral cooperation, including AUKUS and the Quad, and our support for Australia's Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordinance enterprise. I'm delighted to be here to underscore our shared commitment to support each other and to strengthen our mutual security. So Richard, thanks again for your incredible hospitality, your friendship, and your unflagging support for our common goals. Our alliance is stronger because of all that you do. And so thanks for your leadership. I look forward to a great conversation. Thanks. MIN. MARLES: Thank you. Fantastic. Q: Secretary Austin, do you have a message to Republicans in Congress who are trying to slow down funding for AUKUS? STAFF: Thanks guys, that's all. https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3475304/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address July 28, 2023 By Jim Garamone , DOD News Australian, U.S. Defense Leaders Aim to Bolster Peace in Indo-Pacific The United States and Australia share beliefs and values and will act together to uphold them, the nations' defense leaders said in Brisbane, Australia, today. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III sat down with Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who also serves as his country's defense minister, at the Gallipoli Barracks to discuss progress made in defending the international rules-based order that underpins peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. The men met ahead of the Australia-United States ministerial meeting where they will join Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Australian Foreign Minister Wendy Wong. "Together, we're taking important steps to deepen our unbreakable alliance," Austin had said before the bilateral meeting with Marles. "Our two, proud democracies share core values and a long history of working together to defend the rules-based international order. Today, our cooperation is key to our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific in a world of rules and rights." The U.S.-Australian defense relationship stretches back to World War I when the two nations fought side-by-side. This expanded during World War II when tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel deployed to Australia and fought alongside Australian forces in some of the toughest battles of the Pacific War. In 1951, the United States and Australia became treaty allies. Australian troops participated in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and Australia was among the first nations to offer assistance when the United States was attacked by terrorists in 2001. Australian combat troops became familiar sights in Afghanistan and Iraq. The alliance is so close that Australian troops serve in integral and important jobs in the Pentagon and the U.S. combatant commands. The U.S. National Security Strategy identifies the Indo-Pacific as the priority theater for the United States. "We seek a region where all countries are secure and prosperous, where states follow international law and international norms, and where disputes are resolved peacefully without coercion," Austin said. Both nations are concerned about attempts by China's efforts to subvert and change the rules-based architecture. "We've seen troubling [Chinese] coercion from the East China Sea to the South China Sea to right here in the Southwest Pacific," the secretary said. "And we'll continue to support our allies and partners as they defend themselves from bullying behavior." But the two nations have global concerns, and Australia has been working alongside the United States to help Ukraine "fight for its freedom throughout Russia's reckless war of choice," Austin said. "And we'll continue to work together for a world where autocrats can't invade their peaceful neighbors with impunity." Marles emphasized that the Australia-U.S. alliance shares not only values, but the urge to action. He noted that the last Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations were in Washington in December. "At that meeting, we agreed on a number of force posture initiatives, a number of increased engagements of the United States and Australia," Marles said. "Since then, there have been the additions to what we see with the Marine rotation in Darwin, [Australia,] and the fantastic presence of the United States in Exercise Talisman Sabre. ... That speaks to the fact that our relationship is going from strength to strength, but it also speaks to the fact that what we agree that we will do, we end up doing." The meeting also follows the release of the Australian Defense Strategic Review. They will discuss the review and look at force-posture initiatives and efforts to further multilateral cooperation, including with Japan; the Australia-United Kingdom-United States agreement; the Quad relationship with Australia, India, Japan and the U.S.; and more. They will also discuss U.S. support for Australia's guided weapons and explosive ordnance enterprise. "As we meet today, we do so in a world which is complex, which in many respects is volatile, and which in many respects is threatening," Marles said. "We see the global, rules-based order under threat in Eastern Europe, and we see it under pressure in the Indo-Pacific. The way forward in respect of all that is not obvious. But one thing is really clear now is the time to be working closely with friends. "Australia has no better friend than the United States of America," he continued. "The alliance between our two countries is at the heart of Australia's national security and our worldview, and we look really forward to progressing that relationship." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Democratic Republic of the Congo: EU lists nine individuals responsible for human rights violations and abuses and for sustaining armed conflict, instability and insecurity European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 28 July 2023 Today, the Council imposed restrictive measures against nine Congolese and Rwandan individuals responsible for acts that constitute serious human rights violations and abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and for sustaining the armed conflict, instability and insecurity in the DRC. The listings include members of non-state armed groups active in the Eastern and North Eastern part of the country, namely M23, Twirwaneho, ADF, APCLS, CODECO/ALC, FDLR/FOCA as well as one member of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and one member of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF). Altogether, EU restrictive measures related to human rights violations and electoral obstruction in the DRC now apply to a total of 24 individuals. Those designated are subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze. Furthermore, EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. The EU will continue closely monitoring the situation in the country. It stands ready to list any new person involved in serious human rights violations or abuses, as well as those obstructing the electoral process and responsible for sustaining the armed conflict, instability and insecurity, or for inciting violence. The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Background EU autonomous individual restrictive measures in view of the situation in the DRC were adopted by the Council for the first time in 2016 in response to serious human rights violations and the obstruction of the electoral process. On 5 December 2022, the Council decided to amend the designation criteria to allow for the application of individual restrictive measures against natural or legal persons, entities or bodies that sustain, support or benefit from the armed conflict, instability or insecurity in the DRC, as well as those responsible for inciting violence, or exploiting the armed conflict, instability and insecurity in the DRC, including through the illicit exploitation and trade of natural resources. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Xem them ... Tin bai cuoi cung Khong con du lieu e load Sri Lanka: Statement by the Spokesperson on the Adhesion to the CTBT European External Action Service (EEAS) 28.07.2023 EEAS Press Team The European Union welcomes that Sri Lanka deposited its instrument of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) on 25 July. With this ratification, the total number of States that have signed and ratified the CTBT comes to 178. 186 States have signed the Treaty, including all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The European Union is a staunch supporter of the CTBT. The entry into force and universal adherence to this Treaty is a top priority for the European Union. The Treaty is a strong confidence and security building measure at international, regional, and bilateral level. It has become an effective instrument with its solid and effective verification mechanism. We continue to urge all States that have not yet done so, in particular those listed in Annex II of the Treaty, to sign and ratify the CTBT without any preconditions or further delay. In the meantime, we call on all States to abide by a moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions, and to refrain from any action that would defeat the object and purpose of the Treaty. We are looking forward to working with Sri Lanka to promote the CTBT and the universal adherence to the Treaty, to support the International Monitoring System and to participate in the scientific exchanges promoted by the CTBT Organisation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SPMAGTF UNITAS Supports Total Force's Efforts to Modernize US Marine Corps News 28 Jul 2023 | 1st Lt. Gregory Dreibelbis Marine Corps Forces South CARTAGENA, Colombia -- Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force UNITAS completed the 64th iteration of the world's longest-running multinational maritime exercise in the world here on July 21. Throughout the exercise's history, the United States and its partner nations have worked to improve and adapt the exercise to the evolving security challenges the world faces. This year's UNITAS was no different as the SPMAGTF worked side-by-side with the U.S. Navy and partner nations to experiment with new equipment and test Force Design 2030 concepts. "Compared to past years, we participated with an exponentially larger set of Marine Corps capabilities, drawn from across the Total Force, to support our Colombian and multinational friends in the region. This resulted in one of the most comprehensive iterations of UNITAS," said Col. Guillermo Rosales, commanding officer of SPMAGTF UNITAS. SPMAGTF UNITAS started the exercise with 23rd Marines' headquarters company establishing an expeditionary advanced base via an intermediate staging base at Base de Entrenamiento de Infanteria de Marina (Colombian Marine base) in Covenas, Colombia. Headquarters company established security and initial command-and-control, linked up with partner nation forces and began patrols to collect intelligence, thus limiting the notional adversary's ability to target the ISB. "Our mission, when viewed from this larger perspective, was to be the projection of power in an austere environment," said Maj. Justin Adney, company commander of headquarters company, 23rd Marine Regiment. This initial training event also allowed Reserve Marines from various occupational specialties to put Force Design 2030 concepts into practice. "[The Expeditionary Advanced Based Operations event] increased the Marines' proficiency by exposing them to EABO, its use, purpose and intent as well as providing an opportunity to review basic rifleman skills and [tactics, techniques and procedures]," said Adney. SPMAGTF UNITAS also built a sea control and sea denial training event into this year's UNITAS, working closely with the Navy to test their ability to coordinate fires. Using the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar, a newly fielded system in the Reserve Component, SPMAGTF UNITAS relayed information to ships at sea, enabling their ability to engage a notional target at sea. "This was the first time the AN/TPS-80 deployed to the USSOUTHCOM [area of responsibility] and demonstrated our ability to provide integrated, multi-domain sea-control and sea-denial capabilities in support of a combined maritime force per our 2020 Tri-Service Naval Strategy," said Rosales. The Navy also relayed information to Marines ashore, who brought a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, commonly known as HIMARS, that can be rapidly employed and can engage targets from further distances than legacy artillery systems. "For a long time, the Marine Corps has been focused on fighting on land. We had to do that in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the current shift right now is to recognize how we need to be able to shift and support operations at sea," said Lt. Col. Nathan Fleischaker, Inspector-Instructor for 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, who served as the ground combat element commander for SPMAGTF UNITAS. In preparing for future conflicts, the Navy and Marine Corps team will need to be more integrated than ever, quickly relaying intelligence from ships at sea to Marines ashore and from Marines ashore to ships at sea. UNITAS LXIV was also the first time unmanned aircraft systems were used during UNITAS. Combat Logistics Battalion 8, from 2nd Marine Logistics Group, served as the logistics combat element for SPMAGTF UNITAS and brought a Tactical Resupply Vehicle 150, a drone specifically designed to support logistics resupply. With a maximum payload of 150 pounds, CLB 8 attached various supplies, including food and water, to test its ability to conduct limited resupply missions in an austere environment. In previous conflicts, the Marine Corps relied on being resupplied from large forward operating bases, a luxury the Marine Corps will likely not have in a future conflict. Testing equipment such as the TRV-150 allows the Marine Corps to see what equipment and technology will be required to sustain operations in potential future conflicts. Marine Forces Reserve's newly created Marine Innovation Unit also participated in UNITAS LXIV, bringing technological expertise to help units as they experimented with new equipment and practiced new tactics, techniques and procedures. Maj. Kristine Hall, a member of MIU's advanced capabilities branch, assisted CLB 8's testing of the TRV-150 and the spectrum guard pro, a device that measured the electromagnetic signature CLB 8 was emitting. The Marines first established an electromagnetic spectrum baseline and then tested how their various communication equipment emitted a signature. This allowed Marines to see how to limit their signature to prevent being detected, and ultimately targeted, by an adversary. Maj. Ryan Embree, a member of MIU's commercial engagement branch, observed 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion's riverine training alongside partner nation forces. MARFORRES recently procured multiple small boats for 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion and is still testing how these boats can be used in support of Force Design 2030. "I think having an outside set of eyes from people who are technologically savvy and able to look at some of these problems...and then provide insights is value added," said Embree. SPMAGTF UNITAS accomplished all of this while operating in a disaggregated, multi-domain environment. The command element was split between the USS New York (LPD 21) and Covenas, Colombia. The ground combat element operated at sea on New York and ashore in Covenas and Cartagena. The aviation combat element operated from Cartagena, Covenas, Soto Cano, Honduras and multiple locations in the continental United States. "Future conflicts will demand that we operate in a distributed maritime environment, with an ability to command and control forces separated by thousands of miles. It's essential to create training opportunities that exercise our ability to control critical maritime terrain and sustain a force in support of a larger naval campaign," said Rosales. SPMAGTF UNITAS was able to meet the challenge of distributed operations the same way Marines have accomplished missions for over 245 years: trust in its small-unit leaders and Marines. "Despite the challenges, every element of the MAGTF operated within the commander's intent and had my trust," said Rosales. "When needed, they exercised disciplined initiative to conduct missions successfully and safely. Although we hadn't trained together previously, I had no doubt that each Marine of the MAGTF knew their role, would perform to the best of their ability, and accomplish the mission." While UNITAS LXIV included new equipment, concepts and challenges, the overall goal of the exercise remained the same: bringing partner nation militaries together to strengthen partnerships, build relationships and improve interoperability. "Learning to work alongside each other builds relationships among partners. These relationships create trust, and this trust strengthens partnerships," said Rosales. "By continuing to train together, in exercises such as UNITAS, we understand how to integrate our complementary capabilities and achieve the best possible outcomes." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Defence receives tenders for new submarines Netherlands Ministry of Defence News item | 28-07-2023 State Secretary for Defence Christophe van der Maat informed the House of Representatives today that the Ministry of Defence has received replies to its invitation to tender for the delivery of four new submarines. The three candidate yards competing for the contract are Naval Group, Saab Kockums and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. The tenders had to be submitted by today at the latest. Now that they have been received, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) can start the assessment process, after which the award decision will be made. This process is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. The candidate yards also submitted their proposals for industrial cooperation, which will later be formalised in an Industrial Cooperation Agreement (ICA), to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy today. ICAs are concluded to strengthen the Dutch Defence Technological and Industrial Base (NLDTIB). The winning yard will be expected to contribute to this base. The proposals for industrial cooperation will be assessed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. This assessment will be separate from the MoD's tender assessment. Effective weapon platforms Submarines are among the most effective weapon platforms of the armed forces. Replacing the vessels will be the MoD's largest materiel project in the coming years. Following the signing of the contract, it will take about 10 years for the first two submarines to be commissioned, not least because they have yet to be built and complete sea trials. The submarine service will in the meantime continue to operate the Walrus-class boats. Two of the four boats currently in service will in time be decommissioned. Their parts will subsequently be used for the maintenance of the remaining boats. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Abdourahamane Tchiani declared new leader of Niger People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 20:57, July 28, 2023 NIAMEY, July 28 (Xinhua) -- General Abdourahamane Tchiani, leader of Niger's presidential guard, has been named "president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland" following a military takeover, state television reported Friday. Soldiers in Niger have overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum, the country's Defense and Security Forces (FDS) said in a press release broadcast on state television late on Wednesday, hours after the president was allegedly held hostage. "This follows the continued deterioration of the security situation, poor economic and social governance," said Col Maj Amadou Abdramane, a member of the FDS and National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, newly established by soldiers. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Bazoum, as the world body is suspending humanitarian operations in Niger due to the situation in the country. "The problem on the air right now is that our humanitarian flights cannot fly within the country which means that our humanitarian operations are suspended," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, told reporters later at a daily press briefing. There are currently 4.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Niger, compared to 1.9 million in 2017, Dujarric said. More than 370,000 people are displaced within Niger, which also hosts more than 250,000 refugees, mainly from Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso, according to the spokesman. Namibia strongly condemned the attempted coup in Niger on Thursday. In a statement, Penda Naanda, executive director in the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, said that Namibia stands firmly against any attempt to seize power through unconstitutional means. "Namibia remains resolute in its stance on zero tolerance for acceding to power through unconstitutional means and supports the statement by the African Union on the attempted coup, in which it calls on the people of Niger, as well as all their brothers in Africa, particularly those in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and around the world, to unite in unanimous condemnation of the coup attempt and to demand the immediate and unconditional return of the soldiers to their barracks," Naanda said. The ECOWAS is a regional political and economic union of 15 countries located in West Africa. West African leaders are closely monitoring the developments in Niger and would resist any attempted coup in that country, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said Wednesday. Tinubu, also chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS, said in a statement that he has been in close consultation with other leaders in the region. "The ECOWAS leadership will not accept any action that impedes the smooth functioning of legitimate authority in Niger or any part of West Africa." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Presidential guard head declared as Niger leader following coup Iran Press TV Friday, 28 July 2023 2:35 PM General Abdourahamane Tchiani, head of the presidential guard in Niger, has been named as the new leader of the Sahel country following a military takeover. Niger's elected President Mohamed Bazoum was removed from power and detained by members of his presidential guard on Wednesday. General Tchiani appeared on national television on Friday and named himself "president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland." The general said the intervention had been necessary to avoid "the gradual and inevitable demise" of the country. "The harsh reality of insecurity in Niger, experienced by our defense forces and hardworking populations, with its toll of deaths, displacement, humiliation, and frustration, reminds us on a daily basis of this stark reality," Tchiani said. He said that while Bazoum had sought to convince people that "all is going well... the harsh reality (is) a pile of dead, displaced, humiliation and frustration." "The security approach today has not brought security to the country despite heavy sacrifice." Armed Forces chief General Abdou Sidikou Issa said on Thursday that the army supports the coup to "avoid a deadly confrontation." Bazoum has tried to stand his ground as condemnations swelled from African and international organisations, Niamey's Western allies; the European Union, and the United States. "The hard-won gains will be safeguarded," Bazoum said in a social media post. "All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom would want this." Meanwhile, coup leaders warned against any foreign military intervention, in a statement that was also read out on state television. They warned of "the consequences that will flow from any foreign military intervention." EU threatens to cut aid to Niger The European Union threatened on Friday to cut aid to Niger, and insisted that Bazoum's security and freedom of movement must be "guaranteed unconditionally." "The EU condemns in the strongest terms the coup in Niger. The events of recent days constitute a serious attack on stability and democracy in Niger," a statement said. "Any breakdown in the constitutional order will have consequences for cooperation between the EU and Niger, including the immediate suspension of all budgetary support." French President Emmanuel Macron earlier on Friday described the coup as "dangerous" for the region. "This coup is completely illegitimate and profoundly dangerous, for Nigeriens, for Niger and for the whole region," Macron said. Macron said he had spoken to Bazoum, who is being held in his palace, and called for him to be reinstated. The French president also said that Bazoum is in good health. Bazoum and his family have been confined since Wednesday morning to their residence at the presidential palace located within the Guard's military camp. The Sahel country, one of the world's poorest, has seen four coups as well as numerous other attempts, including two previously against Bazoum, since gaining independence in 1960. Bazoum took office after elections two years ago. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Study: Tibetan prisons shift to Xinjiang-like long-term detentions Rand report sheds light on oppressive but poorly scrutinized mass arrests in the autonomous region. By Tashi Wangchuk for RFA Tibet 2023.07.28 -- When she was just 13, Ngawang Sangdrol was arrested for protesting Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule in Tibet. She spent more than a decade in prison before international pressure led to her release in 2002. Now an activist at the International Campaign for Tibet, her mission to draw attention to human rights abuses in her homeland like what she endured is complicated, she said, by China's tight control over information in and out the region. "Arbitrary detention and arrests take place in Tibet at a regular pace," Ngawang told RFA. But "heavy restrictions" on communications - digital surveillance is widespread - makes it hard to tell the scope of the abuse, she added. A study from Rand Europe, a research group, released this week sheds new light on the extent of China's detention operations in Tibet - by measuring light from 79 sites in the region previously identified as detention centers of various security levels. Rand researchers examined NASA satellite images from January 2014 until July 2022. While they believe that the number of prisons, jails and other detention facilities has remained the same over the past decade, they noticed that lighting at Tibet's long-term, high security prisons "experienced a major period of growth in 2019 and 2020." The finding suggests a shift toward longer detentions as seen in Xinjiang against Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups that have attracted greater international attention, the study says, although it adds that firm conclusions remain difficult. "In both Tibet and Xinjiang, growth in night-time lighting has been concentrated in higher-security facilities, suggesting that in both regions there may be an increased emphasis on long-term imprisonment and detention of dissidents rather than shorter-term detention," the report said. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the allegations by press time. An information black hole Rand chose to focus on light in part because there are few other options. According to activists, Tibetans who speak out against alleged abuses face severe punishments. Tibetans have been detained for everything from communicating with foreigners to promoting Buddhist culture over Han teachings, a number of reports by the U.S. government and other entities have alleged. But Rand said that information flows have become even more restricted as protocols put in place for COVID-19 made it harder for Tibetans to travel and as a system of surveillance has expanded. Tibet is a "black hole" of information, said Ruth Harris, Rand Europe's research director for defense and security. Satellite imagery and nighttime analysis is an important methodology "for understanding what's going on and to help policymakers to make good and informed decisions as much as they can," Harris told RFA. 'Stability maintenance' Rand used a similar study lighting in 2021 to document what it called the "rapid, coordinated growth" of detention facilities in China's Xinjiang region over the previous decade. As many as 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups are thought to have been detained by Chinese authorities. In a report last fall, the United Nations said it found allegations of torture and other severe human rights abuses to be credible and said they may constitute crimes against humanity. China has called the allegations baseless. Policies in Xinjiang and Tibet fall under China's policy of "stability maintenance," a post-Tiananmen euphemism for crackdown on dissent. But the broader world has a much better picture of what has transpired in Xinjiang than in Tibet even though Chinese authorities have conducted a similar campaign of "preventive repression" there, Rand said. Rand used data by the Tibet Research Project, which had previously identified potential detention centers in the region, as the basis for its own report. Most of the 79 facilities appear to have light security, indicating that they may be holding facilities used to detain people for a short period. A call for more investigation There are 14 facilities identified as higher security in Rand's report on Tibet. The facilities have a larger footprint and at least three watchtowers. Researchers noticed an increase in lighting in facilities in Ngari prefecture in Western Tibet Autonomous Region, as well as in Lhoka, Nagchu and Lhasa, the capital of the TAR. The report lists a number of limitations in its findings. Little to no information exists on whether a facility has been decommissioned, or who is responsible for running particular detention centers, or the overall policies guiding their operations. Conditions inside the facilities are largely unknown too. "The precise workings, nature and scale of the CCP's efforts to imprison and detain Tibetans currently remain poorly understood" and deserve greater study, the report states. Sangdrol, a Buddist nun now in her 40s, said prisoners of her era endured brutal punishments during their incarceration. She's heard tales of torture within the current prison system too, including through the use of electric batons. But the group's overarching finding - that the detention facilities remain active - didn't come as a surprise to Sangdrol. "The expansion of higher-security detention centers and prisons are very likely considering the number of people arrested and gone missing," Sangdrol said. Edited by Jim Snyder Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hun Manet says he'll aim to 'ensure development' as new prime minister The eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen posted a message a day after his father announced his retirement. By RFA Khmer 2023.07.28 -- The eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen vowed to maintain peace in Cambodia when he takes over as head of the government next month, saying on Facebook and Telegram that he'll also aim "to ensure the development and tranquility of the people." Hun Manet's message on Thursday came a day after his father announced he would hand over the prime minister position next month. The 45-year-old posted a photo along with the message that shows Hun Sen dressed in a military uniform and standing in a jeep at a 2019 anniversary celebration for the Royal Cambodian Army Command's headquarters. Hun Manet, who until recently served as deputy commander of Cambodia's armed forces, is also dressed in uniform in a second jeep following just behind Hun Sen. "My father's word that I will always remember and be determined to apply in all circumstances: 'When you become the prime minister of Cambodia, you must maintain peace to ensure the development and tranquility of the people,'" Hun Manet wrote. Hun Manet's statement is welcome, but "peace" doesn't just refer to "no war," said Ny Sokha, the president of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) NGO. It must also include respect for human rights, social justice and social equality, he said. "Determination is not enough. It needs real practice so that people can believe in him," he told RFA. "We are waiting to see what priority issues he will address after he officially becomes the new prime minister of Cambodia." Peace and the political opposition Hun Sen, 70, has served as prime minister since 1985. He told reporters on Wednesday that a new Hun Manet-led government would be formed on Aug. 22, after the National Election Committee officially reports the results from Sunday's election. Preliminary results show the ruling Cambodian People's Party winning 120 of 125 seats in the National Assembly in the July 23 vote, which included Hun Manet as a first-time candidate for parliament from Phnom Penh. Critics have said the tightly controlled election was neither free nor fair. Hun Sen was a signatory to the 1991 Paris Peace Accords and often touts his "win-win" initiative to persuade the remaining bands of Khmer Rouge guerillas to lay down arms in the 1990s. He has also methodically co-opted all political opposition over the years, and he often points out that his long reign as prime minister has brought peace and economic development to Cambodia after decades of civil war. In the months leading up to last Sunday's election, Hun Sen persuaded dozens of opposition activists to switch their allegiance to the CPP, while others were threatened with legal action. "Now Hun Sen uses the word peace to arrest and put people in prison," Chea You Horn, the president of the Khmer Association of Victoria in Australia, told Radio Free Asia last month. Men Sothavrin, a former parliamentarian from the now-banned Cambodia National Rescue Party, said Hun Manet appears to be copying his father's dictatorship style. "Hun Manet must show that he is different from his father and never repeat his father's dictatorship," he said. "He must reinstate genuine multi-party democracy and respect human rights, especially political rights, freedom of press and expression." Translated by Chandara Yang. Edited by Matt Reed. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Azadi Briefing: Fear, Disillusionment Undermine Taliban's Efforts To Woo Exiled Former Afghan Officials By Mustafa Sarwar July 28, 2023 The Key Issue The Taliban created a special commission last year to help convince exiled former officials from the deposed Western-backed Afghan government to return to their homeland. A spokesman for the commission this month claimed that more than 600 political figures, ex-officials, and other prominent Afghans who were promised amnesty had returned to Afghanistan since March 2022. But dozens of returnees told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that they left Afghanistan again over their disillusionment with the Taliban and fears for their safety. Janat Fahim Chakari, the head of the private Karwan University in Kabul, said he left the country after receiving "many threats." "Unfortunately, we were not treated well" by the Taliban, he said. Meanwhile, Lal Mohammad Gharibzadeh, a local anti-Taliban leader in northern Afghanistan who had returned to the country, was killed by unidentified gunmen last month. Gharibzadeh's relatives, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, suspect that he was targeted by the Taliban. Why It's Important: The Taliban appears to be using the return of former Afghan officials for propaganda purposes. Many of the homecomings have been heavily publicized, with Taliban officials meeting the returnees at the airport and taking photos with them. Observers have said the militant group wants to boost its internal legitimacy and show that it is inclusive. Yet, the extremist group has monopolized power, sidelining many ethnic and political groups as well as women since forcibly seizing control of Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban's theocratic government remains unrecognized and appears to have little support among Afghans. The Taliban has shown no signs that it is willing to form an inclusive government or accept any political opposition to its rule. What's Next: More prominent Afghans who have returned to their homeland are likely to leave the country again amid concerns over their safety and mounting Taliban repression. Zarifa Ghafari, a former mayor, is the only prominent Afghan female political figure who has returned to the country since the Taliban takeover. But she left Afghanistan soon after arriving and has since criticized the Taliban. What To Keep An Eye On Authorities in Iran's western province of Kermanshah have imposed new restrictions on Afghan migrants. Hamzeh Soleimani, a local official, was quoted as saying that Afghans would no longer be allowed to live or work in the province as of August 10. He said any Iranian employers who violated the order would be punished. It is unclear how many Afghans will be affected by the order in Kermanshah. Iranian officials have not specified the reasons for the move. Why It's Important: The new rules in Kermanshah are the latest restrictions imposed on members of Iran's large Afghan community, many of whom have complained of widespread discrimination and abuse. An estimated 3 million Afghans, many of them undocumented refugees and migrants, live in Iran. Over 1 million Afghan have arrived in Iran following the Taliban takeover, although Tehran is believed to have deported more than half of the recent arrivals. Afghans in the Islamic republic say they have come under growing pressure from the authorities amid rising tensions between Iran and the Taliban over cross-border water resources. In May, authorities in Iran's southwestern province of Fars banned retail stores and grocery shops from employing foreigners, including Afghans, as salespeople and shop assistants. Juma Gul, an Afghan migrant who lived and worked in Fars, said he was arrested by police at his workplace and deported from Iran. "They beat us and said, 'your government does not give us water,'" he told Radio Azadi. "They treated us with cruelty and disrespect." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban- woos-former-officials/32524328.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Officials Who Can't Speak Kyrgyz Will Be Fired, State Warns, As Language Law Takes Effect By Farangis Najibullah July 28, 2023 Civil servants who can't speak Kyrgyz will be fired from their jobs, officials in Bishkek warned as a law came into force making it compulsory for public-sector workers to be proficient in the state language. Kanybek Osmonaliev, the head of the National Committee for the State Language, said on July 27 that officials who don't speak Kyrgyz have had enough time to learn it, as efforts to strengthen the status of the state language have been under way for years. Russian is widely spoken in Kyrgyzstan, a close ally of Russia, with many ethnic Kyrgyz speaking it as their first language. While Kyrgyz is known as Kyrgyzstan's state language, Russian is called the country's "official" language. "They had three to four years to learn Kyrgyz and had they been [diligent] they would have learned it in six months," Osmonaliev said. "All deadlines have now passed. Officials [who can't speak Kyrgyz] will be fired," he said without providing details. The comment came days after President Sadyr Japarov signed a law that says Kyrgyz must be used in the activities of all state institutions, parliament, courts, the army, and the science and cultural sectors, among others. Additionally, all television and radio channels -- both public and private -- must have at least 60 percent of their broadcasts in Kyrgyz, though Russian-language television is extremely popular. The law also requires all state workers to be fluent in Kyrgyz. The list includes government officials, lawmakers, central bank employees, law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and notary officials. But the new state-language law angered politicians in Russia, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov calling it "undemocratic" and "discriminatory." Japarov rejected the criticism and said the law didn't discriminate against Russian, which -- he emphasized -- will remain an official language in Kyrgyzstan, according to its constitution. Japarov spoke about the importance of Russian, especially its role as a lingua franca for citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States. He said Kyrgyz officials often speak Russian even during official visits to China, the Middle East, and Europe. But at the same time, Kyrgyz officials must also "fully master" their own language, Japarov said. "Look at how our state officials and deputies speak: half in Russian, half in Kyrgyz. None of us is fluent in either Russian or Kyrgyz," he said in an interview on July 24. Kyrgyzstan first adopted a Law on State Language in 1989, and it has been amended several times. "The previous law stated that 'official documents must be drawn up in either the state or official language.' Just because of this 'or,' all documents and paperwork had been written in Russian for 34 years. We removed that [in the new law]," Osmonaliev said. The new law declares that all official documents must be written in Kyrgyz and will be translated into other languages if necessary, the official explained. There have been calls in Kyrgyzstan since it gained independence in 1991 to switch from the Cyrillic alphabet to the Latin one, as three of its neighbors in Central Asia have decided to do. But Japarov and his predecessors have resisted such calls. In April, Japarov said it was "premature" to talk about a transition to Latin. The capital, Bishkek, is the only city in Central Asia that has kept the Soviet-era names of its districts, including one named after Vladimir Lenin. When some Kyrgyz called for the renaming of the districts last year, Russian politicians and media furiously interpreted it as a "call to de-Russify Bishkek" and "the first small step toward squeezing out the Russian language completely." Addressing angry reactions from Russia, Osmonaliev said on July 27 that "no country in the world is so accommodating to the Russian language as Kyrgyzstan." Like Kyrgyzstan, the former Soviet republics of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan also have Russian as a de jure official language. "Russian officials claim Russian is being squeezed out in Kyrgyzstan. Look at the [new] law, which clearly states Russian is an official language. It is the same in the Kyrgyz Constitution. No other country has this," Osmonaliev said, adding sarcastically, "Or should we repeat it 100 times?!" Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-language-law- officials-fluency/32524597.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Armenia Vows To Keep Aid Truck Convoy At Azerbaijani Checkpoint For As Long As Necessary By RFE/RL's Armenian Service, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service July 28, 2023 Armenia has vowed not to turn back a convoy of 19 Armenian trucks carrying emergency food aid to Nagorno-Karabakh that has been blocked at an Azerbaijani checkpoint for the past two days as Baku refused to allow it access through the Lachin Corridor -- the only road linking Armenia with the breakaway Azerbaijani region. The corridor has been blocked by Baku for more than seven months. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanian said on July 28 that although "there are no positive developments at the moment," the vehicles will continue to stay there "as long as necessary." The Armenian government said on July 25 that it will try to send 360 tons of flour, cooking oil, sugar, and other basic foodstuffs to Nagorno-Karabakh to alleviate severe food shortages there caused by the blockade. "We will try to ensure the opening of the Lachin Corridor through all the political means available to us. The trucks will continue to stay here at the moment," Kostanian told the media in front of the convoy. He was accompanied by representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organizations accredited in Armenia. Armenian officials expressed hope that Russian peacekeepers would escort the relief supplies. But Vardan Sargsyan, a representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists, told the media late on July 27 that no progress has been made and that the Russian side has not yet responded to the request. In a statement on July 26, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry condemned the aid convoy as a "provocation" and said it was an attack on Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian defended the attempted delivery of the humanitarian aid. "We cannot turn a blind eye to the situation that Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh are currently facing," Pashinian wrote on Twitter. "The 360 tons of vitally important foodstuff sent to Nagorno-Karabakh [are] exclusively for humanitarian purposes." Tensions have been high over the situation on the Lachin Corridor. 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 the 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. Armenia and Azerbaijan 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 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. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenian-aid-convoy- blockaded-karabakh-azerbaijan/32523764.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Zealand Not Considering Joining First Pillar of AUKUS Sputnik News 20230728 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - New Zealand is not considering joining the first pillar of the AUKUS security alliance, which involves the supply of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said. Mahuta and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a joint press conference in Wellington on Thursday, during which he said that "the door is very much open for New Zealand and other partners to engage [in the AUKUS], as they see appropriate." "And I've been quite clear in terms of New Zealand's position on the AUKUS arrangements right from the beginning is that New Zealand is not prepared to compromise or change our nuclear framework position," Mahuta was quoted as saying by the US Department of State. Wellington remains committed to a nuclear-free Pacific, she added. New Zealand Defense Minister Andrew Little echoed the same sentiment in June, saying that Wellington's position on nuclear weapons was very firm and unlikely to change. In September 2021, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced the new trilateral AUKUS partnership. Australia announced its withdrawal from a $66 billion contract with France for 12 state-of-the-art conventionally powered attack submarines. The United States has vowed to bolster Australia's military capabilities with nuclear-powered submarines. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudan Conflict Forces 3.4 Million People to Flee to Neighboring Countries - WHO Sputnik News 20230728 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The conflict in Sudan has forced a total of 3.4 million people to flee to refuge in neighboring countries, who are now facing rapidly intensifying health threats, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday. "The conflict in Sudan that has forced 3.4 million people to flee for safety within the country and across its borders is rapidly intensifying health threats, with cases of infectious diseases and other afflictions reported among the displaced population who have sought refuge in hard-to-reach locations with limited health services," WHO said on the website. Nearly 760,00 displaced people have sought refuge in the neighboring Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan, WHO said, adding that the organization's staff continues to support national authorities of these countries in providing health assistance. "In Sudan itself, the health crisis has reached gravely serious levels as more than two-thirds of hospitals remain out of service amid increasing reports of attacks on health facilities. Between 15 April and 24 July 2023, WHO verified 51 attacks on health facilities, resulting in 10 deaths and 24 injuriesand cutting off access to urgently needed care," the statement said. In Chad, which is receiving an average of 2,500 people daily, over 1,400 trauma cases have been identified and treated. Cases of malaria and suspected cases of yellow fever have been identified in the CAR in some 17,000 refugees, including children under five years of age. A suspected cholera outbreak has also been reported in northern Ethiopia, which is receiving a large number of refugees. The influx of over 176,000 refugees into South Sudan "has overstretched facilities in the northern Renk region, where an upsurge of acute watery diarrhea among under-five-year-olds is driving up mortality," with a significant rise in severe acute malnutrition and measles among children under five years being having been recorded, WHO said. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which translates as Doctors Without Borders, also said Thursday, citing local authorities, that over "140,000 people, mostly South Sudanese women and children fleeing from Khartoum, have newly arrived in White Nile state since conflict broke out in Sudan." It was further noted that they and are now facing "huge unmet needs for food, shelter, health care, and water and sanitation in 10 camps, which host around 387,000 people." Since April 15, fighting has been going on in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the regular army. The parties have been exchanging contradictory statements about the success of the fighting and control of facilities, and have launched a large-scale information war in the media and social networks. The situation in the country is not improving despite talks between the warring parties in Jeddah that began on May 6. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Remarks by Under Secretary of the Treasury Brian Nelson at a Roundtable with Somali Financial Services Firms U.S. Department of the Treasury July 28, 2023 As Prepared for Delivery Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to discuss our collective efforts to address Somalia and the region's priority illicit finance threats. One of my priorities during this trip is to work with the Somali government and private sector to determine how we can bolster our partnership to protect the Somali financial system from abuse. Deepening this partnership requires a frank and honest discussion on the risks we are facing. Somali authorities have made real progress combatting al-Shabaab and denying this terrorist group the control of territory it relies on to extort the Somali population. However, challenges still remain as al-Shabaab continues to generate revenue and seeks to abuse Somalia's financial sector to raise, move, and use these funds. Somalia's National Risk Assessment identified the TF risk as High, and that al-Shabaab moves funds through remittances, banks, cash carriers, and mobile money. Identifying risks is a crucial first step, and Somali authorities are now actively working to address the deficiencies identified in the National Risk Assessment through, regulatory reforms, greater enforcement of existing regulations, and enhanced interagency cooperation among other measures. However, government cannot protect the financial sector from abuse on its own. As frontline industry, and while reform efforts are underway, financial institutions play a crucial role in implementing AML/CFT regulations, taking proactive measures to identify and mitigate ML/TF risks, and working with authorities when suspicious transactions are identified. Therefore, it is encouraging to see increased engagement between Somalia's National Anti-Money Laundering Committee (NAMLC) and the private sector to strength the relations and cooperation between government agencies and banks, telecommunication companies, mobile money service providers, and other key industries. I look forward to discussing these efforts and what more can be done. For example, targeted financial sanctions are a key tool that Treasury uses to protect the U.S. financial system from abuse. Somalia recently adopted its own Targeted Financial Sanctions Law which equips Somali authorities with this powerful tool as well. However, sanctions impact is ultimately contingent on implementation by the private sector. I'd encourage you to work closely with Somali authorities on sanctions implementation to better protect the Somali financial system from abuse. Reporting suspicious transactions is also key to maintaining a healthy financial sector, ensuring compliance with your AML/CFT laws and regulations. Strengthening your transaction monitoring and reporting mechanisms will help your regulatory, law enforcement, and security sector to investigate, act when necessary, and safeguard the Somali financial sector from exploitation by terrorists and other illicit actors. I was encouraged hearing from Somali authorities on their progress implementing a National ID and increasing biometric registration requirements for mobile money users. I look forward to discussing with you on how banks and mobile money service providers are working with authorities to leverage these advances to strengthen your customer identification procedures. The ability to accurately identify and verify customers is an essential component of a strong AML/CFT framework. Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to note that, in meetings with government officials from a range of countries, I often get asked to help their financial institutions establish correspondent banking relationships with U.S. financial institutions. Our research, published in Treasury's De-Risking Strategy, found that apart from the profit motive, most financial institutions will de-risk when there is risk of operating in a space where regulatory frameworks are lax and resultant transactions can cause reputational harm, regulatory action by the U.S. government, or even sanctions. Establishing correspondent banking relationships is an internal business decision of financial institutions, and Treasury does not influence these private business decisions. However, there are steps that you can take as a sector that will help you move towards establishing correspondent banking relationships: I would encourage you to strengthen your own internal compliance frameworks to align with international standards, including AML/CFT measures. As we have discussed, this involves implementing robust AML/CFT policies, conducting thorough due diligence on customers, and demonstrating compliance with international financial regulations. By following these steps, the Somali banking sector can enhance its standing in the global financial community and with time come to establish additional correspondent banking relationships. Finally, one of the De-Risking Strategy's recommendations was to bolster international engagement to strengthen the AML/CFT regimes of foreign jurisdictions. This is a top priority for me, so I am thrilled to be here to have this discussion with you all. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Minister for Africa Andrew Mitchell condemns attempts to undermine democracy in Niger. 28 July 2023 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister for International Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell said: The UK condemns in the strongest possible terms attempts to undermine democracy, peace and stability in Niger. The UK stands with the Africa Union and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to call for an end to this unacceptable infringement on the democratic rights of the people of Niger. We strongly support concerted efforts by ECOWAS to promote democracy in the sub-region. The UK is unwavering in its support for the immediate, comprehensive return to accountable civilian rule and constitutional order. The UK calls for the release of Niger's democratically-elected President, Mohamed Bazoum. Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York 28 July 2023 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Guest Today All right, good afternoon. Happy Friday indeed. In a short while, we will be joined by Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP). He is going to update you on the WFP emergency responses and operational challenges including those due to the funding shortfalls and the suspension of the Black Sea Initiative. ** Niger A quick update regarding the situation in Niger. I know that a number of you have been asking about the whereabouts of the Head of our Office for West Africa and the Sahel. Leonardo Santos Simao, is briefing or is about to brief the Security Council on the Secretary-General's behalf in closed consultations. He is back in Dakar, and he has been conducting close consultations with ECOWAS, with the African Union and other key partners to support the regional efforts to restore constitutional order. He has also been engaging with a number of others. On Sunday, we expect him to be at the ECOWAS Summit in Abuja, which will be dedicated to the situation in Niger. And as you heard in a press briefing this morning, our humanitarian colleagues on the ground said their work in the country is continuing. However, flights from the UN Humanitarian Air Service remain grounded because the air space in Niger remains closed. We and our humanitarian partners fully remain committed and engaged to supporting the vulnerable populations in Niger who, as you know, are impacted by a combination of climate, economic and security shocks, in a context of very high needs on the humanitarian and the development side. This morning, Nicole Kouassi, the acting Resident Coordinator in Niger, I think reminded you that the $583 million humanitarian appeal for Niger is only 32 per cent funded. ** Security Council Peacekeeping Operations This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on the protection of civilians by UN peacekeeping operations. They heard from Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, as well as Force Commanders from the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the Force Commander of UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). ** Syria Earlier this week, the Secretary-General was talking about the boiling climate. I just want to give you an example of the direct impact on some of the most vulnerable people of rising temperatures. In Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is warning us about the ongoing heatwave there, with temperatures going from 30C to 46C. It's putting lives at risk, particularly in the north-west where millions of people live in camps and settlements. Yesterday, a one-year-old girl passed away in a displacement camp in Idleb after her health deteriorated due to extreme heat. The infant and her family lived in a three-year-old tent in a camp hosting about 860 people. Partners on the ground reported that at least 165 tents in the camp lack proper thermal insulation to protect people from extreme heat and other weather conditions. A plan, launched by ourselves and our partners, to move displaced people in the north-west out of tents and into dignified shelters is currently being implemented. However, living conditions remain harsh for about 800,000 people who are still live in tents today, often in very overcrowded conditions. The summer months also saw the spread of fires across the region. In July, at least 134 fires were reported across the north-west Syria. Partners reported also over 320 fire incidents that have affected over 720 tents housing displaced people since the start of the year. Some 1.9 million displaced people living in some 1,400 camps or self-settled sites in the north-west, the majority of whom are women and children. ** Cyprus A quick note on Cyprus, where today, the two leaders, Nikos Christodoulides and Ersin Tatar, jointly visited the laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus. The visit reaffirms their political will to support the humanitarian process of finding, identifying and returning the remains of missing persons to their families. This was the first joint visit of the leaders to the Committee's anthropological laboratory since 2015. Through its work, the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus helps families find closure and contributes to the restoration of trust between the two communities. The Committee is an example of successful cooperation between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and has consistently yielded results. ** International Days Today is [World] Hepatitis Day, an opportunity for countries to step up national and international efforts on hepatitis, encourage actions by individuals, partners and the public and highlight the need for a greater global response. And Sunday is, do you know what Sunday is? It is International Friendship Day. Let's all find a friend. And also Sunday, on a more serious note, is the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. In his message, the Secretary-General says that human trafficking is a heinous violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, adding that we must invest much more in detection and protection and strengthen law enforcement to bring criminals that commodify human beings to justice. ** Noon Guest on Monday On Monday, we expect Denise Brown to be here virtually to brief you on Ukraine. ** Financial Contribution We now have 126 Member States who have paid up in full, and this country has a UNESCO-listed Rock-Art Site, which is called Tadrart Acacus, and it is a rocky massif with thousands of cave paintings which date from 12,000 BC to 100 AD. It happens to be Libya. So, we thank Tripoli for its payment. ** Michelle Yeoh & Jean Todt And we often have sad notes about people passing away, but I have a happy note today. It's not every day that a UN Goodwill Ambassador marries a UN Special Envoy. We want to congratulate Jean Todt and Michelle Yeoh, who got married after a 19-year engagement, apparently. They both spent a lot of time and dedicated a lot of their time to the UN cause, so we thank them. Edie? ** Questions and Answers Question : Thank you, Steph. First, on Niger, is anyone in the UN system talking to the military who have now claimed that they are in power? Spokesman : Nothing from the Secretary-General. I know our special representative is in touch with a number of partners. At this point, ECOWAS is really in the lead. We are supporting them and will be attending the ECOWAS Summit. Question : And secondly, at the Russian Summit with African leaders, quite a number of African leaders have called on President Putin to restore the Black Sea Grain Initiative. What is the Secretary-General going to do to follow-up on these calls? Spokesman : Well, the contacts continue. The Secretary-General met with the Deputy Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Vershinin, in Rome on Tuesday morning and reiterated his call for Russia to rejoin the Black Sea [Grain] Initiative and also reiterated his commitment to doing whatever he can to facilitate the trade in Russian and Ukrainian food and fertilizer back to market. I think if you look at the Secretary-General's statement that he delivered in Rome, when talking about the Black Sea Initiative, he called on the international community to make their voices heard in a way as well. Michelle, don't be so shy. Question : Just a follow-up to that. The Deputy Russian Foreign Minister, did he sort of indicate that they're willing to... I don't know, maybe upon...? Spokesman : The Foreign Ministry in Moscow has a spokeswoman, so I think you should ask her what the Russian position is. But, obviously, had there been a breakthrough, I think it would have been shared with you. Yes, ma'am. Question : That was on the sidelines? Spokesman : Margaret? Yes. Question : That was on the sidelines of the food summit. Correct? Spokesman : It was in Rome. Yes. Question : Did he attend it, the Russian? Spokesman : I think he was part of the delegation there, and he asked to see the Secretary-General, and we, of course, made the time to see him. Question : Okay. On another topic, Haiti, the United States has updated their travel advisory there, their level 4, high level 1, and they're ordering the departure of non-emergency US personnel and their families. Does the UN have any plans to slim down? Is that a family posting for UN personnel? What's your...? Spokesman : Whether or not it's a family posting, I do not know, but there's been no secured change in our security posture that I'm aware of in the last few days. Mr. Bays? Question : Yeah. Maybe stay on Haiti. You could give us an update on where the Secretary-General is on his thinking and his proposals. And did he visit...? Spokesman : His thinking and his proposals are what they are. We're still looking for movement from Member States in that direction. Question : So, you're still looking for a lead nation? Spokesman : Yeah. Question : The Secretary-General is not considering the UN taking the lead in this? Spokesman : Not that I'm aware of. Okay. I don't have my phone. So, if there's anybody online who wants to ask questions, please do so. Otherwise, I will get our guest. Okay. Standby for Carl. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN missions battle old and emerging threats, to protect civilians 28 July 2023 - Heads of UN peacekeeping forces on Thursday highlighted the work of 'blue helmets' in some of the most challenging environments, protecting those in need not only from war and terror but also increasingly from natural disasters and disinformation. Climate change and conflict Briefing the Security Council, Lt. Gen. Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) recalled when dykes collapsed in Unity State in October 2022, leading to flash floods not seen in nearly six decades, displacing over 170,000 people to the provincial capital Bentiu. If left unaddressed the floods could have led to the death of over 40,000 IDPs (internally-displaced persons) he said, adding that the breach was detected by a dyke monitoring patrol. "Even heavy engineering equipment could not reach the breach, but UNMISS personnel - civilian and military - and the local community stood there, in a human chain; reached the breach, filled sandbags and closed the breach," he said. Their actions saved at least 40,000 lives, Lt. Gen. Subramanian added. He also described practical aspects of the UNMISS protection mandate, which includes engagement with the Government and national forces, including joint deployments in potential conflict areas; short and long-term patrols; and when required, deployment of quick reaction forces to protect those in need. Damaging disinformation Lt. Gen. Otavio Rodrigues De Miranda Filho, Force Commander of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), told ambassadors that the Mission's primary concern is the country's weak justice system and lack of capacity of its security forces. The level of impunity is too high, he said, adding that illegal armed groups often target civilians and the most vulnerable in a "cycle of retaliatory violence." He said it was vital to raise the issue of protection with political leaders, establish safe civilian spaces, deploy air assets and conduct joint operations with national forces, where possible. The Force Commander also described evolving new threats, especially the spread of disinformation, which has endangered civilians and also provoked attacks against peacekeepers. Manipulation through the information domain has eroded support, making it much more difficult to carry out patrols in the protection of civilians, he said, adding, "we must understand that we are going to operate in a hostile environment with a high possibility of armed confrontation." Enabling dialogue Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, Head of Mission and Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said that at present, there is no clear imminent physical threat to civilians, and the Force's focus is on prevention. That is best achieved through robust deployment across the area of operation, situational awareness, and dialogue and engagement with the parties to the conflict, he said, noting the establishment of a tripartite forum. This is the only venue where Lebanese and Israeli forces can meet and address security concerns. "The forum is the cornerstone of UNIFIL's coordination and liaison mechanisms and a vital platform for de-confliction, confidence-building and conflict-prevention between the parties which remain technically at war," he said. He also highlighted UNIFIL's liaison branch of unarmed observers, who are deployed north and south of the Blue Line and maintain regular contact with the Israel Defense Forces and Lebanese Armed Forces on the ground. About the Missions UNMISS was established by the Security Council in 2011, following South Sudan's independence from Sudan, to help maintain peace and stability at the time when the young nation faced significant internal conflicts and humanitarian challenges. As of June 2022, the Mission's total personnel - civil and uniformed - numbered 17,954, including 13,221 troops and 1,468 police. MONUSCO, which stands for UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was established by the Security Council in 2010, to help address the complex and ongoing conflicts in the DRC and to help stabilize the region. It is one of the largest and most complex peacekeeping operations in the world. Its total personnel, as of February, stands at 17,753, including 12,379 troops, 1,597 police, and 330 staff officers. Established in 1978, UNIFIL's primary mandate is to ensure peace and security along the Blue Line, the delineation of the Israel-Lebanon border. It also supports humanitarian assistance to those in need. As of November 2022, the Mission is composed of about 10,000 military and 800 civilian personnel. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address United Nations confirm the pursue of humanitarian, development, and peace Programmmes in Niger. UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 28 Jul 2023 (NIAMEY, 28 July 2023) -- The United Nations are very concerned about the situation that Niger has been going through for the past few days. The United Nations in Niger would like to confirm that humanitarian assistance, development, and peace programs continue in the country. Only the United Nations humanitarian flights (UNHAS) are temporarily grounded due to the closure of Niger's airspace. The United Nations and humanitarian partners remain fully committed and engaged to supporting the vulnerable populations of Niger affected by a combination of climate, economic and security shocks, in a context of very high humanitarian and development needs. In 2023, before this political crisis, Niger had 4.3 million people in humanitarian need with 3.3 million in acute food insecurity situation, the vast majority of whom are women and children. The United Nations reinforce its humanitarian appeal to all partners to further support the humanitarian operations in Niger, which, to date is only 32% funded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press Release ACV Transition Training Unit Certifies First Marines 28 Jul 2023 HEADQUARTERS, U.S. MARINE CORPS -- A Marine Corps-established Amphibious Combat Vehicle Transition Training Unit at the Assault Amphibian School graduated 29 Marines Tuesday, July 25, after completing the new Operational Certification (OPCERT) course at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. This course brought the total of trained and certified Marine Amphibious Combat Vehicle operators to 59 with the inclusion of graduates from a successful pilot course last month. Additionally, a total of 19 Marines has since graduated from the TTU's new Maintainers Certification (MAINTCERT) course between the pilot and first official course. The OPCERT and MAINTCERT courses, piloted in May and June 2023 respectively, were approved as rigorous and standardized programs that ensure Marines possess the technical knowledge, skills, and proficiency required to safely operate, maintain, and employ the ACV. The proficiency evaluation and validation standards developed by the TTU will be sustained on an enduring basis through entry-level ACV operator, maintainer, and unit leader training and advanced training for Marines as they progress through their career. "This is an important milestone in the development of our assault amphibian Marines and the transition to this key platform," said Brig. Gen. Farrell Sullivan, commanding general, Training Command. "U.S. Marines are the nation's premier naval expeditionary force, and retaining this forcible entry capability is a key component of providing options to our nation's leaders. I'm proud to see Amphib Assault Marines successfully contributing to our combat capability and leading their community through this milestone." The OPCERT course consists of 15 training days with written and practical evaluations across four phases: RAMP, Land, Protected Waters, and Open Ocean. The MAINTCERT course consists of 5 training days focusing on maintenance and recovery systems theory, as well as written evaluations. The courses pair a detailed building-block approach with revised risk management and assessment procedures, range safety, and recovery planning procedures to properly evaluate students' performance. The Marine Corps anticipates having all previously licensed ACV operators and maintainers who require TTU certification to be evaluated and trained by FY25. "The training provided to our Marines has established a foundation for certifying ACV operators and ensures that safety and steady professionalism remain at the center of all ACV operations," said Col. Benjamin Venning, commanding officer, Assault Amphibian School. "The Marines leading the transition unit have demonstrated the excellence that will achieve training and operational standardization across all Assault Amphibian units and enable our transition to the ACV in a safe and effective manner." -30- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Navy to Christen Guided-Missile Destroyer Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) US Navy - Press Release 28 July 2023 WASHINGTON (July 28, 2023) -- The Navy will christen the future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) during a 10:30 a.m. EDT ceremony on Saturday, July 29, at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy, will deliver the christening ceremony's principal address. Remarks will also be provided by Colonel (ret.) Harvey C. Barnum, Jr., the ship's namesake; the Honorable Janet Mills, Governor of Maine; the Honorable Susan Collins, U.S. Senator, Maine; the Honorable Angus King, U.S. Senator, Maine; Gen. Eric Smith, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps; Vice Adm. William Galinis, Commander Naval Sea Systems Command; and Mr. Charles Krugh, president, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. The ship's sponsor is Colonel Barnum's wife, Ms. Martha Hill. In a time-honored Navy tradition, Ms. Hill will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow. The ship's namesake, Col. Harvey C. Barnum Jr., received the Medal of Honor for heroism displayed during an action outside Ky Phu, Quang Tin Province, Vietnam. Serving with Company H, 2d Battalion, and 9th Marines, he assumed command after the rifle company commander was mortally wounded by a sudden enemy attack. Rallying his troops, he organized the defeat of the enemy force and the successful evacuation of the dead and wounded. This is the first U.S. Navy ship to honor Barnum. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy's surface fleet, providing protection to America around the globe. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct various operations, from peacetime presence to national security, providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface domains. These elements of seapower enable the Navy to defend American prosperity and prevent future conflict abroad. Additional information on the ship's namesake can be found at: https://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/multimedia-gallery/infographics/heritage/barnum.html Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342. More information on guided-missile destroyer programs can be found at: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169871/destroyers-ddg/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Awaits Confirmation of Killing of IS-Khorasan Chief in Afghanistan By Ayaz Gul July 28, 2023 A new U.N. report has cast doubts on the alleged death of the head of the Islamic State terror group's affiliate in Afghanistan, noting that the ruling Taliban's relationship with al-Qaida "remains close and symbiotic." The report, released this week by the U.N. Security Council sanctions monitoring team, is based on member-state intelligence. It characterized Islamic State-Khorasan Province, also known as IS-K or ISIL-K, as "the most serious terrorist threat" facing Afghanistan and the broader region. "Sanaullah Ghafari (alias Shahab al-Muhajir) is viewed as the most ambitious leader of ISIL-K. One Member State reported that Ghafari was killed in Afghanistan in June. This remains to be confirmed," said the U.N. report, dated Tuesday, without elaborating. It identified Maulawi Rajab as the leader of IS-K's external operations and estimated that the terror group had up to 6,000 operatives, including family members, in Afghanistan. "ISIL-K is becoming more sophisticated in its attacks against both the Taliban and international targets. The group was focused on carrying out a strategy of high-profile attacks to undermine the Taliban's ability to provide security," the U.N. report said. The terror campaign exhibited "strong operational capability involving reconnoiter, coordination, communication, planning and execution," the report said. It also noted that successful attacks on leading Taliban figures in northern Afghanistan had boosted IS-K's morale and spurred recruitment. Last month, Taliban security sources reported that Ghafari, the self-proclaimed emir of IS-K, was killed during counterterrorism operations in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, which borders Pakistan. Pakistani intelligence officials at the time also confirmed to VOA the death of Ghafari in what they said were "mysterious circumstances." The United States has offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Ghafari. A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, told VOA it was unable to confirm the death of the IS-K leader. "CENTCOM is aware of reports alleging that an ISIS-K leader was killed in Afghanistan earlier this week," Major John Moore said in an email. "We have nothing additional to provide at this time." The U.N. report noted "the relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaida remains close and symbiotic." It added that al-Qaida mainly operates covertly in Afghanistan to help promote the narrative that the Taliban are living up to their pledges they would not allow the use of Afghan soil for terrorist purposes. "Under the patronage of high-ranking officials of the de facto Taliban authorities, al-Qaida members infiltrate law enforcement agencies and public administration bodies, ensuring the security of al-Qaida cells dispersed throughout the country," the report stated. According to the U.N. findings, al-Qaida is believed to have 30 to 60 senior operatives in Afghanistan and an additional 400 fighters, reaching 2,000 when including family members and supporters. Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected U.N. allegations that his group maintains ties with al-Qaida. "Al-Qaida organization does not exist in Afghanistan now and reports claiming this are false. The Islamic Emirate does not allow anyone to use Afghanistan's soil to threaten any other country's security," Mujahid tweeted Friday. The U.N. report found that the August 2021 Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has "emboldened" Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, an outlawed group waging terrorist attacks in Pakistan out of Afghan sanctuaries. Listed as a global terrorist organization by the U.S., TTP has been "gaining momentum in its operations against Pakistan and aspires to regain control of territory within the country. The group is known to be an offshoot and a close ally of the Afghan Taliban. "In June, certain TTP elements were relocated away from the border area, as part of the Taliban's efforts to rein in the group under pressure from the government of Pakistan," the U.N. report said. It warned that TTP could become a regional threat if it continues to have a safe operating base in Afghanistan. Taliban leaders reject TTP's presence in the country, however. The U.N. document concludes with member states expressing concern "over the availability of large quantities of weaponry and other military equipment" left behind by U.S. and NATO forces. They noted the potential spread of these weapons from stockpiles in Afghanistan into neighboring countries. The U.S.-led foreign troops chaotically withdrew after almost two decades of involvement in the war with the then-insurgent Taliban. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A district judge sentenced a 24-year-old Lincoln man to prison for raping a teenage girl along a west Lincoln bike trail in 2021, saying probation would make a mockery of the justice system. Jered Badbergs public defender had made his case for probation, saying Badberg was working, had the support of family, had started treatment and was a stark contrast to the man he was two years ago. Hes a completely different person, Deputy Lancaster County Public Defender John Jorgensen said. He said Badberg understands his actions were wrong and that it shouldnt have happened. But hes taken steps to improve himself, and a term of probation would allow him to grow and show he can be a productive member of society, Jorgensen said. A period of incarceration is honestly not going to do anybody any good, he said. Hes addressing the seriousness of his actions by addressing those rehabilitative needs to prevent those actions from ever happening ... ever again. Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Julie Mruz said she had a very different view of Badberg. It was the states opinion that Badberg just couldnt get all of his lies straight. She said that when he was confronted with the allegations, he denied any sexual contact with the girl, but DNA tied him to the crime. Badberg later admitted hed met her along the Jamaica Trail on March 3, 2021, but told investigators she asked him to meet. To others, hes victim blamed and said she was making it up. This was a violent assault against her will. Grabbing her hair, dragging her on the ground, through the dirt, through the leaves, removing her clothes and forcing her to have ... sex with him, Mruz said. The girl said Badberg stood up after, spit on her and walked away, she said. Badberg later pleaded no contest to attempted first-degree sexual assault, a crime that carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison. Mruz said to give him probation would be an injustice to the victim, her family and the community. Badberg, who wrote a confidential letter to Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson, declined to say anything at the hearing before learning he would get near the max. DNA is what it is and it does not lie. You lie, but DNA does not, the judge said. Nelson said letters from Badberg and his supporters made zero mention of the victim. It was all about Badberg, she said, and appeared to try to make him look like the victim. By no means are you the victim here. You are a perpetrator of a violent crime against a minor. Thats what happened here, she said. Nelson said the victim had a protection order against Badberg, which he violated previously. He was awaiting trial for it when he committed this crime. Placing you on probation would make a mockery, quite frankly, of the judicial system, she said, giving him 15-20 years. Countries Urged Not to Deport Burkina Faso Refugees Amid Escalating Violence By Lisa Schlein July 28, 2023 The U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR, Thursday appealed to West African states not to forcibly repatriate refugees who have fled escalating insecurity and violence sparked by insurgent groups in Burkina Faso. "As of June this year, 67,000 people from Burkina Faso have sought refuge in neighboring countries, including Mali, Niger, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin and Ghana," said Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR director of international protection, briefing journalists in Geneva on Friday. "The number of internally displaced people is enormous," she said. "Two million people are internally displaced within Burkina Faso, making this one of the worst internal displacement crises on the African continent." The UNHCR said it was updating an advisory on forced returns that it issued last July because humanitarian and security conditions in Burkina Faso have seriously deteriorated since then. Tan said, "The reason why the update is because the parts of Burkina Faso that are now impacted by violence and conflict and insecurity has expanded. So, the parts of the country where it is not safe to return people to has increased." While growing numbers of people are fleeing across borders in search of international protection, she said the number of internally displaced in Burkina Faso is surging. "There has been internal displacement since 2015, but it is in 2022 that we have really seen a large increase in the number of displaced in the country, and that is due to the increased activities by violent extremist groups as well as increasing humanitarian need," she said. She noted that Islamist armed groups in the Sahel, such as those allied with al-Qaida and Islamic State militants, have caused enormous displacement and destruction to civilian infrastructure. She said they are responsible for widespread human rights violations against civilians including targeted killings, forced disappearances, torture and kidnappings. "Children are also exposed to serious human rights violations such as forced recruitment by armed groups, child labor as well as other types of violence, abuse, exploitation and gender-based violence." She said most displaced children are unable to attend school because attacks on schools have forced more than 6,300 to close. Ongoing violence and displacement have also left many women vulnerable to gender-based violence, she notes. Since last year's appeal for a ban on forcible returns was issued, Tan said Ghana has forcibly returned several hundred asylum seekers to Burkina Faso. She said the UNHCR has had discussions with the government of Ghana and while forcible returns have somewhat subsided, she said the UNHCR remained concerned about that situation. "We understand ... the intense security concerns that countries in the region have with regard to population movements. Nevertheless," Tan said, "the majority of people fleeing are women and children and we are working with governments to ensure that the civilian character of asylum is maintained." She expressed concern about the situation in Niger, a major country of asylum currently hosting 300,000 refugees from Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria and 350,000 internally displaced people. Following the military coup this week that overthrew the country's president, she said "we are monitoring developments very closely" adding that "for the time being our humanitarian operations are still able to take place." There are currently 4.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Niger, she said. UNHCR protection director Tan said the prevailing situation in Burkina Faso is also precarious for people dependent on international aid for survival. "An estimated 4.7 million people across the country are now in need of humanitarian assistance and over 20 percent of the country's population is among those who are in need of humanitarian assistance," she said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Soldiers Declare Niger General New Leader After Attempted Coup By VOA News July 28, 2023 Mutineers in Niger have declared the head of the presidential guard as the country's new leader two days after the troops detained President Mohamed Bazoum and announced they had seized power. General Abdourahamane Tchiani appeared on state television Friday as a banner across the screen identified him as the president of the newly formed "National Council for Safeguarding the Country," or CNSP. The mutineers declared the government dissolved and the constitution suspended. They previously closed the country's borders and airspace and imposed a nationwide curfew. Leaders of Niger's army declared their support for Wednesday's overthrow of Bazoum, who was democratically elected two years ago. They defied international calls for his immediate release and appeals for the general to respect the rule of law and Niger's democratic order. Tchiani warned foreign governments not to intervene in Niger or to try to extract Bazoum and his family, saying it would result in "the massacre of the Niger population and chaos." He added that soldiers ousted the president because of deteriorating security in the West African country, which is fighting an Islamist militant insurgency. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Bazoum on Friday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told Agence France-Presse. According to Colonna, Macron said Bazoum was "reachable" and "in good health." Reports said Bazoum was being held in the presidential palace. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield also spoke with Bazoum and expressed Washington's strong condemnation of any effort to seize power by force. Her spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday that the "United States is steadfast in its support for Niger's democracy and supports taking action at the U.N. Security Council to de-escalate the situation, prevent harm to civilians and ensure constitutional order." In a message posted Thursday to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Bazoum said democracy would prevail in his country. "The hard-won gains will be safeguarded," he said. "All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom would want this." Diplomatic response White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Friday that a military takeover in Niger "may cause the United States to cease security and other cooperation with the government of Niger." The United States has about 1,100 troops in Niger. Kirby said the United States was "deeply concerned" about developments in Niger but that Washington was still hoping for a resolution. "I will just tell you, we believe that there is still a space for diplomacy here, and that that diplomacy is actively being pursued not just by the United States, but by our allies and partners and our African partners as well," he said. The West African regional bloc ECOWAS will hold a summit Sunday in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on the situation. The regional bloc has condemned the events in Niger and called on what it described as coup plotters to free the president "immediately and without any condition." Abdel Fatau Musah, commissioner for political affairs and security of ECOWAS, told VOA that "Bazoum remains the legitimate and legal president and must be reinstated as soon as possible." Kenyan President William Ruto said in a video message that the army takeover was "a serious setback" for Africa. "The aspirations of the people of Niger for constitutional democracy were subverted by an unconstitutional change of government," he said. In Paris, the French presidency said Macron would chair a defense meeting Saturday on the situation. France, the former colonial power in Niger, has about 1,500 troops in the country. Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council met Friday behind closed doors to discuss the evolving situation. The U.N. representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, briefed the council from Dakar. "All council members expressed their concern about the situation," said Britain's Deputy U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki after the meeting. His government holds the council's rotating presidency this month. "All council members expressed the need to restore the constitutional democracy. All council members condemned the action. So we have a very strong sense that the council is united in seeking to condemn and act." The council is discussing a draft statement put forward by its three African members Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique that strongly condemns the unconstitutional change of government and expresses support for the efforts of ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations. There are 4.3 million people who need humanitarian assistance in Niger. The U.N. said aid flights have been temporarily suspended because of the closure of the country's airspace, but humanitarian assistance continues to be delivered. "The humanitarian response continues on the ground and has never stopped since the events occurred in Niger," Jean-Noel Gentile, the World Food Program representative in Niger, told reporters on a video call Friday. Events The coup began Wednesday, when a group of soldiers from the presidential guard detained Bazoum at the presidential palace and later announced his ouster on state television. In a statement on social media, the army said it had decided to back the coup to prevent "a deadly confrontation" that could lead to a "bloodbath" in Niger. U.N. officials in the capital, Niamey, said the situation was calm Friday, after reports of looting and cars being set on fire the day before. Bazoum's government is a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist insurgents in Africa's Sahel. Germany, Italy, France and the United States have troops in Niger on military training and counterinsurgency missions. Russia has established a foothold in Niger's neighbors through its Wagner mercenary group. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who recently challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin, welcomed the military's attempted takeover. In a voice message believed to be Prigozhin on the Telegram app, he hailed the coup attempt and offered the services of his mercenaries to help bring order. Niger is one of the region's most unstable countries. If successful, Wednesday's coup would be the fifth military takeover since the country won independence from France in 1960. VOA's Carol Van Dam Falk, Margaret Besheer and French to Africa Service contributed to this report. Some information came from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China Welcomes Cambodia's Election Results Amid Western Rebukes By Kann Vicheika July 28, 2023 While Western democracies largely condemned Cambodia's one-sided elections on Sunday and broader crackdown on dissent ahead of the vote, China was effusive in its support of the ruling Cambodian People's Party's runaway victory. In remarks delivered in a speech on Monday, Beijing's ambassador to Cambodia, Wang Wentian, said "China strongly supports the Cambodian people in choosing their own development path that suits their national conditions." According to China's Xinhua news agency, Wang also noted that a team of Chinese election observers monitored the race, which he said was "efficient, professional and peaceful." Wang also noted that turnout was nearly 85% and that 18 political parties participated in the ballot. The ruling party, led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, declared a landslide victory in the July 23 national election, winning 120 of 125 seats in parliament. The royalist Funcinpec party was the only surprise of the day, winning the other five seats up from zero in the previous National Assembly. Just weeks before the election, the CPP-stacked National Election Committee barred the main opposition Candlelight Party from registering for the election, claiming it was missing necessary paperwork. The elections come amid a broader crackdown on dissent and any perceived threats to the ruling party, from human rights groups to the media. The United States released a statement Sunday saying the elections were "neither free nor fair." It added that in the runup to the election, "Cambodian authorities engaged in a pattern of threats and harassment against the political opposition, media, and civil society that undermined the spirit of the country's constitution and Cambodia's international obligations." Other countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and France released statements of disappointment, but stopped short of deeming the elections not free and fair. Still, the Western response drew a stark contrast with the message from Chinese President Xi Jinping in a congratulatory letter to Hun Sen. "The Communist Party of China is pleased to enhance the political leadership of bilateral relations with Prime Minister Hun Sen, deepen exchanges and cooperation between the parties and sectors, and work together to build a common destiny," he said. "Between China and Cambodia, the new era of high quality and high standards will provide greater benefits to the people and the two countries." Analysts told VOA that China's emphatic statements of support are likely welcomed amid increasing pressure from Cambodia's longtime Western donors, however they said Phnom Penh runs the risk of overreliance on Beijing as it slides away from the democracy enshrined in its constitution. Ear Sophal, associate professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, said the ruling party would only increase its reliance after the election, with countries like the U.S. threatening to withdraw development support. But he doesn't expect Cambodia's government to change tack. "Cambodia will weather the storm, always not caring one bit about the West. It practices a very strong reality distortion field. Good is bad, bad is good. No democracy and great foreign relations with China. They think they need only that," he said. Vann Bunna, a researcher at the Khmer Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said the post-election dynamics would make it even harder for Cambodia's pro-democracy forces to reemerge. "When Cambodia has very close and good relations with China but is very tense with the liberal countries, it makes the process of restoring democracy in Cambodia seem like there is very little hope ... given the space for human rights, democracy, and civil society organizations is getting smaller," Bunna said. Cambodia-China relations have become increasingly close over the last decade, and China has become the No. 1 foreign partner in terms of investment, bilateral trade, and tourism. In January, a top official in the Ministry of Economy and Finance said China's $1.6 billion in investment in 2022 was 42% of total foreign investment, with major stakes in agriculture, tourism, real estate and infrastructure. China is also Cambodia's top creditor, accounting for nearly 41% of its nearly $10 billion in foreign debt. And Beijing has given billions more in build-operate-transfer agreements through its Belt and Road initiative, meaning Chinese firms will collect revenue on major infrastructure projects for decades to come. Prior to China's booming investment over the past decade, much of Cambodia's postwar development was funded by the Western democracies, along with Japan and South Korea. And Hun Sen had long paid lip service to demands for democratic reform, even tolerating a robust free press and civil society from the 1990s to the mid-2010s. But that changed after the 2013 election, in which the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party came close to beating the CPP. The CNRP was outlawed, its leaders jailed or buried in legal cases, and various laws have been passed restricting democratic rights and other freedoms. With the opposition largely immobilized, 70-year-old Hun Sen announced before the election that his son, 46-year-old Gen. Hun Manet, would succeed him soon after the election. And on Wednesday he said the power transfer would occur on Aug. 22. Aun Chhengpor, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said given its democratic trajectory, China remained "the only country that can meet the needs of the Cambodian government." But he said Hun Manet, who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, would need to reestablish a geopolitical balance moving forward. "I think he [Hun Manet] will be able to find a second way, a third way, to ensure that Cambodia is not in a situation that is overly dependent on one great power country," he said. He adds that it is unsustainable for any state to be completely dependent on one country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Report: Six African Countries Restricted Internet Access Due to Protests or Political Crisis By Mohammed Yusuf July 28, 2023 A cyber security company says six African countries, including war-torn Sudan, enforced internet limits within their territory during the first half of 2023. Netherlands-based Surfshark said that is twice as many nations as during the same months of 2022. Surfshark recorded 42 new internet disruptions worldwide, nine of which occurred in Africa. Six countries Ethiopia, Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, Sudan and Tanzania accounted for those nine shutdowns. Egle Grasys, a representative of Surfshark, said that each of the six countries had one or two different restrictions. Ethiopia, which had imposed internet shutdowns because of ethnic unrest in the country, recently lifted its restrictions. Restrictions remain in place in Sudan and are made worse by effects of the ongoing war, which has damaged infrastructure and cut off electricity in many areas. Tariq Ahmed left Sudan three weeks ago and expressed the challenges he faced in communicating with his humanitarian colleagues in the western part of the country. "I was trying to talk to my colleagues and staff in South Darfur and West Darfur state," he said, "and I couldn't reach them either by call or internet ... to know how they are and how their families are doing during this difficult time and see the possibility of evacuating them to a safe place. So I couldn't reach them till one of them managed to cross the border into Chad, and then he called me by Chadian number on WhatsApp to tell me how it is and they have reached there safely." Grasys said authorities in Africa shut down the internet usually in response to protests, conflict and political crisis. "When the public is protesting and are unhappy with the government, social media and the internet is a great way to organize a gathering and try to gather more people to make a stand to protest," he said. "Obviously, governments don't always support such demonstration. By shutting down the internet or restricting the internet, the government makes it difficult for the public to organize these demonstrations." Grasys noted that the restrictions not only prevent people from protesting but also stop them from spreading word of any protests to the rest of the world. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address FACT SHEET: President Biden to Sign Executive Order Implementing Bipartisan Military Justice Reforms July 28, 2023 Today, President Biden will sign an Executive Order to implement historic, bipartisan military justice reforms that significantly strengthen how the military handles sexual assault cases. The Executive Order transfers key decision-making authorities from commanders to specialized, independent military prosecutors in cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, murder, and other serious offenses by amending the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). These changes, which implement reforms passed by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (FY22 NDAA), represent the most significant transformation of the military justice system since the UCMJ was established in 1950. The historic reforms announced today will better protect victims and ensure prosecutorial decisions are fully independent from the chain of the command. They follow decades of tireless efforts by survivors, advocates, and Members of Congress, to strengthen the military justice system's response to gender-based violence and build on recommendations from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military (IRC), which Secretary Austin established at President Biden's direction as one of his earliest acts in office. These reforms are a turning point for survivors of gender-based violence in the military. They fulfill President Biden's promise to fundamentally shift how the military justice system responds to sexual assault and related crimes, which is something President Biden has prioritized since Day One of this administration. Ending gender-based violence wherever it occurs has been a top priority for the President throughout his careeras a Senator, and as Vice President. As Commander in Chief, he's made clear that our one truly sacred obligation as a nation is to prepare and equip those we send into harm's way, and to care for them and their families both while they are deployed and when they return home. The reforms implemented through today's Executive Order do just that, promoting dignity and respect for those who serve by better protecting our servicemembers and making the military safer and more just. Today's Executive Order takes important action to reform our military justice system by amending the Manual for Courts-Martial and its accompanying Rules for Courts-Martial including by: Establishing the rules that will govern the new Offices of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC), the independent military prosecutors who will now decide, in the place of commanders, whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault and domestic violence, child abuse, and murder; Making clear that prosecutorial decisions made by special trial counsel are binding and fully independent from the chain of command; Delineating the relationship and authorized interactions between special trial counsel and commanders to protect the independence of special trial counsel; Modernizing procedures to better protect victims and promote fairness before, during and after court-martial proceedings; Reforming the court-martial sentencing system to promote uniformity and fairness, as recommended by the IRC, to reduce disparities in sentencing in cases of rape and sexual assault; and Creating a uniform evidence standard for non-judicial punishment actions, which the IRC highlighted as critical to make consistent across the military services given that most sexual misconduct cases are handled by nonjudicial punishment rather than courts-martial. This month also marks two years since the IRC published its final report, outlining recommendations to improve accountability, prevention, climate and culture, and victim care and support. Today's Executive Order advances the IRC's core accountability recommendations and builds on the progress that has already been made by the Department of Defense in implementing the IRC's more than 80 recommendations, including: Establishing the Offices of Special Trial Counsel. In July 2022, with direction from Secretary Austin, the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, including the Space Force, established and staffed their OSTCs to assume authority for prosecutorial decisions for covered offenses including sexual assault and domestic violence at the end of 2023. Beginning January 1, 2025, special trial counsel prosecutorial authority will expand to include sexual harassment cases. In July 2022, with direction from Secretary Austin, the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, including the Space Force, established and staffed their OSTCs to assume authority for prosecutorial decisions for covered offenses including sexual assault and domestic violence at the end of 2023. Beginning January 1, 2025, special trial counsel prosecutorial authority will expand to include sexual harassment cases. Hiring, Training, and Empowering the Prevention Workforce. Consistent with the IRC's recommendation to establish a dedicated prevention workforce with public health expertise, the Department of Defense launched a phased approach to hiring a primary prevention workforce with 2,000 skilled professionals who will promote the health of their military community and work with leaders to change policies and implement prevention activities. In December 2022, the Department of Defense released guidance for this new workforce, and hiring and onboarding is underway at installations around the world. Consistent with the IRC's recommendation to establish a dedicated prevention workforce with public health expertise, the Department of Defense launched a phased approach to hiring a primary prevention workforce with 2,000 skilled professionals who will promote the health of their military community and work with leaders to change policies and implement prevention activities. In December 2022, the Department of Defense released guidance for this new workforce, and hiring and onboarding is underway at installations around the world. Strengthening and Professionalizing the Sexual Assault Response Workforce. The Department of Defense, in collaboration with the Military Services and National Guard has adopted a comprehensive approach to restructuring, professionalizing, strengthening, and resourcing for the sexual assault response workforce. This includes moving Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARCs) and Victim Advocates (VAs) from the command reporting structure, and generally eliminating collateral duty for SARCs and VAs. This standardized approach across the Department of Defense is nearing completion. The Department of Defense, in collaboration with the Military Services and National Guard has adopted a comprehensive approach to restructuring, professionalizing, strengthening, and resourcing for the sexual assault response workforce. This includes moving Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARCs) and Victim Advocates (VAs) from the command reporting structure, and generally eliminating collateral duty for SARCs and VAs. This standardized approach across the Department of Defense is nearing completion. Improving the Military's Response to Domestic Violence and Sexual Harassment. Recognizing sexual assault can overlap with other forms of gender-based violence, the IRC recommended ways to improve accountability and support to survivors of domestic violence and sexual harassment. The Administration has: Reissued and revised the Defense Department's domestic abuse policy in December 2021. Key updates include expanding eligibility for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program services to domestic violence survivors who have experienced sexual assault; Tracked the prevalence of domestic abuse/intimate partner-related sexual assault by collecting information on the victim-perpetrator relationship in the Workplace and Gender Relations Surveys of Active-Duty Members (WGRA), and Workplace and Gender Relations Surveys of Reserve Component Members (WGRR); Expanded victim advocate services, reporting options and support to survivors of sexual harassment, through new guidance issued by the Department of Defense in September 2022. This guidance has been implemented across all Military Departments; Starting with the Navy and the Marine Corps, issued policies for the independent investigation of sexual harassment reports, moving these investigations outside the chain of command of both the individual reporting sexual harassment and the alleged offender. The Department of Defense is working to develop a comprehensive approach to address this issue across all Military Departments; and Amended the Manual for Courts-Martial through an Executive Order in January 2022 that established sexual harassment as a specific offense under the UCMJ, strengthening the military justice response in prosecuting cases of domestic violence, and implementing changes to the UCMJ to criminalize the wrongful broadcast or distribution of intimate visual images. Recognizing sexual assault can overlap with other forms of gender-based violence, the IRC recommended ways to improve accountability and support to survivors of domestic violence and sexual harassment. The Administration has: ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese envoy calls for lifting UN Security Council sanctions on certain African countries People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 10:11, July 29, 2023 UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday called on the UN Security Council to lift sanctions against certain African countries so as to improve their capacity for the protection of civilians. Host countries of UN peacekeeping operations shoulder the primary responsibility for the protection of civilians. UN peacekeeping operations should actively support host countries in tackling security challenges and developing greater capacity for the protection of civilians, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. The Security Council sanctions have seriously hampered the ability of certain African countries to fulfill their responsibility to protect civilians. These sanctions should be lifted as soon as possible, he told a Security Council meeting on UN peacekeeping that was focused on the protection of civilians. The international community should intensify partnerships with Africa and support African countries in steadily improving their self-reliant peacekeeping capacity, he added. The civilian protection mandate in UN peacekeeping operations is part of the overall framework and should be considered as such. The civilian protection mandate should be coordinated with other mandates and implemented in a balanced manner so that all the mandates serve the purpose of helping bring about a political solution, said Geng. In recent years, the unbridled proliferation of peacekeeping mandates has aggravated the pre-existing strains on resources and capacity, impinging on missions' ability to implement their civilian protection mandate properly, he warned. "It is necessary to strengthen conflict prevention and optimize early-warning arrangements so that security risks can be detected and dealt with as early as possible. It is necessary to develop systematic and holistic plans of action, and improve the capacity of situation awareness to enable swift response. The vulnerabilities of special groups, such as women and children, should be taken into full account and protection afforded to them should be more robust and tailored," said Geng. "We cannot rely on the military approach alone to effectively implement the civilian protection mandate. Peacekeeping operations need to focus more on engagement and dialogue to create a secure environment," he said. UN peacekeepers are facing growing security risks. All stakeholders, including the UN Secretariat, peacekeeping missions, troop-contributing countries and host countries, should put in solid efforts to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers, he said. China is a builder and defender of world peace, a participant in and contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. China will continue to support, promote and participate in UN peacekeeping operations and make greater contributions to the maintenance of international peace and security, said Geng. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 28 July 2023 - Day 520 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. "To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal] The UK Ministry of Defence reported that the Russia-Africa Conference convened in St Petersburg on 27 July 2023, with 17 African heads of state attending, down from 43 at the last iteration. The event takes place ten days after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI). The BSGI had allowed the export of 30 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain to Africa, providing essential nutrition to states including Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan. As well as the direct disruption of supplies, Russia's blockade of Ukraine is also causing grain prices to rise. The impact of the war in Ukraine will almost certainly compound food insecurity across Africa for at least the next two years. The impact of the war in Ukraine will almost certainly compound food insecurity across Africa for at least the next two years. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day July 28, Russian forces carried out 10x airstrikes and launched 19xMLRS attacks on Ukrainian cities and Ukrainian Armed Forces. The threat of missile and air strikes remains high across Ukraine. 21x combat clashes took place throughout the day. Volyn' and Polissya axes: no significant changes detected. There are no signs of the offensive groupings formation. Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: Russian forces carried out airstrikes at Galaganivka and Leonivka of the Chernihiv Oblast and Iskriskiv and Volfyny of the Sumy Oblast. They shelled with mortars and artillery more than 15x settlements. These are Ivashki, Hur'iv Kozachok, Udy, Strelecha, Zelene and Okhrimivka in the Kharkiv Oblast. Kup'yans'k axis: Russian forces carried out an air strike at Druzhelyubivka of the Kharkiv Oblast. Kolodyazne, Dvorichna, Zapadne, Sinkivka and Kislivka of the Kharkiv Oblast got under Russian artillery and mortar fire. Lyman axis: Russian forces carried out an airstrike at Hryhorivka of the Donetsk Oblast. Nevs'ke, Bilogorivka of Luhansk Oblast and Tors'ke, Verkhn'yokam'ians'ke, Spirne of Donetsk Oblast were shelled by artillery. Bakhmut axis: more than 15x settlements were shelled by artillery, including Minkivka, Bogdanivka, Chasiv Yar, Ivanivs'ke, Predtechine, and Bila Hora of the Donetsk Oblast. Avdiivka axis: the Russian adversary launched an air strike at Avdiivka. More than 10x settlements, including Avdiivka, Pervomais'ke, and Karlivka in Donetsk Oblast, were shelled by artillery. Mar'inka axis: the defense forces continue to hold back the advance of Russian troops in the vicinities of Mar'inka. Russian forces shelled more than 10x settlements, including Krasnohorivka, Mar'inka, Novomykhailivka, Pobieda, and Georgiivka in the Donetsk Oblast. Shakhtars'k axis: the Russian occupiers shelled the settlements of Odradne, Blagodatne, Makarivka, Zelene Pole and Novodarivka of the Donetsk Oblast. Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: Russia is concentrating its main efforts on preventing the further advance of Ukrainian troops. More than 25x settlements, including Chervone, Hulyaipole, Charivne, Novoandriivka, and Stepove of Zaporizhzhya Oblast; Zolota Balka, Mykhailivka, Kozats'ke, Tyaginka, Ivanivka and Sadov in Kherson Oblast were shelled by artillery. Defense Forces of Ukraine continue offensive operations on the Melitopol' and Berdyansk axes, and are equipping captured positions, open fire with artillery on designated Russian targets, and carry out counter-battery measures. Due to successful military operations of the Ukrainian Defense Forces and because of Russian significant losses in manpower, the number of refusals to participate in combat operations increased throughout Russian occupation forces. For example, in Rozivka of Zaporizhzhya Oblast, about 60x Russian troops from the 247th Airborne Assault Regiment of the 7th Airborne Assault Division of the Russian armed forces refused to conduct combat operations near the village of Staromayorskoe in Donetsk Oblast. The occupiers even partially disabled their own cars and armored vehicles. Ukrainian Air Force conducted 3x strikes on Russian manpower concentrations. Ukrainian missile and artillery units hit 8x artillery units at firing positions, 2x radio electronic warfare stations, an ammunition warehouse, as well as a warehouse of Russian fuel and lubricants. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the AFU continued to attempt offensive actions in South Donetsk, Krasny Liman and Donetsk directions. In South Donetsk direction, the enemy continued attempts to break through the defence of Russian troops using armoured and other heavy vehicles. The AFU with the 47th Mechanised Brigade reinforced with foreign-manufactured tanks have attacked the positions of the 71st Motorised Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Motorised Rifle Division of the 58th Army of the Southern Military District and the 810th Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet close to the Rabotino and Uspenovka settlements of the Zaporozhye region. The military personnel, showing endurance, perseverance and courage, successfully repelled all the attacks of superior enemy forces. The enemy losses were up to 180 Ukrainian servicemen, five tanks, including three German-manufactured Leopard and two French-manufactured AMX wheeled tanks, 17 infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured fighting vehicles, one U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery system, and one Strela-10 surface-to-air missile system. Close to Vremevka salient near Staromayorskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), as a result of active action by units of the Vostok Group of Forces, an attack by an assault detachment of the AFU 35th Marine Brigade has been repelled. A Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group has been destroyed. The enemy losses were up to 110 Ukrainian servicemen, two infantry fighting vehicles, three armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, as well as howitzers: D-20, D-30 and Msta-B. In Krasny Liman direction, four attacks by assault groups of the AFU 67th Mechanised Brigade against the positions of the 228th Motorised Rifle Regiment of the 90th Armoured Division have been repelled close to Chervonaya Dibrova (Luhansk People's Republic). Assault detachments of the 15th Motorised Rifle Brigade of the 2nd Army continued to develop their success in Svatovo direction and captured a number of AFU strongholds near Sergeevka (Lugansk People's Republic). The advance into the depth of the enemy defence was 1.5 kilometres. In addition, to the west of Zhitlovka (Lugansk People's Republic), detachments of Shtorm 252nd and 752nd motorised rifle regiments of the 20th Army, using the results of a fire attack, have attacked the enemy and advanced three kilometres deep into the defence. As a result of skillful use of modern means of destruction by units of the 21st and 35th motorised rifle brigades of 2nd and 41st armies have suppressed enemy manpower and hardware of 25th airborne, 21st and 67th mechanised brigades, the 100th Territorial Defence Brigade and the 5th Operational Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard close to Torskoye and Yampolovka (Donetsk People's Republic), Novovodyanoye, Chervonaya Dibrova and Kremennaya (Lugansk People's Republic). The enemy losses were up to 90 Ukrainian servicemen, two infantry fighting vehicles, three armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system and one D-30 howitzer. In Donetsk direction, the defending units of 7th, 9th and 132nd motorised rifle brigades of 1st and 2nd army corps of the Yug Group of Forces, thanks to a skilfully organised system of fire combined with engineering obstacles, have successfully repelled seven attacks by enemy assault detachments of 53rd mechanised, 59th motorised infantry and 81st airmobile brigades close to Belogorovka, Zaitsevo, Pervomaiskoye and Vodyanoye (Donetsk People's Republic). As a result of actions by aviation and artillery, manpower and hardware of 24th, 28th, 43rd, 110th mechanised, 10th mountain assault, 3rd airborne assault and 77th airmobile brigades of the AFU have been destroyed close to Avdeevka, Konstantinovka, Seversk, Novgorodskoye and Belaya Gora (Donetsk People's Republic). In addition, the rotation of AFU units has been disrupted by competent reconnaissance actions and a comprehensive fire attack close to Kleshcheevka (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy losses were up to 260 Ukrainian servicemen, five infantry fighting vehicles, three armoured fighting vehicles, two pickup trucks, eight motor vehicles, one U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery system, one Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, and one D-20 howitzer. In Kupyansk direction, assault detachments of the 7th Motorised Rifle Regiment of the Zapad Group of Forces continued their offensive operations west of Kuzyomovka (Lugansk People's Republic) and, having completed the task of the day, gained advantageous positions. In addition, as a result of coordinated actions by Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, as well as artillery, units 14th, 32nd mechanised brigades of the AFU and the 103rd Territorial Defence Brigade have been eliminated close to Stelmakhovka (Lugansk People's Republic), Sinkovka and Novoosinovo (Kharkov region). The enemy losses were up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, two armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, one D-30 howitzer, as well as two U.S.-manufacture counter-battery radar stations: AN/TPQ-50 and AN/TPQ-36. In Kherson direction, the enemy losses were up to 20 Ukrainian servicemen and two motor vehicles. Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have neutralised 117 AFU artillery units at their firing positions, manpower and hardware in 133 areas. An enemy rear control point of the Ukrainian group of troops 'Soledar', as well as the field control point of the 10th Army Corps of the AFU have been destroyed close to Druzhkovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region) Air defence facilities have shot down two projectiles launched by HIMARS MLRS. In addition, 17 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been intercepted close to Kremennaya (Lugansk People's Republic), Gorlovka, Soledar, Volnovakha, Novobakhmutovka, Nevelskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Tokmak, Ulyanovsk and Energodar (Zaporozhye region), as well as Alyoshki (Kherson region). In total, 457 airplanes, 244 helicopters, 5,308 unmanned aerial vehicles, 427 air defence missile systems, 11,010 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,140 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,646 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 11,939 special military motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address HMAS Anzac conducts Exercise Lumbas 2023 in the Philippines 28 July 2023 Philippine Navy bilateral Exercise Lumbas has drawn to a close in Subic Bay with Anzac Class frigate HMAS Anzac taking part during a regional presence deployment. The crews of Philippine Navy ship BRP Conrado Yap and Anzac joined for the five-day exercise, which was a valuable opportunity to train together. Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Commanding Officer HMAS Anzac, Commander Barton Harrington said Lumbas aimed to build skills through expert exchanges, enhance cooperation and deepen cultural and people-to-people ties. "We joined our Philippine Navy counterparts both ashore for the opening and closing ceremonies and at sea, off their coast to conduct a series of training activities in warfare, maritime security and seamanship," he said. "Now in its 23rd iteration, Lumbas is one of the RAN's longest-running recurring engagements in the region. It is an important and longstanding activity in our bilateral engagement with the Philippines. "Australia is committed to working closely with the Philippines to support a region that is stable, secure and prosperous and where the rule of law prevails. "I'm proud of the hard work put in by everyone aboard Anzac and it was great to see the engagement between all participants of Lumbas," Commander Harrington said. Australia and the Philippines have agreed to formally elevate the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership, with Defence and maritime cooperation as core pillars. Anzac commenced the regional presence deployment in April demonstrating Australia's commitment to and engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Largest sea crossing for Talisman Sabre 28 July 2023 Norfolk Island is playing host to Australian and United States military personnel as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023. Around 150 Australian and US military personnel have moved to Norfolk Island this week to conduct training together. Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 director Brigadier Damian Hill said the public should not be alarmed by the training activity. "Most of the training will be discreet and there will be no live fire," said Brigadier Hill. "The public can expect to see and hear military aircraft, watercraft, unmanned aerial systems and some military personnel will be carrying weapons. "While the training activities will conducted during the day and night, it will be away from the public where possible." While Norfolk Island has a proud history of service in the Australian Defence Force, this will be the first opportunity for most to visit the island. "We are grateful for the opportunity to train on Norfolk Island and I can tell you everybody involved in the training is looking forward to it," Brigadier Hill said. "This is a very unique opportunity for our friends from the United States and they're fascinated by Norfolk Island's history. "We're all grateful for the opportunity to conduct training on Norfolk Island and looking forward to talking to the locals and supporting the local economy." This year Exercise Talisman Sabre stretches from northern WA to Norfolk Island, the largest-ever geographical footprint for the high-end warfighting. Exercise Talisman Sabre is the largest bilateral military training exercise between Australia and the US, with military personnel from 13 nations are taking part in 2023. The exercise is expected to wrap up by 4 August. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Strengthening our readiness 28 July 2023 Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Rob Chipman recently addressed the Global Air and Space Chief's Conference in London, declaring the fundamental role of air power for National Defence remains 'immutable'. Chiefs from more than 20 nations attended the two-day event, including the United States Chief of Space Operations and the Royal Air Force Chief of the Air Staff. Air Marshal Chipman told the gathering that a substantial recalibration of Australia's national security policy was under way. "Australia looks through this region to the rest of the world, with the humility of a middle power, and aspirations for preserving an international order where the rights and sovereign choices of all nations are respected," Air Marshal Chipman said. "The Australian Government has just undertaken a Defence Strategic Review, which directs ambitious reform to our force structure, posture and preparedness. "It is recognition that our strategic circumstances are deteriorating and that we must strengthen our readiness to respond to a more specific set of challenges. "Australia will focus our efforts on national defence, underpinned by active statecraft to preserve the regional balance of power." He said, as Chief of Air Force, his driving purpose was to avoid the calamity of major war. "This requires Australia to deepen our diplomatic engagement, while building stronger military capabilities that help deter coercion and lower the risk of conflict," Air Marshal Chipman said. "Stability is not a passive state of affairs - it's achieved through strength and active diplomacy." He said he also wants to create an environment that harnesses the resourcefulness of the Air Force workforce for strategic purpose and operational effect. "This is the approach we've taken with the MQ-28A Ghost Bat. We will deliver an uncrewed combat aircraft that will team with crewed platforms to increase the lethality and survivability of our air combat system," he said. "And we are increasing workforce strength to optimise the productivity of our assets." Air Marshal Chipman's visit to the United Kingdom included high-level meetings with partners and allies. "This is an important opportunity to build and strengthen our international relationships, and I was immensely proud to represent Air Force," he said. Air Marshal Chipman also visited the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire, north-west of London, before returning home. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address It will be two years this August since American Marc Fogel was arrested in a Russian airport. His family pleaded with members of Congress this week to get the 62-year-old home. They met with Montanas delegation. Marcs sister, Anne, lives in Missoula, which was reason enough for Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester, as well as Rep. Ryan Zinke to write the Biden Administration urging that Fogel be recognized by the U.S. State Department as wrongfully detained and released. Daines, a Republican, spoke on the Senate floor last week about the importance of Fogel being recognized by U.S. officials as being wrongfully detained. He likened Fogels detention in August 2021 to the February 2022 detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner. Both were using the prescription cannabis products for medical needs. Griner had cannabis oil in her luggage, Fogel had medical marijuana. One of the key differences between Brittney Griner and Mark Fogles cases is that less than three months after Griners arrest, the State Department classified her as wrongfully detained. Fogle deserves the same justice. And we should be using every tool at our disposal to bring him home, Daines said. Ive had the privilege of getting to know some of Marks family, some of whom are Montanans. They have been fierce advocates here stateside. But they fear they will never see their brothers face again, or hear their fathers voice, and we cant let that happen. Daines said hes also worked with Michael McFaul, U.S. ambassador to Russia under President Barack Obama, on the wrongfully detained designation for Fogel. McFaul and Daines were high school debate partners in Bozeman. McFauls son was a student of Fogels in Moscow when McFaul was ambassador. This is the second year that Daines and Tester have asked the State Department to designate Fogel wrongfully detained. Marc Fogel has been unjustly imprisoned in Russia for too long, and I continue to call on the Administration to secure his return, Tester said in press release this week. I recently met with Marcs family, and I pledged to keep pushing to bring him home. I wont rest until this innocent American is reunited with his loved ones. The State Department has 11 criteria it considers before granting wrongful detention status for an American held by a foreign country. Fogel meets six of the 11, according to a resolution introduced last Wednesday by the 13 members of the U.S. House, including Montanas Western District Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican. This the first time a Montana member of the U.S. House has put forth a resolution advocating for Fogels release. A native of the Pennsylvania, Fogel made a career out of teaching history at schools attended by U.S. diplomats. He taught in Colombia, Venezuela, Oman, Malaysia and his last stop, Russia, where Fogel worked at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. Fogel had returned to Russia for a final year of teaching before a planned retirement, Daines said. The medical marijuana had been prescribed as an alternative to opioids for pain following multiple back surgeries. Five months after Fogels arrest, and a month before Russias invasion of Ukraine, The Moscow Times reported the teacher was being held for large scale drug smuggling, meaning a contact lens case containing marijuana and an e-cigarette containing cannabis oil. The United States at the time was warning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Times noted that Fogel had previously benefitted from diplomatic immunity, but the privilege ended the May before Fogels arrest. This spring, in an April background press conference, senior Biden administration officials said the wrongfully detained designation was not the gatekeeper to whether a family whose loved one is held abroad gets senior attention. At the background briefing, a senior Biden official said the administration had been in contact with the Embassy Moscow for Fogels release on humanitarian grounds. However, the question that went unanswered was why Fogel hadnt received the designation. Fogel turned 62 Thursday. His sentence is 14 years detention in a labor camp. Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Wong US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson July 28, 2023 The following is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to address key priorities in the U.S.-Australia bilateral relationship and a range of global and regional issues. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Wong discussed deepening cooperation and working through multilateral organizations such as the Quad and Partners in the Blue Pacific to help increase economic engagement and infrastructure assistance in the Indo-Pacific. The Secretary reaffirmed that the United States would continue to work closely with Australia in facing important challenges, including addressing climate change, bolstering Indo-Pacific peace and stability, and countering state-sponsored disinformation. The Secretary and Foreign Minister Wong also affirmed the importance of ASEAN centrality and agreed on further cooperation to help preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Both sides welcomed the progress made, along with the UK, on the AUKUS trilateral security partnership. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Australian Prime Minister Albanese US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson July 28, 2023 The following is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and had a productive conversation that addressed key priorities in the U.S.-Australia bilateral relationship and a range of global and regional issues. The Secretary and Prime Minister reaffirmed their belief that the U.S.-Australia alliance and partnership serves as an anchor for peace, security, democracy, and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Albanese shared their confidence that the relationship between the United States and Australia has never been stronger - bolstered by cooperation on key issues such as tackling state-sponsored disinformation, addressing climate change, and bolstering collective security - and based on our shared values of defending freedom and democracy, championing opportunity, upholding human rights, and respecting the rule of law. Both sides welcomed the progress made, along with the UK, on the AUKUS trilateral security partnership. Secretary Blinken thanked Prime Minister Albanese for Australia's steadfast support for Ukraine. The United States looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Albanese for a state visit later this year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address His Majesty's Canadian Ship Fredericton returns from Operation Reassurance National Defence News release July 28, 2023 - Halifax, N.S - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Fredericton returns to its home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia today after a successful six-month deployment in the Mediterranean Sea. In January 2023, HMCS Fredericton departed Halifax to deploy under Operation REASSURANCE, Canada's contribution to NATO assurance and deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe. As the maritime component of Op REASSURANCE, HMCS Fredericton was assigned to operate as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2). NATO's standing naval forces provide the Alliance with a continuous naval presence and carry out a programme of scheduled exercises and port visits, and can be rapidly deployed in times of crisis or tension. HMCS Fredericton has been replaced on Operation REASSURANCE by HMCS Shawinigan and HMCS Summerside who are now operating as part of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1). The persistent Canadian contribution to NATO's naval forces highlights Canada's commitment to NATO and its crucial contribution in resources and capabilities. Quotes "I'm glad to welcome the crew of HMCS Fredericton home following their successful participation in OperationREASSURANCE. Conducting operations with our NATO allies and defending security and stability in Europe as its being challenged is a significant endeavour and our crew rose to the task. The Royal Canadian Navy will continue it work to ensure that we have the resources ready to support such tasks in the future." - Rear Admiral Steve Waddell, Deputy Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy "I am extremely proud of the crew of HMCS Fredericton. The dedication and commitment of the ship and its crew during this mission shows the high level of training and professionalism that are the hallmarks of our Canadian sailors. By participating in joint deployments with NATO, the Royal Canadian Navy demonstrates its ability to achieve success in complex operational environments in partnership with allies." - Rear Admiral JosAe Kurtz, Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic and Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic Quick facts Canada has deployed Royal Canadian Navy ships on Operation REASSURANCE on a continuous, rotational basis since 2014, following Russia's illegal invasion of Crimea. Operation REASSURANCE is Canada's largest current international military operation. In addition to a persistent naval presence in European waters, it includes the Canada-led multinational NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia, and a Tactical Air Lift Detachment based out of Prestwick, Scotland. Standing NATO Maritime Forces are multinational, integrated maritime task groups made up of vessels from various Allied countries. These vessels are available to NATO to perform different tasks ranging from exercises to operational missions. They also establish Alliance presence, demonstrate solidarity, conduct routine diplomatic visits to different countries, support partner engagement, and provide a variety of maritime military capabilities to ongoing missions. In total, HMCS Fredericton sailed 35,186 nautical miles and visited seven countries, including a non-NATO port visit to Tunis, Tunisia in support of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue initiative and conducted a diplomatic visit to Split, Croatia in support of Canada-Croatia bilateral relations. During its deployment, HMCS Fredericton participated in three multinational exercises; Dynamic Manta 23, a NATO Maritime Command-led anti-submarine warfare exercise; Mare Aperto 23, an Italian navy-led maritime and amphibious exercise; and Flotex 23, a Spanish navy-led joint advanced exercise. HMCS Fredericton is a Halifax-class frigate with a crew of approximately 250 personnel of all ranks, including a CH-148 Cyclone air detachment. This vessel provides significant combat capability and a high degree of mission flexibility thanks to its onboard helicopter. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hong Kong court rejects local government's bid to ban 'Glory to Hong Kong'; department of justice expected to continue to appeal Global Times By Chen Qingqing Published: Jul 28, 2023 07:24 PM Hong Kong's High Court on Friday rejected a local government submission to ban "Glory to Hong Kong" - a song linked to the anti-government riots in 2019. Some legal experts believed that the department of justice will continue to appeal. The HKSAR government Chief Executive John Lee called for the department of justice to study the judgement and follow up accordingly. Lee said that it is the responsibility of the HKSAR to effectively prevent, stop, and punish activities that endanger national security. The department of justice (DOJ) earlier applied for a court injunction to ban unlawful acts related to the song such as broadcasting it with seditious intent. Considering the impact of an injunction on innocent third parties and the fact that the department of justice's application for the injunction would fall under punishable criminal behavior within a robust criminal justice system, the court, after careful consideration, does not believe that the injunction would serve a real purpose, according to a statement issued by the court on Friday. The song has been widely circulated since 2019 and its lyrics contain a slogan which has been ruled by the court as constituting secession, according to a statement published on the website of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government earlier. The judge stated on Friday that the court is not convinced that the injunction would truly be effective, and legal procedures for contempt of court due to violation of the injunction would involve proving relevant criminal offenses. Thus, enforcement would be impractical according to local media reports. The court believes that enforcing the injunction could conflict with relevant criminal laws. For example, crimes violating the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong should be prosecuted in a criminal court. The judge also expressed that the right to freedom of speech should be considered when applying for an injunction, especially as the issuing of an injunction might produce a "chilling effect." That is, people with pure motives might fear the consequences of violating the injunction and choose not to participate in legitimate activities involving the song. However, since the behavior listed in the injunction is already a punishable criminal act, and the enforcement of the injunction conflicts with criminal law, otherwise, the court would rule that even if the injunction creates a chilling effect, due to the fundamental importance of national security, the injunction should still be issued, some media reports said, citing the judge. Chief Executive Lee emphasized that safeguarding national security is the HKSAR's duty and obligation. The national anthem involves the dignity and sovereignty of the country, and should not be insulted or misrepresented. He pointed out that the song in question has been widely circulated since 2019, and is often used to incite others to engage in secessionist activities. It has also been wrongly described as the National Anthem of Hong Kong, which he believes is an insult to the national anthem and damaging to the country and the HKSAR. Lee stressed that the HKSAR government's focus is solely on individuals who engage in activities and crimes that jeopardize national security, protecting the other 7 million citizens. Lee believes that related threats could arise suddenly, necessitating the implementation of effective measures to prevent, stop, and punish them. The judgement delivered the wrong signal to the community, which is unexpected and surprising, Chu Kar-kin, a veteran current affairs commentator based in HKSAR and member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Friday. "Apparently, the decision is not based on law or public interest, nor has national security been taken into consideration. After perusing the judgment, the DOJ should consider launching an appeal," Chu said. "Judges handle cases according to the law and evidence, fearlessly and impartially, acting independently without any interference. Any case will inevitably undergo legal battles and judicial maneuvering," Louis Chen, a member of the Election Committee and general secretary of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, told the Global Times on Friday. "Of course, we believe that the DOJ will continue to appeal according to established mechanisms." He also believed that the ruling demonstrates the rule of law and judicial independence are the cornerstones of Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. In fact, the overall authority of the NSL for Hong Kong, and the normativity of its specific provisions and procedures, have gradually been understood and applied by the Hong Kong courts in a more mature and legislative-intended manner. We must trust that the Hong Kong judiciary can play a correct, appropriate, and key role in the formation of the national security legal system, Chen said. The dignity of the National Anthem "March of the Volunteers" should not be jeopardized, Chu emphasized. "National security and rule of law should not be forgone with a controversial decision by a sole person unfamiliarized with the current situation," he noted. In fact, judges made mistakes in the past and that' s the reason appeal mechanism has been employed to overrule judgement based on wrong facts or incorrect law quoted, the expert said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese Foreign Ministry website updates, publishing speech from newly appointed FM Wang Yi Global Times By Global Times Published: Jul 28, 2023 02:55 PM China's Foreign Ministry on Friday updated its website, publishing a speech by the newly appointed Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in which Wang said China's diplomacy will continue to pursue an independent foreign policy of peace, deepen and expand global partnerships, as well as defend the country's sovereignty and development interests. In the speech published under the column of "Minister of Foreign Ministry", Wang said that under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Chinese diplomacy adheres to the mission of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the purpose of maintaining world peace and promoting common development. It strives to promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind and continuously make new contributions to the cause of human development and progress, writing a new chapter, the newly appointed foreign minister said. Wang said that in the new journey of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation, we will unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, as our guide, firmly pursue an independent and peaceful foreign policy, deepen and expand global partnerships, strive for win-win cooperation with countries around the world, actively participate in the reform of the global governance system, resolutely defend national sovereignty, security, development interests, and fully protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals and entities overseas. With a broad mind and vigorous effort, we will uphold principles while seeking innovation, and move forward with courage and determination, continuously creating a new situation in China's distinctive major-country diplomacy, Wang said in the speech. In the website of Chinese foreign ministry under the column of "Foreign Minister's Activity," the content also included list of diplomatic activities of Qin Gang. The latest ones were events on June 25 when he met diplomats from Vietnam, Russia and Sri Lanka. According to a decision adopted at the fourth session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress convened on Tuesday, Wang Yi was appointed as foreign minister with Qin Gang being removed from the post. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's YU-20 aerial tanker a versatile aircraft: pilot Global Times By Liu Xuanzun and Guo Yuandan in Changchun Published: Jul 28, 2023 01:54 PM China's domestically developed large aerial tanker, the YU-20, is a versatile aircraft capable of not only in-flight refueling, but also transporting, airdropping and medical care, an Air Force pilot explained during an ongoing military open-house event. The YU-20 has been a focus of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force open-day event and the Changchun Aviation Exhibition, which is being held in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province from Wednesday to Sunday. In its flight performances, the aerial tanker for the first time flew together with two J-20 stealth fighter jets and two J-16 heavy fighter jets in an in-flight refueling formation in a display for the general public. As a variant of the Y-20 large transport aircraft, the YU-20 aerial tanker is a versatile aircraft that is focusing on aerial refueling, but can quickly switch to transport missions, Wang Yuling, a YU-20 pilot, told the Global Times during the event in Changchun. In addition, the YU-20 can also host a variety of different missions including airdrops, parachuting and medical care, Wang said. The YU-20 is capable of hosting in-flight refueling for main combat warplanes of the PLA Air Force, and while combat aircraft like the J-20 look more powerful than a tanker, Wang said that the two complement each other and need each other. The YU-20 provides support to combat aircraft so they are "well fed" for missions, Wang said. During the event, the YU-20 also performed solo tactical moves including a short takeoff, Afghan landing maneuver and S-maneuver. These are daily training moves with combat significances, including also the release of jamming flares, which was displayed to the public for the first time, Wang said. "Facing battlefield environments that are becoming increasingly complex in the future, we are exploring the boundaries of our capabilities," he said. The YU-20 has been practicing together with J-20, J-16 and J-10C fighter jets in daily trainings, Wang said. As China's new-generation aerial refueling equipment, the YU-20 can effectively increase the long-range operability of China's aviation forces, so far sea operations can become routine, Wang added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China urges US to rectify 'wrongdoing' in barring HK chief exec from APEC summit Global Times By Global Times Published: Jul 28, 2023 07:52 PM China's Foreign Ministry on Friday slammed the US government's decision to bar Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee Ka-chiu from attending a major economic summit in the US later this year, urging the US side to rectify its mistake by removing sanctions on Lee and inviting him to attend the meeting. The White House has decided that it will not invite Lee to attend the annual summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders in the US city of San Francisco in November, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed US officials. The report pointed to US sanctions imposed on Lee and other officials in the HKSAR and on the Chinese mainland. Asked about the reports at a regular press briefing on Friday, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, slammed both the US sanctions on and the decision to bar the HKSAR chief executive. The US has imposed illegal and unreasonable sanctions on Chinese personnel, including Chief Executive Lee, which is a bullying act that seriously violates the basic norms of international relations, Mao said, stressing that by using this as an excuse to refuse to invite the HKSAR chief executive to attend the APEC meeting in the US, Washington is compounding the error, flagrantly violates APEC rules and breaks its promise as the host of the meeting. "China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this, and has lodged solemn representations. We urge the US side to immediately correct its wrongdoing," Mao said, urging the US to lift the sanctions on Lee and other HKSAR officials, fulfill its responsibility as the host of the APEC, invite all representatives of APEC members including Lee to attend the meeting, and stop undermining APEC unity and cooperation. The spokesperson further said that the Chinese side will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the HKSAR in attending the APEC meeting. Also on Friday, the HKSAR government called on the US to invite Lee to attend the meeting in his capacity as leader of Hong Kong, China, according to an official statement. "The US is obliged to follow the rules and usual practice of [APEC] forum as host of an upcoming Economic Leaders' Meeting, by inviting the [HKSAR] Chief Executive to attend," the statement read, adding that APEC meetings do not belong to any country or economy. The Washington Post report on Thursday also cited Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington as saying that "we express our strong opposition" to the US move, which "violates APEC rules... and breaks the commitments made by the US." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on July 28, 2023 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China As agreed by the two sides, the ninth China-France High Level Economic and Financial Dialogue will be held on July 29 in Beijing. The Dialogue will be co-chaired by He Lifeng, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council and the Chinese lead person of the Dialogue, and Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of France and the French lead person of the Dialogue. Yonhap News Agency: According to reports, during his visit to the DPRK, Li Hongzhong, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, delivered a personal letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Could you share with us the content of the letter and also tell us more about Vice Chairman Li's visit? Mao Ning: The Chinese side will release the information on this visit in due course. Please check back for updates. CCTV: According to reports, the Japanese defense ministry released its Defense of Japan 2023 white paper on July 28. The white paper hypes up China's military threat, raises concern over China's build-up of defense capabilities and maritime and naval military activities, and plans to further increase Japan's defense budget to strengthen defense capabilities. The white paper also hypes up tensions across the Taiwan Strait and says that the military balance between China's mainland and Taiwan is rapidly tilting in favor of the former. What's your comment? Mao Ning: The Defense of Japan 2023 white paper gravely interferes in China's internal affairs, smears China's normal defense development and maritime and naval military activities, deliberately hypes up the "China threat" narrative, and creates tensions in the region. We deplore and reject this and has made serious dAmarches to Japan.a China is committed to the path of peaceful development and a defense policy that is defensive in nature. China's defense development and military activities are legitimate and justified. Our military cooperation with relevant countries including joint patrols is consistent with international law and customary international practice. Taiwan is China's territory. The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair that brooks no external interference. The so-called "military balance" across the Taiwan Strait is a groundless subject to begin with. On the Taiwan question, Japan bears grave responsibilities for the historical crimes committed against the Chinese people and should act all the more prudently and draw lessons from the history. I need to stress that given Japan's history of militarist aggression during the last century, Japan's military and security moves have been closely watched by its Asian neighbors and the international community. In recent years, Japan has been increasing defense spending, readjusting defense policy and seeking military breakthrough. It has triggered strong concerns over whether Japan will still stick to the path of peaceful development. We urge Japan to earnestly respect the security concerns of neighboring countries, deeply reflect on its history of aggression, stop hyping up so-called security threat in the region and finding pretexts for rearming itself, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the wider international community through concrete actions. Reuters: President Xi today said that China will upgrade its bilateral relations with Georgia to strategic partnership. Will China support Georgia's ongoing bid to join NATO? Mao Ning: We have released a readout on President Xi Jinping's meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili this morning. Shenzhen TV: It was reported that according to unnamed US officials, due to relevant sanctions, the US will not invite Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee to the APEC Leaders' Meeting to be held in the US towards the end of this year. What is your comment? Mao Ning: It is widely understood that APEC host economies have the responsibility and obligation to ensure the smooth participation of the representatives of all members in APEC meetings. Imposing illegal and unreasonable sanctions on Chief Executive John Lee and other Chinese officials is in itself a bullying act which seriously violates the basic international norms. To not invite Hong Kong's Chief Executive to the APEC meeting by citing those sanctions as the reason is yet another mistake, which blatantly violates APEC rules and gravely contravenes the US commitment as the host. China strongly disapproves of and firmly opposes this and has made serious dAmarches to the US. We ask the US to correct the wrong move immediately, lift the sanctions on Chief Executive John Lee and other SAR officials, fulfill its due responsibility as the APEC host, invite Chief Executive John Lee to the meeting according to customary practice, make sure that representatives of all APEC members, including those of Hong Kong, China, will participate smoothly in the APEC events, and stop undermining the solidarity and cooperation of APEC. China will firmly safeguard the legitimate and lawful right of Hong Kong, China to attend APEC meetings. AFP: According to US intelligence report, China is giving economic lifeline to Russia, which helps limit the effect of western sanctions. Do you have a comment on this? Mao Ning: China is engaged in normal economic and trade cooperation with Russia and other countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. We oppose unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or mandate from the Security Council. China-Russia cooperation does not target any third party and shall be free from disruption or coercion by any third party. AFP: China repeatedly said that it abides by UN sanctions on North Korea. Today in Pyongyang, a Chinese delegation attended a parade where weapons banned by UN sanctions were displayed. Do you have any comment on this? Mao Ning: What I can tell you is that China's position on the issues concerning the Korean Peninsula has not changed. On implementing UN Security Council's resolutions, China always fulfills its due international obligations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indonesian president secures billions in investment pledges during China visit Biggest deal is a commitment from one of the world's largest glass makers, Xinyi. By Arie Firdaus for BenarNews 2023.07.28 -- Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo secured billions of dollars in investment commitments from Chinese companies during a two-day visit to China that wrapped up on Friday, his ministers said. One of the biggest deals was an U.S. $11.5 billion commitment from one of the world's largest glass makers, Xinyi, to build a manufacturing plant in Indonesia, said Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, who accompanied Jokowi on the trip. "This will be the second largest factory in the world after China," the minister told a press conference, referring to Xinyi's planned investment. "The output will be almost 95% for export because the market is overseas." If realized, Xinyi's investment would create 35,000 jobs, Bahlil said. Indonesia has a potential resource of 25 billion tons of quartz sand, the main raw material for making glass and solar panels, according to official data. And China is the world's main producer of solar panels, with a 70% market share. Bahlil said Xinyi had already invested $700 million in Indonesia last year to build a factory in Gresik, East Java. At a meeting on Thursday, Jokowi and Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on mutually beneficial economic cooperation, Indonesia's top diplomat Retno Marsudi said. During the visit to China, Jokowi sought more Chinese investment in renewable energy, health, food security and the construction of a new Indonesian capital city, Retno said. In the health sector, Chinese businesses made investment pledges worth about $1.4 billion, she said. China is Indonesia's biggest trading partner and a major source of investment. Last year, Indonesia's exports to China were recorded at $65.9 billion while imports were $67.7 billion, according to the Indonesian government's statistics agency. China was the second largest source of investment in Indonesia in 2022 with $8.2 billion, behind Singapore with $13.3 billion, according to data released by the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board. Market leader Energy analysts welcomed the government's move to sign investment deals with China for processing quartz sand. "This is the right move because China is a market leader [in producing solar panels]," said Daymas Arangga, executive director of Energy Watch, an independent think-tank in Jakarta. But he suggested the government also invite other countries, such as South Korea and Japan, to invest in the sector to prevent a price monopoly by China. "The issue is that China controls the price. So other countries should also be offered to invest to maintain the market," he told BenarNews. Fahmy Radhi, an energy observer at Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta, said Indonesia could boost its profits 10 times by processing quartz sand at home. "This is a smart step to add value to the mineral, and we should support it," he told BenarNews. Fahmy noted that Indonesia, the world's largest nickel producer, similarly added value to its nickel ore resources by boosting domestic processing. Indonesia increased its profits from processing nickel, a key metal for making stainless steel and batteries, to $30 billion last year from $3.3 billion in 2018. Indonesia banned raw nickel ore exports in 2020 to encourage the domestic smelting and refining industries. The country has also attracted investments from foreign companies - especially from China - to build battery factories in the country as part of its ambition to become a hub for electric vehicles. 'Maintain peace, stability' in region Meanwhile in his meeting with Xi on Thursday, the Indonesian president called on major powers to manage their rivalries and avoid conflicts that could threaten Southeast Asia, Retno said on Friday. "President Jokowi stressed that all countries, including China, must maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region," she said. She said Jokowi also welcomed the resumption of communication between China and the United States, the world's two largest economies and strategic rivals. Tensions have been brewing between China and several Southeast Asian nations over overlapping maritime claims in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway that carries about a third of global trade. Indonesia, while not a claimant to any of the disputed islands or reefs in the South China Sea, has repeatedly clashed with China over fishing rights and energy exploration near the Natuna Islands. These islands lie within Indonesia's exclusive economic zone but are also claimed by China under its sweeping "nine-dash line" map. Indonesia has rejected China's claim as having no legal basis. Earlier this month, China and Southeast Asian nations agreed to speed up an agreement to prevent conflict in the South China Sea. A code of conduct to prevent conflicts and promote cooperation in the disputed South China Sea has been under negotiation between China and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 2002, but progress has been slow. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China demands Washington invite Hong Kong leader to economic summit, lift sanctions Rights groups have been calling on the Biden administration to bar him from attending under ongoing sanctions. By Siyan Cheung for RFA Cantonese 2023.07.28 -- China on Friday demanded the United States invite Hong Kong leader John Lee to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in November amid media reports that Washington has barred him from entering the country, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent in his city under the national security law. "The APEC host country has a responsibility and obligation to allow all member representatives to attend the meeting smoothly," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news briefing in Beijing. "The U.S.' illegal and unreasonable sanctions on Chinese personnel, including Chief Executive John Lee, is an act of bullying that seriously violates the basic norms of international relations," she said. Lee was placed under U.S. sanctions in 2020 as a "person involved in the erosion of the obligations of China" under the terms of the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to Chinese rule, in which the city was promised the continuation of its traditional freedoms for at least 50 years. Calls have been growing among activists and rights groups for Lee to be barred from U.S. soil after Hong Kong's national security police this month placed bounties on the heads of eight prominent democracy activists in exile, two of whom are based in the United States. Mao said China expressed "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to the sanctions. "We urge the U.S. to immediately correct its wrongdoing, lift the sanctions on Chief Executive John Lee ... and invite [him] to attend the meeting as usual," Mao said. Violent police crackdown The Hong Kong government made a very similar statement citing the rules of APEC. The Washington Post quoted unidentified U.S. officials on Friday as saying that Lee would be barred from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in San Francisco under sanctions imposed on him in 2020, after he oversaw a violent police crackdown on the 2019 protest movement before being promoted to chief executive. London-based rights group Hong Kong Watch, which co-signed an open letter to President Joe Biden on the matter, welcomed the decision not to allow Lee to attend the APEC summit. "This decision is in line with stated U.S. policy that officials who are sanctioned, have poor human rights records, or have not been democratically elected are not invited to summits," the group's policy director Sam Goodman said in a statement. "John Lee meets the criteria for all three of these areas." "Given that the Hong Kong Government is no longer autonomous as a result of the National Security Law, the US and likeminded countries should consider whether it deserves a seat at future bilateral and multilateral summits and negotiations," he said. The decision comes as more than 45% of Japanese businesses in Hong Kong cited the national security law as a key reason for falling investor confidence in the city. A joint survey of business confidence by Japan's Consulate-General, the Japan Economic and Trade Office and the Hong Kong Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry for the first half of the year found that 45.2% of respondents were "very concerned" or "concerned" about the law, compared with 40.7% compared with the same period last year. More than 16% said it had had a "negative impact on business," while nearly 70% said the ongoing exodus of qualified people made it "difficult to secure excellent human resources," the survey said. More than half cited the "weakening of Hong Kong's autonomy" due to Chinese government intervention, it said. Rising risk Overall, the law was associated with the "resignation of local employees due to emigration," "increased business risk" and a "decline in Hong Kong's reputation." A Japanese journalist based in Hong Kong who gave only the nickname Atom said Japanese companies once viewed Hong Kong as the ideal place from which to enter the Chinese market, as business there was also profitable. "I think the reason Japanese-invested companies set up branches in Hong Kong was to get information about China ... but the most worrying thing right now is that that information isn't available," Atom said. "They are also worried that their employees could get arrested in Hong Kong." "I've started noticing when interviewing people in Hong Kong that there are certain topics you can't talk about," he said. "There are some messages that it's not safe to send on your phone." "These are things that used to happen [only] in mainland China, but now I'm having such fears in Hong Kong -- mainland China and Hong Kong are becoming more and more similar," he said. In May, Sebastien Lai, son of jailed pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, warned that Hong Kong is now a risky place to do business due to the suppression of promised freedoms under Chinese rule. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address My friend and colleague Albert Wolf died on July 24. He was 92 years old. Albert had a distinguished legal career, representing many clients in more than 50 years of private practice at the Wheeler Wolf Law Firm. He was an influential lobbyist on banking laws at both the North Dakota Capitol and the U.S. Congress. He also served his community in many ways, including helping found Shiloh Christian School and the Huff Hills ski recreation area. I wrote this article two years ago for The Gavel: the publication of the State Bar Association of North Dakota. The knock on the door interrupted us. A knock on the conference door in a law office on the 34th floor of the TC Energy Center in Houston. Five lawyers sitting around an oval-shaped conference table while I deposed the oil companys safety director. A safety director who literally knew nothing about safety. Following the knock, the receptionist popped her head in the room. Mr. Dickson, you have an emergency telephone call. You can take it in Mr. Albers office. Follow me. We adjourned for a few minutes, and I followed her to Mr. Albers office. Hello, this is Tom. Tom, this is Al Wolf. When are you coming home? Excuse me? When are you coming home? Weve got a situation here. I should be home tomorrow. Whats going on? My client is charged with murdering his wife. Hes innocent, but we have to get started. Has he talked to the police? "I dont know. Dont let him talk to the police. I think Im home tomorrow afternoon. Come to my office when you get here. Click. The phone went dead. So began our defense of Matthias Zimprich, a 76-year-old retired businessman. Matthias escaped from occupied Europe during World War II. He immigrated to Emmons County, North Dakota, where he became a truck driver. Over the years, he built a successful trucking company, which he later sold upon retirement. Al Wolf grew up in Emmons County. The son of Adam and Magdelena Wolf, he was the youngest of 11 children. He either knew everyone in Emmons County, or he was related to them. English was Als second language. He spoke German until the first grade. It was a difficult case. Mrs. Zimprich had been bludgeoned to death as she sat at the kitchen table late one Sunday night. Matthias had recently been diagnosed with cancer. He was undergoing chemotherapy and the treatments left him weak, fatigued, and disoriented. He had retired early that evening after watching Dancing with the Stars with his wife. At 2 a.m., someone called 911 and said, My wife is dead. We need an ambulance. That someone was Matthias Zimprich. The facts of the case were pretty muddled. The 911 call was problematic, but the four-hour-long videotaped interrogation at the police station was less so. As we gathered evidence, I came to agree with Al. Mr. Zimprich was innocent. However, rather than fighting over bail and the bond conditions, Mr. Zimprich remained incarcerated in the Burleigh County jail while we prepared his defense. They called it the Contact Room. The room where lawyers met their clients. It was a 10-by-10-foot windowless box constructed of bland, bleached cinder blocks. No windows, no air, no hope, and no escape. It was the dreariest place on the planet. I hated that room. A couple of dingy blinking florescent bulbs hung over two plastic institutional chairs separated by a single metal table. The Burleigh County Contact Room -- testament to mans inhumanity to man. It had one door. One way in, and one way out. On a wall near the door was a white control box with two black buttons. One marked Call. The second marked Private. The Private button meant no listening in by the county. No one believed that. The Call button actually worked. It summoned a deputy to unlock the door and escort you out. Visitations on Friday afternoons were the most worrisome. Our fear was being ignored. No one wanted to be left in the Contact Room over the weekend. This was where we met our clients being detained in Burleigh County. Al cared deeply for Matthias Zimprich. He visited him often in the Contact Room -- sometimes every day. I met them there every Friday afternoon to give them an update on what we had, or had not, accomplished that week. Late one Friday afternoon, I came to the Contact Room with good news, promising news, which was not often the case. Al was there before me. He was always there before me. His innate decency and humanity carried over into his professional life. Al actually made the attorney/client relationship into what it was supposed to be -- a trusted and productive working relationship. That late Friday afternoon, I finished my weekly briefing and was packing my notes to leave. Not paying particular attention, I vaguely picked up a distinctive verse recited in a low, guttural German accent. Unser Vater im dem Himmel, dein Name werde geheiligt. Dein Reich komme ... I looked up. What is that? What are they doing? And then I saw that Al had taken hold of Mattias hands. ... ein Wille geschehe, auf Erden, wie im Himmel. What is that? What are they saying? Oh my God, thats the Lords Prayer. They are reciting the Lords Prayer in German. I was trapped and reached for the Call button. Unser taglich Brot gib uns heute ... Now, nearing panic mode, I leaned with my elbow on the Call button. And I thought, This is worse than being locked up. I was stunned. This was a lawyer, meeting with his client, and they were praying. I really started leaning into the Call button. Please, please, do not leave me in here. And then, slowly and deliberately, a hand reached out to me. It was Als hand. He was extending his hand in prayer. And then even more slowly, without missing a beat, he whispered, Tom, it wouldnt hurt you to joint in. I backed away from the Call button and I took his hand. I was too ashamed not to. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us no into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen. In a place where darkness covers all, men like Al Wolf, a man of deep faith, can always see the light. Matthias Zimprich was later acquitted and returned home to live with his two sons. Al Wolf was once the senior lawyer in North Dakota. He was first on our register of licensed attorneys. He practiced law for 63 years. He came from a time when lawyers were active in every civic endeavor. They were involved in our churches, in our political system, in our professional organizations, and in our community. Al was involved in everything, like the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Board of Directors, on which he served for many years. One evening, Sen. Kent Conrad and I were meeting Al for dinner in Bismarck. Sen. Conrad was always punctual. Al, not so much. Sen. Conrad and I were sitting at our table. Al was late. The Symphony Board meeting had run late. We looked up as Al came in and watched him greet every person in the restaurant. Senator Conrad chucked and said, Tom, do you know why Al Wolf was never governor of North Dakota? No. Why? Because he was too busy. Al was first on the list of licensed lawyers in North Dakota for a reason. He earned it. God broke the mold when he made Al Wolf. He was one of a kind. We will miss him. China is the tech abettor of global autocracy Beijing gives authoritarian regimes the technological tools they need to surveil, repress and punish dissidents. A commentary by Aaron Rhodes and Cheryl Yu 2023.07.28 -- Lost in recent news about China's spy-base in Cuba was the fact that Huawei employees are working for the Latin American dictatorship. The Chinese telecoms giant isn't just helping maintain an intelligence-gathering facility. It's also helping Cuba oppress its own citizens. This is a common thread in Chinese diplomacy: Giving authoritarian regimes the technological tools they need to surveil, repress, and punish dissidents. Huawei, whose links with the Chinese Communist Party are well established, has been Cuba's main technology provider for the state telecommunications company since 2017. According to a Swedish study, this is part of China's support for "digital authoritarianism," and Huawei's eSight Internet management software that filters web searches is also in use across Latin America. When the Cuban people staged massive protests in July 2021, the government controlled and blocked the internet using technology "made, sold and installed" by China, according to Senator Marco Rubio. Then there's Africa. In September 2018, Djibouti started surveillance system construction in collaboration with the state-owned China Railway Electrification Bureau Group. The video surveillance system covers major urban areas, airports, docks, and ports in the city of Djibouti. In Asia, China is reportedly cooperating with Myanmar's military government in constructing a surveillance post on Great Coco Island. In December 2020, Myanmar applied 335 Huawei surveillance cameras in eight townships as part of its "Safe City" project. The cameras have facial recognition functions and alert authorities if surveilled persons are on a wanted list. In July 2022, Reuters reported that Myanmar's military government installed Chinese-made cameras with facial recognition capabilities in cities across the country. The equipment was purchased from Dahua, Huawei, and Hikvision. In another case of close Chinese support for an authoritarian ruler in Southeast Asia, it was confirmed in February 2023, that China has a naval base in Ream, Cambodia. In June 2019, the Deputy Commissioner of the General Commissariat of the Kingdom of Cambodia Police and Chief of Phnom Penh Municipal Police visited Chinese companies including Huawei and Hikvision, expressing interest in China's "Safe Cities" surveillance systems and other police equipment which he hoped to introduce for "improving public security and combating crimes." In October 2022, according to Voice of America, Cambodian human rights activists suspected Cambodian local police of using drones and surveillance cameras supplied by Chinese companies to monitor labor rights protesters. Belt and Road Initiative In Pakistan, China has installed Chinese technology for domestic surveillance since at least 2016. That's when the so-called "Safe City" project commenced operations in Islamabad, in collaboration with Huawei and other Chinese companies like e-Hualu. The project has established checkpoints and electronic police systems along major city thoroughfares, enabling citywide vehicle monitoring. In 2017, Huawei collaborated with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority in Pakistan to build a safe city system in Lahore. The project includes an integrated command and communication center, 200 police station sites, and 100 LTE base stations. In Central Asia, Huawei and Hualu surveillance systems are throughout Dushanbe, ostensibly to combat what local authorities say is "terrorism and extremism." In May 2023, the head of Sughd Province Tajikistan met with Huawei representatives to discuss its 25 million USD "Safe City" project in Khujand, its provincial capital. Much of China's global provision of domestic surveillance tools is through its Belt and Road initiative, through which it has sent technology to Egypt and Nigeria, Uganda, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Angola, Laos, Kazakhstan, and Kenya. There's also Serbia, where a political dissident claimed that the objective of the country's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative is to "hunt... down political opponents." Technology surveys show that around the world, at least 79 states have bought into Huawei's surveillance package. They include liberal democracies like Italy, Netherlands, and Germany. A Huawei contract can thus signal entry-level affiliation with Xi Jinping's New World Order, where "a future and destiny of every nation and every country are closely interconnected"aby invasive Chinese technology that abets oppression. That doesn't belong in America's backyard, in Cuba, or anywhere else in the world. Aaron Rhodes is senior fellow at Common Sense Society and President of the Forum for Religious Freedom-Europe. Cheryl Yu is senior researcher at Common Sense Society. The views expressed here are their own and do not reflect the position of RFA. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's coal use increased to a record high in 2022, IEA says Global coal demand is set to remain at record levels this year. By Subel Rai Bhandari for RFA 2023.07.28 -- China's coal consumption grew by 4.6% in 2022 to a new all-time high of 4.5 billion metric tons, dragging with it global coal demand offsetting declines in Europe and North America, a new report by an energy watchdog said. The coal market globally rose by 3.3% to hit a fresh new record of 8.3 billion metric tons in 2022, and will stay near that record level this year due to solid growth in Asia for both power generation and industrial applications, said the Paris-based organization International Energy Agency. The news comes as climate monitors warn of global temperatures reaching record highs in July, and coal is a major source of the emissions that cause global warming. Continued strong growth in Asian economies offset declines in Europe and North America, highlighting the need for more robust policies and investments to accelerate clean energy development, IEA said in their mid-year Coal Market Update, published on Thursday. Demand in China was higher than expected last year due to lower quality coal that resulted in higher-than-expected volumes, while more coal than expected was gasified to produce synthetic liquid fuels, plastics and fertilizers that increased the demand for non-power by 7%. Coal demand in Indonesia soared by about 36% to 201 million metric tons, making Indonesia the fifth largest coal consumer after China, India, the United States, and Russia. The IEA said 10,440 terawatt hours were generated from coal in 2022, which accounts for 36% of the global electricity generation. Coal, being a fossil fuel, exerts a significant toll on the environment. Environmental organization Greenpeace has labeled it "the most environmentally harmful and polluting method of energy production." "Coal is the largest single source of carbon emissions from the energy sector, and in Europe and the United States, the growth of clean energy has put coal use into structural decline," said Keisuke Sadamori, IEA's director of energy markets and security. "But demand remains stubbornly high in Asia, even as many of those economies have significantly ramped up renewable energy sources. We need greater policy efforts and investments - backed by stronger international cooperation - to drive a massive surge in clean energy and energy efficiency to reduce coal demand in economies where energy needs are growing fast." Coal consumption will grow in 2023 China is the world leader in renewable energy, but it also continues to devour coal, mainly to continue with its economic growth trajectory and tackle power failures due to heat waves and drought. In 2023, global coal demand is estimated to have grown by about 1.5% in the first half to about 4.7 billion metric tons. It was mainly due to the two largest consumers, China and India, growing by over 5%, more than offsetting declines elsewhere. Global coal consumption, 2021-2023. Credit: IEA IEA projected China, India and Southeast Asian countries together are expected to account for 3 out of every four metric tons of coal consumed worldwide. "In total, we expect China's coal demand in 2023 to grow by about 3.5% to 4.6 billion metric tons, with demand from the power sector up 4.5% and demand from non-power uses growing by 2%," the report said. China and India account for two-thirds of global coal consumption, which means they use twice as much coal as the rest of the world combined. In 2023, the duo could account for nearly 70% of the world's global coal consumption, while the United States and the European Union could account for just 10%, IEA said. Meanwhile, on the production side, the three largest coal producers - China, India and Indonesia - all produced record amounts in 2022. IEA said China and India set new monthly records in March this year, with China surpassing 400 million metric tons for the second time ever and India surpassing 100 million metric tons for the first time. That month, IEA said that Indonesia exported almost 50 million metric tons, a volume never shipped by any country before. Edited by Joshua Lipes. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Expats Say Hong Kong Chief Unwelcome in US By Adrianna Zhang July 28, 2023 Hong Kong expatriates are welcoming a reported decision by the U.S. government to bar Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee from attending an economic conference in the United States because of his role in crushing the city's pro-democracy movement. The Biden administration's decision was first reported by The Washington Post, which, citing unidentified U.S. officials, said he would be barred from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in San Francisco in November. Lee has been the subject of U.S. sanctions since 2020 for his role as Hong Kong's top police official during the crackdown, in which dozens of pro-democracy activists were arrested. He was named chief executive of the city last year. VOA contacted the State Department for confirmation of the decision but didn't receive any response by the time of publication. Anna Kwok, executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, a nonprofit organization founded in 2019 by Hong Kongers, told VOA the organization welcomes the Biden administration's decision and hopes the U.S. remains firm in opposing human rights violations in Hong Kong. "The White House has made the right decision to bar John Lee, a sanctioned human rights abuser, to protect the integrity of human-right sanctioning as one of the accountability mechanisms," she said. "While the decision is welcomed by the Hong Kong community, we would like to stress the time it took for the decision to be made and publicized. It should be the default to not issue sanction waivers to human rights abusers for a meeting on economic coordination." The Chinese government demanded the U.S. reverse its decision and lift the "illegal and unreasonable" sanctions on Lee. "We demand that the U.S. side immediately correct its wrong move, lift the sanctions against the chief executive and other officials of the [special administrative region], fulfill the due responsibility as APEC host, and invite Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to the meeting," said Mao Ning, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. "APEC meetings do not belong to any country or economy," the office said in a statement Friday. Lee later said in a press briefing that the city would attend the meeting according to APEC rules and guidelines, saying he hoped that the host of the meeting could handle it in accordance with such norms. Kwok said, "China's demand screams the Chinese government's inability to understand its standing in international relations. China should not overestimate its leverage to conduct economic coercion on other countries, including the United States, and should know its blatant human rights abuses and transnational repressive behaviors come with their costs. "China also keeps pushing the bar: if the international community doesn't stand its ground, China will keep expanding its influence globally while repressing its people transnationally." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China will firmly safeguard legitimate, lawful right of HKSAR to attend APEC meetings: spokesperson People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 11:16, July 29, 2023 BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- China will firmly safeguard the legitimate and lawful right of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to attend APEC meetings, according to a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Friday. Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular news briefing in response to reports that the United States will not invite HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in the United States towards the end of this year due to relevant sanctions, according to unnamed U.S. officials. It is widely understood that APEC host economies have the responsibility and obligation to ensure the smooth participation of the representatives of all members in APEC meetings. Imposing illegal and unreasonable sanctions on Chief Executive John Lee and other Chinese officials is in itself a bullying act which seriously violates the basic international norms, Mao said. She said that to not invite HKSAR Chief Executive to the APEC meeting by citing those sanctions as the reason is yet another mistake, which blatantly violates APEC rules and gravely contravenes the U.S. commitment as the host. "China strongly disapproves of and firmly opposes this and has made serious demarches to the United States," said Mao. China asked the United States to correct the wrong move immediately, lift the sanctions on Chief Executive John Lee and other HKSAR officials, fulfill its due responsibility as the APEC host, invite Chief Executive John Lee to the meeting according to customary practice, make sure that representatives of all APEC members, including those of China's Hong Kong, will participate smoothly in the APEC events, and stop undermining the solidarity and cooperation of APEC, she said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address N Korean Kim Jong Un, Russian Delegation Led by Shoigu Attend Military Parade Sputnik News 20230728 MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the Russian delegation led by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu oversaw a military parade on Thursday night in Pyongyang. The parade was timed to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War, South Korean news agency reported Friday, citing the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The parade featured North Korea's Hwasong-17 and solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as overflights of unmanned aerial vehicles, the report said. A Chinese senior delegation also attended the military parade. The North's news agency also reported that Sergei Shoigu and Kim Jong Un have discussed in Pyongyang the development of tactical and strategic defense cooperation between the countries. During the meeting, the North Korean leader referred to Pyongyang's "judgment and principled stand on the rapidly changing international security environment and the military and political situation of the Korean peninsula" and exchanged views with Shoigu, the report said. The officials "discussed some issues arising in further developing the strategic and tactical collaboration and cooperation between the two countries in the field of defence and security," the KCNA reported. Later Defense Minister Shoigu and the Russian delegation has departed from Pyongyang. North Korean National Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam, Korean People's Army (KPA) General Political Bureau Director Jong Kyong Thaek, KPA General Staff Chief Pak Su Il and other senior commanding officers, as well as Foreign Affairs Vice-Minister Im Chon Il and Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexandr Matsegora, attended the farewell ceremony for the delegation. Shoigu and Kang reviewed the KPA guards of honor while the national anthems of Russia and North Korea were playing. After that, the plane carrying "the goodwill mission of Russia" took off in Pyongyang. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel, U.S. wrap up joint naval drill People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 14:12, July 28, 2023 JERUSALEM, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military said on Thursday that its Flotilla 13 naval commando unit has concluded a joint exercise with the United States Armed Forces. During the drill, dubbed Juniper Spartan, the forces held several maritime security training scenarios, according to a statement released by the Israeli military. Israel frequently collaborates with the U.S. Armed Forces in joint drills, which the Israeli army said would "lead the two sides to mutual learning, the strengthening of professional ties, and professional improvements." The recent exercise was "yet another sign of the deep and operational cooperation between the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. Armed Forces," the statement read. The drill was carried out amid heightened tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians, growing Israeli concerns over Iran's activities in the Middle East, and internal turmoil triggered by a contentious government plan to overhaul the country's legal system. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Myanmar junta has killed at least 13 political prisoners during 'prisoner transfers' Family members believe that transfers are an excuse to execute the prisoners without accountability. By RFA Burmese 2023.07.28 -- At least 13 political prisoners in Myanmar have been killed by the junta while transferring from one detention facility to another, family members and rights organizations told Radio Free Asia. During the month of June alone, 37 political prisoners transferred from Daik-U prison, in the Bago region north of Yangon, went missing before reaching their destinations. At least eight of these have been killed, the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, or AAPP, announced on July 19. Several family members have suggested that the junta is transferring the prisoners as a pretext to execute them away from surveillance, and they doubt the official explanations of how the prisoners died. In one such explanation seen by RFA's Burmese Service, in a letter from prison authorities, a family was informed that the prisoner was shot while trying to escape after the prison transfer vehicle carrying him overturned in a road accident. In another case, prison authorities notified the family of 31-year-old Nay Aye that he had died in a strikingly similar way, one of Nay Aye's friends told RFA. "The mail arrived after 3 p.m on the 14th. It was the notification letter from the Daik-U prison department signed by Kyaw Zay Ya," Nay Aye's friend said. "The letter said that he was shot dead while he and other prisoners were attempting to escape when the prison transfer vehicle transporting them from Daik-U to Tharyarwaddy Prison almost overturned on a road accident." He said that the report was not believable and that he considered it to be a deliberate and premeditated murder. Nay Aye was arrested in Yangon on Nov. 24, 2021, sentenced to life imprisonment by the secret tribunal in Insein Prison under the Anti-Terrorism Act, and then sent to Daik-U Prison by the junta. While at Daik-U, he was praised by the prisoners for trying to open an in-prison clinic, get access to clean water and secure the right for political prisoners to read. Zin Win Htut, 27, is another prisoner who was killed in a transfer. He had been incarcerated since December 2021 and was serving a 15-year sentence for violating the Anti-Terrorism Act. His family was informed of his death on July 18, sources close to him told RFA. A member of the Myingyan University Student Union which Zin Win Htut once vice-chaired, said he believes it was an intentional murder. Anti-junta activities According to AAPP, the eight prisoners killed on transfers in June are Zin Win Htut alias Ta Yoke Gyi, Nay Aye alias Arkar Htet, Paing Myo, Yar Lay alias Zin Myint Tun, Pyae Phyo Hein alias Ko Pyae, Wai Yan Lwin alias Jar Gyi, Khant Lin Naing alias Ko Khant, Bo Bo Win alias Htan Taw Gyi, and Aung Myo Thu. According to a junta report issued on Dec. 12, 2021, all eight were arrested for their association with the Bago People's Defense Force, or PDF, one of many grassroots militias formed by citizens after the Feb. 1, 2021 coup. In addition to those eight, Aung Soe Moe alias Mae Lone died in Daik-U Prison on July 16. Maung Dee, a former lawmaker who was ousted during the coup from Waw township in the Bago region, died on July 17 after being transferred to Bago Hospital due to ill health, AAPP reported. Earlier, in May, 19-year-old student activist Thant Zin Win and two other political prisoners whose names cannot be confirmed, were killed when 24 political prisoners from Daik-U Prison were taken out and interrogated again by the junta authorities, according to people close to the prison. These incidents summed up the total deaths of 13 political prisoners in Daik-U Prison alone. No bodies Whenever the families of the dead political prisoners ask to see the body, the prison authorities always refuse, a person close to one of the families told RFA. "They said that he died but we couldn't see or know anything about the body," the source said. "They issued notification letters to the families but we don't know what purpose they were issued for. We want to know the truth about what happened." RFA reached out to Naing Win, the spokesman and the deputy director general of the prison department for comment, but his phone rang unanswered. An AAPP official told RFA that these killings are human rights violations. He said that AAPP urges the international community, including the United Nations, to investigate and take effective action as soon as possible. "It was evident that the junta shot and killed the inmates from Daik-U prison outside," he said. " It is a really horrible and brutal violation of human rights." Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Eugene Whong. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NLD chief Suu Kyi transferred to 'state-owned residence' in Myanmar capital A party official suggests the junta was responding to pressure to end the political stalemate. By RFA Burmese 2023.07.28 -- Myanmar's junta has relocated Aung San Suu Kyi, the jailed head of the deposed National League for Democracy, from a prison in the capital Naypyidaw to "a more comfortable state-owned residence," a party official and a source with ties to the prison said Friday. "It has been confirmed that Aung San Suu Kyi has been placed in a house in a residential area of Naypyidaw," an NLD official who declined to be named due to security concerns told RFA Burmese. A source with connections to Naypyidaw Prison, where Suu Kyi had been held since the military seized power in a Feb. 1, 2021 coup d'etat, also confirmed that the former State Counselor had been "relocated," speaking to RFA on condition of anonymity. Both sources could only confirm that the move had taken place "recently," but were unable to confirm the exact date or location. Media reports said Suu Kyi had been transferred to a residence for deputy ministers in the capital on July 24. Attempts by RFA to contact junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment went unanswered Friday. Junta courts found the 78-year-old Suu Kyi guilty of corruption charges and in violation of election and state secrets laws in December 2022. She faces a total of 33 years in jail for 19 cases, and had been held in solitary confinement in Naypyidaw. Suu Kyi's supporters say the charges were politically motivated. A second NLD official suggested to RFA on Friday that the transfer may have been made in response to increased domestic and international pressure on the junta to end Myanmar's political stalemate. "The junta has let the world know through this transfer that it is also facing difficulties in resolving the turmoil in Myanmar," the official said. The junta has been embroiled in a protracted conflict with Myanmar's increasingly formidable armed resistance groups and ethnic armed organizations since the military detained Suu Kyi and other top leaders of the NLD during the coup. It's also possible that the move was made to make it easier for international diplomats to visit her, according to Min Lwin Oo, a Burmese human rights lawyer who lives in Norway. Next steps scrutinized International media reports said Friday that Suu Kyi could be permitted to meet with Deng Xijun, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's special representative for Asian affairs, who is currently in Naypyidaw. As part of Deng's third visit to Myanmar since the coup, he has met with top military generals, including junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. "It's most important that Aung San Suu Kyi agrees to meet only the people she wishes to," NUG spokesman Kyaw Zaw said. "She must have the right to deny meeting with anyone she doesn't want to see. That's why it is crucial to 'unconditionally' release not just her but all political prisoners." The junta has announced three consecutive six-month extensions of emergency rule in Myanmar since the military seized power in a Feb. 1, 2021, coup d'etat, citing ongoing instability in the country. The current period is set to expire on July 31, and observers are closely watching for signs of the regime's next move. The move is just a "political charade that does nothing to change the fact that she has been imprisoned for 33 years on bogus, politically motivated convictions in military controlled kangaroo courts," said Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch's deputy Asia director. It's also a continuation of an approach that started earlier this month when acting Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai met with her in prison just before an ASEAN ministers meeting - it's designed to make the junta look "somehow reasonable rather than inherently rights abusing," he said. But the approach is unlikely to work, said Hla Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese political analyst in China. In the years before the coup, she tried to work with the military for the sake of the people's security, he said. "I think she seems to have finally realized that the military cannot be persuaded by any means," he said. "That's why she chose prison over reconciliation with the military." The NLD has said it will hold a special meeting of its central committee on Saturday to discuss the latest developments. Last month, a source with knowledge of the situation in Naypyidaw Prison told RFA that three military officers visited Suu Kyi at the facility on May 27 and June 4 to enlist her help in peace negotiations with the armed resistance, only to be rebuffed by the former state counselor. As an opposition leader, Suu Kyi had been the face of Myanmar's democracy movement and lived under house arrest imposed by previous military rulers for 15 of 21 years between 1989 and 2010. Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Matthew Reed. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Meeting with President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Vladimir Putin met with President of the Republic of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the Expoforum venue. July 27, 2023 19:40 St Petersburg President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, I am delighted to meet with you again. Last time we met in Sochi during the first Russia-Africa Summit. I am grateful to you for bringing the Ugandan delegation to St Petersburg today and for taking part in our second summit. I said many times that holding this forum is very important for us. The comprehensive development of relations with African countries in politics, in security, and in the trade, economic and humanitarian spheres is an invariable priority of Russian foreign policy. And Uganda, of course, is among Russia's key partners on the African continent. Our countries have a long history of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation. Last year, we marked 60 years of our diplomatic relations. Our countries have established and are maintaining a political dialogue and ties between parliaments and parties. We also see positive changes in trade. Despite a minor decline in 2022, mutual trade increased more than fivefold in January to April 2023 year on year. It is a positive trend. We maintain close cooperation on the humanitarian track. In February this year, you hosted a delegation of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) led by its head, Anna Popova, who has joined us here today. As per the agreements reached on expanding our sanitary and epidemiological cooperation, here at the summit, we will deliver to Uganda a cutting-edge mobile laboratory on the platform of the KAMAZ truck, which can conduct up to 3,500 tests a day for any infections, including the most dangerous ones. In November 2022, a Russian culture festival was held in Uganda. We are grateful to you for supporting that event. There are plans to open a Russian spiritual and education centre in Kampala. We continue to train personnel for Uganda; about 4,000 Ugandan citizens have received education in our country. We have more than doubled the quota for Ugandan students for the 2023/2024 academic year. Under a programme underway in the Republic of Tatarstan, 218 scholarships have also been approved for the Ugandans who are undergoing vocational technical training. Russia and Uganda stand together on the international stage. This stance is based on their commitment to the policy of creating a fair multipolar world, and we attach great importance to the further coordination of our efforts in this sphere, especially since you will chair of the Non-Aligned Movement next year. Mr President, I am delighted to welcome you and your delegation to St Petersburg. Thank you. President of the Republic of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni: Your Excellency, I thank you very much on behalf of our delegation for meeting us today but also for this forum. As I told you when we met before, and as I will be saying in some of my speeches, the relationship between the Soviet Union and Africa was crucial for the liberation of Africa. As I told you in South Africa, by 1900 the whole of the African continent had been colonised, except for Ethiopia. There were two big events which happened soon after that. One was the formation of the African National Congress in South Africa in 1912. That was the first time Africans started organising to liberate Africa. Then in 1917 the Communists took over power in Russia and they were the first international group to support us. Later on, they were joined by China in 1949. That formed a solid anti-colonial force. So, even when all these things were happening, the Soviet people were the first who stood with us when we were fighting against colonialism. Therefore, this is the starting point. Now coming to modern times, we can cooperate in the economic development because there is big potential, and we have already started. Thank you very much for the laboratory. And I thank you for the scholarships. Even in the past we had many of our students studying here. But now, we propose new areas like, for instance, the area of refinery and the exploration for petroleum products as well as oil, which we can export as crude, but also refine it for the East African market. But Russian companies can also take part in exploration for more oil in our area. Then we have got the pipeline to the ocean for crude oil, in which we are involved with Total, the French company, and some Chinese companies, but Russian companies can also come in and invest in that East African crude pipeline because it can transport the oil of not only Uganda but even South Sudan and Congo, Congo-Kinshasa. We have also agreed with the Russian groups on building a nuclear power station for generating electricity. And that is going on, and I am very happy with that. Then we have fertilisers, very big potential for phosphates, and for potassium, and also for ammonia. I would like to invite Russian companies, if they can, to take part in that. Now regarding fertilisers, we use 300,000 tonnes per year. We have built electric vehicles in Uganda; we have already built them but we would like to work with Russia, if possible, on the issue of electric batteries. We have got lithium, the raw materials, the rare earth, but if you can work with us on the electric batteries, so that we do not waste money reporting those. We have the raw materials also for that, and Russia has got good experience in that area. Space and space science. We have trained our people and are training more people, and we can train more people in Russia so that we build our own satellite because it would solve so many problems, with the environment and even security, to see the forests, which are being degraded, the national parks, also for looking for minerals, so we would be very happy if Russia was to work with us on the issue of the satellite. Now, this is an idea which I want to put to your Excellency. You see, the problem of Africa since its independence - Africa had many problems in the last 600 years: we had slavery, then we had the colonialism, then after independence we have had neo-colonialism, and we have been struggling with that. But one facet of neo-colonialism and colonialism was Africa being confined to producing only raw materials, crops, like coffee, and minerals. I can give you an example: the global business for coffee is worth $460 billion. That is the value of the coffee business in the world. But of those $460 billion the coffee producing countries of the whole world share only $25 billion and Africa shares only $2.4 billion out of $460 billion. This issue is the biggest stunting factor why the African economies are stunted; they do not grow, because all the value is taken by other people. Germany earns more from coffee than the whole of Africa. Germany earns $6.85 billion from coffee, while Africa earns only $2.4 - 2.5 billion. This is the big scandal. So, what I want to propose to Russia and China is to discourage as a policy the importing of raw materials from Africa, to instead work with the Africans to add value at source. This would within a very short time transform the economies of Africa from low- and mid-income to high- and middle-high income because we see from the example of Uganda that everything is depressed now; production is high but we are still producing raw materials. And what we want is, first of all, procurement: for somebody to buy processed end products, as a policy. Because if the European Union imports unprocessed coffee, it enters the European Union with zero tax, without a tax, but at some point, if you add value to coffee, you add a tax of 17%. So it is necessary to block the entry into Europe of processed coffee. To go from zero tax for raw materials to added value. If China and Russia were to follow this policy, in some of these countries the economy would grow within a very short time. It is bad economics on the side of Western countries. You see, for instance, if we were to export processed products to the USA or to Europe, and we earned more money, the purchasing power would go up, we would have more money, and we would buy more European products. It would be better for everybody. So that is what I want propose to you. If you can look at it, it would definitely be a game changer. There are many investment opportunities in Uganda for Russian companies, like, for instance, in the medical industry: the vaccines, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals. We have our own groups working on those but it would be good to work with Russian companies. These are the main points which I think we can look at. On the military side, we buy quite a bit of Russian equipment, and it has helped us a lot to stabilise the situation. That is why Uganda is an island of peace in that part of the world. I think we are now the biggest accommodator of refugees in the whole of Africa. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gala reception for participants in the second Russia-Africa Summit Vladimir Putin delivered a speech at the gala reception hosted in honour of the participants in the second Russia-Africa Summit. July 27, 2023 21:10 St Petersburg President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Ladies and gentlemen, friends, I would like to extend my heartfelt welcome once again to the participants in the second Russia-Africa Summit and the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum. Friends, we are happy that heads of state and government and leading politicians and government officials from practically all African countries have arrived in St Petersburg. The leaders of executive bodies of African integration associations are also present here. Such a representative range of participants gathered in our northern capital, as we call St Petersburg, convincingly illustrates the mutual desire of Russia and African countries to expand and deepen mutually beneficial ties and contacts. This is also a real confirmation of our common intentions to take Russia-Africa relations to a new, more advanced level in politics, security, in the economic and social spheres. We are convinced that the St Petersburg summit will help us reach this main goal in full measure. We are looking to the future with optimism because Russia-Africa relations rest on the firm foundation of friendship and mutual assistance, an accumulated positive experience of our joint work and a truly rich and eventful history. At one time, the Soviet Union rendered African nations tangible support in the struggle against colonialism, racism and apartheid, in the development of statehood and in the consolidation and protection of independence. It helped them lay the foundations of their national economies. It is enough to recall the construction of important infrastructure, energy, industrial and agricultural facilities, of hospitals and schools. Assistance was granted to form and equip combat-ready armed forces. Hundreds of thousands of Africans graduated from our universities. The knowledge and professions they acquired - engineers, economists, doctors, lawyers, to name a few - have brought and are still bringing practical benefits to African states. Russia will continue to expand on these kinds of traditions. It is equally important to note that today Russia and the African countries stand together for the formation of a just, multipolar world order based on the principles of sovereign equality of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and respect for peoples' right to determine their own destiny. And, of course, our country will continue to make a real contribution to settling current crises and preventing the emergence of new hotbeds of tension on the continent, fighting terrorism and extremism, pandemics and hunger, and addressing issues of environmental, food and information security. Many people in Africa know this saying: "If you want to walk fast - go alone. If you want to walk far - go together." We are indeed ready to work for the future hand in hand with our African friends, and to build truly strategic interaction and partnership. <...> NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The city of Lincoln plans to upgrade its water system to finish a multimillion dollar project that began in 2018. Workers will install a 16-inch water main and replace the existing 549,000-gallon water tank with a 1-million-gallon tank in the growing bedroom community south of Bismarck with roughly 4,250 residents -- nearly double the population in the 2010 census. The cost of repair (to the existing tank) is just as much as building one, and Lincoln has been growing at a pretty significant pace so getting a different water tower that is a little bigger is the plan, Lincoln Public Works Director Terry Schutt said. The water main connecting the tank to the city will meet the average daily demand and flow rates needed for firefighting, and provide adequate pressures during peak demands. The new water tank will prevent potential catastrophic failure of the existing tank and add capacity to the citys water infrastructure. The current tank was built in the 1990s and is nearing the end of its useful life, according to Kevin Nelson, civil engineer and land surveyor at Mountain Plains LLC, a land surveying and engineering company with a location in Bismarck. The growth of Lincoln is requiring us to have extra storage, he told the Tribune. The city last year had to restrict water use during the dry summer months because of the lack of capacity. The installation of a new water main and water tank is Phase Two of a project that began in 2018 with the replacement of a water main that brings water into the city. The total cost of Phase Two is about $5.1 million. The city has applied for a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan of $1.8 million to help finance the project -- roughly 40% of the project, according to Nelson. The remaining 60% will be paid through a grant from the State Water Commission. The city didn't comment on how the loan will be repaid, or if the project will impact water rates. The city is signing contracts with construction companies, and Nelson believes construction could begin soon and be completed mid-to-late 2024. A study by the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality found that the project will not adversely impact wetlands, area flood plains, threatened or endangered species habitat, or archeological sites. The North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office concluded that no historic properties will be affected. The Week In Russia: Mud, Blood, And An 'Empire Of Spite' By Steve Gutterman July 28, 2023 Scuttling a deal that helped feed the hungry, Russia attacked Odesa and a Ukrainian port 200 meters from NATO territory. President Vladimir Putin mixed threats against Poland with twisted history. Aleksei Navalny, already imprisoned, faced a verdict that could hand him two more decades behind bars. Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward. Horrible Histories In the months before he launched the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin stepped up his efforts to denigrate that country in the eyes of the world, twisting centuries of its history and suggesting that it should not exist at all unless it is roped tightly to Russia. Putin's remarks, including a July 2021 article with the sweepingly presumptuous title On The Historical Unity Of Russians And Ukrainians, coincided roughly with an increasingly massive military buildup on Ukraine's borders. Seven months after its publication, Putin moved to seize what he falsely claimed had essentially been stolen, sending the military across the border to subjugate Ukraine -- a campaign that failed spectacularly in its first months, as Russian forces were driven back from Kyiv's outskirts, but is still continuing today with no sign of an end anytime soon. While Putin seems obsessed with Ukraine above all, his penchant for bending history goes beyond its borders. Lately he has turned his attention to Poland, a NATO member that borders Russia and -- despite a history of tense ties with Ukraine -- has staunchly supported its defense against Moscow's onslaught. At a meeting of his Security Council on July 21, Putin said that in 1939, Poland "was thrown to the German war machine and formally lost its independence and statehood, which were restored in large part thanks to the Soviet Union" - neglecting to mention that the Soviet Union invaded Poland that year as well, after Stalin and Hitler forged a pact paving the way for attacks from the west and east. Putin said that "western Polish territories are Stalin's gift to Poland" and threatened to give Warsaw "a reminder" of this nonfact. He also repeated a baseless claim that has been made numerous times by Russian officials and lawmakers in recent years, suggesting that Polish leaders want to "tear off a good chunk of Ukraine for themselves" and that "they dream of Belarusian lands, too." He added that any attack on Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia, which would respond with "all means at our disposal." Putin's remarks were echoed by a chorus of Kremlin-connected pundits and public figures, and Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka got into the act.As if on cue, he claimed that Wagner fighters who have apparently traveled to Belarus since the mercenary group's short-lived mutiny in Russia last month were eager to push across the border into NATO member Poland. Big In Belarus "The Wagner guys have started to stress us. They want to go west...on a trip to Warsaw and Rzeszow'," Lukashenka said on July 23. What does all this mean? Maybe not much, despite appearances, though it does seem to point to the possibility that Moscow could stage a false-flag operation to test NATO, whose members have provided increasingly powerful weapons to Ukraine but have avoided direct involvement in the war. It also could be a way -- on top of sending tactical nuclear weapons and Wagner mercenaries -- for the Kremlin to tighten its grip on Belarus, which is the closest thing Moscow has to an ally, and to warn Lukashenka that he has little freedom of movement. And it could be intended to divert Ukraine's attention - and maybe some of its troops - away from the front lines in the south and east, where Kyiv's forces are pushing ahead with a crucial counteroffensive they launched in early June. Meanwhile, amid the Kremlin's evidence-free talk of potential mayhem on Poland's borders with Belarus and Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly attacked Odesa, Ukraine's main Black Sea port, after scuttling a UN-brokered corridor agreement that for a year had allowed for the safe shipment of Ukrainian grain across to the Bosphorus and then to destinations around the world. Using missiles and drones, Russia has attacked port installations and grain storage facilities in and around Odesa and Mykolayiv, further east. Early on July 24, Russia unleashed a massive drone strike on the Danube River port of Reni, about 200 meters from NATO member Romania on the opposite shore. 'Odesa Hates You' But the attacks have not been limited to targets linked to the grain trade. Russia has hit residential areas and numerous cultural sites in Odesa, whose historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage property. An overnight attack on July 23 badly damaged the Transfiguration Cathedral, Odesa's largest Christian house of worship and part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church branch long affiliated with the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church. The attacks have rendered Putin's claim that Moscow is protecting Russian-speakers even more ridiculous than it already was and have fueled increasing anger at the attackers in a city where connections with Russia have traditionally been strong. "If you only knew how much Odesa hates you," the city's mayor, Hennadiy Trukhanov, who was highly sympathetic to Russia in the past, said in a video posted on Telegram. "You are fighting against small children, Orthodox churches.... You will not break us, but only make us angrier." "An Empire of Spite" was how Eugene Finkel, a professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in the United States, described Russia following the attack that damaged the cathedral. The near-daily strikes over the past week are far from the first Russian attack on Odesa since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022. Two months after that, a Russian missile attack on Odesa killed eight people in an apartment building including a 28-year-old woman, her mother, and her 3-year-old daughter. Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal did further damage to the country's image, which was already badly harmed by the death and destruction it has inflicted in the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on July 17 that Russia's decision would "strike a blow to people in need everywhere" at a time when "hundreds of millions of people face hunger and consumers are confronting a global cost-of-living crisis. On July 25, the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund said that grain prices could increase by 10-15 percent following Russia's pullout. 'Stupid And Senseless' Putin sought to court support among African nations at a summit in St. Petersburg on July 27-28, but the outcome was unclear. Far fewer heads of state and government were in attendance than at the previous summit, in 2019. At the summit, Putin claimed that Moscow seeks to "actively participate in building a fairer system of distribution of resources," asserted that said Russia is capable of replacing Ukrainian grain exports to Africa, and said it would be ready to start supplying grain for free to six African countries in three or four months. Guterres was unimpressed, saying that process will rise as "millions and millions of tons of grain" are taken out of the market. He said that "a handful of donations to some countries would not "correct this dramatic impact that affects everybody, everywhere." In Russia, meanwhile, the clampdown on dissent that was intense for a decade but gathered more force following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine continued. In a trial behind closed doors on extremism and other charges that supporters dismiss as politically motivated and absurd, Putin's most prominent foe, Aleksei Navalny, heard the state prosecutor call for a conviction and a 20-year sentence. Navalny, 47, is already serving prison sentences of nine years and 2 1/2 years on previous convictions that he also rejects. He has been behind bars since he returned to Russia in January 2021 after treatment in Germany for a near-fatal nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on Putin and the Federal Security Service. In a "last word" in court that was posted on social media as the trial wound down, Navalny said that Russia "is floundering in a pool of...mud or blood, with broken bones, with a poor population that has been robbed, and [with] tens of thousands who have died in the most stupid and senseless war of the 21st century." The verdict is expected on August 4. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/week-in-russia-gutterman- ukraine-grain-odesa-poland/32523959.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's meeting with foreign ministers of African states 28 July 2023 15:35 1515-28-07-2023 On July 27, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a working lunch in St Petersburg with 31 foreign ministers of African countries who are taking part in the second Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum. In his welcome address, Mr Lavrov noted that the summit will allow participants to identify priority areas of Russian-African interaction and to promote it for the next few years. During an engaging exchange of views, the foreign ministers of the Union of Comoros (the chair of the African Union), Egypt, Namibia, Mauritania and Tunisia, discussed a broad range of issues linked with the accelerated forming of a new, polycentric world arrangement. In this context, they reviewed issues of reforming the UN to ensure commensurate African representation in the UN Security Council and other key multilateral structures. Mr Lavrov emphasised that the West's attempts to impose double standards in assessing and settling international crises and conflicts, including in Ukraine, were unacceptable. He said it was necessary to counter neocolonialist approaches and uphold historical truth and justice through a concerted effort. The participants focused on the current issues of further strengthening the multifaceted, long-term and mutually beneficial Russian-African partnership. During the discussion of food and energy security, Mr Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's invariable readiness to fulfill all of its international obligations responsibly and in good faith in terms of exporting agricultural products, fertilisers, energy resources and other critical supplies. Russia is ready to help the African nations improve the humanitarian situation on the continent, including without cost in some cases. The following bilateral documents were signed during the meeting: - Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe on Ensuring International Information Security; - Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Cameroon on Mutual Cancellation of Visa Requirements for the Holders of Diplomatic or Service Passports; - Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Visa-Free Travel for the Holders of Diplomatic or Service Passports. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Minister of Defence of Russian Federation takes part in solemn events dedicated to 70th anniversary of Day of Victory in Great Fatherland Liberation War 28.07.2023 The Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, Army General Sergei Shoigu, took part in a solemn meeting dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War in Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK. The event took place under the leadership of the President of State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong Un at the Pyongyang Palace of Sports. At the end of the meeting, a reception in honour of the military delegation of the Russian Federation was held on behalf of the leader of the DPRK at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chindalle Residence. A military parade was also held on Kim Il Sung Square in the centre of Pyongyang. The parade included soldiers of the Korean People's Army in historical uniforms of the war times, T-34 tanks, vehicles of 1950-1953, parade formations of all kinds and branches of the Korean People's Army troops and a mechanised column with the latest weapons and military hardware. Department for Media Affairs and Information NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ships of Russian and Chinese Navy commence joint maritime patrols in Pacific Ocean waters 28.07.2023 The warships of the Russian and Chinese Navy have started to fulfil the tasks of the third joint maritime patrol in the Pacific Ocean. After ships of the Russian and Chinese Navy left Vladivostok, a joint detachment was formed in the waters of Peter the Great Bay and began to move along the route previously agreed upon by the parties. The objectives of the joint patrols are to strengthen naval cooperation between Russia and China, maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, monitor the sea area and protect objects of maritime economic activity of the Russian Federation and China. During the patrol, the Russian and Chinese sailors will practice sailing in different formations, organisation of all types of squadron defence, water and fuel replenishment on the move, anti-submarine tasks, as well as deck helicopter flights with take-offs and landings on the ships of the parties. The Russian Federation is represented in the international detachment by the large anti-submarine ships Admiral Tributs and Admiral Panteleyev, the corvettes Gremyashchy and Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, and the medium-sized naval tanker Pechenga. From the Chinese Navy, the destroyers Guiyang and Tsitsikar, the patrols, the patrol ships Tunlin and Zhizhao and the integrated supply ship Taihu are taking part in the patrols. During the patrols, the crews of the surface ships will be assisted by aircraft of the Pacific Fleet's naval aviation and aviation of the People's Liberation Army of China. A few days earlier, Russian and Chinese naval sailors held a joint naval exercise 'North/Interaction - 2023' in the Sea of Japan. The first joint Russian-Chinese naval patrol was held in 2021. The second Russian-Chinese patrol took place in autumn 2022. Press Service of the Eastern Military District NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin: Africa Becoming Center of Power Sputnik News 20230728 ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) - Africa is becoming a new center of power, and this has become an objective reality, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. "I would like to note right before our eyes the African continent is becoming a new center of power, its political and economic role is growing exponentially. And everyone will have to reckon with this objective reality," Putin said at the Russia-Africa summit. The Russian president added that ideas of freedom, integrity and sovereignty shared by African leaders are now important during "establishment of multipolar world order." On West Colonial Past and Present Putin stressed that some manifestations of colonialism have still not been eliminated, with former metropolises still practicing it. "Unfortunately, some manifestations of colonialism have still not been eliminated and are being practiced by former metropolises in the economy, information and humanitarian areas," Vladimir Putin said. Putin added that unstable situation in many African countries is a direct result of a tough legacy of colonialism. "We also have to admit that the situation in many regions of Africa is still unstable. State and ethnic conflicts have not been resolved, acute political and socio-economic crises persist. This, of course, is a heavy legacy of the colonial era, the 'divide and conquer' method that the Western metropolises pursued in Africa," Putin said at the Russia-Africa summit. He added that some countries are now changing international norms and use them for their own selfish interests. "We cannot agree with the replacement of international law by the so-called order based on rules that some countries themselves declare, but they themselves constantly distort, change, shuffle [these norms]," Putin stressed. On Russo-African Relations and Foreign Policy Russia is ready to open new diplomatic missions and increase its diplomatic staff in African countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. "Russia's attention to Africa is consistently growing, and our plans to increase diplomatic presence on the continent show it. We are ready to open and reopen diplomatic missions and increase staff in a number of existing embassies," Putin said at the Russia-Africa summit. He added that Russian embassies in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea will resume operation in near future and stressed that Moscow would support initiatives of African countries to open new diplomatic missions in Russia. Putin said that Russia will provide around $90 million to African countries in debt relief. "Russia is taking part in debt relief efforts for African countries. At the moment, we have written off a total of $23 billion in debt. On recent requests of African countries, we will allocate over $90 million more for these development purposes," Vladimir Putin stressed. On Africa Plan of Conflict Resolution in Ukraine Commenting on Ukrainian crisis, he said that Russia treats Africa's plans on conflict resolution in Ukraine with respect. "Let's take, for example, the initiative of a number of African states to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. This is an acute problem, we do not avoid discussing it. This in itself says a lot, because before any intermediary missions were monopolized exclusively by countries with the so-called developed democracy. Not anymore, now Africa is also ready to help in solving problems that seem to be outside the zone of its primary interests. We respect your initiatives and consider them carefully," Putin said. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia urged to free opposition leader Kara-Murza amid failing health 28 July 2023 - An independent UN human rights expert on Friday appealed for Russia to immediately release detained journalist and prominent opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, whose life is at risk due to deteriorating health. Mr. Kara-Murza, 41, an outspoken critic of the Kremlin and the war in Ukraine, was arbitrarily arrested in Moscow on 11 April 2022. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison a year later on charges of "high treason", "disseminating false information about the army of the Russian Federation" and participation in an "undesirable organisation". Punished for speaking out "I am concerned that Vladimir Kara-Murza's only crime was speaking truth to power, for which he is being punished with 25 years in prison," said Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation. She noted that his medical condition, reportedly the result of two poisoning attempts in 2015 and 2017, is included in the list of illnesses that exempt people from imprisonment under Russian law. The rights expert said Mr. Kara-Murza's arrest "is part of an increasingly repressive crackdown on freedom of expression and political opposition in the Russian Federation since the start of its full-scale war against Ukraine last February." Medical diagnosis confirmed She expressed concern that the activist's life is at risk due to his continued detention "on charges that appear to be solely related to the legitimate exercise of his human rights", coupled with his deteriorating health and lack of access to timely and adequate medical care. Furthermore, she said it was particularly disturbing that he remains in detention when two medical experts consulted by the Russia's prison service independently confirmed his diagnosis of lower distal polyneuropathy, a serious nerve disorder. She recalled that Mr. Kara-Murza was a key advocate in promoting the adoption of the Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, a legislative measure passed by the United States of America in 2012 and subsequently adopted by several other countries. The Act enables targeted sanctions against individuals who are believed to be responsible for human rights abuses, corruption, or other serious offences. Case up for review Ms. Katzarova said the presiding judge that convicted Mr. Kara-Murza, and two other individuals involved in his detention, were previously sanctioned under the Act, which has raised serious concerns about the integrity of the judicial process. "States must take all necessary measures to protect the lives of individuals deprived of their liberty," she said. "Kara-Murza should be immediately released from detention in line with international human rights obligations, as well as the Russian Federation's own legislation and regulations on persons exempt from imprisonment or other forms of custodial detention due to their medical condition." The First Appeal Court in Moscow is set to review the 25-year sentenced imposed on Mr. Kara-Murza on 31 July. The rights expert called for a transparent and impartial review of his case, in accordance with international human rights standards, adding that "his immediate and unconditional release from detention must be considered without delay." About UN rapporteurs Special Rapporteurs like Ms. Katzarova are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to monitor and report on specific country situations or thematic issues. They serve in their individual capacity and are independent of any Government or Organization. They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Senate passes annual defense bill with Taiwan provisions ROC Central News Agency 07/28/2023 12:17 PM Washington, July 27 (CNA) The United States Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed its version of the annual defense bill that lays out the country's sweeping national defense policy and budget for 2024, including provisions calling for military cooperation with Taiwan. The Senate approved the US$886 billion budget for the 2024 fiscal year under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with an 86-11 vote after the Senate Committee on Armed Services passed draft legislation in June. According to the committee, more than 900 amendments were considered, and 121 of them were adopted during the floor debate -- the most adopted to the Senate NDAA in years. In a statement, the committee said the Taiwan provisions aim to establish "a comprehensive training, advising, and institutional capacity-building program for the military forces of Taiwan." The Senate 2024 NDAA also authorizes the full budget request for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and the European Deterrence Initiative, the committee said. According to the newly approved bill, the comprehensive program aims to enable a layered defense of Taiwan by the Taiwanese military forces, including in support of "the use of an asymmetric defense strategy," and to enhance interoperability between the U.S. armed forces and their Taiwan counterparts. The Act also calls for the commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to engage with appropriate officials from Taiwan "for the purpose of expanding cooperation on military cybersecurity activities" to protect military networks infrastructure and systems and take on hostile cyber activities. Through military cybersecurity cooperation, the legislation also urges both sides to leverage U.S. commercial and military cybersecurity technology and services to strengthen and defend such networks, infrastructure and systems. According to the legislation, in no later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the U.S. Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the absorptive capacity of Taiwan's military forces for military capabilities provided and approved by the U.S. for delivery to Taiwan in the last 10 years, including the date of projected or achieved initial and full operational capabilities. In addition, the legislation stipulates in no later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the Act, the U.S. secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence, shall complete a comprehensive analysis of the risks and implications of a sustained military blockade of Taiwan by China. "The Congress once again has an opportunity to send an unmistakable message to China and Russia that we are stalwart in our commitment to a 'peace through strength' agenda," Republican Senator Roger Wicker said in the statement. "I am hopeful that working alongside the House, we will send a bill to the president's desk that puts our national defense on a path toward improving our deterrent capabilities," Wicker said. On July 15, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its own version of the 2024 NDAA with a 219-210 vote. Typically, after the full House and Senate have passed their own versions of the NDAA, they negotiate a reconciliation of the bill to send to the president to sign into law before the end of the year. (By Chiang Chin-yeh and Frances Huang) Enditem/cs NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan pledges to donate two patrol boats to Tuvalu ROC Central News Agency 07/28/2023 05:22 PM Taipei, July 28 (CNA) Taiwan will donate two patrol vessels to its Pacific ally Tuvalu as part of bilateral coast guard cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MOFA) announced Friday in a press release. Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang (caa) was cited in the release as saying at a ceremony to mark the event that Taiwan has been helping Tuvalu better safeguard its marine resources and combat illegal fishing activities since the two countries signed a cooperation deal last September. He was referring to an agreement on coast guard cooperation under which both sides are committed to working together to combat transnational crime and enforce law governing fisheries, while promoting marine research and rescue. The two coastal multipurpose boats pledged by Taiwan's government demonstrate its support for Tuvalu's efforts to "uphold sovereignty and protect marine resources," Tien added. According to the release, the boats will be built by Taiwanese vessel manufacturer Karmin International Co. and be delivered in March 2024. Meanwhile, Tuvaluan ambassador to Taiwan Bikenibeu Paeniu thanked Taiwan's government for its generosity while stressing that Tuvalu has been making every effort to tackle rampant illegal fishing activities in its exclusive economic zone, according to the release. Tuvalu looks forward to more cooperation with Taiwan on marine affairs and law enforcement in the ocean, Paeniu said at the ceremony, during which he also signed a contract with Karmin's General Manager Hu Yan-ru (eaa) to formalize the donation. MOFA said in the release that Taiwan previously provided two patrol boats to the Marshall Islands, Palau and Nauru each and stressed that the country will continue to promote coast guard cooperation with its Pacific allies. (By Teng Pei-ju) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan warns of growing cross-strait tensions in defense white paper ROC Central News Agency 07/28/2023 04:36 PM Tokyo, July 28 (CNA) China has been ramping up military pressure on Taiwan and is increasingly wary of the United States' involvement in cross-strait issues, Japan said in its annual defense white paper released Friday. Although China maintains its policy of peaceful reunification with Taiwan, it has not ruled out the possibility of the use of force, the "Defense of Japan 2023" document said. For instance, it noted, China stepped up military maneuvers against Taiwan last summer, after then U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei on Aug. 2-3, 2022. Among China's provocative actions were the launching of nine ballistic missiles on Aug. 4, five of which landed within Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the English version of the document states. "This was perceived as a threat to local residents," it said, also pointing out the significant increase of Chinese aircraft entering Taiwan's airspace -- from 380 jets in 2020 to 972 in 2021 and 1,733 in 2022. The document warned that China has been extensively and rapidly enhancing its military capability in both a qualitative and quantitative manner, with specific focus on its nuclear and missile forces. For example, the white paper pointed out, China could possess as many as 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, and it is proceeding rapidly with the construction of its second indigenous aircraft carrier. "China's current external stance, military activities and other activities have become a matter of serious concern for Japan and the international community, and present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge," according to the document. The white paper also expressed concerns regarding Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, calling the situation "unprecedented." In addition, it said, Russia's military activities in the Indo-Pacific region, along with its strategic cooperation with China, have become a significant security concern for Japan. (By Yang Ming-chu and Lee Hsin-Yin) Enditem/kb NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China lodges solemn representations to Japan over defense white paper interfering in internal affairs Global Times By Global Times Published: Jul 28, 2023 05:23 PM China expressed strong dissatisfaction and opposition toward Japan's new defense white paper over its gross interference in China's internal affairs, and China has lodged solemn representations to Japan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said at Friday's regular press briefing. The Chinese Embassy in Japan also expressed firm dissatisfaction and opposition on Friday. China urged Japan to stop interfering in China's internal affairs and undermining China's interests. Japan should review and reflect on its record of aggressions and adhere to peaceful development, and give up undesirable attempts to serve its own military buildup by hyping up threats from its neighboring countries, a spokesperson from the Embassy said. The new Japanese defense white paper smears China's normal defense development, as well as China's air and naval military activities. It deliberately exaggerates the so-called China threat and creates regional tension, said Mao. China adheres to a path of peaceful development and pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. And its national defense development and military activities are reasonable. China conducts military cooperation such as joint cruising with relevant countries, which conforms to international law and practice, Mao said. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair, and brooks no interference from any external forces. The so-called "military balance" between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan island is a completely false proposition, said Mao. The Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands are an inalienable part of China, and Chinese government ships' patrol and law enforcement activities there are lawful exercises regarding the country's sovereignty. Japan is not a country concerned in the South China Sea and should stop stirring up trouble and creating confrontation in the region, the spokesperson from the Embassy noted. For a period of time, Japan's negative practices on China-related issues have caused serious interference to bilateral relations between the two countries, said the spokesperson. Japan bears historical responsibilities to the Chinese people on the Taiwan question. It should speak and act with extra prudence, earnestly learn lessons from history, Mao noted. Due to Japan's history of militarism aggression, its military security has always been of great concern to the Asian neighboring countries and the international community. In recent years, Japan has been increasing its defense budget, revising its defense policy and seeking a breakthrough in military development, which has raised strong concerns about whether it still adheres to the path of peaceful development, Mao said. China urges Japan to earnestly respect the security concerns of its neighboring countries, review and reflect on its record of aggressions, and stop exaggerating the security threats in its neighborhood, and finding excuses for its own military buildup, Mao said. Japan should win the trust of its Asian neighboring countries and the international community with concrete actions, Mao noted. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Staff members in protection station and wildlife center rescue injured migratory birds in Jiangxi Xinhua) 09:59, July 29, 2023 Staff members watch migratory birds in the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 16, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) A staff member looks at an oriental white stork in the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 16, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie) A staff member checks the condition of an oriental white stork in the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 16, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) A staff member carries an oriental white stork in a protection station of the Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve in Yongxiu County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 15, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) A cured oriental white stork rescued by the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province is released into the wild in Jinxian County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 20, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) Staff member checks the injuries of an oriental white stork in the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 16, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie) Staff members put a GPS tracker on an oriental white stork that was about to be released in the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 20, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) Staff members put a GPS tracker on an oriental white stork that was about to be released in the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 20, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) Staff members carry an oriental white stork after checking its condition in the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 16, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) A staff member takes care of an oriental white stork in a protection station of the Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve in Yongxiu County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 15, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) Staff members check the condition of a swan in a protection station of the Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve in Yongxiu County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 15, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) A staff member watches a swan in a protection station of the Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve in Yongxiu County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 15, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) A cured oriental white stork rescued by the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province flies to the field in Jinxian County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 20, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) A cured oriental white stork rescued by the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province is released into the wild in Jinxian County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 20, 2023. Staff members composed of rescuers, doctors, patrolmen and police officers in the protection station of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center of Jiangxi Province rescue injured migratory birds and help them return to the wild. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) Authorities in South Dakota have apprehended a Bismarck man who they say walked away from a minimum-security substance abuse treatment facility in Jamestown nearly two weeks ago. Nathan Lang, 39, was being held at the James River Minimum Unit after having his probation revoked on convictions in Burleigh and Morton counties on charges of theft and contributing to the delinquency/deprivation of a minor. He escaped the night of July 18 and was presumed dangerous. He was believed to be driving a stolen pickup truck with attached trailer. The Corson County Sheriffs Office in South Dakota received a tip from a citizen regarding Langs whereabouts around 9 p.m. Friday, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol. Authorities located him in an abandoned farmyard on State Line Road, 5 miles east of South Dakota Highway 63. Officers gave chase, and a pursuit continued into a nearby hayfield. Lang ultimately stopped his vehicle and was arrested without incident. His girlfriend, Yorishia Hoon, and a 2-year-old child also were in the pickup. The stolen trailer was not attached at the time of the pursuit. Both the truck and trailer have been recovered, according to the Patrol. Both Lang and Hoon were arrested on charges of burglary, theft, possession of stolen property, trespassing, eluding and child neglect. The child was placed in the care of Child Protective Services. The Patrol did not identify the child. Biden OKs $345 Million for Taiwan Defense as Chinese Embassy Urges US Not to Escalate Tensions Sputnik News 20230728 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden approved up to $345 million in defense aid to Taiwan, the president said in a memorandum to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority... to direct the drawdown of up to $345 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan," the memorandum said on Friday. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it seeks to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and remains committed to prior agreements between the United States and China regarding Taiwan. However, the aid also comes amid a break in military-to-military contact between the United States and China. Tensions have been rising between the United States and the People's Republic of China in recent years, largely over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing regards the island as its province, while Taiwan maintains that it is an autonomous entity but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official foreign contacts with Taipei and regards Chinese sovereignty over the island as indisputable. The aid is in addition to the nearly $19 billion in military equipment and weapons sales that the US approved for Taiwan. Liu Pengyu, who serves as the spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington, told Sputnik shortly after the defense announcement was made that Beijing fully opposes US military ties and any military sales to Taiwan. "This position is consistent and unequivocal," the spokesperson said of China's official stance on US ties to Taiwan and of the defense aid. "The US should abide by the 'one-China' principle and the three China-US joint communiquAs, stop selling arms to Taiwan, stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait and stop posing risks to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait." The United States officially supports the "one China" policy, which acknowledges that Taiwan is part of mainland China. Ostensibly, the United States does not recognize the Taiwanese government, but does have economic ties, and US law requires the government to consider threats to the island a "grave concern." Like much of the aid given to Ukraine, the $345 million package will come out of US stockpiles, enabling quick shipment. In May, after the United States and Taiwan agreed to boost trade ties, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin implored the United States to respect its "one China" policy and agreements it made with China regarding the island. "The US needs to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiquAs with concrete actions, stop official interaction of any form with Taiwan," Wang said, adding the US should "stop sending any wrong message to separatist forces seeking 'Taiwan independence.'" Both China and the United States have increased their military drills in the area over the past two years. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Sending Taiwan $345 Million in Security Assistance By Jeff Seldin July 28, 2023 The U.S. is sending Taiwan $345 million in security assistance as part of a long-awaited aid package meant to help the island defend itself from a potential invasion by China. The announcement from the White House on Friday said the aid, going to Taiwan as part of a drawdown from existing U.S. weapons stocks, will include "defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training." Word of the drawdown came as U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken were in Brisbane, Australia, meeting with their Australian counterparts for the 33rd annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations. Speaking to reporters in Brisbane, Pentagon spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Martin Meiners said the package "includes self-defense capabilities that Taiwan will be able to use to build to bolster deterrence now and in the future." Systems included in the package "address critical defensive stockpiles, multidomain awareness, anti-armor and air defense capabilities," he said. Some media reports have quoted anonymous U.S. defense officials as saying the aid package also includes MQ-9 Reaper drones. Taiwan has previously bought MQ-9s from the U.S. Pentagon officials declined to say how soon items in the package would arrive in Taiwan but said that they were "working expeditiously" to deliver the systems. Meiners said the announcement of the package did not indicate any new or emerging threats to Taiwan. And unlike similar security assistance packages done under the presidential drawdown authority for Ukraine, this aid package does not require the declaration of an emergency. Meiners also said the aid package to Taiwan would not affect ongoing U.S. assistance to Ukraine. U.S. military and intelligence officials have said Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the Chinese military to be ready to launch an invasion to reunify Taiwan with China by 2027. "I wouldn't underestimate President Xi's determination to assert China's control, the People's Republic of China's control, over Taiwan," CIA Director William Burns said at a security forum earlier this month in Aspen, Colorado. VOA has reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Washington for comment. Speaking at the same conference as Burns, China's ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, insisted Beijing wants a peaceful reunification with Taiwan. "No one is more eager or sincere than China to see a peaceful solution," Xie said, though he said what he called Taiwanese separatists were taking actions that only serve to destabilize the situation with U.S. support. "The first and foremost thing we should bear in mind is that Taiwan is China's Taiwan," he added. Congress has authorized the U.S. to send Taiwan up to $1 billion in security assistance through the presidential drawdown authority this fiscal year. Defense Secretary Austin has previously said he intends to use all the drawdown authority to support Taiwan. "The administration continues to review Taiwan's self-defense requirements and we will continue to assess the best authority to meet these requirements going forward," said Meiners. "We have no further assistance to announce today." There had been expectations and hopes among some U.S. lawmakers that the White House would rush the aid package to Taiwan, given what they and defense officials see as increasingly aggressive behavior from China. Defense officials, though, said the package took time to put together because it required "substantial coordination with multiple U.S. government stakeholders, because this was the first PDA [presidential drawdown authority] package for Taiwan." The House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, Republican Michael McCaul, praised the package as "much-needed ... as Communist China eyes further aggression." But he criticized President Joe Biden and his administration for not sending it sooner. "This administration's repeated fear of escalation in providing critical weapon systems a in the midst of a great power competition a has only served to embolden Chairman Xi and his unholy alliance," McCaul said in a statement. "The U.S. must remain committed to providing necessary defense articles to enable Taiwan in maintaining deterrence and self-defense capability." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address "We will continue to work until we achieve our goal of a fully independent TArkiye in defense industry" Presidency of The Republic of Turkey 28.07.2023 Addressing the Closing Ceremony of IDEF'23 16th International Defense Industry Fair, President ErdoAYan said: "We will continue to work without a break until we achieve our goal of a fully independent TArkiye in defense industry." President Recep Tayyip ErdoAYan made a speech at the Closing Ceremony of IDEF'23 16th International Defense Industry Fair at TAYAP Fair and Congress Center. Drawing attention to the global success IDEF has obtained in a short span of time, President ErdoAYan said: "Over the course of its 30-year-long history, not quite a long time given the history of trade fairs, IDEF has turned into a global brand where the heart of the industry beats. This fact, an important gain on the part of TArkiye, is also evidenced by the expanding spectrum of our products as well as by the number of participants and firms. Nearly 200 systems and subsystems in various categories were displayed at the fair, during which the Turkish defense industry was showcased. IDEF'23 has been very productive in terms of business deals as well." "WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED OBSTACLES FACED PROBABLY BY NO OTHER COUNTRY" "Those following our country are the closest witnesses to the success story TArkiye has written in the past 21 years particularly in defense industry. Our institutions, firms and citizens have stood witness to this process as the actors of this story. Indeed, over the past 21 years we have encountered obstacles faced probably by no other country in the world. We have been subjected to overt and covert embargoes. We have been the victims of unfair and unlawful restrictions. We have experienced the most extreme examples of double standards, injustice and disloyalty. Yet, in the face of all this, we have not given up, we have never diverted from our path. We have never forgotten that we have to paddle our own canoe." "WE ARE ONE OF THE 10 COUNTRIES CAPABLE OF BUILDING ITS OWN WARSHIP" President ErdoAYan stated: "We have lowered our foreign dependency to around 20 percent. Today, we are capable of meeting the majority of our needs for land, aerial and marine vehicles through our own domestic and national means. The level we have reached in the UAV and UCAV technology is already well known. We have taken the journey we embarked upon with TB2 and ANKA to an upper league with AKINCI and AKSUNGUR. What is more, KIZILELMA, our unmanned fighter aircraft, will break new ground in this field." Underlining that TArkiye is one of the 10 countries capable of building its own warship, President ErdoAYan added: "We not only design and build our ships by ourselves, but we also develop a wide range of relevant technology including weapon systems, radars, data systems and electronic warfare. We continuously enhance our capacity with new products in the area of unmanned marine, aerial and land vehicles." "OUR NATIONAL COMBAT AIRCRAFT KAAN WILL BE IN THE SKY BY THE END OF THE YEAR" Noting that TArkiye continued to make new products and open up to new customers and markets during the recent election period as well, President ErdoAYan stated: "So far since the beginning of this year alone, we have put into use our new ALTAY tank; our navy's flagship TCG ANADOLU; the fifth generation national combat aircraft KAAN; HARJET and ATAK-2; and the new generation FIRTINA howitzers; in short, we have successfully tested, deployed or delivered many products of historic importance in air, at sea, or on land." Stressing TArkiye's ambitious goals in the production of aerial vehicles, President ErdoAYan noted: "KAAN, which we took out of the hangar three months ago, will inshallah be in the sky by the end of the year. We see the project partnership agreement signed related to KAAN with the brotherly Azerbaijan as an embodiment of the solidarity between the two countries. We are planning to add HARJET, which made its maiden flight in recent months, to the inventory in 2025. We will continue to work without a break until we achieve our goal of a fully independent TArkiye in defense industry." "WE HAVE DEVELOPED RELATIONS BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT" Pointing out that the success story TArkiye has written in such a difficult and strategic field as defense industry also gives inspiration to other countries, President ErdoAYan stated: "This situation also leads to the breaking of the long-established monopoly in the sector. That is why some countries controlling the weaponry technology cannot tolerate TArkiye. That is why the opposition parties directed by these powers speak ill of our defense industry moves. Our country has developed a TARKAYE MODEL in defense industry cooperation, just like it has done in humanitarian aid. Our target is not only selling products but also forging medium- and long-term partnerships. We don't favor the kind of trade in which only one of the sides is the producer while the other is always the customer. We want to strengthen our cooperation through a win-win approach on the basis of shared interests and common understanding. We have achieved this in foreign trade and investments. We have developed relations based on mutual respect across the world, from Africa and Asia to the Middle East and Latin America. We will inshallah achieve the same success in defense industry as well." President ErdoAYan added: "It is not right to use a crucial issue like security as an instrument of threat or oppression between states. Everyone should be able to meet their security needs easily so long as they are within legitimate and lawful boundaries. With this understanding, we will continue to share our defense industry capabilities with the friendly and brotherly countries. While meeting our own needs with our own helicopters, planes, UCAVs, vessels, armored vehicles, radars, tanks, air defense systems, missiles and ammunition, we, as TArkiye, will also stand with all our friends." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address War in Ukraine - Military support for Ukraine Germany - Federal Government Germany provides support for Ukraine by supplying equipment and weapons, these come from supplies of the Federal Arms Forces and from deliveries from industry financed from the Federal Government's funds for security capacity building. An overview. Friday, 28 July 2023 This list provides an overview of military assistance provided by the Federal Republic of Germany to Ukraine. It includes deliveries from the Federal Armed Forces, from industry and assistance measures together with partners, which have, inter alia, been financed from Federal Government funds for security capacity building. Funding for the security capacity building initiative amounts to 5.4 billion Euros for 2023 (after 2 billion Euros for 2022) and additional authorisations to enter commitments in the following years amounting to 10.5 billion Euros. These funds are to be used primarily for military assistance to Ukraine. At the same time, they will be used for re-filling Federal Armed Forces stocks for items delivered to Ukraine as well as for Germany's contributions to the European Peace Facility (EPF), from which costs incurred from providing military assistance to Ukraine can be re-imbursed to EU member states. Delivered military support to Ukraine: (Changes compared to the previous update in bold) Armoured fighting vehicles 18 tracked all-terrain vehicles Bandvagn 206 (BV206)* (before: 8) 10 main battle tanks LEOPARD 1 A5* 138 MG3 for LEOPARD 2, MARDER and DACHS ammunition for LEOPARD 1* 18 LEOPARD 2 A 6 main battle tanks with ammunition (German share in joint project with further LEOPARD 2 operators) 40 infantry fighting vehicles MARDER with ammunition (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*) 50 MRAP vehicles DINGO 54 M113 armoured personnel carriers each with 2 MG* (systems of Denmark, upgrades financed by Germany) Spare parts for LEOPARD 2 and MARDER Air defence 46 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD incl. 21,042 rounds of ammunition* (before: 40/6,000) 2 air surveillance radar TRML-4D* 2 air defence system Iris-T SLM* Iris-T SLM missiles* air defence system PATRIOT with missiles 55,000 rounds ammunitions for self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD 4,000 rounds practice ammunitions for self-propelled anti-aircraft guns 500 Man Portable Air Defense Systems STINGER 2,700 Man Portable Air Defense Systems STRELA Artillery 5,936 rounds 155mm smoke ammunition (before: 3,248) 15,510 rounds 155mm ammunition 155mm precision guided ammunition* 5 multiple rocket launchers MARS II with ammunition (German share in joint project with USA and Great Britain) ammunition for multiple rocket launchers MARS II 14 self-propelled howitzers Panzerhaubitze 2000 (German share in joint project with the Netherlands) 20 rocket launchers 70mm on pick-up trucks with rockets* counter battery radar system COBRA* 10 laser target designators VULCANO artillery ammunition* Military Engineering Capabilities 18 heavy and medium bridge systems and 12 trailers 5 bridges for bridge-laying tank BEAVER 10 bridge-laying tanks BEAVER* 15 armoured recovery vehicles Bergepanzer 2* 2 armoured recovery vehicles Bergepanzer 3 5armoured engineer vehicles DACHS* 3 mobile, remote controlled and protected mine clearing systems* 6 palettes material for explosive ordnance disposal 12 mobile and protected mine clearing systems* 4 mine clearing tanks WISENT 1* Protective and Special Equipment 163 border protection vehicles* (before: 163) 20 reconnaissance drones RQ-35 HEIDRUN* 81 reconnaissance drones VECTOR* (before: 68) 18 ground surveillance radars* 10 radio jammers* 57 anti-drone sensors and jammers* 2 spare part packages for VECTOR drones 93 drone detection systems* 40 frequency range extensions for anti-drone devices* 1 communications electronic scanner/jammer systems* 32 reconnaissance drones* 42 mobile antenna mast systems* 40 laser target designators* 10 unmanned surface vessels* 10 anti-drone guns* 28,000 combat helmets 125 binoculars 600 safety glasses 1 radio frequency system 3,000 field telephones with 5.000 cable reels and carrying straps 353 night vision goggles* 12 electronic anti-drone devices* 165 field glasses* 38 laser range finders* 6 mobile decontamination vehicles HEP 70 including decontamination material 10 HMMWV (8x ground radar capability, 2x jamming/anti drone capability)* 1 high frequency unit with equipment* Logistics 140 trucks Zetros* 32 truck tractor trains 8x8 HX81 and 27 semi-trailers* 14 tracked and remote controlled infantry vehicles THeMIS* 4 load-handling trucks 8x6 with 20 roll of containers* 288 vehicles (trucks, minibuses, all-terrain vehicles) 179 Pick-ups* 12 tank transporter tractor M1070 Oshkosh* 26 load-handling trucks 15t* 35 load-handling trucks 8x8 30 protected vehicles* 10 roll off containers Combat Readiness and Survivability 44 ambulances* (before: 36) 8 dental sterilizers 260,000 first aid kits* 107,712rounds ammunition 40mm* 11,000 group module rations 103,000 tourniquets 500 pistols SFP9* 2 hangar tents* 8 lift trucks* 295 generators 10 winter camouflage nets 168 mobile heating systems* 36,400 wool blankets 14,000 sleeping bags Mi-24 spare parts* spare parts for heavy machine gun M2 200 tents 116,000 winter jackets 80,000 winter trousers 240,000 winter hats 405,000 pre-packaged military Meals Ready 67 fridges for medical material* 3,000 anti-tank weapons Panzerfaust 3 with 900 firing devices 14,900 anti-tank mines (9,300* from industry stocks) 22 million rounds of ammunition for fire arms 50 Bunkerfaust with 15 firing devices 100 machine gun MG3 with 500 spare barrels and breechblocks 100,000 hand grenades 5,300 explosive charges 100,000 m detonating cord and 100.000 detonators 350,000 detonators 100 auto-injector devices 15 palettes military clothing 1,200 hospital beds 18 palettes medical material, 60 surgical lights protective clothing, surgical masks 1 field hospital (project jointly financed with Estonia)* medical material (inter alia back packs, compression bandages) Diesel and gasoline* 10 tons AdBlue* 500 medical gauzes* MiG-29 spare parts* 7,944 man-portable anti-tank weapons RGW 90 Matador* Military support to Ukraine in planning/in execution (due to security concerns, the Federal Government abstains from providing details on transportation modalities and dates until after handover) Armoured fighting vehicles 36 tracked all-terrain vehicles Bandvagn 206 (BV206)* 66 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC)* 100 LEOPARD 1 A5 main battle tanks* (project jointly financed with Denmark) 20 infantry fighting vehicles MARDER* ammunition for LEOPARD 1* ammunition for MARDER* Air defence PATRIOT missiles 6 air defence system IRIS-T SLM* Iris-T SLM missiles* 12 launchers Iris-T SLS* Iris-T SLS missiles (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*) 6 air surveillance radars TRML-4D* 6 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD* 300,000 rounds of GEPARD ammunition Artillery 8,064 rounds of smoke ammunition (before: 3,816) 25,500 projectiles 155mm* 18 wheeled self-propelled howitzers RCH 155* 16 self-propelled howitzer Zuzana 2* (project jointly financed with Denmark and Norway) Military Engineering Capabilities 16 bridge-laying tanks BEAVER* 2 mobile and protected mine clearing systems* 38 mine clearing tanks WISENT 1* 3 heavy and medium bridge systems* Protective and Special Equipment 80 reconnaissance drones RQ-35 HEIDRUN* 344 reconnaissance drones VECTOR* 121 reconnaissance drones* 10 unmanned surface vessels* 30 ground surveillance radars* 1 Satcom surveillance system* 2,000 portable light systems* 8 mobile antenna mast systems* 5 mobile reconnaissance systems (on vehicles) * 337 border protection vehicles* vehicle decontamination system 11 communications electronic scanner/jammer systems* Logistics 12 tank transporter tractor M1070 Oshkosh* 30 tank trucks (water/fuel)* 3 load-handling trucks 8x6 with 8 roll of containers* 58 heavy duty trailer trucks 8x8 HX81 and 63 semi-trailers* 2 tractors and 4 trailers* 10 protected vehicles* 52 trucks Zetros* Combat Readiness and Survivability 5 ambulances* 2 dental sterilizers 108,288 rounds ammunition 40mm for grenade launchers* continuing deliveries of medical material* 100 machine guns MG5* 100 grenade launchers GMG* 220,000 first aid kits* 17 mobile heating systems* field hospital (role 2)* * Deliveries from industry stocks financed by German funds for security capacity building. Some of the deliveries require upgrades or productions is ongoing; also training measures take place. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Finland is preparing for reconstruction of Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland 28.7.2023 On 28 July Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio assigned the task of drawing up a plan concerning Finland's participation in the reconstruction of Ukraine. The assignment is related to the implementation of the Government Programme, according to which the Government will prepare Finland a national plan for participating in Ukraine's reconstruction in cooperation with business and industry and the Team Finland network. The Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs bears the main responsibility for drawing up the plan and coordinating with relevant parties from the central government and business life. "We continue to provide Ukraine with our strong support against Russia's aggression. At the same time, we are preparing to rebuild an independent and democratic Ukraine. This work requires close and systematic cooperation between different parties," says Minister Ville Tavio. In the first phase of drawing up the plan, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will work closely with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Finance. The aim is to provide Finnish businesses with more comprehensive advisory services and to identify financing solutions to facilitate their participation in Ukraine's reconstruction. The second phase involves the preparation of a long-term plan, including a review of the use of development cooperation appropriations. Since the start of Russia's war of aggression in February 2022, Finland has provided Ukraine with a total of EUR 1.7 billion in support. The support has been channelled through development cooperation, humanitarian aid, material assistance and defence material assistance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address GCC says supports "peaceful efforts" to resolve Russia-Ukraine conflict People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 14:27, July 28, 2023 RIYADH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said on Thursday that GCC member states support "peaceful efforts" to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In a meeting with Ukrainian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Anatolii Petrenko at the General Secretariat of the GCC in Riyadh, Albudaiwi also underlined the importance of reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The initiative, which allowed Ukraine to export its grain and other agricultural products from its Black Sea ports, was brokered by TArkiye and the United Nations in July 2022 and expired on July 17 this year after Russia's withdrawal. Russia says it would return to the deal as soon as its part of the agreement is fulfilled. During the meeting, Albudaiwi said the GCC's stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict is based on the principles of international law and the UN Charter, the preservation of the international order based on respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and the avoidance of using or threatening to use force. The two sides also discussed ways to strengthen GCC-Ukraine ties in a way that contributes to their common interests, according to the report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Moscow 'carefully' studies African peace proposals on Ukraine: Putin Iran Press TV Friday, 28 July 2023 11:08 AM Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that his government is "carefully studying" the detailed peace proposals from some African leaders on putting an end to the military conflict in Ukraine. On the second day of the Russia-Africa meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said that Russia respects the proposals of African governments and examines them carefully. "Previous mediation initiatives were monopolized by so-called advanced democracies. Now Africa too is ready to help resolve problems that appear to be outside of its area of priorities," he said. The Russia-Africa summit comes on the heels of Moscow's withdrawal from an agreement to allow the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. In June, an African delegation traveled first to Ukraine and then to Russia to mediate the military conflict in Ukraine. Reduction of military tensions, security guarantees for both sides, and mutual recognition of sovereignty were among the proposals of African governments to end tensions. Ukraine rejected the offer, saying that to end the conflict, it must ensure that Russian forces leave Ukraine. The Kremlin had previously said that implementing African proposals would be "very difficult". On Tuesday, the Kremlin said the United States, France, and other Western countries were putting an unprecedented level of pressure on all African countries to prevent them from taking part in the Russia-Africa summit. Over the past decade, Russia and China, in particular, have consolidated their relations with African states in a number of domains, from trade to energy and military cooperation. Russia has historically enjoyed warm relations with many African countries, as their economic and ideological ambitions often align and their ties are bolstered by a mutual mistrust of the West. The war in Ukraine has highlighted the growing diversification in the partnerships of countries in the Middle East and Africa with global powers. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Missile Strike Hits SBU Building In Dnipro After Celebrations Marking Ukrainian Statehood Day By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service July 28, 2023 Russian forces targeted a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) building in a missile strike on the city of Dnipro, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on July 28, denouncing "Russian missile terror" just hours after marking Statehood Day by defiantly reiterating the country's sovereignty. A high-rise building and the SBU building were hit, and Zelenskiy said he immediately spoke with the SBU, the Interior Ministry, the State Emergency Service, and the head of the Ukrainian military. Zelenskiy said all necessary services were on site and pledged to "do everything to bring Russia to full punishment for aggression and terror against our people." Dnipropetrovsk regional Governor Serhiy Lysak said a fire broke out in the administration building and at least three people were injured. The apartment building's upper floors appeared to be in ruins in video circulating on social media that also showed smoke and flames. The attack occurred as fighting took place at multiple points along the more than 1,000-kilometer front line, while Moscow accused Kyiv of firing two missiles that struck the border region of Rostov in southern Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down one of the missiles in the city of Taganrog in the Rostov region about 40 kilometers east of the border with Ukraine. Local officials reported 20 people were injured and said the roof of an art museum was damaged. Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, blamed Russian air defense systems for the explosion. The Defense Ministry said the other Ukrainian missile was downed in the region's Azov district, and debris fell in an unpopulated location. Earlier in the day, a Ukrainian drone was shot down outside Moscow, the Defense Ministry said. It was the third drone strike or attempt on the capital region this month. The ministry reported no injuries or damage in the incident, and it didn't give an exact location where the drone fell. Zelenskiy marked Statehood Day by reaffirming the country's sovereignty in a speech in Kyiv's St. Michael Square in front of Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. "Even after we expel the occupiers from all our lands, we do not believe that Russia will not want to return with aggression," Zelenskiy said. "But the victory of Ukraine can and should be such that any attempts of the enemy to return do not go beyond the sick fantasy of the madmen who harbor such plans.... Our statehood is our answer to the need for security and peace for Ukraine. Statehood, which is difficult to defend, but more difficult to return if lost," said Zelenskiy, who instituted the Statehood Day holiday two years ago. Meanwhile, the number of civilian victims caused by Russian shelling continued to grow, as local authorities said that in the southern Mykolayiv region, a 48-year-old villager was killed when he stepped on an unexploded cluster bomblet left in a field. Russian forces have been regularly shelling Mykolayiv with different types of munitions, including cluster bombs, which have been prohibited by most countries, but not by Russia and Ukraine. In the eastern region of Donetsk, one civilian was killed and three others were wounded in Avdiyivka by Russian shelling over the past day, Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on July 28 on Telegram. On the battlefield, Ukrainian troops have been engaged in heavy fighting in several areas of the front as Kyiv's counteroffensive appears to be ramping up in the southern region of Zaporizhzhya after months of slow progress, military officials said. Ukrainian soldiers fought more than 30 close-combat battles over the past 24 hours, managing to block the attempted advance of Russian forces in the Lyman area of Donetsk, where Moscow has been throwing in additional troops over the past weeks, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on the morning of July 28. Ukrainian forces repelled more Russian attacks in the Bakhmut and Avdiyivka areas, the military said, adding that it was continuing its offensive operations in the Melitopol and Berdyansk areas of Zaporizhzhya. Zelenskiy has acknowledged progress in the counteroffensive has been slower than desired, though Andriy Kovalev, a spokesman for the General Staff, confirmed on July 27 that Ukrainian troops achieved success in the Staromayorske area of the Donetsk region on the southern front, and Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar also reported that Staromayorske had been liberated. The Ukrainian military has given limited information about the state of its counteroffensive in the Russia-occupied southeast, but two U.S. officials told CNN on July 27 that Ukraine was sending more troops and firepower to the area, suggesting that Kyiv has spotted a potential weak spot in Russia's defense there. Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 27 admitted that the fighting in the Zaporizhzhya region of southeastern Ukraine has "intensified significantly," but claimed that Ukraine's thrust had been unsuccessful. On the diplomatic front, Japan on July 28 announced that it was expanding its sanctions against Russia to also include a ban on exports of electric vehicles among other categories of goods. The new punitive measures were approved by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on July 28 and will go into force on August 9. Japan has already banned many categories of exports to Russia. With reporting by Reuters and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-heavy-fighting- counteroffensive-momentum-russia/32523851.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address African Union Chairman Says Putin's Grain Offer Is Not Enough, Calls For Cease-Fire In Ukraine By RFE/RL July 28, 2023 The chairman of the African Union said on July 28 that proposals by Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide grain to Africa were insufficient. In a closing address to a Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, Azali Assoumani also said that a cease-fire is necessary in Ukraine. Putin earlier told the African leaders that Russia was ready to supply Africa with grain, some of it for free, after refusing last week to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative before it expired. The deal, brokered last year by the United Nations and Turkey, allowed Ukraine to export grain safely from Black Sea ports despite the war. The global price of grain has soared since Russia withdrew and since it subsequently began bombing Ukrainian grain export facilities. Russia wants to provide 25,000 to 50,000 tons of grain for free in the next three to four months, Putin told the African leaders on July 27. Zimbabwe, Mali, Burkina Faso, Somalia, Eritrea, and the Central African Republic are to receive the grain. Assoumani said Putin had "demonstrated that he is ready help us in the field of grain supply," adding that this is important, "but it may not be quite enough. We need to achieve a cease-fire." Putin has shown that he is "ready to engage in dialogue and find a solution," he said. "Now we need to convince the other side." Putin told the African leaders that Kyiv was refusing to negotiate under a decree Moscow passed shortly after Putin claimed in September to have annexed four Ukrainian regions. Russia has long said it is open to talks but that they must take account of these "new realities" on the ground. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected the idea of a cease-fire, saying it would leave Russia in control of about 20 percent of his country and give its forces time to regroup after 17 months of war. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak criticized what he called the Russians' "traditional negotiating whine." He said it "makes no sense" for Ukraine currently to negotiate with Russia. "If Moscow wants to negotiate, the path is clear. 1. Get out of Ukraine. 2. Change the political elite. 3. Admit war crimes. 4. Extradite the authors of the war to the tribunal," Podolyak tweeted. The expired Black Sea Grain Initiative previously enabled the export of 30 million tons of Ukrainian grain. The British Defense Ministry warned on July 28 that African countries will experience prolonged consequences due to Russia's decision to suspend its participation in the deal. "The impact of the war in Ukraine will almost certainly compound food insecurity in Africa for at least the next two years," the ministry said. Putin also said Russia signed agreements during the summit for military cooperation with more than 40 African countries. "For the purposes of bolstering the defense capability of the continent's countries, we are developing partnership in the military and military-technical spheres," Putin said. Representatives of 49 out of 54 independent countries on the African continent, as well as leaders of the African Union and other continental organizations, took part in the summit, the second after the inaugural in Sochi in 2019. Of the 54 African delegations invited to the summit, only 17 were led by presidents. With reporting by Reuters and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/african-union-chairman- ceasefire-grain-deal-insufficient-ukraine-putin/32524692.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Court Rejects Appeals Of Crimean Tatar Leader, Co-Defendants Against Prison Terms By RFE/RL's Crimea.Realities July 28, 2023 A court in Russia has rejected appeals filed by Crimean Tatar leader Nariman Dzhelyal and two activists -- brothers Aziz and Asan Akhmetov -- against prison terms handed to them in September on a sabotage charge that Kyiv and rights groups call politically motivated. The Third Court of Appeals of the Common Jurisdiction in the city of Sochi ruled on July 28 to impose more restrictions on the three men, ordering that they must spend the first three years of their terms in cells and the rest of the time in penal colonies. A Russia-imposed court in Ukraine's Moscow-annexed Crimea sentenced Dzhelyal to 17 years, Asan Akhmetov to 15 years, and Aziz Akhmetov to 13 years in prison on September 21. Dzhelyal and his co-defendants were arrested in September 2021 on suspicion of involvement in an attack on a gas pipeline. Ukraine has called the charges against the activists fabricated, while the United States has urged Russia to release them. Dzhelyal is deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatar's self-governing assembly, the Mejlis, which was banned by pro-Moscow representatives in Crimea after the annexation in 2014. The arrest of Dzhelyal and the Akhmetov brothers immediately sparked a protest outside the Crimean office of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) that ended with the detention of more than 50 people. Interfax reported at the time that the criminal investigation against Dzhelyal and the brothers was related to a gas pipeline that was damaged on August 23 in a village near Crimea's capital, Simferopol. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar said after the three men's arrests that their detention was Moscow's "revenge" for Dzhelyal's participation in a Kyiv conference that month dedicated to the "de-occupation" of Crimea. The event had been decried by Moscow as "anti-Russian." Moscow illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 following a disputed referendum that was widely believed to be falsified. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/crimean-tatar-leader- prison-terms-appeal-russia-rejected-/32524563.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Christopher Michael Jackson, 32, a local transient, earned the nickname for his attempts to slither along the floor of the places he robbed to avoid detection. His signature move typically involved removing a windowpane to break into a local business and, upon entering, he would crawl along the floor to avoid triggering alarm systems or motion sensors, Riverside police had previously said. He would then cut open the business safe and take any money inside before fleeing. Security video captures Christopher Michael Jackson, also known as the snake burglar, breaking into a Riverside shop. (KTLA) Jackson entered guilty pleas to 54 counts of felony burglary, according to the Riverside County District Attorneys Office, but authorities believed he was responsible for many more. He was immediately sentenced to seven months in jail and 12 years of mandatory supervision and was ordered to pay at least $158,235 in restitution. However, he was expected to be released Thursday based on good time credit for being in custody. He was not eligible for prison time because his crimes did not involve violence, officials explained. Christopher Michael Jackson, the so called snake burglar smiles during a court appearance on July 27, 2023. (KTLA) He had previously been arrested several times and was recently sentenced to six sentences of 16 months in jail after pleading guilty to 23 felonies, according to arrest documents. However, laws or orders pertaining to overcrowding in the jail system allowed him to only serve less than 10 days in jail. The businesses Jackson targeted included restaurants, health clinics, medical offices and beauty salons. He was ordered to stay at least 100 yards from those businesses, will also be required to complete a six-month residential substance abuse treatment program, and must wear a GPS monitoring bracelet for his mandatory supervision. Jackson visibly smirked during the sentencing, something Brian Perrone was offended by. His sandwich shop, DElias Grinders, is one of the businesses that were broken into. Its why he was compelled to read a victim statement during Jacksons appearance. What in this sentence being ordered today will stop this criminal and self-declared drug addict from doing this again? Perrone, who lost $2,500, asked. Something has to change, somebody has to start paying attention, the people have to start paying attention to the fact that the laws are created by lawmakers in the state and were allowing it, Perrone later told KTLA. Unfortunately, this case, although uniquely named, is not unique in California, District Attorney Michael Hestrin said, commenting on the lack of prison time in the case. It is unconscionable that a habitual offender like Christopher Jackson can steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from hard-working people, admit to it, and legally serve less time in jail than the time it will take his hundreds of victims to recoup their losses. New NATO Facility in Poland to Repair Tanks From Ukraine Sputnik News 20230728 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - NATO intends to construct a new facility in the city of Rzeszow in southeastern Poland, a Canadian newspaper reported on Friday, citing Canadian and Polish officials familiar with the matter. The compound, which will be located off the city and less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border, is expected to serve as a maintenance hub for NATO military equipment rather than a full-scale military base, the sources told the Canadian news outlet. "We are going to establish a maintenance center in partnership with the US and the UK. No intent to have a large Canadian presence," an unnamed Canadian official said, adding that the facility's main role would be to repair tanks and other armored vehicles supplied to Ukraine by the NATO allies. No Canadian military personnel would be stationed in Rzeszow long-term with their families, the source noted. In mid-June, Polish envoy to NATO Tomasz Szatkowski said that Warsaw and Berlin were planning to set up a repair center for German-made Leopard battle tanks in Poland's southern city of Gliwice in the near future. However, in mid-July, media reported that Germany intended to withdraw from the project due to Warsaw's inflated expectations regarding maintenance payments. In early June, Ukraine launched its much-hyped counteroffensive, which has turned out to be an absolute disaster. The Kiev regime have been suffering heavy losses in troops and NATO-supplied weapons. The US-led military bloc has provided Ukraine with armored vehicles and munition for enormous sums of money, while Zelensky's generals have been 'successfully' burying all the funding on the frontline with the help of Russian Defense Ministry. Russia has repeatedly warned the US and other NATO member states that no amount of weapons shipped to the Kiev regime will change the ultimate outcome of the special military operation, while any military equipment transferred to Ukraine is a legitimate target for Russia's forces. Thus, billions of dollars of military equipment donated by NATO to Ukraine have gone up in smoke. In response, the Kiev regime has to pull the Western armored vehicles back, as they are top-priority targets for the Russian army. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Report: US Abrams Tanks May Arrive on Ukrainian Battlefield by September Sputnik News 20230728 WASHINGTON, July 28 (Sputnik) - US-made Abrams tanks will reportedly make their way onto the battlefield in Ukraine later this year in September. Citing six people familiar with the planning, US media reported a number of Abrams tanks will arrive in Germany in August, with the intention that they will be refurbished prior to delivery in Ukraine the month after. The initial tranche will reportedly include six to eight tanks, with plans to send 31 in total. However, before Ukraine can employ the tanks, individuals are expected to first complete a 10-week training course which is due to wrap up just as the Abrams arrive in Germany. One official reportedly stated training will be widespread and "not only for repairs but spares." Tanks being tapped by officials are not fresh off the manufacture lines; in fact, it's older systems that are being stripped of sensitive technology and only then being included in deliveries. The August-September forecast is the most clear timeline on the deliveries to date as Biden officials have repeatedly shied away from offering a concrete time frame on the deployments. It was previously indicated that tank shipments would take place sometime over the fall. The US first committed to dispatching 31 M1 Abrams tanks over the spring as part of a larger effort to encourage NATO members to ship Leopard tanks to the Kiev regime. Recent estimates suggest that since the start of the special operation, Ukraine has lost upwards of 10,000 tanks and other armored vehicles, including Western arms after Kiev's struggling counteroffensive hit a stalemate. Details surrounding the tank shipment come days after US media reports suggested Western nations were making moves to ship out F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, more specifically that they would be provided for at the end of 2023. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Military Thwarts Drone Attack Attempt in Moscow Sputnik News 20230728 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - An enemy drone attempting to attack in Moscow was shot down by the Russian military overnight, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said Friday night. "There was an attempted attack by an enemy drone overnight, which was shot down by the Defense Ministry's forces. There was no damage or casualties," Sobyanin said on Telegram. The mayor did not give other details of the incident. Shortly after, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement confirming that a single Ukrainian drone had indeed been shot down. "An attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by unmanned aerial vehicle against facilities in the Moscow region was prevented this morning," the ministry said, adding that there were no casualties or material damage. The last drone attack on Moscow was recorded on the morning of July 24. The Russian Defense Ministry said at the time that two UAVs were suppressed and crashed. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We are preparing quite important international decisions for Ukraine, for our warriors - address of President of Ukraine President of Ukraine 28 July 2023 - 18:48 Dear Ukrainians, I wish you good health! Today was an important and good day. In the morning on the occasion of Statehood Day, I had the honor to congratulate and award our defenders. Gold Stars to Heroes of Ukraine, Crosses of Combat Merit, orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, orders For Courage... I also had the honor of presenting honored marks of distinction to combat brigades and border units. Happy that we have such warriors. I also handed over passports of citizens of Ukraine to our young boys and girls. Among them are the children of our soldiers, the children of our fallen heroes... Children. The state can and should open absolutely all opportunities for them to live in a dignified, civilized, and safe way. Live freely! For each new generation of Ukrainian men and women. And I really believe in these new generations, in our children. And I am grateful to them for their faith in Ukraine. An important international meeting took place today. The Prime Minister of Qatar was in Kyiv - very fruitful negotiations. Most importantly, Qatar will be with us in implementing the Peace Formula, joins joint global efforts. We agreed on cooperation for the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia. We discussed the situation surrounding the Black Sea Grain Initiative - it is very important that there are no shortages and crises provoked by Russia on the world food market. It is a matter of global stability. Thanks to Qatar for the responsible position. And one more. Our international experts are preparing quite weighty decisions for Ukraine, for our warriors. We are doing our best now, we are doing it not publicly - so that the results of our warriors, which everyone will see, can also become the best. I thank everyone who helps strengthen Ukraine! Thanks to everyone who is in battle now! Congratulations again on the Day of Ukrainian Statehood and the Day of Christianization of Kyivan Rus! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President of Ukraine had a meeting with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar President of Ukraine 28 July 2023 - 16:51 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Welcoming the Prime Minister of Qatar to Kyiv, the Head of State emphasized the importance of the first visit of a Qatari official to Ukraine and thanked Qatar for supporting our country and providing humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people. "We appreciate this visit and consider it an important manifestation of Qatar's support and solidarity with our country. We are sincerely grateful for all the assistance received from Qatar," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. For his part, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani conveyed greetings from the Emir of Qatar and announced the country's intention to allocate $100 million to support Ukraine's humanitarian needs. The President of Ukraine informed his counterpart about Russia's daily missile attacks on Odesa, its attempts to destroy the historic center of the city, which is under the protection of UNESCO, and the civilian port infrastructure. In this context, the parties discussed further steps to ensure global food security and continue the safe functioning of the grain corridor. Particular attention was paid to the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and the Ukraine Recovery Plan. The Head of State emphasized the opportunities for Qatari investment funds and business circles to participate in the implementation of specific programs of development and restoration of our country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President on the occasion of the Day of Ukrainian Statehood: Our statehood is our response to the need for security and peace for Ukraine President of Ukraine 28 July 2023 - 11:52 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in an event on the occasion of the Day of Ukrainian Statehood held on Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv. "Today we celebrate the Day of Statehood. It is the second time we celebrate it in the midst of a full-scale war. And we all strive to celebrate this day next year in our free capital, together with our heroes, but with victory. The victory that will be the beginning of a well-deserved and just peace for all our land, for all our people. It is only the victory over enslavement that gives true freedom, and the power of victory determines the firmness and duration of peace," the President emphasized in his speech. Congratulating Ukrainians on the Day of Ukrainian Statehood and the Day of Christianization of Kyivan Rus' - Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that more than one thousand years of history of our statehood prove that Ukraine needs to win, because there is no faith that Russia will not want to return with aggression even after the Russian invaders are expelled from Ukrainian land. "Our statehood is our response to the need for security and peace for Ukraine. The statehood that is hard to defend, but the hardest to regain if you lose it. The statehood that is never just a given, but always, every day, is the result of service and work for Ukraine," he said. The participants observed a minute of silence in memory of all Ukrainian heroes who fought against the invaders and gave their lives for Ukraine. The President emphasized that the war with the Russian occupiers for Ukraine's freedom and independence has defined national priorities, the first of which is defense. "Our desire to win has determined what Ukraine will be like in the future. Strong. Free. European. A state without internal discord. A state that values its internal unity. A state not of those who believe that Ukraine should be either theirs or they do not need any Ukraine, but a state of all those who see in another Ukrainian a fellow Ukrainian. A state of those who see in our entire country, in all its diversity, their heart, open to our other people, but ready to defend against the enemy. To defend, not to run away. To fight, not to retreat. To fight for Ukraine, not to give up some part of it or its value as a pay-off," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He emphasized that Ukraine's victory in this war will determine the national path for generations to come and confirm the values laid down a millennium ago. "This is a choice of unity with the world. This is a choice to be a participant in world history in order to have the right to our own national history," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. According to him, Ukrainian statehood is majestic, full of emotions and history. And the line of our statehood stretches from Princes Askold and Volodymyr the Great to our warriors in combat brigades and units in the East and South of the country who are now fighting for Ukraine. "And the line of our statehood will continue with the lives, strength and dreams of the children and grandchildren of all those millions who are fighting and working for freedom, and then their children and grandchildren and all new generations of Ukrainians who will be worthy of our heroes who are protecting and will protect Ukraine now," the Head of State emphasized. The President expressed his belief that Ukraine and Ukrainians will not be defeated even despite the fatigue that is sometimes visible in the eyes of our people, but which will never take over Ukraine. This fatigue will only accelerate our movement towards the national goal - victory. "Our Ukrainian state is standing firm. Our center of history. The European center of Orthodoxy, Christian values, human values. Here, on these Kyivan slopes, on our land, values always prevail. Evil is always defeated. It will always be so. We will definitely win!" Volodymyr Zelenskyy summarized. On the occasion of the Day of Ukrainian Statehood, the President presented awards to the servicemen. In particular, the highest award, the Gold Star Order, was received by Lieutenant Colonel Serhiy Verbytskyi, a pilot of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Serhiy Verbytskyi, as a member of the Su-24 crew, has been performing combat missions to launch air strikes against enemy armored vehicles in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions. His crew demonstrated high professionalism and courage. On March 22 last year, Serhiy Verbytskyi's aircraft was shot down by the enemy while performing a combat mission in Kharkiv region despite an anti-missile maneuver. The pilot managed to eject and survive. The Gold Star was also awarded to the Hero of Ukraine, Lieutenant Mykola Choban, an artillerist of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who has been participating in repelling the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation since February 24, 2022. The artillery battery under his command has repeatedly destroyed enemy artillery batteries, tanks, and other equipment and suppressed the actions of enemy infantry units. During the enemy shelling, Mykola Choban managed to bring his artillery battery to a safe area without loss of personnel and weapons. Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the "Cross of Combat Merit" presidential decorations to Junior Sergeant of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yevhen Horokhov, Lieutenant Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Vadym Korzhenko and pilot of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Fedynskyi. The Head of State also presented the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi of the II and III degrees, the Orders "For Courage" of the II and III degrees. Servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the Security Service, the National Guard and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine received awards from the President. In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy conferred the honorary name of "Prince Mstyslav the Brave" upon the 66th separate mechanized brigade of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Head of State also presented the honorary decoration "For Courage and Bravery" to the 19th separate missile brigade "St. Varvara" of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 55th separate artillery brigade "Zaporizhzhia Sich" of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 1129th Bila Tserkva anti-aircraft missile regiment of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 100th separate territorial defense brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 112th separate territorial defense brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 105th border guard detachment named after Prince Volodymyr the Great of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, and the 79th border guard detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy handed over Ukrainian passports to 16 young Ukrainians who have reached the age of 14. Among them are children of Ukrainian defenders who are liberating our country from Russian invaders, children of heroes who gave their lives defending the state, children who were forced to leave their homes because of the threat to their lives posed by Russian occupiers. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU, Kyiv Ponder Alternatives to Black Sea Grain Shipments By Mariia Prus July 28, 2023 Brussels and Kyiv are weighing a range of poor choices for getting Ukrainian grain to world markets after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain initiative and started attacking Ukrainian sea and river ports. But experts doubt that any land routes can fully replace the blocked seaports. The United States will also work with its EU allies and other partners to find new ways to get Ukrainian crops out, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing on Wednesday. "But it's not as efficient, you can't move as much or as fast be it landwise, truck or rail" as could be done through Black Sea ports if the grain initiative had been extended, he added. "We are back to how it was between February and July of 2022 during the (Russian) blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea coastline," said Volodymyr Dubovyk, a visiting professor at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. Now no ships will transport Ukrainian goods through the Black Sea because of the risks of sea mines and Russian attacks - risks that no insurance company will cover - he told VOA Ukrainian. Recalling the months before the Black Sea grain initiative was signed a year ago, Dubovyk said: 'We had been looking for alternatives at that time and discovered that there are none." EU Solidarity Lanes In May 2022, the European Commission launched the Solidarity Lanes Action Plan to establish alternative routes for Ukrainian exports via rail, road and inland waterways. These ran through Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. So far, according to the EU, 41 million metric tons of grain, oilseeds and related products have left Ukraine through the Solidarity Lanes. They facilitated the export of around 60% of Ukraine's grain since the start of the war; the remaining 40% has been exported via the Black Sea Grain Initiative. After Russia pulled out from the grain initiative last week, EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said the bloc is ready to export almost all of Ukraine's agriculture goods. However, the effort is complicated by political pressure from farmers in several of Kyiv's EU neighbors, who fear that some of the Ukrainian grain will be diverted to their domestic markets, driving down prices for their own crops. In May 2023, the EU allowed the five Solidarity Lane countries to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize and oilseeds until September 15, while allowing the grain to transit through them. Since the Black Sea initiative expired, several of those countries have called for an extension of the ban and the EU has promised to consider it. The Baltic route Now a search is on for new routes to get Ukrainian grain to ships bound for markets in Africa and Asia, where it is an important source of nutrition for millions of people. One possible route being considered would run through Poland to seaports in the three Baltic states. The scheme has been proposed to the European Commission by Lithuania's transport, foreign and agriculture ministers. Responding to VOA Ukrainian's email inquiry, Lithuania's Ministry of Transport and Communications said this route "has already been tested quite many times, yet the full potential is still far from being tapped into." The existing infrastructure a including railways, roads and the seaports of Tallinn, Riga, Ventspils, Liepaja,and KlaipAda a has a combined annual capacity of 25 million metric tons for grain alone, added the ministry. Algis Latakas, director general of the KlaipAda State Seaport Authority, explained in an email that his port can handle up to 15 million metric tons of grain a year, while the country ships out only 3.5 million tons of its own grain. All the unused terminal capacity could be used for handling Ukrainian grain, he wrote. The Lithuanian Ministry of Transport and Communications, meanwhile, suggested that bottlenecks at the Ukraine-Poland border could be resolved by shifting customs, veterinary and phytosanitary control from there to the Baltic ports. However, the most direct route from Ukraine to the Baltic ports runs through Belarus, a Russian ally, closing off that option. The only alternative route to Klaipeda is through Poland, whose railways are built on a different width of track, or gauge, than those in Ukraine and the Baltic states. Therefore, a way is needed to facilitate cargo handling on the borders, where the grain would need to be off-loaded and reloaded, said the ministry. The Estonian port of Tallinn, which has one of the largest grain terminals in Europe located in the Muuga Harbour, is also ready to handle Ukrainian grain, port representatives told VOA Ukrainian via email. However, they wrote, "logistically it would make more sense to use Polish ports also because of geographical distance." The Balkan route Another offer to transport the Ukrainian grain has come from the Balkans. On July 18, during a session at the U.N. General Assembly, Frano MatuAiA, Croatia's state secretary for political affairs, said his country has offered its rail network and ports on the Adriatic Sea as an alternative export route for Ukrainian grain. Montenegro has also offered to transport grain from Ukraine through its Adriatic port of Bar. The port's note, shared in Ukrainian media, says that the total capacity reaches 5 million tons per year, and on average only 50% of its potential is used. The port authority says it cooperates with forwarders from Serbia, which could help in organizing the process of cargo logistics. Ukraine is already using Adriatic seaports to export some crops, but that won't solve the problem, said Mykola Gorbachov, president of the Ukrainian Grain Association. He explained that the infrastructure of Europe is "technically built in a way that it cannot absorb the amount of grain we could transport." "For example, Poland exports 6 million tonnes of crops a year. Romania a through its biggest port Constanta a exports 25 million tonnes a year. Bulgaria, through all its ports a 6 million tonnes. And these are the large agriculture exporters of grain." Leonid Kozachenko, the president of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation, told VOA Ukrainian that Kyiv has asked European partners to expand the capacity of these land routes, but the partners are reluctant. "They argue that they need to invest billions, but they are sure that sooner or later the war will be over, and these routes won't be necessary," he said. Kozachenko added that he considers Bulgarian and Romanian routes leading across Moldova and the Danube River to Black Sea ports more viable than the other land corridors through Europe. However, the risks involved were highlighted just days ago when Russia attacked a Ukrainian grain storage facility in the Danube port city of Reni, near the border with Romania. Raising world food prices Experts agree that any land transport of Ukrainian produce increase the cost of food in Europe and around the world. The International Monetary Fund estimated that Russia's exit from the Black Sea initiative could drive global grain prices up by 10-15%, but said it was continuing to assess the situation. The cost of transporting Ukrainian crops grew from $30-35 per tonne before Russia's full-scale invasion to $140-150 now, Kozachenko said, "so in many cases Ukrainian farmers are losing money, not even covering the cost price." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NEW YORK, July 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) between May 12, 2022 and February 8, 2023, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), of the important September 11, 2023 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Baxter securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Baxter class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=17664 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than September 11, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Baxter concealed the true extent of the supply chain problems it was experiencing while simultaneously exaggerating its ability to maintain a healthy supply chain in the face of global pressures; (2) as a result, Baxters projected earnings were materially misleading during the Class Period; (3) the foregoing, once revealed, was reasonably likely to have a material negative impact on Baxters financial condition; and (4) as a result, Baxters public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Baxter class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=17664 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 lrosen@rosenlegal.com pkim@rosenlegal.com cases@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com Chicago, Illinois, July 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CHICAGOMore than 100 new moms and moms-to-be will gather for hands-on learning sessions and free baby care essentials at the 8th annual Community Baby Shower in the Englewood neighborhood hosted by St. Bernard Hospital on July 29. The outdoor event will be held in the parking lot of its Ambulatory Care Center located, 6307 S. Stewart Ave., and will feature talks and demonstrations about breastfeeding and postpartum care, to support moms in the care of their newborn babies. The highly anticipated free community event aims to prepare parents with information and resources to support the positive physical, mental and emotional development of their newborns. The baby shower is supported by lead sponsor Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc., Moms will receive helpful tips on childcare while they play educational games to receive gifts like diaper bags, bathtubs, bottles, and bibs as well as larger gifts like car seats and playpens. According to BabyCenter.coms baby-cost-calculator, non-medical, first-year baby costs can add up to more than $15,000. St. Bernard Hospital and event sponsors hope to minimize those costs for parents. St. Bernard Hospital provides womens health and wellness services to South Side residents, many of whom are uninsured and underinsured. Each year, the safety net hospital treated women to free mammograms during the month of October. Families deserve to feel supported by their community. With recent shortages on important baby items, families should feel confident that they have what they need, said Yolanda Penny, vice president of nursing services. We want moms to know that we have their best interest in mind and that we are here to support the healthy development of their children. About St. Bernard Hospital St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center has served the Englewood community and Chicago's South Side since 1904. The hospital has 174 licensed beds and offers primary and specialty care, behavioral health services, dental care, imaging and rehabilitation among its services. Our mission calls us to care for the sick and promote the health of the residents in the community while witnessing the Christian values of respect, dignity, caring and compassion for all persons. About Meridian Health Plan of Illinois Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc. and its family of plans provide government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors, and individuals with complex medical needs. This includes Meridian's Medicaid and Medicaid-Medicare plans, and YouthCare HealthChoice Illinois. YouthCare is a specialized program designed to address the healthcare needs of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) youth in out-of-home placement and former foster youth. Meridian connects members to care and offers comprehensive services to support lifelong health and wellness. Learn more at ILmeridian.com. New York, NY, July 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zion Market Research has published a new research report titled SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Market By Type (Round, Hexagon, And Square), By Application (Automotive, Construction, Transportation, And Energy), And By Region - Global And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2023 2030 in its research database. According to the latest research study, the demand of global SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Market size & share in terms of revenue was valued at USD 11.2 billion in 2022 and it is expected to surpass around USD 15.3 billion mark by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 7.6% during the forecast period 2023 to 2030. What is/are SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel? How big is the SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Industry? SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Report Coverage & Overview: Special bar quality steel refers to a category of long steel items that are designed specifically for demanding applications such as crankshafts, gears, bearings, and drill string parts. These products have been developed specifically for demanding and high-stress applications. This particular form of steel is distinguished from a wide range of other steel grades by the fact that it is typically utilized in high-speed machine applications. The demand for the product will also increase as a result of the widespread application of the product in high-stress applications, metallurgy, and other fields where high tensile strength is required. Additionally, producers of stainless steel bars and steel round bars offer a variety of specific bar-quality steels to their customers. It has been said that SBQ, which stands for "special bar quality," is utilized in the production of gears, bearings, and high-speed shafts. Get a Free Sample PDF of this Research Report for more Insights with a Table of Content, Research Methodology, and Graphs - https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/sbq-special-bar-quality-steel-market (A free sample of this report is available upon request; please contact us for more information.) Our Free Sample Report Consists of the Following: Introduction, Overview, and in-depth industry analysis are all included in the 2023 updated report. The COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis is included in the package About 228+ Pages Research Report (Including Recent Research) Provide detailed chapter-by-chapter guidance on Request Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share, and Trends for the Year 2023 Includes Tables and figures have been updated The most recent version of the report includes the Top Market Players, their Business Strategies, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis Zion Market Research research methodology (Please note that the sample of this report has been modified to include the COVID-19 impact study prior to delivery.) Global SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Market: Growth Dynamics The ever-increasing use of the product in high-pressure applications to adorn current trends in worldwide market The expansion of the global market for SBQ (special bar quality) steel will be driven by the widespread application of the product in hot and cold forging, cold-drawing, and machining facilities, all of which are used in the production of automotive components. In addition to this, an increase in the product's tolerance levels for high-stress applications will be the primary driver of trends in the global market. It is possible that the expansion of the global market could be prompted by the enormous demand for bearings, drill-string components, and gears made of superior bar quality steel. The rapid growth of the market around the world will be fueled by the enormous demand for the product, which is used in the production of components that must have an excellent surface. The usage of a high-quality special bar steel in a substantial amount of heavy-duty trucks and light trucks will propel the commercial space. The worldwide market landscape will be determined by how well the product is able to penetrate specific industries, such as agriculture, power, transportation, and industry. The low cost of operating electric vehicles, which has led to an increase in demand for these types of vehicles, has the potential to contribute to a rapid expansion of the market around the world. It is probable that the global expansion of the market will be shaped by the introduction of new products as well as strategic alliances. JSW Steel USA, a major leader in the steel production industry in the United States, joined forces with TrueNorth Collective in March 2023. TrueNorth Collective is a prominent player in the provision of end-to-end sustainability strategy consulting services. The move is being made in order to evaluate the effects that steel products have on the surrounding ecosystem. In addition, JSW Steel will be able to produce environmentally friendly steel products with the assistance of this project, which will lead to an increase in both the demand for and the sale of special bar quality steel goods. Directly Purchase a copy of the report with TOC @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/buynow/su/sbq-special-bar-quality-steel-market Report Scope Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2022 USD 11.2 billion Projected Market Size in 2030 USD 15.3 billion CAGR Growth Rate 7.6% CAGR Base Year 2022 Forecast Years 2023-2030 Key Market Players CITIC ICH, Metalloinvest, Max Aicher, Timken Steel, Weifang Special Steel Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., Charter Steel, SeAH Besteel, Gerdau SA, JSW Steel, Sidenor, Valin Group, Alton Steel, Tata Steel, and Steel Dynamics Inc. Key Segment By Type, By Application, and By Region Major Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East &, Africa Purchase Options Request customized purchase options to meet your research needs. Explore purchase options SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Market: Segmentation Analysis The global SBQ (special bar quality) steel market is sectored into type, application, and region. In type terms, The global market for special bar quality steel may be broken down into three distinct categories: round, hexagonal, and square. In addition to this, it is anticipated that the round category, which held over two-thirds of the global market share in 2022, will post the greatest CAGR during the course of the timeframe under consideration. It is possible that the increase in demand for round-shaped special bar quality steel in a variety of end-use industries will be the driving force behind the expansion of the market in the years to come. On the basis of the application, The global industry that produces steel with a specific bar quality can be broken down into the following subsectors: construction, energy, automotive, and transportation. In addition, the building sector, which had already captured a substantial portion of the international market by the year 2022, is anticipated to take the lead in the application field during the next ten years. The significant increase in demand during the anticipated timeframe may be attributable to the widespread application of the product in the building of beams, bridges, and dams in different parts of the world. The global SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel market is segmented as follows: By Type Round Hexagon Square By Application Automotive Construction Transportation Energy Browse the full SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Market By Type (Round, Hexagon, And Square), By Application (Automotive, Construction, Transportation, And Energy), And By Region - Global And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2023 2030 Report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/sbq-special-bar-quality-steel-market Competitive Landscape Some of the main competitors dominating the global SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel market include - CITIC ICH Metalloinvest Max Aicher Timken Steel Weifang Special Steel Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. Charter Steel SeAH Besteel Gerdau SA JSW Steel Sidenor Valin Group Alton Steel Tata Steel Steel Dynamics Inc Key Insights from Primary Research: As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the global SBQ (special bar quality) steel market is projected to expand annually at the annual growth rate of around 7.6% over the forecast timespan (2023-2030) In terms of revenue, the global SBQ (special bar quality) steel market size was evaluated at nearly $11.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $15.3 billion by 2030. The global special bar quality market is anticipated to record massive growth over the forecast period owing to the large-scale use of the product in hot & cold forging, cold-drawing, and machining units for producing automotive components. In terms of type, the round segment is slated to register the fastest CAGR over the analysis period. On the basis of application, the construction segment is slated to dominate the segmental surge over the forecast period. Region-wise, the Asia-Pacific SBQ (special bar quality) steel market is projected to register the highest CAGR during the assessment timeline. Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/sbq-special-bar-quality-steel-market Key questions answered in this report: What is the market size and growth rate forecast for SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel industry? What are the main driving factors propelling the SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Market forward? What are the leading companies in the SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Industry? What segments does the SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Market cover? How can I receive a free copy of the SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Market sample report and company profiles? Key Offerings: Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20232030 Market Dynamics Leading Trends, Growth Drivers, Restraints, and Investment Opportunities Market Segmentation A detailed analysis By Type, By Application, and By Region Competitive Landscape Top Key Vendors and Other Prominent Vendors Request for Customization on this Report as per your requirements - https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/7399 (We tailor your report to meet your specific research requirements. Inquire with our sales team about customising your report.) Regional Dominance: In the years 2023-2030, North America is going to dominate markets around the world. It is projected that North America would record profitable growth during the course of the analysis timeline. In 2022, North America was responsible for more than 45% of the global revenue generated by the SBQ (special bar quality) steel market. It is possible that a growth in production and demand for special bar-quality steel in the automotive, transport, energy, and construction sectors in countries such as the United States and Canada could contribute to the expansion of the market in that region during the course of the assessment period. In addition to this, an increase in the amount of money that will be invested in the production of steel by both private players and the government will broaden the scope of product demand in the region. In addition, it is anticipated that the SBQ (special bar quality) steel industry in the Asia-Pacific area will record the greatest CAGR throughout the evaluation period. SBQ stands for "special bar quality." An increase in the total population of the world, which in turn leads to an increase in the number of residential constructions carried out in the subcontinent, is one of the important elements that are expected to define industrial growth in the region. In addition to this, government initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna in nations with high population densities like India have contributed to the expansion of the business in the area. The expansion of the size of the regional market is going to be facilitated by the existence of significant players in countries such as Thailand, India, China, Malaysia, and Japan. By Region North America U.S. Canada Rest of North America Europe France UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific The Middle East & Africa Saudi Arabia South Africa Rest of the Middle East & Africa Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America SBQ (Special Bar Quality) Steel Market: Opportunities High penetration of products in the construction & automotive sectors can open new growth facets for the global market The global market for SBQ (special bar quality) steel has been given new opportunities for growth as a result of the implementation of steel solutions that are based on the revolution brought about by Industry 4.0 . In addition to this, the requirement to lower overall power consumption in the sector has resulted in the widespread use of the product across a wide variety of end-use industries. The global market will experience new levels of expansion as a result of the expanding use of the product in the construction industry for the preparation of beams and columns, as well as the use of the product in the construction of bridges and culverts. The high tensile strength of the material has contributed to its increased acceptability across the world, which has opened up new expansion opportunities for the market overall. 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Global And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2023 2030: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/olefins-market About Zion Market Research: Zion Market Research is a leading market research organization offering industry expertise and scrupulous consulting services to clients for their business development. 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Then, he utilized ChatGPT to construct a query to search his preferred map database for all "1948" addresses in Louisville, KY. With that, he was able to rapidly zero in on the exact location where the photo was taken. Here's the album cover: Here's the spot on Google Maps: Here's the instructional video: Illinois 695.png West Virginia 696.png Connecticut 699.png Mississippi 700.png Maine and Vermont 698.png New Mexico State Population Data Most states are gaining residents, but a few have lost population in recent years. None are seeing major losses, but it looks as if some states' populations will continue to stagnate or slowly decline in the years to come.The latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates indicate that the nations overall population grew by about 2.5 million over the 12-month period ending last July.The reason some states are experiencing population loss vary. Some have weak economies and are losing workers who seek opportunities elsewhere. In others, growth is held back by an aging population.Here's a closer look at the states that lost population last year and whats behind their declines:A growing number of people are choosing to leave the Land of Lincoln. Illinois lost an estimated 22,194 residents in 2015, by far the largest decline of any state.The losses, which accelerated from 2014, are partly driven by the states economy and a labor market thats weaker than most other states. Fred Giertz, a University of Illinois economist, said he suspects some job seekers are opting to retire early and move to warmer climates. Much of the states economy, outside of the Chicago metro area, is tied to either manufacturing or agriculture -- two sectors that arent generating many jobs.Chicago has fairly good prospects, said Giertz. Downstate Illinois is more like the rest of the Midwest and is declining.Illinois net migration rate (-5.2 per 1,000 population) was lower than all other states, with the exception of Alaska.One might be tempted to link the population losses to the states fiscal woes . Giertz, however, said he doesnt think that its leading residents to move out -- at least not yet.West Virginias population has remained relatively flat for decades, and that isnt likely to change anytime soon.The state fared better economically than most of the country during the Great Recession, enjoying small population gains as a result. More recently, though, the state has recorded slight declines in each of the past three years. Last year, West Virginia suffered the largest year-over-year percentage loss (-0.25 percent) of any state.One major driver of that decline has been the states hard-hit coal mining industry. An expanding natural gas sector has helped, but job creation hasnt met expectations or offset coal mining losses, said Christiadi, a West Virginia University demographer and economist who goes by one name.Economic opportunities and wages are frequently more attractive elsewhere, prompting workers to leave, said Christiadi. A net total of more than 27,000 people (up from 17,000 in 2013) migrated out-of-state each of the past two years.Compounding matters is the fact that the states population is one of the nations oldest. West Virginia and Maine were the only two states where deaths exceeded births last year, according to Census estimates.Hoping to get more jobs from the mining and natural gas industry is just not that reliable, said Christiadi. Unless the economy picks up the pace, I expect to see gradual population losses continue.A sluggish economy has played a large role in holding back Connecticut, which experienced slight population losses each of the past two years.Domestic migration losses have accelerated, with the state losing a net total of about 27,000 residents each of the past two years -- up from 17,000 in 2013 and 19,000 in 2012.Fred Carstensen, an economics and finance professor at the University of Connecticut, attributed the uptick to a lag effect from mostly long-term unemployed workers choosing to leave the state for job opportunities. It took people a while to get their arms around the reality that things were not going back for them, he said.Many relocated workers are likely young professionals who either cant land their first jobs in Connecticut or leave the state for promotions.Downsizing in the pharmaceutical industry, along with casinos facing more out-of-state competition, have hammered parts of the state. The southwestern region has generally fared better, but General Electric announced last week that it plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from Fairfield County to Boston.Carstensen said the state has experienced practically no economic growth over the past 25 years. The best were doing is treading water, he said. Were not creating new activity.Mississippis population totals also appear to be trending in the wrong direction. The size of the states gains had been shrinking each of the past few years, before registering a slight drop in 2015.The primary cause of the states stagnant population is the growing number of residents who are moving elsewhere. Mississippi suffered the fourth steepest loss in terms of total net migration (-3.2 persons per 1,000 residents) of any state between 2014 and 2015. Natural change from childbirths offset most of the losses.By comparison, neighboring Alabama (+12,568), Arkansas (+11,369) and Louisiana (+21,734) registered annual population increases more in line with the rest of the country.Maine and Vermont face similar demographic challenges. The two northeastern states have the nations two oldest populations in terms of median age, so theyre not seeing many births. At the same time, their residents are moving to other states as well.Vermont recorded a year-over-year net loss of 2,223; Maine lost an estimated 1,718 residents to other states. And while other states offset domestic population losses with increases in international migration, Maine and Vermont havent seen the same influx of the foreign born.After growing over several decades, both states are now experiencing only slight fluctuations, with population changes of generally fewer than 1,000 residents each year. In the coming years, their population growth will likely remain stagnant.New Mexico also lost population -- an estimated 458 residents -- essentially unchanged from 2014. We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. TL;DR: This refurbished Lenovo ThinkCentre Desktop Computer comes with a 23.6" full HD 19201080 LED monitor, 16GB flash drive, Periphio keyboard, mouse, and USB WiFi. It's now on sale for only $615.97 as part of our Back-to-School Sale, but only until August 13! We've all become accustomed to bringing the world with us everywhere, and that's cool. 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Grab this Renewed Lenovo ThinkCentre M92P PC Desktop Computer and its accessories for just $615.97 (reg. $854) during our Back-to-School Sale. Hurry, this deal ends August 13 at 11:59pm Pacific! Prices subject to change. Red Bull-Ford preparing to fire up 2026 engine Red Bull is preparing to fire up its first 2026 engine in collaboration with new partner Ford. Sergio Perez, Belgian GP 2023 Red Bull In the next few weeks, the first complete unit will be running on the test bench with the combustion engine, MGU-K and battery, Dr Helmut Marko told Speed Week at Spa Francorchamps. "We are, we think, on a par with Mercedes in terms of development. I can't judge Renault, but Ferrari is behind us. With our incoming partner Ford, everything is also going according to plan. That is despite the fact that, at the F1 Commission meeting held at the circuit on Friday, Red Bull's concerns about the greater influence of the electronic parts of the 2026 power unit were largely dismissed. What the FIA has agreed to do is try to create a significant reduction in the size and weight of the 2026 cars including improved energy management to address Red Bull's concerns. Marko said: "We're on track. But the fact that we are proposing a changed ratio in the hybrid drive envisaged by the FIA is also due to safety concerns. The batteries will then weigh 100 kilograms, the cars will be heavier and have to be bigger. We don't think that's a good thing, he added. We will be driving with e-fuels, so emissions will no longer play a role. Red Bull has poached multiple engine specialists from Mercedes for its new engine subsidiary, but Marko denied that the team had to woo them with tripled salaries. No. Other factors played a role for these new employees - our spirit, our passion, said the 80-year-old. "We were attractive to them as racers. Sauber admits Chinese Zhou not yet signed for 2024 Sauber, the Formula 1 team currently known as Alfa Romeo, has confirmed that contract talks with Zhou Guanyu are yet to take place. Guanyu Zhou, Hungarian GP 2023 Alfa Romeo Recently, the Chinese driver and his reported EUR 20 million in sponsorship was linked with potential moves to Haas and Williams for 2024. Now, Alfa-Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi admits that only Valtteri Bottas is currently under contract for next season. Of course we are looking for improvement and opportunities, he said at Spa-Francorchamps. There will be time after the summer shutdown to sit down with Zhou and look at what will be the best solution for both of us. Bravi said stability is important for a team like Hinwil based Sauber that is in a transformation process with the takeover by Audi for 2026. Our target is to keep both drivers in our team next year but, of course, there must be all the elements in place to have a win-win situation, he insisted. There have been rumours recently that all may not be well with Audi's Formula 1 plans for 2026 - especially with the ousting of CEO Markus Duesmann due to problems with the VW-owned German road car company. Among the rumours are apparent delays with the 2026 Audi F1 engine, and even rumblings that the entire project may be scrapped. We don't have this kind of information, Alunni Bravi insists. "It's always difficult for external people to understand the status of development of such an important program like a new manufacturer entering Formula 1. "Concerning our program, it is on the right route. With Andreas Seidl, we are addressing all our weaknesses and seeking out all the best opportunities in the market to bring quality into our team and to develop our facilities. Best Point Savings and Loans records GH22.70m loss Emelia Ennin Abbey Business News Jul - 28 - 2023 , 17:39 Best Point Savings and Loans recorded a GH22.70 million loss after tax at the end of 2022,the company has said. The recorded loss, the company indicated, could be attributed to the government's domestic debt exchange programme. AGM This came to light during the 9th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the company in Accra. The Board Chairman, Isaac Emmil Osei-Bonsu Jnr, said the government's domestic exchange programme negatively affected the company's net impairment loss on financial assets. He said in the year under review, the cash and cash equivalents of the company reduced by 5.86 per cent from GH35.25 million in 2021 to GH33.18 million in 2022 while investments securities increased by 0.33 per cent from GH289.13 million in 2021 to GH290.09 million on 2022. On some of the companys key financial recording during the year, he said loans and advances to customers increased from GH44.70 million in 2021 to GH46.14 million in 2022, representing an increase of 3.22 per cent. The increase in loans and advances, he said, was the outcome of deliberate strategies executed to increase the loan portfolio of the company. Total assets of the company, he said, also increased from GH382.36 million in 2021 to GH382.54 million in 2022 while total liabilities also increased from GH344.41 million in 2021 to GH369.39 million in 2022,representing an increase of 0.04 per cent and 7.57 per cent respectively. He also said deposits from customers increased by 6.66 per cent from GH338.26 million in 2021 to GH360.80 million in 2022.The increase in deposits was the result of deliberate efforts geared towards the mobilisation of low-cost funds. On the outlook for 2023,he said the domestic debt exchange programme was projected to increase pressure on the solvency and liquidity of financial institutions. Additionally, he said the establishment of the financial stability fund by the government was expected to moderate the impact of the government's domestic debt exchange programme and help preserve financial stability in the sector. He commended the management and staff of the company for their committed dedication and high sense of duty and customers for their loyalty. Retirement The Managing Director of the company, Dr Fred Safo-Kantanka, described the year 2022 as daunting and challenging. He said the management of the company would continue to execute appropriate strategies to ensure the company remained profitable in 2023, with measures put in place to maximise income generation while minimising operating costs. An outgoing Director, Dr Ernest Ofori Sarpong, said the vision for the establishment of the company was for it to become the topmost savings and loans company in the country,adding: We have partially attained that and I urge the board to strive to ensure that the vision is achieved. A retired Information Technology Communications expert, Kwadwo Ohemeng Essumeng, was approved to serve on the board as Director. The meeting was also used to announce the retirement of three directors of the company namely Dr Ernest Ofori Sarpong,Daniel Asare-Minta and Kwadwo Danso-Dodoo. They were presented with citations after they had been highly praised for their glowing contribution to the growth of the company. BoG posts GH60.81bn losses in 2022 Emmanuel Bruce Business News Jul - 29 - 2023 , 17:57 The Bank of Ghana has posted losses totaling GH60.81 billion for the 2022 financial year. This compares to a profit of GH1.23 billion recorded in the 2021 financial year. The losses were as result of governments domestic debt restructuring activities, the depreciation of the local currency, among others. The BoGs audited financial statement for 2022 which was released yesterday (July 28) indicated that as at 31 December 2022, the total liabilities of the central bank and its subsidiaries exceeded its total assets by GH54.52 billion. The decline in the Groups net worth position was attributed to the impact of the Domestic Debt Exchange Program (DDEP) and impairment of some assets of the Group. This was specifically due to the Impairment of Government of Ghana securities holdings of GH48.45 billion which was occasioned by the DDEP; Impairment of loans and advances granted to Quasi-government and financial institutions amounting to GH6.12 billion; and the depreciation of the local currency resulting in net exchange loss of GH5.27 billion. The report noted that the Board of Directors and Management of the Bank had assessed the policy solvency implications arising out of the negative net worth position and the Groups ability to continue to generate enough income to cover its monetary policy operations and other operational costs. In the view of this, the Directors of the Bank will continue to operate on a going concern basis due to a variety of factors underpinned by expectations of an improved macroeconomic situation and policy actions specifically targeted at improving the balance sheet of the Bank of Ghana the report highlighted. Specific steps and actions to be taken to recover and build- back a positive equity include:retention of profits to help rebuild capital until equity firmly returns to positive region; and refraining from monetary financing of the Government of Ghanas budget. In this respect, action has already been taken with a Memorandum of Understanding on zero financing of the budget signed between the Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of Finance on 26 April, 2023. The BoG is also taking immediate steps to optimize its investment portfolio and operating cost mix to bolster efficiency and profits. Finance Minister to present Mid-year Budget Review Monday Emmanuel Bruce Business News Jul - 29 - 2023 , 07:57 The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, is expected to use Mondays Mid-Year Budget Review to pave the way for the government to pursue a transformative economic agenda for the second part of the year. Sources close to the Ministry of Finance told the Daily Graphic that the government, through the mid-year policy and programme review, would adopt an aggressive approach to pushing for economic growth, with a focus on implementing various strategies to promote and support growth across various sectors. Mr Ofori-Atta last week told a forum with stakeholders that the review would not request additional funding for government expenditure. However, he insisted that the intentions were to prioritise investment in key sectors of the economy, such as industry and agriculture, to stimulate growth. In that vein, the government would energise the manufacturing sector through targeted industrialisation efforts, attract both domestic and foreign investments to drive economic diversification and boost production capacity. A source at the ministry said the prioritisation meant optimising the use of allocated resources. Some analysts had said it could take various forms such as ensuring that ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) exhaust their existing allocation instead of seeking additional funding, as well as finding additional efficiencies across sectors to help direct more investments into the priority sectors of agriculture and industry. The Daily Graphic has also learnt that the government would also rely on the Mid-Year Budget Review to re-direct significant investments into agriculture. This will include the continuation of successful programmes such as the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative into its second phase, as well as programmes to enhance agricultural productivity and ensure food security for the nation, another source at the Finance Ministry told the Daily Graphic. The Finance minister at the same forum last Monday pledged food security for Ghanaians, stating, Affordable food is a must. The government will do all it can to ensure food security for Ghanaians. Prosperity dialogue During the stakeholder engagement, Mr Ofori-Atta said the Ghana Mutual Prosperity Dialogue Framework, a public-private partnership for growth, was expected to serve as the cornerstone of the reforms, which had been touted as designed to promote shared growth anchored on job creation, exports and import substitution. During the budget review presentation, the finance minister is expected to stress the critical importance of such strategic interventions in achieving sustainable economic growth and development. Sources at the Ministry of Finance argued that by addressing systemic weaknesses and building resilience in key areas, the government was seeking to create a solid foundation for the economy to flourish, amid uncertainties posed by global events of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. Daily Graphic Editorials Statistics on neonatal deaths worrying Daily Graphic Editorials Jul - 28 - 2023 , 11:11 The statistics are grim and startling. Losing a baby at birth is bad enough, let alone losing about 50,000 babies to birth asphyxia which, unfortunately, occurs in Ghana every year. Birth asphyxia happens when a baby's brain and other organs do not get enough oxygen and nutrients before, during or right after birth. It could happen before birth in the womb and result in stillbirths or during prolonged labour. Inadequate equipment and staff, late referrals and poor education on breastfeeding are some of the causes of asphyxia deaths in newborns. In Ghana, on the average, one million babies are born every year, and with the current neonatal mortality rate of 17 per 1,000 live births, it means for every one million born, about 170,000 are dying, and out of this, 30 per cent are dying from birth asphyxia. The Programme Manager for Newborn and Child Health of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Edward Antwi, who provided the statistics at a stakeholders workshop, explained that the figures could be more, given the fact that some of the cases that occurred in home deliveries and outside recognised health facilities might not have been captured in the data. Stakeholders in neonatal care and child health are deliberating on reducing neonatal deaths, particularly asphyxia cases, across the country as part of efforts to reduce neonatal mortality. The stakeholders are concerned and rightly so, because there is an urgent need to reduce the incidence of asphyxia, strengthen sick newborn care at referral district hospitals, support new asphyxiated babies to survive, among others. The truth is that the exact figures may be more than the official figures being quoted by the GHS because even though we do not know the true extent, even with the conservative information we have, about 30 per cent of all babies in Ghana die from birth asphyxia. The reason being that in many parts of the country, many women deliver at home, and are not counted. The Daily Graphic believes that beyond showing concern, government, together with the stakeholders, must work assiduously to stop neonatal deaths. And this starts from adequately equipping the hospitals to effectively reduce neonatal mortality in general in the country. It is a widely held view that a number of hospitals, especially the lower level facilities, do not have what it takes to take care of the mothers and the babies. In fact, health experts maintain that the first hour of newborn is critical and that is why the level of commitment of health workers is crucial in such moments. It is, therefore, important for health workers to be more committed to providing efficient and prompt health services. Even though the reduction in neonatal deaths to 17 per 1,000 live births is significant, there is work to be done to achieve the targeted 12 per 1,000 live births, which constitutes about 75 per cent of infant mortality. The nation's referral system is not in too good a shape. We need an effective ambulance system with strong and efficient communication in the referral chain. Our roads are bad and they often impact referrals. Improving road networks is, also, critical to saving our new borns. Indeed, life-saving equipment for new born resuscitation and oxygen equipment must be made available at the hospitals. There is, also, the need for the health workers to be trained and retrained to effectively prevent asphyxia deaths. The Daily Graphic, therefore, calls on the GHS to improve its supervision chain and ensure improved supervision in the health facilities in the provision of efficient and prompt health services which will go a long way to save lives. The antenatal period through to the post natal period must be monitored critically to pick up potential cases. Potential risk factors, such as anaemia and high blood pressure, must be identified early and treated. No child should die from preventable causes and asphyxia deaths must not continue to claim 50,000 of our new borns annually. Daily Graphic Editorials Tema boat disaster is regrettable Daily Graphic Editorials Jul - 29 - 2023 , 07:46 Last Thursdays disaster at sea at the Tema Port anchorage that claimed the lives of two fishers, as carried on the front page of the Daily Graphic of Friday, July 28, 2023, has come as a sad conclusion to the 2023 closed fishing season, which ends in two days. While the families and the Tema Manhean (Newtown) community mourn Francis Tetteh Larbi, 27, and Samuel Acquaye Allotey, 45, the standoff between fishers in the Tema Newtown area and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHPA) over the true cause of the incident that killed the two has caught our attention. The fishers currently impute ill motive to the action of the mariners aboard the GPHA patrol boat, who, in the view of the fishers, rammed their boat into their canoe. The port authority denies the accusation vehemently. We wish to emphasise that GPHA is a responsible organisation involved in search and rescue missions, and as such will not abandon victims of a collision even if it involved our own craft, the GPHA said in an official communication as tension mounted between the state authority and the Tema Manhean fishers community. It is regrettable that lives were lost in such a manner, whether accidentally or under some other circumstance. It is suggested that the fishers defied the ban on fishing as imposed by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development to embark on the fishing expedition, but their members have maintained that the 12 onboard the canoe were on a Homowo ritual fishing expedition with the backing of the Tema Traditional Council. Indeed, the Tema Awudun Chief Fisherman, Nii Ashitey Odametey II, told the Daily Graphic that the traditional council undertook expeditions to catch particular fish for the performance of rites as part of the annual traditional Homowo festival. He said the various stakeholders, including the GPHA and Marine Police, were aware of the expedition, and that about 20 canoes were at sea for the expedition when the incident occurred. What this means is that the fishers expedition was officially known to the authorities. From their side, the expedition could not have been an attempt to sidestep the month-long ban on fishing activities by smuggling themselves onto the waters to fish, while the rest of the fishing industry awaited the ceremonial reopening of the sea. After all, the closed fishing season has been instituted with the buy-in of fishers across the country to improve the fish stock in the countrys waters. That is why those who have flouted it over the one-month period have found themselves on the wrong side of the law, usually convicted to a fine or a jail sentence by the courts. It is also worrying that the patrol boat in the centre of the incident, appears to be a mystery vessel. It is quite worrying that the identity of the patrol boat appears not to be known to even the sophisticated security system of the GPHA which had deployed various guards at sea to check unfriendly excursions. It is on the basis of this that we think investigations into the matter are not only appropriate, but they must also be sped up to bring justice or a definite closure to the affected families by unraveling the circumstances surrounding the incident. Indeed, we join the Tema Youth Association, a youth group in the Tema Metropolis, to call for calm on all sides while urging stakeholders in the area to use dialogue to resolve issues around last Thursdays incident at sea. We equally agree with the group that the relevant authorities should engage in dialogue with the fishing community to address their concerns and work collaboratively towards an improved safety system on the waters. We also call on the authorities to always consider the traditional and cultural circumstances of a people as it implements the fishing closed season. For the people of Tema Manhean, for instance, the closed season comes too close to their Homowo festival, and, therefore, likely to trigger the ritualistic events of fishing for specific specie. But dialogue and engagement has an answer for controversy. There was a collision of electric scooters, e-bikes, and bicycles on New York City's Manhattan Bridge Thursday night, leaving four people injured. Link to the article in Gothamist here. According to the FDNY, four "electric scooter" riders collided at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and were taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries. But bikers on the bridge at the time describe a much more horrifying scene one that involved e-bikes and electric scooters traveling at unsafe speeds and a collision that left a trail of blood and wreckage more than twenty feet long. "Inevitable carnage," Lucas Freshman, an emergency room nurse, described it. "As shaken up by it as I still am, twelve or sixteen hours later, the sad feeling I have is that I'm not surprised by this happening." Blood and debris stretch over about 25 feet of the Manhattan Bridge bike path, where there was a terrible crash last night. pic.twitter.com/2NUe8OFoqN Liam Quigley (@_elkue) July 27, 2023 This highlights an urgently dangerous situation in New York City, in which bicyclists must share narrow bike lanes with motorized vehicles that often travel at speeds in excess of the speed limit for automobiles. The bike lanes have been built in NYC over the past few years to encourage safe biking, but e-bikes seem to have turned them into speedways more dangerous than the streets. Worse, e-bikers often go out of the bike lanes and travel on sidewalks, menacing pedestrians. E-bikes became legal in NYC in 2020. Last summer, The New York Post (note: Rupert Murdoch-owned) set up a radar gun to tracker speeders on NYC bridges and bike lanes, and over a third of the motorized vehicles (e-bikes, mopeds, etc.) exceeded the speed limit. At a meeting of the E-Vehicle Safety Alliance last month, as reported by the West Side Rag, New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, "The issue of e-bikes is the number one constituent complaint that we get in my Senate office. Your voices are being heard and I share your concern." Hoylman-Sigal said he is working on legislation that addresses issues contributing to the safety problem including a bill to increase penalties for e-vehicle hit and runs and another that requires food delivery app companies to have insurance. The senator said [Assemblymember Linda B.] Rosenthal has introduced these same bills in the State Assembly. Another proposal, not yet introduced, would require licensing and registration of e-bikes used for commercial purposes. Of course, because this is 2023, there are huge issues of poverty, immigration and wealth disparity at play. Many of the motorized bikes are being driven by workers who are low-income immigrants desperate to make a living working as freelancers for giant tech food delivery apps. CNN reports: Accidents on sidewalks and intersections. Dangerously congested bike paths. Delivery workers with nowhere to pee. Exploding electric bikes and scooters. New York City is known for fast meals and easy access to everything, but its public spaces are being severely strained by the surge in on-demand deliveries, fueled by a pandemic boom in online orders and the rise of a new crop of ultra-fast delivery services. Andrew Wolf, a research fellow at the Workplace Justice Lab at Rutgers University said, "Before, when the workers worked for restaurants, they supplied bikes, bathrooms and rest areas. Now, companies have adopted the independent contractor model where they shift the burden to workers and the public." It in addition to better rule enforcement for all e-bikes, it seems that the food delivery apps, like Grubhub/Seamless, who are profiting off this dysfunction, should be required to provide amenities, incentives, equipment and rules for their workers (or, as they call them, independent contractors) that allow them to safely make a living with dignity, and without speeding or breaking other traffic laws. Conservation Agriculture building climate change resilience in Savannah Region Mohammed Fugu Features Jul - 29 - 2023 , 11:30 In Northern Ghana, the soil is relatively poor in organic matter and other critical soil nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Worsening the already depleted soil is the continuous tillage of the soil and removal of biomass from the surface of the soil through bushfires and indiscriminate felling of trees. Also, as temperatures rise, rainfall patterns are becoming more unpredictable and intense. As a result, planting seasons have become shorter and the proportion of arable land is shrinking. These challenges are significantly threatening farmers productivity and raising fears of possible food insecurity soon. On the back of this, Conservation Agriculture (CA) system practice has been proven as a strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change and soil degradation and build resilience for a bountiful harvest to feed the nation and even export beyond its borders. What is CA? Conservation Agriculture practices are soil management techniques that minimise the disturbance of the soil's structure, conserve soil and water, and enhance biodiversity. They enhance high crop yields while reducing production costs, maintaining soil fertility and conserving water, as well as achieving sustainable agriculture and improving livelihoods. Some of the practices include zero tillage, application of organic compost, mulching, and mix and crop rotation, which stimulate soil microorganisms and control pests, weeds and plant diseases. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), CA is 20 to 50 per cent less labour-intensive and thus contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through lower energy inputs and improved nutrient use efficiency. At the same time, it stabilises and protects soil from breaking down and releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Despite its potential, however, the adoption of CA remains low, due in part to the fact that costs are immediate while payoffs are relatively long-term. In the midst of that, a 50-year-old vegetable farmer at Buipe in the Central Gonja District in the Savannah Region has adopted the system and has been recording good yields for the past 20 years. Abdul-Waheed Yakubu has been using conservation and organic practices to cultivate about seven acres of vegetables such as green pepper, cabbage, spinach, onions and carrots for the commercial market. Sharing his experience with the Daily Graphic, he said: I dont use chemicals to cultivate my vegetables, rather I use garbage, bat faeces and urine to prepare my organic manure, which is very healthy for consumption. When I clear the land, I dont burn the grass but I spread them on the land. With that when the grass rots it adds nutrients to the soil and also protects it from erosion and drought while protecting the living organism. I dont also plough the land; I either plant direct into the soil or till the surface of the soil to create beds for the crops, he explained. He indicated that the practice was cost-effective as no chemical and tillage was needed for the cultivation of crops. Mr Yakubu, however, advised farmers against practising slashing and burning of grass on the land, as it would deplete the soil nutrients and destroy the ecosystem. Another farmer at Walewale, Afa Osman, told the Daily Graphic that despite the rising cost of fertiliser and chemicals, he was able to cultivate his five acres of maize and soya beans farms with ease. "What I do is that I rotate the crops, so I divide the land into two, so if I plant soya beans on one section this season, the next season I plant maize on the same land, while I shift the soybeans to the other portion of the land. I do that because soya beans leaves, nodes and roots generate nitrogen into the soil which is a very key nutrient for the maize plant, he said. Greenhouse emissions A Research Scientist at the Council for Scientific Research (CSR), Plant Genetic Resource Institute at Bonsu, Dr Joseph Bandanaa, in an interview, said organic farming enhanced the biodiversity of the soil and built resilience against climate change. He noted that Organic farming and CA in general help to reduce greenhouse emission production; if we use more fertiliser, it means that factories will have to produce more fertiliser for farmers to use, which ends up producing a lot of carbon dioxide. Climate resilience As part of efforts to build resilience against climate change and help boost the food supply chain in the north, the West African Centre for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture of the University for Development Studies (WACWISA-UDS) and the Frontier Institute of Development Planning (FIDEP), with funding from the European Union (EU), recently launched an innovative project to develop new agroecological-based practices that will build on existing local and scientific knowledge. The four-year project being implemented in four African countries, including Ghana, dubbed: Agroecological Solutions for Resilient Farming in West Africa (CIRAWA), will work with smallholder farmers to improve food nutrition, local livelihoods and ecosystem health. It would also enhance biodiversity and improve climate resilience. The Director of WACWISA-UDS, Professor Felix Abagale, said the project would facilitate the best indigenous farming practices that would go a long way to revolutionise the countrys agricultural system and bring a lot of benefits to the people. "We are not bringing anything very new. What we are bringing is that we want to come and understand the indigenous ways of doing many things (farming), and as scientists, we do research and improve on what farmers are already doing, which we know is good. So, when you are cultivating your vegetables, is there anything we can do to improve it? You are doing composting. Yes, we have scientific methods of doing other things, improving upon composting, the Regional Coordinator for the CIRAWA project, Prof. Saa Dittoh, said. Given the growing impact of climate change on livelihoods, he said there was a need to adopt indigenous best practices that could be easily adapted by the people to enhance food production and alleviate poverty. Way forward A study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2002 estimated that 69 per cent of the total land surface of the country was prone to severe or very severe soil erosion; the main manifestation of land degradation in the country. The phenomenon has contributed largely to the continuous decline of food production in the country over the years. To reverse the trend, it is important for the government and various stakeholders to step up efforts to sensitise and build the resilience of farmers to adopt CA and organic farming practices. GCB Banks growth has been by Gods grace First female MD, Helen Lokko Daily Graphic Features Jul - 29 - 2023 , 10:47 As part of activities marking the GCB Banks 70th anniversary, an interview was held with the first female Managing Director of the bank, then known as the Ghana Commercial Bank, Mrs Helen Lokko (HL). Below are excerpts of the interview. CB Bank (GCB): Introduce yourself and share your sentiments on GCBs 70th anniversary. Helen Lokko (HL): Thank you for the opportunity. For me what this means is that, first and foremost it is a sign of Gods grace and goodness. The bank itself is 70 years old and I am still alive to be part of the celebration they are planning for this occasion and I thank God and I bless them that at least they have remembered those of us of old and I am very delighted that I have lived to see this day. GCB: What do you think has contributed to the continuous existence of GCB Bank? HL: Growth is a God-given asset and right. Be it an institution or human being, some banks started well but we dont remember them anymore. By His grace we came along, and we are proud that we have grown with Ghana, the country itself. And if today we still think, and I know we are, GCB is the premiere Bank of Ghana and it is a thing that we should all be proud of. At the beginning, from what I know, it was touch and go. It was also political, and most people didnt think the African could do this at all. And if you know, when we started, Management was made up of Europeans. They didnt give us a chance. Nobody felt that the indigenous Ghanaian, African, could do this successfully. But weve been in there right from day one and we are still in there and I dont see anything but a bright future. The good God who gave us GCB is still around and will be forever around. So, all things come and go, human beings come and go. So do institutions. We hope we will last as long as is necessary. Change is something that is part of life. Sometimes in the middle of change you lose your identity and you may not be remembered thereafter. Sometimes you can go on and on till you become extinct. And extinction is a fact of life. It may happen because things have changed. When I step into the grounds of GCB I marvel, and I wonder that is this the bank I knew? When I start climbing the steps into the bank, goose pimples fall over me and its a natural happening. Therefore, I pray that the vision that the founders of the bank were given, the doubters who gave the bank no chance at all. I hope some of us through those who have taken over live long enough to be there. And if we pass on and are no more found it should be a natural thing and not an accident. Many banks came into being and sometimes through their own faults, they fall apart. Other times political decisions get rid of them, but we have stayed 70 years. It is a grand age and I hope that we will move from there to face the century and beyond and wherever we are we shall forever be proud OF GCB just as we are now. Next generation GCB: How do you want to see GCB in the next generation? HL: GCB has had the luck to be founded, established, started operations and is carried on by men of vision. I will emphasise this; the politicians dream dreams but it takes those on the ground to let those dreams come into being and I believe weve been lucky. When it started, it was a united effort between the colonial days and Kwame Nkrumah and the rest. How far we will get depends on not only the founders, not only our political leaders (because in Africa politicians must be involved. No matter what you do, theyve become part of the system) but the staff as well. Without them you are going nowhere. They can make or mar your existence or otherwise. And for me, I think we do not lack vision, we do not lack men and women who can see beyond the now. They see ahead and they think. If I look at what some of the staff that came around have achieved and continue to achieve, the management that have succeeded one after the other, by Gods grace theyve all been given a challenge and at my human level I see that it has been a progressive development. I see no reason why GCB shouldnt also be there, and I pray that we will always be at the forefront. When you know some of the customers that we have nurtured and grown and who have influenced us; the opportunities, the health that we have received and given; humanity will exist as long as the good Lord desires it to and if that is so we should be ahead of the pack. The acquisition of knowledge never ends and as we move along, the visionary leaders that we have got should always try to give those who can see chances to develop themselves. And if you know who we were and still are and the opportunities that we have had because of our relationship with GCB, I see no reason why we shouldnt continue because we are as human as those who are there now. And at this stage in time, all I can do is to applaud them and tell them that we live and learn, we make mistakes, we learn from our mistakes. The competition will be rife, it will change but we should grow with it because change and growth are inevitable. If you do not take advantage of it, you shall become extinct and you will be known no more. But if we take the challenge as we have done in the past, the opportunities that are open to the present generation, no doubt we will continue. My prayer is that wherever we are, we will always be there applauding you and praying that you persevere. Thank you. Advice GCB: If you have to advise the staff and management that we have now, what will you have for the management and the future generations who would want to join GCBs family? HL: The existence of the bank like any other institution depends on management and the staff on the job. Times have changed. There was a time when your own innate intelligence and desire to work in the bank and the love for progress propelled you. Now things have changed and times are moving very fast. I am telling you that I see no reason why that should come to a dead end. Development will continue and as long as GCB remains visionary and tries with the help and grace of God to give its own staff the chances and the opportunities, I remember so many things that came to pass because we took the chance. Not because we knew it would be successful. Management sometimes can be full of itself and would feel that they are alone. But we are like a coin. There are two sides, no matter what you do, there is staff, there is a management and there is God above. Things have moved fast and staff at every level have risen to the occasion. Go and take old newspapers and read about the advertisements for jobs, the opportunities, the qualifications, what to except just as much as the salary and you compare, if you will be research minded enough, you will be amazed how things have changed. What you needed at the time to be employed. Today before you get in there you must be miles ahead. Competition within the bank, competition in the financial industry, competition within the country, competition with banking outside the country. For example, the wearing of uniforms; we didnt start with uniforms, how come we started wearing uniforms and what has been the trend since? What goes on in the industry? The staff see and they always compare. Especially since you are employing ladies as well. So far as we know, fashion does not change much with the males, but with the females you should have been there to see what went on before uniforms were changed. And this will continue. I wont be surprised we will look like machines or space people in the future. Change is inevitable, I see a brighter future. What happens in the bank is related to what goes on in our country and beyond. And we will grow together with the world, otherwise we shall become extinct. And nobody wants that, whether we will be there for a longer stretch or not depends on what we do with our training and I feel that GCB has always spearheaded. When uniforms started to come, GCB males joined us. Before it was just women and the men said we have the same qualifications. It all started because if you are going to give allowances for uniforms, what about the males? You have to take care of them so my answer to your question is, the future is bright. Humanity always expects a brighter tomorrow and there is no reason why we shouldnt because we believe that when we employ, we employ the best. If you are not, we train you. Why was the training school established? If you know the history, you will know why it was done. And I believe further development will take place. I am quite sure that if I came back to this country and walked the financial scene, GCB would be there. We ventured out of the country and if politics plays the way that works our way, we shall always be there. If I do not expect a brighter tomorrow then me myself, whats wrong with me? Because we always hope for a better tomorrow for our kith and kin. GCB is our second home and if we are going to grow to become better, management must interact with staff, and let us envision ourselves as forward-looking people. We love our jobs, take good care of each other and the sky will be the limit. GCB, Ghana Commercial Bank, the premiere Bank of Ghana, you are celebrating your 70 years of existence. It is a blessing from above, so we pray and thank the good Lord who has brought us this far and we continue to ask him to guide us, to make us love GCB to such an extent that it will become not only our source of livelihood but indeed our second home. I wish you all the best and I am elated to have seen the 70th. I will not ask to be around to see the 100th existence of the bank but when that time arrives, those of you who will be around, remember that life starts from first year and it moves on and on. I wish you the best. And management, know that we have always been a coin. It doesnt matter how many sided, how many faces but we all belong and as long as we cooperate and we see the same vision and set our sights high and as long as we realise that its the Lord who blesses but we are his hands and feet and if we the staff, if we management, if we the people do not rise up to the occasion, we will be dead before even our first birthday. You have your 70th birthday today. I wish you the best of luck. May the years ahead bring you not only prosperity but true development so that we can all look back and say but for GCB where will we be? God be your helper. Happy anniversary, happy birthday GCB, God bless us all. Amen. State investigative bodies, perceived dangerous mistrust Dr George Asekere Opinion Jul - 29 - 2023 , 08:17 What is minimally becoming the Cecilia Abena Dapaah Gate is revealing many things, some of which ought to be critically looked at in the interest of our young democracy. That, for me, is the public perception of the investigative institutions of the State. It will be recalled that when news broke out about the alleged theft of huge sums of money in the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaahs residence by her house girls, many called for her arrest, resignation and dismissal, among others. Fortunately, the needful was done; she resigned. Now the real issue popped up, the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) waded into the matter and that again was not the issue. The real issue was/is the public reaction on social media, in particular, which created the impression that the ongoing investigation into the matter is much ado about nothing. There is even the claim that when the police visited the residence, no money was found and when the OSP did, huge sums of money which took investigators hours to count, were found. Again, this is telling even if it is untrue, in view of the power of perception. Negative signals In fact, the seeming consensus before the case could be concluded is that it will amount to nothing; she will be exonerated. This sends a dangerous signal that our institutions are not working; yet, we know that she could possibly have genuinely earned the money. If this is true, we have a case to deal with. Similarly, we have a case to deal with if these perceptions are meritorious. If for nothing, both send a negative signal to the investor community, which could deny the state many investors. Rome, they say was not built in a day. Yes, it certainly was not. Could it be that an accumulated public mistrust of our justice system has reached its peak? Could it also be that the public does not appreciate the workings of the justice system; hence, this impression? Is it also the case that the justice system has actually demonstrated partiality all these years? Well, if the latter is true, then the Chief Justice, the Inspector General of Police, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, the Attorney-General Department, and related institutions need to revise their notes. This revision does not suggest that they are doing something diabolically wrong. It could as well mean that they have not conscientise the public about their workings. Our democracy could be backsliding through their actions and inactions. They must work against the real or perceived impression that they are inside the pockets of the ruling political elites or the bourgeoisie class. Sustenance of democracy Democracy is about the people; hence, the people must be carried along all the time. The frontline actors of our body politic must know that they hold the key to the sustenance of our democracy. They must also appreciate the fact that the collective interest of the State is superior to any individual, religious, ethnic or ideological persuasion. After 30 years of sustained democracy under the fourth Republican Constitution and having successfully earned the accolade of being the beacon of hope in Africa, sub of the Sahara, as far as democracy is concerned, Ghana has to up its game. Certainly, if it emerges that even independent institutions of the state are under the whims and caprices of the politician, then we are in for a long haul. Of what use is expertise in specialised institutions with competently trained individuals when a phone call can make all the expertise useless? Surely, there is a question to answer. Swimming against the tide is surely a herculean task but the end, they say, justifies the means. Yes, we know that it takes courageous individuals to undo wrongs in society. The state must continuously take an interest in investigating the source of the money of public and private individuals. It is the case that many people in Ghana do many things, including the acquisition of property without a clear indication of the source of their wealth. This is critical because every money earned and used for transactions benefits the state in the form of taxes. Let us not create the impression that the law works but that, it largely, depends on your status in society. The OSP is encouraged to use the cases pending to dissuade the wrong perception that the big fishes are untouchable. The masses should also be optimistic that things can be done right tomorrow even if they were done in the wrong way yesterday. We have no choice but to work with our state institutions. They surely, like all of us, have shortcomings, but perfection can be attained with our collective support and measured criticisms. The writer is a lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Education, Winneba Who depends on leadership? Dag Heward-Mills Opinion Jul - 29 - 2023 , 08:06 Everyone depends on leadership! Leadership is an art! Leadership can be learned! Just as the ability to write and read is a secular skill that needs to be learned, so is leadership. Without the knowledge and skills of leadership, your ministry is going nowhere. Nations and communities depend on their leadership. A nation without a leader is cursed! Truly, every nation rises and falls based on its leaders. For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water. The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient. The captain of the fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and everyone by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable. When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and to destroy the way of thy paths. Isaiah 3:1-7,12 In the scriptures above, God talked about taking away all kinds of leaders from the community and leaving it leaderless. The Almighty God knows this principle very well: No leader, no progress! No leader, no development! No leader, no blessing! No leader, no deliverance! God knew that the community would fall into judgment if he removed leaders from their midst. This is because everything rises and falls on leadership. The Almighty God was unleashing one of the most terrible punishments anyone, nation or group of people could ever have to have no leaders! If you look closely at this Scripture, you will see that God was predicting the removal of every type of leader from the community. Every family depends on leadership. A family becomes rich or poor depending on leadership. One of the most severe judgements that God gave to His people was the removal of all kinds of leaders. As you know, nature abhors a vacuum. And in place of real leaders, Jehovah predicted the rise of bogus leadership. And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them Instead of fathers taking up their role of leading, children would have to lead the way. These children and babies represent incapable and useless leaders. A baby cannot rule his bowels; how much more rule a nation? The church depends on its leadership. A church without a true leader is truly pathetic! In the Church, the lack of true leadership gives rise to the proliferation of sin and evil-doers, as well as false church leaders. The lack of real leaders in a church causes many people to lose their souls, die and go to hell. How can this be? A real leader in the church will lead the congregation to win souls and do missionary work. Whenever the churchs leadership stops concerning itself with the lost and dying souls, false religions creep in and take over. Almost every bad situation within the church can be attributed to the lack of a good leader. Church splits and scandals are often the result of a lack of strong leadership. The Scripture we read above tells us how God was going to judge the land by taking away its leaders. Churches rise and fall on leadership. With a good, strong leader, a church will grow into a mega church. With bad leadership, churches dont go anywhere even if the pastor is very anointed. You sometimes see an anointed minister who has bad leadership qualities. His ministry usually falls into chaos because of bad leadership qualities. Think about this: the Lord doth take away the mighty man, the man of war, the judge, the prophet, the prudent, the ancient, the captain of fifty, the honourable man, the eloquent orator If you study this list closely, you will come to the frightening realisation that the community is left without anyone who can lead the people in any aspect. Pastors, politicians, senior citizens and wise people were taken away. This is what I call a headless society. May God have mercy on us! Include Hepatitis B treatment in NHIS Dr Betty Attafuah Joshua Bediako Koomson Jul - 29 - 2023 , 09:04 The Medical Director of MedTech Medical Centre, Dr Betty Attafuah, has called for the inclusion of Hepatitis B treatment in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to help reduce the spread of the infection in the country. She said the treatment and management of the disease, which was currently not under the scheme, was preventing many people from getting access to treatment. Pregnant women, who are positive, are supposed to receive a vaccine and when they deliver, the baby is supposed to receive a vaccine within 12 hours to protect it from being a chronic carrier, but that vaccine is about GH1,000 and not everyone can afford it. So we are hoping that NHIS will inculcate the vaccine in the scheme so that it will be easy to get it, the director said. Dr Attafuah made the call at the Head Office of the Graphic Communication Group Limited (GCGL) in Accra yesterday, after a free hepatitis B screening exercise for staff of the company by the medical facility as part of activities to commemorate the World Hepatitis Day. Screening About 80 staff were screened for the disease. The MedTech staff earlier administered a questionnaire to gauge the level of awareness, after which Dr Attafuah made a presentation on the disease. The day is marked on July 28 every year to coincide with the birthday of Dr Baruch Blumberg, an American physician credited with discovering the disease in 1967. He also developed the hepatitis B vaccine two years later in 1969. The disease, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can also cause both acute and chronic infections. When the infection lasts for more than six months, it can develop into chronic Hepatitis B, which can lead to chronic inflammation of the liver cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), liver cancer or failure. The virus is spread through contact with body fluids of an infected person such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids and saliva. Symptoms of the disease include abdominal pain, dark urine, fever, joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, weakness, fatigue, yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. Medical researchers had identified five main viral classifications of hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. A different virus is responsible for each type of viral hepatitis. A 2022 Report by WHO indicates that nearly 296 million people are chronically infected with the disease, with an annual mortality of 820,000. In Africa alone, about 60 million people are estimated to have hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection (WHO, 2020), and a higher proportion of these people reside in central and western Africa (WHO, 2017). In Ghana, 12.3 per cent of the population have hepatitis B, and it is estimated that 3,000 people contract the disease every day. Advice Dr Attafuah advised people to go for screening to know their status to prevent its spread. She cautioned against the unbridled use of herbal medications, especially those that had not undergone the required tests and a complete cessation of alcoholism which is one of the causes of the disease. Founders' Day: August 4, 2023, declared public holiday Kweku Zurek Jul - 28 - 2023 , 15:00 The Ministry of the Interior in Ghana has officially declared Friday, August 4, 2023, as a Statutory Public Holiday in honour of Founders' Day. This day will be observed throughout the country as a day of significance and remembrance. Founders' Day holds historical importance in Ghana as it marks the contributions of successive generations of Ghanaians who played pivotal roles in liberating the country from colonial rule. The decision to designate this day as a public holiday was part of a broader initiative by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who proposed amendments to the Public Holiday Act in 2018. The Public Holidays Amendment Bill, 2018, which was presented by Minister of the Interior, Ambrose Dery, led to the cancellation of three existing public holidays and introduced two new holidays. As a result, Founders' Day was designated on August 4, while September 21 was set aside as a memorial day for Ghana's first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, in recognition of his significant role in the fight for Ghana's independence on March 6. The three holidays affected by this amendment were the Republic Holiday, previously observed on July 1, the African Union (AU) Holiday, observed on May 25, and the original Founders' Day, which fell on Kwame Nkrumah's birthday, September 21. According to the bill's explanation, August 4 was chosen to replace Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day because it holds historical significance as the day when Ghana's independence movement began in 1947. On this date, Ghanaian patriots such as George Alfred Grant, J.B. Danquah, R.A. Awoonor-Williams, Edward Akufo-Addo, Ebenezer Ako Adjei, and various chiefs formed the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC). The UGCC was founded on the principles of the Fante Confederacy of 1868 and the Aboriginal Rights Protection Society of 1897, with a shared mission of achieving Ghana's independence. While Founders' Day has been established as an official public holiday, two opposition political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Convention People's Party (CPP), have indicated that they might consider scrapping the holiday if they come into power. Govt urged to place premium on health issues Delali Sika Jul - 29 - 2023 , 14:11 The government has been urged to place health at the heart of economic and national development agendas. An Associate Professor and Health Economist at the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon, Justice Nonvignon, who made the call, explained that health was not merely a social good. It is an investment with quantifiable returns. When we take ownership of health, it reduces donor reliance. It is crucial that Africa takes charge of her health and prioritises it, we need to rethink and boldly act, he said. Prof. Nonvignon, who is the first Professor of Health Economics at a University in Ghana, was speaking at his inaugural lecture with the title: The Pursuit of Health amid Scarcity: Economics, Health and the Romance in-between Domestic resources He said there was an urgent need to find an innovative way to finance Africas health from domestic resources, stressing that, health is our healthline. Lets take bold, innovative and collective action to raise domestic resources for health. We must help ourselves, relying on what is outside cannot solve all of our problems, he said. Resources Nonetheless, he said, generating resources in-house would be tough for policy makers stressing that it had to be done to help finance development. But if we can be bold and raise between $1 and $5 depending on origin and destination, on airline taxes, in five years, Africa can raise over $2 billion. This should be enough to finance some of our critical health problems, he said. Prof. Nonvignon, also the Associate Editor for BMC Health Services Research, noted that one of the major obstacles the health sector was facing in terms of financing was the debt crisis. The burden of interest payment, we spend more money annually servicing debts than spending on critical investment such as health. We honour debts and its obligations, over social spending and often, it is health that suffers. This jeopardises prosperity for humans and plants, he said. Furthermore, Professor Nonvignon said although the government proposed expenditure on health had increased over the years, what was promised in the budget often never got released. Green Building Research Conference ends in Accra; Stakeholders champion green initiatives Beatrice Laryea Jul - 29 - 2023 , 14:04 Researchers, academicians, politicians and industrial professionals from across Africa have converged on the Noguchi Conference Hall of the University of Ghana, Legon, for the 2nd edition of the Green Building Research Conference. The two-day conference, organised by the Applied Research Conference in Africa (ARCA), is meant to provide opportunities for participants to exchange new ideas and apply experiences face-to-face to establish business and research relations as well as finding partners for future collaborations. It is also aimed at mobilising support for the roll-out of Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Human Settlements (STI4SHS) roadmap and advancing an African green building and development agenda. Conference Opening the conference last Thursday, the Chairman of ARCA Scientific Committee, Ghana, Prof. Joseph Nnamdi Mojeku, said the conference had become imperative in view of the devastating effects of climate change and global warming all over the world. He added that the roles of science, technology and innovation in ushering in new green initiatives and sustainable human settlements were crucial and in tandem with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. I am proud to announce that this conference is being conducted along with the cooperation of Nelson Mandela University, CSIR South Africa, National Building Regulatory as well as South Africa and Ghana Green Building Council, which have been in the forefront of the struggle to advance an African Green Building Development. Prof. Mojeku, who is also a lecturer of Social Statistics at the University of Lagos, explained further that green building was energy efficient, resource efficient and environmentally responsible, saying such buildings were designed and constructed in line with green principles with a view to reducing or eliminating the adverse impacts on the occupants and the environment. It is my hope and belief that the communique arising from this conference will bring to the fore solutions on how to advance an African green building initiative and development agenda in the areas of green buildings and environment as well as habitable human settlement in both the rural and urban communities in Africa, Prof. Mojeku said. Government vision In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Dr Kwaku Afriyie, said it was the vision of the government that implementation efforts geared towards national aspirations were driven by Science, Technology and Innovation. The minister added that Science, Technology and Innovation had been placed at the centre of the countrys industrialisation agenda and had become the fulcrum around which national development revolved. Indeed, the President believes that this should be the vision for the entire continent of Africa, the statement read further. Enhancing research The minister also acknowledged the discussions on supporting and enhancing research commercialisation, publications, patents, technology transfer, ownership, reaching markets, industry-science-academia collaboration and the sense of excellence in science. The good news is that our institutions have taken bold steps to step up efforts in these areas and I am challenging academia, research, technology and industry private sector to do more, he said. PHOTOS: Ghana Police joins retired detective to celebrate 90th birthday Zadok Kwame Gyesi Jul - 29 - 2023 , 08:49 Members of the Police Management Board, led by the Inspector-General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, Friday [July 28, 2023] joined one of its retired detectives, Superintendent Kofi Agyei (Rtd.), to celebrate his 90th birthday. Mr. Kofi Agyei, who is described as an accomplished detective by the Police Service, joined the service in August 1954. He was born at Assin Akonfudi in the Central Region on July 28,1933. During his active service, the retired detective worked at various places, including Sekondi, Kumasi, Sampa, Sunyani, Tepa, Kumasi Zongo, Mampong and the CID Headquarters. He entered the Police College in 1978 and was awarded as the Best Cadet Officer for Course 17. He rose through the ranks and retired in the year 1988 as a Superintendent of Police with an unblemished record. He received two High Commendation Awards for investigations during his time in the Service. Tema youth urges dialogue to address fishers, Port Authority furore Zadok Kwame Gyesi Jul - 29 - 2023 , 18:22 The Tema Youth Association, a youth group in the Tema Metropolis of the Greater Accra Region, has urged stakeholders in the area to use dialogue in resolving the cause of the recent canoe accident that led to the death of two fishermen. The group has further called on the relevant authorities to engage in dialogue with the fishing community to address their concerns and work collaboratively towards improved safety measures on the waters. We believe that effective communication and cooperation between the maritime authorities and the fishing community is vital to fostering a safer and more secure environment for all stakeholders, the group said. The call was made in a statement signed and issued yesterday by the General Secretary of the Association, Marcus Larbie. Two fishermen from Tema died at sea in the early hours of last Thursday, sparking a furore between fishers and port authorities over what caused their death. The fishers, mostly from Tema Manhean (Newtown), claimed the two were part of 12 members who were on a ritual Homowo fishing expedition, when a patrol boat from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) rammed into their canoe at the Tema Port anchorage, causing it to capsize. But the GPHA denied that assertion, saying no such incident happened at sea. The Association commended the Tema Metropolitan Security Committee (MESEC) and the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Yohanne Amarh Ashitey, for setting up a five-member committee to probe the circumstances that led to the incident. We understand that the Mayor of Tema is investigating the incident to determine the cause and circumstances surrounding the collision, whereas the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Tema East Constituency has tailored a written request before Parliament seeking national attention on this matter and evoking legislative sanctions to carry out further investigations and recommendations, the statement said Transparency The association said as the public awaited the findings of the investigative committee, it would encourage all relevant authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent inquiry to ascertain accountability and ensure that measures were put in place to prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring. The canoe, Adesa Na Ohetsui, which translates: Man be patient, was carrying 12 fishermen, who were on a Homowo ritual fishing expedition with the backing of the Tema Traditional Council. The statement said the traditional festival of Homowo held immense cultural significance for the people of Tema, adding that it was time for celebration and unity when members of the community come together to commemorate their heritage and give thanks for a bountiful harvest season. It added that the two fishermen, who were among the 12 onboard the canoe, were entrusted with the task of providing fish for the festival by the Chief Fishermen; they were dedicated individuals known for their commitment to preserving and upholding our cultural practices. The group said losing the two members of the community, especially in such tragic circumstances, was an immeasurable loss that would be felt deeply throughout the community. The group, however, encouraged everyone in the community to come together to offer the needed support and stand in solidarity with the families affected by this tragedy during these challenging times. It's so hot in Phoenix, even the cars are jumping into pools to cool down! This morning, a blue Tesla crashed into a pool in north Phoenix. Luckily, it appears nobody was hurt. AZ Family reports: Video from Arizona's Family news drone shows the blue sedan appeared to have crashed into a brick wall before landing fully submerged in a backyard pool in a neighborhood just off 35th Avenue and Beardsley Road. Details are still extremely limited, but footage showed a child's car seat also in the water. The homeowner told Arizona's Family that he was getting ready for the day when he heard a loud noise from his recently-removed backyard. "I heard a sound that sounded like an explosion" the homeowner said. "It sounded like a bomb off." At this time, there are no reports of injuries and it's not yet known what led up to the crash. Upper East GJA launches 2nd awards Gilbert Mawuli Agbey Jul - 29 - 2023 , 15:33 The Upper East Regional chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has launched the second edition of its awards at a brief ceremony. The maiden edition of the awards was held in 2019; but since then, the leadership of the GJA was unable to subsequently organise the awards to reward best performing and distinguished journalists in the region owing to circumstances beyond them. The event, which is slated for October 6, 2023, will be on the theme: Safeguarding the peace and security of the Upper East Region: the role of the media. Categories Categories for the awards include Journalist of the Year, Agriculture Reporting, Child Protection, Human Rights, Water and Sanitation, Conflict Reporting, Environmental Health and Gender. The rest are Disability Reporting, Sports, Best Radio Station, Tourism and Culture, Best Radio Programme and some honorary awards to some personalities. As part of the event, a three-member committee chaired by a former Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies, Professor David Millar, was inaugurated to receive entries and select the winners of the various awards categories. Other members of the committee are a senior Journalist and Communication Lecturer at the Bolgatanga Technical University, Samuel Akapule, and the Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Jalaldeen Abdulai. Huge task At the event last Thursday, the Regional GJA Chairman, William Nlanjerbor Jalulah, reminded colleague journalists of the huge task they had to ensure peace and security in the region for the benefit of all. He urged them to be professional in reporting on conflict and conflict-related issues, saying If we must report on any conflict, let us cross-check our information well to safeguard the peace and unity in the region. It is better not to report on matters you are not sure about the accuracy of the information than to report and mislead the public because the consequences of such action could be dire, he said. On violent extremism, he urged the media to alert the security agencies of any suspicious activities of such people for immediate action to be taken and noted that if the media rushed to report on such activities, the perpetrators would re-strategise and relocate to carry out their evil acts. Further, he appealed to corporate bodies and institutions to come on board and support the association to recognise and honour hardworking and well-deserving journalists in the region. Working together Launching the awards, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Bolgatanga, Rex Asanga, commended the journalists for working together with duty-bearers towards the development of the region. He mentioned that the theme for the event was intriguing since aside from internal conflicts, the region had to contend with rebels in Burkina Faso which shared a border with some communities in the region. He underscored the huge role the media had in protecting the relative peace in the region for the benefit of the people, saying As the fourth estate of the realm, you have an utmost responsibility to guard the peace of the region and the nation as a whole. While congratulating the media on the good job done over the years, he urged them to overcome the challenging environment in which they work and continue to sacrifice to propel the growth of the region. The Chairman of the Upper East Regional Media Advisory Committee of the National Media Commission, Robert Ajene, who chaired the event, advised media practitioners against reporting on issues they had a personal interest in, as they would obviously support either of the sides. He entreated journalists to fully examine the information available to them before reporting on them to the public, stressing I wish to call upon the media to be circumspect in their profession, as information not well-examined is not worth sharing. Lay Conduct of Public Officers Bill in Parliament - Anti-corruption bodies entreat govt Daily Graphic Politics Jul - 29 - 2023 , 09:10 Two anti-corruption bodies have entreated the government to fast track the laying of the Conduct of Public Officers Bill before Parliament for immediate passage into law to strengthen the countrys asset declaration regime. The bill includes provisions for amendment of an existing Asset Declaration Act. They claimed that the conduct of public officers bill had been before Cabinet for more than a year with no clear commitment to have it laid before Parliament for consideration and passage. The call by the two organisations the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) comes after a similar call by a pressure group, OccupyGhana. This was contained in a press statement issued by the two organisations in Accra. Reference The call is in relation to the recent news of alleged theft of substantial amounts of money and personal effects of a former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, and her husband. The alleged stolen money included $1 million, 300,000, and unspecified millions of Ghana cedis. The alleged theft has since sparked debate on various social and traditional media platforms with many people expressing concern about the source and the intended use of the money. Investigations The organisations, however, said no matter how regrettable the alleged theft by the workers was, questions of the source of the money were legitimate and must be investigated by various competent authorities. Much as we applaud the announced resignation of Madam Cecilia Dapaah, it seems unconscionable to think of a public officer and a renowned political personality keeping such colossal amounts of money outside of the banking sector. This is why the news of Madam Cecilia Dapaahs swift arrest and subsequent investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) must be commended, even as we ask for transparency in the investigations, the statement added. The organisations also called for protection of the two house helps named in the case since they served as prime witnesses to the unfolding narrative. Law enactment The statement further called for the strengthening of the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 2003 (Act 646), to provide for a reverse burden of proof in addressing illicit enrichment. What this case brings to the fore is that the time has come for the government to enact laws that will strengthen the Criminal Offences, Act 1960 (Act 29) and other anti- corruption laws to include reverse burden of proof in addressing illicit enrichment. We strongly urge the President to take a decisive action in addressing alleged corruption cases and back his rhetoric on fighting corruption in the country with action by expelling the popular perception of interferences in corruption investigations involving persons in government, it said. With a vision of a stronger and more transparent government, nine members of the 37th Guam Legislature passed Bill Number 7-37 on Friday. According to Sen. Chris Duenas, the author of the bill, this is one step closer to a balance of executive powers as it would allow for the legislature to approve or deny the governors request to renew or terminate a declaration of a state of public health emergency. I am grateful to my esteemed colleagues for their invaluable support in advancing this bill through collaborative floor amendments and discussion, said Duenas. This exemplifies the essence of our mission: working together, transcending through party lines, and accomplishing tasks that foster an open and transparent government! Reflecting on past experiences with Bill 11-36, Sen. Duenas maintained an optimistic outlook and was resolute in his belief that history will not repeat itself. With confidence, Sen. Duenas urges the governor to demonstrate her leadership by swiftly signing Bill 7-37 into Guam law, stated Duenas office. Harsher punishment for unlawful gun use Also on Friday, Bill 79-37, which addressed a minimum of an additional ten-year imprisonment that can go up to 25 years for those who commit a felony with an unlawful firearm, was also duly passed nearly unanimously by fourteen of the senators. Sen. William Parkinson was the sole senator to voice disapproval. On July 25, he noted that due to wanting to normalize responsible gun ownership, he feared that the bill could produce a cooling effect of a ten-year minimum felony sentence. He also stated that the escalation must include all weapons, not just guns. I feel it sends the wrong message that we are an anti-gun community, and that is not a community that I think we should be encouraging. To address this, Sens. Frank Blas, Thomas Fisher, and Dwayne T.D. San Nicolas introduced Bill 153-37 the next day with the same intentions as Bill 79-37, but the bill will also include explosive devices, such as bombs and grenades. In the discussion of a bill that enhances the penalty for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, we realized that there existed no such enhancement if an explosive was used while committing a crime, said Blas. For the sake of being proactive as opposed to reacting should an incident again occur, Sens. Fisher, San Nicolas, and I saw it best that we introduce this bill with the hope it will dissuade an individual from carrying out an offense using explosives. Bill Nos. 28-37, 65-37, 92-37, 93-37, and 144-37 were all also passed by the legislative body. The seven bills have proceeded to the Office of the Governor of Guam for Gov. Lou Leon Guerreros approval. To conclude Fridays session, five nominations to government boards or agencies received unanimous support by all 15 senators and were duly confirmed: Christine Baleto to serve as a member of the Guam Education Board of Directors as a representative of an Upper Level Management Position in Private Business Simone E.P. Bollinger to serve as a member of the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency Board of Directors as a Literature Representative Evangeline M. Cepeda to serve as a member of the Guam Academy Charter Schools Council Monica Okada Guzman to serve as a member of the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency Board of Directors Michelle C. Perez to serve as director of the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities The 37th Guam legislature will next meet on July 31 in an emergency session at 11 a.m. for educational matters. The Pacific Association of Radiation Survivors praised a Senate amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that would include Guam Downwinders in Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. The Senate approved the amendment, sponsored by Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Mike Crapo of Idaho, by a 61-37 vote. While the original RECA program only covered individuals who lived in parts of Utah, Nevada and Arizona, the amendment expands downwinder eligibility to include then-residents of Guam, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and areas near St. Louis, Missouri. That allows people from those jurisdictions affected by radiation exposure to apply for compensation. It also extends the program for 19 years, expands the program to include uranium mining workers through 1990 and expands the use of affidavits in determining eligibility claims. Robert Celestial, who heads the Pacific survivor group, has been working for decades to expand coverage to those who suffer from radiation-related illnesses on Guam as a result of exposure from 1946 to 1962. This is the farthest weve come and praise the lord almighty, Celestial said. Hawley said the amendment we are about to vote on is simple. It is about basic justice, compensating the victims for what the federal government has done. He said the extension of RECA is to take care of those who have suffered from the governments negligence, and by suffering I mean sickness and death. Lujan said many are not aware of the collateral damage of the nations nuclear testing, those who sacrificed for national security. Downwinders, those affected by these tests, deserve to be compensated for the effects of these weapons, Crapo added. The Senate and the House of Representatives must now work together to reconcile their versions of the National Defense Authorization Act. The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant recently launched the 2023 National Science Foundations Navigating Home Early-Career Fellowship Program, according to a news release from the university. The program is designed to encourage local students with advanced degrees in marine, environmental, or sustainability sciences to return to Guam and contribute their expertise to the local workforce. Alongside climate change, the exit of local talent has been identified as a contributing factor to population declines in U.S. territories like Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, according to the 2020 Census. UOG CIS and Sea Grant, along with partners in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, launched the Navigating Home program. Were empowering our future, one homecoming at a time, said Austin Shelton, director of the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant. Our capacity-building program unlocks the potential of our students and reverses the brain drain, bringing them back home to Guam where they will lead the way towards a prosperous future. Thanks to the National Science Foundations $7.5 million funding, the five-year program will provide opportunities to 68 fellows and 68 professionals from Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some $2.17 million goes directly to UOG. Young professionals can apply for early-career fellowships at UOG or in local government agencies. They will receive a $45,000 annual salary and airfare to come home to Guam. Morgan Leon Guerrero, a fellow in the National Science Foundations Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science program, participated in a pilot Navigating Home program in 2022. Previously, she had to leave Guam to pursue a masters in sustainability solutions at Arizona State University. Through the Navigating Home Early-Career Fellowship, she was able to work with the Guam Energy Office on energy transition grants. Leaving the island was necessary for my masters program, but its always in the back of my mind to come back and do something for the island and really give back, Leon Guerrero said. During a recent launch event, incoming UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez recognized the outflow of talent as many UOG graduates have sought career opportunities beyond Guam. She voiced optimism the Navigating Home program will help attract, retain, and empower more individuals to contribute their talents on the island. As we think of students and graduates who call Guam home who dont want to leave and who are looking for opportunities I think this is a beautiful model that we can replicate across other sectors the social sciences, health care, education, and so forth, Enriquez said. Several government agencies have joined as program partners, including Guam Energy Office, Guam Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Statistics and Plans, Guam Coastal Management Program, Guam Department of Agriculture, and Guam Department of Administration. The next fellowship period is from August 2023 to July 2024. Applications are now open. Interested individuals can access the application form through this link: https://rb.gy/fn0wi. Angry Rep. Derrick Van Orden (QWI) blew a gasket late last night when he spotted teenagers lying on the ground in the Rotunda to pose for a photo during their last week as Senate pages. "Get the fuck up off the floor!" he shouted, calling the high school students a bunch of "jackasses" and "lazy shits," according to The Washington Post. The unapologetic Van Orden later admitted to the Post that yes, he certainly did admonish the pages, because "our nation's Capitol is a symbol of the sacrifice our servicemen and women have made for this country and should never be treated like a frat house common room." Funny, coming from the MAGA man who marched from Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally to the Capitol on Jan. 6 to support the insurrectionists who broke into the Rotunda to do a lot more than simply take selfies. And funny, coming from a Congressman who had just been partying with a group of constituents in his office, leaving it littered with alcohol bottles that covered a table and filled a trashcan. (See image below, posted by Max Cohen.) Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, for one, was disgusted with the unhinged gentleman, calling him "utterly despicable." From Washington Post: Senate pages are typically high school students who have a number of responsibilities assisting with the day-to-day operations at the Capitol, including shuttling material within the halls of Congress and acting as support staff. When the Senate continues its work late into the night, as it did Wednesday evening, pages are known to rest in the Rotunda which is midway between the House and Senate chambers. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) addressed the incident during remarks on the Senate floor Thursday evening. "The pages can help make this place run smoothly. They're here when we need them, and they have served this institution with grace. However, I understand that late last night a member of the House majority thought it appropriate to curse at some of these young people, these teenagers, in the Rotunda," Schumer said, adding that he was both shocked to hear about the incident and shocked to hear that Van Orden refused to apologize. Schumer later told reporters that both he and McConnell spoke to the Senate pages Thursday night. The majority leader called Van Orden "utterly despicable" and called him "a terrible outlier." Even Van Orden's own party was disgusted with him, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy telling reporters he was "shocked" and planned on having a word with Van Orden. From The Hill: Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Friday said he plans to talk to Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) about his expletive-laced confrontation with teenage Senate pages early Thursday morning. A transcript written by a page minutes after the incident, and obtained by The Hill, recalled Van Orden calling a group of 16- and 17-year-old pages "jackasses" and "pieces of s" for lying in the Capitol rotunda early Thursday morning. The rotunda is a common spot for pages to relax when Senate business goes late. Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday that he was "shocked" when he heard about the incident. "I am further shocked at his refusal to apologize to these young people," Schumer said. McConnell said he agreed with Schumer. "Everybody on this side of the aisle feels exactly the same way," McConnell said on the Senate floor. Per a source, here's a photo from last night of a bunch of alcohol in Van Orden's office. Van Orden and staff were heard partying loudly before he cursed out a group of teenage Senate pages pic.twitter.com/W6KF35nfWt Max Cohen (@maxpcohen) July 27, 2023 The story was first published in Punchbowl News. Haiti - FLASH migration : The USA will accept asylum applications from Haitians in Mexico On Friday, July 28, 2023, in an effort to clear the border on the Mexican side, the United States Government announced that it will accept asylum applications from nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela that are already in Mexico. The announcement is the result of an agreement with the Mexican government that comes days after a meeting between a US delegation and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. . As part of the agreement, President Obrador promised to create a "multipurpose international space" in southern Mexico (without giving details) to provide new asylum and employment options for the country's most vulnerable people, said the White House without specifying what this "space" will consist of. Earlier this month, the Joe Biden administration had already offered Lopez Obrador a new immigration program to ease the migratory pressure that the Mexican government has been facing for several years. To seek asylum in the United States, anyone must prove that they face persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social or ethnic specific group. Currently, the main way to apply for asylum in the United States is through a mobile application called "CBP One", which allows you to make an appointment with US authorities to submit an asylum claim. This app only offers 1,250 appointments per day, which means the available places fill up quickly. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39328-haiti-flash-haitian-asylum-applications-in-mexico-could-exceed-52-000-in-2023.html SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - FLASH Brazil : Explosion in an agro-industrial cooperative at least 8 dead including 7 Haitians Jean Victor Geneus, the Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs informs that a series of explosions occurred this week in the 2nd largest agro-industrial cereal cooperative in Brazil, located in the State of Parana (Southern Brazil) more precisely in the municipality of Palotina on the border with Argentina and Paraguay, caused 8 confirmed deaths, including 7 Haitian nationals. In addition, the Parana firefighters in a press release report 11 injured including 9 seriously "There was an explosion in the main cereal drying silo, which triggered a second and a third explosion in two others" declared Tiago Zajac, Spokesperson of the firefighters of Parana. At the time of the explosion, the victims were in a tunnel that connects different parts of the silo. The smoke caused by the fire was visible from several kilometers away and the windows of the houses near the cooperative were shattered... A statement from C. Vale, owner of the Cooperative said that the causes of this incident have not yet been identified and are under investigation. The Parana Civil Police identified the Haitians among the deceased victims : Michelet LOUIS (41 years old) Jean Michee JOSEPH (29 years old) Jena Ronald CALIX (24 years old) Donald SAINT-CYR (30 years old) Reginald GERAD (53 years old) Eugene METELLUS Wicken CELESTIN (55 years old) "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs bows respectfully before the remains of these brave compatriots and presents, on behalf of the Haitian Government, its most heartfelt condolences to the members of their family, their friends and the entire Haitian community in Brazil. The Chancellery salutes the diligence of the Brazilian authorities [...]" The Embassy of Haiti in Brazil learned with sadness of the death of 7 Haitian workers and several injured in the explosion of an agro-industrial cooperative in Palotina "Our team is already mobilized to support families in this difficult time." S/ HaitiLibre Login or sign up to follow actresses, movies & dramas and get specific updates and news Login Sign Up New Ad-free Subscriber Login Email Password Password Username Subscribe to our daily NewsLetter Your E-mail will only be used to retrieve a lost password or receive our NewsLetter. Stay logged in Lost password Contact Published on 2023/07/28 | Source New poster added for the upcoming Korean movie "A Man of Reason" (2021) Advertisement Directed by Jung Woo-sung With Jung Woo-sung, Kim Nam-gil, Park Sung-woong, Kim Jun-han, Park Yoo-na, Lee Elijah,... Formerly known as "The Protector" on HanCinema Synopsis After 10 years in the prison on behalf of his boss, Soo-hyeok is released, but the boss doubts his loyalty. When Soo-hyeok visits his long-abandoned girlfriend, he finds out that he, now, is a father of young girl. He wants to cut ties with the gang, but the boss is not ready to release him, and hires a notorious killer. The killer takes the daughter as hostage, and Soo-hyeok decides to take revenge in a way that he`s best at; a violence. Release date in Korea : 2023/08/15 Published on 2023/07/28 | Source New poster added for the upcoming Korean movie "Hail to Hell" (2022) Advertisement Directed by Lim Oh-jeong With Oh Woo-ri, Bang Hyo-rin, Jung Yi-ju, Park Sung-hoon, Lee Joo-won-I,... Synopsis Wait, this isn't what we expected, should we change the plan? Na-mi and Seon-woo, the outcasts in school, plan to commit suicide instead of going to the school trip. On the moment of success, they find out that the girl, Chae-rin, who made their lives miserable is living a new happy life in Seoul. So, they decide to make revenge before ending their lives. However, when they finally spot Chae-rin, they see a good-hearted girl in front of them which makes their plans go awry. But something seems to be strange about the religious institution she's staying in and they start to think whether they should save Chae-rin from this weird place. Release date in Korea : 2023/08/16 If you suspect that COVID's still around (spoiler alert: you're right), but don't have any idea where to find data (since so many places that used to provide data have stopped), here are some resources that I've found helpful. Probably the best source of data, currently, is Biobot Analytics' COVID-10 wastewater analysis charts. They explain: This chart shows the SARS-CoV-2 virus concentration present in samples of wastewater taken from across the United States. The level of virus in wastewater is a leading indicator, meaning it precedes the change in clinical case counts or hospitalizations. I also learn a lot from the YouTube channel "Data Report," which provides a daily update of any available COVID-19 data, including Biobot's wastewater data, the Walgreens COVID-19 Index, and more. I also frequently visit the Zero Covid Community on Reddit, where folks share data, articles and research about COVID and Long COVID, and more. The People's CDC is also a good place for COVID-19 information, via their weekly Covid Weather Reports. If you're in Canada, some folks in the Zero Covid Community Reddit group have recommended Dr. Tara Moriarty and her COVID-19 Resources Canada website. Finally, if you're still on Twitter (I literally ONLY stay for the COVID-19 resources), below are some of the folks I followthey share data on cases and variants, research studies about COVID and Long COVID, and resources about clean air and ventilation, masking, and more. Of course, I have to provide this obligatory disclaimer that I'm not endorsing any of these people as infallible nor providing medical advice. I'm simply sharing some resources that I've personally found useful and that I believe help keep me COVID-informed: Grame_0, Tern, Jess, Don Ford, Laura Miers, Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, Nate Bear, Dr. Eric Topol, Michael Olesen, Dr. Stephen Griffin, Dr. Aris Katzourakis, T Ryan Gregory, the Corsi-Rosenthal Foundation, Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, Michael Hicks, Alex Meshkin, Dr. Eric Walsh-Buhi, Laurie Allee, Dr. AJ Leonardi, and Dr. Raj Rajnarayanan. From what I've gathered, COVID-19 cases are currently on the rise across the United States so please stay safe, folks! Henderson County Life Rotary Club invites nonprofits to apply for Impact grants Four Seasons Rotary Club is inviting nonprofits to apply for Community Impact grants to fund projects that will make Henderson County a better place to live, work and raise a family. Read Story Hendersonville Your Town Who won the Vette raffle for Special Needs Sports? Donnie Jones and his brother Gary, the high sheriff, and Don Ward, the king of senior mens softball, laughed, joked and ribbed one another as each name was pulled from the bowl. Read Story Henderson County News County takes a mulligan on Ecusta Trail bids Henderson County will take another swing at signing a contractor to build the first six miles of the Ecusta Trail. Read Story Henderson County Sports Honeycrisps finish 27-13 in second season The Hendersonville Honeycrisps wrapped up their 2023 season as Old North State League Western Division Champions and lose in the semifinals of the league playoffs to a hot Clayton Clovers team. Read Story Chad McArdle, 40, is the police chief in Boston Heights, a nice suburb of Cleveland. Chad McArdle is also in jail in Florida after being arrested there and accused of beating up a homeless man. McArdle claimed to have been dragged into a vehicle and been stabbedand to have stabbed one of the claimed assailants with a stickbut had no injuries consistent with his quickly-changing story. But investigating officers did find someone with injuries at the locale. During the investigation, Key West Police officers located a local homeless man lying on the ground in the alleyway nearby. He told officers he was standing in the alley when he was kicked in the back by an unknown man. The homeless man fell to the ground, and the unknown man then kicked him in the back several times. Police walked the homeless man over to McArdle, and he positively identified McArdle as the person "who the subject attacked and battered in an alleyway for no apparent reason," police said. The homeless man told police he wanted to press charges. Paramedics provided medical assistance to him. The police report reiterated that they could find no evidence that proved McArdle's statements. It's not clear who called 911, but the implication seems to be that McArdle did in some harebrained 2 a.m. effort to get in front of what he'd done. Dear Reader, PREMIUM The Guest by Emma Cline(The Author) "I used to read so much, but nowadays I cant seem to get into a book," a friend sighs. It is a common complaint. Maybe you are stuck, for a month or more, struggling with worthy but weighty tomes - such as Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahnemann or The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan. Or maybe youve picked up a book you simply dont enjoy. Fear not. Give up the book you are stuck on, and try these five pacy books to snap you out of that reading slump. Book 1 of 5 Going Zero by Anthony McCarten(The Author) Going Zero starts with the US government teaming up with a brash young founder from Silicon Valley to create a surveillance program. But hold on, it's not your usual government thing; they invite ten regular citizens to dodge surveillance for a month. The stakes are sky-high, the plot is propulsive, and you'll be hooked from the start. Like in Hunted, the hit television series, the contestants must turn their digital devices off, cut ties with any known friends and family and disappear. If they do manage to evade detection for 30 days, they get a 3 million dollar reward. Author Anthony McCarten is a four-time Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, and it shows in his writing, which is crisp and action-packed, even if the plot gets a little implausible towards the end. Overall though, this tech thriller is exciting and thought-provoking, since much of the surveillance tactics in the book, are already a reality. Book 2 of 5 The Guest by Emma Cline (The Author) Fans of Inventing Anna will love The Guest. Meet Alex, a twenty-two-year-old master manipulator who infiltrates the world of New York's uber-rich. She is a thief, but I found myself rooting for her as she takes on the snobby rich, lying and stealing her way through Hamptons hedged lanes and gated driveways. Emma Cline's writing is fast-paced and reflective, and her thriller digs into the big issue of inequality, hitting close to home. Book 3 of 5 Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel(The Author) If you have ever been subjected to school and college admissions mania, Small Admissions is the book for you. Witty, snarky, and fast-paced, it tackles themes like meritocracy, sibling rivalry, and life choices, all while showing how our education systems perpetuate inequality. For more on this subject, read Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz, the story of an admissions office in Princeton. Both books are fabulous additions to an important debate of our times - that our education systems, meant to be a means of social and economic advancement, today simply reinforce existing inequalities. Small Admissions holds its own with critically lauded books like The Tyranny of Merit and After the Ivory Tower Falls. Book 4 of 5 Slay by Brittney Morris(The Author) For an edgy and action-packed tale, Slay is your go-to. It tells the story of Kiera, a black teenager, who inhabits two worlds. By day, she is a sincere student studying earnestly for college in a mostly white school, and by night, she is the creator and co-admin of a badass MMPORG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) for black people only. But when a young boy is killed, and a real-life troll threatens Kiera, her two worlds collide. This YA book has rapid-fire action, and it also explores white privilege, racial conflict, and social justice. The perfect follow to this is Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, a book that is also set in the world of video game developers, and which has been getting rave reviews from readers, including Bill Gates. Book 5 of 5 Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor(The Author) And finally, a murder mystery set in the murky badlands of North India. Age of Vice is a racy cocktail of political intrigue, predatory business deals and murder. I especially liked the compelling way fact and fiction mix. The rich and poor stories intertwine with a faithful fall guy servant trope - and in this book again, you see the catastrophic consequences of inequality and corruption. The action is fast-paced, even though it does meander in its second half. Still, overall, its a great read. Hope these racy pacy books rescue you from your reading slump. Save these for your next airplane read, or for when you are between non-fiction books. Next week I bring you recommendations of the best bookish podcasts. Until then, Happy reading and keep those pages turning! Sonya Dutta Choudhury is a Mumbai-based journalist and the founder of Sonyas Book Box, a bespoke book service. Each week, she brings you specially curated books to give you an immersive understanding of people and places. If you have any reading recommendations or suggestions, write to her at sonyasbookbox@gmail.com The views expressed are personal Experience unrestricted digital access with HT Premium Explore amazing offers on HT + Economist Start 14 Days Free Trial Already Subscribed? Sign In SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India and Britain could sign a free trade agreement (FTA) this year as both countries have reached consensus on the broad contours of the proposed deal aiming to boost economic growth and jobs, a top Indian trade ministry official said. Bilateral trade between India and the United Kingdom rose 16.6% year-on-year to $20.42 billion in the 2022/23 fiscal year ending in March.(Reuters) "We want to finalise the deal at the earliest," Sunil Barthwal, India's commerce secretary, told reporters on Friday. He said that on almost all contentious issues, negotiations were completed, and the deal could be signed "much before" the end of the year. New Delhi sees an FTA with Britain as crucial to hopes of becoming a bigger exporter, while the UK would obtain wider access for its whisky, premium cars and legal services. For India, an FTA with the UK would be its first with a developed country after it signed an interim trade pact with Australia last year. For Britain, it is part of a quest for diversified global trade relationships after its 2020 exit from the European Union. "While weve made good progress in closing chapters, were now focused on the high ambition areas including goods, services, and investment," a spokesperson for Britain's Department for Business and Trade said. "We are clear that we will only sign when we have a deal that is fair, balanced, and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy." It comes at a crucial time for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wants to solidify New Delhi's business-friendly image ahead of national elections early next year. The 11th round of talks was concluded recently in London during a visit by Barthwal and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. Out of the total 26 chapters in the FTA, discussions on 19 have been closed including issues related to the sensitive automobile sector, Barthwal said. However, the countries have yet to iron out differences on intellectual property rights, rules of origin and an investment treaty, separate trade ministry sources said. An agreement in principle has been reached on the issue of rules of investment but modalities are still being worked out by customs authorities of both countries, Barthwal said. "Nothing is final till everything is final," he said when asked about details of concessions India was offering to the UK, adding that the next round of negotiations will be held shortly. India is pushing for a "zero tariff" for textile, leather and other labour-intensive manufacturing sectors while Britain had sought tariff concessions in other areas, said Barthwal. Bilateral trade between India and the United Kingdom rose 16.6% year-on-year to $20.42 billion in the 2022/23 fiscal year ending in March. An 8-year-old boy, who reportedly went missing on July 27, was on Saturday traced to Bihar, police said. A minor missing from Ludhiana was traced from Biha. (HT FILE) The Sahnewal police station said that the missing boy was recovered from Samastipur district of Bihar. They said that the young boy managed to board a train and travelled all the way to Bihar on his own. Inspector Inderjeet Singh, SHO of Sahnewal police station, said that a complaint was lodged by Shiv Dayal Sahni of Dandhari Kalan when his 8-year-old son did not return home from school on July 27. The complainant alleged that the boy was kidnapped, and the parents submitted a CCTV footage showing two unidentified men accompanied by a minor boy riding a motorcycle and claimed the boy in the video to be his son. The police traced the men seen in the CCTV footage and recovered the boy. Later, the police found that the recovered boy was someone else, who was taking a ride on a bike with his relatives. The parents later contradicted themselves when the boy was presented to them for identification. Commissioner of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu said that the Sahnewal police station discovered that the boy did not attend school on the day of his disappearance. Further investigation revealed that the boy had boarded a train to Bihar, leading to his recovery from Samastipur. The identification of the child was confirmed through a video call by the boys parents, and he was subsequently handed over to his grandparents residing in Bihar. The police have initiated a fresh investigation to unearth the truth surrounding the case. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON PHOENIX (AP) By the time Aaliyah Ibarra started second grade, her family had moved five times in four years in search of stable housing. As she was about to start a new school, her mother, Bridget Ibarra, saw how much it was affecting her education. At 8 years old, her daughter did not know the alphabet. She was in second grade and couldnt tell me any of the letters. I would point them out and she didnt know," Bridget Ibarra said. "She would sing the song in order, but as soon as I mixed them up, she had no idea. I just didnt know what letters were which, says Aaliyah, now 9. I know them now. The family's struggles coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic that forced Aaliyah to begin her school experience online. Unfamiliar with a computer, Aaliyah was regularly kicked out of the virtual classroom, her mother said. Teachers complained she was not looking at the screen and took too many breaks. Zoom school was especially difficult for Aaliyah because she was homeless and like thousands of students nationally, her school didn't know. Homeless students often fell through the cracks during the tumult of the pandemic, when many schools struggled to keep track of families with unstable housing. Not being identified as homeless meant students lost out on eligibility for crucial support such as transportation, free uniforms, laundry services and other help. Years later, the effects have cascaded. As students nationwide have struggled to make up for missed learning, educators have lost critical time identifying who needs the most help. Schools are offering tutoring and counseling but now have limited time to spend federal pandemic relief money for homeless students, said Barbara Duffield, executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, a national homelessness organization. There is urgency because of the losses that have occurred over the pandemic loss in learning, the gaps in attendance and the health crisis," she said. Many education leaders, Duffield said, don't even know about federal money earmarked for homeless students and the programs expire next year. The number of children identified as homeless by schools nationwide dropped by 21% from the 2018-2019 school year to the 2020-2021 school year, according to federal data. But the decrease, representing more than 288,000 students, likely includes many kids whose homelessness was unknown to schools. Federal counts of homeless people living on the street or in shelters also appeared to decrease in 2021 due to pandemic disruptions, but by 2022, those numbers shot up to the highest in a decade. In Bridget Ibarra's case, she chose not to tell the school her kids were homeless and she says teachers, disconnected from students by a screen, never asked. She was worried if officials knew the family was staying in a shelter, and the school was obliged by law to provide transportation, the family would face pressure to enroll in a different school that was closer. She knew how hard the disruptions were on her kids. I know they didnt enjoy moving as often as we did. They would say things like, Were moving again? We just moved! Ibarra said. When I moved, I missed my friends and my teacher, Aaliyah said. The stigma and fear associated with homelessness also can lead families not to tell anyone they lack secure housing, Duffield said. If we dont identify children proactively, we cant ensure that they have everything they need to be successful in school and even go to school," she said. Before the pandemic, Ibarra and her two children moved in with her brother in Phoenix because she was having trouble making ends meet. Then her brother died unexpectedly. At the time, Ibarra was pregnant with her third child and couldnt afford the rent with what she earned working at a fast-food restaurant. The family spent the next six months at Maggies Place, a shelter in North Phoenix that caters to pregnant women. The four of them, including Aaliyahs infant brother, moved next to Homeward Bound, an apartment-like shelter for families, where they were living when the pandemic hit a few months before Aaliyah started kindergarten. Aaliyah's school, David Crockett Elementary, stuck with online learning her entire kindergarten year. Aaliyah and her older brother, joined by several other children, spent most of their school days on computers in a mixed-grade makeshift classroom at the shelter. It was like she wasnt even in school, Ibarra said. While the shelter helped the family meet their basic needs, Ibarra said she asked the school repeatedly for extra academic help for her daughter. She blamed the struggles partly on online learning, but she also felt the school was giving all their attention to Aaliyahs older brother because he already was designated as a special education student with an individualized education program, or IEP. The principal, Sean Hannafin, said school officials met frequently with the children's mom. He said they offered the support they had available, but it was hard to determine online which students had needs that required intervention. The best thing we could do was take that data and flag them for when we returned in person, because you need a certain amount of time to observe a child in a classroom, he said. The online setting is not the place to observe. A federal law aimed at ensuring homeless students have equal access to education provides rights and services to children without a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. Many students aren't identified as homeless when their parents or guardians enroll them. At school, teachers, cafeteria staff, aides or bus drivers often notice other students whose well-being may need looking into. Students may have unwashed clothes, or many late arrivals or absences. But with children learning online, teachers and staff often didn't see those things. Overall, the drop in the student homelessness count began before the pandemic, but it was much steeper in the first full school year after COVID-19 hit. The percentage of enrolled students identified as homeless in the U.S. dropped from 2.7% in 2018-2019 to 2.2% in 2020-2021. Over that timeframe, Arizona had one of the biggest drops in the number of students identified as homeless, from about 21,000 to nearly 14,000. But there were signs many families were in distress. KateLynn Dean, who works at Homeward Bound, said the shelter saw huge numbers of families dealing with homelessness for the first time during the pandemic. Eventually, Bridget Ibarra had to enroll Aaliyah in a different school. After getting kicked out of low-income housing last year when their property owner sold the building, the family lived with Ibarras mother before finding another low-income unit in Chandler, more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Phoenix. Once the family moved, enrolling in school was far from easy. Aaliyah missed the first three weeks of the school year last fall because of delays obtaining transcripts, and Ibarra insisted she not start the year without a plan to address her delays in reading and writing. Aaliyah spent that time playing and sitting around the house. Honestly, Aaliyah said she didnt care how long, because she didnt want to go to that school anyway, her mother said. She said Aaliyah missed her friends and was tired of moving. At Aaliyah's new school, Frye Elementary, Principal Alexis Cruz Freeman saw for herself how hard it was to keep in touch with families when children were not in classrooms. Several students disappeared altogether. But she said families have started re-engaging with school. The state of Arizona reported more than 22,000 students were identified as homeless in the last school year twice as many as the year before. Ibarra said she tried to shield as much discomfort about their living situation from her kids as possible. It worked. Aaliyah doesnt remember much about the places theyve stayed except the people that surrounded her family. Aaliyah has gained ground academically at her new school, Cruz Freeman said. She still has trouble pronouncing and recognizing some words. But by the end of the school year, she was able to read a text and write four sentences based on its meaning. She is also performing at grade level in math. The principal considers her a success story in part because of her mother's support. She was an advocate for her children, which is all that we can ever ask for, Cruz Freeman said. Associated Press data journalist Sharon Lurye contributed to this report from New Orleans. The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content. The Khanna police arrested four persons, including a Ludhiana-based lawyer and two students, for allegedly possessing and supplying illegal weapons. Illegal weapon suppliers arrested in Ludhiana. (HT FILE) The police recovered two illegal pistols including a .32 bore pistol, .315 bore pistol, 19 bullets, 2 magazines and two cars from their possession. The arrested accused have been identified as Prashant Kaura, 24, Krish Lawrence, 22, RJ Rupak, 21 residents of Meerut and Karamvir Singh, 32, who is an advocate, hailing from Vishal Nagar of Ludhiana. Krish Lawrence is a law student, RJ Rupak Joshi is a student of BBA, while Parshant Kaura owns a Dhaba. Khanna superintendent of police (SP, Investigation) Pragya Jain said that the Doraha police received information that Kaura and Lawrence were crossing from the area to supply illegal weapons. The police arrested the accused near PUNSUP godown in Doraha. When frisked, 2 magazines and 13 bullets were recovered from their car. The SP said that during questioning, the accused told police that they had supplied an illegal pistol to advocate Karamvir Singh few days ago and were going to deliver magazines and bullets to him. On the basis of the information, the police arrested Karamvir and recovered the illegal pistol from his car. The accused also mentioned that they had received the illegal weapon from RJ Rupak Joshi. Following which the police have arrested him also and recovered a .315 bore pistol and six bullets from his possession, said the SP. A case under sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been lodged against the accused at Doraha police station, she added. The SP said that this year since January, the Khanna police have arrested 50 accused for supplying illegal weapons in 21 cases. The police have recovered as many as 71 illegal weapons, 215 bullets and 47 magazines from their possession. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON : The city on Saturday received moderate rainfall, leading to a dip in the mercury by four notches. Ludhiana had received a heavy downpour of 75 mm. (HT FILE) The maximum temperature on Saturday was recorded at 30 degrees Celsius. The city had on Friday received a heavy downpour of 75 mm. In light of the prevailing weather conditions, the meteorological department has issued a yellow alert for the state, including Ludhiana, for the next five days. The forecast indicates the possibility of thunderstorms and lightning occurring at isolated places from July 29 to August 3 in the region. Residents are advised to exercise caution and remain vigilant during this period. The authorities have urged people to avoid waterlogged and congested areas unless absolutely necessary. As per the Indian Meteorological Departments alert, light to moderate rain is expected at a few places on July 30, at isolated places on July 31, at a few places on August 1, at many places on August 2 and 3, and at a few places thereafter in the district. The maximum temperatures are not expected to undergo significant changes over the next seven days. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The local police have booked two gangsters on the basis of a complaint filed by a retired cop alleging that he received threats from the accused for the action he had taken against drug peddlers and gangsters during his service. The Haibowal Police have lodged an FIR against the accused. (HT PHOTO) Retired assistant inspector general (AIG) of police Sandeep Sharma said that the accused made a call from a Pakistan number on his mobile phone and threatened to harm his children. On the complaint filed by Sharma, the Haibowal police lodged an FIR against the two gangsters- Boota Khan of Takkhran village in Malerkotla and Manish Prabhakar of Barnala. Khan is already facing a trial in at least 47 cases. Sharma, a resident of Haibowal, in his complaint filed on June 16 said that for taking an action against gangsters and drug peddlers, he was already receiving threats from the criminals for which he had written to the special director general of police (DGP, STF) Harpreet Singh Sidhu. The special DGP had further written to the DGP (Punjab) for providing security to him. Sharma said that on June 16, the accused made a call on the mobile number of his wife and threatened her. The accused threatened that during his service, he and other STF officials had taken action against the accused and their aides and now, they will harm their children, Sharma said in his complaint. The Haibowal Police have lodged an FIR under sections 294 (obscene acts and songs), 115 (abetment of offence), 500 (defamation), 506 (criminal Intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC against the accused. ASI Sukhwinder Singh, who is investigating the case, said that the police are trying to trace the accused. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi's Patiala House Court has allowed the recalling of a Police Head Constable (HC) for his further examination (statement) in a case related to the assault on police personnel during a raid in Sabzi Mandi area. Representative Image (Getty Images/Purestock) Following this, a case under sections related to attempt to murder, assault on police, etc., was registered by the special cell of the Delhi police. The case was registered in 2011 by the special cell of Delhi police. Five accused have been facing trial. Two accused have expired during the pendency of the trial. Previously, the witness was examined in March 2014. His further examination was deferred and was never called for further examination. Since then 9 years have expired and 117 dates (hearings) have taken place. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Devender Kumar Jangala on Friday allowed the application of Delhi Police seeking the recalling of witness HC Satish Kumar. The court said that the further examination of Prosecution Witness (PW) HC Satish Kumar is necessary for the just and effective decision of the case as he is the material witness. The court on July 28 considering all the facts and circumstances, allowed the present application. "It appears that PW was not recalled for further examination due to wrong noting of the jimney (zimini) order," ASJ Jangala observed. The court said that the perusal of the record reveals that HC Satish Kumar was examined on 20.03.2014 and as per the recorded evidence his further chief examination was deferred at the request of the prosecution that the CD was required to be played to confirm the authenticity of the transcript. "However in the jimney (zimini) order of the said date i.e. 20.03.2014 it was inadvertently mentioned that the HC Satish Kumar is examined and discharged," the court said in the order. The prosecution is allowed to recall HC Satish Kumar for concluding his examination in chief and cross-examination, the judge ordered on Friday. However, the court made it clear that the prosecution shall ensure the presence of the witness on the next date, without any further delay as it is one of the oldest matters of the court. "Be put up for further examination of HC Satish Kumar on 17.08.2023. PW HC Satish Kumar be summoned through IO for the next date. MHCM is also directed to produce the case property and CD on the next date. IO is also directed to remain present on the next date along with the device to play the CD recording," the court directed. An application under Section 311 CrPC for recalling PW HC Satish Kumar is moved by Addl PP for the state. It was submitted that while going through the case file, at the stage of final arguments, it is revealed that PW was lastly examined in the court on 20.03.2014 and his further examination in chief was deferred as CD was required to be played. It was also stated that inadvertently thereafter HC Satish Kumar was never summoned for completing his deposition. Delhi police prayed that HC Satish Kumar may kindly be summoned to complete his deposition. On the other hand, the plea was strongly opposed by counsel for the accused persons on the ground that the prosecution has failed to disclose any justifiable explanation for such an inordinate delay as the said examination in chief was recorded on 20.03.2014. Advocate Deepak Sharma argued that since 20.03.2014 till today 9 years have expired and 117 dates have taken place but the prosecution has miserably failed to take any steps to recall PW. It was also argued that at the end of the trial, all of a sudden the present application is moved by the prosecution. It was prayed that the application may kindly be dismissed with the imposition of heavy cost. ASJ Jangala observed, It is no doubt that there is an inordinate delay on behalf of the prosecution to move the present application, but at the same time it is the duty of the court to ensure that the best evidence should reach the court for just and effective decision of the case. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In the busy Malviya Nagar area of south Delhi, surrounded by residential colonies, commercial establishments, shops, offices, and a college, the 46-acre Vijay Mandal Park, Begumpur, is generally bustling with a large crowd at lunchtime. The Malviya Nagar police station is just about 100 metres from the park. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo) Managed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the park has 13 guards who work in three shifts along with a supervisor all of whom are ex-servicemen. The large park has three entry gates, each manned by a guard, while a fourth guard is usually patrolling inside. The Malviya Nagar police station is just about 100 metres from the park. The park has three main entrances from the sides of Sarvodaya Enclave, Begumpur Village, and Aurobindo College, and four smaller pedestrian gates. When the 22-year-old woman, Nargis, was killed on Friday afternoon, the park was full of visitors, according to the guards. The one guard patrolling inside was not near the incident spot. The incident was first reported by the DDA supervisor, Harinder, who was sitting in the room at the entry gate when a middle-aged woman alerted him about something happening inside. I rushed inside the park along with the guard. When we reached the bench that the woman had pointed to, we saw the body with a large wound on the head and a lot of blood around it. Her phone and purse were lying next to the body on the bench along with the iron rod. I had expected a minor fight and thought someone was injured. We rushed to the spot with the intent to save her but were shocked to see her in a pool of blood. There was so much blood that we were not sure if she was even alive, said Harinder, the park supervisor. He said there was a group of 20 college students celebrating a birthday nearby. He asked them if they saw anything but they had not. The supervisor also said that he had not seen anyone around the body or fleeing from the spot. I called the local police who reached within five minutes. When I called the police, they asked me to also call 112 for the local PCR which I did, said Harinder. Between 12.08pm and 12.09pm, the police received two calls, one from a security personnel and another from a passerby. We reached the spot in five minutes as it was 100m away from the station, where we found the womans body lying in a pool of blood, said a local policeman, requesting anonymity. According to residents, the park is a busy community area, frequented by residents of Shivalik and Navjeevan Apartments, MMTC Colony, and Adhchini, along with students from Delhi Universitys Aurobindo College. This is a large park but unlike the nearby Panchsheel Park, it is not secluded. The police station is also nearby, so there are hardly any security concerns usually. People like to visit often and it is usually crowded with college students and residents. This was a crime of personal rage, said Neeraj Chopra, general secretary of Sutr Residents Welfare Association, Malviya Nagar. Locals said that Fridays incident may not have an eyewitness who saw the actual crime, despite the park being crowded at the time of the incident. I was at my tea stall outside the park, serving customers. All of a sudden, there was a commotion and I started asking people about what happened. They said a girl has gotten murdered, said Manish, a tea seller outside the park. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A member of the notorious Gogi gang was arrested following a brief exchange of gunfire with the special staff of outer-north district police, during which he suffered a bullet injury in his leg, police said on Saturday. (Representative Photo) Police have identified the alleged criminal as 23-year-old Pawan alias Poona. Police said the incident took place near Bawana industrial area in outer Delhi in the early hours of Friday. One pistol with a live bullet and a stolen TVS Apache motorcycle were seized from the shootout spot, said the police. Police said at least three bullets were exchanged from both sides. Two bullets were fired by Pawan and one by the police which hit his right leg, nobody from the raiding party was injured, said deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (outer-north) Ravi Kumar Singh. DCP Singh said that Pawan, a resident of Sonepat in Haryana, is one of the members of the Gogi gang, the leader of which was Delhis most notorious gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi. Maan was shot dead by his rival gang led by now-dead gangster Sunil alias Tillu Tajpuria in a courtroom at Rohini court complex on September 24, 2021. Pawan is involved in extortions and robberies committed by the gang in the outer north district, said Singh. Our special staff team received information that Pawan would be passing through a road going to Bawana from Lal Flats on a motorcycle late Friday night. Accordingly, a trap was laid, and around midnight, the suspect was spotted riding an Apache motocycle, said Singh. As the suspect was asked to stop, he tried to speed away, but his bike skidded, and he fell off it, the DCP said. The police team rushed to nab him and that is when Pawan panicked, whipped out a pistol and fired two rounds at them, Singh added. Luckily, his bullets did not hit anyone in the team. One bullet was fired by the team in self-defence that hit Pawans right leg. Thereafter, he was overpowered, and his firearm was seized, the DCP said, adding the motorcycle was found stolen from the Alipur area during a robbery earlier this year. Pawan was booked for attempting to kill police personnel and obstructing them in the discharge of their duties. A case under sections 186, 353 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act was registered at the Bawana police station against Pawan, said the DCP. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON From issuing whips to arranging ambulances for their ailing leaders, opposition parties from the newly-formed INDIA bloc are making all-out efforts to ensure that they get 100 per cent attendance of their MPs in the Rajya Sabha to give the BJP a tough fight on the Delhi services bill next week. MPs belonging to the Opposition's INDIA (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times) Sources said former prime minister Manmohan Singh (90), who is ill, is likely to come to the House in a wheelchair, while former Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren (79), who is also unwell and has largely withdrawn from public life, has already arrived in the national Capital in anticipation of the voting on the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Soren is likely to be brought to the House just before the voting. Another ailing MP, JD(U)'s Bashistha Narain Singh, 75, is likely to arrive in Parliament in an ambulance, sources said. The Bill seeks to replace an ordinance negating a Supreme Court order giving power of transfer and posting to the Delhi government and has been listed for introduction in Parliament next week. On Friday, TMC Rajya Sabha MP and leader of the party in the House, Derek O'Brien and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh spoke to Leader of the House Piyush Goyal, requesting him to ensure that the government inform members well in advance before bringing the Delhi services bill to replace the ordinance. They pointed out that the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill was brought in 2019 without giving the opposition parties time to formulate their stand on it. They also informed him that there were many senior leaders who would come to the House only to vote. Read Here: Opposition mustering strength to challenge Delhi ordinance Among various parties, the Congress and the Janata Dal (United) have already issued whips to their respective members to be present in the House. O'Brien and some other opposition leaders have already written to the Rajya Sabha chairman that the ordinance was a serious issue and requested him to let them know in advance about the Bill. They also urged him to ensure that it is not brought in a supplementary list of business. "If this Bill springs up in the List of Business, there will be no way to ensure that there is enough opportunity for thorough debate and scrutiny of this important legislation. "Also, it will not allow all parties to ensure that ALL members (including those with serious medical conditions restricted to a stretcher or wheelchair and have to be transported by ambulance from hospital or residence) are present in Rajya Sabha on that day. An informal one-day notice will be appreciated so that we can bring these members to the chamber for voting," O'Brien said in his letter. The INDIA bloc, sources said, has decided that they want a discussion on the Delhi services bill and they plan to use all the time allotted for discussion. "Win, lose or draw, we are going for a vote. Let parties stand up and show us whether they are with the Constitution or doing deals with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)," O'Brien said on being asked about the numbers in Rajya Sabha. Around 109 MPs, comprising of those from the 26-member Opposition bloc INDIA and some independents like Kapil Sibal, are expected to vote against the Bill, a senior leader said. However, this will still be short of the halfway mark of 120 if all 238 existing members vote that day. The full strength of the House is 243, but there are some vacant seats. Of the 26 parties from the opposition grouping, at least 18 have presence in Rajya Sabha and collectively they have 101 MPs. Besides this bloc, BRS (seven MPs) is also likely to vote against the Bill, while the YSR Congress (nine MPs) may back the Bill. The ruling NDA has 100 MPs in the Upper House, while it will bank on nominated members and independents, as well as some other non-alligned parties, as parties like the BJD (nine MPs) have voted with them in the past on various issues. Defence minister Rajnath Singh has called for enhanced synergy between Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and state governments to ensure the overall progress of society. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh addressed Civil 20 (C20) India Summit in Jaipur on Saturday (Twitter/@rajnathsingh) Addressing the Civil 20 (C20) India Summit in Jaipur on Saturday, Singh said that the advantages of the CSOs and traditional government structures need to be harnessed to achieve the goal of holistic development. While the government apparatus is more rigidly structured and institutionalised and the initiatives broadly represent the ideas of a substantial majority, the CSOs have fluid structures that provide a greater scope for new ideas and practices to play out in the society, Singh said. In modern state structures, the governments cannot act in a hasty manner on novel and untested ideas, but the CSOs have plenty of scope as they operate in a bottom-up approach and are more responsive towards the ever-shifting ground realities, he said, adding that the CSOs can act as force-multipliers for the governments. The defence minister emphasised that these groups have the potential to impact official policies and programmes, across all the dimensions of todays social, economic and environmental challenges. At a broader level, it can be asserted that a robust and enlightened civil society is essential for a functioning democracy, as it enables the citizens to engage in deliberative dialogues and cooperative efforts, outside the adversarial arena of electoral politics, towards achieving the national objectives, he said. Singh, while emphasising the importance of the state governments and CSOs working hand-in-hand, said, Many of the governments landmark initiatives such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan etc., which have brought significant transformational and attitudinal changes in the society, were complemented by the herculean efforts made by various CSOs in these fields. C20 can accommodate unique ideas from diverse sections of society. The flexible and inclusive approach of the C20 forum can both learn from and teach the G20 forum leading to further improvement in the implementation of the policy-making, he added. The C20, launched in 2013 as an official G20 Engagement Group, provides a platform for the CSOs to bring forth non-governmental perspectives on the issues being taken up by the official G20. It gives them a forum to reflect on the primary & common concerns affecting the world and promote social & economic development. Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was on Saturday afternoon admitted to a city-based hospital after he complained of breathing complications, officials said. Former Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. (HT Archive) Bhattacharya (79) was immediately put on mechanical ventilator support at the critical care unit of the private hospital where he was rushed from his Palm Avenue residence via a green corridor. Bhattacharya, who was the chief minister from 2000 to 2011, has been suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and other old age-related ailments for quite some time. "His condition is critical. We are examining him. His oxygen saturation deteriorated to 70 per cent in the afternoon and he became unconscious, following which he was rushed to the hospital," the official told PTI. A team of senior doctors, including a cardiologist and a pulmonologist, was constituted to monitor his health. Both his wife Mira Bhattacharya and daughter Suchetana Bhattacharya both are in the hospital. Bhattacharya has been away from public life for the past few years due to his health. He had stepped down from the CPI(M)'s politburo and the central committee in 2015 and gave up membership of the state secretariat in 2018. LUCKNOW Jaatiya janganana karaye sarkar; jaatiya janganana karao, arakshan badhao These are catch lines of two political parties at different events in Uttar Pradesh on July 23, and both convey the demand for a caste census. Whenever the Samajwadis get a chance, we will get the caste census done, said Akhilesh Yadav. (File Photo) The first banner was at the conference organised by the Samajwadi Partys Backward Classes cell in Lucknow and the second at a similar conference in Bundelkhands Jalaun district by the UP Congress Backward Classes cell. Both parties are now part of the INDIA pre-poll coalition of opposition parties for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The two conferences were organised soon after the 26-party alliance to challenge the ruling NDA was announced on July 18. In Uttar Pradesh, caste census had been an old demand of the SP for over two decades. Party founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav had initiated the demand in the state, and since 2014, his son Akhilesh Yadav (SP chief) adopted it. When Akhilesh led the party into the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 2022 UP assembly polls, the demand figured among the top poll promises in the SPs manifesto. And it has become the main campaign theme of the party in the run-up to the 2024 LS polls. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has launched a series of intermittent rath yatras and the tagline on the rath (a plush bus) - Samajik Nyay; Jaatiya Janganana Rasta (Caste census is the path to social justice) - is boldly printed on all sides of the red bus that Akhilesh rides. He embarked upon a yatra each in Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur and more are likely soon. Whenever the Samajwadis get a chance, we will get the caste census done. Till the time we are out of government, we will continue to tell the government that social justice without caste census is not possible, Akhilesh Yadav said in Sitapur during the yatra on June 10. The caste census idea that the SP has been talking about for many years is primarily aimed at OBCs (other backward classes) the single-largest section of voters in U.P. Both the BJP and the SP are vying to win the support of this section. While the BJP has been non-committal on the caste census, the SP has demanded and promised it. Imagine, the country is still following the caste data from the pre-independence era when India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh were one entity. Uttar Pradesh has 79 OBCs, and according to 1931 caste-wise census, they are 52% of the total population. Now, the OBCs may have easily surpassed 60% of the total population, but are getting only 27% of reservations based on 1931 data. That is why we want caste census so that different castes get benefits as per their share in the population, said Rajpal Kashyap, state president of the Samajwadi Backward Classes cell. Since the formation of INDIA, the Congress pitch for the caste census is also getting louder. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), an ally of the SP in the 2022 UP assembly polls, had not taken a stand on the caste census demand. But now, it supports the demand along with another SP ally - Apna Dal (K). As SP, Congress, RLD and Apna Dal (K) have become part of the INDIA coalition of opposition parties, SPs caste census has become an even bigger issue in UP. On the day of its formation, INDIA also adopted caste census as an issue in its Samuhik Sankalp giving a boost to the issue in UP. UP Congress president Brijlal Khabari said: We support the caste census. The Congress-led UPA government in 2011 had carried out a caste-based census, but the BJP government on coming to power in 2014 never published the survey findings. This is despite the BJP demanding caste census before 2014. Observers feel the BJP-led NDA government developed cold feet on caste census and maintains status quo fearing that the census might lead to a tricky situation that was witnessed when the Mandal Commission report was implemented in 1990 and that the caste census might also harm the BJPs goal of uniting and mobilising Hindus. Therefore, the BJP keeps mum on the issue. Only once, early this year, UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya supported the caste census demand but backtracked a week later, by claiming that the demand for caste census would seem a farce until SP chief Akhilesh Yadav appointed someone other than himself as the party chief. The demand for caste census has several layers to it and several issues are interlocked within the demand, a UP BJP leader said. In its Dhanyawad Modi meets held by the OBC wing, BJP leaders had made the community aware of not buying the opposition argument of BJP being anti-backwards and had listed several initiatives as proof. Interestingly, while BJP is non-committal, its OBC allies like Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief OP Rajbhar are supportive of the caste census demand. We are hopeful that it will be fulfilled, but we wont push for it as of now, Rajbhar said, adding: Earlier, Indias politics were Krishi Pradhan, but now it is Jaati Pradhan (Indian politics has turned caste based from farm based). Political analyst and the retired head of department (political science), Lucknow University, Prof SK Dwivedi said: The reality of Indian politics is it revolves around caste and religion, instead of the real issues. The SP and its allies apparently intend to overshadow the religion with caste. RLD leader and spokesperson Anil Dubey said: Of course, we are all for the caste census, but the BJP government is against it. The Bihar government, led by chief minister Nitish Kumar launched the process for caste-based survey in the state in January this year. But while the survey is on, the Patna high court stayed it on May 4. A senior SP leader said INDIA coalition has adopted the caste census issue, and it is certain that the caste census may also find its way into INDIAs common minimum programme (CMP) for the 2024 LS polls. Both the SP and the Congress use a common slogan for the caste census demand - Jitni jiski sankhya bhaari, utni uski hisseydaari (share in benefits as per their numbers in the population). SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The white board in Buffalo Police Officer Matt Cross office was scrawled with the goals and new ideas for taking on a difficult issue: the mental health of his fellow officers. Boost morale. Training. Funding. Amplifying outreach. Ketamine research. Wellness apps. Free suicide prevention training. At the very top is a quote he saw while doing research: A broken brain needs to be treated like a broken bone. Thats the message Cross wants to get across to other officers. In May, Cross was appointed as the Buffalo Police Departments first full-time wellness coordinator. Mayor Byron W. Brown, Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia and Common Council Member Chris Scanlon made the announcement about Cross new role as part of an expansion of resources to address mental health within the ranks of the department. Over the last two years, multiple members of the Buffalo Police Department have died by suicide. A national study in 2022 found that police officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than working in the line of duty, USA Today reported last year. Police departments are beginning to address mental health within their ranks, among them the Baltimore Police Department which now has an officers safety and wellness section as well as an early intervention unit designed to identify at-risk officers and address issues before they become more serious. The idea of having an officer focused full time on officer mental health and wellness is new to Buffalo. However, for years members of the Buffalo Police Department both officers and civilians have operated a volunteer group that offers confidential peer-to-peer counseling. They are part of the WNY Law Enforcement Helpline that offers training and support to law enforcement officers and their families. Cross was already leading the peer group when he was appointed as the wellness coordinator. Cross, who was most recently a community police officer with the Buffalo department, has a background in counseling. I never wanted to get into law enforcement. Really, I wanted to be a counselor ... The reason I didnt go into that is because I took a service test by the Erie County Sheriffs Office and kind of put that on the backburner. And now this is what Im doing. The job entails both administrative work and also working with individual officers. But it all comes down to one main goal bringing up morale in a department that has seen much tragedy. The major issue regarding stress within this department is call volume, Cross said. Police officers know going into their line of work that they will encounter traumatic events shootings, domestic violence and homicides, sometimes of children. So a police officer may see something thats a traumatic, critical incident something that a normal person may never see in their life but instead of being able to take time off and process that, you have to go right back to the next call. You dont even have time to understand what just took place because people are relying on you to come and handle their complaints. Over time, repeated exposure to trauma can take its toll, Cross said. We need to change the dynamic of not processing things throughout our career because cumulatively these things start to weigh you down, Cross said. But getting cops to acknowledge they are struggling with their mental health is difficult, Cross said. Theres stigma associated with reaching out for help. And thats the problem, Cross said. The goal of the department is to break that stigma and also misconceptions. In past practice, the departments would take your weapon. They would remove you from duty. And that is changing, Cross said. What we need to let our officers know is this isnt an automatic removal appointment or an automatic trip to the hospital. The hardest thing to do, for sure, is to admit that you need help, or you have a problem. Totally understand that. But with what we have been dealing with as a department specifically the other option is not working for us. We want people to come forward, he said. Officers seeking help can be connected to clinicians who specialize in post-traumatic stress disorder and working with police. There are also an array of organizations that offer support, including the WNY Helpline and Operation Overwatch. Cross also wants officers to know that they dont have to wait until they are at a crisis point to reach out through the peer program or through him. We encourage you to call before you get to a crisis, ideally, to address whats whats bothering you he said. The next step for the wellness program is a survey of police officers, asking them what their needs are. Cross is looking into more avenues to improve physical health, including different kinds of fitness equipment and nutritional offerings at district stations. Hes hoping to help officers heal, as if from a physical injury. If you break your arm, its not something thats fixed overnight. This is something that takes time to heal. It takes special people to look at, fix and address, he said. Thats the same case for mental health. Its not something that you go see a counselor one time and its fixed overnight, or you come up and we have a conversation one time ... This is something that takes time. So its progressive, and its its not going to be easy, and its going to hurt. But over time, it will heal. If you are struggling with mental health issues, you may call the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In Erie County, you can call Crisis Services 24-hour hotline at 716-834-3131 or contact its chatline from 6 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday at crisisservices.org. The Western New York Law Enforcement Helpline is available to law enforcement officers and their families at 716-858-2677. Agra The Mathura police, struggling hard to carry out rescue operations in flood-affected low-lying areas, are facing extra trouble in checking people gathering at Gokul Barrage and other bridges across river Yamuna for taking selfies. The water level in the Yamuna crossed danger mark in Mathura and alert level in Agra on Wednesday, for the second time in a month. (Pic for representation) The Yamuna is flowing above the danger level in Mathura and was at 166.31 metres on Saturday evening. Water in river Yamuna showed receding trend on Thursday but Friday rain increased the water level . There is forecast for more rain and thus we can expect further rise in water level, said the staff at control room in Mathura . Those living in low-lying areas as well as devotees are facing water -logged roads in Vrindavan town. However, many in Mathura are gathering at Gokul Barrage and other old and new bridges across river Yamuna and railway bridge to have fun time. On Saturday, a youth lost his life on the railway bridge. Onlookers said that the youth, yet to be identified, was busy taking selfie which might have caused the tragic incident. We are yet to assign exact reason behind the death but it remains a matter of concern that youths gathering at Gokul Barrage and other bridges are violating safety norms. So, we have issued an appeal to stay away from the banks of river Yamuna, said SSP Mathura Shailesh Pandey. To note, with the release of water from Hathnikund barrage in Haryana and Okhla Barrage in Delhi, the water level in the Yamuna crossed danger mark in Mathura and alert level in Agra on Wednesday, for the second time in a month. A special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against BJP leader Arvind Gupta Marwari on Friday (July 28) in a case of alleged sexual abuse of a 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradeshs Meerut district, police said on Saturday. SHO, Daurala police station, Sanjay Sharma said the name of Arvind Gupta Marwari was included following an investigation. (For Representation) Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Meerut, Rohit Singh Sajwan said all possible places were being raided for Arvind Gupta Marwaris arrest. He will be arrested soon and produced before the court, the SSP added. Station house officer (SHO), Daurala police station, Sanjay Sharma said the name of Marwari was included in the case following an investigation. The court has directed to produce him before it by August 8. The proceeding for confiscation of properties will be started thereafter, the SHO added. While Arvind Gupta Marwari is BJP Mahanagar (metropolitan) unit general secretary in Meerut, Sanjeev Jain Sikka has a minister of state rank in Uttar Pradesh. They are maternal cousins. Senior lawyer Ramesh Chand Gupta, the alleged kingpin of the scandal who has already been arrested in connection with the case, is the maternal uncle of Marwari and Sikka. As per the police, the 17-year-old girl, working in the office of advocate Ramesh Chand Gupta, had alleged that she was sexually abused by the trio. Sharma said since the girl had also accused Sanjeev Sikka of sexually abusing her, investigation against him was underway and action would be initiated based on the findings of the probe. Giving details of the case, the police said two videos surfaced purportedly showing advocate Gupta abusing two different girls. After the videos surfaced, the 17-year-old girl went missing under suspicious circumstances and a missing person case was lodged by her brother on May 27. She was recovered safely on June 15. When she was presented before a court on June 16, she levelled charges of sexual abuse against advocate Gupta, the BJP leader and Sikka in her statement recorded under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the police said. Subsequently, the advocate and the BJP leader were booked for rape. A case against lawyer Ramesh Chand Gupta was registered under the POCSO Act, rape and under the IT Act and he was arrested on June 21. However, BJP leader Arvind Gupta Marwari is on the run. Meanwhile, BJP Mahanagar unit president Mukesh Singhal said he had sent his recommendation for the expulsion of both the leaders from the party to the BJP state unit and they will take a decision in this regard. (With Agency Inputs) The UP Special Task Force (STF) arrested a woman director of Hello Ride, a bike taxi company operating from Lucknow, allegedly involved in over a Rs-100 crore fraud with thousands of investors, on Saturday. For representation only (HT FIle Photo) Senior STF officials said the woman director, identified as Neelam Verma, a resident of Lucknows Para area, was arrested from behind RK marriage lawns in Bahadurkheda locality, under the Manaknagar police station limits of Lucknow at around 10.45 am on Saturday morning. Sharing a press note with the media, a senior STF official said she was wanted in 23 criminal cases registered with Lucknows Vibhuti Khand and Hazratganj police stations in the matter since 2019. He said that along with key accused Abhay Kushwaha lodged in Lucknow jail in the same matter Rajesh Pandey, Nikhil Kushwaha, Azam Siddiqui and Shakeel Ahmad Khan, she was the director of the firm. The official said that during interrogation, the woman revealed that Abhay Kushwaha first floated a real estate firm in 2013 and then he floated a bike taxi company Hello Ride and opened its office on the eighth floor of Cyber Heights building. The STF officials claimed that Kushwaha and his accomplices lured investors to pay for a motorcycle that was supposed to be used as a two-wheeler taxi. In exchange, the investors were promised a massive return on their investment. Each investor was asked to pay 61,000 for one bike. They promised a monthly return of 9,582 for 12 months, explained the officials. They said that as per their promise, the customers who invested in one bike were promised a total return of over 1,14,984 lakh in one year on investing just 61,000 and the investors were free to invest in multiple bikes. The officials said nearly 150 employees in seven teams were employed with this firm and the head of each team was given 15% commission on deposits made every month. They all deposited over 100 crore through this Ponzi scheme and vanished with the hard-earned money of investors after closing their office, he said. The fraudsters had duped over thousands of investors in Lucknow, Fatehpur and Gautam Buddha Nagar, Muzaffarnagar in Bihar, Punjabs Mohali, Pathankot and Zirakpur and investors from other districts of UP and Madhya Pradesh as well. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai: Google images of Chabad House, Colaba one of the 26/11 targets were retrieved from two terror suspects who were arrested for plotting an attack in Rajasthan. After the development, the police beefed up the security outside the Jewish community centre. Among the things that have been seized from them include the Google images of Colaba, details of their plan and required execution and the action, the investigation officer said while seeking 14-day custody of the accused before a Pune court. The court granted ATS custody till August 5. (HT Photo) The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) found some Google images from the accused of Chabad House located at Colaba. They informed us. Accordingly, we have beefed up the security at Chabad House, which already has very high security. A mock drill was also carried out on Thursday at the centre and outside area, said an officer from the Colaba police station. The ATS has taken custody of Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan, 23, and Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki, 24 residents of Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh from the Pune police. Further investigations led to the seizure of computers, laptops, pen drives and hard disks from the accused, the officer said, adding, The ATS found the accused had been trained in various methods of sabotage. A white explosive substance, recovered from the rented flat of the two suspects, was used for bomb explosion tests in isolated places in Pune, Satara and Kolhapur districts, after which stringent UAPA charges were invoked. Among the things that have been seized from them include the Google images of Colaba, details of their plan and required execution and the action, the investigation officer said while seeking 14-day custody of the accused before a Pune court. The court granted ATS custody till August 5. The court was told that the accused were involved in an anti-national activity in their hometown and are wanted by the NIA. They were hiding in Pune for one and a half years, and we have to investigate what was their plan and who helped them hide here, the officer said. Mumbai: The city reported a second suspected dengue death at Parels Global Hospital on July 25. HT Image The doctors said the 70-year-old man had multiple comorbidities and was on blood thinners. The man was admitted last week and tested positive for dengue. He passed away on July 25, a hospital official said, adding he had low platelet counts and internal bleeding. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) health officials, however, denied that the man died due to dengue. Earlier, a 49-year-old woman died at Bombay hospital on July 22. The city has been grappling with a surge in dengue cases this year, with significant numbers even before the monsoon season began. As per the latest BMC data, between July 1 and 23, the city recorded 406 cases, surpassing the 353 cases reported in June. Dengue cases typically rise in the months of September and October. The Aedes mosquitoes-carrier of the dengue virus and chikungunya virus, is found in stagnant freshwater. The BMC health department revealed that there has not been a sharp increase in dengue cases compared to the previous week (July 9 to 16). Nevertheless, authorities are taking measures to control the spread of the disease. The pest control department has undertaken inspections of over 11 lakh houses and more than 12 lakh water containers between July 1 and 23. During these inspections, they detected and destroyed 13,319 mosquito breeding sites. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON MUMBAI: A special court, set up under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has acquitted a Nigerian national, who was allegedly caught with 417 grams of cocaine by a team of the Amboli police in September 2018. HT Image The court noticed several material contradictions in the story reflected from the prosecution record and the one stated by the probing officers in their deposition before the court. The court, however, convicted the Nigerian for having illegally stayed in India after his Visa expired in 2014. According to the prosecution case, police officer Daya Nayak had received secret information on September 4, 2018, at 10.40 pm that between 12:30 am and 1:30 am, a Nigerian national was likely to come near National Dairy in Jogeshwari to sell narcotic substances. It was claimed that after completing the mandatory formalities of noting the information and alerting senior officials, a team left for the spot. At 12:55am the accused came to the spot and was taken for questioning. The man was identified as Femi Oluyinka, 29, and had one white plastic bag with him. Nayak checked the bag and found 417-gram white powder in one plastic pouch, which tested positive for cocaine, the police said. Oluyinka was arrested. During the trial, defence lawyer Taraq Sayyed pointed out several discrepancies in the statements given by the police officials and the story which was reflected from the record. Apart from the contradictions, the lawyer also pointed out failure on part of the police to comply with mandatory provisions of the NDPS Act. There is no whisper that the accused was given the opportunity to search the police party and panch witness. In such trap cases, the accused is given an opportunity to search members of the raiding party and panch witnesses to avoid allegations of planting drugs by the raiding party itself. Thus, an important part of evidence to avoid allegations of planting of contraband is missing, the court observed. Further, the court also noted that panchnama appeared to be completed after the police party returned to the police station. But it was mentioned in it that it was completed in the police vehicle at the spot from where the accused was apprehended. Hence, the court said, the Panchnama prepared for the trap, search and arrest of the accused was untrustworthy. This is a major inconsistency between the case revealed by the charge sheet and the testimony of informant Balkrishna Chavan, the court noted. Besides, a panch witness had said only one sample was prepared from the contraband seized from the accused, whereas according to the prosecution case, four samples were prepared, kept in self-locking plastic bags and sent for chemical analysis. However, the chemical analyser, who examined the samples, claimed that the pouches had no self-locking system, nor were they stapled. This indicates that either the story revealed by charge sheet and evidence by API Daya Nayak that plastic pouches were having self-locking system was false or samples received in forensic laboratory were changed or officer of forensic science laboratory was deposing falsely, the court said, adding that the prosecution case was liable to be thrown only on this ground alone. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Navi Mumbai: A driver of trailer carrying heavy iron coils died when the vehicle collided with a truck parked haphazardly on Turbhe flyover in the early hours on Friday. HT Image On impact, the heavy coils, that were held in place by a chain, broke free and crashed into the drivers compartment and he was crushed caught between the truck and the coils. The cleaner of the truck was seriously injured in the accident and the police are hunting for the truck driver, who fled the scene. A case has been registered against him. He had parked the truck in the middle of the road without taking any safety measures to indicate that the truck had stopped there. The deceased has been identified as Ali Ahmad Havivdullah Khan, 35 and the injured cleaner is Amarnath Rawat. The cargo truck going from Mumbai to Pune stopped on Turbhe flyover on the Mumbai-Pune Road around 1:30 am on Friday due to technical issues. The driver parked the truck on the first lane next to the road divider. Then the truck cleaner went under the front tire and was carrying out repairs. At the same time, the trailer, travelling at a high speed, rammed into the truck from behind. The two heavy iron coils on the trailer broke free and crashed into the drivers compartment trapping Khan. Sanpada police rushed to the spot along with the members of the fire brigade and the firemen with the help of machine cutters pulled out Khan. However, he died before being admitted to the hospital, said police. In this accident, the driver of the truck did not take any safety precautions to indicate that the truck had stopped. The driver of the trailer did not anticipate that the truck was parked and rammed into the truck, said a police officer from Sanpada police station. After this accident, the truck driver who was sitting in the cabin of the truck ran away. The Sanpada police have registered a case against him and are looking for him. The driver has been booked under sections 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation), 304 A (causing death by negligence) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC and sections of the Motor Vehicle Act. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Pune: Once envisioned as a hilltop paradise for the rich, the private city of Lavasa in Pune district has over the years slid into the depths of uncertainty thanks to a plethora of impediments. The July 21 verdict by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), which approved a proposal by Darwin Platform Infrastructure Limited (DPIL) to take it over, has rekindled the hopes of thousands of home buyers and investors. The township, a four-hour ride away from Mumbai, was modelled on the lines of the cotton-candy harbour of Italys Portofino. (Sanket Wankhade/HT PHOTO)) Despite several conditions and a complex resolution plan approved by Indias bankruptcy court, which can only be executed subject to environmental clearances, those who have put their money into the hill city are daring to hope. The NCLT decision will revive the project, as it promises fresh investment, which we believe will change the current course of events in Lavasa, said Zal Eranee, 80, a businessman from Mumbai who booked four properties in 2011. Eranee is eagerly awaiting the turnaround. Rohington Darukhanwala, 78, is also optimistic. The London-based businessman invested in a Lavasa home over a decade ago, hoping to spend his twilight years with other family members in his home country. The NCLT order has raised our hopes, he said. We are sure the new entrant will give us the apartment at the earliest. The new entrant, as of now, is gung-ho about attending to the needs of the home buyers and investors whose money has been stuck for so many years. Ajay Harinath Singh, group chairman of DPIL, welcomed the NCLT verdict and said his company was very eager to revitalise the ambitious project. The plight of homebuyers, along with the concerns of secured financial creditors, will not go unnoticed by DPIL, he said. The company promises to include the stakeholders in the revival process and prioritise their needs. Vineet Tulsyan of R3 Corporate Advisors, the strategic advisor to DPIL, said the NCLT order, though delayed, was better late than never. The initial task will be to understand the ground situation, problems of the residents and other complexities, he said. Revival of the city and getting an environmental clearance should be the priority. We are very confident that the Darwin group will not only revive Lavasa but create a beautiful landmark destination. The story of Lavasa began as a gleam in the eye of NCP leader Sharad Pawar and Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) chairman and managing director (CMD) Ajit Gulabchand in the 1990s. Pawar, while flying by helicopter over a large tract of vacant land in the Mulshi valley, came up with the idea of developing the space into a privately built and managed city. To do his bidding, Gulabchand and a few other businessmen formed an entity called Lavasa Corporation. The township, a four-hour ride away from Mumbai, was modelled on the lines of the cotton-candy harbour of Italys Portofino. Originally planned across 25,000 acres covering 18 villages, its area was revised to 12,500 acres under the Mulshi tehsil when it took off in 2010. The first private project in Maharashtra to receive Special Planning Authority (SPA) statuswhich granted it the power to draw up land use plans, develop land in its jurisdiction and sanction constructionit was, all in all, an overarching and wildly ambitious project. Buyers were instantly attracted to the concept of an idyllic private city. We read about Lavasa in the newspapers, said Darukhanwala, who put down roughly 80 % of the amount for his flat, imagining that it would be a quick and easy property buy. We never imagined that the project would be a disaster. Between 2010 and 2012, a one-bedroom apartment in Lavasa cost about 30 lakh, while the bungalows went for between 2 crore and 4 crore. Darukhanwalas sentiments resonate with around 2,000 property buyers still awaiting delivery of their homes. Mumbai-based Supreme Court advocate Jamshed Kama, 75, invested in two properties in the hill city in 2011 after being lured by advertisements promising world-class living standards for buyers. Later, the project floundered and we were left in the lurch, he said. Many buyers, who took hefty loans from banks or sank their life savings into a Lavasa property, were worse off than the wealthy buyers. How and why did things go south so quickly? As work began, the Lavasa project got embroiled in numerous controversies, ranging from allegations of forcible land acquisition to violation of environmental norms. By 2010, the project was dealt a massive blow, as the central environment ministry, then led by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, issued a stop-work notice, citing destruction of the environment. In a way, the project was almost killed by that order. It was unjust in nature, as the ministry blocked the construction on unreasonable grounds, said Vitthal Maniar, a long-time associate of Sharad Pawar and a stakeholder in Lavasa Corporation, with 6.5% shareholding. The setback prompted promoters to postpone the initial public offering that would have allowed raising funds from the market. It took one year for the ministry to revoke the stop-work notice, although by this time a crucial period had lapsed, adding to the promoters financial woes. A further blow was to come in 2017, when the then Devendra Fadnavis-led government revoked Lavasas SPA tag. It coincided with the Lavasa Corporation, a subsidiary of Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), filing for bankruptcy in 2018 due to the large sums of money it owed a consortium of banks. From then on, the township began to slowly slip into disrepair. Today, the many unfinished buildings resemble a ghost town where, instead of the envisioned 400,000, only around 3,000 people, including native villagers, live. The buildings that were once a vibrant red and yellow have lost their Mediterranean lustre and their appeal, overshadowed as they are by concrete skeletons. The lakeside promenade, which tourists thronged till 2017, now wears a deserted look. The utter neglect of the hill city and zero monitoring has resulted in theft of construction material after the project was stalled in 2017 due to a financial crunch. As marketed by its promoters, Lavasa was suitable for industries such as hospitality, tourism, health, education and IT & ITES. A few hotels, a hospital and educational institutions did set up their establishments. As things began to turn adverse and the flow of people waned, many of them shut shop. The villagers who originally owned the land had invested the money they got in businesses such as heavy vehicles and cabs, which were roped in by Lavasa Corporation during the construction phase. Many others set up small eateries to serve construction workers and tourists. All of them are now at a loose end. While buyers waiting interminably for their houses have been suffering, life for the few living in Lavasa is no cakewalk either. Power cuts have become frequent, garbage collection is negligible, and maintenance of the common utilities is nearly non-existent. According to Minoo Wadia, president of the Apex Association of Lavasa Property Owners, things have come to a standstill for the past few years. All the common amenities here have crumbled, said Wadia, 80, a retired Air Force officer who bought two flats 12 years ago. At times, those living here have to pitch in with their own funds to get some common utilities up and running. In September 2022, power supply to the hill city was disconnected after the Lavasa administration failed to pay its 22.78-crore dues to the power utility company of the state government. The power cut impacted the sewage and water treatment plants. Eventually, the supply was restored after payment of a partial sum, but it highlighted the deep financial mess Lavasa was in. Rajgopal Nogja, who was CEO of Lavasa Corporation, declined to answer questions on how the Lavasa dream collapsed and why attempts to revive the project failed. Gulabchand could not be contacted. Today after six years, when the resolution process has been concluded, rows of buildings with ready apartments are empty for want of new buyers. These apartments, along with under-construction structures, await proactive measures from DPIL, which won the 1,864-crore bid to acquire Lavasa Corporation. However, it will not be that easy. DPILs resolution plan envisages the delivery of fully constructed properties to home buyers within five years of getting environmental clearance. At the same time, home buyers will be able to get delivery of their incomplete houses only when they pay the actual future cost. Those looking to exit the project will get only back 40% of the amount they had paid, within 24 months of the receipt of environment clearance for the first phase. As of now, hopes are high on the part of house owners and investors. Whether their dissipated dreams can be resurrected remains to be seen. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai: Students of IIT Bombay gathered in a solemn procession to express their solidarity with the people affected by violence in Manipur on Friday. Despite the rain, the students assembled in front of the School of Management on the Powai campus and marched toward the main building. The march culminated near the Ambedkar statue, located in the heart of the main building. The students assembled in front of the School of Management on the Powai campus and marched toward the main building. (HT PHOTO) The previous night, a spontaneous gathering took place on campus, during which some students from Manipur shared their personal experiences. Concurrently, a protest was originally scheduled at TISS on July 20 by a student organisation active on campus. However, in response to an appeal by the Northeast Students Federation at TISS, the protest was eventually called off. The Federation urged students to engage in dialogue and reach out to their affected peers, promoting understanding and support instead of protesting. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai: With the city falling short of large land pockets, establishing an educational institution with a central building, huge lawn, snaking academic corridors and convocation hall seems unlikely for entrepreneurs. Keeping the citys reality in mind, the state has decided to approve setting up Vertical University Campus (VUC) in Mumbai city and Thane which would require much less land than traditional universities. In a first, vertical university campus to be set up in Mumbai and Thane Maharashtra is the first state in the country to approve vertical university campuses which were first adopted in the United States and other Western countries. The decision was taken in the state cabinet meeting on July 19. As against traditional campuses operating on a huge size of land, a vertical university campus will grow vertically so that a university can house up to the 50th floor just like a shiny corporate tower anywhere in the city. The idea of a vertical university campus was conceived to deal with the issue of land scarcity, which is common in major cities such as Mumbai and international metropolises like New York City, Washington DC and Tel Aviv, Israel. The state cabinet has cleared establishing Vertical University Campus in Mumbai city, Mumbai suburbs and Thane as self-financed universities. They require a minimum 15,000 built-up area, said Vikas Rastogi, principal secretary of, the higher and technical education department. In the previous policy, a private university can be established on a minimum land of 25-acre in rural areas, 15-acre in district headquarters and 10-acre in regional headquarters, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR). In a city like Mumbai, it is hard to get 10-acre of land and there were demands from many colleges to come up with an alternative considering which the state government has cleared a new policy for vertical university campus, the principal secretary stated. The state government has made it clear the institution is required to have an independent building to establish a university where no commercial activity in any way would be allowed to conduct. No area of the building can be used for commercial purposes in any way. It should have a scope for further construction in case there is a rise in the number of students. The classrooms shall be set up in accordance with University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) guidelines, states a cabinet proposal that was cleared by the state cabinet. Of the total area, it requires 40% reserve space for the playground following the provisions of unified development control and promotion regulations (UDCPR) and development control promotion regulations (DCPR), 2034. Also, the building shall have a hostel facility for students or nearby the premises, it adds. It means the vertical university campus will not be allowed on a few floors of a building or tower as it is happening in other parts of the world. We are not insisting on the size of the plot for a vertical university campus. They need to have a construction of at least 15,000 square meters by using their own and additional floor space index (FSI), he argued and added they will have to follow UDCPR and DCPR regulations. The government has decided to make only those institutions eligible for applying for a vertical university campus that have secured NAAC 3.25 grade points and are in the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) or National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) list of top 200 institutions. The decision was taken on the recommendations of two committees formed in a period of five years. Formed to recommend amendments to the guidelines for the self-financed universities on August 25, 2015, the two-member Arun Bongirwar committee suggested that if the city of Mumbai does not have ample place for starting a new university, then the state government should consider allowing setting up vertical university campuses. To form guidelines for the vertical university campus, another committee headed by former chief secretary Jayant Banthia was constituted on February 27, 2020. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Faisal Malik Faisal is with the political team and covers state administration and state politics. He also covers NCP. ...view detail HOUSTON Just moments before rap superstar Travis Scott took the stage at the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival in Houston, a contract worker had been so worried about what might happen after seeing people getting crushed or unconscious that he texted an event organizer saying, Someones going to end up dead, according to a police report on the deadly concert released Friday. The texts by security contract worker Reece Wheeler were some of many examples in the nearly 1,300-page report in which festival workers highlighted problems and warned of possible deadly consequences. The report includes transcripts of concertgoers 911 calls and summaries of police interviews, including one with Scott conducted just days after the event. The crowd surge at the Nov. 5, 2021, outdoor festival in Houston killed 10 attendees who ranged in age from 9 to 27. The official cause of death was compression asphyxia, which an expert likened to being crushed by a car. About 50,000 people attended the festival. Pull tons over the rail unconscious. Theres panic in people eyes. This could get worse quickly, Reece Wheeler texted Shawna Boardman, one of the private security directors, at 9 p.m. Wheeler then texted, I know theyll try to fight through it but I would want it on the record that I didnt advise this to continue. Someones going to end up dead. Scotts concert began at 9:02 p.m. In their review of video from the concerts livestream, police investigators said that at 9:13 p.m., they heard the faint sound of someone saying, Stop the show. The same request to stop the show could also be heard at 9:16 p.m. and 9:22 p.m. In an Aug. 19, 2022, police interview, Boardmans attorneys told investigators that Boardman saw things were not as bad as Reece Wheeler stated and decided not to pass along Wheelers concerns to anyone else. A grand jury declined to indict anyone who was investigated over the event, including Scott, Boardman and four other people. During a police interview conducted two days after the concert, Scott told investigators that although he did see one person near the stage getting medical attention, overall the crowd seemed to be enjoying the show and he did not see any signs of serious problems. We asked if he at any point heard the crowd telling him to stop the show. He stated that if he had heard something like that he would have done something, police said in their interview summary. Hip-hop artist Drake, who performed with Scott at the concert, told police that it was difficult to see from the stage what was going on in the crowd and that he didnt hear concertgoers pleas to stop the show. Drake found out about the tragedy later that night from his manager, while learning more on social media, police said in their summary. The report was released about a month after the Houston grand jury declined to indict Scott on any criminal charges in connection with the deadly concert. Police Chief Troy Finner had said the report was being made public so that people could read the entire investigation and come to their own conclusions about the case. During a news conference after the grand jurys decision, Finner declined to say what the overall conclusion of his agencys investigation was or whether police should have stopped the concert sooner. More than 500 lawsuits were filed over the deaths and injuries at the concert, including many against Live Nation and Scott. Some have since been settled. The reports release also came the same day that Scott released his new album, Utopia, his first album in five years and his first major release since the tragedy. The star-studded 19-track Utopia features Beyonce, SZA, Drake, Sampha, Young Thug, Playboi Carti, Daft Punks Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Future, Bon Iver, James Blake, Kid Cudi, 21 Savage, and many more. The LP, Scotts fourth full-length, was originally announced back in 2020 and follows 2018s Astroworld. In addition to the album, Scott hosted a one-night-only release of his feature film, Circus Maximus at select theaters Thursday night. Utopia was originally scheduled to be celebrated with a livestreamed concert at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, but was canceled due to complex production issues, Live Nation said in a statement. Photos: Houston concert victims mourned VARANASI In the wake of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi Partys general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav will hold a large meeting with his party workers in Azamgarh on July 31. The meeting is part of his itinerary during the three-day trip to eastern U.P. The three-day tour, starting from Jaunpur on July 30, is aimed at motivating the SP cadre ahead of the polls. Shivpal Yadav (HT File) On Sunday, Shivpal would hold a meeting with the party workers in Jaunpur, said SP leader Vivek Ranjan Yadav. Before the meeting, Shivpal would pay tribute to PPS officer Sudhakar Yadav, who died of cardiac arrest a week ago. Yadav was posted as an additional commandant in PAC at Fatehpur and was visiting his home in Jaunpur. Shivpal will stay overnight in Jaunpur and meet the party workers, especially grassroot workers, said Yadav. Later, on July 31, the SP general secretary will reach Azamgarh. Here, he would hold a meeting with all 10 MLAs of SP, senior leader Hawaldar Yadav, Durga Yadav, and Hariprasad Dubey, among others. Sharing further details, SP district unit senior leader Dubey said, Shivpal Yadav will hold a meeting with the party workers on July 31. All 10 MLAs of the party, senior leaders and party leaders from developmental blocks will attend the meeting. District unit leaders have completed the preparations for the crucial meeting aimed at reviewing preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. On Friday, a meeting of SP leaders, including party MLAs was held to discuss the poll preparations in Azamgarh, which has two Lok Sabha seats -- Azamgarh and Lalganj. After the meeting with Shivpal Ji, there will be new enthusiasm among the SP workers and we will start preparing wholeheartedly for the elections, said Dubey. It is worth mentioning that the Azamgarh parliamentary seat was considered to be the stronghold of the SP until by-polls in 2022 when the ruling BJPs Dinesh Lal Yadav defeated the SPs Dharmendra Yadav. The by-election was held after the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav resigned from the post of MP after being elected an MLA in 2022. In 2014, SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav was elected MP from Azamgarh and in 2019, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav won. Thereafter, by-election was held at the seat in June 2022. On August 1, Shivpal will visit Ballia, Mau, and Ghazipur. On way, he would call on the party workers. Several short meetings will be conducted on the day. The Tripura government has asked the schools in the state to keep open on Saturday and the has directed the management to make arrangements for live streaming of the event to mark the third anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP). The ministry of education has asked to keep all schools for live streaming of National Education Policy (Twitter Photo) All government schools were declared closed on Saturday for Muharram. School education departments state project director Chandni Chandran served notice stating, the ministry of education, in collaboration with the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship, is organising Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam to mark the third anniversary of NEP on July 29 and 30. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the event the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi to mark the third anniversary of NEP 2020. All district project coordinators (district education officers) are requested to make necessary arrangements for keeping the schools under their jurisdiction open on 29th July 2023 and instruct the HMs (headmasters) to arrange live streaming/webcast of the plenary session for students from Class- VI to upwards in all schools, teachers and community members, reads the notice signed by Chandni Chandran. The notice came after the ministry of education asked to keep all schools open to arrange live streaming of the plenary session for students and teachers. It is requested to keep your schools open on 29th July and arrange the live streaming/webcast of the plenary session for students, teachers and community, reads the letter signed by JP Pandey, director of department of school education and literacy, ministry of education on July 24. Chandni also asked the district project coordinators to submit a report on the participation of the number of schools, students, teachers and community members in the webcast programme today by 2pm, along with photographs of the live streaming of the programme. Meanwhile, opposing the notice from the education ministry and Chandani, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued a statement saying that the decision will prevent the students, teachers and employees from participating in Muharram. The party also stated that the state government is yet to say anything about the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)s decision that the students should write their examination papers only in English or Hindi. The CPM state secretariat termed both the incidents as undesired and a result of inconsiderate policy. The party state secretariat demands to reconsider the cancellation of the state holiday for Muharram and take required steps so that the students could adopt a medium of their own choice to write in their CBSE exams, the letter reads. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Bihar police personnel was allegedly beaten to death on Saturday, while he was at his village in Muzaffarpur district on a vacation, following a dispute over a small piece of land. The incident took place in Muzaffarpur district's Yadu Chhapra village where 53 years old Dipendra Kumar Singh had come for a holiday from Patna. (Representative image) The incident took place in Muzaffarpur district's Yadu Chhapra village where 53 years old Dipendra Kumar Singh had come for a holiday from Patna, where he was posted as a Havildar. According to Deputy SP (West), Muzaffarpur, Abhishek Anand, information was received in the morning that Singh's body was lying close to his house. "We rushed to the spot and sent the body for post-mortem. We have registered a case on the basis of complaints of bereaved family members who have said that the family was engaged in a dispute with a neighbouring household, over a piece of land that measured barely a few square inches", said the official. He added "Family members have alleged that the deceased had been telephonically seeking help from the local police for the past few days but there was no response. We are investigating the charge. All those who are found to be guilty will be brought to book". PUNE: Sharad Pawar (L) will attend the event on August 1 as chief guest when PM Modi will be conferred with the Tilak Award. (HT PHOTO) Even though Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar is expected to attend an event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be presented with the Lokmanya Tilak Award on August 1, opposition parties including the Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar camp), and some social organisations have decided to stage a joint protest against the Prime Minister. When PM Modi visits Pune, members of various political parties will wave black flags, led by prominent social activist Baba Adhav. When asked about agitation against the Prime Minister when Sharad Pawar will also be present at the event as chief guest, NCP city unit president Prashant Jagtap said their protest is limited to PM Modi not visiting Manipur despite being affected by conflict. When there is unrest in Manipur, the Prime Minister is not showing any concern over the issue but coming to Pune to accept the award. We demand that the PM should visit Manipur first. In Pune, Modi will be conferred with Lokmanya Tilak National Award for 2023 in recognition of his supreme leadership and for awakening the feeling of patriotism among citizens. According to Rohit Tilak, great-grandson of freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak and vice president of Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust, which organises the award ceremony, Pawar has confirmed his presence at the function. Even as the Lok Sabhas monsoon session is underway, Pawar will be attending the event and may leave for Delhi immediately, Tilak said. While Pawar has not spoken about his presence, he in the past had acknowledged that the call to Prime Minister Modi for confirmation for attending the award ceremony was made by himself days before his nephew Ajit rebelled and took away the majority of party MLAs on July 2. Congress vice president for Maharashtra unit Mohan Joshi said, Prime Minister has time to visit foreign countries but no time to visit Manipur. He doesnt even have time to speak about Manipur in parliament. To condemn this, we have decided to protest, and senior activist Baba Adhav will lead the agitation. The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) faction has also decided to participate in the protest. PM is doing Maan Ki Baat but not speaking at a constitutional platform like parliament. It is an insult to democracy, said the partys city unit chief Sanjay More. Communist Party of Indias Ajit Abhyankar said, Workers unions supported these agitations. PUNE: According to police, the incident happened on Friday at 1:54 pm. As per the complaint filed by Bharat Tatyaba Chaudhari, he and his wife were headed to the seventh floor of the building using the elevator. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC) Pimpri-Chinchwad police booked three including a building contractor and an elevator maintenance firm for providing a faulty elevator to the Sai Velocity phase II building in Baner. The accused have been identified as contractor Prakash Pandurang Chavan, resident of Kothrud, Anil Ramchandra Jadhav, and Retake Company, who is responsible for the maintenance of the elevator. According to police, the incident happened on Friday at 1:54 pm. As per the complaint filed by Bharat Tatyaba Chaudhari, he and his wife were headed to the seventh floor of the building using the elevator. However, the elevator did not halt at their desired floor but directly stopped at the tenth floor. Even when they stepped out of the elevator, it suddenly went downward and collapsed. As per the complainant, the society residents have lodged multiple complaints with the elevator maintenance firm, however, they have failed to resolve the issue. it has been alleged that the accused deliberately ignored the plaints and left society members to face the consequences. Immediately after the incident, the complainant approached Hinjewadi police station and registered the case under IPC sections 336 and 34 and further investigation is underway. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (BCECEB) has begun the registration for Bihar NEET UG 2023 counselling process from today, July 29. Candidates can register for the BCECE counselling process for admission into MBBS, BDS and other allied medical programmes on the official website at bceceboard.bihar.gov.in. Bihar NEET UG 2023 counselling registration begins at bceceboard.bihar.gov.in According to the Bihar NEET UG 2023 counselling schedule, students must register by August 4 at 10 pm for undergraduate medical admission counselling (UGMAC) BCECEB will allow applicants to make changes to the NEET UGMAC application form on August 5. The rank card and merit list for the Bihar NEET UG counselling will be released on August 7, and the proposed deadline for filling out options is August 9. Candidates must pay a non-refundable registration/counselling fee of Rs. 1200 for UNRESERVED/EWS/BC/EBC/EWS candidates and Rs. 600/-(Six Hundred) only for SC/ST/DQ applicants. Bihar UGMAC 2023: NEET UG counselling registration steps Visit the official website at bceceboard.bihar.gov.in Click on the 'Online Application Portal of UGMAC-2023' link Register and proceed with the application Fill in the BCECEB NEET UG 2023 application form Upload the required documents and pay the counselling fee Submit the Bihar NEET UG counselling 2023 application form Keep the hard copy of the same for future reference. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEET UG Round 1 Result Live Updates: Medical Counselling Committee released the Final NEET UG Round 1 Result today, July 30, 2023. The MCC NEET UG seat allotment result for Round 1 is available on the official site of MCC at mcc.nic.in. NEET UG Round 1 Result Live: MCC NEET UG provisional seat allotment results out Direct link to check final round 1 NEET UG results 2023 It is further mentioned to all the candidates that uploading of documents to MCC portal form candidates is optional. Whereas the candidates have to report physically along with all the essential documents to the allotted college. Also if the candidate wish to upgrade from the Round-1 to Round-2 they have to give willingness at the time of reporting to the allotted college, reads the official notification. The uploading of documents by the candidates on MCC portal will be done on July 30, 2023. The reporting or joining of the candidates who have been allotted a seat will be done from July 31 to August 4, 2023. The verification of joined candidates data by institutes sharing of data by MCC from August 5 to August 6, 2023. There will be four rounds of AIQ online counseling i.e. AIQ Round 1, AIQ Round 2, AIQ Mop-Up Round and AIQ Stray Vacancy Round. Follow the blog for latest updates on NEET UG round 1 seat allotment result, direct link and other details. Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam 2023, PM Modi Live Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, July 29 has inaugurated Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam 2023. The Samagam coincides with the third anniversary of the National Education Policy, NEP 2020. Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam 2023 Live: PM Modi inaugurates two-day Shiksha Mahakumbh The Prime Minister has delivered the inaugural address at the event and also released the first instalment of funds under the PM SHRI Scheme. The schools under this scheme will nurture students in a way that they become engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive, and plural society as envisaged by National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Prime Minister will also release education and skill curriculum books translated into 12 Indian languages. Watch Here (Started) The Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam is being organised on July 29 and 30, 2023. The inaugural event is held at the Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on July 29. Follow the blog for latest updates on the event. Masamune-Kun's Revenge R episode 5 is scheduled to release on Monday, July 31, 2023, at 11 pm JST on Tokyo MX and its affiliated channels. It will also be available on the AT-X channel at 9 pm JST. For international fans, the episode can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Ani-One Asia's YouTube channel. Masamune-kun's Revenge Season 2 Episode 5 will be released on Monday, July 31. Find the exact release times for all time zones, and the streaming guide here! In the last episode, things got intense as they adapted chapters 38 and 12 pages of chapter 39 from Hazuki Takeoka's manga. It delved into Yoshino's past and revealed the truth behind the fateful night that forever changed Masamune's life. You won't want to miss what happens next in this thrilling anime! Fans are eagerly anticipating Masamune-Kun's Revenge R episode 5 to be super exciting, especially because the last episode ended with a cliffhanger. What is the exact release time of episode 5 of Masamune-Kun's Revenge R season 2? As mentioned above, Masamune-Kun's Revenge R episode 5 will come out on Monday, July 31, 2023, at 11 pm JST on Tokyo MX. It will also be shown on other local channels like Sun TV, KBS Tokyo, BS Fuji, and AT-X. But, on AT-X. Here is the exact release time in your time zone. Date Masamune Kun's Revenge R Season 2 Episode 5 Release Date JST PT ET GMT CET IST July, 31 2023 11:00 PM 7:00 AM 10:00 AM 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 7:00 PM The Masamune-Kun's Revenge R anime is based on Hazuki Takeoka's manga and is created by Studio Link Studios. It tells the story of Makabe Masamune and Aki Adagaki, focusing on their lives and adventures. What Happened in Masamune-Kun's Episode 4? In Masamune-Kun's Revenge R episode 4, the story continued from the previous episode and focused on Yoshino's past. Makabe Masamune discovered that his memories might be wrong and went to Aki Adagaki's mansion. He learned that the one who humiliated him years ago was not Aki, but Yoshino. She was jealous of him because he made Aki smile. Yoshino tried her best to be there for Aki as her maid, but she couldn't believe someone outside their circle could win Aki's heart. That's why she developed a grudge against Makabe and called him "Pig's foot." On the night of the incident, Aki was sick, and when Masamune visited her, Yoshino disguised herself as Aki and insulted him. But later, she realized her mistake and understood how much Masamune's absence affected Aki's life. Also Read| Mushoku Tensei Season 2 Episode 5: Exact Release Date, Time and where to watch Yoshino asked Makabe to approach Aki and save her from Kanetsugu, as she saw that he didn't hate her. Meanwhile, Aki was on a date with Kanetsugu. Makabe rushed to find Aki, encountering her friends on the way who tried to stop him but told him where she was. Finally, Makabe reached them and confronted Kanetsugu, accusing him of pretending to be the real "Masamune." The episode ended dramatically with Makabe telling Aki that if she wants to date the "real thing," she should go out with him instead of Kanetsugu. Episode 5 of Masamune-Kun's Revenge R promises more excitement and a possible plot twist. Fans can't wait to see what happens next and how the central characters' story unfolds in the upcoming episodes. Stay tuned for more anime and manga updates in 2023! SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor Anil Kapoor recently talked about his costar Tom Cruise during an interview and revealed how people's perception of the Hollywood star changed with time. Tom and Anil have worked together in Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. Anil said in the past people have passed snide remarks about the actor. Also read: Anil Kapoor hypes Mission Impossible co-star Tom Cruise after he shares new Top Gun: Maverick pic Tom Cruise and Anil worked together in Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011). Anil Kapoor and Tom Cruise However, these people from Bollywood have now become a fan of Tom Cruise, Anil said. Anil and Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol released in 2011. He starred as Brij Nath. Their film is the sequel to Mission: Impossible III (2006) and is the fourth instalment in the Mission: Impossible film series. Anil Kapoor on remarks about Tom Cruise Talking about Anil's love for Hollywood films, he told Film Companion, I am looking forward to Christopher Nolans (Oppenheimer) I always look forward to all his films. I look forward to Tom Cruises films, the kind of action hes done. These are the people whom I really look up to. I was very fortunate when I did (Ghost Protocol), and when I spoke to my then colleagues, they said Nahi nahi yaar, woh baat nahi hai (he isn't that great). I said, Pata chalega aapko (you will find out). Now everybodys a fan after Top Gun: Maverick. In the same interview, Anil also shared that he encouraged his friends from the industry to go for international projects. I told them International kaam bhi karo (try international projects), they said, Nahi hum India main theek hai (we are fine in India). Later I realised that everyone secretly went to Los Angeles, everybody went to Netflix and Amazon, Anil added. Anil was last seen in The Night Manager part two where he reprised his role as dangerous arms dealer Shailendra Rungta. It is a remake of the 2016 British television series of the same name, adapted from John Le Carre's novel. Besides Anil, the series also stars Aditya Roy Kapur, Sobhita Dhulipala, Tillotama Shome, Ravi Behl and Saswata Chatterjee. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW YORK (AP) Robert Chambers, better known to some as the Preppy Killer," was released after spending 15 years in prison for drug and assault charges, according to state records. Chambers spent a similar amount of time in prison after pleading guilty to strangling Jennifer Levin in New York City's Central Park during the summer of 1986. Chambers entered the plea to killing 18-year-old Levin as part of a deal when a jury could not reach a decision after nine days of deliberations. He was released in 2003 for that crime but again ran afoul of the law soon after. He was again arrested in 2007 for selling drugs out of his apartment. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison but was released Tuesday four years early from the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in New York, according to online inmate records maintained by the New York Department of Corrections. Chambers, now 56, will remain under supervision for up to five years, records show. After Jewish organisation The Simon Wiesenthal Center, now Israeli embassy has called out Nitesh Tiwari's Bawaal for trivialisation of Holocaust in his romantic drama. Bawaal follows a high school history teacher Ajay Dixit (Varun Dhawan) and his wife Nisha (Jahnvi Kapoor) as they go on a Europe tour where they visit prominent World War 2 sites, including Auschwitz and Anne Franks home in Amsterdam. The film includes some controversial line comparing marital discord to Auschwitz and greedy people to Hitler. It also shows Janhvi and Varun in striped pyjamas in a Nazi camp in a fantasy sequence. Bawaal stars Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan as couple trying to find love. What the Israeli embassy said In a statement, the embassy said, "The Israeli embassy is disturbed by the trivialization of the significance of the Holocaust in the recent movie 'Bawaal'. There was a poor choice in the utilization of some terminology in the movie, and though we assume no malice was intended, we urge everyone who may not be fully aware of the horrors of the Holocaust to educate themselves about it. Our embassy is constantly working to propagate educational materials on this crucial subject, and we are open to engaging in conversations with all individuals to foster a better understanding of the universal lessons derived from the Holocaust." Israeli ambassador to India Naor Gilon also tweeted, I did not and will not watch the film Bawaal but from what Ive read, there was a poor choice of terminology and symbolism. Trivialization of the Holocaust should disturb all. I urge those who dont know enough about the horrors of the #Holocaust to educate themselves about it. What SWC had said Auschwitz is not a metaphor. It is a quintessential example of mans capacity for evil", said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, SWC Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action. "By having the protagonist in this movie declare that Every relationship goes through their Auschwitz, Nitesh Tiwari, trivialises and demeans the memory of 6 million murdered Jews and millions of others who suffered at the hands of Hitlers genocidal regime," Cooper said. If the filmmakers goal was to gain PR for the movie by reportedly filming a fantasy sequence at the Nazi death camp, he has succeeded, he added. Amazon Prime should stop monetising Bawaal by immediately removing this banal trivialization of the suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims of the Nazi Holocaust, he said in the statement. What Nitesh Tiwari said Ahead of the film's release on Prime Video on July 21, Tiwari told PTI that he had tried to incorporate chapters from history which contribute to the arc of the film's lead characters. "I've kept the incidents and events, which kind of play an important role in the arc of the characters and their relationships in the movie... Every incident has been carefully chosen. World War 2 is humongous, there is so much to say," the filmmaker said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor Hrithik Roshan's ex-wife Sussanne Khan has praised Infosys founder Narayan Murthy for criticising actor Kareena Kapoor. Recently, in an old video, Narayan Murthy talked about how Kareena Kapoor ignored her fans on a flight. (Also Read | Internet reacts as Narayana Murthy says Kareena Kapoor ignored fans on flight) Sussanne Khan lauded Narayan Murthy's comments criticising Kareena Kapoor. Narayan Murthy criticises Kareena During a conversation at IIT-Kanpur, he shared an incident and voiced his surprise at the actor not acknowledging her fans on a flight. In the video, Murthy said, The other day I was coming from London, and next to me was Kareena Kapoor, sitting in her seat. So many people came to her and they said hello. She didn't even bother to react. I was a little bit surprised. Whoever came to me, I stood up, and we discussed for a minute or half a minute-that's all they were expecting." Sudha Murthy defends Kareena His wife Sudha Murthy, sitting beside him, tried to defend the actor. Sudha said, "She has a million admirers. She must have been tired. Murthy, a founder, a software person, will have maybe 10,000 (fans), but a film actor will get a million. Narayan Murthy continued, "That is not the issue. The issue is that when somebody shows affection, you can also show it back, however cryptic manner you can. I think that is very important. These are all ways to reduce your ego, that's all. Sussanne reacted to the video. Sussanne reacts to Narayan Murthy's video The video was also shared by ETimes on its Instagram account. Taking to the comments section, Sussanne Khan wrote, "Well said Mr Murthy (clapping hands emojis)." There were rumours about Hrithik and Kareena dating each other which began around the time they starred in the Karan Johar's film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). They went on to work in Yaadein (2001) and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon (2003). Kareena and Hrithik's alleged affair Kareena spoke with Filmfare in 2002 in an interview, Zoom quoted her as saying, "I was more bothered that his marriage would be affected. For me, it was a professional hazard. First it was Hrithik, tomorrow it could be someone else. As long as I know the truth, Im fine. The most shocking part about the articles linking me with Hrithik was the insinuation that I was willing to give up my career to run after him. Please! Not for a man, never!" Kareena's upcoming films Fans will see Kareena in director Sujoy Ghosh's thriller which is based on the book The Devotion of Suspect X. It also stars Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlawat. Kareena also has The Crew alongside Tabu, Kriti Sanon and Diljit Dosanjh in the pipeline. Kapil Sharma will also be seen in a special cameo role in The Crew which will hit the theatres on March 22, 2024. Apart from that, she also has director Hansal Mehta's next untitled film in the pipeline. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The fun mystery comedy series, "Only Murders in the Building," returns only on Hulu for season 3 on August 8, 2023. Created by John Hoffman and Steve Martin, the show has been loved by viewers and critics alike in its first two seasons because of its exciting story and great cast. Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd join Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in this delightful third season. Hers's everything else to know. The show follows three unlikely friends, Charles-Haden Savage, Mabel Mora, and Oliver Putnam, who become close while making their own murder mystery podcast. They get caught up in thrilling and suspenseful adventures along the way. The main stars of the upcoming third season of Only Murders in the Building are Steve Martin, Selena Gomez, and Martin Short. Excitingly, this season will feature two well-known actors, Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep, who have joined the cast. Only Murders in the Building season 3 release date Only Murders in the Building season 3 is coming on Tuesday, August 8, exclusively on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK. The first two episodes will be available on August 8, and after that, one new episode will premiere every week for the next eight weeks. Only Murders in the Building season 3 plot The podcasting trio, Charles, Mabel, and Oliver, who have already solved two murders in their building, are back for more mystery-solving. In this new season, Oliver's play has a shocking incident where the leading man dies on stage during the opening night. The team suspects the killer could be someone from the show's cast of theater actors, who all have prominent personalities and hidden secrets. To uncover the truth, the Only Murders team starts investigating the cast and their potential motives. Only Murders in the Building Season 2 recap In the last episode of Season 2, the group discovered that Cinda's assistant, Poppy, was actually someone named Becky Butler. Poppy killed Bunny to boost her own podcasting career. With this mystery solved things started to look better for the hosts of the "Only Murders" podcast. Charles' acting career was getting better, and he was also enjoying his romantic relationship with Joy. Mabel was finally fixing up her apartment, and Oliver got a directing job on Broadway. However, on the night of Oliver's show's premiere, something unexpected happened. The main star of the show, Ben Glenroy, who was unhappy about his Broadway career, seemed to die on stage. It appeared that foul play might be involved. Just before Glenroy collapsed, he had a heated argument with Charles. Charles warned him to stay away from someone and also mentioned knowing something about what Glenroy did. They were possibly talking about Mabel, and it seemed like there was some history between Charles and Glenroy. The cause of Glenroy's collapse is still a mystery, and it's unclear what really happened. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Netflix's latest Polish thriller, Soulcatcher, is scheduled to premiere on the streaming platform on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, at 3 am ET. Soulcatcher Netflix Polish Thriller will be released on August, 2 2023 on Netflix. Heres everything you need to know about the Soulcatcher. The story follows a tough military contractor on a mission to find a dangerous weapon that turns regular folks into heartless killers. But guess what? Things take an unexpected turn when his own brother becomes a victim of this deadly weapon! Starring the talented Piotr Witkowski as the lead character, and with a bunch of other amazing actors in key roles, "Soulcatcher" is a rollercoaster of suspense and action. Bringing this thrilling tale to life is director Daniel Markowicz, who co-wrote the script alongside the brilliant Dawid Kowalewicz. When is the Soulcatcher Netflix release date? The official trailer's release confirms that Soulcatcher will be streaming on Netflix starting Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023. Watch the Netflix Soulcatcher trailer, where a man goes on a dangerous and mysterious adventure to capture a deadly weapon. Netflix released the official trailer for Soulcatcher on July 5, 2023. The trailer gives us a sneak peek into the exciting and thrilling events that will happen in the movie. The trailer starts by showing some officers examining a dangerous weapon that turns people into violent killers. The main character is determined to get hold of this weapon, but there are many obstacles in their way. Throughout the trailer, we see important scenes that set up the story without revealing any major surprises. It keeps a serious and intense atmosphere, perfect for fans who love thrilling action movies. Take a look at the official synopsis of the film, according to Netflix: ''A military contractor hired to seize a weapon that turns people into savage killers seeks revenge when his brother falls victim to the device.'' Apart from that, the plot's specific details are currently being kept secret. However, from the official trailer and description, you can look forward to an exciting and intense thriller drama. It will take a close look at the darker aspects of human behavior, touching on themes like violence, crime, and much more. More details about Soulcatcher's plot and cast "Soulcatcher" is a movie with Piotr Witkowski as the main character, Kiel. He's a tough military contractor hired to capture a dangerous weapon that's turning people into violent killers. Kiel's mission is to stop the weapon from causing more chaos in the city. He's a skilled and strong soldier, but he faces many dangers and challenges. Things get even more intense when his own brother becomes a victim of the weapon, pushing him to seek revenge. In the trailer, Piotr looks amazing, perfectly capturing the intense and mysterious nature of his character. He's expected to give a powerful performance in the film. Piotr Witkowski has appeared in other notable movies like "A Night at the Kindergarten," "Krime Story: Love Story," "The Champion of Auschwitz," and "Heimat ist kein Ort," among others. The movie also features talented actors like Jacek Koman, Mariusz Bonaszewski, Jacek Poniedzialek, Vansh Luthra, Sebastian Stankiewicz, and more in important supporting and minor roles. The director, Daniel Markowicz, is known for his work as a producer on various projects like "Lesson Plan," "Dreamworld," and "Shadows," among others. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor Salman Khan recently opened up about his show Bigg Boss OTT 2 and revealed what keeps him motivated. The popular host has been seen leaving it midway after losing his cool. He appears during Weekend Ka Vaar episodes on Saturdays and Sundays. Also read: Bigg Boss OTT 2 Weekend Ka Vaar: Angry Salman Khan reacts to the 'kiss', leaves show Salman Khan hosts Bigg Boss OTT 2, streaming on Jio Cinema. (ANI Photo)(Salman Khan Instagram) Salman Khan on Bigg Boss OTT 2 News agency ANI quoted Salman saying, "My fans are my biggest achievement and pride! I am what I am because of them. Yes, I lose my cool on the show and sometimes even walk out but I always come back only and only for my fans who patiently wait for my Weekend ka Vaar". Did Salman Khan quit the show? Earlier this month, Salman was spotted hosting the show with a cigarette in his hand. He also used the F-word on the OTT version of the reality show despite saying that he would not tolerate disrespect, violence, and abuse in the Bigg Boss house. Later, reports about Salman Khan quitting the show had surfaced online after pictures of him holding a cigarette in the show went viral. This is the first time that Salman is hosting Bigg Boss OTT 2. Previously, Karan Johar had hosted the OTT version of Bigg Boss. This weekend During this Weekend ka Vaar, actors Vijay Varma and Shweta Tripathi will be appearing as celebrity guests on the show to promote their series Kaalkoot. Both Kaalkoot and Bigg Boss OTT 2 are steaming on JioCinema. Currently, Pooja Bhatt, Bebika Dhurve, Abhishek Malhan, Avinash Sachdev, Jiya Shankar, Manisha Rani, Jad Hadid, Elvish Yadav and Aashika Bhatia are the contestants of the show. This week, Manisha and Aashika are in the nominations; one of them will be evicted from the show. Bigg Boss fans believe Aashiks has a strong chance to exit the show. Previously, the show got an extension of two weeks. Salman Khan announced, "This is what, just six weeks? Or maybe it will get extended to eight weeks. What does that mean? That means the show got an extension for two weeks. That means people are loving it. A watch time of 400 crore minutes in just two weeks - the first two weeks of Bigg Boss OTT 2. You guys are seen more than I am seen. Obviously, this season has been extended by two weeks. (With inputs from ANI) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Here are todays top news, analysis, and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. CBI takes over the Manipur viral video case. (File)(Representative image) Manipur video: CBI registers FIR after taking over probe in sexual assault case The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe on Friday night of the May 4 case of three women were stripped, one of them sexually assaulted and their two male members murdered. Read more MCC issues clarification over contentious Steve Smith non-dismissal during 5th Ashes Test Steve Smith had accepted his fate when a stunning throw from substitute fielder George Ealham found him short. It would have been the most crucial breakthrough for England on Day 2 of the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Kennington Oval in London as hope of a first-innings lead, that looked improbable on the opening day, seemingly looked real on the second evening. Read more Bawaal over Bawaal? Israeli embassy condemns trivialization of Holocaust in film After Jewish organisation The Simon Wiesenthal Center, now Israeli embassy has called out Nitesh Tiwari's Bawaal for trivialisation of Holocaust in his romantic drama. Read more Arnold Schwarzeneggers iconic character joins Fortnite in new Terminator crossover event Fortnite is preparing for another crossover event, this time with the legendary sci-fi Terminator franchise, which will feature an Arnold Schwarzenegger skin. Read more Bedroom decor 101: Top interior design trends and tips to transform your space When a house captures your essence, it becomes a home. The private space in one's home where one is invited to unwind after a long day is the bedroom. Read more Woman dances inside train, leaves onlookers baffled Dancing or making reels inside public transportation may cause inconvenience and discomfort to other passengers. Time and again transport authorities, across the nation, have issued warnings against such activities. Read more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday released the book Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Memories Never Die in Tamil Nadu's Rameshwaram, which is about the former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He said that the book depicts the journey of Kalam from a small town Rameswaram to India's highest constitutional position. Amit Shah in Tamil Nadu's Rameshwaram on Saturday(HT) Speaking at the book launch event, Shah talked about the death anniversary of Kalam, which was on July 27, saying that Kalam spent his life teaching and studying and also recalled the moment he breathed his last in Meghalaya while teaching. I bow down to the great patriot, the great scientist, and the peoples President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on this day, Shah said. Amit Shah mentioned what the book is about, saying it includes how a boy born to a poor family in Rameswaram rises to the highest echelons of India's politics and that it encompasses his success, failures, struggles, supporters, and detractors. He said that the book highlights Kalam as a lover of literature and culture, an avid admirer of Thirukural and Bharatihar's poetry, and many other unknown facets of his life. Amit Shah recalls reading about Kalam in Gujarati newspaper Amit Shah, at the book launch, recalled the time when he first became an MLA in 1995 in his home state, Gujarat. By that time, Kalam had already become a renowned scientist and also received Bharat Ratna in 1997, Amit Shah said. I read about him in a Gujarati newspaper that Kalam Ji was so simple that when he went to receive the award, he was nervous because he was not used to wearing a suit and was not comfortable with the tie, he said. Shah on missiles launched during Kalam's tenure at DRDO The Union minister also mentioned that during Abdul Kalam's tenure in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), a total of five missiles - Prithvi, Agni, Akash, Nag, and Trishul - were developed. He stressed that the names of these missiles were chosen in a way that depicts Kalam's inclination towards spirituality. Shah recalled the time when the Agni missile was launched, saying that there were a lot of problems before the launch, leading to its postponement two to three times. He said that Kalam inspired the team during their low phase when questions were raised against them. Finally, he stayed at the launching station for one and a half months, working late into the night. And when the launch was successfully made, the Agni missile became the identity of Indias success in missile technology, Shah said in Rameshwaram. About struggles in Kalam's life Amit Shah praised the inspiring life of the former President, which began from the fisherman committee to international space clubs, emphasising that these accomplishments cannot be understood unless we know about his struggles. This journey began when a child born to a poor family went to learn mathematics from a teacher at 4 am because he could not afford tuition. And this led the nation to many strides forward, Shah said. After school hours, Kalam used to sell newspapers at the bus stand to help his brother in education. But look at his destiny, a child selling newspapers one day occupied the headlines. He became the first citizen of India despite being born in a marginalized section, he further said. The Union home minister said that Kalam received many national and international awards, and his name will be written in golden letters for giving DRDO and ISRO a new direction. Speaking about Kalam getting rejected from becoming a fighter pilot, Shah said that Kalam, after becoming India's President, fulfilled that dream by learning to fly a Sukhoi. He was asked whether he was not afraid to fly a fighter plane at the age of 74. He answered that there was so much difficulty in flying the plane that he could not care about fear, Shah said SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As the 21-member delegation was on its way to violence-hit Manipur, state governor Anusuiya Uikey on Saturday visited a relief camp in Churachandpur, which was the epicentre of the ethnic clashes, to extend her support and solidarity to the affected people. Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey(Twitter/ ANI) Follow Manipur LIVE Updates here She urged the visiting Opposition delegation to contribute to the restoration of peace and order to the violence-hit Northeast. I appeal to them to contribute towards restoring peace in the state, she said. After visiting the people displaced by the violence at the town relief shelters, the governor said, People are asking when peace will be restored in the state. I am constantly trying that people from both communities should talk to each other to restore peace. We are talking to them and also to all political parties to help in this process. "The government will provide compensation to people who have lost members of their family and suffered loss of property. I will do everything possible for peace and the future of the people of Manipur," assured Uikey. Also Read: Manipur violence: Swati Maliwal meets assaulted BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte; writes to JP Nadda for help During her visit to the relief camp, several displaced locals asked when peace would return to the state to which Uikey replied, The people here want to return home. I am striving to bring all parties together in the interest of restoring peace to the state. Meanwhile, the opposition delegation reached Imphal on Saturday to visit the violence-hit areas. The visit follows a chorus from the Opposition members for a debate on the Manipur situation and a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has resulted in repeated disruptions and adjournments in both houses of Parliament. Also Read: Opposition MPs visit violence-hit Manipur: Sleeping like Kumbhkaran Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi after landing in Manipur, said, We want the public's demand to be heard and we are going to represent the demand of the people. We have come to represent the people of Manipur and their concerns. "We have come here to meet victims of ethnic clashes and understand the problem. We want the end of violence and the restoration of peace at the earliest. The entire world is watching what is going on in Manipur," Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury told news agency ANI. The 21-member Opposition delegation, from both Houses, includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Phulo Devi Netam of the Congress; Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh of the JDU; Sushmita Dev from Trinamool Congress; Kanimozhi from DMK; Sandosh Kumar of the CPI; AA Rahim from CPI(M), Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD; Javed Ali Khan of SP; Mahua Maji of JMM; PP Mohammed Faizal of NCP; Aneel Prasad Hegde of JDU, ET Mohammed Basheer of IUML; NK Premachandran of RSP; Sushil Gupta of AAP; Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT); D Ravikumar of VCK; Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan also of VCK; and Jayant Singh of the RLD. (With inputs from ANI) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that not just Rohingyas, any illegal immigrant - irrespective of religion - posed a danger to the nations sovereignty. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. (ANI)(HT_PRINT) Addressing a press conference, Sarma said, Not a threat to Assam because they are not staying here but they are using Assam as a travel road and it is a threat to the country...if a foreign national comes without a passport and visa, it is a threat to our sovereignty...anybody who has entered the country illegally whether it is Rohingya or non-Rohingya, whether Hindu or Muslim, is illegal and we cannot promote illegality. The CM said that Assam is now being used as a corridor by the Rohingyas to go to Delhi or Kashmir and the Karimganj SP has been asked to step up vigil. Sarma said that there is an alarming syndicate of brokers who allow the Rohingyas from Bangladesh to enter Tripura, and from there move to Karimganj in Assam and the rest of the country, Speaking at the conclusion of the two-day conference of superintendents of police in Bongaigaon, he revealed that five police teams from Assam are currently in Tripura to initiate action against the network. We have already informed the Centre and sought help from central agencies along with the cooperation of the Tripura government. We, however, adopted the strategy to push them back and not arrest them as they will then take bail and try to become citizens of the country, he added. The BJP leader said that all the three districts in Barak Valley should stay cautious to prevent Rohingya infiltrators and insurgents. During the past several years, infiltration from Bangladesh into Assam was almost zero, but some recent activities have been noticed along the Indo-Bangla border in Karimganj district, Sarma noted. He also called for increasing intelligence in all railway stations from Barak Valley to the western border of Assam, so that the Rohingyas are intercepted and decisive action is taken against them. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Belagavi Smart City project, which was included in the first national-level list of 20 Smart City projects in 2015, has been marred by unscientific and substandard work, officials said, adding that many of the planned works have remained unfinished, causing inconvenience to the people, and the recent incessant rains have exposed the poor quality of construction of concrete roads and underground drainage passages. The Smart City project was envisioned as a flagship scheme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Shutterstock) The construction of roads and open gutters was done without adhering to technological methods, resulting in rainwater stagnating on most cement concrete roads, and the drain water getting clogged in open gutters. The Civil Engineers Association in Belagavi expressed concern over the unscientific approach in the construction process. Despite being advised to correct the mistakes, the department concerned did not respond, and engineers were blamed for these lapses. Prabhu Jadhav, a member of the association, said, We, the engineers feel bad and wonder how such an easy engineering method was not followed by our Smart City counterparts, for which, we are being blamed for such lapses. One particular incident that highlighted the poor quality of work was the caving-in of a 2-kilometer road between Angol and Vadagavi in Belagavi South assembly constituency last March. Activists, including Ramakant Konduskar, raised their voice against the officials responsible for the project. Konduskar revealed that the road that caved in was not even included in the projects list. He claimed that the work was hurriedly undertaken just two months before the general elections, and due to the rush, the quality of work suffered, leading to the collapse. As the work done bills could not be taken once the election was announced, the project was completed in just 2 days, where the quality of the work was not maintained, for which it caved in, Konduskar said. Belagavi and Davanagere were the only cities from Karnataka selected for the Smart City project in the first list. The project received equal contributions of 500 crore each from central and state governments. Rajiv Topannavar, the Belagavi convener of the Aam Admi Party, criticized the design and plan of the Mandolli road project, stating that it was not technologically suitable or scientifically approved by Smart City engineers. He blamed the Smart City office for handing over the project to the construction agency before acquiring the required land and paying adequate compensation to landowners based on the market value. As per the details obtained from the department, approximately 980 crore has been spent on the project, with around 20 crore required to complete the remaining works. Belagavi City Corporation Commissioner, Ashok Dudaganti, told HT, We are not giving permission to cut newly asphalted roads to lay underground pipelines, etc., even to the government agencies. If there is an emergency, the agencies have to return the roads to their original position. Afreen Banu, managing director, Smart City project, assured that the technological lapses in cement concrete roads are being corrected by the construction agencies. The nationally recognised Visvesvarayya Technological University, based in Belagavi, has been appointed as a third party agency to supervise and certify the completed projects, along with a local engineering institute, to ensure the works meet the required standards before the construction agencies receive their last instalment of payment. The concept is right, the timing is right and the location is ideal. Hispanic Heritage Councils Cultural Institute is set to break ground on Niagara Street with a 37,000-square-foot building that will celebrate the cultures of at least 22 countries. Among its amenities: a museum and art gallery, a gift shop, a cafeteria, a 150-seat performing arts theater, a large event space, a media center and event space. As well as elevating the profile of some of Buffalos most underserved communities, this facility provides another reason to make Niagara Street a destination, rather than a way to get somewhere else. The new Hispanic Heritage Cultural Institute is to be located at 462 Niagara, at Hudson Street, with completion planned for 2024. This revamped Niagara corridor, which is completing a reconstruction from Porter to Hampshire, is also in the process of adding several other significant properties, including more than 50,000 feet of film studio space at 1150, near West Ferry Street, and the eagerly awaited relocation of the West Side Bazaar, to 1432, near West Delavan. In terms of cultural impact, though, the new Hispanic institute will fill a gap not just for Niagara Street or even Buffalo, but for all of Western New York. Its focus on Hispanic arts, culture and history is badly needed, not just to serve the estimated 45,000 Hispanics in Buffalo and 75,000 in the region, but also to educate and enlighten all who live here. With Spanish the top non-English language by far spoken in Buffalo Public Schools and asylum seekers from Latin and South American countries continuing to seek refuge here, any institution that promotes understanding among the regions increasingly diverse populations is not just welcome, its essential. Because the Hispanic Heritage Council is strongly grounded in education across nationalities and disciplines, and has a history of collaborating with the Buffalo Public Library, the BPO, the History Museum and other cultural institutions, it is well-placed to fulfill this task. Casimiro Rodriguez, who founded the HHC in 2011 and continues as director emeritus, stresses that an important goal will be to support Buffalos other Hispanic organizations, of which there are many, including Agustin Pucho Olivencia Community Center, Hispanic United of Buffalo, Hispanic Womens League, the Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day Parade, El Batey Puerto Rican Center, Los Tainos Senior Citizens Center, and El Museo Francisco Oller y Diego Rivera. An initial collaboration is with Raices Theatre Company, which will make the new center its headquarters. Founded 10 years ago, Raices which means roots is Buffalos sole Hispanic theater company. Up until now, it has been in residence at the Road Less Traveled Theater. This relocation to a portion of Niagara Street thats now called Avenida San Juan, the heart of Buffalos Hispanic community, is a key move for the bilingual company. Media outlets for Buffalos burgeoning Hispanic populations have come and gone, and have mainly been monthly newspapers. But now, Western New Yorks Hispanic populations will have access to a media center in the new facility. We dont have Hispanic radio, Rodriguez said, and many other ethnic groups dont have access to media. We want them to be able to use our facility. With an ambitious set of resources that respond to the needs and aspirations of diverse populations, the Hispanic Heritage Cultural Institute will be a lively cultural beacon as well as a new generator of economic activity for Buffalos West Side. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday took over the probe into the sexual assault case where three Kuki women were stripped, paraded naked and assaulted, with one of them gang-raped, by a mob in Manipur on May 4, people familiar with the development said. (Representative Photo) After taking over the probe, the agency has re-registered the first information report (FIR) filed by the Manipur police, they said. A viral video of the gruesome crime surfaced on July 19, almost three months after the incident, which showed three women being stripped naked and paraded, sparking outrage across the country. Allegedly, one of the victims was gang-raped and two male family members of the victims were murdered on May 4 in Manipurs Thoubal district. Also Read: Opposition MPs visit violence-hit Manipur: Sleeping like Kumbhkaran The case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a reference from the Union Home Ministry, said the people mentioned above. The Centre on Thursday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that the case has been transferred to the CBI and that the trial must be time-bound, and should take place outside Manipur. The central government considers the offences like the present one to be too heinous which deserve to be taken not only with the seriousness it deserves but justice should be seen to be done so that it has a deterrent effect throughout the nation with respect to crimes against women, stated the affidavit filed by Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla. After the video of the sexual assault went viral, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke more than two months of public silence over deadly ethnic clashes, saying that the assaults of two women were unforgivable. He, however, did not refer directly to the larger violence which has engulfed the northeastern state the first week of May. The Congress-led opposition grouping has been demanding a statement by the prime minister in the Parliament on the Manipur issue followed by a discussion in both Houses. Manipur police have so far arrested seven accused persons in the sexual assault case, including some of those seen in the viral video, while the hunt is on for others, according to a senior police officer, who didnt wish to be named. The CBIs special investigation team (SIT) is already investigating six other cases related to violence in Manipur and the loot of weapons from state armouries, said officials familiar with the development. Officials familiar with the CBI probe said the agency will take the custody of accused persons arrested by Manipur police and interrogate them, besides taking the statements of the victims, their families, and witnesses. Since May 3, Manipur has been gripped by ethnic clashes primarily between the Kukis, which mostly reside in the hill districts, and Meiteis, the dominant community in Imphal Valley. At least 150 people have been killed and over 50,000 have been displaced so far. Also Read: Involvement of foreign agencies cannot be ruled out: Ex-army chief on Manipur Clashes first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town after tribal Kuki groups called for protests against a proposed tweak to the states reservation matrix, granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the majority Meitei community. Violence quickly engulfed the state where ethnic fault lines run deep, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled burning homes and neighbourhoods into jungles, often across state borders. The authorities quickly clamped a curfew and suspended the internet, pumping in additional security forces to force a break in the spiralling clashes. The state has recorded 5,101 cases of arson and registered 6,065 first information reports (FIRs) related to various incidents of violence so far. At least 252 people have been arrested and around 12,740 preventive arrests have been made. For all the Chinese talk about Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaching a consensus with President Xi Jinping at the G20 Bali summit dinner on stabilizing relations, the issuance of stapled visas to Indian Wushu athletes from Arunachal Pradesh for the Chengdu games shows that Beijing wants to keep bilateral ties permanently on the edge. Basically, consensus on Chinese terms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping While India has rightly decided to pull out the entire Wushu team from University games as a mark of protest on stapled visas, the Chinese decision is part of its wolf warrior diplomacy that began in August 2010 when they refused to issue a visa to the then Northern Army Commander Lt Gen B S Jaswal for military dialogue stating that Jammu and Kashmir was disputed territory. Even though much has been made out of the Chinese readout of meeting between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the BRICS NSA meeting in Johannesburg, fact is that since there was no agreed text, Beijing and New Delhi can interpret the meetings on their own terms and issue a statement. The same happened during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankars meeting with Wang Yi in his Foreign Minister avatar on the sidelines of the G-20 Ministerial in Bali. EAM Jaishankar described the meeting in a simple tweet, while Beijing issued a multi-page statement. Simply put, consensus is the Chinese description, perhaps mischievous, of PM Modi's informal exchange with President Xi Jinping over the dinner table and may have to do with the Chinese leaders visit to India for the G-20 summit in September. New Delhi, on its part, is not even wasting a breath on this description of bilateral ties as there was no agreed text, just a positive mandarin spin on an informal meeting. However, India has taken the stapled visa issue very seriously as clearly with China the more things change, the more they remain the same with Beijing not moving a millimeter from its stated past positions on the LAC, Arunachal Pradesh or CPEC in Occupied Kashmir via Shaksgam Valley, illegally ceded by tributary state Pakistan to the Middle Kingdom. But the matters have got more complicated since the 2017 Doklam stand-off on India-Bhutan-China trijunction and after the May 2020 PLA belligerence on Pangong Tso in East Ladakh as Beijing threw out the 1993 and 1996 bilateral agreements out of the window. In this context, the Narendra Modi government is under no illusions about expansionist China as there is PLA posturing all along the 3488 km LAC as well as the Indian Ocean, where Chinese surveillance and ballistic missile tracking ships are busy mapping route and ocean floor for Chinese nuclear submarines in the near future. Even though New Delhi has not found any evidence of Chinese involvement in the Manipur violence, this aspect cannot be ruled out as the Indian Army will be forced to pull-out troops from the eastern sector if ever the worst case scenario takes place in either of the seven North-eastern states. Given the weak control of Myanmar junta and Army on its western borders, India has no options but to fence the 1300 km long border or else face the deluge of synthetic drugs and heroin from liberated zones within Burma and arms from Yunnan province of China. One must remember that a number of armed extremist groups within Manipur have linkages to China and that international pariah Myanmar only receives international support from Beijing in return for its precious national resources and strategic geographical location. With PLA making inroads into Bhutanese territory through infra expansion along Amu Chu (which is called Teesta river in India), New Delhi has a number of security concerns with China and the relationship is anything but stabilized or even headed towards stabilization. The PLA posture both in western and eastern sector is dominant if not a threat to India. Perhaps, the only thing that Chinese want is Indian business and businessmen who are looking towards cheaper products from Beijing for use in India without even so much as a glance on mounting bilateral trade deficits in favour of the adversary. Now that China has opened for business after 2020 coronavirus with clear cut origins in Wuhan, New Delhi has a leverage on visas provided it chooses to exercise it. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Anil Antony, the son of senior Congress leader AK Antony, and former AMU vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor have been appointed vice presidents of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday. Former president of the Telangana state unit Bandi Sanjay has been appointed national general secretary along with lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh Radha Mohan Agarwal. Senior Congress leader AK Antonys son Anil Antony had quit all party posts blaming growing intolerance and sycophancy in the organisation. (HT) Overall, there are 13 vice-presidents, nine general secretaries, including BL Santhosh as the in-charge of organisation, and 13 secretaries on the list. Several people other leaders such as CT Ravi, a leader from Karnataka, Dilip Saikia, a Lok Sabha MP from Assam and Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh have been dropped as its general secretaries, with reports indicating that they may be contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Antony, the son of former defence minister, had joined the BJP in April this year in the presence of Union minister Piyush Goyal. Anil quit the Congress party in January following his critical remarks against the Congress party over BBC raids amid the row over BBCs documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mansoor had resigned as Aligarh Muslim University or AMU vice-chancellor earlier this year after he was nominated as a member of the UP Legislative Council. Mansoor was amongst the six names forwarded by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to the governor for being nominated as members of legislative council of the state. The BJP's latest decision to give a new role to Mansoor is seen to be part of the party's overtures to Pasmanda Muslims in Uttar Pradesh. BL Santhosh will remain the national general secretary of the BJP, while Shiv Prakash continues to be the joint general secretary. Most of the office-bearers have been retained as vice-presidents, general secretaries and secretaries in the new list. Former Union minister Radha Mohan Singh, a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, has been dropped as a party vice-president. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Supreme Court on Friday said that discipline is the implicit hallmark of the Indian Armed Forces and a non-negotiable condition of service, reported Bar and Bench. Supreme Court of India (File Photo)(HT_PRINT) A bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Rajesh Bindal said that gross indiscipline by those serving in the defence forces cannot be tolerated while upholding a February 2015 order passed by the Armed Forces Tribunal Lucknow Regional Bench, dismissing a mechanical transport driver from the service for overstaying leaves without a sufficient cause. "Such gross indiscipline on the part of the appellant who was a member of the Armed Forces could not be countenanced. He remained out of line far too often for seeking condonation of his absence of leave, this time, for a prolonged period of 108 days which if accepted, would have sent a wrong signal to others in service. One must be mindful of the fact that discipline is the implicit hallmark of the Armed Forces and a non-negotiable condition of service," the Court said. In an appeal before the Supreme Court, the driver's counsel argued that the punishment was grossly disproportionate to the offence, however, the court also found that driver, a former sepoy, who has been charged under Section 39b of the Army Act, appeared to be a habitual offender and that he had remained out of line for far too long by seeking condonation of his leave, the report added. The driver during the hearing had not produced any document on record to justify his leaves and had only made a bald statement while making submissions before the Court of Inquiry in 1999. The apex court also observed that the punishment pronounced was not graver than the one contemplated under the Army Act adding that the former sepoy did not deserve any leniency for his conduct. "The punishment of dismissal from service on conviction by Court Martial has been treated as a lesser punishment vis-a-vis the punishment of imprisonment for any period below 14 years ... sub-section (4) of Section 120 clearly states that a SCM can pass any sentence as contemplated under the Act," the bench said. Union minister Smriti Irani on Saturday said it seems to her that she has come a long way politically now that the Congress tweets about her 'incessantly'. The union minister said she was 'Smriti who?' once upon a time, but now she is 'RaGa Irani' as the Congress called her in its latest jibe -- for bringing RaGa in most of her statements. Correcting the spelling of her surname, Smriti Irani wrote, "Seems someone somewhere is perturbed." The 'Smriti who' is a reference to Priyanka Gandhi's reaction to Smriti Irani when in 2014 she contested against Rahul Gandhi from Amethi for the first time. In 2019, she defeated Rahul Gandhi. Smriti Irani and the official Twitter handle of the Congress are taking on each other on the social media platform over the Manipur issue. (PTI) The Congress has been questioning Smriti Irani's silence over Manipur -- as the minister only spoke after the video of two Kuki women paraded naked went viral. Attack-counterattack followed on Twitter while in the Rajya Sabha, Smriti Irani mentioned Rahul Gandhi's name in the context of Manipur. On Wednesday, Congress MP Amee Yajnik posed a question as to why women ministers are not speaking up on Manipur. To this, Smriti Irani said: "When will you have the guts to discuss Chhattisgarh, when will you have the courage to discuss what is happening in Bihar? When will you have the courage to tell us how women are raped in Congres-ruled states. When will you have the guts to tell how Rahul Gandhi put Manipur on fire. Do not cast a doubt on the women ministers of the cabinet." You have hatred inside, get treated: Supriya Shrinate Congress leader Supriya Shrinate replied to Smriti Irani's tweet and wished that the minister was as ready to speak on violence against women as she is when it comes to 'spew venom' against Rahul Gandhi. "For that, you will have to love this country and people more than lust for power. But you have hatred inside. Get treatment," Shrinate said. Smriti Irani versus Congress after Manipur video Smriti Irani not only replied to the tweets made from the Congress official handle but expressed her disgust against Congress and Rahul Gandhi as she replied to random Twitter users too. After Smriti Irani's Rajya Sabha speech in which she blamed Rahul Gandhi for putting Manipur on fire, Congress called her 'full of sound and fury, signifying nothing'. "Who currently holds the position of Women and Child Development minister? Who should be held accountable? Mrs Smriti Irani," the Congress tweeted. "Poshan tracker - 10 crore beneficiaries, 94% Aadhaar verified in 13 lakh anganwadis. PM Matru Vandana Yojana - paid Rs. 13,000 crores to over 3 crore pregnant women. Thats WCD as constitutionally mandated. Would help to be informed unless you truly believe ignorance is bliss," Smriti Irani replied. To this heated exchange, one Twitter user wrote, "Ye jo Rahul ke naam ka gas bhara jai wo kabhi fat jayega". "Thank you for publicly declaring Rahul Gandhi is all gas," Smriti Irani replied. 'Smriti who?' In 2014, when Priyanka Gandhi was asked about BJP challenger Smriti Irani against his brother Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, Priyanka Gandhi reacted with 'Who? oh...' and a giggle. When in 2019, Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, she was hailed as a giant-slayer. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As a part of an outreach initiative, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, his mother and former party president Sonia Gandhi, his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi met a group of women farmers from Haryana. In a fun banter between them, the women farmers freewheelingly asked Sonia Gandhi to get Rahul Gandhi married. To which, she replied, You find a girl for him. Further, Rahul said, it will happen. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi meet women farmers from Haryana.(Instagram/INCIndia) The meeting was held at a luncheon organised by Sonia Gandhi at her residence. Rahul shared the glimpse of the meeting on social media. A day to remember for Maa, Priyanka and me with some very special guests! Delhi darshan of Sonipat's farmer sisters, dinner with them at home, and lots of fun things to do. Got priceless gifts together - desi ghee, sweet lassi, homemade pickles and lots of love, he said sharing a montage from the meet-up. The Congress leader had earlier visited in Haryana's Sonipat during his flagship Bharat Jodo Yatra, where he promised a group of women farmers to arrange a Delhi darshan for them and a lunch at his house. "Rahul Gandhi had promised to take the farmer sisters of Sonipat to Delhi. Farmer sisters came to Delhi, the promise was fulfilled," the Congress said on Twitter. In other portion of the clip, Priyanka Gandhi was heard saying Rahul was naughtier than her, but she got the scolding instead. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Lax electrical safety standards, including improper earthing and not installing circuit breakers, led to the tragic July 19 electrocution incident at the Gopeshwar sewage treatment plant in Uttarkhand in which 16 people lost their lives and 12 others were injured, a magisterial inquiry has found. Chamoli: An injured being airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh after an accident at a power transformer at a Namami Gange project site on the banks of the Alaknanda river, in Chamoli district, Wednesday, July 19, 2023. At least 15 people were killed and several injured in the accident, according to officials. (PTI Photo)(PTI07_19_2023_000094A) (PTI) Patiala-based Jai Bhushan Malik Contractors and Coimbatore-based Confident Engineering India, the two firms operating and maintaining the treatment plant in Uttarakhand and elsewhere in the country should be blacklisted, Chamoli additional district magistrate Abhishek Tripathi recommended in his report submitted on Friday. We found two main reasons for the Chamoli electrocution improper earthing system and non-installation of MCCB (molded case circuit breaker) at the STP, Tripathi said. I have recommended blacklisting of the joint venture company all over the country. I have also recommended departmental action against the concerned officials of Jal Sansthan (water supply) and Uttarakhand Power Corporation. There was no proper monitoring of the joint venture companys work and there was lack of coordination between the water and power suppliers, he added. The probe also found invoices presented to the Jal Sansthan by the company was suspicious. By not complying with the electrical supply safety standards, not deploying adequate personnel at the STP, the joint venture company violated its agreement/contract with the Jal Nigam and Jal Sansthan, the magisterial report said. Bhaskar Mahajan, director of Axis Power Controls, Delhi, wasnt an authorised person for the joint venture company, but was still involved in the STP work, the report said, also recommending the blacklisting of Axis Power Controls. The contract with the joint venture should be cancelled and all expenses and repair costs till the contract expiration should be recovered from the company, Tripathi said in his report. The bank guarantee of joint venture company, amounting to 110.75 lakh and valid till July 31, should be confiscated, the report recommended. Appropriate punitive action should be taken against the joint venture company and Mahajan, the report said. Departmental action should also be taken against concerned officials of Jal Sansthan, who failed to monitor the companys work appropriately and cleared suspicious bills, it said. The magistrate also recommended electricity safety audit of all sewage treatment plants so that such incidents could be avoided in the future. Chamoli district magistrate Himanshu Khurana had ordered the inquiry on instruction from chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Four people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident. Police on July 24 arrested Mahajan. On July 21 , police had arrested three people after a case was registered against the supervisor of the joint venture firm that operated and maintained the plant on the banks of the Alaknanda river. They were identified as Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan additional assistant engineer Hardev Lal, joint-venture company supervisor Pawan Chamola and Uttarakhand Power Corporation contractual worker lineman Mahendra Singh. On Thursday, a first information report was registered under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Dangerous Machines (Regulation) Act, 1983, against Chamola and other unidentified officials of the joint venture. The treatment plant with a capacity of processing 0.5 mega litres per day was set up under the Namami Gange project in 2019 and handed over to Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan in 2021 for supervision, with electricity provided to it by the Uttarakhand Power Corporation. On July 19 morning, 15 people were electrocuted and 11 others injured at the Gopeshwar plant. They had gathered at the plant as police were investigating the electrocution of the lone security guard at the plant, Ganesh Lal, the night before. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union minister Anurag Thakur said the visit by I.N.D.I.A. bloc's members of Parliament to strife-torn Manipur is a mere attempt to put on an act. He alleged that ministers under their (Opposition) regime didn't use to speak when Manipur used to burn at the time and the state used to witness lockdowns for 6 months. Union Minister Anurag Thakur(PTI) The Union minister further redirected the attention to alleged killing of women in West Bengal and asked senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a member of the Manipur delegation, whether he would also bring the MPs from INDIA bloc to his state. When they come back from Manipur, I would request Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to bring them to West Bengal. I want to ask Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury does he agree with the atrocities against women in the state, he said after arriving at the Kolkata airport. He further cited reports of crime against women in Rajasthan and criticised the Opposition for not visiting there. "In Rajasthan where there are killings & crimes against women, the opposition did not go there. Will the INDIA alliance also go to Rajasthan?" he asked. A delegation of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of 21 MPs started its two-day visit to Manipur today to assess the ground situation and make recommendations to the government and Parliament, as part of efforts to help resolve the ethnic conflict that has roiled the northeastern state since May 3. In the latest step towards shedding colonial practices, the Indian Navy has decided that its personnel will no longer carry ceremonial batons, officials aware of the matter said on Saturday. (Twitter/@indiannavy) Senior officers in command roles, commanding officers of warships, naval bases and other establishments, and provost personnel responsible for policing, vigilance and enforcement of discipline thus far carried batons. The navy says the symbolism of power portrayed by holding such batons is a colonial legacy. With the passage of time, carrying of batons by naval personnel has gradually become a norm, states a naval headquarters letter dated July 28. The symbolism of power or authority portrayed through holding the baton is a colonial legacy that is out of place in a transformed navy of the Amrit Kaal, it said. Amrit Kaal refers to the 25 years leading to Indias independence centenary in 2047. The carrying of batons has been discontinued with immediate effect. From now onwards, the baton will find a place only in offices. A ceremonial baton may be placed appropriately in the office of the head of the organisation of every unit. A ceremonial handing over of the baton may be undertaken within the office, as a part of Change of Command only, the letter adds. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a naval ensign at the commissioning ceremony of aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, with the new flag drawing inspiration from the seal of Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj and the Cross of St George being dropped, a move that the PM described as getting rid of the burden of a colonial past. The army is also reviewing its British-era customs and will discard some practices without diluting its rich legacy. The call for doing away with colonial customs in the armed forces was made by the PM in March 2021 during the Combined Commanders Conference at Kevadia in Gujarat when he asked the three services to rid themselves of legacy systems and practices that are no longer relevant. The PMs remarks at the top conference were the first indication that colonial practices in the armed forces were on their way out. He had then underlined the importance of enhancing indigenisation in the national security system, not just in sourcing equipment and weapons but also in doctrines, procedures and customs. In his Independence Day speech last year, Modi spoke of the panch pran or five pledges for India to become a developed country by its 100th year of independence --- one of those resolutions was to uproot all signs of colonial slavery from mindset and habits. The defence ministry has also begun a drive to rename British-era cantonments as military stations. The ministry has shared broad modalities for a proposed separation of civilian areas in 58 cantonments across the country, with the move aimed at bringing uniformity in municipal laws governing these areas and adjoining municipal pockets, the government told Rajya Sabha on July 24. The ministry has sought comments from the states on the matter. Yol in Himachal Pradesh was the first cantonment to shed the colonial tag and be renamed as a military station in April 2023. This was the first step in the drive to merge civilian areas in cantonments, created during the British era, with municipal corporations and municipalities, and designate them as military stations. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Indian woman Anju who travelled to Pakistan to meet her Facebook friend Nasrullah and then got married leaving her Indian husband Arvind Kumar in Alwar was gifted with 10 Marla housing land, a cheque of PKR 50,000 by the CEO of Pak Star Group of Companies Mohsin Khan Abbasi who said the gifts were to make Anju, now Fatima, feel home in Pakistan. A video of Mohsin Khan Abbasi interacting with Anju and Nasrullah and then giving a statement on the gifts is going viral, courtesy of Pakistan-based journalists. "Anju has come here from India and converted to Islam. So these gifts are to welcome her, to congratulate her as we are immensely happy. This is just a small attempt to appreciate her," Mohsin Khan Abbasi said. Read | Video of India's Anju having dinner with Nasrullah in Pakistan surfaces Anju travelled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Nasrullah on a sightseeing trip and then they got married. (PTI) "Another thing is when someone comes to a news place, the main problem is of housing. Since we have a project running, we thought we can accommodate them here. Our board of directors approved it and we gave the plot in her name. Rest are all small gifts so that she does not feel she faced any trouble after converting to Islam -- so that she can make this her home," Mohsin Khan Abbasi said. Anju has a husband in India, not divorced Anju's husband Arvind Kumar said Anju can not marry anyone as she is still his wife on papers. The couple who got married in 2007 has a daughter who, as Arvind claimed, has denied accepting Anju as her mother. Arvind said on July 20 Anju said she was going to Jaipur to meet her friends. Then the family got to know that she crossed the border through Wagah and was in Pakistan. Then the news of her marriage with Nasrullah surfaced with their photos and videos. Arvind said Anju claimed that she had submitted divorce papers in Delhi three years ago but he never received any notice. 34-year-old Anju became friends with Nasrullah, five years younger than her, on Facebook in 2019. Anju travelled to Pakistan on a valid visa On July 22, Anju arrived in Pakistan via the Wagah border and Nasrullah received her in Rawalpindi. She travelled on a valid 30-day visa. Nasrullah earlier claimed Anju would go back to India when her visa expires. But then they got married and Anju became Fatima. Anju's father Gaya Prasad Thomas said Anju is as good as dead to them and she should not be allowed to return to India. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Poulomi Ghosh Poulomi Ghosh is a journalist with Hindustan Times, New Delhi. ...view detail It was a Sunset Bay Walleye Shootout of epic proportions. A total of 160 teams representing 26 states were involved. More than $425,000 in cash and prizes were being awarded to the winning teams. And in the end, several noteworthy teams stood tall in the winners circle. The winning team was Wes Bartoo of Fredonia and his Crazy Eyes team, made up of his 15-year-old son, Wyatt, and Will Baker of Brocton. They were trolling the international line in 80-90 feet of water to earn the win using 5, 6 and 7 colors of lead core line off boards with all stick baits Renoskys, Bombers and Thundersticks. Color didnt seem to matter. It was more of a speed and depth thing, Bartoo said. We would put our lures in the faces of the fish and that approach seemed to trigger bites. Crazy Eyes won its first Shootout with 35.27 pounds for six walleyes, taking home a check for $20,000, tournament organizer Don Ruppert said. Bartoo and company also caught an 8.48-pound walleye en route to the win that was second overall for the main event Saturday. It certainly helped their final numbers for fish weight and their pocketbook. Runner-up was Randy Jaroszewski of Hamburg and the Ice Breaker team, which came up just short of a second Shootout victory by less than a half-pound with 34.78 pounds. Also on the team were Ron Kozub of Hamburg and John Dirosa of West Seneca. My team scouted most of the Eastern Basin of the lake all week, Jaroszewski said. We found pockets of larger fish off Sturgeon Point, Cattaraugus Creek and Van Buren. However, we felt there wasnt enough (big fish) in any one place to put together a winning box. We decided the fish at the Pa./New York border could accomplish this. On Saturday, the team ran to a secret spot running Yaleye Hooligans, Bay Rats and Berkley Flicker Minnows over 80 feet of water. By 11 a.m., we noticed our fish were going off the feed bag and moved east to where we caught some larger fish earlier, Jaroszewski said. We already had a 30-pound box (six fish), but we needed some larger kicker fish. We moved our program into 65 feet of water off DJs Campground. We picked up a 6-pound kicker right away. Then we noticed that we were getting shallow near the State Park and turned the boat into deeper water. It was at the 77-foot mark that we hooked a great fish that got tangled on a Flicker Minnow. After untangling the boards, the lines separated and noticed that we actually had two fish on, both in the mid-6-pound range. We landed both in the same net at 1:30 p.m. This moved us closer to 35 pounds. We attempted to hit that area again, but the fish were gone. Big Fish this time of year are always on the move. Third place was Edgar Trent of Crestline, Ohio, and his Erie Eyes of Ohio team with 34.60 pounds. Also on the team were Devon Phillips, Louie Alberty and Kenji Alberty (all from Crestline). It was their third trip to the Shootout and their best finish. We headed straight north from our starting point to 80 feet of water near the international boundary line, Trent said. We used Renoskys and Husky Jerks off lead core lines and boards and worm harnesses off the divers to get us into the fish zone 45 to 60 feet down. We had our six fish in the box by 8:30 a.m. and upgraded from there. When it came to decision time on what to do, we decided to grind it out where we were rather than run someplace else and we ended up upgrading with a 6-pound fish to take us into third place. In fourth place by .01-pound was Capt. Hans Mann of Alden and his Hans the Carver team, consisting of Josh Kane of South Buffalo and Jeff Cummings of Gasport. The teams focus was in 70-80 feet of water off Cattaraugus Creek, using lead core lines off the boards to get lures such as Orange Frog Bomber and Grape Jelly Bago worm dancer to the fish. Fifth place went to Darin Baron of Freedom and his Fishin Tradition team with 34.43 pounds. Barons team, made up of Bob Baron of Sunset Bay, Doug Kopp of Depew, John Jones of Orchard Park and Shawn Piniewski of Eden, worked the waters straight out from Cattaraugus Creek in 85-90 feet of water, running all Yaleye lures behind lead core line off the boards, one rigger and one diver. Our rigger was pretty hot at the 60-foot mark, said Baron. The Fishin Tradition team also collected the fourth-place single fish in the main event at 8.17 pounds. Combined with his entry in Big Fish Friday that hit the scales at 6.30 pounds, the team was the overall winner of the Shootout. The overall score is the combined weight of a teams big fish both Friday and Saturday, along with their six-fish weight on Saturday for the Main Event for a total score of 48.90 pounds. They earned a special prize pack from Muddy Creek Outdoors. They also won first place in the Big Wave Calcutta for a $10,000 check. Not far behind in the overall scoring was the Trolling Stones team, led by Chuck Stone with an overall weight of 47.29 pounds. Big fish in the Main Event on Saturday was an 8.89-pound walleye weighed in by Joe Gibson of Avon Lake, Ohio, and the Nine Inch Males team. Also included in the team were Mike Miller of Cleveland and Bryan Fisher of Windham, Ohio. The team collected a check for $9,000. We were fishing in front of Buffalo in 42 feet of water using a diver back 70-foot on a No. 1 setting when the big fish hit, Miller said. We were using a worm harness with a big gold willow leaf blade from JT Custom Tackle. The winner in the Big Fish Friday pre-tournament warmup, earning a check for $3,500, was Brandon Nova and the Thatll Do Sportfishing team with a 10.44-pound walleye. Thank you to Capt. Donald Rupert for throwing the largest walleye tournament in the country/world in our backyard, said Jaroszewski. He spends a full year putting this together. We cant wait for next year. Despite some thunderstorms rolling through just before the final weigh-in at Sunset Bay, a tournament record was set as 113 fish coolers from the 160-boat fleet were presented at the main event stage. A special shoutout went out to Tommy Kynuk, official tournament fish handler. On Saturday, he loaded and unloaded more than 550 walleyes that were presented in team coolers. The total weight exceeded 3,200 pounds of walleyes. For more information on the Shootout, call 435-4137. Also check out WalleyeShootout.com and the tournaments Facebook page. India recorded a 23.5% increase in tiger population between 2018 and 2022, taking the number of big cats in the wild to 3,682, more than the initially estimated 3,167 and accounting for 75%of the tigers in the world. In April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released an interim estimation of 3,167 tigers. India had 2,197 tigers in 2018, up from 1,411 tigers in 2006. Globally, the number of tigers increased from 3,890 in 2016 to 5,575 in 2023, with India and Nepal doubling the numbers, said a statement from the Global Tiger Forum on Saturday. (AP) The increase shows the success of the countrys 20-year-old science- based tiger conservation programme, experts said. Around 80% of the tigers (2,885) now reside in eight of the 18 tiger states, including Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Assam. Madhya Pradesh has the highest tiger population of 785, followed by 563 in Karnataka and 444 in Maharashtra. The central Indian and Western Ghats landscapes have contributed 2,526 tigers to the total number, making them the most dense tiger regions in the world, according to state-wise estimation reported on Saturday. On the individual score, Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand and Kaziranga National Park in Assam continue to be most densely populated tiger reserves, with 260 and 104 tiger, respectively, with Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Bandipur in Karnataka in close pursuit. Globally, the number of tigers increased from 3,890 in 2016 to 5,575 in 2023, with India and Nepal doubling the numbers, said a statement from the Global Tiger Forum on Saturday. The GTF counts vary slightly for the overall global figure, due to which Indias share according to this total does not amount to the share released by the government. Rajesh Gopal, GTF secretary general and former member secretary of National Tiger Conservation Authority, attributed the increase in tiger population in India and range countries to the philosophy of Project Tiger aimed at protecting the feline in core-critical parts of tiger habitats. The protection of tiger in core-critical parts has been complimented equally by multi-stakeholder peripheral management of buffer and beyond to address interference problem with NTCA feedback taken positively for projects in and around tiger habitats. This has worked well, he said. In a paradigm shift on considering projects in and around tiger habitats, the government takes inputs from NTCA and tries to include the NTCA recommendations in the final approval conditions for projects. In some cases on the basis of NTCA recommendation, projects have either been altered or not allowed in and around tiger habitats, most of which are mineral- rich areas. The rise in tiger numbers, especially in states like Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra reflects good health of the tiger habitats, fruition of incentivised scheme for relocation of villagers from core areas and comparatively less poaching activities, unlike in areas like northeastern states, where the tiger population has not risen like the rest of the country, said YV Jhala, former dean of Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Overall, northern states have shown good progress, but many southern states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have shown declining trends, which is worrying, Jhala said. The reason for the increase in tiger population in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra was an increase in the area surveyed in 2022 compared to 2018, but that is not a bad thing, said Anish Andheria, chief executive officer of Wildlife Conservation Trust. The healthy number of tigers in the two states was found outside the reserves, indicating that the corridors linking one tiger reserve to another that enables excess tiger population to move to a new habitat was working, he said. In Madhya Pradesh, 137 of the 785 tigers were found outside the six reserves. In Maharashtra, of the 444 tigers, at least 80 were found to be outside the six notified tiger habitats. In Karnataka, 136 of the 563 tigers were found outside the five tiger reserves. Similarly, in Uttarakhand, 73 tigers were found outside the two reserves --- Corbett and Rajaji National Park --- of the total 560. That was not the case in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana and Chhattisgarh, where either the tigers numbers have declined or have not increased substantially. In Rajasthan, which is famous for Ranthambore and Sariska tiger reserves, the big cats outside the reserves were not found to be many. The number of tigers outside the reserve is an indicator of the health of the corridors. For instance, the green connectivity between Kanha and Pench tiger reserves is very good and therefore the entire landscape has seen a good rise in tiger population, said Andheria. The reserves, where the tiger number has improved, have minimised human conflict by shifting villages out the reserve. Jhala said the Central government pays 15 lakh as an incentive to a family (husband-wife unit) for relocation. India is the only country in the world with such a scheme. This has lessened human intervention and man-tiger conflicts in the core areas, said Jhala, who is credited with introducing the modern tiger estimation methodology. VB Mathur, former director Wildlife Institute, said the report reflects three things. First, it is a reflection of better wildlife management in tiger reserves. Second, it is a reflection of the good health of the prey base and tiger habitats, which is helping tigers to flourish. Third, it shows that poaching activities have been checked compared to the past. All these factors combined have led to a surge in tiger numbers, he said. Parag Madhukar Dhakate, chief conservator of forests in Uttarakhand, said the good forest cover in the state supports the growth of tigers. Overall, 12 % of the states total geographical area is directly under protected areas, including six national parks, seven wildlife sanctuaries and four conservation reserves. This has allowed tigers to thrive and move around, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Chetan Chauhan Chetan Chauhan is National Affairs Editor. A journalist for over two decades, he has written extensively on social sector and politics with special focus on environment and political economy. ...view detail ABOUT THE AUTHOR Neeraj Santoshi He is principal correspondent based at Bhopal. He covers environment and wildlife, state administration, BJP and other saffron organisations. He has special interest in social issues based stories. ...view detail A delegation of 21 lawmakers from the newly formed opposition bloc, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), on Saturday embarked on a two-day visit to ethnic strife-torn Manipur and visited relief camps housing displaced people to take stock of the situation. A delegation of 21 lawmakers from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Saturday visited relief camps in Manipur housing displaced people. (PTI) At least 150 people have been killed and nearly 50,000 displaced in Manipur since May 3, when ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state between numerically dominant Meitei community which forms 53% of the state population and mostly inhabit Imphal Valley and tribal Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts. Also read: Uddhav invokes Covid work for North Indian migrants, slams PM on Manipur Soon after landing at the Imphal airport around noon, the opposition delegation left for Churachandpur, where they visited two relief camps housing Kukis who had fled the Imphal Valley after clashes broke out. Both the Centre and state government should wake up from their stupor regarding the situation in Manipur. People have lost trust in the government, said Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is part of the delegation. We are with all the people of the state and want peace and normalcy to be restored. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who is also part of the INDIA delegation, when asked about the BJPs allegations of politicisation of the Manipur issue, said: We would have been very happy to be a part of an all-party delegation led by the prime minister. But he is completely missing from the scene. He has not uttered a single word about Manipur in Parliament. The delegation also met representatives from Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum, an umbrella group of Kuki organisations in Churachandpur, who submitted a memorandum asking the MPs to highlight their demands. We implore you to help us survive this onslaught by supporting our demand for a separate administration from Manipur and to urge the central government to introduce President rule immediately in Manipur to end the violence, the ITLF said in its two-page memorandum. The delegation, comprising of 21 leaders from both Houses of Parliaments, is expected to visit Imphal on Sunday to take stock of the situation. A meeting of the visiting delegation with Governor Anusuiya Uikey is also scheduled on Sunday. Meanwhile, Governor Uikey also visited Churachandpur on Saturday her second trip to the district since violence started took stock of situation in relief camps and distributed relief materials. I understand that people in the relief camps are going through lot of hardships. I have instructed the district authorities to ensure that residents get essentials. We are working towards restoring peace between both communities, Kukis and Meiteis, Uikey said in Churachandpur. The governor also met the two women who were paraded naked and sexually assaulted by a mob on May 4, and handed over cheques of 10 lakh each to their families. A video of the incident had surfaced on July 19, causing a nationwide outrage. Also read: Political tourism: BJP MP's dig at Opposition bloc's photo session in Manipur Besides Chowdhury and Gogoi, the 21-member delegation also includes Sushmita Dev of Trinamool Congress, JMMs Mahua Maji, DMKs Kanimozhi, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP, JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh and party MP Aneel Prasad Hegde, CPIs P Sandosh Kumar and CPI(M)s AA Rahim. On Saturday, thousands of people took part in a rally in Imphal organised by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella Meitei organisation, calling for peace and an end to alleged narco-terrorism in the state. A five-point resolution that included demands for an end to the present conflict, extermination of narco-terrorism, maintenance of territorial integrity of Manipur, implementation of National Register of Citizens and summoning of a special session of state assembly by August 5 were adopted at the end of the rally. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Utpal Parashar Utpal is a Senior Assistant Editor based in Guwahati. He covers seven states of North-East India and heads the editorial team for the region. He was previously based in Kathmandu, Dehradun and Delhi with Hindustan Times. ...view detail Two men, accused of raping and brutalising a 12-year-old girl in Madhya Pradeshs Satna district, faced bulldozer action on Saturday as local authorities demolished their houses, news agency PTI reported. Both the rape accuseds houses were found to be constructed illegally. (Twitter) The accused, identified as Ravi Chaudhary and Atul Bhadoliya, are daily wage labourers and used to work with a trust managing a temple in Maihar town. The Maihar Temple Management Committee sacked the duo from their positions after a case was filed against them. Both the accuseds houses were found to be constructed illegally, according to the report. The chief municipal officer of Maihar Municipal Council on Friday issued notices to the families of the two men seeking documents related to their land and buildings, sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Lokesh Dabar told PTI. According to the report, Bhadoliyas house in Udaipur's Vidisha district was built on government land used for non-agricultural purposes, while Chaudhary's home in Maliyan Tola, New Basti, was built without permission. The accused allegedly lured the girl to an isolated spot, raped her and inserted a hard object in her private parts on Thursday, the report stated citing police sources. However, this can be confirmed only after receiving her medical examination report, PTI reported quoting a senior official. The profusely bleeding girl, who also bore bite marks on her body, was admitted to a hospital at the divisional headquarters Rewa. Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashutosh Gupta told PTI that the minor is undergoing treatment at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Rewa. The accused, aged 30, were booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and produced in a local court on Friday which sent them to 14-day judicial custody. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Manipur government on Saturday resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the ethnic strife-torn northeastern border state following the Centres directive, a senior official said. Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh (HT_PRINT) On instructions of the ministry of home affairs, Government of India, to complete the campaign for biometric capture of illegal Myanmar immigrants in the state of Manipur by September 2023, the government of Manipur has resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all illegal immigrants in the state from today (July 29), joint secretary (home) Peter Salam, who is the states nodal officer, said in a press release. Also read: Manipur conflict a concern, needs a political solution, says Mizoram CM A team of officials from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs for training and handholding of Manipur officials, assisted the state government officials in the biometric capture exercise at the foreigners detention centre in Sajiwa of Imphal East district on Saturday, the release said. The campaign will continue in all districts until biometric data of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the state are successfully captured, it said. The same is targeted for completion by September 2023. On July 28, the state nodal officer urged all the superintendents of police of districts to immediately commence the campaign for biometric capture of illegal Myanmar immigration in the state for timely completion by September 2023. On July 23, a total of 718 Myanmar nationals 209 men, 208 women and 301 children were detected while entering Manipurs general area of New Lajang under Chandel district due to the ongoing clashes at Khampat in the neighbouring country, officials said. Also read: Manipurs crisis needs a proactive government In February 2023, chief minister N Biren Singh had informed the 60-member state assembly that altogether 393 Myanmar nationals were apprehended in the state between January 1, 2012 and February this year. In March, the state had planned to set up a temporary shelter home with capacity to accommodate around 5,000 people for illegal immigrants after Myanmar nationals started entering Manipur in view of the escalating crisis in the neighbouring country. Manipur shares a 398-km-long international border with Myanmar. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Manipur Opposition Visit News LIVE Updates: A 21-MP delegation of the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) left on Saturday for a two-day visit to Manipur to assess the ground situation and make recommendations to the government and Parliament. This comes as a part of efforts to help resolve the ethnic conflict primarily between the Kukis and the Meiteis that has roiled the state since May 3. At least 150 people have been killed and over 50,000 have been displaced so far. RJD's Manoj Jha and TMC's Sushmita Dev meet locals.(ANI) The delegation, from at least 21 political parties, will be visiting both the valley and hill areas. The delegation will also call on Manipur governor Anusuiya Uikey on Sunday. The details of the non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliances first visit to the state were shared by Congress MP and whip in Rajya Sabha Naseer Hussain during a press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi. Taking note of the Oppositions plans, the BJP urged them to desist from aggravating the situation in Manipur. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has moved a no-confidence motion against the Centre. Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal has written to Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda seeking help for BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte from Manipur who was brutally assaulted by a mob in Imphal in early May. Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal meets bedridden BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte.(Source: @SwatiJaiHind ) Maliwal's letter comes after she met the BJP leader in New Delhi following her visit to ethnic violence-hit Manipur. BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte was brutally attacked in Manipur. He was given electric shocks due to which he became paralysed. Met him at his house. No big leader or minister came to meet his family. Lakhs of rupees were spent for his treatment. Wrote a letter to JP Nadda ji requesting help for them, Maliwal tweeted in Hindi while sharing a copy of the letter and her pictures with Valte. Valte was recently discharged from a Delhi hospital, where he was airlifted after being attacked by a mob. His full recovery is a reportedly long way off. Mostly bedridden, Valte can barely speak and needs help to do the most basic tasks like bathing, eating, and going to the washroom. In a video shared by Maliwal, the DCW chief can be seen interesting with bedridden Valte. Valte was on his way home after a meeting called by chief minister Biren Singh when a mob brutally assaulted him in Imphal on May 4 as violence broke out in the state. Clarifying the report made in some national media about Valte, minister of information and public relations, Sapam Ranjan said the state government was taking good care of the MLA since the day he was admitted to the hospital. Demanding the resignation of Biren Singh, Maliwal on Tuesday questioned why the CM could not meet the families of the women who were stripped and paraded, when she could do so. Maliwal, who was visiting the northeastern state since Sunday, claimed that the families of the two women who were shown being paraded naked in a viral video told her that nobody from the government had met them. She appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Union women and child development minister Smriti Irani to come to the state. Shah visited Manipur for four days in the last week of May. Manipur is burning. If something is not done right now, it will be difficult to save Manipur... The Centre should take control, she told reporters after calling on state governor Anusuiya Uikey. After coming to Manipur on Sunday afternoon, Maliwal had said she came here not to indulge in politics and would go back if those who should be here visited the state. A viral video from May 4 of two women being paraded naked by a mob in Manipur renewed the national attention on Manipur, where violence broke out nearly three months ago, killing over 160 people since then, and injuring hundreds. The violence erupted on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mainly in the hill districts. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As 21 MPs of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance -- INDIA -- embarked on their two-day ground visit to Manipur, the third meeting of the Opposition bloc scheduled in Mumbai looks unsure as most opposition leaders are unavailable on August 25-26. According to a PTI report that cited sources, the meeting may get deferred as the bloc wants all its leaders to be present. At the second meeting of the Opposition parties, the bloc was named INDIA replacing UPA. The first meeting of the opposition parties was held in Patna. At the second meeting in Bengaluru, the opposition bloc got an official name and 27 parties came under the banner. The first major step INDIA took was the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, which has been brought by the Congress. Though the no-confidence motion is not going to hurt the NDA government as the numbers are with it, INDIA wants to compel PM Modi to issue a statement on Manipur violence in Parliament. Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leaders in Mumbai have rallies to attend during August 25-26. Doubt again over Sharad Pawar Since the split of the NCP between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, speculations are rife over Sharad Pawar's next move. Last time, Sharad Pawar did not attend the first day of the meeting triggering initial speculations that he would skip the meeting. This time, Sharad Pawar has an event in Pune on August 1 where he will share the stage with PM Modi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Poulomi Ghosh Poulomi Ghosh is a journalist with Hindustan Times, New Delhi. ...view detail The appointment of Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay as Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) national general secretary on Saturday, more than three weeks after he was removed from the post of the partys Telangana unit president, has evoked mixed reactions in the state unit. Bandi Sanjay Kumar expressed gratitude to the Telangana BJP cadre and all the people, especially from Karimnagar who have supported him always to learn and grow in every role (ANI) Former minister D K Aruna has been retained as the national vice president of the BJP, a communique from BJP national president JP Nadda said. Sanjays appointment comes as a part of the reshuffle of the party and allocation of some crucial roles to senior leaders. He expressed gratitude to the partys national leadership over his elevation to the post of national general secretary. Humbled that a grassroot Karyakarta like me has been given the role of @BJP4India National General Secretary. Heartfelt thanks to Honble PM Shri @narendramodi ji, HM @AmitShah ji, National President Shri @JPNadda ji for giving me such a big opportunity, Sanjay tweeted. He also expressed gratitude to the Telangana BJP cadre and all the people, especially from Karimnagar who have supported him always to learn and grow in every role. With utmost dedication, I will continue to serve my party and people, Sanjay said. Congratulating Sanjay for being appointed as the national BJP general secretary, Telangana BJP official spokesperson N V Subhash said the former had worked relentlessly to strength the party in Telangana and successfully created awareness among the people. Sanjay also exposed the Bharat Rashtra Samithi [BRS] government for its inept handling of state affairs including financial situation and created an atmosphere in favour of BJP during his famous Praja sangram Padyatra across the state, he said. However, a senior Telangana BJP leader requesting anonymity, said though Sanjay was given the due recognition by the party at the national level, it would keep him away from the common people and party cadre. Sanjay is basically a peoples man. He used to be among the people, understand their issues and take the party deep into them. Now, he is completely cut off from the people, he said. The leader further said that while being removed from the post of state BJP chief, Sanjay was given the impression that he would be taken into the Union cabinet as a union minister of state (MoS), as Union tourism minister G Kishan Reddy would vacate the cabinet berth after being appointed as the Telangana BJP chief. But it appears that there are no chances of the Union cabinet reshuffle in the near future. Kishan Reddy is still continuing in the cabinet, despite taking charge as the state BJP chief. Now that Sanjay has been appointed as BJP national general secretary, there is no possibility of him being inducted in the central cabinet, the BJP leader added. He said that had Sanjay been made a union minister, he would have got the chance to be among the people and take representations from them. He is now in a high-profile post; he will be losing the connect with the people, the BJP leader quoted above said. Another BJP leader from Telangana, requesting anonymity, said it was definitely a big recognition to Sanjay, as he would be in a more responsible position. During a meeting with Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday, Sanjay was clearly told that he would be given a bigger role to lead the party in the entire South India. He is the only national general secretary from South now; so, he will have to take care of the affairs in Telangana as well, he said. The leader, however, mentioned that it was not immediately known whether Sanjay would have any say in the selection of candidates or chalking out of the campaign strategies in Telangana. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Srinivasa Rao Apparasu Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience. ...view detail Chaos erupted in Delhi's Nangloi during the Muharram procession on Saturday after a group led by one of the organisers of the Tazia (Moharram) was denied permission to deviate from the designated route of the procession. Videos show the crowd stone pelting and causing damage to vehicles. The situation escalated, leading to clashes with the police and resulting in nearly a dozen police personnel being injured in the line of duty. Several vehicles, including police vehicles, were damaged in the mayhem. Read | Muharram procession taken out in Srinagar after over three decades Videos show the crowd stone pelting and causing damage to vehicles. The police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd and to control the situation. The deputy commissioner of police, Harendra Kumar Singh, said, Around 10,000-15,000 people were carrying out 'tazia' processions, while some of the people from the procession turned unruly. They wanted to deviate from the routes decided by traffic police. When we tried to stop them, they started stone pelting, and in response, the police resorted to a lathi charge. Several police personnel were injured, and police vehicles were vandalized too. The group was dispersed. No arrests have been made so far, and the investigation is underway, he added. In preparation for the Muharram procession, the Delhi Traffic Police had issued traffic advisory aimed at regulating traffic flow in central and New Delhi areas. The advisory, which came into effect from Friday night until Saturday morning, covered 32 stretches in these regions. Additionally, the traffic authorities had diverted vehicles from 16 other points in central, New Delhi, and south Delhi to facilitate the smooth movement of Tazia processions. Muharram procession: 4 electrocuted, nine injured Jharkhand's in Bokaro Around four people died of electrocution when the Muharram procession touched an overhead high-tension wire in Khetko village under Petarbar police station limits in Jharkhand's Bokaro district on Saturday morning. The incident occurred at around 6 am, left atleast 13 persons injured. (With inputs from Karn Pratap Singh) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Saturday called the Opposition I.N.D.I.A blocs visit to Manipur political tourism. Hitting out at the leaders sharing photos on social media of their travel, Tiwari suggested that they should focus on assessing the situation in the strife-torn northeastern state and think about discussing the issue in Parliament. A delegation of I.N.D.I.A parties MPs prior to leaving for violence-hit Manipur, at airport in Delhi and BJP's Manoj Tiwari (R)(Agencies) Speaking to news agency ANI, the Northeast Delhi MP said, Instead of analysing the situation there (Manipur), they are posting pictures on their way to and from the airport, so are they on political tourism? They should consider having a discussion in Parliament... A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition INDIA alliance reached Imphal earlier in the day to understand the ground situation in the state hit by ethnic violence since May 3. The team of opposition MPs would visit several relief camps to meet victims of the clashes. Asserting that they do not want to indulge in politics, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhurytold PTI, "We want the end of violence and the restoration of peace at the earliest...the entire world is watching what is going on in Manipur. After their arrival in Imphal by a commercial flight from Delhi, the delegation went to Churachandpur, where fresh violence had taken place, to meet victims from the Kuki community in the relief camps. On BJP's claims of politicisation of the Manipur issue, Congress lawmakerGauravGogoi said, "We would have been very happy to be a part of an all-party delegation led by the prime minister. But he is completely missing from the scene. He has not uttered a single word about Manipur in Parliament." On Sunday, the opposition MPs will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan to discuss possible measures to resolve the conflict. Union minister Anurag Thakur called the two-day visit a "mere show-off". The senior BJP leader alleged that when Manipur used to burn under previous governments, they didnt object in Parliament then and added that the delegation will not allow both Houses to function after their return on Sunday afternoon. More than 160 people have lost their lives and several injured in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population while tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute 40 per cent of the population. (With inputs from PTI) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON News / Local by Staff reporter In a landmark ruling, Thursday, the Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Bongani Ndlovu said the 12 Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) parliamentary candidates and a few others from running in the August 2023 polls, did not present a comprehensive version of what exactly happened on June 21, 2023, when the Nomination Court sat.The ruling came after 12 registered voters filed a complaint with the court, alleging that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) had illegally accepted the nomination papers of the candidates after the deadline of 4 pm on June 21, 2023.Justice Ndlovu ruled that the Nomination Court closed at 4 pm, which meant that it was no longer sitting in open court by the time the respondents were before the ZEC Provincial Elections Officer (PEO).The judge further stated that the time frames provided in Annexure B by the applicants were evidence, despite ZEC and its officials indicating that the document was not a time submission form.Justice Ndlovu said the respondents tended to be satisfied with denying the allegations, and that it would have made the court's work less difficult if the parties had given a blow-by-blow account of their allegations and defences.In the judgment, Justice Ndlovu said the factual question is what happened or did not happen at 4pm on the day in question in respect of each respondent.He said the ZEC PEO stated in his affidavit that he only interacted with the individual respondents when they submitted their nomination papers. Annexure B shows when each respondent submitted his or her nomination papers. Annexure B is a document compiled by public officials during the course of their duty in service of the State.Justice Ndlovu said he found it strange and improbable that the majority of the respondents filed their nomination papers long after 4 pm. He said the explanation given by the ZEC PEO and his staffers was false.Justice Ndlovu said from the evidence available, he came to the conclusion that the respondents except one, submitted their nomination papers in violation of the law.He said the separation of the papers from the respondents through the medium of the police officer was unlawful.Justice Ndlovu said he had also been moved by both sides of the bar to give Section 46 (7) and (8) of the Electoral Act the golden rule of interpretation.He ruled that the ZEC PEO therefore, "violated the provisions of the Electoral Act in that regard as he also did close to midnight when he adjourned to 22 June 2022." Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the use of the mother tongue in education under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 initiated a new form of justice for the students in India and termed it as a very significant step towards social justice. PM Modi (Twitter photo) PM Modi inaugurated the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of NEP 2020. While addressing the inaugural session of the two-day event, the PM said the world is looking at India as a nursery of new possibilities and many countries have invited India to open IIT campuses. Emphasising that the biggest injustice to any student is judging them based on their language instead of their capabilities, Modi said, Education in the mother tongue is initiating a new form of justice for the students in India. It is also a very significant step towards social justice. In the event, the prime minister also released education and skill curriculum books translated into 12 Indian languages. The NEP 2020 advocates imparting education in regional and Indian languages at both school and higher education levels. The prime minister also released the first instalment of Rs.630 crore for the upgradation of 6,207 existing schools under the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI). Underlining that many developed nations of the world have got the edge owing to their local language, PM Modi gave said that most countries make use of their own native languages. Although India has an array of established languages, they were presented as a sign of backwardness, and those who could not speak English were neglected and their talents were not recognised. As a result, the children of the rural areas remained most affected, he said. India has now begun to shun this belief with the advent of the National Educational PolicyEven at the UN, I speak in the Indian language, he added. The PM said that under the NEP 2020, subjects ranging from social science to engineering will now be taught in Indian languages. When the students are confident in a language, their skills and talent will emerge without any restrictions, he said. He further pointed out that it will also shut the shops of those who try to politicise language for their own selfish interests. National Educational Policy will give due respect and credit to every language in the country, the PM said. PM Modi said that new books with about 130 subjects are coming up for classes 3 to 12 in 22 different languages as a result of education being imparted in regional languages. He said that we have to create an energetic new generation in the next 25 years of Amrit Kaal which will be free from the mentality of slavery and eager for innovations and ready to bring laurels in fields from science to sports, willing to skill themselves as per the needs of the 21st century, a generation filled with a sense of duty. NEP will play a big role in this, Modi added. Emphasising that among the various parameters of quality education, Indias big effort is for equality, the PM said, Priority of NEP is that every youth of India should get the same education and the same opportunity for education And this is not limited to opening schools. Equality should be extended to resources along with education. It means that every child should get options as per choice and capacity. No child is deprived of education due to place, class, region. In the age of 5G, these modern schools will be a medium of modern education, he added. He mentioned Eklavya Schools in tribal villages, internet facilities in villages and students receiving education through modes like DIKSHA, SWAYAM and Swayamprabha. Now, In India, the gap of resources needed for education is being covered rapidly, Modi said. Highlighting the steps integrating vocational education with general education under the NEP 2020, the prime minister said that more than 7.5 million students are learning science and innovation at Atal Tinkering Labs. Science is simplifying itself for everyone. It is these young scientists that will shape the future of the country by leading significant projects and turn India into a research hub of the world, he said. Any reform requires courage, and the presence of courage leads to the birth of new possibilities, PM Modi said while emphasising that the world is looking at India as a nursery of new possibilities. He further gave examples of software technology and space tech and said that it is not easy to compete with Indias capability. Speaking about defence technology, the prime minister said that Indias model of low cost and best quality is sure to be a hit. Noting that the respect for Indias education system has significantly increased in the world with the increase in Indias industrial reputation and startup growth ecosystem, Modi said the number of Indian institutes is increasing in all the global rankings and informed about two IIT campuses opening up in Zanzibar and Abu Dhabi. Many other countries are also urging us to open IIT campuses in their own countries... Many global universities are willing to open their campuses in India due to the positive changes coming in the education ecosystem. Two Australian universities are about to open their campuses in Gujarats GIFT City., he said while stressing the need to make Indias institutes, universities, schools and colleges the centre of this revolution. The prime minister also discussed the role of parents and teachers. He said, Building capable youth is the biggest guarantee of building a strong nation and parents and teachers play a major role in that. He appealed to teachers and parents to prepare students for confident curiosity and flights of imagination. We have to keep an eye on the future and think with a futuristic mindset. We have to free the children from the pressure of books, the PM added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Despite having several prosperous languages in India, we presented them as unprogressive, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said at an inaugural event of All India Education Convention at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, marking the third anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. What could be more unfortunate than this? Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses at the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi(PTI) PM Modi pointed out that people were never accepted for their talent if they couldn't speak in English, and those from rural areas mostly had to face the brunt of it. Even I speak in Indian language at UN. Listeners would take some to to clap. Let them, he said. Among other revision in the policy, the NEP also focuses on imparting education in regional languages, with a provision to extending it till higher education level. Taking a jibe at the Opposition, the Prime Minister said the provision of regional languages in the NEP will bring a specific benefit to the country. It will down the shutters of those who run the business of hatred using languages. PM Modi was addressing the event at Pragati Maidan's Bharat Mandapam, which is also the venue for the upcoming G20 leaders' summit in September. The convention, also called the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam is a two-day programme being held on July 29 and 30, will provide a platform for academics, sector experts, policymakers, industry representatives, teachers and students from schools, higher education and skilling institutions, among others, to share their insights, success stories and best practices in implementing the NEP 2020 and work out strategies for taking it further ahead. The push for using mother tongue in education under the National Education Policy (2020) has initiated a new form of justice in the country, which will help create a new generation that is free from mentality of slavery, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister for education Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi on Saturday. (HT Photo) Inaugurating the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam at the newly-inaugurated Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, the PM said the world is looking at India as a nursery of new possibilities. Education in the mother tongue is initiating a new form of justice for the students in India. It is a very significant step towards social justice, he said as he emphasised that judging students on the basis of language instead of capabilities was the biggest injustice. Developed nations of the world have an edge because of their local languages, the PM said, citing the example of most European nations that use their native languages. Although India has an array of established languages, they were presented as a sign of backwardness, and those who could not speak English were neglected and their talents were not recognised. As a result, the children of the rural areas remained most affected, Modi said. But the country has now begun to shun this belief, he said. The country has now begun to shun this belief with the advent of the National Educational PolicyEven at the UN, I speak in Indian language, he said. Under the new policy, even subjects like social science and engineering will be taught in Indian languages, he said. When the students are confident in a language, their skills and talent will emerge without any restrictions, he said after releasing education and skill curriculum books translated into 12 Indian languages at the event held to mark the third anniversary of the introduction of NEP 2020. The new policy advocates imparting education in regional Indian languages at both the school and higher education levels. At the event, the PM announced that new books for about 130 subjects will soon be launched for classes 3 to 12 in 22 different languages. National Educational Policy will give due respect and credit to every language in the country, the PM said, adding that it will shut shops of those who try to politicise language for their selfish interests. In the next 25 years of Amrit Kaal, the PM said, the country needs an energetic new generation that is free from mentality of slavery, and eager to skill itself according to the needs of the 21st Century. NEP will play a big role in this, he said. Emphasising that among the various parameters of quality education, Indias big effort is for equality, the PM said, Priority of NEP is that every youth of India should get the same education and the same opportunity for education And this is not limited to opening schools. Equality should be extended to resources along with education. It means that every child should get options as per choice and capacity. No child is deprived of education due to place, class, region. In the age of 5G, these modern schools will be a medium of modern education, he said. Citing the example of Eklavya Schools, where internet facilities in villages have helped students receive education through modes like DIKSHA, SWAYAM and Swayamprabha, the PM said, Now, in India, the gap of resources needed for education is being covered rapidly. At the event, Modi also released the first installment of 630 crore for the upgradation of 6,207 existing schools under the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI). On steps taken to integrate vocational education with general education under the NEP 2020, the Prime Minister cited Atal Tinkering Labs where over 7.5 million students are learning about science and innovation. Science is simplifying itself for everyone. It is these young scientists that will shape the future of the country by leading significant projects and turn India into a research hub of the world, he said. Any reform requires courage, and the presence of courage leads to the birth of new possibilities, the Prime Minister said. The world is now viewing Indian education system with renewed respect alongside industry and start-up ecosystems, the PM said. Many countries are urging us to open IIT campuses in their own countries... Many global universities are willing to open their campuses in India due to the positive changes coming in the education ecosystem. Two Australian universities are about to open their campuses in Gujarats GIFT City, he said. On July 6, the government announced that the first international campus of the Indian Institute of Technology will be set up in Tanzania; an announcement which was soon followed by a similar one on the second campus being set up in Abu Dhabi, on July 10. Appealing to teachers and parents to prepare students for confident curiosity and flights of imagination, the PM said, We have to keep an eye on the future and think with a futuristic mindset. We have to free the children from the pressure of books. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Law Commission of India (LCI) on Friday ended the deadline for receiving suggestions on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) from the public and the total responses were around 80 lakh. The law panel sought responses on June 14 from organizations and the public on the UCC, and the one-month deadline for filing responses ended on July 14. Following an overwhelming response and numerous requests, it was extended. Some religious communities have opposed the idea of a Uniform Civil Code, citing concerns about lack of transparency and viewing it as a potential threat to diversity. (HT Archive) (File)(HT_PRINT) Also Read | UCC: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses Centre of creating unnecessary controversy The commission earlier said that it values the inputs of all stakeholders and aims to create an inclusive environment that encourages active engagement. Days after the law panel began consulting organisations and seeking public opinion on the UCC, the National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma this month said that there is an unequivocal need for the codification of Muslim Personal Law. She emphasised the need to revisit the marriage and divorce law and guardianship law. Rekha Sharma made these statements during an event organized by the NCW focused on Muslim women's rights and the review of Muslim personal law. Also Read | Oppostion criticising UCC ignorantly: Sunil Jakhar The LCI is a non-statutory body constituted by a notification of the Government of India, Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Legal Affairs, with a definite term of reference to carry out research in the field of law. The Commission makes recommendations to the Government in the form of Reports as per its terms of reference. What is UCC? A Uniform Civil Code is a collection of laws that govern personal matters, such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession, applicable to all citizens irrespective of their religion. Its purpose is to replace the current diverse personal laws that differ based on religious beliefs. The Constitution of India in Article 44 mandates that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India. Opposing views on UCC from communities Some religious communities have opposed the idea of a Uniform Civil Code, citing concerns about lack of transparency and viewing it as a potential threat to diversity. The objection from the communities bring to the point where the code can become an imposition of uniformity on a diverse set of people in the country. A former trustee of the Bombay Parsi Panchayat and ex-secretary of the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI), wrote a letter to the LCI saying that any tampering with personal laws would interfere with the way of life that people have followed for generations. The president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha also emphasised the importance of involving the opinions of communities when considering changes in personal laws, saying that an authoritarian approach would not work. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board sent its objections to the Law Commission, demanding that tribals and religious minorities be excluded from the purview of such a statute. (With ANI, PTI inputs) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday had a lively interaction with kids as he inaugurated the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi to mark the third anniversary of National Educational Policy (NEP) 2020. The prime minister asked several questions to the toddlers and enjoyed as they performed various activities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with children at an exhibition during Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday. Some moments of bliss with the innocent kids! Their energy and enthusiasm fills the mind with enthusiasm, Modi said as he shared the video on Twitter. The clip shows a boy in a red shirt hugging the PM as he came to meet the children. The boy's activities drew PM's attention as he also called him the naughtiest of them all. Moments later, the boy again came to the PM as he asked, Do you all know Modiji? To this, the children reply that they have seen him in videos and photographs on the television. PM Modi then told the kids to show him what kind of games they play and watched as they painted. On the kids' request, he also clicked photos with them as they told him they would show these to their parents. PM Modi asked the kids what breakfast they had and encouraged them to study hard. While addressing the inaugural session of the two-day event, the PM said the world is looking at India as a nursery of new possibilities and many countries have invited India to open IIT campuses. He opined that the use of the mother tongue in education under NEP 2020 initiated a new form of justice for the students in India and termed it as a very significant step towards social justice. In the event, the prime minister released education and skill curriculum books translated into 12 Indian languages. He also launched the first installment of Rs.630 crore for the upgradation of 6,207 existing schools under the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI). Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda, in a significant development, rejigged the list of the party's central office-bearers on Saturday, bringing in Pasmanda Muslim from Uttar Pradesh and former Aligarh Muslim University vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor. Former AMU V-C Prof Tariq Mansoor. (HTPhoto) Mansoor, now a BJP MLC in Uttar Pradesh, has been made a vice-president, a decision seen to be part of the party's overtures to Pasmanda Muslims ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Who is Tariq Mansoor? 1. Tariq Mansoor is the former vice-chancellor of the AMU. 2. Mansoor had resigned as AMU vice-chancellor earlier this year after he was nominated as a member of the UP Legislative Council. Mansoor was amongst the six names forwarded by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to the governor for being nominated as members of legislative council of the state. 3. He assumed office as the AMU V-C on May 17, 2017, for a period of five years. His term was to end in May 2022, but amid exceptional circumstances prevailing in the wake of the pandemic, the Centre had extended his tenure by one year. 4. Mansoor is the first sitting V-C of the AMU to have been named for the post of a nominated MLC. 5. Prior to that, he served as the principal of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital and also as head of department of surgery in AMU. 6. Mansoor was nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a member of Padma Awards Committee for the year 2023 and was also a member of the Medical Council of India. CT Ravi, Dilip Saikia dropped The BJP has dropped CT Ravi, a leader from Karnataka, and Dilip Saikia, a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, as its general secretaries, with reports indicating that they may be contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Most of the office-bearers have been retained as vice-presidents, general secretaries and secretaries in the new list. There are 13 vice-presidents, nine general secretaries, including B L Santhosh as the in-charge of organisation, and 13 secretaries on the list. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In April, an unusual discovery made news. Researchers had identified a two-dimensional shape with 13 sides, not particularly pretty, which they described as the Hat. Copies of the Hat could be used repeatedly to tile an infinite plane, leaving no gaps or overlaps, and with no pattern repeating. This is called aperiodicity. PREMIUM How much more is out there, that we dont know about? What does it take to stumble upon new discoveries? How big a role does luck play? The Hat is, more than anything, a story of discovery. (University of Waterloo) Within months, the same team discovered another shape that not only tiled an indefinite plane without repeating a pattern, but also did this without the use of its mirror image. The researchers named this one the Spectre. The Hat is an einstein, or one stone, because the single shape (and its reflection) enables the infinite tiling. The Spectre is being called a vampire einstein, because vampires supposedly do not reflect themselves in the mirror. All this does not, however, explain why this is such a big deal. Well, here goes. The Hat and the Spectre are the first single shapes ever found to exhibit aperiodicity, in a search that has been underway since the 1960s. These shapes may find practical use in the making of quasicrystals (structures that can fill all of an available space without repeating a pattern). Quasicrystals are used, for instance, as coatings on frying pans and surgical equipment, among other things. What makes the new discoveries significant, however, is not the promise of practical application. In mathematics, as in any branch of science, the thrill of solving a difficult puzzle is in itself a reward. The significance of the two shapes boils down to a story of discovery. The idea of aperiodicity has its genesis at least four centuries ago. In 1611, Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer and mathematician best known for his laws on planetary motion, published an article wondering why every snowflake shows a six-sided symmetry. Why not four or five sides? Kepler assumed that the hexagonal shape allows for the tightest possible way of packing the snowflakes together. This is known as the Kepler Conjecture, formally proven only in 2011. Although Kepler did not provide definitive answers to the questions he laid on snow, his work is considered to have formed the foundation of modern crystallography (the scientific study of the structure and properties of crystals). Now, as anyone who has tiled a floor knows, it is possible to pack a two-dimensional plane with a single shape such as a square, equilateral triangle, or regular hexagon. In all these tilings, however, various patterns will repeat themselves periodically. One of the abiding questions in crystallography became: Could there be shapes that could pack a two-dimensional plane aperiodically (with no repetitions)? In the 1960s, the Chinese-American logician Hao Wang articulated the idea of aperiodicity, but he dismissed it as an impossibility, says Craig S Kaplan, one of the researchers who described the two new shapes, and whose work at the University of Waterloo focuses particularly on interactions between mathematics and art. Wang was wrong. In 1974, the British mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose who would win the 2020 Physics Nobel published a paper describing aperiodic tiling using a set of different shapes. There were no patterns repeated. But a single aperiodic tile, or monotile, remained elusive. In truth, its not clear that theres any particular reason why aperiodic monotiles were so hard to find. It really came down to luck, Kaplan says. The universe of shapes we might consider as candidates is infinitely vast, and there was no clear indication of where we might start looking for aperiodic monotiles. *** The Hat eventually emerged last November, when David Smith, a hobbyist mathematician in Brighton, constructed it with software. Noticing that it could aperiodically fill a plane, he contacted Kaplan. Subsequently, Smith, Kaplan and two other mathematicians described it in a preprint paper in March, followed by another preprint paper on the Spectre in May. As is turns out, we spent 50 years looking in the wrong places, Kaplan says. Then David Smith just happened to be experimenting last year with polykites (shapes formed by gluing together a small number of kite shapes) and noticed that the Hat was behaving strangely, not settling into any obvious patterns. Fortunately, he knew enough about the history of aperiodicity to recognise the potential impact of this discovery. Kaplan is certain there are more einsteins and vampire einsteins out there. Theres nothing remarkable about the Hat as a shape. Its just a boring, unassuming polygonal blob. Theres every reason to believe that well be able to find many more aperiodic monotiles. he says. Once again, though, we just dont know where to look for them! Think about it, and it could soon be a picture. On the newest frontiers of generative AI image-making, the user inputs neither text nor image; just thought. PREMIUM Images generated by Midjourney, based on a text prompt from HT designer Puneet Kumar. Kumar accessed six versions of the program from V1 (launched last year) to V5.2 (launched last month) and offered each the same cue: Woman at India Gate, with windblown hair. What does that mean for the future of storytelling, art, and the human-AI relationship? Well get to that. First, a bit of recap. Algorithm-generated art isnt, of course, new. Computer programs have been creating patterns and shapes since the 1960s. The Matrix Multiplication series is an early example. Created by a German mathematician Frieder Nake in 1967, these 12 art works feature lines and geometric shapes, created by feeding mathematical operations into an algorithm. A few years later came computer-aided design (CAD), where complex algorithms such as Aaron, created by artist Harold Cohen in 1973, created accurate design drafts. Advanced software such as Adobes Photoshop, released commercially in 1990, made it possible to alter an existing image, and merge images. It became harder to tell fact from imagination. Computer-generated imagery (CGI) and special effects (also called SFX or FX), geared towards moving visuals and filmmaking, emerged. The next big leap for still images arrived in 2015, with the first artificial intelligence or AI-driven generative networks for art: Googles DeepDream. It used real images to create surreal art; Slate magazine called its work dazzling and creepy. In 2021, this niche tool was replaced by an overnight sensation: OpenAIs Dall-E. Within months, Stability AIs Stable Diffusion was out, and so was Microsofts Nuwa-Infinity. By 2022, Midjourney, NightCafe and StarryAI had been added to the list. Dall-E 2 now forms part of the foundation of the Microsoft Designer app and the Bing AI suite. And this month, Stability AI released its newest tool, Stable Doodle, which can turn a rough sketch into a realistic image inspired either by a style of drawing or photography. Meanwhile, this year was marked by two significant inflection points (both in March). The two AI-generated images that made news in March. One fooled most viewers into thinking Pope Francis had stepped out in a puffy white coat; the other slipped past judges to win a global photo award. (Midjourney; Dall-E 2) First, Pope Francis was depicted in a puffy white coat, on social media platforms, in an image that most viewers thought was real. And an AI-made image fooled judges at the Sony World Photography Awards and walked away with a prize; it was submitted by Berlin-based Boris Eldagsen, to prove a point. Those two works were created using Midjourney and Dall-E 2 respectively. The latter allows the user to control settings for a virtual lens and aperture, which is partly why the fake photo that won the contest a 1950s-style vintage-look portrait of two women looked so real. While that image was the work of a professional photo-artist, the image of the pope was created by a 31-year-old construction worker named Pablo Xavier (last name withheld), from Chicago. Without taking away from the latters viral achievement, thats how easy it is. Quick draw So, how does AI create images with such high levels of visual authenticity? Well, these programs run on what are called Generative Adversarial Networks, or GANs. And GANs work a bit like a live digital-art class. Say a user types in a text cue: photograph-style image of woman at India Gate, with windblown hair. Two neural networks now get to work (theyre called neural networks because theyre modelled on the human brains rapid-fire input and response mechanisms). The first neural network is the generator. Its job is to create the image it has been asked for. Behind the scenes, the second neural network acts as the discriminator. As the image takes shape, it essentially scans it for inaccuracies, points them out to the generative program and says: Thats not good enough. How does the discriminator network know? It analyses the created image against elements from a pre-learned database woman, India Gate, windblown, hair. It examines each version created by the generator network for misrepresentations or inaccuracies in object, aesthetics, lighting, style. When there is nothing left to challenge or flag, the result is sent out to the screen, and the user. As with all AI-driven models, the more it is used, the more it learns. In recent months, the programs have received millions of new data sets that detail exactly what went wrong, and this has helped it too. Which images that were tagged as fake, and why? It now has some of the answers. Incidentally, as the program continues to be trained, such information is released to the two halves separately. We keep the generator constant during the discriminator training phase. As discriminator training tries to figure out how to distinguish real data from fake, it has to learn how to recognize the generators flaws. Similarly, we keep the discriminator constant during the generator training phase. Otherwise the generator would be trying to hit a moving target and might never converge, is how Google explained it, in a blog from last year. Next up: A possible thought model, in which an AI-driven art program reproduces what the user is thinking. In a pre-print research paper released in December, systems neuroscientists Yu Takagi and Shinji Nishimoto from Osaka University say they have created a model that can capture neural activity with about 80% accuracy, to reproduce thoughts. Among other tools, the researchers used an advanced logical data model (LDM) paired with Stable Diffusion. For now, there are no regulations in place to govern the use of these technological innovations. Applications that can help detect AI-generated images are still being built; it is unlikely these will ever achieve 100% accuracy. The world is sailing into uncharted territory. Europol, the European Unions law enforcement agency, predicts that as much as 90% of content on the internet may be created or edited with the use of AI, by 2026. What would a future in this world look like? Just think about the implications, let the image take shape, and say when. Experience unrestricted digital access with HT Premium Explore amazing offers on HT + Economist Start 14 Days Free Trial Already Subscribed? Sign In SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Airport fashion is all about opting for sartorial choices that can check into the comfy and elegant style statements. While many celebrities don't shy away from making the runway their ramp walk by experimenting with bold style choices, some love to keep things casual and chic. For instance, Deepika Padukone wears the most elegant outfits for her travels. However, they are also easy to carry and steal-worthy. Ranbir Kapoor also follows a similar aesthetic while travelling. The two stars backed our statement as the paparazzi clicked them arriving in Mumbai. Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor clicked by the paparazzi at the airport. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla) Deepika Padukone's airport look decoded The paparazzi clicked Deepika Padukone at the Mumbai airport and shared the snippets on social media. The videos show Deepika exiting the airport and getting inside her car. The star chose a casually practical and trendy all-black look for her travels. You can wear Deepika's ensemble for long-haul flights, running errands in the city or a casual date night with girlfriends. Scroll through to check out Deepika's video from the airport. Deepika wore a quirky black sweatshirt from the luxury label Louis Vuitton (she is the global brand ambassador for the brand). It features an asymmetric neckline, full-length sleeves, and a relaxed fit. Black boyfriend denim jeans, front lace-up chunky boots, tinted sunglasses, rings, and a shoulder bag completed the styling. Lastly, she chose centre-parted open locks and minimal makeup to style the ensemble. Ranbir Kapoor's airport look Meanwhile, Ranbir Kapoor made a dapper appearance at the airport in the comfiest co-ord ensemble. The star arrived in Mumbai after walking the ramp at India Couture Week for Kunal Rawal, and Alia Bhatt came to receive him at the airport. He wore a slate grey-coloured linen button-down shirt and pants set for his jet-set look. While Ranbir's shirt features a collared open neckline, front button closures, full-length sleeves, a relaxed fitting, and open cuffs, the pants have a straight-leg fitting and a mid-rise waistline. He wore the ensemble with white sneakers and a face mask. Lastly, his brand-new haircut stole the show. What do you think of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone's airport looks? Dengue cases have been recorded across the Americas in excess of three million this year. That indicates that since 1980, when the Pan American Health Organisation started compiling data on the number of cases, 2023 already has the second-highest annual incidence of the disease. Dengue cases in the Americas exceed 3 million this year, the second-highest annual incidence since 1980. (Photo by Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP) The recent article published in the Nature science journal revealed some of the main reasons behind the surge in dengue cases in America. Talking to the publication Claudia Codeco, an epidemiologist at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a biosciences and public-health institution in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil says, "We do observe an increase in cases beyond what was expected for this period." How the illness spreads in Central and North America will determine if the record-breaking 3.2 million cases reported in 2019 will be broken in 2023, as the majority of researchers believe the height of dengue season in South America has passed. (Also read: Dengue in children on rise; here's what parents need to keep in mind ) The fact that dengue is transmitted by four serotypes of closely similar viruses makes pinpointing the specific source of the upsurge difficult. There is an interaction between these serotypes, with the immunity against one interfering with the others. When we put this together, it can lead to unpredictable dynamics, says Codeco. According to academics, though, the increase may also be explained by rising temperatures and altered rainfall patterns. The primary carrier of dengue, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, thrives in humid environments with temperatures about 30 C, which have grown increasingly prevalent in recent years as a result of exceptional heat records and other weather-related occurrences. The illness, which can result in fever, headaches, and lethargy, has no particular therapy. Severe cases can be fatal; this year, dengue has claimed the lives of more than 1,300 individuals across the Americas. Primary Causes for the Surge of Dengue Cases in America Areas where A. aegypti formerly had no presence are now seeing dengue outbreaks. The disease is spreading into southern regions in Brazil, where there have been over 2.4 million recorded cases this year, which were previously too cold for the mosquito. According to research by Codeco and her colleagues1, 481 Brazilian towns have shown persistent local dengue transmission for the first time during the previous five years1. Additionally, Mexico City, which is located at a height of 2,240 metres, saw its first A. aegypti incursion in 2015. If you read books about the biology of the Aedes aegypti, they say the mosquito doesnt reproduce at altitudes above 1,200 metres, says Jose Ramos-Castaneda, a virologist at the Mexican National Institute of Public Health in Cuernavaca. In that aspect, global warming is affecting the distribution of the vector and therefore the possible distribution of cases. The possibility for an epidemic of dengue the likelihood that it would spread among individuals in the late 2040s has been examined by researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. According to computational epidemiologist Andrew Brouwer, one of the study's authors, "What we found was that the epidemic potential was higher than today, regardless of the specific climate-change scenario." He claims that "in most places, we've seen a 1020% increase in the epidemic potential." The problem is not just in South America. The areas where vectors and pathogens may survive will expand, according to Brouwer, both in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. Dengue local transmission has already been documented in Florida, Texas, and Arizona in the continental United States. Dengue cases often increase in the summer or during the rainy season and decrease during the winter or during the dry season. However, as global temperatures rise, dengue seasons may lengthen. In the forecast made by Brouwer and his coworkers, "we found that the transmission seasons generally increased by about a month on either end", Brouwer claims. Impact of El Nino Weather Event Dengue may suffer in the near future as a result of the ongoing El Nio weather phenomena, which is predicted to bring record temperatures, droughts, and floods. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organisation, issued a warning about the phenomena in late June, saying it "could increase transmission of dengue and other so-called arboviruses like Zika and chikungunya." The areas of Central America and parts of North America, which are now experiencing the rainy season, will likely be most affected by El Nio in terms of dengue incidence. The spread of dengue has been controlled using a number of tactics. They include eliminating open containers of stagnant water where the insects can reproduce and using traps or pesticides to destroy the mosquito host. Additionally, attempts are being made to create mutant mosquitoes that are immune to disease transmission. Ramos-Castaeda claims that while all of these strategies might be helpful, "the thing that could really impact the transmission is immunity in the population." Since 2015, two dengue vaccines have received official approval in specific regions; but, due to challenges with effectiveness, safety worries, and expensive costs, they haven't been extensively used. News / Local by Staff reporter REPRESENTATIVES from different political parties in Gwanda Town on Friday conducted a march around the mining town in a bid to send a message of peace across the community as the country draws towards elections.The peace march was organised by the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) in conjunction with the Gwanda Local Peace Committee (GLPC). This comes after ZCA and GLPC recently held an inter party and prayer meeting which was attended by various political parties in Gwanda, Matebeleland South province.Civic Society Organisations, different church denominations and various institutions joined the political parties during the march. Political parties that were represented include Zanu-PF, Zapu, Mthwakazi Republic Party, MDC and CCC.The march which started at Glow Garage in the CBD ended at Njanji Business Centre in Spitzkop North Suburb.Addressing stakeholders to mark the start of the march, Minister of State for Matebeleland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Abedinico Ncube urged different parties to bury the hatchet as the country heads towards elections."Different political parties have gathered here with the church fraternity and other institutions in order to preach the gospel of peace. We might be from different political parties but let's remember that we are of one nation and we are one people. That person who is from another political party is your neighbour, your brother, your father and mother. There is life after elections and we will need each other's help. Let's work peacefully during our campaigns and let's ensure our elections are held peacefully."Our leader President Mnangagwa is always emphasising peace and unity and let's all work towards achieving this. Fighting and violence will only kills us a nation and stall development. Let's all be united and have one cause. May our members of the community also learn a lesson from this display by representatives of political parties," he said.Ncube applauded the church fraternity for the noble act to bring political parties together.He said the church has a crucial role in preaching the gospel of unity.ZCA Gwanda District Coordinator, Pastoral peace ambassador in the Gwanda Local Peace Committee and National Peace and Reconciliation (NPRC) Matebeleland South provincial peace committee deputy chairperson, Pastor Phathisiwe Dube said it is important for political parties to meet with the church fraternity as both sectors were concerned with the development of the nation."As the church fraternity we decided to engage political parties and hold this march so that we spread the gospel of peace. We are glad that political parties responded to our call and agreed to take part in this march. The gospel of peace is an everyday message and we will share it everyday," she said.Representatives from different political parties expressed their gratitude for the platform created for them to display their support for peace through the march. Keran, a border tehsil of Kupwara district, nestled along the banks of the Kishenganga River (Neelum River), has long been a hidden gem, unknown to many. Acting as the line of control between Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) and Jammu and Kashmir, this region is now gaining attention for all the right reasons, tourism, peace, and development. For travellers seeking a glimpse of the untouched beauty of the Neelam Valley, the village of Keran beckons with open arms. (Unsplash ) For travellers seeking a glimpse of the untouched beauty of the Neelam Valley, the village of Keran beckons with open arms. The journey to this paradise takes travellers through the mesmerizing Firkiyan Gali at an altitude of 9634 ft. The breathtaking 360-degree view from the Firkiyan top leaves visitors in awe, with lush green forests, meadows, and glistening streams creating a truly enchanting experience. (Also Read | Long Weekends in August 2023: The complete list and places you can visit) As travellers venture deeper into Keran, they are greeted by the unique architecture of wooden houses that have withstood the test of time. These architectural marvels stand tall as a testament to the rich heritage of the region and must be preserved for generations to come. Recently, the Government of India took a significant decision to bring border areas like Keran, Gurez, Tangdhar, Machil, and Bangus onto the tourism map. This decision has sparked happiness among the local population, as it promises peace, development, and economic growth to the region. The Indian Army, known for its humanitarian efforts, has been actively supporting the local population, guiding Keran towards peace and prosperity. One of the visitors, Adiyate Nigam from Delhi, shared his unique experience during his visit to Keran, travelling on a motorcycle. He expressed his delight at discovering this hidden spot located at the line of control, making his journey an unforgettable one. The thrill of reaching such a serene destination on two wheels added to the magic of the place. The influx of tourists has not only provided a boost to the economy but also opened new opportunities for locals to showcase their warm hospitality. Homestay facilities and camping tents with all basic amenities have been set up to accommodate visitors, ensuring they experience the true essence of the regions culture and lifestyle. Local residents of Keran expressed their gratitude to the government for introducing their village on the tourism map. They believe that this newfound attention will paint their far-flung area on a broader canvas, leading to progress and prosperity for generations to come. With the regions pristine beauty, historical significance, and warm hospitality, Keran has emerged as a must-visit destination for travellers seeking an escape from the mundane. As more tourists venture into this hidden paradise, there is hope that the delicate balance between preserving its natural heritage and embracing development will be maintained, ensuring that Keran remains a cherished gem on the tourism map for years to come. Destiny is unpredictable, and it can smile or frown on anyone in the best and worst of circumstances. During my diplomatic career, I had the opportunity of working closely with IK Gujral, who was the external affairs minister (EAM) in 1996 and became the Prime Minister (PM) on April 21, 1997. PREMIUM Even his enemies would agree that IK was a thorough gentleman.(HT Archive) I dont think IK, as he was known, ever thought he would become PM. His son, Naresh Gujral, a former member of the Rajya Sabha (RS), and a good friend, told me that his father retired to bed on that life-changing night when Harkishan Singh Surjeet, leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the chanakya of the precarious United Front (UF) government, called to say that IK was the coalitions choice for PM, following HD Deve Gowdas resignation. I joined IK as his speech writer and aide. Before that, I was on leave in Delhi as my mother was unwell. However, the government had reneged on its promise to post me from Moscow to Delhi. I used this break to write The Great Indian Middle Class. One day, in July 1997, when I was about to finish the book, I got a call from the then newly appointed foreign secretary, K Raghunath, under whom I had worked. He said that the PM wanted my services. I listened but remained non-committal because Gujral as EAM had not helped in my posting to Delhi. Soon, thereafter, NN Vohra, a highly-respected bureaucrat and principal secretary to the PM, called with the same request. The PM then spoke to me himself, and I accepted the assignment. Even his enemies would agree that IK was a thorough gentleman. Always urbane, well-dressed, soft-spoken, erudite and cultured, he was the quintessential Punjabi, having arrived in India as a refugee from Pakistan. His accent could not escape his Punjabi roots. I remember a speech I wrote for him for the Asia Society in New York. He complimented me for it but put a noticeable Punjabi twist in the delivery. As I watched with some dismay, Raghunath, normally undemonstrative, came to me and whispered: Remember, a PMs speech is meant to be read, not heard. IK had been arrested during the Quit India Movement in 1942 but was never a mass leader. He won only one Lok Sabha (LS) election from Jalandhar in 1989, but was a three-term member of the RS. In 1991, he contested the LS elections, improbably enough, from Patna. The story goes that Lalu Prasad Yadav backed his candidacy by saying that Gujral stood for Gujjar, a backward class community. IK won that election, but it was later countermanded for irregularities. Yet, he was an astute politician with a mind of his own. When Emergency was declared in 1975, he was the minister for information and broadcasting. However, he was not willing to be Sanjay Gandhis doormat. Indira Gandhi then shunted him out as ambassador to Moscow, where he did an excellent job. He could also be a tough negotiator. I remember, in particular, a brilliantly argumentative discussion he had (to which P Chidambaram was a witness) with then US secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, where she was completely outclassed. He will be remembered too for the Gujral Doctrine, where as a matter of strategy, he gave priority to improving relations with our neighbours, although his alleged decision to wind up our counter-intelligence network in Pakistan has been rightly criticised. IK loved to interact with the media. Once, noted journalist Vir Sanghvi invited him to a studio in Noida. Normally, a PM would have said no. But IK agreed and asked me to accompany him. We drove to Safdarjung airport where a chopper took us to Noida. Since it was technically a visit by the PM to Uttar Pradesh, a senior cabinet minister received him. After the interview, we flew back to Safdarjung. The whole operation took hardly an hour. His tenure lasted till March 1998 less than a year. He died on November 30, 2012, just four days short of his 93rd birthday. His wife, Sheila Gujral, an accomplished poet and writer, had died a year earlier. 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 I have never met Sudha Murthy. I did one of the first TV interviews with her husband Narayan Murthy long before he became an internationally respected business innovator and I have interviewed him several times after that but we do not have a social relationship, so I have never met Mrs. Murthy. However, I do have close friends who have been with Infosys from the very start who know her well and say that she is one of the most remarkable people they know. Sudha Murthy said, in a video clip that has gone viral, that she is a pure vegetarian and that, when she travels, she prefers to go to vegetarian restaurants because otherwise she fears that the spoons with which she is served might previously have been used to serve meat. (HT Photo/ Jagadeesh NV) I offer all this by way of background. In recent months, Sudha Murthy has become a favourite target on social media. She is routinely lampooned on Twitter and her name frequently trends because people treat her as sport, as someone to make fun of. It is the latest of these so-called humorous assaults on her that concerns us in this column. Sudha Murthy said, in a video clip that has gone viral, that she is a pure vegetarian and that, when she travels, she prefers to go to vegetarian restaurants because otherwise she fears that the spoons with which she is served might previously have been used to serve meat. This has been enough to make Sudha Murthy trend again on Twitter. Does she go to restaurants where they dont wash dishes and cutlery? What is pure vegetarian anyway? Why is she making such a fetish of her vegetarianism? And so on. I am not a vegetarian. And as I have often written before, while there is an environmentally valid justification for veganism, the case for vegetarianism is far more complicated. It is all very well to say, as many vegetarians do, that they are too ethical to take a life only for their eating pleasure. But that depends on how you define life. As we all know, plants are living things and there is evidence to suggest that they feel pain. Are we saying that there is a class system when it comes to life? That fish and animals are A class life. But that plants are B class life and therefore its okay to cause pain to them and to extinguish their lives? Vegetarians must also know that the cultivation of all crops necessarily involves the killing of millions of insects, worms and other living beings. You may dismiss them as pests but you cannot deny that they were sacrificed in the quest for your food. And besides, if we never ended or killed any kind of life (including plants), then we would simply starve and the human race would wither away. So, there may well be a strong, ethical we-should-preserve-all-life kind of justification for vegetarianism. But I havent heard it yet. Then, there is the religious dimension. It has become part of todays political rhetoric to portray Hindus as vegetarians and Indians of every other religion as non-vegetarians. This seems to give Hindu politicians the right to persecute non-Hindu meat sellers and to demand that meat shops (especially those run by non-Hindus) be shut-down for days on end in case Hindu sentiments are hurt during religious festivals. There are many reasons for objecting to this sort of politically expedient vegetarianism. But there is also a factual error in the very premise of this argument. Hindus are not vegetarians by definition. Even if you leave aside that old controversy about whether Vedic people ate beef, ancient texts (and mythological works) leave us in no doubt that our ancestors were not vegetarian. Nor, contrary to what we think, were Buddhists. Only Jains preached vegetarianism and the influence of their teaching can still be felt in Gujarat where Jains have always had a strong influence on society (Disclosure: I am a Gujarati Jain.) In the rest of India, vegetarianism has been a caste-based affair. Banias are usually vegetarians no matter which part of India they live in. There is a view to the effect that all Brahmins also have to be vegetarians but this is much less absolute than we may think. Bengali Brahmins eat all kinds of non-vegetarian food. So do Kashmiri Brahmins. Even elsewhere, there are non-vegetarian Brahmins. Some Saraswat Brahmins eat fish. Even now, the majority of Indians are non-vegetarian. The political distinction between so-called vegetarian Hindus and non-vegetarian Christians and Muslims collapses when you look at the facts. Perhaps because this manufactured belief in Hindu vegetarianism is sought to be imposed on us, there is now a backlash. People who are proud of being vegetarian have become figures of fun and are parodied on social media. Mrs Murthy may be a victim of this trend. There is a (now increasingly open) sub-text to all of this. The Murthys are brahmins. So, when Sudha talks about pure vegetarians, the term is seized on to suggest that she is bragging about Brahmin superiority. Many of the so-called funny attacks on her words emerge out of the feeling that she is flaunting some Brahminical superior status. As I said, I do not know Sudha Murthy, but it does seem to me that caste or more specifically Brahmin superiority did not even cross her mind when she made those remarks. She was mainly describing her own food habits. And despite being a seekh kabab-loving Gujarati Jain, I know what she probably meant. This is exactly how many members of my family talk. And no, they are not flaunting bania superiority or latching on to the political vegetarianism of the moment. What some non-vegetarians find hard to understand is that the overwhelming majority of vegetarians do not eschew meat because they have thought long and hard about the ethical basis of vegetarianism. They do it because this is how they were brought up. If they were born into religious families, they were told that meat is forbidden and do not question it just as many Muslims do not question why they need to still avoid pork even though modern pork is not as unsafe as pork may have been when the Koran was written. But there is another, more personal reason. My wife (who is a Punjabi Saraswat Brahmin but not from one of those Saraswat families where non- vegetarian food is allowed ) was vegetarian till she was 25. She is a devout temple-going Hindu but does not now regard vegetarianism as being integral to her faith. But because of her vegetarian upbringing, she still has problems with many kinds of meat. She will happily eat a pork sausage or a kung pao chicken, but she will simply not eat lamb. This has nothing to do with ethics or religion. She just does not like the smell. So, it is with seafood. She will eat a prawn cocktail but will draw the line at mackerel. Again, the reason is personal. She hates the smell of some kinds of fish. At a supermarket abroad, she will choose the pre-packaged meat with me but will avoid the butchery counter where they chop up hunks of meat. She will not even cross the aisle if there is a fresh fish display near by. Her vegetarian upbringing makes it difficult for her to cope with the sights and smells of some non-vegetarian foods and their preparation. Many of my non-vegetarian relatives most of whom live in the West are the same. Because they were brought up as vegetarians, there are things about meat that stir up some primal uneasiness in them. For vegetarians, this is more acute. I have been in restaurants in the West where Indian vegetarian friends will send back empty plates saying they smell of non-veg. At first, I used to find this strange. But I now see what their objections are. Yes, despite all of the sneering on Twitter (does she go to restaurants where they dont wash the crockery and cutlery) vegetarians can sometimes be turned off by meat and fish smells that linger on plates and spoons. And dont kid yourself: they can linger. In any case, I find it offensive to pass judgements on peoples food choices. I find self-righteous and judgemental vegetarians obnoxious. I respect their right to eat plants. But they have no business passing judgement on my chicken tikka. And when people use terms like beef-eater as abuse, it just shows the primitive levels of their mentality. It works the other way too. If Mrs. Murthy does not want to eat (or even smell) meat, it is her right and her prerogative. When we laugh at her, we are no better than those who sneer at non-vegetarians. Food is a personal matter. And that is how it should remain. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Long Island man who was entrusted to babysit his younger cousin and make sure they got on the bus for school while their parents were busy working repeatedly raped his little cousin after threatening to kill her and her beloved cat. District Attorney Ray Tierney said, "The defendant was entrusted to care for his younger cousin instead subjected them to unthinkable sexual abuse for years of her young life"(Twitter) The man, 20, pleaded guilty on Friday to having raped the child since she was 5 years old, sometimes even in front of her younger brother. In a press release, Suffolk District Attorney Tierney said, "The defendant was entrusted to care for the younger cousin, but instead he has subjected one of them to unimaginable sexual abuse for years in her younger life." It all started in 2018, when the man started living with the family. He was supposed to babysit his cousins and ensure they got to school in the morning while the parents were out at work. All the abuse was put to an end during an incident that occurred in March 2022 where the boy placed the cat on the bed and the animal scratched the man while the little boy's sister was in pain and distress. ALSO READ: Actor Kevin Spacey cleared of all nine sexual offences in UK trial Post-incident, the mother started to notice the behavior of her children towards their older cousin, not wanting to be left alone with him. The boy eventually admitted that the man hurt his sister and described what he had seen and what had happened The mother called the police, and the defendant was put behind bars on Friday. The man pleaded guilty to his crime and is expected to be sentenced on September 6. Legal Aid of Suffolk County has not responded to an immediate comment about the ongoing case at the moment. Only time will tell how the court decides to provide justice to the child and the family. An American nurse and her child have been kidnapped in Haiti, a Christian aid group said Saturday, days after the US government ordered its nonessential personnel out of the impoverished Caribbean country due to spiraling insecurity. Alix Dorsainvil and her child were kidnapped Thursday morning near Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, El Roi Haiti said in a statement on its website. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Alix Dorsainvil and her child were kidnapped Thursday morning near Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, El Roi Haiti said in a statement on its website. She is the wife of the group's director, who is Haitian, and the mother and child were taken from the El Roi campus "while serving in our community ministry." "Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family," El Roi said. "Alix has worked tirelessly as our school and community nurse to bring relief to those who are suffering as she loves and serves the people of Haiti in the name of Jesus." Their kidnapping came after the US State Department issued an updated travel advisory Thursday, saying Americans in Haiti should depart "as soon as possible ... in light of the current security situation and infrastructure challenges." The US government is "extremely limited in its ability" to assist Americans in the country who may need emergency help, it said, warning that "kidnapping is widespread." Washington also ordered its nonessential personnel and family of government employees to leave Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, which has seen compounding humanitarian, political and security crises. Gangs control most of the capital and terrorize the population with kidnappings, rape and murder. The State Department said Saturday it was aware of reports of two citizens kidnapped in Haiti. "We are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our US government interagency partners," a spokesperson said. A sensational revelation concerning Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie has come out in the open. According to a report by goodto.com, Buckingham Palace amended Archie's birth certificate nearly a month after his birth in 2019. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry(AP) The report says that Buckingham Palace removed Meghan Markle's name from the birth certificate, replacing it with her royal title- "Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex". Originally, Archie's mother's name had been entered as 'Rachel Meghan' but it was replaced. "The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by the Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials. This was not requested by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex nor by the Duke of Sussex," read a statement from Meghan's spokesperson which was tweeted by Omid Scobie, a royal author. Interestingly, in case of Kate Middleton's children, no such changes were made in the birth certificates. According to reports in The Sun, Kate was allowed to use her own name in the birth certificates of her three children, all of whom were born before Archie. ALSO READ| Is Neelam Gill dating Leonardo DiCaprio? the Indian-origin British model says However, for Prince Harry and Meghan's second child, daughter Lilibet, the mother's name is entered as 'Rachel Meghan Markle', without any of her royal titles appearing in the birth certificate. According to the report, Princess Diana's name in the birth certificates of her sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, was entered as "Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales". Notably, in his memoir "Spare", Prince Harry had talked about alleged racial discrimination from British Royal Family in matter regarding the birth of his son Archie. Harry accused his royal relatives of being concerned about the skin colour of Archie before his birth. The sensational revelation had stunned the royal family, evoking an official response from the then Queen Elizabeth. Two months after his brother was gunned down in Vancouver, another Indo-Canadian has become the latest victim in the ongoing gang war in the province of British Columbia. HT Image On Thursday evening, officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment in the town of Richmond responded to reports of a shooting. A critically injured male was found and despite attempts at life-saving measures by emergency responders, he was pronounced deceased at the scene. On Friday, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or IHIT, which was tasked with the case, identified the victim on Friday as 36-year-old Ravinder Samra. On May 28 this year, his brother, 28-year-old Amarpreet Samra, was shot dead outside a banquet hall in Vancouver. Mr Samra was known to police and we believe this was a targeted shooting associated to the BC Gang Conflict, IHIT spokesperson Cpl Sukhi Dhesi said in a statement issued on Friday. That was in line with what law enforcement had said when his younger brother was killed. At that time, the Vancouver Police Department noted in a release that investigators believed that was a targeted shooting related to the ongoing gang conflict. The brothers, according to the outlet Vancouver Sun, were considered to be affiliated to the United Nations gang, which was in conflict with others, including Brothers Keepers. In August last year, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit or CFSEU-BC had released a list of 11 individuals allegedly linked to gangs, nine of whom were Indo-Canadians, and warned this was being done due to the significant threat to the public posed by a number of individuals involved in the Lower Mainland gang conflict and their ongoing nexus to violence. Among those listed were the Samra brothers. That warning had added, Police believe anyone with, or in the proximity to these individuals may be putting themselves at risk. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anirudh Bhattacharyya Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American issues, and an author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York spanning print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. ...view detail President Joe Biden finally recognized his 4-year-old granddaughter Navy Joan Roberts on Friday, saying that he supports what is best for his son Hunters child with Lunden Roberts. U.S. President Joe Biden walks on the tarmac after arriving at Dover Air Force Base, in Dover, Delaware, U.S. July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst(REUTERS) Biden, 80, has often claimed he has only six grandchildren and the White House has excluded the daughter of Hunter and Lunden Roberts from Christmas celebrations. Our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward, the 80-year-old President said in a statement to People magazine late Friday afternoon. This is not a political issue, its a family matter, Biden said. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy. The 46th US President did not say if he plans to invite his granddaughter to the White House or meet her in person. Navy Joan Roberts(Instagram/ @lundentownn_) Biden has faced growing backlash for ignoring Navy Joan, which contradicts his image as a loving grandfather-in-chief. I have six grandchildren, Biden said at a White House event for children in April. Im crazy about them and I speak to them every single day. Neither Hunter nor Joe Biden have met Navy Joan, but she reportedly knows about them and talks about them. The statement came as Biden visited Maine before heading to his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del.-- where hes expected to spend nine days after avoiding reporter questions for more than a week, including questions about the collapse of son Hunters plea deal Wednesday and House Republicans proposing an impeachment inquiry into Bidens role in shady foreign deals. The president, who is running for re-election next year, had no public events on Monday or on Wednesday and last answered a reporters question on July 18, when he gave a two-word reply in the Oval Office that wasnt clear to journalists. Hunter Biden, 53, was proven to be Roberts father by a 2019 DNA test, but the first son fought in court to prevent her from taking his last name. The presidents snub of Roberts was intentional, according to a profile by the New York Times this month. ALSO READ| Big Republican donors say goodbye to DeSantis, set their sights on Glenn Youngkin for 2024 presidential run. Here's why In strategy meetings in recent years, aides have been told that the Bidens have six, not seven, grandchildren, according to two people familiar with the discussions, the Times reported. Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote in a popular July 8 column that [w]hat the Navy story reveals is how dated and inauthentic the 80-year-old presidents view of family is. The presidents cold shoulder and heart is counter to every message he has sent for decades, and its out of sync with the America he wants to continue to lead, Dowd wrote. The first son in May flew to Arkansas on a private jet to claim he was poor to reduce his child support payments convincing his daughters mother to accept $5,000 per month instead of $20,000 and to drop her request to change Navy Joans surname in exchange for income from some sales of Hunters amateur artworks. The private jet belonged to Hunters friend, Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris, who also paid off about $2 million in tax debt for Hunter after meeting him at a December 2019 fundraiser. President Biden didnt mention his change of heart on Navy Joan during his speech in Maine, where he attacked his Republican opponents for their allegedly rude behavior. Biden mocked former President Donald Trump as a classy guy for skipping his 2021 inauguration adding, I was just as happy he didnt and then ridiculed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), whom he called the gentlewoman in Georgia talk about an oxymoron. ALSO READ| Does US govt possess alien vehicles? 5 shocking UFO claims US Cong discussed The president also attempted to display a more gentle side, saying to his audience, To all the kids here, Im going to give you some cash after this event to give to your parents to take you to Dairy Queen after this. Its not known if he kept his word or not. The Green Card backlog has reached epic proportions, leaving many high-skilled immigrants in a state of perpetual uncertainty. A bipartisan group of 56 US lawmakers, led by Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and Larry Bucshon, has called on President Joe Biden to address this pressing issue and take executive action to expedite the process for Indian Green Card applicants. A bipartisan group of 56 US lawmakers, led by Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and Larry Bucshon, has called on President Joe Biden to address the issue of Green Card backlog that has reached epic proportions, leaving many high-skilled immigrants in a state of perpetual uncertainty. The current backlog has led to a jaw-dropping 195-year wait for Indian immigrants seeking Green Cards. The situation arises from the seven per cent country cap on employment-based Green Card allocation, disproportionately affecting Indian tech professionals and highly skilled STEM graduates. Calls for relief In response to the mounting concerns of the immigrant Indian community, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS USA) has taken action. They are pushing for relief for Indian H-1B visa holders stuck in Green Card processing. FIIDS launched a change petition, reached out to representatives, organizations, and influencers, and contacted the Bureau of Consular Services and USCIS to make priority dates current for Green Card applicants. The lawmakers' letter urges the administration to mark all dates for filing employment-based visa applications as "current," regardless of applicants' country-based priority date. This administrative action would provide relief to thousands of individuals navigating the US immigration system and could make some eligible for employment authorization documents, allowing them to change jobs, start businesses, and travel abroad without penalty. Game Changer Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi believes that using existing law to ease bureaucratic delays in the immigration system will strengthen the economy and create jobs. Congressman Bucshon highlights the need for legal immigrants to have the flexibility to change jobs and travel without obstacles. Also read | Missed Canada's H1-B Open Work Permit slots? Here are alternative options to enter Canada's labour market without LMIA Immigration Voice President Aman Kapoor emphasized that the proposed measure is a game changer for nearly one million high-skilled immigrants, granting them the basic human rights of work and travel. Kapoor calls out the discriminatory nature of the immigration system, where Indian nationals wait up to 200 years for a Green Card while citizens from 150 other countries have no wait at all. (With inputs from PTI) The sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic has reached a new record high, according to preliminary data released Friday by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has been tracking since the early 1980s. A surfer rides a wave at Unstad along the northern Atlantic Ocean. (Olivier Morin/AFP) "Based on our analysis, the record-high average sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic Ocean is 24.9 degrees C," or 76.8 Fahrenheit, observed Wednesday, Xungang Yin, a scientist at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, told AFP. News / Local by Staff reporter Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has vowed to exhaust both legal and regional diplomatic remedies to reverse the shock ouster of 12 party candidates from contesting for Bulawayo parliamentary seats with party spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere describing the court ruling as unconstitutional.Bulawayo High Court judge Bongani Ndlovu on Thursday ruled in favour of some Zanu PF activists who had argued the affected candidates surrendered their right to take part in the August 23 poll after filing their nomination papers June his year out of the stipulated 4pm deadline.The judgement meant that Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube could walk into parliament unopposed as his Cowdray Park challenger Pashor Sibanda of CCC has been disqualified.Other seats that have been presented to Zanu PF on a silver platter include Bulawayo Central where Tendayi Charuka of Zanu PF was set to contest CCC's Surrender Kapoikilu while in Bulawayo South, Zanu PF's Raj Modi was set to face CCC's Jane Nicola Watson.The ruling has been met with a groundswell of disapproval from CCC and the broader civil society which accuse the ruling Zanu PF authority of manipulating the judiciary to gain poll advantage.In a statement Thursday, Mahere said the party will use both legal and diplomatic solutions to the challenge."The CCC will urgently file an appeal against today's judgment as well as invoke all legal, political and regional measures available under Zimbabwe's Constitution as well as the SADC and African Union mechanisms to ensure that the ability of the citizens to choose their leaders as required by our supreme law is respected and duly safeguarded."As we challenge today's decision, we remain unshaken in the fight for change and a New Great Zimbabwe that works for everyone and where the authority to govern is derived from the people, and not from those who wish to undermine the Constitution and the voice of the citizens," Mahere said.Mahere said the unfavourable court ruling were signs that Zanu PF and its leader Emmerson Mnangagwa were "afraid of the people".She said the Mnangagwa led government was worse than the erstwhile Robert Mugabe regime which was not as brazen in knocking out competitors."Even at his worst, Robert Mugabe never tried to remove opponents whom he feared from the ballot paper."Zanu PF's removal of 12 Bulawayo candidates renders this a full-blown dictatorship and an outpost of tyranny," Mahere said, adding that the court decision militated against citizens' right to elect leaders of their choice."Accordingly, the thinly-veiled attempt to impose candidates on the citizens of Bulawayo is a dark stain on our democracy and confirms that Zimbabwe is now a full-blown dictatorship, worse than Robert Mugabe."Yet even at his worst, Robert Mugabe never tried to brazenly remove opponents he knew he would lose against from the ballot."A Supreme Court appeal would suspend Justice Ndlovu's judgement. Ever since the passing of Queen Elizabeth, Prince William and Princess Kate have set out to rebrand their image. Prince William and Kate Middleton with their children Princess Charlotte and Prince George (Twitter) On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth passed away at the age of 96. The new King Charles decreed that William would be Prince of Wales and Kate, Princess of Wales a title once held by the fan-favorite Princess Diana, Williams mother. As they grew one step closer to the King and Queen, Prince William and his family's life changed in a heartbeat as they ushered in what royal watchers have described as a new Camelot. Kate and William's bedazzlement of the public is akin to that of President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy. The former president of America had the entire country bewitched with his family and style. Global PR and branding guru Mark Borkowski told Page Six, William and Kate have created numerous official and informal photo opportunities, projecting a positive and united image as a couple." This curated and idealized image indicates their determination to own the narrative of hard-working, empathetic young royals. Furthermore, Borkowski observed how the Waleses have left Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the shade. Page Six also reports that Prince William and Princess Kate are very firmly estranged from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. William and Kates image far outweighs Harry and Meghans social media issues and their attempt to conquer Hollywood, said Borkowski. Also Read | Meghan Markle and Prince Harry snubbed from iconic comic, other royals included As sources revealed to Page Six, Prince and Princess of Wales like to document their lives with the help of glossy home videos made by filmmaker Will Warr. Now, the couple has taken their love for documentation one step further to win the PR war. Earlier this month, the Royal couple brought Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, 8, to the mens final at Wimbledon. The children dominated the media with their poise and adorable smiles. Meanwhile, young Prince Louis, 5, made his first official engagement during the Big Day Out festivities for his grandfather King Charles coronation. The three children joined their parents on the balcony at Buckingham Palace. Kate and William have given us a master class in introducing the children to The Firm [the nickname for the royal family industry], one palace staffer told Page Six. Its a delicate way for the children to experience official engagements and get used to the public profile and a careful balance when theyre of an age that they and their schoolmates will be aware of when their pictures are in the papers. Hugo Vickers, royal historian and friend of the royal family, said that since the coronation, Everything [Kate and Wiliam have done has been perfect They get on with their duties, working within the system unlike the Sussexes. A British socialite who knew Prince William and Kate intimately added that Prince Williams seems to be creating his own Camelot-style shadow court of friends and thinkers. However, the source added, They need keep on the right track. After all, Camelot did not end well for the Kennedys. In a recent report on Afghanistan, UNICEF said that over 15 million people are expected to experience food insecurity till October 2023, with 29.2 million people expected to require humanitarian assistance, TOLOnews reported. Afghan women wait to receive cash at a money distribution point organized by the World Food Program, in Kabul, Afghanistan(AP) Afghanistan's recession has been exacerbated by drought-like conditions, floods, insecurity, harsh winters, political and economic instability, and displacement. The economic crisis is expected to continue, with 64 per cent of households unable to meet their basic needs as vulnerable populations are pushed to the brink," TOLOnews reported citing the UNICEF report. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the situation of people in Afghanistan has only deteriorated as the country is under a massive grip of a humanitarian crisis. Regarding the situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, an economist, Sayed Masoud said, "The main objective of humanitarian aid and food security is to raise the level of consumption and the basic needs of families." According to UNICEF, the restriction on Afghan women working for NGOs and the UN has greatly raised the threats to the protection of weak women and children. The best talents exist in women, and they can play an active role in the social and work fields, but unfortunately, the current government has not been able to solve this problem in the country so far, said Surya Paykan, womens rights activist, according to TOLOnews. Since the Taliban seized power, apart from people facing difficulties over basic amenities, it is also the situation of women in the country that has also got worse. Women in the country are prohibited from leadership posts, and not allowed to work as well as travel unless accompanied by a male companion. There is still no word on when or if schools will reopen or if the ban is indefinite. Maria Macburnie, a 62-year-old woman from New Jersey has been arrested on suspicion of posing as a doctor and prescribing medicines to people, on Wednesday. According to Ocean County Prosecutors Office, she has been charged with practicing medicine by an unlicensed person, forgery, health care claims fraud, and three counts of distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. Representational Image(Getty Images) The Prosecutors Office highlighted that Macburnie fraudly treated patients at Shore Medical Associates in Toms River, New Jersey, from March 2022 to June 2023. While practising medicine, she used the name of a family member who has an active medical license. She prescribed medicines including for controlled dangerous substances under the family member's name, to patients. ALSO READ| Japanese man transforms into human dog by spending $20K, takes first walk in public During the alleged defraudment, Macburnie submitted insurance claims and bills for services. After being taken into custody, she has been booked in the Ocean County Jail. Investigations might be done if any patient were prescribed wrong medicines or if Macburnie was involved in a botched up medical diagnosis. Law enforcement officials have urged patients who were treated by the woman to contact them for aiding in the investigation and indictment. Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutors Office partnered with members of the Economic Crime Squad and agents from the DEA to blow the cover off Macburnie. As the 2024 presidential primary looms on the horizon, the political landscape is witnessing a clash of titans between former President Donald J. Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The stage was set in Iowa at a Republican Party dinner, where Trump took the spotlight, relegating DeSantis to a supporting role. Former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor and 2024 Republican Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis speak at the Republican Party of Iowa's 2023 Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines,(AFP) Despite facing criminal indictments, Trump's popularity and support have remained steadfast. Iowa, once seen as a potential weak spot for him, now embraces him as the front-runner, dismissing political and legal liabilities. DeSantis Struggling to Regain Momentum Governor DeSantis finds himself grappling to revitalize his campaign. Staff cutbacks and humbler campaign tactics reflect the challenges he faces. While once viewed as a strong contender alongside Trump, DeSantis now finds himself vying for attention as an alternative to the former president. Trump's national polling strength, exceeding 50 percent in many surveys, has made him appear as the de facto incumbent. His rivals often sandwich their gentle criticisms with praise, acknowledging his enduring popularity with the Republican base. The first primary debate in August is seen as a crucial opportunity for DeSantis or any other candidate to disrupt the current dynamic, even in Trump's absence. Also read | Big Republican donors say goodbye to DeSantis, set their sights on Glenn Youngkin for 2024 presidential run. Here's why Trump's Rivals Focus on Iowa Outside groups seeking to slow down Trump have targeted Iowa. Negative television ads worth $3.5 million have run in the state, showcasing Republican voters' fondness for Trump while expressing a desire for new leadership. DeSantis embarked on a two-day bus tour in Iowa, engaging with voters and demonstrating his investment in the state. Despite challenges, he remains determined to compete across early states and prove himself as a strong contender against Trump. While DeSantis aims to secure a first-place finish or a strong second position in Iowa, he risks placing too much emphasis on the state. Failure to perform well might leave his campaign in a precarious position moving forward. Iowa's Competitiveness and Trump Iowa Republicans see the state's race as more competitive than national polls suggest. Trump has professionalized his political operation, making his campaign a formidable force. Also read | Ron DeSantis cannot evade responsibility for his actions, Disney rejects immunity request in legal feud As the political drama unfolds in Iowa and beyond, the showdown between Trump and DeSantis remains a spectacle worth watching. The 2024 presidential race is far from decided, and the dynamics of the Republican primary will undoubtedly evolve as candidates vie for their party's nomination. For now, the stage is set, and the battle for the spotlight continues. There have been reports of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry planning to shift from their current home in Montecito, California. Reportedly, the royal couple have been house hunting in Malibu. The relocation is being planned to get closer to Beverly Hills and Los Angeles in view of Meghan's attempt to relaunch her acting career in Hollywood. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry(File) Meanwhile, a security expert has warned about the possible repercussions and safety issues that may arise out of such a relocation by Harry-Meghan. If theyre bothered by the paparazzi and intruders at their mansion in Montecito 90 miles away, it will be considerably worse in Malibu, where their profile will be even higher," Kent Moyer, boss of the Beverly Hills-based World Protection Group told The Express. Far more serious, however, is the risk of a terrorist attack or kidnap attempt on them and their family," added Moyer. As things stand, any tourist let alone a trained assassin can easily find their home, explained Moyer. ALSO READ| Pickup truck seen outside Kevin Costner's home as ex-wife Christine's eviction date nears Moyer highlighted that the couple's Montecito home is already quite popular among the tourists. And if Meghan and Harry shift to a property in Malibu, that might attract ten times the attention. Its also disturbing that their names are right there in local public records of property ownership." Most high-risk VIPs form anonymous-sounding companies through which they buy homes, so they cant be traced so easily. Harry and Meghan simply havent bothered with this very easy step, explained Moyer. The security expert highlighted the unfavourable infrastructure in Malibu which might jeopardise Harry-Meghan safety in case they require a quick escape. The main access road, Pacific Coast Highway, is very narrow in parts and often blocked in winter by mudslides and landslides. That would be a nightmare if they were looking to escape an attack by car." The fact is, they should be vanishing from public view completely unless they are attending a public function. Turning themselves into even higher profile targets and telling everyone where they live is not the answer, explained Moyer. The ongoing legal feud between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took a new turn as the media conglomerate rejected the governor's request for immunity, accusing him of trying to "evade responsibility for his actions." The legal battle began when Disney filed a suit against DeSantis in April, challenging the controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, which restricts instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. The ongoing legal feud between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took a new turn as the media conglomerate rejected the governor's request for immunity. In a strongly-worded legal filing, Disney's attorneys criticized DeSantis for trying to avoid accountability for actions they claim were retaliatory and infringed upon the company's free speech rights. The governor's takeover of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, is at the center of the dispute. The renaming of the district and the subsequent actions taken by DeSantis have left the ramifications far from settled. Board Considers Cutting Funds to Patrol Disney Properties The district's newly appointed board, facing litigation costs and start-up expenses related to the Disney dispute, has raised concerns about wasteful spending. The board is eyeing a cut of $8 million used to pay off-duty law enforcement officers who patrol Disney properties exclusively. The Origins of the Feud The feud between Disney and DeSantis began when the "Don't Say Gay" bill drew national controversy and condemnation from major companies, including Disney. The bill faced opposition from more than 150 companies, leading to Disney publicly voicing its opposition after employee walkouts. The governor responded with a fundraising email, vowing not to back down. Also read | Disney vs DeSantis! Florida governor's favorability rating plummets further as fued with Disney riles up DeSantis Seeks Immunity from Lawsuit Last month, DeSantis' attorneys asked a federal judge for immunity from the case, hoping to drop the lawsuit and free the governor from further legal action or liability. However, Disney has challenged this request, arguing that the governor cannot escape accountability for actions that allegedly violated constitutional rights and contracts. While DeSantis has portrayed the legislative crackdown on Disney as a response to their "woke" criticism of the parents' rights law, Disney claims the actions were retaliatory and violated its rights under the Constitution. The governor's attorneys assert that the actions were necessary to reform the special taxing district and ensure fairness among all businesses in Florida. Also read | Disney accuses Ron DeSantis of violating its constitutional rights in ongoing legal feud No Immunity for DeSantis, Disney Argues Disney's attorneys argue that the governor and the state cannot escape accountability for their defiance of cherished liberties. They challenge DeSantis' claims of immunity and state that the legal principles he relies on have no application in this case. The legal battle between Disney and DeSantis continues, with both sides standing firm in their positions. As the case unfolds, the world watches to see how this clash of corporate and political power will be resolved. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday said that the United States believes Russia's defence minister is in North Korea to secure supplies of weapons to aid the stalled invasion of Ukraine. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a military parade. (AP) Following Sergei Shoigu's arrival on a rare trip to Pyongyang, Blinken said that Russia is scrambling to buy arms from allies across the world. "I strongly doubt he's there on holiday," Blinken told reporters in Australia. "We're seeing Russia desperately looking for support, for weapons, wherever it can find them to continue to prosecute its aggression against Ukraine," he said. "We see that in North Korea, we see that as well with Iran, which has provided many drones to Russia that it's using to destroy civilian infrastructure and killed civilians in Ukraine." While in North Korea, Shoigu met the country's leader Kim Jong Un, in what Pyongyang's state media described as "a friendly talk." Russia, a historic ally of North Korea, is one of a handful of nations with which Pyongyang maintains friendly relations. Russia has introduced an e-visa system which will be effective from August 1 this year, to simplify the visa process for travellers visiting the country. A total of 52 countries, including India are eligible, allowing travellers from these nations to apply for the e-visa. The Ministry of Public Security of Russia has established the e-visa system to simplify visa applications, as mentioned on the official website of the e-visas. The electronic visa or e-visa, is an electronic and biometric visa that grants the same rights as a regular visa. (HT File) The e-visa can be used just like any other regular visa, eliminating the need to check with embassies or any other associations. It facilitates entry into the Russian Federation for various purposes, such as business trips, guest visits, tourism, and more. What is e-visa for Russia The electronic visa or e-visa, is an electronic and biometric visa that grants the same rights as a regular visa. It remains valid for 60 days, during which the visa holder must enter Russia. Once in the country, the e-visa allows a stay of up to 16 days. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting global travel restrictions, Russia suspended the e-visa service in 2020. However, with the service now resumed, travellers can once again obtain their visas hassle-free for their trips to Russia. Obtaining a tourist visa will now be much easier and more convenient. There's no need to wait in long queues; instead, you can apply for your tourist e-visa online with just a few clicks. Simply fill out the form and make the payment to complete the process. Things to remember before applying for Russia's e-visa -All individuals from foreign countries planning to visit Russia must complete their travel application through an online process. -Travellers will have to submit their applications at least 72 hours prior to their intended trip to Russia. -However, individuals holding diplomatic positions or representing international organisations are exempt from the visa requirement. -Upon submitting the online request, applicants will receive a response via email with one of the following outcomes: Approval Granted: If authorised, the traveller's trip is approved, and they will receive their visa upon arrival in Russia from the relevant authorities. If authorised, the traveller's trip is approved, and they will receive their visa upon arrival in Russia from the relevant authorities. Travel Not Authorised: In the event of non-authorisation, the traveller must apply for a temporary residence visa at the Embassy of Russia before their travel to the country. In the event of non-authorisation, the traveller must apply for a temporary residence visa at the Embassy of Russia before their travel to the country. Pending Authorisation: If the application is still under review, the applicant will receive a final response within 72 hours, and they can track the status of their application via email. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ukrainian soldiers were observed using North Korean rockets that they said were seized by a "friendly" country before being delivered to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. Firefighters work at a site of an administrative building damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine. (Reuters) Ukraine's defence ministry suggested the arms were captured from the Russians, the newspaper said. The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, including alleged shipments by sea, but has not offered proof and North Korean weapons have not been widely observed on the battlefields in Ukraine. North Korea and Russia deny conducting arms transactions. The North Korean weapons were shown by Ukrainian troops operating Soviet-era Grad multiple-launch rocket systems near the destroyed eastern city of Bakhmut, site of lengthy brutal fighting, the report said. Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Pyongyang this week to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, the first visit by Moscow's top defence official since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. During the visit, Shoigu was photographed viewing banned North Korean ballistic missiles with leader Kim Jong Un at a military expo in Pyongyang, signalling deeper ties between the two countries as they each face off with the United States. The U.S. on Friday announced $345 million in military aid for Taiwan, in what is the Biden administration's first major package drawing on America's own stockpiles to help Taiwan counter China. US President Joe Biden (AP) The White House's announcement said the package would include defense, education and training for the Taiwanese. Washington will send man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms and missiles, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters ahead of the announcement. U.S. lawmakers have been pressuring the Pentagon and White House to speed weapons to Taiwan. The goals are to help it counter China and to deter China from considering attacking, by providing Taipei enough weaponry that it would make the price of invasion too high. While Chinese diplomats protested the move, Taiwan's trade office in Washington said the U.S. decision to pull arms and other materiel from its stores provided an important tool to support Taiwan's self-defense. In a statement, it pledged to work with the United States to maintain peace, stability and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. The package is in addition to nearly $19 billion in military sales of F-16s and other major weapons systems that the U.S. has approved for Taiwan. Delivery of those weapons has been hampered by supply chain issues that started during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been exacerbated by the global defense industrial base pressures created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The difference is that this aid is part of a presidential authority approved by Congress last year to draw weapons from current U.S. military stockpiles so Taiwan will not have to wait for military production and sales. This gets weapons delivered faster than providing funding for new weapons. The Pentagon has used a similar authority to get billions of dollars worth of munitions to Ukraine. Taiwan split from China in 1949 amid civil war. Chinese President Xi Jinping maintains Chinas right to take over the now self-ruled island, by force if necessary. China has accused the U.S. of turning Taiwan into a powder keg through the billions of dollars in weapons sales it has pledged. The U.S. maintains a One China policy under which it does not recognize Taiwans formal independence and has no formal diplomatic relations with the island in deference to Beijing. However, U.S. law requires a credible defense for Taiwan and for the U.S. to treat all threats to the island as matters of "grave concern. Getting stockpiles of weapons to Taiwan now, before an attack begins, is one of the lessons the U.S. has learned from Russias invasion of Ukraine, Pentagon deputy defense secretary Kathleen Hicks told The Associated Press earlier this year. Ukraine was more of a cold-start approach than the planned approach we have been working on for Taiwan, and we will apply those lessons, Hicks said. Efforts to resupply Taiwan after a conflict erupted would be complicated because it is an island, she said. China regularly sends warships and planes across the center line in the Taiwan Strait that provides a buffer between the sides, as well as into Taiwans air defense identification zone, in an effort to intimidate the islands 23 million people and wear down its military capabilities. Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for China's embassy in Washington, said in a statement Friday that Beijing was firmly opposed to U.S. military ties with Taiwan. The U.S. should stop selling arms to Taiwan and stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Liu said. News / Local by Staff reporter Independent presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere is now out of the race for the country's top office in August 23 elections after the Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by the exiled politician who was challenging a poll ban imposed on him by the High Court.Supreme Court judges ruled Friday that the appeal filed by the former Zanu PF political commissar "lacked merit"."We carefully considered the evidence and oral submissions by both counsels. Court is of view the appeal lacks merit. Appeal be and is hereby dismissed," read the court ruling in part.Kasukuwere had approached the apex court to challenge the ban imposed on his candidacy by High Court judge David Mangota, who ruled in favour of a Zanu PF activist's application seeking the disqualification of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's nemesis.In a terse response to his disqualification, Kasukuwere said he was considering "our next step"."Disappointed, and we are now considering our next steps and will keep the nation informed. God bless," he tweeted.The politician wrote recently to SADC chairperson and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi protesting his ban which he attached to Mnangagwa's underhand tactics to bully opponents. A 38-year-old US man drowned after jumping into a lake in South Carolina as he saw the police who were reportedly looking for someone else last Sunday (July 23). The deputies present at the spot dived into Lake Cunningham to rescue the man but could not locate him. The cause of death was ruled an accidental freshwater drowning. (pic for representation) According to the police, the deceased, identified as Chuck Gilbert Shelton, was unrelated to the warrant and ran away for unknown reasons. Later, Greenville County Sheriff's Office dive team was called for locating the man and his body was recovered, read the statement. As per reports, the cause of death was ruled an accidental freshwater drowning. The individual who the warrant was intended for has not been identified yet. This was among the very few cases where a person, despite not being the suspect, runs away from the cops and loses life. Contrary to these, incidents where police have arrested the wrong suspect have rather emerged in the past. In February 20219, Nijeer Parks was falsely accused of shoplifting candy and trying to hit a police officer with a car at a Hampton Inn in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The police had identified him using facial recognition software, even though he was 30 miles away at the time of the incident, reported the New York Times. Parks had to spend 10 days in jail and pay $5,000 for defending himself. Later that November, the case was dismissed because of a lack of evidence. A year later, Parks sued the police department for false arrest, false imprisonment and violation of his civil rights. For the first time, US President Joe Biden has publicly acknowledged four-year-old girl, Navy, daughter of Hunter Biden and Arkansas woman Lunden Roberts, as his seventh grandchild, BBC reported. US President Joe Biden(AFP) "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy," Biden said. Also Read: Watch: President Biden forgets to sign executive order, jokes about it later In a statement to People magazine, the US President said that it was "not a political issue, it's a family matter". "Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," he said. Hunter Biden's paternity of Navy was proved via DNA test after Lunden Roberts sued the former for child support. Hunter wrote about his encounter with Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs. "I had no recollection of our encounter. That's how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I've taken responsibility for," he wrote. President Biden's acknowledgement of his grandchild came after he was criticised by Republicans over his failure to mention Navy, and his previous decision not to recognise her. House Republican Elise Stefanik had said, Every American knows that Joe Biden should have done the right thing years ago and acknowledged all of his grandchildren. Meanwhile, House Republicans have been reported to threaten to impeach Biden over alleged corruption involving his son Hunter's foreign business dealings. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this week suggested that a probe into Biden's role in his family's dealings was rising to the level of an impeachment inquiry. The investigation hovers around Hunter's foreign business relationships, alleged coverups in his criminal case, and accusations of interference by Biden-appointed officials. Also Read: President Joe Biden jokes about impeachment scare, while House Republicans threaten inquiry on Hunter Earlier, the US president had said that he was "crazy" about his six grandchildren and used to speak to them every day. Other than Navy, President Biden has six other grandchildren, two children of his late son Beau and his wife Hallie, while Hunter Biden has four other children - three daughters with his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, and a son with wife Melissa Cohen. News / Local by Staff reporter CCC leader Nelson Chamisa has launched an angry tirade against President Emmerson Mnangagwa whom he accuses of masterminding a court ban on 12 party parliamentary candidates in Bulawayo.Addressing party supporters at a campaign rally in Kadoma on Thursday, Chamisa said Mnangagwa should take responsibility for driving the country into anarchy through disqualifying opponents from the electoral process."Usafarisa (stop being too excited)."No one will be in power forever. He (Mnangagwa) should ask (former President Mugabe) on this matter."He should ask (former Libya President Gadaffi), he should ask (former DRC President) Mobutu Sese Seko; no matter how strong a dictator, your time will come."Chamisa vowed to resist the disqualification of party candidates in Bulawayo.He further accused Mnangagwa of unnecessarily bringing anarchy into the country by resorting to underhand tactics to gain poll head start."I will be in Bulawayo, no one will be disqualified," said the opposition leader."If you disqualify candidates, you would have nullified the elections."When you nullify elections, you have driven this country into anarchy. You have ruined the country."Chamisa also poured scorn on Mnangagwa's mantra, "nyika inovakwa nevene vayo (a country is built by its own) saying this was an ill thought belief as the country belongs to God and its people. Subscribers to Register-Star or The Daily Mail are eligible to receive full access to HudsonValley360. If you have an existing print subscription, please make sure your email address on file matches your HudsonValley360 account email. The new signage for the Select Board's meeting space simply says 'Community Meeting Room.' Williamstown Removes Names from Meeting Room Door How the door signage looked previously. That board will be the last to have their names so prominently displayed. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Select Board on Monday voted to make signage at Town Hall more inclusive. And that started with excluding the board members' names from the door to the first-floor meeting room. Stephanie Boyd pointed out to the colleagues that there were three signs on the first floor of the Municipal Building where the board was referred to as the "selectmen." Leaving aside the fact that women have served on the elected body for decades, including two of the five current members, the signage ran counter to a 2022 annual town meeting vote to amend the town charter to remove gender specific language. Although that home rule petition to amend the charter is still languishing in Boston, the board itself has been referring to itself as the Select Board for years. While on the subject of the door to the meeting room, Andrew Hogeland reiterated his concern that it was a waste of Town Hall staff's time to update the door every year when new members are elected to the Select Board and suggested it made sense to simply remove their names. Likewise, other board members questioned the logic of naming the room for just one of the many town boards and committees that use it. "Unless there's a rule that we have to have a Select Board meeting room designated in Town Hall I'm with Jeff [Johnson], make it more welcoming," Jane Patton said. In the end, the panel voted 5-0 to rename the room the Community Meeting Room, remove one sign referencing the "Selectmen" and change a third reference in signage to "Select Board." By the middle of the week, the board members' names were removed and the new name was on the door of the meeting room. And that was not the only naming issue before the board at its July 24 session. Town Manager Robert Menicocci updated the panel on the status of naming the multimodal trail from Syndicate Road to the Spruces Park. He said the town had received few suggestions from members of the community but that he reached out to representatives from the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, who suggested that the trail be dubbed the "Mohican Bike Trail." The trail originally was called the Mohawk Trail by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which directed construction of the path. Historically, the Mohican people lived in land now known as Williamstown before they were forcibly removed ultimately to their current tribal headquarters in Wisconsin. The only objection raised by the board to the idea came from Boyd, who suggested removing the word "bike" given the fact that the trail is used by walkers and joggers as well. Menicocci asked the board for the go-ahead to prepare a formal motion that it can act on in August so the town can move forward with plans for a naming ceremony and create signage for the trail. Without a formal vote, the board gave him the greenlight to proceed. In yet another piece of "naming" news, the board voted, 5-0, to name Andi Bryant to a vacant seat on the town's Housing Authority. "It's no secret the demographic that [board] serves is the demographic I fall in," Bryant told the Select Board. "It's hard to live in this town being from a working class demographic. Because it's near and dear to me and it's a demographic I fall in, it feels like the right fit." Johnson noted with gratitude that with Bryant's appointment to the Housing Authority, both of the unsuccessful candidates for Select Board in May's annual town election are now serving in other capacities in town government. Earlier this summer, the board appointed Paul Harsch to serve as an alternate member of the Planning Board. Shomoul Holding, a leading real estate and investment company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a unit of Kuwaiti developer Mabanee, said it had achieved a major safety milestone at The Avenues Riyadh project site by clocking 12 million safe hours. The site is located in the north-western region of Riyadh and is bound by King Salman Road toward the North and King Fahad Road toward the East. The Avenues Riyadh will include one of the worlds largest malls, as well as five multi-purpose towers consisting of hotels, exhibitions, conference halls, residential apartments, offices and medical facilities. The luxury shopping mall will be home to more than 1,300 outlets and 15,000+ capacity carpark, substations, landscape and external works. Phase One of The Avenues Riyadh project is being handled by Nesma and Partners Contracting. Last year it had inked a deal with Saudi British Bank to secure SR2.6 billion ($690 million) in funding for the construction of The Avenues Riyadh shopping mall project. The current phase comprises a shopping centre with two basement levels for vehicles. Above the shopping centre, there will be five towers - an office building, 5 Star Hotel + Serviced Apartments Tower, Branded Residence/Boutique Hotel Tower, 3 star+ 4Star + Clinics Tower and Convention Hotel Tower.-TradeArabia News Service News / Local by Staff reporter A Chigodora family is in hot soup after it discreetly reburied its six-year-old child's empty coffin following the vandalisation of the grave, coffin and body.Three years down the line, the whereabouts of the corpse that was dug up soon after its burial remain unknown.Although the father's child, Joe Mureyani, later passed on under mysterious circumstances and his wife relocated to South Africa, members of the Mureyani family were dragged to Headman Chigodora's court last Saturday to explain why they never bothered to inform the local traditional leadership following the incident.The issue has since been transferred to Acting Chief Zimunya's court and will be heard on August 6.Headman Chigodora's court heard that three years ago, the Mureyani family did not report to the traditional leadership that its son's body and coffin had vanished from the grave after burial.However, the family made a police report.Headman Chigodora said the coffin was later found, but the body is still missing, three years later.Asked why they did not report the matter to their Village Head or Headman Chigodora, the family begged for forgiveness.Derrick Mureyani narrated: "My aunt was walking past the grave when she discovered that it had been tampered with. The grave had been dug and the coffin removed. This happened a few days after the child's burial. We told our elders, and we conducted a search, but found nothing."However, days later, someone saw a child's coffin inside the house of a villager who is mentally-challenged. The coffin looked like the one that we had buried the child in."Police were alerted and the villager was arrested. He was taken to the psychiatric unit where he was evaluated and was released recently."However, the body is yet to be found up to this day," said Mureyani.Inside the coffin that was found in the villager's house was the shroud that the child's body was wrapped in, as well as his clothes that had been put in his grave.Headman Chigodora accused the family of performing rituals at the cemetery without notifying the traditional leadership."As far as I am concerned, that child's spirit is roaming around this area because the body is yet to be found. This is probably why your family is suffering from mysterious illnesses."You had no right to visit the cemetery and perform your rituals without notifying the local leadership."You reburied the empty coffin on your own without informing anyone. This shows that you were trying to cover up something. Since you do not want to tell this court why you never reported this matter, it is proper for me to transfer the matter to Chief Zimunya's court," said Headman Chigodora.The family then said the traditional healers they consulted over the matter accused the family's patriarch, Zacharia Mureyani, of being behind the corpse's disappearance; as well as Joe's death."After the mysterious disappearance of the child's corpse, Zacharia ordered Joe to deliver some red cloth to Clever's home. Joe was not aware that this was a ploy to kill Clever."However, this backfired on Joe and he died shortly afterwards. This matter was also kept under wraps for three years.This means that both Joe and his son's restless spirit are still roaming around this area," said Shepherd Mureyani, a family member."We were told by a traditional healer that the late family members' spirits are roaming around Zacharia's homestead and there will be no peace within this family until he confesses."Zacharia confessed on that day, but has not done anything to save the situation," said Shepherd.However, Zacharia vehemently denied being responsible for the disappearance of the child's corpse."The truth is that there are a lot of witches and wizards in our family and people should not only accuse me," he said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Chinese man allegedly swam nearly 10 hours from Fujian Province to Taiwan's Matsu Islands in an effort to "seek freedom". The Chinese national in his 40s reportedly sought help from tourists near the Beigan Township on Beigan Island, the second largest island in Matsu on Monday after being stung by a bee. The tourists notified the local authorities, who arrived at the scene and confirmed the mans identity to be an illegal Chinese immigrant, CNA reported. The Chinese national was taken to the Beigan health center, an official said, noting that his injuries were not serious. The man carried dry food, clothing, medicine, and Renminbi, according to officials. He told authorities that he embarked on the journey from Huangqi Peninsula in China's Fujian Province to Taiwan's Matsu Islands to "seek freedom." The distance between Huangqi Peninsula and Beigan Island is about 12km. The main island of Taiwan is located over 200km away from Chinas coast. He was taken to Lienchiang district prosecutors office for investigation in accordance with the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, the officials said. China has beefed up its military activities around Taiwan in recent years, arguing that Taipei is obliged to reunite with Beijing, by force if necessary, and has no right to conduct foreign relations. Taiwan has been self-ruled since it split from the mainland in 1949 following a civil war. In 2020, a 45-year-old Chinese national was arrested after he swam seven hours to reach the Taiwanese island of Kinmen County due to the "political environment" in China. He was arrested for illegally entering Taiwan. The man, surnamed Li, claimed he began his journey from Chinas coastal city of Xiamen for "freedom". Two men were reportedly arrested in 2019 after attempting to swim to Kinmen. One of the men used childrens inflatable swimming rings to stay afloat while the other person used empty soda bottles to make a raft. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A 25-year-old woman was brutally battered to death with an iron rod in India allegedly by her cousin after she refused to marry him, authorities have said. The incident was reported on Friday when the womans body was found in a park in national capital Delhi on Friday afternoon. We received information that the body of a 25-year-old girl was found in a park near Aurobindo College in South Delhis Malviya Nagar [area]. An iron rod was found near her body, a Delhi police official said, according to Indian media. The victim, identified as Nargis, was crossing the park when her cousin Irfan called her to speak to him, said authorities. However, when she refused to speak to him and rejected his marriage proposal, Irfan allegedly attacked her with an iron rod he had brought with him, leading to Nargis death, they said. The accused surrendered to police a few hours after committing the crime, said officials. A police official also confirmed the presence of an iron rod near the victims body, reported news channel NDTV. Police officials said Irfan confessed that he had wanted to marry Nargis, who was pursuing a stenographers course in the Malviya Nagar area. But his proposal was rejected by both her family and Nargis herself, citing his lack of steady employment as a reason. According to Irfans statement to the police, he had been planning the murder three days before the tragic event. He reportedly waited at the park, knowing Nargis would pass by while returning from her stenography class. Upon her arrival, Irfan called her over, ostensibly to discuss matters. But when she declined to engage with him, he allegedly pulled out the iron rod from his bag and viciously attacked her. Irfans rage stemmed from the rejection of his marriage proposal and the subsequent breakdown of communication with Nargis, according to South Delhi deputy police commissioner Chandan Chowdhury. The boy was disturbed after his marriage proposal was rejected and the girl stopped talking to him or taking his calls. That is why he killed her, he was quoted as saying to NDTV. Swati Maliwal, chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), said the capital has become extremely unsafe for women, citing another murder of a woman in Delhis Dabri area the night before. Delhi, the national capital, has become extremely unsafe. Two incidents have come to light today. A woman was shot in Dabri and another was battered to death with an iron rod in broad daylight. In the entire country, the names of girls are changed in newspapers but the crimes do not stop, Ms Maliwal said. I want to ask the centre [Indias federal government that is responsible for law and order matters in Delhi] how many more deaths will need to happen before they fix the accountability of the Delhi Police? she asked. The DCW has taken note of the incidents and notices are being issued to the Delhi Police, she said. In another horrifying incident, a 20-year-old man from Delhi was arrested in May this year on suspicion of stabbing a teenage girl multiple times and bludgeoning her to death in full public view. The attacker stabbed the victim at least 16 times before smashing her with a concrete block in an assault that lasted for nearly 90 seconds. News / Local by Staff reporter A man who used false documents to secure employment as a child psychologist and "live a fake life" has been jailed for four years.Nikiwe Dube (41) with an address at Colpe Drive, Deepforde, Drogheda, Co Louth pleaded guilty to four charges of using a false instrument on dates between November 2019 and February 2022 including a psychological transcript with a false garda stamp, a false identification badge purportedly from the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) and a fake medical certificate.He further pleaded guilty to two counts of deception in that he dishonestly induced TTM Healthcare to put him on their books of employment, causing a loss, on a date between August 15th, 2021 and September 9th, 2021 and that he did dishonestly induce the HSE to give him an interview towards employment on August 18th, 2022.Dube used false documents to secure employment as a child psychologist in the public and private healthcare sectors when he didn't have the required academic qualifications, the court heard.Imposing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Elva Duffy said Dube had put himself "out there" as a medically-trained professional and was working with children and adolescents who were clearly in a very vulnerable position because they had come looking for help.'A Complex fraud'She said Dube knew what he was doing and described it as "a complex fraud". She said he had chosen to "live a fake life" where he abused trust and received significant money for his work.Judge Duffy said Dube carried out this fraud "without an apparent purpose" and "set himself out to be someone he was not".She also noted that the State confirmed that the gardai have not been able to confirm Dube's true identity and said "that is of some concern to the court".Judge Duffy acknowledged that Dube made immediate admissions, has expressed remorse and that his plea of guilty was valuable as it would have been a difficult case to prove. She further acknowledged a positive probation report and governor's report and the fact that Dube is a diabetic.She said the case warranted a headline sentence of five and half years before she imposed a sentence of four years, having taken the mitigation into account. The sentence was backdated to when Dube first went into custody on August 5th, 2022.The court heard that in February 2022, Dube was put forward for a senior post as a child psychologist with an annual salary of 80,000 by recruitment agency, TTM Healthcare.ApplicationThis application was reviewed by the head of psychology at Avista Medical, who had some concerns that the submitted documents, including a letter of validation, did not conform with the standard content and format.This person brought his concerns to the attention of the human resources department.Separately on March 15th, 2022, an assistant principal officer in the Department of Health's professional regulation unit, which is responsible for the validation of foreign psychology qualifications, told gardai they had been contacted by Avista in relation to the letter of validation included in Dube's application.The Department of Health staff member said the unit had checked their archives and had no record of Dube.As such, the letter of validation was not issued by the Department of Health. Further enquiries determined the letter of validation to be false.Gardai then contacted the recruitment agency TTM Healthcare, who provided them with documents including a letter of validation, a GNIB card, transcripts from the University of Zimbabwe and a Zimbabwean police clearance certificate.The court also heard Dube was employed by Gateway Residential Care in Sligo between November 2019 and November 2021 as a child psychologist. He received 172,000 in wages and expenses during this period.Gateway Residential Care provided gardai in March 2022 with documents including a letter of good standing from the PSI and documentation from the University of Zimbabwe including a qualification in psychology.Gardai also spoke with a recruitment consultant working for TTM Healthcare who said Dube contacted them in August 2021 about a vacancy for a HSE clinical post. Dube was screened, and it was confirmed that he met the requirements of the post.Dube provided documents to TTM Healthcare including a Master of Science in clinical psychology transcript, a diploma in cognitive behavioural therapy, his GNIB card and a letter of validation. Garda vetting forms for TTM Healthcare and the HSE were also completed.Dube was approved for a locum post in November 2021, however TTM paid his wages of 11,628 during this period due to outstanding garda vetting.The investigating garda confirmed that much of Dube's work was carried out remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic and he had limited interaction with patients, both supervised and unsupervised.Dube also had an identification badge purportedly from the PSI, however the society does not issue badges. The PSI contacted the University of Zimbabwe, whose staff confirmed that Dube had not studied there.In May 2022, a garda at the Navan Garda Immigration Office confirmed that a stamp on a transcript did not originate from that office.Gardai arrested Dube in August 2022 in Drogheda. After caution, he told gardai that he had been expecting this, but not at that moment.He told them that he had paid over 4,300 online for a pack of documents and that he knew he should not have done it.Dube made no comment when interviewed. He has no previous convictions and has been in custody since August 5, 2022.The investigating garda agreed with Gerardine Small SC, defending, that her client made admissions when first approached by gardai. He also confirmed that Dube had been in custody since his arrest and that his guilty plea avoided what would have been a complex trial.No victim impact statements were provided to the court.Ms Small asked the court to take into consideration her client's early guilty plea, immediate admissions and expressions of remorse. She said her client had educational attainment in this area.Dube was born in Zimbabwe and worked as a LGBT counsellor for six years, the court heard. He had to flee the country due to concerns for his safety and applied for international protection in 2018.A governor's report and an education report were handed to the court. Dube is an enhanced prisoner and works in the prison laundry. He also volunteers as a listener with the Samaritans.A letter of apology was also handed to the court. Dube is diabetic and has issues with cholesterol for which he takes medication.Ms Small said Dube is aware of the "serious breach of trust" and the seriousness of the offence. She noted that he accepts that he sought refuge in a country and his "behaviour towards that country is wholly unacceptable". Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} As Michelle Yeoh married long-time partner Jean Todt last week, the 13.5-inch gold-plated statuette that she won at the 95th Academy Awards back in March was used as her something new. The Oscar-winning star, 60, married ex-Ferrari CEO Todt, 77, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday (26 July) after a 19-year engagement. Yeoh won the statuette, which she reportedly calls Mr O, for her performance in the hit sci-fi comedy film Everything Everywhere All At Once, making her the first Malaysian actress to win Best Actress at the Golden Globes and Oscars. Wedding guest Felipe Massa, a Grand Prix winner and professional race driver, shared several selfies in an Instagram post, posing with Todt and Yeoh who is proudly holding the statuette. Massa also shared pictures of Yeohs and Todts wedding programme, which detailed the 6,992 days they spent engaged before making it to the altar. It read: We met in Shanghai on 4 June 2004. On 26 July 2004, JT (Jean Todt) proposed to marry MY (Michelle Yeoh) and she said yes! Today after 6,992 days on 27 July 2023 in Geneva, surrounded by loving family and friends, we are so happy to celebrate this special moment together! In the images, Yeoh is wearing two different outfits. One bridal look featured a white silk button-up shirt with a tiered lace skirt, while the other was a champagne-coloured dress from Schiaparelli, which featured a satin corset with embellishment on the front. Fans dubbed Yeoh as iconic as they praised her for continuing to celebrate her Oscar win. She truly won in 2023, wrote one fan, nodding to the fact that Yeohs marriage and Oscar triumph happened in the same year. It only took 19 years and an OSCAR, commented one fan on social media, as another added: She wanted to focus on her career and he respected that. Good for them! Our girl was busy being engaged to that Oscar, quipped another. Massa, the Brazilian racecar driver, wrote in his caption: Happy marriage Jean Todt and Michelle Yeoh, love you so much. The couple own an 18th century mansion in Geneva, which is their main residence when they are not travelling for work. They also have properties in Paris, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Michelle Yeoh and French motor racing executive Jean Todt attend the Vanity Fair 95th Oscars Party in March 2023 (AFP via Getty Images) Todt previously described his and Yeohs first meeting in 2004 as a fairytale in an interview with the Financial Times. They met while Todt was unveiling a car at an event and Yeoh came to take publicity photographs with the vehicle. Yeoh was previously married to Hong Kong business magnate Dickson Poon from 1988 to 1991 and left the acting industry to try and start a family with him. They did not have any children together, however, and later divorced. Speaking to The Independent last year, Yeoh explained her decision: Im in awe of women who can juggle an amazing career, motherhood and family. I cannot. At that point I realised that if I was getting married then thats what I wanted to focus on. Im a very, very committed person, and I knew I couldnt be the best wife and hopefully mother if I was away months on end shooting. I didnt know how to balance that. I wanted to be able to travel with my husband. I wanted to be a part of his life and make it our life. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} King Charles and Queen Camilla will head to Scotland next week for their annual summer break at the Balmoral estate, but will break with tradition by not staying in the main castle. The estate was the summer residence of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who typically stayed there from mid-July until September or October each year. Following her death in September, this years visit will be a poignant one, marking Charless first summer at the estate without his mother, and his first as monarch. The Balmoral estate, in Aberdeenshire, has been a place of sanctuary for the royal family since Queen Victorias time. According to The Daily Mail, Charles will be breaking from his mothers tradition by not staying at Balmoral Castle itself, as the late Queen did, but staying instead at Birkhall his private home at the estate. One source told the publication the King and Queen will happily decamp to the main castle for official visits from prime minister Rishi Sunak and other political representatives, but Birkhall will be their main base until the early autumn. Senior royal family members are also expected to visit Balmoral in the coming weeks, as the family typically gets together during the summer. The Prince and Princess of Wales, together with their children George, Charlotte and Louis, are expected to stay at the residence, with other visitors including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their teenage children, Louise and James; Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, along with her son Peter Phillips and daughter Zara Tindall; and Charless cousin, Lady Sarah Chatto. Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from royal duties in 2020, and following the release of Prince Harrys tell-all memoir Spare in January, it is unlikely that the couple will be visiting the residence this summer. The King and Queen are preparing for a summer visit to Balmoral (PA Wire) The Daily Mail reports that Prince Andrew, Duke of York, will also be spending time at the estate with his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, despite some speculation that he might have stayed away. Charles is expected to spend the first week of August at the Castle of Mey in Caithness, the former home of his grandmother, the Queen Mother, before Camilla joins him at Birkhall. The King will mark his first accession day on 8 September at the residence, one year on from his mothers death. Charles was officially crowned King at his coronation on 6 May, after which he immediately acceded to the throne, becoming King Charles III and taking on all of the responsibilities that come with his new title. The Queen holding an infant Prince Andrew in the grounds of Balmoral in November 1960 (PA) Balmoral was originally bought by Prince Albert for 32,000 in 1852 roughly 4m today which means the property is privately owned, and not part of the Crown Estate. In previous years, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip hosted family members for informal dinners and barbecues. The Queen was often spotted behind the wheel of a Land Rover, horseriding or walking her dogs on the grounds 50,000 acreage. The residence, which is where Queen Elizabeth II died in September, was described by Princess Eugenie as the late Queens favourite home. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, has said he may look into getting a Dutch passport as England doesnt feel like home after what Ive been through. Mr Malkinson, 57, was wrongly found guilty of raping a woman in Greater Manchester in 2003 and the next year was jailed for life with a minimum term of seven years. He served 10 more years because he maintained his innocence, but his conviction was quashed by senior judges at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday after DNA evidence linking another man to the crime came to light. As he set off from London for a trip to Holland, where he went backpacking in his youth and has the friendship of a trusted ex-girlfriend, he told the Daily Mirror: Its been a long time coming but this is the first day of the rest of my life. I was born here but I dont identify with it and it doesnt feel like home after what Ive been through. I feel more Dutch than English and Id like the Foreign Office to negotiate a Dutch passport. I dont think its a big ask on humanitarian grounds. The newspaper said Mr Malkinson has missed out on seeing his son grow up hopes to visit his sisters and their children in Australia, but also has to deal with type 1 diabetes. He told the newspaper: Im not well. If I make 70 Ill be doing well. Mr Malkinson is now also concerned that he could, under current rules, face deductions from any compensation for the living costs covered during his time in prison. The rules can be traced back to a 2007 ruling by the House of Lords, at a time when it was the countrys highest court. The chairman of the Commons Justice Committee Sir Bob Neill has added his voice to concerns about current practice. Sir Bob told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think any fair minded person thinks this is just wrong. It goes back to a tightening of the rules of criminal compensation or compensation for miscarriages of justice in this case, by the Labour government in 2006. And the argument that was made was that the public might be potentially offended for forking out money towards people who are cleared on technicalities. He added: The Malkinson case manifestly is not being cleared on a technicality. The DNA evidence makes it abundantly clear. To say its adding insult to injury is probably to put it more mildly than it deserves. Its clearly not right that somebody who was deprived of their liberty, because of the failures of the state and its institutions for a number of years, then should pay the state or be obliged to give some money back to the state, for the privilege of having been wrongly incarcerated. That surely offends any any kind of sense of justice. He said that he would like ministers to change the rules to protect those wrongly convicted from paying such costs. The sums involved are trivial in the overall scheme of things, he said. Mr Malkinsons mother Tricia, 76, said he has been damaged by injustice, and urged the public not to forget him as he will still need to find fairness and his place in society. She told The Times: This is not about the money, its about the fact hes lost 20 years of his life. Hes an intelligent man and this has been a waste of his life I wonder what he could have achieved if this hadnt happened. This is only the beginning. The court will decide later whether Mr Malkinsons convictions were also unsafe because of what his lawyer Edward Henry KC called deplorable disclosure failures, which mostly lay at the door of the Greater Manchester Police. They include police photographs of the victims left hand, which supported her evidence that she broke a nail scratching the face of her attacker, and the fact the two witnesses who identified Mr Malkinson had convictions for dishonesty offences and one was a heroin addict. None of this was available to Mr Malkinsons defence team at his trial and Mr Henry said the failure to disclose the photographs deprived Mr Malkinson of his strongest defence point his lack of any facial injury. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A murder investigation has been launched by the Metropolitan Police after a young man was killed in Edgware in the early hours of Friday morning. At around 1:05 am on Friday (28 July), police were called to Whitchurch Lane after a report of a man suffering a stab injury. The 19-year-old man, who has been named by police as Stefan Valentine Balaban, died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services. Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, who is leading the investigation, said: My thoughts are with Stefans family as they come to terms with this awful news. We will do everything we can to support them and bring whoever is responsible to justice. Det. John appealed to anyone with any information to contact the Met immediately by calling 020 8358 0100. He also asked for all drivers who were passing through the area and have dash cam footage to come forward. He said: A significant amount of work is taking place to identify any suspect. I also recognise the impact this devastating incident will have on the wider community and local officers will remain in the area over the coming days to respond to any concerns you may have, he added. Those wanting to get in contact with the police can also call 101 quoting CAD 334/28Jul or anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A post-mortem examination is due to take place today (29 July). For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A man from east London has been convicted of conspiring to smuggle migrants into the UK in lorries after tell-all messages were found on his co-conspirators phone. Najib Khan, 38, from Ilford, was identified as being part of an organised crime group which brought migrants into the country at a cost of 7,000 per person. He was caught after his co-conspirator, Waqas Ikram, 40, from Dagenham, was arrested in March 2021 for people-smuggling offences. Ikrams iPhone was seized following his arrest, and the National Crime Agency (NCA) found messages detailing his and Khans involvement in a people-smuggling network. The evidence showed how the pair managed to smuggle five migrants into Harwich in May 2019, and made two other attempts which were foiled by border agents. Ikram pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration, but Khan went to trial. Reading Crown Court found him guilty on all three accounts on Friday 28 July. NCA branch commander Andy Noyes said: Ikram and Khan had no regard for the safety and security of those they were transporting, they were only interested in making money from them. In at least one case it was only the fact that the migrants were discovered by border agents that prevented them from being left in what could have been an incredibly dangerous, and potentially fatal, situation. One of the two failed attempts to smuggle migrants into the UK was in May 2019, when 15 Vietnamese and one Afghan migrant were found in a lorry at the Hook of Holland as it prepared to board a ferry to Harwich. Recorded conversations between Khan and Ikram showed they were using GPS trackers to follow lorries that they had arranged to be broken into without drivers knowledge to stow migrants. One of the trackers was found at Khans house when he was arrested. Ikram was detained in 2021 when he was caught attempting to break into an HGV to put migrants inside. The organised crime group which involved the pair was headed by Muhammad Mokter Hossain, 54, who was jailed for 10-and-a-half years following an NCA investigation using surveillance and undercover tactics. He was responsible for the smuggling of hundreds of people both into and out of the UK. In 2020, Khan and Ikram purchased a rigid-hull inflatable boat to smuggle migrants, and Ikram attended a course for piloting powerboats that June. The following July, the pair came across Border Force off the coast of Suffolk in their inflatable boat. They told officers they were scouting for scuba-diving sites, and returned to Walton-on-the-Naze, a seaside town on the North Sea coast. Both Ikram and Khan will be sentenced on 30 September. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A police detective has been found guilty of repeatedly raping a child, who was just 12 years old when his sickening sexual abuse perpetrated over almost a decade began. Stephen Hardy, 45, who previously served with Greater Manchester Police, was found guilty of all 20 charges, including rape, sexual assault, and causing a child to engage in sexual activity between December 2012 and June 2020. Jo Palmiero, senior crown prosecutor for CPS North Wests rape and serious sexual abuse unit, said the detective manipulated and controlled his victim who was just 12 when the sexual abuse started. Hardy, of Mottram, Tameside, had denied there had been any sexual contact between him and the child and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was found guilty following a four-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Jo Palmiero said: "Stephen Hardy gained the trust of the child before subjecting them to sickening sexual abuse, with no thought for the lasting damage his abuse would cause. Hardy was a police officer, in a position of trust, who manipulated and controlled his victim. They added: I would like to commend the victim for reporting the abuse and supporting the prosecution. Detective Sergeant Abigail Thomas, who led the Greater Manchester Police investigation into Hardy, said: Stephen Hardy has been exposed as a manipulative individual who committed abhorrent offences over a significant period of time. His behaviour and actions go against everything we stand for within policing. Hardy was found guilty of four counts of rape, two counts of possession of extreme pornography, two counts of making or taking an indecent image of a child, as well as two counts of causing or inciting a girl aged over 13 to take part in sexual activity. He was also found guilty of one count of causing a child to watch an image of a sexual act, five counts of sexual assault, three counts of assault by penetration, and one count of causing a girl aged over 13 to take part in sexual activity. Hardy will be sentenced on 11 September. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Fears of a spike in Covid cases have been ignited as sales of tests have shot up by a third. Health officials have said they are closely monitoring rates as an increase in cases as well as hospital admissions have been seen by surveillance systems, while people are experiencing more coughs, sore throats and headaches. Estimated case numbers jumped by almost 200,000 this month, from 606,656 predicted cases on 4 July to 785,980 on 27 July, according to The Zoe Health Study, which estimates figures for UK Covid infections. Meanwhile, coronavirus test sales in Boots were 33 per cent higher in the week ending 22 July compared to three weeks earlier, according to the retailer. Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, told The Telegraph the reported rise in cases is probably the tip of the iceberg as routine testing is no longer freely available. He added: It shows something we all know, that the virus is still lurking and that it is dangerous to be complacent. He said a decrease in immunity gained from previous infections and vaccinations is likely to be among the factors contributing to the increase in cases. Its a long time since many folk had their booster jabs, said Prof Young. And the poor weather in July may have encouraged crowding in poorly ventilated spaces. This all highlights the problem with living with the virus. As the virus spreads, it will inevitably result in serious infections in the most vulnerable and it will also increase those suffering the burden of the long-term consequences of infection. This doesnt bode well for this coming autumn and winter. It comes as MailOnline reported scientists have discovered a coronavirus variant that could be the most mutated strain ever recorded. The morphed version of the Delta variant, which was collected from a patient swab in Jakarta, Indonesia, has 113 unique mutations, according to a report on Friday. Of these alterations, 37 affect the spike protein, which is what enables the virus to latch onto humans. At its monthly board meeting on Thursday, the NHS set out how it is preparing for the potential of higher than normal levels of respiratory illness including Covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this winter. Another Covid booster campaign for the autumn is also being planned by health officials, although it has not yet been decided who will be eligible. After fortnightly official statistics were released, Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist for immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: Covid-19 cases and hospital admission rates remain at low levels, though have risen very slightly in the past two weeks. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Travellers through the Port of Dover are waiting up to two hours to get through border controls, officials have warned, as rail strikes hit the country. Nine-lane-wide queues have filled the approach to where French border guards are checking passports. On Twitter, Port of Dover officials told people overnight not to arrive more than three hours before their sailing time but by 7am Saturday morning, they warned that travellers were waiting two hours to be processed. They wrote: The current average processing time through to the border is 120 minutes, as per our peak travel plan for the busiest times. Rest assured, you will be on the next available sailing upon reaching check-in. An hour later, waiting times had come down slightly. Officials said: The average processing time is now between 90120 minutes. Thank you for your patience as we get everyone on their way as quick as possible. It comes as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union walked out for the day, leading to the widespread cancellation of train services. Passengers were advised to check their travel arrangements as the strike will see wide variations in services across the country, with trains starting later and finishing much earlier than usual. In some areas only about half of train services will run, while others will have no services at all. The union has been embroiled in the dispute for over a year, with no sign of a breakthrough. Controversial plans to close most ticket offices have worsened the dispute. There were picket lines outside railway stations across England on Saturday. A Rail Delivery Group spokesman said the strike would disrupt the plans of families during the summer holidays. This will lead to disappointment, frustration and financial strain for tens of thousands of people. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and understand the impact on individuals and businesses. Our advice is to check before you travel. Louise Haigh, shadow transport secretary, has written to transport secretary Mark Harper, telling him to get back to work and sit down with rail unions and operators to end the strikes. Labour said the transport secretary has not met either of the two rail unions at the centre of the rail strikes since before Christmas last year. Ms Haigh said: The fact that Mark Harper has refused to do his job whilst the British public have faced over a year of rail chaos is unacceptable. The very least we should expect from the transport secretary is to sit down with the unions and rail operators, to try and reach an agreement to end these strikes for good. The fact he has failed to do even that means we can safely add the transport secretary to the list of things that do not work in Britain anymore. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Police have appealed to black cab drivers in London after a father lost the urn containing his childs ashes. The man was carrying the ashes in an Adidas bag in a taxi from Fenchurch Street to Smithfield Meat Market on Friday morning at 6:30am (28 July). City of London Police announced an urgent appeal to all black cab drivers on Twitter the same morning, which has already received over a million views. Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of the urn is urged to contact the force on 020 7601 2222. The general secretary of the London cab drivers trade union, Steve McNamara, told The Daily Telegraph hes not in the slightest bit surprised about the ashes being left. The stuff that gets left in cabs is literally beggars belief. Weve had babies and tens of thousands in cash, he said, also citing dogs, prosthetic limbs and false teeth as previously misplaced items. People forget. The husband and wife get out of the cab, he pays the cab or she pays the cab, they think the other ones going to get the baby. The most recent one we had a guy who left 35,000 cash in the cab and the driver handed it back to a police station. By law, anything left in a taxi must be handed into a police station, but sometimes police are unaware and refuse to take care of the items, Mr McNamara said. If the driver finds [the ashes], I can absolutely guarantee hell give it back but the problem is in cabs, people get in after you and can take it, he warned. We constantly receive messages all day long of people returning lost property and going to great lengths to do it - we had a guy drive from London to Norfolk to return something. The tweet has received thousands of replies from people sharing the appeal. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} When Anna* went into labour at around 5am in her prison cell, she pressed the call bell five times but was ignored, she said. I wasnt actually unlocked until they unlocked the rest of the landing for the morning movement to start, she told The Independent. She had been remanded into custody when she was six months pregnant and stayed on remand until she had her son. I first pressed the bell at around 5am and didnt get to the hospital until nearly 11am. I had my son in the early hours of the next morning. There was no care after I had my son, I was in prison for a week after his birth before getting bail and I didnt see a midwife to check my stitches until I got home a week later. As a coroner finds that the death of baby Aisha Cleary, born in her 18-year-old mothers prison cell, was a result of a combination of failures in her care, The Independent has spoken to former prisoners about their experiences of being pregnant in jail. New figures show that 196 pregnant women were held in prison during 2022-23, with January of this year seeing the highest number of pregnant women (58) in custody. The highest number in the prison estate last year was 39, in November 2021. There were also 44 births in custody in 2022-23, with one birth taking place either in transit to hospital or within a prison, and the rest taking place in hospital. Anna said the only support she received was from Birth Companions, a charity that works with pregnant prisoners, and occasionally a midwife. I had midwife appointments but they were minimal and sometimes missed due to the midwife having limited time and too many women to see. I felt unsafe the whole time I was in prison: the procedures were slow and the staff werent caring at all. Its also a very volatile situation as there are a lot of fights ... that happen within the prison, so a lot of time I kept myself in my cell. Before imposing a custodial sentence, a judge should be given a pre-sentence report about the offenders circumstances, including whether or not they are pregnant but these are not always available, Kirsty Kitchen, of Birth Companions, said. There are mitigating factors that a judge is meant to consider. However, there is a lot of inconsistency between magistrates and judges, she said. There were 44 births in custody in 2022-23 (PA/The Independent) We are seeing women come in every week on remand who havent even been given a sentence yet for theft, non-payment of council tax, or non-payment of their TV licence, or for a drugs offence where there was a lot of coercion. Eleven other countries around the world prohibit pregnant women from being sent to prison, but we still send pregnant women to prison for shoplifting. The number of prisoners on remand is also rising, fuelled by court backlogs and insufficient community provision for vulnerable people, according to the Commons justice committee. There was an 11 per cent increase in the remand population from 2021 to 2022. Susan* found out she was pregnant on the day that she was booked into prison on remand. They give everyone a pregnancy test to do and I was as stunned as the person reading the results, she told The Independent. The lady just handed me a leaflet talking about abortion. At the beginning, my pregnancy was never acknowledged, she said. After initially being placed on the top bunk of a cell bed, Susan was eventually moved to the wing for the pregnant and vulnerable prisoners. As my pregnancy progressed, there were little things that werent right, she continued. Not knowing when you are going to hospital made me very anxious. My sons dad had to go through a very stringent process to attend the scan. He had to [have a Criminal Records Bureau check] and to sign an agreement that he wouldnt give me any food or drink, or bring me anything on the visits to the hospital. We couldnt touch each other; he had to keep his hands by his side. He wasnt able to touch my bump until I was released. The normal parts of pregnancy we werent entitled to because I was a prisoner. On one Saturday night in her first trimester, Susan started experiencing severe stomach pain. I rang the buzzer to tell the prison officers and they spent a while deliberating whether they could take me to the hospital, because I needed two officers to come with me. When you get to A&E, you have to be patted down. They have to make sure that I havent contacted anyone bear in mind Im in a great deal of pain and we dont have access to phones in our cells at this time. I had to be handcuffed and it was the middle of the evening so lots of people were staring at me and everyone just looked so scared, I was so embarrassed. Susan started to bleed and was told that, as there was no early pregnancy unit open at the time, she would have to come back on Monday. I was so upset, and the way prison works, getting upset can lead to punishments. There have been times when I had a difficult visit, gone back to my cell and cried, and they put me on suicide watch. Which is crazy because I told them that I was fine, that I was sad because during my pregnancy all my emotions were heightened. In the car back from A&E, one of the prison officers was saying to me, well maybe it wasnt meant to be, which made me incredibly upset. It made me very worried and anxious. That night I was allowed to ring my partner but I wasnt even able to get out the words to express what was wrong. At 7am the next day, when the door opens, I couldnt get out of bed. I was so incredibly sad and I had all these thoughts running through my head that I would lose my baby. The prison officer was threatening me that if I didnt get out of bed they would put me on basic which is taking away all of your benefits in prison. As her pregnancy progressed, Susan got hungrier, but she was denied larger portions of food. The lovely ladies on my wing, some of them were taking methadone and their appetite was suppressed, so they would wait until we were locked up. They were the wing cleaners and they would pass me their sandwiches through the window so I wouldnt be hungry. I wasnt allowed to buy a pregnancy pillow or a duvet to keep me warm. Not having a midwife in the prison full-time to me was the most insane thing I have ever heard. Its not a safe place for pregnant women to be. It is such a scary thought that so many children are being robbed of the opportunity to get here safely, and so many women are being robbed of the opportunity of having non-traumatic births. Prisons minister Damian Hinds said: Aishas death was appalling. We continue to extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to her mother and family. We have since made important improvements to the care received by pregnant women, including specialist mother and baby staff in every womens prison, extra welfare checks and better health and antenatal support. While there is still more to be done to make sure expectant mothers in prison get the same care as those in the community, these changes will reduce the chances of such a tragedy happening again. *Names have been changed News / Local by Staff reporter Renowned Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activist, Cephas Magezani's house was recently gutted by fire during the night on July 19, 2023, a day after suspected Zanu-PF supporters had burnt and torn CCC's Chiredzi South candidate, Douglas Gumbo's posters, TellZim News reported.Police are said to be investigating the matter which happened which many believed to be a politically motivated incident.Magezani confirmed the incident to TellZim News and said though he was not running for any post, his influence in opposition politics is very significant and said the incident could be a warning to him and other party supporters."It's nothing else, from my perspective other than political violence. A day before, Zanu-PF supporters who we suspect had been sent by Zanu-PF candidate Joey Sithole, burnt down Douglas Gumbo, our candidate for Chiredzi South,' posters and a day after, I woke up to the shock of my life seeing my house which I use as a storeroom, gutted by fire. There is no such coincidence,"said MagezaniHe went on to say the incident was not the first time as he was once abducted and tortured in 2008 having joined opposition politics during the inception of the Movement for Democratic Change in 1998."This is not the first time facing politically motivated incidents. In 2008 I was abducted by suspected Zanu-PF goons and many thought I was not going to make it. This is the same skill they are trying to use to scare people," said Magezani.Efforts to get a comment from Zanu-PF's Sithole were fruitless as his call went unanswered several times.A former police officer and businessman, Sithole is set to battle it out with CCC's Gumbo in Chiredzi South.In Chiredzi Central, the Forever Associates for Zimbabwe (FAZ) an alleged parallel structure of the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) has been openly spray painting and tearing off campaign posters for CCC's Ropafadzo Makumire who will square it off with Zanu-PF's Francis Moyo and independent candidate Gibson Hwende. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A scooter rider has died after a crash with an ambulance responding to an emergency call. South Yorkshire Police said the man, aged in his 30s, died after the collision in Barnsley on Friday night. The incident happened near the Lord Nelson Pub on the A628 Barnsley Road in Hoylandswaine. The man was rushed to hospital but died on his injuries. A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: We can now confirm that the man involved in the Hoylandswaine collision last night (Friday 28 July) has sadly died. At about 10.25pm we received a call from a member of the public and another report from Yorkshire Ambulance Service about a reported collision between an ambulance that was responding to an emergency call and a scooter. The driver of the ambulance is assisting officers with enquiries. We request that the privacy of the victims family is respected at this difficult time. The ambulance was responding to an emergency call when the crash happened (YappApp) Police are also appealing for information and want to speak to anyone on Barnsley Road at the time, or any drivers who may have caught the crash on a dash camera. Anyone with home CCTV cameras which cover the junction is asked to check their footage and see if they caught the collision. A Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust spokesperson said: First and foremost, our thoughts are with the mans family at this very difficult time. We are working with the police to help with their investigation into the cause of the collision. According to the Department for Transport, 12 people died in e-scooter crashes in Britain last year. This includes 11 riders and one pedestrian who died in collisions involving the vehicles. A further 1,446 were hurt in e-scooter crashes, including 1,106 riders, 233 pedestrians and 47 cyclists. Emergency services were called to the scene near the Lord Nelson Pub on the A628 on Friday night (YappApp) Fourteen of last years reported casualties were children aged under 10, while 387 were aged between 10 and 19. Anyone with information about the crash can upload details to the police online portal here, while videos can be emailed to enquiries@southyorks.pnn.police.uk. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via Crimestoppers-uk.org. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} In May this year, residents of Whitstable gathered to discuss a growing crisis the slow death of their community at the hands of tourists, with the blame laid firmly on the growth of second homes and holiday lets. Locals listed numerous problems caused by a proliferation of short-term rentals in recent years, from poor parking and litter to all-night parties. The seaside town on Kents northern coast has also seen a steady decline in year-round inhabitants, which has left the town feeling hollowed out, they said. Its a familiar story for anyone living in one of the UKs holiday hotspots. Around the coast, and in popular tourist destinations such as the Cotswolds, the Lake District, and parts of Wales, resentment has been brewing for some time. Locals are increasingly being driven out by soaring house prices, and the effect has been devastating, both for those forced out and for those left behind. Janet Pearson lives in Newlyn, a working fishing port in West Cornwall that has become increasingly popular with holidaymakers in recent years. The road she lives on, a quiet terrace of small fishermens cottages, is perfect for the Airbnb market. One by one, the houses are being sold to investors and let out for a week or two at a time. Its cancerous in the way its spreading, she said. When I first moved here 10 years ago, every house on my road was lived in, with several families and quite a few children. During lockdown, two houses became holiday lets, then more. Its sad in the winter. When I pull my curtains at night and look out, the houses opposite are just dead. Theres no light in them at all. It makes me feel very isolated. Just 10 miles away, the honeypot resort of St Ives has been grappling with the pressures of overtourism for decades. In 2016, the town became one of the first in the country to try to legislate against the tide, voting through Policy H2, which stipulates that newly built homes can only be sold as a principal residence. Whitstable, on Kents northern coast, has seen a steady decline in year-round inhabitants (Getty/iStock) Other places have followed suit: the Cornish towns of Fowey and Mevagissey, as well as Brighton, Whitby, Scarborough and parts of Norfolk. Few want to drive the holidaymakers out completely; many of the UKs more remote regions are almost entirely reliant on tourism to drive their economies. But the prevailing mood is that a balance needs to be struck, and soon. Janet Jefferson, an independent councillor representing Scarboroughs Castle ward, is one of those pushing for there to be greater consideration for local interests. In some areas there might only be two or three people living in a road permanently. It also reduces the number of properties that are left for ordinary families, she said. A lot of landlords are issuing Section 21 notices, so people are having to vacate properties they might have lived in for two decades so it can be let out for holidays. Its then very difficult for them to find something to rent. Its cancerous in the way its spreading Janet Pearson on holiday lets in Newlyn, Cornwall Im not decrying people who want to come on holiday theres nothing wrong with that. But you lose the community. In Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay, places like that, the young people cant afford to buy anything because they get snapped up by investors. The problem with mechanisms such as Policy H2 is that they simply dont get to the root of the issue. Angry vandals have targeted a second home in Cornwall with graffiti (Jory Mundy / SWNS) While its evidently a good thing that new-build developments are preserved for those who live and work in the area, most investors in holiday lets are after the more historic and atmospheric homes the ones that usually make up the heart of any town. But for now, its pretty much the only tool local authorities possess. The government has promised help through the Levelling Up Bill, currently making its way through parliament. This will allow local councils to double the rate of council tax payable on second homes, as has been the case in Wales since 2017. Whitby and Scarborough have already voted to adopt these measures as soon as they are passed into law. The Telegraph report one in four councils in England have pre-emptively agreed to double the levy. More than 100,000 second-home owners are set to see bills rise. But critics are sceptical as to how much of an effect this will have on the community crisis. The Welsh government has now raised rates again, with a premium of 300 per cent, but the policies have little to no impact on holiday-let owners, who are subject to business rates instead (and for the most part are able to claim 100 per cent relief as small businesses). Campaigners are more optimistic regarding the latest proposal from Michael Gove, the minister for levelling up, housing and communities, who last month announced a new policy that would require property owners to apply for planning permission in order to convert homes into holiday lets. Recommended Best spa hotels in Cornwall 2022 for relaxing by the sea I think its a good idea, says Cath Navin, one of the founders of Cornwall-based organisation First Not Second Homes. Local councils should be able to say No more holiday lets. It will deter people from investing in property purely as a cash cow. But its something thats only going to be fully functional as part of a raft of measures, including returning other houses to long-term letting. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said there has been a rise in racism in Ireland. The Fine Gael leader said this was very evident from people protesting outside accommodation centres for refugees and spreading nonsense conspiracy theories around replacement ideology. He added: And then people actually using violence against people who are of a different colour or of a different ethnic background and thats a matter of real concern. Mr Varadkar was responding to a question on whether he believed there was a rise of the far right in Ireland. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had previously said Ireland had not seen the same rise of the far right as other European countries. Asked if he agreed, the Taoiseach said he did not want to interpret the words of the commissioner but that he picked up that he was referring to far-right politicians being elected to parliament or government. Mr Varadkar said: Were not there yet. To the extent that we have far-right parties at all, theyre not significantly represented in the Dail. But we are seeing a rise in racism, thats very evident to me. I see some people dismissing hate crimes as being wokeism... I totally disagree with that view of things Taoiseach Leo Varadkar He said that is why the Government has a national strategy against racism and is pursuing hate crime legislation. Mr Varadkar added: I see some people dismissing hate crimes as being wokeism or, you know, domestic and gender-based violence as being some form of wokeism. I totally disagree with that view of things. You know, a murder is a serious crime and assault is a serious crime. Hate crime is a serious crime, crime against women and men thats gender-based or sexual, these are all serious crimes and we need to treat them all seriously. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Muslims spoke about the importance of standing shoulder to shoulder as a community as they attended the first day of the largest Islamic convention in the UK. Around 40,000 Muslims are expected to attend the Jalsa Salana, which began on Friday and ends on Sunday with some travelling from overseas to reach Oakland Farm in Alton, Hampshire, where the convention takes place. Fraz Ahmad, 19, a law student from Bradford who said he journeyed for five hours on Friday morning to reach Alton, told the PA news agency: I think its really important to remove the misconceptions around Islam and change the narrative, change the perspective, that people have upon it. By people coming here and having a look at what true Islam looks like, and what we believe Islam is about, thats the only way that narrative is going to change. The convention, which is in its 57th year, was formed with the help of around 5,000 volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, which is deemed to be the fastest growing sect within Islam. The convention offers people that chance to come together to self-reflect and focus on spiritual goals for the coming year and also features several highly symbolic services and sermons from the leader, or Caliph, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. On Friday, the Caliph hoisted the flag for the community alongside the Union flag, which was raised by Rafiq Hayat, the national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in the UK. It was followed by a sermon from the Caliph, who addressed the current issues facing the community and society as a whole. Across the weekend, around 270,000 meals will also be prepared onsite by the volunteers, and the bread factory at the convention provides around 9,000 rotis a flatbread which is eaten with meals every hour for the attendees. Sarah Ward, a 43-year-old primary school teacher from Kingston, south-west London, said it is really nice to see the diversity of the Muslim community as well as the unity that comes with the convention. We know, as Muslim women, were very diverse, were not monolith, were from different backgrounds, we have different skills, we have different passions, we do different jobs, but we come together as one community, the mother-of-three told PA. Were united under our Caliph, and its really nice to see that diversity yet that unity thats there. Of the Jalsa Salana, Ms Ward added: As much as Jalsa changes in that the marquees might be bigger or we might have more facilities the essence of why we come to Jalsa is exactly the same. We come here to listen to the speeches of our Caliph, to self-reflect, to self-improve. Its a pause in the year where we come together and we just have that space to enjoy our sisterhood and focus on our spiritual goals for the coming year, and you always come away quite refreshed. Munazzah Chou, 38, from Farnham, said the five daily prayers which also include an extra special morning prayer at the convention are made more amazing due to the sheer scale of the Jalsa Salana. During Jalsa, everybody gets together and its an amazing experience, Ms Chou, a doctor, told PA. Prayer, in general, is all about coming together, standing shoulder to shoulder in a row, theres no hierarchy, and during Jalsa, the sheer scale of it makes it more amazing. The mother-of-three added that the convention provides the feeling of sisterhood and allows attendees to [express] our morals. Hospitality is a huge part of being a Muslim, so being hospitable towards travellers and everybody you meet, its a big part of that, and every year we get an experience of that, she added. Meals are to be cooked onsite over the course of the weekend, with 772 pots of food made to cater for the convention on Friday alone. The kitchen also plans to prepare around 270,000 meals in total from South Asian and European cuisines across the three days. Javed Uddin, 57, from Leicester who has been preparing meals for the convention for over 20 years, said he loves working here. Were all different ages, we come from different parts of the UK and abroad, and we all work together, Mr Uddin told PA. We usually cook dahls, which is lentils, in the afternoon, and then we cook lamb and potatoes in the evening. Mr Uddin, who works at Asda, added: When you do worldly things, you can work here like 14, 15 hours, which Ive done many times, and youre shattered and finishing at three, four, five oclock in the morning, but it just keeps you going. The site is also equipped with a roti-making factory, which produces around 9,000 rotis every hour which are then hand-packaged and sent across the site. Fathay Rashid, 31, from London who has been working in the onsite factory for around 10 years, said around 350,000 rotis will be prepared across the course of the three-day convention. Mr Rashid, who is a pilot, said they begin making the dough batches for the roti at 3am, the bread of which consists of whole wheat flour, water, sugar and yeast. Of his role at the Jalsa Salana, he said: I love it. Every year I come back to do this, its voluntary work. All the people you see every year, theyre like family, home. On Saturday the Caliph will address the women in the female section of the convention, while all attendees will gather to pledge allegiance to the Caliph in a human chain formed of 40,000 people on Sunday. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A member of Sir Keir Starmers top team billed taxpayers for a 55 parking ticket, leading the expenses watchdog to tighten its rules and write to MPs, The Independent can reveal. Shadow treasury minister Abena Oppong-Asares expenses included the fine after a staff member received a ticket while parked outside a constituency surgery in her Erith and Thamesmead seat. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) launched a review of past claims and changed its processes after The Independent revealed the charge. Senior Conservative MPs said it was unbelievable and called on Sir Keir to show leadership and sack Ms Oppong-Asare. Oppong-Asare says a member of staff submitted the claim without her knowledge (Getty) Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told The Independent the ridiculous claim showed a misplaced sense of entitlement. And the expenses watchdog said: MPs and their staff are not allowed to claim for penalty charges and fines under IPSA rules. It said the rule was clearly stated in its code of conduct for MPs and it has changed our process to ensure any future such claims are not paid. Labour claimed it was an administrative error by a staff member, not Ms Oppong-Asare. The revelation comes just two months after The Independent revealed a Tory minister and two MPs had wrongly claimed hundreds of pounds in driving fines on expenses. An earlier investigation by The Independent found IPSA had approved penalty charges from senior Tories Amanda Solloway, Bim Afolami and Simon Hoare, as well as SNP MP Dave Doogan. Sir Alistair Graham, the former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, told The Independent Ms Oppong-Asares behaviour was sloppy and she should be taking better care with public finances. Commenting on the fact Ms Oppong-Asare only paid the fine back after being contacted by this paper, Sir Alistair said: We should not have to rely on The Independent to protect the public finances. Senior Tories called on Sir Keir to sack Abena Oppong-Asare over the claim (PA Wire) And he called on IPSA to take more care processing claims from MPs, adding that as always the devil is in the detail. After The Independents original report, IPSA wrote to MPs to remind them of the rules. Labour frontbencher Thangam Debbonaire condemned the MPs, saying that Tory MPs flouting the rules damages public confidence in the system. A Labour spokesperson would not comment on whether Ms Debbonaires comments applied to Ms Oppong-Asare. IPSA has now promised a fresh crackdown. MPs and their staff are not allowed to claim for penalty charges and fines under IPSA rules. Paragraph 3.26 of the Scheme of MPs Staffing and Business Costs clearly states that these fines are not claimable, an IPSA spokesperson said. The spokesperson added: IPSAs checks failed in this case to identify that the claim was not allowed. It has now been repaid. We have changed our process to ensure any future such claims are not paid. It has written to MPs, launched a review of past claims and implemented a new process to check future claims. Ms Oppong-Asares parking ticket claim in March was submitted as a staff travel expense. She told The Independent a member of staff submitted the claim without her knowledge, having received the ticket while dealing with a distressed constituent at a surgery causing it to overrun. A Labour source stressed the parking ticket was received and claimed back by a member of staff, not Ms Oppong-Asare. But it called into question how out of touch the shadow minister must be not to be aware of her own expenses. She confirmed she had paid the claim back to IPSA after being contacted by The Independent. The 55 penalty is a discounted band B charge in Bexleyheath, southeast London, having been paid within a reduced payment period. The claim comes as taxpayers grapple with the spiralling cost of living and Ms Oppong-Asares constituents brace for the impact of London mayor Sadiq Khans Ulez expansion. Senior Tory MP Henry Smith told The Independent it was clear a parking ticket does not count as a legitimate business expense. He said: Clearly a parking penalty notice is not a legitimate business expense by anyones standard and especially not a shadow frontbench spokesperson. It seems like more Labour double standards; their attitude of impunity is appalling, Starmer should show leadership and sack the individual concerned. Sir Iain described the expenses claim as ridiculous and called for Ms Oppong-Asare to be sacked. If Starmer doesnt get rid of her, then taxpayers beware, he said. He added: What a ridiculous claim. Why was she allowed to claim it? It shows that they have a misplaced sense of entitlement. If you make such a claim on hardworking taxpayers, it tells you all you need to know about they way they will govern. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An independent Scotland could have a migrants commissioner to champion the rights of those who have moved to the country from other nations. The proposal was included in the latest Scottish government paper on independence, which focused on citizenship. Social justice secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville stressed migrants are an important part of Scottish society, as she confirmed the SNP would seek to create such a post if Scotland leaves the UK. Migrants are an important part of the fabric of Scottish society enriching our culture, boosting our economy and contributing to our communities, Ms Somerville said. After independence, this Government would appoint a migrants commissioner to speak up for individuals and families, including the hundreds of thousands of EU citizens who call Scotland home, to ensure migrants voices are heard at the highest level. The creation of an independent commissioner to speak for migrants was a key recommendation from a review of the Windrush scandal, although the UK government has yet to adopt this proposal. Unlike the UK Government, who rejected the Windrush reviews recommendation to establish this role, we are committed to protecting the rights and equality of migrants alongside all our citizens in an independent nation, Ms Somerville said. Under our proposals, it will be up to individuals to decide whether Scottish citizenship is something they want to pursue, but we are clear that people from around the world will always be welcome in Scotland. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Five people were injured in a late Friday night mass shooting in Seattle. The violence unfolded shortly before 9pm during a community event in the Rainier Beach neighbourhood, Seattle Police Department Chief Adrian Diaz said during a press conference. The event, which takes place every Friday night, was part of the Seattle Community Safety Initiative. Organizers provide food and other services for young people who attend, according to The Seattle Times. Four men and one woman, all of them in their 20s, were wounded. Authorities said it is unclear at this time whether the shooting was targeted. We know that theres dozens and dozens of rounds that were fired, Mr Diaz said. We have five victims. Two are in critical condition. Three appear to be stable. Recommended Video captures police confronting white woman moments after she shot Black neighbour in row over children playing At least two suspects are being searched in connection with the shooting, police said. The department has asked attendees of the event and members of the public to come forwards with any information they may have. Honestly, this is really disturbing when you have victims that were really just trying to do an outreach effort, trying to help people get people on the right path, Mr Diaz said. And this is what they end up getting hit with. The chief of police said this year the department has recovered the highest number of guns in more than a decade. The gun violence issues that we have in our city, weve seen it rise and sometimes slow down at times, but right now weve really got to get guns off our streets, he said. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, who was at the scene, decried the gun violence epidemic, noting that there were too many guns in the wrong hands. He also commended SPD officers for their swift response. These community leaders are putting literally their lives on the line to protect their own community, Mr Harrell said. These fine officers work with these fine community leaders, trying to protect their babies here, trying to protect our youth. Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday pushed back against Australian demands for an end to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assanges prosecution, saying the Australian citizen was accused of very serious criminal conduct in publishing a trove of classified documents more than a decade ago. Australias centre-left Labor Party government has been arguing since winning the elections last year that the United States should end its pursuit of the 52-year-old, who has spent four years in a British prison fighting extradition to the United States. Mr Assanges freedom is widely seen as a test of Australias leverage with President Joe Bidens administration. Mr Blinken confirmed on Saturday that Mr Assange had been discussed in annual talks with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Brisbane, Australia. I understand the concerns and views of Australians. I think its very important that our friends here understand our concerns about this matter, Mr Blinken told reporters. Mr Assange was charged with very serious criminal conduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country, he added. Ms Wong said Mr Assanges prosecution had dragged for too long and that Australia wanted the charges brought to a conclusion. Australia remains ambiguous about whether the United States should drop the prosecution or strike a plea bargain. Mr Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic and military documents in 2010. American prosecutors allege he helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk. Australia argues there is a disconnect between the US treatment of Mr Assange and Ms Manning. Then-US President Barack Obama commuted Ms Mannings 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} President Biden publicly acknowledged his son Hunters daughter, Navy, for the first time on Friday, following attacks from Republicans who criticised the president for not speaking out about his seventh grandchild. Our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," the president told People. This is not a political issue, its a family matter," the statement added. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy. As recently as April, the president referred to himself as only having six grandkids, even though the four-year-old Navy brings the total to seven. In June, Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts of Arkansas settled a long-running legal dispute over the child which began in 2019. Mr Biden initially denied paternity, but a DNA test confirmed he was Navys father, and he later agreed to pay $20,000-per-month child support, a sum he at one point tried to reduce. The terms of the settlement are unknown, though Ms Roberts has dropped her demand to change the girls last name to Biden, CNN reports. Joe and Hunter Biden (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Republicans have hit out at the president over Hunters child. The Harris-Biden administration is obsessed with Florida...yet they ignore the chaos at the border, crime-infested cities, economic malaise, and the military recruitment crisis, Florida governor and 2024 candidate Ron DeSantis wrote in a tweet last week. Maybe if Bidens granddaughter moved to Florida hed actually visit her. Hunter Bidens personal and professional life has been a consistent source of criticism and intrigue from the right against the president. This week, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to tax misdemeanour charges and entered into a diversion programme on a gun-related charge, as he works to reach a final plea deal with prosecutors. As far back as 2019, then-president Donald Trump tried to blackmail Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky into announcing sham investigations into Hunter Biden and his father, who was then contemplating a run for president in the 2020 election. Republicans have continued to allege that Hunter Bidens work for a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, influenced the Obama administrations policy towards the country. Andrew Feinberg contributed reporting to this story. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trumps $475m defamation lawsuit against CNN has been thrown out by a federal judge. The former president made the assertion that the news networks description of his election fraud claims as the big lie connected him to Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, Reuters noted. US Judge Raag Singhal at the federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was nominated by Mr Trump in 2019. In a Friday night ruling, he said CNNs statements were opinion and not fact, meaning that they cannot be the subject of a defamation claim. CNNs statements while repugnant, were not, as a matter of law, defamatory, he wrote. A Trump spokesperson told Reuters: We agree with the highly respected judges findings that CNNs statements about President Trump are repugnant. CNN will be held responsible for their wrongful mistreatment of President Trump and his supporters. The spokesperson didnt indicate if Mr Trump intends to appeal the ruling. The lawsuit was filed in October of last year, citing five times that CNN published stories or broadcast comments calling Mr Trumps claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent the big lie a phrase also linked to Nazi Germanys propaganda. The legal filing argued that it was a deliberate effort by CNN to propagate to its audience an association between the plaintiff and one of the most repugnant figures in modern history. The judge wrote that the use of the phrase big lie isnt sufficient to establish a connection. No reasonable viewer could (or should) plausibly make that reference, he wrote. Since the start of his first campaign in 2015, Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked the media, with CNN being one of his main targets. In the face of indictments on both the state and federal levels, Mr Trump remains the favourite to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. News / Local by Staff reporter ZAPU candidates vying for National Assembly seats in Bulawayo have vowed to transform the city if voted into parliament on 23 August.The race for control in Bulawayo's National Assembly constituencies is on and the electorate is set to decide who goes to parliament come August 23.ZBC News had an opportunity to speak to candidates on what they have to offer the electorate.In Lobengula Magwegwe constituency, Mr Nigel Ndlovu of ZAPU will battle against Butholezwe Ngwenya of Zanu-PF."As ZAPU we are taking the seat this year and people say they want to give us an opportunity to represent them to ensure the as a party we are saying let's go back to the basics and lay a fresh foundation," said Ndlovu."Zanu-PF is this time taking over Bulawayo so that we correct all the damage done by previous legislature who has failed to be an effective representative of the people, we want to deal with corruption and put in place laws that protect the interest of the people. We need more schools and health facilities," noted Ngwenya.Mpopoma- Mzilikazi Constituency will be contested by ZAPU's Mr Bekezela Ncube and Cde Admire Masikati of Zanu-PF."I have a good feeling that I will win because I am campaigning heavily and without any disturbance so this is good and it has given me confidence," said Ncube.Zanu-PF's Bekezela Ncube had this to say, "A combination of the young and mature in team Zanu-PF has come up with people centred programmes that are appealing to the electorate. We are already dealing with water issues through the Zambezi water project and the multiplicity of other infrastructure projects being implemented."Zanu-PF Pumula Constituency candidate, Cde Phumulani Nsingo is also hopeful of victory, "My vision is to work on projects to support youths and women on empowerment projects. Also there is a need to deal with drug and substance abuse where we must arrest the drug peddlers. We also have to drill more boreholes and put solar pumps so that people can access clean water."General elections are pencilled for the 23rd of August, with Zanu-PF having already won two seats in Bulawayo following the High Court nullification of CCC candidates' nomination on Thursday. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An ad launched by Progress Action Fund launched, showing an elderly Republican congressman interrupting a couple in the bedroom, has now been banned on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to the Progress Action Fund, which aims to defeat Republicans in red states, the platform has censored its account as well as the ad, called Keep Republicans Out Of Your Bedroom. In addition, the platform has placed a Search Ban and a Search Suggestion Ban on the account. As of Wednesday afternoon, the account did not show up on the social media platform, yet the ad could still be seen on X through retweets from other accounts. The Progress Action Fund said it contacted the platforms legal department and appealed the decision, which was denied. Joe Jacobson, Founder and Executive Director of Progress Action Fund, took a stab at Xs owner: Elon Musk loves free speech, but only when its convenient for him and his far-right political agenda. Political speech is protected under law and Musks competitors clearly agree that our ad should not be censored, he continued. When releasing ads in the future, well be taking them to other platforms, which many others are already doing given Elon Musks frantic and poor leadership at Twitter. The Independent has reached out to X for comment. The ad features a scene in which a woman asks a man if he has a condom. He reaches for the condom in a bedside table drawer, and another suit-covered arm appears, reaching for it as well. Sorry, you cant use those, says an older man, clad in a black suit and red tie, while standing beside the bed. When the woman asks who he is, he replies: Im your Republican congressman. Now that were in charge, were banning birth control. The ad urges voters to vote no on 8 August, in reference to State Issue 1, which would require proposed amendments to Ohios constitution receive the approval of at least 60 per cent of eligible voters voting on the proposed amendment, rather than a simple majority. Since acquiring Twitter, Mr Musk, a self declared free speech absolutist, has touted free speech as a pillar of the platform. As part of this shift during the takeover, he reinstated Donald Trumps account after a two-year ban, which was due to the risk of further incitement of violence after the January 6 Capitol riot. He also reinstated at least 11 accounts belonging to prominent far-right and anti-trans influencers. On 23 November, the platform announced it is no longer enforcing the Covid-19 misleading information policy. As recently as April, the platform claimed to strive to promote and protect the public conversation. We believe Twitter users have the right to express their opinions and ideas without fear of censorship. In May, he wrote: I am adamant about defending free speech, even if it means losing money. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A group of Indian opposition lawmakers on Saturday visited a remote northeastern state where deadly ethnic clashes have killed at least 130 people, in a bid to pressure the government to take action against the violence which began in May. The delegation of 20 lawmakers from 15 political parties, who are part of a new opposition alliance called INDIA, arrived in Manipur state for a two-day visit to assess the situation on the ground as the ongoing violence and bloodshed have displaced tens of thousands in recent months. The conflict in Manipur has become a global issue due to the scale of violence, said Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, a lawmaker belonging to the opposition Congress party. Our delegation is here to express solidarity with the people of Manipur in this time of distress. The top priority now is to restore normalcy as soon as possible, he added. Tucked in the mountains on the border with Myanmar, Manipur is on the brink of a civil war. Mobs have rampaged through villages, torching houses and buildings. The conflict was sparked by an affirmative action controversy in which Christian Kukis protested a demand by mostly Hindu Meiteis for a special status that would let them buy land in the hills populated by Kukis and other tribal groups and get a share of government jobs. After arriving in the state capital, Imphal, the lawmakers went to Churachandpur district, where they visited two relief camps and spoke to community leaders. The conflict has triggered an impasse in India's Parliament, as opposition members demand a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the violence roiling the state. On Wednesday, the opposition moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government. This means the government will soon face a no-confidence vote in Parliament, which is likely to be defeated, as Modi's party and its allies have a clear majority. But opposition leaders say the move could at least force Modi to speak on the conflict and open a debate. Two weeks ago, Modi broke more than two months of public silence over the conflict in Manipur when he condemned the mob assaults on two women in the state who were paraded naked - but he did not directly refer to the larger violence. He has also not visited the state, which is ruled by his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, since the violence broke out. Both houses of Parliament were adjourned at various times last week as the opposition stopped proceedings with their demand for a statement from Modi. Despite a heavy army presence and a visit earlier by the home minister, when he met with both communities, the deadly clashes have persisted. The violence in Manipur and the assault on the two women triggered protests across the country last week. In Manipur, thousands held a sit-in protest recently and called for the firing of Biren Singh, the top elected official in the state, who also belongs to Modis party. The European Parliament also recently adopted a resolution calling on Indian authorities to take action to stop the violence in Manipur and protect religious minorities, especially Christians. Indias foreign ministry condemned the resolution, describing it as interference in its internal affairs. Close Trump claims Georgia DA had an affair with a gang member Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A previously unseen legal memo by Kenneth Chesebro , a lawyer from Donald Trumps failed 2020 re-election campaign, laid out how the ex-presidents efforts to interfere with certification of that years electoral college results were meant to buy time and delay the joint session at which Mr Trumps defeat to Joe Biden would be made official. The memo, which was first reported on by The New York Times, was referenced in the four-count indictment returned against the former president by a Washington DC grand jury last month. Mr Chesebro is described but not named in the indictment as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the alleged conspiracy to obstruct certification of the 2020 election. The first hearing is scheduled for Friday at 10am. Meanwhile, former New Jersey Governor and presidential candidate Chris Christie has hit back at the latest cheap barb levelled against him by the former president. Mr Trump emphasised comments referring to Mr Christie as a fat pig at a New Hampshire rally on Tuesday. The former governor responded on social media: If you had the guts you would show up to the debate and say it to my face. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rescue teams have found debris and are still searching for four aircrew members who went missing after an Australian army helicopter ditched into waters off the coast of Queensland during joint military exercises with the US. The missing helicopter was participating in the Talisman Sabre, a biennial joint US-Australian military exercise primarily based in Queensland. This years exercise involves 13 nations and more than 30,000 military personnel. The exercises were paused once search operations began but had restarted limited activity later in the day. The military helicopter, MRH-90 Taipan, crashed near Hamilton Island, a popular tourist resort within the Great Barrier Reef, at approximately 10.30pm local time on Friday when it was engaged in a two-helicopter counterterror training mission. Informing the press about the ongoing search operation, defence minister Richard Marles said the families of the missing crew have been notified. So far, there is no sign of the missing crew, but a rescue helicopter reported spotting debris on Saturday near Dent Island in the Whitsunday Islands group. Mr Marles said the helicopter ditched, referring to an emergency landing on water, during a mission that involved a second helicopter. The second helicopter promptly initiated a search and rescue operation. Defence exercises, which are so necessary for the readiness of our defence force, are serious. They carry risk, Mr Marles said, addressing reporters in Brisbane. As we desperately hope for better news during the course of this day we are reminded about the gravity of the act which comes with wearing our nations uniform. General Angus Campbell, chief of defence force, said Queensland state authorities, members of the public and US military personnel are all participating in search efforts. Our focus at the moment is finding our people and supporting their families and the rest of our team, he said. This is indeed a terrible moment. Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, on Sunday named the missing personnel. They were identified as Captain Daniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs. All four were members of the Australian Armys 6th Aviation regiment based in Sydney. Lets be focused on bringing them home, Mr Stuart said, adding that the search for the four young men continued. This is the second incident involving an Australian Taipan this year, after one ditched into the sea off the coast of New South Wales in March. Fortunately, all 10 passengers and crew members were rescued in that incident. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin, who was in Brisbane for a meeting on Saturday, plans to travel with Mr Marles to north Queensland on Sunday to observe the ongoing exercise. Its always tough when you have accidents in training, but... the reason that we train to such high standards is so that we can be successful and we can protect lives when we are called to answer any kind of crisis, Mr Austin said. Our guys tend to make this look easy and they make it look easy because theyre so well exercised and rehearsed and trained, and this is unfortunately a part of that, what it takes to get them to where we need them to be, he said. Were so grateful to them for their dedication, for their service, for everything theyve been doing to stand up for the freedom that we share and that is what unites us more than anything else. During a meeting with their Australian counterparts, Mr Austin and the US secretary of state Antony Blinken also paid tribute to the missing aircrew, acknowledging the challenges of training while emphasising the importance of preparation to protect lives during crises. The MRH-90 Taipan helicopters have experienced issues since their arrival in Australia in 2007. The entire fleet was grounded in 2019 to address tail rotor blade problems, and in 2020, 27 Taipans were grounded due to door malfunctions. Australia grounded its Taipan fleet as a precaution after the crash, said exercise director Australian army brigadier Damian Hill. Mr Stuart said the army will not fly MRH-90 helicopters until it considered it is safe to do so. Australia announced earlier this year that it plans to replace its fleet with 40 US Black Hawks, citing their proven track record and reliability. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A sailor who was rescued after spending three months adrift with his dog in the Pacific Ocean has revealed why he will now be leaving his faithful pet to get lost in the jungle. Tim Shaddock, 54, and his dog Bella were found alive on board his catamaran on 12 July, having survived on raw fish and rainwater under a beating sun for more than 90 days. Mr Shaddock, a former IT manager from Sydney, said the last time he saw land was in early May as he sailed out of the Sea of Cortez with the aim of reaching French Polynesia. The boat, however, became lost after the electronics were wiped out by a storm, leaving him unable to call for help and stranded at sea with Bella. Mr Shaddock sits with Bella after being rescued by a Mexican tuna boat (Grupomar/Atun Tuny via AP) The pair were reunited a week after they were spotted by a helicopter and saved by a crew of tuna fishermen who took them to the Mexican city of Manzanillo. Mr Shaddock told The Times: Im so happy to have seen my dog again. Shes still as lively as ever. But their time together will not last for long, as it was revealed the pair are to be parted for good. Mr Shaddock said he had decided to leave Bella in Mexico after a crew member from the rescue boat promised to give her a happy and loving home. Mr Shaddock wants to continue his adventures, with Belize next on his list. Ill see if I can get lost in the jungle there, he said. But he plans to do these potentially dangerous explorations solo. He said that, while he cared less for himself, he could not put his beloved dog at risk again. Mr Shaddock, a former IT manager from Sydney, said the last time he saw land was in early May as he sailed out of the Sea of Cortez with the aim of reaching French Polynesia (AP) However, he added: Im sad to lose her, shes a remarkable animal. Ive had her since she was a pup, and she just hasnt stopped following me. Bella enjoyed her time on the boat, said Mr Shaddock, keeping him calm and sane throughout the ordeal (AP) He met Bella, who was a stray, in March 2020 in Mexico, where he was plotting a sailing route home to Australia, having been barred from the country due to pandemic restrictions. The duo drifted around Mexico for three years before finally setting off for what would have been a 5,000-mile ocean crossing. With coronavirus restrictions relaxed, the journey became more about a quest for solitude for Mr Shaddock. The dog jumped into his car when he left central Mexico for the coast last spring. I thought to myself, well thats it then, he said. The crew of the Mexican tuna boat Maria Delia, which rescued the pair, pose for photos with Bella (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Bella enjoyed her time on the boat, said Mr Shaddock, although she did not once get off the vessel to swim with him. He said she kept him calm and sane throughout the ordeal. You wouldnt believe how well she managed out there. When we were rescued, all the crew commented on how fit she still looked, especially compared to me. Fisherman Genaro Rosales, 48, a member of the rescue crew, will be adopting Bella (AFP via Getty Images) Despite his sadness, Mr Shaddock is philosophical about losing his dog, happy in the knowledge she will be taken care of by her new Mexican family. Genaro Rosales, 48, along with his three children and their pug-chihuahua will be adopting Bella. Shes got a really good outcome, said Mr Shaddock. The worst outcome was that she would lose her life out there with me. Close Huge smoke cloud rises after massive explosion at factory in Moscow For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} 45 people have been injured in a blast at a night-vision goggle factory in Moscow, The Moscow Times reports. The explosion rocked the town of Sergiev Posad, 50 km (30 miles) northeast of Moscow on Wednesday, with emergency services reporting that the blast appeared to have taken place in a warehouse containing pyrotechnic equipment. 23 people were hospitalised, with six in intensive care, the Sergiev Posad mayors office said. Unverified footage on social media showed a huge column of smoke, and high-rise buildings with windows blown out. The Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant produces optical equipment for industrial and healthcare applications as well as for the Russian security forces. However, TASS cited emergency services as saying they did not believe the blast had been caused by a Ukrainian drone attack - many of which have taken place in Moscow and the surrounding area in recent weeks and months. The news comes as Russia claimed it shot down two Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow, one near a major airport to the south of the city and one to the west of the capital. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} GOP presidential candidate Will Hurd was booed by a crowd after he accused Donald Trump of running for office for a third time in a desperate attempt to avoid prison. Mr Hurd made the anti-Trump remarks at the 2023 Lincoln Dinner hosted by the Iowa Republican Party on Friday. The 45-year-old former Texas representative and CIA officer became one of the few Republican presidential candidates to publicly criticize Mr Trump over the litany of legal troubles the former president is currently facing. Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again, Donald Trump is not running to represent the people who voted for him in 2016 and 2020, Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison, he told the 1,200-people crowd in Des Moine. Listen, I know the truth is hard. But if we elect Donald Trump we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House and America cant handle that. Amid booing from the audience, Mr Hurd went on to wrap up his speech and get off stage. But despite the crowds audible reaction as evidence of Mr Trumps hold on the Republican party, Mr Hurd has since doubled down on his stance. I went to Iowa and told the truth. Some folks didnt like it and some did. If you want to see a leader on the debate stage telling the truth to Trumps face, give me at least $1 to qualify, he wrote in a tweet linking to his campaigns website. Thirteen candidates, including Mr Trump, former vice-President Mike Pence and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are running in the Republican primaries for the highest office in the country. They all gave 10-minute speeches at the dinner on Friday. Mr Trump took the stage as the lyrics One could end up going to prison/one just might be president from Brooks & Dunns song Only in America played. Theres only one candidate, and you know who that candidate is, to get the job done, Mr Trump told the cheering audience, according to POLITICO. While Mr Hurd commended Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds for growing the GOP in areas where people didnt expect, Mr Trump accused Ms Reynolds of owing him for her seat following Ms Reynolds refusal to endorse any candidate ahead of the states caucuses. The Iowa caucuses, the first in the country, are expected to take place in mid-January 2024. However, only those who meet certain donation and polling thresholds will be able to attend the Republican presidential primary debate in August. Currently, Mr Trump is leading the polls, with 69 per cent of GOP voters in favour of Mr Trump as the strongest nominee in the 2024 election, according to a Monmouth University poll. Mr Trump has been charged in two separate criminal cases. In New York, he is facing a 34-count indictment over allegations that he falsified business records when making hush money payments before the 2016 presidential election. He was indicted over his handling of classified documents on leaving the White House and is being investigated at the federal level for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in his favour. In Georgia, a local district attorney is also investigating Mr Trumps role in attempting to overturn the election in the state. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The mother of murdered two-year-old James Bulger has condemned sick AI-generated clips of her son circulating on social media three decades after his death. An animated version of the dead toddler discussed his abduction and murder by two 10-year-old boys in 1993, in videos shared on TikTok which James mother Denise Fergus condemned as disgusting in an interview with The Mirror. The social media app said the clips have since been removed for violating its guidelines. James was tortured and killed by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson after they snatched him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12 1993. The pair were jailed for life but released on licence with new identities in 2001. Venables, 40, was sent back to prison in 2010 and 2017, the latter for possessing indecent images of children, and was turned down for parole in 2020. The videos on TikTok showed animated children, including one depicting James, detailing his abduction and murder. James body was found on a railway line two days after his abduction and some of the animated clips reportedly showed an avatar by train tracks. A slew of AI-generated likenesses of other missing or murdered children had also been shared on TikTok, according to reports. Others showed Madeleine McCann, who disappeared aged three while on a holiday in Portugal in 2007; 11-year-old Rhys Jones, who was murdered in Liverpool as he walked home from school in 2007, and Peter Connelly, also known as Baby P, who died after months of abuse in 2007. Ms Fergus, 55, told The Mirror the clips were disgusting and she is reportedly particularly upset by an avatar which looked like a photo of James and appeared to speak. She told the paper: It is one thing to tell the story, I have not got a problem with that. Everyone knows the story of James anyway. But to actually put a dead childs face, speaking about what happened to him, is absolutely disgusting. It is bringing a dead child back to life. It is wrong. To use the face and a moving mouth of a child who is no longer here, who has been brutally taken away from us, there are no words. I think these people must be disturbed. They have got to be. It is not just not nice for the parents to see. I dont think anyone at all should be able to see stuff like this. To see his little face moving when he is no longer here, it is disgusting. It all should be taken down and stopped. It is not fair on the people who have lost children, or lost anyone. We are not just saying take James down, we are saying take it all down. It is beyond sick. Who can sit there and think of such a thing? Ms Fergus husband Stuart reportedly contacted one produce of the animated videos, who appeared to be in the Philippines, and asked for the videos to be removed. The Mirror reported that the clips were often voiced in American accents, and also had Spanish and French versions. A TikTok spokesperson said: We want TikTok to be a welcoming place for everyone, and there is no place on our platform for disturbing content of this nature. Our community guidelines are clear that we do not allow synthetic media that contains the likeness of a young person. We continue to remove content of this nature as we find it. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The official state holiday for Christmas Day in Ukraine has been changed from 7 January to 25 December, in an effort to move away from Russian tradition. As more Ukrainians began to celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar on 25 December, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law a parliamentary bill that made the cultural shift official. The bill, signed by Zelensky on Friday (28 July), is said to abandon the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations. Western countries typically follow the Gregorian calendar where Christmas falls on 25 December, whereas Eastern churches are usually aligned with the Julian calendar celebrating Christmas on 7 January. This move follows a number of attempts by Ukraine to distance itself from Russian values following the 2022 invasion. Two other state holidays were also moved in the legislation - the Defenders Day, which commemorates Ukranian soldiers lost in war, from 28 July to 15 July, and the Day of Ukranian Statehood, from 14 October to 1 October. Russia has tried to control Ukraine and its culture for centuries, including the imposition of the Russin Orthodox Church (ROC) over Ukraines churches. In a bid to take control over its religion, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) was formed in 2018 - who until this year followed the Julian calendar. The following year the OCU was granted independence by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide. The Russian Orthodox Church is a proud defender of Russias invasion of Ukraine and was outraged after the OCU became independent, with millions of Ukrainians choosing to join. Moscow has not yet responded to the recent law change. Some Ukranians will celebrate Christmas Day on both 7 January and 25 December. This is the moment police in Manchester interrupted a gang as they were in the middle of committing a crime. After running surveillance outside a shop a group of men had broken into, officers were biding their time for the right moment to strike. Armed with tasers, frantic bodycam footage shows officers planning their moves to catch the criminals. When the time was right, they sprang on them and put them in handcuffs. Greater Manchester Police said the gang members they apprehended are responsible for stealing 500,000 worth of mobile phones between November 2022 and January 2023. News / Local by Staff reporter EFF leader Julius Malema has urged prime ministers from the BRICS nations not to attend the upcoming summit in South Africa in solidarity with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Malema was addressing a packed FNB Stadium as the party celebrated its 10th anniversary in extravagant style, filling up the 95,000 seater stadium to full capacity on Saturday.In his address, Malema said what South Africa did to Putin was a "serious humiliation of a sitting president", and BRICS members heads of state should stand in solidarity with Putin and also stay away from attending BRICS summit in South Africa next month."South Africa's foreign policy and its sovereignty has been undermined by NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] forces and the USA," Malema said.The extravagance of the EFF's 10th birthday celebrations was on full display. Malema addressed the crowd before he was elevated on a rising podium while red fireworks, balloons and glitter guns were shot into the air while thousands of supporters roared in excitement.In his roaring speech, Malema also told the EFF rally that South Africa was in financial crisis and the EFF was the only an organisation that could rescue this country."I invite you to join me as we march to the future full of hope. I am going to need sunglasses because the future is so bright," he said.He told supporters that when the party took over government, they would offer free education, fight corruption and lock up corrupt ANC leaders."When we take over as the EFF, all of you who are unemployed and you don't have your results, because you owe fees, you must know, we are going to cancel all your debt and give you your results free of charge. We want a child from a shack to go to the best of the best university. We will work with Cuba to establish quality primary health care."When we take over, all the informal settlements will be formalised and given water and electricity. Hammanskraal must get clean water. When we take over, we will restore the dignity of our people."South Africa is rotten and corrupt. Corruption steals money that must get feeding schemes for children in schools. Corruption steals money that must buy medicine for HIV/AIDS. Let me tell you, when we take over next year, Cyril Ramaphosa is going to jail. Ramaphosa must go to jail whether they like it or not. He is not above the law," Malema said.He said that the Marikana massacre gave birth to this revolutionary movement and while some naysayers said the organisation was formed out of anger and would never last, "the EFF is here, the EFF will always be here. It is not going anywhere. They are witnessing history today." This is the moment when a suspect hurls a brick at a mobile phone store to break in and steal cash in Florida. Police in Tampa, Florida released a video showing an unidentified man smashing a glass door with a brick to steal from the shop. In the CCTV footage, we see the man make his way into the CellFix through the smashed glass. Tampa Police say that after he broke into the building, the suspect went on to steal money and electronics. Police officers are asking for help in identifying the suspect, who was seen leaving the shop on a black mountain bike. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Keir Starmers marginalisation of Jeremy Corbyn and the former leaders supporters has been so complete that it was a surprise when one of them fought back. Jamie Driscoll, the mayor of North of Tyne who was prevented from standing as the Labour candidate for the new, larger mayoralty of the North East, has announced that he will stand as an independent against the official Labour candidate. He has a good chance of winning a northern version of the Ken Livingstone manoeuvre, which captured the new office of mayor of London when the Blair government created it in 2000. Livingstone was denied the chance to stand as the Labour candidate by Tony Blair, who fixed the selection system. He gave one-third of the votes to Labour MPs and MEPs, who chose Frank Dobson, Blairs candidate. So Livingstone stood as an independent and won, later being readmitted to the party and allowed to stand under the Labour banner for re-election. Driscoll could do something similar in May next year. He is popular in the region and can run as an anti (Labour) establishment candidate. Starmer didnt go to the trouble of designing an electoral college that was weighted against him: Driscoll was simply excluded from the shortlist and Kim McGuinness, the Northumbria police and crime commissioner, was selected as the Labour candidate instead. Starmer never said why Driscoll was excluded. In that respect he is different from Blair, who condemned Livingstone in public: I believe passionately that he would be a disaster a disaster in terms of crime and police and business. So we are left to deduce that Starmer did not want Driscoll because he espouses Corbyn-like politics and was a member of Momentum, the Corbyn supporters faction. If Driscoll does win, that would mean another directly elected mayor seen as being to the left of Starmer, along with Sadiq Khan in London although the ultra-low emissions zone is hardly left wing and Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester. The Conservatives will no doubt use him to try to invoke the spectre of the hard left waiting in the wings to hold a Labour government to ransom. They tried it against Blair with the New Labour, New Danger poster, not very successfully. Partly because Blair was so patently not a secret revolutionary, and partly because he had such an effective rebuttal operation. Get me a bishop, cried Peter Mandelson, and lo, the Bishop of Oxford was obtained and wrote an article condemning the use of demonic imagery in negative political advertising. A similar attack on Starmer might be more credible, given that Starmer served in Corbyns shadow cabinet and that Starmers own leadership platform, much of it now disowned, was so Corbynite. I imagine that work is being done on it now in Conservative HQ, developing the idea that Starmer will pose as a Blairite to gain power, but once in office will give free rein to his true left-wing instincts. Expect to hear more about Starmers membership in his twenties of the International Revolutionary Marxist Tendency, and about the 32 Labour MPs who are members of the Socialist Campaign Group. This ancient faction, formed in 1982 to support Tony Benns expected leadership challenge after the 1983 election, has been a stunning failure for most of its 41 years in existence. It fell at the first hurdle, when Benn lost his seat in 1983. Until Corbyn won the leadership in 2015, Livingstone was its most successful member, but he had to leave parliament to continue as mayor of London. For the five years of Corbyns leadership, though, members of the Socialist Campaign Group controlled the commanding heights of the shadow cabinet. That power has vanished almost as quickly as it arrived, as the Great Self-Purging Corbynite Show has removed most of them from the Labour front bench, and in Corbyns own case, from the Parliamentary Labour Party. But they are still there, the Tories will insist. Thirty-two of them, and four of them still on the Labour front bench, albeit in junior positions (Paula Barker, Rachel Hopkins, Imran Hussain and Navendu Mishra). Before the 1997 election, Tory commentators what Professor Tim Bale calls the Conservative Party in the media warned that although Blair himself might be so right wing that Margaret Thatcher approved of him, he would be at the mercy of the Socialist Campaign Group if he ever got into government. So we can expect to see a similar case against Starmer as a second line of attack: even if he is not really Ed Miliband in Tony Blairs clothing, the argument will run, he will need the votes of the Socialist Campaign Group if there is a hung parliament or Labour has a small majority. In the end, though, this scenario is implausible. This is not so much a question of the size of Labours majority or the absence of it in a hung parliament but of politics. Even if Starmer were in a position where he needed the votes of the Socialist Campaign Groups MPs in government, they would find it hard to make common cause with the Conservative opposition. It took the Tories eight years last time to work out that they could embarrass Blair by voting with Labour rebels on civil liberties. The first time Blair was defeated in a Commons vote was on the 90-day detention of terrorist suspects in 2005. There are not going to be many such issues on which Zarah Sultana, the chair of the Socialist Campaign Group, and Kemi Badenoch, if she is leader of the opposition, will be able to unite against a Starmer-led government. If Driscoll wins the North East mayoral election as an independent next year, it will be an embarrassment to Starmer. But it will not be evidence that a Labour government would be dictated to by resurgent Corbynites. Garda sergeants said they wouldnt cooperate with initiative Garda sergeants and inspectors threatened not to cooperate with planned new transition days for transgender gardai before a new garda policy was withdrawn due to a lack of consultation. Internal garda documents released under freedom of information (FOI) show there was no consultation with the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) before the forces new Gender Identity in the Workplace policy was introduced last February, Gardai decided to withdraw the policy (developed by An Garda Siochanas equality, diversity and inclusion section over almost two years) in April, amid unrest among garda middle managers. A draft response from a senior HR manager that rejected complaints from the AGSI was never sent. The new gender identity policy outlines the way in which gardai who want to transition to a new gender under the 2015 Gender Recognition Act should create an action plan in conjunction with their supervisor. The policy said supervisors should be aware that transgender gardai might face levels of prejudice and discrimination in their workplace. It said they were often deliberately invisible at work by either choice or fear. Supervisors not familiar with transgender or gender identity were to seek clarity from HR and the equality, diversity and inclusion section. The policy said all gardai had to be cognisant of the legal obligations of gender concerning prisoner management. The policy set out how there would be a transition day where the transitioned gardas workgroup would hold a meeting, and this could include non-local stakeholders. This was not to be done by email and the provision of a hand-out to gardai was optional. The transgender garda could decide if they want to be present or not. Supervisors were told that at the meeting, they will make it clear that the transitioning garda is a valued person and has the organisations full support in making the transition. They must make the other gardai aware of relevant policies and recommendations. Supervisors would explain that on the transition day, the garda will present themselves consistently with their gender identity and should be treated as such. This involved being called by their new name and pronouns. Supervisors were to lead by example and make clear the transition was no big deal. The policy said gardai who had received a gender recognition certificate were entitled to use bathroom facilities of that gender. Those who were transitioning but not in receipt of a certificate would not be required to use a toilet of their designated birth gender, subject to reasonable access to single occupancy or gender-neutral toilets being available. Correspondence from Antoinette Cunningham, general secretary of the AGSI, shows that the association said it would advise its members not to convene the transition day meeting as set out in the gender identity policy due to a lack of consultation. In relation to the meetings, Cunningham asked what non-local stakeholder could be invited and where the optional hand-outs could be obtained. She said in the absence of guidance, training and consultation, AGSI members would write to management seeking that they conduct this meeting. A draft response from Denis Ferry, chief superintendent in Garda HR, said the Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) was an example of a third party that could be invited to such meetings. The garda policy was an example of a hand-out. Cunningham also raised concerns that there was no guidance for what managers were meant to do with gardai who presented as gender fluid or with a gender identity outside the binary and how this affected the uniform these gardai were to wear. She said in the absence of this, all matters raised would be noted and sent to more senior Garda management. In reference to the guidance on the use of toilets for transitioning members, Cunningham said in the absence of more specific guidance, members will be asked to write to each divisional office asking where the facilities are available in each garda station. Cunningham also asked for clarification on how transitioning and gender-fluid gardai were to deal with prisoners, conduct searches and deal with the public, especially when a male or female garda was asked for. The draft response from Ferry accepted that the handling of prisoners was not covered in this policy and said another policy was being developed on prisoner management which may cover this point. The draft response from Ferry complained that articles from the conservative Gript website on the issue had misquoted/part quoted the gender identity policies. He said it did not mandate any form of discipline other than that associated with any other policy. He said it was regrettable that the policy had not been sent to staff associations for consultation but he felt his responses addressed AGSIs concerns. The draft response created on March 31 was never sent to AGSI. Drew Harris withdrew the policy on April 4. The commissioner previously said gardai who used the wrong gender when addressing a person could face disciplinary action after a management response. Despite receiving queries two weeks ago, the force did not respond to questions on when the gender identity policy would be reintroduced. The AGSI said consultations are in train. The sons of a US tourist assaulted in Dublin have thanked the people of Ireland for their kindness, as they said he is no longer in a coma. Stephen Termini (57) from New York state, was seriously injured in an attack in Talbot Street in the city centre on July 19. The incident has prompted a wider debate on whether the Irish capital's streets are safe. On Friday, Justice Minister Helen McEntee announced an additional 10m for gardai in the Dublin region. Mr Termini's sons, Michael and Jesse Rizzuto, have travelled from the US to visit their father in hospital. They had set up an online fundraising page with a target of $10,000 (9,000) to pay for their trip to Ireland. The Go Fund Me page has been deluged with donations. By today the total raised had passed $127,000 (115,000) with more than 4,400 people having donated. Jesse Rizzuto said the reaction had been "nothing but the greatest". "Everybody has reached out to us to say 'you know, this isn't what it's like (in Ireland), we want to show you what it's like'," he told RTE. "And I mean the donations, we never expected a turnout like this. "I mean we had it set for a smaller amount just to get us over here and see him, but I mean everybody that's donated has left us comments as well like 'hey, you know, so sorry' or 'hey, all the best for your family, this isn't what Ireland's really like and the people don't stand behind that'. "And it's amazing." He added: "How do you thank over 4,000 people?" His brother Michael added: "We're just so thankful about everything. Like I wish I could just line everyone up and shake everyone's hand and give hugs and stuff." Michael Rizzuto said his father was out of a coma but improvements in his condition were slow. "It's going to be like a long game here," he said. Jesse Rizzuto said there were signs of "slight improvements" in his father's condition. "We're taking it basically one hour at a time," he said. "But he is making slight improvements that we're very happy with, very happy with, he's showing some good signs of having a strong resilient body." Asked about the extent of an injury to one of his father's eyes, Jesse Rizzuto added: "They're still trying to do everything they can. "So we're leaving it up to their hands because they're the professionals. Yes, as far as injuries go, yes, he's improving." Upon their arrival, Stephen Termini was said to have been in a serious but stable condition at Beaumont Hospital after suffering injuries to his head and eye. Speaking with Virgin Media TV, Mike Rizzuto said: Hes awake, he's actually out of coma thankfully, [but] still dont know about the eye. We don't know what's to come with all of that but he's out of the coma so that's at least good. We're just taking it hour by hour. Three teenage boys are now facing charges in relation to the incident. The alleged attackers, aged 14, 15 and 16 were remanded on bail pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions yesterday. Meanwhile, the US embassy in Dublin has advised US tourists travelling to Ireland to be aware of their safety due to recent assaults in Dublin city. Its a war zone and we are losing, say workers in north inner city after US tourist was viciously assaulted on capitals Talbot Street Business owners and staff tell of abuse, threats and intimidation from gangs of youths and how they lock themselves in for their own protection Gardai on patrol outside Dublins Connolly Station on Amiens Street, just metres from Talbot Street, where business owners and their staff feel intimidated by crime, violence and anti-social behaviour. Photo: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos Amy Blaney Sat 29 Jul 2023 at 03:30 Co Down man Paul Ferrin is charged with falsely telling people who transferred their pension pots from the likes of Royal Mail that they would be available as tax-free loans and would be invested on their behalf. In one case, he is said to have told an alleged victim his 56,000 pension fund from the postal operator would be put into property. Ferrin is also charged with failing to tell those who signed up for the pension transfer they would have to pay tax on sums paid out as it could be viewed as cashing in the funds. It is further alleged he did not disclose the fact the transfer would mean the men would have to become company directors and trustees in what are known as small self-administered schemes. He is also charged with carrying out a regulated financial activity despite not being an authorised person or having his communications approved by an authorised person. The case involves five individuals who Ferrin allegedly misled into transferring funds. In one instance, he is said to have defrauded a man by telling him pension was only worth 56,000 and dishonestly concealing the fact that lump sums released back may be liable to be taxed. Ferrin is accused of defrauding three of the five men by telling them their pension money would be invested in property. The 67-year-old, of the Saintfield Road outside Belfast, faces a total of 17 charges of fraud and breaches of the Financial Services Act dated between January 2013 and December 2014. Members of the public on essential journeys and in a rush are being urged to avoid the area around OConnell Bridge and Trinity College Dublin on All-Ireland final day as a protest is planned in the city centre. Food delivery couriers are holding a protest against poor pay conditions, bike theft and violence towards delivery couriers. Protestors will gather at 4pm at the Heineken Building on OConnell Bridge. Delivery couriers have been gathering for protests in the city citing low pay and concerns for their safety. A delivery driver was allegedly stabbed in Temple Bar on July 19, the same day US tourist Stephen Termini was attacked on Talbot St. Representatives of delivery couriers met with gardai following the alleged incident and held protests in the city centre last Saturday and Wednesday. Dublin city centre is set to be bustling with a sell-out crowd descending on Croke Park to see Dublin take on Kerry in the All-Ireland final. The protest is being supported by the English Language Students Union (ELSU), a group representing thousands of English language students in Ireland. With huge crowds expected, the ELSU has invited GAA supporters and others to attend the protest after the final whistle to show the world that soundness and decency is still the national Irish currency. Its up to the people of Dublin and Ireland to show that we dont place the value of one life over another, the ELSU said in a statement. The protest is planned to move from the DOlier Street and Westmoreland Street side of OConnell Bride, past Trinity and up George St. Demonstrators will then make their way up Aungier St and Camden St before going back to Stephens Green via the Stags Head and Harcourt Street. The All-Ireland final throws in at 3.30PM tomorrow. He described revelations in an RTE documentary as shocking, unacceptable and sordid Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said new regulations will be introduced to tackle the shocking, unacceptable and sordid behaviour of a small minority of landlords who ask vulnerable tenants for sex instead of rent. Mr Martin said the full rigours of the law will be brought against those who engage in such behaviour which, he asserted, has no place in Irish society. His comments came in the wake of Thursday nights airing of Prime Time on RTE. The programme featured an undercover investigation in which some landlords were recorded suggesting that, if paying rent was a difficulty, payment could be made in sexual favours. Soaring homelessness figures have been reported this week, with a spike in the number of families in emergency accommodation. The Tanaiste said he was sickened by reports of tenants being targeted in such a manner. Its an absolutely shocking, unacceptable and sordid type of activity that has no place in this country, he said. I would have thought that existing law would cover that area. That now needs to be examined. Mr Martin said a previous commitment had been given for a regulatory review of such sex for rent controls. However, this was delayed by circumstances outside the control of the Department of Justice. I know the Minister for Justice (Helen McEntee) had initiated a review of existing laws in respect of this issue and unfortunately, the person who was commissioned to do it could no longer continue, but the work will continue. We will legislate for this, just as we did when Ruhama developed a campaign in terms of the purchasers of sex. Ruhama a charity that works with women exploited by prostitution and the sex trade expressed alarm that such sex-for-rent demands were still being made in the property sector. The charity said Irelands housing crisis had led to an atmosphere in which some landlords try to take advantage of tenants. In some instances, this can mean vulnerable women are targeted for sexual exploitation. Barbara Condon, chief executive of Ruhama, said poverty and the housing crisis drives such behaviour. The charity witnesses on a daily basis the harms and impact of sexual exploitation among individuals accessing our services, she said. Poverty is one of the main drivers of sexual exploitation, which often starts with a woman in a vulnerable situation who is at risk of being exploited by offers of money, accommodation or drugs in exchange for sex. She said the desperation of some people to survive, and to secure food and shelter, was effectively being used to bypass sexual consent. The Tanaiste said such behaviour will not be tolerated and will be targeted by any legislative changes required. We responded to the informed, evidence-based Ruhama submission. So we will certainly be responsive to this issue, he said. 'Our hands are tied when it comes to properly policing crime and thuggery in the city' - gardai on what it will take to clean up Dublin's inner city After the attack on American tourist Stephen Termini, there have been renewed calls for increased patrols, but disillusioned gardai claim their hands are tied on tackling thugs with little fear or respect. John Meagher reports Gardai out on patrol on Talbot Street in Dublin's north inner city. Photo by Stephen Collins John Meagher Mon 31 Jul 2023 at 06:30 Our wine writer helps you navigate the delicious gamut of Gruner Veltliner As a grape name, Gruner Veltliner can be a mouthful to master. (Its pronounced Groo-ner Velt-LEE-ner, like its nickname of GrooVee.) However, were increasingly au fait with Austrias most distinctive, widely grown and fashionable grape, thanks to its versatility, food-friendliness and potential for greatness in the right hands and terroir. News / Local by Staff reporter President Emmerson Mnangagwa has issued a disdainful rebuke on those accusing him of masterminding court generated disqualifications on election opponents, describing them as uneducated.This follows the ban on independent presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere and 12 CCC Bulawayo parliamentary candidates by the courts this week.Kasukuwere was Friday disqualified by the Supreme Court which upheld an earlier High Court ruling in favour of Zanu-PF activist Lovedale Mangwana.Mangwana, in his challenge, had argued the exiled politician did not qualify to contest for any electable public office in the land as he surrendered the right through being absent from the country for a continuous period of 18 months.Kasukuwere, once a close ally to former President Robert Mugabe, was hounded out of the country in November 2017 after the Zimbabwe military which backed Mnangagwa's succession bid, ousted the now late leader and installed the tough ruler in his place.CCC candidates were also blocked by the Bulawayo High Court after some Zanu-PF activists argued they violated provisions of the electoral law through filing their nomination papers beyond the stipulated deadline of 4pm June this year.Kasukuwere, the one-time Zanu-PF political commissar seen as a potential banana skin in the incumbent's re-election bid, has blamed Mnangagwa for his ouster.Equally, CCC has accused the Zimbabwe strongman of capturing the judiciary through a combination of enticing perks comprising hefty home loans and sacking judges viewed inflexible to political manipulation.CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere on Thursday described the current administration as worse than that of Mugabe who "never tried to brazenly remove opponents he knew he would lose against from the ballot".Asked to comment on the accusations, Mnangagwa said he has never been to the courts to file any challenge against opponents."Those who claim that I am using the courts to thwart my opponents should go and collect back their school fees from wherever they went to school, because I have never taken anyone to court and I am nowhere in any court process."If they make such allegations, it shows they don't have much education," Mnangagwa said at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe Airport as he returned from Russia. Despite a July washout, Cobh is ticking over with cruise passengers, tourists, Titanic heritage... and dolphins The last photograph taken of Titanic, as it departed Queenstown (now Cobh), displayed at Titanic Belfast. Photo: Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Its a grey summers day in Cobh and were swapping stinging drops of rain with the odd splash of a very shy sun. But we dont care. Were in one of those moments you just know will make a memory. Dolphin! I shout. A shadow has darted beneath the seas surface. Richie Marshall cuts the power in our bright red rib, allowing us to stand, steady ourselves and scan the depths. Blue and cream shapes whip about. Then theres a breach. Two little common dolphins pop and dip again. For about a minute, they dart about in our bow waves, and a washout July doesnt matter a bit. Richie Marshall in Cobh We pulled on our lifejackets in Cobh, joining Richie for an hour-long tour of whats held to be the worlds second-largest natural harbour (Sydney is the answer to your next question). He also offers self-drive trips on smaller boats but ours is a rib tour around the islands and out past Roches Point. The town was ticking over a treat. P&Os Aurora cruise ship looked surreal as we nosed the car down Spy Hill. Its passengers spilled out and about, taking selfies at the Lusitania monument, drinking pints of Guinness in Kellys, stretching their legs up to the Deck of Cards the steep, candy-coloured row of houses above St Colmans Cathedral on West View. Weve been around the world, a British tourist said of her cruises this year after Cobh, she and her husband were back to Southampton. West View in Cobh. Photo: Pol O Conghaile Out on the rib, Richie fed us facts about the harbour, slowing as we passed places like Spike Island and the Irish Naval Base and evoking a time when the quay walls would have been lined three or four boats deep. We see dinghies ducking and diving and hear about Drakes Pool, where Sir Francis Drake once hid from a chasing Armada fleet. We ride the waves like a rollercoaster, slowing down to nose into nooks like Roberts Cove, where a handful of swimmers brave the rain. We spot cormorants, small lions mane jellyfish and sprat shoals skulking in a cave. Just outside the harbour entrance, a sailboat bounces by at a dizzying angle, sailors dangling their legs over the side. Richie eases off the power again. This is where Titanic anchored, he says. The last photograph taken of Titanic, as it departed Queenstown (now Cobh), displayed at Titanic Belfast. Photo: Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Its strangely moving. Titanic sank in 1912. It would be dwarfed by the cruise ships docking in Cobh today, but still grips the imagination. Cork Harbour was its last port of call this is where Fr Frank Browne took his iconic photos before and after disembarking the ship, and the Titanic Experience is located in a former White Star Line building on the quay. Nearby, Richie points out a crumbling wooden structure where he says passengers would have boarded tender boats to the liner. Among the photos of dolphins, sailboats and Cobhs beautifully stratified, distinctly Irish streetscape on my phone are images of our hair standing on end, blow-dried into comedy stylings by the sea wind and ribs speed. Thats called boat hair, Richie laughs. Youll look like Jedward by the time we get back! A toastie at Seasalt, Cobh And we do. After, we take our bouffants to Seasalt cafe, scoff toasties oozing with Macroom halloumi and homemade kimchi, and start sending out our summer moments become memories on WhatsApp. Pol was a guest of Cork Harbour Boat Hire and Castlemartyr Resort. Rib tours start from 30pp; self-drive boats from 65 for a family of five. corkharbourboathire.com The Fightin Irish are coming to town. Next month, Dublin city will be visited by up to 40,000 American tourists for a razzmatazz college football game between Notre Dame and Navy. Notre Dame are nicknamed the Fightin Irish and the mascot is a Leprechaun with his fists up, ready to take on all comers. The live mascot is a student dressed in a green suit, brandishing a shillelagh and leading chants by the crowd. Even armed with a blackthorn stick, there are parts of the capital city the Fightin Irish would be best advised to avoid. When the Americans are warning tourists about their safety in Dublin, you know there is a problem. The US Embassy this week told its citizens to avoid walking alone, not to carry large amounts of cash and to keep a low profile. The absence of law and order on our streets is now a national and international embarrassment. The embassys warning is justified following a savage attack on a passing tourist in the city centre. A frequent visitor to the capital, Stephen Termini has been left with life-changing injuries. A GoFundMe Page set up for Mr Termini reached over US$100,000 within days. Three teenage boys now face charges for the attack around the corner from Store Street Garda Station. The alleged attackers, three boys aged 14, 15 and 16, were remanded on bail pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. The random nature of this attack followed another brutal assault on a visiting Ukrainian actor, Oleksandr Grekov, on Eden Quay in Dublin three weeks earlier. These assaults have shocked the nation, but havent come as a surprise, as they follow a pattern of seeming lawlessness in the city centre and beyond. The unprecedented circumstances around the Covid-19 lockdowns and the desertion of urban areas prompted a decline in public order, which has not been addressed now that normality has returned. Justice Minister Helen McEntee walked the mean streets of the capital flanked by several high-ranking gardai. The minister claims the city is safe. Just days before this attack, Fianna Fail TD Willie ODea delivered a more realistic appraisal to his Coalition partners when he spoke of random and unprovoked verbal and physical attacks by gangs of kids on the streets of our town and cities. He had a timely message for the minister: The public wants her to focus more on delivering safe streets than on playing to the woke gallery. Putting more gardai on the streets is not a panacea to complex social problems, but it would certainly help. A knee-jerk reaction of throwing extra overtime into the pot wont solve the underlying problems. The slow pace of garda recruitment, failing to catch up on the pandemic lost ground or keep pace with population growth, is being felt. In a sign of the low morale in the organisation, rank-and-file gardai are proposing a motion of no confidence in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. The disaffection goes into resourcing, well-being and rosters, but it doesnt paint a good picture of the state of law and order. The minister has to stop policing the Tweets ahead of policing the streets. A handwritten message on the cover of the 'Irish Independent' is left on the seafront at Bray, Co Wicklow, near the former home of Sinead O'Connor. Photo: Collins I have twice read Sinead OConnors memoir, Rememberings, and in time I will read it again. I am shocked and saddened by the news of this lovely ladys death. The world is a poorer place. She wrote at the start of her book: Now, I aint gonna be winning the Booker Prize any time soon. But Ive told my story as I remember it and tried to tell it the way I speak. The book is a brilliant read. It reminded me of some past experiences in a dreadful Ireland that is best forgotten. May this talented, wonderful and beautiful person rest in peace. Brian McDevitt, Glenties, Co Donegal Blessed with talent and at times controversial, Sinead OConnor was a true gem It was always a pleasure to hear the beautiful voice of Sinead OConnor, especially her song, Nothing Compares 2 U. She was, at times, controversial, but she was blessed with talent. Ireland has lost a true gem. Dominic Shelmerdine, London This country has given us some amazing women and Sinead was one of them Across the centuries, Ireland has produced some remarkable women, from Grace OMalley, to Constance Markievicz, to Bernadette Devlin, to Mary Robinson, and most recently Sinead OConnor. May she rest in peace. Gerard Walsh, Ontario, Canada Its a bad sign when we cant read a place name on a road sign while driving It is interesting to notice every year at this time how many road signs are almost obliterated by foliage on many of the countrys roads motorways being the exception. Many of the signs are unreadable. Some examples include laney for Castleblaney and ford for Sandy-ford. When these signs are being erected possibly in mid-winter, when the hedges are leafless does it not occur to the powers that be that, come summer, motorists are left guessing what these signs mean? Leo Gormley, Dundalk, Co Louth Governments failure on housing is putting our citizens in real danger Your report on the exploitative behaviour of some landlords made for difficult reading (Undercover investigation exposes landlords asking for sex-for-rent deals, Irish Independent, July 27). What this story tells us is that the Governments disastrous housing policy is not only failing to provide necessary homes, but is exposing many citizens to abuse and other dangers as a consequence. Most in such accommodation have no option but to use the private rental sector and pay the exorbitant rents that place a huge burden on their ability to afford other necessities. Until recently, a person was regarded as cost-burdened if they were spending more than 30pc of their income on rent. Given the outrageous rents being charged in the private sector today, it is obvious that almost everyone living in such accommodation is cost-burdened. This exposes many to eviction, homelessness and housing insecurity, which in turn lead to toxic stress, poor health outcomes, poor educational achievement for children and, along with a host of other negative outcomes, we now see the sexual exploitation of women. The real question that persists in all of this is: Why? That is particularly so now that the Government coffers are awash with money, yet there is still no coherent plan to build the affordable and social housing needed. Jim OSullivan, Rathedmond, Co Sligo We simply cannot afford to tell people not to be taking holidays abroad It was interesting and informative reading your editorial of July 25, Travel, tourism and climate change are connected and each individual traveller has to face up to this. However, it would seem that a lot of people are not at all ready to sacrifice their foreign holiday for the sake of our planet just yet. In order to avoid the searing heat of July and August in Europe and farther afield, many will book holidays around Easter time or in September/October when temperatures are more bearable. Furthermore, we are an island nation with many jobs and livelihoods across many sectors dependent on overseas tourists flying in to our country and spending money. We market ourselves very successfully abroad, and evidence of this can be seen especially around the St Patricks Day festivities all over the world. Can we really afford to tell the tourists to stay at home? Stephen OHara, Carrowmore, Co Sligo Our judges need to come under the same level of scrutiny as the gardai We have a garda ombudsman who investigates how gardai investigate crimes and their behaviour when doing so. Is it not time we had a judicial ombudsman who would investigate judges when derisory sentences are handed down for very serious crimes? Anyone who reads the news knows the names of these judges, yet there seems to be no sanction against them. The wheels of justice require all cogs to run in unison; they fail to work if one cog is not pulling its weight. Gardai seem an easy target for investigation when things go wrong, but the judiciary are never challenged by the media or anyone else. Joe Dixon, Kilnacrott, Co Cavan The aliens have landed, but how would they behave in White House? First, it was those goddamn commies, and now its little aliens. Would non-human, green aliens have affairs or remove secret documents from the White House? Its life, Joe, but not as we know it. Dr Florence Craven, Bracknagh, Co Offaly Will RTE be paying twice for its double vision with Rose of Tralee coverage? So, RTE is worried about running out of cash and is looking for a bailout, but the big announcement is that the Rose of Tralee will have two presenters instead of one. Is the original fee going to be split in two, or is it going to cost more? John P Masterson, Cathedral Road, Cavan Brave and determined investigation of 1981 case uncovers details overlooked by police Vishal Mehrotra, described by his father as a happy, clever boy who wouldnt dream of running away was eight when he vanished in July 1981. The following February, his partial remains were found in an isolated wood in Rogate in Sussex. The decades since have been agonising for his family. While police continued to state that the investigation was active, nothing happened, and nobody has ever been charged with his murder. The excellent new 10-part investigative podcast Vishal (BBC Sounds, widely available) is more than a fresh attempt to discover the truth and hold people accountable for his death; its a brave and determined effort to keep a childs name alive; to validate and commemorate his short existence. Vishal opens in London on July 29, 1981. Vishambar Mehrotra, a single father, took Vishal, his little sister Mamta and their nanny to his office in Fleet Street where there was a party to celebrate the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. They left early, at lunchtime. When they detoured via a local shop on the way home, Vishal asked to walk the last few minutes alone. No one knows what happened next. Together, Vishals half-brother, journalist Suchin Mehrotra (born after Vishambars remarriage a decade later), and BBC investigative reporter Colin Campbell painstakingly piece together all the available information. In a situation that true crime podcast fans will unfortunately find only too familiar (see also: Bear Brook, Serial season one, and The Lady Vanishes among many others), they also uncover evidence that the police missed. This new evidence includes the discovery of a document entitled Vishal, that was written in 1983 by convicted paedophile Nicholas Douglass (who has denied having anything to do with Vishals murder) about a boy he was abusing. Douglasss mother lived five miles from where Vishals remains were found, and he was known to have abused children at her house. While the document had been in the possession of Sussex police since the 90s, it had not been linked to Vishals murder. Several retired police officers, including Shaun Keep who helped convict the killers of Stephen Lawrence assist Mehrotra and Campbell in their crusade. Vishal is so much more than an investigation of a murder; its also an exploration of trauma within a family, and how pain can transfer from one generation to the next. Suchin Mehrotra never met his older half-brother, but says that Vishals death shaped how he was raised and who he became: Ive never fully understood what happened to him and to my family. Im now 30, and as Ive tried to learn more, all I seem to find are details that just dont add up, and stories that have no ending. And Im desperate to find an ending. After years of apparent inaction, police recently said they were making fresh inquiries. After hearing this compelling series I listened to all 10 episodes in a day you will be desperate for an ending too. The roundabout at the eastern side of Macroom which gives motorists access to the town centre or the N22 bypass has been named as 'The Coolcower Roundabout' to comply with TII's Traffic Signals Manual, rather than the 'Cumann na mBan Roundabout' A long running campaign to name a roundabout installed to give access to Ireland's newest bypass, the N22 bypass of Macroom, came to a sorry end on Friday when a proposal to name it in honour of Cumann na mBan was defeated at a meeting of towns Municipal District Council. The roundabout for consideration was the roundabout at Coolcoower which Cllr Gobnait Moynihan, a grand-daughter of a War of Independence IRA leader, wants to be named in honour of the female counterparts of the volunteers who fought for freedom from British rule over 100 years ago. Regarding the roundabout on the eastern end of Macroom which gives motorists the choice to either access the bypass or travel on through the town centre, Cllr Moynihan had raised her proposal at meetings of the main council and of her municipal district council earlier in the year and, finally, on Friday, the matter was coming to a head. As she queried matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting, she asked whether there had been any update from Transport Infrastructure Ireland on her proposal, which had received a sympathetic hearing when it had been made on previous occasions, from the body. "The TII have come back to us with, I suppose, a clear answer on it, said Municipal District Officer, Marie OLeary. There is a part of the TII Traffic Signals Manual, which has legislative effect, which governs the naming of roundabouts and states that they have to have a geographic significance with relation to any naming of a roundabout." "It is our reserved function as councillors to name the roundabout whatever we like, Cllr Moynihan countered, as she acknowledged the response of the TII. "I would propose that we name the roundabout the Cumann na mBan Roundabout. Council chairman, Cllr Ted Lucey said that the legislation was very clear but opened the issue to other councillors to express their views. "We had an in-committee meeting earlier this morning and we all know what happened at that meeting, said Cllr Creed who has previously stated that the roundabout would be always known as the Coolcower Roundabout irrespective of what name the councillors would bestow on it. We have a clear understanding from Nicola and Marie (council officials) of what TII want so I have no problem in proposing that the roundabout at Coolcower be named the Coolcower Roundabout. This proposal was seconded by Cllr Martin Coughlan. Cllr Eileen Lynch referred to the earlier meeting during which, she said, the matter was comprehensively discussed. "While obviously we would support any commemoration of Cumann na mBan or Cogadh na Saoirse (the War of Independence), I dont feel, personally, that a roundabout is the appropriate forum. "We also discussed a plaque or a monument to Cumann na mBan which I do feel would be a lot more suitable and in any event, Marie has told us of the law of the land, the statutory instrument which takes precedence, as I understand over Cork County Council or Macroom Municipal District and it states that the roundabout must have a geographical name. In relation to that point, Cllr Lucey said that another name, the Gearagh Roundabout, had been considered but there was no point in pursuing this as it would be known everywhere as the Coolcower Roundabout. "I think a plaque on the Town Hall would be very much the way to go. Cllr Michael Looney, Cllr Moynihans sole party colleague on the Council, supported his fellow Fianna Failers proposal, describing it as a good suggestion and asking, given the TII response, whether there was any way to get around the stipulation of that body that it be named for a geographical feature. According to Nicola Radley, the Councils Senior Executive Officer who was present at the meeting, the authority had legislative confirmation that the roundabout must be named in terms of a geographical feature only "We dont have scope to act outside of the legislation, she said. Ms Radley said that the Council was very open and would love to commemorate Cumann na mBan and Cogadh na Saoirse locally. We would do that sensitively and we feel thats entirely appropriate and we will take any suggestions that the members might have in that regard. She said that there was one suggestion that a plaque be put on the Town Hall building given that the organisation had held meetings there during those turbulent times more than 100 years ago. Cllr Moynihan made her final case by saying that it was a reserved function of the Council to name the roundabout. Im asking for it to be called Cumann na mBan Roundabout but TII have an opinion, and they have a very strong opinion, in regards to having a geographical solution, thats their opinion. "I will ask that we proceed to the vote and continue and use our reserve functions, we have so little of them. The vote was taken on the basis that the elected members would choose either the Coolcower Roundabout or the Cumann na mBan Roundabout as the name for the roundabout at Coolcower. The Coolcower Roundabout won by four votes to two. Enniscorthy Greyhound Company is 90 years young in September and celebrations marking 90 years of greyhound racing at the Ross Road track will take place at an all sponsored race card meeting on Thursday night, August 3. A report in The Irish Times of May 6, 1933 noted that a licence for an electric hare track had been granted to the company and that work was proceeding on the laying of a track and the erection of viewing stands. The scheduled opening of the new facility was given as mid June of that year. However, the opening didnt take place until August 3, 1933 while the official opening took place on September 7, that year when six races, on the flat and over hurdles, were staged in front of a capacity crowd. Newspaper reports the following day announced an encouraging degree of success favoured the opening meeting of the Enniscorthy track and entries included dogs from Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wicklow and Wexford. The arrangements, according to published reports, worked perfectly with all races being run to schedule and everything pointing to the success of the undertaking. The best race of the opening night was the 325 yards sprint won by Handy Bart with the popular fancy Rose of Inglewood half a length behind. The New Ross Standard Newspaper in an article on July 14, 1933, reported that the first meeting of the Enniscorthy Racing Company was held in the offices of John A. Sinnott & Co., Solicitors, Enniscorthy, at which the following Directors were elected:--W. Stamp, Enniscorthy, P.J. Loughlin,do., R. Rea, Dublin, J. McCrea, Carnew, T.J. Larkin, Enniscorthy, and D.O Brien, do. The meeting heard the laying down of the track was proceeding and that the tenders of Messrs. Quigley, Engineers, Enniscorthy, for lighting the track at 345.00 and of Messrs. P. Brennan, Bunclody, for the erection of control tower and kennels were accepted as being the lowest received. Following on from that initial Board meeting, two further Directors were appointed, Dr. P.D. Murphy and Dr.W.H. Bowen, both prominent medical practitioners in Enniscorthy at that time. A plan for the erection of a grand stand was submitted at a Board meeting on December 8, 1933 and approved of while the laying of clinkers, for the improvement of the outside enclosure at the Ross Road venue, was also considered and approved of. The official opening of the track on September 7, 1933, was a major event both locally and nationally and in press reports at the time the new greyhound stadium was described as a most ideal centre situated conveniently near the centre of Enniscorthy. The track was described as unrivalled in aspect with a quality of turf that is congenial to excellent racing the New Ross Standard reported in an editorial on September 1, 1933. It went on to say a magnificent view, from the outside enclosure, is commanded of the track and no effort has been spared to make the course attractive and to ensure its popularity with the people. That popularity has never waned over the past 90 years and greyhound racing in Enniscorthy is as popular today as when the first races were run on September 7, 1933. Michelle Yeoh has married her long-term partner Jean Todt after a 19-year engagement, saying: Heres to many more to come. The Oscar-winning actress, 60, posted a series of photos on Instagram of the pair at the wedding ceremony, including one of them admiring the wedding ring on Todts finger. Another showed Yeoh looking delighted during the proceedings while dressed in an elegant white outfit featuring a silk shirt and a long ruffled skirt. Former Ferrari chief Todt, 77, donned a navy blue suit, white shirt and decorative blue tie for the ceremony, which was held in an ornately-decorated room in Geneva on Thursday. The Hollywood star also shared a photo of her with her new husband cuddled up in bed, which was decorated with white and purple rose petals in the shape of a heart and two swans made out of towels. The last photo in the series made reference to her starring role in the 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies as the classic image of her on the back of a motorcycle with Pierce Brosnan had been edited to her with Todt, with the line Love Never Dies emblazoned across it. Yeoh wrote alongside the post: 19 years and YES!! we are married!! Thkq to our families who love us for all these years. We love you and heres to many more to come. Former Ferrari Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa was among the famous faces in attendance at the ceremony. A message in the wedding programme posted by Massa on Instagram revealed the couple had been engaged for 6,992 days before they tied the knot. The message read: We met in Shanghai on 4th June 2004. On 26th July 2004, J.T proposed to marry M.Y and she said YES! Today after 6992 days on 27th July 2023 in Geneva, surrounded by loving family and friends, we are so happy to celebrate this special moment together! Michelle Yeoh and Jean Todt in 2006 (Yui Mok/PA) Earlier this year, Yeoh made history as the first Asian to win the Academy Award for best actress for her performance as a laundromat owner in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Yeoh started her career in Hong Kong before becoming a Hollywood star with her credits including 2000s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2018s Crazy Rich Asians and the TV series Star Trek: Discovery. The actress will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as part of the class of 2024. Todt was the president of Formula One governing body, the Federation Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA), until the end of 2021. He was formerly a director of Peugeot Talbot Sport and then Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team principal before being appointed chief executive of Ferrari. Military men look at a passenger boat that capsized in Binangonan, Rizal province, Philippines on Friday, July 28, 2023. The small Philippine ferry turned upside down when passengers suddenly crowded to one side in panic as fierce winds pummeled the wooden vessel. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Kerry family speaks out as killer set to be released: I can't believe he is out after just five years News / National by Staff reporter Two notorious armed robbers were killed in a shootout with police in Chitungwiza on Friday.Mugove Chimuti, 33, and Ishmael Mutungira, 28, were wanted for a string of armed robberies.Law enforcement sources told ZimLive that the duo was tracked by detectives to their hideout at a house in Chitungwiza, but they refused to surrender and opened fire on detectives."They were shot and died from their injuries at the scene," a police source in Seke said.Police recovered two rifles and two revolvers during a search of the house.Chimuti and Mutungira have a long history with the police and have been in and out of jail since 2017 when they were charged with 23 counts of armed robbery.Mutungira previously served time in jail after he was arrested in Bulawayo with six pistols.The two suspects were once accused of robbing a mine in Chegutu and raping a police officer.They were on bail for those and other cases.Police wanted to question the men on armed robbery cases committed in Chinhoyi, Beatrice, Harare and Norton.Police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi was in meetings when contacted for comment. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky hands over a boys first passport during an event marking Statehood Day (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) Kyivs troops are pushing through heavy, intense artillery fire from Russian forces to advance in the east of Ukraine, the commander of the countrys armed forces has said. Thousands took to the streets of Liverpool as the city hosted Pride on behalf of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, as a KyivPride organiser praised the amazing friendship between the cities. Photo courtesy: PMO India X page Taiwanese chip-making giant's chairman Young Liu on Friday met Narendra Modi in New Delhi when the Indian PM welcomed Foxconn's plans to expand semiconductor and chip manufacturing capacity in India. Following the meeting, PMO India tweeted: "Mr. Young Liu, Chairman of Foxconn, met PM @narendramodi in Gandhinagar. The PM welcomed Foxconn's plans to expand semiconductor and chip manufacturing capacity in India." Young Liu was in India to attend the SemiconIndia 2023 in Gujarat. Speaking at the event, Young Liu said Taiwan is and will be India's most trusted and reliable partner. Expressing hope over the direction in which India is planning to move ahead in the semiconductor journey, he was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times: "Where there is a will there's a way, I can feel the determination of the Indian government." Mr. Young Liu, Chairman of Foxconn, met PM @narendramodi in Gandhinagar. The PM welcomed Foxconn's plans to expand semiconductor and chip manufacturing capacity in India. pic.twitter.com/Badv6NhzRm PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 28, 2023 "I am very optimistic about the way India will be headed," he said. "PM Modi, once mentioned that IT stands for India and Taiwan. PM, Taiwan is and will be your most trusted and reliable partner. Let's do this together," the Taiwanese business leader said. Modi inaugurated SemiconIndia 2023 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on Friday. The theme of the Conference is Catalysing Indias Semiconductor Ecosystem. It showcases Indias semiconductor strategy and policy which envisions making India a global hub for semiconductor design, manufacturing and technology development. Scientists have revived a worm which was frozen 46,000 years ago from Siberian permafrost, Photo Courtesy: MPI-CBG Dresden Twitter page When Anastasia Shatilovich at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science RAS in Russia revived two frozen individual nematodes from a fossilized burrow in silt deposits in the Siberian permafrost, she and her colleagues were beyond excited. After thawing the worms in the lab, a radiocarbon analysis of plant material from the burrow revealed that these frozen deposits, 40 meters below the surface, had not thawed since the late Pleistocene, between 45,839 and 47,769 years ago. At the same time, the research group of Teymuras Kurzchalia at the MPI-CBG (Teymuras Kurzchalia is now retired) was already addressing the question of how larval stages of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans survive extreme conditions. When the team heard about the permafrost nematodes, they immediately reached out for a collaboration with Anastasia Shatilovich. Vamshidhar Gade, a doctoral student at that time in the research group of Teymuras Kurzchalia, started to work with the permafrost nematodes. What molecular and metabolic pathways these cryptobiotic organisms use and how long they would be able to suspend life are not fully understood, he says. Vamshidhar is now working at the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland. The researchers in Dresden conducted a high-quality genome assembly of one of the permafrost nematodes in collaboration with Eugene Myers, Director Emeritus and research group leader at the MPI-CBG, the DRESDEN-concept Genome Center, and the research group of Michael Hiller, research group leader at that time at the MPI-CBG and now Professor of Comparative Genomics at the LOEWE-TBG and the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research. Despite having DNA barcoding sequences and microscopic pictures, it was difficult to determine whether the permafrost worm was a new species or not. Philipp Schiffer, research group leader at the Institute of Zoology, co-lead of the incipient Biodiversity Genomics Center Cologne (BioC2) at the University of Cologne, and expert in biodiversity genomics research, joined forces with the Dresden researchers to determine the species and analyze its genome with his team. Using phylogenomic analysis, he and his team were able to define the roundworm as a novel species, and the team decided to call it Panagrolaimus kolymaensis. In recognition of the Kolyma River region from which it originated, the nematode was given the Latin name Kolymaensis. By comparing the genome of Panagrolaimus kolymaensis with that of the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the researchers in Cologne identified genes that both species have in common and that are involved in cryptobiosis. To their surprise, most of the genes necessary for entering cryptobiosis in Caenorhabditis elegans so-called Dauer larvae were also present in Panagrolaimus kolymaensis. The research team next evaluated Panagrolaimus kolymaensis's ability to survive and discovered that mild dehydration exposure before freezing helped the worms prepare for cryptobiosis and increased survival at -80 degrees Celsius. At a biochemical level, both species produced a sugar called trehalose when mildly dehydrated in the lab, possibly enabling them to endure freezing and intense dehydration. Caenorhabditis elegans larvae also benefited from this treatment, surviving for 480 days at -80 degrees Celsius without suffering any declines in viability or reproduction following thawing. According to Vamshidhar Gade and Temo Kurzhchalia, Our experimental findings also show that Caenorhabditis elegans can remain viable for longer periods in a suspended state than previously documented. Overall, our research demonstrates that nematodes have developed mechanisms that allow them to preserve life for geological time periods. Our findings are essential for understanding evolutionary processes because generation times can range from days to millennia and because the long-term survival of a species' individuals can result in the re-emergence of lineages that would otherwise have gone extinct, concludes Philipp Schiffer, one of the authors who oversaw the study. Eugene Myers adds: P. kolymaensis's highly contiguous genome will make it possible to compare this feature to those of other Panagrolaimus species whose genomes are presently being sequenced by Schiffers team and colleagues. Philipp Schiffer is convinced that studying the adaptation of species to such extreme environments by analyzing their genomes will allow us to develop better conservation strategies in the face of global warming. Teymuras Kurzchalia says: This study extends the longest reported cryptobiosis in nematodes by tens of thousands of years. Image Credit: UNI Rameswaram/UNI: Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Saturday morning offered special prayers at the Sri Ramanathaswamy temple in this island town. He was accompanied by Union Minister L.Murugan and senior BJP leaders. Shah also performed special poojas to the Spatika linga at the temple as part of the special prayers. The main entrance of the temple was closed for devotees in view of Mr Shah's visit due to security reasons and they were allowed entry through other gates. Shah arrived here on Friday evening on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu. Tight security arrangements were made in view of his visit. Upon his arrival at Rameswaram by helicopter from Madurai, he launched the BJP's Lok Sabha poll padayatra to be led by party Tamil Nadu Unit President K.Annamalai to ensure that the Prime Minister returned to power for a third successive term. Addressing a public meeting before participating in the yatra along with Mr Annamalai and senior BJP leaders, Mr Amit Shah launched a scathingattack on the ruling DMK and termed it as the most corrupt government in India. While branding both the DMK and its ally, the Congress, as corrupt, he also questioned the continuance of Tamil Nadu Minister V.Senthilbalaji (without portfolio) in the State Cabinet after he was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case and now languishing in prison. He also claimed that Chief Minister M.K.Stalin, will not accept the resignation of Mr Balaji--even if he offered to quit--as the corruption deals will come to light. Image: S Jaishankar Twitter page External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said there is a need to address the "root countries" to combat terrorism. He said there is a need for Japan and India to be on the same page to counter terrorism. Speaking at the India-Japan Forum 2023 in the national capital, S Jaishankar, was responding to his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi's remarks that top priority of cooperation between like-minded countries India and Japan should be to counter-terrorism, reports ANI news agency. Speaking in the question and answer session, he said: "There are some really important challenges in the world, like missile nuclear proliferation and terrorism and it is important that we address root causes and root countries which are behind this and it is important that Japan and India are on the same page." Spoke at the India-Japan Forum today in New Delhi. Appreciate my colleague FM Yoshi Hayashis thought provoking ideas and views. Made the following 6 points: 1.For India, Japan is the modernising inspiration that is particularly relevant as the Modi Government advances pic.twitter.com/h7ayNPRd5u Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 28, 2023 External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar held the 15th India-Japan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan on 27 July 2023 in New Delhi. The meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress made in the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. The Ministers engaged in comprehensive discussions covering a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional, and global significance. They highlighted the importance of further strengthening India-Japan partnership based on shared values and principles. Image: Pixabay Kolkata: Newly elected Trinamool Congress panchayat member Moimur Gharami, alias Moyna, was lynched to death after a gunshot from the miscreants missed the target, which hit his companion, in front of his house at Magrahat in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, police said on Saturday. A companion, identified as Sajimul Mollah, was admitted to the Diamond Harbour Hospital with a hand injury. The panchayat member was declared dead on arrival at the government hospital in the district. The police arrested four suspects in the brutal murder. Sources said a land dispute led to the murder of the TMC leader. (With UNI inputs) Imphal: A massive peace rally was taken out on Saturday by thousands of people, braving the summer heat, to demand action against the 'Kuki Chin terrorists' who were responsible for the crisis in Manipur. The rally, organized by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity ( COCOMI) to discuss the Manipur crisis, started from Thangmeiband and culminated at Hapta Kangjeibung. Those who participated in the rally shouted slogans like Long Live Manipur, Stop Illegal Infiltration, Implement NRC, No Separate Administration in Manipur, protect indigenous people, protect forest and environment and stop crime against women. The organizers had to wait for a long time to take five resolutions as people from across the state consisting of Naga tribes, Muslims, Meiteis and other communities were coming towards the ground in large numbers. Participants in the rally resolved to end the conflict by uprooting the Chin Kuki narco-terrorists who have come from other countries. It was also decided to oppose separate administration in Manipur. They also resolved to implement the National Register of Citizen (NRC) in Manipur. It was decided to demand the summoning of Manipur Assembly by August 5. It was further decided to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister. The organizers said the rally was taken out to inform all that the crisis in Manipur was started by illegal immigrants. Yumnamcha Dilipkumar, a presidium member , said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had visited Manipur and promised to return after 15 days but he did not. The Centre had sent over 40,000 troops. However, they were not used to protect the people of Manipur, he alleged. The Prime Minister broke his silence after a video went viral and the people of Manipur condemned it, he pointed out. People were shocked to hear the news of crime against women and children in a particular community on May 3 at the Churachandpur district and infuriated people came out the next day in various parts of the valley areas on May 4 to protest the burning of houses, killing of people and confinement of people mostly women and children at Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts, he added. The government announced giving Rs 1000 to the displaced persons. Dilip said what will a person who lost ones house and livelihood do with Rs 1000. RK Nimai , presidium member, said the Meitei community was dragged into the conflict by the Kuki people by attacking people and burning houses. The peace-loving Meitei people were forced to protect themselves, he said. He appealed to the people to take action against the armed Kuki militants and not against the unarmed people. (With UNI inputs) Image: Pixabay Rampur: Five persons were injured in firing during a procession on the occasion of Youm-e-Ashura Muharram month in Civil Lines area of Rampur district in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, police sources said. The sources here said that the incident took place in Raipur when the two parties had a scuffle while the procession was being taken out. "During the scuffle, someone opened fire in which five persons were injured," they said. Police sources said that the injured, identified as Naeem, Furkaan, Imran, Islam and Babu, have been admitted to the district hospital. "Heavy police force has reached the spot after the incident," they said. The sources also said that the scuffle broke out between village head Zakir, his brother Naeem and their opponent over an old rivalry. (With UNI inputs) News / National by Staff reporter Zimbabwe stands in solidarity with Russia as it wages war on Ukraine, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday.In comments that will anger western countries and likely prolong Zimbabwe's international isolation, Mnangagwa openly chose sides in the war, where other African leaders whose countries enjoy strong relations with Russia have only declared neutrality."Zimbabwe is in solidarity with the Russian Federation in your country's special military operation in Ukraine," Mnangagwa declared, reading from a prepared speech.On Thursday, during a speech to at the Russia Africa summit in St Petersburg, Putin pledged to donate 50,000 tonnes of free grain to Zimbabwe.He also gifted Mnangagwa with a Mil Mi-38 helicopter worth US$16 million.Meanwhile, the African Union on Friday urged Putin to move ahead with its peace plan to end the Ukraine conflict and to renew a deal on the safe wartime export of Ukrainian grain that Moscow tore up last week.While not directly critical of Russia, African leaders' interventions on the second day of the summit were more concerted and forceful than those that African countries have voiced until now.They served as reminders of the depth of African concern at the consequences of the war, especially rising food prices."This war must end. And it can only end on the basis of justice and reason," African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat told Putin and African leaders in St Petersburg."The disruptions of energy and grain supplies must end immediately. The grain deal must be extended for the benefit of all the peoples of the world, Africans in particular."The African plan floats a series of possible steps to defuse the conflict including a Russian troop pull-back, removal of Russian tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, suspension of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Putin, and sanctions relief.Putin gave it a cool reception when African leaders presented it to him in June. On Friday, he said Moscow respected the proposal and was carefully studying it, with Ukraine due to be discussed later at a working dinner.Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso said the African initiative "deserves the closest attention", calling "urgently" for peace.Senegalese President Macky Sall called for "a de-escalation to help create calm", while South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he hoped that "constructive engagement and negotiation" could help end the conflict.The stream of calls prompted Putin repeatedly to defend Russia's position and place the blame on Ukraine and the West.He said it was Kyiv that was refusing to negotiate under a decree passed shortly after he claimed last September to have annexed four Ukrainian regions that Russia partly controls.Russia has long said it is open to talks but that these must take account of the "new realities" on the ground.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected the idea of a ceasefire now that would leave Russia in control of nearly a fifth of his country and give its forces time to regroup after 17 grinding months of war.AU chair Azali Assoumani offered some support for Putin's line, saying the Russian leader had shown his readiness to talk, and "now we have to convince the other side".At the summit, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged Russia to revive the Black Sea grain deal which, until Moscow refused to renew it last week, had allowed Ukraine to export grain from its ports despite the conflict.Egypt is a big buyer of grain via the Black Sea route, and Sisi told the summit it was "essential to reach agreement" on reviving the deal.Putin responded by arguing, as he has in the past, that rising world food prices were a consequence of Western policy mistakes long predating the Ukraine war.He has repeatedly said Russia quit the agreement because the deal was not getting grain to the poorest countries and the West was not keeping its side of the bargain.Russia's withdrawal and its bombardment of Ukrainian ports and grain depots have prompted accusations from Ukraine and the West that it is using food as a weapon of war, and driven the global wheat price up by some 9 percent.The Ukrainian Grain Association estimated in May that 4 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain had been stolen since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February last year.On Thursday, Putin promised to deliver up to 300,000 tons of free Russian grain which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called a "handful of donations" among six of the countries attending the summit, including Zimbabwe.Assoumani said Putin's offer might not be enough, and what was needed was a ceasefire.Putin was seeking to use the event to inject new momentum into Russia's ties with Africa and enlist its support in countering what he describes as U.S. hegemony and Western neo-colonialism.Many of the leaders had warm words for Moscow's record of support for their countries in their 20th-century liberation struggles, and the final declaration promised Russia would help them seek compensation for the damage done by colonial rule and secure the restoration of plundered cultural treasures.The leaders of Mali and Central African Republic, whose governments have relied heavily on the services of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, both expressed gratitude to Putin.President Faustin Archange Touadera said CAR's relations with Russia had helped it to save its democracy and avoid a civil war, thanking Russia "for helping us to oppose foreign hegemony". A file image of Aum Pema Choden. Photo courtesy: Official Twitter (now called X) account of the Embassy of India in Bhutan Foreign Secretary of Bhutan Aum Pema Choden visited India from July 28 to July 29 when she co-chaired the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks with her Indian counterpart Vinay Kwatra. She visited India at the invitation of Foreign Secretary of India Vinay Kwatra. The two Foreign Secretaries reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation and discussed ways to further strengthen it across diverse sectors. "Both Foreign Secretaries co-chaired the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks (Plan Talks). The Bhutanese side shared details regarding Bhutans 13th Five Year Plan," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. Foreign Secretary Kwatra conveyed Indias commitment to partner with Bhutan based on the priorities of the government and people of the Himalayan nation, and advancing the bilateral partnership, including newer areas. "The two Foreign Secretaries noted with appreciation the progress on bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, development partnership, cross-border connectivity, trade and economic ties, digital development, science and technology, skill development and furthering people-to-people ties," read the statement. It was agreed that both sides will continue to work to further strengthen such cooperation in keeping with the Joint Statement issued during the official visit of the King of Bhutan to India in April 2023. The Foreign Secretary of Bhutan called on the External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar on July 29. "India and Bhutan share an exemplary bilateral relationship characterized by utmost trust, goodwill and mutual understanding at all levels, strong bonds of friendship and close people-to-people ties," read the statement. The visit of the Foreign Secretary of Bhutan reinforced the long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries to discuss all issues of mutual interest. Photo Courtesy: Aligarh Muslim University New Delhi/IBNS: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the appointment of Dr Tariq Mansoor, former Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), as one of its vice presidents, in what is seen as an attempt to expand its engagement with the Pasmanda Muslim communities. The decision was made public on Saturday, marking a significant step in the party's ongoing efforts to connect with the marginalized sections of the Muslim population, reports NDTV. Dr. Mansoor's tenure as the head of AMU earned him recognition for steering the university towards a "middle path" during the anti-National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, which found resonance in various educational institutions across the country. He collaborated closely with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on a project aimed at promoting the teachings of Mughal prince Dara Shikoh, emphasizing peaceful coexistence between Hindus and Muslims, in contrast to the approach of his brother, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The appointment coincided with Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, where he unveiled a book honoring former President APJ Abdul Kalam, an iconic figure in the BJP's Pasmanda outreach program. The party has consistently focused on engaging with Pasmanda Muslims, who hail from Dalit and other backward class communities, through its Minority Morcha meetings. Dr. Tariq Mansoor's selection as the fourth Muslim representative in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council reflects the BJP's intentions to expand its influence in regions with substantial Muslim electorates. Uttar Pradesh, with Muslims constituting approximately 19% of the state's electorate, plays a crucial role in deciding outcomes in around 15 to 20 Lok Sabha seats. His work on the Dara Shikoh project, utilizing AMU's Persian department to translate and promote Shikoh's inter-faith dialogue, garnered praise from the RSS leadership. By organizing seminars and conferences on the subject, he impressed the sangh's members and contributed to a positive image of Dara Shikoh as an ideal figure within the Muslim community. Mansoor's association with AMU dates back to the 1970s when he pursued his MBBS and Master of Surgery (MS) degrees in surgery from JN Medical College. Apart from the BJP's emphasis on Pasmanda Muslims, the RSS has been actively engaging with Muslim academics and professionals in fields like medicine, law, and bureaucracy to influence the discourse within the minority community. Jamal Siddiqui, head of BJP's Minority Morcha, described Dr. Tariq Mansoor as a "nationalist Muslim" who prioritizes the nation's interests and possesses an in-depth understanding of fault lines within the Muslim community. Siddiqui believes that his appointment will facilitate the party's expansion, stated NDTV. Despite accolades, Dr. Mansoor faced criticism during his tenure as AMU Vice-Chancellor for allegedly not supporting students during the CAA and NRC protests in 2020. In contrast, the VC of Jamia Millia Islamia received appreciation for standing by the students. However, Dr. Mansoor maintained that he did his best and advocated for welfare and socio-economic justice over identity-based issues. The BJP's focus on engaging with Pasmanda Muslims has sparked reactions from Muslim intellectuals and opposition parties, who view it as an attempt to create divisions within the community. Critics argue that Pasmanda Muslims themselves often fall victim to hate crimes and economic boycotts, highlighting the complexities of caste-based stratification within Indian Muslims. As Dr. Tariq Mansoor takes on his role as BJP vice president, the party gears up for a massive Sneh Yatra to further reach out to Pasmanda Muslims in the days to come. Representational image on Unsplash Chennai/UNI: Nine people were killed and 11 others injured in an explosion at a firecracker godown at Periyapettai village in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu on Saturday. Police sources said the blast was caused after a LPG cylinder exploded at a restaurant housed in the same building, where the godown was located. The entire family of the godown owner was killed in the explosion. The explosion occurred when the godown was opened for sales as usual, killing its owner Ravi (42), his wife Jayashree (40), his daughter Rithika (19) and son Rutheesh (21). The other deceased was identified as the owner of the adjacent eatery Rajeshwari, and two others, Ibrahim Kaiyulla (21) and Imran (18) along with a man and a woman, who were yet to be identified. Police said while seven people were killed on the spot, two others succumbed to injuries and burns at the hospital. The impact of the explosion was such that the entire building that housed a total of five shops, including a bakery and an eatery, was completely razed to the ground. Some people were feared to have been trapped under the rubble, and police and five services personnel were involved in rescue and relief operations. The district administration swung into action with earth-movers to clear the rubble and rescue the injured. District Collector Sarayu, who monitored the disaster response at the spot, said the restaurant, a welding unit, another shop and the godown were housed in the same building. There were two shops between the godown and the restaurant, she said, adding, the LPG cylinder exploded at the restaurant and the fire later spread to the other shops and the godown, which functioned only as a storage place from where sales are permitted. Earlier, the Collector visited the government medical college hospital and called on the injured and also met the bereaved relatives of the victims at the hospital. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin condoled the deaths and expressed grief over the incident. PM Modi condoled the loss of lives in the accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs two lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. The PMO tweeted "Deeply saddened by the tragic mishap at a cracker factory in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, resulting in the loss of precious lives." "My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims during this extremely difficult time. May the injured recover soon," it said. "An ex gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs.50,000: PM @narendramodi, the tweet said. The Home Minister, who is on a visit to Tamil Nadu, also condoled the deaths.In a tweet, Amit Shah said "Deeply saddened to know about the tragic fire accident in a crackers factory in Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu). I extend my sincerest condolences to the family members of the deceased and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured". The Governor said he was deeply saddened by the loss of valuable lives in the mishap. My prayers and thoughts are with the bereaved families. Wishing a speedy recovery to those injured, the Governor tweeted. Condoling the deaths, Stalin expressed grief over the death of nine people and also announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakh each to the families of the deceased. In a statement, he also announced an announcement of Rs one lakh each to those who suffered serious injuries and Rs 50,000 each for those who sustained minor injuries from the Chief Ministers Public Relief Fund. Stalin said he has deputed Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R. Sakkarapani to the spot to oversee the relief measures and also directed the hospital authorities to provide the best of treatment to the injured. Photo courtesy: UNI New Delhi/UNI/IBNS: Muharram processions were marred by violence and accidents in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi on Saturday resulting in deaths and injuries. In Delhi 12 police personnel were injured as a result of stone pelting. The clashes occurred when a group of 'tazia' procession organizers attempted to deviate from the predetermined route, leading to objections from authorities, India Today reported. Subsequently, the police were targeted with stones by the crowd. The confrontation escalated as the police responded by resorting to a "mild lathi-charge" to regain control and disperse the unruly crowd. The clashes resulted in damage to several vehicles in the area. However, Delhi Police officials have confirmed that the situation is currently under control. Tragedy struck during the Muharram procession in Didauli, Amroha district, Uttar Pradesh, as two individuals were electrocuted and several others sustained injuries when a 'Tazia' made contact with a high tension line, according to police sources, reported UNI. The incident occurred in Patei Khalsa village while observing Toum-e-Ashura on the 10th day of the Muharram month. The unfortunate mishap caused the Tazia to catch fire, leading to an explosion. The injured were promptly taken to different hospitals for medical attention. District Magistrate Rajesh Tyagi suggested that a magnetic field might have played a role, but a detailed inquiry report will be needed to ascertain the exact cause. In a separate incident, five people were injured during a Youm-e-Ashura procession in the Civil Lines area of the Rampur district, UP. The incident occurred in Raipur when a scuffle broke out between two parties participating in the procession, UNI stated. Amidst the altercation, someone opened fire, resulting in the injuries of Naeem, Furkaan, Imran, Islam, and Babu. The injured were rushed to the district hospital, and a heavy police force has been deployed at the scene. The conflict was reportedly rooted in an old rivalry between village head Zakir, his brother Naeem, and their opponent. MP Danish Ali visited the site of the Tazia incident in Amroha and extended condolences while directing authorities to provide all necessary assistance to the victims. According to India Today, Varanasi's Doshipura area witnessed clashes between the Shia and Sunni communities, causing injuries and damage to vehicles. It said in Jharkhand, four men were electrocuted, while 13 others were injured while carrying out a Muharram procession in Bokaro on Saturday. He should make an effort early in the morning, bathe in the inner tank of nectar; Repeat Gods name under Gurus instruction, and all his sins and transgressions shall be erased; At sunrise he should sing the Gurus hymns, and whether sitting or standing meditate on Gods name; The disciple who at every breath meditateth on God, will be to the Guru; The Gun imparteth instruction to that disciple to whom my Lord bestows His grace; The servant Nanak prayeth for the dust of the feet of such a disciple of the Guru who himself. Gods name and Causeth others to do so. (Gauri ka var Mohalla 4, pg 305-06) This hymn was composed by Guru Ram Das to instruct Sikhs about ways to practice their religion. Apart from this he also composed a hymn known as Lawan in Suhi Mohalla 4, pg. 773 of Guru Granth Sahib to solemnize marriages. It embodies in itself a lesson for the couple to develop a true love for each other, which in reality refers to a human being developing a love for the divine. Guru Ram Das was a celebrated poet and composed about 638 Shabads which account for roughly ten percent of hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib. While Guru Amar Das introduced the Manji system, Ram Dasji extended it by adding to it the Masand institution. Masands were Sikh community leaders who lived far from the Guru but collected revenue for Sikh activities and lead mutual interactions. These helped significantly in the propagation of Sikhism in subsequent decades. Guru Ram Das was born as Bhai Jetha Mal Sodhi. He was orphaned at the age of 7 years and came to stay with his grandmother which led him to Guru Amar Das. He served the Guru and sangat with utmost joy and dedication. When the Mughals pressed charges against Guru Amar Das, Jetha went to court as his representative and eloquently defended his Guru and religious teachings, impressing the emperor so much that all charges were dismissed. The third Guru was very impressed with Jethas service and admired the latter greatly. He was overjoyed when his youngest daughter, Bibi Bhani, decided to become Jethas wife. Guru Amar Das declared him the fourth Guru and renamed him Ram Das, meaning the servant of God. He thus, became Guru at the age of 40 years, in 1574. He is credited with building the city of Amritsar, the holiest place for Sikhs. As per history, the spot was chosen by his predecessor, and Ram Dasji founded the town calling it Ramdaspur or Guru ka Chakk. He invited traders and artisans to settle here and the town grew to become Amritsar which means the pool of nectar. There is a Sakhi attached to its discovery; it is said that Duni Chand Khatri was a rich landlord from the town of Patti, having five beautiful daughters. He was a egoistic man and once when he asked his daughters who provided them food and shelter, the four elder ones fed his ego by saying it was their father but the youngest daughter, Bibi Rajni replied, It is God that provides for everyone. Duni Chand was enraged and married her off to a leper as punishment. However, Bibi Rajni accepted him and served him with love. As she carried her ailing husband in a basket on her head looking for treatment for him, the duo reached a pool of water near Ramdaspur where she set him down under a ber tree and went in search of food. The leper sat there and observed that two crows came out white in color as they dipped in the pond. He realized that it was not an ordinary pool and decided to bathe in it to get rid of his disease. When he came out he was miraculously cured! Bibi Rajni came back and did not believe the occurrence till Guru Ram Das convinced her. The tree still stands in the Harminder Sahib premises, known as Dukhbhanjani Beri (the tree that relieves pains and afflictions of people). The sarovar was constructed at the miraculous pool of water and came to be called Amritsar. The foundation stone of Amritsar was thus laid on 13th June 1577. It was also the same spot that had been visited by Guru Nanak Devji on one of his udhasis. According to another popular story, once Akbar visited Ramdaspur after having heard about Guru Ram Dass accolades, and offered a plate full of cold coins to Guruji as a mark of respect. The Guru immediately asked Arjan Dev, his youngest son sitting close to him, to take the coins and distribute them among the poor and needy. Akbar was amazed at this humility and wanted to gift him a jagir of 12 villages for maintenance of Langar but again Ram Dasji refused saying, Langar does not depend upon jagirs. Men fight with each other due to these jagirs. These are sources of evil passions, pride, and ego. We only believe in one God and by the name of God all creatures, continents, all worlds, and spheres are sustained. God is lord of this world and next. Emperor Akbar was very pleased and declared that he had seen the embodiment of the living God in the Guru. The city of Amritsar prospered und under the mentorship and divine blessings of the fourth Guru who recited Shabads and at langar with his Sikhs. In the evening he again attended the darbar and addressed sangats to teach them about Sikh ideology; to adopt a true way of living and believe in One God. On the pursuance of his cousins and other pilgrims, he decided to visit his birthplace in Lahore. When the news of his arrival spread in Lahore, people flocked to the roads to welcome their Sacha Padshah or True King as they called him. Guruji himself was overwhelmed and overjoyed at the love and devotion showered upon him. He stayed in his ancestral house in Chuna Mandi for a few days and then converted it into a Dharamsala and Gurudwara and also started langar in Lahore. It is said that Sarai Mal, Gurujis cousin, invited him to Lahore for his sons wedding. Since Guru Ram Das could not go himself due to some reasons, he asked his oldest son, Prithvi Chand, to go in his stead but Prithvi refused, possibly due to dual motives; one, he was accused of accumulating wealth for himself from the offerings made to the Guru, so he probably thought his deceit would be brought to light if he left. Secondly, as he felt that the time for succession was near, he did not want to leave Amritsar. Mahadev, Gurus second son did not go as he was indifferent to worldly affairs. Arjan Dev, the youngest son, agreed to go and was instructed to stay back in Lahore after the wedding to manage the affairs of Sikh Sangat there. However, after a few months, he started feeling homesick and wanting to be united with his father, wrote 3 letters to Guruji, two of which were intercepted by his eldest brother, Prithvi, when Guruji received the third letter, Arjan Dev was called back to Amritsar immediately and Prithvis ill-intentions were revealed. Guru Ram Dasji embraced Arjan Dev and placed a coconut before him, descended the gaddi himself, and seated the latter there in front of the assembly of Sikhs. Having nominated Arjan Devji as his successor in August 1581, Guru Ram Das left for his old headquarters at Goindwal and became Jyoti Jot on September 1st, 1581. (Image and Text credit: Khalsavox.com) Image: UNHCR/Insa Wawa Diatta Civilians fleeing attacks by extremist groups in Burkina Faso must be allowed to shelter in neighbouring countries and not sent back, amid a spike in violence and horrifying rights abuses, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday. We're urgently appealing for all States to refrain from forcibly returning any individuals originating from the regions in Burkina Faso where there is an ongoing crisis, said Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR Director of International Protection. Speaking in Geneva, Ms. Tan highlighted killings, forced disappearances, torture and kidnappings, while in several instances, civilians had been targeted and killed, resulting in mass civilian casualties. Spike in needs Humanitarians have warned about mass internal displacement in Burkina Faso caused by non-state armed groups since 2015, but its in 2022 that weve really seen large increase in the number of displaced in the country, and that is due to the increased activities by extremist, violent, violent extremist groups as well as increasing humanitarian needs, the UNHCR official explained. Latest UN estimates indicate that 4.7 million people across the country are now in need of humanitarian assistance in the west African nation, which is more than 20 per cent of the countrys entire population. Violence and conflict have also destroyed critical infrastructure and impacted state services and institutions, including in conflict-affected areas. The humanitarian situation is especially severe for people living in towns that have been blockaded by violent extremist groups, including large numbers of internally displaced people. Youngsters targeted Children have not been spared serious human rights violations, including forced recruitment by armed groups, child labour as well as other types of violence, abuse, exploitation and gender-based violence, Ms. Tan told journalists at a scheduled briefing. The number of school closures has increased from approximately 3,000 in November 2021 to 6,334 schools as of 31 March 2023. The majority of displaced children are unable to attend classes at all. Early and child marriage is prevalent and forced marriages continue to be reported. Half of all children in Burkina Faso are estimated to be exposed to gender-based violence or mistreatment, with the estimate as high as 82 per cent for girls. Ongoing violence and displacement have also left many women vulnerable to sexual violence and have restricted services available to survivors. Border refuge In addition to the more than two million people internally displaced in Burkina Faso, as of June this year making this one of the worst internal displacement crises on the African continent - the UNHCR official added that 67,000 people from Burkina Faso have sought refuge in neighbouring countries including Mali, Niger, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin and Ghana. Fighting is believed to have killed thousands and placed vast numbers at risk of abuse by armed groups, including reportedly being whipped and raped while fleeing their villages. The principle of non-refoulement must be respected and upheld. That means that no-one should be forcibly returned to places where their lives, freedom or human rights are at risk. So, UNHCR calls on all countries to allow civilians fleeing Burkina Faso to access their territories. Body of a German mountain climber, who went missing 37 years ago while hiking along a glacier near Switzerlands iconic Matterhorn, has been recovered. Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia Commons Melting of ice is leading to the recovery of things that are long thought to be lost and now a body of a German mountain climber, who went missing 37 years ago while hiking along a glacier near Switzerlands iconic Matterhorn, has been recovered. Climbers hiking along the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt on July 12 discovered human remains and several pieces of equipment, police in the Valais canton said in a statement on Thursday as quoted by CNN. DNA analysis enabled the identification of a mountain climber who had been missing since 1986, police said in a statement. In September 1986, a German climber, who was 38 at the time, had been reported missing after not returning from a hike. Police said the search for the missing climber remained unsuccessful at that time. The climbers remains underwent a forensic analysis at Valais Hospital, allowing experts to link them to the 1986 disappearance, police told CNN. Authorities released a photograph of a lone hiking boot with red laces sticking out of the snow, along with some hiking equipment that had belonged to the missing person. The recession of the glaciers increasingly brings to light missing alpinists who were reported missing several decades ago, police concluded in the statement. Image: Wikimedia Commons Kyiv: Explosions were heard in the Kyiv-controlled parts of the region of Zaporizhzhia in the early hours of Saturday, Ukrainian media report. On Friday evening, air raid sirens sounded across the entire territory of Ukraine, including the Kyiv region and the capital city itself, according to air raid data from Ukraines Ministry of Digital Transformation. Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Mirror of the week) newspaper said that explosions were heard in Ukraine-controlled parts of Zaporizhzhia early on Saturday morning. Precision strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure have been carried out by Russia since October 10 (two days after the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge). In February, the head of Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenergo said that direct damage to Ukraine's energy infrastructure caused by Russian strikes may amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, with economic losses ranging in billions. (With UNI inputs) In a gripping legal battle that exposes the darker underbelly of cross-border crimes, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken a firm stand against the delivery of contraband and arms through clandestine drone networks from across the Pakistan border. The court resolutely turned down the anticipatory bail plea of an accused, highlighting the urgent need for his custodial interrogation to unearth the truth behind the nefarious operations. The case revolves around a woman who appears to have connections with an international drugs mafia. With a string of previous cases under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, she finds herself entangled in the murky world of drug trafficking. Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul, presiding over the case, did not mince her words when she firmly asserted, Prima facie, the petitioner, who admittedly has been involved in a number of cases under the NDPS Act, appears to be a part of a drug mafia. The petitioners plea sought reprieve in a case registered on November 15, 2022, under the NDPS Act. Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri, adjudicating the matter, was presented with an intriguing petition filed by Binder Singh against the state of Punjab, seeking anticipatory bail in an FIR registered on June 3 in Jalalabad under the provisions of the NDPS Act. The petitioners counsel vehemently contended that their clients name merely figured in the FIR, and there was no direct connection to the co-accused involved in the alleged drug recovery. Labeling it a clear case of false implication, the counsel maintained that no recovery of illicit substances was made from the petitioner. Contrary to this argument, Punjab Deputy Advocate-General Sarabjit Singh Cheema painted a grim picture of a cross-border heroin smuggling operation involving the petitioner and the co-accused. Shockingly, over 9 kg of heroin was smuggled into the country through a drone from Pakistan, and both suspects were implicated in the sinister plot. Justice Puri, in a compelling decision, emphasized that the petitioners name was explicitly mentioned in the FIR, despite the absence of a direct recovery of drugs from her possession. The state counsels revelation about a substantial heroin recovery from the co-accused, along with the disclosure of the petitioners involvement, carried considerable weight in the courts eyes. The arguments raised by the state counsel that the matter being not only serious but also sensitive, wherein a huge quantity of heroin has been recovered from a place delivered through a drone from Pakistan, and the custodial interrogation of the petitioner is required for the purpose of further elicitation of truth, thus, carry weight and cannot be ignored, Justice Puri asserted. Considering the gravity and magnitude of the offense, Justice Puri unequivocally ruled that the petitioner did not deserve the concession of anticipatory bail. The case unraveled a dark nexus of international drug smuggling that demands thorough investigation and stringent action to ensure justice prevails. As the legal battle continues, this gripping case sheds light on the perilous world of cross-border crime and the vigilant efforts of the judiciary to safeguard society from the clutches of drug cartels and their illicit networks. The Punjab and Haryana High Courts resolute stance stands as a beacon of hope in the fight against the shadows that threaten our nations security and well-being. (Image and text credit: Khalsavox.com) Image: Pixabay Police on Friday said they have recorded the statement of a teen maid who was allegedly tortured by a civil judges wife. A resident of Sargodha, the teenage girl was shifted to the Lahore General Hospital on Monday when her employers a civil judge in Islamabad and his wife were accused of torturing her, reports Dawn News. According to the girls medico-legal certificate (MLC), she had laceration on head from vertex, on forehead, right side above eyebrow, swollen upper lips, laceration under upper lip on right side, broken left incisor and left canine, laceration on check, nose bleed, laceration on left side of vertex, multiple bruises on lower leg, fracture on right forearm, swollen left and right eyelids, bruise on right skull, laceration on back, multiple bruises on back and attempt on strangulation. After initially showing reluctance, Islamabad police had registered a first information report in the case on July 26. Police booked the judges wife for criminal intimidation and wrongful confinement, without mentioning physical torture in the FIR. The Lahore High Court on Thursday granted protective bail to the judges wife till August 1. Earlier, a police officer told Dawn that the capital police initiated the investigation over the case and sent a team to Lahore and other cities to arrest the accused. News / National by Staff reporter A 43-YEAR-OLD Zimbabwean man has been arrested by the North West Provincial Anti-Corruption Investigating Unit (ACIU) in South Africa for allegedly trying to smuggle a contraband of cigarettes worth more than R12 million.The man, Joseph Kusekwa appeared at the Lehurutshe Magistrates' Court yesterday. His case was postponed to July 27, 2023 for a formal bail application.National Prosecution Authority (NPA) spokesperson for North West Mr Henry Mamothame said Kusekwa was also an illegal migrant.He said Kusekwa tried to smuggle the contraband on Friday last week through the Botswana and South African border (Skilpadhek Port of Entry)"Police reports revealed that the suspect, who is a truck driver, was from Botswana entering South Africa at Skilpadhek Port of Entry at approximately 6.40am during load-shedding. This is the time when trucks entering/leaving the country are not allowed to do so at the Port of entries owing to computers being off-line," said Mr Mamothame.He said a police officer on patrol along the border, saw the truck leaving the border, driving towards Zeerust. He informed his commander and the truck was stopped before it reached Zeerust. The driver was ordered to drive back to Skilpadhek port of entry where the truck was inspected by the police and customs officials."It was discovered that the truck was carrying boxes of cigarettes which the driver failed to declare at customs, valued at about R12,9 million. The driver was immediately arrested and charged with possession of illicit cigarettes," said Mr Mamothame.He said a police officer who had allowed the truck to leave the border, was being investigated and charges of defeating the ends of justice could be added when the investigations are concluded.The case has been handed over to the Hawks for further investigations. The suspect will remain in police custody until the next court appearance.Recently, a 45-year-old Zimbabwean man was jailed for an effective five years in South Africa for smuggling a contraband of cigarettes worth over R300 000.Oliver Mupanga was sent to prison when he appeared at the Senwabarwana Regional Court where he was convicted. He was sentenced to direct imprisonment for possession of illicit cigarettes and entering South Africa without a valid passport.The smuggling of cigarettes from Zimbabwe into South Africa through illegal crossing points along the Limpopo River is rife. It is understood that 30 percent of cigarettes in South Africa are from Zimbabwe including Pacific, Remington gold, Mega, Dullahs, Branson and Servilles.A box of cigarettes is bought at US$120 from local producers and sold for between US$250 and US$300 to the syndicates who then smuggle them into South Africa where they sell for anything above R15 000.Those that illegally transport the commodity across borders are paid between R100 and R300 per box and in most cases this is done under the cover of darkness. Image: Pixabay A senior Pakistan government official has confessed that smugglers are using drones to smuggle illicit drugs to India. Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, the Special Assistant on Defence to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made these remarks to Hamid Mir, a journalist associated with Pakistan's Geo News, reports ANI. Mir has posted a video on his Twitter handle of the interview with Khan, who is also the Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) representing Kasur city, which borders the state of Punjab in India. The Pakistani journalist tweeted on July 17, "Big disclosure by PM's advisor Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan. Smugglers using drones in the flood-affected areas of Kasur near the Pakistan-India border to transport heroin. He demanded a special package for the rehabilitation of the flood victims otherwise victims will join smugglers." In the video clip of the interview posted by the Pakistani journalist, Malik Khan is heard saying as quoted by ANI, "This (Kasur near LOC) is a rangers area. Due to some border regulations, there is some sensitivity." When the journalist asks the special advisor to Pakistan PM about the issue of cross-border smuggling of narcotics in Kasur he affirms the development. "Sure, it (smuggling via drone) is happening and it is very unfortunate. Recently there have been two incidents where 10 kg of heroin was tied to each drone and thrown across. Agencies are working on it." In recent times, Indian security forces have brought down several drones which were carrying contraband. Meanwhile, Punjab Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Harpal Singh Cheema reacted to the Pakistani official's comments and urged the Centre to bring a new policy to strengthen the border against drones and take strict action against Pakistan. Speaking to ANI, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has written to the Centre several times and also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the drugs coming into Punjab is coming from Pakistan through drones. So, I think a new policy should be made and our border should be further strengthened so that no drug can pass through This is the Centres responsibility because they have to bring a policy on drones. And the border should be strengthened with modern technologies to equip it against drones. I think the government of India should take immediate action against Pakistan, he added. Image: Pixabay/Unsplash The body of an Indian woman, who went missing from Jammu and Kashmir's Kargil region, was recovered from Gilgit-Baltistans Kharmang district on Wednesday. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Jaffar told Dawn News that the womans body was retrieved from the Kargil river today and buried in Kharmang. He said the body could be returned to India after contact between the foreign ministries of the countries once the womans identity was confirmed through DNA testing. Meanwhile, Qasim, a resident of Kharmang, said the funeral prayer of the woman had been offered and the burial was performed according to Islamic rituals, the newspaper reported. Earlier, a pamphlet featuring the image of the woman was circulated by the Kargil police station from the Indian side. The pamphlet was also sent to the GB administration for the recovery of the body, the Pakistani newspaper reported. The pamphlet stated that the woman, identified as Belqees Banoo, was five feet tall and clad in green clothes along with a red sweater. It added that she went missing from her home in Akchamal on July 15. Photo Courtesy: World Uyghur Congress Twitter page On the ninth anniversary of the Yarkand massacre, the World Uyghur Congress remembered all those who were killed during and in the aftermath of the July 28, 2014 incident. Nine years ago, Chinese security forces violently suppressed a largely peaceful protest in Yarkand, leading to the deaths of many innocent Uyghurs. In the year preceding Yarkand, Uyghurs had been killed consistently in several violent incidents as a result of security forces and police brutality. "What occurred in July 2014 and the days following, however, would mark the deadliest episode since the unrest in Urumchi in July 2009, and many details about what transpired remain obscure to this day," read a statement issued by the World Uyghur Congress. All communication to and from the region was suspended in the months following the incident as internet and cell communication disappeared. Every year, we commemorate victims of different massacres, but the Yarkand massacre remains the deadliest said WUC President Dolkun Isa. The international community cannot continue to ignore atrocity crimes and genocide in East Turkistan. These massacres shouldve warranted independent investigations. The @UyghurCongress and the Uyghur community are protesting in Munich to commemorate the victims of the 2014 #YarkandMassacre! Nine years ago, Chinese security forces violently suppressed a largely peaceful protest in Yarkand, leading to the deaths of many innocent #Uyghurs. pic.twitter.com/4DuhvxTohA World Uyghur Congress (@UyghurCongress) July 28, 2023 According to Uyghur sources, the major cause of the initial protests was the response of the Chinese government to a protest that took place in Bashkent Township that led to the extrajudicial killing of an Uyghur family of five during house searches in the area. As a result, many Uyghurs fled to nearby Elishku Township, where they took part in the protests. According to the Chinese government, 96 civilians, including 59 Uyghurs were killed when police and security forces clashed with protesters. Chinese state media labelled the incident a premeditated terrorist attack on a police station in Xinjiang. Uyghur groups, however, reported that the incident involved residents protesting against Chinese security forces heavy-handed Ramadan crackdown and extrajudicial use of lethal force in recent weeks. Uyghur sources estimate that at least up to 3000 Uyghurs may have been killed during and in the aftermath of the protests. The true number of those arrested, killed and disappeared remains unclear, given the lack of transparency and judicial accountability. "The Chinese government has used the spectre of terrorism to justify harsh repressive measures against the Uyghurs. A Counter-Terror Law that was passed in 2016 and criticized by UN experts for its overly broad and vague language, has provided further legitimacy for the state to carry out genocidal policies against Uyghurs and Turkic people," read the statement issued by the World Uyghur Congress. The WUC demanded that the Chinese government should act immediately and transparently to disclose the whereabouts and fate of the missing and deceased to their family members and the wider community. Former President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to Niger Republics coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum. Recall that Abdourahamane Tiani, a general and former head of Bazoums presidential guard, was declared the Republics new Head of State. Bazoums presidential guard had held him hostage in the palace on Wednesday, on account of bad governance and worsening security. Some of Bazoums supporters took to the streets of Niamey, Nigers capital, in protests, clashing with those who were in favour of the coup. The office of the Republics president through its Twitter account, said it remained positive that democracy would prevail. The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom will see to it, the tweet said. However, in a Friday statement by Buharis spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the former president said he was concerned about the safety of Bazoum and his family. As to be expected, I, just like millions of other Nigerians, am shocked by the latest turn of events in Niger Republic, our neighbour to the north. READ ALSO: Nigeria Calls For Bazoums Release, Return To Status Quo Concerns have been raised about the fate of democracy as a system of government in the country and in the wider sub-region, and equally so, about the safety of President Mohammed Bazoum and his family. I and my family are as much concerned about these as is everyone else, the statement read. The former president described the action as utterly naive and warned coup plotters to learn a lesson from history on the consequences of instability caused by violent takeover of governments. Buhari, a former chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubus, speedy intervention and expressed hope that the situation will be completely rectified. Tinubu is current chairperson of ECOWAS. It is heartening to note that the ECOWAS, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is already dealing effectively with the matter and our hope and prayers are that the unwanted situation will be completely reversed and the safety and wellbeing of President Bazoum and his family are ensured, the former president said. The President is expected to host an ECOWAS meeting on Sunday over the coup. General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the presidential guard, has emerged Niger Republics new Head of State following a military coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum. Recall that Bazoum was held hostage in the presidential palace on Wednesday, on account of bad governance and worsening security. Tiani ppeared on state television on Friday, with a banner on the screen describing him as the president of the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP), a newly formed military council. According to him, the intervention was necessary to avoid the gradual and inevitable demise of the country. He said while Bazoum had sought to convince people that all is going well the harsh reality (is) a pile of dead, displaced, humiliation and frustration. READ ALSO: Niger Rep: No Coup Must Survive Under Your Watch Oluwo Tasks Tinubu The security approach today has not brought security to the country despite heavy sacrifices, he added. There was no mention of a timeline for return to civilian leadership. Recall also that on Thursday, Amadou Abdramane, the spokesperson of the military group, flanked by some soldiers, announced that Bazoum had been removed from office and that the constitution had been suspended. The countrys borders were also shut as a result of the coup. The army command said it was supporting the seizure in a bid to thwart bloodshed. The army also warned against foreign military intervention, adding that it might have disastrous and uncontrolled consequences. Information Nigeria reports that calls from other countries and global organisations to reinstate Bazoum as president have been ignored. Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Tinubu, will host a special meeting of the regional leaders on Sunday in Abuja. Recall that Armed presidential guards seized power in Niger Republic on Wednesday, detaining President Mohamed Bazoum. Meanwhile, the situation has sparked condemnation from the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, ECOWAS as well as the United States. Worried by the situation, Tinubu who is also the ECOWAS Chairman quickly dispatched the President of Benin Republic, Patrice Talon to the West African country that has been termed the most coup-prone in the region. In a statement on Friday by his media aide, Dele Alake, the President condemned the current political situation in the neighbouring country. READ MORE: Niger Rep. Soldiers Declare Coup On National TV He also pledged that ECOWAS and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure democratic governance continues to take firm root in the sub-region. Following the coup in Republic of Niger that has upended the constitutional political leadership in the West Africa country, the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Tinubu will host a special meeting of the regional leaders on Sunday, July 30th in Abuja, the statement read. President Tinubu as Chairman of ECOWAS, in a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, condemned the current political situation in the neighbouring country and promised that ECOWAS and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure democratic governance continues to take firm root in the sub-region. When Advocate Nelson Chamisa first declared to Blessing Mhlanga of HStv News that 'STRATEGIC AMBIGUITY' was the "biggest thing" in his and CCC's communication to "CONFUSE THE ENEMY", many thought "the enemy" that Chamisa was referring to was ZanuPF when in fact it was, as it still is, "the enemy" within CCC.This is immediately clear from how Chamisa and his inner circle particularly Fadzai Mahere and Ostallos Siziva have used 'strategic ambiguity' to communicate CCC's lack of a constitution, CCC's lack of structures and CCC's prolonged and opaque candidate selection process in ways that have more than anyone else have actually confused former MDC-A leaders who like Advocate Chamisa himself expected to hold in CCC the same positions they held in the MDC-A up to January 2022 when CCC was formed; ex-MDC-A members who expected to automatically become CCC members in January 2022; and prospective CCC parliamentary and local authority candidates for the 2023 harmonised general election, who expected to go through the same open and transparent primary election process used by the MDC over the years.In effect, Chamisa and his cohorts have used strategic ambiguity' to say what they do not mean, and to mean what they do not say.The purpose of the strategy has been to purge CCC of his rivals and their perceived supporters, and as will be clear from CCC's candidate list submitted to the Nomination Court today to replace them with loyalists drawn from Chamisa's former Zinasu ranks, his fellow polytechnic alumni and from a loose network of self-styled evangelical pastors to which he belongs.Accordingly, today CCC is a sea of confusion.More than anyone else, the opposition party's rank-and-file don't know whether they're going or coming, while reports are swelling that the candidates they selected have been dumped and replaced by candidates who either lost or who did not even participate in the so-called community caucuses.So:*The fact that CCC has no structures means that CCC supporters who have taken themselves to be CCC members since January 2022 when CCC was formed have nowhere to go within their communities to find out or to confirm what exactly is going on or what is the true position about anything, let alone about the full, final and authoritative CCC list of 2023 parliamentary and local authority candidates.*The fact that CCC has no structures explains why CCC has no offices or office bearers and why members of the so-called Independent Candidate Selection Panel have been operating from all sorts of insecure places including public toilets, putting at risk the personal details of aspiring candidates that are in the unsecured nomination papers.*The fact that CCC has no structures explains why the likes of Gift Ostallos Siziba have used strategic ambiguity' to peddle outright falsehoods like this tweet below, which he posted last night: President Chamisa has filed all his nomination papers. 1 Presidential candidate 210 Members of Parliament 1970 Councillors. Let's go! pic.twitter.com/2cCUMMdAxA Gift Ostallos Siziba (@Cde_Ostallos) June 20, 2023 Nigerias President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said the Federal Government (FG) is willing to support Google, the multinational technology giant, to create one million digital jobs in Nigeria. The President made the submission in Abuja on Friday during the visit of Richard Gingras, vice president of news at Google, to his office. Tinubu assured the visiting Google executive that Nigeria had creative and talented young people who are ready and motivated to learn. I am glad that Google is ready to partner with us. You have answered our call on digital innovation and to help our youths. You are supporting our efforts to promote digital economy. We are ready to work with you on your commitment to create 1 million digital jobs in Nigeria. We will give you all the support you need to have a beneficial corporate responsibility. We have started our economic reforms, even though tortuous, a statement issued by Dele Alake, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, quoted Tinubu as saying. Addressing Googles promotion of free speech, freedom of the press and democracy through its platforms, Tinubu declared that it is in the public interest that free speech and press freedom should not be impeded. READ ALSO: Many Doctors Working Overseas Are Still Being Paid In Nigeria FG It is in public interest to continue to defend free press and free speech. We are committed to supporting a free society, he said. Meanwhile, Gingras told Tinubu that his organisation has deep interest in Nigeria and stands ready to support the Federal Government. He listed the many capabilities of Google to include areas of artificial intelligence and other digital innovations that are empowering young people to become digital entrepreneurs. Gingras furthered that Google subsea cable, Equiano, named after the Nigerian slave abolitionist, will significantly impact future internet connectivity demands. The vice president equally promised that Google would help secure Nigeria in the age of disinformation and fake news, saying that his organisation seeks to continue its partnership with the Nigerian government. Google has deep interest in Nigeria. We want to support the governments efforts to create 1 million digital jobs. We have all the tools and capabilities to make this happen. We will also help to secure Nigeria and we have discussed that with your National Security Adviser. I came to Nigeria to learn. I am going back home very impressed with what I saw. You have very vibrant, creative and talented young people who are embracing innovation. We will continue to support your programmes to expand your digital economy, Gingras said. Top row, from left: Beekeeper Barbie, Pet Photographer Barbie, and Sign Language Barbie. Middle row, from left: President Barbie, Astronaut Barbie, and Avon Representative Barbie. Bottom row, from left: Chef Barbie, Baseball Player Barbie, and Doctor Barbie. Read more Like any wildly successful icon, Barbie has been both reviled and revered. But she is always a diva, flashing her practiced smile, our barbs and compliments bouncing off her plastic body as she stands unperturbed. Her metrics prove shes the ultimate It Girl: The brand brought in almost $1.5 billion in 2022, and the dolls have been sold in over 150 countries. And the Barbie movie, released just last weekend, broke box-office records with an opening weekend haul of $337 million globally. With over 1 billion dolls sold since her birth in 1959, Barbie connects millions of adults who may share little else but the memory of playing with her. Almost everyone has a Barbie story. Here are a few. Ala Stanford, founder, Black Doctors Consortium It was the late 1970s when Ala Stanford started playing with Barbie, but it wasnt a completely warm and fuzzy experience. First, Barbie was expensive and Stanfords mother had to buy the knock-off brand from the Woolworths or Kmart. The Barbie dolls elbow and knee could bend and the Barbie dolls were softer more like skin. The dolls we got were plastic and hollow, so much so, if you squeezed them too hard they would break, Stanford said. Advertisement And then there was the hair. There were different kinds of Barbies. They came in a box with a pink background, but it was the Barbie head with the hair on it that I remember the most, Stanford said. Although there have been Black dolls in the Barbie line since 1969, the first Black and Hispanic dolls named Barbie werent released until 1980. The problem with the Barbie head, for Stanford, was that although it had brown skin, it had straight hair. That wasnt my hair, said Stanford, who spent hours trying to imitate her own natural hair styles on her Barbie head. One lesson she learned at 8 years old was that she didnt fit in the illusion of beauty that Barbie represented. Still, the lure of Barbie is strong. One Christmas, out shopping with her family, Stanford purchased a Black doctor Barbie as a collectible, one of the 250 careers Barbie has had in her 64 years. I remember buying it and keeping in the box. Definitely Black Barbie looked more like me. I thought, Wow, if only I had this when little, she said. Kristen Donnelly, COO of a network of Philadelphia-based companies For Kristen Donnelly, Barbie wasnt about fashion and hair. I didnt spend hours brushing her hair. I was born in 1983, and I remember playing with Barbies all throughout my childhood. It was all about the Princess adventure fantasy. Donnelly grew up surrounded by Barbies, eventually owning 200 of them. Her favorites were always the Barbies in princess outfits. But Donnellys Princess Barbie wasnt exactly the traditional royal. She may have been fabulously turned out (of course!), but she would often choose career over marrying the prince. Donnelly spent her childhood creating elaborate modern feminist stories which usually ended with Barbie saving herself. (Sorry, Ken.) But Donnelly also couldnt see her young self in the idealized doll whose physical dimensions have been reported to damage the very self-esteem of the millions of girls who play with her. Ive been fat most of my life, said Donnelly. But she refuses to join the chorus of Barbie haters. She believes Barbie was the countrys scapegoat. Barbie gets a lot of flack but she was the flagship of a culture that polices womens bodies into certain shapes. Today, Barbie is more diverse than ever with 35 skin tones, 97 hair styles, and nine body types. I am glad Mattel has listened to so much feedback, Donnelly said. Joanna E. McClinton, speaker of the Pa. House of Representatives Joanna E. McClinton started playing with Barbie when she was 5 years old. According to the National Museum of Play, the average American girl owns 10 Barbies. But McClintons mother struggled financially so McClinton never had more than one Barbie to play with. I didnt have a big collection of Barbies, recalled McClinton. She would get together with her girlfriends who had Barbie houses and cars and full clothes collections and the fun would begin. The same kind of fun she has today with her 6-year-old goddaughter when the two of them get together to build a Barbie house or play with another accessory. McClinton insists that Barbie is a toy. Period. It was not profoundly deep, McClinton said, adding that it wasnt until she was a young adult she learned about the Barbie controversies that Barbies strong fashionista sense limited girls vision, and her unreal body curves established impossible female beauty standards. Barbie was a little woman that I held in my hands and could dress up. I remember that Barbie was spectacularly beautiful until we would cut her hair, McClinton chuckled. What McClinton said she doesnt recall is all of Barbies jobs, including a pilot, Navy admiral, astronaut, and president. I dont remember her having all the career and jobs, said McClinton, Pennsylvanias first female speaker of the House. Shirley Moy, executive director, Lenfest Center for Community Workforce Partnerships About nine out of 10 American girls own at least one Barbie doll, according to the National Museum of Play. Shirley Moy was part of the small minority that didnt own one. I cant help you with the Barbie dolls. We played with Dawn dolls. I dont know why we had Dawn dolls, Moy said. Topper Toys, an Elizabeth, N.J. company, introduced Dawn dolls in the early 70s. The company went bankrupt a few years later. For a brief time, the Dawn doll, which was 6-and-a-half inches tall, became a rival of the taller Barbie. She may have been of similar quality and had a rack of clothes, but she was smaller, cheaper, and sold in grocery stores not department stores where Barbie was purchased. My recollection is that Dawn doll was not as sexualized as Barbie, Moy said. She still had breasts, but she was skinnier, not the same (as Barbie). As with all Barbie rivals, Dawn faded away after a few years, mostly forgotten. Barbie smiles on, stylishly surviving through it all. Brittany and Adam Edgington at their tent on the Peco site near the Schuylkill River Trail, in Norristown, in May. Read more In a coda to events that drew attention to the growing crisis of homelessness in one of Pennsylvanias wealthiest counties, Peco plans to clear the homeless encampment on its Norristown property in September. The energy utility has spent the last two months collaborating with anti-homelessness advocates to devise a plan that prioritized the needs of the people living in tents on the 3,000 feet of Peco-owned land along the Schuylkill River Trail a process that advocates praised for its respectfulness and generosity. Next month, Peco will post signs advising people on the property that they must move within 45 days which advocates called a more-generous time frame than is usually given by private property owners seeking to sweep an encampment. In some cases, property owners dont give notice at all. The majority of the 15 people living on the site have already left, though about six remain, said Mark Boorse, director of program development at Access Services, a county-funded nonprofit that operates a homelessness outreach program. His organization has worked to relocate people since May to a county shelter, among other locations and plans to continue working with the remaining six. Advertisement READ MORE: Norristown official wants to bus people living homeless to Villanova University Upon learning of the encampment, Peco was forced to figure out how to make sure we were keeping the lights on from a reliability perspective, but also to ensure that the people who are there were treated with dignity and respect, said Doug Oliver, the utilitys senior vice president for external affairs. In May, when Peco announced its plan to clear the site at an unspecified date, some of the people living homeless on the property criticized the prospect of a sweep. Theyre moving us around like were dirt, Adam Edgington, 41, a former salesman, said at the time. He and his wife had lived in a tent on the Peco site since the fall. Edgington said police officers have come by to warn people of the impending clear-out. It makes you feel unstable, Edgington added. Things are falling apart fast. Still, advocates praised Peco for its willingness to listen. For a private landowner to be this helpful and this respectfully concerned, thats more than what we typically see, Boorse said. READ MORE: Pretty stupid: Homeless in Norristown encampments weigh in on sweeps, busing Ultimately, though, he said, its the responsibility of public officials to address the issue of homelessness and the lack of shelter and affordable housing options. The fact that some people are on privately owned land is a consequence of the fact that we have a crisis level of homelessness in the community and that people dont have legal spaces where they can be, Boorse said, adding: People who are responsible for the community at large, this is a question for them to address. Its not the burden of the private landowners. Some key factors have exacerbated homelessness in Norristown, where 21% of the population of about 35,000 people lives in poverty. In 2021, flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ida damaged a low-income Norristown apartment complex with about 100 units, forcing tenants to evacuate. Last year, a 50-bed homeless shelter in Norristown was closed after the state conferred to the borough the land on which the facility sat. County social services agencies petitioned to extend the lease of what had been the only local shelter, but Norristown officials declined. Its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Norristown to build something that generates tax revenue, said Borough Council President Tom Lepera in late May. READ MORE: In Norristown, a protest for the homeless becomes a rally for solutions Pecos May announcement of its intention to clear the encampment sparked a series of events that involved Lepera suggesting he would bus unhoused people to Villanova, where homeless advocate Stephanie Sena works, according to Sena and other advocates. Lepera, a Democrat who was first elected to council in 2019 and took over the presidency in January 2022, denied suggesting he would do so. Stina Pizzaria on Snyder Avenue in Philadelphia, pictured here on Monday, took down the streetery outside its restaurant on Sunday. Read more Its last call for many of Philadelphias streeteries. This week, city officials will start cracking down on the parking-spot dining structures, issuing citations to businesses that have not applied for licenses, which require a dizzying new menu of regulations. At the height of the streetery boom in 2020 and 2021, more than 800 restaurants had erected some kind of structure to keep business afloat through the worst of the pandemic. Many sank tens of thousands of dollars into ornate structures with ambient lighting and propane heat to keep patrons cozy in all four seasons. Only a small number will survive. As of Mondays enforcement deadline, just 50 restaurants had submitted applications to legalize their streeteries, officials told The Inquirer, though they declined to release the names of applicants. None have been approved yet, and confusion persists about the process the result of lengthy negotiations to bring the unregulated streetery scene up to code. Advertisement Deputy Streets Commissioner Rich Montanez said the city has provided ample flexibility ahead of the enforcement. Restaurants will now be told to apply for licenses or face fines for noncompliance. This is my final, final warning, Montanez said. As were going out there, anything we see as a safety hazard not well kept, tripping hazards, broken boards we will cite it. READ MORE: Philly restaurants reluctantly dismantle their streeteries ahead of city crackdown. No licenses have even been approved yet. But even restaurants trying to comply with the new law remain in the dark about whats permitted. For example: If youve applied for a license, can you keep operating your current structure without fines until your application is approved? Answers have varied. Ben Fileccia, of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, said he was under the impression that so long as restaurants had submitted an application, they could avoid fines for now. Montanez echoed as much in a Monday interview with The Inquirer. [An unlicensed streetery] is automatic grounds for a citation, Montanez said. But were asking them if theyre planning to get it legalized, then to go in the system and apply, and then we say heres the process. But the Streets Departments own website reports all unlicensed streetery set-ups must also be removed beginning January 9, 2023. No licenses had been issued as of Monday, officials said, as the application approvals remain ongoing. Asked for clarification, Streets officials later confirmed that restaurants can indeed continue operating their current streeteries without fines, so long as they have pending applications. Too little, too late for Stina Pizzeria. The South Philly restaurant is one of the 50 that have applied for a license. But owner Bobby Sarisoglou said that, because his existing structure did not meet the new regulations, he tore it down Sunday to stay in good standing with the city. Stina posted an elegy for its streetery on Instagram, drawing laments from his Snyder Avenue regulars. The Inquirer on Monday informed owners of the exception for license applicants. Thats heartbreaking to hear, Sarisoglou said. We were scared that if we didnt have it down, wed get fined. Hed already put $10,000 into building the streetery, including running electrical lines under the sidewalk, and then spent another $5,000 to have it torn down and hauled away. Had he known, he said he would have kept his current streetery operating until his application was approved, and then immediately rebuilt in compliance with the new regulations. Fileccia, of the restaurant association, said the communication could have been clearer. [The city] wants to get people moving along this process, but they cant give anything in black and white, Fileccia said. Restaurant owners need things in black and white. Many proprietors arent bothering with the license application. Some reluctantly broke down their streeteries last month, well ahead of the enforcement deadline, and expressed frustration with city officials as they said goodbye to the outdoor dining spaces that helped them survive the pandemic and remained popular with patrons. Some cast the new regulations as draconian. Between the architectural constraints, the $1,750 annual licensing fee, and the outright ban on gas heaters and electrical service lines, some said the rules seemed designed to force all but the wealthiest and largest restaurant chains out of the street. Streets officials emphasized the application portal will be open year round and restaurants can apply at any time to start the approval process. Lightning flashes over Chester during the Philadelphia Union game at Subaru Park on Friday. More strong storms are possible Saturday. Read more If you sense that youve been hearing an inordinate amount of thunder lately, the National Weather Service affirms that you have not been hallucinating. We certainly have been in an active period, said Johnson, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly. We are way above normal. Officially, lightning and thunder have been reported in the vicinity of the airport in 20 of the last 37 days days. The average for an entire year is 28. Yet another round of potent storms prowled through the region Saturday, prompting 14 severe-thunderstorm warnings, she said. Advertisement So far this year, the Mount Holly office, whose turf includes all of Delaware and most of eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, has issued 266 such warnings, she said, the most since 2019 despite the fact that it didnt issue a single one in May. Thats the first time thats happened since the office moved from Philadelphia to Mount Holly in 1994. No deaths, injuries, or major disruptions were reported on Saturday, as the storms generated waterfall-level rains but moved through quite quickly, unlike some of the stalled or training thunderstorms of earlier in the month, including the one that tragically claimed seven lives in Bucks County. READ MORE: It's been way muggier than this, but the trends are concerning The official airport rainfall total, about 5.25 inches, is more than an inch above normal, and rainfall in the citys neighboring Pennsylvania counties has been significantly above normals during the last 30 days, based on data from the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center. READ MORE: In the Bucks County area where flood tragedy struck, residents worry about what's next But speaking to the abject capriciousness of summer rains, outside of the airport, rain citywide has been below average according to the river center, which calculates countywide totals using a sample of stations. It also has been less than normal in Camden and Burlington Counties. In any event, the storm traffic is about to go on break. The Saturday storms were associated with a strong cold front approaching the region that was expected to broom away the oppressive mugginess of the last three days. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are all due to be splendid days with sun and highs in the 80s followed by sleep-able nights that may be cool enough to silence the air-conditioners. Barista Mackenzie Quick brings Michael Barndt (seated, left) his bagel, in the cafe area on the sidewalk outside of Gleaner's Cafe in the 9th Street Market on Thursday, July 27, 2023. An anonymous user has been reporting "illegal" sidewalk cafes en masse, including Gleaners, which the owner says is actually up to date with their paperwork. Read more Little is known about what drives Philadelphia 311 user FD22, except that at least in the last month, that person has gone on a reporting spree. The target? Sidewalk cafes different from streeteries that take up parking spaces and other allegedly illegal outdoor structures used for dining. On one day recently, FD22 submitted six of these complaints accompanied by photo evidence. Should we believe the order of submissions resembles FD22s path that day, it presumably started in Center City, making its way to Old City, then Fitler Square, and Pennsport, totaling about 45 minutes of driving or more than two hours on foot. Zoom in and it looks as though some of the photos were taken from the inside of a car with a side mirror visible in one sidewalk cafe shot and a bit of a car hood in another. On another day, FD22 filed only three complaints, all in the Italian Market. Two weeks ago, FD22 reported six more businesses. Advertisement FD22s reports have not gone unnoticed. While scrolling through the 311 app, someone noticed FD22s work, compiled screenshots of the reports, and posted them on the internet forum Reddit with the subject headline: Wondering where all the sidewalk cafes are going? Someones bulk reporting them to 311. Naturally, jokes about grabbing the pitchforks and finding the person doing the reporting ensued. Because FD22 is reporting anonymously, The Inquirer could not reach out for comment to ask about this new passion. Still, hundreds of people on Reddit tried to guess FD22s motivations: Maybe this is a wheelchair user or person with a stroller concerned about accessibility? FD22 already has to deal with cars blocking the crosswalks and parking on sidewalks, some surmised. City guidelines require that sidewalk cafes have a six-foot-wide path for pedestrians, but many restaurants still do not comply, forcing those with mobility issues to navigate not just the streets but also tables, chairs and diners. For the most part, internet users have come to the defense of sidewalk cafes, which they say liven up the streets. Some of these instances are just a few tiny chairs that are nowhere near blocking the sidewalk, wrote the person who posted about the 311 reports on Reddit. If we punish every good thing for not being 100% legit I worry well end up with less business, less to do, and less safe streets. But if sidewalk cafes are disappearing, it doesnt appear to be because of FD22s work. Much of the complaints remain in progress or waiting in the 311 universe, along with endless complaints about abandoned cars, illegal dumping, and broken streetlights, waiting to be passed along to responsible agencies. Spokespeople for L&I and the Streets Department would not say whether the bulk reporting creates a potential for backlog on already overburdened systems. And a spokesperson for Philly311 said the system had not experienced an increase in unlicensed business complaints in recent months even with the FD22 complaints. Whether you see FD22 as a hero or curmudgeon largely depends on what side of the sidewalk seating youre on. Regardless, people cant help but be fascinated by FD22 going around the city and reporting those perceived to be obstructing to the publics right of way. For Beth Amadio, owner of Fitler Squares Cotoletta, being reported on 311 came as a surprise. Her business was one of six reported in one day and shed not heard of the complaint or from any regulatory agency when The Inquirer reached out. She said neighbors liked the outdoor setup. Its not just like people throwing tables outside, she said, as she tried to look up her paperwork online, certain she was up to code and up to date. If anybodys license is expired, all they have to do is go online and renew it. Its probably just an oversight, you know. Frank Menniti, owner of Nittys Tavern in South Philadelphia, said he also didnt know his business was reported. He said hes going through an appeals process to try to keep his outdoor seating but the paperwork has been cumbersome and he does believe hes gotten at least one fine from the city. Theyre not giving me any guidance on how to go about it, said Menniti of his sidewalk cafe, which is under a shelter made of wood. Sidewalk cafe licenses allow bars and restaurants to have public seating on sidewalks. Requirements include having a commercial activity license, liability insurance, and being current on all taxes. A streetery license allows restaurants to have outdoor seating in the parking lane, but business owners have been critical of the many requirements and restrictions. Many restaurants got rid of their streeteries as the city began to crack down on the structures this year. READ MORE: Philly restaurants reluctantly dismantle their streeteries ahead of city crackdown. No licenses have even been approved yet. Reddit users noted that plenty of restaurants seem to ignore the rules, including a few of the establishments FD22 singled out, which appear to leave little sidewalk room for people with strollers or wheelchairs. Some oversight would be good, they said. But Steve Hencheck is not worrying about other businesses, just his. The owner of Gleaners Cafe, Hencheck would go on 311 to respond to FD22s complaint directly. Although his small tables extend from the sidewalk to the street, Hencheck said hes technically not in a parking lane and he worked with the city years ago to be able to place a few tables on that stretch of Ninth Street similar to how some businesses extend their produce stands. I had to jump through a bunch of hoops, he said in an interview. It was fine. I did it. Its over and now its legit and I dont know I just keep my head down and go. Whoever is reporting sidewalk cafes is also keeping his or her head down and carrying on. FD22 has not filed a complaint under that username in a week but someone anonymously reported five more businesses for illegal sidewalk cafes in the last week in a way that very much resembles FD22s filing style. Black Cobra Military Supplies (BCMS), a tactical gear manufacturer based in Abu Dhabi, has announced that it has signed an agreement with Ostim Defence and Aerospace Cluster in Ankara (OSSA) based in Turkiye, in bid to create significant opportunities for growth and innovation in the defence and aerospace sectors, thus fostering advancements in technology and promoting cooperation between the two nations. A member of Emirates Defence Companies Council (EDCC), the Black Cobra said as per the deal, the two will continue to work closely together to develop a comprehensive plan for collaboration between the two institutions, encompassing mutual business development opportunities, technology transfer, and strategic partnerships with Turkish SMEs. The MoU was signed by the top management of Black Cobra Military Supplies, Ali Al Mannaee, Chief Executive Officer and Mostafa El Samahy, Managing Director and Ibrahim Yarsan, the Chairman of the Board of OSSA during the International Defence Exhibition 2023 in Istanbul. Al Mannaee said: "We are excited about the prospects of collaborating with OSSA. This partnership represents a significant step forward for both our organisations, allowing us to leverage each other's expertise and resources to drive innovation and growth in the defence sector." OSSA Chairman Ibrahim Yarsan said: "We believe that working closely with Black Cobra Military Supplies will open up new possibilities for advancements in defence technology. This partnership aligns with our mission to promote technological excellence and global partnerships." "The collaboration aims to deliver cutting-edge and dependable system solutions, demonstrating exceptional performance for both domestic and international users. The signing of the deal at IDEF 2023 marks a significant milestone in advancing this objective and further solidifies our partnership," he added. Opinion / Columnist ED is just about to plunge Zimbabwe into an unprecedented electoral and national crisis. Never target a tribe or victimize a region twice! nelson chamisa (@nelsonchamisa) July 28, 2023 "Never target a tribe or victimise a region twice" - Nelson Chamisa, responding to the High Court decision that nullified his 12 parliamentary candidates in Bulawayo.Good gracious. The following needs to be said plainly and bluntly.It's outrageous, insensitive, irresponsible, unacceptable and objectionable in the extreme for Advocate Nelson Chamisa and his CCC to recklessly and opportunistically respond to yesterday's High Court nullification of the nomination of 12 CCC parliamentary candidates in Bulawayo province by using Matabeleland as cannon fodder to compensate for or cover up their lack of a constitution, lack of structures, lack of a bank account, contempt of the local community in Bulawayo where from Harare they arrogantly imposed candidates who either are not from the community or who lost or who did not even participate in the "community selection caucuses".From the court record and the High Court judgment as well as the abundant evidence in the public domain it is clear that the Advocate Chamisa and his cohort in charge of CCC deliberately and illegally got their 12 candidates to submit their nomination papers in the dead of night, well after the Nomination Court had closed at 4pm, as a desperate and misguided strategy of seeking to prevent or block double and triple nomination of candidates by disgruntled CCC members who had fallen victim to Advocate Chamisa's strategic ambiguity" approach to the (mis)management of CCC affairs.CCC is not Matabeleland, and Matabeleland is not CCC. There's nothing ambiguous about what or who Matabeleland is, history is very clear about that.It is an open secret to CCC member in Bulawayo that if CCC had a constitution, disgruntled members who felt cheated in the "Bereka Mwana" selection process by the imposition of candidates, would have had recourse to remedy their grievances; that if CCC had local structures those structures would have better handled the candidate nomination exercise on Nomination Court day as MDC structures used to do before; and that if CCC had a bank account the transfer and payment of nomination fees would not have required runners from Harare or sidekicks in Bulawayo, who delayed with the money and kept candidates waiting to no end.An as yet to be launched political party with no constitution, no structures, no office bearers and no bank account cannot operate efficiently anywhere on earth. The sooner CCC and its well-wishers grip this fundamental, the better for them.There's one thing that Advocate Chamisa should understand and it is that, if you're a political leader and you're quiet and you let your base celebrate the nullification of 87 candidates belonging to another opposition party for not paying nomination fees on time or through the means preferred by ZEC, you have no moral leg to stand on upon which to threaten disorder and trouble over the nullification of the nomination of 12 of your own candidates for submitting their nomination papers not only at night after the Nomination Court had closed at 4 pm, but also including on the following day, which was not a nomination day.It is not a credible defence to say but ZEC confirms that the nomination papers were submitted on time, as if suddenly Advocate Chamisa and CCC believe that what ZEC says is the gospel truth to be believed by all sundry without proof or verification of the truth. The idea that for CCC, ZEC is right only if or when it supports CCC or its position and wrong if or when it supports political opponents of CCC, or their position is downright primitive and ridiculous.Finally, and this is very important, the fact that the High Court in Bulawayo has nullified the nomination of 12 CCC candidates doe does not mean there will be no parliamentary election contest in Bulawayo on 23 August 2023. Quite the contrary, 10 political parties and independents will slug it out in the province, and this means that serious local parties rooted in the local community, such as Zapu and UZA, who took the Nomination Court seriously have a real chance to make their mark and to win some seats in nine constituencies because only three out of the province's 12 constituencies will go uncontested, as a result of the High Court decision.It is utterly wrong for Advocate Chamisa and his constitutionless, structureless, policyless political party which believes in strategic ambiguity' as the best approach to political communication inside and outside its ranks, to either hold everyone else to ransom or to expect to be rewarded for its self-evident incompetence and manifest disorganisation in its handling of the nomination papers for its candidates in Bulawayo.It's just wrong.The naked truth is that CCC had a clear advantage in Bulawayo's 12 constituencies, those constituencies were there for CCC's taking.And, like other contesting political parties, CCC had 10 days from 11 June 2023 to 21 June 2023 to submit its nomination papers for its candidates.But, alas, CCC decided not to submit its nomination papers until the midnight hour on the last day of nomination, 21 June 2023; because of Advocate Chamisa's 'strategic ambiguity' - whose main purpose is to purge CCC of Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC old guard and the likes of Tendai Biti and Prof Welshman Ncube, along with their unwanted associates across the country.The 'strategic ambiguity' idea of blocking triple or double candidate nomination by waiting till late to submit the nomination papers of the 12 CCC candidates for Bulawayo simply did not work, not least because their nomination papers done in Harare were fatally defective, this was discovered late in the day, and the defective flaws needed to be corrected from Harare, as Bulawayo structures were not involved at all.Someone at ZEC tried to play goodie goodie by getting the Nomination Court to accept the fresh but late and thus illegal nomination papers that had been corrected late by Harare, well after the Court had closed.The decision by the Bulawayo High Court to nullify the nomination of the 12 CCC candidates has exposed the damaging cracks in Advocate Chamisa's 'strategic ambiguity" approach, which has badly boomeranged on him, on CCC and on ZEC. Now the chickens are coming home to roost and the only responsible thing for Advocate Chamisa and CCC to do is to lie on the bed that they made for themselves, without recklessly and irresponsibly using Matabeleland as cannon fodder for a fight that has absolutely nothing to do with the region! Photos of the Eagles second day of training camp Share Icon Link copied to clipboard The Philadelphia Eagles held their second open training camp session on Friday, July 28, 2023 at the NovaCare Complex. "Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Fergie has just been injured. Theyve found you in the crowd. You know all the moves. This is your moment. And 3, 2, 1 The music starts, and the room thrusts forward as PJ Kirby calls out the steps. Under his instruction, I am strutting across a floor in Liffey Trust Studios, all hips and hair flicks, lip-synching along to boys just come and go like seasons. Im having fun, despite the fact Ive just realised that the secret suspicion I harboured of being very good on Dancing with the Stars if I ever got the call is very, very wrong. I realise just how wrong I am when Kirby shoos the 40-50 students in his Throwing Shapes class to the side to demonstrate the routine in full before we have another go ourselves. Were all captivated by him, erupting in whoops and cheers as he blushes, dont embarrass me. At 64, Kirby could never have been a wallflower the Cork dancer was destined to stand out, even if he wasnt always ready to embrace it. Theres a thing in Cork, where if someone loves themselves, you call them septic, Kirby tells me over an iced oat latte in Dublins As One cafe. Oh my god, shes septic, she loves herself. Youre allowed to be septic in [my] class, youre allowed to love yourself. When Kirby, 30, says this, he says it with some authority. Born in 1993, his arrival coincided with the year homosexuality was decriminalised in the State. PJ Kirby: 'Growing up, I didnt know that many queer people or gay people on the north side of Cork.' Picture: Brown Thomas But as the Blarney Street native says wryly, people werent exactly flying the flag in his youth. Growing up, I didnt know that many queer people or gay people on the north side of Cork. There was one boy who came out in secondary school, but he was getting stones thrown at him. So, I was terrified. Thats why I think I didnt come out until I was 20 when I moved [to London]. I didnt think I was going to be able to. Kirby, who has become one of the most recognisable faces or rather, voices of Corks LGBTQIA+ community thanks in part to his chart-topping podcast Im Grand Mam (hosted with fellow Corkonian Kevin Twomey), is chatting with me ahead of Corks Pride festival. Naturally, one of my first questions relates to his experience coming out. I hate asking it, I tell him, it feels invasive. The whole coming out thing, I hope we get to a stage where no one has to come out, he says, no hetero person has to sit down and tell their parents, basically, who they want to have sex with. Kirby tells me the first person he ever came out to was his late father, Patrick, who was in a coma at the time. Everyone in the hospital said your hearing is the last thing to go so if you have anything to say, say it now. That gave me the shove to own my truth I know how wanky that sounds but it did. I am really grateful for that. I was filled with so much shame, I thought I would never come out. I thought I would never get married, never have kids. I was really in turmoil. I think that whole situation [with my dad] made me realise life is way too short and it can be taken away in two seconds. While Kirbys father sadly never got the opportunity to react to his sons coming out, the podcaster says he feels his father gave [him] the push I needed to come out. PJ Kirby: "I thought I would never get married, never have kids. I was really in turmoil." Picture: Miki Barlok There have been loads of times I felt robbed but, if I look at it from a positive angle... I dont know if he would have accepted me, I dont know how that journey would have went, but I am grateful that, that moment has led me to where I am now, really proud of who I am. But while his first coming out experience may have a dramatic sheen to it, as time went on, the repetitiveness of the occasion led to a kind of irreverence. You have to come out a million times, he says, his vintage engagement ring twinkling against the plastic cup, I started just getting really flippant with it. 'I WAS SO LUCKY SHE WAS JUST WORRIED' He came out to one of his sisters driving round the roundabout out of Cork Airport (she nearly crashed the car) and his mother by casually asking, Hey Mam, guess whos gay? She said, Oh I dunno, who? and I said Me. She laughed thinking I was messing and I said, No, seriously. She didnt know what to do, he says laughing. At the time, he thought his mother had taken the news well. I always thought, my mams gonna be so fine with it. But a year after I came out, she told me she really struggled, he says. Because she was afraid for me. She was thinking my life was gonna be so difficult. She was thinking of people being mean to me in the streets, the prejudice Id face. She lived through the AIDS epidemic... she had to go on a huge journey. Now shes like, the biggest ally in the world. Shes queen of the gays, Nuala Kirby, he says with a grin. I was so lucky that she was just worried about me. Worry comes from love. PJ Kirby with mother Nuala and other guests on the Late Late Show And when it comes to love theres a lot of it in PJs life right now. The Blarney Street native got engaged to photographer-beau Jose Galang on New Years Eve 2022, who popped the question via a birthday cake iced with Will you marry me? Asked how the wedding planning is coming along he deadpans, Its not, really. Since the engagement, hes been touring Cliche, a one-man show about a gay man having an identity crisis, writing an upcoming book with Twomey for Gill ( The Im Grand Mamual, out October 12), and hosting various events across Dublin as part of his role as a multidisciplinary creative he delivers the title with an eye roll. Does he feel the pressure, I wonder, as an openly queer man, to deliver a certain kind of wedding? PJ Kirby at the Platinum VIP Style Awards 2023 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre in Golden Lane, Dublin. Picture: Brian McEvoy I told my friends mam everyone will be wearing a dress, and she said What if the lads dont want to? I said, Oh no theyll have to, its a gay wedding, he laughs. But yeah... people who know me know me, say they know the wedding will be cool and tasteful, but some other people are like Its going to be fabulous honey slay! So, there is a bit of that. I dont want it to become a spectacle or a gimmick. I dont want it to be like I was at a gay wedding. I want people to say I was at PJ and Joses wedding. Kirby, who last year organised a successful fundraiser for LGBT Ireland to hire a Key Support Worker to work in the area of hate crime, says he feels he is one of the most privileged members of the community as a white, gay cis man who can take care of himself (in Cliche, he alludes to the fact he wasnt afraid to get his knuckles out to defend himself in his youth) and with Pride, he feels a responsibility to speak up and be visibly queer for those who are still struggling to be accepted in todays society. 'YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN WITH SOMEONE' Like many of his peers, he has noticed what appears to be a poisonous spread of anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment from the US and UK, which has taken hold in Ireland in recent times. Kirbys fundraiser for LGBT Ireland came in the wake of the killings of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee in Co Sligo in 2022, which had followed the Dublin city centre assault of gay man Evan Somers, who was walking along Dame Street following a night out in The George. In recent months, Pride flags have been burned in Waterford. Bricks have smashed through gay bars in Dublin. Libraries have been issued with instructions for securing buildings as protesters attempt to remove LGTBQIA+ books for young people, drag queens have been harassed at work. PJ Kirby is releasing his first book with podcast host Kevin Twomey in October In May, the nation showed collective outrage as video footage emerged of a teenager being assaulted online, purportedly a victim of bullying because of his sexuality. Kirby too experienced what life outside his bubble was like when he appeared on The Late Late Show back in March. Dressed in a mesh top with painted nails and earrings, he says he was ripped apart on Facebook. I think Pride for me in 2023 is going to be about not being afraid to talk to those people [who dont accept members of the LGBTQIA+ community or aspects of how they live their lives]. Saying fuck you, youre so stupid is not going to incite change. You need to be able to sit down with someone who has a completely different opinion and yes, in the back of my mind I am thinking that opinion is wrong, everyone should have the right to live the way they want but calling someone homophobic, all its going to do is make them defensive. If you sit down and ask them why they believe what theyre saying, keep asking why, then you have more of an opportunity to alter someones perception. There have been a few times Ive been drinking in Cork with friends, and friends of friends will arrive, and one of the lads lads might make an off-hand comment and Ill pull him on it. Nine times out of ten, after chatting, they always go oh, yeah, and its altered the way they [think]. I also would like to work on taking the fear out of people asking questions. I think a lot of the time, especially the older Irish community, they just dont understand. My mam, for example, doesnt understand what a non-binary person is its not that she doesnt agree with them, she just doesnt understand, its not something she grew up with or ever had to understand. "So, sometimes some of the questions shell ask are offensive, but her heart is in the right place. I think if their heart is in the right place, dont jump down their throat. The more we ask, the more we learn. What happened to that poor student in Navan... those kids werent born hating someone who is different. They learned that, he says. The line left unsaid is they can unlearn it. I am still learning too. The beginning of the National Party was inauspicious, to say the least, but few saw its future as being embroiled in a row over 400,000 worth of gold bars. The party had registered in August 2016 and, in November of that year, planned a launch event in the swanky Merrion Hotel in Dublin's city centre. The invite said that the hitherto mysterious party was to be led by Justin Barrett, the former chair of the No To Nice campaign and James Reynolds, a Longford farmer. Mr Barrett had run for Europe in 2004, polling 2.4% of the vote in the East constituency. He had previously defended speaking at an event in Germany held by the extreme right-wing National Democratic Party. At the time, he told RTE that he was only attending the meetings in his capacity as a member of the pro-life movement. However, the Irish Alliance for Europe said that not alone was Mr Barrett a guest of honour at an NPD rally in Bavaria in May 2000 but that in 1999 he had attended the conference of the party's youth groupYoung National Democrats. In 2001, he had been reported to have attended events of the Italian neo-Fascist group Forza Nuova. The 2016 re-emergence of Mr Barrett came at a time when right-wing and far-right politics were in bloom across the world. Donald Trump and Brexit had shown how a nationalistic, identity-led campaign could be translated into votes, but Ireland had yet to see any such breakthrough. The press release at the time said that Irelands elites continue to value signal their masters in the increasingly dictatorial Federal European Union by an unrestricted policy of immigration to the point of population displacement. Justin Barrett, the former chair of the No To Nice campaign, pictured outside Government Buildings in Dublin in 2001. In 2001, he had also been reported to have attended events of the Italian neo-Fascist group Forza Nuova. File photo: RollingNews.ie "That one party, loyal to the Republic and a sovereign people, dedicated to unity by consent, that one party committed to real and sustainable economic growth, that one party which will speak for the great silent majority who have seen the beginnings of multi-culturalism with growing dismay, that one party who will represent that so basic of equalities, the equal right to be alive, that party is the National Party." The Merrion cancelled the event amid a backlash online, but Mr Barrett was interviewed on Today FM and said that he would like to see immigrants leave the country. Party officials admitted that they were trying to capitalise on the back of the election of Donald Trump and when asked about his opinions on immigrants in Ireland, Mr Barrett said: They have done in their numbers exactly what I said they were going to do. He said that immigrants had skewed the economy, pinning much of the blame for the financial crash on foreign labour. He said Irelands mainstream parties did not represent people opposed to mass immigration. Their supporters are deeply dismayed but you cant bring it up at a political party meeting, he said. Weve been holding meetings to see the level of support that is out or could be out there for the nationalist agenda. James Reynolds and the ICSA In 2017, Mr Reynolds lost a legal application to continue an injunction preventing the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) from removing him from senior positions he had held with the organisation. The ICSA said it had decided to remove Mr Reynolds as a member of the county executive for Longford for its national executive and as the ICSA's National Treasurer because of his involvement with the National Party which it described as being "in the mode of right-wing European Movements." At the time, Mr Justice Paul Gilligan said he was satisfied not to put an injunction in place until the dispute had been determined. The judge noted the ICSA held a special meeting in November 2016 to discuss Mr Reynold's involvement in the National Party. Read More Michael Clifford: Large garda presence keeps things under control at Dail protest Noting the breakdown in the relationship between the two parties, the judge said: "The views of the National Party are in direct conflict and are at odds to those of the ICSA." Members particularly cited having to distance themselves from the party and what they felt was a damaging of media relations. Mr Reynolds had gone on the Claire Byrne Live TV programme, where he spoke on behalf of the National Party, and criticised the efforts of the Irish Naval Service in rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean. Mr Reynolds had also said that RTE and Newstalk published fake news stories. Abortion referendum With the 2016 election having passed, the party looked to the 2018 referendum on abortion. Mr Barrett had first come to prominence as a member of the anti-abortion Youth Defence group, but had left them in 2002 becauseaccording to an archived version of the National Party's websitehe "felt their methods of campaigning and interacting with the public were becoming increasingly more extreme and counterproductive". So in 2018, he established Abortion Never; "an Irish nationalist anti-abortion campaign". During the campaign, Abortion Never told a group of pensioners that they were "next" if abortion was legalised. Elections In 2019, the party opted not to run any candidates in the European or local elections but Mr Barrett did make headlines when he was filmed at a protest outside Google's Dublin offices saying that then-Lord Mayor of Dublin and Green Party councillor Hazel Chu was an Irish citizen and "that is the law until we get the law in our own hands". Ms Chu was born in Dublin. The 2020 election saw the National Party put forward 10 candidates, though Mr Barrett was not among them. The party, which has no elected TDs or senators, declared around 17,000 in spending in the 2020 election. Mr Barrett was the partys candidate in the 2021 Dublin Bay South by-election, where he received 187 votes, 0.7% of the overall vote. His Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) returns declare no expenses on his campaign. Prominent party member Philip Dwyer was removed from the party after a vigil was held at the grave of murdered schoolteacher Aisling Murphy, though Mr Dwyer would claim that this was a pretense used to oust him after he raised issues about inaction within the party. That "inaction" was felt by many on the far-right in Ireland, who felt that the National Party had become peripheral to the "movement" and was left behind by the likes of the Irish Freedom Party when anti-migrant protests sprung up at the beginning of this year. Indeed, the advent of alternative social media platforms like Telegram saw the party largely sidelined as a new wave of far-right personalities came to the fore. The gold bars But while the party may have been less active than some in its ranks wanted, it was quietly sitting on a fortune. Mr Barrett posted a statement on Twitter late on Sunday night saying that bars of goldunderstood to be worth over 400,000had been taken from the party's vault safe without his knowledge by senior members. Gardai have said that enquiries are ongoing, but sources said that the gold has been located and gardai are working to establish ownership and will be updated if it is to be moved. Mr Barrett's statement says that the gold was held to form the main part of the partys reserves in case of a mishap in general or more particularly a collapse in the value of fiat currency. But according to published reports, the far-right party has not furnished the Sipo with accounts for each of the last three years and its spending has been minimal. So how did it land on so much money? National Party leader Justin Barrett being escorted by supporters as he leaves the RDS count centre for the Dublin Bay South by-election in 2021. His Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) returns declared no expenses on his campaign. File photo: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie Mr Barrett's statement said that the money was "dearly gathered by the sacrifice of party members and supporters", but under the Electoral Act any annual political donations received either by the party or a subsidiary organisation of that party in excess of 1,500 from an individual or corporate donor must be declared and the limit per donor is 2,500. Foreign donations are banned. The country's ethics watchdog Sipo has already said that it has no real powers to sanction non-compliance, but gardai are seeking to establish how the gold was paid for. If the garda investigation determines the source of the money comes from a legitimate source, then their investigation ends, but other agencies could be contacted, such as Revenue. For some who monitor far-right activity in Ireland, the gold crystallises a troubling realitythe National Party vehicle may have failed to gain traction electorally, but there is a mass of resources there ready to spread their message and many of those who are finding the most success don't have to adhere to political party rules. In 2019, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan was ridiculed for suggesting that rural towns and villages should operate car-pooling systems. But with parts of Europe now literally burning, it is the Taoiseach who should be attracting opprobrium for continuing to promote car use. Just a few hours after Cabinet had signed off on an ambitious 36 billion all-Island railway expansion plan this week, Leo Varadkar made a bizarre intervention undermining the sustainable theme, claiming that, if anything, the strategy makes the case for investing more in our roads network. With three out of four citizens, on average, opting to travel by car on a daily basis, current mobility patterns in Ireland are incompatible with the countrys greenhouse gas reduction targets. Politicians and the public need to get real: our over-reliance on the car must end. This is an ask that is currently impossible for many as transport habits centre around other factors that tend not to change. Where a person lives, their social life and activities, how they work as well as the distance from friends and family are considerations that often do no align with the availability of public transport. The all-island railway blueprint sets out plans to increase the frequency and speed of trains to make them a more attractive option; it identifies old routes that should be reopened and outlines how more haulage can be taken off our roads by creating rail links to ports in Limerick, Cork, Rosslare, and Dublin. Nonetheless, the Taoiseach warned that in a country the size of Ireland there are "limitations" to what can be done in relation to rail expansion. Our ambitions around rail may have progressively shrunk in the decades since the foundation of the State, but the size of our island certainly hasn't reduced since 1920 when, at its peak, the public was serviced by more than 5,500 km of railway. Today, the island of Ireland has about 2,300km of public rail lines. Mr Varadkar stated that even if all the projects outlined in the review are delivered, just 10% of freight will go by rail and only 6% of passenger journeys will be by train. Road investment "So that makes the case to me for more road investment, because 90% of freight will still be by road and 94% of passenger journeys will still be by road, even if we do all of those things by 2050," he told reporters. Mr Ryan later insisted that these estimates are on the conservative end of the scale and stressed that where public transport is provided, people will use it. Of course, Mr Varadkar has previous form in pushing a pessimistic narrative when it comes to rail. Last year, after the Government approved Dublin's long-anticipated MetroLink he warned that an "extreme-case scenario" could see the cost of the project hit 23bn, up from 3bn when it was first proposed back in 2005. Mr Varadkar's comments this week will undoubtedly have gone down well with Fine Gael backbenchers, who have not been shy in venting their anger around the lack of delivery on road projects. But now is not the time to be pandering to party colleagues who, with an election on the horizon, are clearly prioritising short-term constituency gains over the existential global threat posed by climate change. "The Taoiseach may be speaking to his backbenchers, but he risks being on the wrong side of history," said Brian Caulfield, Professor in Transportation at Trinity College Dublin. Transport represents about 18% of Irelands carbon emissions, with road transport and private car usage carrying the most significant carbon footprint. Under sectoral emission targets agreed last July, the transport sector must reduce its emissions by 50% by 2030. The Government has now been consistently warned that even if every single proposed carbon reduction measure is fully implemented, we will not meet our targets in the area of transport. In the same week as Mr Varadkar was lobbying for further investment in roads, the Climate Change Advisory Council identified 2023 as a critical year for the delivery of Irelands national climate action. The Council warned that at the current rate of policy implementation, Ireland will not meet the targets set in the first and second carbon budget periods unless urgent action is taken immediately, and emissions begin to fall much more rapidly. Strong leadership from Government is required to make the difficult decisions that are needed to deliver systemic change throughout our economy and society," chair of the Council Marie Donnelly said. Transport minister Eamon Ryan says that where public transport is provided, people will use it. But Mr Varadkar's approach seems to be more of the same, except make it electric. Of course, electric vehicles are part of the equation, but just like improvements in rail networks, they are only going to get us to a certain place along the overall journey. A report published by the OECD last October stated that decarbonising the system via private vehicle improvements is unlikely to lead to substantially different patterns of behaviour, rapid emissions reductions, or large well-being improvements. The report added that currently prioritised policies, such as electric vehicle incentives, also reinforce car dependency, further locking the country into a system that fosters growing car use and emissions by design. Complete rethink If we are to get anywhere near the 50% reduction target, it will require a complete rethink in approach that every single member of the Government, and the opposition, gets thoroughly on board with and promotes. Old proposals should now be reconsidered and new ideas welcomed. Back in 2019 as an opposition TD, Mr Ryan came up with his car-polling suggestion, which was instantly dismissed as impractical and absurd. "There is no reason in rural Ireland that we couldn't have a scheme, let's say in a local village where there are 200 or 300 families, they have 30 cars that they share," Ryan said at the time, pointing to the fact that most family cars are parked up for the majority of the time. Such was the level of fury and public outrage, that a few days later he was forced to admit that he regretted floating the idea as it was interpreted as a "mad thing". But we have got to the stage where policies previously deemed "mad" must be considered in order to achieve carbon reduction targets. Now is not the time for playing to a gallery of backbenchers, the Taoiseach should know that. He should also know that even if every motorist changes to electric, it will still not reduce emissions nearly enough. He should know that protecting the planet means making uncomfortable and unpopular decisions. He should know that real leadership is now required if he and his Government want to be on the right side of history. A house called Costa Brava is quite an unexpected find in Kenmare which is famous for being scenic and cosmopolitan but not in any way for its resemblance to the Mediterranean. But for the Dutch family, who built the spacious five-bed property in the early 2000s and have been holidaying there ever since, it is Costa Brava. My mother always called it her Costa Brava, says the owner, who has happy memories of spending sunny childhood holidays there when all his other relatives went to Spain. His father wanted a second home in Canada but his mother said this was too far and chose Ireland instead, he says explaining that they came to buy a house but fell in love with a scenic coastal site at Kilbaha East, a few km outside Kenmare. The house which his parents built and his mother called Costa Brava, is stone faced and spacious and includes a one-bed guest apartment and for relaxation, a sauna, a steam room and a high tech shower cabinet. A well maintained property which has only ever been used as a family holiday home, it was designed with ease of maintenance in mind and has tiled flooring with underfloor heating and a good B3 BER rating. Large picture windows frame the views which are particularly scenic from the kitchen, the living room, the sunroom and the main upstairs bedroom. One side of the house faces Kenmare Bay and the McGillycuddy Reeks,which can be seen in the distance, while the other has views of Killaha Mountain on Beara. Almost as surprising as the houses name, is the presence of several animal heads on the walls of some of the rooms. Theres an antelope head at the top of the stairs and a moose head in the guest apartment while a corridor on the upper floor contains several bear skins. Theres a story behind every one, says the owner who says that he and his father collected these trophies while hunting on several continents over many years. Sherry FitzGerald Daly, who sold the site to the Dutch couple back in 2000, are now offering the four-bed house, one bed guest apartment and the 2.2 acre site for a guide price of 1 million. Accommodation in the main house includes a living room with bookshelves and a black marble fireplace as well as a large open plan kitchen / sunroom/ dining area with painted shaker style units with granite counter tops. Kitchen Open plan dining At ground level theres also a large en suite bedroom, a utility room and guest WC. The upper floor of the main house has three bedrooms including two en suites and a central one with a large window with scenic views of Kenmare Bay and the mountains beyond. The 83 sq metre guest apartment can be accessed from the first floor through a passageway which has six skylights and is decorated with bear skins. The upper floor section of the guest apartment has a living area with views of Killaha Mountain, a bedroom and a bathroom. At ground floor level theres a kitchen cum living area as well as a sauna room, a steam room, a high tech shower unit and a guest WC. The 2.2 acre site is mostly lawned with mature trees at one side and at the boundaries and has a large detached stone-faced garage. Located at Killaha East on the Beara Peninsula, a little over three km from Kenmare, Costa Brava is within half an hours drive from Glengarriff. Auctioneer John Daly says it is attracting interest from Dublin buyers, who continue to be big spenders in the area, as well as Europeans, and Americans Spacious properties this close to Kenmare which have both sea views and private grounds are very scarce, he observes. VERDICT: Costa Brava with a difference Bangladesh police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at stone-throwing opposition party supporters blocking major roads in the capital Dhaka on Saturday to demand the prime ministers resignation. The main opposition party, in disarray since its leader Khaleda Zia was jailed in 2018 on graft charges, has held bigger protest rallies in recent months, including one on Friday, drawing tens of thousands of supporters amid anger over the cost of living. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has been calling for prime minister Sheikh Hasina to step down and for the next election, due in January 2024, to be held under a neutral caretaker government - a demand her government has rejected. Smoke rises as the supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) set a bus on fire in Shonir Akhra area while staging sit-in rallies Picture: Reuters BNP activists set fire to buses and exploded petrol bombs, according to police and media. Our force was attacked without any reason. They were only trying to ease the traffic flow, said Faruq Ahmed, a spokesman for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. We had to fire tear gas and rubber bullets to control the situation, he added. The BNP said dozens of its supporters were injured. Police said at least 20 officers were hurt in the clashes. At least 90 people were arrested, while two senior BNP leaders were taken into police custody and later freed, police said. Senior BNP leader Abdul Moyeen Khan denounced the police action as an injustice. "Today's rampant action ... only confirmed the autocratic nature of the ruling regime and fully exposes their motives to remain in power through a rigged election," he told Reuters. He said more than 100 demonstrators had been arrested and scores were severely beaten up, while police were seeking to curtail people's "fundamental right of association". Western governments and rights groups have criticised the government for cracking down on anti-government protests. Supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) engage in a clash with police in Shonir Akhra area In May, the United States said it would restrict visas for Bangladeshis who undermine the democratic process at home. Concern flared after accusations of vote-rigging and suppressing the opposition marred elections in 2014 and 2018. Ms Hasina's government has denied the charges. Ms Hasina, who has maintained tight control since coming to power in 2009, has been accused of authoritarianism, human rights violations, cracking down on free speech and suppressing dissent while jailing her critics. Ms Hasina's arch rival, former premier Khaleda, was allowed to stay at home in Dhaka under a special provision since the COVID-19 pandemic but was barred from political activity. Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, has said he may look into getting a Dutch passport as England doesnt feel like home after what Ive been through. Mr Malkinson, 57, was wrongly found guilty of raping a woman in Greater Manchester in 2003 and the next year was jailed for life with a minimum term of seven years. He served 10 more years because he maintained his innocence, but his conviction was quashed by senior judges at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday after DNA evidence linking another man to the crime came to light. Andrew Malkinson, who served 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, reads a statement outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, after being cleared by the Court of Appeal. Picture: PA As he set off from London for a trip to Holland, where he went backpacking in his youth and has the friendship of a trusted ex-girlfriend, he told the Daily Mirror: Its been a long time coming but this is the first day of the rest of my life. I was born here but I dont identify with it and it doesnt feel like home after what Ive been through. I feel more Dutch than English and Id like the Foreign Office to negotiate a Dutch passport. I dont think its a big ask on humanitarian grounds. The newspaper said Mr Malkinson has missed out on seeing his son grow up hopes to visit his sisters and their children in Australia, but also has to deal with type 1 diabetes. He told the newspaper: Im not well. If I make 70 Ill be doing well. Mr Malkinson is now also concerned that he could, under current rules, face deductions from any compensation for the living costs covered during his time in prison. The rules can be traced back to a 2007 ruling by the House of Lords, at a time when it was the countrys highest court. The chairman of the Commons Justice Committee Bob Neill has added his voice to concerns about current practice. Mr Neill told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think any fair minded person thinks this is just wrong. It goes back to a tightening of the rules of criminal compensation or compensation for miscarriages of justice in this case, by the Labour government in 2006. And the argument that was made was that the public might be potentially offended for forking out money towards people who are cleared on technicalities. He added: The Malkinson case manifestly is not being cleared on a technicality. The DNA evidence makes it abundantly clear. To say its adding insult to injury is probably to put it more mildly than it deserves. Its clearly not right that somebody who was deprived of their liberty, because of the failures of the state and its institutions for a number of years, then should pay the state or be obliged to give some money back to the state, for the privilege of having been wrongly incarcerated. That surely offends any any kind of sense of justice. Tricia, the mother Andrew Malkinson outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London after he was cleared by the Court of Appeal. Picture: PA He said that he would like ministers to change the rules to protect those wrongly convicted from paying such costs. The sums involved are trivial in the overall scheme of things, he said. Mr Malkinsons mother Tricia, 76, said he has been damaged by injustice, and urged the public not to forget him as he will still need to find fairness and his place in society. She told The Times: This is not about the money, its about the fact hes lost 20 years of his life. Hes an intelligent man and this has been a waste of his life I wonder what he could have achieved if this hadnt happened. This is only the beginning. The court will decide later whether Mr Malkinsons convictions were also unsafe because of what his lawyer Edward Henry KC called deplorable disclosure failures, which mostly lay at the door of the Greater Manchester Police. They include police photographs of the victims left hand, which supported her evidence that she broke a nail scratching the face of her attacker, and the fact the two witnesses who identified Mr Malkinson had convictions for dishonesty offences and one was a heroin addict. None of this was available to Mr Malkinsons defence team at his trial and Mr Henry said the failure to disclose the photographs deprived Mr Malkinson of his strongest defence point his lack of any facial injury. Shortly after the 2021 coup, U Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmars ambassador to the United Nations, gave a statement of defiance against military rule and stood up for the ousted civilian government. He flashed a three-finger salute in solidarity with anti-regime protesters before the UN General Assembly in New York in late February 2021 and called on the 193 member states to use any means to reverse the military takeover. The junta responded by trying to oust him and charging him with high treason but he refused to leave his position and continued to be recognized at the United Nations. For his vocal opposition to the juntas rule, he was the target of an assassination plot in 2021. He currently represents the civilian National Unity Government and keeps calling on the UN and international community to stop junta atrocities. The Irrawaddy recently asked him about the progress over Myanmar at the UN, international weaknesses and failures in addressing the crisis and possible action to stop the juntas terror campaign. Could you tell us about how Myanmars issue has been going at the UN and what progress has been made? A United Nations Security Council resolution was adopted on Myanmar [demanding an end to violence and the release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint] in December last year. It is very significant, the first ever on Myanmar. But the military doesnt follow it. The resolution didnt include how to take action against non-compliance, which is a major weakness. There were no clauses in the resolution saying when the Security Council must discuss Myanmar. Last March, the Security Council was briefed by the UNs special envoy to Myanmar but there was no specific discussion on the issues after that. The UK took over the Security Councils presidency in July and it is trying to take action. It held an open debate at the Security Council on women, peace and security and a representative from Myanmar, Naw Hser Hser from the Womens League of Burma, reported on the situation. We will monitor whether another resolution will be passed. The United States takes over the presidency in August. Is the next resolution a follow-up to Decembers resolution? Yes. The resolution has been passed. And we need a follow-up. The first resolution doesnt include measures to hold the junta accountable for its violations and this needs to be added. Since the December resolution, the military has continuously committed massacres, like the Pazi Gyi airstrike, which killed almost 200 people. The international community knows about this tragic incident. There should be measures to take firm action against the junta. The Security Council needs to pass this resolution as soon as possible. This should reduce the juntas torture and killing to an extent. The majority of people have been frustrated and discouraged with the UN. What do you want to say about that? Not only does the public feel frustrated, but we are also too. What we expected and demanded has not yet happened. I am thankful for the things they have tried but there has not been any action to stop the violence. The UN General Assembly has 193 member states and there are 15 members of the Security Council. We urge those countries to pay attention to Myanmar and act. We understand the hopelessness and frustration of our people. Action in the international arena can take time but we wont give up and we will do what we can. Our goal is to put an end to the dictatorship and establish a federal democratic state. Until we reach that goal we have to work in unity. The more united our people are, the louder our peoples demands become and the less easy it is for the international community to ignore them. Lets strengthen our unity, continue to make demands and effective measures will be taken internationally as soon as possible. What message would like to send to the international community from Myanmars people? They should listen to our people carefully and respect their wishes, taking measures to stop the brutality of the military. The Security Council can make legally binding decisions to stop the financial flows to the military, in particular, to prevent the use of fighter jets and helicopters. The international community needs to work vigorously to prevent jet fuel from reaching the military. The faster the international action is taken, the more lives we will be saved. This is urgent. Myanmar junta troops raided an All Burma Federation of Student Unions office in Budalin Township, Sagaing Region, before dawn on Friday and killed three members, the group said. Junta troops killed Ko Kyaw Win Thant, 18, the president of Budalin Township Students Union, Ko Kyal Sin Nyein Chan, 19, the vice president, and spokesman Ko Thuta Nay, 19. By resisting the dictatorship, they sacrificed their lives, fell nobly and will always be remembered, said the group. Around 50 troops from Budalin town raided the Nyaung Kan village office in an unprovoked attack, the group said. The troops surrounded the office and ambushed so our members had no time to escape, the group said. The troops also seized some residents from Nyaung Kan and nearby villages and their whereabouts are unknown. The group posted pictures on social media of student activists protesting against the junta with banners and flags in Budalin Township. The three Budalin Township Students Union members were reportedly been stabbed to death and had their tongues cut out. The troops burned down the groups office, a village school and houses in nearby villages, according to the group. Since the 2021 coup, students unions, alumni groups and independent university organizations have been opposing the dictatorship and student groups have been targeted by the junta as a result. In December, a closed junta court sentenced seven inmates, all under 25, to death, for alleged involvement in an April shooting of a former military officer. More than 130 mostly young people have been put on death row since the 2021 coup. A Myanmar junta captain and lieutenant were killed when their fighter jet was shot down by resistance forces above Bawlakhe Township in Kayah State last month, the Karenni Nationalities Peoples Liberation Front (KNPLF) announced. On June 30, the KNPLF and other resistance forces shot down the aircraft while it was flying low to attack the groups camp. It crashed near Ywar Thit town. The group was unable to identify the aircraft at that time as the crash zone was in junta territory and troops quickly removed the wreckage. The KNPLF said on Thursday that it had confirmed the aircraft was a K-8 W, an upgraded fighter jet from Taungoo Air Force Base flown by Captain Thaw Zin and Lieutenant Aung Phyo Kyaw. We do not have any anti-aircraft weapons but our forces fought bravely with all their weapons, forcing the crash. Their brave and adventurous spirit is deeply honored and recorded, the KNPLF said. The group thanked those who helped reveal the information. KNPLF spokesman Lawrence Soe told The Irrawaddy: We only aim to repeat this feat, working with other resistance forces. The two pilots were given posthumous honorary titles for bravery by the junta and promoted to major and captain, according to a regime announcement on July 23. Former army captain Lin Htet Aung, who defected after the 2021 coup, said gallantry awards were often given to disguise mistakes as bravery. The KNPLF, which formerly served as the Border Guard Force in Kayah State under the command of Myanmars military for nearly 30 years, turned on junta troops during June 13s attacks on regime outposts and police stations in Maese town. On Saturday, the group officially announced it had joined the revolution to topple the regime and added that it is ready to work with the civilian National Unity Government to carry out revolutionary tasks. Ukrainian firefighters put out a fire after missiles strike in Dnipro (AFP via Getty Images) Russian missiles hit an apartment complex in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday, injuring nine, including two teenagers. A building belonging to Ukraines security services (SBU) was also hit, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, calling it Russian missile terror". Mr Zelensky said he had convened emergency meetings following the missile strikes. Regional governor Serhiy Lysak said the injured, including a 14-year-old and a 17-year-old, were receiving treatment at home. The strike happened at around 20:30 local time (17:30 GMT). Pictures posted on social media showed part of one building reduced to rubble and debris strewn across a large courtyard. Local residents are seen outside the apartment building damaged by a Russian missile strike (REUTERS) Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said it was the third time the SBU security service building had been targeted. Both buildings were largely empty - the residential building because it had just been completed and units were being put up for sale. Mr Lysak said on national television: Part of the apartment building was destroyed. It was not even yet in use and there werent many people there. A few people were trapped but are now out. The security service building is partially destroyed." Russia has often struck apartment buildings during the conflict, while denying it intentionally targets civilians. It comes as the commander of Ukraines armed forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said his troops were pushing forward in parts of eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia. The enemy fiercely clings to every centimeter, conducting intense artillery and mortar fire," he said in a statement. Recent fighting has taken place at multiple places along the more than 600-mile front, where Ukraine deployed its recently acquired Western weapons to push out the Kremlins forces. Western officials said on Thursday that Ukraine had launched a major push in the southeast. Vladimir Putin acknowledged that fighting has intensified there, but insisted Kyivs push has failed. Separately, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed it shot down a Ukrainian missile in the city of Taganrog, about 24 miles east of the border with Ukraine. It reported 20 people were injured, identifying the epicentre as an art museum. But Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraines secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, blamed Russian air defence systems for the explosion. Saturday, Jul 29th, 2023 (12:01 am) - Score 1,704 Several months have passed since broadband ISP Trooli, which was rolling out a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across parts of England before running into money woes and pausing its build, was rescued by Agnar UK Infrastructure (here). But we now have some solid info. on their progress and future plans. Just to recap. Trooli (formerly Call Flow) was originally supported by an investment of 30m from the Connecting Europe Broadband Fund (Cube Infrastructure Managers) and 5m from NatWest. This was then given a boost in 2021 by a new 67.5m debt facility agreement via a consortium of commercial lenders, facilitated by the CEBF (here). Until 2022 the operator had been busy building their new full fibre network to serve a sizeable number of towns and villages in Derbyshire, Kent, East Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire and Suffolk. But in order to keep going, they needed more investment and this initially proved hard to find, until Agnar UK Infrastructure Ltd (AUKIL) took control of the business in April 2023. Troolis original goal had been to reach 400,000 premises across around 300 towns and villages by Dec 2022, but the last official figure we had from them was 275,000 passed in August 2022 and even that seemed a little high (likely not reflecting Ready for Service premises). Since April, weve had nothing but silence from Trooli, but the company has now published their annual accounts to 31st Dec 2022 and finally given us some new information. What do Troolis accounts say? Firstly, the operator says that its now debt free and has restarted build activity thanks to an unspecified injection of funding from AUKIL. At the end of 2022, Trooli also says that their FTTP network had passed over 219,000 premises (Total Homes Passed), which is somewhat short of the 275k figure we were given in August 2022. But this does now sound more like a true Ready for Service (RFS) figure. The operator is now planning to pass 330,000 premises by the end of 2023, which could be tricky to do after a pause and with only a few months left in the year. As for their other results. Trooli reported a loss for the period, after taxation, of 15.196m (2021: 8.983m) and net liabilities of 29.748m (2021: 14.552m). The operator also has tangible fixed assets of 69.794m and their staff costs totalled 5.695m (2021: 2.810m) reflecting a total workforce of 236 (2021: 167), although we suspect that may have shrunk a bit by now. We also get an idea of just how much money AUKIL had to deploy in order to stabilise the business.. Sadly, thats about all we get from their public accounts and the operator still hasnt put out any big press releases to update us on their plans. But hopefully this long period of silence will soon come to an end. This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. I stayed at a 'Palace' in Paris where rooms can cost more than $20,000 a night. See inside Le Royal Monceau, a hotel frequented by the stars. In France, the highest designation a hotel can get is a "Palace" ranking even better than five stars. Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris is one such Palace. Its most extravagant rooms can cost more than $20,000. I got to stay at the hotel, known for its art and famous clientele. Here's what it was like. It's not often that I'm treated with a stay at a five-star hotel. It's even less often that I can stay at a hotel that's been ranked even higher than five stars in fact, it's only happened once, earlier this month. On a trip to Paris this summer, I stayed at Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris, a hotel deemed a French "Palace," a designation awarded only to France's most exceptional hotels. The "Palace" ranking was established by the French Minister of Tourism in November 2010 as a way to highlight already exceptional hotels, according to Explore France. Throughout the country, there are just 31 such hotels; In Paris, there are even fewer, with just 12 making the list. Le Royal Monceau, a property by the international Raffles Hotels & Resorts group, is one of the city's few palaces. On its face, Le Royal Monceau boasts a typical Parisian facade; enchanting and ritzy. Inside, however, is a playful display of art and culture. French designer Philippe Starck redesigned the hotel in the early 2000s, which gave the property new life as an art deco lover's paradise. The palace is filled with works of art: a wooden herd of 15 life-sized elk and deer welcomes guests to their rooms in one hallway. Elsewhere, an all-red smoking room symbolizes pleasure and the descent to hell. One suite is decorated with portraits of Ray Charles a nod to the man who used to stay in the same room. Charles isn't the only big-name guest who's stayed at Le Royal Monceau. Winston Churchill and Michael Jackson were once counted as frequent patrons; more recently, Madonna and Robert De Niro have called the palace home for a time. Story continues The hotel's star-studded clientele is reflected by its cost: a junior suite, the room I stayed in, can cost $3,000 a night. More deluxe rooms, like its presidential suite, can cost nearly $20,000 per night. I spent three nights at Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris. From being picked up at the airport to dining at its in-house Michelin-starred restaurant, here's what it was like. Insider paid a press rate of $1,000 for three nights. My experience with Le Royal Monceau began long before stepping foot on the property; After arriving at the airport, Laurent, a hotel employee, picked me up in a Range Rover. The view from the backseat of Le Royal Monceau's Range Rover. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider The hotel is just a short walk from the Arc de Triomphe, one of Paris' preeminent monuments and tourist attractions. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider The hotel opened in 1928 amid the roaring twenties. The building looks just how I imagined, with a classic Parisian facade. Le Royal Monceau in Paris, France. Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris Source: Le Royal Monceau Outside, there seemed to be a variety of fancy cars every time I walked out the door. A Mercedes parked in front of Le Royal Monceau in Paris. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider After checking in, I headed straight to my room, where I was surprised to find a breakfast of pastries, fruit, orange juice, and coffee waiting for me. Breakfast consisted of pastries, fruit, and two different beverages. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider My room, a junior suite on the second floor, was generously spacious, with a king-sized bed in the middle of the room. A view of the suite. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider The bathroom, whose walls were lined with mirrors, seemed to go on forever. The bathtub and shower had their own quarters separate from the toilet. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider I loved how luxurious the bathroom felt, with marble floors and a sprawling walk-in shower. The only problem I noticed was the small gap under the shower door, which let water spill onto the floor when showering. A walk-in shower in Le Royal Monceau in Paris. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider At first glance, I was alarmed to find no toilet in the bathroom but I soon discovered it had a separate room detached from the shower and bathtub area. The toilet had its own room away from the bathtub and shower. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider The walk-in closet was similarly lined with mirrors, making it appear even bigger than it already was. I thought the closet had plenty of room for clothes and luggage. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider One of the most interesting features of the room was the television, which was embedded into a mirror. Discreetly embedded into a mirror, I thought the TV could be hard to see during the day. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider Outside of my luxe room, my favorite part of the hotel was Il Carpaccio, its in-house Michelin-starred restaurant. Il Carpaccio is a restaurant inspired by the chef's upbringing in Italy. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider Chef Oliver Piras cooked and served me a pasta dish at my table on the patio as part of my dinner at the restaurant. Chef Oliver Piras cooking at the author's table. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider While I didn't dine at them, Le Royal Monceau has two other upscale restaurants: Matsuhisa Paris and La Cuisine. The former is France's first outpost from world-renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa. Matsuhisa Paris, pictured, serves a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines. Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris Source: Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris Beyond stellar dining and fabulous suites, Le Royal Monceau is an art lover's paradise; It's home to La Librairie des Arts, a contemporary art bookstore. Insider's reporter loved browsing La Librairie des Arts. It's an art bookstore located inside Le Royal Monceau. Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris The palace is so art-centric that it employs its own art concierge, Julie Eugene, who guides guests on all things art and culture. I joined Eugene on a tour of the hotel's art and got to see dozens of different installations. One installation by artist Nikolay Polissky consists of 15 wooden elk and deer. Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris My favorite piece of functional art was one of the hotel's two smoking rooms; doused in red, Eugene told me this one represented pleasure and hell. Le Royal Monceau's hell-inspired smoking room. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider Throughout my stay, I found the staff to be kind and attentive, though I felt that the service waned as my stay went on as if the excitement of having a reporter around slowly faded. The exterior of Le Royal Monceau. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider All told, I felt pampered and well taken care of during my stay at Le Royal Monceau and would love to return the next time I'm in Paris. Insider's reporter in her junior suite at Le Royal Monceau. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider Read the original article on Insider A group of religious activists who want to inject their brand of Christianity into government are planning a rally at the Idaho State Capitol on Sunday. Sean Feucht and his group Hold the Line, along with Turning Point USA Faith, are holding rallies at the state Capitol buildings in all 50 states. This week, theyre descending on the buildings in Boise, Olympia, Washington, and Salem, Oregon, as part of their so-called Kingdom to the Capitol Tour. One of the reasons why satanists are infuriated is that were bringing worship to the state capitols, Feucht is quoted as saying in The Washington Times. Weve experienced some resistance before, but its on a whole different scale now. Were bringing worship to places where abortion decrees are made and where perversion laws (proposed and passed) enable them to get to our kids. Feucht and his group are playing on the same, tired, worn-out, BS, far-right fears that evildoers on the Left are coming for your children, through the schools, through the libraries, at Pride festivals and drag shows. They frame the issue as a fight between good and evil, light vs. dark. Predictably, they clutch their pearls at transgender apparel at Target or popular music videos. Anyone who opposes their dangerous Christian nationalism are satanists and evildoers. Are pastors and rabbis satanists, too? A group of faith leaders in Boise and throughout the Northwest has called on legislative leaders to denounce the appearance of these faith peddlers, whose views are full of hate. As faith leaders in the cities of Salem, Olympia and Boise, we are writing to inform you of an anti-LGBTQ+ speaker coming to each of our state capital cities this week and ask you to speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, the faith leaders wrote in a letter to state legislative leaders. Sean Feucht has spent the past year capitalizing on anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments by railing against Pride Month, even embracing the exclusionary label of Christian nationalist, and declaring that people with his narrow view of Christian theology should make all laws in the United States. Story continues Its no accident the rallies are being held at state Capitol buildings, as these charlatans increasingly want to inject their brand of religion into politics. Its all part of the King coming back, Feucht said at an event in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Thats what were practicing for. Thats why hell hates that were worshiping at every capital across America. Thats why we get called, Well, youre Christian nationalists. Feucht said he wants the kingdom to be the government, he wants God to come and overtake the government and we want God to be in control of everything. We reject these attempts to cloak bigotry in religious language, and we ask you to do the same, the letter from the faith leaders stated. The letter was organized by Western States Center, a civil rights group working to monitor and counter bigotry in the Pacific Northwest and around the country. The open letter was being sent to state leaders in all three Pacific Northwest states. Locally, signing the letter were: Rabbi Dan Fink, of Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel; the Rev. Duane Anders and Pastor Benjamin Cremer, of Cathedral of the Rockies; Pastor Andrew Kukla, of First Presbyterian Church; the Rev. Jenny Willison Hirst, of Collister United Methodist Church; the Rev. Sara LaWall, of Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship; Roy Ledesma, executive director of Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel; Irene Laudeman, pastor at Cathedral of the Rockies; Ann Agnew and Ruth Ann Alm, of Southminster Presbyterian Church; and Father Joseph Farnes, All Saints Episcopal Church. They sent the letter in Idaho to Senate Majority Leader Sen. Kelly Anthon, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Melissa Wintrow, House Majority Leader Megan C. Blanksma and House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel. Of course, hate speech is mostly protected speech, however wrongheaded and misguided such hate may be, and freedom of religion is enshrined in our First Amendment. The danger comes when these groups impose their religious views on others and inject church into the state through the power of government, as weve already seen in Idaho through the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, attempts to put a bounty on libraries and bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. No one is telling these groups to abandon their religious beliefs. Were just telling them to keep their religion in their church and out of our government. Statesman editorials are the unsigned opinion of the Idaho Statesmans editorial board. Board members are opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, editor Chadd Cripe, newsroom editors Dana Oland and Jim Keyser and community member Mary Rohlfing. A Washington man charged in the shooting deaths of an Idaho couple who owned a New Meadows motel has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. John Cody Hart, 29, entered into a plea agreement for the killing of Rory Mehen, 47, and Sara Mehen, 45, in exchange for the state taking the death penalty off the table, according to a news release Friday from the Adams County Sheriffs Office. Prosecutors will recommend life in prison without the possibility of parole, the release said. Hart was a guest at the Hartland Inn when he shot and killed the Mehens last October, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting. During an arraignment on May 19, Hart chose to stand silent in court, prompting District Judge Matthew Roker to enter a not guilty plea. Now that the plea deal is in place, he will be sentenced this fall, the release said. Hart has a history of mental illness and was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which delayed his case while the state worked to restore his competency. Hart was declared incompetent in a different case in Washington state and was supposed to be transferred to Western State Hospital near Tacoma, the Statesman previously reported, to receive treatment. That never happened because of a backlogged system, and Hart spent more than 18 weeks in jail before being released in July 2022. Joyce Kucera, owner of Joyce's Uniforms and More at Pioneer Plaza, said she was very young when her mother taught her to sew. At the time, neither could have known it would lead to a 70+ year passion for it. "My mother actually started me out with embroidery, I was about 6 years old. When I was 8 I was in 4-h and that was my first experience with a sewing machine, I've been sewing ever since," Kucera said. Kucera was even a 4-H grand champion in the category and showed some items at the Nebraska State Fair when she was in high school, she said. She did take an almost-20-year break from doing it in any serious capacity, but has always had a knack for it. Before she picked up the business at Pioneer Plaza, Kucera worked at Taco John's, Dale Electronics and the nursing home that would eventually become what is now Emerald Nursing and Rehab. "I wasn't liking working 12 and 16 hours. I went in at 2 p.m. and a lot of mornings I'd come home at 10 a.m. because someone didn't show up. I was already awake so they'd ask if I could stay," Kucera said. Tired of the daily grind, she started looking at other options and, with her knack for sewing, was getting a lot of experience in her little free time. "When my girls were little I was doing alterations at home," Kucera said. "When I was at the nursing home I was bringing home residents' clothes and patching them for them because 'oh, you can't be wearing this, let me go home and fix this.'" About 20 years ago, she said, she happened to be around when Jan Noyd, the previous owner, was talking about leaving the uniform business and, not wanting to see the town without a place for medical and school uniforms, she decided to take up where they left off. For many years, her shop was the only place where students and medical professionals could find work uniforms. The name, Kucera explained, came from a funny pronunciation problem. With her name being Joyce, saying "Joyce's Uniforms N More" had the double "S" sound, which was difficult for some, she said, so she shortened it to "Joy's Uniforms N More." Over time, she added to the alteration business. The uniform niche has worked well as there are a wide variety of area schools with uniforms. She quickly figured out a way to get people to buy uniforms from her shop. "After I started the store and I had to alter these skirts, I didn't charge the customers who bought the skirts from me, I added it as a service for them," Kucera said. "People started bringing stuff in saying 'can you fix this?' I said I wouldn't do it for free, then later people would say 'well, where'd you get those jeans fixed?" and 'Oh, I went to Joyce over at Joy's Uniforms N More.'" Word of mouth and Google showing her business when people searched for alteration, she said, have been a great boon to her work, but the internet was something of a double-edged sword when the COVID-19 pandemic rolled around. "The longer we'd gone through COVID, I noticed the longer I was here more and more people were turning to the internet because they didn't want to go out and in the long run it hurt a bunch of businesses," Kucera said. A little while ago, she said, as her 80th birthday approached, she started thinking it was time to retire from the storefront. She plans to continue sewing and doing alterations for those who need them, just not as a business and not from the uniform store. She and her husband will spend her new-found free time traveling, Kucera said, from Nebraska to North Carolina and anywhere in between. "I like to travel and whenever it was Rapid City had a big flood was the last time we were in South Dakota and so much has changed up there I think it's time to check it out," Kucera said. One of Kucera's favorite parts of what she does, she said, has been working with kids. When they first come in for uniform fitting, she said, they're often, shy, scared to start school or plain don't want to do the fitting. Once she starts laughing and playing with them a bit though, they loosen up a bit. Once she's out of the business, she added, she wants to still use her talents to make kids happy. "I like to make animals and I thought 'I might just make a bunch of stuffed animals for the police station and fire department and donate them for when there's an accident or fire and kids are excited and crying, help calm them down," Kucera said. Regina McDuffey, Kucera's downstairs neighbor and owner of Regina's Kitchen, said that Kucera is great at what she does and her reputation as a hard worker precedes her. "She'll do anything for anybody and she really goes out of her way and there's the fact that she's still working at 80," McDuffey said. "I absolutely wish her well on retirement but I understand she'll still be doing stuff from home, which is great." Reddit Email 46 Shares The taking of US diplomatic personnel hostage by radical Iranian activists and angry crowds in November of 1979, and then the backing for this action of the government of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was profoundly illegal. I know some of the former hostages, and deeply sympathize with their trauma. Nothing justifies what was done to them. But Ben Afflecks otherwise fine, Oscar-winning film, Argo, about the escape of some US embassy personnel, functions as American propaganda and a sort of neo-Orientalism. That it was based on a memoir of the incident by a former Central Intelligence Agency operative involved in the rescue is part of the problem. That memoir is a primary source and valuable, but good history, and good story-telling about history, weights sources and tries to correct for their biases. Argo does not. Some of the Iranian objections to the film are equally grounded in propaganda concerns, but some are legitimate. It isnt just that the memoir slights the massive contribution of the Canadian embassy and Canadian diplomats to the mission and plays up the relatively minor CIA role. (Virtually every good idea that contributed to the success of the rescue came from Canada, but somehow American movie audiences insist that it all has to be about us.) Nor that Britains important role is denied and even denigrated Nor is my main objection that a whole series of exciting events are invented that never occurred. It is that the entire context for these events is virtually absent and the Iranian characters are depicted as full of mindless rage. Although the film begins with an info-dump that explains that the US screwed over Iran by having the CIA overthrow the elected government in 1953 and then helped impose a royal dictatorship in the form of the restored shah, that part of the film is emotionally flat. It tells, it doesnt show. It is tacked on. It does not intersect with the subsequent film in any significant way. It therefore has no emotional weight and does little to contextualize the Iranian characters (none of whose names I think we even learn). Former hostage and superb American diplomatic John Limbert makes the same point in Foreign Policy: Argo highlights the negative attitudes that the two countries have held toward each other for decades. Its brief introduction attempts to provide historical context behind the embassy takeover, but the film does not convey the prevailing Iranian sense of grievance real or imagined that led to the 1979 attack, and to the emotional response in the streets of Tehran . . . More than three decades later, the same atmosphere of suspicion, mistrust, and festering wounds dominates Iranian-American relations. You could have had Iranian characters angry that the American-backed Shah or king, Mohammad Reza Pahlevi, had arbitrarily imprisoned them or their friends among the dissidents, and had subjected both intellectuals and members of openly revolutionary groups to torture and murder in prison. That would not in any way have justified what was done to Foreign Service Officers of the State Department, but it would have humanized the Iranian villains of the piece and made the film more complex and less like a comic book. Argo could have been a moment when Americans come to terms with their Cold War role as villains in places like Iran. It could have been a film about what intelligence analysts call blowback, when a covert operation goes awry. Instead it plays into a war on terror narrative of innocent Americans victimized by essentially deranged foreign mobs. Muhammad Sahimi writes, Mehdi Rezaei, an MKO member, was arrested in April 1972 and executed that September at the age of 20, after enduring horrific torture. Ali Asghar Badizadegan, one of the MKOs founders, was forced into an electric oven according to his comrade Lotfollah Meysami. He was burned so badly that he became paralyzed, and the SAVAK refused to turn over his body after he was executed in May 1972. As Ali Gheissari writes in Iranian Intellectuals in the Twentieth Century, under Sabeti the Committee was also responsible for the arbitrary detention, interrogation, and torture of many university students during that period. The Shahs feared secret police, and his entire repressive regime, did not function completely on their own. They had been installed by the US in cooperation with far rightwing Iranian generals and the Iranian equivalent of billionaires, and SAVAK and the regime continued to have close links to the CIA. It is alleged that some of the torture techniques used by the Shahs SAVAK were taught to them by the CIA. And, it is further alleged that the CIA itself had front groups on and was active in spying on Iranian campuses, in parallel to operations such as COINTELPRO in the US. The anti-Shah Iranian students piecing together shredded US embassy cables in Tehran werent looking for photos of the escaped diplomats, as Argo implies. (There was no last-minute identification of them or car chase on the tarmac that was all made up). They were looking for evidence of the ways the intelligence officials under cover at the embassy had been monitoring them and their friends and putting them in torture cells. Such spying on Iranian dissidents was a very minor part of what US intelligence was doing in Iran at that time allegedly only three field officers even knew Persian. Mostly they were using Iran as a listening base to spy on the Soviet Union. But keeping Iran subservient and docile was key for Washington to remaining able to deploy its petroleum for Western economic success versus the Warsaw Pact and Communist China, and to being able to use Iran for monitoring the USSR. Hence, some resources were also devoted to repressing critics of the shah. And while liasing with SAVAK to arrest intellectuals and dissidents may have been a subsidiary effort for the Agency, for those whose lives were ruined by the Shahs apparatus of repression, it rather bulked large. The US embassy personnel taken captive were not responsible for the Shah and what he did to the Iranian people, but the US government did whatever it could to back the Shah and protect him from international criticism. The Iranian crowds are depicted in the film as irrational mobs. The Revolutionary Guards at the airport are depicted as angry puritans, worried about Marvel artist Jack Kirbys somewhat salacious storyboards for the proposed Lord of Light film that the CIA optioned for the operation (based on a novel by Roger Zelazny). No Iranian character in the film who has a legitimate grievance against US policy is permitted to be sympathetic or to have any intimate moments that would humanize him or her. The film tells but doesnt show some of the US atrocities in Iran. It shows the plight of the hapless US diplomats. In making that key dramatic decision, and then in Orientalizing the Iranian protagonists as angry and irrational, the film betrays its subject matter and becomes propaganda, lacking true moral or emotional ambiguity. Roger Zelaznys and Jack Kirbys Lord of Light would have been more nuanced. Reddit Email 42 Shares By Jennifer Collins | Clean Energy Wire / Tagesspiegel / RBB ( Clean Energy Wire ) Berlins Senate has adopted a five-billion-euro climate protection fund to flow into mobility, energy efficiency in buildings, power supply and the economy. The goal of the fund, which could be doubled to 10 billion euros by 2026, is to improve climate protection, swiftly end dependency on fossil fuels and cut emissions faster in the German capital, according to Berlins governing coalition led by the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats (SPD). Were still living with a 90-percent dependency on coal, gas and oil, Manja Schreiner, the citys CDU environment senator, told German public radio. Schreiner added that Berlin needs a sustainable, integrated energy supply, and that the focus will be on solar as well as on properly promoting geothermal energy, hydropower and waste heat from data centres as energy sources. Article continues after bonus IC video Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue 2023 The bill will now go for debate in the state parliament in the hope it will be passed by the end of the year. Tagesspiegel writes that if passed, the fund could end up being challenged in court because of Germanys constitutional restrictions on government debt. The countrys constitution does, however, allow for exceptions to the so-called debt brake in cases of natural catastrophe or in extraordinary emergencies. The CDU-SPD coalition says it sees the impact of climate change in Berlin, aggravated by the energy and cost-of-living crises as well as the Ukraine war, as an emergency situation. The parties had initially mooted the fund during coalition negotiations in March, saying at the time that additional investments were needed to achieve climate neutrality in the buildings, transport and heating sectors. Still, the CDU-SPD coalition has come under fire for halting new cycle lane projects in the city to save car parking spaces. A citizen-initiated referendum on making Berlin climate neutral by 2030, which failed in March, had also been criticised by the coalition parties. Via Clean Energy Wire Published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0) . AZ Mirror ) With temperatures hitting well above 110 degrees in the southern parts of Arizona, the Navajo Nation in the northern parts of the state is also feeling the effects of the heat waves. Parts of the Navajo Nation have experienced above-average temperatures throughout the summer, with some parts reaching or nearing 100-degree temperatures. For instance, Chinle, Arizona hit a high of 97 degrees on July 26, according to the National Weather Service. The extreme heat has prompted officials on the Navajo Nation to declare a state of emergency. The Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management passed the declaration on July 25, and Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and Vice President Richelle Montoya signed in agreement on the same day. The declaration allows the Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management to seek assistance from federal, state, other tribal governments and local or private agencies to address emergency and disaster-related situations caused by the extreme heat. In the declaration the Navajo Nation states that heat extreme events present risks to human health and well-being of people, ecosystems, agriculture, property, livestock, pets, infrastructure, homes, roads, heat dries up sources of surface water for wildlife, the potential for wildland fires increase, and existing drought conditions become exacerbated from extreme heat conditions. Heat puts human health, and the well-being of people at risk, and one of the primary methods of combating heat is having access to cool spaces. Air-conditioning is the number-one protective factor against extreme heat, which is an essential health resource for vulnerable populations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That may be hard for some families living on the Navajo Nation because there are still households within it that dont have access to electricity. Approximately 15,000 families on the Navajo Nation live without electricity, according to Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. Not having access to cooling methods leaves those living on the Navajo Nation at risk of heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Article continues after bonus IC video Navajo Power Home Off-Grid Solar Services Navajo Nation Extreme heat events can be dangerous to health even fatal, according to the CDC. Small children, the elderly, and certain other groups, including people with chronic diseases, low-income populations, and outdoor workers, have a higher risk for heat-related illness. The Navajo Nations state of emergency declaration indicates that the Navajo people, communities and government have some adaptive measures to mitigate extreme heat. However, these adaptive measures vary, and additional cross-sectoral collaboration is needed to meet the burgeoning necessity to address heat-related impacts, risks and vulnerabilities. Through the state of emergency, the Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management is tasked with finding the appropriate Navajo Nation entities to begin the collaboration process with outside entities for additional resources to address the extreme heat. The commission plans to work to identify the most impacted areas on the Navajo Nation and coordinate implementing heat health action plans. One ecosystem impacted by the heat includes the forests surrounding the Navajo Nation, from pest infestations to an increased risk of wildfires. Frankie Thompson, a program manager with the Navajo Nation Forestry, said his main concern during heat waves is the fire risks. The Navajo Nation has not had any major fires this season, Thompson said, but fire restrictions are usually set in place by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Thompson said they monitor humidity, temperatures and wind because they are the main factors in wildfires. Another concern during the heat is pests that start to attack the trees. Thompson said theyve been dealing with ips, a beetle that burrows its way into the bark of a tree, where it will lay eggs and slowly start to kill the tree. Having an influx of ips results from the heat and the ongoing drought the Navajo Nation is experiencing. Thompson said the extreme heat causes the drought, the drought weakens the tree, and the trees cannot push the ips out of their bark with their sap. There is no natural protection for the tree, Thompson said. That is one way the heat has contributed to the loss of trees in the forest, but Thomspon said that the hotter it is during the day, the longer the trees are holding their breath, and theyre unable to breathe until it starts to cool down. The Navajo Nation has been impacted by the drought for years, and Thompson said the effects of the heat have been seen before, and people will notice the change in the trees over time. Its happened before, he said, and seeing the overall damage on a forest will take years of observation, not just from this drought period. The Navajo Nations state of emergency declaration will remain in effect through Aug. 31 unless it is extended, modified, or terminated by the Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management. A former administrator at the University of Southern Mississippi was named the finalist to become vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dee Dee Anderson was recommended for the job by UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett her former boss at Southern Miss after a previous search failed without any lone finalist being identified. Laurie Bellows, who served as vice chancellor for six years under former Chancellor Ronnie Green, announced her plans to retire in March. Anderson will participate in two days of meetings and interviews with the UNL campus community beginning Aug. 7, with a public presentation scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in Swanson Auditorium in the Nebraska Union on Aug. 8. UNL Executive Vice Chancellor Kathy Ankerson, who oversees the position and conducted the search, said Bennett's experience in student affairs and working relationship with Anderson led to her being recommended for the position. Anderson earned bachelors and masters degrees in elementary education, a master's degree in industrial and organizational psychology, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Louisiana Tech University. She began her career in 1991 teaching reading, English and history at the middle school level before jumping into higher education at Louisiana Tech, where she worked in the residential life office and served as the dean of student development. Later, Anderson served in multiple leadership positions at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, including interim vice chancellor of student affairs, associate vice chancellor, and dean of students, before moving to Southern Miss in 2018. At the Hattiesburg-based university, Anderson was special advisor to the president and vice president for student affairs. She was in charge of more than 300 professional staff, 500 student employees, 15 functional departments and a budget of $36 million. She also held an appointment as a professor of practice in the College of Education and Human Sciences. At UNL, Anderson will be in charge of a budget of more than $120 million; 600 full-time managerial, office and service professionals; and 1,700 student employees. The office's work centers around supporting the student body in various ways on campus. Anderson's selection as vice chancellor for student affairs comes after a previous search ended without any of the three candidates identified taking the job. In May, UNL hosted Shawnte Elbert, associate vice president for health and well being at Ohio State University; Austin Jamar Banks, interim vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Colorado; and Brian Patchcoski, assistant vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion in student affairs at Penn State University. After that search ended without a new vice chancellor named, Bill Watts, the associate dean of university advising and career development, was named the interim vice chancellor. Top Journal Star photos for July 2023 French Privacy Watchdog Raises Concerns Over Worldcoin's Data Collection; Collaborating with Germany for Investigation Source: Shutterstock European regulators, including the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) and the Bavarian state authority in Germany, are raising legal concerns about Worldcoin's data collection methods. In an email on Friday, July 28, CNIL said: "The legality of this collection seems questionable, as do the conditions for storing biometric data." Worldcoin, co-founded by OpenAI's Sam Altman, launched on June 24 with an ambitious plan to scan the irises of millions of people in 20 countries, granting them a "digital passport" called "World ID" and rewarding them with 25 WLD, the project's native token. The aim is to provide individuals with a means to verify their humanity and distinguish themselves from robots as artificial intelligence becomes more influential. However, concerns surrounding data privacy, security, and data collection have emerged, leading to investigations by CNIL, the French privacy watchdog. CNIL is also collaborating with the Bavarian state authority in Germany to address these issues associated with Worldcoin. Worldcoin Faces Challenges Despite Attracting 2.1 Million Sign-Ups During Trial Period Worldcoin's website indicates they have amassed 2.1 million sign-ups during their two-year trial period. Since the official launch, the company proudly boasts on Twitter that a unique human verifies their World ID every 7.6 seconds, leading to daily records. They have shared photos of their orbs in cities like Seoul, Mexico City, and Paris since the launch on July 24. Although a video shared by Co-founder Sam Altman showed people in Japan lining up to provide their iris scans in exchange for "free" Worldcoin (WLD) tokens, the company finds it hard attracting new sign-ups. Only about 200 people signed up on the first day at each of the three designated locations in Hong Kong, totaling 600. While Altman claims strong consumer interest and "crazy lines around the world," the numbers suggest a slow path to achieving mass adoption. However, Worldcoin has announced plans to significantly increase the number of orbs in significant cities as the year progresses, aiming to have five times more sign-up capacity. Worldcoin's Controversial Project Sparks Mixed Reactions and Draws Attention from Regulators Worldcoin's project has sparked mixed reactions within the crypto community. While some users have expressed concerns about its centralization, others view the proof-of-personhood as a necessary measure to address the growing presence of AI. The British Information Commissioner's Office has confirmed that it is investigating the project, as organizations must conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment for collecting "high-risk" information. Even prominent figures in the crypto space, like Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, have raised alarms. Buterin warned that Worldcoin has "major issues," particularly regarding the potential accidental exposure of sensitive personal information such as sex, ethnicity, and possibly medical conditions through iris scans. In response to privacy concerns, Worldcoin stated its compliance with data protection laws, including the GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act. The company committed to cooperating with governing bodies regarding privacy and data protection inquiries. Worldcoin further mentioned conducting a comprehensive Data Protection Impact Assessment in the UK with the assistance of a top-tier law firm. Additionally, the company assured that it would promptly address individual requests for deleting personal data. Russian Bailiffs Will Be Allowed to Seize Digital Rubles from Citizens & Firms Source: 999xy/Adobe Russian bailiffs will be allowed to seize digital rubles from citizens, a government chief has confirmed as the nation readies a real-world CBDC pilot. Per Pravda, the comments were made by the Russian Federal Bailiff Service Director Dmitry Aristov at a law enforcement meeting at the Second Russia-Africa Summit. Aristov said the Federal Bailiff Service will now be empowered to collect fines in the form of digital rubles from both individuals and legal entities. In some cases, the service will be able to freeze wallets belonging individuals convicted of crimes, or debtors who fail to pay back their creditors. The bailiff service chief added that citizens will be able to pay off debts directly from their digital [CBDC] wallets. Aristov said that his agency had carefully planned confiscation measures in cooperation with the Central Bank. He said that his service had been an active participant in the development of a recent piece of digital ruble-related legislation. The law in question was approved by President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, and will pass into law on August 1. The service chief said he had held several meetings with the leadership of the Central Bank. During the meetings, Aristov said, the agency and the bank spoke of procedures related to the monitoring and enforcement of the digital ruble. Aristov concluded that he was confident that no serious problems would arise in the process. What Next for Russias Digital Ruble? The Russia-Africa Summit was held in St. Petersburg, Russia, this week. It reportedly saw representatives from 49 African countries travel to Russia, although Andalou Agency reported that only 17 heads of state were in attendance. Notable attendees included South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Putin is believed to have spoken to Ramaphosa in detail at the summit. As a fellow BRICS member, South Africa has previously spoken to Russia about the possibility of co-launching a stablecoin. That coin could allow BRICS member states to trade with one another without the use of the US dollar. BRICS members will meet next month in Johannesburg, although Putin is not expected to attend in person. Russian officials have also recently spoken about the potential compatibility of Moscows CBDC with other central bank coins, including Chinas digital yuan. The worlds largest community of 3D-printed homes is being built in Texas and the neighborhood just unveiled its first completed house. With walls printed using a concrete-based material, the single-story structure is the first of 100 such homes set to welcome residents starting September. The community is part of a wider development in Georgetown, Texas called Wolf Ranch. Its located about 30 miles north of Austin, the state capital, and is a collaboration between Texas construction firm ICON, homebuilding company Lennar and Danish architecture practice Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). On Saturday prospective buyers toured around the finished model home at the projects grand opening, and some of the units have already sold, ICON spokesperson Cara Caulkins told CNN via email. Images of the newly completed building shared by the company show brightly lit interiors and curved gray walls. The walls are made from a concrete mix called Lavacrete, which is piped into place using 46-foot-wide robotic printers. After the walls are printed, the doors, windows and roofs all of which are equipped with solar panels are installed. ICON says more than a third of the homes walls have now been printed, and the properties currently on offer are being sold at $475,000 to $599,000. The 3D-printed homes range in size from 1,500 to 2,100 square feet and have three to four bedrooms. Faster, cleaner and more affordable When ICON announced the project in 2021, its co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard described the community as a watershed moment in the history of community-scale development. 3D-printing, he said, delivers high-quality homes faster and more affordably than conventional building methods. With the United States facing a deficit of approximately five million new homes, Ballard said theres a profound need to swiftly increase supply without compromising quality, beauty, or sustainability, and that is exactly the strength of our technology. Meanwhile, Martin Voelkle, a partner at Bjarke Ingels Group said in a statement that the 3D-printed buildings were significant steps towards reducing waste in the construction process, as well as towards making our homes more resilient, sustainable and energy self-sufficient. Independent research suggests that printing homes can reduce carbon dioxide emissions and construction waste. 3D printers can construct buildings without formwork (the concrete molds that cement is typically poured into), which can significantly reduce overall use of the material. Cement is responsible for about 8% of global CO2 emissions annually. A 2020 study from Singapore found a bathroom unit constructed using 3D printing was both 25.4% cheaper and produced almost 86% less carbon dioxide than one made with conventional construction methods. However, critics have pointed out that 3D-printed homes still rely on carbon-intensive concrete, and that building codes addressing the structures safety and stability have not yet been widely adopted. Wolf Ranch is ICONs largest project to date, though the firm has already used 3D printing to build social, or subsidized, housing in Mexico and Texas. Ballard told CNN in 2019 his companys technology could also be used to combat homelessness or provide shelter following natural disasters. 3D printing is not science fiction, he said. We have crossed that threshold from science fiction into reality. In the future, our bet is that this will be humanitys best hope for a housing solution that matches our highest values and ideals. 50 cities where it's better to buy than to rent 50 cities where it's better to buy than to rent #50. Plainfield, Illinois #49. Vero Beach, Florida #48. Rochester, New York #47. McAllen, Texas #46. Fayetteville, North Carolina #45. Warren, Michigan #44. San Angelo, Texas #43. Trenton, New Jersey #42. Aurora, Illinois #41. Elgin, Illinois #40. Kansas City, Kansas #39. Lansing, Michigan #38. Sunrise, Florida #37. Tuscaloosa, Alabama #36. Augusta, Georgia #35. El Paso, Texas #34. Chicago, Illinois #33. Wichita Falls, Texas #32. High Point, North Carolina #31. Columbus, Georgia #30. Amarillo, Texas #29. New Haven, Connecticut #28. Springfield, Illinois #27. South Bend, Indiana #26. Dearborn, Michigan #25. Lehigh Acres, Florida #24. Saginaw, Michigan #23. Macon, Georgia #22. Saint Louis, Missouri #21. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania #20. Syracuse, New York #19. Delray Beach, Florida #18. Akron, Ohio #17. Brownsville, Texas #16. Lawton, Oklahoma #15. Beaumont, Texas #14. Memphis, Tennessee #13. Montgomery, Alabama #12. Scranton, Pennsylvania #11. Hartford, Connecticut #10. Baltimore, Maryland #9. Shreveport, Louisiana #8. Toledo, Ohio #7. Peoria, Illinois #6. Dayton, Ohio #5. Birmingham, Alabama #4. Cleveland, Ohio #3. Flint, Michigan #2. Jackson, Mississippi #1. Detroit, Michigan Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 74F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Holiday Inn, one of IHG Hotels & Resorts most iconic brands, is bringing its new design hallmarks including the Open Lobby to the Middle East for the first time, at the newly opened Holiday Inn Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. The opening marks IHGs expansion of its mainstream brand portfolio across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in line with the demand created by initiatives under Saudi Vision 2030. For over 70 years, Holiday Inn has been one of the worlds most recognised and trusted brands and it continues to create memorable experiences for thousands of guests every day. Holiday Inn is an iconic brand that has set industry standards and continues to meet the changing needs of guests by delivering exceptional experiences that can be seen and felt through the new active, open lobby (with a mix of spaces to lounge, dine, and work), elevated food and drink options, and modernised design. Cohesive space The brands Open Lobby concept combines all public spaces, including the reception area and the restaurant and bar, into one open, lively, and cohesive space. It allows guests to make themselves at home and enjoy their stay on their own terms, whether theyre there to eat, drink, work or socialise. Newly opened in Saudi Arabia, Holiday Inn Riyadh The Business District features the first brand-defining Open Lobby and is a perfect showcase for the modern and engaging public spaces that Holiday Inn has come to be known for globally. The Open Lobby will offer a vibrant communal space where guests can relax and connect with friends, family or other travellers, designed with the needs of the modern traveller in mind. The public space includes a contemporary media lounge to unwind with friends, a coffee bar for a chat over a quick bite, and an e-lounge for those who need to catch up on the days news or work, whilst still being part of the social vibe of the space. Guests will be able to enjoy a bright place to connect with stylish and contemporary accommodation in the heart of the Business District, all the while being within 10 minutes to King Khalid International Airport and other major business offices. Nael Tamim, General Manager of Holiday Inn Riyadh The Business District said: Reliably familiar, yet refreshingly different, this brand-new Holiday Inn Riyadh the Business District has everything guests need whether they are travelling for business or leisure. With a contemporary look and feel the hotel has been designed to meet the needs of all travellers, including families. Warm and welcoming Our Open Lobby gives our guests and visitors a warm and welcoming place to relax, work or socialise, the ideal location to enjoy dinner or drinks with colleagues, friends and family. The hotel is home to the Casa Oliva restaurant which serves authentic Italian food alongside innovative fusion options inspired by regional Saudi cuisine, while LEspresso Bar offers a wide range of coffee selections, drinks, and gourmet cafe snacks. This brand new, purpose-built hotel features 138 contemporary rooms including 18 suites with kitchenettes, two swimming pools, a well-equipped gym, 24/7 concierge service, and versatile meeting spaces. Right at home Guests will feel right at home in Holiday Inn Riyadh the Business District s spacious, modern light-filled rooms, each featuring comfortable bedding, large TVs and free unlimited high speed WIFI. Families are well catered for with family rooms and interconnecting suites and the Holiday Inn signature promise that Kids Stay & Eat Free. This opening is the first in an exciting period of growth for the Holiday Inn brand in the Middle East with other hotels in the pipeline including the opening of Holiday Inn Jeddah Corniche and Holiday Inn Riyadh, Al Malaz in Saudi Arabia and Holiday Inn Dubai Business Bay in the UAE by the end of 2023. The Business District property joins IHG Hotels & Resorts global portfolio that includes nearly 5,180 open or in pipeline Holiday Inn brand family hotels.-- TradeArabia News Service The list of men indicted for participating in the racist torch-bearing mob that marched across University of Virginia Grounds in 2017 has grown by two. The latest to be charged are 28-year-old Jacob Joseph Dix of Clarksville, Ohio, and 26-year-old Peter Cytanovic of Reno, Nevada. The latter became particularly notorious after being photographed on Grounds holding a torch in an angry, open-mouthed chant the night of Aug. 11, 2017. His image quickly went viral. I was the face of white terror, Cytanovic told Charlotte McDonald-Gibson, the author of a book entitled Far Out: Encounters with Extremists. While his Albemarle County indictment has not been unsealed, Cytanovic appears to have confirmed it, and the Washoe County Jail in Reno confirmed his incarceration on an out-of-state warrant. I want to let you know that I have been charged with intimidation for Charlottesville, and I am being extradited to Virginia to face criminal charges, Cytanovic could be heard saying in an audio snippet posted to Twitter by a podcaster. Noting that the charge has been leveled about six years after the torch march that Cytanovic joined as a 20-year-old college student, the podcaster, Mary Morgan, called him a political prisoner. Peter Cytanovic has been doxxed, harassed, and barred from jobs and academia for the past 6 years, tweeted Morgan, whose podcast is called Pop Culture Crisis. Morgan is not alone in expressing concern about this particular indictment. Charlottesville-based left-wing citizen journalist Molly Conger called Cytanovics indictment a surprise and a disappointment, because Cytanovic seemed to have had a genuine change of heart in the years since, she tweeted. If Cytanovics deradicalization was sincere, Conger wrote, I hope hes able to cooperate his way through this process & keep moving on with his life. However, her sympathy was tempered by Cytanovics choice of venue for his audio interview. Feeding the news to right wing propagandists who got to work making excuses for his conduct doesnt bode well for that, she wrote. Virginia has no statute of limitations on felony charges, and burning an object to racially intimidate outlawed in an effort to quash the Ku Klux Klan in years past is a Class 6 felony which can bring a penalty up to five years in jail. On the night in question, the eve of the planned Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, several hundred White nationalists secretly gathered on UVa Grounds. They traveled across the school shouting racist phrases such as Jews will not replace us and Blood and soil. Toward the end of their march, they encircled and fought with a group of counterprotestors who had locked arms around a statue of Thomas Jefferson in front of the UVa Rotunda. The following day, the planned rally was called off before it began after violence broke out in the streets. That afternoon, an avowed neo-Nazi drove his car through a crowd and killed anti-racist counterprotester Heather Heyer. Dix, the other man recently named as indicted, drove all night from Ohio to turn himself in to Albemarle authorities after learning of the warrant for his arrest, according to a report by local magistrate David Pennington. Says he would like to go back to Ohio to earn $, says has disabled girlfriend, Pennington wrote in the report, which noted that Dix was employed by a trucking company. After a Thursday afternoon hearing, Dix was granted a $5,000 unsecured bond by Albemarle Circuit Judge Cheryl Higgins and granted release, according to his court file. A Charlottesville Verizon store will be helping families prepare for the upcoming school year this weekend, as back-to-school spending in the U.S. reaches record levels. Families are expected to spend about $890 on average per household on back-to-school supplies this year, according to the National Retail Federation. That spending is expected to reach a record level total of more than $41 billion. This Sunday, Charlottesville-area families can cut some of that cost by going to the Verizon Wireless Zone on Merchant Walk Avenue. This will be our 11th year doing it, Edward Dyker, assistant store manager of the store, told The Daily Progress. I hope it goes extremely well. We're all really excited about it. We hope it goes amazing. The local store is participating in Wireless Zones School Rocks Backpack Giveaway and has a couple hundred backpacks to give this year, according to Dyker. It's usually very popular, like line around the block, Dyker said. Sometimes food trucks show up. Jersey Mike's gets involved; theyve donated subs in the past. The giveaway has contributed more than 1 million backpacks to date, according to organizers. About 130,000 backpacks will be given out this year alone. There are more than 1,100 participating locations. Some things won't be changing from previous years, according to Dyker. We are working with Jersey Mikes, Dyker said. The store will still be under normal business operations. Well have a staff here of five people. Most will be working with the backpack giveaway, and then we rotate who will handle things on the customer side, inside the store working regular business operations, Dyker said. The event starts at 1 p.m., giving away one backpack per child while supplies last. Backpacks are filled with school supplies and come in various styles, Dyker said. The bookbags come in a variety of styles and colors. They change it up every year. Inside comes folders, pencils, erasers, glue sticks, various school supplies, he said. Yes, by at least $1 Yes, by $2 or more No Vote View Results Gloria Yoder lives in Flat Rock, Illinois. She likes to cook, bake, garden and being a mom! Readers can send her mail at P.O. Box 157, Middletown, Ohio 45042. For more recipes and information about the Amish lifestyle go to amish365.com. Soon the University of Virginia will be teeming with students once again. The start of a new school year coincides with the dawning of a new era: the rise of artificial intelligence and its integration into almost every study on Grounds. Some at UVa see AI as a useful new tool, while others see it as an irresistible license to cheat in the classroom and a threat to the schools 181-year-old honor system. UVa students, all of whom agreed to speak with The Daily Progress so long as they remained anonymous for fear of punishment, said AI, specifically ChatGPT, has already become part of their lives even if it hasnt become part of school policy. Ive used ChatGPT to write answers to essays and discussion questions, an undeclared first-year student said. Professors thought I wrote it. Almost everyone I know has probably cheated with it at some point. Its the future, and its so easy. Im trying to convince my students that they can get ChatGPT to give them practice math problems, said Gianluca Guadagni, who teaches data science. Students can find a solution to my homework in 15 minutes with AI if they want, instead of thinking about it for an hour, but when theyre going to have to take the exam in class without AI, theyre going to struggle. UVa held multiple town halls and discussions over the spring semester to discuss the implications of AI for students and faculty. However, no policy changes were enacted or are in the works, according to officials. Students at UVA are bound by the Honor Code Cheating reflects any breach in boundaries set for students by professors, no revision to policy is needed in order to specifically make the use of generative AI an honor offense if not permitted by the professor teaching the course, UVa spokeswoman Bethanie Glover told The Daily Progress. UVa instructors have been reminded to set clear expectations regarding permitted resources that students may use for their assignments. The UVa student-led Honor Committee did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Progress. Some are hopeful that theres a way AI and the honor system can coexist. I think the honor code is something good, and we should think about how existing criteria in assignments can be used to evaluate work thats done right and the merits of the work, said Carah Whaley, who teaches a class on AI for UVas Center for Politics. Professors, such as Whaley, are not waiting for policy changes. They are personally addressing AI in their classrooms. Ive pulled ChatGPT up in my class, and we actively learn about it, Whaley said. For instance, we have AI write an essay on a given prompt. Then, as a class, we fact-check it based on students assignments, to show them how it isnt the be-all, end-all. We learn by critiquing it. Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, scrapes the internet for already available data: text, images, videos, tweets, and more. By learning from the information, it identifies patterns and structures within the data, enabling it to produce new content that closely resembles man-made content The primary aim is to generate content that appears genuine and authentic. New technology has always changed how we are taught. Calculators, the internet, Wikipedia they have all been considered threats to education. But schools have successfully adapted to these innovations. UVa, like many other colleges, already uses an AI program called Turnitin to detect plagiarism. Also, many new AI detection software systems are being developed. When I was young, I didnt even have Google. You had to go to the library and check the indexes, Guadagni said. When Google came along, it gave access to information to everyone quickly. Now AI is the next step. You can combine information from different sources into one place. Professors who want to use AI have said they envision it as another valuable tool for enhancing students learning experiences. I teach one specific way and that way doesnt always fit every students learning best, Guadagni said. I think these tools are effective ways to provide a student with ways of learning they can understand. AI personalizes learning and reduces the embarrassment that can come with having to ask for help. Whaley said much of the same: AI is a means, not an end. I think AI is a good starting point and it gives students some direction for where to do their research. But you cant just copy and paste what it gives you and submit that, she said. And some students are already using it that way. I use it to develop better practice problems that help me prep for an exam when I know I wont be able to use AI, said a second-year student majoring chemistry. However, I completely get using it to get answers to useless discussion questions and things like that. Any piece of information you want, you could get via the internet anyways, so why not capitalize efficiency with essentially another brain that can do it for you? Other students think AI is most helpful when it comes to dealing with less relevant subjects or managing time constraints. Their statements back up what many professors suspected privately but could not prove. I write all my thoughts onto a page and then let the ChatGPT organize it for me, a third-year English major said. I was having to understand old English texts in a class this spring and my thought is, when am I ever going to need to know how to understand that outside of this class? I feel no qualms about using it to help me write an essay. Its not like I copied and pasted, I used the AI to give me ideas and text which I then put into my own words with flair. My intro sociology class was not important to me, but it filled a graduation requirement. I used ChatGPT to answer questions and my professor liked the AI work better than my own, said a first-year Spanish major. Even though the class was interesting, at the end of the day, I am paying a ton of money and I just needed to get it done and pass. Some students had reservations but still use the new technology. I worry that using ChatGPT is causing me to not develop my critical thinking skills because Im using a shortcut in analysis. Itll just think for you, its what its programmed to do, said a second-year economics student. With the number of papers I had coming up for finals last semester, I had to use it because I didnt have the time to research and respond to a prompt in an art history class. Art history isnt that relevant to me when I am trading stocks down the line, and it usually makes better quality work than I would. Other students said they felt compelled to use AI because of the emphasis placed on grade point average. When GPA is everything, students just care about grades not really learning. GPAs and grades get you internships, graduate school, and jobs, a fourth-year politics major said. At the end of the day, the emphasis on grades pushes students to use any means necessary, and I get students feeling it is unfair, but if I am not using it, someone else is. College is a credential, a certificate that gets you ahead in life, a fourth-year statistics major said. I think ChatGPT is simply another tool to get ahead in an already unfair world. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Sun and clouds mixed. High 79F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 80F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. NewsVoir New Delhi [India], July 29: Femmella, the esteemed fashion brand renowned for its easy-going fashion and quality-conscious approach, is excited to announce a grand rebranding initiative. In the pursuit of a new era of excellence, the brand wholeheartedly embraces the celebration of individuality for every unique personality and cherished customer. It passionately encourages the breaking of barriers and fosters a profound self-love through its captivating collection. This innovative transformation is driven by a vision to inspire confidence, encourage self-discovery, and nurture individualism for women from all walks of life. Also Read | Karnataka 2nd PUC 2023 Supplementary Exam Dates Announced, Download Schedule at kseab.karnataka.gov.in. At the core of Femmella's transformation lies an unwavering commitment to cater to the needs of the modern Indian woman. The brand's mission revolves around empowering every woman to feel valued and confident in their own skin, while also ensuring comfort and style accompanies them wherever they go. In Femmella, they effortlessly embrace timeless designs and silhouettes, meticulously crafted to flatter their unique body types. Fueled by visionary designs, Femmella ignites the flames of courage and self-discovery, empowering women to forge their paths in an ever-changing world. As a counter to the fast-paced and fleeting trends, Femmella's focus on enduring quality, style, and comfort challenges the norms of the industry. It celebrates the true essence of fashion that resonates with every woman, making them feel relevant and extraordinary in every aspect of their lives. Also Read | Esha Gupta Loves Her Bodycon Dresses; 5 Outfits That We Cant Help But Ogle At. In a world where the customer is the true star, Femmella stands tall, dedicated to providing the ultimate trifecta of comfort, style, and confidence. With a profound emphasis on the letter 'M' it symbolizes a More central role of the customer as the main character - MM More of Me. Every design, fabric choice, and silhouette is crafted to empower them. Femmella's new visual identity features a radiant guiding star, representing the transformative journey every individual embarks on while experiencing the brand. It illuminates their world with the allure of style and comfort. In the captivating world of Femmella, every customer takes center stage as the star. The brand's dedicated mission revolves around curating a fashion journey filled with uplifting, comfortable, and empowering choices for each individual. Embracing Femmella, they find themselves celebrating their unique style, reveling in comfort, and exuding unwavering confidence day after day. Within Femmella's realm, every customer is destined to feel nothing short of extraordinary in each and every step they take. Sharing his thoughts around rebranding, Mr. Kavya Arora, Director of Femmella states, "For us as a brand, rebranding is more than just a cosmetic change; it represents our commitment and willingness to take initiative to celebrate the uniqueness of every woman. Femmella has always been about quality, comfort and embracing individuality, and this rebranding takes that vision to greater heights. Our emphasis on accessible pricing and size inclusivity reflects our belief that fashion should be a source of confidence and joy for everyone. With this transformation, we invite our customers to join us on an exciting journey of self-discovery and constant growth. Ketki Arora, the Co-founder & COO adds, "As Femmella sets forth on this rebranding journey, we are thrilled to have transformed our brand. The bigger picture is of course to elevate the experience for the customer, but were truly getting down to each tiny detail, to ensure theres purpose behind everything, theres intention - my customers happiness and comfort. This rebranding milestone will genuinely celebrate each individual as they are." Femmellas rebranding sets forth a thrilling fashion expedition, where style and self-expression intertwine to craft an unapologetic narrative of confidence and femininity. The world becomes your canvas as Femmella empowers you to paint your story with vibrant hues of uniqueness and authenticity. Femmella is a leading fashion brand committed to providing quality-conscious and stylish clothing that resonates with women worldwide. With a profound dedication to accessibility, size, inclusivity, and ethical practices, Femmella empowers women to celebrate their individuality and embrace their journey of self-discovery. Step into a world where fashion meets personal growth, and join Femmella on an exhilarating adventure of confidence and courage. Website link - www.femmella.com. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], July 29 (ANI): BJP National President JP Nadda on Saturday offered prayers at the Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple in Jaipur. On a day-long visit to the state, the BJP national party president will chair a core committee meeting of the party in Rajasthan while also interacting with state party leaders individually. Also Read | DRI Seizes 306 Live Exotic Sea Animals at Mumbai Air Cargo. The move comes as the party prepares for the upcoming Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. Meanwhile, the BJP on Saturday released a list of its central office bearers, which includes Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Rajya Sabha MP Radha Mohan Agarwal, who were appointed the party's national general secretaries. Also Read | You Find a Girl for Him: Sonia Gandhi to Haryana Women Farmers As They Ask Her to Get Rahul Married (Watch Video). Earlier, on Friday, the BJP national president chaired a nearly four-hour-long meeting with the party's national general secretaries. The discussions at the meeting were around next year's Lok Sabha elections, the NDA meeting, outreach strategies, and the electoral battles in poll-bound states. The party's general secretaries held a separate meeting where they discussed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's travel plans. An emphasis was laid on accelerating organisational expansion and expediting ongoing party programmes. Notably, discussions on a meeting with the members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were also held at the huddle. With the forthcoming elections in mind, the participants deliberated on various strategies to enhance the party's activities and increase its engagement with the public. The BJP aims to boost its active presence among the masses in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Mizoram, which will poll for their assemblies ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chandigarh, July 29: The Delhi-Jammu Tawi Rajdhani Express was thoroughly checked at Haryana's Sonipat railway station on Friday night after an information was received claiming that there was a bomb on the train, police said. The train arrived at the Sonipat railway station at 9:34 pm on Friday, a Government Railway Police (GRP) official said. The train was thoroughly searched by a bomb disposal squad and a dog squad, the official said. Worst Train Accidents in India List: Odisha Train Crash With Over 200 Deaths One of The Deadliest Accidents in Indian Railways History, Take a Look at Other Such Tragedies. No explosive was found on the train, he added. The train was allowed to leave the station at 1:48 am, the official 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 29 (ANI): Delhi LG VK Saxena today visited the Mehrauli Archaeological Park and Sanjay Van to take stock of the restoration works being undertaken at these sites by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in cooperation with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Work at these two locations had started after Saxena visited them after assuming charge as LG last year. Also Read | GST on Hostel Rent: Hostelstay, PG Accommodation to Get Costly as It Attracts 12% Goods and Services Tax. It was his 4th visit today to the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, where, restoration works of the Tomb of Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban, Metcalfes Lodge (Dil Khusha Mohammad Quli Khans Tomb), Jamali-Kamali Mosque and Rajaon ki Baoli, have been underway after the LG visited the site twice in February this year, followed by a review visit in June last. While works on the other projects at the locations were in different stages of execution, Rajaon ki Baoli which was filled up to its arches with silt and garbage, before works commenced in February this year, has been restored into a vibrant water body in record time. Also Read | Manipur Violence: Opposition Delegation Visits Relief Camps in Imphal, Calls for Discussion With Centre; BJP Terms Trip a 'Drama' (Watch Video). Similarly, works of restoring the Metcalfe Lodge Dil Khusha were also nearing completion and soon an eco-friendly Restaurant (by end of August) will be operationalized in its vicinity. The place is expected to come up a unique and major attraction at this historically iconic site. Saxena also visited King Prithviraj Chauhan's Qila Rai Pithora and expressed grave disappointment at its decrepit state due to neglect by the authorities. He instructed the DDA and ASI to immediately take up works for the restoration of this historical monument and asked for cleaning operations to be started and restoration designs to be put to him within the coming week. Saxena also directed DDA and ASI to work in coordination. During his visit to Sanjay Van, the LG also oversaw the ongoing restoration of the 11th Century Anang Tal Baoli, which had started in July last year, post his visit in June third week in 2022. The LG also directed officials to speedily restore the hitherto unexplored heritage site, which also houses a plethora of flora and fauna. He said that the complex could serve as a perfect showcase for visitors to the National Capital of India. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], July 29 (ANI): A fire broke out in a factory warehouse in Mayapuri on Friday evening. A total of 16 fire tenders were rushed to the site and the situation was brought under control, a Delhi Fire Service officer said. "Fire breaks out in a factory at 5.22 pm in a godown in Mayapuri. 16 fire tenders rushed to the site," Fire Officer AK Malik said. Also Read | Indian Educational Institutions Should Be Brought at Par With International Norms: Parliament Committee. "We received a fire call at 8:14 pm. 28 fire tenders are deployed here right now at the spot. No casualty has been reported. The fire is under control for now," he added. Earlier, another fire incident was reported at a tent godown in Southwest Delhi's Jaunapur area around 5.20 PM, informed the fire officials. Also Read | Manipur Violence: Two Killed, Six Injured Including Security Personnel, 6 Houses Burnt in Bishnupur. As soon as the information was received, 12 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was doused a few hours later, the Delhi Fire Service officials informed. (ANI) (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chandigarh, Jul 29 (PTI) The Punjab Police on Saturday said it has foiled a conspiracy by Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI to disturb peace in the state ahead of Independence Day with the arrest of five operatives of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). The arrests were made following a two-week operation, it said. Also Read | Rain Forecast by IMD: Heavy to Very Heavy Rainfall To Continue Over East, Northeast and East Central India in Next 4-5 Days. Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said inputs were received that some terrorist elements based abroad have formed a terror module by recruiting foot soldiers through criminals lodged in jails and are hatching a conspiracy to target minority leaders, police officials and other prominent people to disturb peace and harmony in the state. Based on these inputs, the State Special Operating Cell (SSOC) of SAS Nagar registered a case and started a special operation, he said. Also Read | Buddhdeb Bhattacharjee Health Update: Former West Bengal CM Hospitalised With Respiratory Infection in Kolkata (Watch Video). "Around a two-week-long operation, which involved meticulous intelligence gathering, technical analysis and swift action, led to the apprehension of five operatives of this terrorist module involved in the nefarious plot," Yadav said in a statement. This new module has links with the same foreign-based handlers who had targeted Shiv Sena (Samajwadi) leader Rajeev Mahajan in Batala on June 24. They were controlling this separate module through these operatives to carry out different targeted killings in the state, he said. Investigations also revealed that the KLF operatives were "talent spotting" in India and recruiting foot soldiers through criminals lodged in jails, the DGP said. They use fake narratives to influence impressionable youths on social media and transfer money into their bank accounts to motivate them to carry out targeted killings in Punjab, he added. Yadav said the Punjab Police is fully committed to maintaining peace and communal harmony in the state and the nefarious designs of anti-national elements will not be allowed to succeed. Assistant Inspector General, SSOC, Ashwani Kapur said it was discovered that foreign-based handlers of the KLF had provided a list of targets to the module members, who had already conducted recce of some of the targets. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Udhampur, July 29: Residents of Udhampur are risking their lives, wading through a flooded Sloo nallah, after a crucial footbridge connecting more than five thousand people across three panchayats Danwalt, Blandh, and Rang of Parli Dhar block in Ramnagar tehsil of Udhampur district collapsed after a flash flood triggered by heavy rains last week. The bridge, situated in ward no 8 of Bhiala Jagir in Dalwalt panchayat of Ramnagar tehsil, was literally swept away as heavy rains lashed the area last week. The bridge, which was the only one of its kind for residents to cross the Sloo Nullah, has left them in dire straits. The situation has been deemed especially precarious for children, women, and the elderly. Locals have called for urgent action from the authorities, demanding that they either construct a new footbridge or repair the damaged one. However, no concrete steps have been taken as yet, they alleged. Landslide in Jammu and Kashmir: Terrifying Video Shows Landslip on Budhal Mahore Road in Reasi. Locals said they feared wading through the nallah and were desparate for an invertention by the administration. The villagers said they had been desperately pleading for a bridge for decades to ease their daily commuting struggles but their pleas fell on deaf ears. However, that was before a retired Tehsildar, who is also a local, stepped forward to make a difference to the lives of locals. He selflessly contributed a substantial sum, amounting to approximately Rs 10 to 12 lakh, to building a bridge that the villagers so desperately wanted. Balwan Singh, sarpanch of Halqa Danwalt in Parli Dhar block of Ramnagar tehsil, said over 5,000 people across three panchayats have been affected by the damage to the footbridge. Footbridge Swept Away in Heavy Rains #WATCH | J&K: A footbridge in Udhampur's Ramnagar was damaged due to flash floods triggered by incessant rainfall in various parts. pic.twitter.com/Y60RjT4K7t ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 "Our footbridge was washed away in the flash floods that struck ten days ago. The locals across three panchayats have been sorely affected by this incident. This was the only footbridge to cross the Sloo Nullah. Our children are not being able to go to schools as we don't want them to risk their lives crossing the nullah," Singh said. "If anybody falls ill, there's no way to get him or her admitted to a hospital," he added. Yesterday, a junior engineer from the department concerned took stock of the damaged bridge. We have urged the district administration and the Lieutenant Governor (Manoj Sinha) to repair the old bridge or build a new one as soon as possible," he added. Landmine Exploded Near LoC in J&K's Poonch. Deputy Commissioner Udhampur, Sachin Kumar Vaishy, said he will personally look into the matter, adding that he has already instructed the departments concerned to assess the extent of the loss. (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 29: A shooter of fugitive gangster Chhota Shakeel has been arrested after 25 years in connection with a murder case, a Mumbai Police official said. The arrested accused has been identified as 50-year-old Laik Ahmed Fida Hussain Sheikh. "Laik Ahmed Fida Hussain Sheikh (50), shooter of the Chhota Shakeel gang arrested by Pydhonie Police from near Thane railway station on July 28. Sheikh is accused in the murder of a member of the arrested underworld don Chhota Rajan gang," the official said on Friday. The accused, along with his accomplices, had shot dead Munna Dhari, a member of the arrested underworld don Chhota Rajan gang, on the evening of April 2, 1997. At that time, the police arrested Sheikh by registering a case against the accused under Section 302, 34 of the IPC and Section 3, 25 of the Arms Act, the official said. Terror Threat Call To Mumbai Police: 'Two Pakistani Nationals On Way to Goa in RDX-Laden Tanker,' Caller Tells Cops. "After this, the accused was released on bail by a court in the year 1998," the police official added. The official said that since 1998, the accused Sheikh went underground and did not appear in any court hearing, after which he was declared an absconder. Mumbai Terror Threat: Security Beefed Outside Chabad House in Colaba After Google Image Found in Possesion of Two Terror Suspects. Police received information from secret sources that the accused Sheikh lived in Mumbra. After which they reached the address but he was not found, nor did anyone recognize him. Police also received information that the accused worked as a taxi driver at the Thane campus. The police traced the location of Sheikh and arrested him on Friday by setting a trap near Thane railway station, the official added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai, Jul 29: A 45-year-old woman was injured after a one-storey house collapsed in Mumbai's Dharavi on Saturday, prompting authorities to vacate a few rooms in its vicinity, an official said. The ground-plus-one structure on 90 Feet Road collapsed around 8.15 am, trapping a woman, the fire official said. Mumbai received heavy rains in the past few days. Gujarat Building Collapse Video: Dilapidated Building Collapses in Junagadh, Four Persons Feared Trapped. The woman, identified as Priya Selva Raj, was pulled from under the debris and taken to civic-run Sion hospital. Three to four nearby rooms were vacated as a precautionary measure, he added. Delhi Building Collapse Video: Mother-Son Dies After Concrete Shed in Corridor of Building Collapses in Arihant Nagar. Dharavi is a sprawling slum pocket in central Mumbai. (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 29 (PTI) Private agencies providing domestic helps to households in the national capital will have to mandatorily undergo police verification to get licence from the Labour department, officials said on Saturday. These agencies have to register themselves on the e-district portal under the Delhi Private Placement Agency (Regulation) Order 2014, according to a notice issued by the office of the Labour Commissioner. Also Read | Buddhdeb Bhattacharjee Health Update: Former West Bengal CM Hospitalised With Respiratory Infection in Kolkata (Watch Video). The registration is without any fee and the process can be completed online. The move will not only regulate the largely unregulated placement services sector in Delhi but also do a lot of good by protecting poor men and women from other states who work in the city homes as domestic helps and do other menial jobs, officials said. Also Read | C20 India Summit: Robust and Enlightened Civil Society Important for Functioning of Democracy, Says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. According to an estimate, there are more than 20,000 placement agencies and at least five lakh domestic workers in the national capital, a majority of them coming from other states, they said. The officials said police verification will be mandatory before registration and to get licence for running placement agencies to provide domestic helps. "It will ensure better monitoring of such agencies that bring manpower to Delhi, mainly women and girls from states like Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal," a Labour department officer said. The proprietors of placement agencies can apply for licence within one month of registration. "For registration and licence of a placement agency providing domestic workers, the proprietor or managing director should get police verification certificate for himself and upload it on the website of e-district portal while submitting application," the notice read. It is mandatory and no registration or licence will be issued without police verification, it added. Providing domestic workers without obtaining registration and licence is violation of the Delhi Private Placement Agency (Regulation) Order 2014, for which a penalty of Rs 50,000 may be imposed by the Labour department. "All household heads who intend to engage domestic workers through private placement agencies should ensure that these agencies have obtained registration and licence from the Labour department and are also complying with the provision of Private Placement Agency (Regulation) order 2014," the notice read. This will ensure that men and women hired as domestic helps through placement agencies are not subjected to any exploitation and also curb the practice of child labour, the officials said. The agency proprietors will also have to provide their PAN and bank account details during the registration process. Officials said the registration certificate will not be generated unless the agencies provide these mandatory documents. "Often during verification exercise by the Labour department or in case of any anomaly detected, it's hard to find out the person running the placement agency due to sketchy details and incorrect address," an official said. The labour department of the Delhi government has also written to the police commissioner seeking support in the verification of these agencies, they 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 29 (PTI) A section of people taking out Muharram processions clashed with police and pelted stones at them, injuring around 10 cops and damaging several vehicles, after they were stopped from changing the designated route in west Delhi's Nangloi on Saturday, officials said. The police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the "unruly crowd", they said. Also Read | Karnataka Bus Fire Video: KSRTC Bus Engulfs in Blaze on NH Near Chempakamangalam, No Casualties Reported. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Harendra Singh said, "Several 'tazia' processions were being carried out in Nagloi area and around eight to ten thousand people participated in them. One or two organisers became unruly and tried to divert their procession route which was earlier decided." "When police objected to it, they started pelting stones at police personnel. In order to control them, police resorted to a mild lathicharge and dispersed them from the area," Singh said. Also Read | Caste Discrimination in Karnataka: Villagers Stop Female Dalit Teacher From Entering Anganwadi in Rural Bengaluru, Probe Launched. According to the police, around 10 personnel received minor injuries and some police vehicles were damaged in the stone pelting. The situation in the area is under control, the police said. Some purported videos of the incident were circulated on social media. In the videos, some people in the area are seen pelting stones causing damage to public vehicles, including buses, and private cars. In one of the videos, police are seen resorting to lathicharge. Muslims take out "tazia" processions on Muharram to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in the battle of Karbala in 680 AD. "Tazia" is a miniature replica of the tomb of Imam Hussain. (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 29 (PTI) Global financial architecture needs to be alerted to meet the requirement of emerging nations like India, Brazil and South Africa as they are the global growth drivers, India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Saturday. The flow of resources has to be directed towards emerging countries as 80 per cent of global growth is going to be contributed by these economies, he said. Also Read | NCL Recruitment 2023: Vacancies Notified for 700 Apprentice Trainees Posts, Apply Online at nclcil.in; Check Direct Link, Last Date and Other Details. Sharing data, Kant said, the share of developed nations in global GDP was 60 per cent while developing countries contributed 22 per cent in 2008 when G20 was formed. At present, he said, the share of developed economies has come down to 48 per cent while that of emerging nations has increased to 37 per cent. Also Read | Bawaal Controversy Explained: Why Varun Dhawan-Janhvi Kapoors Film is Facing Ire for Its Hitler, Auschwitz and Holocaust References (SPOILER ALERT). So, it indicates that growth in future is going to come from developing markets, he said, adding, "this would require financing and the international financial architecture will have to be adequately tuned to ensure that resources flow from the developed world to the emerging markets and not vice versa as is happening right now." There are different estimates of what kind of resources required, he said, adding, "for instance, the International Energy Agency talks about requiring USD 4.5 trillion for the energy transition. N K Singh and Larry Summers's report talked about USD 3 trillion. But if you look at both the advanced economies and emerging markets, there's a requirement for both SDG and of climate action to the tune of 5-6 trillion." It's important to understand that if you're transiting to a clean economy, that is providing your business opportunity of almost USD 90 trillion, he said. Secondly, he said, the world is not short of resources as almost USD 350 trillion are available globally for investments and 150 trillion is available from pension funds and institutional investors at present. The challenge is that there is an asymmetry of risks and there is a lack of adequate data. So, he said the risks for projects in developing markets are much higher because there's a lack of adequate project pipeline. There is a need to de-risk projects and create new projects, he said, adding that would require global accelerator for project development in emerging markets combined. This would also require projects should be derisked so that resources flow into these emerging markets in a much bigger way, he said. At the same time, he said, multilateral institutions themselves should be using a lot of indirect funding--private capital, blended finance. Observing that there is no shortage of funds, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Suman Bery said there is a need to work on data and project preparation. Ensuring sustainable transparent debt management, scaling up green financing and regulating credit rating agencies for a fairer assessment of emerging economies are some of the suggestions given during the workshop, Bery said while briefing media about the G-20 conference titled 'A Green and Sustainable Growth Agenda For The Global Economy'. NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam raised the issue of the cost of finance impacting the growth of emerging economies. "Since the bulk of money that will come will be private capital, the cost of capital is an issue and commercial flow will not happen till the time demand and supply side issues, as well as the issue of high cost of capital, is addressed," Subrahmanyam said. Talking about the development related to India's presidency, the Sherpa said as many as 182 meetings have taken place across 58 cities. India's G20 presidency would come to an end on November 30 and would be handed over to Brazil. India had taken over G20 presidency from Indonesia on December 1, 2022. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Thimphu [Bhutan], July 29 (ANI): The participation of Bhutan's women soldiers and officers in UN peacekeeping missions globally, demonstrates the country's dedication to gender mainstreaming, according to Bhutan Live. Bhutan was acknowledged for its services during a recent visit by the United Nations Under Secretary General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. The UN Secretariat's Department of Peace Operations acknowledged Bhutan's substantial contribution to UN Peacekeeping (UNPK) operations with the first-ever high-level visit of its sort to Bhutan. Also Read | Muslim Nations Call for Boycott of Swedish Products. Bhutan's commitment to maintaining global peace and security is strong, and the country has benefited from international recognition and support ever since it joined the UN in 1971. The country aims to send well-equipped and trained small units in the future, including medical and engineering teams, to contribute more to UN peacekeeping missions. Also Read | UK: Indian-Origin Man Found Guilty of Killing Friend in West London Over Drugs Worth 5,000 Pounds. Moreover, as the Royal Bhutan Army has met its gender parity goal, the Formed Police Unit (FPU) platoons will also contain 40 per cent women. Bhutan's military and police contingents have also reduced their carbon footprint when deployed by adhering to sustainable practices such as using renewable solar energy and implementing environmental conservation measures. According to Bhutan Live, participating in UNPK missions aligns with Bhutans foreign policy initiatives as well. It showcases the Himalayan nations coming of age and its tangible contribution to international peace and security. Additionally, it raises Bhutan's prominence and visibility in the global arena while highlighting its dedication to responsible global engagement. Bhutan has boosted its involvement in UNPK missions since 2014, sending military and police officers to places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Israel, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan, and Western Sahara. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, D.C [US], July 29 (ANI): Using an authority from the US Congress that draws weapons directly from American stockpiles, President Joe Biden has announced USD 345 million in military support for Taiwan, The Hill reported. Using a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) that Congress granted last year, Biden authorised the shipment of weapons to Taiwan on Friday. Also Read | Muslim Nations Call for Boycott of Swedish Products. Quoting a congressional employee who is familiar with the package, The Hill reported that it includes man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), weapons, and missiles in addition to intelligence and surveillance capabilities. The announcement was first made public as a memorandum to the secretary of state, directing the withdrawal of "defence articles and services of the Department of Defence, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan." Also Read | UK: Indian-Origin Man Found Guilty of Killing Friend in West London Over Drugs Worth 5,000 Pounds. "By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 506(a)(3) of the FAA to direct the drawdown of up to $345 million in defence articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan," the memorandum read, according to the White House. Taiwan, an island with a democratically elected government, is seen by China as an integral part of it, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated that Taipei should be united with Beijing. The 2023 US budget included USD 1 billion for weapons shipments to Taiwan, and Congress had asked the administration to complete the backlog of military supplies to the self-governed island. Taiwan is encouraged by the US to have the defensive capabilities and diplomatic power to oppose a forced takeover by Beijing, whether through military war or economic pressure, as per The Hill. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Singapore, July 29 (ANI): Singapore on Friday hanged a woman convicted of attempting to traffic an ounce of heroin. This marks the countrys first execution of a female prisoner in nearly two decades, CNN reported. Forty-five-year-old Singaporean, Saridewi Djamani, was put to death on Friday in Changi Prison, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) of Singapore said in a statement issued hours after the hanging took place. Also Read | Australian Army Helicopter Crash: Four Air Crew Members Reported Missing After Australias MRH-90 Taipan Helicopter Crashes off Queensland During Military Exercise With US Forces. Djamani was in 2018 sentenced to the mandatory death penalty after being convicted of possessing 31 grams of heroin. The CNB said: She was accorded full due process under the law and was represented by legal counsel throughout the process. It added that Singapore laws permit the death penalty for trafficking anything above 15 grams of heroin. Also Read | Muslim Nations Call for Boycott of Swedish Products. Saridewi is the first woman to be hanged in Singapore since hairdresser Yen May Woen, 36, in 2004, also convicted of drug trafficking. As per CNN, Singapore maintains some of the worlds harshest drug laws and its government remains adamant that capital punishment works to deter drug traffickers and maintain public safety. Under the law, anyone caught trafficking, importing or exporting certain quantities of illegal drugs like methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine or cannabis products will receive the mandatory death sentence. The country has hanged 15 people since resuming executions for drug convictions last year. This includes foreigners and an intellectually disabled man. The CNB said: Capital punishment is used only for the most serious crimes, such as the trafficking of significant quantities of drugs which cause very serious harm, not just to individual drug abusers, but also to their families and the wider society. Saridewis hanging triggered outrage from rights groups. Founder of the non-profit group Responsible Business Initiative for Justice Celia Ouellette, said: The government of Singapore violates human belief in redemption and the capacity for rehabilitation by insisting instead on taking drastic and irreversible action. Singapore risks not only its international reputation but its financial future as well. Its time for it to abolish capital punishment once and for all, she said as per CNN. Secretary general of France-based NGO International Federation for Human Rights Adilur Rahman Khan called Saridewis execution a grim milestone and renewed calls for the Singaporean government to stop executions. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Warsaw (Poland), Jul 29 (AP) Over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, the Polish prime minister said Saturday. Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference that the mercenaries had moved close to the Suwalki Gap, a strategic stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian territory separated from the mainland. Also Read | Pakistans Special Investment Facilitation Council Approves 28 Projects Worth Billions of Dollars to Gulf Countries for Investment. Poland is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and it has worried about its security with Russian ally Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern border. Those fears have grown since Wagner group mercenaries arrived in Belarus since the group's short-lived rebellion earlier this summer. Also Read | Bird Flu Outbreak in South Korea: Seoul Reports Suspected Avian Influenza Case in Cats at Animal Shelter. The Poland-Belarus border has already been a tense place for a couple of years, ever since large numbers of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa began arriving, seeking to enter the EU by crossing into Poland, as well as Lithuania. Poland's government accuses Russia and Belarus of using the migrants to destabilize Poland and other EU countries. It calls the migration a form of hybrid warfare, and has responded by building a high wall along part of its border with Belarus. Now the situation becomes even more dangerous," Morawiecki told reporters. He added that this is certainly a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory. Morawiecki spoke during a visit to an arms factory in Gliwice, in southern Poland, where Leopard tanks used by the Ukrainian army are being repaired. (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, July 29: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has said that after certain organisational changes, the number of monthly users of social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, had hit a "new high." Musk asserted the same by posting a graph of user statistics that indicated the most recent count to be above 540 million. " monthly users reach new high in 2023. Chart is 1/1 to yesterday," Musk wrote on X. "Also, this is after the removal of a vast number of bots," he added. Twitter replaced its recognisable bird logo with the letter "X" as its new official mark this week, marking the latest major shift since Elon Musk's takeover of the social media platform. Notably, Musk said that x.com now points to twitter.com as well. In the post, Musk also referred to this design as an "interim" one, suggesting that there may be other logo changes in the future. Elon Musk Says Rebranded Twitters New X Logo Will Evolve over Time. According to a report by US-based tech portal TechCrunch, it's possible that the social network won't stop changing the logo. According to Musk, the business would eventually "bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds." Musk updated his profile picture to the new Twitter logo late on Sunday. After Elon Musk took over X, formerly known as Twitter, the social media platform has undergone a variety of changes. Elon Musk Says Twitter Aka X To Make Dark Mode Default, Delete Dim Option. The company started offering the verified blue tick as a premium service and has subsequently started paying some content creators a share of the platform's ad sales. In order to lay emphasis on advertising, Elon Musk appointed Linda Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal advertising executive as the CEO of X by Elon Musk in May. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) San Francisco, July 29: Elon Musk-owned Tesla's Cybertruck has been spotted with a wrap that makes it look like a Ford F-150 pickup truck. Cybertruck was seen being transported on a truck in Livermore, California, reports Electrek. On prototype cars, Tesla rarely used camouflage or wraps, but lately, the Cybertruck has been seen more frequently with wraps. Some people believe that the auto-maker is wrapping the Cybertruck prototypes to hide the final production design, while others speculate that the company is testing wraps since it is going to be the only way to make the vehicle look different. Elon Musk Shares Video of Giant 'X' Atop Twitter Headquarters. "CEO Elon Musk has always set his sights on the F-150 as a competitor for the Cybertruck," the report said. Earlier this month, the auto-maker had announced that it built the "first Cybertruck." However, with the release of its quarter two (Q2) earnings, the company confirmed that it is currently only producing release candidates-- last step before the official start of production. Also, the pickup truck was recently spotted with a new darker camouflage wrap which was better at hiding the electric pickup trucks design features. Last month, the electric pickup truck's prototype was spotted arriving in New Zealand by plane, possibly for its last winter testing. While the vehicle was covered, it was easy to recognise the electric pickup truck. Earlier, a prototype of the truck was spotted going through a drive-through in California and it was equipped with camouflage. Twitter Ads Revenue: You Need 15 Million Impressions, 500 Followers; Here's How To Earn Money on Elon Musks X. Another Cybertruck prototype was spotted stuck in a field in rural Texas in May this year. The company had claimed that the electric pickup truck would hit the market by the end of 2021 when it first announced the Cybertruck in 2019. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 29, 2023 03:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Actress-filmmaker Kangana Ranaut slammed the latest release Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh. The actress called it "rubbish" and said that shame on filmmaker Karan Johar for copying his own films of the nineties. Kangana took to Instagram, where she first drew parallels of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani to last week's Hollywood release, Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'. She said that the "nepo gang" hinting at Kjo, whom she had called the "flag bearer of nepotism" on an episode of 'Koffee With Karan', has made as a "saas bahu ka rona". Kangana Ranaut Calls Ranveer Singh 'Cartoon Looking Person', Advises RRKPK Star To Stop Getting Influenced By Karan Johar!. Kangana wrote on her Instagram stories: "Indian audiences watching 3 hours long film on the origin of nuclear weapon and intricacies of atomic science aur yahan nepo gang ka wahi saas bahu ka rona, lekin why he needs Rs 250 crore to make a daily soap . ??? "Shame on you Karan Johar for making the same nth time calling yourself the flag bearer of Indian cinema and perpetually regressing it Don't waste funds it's not easy time for the industry, retire now and let young film makers make new and revolutionary films " She then added that the audience can't be fooled anymore. "They have rejected atrocious and creatively poor films full of fake sets and over the top fake costumes, who dresses like this in real life also where are tacky houses like those in Delhi??? What rubbish!!!! Shame on Karan Johar for copying his own vintage movies of the nineties also how come he spend Rs 250 crore on this stupidity? Who gives them this kind of money's while real talent struggle to get funds !!! The actress also gave a word of advice to actor Ranveer Singh. Kangana Ranaut and Hrithik Roshan Turn Barbie and Ken in Deepfaker Barbie Trailer (Watch Video). Check Out Kangana Ranaut's Instagram Status: Kangana Ranaut (Photo Credits: Instagram) "My sincere advice to @ranveersingh he should stop getting influenced by Karan Johar and his dressing sense he should dress up like a normal human being, like Dharm ji (Dharmendra) or Vinod Khanna ji dressed in their days, Indian people can't identify with a cartoon looking person calling himself a hero, please see all south heroes how they dress up and carry themselves with great dignity and integrity.. They look manly and dignified people don't ruin the culture in our country." On the acting front, Kangana will next be seen in Tejas and Emergency. Mumbai, July 29: The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) on Friday announced the Karnataka 2nd PUC supplementary exam 2023 timetable. The Karnataka Board released the Karnataka 2nd PUC 2023 supplementary exam dates on July 28. Candidates who will be appearing for the Karnataka 2nd PUC 2023 supplementary examinations can visit the official website of KSEAB at kseab.karnataka.gov.in to check and download the PUC Supplementary Examination-2 Timetable. As per the official schedule, the 2nd PUC supplementary exams will be held from August 21 to September 2. The 2nd PUC supplementary exams will be conducted in two shifts with the first shift in the morning shift between 10:15 am to 12:30 pm. The second shift will be held in the afternoon from 2:15 pm to 5:30 pm. TN 10th SSLC Supplementary Result Out at dge.tn.gov.in: Tamil Nadu Class 10 Supply Exam Results Declared, Get Direct Link and Know Steps To Check Scores. Karnataka 2nd PUC 2023 Supplementary Exam Dates: Exam date Morning shift Afternoon shift August 21 Kannada Arabic August 22 Optional Kannada Chemistry Basic maths August 23 Sociology Electronics Computer science August 24 Logic Hindustani music Business studies August 25 History Statistics August 26 Information Technology Retail Automobile Healthcare Beauty and wellness English August 27 Sunday - Holiday August 28 Geography Psychology Physics August 29 Accountancy Geology Education Home Science August 30 Political science Mathematics August 31 Hindi September 1 Economics Biology September 2 Tamil Telugu Malayalam Marathi Urdu Sanskrit French It must be noted that students who failed in one or two subjects can appear for the Karnataka 2nd PUC supplementary examinations. The Karnataka 2nd PUC 2023 supplementary exams will be held for various subjects including Kannada, Arabic, optional Kannada, basic Maths, Chemistry, etc. APOSS SSC, Inter Supplementary Results 2023 Out at apopenschool.ap.gov.in: Andhra Pradesh Open School Class 10 and 12 Supply Examination Result Released, Get Direct Link and Know How To Download. Meanwhile, the Directorate of Government Examinations, Tamil Nadu announced TN HSE +1 Result 2023 on Friday, July 28. Candidates who appeared for the Class 11 supplementary examination can visit the official website of DGETN at dge.tn.gov.in to check and download their marks. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 29, 2023 12:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Mumbai, July 29: The Chennai police recently arrested a man, a habitual offender who reportedly groped over a hundred women on the streets of the city. The accused was arrested by the MKB Nagar police. The accused was arrested after the police scanned several CCTV footage in order to narrow down on the suspect who allegedly groped women on the streets of Chennai. According to a report in the Times of India, the incident came to light after two women were allegedly groped by an unidentified person. Police officials said that the two women who were walking on 14th Central Cross Street and 16th Central Cross Street respectively in MKB Nagar were allegedly groped in separate incidents. The incidents took place on July 11 and July 24. Chennai Shocker: Refused Money by Father, Youth Hurls Country Made Bomb at His Own House, Injures Uncle and Sister. The unidentified person reportedly groped the woman before speeding away on his bike. Acting on the women's complaints, the police registered cases under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act. Following this, the police began investigating the matter. The police conducted several spot visits and also inspected CCTV footage of the area. Later, they managed to narrow down on a suspect and tracked the accused. The accused has been identified as M Prakash (43), a resident of Vyasarpadi. Speaking about the incident, a police officer said, "During questioning, he admitted to sexually harassing not just the two women, but more than 100 others." Chennai Shocker: Elderly Woman Robbed, Stripped and Filmed by Six in Arumbakkam; Three Arrested. After arresting the accused, the police also seized his two-wheeler which he used during the incident. Later, he was produced before a court where a magistrate ordered judicial custody of the accused. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 29, 2023 09:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). A team from the power distribution company, including a technician and an executive, went to the site at Devji Nagar in Bhiwandi town around 4 pm on Friday to disconnect supply to a dangerous building, an official said. Many of the governments landmark initiatives including Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan, etc., have brought significant transformational and attitudinal changes in the society, were complemented by civil society organizations, he said while addressing C20 India Summit in Jaipur. In a shocking incident that took place in the United States, at least four people have been shot outside a supermarket in Seattle, Washington State. As per reports, the shooting was reported at a Rainier Beach Safeway on Friday night. Reportedly, the grocery store is located at 9200 Rainier Avenue South. The Seattle Police Department has requested people to stay out of the area. US Mass Shooting Video: 17 People Shot in Illinois Willowbrook. Shooting Reported Outside Supermarket in Seattle BREAKING: At least four people have been shot outside a supermarket in Seattle, Washington State. The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) July 29, 2023 People Shot Outside Safeway Supermarket in Seattle JUST IN: At least 4 people shot outside Safeway supermarket in Seattle BNO News (@BNONews) July 29, 2023 People Shot Inside and Outside of Safeway Shopping Centerside #BREAKING: Multiple People have been Shot Inside and Outside of a Safeway Shopping Centerside #Seattle | #Washington Currently multiple law enforcements and other emergency personnels are on the scene to a mass shooting as multiple people have been shot at a Safeway pic.twitter.com/FanCtEd9Y3 R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) July 29, 2023 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) The Donald Trump classified documents scandal gets some new developments as the DOJ added a superseding indictment against the ex-POTUS, and a new co-defendant has been identified. Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira was tagged as the new co-defendant because of his conversations with Yuscil Taveras, a Mar-a-Lago information technology worker. Taveras was the employee who oversaw the surveillance camera footage at Mar-a-Lago, while De Oliveira had a conversation with Trump aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta regarding surveillance footage on the Trump property. As for Trump, the superseding indictment added new major accusations against him. He reportedly ordered De Oliveira to have the security footage at Mar-a-Lago deleted after he ordered Walt Nauta to hide the classified documents that he took from the White House after he was sent a subpoena. He is also charged with illegally holding onto a classified document he allegedly showed off to visitors in his Bedminster, New Jersey resort. According to CNN, Special Counsel Jack Smith's grand jury in Washington has heard testimony about De Oliveira's unusual behavior regarding the footage. Smith's team has also previously heard testimony about odd conversations between Taveras, Nauta, and De Oliveira. De Oliveira reportedly had a conversation with Taveras on June 27, 2022, before Trump's Mar-a-Lago property was raided by the FBI. He reportedly asked to have a private discussion in an "audio closet" with the Mar-a-Lago IT specialist and asked him if the security tapes could be deleted and also asked how long the footage lasts. However, Taveras admitted, "he would not know how to do that, and that he did not believe that he would have the rights to do that." However, the property manager told him that "the boss" wanted it deleted. READ MORE: Donald Trump Fake Electors in Michigan Charged Donald Trump Spokesperson Reacts to New Charges After the new charges were revealed, a Trump spokesperson dismissed the new allegations, saying that these were "nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt" by the Biden administration "to harass President Trump and those around him" and to influence the 2024 presidential race. Donald Trump is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination and is the likeliest candidate to challenge President Joe Biden in 2024. According to the Associated Press, De Oliveira lied to federal investigators in the case, telling the FBI last January that he "never saw nothing" regarding the boxes of classified documents at the Trump property, thereby getting his name added to the indictment. The New Charge Vs. Donald Trump Regarding Classified Documents in New Jersey Resort Donald Trump's new charge was an additional count of willfully retaining national defense information against the ex-president. The Associated Press noted that this new charge is related to that time when Trump showed off a document regarding Iran to the writer and publisher of Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadow's memoir. While the incident was mentioned in the original indictment, he was not really charged with it. Trump returned that document to the government on Jan. 17, 2022, which was almost a year after he left office. READ MORE: Donald Trump Fact-Checked to His Face by Brett Baier During Fox News Interview This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: 'It reads like a spy novel,' says reporter on new Trump charges | ABCNL - ABC News US Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina recently expressed his criticism towards fellow Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, AP reports. Scott disapproved of DeSantis' support for new educational standards that required middle school teachers to instruct students that enslaved people possessed skills that could benefit them personally. In response, Senator Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, emphasized that slavery's true nature involved devastating acts such as separating families, inflicting physical harm, and even rape. He urged everyone, especially those running for president, to recognize the profound impact and trauma caused by slavery. Scott also suggested that people may have moments of misspeaking or regret their statements, and it is essential to seek clarification on their positions. DeSantis has been facing criticism from various quarters, including Florida teachers, civil rights leaders, President Joe Biden's White House, and even Black Republicans, regarding these school standards. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black vice president of the US, also visited Florida to condemn the curriculum. READ NEXT: Florida's New Black History Teaching Ron DeSantis Fires Back In response to Senator Tim Scott's criticism, Governor Ron DeSantis fired back on Friday, attributing the country's struggles to accepting false narratives and lies by some DC Republicans, per Washinton Post. He asserted that he was defending Florida against what he perceived as false accusations and lies and vowed to continue speaking the truth. This exchange marks a shift in campaign styles for DeSantis and Scott, as they have typically avoided direct critiques of each other and focused their antagonism on President Joe Biden. It also coincides with a mid-campaign reset for DeSantis, who has made staffing cuts to manage campaign expenses. The controversy surrounding the curriculum has garnered attention from other Black Republican figures. Former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, along with Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas, both Trump allies and among the few Black Republicans in Congress, have also criticized DeSantis over the issue. Senator Tim Scott's comments regarding the educational standards in Florida were made during his and Governor Ron DeSantis' campaign in Iowa before the state Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner. This event is set to feature 13 candidates from the GOP presidential primary field, including front-runner Donald Trump, who will address an audience of approximately 1,200 activists on Friday. As part of the GOP's most diverse presidential field ever, Scott was asked for his opinion on the standards shortly after DeSantis defended them to reporters. While defending the curriculum, Governor DeSantis presented the issue as a choice between siding with Kamala Harris and liberal media outlets or supporting the state of Florida. He refuted Democrats' criticism of the wording on slavery and emphasized that the standards were not politically motivated, asserting that the team responsible did a commendable job in their creation. Ron DeSantis Slavery Stance Gets Divided Opinion on Social Media On X, formerly known as Twitter, a super PAC supporting Ron DeSantis responded to reporters' posts of Tim Scott's video by calling the posts "incredibly sloppy or intentionally disingenuous," Independent noted. The super PAC reposted a video of DeSantis defending the curriculum earlier in the day, as shared by his wife, Casey DeSantis. The group emphasized that Governor DeSantis stated, "That was in spite of slavery, not because of..." in his defense of the curriculum. In response, podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen disagreed with DeSantis' stance, stating that the new education standards in Florida tell schools to teach that Black people "benefited" from slavery by acquiring "skills." Cohen further criticized DeSantis for doubling down on his position and pointed to recent staff layoffs as a potential consequence of his actions. READ MORE: Ron DeSantis Net Worth This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott discuss Florida curriculum while campaigning in Iowa - From KCCI Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four Idaho college students last year, is seeking to have his indictment dismissed, as reported by ABC News. In a recent court filing, his attorneys argue that the grand jury was misled about the standard of proof required for an indictment. According to Kohberger's lawyers, the grand jury should have been instructed that the standard of proof for an indictment is "beyond a reasonable doubt." However, they claim that the jury was given the standard of proof required for a "Presentment," which they argue is a lower standard of having a "reasonable ground for believing that a particular individual has committed a certain offense." Kohberger's attorneys are requesting the dismissal of the indictment based on this alleged misinformation provided to the grand jury. Alternatively, they request a new preliminary hearing before a magistrate to argue their case and determine if the charges should proceed. READ NEXT: Surviving Idaho Murder Roommate Resists Subpoena to Testify Bryan Kohberger Attorney Hints the Idaho Murder Suspect Was Not at the Scene During the Incident In the ongoing legal proceedings, Bryan Kohberger's defense attorneys have made it clear that they will not provide prosecutors with an alibi, despite their demands, according to New York Post. They hinted that they possess evidence showing that Kohberger was somewhere else when the four University of Idaho students were killed near their campus in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13. "Evidence corroborating Mr. Kohberger being at a location other than the King Road address will be disclosed pursuant to discovery and evidentiary rules," she wrote, citing the legal process. The defense team plans to present this evidence during witness cross-examination at the highly anticipated trial scheduled for October 2, 2023, in Latah County Court. Bryan Kohberger, a former Washington criminology student, was arrested on December 30, 2022, and subsequently indicted on charges of felony burglary and four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings of Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. Prosecutors in Idaho Murder Case Request Defense for More Information on Potential Alibi In response to the defense team's suggestion that Bryan Kohberger was not at the location where the crimes occurred, prosecutors in the case have filed a motion requesting the judge to compel the defense to share information about Kohberger's potential alibi. The prosecution's motion, filed on Thursday, asks explicitly the defense to provide details about the specific place or places where Kohberger claims to have been during the time of the crimes, per CNN. They also request the names and addresses of all witnesses that the defense plans to use to establish an alibi for Kohberger. The prosecution highlights the urgency of the matter, noting that the scheduled jury trial is only two months away, set for October 2, 2023. They emphasize the need for prompt notice to fulfill their obligations under Idaho Code $19-519(2) to investigate and respond to the Notice of Alibi. Any further delays, the prosecution argues, would substantially prejudice the State's rights. As part of their request, the prosecutors seek a court order to require the defense to provide the requested information within 10 days to ensure the case can proceed accordingly. READ MORE: What Did Cops Find in Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger's Home? This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Bryan Kohberger asks judge to throw out indictment - From KING 5 Seatle St. Lukes University Health Network is proposing a major new expansion of its Anderson Campus hospital in Bethlehem Township. The Wing 3 proposal includes a five-floor, 307,979-square-foot hospital expansion with 146 beds, in addition to a 32,417-square-foot sterile processing facility. St. Lukes opened the hospital along Freemansburg Avenue west of Route 33 in November 2011, followed by an initial expansion completed for opening in July 2013. The four-floor, 180,000-square-foot Women & Babies Pavilion that opened in January 2020 doubled the size of the hospital. On Thursday night, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission approved a review letter on the proposal to be sent to Bethlehem Township officials, on an advisory basis. This development supports the policies of the commissions FutureLV: The Regional Plan to encourage local institutions to invest in their surrounding communities and to locate hospitals and clinics in centers or along corridors, according to the commissions letter. The expansion was introduced as new business on the Monday, July 24, agenda of the Bethlehem Township Planning Commission. A St. Lukes spokesman declined to immediately comment on the new expansion, other than to note the proposal is in line with the master site plan coordinated with Bethlehem Township since 2005. Read the Lehigh Valley Planning Commissions full review letter starting on page 28 of 52 in Thursdays agenda packet, at lvpc.org. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Walkers in Laois can honour the ancient Irish festival of Fraughan Sunday, by climbing the highest peak in the Slieve Bloom Mountains. The Slieve Bloom Association is inviting the public to join them on their annual climb this Sunday, July 30. "One of the Mountains Ancient Festivals will take place this Sunday. Starting in Shrahan to Arderin, and back to Camross afterwards for refreshments," they say. There are two walks to choose from. A Long walk is about 5.5km round trip, difficulty low to medium, and an easier short walk that is a 2km round trip. The walks will start at 1pm. Walkers are invited to meet up in Camross Village at 12:45pm and drive in shared cars up to Shrahan, due to limited parking at Shrahan. Refreshments will be provided afterwards in Camross Community Hall at approximately 4pm. Arderin is the highest point in both counties Laois and Offaly at 527m, or 1,729 ft. Fraughan Sunday takes place at the same time as Lunasa, the pagan harvest feast day, when the fraughan (Irish blueberry) has ripened for picking, traditionally held on August 1. Fraughan berries grow in the Slieve Blooms. A man who was jailed for nine years for repeatedly raping a woman he met on a dating website after giving a false name has had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal. Bajo Ziflai (23) was found guilty by a jury of four counts of raping the 23-year-old woman and one count of sexually assaulting her at an address in County Galway following a Central Court trial in July 2022. Ziflai, an Albanian national with an address at Lacken Valley, New Ross, Co Wexford, had pleaded not (NOT) guilty to all five of the charges. He will now face a retrial. He was jailed for nine years in January this year. Sentencing judge Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said Ziflai had shown no remorse nor acknowledged the harm he caused to the woman on the night in question. He did not accept the verdicts of the jury and continued to maintain the woman made up the allegations because she was attention seeking. The court heard Ziflai met the woman on a dating website on which he used a false name and it was agreed between them that they would meet at a house near the womans home. She was driven there by her mother and told him in advance they would not be having sex, the court heard. Despite this, Ziflai raped the woman four times and sexually assaulted her before she managed to leave the house and call her mother. Ziflai had appealed his conviction, arguing that the trial judge erred in law in the manner in which the jury was charged in relation to the lies told by the accused. In delivering the Court of Appeals judgement today (FRIDAY), Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said the three-judge court had a concern that the jury may not have fully understood how they should approach the question of lies. The court noted that counsel for the prosecution laid heavy emphasis on the lies told by the appellant during the course of a number of interviews with gardai. He said in a number of interviews with gardai, Ziflai asserted that consensual sexual intercourse had occurred on one occasion. They said it appeared "on any view of the evidence" that he told many lies in and about his engagement in the matter and its background. Mr Justice McCarthy said that in light of the fact that the prosecution was placing reliance upon the fact that lies were of evidential value in support of the prosecution case, the judge had, during the course of her charge to the jury, given what is commonly known as a Lucas warning. In the written judgement, the court said the Lucas warning is generally necessary in situations where lies told out of court are relied upon by the prosecution as part of their case. When this occurs, a warning should be given to the jury that individuals may tell lies for many different reasons, and that the telling of lies is not necessarily indicative of guilt for that reason, the judges said. The court noted that subsequent to the charge, counsel for Ziflai, by way of requisition, submitted that the form of words used by the judge in relation to the question of lies was erroneous and tended to confuse the jury. A debate took place between the judge and counsel as to the appropriate form of words but the judge declined to recharge the jury on the point. Mr Justice McCarthy said counsel for the appellant had rightly relied on the straightforward proposition that what the judge made was a bald error, which it is. The court said: In this instance it is said that the form of words used conveyed the proposition, as they do, viewed on their own, that lies could be relied upon if the jury are sure that there is no innocent explanation, and to the criminal standard of proof. The court found that the requisition was well founded and the judge ought to have acceded to it. The error could have been remedied without difficulty and if that had been done there would be no basis for an appeal on this ground, Mr Justice McCarthy said. He said the court had a concern that the jury may not have fully understood how they should approach the question of the lies. The latter factor itself means that one must scrutinise the forms of words used in their context with exceptional care, the court said. We accept that the remainder of the charge is beyond criticism but we do not think that the error on such a crucial question can be ignored. The court said it found that the verdict was unsafe and unsatisfactory. Accordingly, it quashed the conviction and directed a retrial. < ENDS > IFA President Tim Cullinan told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture today that there is not enough scientific evidence to justify reducing Irelands nitrates derogation limit. He said the EPAs Water Quality monitoring report on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in Irish Waters 2022 on foot of the EU Commission requirement, which resulted in the so called Red Map is not the optimal approach. IFAs water quality expert Shane Herlihy will outline to the Committee today a number of concerns about the commissions criteria and how it was applied by the EPA. It is clear that this red map cannot form the basis for any review, he said. IFA estimate that the loss to the rural economy will likely be 236m. However, the impact it will have on family farms will be much more devastating. Farmers will take on board scientific evidence and have implemented a huge amount of measures at farm level but what is proposed here is not logical and farmers are getting frustrated, he said. The Commissions Implementing Decision of 29th April 2022 granting Ireland a derogation included the requirement to conduct a two-year review of water quality (2021 and 2022), to take place in 2023, to determine maximum stocking rate thresholds based on nitrates concentrations, eutrophic status and their respective trends Article 12, Tim Cullinan said. This condition was introduced without consultation with stakeholders and will have a significant economic impact on derogation farmers livelihoods and deliver negligible improvements to water quality, he added. Article 12s assessment of water quality is not scientifically robust. It is not fair or justified, yet it will have massive ramifications for the entire agricultural sector. IFA is seeking an immediate resolution by Minister McConalogue to Article 12 and to explore alternative measures that can improve water quality without decimating farm families, he concluded. Gardai have issued an appeal for two missing teenagers and are seeking help from the public to find them. Gardai wish to trace the whereabouts of 16 year old Charli McGlynn Maughan, who is missing from her home in Bohermeen, Co. Meath since Thursday evening, 27th July 2023 Charli is described as being 5 6 in height, of thin build, with black hair and brown eyes. When last seen she was wearing a black leather jacket, black string stop, check shorts and black ankle boots. Anyone with any information on Charli's whereabouts are asked to contact Navan Garda Station 046 907 9930, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. Meanwhile, gardai are also seeking the public's help in tracing the whereabouts of 16 year old Jamie Jordan, who is missing from his home near Ballyphehane in Cork since the early hours of Friday, 28th July 2023. Jamie is described as being 5 10 in height, of normal build, with brown hair and blue eyes. When last seen he was wearing a grey Nike tracksuit, black and grey runners and a black Hugo Boss cap. Anyone with any information on Jamie's whereabouts are asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda Station 021 452 2000 the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. From left to right, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pose for a photo at Queensland Government House in Brisbane, on July 29, 2023. PAT HOELSCHER / AP Four aircrew members were missing after an Australian army helicopter ditched into waters off the Queensland state coast during joint military exercises with the United States, officials said Saturday, July 29. The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter went down near Hamilton Island, a Great Barrier Reef tourist resort, at about 10:30 pm Friday, Defense Minister Richard Marles said. A search was underway to find the crew, and their families had been notified, officials said. A rescue helicopter reported spotting debris Saturday morning near Dent Island in the Whitsunday Islands group. The Taipan was taking part in Talisman Sabre, a biennial joint US-Australian military exercise that is largely based in Queensland. This year's exercise involves 13 nations including soldiers from Japan, France, Germany, and South Korea and more than 30,000 military personnel. Marles said the helicopter had ditched, which refers to an emergency landing on water. He said it was taking part in a mission that involved a second helicopter, which immediately started a search and rescue operation. 'Defense exercises (...) carry risks' "Defense exercises, which are so necessary for the readiness of our defense force, are serious. They carry risk," Marles told reporters in Brisbane. "As we desperately hope for better news during the course of this day we are reminded about the gravity of the act which comes with wearing our nations uniform." Defense Force Chief Gen. Angus Campbell said Queensland state authorities, members of the public and US military personnel were taking part in the search. "Our focus at the moment is finding our people and supporting their families and the rest of our team," Campbell said. "This is indeed a terrible moment." It is the second emergency involving an Australian Taipan this year after one ditched into the sea off the New South Wales state coast in March. That helicopter was taking part in a nighttime counterterrorism training exercise when it ran into trouble. All 10 passengers and crew members were rescued. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes France seeks greater influence in the Indo-Pacific region US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Brisbane for a meeting on Saturday and is due to travel with Marles to north Queensland on Sunday to see the exercise. The Talisman Sabre exercise has been paused by the search. Australia is currently embarking on a major overhaul of its armed forces, pivoting towards long-range strike capabilities in an effort to keep would-be foes such as China at arm's length. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes 'Confronted with China, the Indo-Pacific countries are rearming and moving closer to the United States' Vladimir Putin in Strel'na outside Saint Petersburg on July 29, 2023. ALEXEY DANICHEV / AFP "It's the year 2023, and Russia is engaged in an armed conflict with a neighbor. And I think that there should be a certain attitude towards people who harm us inside the country," President Vladimir Putin told reporters in Saint Petersburg on Saturday, July 29, responding to a question from a reporter who asked him to comment on the recent jailing of a theatre director and a sociologist. "We must keep in mind that in order for us to achieve success, including in a conflict zone, everyone needs to follow certain rules," the Russian leader added. This week Russian authorities detained prominent sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky, 64, and accused him of calling for terrorism online. Back in May, a Moscow court ordered the arrest of theatre director Yevgeniya Berkovich, 38, on charges of "justifying terrorism" over an award-winning play about Russian women recruited online to marry radical Islamists in Syria. Putin said he did not know who Kagarlitsky and Berkovich were. "I hear these names for the first time and do not really understand what they did or what was done to them," Putin said. "I'm just telling you about my overall attitude toward the problem." Criticism of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine has been outlawed and most prominent members of the liberal opposition are either in jail or in exile. Last week authorities detained former separatist commander and nationalist blogger Igor Girkin on accusations of "extremism" after he criticized Putin. LIMERICK are quite literally massive - everywhere you go. The big screen in Davitts Bar at the Leeds Irish Centre in the north of England welcomed a number of Treaty fans to witness the hurling decider on several screens. There were notably more Kilkenny supporters in attendance - and even some fans of the Cats from neighbouring counties. While it was they who had their tails up at half-time, it was the hardy band of Limerick fans celebrating at the final whistle. Mark Healy is originally from Corbally, and attended the same school as star man Gearoid Hegarty. He works in Leeds in pensions, with his mother the well-known local artistic director Monica Spencer. Speaking to the Limerick Leader immediately after the final whistle, he said: I've a massive man crush on Cian Lynch at the moment. I'm sure a lot of people in Limerick feel the same way! The beast of Patrickswell. Mark admitted he was worried when Kilkenny went in ahead at the break. But then Limerick turned on the style. Kilkenny were terrifying in the first half - TJ Reid was unstoppable. But then Cian Lynch pulled it all together, he made it all happen! There was quiet satisfaction for Dromcollogher man Joe Sheehy, who played with Feohanagh-Castlemahon before moving to Leeds in 1968. To see his clubman Seamus Flanagan in action was enough. He said: They are something else. I think Limerick will win it the next four years. You cant compare them to other teams - they are untouchable. IT HAS taken 17 years but it has finally been confirmed that human bones discovered in Kilfinane in 2006 are not those of Irish patriot Staker Wallace. The commander of a local division of United Irishmen was executed in the town by the British in the lead up to the 1798 rebellion. Staker Wallace (or Wallis) was arrested following an alleged plot to murder the local landlord, Capt Oliver who then offered his freedom in return for the names of other United Irishmen and the location of their weapons. Staker Wallace declined. He was jailed in Kilfinane and flogged before he was publicly hanged and beheaded. His head was then put on a spike above the Market House for a number of weeks before he was buried in the town. The actions of the Irish patriot, believed to be from Bulgaden, were never forgotten. He is remembered in song - A Lament to Staker Wallace; name of a GAA Club and a monument in Kilfinane. Fast forward to 2006, when human bones were discovered in Kilfinane, when the local authority was carrying out urban renewal works in the town. Locals believed that the remains of Wallace were among the bones found. It was thought a number of men were buried in the grave. However, it appears Wallace was forgotten about for 14 years as the Limerick Leader revealed in 2020, through correspondence from the council that, This project was put on a back burner due to ongoing pressure of work. Kilfinane man James OBrien, who raised his concerns over the delay in 2020 with Minister of State Niall Collins, said: Those bones lay forgotten for over 200 years. Its a fright to God if they are forgotten again. Mr Collins said: Sitting on skeletal remains for over 14 years, which are an integral part of the history, heritage and culture of Kilfinane is simply not acceptable. He called on the council to immediately begin the testing process. Funding was sought in 2021 (under the councils 2022 budget) with an osteoarchaeologist (scientific study of human skeletons) procured during October 2021. Funding was confirmed in January 2022 and the bones were subsequently delivered to the osteoarchaeologist. Cllr Mike Donegan revealed at last weeks Cappamore-Kilmallock Municipal District meeting that testing had shown they were not the remains of Staker Wallace. Under any other business, Cllr Donegan said he had attended a talk on the bones organised by Kilfinane Coshlea Historical Society a few days earlier - at which Dr Linda Lynch, osteoarchaeologist and Sarah McCutcheon, the council archaeologist, gave a detailed talk and presentation. They said they are not the bones of Staker Wallace. It was revealed on the night that the assemblage of bones are those of five or six people, mixed up in 1,400 pieces,said Cllr Donegan. The Fianna Fail councillor said the question was raised at the talk: what will happen to the bones now? We learned that they will become the property of the National Museum of Ireland and will be kept in a box. People were flabbergasted. Cllr Donegan said he intends contacting the National Museum of Ireland to ensure that the assemblage of bones can be brought back to Kilfinane for a Christian burial. They were buried on the side of the street in unconsecrated ground for hundreds of years - the least we can do is give them a Christian burial, said Cllr Donegan. In making his comments, he cited Trinity College recently returning 13 human skulls to Inishbofin- off the Galway coast. The skulls had been stolen from the island over 130 years ago. A Tuskegee woman who has lost a childhood friend to violence will share her personal story Saturday, Aug. 5 at the annual Take a Stand Against Violence event at Christian Care Ministries. Nakia Grimmett of Tuskegee is one of the people who will speak at the event to spread awareness. After Aprils mass shooting in downtown Dadeville took four lives and injured 32 others, Grimmett felt led to reach out to the youth and share the impact losing a close friend has had on her life. Grimmett lost Tashina Davis to gun violence in October 2017. Grimmett and Davis were at a nightclub in Lanett to see the Atlanta-based rapper Lil Baby when shooting broke out. Seven people were injured and two were killed, including 28-year-old Davis. Over the years, its changed my life drastically, because I was there, Grimmett said. Grimmett and Davis had been friends since they were 13 years old. They graduated together from Opelika High School in 2007. Grimmett didnt go with Davis to the nightclub that night, but she knew she was going to be there to see the rapper too. She said the nightclub was crowded and there was a long waiting line to get in. One minute, were listening to music in there and everybodys dancing, socializing and doing what you do at a party. Next thing I know, were ducking down and people are running out of the building screaming, Grimmett said. When shots were fired, Grimmett said she got knocked to the ground, and she saw shoes on the floor left behind during the chaos. The DJ and a few people that was on the stage was still there, and one guy called me over to come get behind the couch, she said. We had to wait for the shooting to stop just so we could escape the building. Once she thought it was safe, she left her hiding place. Shed lost the people she came with, but she ran outside to find her car. When we escaped the building, they were still shooting on the outside. It was like they had no remorse. They just were shooting, Grimmett said. Grimmett was heading down a hill by the railroad tracks and saw Davis. They talked briefly then went their separate ways, she said. Grimmett continued heading towards her car while trying to call the friends she came with. Im calling them on the phone and next thing you know you hear shots again, and I kneel down by the railroad track on the opposite side of the road, she said. When her friends made it to Grimmetts car, they told her a girl was killed at the top of the street. Grimmett said she thought Davis had already left. She didnt find out her friend was the one who was killed until she got home. Hearing that news really changed me, Grimmett said. She wondered why shed lived. She didnt want to eat and couldnt sleep. When she slept, she dreamed about that night. You tend to have a question like, what if it was you? It makes you feel some type of way because here you are still here able to love your loved ones and your kids and hers is missing her, Grimmett said. Over the years, she said she found a daily routine of praying, writing in a journal and listening to music that helped things start to get a little easier. Her goal is to not live in fear. I just feel like Ive been holding this in for a long time of how it affected me, Grimmett said. Ive dealt with depression and anxiety behind it because I didnt want anyone to think, she just wants some attention or is trying to just play on the situation. After the recent mass shooting in Dadeville, Grimmett said she felt the need to speak up and address gun violence. One of her cousins was wounded at the Dadeville birthday party. Its really hitting hard in our youth these days and I feel that theyre lacking the proper guidance, she said. Grimmett said she wants to help the kids who have also lost friends like she has. She hopes the community can reach out to the youth to change their mindset and prevent violence. At the end of the day, (gun violence) not only hurts the people who have to mourn loss, it destroys the person whos actually using the gun, Grimmett said. See Dadeville prayer vigil for shooting victims at First Baptist Church *Update: A garda spokesperson has confirmed that the teenager has been located safe and well. "An Garda Siochana would like to thank the media and the public for their assistance," a spokesperson said. Gardai are seeking the public's assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 14 year old Brooke Robinson who was last seen in Ballyfermot, Dublin 10, on the evening of Thursday 27th July 2023. Brooke is described as being approximately 5 foot 5 inches in height with a slim build, blonde hair and blue eyes. It is unknown what Brooke was wearing at the time she went missing. Anyone with any information on Brooke's whereabouts is asked to contact Ballyfermot Garda station on 01 6667200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. She is the third teenager for whom a garda appeal has been issued in recent days. Gardai wish to trace the whereabouts of 16 year old Charli McGlynn Maughan, who is missing from her home in Bohermeen, Co. Meath since Thursday evening, 27th July 2023. Anyone with any information on Charli's whereabouts are asked to contact Navan Garda Station 046 907 9930, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. Meanwhile, gardai are also seeking the public's help in tracing the whereabouts of 16 year old Jamie Jordan, who is missing from his home near Ballyphehane in Cork since the early hours of Friday, 28th July 2023. Anyone with any information on Jamie's whereabouts are asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda Station 021 452 2000 the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. Upcoming elections in the U.S., the U.K. and India pose a global test of the worlds ability to cope with a new generation of AI-powered disinformation and deepfakes. Aiming to safeguard information integrity, governments are racing to develop new laws and regulations, as well as tagging systems and watermarking technologies, to help people identify fake content. Those are essential measures, but rules and technologies can only go so far toward mitigating the misuse of artificial intelligence in the information space. As the technology evolves, people will need to learn skills to help manage AI. Instead of relying on regulation, we should be relying on building more robust social resilience," said Vilas Dhar, president and trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a $1.5 billion philanthropy focused on AI, data and social good. To start, he said, that means calling out bad actors and creating new capacity in law enforcement to quickly identify and take down disinformation. Thats not all, though. We need a broad-based public education campaign to help people see the potential telltales or hallmarks of the manipulative use of disinformation," Dhar said. The problem of disinformation is hardly new, but AI compounds it. AI stands to increase the rate and pace and perhaps the power of disinformation campaigns, according to IBM CEO Arvind Krishna. More than that, I think the real worry is you can fine-tune them for every single audience," he said during an event on July 17 at the companys offices in Manhattan. Microsoft Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith said he was particularly concerned about cyber influence operations waged by Russia, China and Iran to try to disrupt public opinion and sway elections. Russia may spend about $1 billion a year to conduct such operations in 23 languages, according to Smith. The Russians, without AI, are very, very good in this spaceAI will make them better," Smith said in June during a panel discussion at the London-based policy institute Chatham House. The Russian and Chinese embassies in Washington and the Iranian mission to the United Nations didnt respond to requests for comment. The Biden administration reached a deal this month with seven AI companies including Microsoft to put more voluntary guardrails around artificial intelligence, including the development of a watermarking system in which images help users identify AI-generated content. Smith sees watermarking as one element of a broader strategy. Believe me, for a company like Microsoft the hardest thing is how do we use our voice to tell the public what we see?" Smith said. What do you do, for example, if you are Twitter or LinkedIn or Facebook or some other platform and we see content that has been altered with intent to deceive?" I think we would benefit if governments would revise laws that in certain instances would make that an unlawful act," he added. Do we take it down? Do we make it harder to find in a search index? Do we relabel itwhat we know it to be, namely altered content?" In June, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) launched an effort to write new rules for artificial intelligence, balancing security and innovation. He plans a series of forums in the fall to gather insights from industry leaders. We have the immediate problem of protecting our democracy in the upcoming election," Schumer said at the event at IBMs offices. If abuse of AI runs rampant in political campaigns, he said, people may lose faith in democracy altogether." Write to Steven Rosenbush at steven.rosenbush@wsj.com UBS Credit Suisse merger layoffs: More than hundred Credit Suisse investment bankers might have to face the layoff challenge in near ter. As per the Swiss weekly HandelsZeitung report published on Friday, UBS has begun the implementation of UBS Credit Suisse merger plans. In this exercise, UBS may fire investment bankers of Credit Suisse. Highlighting the reason for layoff, HandelsZeitung went on to report that duplication of operations is the major reason for Credit Suisse investment bankers layoff. The report said that UBS chief executive Sergio Ermotti wants to rapidly get to work on eliminating the huge amount of duplication in their operations. "The transformation is beginning: in the coming days several hundred Credit Suisse bankers will receive termination notices," the Swiss weekly said. UBS Credit Suisse news On 12th June 2023, UBS completed Credit Suisse acquisition and the combined entity started working as a consolidated banking group. 12th June 2023, Credit Suisse shares traded for the last day on six Swiss exchanges. After UBS Credit Suisse takeover, Credit Suisse shareholders received one UBS shares for every 22.48 Credit Suisse shares they held. Now, UBS will report the financial results of the combined entity. Market is eagerly awaiting Q1 results 2023 of the combined entity, which is expected on 31st August 2023. UBS Credit Suisse takeover Amid speculations of Credit Suisse bankruptcy, UBS agreed to buy its rival in a hastily arranged 3-billion-franc ($3.5 billion) fire sale over a March weekend. At the time UBS Credit Suisse merger deal, market was abuzz that Swiss authorities were afraid that a weakened Credit Suisse would go bankrupt, with speculation rife since about the impact on jobs. On UBS Credit Suisse merger, the Swiss media had speculated about 30,000 to 35,000 job losses across the world. At the end of 2022, the two banks had around 120,000 employees between them across the world, including 37,000 in Switzerland. (With inputs from Bloomberg) India and Britain could sign a free trade agreement (FTA) this year as both countries are working to iron out differences on issues including investment treaties, intellectual property rights (IPRs), and rules of origin, according to media reports. Sunil Barthwal, India's commerce secretary said that on almost all contentious issues, negotiations were completed, and the deal could be signed "much before" the end of the year. "We are very close and are trying to conclude the talks as early as possible," the official said. Out of the total 26 chapters in the FTA, 19 have been closed. "Remaining issues include IPRs, rules of origin, and investment treaty," the official added. In the rules of origin chapters, both countries are talking about product-specific rules, value addition, change in chapter heading, and certification. For India, an FTA with the UK would be its first with a developed country after it signed an interim trade pact with Australia last year. For Britain, it is part of a quest for diversified global trade relationships after its 2020 exit from the European Union. "While weve made good progress in closing chapters, were now focused on the high ambition areas including goods, services, and investment," a spokesperson for Britain's Department for Business and Trade said. "We are clear that we will only sign when we have a deal that is fair, balanced, and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy." The 11th round of talks was concluded recently in London during a visit by Barthwal and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. Bilateral trade between India and the United Kingdom rose 16.6% year-on-year to $20.42 billion in the 2022-23 fiscal year ending in March. India's main exports to the UK are ready-made garments and textiles, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, petroleum and petrochemical products, transport equipment, spices, machinery and instruments, pharmaceuticals, and marine products. The main imports include precious and semi-precious stones, ores and metal scraps, engineering goods, and professional instruments other than electronics, chemicals, and machinery. In the services sector, the UK is the largest market in Europe for Indian IT services. In the field of investment, the UK is one of the top investors in India. In 2022-23, India received $1.74 billion in foreign direct investment from the UK as against $1 billion in 2021-22. During April 2000 and March 2023, investments stood at $33.9 billion. Under such pacts, two trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them, besides easing norms to promote trade in services and investments. The UK, which has a $3.1 trillion economy according to World Bank data, has long been a service sector powerhouse. The city of London, which is one of the world's biggest financial markets, has also long attracted Indian companies seeking to raise funds from the global market. Russia struck deals to sell a substantial portion of its petroleum output to a group of previously little-known oil traders, locking in a stream of cash from its lifeblood industry. State-controlled energy giant Rosneft Oil in recent weeks wrapped up one of its largest tenders in years, people familiar with the sale said. A tender is a type of auction in which traders bid for the right to export oil in the future. In this case, the contracts are for up to 12 months and involve crude and refined products, some of the people said. It couldnt be learned the exact amounts of oil sold, nor the prices. But the success of the tendera similar effort last year failedadds to signs that the financial squeeze on Russian oil producers from sanctions is abating. The price of Russias main variety of crude has risen above a Western-imposed cap in recent weeks. A Rosneft spokesperson said that the company doesnt comment on the details of its business activities and that some of what was presented in a series of questions about the tender was incorrect. When asked which details were inaccurate, the spokesperson didnt reply. The results cement the role of a clutch of upstart trading houses as vehicles for Russian oil to reach new markets. These companies rose to prominence after Russias invasion of Ukraine, filling a hole left when the worlds largest commodities merchantssuch as Trafigura Group, Vitol and Glencorepulled back from Russia. Among the biggest winners in the tender was Bellatrix Energy, the people familiar with the sale said. According to registration documents, the company was incorporated in Hong Kong. Also taking large volumes of Russian petroleum were trading group Amur and Tejarinaft, both registered in the United Arab Emirates. All three have been active exporters of crude and refined products since sanctions on Russian oil took effect in December, according to Russian customs data and industry executives. Bellatrix didnt respond to requests for comment. Representatives for Amur entities involved in oil trading in the U.A.E. couldnt be reached to comment. A representative for Amur entities in Switzerland declined to comment. Emails sent to an address listed on Tejarinafts website bounced back. The traders perform a vital role for Rosneft and other Russian producers, handling the complex logistics needed to move millions of barrels of petroleum daily to overseas buyers. They have, according to shipping records and the industry executives, worked closely with other upstart firms, based in the U.A.E. and India, that have amassed control of hundreds of old tankers used to move Russian oil. Trading, shipping and refining Russian oil became a lucrative business in the wake of the Ukraine invasion in February 2022. The price dropped to steep discounts to global benchmarksdiscounts that remain wide by prewar standards even after narrowing in recent months. Western governments monitor oil flows to gauge whether sanctions have succeeded in hurting Russias wartime economy, and to spot any violations. The U.S., Europe and other backers of Kyiv targeted Russian energy in several rounds of sanctions. They designed the measures to ensure a continued flow of Russian oil onto world markets so as not to drive up gasoline prices, but also to throw sand in the gears of Russias export logistics and limit how much Moscow can earn from each barrel it sells. Russias favored trading and shipping players have little public profile. That makes it hard to determine how money flows through the oil market and whether it works its way back to the Russian budget. The paper trail left in publicly available documents doesnt fully show who ultimately controls them and backs them financially, according to industry executives. Amur and Tejarinaft entities based in the U.A.E. share the same managing director, Hicham Fizazi, a Moroccan national, Emirati corporate records show. An engineer by training, Fizazi previously traded wheat and invested in affordable housing, according to Tejarinafts website. Fizazi was named as chairman of an Amur holding company in Geneva in minutes of a shareholders meeting reviewed by The Wall Street Journal dated December last year. Fizazi couldnt be reached to comment. The Geneva company was set up in 2021 by trading giant Vitol and midsize merchant Mercantile & Maritime Group. The joint venture traded Russian oil and invested in a major Russian development project known as Vostok Oil. Vitol sold its stake in the Swiss Amur holding company to Emirati firm Fossil Trading FZCO after the invasion of Ukraine, a spokeswoman said. She added that Vitol has no stakes in Amur entities in the U.A.E. Mercantile & Maritime sold its Vostok stake, according to the companys website. It divested from Amur Trading and Amur Investments in Switzerland and has no stakes in the U. A. E entities, a person familiar with the matter said. Fossil Trading didnt respond to requests for comment. Until recently, records showed that Tejarinafts website registrant was Edward Ghazal, previously a commercial manager at Mercantile & Maritimes Singapore office, according to his LinkedIn profile. In 2020, he was also a director at Myanmar Petroleum Services, which is majority owned by Mercantile & Maritime, corporate filings showed. This week, the registrant changed to Fizazi. Ghazal didnt respond to requests for comment. Bellatrixs director is Ahmet Songan, a Turkish national. He couldnt be reached to comment. Bellatrix has exported almost 25 million metric tons in crude and fuel this year from Rosneft and other Russian producers, including a subsidiary of state giant Gazprom, according to the customs data. In December, Bellatrix took out a loan facility with state-owned Russian Agricultural Bank of up to $350 million, to be repaid by mid-2025, according to a filing in Hong Kong. Bellatrix borrowed from lenders including Russian Regional Development Bank, a subsidiary of Rosneft, a Hong Kong filing shows. As security, it pledged a contract for exporting oil products from Indias Nayara Energy, which had been transferred to Bellatrix by U.A.E.-based trader Coral Energy. Bellatrix also pledged a separate contract for selling oil products to Coral. Russian Agricultural Bank and Russian Regional Development Bank are both sanctioned by the U.S. Representatives for Russian Agricultural Bank, Russian Regional Development Bank, Gazprom and Nayara didnt respond to requests for comment. Another trader, Nord Axis, exported more than 50 million metric tons of crude and fuel this year through the end of May, according to Russian customs data. It was incorporated in Hong Kong nine days before the invasion of Ukraine. Murat Sayin, founding partner of energy-focused Sayin Law & Consulting in Turkey and Nord Axiss director, said that the contracts under which the company traded Russian oil had expired and that Nord Axis didnt participate in the recent tender. Nord Axis hasnt entered into any new contracts for Russian oil because of logistical complications and rising competition in the market, he said. Write to Anna Hirtenstein at anna.hirtenstein@wsj.com, Costas Paris at costas.paris@wsj.com and Joe Wallace at joe.wallace@wsj.com Two men have been arrested in Madhya Pradeshs Satna district for allegedly raping and torturing a 12-year-old girl. Police have said that the two men, who have been arrested, worked for a trust managing a famous temple in Maihar town of Satna district. The accused, identified as Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya, have been sacked from the temple trust. Their houses have also been demolished by the local administration. The incident was reported in Maihar, a temple town, in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. The girl was raped, bitten multiple times and brutalised. According to the reports, the accused also inserted a hard object into her private parts. Police said the girl went missing on Thursday and a case was registered when she didnt return home late evening. The girl was later found in a jungle, about a kilometre from her house. Police were informed and the girl, who was bleeding profusely, was admitted to a nearby hospital. I am not denying that a stick or some other object was inserted into the 12-year-old's private parts by accused Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya. But this is something that can only be confirmed only in a medical report. We are still awaiting her medical report. Yes she was bleeding and doctors are monitoring her health," Satna Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Gupta told PTI. The police also informed that the girl had bite marks all over her body. Asked about the condition of the girl, the SP said a panel of doctors treating her said her condition was 'okay" at his point in time. The accused have been booked under IPC sections 376 (punishment for rape), 376DB (punishment for gang rape on woman under 12 years of age), 366A (procuration of minor girl), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 34 (common intention) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police said. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) of Papua New Guinea signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for sharing India Stack, successful digital solutions implemented at population scale in New Delhi on 28 July. Earlier, MeitY hosted the inaugural Global DPI Summit in Pune on June 12-13. The event witnessed a physical presence of over 250 delegates, including approximately 150 foreign delegates from 50 countries, while more than 2,000 individuals participated virtually. According to official website, India Stack is the moniker for a set of open APIs and digital public goods that aim to unlock the economic primitives of identity, data, and payments at population scale. Although the name of this project bears the word India, the vision of India Stack can be applied to any nation. The MoU between India and Papua New Guinea was a follow-up to the summit, according to MeitY. During the event, the crucial digital transformational aspects such as Digital Public Infrastructure, Digital Identity, Digital Payment, Data Exchange, Data Governance and Data Protection Policies, internet, and mobile connectivity, etc were discussed," the Ministry of Electronics and IT said. It is envisaged that the MoU will help build the capacities and result in sharing and implementation of population-scale digital public infrastructure and transformational platforms and projects for improving ease of living and enhancing efficiency and transparency in the governance," it added. In the MoU signing ceremony, the Indian side was led by Abhishek Singh, president & CEO, National eGovernance Division, MeitY. He was joined by Sushil Pal, joint secretary, MeitY and senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and National E-Governance Division. Steven Matainaho, Secretary, MICT, represented the Government of Papua New Guinea, along with Noel Colin Awiroweng Mobiha, board chairman, National ICT Authority, Joseph Ealedona and other senior officials. Paulias Korni, high commissioner for Papa New Guinea High Commission was also present on the occasion. On July 28, the Indian Navy's vessel, INS Khanjar, successfully rescued 36 Indian fishermen who were stranded in the Bay of Bengal, approximately 130 nautical miles away from the Tamil Nadu coast. The fishermen had been in distress for over two days, facing challenging weather conditions, lack of fuel, provisions, and engine breakdown. Thanks to the timely intervention of the Indian Naval Ship Khanjar, they were safely brought back to Chennai harbour, ANI reported. A research vessel belonging to the Government of India earlier encountered technical issues while sailing between Goa and Karwar, leaving its 28-member crew and 8 scientists, totaling 36 people, stranded onboard. Swift action was taken by the Indian Coast Guard team to rescue the stranded individuals and bring them to safety. Also Read: India hands over INS Kirpan to Vietnam in landmark move The vessel, according to DIG Coast Guard KL Arun, declared distress around 3 PM on July 26 when it faced a complete power blackout and lost propulsion. In response to the distress call, the Coast Guard promptly dispatched their ships to the scene. The first rescue ship reached the distressed vessel by 5 PM, and the second ship arrived later in the night. Given the vessel's significance as a crucial national asset for research purposes, the rescue operation took utmost priority. Fortunately, all 36 passengers on board are safe, and they are being brought back towards Goa for further assistance and care. Also Read: Indian Navy showcases maritime power with twin-carrier operations in Arabian Sea The Indian Coast Guard's swift and efficient response ensured the successful rescue of the research vessel and its crew, averting any potential risks or further complications. During the Navy Day 2022 celebrations, the INS Khanjar, a Guided Missile Corvette, made an impressive port call to Kolkata on November 27-20. As part of this momentous occasion, the ship graciously opened its doors to visitors at Kidderpore Docks, SMPT, on November 18-19. (With ANI inputs) Troy-A Troy man in Pike County Jail charged with murder will not receive a bond, Pike County District Judge Steven Curtis ruled Friday. Larvey Woods, 78, has been in jail since his arrest by Troy Police Wednesday in connection with the death of Essie Meadows. Twelfth Judicial Circuit District Attorney James Tarbox said that investigation revealed that Woods and the victim had a prior dating relationship and in recent days, Woods had been arrested for multiple incidents of misdemeanor domestic violence. Due to the nature of the crime, Tarbox said, his office sought to have Woods held without bond pursuant to Code of Alabama section 15-13-3, known as Aniahs Law. Senior Assistant District Attorney Jon Folmar represented the state at the hearing before Curtis late Thursday afternoon. Judge Curtis took the matter under advisement and issued an order today granting the states request and denied Woods the right to release, Tarbox said. Woods will be held in the Pike County Jail without bond. Tarbox thanked the Troy Police Department, Troy Fire Department, and the Pike County Coroners Office for their work in responding to and investigating this matter. Amid the raging violence in Manipur, the state government resumed the campaign for the biometric capture of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the state on Saturday. The development came as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) instructed the state government to complete the campaign for the biometric capture of illegal Myanmar immigrants in Manipur by September 2023. Manipur government said that the Home Ministry has deputed a team from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) who will be assisted by state government employees in the biometric capturing exercise. A team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs for training and handholding of State Government Officers in this campaign, assisted the State Government officials in capturing biometric data of illegal immigrants at Foreigners' Detention Centre, Sajwa, Imphal East District today," a release from Manipur government said. The campaign will continue in all districts until biometric data of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State are successfully captured. The same is targeted for completion by September 2023," the release added. Illegal immigrants in Manipur Earlier, the Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh accused the immigrants from Myanmar of deforestation, poppy cultivation, and drug menace. Senior officials from the Manipur government said that the government has asked districts to identify illegal immigrants in their respective areas. In the detention centers, 104 illegal immigrants are lodged in the past two years which include 24 men, 74 women, and 6 minors. Manipur government also questioned Assam Rifles about the reports of 700 illegal immigrants entering Manipur in just days of July. According to a statement issued by the Home Department, a significant number of 718 illegal immigrants, comprising 301 children, had crossed into Manipur's Chandel district on 22 July and 23 July. The state government emphasized the need for the border-guarding force to promptly return these illegal immigrants back to their home country. A case has been registered against right-wing activist Sambhaji Bhide for certain controversial references about Mahatma Gandhi's family. The police in Maharashtras Amravati district registered a case against Sambhaji Bhide a day after the Congress condemned the matter in the Assembly. The case has been registered under Indian Penal Code section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), an official was quoted as saying by PTI. The controversial remarks were made by Sambhaji Bhide, who is on a tour of Vidarbha, during a programme in the Amravati district on Thursday. Sambhaji Bhide had addressed a gathering in Bharat Mangal Hall in Badnera Road area in Amravati where he made the controversial remarks. The Congress later accused Sambhaji Bhide of making offensive remarks against the Father of the Nation. Following this, Congress state secretary Nandkishore Kuyate filed a complaint against Sambhaji Bhide. On Friday, Maharashtra Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Balasaheb Thorat demanded strict action against Bhide, terming his comments shameful. Sambhaji Bhide has a twisted mindset. His comments about the Father of the Nation have disturbed the country. He repeatedly makes controversial comments and it needs to be found out who is backing him for political interests. We want strict action against him," said the former minister in the Maharashtra government. The Congress has also demanded Sambhaji Bhides arrest for his controversial remarks against Mahatma Gandhi. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said, If such a person is making a defamatory statement regarding Mahatma Gandhi, then he has no right to roam (freely) in the state." This was not the first time Sambhaji Bhide has been at the receiving end of flak for his comments. (With agency inputs) Six passengers are dead and 21 injured in a collision between two buses in Buldana early morning on July 29 in Maharashtra, ANI reported. In the early morning hours, an accident occurred on a railway bridge on NH6 in Malkapur town, in which two buses were involved. According to the police, one of the buses was carrying pilgrims from the Amarnath Yatra to Hingoli, while the other bus was en route from Nagpur to Nashik. As a result of the collision, 21 individuals sustained injuries and have been taken to the district government hospital in Buldhana for medical treatment. More details are yet to be disclosed. Earlier this month, as many as 26 people died and several others were injured after a bus travelling from Yavatmal to Pune caught fire on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway in Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of 2 lakh for the next of kin of those who died in the bus accident. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde has also announced an ex-gratia of 5 lakh to the next of kin. (With ANI inputs) Telangana rains: Telangana has been receiving heavy rains for the past several days, resulting in inundation of low-lying areas and disruption of road links. IMD's Met Centre has predicted light to moderate rain or thundershowers at a few places over Telangana on July 29. Speaking of weather predictions till 31 July, light to moderate rain or thundershowers have been predicted at a few places over Telangana. Amid heavy rains in Telangana, BJP state chief and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Friday said that the central government is ready to help the state in any relief operations. The BJP National Vice President DK Aruna has hit out at the Telangana Chief Minister KCR and said that instead of focusing on rains he is immersed in planning election strategies. While speaking to news agency ANI, DK Aruna said, "The Telangana Chief Minister has not reviewed the situation of the loss incurred to the people due to rains nor given a statement to build confidence in the people. He is immersed in planning election strategies." In the rain battered state, eight persons swept away in the flood waters of a rivulet in Mulugu district of Telangana following heavy rains and their bodies were recovered on Friday, even as relief operations continued at several places in the state. On Friday, Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar said that with the help of respective district administrations, around 19,000 people were shifted to safer places in many districts, according to an official release as reported by PTI.In Mulugu district, 12 members of a remote village were swept away in flood waters when they were moving towards a safer place on Thursday, but four of them managed to save themselves, police said. Around 60 people in the habitation, which was cut off from other places due to the collapse of a bridge on the rivulet, stood on the top of a Gram Panchayat building and were clinging on with the hope of getting rescued, police said as quoted by PTI. The NDRF team which were unable to reach the habitation on Thursday due to the force of flood waters in the rivulet, rescued the stranded people on Friday. About 80-100 people, including those who required medical help, were rescued including in boats, police said. Food packets were provided to some who took shelter at high ground in the district by choppers and boats. On Friday, the Indian Air Force air dropped around 600 kgs of food packets About 3,500 people have been evacuated from areas situated on the banks of Godavari river in the district as a precautionary measure, police said. Out of 10 NDRF teams, two teams are in Bhadrachalam and Nirmal, while one team each is stationed in Kothagudem, Mulugu, Warangal, Khammam, Bhupalapally and Hyderabad. (With inputs from agencies) New Delhi: A delegation of senior Tesla executives, comprising leaders of its public policy, supply chain and business development teams, is visiting India to actively engage with all government stakeholders to gain insights into the market. Washington-based Rohan Patel, vice president, public policy and business development, and Roshan Thomas, vice president, global supply chains at Tesla are the two executives leading the meetings. People aware of the matter, seeking anonymity, said that the representatives held meetings with Piyush Goyal, the commerce and industry minister, to discuss the incentives and benefits for selling its electric cars in India. The officials were also part of the celebrations on the sidelines of the inauguration of the India Trade Promotion Organization complex Bharat Mandapam, organized by the ministry, in the presence of Prime Minister Modi and Goyal. In earlier meetings with the ministry of heavy industries, Tesla executives discussed the possibility of importing its EVs from the Berlin gigafactory for the Indian market. However, the governments stand is that it will not consider any concessionary rate of taxation for a single original equipment manufacturer. The company was, in fact, encouraged to explore the assembly operations of luxury manufacturers like Mercedes Benz India and BMW, in India, to understand how the local ecosystem operates. We cannot give privilege to one firm when other brands pay full duty on imports. Other luxury carmakers also assemble in India by importing parts, with minimal domestic value addition. However, India is an important market for Tesla, and the company cannot and doesnt want to ignore India", a government official privy to the discussions said on condition of anonymity. Tesla can avail the production-linked incentive scheme and FAME-II incentives, that are open for all manufacturers meeting the norms in India," he added. In fact, it is too early to consider the details of how much manufacturing capacity they can put up and when," a second official said also requesting anonymity. Teslas manufacturing units are highly integrated, and the company manufacturers most of the critical parts for its cars in-house, which is very different to assembly operations. Teslas Shanghai gigafactory is its main export hub and its largest factory, and ships units to Thailand and Singapore, and will soon add Malaysia to its export destinations, where it faces stiff competition from Chinese rival BYD, which leads the nascent EV market in the country, even outnumbering Japanese peers. Tesla prefers to exports its cars to Asian markets in view of the low sales volumes. That apart, the 750,000 unit gigafactory in Shanghai rolls out enough Model 3 and Model Y to serve neighbouring export markets. In a 19 July report on Tesla, Barclays says it expects that Teslas upcoming affordable EV could account for as many as 275,000 deliveries in 2026, eventually becoming twice as large in sales compared to its present volume driver Model Y at 3500,000 units annually, even as the Model Y is forecast to bring in 1503,000 units in sales, and the Model 3 at 990,000 units. Teslas current manufacturing capacity is 2.025 million units across its factories in the United States (Fremont & Austin), China (Shanghai), Germany (Berlin). Its largest single factory is Shanghai at a capacity of 750,000 units annually, even though its largest combined manufacturing base is in the US with its two factories in Austin (250,000 units) and Fremont (650,000 units). International Friendship Day is a special occasion dedicated to celebrating the cherished bond of friendships that enrich our lives. On July 30, 2023, people worldwide will come together to honour and appreciate the significance of these eternal connections. In India, Friendship Day is traditionally observed on the first Sunday of August. History The concept of Friendship Day was first proposed in Paraguay in 1958. Since then, the day has evolved and gained recognition on a global scale. The International Day of Friendship follows the proposal made by UNESCO. The initiative was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1997. The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2011. The United Nations officially declared July 30 as International Friendship Day, and it has been celebrated with enthusiasm in many countries ever since. The day highlights the power of friendship in promoting peace, understanding, and unity among people and communities worldwide. Also read: 'How to maintain friendship forever?' Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath shares life-changing theory Significance Through strong bonds of camaraderie and trust, friendship plays a significant role in achieving lasting stability and creating a safety net that benefits all. It fosters a passion for a better world where individuals come together for the greater good. In the face of various challenges and divisions, friendship serves as a vital tool for addressing root causes and building a shared spirit of human solidarity. Friendship Day holds immense importance as it serves as a reminder of the profound impact that friendships have on our lives. Friends are the ones who understand us at a soul level, forming an unbreakable bond. They bring joy, support, and love, making life more meaningful and enjoyable. Also read: Dosti Realty Celebrates 11th Season of Friendship Month with Unbeatable Deals on Dream Homes The day encourages governments, international organisations, and civil society groups to organise events and initiatives that foster dialogue among civilizations, promote mutual understanding, and embrace diversity. Young people are particularly encouraged to participate, as they are the future leaders who can drive positive change and international cooperation. The International Day of Friendship aligns with UNESCO's Culture of Peace initiative, which rejects violence, seeks to prevent conflicts, and addresses underlying issues to find solutions. Theme The theme for International Friendship Day 2023 is "Sharing the human spirit through friendship," continuing the focus on fostering meaningful connections and camaraderie among individuals. Celebrations International Friendship Day provides a perfect opportunity to express gratitude and affection towards friends. Celebrations can take various forms, such as spending quality time together, exchanging heartfelt gifts, writing sincere letters, cooking something special, dedicating meaningful songs, or simply expressing love and appreciation. It is the gestures and sentiments that make this day truly special. Johnson & Johnson cannot use a units bankruptcy case to press tens of thousands of cancer victims to drop their lawsuits and accept an $8.9 billion settlement, a judge ruled. For the second time in about six months, federal courts dismissed the bankruptcy case of LTL Management. J&J created the unit to end all current and future health claims related to baby powder and other products made with talc that was allegedly tainted with a toxic substance. US Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan in a written decision Friday said an appeals court set a higher standard for using bankruptcy than the judge had considered when J&J first put LTL into bankruptcy. As it stands now, in gauging financial distress, observing smoke may not be enough one must see flames," Kaplan wrote. J&J shares dropped as much as 3.4% in post-market trading following the ruling. The company vowed to appeal Judge Kaplans ruling. As the Bankruptcy Court urged in its decision, we will continue to work with counsel representing about 60,0000 claimants to pursue a resolution of the talc claims," Erik Haas, J&Js worldwide vice president of litigation, said in a statement. J&J faces as many as 100,000 talc-related claims, many of which have not yet been filed as lawsuits, company lawyers say. Some of the most successful product liability lawyers in the US have sued the company in state and federal courts around the US, winning billions of dollars in damages after jury trials. Corporate Bully Its a credit to the independence and integrity of our courts that a half-trillion-dollar corporate bully like J&J cannot escape to the bankruptcy court so as to avoid juries," Moshe Maimon, a lawyer representing talc victims, said Friday in an emailed statement. J&J has maintained its bankruptcy strategy is designed to fairly and equitably compensate injury claimants, many of whom have lost at trial or will have to wait years before having an opportunity to present their cases to a jury. J&J has denied liability in the lawsuits and has maintained that its talc based products are safe. Last year Judge Kaplan had agreed to let J&J use special rules only available in bankruptcy to shed all current and future talc claims against it. That first attempt was thrown out earlier this year after a federal appeals court ruled that LTL Management was not eligible for bankruptcy because it essentially had a blank check from J&J, one of the worlds most profitable corporations. That meant Kaplan had to dismiss the case. Also read: Johnson & Johnson proposes nearly $9 billion settlement of talc cancer claims This time, lawyers for victims argued that J&J reduced the maximum amount of money it devoted to settling the cancer claims. Potential pay-outs in the first bankruptcy would have been backed by a J&J unit was worth about $61.5 billion at the time. After a federal appeals court ordered Kaplan to dismiss the first bankruptcy, the company filed a new case in which it said the maximum it would pay out was $8.9 billion. J&J sought the bankruptcy courts assistance in cramming that bad deal down on cancer victims," said Andy Birchfield, who was among the lawyers fighting to have the second bankruptcy dismissed. Thankfully with todays order that ploy is dead." Legal Strategy To try to keep the second bankruptcy alive, J&J tweaked its legal strategy, watered down its support for LTL and cut a deal worth $8.9 billion with some of the lawyers suing the company. That settlement offer has split the law firms into dueling camps, with holdouts arguing that J&Js new bankruptcy strategy should be thrown out just as the original was. Although he believed he was compelled to dismiss the Chapter 11 case, Judge Kaplan said he remains troubled by the backlog of lawsuits in the court system that means only a handful of consumers are able to present their cases to juries each year. This glacial pace coupled with the undeniable surge in the number of new actions means that the vast majority of claimants will not get the opportunity to seek recovery for years to come, if ever," Judge Kaplan said. Also read: Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $18.8 million in California Talc-Cancer trial. Details here But the appeals court made it clear that to justify a bankruptcy, a company must face immediate, imminent and apparent" financial distress, Kaplan said. Because of that standard, Kaplan, whose courtroom is near J&Js headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey, sided with the holdouts this time. The new bankruptcy filing is LTL Management LLC, 23-12825, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey (Trenton). This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Around one month after the birth of Prince Archie, the first child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Buckingham Palace faced accusations of altering his birth certificate by replacing Meghan Markle's name with her Royal title. Instead of the original name 'Rachel Meghan', the Palace allegedly edited the certificate to list her as 'Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex', The Sun reported. The birth of Prince Archie was followed by allegations that Buckingham Palace insisted on removing Meghan's name from the birth certificate. In response to the claims, the couple's PR team in California issued a statement clarifying that the changes made to Archie's birth certificate were "dictated by the Palace", as per the publication. The spokesman emphasised that neither Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, nor Prince Harry requested this alteration. The statement from Harry and Meghan's LA-based PR team contradicts Buckingham Palace's involvement in the matter. A royal source asserted that the changes were not dictated by Buckingham Palace, presenting a conflicting perspective on the issue. Did Buckingham Palace do it? According to insiders within the Royal circle who spoke to The Sun, Buckingham Palace had no involvement in the matter. Instead, it was officials from Kensington Palace who were responsible for the alteration of the birth certificate. A source from the Royal Family told the publication that the modification to the birth certificate was carried out by the former office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their tenure as working members of the royal family. The purpose behind the change was to maintain uniformity in the name and title of the Duchess across various private documents. The Sun's requests for comment on the birth certificate change were left unanswered by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Read more about the controversy in The Suns report. Taiwan is going to receive a weapons aid package, valued at a substantial $345 million ( 2,838 crore), from the United States. Despite keeping the specifics of the arms package confidential, this move is likely to provoke China, as Taiwan strongly opposes China's claims of sovereignty. The 2023 budget has granted Congress the power to offer up to $1 billion ( 8,226 crore) worth of weapons aid to Taiwan, much to the dismay of Beijing, which has been the primary supplier of arms to the island and persistently demands that the U.S. refrain from selling weapons to Taiwan. The formal announcement of the aid package did not disclose the weapon systems included in it. However, there were previous reports suggesting that the package could contain four unarmed MQ-9A reconnaissance drones. Nonetheless, the final selection of equipment might be subject to alteration, as officials are considering removing certain advanced equipment that is exclusively available to the U.S. Air Force, Reuters reported. In the midst of the escalating tensions between the United States, Taiwan, and China, the unveiling of this weapons aid package underscores the intricate complexities in the region. The implications of this move have far-reaching consequences for the geopolitical dynamics in East Asia. Taiwan's defence ministry thanked the U.S. for its "firm security commitment," adding in a statement it will not comment on the package details due to the "tacit agreement" between the two sides. Among the issues that could confound the inclusion of the drones was who would pay for their alterations, one of the people briefed on the matter said previously. Reuters could not determine if the drones were still part of the package. Taiwan had previously agreed to purchase four, more advanced, MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, made by General Atomics, which are slated for delivery in 2025. Why US' move may provoke China China considers Taiwan, which is governed democratically, as part of its own territory and has escalated military intimidation towards the island in the last three years. China has maintained its stance on using force if necessary to assert control over Taiwan. However, Taiwan vehemently opposes China's claims of sovereignty and firmly asserts that the future of the island should be determined solely by the Taiwanese people. (With Reuters inputs) As a delegation of 21 MPs from I.N.D.I.A reached Imphal in ethnic violence-torn Manipur to assess the situation on Saturday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur threw a challenge at the Opposition bloc. And a request too while he alleged that the visit was a mere show-off". Anurag Thakur arrived in Kolkata on Saturday morning as the Opposition faction arrived in Imphal and alleged that those visiting the northeastern state did not utter a word when it burned" under previous governments. Terming I.N.D.I.As visit to Manipur an eyewash", Anurag Thakur asked whether Congress and the Opposition bloc will raise their voices over the atrocities" happening in West Bengal and crimes against women" in Rajasthan. Anurag Thakur also requested Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to take the same delegation to West Bengal. "When Manipur used to remain shut for months, they had not spoken a word. In this context, my request to Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is to bring the same delegation to West Bengal, where atrocities are happening against women," he said. Thakur said that when the delegation returns from Manipur, the members of the team "will not allow Parliament to function". "Does the Congress oppose the way the Mamata Banerjee government is holding on to power through killings?" he added and coming down heavily on the Opposition, Anurag Thakur said, This visit is just an eyewash. The Opposition alliance never spoke up when Manipur burned under previous governments." A delegation of 21 MPs from the Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A reached Imphal on Saturday to assess the situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. The team will visit several relief camps to meet victims of the ethnic clashes that broke in the northeastern state on May 3. Manipur has been racked with ethnic clashes since early May between the majority Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills. Over 160 people have been killed in the violence so far. (With agency inputs) MPS More Information OZARK-Tickets are now on sale for the community theater production of To Kill a Mockingbird to be held at the historic Flowers Center in Ozark Aug 10, 11, and 12. This is the 63rd anniversary of the publication of the classic novel written by the late Harper Lee of Monroeville about growing up under racial injustice and the loss of innocence in the 1930s Alabama. The story follows Scout Finch, a young girl who lives with her brother Jem and their lawyer father Atticus, who defends Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Racism, justice, and life in a small Southern town during the 1930s is the theme of the story that is narrated by Scout Finch. The community theater production is being presented in Ozark to raise money for the Flowers Center, Production Director Margie Benson said. She calls each event she directs at the Flowers Center for the Performing Arts a production with a purpose and that purpose is to raise funds to preserve the historic elementary school that now belongs to the Dale County Performing Arts Council. Hundreds of volunteers have made Flowers a reality, Benson said. If you were involved in any of the Carroll High School musical productions from the early 1980s through the late 1990s, you are aware of the hard work and commitment that made these shows rise above the standard of simple high school plays to sold-out, impressively performed productions. Tickets can be bought online at: our.show/mockingbird/flowerscenter. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said India should simply start issuing stapled visas to anyone applying for an Indian visa from Tibet, amid a row over China issuing stapled visas to a few sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh. Tagging a media report on China issuing stapled visas to some Indian sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh, Tharoor tweeted, "Enough is enough. Instead of frustrating our sportsmen and every other Arunachali seeking a Chinese visa, we should simply start issuing stapled visas ourselves, to anyone applying for an Indian visa from Tibet." "And say we will continue to do so until the disputed border between Tibet and India is settled," the former minister of state for external affairs said. India on Thursday described as "unacceptable" China issuing stapled visas to a few sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh and asserted that it reserves the right to "suitably respond" to such actions. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has lodged its "strong protest" with the Chinese side on the matter and there should be no discrimination on the basis of domicile or ethnicity in the visa regime for Indian citizens. People familiar with the matter said the visit of a 12-member team of Wushu players to China's Chengdu to compete at the World University Games was called off on Wednesday night as three players from Arunachal Pradesh in the group were given stapled visas. The decision to put on hold the team's travel was taken after the government examined the matter. In the past too, there were instances of China issuing stapled visas to Indians from Arunachal Pradesh that drew sharp reactions from New Delhi. China has been laying claims over Arunachal Pradesh, saying it is part of Southern Tibet. In April, India outrightly rejected China's renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of India and assigning "invented" names does not alter this reality. Manipur violence: A 21-member delegation from the grand Opposition alliance , I.N.D.I.A, is set to arrive at Imphal airport on Saturday to assess the ground situation. The two-day visit (29 and 30 July) follows a chorus from the Opposition members for a debate on the Manipur situation and a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi , which has resulted in repeated disruptions and adjournments in both Houses of Parliament. List of 21 MPs going to Manipur: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress) Gaurav Gogoi (Congress) K Suresh (Congress) Phulo Devi Netam (Congress) Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh (JDU) Sushmita Dev (TMC) Kanimozhi (DMK) Sandosh Kumar (CPI) AA Rahim CPI(M) Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD) Javed Ali Khan (SP) Mahua Maji (JMM) PP Mohammed Faizal (NCP) Aneel Prasad Hegde (JDU) ET Mohammed Basheer (IUML) NK Premachandran (RSP) Sushil Gupta (AAP) Arvind Sawant Shiv Sena (UBT) D Ravikumar (VCK) Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan (VCK) Jayant Singh (RLD) As per the schedule, the delegation split into two teams, will reach the Imphal airport at noon on Saturday and will leave for Churachandpur, the epicentre of the ethnic violence in the state. The delegation will likely hold a press conference at 8.30 pm later in the day. MANIPUR VIOLENCE The northeastern state of Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence since May 3, in which more than 160 people have lost their lives. Several people have been displaced and their properties have also been damaged. The state is reeling from the worst ethnic clashes between the majority of the Meiteis, concentrated in Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills. Meiteis account for about 53% of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40% and reside mostly in the hill districts. A video from Manipur where two women paraded naked and then sexually assaulted, jolted the country days before the Monsoon Session of the Parliament. The Manipur Police have got in touch with the two victims. A team of women officials and personnel from the Manipur police was formed to probe the case. The officials said the team had met the family members as well as the two women and the process of recording their statements has begun. The process of identifying eyewitnesses and recording their statements has also begun. Police have arrested as many as seven people including a juvenile in connection with the case so far. The CBI is also probing the heinous incident. Manipur violence: On Sunday, a delegation of 20 Members of Parliament from 16 parties will visit clashes-hit Manipur to have an "on-the-spot assessment" of the ground situation. The 20 MPs will be from the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Speaking about the visit to Manipur, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "We are going there not to raise political issues but to understand the pain of the people of Manipur. We have been appealing to the government to find a solution to the sensitive situation which has emerged in Manipur. It is not a law & order situation but there is communal violence there. It is also affecting its neighbouring states. The government has not fulfilled its responsibility. We are going to assess the real situation on the ground in Manipur". The Opposition alliance has protested in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session of Parliament over their demand for a detailed discussion on the situation in Manipur and a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are upset that why the Prime Minister has remained silent on this issue which turned extremely bitter and violent in May this year. More than hundreds of people have died in the tiny northeastern state and thousands of people have been displaced. The clashes broke out in Manipur after a "Tribal Solidarity March" was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Hundreds of people have lost their lives and many have been injured in the violence. The clashes were preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which led to a series of smaller agitations. Meiteis account for about 53% of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. Tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, account for another 40% of the population and reside in the hill districts. INDIA ALLIANCE IN MANIPUR FOR TWO DAYS The 21-member Opposition delegation, from both Houses, includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Phulo Devi Netam of the Congress; Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh of the JDU; Sushmita Dev from Trinamool Congress; Kanimozhi from DMK; Sandosh Kumar of the CPI; AA Rahim from CPI(M), Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD; Javed Ali Khan of SP; Mahua Maji of JMM; PP Mohammed Faizal of NCP; Aneel Prasad Hegde of JDU, ET Mohammed Basheer of IUML; NK Premachandran of RSP; Sushil Gupta of AAP; Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT); D Ravikumar of VCK; Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan also of VCK; and Jayant Singh of the RLD. The opposition bloc had written to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who allowed the delegation to visit the state. The delegation would be meeting Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Sunday morning, Hussain said. The Congress leader said the MPs have sought to use helicopters there and if allowed, they will be able to visit the far-flung areas of Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place. Congress leader Naseer Hussain alleged that massacres, violence, and rapes are happening in Manipur for the last 86 days. MPS More Information ARVIND More Information An upcoming Opposition meet in Mumbai may be postponed as several leaders of the INDIA coalition have flagged their unavailability. The meeting - scheduled for August 25 and 26 - is likely to be postponed until the first week of September. The third meeting will be hosted by the Maha Vikas Aghadi members, with former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) taking the lead in organising. "August 25-26 is still under consideration but we are looking at another set of dates to ensure that everyone is available," a senior leader of the INDIA bloc in Mumbai said. The INDIA bloc's first meeting was held in Patna in June and the second in Bengaluru earlier this month. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, whose party recently saw a split, will embark on a tour of Maharashtra from mid-August and is among the leaders who will be unavailable next month. "The Shiv Sena is coordinating the meeting dates as far as we have been told. We were given to understand that it was August 25-26. Now, we hear that Sharad Pawar is unavailable on those days. These things happen when one has to coordinate with 26 parties, nothing unusual. We faced this issue even when the Patna meeting was being planned," another leader said. However with the senior politician slated to share the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 1, many lawmakers have also voiced concern. Some members have reportedly said that that a senior member of the alliance sharing stage with Modi will reflect badly on the coalition. Meanwhile, Union minister Ramadas Athawale on Saturday lamented the exit of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) from the NDA despite his good relations" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Koi faayda nahin hai (it will be of no use)", said Athawale, asserting that it was his advice" to Kumar to refrain from attending the meet. He seems to be not happy in that camp. He was unhappy with the acronym INDIA but Rahul Gandhi prevailed", said Athawale, referring to speculations in a section of the media that emerged after the new name was announced at the meeting in Bengaluru earlier this month. New research by scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Japan's Niigata University has discovered water droplets in mineral deposits that are believed to be from an ancient ocean that existed around 600 million years ago. In a release on Thursday, the IISc said that analysis of the deposits revealed calcium and magnesium carbonates. This discovery led the team of scientists to suggest that there may have been a major oxygenation event in Earth's history. Scientists believe that the Earth may have been covered by thick sheets of ice between 700 and 500 million years ago, known as the Snowball Earth glaciation. This event was followed by the Second Great Oxygenation Event which led to an increase in the amount of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere which led to the evolution of complex life forms. The IISc release said that scientists have not been able to fully understand how these events are linked due to a dearth of well-preserved fossils and the disappearance of all past oceans that existed in Earth's history, but exposure to marine rocks like these could help them find some answers. The new research could help provide information about ancient oceanic conditions like pH, chemistry and isotopic composition which have only been theorized or modelled so far. It could also help answer questions related to the evolution of oceans, Earth's history and even life. IISc PhD student and first author of the study Prakash Chandra Arya said, We don't know much about past oceans How different or similar were they compared to present-day oceans? Were they more acidic or basic, nutrient-rich or deficient, warm or cold, and what was their chemical and isotopic composition?" The corresponding author of the study Sajeev Krishnan while speaking about the possible Himalayan ocean said, "During this time, there was no flow in the oceans, and hence no calcium input. When there is no flow or calcium input, as more calcium precipitates, the amount of magnesium goes up," Sajeev Krishnan, Professor at CEaS and corresponding author of the study. (With inputs from PTI) TROY Troy University biomedical researcher Dr. Jacqueline Jones was recently awarded a $95,000 grant from the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation to conduct research on the factors that drive advanced stages of prostate cancer with the goal of finding a cure. Last week, she and her team saw the successful reduction of a protein in the cancer cells for the first time. Using human cells, Jones aims to identify ways researchers can understand the molecular cues that help drive cancer. Officially named FoxI3 Regulation of Prostate Cancer Metastasis within the Tumor Microenvironment, her research involves using cloning and gene knockoutsa widely-used genetic engineering technique that involves the targeted removal or inactivation of a specific gene within an organisms genome. What were trying to do is identify the factors that contribute to whether a patient gets an advanced stage of prostate cancer and how we can help mitigate that from happening, she explained. We want to understand what factors help drive prostate cancer to the bone. Jones and her small team of undergraduate and graduate students at TROY, in collaboration with her colleagues at the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University, have identified a gene they believe contributes to the aggressiveness of prostate cancer. Genetically-engineered human prostate cancer cells that are deficient in FOXI3 will be used to conduct additional experiments and tests to determine if the cancer reverts back to a more normal-like state, she said. Well conduct a series of experiments and in-vivo studies where well put these genetically modified cells back into mice and see if theyre able to grow tumors. If no tumors grow, well have been successful. Progress was made already last Wednesday, July 19 with the successful reduction of the protein she and the team previously identified. Next, the samples will be sent to an animal research facility at Tuskegee University. Our protein of interest was very low, which means our knockout worked, she said. This is great. Genetically engineered clones take months, up to a year. Weve been growing about 700 different clones, so when you get results its very exciting. This is our first time seeing this. TROYs lab boasts a real-time PCR machine that is used around the world to evaluate gene expression along with a microscope capable of immunofluorescence, a way to cause cells to fluoresce different colors like green so that various proteins in cancerous cells can be tracked. The fact that we were able to get this grant funding, considering all the other schools that have received this type of funding, strongly suggests that were capable of doing research conducted at R-2 and even R-1 research institutions, Jones said. That speaks volumes to our ability to do research here and to create novel ideas that are funded by our peers, not just locally but our peers internationally. I think it speaks volumes as to our potential moving forward at Troy University and the need for more biomedically-focused scientists. Jones earned her Ph.D. in 2012 from Tuskegee University with a collaborative training program in pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She also earned her Master of Business Administration from TROY in 2012. She completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2014 at the University of Michigan. In addition to her research, Jones is an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, teaching genetics and molecular biology with the accompanying labs and clinical biochemistry. She also serves as Associate Department Chair for the Biology Department and as Director of the Biomedical Science Graduate Program. She also works on the LSAMP grant with Dr. Govin Menon. Jones has been on staff at TROY since 2015. The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation was established in 1944 according to the terms of a will of Elsa U. Pardee who died of cancer in Oct. 1944. Pardee provided a $1 million trust fund for the promotion of the control and cure of cancer. Since 1944, the Foundation has given approximately $110.5 million to over 300 different institutions across the United States. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Who's in charge of Nashville's airport? US and Tennessee officials disagree under a new state law Nashville International Airport has quietly faced an identity crisis for weeks under a new state law, with no clear agreement about who is in charge If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. Vietnam to earn over $4B from rice exports this year: ministry The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has forecast that Vietnam's rice exports will reach about 7.2 million tonnes in 2023, bringing home more than $4 billion. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said India's rice export ban brings an opportunity for Vietnamese rice export at the end of the year. According to the Vietnam Food Association, in July, Vietnams rice exports continued to post significant growth. In the first seven months of this year, the country exported more than 4.48 million tonnes of rice, getting a turnover of nearly $2.4 billion, up more than 17% in volume and 28% in value over the same period in 2022. Rice export turnover increased sharply because of a sharp increase in Vietnamese rice prices from nearly $490 per tonne last year to more than $530 per tonne now. According to the association, this year, rice exports have the most favorable conditions when domestic production grows positively as most of the rice-producing regions have converted to high-quality and high-value varieties. Moreover, in the world market, the demand for rice has increased sharply. According to the General Statistics Office, in 2022, Vietnam's rice exports reached 7.1 million tonnes with a value of $3.46 billion, an increase of 13.8% in volume and 5.1% in turnover compared to the previous year. It's a busy time for Grace Kemple as she puts together the final preparations to represent Longford at the Rose of Tralee International Festival in August. Grace was chosen as Longford's first Rose since 2019 earlier this year. She will now have the honour of becoming the sixth Longford Rose to appear on stage at the world famous Tralee Dome, following in the footsteps of Marie Brady (2019), Caroline Doyle (2016), Daphne Howard (2015), Aisling Farrell (2013) and Grainne Fox (2007). In the run up to the Rose Festival Grace will take part in a tour of the country. The journey to The Dome sees the Roses visit some of Irelands most famous landmarks. For the first time County Longford features in the tour destinations. It's getting very busy, Grace told the Leader, There's a lot to prepare for, particularly the tour, it goes on for seven days. A lot of planning is going into it, getting things wrapped up before I head off to Tralee. That tour is an opportunity to showcase the country for the international audience the event attracts: We start in Wexford on August 11. We're there for a couple of days. Then we go to Kildare, and arrive in Longford on August 14. I'm not sure what we will be doing, but they have a few things planned. It will be nice to show the rest of the Roses what Longford has to offer. We then go to Meath, Offaly, Dublin and Limerick before we get to Kerry. I'm really happy Longford is one of the destinations, Grace said. The 23-year-old is no stranger to the south of the country: I have family in Tralee, so I'm a regular visitor. This time it's going to be a bit different, Grace laughs, I was at the Killarney races last week with a couple of the Roses. It was great. We got great weather for it. It was nice to meet up with the other girls. Halfway through her Higher Diploma in Midwifery at Trinity College and the Coombe Hospital, Grace is balancing her educational commitments with the challenge of representing Longford as a Rose. You have to take it as it comes. I link in with two co-ordinators, they have been really helpful. Particularly the previous Longford Rose, Marie Brady. I have to lean on them for support, but they help with the planning. Trying to fit everything in around work is difficult, but it's great. It's a good kind of busy, she says. The young woman is taking the challenge in her stride: There are 14 Irish and 18 international girls taking part. We are all in a group chat, just getting to know each other. We were all in Barretstown last week, I met the rest of the Irish Roses there. We are all going through the same thing, busy getting ready for Tralee. I am looking froward to meeting the International Roses soon. Grace thanked all who have got behind her: I have got lot of support from businesses in Longford. I want to thank everyone who has supported me, helping me with dresses, clothes, shoes and the pharmacies. I couldn't have done it without them. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said there has been a rise in racism in Ireland. The Fine Gael leader said this was very evident from people protesting outside accommodation centres for refugees and spreading nonsense conspiracy theories around replacement ideology. He added: And then people actually using violence against people who are of a different colour or of a different ethnic background and thats a matter of real concern. Mr Varadkar was responding to a question on whether he believed there was a rise of the far right in Ireland. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had previously said Ireland had not seen the same rise of the far right as other European countries. Asked if he agreed, the Taoiseach said he did not want to interpret the words of the commissioner but that he picked up that he was referring to far-right politicians being elected to parliament or government. Mr Varadkar said: Were not there yet. To the extent that we have far-right parties at all, theyre not significantly represented in the Dail. But we are seeing a rise in racism, thats very evident to me. He said that is why the Government has a national strategy against racism and is pursuing hate crime legislation. Mr Varadkar added: I see some people dismissing hate crimes as being wokeism or, you know, domestic and gender-based violence as being some form of wokeism. I totally disagree with that view of things. You know, a murder is a serious crime and assault is a serious crime. Hate crime is a serious crime, crime against women and men thats gender-based or sexual, these are all serious crimes and we need to treat them all seriously. Canadian foreign fighter Yusuf al Majeerteeni, as seen in todays video. In a video released earlier today, the Islamic States Somali Province (also known as the Islamic State Somalia, or ISS) eulogized several of its killed fighters. The list included at least one Canadian citizen and several regional foreign fighters who were within its ranks. The video mainly featured archival footage of the groups members in Somalias northern Puntland region, where the common trope of the so-called caliphates paradise is played out. The jihadists were seen swimming and at the beach, while nature shots were also played as a testament to the regions beauty. One scene also features several fighters pledging bayah, or allegiance, to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Many fighters who have been killed since ISS began in late 2015 were featured in the video. The majority of these are local Somalis, while others appear to be from Ethiopias Ogaden region or Djibouti two areas with a predominate Somali population. The Somali clans and subclans of Majeerteen, Lailkase, Sheekhaal, Rahanweyn, Marehan, Gaaljeel, Abgaal, Hawadle, and Mahamuud Saleban were all represented among the local Somali fighters, giving the group the illusion of a wide recruiting base across central and northern Somalia. The Mogadishu-based Hiraal Institute has noted that ISS has maintained its ties and support from the Ali Salebaan clan of Puntland, as well. One fighter, however, was reportedly from Canada. The video provided a brief background on Yusuf al Majeerteeni, a purported doctor who at some point migrated to Somalia to join in the militancy there. It is unclear if Majeerteeni, who claimed to be from the eponymous Majeerteen clan, was originally a member of Shabaab or if he directly joined ISS. The use of his ancestral clan as a kunya was undoubtedly to play into the hyper-localized clan politics of Somalia. The video noted that Majeerteeni was killed, but did not provide any detail on how or when. Puntland security forces, clashes with Shabaab, or US airstrikes are all potential causes for Majeerteenis demise. Speaking in a clear North American accent, Majeerteeni explained how ISS has provided medical services to the locals of Puntland before calling on other foreigners, especially other doctors, to migrate and join ISS. Near the end of the video, ISS provided archival footage of the perpetrators of the Feb. 2017 suicide assault on the Village Hotel in Bosaso and the March 2017 suicide bombing on Puntland security forces also in Bosaso. To date, those remain the two biggest attacks claimed by ISS apart from the Oct. 2016 takeover of Qandala. Interestingly, the video also provided a brief cameo of two killed Islamic State Somalia leaders in a montage of killed Islamic State leaders from around the world. Bashir Abu Numan and Mohamad Makkawi Ibrahim Mohamad were briefly shown in the montage. Abu Numan was one of the first Shabaab commanders to defect to the Islamic State, but he was killed by Shabaabs internal security force, the Amniyat, in late 2015. Makkawi, a former member of al Qaeda in Sudan who was responsible for killing a US citizen in Khartoum in 2008, was also targeted by the Amniyat in Dec. 2015. Makkawis Rewards For Justice page, which was used in the aforementioned montage, remains available despite the jihadist being confirmed dead by the Islamic State. The video, while offering old footage and eulogies, does provide us with a glimpse of its foreign fighters. While many appear to be regional, it has had at least one Western foreign fighter. It will likely try to recruit more foreign fighters as the wider Islamic State wanes elsewhere. This can already be seen to an extent as three US citizens were arrested today by the FBI, with one of them attempting to join ISS. Fighters claiming to be from Ethiopia and/or Ethiopias Ogaden region: Djiboutian: Caleb Weiss is an editor of FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. On Thursday, the United States government sanctioned Abdiweli Mohamed Yusuf, the financial emir for the Islamic States Somali Province (or Islamic State-Somalia, ISS). In this capacity, Yusuf was responsible for overseeing the collection and allocation of millions of dollars flowing through ISS coffers. According to the U.S. Treasury Department: In the first half of 2022, ISIS-Somalia generated nearly $2 million by collecting extortion payments from local businesses, related imports, livestock, and agriculture. In 2021, ISIS-Somalia generated an estimated $2.5 million in revenue. ISIS-Somalia is one of the most significant ISIS affiliates in Africa, generating revenue for ISIS to disburse to branches and networks across the continent. In his role as financial emir, which he reportedly took office in 2019, it was Yusuf that oversaw this collection of money from both northern Somalias semi-autonomous region of Puntland and in Mogadishu itself. And though Treasury describes Yusuf as Islamic State-Somalias financial emir, it seemingly makes a distinction between the hierarchies of ISS and the Islamic States Al-Karrar regional office, an important node within the Islamic States global management system that itself is based in Somalia. Interestingly, Treasury states that Yusuf, a key senior member of ISIS-Somalia, meets with and reports to other ISIS leaders in Somalia, including ISIS al-Karrar office emir Abdiqadir Mumin and ISIS-Somalia emir Abdirahman Fahiye Isse Mohamud. It was Mumin that first founded ISS in October 2015 after breaking away from al-Qaedas Shabaab. Mumin was long believed to be ISS emir and the wali [governor] of the Islamic States so-called Somali Province, while Abdirahman Fahiye was considered his long-time deputy. Based on Treasurys statement, however, Mumin was promoted and now reportedly just heads the aforementioned Al-Karrar office, while Fahiye is now ISS emir. This distinction further implies that Yusuf was just the financial emir for ISS and not necessarily also acting in this capacity for Al-Karrar. That role was previously headed by Bilal al-Sudani, a Sudanese commander in ISS, who was killed by the U.S. military in a raid in Puntland earlier this year. It is unclear who replaced Sudani in this capacity. Funds transferred to other Islamic State wings by Al-Karrar, however, were most certainly collected by ISS itself. It would be these collection efforts that were (and likely still are) overseen by Yusuf. These funds from Somalia are then pooled together by other Islamic State affiliates and cells, particularly in South Africa, and dispersed to other Islamic State wings elsewhere. Al-Karrar thus plays a significant role in the financing of the Islamic States Central Africa Province (ISCAP) in the Congo and Uganda (which is locally known as the Allied Democratic Forces) and the Islamic States Mozambique Province (known locally as Al-Shabaab, which is not to be confused with al-Qaedas branch in Somalia). For example, Al-Karrar has sent hundreds of thousands of dollars (and likely significantly more) to ISCAP and Islamic State Mozambique. This money has had drastic consequences for both insurgencies. This so-called regionally-pooled model of financing, of which the regional offices coordinate, is the current favored financing model of the Islamic State. Leaked Islamic State documents further detail that each financial office of a province is subordinate to their designated regional office. The Al-Karrar office is just one such regional office around the globe under the Islamic States General Directorate of Provinces (GDP). These offices act as key nodes of middle management in the Islamic States vast global enterprise, offering a degree of decentralized coordination as the offices oversee and direct various affiliates within their respective designated areas on behalf of the GDP and the Islamic States central leadership. Other offices include the Al-Furqan office (responsible for Nigeria and the Sahel), Al-Saddiq office (Afghanistan-Pakistan-Central Asia), Al-Faruq office (Turkey and Europe), with less active offices also based in Yemen, Libya, and Egypt/Sudan. It is likely, however, that leaders within such offices also constitute Islamic State central leaders. For instance, the aforementioned Bilal al-Sudani, also oversaw the facilitation of funds to Afghanistan and the Middle East. This level of direction implies a bigger leadership role within the Islamic States overall global apparatus. Those acting within roles of these regional offices are usually trusted individuals by the Islamic States overall leadership. For instance, promotions from provincial walis to emirs of such regional offices typically demonstrate a large degree of trust and confidence in the individual from the Islamic States central leadership, as was the case with Abu Musab al-Barnawi in Nigeria. Barnawi went from the wali of its West Africa Province to the emir of its Al-Furqan office, much like Mumins own promotion. As such, these promotions also indicate that a leader, such as Mumin or al-Barnawi, went from a regional Islamic State leader to being part of its global management again indicating those in such offices act within an Islamic State central capacity. Though entirely more centralized and direct, this is not dissimilar to al-Qaedas current globalized leadership structure, with its own Hattin Committee, or central leadership, having globally dispersed leaders. The U.S. governments recent designation of Abdiweli Mohamed Yusuf thus has much wider consequences for a large portion of the Islamic States global operations and not just inside of Somalia. Caleb Weiss is an editor of FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. Con Gai (Girl), the Vietnamese version of Fille by Camille Laurens and the debut translation work of Huynh Huu Phuoc, a motorbike courier well-known for speaking French, was released this month. A representative of the the Vietnam Womens Publishing House said: "We hope the story of Phuocs strong determination inspires other young people to pursue their dreams." Huynh Huu Phuoc working as a motorbike courier. Photo courtesy of Phuoc Phuoc started the translation around two years ago, when a friend who was initially in charge of translating it, got busy and asked for his help. Initially hesitant due to a lack of translation experience, he eventually agreed. The two friends then divided their work: Phuocs friend would translate a few first and last pages of the book, while Phuoc would be in charge of the rest. It took Phuoc from December 2021 to June 2022, to finish the translation while still maintaining his job as a motorbike courier. His working day usually started at 7 a.m., and he brought a hard copy of the book with him to hand write the translation in his free time, then revise and type it upon reaching home at night. The 26-year-old man said the book evoked strong emotions. "I want to spread the message of appreciation towards women, as well as criticize the discrimination and unfairness that women have to deal with," he said. Phuoc said he had difficulties balancing his two jobs, and suffered panic attacks. He had to consult with a therapist during that time, but eventually overcame his hardships, both mentally and financially, thanks to his passion for literature. Though Phuoc lacked experience initially, the publishing house was supportive of him as he was willing to learn from others and improve. He has shown a strong desire to continue working as a translator, and his translation is considered cohesive. Phuoc studied French from grades 1-9 before attending the HCMC University of Education in 2015. He had to reserve his studies in 2019 and take up multiple jobs, ranging from restaurant waiter to motorbike courier, to cover his and his mothers living expenses. He became widely known last year when he was seen speaking with French novelist Marc Levy at a book event. Many Vietnamese were surprised that the humble courier had such strong command of a foreign language and reached out to support him in his further education. Phuoc said he wanted to spend more time translating books in the future. "My achievements are a gift to my mother," he said. "Im studying Japanese to read Japanese books released in the 20th century. I hope I can support students that suffer from the same situation as mine." Camille Laurens, born Laurence Ruel, is a French writer and winner of the 2000 Prix Femina, a prestigious French literary prize. Her work "Fille" revolves around the character Laurence Barraques experience as a girl, a woman, and a mother in French society. Business process outsourcing company Asurion opened a facility in Clark Global City in Mabalacat, Pampanga that will create about 1,560 jobs for Filipinos. Asurion Clark, a new IT-BPM project, opens in Clark Global City. The company is now hiring actively in Clark as part of its global push to accommodate the continued growth in the tech services industry, according to the Board of Investments which approved the project. Asurion began its roots in the Philippines in 2009, with Asurion Clark as its fifth project costing P813.75 million. Techlog Center LLC., a company of the Asurion group, is a BOI-registered firm since Jan. 18 this year. Through the newly inaugurated project, Techlog will provide BPO services to the US, the UK and Asia Pacific clients. The companys partners from the industry and various sectors, including the BOI, attended the inauguration ceremony on July 12. Representing the BOI was Infrastructure and Services Industries Service acting director Annie Raganit who attended the inauguration and held informal discussions with Asurions officials. Raganit underscored the benefits from the new project, which could lead to more jobs for Filipinos. We take pride in having Asurion/Techlog Center LLC West Aeropark Clark Global City as a BOI registered enterprise beginning January 18, 2023 for bringing FDI in the country and providing more career opportunities for our fellow Filipinos, Raganit said. Asurion Clark senior director for customer solutions Adam Hachey and chief customer officer Todd Chretien expressed excitement on continuously working with the BOI for the companys next projects. Techlog Center Philippines recognized the BOI for the ease of registering their project and for the incentives under CREATE Act. It said it chose the BOI as its investment promotion agency because of the absence of work arrangement restrictions to a BPO project including those locating within economic zones. The countrys IT-BPM sector is one of the best-performing and employment generating activities in the country. The new investment in the IT-BPM sector is expected generate output amounting to around P1.49 billion and generate P760 million in contribution to household income. Asurion now employs over 5,000 people across its facilities in Calamba, Iloilo City, Nuvali and BGC. Globally, the company has more than 25,000 employees, serving over 300 million customers worldwide. Asurion has led the technology protection industry around the globe, as it provides support solutions to enable optimum use of technology, digital applications to protect peoples privacy and provide security. Asurions project shows that the Philippines continues to attract global industry players, and aligns with the BOIs thrust to create high-quality job opportunities for Filipinos by making more strategic investments happen. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Third-generation entrepreneur Jennifer Lo has developed a discerning eye for aesthetics growing up with a family who appreciates and creates useful arts. Her pursuit of beauty and artistry led her to complete a short course on Manufacturing Management at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles in 2006. She had worked with various fashion companies before coming back to the Philippines to help in her mothers handbag business. After nearly 40 years in the business since it was established in 1984, Makati City-based Larone Crafts Inc. continues to be a leading artisanal maker of finely-crafted handbag pieces. Sustainable enterpreneurs Jennifer Lo and Mom showcasing timeless Larone purses. Lo has sustained the family legacy, taking over the business after getting herself acquainted with several foreign brands in the US while polishing her knowledge of the local industry. Im the steward of my parents and grandparents hard work. My goal is to make the business sustainable for another 20 years, Lo said. She recalled how she, as a young child, helped her mom look over the business during trade shows and exhibits. The designs are modern concepts weaved into the traditional Filipino nuances by incorporating the indigenous Tnalak and the woven fabric Inabel. Natural plant fibers such as abaca, raffia and seagrasssourced from all parts of the Philippinesadd indigenous charm to Larone Crafts. The results are timeless accessories that buyers can keep in their wardrobes season after season. The bags are meant to be used all year-round. We do not make items that are just for a certain season to be thrown away the next. We manufacture them to last, Lo said. Global market The agility of Larone Crafts in staying abreast with technological advancements and design trends has built a stable relationship with foreign buyers and established a successful export market for the brand over the years. It first exports in 1984 went to the United States. Back then, Lo was three years old. I can see how conducting international business during times when the Internet was not yet existing must have been quite a challenge, said Lo, expressing her appreciation for the ease and speed that technological advancement has brought about over the years. Lo joined the company in 2009, as she stepped up to evolving market trends. Following the pandemic, Larones largest export base remained the US at 90 percent, while the EU market accounted for 3 percent. The rest is a mix of niche clients from other countries. Larone Crafts incorporates modern and indigenous designs to create classic handbags. Govt support For the longest time, the only way to start an international business was through participation in trade fairswhich is not an easy thing to do alone. Larone Crafts has been part of the Manila FAME almost every year since the 1980s. Participation at Maison et Objet, NY Now and Ambiente over the last 10 years were also sweet and fruitful. The business has received support from the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry, to participate in international trade shows in the EU and the US. Before the age of internet and emails, this was the only way of gaining new overseas customers. Lo felt that her companys participation in trade shows was instrumental in reaching customers, particularly in the EU. CITEMs support in terms of product design and pre-show marketing has been invaluable in upgrading her business. These are all high costs that would be difficult for our small business to absorb when initially trying to enter into a new market. GSP+ for the EU Larone Crafts is one of the many Filipino enterprises that have successfully utilized the EU GSP+ platform to their advantage. The EU GSP + makes our products more competitive in the European market by reducing the cost of importing our goods into the country for our buyers. It improves access to the 27 countries in the EU, Lo said. Larone Crafts is exporting to Spain and the Netherlands, with samples sent recently to Italy, to generate more brand awareness and outright orders. She gives credit to the Arise Plus Philippines project which enables Philippine exporters to take advantage of European Union market access and the trade privileges granted under the Generalized System of Preference (GSP+). It supports the overall EU-Philippines trade relationship and trade-related policies. Leaving no one behind As Lo works towards expanding her product assortment in home and lifestyle products, she is cognizant of those who work for her. Depending upon the volume of orders, in any given season, Larone Crafts employs about 100 workers. She did not only retain artisan families employed during her parents management days, but she continues to source supplies from small businesses that employ women. We work with weavers and artisans in their communities from all over the Philippines, giving them a reliable livelihood and helping to preserve the regions traditional crafts, she said. Othel V. Campos Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. NIAMEY, NigerThe Niger general who staged a coup on Friday declared himself the new leader of the jihadist-hit African nation and warned that any foreign military intervention would lead to chaos. General Abdourahamane Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, appeared on state television, saying he was the president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland. The general, who is in his 50s and had previously kept out of public life, presented the coup as a response to the degradation of the security situation linked to jihadist bloodshed. He questioned the sense and scope of a security approach to the fight against terrorism which excludes any real collaboration with Burkina Faso and Mali neighbours which face similar threats. But the putschists, who have faced international condemnation for taking power from a democratically elected president, also warned of the consequences that will flow from any foreign military intervention. On the third day since President Mohamed Bazoum was detained, former colonial master France demanded the restoration of the government, saying it does not recognise the putschists, and calling Bazoum the sole president. The UN Security Council said in a statement late Friday that it condemned the efforts to unconstitutionally change the legitimate government in the country. And US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Bazoum Washingtons unflagging support and warned those detaining him that hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance was at risk, according to the State Department. Secretary Blinken underscored that the United States will continue to work to ensure the full restoration of constitutional order and democratic rule in Niger, department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. Washington had previously warned it may cease security and other cooperation, although its approximately 1,000 troops stationed in the country will stay in place for now. West African leaders will meet Sunday in the Nigerian capital Abuja to discuss the coup, President Bola Tinubu said. ECOWAS and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure democratic governance continues to take firm root in the region, Tinubu, who is also the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, said in a statement. The European Union threatened to cut aid to Niamey after what it said was a serious attack on stability and democracy. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. WASHINGTONThe United States on Friday unveiled a $345 million military aid package for Taiwan designed to quickly bolster the islands ability to deter a Chinese invasion. The package which an official said features intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, and small arms munitions will be drawn from the US own reserves, allowing it to be delivered on a faster-than-usual timeline. These are capabilities that Taiwan will be able to use to bolster deterrence now and in the future, a Pentagon spokesperson said. Elements of the package address critical defensive stockpiles, multi-domain awareness, anti-armor, and air defense capabilities, he added. We are working expeditiously to deliver the military assistance announced today. Taiwans defense ministry thanked Washington for its staunch commitment to Taiwans security. The Presidential Drawdown Authority is another important support for Taiwans self-defense in addition to weapons sales, ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said. Taiwan and the US will continue to cooperate closely in safety issues in order to maintain peace, stability, and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. Congress has authorized President Joe Biden to draw aid for Taiwan from American military stocks the same way that Washington has provided large quantities of assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. In the past year, the Chinese military has held two major drills around Taiwan, simulating targeted strikes and a blockade of the island. China, which is an increasingly assertive diplomatic and military power, claims the democratic, self-ruled island of Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take it, by force if necessary. A statement from the White House announced the package of defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. The countrys oil firms have updated their oil price forecast for Tuesday to reflect an increase of as much as P3.40 per liter for diesel due to the movement of prices for the five-day trading in the world oil market. Unioil Petroleum Philippines said in its advisory on Saturday that consumers should expect fuel prices to go up for the week of August 1 to 7, 2023. Diesel will increase by P3.20 to P3.40 per liter. Gasoline will increase by P1.70 to P1.90 per liter. Load up accordingly, Unioil said. This is higher than the previous forecast based on the first four days of oil trading in the world market of P2.80 to P3 per liter for diesel and P1.60 to P1.80 per liter for gasoline. Sources said kerosene may also go up by more than P2.50 per liter. Some areas in the country will not experience higher pump prices as they were placed under a state of calamity due to the damages brought by Super Typhoon Egay. The Department of Energy (DOE) imposed a price freeze for household liquefied petroleum gas (11-kilo cylinder and below) and kerosene products. The prize freeze is now in effect and will remain valid for 15 days upon the declaration of the state of calamity. These areas are Cavite province, Ilocos Norte province and the municipality of Sanchez Mira in Cagayan. The prize freeze is effective from July 27 to August 10, 2023. DOE director for the Oil Industry Management Bureau Rino Abad said Friday prices are forecasted to go up next week after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries continued to implement its oil output cut of one million barrels per day. The expected oil price hike next week will be the fourth consecutive week increase for diesel and kerosene and the third for gasoline. On July 25, the oil firms hiked the price of gasoline by P1.35 per liter, diesel by P0.45 per liter and P0.35 per liter for kerosene. On July 18, the oil companies also implemented an increase of P1.90 per liter for gasoline, P2.10 per liter diesel and P1.80 per liter for kerosene. Diesel likewise went up by P0.75 per liter and kerosene by P0.50 per liter on July 11 but gasoline was rolled by P0.20 per liter. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. One of two Asian black bears handed over to animal protection experts by their owners in Binh Duong Province, July 28, 2023. Photo by Animals Asia Two Asian black bears were rescued from a household in the southern province of Binh Duong on Friday and are being transported to the rescue center in Tam Dao National Park. The bears, now named Bonnie and Clyde, were micro-chipped and kept in the family for nearly 20 years. Binh Duongs Sub-Department Forest Protection has been advocating for the elder owners to hand over the bears to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center in northern Vinh Phuc Provinces Tam Dao National Park. Bonnie, the female bear, weighs around 150 kg and suffers from multiple health problems, including abnormal signs in the gallbladder, an amputated right hind leg, and a wounded left hind leg, said senior veterinary surgeon Shaun Thomson from Animals Asia. The 120 kg male bear Clyde is in slightly better health condition, although examinations show its gallbladder has a few signs of damage. The bear also experiences hair loss in the abdomen area, which might come from lying on the concrete floor in the cage for too long, according to the animal expert. Bears have often been held captive in Vietnam for their bile, which is thought to have healing effects according to traditional medicine. This practice has been illegal since 2005. The operation has brought the total number of bears rescued in Binh Duong Province to 48, and by Animals Asia to 264. Sharks in movies, name a better duo. The fascination with sharks onscreen has captured the public consciousness since roughly around 1956 when the first proper shark story on film, The Sharkfighters starring Victor Mature, hit the silver screen, according to Den of Geek. Almost 20 years later, Universal Studios released Jaws. Four years after that, Jaws 2 was released in theaters, followed by two more sequels. B-movies featuring sharks hit the small screen, capitalizing on Jaws success, tropes and one-liners. In the ensuing years, major studios other than Universal waded through the shark-infested waters with their own takes on these awesome creatures. But how accurate are these films featuring sharks? While there is some truth behind many of these films, they go to extremes to exaggerate how dangerous sharks can be. Heres a look at what some of these films got right and what they got egregiously wrong. Jaws and its sequels Exhibition designer Anthony Olazabal uses a brush to do some final cleaning on Bruce the mechanical shark from the film "Jaws," June 22, 1989, at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The shark is part of an exhibit on movie special effects to open at the museum this Saturday. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)AP The shark portrayed in both the book and film adaptations of Jaws present the fish as an unstoppable force of nature, an eating machine, as Richard Dreyfuss character Matt Hooper tells the science-denying mayor of Amity. Hooper and police chief Martin Brody muse over the shark theyre after as rogue, a theory that suggests sharks specifically target humans for food, a theory Hooper said he agrees with. The rogue shark theory dials up to 11 in Jaws 2, Jaws 3D and Jaws: The Revenge. Each of these films shares a common theme, bookended by a marine biologist telling Brody in Jaws 2, Sharks dont take things personally, Mr. Brody, and with the tagline of the fourth film, This time, its personal. Simply put, the sequels make the shark-related killings out to be acts of revenge rather than random. The theory was purported throughout the first half of the 20th century, including by surgeon Sir Victor Coppleson in his 1958 book Shark Attacks, Forbes reported. But shark attacks are usually unprovoked and death from a shark attack is incredibly low compared with death by cancer, flu, a bike crash or an accident in the air or in space, according to the Florida Museums International Shark Attack File. Were not their normal food, too skinny, too bony, not fat enough despite what some people think about themselves, Jaws author and shark conservationist Peter Benchley said in an interview with GBH News in 2004. What this animal, in particular the great white shark, wants more than anything else is a big, fat seal, and he sees a profile on the surface and we do look like sea lions from below. Deep Blue Sea An undersea thriller co-starring Samuel L. Jackson, this 1999 Warner Bros. film tackles a group of scientists, a businessman, a shark wrangler and a preacher-chef played by LL Cool J along with genetically engineered mako sharks. Mixed reviews and a simple B-movie plot aside, it holds some surprisingly accurate shark science. Smaller than white sharks, shortfin makos are one of the fastest fish in the ocean, moving at speeds of 31 mph with bursts as high as 46 mph, according to the Smithsonian. Given the genetically engineered nature of these blue speedsters in the film, the exaggeration holds a touch of reality. The catalyst for why these scientists are toying with mako sharks is so they can pluck a protein from their enlarged brain tissue in order to reawaken human brain cells made dormant by Alzheimers disease. As wild as this plot point sounds, studies at St. Johns University have looked at ways in which shark stem cells can differentiate into brain-cell neurons, which if replicated in humans could lead scientists to finding cures for diseases like Alzheimers and Parkinsons. The Shallows The 2016 horror film starring Blake Lively retreads waters with a killer white shark stalking a surfer off a shallow Mexican beach. The film reiterates the rogue shark theory, National Geographic pointed out at the time, but it does allow for one scientific accuracy already hinted at in the films title. If seals swim through shallow waters off any coast, including off Cape Cod, white sharks follow, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Murky waters lower visibility, and a persons movements could be mistaken for a fish or a seal. In 2017, surfers off Nauset Beach in Orleans were in shallow waters when a shark attacked a seal nearby, a few yards from the beach, CBS Boston reported. FILE - In this Tuesday, July 25, 2016 file photo released by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a great white shark swims close to the Cape Cod shore in Chatham, Mass. Great white sharks are making their annual return to Cape Cod, rattling some boaters and beachgoers. Yet the chances of an attack resulting in serious injury or death are infinitesimally small. (Wayne Davis/Atlantic White Shark Conservancy via AP)AP From below, a shark could mistake the bullet-shape of a board and four limbs of a surfer for a seal, according to Science magazine in 2021. But as Benchley said above, the likely scenario is a lean surfer will be bitten while a fatty seal will become the sharks lunch. Sharknado The storm seen in 2013s Sharknado, set in Los Angeles, holds some morsels of accuracy despite the premise: tornadoes pick up killer sharks, including white sharks, wreaking havoc as people are eaten and have to fight off sharks with chainsaws. While a twister picking up sharks sounds far-fetched, the National Weather Services Charleston office once reported an alligator fell from the sky as a result of a water spout during a thunderstorm in 1843, according to WBTW 13 News in 2017. In 1843, it was reported in the Charleston Mercury that we have heard of no casualty, unless we may account as such the raining down of an alligator about two feet long at the corner of Wentworth and Anson streets. Even in Los Angeles, tornadoes have become a growing recurrence in recent years. But ones that drop killer sharks from the heavens not likely. The Meg The 2018 Jason Statham-led, science fiction film focuses on a team of scientists seeking to break below a cloud of hydrogen sulfide to the bottom of the Marianas Trench, the deepest place on Earth. When their sub breaks through the cloud, a monstrous prehistoric shark begins to attack the team, and the usual shark-involved mayhem ensues. Megalodon was a behemoth the size of the docile whale shark, about 60 feet long and about three times the size of a white shark, according to the Smithsonian. They swam Earths oceans from 23 million years ago until they went extinct 3.6 million years ago, with a mouth the size of a 6-foot-tall person and teeth the size of an adult humans hand. A worker looks into the mouth of a megalodon shark model at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. The hand-crafted model is 27-feet long, 10-feet tall and features over 130 3D-printed teeth based on authentic megalodon fossils. Known as the "T. rex of the seas," it's part of the museum's new exhibition "Sharks," opening December 15. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)AP Due to a changing climate and adaptations within the food chain, megalodon disappeared from the fossil record 3.6 million years ago, the Smithsonian said. Rumors and theories like those seen in The Meg suggest the shark could be hiding far below the ocean depths, though nothing has substantiated these claims. The depiction of the megalodons in The Meg is common in museums and other media, appearing like an enlarged white shark. However, modern research has indicated they are ancestors of mako sharks and likely bore a closer resemblance to blue sharks, with flatter faces and longer fins to hold their enormous weight, according to Londons National History Museum. What accuracies or inaccuracies does the upcoming The Meg 2: The Trench hold in store? The time August 1973. The place Bronx, New York. The sound unlike anything anyone had ever heard before. Beat-driven hooks and solos, repeated or slowed down or speeded up. Those same beats played at the same time as another song played on the stereo. Suddenly, a DJ using two turntables could transform familiar funk or soul songs into something completely different, completely new. This magical moment was the birth of hip hop music. Numerous articles, movies and books have been written about this seismic shift in musical history. What started out as something small quickly blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon that remains as vital as ever half a century later. Music wasnt the only thing that was transformed. Hip hop changed fashion and movies. But perhaps most of all, hip hop created an entirely new way of moving, turning dance literally on its head, hands and sides as dancers spun, shimmied and slid in directions no one had ever dreamed of before. This Aug. 2 to 6, to celebrate hip hops 50th anniversary, Jacobs Pillow will present some of the greatest hip hop dancers and choreographers in the world as part of Hip Hop Across The Pillow. Described as a festival within the dance festival, Hip Hop Across The Pillow will feature Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater, Rokafella, Kwikstep and d. Sabela Grimes and the Ladies of Hip Hop. Along with performances Aug. 2 to 6 in the Ted Shawn Theatre, Hip Hop Across The Pillow will feature performances on the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage, an All Styles Dance Battle, and a PillowTalk celebrating the many culture-bearers of the art form. Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater returns to the Pillow after 13 years as one of the featured headliners in Hip Hop Across The Pillow. Noted for creating the terms such as street dance theater and hip hop concert dance, Harris is widely celebrated as a pioneer of hip hop dance theater. Born and raised in North Philadelphia, Harris founded his iconic dance company in 1992, which remains the longest-running hip-hop dance touring company. The program at Jacobs Pillow will also feature the world premiere of two works commissioned by Jacobs Pillow specifically for the Festival. One of the new pieces is a duet created by hip hop icons Rokafella and Kwikstep. The other new work was created and will be performed by the Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artists d. Sabela Grimes and the Ladies of Hip Hop. The husband, wife duo of Rokafella and Kwikstep have been creating innovative dances together since the early 1990s in New York City. Gabriel Kwikstep Dionisio founded Full Circle Productions in 1992. Then in 1996, the group became a non-profit organization. Under the guidance of Kwikstep and Ana Rokafella Garcia, Full Circle Productions aims to provide training to aspiring Hip hop dancers in New York City and local areas with a particular focus on the cultural roots, the trajectory and growth of the classic styles and how Hip-hop is interpreted globally and commercially, according to Full Circle Productions website. d. Sabela Grimes is a choreographer, writer, composer and educator whose interdisciplinary performance work and pedagogical approach reveal a vested interest in the physical and meta-physical efficacies of Afro-Diasporic cultural practices, according to Grimes faculty profile page at the University of Southern California (USC) Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, where Grimes serves as an Associate Professor of Practice, with a focus on hip hop, dance history and improvisation. Grimes has been performing, teaching and creating hip hop for years. This has been a part of my life forever, Grimes said in a video posted on his faculty profile page. A former member of Rennie Harris Puremovement, Grimes was an original cast members of Rome and Jewels, Harris ground-breaking reworking of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet which is reimagined in the streets of Philadelphia, according to the dance companys website. In recent years, Grimes and Harris have been instrumental in bridging the gap between hip hop and other dance genres. Harris created Rennie Harris University, which focuses on teaching dance instructors how to teach hip hop dance, Harris explained in a New York Times article earlier this year about Rennie Harris University. Grimes is equally excited about his work in the dance studio at USC and how hip hop is in conversation with other forms of dance, including ballet, Grimes said on his faculty profile video. Were seeing whats transferable, what ideas can transfer across, Grimes added. Thats really a part of what were generating from this sort of vision of what a new movement is. Hip hop brings a plethora of pedagogical tools, really thought-through technical methodologies and community building practices, Grimes added. If the practice is communal, youll have other bodies recording it. These dance practices are an amazing and most profound example of the multiple ways in which we can listen and pay attention. What excites me and can be very terrifying is to be on this maiden voyage, Grimes added. Hip Hop Across The Pillow will be presented at Jacobs Pillow in Becket from Aug. 2 to 6. More information about tickets and the performances can be found here. A Boston man has agreed to plead guilty after being accused of trying to stop a witness who he was accused of exposing himself to from testifying against him, according to the Massachusetts Department of Justice. Mark Pinnock, 32, of Boston, was charged with one count of witness intimidation, said the DOJ in a press release. The court has not yet scheduled a plea hearing. According to charging documents, Pinnock was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2014 for a sex trafficking offense. In 2022, Pinnock was release under federal supervision while working as an Amazon driver, said the press release. In July 2022, an unnamed woman accused Pinnock of exposing his penis to her while he was on supervised release and while delivering a package to the condominium complex where she was working as a custodian, said the DOJ. As a result, the DOJ said the U.S. Probation Office sought to revoke Pinnocks term and supervised release and the court scheduled a hearing to adjudicate the charge. A week before his hearing, Pinnock is accused of sending an unnamed co-conspirator to the condominium complex on his behalf, where the co-conspirator reportedly told the woman not to go to Court and stood with his hand in his pocket as if he has something in it, said the DOJ. Additionally, Pinnock is accused of using an encrypted messaging application to send an anonymous message to the security officer at the complex to let the cleaning lady know that she would be arrested by immigration officials if she were to go to court, said the release. Pinnock is also accused of placing three phone calls to immigration officials as a way to have the woman detained for being unlawfully present in the United States, said the DOJ. Pinnock also falsely claimed to ICE, among other things that he had heard the victim was gang-affiliated. The charge of witness intimidation provides a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and forfeiture, said the DOJ. The chairwoman of the Cannabis Control Commission took commissioners by surprise Friday when she announced in the middle of a regulatory discussion that Executive Director Shawn Collins is planning to leave the agency he has run since its inception and described the CCC as being in crisis. Chairwoman Shannon OBrien said she wants to meet next week or the week after with her fellow commissioners to discuss Collins departure which has not been acknowledged by Collins, who was not made available to the News Service on Friday afternoon and how the CCC should proceed as it gets into the meat of its latest round of marijuana industry regulation revisions. OBrien, the former state treasurer who came under scrutiny for her ties to a cannabis company soon after Treasurer Deborah Goldberg tapped her to chair the CCC last September, announced during Fridays virtual meeting that Collins informed her in May that he planned announce that he would leave the CCC at the end of this year and that he wanted to take 10 weeks of family leave beginning in September. OBrien said she asked Collins not to make that announcement in May. It was a little bit out of the blue. I wasnt sure, I said, I would ask that you wait. Were in the process of hiring a new chief people officer, were hiring a new general counsel, we are depleted in terms of some of our top management and staff to help us not only get through regulatory writing but to exercise the important responsibilities that we have, she said Friday. OBrien said she spoke with Collins about his departure again Thursday and that he further indicated to me that he planned on taking his family leave beginning on Monday. That prompted the chairwoman to consult labor attorneys and OBrien said the expectation is that employees give their employer 30 days notice before starting family leave in most situations. We are in crisis right now as a commission. We need to make sure that we know how to manage through this regulatory process, OBrien said. She added, I did not want to announce this in May because I wanted to make sure that we got our chief people officer in place. We were doing a search for general counsel. We were in the throes of regulatory writing. So to that extent, I just want to notify my fellow commissioners I will be sensitive to I want to protect the rights of all employees at the commission. But I want to have a conversation with my fellow commissioners to discuss this, to discuss the leave, and to do that in a way where we have time to prepare, where we properly notify the employee about how we will have this conversation. OBrien said the announcement fell under a line on the CCCs agenda allowing for New Business Not Anticipated at the Time of Posting and she made it before she had to make an early exit from the meeting to travel. Other commissioners appeared to be caught off-guard. Commissioner Nurys Camargo said everyones in shock that OBrien brought the topic up for discussion in public the way she did and Commissioner Bruce Stebbins said he was still trying to figure out where that fit into our consideration of the agenda and the work we have to get done. Commissioner Ava Callender Concepcion said she would prefer that we put a pin in this, honestly because of the important regulatory work that was also on Fridays agenda. OBrien responded by saying she was worried that Collins leave might affect that work. I dont want to get into the specifics, but when I was notified that the family leave, the intent was that the family leave begin on Monday, I felt that that could have an impact on regulations and everything else that we need to do, the chairwoman said. So thats why I, again, I dont think its inappropriate. I think its me responding to a statement that was made to me yesterday about beginning the 10-week paid family leave that he is entitled to, but it creates chaos for us. After Fridays meeting, Concepcion said she and others at the CCC had still not heard directly from Collins, only from OBrien. I want to make sure that the executive director has the ability to give his statements, any perspective that he wants to offer, and also just clarify that there is no official statement there that was given, both to the public or to myself, the commissioner said. But I also want to make sure that its really clear that I do, I find it a bit inappropriate to discuss personal matters both to the press and at a public meeting setting. Concepcion also made clear that she did not agree with OBriens assessment that the CCC is in crisis. No, I would never say that were in crisis. I think its a bit inflammatory, but you would have to speak to the chair in order to understand why, where that was coming from, she said. She was speaking from an individual capacity. So I dont share that same perspective. And that did not come from me or any other commissioner for that matter. But when she was speaking, she was speaking in her own capacity. The CCC is in the midst of implementing the states new cannabis equity law, which aims to rein in some of the hiccups in the maturing industry, and has been busy working on revisions to the detailed rules for the industry in Massachusetts. Collins was unanimously chosen in the fall of 2017 to lead the CCC as its inaugural executive director. Prior to that, he was an assistant treasurer who served as Treasurer Deborah Goldbergs point person on pot during the debate over legalization and until oversight of marijuana was removed from the treasurers direct auspices by the Legislature in a rewrite of the 2016 ballot law. Grant Smith Ellis, an independent journalist who closely follows the CCC, posted a video of much of the discussion on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Friday. Above the entrance to Amherst Regional Middle School is lettering that says WE WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS. Recently, LGBTQIA+ youth have been speaking out alleging that hasnt been their experience. Two weeks after Amherst Superintendent Michael Morris returned after taking medical leave in May, community organizers held a rally outside the Amherst Regional Middle School. Zhongli Zhang, 85, of Andover, has been identified as the person who was struck and killed by an Amtrak train on Thursday when he tried to cross the tracks in Andover, according to the Essex County District Attorneys office. At around 4:30 p.m., Zhang was struck by the train near 10 Railroad St. near the intersection of with Essex Street, read a press release from the DAs office. Zhang was reportedly waiting for a southbound train to pass before he was hit by a northbound Amtrak Downeaster train that was passing through Andover immediately after the southbound train cleared the intersection, said the release. From initial analysis, the crossing lights and gates appeared to be working for both trains and still in the downward position when Zhang was struck, according to the DAs office. As of Friday, the incident remains under investigation by the Essex County District Attorneys Office State Police Detective Unit, Amtrak Police, MBTA Transit Police and Andover Police Department, according to the press release. Nine people prosecutors claim had ties to the Asian Boyz street gang have been charged for their alleged roles in a Massachusetts-based drug ring that sold more than a dozen guns and thousands of pills that contained methamphetamine, according to authorities. Authorities say the arrested individuals were part of a large-scale drug dealing network based in Lowell that profited primarily from selling thousands of counterfeit Adderall pills containing meth. The alleged drug ring is accused of distributing or possessing with the intent to distribute 12,100 of the counterfeit pills that weighed more than 25 kilograms, more than 900 grams of cocaine, more than 400 grams of fentanyl and around 500 grams of para-fluorofentanyl, also known as pFF, a synthetic opioid more potent than fentanyl, according to a statement from the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. The group also allegedly sold gun magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and at least 15 firearms, including: five machine gun conversion devices, commonly known as switches; an AR-type firearm; and ghost guns, untraceable firearms that lack serial numbers and are often assembled at home from kits bought online without background checks, the U.S. Attorneys Office noted. The trafficking of firearms and deadly narcotics by violent criminal organizations is so corrosive and destructive. It makes the hard-working residents of these communities feel unsafe when they go about their daily lives heading to work or school or just out to play, said acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy. The defendants ... promoted violence and pumped poison into the Lowell community for a profit. The arrested individuals are accused of being members and associates of the Asian Boyz group, also known as the ABZ street gang. One of the nations largest Asian gangs, the group is known to engage in illegal drug and firearm trafficking as well as acts of violence against rival gangs. While ABZ gangs around the United States operate independently of each other, they use their national network to traffic narcotics and firearms throughout the country, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. According to court documents, at the helm of the Lowell-based drug ring was Sary Rath, also known as BG, Bad Guy and Baby Gangsta. He is accused of leading the ABZ gang in the city and being a self-admitted member of the group for at least the last 15 years. Others who were arrested and alleged to be members of the gang were: Samnang Son, also known as Smiley; Bill Phim, also known as Bonez; Erickson Dao, also known as Silent; Brian Gingras, also known as Cheech; and Marcus Holder, also known as Heartless. Anel Reyes, also known as A-Tecc and A.T.E.C., and Joseph Bagrowski were allegedly associates of the group as well, and Billy Chan, also known as Juju, is accused of being an associate of the Young Crip Hitters, a group aligned with the ABZ gang, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Together, court documents allege, the group worked to manufacture and sell their significant supply of meth pills, including to an undercover officer 12 different times between March and October 2022. Rath is accused of using a gang-affiliated business, Money Affiliated, to distribute the narcotics. He also allegedly produced and performed rap music, using the business as a brand for his music, which prominently referenced the gang and featured other people accused of being members, including Dao, Gingras, Phim and Holder, the U.S. Attorneys Office detailed. A search of the nine individuals homes following their arrests Thursday allegedly resulted in the discovery of multiple cell phones, around $1,000 in cash, roughly 1,000 counterfeit Adderall pills containing suspected meth, 300 Euro pills containing what appeared to be MDMA/Ecstasy, a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number and loaded with 9mm ammunition, a ghost gun pistol frame, magazines, firearm parts and a ballistics vest, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Prosecutors detailed the charges of the nine individuals who were arrested and charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston: Reyes, 24, of Lawrence, was charged with distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of pFF and distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Son, 33, of Lowell, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams of more of meth, distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth, distribution of and possession with intent to distribute meth and the transfer and possession of a machine gun; Chan, 18, of Lowell, was charged with engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute meth, distribution of and possession with intent to distribute meth and the transfer and possession of a machine gun; Phim, 35, of Acton, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of meth and two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth; Dao, 31, of Lowell, was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of meth and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; Gingras, 37, of Lowell, was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of meth and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth; Holder, 28, of Newton, New Hampshire, was charged with two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth; and Bagrowski, 35, of Chelmsford, was charged with two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth. Rath, the alleged leader of the ABZ gang in Lowell, was also arrested Thursday and is currently in state custody. The 37-year-old former Lowell resident was charged with distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of meth and distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. A man was rescued after getting stuck in a swamp in Central Massachusetts on Friday, according to authorities. The Rutland Regional Emergency Communication Center began receiving calls shortly after 4:30 p.m. Friday about the man yelling for help on Pitcherville Road in Hubbardston, the Worcester County towns fire department wrote in a Facebook post. Local police and firefighters were then sent to the scene. 7/28/23 Water Rescue At 4:37pm, the RRECC began receiving calls reporting a male yelling for help on Pitcherville Road... Posted by Hubbardston Fire Department on Friday, July 28, 2023 When first responders arrived, they found the man in the swamp, roughly 30 yards from the roadway, stuck in chest-deep water. Firefighters, donning water rescue suits, then rescued the man, according to the departments post. The man, who had been in the swamp for more than an hour, was driven to the hospital by an ambulance to be treated for minor injuries and heat exhaustion, the department noted. This is an excellent reminder that it is always safest to stay on marked trails while hiking, especially given the amount of rain we have received lately, swamp areas are very deep currently and places normally dry could be water covered, the post said. Its certainly raining cats and dogs and then some in Massachusetts, with excessive rainfall and thunderstorms bringing the possibility of flooding and lightning to the commonwealth Saturday. The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch Saturday afternoon for the entire state as well as parts of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont that is expected to last until 9 p.m. The federal forecasting agency warned of the possibility of isolated hail up to a quarter in size, scattered wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour and frequent lightning in the region. A Watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms, the Weather Service said in a social media post. Pay close attention to changing weather through this evening and listen for any Warnings we might issue when severe storms are actually occurring in your area. A Watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms. Pay close attention to changing weather through this evening and listen for any Warnings we might issue when severe storms are actually occurring in your area. #ctwx #riwx #mawx https://t.co/9DYWhGMN6x NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) July 29, 2023 A more serious flash flood warning that is expected to last until 3 p.m. was issued for parts of Eastern Massachusetts as well, including areas in Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk counties. A weather radar indicated thunderstorms were producing heavy rainfall that may cause flash flooding in Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Dedham, Everett, Hull, Milton, Needham, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston and Winthrop. Forecasters warned people to turn their vehicles around when they encounter flooded roads and be aware of their surroundings. Torrential rain in the area will cause flooding. Never drive through water that covers the road! https://t.co/WcDzr10J6o NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) July 29, 2023 Between 1 and 2 inches of rain have fallen. The expected rainfall rate is 1 to 2 inches in 1 hour, the Weather Service said in its warning. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. Read more: Northampton Community Rowing stuck on land as flooding keeps river off limits A severe thunderstorm warning, which is also more serious than a watch, was also issued for parts of southeastern Massachusetts. A severe thunderstorm over Scituate is moving southeast at 20 mph. Wind gusts of 60 mph are expected, and damage to trees and power is possible, according to the Weather Service. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building, the Weather Service recommended. Earlier, the Weather Service issued a flood watch for nearly all of Massachusetts that was expected to last from 11 a.m. through Saturday evening. Forecasters warned significant rainfall may trigger flooding in low-lying areas and locations with poor drainage. Excessive runoff could also result in sharp rises in water levels at rivers, creeks and streams. Thunderstorms capable of heavy rainfall are expected to become more frequent after 4 p.m. and into the early evening, the Weather Service noted. You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings, the Weather Service said. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. As the cold front causing the thunderstorms dissipates, a more comfortable airmass will move into the state Sunday and remain in place through much of next week, according to the Weather Service. The forecast is subject to significant change more than 72 hours out. Le gouvernement a ete mis au courant des retombees de cette reunion de la Joint Commission of the Extended Continental Shelf qui a eu lieu a Maurice ou il a ete question de cocombre de mer et la mise en place dune plan strategique et un prochain protocole daccord. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the 25th Meeting of the Mauritius-Seychelles Joint Commission of the Extended Continental Shelf held recently in Mauritius. The Joint Commission is responsible for establishing policies and regulations relating to the natural resources and related activities in the Joint Management Area. The main outcomes of the discussions held pertained, inter alia, to sea cucumber exploratory fisheries, the implementation of the Strategic Plan, a Memorandum of Understanding for maritime surveillance and marine scientific research. July 28, 2023 | 06:52 pm PT Many readers vouched for Vietnams friendliness, though they agreed that going through its airports was not always pleasant. They shared their opinions after a Vietnamese traveler complained of the poor services and lack of support at Vietnamese airports, compared to others that she has been to in France, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. "As a tourist and working here I find Vietnam very friendly although it is challenging. The airports are awful though for a big country." Nsnickstanway "I will trade the experience OUTSIDE the airport in Paris for the experience OUTSIDE the airport in Vietnam ANY day." hamlinchristopher882 "You don't judge how welcoming a country is by the signs at the airport. France, that you use as an example, is probably one of the least welcoming countries in the world, no matter what they write on the boards at the airport, or what a single immigration officer tells you. There are friendly or rude people everywhere, but in Vietnam you can find a huge amount of kindness and lovely people compared to most other countries. Vietnamese culture could not be based on politeness as much as Japanese, but there is more about being welcoming that is beyond politeness and Vietnamese people is second to none, in my experience." Mario Rossi "I agree the public side of the tourism industry must do much better. I come to Vietnam twice a year and the Vietnamese hotels offer the greatest welcoming of all Asia." seeyouin2011 "The Vietnamese people are friendly, smiling, welcoming and ready to help. I am French and I can compare with the people of my country, who are much too often rude, not smiling a bit, impatient and unable to say even a few words in English to the foreigners..." pajacque Un Memorandum of Understanding sera signe dans les jours/semaines a venir entre les deux entites de surveillance financier sur plusieurs points. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Republic of Mauritius and the Financial Intelligence Unit of the United Arab Emirates. The objective of the MoU is to facilitate, the analysis of suspected cases of money laundering, associated predicate offences or terrorist financing, with a view to disseminating information which may ultimately result in investigations and prosecutions by competent authorities in their respective countries. The MoU sets out the arrangements for the two institutions to, inter alia,: (a) cooperate in assembling, developing and analysing information relevant to suspected money laundering, associated predicate offences or terrorist financing; (b) freely exchange, spontaneously or upon request, the widest range of available or obtainable information; (c) conduct queries on behalf of the requesting FIU and provide all information that it would be able to obtain if such queries were carried out domestically; (d) refrain from disclosing information affecting sovereignty and national security; and (e) exchange information safely and through reliable mechanisms or channels. Merck Foundation CEO and Sierra Leone First Lady meet with other 12 African First Ladies during 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 to discuss their future strategy and announce their impact report and call for action to build healthcare capacity with special focus on cancer care and empower women & girls in the country; Merck Foundation is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with Sierra Leone First lady and other partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond. Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, recently conducted their annual conference, the 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary. The conference was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, and H.E. Dr. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother along with African First Ladies of Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Angola and Central Africa. Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation expressed, I appreciate and deeply value the fruitful partnership with my dear sister, H.E. Dr. Mrs. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother, since 2018. During this time, we have been able to transform the public healthcare sector in Sierra Leone by providing 46 scholarships to young doctors from the country in critical and underserved specialties such as Oncology, Embryology & Fertility, Sexual and Reproductive Health Medicine, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Orthopaedics, Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Clinical Psychiatry, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, Neonatal Medicine, Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine. H.E. Dr. Mrs. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother shared, Our partnership with Merck Foundation is since 2018 and we highly appreciate their programs. Together, we have provided 46 scholarships to our doctors from different provinces of Sierra Leone in many critical fields for our country. I can proudly say that along with Merck Foundation we are making history in Sierra Leone by providing training for the First Oncologists in the country with the aim to establish the first skilled cancer care team who will be working in our new hospital, this will improve access to quality and equitable cancer care in the country. This is a huge achievement for us since we did not have any oncologists or fertility specialists and we have in general a very limited number of local specialists in the public sector before starting our partnership with Merck Foundation. On day 2 of the Luminary, Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative- MFFLI committee meeting was also conducted between The First Ladies and Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO. During the MFFLI committee meeting, a reading session of Childrens storybooks created by Merck Foundation, Jacklines Rescue to focus on the importance of Girl Education and highlight the immoral practices of society including child marriage & dowry system; and A Ride Into The Future to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education, was also held. During the Luminary, a meeting between The First Lady of Sierra Leone and Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej was also held to discuss the impact of on-going programs and define strategies to further build healthcare and media capacity in Sierra Leone. Merck Foundation also announced the Call for applications for their 8 important awards in partnership with The First Lady of Sierra Leone for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields. Together with Sierra Leone First Lady, Merck Foundation has provided 7 scholarships for the Oncology Specialty Training programs in India and Egypt. 3 scholarships have been provided for Fertility and Embryology training program. Furthermore, 3 scholarships have been provided to young Doctors in order to upgrade their skills in Sexual and Reproductive Medicine. Also, as part of Merck Foundation Diabetes Blue Points program, 15 scholarships have been provided to young doctors from different provinces of Sierra Leone in various courses like a one-year PG Diploma in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Preventative Cardiovascular, two-year MSc in Diabetes and Diabetes Master course. As a response to the coronavirus outbreak, 3 Doctors have been enrolled for the Post Graduate Diploma in Respiratory Medicine, 1 Doctor for the Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine and Clinical Microbiology, and 1 Doctor for infectious diseases. Moreover, 10 scholarships have been provided for one-year and two-year PG Diploma in the fields of Gastroenterology, Clinical Psychiatry, Trauma and Orthopedics, Internal Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Neonatal Medicine, and Dermatology in Clinical Practice, to advance their skills. Our vision is that everyone can lead healthy and happy life. For 10 years this has been true in our mission to build healthcare capacity, transform patient care landscape, break infertility stigma, empower women and support girl education. We will continue to provide medical training to doctors from Sierra Leone in various medical specialties in partnership with the First Lady of Sierra Leone , assured Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej. Vantage Capital, Africas largest mezzanine fund manager, announced today that it closed a 30 million equity investment for the acquisition of a significant minority stake in Promamec, a Moroccan medical distribution business. The funds invested by Vantage Capital facilitated the exit of the private equity fund AfricInvest and will also serve to part-fund Promamecs next phase of development. Promamec was founded in the early 1980s by the Lahlou family. The company is one of the leading medical consumables and equipment distributors in Morocco and is also among the few players engaged in local production of medical consumables an activity that the company aims to sizably develop over the next few years. This investment will enable Promamec to finance its development plan that involves building a new production plant, broadening its portfolio by launching new product categories, and strengthening its positioning in sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Naoufal Lahlou, CEO of Promamec, commented We are delighted to welcome into our shareholding Vantage Capital, a leading pan-African investment firm. With Vantage Capitals support, we aim to execute our ambitious growth plan, which consists of diversifying our current product range, increasing our production capacity and, above all, expanding our geographical presence in sub-Saharan Africa. Since our very first discussions, Vantage Capital has demonstrated its total alignment with our vision. Mr. Luc Albinski, Executive Chairman at Vantage Capital, added, We are proud to have concluded our third Moroccan deal. This deal also marks our second investment in Moroccos buoyant healthcare sector, which is undergoing massive development thanks to both public and private investments. We are very enthusiastic about accompanying Promamec in achieving its ambitions and contributing to the improvement of healthcare in the Kingdom. Mr. Driss Benabdeslam, Associate Partner at Vantage Capital, concluded, We are very happy about this investment in one the Kingdoms main medical suppliers. It is great to know that our funds and strategic support will be dedicated to a company operating in such a key sector. We are also pleased to partner with a highly seasoned and committed team, with whom we look forward to taking Promamec to the next level. We would like to thank the Lahlou family for their trust and willingness to welcome us as new shareholders. This transaction represents Vantage Capitals 35th investment across four generations of mezzanine debt funds with its portfolio of investments spread across eleven African countries. Promamec also marks Vantage Capitals third investment in Morocco, thus reinforcing its presence in one of its key target markets. Vantage Capital was advised by Derenia Capital who acted as buy-side advisor for the transaction, and by Clifford Chance (in Morocco) who acted as its legal counsel. PwC (in Morocco) and Webber Wentzel (in South Africa) provided tax advice, PwC & Deloitte (in Morocco) were the financial advisors, Strategy& (part of the PwC network in Morocco) provided commercial advice, and Ibis Consulting (in Morocco) reviewed the environmental impact. Promamec and AfricInvest were advised by Allen & Overy (in Morocco) and Cabinet Atlassi who acted as their legal counsel and by Smyle Finance who acted as sell-side advisor. A&B Associes acted as legal counsel to the Lahlou family ONGOING strike action at all 12 of Mayos fire stations shows no sign of stopping, according to a spokesman for the countys retained firefighters. Westport-based retained firefighter Tom Ketterick told The Mayo News that firefighters will continue to strike as long as it takes to obtain a satisfactory pay increase and better working commitments. At present, retained firefighters across Mayo are only responding to life-threatening situations. This follows the rejection of a deal that would see retained firefighters retainer payment rise by between 24 and 32 percent. The deal came on foot of a Labour Court recommendation, which also recommended adding 400 more personnel to the retained service, changes to premium payments and the introduction of community-based fire prevention programmes. Defending the decision, Mr Ketterick said that extra income earned from responding to calls would not be considered by those seeking to obtain a mortgage. Currently, retained firefighters earn 8,500 plus additional income per call. They must be within 2.5 kilometres of their station at all times except when taking annual leave. Whether you are on 11,000 for a new entrant or 8,000 it doesnt really matter that much. Nobody is going to take up that job because it doesnt compete with anything else out there and theres no guarantee of any more income, said Mr Ketterick, who is chairman of the National Association of Retained Firefighters (NRFA) national negotiating team. Mr Ketterick said that proposals which had been put forward by union representatives regarding fixed pay had been rejected. He said that strike action would escalate further if their demands were not met. As of Friday July 28, the fire service in Mayo has responded to five calls in the Westport area alone since the strike action began, many involving crews from two or three stations. Crew from the Westport station were also called to assist crew in Clifden during one call. Similarly, crew from Tubbercurry and Swinford assisted the Charlestown service while crew in Crossmolina and Enniscrone were called to assist the Ballina crew with another call. At present, some stations in other counties are operating so-called 50/50 strike action by remaining fully closed 50 percent of the time. Mr Ketterick refused to rule out similar actions being taken in Mayo. At the moment the relationship between management and firefighters has been good enough to make it work and it has been working for the first couple of days of the strike action, he said. Mr Ketterick said that firefighters remained determined to keep the public safe and attend all life-threatening calls. Well have to continue to protect the public. The public has been very good to us, and theyve been very good to us while on picket line and strike, very supportive of us and very good to us while doing our job too, over the years, he said. Every time we turn up in their homes in some of the worst times of their life theyve been very receptive to us and very supportive of the service. The public has been a really strong ally in our dispute. Its very difficult to strike and do your job at the same time but were an emergency service and we have to continue to respond to any life-threatening calls or any possible life-threatening calls. The ongoing dispute between retained firefighters and the Department of Housing & Local Government has been raised in the European Parliament by MEP Maria Walsh, who has called for minimum pay and conditions for firefighters across the EU. Aontus Mayo representative Paul Lawless has also called for a resolution to the dispute, claiming that Mayos fire service is on its knees. The big issue for the retained fire service is the extremely low base payment and the dilution of duties which has ultimately resulted in huge pay cuts. In Mayo the retained fire service has seen the removal of duties such as: oil spill, fallen trees, road cleaning etc. All of these duties have been taken away from the retained fire service, said the Knock-based secondary school teacher. There are a number of retirements due in Mayo in the coming months. What young person will take up a position in the retained fire service? What young person will be able to secure a mortgage on a baseline figure of just 8,500 annually? You wouldnt get a car loan on that. Mr Lawless added that ongoing issues with recruitment and retention would have a devastating effect on the fire service provision in the county. Mayo is 100 percent reliant on retained firefighters as there are no full-time fire stations in the county. It is fundamentally important to every community in Mayo to protect the future of the retained fire service, he stated. Travelers walk at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 in Malaysia on April 1, 2022. Photo by Reuters The Malaysian government has decided to triple the duration of the visa-free stay for Hong Kong passport holders to 90 days as it seeks to boost tourism. The decision took effect Friday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on his Facebook page. It is a reciprocal move after Hong Kong recently offered the same privilege to Malaysians. Earlier this month the Henley Passport Index ranked the Hong Kong passport the 17th most powerful in the world with visa-free entry to 170 destinations. The Malaysian passport is the 11th most powerful with visas not required in 180 destinations. Fans gather at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi as South Korean girl band Blackpink arrive on July 28, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Huy Manh Economy class tickets from HCMC to Hanoi are sold out while business class tickets are available at VND9 million (US$380) as people travel to attend the Blackpink concert Saturday. The South Korean girl band arrived in the capital Friday night for their two concerts at the My Dinh National Stadium during the weekend. On Friday night Hoang Minh, a Hanoian, planned to book a ticket from HCMC to Hanoi and was shocked to see only business class was available. "The one-way ticket was higher than the round-trip fares during Tet," he said, referring to the Lunar New Year holiday when air tickets are usually most expensive and difficult to get. On the Vietnam Airlines website there are only three available flights by 6 p.m. for the HCMC-Hanoi route on Saturday with economy fares being sold out while business class tickets were VND8.8 million. Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines said they were full up until 6 p.m. Saturday. Nguyen Tien Dat, general director of Hanoi-based AZA Travel, said the jump in fares hike was "definitely triggered by the travel rush for the Blackpink concerts" as K-pop fans sought to watch the first ever show in Vietnam by the group. The show starts around 7:30 p.m., and so those who cannot fly in to Hanoi before 6 p.m. will find it difficult to be at the venue in time. The hospitality industry is also expected to benefit. Many hotels in the My Dinh area are fully booked during the weekend. Marina Hotel in Me Tri District, not far from the My Dinh National Stadium, has 40 rooms and all are booked. Two weeks ago four-star hotel Reyna had reported there were no rooms available for July 29-30. Phuong Anh, a salesperson at the Memory Premier Hotel & Spa in Hoan Kiem District, said all three hotels in the chain were almost full. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Postal Code Vietnam's recent visa extension policy was a good move but "not a magic wand" that will immediately attract more foreign visitors, according to industry insiders. The National Assembly on June 24 approved extending tourist visas from 30 to 90 days and prolonging visa-free periods for selected countries to 45 days, all beginning August 15. Phan Dinh Hue, director of Vietcircle Tourism Company, said Vietnam's previous visa policy had greatly hindered the experience of international visitors due to the short length of stay. He appreciated the Vietnamese governments recent efforts to ease visa requirements. "However, the upcoming visa extension is not a magic wand. The new policy will have a good impact, but not immediate this year," said Hue. He said Vietnam needs to prioritize improving its tourism marketing campaign abroad. At the macro level, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand should sit down to come up with joint visa arrangements, he suggested. Accordingly, tourists who apply for a one-country visa could also visit the other countries, creating a "four countries, one destination" experience. Travel industry players generally agree that the visa extension policy was a good move, but luring international visitors still depends on other factors such as tourism products and marketing policies. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, deputy marketing head of Vietravel, said Western and American tourists book tours from six months to a year before their departure, therefore it will take time for the new visa policy to bring larger numbers of European and American tourists. Nguyen Thanh Son, deputy director of BenThanh Tourist's international center, said that his company has sent notices to a number of partners in important markets such as Romania, the Netherlands, Germany, France and the U.S., informing them of Vietnam's new visa policy. However, the company has not yet received official documentation on certain aspects of the new visa policies, such as which countries the new e-visa period extension to 90 days will be applied to, and which countries will reap the benefits of the increase in the duration of unilateral visa-free stays to 45 days. Son said the European tourist market prefers multiple entries and long-term visas. The new visa policy promises to bring comfort to visitors during entry and exit procedures. The European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam recently called on Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to waive visas for the remaining 20 countries in the 27-member EU. Now only nationals of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland can enter Vietnam without a visa. Vietnam welcomed 5.5 million foreign tourists in the first half of this year, 69% of this year's eight-million target. The Orioles have been one of the biggest stories of the 2022 season, emerging from years of rebuilding and mediocrity to post a 59-54 record and challenge for a wild card slot. Even if it looks like the Os may have turned the corner already, the club definitely wants to make winning a habit going forward, and a payroll increase will come along with that planned return to contention. Our plan for this offseason has always been to significantly escalate the payroll, GM Mike Elias said in an appearance on The Front Office Show on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM. I think a lot of thats going to come through our own guys going into arbitration, but also we plan to explore free agency much more aggressively. We plan to maybe make some buy trades for some guys that are either on contracts or kind of in the tail-end of their arbitration. The successhas only cemented those plans. Im really looking forward to the offseason and kind of a winter meetings environment where were buying. I think its going to be a lot of fun for our group and for the organization. In a sense, there was nowhere to go but up for Baltimores spending considering that the teams Opening Day was just under $43.8MM. This was the lowest amount any team was spending on its active roster, marking the fourth straight season that the Os have been at or near the very bottom of the payroll list. As Elias noted, several players (Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, Jorge Mateo, Dillon Tate) are becoming arbitration-eligible for the first time, while Anthony Santander is due a raise for his third trip through the arb process. Still, it counts as a positive for Baltimore fans that a rising arbitration price tag doesnt automatically make a player into a trade candidate, given all of the cost-cutting that has gone on during Elias rebuild. And now, Elias seems poised to make some significant veteran additions for the first time in his three-plus seasons in charge of the front office. At the end of the 2017 season, the Orioles carried a franchise record payroll of just under $167.5MM. It is probably safe to assume that the Os wont suddenly jump back to that number in a single offseason, so a Rangers-esque offseason splurge likely isnt in the cards. There is also the lingering question of a reported dispute within the Orioles ownership group, and whatever impact that could potentially have over the franchises willingness to spend (or who is ultimately making any big-picture spending decisions). If Elias past job in the Astros front office is any guide, the Orioles winter could be somewhat akin to what Houston did in the wake of the 2015 season. After six losing seasons and an extensive rebuild, the Astros won 86 games and the AL Wild Card game, catching many fans and pundits off-guard in the same way that the Orioles have surprised this year. However, the Astros had a busy offseason that still stopped short of any true blockbuster moves, perhaps owing to both a feeling that the 2015 club was a bit ahead of schedule, and because Houston still wanted to see what it really had in some highly-touted youngsters who had yet to break out or even arrive in the majors. (For instance, 2016 was Alex Bregmans debut season.) The same could be said of the current Orioles, considering that so many of their top prospects Grayson Rodriguez, Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser havent made their MLB debuts, while the likes of DL Hall and Kyle Stowers have only been up for a cup of coffee. That leaves the Os with some uncertainty over who will or wont be cornerstone pieces, and yet the sheer depth of prospect talent definitely bodes well for the future. And of course, Adley Rutschman has hit the ground running in his rookie season and already looks like one of the sports best catchers. As much as Elias is tied to Astros history as the teams former assistant GM and scouting director, he also wasnt calling the shots in that organization, whereas he is at the top of Baltimores front office pyramid. It will be interesting to see Elias approach now that he is building rather than rebuilding, and given this lack of history, we cant rule out a pursuit of, say, a major free agent. Elias did already pass on one chance to add to the Orioles at the trade deadline, as even with the team in contention, the club still dealt Jorge Lopez to the Twins and Trey Mancini to the Astros. The White Sox announced theyve selected reliever Edgar Navarro onto the major league roster. Chicago also reinstated Mike Clevinger from the 15-day injured list. Navarro, 25, gets his first major league call. The Venezuela native signed with Chicago as an amateur free agent late, beginning his professional career at age 20. (Most Latin American amateurs sign at 16). Predictably, Navarro didnt generate much prospect attention given his late-blooming background. He combined for a 3.64 ERA in 54 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A last season to put himself somewhat on the radar. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs named him an honorable mention on his write-up of the Soxs farm system last winter, pointing to a traditional sinker/slider combination. Navarro has indeed racked up plenty of grounders between the top two minor league levels this year, including a 60% grounder rate in 34 1/3 Triple-A frames. That has contributed to a reasonable 4.19 ERA despite a below-average 21.2% strikeout percentage and particularly alarming 16% walk rate. Clevinger is back after a six-week absence due to biceps inflammation. Hell take the ball this evening against the Guardians in whatll be his last start before Tuesdays trade deadline. Its not much time to drum up interest, though it stands to reason some other clubs will send evaluators to keep an eye on his form. Theres little reason for the White Sox to hold Clevinger past the deadline if they can find a trade partner. The righty has a 3.88 ERA over 12 starts, though his 19.3% strikeout percentage and 9.3% walk rate are each a bit worse than average. Clevingers average fastball velocity was above 94 MPH before the injury, but his 9.2% swinging strike percentage was the lowest of his career. Clevinger is owed around $2.8MM in salary through seasons end. Thats a reasonable amount, but hell also be due a $4MM buyout on next years mutual option at the start of the offseason, which could be the biggest impediment to a trade. Marcos Grunfeld of El Emergente first reported Navarros call-up last night. Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency Linda Black Horoscopes Todays Birthday (07/29/23). Your work is gaining acclaim this year. Renew your spaces this summer to support autumn creativity, communications and networking for delightful connections. This could inspire professional change this winter. Explore and investigate next spring for exciting new directions. Catch a lucky break to shine. To get the advantage, check the days rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) Today is a 7 Fascinating research opens new ideas. Let someone draw you into another world. Make amazing discoveries through the eyes of another. Explore uncharted territory. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today is an 8 Collaboration can get lucrative, if you can avoid arguments or distractions. Focus on practical financial details, like insurance, taxes or legal matters. Share tasks. Gemini (May 21-June 20) Today is an 8 Learn through anothers view. Collaboration flowers in interesting directions. Strategize for a shared prize. Give in to a mutual attraction. Keep a dream alive. Cancer (June 21-July 22) Today is an 8 Disciplined physical practices build strength and energy. Youre busy and productive at work. Avoid distractions, confusion or chaos. Make time for rest too. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Today is a 9 Express whats in your heart. Focus on basics, like love, family and sunshine. Indulge diversions, enthusiasms and passions. Savor precious shared moments. Listen intently. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Today is an 8 Domestic projects provide satisfying results. Clean and restore harmony to your rooms. Find something to celebrate with a delicious family meal. Add flowers. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Today is an 8 Creativity blossoms. Let go of elements that dont serve your vision. Edit, cut and polish words into order. Fortune favors passion projects. Express your heart. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Today is an 8 Dont rely on dreams or pretty words to pay the rent. An unexpected expense could rock the boat. Keep reeling in lucrative projects. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Today is a 9 Youre gaining confidence. Connect to your network to broaden your reach. A personal opportunity requires quick action. Dont gamble on illusions. Dress for success. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Today is a 6 Reality and fantasy could clash. Savor peaceful rituals. Privacy, beauty and art comfort and soothe. Clean your spaces and organize your thoughts. Solutions appear. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Today is an 8 Have fun with friends despite complications. Adapt around unexpected plans. Align forces for a crazy dream. Enjoy interesting people who inspire you. Collaborate. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Today is an 8 Listen to your heart and intuition professionally. Dont fund a fantasy. Rediscover a side of your work that you love. Youre more influential than you think. Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Blacks legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and questions on Twitter, @LindaCBlack. For more astrological interpretations like todays Gemini horoscope, visit Linda Black Astrology by clicking daily horoscopes, or go to www.nancyblack.com. 2023 Nancy Black. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. GENESEE TWP, MI - Right now, most people are living in a Barbie world. A local Michigan ice cream shop is no different. The Kearsley Kone isnt your typical run-of-the-mill ice cream spot. Located at 5488 Richfield Road in Genesee Township, the business offers 24 flavors of hand-dipped ice cream, soft-serve ice cream, sundaes, malts, coolers, floats, flurries, shakes and monster shakes. The store is keeping up with pop culture, offering a Barbie Shake named after the hit movie -- a vanilla ice cream, real strawberries and sprinkles topped with whip cream, strawberry crumble and sprinkles. A "Barbie Shake" offered at Kearsley Kone, one of many creative specials the store offers. | Courtesy Kearsley Kone Its been a great hit so far, said Matt Stimac, owner of Kearsley Kone, adding the strawberries are never artificial. Open five months a year, Kearsley Kone has gained a reputation for its creativity. Each day, the business offers a free ice cream for a specific male and female name. Specials include a crunchy munchy peanut butter cup -- consisting of vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered peanuts, and a peanut butter swirl. Stimac said they make homemade cold brews, frappes made of ice cream, iced coffees and an ice cream float with a cappuccino crunch ice cream. A current special is an ice cream stuffed donut, where customers can pick one topping and one sauce and add whipped cream. The specials are only on Saturdays and Sundays, made with B & Js Donuts in a partnership. A popular special is the peach cobbler sundae that includes homemade peach cobbler sauce, waffle chips topped with ice cream peach cobbler and whipped cream. Kearsley Kone, located at 5488 Richfield Road in Genesee Township, is known for its creative specials, which includes offering a stuffed ice cream donut on the weekends. | Courtesy Kearsley Kone We come up with these things because I always like to think of what people like, Stimac said. Like for our strawberry shakes, we use no artificial strawberries. They are all pure strawberries. Everything we do here is real. Stimac is planning to host the first-ever ice cream challenge at the business on Saturday, July 29. The challenge, involving teens, will include 16 scoops of ice cream inside of one bowl, six toppings, and five sauces to eat in 26 minutes. Its going to be the only one in Flint, Stimac said. I will offer a free shirt, your name on the board if you win. Kearsley Kone is open from 1-9:30 p.m. seven days a week. Follow them on Facebook. Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Flint daily newsletter. Read more at The Flint Journal: New Michigan bar arcade features 30-plus games, adult lunchables and plenty of nostalgia This Michigan blueberry farm has berries that dont exist anywhere else in the world Berston Field House, a training ground for Claressa Shields and other top athletes, celebrates 100 years 16 businesses, 100K Ideas aim to flourish in new downtown Flint hub GRAND RAPIDS, MI Penelope, John Ball Zoos new sweet but sassy pygmy hippo, is now on public display. The almost 5-year-old female arrived in Grand Rapids on June 20 from the Toronto Zoo in Canada. Weve been so excited to have her, said Jaime Racalla, an animal care supervisor at John Ball Zoo. Shes been a great addition to our zoo. Earlier this year, the zoo welcomed Jahari, an 8-year-old male pygmy hippo from Pittsburgh, but tragedy struck when Jahari attacked and killed a sitatunga antelope on May 16 as the two animals were being introduced for the first time without a mesh barrier. Related: Hippo that killed antelope at John Ball Zoo had no history of aggression, former zoo says For now, the zoo has been keeping Penelope and Jahari apart. Penelope and Jahari are just settling in, Racalla said. They can smell each other, and hear each other in the space, but we want to give ample time for them to get used to us and their surroundings. There are less than 3,000 of these rare hippos left in the Western African wild, so the zoos habitat was designed to be a part of the Species Survival Breeding Plan to preserve them. Pygmy hippos are at least five times smaller than a regular hippo, but still weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. Penelope weighs 430 pounds while Jahari is noticeably bigger at about 600 pounds. Racalla said the zoo plans to eventually breed the hippos but currently doesnt have a timetable. The ball is their court, she said. Were going to follow the cues that they give us. In the meantime, visitors can observe both hippos in their separate areas of the exhibit. Penelope is building a reputation for putting on shows for zoo-goers and Racalla said she hopes the community comes out to experience the rare and unique animals. She loves to play in the water, Racalla said. She does lots of barrel rolls and really is interacting with kids, so shes been a joy to just watch as she settles in. Check out some of our favorite photos below or in the gallery at the bottom of the post. Penelope, a new female pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, is pictured inside her exhibit at the Grand Rapids zoo on Friday, July 28, 2023. Cory Morse | MLive.com Penelope, a new female pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, is pictured inside her exhibit at the Grand Rapids zoo on Friday, July 28, 2023. Cory Morse | MLive.com Melody Snyder and her nephew, Elijah Evan-Tarence Lauchie, 3, watch Penelope, a new female pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, on Friday, July 28, 2023. They live in Grand Rapids. Cory Morse | MLive.com A crowd watches Penelope, a new female pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, inside her exhibit at the Grand Rapids zoo on Friday, July 28, 2023. Cory Morse | MLive.com Penelope, a new female pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, is pictured inside her exhibit at the Grand Rapids zoo on Friday, July 28, 2023. Cory Morse | MLive.com MLive file photo - Jahari, a new pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, is pictured inside his new exhibit at the Grand Rapids zoo on Monday, June 5, 2023. The exhibit opened on schedule but without the fanfare after the 8-year-old pygmy hippo killed a sitatunga antelope named Chopper in the enclosure in May. Jahari comes to John Ball Zoo from the Pittsburgh Zoo.Cory Morse | MLive.com MLive file photo - A crowd watches Jahari, a new pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, inside his new exhibit at the Grand Rapids zoo on Monday, June 5, 2023. Cory Morse | MLive.com MLive file photo - Jahari, a new pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, is pictured inside his new exhibit at the Grand Rapids zoo on Monday, June 5, 2023. Cory Morse | MLive.com MLive file photo - Jahari, a new pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, is pictured inside his new exhibit at the Grand Rapids zoo on Monday, June 5, 2023. Cory Morse | MLive.com Penelope, a new female pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, is pictured inside her exhibit at the Grand Rapids zoo on Friday, July 28, 2023. Cory Morse | MLive.com Samantha Anderson, 5, from Cheyenne, Wyoming, watches Penelope, a new female pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, on Friday, July 28, 2023. Anderson was with her grandparents Marge Sadler and Chris Anderson. Cory Morse | MLive.com Laura Birks and her sons, from left, Ollie, 9, Jamie, 7, and Harrison, 2, watch Penelope, a new female pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo, on Friday, July 28, 2023. They live in Cedar Springs. Cory Morse | MLive.com 13 1 / 13 New female pygmy hippo at John Ball Zoo More from MLive Hippo road trip: How John Ball Zoo transported its new pygmy hippo to Grand Rapids John Ball Zoo eyes new giraffe, ostrich habitats and more after state awards $14 million Lantern festivals popularity beyond expectations for Grand Rapids, returning next year GRAND RAPIDS, MI Tucked behind Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena, Bistro Bella Vita is a convenient spot for a dinner date for every French and Italian cuisine lover. Located at 44 Cesar E. Chavez Ave. NW, Bistro Bella Vita has been open since 1997. Tristan Walczewski, chief operating officer and beverage director of the Essence Restaurant Group, which owns Bella Vita, said it never fails to amaze him how the bistro is dedicated to sustainable farm-to-table dining. Everything at the bistro is made from scratch. Essence Restaurant Group also owns The Greenwell, Grove and Lucys. In the past, the restaurants menu focused on countryside Mediterranean fare, but pivoted to modern French and Italian cuisine in 2016. Some Moroccan and some Greek was definitely a broader palette in terms of what we could offer, where the modern French and Italian is a little bit more focused, Walczewski said. We could really hunker down on the quality of what we wanted to do with a smaller offering. In keeping with a French and Italian experience, Bistro Bella Vita has sommeliers available at the restaurant to curate the perfect wine pairings for customers. The restaurant also offers a wine club that sends customers bottles of their favorite wines with notes about food pairings and information about the wineries. Walczewski said good wine service is one of the bistros non-negotiables. While the restaurant serves up fancy wines and quality food, Walczewski said customers can come dressed up to the nines or come in for beers and pizza in jeans. The dichotomy is really fun, and being located next to the Van Andel Arena, and soon to be the amphitheater gives us just a really fun, playful and elevated volume, Walczewski said. When youre in here, its a lively environment, and we want the experience to be alive and want the hospitality to feel engaging.` Related: New renderings give most detailed look yet at Grand Rapids amphitheater The menu serves up both lunch and dinner. Walczewski recommended the best-selling, mainstay lunch item: the chicken sandwich, made with grilled chicken breast, arugula, white cheddar, bacon and tomato on flatbread for $17. The bistro also has an array of salads for lunch. Walczewskis go-to salad is the kale salad with salmon, apple, cashews, chili pepper, celery, and pecorino cheese topped with Italian vinaigrette for $15. For dinner, Walczewski said Bistro Bella Vita is most well-known for its rotini con pollo with confit chicken, pesto cream, parmesan and pine nuts for $24. Other mainstays include the rigatoni Bolognese with Italian meat sauce for $25 and the beef brisket bourguignon with potato, vegetables and mushroom for $36. For those looking for less traditional bistro food, Walczewski recommends the pizzas that start at $18 for classics like a Rustica with Italian sausage, pepperoni and mozzarella or the Bistro Burger with caramelized onion, remoulade, American cheese and bordelaise on a milk bun for $20. Walczewski wants Bistro Bella Vita to shine with high quality service and hospitality. Our job is to make the rest of the world disappear for a couple hours while people are here, and we know that is something that sometimes gets lost in the restaurant experience, Walczewski said. We never want it to seem like a transaction; we want to seem like an experience. Bistro Bella Vita is open 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Fridays, 4 p.m.- 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 4 p.m.- 9 p.m. on Sundays. For full menu options, head to bistrobellavita.com/menu. Contact Bistro Bella Vita by calling 616-222-4600. Want more Grand Rapids-area news? Bookmark the local Grand Rapids news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Grand Rapids daily newsletter. More from MLive Man accused of touching girls in pool at Michigans Adventure charged Her obituary calls her a beloved dad and daughter. Mid-Michigan knew her as a transgender activist. Oxford High shooters parents have been in jail 600 days. Is $500K bond excessive? Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang (L) and First Deputy Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives Ahmed Saad El-Din Mohamed Abd El-Rehim. (Photo: VNA) During an interview recently granted to Vietnam News Agency in Cairo, Ngoc said in terms of politics, the visit was a practical activity marking the 60th anniversary of Vietnam-Egypt diplomatic ties, contributing to consolidating traditional and trustworthy friendship with Egypt, a leading partner of Vietnam in the Middle East and North Africa. High-ranking Egyptian leaders met and held talks with Deputy PM Quang. It could be said that the visit has created a strong driving force for comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Egypt, he said. According to him, both sides reached consensus on a range of important measures to lift two-way trade to 1 billion USD from around 600 million USD last year. They agreed to create favourable conditions for each other's major export items, promote cooperation on Halal products, and establish the Vietnam-Egypt Business Council in the coming time. They will organise the sixth meeting of the Vietnam-Egypt Joint Committee while strengthening financial-monetary and locality-to-locality collaboration. The capital cities of Hanoi and Cairo signed a friendship and cooperation agreement while another between the State Bank of Vietnam and the Central Bank of Egypt was also inked. Notably, the Vietnamese official held the first-ever high-level meeting with leaders of the Arab League (AL) headquartered in Cairo, marking a significant milestone contributing to more effective and substantial cooperation between Vietnam and the AL and its 22 member countries which have a population of 500 million and a total GDP of over 7 trillion USD, he said, adding that the two countries leaders support and share political determination to lift bilateral ties to a greater height. According to Ngoc, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said both sides are exploring the possibility of starting negotiations on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and Egypt, and the next step could be an investment protection agreement between the two countries. The two sides have offered mutual support at multilateral forums and stepped up cooperation between ASEAN and the AL. In this regard, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement with the AL Secretariat to boost collaboration in areas of shared interest, he added./. GRAND HAVEN, MI - If youre looking for the next go-to spot to grab authentic Mexican dishes, this homey restaurant in Grand Haven has it all. Arturo Orduno opened up Arturos Tacos, 305 N. Beacon Blvd. in Grand Haven, over a decade ago, aiming to offer mouthwatering cuisine in a cozy space. Orduno also helps out and cooks food six days a week for members of the Grand Haven 925 Fraternal Order of Eagles nonprofit and American Legion Post #28 on the weekends. He said that it all started with his mothers recipes and his large family. We pretty much started with our family and our familys huge, Orduno told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle. So, we would have family gatherings and start doing the cooking there. Its moms recipe, so many people have loved it. Oruno said customers have always loved the tacos, specifically the Mexican-style beef tacos served with onion and cilantro. Customers can choose between steak, chicken or ground beef. Marinated pork or sausage costs $0.50 extra. Weve had really good feedback and a lot of local support, he said. Of course, right now, we get a lot of tourists in the area, and that helps out the business when they post on Facebook and stuff like that. Other popular options on the menu include staples like the quessabirrias and new items like fajitas. Quessabirrias takes about three hours to complete, Orduno said. Its a lot of seasoning that we use and many different ingredients, he said. We have to cook the meat in the broth to give it that extra flavor, kind of slow-cook to give it that tenderness. The savory dish is $14.99 and is served in three pieces of cooked beef with melted cheese paired with a side of consomme or broth which customers dip into. Its only available Friday through Sunday, so get it while you can. Arturos Tacos has a beautiful mural, a sit-down area and an outside patio, Orduno said. He touts the space as a cozy and comfortable place to grab lunch or dinner with family and friends. When they walk in, we want to make them feel at home, like if they were walking into our house, Orduno said. We cook as if it was all family, so we dont see them as a customer. We see everybody that walks in as a family member. The grill and taqueria also offer 50% off for veterans during the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival, as well as 10% off daily for first responders. Hours of operation for Arturos Tacos are Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. and noon - 8 p.m. on Sunday, and 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, due to the Coast Guard Festival. Visit online to place a carryout or delivery order. Want more Muskegon area news? Bookmark the local Muskegon news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Muskegon daily newsletter. Would you like MLive to consider featuring your favorite restaurant in Michigans Best Local Eats? Send the details, including business name, address and best menu item, to Skyla Jewell-Hammie at sjewell-hammie@mlive.com. Read more: Meet up with your neighbors at National Night Out events throughout Muskegon Snoop Dogg iced out by Grand Rapids jeweler with $10K custom chain after concert 5 fun things to do in Muskegon this weekend (July 28-30) 2023 Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival ultimate guide: Live music, ship tours on deck BEAVER ISLAND, MI Michigans rarest wildflower is the Michigan monkey flower, and it can be found growing further upstream than ever before in an unnamed creek on the east side of Beaver Island. The Michigan monkey flower is among the states few endemic plants, meaning that it grows solely in the Great Lakes State. Scientists historically documented the rare wildflower in just 17 places across the Grand Traverse Bay and Mackinac Straits regions, including one which remains on Beaver Island. Today we have one monkey flower population available for the public to really enjoy and view, as long as they dont disturb it too much, said Pam Grassmick, a lifelong Beaver Islander and longtime environmental advocate. It looks like a very insignificant little plant. But again, we never know what properties these special, little plants may offer. Michigan monkey flower scientifically called mimulus michiganensis formerly grew in two places on Beaver Island, but one was lost to development decades ago near the harbor on Paradise Bay. The site was filled in by an unknowing property owner, Grassmick said. Yet today the rare wildflower with its tiny, yellow blooms is thriving in its remaining suitable habitat on Beaver Island. There were never monkey flowers back up in here. Theyve moved all the way back up in here from the shoreline and migrated on their own back up into the shore area up the creek, said Beth Leuck, a retired biologist, ecology professor, and part-time Beaver Island resident. The spring-fed stream is within the 118-acre Little Sand Bay Nature Preserve with its 3,500 feet of Lake Michigan beach frontage. The creeks crystal-clear water flows through a thick cedar swamp and spills into the lake not far from the end of a public-access boardwalk. Related: Yes, there are beavers on Beaver Island Michigan monkey flowers grow along the edges of the stream, clustered in mats with bright yellow, snapdragon-like blooms reaching for the sunlight. The wildflower is listed as both state and federally endangered. Thats because as a species, its a little finicky about its habitat. Michigan monkey flower grows exclusively in cold groundwater-fed streams in cedar swamps or alkaline shorelines at the base of small drainages, according to the Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Scientists say habitat preservation is the primary conservation goal for the species; some historical populations were lost to development. However, the remaining confirmed Beaver Island population of Michigan monkey flower will be forever protected within the nature preserve. This is from a spring. Youve got to have this kind of water flowing constantly. See how the bottom is sandy like this? Thats what youve got to have to get the monkey flower, Leuck said, as she walked down the nature preserves boardwalk. But they need full sunlight, so theyre not back here in the cedar swamp. The pathway extends toward the lakeshore and when openings in the cedar canopy begin to allow sunlight to shine through to the stream below, the Michigan monkey flower blooms can be spotted from the trail. They grow in clumps that hug the streambank edges nearly all the way to Lake Michigan. And the islanders strive to carefully tend to the rare wildflowers ecological needs. We actually have two interns this year. They just were there yesterday. They were pulling out some invasive watercress that was encroaching on the monkey flower, said Shelby Harris, a Native Beaver Islander and the invasive species program administrator for the islands two townships. Michigan monkey flower typically blooms from mid-June through mid-August, though sometimes blossoms can be observed as late as October. Other up-north places where scientists have documented the rare species in greater numbers includes isolated spots on Burt, Glen, and Mullett lakes, as well as along the Lake Michigan cliff shoreline between St. Ignace and Naubinway in the Upper Peninsulas Mackinac County. Smaller populations of the rare wildflower exist in Benzie and Leelanau counties, and historical records show the Michigan monkey flower formerly grew along the western shorelines of Burt and Mullett lakes but are no longer found there although colonies continue to grow in other parts of those two lakes. Read more about Michigans Beaver Island here. Sign up to receive MLive's free new environment and climate newsletter, "Lake Effect." Enter your email here: Related articles: Dark sky island: Beaver Islanders embrace Michigans darkest nights Private submersibles join Lake Michigan research on Beaver Island Beaver Island Music Festival: A journey to see bands in the woods Ghanaian actor and ardent New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporter, Prince David Osei has spoken highly of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. The actor described the NPP flagbearer aspirant as "truly remarkable, humble " and "incredibly intelligent person. The award-winning filmmaker, who campaigned actively for the NPP in the 2020 elections, tweeted a photo of Dr. Bawumia kneeling to greet former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Friday, July 28, revealing his first-hand experience of Dr Bawumias humility. "This picture speaks volumes to me, capturing so much beauty and depth. I've had the incredible opportunity to personally meet Vice President H.E Dr. Bawumia, and let me tell you, hes a truly remarkable individual. Humble, yet incredibly intelligent!" he wrote. 29.07.2023 LISTEN Ghanaian musician KIDI asserts that a career-related mid-break allowed him to ponder on his potential. According to KIDI, the hiatus allowed him to reflect on various aspects of his life, particularly how to handle trolls and false news. Speaking in an interview with Andy Dosty on Daybreak Hitz, he said many individuals who engage in negativity online are expressing their frustrations and unhappiness. I now know that when people come on social media and say the things they say, its not really about me. Some of them are unhappy in life. If you are unhappy, you take that out on anything and everything, KIDI stated. The popular 'Odo' hit-maker addressed the painful decision he made a few months back to cancel his US tour due to ill health. There were false rumors circulating that he had suffered a stroke, which he promptly debunked on his social media platforms. KiDi says he is fit and prepared to continue his music after taking the necessary time off to take care of his physical and emotional well-being. Niger's putschists named an army general as the new leader of the unstable jihadist-hit nation on Friday, the third day since elected President Mohamed Bazoum was detained. Former colonial master France said hours earlier that it did not consider the coup "final", adding there was time for plotters to heed international calls to leave democratically-elected Bazoum in office. But General Abdourahamane Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, read a statement on national TV as the "president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland". The general presented the coup as a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to jihadist bloodshed. French President Emmanuel Macron described the events in Niamey as a coup affecting the wider Sahel region as Western powers scramble to preserve a key ally in the insurgent-stricken region. Supporters of the coup rallied in front of the National Assembly. By - (AFP) "This coup is completely illegitimate and profoundly dangerous, for Nigeriens, for Niger and for the whole region," Macron said, calling for Bazoum's release. General Tchiani said that while Bazoum had sought to convince people that "all is going well... the harsh reality (is) a pile of dead, displaced, humiliation and frustration". "The security approach today has not brought security to the country despite heavy sacrifices," he said. Bazoum and his family have been confined since Wednesday morning to their residence at the presidential palace located within the Guard's military camp. Niger. By Valentin RAKOVSKY (AFP) He is said to be in good health and has been able to talk by telephone to other heads of state including Macron. The Guard's chiefs staged the coup and on Thursday they won broad army support. Armed forces chief General Abdou Sidikou Issa swung his weight behind the putschists saying it was "in order to avoid a deadly confrontation". The latest target of a coup in Africa's turbulent Sahel, Bazoum has tried to stand his ground as condemnations swelled from African and international organisations, allies Germany and the United States, as well as France. "The hard-won (democratic) gains will be safeguarded," Bazoum said on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna had held out hope for Bazoum's position. "If you hear me talking about an attempted coup, it's because we don't consider things final," she said. "There is still a way out if those responsible listen to the international community." The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would hold a summit "probably on Sunday", where "possible sanctions could be decided", Colonna said. In a late-night TV address, coup leader Colonel Amadou Abdramane said 'the defence and security forces... have decided to put an end to the regime'. By - (ORTN - TAlA Sahel/AFP) Former colonial power France, which has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, would support sanctions. ECOWAS has demanded Bazoum's "immediate release", saying he "remains the legitimate and legal President of Niger". Pro-coup demonstrations The landlocked state is one of the world's poorest. Since gaining independence in 1960, it has seen four coups as well as numerous other attempts -- including two previously against Bazoum. The 63-year-old is one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, where a jihadist insurgency has triggered coups in Mali and Burkina Faso. Their juntas have forced out French troops, and in Mali the ruling military has woven a close alliance with Russia. "What happened in Niger is nothing more than the struggle of the people of Niger against colonisers, who tried to impose their own rules of life," Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to say Thursday night in a message shared by a Russian body linked to the mercenary group. Elected president Mohamed Bazoum has been detained since Wednesday morning. By Issouf SANOGO (AFP/File) While the voice in the audio message resembles Prigozhin's, AFP was unable to confirm its authenticity. The coup plotters had on Thursday urged "the population to remain calm", after young men ransacked Bazoum's PNDS party headquarters, setting fire to vehicles. They had split off from a 1,000 people, mostly youngsters, who had demonstrated in the capital. Some held Russian flags and chanted anti-French and pro-Moscow slogans. "We want the same thing as in Mali and Burkina Faso," shouted 19-year-old student Alassane Alhousseini. "We want to take our destiny in our own hands." Despite the violence and an army ban on demonstrations, a coalition of parties opposed to Bazoum have called for a show of support Friday for the "motivations" of the putschists "while disapproving of all change by force". Bazoum took office after elections two years ago, in Niger's first peaceful transition since independence. The country of 22 million is two-thirds desert and frequently ranks at the bottom of the UN's Human Development Index. It faces two insurgent campaigns: one which swept in from Mali in 2015 and the other involving jihadists from Nigeria. burs-bp/jmm Mining giants AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine has distributed 30,000 oil palm seedlings to over 2,500 existing oil palm farmers across its host communities. The move constitutes phase one of the Climate Resilient Oil Palm Project (CROPP) of the mine. Prior to this, AngloGold Ashanti had collaborated with Solidaridad to train beneficiary farmers on the best practices to cultivate and nurture the oil palm seedlings. Speaking on behalf of the Senior Manager of Sustainability, Daniel Arthur- Bentum, the Economic Development Superintendent of AngloGold Ashanti said the company had spent a whooping amount of GHS1.8 million on the project which seeks to improve the livelihoods of farmers in five districts within the Adansi traditional area. The beneficiary districts included the Obuasi Municipal, Obuasi East, Adansi Asokwa, and the Adansi North and South Districts. Launched in 2022, the CROPP according to Arthur-Bentum reflects the Mine's unwavering dedication to supporting and uplifting its host communities through Agriculture. He said AngloGold Ashanti is committed to creating opportunities that foster development of the local economy whiles ensuring environmental sustainability as captured in their 10-year Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP). To make the project a successful one, AngloGold Ashanti will strengthen oil palm farmers into groups through Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) and will aslo anchor support and technical assistance through the VLSAs and link them to rural banks. "We are excited to be contributing to the success of our farmers and the reclamation of degraded lands through these oil palm seedlings," the Economic Development Superintendent stressed. He said supporting farmers with seedlings is a sign of AGA's commitment to supporting sustainable development and ensuring responsible business practices. He mentioned that the company has set sights on enriching Obuasi's agric sector and promoting ecological balance within their host communities. The Adansi North District Chief Executive Eric Kwaku Kusi lauded AngloGold Ashanti for what he described as a bold policy targeted at boosting Agriculture in Obuasi and also mitigating the effects of climate change and reclaiming destroyed lands in the company's operational area. He said though steps have been taken to reclaim already mined lands, the 30,000 oil palm seedlings targeted at reclaiming the lands will also create jobs for those who will be used for the exercise. Hon Kusi also appealed to the beneficiaries not to sell the seedlings but used them for their intended purpose to achieve a desired goal. Nana Kwaning Antwi Barimansu II who represented the Adansihene talked about the relevance of oil palm to the economy of the beneficiary districts and Ghana as a whole saying though some people aspire to work in the government sector or in the mining field, it was important to note that agriculture is the mainstay of the people of Ghana. He said, "we all know unlike farming or agriculture, gold as a natural resource is non-renewable hence will be depleted with time. I urge the youth to develop interest in agriculture". He expressed delight in the fact that AngloGold Ashanti is collaborating with Solidaridad to revive interest in farming and urged the beneficiaries of the CROPP to make good use of the seedlings to sustain the program. The Alan Kyerematen's campaign team has announced the rescheduling of the aspirant's planned tour of the Ashanti region from Friday to Monday next week. The week-long campaign was originally scheduled for July 28 to August 3 but has now been pushed forward to start on August 7 and end on August 12. In a statement released today, the Alan for President (A4P) campaign explained that the change was meant to "accommodate sensitive government and parliamentary business" within the same period. "The Alan for President (A4P) Campaign, has rescheduled its planned tour of the Ashanti region. Initially scheduled for Friday 28th July 2023 to Thursday 3rd August 2023, the Ashanti Regional Constituency Cluster Durbars have been moved forward, starting Monday 7th August, 2023 and ending on Saturday 12th August 2023," the statement said in part. The Director of Communications for the Alan 4 President (A4P) campaign, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, signed the statement announcing the new dates. The regional tours have been an important part of Kyerematen's campaign strategy ahead of the NPP's presidential primaries. The former Trade Minister is expected to rally support from the party's stronghold in the Ashanti region, which happens to be his home. Despite the military intervention in Ukraine and efforts by the West to paint Russia as a pariah state, Moscow can still count on support from several African, Latin American and Asian governments, including that of heavyweight China. Visibly satisfied, Russian President Vladimir Putin stood shoulder to shoulder on Friday with a score of African heads of state at a Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg. The message from the family photo was, he said, that Moscow was working hand in hand with the continent and its one billion people. "Russia's attention to Africa is steadily growing," Putin said on Friday. He added the relations with each country on the African continent, where the Soviet Union had already forged strong ties, "have a bright future in the emerging multipolar world". The previous day, Putin had pulled a diplomatic rabbit out of his hat, offering free grain to six African countries, just as the latter were wondering how to cope with the consequences of Russia's withdrawal from a Ukraine grain deal. That pact enabled Ukraine to export its cereal crops to global markets despite the war, thus easing pressure on food prices in Africa and elsewhere. Putin's overtures to Africa go back long before the Ukraine conflict. For several years now, the Kremlin has openly engaged in diplomatic and economic offensives on the continent and offered "security" in the form of the Wagner mercenary army to African governments fending off jihadist insurgencies. But in recent months, Russia has had to speed up its quest for alternatives to its European partners. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has toured Africa twice since January, seeking to draw it into Moscow's camp and presenting Russia as a bulwark against Western "imperialism" and "neocolonialism". Opposition to the West Moscow also continues to enjoy the backing of several Latin American and Asian leaders, including several criticised for their authoritarian rule. Historic allies of Moscow, like Venezuela and Cuba, refused to condemn Russia's military offensive in Ukraine during this month's summit between Latin America and the European Union. In their joint declaration, the leaders merely expressed their "deep concern on the ongoing war against Ukraine", without once mentioning Russia, Moscow, the Kremlin or Putin. Russian FM Sergey Lavrov visited Burundi in May during a tour of African countries. By Tchandrou NITANGA (AFP) Even this lowest-common-denominator phrasing failed to garner unanimous support, faced with Nicaragua's refusal to endorse it. While not going so far as to back Moscow, Brazilian President Luis Ignacio "Lula" da Silva refused to send weapons to Ukraine or to impose sanctions on Russia, calling instead for Europe and the United States to stop "encouraging" the offensive. "Russian isolation is a construction invented in the West," Fyodor Lukyanov, a political analyst close to the Kremlin, told AFP. "Russia is perceived as a country that might be right or might be wrong but is, in any case, opposed to the West," he said. "In this new international environment, this standpoint is more efficient and more attractive than one could have imagined." Tell-tale silence Certain countries prefer to remain silent, which speaks volumes. On February 24, the anniversary of Russia's military operation in its pro-western neighbour, a majority of countries at the United Nations urged Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. Moscow's historic allies -- Belarus, North Korea and Syria -- voted against the motion. Around 30 others abstained. Among them were two heavyweights -- India, one of the top purchasers of Russian oil, and China, another staunch partner. Chinese President Xi Jinping was received with great pomp in Moscow in March for a visit designed to usher in a "new era" of Sino-Russian relations. Since then Russian and Chinese armies have conducted a string of joint military exercises. In another sign of a partnership designed to counter US hegemony, Putin is scheduled to visit China in October, his first trip to a G20 country since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. In recent months the Russian leader has travelled to Iran and Central Asia. But an international arrest warrant against him, issued by the International Criminal Court, may hinder future movements. It has already forced him to abandon plans to take part in the BRICS summit of emerging economies, due to be held in South Africa in late August. 29.07.2023 LISTEN Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa and Trade Minister, KT Hammond has reiterated that he made no prejudicial comments on the trial of the Member of Parliament for the Assin North Constituency, James Gyakye Quayson. Gyakye Quayson's lawyers filed a contempt application following comments made by the Trade and Industry Minister during a media interview, deemed contemptuous. Mr Hammond is alleged to have equated the Gyakye Quayson case to that of Adamu Sakande, a late former MP for Bawku Central and indicated that the Assin North MP will suffer the same fate. But speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM in Accra on Friday, Mr Hammond emphasised I am clear in my mind that I havent committed any contemptuous sin. I made a remark, the remark was in the context of precedence of decisions that have been made by the Supreme Court And I dont understand why anyone would want to take me to court except for the fact I am KT Hammond. For that reason, the Trade Minister said that he would have gladly acceded to the allegations and rendered an apology if he really made such commentary. Meanwhile, the High Court in Accra has set October 19, to deliver a ruling on the contempt case brought against Adansi Asokwa Member of Parliament, KT Hammond. The complainant in the case, Gyakye Quayson was hoping to move the case on Friday, but it was rather adjourned. The court has directed the parties in the matter to file their written addresses by August 31. The parties will then return on October 19 for the ruling. -citinewsroom Residents of Dadease in the Sekyere Kumawu District of the Ashanti Region are calling on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take drastic measures to prevent the maltreatment of residents by police officers in the area. This comes after a police officer was seen in a viral video tying a belt around the neck of a suspect and dragging him on the floor in an attempt to arrest him on July 26, 2023. Following the widespread condemnation of the incident, the police administration says the said officer has been detained and interdicted, and the family of the victim has been assured by the IGP of a thorough investigation. The residents in the area insist that this is not an isolated case, as they have raised concerns about police officers in the area manhandling them, and they want the IGP to pay critical attention to the situation. One resident, who gave his name as Kwabena Appiah, said, The police claim that most of the guys in the area sell weed, so they are suspects. They will arrest you and beat you mercilessly. This has been happening for a very long time, and it is very condemnable. They can take GHS500 and GHS1000. This attitude of police officers in this area is a bad one. The police are supposed to liaise with residents and safeguard them, not oppress and harass them. We are therefore calling on the government to see to the end of this. Another resident said, I have witnessed them beating a guy with a cane to the extent that he excreted. They just arrest people for unnecessary reasons. They keep doing what is not needful, so we want them changed. The family of the victim is calling for compensation, as they believe that the treatment meted out to him could have severe health implications. The mother of the victim, Afia Owusuaa, told Citi News, I travelled three days ago, so upon my return, I was informed that the police had arrested my son. I decided to wait and go bail him the following day, but someone came in to show me the video of what had been done to the child. And I also got to know that when they got to the station too, they hanged him. So I informed my uncle, who insisted that we stay back and not go to the station. But around 7pm yesterday, high-ranking police officers came in to speak with us and admitted that how the boy was manhandled was wrong, so the officer would be dealt with accordingly. They also assured that the IGP would call the following day, which he did. Ms. Owusuaa said her son was alleged to have stolen some iron rods and a car battery, but he had admitted to taking the iron rods. She said the police had to compensate him with some money and a job to ensure that he did not take what was not his again. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang (second, from right) and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (third, from right) witness the signing ceremony. ( Photo: VNA) The agreement, signed by Vice chairman of the Hanoi Peoples Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen and Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel Aal, aims to promote the relations and mutual understanding between the two cities in the areas of culture, sciences, education, health care, tourism, sports, environment, and trade. Speaking at the event, Quyen said the signing took place at a meaningful and important time as Vietnam and Egypt are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. He said the agreement not only marks the trust in bilateral political cooperation but also opens up many new cooperation opportunities for both sides, contribute to prosperity of the two capitals and strengthen the traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Egypt./. Leading Senegalese opposition politician Ousmane Sonko was arrested on Friday for allegedly stealing a gendarme's phone and posting a "subversive" message. The firebrand politician, a thorn in the flesh of President Macky Sall, has faced a number of legal woes, which he says are aimed at keeping him out of politics. His sentencing last month in a moral corruption case sparked fatal clashes that left 16 dead according to the government, 24 according to Amnesty International, and 30 according to Sonko's PASTEF party. Senegal's public prosecutor said the politician had stolen the mobile phone of a gendarme whose vehicle had broken down near Sonko's home on Friday and issued a subversive message on social media. On Friday afternoon, Sonko had said on social media that security forces stationed outside his home were filming him. He said he had taken one of the phones and demanded the images be deleted -- a request he claimed was denied. "I ask the people to stand ready to face this endless abuse," Sonko wrote. The prosecutor said the politician had "for some time" committed "criminally reprehensible" acts, and that an investigation into "various counts of offenses and crimes" had been ordered. Sonko's party said he had been "brutally arrested" and called on Senegalese people to "constitutionally resist these abuses". One of Sonko's lawyers, Cheikh Koureyssi Ba, said on Facebook that Sonko was already being interrogated. Another lawyer, Abdoulaye Tall, told local media that Sonko was in police custody. On Friday evening, people were gathering outside Sonko's Dakar home, an AFP journalist reported. On June 1, Sonko was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison for morally corrupting a young woman, which makes him ineligible to stand in next year's presidential election. He was blocked in his home by a security detail between May 28 and July 24. Because he was tried in absentia, a retrial would likely be ordered if he were arrested in relation to that case. The government has previously said he could be arrested over that affair at any time. Friday's arrest does not appear to be related to the moral corruption case, however. In another affair, an appeals court on May 8 gave him a six-month suspended sentence. A former civil servant, Sonko rose to prominence in presidential elections in 2019, coming third after a campaign that took aim at President Sall and the country's ruling elite. He has portrayed Sall as a would-be dictator, while the president's supporters call him a rabble-rouser who has sown instability. Sall in early July eased tensions in the normally stable West African nation by announcing he would not seek a controversial third mandate, following months of ambiguity and speculation about his intentions. mrb-amt-sjd-prc/giv The Deputy Minister of Health, Mrs Tina Gifty Naa Ayeley Mensah, has said, government would continue to partner with private health facilities certified by the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HFRA) to strengthen healthcare delivery in the country. This, she said would help the government achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) three by 2030. Mrs Mensah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe Constituency, made this known at the 1st-anniversary celebration of the Chosen Hospital and Fertility Limited at Tetegu, a community in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality of the Greater Accra Region. The Ministry of Health as a sector place premium on universal health coverage as a vehicle necessary for the attainment of SDG three by the year 2030, as a result, we are putting every effort to ensure that all people living in Ghana have access to equitable, quality, affordable and evidence base preventive and creative health services without any financial burden. "However, it must be emphasised that government cannot do it alone and it will need partnerships from stakeholders and private hospitals to join in the vision, to be able to achieve this goal, she stated. The anniversary which was held in Accra commemorated a celebration of love, life, health, excellence, and the resilience of the human spirit. The hospital started in 2018 at All Faith Medical Centre as a fertility unit, however in 2022, it moved out and established a health centre to combine fertility treatment with other medical treatments. Mrs Mensah commended the Chosen Hospital and Fertility Centre for their significant contribution to the improvement of the health and well-being of women in the country. The Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Gordon N. A. Attoh in his remarks noted that One year ago, we embarked on a mission to create a place of hope and healing, a sanctuary where the gift of life is nurtured with love using modern, evidence based and cutting-edge expertise hence our motto where life begins. Today, standing before you, I am filled with immense pride, knowing that this Fertility Centre has become a beacon of light for some couples seeking to build families in the face of adversity. We are indisputably the most affordable IVF service providers in the country. He added that it was worthy to know that the fertility centre had become a beacon of light for some couples seeking to build families in the face of adversity, this means our dream has come to pass. Being indisputably the most affordable in vitro fertilisation (IVF) service provider in the country, he noted that the hospital had done over 1,200 IVF cycles and delivered over 650 children through IVF, with most of them being multiple babies. Despite the tireless effort to help couples, he said the centre had also embarked on several outreaches such as eye screenings, general medical checkups, and prostate and breast screenings to improve the health of deprived communities. Within the year, we also performed several complex surgeries and delivered many babies without any maternal mortality. We also executed life-saving interventions, resuscitations and palliative care for many emergencies and severely ill patients, he highlighted. Dr Attoh stressed that the key among other challenges was the global economic hardship which had affected the cost of production, the price of goods and services, adding that the erratic power supply in the community posed a threat to hospital equipment, and most importantly, the lives of patients. He said, in spite of the challenges, the Chosen Hospital & Fertility Centre has been resilient and pressed on to deliver healthcare with a distinction and quality that their cherished clients deserve. Every birth is a testament to the extraordinary dedication of our staff, the state-of-the-art technologies we employ, and the unwavering spirit of our patients who have shown incredible strength and resilience. Our clients have come from as far as Nigeria, Benin, Bawku, Ivory Coast, The United Kingdom, The United States Of America, France and Spain to mention but a few, all the way to the small community of Tetegu, Weija or west McCarthy for the millennials and the bougee neighbours, he added. Dr Attoh assured that the facility will keep striving to maintain the high quality of innovation, embracing cutting-edge technologies, and advocating for the emotional and physical well-being of their patients In addition to our flagship fertility services, we are introducing in the coming year great packages to provide a comprehensive health service for all our patients. These include but not limited to the early bird clinic, Fastrack and executive services, multi-speciality services which will include cardiology, orthopaedic, dermatology, neurology and some aesthetic clinic, he added. The recent riots in France, sparked by the deadly police shooting of a young man of North African descent, once more raised the question whether French police unfairly target ethnic minorities. While French authorities continue to say the national police force does not have a problem with racism, research shows the contrary. Racism and discrimination, stop-and-search, are part of the activities of any police force, everywhere," says political scientist Jacques De Maillard, who studies policing in France and around the world. But when it comes to acknowledging racism within their ranks, some countries and police forces are better than others. If you don't say there is a problem, you won't be able to deal with it, De Maillard told RFI, pointing to French authorities' insistence that discriminatory policing is not widespread. A deep dive into urban and police violence in France, in the Spotlight on France podcast: At the end of June, people took to the streets to protest against police violence and the excessive use of force in France's poor, multi-ethnic suburbs after Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old with a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother, was shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop. The five days of rioting that followed his death brought back memories of riots in 2005 that were set off by the death of two teenagers one black, one of North African descent during a police chase. Then as today, the rioting sparked debates over police violence and racism. French police have been repeatedly accused of using racial profiling in identity checks, and statistics show that minorities are more often targets of police searches and violence than the rest of the population. The large majority if not all of the victims of the 16 fatal police shootings during traffic stops that have been recorded in France over the last 18 months have been men of colour, according to lawyer Arie Alimi. No admission of systemic racism And yet Paris police prefect Laurent Nunez has repeatedly denied that French police are systematically racist. Yes, it happens that a certain number of police officers use racist language, but you are talking about systemic racism, he told a Paris city council meeting on 5 July, a day after telling French media there was no racism in the French police. Responding to a question posed by a Greens council member, Nunez said: You have talked about systemic racism that has corrupted the police. That is completely false, and I cannot let you say that. While France officially bans the collection of statistics on race and ethnicity, studies have contradicted Nunez's and others' assertions. Not every police officer is racist, says De Maillard, but racism is part of the way this institution works, with racial profiling in identity checks a key part of French policing of the suburbs, or banlieues. In a 2017 survey of 5,000 people, France's civil liberties ombudsman found that 80 percent of people perceived as black or Arab said they'd been stopped by police in the previous five years, compared to 16 percent of the rest of those surveyed. French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the problem of racial profiling in 2020. "When you have a skin colour that is not white, you are stopped much more," he told Brut media. " You are identified as part of a problem, and that's intolerable." On 30 June, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the United Nations human rights office, said Merzouk's death and the rioting it sparked was "a moment for [France] to seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement". But the French Foreign Ministry responded defensively. "Any accusation of racism or systemic discrimination in the police force in France is totally unfounded," it said in a statement. De Maillard points to France's tradition of republican universalism, which denies the existence of race, and therefore racism. For political reasons, many politicians also feel the need to defend the police against criticism. " In France, you have a long tradition of the police existing to protect the government, to protect the public institutions. Not to protect the people," D e Maillard said. "At the beginning, they were in charge of protecting the king." Few changes since 2005 riots Whether the problem is systemic or, as Nunez argues, down to a few bad apples, most observers agree the police are not sufficiently trained. There is no doubt that that there are problems within the national police, Driss Ait Youssef, who has advised the government on security issues, told RFI. He highlights "problems with training, with guidelines, difficulty passing on information, notably in relation to the population". And despite the lessons that could have been learned from the 2005 riots, French policing of the banlieues has changed very little. The French police didn't reform themselves, says De Maillard. If there has been a move, it is rather in the direction of militarisation, of being tougher in the way they intervene in these neighbourhoods. Police feel under siege The 2015 terror attacks, along with the Yellow Vest protests that started in 2018, have put the police under a lot of pressure, leaving many officers feeling they are doing society's dirty work with little to no recognition. In the banlieues, police often see themselves as being at war with a hostile population, which De Maillard says is not altogether false. After years of feeling they are victims of discrimination and targets of unfair ID checks, some young people have developed a real hatred of the police. During the recent riots, officers reported being directly attacked. Messages are circulating on social media calling for people to physically attack police, Thierry Clair, of the Unsa police union, told RFI. In a way it's urban guerrilla warfare We're faced with particularly determined people, with their faces hidden. In such situations, De Maillard argues that it is up to the police to de-escalate tension, but unions have pushed the opposite way. Some 70 percent of police officers are unionised, he says, and "some of them not all are 100 percent in defence of the police: the police is perfect and cannot be criticised". A union tract released on 30 June, three days into the riots that followed Merzouk's death, referred to police in a "state of war" against "savage hordes", and the need to eliminate "rodents". Radicalised officers This hardening attitude has turned many police officers to the far right, which supports a hard-line approach to policing. If you look at the polls, French police officers do vote for the far right, says De Maillard. I would not say that the far right as far as I know has infiltrated the police. But I would say that there has been a kind of convergence. For Ait Youssef, this shift to the right can be explained by the absence of hierarchical support, absence of means and a confrontation with a certain type of young person of minority background living in rough neighbourhoods. But De Maillard warns that the problems faced by the police should not be reduced to the issue of violent youth. Nor is it all about the police themselves. " It's much more global than that," he says. "It has to do with poor neighbourhoods, and the difficulties of the French public administration to reform itself and be more open to civil society." In terms of prioritising reform, he says, "the police should be much more self-reflective". For a deep dive into urban and police violence in France's banlieues, listen to the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 98. Listen here. President Emmanuel Macron made a short stopover in Sri Lanka on Friday the first visit by a sitting French leader to the island nation, which is undergoing a difficult economic recovery. Macron arrived in Sri Lanka Friday night to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations, Sri Lanka's president's office said. His visit consisted of a two-hour stay at Colombo airport. After being welcomed by Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, Macron held discussions with President Ranil Wickremesinghe. As the fourth-largest creditor to Sri Lanka, France had pledged cooperation in debt restructuring to help the island nation recover from its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. Sri Lanka, which has received major support from the IMF, is expected to remain bankrupt until 2026. 'New era of our partnership' Wickremesinghe praised France's significant role in global affairs, particularly in areas such as climate mitigation, global debt restructuring, and matters related to the Indo-Pacific region, the Sri Lankan presidency statement said. Sri Lanka and France are two Indian Ocean nations that share the same goal: an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific. In Colombo we confirmed it: strengthened by 75 years of diplomatic relations, we can open a new era of our partnership, Macron said in a Twitter message after the meeting. Earlier, the Elysee described referred to "a historic visit". Wickremesinghe came to power a year ago after his predecessor fled the country, driven out by massive protests over the economic crisis. Beijing, the country's main creditor, agreed in March to reschedule its loan repayments. Macron made the stop on his way back from Oceania, after visiting Papua New Guinea, the French territory of New Caledonia and the sea-threatened archipelago of Vanuatu. China and India are vying for influence in Sri Lanka. The situation prompted Macron to warn against "new imperialism" at work in the region while he was in Vanuatu, referring in particular to China's growing influence. Read also: (with newswires) 29.07.2023 LISTEN Bank of Ghana (BoG) says it has incurred a loss of GHS55.12 billion in 2022, largely as a result of the government's Domestic Exchange Programme (DDEP). The Central Bank explained that its non-marketable holdings of Government of Ghana instruments including long-term stocks, a COVID-19 Bond and overdraft were subjected to a 50 per cent haircut. Also, the Bank's other claims (holdings of marketable instruments) were exchanged under similar terms as other financial institutions under the DDEP, leading to an impairment of GHS48.40 billion in 2022. In addition, the Bank incurred revaluation losses on its foreign assets and liabilities due to exchange rate depreciation, leading to a total loss of GHS55.12bn equity in 2022. However, thevCentral Bank said it would implement measures, including government's support for recapitalisation to ensure that equity was restored to positive path by the end of 2027. The impairments and revaluation losses led to a negative equity position of GHS55.12bn for 2022, Dr Ernest Addison Governor, BoG said in the Bank's 2022 Annual Report and Financial Statements. The negative equity position was not the result of sub-optimal policy decisions but emanated from the restructuring of government debt and adverse market movements, the Governor stated. To restore the equity of the Bank, Dr Addison announced that the Central Bank would implement a retention of profits policy to rebuild capital, and optimise its investment portfolio and operate cost mix to bolster efficiency. Again, the Bank would have an assessment of the potential need for recapitalisation support by the government in the medium-term. The broad expectation is for steadfast implementation of these policy measures to restore the Bank's equity to positive territories by the end of 2027, Dr Addison said. Ghana recorded a slowdown in economic growth to 3.1 per cent in 2022, from 5.1 per cent in 2021, on the back of weakened aggregate demand and supply shocks arising from the effects of the pandemic and geopolitical tensions. There were sovereign credit downgrades by major global rating agencies over fiscal policy implementation and debt sustainability concerns, making Ghana lose access to the international capital market. That, together with low domestic revenue mobilisation, negatively impacted government's ability to finance the budget, hence, the Central Bank's intervention to close the widened financing gap to avert domestic debt default and a full-blown economic crisis. The Governor explained that the Central Bank offered regulatory reliefs to institutions that voluntarily participated in the DDEP to safeguard stability of the financial sector. Those reliefs included a reduction in the Capital Adequacy Ratio to 10.0 per cent, from 13.0 per cent, a reduction in the Common Equity Tier One capital ratio to 5.5 per cent, from 6.5 per cent, and an increase in the maximum Tier Two capital ratio to 3.0 per cent, from 2.0 per cent of total risk-weighted assets. Despite the loss, total assets of the banking industry grew by 22.9 per cent to GHS220.90 billion, mainly funded by growth in deposits. Asset quality improved slightly to 15.1 per cent in 2022, reflecting a strong pickup in credit growth, which outpaced the growth in the non-performing loan stock. Liquidity indicators remained sound, with broad and core liquidity measures surpassing historical averages. The Bank strengthened regulation and supervision of banks and enhanced its Online Regulatory Analytic Surveillance System, the report indicated. GNA Rockson Adofo, the author of this article, the proud and fearless son of Kumawu/Asiampa soil, a mocked armchair journalist but who is indeed dedicated to being of service to his country and people, has this truthful message for you. Which one will you go for, a person who can win an election for your political party for its sake, or, a person who can win an election to develop the nation for the collective interests of all the citizens? There are some NPP members and sympathisers who have been asserting that they want somebody who can win election 2024 for their political party hence rallying in their multitudes behind Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia. Most of them are of the expressed view that without Dr Bawumia emerging as the flag bearer-cum-presidential-candidate of NPP going into election 2024, the NPP should forget about the contest, consider it as lost to NDC already. This view by them is based on how politics is done in Ghana; conspicuously hinged on tribal sentiments and affiliations. They are scared that those of northern extraction will not vote for NPP should they sideline Dr Bawumia in favour of any other candidate that is of Akan extraction. This fear of theirs emanates from a previously unfortunate statement made in regard of NPP belonging to the Akans and how NDC have always capitalised on it, weaponised it as their campaign message to warn the northerners of having no chance to progress in NPP hence should never vote NPP. What a politics of tribalism, ethnicity or regionalism to the detriment of Ghanaians and mother Ghana. I will prefer somebody who has the wherewithal to deal a deadly blow to that lack of enforcement of the laws, the bane of the socio-politico-economic emancipation of Ghana. Ghanas main problem militating against her development in every sense of the word is lack of strict enforcement of the laws. If laws were stringently enforced in Ghana to ensure their obedience by everyone, regardless of their status, Ghana will in no time become like Europe or America, the greener pastures overflowing with milk and honey that every Ghanaian will want to go and fleece. Kennedy Agyapong, from what many ordinary Ghanaian are saying, is the person who is capable and able to guarantee the enforcement of the laws to the satisfaction of all. Again, many an ordinary Ghanaian trusts him to do exactly what he preaches as attested to by his track record. He is a gentleman without blemish and a would-be president whose message is accepted by many a floating voter that votes on issues, policies and programmes but not on tribalism, partisanship and political polarization. His experience as a humble poor Assin Dompim village boy struggled in tattered clothes through to riches, hence being overly kind, caring and sympathising, resonates with many Ghanaians, especially the ordinary people, the NPP foot soldiers and discerning Ghanaians who expect better for all Ghanaians. Considering the current problems of lawlessness, corruption and the destruction of the elements of life, thus, water bodies, forests, arable and fertile lands and the pollution of the air, it is just reasonable that a farsighted radical leader in the person of Kennedy Agyapong is voted to become the president of Ghana come election 2024. Yes, Dr Bawumia is equally a farsighted individual with great innovative ideas. However, for him to become a successful president, we first need Kennedy to come and pave the way for him as John the Baptist preceded Jesus Christ to make the path smooth for his coming. Kennedy must first come, thus, become the president to ensure the enforcement of the laws before the great innovations of Dr Bawumia can succeed as wished. The NPP government is being blamed for all the economic problems currently facing Ghana. Nonetheless, the most serious ones among them are of external shocks that the government and president have no control over, and again, those problems are not unique to Ghana but a world phenomenon. Kennedy Agyapong for the fact of being able to enforce the laws of the land to put Ghana on a sound footing to economic development, has the fullest backing of Rockson Adofo, the son of Kumawu and Asiampa (Juaben) in the Ashanti region. As always said, I prefer a team of Kennedy Agyapong (Hon.), Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr Kwabena Duffour and IGP Dr George Akuffo-Dampare to come and rule Ghana from January 7, 2025. More grease to the elbows of the mentioned persons. Rockson Adofo Saturday, 29 July 2023 Francois Xavier Batalingaya, the UN Resident Coordinator in Comoros, says the country could benefit significantly from Africas free trade area In February 2023, the Union of Comoros ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Later that month, the countrys President Azali Assoumani took over as Chairperson of the African Union. In this interview with Africa Renewals Kingsley Ighobor, the UN Resident Coordinator in Comoros Francois Batalingaya explains the UN support for the country during the ratification process and highlights investment opportunities in the country. These are excerpts from the interview: Comoros recently ratified the AfCFTA. What kind of support did the UN provide the national authorities in ensuring a successful ratification process? As you know, President Azali Assoumani was one of the first African leaders to sign the African Continental Free Trade Agreement in Kigali in 2018. So, Comoros was always there with a high-level political will. However, there were some concerns about a potential loss of customs revenue, which represents between 40 per cent and 50 per cent of the total government revenue. Not all the Members of Parliament or senior government officials were convinced that the AfCFTA is a good idea. Comoros' main trading partners are in the Middle East, not the African mainland. For example, India and Pakistan. As well as China and Brazil. We import most of our chicken from Brazil. Now, what did the UN do? First, the UN organized local and national consultations. Under the leadership of the Regional Economic Commission, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), there were workshops on the three islands [that make up Comoros] to discuss the AfCFTAs opportunities. We had the consultation workshop in the capital Moroni, attended by President Assoumani, the Speaker of Parliament Moustadroine Abdou, governors, cabinet ministers, MPs, the private sector and others. Second, the UN assisted the country in drafting a national implementation strategy. UNDP and the ECA were able to help the government to identify the prerequisites needed to maximize the benefits of the trade agreement. Third, high-level advocacy was my role as the UN Resident Coordinator: to encourage the political leadership to ratify the agreement. Comoros has significant untapped potential or business opportunities. For example, the tourism industry could be further developed. Looking at the tourism industry in the region, Comoros is the only country whose tourism industry is still not well developed. Neighbouring Seychelles and Madagascar receive between 400,000 and 500,000 tourists per year. Francois Xavier Batalingaya UN Resident Coordinator in Comoros How did you allay fears about loss of customs revenues? When you look at what Comoros imports and where it gets customs revenues from, these are not goods that will be affected much by the AfCFTA. Most imported products are from Middle Eastern countries, India and China. But basic foodstuffs come from Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya, and other African mainland countries. Importation of these foodstuffs will not significantly affect customs revenue. Again, remember that Comoros will benefit if it increases industrialisation. If we increase the value chain around key products, Comoros will benefit through access to over a billion consumers on the continent. What are some made-in-Comoros products the country could potentially export to the larger African market? These are essential oils like ylang-ylang of which Comoros is the number one producer in the world; we have spices that are beloved in places like India; we have vanilla and cloves. We need to create value chains around these products and export to countries like Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti and others. Comoros needs to access these markets. Now that the Agreement is ratified, what next? As I said, Comoros is heavily dependent on imports. Therefore, the AfCFTA must be an engine of economic growth, sustainable development and, importantly, poverty reduction. We need to mobilize the private sector to take full advantage of new trading opportunities on the continent. We need to support the industrialisation of Comorosfacilitate trade and promote foreign direct investment. For example, with funding from the European Union, the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) are implementing a project to support production, industrialisation and free trade in Comoros. That's a good initiative. Another initiative is the digitalisation of the customs process, and that's with the support of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The AfCFTA is an instrument for strengthening social inclusion; therefore, we must ensure that women and youth are involved in these discussions and can take full advantage of trading opportunities in Africa. An issue much talked about is a lack of awareness among some African traders regarding how they can benefit from AfCFTA. What is the situation with the private sector in Comoros? What we have done is talk to the leaders of the private sector. We need to continue to engage them and at a lower level. The sensitization has to continue. Having ratified the Agreement, we need to raise awareness so they know how they could benefit from it. What other key development activities is the UN undertaking in Comoros that are impacting the lives of ordinary citizens? Well, let me tell you this: in July 2021, the UN (21 UN agencies, funds and programmes) and the government signed a new generation Cooperation Framework, a five-year initiativefrom 2022 to 2026divided into four pillars: the planet, prosperity, people and peace. On the planet, we want to strengthen resilience to climate change, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises. Of course, with sustainable integration and management of marine ecosystems. At the AU Summit, the Head of State said it is a priority for Africa, and it would be a priority for us over the next five years. The other pillar is prosperity. Basically, we need to create a competitive and inclusive economy and partner with the private sector using a sustainable development approach that focuses on sectors with high potential, such as the blue and the digital economy. Then we need to invest in people. We need to make better use of opportunities and foster inclusive and equitable, gender-sensitive development, providing high-quality nutrition, education and social protection, and the protection of the survivors of sexual and gender violence. The last pillar is peace. Social cohesion is a priority for us. Human rights, gender equality and democracy are important. That's why the elections next year are critical. We need to have public institutions that are more inclusive, efficient and accountable to the citizens. We are committed to accompanying the government to achieve emerging market status and the SDGs. These are essential oils like ylang-ylang of which Comoros is the number one producer in the world; we have spices that are beloved in places like India; we have vanilla and cloves. We need to create value chains around these products and export to countries like Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti and others. Comoros needs to access these markets Francois Xavier Batalingaya UN Resident Coordinator in Comoros Comoros is an island state, meaning there could be climate change challenges. What are these challenges? A good example is Cyclone Kenneth that hit Comoros four years ago and destroyed schools and hospitals. We are still feeling the impact. In addition to the cyclones, rising waters are also a major concern. We have a water access problem. We have an active volcano called Karthala, which could erupt any time. That's why we are always in preparedness and disaster management mode. There are also great opportunities, I guess. What do you tell anyone intending to explore investment opportunities in Comoros? Comoros has significant untapped potential or business opportunities. For example, the tourism industry could be further developed. Looking at the tourism industry in the region, Comoros is the only country whose tourism industry is still not well developed. Neighbouring Seychelles and Madagascar receive between 400,000 and 500,000 tourists per year. Comoros, before the pandemic, received only about 45,000 tourists per year, mostly Comorians from the diaspora. If I were to invest in Comoros, I would invest in hotels. We need quality hotels. Comoros now chairs the AU, and it needs quality infrastructure for high-level conferences. Comoros is a welcoming society. I hope other people can come and enjoy that welcoming culture. And the weather is great. So, please, come over! What are young Comorians doing in terms of innovation? Young Comorians like to join their brother and sisters in especially Marseille, France. The youth are attracted to migration. The good thing is that the girls in Comoros are going to school at a higher rate than the boys, which is not the same in the African mainland. That's quite encouraging. Girls are attracted to disciplines such as law and administration and less to vocational training. So, we need to get them interested in vocational training too. What is being done to address this imbalance? Youth employment is a priority for the government and for us as the UN. We are working with the International Labour Organization to invest in youth employment. Every single one of us [UN entities] has a youth mandate. Again, I will not forget the women. Finally, let me say that Comoros is one of the countries that needs support, particularly investments. The GDP per capita in Comoros is approximately $1,500. About 20 per cent of Comorians live in extreme poverty. We have more to do to achieve the SDGs. The country needs the UN and foreign direct investors. Let's work together to support them. By: Kingsley Ighobor For more information on COVID-19, visit www.un.org/coronavirus Africa Renewal Water viability is an engine of sustainable development for environmental social safeguards and governance. Ensuring its availability for everyone is imperative. Governments, non-profit organizations, and private entities have been working to create inclusive environments, provide access to essential resources and services and promote equal opportunities for persons with disabilities. These efforts aim to enable persons with disabilities to live full and independent lives; participate in their communities; and contribute their talents and abilities to society, especially in the face of climate change. On April 20, 2017, 173 countries ratified the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Created in 2007, it enshrines rights, such as inherent dignity, individual autonomy, non-discrimination, full and effective participation, accessibility and equality of opportunity, for persons with disabilities. CRPD Article 9 requires access to the physical environment and public spaces and services in rural and urban areas. Article 19 focuses attention on living independently and inclusion by addressing equity in needs-responsive community services and facilities. Article 28 zeros in on adequate standards of living and social protection and requires State Parties to ensure access to clean water services that are appropriate and affordable. SDG 6 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 represents a key strategy for enfranchising persons with disabilities. It promotes access to water and sanitation for all. Specifically, it requires that no one is left behind. To achieve SDG 6, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes must be both disability-inclusive and disability-accessible. Supporting the objectives of WASH, SDG 10 advocates for the reduction of inequality within and among countries, mandating the social, economic and political inclusion of all people, including persons with disabilities. Several organizations are helping to realize the ambitions of CRPD and SDGs. As part of UNICEFs WASH programme, Bungudu Primary School in Zamfara State in northern Nigeria built accessible latrines and hand-washing stations to accommodate children with disabilities. The project has improved sanitation and eradicated barriers that children with disabilities face at the school, where water and sanitation facilities had not been easily accessible. In Madibunhana, in central Mozambique, the World Vision International has ensured that persons with disabilities can access water through rehabilitated and modernized boreholes with incorporated ramps, allowing 220 households to independently access adequate water. In addition, 70 inclusive wells and three water systems deliver clean and safe water to communities, as well as the provision of material subsidies for the construction of inclusive latrines. Progress, however, has not been uniform. In Kenya, students with disabilities still have not been able to enroll in the Kenya Water Institute that offers a programme that builds plumbing knowledge and expertise among youth in the country is 47 counties. Access could promote greater inclusiveness in the plumbing industrys service offers and create jobs for these students. Apart from ensuring availability of accessible amenities and infrastructure, it is imperative to establish ample water storage facilities for achieving water security and for managing hydrological variability, particularly for persons with disabilities Three key changes needed for disability-inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene First, apart from ensuring availability of accessible amenities and infrastructure, it is imperative to establish ample water storage facilities for achieving water security and for managing hydrological variability, particularly for persons with disabilities. As households experience rising demand for freshwater and climate change disrupts water cycles, storage is becoming more urgent than ever. Not only do accessible water systems increase the amount of water available for persons with disabilities, improved regulation of water flow and controls support a variety of ancillary services, such as hydropower and navigation. Second, governments, development agencies and community-based organizations that oversee water resources and delivery, must develop harmonized inclusive policies and a regulatory framework for accessibility standards, guidelines, specifications and audits. This will boost opportunities for effective coordination and partnership on inclusive water systems and infrastructure. Moreover, we must include persons with disabilities in water resource management, stakeholder consultations and outreach activities. As important, is to empower persons with disabilities to take on leadership and management positions at the community, local, and national levels to foster innovative water solutions. Third, the World Bank recommends the provision of sufficient financial and physical resources to ensure that persons with disabilities have fair and equal access to affordable water sector services and programmes. These can range from communal services like irrigation facilities and boreholes to public water taps and public latrines. Innovative fee structures, such as sliding-scale fees, loans, or grants to individuals or communities can provide financial assistance or relief. As such, we must entrust persons with disabilities to innovate and invent their own WASH solutions. As important, is to empower persons with disabilities to take on leadership and management positions at the community, local, and national levels to foster innovative water solutions Conclusion I recently served as a jurist for a Youth Water Challenge. I observed that students with disabilities did not participate in the competition. This experience underscores just one missed opportunity but made me wonder: How many others have we missed? In this era of hyper-technology, we possess abundant open data on water from myriad ubiquitous sources. Digital Earth Africa and its sophisticated water analysis tools is one example. Ghana offers a vision for what leveraging such a platform and applying data for building homegrown solutions could look like. We have the technology and data, support of powerful global entities like the UN and the World Bank, and a talented and eager population of persons with disabilities ready to lead. So let us proceed with the complete establishment of inclusive water systems to ensure we achieve the sustainable global goals to which we all aspire. Nancy Marangu is Executive Director, Chemichemi Foundation, Kenya For more information on COVID-19, visit www.un.org/coronavirus Africa Renewal 29.07.2023 LISTEN A new peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia could have profound geopolitical and economic impacts on the Middle East region. Israel formalizing relations with the kingdom, the birthplace of Islam and home to its two holiest sites, would be an historic breakthrough. It would likely lead to normalization between Israel and the broader Muslim world, reshaping regional dynamics. There are compelling strategic interests for the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia to pursue this diplomacy. For the US, a Saudi-Israeli peace deal could significantly advance American goals in the Middle East. It would expand the momentum of the Abraham Accords, bringing a major Sunni Arab state into formal relations with Israel. This would further integrate Israel into the region, building on existing ties. It would also strengthen the US-led regional alliance against Iran. With their shared hostility towards Iran's regional agenda, Saudi Arabia and Israel could collaborate more closely on intelligence and security matters. Economically, a Saudi-Israeli peace agreement could unlock significant new opportunities. Expanded trade, investment flows and commercial partnerships would benefit major sectors in both countries. Saudi Arabia's push to diversify its economy beyond oil would get a boost from Israeli innovation and technology. Israel would gain greater access to Saudi capital and the Gulf market. Enhanced Saudi-Israeli business ties could also curb growing Chinese inroads in the region. Constraining Chinese penetration of strategic Middle East economies is an American priority. For a Saudi-Israeli breakthrough to occur, American diplomacy will be crucial. The US has unique leverage as Saudi Arabia's main security guarantor and Israel's closest ally. An American blueprint outlining potential compromises and concessions could catalyze progress. The Biden administration is exploring a possible grand bargain whereby Saudi Arabia normalizes ties with Israel in return for a mutual security pact with the US and Israeli flexibility on the Palestinian issue. A US security umbrella would meet a key Saudi goal of deterring regional foe Iran. In turn, the US and Saudi Arabia would likely ask Israel to refrain from annexing the West Bank and agree to new peace efforts with the Palestinians. Preserving the possibility of a two-state solution remains fundamental to American policy. Progress on the Palestinian front would also make a Saudi-Israeli deal more palatable to the Arab street. Prime Minister Netanyahu's new right-wing government presents complications. Its extremist elements oppose concessions to the Palestinians and favor maximalist territorial ambitions. However, the monumental prize of peace with Saudi Arabia could motivate even ideological members of Netanyahu's coalition to recalibrate. Overall, a US-brokered grand bargain has intriguing potential. But negotiations would be enormously complex, needing to balance many equities. And doubts exist whether political will is sufficient on all sides. Saudi Arabia downgrading ties with China could be a sticking point. Trust between the parties remains limited. Nonetheless, the strategic and economic benefits of a Saudi-Israeli breakthrough warrant careful exploration by the Biden administration. At minimum, keeping the possibility alive could constrain unilateral moves by any party that would slam the door shut. Mobilizing international engagement may also be the best lever to temper the Israeli government's hardline domestic agenda. With deft statecraft and political courage, President Biden could orchestrate a geopolitical reshaping of the Middle East and deliver an enduring foreign policy achievement. But it will require overcoming daunting obstacles. The coming months will test American diplomatic imagination and skill in navigating this intricate arena. Samuel Shay 29.07.2023 LISTEN The world of politics is hardly honest, but that should never mean we cannot push them to be more honest and help the people reject their illusions, lies, or cruel positions. Trading blames is among the description of the people of hell, but trading blames can be seen in hell like homes, national, and even world politics. How do we draw the lines between protection and over protection at home versus the political world? Who am I to use the term 'stupid' adults? Well, the adult part is not disputed and the 'stupid' aspect is implicitly agreed upon through their actions than my words. It takes the courage of ' I am more intelligent than average citizen' to enter politics, but can they proceed to I am more truthful and kind than average citizen to deserve leadership? We may have to narrow our discussion to few verifiable examples due to time and space. The u.s is heading to elections and journalists must not just report, but pose needed questions to politicians and questionable citizens, help them think better. Drugs and censorship have to be the two major examples. Questionable politicians tend to appeal to the fears, greed, and arrogance of the masses for votes, rather than try to help them get out of fear , greed, and arrogance. The u.s have been battling with opioid crises for years now, so voters are certainly looking for solutions on such. Donald Trump called for the execution of drug dealers in vague manners, or how many grams of cocaine or marijuana should we kill a human being for , based on our limited knowledge or lies we have accepted? Nicky Haley and who is blaming China for Fentanyl, but how many journalists ever ask her type if China is the only producer of fentanyl and if others may not start producing fentanyl in North Korea+? Those who hate China and/or Opioid may quickly be attracted to her type without asking honest deeper questions. In the world of supply and demand between adults, we tend to blame suppliers of questionable products and services, except on sex, where we hypocritically switch to 'report a John [and spare a Lurer or laura]'? Is it fifty- fifty or what percentage should we give to suppliers versus demanders in questionable products versus services? How about good things, are suppliers and demanders of equal value? Between humans, nothing can be more naive that supply means everything. If God stops the Sunlight, then even the air will become what and who will cry? However, things that are man made can easily switch hands and supply continue. Demand drives humans, supply attracts or follows demand. A more honest approach to things like drug use or over usage cannot evade 'stupidity'. Some of us have grown to a level of rejecting drugs for pleasure, but even our definition of drugs may differ. I certainly do not see marijuana as drug, or did God made a good drug? Decades ago, the u.s had a 'marijuana' crisis, at least in their heads, and politicians were competing on who is more tough against marijuana to get mainly low minded white votes, until the good whites came to the rescue of black + victims? Some blamed Canada, Mexico, Hip-hop, etc and promised to be tougher on such. The argument of protecting Children is in regulations, but the argument of protecting stupid adults at any cost can start from cowardly assumptions and jump to arrogant and cruel actions against individuals and nations? Since part of Opioid can be legally obtained, who is making the fentanyl for that? The illegal aspect of it is where most of the deadly overdose and mixtures with other products come to play. So I truly believe eliminating the underground world through legalization and reasonable regulations is the best approach. We said it before Portugal did it, and some laugh at us as 'stupid' who want to gamble the more or most 'stupid'? After Portugal successfully reduced drug usage through legalization, regulations, and education; countries like the u.s find excuses and implicitly claiming Americans are more stupid and unteachable? I heard something similar in Canada or Africa, it worked there , but it won't work here and give cowardly assumptions to dismiss even efforts of studying or where adjustments can be made to make it work where you claim to be special? Why is it that a higher percentage of Blacks prefer marijuana over alcohol and opioid is a racist question? Or why is it that millions of whites in Canada+ are enjoying legal Cannabis while black African countries rather legally sell alcohol, cigarette, bleaching products, etc over legalizing Cannabis? Fear is a very deep hole and once you bury people in that hole, it may be decades or God's special mercy to get them out. U.S has so much world influence, they dictated African countries against Cannabis and do you honestly think China or other countries will stop making Fentanyl if there are other good uses for it? So can Nikki Haley or anyone stop the production of fentanyl is a resounding no. However, it is sweet music to the parent who ill-taught an offspring or just have fears. Such candidate implicitly admit 'stupid adults', no cure proposed to end or reduce the 'stupidity', and almost no vivid plan to confront the suppliers they deem cruel or negligent? The world of censorship is even more weird in how politicians try to over defend 'stupid' adults and u.s democrats must be very careful on such.. To claim that disinformation exists and carries some risk is factual, but to think censorship is the best way to fight misinformation or disinformation is not just illusory, but a dangerous lie and sometimes cruel. Covid 19 disinformation can be confronted through proper information, and/or gladly allow anyone who 'drinks bleach' as evidence to save others. I will sincerely advise to save lives, but an adult who wants to commit suicide through drugs or other means is not my deadly headache; making it illegal raises the murder rate, not just the suicide rate. Gangs get formed when illegal and drive by shooting over 'drug sales ' compeitition rightly or wrongly kill the citizen who oppose legalisation, as karma? If Trump denies election results , confront him, warn the public, and have enough staff after learning through uncensored social media; if you keep censoring social media, then people will try other means, including lone wolf actions. Censorship is worse than confront-able disinformation, but how can you convince the cowards and arrogant on that? Politicians are indeed part of the problem, not only do they tap on the sick, but sometimes encourage fear, greed, and arrogance as smart or kind. The world of extreme happiness is controlled by God than any visible thing, person, or place. Do not be greedy on anything, anyone, or any place. Try to do good, and happiness may search for you through multiple safer means. God made marijuana as healer and mercy to multiple problems, at least on whom He wills, but Biden wants to offer beer as bribe for covid vaccine? The prettiest girl cannot be claimed when you have not meet even one percent of the earth and 'the most beautiful ones are yet to be born'? After all, the prettiest girl may not have the best sex and other character, so when you have pretty enough girl and the Lord of Happiness showers you with bliss, do not think her prettiness cause the happiness or your strength. She would have given herself more and may have over charged you for yours. When you are tested in America or Africa, just work hard and success may find you, it will search for you than you may have ever thought, beyond finance. Naturally Rich nations have Gangster nations like u.s and Russia baiting or threatening them; rich people have questionable people baiting them with drugs and resisting is not the easiest thing. Ask the pretty girls who said the guys who give the most money or beg the most are better than truthful men like Jarga? They went from begging to beating, but I am still smiling as a single man. The u.s cannot stop an individual like me, and I am still influencing their politics and world politics, but may my impact register lot more. May God bless us through Showlove Trinity: Let's learn, let's work, let's have fun. By Jarga Kebba Gigo An Activist and Transformer. Optional note: We have the right to accuse them of 'stupidity' and greedy, and/or the responsibility to over protect them? Do you students of History remember the days of culture or are there remnants of it? I think the Africans are the good or bad parents of the world, but our children of other races are not without good and bad? Do you remember when some African Tribes accused women of stupidity, sexually greedy, and the suggestion of FGM was for protection or over protection? God or Nature is very bad, why He gave clitoris to our women, clitoris should be for animals, some African Tribes, some other races, but not our tribes? What percentage of women were sexually promiscuous to call for action or over reaction? Our women are different, unteachable, or other tribes are stupid or just do not have the knowledge? May be even bad knowledge exist in this world of good and bad. The world is so imperfect that God wants us to pray and seek heaven, on earth and /or beyond? We have the right to accuse them of 'stupidity' and greedy, and/or the responsibility to over protect them? Do you students of History remember the days of Religion or are there remnants of them? I think Islam is the best and/or worst Religion? How can a Religion end the practice of burying baby girls without jailing people over it, then deny some women even the first commandment (iqrah or learn) in the name of protection; then beg for assistance from atheist or Christian leaning countries to share with women as 'favor', etc. Ok, most Muslim countries are not that bad, but one country is too much and what are other Muslim countries doing about them in the spirit of ch.103? All women or just Muslim women are stupid, deserve cowardly over protection, and sometimes above learning and working as honor. Don't you see Christian Religious leaders are abusing boys than girls, or what is the percentage difference between the culprits and victims? We have the right to accuse them of 'stupidity' and greedy, and/or the responsibility to over protect them? Do you students of history remember the days of governments or are we still in that era? Do you remember legal slavery was argued as favor, that Africans were suffering in Africa anyway, so they deserve extreme suffering, except the house Negroes and women? Colonisation was argued on protection or over protection of interest, appealing to fears... Now that Nationalism and cliquey allies are the normalised evil? Let us never explicitly tell our citizens or voters that they are part, or most, of the problem? The 'angel' of u.s Politics, Barrack Obama, blamed other countries but not as strongly as many u.s politicians. Obama conquered some fear and help u.s conquer some fear, but he appealed to the greed of Americans with lies. He came during recession, blamed President Bush for votes, and even implicitly blamed Bill Clinton and Canada over Nafta, not Mexico? The naive voters were disappointed, but Trump can thank Obama for stirring anti-Nafta sentiments? If other countries truly affect other countries financial progress, then by what percentages and never exclude the 'how' in learning and working of the ordinary masses, not just politicians. Then ask similarly, If western nations are not taking jobs+ from Africa? Oh, fear was where many white politicians worse than Obama? Our American Boys than girls are extra stupid, when they experience break-up, they over drink or choose drugs than Chinese , Portugueses, and Saudi Arabians? We are not interested in learning how China+ produced fentanyl and still do not have opioid crisis, and still believe fentanyl is the sole or number one problem? We suspect they are not sending the same exact Fentanyl to Saudi or Portugal, or may be Fentanyl testing or seizures are linked to China? If the Gambia dares start making fentanyl, we may 'obliterate' you and remind you are not mighty Russia or China. Our u.s made guns are killing in Haiti+, but supply is not the problem, let us blame demand or lack of responsibility in their ports checking? If they hire us as guards, even fentanyl will not enter there? By the way, why are our guns not killing in the Gambia like they do in Haiti and Jamaica? Religion is not the enemy of blacks, but all religions are not equal, and hypocritical religious folks can be as terrible as many atheists of old and new? Between Religion, Culture, and governments which one respects personal rights most and most stern on sins between creatures? I want to live in the country with the most culture of cameras or where it can be introduced with ease? So I want at least one billion body cameras made in the u.s or China+, and shifting less than ten percent of the offense and defense budget can do that. There is not one presidential candidate pushing for culture of cameras for civilians than Governments. Why top social leaders and songs not made to buy cameras in mass? By sensitizing, subsidizing or giving time limited tax credit for such, people will buy in droves and subsequently spread around the world. I believe in cameras over firearms when it comes to world security? Feel free to debate the advantages and disadvantages of each, but take numbers and real research over vague claims. Since I helped the u .s more than Adama Barrow or all African presidents combined, then will the u.s gratefully help me , Gambia, or Nigeria to have a Camera factory? Do you Remember when Buhari of Nigeria went to the u.s to beg or seek permission for firearm factory in Nigeria? Say shame on Buhari or bigger shame to the Nigeria+ journalists for refusing to say Nigeria and Africa needs cameras over firearms. Nigeria have been sending prostitutes and low films to the Gambia for so long, now want to add firearms instead of body cameras? OK, Jarga, now you are blaming others for your country's short-comings? If your Gambian women were sexually great the Gambia won't need Nigerian+ prostitutes? If you and other Gambian writers wrote and made much better movies than Nigerian movies, then Good Nigerians + may support you? Team work of good folks seem harder, team work by evil folks is sadly easier. So let the True God truly help the Godly and defeat the devils beyond words. It starts with words, but actions matter. I am one writer that does not fear the so called threat of AI and will overcome u.s Sanctions, Lord be willing. Where are my good partners around the world, in learning, working, and having fun? At his meeting with Pope Francis, the President stressed that he treasures Pope Francis attention and sentiments to the Vietnamese peoples past struggle for national independence and the country at present, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. He spoke highly of the noteworthy progress in relations between Vietnam and the Vatican through regular high-level meetings over the past years, and the effective implementation of the mechanism of Joint Working Group. President Vo Van Thuong, his spouse and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam visit the Vatican at the invitation of Pope Francis. (Photo: VNA) The President affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State consistently pursue a policy of respecting and ensuring the freedom of belief and religion, saying the country has constantly perfected its legal framework to facilitate the practice of religions, including Catholicism. He highly appreciated positive contributions by the Catholic community in Vietnam to charitable activities, education, health care and vocation training, and noted his hope that they will continue playing a role in the process of national construction and development. For his part, Pope Francis emphasised that President Thuongs visit offered a chance for the two sides to exchange views on the situation of Catholics in Vietnam as well as the Vietnam-Vatican relations. President Vo Van Thuong highly valued guidelines and teachings of Pope Francis and the Vatican for the Catholic community in Vietnam, saying he hoped that Pope Francis will pay more attention to guiding Catholic dignitaries and followers in the Southeast Asian nation to further accompany the State and people, for national development and prosperity. The President also stressed the Vaticans role in global issues, maintaining peace, sustainable development, the environment and ensuring human rights. Pope Francis affirmed that the Vatican hoped for stronger relations with Vietnam, and urged the Vietnam Catholic Church to continue fulfilling the vocation of accompanying the nation and to be good Catholics and good citizens, while encouraging Catholic dignitaries and followers to make more contributions to the development of the country and the church. They shared the view that the conclusion of the Agreement on the Status of the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam is an important step in the context of positive development in the bilateral relations, and the result of discussions in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding, and cooperation. Both noted their belief that the Resident Papal Representative will make more active contributions to the relations between the Vatican and the Catholic community in Vietnam, and well as the relationship between the Vatican and the country. President Vo Van Thuong pledged that Vietnam will create optimal conditions for the Resident Papal Representative to work in the country in line with its laws and regulations, and the agreement between the two sides. The leader also expressed his hope that the Vietnam Catholic Church will grow further and contribute more to the process of national development. Pope Francis stressed that the approval of the agreement was a model of mutual trust, and a foundation to further promote the relations between Vietnam and the Vatican in the time ahead./. Attorney General has expressed support for the warning issued by the presiding judge, Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, in the trial of James Gyakye Quayson, the Member of Parliament for Assin North. The judge cautioned that if Mr. Quaysons legal team is unavailable to cross-examine the prosecutions first witness by Monday, July 31, the MP may be compelled to conduct the cross-examination himself. The cross-examination of the prosecutions first witness was expected to be concluded on Friday, July 28. However, Mr. Quaysons lawyers were not present in court on that day. The lawyer on record, Justin Teriwajah, had written to the court, informing the judge of a three-day medical excuse provided by his doctor. The letter also sought an adjournment to a period after the legal break starting after July 31, but the presiding judge declined the request. Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah Yeboah, speaking on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, commended the decision of Justice Yanzuh. He emphasized that the cross-examination had been prolonged since July 2022 and that it was time for it to be conducted. He added that the judges warning aims to ensure progress in the trial and to prompt Mr. Quaysons legal team to take the necessary steps to cross-examine the prosecutions first witness in a timely manner. PW1 [Prosecutions Witness 1] has been in the witness box since July 12, 2022, and so for over one year, a simple cross-examination that the counsel for the accused person said was going to use two hours to do has taken us such a period. Today when we went to court, counsel for the accused had sent a letter to the effect that he was indisposed and was given a three-day excuse duty and we know that the court will be going on vacation by July 31 so I made a point that we cannot have a witness in the box for three legal years and so the judge in her wisdom said she will need the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness completed and so for that matter if the counsel of the accused does not show up, she may need the accused to do the cross-examination himself. -citinewsroom The Tarkwa Circuit Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the Chairman of the Christian Devine Church (CDC), Apostle Ebenezer Boahen and his Acting General Secretary, Pastor Samuel Awuah, for failing to appear before the court. The accused persons have allegedly been charged for failure to pay the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions of pastors in the church. When the case was called on Tuesday, the accused persons and their counsel were absent, but the two sent someone to represent them. Mr Emmanuel Awuah, the SSNIT Prosecutor, however, told the court presided over by Mrs Hathie Ama Manu that the first accused person came to his office on Monday. Before issuing the bench warrant against the two, the presiding judge, Mrs Hathie Ama Manu indicated that criminal cases were personal and therefore the accused persons were expected to be in court. According to the facts of the case, between November 2021 and March 2023, Apostle Boahen defaulted in honoring the SSNIT contribution of his workers (pastors) to the tune of GHS 62,389.66 and a penalty of GHS 30,586.30 for reneging on the payment. It added that between April 2023 to May 2023, they also failed to submit Social Security contribution reports of their pastors. The case has subsequently been adjourned to Friday August 11, 2023. GNA 29.07.2023 LISTEN Richard Kwashie Kovey, Convenor of the Campaign Against Privatization and Commercialization of Education (CAPCOE), has called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to give semi-autonomy to schools to handle disciplinary issues. He mentioned that the rollout of the safe school policy has given students the impression that they are right in everything they do and that teachers cannot discipline them. Mr Kovey was speaking with the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Tema and said that students must be made aware that, just like adults, they are not above the law and could be tried in juvenile courts and punished per the prescribed sanctions for offenses committed. He mentioned that it was very unfortunate how students were resorting to vandalizing school properties, the properties of teachers, bullying colleagues, and physical and verbal assault on colleagues and teachers in the schools on a daily basis. We also need to take a second look at our curriculum and develop content that is engaging and highly skilled. The current system that places emphasis on assessing students through text items creates room for idleness, he stated. He said that about 30 percent theory and 70 percent practical curricula were relevant to the modern job market as they would keep students active and have no time for such barbaric acts. The CAPCOE Convenor added that the majority of students were beginning to misbehave in order to get rid of their teachers at school, stressing that there was a critical need to finalize the national code of conduct to bind both basic and secondary cycle students. When you sanction a teacher for an offense a student commits with the excuse that the teacher was negligent in his or her supervisory role, you give the student who committed the offense the impression that whatever he does, someone else will take responsibility for his action, he said. GNA The restoration of full diplomatic relations between Turkey and Egypt raises hope that cooperation can replace rivalry between these two regional powers. Turkey and Egypt have both been involved in civil wars in Ethiopia and Libya, each backing a different side. Analysts hope the restoration of full diplomatic ties between Cairo and Ankara in early July will help ease tensions across Africa and the Middle East. "It could affect Egypt, at least the issue they have in Ethiopia, because both countries support different sides of the conflict," predicts security analyst Aya Burweila. "So, in general, I think this is good. I think it's helpful for Libya as well because both sides support different factions in Libya," adds Burweila, who specialises in Libya. "And I think this stalemate has gone on for such a long time. It is about time existing powers figure out something that everyone can agree on," she concluded. Libya crisis In 2020, Turkey's military intervention in support of Libya's Government of National Accord against the Egyptian-backed forces of General Khalifa Hafta brought Turkey and Egypt to the brink of a direct confrontation. "When you are looking at the tense times, Turkey and Egyptian armies almost came face to face here," recounts Turkish presidential advisor Mesut Casin. Casin, an international security expert at Istanbul's Yeditepe University, says economic cooperation offers a way forward out of the current tensions in Libya. "Turkey and Egypt, first of all, may bring energy security and energy trade. Secondly, if they come together in Libya, it should be beneficial to both Turkey and Libya," he said. But Turkey's military presence and the deployment of Syrian mercenaries in Libya are potential obstacles to a Turkish-Egyptian rapprochement. Egypt "wants to see the withdrawal of [Turkish] troops in Libya, the withdrawal of Syrian mercenaries in Libya. Egypt has a red line in Libya," warns analyst Burweila. "They're very wary of foreign bases and its neighbouring country, and definitely foreign troops that are associated with Islamist extremism. So they want to see concrete actions from Turkey before they move forward. Having said that, I think the first step to any concrete action is diplomatic relations," she added. Energy resources Libya's vast energy wealth offers a powerful impetus for cooperation, suggests Jalel Harchaoui at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London. Harchaoui points out that a deal is waiting to be made, with Turkey backing the regime controlling western Libya and Egypt supporting forces in the east of the country. "Egyptian workers could have an easier time finding their traditional historical jobs in the western, most populated half of Libya. And if in exchange, they facilitate the economic penetration of Turkey in the east, then it would be better for everybody from an economic perspective," he explained. The future of Libya is predicted to top the agenda when Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visits Ankara for talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which is expected to happen in the coming weeks. The state visit is seen as symbolically marking a return to normal relations. Regional axis In turn that brings the hope that cooperation can replace rivalry between the two countries, especially when it comes to regional issues. "It's going to be about taking care of Libya," said Harchaoui, "and avoiding situations worsening in secondary theatres like Tunisia, or if Chad gets into trouble because the Sudan war fragments it." He added: "You would be able to just assume that Turkey and Egypt are roughly on the same side. Same thing with Sudan; you don't have the knee-jerk reaction of always being against the other." Money also could have a crucial role in keeping the Turkey-Egypt rapprochement on track. Erdogan's recent visit to the Arab Gulf States saw him sign tens of billions of dollars in contracts with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, both allies of Egypt. The funds are vital to keeping Turkey's floundering economy afloat. Analysts say such deals will also help ensure the future of Turkey and Egypt's new detente and with it, the removal of a destabilising force in the regions. The African Union asked Niger's new junta to return to their bases and restore constitutional order in 15 days as the EU and former colonial ruler France Saturday suspended security cooperation and financial aid to the jihadist-hit country. General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the elite Presidential Guard, on Friday declared himself the West African country's new leader, two days after his forces confined democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum to his official residence. Tiani said the putsch was a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to jihadist bloodshed as well as corruption and economic woes. Niger's neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso have both undergone two military coups since 2020, fuelled by anger at a failure to quash long-running insurgencies by jihadists linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda. The jihadist threat in Africa's Sahel region. By Jonathan WALTER, Anibal MAIZ CACERES, Sylvie HUSSON (AFP) The African Union's Peace and Security Council asked "military personnel to immediately and unconditionally return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority, within a maximum period of fifteen (15) days," after a meeting Friday on the coup. It condemned the coup in "the strongest terms possible" and expressed deep concern over the "alarming resurgence" of military overthrows in Africa. France's foreign ministry said it was suspending development aid and budgetary support to Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, while calling for "an immediate return to constitutional order" and Bazoum's reinstatement. The EU's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell meanwhile said the bloc would not recognise the putschists and announced the indefinite suspension of security cooperation with Niger with immediate effect as well as budgetary aid. Niger has had a turbulent political history since gaining independence in 1960. By - (AFP) Bazoum "remains the only legitimate president of Niger," the EU statement said, calling for his immediate release and holding the coup leaders to account for the safety of the president and his family. Borrell said the EU was ready to support future decisions taken by West Africa's regional bloc, "including the adoption of sanctions". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Niger's ousted leader Washington's steadfast support and warned those detaining him that they were "threatening years of successful cooperation and hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance". Regional leaders to meet Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc will meet on Sunday in the Nigerian capital Abuja to discuss the coup. French President Emmanuel Macron was due to chair a meeting of his Defence and National Security Council on the coup on Saturday afternoon, the presidency said. Bazoum is one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel. By Issouf SANOGO (AFP/File) France has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, while the United States has around 1,000 troops there. Tiani, 59, has shunned the limelight despite a stellar military career which has seen him lead the 700-member presidential guard since 2011. Sources close to Bazoum told AFP that he had been considering replacing Tiani as the head of the elite unit and that relations between the two men had deteriorated in the past months. Landlocked Niger often ranks last in the UN's Human Development Index, despite vast deposits of uranium. It has had a turbulent political history since gaining independence in 1960, with four coups as well as numerous other attempts -- including two previously against Bazoum. The 63-year-old has been one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel as juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso turn away from traditional allies and towards Russia. burs/giv/ach Robinson Value Management Ltd. acquired a new position in iShares U.S. Insurance ETF (NYSEARCA:IAK Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 7,726 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $662,000. Robinson Value Management Ltd. owned about 0.15% of iShares U.S. Insurance ETF at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of IAK. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in iShares U.S. Insurance ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in iShares U.S. Insurance ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $70,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new position in iShares U.S. Insurance ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $153,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares U.S. Insurance ETF during the 4th quarter valued at $153,000. Finally, Raymond James & Associates bought a new stake in shares of iShares U.S. Insurance ETF during the 1st quarter valued at $206,000. Get iShares U.S. Insurance ETF alerts: iShares U.S. Insurance ETF Price Performance Shares of iShares U.S. Insurance ETF stock traded down $0.60 on Friday, hitting $91.00. 9,480 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 43,209. The firms 50-day moving average price is $86.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $382.20 million, a PE ratio of 8.99 and a beta of 0.83. iShares U.S. Insurance ETF has a one year low of $77.94 and a one year high of $95.30. About iShares U.S. Insurance ETF The iShares U.S. Insurance ETF (IAK) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the DJ US Select \u002F Insurance index. The fund tracks a market-cap index of US insurance companies. IAK was launched on May 1, 2006 and is managed by BlackRock. See Also Receive News & Ratings for iShares U.S. Insurance ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares U.S. Insurance ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Corrado Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust (NYSE:BGY Free Report) by 1.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 611,428 shares of the investment management companys stock after buying an additional 8,438 shares during the period. BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust accounts for 2.2% of Corrado Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Corrado Advisors LLCs holdings in BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust were worth $3,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BGY. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust by 19.6% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 12,200 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust by 1.2% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 252,655 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,453,000 after purchasing an additional 2,896 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust by 33.0% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 18,483 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 4,588 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management bought a new stake in BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust in the first quarter valued at $94,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust by 15.5% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 558,994 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $3,214,000 after purchasing an additional 75,103 shares in the last quarter. Get BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust alerts: BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust Trading Up 0.2 % BGY traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $5.51. The company had a trading volume of 224,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 262,341. BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust has a 52 week low of $4.28 and a 52 week high of $5.66. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $5.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.43. BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust Dividend Announcement BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust Profile The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.0338 per share. This represents a $0.41 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 13th. (Free Report) BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc The fund is co-managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited. It invests in public equity markets across the globe excluding the United States. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BGY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust (NYSE:BGY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First National Bank of Omaha lifted its position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR Free Report) by 14.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 67,918 shares of the banks stock after buying an additional 8,792 shares during the quarter. First National Bank of Omahas holdings in Cullen/Frost Bankers were worth $7,154,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CFR. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,345 shares of the banks stock worth $740,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. acquired a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers during the first quarter worth approximately $1,736,000. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 0.8% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,032,068 shares of the banks stock worth $696,489,000 after buying an additional 39,554 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 31,607 shares of the banks stock worth $4,501,000 after acquiring an additional 2,600 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in Cullen/Frost Bankers in the 1st quarter valued at $211,000. 80.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Cullen/Frost Bankers alerts: Cullen/Frost Bankers Price Performance CFR stock traded down $0.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $106.26. 951,432 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 598,087. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.84 billion, a PE ratio of 10.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.05. Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. has a 52 week low of $92.55 and a 52 week high of $160.60. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $108.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.69. Cullen/Frost Bankers Increases Dividend Cullen/Frost Bankers ( NYSE:CFR Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The bank reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $512.12 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $496.85 million. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a return on equity of 21.59% and a net margin of 30.40%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. will post 9.64 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be given a $0.92 dividend. This is a boost from Cullen/Frost Bankerss previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 30th. Cullen/Frost Bankerss dividend payout ratio is 34.77%. Insider Activity In related news, insider Patrick B. Frost sold 6,617 shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.09, for a total value of $668,912.53. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 210,946 shares of the companys stock, valued at $21,324,531.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Cullen/Frost Bankers news, EVP Bobby Berman bought 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $95.25 per share, for a total transaction of $142,875.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,662 shares in the company, valued at $2,539,555.50. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Patrick B. Frost sold 6,617 shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.09, for a total value of $668,912.53. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 210,946 shares of the companys stock, valued at $21,324,531.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders acquired 8,501 shares of company stock valued at $819,054. Insiders own 2.89% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In CFR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $114.00 to $113.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers to a sell rating in a report on Saturday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $121.00 to $116.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 29th. Finally, Wedbush cut their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $120.00 to $112.00 in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $129.64. Cullen/Frost Bankers Profile (Free Report) Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Frost Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking services in Texas. It operates in two segments, Banking and Frost Wealth Advisors. The company offers commercial banking services to corporations and other business clients, including financing for industrial and commercial properties, interim construction related to industrial and commercial properties, equipment, inventories and accounts receivables, and acquisitions; and treasury management services, as well as originates commercial leasing services. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CFR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Cullen/Frost Bankers Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cullen/Frost Bankers and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Foundry Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP Free Report) by 45.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 126,202 shares of the energy producers stock after selling 105,714 shares during the quarter. Foundry Partners LLCs holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $12,520,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COP. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 98,832.5% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,584,373 shares of the energy producers stock worth $1,012,956,000 after acquiring an additional 8,575,696 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,647,723 shares of the energy producers stock worth $1,964,432,000 after acquiring an additional 3,497,750 shares during the period. Cowa LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6,475.2% in the 1st quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 2,375,224 shares of the energy producers stock valued at $2,383,000 after buying an additional 2,339,100 shares during the period. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at about $207,728,000. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at about $186,330,000. 80.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get ConocoPhillips alerts: ConocoPhillips Trading Up 0.1 % Shares of COP traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $115.93. 3,117,988 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,172,972. The firm has a market cap of $140.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $104.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.18. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $88.00 and a 52-week high of $138.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.39. ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement ConocoPhillips ( NYSE:COP Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The energy producer reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $15.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.06 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 32.75% and a net margin of 20.21%. ConocoPhillipss revenue was down 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.27 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.94 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 16th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 26th. ConocoPhillipss dividend payout ratio is presently 16.32%. Analysts Set New Price Targets COP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $165.00 to $148.00 in a report on Monday. Citigroup decreased their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $145.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 12th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $126.00 to $127.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 12th. Bank of America upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price target on ConocoPhillips from $142.00 to $138.00 and set a strong-buy rating for the company in a report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $134.15. Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips In other news, Director Caroline Maury Devine sold 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.08, for a total transaction of $102,080.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 849 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $86,665.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the companys stock. 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. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for ConocoPhillips Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ConocoPhillips and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com downgraded shares of GATX (NYSE:GATX Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Thursday. Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a market perform rating and issued a $137.00 price target (up previously from $135.00) on shares of GATX in a research note on Wednesday. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of GATX from $118.00 to $122.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of GATX from $135.00 to $142.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of GATX from $125.00 to $145.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $136.50. Get GATX alerts: GATX Stock Performance GATX stock traded down $2.82 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $125.14. 169,455 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 146,475. GATX has a 52-week low of $84.96 and a 52-week high of $133.01. The stock has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.62 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.12. The stocks 50-day moving average is $125.20 and its 200 day moving average is $115.38. Insider Activity GATX ( NYSE:GATX Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The transportation company reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.12. GATX had a net margin of 16.46% and a return on equity of 11.48%. The firm had revenue of $343.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $338.02 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.07 earnings per share. GATXs revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that GATX will post 6.9 EPS for the current year. In other news, VP Jennifer Mcmanus sold 1,000 shares of GATX stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.61, for a total value of $120,610.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,582 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $190,805.02. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Paul F. Titterton sold 8,100 shares of GATX stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.84, for a total transaction of $970,704.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,373 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,362,940.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Jennifer Mcmanus sold 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.61, for a total transaction of $120,610.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,582 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $190,805.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,700 shares of company stock valued at $1,414,832. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GATX. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in GATX by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,453 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 817 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of GATX by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 15,209 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,617,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of GATX by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 31,014 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $3,412,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in shares of GATX by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 23,754 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,526,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of GATX by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 646,675 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $68,767,000 after buying an additional 19,823 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.87% of the companys stock. About GATX (Get Free Report) GATX Corporation, together its subsidiaries, operates as railcar leasing company in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and India. It operates through three segments: Rail North America, Rail International, and Portfolio Management. The company leases tank and freight railcars, and locomotives for petroleum, chemical, food/agriculture, and transportation industries. Read More Receive News & Ratings for GATX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for GATX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The booth will open in August (Photo: organizing board) The event aims to implement the Prime Minister's Project 1797 on "Mobilizing overseas Vietnamese to participate in introducing, consuming products and developing distribution channels of Vietnamese goods abroad in the 2020 2024 period." Vietnamese businesses can contact the Vietnam Taiwan Economic, Cultural and Educational Development Association, which has its office at No. 32C Truong Dinh, Ward 7, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, to display their products for six months free of charge in the four largest Southeast Asia supermarket chains in Taiwan in Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Gao Xiong cities. Also on August 27, Vietnam- Taiwan Business Association will hold the final round of the first Vietnamese language honoring program and the presentation contest in Vietnamese language themed I love Vietnamese. This program aims to support the new generation of new immigrants, overseas Vietnamese students and workers in Taiwan to integrate into a local life in Taiwan, as well as honoring the Vietnamese language, promoting Vietnamese culture and trade. At the event, many folk games, art performances, cultural and commercial exhibitions, among others, will be organized./. Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $3.69-$3.81 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.78. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Highwoods Properties Stock Performance NYSE HIW traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $25.22. 1,020,173 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,106,728. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $23.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15 and a beta of 1.16. Highwoods Properties has a 52 week low of $19.45 and a 52 week high of $35.78. Get Highwoods Properties alerts: Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.93%. Highwoods Propertiess payout ratio is currently 138.89%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Institutional Investors Weigh In On Highwoods Properties A number of research firms have weighed in on HIW. 888 reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. SpectralCast reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Citigroup reissued a neutral rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Friday, June 30th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $27.71. Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties in the first quarter valued at $27,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 76.6% during the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,095 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 165.3% during the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 2,181 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 1,359 shares during the last quarter. First Manhattan Co. purchased a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 82.8% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,298 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the companys stock. Highwoods Properties Company Profile (Get Free Report) Highwoods Properties, Inc, headquartered in Raleigh, is a publicly-traded (NYSE:HIW) real estate investment trust (REIT) and a member of the S&P MidCap 400 Index. The Company is a fully-integrated office REIT that owns, develops, acquires, leases and manages properties primarily in the best business districts (BBDs) of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, Richmond and Tampa. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Highwoods Properties Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Highwoods Properties and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF (BATS:HEFA Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $30.94 and last traded at $30.65, with a volume of 686060 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.50. iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF Stock Performance The company has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.71. Get iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF alerts: iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 5th were given a dividend of $0.5543 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 3rd. Institutional Inflows and Outflows iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF Company Profile Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF in the second quarter valued at approximately $217,000. SVB Wealth LLC grew its holdings in iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF by 44.5% during the second quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 7,305 shares of the companys stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 2,250 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its holdings in iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF by 206.8% during the second quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 9,836 shares of the companys stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 6,630 shares during the period. BIP Wealth LLC acquired a new position in iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF during the second quarter worth $350,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF by 10.2% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 13,518 shares of the companys stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares during the period. (Get Free Report) The iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF (HEFA) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted, USD-hedged index of large- and mid-cap stocks from developed countries outside the US and Canada. HEFA was launched on Jan 31, 2014 and is managed by BlackRock. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, July 28th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.36 per share by the aerospace company on Friday, September 29th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. Leidos has increased its dividend payment by an average of 2.9% annually over the last three years. Leidos has a dividend payout ratio of 19.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Leidos to earn $7.22 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.44 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 19.9%. Get Leidos alerts: Leidos Stock Up 1.7 % NYSE LDOS traded up $1.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $93.76. The stock had a trading volume of 890,023 shares, compared to its average volume of 948,184. Leidos has a 1 year low of $76.58 and a 1 year high of $110.91. The stock has a market cap of $12.86 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $85.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Insider Buying and Selling Leidos ( NYSE:LDOS Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The aerospace company reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.12). Leidos had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 4.60%. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.58 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Leidos will post 6.49 earnings per share for the current year. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,618 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.71, for a total value of $206,062.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,352 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $893,515.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell purchased 6,300 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $78.81 per share, for a total transaction of $496,503.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,300 shares in the company, valued at $496,503. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,618 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.71, for a total transaction of $206,062.78. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $893,515.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders bought 7,625 shares of company stock valued at $602,898. Company insiders own 1.52% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Leidos Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp raised its position in shares of Leidos by 548.8% during the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 266 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Leidos by 1,340.7% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 389 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.84% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades LDOS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Leidos from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 3rd. TheStreet downgraded shares of Leidos from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Monday, May 15th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Leidos from $120.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Leidos from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Leidos from $113.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 9th. Three equities 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, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $103.63. Leidos Company Profile (Get Free Report) Leidos Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides services and solutions in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Defense Solutions, Civil, and Health. The Defense Solutions segment offers national security solutions and systems for air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace for the U.S. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Leidos Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Leidos and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ASB Consultores LLC decreased its holdings in AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV Free Report) by 9.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,263 shares of the companys stock after selling 340 shares during the quarter. ASB Consultores LLCs holdings in AbbVie were worth $520,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of AbbVie by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 31,571,750 shares of the companys stock worth $5,102,311,000 after buying an additional 4,785,277 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AbbVie by 89,097.0% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 29,203,106 shares of the companys stock worth $4,719,514,000 after acquiring an additional 29,170,366 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AbbVie during the 4th quarter worth about $3,033,348,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of AbbVie by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,020,912 shares of the companys stock worth $1,457,870,000 after purchasing an additional 101,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in AbbVie by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 6,730,331 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,087,689,000 after acquiring an additional 389,877 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.27% of the companys stock. Get AbbVie alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have commented on the company. TheStreet cut AbbVie from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Friday, July 14th. Argus lowered AbbVie from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Barclays increased their price target on AbbVie from $155.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. William Blair began coverage on AbbVie in a research report on Tuesday. They set a market perform rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on AbbVie in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, AbbVie presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $163.88. AbbVie Stock Performance AbbVie stock traded up $2.00 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $150.85. 7,974,137 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,010,386. AbbVie Inc. has a 52 week low of $130.96 and a 52 week high of $168.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $266.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.56. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $137.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $147.72. AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.02. AbbVie had a return on equity of 153.92% and a net margin of 13.37%. The business had revenue of $12.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.16 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that AbbVie Inc. will post 10.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. AbbVie Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 13th. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.92%. AbbVies dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 139.95%. AbbVie Company Profile (Free Report) AbbVie Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Humira, a therapy administered as an injection for autoimmune, intestinal Behcet's diseases, and pyoderma gangrenosum; Skyrizi to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic disease, and Crohn's disease; Rinvoq, a JAK inhibitor to treat rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, atopic dermatitis, axial spondyloarthropathy, and ulcerative colitis; Imbruvica for the treatment of adult patients with blood cancers; and Venclexta/Venclyxto to treat hematological malignancies. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABBV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for AbbVie Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AbbVie and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Free Report) by 89.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,308 shares of the companys stock after selling 29,005 shares during the quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLCs holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland were worth $264,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 4th quarter worth $525,111,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 4th quarter worth about $369,091,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 1,328.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 902,850 shares of the companys stock worth $83,468,000 after acquiring an additional 839,659 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,744,254 shares of the companys stock worth $626,204,000 after acquiring an additional 570,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edmp Inc. increased its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 8,814.6% in the 4th quarter. Edmp Inc. now owns 560,907 shares of the companys stock worth $6,041,000 after acquiring an additional 554,615 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.13% of the companys stock. Get Archer-Daniels-Midland alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, insider Fruit Molly L. Strader sold 1,455 shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.80, for a total value of $126,294.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $938,221.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Archer-Daniels-Midland Trading Up 0.7 % Shares of NYSE:ADM traded up $0.59 during trading on Friday, hitting $86.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,620,871 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,034,844. The stock has a market cap of $46.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.81. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a one year low of $69.92 and a one year high of $98.28. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.30. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a return on equity of 17.52% and a net margin of 4.14%. The firm had revenue of $25.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.82 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.15 EPS. Archer-Daniels-Midlands quarterly revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Archer-Daniels-Midland Company will post 7.2 earnings per share for the current year. Archer-Daniels-Midland Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 17th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 16th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. Archer-Daniels-Midlands payout ratio is currently 24.03%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In ADM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $87.00 to $85.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. They set an outperform rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Archer-Daniels-Midland from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays dropped their price target on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $99.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $98.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $99.50. About Archer-Daniels-Midland (Free Report) Archer-Daniels-Midland Company procures, transports, stores, processes, and merchandises agricultural commodities, products, and ingredients in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ADM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Archer-Daniels-Midland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Archer-Daniels-Midland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wrap Technologies (OTCMKTS:WRTC Get Free Report) and CompX International (NYSE:CIX Get Free Report) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability and earnings. Earnings & Valuation This table compares Wrap Technologies and CompX Internationals revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Get Wrap Technologies alerts: Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Wrap Technologies N/A N/A N/A ($0.37) -5.00 CompX International $166.60 million 1.71 $20.87 million $1.78 13.03 CompX International has higher revenue and earnings than Wrap Technologies. Wrap Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CompX International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Risk & Volatility Analyst Ratings Wrap Technologies has a beta of 1.87, indicating that its share price is 87% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CompX International has a beta of 0.65, indicating that its share price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Wrap Technologies and CompX International, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Wrap Technologies 0 0 0 0 N/A CompX International 0 0 0 0 N/A Profitability This table compares Wrap Technologies and CompX Internationals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Wrap Technologies N/A N/A N/A CompX International 13.28% 13.48% 12.13% Insider & Institutional Ownership 15.6% of Wrap Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 8.0% of CompX International shares are held by institutional investors. 54.5% of Wrap Technologies shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of CompX International shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Summary CompX International beats Wrap Technologies on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks. About Wrap Technologies (Get Free Report) Wrap Technologies, Inc operates as a development stage security technology company. It focuses on delivering solutions to customers, primarily law enforcement and security personnel. The firm products includes BolaWrap 100, which is a hand-held remote restraint device that discharges an eight-foot bola style Kevlar tether to entangle an individual at a range of 10-25 feet. The company was founded by Elwood G. Norris, Scot J. Cohen and James A. Barnes on March 2, 2016 and is headquartered in Las Vegas, NV. About CompX International (Get Free Report) CompX International Inc. manufactures and sells security products and recreational marine components primarily in North America. It operates in two segments, Security Products and Marine Components. The Security Products segment manufactures mechanical and electrical cabinet locks, and other locking mechanisms used in various applications, including ignition systems, mailboxes, file cabinets, desk drawers, tool storage cabinets, high security medical cabinetry, integrated inventory and access control secured narcotics boxes, electrical circuit panels, storage compartments, gas station security, and vending and cash containment machines. This segment serves recreational transportation, postal, office and institutional furniture, cabinetry, tool storage, healthcare, and other industries. The Marine Components segment manufactures and distributes stainless steel exhaust headers, exhaust pipes, mufflers, and other exhaust components; gauges, such as GPS speedometers and tachometers; mechanical and electronic controls and throttles; wake enhancement systems, trim tabs, steering wheels, and billet aluminum accessories; dash panels, LED indicators, and wire harnesses; and grab handles, pin cleats, and related hardware and accessories primarily for performance and ski/wakeboard boats for the recreational marine and other industries. The company sells its products directly to original equipment manufacturers, as well as through distributors. The company was incorporated in 1993 and is based in Dallas, Texas. CompX International Inc. is a subsidiary of NL Industries, Inc. Receive News & Ratings for Wrap Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wrap Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Argentina Lithium & Energy Corp. (CVE:LIT Get Free Report)s stock price traded down 2% on Friday . The company traded as low as C$0.23 and last traded at C$0.25. 39,102 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average session volume of 75,187 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.26. Argentina Lithium & Energy Stock Down 2.0 % The firms fifty day simple moving average is C$0.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of C$32.51 million, a PE ratio of -2.50 and a beta of 1.61. Get Argentina Lithium & Energy alerts: Argentina Lithium & Energy (CVE:LIT Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 19th. The company reported C($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Argentina Lithium & Energy Company Profile Argentina Lithium & Energy Corp., a junior mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of natural resource properties in the Americas and Argentina. The company holds 100% interest in the Incahuasi lithium project covering an area of approximately 13,372 hectares of granted mineral rights properties located in the Catamarca Province, Argentina. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Argentina Lithium & Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Argentina Lithium & Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Arkansas Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF (NYSEARCA:RYF Free Report) by 23.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 21,192 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 4,022 shares during the quarter. Arkansas Financial Group Inc.s holdings in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF were worth $1,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF by 215.2% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 539 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $78,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $93,000. Blair William & Co. IL purchased a new stake in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $169,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp purchased a new stake in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $172,000. Get Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF alerts: Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF Stock Performance NYSEARCA RYF traded up $0.19 on Friday, hitting $54.34. The stock had a trading volume of 29,246 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,626. Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF has a 52-week low of $47.21 and a 52-week high of $62.37. The company has a market capitalization of $355.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $51.17 and a 200-day moving average of $53.38. Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF Profile The Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF (RYF) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P 500 Equal Weighted \u002F Financials index. The fund tracks an equal-weighted index of financial stocks pulled from the S&P 500. RYF was launched on Nov 1, 2006 and is managed by Invesco. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding RYF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF (NYSEARCA:RYF Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ballston Spa Bancorp, Inc. (OTCMKTS:BSPA Get Free Report)s stock price traded up 8.5% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $51.00 and last traded at $51.00. 200 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 543 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.01. Ballston Spa Bancorp Trading Up 8.5 % The companys 50-day moving average price is $49.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.77. Get Ballston Spa Bancorp alerts: Ballston Spa Bancorp Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 5th were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 2nd. About Ballston Spa Bancorp Ballston Spa Bancorp, Inc operates as a holding company for Ballston Spa National Bank that provides a range of banking, financing, fiduciary, brokerage, and other financial services to corporate, municipal, and individual customers in the United States. The company offers checking, savings, money market, health savings, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; loan products, such as mortgage and home equity, construction, auto, boat, RV, personal, small business, term, and commercial real estate loans, as well as lines of credit and government programs; and debits and credit cards. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Ballston Spa Bancorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ballston Spa Bancorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Baloise Holding AG (OTCMKTS:BLHEF Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,800 shares, a growth of 98.0% from the June 30th total of 10,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 0 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently days. Baloise Trading Up 5.5 % Shares of OTCMKTS:BLHEF traded up $7.81 on Friday, hitting $149.96. 1 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 67. Baloise has a 1-year low of $142.15 and a 1-year high of $153.45. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $151.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.53. Get Baloise alerts: Baloise Company Profile (Get Free Report) Featured Articles Baloise Holding AG, together with its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the insurance and banking businesses in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg. It operates through Non-Life, Life, Asset Management & Banking, and Other Activities segments. The company offers various non-life insurance products, including accident, health, general liability, motor, fire and other property, marine, credit protection, and legal expenses insurance. Receive News & Ratings for Baloise Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Baloise and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Delegates at the Laos-Vietnam Combat Alliance Monument in Laos' Oudomxay province (Photo: VNA) The event, aiming to mark the 76th anniversary of the War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2023), attracted the participation of a large number of overseas Vietnamese living and working in Oudomxay. At the ceremony, the representative of the organizing committee said that the special friendship, faithful solidarity between Vietnam and Laos have been diligently cultivated by the two parties, two states, and two peoples over decades, especially in the revolution against the common enemy. The dedication and sacrifice of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers are a shining symbol of revolutionary heroism, expressing the burning desire to gain independence, freedom, and happiness for the two peoples of Vietnam and Laos. On June 26, the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos in collaboration with the Lao Veterans Federation and related agencies held incense offering ceremonies to commemorate Vietnamese and Lao martyrs at the the Laos-Vietnam Combat Alliance Monument in Thoulakhom district, and the monument dedicated to Vietnamese martyrs in Kasy district of Vientiane province./. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 7,991 shares of the utilities providers stock, valued at approximately $543,000. Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of NGG. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in shares of National Grid in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in National Grid by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 71,544 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $5,501,000 after buying an additional 2,222 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in National Grid by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 397,048 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $30,521,000 after buying an additional 30,176 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its holdings in National Grid by 103.0% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 46,322 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,561,000 after buying an additional 23,501 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in National Grid by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 606,543 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $46,625,000 after buying an additional 31,695 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 4.24% of the companys stock. Get National Grid alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth NGG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price target on National Grid from GBX 1,250 ($16.03) to GBX 1,280 ($16.41) in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on National Grid from GBX 1,150 ($14.75) to GBX 1,275 ($16.35) in a research note on Monday, April 17th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on National Grid in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on National Grid from GBX 1,080 ($13.85) to GBX 1,050 ($13.46) in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on National Grid in a research note on Monday, July 17th. They set a neutral rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Grid presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $1,176.25. National Grid Trading Down 0.7 % National Grid Increases Dividend Shares of NGG traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $67.13. 254,538 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 332,865. National Grid plc has a 52-week low of $47.22 and a 52-week high of $74.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $67.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $2.3458 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 4.5%. This is a boost from National Grids previous semi-annual dividend of $2.09. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 1st. About National Grid (Free Report) National Grid plc transmits and distributes electricity and gas. The company operates through UK Electricity Transmission, UK Electricity Distribution, UK Electricity System Operator, New England, New York, National Grid Ventures, and Other segments. The UK Electricity Transmission segment provides electricity transmission and construction work services in England and Wales. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NGG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for National Grid Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for National Grid and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Black Diamond Group Limited (TSE:BDI Get Free Report) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of C$6.15 and traded as high as C$6.29. Black Diamond Group shares last traded at C$6.15, with a volume of 15,859 shares traded. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on Black Diamond Group from C$8.50 to C$8.25 in a report on Monday, May 8th. Get Black Diamond Group alerts: Black Diamond Group Trading Up 0.7 % The company has a fifty day moving average of C$6.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$6.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 86.13. The stock has a market capitalization of C$375.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 1.51. Black Diamond Group Dividend Announcement Black Diamond Group ( TSE:BDI Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported C$0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$0.11 by C($0.04). Black Diamond Group had a net margin of 7.98% and a return on equity of 10.90%. The business had revenue of C$81.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$80.10 million. On average, research analysts expect that Black Diamond Group Limited will post 0.4100475 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th were given a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. Black Diamond Groups dividend payout ratio is 18.18%. About Black Diamond Group (Get Free Report) Black Diamond Group Limited rents and sells modular space and workforce accommodation solutions. It operates through two segments, Modular Space Solutions and Workforce Solutions. The Modular Space Solutions segment provides modular space rentals to customers in the construction, real estate development, education, manufacturing, health care, financial, government, and defense industries in North America. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Black Diamond Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Black Diamond Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust plc (LON:BRGE Get Free Report) rose 2.4% on Thursday . The company traded as high as GBX 545 ($6.99) and last traded at GBX 545 ($6.99). Approximately 49,952 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 100,715 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 532 ($6.82). BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust Price Performance The business has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 538.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 529.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market cap of 550.45 million, a PE ratio of 3,205.88 and a beta of 0.97. Get BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust alerts: BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust Cuts Dividend The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 18th were paid a GBX 1.75 ($0.02) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.32%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 18th. BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4,117.65%. Insiders Place Their Bets BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust Company Profile In related news, insider Paola Subacchi bought 1,083 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 544 ($6.98) per share, with a total value of 5,891.52 ($7,554.20). Corporate insiders own 10.41% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust plc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched by BlackRock Fund Managers Limited. It is managed by BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of Europe, excluding the United Kingdom. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Read More Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Westpac Banking Corp lowered its holdings in Boston Scientific Co. (NYSE:BSX Free Report) by 41.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 250,554 shares of the medical equipment providers stock after selling 174,840 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corps holdings in Boston Scientific were worth $12,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BSX. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Boston Scientific in the first quarter valued at $54,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Boston Scientific during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in Boston Scientific during the 1st quarter worth about $1,076,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Boston Scientific by 24.0% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 28,793 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 5,581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Boston Scientific during the 1st quarter worth about $230,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.20% of the companys stock. Get Boston Scientific alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have issued reports on BSX shares. TheStreet raised Boston Scientific from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 30th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Boston Scientific from $58.00 to $59.00 in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Boston Scientific from $52.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Boston Scientific from $60.00 to $61.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Boston Scientific from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $58.20. Insider Activity at Boston Scientific Boston Scientific Stock Performance In related news, EVP Wendy Carruthers sold 11,671 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.85, for a total transaction of $616,812.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,584 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,571,814.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . In other Boston Scientific news, EVP Joseph Michael Fitzgerald sold 63,339 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.60, for a total value of $3,394,970.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 213,859 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $11,462,842.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . Also, EVP Wendy Carruthers sold 11,671 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.85, for a total value of $616,812.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,584 shares in the company, valued at $3,571,814.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 176,779 shares of company stock valued at $9,371,164. Company insiders own 0.71% of the companys stock. BSX stock traded down $0.95 during trading on Friday, reaching $51.69. 10,509,429 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,145,449. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Boston Scientific Co. has a 1-year low of $37.74 and a 1-year high of $54.74. The companys fifty day moving average price is $52.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.23. The firm has a market cap of $72.37 billion, a PE ratio of 87.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.80. Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The medical equipment provider reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.50 billion. Boston Scientific had a return on equity of 14.57% and a net margin of 6.91%. The companys revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Boston Scientific Co. will post 1.95 EPS for the current fiscal year. Boston Scientific Profile (Free Report) Boston Scientific Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for use in various interventional medical specialties worldwide. It operates through MedSurg and Cardiovascular segments. The company offers devices to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal and pulmonary conditions; devices to treat various urological and pelvic conditions; implantable cardioverter and implantable cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators; pacemakers and implantable cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemakers; and remote patient management systems. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BSX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Boston Scientific Co. (NYSE:BSX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Boston Scientific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Boston Scientific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Van ECK Associates Corp decreased its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report) by 29.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 340,772 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 145,080 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corps holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $23,619,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,873,696,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 114,228.7% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,469,785 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,544,751,000 after purchasing an additional 21,451,006 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 2,077.2% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,049,072 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $280,641,000 after purchasing an additional 3,863,095 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 35.7% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 13,794,089 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $992,048,000 after purchasing an additional 3,627,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edmp Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 6,884.3% in the 4th quarter. Edmp Inc. now owns 3,343,588 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $46,471,000 after purchasing an additional 3,295,715 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.57% of the companys stock. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts recently commented on BMY shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $78.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday. SVB Leerink reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Monday, July 10th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, 51job reissued a maintains rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Friday, April 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $72.07. Insider Activity at Bristol-Myers Squibb Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Up 1.1 % In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, EVP Rupert Vessey sold 50,385 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $3,378,818.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,751 shares in the company, valued at $3,202,182.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . Insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock. Shares of BMY stock traded up $0.68 on Friday, hitting $61.41. The stock had a trading volume of 11,561,338 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,267,438. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 52-week low of $60.05 and a 52-week high of $81.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $129.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.43. The stocks 50 day moving average is $64.37 and its 200-day moving average is $67.99. Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.81 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 51.75% and a net margin of 15.95%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.93 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.01 earnings per share for the current year. Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Investors of record on Friday, July 7th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs payout ratio is presently 66.47%. About Bristol-Myers Squibb (Free Report) Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Canadian Utilities (OTCMKTS:CDUAF Free Report) had its price target cut by Scotiabank from C$41.00 to C$40.00 in a report issued on Friday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. CIBC reduced their price target on Canadian Utilities from C$40.00 to C$38.00 in a research report on Friday, July 21st. TD Securities reduced their price target on Canadian Utilities from C$39.00 to C$37.00 in a research report on Friday. Get Canadian Utilities alerts: Canadian Utilities Trading Down 3.6 % Shares of CDUAF stock opened at $24.89 on Friday. Canadian Utilities has a 1 year low of $23.89 and a 1 year high of $32.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $26.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.16. About Canadian Utilities Canadian Utilities Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the electricity, natural gas, and retail energy businesses in the United States, Australia, and internationally. It operates through Utilities, Energy Infrastructure, and Corporate & Other segments. The Utilities segment provides regulated electricity transmission and distribution services in northern and central east Alberta, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories; and integrated natural gas transmission and distribution services in Alberta, the Lloydminster area of Saskatchewan, and Western Australia. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Utilities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Utilities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of CEIBA Investments Limited (LON:CBA Get Free Report) were up 5.9% on Friday . The stock traded as high as GBX 36 ($0.46) and last traded at GBX 36 ($0.46). Approximately 70,200 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 770% from the average daily volume of 8,069 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 34 ($0.44). CEIBA Investments Stock Up 5.9 % The company has a current ratio of 4.16, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.31. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 34.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 36.27. The firm has a market capitalization of 49.56 million, a P/E ratio of -360.00 and a beta of 0.25. CEIBA Investments Company Profile (Get Free Report) Ceiba Investments Ltd is a Guernsey based Investment fund dedicated to attract investment and invest in various sectors of the Cuban economy. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for CEIBA Investments Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CEIBA Investments and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:CX Get Free Report) traded up 5.8% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $7.99 and last traded at $7.98. 1,690,462 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 6,226,401 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.54. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms recently commented on CX. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of CEMEX from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the company from $5.90 to $9.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of CEMEX from $9.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on CEMEX from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup cut CEMEX from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Friday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on CEMEX from $8.00 to $9.00 in a report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CEMEX has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $7.87. Get CEMEX alerts: CEMEX Price Performance The companys fifty day moving average price is $6.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.98. The company has a market capitalization of $11.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.78, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Hedge Funds Weigh In On CEMEX CEMEX ( NYSE:CX Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $4.04 billion for the quarter. CEMEX had a net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 5.13%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. will post 0.69 EPS for the current year. A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CX. Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its holdings in CEMEX by 12.6% in the first quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 34,964,848 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $193,356,000 after buying an additional 3,913,008 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new position in CEMEX in the first quarter valued at $61,679,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in CEMEX by 4.2% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,776,419 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $59,585,000 after buying an additional 431,683 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in CEMEX by 470.1% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 8,398,810 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $46,432,000 after buying an additional 6,925,661 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in CEMEX by 155.8% in the second quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 8,390,996 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $59,408,000 after buying an additional 5,110,521 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 29.88% of the companys stock. CEMEX Company Profile (Get Free Report) CEMEX, SAB. de C.V., together with its subsidiaries, produces, markets, distributes, and sells cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, urbanization solutions, and other construction materials worldwide. The company also offers asphalt, concrete blocks, concrete block paving, rail sleepers, and flooring systems; architectural concrete products; and box culverts, bridges, drainage basins, barriers, and parking curbs. See Also Receive News & Ratings for CEMEX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CEMEX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Central Japan Railway (OTCMKTS:CJPRY Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 61,200 shares, a growth of 45.7% from the June 30th total of 42,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 85,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days. Central Japan Railway Stock Up 0.5 % CJPRY stock traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $12.87. 43,185 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 37,196. Central Japan Railway has a twelve month low of $10.85 and a twelve month high of $13.32. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.09. The company has a quick ratio of 3.67, a current ratio of 3.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Get Central Japan Railway alerts: Central Japan Railway (OTCMKTS:CJPRY Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $2.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.78 billion. Central Japan Railway had a return on equity of 5.92% and a net margin of 15.56%. Sell-side analysts expect that Central Japan Railway will post 1.1 earnings per share for the current year. Central Japan Railway Company Profile Central Japan Railway Company engages in the railway and related businesses in Japan. The company operates through Transportation, Merchandise and Other, Real Estate, and Other segments. It primarily operates Tokaido Shinkansen, a transportation artery that links metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, as well as operates a network of 12 conventional lines centered on the Nagoya and Shizuoka areas. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Central Japan Railway Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Central Japan Railway and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSEAMERICAN:CQP Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Saturday, July 29th, investing.com reports. Investors of record on Monday, August 7th will be paid a dividend of 0.255 per share by the energy company on Monday, August 14th. This represents a yield of 8.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 4th. Cheniere Energy Partners has raised its dividend by an average of 17.0% per year over the last three years. Cheniere Energy Partners has a dividend payout ratio of 100.7% indicating that the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Equities analysts expect Cheniere Energy Partners to earn $3.40 per share next year, which means the company may not be able to cover its $4.12 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 121.2%. Get Cheniere Energy Partners alerts: Cheniere Energy Partners Stock Performance Shares of CQP opened at $51.76 on Friday. Cheniere Energy Partners has a fifty-two week low of $42.96 and a fifty-two week high of $62.08. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $46.59. The stock has a market cap of $25.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.51 and a beta of 0.83. Analyst Ratings Changes Cheniere Energy Partners ( NYSEAMERICAN:CQP Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The energy company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.73. Cheniere Energy Partners had a net margin of 25.45% and a negative return on equity of 133.75%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy Partners will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current year. A number of equities research analysts have commented on CQP shares. UBS Group raised shares of Cheniere Energy Partners from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $57.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy Partners from a peer perform rating to an underperform rating and set a $43.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, June 1st. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy Partners from $56.00 to $48.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Cheniere Energy Partners from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy Partners from $53.00 to $49.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $50.38. Insider Activity In other news, COO Corey Grindal sold 7,649 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.93, for a total value of $351,318.57. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy Partners A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy Partners by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,626 shares of the energy companys stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy Partners during the 1st quarter worth $148,000. Oak Grove Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy Partners during the 1st quarter worth $237,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy Partners by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,280 shares of the energy companys stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 4,157 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy Partners by 77.1% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 113,177 shares of the energy companys stock worth $5,356,000 after purchasing an additional 49,272 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 46.48% of the companys stock. Cheniere Energy Partners Company Profile (Get Free Report) Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P., through its subsidiaries, provides liquefied natural gas (LNG) to integrated energy companies, utilities, and energy trading companies worldwide. It owns and operates natural gas liquefaction and export facility at the Sabine Pass LNG production terminal located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Cheniere Energy Partners Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cheniere Energy Partners and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A Vietnamese class in Taiwan (China) (Photo: Vietnam - Taiwan Business Association) The competition aims to promote the role of overseas Vietnamese in Taiwan (China) in developing and spreading Vietnamese language teaching and learning, and at the same time using Vietnamese as a foundation to promote Vietnamese culture and commerce, honoring the Vietnamese language in Taiwan. Contestants are overseas Vietnamese born and raised in Taiwan and Taiwanese people learning Vietnamese. The competition is divided into two rounds: preliminary and final. Entries participating in the competition must be sent to the organizing committee from July 22 to August 20. Contestants send video clips to register for the competition according to the QRCODE code provided by the organizing committee. Contestants can choose one of 15 readings provided by the organizing committee and record a short video presenting their readings. The best eight works will be selected to participate in the final round at the ASEAN Taichung Square on August 27. Each work is up to 3-4 minutes in length. Contestants can use tablets, cell phones, cameras or professional camcorders to record their videos. The work illustrations can be added to their videos. Contestants must not use any voice editing or support software. At the final round, contestants will draw to choose one of eight poems and prose provided by the organizing committee. Each contestant will give a 3-4 minute presentation. The total prize of the competition is up to 32,000 CNY along with a certificate of merit from the organizing committee./. Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG Free Report) had its price target lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $2,250.00 to $2,150.00 in a research report report published on Thursday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on CMG. Wedbush reduced their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,300.00 to $2,200.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,050.00 to $2,250.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,200.00 to $2,570.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,240.00 to $2,454.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,200.00 to $2,400.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $2,139.72. Get Chipotle Mexican Grill alerts: Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance Shares of NYSE CMG traded up $29.54 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $1,912.52. The companys stock had a trading volume of 685,013 shares, compared to its average volume of 297,172. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $2,072.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,826.95. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 1 year low of $1,344.05 and a 1 year high of $2,175.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.31. Insider Buying and Selling Chipotle Mexican Grill ( NYSE:CMG Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 26th. The restaurant operator reported $12.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.25 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $2.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 12.00% and a return on equity of 47.64%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.30 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 44.35 EPS for the current fiscal year. In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 3,658 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,066.73, for a total value of $7,560,098.34. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,383,237.01. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 3,658 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,066.73, for a total value of $7,560,098.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,637 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,383,237.01. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 1,077 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,055.00, for a total transaction of $2,213,235.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,347 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $47,978,085. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,528 shares of company stock worth $19,738,136 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Traynor Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 16.5% during the 2nd quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 141 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter valued at about $210,000. Retirement Income Solutions Inc acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter valued at about $218,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 1,956 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $4,184,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance increased its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,053 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $4,391,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.91% of the companys stock. About Chipotle Mexican Grill (Get Free Report) Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It offers burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newport Beach, California. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited (OTCMKTS:CJEWY Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 300 shares, a growth of 50.0% from the June 30th total of 200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days. Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Price Performance Shares of OTCMKTS:CJEWY remained flat at $16.88 during midday trading on Friday. 1 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 885. Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group has a 52 week low of $15.74 and a 52 week high of $22.47. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 1.51. Get Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group alerts: Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.9189 per share. This is a positive change from Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Groups previous dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 12th. About Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited, an investment holding company, manufactures and sells jewelry products in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Cambodia, Canada, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam. The company offers gem-set, platinum and k-gold jewelry, and gold jewelry and products under the CHOW TAI FOOK, HEARTS ON FIRE, ENZO, MONOLOGUE, and SOINLOVE brands. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Conifex Timber Inc. (TSE:CFF Free Report) Equities researchers at Raymond James decreased their Q2 2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Conifex Timber in a research note issued to investors on Monday, July 24th. Raymond James analyst D. Swetlishoff now anticipates that the company will post earnings of ($0.19) per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of ($0.01). The consensus estimate for Conifex Timbers current full-year earnings is $0.16 per share. Raymond James also issued estimates for Conifex Timbers Q3 2023 earnings at $0.01 EPS, Q4 2023 earnings at $0.01 EPS and FY2023 earnings at ($0.38) EPS. Get Conifex Timber alerts: Conifex Timber (TSE:CFF Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The company reported C($0.20) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C($0.10) by C($0.10). Conifex Timber had a return on equity of 3.56% and a net margin of 2.51%. The company had revenue of C$39.90 million for the quarter. Conifex Timber Price Performance Separately, CIBC dropped their target price on Conifex Timber from C$1.50 to C$1.25 in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Shares of Conifex Timber stock opened at C$1.35 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of C$1.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$1.46. Conifex Timber has a 12 month low of C$1.12 and a 12 month high of C$2.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.31, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of C$53.66 million, a P/E ratio of 10.38, a PEG ratio of 0.06 and a beta of 1.66. Conifex Timber Company Profile (Get Free Report) Conifex Timber Inc primarily manufactures and sells lumber products in the United States, Canada, Japan, and internationally. It is involved in the timber harvesting, reforestation, and forest management activities; manufacture of finished softwood lumber from spruce, pine, and fir logs; manufacture, sale, and distribution of dimension lumber; processing logs into lumber and wood chips, as well as residual products, such as wood chips, trim blocks, sawdust, shavings, and barks; and providing value added lumber finishing services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Conifex Timber Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Conifex Timber and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI Mexico ETF (NYSEARCA:EWW Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 42,315 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $2,519,000. iShares MSCI Mexico ETF accounts for about 1.9% of Cora Capital Advisors LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Cora Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.21% of iShares MSCI Mexico ETF as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in iShares MSCI Mexico ETF by 185.2% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,610,744 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $178,550,000 after acquiring an additional 2,344,926 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in iShares MSCI Mexico ETF by 32.8% during the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,250,632 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $104,857,000 after purchasing an additional 555,612 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in iShares MSCI Mexico ETF by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,737,923 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $85,940,000 after purchasing an additional 469,010 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in iShares MSCI Mexico ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,366,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in iShares MSCI Mexico ETF by 1,348.5% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 586,505 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $29,003,000 after purchasing an additional 546,015 shares during the period. Get iShares MSCI Mexico ETF alerts: iShares MSCI Mexico ETF Trading Up 1.6 % NYSEARCA EWW opened at $65.36 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.73 and a beta of 1.00. iShares MSCI Mexico ETF has a 12-month low of $43.65 and a 12-month high of $65.73. The businesss 50 day moving average is $62.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.90. iShares MSCI Mexico ETF Company Profile iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI Mexico Capped Investable Market Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the MSCI Mexico IMI 25/50 Index (the Index). The Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Mexican Stock Exchange. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EWW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI Mexico ETF (NYSEARCA:EWW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Mexico ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Mexico ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dufry AG (OTCMKTS:DUFRY Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,100 shares, a decrease of 58.4% from the June 30th total of 45,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 126,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on DUFRY shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Dufry from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Friday, May 5th. Credit Suisse Group assumed coverage on shares of Dufry in a report on Friday, June 9th. They set an outperform rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $40.00. Get Dufry alerts: Dufry Price Performance OTCMKTS:DUFRY traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $5.01. 45,346 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 58,486. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.51. Dufry has a fifty-two week low of $2.91 and a fifty-two week high of $5.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.57, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Dufry Company Profile Dufry AG operates as a travel retailer. The company's retail brands include general travel retail shops under the Dufry, World Duty Free, Nuance, Hellenic Duty Free, Colombian Emeralds, Duty Free Uruguay, Hudson, Duty Free Shop Argentina, RegStaer, Autogrill, Hellenic Duty Free, HMSHost, and World Duty Free brands; Dufry shopping stores; brand boutiques; convenience stores primarily under the Hudson brand; and specialized shops and theme stores. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Dufry Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dufry and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI Get Free Report) updated its FY23 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of approx. $1.30 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36. Element Solutions also updated its FY 2023 guidance to $1.30-$1.30 EPS. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Element Solutions from $21.00 to $22.00 in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Element Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, June 20th. They set an outperform rating and a $23.00 price objective for the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Element Solutions from $24.00 to $23.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Element Solutions in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $21.21. Get Element Solutions alerts: Element Solutions Stock Performance ESI traded up $0.34 on Friday, reaching $20.93. The company had a trading volume of 1,999,849 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,282,595. Element Solutions has a 1 year low of $15.31 and a 1 year high of $21.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.05 billion, a PE ratio of 36.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 3.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $19.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.16. Element Solutions Dividend Announcement Element Solutions ( NYSE:ESI Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.31. The firm had revenue of $586.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $611.13 million. Element Solutions had a net margin of 5.90% and a return on equity of 13.10%. Element Solutionss quarterly revenue was down 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.38 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Element Solutions will post 1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 1st were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. Element Solutionss dividend payout ratio is presently 56.14%. Insider Buying and Selling at Element Solutions In other Element Solutions news, EVP Michael Goralski sold 28,000 shares of Element Solutions stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.07, for a total value of $533,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 131,808 shares in the company, valued at $2,513,578.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Carey J. Dorman sold 23,944 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total transaction of $442,964.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 159,278 shares in the company, valued at $2,946,643. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Goralski sold 28,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.07, for a total transaction of $533,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 131,808 shares in the company, valued at $2,513,578.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 230,362 shares of company stock worth $4,270,016. 7.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Element Solutions by 8.9% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 288,984 shares of the companys stock worth $6,329,000 after buying an additional 23,529 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Element Solutions by 19.1% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,710 shares of the companys stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 1,078 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Element Solutions by 27.9% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 16,912 shares of the companys stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 3,689 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Element Solutions in the first quarter valued at about $101,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in shares of Element Solutions by 14.6% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 93,764 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,053,000 after purchasing an additional 11,955 shares in the last quarter. 90.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Element Solutions Company Profile (Get Free Report) Element Solutions Inc operates as a specialty chemicals company in the United States, China, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Electronics, and Industrial & Specialty. The Electronics segment researches, formulates, and sells specialty chemicals and materials for various types of electronics hardware products. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Element Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Element Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Estate Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 15,555 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $615,000. Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 23,681,485 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $746,204,000 after purchasing an additional 836,407 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth about $426,463,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,106,074 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $241,749,000 after purchasing an additional 166,022 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,808,096 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $197,276,000 after buying an additional 192,558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Unum Group by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,686,124 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $110,235,000 after buying an additional 46,455 shares during the last quarter. 78.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Unum Group alerts: Unum Group Price Performance UNM stock opened at $48.84 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $46.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.36. The company has a market capitalization of $9.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.92, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $31.31 and a 52-week high of $49.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. Unum Group Increases Dividend Unum Group ( NYSE:UNM Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.22. Unum Group had a net margin of 11.78% and a return on equity of 14.67%. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.36 earnings per share. Unum Groups revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 7.5 EPS for the current year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 28th will be issued a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. This is a boost from Unum Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 27th. Unum Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.68%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Unum Group news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 2,800 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.71, for a total value of $125,188.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,119 shares in the company, valued at $318,290.49. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Unum Group news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 2,800 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.71, for a total value of $125,188.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,119 shares of the companys stock, valued at $318,290.49. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Puneet Bhasin sold 14,609 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.47, for a total transaction of $678,880.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 62,506 shares in the company, valued at $2,904,653.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 55,988 shares of company stock worth $2,513,529. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes UNM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $46.00 to $52.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th. They issued an overweight rating and a $57.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $48.60. Unum Group Profile (Free Report) Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block and Corporate segments. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UNM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Unum Group (NYSE:UNM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Unum Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Unum Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (OTCMKTS:FSPKF Get Free Report) and Top Glove Co. Bhd. (OTCMKTS:TGLVY Get Free Report) are both medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, dividends and valuation. Profitability This table compares Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and Top Glove Co. Bhd.s net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Fisher & Paykel Healthcare alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Fisher & Paykel Healthcare N/A N/A N/A Top Glove Co. Bhd. N/A N/A N/A Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and Top Glove Co. Bhd., as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Fisher & Paykel Healthcare 1 1 1 1 2.50 Top Glove Co. Bhd. 1 0 0 0 1.00 Dividends Fisher & Paykel Healthcare pays an annual dividend of $0.07 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Top Glove Co. Bhd. pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 83.3%. Fisher & Paykel Healthcare pays out 38.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Top Glove Co. Bhd. pays out 48.7% 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 31.4% of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Earnings and Valuation This table compares Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and Top Glove Co. Bhd.s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Fisher & Paykel Healthcare N/A N/A N/A $0.17 87.25 Top Glove Co. Bhd. N/A N/A N/A $1.15 0.58 Top Glove Co. Bhd. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Summary Fisher & Paykel Healthcare beats Top Glove Co. Bhd. on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (Get Free Report) Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, markets, and sells medical device products and systems worldwide. It also provides its products for use in acute and chronic respiratory care, and surgery, as well as the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the home and hospital. The company offers adult respiratory products, including optiflow nasal high flow therapy, invasive ventilation, and noninvasive ventilation. In addition, it provides infant respiratory products, such as resuscitation, invasive ventilation, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, and nasal high flow therapy products. Further, the company offers hospital products, including humidification products, breathing circuits, chambers, masks, nasal cannulas, surgical, accessories, and interfaces; and homecare products that include masks, CPAP devices, software and data management products, humidifiers, and accessories. Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. About Top Glove Co. Bhd. (Get Free Report) Top Glove Corporation Bhd. engages in the investment holding and provision of management services in Malaysia. The company offers medical examination, surgical, vinyl, and nitrile gloves; concentrate and synthetic latex, formers, chemicals and chemical compounds, rubber dental dams, exercise bands, condoms, and rubber related products; packaging materials, boxes, and cartons; and disposable and medical face masks, engineering parts and rubber glove machinery, functional fillers, healthcare products, and homecare and personal care products. It also provides property investment, consultancy services, and electrical engineering works; clinical and specialist medical services; analytical, emergency medical, advisory, general management, and value added services; management services in plantation sector, and processing of plantation produce; general trading; and industrial forest plantation, as well as forestry and industry services. In addition, the company trades in healthcare related products; distributes medical devices and other hospital related products; operates as a special purpose vehicle solely for issuance of Perpetual Sukuk; organizes in-house trainings and public trainings/programs; and establishes and maintains fitness related business, including healthcare, slimming centers, gymnasiums, and other related activities. Further, it generates and supplies energy and electricity using biomass technology; and offers e-commerce services for glove trading and other healthcare products. The company also exports its products to 195 countries worldwide. Top Glove Corporation Bhd. was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Receive News & Ratings for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com upgraded shares of First American Financial (NYSE:FAF Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Friday morning. FAF has been the subject of a number of other research reports. SpectralCast reiterated a maintains rating on shares of First American Financial in a research report on Tuesday, June 27th. BTIG Research restated a neutral rating on shares of First American Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Barclays reduced their target price on First American Financial from $65.00 to $63.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. Stephens increased their target price on First American Financial from $71.00 to $72.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on First American Financial from $67.00 to $77.00 in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $68.25. Get First American Financial alerts: First American Financial Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:FAF opened at $62.70 on Friday. First American Financial has a one year low of $43.54 and a one year high of $64.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $56.97 and a 200-day moving average of $57.18. The company has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a PE ratio of 27.14 and a beta of 1.25. First American Financial Dividend Announcement First American Financial ( NYSE:FAF Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The insurance provider reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.01. First American Financial had a return on equity of 10.73% and a net margin of 3.64%. The company had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that First American Financial will post 4.13 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 8th were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 7th. First American Financials payout ratio is 90.04%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On First American Financial Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FAF. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in First American Financial by 4.6% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 62,727 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $4,066,000 after buying an additional 2,765 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of First American Financial by 2.9% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 10,501 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $681,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of First American Financial by 19.7% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 28,814 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $1,868,000 after purchasing an additional 4,736 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of First American Financial by 7.1% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 3,725 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of First American Financial by 3.3% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 9,629,986 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $624,215,000 after purchasing an additional 303,214 shares during the last quarter. 85.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. First American Financial Company Profile (Get Free Report) First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Specialty Insurance segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services. Read More Receive News & Ratings for First American Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First American Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First National Bank of Omaha trimmed its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO Free Report) by 0.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 251,787 shares of the companys stock after selling 930 shares during the period. Coca-Cola comprises 0.9% of First National Bank of Omahas investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. First National Bank of Omahas holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $15,618,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 62.5% during the 1st quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 507 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 550 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. 68.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Coca-Cola alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other Coca-Cola news, SVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 50,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.66, for a total value of $3,133,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 143,383 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,984,378.78. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 50,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.66, for a total value of $3,133,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,984,378.78. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Henrique Braun sold 16,950 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 26,272 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,682,196.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 470,786 shares of company stock valued at $30,019,224 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.00% of the companys stock. Coca-Cola Price Performance Shares of Coca-Cola stock traded up $0.04 on Friday, hitting $62.48. 9,721,843 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,506,114. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $60.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The company has a market cap of $270.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.54. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12-month low of $54.01 and a 12-month high of $65.47. Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.06. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 23.81% and a return on equity of 43.06%. The company had revenue of $12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.70 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. Coca-Colas dividend payout ratio is currently 75.72%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts recently commented on KO shares. HSBC dropped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $77.00 to $74.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $61.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $69.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $68.33. Coca-Cola 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. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Coca-Cola Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Coca-Cola and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. At the event (Photo: nhandan.vn) Speaking at the event, Japanese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Ono Masuo hailed Long An provinces important position in connecting HCM City Vietnams biggest economic hub with the Mekong Delta provinces. With abundant agricultural resources and a well-developed industrial production industry, Long An is also home to the highest number of Japanese firms investing in the Mekong Delta region, he said. Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Nguyen Van Ut committed all possible support to investors, including in site clearance, transport infrastructure, administrative procedures, land and sectoral planning, among others. He said the provincial authorities and people are interested in developing ties with Japanese localities in various areas, notably Hyogo, Ibaraki, Wakayama and Nakagawa prefectures. At present, Long An is home to 138 Japanese projects worth around 767 million USD, placing Japan 4th in terms of volume and 5th in value among 40 countries and territories investing in the province. The same day, Long An and Japans Ibaraki prefecture signed a joint statement on bilateral cooperation. Accordingly, they will create favourable conditions for bilateral cooperative ties in the fields of investment, trade, tourism, agriculture, education, culture and much more in line with laws and relevant regulations of each country, and international agreements to which each country is a member. Since the beginning of 2020, Long An has sent nearly 1,100 guest workers abroad, 986 of them went to Japan. In the first half of this year, Long An attracted six Japanese projects valued at nearly 80 million USD./. Forza Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ABB Ltd (NYSE:ABBNY Free Report) by 13.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,620 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Forza Wealth Management LLCs holdings in ABB were worth $673,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ABBNY. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC raised its stake in ABB by 57.7% in the first quarter. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC now owns 3,005 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of ABB by 8.5% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 27,410 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $940,000 after purchasing an additional 2,155 shares in the last quarter. Smith Salley & Associates increased its stake in shares of ABB by 1.2% during the first quarter. Smith Salley & Associates now owns 94,138 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $3,229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,136 shares in the last quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC grew its holdings in shares of ABB by 12.9% during the first quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 112,018 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $3,842,000 after buying an additional 12,828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in ABB in the first quarter worth approximately $255,000. 5.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get ABB alerts: ABB Price Performance NYSE:ABBNY traded down $0.37 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $39.96. 105,432 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,196,466. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stocks 50-day moving average is $38.40 and its 200-day moving average is $35.47. The firm has a market cap of $75.20 billion, a PE ratio of 21.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 1.11. ABB Ltd has a twelve month low of $24.27 and a twelve month high of $41.03. Analyst Ratings Changes ABB ( NYSE:ABBNY Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.47 billion. ABB had a return on equity of 26.90% and a net margin of 10.99%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that ABB Ltd will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of ABB in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $26.25. About ABB (Free Report) ABB Ltd manufactures and sells electrification, automation, robotics, and motion products for customers in utilities, industry and transport, and infrastructure in Switzerland and internationally. Its Electrification segment provides electric vehicle charging infrastructure, renewable power solutions, modular substation packages, distribution automation products, switchboards and panel boards, switchgears, UPS solutions, circuit breakers, measuring and sensing devices, control products, wiring accessories, enclosures and cabling systems, and intelligent home and building solutions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for ABB Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ABB and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Forza Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (NYSEARCA:IHI Free Report) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 24,385 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,316,000. A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Castleview Partners LLC purchased a new position in iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Red Lighthouse Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc lifted its holdings in shares of iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF by 683.3% in the 1st quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 705 shares of the companys stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 615 shares during the period. Get iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF alerts: iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF Stock Up 0.4 % Shares of NYSEARCA IHI traded up $0.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $56.83. The company had a trading volume of 767,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 894,724. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $55.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.50 and a beta of 0.85. iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF has a twelve month low of $46.21 and a twelve month high of $57.95. About iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF The iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (IHI) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the DJ US Select \u002F Medical Equipment index, a market-cap-weighted index of manufacturers and distributors of medical devices in the US. IHI was launched on May 1, 2006 and is managed by BlackRock. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IHI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (NYSEARCA:IHI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Forza Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report) by 63.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,090 shares of the credit services providers stock after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Forza Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. grew its stake in Mastercard by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 808 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Bell Bank increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.0% in the first quarter. Bell Bank now owns 1,908 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $693,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 73,278 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $25,481,000 after acquiring an additional 12,481 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 488.1% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,463 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $2,248,000 after buying an additional 5,364 shares during the period. Finally, CMH Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. CMH Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,201 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $4,071,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.33% of the companys stock. Get Mastercard alerts: Mastercard Trading Down 0.4 % Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $1.54 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $392.96. 4,500,553 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,802,918. The stock has a market cap of $372.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $384.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $373.24. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $276.87 and a fifty-two week high of $405.19. Mastercard Dividend Announcement Mastercard ( NYSE:MA Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The credit services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $6.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.18 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 169.12% and a net margin of 42.33%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.56 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.1 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 6th. Mastercards dividend payout ratio is presently 22.78%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MA shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $463.00 to $488.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $435.00 to $440.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $472.00 to $476.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Mastercard from $433.00 to $486.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Mastercard from $437.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $431.85. Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 6,333 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $2,533,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at $18,596,400. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Raghuvir Malhotra sold 11,398 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $381.62, for a total value of $4,349,704.76. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,465 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,612,033.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 6,333 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,533,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,596,400. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 553,576 shares of company stock valued at $211,635,322. Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. About Mastercard (Free Report) Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Mastercard Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mastercard and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Foundry Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 156,687 shares of the business services providers stock, valued at approximately $2,507,000. Foundry Partners LLC owned 0.36% of Deluxe as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 275.4% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,498 shares of the business services providers stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,099 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of Deluxe by 25.6% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,799 shares of the business services providers stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Deluxe by 19.1% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,061 shares of the business services providers stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in shares of Deluxe by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 7,966 shares of the business services providers stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keeley Teton Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the 4th quarter worth about $177,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.31% of the companys stock. Get Deluxe alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Deluxe in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. Deluxe Price Performance NYSE DLX remained flat at $18.47 during trading on Friday. The companys stock had a trading volume of 159,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 221,695. The company has a market capitalization of $802.71 million, a P/E ratio of 13.69, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.70, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The businesss fifty day moving average is $17.07 and its 200 day moving average is $17.10. Deluxe Co. has a 52 week low of $13.61 and a 52 week high of $25.58. Deluxe (NYSE:DLX Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.13. Deluxe had a return on equity of 25.08% and a net margin of 2.63%. The company had revenue of $545.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $542.40 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Deluxe Co. will post 2.65 earnings per share for the current year. Deluxe Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 19th. Deluxes dividend payout ratio is presently 88.89%. Deluxe Profile (Free Report) Deluxe Corporation provides technology-enabled solutions to enterprises, small businesses, and financial institutions in the United States, Canada, Australia, South America, and Europe. It operates through four segments: Payments, Data Solutions, Promotional Solutions, and Checks. The company provides treasury management solutions, including remittance and lockbox processing, remote deposit capture, receivables management, payment processing, and paperless treasury management solutions, as well as payment exchange, and fraud and security services; data-driven marketing solutions and hosted solutions, such as digital engagement, logo design, financial institution profitability reporting, and business incorporation services, as well as web hosting and design services. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Deluxe Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Deluxe and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Foundry Partners LLC cut its position in shares of Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB Free Report) by 93.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,762 shares of the banks stock after selling 298,211 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLCs holdings in Associated Banc were worth $391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Profund Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Associated Banc in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Associated Banc by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 73,509 shares of the banks stock valued at $1,647,000 after acquiring an additional 22,734 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Associated Banc in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $80,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of Associated Banc by 26,450.0% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,593 shares of the banks stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,587 shares during the period. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Associated Banc in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $208,000. 81.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Associated Banc alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ASB. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Associated Banc from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 6th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Associated Banc in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating for the company. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Associated Banc from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Associated Banc in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Associated Banc from $17.50 to $18.50 in a research report on Friday, July 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $21.69. Insiders Place Their Bets Associated Banc Stock Performance In other news, Director R Jay Gerken acquired 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.07 per share, for a total transaction of $48,210.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 42,036 shares in the company, valued at $675,518.52. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website . 1.49% of the stock is owned by insiders. Associated Banc stock traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $19.21. 1,644,844 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,773,598. The stock has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. Associated Banc-Corp has a 52-week low of $14.47 and a 52-week high of $25.50. The firms 50 day moving average is $16.70 and its 200 day moving average is $18.87. Associated Banc Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.37%. Associated Bancs payout ratio is currently 33.07%. Associated Banc Company Profile (Free Report) Associated Banc-Corp, a bank holding company, provides various banking and nonbanking products to individuals and businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. The company operates through three segments: Corporate and Commercial Specialty; Community, Consumer, and Business; and Risk Management and Shared Services. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ASB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Associated Banc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Associated Banc and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Francis Financial Inc. cut its position in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO Free Report) by 13.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,402 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 8,967 shares during the quarter. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF accounts for 1.5% of Francis Financial Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Francis Financial Inc.s holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF were worth $2,238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 108,287.1% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 296,468,035 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $11,556,324,000 after acquiring an additional 296,194,508 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 75,901,915 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,958,657,000 after buying an additional 744,035 shares during the period. Betterment LLC increased its stake in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Betterment LLC now owns 71,776,690 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,797,855,000 after buying an additional 5,650,398 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 55,758,981 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,173,478,000 after buying an additional 3,909,063 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 55,415,031 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,556,296,000 after buying an additional 1,508,810 shares during the period. Get Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF alerts: Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Stock Up 2.4 % Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF stock traded up $1.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $43.02. 7,428,577 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,256,264. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has a 1-year low of $34.88 and a 1-year high of $43.22. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $40.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.69. The firm has a market cap of $76.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.69. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Profile The Fund seeks to track the performance of the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, that measures the return of stocks issued by companies located in emerging market countries. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gjensidige Forsikring ASA (OTCMKTS:GJNSY Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 500 shares, a growth of 150.0% from the June 30th total of 200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 10,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.0 days. Gjensidige Forsikring ASA Stock Up 2.1 % GJNSY traded up $0.33 during trading on Friday, reaching $16.15. 630 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,592. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $16.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.96. Gjensidige Forsikring ASA has a 1 year low of $14.90 and a 1 year high of $22.77. Get Gjensidige Forsikring ASA alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC lowered shares of Gjensidige Forsikring ASA from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Gjensidige Forsikring ASA from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 13th. About Gjensidige Forsikring ASA Gjensidige Forsikring ASA provides general insurance and pension products in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The company operates through six segments: General Insurance Private, General Insurance Commercial, General Insurance Denmark, General Insurance Sweden, General Insurance Baltics, and Pension. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Gjensidige Forsikring ASA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gjensidige Forsikring ASA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. (OTCMKTS:GOVB Get Free Report) passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $7.73 and traded as low as $7.70. Gouverneur Bancorp shares last traded at $7.70, with a volume of 782 shares traded. Gouverneur Bancorp Trading Down 0.6 % The companys 50-day moving average is $7.76 and its 200-day moving average is $7.73. About Gouverneur Bancorp (Get Free Report) Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc operates as the holding company for Gouverneur Savings and Loan Association that provides various banking products and services to individuals and businesses in New York. It accepts passbook savings, NOW, money market deposit, and checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Gouverneur Bancorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gouverneur Bancorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:GTE Get Free Report)s stock price traded down 0.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $6.59 and last traded at $6.69. 549,386 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 48% from the average session volume of 371,630 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.70. Analyst Ratings Changes Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Gran Tierra Energy in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Get Gran Tierra Energy alerts: Gran Tierra Energy Stock Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $254.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $395.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $631.68. Institutional Trading of Gran Tierra Energy Gran Tierra Energy ( NYSEAMERICAN:GTE Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The company reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $144.19 million for the quarter. Gran Tierra Energy had a return on equity of 29.10% and a net margin of 16.92%. Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GTE. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Gran Tierra Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $13,187,000,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Gran Tierra Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Gran Tierra Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gran Tierra Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of Gran Tierra Energy by 264.3% during the 2nd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 30,377 shares of the companys stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 22,039 shares in the last quarter. About Gran Tierra Energy (Get Free Report) Gran Tierra Energy Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas properties in Colombia and Ecuador. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Gran Tierra Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gran Tierra Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Great Bear Resources Ltd. (OTCMKTS:GTBAF Get Free Report) traded up 2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $22.50 and last traded at $22.43. 6,000 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 46,405 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.00. Great Bear Resources Trading Up 2.0 % The stock has a 50 day moving average of $22.43 and a 200-day moving average of $22.43. About Great Bear Resources (Get Free Report) Great Bear Resources Ltd. is a mineral exploration company, which engages in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties. It holds interest in Dixie and Regional Red Lake projects. The company was founded on December 6, 2001 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Great Bear Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Great Bear Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat sign VIFTA on July 25. (Photo: MOIT) The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that the Vietnam - Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA) was signed on July 25, on the occasion of the official visit of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang to Israel. Israel is the first country in West Asia to sign an FTA with Vietnam and Vietnam is also the first member in Southeast Asia to have a trade agreement with Israel. VIFTA consists of 15 chapters and several appendices that outline commitments on trade in goods, services - investment, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade (TBT), sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS), customs, trade remedies, government procurement, and legal - institutional arrangements. The roadmap for tax reduction as committed by Vietnam and Israel is 85.8% and 92.7%, respectively. The two sides expect two-way trade turnover to reach USD3 billion in the near future. The signed VIFTA will help Vietnamese enterprises export strong products, access high-tech goods and services from Israel with more competitive production and business costs. Vietnamese businesses also have easy access to other markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Southern Europe. Meanwhile, Israeli businesses also have the opportunity to access ASEAN, Asia - Pacific and other major economies in the 16 FTAs that Vietnam has joined. Israel is one of Vietnam's leading trade, investment and labor partners in the region. This country is also currently the third largest export market and the fifth largest trading partner of Vietnam in West Asia. Last year, import-export turnover between the two countries reached USD2.2 billion, up nearly 18% over the same period in 2021, of which, Vietnam exported nearly USD786 million and imported USD1.4 billion. To date, Vietnam has signed 16 bilateral and multilateral FTAs. As a result, in 2022, Vietnam's import and export turnover reached a record number of USD732.5 billion, up 9.5% compared to 2021. Currently, Vietnam is participating in the negotiation of 3 other FTAs, namely Vietnam - EFTA (Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Liechtenstein), ASEAN - Canada and Vietnam with the UAE./. Gyroscope Capital Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report) by 34.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,005 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after purchasing an additional 3,846 shares during the quarter. Gyroscope Capital Management Group LLCs holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $1,519,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aspire Private Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 1st quarter valued at $16,271,874,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 73.08% of the companys stock. Get Abbott Laboratories alerts: Abbott Laboratories Price Performance ABT traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $112.74. The stock had a trading volume of 3,409,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,078,648. The company has a market cap of $196.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a fifty day moving average of $106.40 and a 200 day moving average of $106.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.68. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $93.25 and a 1 year high of $115.83. Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE:ABT Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $9.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.71 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.60% and a net margin of 12.83%. Abbott Laboratoriess revenue for the quarter was down 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 13th. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.62%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms recently issued reports on ABT. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $118.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $136.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $115.00 in a report on Thursday, March 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $120.82. Insider Activity In related news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.02, for a total transaction of $5,551,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,825,316 shares in the company, valued at $757,746,582.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 8,226 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.56, for a total transaction of $909,466.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 70,427 shares in the company, valued at $7,786,409.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.02, for a total value of $5,551,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,825,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $757,746,582.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 108,226 shares of company stock valued at $12,148,467. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Abbott Laboratories Company Profile (Free Report) Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Meniere's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Abbott Laboratories Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Abbott Laboratories and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hyman Charles D increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS Free Report) by 7.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,300 shares of the transportation companys stock after buying an additional 455 shares during the quarter. Hyman Charles Ds holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,222,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 15,176 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,638,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at $666,000. DnB Asset Management AS boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 173,857 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $33,727,000 after buying an additional 1,024 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 12,634 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,451,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. 58.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get United Parcel Service alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Raymond James lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $207.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Wolfe Research raised United Parcel Service from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. UBS Group boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $196.00 to $198.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $221.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $189.92. United Parcel Service Stock Performance UPS stock opened at $187.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $177.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $181.17. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.87 and a twelve month high of $209.39. The firm has a market cap of $161.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09. United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The transportation company reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 57.68% and a net margin of 10.90%. The business had revenue of $22.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.05 EPS. The businesss revenue was down 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 10.66 earnings per share for the current year. United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 12th. United Parcel Services payout ratio is currently 52.43%. United Parcel Service Profile (Free Report) United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for United Parcel Service Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for United Parcel Service and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Independence Realty Trust (NYSE:IRT Get Free Report) updated its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $1.14-$1.16 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.15. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages recently commented on IRT. JMP Securities upgraded Independence Realty Trust from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $20.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, May 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on Independence Realty Trust from $24.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 31st. StockNews.com started coverage on Independence Realty Trust in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered Independence Realty Trust from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, TheStreet lowered Independence Realty Trust from a b- rating to a c rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $19.89. Get Independence Realty Trust alerts: Independence Realty Trust Stock Up 0.1 % Shares of NYSE:IRT traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.85. 1,407,657 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,594,376. Independence Realty Trust has a 12 month low of $14.55 and a 12 month high of $22.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.35 and a beta of 1.00. The firms fifty day moving average price is $17.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.40. Independence Realty Trust Increases Dividend Hedge Funds Weigh In On Independence Realty Trust The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 21st. Investors of record on Friday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.80%. This is a positive change from Independence Realty Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. Independence Realty Trusts payout ratio is presently 206.45%. Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IRT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Independence Realty Trust by 98.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,329,328 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $643,267,000 after purchasing an additional 12,099,993 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Independence Realty Trust by 121.7% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,302,671 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $326,733,000 after purchasing an additional 6,753,959 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Independence Realty Trust by 835.4% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,124,268 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $86,396,000 after purchasing an additional 4,576,456 shares in the last quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Independence Realty Trust by 151.8% in the 2nd quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 5,042,952 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $104,585,000 after purchasing an additional 3,040,046 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Independence Realty Trust in the 4th quarter worth about $38,207,000. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Independence Realty Trust (Get Free Report) Independence Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: IRT) is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates multifamily communities, across non-gateway U.S. markets including Atlanta, GA, Dallas, TX, Denver, CO, Columbus, OH, Indianapolis, IN, Raleigh-Durham, NC, Oklahoma City, OK, Nashville, TN, Houston, TX, and Tampa, FL. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Independence Realty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Independence Realty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ Get Free Report) Director Daniel J. Mccarthy sold 1,736 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.86, for a total value of $468,476.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,232 shares in the company, valued at $872,187.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Constellation Brands Price Performance Shares of NYSE STZ opened at $272.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1-year low of $208.12 and a 1-year high of $273.44. The firm has a market cap of $49.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -148.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.02. The businesss 50 day moving average is $249.23 and its 200-day moving average is $233.00. Get Constellation Brands alerts: Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 30th. The company reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.08. Constellation Brands had a positive return on equity of 22.32% and a negative net margin of 3.14%. The firm had revenue of $2.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.47 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.66 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 11.62 earnings per share for the current year. Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 10th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 9th. Constellation Brandss dividend payout ratio is presently -194.54%. Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of STZ. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Constellation Brands by 0.5% during the second quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 8,636 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,125,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Tranquility Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.0% in the second quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the companys stock worth $1,090,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.9% in the first quarter. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,552 shares of the companys stock worth $357,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.9% in the first quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,472 shares of the companys stock worth $558,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.1% in the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,505 shares of the companys stock worth $370,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. 86.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research firms recently issued reports on STZ. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, April 10th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Constellation Brands from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Constellation Brands from $273.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, July 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Constellation Brands from $234.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $266.24. Constellation Brands Company Profile (Get Free Report) Constellation Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, imports, markets, and sells beer, wine, and spirits in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. The company provides beer primarily under the Corona Extra, Corona Premier, Corona Familiar, Corona Light, Corona Refresca, Corona Hard Seltzer, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Constellation Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Constellation Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Intercontinental Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Evergy, Inc. (NYSE:EVRG Free Report) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 4,019 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $246,000. A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in EVRG. Westpac Banking Corp grew its holdings in shares of Evergy by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 81,551 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,984,000 after acquiring an additional 4,783 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Evergy by 10.7% in the first quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 15,450 shares of the companys stock valued at $944,000 after buying an additional 1,490 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Evergy by 9.4% in the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 58,487 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,575,000 after acquiring an additional 5,003 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Evergy during the first quarter worth $322,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Evergy during the first quarter worth $841,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.74% of the companys stock. Get Evergy alerts: Evergy Trading Up 0.6 % Shares of NYSE EVRG opened at $60.15 on Friday. The firms 50 day moving average price is $59.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.41. The company has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a PE ratio of 17.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.50. Evergy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.12 and a 52-week high of $71.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.52. Evergy Announces Dividend Evergy ( NYSE:EVRG Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 5th. The company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.14 billion. Evergy had a net margin of 13.03% and a return on equity of 9.13%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Evergy, Inc. will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 19th were issued a $0.6125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 18th. This represents a $2.45 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.07%. Evergys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.13%. Insider Buying and Selling In other Evergy news, Director Mary L. Landrieu sold 1,170 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.62, for a total transaction of $69,755.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,210 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $251,000.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Mary L. Landrieu sold 1,170 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.62, for a total transaction of $69,755.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,210 shares of the companys stock, valued at $251,000.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Lesley Lissette Elwell sold 1,328 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.67, for a total transaction of $76,585.76. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 27 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,557.09. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,021 shares of company stock valued at $303,575 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.47% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several brokerages have recently weighed in on EVRG. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on shares of Evergy from $72.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Evergy from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a research note on Friday, April 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $63.00. About Evergy (Free Report) Evergy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in Kansas and Missouri, the United States. The company generates electricity through coal, hydroelectric, landfill gas, uranium, and natural gas and oil sources, as well as solar, wind, other renewable sources. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EVRG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Evergy, Inc. (NYSE:EVRG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Evergy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Evergy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. International Paper (NYSE:IP Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.17, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $4.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.90 billion. International Paper had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 6.28%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. International Paper Stock Performance Shares of IP traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $35.74. 3,410,526 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,237,379. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $12.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.90 and a beta of 1.05. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $31.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.49. International Paper has a 52 week low of $29.00 and a 52 week high of $45.17. Get International Paper alerts: International Paper Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be issued a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.18%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 14th. International Papers dividend payout ratio is currently 51.25%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Insider Buying and Selling Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded International Paper from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and cut their target price for the company from $40.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. StockNews.com cut International Paper from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group dropped their price objective on International Paper from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on International Paper from $31.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Finally, 51job reiterated a maintains rating on shares of International Paper in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Paper currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $35.09. In other International Paper news, SVP Allison B. Magness sold 3,300 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction on Friday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.75, for a total value of $104,775.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 21,055 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $668,496.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of International Paper Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper in the third quarter valued at about $215,000. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of International Paper by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 5,793 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 1,344 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. bought a new position in International Paper in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $206,000. NCM Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper in the first quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in shares of International Paper during the first quarter worth $202,000. Institutional investors own 85.80% of the companys stock. International Paper Company Profile (Get Free Report) International Paper Company produces renewable fiber-based packaging and pulp products in North America, Latin America, Europe, and North Africa. It operates through Industrial Packaging and Global Cellulose Fibers segment. The company's Industrial Packaging segment manufactures containerboards, including linerboard, medium, whitetop, recycled linerboard, recycled medium, and saturating kraft. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for International Paper Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for International Paper and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Invesco Municipal Trust (NYSE:VKQ Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 34,300 shares, an increase of 104.2% from the June 30th total of 16,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 95,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.4 days. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sit Investment Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Invesco Municipal Trust by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. now owns 1,905,863 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $18,868,000 after acquiring an additional 346,735 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Invesco Municipal Trust by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,266,144 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $12,535,000 after acquiring an additional 257,602 shares in the last quarter. Logan Stone Capital LLC acquired a new position in Invesco Municipal Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $900,000. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in Invesco Municipal Trust by 126.9% during the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 159,326 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,581,000 after acquiring an additional 89,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in Invesco Municipal Trust by 140.0% during the 1st quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 139,331 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,382,000 after acquiring an additional 81,274 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.93% of the companys stock. Get Invesco Municipal Trust alerts: Invesco Municipal Trust Trading Up 0.6 % Shares of VKQ stock traded up $0.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $9.56. The companys stock had a trading volume of 121,073 shares, compared to its average volume of 88,318. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $9.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.61. Invesco Municipal Trust has a 1-year low of $8.71 and a 1-year high of $10.83. Invesco Municipal Trust Dividend Announcement Invesco Municipal Trust Company Profile The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, July 17th will be issued a $0.0364 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 14th. (Get Free Report) Invesco Municipal Trust is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Invesco Ltd. The fund is co-managed by Invesco Advisers, Inc, INVESCO Asset Management (Japan) Limited, INVESCO Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, INVESCO Asset Management Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, INVESCO Senior Secured Management, Inc, and Invesco Canada Ltd. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Municipal Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco Municipal Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. INVESCO Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust plc (LON:IPU Get Free Report)s stock price passed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 425.61 ($5.46) and traded as low as GBX 413.42 ($5.30). INVESCO Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust shares last traded at GBX 419 ($5.37), with a volume of 30,217 shares trading hands. INVESCO Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust Stock Performance The stock has a market cap of 141.75 million, a PE ratio of -370.80 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 425.01 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 434.50. Get INVESCO Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust alerts: INVESCO Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust Cuts Dividend The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 3rd will be given a dividend of GBX 3.85 ($0.05) per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 3rd. This represents a dividend yield of 0.92%. INVESCO Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,592.92%. About INVESCO Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust INVESCO Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust plc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Invesco Fund Managers Limited. It is co-managed by Invesco Asset Management Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United Kingdom. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for INVESCO Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for INVESCO Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Aspire Wealth Management Corp lowered its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Free Report) by 1.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,792 shares of the companys stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF makes up about 0.9% of Aspire Wealth Management Corps holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Aspire Wealth Management Corps holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $1,076,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 180.4% in the 4th quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC purchased a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC purchased a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Get iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Price Performance BATS:USMV opened at $75.42 on Friday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $73.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.80. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a 1-year low of $47.44 and a 1-year high of $55.45. The firm has a market cap of $30.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.75. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Profile The iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed firms selected and weighted to create a low-volatility portfolio subject to various constraints. USMV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWP Free Report) by 3.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 60,825 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 1,870 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.s holdings in iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF were worth $5,538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 3,662 shares of the companys stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Prosperity Planning Inc. increased its position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Prosperity Planning Inc. now owns 3,061 shares of the companys stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF during the 1st quarter valued at $238,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 415 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Get iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF alerts: iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF Stock Performance Shares of IWP stock traded up $1.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $99.04. 353,489 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 660,457. iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has a twelve month low of $75.88 and a twelve month high of $100.93. The firm has a market cap of $13.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.03 and a beta of 1.10. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $94.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.45. About iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF, formerly iShares Russell Midcap Growth Index Fund (the Growth Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Russell Midcap Growth Index (the Growth Index). Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IWP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWP Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. Azerbaijan requires the countries and international organizations manipulated by Armenia, which make prejudicial statements, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, not interfere in the internal affairs of the country and stop the policy of double standards, said the statement of Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, Trend reports. "Azerbaijan will ensure the rights of Armenians living in Karabakh on the basis of constitution of our country, prevent any steps against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country," the statement said. It was noted that Azerbaijan for almost 30 years has been dealing with the military aggression of Armenia and occupation of its territories. Despite the fact that within the four UN Security Council Resolutions of 1993 Azerbaijans territorial integrity were recognized, the elimination of the occupation and the immediate withdrawal of the occupying forces from the territories of Azerbaijan were demanded, Armenia has consistently ignored all the calls, and on the contrary, further strengthened the status quo based on the occupation, intentionally destructed the historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijani population in the occupied territories, and conducted illegal settlement policy. The Armenian leadership made provocative statements, such as Karabakh is Armenia, and threatened Azerbaijan with a new war for the sake of new territories. Azerbaijan liberated its lands following the second Karabakh war. "Despite the 30-years occupation and hardships, shortly after the war, the Azerbaijani side proposed basic principles and a peace treaty for the normalization of relations between the two countries on the basis of mutual recognition and respect for each other's territorial integrity, sovereignty and borders. Despite the fact that the Armenian side did not respond to Azerbaijan's peace initiatives for a long period of time and after the start of negotiations between the two countries stalled the process under various pretexts, the Azerbaijani side demonstrated resolve and did not spare its good-faith efforts for advancing initiatives on peace treaty, delimitation of borders and opening of communications," the ministry said. "Furthermore, the authorities of Azerbaijan have taken consistent steps for establishing contacts and holding dialogue with local Armenian residents of Karabakh. At the initial stages, a number of contacts and dialogue with Armenian residents made a positive contribution towards the construction of the new Lachin road, the use of small HPPs in Lachin, the use and management of the Sarsang water reservoir. On the other hand, the Armenian side came up with an unfounded proposal such as ensuring the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians through the Baku-Khankendi negotiations within the framework of the international mechanism, hindered contacts between Azerbaijan and local Armenian residents, and actually continued its territorial claims against our country under a different name," said the statement. The ministry reminded that as a result, intensive laying of landmines in the territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia, the transfer to and planting of landmines produced in 2021 in Azerbaijan, in violation of the provision of the statement of 10 November 2020 on cessation of all military activities, as well as other international commitments of Armenia, and ignorant attitude by the international community to Armenias deliberate threat of landmines, 303 Azerbaijanis, including two journalists, have become landmine victims since November 2020. "In violation of its obligations, Armenia has not yet fully withdrawn its armed forces from our territories. On the contrary, using the Lachin road, Armenia has conducted their rotation, continued to supply them with weapons and ammunition, financed them from the state budget of Armenia, and engaged in plundering Azerbaijans natural resources," said the ministry. The Republic of Azerbaijan has installed the Lachin border checkpoint in its sovereign territories, in order to establish control over its own borders, and to prevent the illegal acts of Armenia. Notwithstanding the facilitation by Azerbaijan of the passage of Armenian residents, the personnel of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as well as of the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent through the checkpoint, Armenia, for the purpose of continuing its illegal acts in the territories of Azerbaijan, disseminated false claims on the tense humanitarian situation in the region. Moreover, Armenia committed provocations by opening fire on Azerbaijani border guards on July 15, attempting smuggling, as well as dispatching the cargo vehicles to the territory of Azerbaijan on July 26 without prior agreement. "Despite the fact that the Azerbaijani side put forward a number of proposals, including the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road and other alternative routes, to meet the needs of the Armenian residents, that were supported by the European Union and the ICRC, opposition by Armenian side to all the proposals, blockage of access to the territory by placing concrete barriers on alternative roads, demonstrates that Armenian claims about the humanitarian situation are nothing than political blackmail and manipulation," said the ministry. The ministry pointed out that Armenia's goal is to bring third parties to the region, expand tensions, as well as to make sure the peace process fails. "All the mentioned, especially the military provocations consistently committed by illegal military formations, including the recently intensified radio-electronic interference targeting civilian flights, is intolerable and unacceptable.The responsibility for all these provocations that have occurred in recent days rests with Armenia and its leadership, which continues illegal military presence in Azerbaijan, encourages separatism and hinders reintegration efforts," said the ministry. The statement said that issuing the prejudicial statements against Azerbaijan by the countries and international partners, which turned a blind eye to the occupation of Azerbaijans territories for 30 years, is unacceptable. "For the past three years, those countries and international organizations ignored the presence of Armenian armed forces in the territories of Azerbaijan, and Armenias obstruction of opening of communications. We demand from the countries and international organizations that are deceived by Armenias manipulations and make prejudicial statements to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, not to interfere in the internal affairs of our country, and to put an end to the policy of double standards," the ministry noted. Azerbaijan will ensure the rights of Armenian residents living in its Karabakh region based on the countrys Constitution, and will resolutely prevent any step against its sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the ministry. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG Free Report) by 12.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,742 shares of the companys stock after selling 9,922 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.s holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF were worth $6,949,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AGG. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its position in shares of 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 worth $705,000 after acquiring an additional 3,906 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 36.2% during the first quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 52,003 shares of the companys stock worth $5,570,000 after acquiring an additional 13,829 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF during the first quarter worth about $44,000. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF during the first quarter worth about $241,000. Finally, West Michigan Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 2.0% during the first quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 14,640 shares of the companys stock worth $1,568,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. 80.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF alerts: iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Trading Up 0.4 % AGG stock traded up $0.38 during trading on Friday, reaching $97.56. The stock had a trading volume of 8,304,515 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,124,612. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF has a one year low of $93.20 and a one year high of $104.39. The companys 50 day moving average is $97.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.70. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Company Profile 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. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AGG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH Free Report) by 18.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 153,318 shares of the medical research companys stock after purchasing an additional 23,509 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.17% of Laboratory Co. of America worth $35,174,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,859,128 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $2,863,118,000 after purchasing an additional 106,063 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 532.2% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,530,675 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $360,441,000 after acquiring an additional 1,288,574 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,317,815 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $310,319,000 after acquiring an additional 218,161 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the 4th quarter valued at $219,236,000. Finally, Veritas Investment Partners UK Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Veritas Investment Partners UK Ltd. now owns 856,299 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $196,423,000 after acquiring an additional 8,273 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the companys stock. Get Laboratory Co. of America alerts: Insider Activity at Laboratory Co. of America In related news, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.77, for a total value of $325,155.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 6,687 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,449,540.99. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Laboratory Co. of America news, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.77, for a total transaction of $325,155.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 6,687 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,449,540.99. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 212 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $50,880.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,605 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,825,200. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,012 shares of company stock valued at $1,308,748 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.65% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Laboratory Co. of America Stock Down 0.7 % Several research firms recently weighed in on LH. StockNews.com downgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup cut their price objective on Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $235.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Truist Financial cut their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $275.00 to $270.00 in a report on Friday. Mizuho cut their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $277.00 to $257.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $265.00 to $240.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $272.88. Shares of NYSE:LH opened at $214.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The businesss 50-day moving average is $220.60 and its 200-day moving average is $229.95. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 1 year low of $166.93 and a 1 year high of $222.33. Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The medical research company reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.47 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.77 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 5.89% and a return on equity of 14.63%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.96 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 13.9 earnings per share for the current year. Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 8th will be given a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 7th. Laboratory Co. of Americas payout ratio is 31.07%. Laboratory Co. of America Profile (Free Report) Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as a life sciences company that provides vital information to help doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and patients make clear and confident decisions. It operates in two segments, Labcorp Diagnostics and Labcorp Drug Development. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Laboratory Co. of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Laboratory Co. of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. KBR (NYSE:KBR Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The construction company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.04, Briefing.com reports. KBR had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 26.13%. The company had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.76 earnings per share. KBRs revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. KBR updated its FY 2023 guidance to $2.76-$2.96 EPS. KBR Price Performance KBR stock traded up $0.38 on Friday, reaching $62.09. 915,751 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,189,662. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $62.97 and a 200-day moving average of $57.24. KBR has a twelve month low of $41.96 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The firm has a market cap of $8.43 billion, a PE ratio of 27.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Get KBR alerts: KBR Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.135 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. KBRs dividend payout ratio is currently 23.68%. Analyst Ratings Changes Insider Buying and Selling Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of KBR from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on KBR from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. StockNews.com lowered KBR from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, July 20th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of KBR from a b+ rating to a c rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $68.71. In other KBR news, CEO Stuart Bradie sold 119,889 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.21, for a total transaction of $7,338,405.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 669,639 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,988,603.19. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other KBR news, CEO Stuart Bradie sold 119,889 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.21, for a total value of $7,338,405.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 669,639 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,988,603.19. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Myles sold 480 shares of KBR stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.32, for a total value of $31,353.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,520 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $948,446.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 123,656 shares of company stock valued at $7,565,090. Corporate insiders own 1.03% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of KBR Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KBR. Fred Alger Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KBR during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of KBR by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 871 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of KBR during the 2nd quarter valued at about $53,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of KBR during the 1st quarter valued at about $73,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of KBR by 103.0% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,920 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. About KBR (Get Free Report) KBR, Inc provides scientific, technology, and engineering solutions to governments and commercial customers worldwide. The company operates through Government Solutions and Sustainable Technology Solutions segments. The Government Solutions segment offers life-cycle support solutions to defense, intelligence, space, aviation, and other programs and missions for military and other government agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for KBR Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for KBR and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kirby (NYSE:KEX Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The shipping company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.12, Briefing.com reports. Kirby had a net margin of 4.98% and a return on equity of 4.99%. The company had revenue of $777.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $781.18 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Kirby Stock Up 0.8 % NYSE:KEX traded up $0.63 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $80.99. 432,698 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 349,354. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $75.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.43. Kirby has a one year low of $57.64 and a one year high of $81.78. The company has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a PE ratio of 33.59, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.26. Get Kirby alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Kirby in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Kirby from $83.00 to $85.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kirby currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $86.75. Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby In other Kirby news, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 3,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.81, for a total transaction of $215,430.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 79,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,673,420.86. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . In other news, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 3,000 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.81, for a total transaction of $215,430.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 79,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,673,420.86. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . Also, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 4,000 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction on Monday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.69, for a total value of $306,760.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 74,006 shares in the company, valued at $5,675,520.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,107 shares of company stock worth $906,309. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the companys stock. Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in Kirby in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Kirby in the 1st quarter worth about $47,000. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in Kirby by 327.3% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,722 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $111,000 after acquiring an additional 1,319 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Kirby by 59.7% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,929 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 721 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Kirby during the 1st quarter worth about $201,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.14% of the companys stock. About Kirby (Get Free Report) Kirby Corporation operates domestic tank barges in the United States. Its Marine Transportation segment provides marine transportation service and towing vessel transporting bulk liquid product, as well as operates tank barge throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Kirby Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kirby and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (BATS:COWZ Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 15,225 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $715,000. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings in Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 777 shares of the companys stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. IAG Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF by 176.6% in the first quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 531 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its holdings in Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 5,639 shares of the companys stock worth $265,000 after buying an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. raised its position in shares of Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. now owns 5,895 shares of the companys stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. Finally, Virginia National Bank increased its position in Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Virginia National Bank now owns 28,959 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,360,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the period. Get Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF alerts: Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF Trading Up 0.9 % Shares of COWZ stock traded up $0.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $50.79. 1,345,218 shares of the stock traded hands. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.11 and a beta of 1.09. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $47.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.38. Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF Dividend Announcement About Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 23rd were issued a $0.1911 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 22nd. (Free Report) The Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (COWZ) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Pacer US Cash Cows 100 index. The fund tracks a free cash flow-weighted index of companies selected from the Russell 1000 Index. COWZ was launched on Dec 16, 2016 and is managed by Pacer. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A Free Report) by 8.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 708,434 shares of the medical research companys stock after buying an additional 53,481 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.24% of Agilent Technologies worth $98,005,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Natixis Investment Managers International lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Investment Managers International now owns 3,245 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 5,965 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $893,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 837 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. First Command Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 19.4% during the 1st quarter. First Command Financial Services Inc. now owns 461 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Securian Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 24,698 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $3,417,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Get Agilent Technologies alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $164.00 to $144.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Credit Suisse Group decreased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, 58.com reissued a maintains rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $151.75. Agilent Technologies Stock Down 0.5 % Shares of A stock traded down $0.61 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $126.05. 3,138,804 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,764,303. The business has a 50 day moving average of $120.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $134.29. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.28 and a 52 week high of $160.26. The company has a market capitalization of $37.23 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.03. Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 23rd. The medical research company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.19% and a return on equity of 30.11%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 26th. Investors of record on Monday, July 3rd were given a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 30th. Agilent Technologiess dividend payout ratio is 19.82%. About Agilent Technologies (Free Report) Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid chromatography systems and components; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry systems; gas chromatography systems and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate reader; laboratory software; information management and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding A? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Agilent Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Agilent Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 1.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,469,548 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 25,669 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $65,571,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 404,894 shares of the companys stock worth $21,248,000 after acquiring an additional 6,324 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,647 shares of the companys stock worth $974,000 after purchasing an additional 929 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in Altria Group by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,711,773 shares of the companys stock worth $141,690,000 after purchasing an additional 89,334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Western Trust Bank bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth about $498,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.38% of the companys stock. Get Altria Group alerts: Altria Group Trading Down 0.2 % Shares of MO stock traded down $0.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $45.49. 5,906,306 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,317,543. The company has a market capitalization of $81.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.62, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.59. The firms 50-day moving average is $45.00 and its 200 day moving average is $45.62. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.35 and a 1 year high of $51.57. Altria Group Dividend Announcement Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.01). Altria Group had a net margin of 22.44% and a negative return on equity of 245.43%. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were paid a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.27%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 120.90%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. They issued a buy rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 4th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $46.00. Altria Group 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. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lumbard & Kellner LLC trimmed its holdings in Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF (NYSEARCA:FLBR Free Report) by 0.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 276,547 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,690 shares during the quarter. Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF comprises 2.4% of Lumbard & Kellner LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Lumbard & Kellner LLC owned about 1.73% of Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF worth $4,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in FLBR. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF by 144.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,056 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the period. UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF by 289.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,617 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,202 shares during the period. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF by 1,942.6% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 2,349 shares of the companys stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 2,234 shares during the period. Seed Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $281,000. Get Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF alerts: Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF Stock Performance NYSEARCA FLBR traded up $0.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $19.94. The stock had a trading volume of 38,215 shares, compared to its average volume of 101,552. Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF has a 12 month low of $15.35 and a 12 month high of $21.09. The company has a market capitalization of $127.62 million, a PE ratio of 5.97 and a beta of 0.98. The companys 50-day moving average price is $19.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.04. Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF Company Profile The Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF (FLBR) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the FTSE Brazil RIC Capped index. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted index of Brazilian large- and mid-cap stocks. FLBR was launched on Nov 3, 2017 and is managed by Franklin Templeton. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NorthRock Partners LLC increased its holdings in Roper Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:ROP Free Report) by 42.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,202 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 358 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLCs holdings in Roper Technologies were worth $530,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc raised its stake in Roper Technologies by 3.3% in the first quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 5,202 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,292,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Roper Technologies by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 7,553 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $3,329,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Roper Technologies by 747.1% during the 1st quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 14,900 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $6,566,000 after acquiring an additional 13,141 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. increased its stake in Roper Technologies by 11.7% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 727 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Roper Technologies by 1.6% during the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,333 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $4,113,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. 91.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Roper Technologies alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ROP shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Roper Technologies from $525.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Roper Technologies from an underperform rating to a market perform rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $490.00 to $525.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Roper Technologies from $530.00 to $575.00 in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Roper Technologies from $550.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Roper Technologies from $532.00 to $569.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $525.13. Roper Technologies Trading Up 0.2 % Shares of NYSE:ROP traded up $1.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $492.40. The stock had a trading volume of 339,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 531,829. Roper Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $356.21 and a 52 week high of $502.13. The firms fifty day moving average is $467.56 and its 200 day moving average is $448.29. The stock has a market cap of $52.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.94. Roper Technologies (NYSE:ROP Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 21st. The industrial products company reported $4.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.99 by $0.13. Roper Technologies had a return on equity of 10.61% and a net margin of 50.21%. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.95 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Roper Technologies, Inc. will post 16.47 EPS for the current fiscal year. Roper Technologies Cuts Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 10th were paid a $0.6825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 7th. This represents a $2.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Roper Technologiess dividend payout ratio is currently 10.05%. Insider Activity at Roper Technologies In other news, Director Robert D. Johnson sold 900 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $495.19, for a total value of $445,671.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,894,880.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Robert D. Johnson sold 250 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.15, for a total value of $112,537.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 5,903 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,657,235.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert D. Johnson sold 900 shares of Roper Technologies stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $495.19, for a total value of $445,671.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,846 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,894,880.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,450 shares of company stock worth $695,366 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.94% of the companys stock. About Roper Technologies (Free Report) Roper Technologies, Inc designs and develops software, and technology enabled products and solutions. The company offers management, campus solutions, diagnostic and laboratory information management, enterprise management, information solutions, transportation management, financial and compliance management, and cloud-based financial analytics and performance management software; cloud-based software to the property and casualty insurance industry; and software, services, and technologies for foodservice operations. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ROP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Roper Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:ROP Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Roper Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Roper Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oil States International (NYSE:OIS Get Free Report) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The oil and gas company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.06 by ($0.05), Briefing.com reports. Oil States International had a negative return on equity of 0.37% and a net margin of 0.27%. The business had revenue of $183.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $201.88 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.08) EPS. The companys revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Oil States International Stock Performance Shares of Oil States International stock traded up $0.43 on Friday, reaching $7.75. 855,958 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 748,061. Oil States International has a 52 week low of $3.51 and a 52 week high of $10.47. The company has a 50 day moving average of $7.46 and a 200 day moving average of $7.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $497.94 million, a PE ratio of 258.33 and a beta of 2.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.51. Get Oil States International alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on OIS shares. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Oil States International from $10.00 to $9.00 in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Oil States International in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Institutional Inflows and Outflows About Oil States International Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky bought a new position in Oil States International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $76,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Oil States International by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 30,522 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 5,864 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Oil States International by 266.5% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 36,675 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $199,000 after buying an additional 26,669 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Oil States International by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 58,030 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $403,000 after buying an additional 2,010 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in Oil States International by 249.3% in the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 77,522 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 55,327 shares during the period. 88.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. (Get Free Report) Oil States International, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides engineered capital equipment and products for the energy, industrial, and military sectors worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Well Site Services, Downhole Technologies, and Offshore/Manufactured Products. The Well Site Services segment offers a range of equipment and services that are used to drill for, establish, and maintain the flow of oil and natural gas from a well throughout its lifecycle. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Oil States International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Oil States International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. Armenia's goal is to attract third parties to the region, expand the intensity and disrupt the peace process with Azerbaijan, the latter's foreign ministry said in a statement, Trend reports. The foreign ministry said that Azerbaijan has put forward a number of proposals, including the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road and other alternative roads, to meet the needs of the Armenian residents of Karabakh. However, the Armenian side opposed these proposals, which were supported by the EU and the ICRC, and blocked access to the territory by installing concrete barriers on alternative roads. "This once again indicates that Armenia's statements about the humanitarian situation are political blackmail and manipulation. Armenia's goal is to attract third parties to the region, expand the geography of tension and disrupt the peace process," said the ministry. The issue of transportation of humanitarian goods for the Armenian residents of Karabakh in the direction of Barda-Aghdam was discussed during the meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel in Brussels on July 15. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ Free Report) (TSE:CNQ) by 16.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 145,000 shares of the oil and gas producers stock after buying an additional 20,000 shares during the quarter. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLCs holdings in Canadian Natural Resources were worth $8,026,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CNQ. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Canadian Natural Resources during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Canadian Natural Resources by 198.4% during the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 558 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Canadian Natural Resources by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 594 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Delta Asset Management LLC TN acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Natixis acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.24% of the companys stock. Get Canadian Natural Resources alerts: Canadian Natural Resources Price Performance Shares of NYSE CNQ opened at $60.43 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.36, a PEG ratio of 10.98 and a beta of 1.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $56.27 and a 200-day moving average of $57.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a fifty-two week low of $44.45 and a fifty-two week high of $62.57. Canadian Natural Resources Cuts Dividend Canadian Natural Resources ( NYSE:CNQ Get Free Report ) (TSE:CNQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $6.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.26 billion. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 29.39% and a net margin of 20.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Canadian Natural Resources Limited will post 5.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 16th were issued a $0.664 dividend. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.40%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 15th. Canadian Natural Resourcess payout ratio is 41.02%. Analyst Ratings Changes CNQ has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Canadian Natural Resources in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on Canadian Natural Resources in a research note on Wednesday, July 12th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Canadian Natural Resources presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $88.80. About Canadian Natural Resources (Free Report) Canadian Natural Resources Limited acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company offers light and medium crude oil, primary heavy crude oil, Pelican Lake heavy crude oil, bitumen (thermal oil), and synthetic crude oil (SCO). Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CNQ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ Free Report) (TSE:CNQ). Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Natural Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Natural Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG Get Free Report) had its price target increased by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $164.00 to $172.00 in a report released on Friday, FlyOnTheWall reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s target price indicates a potential upside of 9.97% from the companys previous close. Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, April 24th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, April 24th. Truist Financial downgraded Procter & Gamble from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price target for the company from $165.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $162.13. Get Procter & Gamble alerts: Procter & Gamble Trading Up 2.8 % Shares of PG stock traded up $4.30 on Friday, reaching $156.41. 9,397,878 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,190,229. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $148.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.29. The stock has a market cap of $368.65 billion, a PE ratio of 27.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.42. Procter & Gamble has a one year low of $122.18 and a one year high of $158.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.39. Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble Procter & Gamble ( NYSE:PG Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 28th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.05. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.69% and a return on equity of 32.18%. The business had revenue of $20.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.21 earnings per share. Procter & Gambles revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble will post 5.86 EPS for the current fiscal year. In other news, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.03, for a total value of $4,836,930.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,562,484.42. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Tevis Investment Management grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 0.5% during the first quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 12,260 shares of the companys stock worth $1,823,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Eagle Strategies LLC boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 3,526 shares of the companys stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. WealthTrust Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. WealthTrust Asset Management LLC now owns 1,990 shares of the companys stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Exeter Financial LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.4% in the first quarter. Exeter Financial LLC now owns 15,144 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,286,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Diligent Investors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.4% during the first quarter. Diligent Investors LLC now owns 16,084 shares of the companys stock worth $2,391,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 64.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Procter & Gamble Company Profile (Get Free Report) The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Procter & Gamble Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Procter & Gamble and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning. Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Truist Financial lowered Procter & Gamble from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their target price for the company from $165.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $167.00 to $160.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $161.06. Get Procter & Gamble alerts: Procter & Gamble Price Performance NYSE:PG opened at $156.39 on Tuesday. Procter & Gamble has a 1 year low of $122.18 and a 1 year high of $158.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $368.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.25, a PEG ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $148.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $147.29. Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement Procter & Gamble ( NYSE:PG Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 28th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.05. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 17.69%. The firm had revenue of $20.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.01 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Procter & Gambles quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble will post 5.86 EPS for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 21st will be given a dividend of $0.9407 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 20th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. Procter & Gambles dividend payout ratio is currently 65.51%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Procter & Gamble news, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.03, for a total transaction of $4,836,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 10,014 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,562,484.42. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 99,734.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 253,081,478 shares of the companys stock valued at $38,402,583,000 after buying an additional 252,827,976 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 161,843,254 shares of the companys stock valued at $24,064,473,000 after buying an additional 2,157,319 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 46,754,131 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,936,343,000 after buying an additional 510,559 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,320,700 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,717,246,000 after buying an additional 4,959,527 shares during the period. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 96,526.4% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,535,557 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,840,449,000 after buying an additional 38,495,676 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.65% of the companys stock. About Procter & Gamble (Get Free Report) The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Procter & Gamble Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Procter & Gamble and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PROS (NYSE:PRO Get Free Report) issued an update on its third quarter 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $0.03-$0.04 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of $0.02. The company issued revenue guidance of $75.00 million-$76.00 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $74.98 million. PROS also updated its FY 2023 guidance to EPS. PROS Stock Performance NYSE PRO traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $36.86. 467,964 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 289,724. The businesss 50 day moving average is $30.68 and its 200-day moving average is $27.91. PROS has a 12-month low of $18.08 and a 12-month high of $38.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.39 and a beta of 1.09. Get PROS alerts: PROS (NYSE:PRO Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 25th. The software maker reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.06) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $75.79 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $72.70 million. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.38) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that PROS will post -0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year. Analysts Set New Price Targets Insider Transactions at PROS PRO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on PROS in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. They set an outperform rating and a $37.00 target price on the stock. Craig Hallum raised their target price on PROS from $32.00 to $37.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on PROS from $36.00 to $34.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. StockNews.com began coverage on PROS in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on PROS from $35.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Wednesday. In related news, Director Timothy V. Williams sold 3,064 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.61, for a total value of $75,405.04. Following the sale, the director now owns 119,731 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,946,579.91. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other PROS news, CAO Scott William Cook sold 5,000 shares of PROS stock in a transaction on Friday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total transaction of $175,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 40,206 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,407,210. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy V. Williams sold 3,064 shares of PROS stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.61, for a total value of $75,405.04. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 119,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,946,579.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,967 shares of company stock worth $322,719. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Trading of PROS Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of PROS by 25.2% in the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 227,772 shares of the software makers stock worth $6,241,000 after buying an additional 45,900 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of PROS by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 103,756 shares of the software makers stock worth $2,842,000 after acquiring an additional 6,798 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of PROS by 1,560.7% in the 1st quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,044,111 shares of the software makers stock worth $28,608,000 after acquiring an additional 981,240 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PROS in the 1st quarter worth $345,000. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of PROS by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 915,147 shares of the software makers stock worth $25,075,000 after acquiring an additional 38,927 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.75% of the companys stock. PROS Company Profile (Get Free Report) PROS Holdings, Inc provides solutions that optimize the processes of selling and shopping in the digital economy worldwide. The company offers PROS Smart Configure Price Quote that improves sales productivity and accelerate deal velocity by automating common sales tasks; and PROS Smart Price Optimization and Management that enables businesses to optimize, personalize, and harmonize pricing across the complexity of their go-to-market channels in the context of dynamic market and competitive conditions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for PROS Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PROS and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Randgold Resources Limited (LON:RRS Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 6,546 ($83.93) and traded as high as GBX 6,862 ($87.99). Randgold Resources shares last traded at GBX 6,546 ($83.93), with a volume of 51,000 shares traded. Randgold Resources Trading Up 7,701,076.5 % The companys fifty day moving average is GBX 6,546 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 6,546. Randgold Resources Company Profile (Get Free Report) Randgold Resources Limited is engaged in gold mining, exploration and related activities. The Companys activities are focused on West and Central Africa. The Company operates through the gold mining segment. The Company operates various mines, such as Morila, Loulo, Gounkoto, Tongon and Kibali. The Company is exploring in African countries, such as Mali, Senegal, Cote dIvoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Randgold Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Randgold Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW Free Report) by 5.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,058 shares of the medical research companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,262 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A.s holdings in Edwards Lifesciences were worth $3,810,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 11.4% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,181 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,081,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 34.7% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,738 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 18.2% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,223 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 53.5% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 7,182 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $846,000 after purchasing an additional 2,503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in Edwards Lifesciences by 3.1% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 655,567 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $77,173,000 after acquiring an additional 19,798 shares during the last quarter. 79.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Edwards Lifesciences alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, VP Catherine M. Szyman sold 5,000 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.81, for a total value of $429,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 35,056 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,008,155.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Catherine M. Szyman sold 5,000 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.81, for a total value of $429,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 35,056 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,008,155.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 7,255 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.27, for a total value of $676,673.85. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 19,248 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,795,260.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 216,046 shares of company stock valued at $19,145,434. 1.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Edwards Lifesciences Stock Up 1.3 % Shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock traded up $1.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $83.74. The companys stock had a trading volume of 5,123,989 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,121,017. The company has a quick ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 3.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market cap of $50.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.05, a P/E/G ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 1.03. Edwards Lifesciences Co. has a 1-year low of $67.13 and a 1-year high of $107.18. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.16. Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 26th. The medical research company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.51 billion. Edwards Lifesciences had a return on equity of 25.87% and a net margin of 24.56%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.63 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research firms recently commented on EW. Barclays upped their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $94.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $75.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on Edwards Lifesciences in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. They issued an outperform rating and a $107.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $78.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Edwards Lifesciences in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $93.16. About Edwards Lifesciences (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. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Edwards Lifesciences Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Edwards Lifesciences and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL Free Report) had its target price increased by Susquehanna from $85.00 to $127.00 in a research report released on Friday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports. Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Truist Financial upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $72.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $65.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $80.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Friday, May 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $100.14. Get Royal Caribbean Cruises alerts: Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 1.0 % Shares of RCL opened at $108.57 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $95.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.28, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.20. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 52-week low of $34.51 and a 52-week high of $112.95. The company has a market cap of $27.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -339.27 and a beta of 2.47. Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises Royal Caribbean Cruises ( NYSE:RCL Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.24. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a negative net margin of 0.47% and a positive return on equity of 6.76%. The business had revenue of $3.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($2.08) EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 61.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year. In other news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 36,536 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $2,922,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 147,078 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,766,240. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 318,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.97, for a total transaction of $24,819,800.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,167,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,572,460,520.79. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 36,536 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $2,922,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 147,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,766,240. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 729,861 shares of company stock valued at $58,020,180 in the last 90 days. 8.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of RCL. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 23,056 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,392,000 after buying an additional 1,272 shares in the last quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter valued at $223,000. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,092 shares of the companys stock valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 8,362 shares of the companys stock worth $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,756 shares of the companys stock valued at $701,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. 71.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About Royal Caribbean Cruises (Get Free Report) Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates as a cruise company worldwide. The company operates cruises under the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises brands, which comprise a range of itineraries. As of February 13, 2023, it operated 64 ships. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Royal Caribbean Cruises Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Royal Caribbean Cruises and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First National Bank of Omaha trimmed its position in shares of RTX Co. (NYSE:RTX Free Report) by 8.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 216,299 shares of the companys stock after selling 19,137 shares during the period. RTX accounts for 1.3% of First National Bank of Omahas investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. First National Bank of Omahas holdings in RTX were worth $21,182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P lifted its stake in shares of RTX by 94.5% in the 1st quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P now owns 322,180 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,918,000 after purchasing an additional 156,550 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of RTX by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 11,011 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,091,000 after purchasing an additional 931 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of RTX by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 10,761 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,066,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of RTX by 53.1% in the 1st quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. now owns 35,502 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,517,000 after purchasing an additional 12,316 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of RTX by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 141,700 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,038,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get RTX alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on RTX shares. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of RTX from $117.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of RTX from $113.50 to $95.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of RTX in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of RTX from $110.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of RTX from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $117.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $104.33. RTX Price Performance RTX stock traded up $2.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $87.34. 11,543,428 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,020,083. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.99. RTX Co. has a 12 month low of $80.27 and a 12 month high of $108.84. The businesss 50-day moving average is $96.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.74. RTX (NYSE:RTX Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 25th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $18.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $17.68 billion. RTX had a net margin of 7.88% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.16 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that RTX Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year. RTX Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 17th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. RTXs payout ratio is 62.60%. About RTX (Free Report) RTX Corporation, an aerospace and defense company, provides systems and services for the commercial, military, and government customers worldwide. It operates through four segments: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space, and Raytheon Missiles & Defense. The Collins Aerospace Systems segment offers aerospace and defense products, and aftermarket service solutions for aircraft manufacturers and airlines, as well as regional, business, and general aviation; and for defense and commercial space operations. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding RTX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for RTX Co. (NYSE:RTX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for RTX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RTX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Scottish American Investment Company P.L.C. (LON:SAIN Get Free Report)s stock price traded down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as GBX 520.66 ($6.68) and last traded at GBX 527 ($6.76). 211,904 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 10% from the average session volume of 191,770 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 528 ($6.77). Scottish American Investment Trading Down 0.2 % The stock has a market cap of 932.42 million, a PE ratio of -1,424.32 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 3.87, a current ratio of 2.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.19. The stocks fifty day moving average price is GBX 523.34 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 517.68. Get Scottish American Investment alerts: Scottish American Investment Cuts Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 25th were given a dividend of GBX 3.30 ($0.04) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 25th. Scottish American Investments payout ratio is -3,783.78%. About Scottish American Investment The Scottish American Investment Company P.L.C. is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Baillie Gifford & Co Ltd. The fund is co-managed by Baillie Gifford & Co and OLIM Property Limited. It invests in public equity markets across the globe. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Scottish American Investment Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Scottish American Investment and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. China Literature Limited (OTCMKTS:CHLLF Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,336,700 shares, an increase of 26.4% from the June 30th total of 1,057,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 0 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently days. China Literature Price Performance CHLLF stock remained flat at $3.98 during mid-day trading on Friday. China Literature has a 52-week low of $3.98 and a 52-week high of $5.43. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.47. Get China Literature alerts: China Literature Company Profile (Get Free Report) Featured Articles China Literature Limited, an investment holding company, operates an online literature platform in the People's Republic of China. The company promotes intellectual properties primarily through its online literature platforms, such as QQ Reading and Qidian; and New Classics Media, a film and TV drama series production house. Receive News & Ratings for China Literature Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for China Literature and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. A service meeting has been held under the leadership of Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov on July 29, the Defense Ministry told Trend. According to the ministry, during the meeting the minister spoke about the recent increase in use of radio interference by illegal Armenian armed formations [remaining contrary to trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war] in Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed [under the trilateral statement], against GPS satellite navigation systems of passenger aircraft of local and foreign airlines operating flights via the airspace of Azerbaijan. In this regard, he gave relevant instructions to ensure aircraft security. Previously, GPS interference has been recorded when ATR-45 passenger aircraft of the Azerbaijan Airlines flied on the Baku-Fuzuli route on July 24, passenger aircraft C-680 of the Czech Airlines flied on the Budapest-Baku route on July 25, and when ATR-45 passenger aircraft of the Azerbaijan Airlines flied on the Baku-Gabala route and in the opposite direction on July 27. Toho Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:TKCOF Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 297,000 shares, an increase of 20.0% from the June 30th total of 247,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 297.0 days. Toho Stock Performance TKCOF stock remained flat at $41.46 during trading hours on Friday. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $38.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.80. Toho has a fifty-two week low of $33.66 and a fifty-two week high of $41.46. Get Toho alerts: Toho Company Profile (Get Free Report) Read More Toho Co, Ltd. engages in the motion picture, theatrical production, and real estate businesses in Japan. It is involved in producing, buying/selling, and renting movies; producing and selling television programs, movie pamphlets, and video software; and business related to merchandising rights, and other activities. Receive News & Ratings for Toho Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Toho and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The semiconductor producer reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.04), Briefing.com reports. STMicroelectronics had a net margin of 25.36% and a return on equity of 35.04%. The company had revenue of $4.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. STMicroelectronics updated its Q3 2023 guidance to EPS. STMicroelectronics Price Performance Shares of STM stock opened at $53.44 on Friday. STMicroelectronics has a 1-year low of $29.09 and a 1-year high of $55.85. The stocks 50-day moving average is $48.42 and its 200 day moving average is $47.48. The company has a market cap of $48.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.58 and a quick ratio of 1.87. Get STMicroelectronics alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered STMicroelectronics from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded STMicroelectronics from an underperform rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 12th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their target price on STMicroelectronics from 55.00 to 54.00 in a research note on Sunday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, STMicroelectronics has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $54.22. Institutional Investors Weigh In On STMicroelectronics STMicroelectronics Company Profile Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of STMicroelectronics by 9.9% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,530,155 shares of the semiconductor producers stock valued at $152,573,000 after buying an additional 318,347 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of STMicroelectronics by 3.0% in the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,857,566 shares of the semiconductor producers stock valued at $128,133,000 after buying an additional 83,859 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of STMicroelectronics by 448.6% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,214,361 shares of the semiconductor producers stock valued at $118,169,000 after buying an additional 1,810,709 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of STMicroelectronics by 92.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,830,732 shares of the semiconductor producers stock valued at $97,926,000 after buying an additional 879,856 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of STMicroelectronics by 0.3% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 893,015 shares of the semiconductor producers stock valued at $38,596,000 after buying an additional 2,833 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.62% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) STMicroelectronics N.V., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells semiconductor products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through Automotive and Discrete Group; Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group; and Microcontrollers and Digital ICs Group segments. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for STMicroelectronics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for STMicroelectronics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Swissquote Group Holding Ltd (OTCMKTS:SWQGF Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,000 shares, a decline of 35.0% from the June 30th total of 20,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 0 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently days. Swissquote Group Stock Performance Shares of Swissquote Group stock remained flat at $185.18 during trading on Friday. Swissquote Group has a 52-week low of $177.50 and a 52-week high of $185.18. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $185.18. Get Swissquote Group alerts: About Swissquote Group (Get Free Report) Featured Articles Swissquote Group Holding Ltd provides a suite of online financial services to retail investors, affluent investors, and professional and institutional customers in Switzerland, rest of Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Securities Trading and Leveraged Forex. Receive News & Ratings for Swissquote Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Swissquote Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE:CAG Free Report) by 67.9% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,667 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the quarter. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc.s holdings in Conagra Brands were worth $63,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Conagra Brands in the 1st quarter valued at $309,000. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Conagra Brands by 251.1% in the 1st quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC now owns 69,632 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,615,000 after purchasing an additional 49,798 shares during the period. First National Bank of Omaha bought a new stake in Conagra Brands in the 1st quarter valued at $216,000. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Conagra Brands by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 114,684 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,308,000 after purchasing an additional 10,675 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its stake in Conagra Brands by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,610 shares of the companys stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. 88.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Conagra Brands alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In CAG has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Conagra Brands from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, May 20th. TheStreet cut Conagra Brands from a b rating to a c+ rating in a report on Thursday, July 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Conagra Brands from $36.00 to $35.00 in a report on Friday, July 14th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Conagra Brands from $40.00 to $38.00 in a report on Friday, July 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Conagra Brands from $43.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, July 14th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Conagra Brands presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $38.25. Conagra Brands Price Performance Shares of CAG opened at $33.03 on Friday. Conagra Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.05 and a 12-month high of $41.30. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $15.75 billion, a PE ratio of 23.26, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.54. Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 13th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Conagra Brands had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 5.57%. The business had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Conagra Brands, Inc. will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Conagra Brands Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 31st will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 28th. This is a boost from Conagra Brandss previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. Conagra Brandss dividend payout ratio is presently 92.96%. Conagra Brands Profile (Free Report) Conagra Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a consumer packaged goods food company primarily in the United States. The company operates through Grocery & Snacks, Refrigerated & Frozen, International, and Foodservice segments. The Grocery & Snacks segment primarily offers shelf stable food products through various retail channels. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CAG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE:CAG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Conagra Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Conagra Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in HF Sinclair Co. (NYSE:DINO Free Report) by 9.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,233 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the period. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc.s holdings in HF Sinclair were worth $253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of HF Sinclair by 19.8% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 43,143 shares of the companys stock worth $2,087,000 after buying an additional 7,124 shares during the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its stake in HF Sinclair by 17.0% in the first quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 65,072 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,148,000 after acquiring an additional 9,465 shares during the period. Barnett & Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of HF Sinclair during the first quarter valued at approximately $643,000. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of HF Sinclair in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,848,000. Finally, New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its position in HF Sinclair by 14.0% during the 1st quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 24,400 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,180,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.82% of the companys stock. Get HF Sinclair alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DINO shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of HF Sinclair from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of HF Sinclair in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on HF Sinclair from $48.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Monday, July 10th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on HF Sinclair from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on HF Sinclair from $69.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Friday, May 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, HF Sinclair has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $59.00. HF Sinclair Price Performance NYSE:DINO traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $51.61. 2,017,167 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,357,016. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $45.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.63. HF Sinclair Co. has a 1-year low of $37.12 and a 1-year high of $66.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.93 billion, a PE ratio of 3.54, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.40. HF Sinclair (NYSE:DINO Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $7.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.97 billion. HF Sinclair had a net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 32.56%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. Research analysts expect that HF Sinclair Co. will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. HF Sinclair Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 17th. HF Sinclairs dividend payout ratio is presently 12.34%. About HF Sinclair (Free Report) HF Sinclair Corporation operates as an independent energy company. It produces and markets gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, renewable diesel, specialty lubricant products, specialty chemicals, specialty and modified asphalt, and others. The company also owns and operates refineries located in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; and markets its refined products principally in the Southwest United States and Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and in other neighboring Plains states. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for HF Sinclair Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for HF Sinclair and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teledyne Technologies (NYSE:TDY Get Free Report) updated its third quarter 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of $4.70-$4.80 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $4.77. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Teledyne Technologies also updated its FY 2023 guidance to $19.00-$19.20 EPS. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on TDY. StockNews.com raised Teledyne Technologies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, May 26th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on Teledyne Technologies from $470.00 to $455.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America upped their price target on Teledyne Technologies from $533.00 to $565.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 25th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on Teledyne Technologies from $503.00 to $499.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $501.75. Get Teledyne Technologies alerts: Teledyne Technologies Stock Up 0.9 % Shares of NYSE TDY opened at $382.02 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $17.97 billion, a PE ratio of 23.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Teledyne Technologies has a 52-week low of $325.00 and a 52-week high of $448.71. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $402.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $417.04. Insiders Place Their Bets Teledyne Technologies ( NYSE:TDY Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.63 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Teledyne Technologies had a return on equity of 10.90% and a net margin of 13.75%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.43 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Teledyne Technologies will post 19.12 earnings per share for the current year. In other news, VP Melanie Susan Cibik sold 2,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $413.00, for a total transaction of $826,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 27,305 shares in the company, valued at $11,276,965. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 93.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 4,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $1,923,000 after purchasing an additional 1,965 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 4.0% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,911 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $903,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 40.1% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 796 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 62.5% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,370 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $648,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 1,272.5% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,400 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.31% of the companys stock. Teledyne Technologies Company Profile (Get Free Report) Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides enabling technologies for industrial growth markets in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. The company's Instrumentation segment offers monitoring and control instruments for marine, environmental, industrial, and other applications, as well as electronic test and measurement equipment; and power and communications connectivity devices for distributed instrumentation systems and sensor networks. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Teledyne Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teledyne Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TELUS International (Cda) Inc. (TSE:TIXT Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as C$12.66 and last traded at C$12.53, with a volume of 186133 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$12.84. TELUS International (Cda) Trading Down 0.8 % The business has a 50-day moving average of C$18.83 and a 200-day moving average of C$24.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 95.75, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of C$908.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86 and a beta of 0.68. TELUS International (Cda) Company Profile (Get Free Report) TELUS International (Cda) Inc design, builds, and delivers digital solutions for customer experience (CX) in Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific, and the Central America. The company provides digital experience solutions, such as AI and bots, omnichannel CX, enterprise mobility solutions, cloud contact center, big data analytics, platform transformation, and UX/UI design; and customer experience solutions, including work anywhere/work from home, contact center outsourcing, technical support, sales growth and customer retention, healthcare/patient experience, and debt collection. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for TELUS International (Cda) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TELUS International (Cda) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Temple Bar Investment Trust PLC (LON:TMPL Get Free Report)s share price passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 225.10 ($2.89) and traded as high as GBX 233.50 ($2.99). Temple Bar Investment Trust shares last traded at GBX 233.50 ($2.99), with a volume of 418,703 shares trading hands. Temple Bar Investment Trust Stock Up 0.9 % The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.28, a quick ratio of 3.68 and a current ratio of 9.95. The businesss 50 day moving average is GBX 225.18 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 231.99. The stock has a market cap of 717.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4,670.00 and a beta of 1.17. Get Temple Bar Investment Trust alerts: Temple Bar Investment Trust Cuts Dividend The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 1st were paid a dividend of GBX 2.30 ($0.03) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 1st. Temple Bar Investment Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -18,000.00%. Temple Bar Investment Trust Company Profile Temple Bar Investment Trust PLC is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by RWC Asset Management LLP. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United Kingdom. It seeks to invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in stocks of companies across all market capitalizations, which are constituents of the FTSE 350 Index. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Temple Bar Investment Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Temple Bar Investment Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Summit Financial LLC lessened its position in shares of The Bank of New York Mellon Co. (NYSE:BK Free Report) by 4.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,497 shares of the banks stock after selling 341 shares during the quarter. Summit Financial LLCs holdings in Bank of New York Mellon were worth $341,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BK. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Bank of New York Mellon in the 4th quarter valued at about $503,489,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Bank of New York Mellon by 74,433.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,114,741 shares of the banks stock worth $278,343,000 after acquiring an additional 6,106,537 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 69.7% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 7,203,067 shares of the banks stock valued at $347,044,000 after purchasing an additional 2,957,380 shares in the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 120.3% during the 1st quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 5,385,368 shares of the banks stock valued at $244,711,000 after acquiring an additional 2,941,223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in Bank of New York Mellon during the 4th quarter worth $105,838,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.19% of the companys stock. Get Bank of New York Mellon alerts: Bank of New York Mellon Stock Performance BK stock traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $44.98. 2,715,078 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,509,816. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $43.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.72. The Bank of New York Mellon Co. has a 52 week low of $36.22 and a 52 week high of $52.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.49 billion, a PE ratio of 13.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.09. Bank of New York Mellon Increases Dividend Bank of New York Mellon ( NYSE:BK Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 18th. The bank reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $4.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.37 billion. Bank of New York Mellon had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Bank of New York Mellon Co. will post 4.83 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 28th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.74%. This is a positive change from Bank of New York Mellons previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 27th. Bank of New York Mellons dividend payout ratio is presently 43.15%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Bank of New York Mellon from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Bank of New York Mellon from $44.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Bank of New York Mellon from $58.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Bank of New York Mellon from $52.00 to $51.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Bank of New York Mellon in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $52.90. Insider Buying and Selling at Bank of New York Mellon In other news, EVP J Kevin Mccarthy sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.33, for a total transaction of $1,621,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 98,102 shares in the company, valued at $4,545,065.66. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the companys stock. Bank of New York Mellon Profile (Free Report) The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, and data analytics. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Bank of New York Mellon Co. (NYSE:BK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bank of New York Mellon Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of New York Mellon and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NorthRock Partners LLC cut its holdings in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO Free Report) by 3.7% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,423 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 358 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLCs holdings in Southern were worth $656,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in shares of Southern by 9.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 113,558 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $7,902,000 after acquiring an additional 9,788 shares during the period. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Southern by 5.7% during the first quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,031 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $837,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Southern by 3.9% during the first quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,919 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $969,000 after buying an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV boosted its holdings in Southern by 5.5% during the first quarter. Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV now owns 32,004 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,227,000 after buying an additional 1,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 12.8% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 8,180 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $569,000 after purchasing an additional 926 shares in the last quarter. 63.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Southern alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts recently issued reports on SO shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an underweight rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, July 21st. VNET Group reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, April 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Southern from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Southern from $73.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Southern from $77.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $73.36. Southern Stock Down 0.7 % NYSE SO traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $72.34. 5,362,778 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,199,765. The Southern Company has a 12 month low of $58.85 and a 12 month high of $80.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.88 billion, a PE ratio of 23.34, a PEG ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $70.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.73. Southern (NYSE:SO Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.08. Southern had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 10.78%. The firm had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. The firms revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Southern Company will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current year. Southern Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 18th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.87%. Southerns dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.32%. Insider Buying and Selling at Southern In other news, insider David P. Poroch sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.05, for a total value of $700,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 28,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,009,804.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Thomas A. Fanning sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.16, for a total value of $3,758,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 847,592 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $63,705,014.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider David P. Poroch sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.05, for a total transaction of $700,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 28,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,009,804.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 225,678 shares of company stock worth $16,334,121 in the last ninety days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders. Southern Company Profile (Free Report) The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates through three segments: Gas Distribution Operations, Gas Pipeline Investments, and Gas Marketing Services. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Southern Company (NYSE:SO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Southern Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southern and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. An official meeting was held at the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense under the leadership of the Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov on July 29, Trend reports. According to the ministry, the meeting was attended by deputy ministers, commanders of types of troops, heads of the main departments and departments of the ministry, as well as commanders of military associations. In addition, the meeting analyzed the current operational situation on the conditional Azerbaijani-Armenian border and in the Karabakh Economic Region, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed. Moreover, it was instructed to pay special attention to the sustainable implementation of engineering measures in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO Free Report) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,650 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc.s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 23,188 shares of the companys stock worth $1,448,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 12,780 shares of the companys stock worth $793,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC now owns 2,679 shares of the companys stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 16,604 shares of the companys stock worth $1,056,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gleason Group Inc. grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 14,369 shares of the companys stock worth $891,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.61% of the companys stock. Get Coca-Cola alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KO shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $71.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. HSBC lowered their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $77.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $68.33. Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.1 % NYSE KO opened at $62.48 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.29. The stock has a market cap of $270.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.54. 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 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.74 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 23.81% and a return on equity of 43.06%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current year. Coca-Cola Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Coca-Colas payout ratio is currently 75.72%. Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola In other news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 253,102 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 184,563 shares in the company, valued at $11,743,743.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 253,102 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 184,563 shares in the company, valued at $11,743,743.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.33, for a total transaction of $9,649,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,468,984.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 470,786 shares of company stock worth $30,019,224 over the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company 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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Coca-Cola Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Coca-Cola and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA Get Free Report) (NYSE:TAC) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, July 27th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of 0.055 per share on Sunday, October 1st. This represents a $0.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. TransAlta Stock Performance Shares of TransAlta stock opened at C$13.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 195.84. The firm has a market capitalization of C$3.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.52, a P/E/G ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of C$12.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$12.36. TransAlta has a 12 month low of C$10.52 and a 12 month high of C$14.75. Get TransAlta alerts: TransAlta (TSE:TA Get Free Report) (NYSE:TAC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 5th. The company reported C$1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.39 by C$0.71. The firm had revenue of C$1.09 billion during the quarter. TransAlta had a return on equity of 11.86% and a net margin of 4.74%. On average, equities analysts forecast that TransAlta will post 1.4139785 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In TransAlta Company Profile A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. CSFB boosted their price target on TransAlta from C$17.00 to C$18.50 in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. CIBC boosted their price target on TransAlta from C$17.00 to C$17.50 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on TransAlta from C$16.00 to C$17.00 in a research note on Monday, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of C$16.93. (Get Free Report) TransAlta Corporation engages in the development, production, and sale of electric energy. It operates through Hydro, Wind and Solar, Gas, Energy Transition, and Energy Marketing segments. The Hydro segment has a net ownership interest of approximately 922 megawatts (MW) of owned hydro electrical-generating capacity located in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for TransAlta Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TransAlta and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Trilogy Metals Inc. (TSE:TMQ Get Free Report) fell 1.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as C$0.70 and last traded at C$0.70. 1,686 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 22,922 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.71. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Trilogy Metals from C$1.10 to C$1.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 25th. Get Trilogy Metals alerts: Trilogy Metals Trading Up 1.4 % The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 5.82 and a quick ratio of 5.25. The firm has a market capitalization of C$110.45 million, a PE ratio of -3.33 and a beta of 1.25. The companys fifty day simple moving average is C$0.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$0.77. About Trilogy Metals Trilogy Metals Inc, a base metals exploration company, explores for and develops mineral properties in the United States. It principally holds interests in the Upper Kobuk mineral projects that include the Arctic, which contains polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; and Bornite that contains carbonate-hosted copper cobalt deposits covering an area of approximately 448,217 acres located in the Ambler mining district in Northwest Alaska. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Trilogy Metals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Trilogy Metals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Polaris (NYSE:PII Free Report) had its price target hoisted by Truist Financial from $100.00 to $125.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. Truist Financial currently has a hold rating on the stock. A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Roth Capital restated a neutral rating on shares of Polaris in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. StockNews.com started coverage on Polaris in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Citigroup raised their price target on Polaris from $108.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Polaris from $125.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Polaris from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Polaris has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $124.18. Get Polaris alerts: Polaris Price Performance Polaris stock opened at $134.80 on Wednesday. Polaris has a one year low of $91.86 and a one year high of $138.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 1.20. The business has a fifty day moving average of $120.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.58. The company has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 1.61. Polaris Announces Dividend Polaris ( NYSE:PII Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Polaris had a return on equity of 57.98% and a net margin of 6.89%. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.42 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Polaris will post 10.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. Polariss dividend payout ratio is currently 24.28%. Insider Activity In other news, SVP James P. Williams sold 14,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $1,820,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 16,001 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,080,130. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.75% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Polaris by 33.2% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,698,573 shares of the companys stock worth $389,534,000 after purchasing an additional 922,101 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Polaris by 1,473.6% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 661,440 shares of the companys stock worth $66,805,000 after purchasing an additional 619,406 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Polaris by 14.8% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,136,582 shares of the companys stock worth $435,665,000 after purchasing an additional 532,947 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Polaris during the 4th quarter worth about $49,002,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Polaris by 392.9% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 382,885 shares of the companys stock worth $38,671,000 after purchasing an additional 305,200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.29% of the companys stock. About Polaris (Get Free Report) Polaris Inc designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets powersports vehicles worldwide. It operates through three segments: Off-Road, On-Road, and Marine. The company offers off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles and side-by-side vehicles; military and commercial ORVs; snowmobiles; motorcycles; moto-roadsters, quadricycles, and boats; and aftermarket parts and apparel. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Polaris Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Polaris and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. UBS ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN (NYSEARCA:BDCS Get Free Report) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $15.23 and traded as high as $15.31. UBS ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN shares last traded at $15.23, with a volume of 14,900 shares changing hands. UBS ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN Price Performance The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $15.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.23. Read More Receive News & Ratings for UBS ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for UBS ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $120.00 to $135.00 in a report published on Friday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports. Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $188.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an overweight rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $157.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Monday, July 3rd. Tudor Pickering downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $174.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Friday, May 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $152.36. Get Valero Energy alerts: Valero Energy Trading Up 3.0 % NYSE VLO opened at $129.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.52. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.70 billion, a PE ratio of 4.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.65. Valero Energy has a one year low of $97.73 and a one year high of $150.39. Valero Energy Announces Dividend Valero Energy ( NYSE:VLO Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The oil and gas company reported $5.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $5.08 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $34.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.37 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.96% and a return on equity of 43.38%. Valero Energys revenue was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $11.36 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 21.5 earnings per share for the current year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 2nd. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Valero Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.05%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VLO. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 110.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 215 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Sageworth Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 716.7% during the 1st quarter. Sageworth Trust Co now owns 196 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.00% of the companys stock. About Valero Energy (Get Free Report) Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol. The company produces California Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending and Conventional Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending gasolines, CARB diesel, diesel, jet fuel, and asphalt; aromatics; and sulfur crude oils. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Valero Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Valero Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO Free Report) by 5.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,055 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the period. Vista Capital Partners Inc.s holdings in Southern were worth $630,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Southern by 127.6% during the 4th quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 421 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN purchased a new stake in Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Southern by 192.0% during the 4th quarter. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC now owns 511 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miller Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Southern by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. Miller Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 500 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.25% of the companys stock. Get Southern alerts: Southern Stock Down 0.7 % Shares of SO stock traded down $0.52 on Friday, hitting $72.34. The stock had a trading volume of 5,362,778 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,199,765. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $70.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.70. The company has a market cap of $78.88 billion, a PE ratio of 23.50, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.50. The Southern Company has a one year low of $58.85 and a one year high of $80.57. Southern Announces Dividend Southern ( NYSE:SO Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. Southern had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 10.78%. The firms revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that The Southern Company will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 21st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 18th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.87%. Southerns dividend payout ratio is presently 90.32%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research firms recently weighed in on SO. StockNews.com raised shares of Southern from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday. Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of Southern from $79.00 to $77.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley reissued an underweight rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Southern from $73.00 to $69.00 in a report on Thursday, June 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Southern from a buy rating to a conviction-buy rating in a report on Monday, July 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $73.36. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 47,326 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.78, for a total transaction of $3,302,408.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 118,659 shares in the company, valued at $8,280,025.02. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Southern news, CEO Thomas A. Fanning sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.16, for a total value of $3,758,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 847,592 shares of the companys stock, valued at $63,705,014.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 47,326 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.78, for a total value of $3,302,408.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 118,659 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,280,025.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 225,678 shares of company stock worth $16,334,121. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. About Southern (Free Report) The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates through three segments: Gas Distribution Operations, Gas Pipeline Investments, and Gas Marketing Services. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Southern Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southern and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC Free Report) by 23.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,966 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 1,875 shares during the quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc.s holdings in Bank of America were worth $285,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of BAC. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Bank of America by 6,772.7% in the 4th quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 756 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares during the last quarter. Tanglewood Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank of America in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Ahrens Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank of America in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank of America in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Bank of America in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.34% of the companys stock. Get Bank of America alerts: Bank of America Stock Down 0.2 % NYSE BAC traded down $0.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $31.89. 33,274,062 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 52,251,566. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $29.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Bank of America Co. has a 12-month low of $26.32 and a 12-month high of $38.60. The firm has a market cap of $254.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.35. Bank of America Increases Dividend Bank of America ( NYSE:BAC Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.04. Bank of America had a net margin of 19.97% and a return on equity of 12.01%. The firm had revenue of $25.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Bank of America Co. will post 3.41 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. This is an increase from Bank of Americas previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Bank of Americas payout ratio is currently 25.29%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Bank of America news, insider Dean C. Athanasia sold 77,806 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.48, for a total transaction of $2,449,332.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 353,971 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $11,143,007.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts recently commented on BAC shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Bank of America from $36.00 to $35.00 in a report on Friday, May 12th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Bank of America from $38.00 to $33.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Bank of America from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Bank of America from $39.00 to $35.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Bank of America from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $36.26. Bank of America Profile (Free Report) Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional and money market savings accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, noninterest-and interest-bearing checking accounts, and investment accounts and products; and credit and debit cards, residential mortgages, and home equity loans, as well as direct and indirect loans, such as automotive, recreational vehicle, and consumer personal loans. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Bank of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Thursday. The industrial products company reported $9.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.96 by $0.32, Briefing.com reports. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 61.00% and a net margin of 10.65%. The firm had revenue of $4.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.19 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger updated its FY23 guidance to $35.00 $36.75 EPS and its FY 2023 guidance to $35.00-$36.75 EPS. W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.9 % GWW traded up $6.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $731.37. 257,951 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 290,274. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $732.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $680.31. The company has a market cap of $36.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.39, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.23. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $483.19 and a fifty-two week high of $811.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 2.70 and a quick ratio of 1.53. Get W.W. Grainger alerts: W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 11th. W.W. Graingers payout ratio is 22.82%. Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger Institutional Inflows and Outflows In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 476 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $683.74, for a total transaction of $325,460.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,731 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,183,553.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . Company insiders own 9.90% of the companys stock. A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GWW. Eqis Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,681 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $935,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,067 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $550,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 491 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,251 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,161,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.8% in the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 949 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $465,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 72.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research firms recently issued reports on GWW. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $785.00 to $800.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $795.00 to $790.00 in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $647.00 to $653.00 in a report on Friday. Loop Capital boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $750.00 to $800.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $721.50. About W.W. Grainger (Get Free Report) W.W. Grainger, Inc distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services in the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety and security supplies, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and metalworking and hand tools. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for W.W. Grainger Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for W.W. Grainger and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NorthRock Partners LLC cut its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM Free Report) by 13.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,622 shares of the business services providers stock after selling 417 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLCs holdings in Waste Management were worth $428,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Aspire Private Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter valued at $16,153,830,000. Steward Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Cutler Group LLC CA boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 482.8% during the 1st quarter. Cutler Group LLC CA now owns 222 shares of the business services providers stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carmel Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.91% of the companys stock. Get Waste Management alerts: Insider Activity at Waste Management In related news, Director John C. Pope sold 198 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.40, for a total transaction of $33,343.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,147 shares in the company, valued at $9,455,154.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Analysts Set New Price Targets Waste Management Stock Down 0.6 % A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WM shares. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. They set an outperform rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Waste Management from $167.00 to $166.00 in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Waste Management from $204.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $179.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $179.18. Shares of NYSE WM traded down $1.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $162.94. 1,765,739 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,659,527. The businesss fifty day moving average is $166.28 and its 200 day moving average is $160.71. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.31 and a fifty-two week high of $175.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.82. Waste Management (NYSE:WM Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The business services provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.54 by ($0.03). Waste Management had a net margin of 11.42% and a return on equity of 33.81%. The company had revenue of $5.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Waste Management Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 1st. Waste Managements payout ratio is 50.36%. About Waste Management (Free Report) Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Waste Management Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Waste Management and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. The Su-25 attack aircraft, which Azerbaijan will modernize jointly with Turkiye, will be called "Lachin", Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan said in a statement, Trend reports. The matter was discussed at an official July 29 meeting under the leadership of Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov. Hasanov noted the importance of the meetings held within the framework of the IDEF23 16th International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul. He gave specific instructions on the development of weapons and military equipment adopted by the personnel, the study of the fire capabilities of the Su-25 ML attack aircraft (modernized Lachin'') and its effective use in combat missions. The Su-25 modernization project contract signing ceremony between the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry and the "TUSAS" company of Turkiye took place on July 26. Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Agil Gurbanov, Chairman of the Turkish Defense Industry Committee Haluk Gorgun and other officials took part in the signing ceremony held within the framework of the IDEF23 16th International Defence Industry Fair. The main purpose of signing the contract is integration of Turkish-made smart bombs and missiles into the aircraft which is in the armament of Azerbaijan Air Force and the implementation of their avionics modernization activities. The project envisages the maximum use of internal as well as national opportunities and means of the defense industry of the fraternal country. Weave Communications, Inc. (NYSE:WEAV Get Free Report) major shareholder Bessemer Venture Partners Ix L sold 149,496 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.48, for a total transaction of $1,716,214.08. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,266,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,421,245.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a companys shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC. Bessemer Venture Partners Ix L also recently made the following trade(s): Get Weave Communications alerts: On Monday, July 24th, Bessemer Venture Partners Ix L sold 1,500 shares of Weave Communications stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.10, for a total value of $16,650.00. On Friday, July 21st, Bessemer Venture Partners Ix L sold 1,200 shares of Weave Communications stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.01, for a total value of $13,212.00. On Wednesday, July 19th, Bessemer Venture Partners Ix L sold 8,541 shares of Weave Communications stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.13, for a total transaction of $95,061.33. On Monday, July 17th, Bessemer Venture Partners Ix L sold 66,580 shares of Weave Communications stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.24, for a total transaction of $748,359.20. Weave Communications Stock Up 5.2 % Shares of Weave Communications stock opened at $11.62 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $9.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.65. The stock has a market cap of $775.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.34 and a beta of 2.03. Weave Communications, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3.74 and a twelve month high of $12.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Weave Communications Weave Communications ( NYSE:WEAV Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $39.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.71 million. Weave Communications had a negative return on equity of 51.25% and a negative net margin of 29.49%. Equities research analysts forecast that Weave Communications, Inc. will post -0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Weave Communications during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $98,000. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Weave Communications by 236.3% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 7,325 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 5,147 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Weave Communications by 31.6% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 135,395 shares of the companys stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 32,474 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in Weave Communications in the first quarter worth about $291,000. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Weave Communications by 116.7% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,024 shares of the companys stock worth $513,000 after acquiring an additional 46,333 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 53.73% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Weave Communications from $6.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, June 30th. Loop Capital upgraded Weave Communications from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $5.00 to $13.00 in a report on Monday, June 26th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Weave Communications from $6.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Weave Communications from $7.50 to $14.00 in a research report on Friday, June 30th. About Weave Communications (Get Free Report) Weave Communications, Inc provides a customer communications and engagement software platform in the United States and Canada. Its platform enables small and medium-sized businesses to maximize the value of their customer interactions and minimize the time and effort spent on manual or mundane tasks. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Weave Communications Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Weave Communications and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (NYSE:WAB Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The transportation company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.08, RTT News reports. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.22 billion. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies had a return on equity of 9.33% and a net margin of 7.54%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies updated its FY 2023 guidance to $5.50-$5.80 EPS. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Trading Up 1.0 % Shares of WAB stock traded up $1.16 on Friday, hitting $118.58. The stock had a trading volume of 1,336,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 942,309. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies has a twelve month low of $79.33 and a twelve month high of $118.87. The firm has a market cap of $21.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.79, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $104.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.31. Get Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies alerts: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 14th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 11th. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.23%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Insider Activity A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WAB shares. TD Cowen cut shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and increased their price objective for the company from $114.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $125.00 to $135.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $107.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $125.71. In related news, CTO Eric Gebhardt sold 2,407 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.69, for a total value of $237,546.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 21,513 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,123,117.97. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WAB. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Eudaimonia Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $366,000. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,092,000. State of Tennessee Treasury Department grew its position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department now owns 115,233 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $11,645,000 after purchasing an additional 13,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 2,233.1% during the 1st quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 245,277 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $23,589,000 after purchasing an additional 234,764 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Company Profile (Get Free Report) Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation provides technology-based locomotives, equipment, systems, and services for the freight rail and passenger transit industries worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Freight and Transit. The Freight segment manufactures and services components for freight cars and locomotives; builds, rebuilds, upgrades, and overhauls locomotives; supplies railway electronics, positive train control equipment, and signal design and engineering services; services locomotives and freight cars; and provides heat exchange and cooling systems, and components and digital solutions. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Westpac Banking Corp bought a new stake in Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO Free Report) (TSE:BMO) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 79,850 shares of the banks stock, valued at approximately $9,612,000. Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMO. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in Bank of Montreal by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 3,234 shares of the banks stock valued at $293,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. Naples Global Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Bank of Montreal by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 14,987 shares of the banks stock worth $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. Power Corp of Canada lifted its position in shares of Bank of Montreal by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Power Corp of Canada now owns 21,542 shares of the banks stock worth $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden lifted its position in shares of Bank of Montreal by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 162,900 shares of the banks stock worth $14,747,000 after purchasing an additional 6,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scotia Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bank of Montreal by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 2,780,385 shares of the banks stock worth $251,450,000 after purchasing an additional 158,646 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.18% of the companys stock. Get Bank of Montreal alerts: Bank of Montreal Price Performance Shares of BMO opened at $91.98 on Friday. Bank of Montreal has a 1-year low of $81.57 and a 1-year high of $105.40. The stock has a market cap of $65.93 billion, a PE ratio of 12.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $89.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.63. Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend Bank of Montreal ( NYSE:BMO Get Free Report ) (TSE:BMO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 24th. The bank reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.35 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter. Bank of Montreal had a net margin of 12.83% and a return on equity of 13.14%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Bank of Montreal will post 9.73 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 28th will be paid a $1.085 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 27th. This is a positive change from Bank of Montreals previous quarterly dividend of $1.08. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.72%. Bank of Montreals payout ratio is currently 58.50%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Bank of Montreal from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $149.50. Bank of Montreal Company Profile (Free Report) Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company's personal banking products and services include checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and financial and investment advice services; and commercial banking products and services comprise business deposit accounts, commercial credit cards, business loans and commercial mortgages, cash management solutions, foreign exchange, specialized banking programs, treasury and payment solutions, and risk management products for small business and commercial banking customers. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Bank of Montreal Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of Montreal and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A close aide of fugitive gangster Chhota Shakeel has been arrested after 25 years in connection with a murder case, a Mumbai Police official said. The arrested accused has been identified as 50-year-old Laik Ahmed Fida Hussain Sheikh, who used to stay in Dongri in South Mumbai then. He was nabbed on July 28 near the Thane railway station by a team of Pydhonie police, the official added. "Shaikh, who was working for the Chhota Shakeel gang, and his aides shot dead a Chhota Rajan gang member in 1997. The court had declared him an absconder in the case. We got a tip-off (that) he was staying in Mumbra in Thane and laid a trap to nab him," news agency ANI quoted the official as saying. In 1997, the accused had gunned down Munna Dhari, a member of the arrested underworld don Chhota Rajan's gang. At that time, the police arrested Sheikh by registering a case against him under Section 302, 34 of the IPC and Section 3, 25 of the Arms Act, the official added. The accused was released on bail by a court in 1998 and since then Sheikh went underground and did not appear in any court hearing, after which he was declared as an absconder. Police reached the location in Mumbra but he was not found there, neither could anyone identify him. The police were aware that Sheikh was working as a taxi driver at the Thane campus. They finally spotted Sheikh's place and arrested him on July 28. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept The income-tax officers searched the offices of Chinese home appliance major Haier in Mumbai, Pune and Noida as well as the premises of its promoters for alleged underreporting of income and royalty payment, a report said. This is related to underreporting of income and discrepancies in royalty payment, an official with knowledge of the matter told the Economic Times, adding details would be shard once the search operations, which began on July 28, were over. Moneycontrol couldn't verify the report independently. The search operations were on late in the evening and tax sleuths could continue the searches for one more day, sources said. Also Read: Haier aims for 33% growth in turnover this year, investing Rs 1,500 crore by 2025 The team was examining the books and had collected laptops and other digital records for further investigation, the official said. Tax sleuths are keeping a close eye on tax evasion in the name of royalty payments, especially by Chinese entities. The Centre unearthed Rs 9,075 crore of tax evasion by Chinese mobile handset maker since April 2017, of which the I-T department recovered Rs 1,630 crore, the financial daily said, citing data presented in Parliament by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity). Also Read: Income tax raid at the home of UP YouTuber who earned Rs 1 crore through videos Tax authorities are also carrying out a separate probe into Chinese mobile companies for customs duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion. Haier India said in April it was targeting a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore over the next two years. The Beijing-based home-appliances maker, which closed the financial year 2022-23 at Rs 6,000 crore, expects a growth of 40 percent and 30 percent in revenue in the years 2023 and 2024, respectively, it said in a press release. A team of 21 MPs from the newly formed Opposition brigade, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), will visit Manipur on July 29-30 to review the situation in the northeastern state where ethnic violence since May 3 has claimed more than 160 lives. The delegation will make recommendations to the Centre and Parliament for a solution to the problems in the violence-hit state. The 26-party alliance INDIA has been demanding a discussion in both the Houses of Parliament on Manipur, and also a statement from the prime minister on the current situation there. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had visited a few places in the state earlier. Ahead of the visit, Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi demanded a thorough probe under a retired Supreme Court judge into the Manipur violence. The team will visit both the valley and the hill regions of the state and meet different communities there and will visit two relief camps in both the places. The opposition bloc had written to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who allowed the delegation to visit the state. The delegation will meet Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey tomorrow morning. The MPs have sought to use helicopters there and, if allowed, they will visit the far-flung areas of Churachandpur, where fresh violence has erupted. We have permissions from the state government to visit the affected areas as also the relief camps. We have also got permission to meet the governor, who has allowed time to the delegation on Sunday," news agency PTI quoted Congress MP and whip in the Rajya Sabha Naseer Hussain as saying. The delegation includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress, TMC's Sushmita Dev, JMM's Mahua Maji, DMK's Kanimozhi, NCP's Mohammad Faizal, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP and T Thirumavalavan of the VCK. The Opposition has not accepted the governments offer of Union Home Minister Amit Shah making a statement because it is of the view that the Manipur issue is much more than just about law and order. Stockholm. London. Tokyo. New York. Paris. They're not just names of key metros around the world, but also cities with key financial markets and large stock markets. "Do we have a Mumbai meeting room?" I ask Vishal Kampani, 47, whos casually dressed in slacks and a checked shirt and greets me with a handshake. In fact, we do. Mumbai is here on the 7th floor, it's the largest one here and can hold as many as 40 people. I'm at the office of investment bank JM Financial in Worli to meet Kampani who runs the business on a day-to-day basis. While private-equity firms and other financial entities often name their rooms after trees, planets, or even characters from films, here the focus is on finance. The ante-room to his office is decorated with images of Jain Tirthankaras (monks) Shantinath and Ajitnath. A few steps further inside Kampani's room reveals typical C-suite environs: Papers, personal memorabilia, including photographs of his children, awards hes received, books, and a twin-screen computer used by most financial professionals. Only insiders would know that the wood-panelled wall behind him separates his office from that of Nimesh Kampani, his fathers and co-founder of the storied firm, who is one of the "KKK" trio of homegrown investment banks (Uday Kotak, Hemendra Kothari and Nimesh Kampani). The second book on the shelf between them is called Succession and hard to miss for anyone visiting the office. Born in Mumbai, Kampani went to Sydenham College after high school and says that the highlight there was meeting his girlfriend - now his wife. He also spent time working with his father at JM Financial all through across different departments: equity sales, equity research and debt sales, debt syndication, accounting. "I learnt a hell of a lot on the job," he adds. The learning continued at home too. "My father would talk to clients on the phone, when I was sitting around and I could hear only one side of the conversation, and always trying to imagine what the other side had said," Kampani says. " So my first introduction to macroeconomics was really hearing my father discuss how the economy would move and what could happen to markets." Circa 1994, their biggest competitor, the Hemendra Kothari-led DSP Financial Consultants, announced a joint venture with Merrill Lynch. Soon, another upcoming competitor, the Uday Kotak-led Kotak Investment Banking, created a joint venture with Goldman Sachs. JM Financial announced their joint venture with Morgan Stanley a little later in 1997, and Kampani was involved in it throughout. "It was quite a complicated joint venture, that; and the partners told me I should come to New York to work and be part of the analyst programme, and get exposure to investment banking...so I went across to New York and I was there for a while. I did equity capital markets and a bit of FIG investment banking," Kampani says. He came back to India after a couple years, then did a masters at London Business School, and by 2008, the entire landscape had shifted with all three of India's homegrown investment banks parting ways with their foreign partners. That was important because there was circumspection if JM Financial could make it alone. DSP had sold out, Kotak had gotten a bank licence and gotten much bigger. Today, at its 50th anniversary, Kampani says they are one of the few standalone entities competing with bank-owned dealmakers that include Axis, ICICI Securities and Kotak across M&A, equity, private equity, debt, and advisory business. Recent deals have included exclusive advisory for the open offer made by the Adani Group for NDTV, LIC's IPO, Bajaj Auto's share buyback, Escorts stake sale to Kubota and others. The way my father and I look at things are distinctly different. I think he is a lot more debt averse, and believes we should grow the fee business a lot more. Second, he preferred personal involvement, and felt the CEO should have control of everything that's going on. - Vishal Kampani Nimesh Kampani gave up full-time directorship when he turned 70 in 2016, at which point his son took over as the Group CEO. "Every year was a challenge. I'd barely gotten appointed and there was demonetization. Then the IL&FS phase where suddenly liquidity was extremely tight, especially for NBFC businesses which hurt. By the time we got out of IL&FS, we had COVID, followed by a global war, and commodity prices going up," he says. Even so, JM Financial reported profit after tax for FY 22-23 at Rs 597 crore, total income of Rs 3,343 crore for FY 22-23 and a market cap of over Rs 7,000 crore. JM Financial have worked on the Birlas QIP, the JSW Infrastructure IPO that they filed, and the TVS Logistics IPO coming up. What differentiates them? Our "integrated investment bank approach", Kampani says. "The Integrated investment bank where people basically interact with the top 2,000 companies of this country and their promoters. We have equity offerings, fixed-income offerings, M&A offerings, trust structures, alternative investments, plain vanilla mutual funds, all at the company level and the promoter level. Effectively the cross-sell becomes very high as all six interact with each other." Of course, Kampani still consults the founder of the firm and is quick to admit that he has made mistakes as well. "There'll be macro and micro mistakes. I should have allocated less capital to wholesale lending, and more capital to retail lending years ago. One big error is that we should have started our journey in digital broking five years or six years ago. I think I should have gone deeper into that, instead of just leaving it to a general two-hour discussion," he says. "If we had built that capability five years earlier, we would have had Rs 300-400 crore of more profit today." There are different styles at play. "The way my father and I look at things are distinctly different. I think my (father) is a lot more debt-averse, number one, and believes we should grow the fee business a lot more. Second, he preferred personal involvement, and felt the CEO should have control of everything that's going on," Kampani says, adding that today that is just not possible. "You have to delegate and sometimes people will make mistakes and you have to work with them and guide them." "I get a lot more credit compared to the work my team does. I spend 40 percent of my time on management. I would love the credit, but it's not true," Kampani says. He adds that at one time he did do deals. "I worked on the entire Ultratech acquisition, the whole negotiation, L&T, the structuring, working with the CFO, putting the deal together. But that year, I did nothing else. Then, I worked on the Ambani family restructuring, the whole valuation, and for four months only did that." Once in management, it's very hard to do it all, which is why delegation is the key. He doesn't say it but that's one of the more valuable lessons he's learned over the years. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on July 29 took over the investigation into the case of alleged sexual assault on two tribal women, who were disrobed and paraded by a mob before one of them was allegedly gang-raped in the violence-affected Manipur. A 26-second video purportedly shot on May 4, showing the two Kuki women being paraded naked, went viral earlier this month, resulting in a huge uproar across the country on crimes allegedly being committed in the northeastern state. A first information report (FIR) has been re-lodged by the Manipur police. Reports said that the person, who had recorded the video was among the seven people arrested in connection with the crime. The federal agency has also reportedly been asked to investigate the alleged conspiracy triggering the violence in Manipur. The state police had registered a case of kidnapping, gang rape and murder at the Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district on May 18 against unidentified armed people. The case was handed over to the CBI on a reference from the Union Home Ministry. It has taken over the FIR registered by the Manipur Police against unidentified people, PTI reported on July 29. The Centre on July 27 filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court and said that it has zero-tolerance towards any crimes against women and sought direction from the apex court that the trial in the case be concluded within six months of filing of the charge sheet. The government also said that the trial should take place outside Manipur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the horrific incident and described it as shameful and unacceptable. Since May 3, Manipur has been witnessing ethnic violence between the majority Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills. The clashes have claimed more than 160 lives in the state. Meanwhile, a team of 21 MPs from the opposition alliance INDIA reached the northeastern state on July 29 to assess the ground situation. The Income Tax department permits taxpayers to file their income tax returns (ITR) on their own, except when there is a requirement for auditing the books of accounts, particularly for business income. However, many individuals lack the basic understanding required to file tax returns and might inadvertently make mistakes, rendering their returns incorrect or invalid. In such cases, it is sensible to seek the guidance of tax experts. Here are a few resources that can help. Also read: The complete guide to income-tax filing Do it yourself In the last few years, the IT department has made significant strides in providing online services, making the process of ITR filing largely digital with only a few exceptions. For salaried individuals with no other sources of income besides their salary, the process of filing returns has become quite straightforward, as they can easily do so through the IT department's e-filing portal. Someone with salary and/or pension and/or interest income, etc. may not even need a chartered accountants (CA) help, said Kuldip Kumar, Founder of Mainstay Tax Advisors. Therefore, you can file your returns for free using the IT department's e-filing portal. But what if things get a bit hairy? Tax return preparer If you are filing your return for the first time and lack a thorough understanding of the process, you have the option of approaching government-approved Income Tax Return Preparers (TRPs). To aid taxpayers in preparing and filing their returns, the government introduced the Tax Return Preparers Scheme in 2006. Under this scheme, individuals are trained to become authorised TRPs. A TRP can be any individual who has been issued a Tax Return Preparer certificate and a unique identification number by the relevant authority. To become a TRP one needs to have a bachelor's degree from a recognised Indian university or institution, or should have passed the intermediate-level examination conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), or the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of India (ICMAI). To find a Tax Return Preparer (TRP) in your vicinity, visit https://incometaxindia.gov.in/Pages/tps/trp-details.aspx. Fill in the required details such as state, city, and PIN code. Upon submission, a list of registered TRPs in your area will be displayed, along with their TRP identity, names, contact information, and addresses. TRPs receive incentives from the government for assisting in the filing of income tax returns. For example, if a taxpayer files her return for the first time, the TRP will receive 3 percent of the tax paid on the declared income as an incentive from the income tax department. For the second and third years, the TRP will receive 2 percent and 1 percent of the tax paid, respectively. However, if the incentive is less than Rs 250 in any year, the taxpayer must pay the TRP the difference. The maximum incentive a TRP can earn per return is Rs 1,000. E-filing portals The IT department introduced the Electronic Furnishing of Return of Income Scheme, 2007, enabling authorised intermediaries to electronically file the ITR on behalf of taxpayers. This scheme is accessible to any taxpayer who is assessed or assessable for tax. Many tax filers opt for e-filing intermediaries for assistance in filing their returns. Also read: Can you file a revised return even after getting a tax refund? E-filing intermediaries typically charge fees based on factors like sources of income, income level, complexities, or the applicable ITR form. For instance, Clear, an e-filing intermediary, charges Rs 299 (for income below Rs 5 lakh), or Rs 999 (for income above Rs 5 lakh) for ITR 1 or 4. For ITR 2 and 3, its charges range from Rs 1,198 to Rs 2,499. Myitreturn allows free usage of their platform for income up to Rs 5 lakh, and charges Rs 199, Rs 500, and Rs 1,000 for income up to Rs 10 lakh, Rs 20 lakh, and above Rs 20 lakh, respectively, from salary, pension, and other sources. TaxManager's charges start from Rs 250 and go up to Rs 4,000. Before choosing an e-filing intermediary, ensure they are authorised by the IT department, as you will need to share critical information with them, including personal, income, and bank details. To check their authorisation status, verify their name on the IT department's website under the list of registered e-return intermediaries. You may also request their user ID and organisation name to confirm their validity. Chartered accountants If you have multiple sources of income or find it challenging to manage the complexities, it is advisable to seek the assistance of a CA. Moreover, in situations that require tax audits, balance sheets, etc., consulting a CA becomes a necessity. Also read: What is AIS and how does it help in filing your income-tax return CAs can provide effective tax planning in order to optimise tax savings for their clients, ensure accurate and compliant filing of ITRs, minimise errors, and ensure the completeness of disclosures such as foreign assets/incomes, foreign tax credits (if any), directorship, etc., and also make sure that other incomes are correctly computed, said Suresh Surana, Founder, RSM India, a tax consulting firm. "Those with income from capital gains, crypto, or foreign sources may benefit from the help of a CA in terms of taxation and reporting of such income, and also to avoid double taxation, where the income from a foreign source is doubly taxed, i.e. in India and in the other country, said Kumar. Typically, CA firms may charge as little as Rs 3,000 to 5,000 for their services. However, the fees can vary significantly based on the scale of the business and the complexity of income computation, and may even extend to lakhs. The fees charged by a CA for filing ITRs vary based on several factors, such as the complexity, the level of expertise required for preparing such returns, the transaction volume, the time required, the location of the CA's practice, etc, said Surana. Choose any of the aforementioned methods to file your return before the due date July 31, 2023. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. Amendments have been made to the Charter of the Azerbaijan Innovation and Digital Development Agency, Trend reports. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a relevant decree in this regard. According to the decree, the amount of the authorized capital of the Innovation and Digital Development Agency was increased to 6.78 million manat ($3.99 million). The government is considering whether it could extend a funding scheme for semiconductor design startups to include even bigger companies, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on July 29. "One of the suggestions that have come up is that the design side not be limited only to startups. If there's a big Indian company or a big foreign company that wants to do chip design in India, we should allow the future design scheme also to support them. So, I am studying that," the minister told reporters on the sidelines of the SemiconIndia 2023 conference in Gandhinagar. "We could say that as long as the intellectual property is Indian, anybody who has an original chip design can apply to it, and we will look at supporting it financially," the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology added. Also read: CDAC partners with Arm to aid semiconductor startups under DLI scheme The Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme aims to offer financial incentives as well as design infrastructure support across various stages of development and deployment of semiconductor design(s) for Integrated Circuits (ICs), Chipsets, System on Chips (SoCs), Systems & IP Cores and semiconductor linked design(s) over a period of five years. India is also trying to attract major semiconductor players to set up chip fabrication and assembling plants in the country with a $10 billion subsidy programme. Also read: India is laying out a red carpet for the semiconductor industry, says PM Modi In his address, Chandrasekhar talked about the progress made by the domestic semiconductor industry in less than two years since the inception of the governments chip programme. He said that Indias aim was to become a strong global player in semiconductors within the next decade. We intend to build a robust, vibrant, globally competitive presence in the global semiconductor ecosystem in the next 10 years with the capital that PM Narendra Modi has given us. We certainly want to do what countries to the North of us took 200 billion dollars in 30 years and could not succeed. The Future is Bright and the Future is India in the semiconductor ecosystem, the minister said during his address in Gandhinagar. During Modi's recent visit to the US, semiconductor major Micron committed to set up a $2.7 billion assembling plant in the country. According to estimates, the Centre and state government of Gujarat will cumulatively bear 70 percent of the cost of the project in the form of subsidies. Also read: Vedanta to launch first made-in-India chip in 2.5 years: Anil Agarwal The minister highlighted how India has built global partnerships with other countries, including Japan and the US in critical areas of technology, including semiconductors. He mentioned that in the past 15 months, there have been important visits and agreements between India and other nations, marking significant milestones. "This is not a short-term instant gratification race. This is about creating a mahaul," he told reporters on the sidelines. "We have a whole history of creating cynicism and scepticism in the community that is supposed to be optimistic about investing. So that is not a small problem to solve. So that we have done in 15 months itself. So that is a big mountain to have climbed and conquered," he added. India marked 50 years of Project Tiger, a first-of-its-kind species conservation program that helped the tiger population in the country grow to 3,167 as of 2022, this year. It is now home to 75 percent of the world's wild tigers, according to the Status of Tigers 2022 report. But while tiger numbers have increased overall, they are not rising everywhere in India. In some areas, populations are declining. Additionally, as per conservationists, the focus on the tiger has come at the expense of other critically endangered species (their numbers rose from 47 in 2011 to 73 in 2022 as per data presented in the Rajya Sabha) and forest-dwelling communities. Also read: International Tiger Day 2023: 10 places to spot the tiger in its natural habitat Despite these challenges, the countrys success in raising the number of wild tigers is undeniable. To better understand the triumphs, setbacks, and hurdles ahead for tiger conservation, we spoke to Dr Rajesh Gopal, secretary general of the Global Tiger Forum, who was associated with Project Tiger for 35 years. Excerpts: We celebrated 50 years of Project Tiger in 2023. Is 3,167 a good number to be at, given where we started? Of course, yes! Wild tigers in India have been literally resurrected under Project Tiger and placed on an assured path of recovery. I remember during the formative years, prior to the launch of Project Tiger, a countrywide assessment was done by the late S.R. Choudhury using pugmarks, and the number stood at 1,857. From nine reserves in 1973 to 53 in 2023, both tiger habitats and tiger population have grown vis-a-vis the inherent biological carrying capacity of habitat. Project Tiger put India on the global map in terms of species conservation. What made it different from other conservation initiatives launched in the country? Project Tiger is an ecological umbrella species scheme. By investing in the tiger (which is a multidimensional surrogate indicator of biodiversity and human well-being), we save the entire gamut of ecosystem. This happens because the tiger is at the apex of the ecological food chain. Over the years, what threats to the tiger have reduced and which new ones have emerged? Over the vicissitude of time, numerous threats and stressors, natural and anthropogenic, have been addressed. There is in nature, especially while handling an in-situ conservation project, never a zero stress moment. The ever-ongoing landscape level transformation (forest-rural-urban) is a global reality, to which no country is an exception. Such transformations result in a multitude of heterogeneous land uses in tiger reserves that need to be addressed in an ongoing manner. Broadly, landscapes of tiger range countries have an agro-pastoral-infrastructure stress continuum which keeps evolving vis-a-vis the important developmental agenda of a nation, warranting actions in an ongoing manner. Is there a tiger reserve that has done particularly good work when it comes to conservation? Certainly. There are quite a few tiger reserves that have excelled and stand out as flagships of Project Tiger. They have been globally acclaimed. To name a few Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, Pench, Sanjay-Dubri (Madhya Pradesh); Corbett (Uttarakhand); Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh); Ranthambhore (Rajasthan); Tadoba-Andhari (Maharashtra); Bandipur, Nagarhole (Karnataka); Periyar (Kerala); Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu); Kaziranga (Assam); and Pakke (Arunachal Pradesh). After great success initially, Project Tiger has had mixed results. Most of Indias tigers are today concentrated in increasingly isolated pockets of highly productive habitats. Why is it so? I would not view this as a mixed result, but rather a positive outcome. Because of Project Tiger, the source populations have been secured which are discernible as concentrated tiger pockets with a high turnover (large number of births and deaths). The radial spread is discernible through gene porosity, fostered by the inclusive co-occurrence agenda of peripheral buffer and corridor linkages, as provided for in reserve specific tiger conservation plans (a statutory requirement). Can this eventually lead to genetic isolation? Not at all. There are no such insular pockets leading to reproductive isolation. However, corridor linkages between some source areas are weak, warranting focused mitigation/safeguards and active management in human-dominated landscapes to avoid interface conflicts. But overall, the movement ecology of the tiger is interesting: Kanha to Pench-Nagarjunsagar; Tadoba to Nagzira; Ranthambore to Sheopur; Corbett to Rajaji and terai arc areas; Bandhavgarh to Sanjay; Kanha to Achanakmar; Panna to Sanjay; and Valmiki to Chitwan in Nepal. In India, some tiger reserves have reached their population limits. Can translocation help build more viable tiger populations across the country? Yes, several tiger reserves are nearing their inherent biological carrying capacity. Of course, active management through translocation is useful and is also happening. It was expected that protections to the tiger would also protect the areas they live in. But according to a 2019 study, Extensive vegetation browning and drying in forests of Indias Tiger Reserves, there has been a decline in habitat quality. I do not agree with this. An independent study done by Indian Institute of Forest Management has highlighted the sustainable ecosystem services accruing to the society from tiger forests. The improved habitat has brought in several tangible and intangible gains, viz. carbon sequestration, sustainability of ecosystem services, livelihood options to locals, and zoonotic buffering against pandemic. Indias commendable efforts to expand its protected areas and tiger reserves are undermined by an excessive fixation on tiger numbers. Should the metric be broadened to include more qualitative aspects of conservation? The Tiger Vision (Tiger@2047) views the tiger as a multidimensional index of biodiversity and human well-being, in sync with the Convention on Biological Diversity targets. The tiger is a mascot of: livelihood, sustainable development, climate goals, biodiversity, model for securing green investments, and an umbrella species for securing ecosystem services. But is our focus on iconic species such as tigers and elephants enough to protect our biodiversity? In the contemporary scenario globally, there are no parallels in the context. Our efforts need to be ongoing, owing to the landscape-level transformations on account of anthropogenic and environmental stochastic factors. Does Indias conservation ideology need a radical shift from a strictly protectionist to a more inclusive one? We do not have a protectionist approach. Rather, our approach is a mix of exclusive tiger agenda in core areas complemented by an equally aggressive co-occurrence agenda in peripheral buffer and beyond to ensure gains to people from conservation. What needs to be done next so that the tiger continues to thrive in India for the next 50 years? The Amrit Kaal Ka Tiger Vision (Tiger@2047), released by our Honble Prime Minister to mark five decades of Project Tiger, provides the roadmap for the future. Eight people, including three women were killed in an explosion at a firecracker unit in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district on Saturday, said police. Condoling the tragic incident, Chief Minister M K Stalin announced solatium to the kin of the deceased and the injured. The sudden explosion that occurred in the firecracker manufacturing godown in Pazhayapettai in the district left many injured. Due to the impact of the explosion, houses and some shops near the unit were damaged, they said. Police, and fire and rescue services personnel rushed to the spot to rescue the affected. "I am deeply saddened over the news of the death of eight people in an unexpected explosion at a private fireworks factory in Pazhayapettai, Boganapalli village. I have deputed Food Minister R Chakrapani to oversee and expedite the rescue and relief activities," the Chief Minister said reacting to the tragedy. He directed the health officials at the Government Medical College Hospital, here, to ensure appropriate medicare for the injured, an official release quoting the Chief Minister said. "My deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased. I have ordered the officials to provide Rs 3 lakh each to the kin of those who died, Rs 1 lakh each to the seriously injured, and Rs 50,000 each to the injured from the Chief Minister Public Relief Fund," Stalin said. Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi said he was deeply saddened by the loss of valuable lives in the mishap. "My prayers and thoughts are with the bereaved families. Wishing a speedy recovery to those injured," the Governor said on his Twitter site. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra held wide-ranging talks with his visiting Bhutanese counterpart Aum Pema Choden on Saturday and conveyed India's commitment to partner with Bhutan based on the priorities of the Himalayan nation. The top Bhutanese diplomat paid an official visit to India from July 28 to 29, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday. "The two foreign secretaries reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation, and discussed ways to further strengthen it across diverse sectors," it said in a statement. Both foreign secretaries co-chaired the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks. The MEA said the visit of the Bhutanese foreign secretary reinforced the "long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries to discuss all issues of mutual interest". It said the Bhutanese side shared details regarding Bhutan's 13th Five Year Plan during the talks. "Foreign Secretary Kwatra conveyed India's commitment to partner with Bhutan based on the priorities of the government and people of Bhutan, and advancing the bilateral partnership, including into newer areas," it said. The MEA said the two foreign secretaries noted with appreciation the progress on bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, development partnership, cross-border connectivity, trade and economic ties, digital development, science and technology, skill development and furthering people-to-people ties. "It was agreed that both sides will continue to work to further strengthen such cooperation in keeping with the joint statement issued during the official visit of the King of Bhutan to India in April," it said. Choden also called on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday. "India and Bhutan share an exemplary bilateral relationship characterised by utmost trust, goodwill and mutual understanding at all levels, strong bonds of friendship and close people-to-people ties," the MEA said. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Environment Minister Bhupendar Yadav on July 28 said the G20 climate ministers meeting in Chennai wrapped up with success, with the countries agreeing on 64 out of 68 issues. However, the chairs summary of the meeting highlighted the lack of unity among nations on key issues crucial for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, such as phasing down unabated fossil fuels, increasing renewable energy, and providing low-cost financing for developing countries. The meeting comes after the bloc, responsible for 85 per cent of the worlds GDP and 80 per cent of the emissions, failed to reach a consensus on tripling renewable energy capacity to 11,000 gigawatts by 2030, phasing down the unabated use of fossil fuels and plans to finance the transition during the Energy Ministerial Meeting held in Goa last week. According to the chairs summary, which spells out the issues that lacked agreement, the bloc discussed accelerating the scaling up of renewable energy, tripling of renewable energy capacity, phasing down of unabated fossil fuels, doubling the global rate of improvement of energy efficiency, scaling up of already available low and zero emission technologies, carbon removal and abatement technologies, and access to low-cost financing for developing countries. Addressing a press conference, Yadav said the meeting was a success and the ministers stand united in their commitment to create a sustainable and resilient future. Developing G20 countries emphasized the need for developed countries to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, considering historical cumulative emissions as a measure of responsibility. However, there was a clear divide between developed and developing countries on this issue. Some members emphasised the need for a global peaking of emissions no later than 2025, and reduction in emissions by 60 percent by 2035 over 2019 levels. "There is a clear cut divide between developed and developing countries on these issues and it was no different here," an official who attended the meeting in Chennai told PTI. Developing countries argue that action to combat climate change must be based on the principles of equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC). Equity essentially means that each countrys share of carbon dioxide emissions is equal to its share of the global population. The CBDR-RC principle recognises that each country is responsible for addressing climate change but developed countries should bear primary responsibilities as they account for most of the historical and current greenhouse gas emissions. Expressing the concern that the COP28 commitments like reducing energy and tripling renewable energy capacities are yet to find expression in G20 outcomes, COP28 president-designate Dr Al Jaber had on July 28 urged G20 nations to lead the way and demonstrate solidarity on climate action. Madhura Joshi from global climate policy think tank E3G said, "Despite the Indian G20 Presidencys work to achieve ambitious outcomes across both the G20 Energy Ministerial and Environment and Climate Ministerial, the text indicated that negotiations were mired in differences, with countries failing to rise beyond politics". "Ministers highlight that it is imperative to use the best available science for effective climate actions, but the outcomes, especially on energy, leave a lot to be desired. India has an opportunity to drive the new engine of the global economy by leading the Leaders' summit in September to course correct climate action and agreeing to tripling renewables by 2030 to over 11,000GW, doubling the rate of energy efficiency, and phasing out fossil fuels. This is what the science tells us is difficult but feasible and critical for keeping 1.5 alive," she said. Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trends, a non-governmental environmental think tank, expressed disappointment with the lack of political will from several countries during the Climate and Sustainability meeting. "As the world prepares for the Global Stocktake, G20 nations need to significantly raise their ambitions to address climate change effectively," she said. Since India assumed the G-20 presidency in December, none of the meetings on foreign affairs, finance, energy, and climate change have resulted in a joint communique so far. However, the announcements made during these meetings will likely be included in a final document that will be released at the leaders summit scheduled for September. The Earths global surface temperature has risen by around 1.15 degrees Celsius as compared to the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average and the CO2 spewed into the atmosphere since the start of the industrial revolution is closely tied to it. Major damage had already been done before the 1990s when economies like India started to develop, reports suggest. Many nations are grappling with extreme heat, with China setting a provisional new national temperature record of 52.2C, Antarctica sea ice at record low levels amid unusual winter heat and Africa experiencing its hottest night ever. Other regions are facing deadly floods. More than 100 people have been killed in deluges in India and at least a dozen people have died in floods in South Korea. According to the Global Carbon Budget Report 2022, more than half of the worlds CO2 emissions in 2021 were from three places China (31 percent), the US (14 percent), and the European Union (eight percent). Ranking fourth, India accounted for seven percent of global CO2 emissions. However, at 2.4 tCO2e (tonne carbon dioxide equivalent), Indias per capita greenhouse gas emission is far below the global average of 6.3 tCO2e, according to a report released last year by the United Nations Environment Programme. Per capita emission in the US (14 tCO2e) is far above the global average, followed by Russia (13 tCO2e), China (9.7 tCO2e), Brazil and Indonesia (about 7.5 tCO2e each), and the European Union (7.2 tCO2e). Vibhuti Garg, Director, South Asia, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, said, "The document very rightly acknowledges that the efforts are insufficient to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius. However, given how the world is impacted by increasing incidences of heatwaves and floods at the same time in different regions, we are sitting on a ticking bomb." "While the transition should be fair, just and equitable, we need increased commitments and more importantly increased implementation of energy transition in different sectors. This will imply tripling of renewable energy targets and doubling of energy efficiency and we need enhanced commitment from countries on this front. Also, access to climate finance especially by the low income countries." Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, is an annual celebration on July 29 to raise awareness for tiger conservation. This year, lets talk of the most famous tigers/tigresses of India: 1. Machli (Ranthambore National Park): Calling a tigress a fish might raise a chuckle, but this naming was not random a mark on the tigress left cheek resembled the contours of a fish. This Tigress Queen of Ranthambore certainly was a prolific cub-bearer. Between 1999 and 2006, she gave birth to 11 cubs that helped raise the tiger population in Ranthambore from 15 in 2004 to 50 in 2014. Most Ranthambore tigers today can be traced back to Machlis lineage. So immense was her contribution that in 2013, the Indian government issued a commemorative postal cover and stamp to honour the tigress for her ecological and economical contributions. Machli died in 2016 at a ripe old age of 19, the longest that any tigress has ever lived in the wild. 2. Collarwali (Pench National Park): If you have watched the documentary Spy in the Jungle, you know all about Collarwali - the only tigress in the wild to have given birth to 29 cubs (in 8 litters). She was first tiger in Pench to be fitted with a radio collar, hence the name Collarwali. Some even called her Mataram (beloved mother) because of the many children she had. 3. Bamera (Bandhavgarh National Park): It was a fratricidal coup detat in Bandhavgarh. Bamera, the largest tiger that the territory had ever seen, overthrew his ailing father (B2) and became the dominant male of the national park. Bamera would often get into brawls with rivals to protect his fiefdom, but the humans who knew him often described him as shaant and shareef (quiet and well-behaved). 4. Maya (Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve): In Tadoba National Park, also known as Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, the oldest national park in Maharashtra, Maya is the queen of all she surveys. Stories about her skirmishes with other tigresses are often told by the safari guides & forest authorities. For long, she was victorious in vanquishing rivals spilling into her territory. Such tiger-squabbles are also reflective of the truth that tiger habitat is shrinking and the big cats have to fight for survival. 5. Paro (Corbett Tiger Reserve): When Paro (aka Paarwali) was first sighted in Corbett around 2013-14, no one knew much about her parents, but speculation was rife that she was the daughter of a tigress known as Thandi Maa from Dhikala Chaur. Paro was petite but she soon chased away two tiger matriarchs to establish her rule over both sides of the Ramganga river; the river serving as a glistening backdrop to some of the most spectacular photographs of Paro. 6. Kankati (Bandhavgarh National Park): Also known as Vijaya, Kankati dominated the Chorbehra and Chakradhara region, right up until the Bandhavgarh Fort. Her epic battle for dominance with Lakshmi, a disabled tigress, turned her into a one-eyed tigress but that didn't dim her ferocity or her popularity. Kankatis story has been told by Shivang Mehta in his book A Decade with Tigers: Supremacy, Solitude, Stripes. 7. Vijay (Delhi Zoo): Vijay, the six-footer white tiger, was born in the Delhi Zoo and acquired notoriety when he mauled a 22-year-old man who trespassed into his enclosure. He sired 5 cubs with his partner Kalpana under the Delhi Zoos successful breeding program. Though Vijay is no more, he is still remembered as Delhi Zoos star breeder. 8. Munna (Kanha National Park): Often called the King of Kanha, Munna is famous for the stripes on his forehead. He is old now, but people still talk of his territorial fights that can fill many a summer night. Chota Munna, his son, is taking forward the legacy in Kanha. 9. Waghdoh (Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve): Named after a waterhole in the Mohurli region of Tadoba, Waghdoh took over the territory after defeating Yeda Anna (Broken Tail). Story goes that he killed Yedas cubs, mated with Yedas partner Madhuri and sired four cubs. Waghdoh left Mohurli after Madhuri was ousted by her daughter Sonam. He was found dead in May 2022, soon after allegedly killing a shepherd. 10. Prince (Bandipur National Park): Prince, the most photographed and dominating tiger of Karnataka's Bandipur Tiger Reserve, was a dominant male, his roar lording an area of 1o-12 sq kms for nearly seven years. In 2017, Princes carcass was found in the parks Kundakere Range. He was 14. [content][quote]Market Buzz[/quote][title]L&T buyback: Can it continue to propel the stock higher?[/title][body] India's biggest engineering company, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), plans to give back extra money to its shareholders by repurchasing up to Rs 10,000 crore worth of shares through a buyback. Read more [/body][/content] [content][quote]Watch Out[/quote][title]Take a look at these key events[/title][body] Today INDIA alliance to visit Manipur Poco to launch its first wireless earbuds G20s C20 Summit to begin in Jaipur JRD Tata Mahotsav in Jamshedpur NEET UG 2023 counselling first round Hospital to hold oncologists conference Q1 results of NTPC, IDFC First Bank, Five-Star Business Finance, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Tomorrow Weekend Tourist Hub to open in Tripura Brij Bhushan to convene meeting INDIA alliance visits Manipur ISRO to launch seven satellites from Singapore Amit Shah to visit Indore [/body][/content] [content][quote]Big Story[/quote][title]Vedanta's made-in-India semiconductor chip will be ready in 2.5 years: Anil Agarwal[/title][body] Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal on July 28 said that the first made in India chips from the company's planned fab will roll out in the next 2.5 years, while reaffirming that the process to set up a chip manufacturing unit is on the track as the company has found a technology partner. 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Read more [/body][/content] [content][quote]Auto[/quote][title]Hero MotoCorp to build and market Zero Motorcycles EV models in India[/title][body] Hero MotoCorp, which has signed an agreement with Zero Motorcycles to collaborate on premium electric motorcycles, is now looking to also manufacture, assemble and sell the California-based EV makers product lines in India. Read more [/body][/content] [content][quote]Tailpiece[/quote][title]'Apply for kidney...': Bengaluru man shares house listing with Rs 25 lakh as deposit[/title][body] A Bengaluru man shared how the security deposit for a house in the city was listed at Rs 25 lakhs. In a tweet posted on Thursday, the man-identified as Tejaswi Shrivastava- shared the flat listing which was posted on No Broker with the house located in the HSR layout area of the city. Read more [/body][/content] Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal on July 29 said she has been to see Manipurs BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte who is undergoing medical treatment in Delhi, and has even asked the party chief JP Nadda to visit the lawmaker. In her letter on July 29, a copy of which she shared on Twitter, the DCW chief also urged the BJP chief to extend financial assistance to Valte from the "partys funds". Manipur government spokesperson and Information and Public Relations Minister Sapam Rajan had on July 27 dismissed media reports claiming that the state government had not taken medical care of Valte after he was injured in an attack in the initial days of the ongoing ethnic strife that broke out in May. "We took care (of him) and regularly got updates on his health condition, even after he was discharged from the hospital. The government condemned the incident. BJP state president Sarda Devi and minister Th Basanta Singh also met him in a hospital in Delhi," he said. Maliwal also shared video clips from her visit, in which she can be seen interacting with a bedridden Valte, who was attacked in the ethnic clashes in Manipur. "As you may be aware, Shri Vungzagin Valte, a sitting MLA from Manipur, from your party, was subjected to a brutal attack during the recent ethnic violence in the state," Maliwal wrote in the letter. She requested Nadda to visit Valte "at the earliest". "Additionally, considering the substantial financial burden the MLAs family is facing, I earnestly appeal to you to extend financial assistance from the partys funds for his ongoing medical treatment," she wrote. Manipur has been racked with ethnic violence since May 3 with the majority Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills, locked in a bloody battle over an issue of identity. More than 160 people have been killed in the violence so far. The opposition alliance INDIA is likely to defer its third meeting in Mumbai to the first week of September after some leaders conveyed they may be unavailable on August 25-26 due to other engagements, sources said on Saturday. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, whose party recently saw a split, will embark on a tour of Maharashtra from mid-August and is among the leaders who will be unavailable next month, they said. "August 25-26 is still under consideration but we are looking at another set of dates to ensure that everyone is available," a senior leader of the INDIA bloc in Mumbai said. Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of the Maha Vikas Aghadi on Friday, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said MVA leaders have rallies lined up in August which had taken a backseat due to the monsoon. The MVA constituents Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT) are scheduled to meet again next Saturday. While the Congress is leading the 26-member opposition alliance's efforts nationally, it was considered a junior partner in Maharashtra due to its numbers in the state assembly till the Shiv Sena and the NCP saw a split in their ranks. Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was projected as the leader of the MVA in the 'Vajramuth' rallies of the coalition before Ajit Pawar's rebellion led to a split in the NCP. Thackeray's party has taken the lead in organising the Mumbai meeting of the opposition alliance. "The Shiv Sena is coordinating the meeting dates as far as we have been told. We were given to understand that it was August 25-26. Now, we hear that Sharad Pawar is unavailable on those days. These things happen when one has to coordinate with 26 parties, nothing unusual. We faced this issue even when the Patna meeting was being planned," another leader said. Pawar's scheduled event in Pune on August 1 where he will share the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also raised doubts among some opposition party leaders, the sources said. Many members are learnt to have expressed concern during a meeting of the INDIA bloc members on Friday with some saying that a senior member of the alliance sharing stage with Modi will reflect badly on the coalition. The INDIA bloc's first meeting was held in Patna in June and the second in Bengaluru earlier this month. Akshata Murty has been named the best dressed person in Britain by Tatler magazine. The billionaire heiress, fashion designer and wife of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was cited as a shining example of modern-day diplomatically decadent dressing that steals the show, by Tatler style editor Chandler Tregaskes. Murtys inclusion in the list is not a big surprise the 43-year-old has been praised for her sartorial choices in the past as well. Since her husband Rishi Sunak took over as prime minister of the UK, Akshata Murty has been spotted in a range of elegant ensembles at diplomatic events. For the coronation of King Charles III, she wore a soft blue dress by Claire Mischevsni. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rishi Sunak (@rishisunakmp) Trooping the Colour saw her in a white mid-length dress with a matching handbag. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rishi Sunak (@rishisunakmp) While she is often spotted in neutrals, Murty is not afraid of experimenting with prints and colours for a day out in Japan during the G7 summit, she chose a bright yellow Lisou blouse with cherry motifs, paired with red trousers and orange suede heels. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rishi Sunak (@rishisunakmp) The coveted number one spot in Tatlers best dressed list belongs to the chatelaine of Downing Street, Akshata Murty, Tregaskes said. Her stream of It ensembles would have given Jackie Kennedy a run for her money. Though she lacks the pillbox hats and layered pearls of yore, Mrs Sunak is a shining example of modern-day diplomatically decadent dressing that steals the show. Murty holds an MBA from Stanford University and a diploma from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. She left her finance job in 2009 to work on her own clothing line, which closed in 2017. Murty has said her love for all things fashion goes back to childhood. Ever since I was a little girl I have always loved clothes, she told Vogue India in a 2011 interview. My mother, a no-nonsense engineer, was always baffled why I would spend so much time creating different outfits from my wardrobe. Akshata Murty is the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and his wife, Sudha Murty. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI on the occasion of the country's national holiday, Trend reports. "Dear Brother, On behalf of myself and people of Azerbaijan, I cordially congratulate, and offer my sincerest wishes to You and through You, your brotherly people on the occasion of the national holiday of the Kingdom of Morocco. The Azerbaijan-Morocco relations are based on good traditions. I am confident that we will make joint efforts from now on to strengthen traditional friendly relations between our countries and to enhance cooperation of mutual interest in both bilateral and multilateral formats. On this holiday, I wish you good health, happiness, success in your activities and your brotherly people permanent peace and well-being", - reads the letter. When an employee is sacked from his/her company for whatever the reason, there is a chance of that person staying angry with the employer, days after losing the job. However, rarely does it happen that a company returns to the sacked employee asking for help. In a viral Reddit post, a user shared that the company contacted to ask for files, one year after the person was sacked. "I wish I was joking. I was laid off a year ago - 30 minutes before end of shift my entire department was called in and told we didn't have to come the next day. I was pissed, obviously, but I got on with my life because I have to make rent. "Last night, I got a text from said boss, asking if I wanted to make some money on the side. I still have hard feelings, but money's money so I said yes. She asked if I could please transfer the entire company's old directory to the new one (they moved state and went under a different name after laying us all off)," the person wrote. The person wrote that the company had not saved the files in their directory and they needed to retrieve their old records. The sacked employee also asked the company for 10 times the hourly charge for the work asked by them. "Because apparently, after they moved, they did not SAVE their directory and take it with them. I was their compliance officer, and now they need me to provide proof of compliance in their new state. So they need their old directory to get all of the old compliance records, as well as all of their old documents. "I don't have the files, they were just hoping I did. Obviously I deleted them off my computer when I was laid off. They then deleted the account I moved them to for who knows what reason, "accidentally". I asked for 10x my hourly to do the work they asked me to, with full knowledge that what they asked for is not going to be enough to get then under compliance. From there we'll see," the person wrote in the post. In the last update, the person said that the company had agreed to pay the amount to help recover the files. Also read: Candidate leaves job interview after waiting for 15 minutes. Viral post JRD Tatas (29 July 1904-29 November 1993) incredible achievements are well-known: He was the first Indian to hold a pilots licence, which led him to starting the first Indian aviation company. He was chairman of Tata Sons for more than 50 years, creating brands like Lakme, TCS and Tata Motors and educational institutions like TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research), TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) and the NCPA (National Centre of Performing Arts) as well. Anecdotes from his life are well-chronicled, too. For example, how he cared about the small things like women having to buy foreign cosmetics which did nothing for the Indian complexion - so he asked his chemicals company to create Laxmi cosmetics which became Lakme But if you wish to be truly inspired, then youd learn so much from the letters and his keynote speeches published as a set. JRD Tata on leadership A chairmans job is to command respect. But dont forget, I like people, JRD Tata once told RM Lala, an author who wrote at least seven books on the Tatas, including Beyond the Last Blue Mountain - A Life of J.R.D. Tata. JRD was referring to his experiences with leading different sets of people at Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company or TELCO (now Tata Motors). The conversation is captured in J.R.D. Tata Keynote - a selection of JRD's keynote speeches. JRD Tata on being included in the 100 Who's Who list The lively letters exchanged between JRD and Jamshed Bhabha are a fun read. JRD had been requested to check on the biography paras being sent to him so that his name would appear among the 100 Whos Who list. JRD resisted for many years. His final reply was in a telegram from Geneva: Just received excellent obituary sketch that should be safely preserved until appropriate occasion (stop) meantime publication my lifetime will provoke immediate legal action for inverted defamation of character (stop) positively prohibit my inclusion in the worlds hundred most whatnot people although would have not objection if number reduced to ten JRD Tata on religion When you read these letters, it will make you long for missives like these that are written to you from your son, or perhaps you will write a handwritten letter to your beloved or your family instead of dialling them at the most inopportune moments, subjecting them to video calls, or worse, sending them emojis that they will misunderstand. JRD wrote letters to his parents, and you get to know how fiercely he loved them. But among all this personal correspondence - where he admits to being weak in mathematics and Latin in school - there are signs of his wisdom as well. It is particularly amusing to read his response to a certain Miss Piroja Nanavutty who had sent him a book of translations of Parsi prayers. After thanking her for the book, JRD writes, I appreciate the kind thought, but I wonder if you would have carried it out if you had known that I am anything but a good Zoroastrian. At least in the sense of being a practising one. While I am certainly not an atheist and not even an agnostic. I do not believe in the outward, priest-created manifestations of religion and in fact hold the view that they have been for centuries and even today one of the principal causes of disunity and backwardness among people, particularly in our unhappy country That letter was written in 1943. It's hard not to wonder at the longevity of a mans thoughts and the universal truths hidden in the missive. And in a similar vein, he noticed that the hymn Silent Night was being played by the band during Christmas and New Year's celebrations at the Taj hotel. He writes to the General Manager Mr L.P. Vachek reminding him that the hymn is sung and played in Churches and might offend non-Christian patrons who are partying there and hence the hotel was not the right place to play a hymn (Letter written in 1949). JRD Tata on poetry Among the letters is a hidden gem. This letter was to Frank Moraes, who was at that time the editor of the Indian Express. Frank Moraes had sent JRD (who would read everything from classics to Louis LAmour) a copy of his sons first book of poems titled A Beginning. That son was Dom Moraes, poet extraordinaire who was just 19 at that time. Dom Moraes would go on to publish 30 books of poetry after that, but this collection that won Dom the Hawthornden Prize for being the best of work of imagination, also won this praise from JRD: I usually find modern poetry somewhat less congenial to my old-fashioned taste and more difficult to understand. When however, it is not too avant-garde and, as it is in Doms, sings and responds to the subconscious sense of sorrow and loneliness which I suppose exists in every man, I find deep pleasure in it. If Dom fulfils, in the coming years, the promise of his first collection, it is obvious that he will make a great name for himself There are other letters about books that he has received and treasured. And this one made me long to be the thief that would steal this treasure from his library. JRD Tata on hospitality I wouldn't, though, ever wish to be in the shoes of Feroze H. Nallaseth, who was in 1958, in charge of the Ashoka Hotel in Delhi. In the letter JRD makes a list of everything wrong with the hotel, starting with dressing tables and curtains to uniforms of the staff. JRD even reminds Mr Nallaseth that the menus of luxury hotels are always two, the table d'hote and the a la carte. You too will smile to read that JRD found the hotel band too noisy for dining patrons and suggested that music should be a gentle sound in the background, so as to not disturb the diners. JRD Tata on deodorants for men Letter after letter to the men in charge of Tata factories will make you wish you had a boss like JRD who would notice your hard work and appreciate you for that effort. In a letter to Simone Tata after trying out the mens toiletries, he writes: What about a good range of Deodorants? There is nothing we need more in our country I hope Lakme is working on this product. They can count on me as a regular user! JRD Tata on philanthropy JRD was no laggard when it came to donating to the war effort. In 1942, when he was asked to donate money towards an extra fighter plane, in a letter to Sir Jehangir Ghandy, GM TISCO (who was knighted in 1945), JRD Tata signed his disapproval of donations to War Gifts Committees, saying, I am sorry that I am not at all sympathetic towards the proposal He knew that during the war, factories would be working at full capacity, and that not a single extra bolt, nut or screw will be made as a result (of the donation) and the hope that at least one extra fighter plane will be allocated for the defence of Bihar or Bengal is equally fallacious. All that money given for such a purpose can buy is the privilege of having the name of the donors painted on the machine, and a letter or a telegram of thanks from the Viceroy or Lord Beaverbrook (the Minister of Aircraft Production), while the only effective financial consequence of such gifts is an infinitesimal reduction in the ultimate burden of the taxpayer. He goes on to say that money collected should only be used for humanitarian purposes. And adds, The relief of refugees from invaded countries and bombed populations, amenities for troops - particularly wounded troops - the relief for families of killed or wounded soldiers which would derive real benefits from donation JRD's passion for flying, and for great service JRD learnt through the newspapers that Morarji Desai had replaced him from the chairmanship of the airline that was his passion. His letters to banking officials, politicians and those with whom he did see eye to eye show him to be a passionate being, dedicated to the good of his people Correction In the service of all people. A book of letters simply called Keynote can be invaluable to anyone who dreams of climbing to the top of the corporate ladder. How I wish these keynote addresses which he gave at universities, world organizations like the UN, and his own companies were available to some of us when we were in school and then attempting to swim with the sharks. His passion for aviation should not only inspire new generations of executives and students, but make everyone acutely aware of how the tiniest of details could improve the quality offered by you, no matter what your job. JRD Tata on death, and living a little dangerously Even on his deathbed, he wished to go in peace. He spoke with Simone Tata in French, I am about to discover a new world. It is going to be very interesting, very interesting. Friends who tell me it is ridiculous and foolhardy for an octogenarian to ski, fly a plane or drive fast cars, do not understand the thrill and the sense of self-fulfillment obtained from living a little dangerously (foreword to his collection of keynote speeches, 1986) JRD Tata may have passed on to a bright new world, but he leaves behind a legacy of entrepreneurship, leadership and values. He built a giant company with the help of people he knew had to be nurtured. As I sign off, I am reminded that the airline that he had started, made successful, was taken away from him, is back into the Tata fold once again. JRD Tata must be the happier for it. Last Wednesday (July 26, 2023), when a 12-member jury in a London court found actor Kevin Spacey not guilty of all nine charges of sexual harassment and assault against him, they did more than just exonerate Spacey. They also perhaps wrote a defining chapter in the history of the #MeToo movement. The movement began in 2017 after allegations of sexual assault surfaced against Harvey Weinstein, then one of Americas most powerful independent film producers. What started as a Twitter hashtag ballooned within months as thousands of women revealed how they had been harassed in the workplace and millions of people from across the worldboth women and menexpressed support. Time magazine named the movement as its Person of the Year for 2017. In India, over the next two years, many women went public with their experiences and accusations. The worst-kept secret of the Indian workplacesexual harassment of womenwas suddenly out in the open. Among the alleged culprits were quite a few high-profile menfrom film actors and directors to media personalities, academicians and corporate executives. Some till-then-successful careers ended abruptly and many others were derailed for some time. In late 2017, Spacey was accused of sexual assaultby several men. He was instantly ostracized by Hollywood. He was dropped from the hugely popular TV serial House of Cards where he played the lead role. He had already finished shooting for the film All The Money In The World, but the producers spent millions of dollars to reshoot every scene of his, replacing him with Christopher Plummer. Spacey, one of the most talented actors of his generation with countless awards including two Oscars, has hardly found any work since then. A New York court dismissed charges against him last year and now comes the verdict in London. So, he has been cleared on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. His story raises some important questions. In India, as any working woman would tell you, sexual harassment in the workplace used to be rampant and was rarely punished. This ranged from men making direct sexual demands of women whose careers they had power over and drunken fools making passes at office parties to men making abhorrent commentsfor instance, tasteless jokeswhich they did not even know could offend women. One can be sure that #MeToo has reduced sexual harassment in Indian workspaces and helped many women overcome the fear of social stigma if she speaks out. At the very least, it has sensitized men to the problem. They became aware of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013, popularly known as the Vishaka Guidelines. Firms set up mechanisms, as mandated by the guidelines, to create safe spaces to record and address complaints from women staffers. When the movement broke in India in 2018-19, it struck the fear of God in many managers. Senior executives lay awake at night trying to recall if they had ever done or said anything that could be construed as an offence to women colleagues. In one large corporation that I know of, the fully-male leadership team met for long discussions and finally decided not to hire any women for the time being, to be on the safe side. That may sound pathetic, but one of the core messages of #MeToo was: Believe the victim. The accused person was presumed to be guilty, inverting the principle of innocent till proven guilty. Now, no one in their right minds can doubt that in the vast majority of cases, the accusations are true. And there is no way to even guess what percentage of cases ever get reported in a country like India. But a basic principle of criminal justice, as reiterated repeatedly by every judiciary in every true democracy, is that the benefit of doubt must be extended to the accusednot one innocent should be punished. And an accused can be pronounced guilty only if the charge is proved beyond reasonable doubt. These principles may sound heartless to the victims, but if these tenets are not followed, we would be left with only kangaroo courts and society would break down. We get to know about the Kevin Spacey case because he is a celebrity. For every Spacey, there could be any number of cases where the accused was condemned without trial, did not have the wherewithal to get his name cleared and his life was ruined. Even Spacey lost six years of his life and it seems unlikely that he will ever be able to get back on to his pre-#MeToo career track. Major Hollywood studios could be chary of risking potential fury on social media from those that had judged him guilty and will brook no appeal. The world works in strange ways. I know of a top Indian executive whose despicable predatory habits were exposed, but who has been rehabilitated fully in the corporate world. I know also of a mid-level manager who was almost certainly innocent, but was sacked without a fair hearing because the company was petrified that the complainant might go public. The mans career has never recovered, while the woman colleague who had accused him has done very well for herself. At the same time, it is true that a majority of real victims may not speak up because they think that they do not stand a chance. Though one would like to believe that after #MeToo, many would-be harassers are less willing to bet that the woman would keep quiet. Yet, it is also important that we do not rush to judge someone based on an accusation. Everyone deserves a fair trial, and it is tragic if a man is wrongly punished. But it is also tragic in a very different way if it is found after due process that the accused is innocentthat the accuser, through her allegation, may have tried to take advantage of #MeToo to settle some personal score or get ahead in her career. This is because any such case can have a wholly unfair fallout on the movement for womens justice. It gives misogynists a handle to challenge the credibility of genuine victims and the honest and dedicated people who have been fighting for a just cause. That is something that no civilized society can afford. A Japanese mayor has apologised after a public outcry over a flyer issued to pregnant women advising them on what most irritated husbands after their wives became mothers, an official said Thursday. The flyer included a section titled "Advice from fathers to you", which included answers to a survey of new fathers conducted five years ago in the city of Onomichi in western Hiroshima prefecture. Officials have been sharing the responses with expectant women ever since, apparently thinking it would be helpful to know what new fathers liked and disliked about their wives' behaviour after giving birth. Some men said they were annoyed when their wives became "irritated for unknown reasons" or could "not do housekeeping work" because they were too busy taking care of the baby. Japanese women have long struggled against deeply entrenched gender stereotypes, and there was a furious reaction when the document was shared on social media this week. That prompted Onomichi Mayor Yuko Hiratani to publish an apology on Tuesday and retracted the flyer, city official Akira Takahashi told AFP on Thursday. "The document is against the feelings of people who are raising children including pregnant women and mothers with newborn babies, offending many people," the mayor said in a statement. "The document included expressions that promote fixed roles based on gender, so we stopped delivering it. We deeply apologise." Complaints from the public have continued, however, partly due to local media reports on the issue. "Why wasn't it 'from senior fathers to new fathers'? Why don't they teach 'what you should never do to your wife before and after giving birth'?" one person messaged on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X. By Wednesday evening, the city had "received 156 emails and 51 phone calls, most of which expressed criticism about the document", Takahashi said. "We are currently reviewing all relevant documents to make necessary changes so as to address various ideas and thoughts about family issues." Go First, which is going through insolvency proceedings, has sought the National Company Law Tribunal's (NCLT's) permission to refund passengers whose tickets were cancelled after the cash-strapped airline stopped flying on May 3. The application, filed by the airline's resolution professional Shailendra Ajmera will be heard on July 31. The move is being seen as another step towards the resumption of operations after the NCLT refused to stop the debt-laden airline from using leased aircraft. The airline has a 56-aircraft fleet. The NCLT in an advisory on July 3 asked the ticket holders to make their claims with the resolution professional for refunds of cancelled tickets. The Wadia group-owned airlines refund move comes after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on July 21 accepted its plan to resume service but with conditions attached. The airline will have to prove it has the required funds and the regulators nod for the flight schedule. On July 26, NCLT turned down a plea by seven of the lessors, who have together leased 34 planes, to restrain the airline from using the leased aircraft, a decision seen as a boost for the low-fare carrier. The tribunal held that aircraft and engines were essential to keep the company running as a going concern. Go First filed for bankruptcy protection in May, blaming engine maker Pratt & Whitney for the grounding of half of its fleet and economic woes, a claim denied by the company. The airline owes Rs 8000 crore to a consortium of banks, which includes State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank , IDBI, Canara Bank and ICICI Bank. On May 10, NCLT accepted its plea to initiate the insolvency resolution process. The tribunal appointed an insolvency resolution professional, suspended the board and imposed a moratorium on the airline's financial obligations. A new Yayoi Kusama art installation opened for public viewing at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) on Friday (July 28), and was sold out for the weekend. This is hardly surprising. It is, after all, the first time that an Infinity Mirror Room by the famous contemporary artist from Japan is being shown in India. And, as Instagram is proof, Kusamas immersive installations are wildly popular around the worldand have been for decades. Infinity Mirror RoomThe Eternally Infinite Light of the Universe Illuminating the Quest for Truth, 2020 takes over a small room in NMACCs Concourse Area, but holds multitudes within. In a mirror-panelled room, hundreds of multi-coloured LED lights stand suspended at varying heights from the ceiling. These flickering lights, reflected in the mirrors all around, create an optical illusion. For the uninitiated: Yayoi Kusama, now 94, and living in a psychiatric facility in Japan, is considered to be one of the most important contemporary artists of all time. Circa 2019, she also became the highest-selling female artist of all time, no doubt on the back of the limitless allure of her Infinity Mirror Rooms. But years before Kusama was able to take ownership of this form, she had practiced across media, including painting, sculpture, performance and more. She had tread the ground between pop art and minimalism to find her own vocabularyone permeated with polka dots, pumpkins and phallic shapes. And that artistic language and practice was her armour as she navigated the world and battled her mental illnesses. Yayoi Kusamas life story is as enigmatic as her art. Born in 1929, Kusama had a troubled childhood. The oft-repeated story is of how her mother would make her spy on her father, who was an incurable womanizer. She was also the subject of her mothers rage. Art was Kusamas escape from a young age: Sitting outdoors, shed have hallucinations where fields of flowers would transform into polka dots. Kusama has said she was mentally ill even then, suffering from depersonalization, and later developing OCD. Both are reflected in her paintings, which Kusama has, over time, come to articulate as therapy. From canvas in her Infinity Net paintings to a real-world iteration in Infinity Mirror Rooms, the dot motif in particular proliferates. Kusama has said that she painted them in quantity; in doing so I try to escape. The thing to know about Kusamas Infinity Mirror Rooms is that they alwaysunfailinglyelicit a visceral reaction. Standing in the middle of this room, you might feel both mobile and at a standstill in a vast, endless space. You might spot yourself, reflected in this mirrored fantasia, and feel magnanimous and insignificant at once. You might find answers to your greatest, most existential questionsor realize that the question is in fact the delicate answer. As all great artists, Kusamas Infinity Mirror Rooms are open to interpretation. Infinity Mirror RoomThe Eternally Infinite Light of the Universe Illuminating the Quest for Truth, 2020 is one of over 20 such rooms, created by Kusama, scattered all over the planet. The first, created in 1965, was called Infinity Mirror RoomPhallis Field (Floor Show), was exhibited at the Castellane Gallery in New York, towards the end of Kusamas American sojourn which began in 1957. Phallis Field was a space whose floors were lined with mirrors, upon which stood a large number of polka-dot emblazoned, phallic-shaped, stuffed toy-like objects. In a cruel twist of fate, in 1966, another better-known gallery in New York opened a new show by the American artist Lucas Samaras, titled Room No 2. It was eerily similar, also featuring a mirrored interior; and Samaras came to be known as the originator of this form of art. Kusama was devastatedthis incident was one of the reasons for a thwarted suicide attempt; followed by her return to Japan and slipping into depression during the 1970s, having not found the community she yearned for at home or in the world. Over time, credit was given where it was due and Kusamas Infinity Mirror Rooms grew in ambition and scope, increasingly drawing from technology and light. Their scale and the visual nature of the experience has made these rooms especially popular in the age of Instagram, especially since they automatically put the viewer at the centre of the artwork. Within the art world, Kusama has been called prophetic for anticipating this moment of immersive art and the notion of the magnified spectaclebe it at galleries like Atelier des Lumieres in Paris, the many travelling Van Gogh 360 exhibits, or teamLab Japans Borderless installations. But Kusamas rooms are more than just awesome; they are deeper meditations or explorations of human connection or disengagement. With titles as poetic as My Heart Is Dancing Into the Universe, The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away, Longing for Eternity, there is bound to be a certain whimsy attached to them. When you do manage to book a slot for Infinity Mirror RoomThe Eternally Infinite Light of the Universe Illuminating the Quest for Truth, 2020 at the NMACCamong the largest of its kindyoull have roughly 15 minutes to unearth it. Elon Musk said on Friday monthly users of social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, reached a "new high" and shared a graph that showed the latest count as over 540 million. Musk's post on X about the user figures comes as the company goes through organizational changes and faces competition from the newly launched Threads app, owned and operated by Meta Platforms. Twitter had 229 million monthly active users in May 2022, according to a statement made before the buyout. Under Musk, X has gone through a series of product changes and staff cuts as the company tries to boost revenue. X's cash flow remains negative because of a nearly 50% drop in advertising revenue and a heavy debt load, Musk said earlier this month, falling short of his expectation in March that the social media platform could reach cash flow positive by June. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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One solution seemed brilliant in its simplicity: What better way to foot the bill, and to make a moral point, than to make Russia pay? But that has proved far more difficult than first imagined, and it appears less and less likely. Experts warn that it would likely violate international law and potentially set a dangerous precedent for countries to take the assets of others. The money once seemed easily within reach; since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Western nations have frozen more than $330 billion in Russian Central Bank assets held abroad. Leaders of the Group of 7 nations, the worlds biggest economies, said this month that the frozen assets will remain immobilized until Russia pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. But they recognized the need for the establishment of an international mechanism for reparation of damages, loss or injury caused by Russian aggression. With the bulk of the sum, more than $217 billion, frozen in the European Union, the blocs top official, Ursula von der Leyen, promised last month during a conference devoted to Ukraines reconstruction to present by the summer break a legal way to use those Russian assets for Ukraines benefit. But her declaration caused uneasiness among bloc officials and diplomats who have been involved in months of discussions over the idea and found it increasingly complicated. What are the obstacles? Experts said that seizing Russian state assets outright carried significant legal and financial risks. Under international law, the assets could be seized through a vote in the U.N. Security Council, a ruling of the International Court of Justice or a postwar deal. None of those options seem very likely. Russia, a Security Council member, would veto any vote there. No deal can be achieved while the war is still going on. And no case has been brought before the court, and if it were, international law argues against confiscating the Russian Central Banks assets, an act that would be a breach of its sovereignty, legal experts said. The International Court of Justice ruled more than a decade ago that Italian domestic courts had violated modern Germanys sovereignty by ordering reparations related to Nazi-era forced labor. In order to avoid risks for one single jurisdiction, it has to be a well-crafted, coordinated and orchestrated move between Western nations, said Douglas Rediker, a senior fellow with the Washington-based Brookings Institution. And thats hard to get. The major issue is that central bank assets are supposed to be sacrosanct. Its about state sovereignty. In the United States, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Congress last month that confiscating Russian assets frozen in the United States would probably require a change to U.S. law. European officials assessed in a confidential report, seen by The New York Times, that there was no credible legal avenue allowing for the confiscation of frozen or immobilized assets on the sole basis of these assets being under EU restrictive measures. What are the options? As the options have dwindled, the European Commission, the blocs executive arm, has focused on what it described as the safest solution. The latest idea is to use profits earned by Europe-based financial companies that are holding the assets and channel those profits to Ukraine. According to the commission, this option could generate about 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) per year. That way, the sum of Russian assets initially frozen would be unaffected in case someday they need to be returned. Most of the frozen assets are held by Euroclear, a large Brussels-based financial services company that is a critical part of the plumbing of financial markets and deals with international transactions and safekeeping of assets for central banks and global commercial banks. Because of sanctions, earnings related to the assets have been blocked from going back to Russia. Instead, the money from those transactions has been accumulating on Euroclears balance sheet, increasing it by about 125 billion euros since the war began. In keeping with regulatory requirements, Euroclear has invested the additional money and earned about 1.7 billion euros in the first half of the year, the company said last week. Under normal circumstances, the company would decide what to do with that money. But given the uncertainties generated by the war, the companys board said it had decided to set those profits aside. Euroclear said it was concerned with minimizing potential legal, technical and operational risks that could come from the commissions proposals. The companys profits have already been taxed by Belgium, where it is based, per existing law, bringing in around $111 million, which Prime Minister Alexander de Croo vowed to transfer to Ukraine. But the European Commissions proposal would substantially increase the takings from the profits, thereby increasing what could be transferred to Ukraine. Alternatively, some former Biden administration officials have proposed using Russias frozen assets creatively so that they can benefit Ukraine, without being directly transferred to it. One idea put forward by Daleep Singh, a former deputy national security adviser for international economics, is to place the immobilized assets into an escrow account that can be used by Ukraine as collateral for new bonds it could issue. If Ukraine can successfully repay the debt over a period of anywhere between 10 and 30 years then Russia could potentially have its frozen assets back. What are the lingering concerns? Even the latest EU idea, which the commission said would reduce legal and financial risks for Europe, has elicited concern from the European Central Bank and some of the blocs nations, which called for a more cautious approach. With the summer deadline now passed, any proposal for a new law to make use of the Russian assets has been postponed to the fall. (BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.) Although the profits of Euroclear that would be taxed are not owned by Russia, officials worry about damaging the euros reputation and sending a signal to foreign investors that their money is not safe in Europe. Without international coordination, investors could turn to other regions and currencies, such as the U.S. dollar or Chinese renminbi, to place their money. (END OPTIONAL TRIM.) An internal report drafted last month by European officials, and seen by the Times, listed the ECBs concerns. The implications could be substantial according to the ECB, the report said. It may lead to a diversification of reserves away from euro-denominated assets, increase of financing costs for European sovereigns and lead to trade diversification. About $2 trillion worth of global reserves are held in euros, the second most popular currency after the U.S. dollar. The commission argued that the risk was already taken when Ukraines allies decided to freeze the Russian assets and that under the proposed plan, those assets would remain intact and could potentially be recovered in the future, protecting Europe from any legal action by Moscow. Taxing the profits generated by investing the assets should not affect the financial stability of the Union, European officials wrote in the confidential report, and would considerably reduce the legal risks. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has repeatedly made the moral case for more decisive action regarding Russian assets, and his pleas have been echoed by Eastern European nations, like Poland, which have led the calls to punish Russia. Potential aggressors must see this and remember that the world can be strong, he said this year at a meeting with Yellen and chiefs of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. But Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said last month that any measure regarding the Russian assets had to be absolutely watertight. We are defending a rules-based international order, Schallenberg said in an interview with Bloomberg. If any of these actions were to be lifted by a judge, it would be a diplomatic and economic disaster. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. By Monika Pronczuk and Eshe Nelson India and Britain could sign a free trade agreement (FTA) this year as both countries have reached consensus on the broad contours of the proposed deal aiming to boost economic growth and jobs, a top Indian trade ministry official said. "We want to finalise the deal at the earliest," Sunil Barthwal, India's commerce secretary, told reporters on July 28. He said that on almost all contentious issues, negotiations were completed, and the deal could be signed "much before" the end of the year. New Delhi sees an FTA with Britain as crucial to hopes of becoming a bigger exporter, while the UK would obtain wider access for its whisky, premium cars and legal services. For India, an FTA with the UK would be its first with a developed country after it signed an interim trade pact with Australia last year. For Britain, it is part of a quest for diversified global trade relationships after its 2020 exit from the European Union. "While weve made good progress in closing chapters, were now focused on the high ambition areas including goods, services, and investment," a spokesperson for Britain's Department for Business and Trade said. "We are clear that we will only sign when we have a deal that is fair, balanced, and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy." It comes at a crucial time for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wants to solidify New Delhi's business-friendly image ahead of national elections early next year. The 11th round of talks was concluded recently in London during a visit by Barthwal and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. Out of the total 26 chapters in the FTA, discussions on 19 have been closed including issues related to the sensitive automobile sector, Barthwal said. However, the countries have yet to iron out differences on intellectual property rights, rules of origin and an investment treaty, separate trade ministry sources said. An agreement in principle has been reached on the issue of rules of investment but modalities are still being worked out by customs authorities of both countries, Barthwal said. "Nothing is final till everything is final," he said when asked about details of concessions India was offering to the UK, adding that the next round of negotiations will be held shortly. India is pushing for a "zero tariff" for textile, leather and other labour-intensive manufacturing sectors while Britain had sought tariff concessions in other areas, said Barthwal. Bilateral trade between India and the United Kingdom rose 16.6 percent year-on-year to $20.42 billion in the 2022/23 fiscal year ending in March. Sri Lanka with its location at a strategic juncture along the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean is an important partner in realising a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa said on Saturday. Yoshimasa arrived here late on Friday on a two-day visit to the island nation after meetings in New Delhi. He held talks with President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday, amidst China's aggressive investment projects in the cash-strapped nation. At todays (Saturday's) meeting, I explained about the new plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced in March this year," he said. Yoshimasa was referring to the Japanese prime minister's statement that Japan attaches importance to cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to be chaired by Sri Lanka in October this year. The US, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the resource-rich region. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. China also has territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea. Yoshimasa wished for further progress in Sri Lankas debt restructuring process and stressed the importance of a transparent and comparable debt restructuring that involves all creditor countries. Sri Lanka was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. I welcomed Sri Lanka's efforts under the IMF agreement, including its anti-corruption measures and transparency in the policy-making process. I also commended Sri Lanka's efforts on national reconciliation, and expressed Japans intention to support Sri Lankas efforts, the minister said. Analysts have described the visit of the Japanese foreign minister as a demonstration of Wickremesinghes efforts to repair Sri Lanka's soured relationship with Japan. The Sri Lankan president visited Japan twice since being elected in July 2022. His predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksas action to halt a Japanese light railway project caused Japan to claim damages from Sri Lanka. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. Armenia obstructs full resumption of Lachin checkpoint's work, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov said in the letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Trend reports. Despite the consistent calls of Azerbaijan and series of discussions with the mediation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent [temporarily stationed in Azerbaijan under the trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war], Armenia continues to refuse to provide a guarantee not to repeat such incidents and, thus, obstructs the full resumption of the work of the checkpoint, the minister noted. "Azerbaijan's consistent calls upon Armenia for cooperation through the border and customs institutions to ensure the smooth functioning of the cross-border movement of persons, cargo and services equally have remained unanswered. On the contrary, Armenia, through its illegal subordinate regime, has imposed restrictions on the movement of Armenian residents of the Karabakh region and effectively deprived them of the opportunity to use the border checkpoint without prior permission. Pending Armenia's lifting of its restrictions on the free movement of civilians and cargo through the Lachin checkpoint, and proceeding from the need for minimizing the impact of the situation on the local civilian population, Azerbaijan has since been facilitating the passage of local Armenian residents through the checkpoint for urgent medical purposes on an exceptional basis. On average, 25 to 30 persons have passed the checkpoint on a daily basis to travel for medical purposes. This continues notwithstanding attempts at smuggling certain prohibited goods in ICRC-hired vehicles, which was publicly confessed by this organization," reads the letter. In order to prevent the transportation of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan (which weren't withdrawn contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020), and as an adequate response to the unilateral establishment of a border checkpoint by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan on April 22 at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, on April 23 at 12:00 (GMT+4), the units of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan set up a border checkpoint in its sovereign territories, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road. The Biden administration is hunting for malicious computer code it believes China has hidden deep inside the networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases in the United States and around the world, according to U.S. military, intelligence and national security officials. The discovery of the malware has raised fears that Chinese hackers, probably working for the Peoples Liberation Army, have inserted code designed to disrupt U.S. military operations in the event of a conflict, including if Beijing moves against Taiwan in coming years. The malware, one congressional official said, was essentially a ticking time bomb that could give China the power to interrupt or slow U.S. military deployments or resupply operations by cutting off power, water and communications to military bases. But its impact could be far broader, because that same infrastructure often supplies the houses and businesses of ordinary Americans. The first public hints of the malware campaign began to emerge in late May, when Microsoft said it had detected mysterious computer code in telecommunications systems in Guam, the Pacific island with a vast American air base, and elsewhere in the United States. More than a dozen U.S. officials and industry experts said that the Chinese effort predated the May report by at least a year, and that the U.S. governments effort to hunt down the code has been underway for some time. They say the Chinese effort appears more widespread than they had initially realized. But officials acknowledge that they do not know the full extent of the codes presence in networks in the United States and at American facilities abroad. The discovery of the malware has touched off a series of Situation Room meetings in recent months. Biden administration officials have begun to brief members of Congress, state governors and utility companies about the findings, and confirmed some conclusions about the operation. There is a debate inside the administration over whether the goal of the operation is primarily aimed at disrupting the military, or at civilian life more broadly in the event of a conflict. But officials say that the initial searches for the code have focused first on areas with a high concentration of U.S. military bases. The discovery of the code, one of President Joe Bidens most senior advisers said, raises the question of what, exactly, they are preparing for or whether this is signaling. Chinese officials have repeatedly denied conducting cyberoperations against the United States. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. By David E. Sanger and Julian E. Barnes c.2023 The New York Times Company July 29, 2023 The Washington Post Is Tarnishing The Courts Of Hong Kong The Washington Post invents some crude reasoning to explain a new aggressive anti-China move by the Biden administration. Biden, testing Xi, will bar Hong Kongs leader from economic summit SAN DIEGO The White House has decided it will bar Hong Kongs top government official from attending a major economic summit in the United States this fall, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the matter, in the latest test of President Bidens bid to reset relations with China. The summit in questions is the yearly meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to which 21 Pacific Rim entities belong. Since 1991 China, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) and Hong Kong are members. The location of the summit rotates through the membership entities. Chief Executive John Lee, along with 10 other Hong Kong and Chinese officials, was placed under sanctions by Washington in 2020 after implementing a national security law, imposed by Beijing, that enabled the targeting of pro-democracy leaders, tarnished the reputation of the courts and earned international condemnation as leaders sought to silence dissent. Lee, then Hong Kongs security chief, was elevated last year to chief executive, handpicked by Beijing to continue what critics say is a broader campaign of repression in the once-semiautonomous city. Let me first take issue with the description of the effects of the national security law, specifically the claim that it 'tarnished the reputation of the courts'. Courts do not make laws but use the law to make judgments. How then could a new law or a change of a law have tarnished the courts? A recent judgment by the a Hong Kong court proves that the Hong Kong security law has not done that at all. The official hymn of Hong Kong is the Chinese national anthem March of the Volunteers. After the riots in Hong Kong, which led to the implementation of the national security law, some protest backers came up with a new one called Glory to Hong Kong. (They probably consulted with Bandera followers who suggested 'Slava Ukraini' which means 'Glory to Ukraine'. Searching Google and some other such service for 'Hong Kong national anthem' brings up the protester hymn. This has led to embarrassing moments when it was unintentionally played at international sport events. Any use of the song in Hong Kong is prohibited and can lead to criminal prosecution. But the justice department in Hong Kong wanted to add a civil injunction against any one who makes the protest song available. But a judge, hand-selected by Lee for national security issues, rejected to issue the injunction: A Hong Kong court has dismissed the justice secretarys request to ban the promotion of a protest song popular during the 2019 anti-government unrest, questioning the effectiveness of the move. In blocking the injunction bid, the High Court on Friday said the publication and distribution of Glory to Hong Kong was already punishable under existing laws, adding a ban might not compel internet search giant Google and other technology firms to take down the tune. ... Justice minister Paul Lam Ting-kwok lodged the application last month in a bid to bar anyone from promoting the protest tune through broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing in any way. Authorities believed the ban could provide greater leverage in demanding that internet service providers remove content related to the song. But Mr Justice Anthony Chan Kin-keung said in his 30-page judgment that the governments expectations were misplaced. ... While acknowledging Lees view that the song would undermine national security if it were allowed to spread further, Chan rejected the argument that the court should defer to the executive branch on the merits of the intended ban just because it related to the countrys safety. It is too sweeping a statement, he said. Here, the court is asked to exercise its exceptional powers which affect innocent third parties. The court cannot abdicate its responsibilities. Chan pointed to the citys extensive and robust criminal law system in questioning the effectiveness of a civil injunction in deterring offences. Now again, has the new national security law in Hong Kong really 'tarnished the reputation of the courts'? To me its seems it has not. In fact the court ruled against a misuse of the 'national security' argument in much sharper form than U.S. courts would probably do. It was the Washington Post which, by making the claim, actually tried to 'tarnish the reputation of the courts' in Hong Kong. That Chief Executive John Lee was put under U.S. sanction is one of the typical abuses U.S. foreign policies create. It is also not the real reason for keeping him away from the APEC summit. What the Biden administration really intended with this move was to piss off President Xi of China: The snub by the United States, which in November will host the annual summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders in San Francisco, comes in the midst of a tenuous thaw in the two powers frosty bilateral relationship. It could, some analysts say, induce Chinese leader Xi Jinping to skip the APEC summit where a meeting with Biden has been anticipated. If Biden, as the Washington Post's opening claimed, really has made a bid to reset relations with China, he would not have taken such a step. One does not try to find better relations by constantly acting against the interests of the other side. To keep Lee away from the summit is one of the typical kindergarten moves the Biden administration is becoming famous for. The cumulation of such moves under Blinken and Biden has created a strong block of countries that stand united in opposition to U.S. policies and to a large number of the rest of the world developing more sympathy for them. As Kishore Mahbubani once told his listeners during a speech in Harvard: The era of western domination of world history was a 200 year aberration, it's coming to an end. As a result of that you've got to learn to understand non-western perspectives in the world." "As someone who travels to 30, 40 countries a year, when I come to the US and I go to my hotel room and turn on the TV, I feel like I've been cut off from the rest of the world. The insularity of the American discourse is actually frightening ... It is time for the U.S. to grow up. Posted by b on July 29, 2023 at 16:21 UTC | Permalink Comments BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. Armenia, through the illegal regime in Azerbaijan's Karabakh, continues to obstruct the transfer of humanitarian assistance through the Aghdam-Khankendi route, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov said in the letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Trend reports. According to Bayramov, Armenia also organizes so-called public protests against the usage of alternative routes for the delivery of cargo and services and, recklessly, instrumentalize the residents for its malign political agenda of ethnic and racial hatred. "As such, it undermines the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence regarding international humanitarian assistance and non-interference with the sovereignty and consent of the recipient country as reflected in relevant United Nations documents," the minister noted. "This arbitrary denial of humanitarian assistance based on ethnic hatred is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, provides the most vivid evidence of Armenia's politicization and abuse of the activities of ICRC and proves that allegations of the so-called "blockade" are false and groundless." "The above-mentioned is enough to eliminate any doubt that, by speculating about an "illegal blockade" and "humanitarian crisis", Armenia in essence engages in a reckless exercise of misleading and manipulating the international community, including the Security Council, in an attempt to blackmail Azerbaijan and impose its agenda of torpedoing post-conflict normalization efforts on the international community," he pointed out. "Allegations of deliberate disruption of the electricity and gas supply to Karabakh region by Azerbaijan are equally unsubstantiated. Suffice it here to recall the order of the International Court of Justice of 22 February 2023, in which the Court essentially rejected Armenia's request for an indication of a provisional measure on Azerbaijan on the basis of these allegations," Bayramov further said. "Such attempts of Armenia take place at a time when there is a historic opportunity for the eventual normalization of relations between the two countries after a 30-year-long bloody conflict. Past months have witnessed a significant intensification of the normalization process with the active engagement of international partners. The talks have allowed the sides to narrow down their differences and achieve progress on several articles of future bilateral agreement on the establishment of peace and inter-State relations," he added. The issue of transportation of humanitarian goods for the Armenian residents of Karabakh in the direction of Barda-Aghdam was discussed during the meeting of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel in Brussels on July 15. The BMW that Tupac Shakur was riding in when he was fatally shot is for sale at Celebrity Cars in Las Vegas on July 27, 2023. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS) The Federal Reserve building is seen before the Federal Reserve board is expected to signal plans to raise interest rates in March as it focuses on fighting inflation in Washington, U.S., January 26, 2022. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts The Guahan Academy Charter School is seen Oct. 17, 2022, in Tiyan. The school scaled back its CHamoru program to focus on literacy. Details added: first version posted on 13:57 BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. In response to the biased statement by Marija Pejcinovic Buric, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, dated July 28 regarding the issue of supplies for the Armenian residents of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, the Western Azerbaijan Community expresses its serious concern with the Council of Europes support for Armenias fraudulent propaganda and the demonstration of double standards, Trend was told by the Western Azerbaijan Community. It is noted that the issue of supplies for the Armenians living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is nothing but nonsense created by Armenia to mislead the international opinion. In particular, on Armenias instructions, a group of separatist criminals have blocked the roads from other regions of Azerbaijan to the areas where Armenians live in Azerbaijans Karabakh region, demanding an exclusive and uncontrolled route of supplies from Armenia. Armenia, which is desperately looking for a way to supply its 10,000-strong military contingent in the Karabakh region, is trying to blackmail Azerbaijan, undermine Azerbaijan's sovereignty over the said territory and invigorate separatist tendencies there. It is therefore regrettable that Armenia's false narratives about a humanitarian crisis are reflected in the latest statement of the Council of Europe. The Western Azerbaijan Community, which includes hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis who suffered from ethnic cleansing by Armenia, strongly condemns the double standards and hypocrisy on the part of the Council of Europe, as it turns a blind eye to the suffering of nearly one million Azerbaijanis who were forcibly expelled from Armenia and the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It should be noted that Armenia is still denying the right of Western Azerbaijanis, victims of mass expulsion and ethnic cleansing, to return to their ancestral lands. The fact that the Council of Europe, which describes itself as a champion of human rights, remains indifferent to the rights of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis who were subjected to the ethnic cleansing policy of Armenia but immediately pays attention to the fake humanitarian crisis in question reveals true nature of its biased approach. This is contrary to the goals and principles set out in the Charter of the Council, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Council of Europe should instead be actively defending the rights of expelled Azerbaijanis to return to their homes in Armenia, thus contributing to the elimination of the injustice committed against them. We call on the Council of Europe to revisit its position, reject Armenia's false propaganda, end its prejudice and discrimination against Azerbaijanis, and maintain a commitment to justice, the response of the Western Azerbaijan Community emphasized. Laura Grego with the Union of Concerned Scientists and Matt Korda with the Federation of American Scientists joined former Congressman Robert Underwood during a July 28 virtual meeting that discussed the challenges involved in creating a missile defense system for Guam. U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) during an event to tout the new Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio near the bridge in Covington, Kentucky, U.S., January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Details added: first version posted on 14:49 BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. A joint meeting of the trade unions of the Turkic states was held in Azerbaijan's Shusha city on July 29, Trend reports. The event was attended by leaders and representatives of Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation, the Kazakh Federation of Trade Unions, Turkish Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TURK-IS), the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan and the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan. The meeting participants honored memory of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity with a minute of silence. Welcoming the guests, the Chairman of Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation, MP Sattar Mehbaliyev emphasized the symbolic significance of holding the event in Shusha, a sacred and cherished place for the Azerbaijani people. Then, an agreement on the establishment of the Trade Union Organization of the Turkic States was signed during the event. At the signing ceremony, Mehbaliyev stated that the aim of establishing the organization is to unite efforts for the effective protection of workers' interests, labor rights, and the freedom of union activities, as well as their place and role in society. "The establishment of the Trade Union Organization of Turkic States will deepen comprehensive cooperation between the trade unions of our countries and make a significant contribution to the joint protection of workers' rights and interests," he said. "Together, we'll strive to ensure labor rights, improve the standard of living, and demonstrate solidarity in the fight against the infringement of union members' interests." "The activities of the Trade Union Organization of Turkic States, like the Organization of Turkic States, will be effective and contribute to bringing our countries and peoples closer together, expanding ties in all spheres," he added. Following the event, the guests, who visited Shusha, were informed about the damage caused by Armenia to Azerbaijani historical and cultural monuments, and observed the ongoing reconstruction work in the city. Indian opposition lawmakers visit violence-wracked state in bid to pressure Modis government View Photo NEW DELHI (AP) A group of Indian opposition lawmakers on Saturday visited a remote northeastern state where deadly ethnic clashes have killed at least 130 people, in a bid to pressure the government to take action against the violence which began in May. The delegation of 20 lawmakers from 15 political parties, who are part of a new opposition alliance called INDIA, arrived in Manipur state for a two-day visit to assess the situation on the ground as the ongoing violence and bloodshed have displaced tens of thousands in recent months. The conflict in Manipur has become a global issue due to the scale of violence, said Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, a lawmaker belonging to the opposition Congress party. Our delegation is here to express solidarity with the people of Manipur in this time of distress. The top priority now is to restore normalcy as soon as possible, he added. Tucked in the mountains on the border with Myanmar, Manipur is on the brink of a civil war. Mobs have rampaged through villages, torching houses and buildings. The conflict was sparked by an affirmative action controversy in which Christian Kukis protested a demand by mostly Hindu Meiteis for a special status that would let them buy land in the hills populated by Kukis and other tribal groups and get a share of government jobs. After arriving in the state capital, Imphal, the lawmakers went to Churachandpur district, where they visited two relief camps and spoke to community leaders. The conflict has triggered an impasse in Indias Parliament, as opposition members demand a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the violence roiling the state. On Wednesday, the opposition moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government. This means the government will soon face a no-confidence vote in Parliament, which is likely to be defeated, as Modis party and its allies have a clear majority. But opposition leaders say the move could at least force Modi to speak on the conflict and open a debate. Two weeks ago, Modi broke more than two months of public silence over the conflict in Manipur when he condemned the mob assaults on two women in the state who were paraded naked but he did not directly refer to the larger violence. He has also not visited the state, which is ruled by his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, since the violence broke out. Both houses of Parliament were adjourned at various times last week as the opposition stopped proceedings with their demand for a statement from Modi. Despite a heavy army presence and a visit earlier by the home minister, when he met with both communities, the deadly clashes have persisted. The violence in Manipur and the assault on the two women triggered protests across the country last week. In Manipur, thousands held a sit-in protest recently and called for the firing of Biren Singh, the top elected official in the state, who also belongs to Modis party. The European Parliament also recently adopted a resolution calling on Indian authorities to take action to stop the violence in Manipur and protect religious minorities, especially Christians. Indias foreign ministry condemned the resolution, describing it as interference in its internal affairs. Port workers in Canadas British Columbia reject contract offer leaving ports hamstrung by dispute View Photo VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Port workers in British Columbia have rejected a mediated contract offer meant to end a labor dispute that stopped goods from moving in and out of harbors, including at Canadas busiest port in Vancouver. In a letter posted on the unions website late Friday, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada President Rob Ashton said workers in the province are now calling on their employers to come to the table and negotiate directly, instead of doing so through the BC Maritime Employers Association. The vote to reject the contract raises the prospect of back-to-work legislation to end the uncertainty at more than 30 port terminals and other sites. The four-year agreement between the union and maritime employers went to a vote of about 7,400 workers on Thursday and Friday, after union leaders presented the deal to local chapters on Tuesday. The deal worked out with federal mediators had put a temporary halt to a 13-day strike that had commenced July 1, but its fate see-sawed wildly as the union leadership then rejected it and tried to go back to picket lines. When that was deemed illegal by the Canada Industrial Relations Board, the union submitted a new 72-hour strike notice, only to withdraw it hours later. On July 20, the union announced it was recommending the deal and would put it to a full membership vote. Its failure will give impetus to calls for the federal government to bring in back-to-work legislation, that came earlier from industry groups and politicians, including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. The earlier job action was serious enough that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the governments incident response group to discuss the matter, an occurrence typically reserved for moments of national crisis. Ukraine moves official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25, denouncing Russian-imposed traditions View Photo KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25 from Jan. 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it. The explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to abandon the Russian heritage, including that of imposing the celebration of Christmas on Jan. 7. It cited Ukrainians relentless, successful struggle for their identity and the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions, holidays, fueled by Russias 17-month-old aggression against the country. Last year, some Ukrainians already observed Christmas on Dec. 25, in a gesture that represented separation from Russia, its culture and religious traditions. The law also moves the Day of Ukrainian Statehood to July 15 from July 28, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine to Oct. 1 from Oct. 14. The Russian Orthodox Church, which claims sovereignty over Orthodoxy in Ukraine, and some other Eastern Orthodox churches continue to use the ancient Julian calendar. Christmas falls 13 days later on that calendar, or Jan. 7, than it does on the Gregorian calendar used by most church and secular groups. The Catholic Church first adopted the modern, more astronomically precise Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. Protestants and some Orthodox churches have since aligned their own calendars for the purpose of calculating Christmas and Easter. Ukraines religious landscape has fractured for years. There are two branches of Orthodox Christianity in the country, one aligned with the Russian church, even as it enjoys broad autonomy, the other completely independent of it. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the branch that is separate from the Russian church, announced earlier this year that it was switching to the Revised Julian calendar, which marks Christmas on Dec. 25. Its leadership last year allowed believers to celebrate the holiday on Dec. 25. Russias state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Saturday that the rival Orthodox Church, which is aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, vowed to continue observing Christmas on Jan. 7. Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters Saturday that the move is a sign of something that has been happening for centuries and that has to do with the relations between the Catholic church and the Orthodox one. Zelenskyy on Saturday traveled to the war-torn Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia has illegally annexed, but only partially occupies, and met with members of the countrys Special Operation Forces. Zelenskyy noted in an online statement that Saturday marks their official day of recognition and also the anniversary of the deadly attack on the Olenivka prison in the Russian-held part of the region in which dozens of prisoners of war were killed. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of the attack, with both sides saying that the assault was premeditated in a bid to cover up atrocities. A United Nations fact-finding mission requested by Russia and Ukraine was sent to investigate the killings, but the team was disbanded in January 2023 due to security concerns. Zelenskyy described the attack as one of Russias most vile and cruel crimes in a video statement Saturday. In a separate Telegram statement, he hailed the soldiers in the Donetsk region for bringing closer the day when all our land and all our people will be free from the occupiers and underscored the Special Operations Forces role in the recent retaking of the village of Staromaiorske in the area. His visit to the east comes just days after Western and Russian officials said that Kyivs forces intensified attacks in the southeast of the country as part of Ukraines counteroffensive. Putin said Saturday that the intensity of Ukrainian atacks along the front line has gone down compared to two days ago. He reiterated that Russian forces are successfully repelling all attacks and in some parts of the front line are even mounting successful counteroffensive operations. ___ Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. By FELIPE DANA and DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press Blinken tells Australia that WikiLeaks founder is accused of very serious crime View Photo CANBERRA, Australia (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday pushed back against Australian demands for an end to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assanges prosecution, saying the Australian citizen was accused of very serious criminal conduct in publishing a trove of classified documents more than a decade ago. Australias center-left Labor Party government has been arguing since winning the elections last year that the United States should end its pursuit of the 52-year-old, who has spent four years in a British prison fighting extradition to the United States. Assanges freedom is widely seen as a test of Australias leverage with President Joe Bidens administration. Blinken confirmed on Saturday that Assange had been discussed in annual talks with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Brisbane, Australia. I understand the concerns and views of Australians. I think its very important that our friends here understand our concerns about this matter, Blinken told reporters. Mr. Assange was charged with very serious criminal conduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country, he added. Wong said Assanges prosecution had dragged for too long and that Australia wanted the charges brought to a conclusion. Australia remains ambiguous about whether the United States should drop the prosecution or strike a plea bargain. Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of of hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic and military documents in 2010. American prosecutors allege he helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk. Australia argues there is a disconnect between the U.S. treatment of Assange and Manning. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Mannings 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017. By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. Investigation of criminal case initiated by the Military Prosecution of Azerbaijan on relevant articles of the Penal Code on massacre and deportation of persons of Azerbaijani nationality, destruction and harm of public and private properties resulting large-scale damage caused by members of illegal Armenian armed groups on 22nd December 1991 in Meshali village of Khojaly district is ongoing, Trend reports via the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan. "The investigation established that on the mentioned date, Vagif Cherkezovich Khachaturyan, born in 1955, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, born in Badara village of Askaran district and worked as a driver in Khankendi city automobile transport company, residing in Meshali village, together with other people of Armenian nationality, used various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, to completely destroy the village. Using various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, they raided the village and killed 25 people of Azerbaijani nationality, injured 14 people, and contrary to national and international law norms expelled 358 Azerbaijanis from their domicile. In addition, Vagif Cherkezovich Khachaturyan continued his criminal actions together with his accomplices, destroying and damaging property belonging to the state and villagers, causing a total of 5 million 496 thousand 900 manats of material damage. Due to the fact that sufficient reasonable suspicions arose regarding the criminal case, it was decided to involve Vagif Cherkezovich Khachaturyan as an accused person under articles 103 (massacre) and 107 (deportation or forced movement of the population) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. However, due to the fact that his whereabouts were unknown to the investigation, on November 12, 2013, an international arrest warrant was applied by the court's decision. As a result of the conducted search measures, on July 29, 2023, Vagif Khachaturyan was detained by the military personnel of the State Border Service at the Lachin border crossing point of the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border while trying to go to the Republic of Armenia for treatment through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Vagif Khachaturyan will be explicitly placed in a medical facility in Baku, provided with the necessary medical assistance and conditions for ICRC representatives to visit him. At present, the operative and investigative measures are being conducted to bring the other accused persons to justice," reads a message from the The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court challenging a High Court ruling that disqualified 12 of its parliamentary candidates in Bulawayo. High Court Judge Bongani Ndlovu ruled last week that the affected candidates had submitted their nomination papers after the 4pm deadline. CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere confirmed the appeal had been filed. The noting of the appeal suspends the operation of the judgment. Our candidatures accordingly remain on the ballot until the appeal is heard, she said. The ruling awarded Zanu PF three seats unopposed in Bulawayo: Cowdray Park, Bulawayo South and Bulawayo North. Nine other seats will still have elections as more than three parties are contesting. Separately, the Supreme Court upheld a High Court ruling dismissing presidential aspirant Saviour Kasukuweres appeal challenging his disqualification. Article continues below these jobs... Work In Zimbabwe Latest Jobs Bus Driver on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] Driver/Salesman on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] Electrician on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] Fitter and Turner on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] The judges unanimously ruled that Kasukuweres appeal lacks merit. A Zanu PF activist had argued Kasukuwere was ineligible having been out of Zimbabwe for over 18 months. Some election watchdogs said recent court cases have thrown Zimbabwes credibility into doubt and trampled citizens rights. Takunda Tsunga of the Election Resource Centre said: The Judiciarys strict and restrictive approach has eroded citizen trust in the Judiciary. Zimbabwe Elections Advocacy Trust director Ignatius Sadziwa said there is clear weaponization of the law against the opposition. Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya argued the electoral process has been tainted with partisan judgements. Church leader Kenneth Mtata said Zimbabwe is heading towards the most discredited and disputed election. Breaking News via Email HEAVILY armed anti-riot police yesterday patrolled streets in Harare and Bulawayo after two High Court decisions against opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). A Bulawayo High Court judge on Thursday barred 12 candidates from CCC from standing in next months election, handing three candidates, including Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, a free ticket to Parliament. The opposition party yesterday said it had appealed the ruling at the Supreme Court. On the same day, however, Harare High Court judge Justice Neville Wamambo also dismissed an appeal by the opposition party challenging 17 bogus candidates it accused of forging party signatures to file their nomination papers. Despite heavy police presence, Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube expressed ignorance about the deployment. Article continues below these jobs... Work In Zimbabwe Latest Jobs Bus Driver on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] Driver/Salesman on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] Electrician on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] Fitter and Turner on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] I am not aware of that, Im coming from court now. I have not seen that, Ncube said. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi was not answering his mobile phone. In interviews, various human rights defenders said government was in panic mode. Citizens have suffered enough but for how long? It follows that one day their anger will erupt, Ibhetshu LikaZulu secretary-general Mbuso Fuzwayo said. Another human rights defender Effie Ncube said: I think the police are overreacting and making a mountain out of nothing. NewsDay Breaking News via Email Two notorious armed robbers were killed in a shootout with police in Chitungwiza on Friday. Mugove Chimuti, 33, and Ishmael Mutungira, 28, were wanted for a string of armed robberies. Law enforcement sources told ZimLive that the duo was tracked by detectives to their hideout at a house in Chitungwiza, but they refused to surrender and opened fire on detectives. They were shot and died from their injuries at the scene, a police source in Seke said. Police recovered two rifles and two revolvers during a search of the house. Article continues below these jobs... Work In Zimbabwe Latest Jobs Bus Driver on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] Driver/Salesman on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] Electrician on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] Fitter and Turner on 9 August 2023 Proton Bakers is currently [] Chimuti and Mutungira have a long history with the police and have been in and out of jail since 2017 when they were charged with 23 counts of armed robbery. Mutungira previously served time in jail after he was arrested in Bulawayo with six pistols. The two suspects were once accused of robbing a mine in Chegutu and raping a police officer. They were on bail for those and other cases. Police wanted to question the men on armed robbery cases committed in Chinhoyi, Beatrice, Harare and Norton. Police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi was in meetings when contacted for comment. ZimLive Breaking News via Email Authorities confirm COVID-19 vaccines can weaken the immune system they named the condition long vax As early as 2021, official government reports have suggested that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine harms the immune system , with the potential to cause a new form of COVID-19 vaccine-induced acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among those who have received multiple doses of the vaccine. At the time, these claims were denied by mainstream media even though there was official data that proved how vaccines harmed the vaccinated. Instead of proving otherwise, many government agencies decided to stop publishing the damning information. This year, authorities investigated COVID-19 vaccine-induced AIDS and antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) in secret after researchers across the globe from respected universities admitted that various health issues have been appearing hours, days or even weeks after vaccination. The authorities named the condition "long vax" to make light of the deadly consequences of vaccination. Data: Vaccinated people in England and Wales significantly more likely to die compared to the unvaccinated Official data from the government shows that COVID-19 vaccines have already harmed millions of people and killed others. Data from the Office of National Statistics in the UK has revealed that for over a year, vaccinated people in England and Wales are significantly more likely to die compared to the unvaccinated population per 100,000 people. (Related: Study: Natural immunity provides better protection against omicron than COVID shots.) This could explain why the U.K. has been suffering significant excess deaths against the five-year average week after week. Yet Big Pharma continues to push another round of "boosters," which can cause harmful side effects like all vaccines targeting coronavirus. According to the establishment and researchers from Harvard University and Yale University, these include cases of abnormal blood clotting and heart inflammation. Both health issues have been recorded since early 2021, with a huge rise in myocarditis or the inflammation of the heart muscle observed among younger males. Researchers from Harvard and Yale are now studying what they claim is a newly identified condition: long vax. The scientists are also claiming that the condition's chronic symptoms resemble the made-up disease "long COVID." The "study" materialized due to the quietly announced wider acceptance of the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccination among the mainstream medical and scientific community. Dr. Anne Louise Oaklander, a neurologist and researcher at Harvard Medical School, warned that for a doctor, seeing one or two patients with these symptoms might seem like a coincidence. But if they're seeing as many as 10 or 20 patients, it's obvious that things are more serious than they appear. Some researchers claim that long vax is occurring due to an immune system overreaction to the spike protein the body is instructed to make after the mRNA contained in the coronavirus vaccines invade cells in the body. In the early days of the pandemic, health professionals told the public that the spike protein was "harmless" after they decided to conduct the largest experiment on humankind in history following the emergency use authorization of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist at Yale University, said that he believes theres something unusual going on with the alarming side effects. He added that as a scientist, it's his obligation "to have an open mind and learn if theres something that can be done." Scientific data strongly suggests that the body may produce a second round of antibodies that mistakenly attack healthy cells or bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, which then causes heart rate fluctuations and blood pressure issues. Common symptoms include abnormal heart rate, extreme fatigue, headaches and blood pressure fluctuations. The data suggests that the mainstream scientific establishment now believes mRNA COVID-19 injections cause ADE, and maybe even AIDS. This explains why mRNA technology was never authorized for human use before the coronavirus plandemic. COVID-19 vaccine-induced AIDS Its a common misconception that AIDS is only caused by HIV or that they are the same thing. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the term used to describe different potentially life-threatening infections and diseases that happen when the immune system has been severely damaged. People with AIDS have a greater risk of developing certain cancers and serious infections that often occur only in those with a weak immune system, or would otherwise be mild in people with a healthy, working immune system. Unfortunately, data has revealed that COVID-19 vaccines should be added to the list of causes. This confidential data shows that the COVID-19 vaccines shouldn't have been granted emergency use authorization and that they must be pulled from distribution by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Despite the recorded cases of vaccine-related injuries and deaths, it is promising to see that mainstream media is now investigating the debilitating consequences of COVID-19 vaccination years after what will eventually be considered a "criminal real-world experiment." Watch the video below for more about the weaponized COVID-19 vaccine rollout. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Switzerland stops recommending COVID-19 vaccines, citing populations high immunity. RIGGED: Twitter censored posts about natural immunity and vaccines after pressure from Pfizer board member. VAX FOR TAX: Covid vaccines have caused a surge in IRS estate tax revenues as fully vaccinated wealthy people DIE. Sources include: Expose-News.com TheStatesman.com Science.org Brighteon.com Hunter Biden pleads NOT GUILTY to tax charges after judge raises concerns over terms of previously negotiated plea deal Presidential son Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to tax charges after United States District Judge Maryellen Noreika hesitated to accept the previously negotiated plea deal. Noreika questioned the atypical provisions in the agreements, especially the tax deal's statute that removes the ability of the court to vet it. Additionally, the judge voiced reservations about her role in deciding whether to accept or deny the plea deal, which she believed could be a violation of the court's usual procedures. Under the initial agreement, Hunter had intended to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges and avoid facing a gun-related charge. The charges alleged Hunter's failure to pay taxes on more than $1.5 million in annual income in 2017 and 2018, despite owing over $100,000 in taxes each year. While he reportedly paid around $1 million in back taxes, prosecutors claim that he still owed at least $200,000. As for the gun charge, court documents indicate that he possessed a firearm in 2018 while being addicted to drugs and disqualified from owning a gun. (Related: MSNBC forced to admit Hunter Biden will be CHARGED for multiple felonies.) The plea deal had been seen as an opportunity for Hunter to put his legal troubles behind him. However, prosecutors had not ruled out the possibility of bringing future charges against him, including those related to foreign lobbying laws, which have been under investigation by the Department of Justice. The result of the three-hour-long hearing on July 26 suggests that the legal issues of Hunter persist and may potentially become a political focal point during the 2024 election. If Noreika does not approve the plea agreement, Hunter could face a trial on the existing charges against him. McCarthy reveals possibility of Biden impeachment inquiry Meanwhile, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) revealed the potential impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. During the interview, McCarthy brought attention to a corruption scandal involving Hunter. He claimed that 16 out of 17 payments allegedly received by the Bidens from a Romanian national were funneled into what he described as "Biden shell companies" during Joe's tenure as vice president. However, Joe has consistently denied involvement in his son's business dealings and rejected allegations of discussions related to Hunter's financial matters. McCarthy alleged that Joe had misled the public about not receiving any money from China, and he cited whistleblowers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who claimed irregularities in the financial dealings of the family. "The people of America have a right to know what went on. They have a president who lied to the American public and said they didn't get any money from China. We know that's true. We've had whistleblowers from the IRS come to say the Biden family is treated differently and that other things were going on. And then you have an informant with the FBI saying there was a bribe. We need to know the answer to this," McCarthy asserted during the interview. The House Speaker clarified that impeachment inquiries would only be considered if Congress encountered resistance to obtaining the necessary information for their investigation. "If at any time, we weren't going to be able to get the information we needed to progress through the investigation, then we would have to rise to the level of impeachment inquiry," he explained. Head over to BidenCrimeFamily.news for more stories about Hunter Biden. Watch the video below about the FBI trying to protect Hunter Biden. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Hunter Biden, other members of Biden family received MILLIONS from business associate linked to CCP. Hunter Biden laptop repairman reveals chilling warning from FBI agent. Hunter Biden admits ownership of laptop from hell, requests federal probe for data theft. Hunter Biden pleads guilty to a trio of minor crimes, but the probes into his corruption continue. Hunter Biden DEMANDS $10 Million FROM communist China energy company in WhatsApp text while sitting next to his senile father, the Big Guy. Sources include: WSJ.com FoxNews.com JPMorgan Chase closes business accounts of vaccine critic Dr. Joseph Mercola Business accounts belonging to Dr. Joseph Mercola were closed abruptly by JPMorgan Chase, and those working for his company believe his skepticism of COVID-19 vaccines is behind the move. The incident is yet another example of an alarming trend of account closures by the bank targeted at conservative account holders. The bank accounts belonged to Mercola Market, a health business owned by Dr. Mercola based in Cape Coral, Florida. On July 13, Chase notified the company in a letter that it had to close its account operations by September. At the same time, the companys CEO, Steven A. Rye and his wife, along with CFO Amy Legaspi, were informed that they have until August to close their personal accounts and set up new ones at a different bank. According to letters obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, the bank stated: After careful consideration, we decided to close your accounts because of unexpected activity on this or another Chase account. A more specific reason was never provided, and Rye said the bank told him that they could not explain why the accounts were being closed for legal reasons. However, Rye told the Daily Caller that he feels this is related to Dr. Mercolas stance on COVID-19 vaccines. He explained: I believe they cancelled all of the accounts because of Dr. Mercolas (our employer) opinions. He co-authored the best selling book The Truth About COVID-19 which exposed the likelihood that this virus was engineered in a laboratory funded by the NIH. He correctly predicted the vaccines would not prevent transmission or infection of COVID-19. He has been directly censored by the Biden administration and is being targeted by politically weaponized agencies. Dr. Mercola has come under fire for his concerns about the dangers of the vaccine, being cited as a top spreader of COVID-19-related misinformation in The Disinformation Dozen report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate. Journalist Paul D. Thacker later revealed that files he obtained from Twitter showed that the social media platform subsequently censored him on the grounds that he provided vaccine misinformation. JPMorgan Chase accused by multiple parties of "debanking" conservatives Earlier this year, a group of shareholders called out JPMorgan Chase for debanking conservatives while knowingly permitting sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein to keep accounts open that he used to make payments to victims. A report showed that the bank raised questions about the wisdom of keeping him as a client in light of his sex offenses, but the concerns were ultimately tossed aside, and his accounts were allowed to stay open. The Free Enterprise Project at the National Center for Public Policy Research (FEP) and the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), both of which own Chase stock, introduced shareholder proposals taking the bank to task for closing accounts belonging to conservatives without providing any explanation or warning. One such group that the bank discriminated against was the National Committee for Religious Freedom, a nonprofit devoted to defending Americans constitutional rights to religious freedom. NLPC Corporate Integrity Project Director Paul Chesser said: This is evil; Chase let the cash flow to aid and abet Jeffrey Epsteins sick and disgusting global sex trafficking operation. He continued: "But they shut down its services to a praiseworthy and respectable initiative by an upstanding public servant, and want to hide the reasons for it all from shareholders. The bank is obviously embarrassed and it should be. In May, 19 state attorneys general sent a letter to CEO Jamie Dimon accusing the financial institution of systematically shutting conservatives accounts because of their political beliefs. They cited numerous examples of the bank closing accounts of conservative and pro-life groups. Sources for this article include: WND.com DailyCallerNewsFoundation.org Finance.Yahoo.com NationalReview.com BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. 'Protest' by official, public/media institutions of Armenia to detention of war criminal Vagif Khachatryan, who killed 25 Azerbaijani civilians, is nothing but an act of supporting and justifying war crimes at state level, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, Hikmat Hajiyev wrote on Twitter, Trend reports. "He tried to use ICRC medical evacuation for human smuggling," Hajiyev wrote. Vagif Khachatryan, internationally wanted fugitive of Meshali massacre of December 22, 1991, was detained by the military personnel of the State Border Service at the Lachin border crossing point of the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border while trying to go to the Republic of Armenia for treatment through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The investigation established that Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan, born in 1955, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, born in Badara village of Askaran district and worked as a driver in Khankendi city automobile transport company, residing in Meshali village, together with other people of Armenian nationality, used various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, to completely destroy the village. Using various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, they raided the village and killed 25 people of Azerbaijani nationality, injured 14 people, and contrary to national and international law norms expelled 358 Azerbaijanis from their domicile. In addition, Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan continued his criminal actions together with his accomplices, destroying and damaging property belonging to the state and villagers, causing a total of 5 million 496 thousand 900 manats of material damage. Due to the fact that sufficient reasonable suspicions arose regarding the criminal case, it was decided to involve Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan as an accused person under articles 103 (massacre) and 107 (deportation or forced movement of the population) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. However, due to the fact that his whereabouts were unknown to the investigation, on November 12, 2013, an international arrest warrant was applied by the court's decision. Bidens Justice Department drops campaign finance charge against Democratic megadonor Sam Bankman-Fried (who illegally paid off Democrats) Federal prosecutors have dropped a campaign finance charge against Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced former multi-billionaire and founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX. According to a letter by the Department of Justice sent to the District Court for the Southern District of New York, the federal government is allegedly not pursuing the charge because the government of the Bahamas did not plan to extradite Bankman-Fried to the United States on campaign finance charges. "Accordingly, in keeping with its treaty obligations to the Bahamas, the government does not intend to proceed to trial on the campaign contributions count," wrote U.S. Attorney Damian Williams to the court. Prosecutors originally accused Bankman-Fried of using approximately $90 million in client deposits to donate to hundreds of political campaigns and political action committees. He funneled these client deposits through at least two currently unnamed co-conspirators to circumvent donation limits. If convicted, the former billionaire would have had as much as five years added to his prison term. This is not the first time federal prosecutors have narrowed the charges against Bankman-Fried. Last month, prosecutors announced that they would withdraw five of the 13 charges after a ruling in a court in The Bahamas allowed Bankman-Fried to challenge those charges. These five charges were not dropped but merely postponed to a new trial in March 2024. Some of the charges include foreign bribery conspiracy and bank fraud conspiracy. Bankman-Fried's trial on the other counts that were announced in December 2022 will proceed as scheduled on Oct. 2. The dropping of the charge also comes after District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in Manhattan placed an interim gag order on Bankman-Fried after federal prosecutors alleged he was leaking information to the press. A hearing is also set to begin shortly on whether to revoke his $250 million bail due to this allegation. Bankman-Fried contributed tens of millions to the Democrats Bankman-Fried's $90 million in campaign donations went to around 300 candidates and PACs associated with their campaigns, most of whom were affiliated with the Democratic Party. (Related: Democrats SCRAMBLING to hide evidence linking them to former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.) During the 2022 midterm cycle alone, Bankman-Fried contributed nearly $39 million to Democrat-aligned causes, emerging as the second-largest individual donor to the party, just behind billionaire George Soros. He contributed to the campaigns of Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Cory Booker of New Jersey, as well as to Rep. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. He even provided more than $5 million to President Joe Biden's 2020 campaign. Mark Karsten, a lawyer for the firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in Philadelphia, warned that dropping the campaign finance charge could help Bankman-Fried by allowing his lawyers to better "focus their narrative" on his other charges. "Jurors have a visceral reaction to campaign finance charges. Campaign finance charges are crimes on the public, and jurors themselves are indirect victims," said Karsten. "Victims of the other charges, by comparison, are customers of or investors in Alameda or FTX." Learn more latest news from the world of cryptocurrency at CryptoCult.news. Watch this episode of "The Kim Iversen Show" as host Kim Iversen speculates on why the administration of President Joe Biden is not forging ahead with the campaign finance violation charge against Democratic megadonor Sam Bankman-Fried. This video is from the Pool Pharmacy channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: PAYING OFF THE COMMIES: Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX funneled $40 million in crypto bribes to CCP officials. SAM THE SIPHON: Filings show former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried took $2.2 billion in customer funds for personal use. SEC reveals Sam Bankman-Fried squandered FTX missing funds on political donations and himself. FTX head Sam Bankman-Fried funneled $1 billion in stolen funds to Democrats "Where did it go?" asks Elon Musk. BREAKING: Now-collapsed FTX crypto slush fund laundered Ukraine donation money to Democrat candidates to help rig midterms. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com DailyCaller.com TheEpochTimes.com Reuters.com Bloomberg.com Brighteon.com Microwave syndrome is on the rise as exposure to EMFs increases The rapid development of 5G and wireless technologies has multiplied the number of transmitters that give off electromagnetic radiation. Individuals are more exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) than ever before, and the health effects have only just begun to be understood. This new era of high-speed wireless connectivity, smart appliances, digital smart meters and data collection is causing a new wave of illnesses classified as microwave syndrome. For decades, NASA has warned about the adverse effects of microwave radiation. In 1971, the Naval Medical Research Institute published their findings on the negative effects of microwave radiation. These health issues include, but are not limited to: insomnia, rapid heart rate, general malaise, ringing in the ears, buzzing sensation in the head, along with headaches, dizziness, and full-blown migraines. The rise of EMFs and the destruction of our neurology and cellular health We are now living in an environment of nonstop EMF pollution, with cell phone towers, Wi-Fi modems, phones, tablets, smart wearables, and smart home appliances continuously emitting microwave radiation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Some people are more sensitive to microwave radiation than others, but the reality is that we are all taking part in this experiment, one way or the other. Washington State University Professor Martin has extensively studied the effects of low-intensity microwave frequency electromagnetic fields on the human body. The biological effects include up to forty different neuropsychiatric changes affecting brain structure, brain function, psychological responses, and behavior. The problems also include eight different hormonal effects, ranging from hyperthyroidism to pituitary gland dysfunction. EMFs can also decrease heart activity and change the hearts rhythm. The radiation can cause histological changes to the testes and initiate chromosomal breaks and complete cell death. In short, EMFs are destroying the very essence of life itself. Population-based surveys suggest that upwards of 13.3% of people have some form of sensitivity to EMFs. In the case of Courtney Gilardi, a ten-year-old from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, her health suddenly declined after a 5G cell tower was installed within 450 feet of her home. Right after the tower was installed, she began to have sleeping problems, headaches, dizziness, and buzzing in her head. Her family said that the health problems devolved into rapid heart rates, insomnia, and migraines. She was eventually diagnosed with microwave syndrome and told to stay away from 5G cell towers. The problem was, she had no control over this because the 5G was installed just outside her home. Ms. Gilardis other daughters also began to fall ill, with poor sleep and vomiting in the middle of the night. Other residents of the neighborhood began experiencing frequent nausea, insomnia, and headaches. Ms. Gilardi ultimately had to move out of the neighborhood so her daughters could recover. Industry radiation standards are a canard David Carpenter, professor of environmental health sciences at the University at Albanys School of Public Health, investigated the health effects of EMFs. In his Bioinitiative Report, he revealed that adverse biological reactions can be triggered at radiation levels that are well within the industrys standards. The industry has set standards of 1.6 watts per kilogram, but for some people, this level of radiation can interfere with their neurological functions and cause damage to DNA and the survival of their cells. This is because the industry standard is only concerned with the thermal effects of microwave radiation. The non-thermal effects of EMF radiation are real and often ignored by the industry. Studies show that 0.00034 micro-watts of non-thermal EMF radiation through mobile phones can decrease sperm count. Lesser exposure can cause changes in the genes. The neurological effects of EMFs are more prevalent in individuals who are already suffering with neurological or immune-compromising conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons, Lyme's, etc. Individuals who struggle with chronic fatigue, mold allergies, and multiple chemical sensitivities are also at greatest risk to EMFs. For more on this subject, check out Radiation.News. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Apps.dtic.mil [PDF] ResearchGate.net Pubmed.gov BioInitiative.org [PDF] Study proves there is NO CORRELATION between gun control laws and mass shootings A new study by researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder has found that there is no correlation between the strength of gun control laws and the number of mass shootings that occur in each state The United States has more than 10 times the number of mass shootings than any other developed country in the world. In the study, the researchers looked at 4,011 mass shootings defined as four or more gun deaths in the same short period, not including the shooter between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2022. (Related: RFK Jr.: Seizing lawful firearms will not STOP mass shootings.) Illinois, with its restrictive gun laws and comparatively low gun ownership of 22 percent, had 414 mass shootings and a per capita rate of 3.6 mass shootings per million people. Washington, D.C., despite not being a state, was included in the study and the researchers were shocked to find that the district had the highest rate of mass shootings per capita at 10.4 shootings for every one million people. This is despite the fact that the country's capital has some of the strongest gun control laws in the nation. For states, Louisiana had the highest rate of mass shootings per capita at 4.3 shootings per million people less than half the per capita rate in Washington, D.C. despite the lax gun laws and 52 percent gun ownership. Hawaii and North Dakota had zero mass shootings from 2014 to 2022. They are followed by New Hampshire, Vermont and Wyoming, which all had one each, Idaho with two and Maine with three. Environmental and sociocultural factors more likely to lead to mass shootings The high per capita number of mass shootings in states with supposedly strong gun laws strongly suggests that gun violence is caused more by environmental and sociocultural factors other than gun policy. "I'm constantly asked, 'What is public health doing about the rise in mass shootings?'" said researcher Leslie Barnard, a student working with the University of Colorado School of Medicine's Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative. "We want to help explain the 'why, where and how often,' to give people an understanding of this issue," Barnard continued. "This study is not intended to answer every question, but highlights components to generate more hypotheses." In the data, Barnard and her colleagues noted that over the nine years when the 4,011 mass shootings took place, 27 percent of the mass shootings were social-related, 16 percent were crime-related, 11 percent were domestic violence-related, and just one percent were school- or work-related. A full 52 percent of the mass shooting incidents were not part of any of those categories. These 4,011 mass shootings caused over 21,000 injuries and deaths. "From this data, we can speculate that certain communities and victims are underrepresented," said Barnard. "Mass shootings in public places are covered by media, but 11 percent of mass shootings are domestic violence-related, and even more may never be reported or receive coverage. We ask ourselves how we can raise awareness and bring support to this issue." "Understanding where mass shootings occur across the country, and more about the context, such as how often these tragic events happen in homes, can point firearm injury prevention specialists toward how to prevent them," said researcher Ashley Brooks-Russell, director of the Injury and Violence Prevention Center of the Colorado School of Public Health. Barnard noted that future research on mass shootings should move away from taking a look at gun control, but should focus more on assessing socioeconomic, cultural, demographic and other political factors associated with incidents of mass shootings across states and address policies and social determinants that are associated with these shootings. Learn more about gun violence incidents as well as their causes at GunViolence.news. Watch this clip from Fox News featuring Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne discussing the actual issues impacting mass shootings. This video is from the News Clips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: ATF has shut down nearly 2,000 gun stores since the implementation of its new "zero tolerance" policy. French rioting demonstrates how gun control laws are failing law-abiding citizens. Mass shooter at July 4 "Philly bloodbath" revealed as yet another angry TRANSGENDER and BLM supporter. Participating countries in 2026 World Cup warn fans to avoid traveling to the US due to mass shootings and killing sprees. Louisville bank shooter mocked the world, called for gun control before carrying out mass killings. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk USNews.com JAMANetwork.com Brighteon.com Outbreak reported in Egypt: Mysterious viral illness may be similar to dengue The Ministry of Health and Population in Egypt has launched an investigation into a mysterious viral illness . The reported symptoms have been mild. Reports show that the infections cause mild to moderate symptoms in most cases, including bone pain, fatigue and high fever. The health ministry added that these symptoms lasted from three to five days in all cases. Some patients have also experienced other symptoms like nausea and vomiting. The health ministry advised that these symptoms are common to other health issues like cold and influenza, gastroenteritis and fever, which can spread together with high water temperatures. They advised patients to rest, stay hydrated and take fever reducers to address their symptoms. According to a statement from the health ministry, citizens in Qena governorate, Upper Egypt, have complained about the "emergence of a mysterious disease" that already infected about 250 people in a village. The statement also announced that the symptoms experienced by patients in al-Aleqat village do not have the same pattern, are all mild to moderate and do not require hospitalization. For the last few weeks, many residents in al-Aleqat have reported their symptoms to local healthcare units. Experts suspect an outbreak of dengue fever in the area. (Related: WHO warns H5N1 bird flu still a major pandemic threat.) However, tests conducted by the ministry on infected patients have not confirmed its presence so far. A report has also revealed that health ministry teams have taken samples of the virus from those thought to be infected as well as local water sources for testing. The teams will follow up on the situation and conduct field investigations to compare suspected cases. The teams also took samples from mosquitoes and mosquito larvae for examination at the central laboratories of the health ministry. Test results have allegedly confirmed the presence of mosquitos transmitting dengue fever. As of writing, the disease is under control, with more than 60 patients analyzed. Russia cracks down on incoming flights from Egypt to prevent spread of infections Following reports about the mysterious virus, Russia announced that it will clamp down on flights coming from Egypt. Russia's sanitary watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, enhanced security protocols for flights from Egypt on July 17 after the outbreak of the still unidentified disease. Rospotrebnadzor also cautioned tourists planning to vacation in Egypt to wear protective clothing that fully protects the skin. Tourists were also advised to use mosquito repellents and put mosquito nets over doors and windows to avoid getting insect-borne infectious and parasitic diseases. Tourists were also told to consult a doctor if they feel sick and to tell them where they come from after returning home. Because the mysterious virus is similar to dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness, Egyptian residents have been instructed to cover water sources and avoid contact with the insects until further tests are conducted. According to the World Health Organization, dengue fever usually presents flu-like symptoms that last two to seven days. Dengue symptoms first emerge four to 10 days after an infected mosquito bite. Visit Outbreak.news for more updates on outbreaks around the world. Watch the video below to find out how papaya leaf juice can help address dengue symptoms. This video is from the Groovy Bee channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Not just in Ukraine: US also running BIOLABS in Africa, Asia-Pacific region. COVID-19 testing resumes in Beijing, Shandong province amid rising reinfections. Hawaii closes states largest airport due to infestation of bed bugs, thanks to robocleaners. Sources include: SHTFPlan.com EgyptIndependent.com 1 EgyptIndependent.com 2 TASS.com Brighteon.com RFK Jr. maintains HIGHEST favorability rating among public political figures in new poll Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) of the Democratic Party continues to have the highest favorability rating among a group of public political figures, according to a new poll. The results of the poll, conducted by Harvard University's Center for American Political Studies and Harris Insights and Analytics from July 19 to 20, were released on July 23. It polled more than 2,000 registered voters. The announcement of the survey results followed RFK Jr.'s testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government over the issue of censorship days earlier on July 20. The said hearing saw House Democrats attempt to prevent him from testifying, which ended in vain. (Related: Report: Democrats want to censor Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in censorship hearing.) According to the Harvard-Harris poll, RFK Jr. has a net favorable rating (NFR) of 47 percent and a net unfavorable rating (NUR) of 26 percent. Subtracting the NUR from the NFR yields the total approval rating in RFK Jr.'s case, 21 points. In contrast, RFK Jr.'s fellow Democrats recorded approvals in the negative region. President Joe Biden registered a 39 percent NFR and a higher NUR of 53 percent, for an approval score of -14 points. Author and presidential candidate Marianne Williamson had an 18 percent NFR and a higher NUR of 23 percent, yielding a measly approval score of -5 points. Former President Donald Trump had an NFR of 45 percent and an NUR of 49 percent, yielding a -4 approval rating. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had an NFR of 40 percent and 37 percent NUR, for an approval score of three points. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy tailed behind RFK Jr.'s 21-point total approval with his 16 points, courtesy of a 34 percent NFR and 18 percent NUR. The poll also noted that RFK Jr.'s favorability remains high from both sides of the political spectrum. Forty-six percent of Republican-leaning voters said they favor him, while 41 percent of independent-leaning voters shared the same sentiment. Meanwhile, 51 percent of Democratic-leaning voters say they favor the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. Harvard-Harris poll spells bad news for Biden A June 2023 poll by YouGov and the Economist also found that RFK Jr. had the highest favorability rating. Forty-nine percent viewed him favorably while 30 percent had an unfavorable view, yielding an approval score of 19. The YouGov poll also recorded Biden having a 45 percent NFR and Trump tailing him with 43 percent. However, this didn't quite reflect on their total approval scores, with Biden recording -7 points while Trump recorded -10. While the Harvard-Harris poll showed favorable results for RFK Jr., it wasn't the case for Biden. Fifty-nine percent of all the survey's respondents said they have doubts about the incumbent president's mental fitness, with 85 percent of GOP voters and 71 percent of independents having that sentiment. Likewise, 66 percent of overall respondents say Biden is too old for the presidency. An overwhelming 91 percent of GOP voters say the 80-year-old is too old, a sentiment shared by three-fourths 75 percent of independents. Sixty-four percent of overall respondents say Biden shouldn't run for a second term in 2024, up two points from 62 percent in June. Eighty-eight percent of GOP voters believe he should hang up his boots for good, something 75 percent of independents also agree upon. Meanwhile, 66 percent of Democratic-leaning voters say Biden should go for a second term. Moreover, the Harvard-Harris poll noted that if the 2024 elections happened right then and there, Trump would win against Biden by a five-point margin. It also noted a Trump victory against Vice President Kamala Harris, with the real estate mogul leading by nine points. Interestingly, the poll did not indicate what would happen if RFK Jr. and Trump would race each other in the 2024 elections. Head over to VoteDemocrat.news for more stories about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Watch Next News Network's Gary Franchi discussing the results of a poll showing doubts about President Joe Biden in the 2024 elections, which contribute to the rise of RFK Jr. as a candidate. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: RFK Jr. likes his chances against Biden in 2024 presidential primaries. RFK Jr.'s favorability rating rises as Biden's satisfaction rating drops in separate polls. RFK Jr. on corporate media not putting his name in polls: That's OK. All we have to do is win the election. RFK Jr. tied with Biden in primary poll, 20% of Democrats say they'd vote for Kennedy or Trump over Biden. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com TheEpochTimes.com HarvardHarrisPoll.com [PDF] Brighteon.com A 60-year-old man was bitten by a shark in a beach in South Carolina. Authorities said in a Live Science report that the incident could be an unprovoked attack from the shark. Initial investigation showed that on July 21, the man was in the waters at two to three feet deep off the Sea Pines beach on Hilton Head Island when a shark bit his foot. Officials said that the victim was approximately swimming in waist-deep water when the animal attacked him. This immediately prompted personnel from the Shore Beach Service to help and bring him back on the shores. He was immediately given initial medical attention by the paramedics in the area. After that, the man was brought to Hilton Head Hospital for treatment. Due to the incident, the Town of Hilton Head Island Government had closed the waters between beach markers 33 and 42 on that day to guarantee the safety of the public. Unfortunate vacation The victim, identified as John Mistler, narrated to Newschannel 5, his unfortunate experience during his vacation. He recalled that it was already the last day and he was just enjoying the waters when suddenly, he felt a nip on his foot. "I felt the bite, and I rolled over on the boogie board. I'm looking at this shark with my whole right foot in his mouth all the way to the ankle. I was able to make eye contact with him - animal to animal. He was like, 'Sorry, dude, you know,'" he said. Mistler said he did everything to pull away his foot from the shark's mouth, and this ripped his flesh and tore down his tendons. After that, the shark then disappeared in the waters. The victim was very grateful for those who have helped him and put first aid treatment while he was still on the beach as well as to those who rushed him to the hospital. Mistler said he got 100 stitches and staples while being treated. At present, he is on his way to full recovery. Authorities was not able to determine yet the species of the shark that was involved in the attack. However, various types of sharks can be found in these waters, including relatively small coastal species - finetooth (Carcharhinus isodon), blacknose (Carcharhinus limbatus) and bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo), among others. Meanwhile, large, well-known species, including the tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier), great hammerheads (Sphyrna mokarran) and great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) could also be found there. Officials said that sharks are mostly found in locations that are several miles away from the shore and their numbers usually increase with distance from the coast. Read Also: Shark Bites Tourist Diver Off Maldives [VIDEO] Common every summer According to Daniel Abel, a professor of marine science at Coastal Carolina University, many sharks can be found off the coast of South Carolina in the summer. Due to this, he suggested swimming during the day rather than at dawn or at dusk, the period when sharks are more likely to be feeding. "Don't swim where there are schools of small fish offshore. Don't swim near where people are fishing near piers," Abel said in the Live Science report. There is a need to be cautious as shark attacks are often a case of mistaken identity, wherein the sharks thought swimmers are their prey such as seals. Related Article: Scared of Shark Attack? Here's How to Survive It! Related Video: Strong winds and drained weather are spreading wildfires over Sicily, damaging a century-old church on the Italian island. According to a report by Premier Christian News, the fire reached the convent of Santa Maria di Gesu leaving St. Benedict the Moor in Palermo with burnt rubble and crucifix. "The convent of Santa Maria in Gesu went up in smoke because it was involved in a fire that broke out in the nearby mountain. The damage is enormous, and we literally lost the church," said Brother Vincenzo Bruccoleri, the superior friar of the convent. The church said no one was injured in the incident. The monumental complex of Santa Maria del Gesu, located in the upper part of Modica, remains one of the highest and most valuable examples of the constructive and figurative late Gothic civilization that spread in Sicily between the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The convent is an important cultural site in south-eastern Sicily, as it was home to significant studies of philosophy, theology, and Holy Scripture. Man-made fire An agricultural group called Coldiretti claims that 60% of wildfires in Italy are man-made. Calabrians tell the BBC that everyone from careless farmers to squabbling neighbors is to blame for the fires, and the situation got worse due to the extreme heat, drought, and effects of climate change. Some believe the firemen started the wildfires to draw attention to their predicament and increase funds. Some argue that tensions between rural neighbors are a significant issue. Others point the finger at shepherds who seek to convert woodland into grazing land. Others claimed that most fires are started by pyromaniacs who wish to cause chaos. The President of Calabria, Roberto Occhiuto, went even further than Coldiretti, estimating that arson was responsible for 80% of wildfires in his province. "Last year in Calabria we caught 22 arsonists and this year, too, we are finding several," Mr Occhiuto said. Read Also: EU Organizes Largest Firefighting Operation As Wildfires Burns Out Of Control In Greece, Italy Arrest of arsonist Authorities have taken some measures to deter such behavior, including the use of drones that scan the land for possible arsonists. According to a CBS News report, Southern Italy police claimed they apprehended a erial arsonist with the use of drones. The drone has detected a thermal anomaly, a figure escaping the fire on a motorcycle through a remote field. In the snippet of the drone video released by police, the suspect can be seen hurling stones at the drone. The drone operator followed the suspect to an isolated farmstead, where a 47-year-old local was captured by the police. He has a history of small crimes, according to the police. "Calabria is a civilized region, but it also has some imbeciles who go to set fires in the woods, like this arsonist we caught yesterday," Calabria President Roberto Occhiuto said in a video shared on social media. "Where does he come from, the caves?" He added that the region has 30 drones at its disposal to monitor the wildfire situation, emphasizing that there will be "zero tolerance" for arsonists. Related Article: Heatwave 'Lucifer' Hits Italy, Breaking New Record as Europe's Hottest Temperature Related Video: The latest weather report showed that July is now the hottest month on record, entering an era of global boiling. The United Nations (UN) warned of the possible impact of intense heat. Recently, record-breaking heat conditions unfolded in parts of Europe and the United States. Nature World News (NWN) reported that many Americans were under heat advisories and warnings in the Southwest and South due to brutal heat. Southern Europe also recorded record-breaking heat in Greece, Spain, Italy, Poland and Germany. Read here. In Greece, raging wildfires unfolded in the city, causing evacuations. Furthermore, a CNN report showed that Europe's soaring temperatures and heat waves resulted in 61, 672 deaths due to heat-related health risks last year. The study can also be read in Nature Medicine. July is the hottest month on record Experts explained the unprecedented global heating and heat waves. Recently, NWN showed that human-caused climate change significantly affected global heatwaves. Furthermore, brutal heat can cause heat-related health risks, including heat stress and heat stroke. The American Red Cross noted that extreme heat could kill people. In the UN News, July 2023 is set as the hottest month on record. The report explained that July recorded the hottest three day and three days. According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the importance of global actions to reduce emissions, adding that the era of global boiling began. The UN Chief emphasized the need for climate action and justice in addressing climate change issues. The urgent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions has been essential in mitigating global warming. Furthermore, the report showed the concerning rising of ocean temperatures. Based on the Guardian, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) noted the record-breaking global temperatures. Also Read: Greenland Ice Melt Raises Sea-Level Rise Concerns Due to Climate Change, Warming Event Rising ocean temperatures In the previous report, NWN reported the record-breaking ocean temperatures on the Florida coast like a hot bathtub. Reuters said that the temperatures in Manatee Bay reached a 101.19 degrees Fahrenheit (38.44 Celsius), that could set a world record. Moreover, the report highlighted that rising ocean temperatures would harm the coast's aquatic animals and coral reef system. Corals are sensitive to temperature changes, causing them to bleach or look pale. The decline in coral health can impact food sources and marine species. Also Read: Florida Ocean Temperature Reaches Over 100 Degrees; Temp Likely to Become World Record Staying safe from the hot temperatures Intense heatwaves can result in health risks, especially for older adults, outdoor workers, children and people with medical conditions. As a result, people should stay safe from the hot weather conditions as global heating continues to rise. Here are essential reminders to stay safe from extreme heat. Homeowners should avoid prolonged exposure to hot conditions. It is best to stay at home, including your pets. Always check your cooling system. People can also look for cooler areas or places to stay. Homeowners should stay hydrated. Bringing a water bottle at all times can save you from health risks. Related Article: Human-Caused Climate Change Blamed for Deadly Global Heatwaves For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. Armenian Foreign Ministry again spreads misinformation, Aykhan Hajizade, spokesperson for Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry, said, Trend reports. The mentioned 68-year-old person, Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan, is internationally wanted fugitive of Meshali massacre. It is unfortunate that instead of apologising and helping to bring war criminals into justice, Armenian officials still try to justify illegal actions, including the abuse of ICRC facilitation for deviation from the trial. Moreover, spokesperson of Armenian Foreign Ministry, who refers to international law and the international humanitarian law, is unaware that the Lachin Checkpoint has been established by Azerbaijan in its sovereign territories, and no one can judge its legitimacy. The International Court of Justice has also rejected this claim by Armenia, Hajizade tweeted. Vagif Khachatryan, internationally wanted fugitive of Meshali massacre of December 22, 1991, was detained by the military personnel of the State Border Service at the Lachin border crossing point of the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border while trying to go to the Republic of Armenia for treatment through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The investigation established that Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan, born in 1955, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, born in Badara village of Askaran district and worked as a driver in Khankendi city automobile transport company, residing in Meshali village, together with other people of Armenian nationality, used various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, to completely destroy the village. Using various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, they raided the village and killed 25 people of Azerbaijani nationality, injured 14 people, and contrary to national and international law norms expelled 358 Azerbaijanis from their domicile. In addition, Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan continued his criminal actions together with his accomplices, destroying and damaging property belonging to the state and villagers, causing a total of 5 million 496 thousand 900 manats of material damage. Due to the fact that sufficient reasonable suspicions arose regarding the criminal case, it was decided to involve Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan as an accused person under articles 103 (massacre) and 107 (deportation or forced movement of the population) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. However, due to the fact that his whereabouts were unknown to the investigation, on November 12, 2013, an international arrest warrant was applied by the court's decision. By Associated Press NEW DELHI: India and Japan explored collaborating in critical technologies, including semiconductors and resilient supply chains, as part of plans to reach a target of $35.9 billion Japanese investment in the country by 2027, officials said on Friday. Foreign Ministers of India and Japan, S. Jaishankar and Yoshimasa Hayashi, met in New Delhi on Thursday and also discussed ways to deepen defense equipment and technology cooperation. Hayashi is on a two-day visit to the Indian capital. Russias war in Ukraine has disrupted the global supply of parts and raw materials needed to complete a variety of products from cars to computer chips. Hayashi and Jaishankar also emphasized the crucial role of a strong partnership between India and Japan in ensuring an open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region that is inclusive and rules-based, a statement by Indias External Affairs Ministry said. They discussed cooperation under multilateral and plurilateral frameworks, including the Quad grouping that also includes the United States and Australia, the statement said. The grouping aims at countering the growing challenge posed by an aggressive China in the region. Jaishankar and Hayashi expressed satisfaction at the strengthening of defense and security cooperation between the two countries, including regular exercises and talks between all three services, the statement said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis ambitions to build a chipmaking industry suffered a potential setback earlier this month as electronics giant Foxconn backed out of a $19.5 billion semiconductor joint venture with Indian mining conglomerate Vedanta Ltd. In February last year, the two companies announced their joint venture to manufacture chips and display panels in India. India has made building a chipmaking sector a national priority as part of a self-reliance policy to secure stable supplies. It is offering financial incentives of up to 50% of project costs under a $10 billion plan for semiconductor and display manufacturing projects. India and Japan share strong economic ties. Trade between the two was worth $20.57 billion in fiscal year 2021-2022. NEW DELHI: India and Japan explored collaborating in critical technologies, including semiconductors and resilient supply chains, as part of plans to reach a target of $35.9 billion Japanese investment in the country by 2027, officials said on Friday. Foreign Ministers of India and Japan, S. Jaishankar and Yoshimasa Hayashi, met in New Delhi on Thursday and also discussed ways to deepen defense equipment and technology cooperation. Hayashi is on a two-day visit to the Indian capital. Russias war in Ukraine has disrupted the global supply of parts and raw materials needed to complete a variety of products from cars to computer chips.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Hayashi and Jaishankar also emphasized the crucial role of a strong partnership between India and Japan in ensuring an open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region that is inclusive and rules-based, a statement by Indias External Affairs Ministry said. They discussed cooperation under multilateral and plurilateral frameworks, including the Quad grouping that also includes the United States and Australia, the statement said. The grouping aims at countering the growing challenge posed by an aggressive China in the region. Jaishankar and Hayashi expressed satisfaction at the strengthening of defense and security cooperation between the two countries, including regular exercises and talks between all three services, the statement said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis ambitions to build a chipmaking industry suffered a potential setback earlier this month as electronics giant Foxconn backed out of a $19.5 billion semiconductor joint venture with Indian mining conglomerate Vedanta Ltd. In February last year, the two companies announced their joint venture to manufacture chips and display panels in India. India has made building a chipmaking sector a national priority as part of a self-reliance policy to secure stable supplies. It is offering financial incentives of up to 50% of project costs under a $10 billion plan for semiconductor and display manufacturing projects. India and Japan share strong economic ties. Trade between the two was worth $20.57 billion in fiscal year 2021-2022. Shruti Kakkar By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to civil rights activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, who have been under arrest since 2018 in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon violence case. A bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and Sudhanshu Dhulia said although the allegations against them were serious, that cannot be the sole ground to justify their continued detention pending trial. The court in the 54-page verdict authored by Justice Bose, said mere possession of literature, even if the content thereof inspires or propagates violence, by itself cannot constitute any of the offences under UAPA. In the case of the appellants, contents of the letters through which the appellants are sought to be implicated are in the nature of hearsay evidence, recovered from co-accused." Moreover, no covert or overt terrorist act has been attributed to the appellants in these letters, or any other material forming part of records of these two appeals. Reference to the activities of the accused is in the nature of ideological propagation and allegations of recruitment. No evidence of any of the persons who are alleged to have been recruited or have joined this struggle inspired by the appellants has been brought before us. Thus, we are unable to accept NIAs contention that the appellants have committed the offence relating to support given to a terrorist organisation, the bench said. The court directed their release subject to the imposition of conditions by the NIA trial court. Additionally, they have been directed to surrender their passports to the NIA and inform the investigating officer about their addresses and mobile phone numbers. It allowed them to have one mobile phone each but asked them to keep them charged and their location status active 24x7 besides pairing them with the NIAs investigating officer. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to civil rights activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, who have been under arrest since 2018 in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon violence case. A bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and Sudhanshu Dhulia said although the allegations against them were serious, that cannot be the sole ground to justify their continued detention pending trial. The court in the 54-page verdict authored by Justice Bose, said mere possession of literature, even if the content thereof inspires or propagates violence, by itself cannot constitute any of the offences under UAPA. In the case of the appellants, contents of the letters through which the appellants are sought to be implicated are in the nature of hearsay evidence, recovered from co-accused." Moreover, no covert or overt terrorist act has been attributed to the appellants in these letters, or any other material forming part of records of these two appeals. Reference to the activities of the accused is in the nature of ideological propagation and allegations of recruitment. No evidence of any of the persons who are alleged to have been recruited or have joined this struggle inspired by the appellants has been brought before us. Thus, we are unable to accept NIAs contention that the appellants have committed the offence relating to support given to a terrorist organisation, the bench said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The court directed their release subject to the imposition of conditions by the NIA trial court. Additionally, they have been directed to surrender their passports to the NIA and inform the investigating officer about their addresses and mobile phone numbers. It allowed them to have one mobile phone each but asked them to keep them charged and their location status active 24x7 besides pairing them with the NIAs investigating officer. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday rejigged its team of Central office-bearers ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, appointing Pasmanda Muslim and former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor from Uttar Pradesh as one of its 13 national vice presidents. In another significant move, BJP president J P Nadda appointed the former Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay as a national general secretary. According to an official statement, Saroj Pandey (Member of Parliament from Chhattisgarh) and Laxmikant Bajpai (MP from Uttar Pradesh) would be the new vice president along with Mansoor. With the party focusing on a mega outreach to the tribal communities, it has elevated Lata Usendi, too, to the post of vice president. She is an influential tribal leader from Chhattisgarh. Sanjay and Radha Mohan Agrawal (MP from UP) were appointed national general secretary while Surendra Singh Nagar (MP from UP), Kamakhya Prasad Tasa (MP from Assam) and Anil Antony (son of former defence minister A K Anthony) were accommodated as national secretaries. Surendra Singh Nagar is an influential Gujjar leader from western UP and Tasa has a strong influence among the tea tribes of Assam. With the induction of Mansoor, the party now has two Muslim faces among vice presidents, with Abdulla Kutty from Kerala being the other one. Eight of the current office bearers have been dropped. They include C T Ravi, Dilip Saikia, Radha Mohan Singh, Dilip Ghosh, Sunil Deodhar, Harish Dwivedi, Vinod Sonkar, and Bharti Siyal. Ravi and Saika were general secretaries while the rest were secretaries. Ravis dropping from the list of the partys general secretaries is being seen as the fallout of the BJPs humiliating defeat in the Karnataka Assembly election. He had lost his seat in the recently-held Assembly polls. However, some party sources hinted that Ravi will contest the Lok Sabha elections. The induction of Sanjay is an indication to the partys cadre that he still is an important leader for the party. The party has retained former chief ministers Raman Singh, Vasundhara Raje and Raghubar Das as its other vice presidents. Likewise, Arun Singh, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Dushyant Kumar Gautam, Tarun Chugh, Sunil Bansal and Vinod Tawde will stay on as general secretaries. 13 VICE PRESIDENTS, NINE GENERAL SECRETARIES With the latest appointments, there are now 13 vice presidents, nine general secretaries, including B L Santhosh as the in-charge of the organisation, and 13 secretaries with less than a year left for the Lok Sabha polls. However, there are no women now among the partys nine general secretaries, though there are five women vice presidents and four women secretaries in the list of new national office-bearers NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday rejigged its team of Central office-bearers ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, appointing Pasmanda Muslim and former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor from Uttar Pradesh as one of its 13 national vice presidents. In another significant move, BJP president J P Nadda appointed the former Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay as a national general secretary. According to an official statement, Saroj Pandey (Member of Parliament from Chhattisgarh) and Laxmikant Bajpai (MP from Uttar Pradesh) would be the new vice president along with Mansoor. With the party focusing on a mega outreach to the tribal communities, it has elevated Lata Usendi, too, to the post of vice president. She is an influential tribal leader from Chhattisgarh. Sanjay and Radha Mohan Agrawal (MP from UP) were appointed national general secretary while Surendra Singh Nagar (MP from UP), Kamakhya Prasad Tasa (MP from Assam) and Anil Antony (son of former defence minister A K Anthony) were accommodated as national secretaries. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Surendra Singh Nagar is an influential Gujjar leader from western UP and Tasa has a strong influence among the tea tribes of Assam. With the induction of Mansoor, the party now has two Muslim faces among vice presidents, with Abdulla Kutty from Kerala being the other one. Eight of the current office bearers have been dropped. They include C T Ravi, Dilip Saikia, Radha Mohan Singh, Dilip Ghosh, Sunil Deodhar, Harish Dwivedi, Vinod Sonkar, and Bharti Siyal. Ravi and Saika were general secretaries while the rest were secretaries. Ravis dropping from the list of the partys general secretaries is being seen as the fallout of the BJPs humiliating defeat in the Karnataka Assembly election. He had lost his seat in the recently-held Assembly polls. However, some party sources hinted that Ravi will contest the Lok Sabha elections. The induction of Sanjay is an indication to the partys cadre that he still is an important leader for the party. The party has retained former chief ministers Raman Singh, Vasundhara Raje and Raghubar Das as its other vice presidents. Likewise, Arun Singh, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Dushyant Kumar Gautam, Tarun Chugh, Sunil Bansal and Vinod Tawde will stay on as general secretaries. 13 VICE PRESIDENTS, NINE GENERAL SECRETARIES With the latest appointments, there are now 13 vice presidents, nine general secretaries, including B L Santhosh as the in-charge of the organisation, and 13 secretaries with less than a year left for the Lok Sabha polls. However, there are no women now among the partys nine general secretaries, though there are five women vice presidents and four women secretaries in the list of new national office-bearers Preetha Nair By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A day after the Centre informed the Supreme Court that CBI will take over the probe into the Manipur viral video case, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi demanded that the apex court set up a fact-finding commission to probe huge lapses in the law and order in the state. Gogoi is part of the delegation of 21 MPs of the Opposition alliance INDIA, which is on a two-day visit to Manipur. Speaking to this newspaper, the Congress deputy leader of the Lok Sabha said that the delegation will visit all communities in Manipur. Violence is still going on in the state. People are still dying and the situation is still volatile. We hope to meet people in the relief camps and will meet everyone who is affected, he said. Gogoi said that the government is misleading the court and the public about the situation in the violence-hit state. The Centre has requested the court to direct that the trial be conducted outside Manipur. There has been a complete breakdown in the law and order situation in the state. How is it that so many police stations were looted and people got access to arms and ammunition? Several women were assaulted. There should be an independent, neutral judicial inquiry into this ghastly episode, he said. Gogoi on Wednesday moved a no-trust motion against the Modi government in Lok Sabha. Though the PM speaks about the dignity of women, he has not met any victims of violence in Manipur. He is shedding crocodile tears, he said. The Centre has been trying to divert attention from its failure to mitigate the situation in the state, Gogoi added. NEW DELHI: A day after the Centre informed the Supreme Court that CBI will take over the probe into the Manipur viral video case, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi demanded that the apex court set up a fact-finding commission to probe huge lapses in the law and order in the state. Gogoi is part of the delegation of 21 MPs of the Opposition alliance INDIA, which is on a two-day visit to Manipur. Speaking to this newspaper, the Congress deputy leader of the Lok Sabha said that the delegation will visit all communities in Manipur. Violence is still going on in the state. People are still dying and the situation is still volatile. We hope to meet people in the relief camps and will meet everyone who is affected, he said. Gogoi said that the government is misleading the court and the public about the situation in the violence-hit state. The Centre has requested the court to direct that the trial be conducted outside Manipur. There has been a complete breakdown in the law and order situation in the state. How is it that so many police stations were looted and people got access to arms and ammunition? Several women were assaulted. There should be an independent, neutral judicial inquiry into this ghastly episode, he said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Gogoi on Wednesday moved a no-trust motion against the Modi government in Lok Sabha. Though the PM speaks about the dignity of women, he has not met any victims of violence in Manipur. He is shedding crocodile tears, he said. The Centre has been trying to divert attention from its failure to mitigate the situation in the state, Gogoi added. Yeshi Seli By Express News Service NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday said Japan has contributed to many revolutions in India the Maruti and Metro had an enormous ripple impact. The high-speed rail and emerging and critical technology will present many possibilities, he added. His remarks came during the India-Japan Forum, which was also attended by Jaishankars counterpart from Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi. However, Japan hopes that for further cooperation, India would extend support in providing a stable business environment. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida set the 5 trillion Yen target of public and private investment and financing from Japan to India in the next five years from 2022. At the same time, we will work together with the Indian government to effectively address the difficulties that Japanese companies face in the Indian market, said FM Hayashi, who has come to India for the second time in six months. Hayashi had arrived in March to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi. Japan would like to see a more predictable, transparent business environment in India, which includes tax issues. There are infrastructural challenges too. The Japanese Chamber of Commerce in India has been raising these issues. It is also looking at a way to address them, said Yukiko Okano, Deputy Press Secretary of Japan. She didnt quantify what percentage of 5 trillion Yen has already been invested in India. Last month, Japan revised its Development Cooperation Charter, which is their basic document. The new charter would enable Japan to better address development challenges that it faces, including food and energy, climate change and digital transformation. Under this revised charter, we will continue to undertake efforts to build quality infrastructure in India, including the high-speed rail and urban transportation, Hayashi said. Meanwhile, the discussions between the two ministers covered wide-ranging issues from G20 to the Indo-Pacific, Ukraine, China and even partnerships in defence and focus on the North-East. Dr Jaishankar said that India and Japan can also work together in critical technologies and semiconductors as Japan has a powerful impact on manufacturing in India. Ukraine and the impact of the conflict on the world were discussed too. At a time when there are many pressing challenges, including Russias aggression against Ukraine, Japan and India fully share the necessity to lead the world to cooperation, rather than to division and confrontation. The free and open international order based on the Rule of Law is the key to realising such a world, said Hayashi. He said free means each country is free to make decisions based on its own sovereignty. The Rule of Law is essential for countries to enjoy such freedom. Open means respect for principles including inclusiveness, openness and diversity, explained Hayashi. The two ministers spoke about enhancing trade and defence ties with a focus on the Indo-Pacific and North-East. NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday said Japan has contributed to many revolutions in India the Maruti and Metro had an enormous ripple impact. The high-speed rail and emerging and critical technology will present many possibilities, he added. His remarks came during the India-Japan Forum, which was also attended by Jaishankars counterpart from Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi. However, Japan hopes that for further cooperation, India would extend support in providing a stable business environment. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida set the 5 trillion Yen target of public and private investment and financing from Japan to India in the next five years from 2022. At the same time, we will work together with the Indian government to effectively address the difficulties that Japanese companies face in the Indian market, said FM Hayashi, who has come to India for the second time in six months. Hayashi had arrived in March to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Japan would like to see a more predictable, transparent business environment in India, which includes tax issues. There are infrastructural challenges too. The Japanese Chamber of Commerce in India has been raising these issues. It is also looking at a way to address them, said Yukiko Okano, Deputy Press Secretary of Japan. She didnt quantify what percentage of 5 trillion Yen has already been invested in India. Last month, Japan revised its Development Cooperation Charter, which is their basic document. The new charter would enable Japan to better address development challenges that it faces, including food and energy, climate change and digital transformation. Under this revised charter, we will continue to undertake efforts to build quality infrastructure in India, including the high-speed rail and urban transportation, Hayashi said. Meanwhile, the discussions between the two ministers covered wide-ranging issues from G20 to the Indo-Pacific, Ukraine, China and even partnerships in defence and focus on the North-East. Dr Jaishankar said that India and Japan can also work together in critical technologies and semiconductors as Japan has a powerful impact on manufacturing in India. Ukraine and the impact of the conflict on the world were discussed too. At a time when there are many pressing challenges, including Russias aggression against Ukraine, Japan and India fully share the necessity to lead the world to cooperation, rather than to division and confrontation. The free and open international order based on the Rule of Law is the key to realising such a world, said Hayashi. He said free means each country is free to make decisions based on its own sovereignty. The Rule of Law is essential for countries to enjoy such freedom. Open means respect for principles including inclusiveness, openness and diversity, explained Hayashi. The two ministers spoke about enhancing trade and defence ties with a focus on the Indo-Pacific and North-East. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. A joint meeting of the trade unions of the Turkic states was held in Azerbaijan's Shusha city on July 29, Trend reports. The event was attended by leaders and representatives of Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation, the Kazakh Federation of Trade Unions, Turkish Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TURK-IS), the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan and the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan. The meeting participants honored memory of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity with a minute of silence. Welcoming the guests, the Chairman of Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation, MP Sattar Mehbaliyev emphasized the symbolic significance of holding the event in Shusha, a sacred and cherished place for the Azerbaijani people. Then, an agreement on the establishment of the Trade Union Organization of the Turkic States was signed during the event. At the signing ceremony, Mehbaliyev stated that the aim of establishing the organization is to unite efforts for the effective protection of workers' interests, labor rights, and the freedom of union activities, as well as their place and role in society. "The establishment of the Trade Union Organization of Turkic States will deepen comprehensive cooperation between the trade unions of our countries and make a significant contribution to the joint protection of workers' rights and interests," he said. "Together, we'll strive to ensure labor rights, improve the standard of living, and demonstrate solidarity in the fight against the infringement of union members' interests." "The activities of the Trade Union Organization of Turkic States, like the Organization of Turkic States, will be effective and contribute to bringing our countries and peoples closer together, expanding ties in all spheres," he added. Following the event, the guests, who visited Shusha, were informed about the damage caused by Armenia to Azerbaijani historical and cultural monuments, and observed the ongoing reconstruction work in the city. By PTI SATNA: A 12-year-old girl was raped, bitten multiple times and brutalised allegedly by two men working for the trust managing a famous temple in Maihar town of Satna district in Madhya Pradesh, the police have said. The trust has sacked the duo. The two men, who have been arrested, also allegedly inserted a hard object in her private parts on Thursday, police sources stated, but a senior official said this can be confirmed only after her medical examination report is received. The profusely bleeding girl was admitted to a hospital at the divisional headquarters Rewa for advanced medical care, said the police on Friday, adding the accused were identified as Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya. "I am not denying that a stick or some other object was inserted into the 12-year-old's private parts by accused Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya. But this is something that can only be confirmed only in a medical report. We are still awaiting her medical report. Yes she was bleeding and doctors are monitoring her health," Satna Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Gupta told PTI over the phone. "Her body bore bites and injuries which pertain to sexual assault," he said. Asked about the condition of the girl, the SP said a panel of doctors treating her said her condition was 'okay' at his point in time. "We are taking legal action against the accused," Gupta said. The accused, both aged 30, were on Friday produced in a local court which sent them in 14-day judicial custody, Gupta said. The duo was booked under IPC sections 376 (punishment for rape), 376DB (punishment for gang rape on woman under 12 years of age), 366A (procuration of minor girl), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 34 (common intention) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police said. In a related development, a press statement issued by the Maa Sharda Devi Mandir Management Committee, Maihar, bearing the signature of its administrator, stated they have sacked Ravi and Bhadoliya, employed with them, forthwith after a criminal case was registered against them. "Their indecent act has tarnished the image of the temple," said the statement. The rape incident took place in Maihar, a temple town about 45km from district headquarters, another official said. The accused allegedly lured the girl and took her to an isolated place, where they raped and assaulted her, he said. The police arrested the duo on Friday morning, Maihar sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Lokesh Dabar said. The survivor was admitted to the Rewa hospital after being administered first aid at Maihar, he said. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed the police to take strict action against the accused and provide the best of possible medical treatment to the girl. Condemning the incident, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath said the victim was subjected to an inhuman attack that was reminiscent of the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi. The gruesome 2012 episode, commonly known as the Nirbhaya case, involved rape and fatal assault on a 23-year-old woman in the national capital which caused nationwide outrage and triggered protests. Such incidents with sisters and daughters have become a routine affair in Madhya Pradesh and it proved that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government has failed to provide them security, Nath claimed in a tweet. He demanded the best medical treatment and financial assistance of Rs 1 crore for the girl. SATNA: A 12-year-old girl was raped, bitten multiple times and brutalised allegedly by two men working for the trust managing a famous temple in Maihar town of Satna district in Madhya Pradesh, the police have said. The trust has sacked the duo. The two men, who have been arrested, also allegedly inserted a hard object in her private parts on Thursday, police sources stated, but a senior official said this can be confirmed only after her medical examination report is received.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The profusely bleeding girl was admitted to a hospital at the divisional headquarters Rewa for advanced medical care, said the police on Friday, adding the accused were identified as Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya. "I am not denying that a stick or some other object was inserted into the 12-year-old's private parts by accused Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya. But this is something that can only be confirmed only in a medical report. We are still awaiting her medical report. Yes she was bleeding and doctors are monitoring her health," Satna Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Gupta told PTI over the phone. "Her body bore bites and injuries which pertain to sexual assault," he said. Asked about the condition of the girl, the SP said a panel of doctors treating her said her condition was 'okay' at his point in time. "We are taking legal action against the accused," Gupta said. The accused, both aged 30, were on Friday produced in a local court which sent them in 14-day judicial custody, Gupta said. The duo was booked under IPC sections 376 (punishment for rape), 376DB (punishment for gang rape on woman under 12 years of age), 366A (procuration of minor girl), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 34 (common intention) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police said. In a related development, a press statement issued by the Maa Sharda Devi Mandir Management Committee, Maihar, bearing the signature of its administrator, stated they have sacked Ravi and Bhadoliya, employed with them, forthwith after a criminal case was registered against them. "Their indecent act has tarnished the image of the temple," said the statement. The rape incident took place in Maihar, a temple town about 45km from district headquarters, another official said. The accused allegedly lured the girl and took her to an isolated place, where they raped and assaulted her, he said. The police arrested the duo on Friday morning, Maihar sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Lokesh Dabar said. The survivor was admitted to the Rewa hospital after being administered first aid at Maihar, he said. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed the police to take strict action against the accused and provide the best of possible medical treatment to the girl. Condemning the incident, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath said the victim was subjected to an inhuman attack that was reminiscent of the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi. The gruesome 2012 episode, commonly known as the Nirbhaya case, involved rape and fatal assault on a 23-year-old woman in the national capital which caused nationwide outrage and triggered protests. Such incidents with sisters and daughters have become a routine affair in Madhya Pradesh and it proved that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government has failed to provide them security, Nath claimed in a tweet. He demanded the best medical treatment and financial assistance of Rs 1 crore for the girl. By ANI IMPHAL: The government of Manipur has resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all "illegal" Myanmar immigrants in the State from Saturday on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, an official release said. "On instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India to complete the campaign for biometric capture of illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State of Manipur by September 2023, the Government of Manipur has resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State from today," the release said. ALSO READ | Centre asks Manipur, Mizoram to record biometric details of illegal migrants The release said that a team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) assisted the State Government officials in capturing biometric data of illegal immigrants in Imphal East District today. "A team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs for training and handholding of State Government Officers in this campaign, assisted the State Government officials in capturing biometric data of illegal immigrants at Foreigners Detention Centre, Sajiwa, Imphal East District today," it said. "The campaign will continue in all districts until biometric data of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State are successfully captured. The same is targeted for completion by September 2023," the release added. IMPHAL: The government of Manipur has resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all "illegal" Myanmar immigrants in the State from Saturday on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, an official release said. "On instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India to complete the campaign for biometric capture of illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State of Manipur by September 2023, the Government of Manipur has resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State from today," the release said. ALSO READ | Centre asks Manipur, Mizoram to record biometric details of illegal migrantsgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The release said that a team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) assisted the State Government officials in capturing biometric data of illegal immigrants in Imphal East District today. "A team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs for training and handholding of State Government Officers in this campaign, assisted the State Government officials in capturing biometric data of illegal immigrants at Foreigners Detention Centre, Sajiwa, Imphal East District today," it said. "The campaign will continue in all districts until biometric data of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State are successfully captured. The same is targeted for completion by September 2023," the release added. By PTI SATNA: The local administration on Saturday demolished the houses of two men accused of raping and brutalising a 12-year-old girl in the temple town of Maihar in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district, an official said. The accused, Ravindra Kumar and Atul Bhadoliya, allegedly raped the girl, bit her and inserted a hard object in her private parts on Thursday, police sources stated, but a senior official said this can be confirmed only after her medical examination report is received. Following the incident, the chief municipal officer of Maihar Municipal Council on Friday issued notices to the families of the two men seeking documents related to their land and buildings, sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Lokesh Dabar said. A probe revealed that the houses of both the accused were illegal, he said, adding that Bhadoliya's house was constructed on nazool' land (government land used for non-agricultural purposes), while Kumar's house was built without permission. "Both the houses were demolished this morning," Dabar said. According to eye-witnesses, when the demolition squad reached Bhadoliya's house, his family members requested officials to take any step only after the probe is completed. But they went ahead with the demolition. The duo, who worked for the trust managing a famous temple in Maihar town, allegedly lured the girl and took her to an isolated place, where they raped and brutalised her, the police said. The profusely bleeding girl, who also bore bite marks on her body, was admitted to a hospital at the divisional headquarters Rewa for advanced medical care, they said. Earlier, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashutosh Gupta had told PTI, I am not denying that a stick or some other object was inserted into the 12-year-old's private parts by accused Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya. But this is something that can only be confirmed only in a medical report." He said the survivor is undergoing treatment at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Rewa and senior officials had visited the facility to inquire about her health. A team of doctors is monitoring her health and if required, she can also be shifted to Bhopal or Delhi for further treatment, he said on Saturday. The accused, both aged 30, were produced in a local court on Friday and were remanded to 14-day judicial custody, Gupta said. The duo was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said. After the incident, Maa Sharda Devi Mandir Management Committee, Maihar in a press statement said it had sacked Kumar and Bhadoliya, employed with them, forthwith after a criminal case was registered against them. Their indecent act has tarnished the image of the temple, said the statement. SATNA: The local administration on Saturday demolished the houses of two men accused of raping and brutalising a 12-year-old girl in the temple town of Maihar in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district, an official said. The accused, Ravindra Kumar and Atul Bhadoliya, allegedly raped the girl, bit her and inserted a hard object in her private parts on Thursday, police sources stated, but a senior official said this can be confirmed only after her medical examination report is received. Following the incident, the chief municipal officer of Maihar Municipal Council on Friday issued notices to the families of the two men seeking documents related to their land and buildings, sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Lokesh Dabar said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); A probe revealed that the houses of both the accused were illegal, he said, adding that Bhadoliya's house was constructed on nazool' land (government land used for non-agricultural purposes), while Kumar's house was built without permission. "Both the houses were demolished this morning," Dabar said. According to eye-witnesses, when the demolition squad reached Bhadoliya's house, his family members requested officials to take any step only after the probe is completed. But they went ahead with the demolition. The duo, who worked for the trust managing a famous temple in Maihar town, allegedly lured the girl and took her to an isolated place, where they raped and brutalised her, the police said. The profusely bleeding girl, who also bore bite marks on her body, was admitted to a hospital at the divisional headquarters Rewa for advanced medical care, they said. Earlier, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashutosh Gupta had told PTI, I am not denying that a stick or some other object was inserted into the 12-year-old's private parts by accused Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya. But this is something that can only be confirmed only in a medical report." He said the survivor is undergoing treatment at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Rewa and senior officials had visited the facility to inquire about her health. A team of doctors is monitoring her health and if required, she can also be shifted to Bhopal or Delhi for further treatment, he said on Saturday. The accused, both aged 30, were produced in a local court on Friday and were remanded to 14-day judicial custody, Gupta said. The duo was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said. After the incident, Maa Sharda Devi Mandir Management Committee, Maihar in a press statement said it had sacked Kumar and Bhadoliya, employed with them, forthwith after a criminal case was registered against them. Their indecent act has tarnished the image of the temple, said the statement. By PTI IMPHAL: A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached here on Saturday to assess the ground situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. The team of opposition MPs will visit several relief camps to meet victims of the ethnic clashes that broke in the northeastern state on May 3. The MPs reached Imphal by a commercial flight from Delhi. After their arrival here, the delegation will go to Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place, to meet victims from the Kuki community in the relief camps there. "From Imphal, they will go by a chopper to Churachandpur due to security issues. As only one helicopter is available, the members of the delegation would be divided into two teams, and the chopper will make two trips to ferry them," a security official told PTI. #WATCH | INDIA alliance MPs onboard the flight to Manipur from Delhi airport pic.twitter.com/wKHidDqgDt ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 One team, comprising Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and others, would reach Churachandpur first and visit a relief camp set up at the Boys' Hostel of Churachandpur College. Another team, comprising Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and others, would go there and visit a relief camp at Don Bosco School in Churachandpur, a source in the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee said. Members of the Kuki-Zo Women's Forum protest at Jantar Mantar demanding a separate administration for the tribal population of Manipur living in its hill districts. (Photo | PTI) "After returning to Imphal, the team led by Chowdhury will go to another relief camp at Moirang College in Bishnupur district by road to meet victims from the Meitei community," he said. The other team of opposition MPs will go to the Ideal Girl's College relief camp at Akampat in Imphal East district and will visit another camp at Lamboikhongangkhong in Imphal West district. "On Sunday morning, the delegation will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest," the MPCC official said. The team is scheduled to return to the national capital on Sunday afternoon. Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes since early May between the majority Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills. Over 160 people have been killed in the violence so far. IMPHAL: A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached here on Saturday to assess the ground situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. The team of opposition MPs will visit several relief camps to meet victims of the ethnic clashes that broke in the northeastern state on May 3. The MPs reached Imphal by a commercial flight from Delhi. After their arrival here, the delegation will go to Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place, to meet victims from the Kuki community in the relief camps there.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "From Imphal, they will go by a chopper to Churachandpur due to security issues. As only one helicopter is available, the members of the delegation would be divided into two teams, and the chopper will make two trips to ferry them," a security official told PTI. #WATCH | INDIA alliance MPs onboard the flight to Manipur from Delhi airport pic.twitter.com/wKHidDqgDt ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 One team, comprising Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and others, would reach Churachandpur first and visit a relief camp set up at the Boys' Hostel of Churachandpur College. Another team, comprising Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and others, would go there and visit a relief camp at Don Bosco School in Churachandpur, a source in the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee said. Members of the Kuki-Zo Women's Forum protest at Jantar Mantar demanding a separate administration for the tribal population of Manipur living in its hill districts. (Photo | PTI) "After returning to Imphal, the team led by Chowdhury will go to another relief camp at Moirang College in Bishnupur district by road to meet victims from the Meitei community," he said. The other team of opposition MPs will go to the Ideal Girl's College relief camp at Akampat in Imphal East district and will visit another camp at Lamboikhongangkhong in Imphal West district. "On Sunday morning, the delegation will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest," the MPCC official said. The team is scheduled to return to the national capital on Sunday afternoon. Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes since early May between the majority Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills. Over 160 people have been killed in the violence so far. Ramashankar By Express News Service PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar could return to National Democratic Alliance (NDA) anytime, said Ramdas Athawale, Union Minister of State for social justice and empowerment. Athawale, who was here to launch central welfare schemes, also urged Nitish not to attend the third round of meeting of Opposition leaders scheduled to be held in August in Maharashtra. The date of the meeting has not been announced so far. Nitish hamare hain, hamare pass kabhi bhi aa sakte hain (Nitish is one among us and can return anytime), Athawale, who is chief of the Republican Party of India (RPI) said. He said that Nitish's absence was always felt within the NDA. Referring to the long association with Janata Dal (United) supremo, the union minister said that the latter is a good friend. He has been part of the NDA for a long time. Why had he joined NDA when he had the intention of returning to the Opposition camp? he asked. Athawale's statement ahead of the third round of Opposition meeting assumed significance as Nitish was not happy with the happenings at the second meeting held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. Nitish, however, later clarified the question of being unhappy didn't arise when his suggestions were honoured. The union minister said that Bihar would continue to get its share from the centre so far as development is concerned. Athawale lauded the works undertaken during the tenure of Nitish Kumar when he was part of the NDA. Kafi acchha kaam hua hai. Hum ek din pahle Munger gaye the. Road kafi acchha ho gaya hai (Good works have been done. I had gone to Munger a day earlier. Roads are in good condition), the union minister said. He also rubbished the allegation that non-BJP-ruled states were getting stepmotherly treatment from the centre. This is wrong and baseless. Bihar is a non-BJP-ruled state now. But the Centre is providing all assistance to the present dispensation. Biharis are our own people, he added. On being asked about JD(U) minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary's allegation that Bihar was not getting its due share from centre, Athawale said that he (Choudhary) is saying so because of political reasons. JD(U) is not a part of NDA now. That's why its leaders are making allegations against the central government. Why didn't they say so when they were part of the ruling NDA in Bihar? he asked. PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar could return to National Democratic Alliance (NDA) anytime, said Ramdas Athawale, Union Minister of State for social justice and empowerment. Athawale, who was here to launch central welfare schemes, also urged Nitish not to attend the third round of meeting of Opposition leaders scheduled to be held in August in Maharashtra. The date of the meeting has not been announced so far.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Nitish hamare hain, hamare pass kabhi bhi aa sakte hain (Nitish is one among us and can return anytime), Athawale, who is chief of the Republican Party of India (RPI) said. He said that Nitish's absence was always felt within the NDA. Referring to the long association with Janata Dal (United) supremo, the union minister said that the latter is a good friend. He has been part of the NDA for a long time. Why had he joined NDA when he had the intention of returning to the Opposition camp? he asked. Athawale's statement ahead of the third round of Opposition meeting assumed significance as Nitish was not happy with the happenings at the second meeting held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. Nitish, however, later clarified the question of being unhappy didn't arise when his suggestions were honoured. The union minister said that Bihar would continue to get its share from the centre so far as development is concerned. Athawale lauded the works undertaken during the tenure of Nitish Kumar when he was part of the NDA. Kafi acchha kaam hua hai. Hum ek din pahle Munger gaye the. Road kafi acchha ho gaya hai (Good works have been done. I had gone to Munger a day earlier. Roads are in good condition), the union minister said. He also rubbished the allegation that non-BJP-ruled states were getting stepmotherly treatment from the centre. This is wrong and baseless. Bihar is a non-BJP-ruled state now. But the Centre is providing all assistance to the present dispensation. Biharis are our own people, he added. On being asked about JD(U) minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary's allegation that Bihar was not getting its due share from centre, Athawale said that he (Choudhary) is saying so because of political reasons. JD(U) is not a part of NDA now. That's why its leaders are making allegations against the central government. Why didn't they say so when they were part of the ruling NDA in Bihar? he asked. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: Though the dates of the commencement of the second edition of Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Yatra are yet to be finalised, the leaders of UP Congress claim that the partys former president would spend substantial time in the state covering more districts in the upcoming leg. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will be just a few months away from the second leg of the yatra. As per the party sources in UP, the route map of the Yatra, which is expected to commence either on August 15, Independence Day or October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, from Porbandar in Gujarat, is being finalised. The Yatra is likely to culminate in Agartala, the capital of Tripura in the northeast. The state leadership of the party and the workers have urged Rahul Gandhi to cover more districts spending more time in UP, which is politically very crucial, during the second edition of his yatra, says a senior Congress leader. In the first edition, which began from Kanyakumari on September 7, Gandhi walked for 136 days. However, he had covered just three districts-- Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Shamli-- of western UP during his two-day stay in the state in the first week of January. The yatra had concluded in J&K. LUCKNOW: Though the dates of the commencement of the second edition of Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Yatra are yet to be finalised, the leaders of UP Congress claim that the partys former president would spend substantial time in the state covering more districts in the upcoming leg. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will be just a few months away from the second leg of the yatra. As per the party sources in UP, the route map of the Yatra, which is expected to commence either on August 15, Independence Day or October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, from Porbandar in Gujarat, is being finalised. The Yatra is likely to culminate in Agartala, the capital of Tripura in the northeast. The state leadership of the party and the workers have urged Rahul Gandhi to cover more districts spending more time in UP, which is politically very crucial, during the second edition of his yatra, says a senior Congress leader. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In the first edition, which began from Kanyakumari on September 7, Gandhi walked for 136 days. However, he had covered just three districts-- Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Shamli-- of western UP during his two-day stay in the state in the first week of January. The yatra had concluded in J&K. By PTI IMPHAL: A team of the opposition bloc INDIA on Saturday visited the riot-hit town of Churachandpur in Manipur where they met Kuki leaders and members of the civil society besides ethnic strife victims in the relief camps where they were lodged. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters after visiting a relief camp, "They are talking of investigation by CBI (into the crimes committed). I would like to ask were they (central government) sleeping till now?" TMC leader Sushmita Dev said the team will speak with representatives of both the communities. "Everyone's voice must be heard. We will be talking to both Kukis and Meiteis," she said. A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached Imphal to assess the ground situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. The team of opposition MPs would visit several relief camps to meet victims of the ethnic clashes during their two-day visit beginning Saturday. "We have come here to meet victims of ethnic clashes and understand the problem. We want the end of violence and the restoration of peace at the earliest...the entire world is watching what is going on in Manipur," Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury told PTI . He also said, "The ethnic clashes have damaged the image of Manipur, the northeast region and India as a whole. We all have to try for a peaceful solution. We are here not to do any politics." The MPs reached Imphal by a commercial flight from Delhi. After their arrival here, the delegation went to Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place, to meet victims from the Kuki community in the relief camps there. "From Imphal, they took a chopper to Churachandpur due to security issues. As only one helicopter is available, the members of the delegation were divided into two teams, and the chopper would make two trips to ferry them," a security official told PTI. One team, comprising Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and others, departed for Churachandpur first to visit the relief camp set up at the Boys Hostel of Churachandpur College. Another team, comprising Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and others, would visit the relief camp at Don Bosco School in Churachandpur, a source in Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) said. "After returning to Imphal, the team led by Chowdhury will go to another relief camp at Moirang College in Bishnupur district by road to meet victims from the Meitei community," he said. The other team of opposition MPs will go to the Ideal Girl's College relief camp at Akampat in Imphal East district and will visit another camp at Lamboikhongangkhong in Imphal West district. On Sunday morning, the opposition party delegation will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan here to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest, the MPCC official said. The team is scheduled to return to the national capital on Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the visit, Gogoi had called for an inquiry led by a retired Supreme Court judge into the ongoing ethnic clashes between the two communities in Manipur. Besides Chowdhury and Gogoi, the delegation will include TMC's Sushmita Dev, JMM's Mahua Maji, DMK's Kanimozhi, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP, JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JD-U), CPI's P Sandosh Kumar and CPI(M)'s A A Rahim among others. More than 160 people lost their lives and many people were injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. IMPHAL: A team of the opposition bloc INDIA on Saturday visited the riot-hit town of Churachandpur in Manipur where they met Kuki leaders and members of the civil society besides ethnic strife victims in the relief camps where they were lodged. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters after visiting a relief camp, "They are talking of investigation by CBI (into the crimes committed). I would like to ask were they (central government) sleeping till now?" TMC leader Sushmita Dev said the team will speak with representatives of both the communities.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "Everyone's voice must be heard. We will be talking to both Kukis and Meiteis," she said. A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached Imphal to assess the ground situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. The team of opposition MPs would visit several relief camps to meet victims of the ethnic clashes during their two-day visit beginning Saturday. "We have come here to meet victims of ethnic clashes and understand the problem. We want the end of violence and the restoration of peace at the earliest...the entire world is watching what is going on in Manipur," Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury told PTI . He also said, "The ethnic clashes have damaged the image of Manipur, the northeast region and India as a whole. We all have to try for a peaceful solution. We are here not to do any politics." The MPs reached Imphal by a commercial flight from Delhi. After their arrival here, the delegation went to Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place, to meet victims from the Kuki community in the relief camps there. "From Imphal, they took a chopper to Churachandpur due to security issues. As only one helicopter is available, the members of the delegation were divided into two teams, and the chopper would make two trips to ferry them," a security official told PTI. One team, comprising Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and others, departed for Churachandpur first to visit the relief camp set up at the Boys Hostel of Churachandpur College. Another team, comprising Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and others, would visit the relief camp at Don Bosco School in Churachandpur, a source in Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) said. "After returning to Imphal, the team led by Chowdhury will go to another relief camp at Moirang College in Bishnupur district by road to meet victims from the Meitei community," he said. The other team of opposition MPs will go to the Ideal Girl's College relief camp at Akampat in Imphal East district and will visit another camp at Lamboikhongangkhong in Imphal West district. On Sunday morning, the opposition party delegation will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan here to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest, the MPCC official said. The team is scheduled to return to the national capital on Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the visit, Gogoi had called for an inquiry led by a retired Supreme Court judge into the ongoing ethnic clashes between the two communities in Manipur. Besides Chowdhury and Gogoi, the delegation will include TMC's Sushmita Dev, JMM's Mahua Maji, DMK's Kanimozhi, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP, JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JD-U), CPI's P Sandosh Kumar and CPI(M)'s A A Rahim among others. More than 160 people lost their lives and many people were injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has revealed that zero infiltration has taken place in J&K till June this year, prompting security experts to say that ensuring zero infiltration will kill the over-three-decades long militancy, as the main source of it is infiltration. Militancy thrives on infiltration as militants from across the border come to J&K, carry out their agenda and stage attacks. These foreign militants, after carrying out attacks, either melt in public, get killed in encounters or return to the other side of LoC, Colonel (Retd) Shiv Nandan Singh told this newspaper. According to Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, J&K witnessed zero infiltration of militants from across the border till June 30 this year. The MHA data states that 141 incidents of cross-border infiltration were reported in 2019, 51 in 2020, 34 in 2021 and just 14 in 2022. It is for the first time that zero infiltration of militants has taken place in J&K ever since the eruption of militancy in the region in 1990. Former J&K police chief SP Vaid said if security forces have reached the point of ensuring zero infiltration of militants into J&K, it means we have achieved a milestone. Now this zero infiltration has to be ensured in the coming times and there should be no lowering of the guard at the frontiers. Instead, vigil should be stepped up, Vaid said. He said zero infiltration will kill militancy and terrorism in J&K as ultimately the manpower and equipment come from Pakistan. With no manpower, the militancy will die in J&K, Vaid said, adding, The weapons are brought from Pakistan, youths are being radicalised and drugs are being pushed by these militant groups. If they send weapons and drugs through drones, some will get seized and some go unnoticed. But zero infiltration will have a significant impact on drugs and militancy. A retired colonel said that Pakistan was under pressure for fear of retaliation and retribution like Balakote and a surgical strike from India. And this time, the retaliation may be different. If the other side knows that retaliation is going to be big and it cannot afford that kind of retaliation, then this stoppage of infiltration is significant, he said, adding, India has given a clear and strong message to Pakistan. Achieved a milestone, says ex-police chief Former J&K police chief SP Vaid said if security forces have reached the point of ensuring zero infiltration of militants into J&K, it means we have achieved a milestone. Now this zero infiltration has to be ensured in the coming times ahead and there should be no lowering of the guard at the frontiers. Instead, vigil should be stepped up. He said zero infiltration will kill militancy and terrorism in J&K, as ultimately the manpower and equipment come from Pakistan. With no manpower, the militancy will die in J&K, Vaid said. SRINAGAR: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has revealed that zero infiltration has taken place in J&K till June this year, prompting security experts to say that ensuring zero infiltration will kill the over-three-decades long militancy, as the main source of it is infiltration. Militancy thrives on infiltration as militants from across the border come to J&K, carry out their agenda and stage attacks. These foreign militants, after carrying out attacks, either melt in public, get killed in encounters or return to the other side of LoC, Colonel (Retd) Shiv Nandan Singh told this newspaper. According to Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, J&K witnessed zero infiltration of militants from across the border till June 30 this year. The MHA data states that 141 incidents of cross-border infiltration were reported in 2019, 51 in 2020, 34 in 2021 and just 14 in 2022.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); It is for the first time that zero infiltration of militants has taken place in J&K ever since the eruption of militancy in the region in 1990. Former J&K police chief SP Vaid said if security forces have reached the point of ensuring zero infiltration of militants into J&K, it means we have achieved a milestone. Now this zero infiltration has to be ensured in the coming times and there should be no lowering of the guard at the frontiers. Instead, vigil should be stepped up, Vaid said. He said zero infiltration will kill militancy and terrorism in J&K as ultimately the manpower and equipment come from Pakistan. With no manpower, the militancy will die in J&K, Vaid said, adding, The weapons are brought from Pakistan, youths are being radicalised and drugs are being pushed by these militant groups. If they send weapons and drugs through drones, some will get seized and some go unnoticed. But zero infiltration will have a significant impact on drugs and militancy. A retired colonel said that Pakistan was under pressure for fear of retaliation and retribution like Balakote and a surgical strike from India. And this time, the retaliation may be different. If the other side knows that retaliation is going to be big and it cannot afford that kind of retaliation, then this stoppage of infiltration is significant, he said, adding, India has given a clear and strong message to Pakistan. Achieved a milestone, says ex-police chief Former J&K police chief SP Vaid said if security forces have reached the point of ensuring zero infiltration of militants into J&K, it means we have achieved a milestone. Now this zero infiltration has to be ensured in the coming times ahead and there should be no lowering of the guard at the frontiers. Instead, vigil should be stepped up. He said zero infiltration will kill militancy and terrorism in J&K, as ultimately the manpower and equipment come from Pakistan. With no manpower, the militancy will die in J&K, Vaid said. By Express News Service KRISHNAGIRI: Nine people have been confirmed dead and twelve others injured in an explosion at a firework warehouse near Palayapettai in Krishnagiri on Saturday morning. Fire and Police personnel rushed to the spot and doused the fire and rescued the injured. According to sources in the revenue department, The warehouse was a licensed unit run by 46-year-old Ravi who lived in the same area. This warehouse stored the volatile chemicals used in the manufacture of firecrackers. It remains unknown what triggered the explosion. The deceased have been identified as Ravi (46), Ruthish (21), Rithiga(19), Ibrahim Kaiyulla (21) and Imran (18). Others remain unidentified, sources said. Police sources who commented on the matter said, the fire and rescue services personnel arrived at the spot around 10 am and began relief measures. Four fire engines were brought to douse the fire. "Due to the nature of the explosion, we had to use 5 earth movers to clear the debris. So far, 13 people have been admitted to Krishnagiri Medical College Hospital for treatment. A case has been registered and an investigation is being conducted and further details will be revealed later, " the officials said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin who was notified about the incident expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased. The Chief Minister also announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakhs each to the family of the deceased and said Rs 1 lakh aid will be provided to people seeking treatment at hospitals. People who suffered slight injuries will be provided aid of Rs 50,000 each, he said. KRISHNAGIRI: Nine people have been confirmed dead and twelve others injured in an explosion at a firework warehouse near Palayapettai in Krishnagiri on Saturday morning. Fire and Police personnel rushed to the spot and doused the fire and rescued the injured. According to sources in the revenue department, The warehouse was a licensed unit run by 46-year-old Ravi who lived in the same area. This warehouse stored the volatile chemicals used in the manufacture of firecrackers.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); It remains unknown what triggered the explosion. The deceased have been identified as Ravi (46), Ruthish (21), Rithiga(19), Ibrahim Kaiyulla (21) and Imran (18). Others remain unidentified, sources said. Police sources who commented on the matter said, the fire and rescue services personnel arrived at the spot around 10 am and began relief measures. Four fire engines were brought to douse the fire. "Due to the nature of the explosion, we had to use 5 earth movers to clear the debris. So far, 13 people have been admitted to Krishnagiri Medical College Hospital for treatment. A case has been registered and an investigation is being conducted and further details will be revealed later, " the officials said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin who was notified about the incident expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased. The Chief Minister also announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakhs each to the family of the deceased and said Rs 1 lakh aid will be provided to people seeking treatment at hospitals. People who suffered slight injuries will be provided aid of Rs 50,000 each, he said. By Associated Press NIAMEY (NIGER): General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the Niger general who staged a coup on Friday declared himself the new leader of the jihadist-hit African nation and warned that any foreign military intervention would lead to chaos. Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, appeared on state television, saying he was the "president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland". The general, who is in his 50s and had previously kept out of public life, presented the coup as a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to jihadist bloodshed. He questioned "the sense and scope of a security approach to the fight against terrorism which excludes any real collaboration with Burkina Faso and Mali" -- neighbours which face similar threats. But the putschists, who have faced international condemnation for taking power from a democratically elected president, also warned of "the consequences that will flow from any foreign military intervention". On the third day since President Mohamed Bazoum was detained, former colonial master France demanded the restoration of the government, saying it "does not recognise" the putschists, and calling Bazoum the "sole president". The UN Security Council said in a statement late Friday that it "condemned the efforts to unconstitutionally change the legitimate government" in the country. And US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Bazoum Washington's "unflagging" support and warned those detaining him that "hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance" was at risk, according to the State Department. "Secretary Blinken underscored that the United States will continue to work to ensure the full restoration of constitutional order and democratic rule in Niger," department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. Washington had previously warned it may "cease security and other cooperation", although its approximately 1,000 troops stationed in the country will stay in place for now. West African leaders will meet Sunday in the Nigerian capital Abuja to discuss the coup, President Bola Tinubu said. "ECOWAS and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure democratic governance continues to take firm root in the region," Tinubu, who is also the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, said in a statement. The European Union threatened to cut aid to Niamey after what it said was a "serious attack on stability and democracy". Meanwhile, two deputy directors of Bazoum's cabinet, Daouda Takoubakoye and Oumar Moussa, also hit back, calling Tchiani's statement "lies" and accusing the general and the Presidential Guard of having staged the coup for "personal gains". Sources close to Bazoum said the deposed leader had been considering replacing Tchiani after their relations soured, a decision which had been due to be made at a cabinet meeting on July 24. Bazoum and his family have been confined since Wednesday morning to their residence at the presidential palace located within the 700-strong Presidential Guard's military camp. He is said to be in good health and has been able to talk by telephone to other heads of state. 'Risk' to human rights The Guard chiefs who staged the coup had won broad army support by Thursday. Armed forces chief General Abdou Sidikou Issa swung his weight behind the putsch, saying it had occurred "in order to avoid a deadly confrontation". The latest target of a coup in Africa's turbulent Sahel, Bazoum has tried to stand his ground. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna had seemed to hold out hope that he was not done yet. "If you hear me talking about an attempted coup, it's because we don't consider things final," she said. "There is still a way out if those responsible listen to the international community." France, which has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, would support sanctions, she added. French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a defence meeting on the coup on Saturday, the presidency said. "This coup is completely illegitimate and profoundly dangerous, for Nigeriens, for Niger and for the whole region," Macron said during a visit to Papua New Guinea on Friday, while also calling for Bazoum's release and "the restoration of constitutional order". Pro-coup demonstrations Landlocked Niger is one of the world's poorest nations. Since gaining independence in 1960, it has seen four coups as well as numerous other attempts -- including two previously against Bazoum. The 63-year-old is one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, where a jihadist insurgency has triggered coups in Mali and Burkina Faso. Their juntas have forced out French troops, and Mali's ruling military has woven a close alliance with Russia. "What happened in Niger is nothing more than the struggle of the people of Niger against colonisers, who tried to impose their own rules of life," the boss of Russia's Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Thursday in a message shared by a body linked to the mercenary organisation. Bazoum took office after elections two years ago, in Niger's first peaceful transfer of power since independence. The country of 26 million people is two-thirds desert and frequently ranks at the bottom of the UN's Human Development Index. NIAMEY (NIGER): General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the Niger general who staged a coup on Friday declared himself the new leader of the jihadist-hit African nation and warned that any foreign military intervention would lead to chaos. Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, appeared on state television, saying he was the "president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland". The general, who is in his 50s and had previously kept out of public life, presented the coup as a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to jihadist bloodshed.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He questioned "the sense and scope of a security approach to the fight against terrorism which excludes any real collaboration with Burkina Faso and Mali" -- neighbours which face similar threats. But the putschists, who have faced international condemnation for taking power from a democratically elected president, also warned of "the consequences that will flow from any foreign military intervention". On the third day since President Mohamed Bazoum was detained, former colonial master France demanded the restoration of the government, saying it "does not recognise" the putschists, and calling Bazoum the "sole president". The UN Security Council said in a statement late Friday that it "condemned the efforts to unconstitutionally change the legitimate government" in the country. And US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Bazoum Washington's "unflagging" support and warned those detaining him that "hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance" was at risk, according to the State Department. "Secretary Blinken underscored that the United States will continue to work to ensure the full restoration of constitutional order and democratic rule in Niger," department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. Washington had previously warned it may "cease security and other cooperation", although its approximately 1,000 troops stationed in the country will stay in place for now. West African leaders will meet Sunday in the Nigerian capital Abuja to discuss the coup, President Bola Tinubu said. "ECOWAS and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure democratic governance continues to take firm root in the region," Tinubu, who is also the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, said in a statement. The European Union threatened to cut aid to Niamey after what it said was a "serious attack on stability and democracy". Meanwhile, two deputy directors of Bazoum's cabinet, Daouda Takoubakoye and Oumar Moussa, also hit back, calling Tchiani's statement "lies" and accusing the general and the Presidential Guard of having staged the coup for "personal gains". Sources close to Bazoum said the deposed leader had been considering replacing Tchiani after their relations soured, a decision which had been due to be made at a cabinet meeting on July 24. Bazoum and his family have been confined since Wednesday morning to their residence at the presidential palace located within the 700-strong Presidential Guard's military camp. He is said to be in good health and has been able to talk by telephone to other heads of state. 'Risk' to human rights The Guard chiefs who staged the coup had won broad army support by Thursday. Armed forces chief General Abdou Sidikou Issa swung his weight behind the putsch, saying it had occurred "in order to avoid a deadly confrontation". The latest target of a coup in Africa's turbulent Sahel, Bazoum has tried to stand his ground. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna had seemed to hold out hope that he was not done yet. "If you hear me talking about an attempted coup, it's because we don't consider things final," she said. "There is still a way out if those responsible listen to the international community." France, which has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, would support sanctions, she added. French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a defence meeting on the coup on Saturday, the presidency said. "This coup is completely illegitimate and profoundly dangerous, for Nigeriens, for Niger and for the whole region," Macron said during a visit to Papua New Guinea on Friday, while also calling for Bazoum's release and "the restoration of constitutional order". Pro-coup demonstrations Landlocked Niger is one of the world's poorest nations. Since gaining independence in 1960, it has seen four coups as well as numerous other attempts -- including two previously against Bazoum. The 63-year-old is one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, where a jihadist insurgency has triggered coups in Mali and Burkina Faso. Their juntas have forced out French troops, and Mali's ruling military has woven a close alliance with Russia. "What happened in Niger is nothing more than the struggle of the people of Niger against colonisers, who tried to impose their own rules of life," the boss of Russia's Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Thursday in a message shared by a body linked to the mercenary organisation. Bazoum took office after elections two years ago, in Niger's first peaceful transfer of power since independence. The country of 26 million people is two-thirds desert and frequently ranks at the bottom of the UN's Human Development Index. Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. Frontline Schools Make Waves with Remarkable World Records in Green Initiatives, Yoga, Literature, and Artistic Creativity GLOBAL PR CONNECT, Chennai, July 28: Frontline Schools in Tamil Nadu have set remarkable world records, showcasing dedication and collaboration across various fields. From environmental conservation to wellness, literature, and art, their achievements inspire others. Frontline Schools Make Waves with Remarkable World Records in Green Initiatives, Yoga, Literature, and Artistic Creativity Records include creating seed balls for reforestation, performing yogasanas on chairs, presenting simultaneous literature reviews, crafting intricate kirigami models, and participating in large-scale Dot-to-Dot drawing. These accomplishments set world records with Elite World Records, Asian Records Academy, India Records Academy and Tamilan Book of Records, which reflect the school's commitment to holistic development and fostering innovation.Dr. A.K.Senthil Kumar, Ambassador-Asian Records Academy, Stated that Frontline Schools achieved a remarkable feat, setting a world record for "Most Participants making Seed Balls Simultaneously for 1 Hour" With 4462 participants, including three generations, they aimed to support the Green Mission Tamil Nadu. Using 14 seed varieties, the participants created an astonishing 1 million seed balls. These seed balls were handed over to the Forest Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu, contributing to reforestation efforts and promoting biodiversity. Seed balls play a crucial role in environmental conservation. The event showcases the power of collaboration across generations, emphasizing that environmental responsibility lies with everyone. These seed balls symbolize a greener future, inspiring similar initiatives globally. Together, let's create a sustainable legacy and preserve our planet for future generations, he further pointed out.P.Jeganathan, Senior Records Manager, India Records Academy, detailed that in a groundbreaking display of innovation and wellness, 469 participants have set a new world record for the "Most Participants Performing Yogasanas on a Chair Simultaneously" by performing 45 Yogasanas in 15 Minutes 30 Seconds. The participants showcased their flexibility and balance as they performed yogasanas while on chairs, a unique and unprecedented feat. This achievement highlights the importance of introducing yoga to children, promoting physical and mental well-being, improving focus and concentration, and instilling healthy habits from a young age. By setting this record, the participants have demonstrated the limitless possibilities of incorporating yoga into everyday life, inspiring others to explore new avenues of wellness, he further praised.Rakshitha.R, Adjudicator, Elite World Records, pointed out that, in an awe-inspiring celebration of literature and critical thinking, 1225 students have achieved a remarkable world record for "Most Participants Presenting a Written Review of a Literature Simultaneously". I am glad that each student diligently selected a book from their school library, immersed themselves in its pages, and meticulously crafted a review exceeding 150 words. This monumental effort aimed to enhance the students' Language Skills and foster a love for reading. This record-breaking event underscores the immense importance of reading at a young age, as it nurtures imagination, expands knowledge, and cultivates a lifelong passion for learning. I wholeheartedly appreciate the efforts of the School Management for this brilliant attempt, she further said.P.Rudhini, Co-ordinator, Frontline Millennium School, pointed out that in a breathtaking display of creativity and teamwork, 1445 participants have achieved a phenomenal world record for "Most Participants Making Kirigami Models Simultaneously". Kirigami, the art of paper cutting and folding, was taught to the students, who meticulously crafted the kirigami models. Their collective efforts resulted in an astounding total of over 14450 exquisite kirigami pieces. This record-breaking feat not only showcased the beauty and precision of kirigami but also emphasized the importance of nurturing craft skills among students. By setting this record, the participants have demonstrated their dedication to craftsmanship and their ability to create art on a grand scale, she further detailed.M.Rani, Co-ordinator, Frontline Millennium School, stated that in an extraordinary demonstration of artistic flair and concentration, 957 participants have secured a remarkable world record for "Most Participants Dot-to-Dot Drawing Simultaneously". With 140 different dot-to-dot drawings provided to the children, each student, on average, crafted unique artworks in just 25 minutes and resulted in 5742 drawings. This achievement underscores the importance of nurturing drawing skills among children from a young age, as it enhances creativity, hand-eye coordination, and cognitive development. By setting this record, the participants have celebrated the power of imagination and teamwork, proving that art knows no bounds and can inspire the world, she further detailed.Dr. K.Sivasamy, Correspondent, Frontline Schools, detailed that in a thrilling spectacle of coordination and camaraderie, 2084 participants have achieved an exhilarating world record for "Most Participants Playing Catches with Plastic Balls Simultaneously". With an astounding 20,840 balls in motion, the event lasted for 5 minutes of non-stop fun and excitement. By setting this record, the students have shown that unity and playfulness can create unforgettable moments and inspire others to come together for shared experiences, he further stated.As the festival of accomplishments unfolds, Frontline Schools continue to inspire with their remarkable world records, paving the way for even more extraordinary achievements.. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)ANI28 July 2023 Shared Recently! Amazon India announces I have space store on Dal Lake in J&Ks Srinagar Srinagar, July 28: Amazon India on Friday announced its first ever 'floating space' store on the famous Dal Lake in J&K's Srinagar city. Amazon India announces 'I have space' store on Dal Lake in J&K's Srinagar In a press statement, the giant online shipping bazaar, Amazon India said, "We announce today the setting up of our first ever floating 'I Have Space' store on Dal Lake in Srinagar."The onboarded 'I Have Space' store is in line with Amazon India's commitment to providing its customers with reliable and convenient delivery experience and to empower small businesses with additional earning opportunities."Srinagar-based, Murtaza Khan Kashi, who owns and operates a houseboat named 'Selec Town', will enable delivery to Amazon customers residing on and around Dal Lake and Nigeen Lake as Amazon's 'I Have Space' partner."The onboarding of Selec Town as an 'I Have Space' store addresses the challenges faced by hundreds of customers who reside and run their businesses on Dal Lake and Nigeen Lake, which are also the most visited places in Srinagar by tourists and locals."Previously, these customers had to travel to the shores of the two lakes by shikaras or rely on nearby shops to collect their packages. With Selec Town, Murtaza will deliver packages to these customers every day, safely and on time at the doorstep of their houseboats".Karuna Shankar Pande, Director, Amazon Logistics, India said on the occasion, "We are thrilled to onboard India's first floating 'I Have Space' store on Dal Lake, Srinagar. This will enable us to provide customers across Srinagar with reliable, efficient and faster deliveries. This also reaffirms our commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for individuals, and introducing new capabilities to empower our delivery network."Houseboat owner, Murtaza said, "While I have a houseboat as my primary business, it only brings in seasonal income from tourists in Srinagar. However, the cost of managing the houseboat is very high, which has made it very difficult for our family. To address increasing expenses, I began looking for additional income opportunities. It was then that I came across Amazon's 'I Have Space' program, which allows local store owners like me to supplement our regular income by delivering packages to Amazon customers."I saw this as the right fit for me to utilize my free time, use my shikara to deliver packages to Amazon customers and also earn additional income," said Murtaza Khan Kashi.Through its last-mile delivery program, 'I Have Space.' Amazon India partners with local stores and business owners to deliver products to customers within a 2 to 4 kilometers radius of their store, enabling them to earn additional income. Launched in 2015, the program has more than 28,000 neighborhood and kirana partners in close to 420 towns and cities across its network in India.IANS28 July 2023 Shared Recently! Forest laws amended despite widespread opposition, says Congress New Delhi, July 28: Congress on Friday said that the Forest Conservation Act 1980 and the National Biodiversity Act 2002 are being amended wholesale despite widespread opposition. Forest laws amended despite widespread opposition, says Congress Congress said these changes will neither protect biodiversity nor promote the conservation."What a cruel joke! The Forest Conservation Act 1980 and the National Biodiversity Act 2002 are being amended wholesale despite widespread opposition and the Prime Minister says this," Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet."Make no mistake these changes to the laws will neither protect biodiversity nor promote conservation. Obviously, his governing philosophy is to keep repeating a lie in the hope that it gets to be seen as the 'truth' after a while," the Congress leader said.Jairam Ramesh remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India has consistently been at the forefront in taking action on biodiversity conservation, protection, restoration and enrichment, and has set the bar even higher through the updated targets.The Prime Minister made the remarks while addressing the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting in Chennai via video conferencing.Modi said he was proud to say that India has led the way through its ambitious "Nationally Determined Contributions".IANS28 July 2023 Shared Recently! Bridging the skill gap: Increasing demand of industry-focused AI and biotechnology courses in India New Delhi, July 28: With its large pool of skilled tech professionals and a growing interest in cutting-edge technologies, India is positioning itself as a prominent player in the global AI landscape. Bridging the skill gap: Increasing demand of industry-focused AI and biotechnology courses in India The AI market in India is anticipated to develop at a CAGR of 20.2 per cent, from $3.1 billion in 2020 to $ 7.8 billion by 2025, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).Private universities in the country are taking proactive steps to tap into this potential. They are pioneering research and development in AI, establishing dedicated AI labs and centers of excellence. These institutions are also designing specialised AI-focused curricula to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to address real-world challenges through AI-driven solutions.Tapping on the increasing demand for employable, industry ready talent in the coming years, Mahindra University, a multidisciplinary institution, has leveraged experiential learning in its industry ready undergraduate and post graduate programs in artificial intelligence, robotics, bio-technology, data analytics, and other future technologies.According to Professor Bishnu Pal, Dean of School of Engineering and Academics, Mahindra University, "There is a 51 per cent gap between the demand and supply of AI/ML BDA tech talent in India as per a report by NASSCOM. To address this issue, Mahindra University is meticulously designing its curriculum with the help of experienced faculty members and industry experts to equip students with the latest skills and knowledge required to excel in the rapidly evolving tech industry. The University's commitment to excellence and innovation in education has led to the establishment of a thriving pool of talent in India."The university's strong industry partnerships and dedicated placement cell have resulted in outstanding placement opportunities for students. With India emerging as a leading talent and industry placement hub for the University, there has been year-on-year growth of students from across the globe who have applied for studying in the university. This is a testament to the university's reputation for academic excellence and industry-relevant education.The program which are being offered by the university include employability focused courses such as B.Tech and M.Tech, in Robotics, M.Tech in Artificial Intelligence, M.Tech in VLSI and Design System, M.Tech in Computer Aided Structural Engineering Programme, M.Tech in Computational Mechanics, M.Tech in Transportation Engineering and M.Tech in Biotechnology, M.Tech in Biomedical Data Science.IANS28 July 2023 Shared Recently! Bigg Boss OTT 2: Pooja Bhatt chides Aashika for not doing duties properly Mumbai, July 28: The 'Bigg Boss OTT 2' house is raging with tension as the contestants are getting nervous for eliminations. To make things worse, amid this, Aashika Bhatia gets a bad scolding from the senior most member of the house, Pooja Bhatt for not doing her duties properly. 'Bigg Boss OTT 2': Pooja Bhatt chides Aashika for not doing duties properly The conversation started post an allegation which said that the house members are angered by Aashika for not cleaning the house well enough and doing her duty lazily if not at all.Angered by this, Bebika was the first one to speak out loud and angrily said "I am unwell, yet working. You still haven't cleaned the washroom well, nor have you cleaned the dustbin."As is tradition with 'Bigg Boss OTT 2', this whole thing sparked the flames of a furious argument, and it did not take much time before Pooja Bhatt got involved, and she is not in the best mood at all.Pooja sees Aashika getting all hyper and aggravated even after not doing her duties properly.While Aashika clarified her stance, saying "I have cleaned it my best and when I came, the dustbin was clean." Pooja Bhatt who was watching the whole thing for a while, was not buying any of Aashika's words.Getting angry at her for her lame excuses, Pooja said "You can't run away from duties like this. Your answers have low logic as of now and you should just go and clean the thing rather than arguing."Later, Aashika starts to cry and shares that she feels that Pooja is being overly rude over a trivial affair and targeting only her, which she feels is very unfair.Emotions culminate into a full-fledged drama spiraling into a complex of anger, sadness and more, sparking into something big, proving that it does not take long for the house to get heated up and theatrical in its mood.As the housemates continue to navigate through twists and turns, the 'Bigg Boss OTT 2' journey remains unpredictable and filled with dramatic moments.'Bigg Boss OTT 2' streams on JioCinema.IANS28 July 2023 Shared Recently! A MBBS graduate from Ajmer is creating Doctors with 33% selection rate in NEET, Ajmer is mini Kota now VMPL, New Delhi, July 28: Entrance into a prominent government medical institution or success on the Joint Entrance Examination can be challenging endeavors. A MBBS graduate from Ajmer is creating Doctors with 33% selection rate in NEET, Ajmer is mini Kota now For many, the tremendous competition and pressure to achieve well can be tedious. But passing these exams is not surmountable if you have the right support and guidance.The Cellsius Institute steps in at this point. With more than 8 years of expertise in the education sector and an annual selection rate of about 18%, This institute has assisted more than 510 students in getting into government MBBS colleges.Results that Speak ItselfCellsius' most recent JEE mains score, which stands at an astounding 99.58 percentile, is proof of the high caliber of mentoring the institute offers. The fact that all of the faculty are either Phd or IIT graduates ensures that students have a top-notch academic experience.More than 2 lakh people enroll in their online platform, NEET KAKA JEE, where more than 1 lakh students receive free instruction. No matter their socioeconomic circumstances, This institute supports providing all children with access to a high-quality education. Also they are providing an online course called Vishvas batch for NEET preparation, you can install NEET kaka JEE application to purchase the course.At Cellsius, This institute just goes beyond just providing excellent academic support. It has also participated in renowned shows such as Tedx, Josh Talks NEET, and Janta Junction with Prashant Dubey. This institute believes in nurturing well-rounded individuals who can make a positive impact on society.Their roots are spreaded in all over the IndiaThis institute has more than 15 states represented in their offline Classes, which creates a diverse and inclusive learning environment. Their fees are 40% lower than the Kota institutes, which is a significant advantage for students and their families.Cellsius has its own NCERT books, and their maximum readers and learners are from Kota and Sikar. This institute understands the importance of affordable and accessible education, and it urges to make it a reality for their students.Student Mentorship ProgramsThe institute also offers a mentoring program for their aspirants at Cellsius Institute. This institute is aware that preparing for exams can be challenging, therefore it's critical for students to have a support system that can guide them through the difficulties.Their mentors work closely with students to get to know their strengths and weaknesses and to create special strategies of action that will help them succeed. This institute strives to provide each student the individualized attention they need to realize their greatest potential because the institute thinks that every student is special.ConclusionCellsius Institute is more than just an educational institution. This is a community of educators, mentors, and students who are dedicated to achieving academic excellence and making a positive impact on society.They believe in providing quality education that is accessible and affordable, and the institute strives to make a difference in the lives of their students.Whether you aspire to become a doctor or an engineer, This institute is here to guide you every step of the way. Join us on their journey of empowering students to achieve their dreams.Youtube - https//www.youtube.com/@NEETkakaJEEFor more information visit https//cellsius.co.in/ANI28 July 2023 Shared Recently! NCW organises seminar on empowering denotified tribes, sex workers in Madhya Pradesh Bhopal, July 28: The National Commission for Women organised a seminar on empowering nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes and sex workers in Madhya Pradesh, in collaboration with Samvedna NGO in the state capital Bhopal on Friday. NCW organises seminar on empowering denotified tribes, sex workers in Madhya Pradesh The seminar shed light on the challenges faced by these communities and emphasised the need for inclusive development and empowerment.Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel also attended the seminar and extended his congratulations to NCW and Samvedna NGO for bringing attention to a topic often overlooked.Speaking on the occasion, he highlighted the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme, initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and stressed that denotified tribes should also be beneficiaries of such crucial initiatives. The Governor underscored the importance of inclusive development to uplift these communities and ensure equal opportunities for all.NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma shared valuable insights during the seminar, addressing the challenges faced by Nomadic and Semi-nomadic communities in obtaining residential proof for Aadhar. She stressed the need for collective efforts to find solutions, enabling these communities to access various government schemes and benefits.Meanwhile, a Member of Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission, IPS Rajiv Kumar Tandon, spoke passionately about the responsibility of both police personnel and civilians to proactively shift their mindset towards this community. He emphasised fostering a more inclusive and accepting attitude, leading to greater empowerment of these communities.As part of the seminar, there was a captivating display of traditional art and culture by women from the denotified tribes community. This remarkable exhibit showcased the rich heritage and talent of these communities, reaffirming the significance of preserving and promoting their cultural identity.Besides, representatives from the Natt community organised a thought-provoking puppet show during the seminar. The show served as a powerful medium to raise awareness about the challenges faced by sex workers and emphasised the importance of providing them with avenues for empowerment and support.Secretary of Denotified, Nomadic, and Semi-nomadic Welfare Department, IAS Ashok Barnwal brought attention to the hurdles faced by these tribes and sex workers around the region. He highlighted the key role of financial empowerment in uplifting these communities and mentioned various government schemes and reforms, including ITI courses for the youth, to prepare them for better employment prospects.ANI28 July 2023 Shared Recently! Micron Technology CEO meets PM Modi, discusses India semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem Gandhinagar, July 28: Sanjay Mehrotra, President and CEO of semiconductor player Micron Technology met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat's Gandhinagar and they discussed US-based company's plans to bolster the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem within India. Micron Technology CEO meets PM Modi, discusses India semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem With a focus on attracting investments in India's nascent semiconductor ecosystem, the three-day 'SemiconIndia 2023' conference kicked off here on Friday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The conference, its second edition, organised by India Semiconductor Mission in partnership with industry and industry associations, is aimed to make India a global hub for semiconductor design, manufacturing and technology development. Semicon India was held in Bengaluru last year.The theme of the Conference is 'Catalysing India's Semiconductor Ecosystem'."I thank PM Modi for the vision to make India a global hub for semiconductors...Micron is committed to building a semiconductor assembly and test facility in Gujarat. We estimate that our project in Gujarat will create nearly 5000 direct jobs and additional 15,000 jobs in the community. We are hopeful that this investment will help catalyse other investments in the sector...Digital India and Make in India are creating a truly transformative energy that will continue to drive positive progress...," said Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO, of Micron Technology, speaking at the SemiconIndia event.Micron Technology, during PM Modi's US visit last month, announced its India investment plans. Micron Technology committed that it will invest up to USD 825 million to build a new semiconductor assembly and test facility in India with support from the Indian government.Micron had said it selected Gujarat's SANAND Industrial Park due to its manufacturing infrastructure, conducive business environment and a firm talent pipeline.Phased construction of the new assembly and test facility in Gujarat is expected to begin in 2023. Micron expects Phase 2 of the project, which would include the construction of a facility similar in scale to Phase 1, to start towards the second half of the decade.ANI28 July 2023 Shared Recently! Assam Police must examine how Indian Army can be freed after AFSPA: CM Sarma New Delhi, July 28: As Assam is aiming to make the state free from the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday asked state police to examine the mechanism of how Indian Army personnel can be freed up after withdrawal of AFSPA. Assam Police must examine how Indian Army can be freed after AFSPA: CM Sarma "Assam police must examine how Indian Army personnel can be freed up from the state by completely withdrawing Armed Forced Special Power Act," Sarma said.Sarma was addressing the inaugural day of the two-day Superintendents of Police conference in Bongaigaon, where he unveiled significant developments for the state's security and citizen services.Armed Forces Act, 1958 is an act of the Parliament of India that grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces to maintain public order in "disturbed areas". According to the Disturbed Areas Act, 1976 once declared 'disturbed', the area has to maintain the status quo for a minimum of three months.While the Disturbed Areas notification under AFSPA was removed by the Centre from the entire state of Assam last year, it was still in force in about nine districts and one sub-division of another district.However, starting April 1, 2023, the notification was lifted from one more district in the state, which meant thatAFSPA was restricted to only eight districts of Assam. The law gives unbridled power to the Armed Forces and the Central Armed Police Forces deployed in "Disturbed Areas" to kill anyone acting in contravention of the law; arrest and search any premises without a warrant; and protection from prosecution and legal suits without the Central Government's sanction.The chief minister had announced that his government was aiming to withdraw the controversial Armed Forces Act, completely from the state by the end of 2023.However, at the conference held at the newly inaugurated Assam Police convention centre, CM Sarma released the logo of the Assam Police's Special Task Force . The STF is expected to play a crucial role in tackling specialized challenges faced by law enforcement."Insurgency has been largely defeated and Assam and Assam Police is proactively monitoring and neutralising persons who are trying to regroup," Sarma added.He further asked the state police to keep strict vigil to prevent surrendered militants from going back to the path of violence."Proactive steps to be taken to prevent Rohingya infiltrators, smugglers and insurgents outside Assam from using the state as a corridor for transit to other states," Sarma said, adding that Assam Police should initiate action in source states if the situation so warrants and step up surveillance in railways and bus stands.During the event, the Chief Minister signed memorandums of understanding with prominent organizations, including Microsoft, National Cyber Peace Foundation, and India Future Foundation. These collaborations are geared towards enhancing the state's cybersecurity measures and technological advancements in policing.The occasion also witnessed the launch of new logos for the Village Defence Organization, emphasizing the importance of grassroots security in rural areas.In a move aimed at easing passport verification for citizens, CM Sarma introduced the M-Passport application. This innovative solution is set to streamline the passport verification process and facilitate faster and more efficient services.Further, the CM virtually inaugurated two cyber police stations during the conference, signaling the state's commitment to combat cybercrimes and safeguard online spaces.ANI28 July 2023 Shared Recently! G20 Presidency witnessed India's focusing attention on pressing challenges faced by humanity: EAM Jaishankar New Delhi, July 28: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that India's G20 Presidency has witnessed country's focusing attention on pressing challenges faced by humanity, particularly developing nations. G20 Presidency witnessed India's focusing attention on pressing challenges faced by humanity: EAM Jaishankar Jaishankar made the remarks a day after his speech in the Rajya Sabha was disrupted due to the protest of the opposition leaders.He issued a 21-minute statement on the recent developments of India's foreign policy on Friday."The ongoing G20 Presidency has witnessed our focusing attention on the pressing challenges faced by humanity, especially developing countries. This included Mission LiFE for empowering climate friendly lifestyles and the popularization of Millets to address the challenge of food security. Meetings have been held across the country in multiple cities and states," Jaishankar said."As envisaged by Prime Minister, we are realizing our intent to make India's Presidency a truly national endeavour and showcase India to the world," he added.Jaishankar spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to various nations, including United States, Egypt, France, Papua New Guinea and the UAE. He also talked about the agreements and outcomes that took place during PM Modi's visit to these nations.Jaishankar noted that Ministers of Ministry of External Affairs travelled to Gulf, Europe, Latin America, Africa, South East Asia in pursuance of India's global objectives. He said that India also received counterparts from across the world. He said that they have noticed a growing interest among partners and business leaders to be part of India's growth story."From all these diplomatic interactions, we notice a growing interest among partners and business leaders to be part of India's growth story and to engage in development partnerships. India's undertaking of greater responsibilities was widely welcomed and our views on key global issues taken very seriously. We aim to realize Prime Minister's vision to make India a leader in democratising technology, a trusted geography and an important part of global supply chains," Jaishankar said.He said that India is now seen as a "credible and effective development partner."He stated that India's development partnership now spans 78 nations."In our travels abroad, I am glad to report that we are now seen as a credible and effective development partner. Our development partnership portfolio now spans 78 countries and the hallmark of these projects is that they are demand-driven, transparent, empowerment oriented, environment friendly and rely on a consultative approach," Jaishankar said."We have also been spearheading promotion of digital public infrastructure and sharing best practices in digital governance especially with the Global South," he added.EAM Jaishankar stressed that international affairs have become "unprecedented and complex." He noted that India's people-centric policy is guided by demands and aspirations of society.He said that India speaks as the voice of peace, security and prosperity for all."At a time when international affairs have become unprecedented and complex, our people-centric foreign policy is guided by the demands and aspirations of our society. Today, the world recognizes that when India speaks, it speaks not only for itself, but for many others," Jaishankar said."And that India speaks as the voice of peace, security, and a prosperity for all. While serving as a force for global good and stability, we have also vigorously defended our national interests," he added.Jaishankar said that India under its G20 Presidency will host the G20 Summit in September. He stated that India's G20 Presidency has served as a catalyst to invigorate New Delhi's foreign policy."In 2022, at the beginning of the Amrit Kaal, India assumed the landmark G20 Presidency. We will host the Summit in September. Our Presidency has served as a catalyst to invigorate our foreign policy and give more force to realize the Prime Minister's vision of an Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat that regains its rightful place in the world," he said.ANI28 July 2023 Shared Recently! India, Malaysia hold 10th meeting of sub committee on military cooperation New Delhi, July 28: The 10th meeting of Sub Committee on Military Cooperation between India and Malaysia was held in New Delhi on Thursday, during which both sides explored effective and practical initiatives to further expand the bilateral defence engagements. India, Malaysia hold 10th meeting of sub committee on military cooperation The Ministry of Defence in statement on Friday said that during the meeting, the Indian side highlighted the potential of its defence industry with capacity and capability to cooperate with the Malaysian Armed Forces in its shipbuilding and maintenance plans.Both the co-chairs also deliberated on the possible outcomes for the 12th Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Committee (MIDCOM) meeting which will be held at the level of Defence Secretary in India in September this year, the statement added.The ministry said that both sides reaffirmed their commitment to fully implement the Enhanced Strategic Partnership based on mutual trust and understanding, common interests and shared values of democracy and rule of law.The Enhanced Strategic Partnership was established during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Malaysia in 2015.According to the ministry, the Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), Ministry of Defence Amitabh Prasad, while the Malaysian side was headed by Assistant Chief of Staff, Defence Operations and Training Division Maj Gen Dato' Khairul Anuar bin Abd Aziz.During the meeting, the existing defence cooperation between the two countries was also reviewed and wide-ranging discussions were held on issues of mutual interest.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Arunachal Pradesh Governor reviews progress of Sela Tunnel Itanagar, July 28: Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt. General KT Parnaik made an on-the-spot visit to the ongoing two-kilometre-long tunnel works near Sela, West Kameng District on Friday. Arunachal Pradesh Governor reviews progress of Sela Tunnel The Governor commended the Border Roads Organization for their technical excellence and project implementation merit in executing the work of this strategic tunnel.The Governor said that the tunnel, once commissioned will provide all-weather thoroughfares for the people of Tawang and the tourists visiting the district.He said that the tunnel will facilitate boosting the socio-economic development of the local population, in addition to enhancement of the operational capability of the security forces.Earlier, Brigadier Raman Kr SV, Chief Engineer, Project Vartak of the Border Roads briefed the Governor at the site about the progress of the tunnel.The foundation stone of the Sela Tunnel was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 9, 2019, and its construction commenced on April 1, 2019.The Sela Tunnel once completed will offer the world the longest bi-lane tunnel at an altitude above 13,000 feet. The project will go down in the annals of history as one of the most difficult projects executed in the nation, the Chief Engineer informed.ANI29 July 2023 Shared Recently! 'Bharat Mandapam' can challenge convention centres across world, says ITPO Chairman New Delhi, July 28: Bharat Mandapam, the new ITPO complex -- inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- which will be hosting the G20 summit in September this year, can challenge the big convention centres across the world, the Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Trade Promotion Centre said on Friday. 'Bharat Mandapam' can challenge convention centres across world, says ITPO Chairman The Deputy General Manager of ITPO said that the plenary hall in the convention centre has a capacity of 3000, while the multifunction hall has a capacity of 4000.Speaking to ANI, the DGM of ITPO, Vivekanand Vivek said, "The main G20 Summit hall is before you. The Summit will be held here in September...Besides this hall, Bharat Mandapam has two auditoriums - with a capacity of 900 and 600 people respectively. There is a plenary hall upstairs which has a capacity of 3000. The multifunction hall has a capacity of 4000"."Besides this, there are 10 meeting rooms which have a 50 per cent capacity, six meeting rooms have a 100 per cent capacity and four meeting rooms have a 200 per cent capacity. Grand Amphitheatre has around 3000 seats. There is a 24/7 security cover with CCTV cameras," he added.Pradeep Singh Kharola, Chairman and Managing Director of ITPO said that this building can challenge the big convention centres across the world."The L2 primarily has the G20 Summit room which will host the G20 Summit. Besides that, it has two more auditoriums...I can now say that we can challenge the big convention centres across the world...After G20 Summit, exhibitions and conventions will take place here. It is not as if the exhibitions and conventions will only be for big industries, small artisans, small-scale industries, medium-scale industries will also get the opportunity of participation," he told ANI.Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated newly constructed the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre complex 'Bharat Mandapam' in New Delhi.Prior to the inauguration, PM Modi earlier in the morning participated in a Havan and Puja ceremony.The Prime Minister also felicitated the Shramjeevis at the ITPO complex in New Delhi.Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre complex to the nation which has been developed at a cost of about Rs 2,700 crore.An official statement said that the project, which revamped the old and outdated facilities at Pragati Maidan, was developed as a National project at a cost of about Rs 2700 crore. With a campus area of approximately 123 acres, the IECC complex has been developed as India's largest MICE destination.Regarding the covered space available for events, the IECC Complex finds its place among the world's top exhibition and convention complexes.The newly developed IECC complex at Pragati Maidan comprises multiple state-of-the-art facilities including Convention Centre, Exhibition halls, amphitheatres etc.The release said, "The Convention Centre is developed as the centrepiece of the Pragati Maidan complex. It is a grand architectural marvel, designed to host large-scale international exhibitions, trade fairs, conventions, conferences, and other prestigious events. It is equipped with multiple meeting rooms, lounges, auditoriums, an amphitheatre and a business centre, making it capable of hosting a wide range of events.""Its majestic multi-purpose hall and plenary hall have a combined capacity of seven thousand people, which is larger than the seating capacity of the famous Sydney Opera House in Australia. Its magnificent Amphitheater is equipped with a seating capacity of 3,000 individuals," it added.The architectural design of the Convention Centre building is inspired by Indian traditions and showcases India's confidence and conviction in its past while also embracing modern facilities and way of life.The release also said that the shape of the building is derived from the Shankha, and different walls and facades of the Convention Centre depict several elements of India's traditional art and culture including 'Surya Shakti' highlighting India's efforts in harnessing solar energy, 'Zero to ISRO', celebrating our achievements in space, Pancha Mahabhuta signifying the building blocks of universal foundation - Aakash, Vayu, Agni, Jal, Prithvi, among others. Also, various paintings and Tribal art forms from different regions of the country adorn the Convention Centre.Other facilities available in the Convention Centre include a 5G-enabled fully Wi-Fi-covered campus, 10G Intranet connectivity, an interpreter room equipped with cutting-edge technology to support 16 different languages, advanced AV systems with huge-sized video walls, building management system ensuring optimal functionality and energy efficiency, light management system with dimming and occupancy sensors, state-of-the-art DCN system, integrated surveillance system and energy-efficient centralized air conditioning system, it added.Further, the IECC complex features seven exhibition halls, each serving as a versatile space for hosting exhibitions, trade fairs, and business events. The exhibition halls are designed to accommodate a diverse range of industries and showcase products and services from around the world. These state-of-the-art structures are a testament to modern engineering and architectural prowess.ANI29 July 2023 Shared Recently! India, UK FTA likely to be finalised this year, says Commerce Secretary New Delhi, July 28: India and the UK are likely to finalise a free trade agreement this year, as a consensus has been reached between both the nations on basic aspects of the deal, an official said on Friday. India, UK FTA likely to be finalised this year, says Commerce Secretary Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal told media persons that the deal is likely to be finalised before end of this year, as all contentious issues have been resolved.The deal is aimed at propelling growth and creating jobs.Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had recently visited London to conclude the 11th round of talks to finalise the FTA. Barthwal too had accompanied him.Discussions on 19 out of the 26 chapters of the agreement have been completed, the Secretary said.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! IAF drops 600 kg food packets in flood-hit Telangana Hyderabad, July 28: The Indian Air Force air dropped around 600 kg of food packets for people stranded in flood-hit areas of Telangana on Friday. IAF drops 600 kg food packets in flood-hit Telangana The food packets included relief material contributed by the members of the Air Force Family Welfare Association, popularly known as 'Sanginis'.Continuing their unflinching endeavour in providing relief to the marooned and grief-stricken populace in the flood-affected regions of Telangana, the IAF helicopters dropped around 600 kgs of food packets, a defence statement said.The IAF personnel, apart from being the guardian of Indian aerospace, have always been at the forefront in providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) whenever nature wreaks havoc, it said.In the instant case, the helicopters from Air Force Station Hakimpet in Hyderabad, which provide cutting-edge helicopter flying training to the IAF pilots, are specially tasked to undertake such an important commitment, the statement said.They were instrumental in evacuating six people stranded atop a JCB in flood-stricken Nainpaka village in the Jayashankar Bhupalpally district on Thursday. The rescue operations will continue in the state, till the normalcy returns.Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari has asked district Collectors to continue rescue and relief works for another 24 hours. As the flood caused by the rains has receded, the Collectors were told to carry out sanitation programs vigorously to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in those areas. Proper care should be taken in providing infrastructure, adequate food and fresh water to the victims in the already established relief camps, she said.The NDRF teams which are already in place should continue providing relief. Of the 10 NDRF teams, two teams are in Bhadrachalam and Nirmal while one team is placed in Kothagudem, Mulugu, Warangal, Khammam, Bhupalpally and Hyderabad.She made it clear that the government is ready to provide whatever assistance is needed for the rehabilitation programmes.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, July 29. Kyrgyzstan's gold exports in the period from January through May 2023 increased drastically compared to the same months of 2022, Trend reports. According to the State Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan, the country exported a total of 1.746 tons of gold during the first five months of 2023, which is a significant increase compared to the same period in 2022 (41.3 kilograms). The value of these exports amounted to $109.1 million, when it stood at $391,600 in the same period of 2022. The exported gold was sent to several countries, including China where 167.882 kilograms of gold were sent, with the value of $9.698 million. The UAE received 334,993 kilograms of gold worth $21.268 million. And lastly, Switzerland received 1.243 ton of gold, valued at $78.223 million. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstans trade turnover reached near $5.2 billion from January through May 2023, which is an increase of 27.9 percent compared to the same period in 2022. Export supplies rose by 21.9 percent year-on-year, while import receipts increased 29.2 percent. Ashes 2023, 5th Test: Steve Smith helps Australia take first-innings lead of 12 runs over England London, July 28: Gritty half-century from premier batter Steve Smith, along with vital contributions from captain Pat Cummins and off-spinner Todd Murphy helped Australia take a lead of 12 runs against England after being bowled for 295 on day two of fifth Ashes Test at The Oval, here on Friday. Ashes 2023, 5th Test: Steve Smith helps Australia take first-innings lead of 12 runs over England After being 185-7 at one stage, Australia were eventually bowled out for 295 in 103.1 overs on the last ball of a riveting day two' play and managed to take a lead. Smith top-scored with 71 off 123 balls, and was supported by Usman Khawaja (47), Cummins (36) and Murphy (34).Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will walk out for the start of England's second innings on day three's play, with the real intrigue over who bats at number three following Moeen Ali's groin injury which prevented him from bowling on day two.Resuming day two from 62-1, Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne resumed proceedings with caution, and were content in playing defensive shots or leaving deliveries. England's pacers, though, made life extremely difficult for Khawaja and especially Labuschagne, with runs hard to come by.The hard work finally paid off, as England finally had a breakthrough in the first session, courtesy of some brilliance from Joe Root in the slips. Labuschagne's knock of nine off 82 deliveries came to an end against the bowling of Mark Wood, with Smith and Khawaja safely negotiating the remainder of a low-scoring session.Post lunch, England began to find wickets in heap as Broad trapped Khawaja lbw on 47, with the opener also burning a review. A couple of overs later, Broad struck again, dismissing the dangerous Travis Head for four, with a cracker of a delivery on the fourth stump line that the batter edged to the keeper.Taking out Head also made Broad the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing series. Australia's slide continued when Mitchell Marsh chopped on a James Anderson delivery on 16, after looking in good touch at the crease.The direction continued to shift as Root enticed Alex Carey into a drive, as Ben Stokes held on to his 100th Test catch at short cover to send the wicketkeeper-batter packing for 10, just after slog-sweeping him for a six on the previous delivery.The wicket of Mitchell Starc taken by Mark Wood ensured that England had a dream second session to hold a tight grip on the match. But Smith went on the attack in the final session, with Cummins giving him able support. Smith escaped an extremely close run-out call and reached his half-century, continuing his staggering record at The Oval.The vital 54-run stand finally came to an end when Smith tried a big shot against Chris Woakes, leading to a top-edge that was caught by Jonny Bairstow, and to be dismissed for 71. Murphy walked out and took the aggressive route by hitting Wood for three sixes.He played an entertaining knock of 34, sharing a 49-run stand with skipper Cummins, before being trapped lbw by Woakes as the end of the day edged close. Cummins was the final wicket to fall, perishing on 36 after a brilliant catch from Stokes on the boundary, as Australia took a lead of 12 at the end of day two.Brief scores England 283 trail Australia 295 in 103.1 overs (Steve Smith 71, Usman Khawaja 47; Chris Woakes 3-61, Joe Root 2-20) by 12 runs.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Somalia, WHO renew efforts to tackle viral hepatitis Mogadishu, July 29: Somali health authorities and the WHO have renewed their commitment to eliminating viral hepatitis in the country. Somalia, WHO renew efforts to tackle viral hepatitis Somalia's Health Ministry and the WHO said on Friday in a joint statement issued in the Somali capital of Mogadishu to mark World Hepatitis Day that they are working to achieve the global goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030."To reach this goal, the WHO supports the federal and state ministries of health in enhancing access to universal health coverage, including hepatitis testing, treatment and vaccines," the WHO added.The UN health agency has called for scaling up testing and treatment for viral hepatitis, warning that the disease could kill more people than malaria, tuberculosis and HIV combined by 2040 if current infection trends continue, Xinhua news agency reported.Aweiys Hersi Hashi, Manager of the National Hepatitis Program at the Ministry of Health, lauded the critical support extended by the WHO country office in managing the disease burden of hepatitis in Somalia, including blood transfusion screenings and integrating the vaccine into childhood immunisation schedules."We are struggling to expand these services to every part of the country, for which we will urge the partners to support the WHO and the Ministry to expand the service to ensure the goals of universal health coverage in Somalia could be achieved," Hersi said.This year, the hepatitis campaign is under the slogan "One Life, One Liver," emphasising the link between viral hepatitis infection and liver inflammation.Although the Ministry of Health, together with the WHO and other partners, has made progress in improving access to hepatitis testing and treatment, the road toward elimination is a long one. Limited data availability in Somalia adds to the challenges of combating viral hepatitis despite the progress made in improving access to hepatitis testing and treatment, the WHO said, noting that 2.5 million people in Somalia are estimated to live with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and C (HCV).Rogers Busulwa from the WHO country office said collecting data is crucial for understanding the burden of viral hepatitis beyond blood donor population."It is also critical to prioritise the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis. There is significant potential to leverage the efforts of the HIV program to support these efforts," Busulwa added.Hepatitis, a viral infection that primarily affects the liver and can cause lasting damage and inflammation, is a global health concern that particularly affects low- and middle-income countries, including Somalia, according to the WHO.Limited resources, insufficient healthcare infrastructure, and low awareness all contribute to high transmission rates and limited access to testing and treatment, it said.int/khzIANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Erdogan lauds Turkeys progress in defence industry Istanbul, July 29: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hailed the progress made in the country's defence sector, saying its cutting-edge defence technologies would make a difference. Erdogan lauds Turkey's progress in defence industry Erdogan made the remarks on Friday at the closing ceremony of the 16th International Defence Industry Fair held in Istanbul, Xinhua news agency reported.He said Turkey constantly strengthened its capacity in the armed unmanned sea, air, and land vehicles, noting that its defence export reached $2.4 billion in the first half of 2023 and aims to reach $6 billion by the end of the year.The Turkish leader said his government had developed a "Turkey Model" in defence cooperation, stressing that "the aim is not only to sell products to interlocutors but to establish medium- and long-term partnerships"."We want to strengthen our cooperation based on common interests and a win-win understanding," he added.The international defence industry fair started to be held every two years since 1993 and grew to be one of the prestigious defence industry events worldwide.This year's event, which is hosted by the Turkish Defence Ministry, showcases a wide range of new defence technologies and products.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! COP28 president-designate urges G20 to lead climate action Dubai, July 29: COP28 President-designate Sultan Al Jaber has called on the G-20 nations to take a leadership role in mitigating climate change, media reported. COP28 president-designate urges G20 to lead climate action Al Jaber, also the UAE's special envoy for climate change, made the call at the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting held in Chennai, India, said the report on Friday.Noting that the G20 economies account for around 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Jaber said decisions made by the group could "have a huge influence on outcomes for everyone" and therefore urged G20 nations to drive actions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.He also urged solidarity and cooperation among all parties toward scaling up renewable energy, comprehensively decarbonising the energy system, and building a system free of fossil fuels, Xinhua news agency reported.The president-designate highlighted the importance of making progress on adaptation, a key part of the Paris Agreement, reiterating the need to "move the needle on adaptation finance," which is merely around 10 per cent of that allocated for mitigation.In the three-day meeting, the G20 major nations failed to agree on concrete targets to mitigate emissions, with disputes lingering over carbon budgets, historical emissions, net-zero goals, and financing for developing countries, according to a document issued by organisers on Friday.The meeting had been considered a chance for the G20 to make pragmatic steps ahead of the COP28 Summit in the UAE in November.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Yemen welcomes new Saudi aid for Safer tanker salvage operations Riyadh, July 29: The Yemeni government has expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for its additional $8-million assistance in the salvage operations of the Safer tanker abandoned off Yemen's western coast, media reported. Yemen welcomes new Saudi aid for Safer tanker salvage operations According to Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani, the new aid, along with the previous $10-million support from Saudi Arabia, will be extended to the ongoing UN-led salvage operations of the decaying tanker off the coast of western Hodeidah province.The UN emergency team on Tuesday started to transfer crude oil from the Safer tanker to a replacement vessel as part of an urgent mission to avert a potential environmental catastrophe of a massive oil spill, Xinhua news agency reported.The Safer tanker was originally constructed as a supertanker in 1976 and later converted to a floating storage and offloading facility (FSO) for oil. After years of neglect because of civil conflict, the FSO Safer is on the brink of breaking up, raising concerns about a potential oil spill that could wreak havoc on the fragile marine ecosystem and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.Earlier in July, the UN said it had raised about $118 million out of the estimated $148-million budget for the emergency rescue project for Safer.int/khzIANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Police urge people to take Dausa Expressway for Jaipur-Delhi amid heavy rain Jaipur, July 29: Amid heavy rain, the Jaipur Rural Police have urged the public to take the Dausa Expressway to travel between the Rajasthan state capital to Delhi. Police urge people to take Dausa Expressway for Jaipur-Delhi amid heavy rain The incessant downpours and flyover constructions have led to massive jams in Kotputli and Shahpura on the National Highway-48, which connects Jaipur and Delhi.According to Jaipur Rural SP Rajeev Pachar, there has been jams spanning to around 10 km on both sides of the highway."Hence its a request that people should take the Dausa Expressway and avoid waterlogged lanes which are blocking traffic at construction sites," Pachar added.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah completes 15 years, Munmun Dutta expresses her gratitude Mumbai, July 28: Actor Munmun Dutta expressed her gratitude as her show 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' completed 15 years. She talked about her experience of being part of the sitcom and the importance it holds in her career. 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' completes 15 years, Munmun Dutta expresses her gratitude She wrote along with a series of pictures with the cast of the sitcom, Gratitude! Gratitude and only gratitude is what I can express today ! I am so grateful and thankful for the way my life has taken a turn for the better in the past 15 years, grateful for the love that's showered on me / us by everyone that has seen the show and have made us a part of their lives. "She added, "Grateful for a wonderful team of colleagues.. actors/ directors/ writers and each and everyone in the entire unit..Asit ji's relentless pursuit and dedication for achieving one goal after another .... This is a result of everyone's hardwork, time, passion, patience, dedication, determination and everything that can be given in this project. Happiest 15th Birthday Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah"https//www.instagram.com/p/CvPhFz2hDlS/?img_index=1The iconic show that first aired on July 28, 2008 is a popular family comedy shows that in a light and humorous way keep creating awareness on societal issues. It is based on the weekly column 'Duniya Ne Undha Chasma' by Taarak Mehta. Its initial cast included names such as Dilip Joshi as Jethalal, Disha Vakani as Daya Jethalal Gada or popularly known as Daya Ben and Shailesh Lodha as Taarak Mehta, the narrator of the show. Now, he quit the comedy drama.The show's success largely depends on its close connection with the Indian society which it represents through its storyline and its characters.ANI29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Japan Foreign Minister appreciates PM Modi's valuable inputs for success of G7 Summit in Hiroshima New Delhi, July 28: Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Friday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the "valuable inputs for the success" of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima. Japan Foreign Minister appreciates PM Modi's valuable inputs for success of G7 Summit in Hiroshima Hayashi said that 2023 is a crucial year as both India and Japan hold presidencies of the G20 and G7 respectively.He extended Japan's support to India's G20 presidency, regarding the environment, the concept of LiFE introduced by Prime Minister Modi, which asks everyone to live a life that is in tune with the earth, resonates well with our government's policy.Talking about food security, Yoshimasa said, "We commend India's leadership in advancing efforts that pertain to building resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems, such as launching the Millet and other ancient grains international research initiative . We made sure that such efforts by India were included in the Hiroshima Action Statement for Resilient Global Food Security," he added.He said that appeal for upholding the free and open international order based on the rule of law may sound like a mere slogan unless the voices of the "Global South" are keenly listened to."Prime Minister Modi also emphasized the importance of giving a chance to the "Global South" to raise their voices at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in March," he added.At the G7 Hiroshima Summit, the leaders of the G7 and the invited countries confirmed to strengthen cooperation on global challenges including food, development, health, energy and climate change, and the environment.He said that G7 Hiroshima Summit addressed various difficult challenges the world is facing at this turning point in history."Japan, as the G7 Presidency, emphasized the strengthening of engagement with the so-called "Global South" at the G7 Hiroshima Summit this year," he added."These global challenges cannot be overcome by the G7 alone. They also reaffirmed their strong commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," he added.He said that food security has been deteriorating due to Russia's aggression against Ukraine. for which, the G7 and the invited countries issued the "Hiroshima Action Statement for Resilient Global Food Security".He said that the G20, which brings together the most influential countries of the Global South, is particularly important in addressing such global challenges. Japan is very much eager to continue working hand in hand with India towards the success of the G20 New Delhi Summit.He added that Japan-India cooperation towards the future of the Indo-Pacific"In coordination with India, Japan intends to materialize such a concept by realizing a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" or FOIP," he added.In March this year, Prime Minister Kishida announced Japan's new plan for FOIP here in New Delhi. This fact itself is a reflection of the critical importance Japan places on India, as your nation is an indispensable partner in achieving FOIP, a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.Moreover, the efforts to achieve FOIP expand beyond our collaboration with India, and to the whole South Asian region. This new plan makes clear that South Asia is one of the key regions and concrete efforts have been taking place, he said.Japan has also extended support for the development of the North Eastern Region of India through the "Japan-India Act East Forum".Going forward, Japan will continue to contribute to the development of the North Eastern Region of India, by promoting such projects as "the North East Road Network Connectivity Improvement Project" to enhance the connectivity in the region, he said."High-level exchanges have acted as the driving force to push forward our security and defence cooperation. We have conducted defence exercises on land, at sea, and in the air, including the first-ever joint fighter exercise in January," the Japanese Foreign Minister said.Japan has designated this year 2023 as the "Japan-India tourism exchange year", and to bolster tourism, he informed.He further said that India is an integral partner for Japan in terms of the United Nations Security Council reform, where both nations have been working shoulder to shoulder as G4 members to achieve concrete results."India and Japan will continue to cooperate through international organizations and multilateral frameworks. He said that India is an integral partner for Japan in terms of the United Nations Security Council reform, where we have been working shoulder to shoulder as G4 members to achieve concrete results. We have also promoted practical cooperation in a wide-range of fields through the Quad," the Japanese Foreign Minister said.Speaking further on economic ties he said that Japan is encouraging its companies to increase investment in India. For eg. Prime Minister Kishida also set a target of 5-trillion-yen public and private investment and financing to India in the next five years from 2022."We have been encouraging Japanese companies to increase investment in India. Prime Minister Kishida set the 5-trillion-yen target of public and private investment and financing from Japan to India in the next five years from 2022. At the same time, we will work together with the Indian government to effectively address the difficulties that Japanese companies face in the Indian market," the Japanese Foreign Minister said."The outlook for our collaboration in the economic field is promising. Prime Minister Modi has placed economic growth as one of his top priority agendas and has promoted various economic initiatives including Make in India, Digital India, and Clean India," Yoshimasa said.He added, "As a measure to promote investment, Prime Minister Modi has identified 15 key sectors including telecommunications equipment, automobiles, and applied chemical batteries that are eligible for subsidies. All of this have led to the remarkable growth in Japanese investment into crucial technologies such as medical equipment, electronics and household electric appliances".Speaking on the high-speed rail project, which is the flagship project between Japan and India, he said that the Japanese bullet train project will connect Mumbai to Ahmedabad, a distance of approximately 500 kilometres, and is expected to improve the efficiency of transportation as well as promote economic development in areas along the high-speed rail.ANI29 July 2023 Shared Recently! India's Neighbourhood First and Maldives' India First policies are in sync: MoS Muraleedharan New Delhi, July 28: Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Friday attended the Maldives Independence Day reception hosted by its High Commission in Delhi. He noted that India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and Maldives' India First policies are in sync. India's Neighbourhood First and Maldives' India First policies are in sync: MoS Muraleedharan Taking to his official Twitter handle, Muraleedharan stated, "Happy to join The Maldives' Independence Day reception hosted by its HC in New Delhi Conveyed my greetings to HC H.E. Ibrahim Shaheeb, government & people of India's Neighbourhood First & Maldives' India First policies are in sync, elevating the relationship to higher level."On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar extended wishes to the government and people of Maldives on their Independence Day.Taking to Twitter, he extended his greetings to his Maldivian counterpart, Abdulla Shahid and said, "Warm greetings to FM @abdulla_shahid and the Government and people of Maldives on their Independence Day. Cherish our comprehensive, special and ever deepening friendship."On July 24, Secretary Ministry of External Affairs, Sanjay Verma called on the Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and discussed enhancing the partnership between the two nations in the fight against terrorism.Taking to Twitter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives wrote, "Secretary, H.E. @SanjayVermalFS calls on Foreign Minister H.E. @abdulla_shahid, today. Discussed on enhancing partnership between #Maldives and #India in the fight against terrorism reflecting on the Joint Working Group meeting held yesterday."The two sides held talks during the Joint Working Group meeting held on Monday in Male. India and Maldives co-chaired the second Joint Working Group meeting on Counter-Terrorism, Countering Violent Extremism and De-radicalisation. Sanjay Verma represented New Delhi and participated at the event along with Maldives Foreign Secretary MV Ahmed Latheef."Co-chaired 2nd #India-#Maldives JWG on Counter-Terrorism, Countering Violent Extremism and De-radicalisation at @MoFAmvtoday with H.E. @ForeignSecMVAhmed Latheef. Capacity building, information sharing and cooperation on global forums is the path ahead. @MEAIndia @HCIMaldives," the MEA official said in a tweet.According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere that symbolises the time-tested and good neighbourly ties between Maldives and India, and the energy, ambition and scale acquired by our bilateral relations under the leadership of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Earlier this month, Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid was on a two-day visit to India in the early weeks of July. During his visit, he met his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and held delegation-level talks.The two sides discussed several bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest. Moreover, India and Maldives also exchanged nine new Memorandum of Understanding at that time."The Maldives Foreign Minister's visit is in continuation of the series of high-level visits from both sides and is expected to lend further momentum to the substantive bilateral cooperation between the two countries," according to the Ministry of External Affairs official release.Maldives is India's key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and occupies a special place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'SAGAR' and the 'Neighbourhood First Policy'.In June this year, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and Abdulla Shahid attended the ceremony for the exchange of 10 Memorandums of Understanding between India and Maldives in Male.Earlier in 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined that Maldives occupies a special place in the hearts of Indians and in India's "Neighbourhood First" policy, according to India-Maldives joint statement during Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's visit to India.ANI29 July 2023 Shared Recently! US will continue to support allies as they resist China's 'bullying' behaviour, says Pentagon Chief Brisbane, July 29: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that Washington stands with the nations resisting China's "bullying behaviour," as he began bilateral talks in Australia to oppose Beijing's sweeping claims in the Asia-Pacific. US will continue to support allies as they resist China's 'bullying' behaviour, says Pentagon Chief For the negotiations, which will also centre on an agreement to give Australia a fleet of submarines powered by US nuclear technology, Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Brisbane, Australia, late on Friday.During his opening remarks in Australia on Indo-Pacific, Austin said, "We've seen troubling PRC coercion from the East China Sea to the South China Sea, to right here in the Southwest Pacific.""We'll continue to support our allies and partners as they defend themselves from bullying behaviour," the Pentagon chief added.The relations between China and Washington have deteriorated lately due to numerous issues, including trade, Taiwan's legal status, China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea, and an ongoing US campaign against expanding Chinese dominance in the Asia-Pacific region, Al Jazeera reported."Today, our cooperation is key. It's key to our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific in a world of rules and rights. We seek a region where all countries are secure and prosperous, where states follow international law and international norms, and where disputes are resolved peacefully without coercion," Lloyd Austin said.Senior US officials have visited China recently, including Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, in an effort to improve relations between the two nations and prevent a conflict.The diplomatic relations between China and US have been downgraded since the Chinese spy balloon incident.ANI29 July 2023 Shared Recently! ASTANA, Kazakhstan, July 29. Uzbekistan expects to launch the Chevrolet Onix car assembly plant in Kazakhstan's Kostanay region in the first quarter of 2024, Trend reports. This was revealed at the meeting of Kazakh-Uzbek working group at the level of deputy heads of government held in Astana. The production is planned to be commenced at the SaryarkaAvtoProm plant. Currently, the necessary contracts have been signed, and the manufacturing of equipment for welding, painting, and assembly workshops is underway. Meanwhile, as Uzavtosanoat JSC told Trend earlier this year, an agreement with the major car manufacturer of Kazakhstan, Allure, has already been signed. Following the agreement, car manufacturers of both countries will produce Chevrolet Onix cars by SKD (semi-knocked-down) - 30,000 cars per year. Currently, UzAuto Motors exports cars to countries such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, etc. In 2022, Uzbekistan produced 327,639 Chevrolet Cars, in particular, Chevrolet Cobalt 101,617 cars, Chevrolet Damas 93,120, Chevrolet Lacetti 87,105, Chevrolet Nexia 22,245, Chevrolet Spark 14,464, as well as Chevrolet Tracker 9,088. Poland, Lithuania deliberating to shut Belarus border amid concerns over Wagner Warsaw, July 29: Poland and Lithuania are considering blocking their respective borders with Belarus amid concerns about the presence of the Wagner mercenary group there, Al Jazeera reported, quoting a Lithuanian deputy interior minister. Poland, Lithuania deliberating to shut Belarus border amid concerns over Wagner Following their brief insurrection against the senior military brass of Russia, the Wagner fighters have been staying in Belarus."The considerations are real. The possibility of closing the border exists," Arnoldas Abramavicius told reporters regarding the border closure, according to Al Jazeera.Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, took credit for arranging the agreement between Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin that put an end to the insurrection. Since then, Lukashenko has invited the Wagner forces to Belarus to assist in the military training.Recently, the United States imposed sanctions on three Malian government and military officials, including Defence Minister, for "facilitating the deployment and expansion" of Russia's Wagner Group's activities in Mali.In a statement on Monday this week, the US Department of the Treasury said that it has imposed sanctions on three Malian transition government and military officials -- Colonel Sadio Camara, Colonel Alou Boi Diarra and Lieutenant Colonel Adama Bagayoko -- for facilitating the deployment and expansion of the Wagner Group's activities in Mali.It further stated that this development is based on evidence showing that these Malian officials have contributed to the Wagner Group's malicious activities in Mali.Earlier in June, the Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, sent armed fighters on a march towards Moscow, however, later, when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko mediate to avert the bloodbath due to his longstanding ties with Prigozhin, the mercenary forces halted their march towards Moscow.ANI29 July 2023 Shared Recently! X monthly users reache new high in 2023: Elon Musk California, July 29: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has said that after certain organisational changes, the number of monthly users of social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, had hit a "new high.". X monthly users reache new high in 2023: Elon Musk Musk asserted the same by posting a graph of user statistics that indicated the most recent count to be above 540 million."X monthly users reach new high in 2023. Chart is 1/1 to yesterday," Musk wrote on X."Also, this is after the removal of a vast number of bots," he added.Twitter replaced its recognisable bird logo with the letter "X" as its new official mark this week, marking the latest major shift since Elon Musk's takeover of the social media platform.Notably, Musk said that x.com now points to twitter.com as well. In the post, Musk also referred to this design as an "interim" one, suggesting that there may be other logo changes in the future.According to a report by US-based tech portal TechCrunch, it's possible that the social network won't stop changing the logo. According to Musk, the business would eventually "bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds."Musk updated his profile picture to the new Twitter logo late on Sunday.After Elon Musk took over X, formerly known as Twitter, the social media platform has undergone a variety of changes.The company started offering the verified blue tick as a premium service and has subsequently started paying some content creators a share of the platform's ad sales.In order to lay emphasis on advertising, Elon Musk appointed Linda Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal advertising executive as the CEO of X by Elon Musk in May.ANI29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Kim Jong-un meets Chinese delegation after armistice anniversary Seoul, July 29: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met a Chinese delegation, a day after commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, Pyongyang's state media reported on Saturday. Kim Jong-un meets Chinese delegation after armistice anniversary During Friday's meeting, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing their bilateral relations, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The Chinese party-government delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday to attend anniversary celebrations held the following day, reports Yonhap News Agency.Led by Li Hongzhong, a member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo, the delegation was one of the first foreign groups to visit Pyongyang since North Korea implemented border lockdowns due to Covid-19 in early 2020, alongside a Russian delegation.Kim met the Russian delegation on Wednesday.On Friday, Kim expressed gratitude to China for its help during the Korean War and said North Korea will always remember the significant contributions made during its "most difficult period", according to the KCNA.Kim also voiced his appreciation to Chinese President Xi Jinping for sending the delegation and a personal letter.However, the content of the letter was not disclosed.After the meeting, Kim also held a reception with the Chinese delegation, where his powerful sister Yo-jong and Li made speeches, according to the KCNA report.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Sequoia Capital cuts its crypto fund by over 65% in funding winter San Francisco, July 29: Leading VC firm Sequoia Capital has massively cut its crypto fund, more than 65 per cent to now about $200 million, amid the funding winter. Sequoia Capital cuts its crypto fund by over 65% in funding winter Sequoia Capital has downsized its two major venture funds, including the crypto fund (from $585 million to $200 million), reports the Wall Street Journal.The move came amid several crypto exchanges and platforms announcing bankruptcy in recent months amid tightening regulations.Sequoia is now reportedly looking to invest in younger startups."We made these changes to sharpen our focus on seed-stage opportunities and to provide liquidity to our limited partners," a company spokesperson was quoted as saying."The crypto fund will primarily focus on new company formation, with the opportunity to supplement these investments from our seed, venture, growth, and expansion funds as the companies mature," the spokesperson added."By paring back the fund sizes, Sequoia is lowering the amount of committed capital required from investors," the report noted.Sequoia Capital has pared back the size of two major venture funds "as part of a dramatic downsizing the storied venture firm is undertaking amid a broad startup downturn".The crypto and blockchain sector witnessed an investment of $2.32 billion in the second quarter (Q2) this year, marking a new cycle low and the lowest since Q4 2020, continuing a downtrend that began after a peak of $13 billion in Q1 2022.According to the crypto investment firm Galaxy Digital, crypto and blockchain startups raised less money across the last three quarters combined than they did in Q2 of 2022.In Q2 this year, 10 new crypto VC (venture capital) funds raised only $720 million, the lowest amount since Q3 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.na/prwIANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Indigenously-built Indian naval ship to visit SLs Trincomalee Colombo, July 29: Indian naval ship 'Khanjar', an indigenously-built Missile Corvette of the Khukri class, will make a three-day visit to Sri Lanka's eastern habour of Trincomalee from Saturday. Indigenously-built Indian naval ship to visit SL's Trincomalee The ship's Commanding Officer NVS Phani Kumar will call on the Commander Eastern Naval Area, while various professional interactions will take place on VBSS, gunnery and missile operations, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement."The visit of the Indian naval ship Khanjar, a Khukri class Corvette, is also significant in view of the potential for cooperation between India and Sri Lanka for augmenting capabilities of Sri Lanka Navy for efficiently addressing shared challenges for maritime security in the region," the statement said.With an aim to further people-to-people connection and familiarise the public with the Indian Navy and its capabilities, the ship will be open for visits by school children.The general public can visit it on July 30.In promoting goodwill and involving in social activities, the crew will carry out a yoga session, beach cleaning programme and a visit to a school in Trincomaleen, while a reception has been planned onboard for senior officials from the military and civil administration.Meanwhile, a Maritime Partnership Exercise with a Sri Lanka Navy ship off Trincomalee is also planned for July 31, the High Commission added.According to the "India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership Vision" agreed upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ranil Wickremesinghe during the latter's recent visit to New Delhi, Trincomalee had become major highlight in promoting connectivity between the two South Asian neighbours.The two leaders had held discussion to establish land connectivity between the two countries for developing land access to the ports of Trincomalee.To promote maritime connectivity, it had been agreed to cooperate in development of ports and logistics infrastructure at Trincomalee with the aim to consolidate regional logistics and shipping and also to explore air connectivity between Chennai and Trincomalee.With the India-run Trincomalee Tank Farms, it was agreed to develop the port city as a national and regional hub of industry, energy and economic activity.To celebrate the International Day of Yoga in June, Indian naval Submarine Vagir had visited Colombo.At the time, the High Commission had said "visits by Indian Navy vessels to Sri Lanka further strengthen the camaraderie and interoperability between the Navies of the two neighbours, in keeping with India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine and 'Neighbourhood First' policy".IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Military council names new leader of Niger, suspends constitution Niamey, July 29: General Abdourahamane Tchiani, former leader of Niger's presidential guard, has been named president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland following a military takeover in the West African country, state television reported. Military council names new leader of Niger, suspends constitution The military took over control of Niger because it concerned itself with the continued deterioration of the security situation and poor economic and social governance, the CNSP said on Friday in a statement.Later in the day, Tchiani signed an order to suspend the Constitution and dissolved the government, empowering the CNSP to exercise all legislative and executive authorities and the president of the council to represent the country in international relations.Niger's Defence and Security Forces said late Wednesday that soldiers in the country had overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum, hours after the president was allegedly held hostage.The international community has voiced concerns about the situation in Niger.South Africa condemned the attempted coup in Niger and called on the military establishment to ensure Bazoum's safety, return to the barracks and restore order in the country.The South African government strongly rejects unlawful seizure of power by any group or individual as this reverses democratic gains and development and threatens the realisation of Africa's aspiration for a better Africa, the government said in a statement.Kenyan President William Ruto said on Friday that the unconstitutional change of power was subverting the democratic gains made by African nations over the years."Kenya joins the rest of the world to condemn, in the strongest terms, this unconstitutional act that subverts democracy through a coup-d'etat and calls for the immediate release of President Bazoum who is reportedly seized by members of the Presidential Guard," he said in a statement.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Bazoum, as the world body is suspending humanitarian operations in Niger due to the situation in the country."The problem on the air right now is that our humanitarian flights cannot fly within the country which means that our humanitarian operations are suspended," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, told reporters later at a daily press briefing.There are currently 4.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Niger, compared to 1.9 million in 2017, Dujarric said.More than 370,000 people are displaced within Niger, which also hosts more than 250,000 refugees, mainly from Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso, according to the spokesman.Namibia strongly condemned the attempted coup in Niger on Thursday.In a statement, Penda Naanda, executive director in the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, said that Namibia stands firmly against any attempt to seize power through unconstitutional means."Namibia remains resolute in its stance on zero tolerance for acceding to power through unconstitutional means and supports the statement by the African Union on the attempted coup, in which it calls on the people of Niger, as well as all their brothers in Africa, particularly those in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and around the world, to unite in unanimous condemnation of the coup attempt and to demand the immediate and unconditional return of the soldiers to their barracks," Naanda said.The ECOWAS is a regional political and economic union of 15 countries located in West Africa.West African leaders are closely monitoring the developments in Niger and would resist any attempted coup in that country, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said on Wednesday.Tinubu, also chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS, said in a statement that he has been in close consultation with other leaders in the region."The ECOWAS leadership will not accept any action that impedes the smooth functioning of legitimate authority in Niger or any part of West Africa."IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Japan fans hail Yash starrer KGF; screams Salaam Rocky Bhai New Delhi, July 29: With the release of KGF 1 and 2, actor Yash not only ensured a significant place for Kannada films nationwide, but also became one of the most loved superstars with fans in every part of the country.A . Japan fans hail Yash starrer 'KGF'; screams 'Salaam Rocky Bhai' The 'KGF' movies have turned Yash into the global face of the Kannada movie industry, which was known for occasional hits or arthouse films. His Rocky Bhai beard and patterned suits became the rage after the stupendous success of 'KGF 2'.The impact for the character was clear from how people across the country were seen recreating Yash's look, style and dialogues.After a dream run in India, and in many other countries, KGF 1 and 2 were released in Japan on July 14. The film was Yash's first major theatrical release in Japan, and the audience showered their love on Rocky Bhai.In a video that went viral from one of the houseful shows, the audience in Japan can be seen wearing 'Rocky Bhai' masks, outfits and saying "Salaam Rocky Bhai".The fans were also spotted across various locations like restaurants, malls and even beaches sporting Rocky Bhai masks.After witnessing his impressive performance, a large section of the audience in Japan have done a deep dive into Yash's filmography, and have taken to social media raving about his exceptional journey from working backstage in theatre to becoming a global star.Fans wrote on the social media, "Now Salaam Rocky bhai in Japan too all because of our Yash boss".Few days ago, Yash had also visited Malaysia, where he received an unprecedented welcome. Right from the airport, 'Rocking Star' was greeted with massive hoardings, people wearing outfits with Rocking Star's name and pictures, fan made sketches, paintings and figurines of their beloved Rocky Bhai.'KGF' is a period action film series set mostly in the Kolar Gold Fields, which gives the series its name, created by Prashanth Neel and produced by Hombale Films.Set in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the series follows two narrators, Anand Ingalangi and his son Vijayendra Ingalangi, who gives an interview of a book written by Anand to a leading news channel, which tells the life story of Raja Krishnappa Bairya alias Rocky (Yash), a Mumbai-based high ranking mercenary born in poverty and how he became the most dreaded person at that time.In 'KGF 1', Rocky, a high-ranking mercenary in Mumbai seeks power and wealth in order to fulfil his mother's promise. Due to his high fame, his bosses hires him to assassinate Garuda, the son of the founder of Kolar Gold Fields.While, in the second part, after having assassinated Garuda, Rocky establishes himself as the kingpin of K.G.F. He now has to deal with ruthless foes Garuda's uncle Adheera, who wants to take control of K.G.F, and Ramika Sen, the Prime Minister of India and his bosses Andrews, Rajendra Desai, Kamal, Shetty, Daya and Guru Pandian.'KGF 1' was released on December 21, 2018, while 'KGF 2' on April 14, 2022.However, the third film titled 'Salaar' will focus on the origin of Salaar, a character played by Prabhas. It will be released on September 28, 2023.sp/prwIANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Cambodias old-term political officials to be reappointed: PM Phnom Penh, July 29: Outgoing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday that all political officials in the old-term government would be reappointed to the new term. Cambodia's old-term political officials to be reappointed: PM Except for the cabinet members, all secretaries of state, undersecretaries of state, and advisors to the government, ministries, and institutions in the old term will be reappointed to the new term, Xinhua news agency quoted Hun Sen as saying.The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) won a landslide victory in the seventh general election on July 23, which was held to elect the members of parliament for the 125-seat National Assembly for the 2023-2028 new term.According to the National Election Committee (NEC)'s preliminary results, the CPP won 120 parliamentary seats and the Funcinpec Party of Prince Norodom Chakravuth gained the remaining five seats.Hun Sen announced on Wednesday that he will step down on August 22 after serving the position for more than 38 years, and would transfer the reins of power to his eldest son Hun Manet.He said the new cabinet led by his son Hun Manet will be sworn in on the same day.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! N Koreas Kim showcases nuclear-capable missiles in apparent show of unity with China, Russia Pyongyang, July 29: North Korea held a huge military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War, said its state media, displaying the country's latest intercontinental ballistic missiles and drones as a display of its military strength. N Korea's Kim showcases nuclear-capable missiles in apparent show of unity with China, Russia Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, took the reviewing stand to observe the military parade in Pyongyang late on Thursday to commemorate Victory Day while senior representatives from China and Russia were also present, Yonhap reported citing the Korean Central News Agency .Yonhap News Agency is a South Korean news agency based in Seoul.With their presence at the parade, the North appears to have wanted to express its solidarity with Beijing and Moscow, who supported Pyongyang throughout the Cold War fight, at a time when Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo are strengthening their three-way security cooperation.Kim did not give the highly anticipated speech at the event.The Korean War, which began with an invasion by the North Korea in 1950, concluded with the armistice on July 27, 1953. However, the North declared the war over and designated the day of the armistice signing as Victory Day.The recalcitrant regime has displayed new cutting-edge weapons during the parades to show off its military might. The latest parade, which was held amid higher tensions brought on by Pyongyang's ongoing missile testing, was the second in around five months.The North displayed new, cutting-edge long-range missiles, including the intercontinental ballistic missiles Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18, at the parade. However, it did not introduce any new types of ICBM.Later in the day, footage released by the North's Korean Central Television also showed the "Haeil," the North's alleged first-ever autonomous underwater vehicle with nuclear weapons, as well as unmanned spy aircraft and strike drones."The strategic reconnaissance drones and multi-purpose attack drones that were newly developed and produced... made circular flights in the sky above the square for the military parade," Yonhap reported quoting KCNA.As "the most powerful core mainstay means" of its strategic force to "fully and overwhelmingly" deter nuclear threats from its enemies, the North also referred to the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBMs.North Korea inviting Chinese and Russian officials to its parade, marks its first known foreign visits since Pyongyang's strict border closure induced by the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence minister, and Li Hongzhong, a politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party's, joined the leader of the North in the VIP stand to observe the parade. Shoigu was called on before Li, as the important guests were introduced during the main ceremony.Kim was seen smiling and talking with Shoigu and Li, who were standing to his right and left, respectively.The pursuit by the North of nuclear and ballistic missiles that are prohibited by numerous Security Council resolutions is signalled by such imagery by China and Russia, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, note observers.During their discussions this week, Kim and Shoigu specifically pledged to boost defence cooperation.The meeting has ignited speculations that the two sides may have discussed Pyongyang's arsenal for use in Moscow's conflict with Ukraine during their meeting.In a speech at the parade, North Korean Defence Minister Kang Sun-nam said the United States would confront a "unimaginable and unforeseen crisis" if it tried to launch a nuclear attack against the North, as per Yonhap.Kang used the abbreviation for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and declared that, "the US imperialists have no room of choice of survival in case they used nuclear weapons against the DPRK."Kim could be seen fighting back tears as he sang along to the national anthem before the military march began in the official TV footage from the North.Additionally, it was stated that Pyongyang had shown its support for Beijing and Moscow in light of improved trilateral security cooperation between Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo.North Korea has recently increased the frequency of its weapons tests, as Seoul and Washington intensify their efforts to support America's commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its ally.Under Kim's rule, the North has staged 14 military parades, including the one this week. The nation initially unveiled the Hwasong-18 ICBM during the last parade, which was conducted in February to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of its military forces, Yonhap reported.ANI29 July 2023 Shared Recently! US woman gets over 100 Amazon packages she never ordered San Francisco, July 29: In a bizarre incident, a US woman received more than 100 packages from Amazon she never ordered, which was likely part of a Chinese vendor's money-saving scheme. US woman gets over 100 Amazon packages she never ordered The Amazon boxes contained about 1,000 headlamps, 800 glue guns, and dozens of binoculars for children, reports Insider quoting CBS affiliate station WUSA.Cindy Smith of Virginia state in the US said she never ordered those from Amazon."It's a lot of packages. I didn't order them and they kept coming from everybody," she told WUSA.Smith drove around the town, giving packages to those who would just take them."A lot of people told me I was weird. I would drive around with headlamps and glue guns in the car. I gave them to everybody I met," she was quoted as saying."All my neighbours got glue guns or headlamps. I gave them to dog shelters, to veterinary clinics," she added.These packages were addressed to someone called Lixiao Zhang.According to reports, the incident is more likely linked to a different kind of vendor scheme, one that involves sellers trying to remove unsold merchandise from Amazon fulfillment centres. WUSA traced the returned packaging labels to 15 fulfillment centers in nine different US states.Sellers in China who need to get their products out of Amazon warehouses pick random addresses and send their unwanted products there, he said, adding: "It's just cheaper for them to do so."Amazon said in a statement that the seller account had violated the company's policy by engaging in "abusive activity" and the account has been closed.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Punjab cabinet gives nod to deliver atta, wheat at doorstep Chandigarh, July 29: Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday gave nod to introduce model fair price shops under the National Food Security Act to deliver atta and wheat to beneficiaries at doorstep. Punjab cabinet gives nod to deliver atta, wheat at doorstep A decision to this effect was taken by the Council of Ministers at a meeting here.A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said the Cabinet has approved a revised mechanism for distribution of packaged atta and wheat.The distribution would be allowed in lose quantities, duly weighed, across the counter in ration depots or in special sealed packets delivered at doorstep or the nearest motorable point by the ration depot holder.It will be a more dignified way of receiving the packaged atta and wheat as the beneficiary shall not be required to stand in long queues, especially braving inclement weather.All mandatory requirements of biometric verification, handing over of printed weight slip to the beneficiaries and others will be ensured while the delivery.The home delivery service will introduce the concept of model fair price shops which will be run by the Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd, being the apex cooperative and preference provided under the NFS Act to cooperatives.In order to provide sand and gravel at affordable rates to the consumers, besides ensuring its adequate supply in the state, the Cabinet also gave go ahead to Punjab Crusher Policy 2023.As per the policy, there will be two main classes of crusher units -- Commercial Crusher Units and Public Crusher Units. The screening-cum-washing plants will also fall under the category of crushers units.A public crusher unit shall be a registered crusher unit selected through a transparent tendering process prescribed under the Punjab Transparency in Public Procurement Act and based on the lowest mineral price quoted by such a crusher unit.The Cabinet also approved amendments in Punjab Minor Minerals Rules 2013 to curb the menace of illegal mining and to increase the supply of minor minerals in the state.The Cabinet also gave consent to a policy for providing relief to the farm labourers due loss of crops in case of natural calamity.The Cabinet gave nod to revive 39 posts of teaching faculty, including five professors, 10 associate professors and 24 assistant professors of direct recruitment in nine departments of Government Dental College and Hospital, Amritsar and Patiala besides taking them out of the purview of Punjab Public Service Commission, Patiala, to fill these posts through the departmental selection committee.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Laws victims can invoke against brains behind loan app frauds New Delhi, July 29: Instances of loan application fraud with Chinese involvement are rapidly increasing, akin to the rapid spread of Covid-19, which also originated from China. Laws victims can invoke against brains behind loan app frauds The players in this game resort to the psychological concept of "Foot in the Door" by playing on the need and naivete of the victims.With the promise of good and double returns, these apps attract the vulnerable. Once the app is downloaded, access to phone data is available to the fraudsters.To establish goodwill and legitimacy, initially about 10-15 per cent return is given to the victim. This is how they (the scamsters) put the "foot in the door". As soon as this incentive and return is received by the victim, the door to their doom opens, thereby resulting in them being deceived, duped, and cheated."The phone data is further used to threaten and extort more and more from the victim in question. When personal information and morphed pictures are circulated on social media apps, victim, due to social stigma often attempt or actually commit suicide," said advocate Anant Malik.The recent expose of such cases pan-India has invited attention of the law enforcement agencies as well as the Reserve Bank of India.In fact, India has even banned about 600 apps from the Google App Store, yet the problem looms large.India has a comprehensive legal framework in place to address loan app frauds and related cybercrimes."The alleged accused can be charged under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) like cheating, extortion, forgery and criminal conspiracy," said Malik."These offences are taken into consideration as predicate offences which in turn also lead to registration of an ED Case by the Directorate of Enforcement under Prevention of Money Laundering Act in order to trace the proceeds of crime generated by these acts which involve the steps of placement, layering, and integration of proceeds of crime," he added.The victims of loan app frauds face various risks, including financial loss, data privacy breaches, and potential exposure to other criminal activities. The need for legal remedies and preventive measures is evident to safeguard the interests of borrowers and protect them from falling prey to unscrupulous entities."Sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000, such as 43 (penalty and compensation for unauthorised access to computer systems), 65 (tampering with computer source documents), 66 (computer-related offenses), 66A (sending offensive messages), 66C (identity theft), and 66D (punishment for cheating by personation using computer resource) pertain to cybercrimes committed through loan apps and digital platforms," advocate Shashank Dewan told IANS.He said that guidelines on digital lending by the RBI govern the operations of financial institutions, including digital lending platforms, and aim to create a safer and more reliable digital lending environment.The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which does not specifically address online loan apps, empowers consumers to seek redressal against unfair trade practices and fraudulent activities, including those related to loan app frauds."While the rudimentary and essential step for any victim is to get an FIR registered, other remedies that one can undertake himself/herself is to approach a reputed and secure financial institution such as a bank/NBFC to apply for a loan," Malik said.The rise of fraudulent loan apps in India necessitates immediate attention and robust legal actions."Other precautions can be to read the reviews of the App one downloads, check if there is a physical office of the concerned entity. Moreover, one does not need to pay to get a loan approval, thus if a processing fee is asked upfront by transfer of payment by cash, that raises suspicion and must not be taken lightly," Malik said.It is imperative for victims to report such incidents to the relevant authorities, including the police, cybercrime cells, and regulatory bodies like the RBI, to ensure appropriate legal actions against the fraudsters and protect others from falling victim to similar scams."It is vital for the government, regulatory authorities, financial institutions, and technology companies to collaborate closely to create a secure and transparent digital lending ecosystem, where borrowers' interests are safeguarded, and fraudulent operators are held accountable," Dewan said.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! World University Games: India edges China to reach archery compound mixed team final Chengdu, July 29: India edged out China 152-151 to enter the archery compound mixed team final at the 31st FISU World University Games here on Saturday, with the team of Aman Saini and Pragati assuring themselves of a medal. World University Games: India edges China to reach archery compound mixed team final In the semifinal, India got a 10 in the third shot of the opener, while China only shot 9. The first set ended 39-38 in the favour of Aman and Pragati. The Chinese pair Wang Shikun and Zhou Jiayu strived to narrow the gap in the following sets but was held by India 38-38, 38-38, 37-37, reports Xinhua.India will meet South Korea in the final.In the second semifinal, South Korea and Chinese Taipei tied the score 154-154 after a seesaw battle in the four regular sets. In the decider, South Korea notched double 10s to squeeze into the final.In the men's recurve semifinals, India's Sachin Gupta lost 5-0 to Japan's Tokyo Olympic men's team bronze medalist Yuki Kawata."I have participated in some big events before, so I was only slightly nervous for a while," said Yuki. "I am preparing for the Paris Olympics, but currently I just want to grab a gold at the Universiade."In the recurve mixed team semifinals, South Korea crushed France 6-0, while Japan thrashed Italy 6-0.Both recurve and compound team finals will be held on Sunday.IANS29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Regional connectivity through Act East initiative will enhance integration in North East: Lok Sabha Speaker Shillong, July 29: The North East has the economic potential to come at par with mainland India, and for this, the development of infrastructure is necessary, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla said on Saturday. Regional connectivity through Act East initiative will enhance integration in North East: Lok Sabha Speaker Birla inaugurated the 20th Annual Conference of CPA, India Region Zone - III at Shillong, Meghalaya on Saturday.He said that regional cooperation and connectivity through 'Act East' will enhance regional integration at political, economic and social levels.On this occasion, he referred to several projects like PM Gati Shakti, the expansion of the National Highway in the North East, the increase in the number of operational airports under the UDAN scheme and developments in the telecom sector, inland waterways, forest sanctuaries, industrial parks etc.Birla said, "The Northeastern region is going through a massive transformation. Apart from the development of infrastructure in this area, efforts are also being made at the level of an international dimension to create a 'focal point' of regional cooperation and connectivity in Asia and India's Act East, which will enhance regional solidarity at the political, economic and social level. The entire North East region is now poised for a transformational change".He added that in the process of development, attention has to be paid to not deviating from the path of human values and ethics and it is the collective responsibility of everyone to protect our tradition, heritage, and culture.At the outset, Birla congratulated the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, India Region Zone III and especially the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly for organising the Conference and for extending warm hospitality to the Delegates.He thanked the Speaker of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and the Chairman of CPA India Region Zone-III, Pasang D Sona, for providing a useful platform to discuss issues related to the North East region. Birla also recalled former Lok Sabha speaker and former Meghalaya Chief Minister, PA Sangma and his contributions to Meghalaya's development and to strengthen India's parliamentary democracy.Conrad K. Sangma, Chief Minister, Meghalaya, Harivansh, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Thomas A Sangma, Speaker, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Pasang D Sona, Speaker, Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Chairman, CPA India Region Zone III, Members of Parliament; Members of Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and other dignitaries graced the occasion.Birla said that Zone-III of the CPA India Region is the most active of all the four zones. The 20 annual conventions held so far reflect its commitment to the values and ideals of parliamentary democracy. Mentioning the uniqueness of the Legislative Assemblies of the North East Region, Birla observed that meaningful and serious discussions take place in the Assemblies of the North East Region without interruptions.Consequently, a meaningful conclusion emerges from the dialogue which proves beneficial for the region and the country and is an inspiration for other Zones.Speaking on the subjects selected for the Conference, Birla noted that the selected topics, atural Disasters and strategies for management with special reference to North East Region and Regional connectivity to bring North-East Region at par with mainland India are relevant and contemporary."The Northeast is a hotspot of biodiversity, and any ecological disturbance event here can have far-reaching effects on environmental stability across India. Therefore, there is a need for better preparedness for disaster risk reduction and management in such sensitive areas," he further said.Speaking about the policy of disaster management, Birla stressed that we need to focus on the Prime Minister's 10-point agenda, which emphasizes the need to build local capacities and initiatives."The Indian development model is based on sustainability and over a period of time, with the use of technology and optimum utilization of human resources, we have strengthened disaster preparedness and management," he said.Addressing the delegates of the Conference, Meghalaya CM, Conrad K Sangma said, "The CPA has evolved through time and has proved to be an effective forum for bringing together its members with a shared commitment to promoting the rule of law and pursuing the ideals of a Parliamentary democracy".Sangma highlighted that calamities such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, cyclones, and droughts, prove to be an impediment to the pace of development which he felt needed to be encountered through an effective response mechanism.Citing the example of the recent floods in Garo Hills Sangma informed that a timely and coherent approach was taken for mitigating the impact through a holistic approach by government agencies private sector organisations, non-profit organizations, faith-based organisations and volunteers."The disastrous impact of the floods was contained to a large extent by the combined efforts of these agencies which resulted in a well-organised mechanism of channelising the available resources to the most affected," he added.Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Harivansh applauded the Presiding Officers of the northeastern region for taking the initiative to consistently engage on various subjects of regional importance.Underlining the improved connectivity, he said, "For hill states, climate change poses an even bigger and immediate concern that requires more emphasis on adaptation and mitigation strategies. Therefore, it is important to note that planning for disaster management is no more an isolated policy but it must feature in the broader plan to tackle climate change in every state".He added, "While we have the concept of State Action Plans on Climate Change, these plans need to be regularly revisited to account for the latest scientific evidence. With the increasing frequency of natural disasters, it is imperative to plan the financing of climate action plans as well'.Delivering the keynote address, the Speaker of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Chairman, CPA India Region Zone III, Pasang D Sona lauded the CPA for providing a forum for legislators and policymakers to discuss and debate issues and policies in a cohesive manner which resulted in keener insights through best practice sharing.The Conference will conclude on July 30, 2023, with the Valedictory Address of Meghalaya Governor Phagu Chauhan.ANI29 July 2023 Shared Recently! Strong growth in value and volume The first half of the year for Swiss watchmaking continued in exactly the same vein as 2022. The growth in exports remained particularly steady, despite a high basis for comparison. Most markets saw an increase, with the notable return of China and Hong Kong into the black. Six months into the year, Swiss watch exports amounted to 13.3 billion francs, an increase of 11.8% compared with the first half of 2022. While the sector benefited from positive momentum in the luxury market, it also saw significant demand for entry-level watches, with volumes in this segment growing strongly. The appeal of Swiss watches was not affected by the challenging context in economic or geopolitical terms. On the production side, however, firms continued to face a shortage of labour, as well as supply difficulties. Logically, growth should slow in some markets as it intensifies in others. Overall, forecasts for the end of the year are clearly positive. Products Exports of wristwatches rose in value to 12.7 billion francs between January and June, almost 1.4 billion francs more (+12.0%) than a year earlier. In total, 8.2 items (+13.9%) were shipped abroad, compared with 7.2 million in the first half of 2022. While mechanical watches (+11.0%) accounted for the highest contribution in terms of absolute value, quartz watches saw significantly steadier growth. Export turnover from quartz watches increased by 18.8%, driven by a corresponding increase in the number of items of 17.9%. Although they represented just 3% of the number of items exported, watches made from precious metals contributed to more than a third of the growth in value (+11.6%). The Other materials category accounted for the majority of the increase in volumes, with 965,000 more items (+67.7%) than in the first half of 2022. Watches priced at over 500 francs (export price) set the tone, posting steady growth (+12.2%) between January and June. Those priced at less than 200 francs recorded a more marked increase (+23.2% by value), but had a more limited impact on the overall result. Markets Asia saw the strongest growth (+14.3%) and absorbed half of all Swiss watch exports in the first six months of the year. Europe (+9.7%) sat slightly below the global average and accounted for a 30% share. America achieved a marked increase (+8.1%), taking it to a 19% market share. Strong momentum in Asia was mainly due to China (+25.4% compared with the first half of 2022) and Hong Kong (+28.8%). The leading market in the Far East benefited from a particularly favourable basis for comparison because of the lockdown in Shanghai in the second quarter of 2022, but still provided evidence of strong demand for Swiss watches. The special administrative region, however, benefited directly from the lifting of health restrictions and saw a strong market recovery, linked mainly to the return of tourists. Japan (+5.9%) and Singapore (+9.4%) achieved more moderate but still robust growth. In the Middle East (+9.6%), the United Arab Emirates (+14.0%) and Saudi Arabia (+10.0%) performed close to the global average. Only South Korea (-8.7%) saw a decline, still suffering from the lack of Chinese tourists. In Europe, growth in the United Kingdom (+7.8%) was slightly down, while Germany (+11.9%), France (+12.6%) and Italy (+17.0%) achieved significantly stronger increases. The gradual slowdown in growth in the United States (+9.9%) compared with the previous two years still did not weaken the market, which remained by far the leading destination for Swiss watch exports. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning. Thunderstorms likely during the afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 81F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm this evening, then some lingering showers still possible overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Download Now The News-Gazette mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the News-Gazette on your mobile device just as it appears in print. Ukrainian businessman and traveller Artemiy Surin, host of the new travel show The Great Circle, was sentenced to death in Iran for "espionage". The Ukrainian did not find a common language with local law enforcement officers, which could have led to his execution without a fair trial. ADVERTISIMENT He spoke about this on 1+1 Breakfast. When his round-the-world trip was on the verge of failure, a "miracle" happened (to see photos and videos, scroll to the bottom of the page). Artemiy Surin had only a few countries to cross before reaching Ukraine. The traveller thought that the most difficult experience was behind him until he got to Iran. "I was filming in this country from a drone. I got permission in advance. And while filming ancient ruins, a historical site, everything started like a film. I saw a police pick-up truck with armed men driving by. Nothing I was showing mattered. The next morning, there was a court hearing where, without an interpreter or a lawyer, they pronounced a verdict that Ukrainian citizen Surin Artemiy was accused of espionage. I knew that there were two options in this situation - life imprisonment and the death penalty," the Ukrainian said. ADVERTISIMENT He spent the night in jail, and in the morning the traveller was transferred to the prison of the Islamic Republic's Guard Corps. "These are the same criminals who shot down the Ukrainian plane. At the time, it seemed to me that it was all over," Artemiy Surin recalled. A "miracle" helped the Ukrainian to be released. He managed to meet an officer who listened to the tourist's words and decided to let him go. The Ukrainian embassy also made efforts. "He decided to let me go, and it was really a miracle. The Ukrainian embassy made efforts to help me when I was in prison. After I managed to get out, they evacuated me and sheltered me in their embassy. Then I was evacuated from the country to Azerbaijan. Even they said it was a miracle," the guest of the morning show added. ADVERTISIMENT Earlier, OBOZREVATEL wrote that Iran officially responded to Ukraine's lawsuit over the downed UIA passenger plane in 2020. They accused Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the UK of "pursuing political goals and interests". Only verified information is available in our Obozrevatel Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Raman spectroscopy -; a chemical analysis method that shines monochromatic light onto a sample and records the scattered light that emerges -; has caused frustration among biomedical researchers for more than half a century. Due to the heat generated by the light, live proteins are nearly destroyed during the optical measurements, leading to diminishing and non-reproducible results. As of recently, however, those frustrations may now be a thing of the past. A group of researchers with the Institute for Quantum Sciences and Engineering at Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) have developed a new technique that allows low-concentration and low-dose screenings of protein-to-ligand interactions in physiologically relevant conditions. Titled thermostable-Raman-interaction-profiling (TRIP), this new approach is a paradigm-shifting answer to a long-standing problem that provides label-free, highly reproducible Raman spectroscopy measurements. Protein is a very fragile biological molecule and needs specific care. When I cool down the surface or substrate, I can make the proteins happy. I can poke them with the laser, and they can now output the information I need." Dr. Narangerel Altangerel, lead author and postdoctoral research assistant While the proteins studied are on a molecular level, the implications of these findings could be huge. Like a lock and key, a protein-ligand interaction is the first step in processes like signal transduction, immune responses and gene regulation. Due to TRIP's ability to detect protein-ligand interactions in real time, the timeline for drug and vaccine testing may be shortened. Another application could be clinical, turning lengthy tests to detect a virus into same-day turnaround with accurate results. "The whole idea from the spectroscopy statute is that it requires minimum to none for sample preparation, so this can be moved into the clinic right away," said co-author and University Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering Dr. Vladislav Yakovlev. "Clinicians and patients don't have to wait for days and weeks of analysis. You can get all these answers almost right away." An additional benefit of the TRIP technique is that the sample size required to run the test is much smaller and requires a lower protein concentration, meaning a more cost-effective process for testing. "I was buying 100 microliters of a sample for $3,500, then I have to share this sample with multiple people and end up with only a 20 to 30 microliter sample," Altangerel said. "This forced me to use a smaller sample making Raman hard to do, as low-concentration samples make it a weak process. That made me challenge myself to try different things." Despite the breakthrough, the team is looking for other aspects in which the TRIP method could be useful. "In a follow-up article, we are trying to identify the chemical composition of those proteins just using this technique so we can apply this to similar ideas related to DNA analysis and other biological molecules," Yakovlev said. "Something that normally requires sequencing but utilizes TRIP, so you don't need any sample preparation." The researchers published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The project is supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Office of Naval Research, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, TEES, the National Institutes of Health and the Texas A&M University X Grants Program. The supporting team comprises faculty and students affiliated with the Institute for Quantum Sciences and Engineering. Additional authors credited are Dr. Benjamin Neuman in the Department of Biology, Dr. Philip Hemmer in the Department of Electric and Computer Engineering, Navid Rajil, Dr. Zhenhuan Yi, Dr. Alexei Sokolov and principal investigator Dr. Marlan Scully in the Institute for Quantum Sciences and Engineering. Dr. Sofi Bin-Salamon served as the program officer for the AFOSR. "For a long time. people thought this is impossible to do," Dr. Yakovlev said. "But Dr. Altangerel demonstrated that nothing, indeed, is impossible if you do things right." Whether it's setting up a Bank of England-type body to run it or fining patients for missing appointments, healthcare leaders, policymakers and practitioners past and present have a wealth of ideas about how they would change the NHS for the better. Professor Dinesh Bhugra, a psychiatrist and former president of the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Psychologists, asked 14 peers, physicians and patients' representatives for their prescription for the NHS. The interviews are reproduced in Professor Bhugra's new book, Conversations about the NHS. Thought-provoking and in some cases, controversial, ideas include: Setting up an independent Bank of England-type body to run the NHS Dr Chaand Nagpaul, a GP and former chair of the BMA. Nagpaul states that we have a "health service that's at the mercy of political whim" and "just changing the health secretary changes the policies" and he would redesign it to be free of political influence. Choosing a health secretary with experience of working in the NHS, rather than someone who is a politically convenient Cabinet appointment for the prime minster Dr Sarah Hallett, a trainee paediatrician and past chair of the BMA's junior doctors' committee. Rethinking the criteria for becoming a doctor Sir David Haslam, past chair of NICE and former president of the BMA. Haslam states that he has long thought that we "choose almost precisely the wrong people to become doctors" and an understanding of human relationships is more useful in medicine now than top scores in maths and science. Setting up a network of polyclinics to treat complex chronic illnesses in the community Dr Richard Horton, editor in chief of The Lancet. Overhauling workforce planning to take into account that doctors may want to take time out to bring up families Dr Max Pemberton, a psychiatrist and journalist. Pemberton argues that the evidence shows that women doctors tend to not work full time and "therefore we need to account for that". Fining patients for missing appointments and going to A&E with minor problems and when drunk Dr Max Pemberton. Recruiting retired people to regularly call and update those on NHS waiting lists Rachel Power, CEO of the Patients Association. Making training more multidisciplinary to prepare healthcare staff for the teamwork that will be part of their day-to-day working lives Dr Dan Poulter, MP and a hospital doctor Putting in place a 20-year-plan for the NHS Dr Dan Poulter The case for change Professor Bhugra sets the scene for the interviews, the transcripts of which make up the body of his book, by describing the history of the NHS and the challenges it faces as it celebrates its 75th birthday this summer [July 2023]. The combination of increased demand for services, expensive tests and treatments and continual political interference has left this one-time jewel of the welfare state lurching from crisis to crisis, argues Professor Bhugra, who is donating all royalties from Conversations about the NHS to the Patients Association. Fragmentation within the NHS, such as the division between mental and physical health, has compounded the challenges faced, while failure to acknowledge the role of wider factors such as housing and education on health and wellbeing means "we are patching people up, rather than creating a healthy population". The challenge is for policymakers and stakeholders to realize and recognize these pressures and put strategies in place now so that the NHS survives both as a principle and as an institution." Professor Dinesh Bhugra The prescription His questions for his interviewees include what they would change in the NHS and how they would design the health service, if they were setting it up from scratch After completing the interviews, each of which forms a chapter in the book, Professor Bhugra distils and reflects on the proposals. He concludes: "There is no doubt that the NHS is a valued part of society. However, at 75 years and with structures set up three generations go, the time has come to seek bold solutions, rather than merely tinker at the edges. "The NHS needs and deserves a long-term plan with cross-party consensus and ring-fenced funding to ensure that resources are adequate. "Health cannot, and should not, be seen in a silo. There must be interconnectedness with education, housing and employment. In addition, public health and health need to be integrated and social care and health must come together. "Health is everyone's basic right." A novel testing platform under development by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) and CytoAstra, LLC could provide a new noninvasive test for malaria that doesn't require a blood sample. The platform technology, known as cytophone, detects malaria infection in blood cells using lasers and ultrasound. Researchers developing the platform believe it could provide more sensitive and reliable testing results compared to the more traditional blood tests for malaria, which require a blood sample and tend to detect malaria only at higher parasite burdens, hindering effective detection and treatment. The research team recently received a $500,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will allow them to build two improved prototypes of the testing platform and to do extensive field testing in Burkina Faso, where malaria is endemic, said Dr. Sunil Parikh, an associate professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases) at YSPH and of infectious diseases at the Yale School of Medicine. Parikh is a co-principal investigator on the project. Malaria is an enormous health problem globally. In 2021 (the most recent year for which data is available), nearly half of the world's population lived in an area where malaria is endemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There were an estimated 247 million malaria cases that year an increase of 2 million compared with 2020 and 619,000 deaths, according to the WHO. Young children, pregnant women, and nonimmune travelers are the most vulnerable to severe infection. Parikh's co-principal investigator is Vladimir Zharov, director of the Arkansas Nanomedicine Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and co-founder of CytoAstra, a company advancing cytophone research. CytoAstra is a sub-award recipient of the foundation grant. Zharov, a pioneer in noninvasive technologies for medical applications, has previously applied cytophone technology for the noninvasive detection ofcirculating melanoma cells. Realizing the platform's potential application for human malaria, Zharov teamed up with Parikh, whose research centers on malaria interventions in Africa, to develop a portable cytophone prototype that could detect malaria infection in people living in endemic settings. For malaria, the cytophone technology uses lasers at specific wavelengths focused on superficial blood vessels. When the parasites that cause malariainfection enter red blood cells, they use the hemoglobin inside those cells to liberate amino acids. A byproduct of this process is the release of hemozoin, a compound containing iron. When hit by a laser, hemozoin absorbs more of the laser's energy than hemoglobin, meaning cells infected with malaria parasites absorb more than noninfected cells. This absorbed energy is transformed into heat, and the heat expansion generates acoustic waves. The cytophone technology detects these waves using a small ultrasound transducer placed on the skin. After software analysis, peaks in the detected acoustic waves can identify malariainfection. In a prior study published in Scientific Reports, Zharov and Parikh showed their device could identify infection in mice using a rodent species of malaria parasite and in blood using a human malaria parasite. The Zharov team then developed a portable version of the device and the researchers jointly completed a human proof-of-concept study in malaria-infected adults in Cameroon with Professor Yap Boum, currently executive director of the Pasteur Institute of Bangui, and a long-standing collaborator of the Parikh lab. The results were promising and are under review for journal publication, Parikh said. Parikh praised the multidisciplinary collaborative effort with Zharov and their Cameroonian colleagues in advancing the technology. Working together "opened doors that we would never have been able to open separately," he said. The cytophone technology could represent a big improvement in diagnosing, treating, and understanding malaria, said Parikh. Malaria is currently diagnosed by two methods. In light microscopy, long the standard for diagnosis, blood is smeared on a slide, stained, and studied under a microscope. But because this requires resources and expertise, it is being replaced in many areas by rapid antigen blood tests. These are designed to react to the presence of a specific antigen, or protein found on the surface of a pathogen, in a sample. A problem with both methods is that they aren't very sensitive. You can have a very large parasite load with both microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests before you have a positive test." Dr Sunil Parikh, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Yale University Because the cytophone technology can potentially scan a much larger volume of blood, it should be far more sensitive than current tests, Parikh said. The technology also could address an emerging problem with some antigen tests, he added. In Africa, the most common antigen tests search for an antigen on Plasmodium falciparum, the locally dominant of the five species of protozoa that cause human malaria, and the most dangerous. But researchers are finding more and more samples of the parasite with deletions of that antigen. In some places, most of the parasites no longer express that antigen, Parikh said. Since cytophone uses hemozoin, which all species of malaria parasites produce as part of their life cycle, as a marker, it would avoid this problem, Parikh said. "We don't think that there's ever a situation where hemozoin wouldn't be present over the life cycle of the parasite," he said. In addition to diagnosis problems, a challenge plaguing malaria treatment in the long term is that the parasites become resistant to medications. Since the technology focuses on hemozoin, it could be useful to researchers trying to develop and study new antimalarial drugs that target this pathway in humans, noninvasively, Parikh said. "I think that would be a really exciting avenue for this device." To study play behaviors in animals, scientists must be able to authentically simulate play-conducive environments in the laboratory. Animals like rats are less inclined to play if they are anxious or restrained, and there is minimal data on the brain activity of rats that are free to play. After getting rats comfortable with a human playmate, tickling them under controlled conditions, then measuring the rats' squeaks and brain activity, a research team reports on July 27 in the journal Neuron that a structure in rat brains called the periaqueductal gray is essential for play and laughter. We know that vocalizations such as laughter are very important in play, which supported the idea that there is some sort of organization signal in the brain regulating this behavio. For example, children check for laughter when they play-fight with each other. If their playmate isn't laughing anymore, they stop fighting." Michael Brecht, senior author, neuroscientist at the Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin Play is one of the least understood types of behavior, and scientists currently do not know the neural pathways that control the playfulness of humans or other animals. To learn more about the neuroscience of play, these researchers first ensured that the rats they studied were free to move around throughout the experiment. In addition, they gave the rats a few days to get accustomed to their new environment. Once the rats were comfortable, the researchers played games of "chase the hand" with them and tickled the rats on their backs and bellies. Rats don't laugh the way humans do, but when amused, they do squeak at a high-pitched tone that humans cannot hear. The researchers monitored this sound to ensure that the rats were having fun. When looking at these animals' brain activity, the researchers found strong neural responses to both tickling and playing in the lateral column of the periaqueductal gray, or PAG. If this part of the brain was inhibited, the rats stopped engaging in play as much and did not laugh as frequently. On the other hand, if the rats were put in an unfamiliar environment that was designed to provoke anxiety, they also stopped laughing, and the tickling- and play-responsive cells in the lateral column of the PAG decreased their activity. The PAG is located in the midbrain, and it has been known in the past to control vocalizations and the fight-or-flight response. Play-fighting can also invoke a fight-or-flight response, which might be one explanation for the PAG's role in play. Prior research has shown that playfulness persists even if the cortex, which controls consciousness, fails to develop, which suggests that play is a more instinctual behavior. "A lot of people think that play is childish or not a very decisive behavior, but play is underrated," says Brecht. "In my perception of play, it's a self-training behavior. Usually, brains serve for controlling behaviors. Play behaviors, however, seem to serve for growing brains." Next, the researchers plan on seeing if they observe similar activity in the lateral column of other animals when they are being played with, which could allow them to compare the playfulness of different species. They also plan to see if giving younger rats different play habits might change the way that the lateral column of the PAG develops. This work was supported by Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, European Research Council. The authors declare no competing interests. Common beans are important food sources with high nutritional content. Bean seeds also contain phenolic compounds, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that promote health. A study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and CIATEJ in Guadalajara, Mexico, explored the composition of seed coat extracts from black and pinto bean varieties unique to the Chiapas region of Southern Mexico. These beans are preserved among Mayan communities and grown by indigenous farmers. They are heirlooms from past generations and are important because of their cultural significance and contribution to biodiversity." Elvira de Mejia, study co-author, professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at U. of I The research team selected two varieties among several collected in the Chiapas region because of their high phenolic content, present in the seed coat pigment that gives the beans their dark red or black coloring. "These phenolic compounds have the capability of keeping oxidation and inflammation under control, which could help decrease the risk of chronic health issues such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes," de Mejia said. First, the researchers removed the bean seed coat and ground it for processing. Then they analyzed the chemical composition of a crude extract, as well as an enriched extract that was purified to concentrate the phenolic content. They also measured the bean extracts' antioxidant capacity and ability to inhibit free radicals through biochemical assays and in silico molecular docking, a type of computer simulation. "We found the black beans had high quantities of anthocyanin, in particular delphinidin, petunidin, and malvidin glucosides, which have antioxidative properties. The pinto beans had the highest total content of phenolic compounds and showed great potential for inhibiting enzymes that contribute to inflammation," said David Fonseca Hernandez, a doctoral student at CIATEJ, and lead author of the paper. Fonseca conducted the research as a visiting scholar in FSHN at U. of I. The seed coat extracts can be used as additives in the food industry or in cosmetics, Fonseca explained. "My research focuses on skin health, because there is a lot of interest in new ingredients with bioactive properties to use in formulations for creams. One of the main issues with aging skin is the oxidative stress that results from environmental factors. When the skin is exposed to air pollution and sunlight, it produces higher quantities of free radicals and inflammation pathways are activated," he stated. "We tested some markers related to inflammation, such as cyclooxygenase and inducible nitric oxide synthase. We had really good results showing the extracts, especially from pinto beans, could inhibit and reduce the activity of these enzymes." The researchers also found that the process of enriching the extracts can further concentrate the anthocyanins and phenolic compounds, which is useful both for industry and research purposes. The study is part of a large project supported by CONAHCYT, Mexico's National Science Foundation, explained study co-author Luis Mojica, research professor at CIATEJ and Fonseca's advisor. "One of the project's goals was to find cultivars with an interesting profile to be used as a source of phytochemicals for the cosmetic industry. This industry is growing very fast, and there is a demand for natural products to treat skin-related diseases or aging," he said. "In our research, we compared around 60 cultivars of common beans from the south of Mexico, and these two varieties are three or four times higher than others in phenolic compounds and anthocyanins. These beans are very interesting for health; they are also high in other nutrients such as proteins, fiber, and oligosaccharides." The project can help provide regional support by increasing wellness and developing Mexico's southern region by preserving these unique bean varieties, the researchers stated. Following up on the study's significant laboratory findings, the next steps will be to test the extracts on cell tissue cultures and eventually in clinical trials. Fonseca attended the U. of I. through I-MMAS, a program created to increase recruitment of Mexican and Mexican-American students within the University of Illinois System. "Our collaboration with Dr. Mojica's research group through I-MMAS is meaningful because there is a large number of migrants from Guadalajara in Illinois, but also because of the quality of their work. Dr. Mojica's lab conducts basic research, but they also work with industry to apply the knowledge to solve practical problems. Dr. Mojica completed his doctorate degree in FSHN at U. of I. Both he and David were very productive and successful students during their time here, and we are very happy to continue our work with them," de Mejia concluded. In a bid to address the decline in sales and cater to the changing market dynamics, Jeep India is all set to bring back the petrol engine for its popular Compass line-up. The company had discontinued the petrol variant earlier this year due to non-compliance with BS6 Phase 2 emissions norms. The recent leadership change at Jeep India has brought about a renewed focus on rectifying the situation Over the last few months, the average sales of the Compass have witnessed a significant drop, falling from a healthy 550-650 units per month to a mere 250-300 units. This dip in sales was mainly attributed to the absence of the petrol engine, which used to contribute to almost half of the total Compass sales. Diesel engines have traditionally been popular in the SUV segment due to their torquey performance. However, the evolving market dynamics and uncertainties surrounding diesel engines in the long term have led to a surge in demand for petrol-powered vehicles. In regions like Delhi-NCR, where diesel vehicles are restricted to a 10-year ownership, as much as 80 percent of Compass sales came from its petrol variants. Even the diesel-only Meridian model hasnt gained momentum in terms of sales, further underscoring the need for a petrol engine in the line-up to cater to customer preferences and increase choices. The arrival of Aditya Jairaj as the new head of Jeep India has ignited a renewed focus within the company to reestablish its position in the Indian market. Addressing the previous setback caused by the discontinuation of the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine, Jeep India has given the green light to introduce a new 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine in the country. However, enthusiasts might have to wait a bit longer, as the engine calibration, validation, and homologation processes are expected to take around 18-24 months, pushing the launch date to sometime around 2025. It remains uncertain whether the petrol engine will be introduced in the current Compass model or reserved for the upcoming next-gen Compass, slated for 2026. The new 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine, which made its debut with the Jeep Renegade in 2018, offers two power specs: 129 bhp with a 6-speed manual gearbox and 149 bhp with a 6-speed DCT gearbox, both equipped with front-wheel drive. Other global markets where the Compass is sold have already embraced this more efficient turbo-petrol engine since the mid-lifecycle facelift in 2020, making a strong case for its introduction in India. The potential inclusion of the turbo-petrol engine in the Meridian variant could further enhance Jeeps prospects in India and help achieve economies of scale for the brand. Export volumes could also see an upswing, aligning with Jeeps Melfi plant in Italy, where the 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine serves as the export base for the Compass. Although Jeep India has not officially confirmed these developments, Aditya Jairaj hinted at the possibility of a petrol comeback, emphasizing the companys customer-centric approach. As the market demands swift action, Jeep India aims to respond promptly and decisively to bridge the crucial gap in its portfolio. The return of the petrol engine to the Compass lineup promises to be a game-changer, injecting excitement back into the brand and setting the stage for a remarkable resurgence in the Indian automotive landscape. If you did not link your Permanent Aadhaar Number (PAN) to Aadhaar before June 30, your PAN is now considered inoperative. This means youll face some problems with your financial activities and taxes. For instance, you wont be able to invest in bank fixed deposits or mutual fund schemes, file income tax returns (ITR), or receive tax refunds. Even though your PAN is inoperative, you can still carry out certain financial transactions. However, these transactions are subject to higher tax deductions at source (TDS) and tax collection at source (TCS). Here are some examples: If you earn more than Rs 40,000 from bank fixed deposits or recurring deposits (Rs 50,000 for senior citizens) in a fiscal year, youll incur higher TDS. Also Read: Missed PAN-Aadhaar Link Deadline? Dont Panic! Heres Your Next Move Receiving dividends from companies or mutual funds exceeding Rs 5,000 in a fiscal year will also result in higher TDS. If you sell immovable property for more than Rs 50 lakh, youll attract higher TDS. Buying a car worth more than Rs 10 lakh will involve higher TCS. Withdrawing more than Rs 50,000 from your EPF account when tax is due will lead to higher TDS. Making rent payments to the landlord where the monthly rent exceeds Rs 50,000 will incur higher TDS. Selling goods and services for an amount exceeding Rs 50 lakh will attract higher TDS. If you hire someone for a contract job and pay them more than Rs 30,000 for a single contract or Rs 1 lakh in total, youll have to pay higher TDS. Receiving commission or brokerage payments above Rs 15,000 will also result in higher TDS. Suresh Surana, founder of RSM India, a business consulting firm, told ET that sections 206AA and 206CC of the Income Tax Act, 1961, have important implications. According to Surana, if you dont provide your PAN during transactions subject to TDS, the tax deductor becomes responsible for deducting 20% of the amount as tax. This also applies if your PAN is inoperative. Furthermore, section 206CC states that if you dont provide your PAN or if its inoperative, a higher TCS is applicable. This can be twice the specified rate or 5% (whichever is higher). However, the recent Budget 2023 has set a maximum TCS rate of 20% from July 1, 2023, even if you dont provide PAN. Vinsys IT Services India IPO, Oriana Power IPO: Even as the primary market has been seeing increased activity of late, two more SME IPOs are set to open next week on August 1 Oriana Power IPO and Vinsys IT Services India IPO. The companies will be listed on the NSEs Emerge platform. Vinsys IT IPO Pune-based Vinsys IT Services India Ltd, an IT and software services company, has fixed the price of Rs 121 to Rs 128 of a face value of Rs 10 for its forthcoming public offering. The issue will open on August 1, 2023, and close on August 4, 2023. The company plans to offer 3.89 million equity shares of Rs 10 each through the book-building process. Beeline Capital Advisors are the merchant banker to the issue, while Link Intime India is the registrar to the issue. The company will raise Rs 49.84 crore through the public offering. The companys shares will be listed on the NSEs Emerge platform. The IPO proceeds from the fresh issue will be utilised for meeting working capital requirements, repayment of loan to subsidiary and general corporate purpose. Of the total issue size of 38.94 lakh shares, the company has allocated 18.48 lakh shares for Qualified Institutional Buyers (including Rs. 11.08 lakh for Anchor Investors) and 5.56 lakh shares for Non-Institutional Investors. For Retail Investors, the company has set aside 12.95 lakh shares for allocation. The minimum application lot size is 1000 equity shares. Oriana Power IPO Noida-based Oriana Power Ltds IPO will open for subscription on August 1, 2023, and close on August 3, 2023. The anchor investor portion will be open for subscription on July 31, 2023. The company also announced the price band of Rs 115 to Rs 118 per equity share. The Rs 59.64-crore IPO of Oriana Power, will comprise 50.55 lakh equity shares of a face value of Rs 10 each through the book-building route and will be listed on NSE Emerge. Of the total issue size of 50.55 lakh shares, the company has allocated 24.00 lakh shares for Qualified Institutional Buyers (including Rs. 14.40 lakh for Anchor Investors), and 7.20 lakh shares for Non-Institutional Investors. For Retail Investors, the company has set aside 16.80 lakh shares for allocation. Corporate CapitalVentures Private Ltd is the Lead Manager for the issue, while Skyline Financial Service Private Ltd. is the Registrar to the issue. As per the RHP, the company will deploy the IPO proceeds towards meeting its working capital requirements (Rs. 23 crore), investment in subsidiary companies (Rs. 20 crore), capital expenditure for expansion purposes (Rs. 2 crore) and general corporate purposes. The company recently closed its pre-IPO round, with several reputed investors, including Chennai-based Anil Kumar Goel, JSW Energys Prashant Jain, Merus founder Neeraj Gupta, Jaipur-based Manoj Agarwal and MSMExs Amit Kumar, participating in the offering. The District Education Officer of Begusarai, Bihar has issued a notification directing all the teachers to follow certain protocols in the school. The direction asked the male teachers to attend school with clean shave and if the order is not complied with salary will be deducted. Further, the administration has completely prohibited wearing jeans and t-shirts in the schools. On the other hand, female teachers are asked not to wear revealing and bright colour cloths. They are advised to wear Indian dress incase of non-compliance action will be taken. Other rules include, that teacher would avoid sitting on chair while teaching, maintaining discipline in class, being punctual, maintenance of school administration infrastructure like repairing of toilets and wiring. The District Education Officer has notified the order to all the principals and headmasters of the schools. The officer has put down some 14 points that school administration has to follow including maintenance of hygiene and guidelines for dressing staffs. Before taking these steps, the government has also taken similar stand for state government employees. It is directed to the officials not to wear jeans and t- shirts and opt for formal clothing for both male and female employees. The order for employees was issued by Subodh Kumar Chowdhary, Director (Administration), Education Department. The order was issued on the instructions of KK Pathak, Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department. The district magistrate of the Bihar district of Saran banned the wearing of jeans and T-shirts by all government employees in April of this year. In offices, they were required to dress formally and carry identification cards. After the Assam government declared a clothing code for its school teachers, prohibiting t-shirts, jeans, and churidars in the workplace, the Bihar government issued its circular. Many teachers, according to the Assam government, do not dress in a manner that is acceptable by the public at large." Additionally, the notification made it clear that you should wear clean, modest, and decent clothes," as well as sober colors that should not look flashy." The second phase of Delhi Universitys(DU) undergraduate admission process came to an end on Wednesday. Kirori Mal College has emerged as the top-choice destination, with an impressive count of 1,61,533 applicants opting for admission to the institution. It was followed by other prominent institutions like Hindu College, Hansraj College and Ramjas College. While Hindu College received 1,58,548 applications, Hansraj College had 1,57,162 applicants looking for admission. It has been revealed that approximately 2,45,239 candidates applied for various courses at the DU. The overall number has surpassed last years figure of 1.7 lakh applicants. The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) witnessed a significant surge in applications for Bachelor of Commerce (B Com), making it the most-preferred course with 72,769 applicants. Other courses like BA (Hons) English, and BA (Hons) political science also gained prominent positions among the top-choice courses. The huge demand for BCom among students can be understood by examining the number of applications opting for Ramjas College and Kirori Mal College. While Ramjas garnered 56,996 applications for its B Com program, Kirori Mal e received 56,920 applications for the same course. Also Read: Over 50 Lakh Students Migrate Every Year for Higher Education, Most Prefer DU. Why? On July 27, the student preferences were automatically locked and the DU is expected to release a simulated list soon. With this information, students will have an opportunity to revise and reorganize their choices of colleges. With a wide range of options to choose from, the DU is making a total of 70,000 seats available across its 68 colleges. These colleges are offering a selection of 78 programmes to the applicants. Another interesting data suggested that a big number of applicants this year have been from schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Overall, 80.93 per cent students are from CBSE schools. Among the state boards, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Kerala showcased considerable interest from students. Also Read: Three Years of NEP 2020: As DU Implements Policy, Students Fear Process May Not be Seamless The DU has several prestigious colleges that offer top-notch B Com courses for undergraduates. Among the top-10 colleges are Shri Ram College of Commerce, Kirori Mal College and Ramjas College. These were followed by Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Hansraj College, Hindu College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College and Dyal Singh College. Ukraine needs hundreds of billions of dollars to pay for reconstruction after the war. The EU, the US and their allies want to make Russia pay, but it will be much more difficult than it seemed. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported by The New York Times. Ukraine will need about $500 billion to rebuild, while other experts believe the figure could be as high as $1 trillion. The best option is to make Russia pay. This money once seemed to be readily available - since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Western countries have frozen more than $330 billion worth of the Russian Central Bank's assets abroad. With the bulk of the amount, more than $217 billion, frozen in the European Union, the bloc's top official, Ursula von der Leyen, promised last month during a conference on Ukraine's recovery to present "before the summer recess" a legal way to use these Russian assets for Ukraine's benefit. But her statement raised concerns among bloc officials and diplomats who had been involved in months of discussions about the idea and found it increasingly difficult. Experts said that the direct seizure of Russian state assets carries significant legal and financial risks. ADVERTISIMENT According to international law, assets can be confiscated through a vote in the United Nations Security Council, an International Court of Justice ruling, or a post-war agreement. None of these options seems very likely. Russia, a member of the Security Council, will veto any vote there. No agreement can be reached while the war is still ongoing. And no case has been brought to court, and if it were, international law opposes the confiscation of the Russian Central Bank's assets, which would be a violation of its sovereignty, legal experts said. More than a decade ago, the International Court of Justice ruled that Italian national courts had violated the sovereignty of modern Germany by ordering reparations related to Nazi-era forced labour. Last month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Congress that confiscation of Russian assets frozen in the United States would likely require a change in U.S. law. ADVERTISIMENT European officials assessed in a confidential report seen by The New York Times that "there was no credible legal avenue to confiscate frozen or immobilised assets solely on the basis that they were subject to EU restrictive measures". One idea put forward by Dalip Singh, former deputy national security adviser for international economics, is to place the frozen assets in an escrow account that could be used by Ukraine as collateral for new bonds it may issue. If Ukraine is able to successfully repay the debt - over a period of 10 to 30 years - Russia could potentially recover its frozen assets. As OBOZREVATEL previously wrote, Ukraine needs to bring back refugee women from abroad for economic recovery. If more than 6 million refugees do not return, it will have major consequences for the country's economy. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available in our Obozrevatel Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! The recruitment of Gorkhas from Nepal in the Indian Army has been put on hold due to the Agnipath scheme. Recently, Nepals Ambassador to India, Shankar Prasad Sharma said that the recruitment process has been put on pause but the matter has not been closed. As reported by PTI, he stated, I dont think this is a closed subject. India has developed some kind of mechanism in Agnipath and would like to use the same mechanism to recruit from Nepal. Nepal is saying something different. We would like to go for the older system. That is what it is. The Gorkhas from Nepal have been serving in the Indian Army for a long time now. After the introduction of the Agnipath scheme in June last year, the Nepal government stopped the recruitment of Gorkhas into the Indian Army. They claimed that the schemes recruiting process does not conform with the Britain-India-Nepal Tripartite Agreement. As per the Agnipath Scheme, the Centre stated that youth who will be recruited for the army, navy and air force should be between the age of 17.5 years and 21 years, and they will be inducted for four years; and 25 per cent of them will be inducted for regular service. Nepal wants the Gorkha recruitment to be followed as per the old scheme. Reportedly, Nishchal Nath Pandey, the director of the Center for South Asian Studies in Kathmandu raised his concerns in an interview with a portal. He said, The concern is that these young lads will return in a few years without the wherewithal of what to do next in their lives. He further added, They can go into alcoholism, drugs and even join some sort of insurgency as they will be trained in combat. The Department of Medical Education and Research, Haryana will conclude the counselling registration process for Haryana NEET UG 2023 today, i.e., July 29. Candidates who are still interested in participating in the NEET UG counselling process of the state can apply on the official website of DMER Haryana at uhsrugcounselling.com until 11:59 PM. Haryana NEET UG Counselling: Steps to Register Step 1: Log on to the official website of DMER Haryana, i.e., uhsrugcounselling.com. Step 2: On the homepage, locate and click on the link that states, New Registration. Step 3: A new login window will appear. Now, you have to register yourself and login to the account. Step 4: Once logged in, fill in the application form by adding all the necessary details and attaching the required documents. Step 5: Next, pay the Haryana NEET UG counselling registration fee through online mode. Step 6: Carefully check all the details in the form and click on the submit option. Step 7: If required, download the NEET UG counselling confirmation page for your reference. The provisional allotment of seats will be published on July 30. Candidates can submit their grievances, if any, on the provisional allocation list till July 31. The online deposition of tuition fees through the admission web portal will commence from July 31 to August 4, 2023. Further, for the document verification of candidates who have been allotted seats and paid the requisite provisional tuition fee online through Admission Web portal only will be start from August 5, 9 AM onwards till August 8. Once the documents are submitted successfully, candidates will be able to download the provisional admission letter from August 5 to August 8. It is important to note that the last date to join the allotted institute is August 8, until 5 PM. Any admissions made by any private medical/dental educational & research institutes including those under private university in the state at its own level shall not be valid and such admission shall be considered as null and void, states the official website. It is essential for candidates to adhere to the deadlines and guidelines mentioned to secure their admission successfully. The process aims to ensure a smooth and efficient allocation of seats and admission into institutes, and candidates are advised to keep themselves updated with the schedule and instructions provided by the admission authorities. For all the latest updates, candidates can visit the official website of DMER Haryana atuhsrugcounselling.com. The so-far completely autonomous IIMs are likely to have their autonomy diluted as the President is set to be the visitor to all the institutes with powers to conduct an audit of their functioning, order inquiries as well as appoint or remove its directors, as per a bill to amend the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017, introduced in Lok Sabha on Friday. The bill being introduced in parliament met with disruptions made by the opposition over the Manipur situation. According to the new bill, the President of India shall be the Visitor of every IIM. The Visitor may appoint one or more persons to review the work and progress of any institute and to hold inquiries into the affairs thereof and to report thereon in such manner as the Visitor may direct, the draft bill stated. So far, the premier IIMs under the existing Act allowed these business schools greater autonomy to be run by its board of governors, with each institute having 19 members including only one representative each from central and state governments. The board had the power to make decisions on policy questions related to administration and working of the institutes. Here are some of the powers held by the board of governors of the IIMs: Examining and approval of annual budget estimates; establishing departments, faculties or school of studies Setting up centres of management studies and allied areas within the country under intimation to the central government Granting degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions or titles Creating academic, administrative, technical and other posts Making appointments provided that the cadre, pay scales, allowances and terms of employment shall be as per rules laid down by the Centre Nominating its remaining members from among eminent personalities, faculty and alumni Forming panels for the appointment of new directors and chairpersons, and finalising those appointments. The draft amendment bill, however, proposes that the search-cum-selection panel for the directors appointment will have a Visitors nominee. the services of the director may be terminated by the Visitor, in such a manner as may be prescribed the draft stated. Last year, the ministry of education (MoE) had informed the institutes about a new procedure being worked out to form search-cum-selection committees for the appointment of chairpersons. The board of governors of the institutes were asked to extend the tenure of the existing chairpersons till the new procedure comes into place. This, however, did not go down well with the administration of the institutes with several board members describing it as interference in their matters. Concerns were raised on the possible dilution of the autonomy of the IIMs. Amid disruptions in the House, the bill will now come up for consideration and passage next week, said minister of state for parliamentary affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal while listing out government business for next week. Internships are an excellent way to begin or restart your career. It exposes you to the everyday rigours and demands of a career without needing a definite commitment to that particular profession. Internships can also help you determine whether a particular profession is a good fit for your personality and skills. Among the several possibilities accessible in the market, java development stands out as a rapidly expanding business. Being a java developer is a well-paying and in-demand job in the information technology (IT) industry. Below is a list of companies who are actively looking for interns in the interesting field of java development. Take a peek at this list: -Sunbase Data: Sunbase Data is currently hiring candidates for java development. This work-from-home opportunity offers a six-month term and an immediate start date. The monthly stipend is Rs 30,000 per month. Collaborating with senior developers to design, develop, and test Java-based applications is a key component of the responsibilities of the role. Candidates should have detailed understanding of core Java concepts and object-oriented programming principles. The last date to apply is August 10 and the number of vacancies is two. -Go Digital Technology Consulting: This Mumbai based company is offering a two-month internship programme in java development with a salary of Rs 15,000 per month. Making designs and technical decisions for angular projects to working with development teams to ideate software solutions are among the prime responsibilities. Those interested can apply until August 4. Candidates who have good understanding and knowledge of MySQL database, join (SQL), and table structures can apply. -Sonetel: Sonetel, which is also located in Mumbai is offering a java development internship with an immediate start date and a duration of six months. The selected intern will be responsible for developing application code as well as unit tests in the AngularJS, Rest Web Services. They will also have to work with the development team to ideate software solutions. Only one vacancy is available for this internship programme. -Maxgen Technologies Private Limited (Navi Mumbai): Maxgen Technologies Pvt Ltd is offering internship in advance java, core java, and hibernate. Selected candidates will be expected to start immediately and the location is Navi Mumbai. During the in-office internship, trainees will gain practical experience by working on real-world projects. This internship offers ambitious java developers a fantastic venue to present their abilities and acquire useful experience in the industry. -TwoDots Software Services (OPC) Private Limited: TwoDots is located in Pune and is offering a java development internship with an immediate start date and a duration of six months. Candidates will be paid Rs 15,000 per month as a stipend. Four openings are available for this internship programme, and candidates can apply until August 10. The selected intern will be responsible for developing modules and delivering them on time. They will also work with the team and develop software modules using Java. The recently launched National Exit Test (NExT) will not be tougher than the National Eligibility Cumulative Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG), according to Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The health minister remarked this during the inauguration event of a number of facilities including the emergency room, at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh on July 26. During an engagement session with students, he gave important information on the newly adopted NExT. The health minister stated that students would receive their MBBS degrees from their individual universities, but in order to be eligible for a postgraduate seat and obtain a registration to practise, students must pass NExT. Just like a law graduate gets his degree from his university, but has to appear for an exam to practice in a court, you will get your MBBS degree from your university, but to get yourself registered for practice, you have to appear for NExT, Health Minister Mandaviya said as quoted as saying. He also claimed that NExT will have two uses; first you can get admission to a postgraduate programme and second can get registration for practice. He added that NExT will not be tougher than NEET. Its merit system of 50 per cent will not harass students. Students who could pass NEET can pass NExT, Health Minister Mandaviya adds. Sharing more details on it, the minister asserted that he does not want to conduct separate practical exams for NExT as the university practical would be considered. The health minister further urged students not to be misled about the new exam, adding that he had informed the National Medical Commission (NMC) that he would be in charge of its administration. Earlier this month, the mock exam for NExT got cancelled. A National Medical Commission (NMC) official recently announced that the NExT mock test scheduled for July 28 has been cancelled, and that the registration fee will be returned. The mock examination was set so that candidates could practise for the genuine NExT exam 2023. For admission to postgraduate courses and to practice medicine in the country, NExT will replace the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) PG. NExT will commence with the 2024 graduating class and will be required of all undergraduate MBBS students. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam 2023 today, July 29 at the Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam will be held on July 29 and 30. The Samagam is held in conjunction with the third anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. PM Modi LIVE The Samagam will consist of sixteen sessions with discussions on various topics. This includes, among other things, Equitable and Inclusive Education, National Institute Ranking Framework, Internationalisation of Education, Access to Quality Education and Governance, and Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Group Issues. Prime Minister Modi unveiled the first instalment of funding from the PM SHRI Scheme during the programme. The schools under this scheme will educate students to become active, productive, and contributing citizens for the purpose of constructing an equitable, inclusive, and plural society, as envisioned by the NEP 2020. Prime Minister Modi also unveiled books on education and skill development that have been translated into 12 Indian languages. Prime Minister inaugurated two days Shiksha Mahakumbh with his inaugural address at the event. The opening event of the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam 2023 began with Prime Minister Modi being welcomed by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. This is the second edition of the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam, which coincides with the National Environment Policy 2020. Before the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with children at the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam 2023. He went to an exhibition put on by students all throughout the country. The inaugural session began at 10 a.m. and was broadcast live on Doordarshan, major TV stations, YouTube, and other platforms. The live webcast was accessible at webcast.gov.in/moe. The two-day event will provide an opportunity for academics, teachers, policymakers, sector experts, industry representatives, and students from schools, higher education, and skilling institutions, among others, to share their insights, success stories, and best practises in implementing the NEP 2020 and devise strategies for moving it forward. The National Education Policy was introduced with the goal of grooming the youth and preparing them to lead the country in Amrit Kaal, guided by Prime Minister Modis vision. It tries to prepare children for future difficulties while keeping them grounded in fundamental human values. Students across the country, from school up to higher education, will now be able to study in their mother tongue as textbooks will be available in 22 Indian languages soon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while addressing a gathering on the occasion of the third anniversary of the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan. At the event which consisted of students, teachers, academics, scholars, cabinet ministers, officials and other stakeholders the prime minister launched 100 books in 12 Indian languages in line with NEP 2020s aim of promoting regional languages. Textbooks will be available in 22 Indian languages now. Studying in their regional language will help promote the talent of Indian youth. If the youth have confidence of the language, then their skills and talents will also get a platform, said PM Modi, who also inaugurated the two-day-long Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam at the event. PM Modi also inaugurated the first instalment of the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) funds. The total cost of the project will be Rs 27,360 crore spread over a period of five years which includes central share of Rs 18,128 crore. Stressing on learning in the home language, Modi said most developed countries the world over such as Europe use only their mother tongue as a medium of instruction but so far in India, speaking or imparting education in the regional language was looked down upon. But, the implementation of NEP and developing of books in regional languages will now help leave that sentiment behind. Learning in mother tongue is also a step towards social justice. So far, students, in particular from rural areas, were discriminated against on the basis of the language they spoke. Those not knowing English were not recognised for their talent readily, but now it will be a thing of the past, the PM said. From social science to engineering, students will be able to study all disciplines in Indian languages, he added. NEP 2020 envisages teaching primary school students up to class 5 in the mother tongue. Also, it underlines the need for making high-quality higher education available in Indian languages. The new policy was launched by the Union government on July 29, 2020, with an aim to transform the education system, aligning it with needs of the future while keeping it rooted in Indianness. When we introduced NEP, a huge challenge lay before all of us. But with the help of teachers, academicians, experts and students, we were able to make it a success. They took it as a mission to implement it across the country, which is a huge feat in itself. I thank all of them for their success, he said. The new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) is also being developed under NEP, the PM said. I am told that the curriculum for the foundational stage has already been released and that for the remaining stages, it will be readied soon, said Modi. The NCF entails changes in the structuring (5+3+3+4) and pedagogy of school education at all levels from foundational learning to secondary levels. Some of the major changes include children to be taught in mother tongue at the early stages. At the secondary level, the major changes proposed include modular board exams and greater flexibility in subject choices. The pre-draft for different stages has already been released while the finalised version of the draft NCF is likely to be ready by year-end, officials had said. Speaking about the need for making institutions future-ready, PM Modi said students of this generation will make India a research hub. While we have two international campuses of IITs opening in Zanzibar and Abu Dhabi, there are several more countries that are requesting us to open more IIT campuses there. Also, many global universities want to establish their campuses in India, the doors for which have been opened, he said. Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while welcoming the prime minister at the event, said the education policy shows Indias progress and the way forward for its youth. This education policy showcases Indias emotions and progress, he said. Today marks the three years of National Education Policy 2020. With an aim to completely overhaul the Indian education system, the Narendra Modi-led government introduced the policy with much fanfare. It is fair to say that the National Education Policy or NEP 2020 has broken some conventional career routes and tried to adopt skills and knowledge that suit the current and future market demands. It not only aims to transform the education sector from K to 12 but also focuses on early childhood care and learning, teacher training, and student exchange programs. It emphasises on student-centric approach by paving the way for multiple entry and exit points for UG courses. Also Read: Three Years of NEP 2020: From Indovation Centres to FYUP, Implementation of Policy in HEIs Delhi University is the only university across the country that has adopted the NEP 2020 model in a full-fledged manner for its UG courses, claimed VC Yogesh Singh. While for PG courses, the process is underway, he added. However, several students seem unsure about the varsitys implementation of NEP. I fear whether the process will be seamless or not. Sometimes it takes a lot of time for the administration to respond and the process of entry and exit can get delayed," said one student. Entry-exit options for the students is a good step but has the potential to increase or decrease the student ratio with that of teacher and class size," said another, who wished not to be named. If a candidate enters DU in the first year and exits at the start of the second year and after a year wants to re-enter in the second year of the course, how will his or her admission take place? What criteria will be followed, will he or she have to re-appear for CUET or other eligibility elements will be put to play? Further what will be the chance of the students to get a re-entry among other students who would have also applied for re-entry," a protesting student from a student association said. Also read| Privatisation A Myth For NEP, Says DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh DU administration has not cleared whether a first-year drop student can continue his second year from the same college or can migrate to another college under the migration policy during admissions in university," said another protesting student. Meanwhile, a student from Ramjas College pursuing Hindi Hons believe that the multiple entry-exit option is good, especially for students with financial constraints. Moreover, after a year in UG, if a student comes to know his or her real interest, they will have the option to stop investing in the UG course and take the certificate or diploma from the DU and can then pursue the other course." Also Read: NEP 2020: Will PARAKH Streamline Students Assessment, Evaluation Rules Across State Boards? The policy offers students the flexibility to leave a UG course after completing a year or two and get the corresponding certification. For instance, if a student leaves a course of four-year duration after one year they will get a certificate, while after finishing it in two, they will get a diploma. After three years they will receive a degree. Students wont lose any credits if they take a break from their studies and then resume thanks to the NEP 2020, says a philosophy professor at DU. With this change, students will be able to create their own degrees. More freedom than ever before will be given to students to choose the major and minor courses they want to take. There are chances that it can revolutionise the Indian higher education system where only interested students with aptitude and determination to learn a subject will complete the degree through multiple entry and exit point system." Continuation With Credit Based System A credit system is a methodical technique to categorise a curriculum by assigning credits to each of its elements. In essence, a credit is a unit of measurement for coursework. The number of credit hours" that a student must study for a course is how much work they must do. The amount of time allotted for each sort of course or course activity. These hours must be completed by students in order to receive the credits they earn. For instance, a student might need to spend 28 hours in the lab to obtain 14 credits. The system is significant for a continual assessment of a students development and growth. Credit-based system gives ample opportunity to a learner to pursue education as per his or her choice. Additionally, it offers various avenues for the teachers to assess the student capabilities and competencies with holistic development," said an ad-hoc teacher from Hindu College. While a student from DU said, Since I need to achieve various credits, I fail to devote time to any particular subject." National Research Foundation Bill Lately, the Indian Union Cabinet approved the National Research Foundation Bill with an aim to strengthen, catalyse and channel interdisciplinary research to accelerate Indias ambitious development agenda, through impactful knowledge creation and its translation. It also aims to minimise the duplication of the research. The foundation will emphasis on domains like science, arts, humanities, innovation, and entrepreneurship. It is a positive step and will promote the uniqueness of the research content else many opt for duplication. These duplications thus do not make Indias research worthwhile as compared to other countries. Funding is an issue but I hope this foundation works well and at least makes the stipend of PhD scholars at par with international standards," a PhD scholar in management said. Another scholar pursuing his PhD in classical studies said that recognition is given to researchers from Science or STEM backgrounds usually in India and not to those from humanities. As PM will chair the grouping, I hope the same value is given to every domain including the stipend level as well which is really important for us," he said. The launch of the National Education Policy (NEP) on July 29, 2020, which restructured the countrys education system, marked an important milestone in the education sector in India. The policy aimed to modernise the countrys educational landscape. It highlights the significance of comprehensive and equitable learning and focuses on delivering excellent educational opportunities to all, irrespective of socioeconomic background. Now that the NEP 2020 has been launched three years, its time to look into the changes it has brought and the effects it has had on many facets of education. Also Read: NEP 2020: Will PARAKH Streamline Students Assessment, Evaluation Rules Across State Boards? Adoption of Indian Ancient Knowledge In Higher Education In accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which places a strong focus on employing Indian knowledge in higher education curricula, the Union Ministry of Education (MoE) established an Indian Knowledge System division within the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The Indian Knowledge System (IKS) projects will be carried out through Indovation centres" that the AICTE aims to establish all around the country. According to IKS guidelines, students can now earn credits under the National Credit Framework (NCrF) by possessing knowledge of the Vedas, Puranas, and other ancient Indian books. Introduction of 4-year UG Honours degree In an effort to make higher education more multidisciplinary, the NEP 2020 indicated that students will henceforth be required to study for four years, rather than three, in order to get a UG Honours degree. After completing 120 credits, students will receive a UG degree in three years, and after finishing 160 credits, they will receive a UG Honours degree in four years. The traditional three-year graduation programmes offered by central institutions will be run concurrently with the Four Year Undergraduate Programmes (FYUP). Additionally, several entry and exit options will be available to students. Promoting Regional languages as a medium of Instruction One of the recommendations of the NEP 2020 is to make medical and other technical course materials available in the local tongue. President Droupadi Murmu introduced engineering textbooks in Odia in November of last year in an effort to make education more widely available. Following suit, the Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) also announced that it will provide BTech courses for first-year students in Hindi. In an effort to provide medical instruction in the Hindi language, Madhya Pradesh issued three medical textbooks last year for first-year MBBS students. Several other languages will be implemented in medical and technical education, and textbooks are being developed in these languages. UGC Guidelines For Multidisciplinary Education The transition of HEIs into diversified universities and colleges is a key component of NEP 2020. In this regard, the UGC released a number of rules on multidisciplinary education, including the provision of online degree programmes, credit transfer through registration in the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), and a number of other matters. The UGC also recommends collaboration between institutions and mergers of organisations operating under the same administration in order to maximise the utilisation of academic and physical resources and provide a multidisciplinary education. Approval of new engineering institutions In accordance with the NEP 2020, preference will be given to HEIs that would provide courses in multi-disciplinary STEM fields, based on guidelines provided in the AICTE handbook. Students must sign up for at least three core engineering courses moving ahead. The AICTE had placed a moratorium on new engineering colleges owing to low admissions, but it was overturned due to the rising trend of students choosing core engineering topics, resulting in the approval of 89 new engineering institutions. Parliament is the temple of democracy and parliamentary procedures the rites by which the will of the people is translated into practice. But the terms and jargon involved in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha processes can be difficult to grasp. The News18 series, House Talk, brings you a ready reckoner to make sure that none of it is Greek to you. In the ongoing monsoon session of the Parliament, several important bills have been lined up in the House for discussion and voting. Some bills like the Delhi Ordinance Bill is a significant one where the ruling party and the opposition are poles apart on the legislation. Ahead of the voting on the bill, several opposition parties have issued whips to their party MPs to remain present in the house during its introduction. In this context, this article will discuss two important tools that the Members of the Parliament and parties use a means to gather support and protest: Whip and Walkout. What is a Whip? In parliamentary practice, a whip may be referred to both a written order to members of a party in the House to abide a certain direction or to a designated official of the party who is authorised to issue such a direction. The term traces its roots to the old British practice of whipping in lawmakers to follow the party line. In the context of Indian Parliament, a whip is a written order that a political party issue to its members to be present in the House for an important vote or vote in a particular way. Under the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law), a political party has a constitutional right to issue a whip to its legislators. Types of Whips There are three types of whips: One-line whip: A one-line whip is to inform the members about a vote and allows a member to abstain in case they decide not to follow the party line. Two-line whip: A two-line whip directs the members to be present in the House during voting. However, no special instructions are given on the pattern of voting. Three-line whip: A three-line whip is the strictest of all the whip and is issued to members directing them to vote as per the party line. What Happens if a Whip in Violated? If a member or some members violate partys whip, they can be disqualified from the House under the Anti Defection Act. however, if more than a third of the legislators vote against a directive, then they cannot be defected. What is Walkout? Disruptions and walkouts have become favourite tools in the legislative strategy of political parties. Walkout is a medium of protest where members of a party, generally the opposition, walks out of the parliament or a state legislature boycotting a proposed motion or agenda. Unlike whip, the term walkout has not been defined in Rules of Conduct and Parliamentary Etiquette and therefore there are no laws governing or prohibiting it. It is frequently witnessed during disruptions in the House where the opposition tries to stall the proceedings of the day. However, walkouts doesnt stop the proceedings or affect the voting on a motion. Instead, it hurts the opposition numbers as the quorum of the house is reduced and the votes required for a simple or absolute majority is decreased. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the Special Operations Forces on their professional holiday. The Head of State thanked the defenders for their bravery in the war against Russian occupants. ADVERTISIMENT According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian Special Forces perform a wide range of combat missions in the most dangerous and difficult conditions. The president posted the congratulations on his Telegram page (scroll to the bottom of the page to see the photo). Zelenskyy noted that the Special Forces soldiers skilfully confront the Russian aggressor, having no obstacles they could not overcome. "Warriors with unbreakable will, endurance, intelligence, courage and perseverance. Ukrainian Special Forces. You perform a wide range of combat missions in the most dangerous and difficult conditions. You skilfully resist the Russian aggressor, having no obstacles that you cannot overcome," the President said. The Head of State thanked the Special Forces for their courage, heroic performance of duty and self-sacrifice. ADVERTISIMENT Zelenskyy also added that it is impossible to tell everything about the courage of the Special Forces soldiers now - only after the war. The Head of State stressed that the defenders perform the most difficult and risky operations. The warriors are destroying the logistics of Russian terrorists and taking other very powerful and principled steps to liberate Ukrainian land. The President noted that he had visited the frontline positions of the Special Operations Forces in the Bakhmut sector. The Head of State congratulated the servicemen on the holiday, listened to the report of the commander and talked to the servicemen. "Even though you can't tell us details about the current operations of the Special Forces - only later, but the tasks you guys have performed for the sake of Ukraine are truly heroic. Glory to the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Honour!" - the President wrote. ADVERTISIMENT According to the President, the Ukrainian Special Forces soldiers did not allow the occupation of our country and the destruction of Ukraine. The Guarantor thanked the defenders for the fact that 520 days after the start of the war, the Special Operations Forces continue to show their heroism and courage. ADVERTISIMENT As a reminder, the SSO snipers showed how they eliminate the occupiers in Donetsk region. The defenders accurately and efficiently worked on the enemy's positions. Earlier, the Special Operations Forces showed how they cleared Staromayorske. As a result of coordinated actions, the Russian occupiers were forced to surrender. As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the Special Operations Forces presented footage showing the fighting of Ukrainian defenders near an island on the Dnipro River. Five Russian occupants were neutralised during the fighting. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available in our Obozrevatel Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on IndiGo for tail strikes during recent landings. The fine comes after four tail strike incidents on IndiGos Airbus A321 aircraft within a span of six months this year. Following the incidents, the DGCA carried out a special audit of the airline in June and found systemic deficiencies in operations, training and engineering procedures. The airline regulators served a show cause notice on the airline to which Indigo responded by saying that no procedures have been violated. However, the DGCA found the reply unsatisfactory and imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh. Indigo, Indias largest carrier, has a fleet of more than 300 planes and operates over 1,800 flights daily. It flies to more than 100 destinations, including international ones. Why does a Tail Strike Occur? A tail strike occurs when the rear end of an aircrafts body scrapes the ground during landing or take-off. While tail strikes occur during take-off, a majority of such incidents happen during the landing. Though it can occur during strong winds or unnatural weather conditions like strong crosswinds, but it is more likely to occur when the aircraft takes on a high attack angle" during landing or take-off. According to a report in The Indian Express, over 65 percent of tail strikes occur during landings. Such incidents can also cause significant damage to the plane. Even if the planes are not damaged, there are thorough inspections conducted to ensure that the plane is fit and ready to fly again. What Causes Tail Strikes? There are an enormous number of factors that comes into play during a planes landing and take-off. Therefore, tail Strikes occur due to a range of factors including human error, erroneous data, the wrong weights, or incorrect center of gravity. A significant factor that appears to be common in many tail strike incidents is the lack of flight crew experience with the aircraft model being flown, according to Boeing. Moreover, an unstabilised approach is seen as the biggest single cause of tail strike. While the pilots set off the approach variables like centerline, approach path and speed while landing, it is not always stabilised as the plane approaches the runway. According to Boeing, if the plane descends through 500 feet and the approach variables are not stabilised, a go-around should be considered rather than the landing. How to prevent tail strikes? Tail strikes are preventable and pilots can use many types of strategies to avoid these costly accidents. The pilots should be given proper training on tail strikes and correct flight procedures should be rigorously implemented. DGCA imposed a penalty of Rs 30 lakh on IndiGo due to four tail strikes in 6 months. During audit of the incidents, governments civil aviation body found deficiency in IndiGos training and engineering procedure. @ridhimb explains#IndiGo #DGCA #TailStrikes pic.twitter.com/ZRr952Wzp6 News18 (@CNNnews18) July 28, 2023 During take-offs, pilots must also deploy certain tactics to ward off tail strikes due to rotation-related risk factors. During landing, where most strikes occur, the most common risk factors include an unstabilised approach, holding the airplane off the runway in the flare and mishandling of crosswinds. Recently, some Boeing aircraft are fitted with a tail strike protection system that uses a combination of software and hardware to protect the airplane. Tail strikes mostly occur to pilots who are transitioning from one plane model to another and have fewer flight hours in the new model. So, in order to avoid such incidents, the pilots should be given proper training and adequate experience before transitioning to new models. The CBI registered a fresh FIR on Saturday against unidentified officials of a shelter home for girls in Muzaffarpur in Bihar, which hit the headlines in 2018 for large-scale sexual abuse of inmates, in connection with a missing girl who was shown as reunited with parents in 2015 based on forged documents. Brajesh Thakur whose NGO ran the shelter home, Balika Gruh, was sentenced to imprisonment till their last breath by a special CBI court in 2020. The CBI during its probe found details of a physically and mentally disabled girl, who was shown on paper to have been reunited with her parents in 2015, remains missing. During further investigation of that case, it was revealed that one minor girlwho was physically and mentally disabled and was reportedly restored on November 10 to her fatherin compliance of the order dated November 10, 2015, purportedly passed by Child Welfare Committee, Sitamarhi," the FIR alleged. When the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) dug further it found that the voter ID cards of persons claiming to be the father and his wife were fake. It was also found that Nathuni Mukhiya, the identifier of the father and his wife, is a fictitious person and no such person ever functioned as Mukhiya of the said village and it has also established that release orderdated November 10, 2015, was not signed by Mansi Samadar, the then chairperson, and Renu Kumari Singh, the then member, CWC (Child Welfare Committee) Sitamarhi. The said order was found to be fake and forged," the CBI has alleged. Based on the report, the Bihar government handed over the probe to the CBI in March this year which has now registered the FIR. Thakur is currently serving a life sentence after a Delhi court in February 2020 sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment till the remainder of his life" and imposed a fine of Rs 32.20 lakh on him in the shelter home case. The sexual abuse of inmates of the shelter home had come to light on May 26, 2018, after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences submitted a report to the Bihar government highlighting it. Security was ramped up in Delhis Nangloi area on Saturday after stones were pelted during a tazia" procession on the occasion of Muharram, injuring 12, including six policemen and damaging several vehicles, officials said. Several government buses were damaged by a group of men participating in the procession. Stones were pelted and the windows and windshields of many vehicles were broken, according to CNN-News18. According to the viral videos, people riding in buses and other vehicles were seen trying to protect themselves from the chaos. In one of the viral video seen by News18, miscreants with sticks and stones damaged government buses on a busy road in outer Delhi. The video, shot from inside a DTC bus, showed a group of people hurling stones and beating the bus as it passed by. One of the people inside the bus is heard telling other passengers to duck down as the sounds of sticks hitting the bus and stones pelting echoed. Rearview mirrors, glass windows and windshields of several DTC buses were seen shattered following the incident. Police sources said some individuals deliberately attempted to disturb the peace and tranquility of Delhi. The Delhi Police may soon register a case under several serious sections for disturbing communal harmony, they said. People involved in the procession wanted the tazia" to be taken inside the Surajmal Stadium as well, News18 reports said. However, the gate of the stadium was closed and the police did not allow them to enter. This made some people enraged and they began pelting stones. The situation is now normal, police said and a large number of forces have been deployed on the spot. Police said six police personnel and six volunteers, including five women, suffered minor injuries and some police vehicles were damaged during the stone pelting incident, according to a PTI report. Delhi Police DCP, outer district, Harendra Singh said around 8,000-10,000 people had gathered in the area for several tazia" processions and were initially moving peacefully. However, a few organizers decided to take a different path from the prescribed tazia" route for which we had given permission. When we denied them, they began misbehaving," he said. To control them and ensure public safety, a mild lathi-charge was administered and they were dispersed. Some police officials received minor injuries and some police vehicles were damaged, but the situation is now under control," the official said. Special Commissioner of Police Sagar Preet Hooda reached the Outer Delhi area and took stock of the situation," Singh added. Even as the world witnessed its hottest summer on record, the G20 responsible for 80 per cent of the worlds emissions struggled to reach consensus on key climate areas. Despite the Indian presidencys persistent efforts to achieve ambitious outcomes, the G20 climate ministerial talks ended in Chennai with no conclusive agreement on scaling up emission reduction targets. The member countries unanimously adopted an outcome document agreeing on 62 of the 66 paragraphs, barring the last four with members divergent views on scaling up energy transition and emission reduction and how to reflect them in this document. There was no agreement on the call by some member countries for global peaking of emissions by 2025, and reduction in emissions by 60 per cent by 2035 over 2019 levels. The document rightly acknowledges that the efforts are insufficient to limit the global temperatures to 1.5. However, given how the world is impacted by increasing incidences of heatwaves and floods, we are sitting on a ticking bomb. The transition should be fair, just and equitable, but we need increased commitments and more importantly increased implementation of energy transition across sectors, said Vibhuti Garg, Director, South Asia, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The intense negotiations concluded on Friday with the last Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group and Environment and Climate Ministers meeting. Over 225 delegates, including 41 ministers from G20 member and guest countries participated in the two-day meeting. There were representatives of 23 international organisations, including UNEP, UNFCCC, UNCCD as well as COP28. The countries also discussed gaps in climate scenarios and models, depleting carbon budgets, historical, current and projected emissions, and emphasised the need for actions for reducing non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions including methane by 2030. COP28 PREZ IMPLORES G20 TO ACT In a late plea on Thursday, COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber and UN climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell had implored G20 nations to agree to targets on phasing down fossil fuels and tripling clean energy. Leadership by the G20 is indispensable to enable an inclusive and ambitious development agenda that demonstrates to the world that the transformation towards a net-zero comes with great benefits, he said. Though the environment ministers discussed tripling renewable energy capacity, the phasing down of unabated fossil fuel, doubling energy efficiency at the meeting, there was no agreement on this. The member countries also agreed to submit the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) informed by the outcomes of the global stocktake. There were other statements reiterating the need to limit temperature rise to 1.5 and recognising the IPCC Synthesis report. It also acknowledged that impacts of climate change will be much lower at a temperature increase of 1.5C compared with 2C and reiterate our resolve to pursue further efforts to limit the increase to 1.5C. KEY POSITIVE OUTCOMES Representing the meeting, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav encouraged collaboration among nations in tackling the complex and interconnected challenges of climate change towards a sustainable and resilient future. Despite other differences, the G20 successfully adopted positive measures on deforestation, blue economy, circular economy, ecosystem restoration, halting and reversing biodiversity loss, water management and combatting plastic pollution. In a landmark move, all member countries also adopted an outcome document on Chennai High Level Principles for a Sustainable and Resilient Blue/Ocean-based Economy. It aims at encouraging conservation, protection, and responsible use of ocean resources, while enhancing resilience against climate impacts. Yadav also highlighted that the launch of an industry-led Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC) also marked a significant milestone under Indias G20 presidency. However, as the world gears up for the first-ever Global Stocktake for climate action at the upcoming COP28 in November, experts asserted that it is crucial for G20 nations to significantly raise their ambition, and India has an opportunity to drive the new engine of the global economy by leading the Leaders summit in September to course correct climate action. India must persist in applying pressure throughout the upcoming deliberations to ensure a meaningful outcome, remarked Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trend. Punjab Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a module of the foreign-based Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and foiled a conspiracy by Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to carry out disruptive activities in the border state ahead of Independence Day. Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said five members of the module have been arrested. Following intelligence inputs that some terrorist elements based abroad have organised a terror module by recruiting foot soldiers through criminals lodged in jails, and they have been hatching a conspiracy to target minority leaders, police officials, and other prominent individuals in order to disturb the peace and harmony of the state, the State Special Operating Cell (SSOC) of SAS Nagar immediately registered a case and launched a special operation. During the approximately two-week-long operation, which involved meticulous intelligence gathering, technical analysis and swift action, five operatives of this terrorist module involved in the nefarious plot were apprehended," said DGP Yadav. He said investigations have revealed that the links of this new module have been established with the same foreign-based handler which had targeted Rajeev Mahajan in Batala on June 24. They were controlling this separate module through these operatives to carry out different target killings in the state, he said. Shop owner Rajeev Mahajan, his brother Anil Mahajan and Anils son Manav were shot at their electronics store by unknown assailants in June. Investigations have also revealed that operatives of KLF, using the fake name Ranjodh Singh," have been engaged in talent spotting in India and recruiting foot soldiers through people lodged in jail. Additionally, they employ fake narratives on social media to influence impressionable youth and transfer money into their bank accounts to motivate them to carry out target killings in Punjab. AIG SSOC SAS Nagar, Ashwani Kapur, said that it was discovered that foreign-based handlers of KLF had provided a list of target persons, and module members had already conducted recce of some of the targets. Further investigations are ongoing, he added. A case had been registered under sections 153, 153-A and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), sections 25(7) and 25 of the Arms Act and sections 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) at Police Station SSOC SAS Nagar. In a Bollywood-like scam, a gang of six thieves took money and valuables worth Rs 36 lakhs from a retired PWD officials residence under the pretext of a raid while posing as police officers. According to TOI, the thieves, who were posing as Anti-Corruption Bureau officials and raided Kantilal Yadavs house. He is a retired official from the public works department. As per the complaint filed by the victim last week, around six men, claiming to be officials from Mumbai Polices Anti-Corruption Bureau barged into Yadavs house and said they were ordered to search. The thieves confiscated the mobile phones of Yadav and his wife and made them sit beside one of the thieves who were leading them, till the house search was done. Yadavs wife was told to hand over the cupboard keys. When Yadav insisted on seeing the bearded mans identity, the latter refused, and said it would be shown after the raid was concluded, TOI reported. While Yadav and his wife were ordered to sit with their leader, the other five accomplices rummaged through all the cupboards in the three-bedroom flat. During the fake search, the six-member and was able to dig out Rs 25.25 lakh cash, a gold chain worth Rs 3.80 lakh, a ring and a bracelet collectively valued at Rs 4.20 lakh, a diamond ring worth Rs 40,000, a diamond-studded gold mangal sutra worth Rs 80,000 and two wrist watches worth at least Rs 10,000, TOI report said. The gang members stuffed the valuables in a leather bag taken from one of the cupboards and left. Mumbai Police has beefed up security at Chabad House, also known as Nariman House, after the NIA found Google images of the location with terror suspects. The agency had questioned some accused linked to a terror module in a case being probed by the Pune anti-terrorism squad, where four people have been arrested so far. During their interrogation, the NIA questioned the accused and found they had Google pictures of Chabad House in Colaba. This information was later shared with the Pune ATS and Mumbai Police. Mumbai Police personnel conducted a mock drill around the location on Thursday and security of the place has been beefed up since. What is the case about? The ATS had last week arrested a Pune resident for giving shelter to two terror suspects wanted by Kothrud police. Following this, two people were arrested from Ratnagiri and Gondia. Kothrud police had registered a case when they found that the two suspects were attempting to steal a two-wheeler. The two were wanted by the NIA for their involvement in a terror-related case in Rajasthan. Sources in the ATS said the accused were involved in terror-related activities and had been trained in different methods of sabotage as well as were working on terror plans. The ATS has now arrested two more people, taking the total number of people arrested in this case to four. Why is Chabad House prominent? Chabad House, which was renamed as Nariman Lighthouse on the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai 26/11 attacks, was among the 12 locations where 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out coordinated attacks across four days in Mumbai in 2008. It is a Jewish outreach centre, which was then run by Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg. During the attack, six of its occupants, including Holtzberg and his wife, who was six months pregnant, were killed. Their two-year-old son Moshe survived the attack after being rescued by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel. A 45-year-old woman was injured after a one-storey house collapsed in Mumbais Dharavi on Saturday, prompting authorities to vacate a few rooms in its vicinity, an official said. The ground-plus-one structure on 90 Feet Road collapsed around 8.15 am, trapping a woman, the fire official said. Mumbai received heavy rains in the past few days. The woman, identified as Priya Selva Raj, was pulled from under the debris and taken to civic-run Sion hospital. Three to four nearby rooms were vacated as a precautionary measure, he added. Dharavi is a sprawling slum pocket in central Mumbai. Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on Friday directed the administration to solve traffic issues and ensure a smoother commute. He was speaking at a meeting conducted in Mumbai to discuss road conditions and the traffic situation, especially on the Wada-Bhiwandi stretch and the Mumbai-Nashik Highway. Shinde also directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to fill all potholes in two days and avoid heavy traffic along the route. Public Works Department Minister Ravindra Chavan, Road Development Minister Dada Bhuse, MLCs Satyajit Tambe and Niranjan Davkhare, Thanes collector, police commissioner, and superintendent of police (rural), NHAI officials, and others were present at the high-level meeting chaired by the chief minister. Shinde also set up a task force including members from the Thane Municipal Corporation, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) under the chairmanship of the Thane district collector. He asked the team to follow up constantly and ensure better road conditions, especially in the Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli areas, and along the Mumbai-Nashik highway. The first meeting with the task force will be held on Saturday where detailed measures would be discussed to ease the traffic woes. The traffic issue came under the spotlight when MLC Satyajeet Tambe drew Shindes attention to the matter and spoke about his ordeal when it took him over three hours for a 30-minute drive between Bhiwandi and Kalyan to reach Mumbai by road. Tambe had to ultimately take a local train in order to attend the legislative council session. Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, who is also a regular on the Mumbai-Nashik highway, also raised the issue in the monsoon assembly session and said that he had to walk two kilometres, on which minister Dada Bhuse had assured that potholes will be filled at the earliest and wardens would be deployed to man traffic on the highway. Several leaders had raised the issue of the poor road conditions on the Mumbai-Nasik highway. Bhiwandi legislator Rais Shaikh had also raised the issue of several accidental deaths that happen every year on the route due to potholes. The congestion on this road also affects the traffic in Thane and Mumbai. In the last week of July, for almost three consecutive days traffic jams between Kalyan and Bhiwandi affected vehicular movement in Thane city. Airport authorities on Friday handed over a teenage girl from Rajasthan to police after they learned that the girl was escaping to Pakistan to meet a man she met online. The girl, who is reportedly a minor, was going to Pakistan to meet an Instagram friend but she had no documents needed for international travel. The girl then cooked up a story to convince airport authorities. The officials however suspected something fishy and handed her over to the police after investigation. Airport Station Officer Digpal Singh told PTI that the girl, a resident of Sikars Shrimadhopur, had no documents required for international travel. He also said there is no flight from Jaipur to Pakistan. According to India Today, the girl cooked up a fake story about being a resident of Pakistan who came to India to stay with her aunt. She also told the airport officials that since she is not on good terms with her aunt anymore, she wishes to go back to Pakistan. Stunned by the girls bold story, airport officials thoroughly questioned her which led to her confession. During the interrogation, the official said that the girl confessed that she was going to Pakistan to meet a friend who also guided her on how to deal with the security at the airport. Later the girl was handed over to the police and she accepted that she reached the airport to go to Pakistan to meet her Instagram friend. The family members of the girl have been informed and she would be handed over to them. This comes shortly after a 34-year-old married woman, also from Alwar, Rajasthan, went to Pakistan on a valid passport and visa to meet with her Facebook friend, whom she later got married to. A delegation of the UNESCO mission arrived in Odesa on July 29. The purpose of their visit is to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the damage caused to cultural and religious sites during the Russian missile strikes from 19 to 23 July. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported in the Odesa City Council. Thus, 25 architectural monuments were damaged during the missile attack of the occupants, which took place on the night of July 23. It should be noted that the historical center of Odesa has the status of UNESCO-protected territory. "The work has begun. The mission will fix the consequences of the attacks of the Russians and everything will be documented," the mayor of Odesa Hennadiy Trukhanov said. Earlier, UNESCO announced that it would send its delegation to the city to conduct a preliminary assessment of the damage caused to cultural sites during the attack. ADVERTISIMENT We shall remind you that the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appealed to UNESCO to deprive Russia of its membership in the organization. The appeal was voiced on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people, with 296 people's deputies voted in favor. As reported by OBOZREVATEL, according to UNESCO calculations, the damage to the cultural heritage of Ukraine from the war exceeded $2.5 billion as of February 24, 2023. It was noted that Kharkiv region suffered the most. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information from us in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel, Threads and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! The central government is planning to make Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) mandatory for blood transfusions in the country but in a phased manner, News18 has learnt. It is working on establishing capital blood centres and extension of national EQA (external quality assessment) programmes across India. NAT is the safest blood testing method that detects major and life-threatening viruses which are transmitted through blood such as hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), malaria, and syphilis. Ensuring blood safety against transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI) remains a big challenge across India. According to a letter by the chief of the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC), accessed by News18, NAT is planned to be introduced in a phase-wise hub and spoke manner in India. I would like to inform that the Government of India is committed to provide safe and adequate quantity of blood through an organized blood transfusion service in the country, said the letter written by Anil Kumar, director, NBTC. The letter was to Dr JS Arora, general secretary of the National Thalassemia Welfare Society (NTWS). Arora on behalf of thalassemic patients who undergo hundreds of blood transfusions in their lifetime had urged for making NAT mandatory for blood donors in the country. How govt is planning to provide safe blood With the objective to achieve safe transfusions, the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) under the ministry of health and family welfare is planning to expand the national EQA programme to all states and union territories in a phased manner. The national EQA (external quality assessment) programme allows for a comparison of a laboratorys testing procedures to other laboratories across the country. It involves running blind patient-like samples, and comparing one labs results to peer results, in order to monitor the accuracy of reporting. The government of India is planning to expand the National EQA Programme to all states and UTs in a phase-wise manner and NAT testing facility will also be available in these EQAs centres, the letter said. Thus NAT testing is planned to be introduced in a phase-wise hub and spoke manner. Presently, there are over 50 EQA centres across India. Making of capital blood centres The letter said that the government is also working on a concept proposal on capital blood centre in each state which is envisaged to have NAT testing facility. As per the plan, the government aims to create a capital blood centre as an apex blood screening facility in each state and every hospital that does not have NAT capacity will get its tests done from these centres. While the government is still working on sharpening the proposal, it aims to prevent hospitals from running their own tests unless they have NAT or other recognised testing available. Presently, NAT, as per the letter, is largely available in Institutes of National Importance (INIs) like AIlMS in New Delhi, PGI Chandigarh Some of the states premier institutes like Christian medical college, Vellore, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Lucknow, King Georges Medical University (KGMC) Lucknow etc. also have NAT testing facility, it said. INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP DAY 2023: International Friendship Day is celebrated on July 30th each year. It is a day dedicated to celebrating the importance of friendship and promoting peace, understanding, and harmony among people of different backgrounds and cultures. The essence of International Friendship Day is to celebrate the connections we share with others and to cherish the role friends play in our lives. Whatever you do, make sure its done with love, appreciation, and the intention to strengthen the bonds of friendship. Heres look at history, significance and how to celebrate International Friendship Day 2023. INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP DAY 2023: HOW TO CELEBRATE AT WORKPLACE Celebrating Friendship Day in a corporate setting is a wonderful way to foster a positive work environment, strengthen team dynamics, and promote camaraderie among colleagues. Here are ten ideas to celebrate Friendship Day in your workplace: Friendship Day Luncheon Organize a special lunch event where employees can come together, enjoy a meal, and interact in a relaxed setting. Consider arranging seating to mix different departments and encourage networking. Team-Building Activities Plan team-building activities that focus on building trust and cooperation among employees. These can include outdoor activities, escape rooms, or problem-solving challenges. Recognition Awards Create Friendship Day Awards" to recognize employees who are great team players, have shown acts of kindness, or have been supportive of their colleagues. Acknowledging these qualities can boost morale and inspire others. Appreciation Cards Set up a station with appreciation cards where employees can write notes of gratitude to their colleagues. Encourage them to express their appreciation for the support and friendship they have received. Random Buddy Day Randomly pair employees from different departments or teams to be buddies" for the day. They can spend time together, have a coffee chat, or work on a project, helping them get to know colleagues outside their regular circle. Share Success Stories Allow employees to share stories of successful collaborations or instances where they received help from a colleague. This can be done through an email newsletter or during a team meeting. Charity and Giving Organize a charitable event where employees come together to support a cause they care about. This could be a fundraising drive, a volunteering day, or donating goods to a local charity. Friendship Wall Set up a Friendship Wall" in a common area where employees can post pictures and messages about their workplace friendships. It can create a sense of community and encourage connection. Workplace Quizzes and Games Organize quizzes or games related to colleagues interests, hobbies, or fun facts. Its an entertaining way for employees to learn more about each other and find common ground. Friendship Day Video Create a short video featuring employees sharing what they appreciate most about their colleagues and the friendships they have formed at work. Share the video company-wide or within teams. INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP DAY 2023: HISTORY International Friendship Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the importance of friendship and promoting peace, understanding, and harmony among people of different backgrounds and cultures. The concept of a day to honour friendships and foster goodwill among nations and individuals was first proposed by Dr. Ramon Artemio Bracho, a Paraguayan-American doctor and surgeon, on July 20, 1958, in Paraguay. In 1959, the World Friendship Crusade, an international civil organization that promotes friendship and camaraderie, formally adopted the idea of a World Friendship Day. They chose July 30th as the date for the celebration, and it has been observed on this day ever since in many countries around the world. Over the years, the idea of celebrating International Friendship Day gained popularity, and various countries began adopting the occasion, sometimes on different dates. In some places, its observed on the first Sunday of August. INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP DAY 2023: SIGNIFICANCE The significance of International Friendship Day lies in its ability to bridge gaps and bring people together. Its a day to appreciate the friendships we have, make new friends, and extend a hand of friendship to others, irrespective of race, religion, nationality, or any other differences. Friendship is considered essential for promoting peace and understanding in the world, and this day serves as a reminder of its importance. People often exchange gifts, cards, and messages with their friends on this day to express their love and appreciation. INTERNATIONAL TIGER DAY 2023: July 29 is celebrated as International Tiger Day with an aim to draw attention to all of the global tiger populations that are steadily dwindling. The tiger is a regal animal that plays a critical role in maintaining the health and diversity of the entire ecosystem. This day is a reminder that we, as humans, have to take steps to prevent the species from going extinct. Bollywood has time and again made films in which this animal has played a pivotal role. And on this International Tigers Day, heres a look at films where the regal animal drove the plot: Sherni Director Amit V. Masurkars Sherni features Vidya Balan in the role of an Indian Forest Service officer. In a secluded village, she is tasked with apprehending and confining a man-eating tigress. However, as Vidyas character tries to do her job, she is met with resistance from many sources. Roar - Tigers Of The Sundarbans Kamal Sadanah wrote and directed the 2014 film. It tells the narrative of Uday, a photojournalist on assignment in the Sundarbans. Uday saves and transports a white tiger cub to the hamlet where he is based. But as he gets killed while doingso, his brother Pandit and his team infiltrate the area of the forest to avengehisdeath. Kaal This film, produced by Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, and Karan Johar, centres around how a wildlife specialist and a few tourists banded together to exterminate a ghost from the town. The tiger appears in several situations. Soham Shah wrote and directed the supernatural horror thriller, which stars Ajay Devgn, John Abraham, Vivek Oberoi, Esha Deol, and Lara Dutta. The film offers a message about the importance of protecting Indias valuable wildlife. Junoon This film, directed by Mahesh Bhatt, was one of a kind. Rahul Roy plays Vikram, a protagonist who is attacked by a cursed tiger. This incident results in Roys transformation into a tiger on every full moon night. It is said, Junoon was inspired by the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London. July this year is set to be the hottest month on record with average temperatures exceeding that of July 2019 by a significant margin, according to a new analysis by scientists. The EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) noted that these temperatures have been related to heatwaves in large parts of North America, Asia and Europe, which along with wildfires in countries including Canada and Greece, have had major impacts on peoples health, the environment and economies. Data shows that the previous hottest month on record was July 2019. According to the new analysis, the global mean surface air temperature averaged for the first 23 days of July 2023 was 16.95 degrees Celsius. This is well above the 16.63 degrees recorded for the full month of July 2019, which is currently the warmest July and warmest month on record. At this stage, the report said, it is virtually certain that the full monthly average temperature for July 2023 will exceed that of July 2019 by a significant margin, making it the warmest July and warmest month on record. The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is, unfortunately, the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future, said WMOs Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must, Taalas said in a statement. On July 6, the daily average global mean surface air temperature surpassed the record set in August 2016, making it the hottest day on record, with July 5 and July 7 shortly behind, WMO said. During the first three weeks of July, global mean temperature rise temporarily exceeded the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold above the preindustrial level during the first and third week of the month, according to the report. Since May, the global average sea surface temperature has been well above previously observed values for the time of the year; contributing to the exceptionally warm July, it said. WMO consolidates data from C3S and five other international datasets for its climate monitoring activities and its State of the Climate reports. It predicts that there is a 98 per cent likelihood that at least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record and a 66 per cent chance of temporarily exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average for at least one of the five years. Record-breaking temperatures are part of the trend of drastic increases in global temperatures. Anthropogenic emissions are ultimately the main driver of these rising temperatures, said Carlo Buontempo, Director of C3S. Julys record is unlikely to remain isolated this year, C3S seasonal forecasts indicate that over land areas temperatures are likely to be well above average, exceeding the 80th percentile of climatology for the time of year, Buontempo said in a statement. Muharram is the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar, marking the new year for the Muslim community. It is considered the second holiest month in the Islamic calendar after Ramadan. The month is also observed as the remembrance of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. Muslim community considers it to be the period of grief when they mourn the death of Hazrat Imam at the battle of Karbala. The initial 10 days of Muharram are considered the mourning period, of which the 10th day is marked as Ashura when the mourning period comes to an end. While the Sunni community marks the day by fasting, somem members of the Shia community also involve in self-flagellation, in a bid to recreate the suffering experienced by Hazrat Imam Hussain during the battle. This year July 29 marks the day of Ashura. Here are some of the messages and quotes that you can share with your friends and family members. Muharram 2023: Messages 1. In this holy month of Muharram, may Allah give you the strength to replicate the sufferings of Hussein Ibn Ali on the day of Ashura! Wishing you a blessed Islamic year! 2. May the Lord above always be on your side to show you the right path and help you make the correct choice in life! 3. Forgive those who have hurt you, show them mercy like you want Allah to forgive you for your mistakes and show mercy for you. 4. Muharram reminds us all to always embrace peace and happiness and spread the message of brotherhood and togetherness! 5. This Muharram, may Allah bless you with health, wealth, peace, and happiness! May the Lord above always be on your side to show you the right path and help you make the correct choices in life! Muharram 2023: Quotes 1. Surely the reckoning of months, in the sight of Allah, is twelve months, laid down in Allahs decree on the day when He created the heavens and the earth; and out of these months, four are sacred. That is the true ordainment. Do not, therefore, wrong yourselves, with respect to these months." - Quran 9:36 2. The best among you is the one who learns the Quran and teaches it." - Prophet Muhammad 3. The best fast after Ramadan is Allahs month Al-Muharram." - Prophet Muhammad Ranbir Kapoor graced the runway at the India Couture Week organised by the Fashion Design Council of India on Friday. He was the showstopper for the designer Kunal Rawals unique Dhup Chao collection showcased at the Taj Palace in New Delhi. Several photos and videos of the actor from the occasion have surfaced on social media, and he was indeed the centre of attention for the night. While everyone on the internet is showering him with praise, Ranbirs wife, actress Alia Bhatt, also reacted to his stunning look at the show. Alia Bhatt shared one of the paparazzi videos on her Instagram stories, featuring Ranbir Kapoor walking on the ramp. While she did not write something appreciating his looks, she just added a hot face emoji, which was enough to set some major couple goals. Ranbir Kapoor stunned in a bandhgala black jacket, with full sleeves, silver buttons, and sequin embellishments all over. He paired it with black lungi bottoms, adding to the vibrancy of the ensemble and polishing the look. His accessories were kept minimal, opting for a pair of black glossy shoes. Ranbir looked dashing as usual, his hair gelled up and his moustache was properly maintained. He walked the runway with a straight, intense face, which made his fans swoon over him. On Friday night, Alia Bhatt was also spotted waiting for Ranbir Kapoor, at the airport as the actor flew down from Delhi after participating in India Couture Week. He was seen arriving at the airport wearing a grey shirt and matching slacks. Ranbir was also wearing a mask. Alia, who was there to pick him up, waited inside the car. She grinned as he got into the car. A video of the couple has gone viral, and fans cant help but admire the duo. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) On the professional front, Alia Bhatts much-awaited film of the year, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani released on Friday. She appeared alongside Ranveer Singh in the film, which is directed by Karan Johar, and also stars veteran actors Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi, and Jaya Bachchan in important parts. On the other hand, Rabbit Kapoor is busy with his upcoming film Animal, starring Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol, and Anil Kapoor. Ever since its release, Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor starrer Bawaal has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The film has been accused of trivialising the suffering of the victims of the Holocaust. Recently, Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon also took to Twitter to express disappointment with the film. He mentioned that even though he hasnt watched Bawaal yet, he urges those who arent aware of the Holocaust to educate themselves. I did not and will not watch the film Bawaal but from what Ive read, there was a poor choice of terminology and symbolism. Trivialization of the Holocaust should disturb all. I urge those who dont know enough about the horrors of the #Holocaust to educate themselves about it, the ambassador wrote on Twitter. I did not and will not watch the film Bawaal but from what Ive read, there was a poor choice of terminology and symbolism. Trivialization of the Holocaust should disturb all. I urge those who dont know enough about the horrors of the #Holocaust to educate themselves about it. Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) July 28, 2023 This comes a day after the Israeli embassy in India also issued a statement criticising the movie. It mentioned that they are disturbed by the trivialization of the significance of the Holocaust in Bawaal. There was a poor choice in the utilization of some terminology in the movie, and though we assume no malice was intended, we urge everyone who may not be fully aware of the horrors of the Holocaust to educate themselves about it," the statement added. The Israeli embassy is disturbed by the trivialization of the significance of the Holocaust in the recent movie 'Bawaal'.There was a poor choice in the utilization of some terminology in the movie, and though we assume no malice was intended, we urge everyone who may not be Israel in India (@IsraelinIndia) July 28, 2023 In Bawaal, Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor visit a gas chamber in Auschwitz. In one of the scenes, they enter a gas chamber in a dream-like sequence and struggle to breathe. In another scene, Janhvis character talked about human greed when she said, Arent we all a little like Hitler? and added, Every relationship goes through their Auschwitz. However, earlier this month, Varun Dhawan defended his movie and told Pinkvilla, Some people got trigged or sensitive about this. But I dont understand where does that sensitivity or trigger go when they watch, suppose an English film, Im saying for example. Theyre allowed to do everything there, theyre allowed to take leaps and theyre allowed to show things in a certain way, but youll find that correct." Prior to Varun, the films director Nitesh Tiwari also defended his film recently and shared that he is a bit disappointed with the way some people have comprehended it". Hollywood actor Brad Pitts relationship with Ines de Ramon is apparently still going strong." Rumours of their love flame quickly gained wide media attention after the duo was spotted attending a Los Angeles concert last year in November. Ever since then, the two have made several public appearances together. Currently, they are said to be enjoying a romantic summer in Europe, as per People. A source close to the development told the portal, They are doing great spending quality time with each other. The two have been spending a lot of time together this summer as they truly enjoy each others company and are very into each other. Its apparent to anyone who sees them together, reports People. It is suggested Brad Pitt was filming a Formula One racing movie in Europe, whose production came to a standstill owing to the ongoing Writers strike. Notably, Ines De Ramon keeps flying to visit him frequently. It was in September last year when Ines de Ramon and her estranged husband Paul Wesley of Vampire Diaries fame publicly announced their separation. The ex-couple who began dating in 2018 and said I do" to each other a year later in a low-key wedding ceremony attended by close friends and family members. They remained married for three years before mutually parting ways. The duo had already begun living separately by the time their split was made public. Currently, the ex-couple seems to have moved on in their lives. While Ines de Ramon is dating Brad Pitt, Paul Wesley is reportedly in a relationship with 23-year-old Natalie Kuckenburg. When it comes to Brad Pitt, he is 29 years senior to Ines and refrains from discussing his dating life publicly. The Hollywood superstar legally separated from his ex-wife Angelina Jolie in 2016. But the divorce was followed by a messy legal battle over the custody of their children and some joint properties and business ventures. On the professional front, Brad Pitt has multiple projects in the pipeline including the psychological thriller flick The Killer, where he serves as an executive. He is gearing up to play the lead role in director Jon Wotts thriller film Wolves. Besides Brad Pitt, the cast includes George Clooney and Austin Abrams essaying pivotal characters. Wolves is currently under production and will premiere on Apple TV. Apart from the chemistry between the lead pairs Ranveer and Alia, what caught the audience by surprise was a lip-lock sequence between veteran actors Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi. In a particular scene, the two star-crossed lovers meet after years of separation. In the scene, everything around them comes to a standstill as Dharmendra sings the popular retro song Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar and seals their reunion with a passionate kiss. For More: Dharmendra Reacts To Kissing Shabana Azmi In Rocky Aur Rani: When Karan Narrated | Exclusive Just 12 days ahead of its scheduled release, Akshay Kumar starrer OMG 2 is still awaiting clearance from the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC). The theatrical teaser of the film, which has been attached to Karan Johars directorial Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, reads the disclaimer main film is yet to be certified. For More: OMG 2: Akshay Kumars Film Yet To Be Certified? Theatrical Teaser Hints CBFC Certificate Status Kangana Ranaut took to her Instagram stories on Saturday morning and lashed out at Karan Johar for his latest directorial Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani. The film, which was released on Friday stars Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. In a long note, Kangana compared KJos movie to a daily soap and accused him of perpetually regressing the Indian films. For More: Kangana Ranaut BASHES Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Asks Karan Johar To Retire Now Ever since its release, Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor starrer Bawaal has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The film has been accused of trivialising the suffering of the victims of the Holocaust. Recently, Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon also took to Twitter to express disappointment with the film. He mentioned that even though he hasnt watched Bawaal yet, he urges those who arent aware of the Holocaust to educate themselves. For More: Bawaal Controversy: Israel Ambassador Slams Varun Dhawan Starrer, Says Those Who Do Not Know Sanjay Dutt garnered rave reviews from critics and movie buffs with his amazing performance as the antagonist in KGF: Chapter 2. And now there is buzz that Sanjay is returning as a villain again in Lokesh Kanagarajs next directorial Leo featuring Thalapathy Vijay in the lead. As the actor is celebrating his birthday today, Lokesh Kanagaraj surprised everyone with the first glimpse of Sanjay Dutts mass avatar from his next. For More: Leo: Sanjay Dutt Oozes Swag As Antony Das In Lokesh Kanagarajs Big Birthday Surprise; Watch There have been many actors from different industries who have tried their luck in Bollywood. There have been some actors and actresses from Pakistan as well, who worked in Hindi films and were liked by the audience. After the Uri attacks of 2016, the political tension between India and Pakistan grew, and these artists were banned from working in India. Today, lets look at some of the Pakistani actors who worked in Bollywood. Mahira Khan: One of the most popular actresses in Pakistan, Mahira Khan made her Bollywood debut in 2017 with Raees, alongside Shah Rukh Khan. People were in awe to see her beauty, and love her chemistry with Shah Rukh Khan. Everyone was convinced that she could be the next big thing in Bollywood after seeing her performance. Fawad Khan: He become popular in India after performances in Pakistani serials, Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Humsafar. Fawad Khan got a chance in Bollywood as well and made his debut with Khoobsurat, opposite Sonam Kapoor. Then, he also starred in Kapoor & Sons and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. He even won the Filmfare Award for the Best Male Debut. Ali Zafar: A well-known name in India, Ali Zafar charmed the audience through his acting in many films. He also impressed the audience with his songs. Ali Zafar became one of the most popular Pakistani actors in India, who has starred in multiple Bollywood films like Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Kill Dil. Saba Qamar: The Pakistani serial Maat made Saba Qamar ba household name. She made her debut in Hindi films with Hindi Medium, alongside Irrfan Khan. The film was a huge hit and Saba Qamars performance was well liked by everyone. Saba didnt appear in any other Hindi films after that. Sajal Ali: Sajal Ali gained immense popularity in India after she played the role of Sridevis daughter in Mom. The film was well received and everyone believed that she had a promising future in Bollywood. She was not seen in any other Hindi film after Mom. The Russian terrorist army launched a missile attack on a residential building in Dnipro on the evening of July, 28. The SSU administrative building was also hit. ADVERTISIMENT Residents of the city said that they did not hear the sound of missiles as there were only two powerful explosions. This is reported by "Informator" (to see photos and video, scroll to the end of the page). The occupants struck Dnipro with Iskander missiles. At least nine people were injured in an apartment complex, including two teenagers: 14 and 17 years old. One of the eyewitnesses of the Russian war crime said that he rents an apartment in the affected apartment building, but he was not at home at that time. The man noted that there was no sound before the explosion: everything happened in an instant. The second explosion occurred just 5 seconds after the first one. "First of all, it is a shock. It was so loud. I have never heard anything like that in my life. Plus, there was no sound of a missile flying, nothing. Just an explosion in a moment and then the next one five seconds later. Then, when we got out, we thought: if only it wasn't our apartment complex. But we are not very lucky," Vladyslav said. ADVERTISIMENT The man emphasized that he and his girlfriend survived as they decided to stay in a cafe for a while. Another eyewitness of the war crime said that he went down to the shelter already after two explosions. People tried to return home after the shelling, but law enforcers did not allow people close to the hit sites. Artem in a commentary for Suspilne Novini said that he was at home at the time of the missile attack on a high-rise building in Dnipro. He realized what hit his house only when he went outside. According to him, the last three floors of the house in the far wing were severely affected, but his apartment was not damaged. ADVERTISIMENT ADVERTISIMENT We shall remind you that several loud explosions occurred in Dnipro on the evening of July 28, after which an air raid alert was declared. Russian missiles hit a high-rise and an administrative building. Earlier it was reported that there are no victims in Dnipro as the upper floors of the new building were not inhabited. As OBOZREVATEL reported, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the missile strike on Dnipro. He promised to do everything to bring Russia to punishment. Only verified information we have in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel, Threads and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Ishaan Khatter is known for his versatility. He does not conform to one genre or form of storytelling. From Karan Johars Dhadak to Mira Nairs A Suitable Boy, he has been part of different kinds of movies and storytelling formats. The international series, The Perfect Couple, is the upcoming venture of Khattar with Nicole Kidman. On being asked whether it is a deliberate move to take on diverse projects, he smilingly said the diversity of the work surprises him and hence, he is trying to discover himself as a performer and make the most of the opportunities. He said that opting for diverse films and formats is not by design. He recently wrapped up the shoot of Netflix limited series which also stars Liev Schreiber and Dakota Fanning. While talking about his experience working the accomplished Hollywood actors, he said that it is a feat he is proud of and noted that the experience isnt too different from that on a Bollywood set. While talking about his experience working with Nicole Kidman, he termed her as an actor par excellence and an icon. Admitting that it is a pleasure to share the screen with her, he said, Theres so much to learn from her. Talking about his craft and experience working abroad, he reflected that in a broader sense, what we artists do is the same. He felt that there isnt a major difference between a local and an international crew. Were all trying to tell stories in an engaging way, he added. After A Suitable Boy, The Perfect Couple is Ishans second international series. On being asked whether he is more fond of long-form storytelling, he pointed out That the trick is to recognise which material is better suited to the cinematic format, and which belongs to the long format. He added that Some stories can be told in a more efficient way through a long format. Khattar is next coming up with Raja Krishna Menons Pippa. The drama revolved around the 1971 India-Pakistan war. For the film, he has stepped into the shoes of Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta. Terming it an incredible experience to be part of a chapter of Indian history he said that he is fortunate to interact with Brigadier Balram. Japans Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yoshimasa Hayashi made a two-day visit to India for the Indo-Japan Forum to discuss the relations between the two countries. As part of experiencing Indias culture, he attended an exclusive screening of SS Rajamoulis RRR in Delhi on Thursday. Expressing his admiration for Indian cinema, Hayashi not only lauded Jr. NTRs performance in the film but also called him his favourite actor. Jr. NTRs ability to connect with people from all walks of life has captured the attention of millions in India and now, it seems, has garnered admirers in the political realm of Japan. AP7AM translated Hayashis quote, I must say that Junior NTRs portrayal in RRR was truly impressive. His talent and dedication to his craft are evident on the silver screen." He also appreciated Ram Charans character in the film. My Favourite Star Is Rama Rao Jr Minister Of Foreign Affairs Of Japan - Yoshimasa Hayashi Bravo @tarak9999 pic.twitter.com/zZOxL2Ko2n NTR Trends (@NTRFanTrends) July 28, 2023 The Minister also talked about Indian cinemas growing recognition in Japan. A statement read, The ministers appreciation for NTR Jr.s talent and popularity underscores the deep cultural connections between India and Japan and reflects the power of cinema in fostering international bonds." NTR Jr. has an illustrious career in the Indian film industry, particularly in Telugu cinema, where he has garnered a massive following both in India and in the world. The ministers endorsement further highlights the actors global appeal and influence beyond borders," the statement added. RRR is often credited for getting India a rightful place in the global film scene. The film is set in the pre-Independence era and shows how the brotherhood between two people helped them fight oppression and become freedom fighters, in their own right. The actor is currently shooting for his much-awaited film Devara which is directed by Kortala Siva and is scheduled to release on April 5 next year. The film will also feature Janhvi Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Prakash Raj in key roles. Christopher Nolans Oppenheimer released last week and is currently creating waves across the globe. The revolves around J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) who is responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb in the World War II-era. While fans have been praising the film, an eagle-eyed viewer spotted a major blunder in one of the most important scenes from the film. In that particular scene, Cillians character Robert J Oppenheimer, in seen delivering a speech, post the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings. The crowd is seen cheering for him with US flags on their hands. The factual error was that, the flags in the scene didnt look era-appropriate. A Twitter user named, Andrew R Craig shared a screen grab and wrote, It was good and all, but Ill be that guy and complain they used 50-star flags in a scene set in 1945. Check out the tweet: It was good and all, but Ill be that guy and complain they used 50-star flags in a scene set in 1945. pic.twitter.com/nvcwpGFkzh Andy Craig (@AndrewRCraig) July 21, 2023 However, several users felt that Nolan using inappropriate flag for the scene was a deliberate move. Since Oppenheimer focuses on the physicists personal life and his state of mind, post the bombings, so the director wanted to covey his scattered memory. A Twitter user wrote, It was done intentionally. Because colored scenes were from Oppenheimers perspective which is his present days memory that was after the 50-star flag was established. However, the new findings on the factual errors in the film have now sparked a whole new debate on social media. But, this has not prevented Oppenheimer from earning the cult status, already. Several netizens are now debating on the same. Oppenheimer released on July 21. Earlier, Murphy had opened up about the first call he got from the director to know that he will play the role of Oppenheimer. Phone call from Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer was unforgettable. Its 20 years since I first met Chris, but even at that point, I was a fan, because I had seen Memento and Insomnia, said the actor, whose first encounter with Nolan was auditioning for Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, a part which ultimately went to Christian Bale. Sanjay Dutt, who forayed into Bollywood with Rocky in 1991, has given many hits in his career. But his personal life has been riddled in controversies too. From his arrest for possession of illegal firearms in connection with the Mumbai bombings to facing legal battles, imprisonment Sanjay Dutt has been under public scrutiny over the years. Even his personal life was no different. In an exclusive interview with India Today, filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani had once revealed that Sanjay Dutt, by his own admission, claimed to have been with 308 women. However, Hirani refuted the notion that Dutts charm and wild lifestyle were the reasons for his success with women. Instead, the filmmaker disclosed that Dutt would lie to women and taking them to a graveyard, pretending it was his mother, Nargiss resting place. This would leave the women feeling attached to Sanju, but in truth, the grave was not his mothers. He would start dating a girl and take her to this graveyard. He would say, I have brought you here to meet my mother. After this unusual meeting, the girl would feel emotionally attached to Sanju. The reality was that the grave was not his mothers," said Hirani. Sanjay Dutt would get revengeful when girls broke up with him. Once, he smashed his friends new car into another car parked near his ex-girlfriends house. Little did he know that the other car belonged to his exs new boyfriend. Sanjay took his friends new car and smashed it into another car parked outside his ex-girlfriends house. Later on, Sanju found out that the car he rammed into belonged to his ex-girlfriends new boyfriend. Both cars were severely damaged," Hirani recalled. The actor celebrates his 64th birthday. On the work front, Sanjay will be next seen in the romantic comedy film Ghudchadi also starring Raveena Tandon, and in the sci-fi horror comedy film The Virgin Tree featuring Sunny Singh, Mouni Roy, and Palak Tiwari, and in an untitled comedy film with actor Arshad Warsi. On the Fellowship of Lost Creative Souls podcast, actor Shabana Azmi shared her experience working with maverick filmmaker Satyajit Ray on the film Shatranj Ke Khilari. She mentioned that Ray didnt provide her with detailed directions, but was very particular about instructing Sanjeev Kumar, which Shabana found restricting. She also recalled her first interaction with the filmmaker and how happy she was to be called one of the best actors in the country by Ray in his book. Recalling how she got the role, Shabana Azmi shared that she received a call from Shama Zaidi, who informed her that Satyajit Ray had seen Ankur and liked her work. Shama told me, Listen, Satyajit Ray has seen Ankur and has liked your work very much, and he wants to cast you in Shatranj Ke Khilari. And she said, Hes going to call you up. I said, No, come on. And then, this booming voice came, Am I speaking to Shabana Azmi, this is Satyajit Ray. After he offered her the role without any discussion of monetary matters, Shabana Azmi agreed immediately. However, there was no further contact post that. Recalling an instance at the Tehran Film Festival, where they were both present, she expected him to discuss the part, but he avoided talking during the party. I remember I had gone to the Tehran Film Festival, and he was also there, and I thought he is going to talk to me about the part. But it was a party, and I dont think he thought it was wise to talk shop. And so, he spoke about everything except my part. And I found that very strange, she said. Shabana met him in Kolkata, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt. He made her change clothes, affecting her posture. After some tweaks, he seemed impressed with her work on the film. She said, The thing with Manik da, as he was called, is that with Saeed Jaffrey and myself, he gave very little instruction. For what reason, I dont know. Maybe because we were familiar with the language. But with Sanjeev Kumar, he used to even decide that you should take your hand out so much of your body. Now that mustve been horribly restricting for Sanjeev But it was completely different in the way he expected me to do something, and also Saeed Jaffrey, maybe also Farooq Sheikh. China is at its old, dark ways again. Otherwise, theres no reason why three Indian Wushu sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu were issued stapled visas. Indias Wushu team was supposed to head for Chengdu to participate in the World University Games beginning Friday. The stapled visas issue is symptomatic of Chinas war games and its claim on Arunachal Pradesh thats integral to Bharat. The latest fracas seems to be scripted and directed by none other than the Chinese Oligarchs frontman and President, Xi Jinping, whos into his third term as head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and also head of a powerful military commission. The most significant Chinese claim on Arunachal Pradesh, indirectly through stapled visas, comes on a day when three key developments were reported. Dichotomy in Chinese military checkers came to the fore on the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone to bring about stability on the borders. In fact, this was the first recorded conversation between the two leaders after their brief in-person informal interaction in Bali last year, as part of the G20 group at the invitation of the Indonesian President. After the Galwan Valley Chinese misadventure, there has been no engagement between heads of state and Jinping was busy ensuring the third Presidential term for himself apart from cleansing the party from his political rivals and policy antagonists. Stapled visas hogged headlines also on a day when reports poured in about the two leaders discussion on a military standoff during April-May 2020 in Eastern Ladakh. What has induced the stapled visa issue larger significance is the reports of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) heightened build-up from Eastern Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh borders during the last few weeks. Nineteen rounds of Corps Commander-level talks between the Indian and Chinese sides have not yielded results nor have led to sensitizing PLA Generals or belligerent Communist leadership in China that rules its own people with an iron fist. The sense that one gets is Chinas outright refusal to disengage from the strategic Depsang Plains and Charding Ninglung Nullah (CNN) track junction at the Demchok in Eastern Ladakh. On the other hand, reports suggest a continued build-up of bunkers, posts, artillery positions, surface-to-air missile systems, radar sites and ammunition storage. Development of new helipads, roads, dual-use villages development and last-mile connectivity has also been on the rise across the border leading to beliefs that negotiations at the political level may not yield on-the-ground results but discussions have to happen. Stapled visas incident is seen more as one step further in Chinas grand expansionist plan and communist vision to occupy others land disregarding international treaties, pacts and gentlemen agreements to not change on-the-ground goalposts. The only way to put an end to this psycho-warfare is to firmly retake Aksai Chin. Most of it is in the occupation of China, which captured the region during the 1950s and consolidated its military grip over the area during the 1962 India-China war. Chinas claim on Aksai Chin was made a couple of years after the Indian Constitution was adopted in 1950 that included the whole of Jammu and Kashmir along with Ladakh. Aksai Chin was part of Ladakh till the Chinese claim leading to its occupation in the 50s. In fact, no Chinese map till the 1920s even showed Aksai Chin as part of China. And a Sinkiang (Xinjiang) map of the 1930s showed the Kunlun (the mountains) rather than the Karakoram (range) to have been the customary boundary. Chinese posturing and war games that were shaped by the wolf warrior diplomacy doctrine are essentially unsustainable in any bilateral relations. Beijing will have to realise that false claims, wolf warrior diplomacy combined with on-ground, air and water-bound aggression may not help in positioning itself as a leader. In fact, Qin Gang, whos been the closest aide to Xi and was later anointed a state councillor was considered the architect of the wolf warrior diplomacy doctrine adopted by the Chinese Communist Party as one of its key principles in engaging with the world. While theres no trace of missing Qin Gang, bringing Wang Yi back as top Chinese diplomat and foreign minister may not help clear the air. Openness, flexibility and clarity of thought and attitude make great world powers. China has a long way to go, leaving its shady past, false claims and drudgery that the communist regime is known for. Author is Director and Chief Executive, Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies, non-partisan think tank based in New Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has been vocal against love jihad, Saturday said it must be stopped as it creates tension in the society. Sarma, who was speaking to reporters at Bongaigaon after a two-day convention of police superintendents of the state, said he wants peaceful co-existence among Hindus and Muslims in the state but Issues like jihad and forceful religious conversions create tensions. In most cases of love jihad it is seen that girls are forcibly taken away and then blackmailed with some videos taken of them, he said. We will have to see if girls are being forcibly converted to another religion and getting married under duress We have to bring such marriages under the scope of investigations, he said. A quazi (Muslim cleric) cannot register a Hindu-Muslim marriage. Similarly, a Hindu priest too cannot do the same legally If boys and girls from different religions want to marry they should do it under the Special Marriage Act and without converting, he said. At the same time, he appealed to parents to guide their children so that a situation like love jihad does not arise as there are cultural differences between Hindu and Muslim communities and girls from either of them find it difficult to adjust with people after an inter-faith marriage. Sarma said ways to widen investigation into cases of love jihad was discussed at the convention. The chief minister has asked the police to develop a standard operating procedure for probing cases of love-jihad, which is the root cause of forceful religious conversions in the state. Sarma has been claiming that the triple murder case in Golaghat where a 25-year-old Muslim man killed his Hindu wife and her parents on Monday was a case of love jihad. The term love jihad is used by right-wing groups to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage. He iterated that the second round of crackdown on child marriages will be launched in September and the matter was discussed in detail at the convention. Incidents of child marriage have come down remarkably and in most of the districts it is negligible, but Our goal is to make it zero, Sarma said. We want to comprehensively ban both child marriage and polygamy in the state and to this end we will bring in a law that will allow the police to effectively deal with the menace Banning polygamy is our commitment and we will do it, he said. There are some legacy issues regarding some acts which must be repealed and new laws will be enacted to deal with the issues, he said. Sarma said a four-member committee headed by Justice (Retd) Rumi Phukan was examining the legislative competence of the state legislature to enact a law to end polygamy in the state and is likely to submit the report within 15 days. Sarma said crime against women and children in the state have declined remarkably and will be evident in the National Crime Record Bureau data to be released oon. The chief minister had announced in May when his government completed two years in office that the state will bring in a bill to end polygamy and the committee will scrutinise the provisions of Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Act, 1937 along with Article 25 of Constitution in relation to the Directive Principles of State Policy for a Uniform Civil Code. Bengaluru, often referred to as the IT capital of India, has earned a reputation for setting high standards in various aspects of life. Whether its an entrepreneurship program for a preschool or the demand for a staggering 90% score in 12th grade just to be considered eligible for a rented house, the city never ceases to astonish and amaze us. However, the latest incident has taken things to an even more unbelievable level! A tweet that went viral recently showcased a jaw-dropping flat listing on an app that made Desis wonder if a kidney donation could suffice the whopping amount to rent the property. Twitter user Tejaswi Shrivastava shared the screenshot of this unbelievable listing from the No Broker app. This 4-BHK flat, located in the HSR layout area, boasted an expansive 5,195 square feet and came with a hefty monthly rent of Rs 2,50,000. And if that wasnt enough, what left people utterly flabbergasted was the exorbitant security deposit demanded by the owner a mind-boggling Rs 25 lakhs! The situation was so outrageous that the app even showed an option to apply for a loan to pay the security deposit amount. They should add an option: Apply for Kidney Donation, humourously wrote Shrivastava alongside the screenshot. Soon, social media users started expressing their disbelief and frustration over such exorbitant demands. What the hell is @nobrokercom trying to do here? Are they legit selling loans for security deposits? So I will pay EMIs for a rented home to pay for a deposit on which the landlord will earn interest!!! What is this world we are living in, commented one user. Might have forgotten putting a dot before last two zeros, said another. Might have forgotten putting a dot before last two zeros Pratyush Gouda (@gouda_pratyush) July 28, 2023 Amidst such peculiar instances, stories of tenant interviews have become commonplace in Bengaluru. In one such case, a prospective tenant narrated an extraordinary experience with a landlord who approached the renting process with the fervor of a seasoned investor. The encounter resembled a startup pitch, taking the landlord-tenant conversation to unexpected levels. Also Read: Bengaluru Man Asked About Startup By Landlord While Househunting, Shares Gruelling Experience No donut, Bengaluru continues to be a city of Peak moments, regularly delivering surprises and shocks to its inhabitants and observers alike. For the first time this year, all the Republican presidential candidates shared a stage as they met at the Republican partys annual Lincoln Dinner fundraiser in Iowa, the BBC said in a report. Main rivals Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis headlined the fundraiser, the BBC said, while also mentioning that Vivek Ramaswamy brought many to a standing ovation with his address. 13 Republican candidates were given 10 minutes to speak during the fundraiser event. There were at least 1,200 attendees and all of them held considerable sway on deciding who will be the Republican nominee. Despite his legal woes, Trump holds a lead over his rivals. He said because he faces several criminal and civil charges he is best placed to win the 2024 US Presidential Elections. Trump has maintained that he will run for the White House even if he is convicted. The BBC report also said that there was no shortage of Trump stickers among the crowd. The candidates did not interact with each other as each of them were given their own backstage suite from where they came to the stage to deliver their speeches. Republican presidential candidate Will Hurd was met with boos when he said Trump is running for president to stay out of jail. According to a FiveThirtyEight opinion polling average, Trump ranks first with 52.4%, followed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis at 15.5%. Everyone else is below 10%. Trump could soon be charged in Washington for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. He claims the charges are fabricated. He is also facing a probe over his (mis)handling of government documents and classified files after leaving office. But despite these legal challenges, he remains the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Iowa is the first state in the US where voters begin to filter the field of presidential candidates until one from each main party remains to compete in the November 2024 election. Other presidential candidates who attended the event were South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice-President Mike Pence. DeSantis, who was in Iowa before everyone else, has vowed to visit all of Iowas 99 counties with the aim of bettering his rankings in the state. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell drew attention to his health when the 81-year-old froze mid-speech at a Capitol press conference on Wednesday, and walked away escorted by fellow Republican senators. The incident raised eyebrows and the video went viral on social media. The Republican leader is a polio survivor, who walks with a limp and has reportedly had three falls in the past year once on ice before a meeting in Finland, once while deboarding a plane, and the worst, a fall that led to a concussion and broken ribs. Following the episode, the Senate Minority Leader said he spoke to President Joe Biden, 80, who called to check on him. He joked that he told the president that he got sandbagged. The president called to check on me. I told him I got sandbagged, said McConnell, who was referring to President Bidens onstage trip and fall over a sandbag just a month ago. At the time, Biden had quipped: I got sandbagged. Petty political jibes aside, the incident highlights the fact that the oldest democracy in the world is not immune to age inequality in parliamentary politics. The average age of US Congress is 58 years, with the 100-member US Senate averaging at 64 years and the 435-member House of Representatives averaging at 57. The Democrats are slightly older than Republicans in Congress. The average age for Republicans in the House is 56 and it is 58 for Democrats. The age group of 60 to 69 years is the most represented in both the chambers even as the median age in the US is 38.8 years. At least 65 percent of the Senate and 44.8 percent of the House are baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). There are also members older than that Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein is 90 years old and has appeared confused since the time she returned to work after a shingles diagnosis. Fellow Democrats had called on her to resign during an extended absence. Only recently, she was corrected and prodded to vote at a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting. Another one is Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, 89, who will be 95 by the end of his term. The US President himself has faced scrutiny over his health and old age. He is the oldest president in the history of the US, and is known for his gaffes. He even called himself a gaffe machine as he stated that he was the most qualified person to be president in 2020 while taking a shot at his 77-year-old opponent and then President Donald Trump. The President has a slew of viral on-camera gaffes ranging from confusing to outright indecipherable statements. He has also been found to be directionless at times, be it on stage or on his way to the White House. Moreover, the president is no stranger to embarrassing trips and falls, raising concerns about his mental and physical health. This has become a political issue as well. Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley, 51, even suggested a mental competency test for candidates above the age of 75, taking shots at both Biden and Trump. Political representatives tend to be older than the average voter and this is a worldwide phenomenon. Although this may not always lead to a disconnect with young voters, it may obstruct the countrys approach to policy making and its true aspirations. The Ukrainian Defense Forces conducted counter-offensive operations on at least three sections of the front over the past 24 hours. They managed to advance near Bakhmut in Donetsk Region. ADVERTISIMENT This is stated in the analysis of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW). It is noted that according to the Ukrainian military command, our troops continue the offensive on the northern and southern flanks of Bakhmut. At the same time, a Russian military blogger confirmed that Ukrainian troops had advanced in the area of Kurdyumivka and Andriivka the day before. Russians also claimed that Ukrainian forces continued ground attacks along the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions near Staromaiorske (9 km south of Velyka Novosilka) and Urozhaine (9 km south of Velyka Novosilka). Some bloggers admitted that Ukrainian forces captured Staromaiorske on July 27. ADVERTISIMENT Russian "war correspondents" claimed that the occupants' forces repelled attacks by Ukrainian ground troops near the settlements of Robotyno (10 km south of Orikhiv), Verbove (17 km southeast of Orikhiv) and Piatykhatky (25 km southwest of Orikhiv) in the west of Zaporizhzhia Region. At the same time, the commander of Russia's Vostok battalion Alexander Khodakovsky said that Ukrainian forces can strike the entire depth of the defending Russian forces, than eliminate the commanders of the occupation forces and humiliate the Russian command and control. ADVERTISIMENT The AFU General Staff reported that the 247th Guards Airborne Assault (VDV) Regiment (7th Airborne Division) refused to go into battle near Staromaiorske due to heavy losses of the Russians and victories of the Ukrainians on the battlefield. The report also noted that Ukrainian troops continue their offensive in the territories temporarily occupied by the Russians. They are actively advancing in Zaporizhzhia direction, particularly near Melitopol and Berdiansk.. The defense forces are consolidating on the achieved borders, inflicting artillery fire on the identified enemy targets and implementing measures of counter-battery warfare. Moreover, the AFU fighters liberated the village of Staromaiorske from Russian occupants in Donetsk region during the counter-offensive operation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Deputy Defense Minister Anna Maliar have already confirmed the liberation of this settlement. This was possible thanks to the effective actions of the personnel of the 35th Independent Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Ostrohradsky together with their fellow soldiers from the "AREY" 7th Independent Battalion of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army. ADVERTISIMENT As reported by OBOZREVATEL: - Commander of the "Tavria" Operational-Strategic Grouping of troops Oleksandr Tarnavsky said that the AFU continue to knock out the Russian troops in the Tavria direction. The Defense Forces are inflicting losses in manpower and equipment on the enemy and are having partial success; - Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that the occupation troops of Russia densely mined the territories they had occupied for a while. Other territories, on which Ukrainian Defense Forces are conducting a counterattack, have about two to four mine per square meter. China is asking its recent graduates to gain experience in a teaching environment and seek an adventure far from home. The graduating class of 2023 has been given the option to work in impoverished rural areas, the Guardian said. What do they get in return? Job security. But they also have to work for long hours, have a limited social life and make do with poor infrastructure in remote locations where even running water is not guaranteed. Youth unemployment is at a record high and more than 11.5 million students are moving into a jobs market that already looks saturated. In June 2023, at least 21.3% of 16- to 24-year-olds in urban areas were without a job, according to Chinese government data. Some economists estimate that the number of jobless youth could be higher. These young graduates could go for private tutoring jobs but new rules have been implemented which bars for-profit tutoring in core subjects. Some other regulations have also been announced which has contributed to the high joblessness rate. Real estate and technology sectors are also facing similar problems. The young graduates are not keen to go to remote areas and toil, while they joke online that their degrees are worthless. The Chinese government said Chinas Gen Z are being too picky, the Guardian said in its report. The Communist Party of China (CPC) in March told young graduates to roll up their sleeves and go to the farmland. Even President Xi Jinping said youngsters should eat bitterness to create a better China, eat bitterness is a Chinese metaphor for enduring hardship. When you are young, if you choose hardship, you will choose harvest, and if you choose dedication, you will choose nobility, an editorial piece, from the state-run Peoples Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist party, said. Students responded strongly to the editorial on Chinese social media, even daring to go against the censorship rules. This group of assholes really has been estranged from the masses for far too long, a comment, archived by China Digital Times, read. Experts speaking to the Guardian said that this is likely to remind the older generation of the Cultural Revolution led by Mao Zedong, Chinese dictator. However, the young generation does not agree with the idea of being sent to the countryside where they would toil in the farms which would in turn help them build their character. This generation has been through a very tough education before university, so when we consider whether to work in the cities or countryside, we prefer a more relaxed working environment. Like many Chinese young people, I dont want to work in the countryside, Candice Zhang, a 25-year-old, who graduated and recently found a job, was quoted as saying by the Guardian. Emmanuel Macron made a short stopover in Sri Lanka on Friday, the first visit by a French president to the island nation, which is undergoing a difficult economic recovery. The French leader, who spent less than two hours in the country, was welcomed by his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe. Macron made the stop en route home from Oceania, after visiting Papua New Guinea, the French territory of New Caledonia and the sea-threatened archipelago of Vanuatu. During the airport meeting, Macron and Wickremesinghe were to talk about economic recovery and maintenance of the rule of law. This is a historic visit," the Elysee said of the meeting, which occurred after Macron disembarked around 11:30 pm local time (1800 GMT). Wickremesinghe came to power a year ago after his predecessor fled the country, driven out by massive protests amid the countrys worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. Sri Lanka, which has received major support from the IMF, is expected to remain bankrupt until 2026. Macron was to speak with Wickremesinghe about the countrys debt restructuring with Beijing, the countrys main creditor, having agreed in March to reschedule its loan repayments. China and India vie for influence in economically fragile Sri Lanka. The situation prompted Macron to warn against new imperialism" at work in the region while he was in Vanuatu, referring in particular to Chinas growing influence. A powerful explosion ripped through a firework warehouse in Thailand on Saturday, killing nine people and injuring more than 100, a senior official said, as several nearby homes were levelled or damaged. The blast in the town of Sungai Kolok in the southern province of Narathiwat is thought to have been caused by welding during construction work on the building. A warehouse storing firecrackers in Sungai Kolok exploded this afternoon, the latest number is nine dead and 115 injured," Narathiwat governor Sanan Pongaksorn told AFP. The fire is now under control. Preliminary investigation suggests the cause is a technical error during the steel welding process, as the building is under construction." Footage on local media showed a huge plume of smoke rising into the air and numerous shops, homes and vehicles badly damaged by the force of the blast some ablaze and some with their roofs blown off. AFP photos from the scene show the warehouse reduced to rubble and twisted metal. Broadcaster Thai PBS reported that as many as 500 houses were damaged by the explosion in the border town on the frontier with Malaysia. I was playing with my phone inside the house then suddenly I heard a loud, thunderous noise and my whole house shook," eyewitness Seksan Taesen, who lives 100 metres (110 yards) away from the warehouse, told AFP. Then I saw my roof was wide open. I looked outside and I saw house collapsing and people lying on the ground everywhere. It was chaos." Video shot by Seksan showed a scene of turmoil at a local market, with dazed locals wandering around and emergency services rushing to help. Broken glass, roof tiles and other debris litter the ground. Thailand has a poor safety record in the construction sector and deadly accidents are common. Last month two people were killed when a bridge under construction in Bangkok collapsed onto traffic. Pakistan is planning to launch a global anti-India campaign to paint a negative image of New Delhi on the global stage later this week as it plans to observe the fourth anniversary of Abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India. News18 accessed the toolkit which is part of Pakistans anti-India campaign and it shows that the global anti-India campaign consists of several events led by the Pakistani ministry of foreign affairs (MOFA). The Pakistan MOFA has tasked its embassies and high commissions across the globe to spread anti-india propaganda with main focus on Turkey. The authorities have named August 5 as Youm-e-Istehsal" (Day of Exploitation) to mark the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. On August 5, 2019, the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 2019 which abrogated the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir under the provision of Article 370. Under Article 370, provisions of the Constitution of India which were applicable to other states of India were not applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. Following the abrogation of Article 370, terrorism and agents who use terror for political gains have been dealt a heavy blow. Investment, tourism and education has also gotten a boost, helping in the overall development of the Kashmir region as well as Jammu. However, despite not getting international attention, Pakistan still continues to paint a negative image of India on the global stage over the issue. The Pakistani embassy in Turkey organised a seminar earlier this month to spout anti-India narrative over the Kashmir issue in a seminar titled Jammu & Kashmir Dispute, Searching for a Solution to celebrate Youm-e-Istehsal. A similar seminar was organised in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) earlier this month as well. A painting competition for children will be held in PoKs Mirpur. A separate painting competition was held earlier this year by Pakistan-backed Youth for Kashmir (YFK). Google Forms were circulated openly on the internet with the intent to obtain maximum registration and publicity. YFK was founded in 2013 by Muhammed Mian Soomro, a Pakistani politician and is headquartered in Islamabad. The YFK has been accused of incitement and hatred and on several occasions have tried to instigate Kashmiris against India by painting a false picture of India. It receives bulk of its funding from a section of Pakistani businessmen. The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), a terrorist group led by Yasin Malik, is also organising a so-called protest there on August 5. Meanwhile, the JKLF is also planning to organise protests in Jammu and Kashmir. The toolkit also has instructions on how to wage a misinformation campaign on social media. Instagram and X will be used to spread anti-India propaganda. #Grave_HR_Situation_In_IIOJK and Observe_Aug5_As_Youm_e_Istehsal are two hashtags that nefarious anti-India elements plan to use to paint a malign picture of India on social media. A report submitted to the UN Security Council claimed that the terrorist group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) could be seeking a merger with terrorist group Al Qaeda to form an umbrella organisation which will shelter all terrorist groups operating in South Asia. The report said that some UN member-states are concerned that TTP will provide an umbrella under which a range of foreign groups operate, or even coalesce, avoiding attempts at control by the Taliban. One member state noted the possibility of Al Qaeda and TTP merging. It assessed Al Qaeda to be providing guidance to TTP for conducting increased attacks within Pakistan, the report said, according to news agencies ANI and the Dawn. The UN committee which monitors the terror activities across the globe also endorsed Pakistans complaint that the TTP, which is banned in the country, wields larger influence following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. One member state noted the possibility of Al Qaeda and TTP merging. It assessed Al Qaeda to be providing guidance to TTP for conducting increased attacks within Pakistan, the report said. The report points out, much to Pakistans concern, that there are training camps run by various terrorist groups in Afghanistans Kunar province and TTP terrorists are using those camps. Since the reunification with several splinter groups, and emboldened by the Taliban take over in Afghanistan, TTP has aspired to re-establish control of territory in Pakistan, the report further said, taking cognisance of Pakistans complaints. TTP capability is assessed as not matching its ambition, given that it does not control territory and lacks popular appeal in the tribal areas, the report said. Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, trashed the report, calling it false. . . . Zabihullah (.. ) (@Zabehulah_M33) July 28, 2023 The Security Councils report that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has relations with the Al-Qaeda organisation is not true. The Al-Qaeda organisation has no presence in Afghanistan, and the reports are false. The Islamic Emirate does not allow anyone to use Afghanistans soil against the security of any other country, Mujahid said in a tweet. The report was submitted to the UN Security Council (UNSC) on July 25. The report also claims that there are other terror groups using the TTP as cover to operate within Afghanistan. The report also points out that the distinction between Al-Qaeda, Islamic States Khorasan wing, the TTP and other terrorist groups are blurred because fighters tend to identify with more than one group and there is also a tendency for people to gravitate towards the dominant or ascending power. It should be noted that a separate report by the UN sanctions monitoring team said that link between the Taliban and both Al-Qaida and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains strong and symbiotic. A range of terrorist groups have greater freedom of manoeuvre under the Taliban de facto authorities. The report said that there are approximately 20 terrorist groups operating in the country and they are intent of spreading their influence across regions with the target to prop up theocratic quasi-state entities, the Dawn said. There are at least 400 Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan. There are at least 30 to 60 core Al Qaeda members. In the Indian subcontinent, there are at approximately 200 fighters. Russian propagandists have started writing about a second strike on the bridge in Chongar, which was allegedly carried out at dawn on 29 July. This bridge connects the temporarily occupied Crimea with the mainland of Ukraine. ADVERTISIMENT Military expert Mykhailo Zhyrokhov drew attention to this. At the same time, Chongar publics say that a railway bridge near the village was allegedly damaged. "Rashists write: 'Today at about 5:15, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck again at the bridge over Chongar.' And ours are silent," the expert wrote. Russian propagandists complain about a missile strike on the Chongar bridge with "unclear consequences" and complain that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have taken their logistics seriously. ADVERTISIMENT Meanwhile, local chat rooms say that the passage through Chongar was allegedly closed - and while some claim to have information about the resumption of the passage, others claim to have heard from the occupiers that there will be no passage for at least a day. Those who planned to travel through Chongar, according to people, were turned away and advised to go through Armyansk. At the same time, some commentators note that the railway bridge through this settlement has been damaged. "They hit the railway bridge," "The crossing, the bridge, they say. Chongar," some subscribers of local groups said. ADVERTISIMENT However, so far there is no confirmation that the bridge in Chongar was hit. Locals only post photos of traffic jams in the Chongar area. There have also been no official statements from the Ukrainian military. However, the gauleiter Vladimir Saldo published an interesting story about 12 missiles launched at the bridge, all of which were allegedly shot down by Russian air defence forces, and Saldo has already "repaired" the damage. "Last night, the Kyiv regime's militants tried to destroy the railway between Kherson region and Crimea by firing twelve long-range Storm Shadow missiles. All the missiles were shot down by our air defence systems. In one place, the falling fragments of expensive foreign weapons, given to the Kyiv clique by the West for "peaceful purposes", slightly damaged a guard's booth and a contact line. As I write these words, the damage has already been repaired by a repair team," he said. ADVERTISIMENT As is his wont, Saldo did not show the debris or the minor damage that had been repaired. The traitor and criminal, who faces a lengthy prison sentence in Ukraine, pretended not to understand why the Ukrainian military would need to "block" the main supply route for the occupiers: he accused Ukraine's defenders of seeking to "hurt people". "Once again, the enemy is shelling civilian infrastructure. I am convinced that they have deliberately arranged another provocation on the eve of the opening of railway traffic on the Genichesk-Dzhankoy route to make people uncomfortable. It seems that they are driven not by a rational, albeit cynical, calculation, but by some kind of inhuman anger. This proves once again that the Kyiv regime is a terrorist organisation that should not exist. And it won't," the traitor, who will certainly face trial if he lives to see it, said in a threatening tone. ADVERTISIMENT Earlier, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said that the night before, an ammunition depot of the invaders exploded in the occupied Crimea. After the explosions, locals heard the detonation of shells. Crimeans also reported that ambulances and police were rushing to the scene. According to military intelligence, a temporary ammunition depot of one of the Russian marine brigades was hit. It was the result of a sabotage. Only verified information is available in our Obozrevatel Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! UPDATE Jul 29, 2023 4:30 PM CDT Donald Trump's lawsuit arguing that CNN likened the former president to Adolf Hitler in its coverage of false 2020 election fraud claims has come to an end. The defamation suit said that on-air use of the term "Big Lie" harmed Trump. US District Judge Raag Singhal dismissed the suit late Friday, saying that such statements were opinion. The Trump appointee called the network's use of the term repugnant, Politico reports, but said that "Being 'Hitler-like' is not a verifiable statement of fact that would support a defamation claim." The suit cannot be refiled making the same argument. Oct 3, 2022 5:30 PM CDT Donald Trump has made good on his threat to sue CNN. In a suit filed in federal court in Monday, the former president's lawyers said the network had attempted to smear him "with a series of ever-more scandalous, false, and defamatory labels of 'racist,' 'Russian lackey,' 'insurrectionist,' and ultimately 'Hitler,'" the Guardian reports. The suit is seeking $475 million in punitive damages. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has been pursuing answers to questions many colleagues would rather he leave in the realm of the speculative. One of those questions sent him on a quest to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean for what he believes is alien gold, so to speak. More specifically, it was mostly iron, titanium, and some magnesium in the form of metal spherules, per Popular Mechanics . As Katrina Miller of the New York Times reports, Loeb maintains that these fragments were deposited on the ocean floor by a 2014 fireball from space, and that they might just be evidence of extraterrestrial life. Not "biological creatures, the way you see in science fiction movies," he says, but "most likely a technological gadget with artificial intelligence." And this is just the latest instance of him making what colleagues believe are "outlandish" claims, writes Miller. Astrophysicist Steve Desch tells the Times that "people are sick of hearing about Avi Loeb's wild claims" because his work is "polluting good scienceconflating the good science we do with this ridiculous sensationalism and sucking all the oxygen out of the room." (The ocean search was financed by a cryptocurrency millionaire.) To that end, the Times reports that Loeb's colleagues are retaliating by boycotting peer reviews of his work. Loeb's work had previously been supported by colleaguesthat is, until he began focusing on interstellar object Oumuamua, an unusual artifact that passed through the solar system six years ago. He believes it was of alien origin. He has since been examining reports on previous fireballs for anomalous behavior, which was how Loeb determined where to look for the spherules he found. As for Loeb, he is aware of the concerns about his work. In a blog post about searching for the mysterious spherules just over 50 miles off Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, he seemed to acknowledge his peers' doubts. Loeb wrote that prior to his trip, a Harvard colleague "whispered" that while others "argue that you are wasting your time in leading a hopeless expedition to the Pacific Ocean. ... I agree that the chance for success is smallI hold the opinion that the search might be just worth trying." Loeb then quoted Arthur Schopenhauer: "All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; second, it is violently opposed; and third, it is accepted as self-evident." Read the full story, which has details on the Papua New Guinea search. (Read more UFOs stories.) DNA tests have confirmed that the body recently found on a glacier southeast of the famed Matterhorn peak is that of a German mountaineer who disappeared 37 years ago, police in southwestern Switzerland said Thursday. Increasing glacier melt, which many scientists blame on global warming, has spurred a recent increase in discoveries of the remains of hikers, skiers, and other alpinists who went missing decades ago. Regional police said the 38-year-old German went missing in September 1986 and that searches at the time didn't find him, per the AP. On July 12, mountaineers on the Theodul Glacier near the Italian border found the remains of the man, which were then transported to a nearby hospital for analysis. Genetic tests confirmed the man's identity, which wasn't made public by the regional police. (Read more Switzerland stories.) President Biden doesn't shy away from boasting about his family. "I have six grandchildren. And I'm crazy about them. And I speak to them every single day," he said at a Take Your Child to Work Day event in April. Now, we may start to hear him talk about his seven grandchildrenbut not because one of his kids just became a parent again. The AP reports that Biden is finally speaking out about Navy Joan Roberts, the 4-year-old daughter of his son Hunter Biden and Arkansas woman Lunden Roberts, who had previously filed a paternity suit against the younger Biden and proven he was Navy's father. "Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," President Biden said in a statement. "This is not a political issue, it's a family matter." He added that he and first lady Jill Biden "only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy." The president has increasingly taken flak from Republicans over not acknowledging Navy, including criticism from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. "Why don't you focus on spending more time with your granddaughter in Arkansas, or at least acknowledge she exists?" the presidential candidate snarked at a recent campaign stop, per USA Today. He's also made similar remarks online. Even some of Biden's supporters have side-eyed him for his reticence over talking about the preschooler. "I think he should acknowledge that that's another granddaughter," one Philly-area supporter told USA Today earlier this month, before adding, "But I'm not sure how important that is to national policy." Context for the president's previous silence may be found in the fact that Hunter Biden and Roberts have long been embroiled in a child support dispute, which was only recently settled. "You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navy's parents happening until just a few weeks ago," a source tells People. "As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunter's lead. They areand have beengiving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out." Meanwhile, Today.com has a primer on Biden's six other grandkids: Four of them are Hunter Biden's children, while two are the kids of the president's late son, Beau Biden. (Read more President Biden stories.) Four air crew members were missing after an Australian army helicopter ditched into waters off the Queensland state coast during joint military exercises with the US, officials said Saturday. The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter went down near Lindeman Island, a Great Barrier Reef tourist resort, around about 11pm Friday, exercise director Australian Army Brigadier Damian Hill said. A search involving US, Canadian and Australian personnel was underway to find the crew, who are all Australian men, the AP reports. Debris that appeared to be from a helicopter had been recovered, Queensland police said. The Taipan was taking part in Talisman Sabre, a biennial US-Australian military exercise that is largely based in Queensland. This year's exercise involves 13 nations and more than 30,000 military personnel. Defense Minister Richard Marles said the helicopter ditched, which refers to an emergency landing on water. "Defense exercises, which are so necessary for the readiness of our defense force, are serious. They carry risk," Marles told reporters in Brisbane. Hill said the exercise was postponed on Saturday morning but had restarted limited activity later in the day. Australia had grounded its Taipan fleet as a precaution, Hill said. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Brisbane for a meeting on Saturday and is due to travel with Marles to north Queensland on Sunday to see the exercise, per the AP. Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid tribute to the missing air crew at the outset of a meeting with their Australian counterparts, Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong. "It's always tough when you have accidents in training, but the reason that we train to such high standards is so that we can be successful and we can protect lives when we are called to answer any kind of crisis," Austin said. (Read more military exercises stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again described the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kyiv region as a so-called gesture of goodwill. Allegedly, the Russian authorities were "asked" to do so in order to create conditions for a peace agreement. ADVERTISIMENT The Russian dictator said this during a meeting with the heads of delegations of African states, according to the Putin administration's website. With these statements, the Russian president is once again trying to cover up the defeats of his military, whose plan failed. "...in fact, a draft of this agreement was agreed upon, but after the withdrawal of our troops from Kyiv - and we were asked to do so to create conditions for the conclusion of the final agreement - the Kyiv authorities abandoned all previous agreements," Putin said. - "Of course, I won't talk about the details of what we agreed on now, as it would probably not be very correct. But let me remind you that not everyone knows it, but we know it well." He also reiterated the Ukrainian side's unwillingness to resume dialogue and negotiate an end to the war. ADVERTISIMENT Earlier, OBOZREVATEL reported that Danilov was sceptical about the possibility of peace talks on Russian terms. The NSDC secretary also categorically denied the West's possible "reproaches" for the "slow counter-offensive". Oleksiy Danilov stressed that the Defence Forces are doing everything possible with the means at their disposal. As a reminder, Lithuania supported Ukraine on the anniversary of the de-occupation of Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea. The diplomats ridiculed the fact that Russian propaganda called the Russian Armed Forces' escape from Zmiinyi a "gesture of goodwill" and stressed that it was time for the occupiers to repeat this scenario. Only verified information is available in our Obozrevatel Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or contributing today. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com A Bahrain company faced legal challenges after the Southern Municipality filed a case against it for failing to pay municipal fees for 14 years. The High Administrative Court ruled in favor of the municipality, ordering the company to pay over BD34,000 in outstanding fees. Municipal fees are applicable to all properties and buildings within a municipality, except those specifically exempted by the Cabinet. The court emphasized that the occupant is responsible for fulfilling payment obligations unless there is a specific agreement between the property owner and the occupant. Despite the plaintiff's claim, the defendant did not appear in court or respond to the lawsuit, leading to the court's decision in favor of the plaintiff, ordering the company to pay the full amount of unpaid municipal fees. NATO plans to build a repair and logistics center in the Polish city of Rzeszow. Because of its strategic location, it will be an important transportation hub to help Ukraine, which is fighting a full-scale invasion by Russia. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported by The Globe and Mail on Friday, July 28, citing Canadian and Polish officials. As noted, the hub will be located less than 100 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Earlier, Mayor Konrad Fijolek said that the Alliance plans to establish a new base in Rzeszow and that "American, British and Canadian troops will be permanently stationed here." At the time, he did not disclose details about when the facility would be opened. At the same time, Canadian and Polish officials anonymously told the publication that there is a plan to build a new NATO facility in Rzeszow. They said it would be "more of a repair and logistics center than a large-scale military base." "We are going to create a service center in partnership with the US and the UK. We have no intention of having a large presence in Canada," the Canadian official said, adding that the main role of the facility would be to repair Ukrainian tanks and other armored vehicles. ADVERTISIMENT NATO's press office in Brussels responded to the publication's request that the bloc is "significantly strengthening deterrence and defense for all Alliance members, increasing resilience to Russian coercion and supporting partners in countering malicious interference and aggression." The importance of Rzeszow, located about 100 kilometers near the border with Ukraine, has grown significantly since Russia's full-scale invasion. There are 1,700 U.S. military personnel stationed near the local airport and the airport itself has become a logistical center for the delivery of Western equipment to Ukraine. As reported by OBOZREVATEL, the German company Rheinmetall plans to open a repair center for Leopard tanks and other military equipment supplied by Germany to Ukraine at the end of summer. Ukrainians are already being trained in the relevant repair work on the territory of the FRG. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information from us in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel, Threads and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Abductors of famous Anambra born witch doctor, Chidozie Nwangwu, popular known as Akwa Okuko Tiwaraki, have released him. It was gathered that the native doctor, who is popular for flaunting his wealth on social media, was released early Saturday morning. A source said friends and well wishers are currently gathered in his palatial mansion to welcome him. He was released very early this morning. He is currently celebrating with his friends and well wishers in his house in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area. His abductors demanded for N300million before he could be released, and when his friends rallied round and raised the money, the abductors demanded for additional N50million, which was also delivered to them, before he was released this morning, the source said. Police authorities in Anambra confirmed the release of the native doctor. Spokesperson for the command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga said: Yes, he has been released this morning. We are waiting to debrief him, with a view to getting his experience and clue of who the abductors are, so that we can go after them. When asked if he was aware that ransom was paid to his abductors for his release, Ikenga decided to keep mute. Akwa Okuko Tiwaraki, the famous native doctor, was kidnapped six days ago in his hotel. Two of his personal security men were gunned to death, and the native doctor taken. Many blamed his exorbitant lifestyle on social media, where he displays exotic cars, buildings and jewelry, as the reason for his kidnap. Some other blamed him for being unable to save himself from being kidnapped, even when he has severally boasted of his powers and the potency of his charms. Akwa Okuko Tiwaraki had in just one year, in 2022, built and launched two exotic hotels, including Triple P Hotel, where he was kidnapped on Sunday night. He is said to be the richest native doctor in the Southeast. Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, has asked public officials to cut down on the cost of governance as well as prevent wastage. In a statement by Sola Ebiseni, secretary-general of Afenifere, the socio-political group said there is a need for sacrifices by citizens to restore the fiscal viability of the country, but the sacrifice must be made by all and in a progressive manner. Afenifere said those at the helm of affairs must also lead by example. It is time we addressed the inordinate cost of governance in a very open, substantial and substantive way. The gargantuan waste of public funds in running the government with a multiplicity of agencies and offices of doubtful benefit to society must end, the group said. Oransayes report must be updated to capture new agencies that have been added to the federal bureaucracy since the report and to reflect the new compelling and urgent need to reduce the cost of governance. The notoriously opaque, obscene and unconscionable salaries, allowances, perks and retirement benefits of executive and legislative arms of government at all levels unbelievably more generous than the remuneration of public officers in eminently wealthier nations, must immediately be brought in line with the reality of our economy and productivity. According to the group, a review of the code of conduct and the general service rules must be instituted to rid the service of the mentality that has allowed the abuse and leakages in the system under the false impression that the country is rich. There is no virtue in profligacy, but there is honour in prudence. For example, while public officers at all levels move around in endless motorcades of exotic bulletproof foreign cars and the presidency keeps a fleet of eleven Presidential jets, much richer nations do not indulge in such frivolities and extravagance. Nigeria can no longer afford these excesses and we must put an end to them going forward, Afenifere said. NIGERIANS ARE RESIGNING TO HOPELESSNESS The group said the social misery index is at an all-time high and more Nigerians are resigning to hopelessness due to poverty. If nothing concrete is done to ameliorate the current level of hardship on the people, it may lead to massive unrest the country may not be able to contain as things spiral out of control The socio-political group added that Nigerians expect no less than a courageous and fine-tooth-comb investigation towards recovering public funds and bringing those culpable to book. Nigerians must no longer be saddled with the burden of the gargantuan and wasteful funds spent on the fat emoluments of refinery workers who produce nothing but are kept on obscene job packages that cost our people N70bn per annum (by estimates published two years ago). This is the justice that Nigeria and Nigerians deserve and expect for the calls for their sacrifice, Afenifere said. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has fixed July 2 and 3 to hold its national caucus and national executive committee (NEC) meetings respectively. Festus Fuanter, acting national secretary of the APC, announced the dates in a notice on Friday. Fuanter said the call for the sit-down was pursuant to articles 12.5 and 25.2(i) of the APC constitution. He said the president, vice-president, senate president, speaker of the house of representatives, national chairman, deputy chairs (north and south), national secretary, national legal adviser, national treasurer, national organising secretary, national youth leader, and national leader of persons living with disabilities are among those invited. Former President Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo, the immediate past vice-president, are expected to be in attendance. While the national caucus gathering will be held at the presidential villa, party leaders will converge in Transcorp Hilton for the NEC meeting the next day. Initially, the national caucus and NEC meetings were billed to hold on July 10 and 11 respectively. However, it was postponed because of the schedule of President Bola Tinubu who was recently elected as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The amount released for foreign education by banks through the Central Bank of Nigeria has hit $533.48m. The figure which was obtained from the latest statistical bulletin published by the apex bank was a cumulative addition of the amounts released between October 2022 and March 2023. Experts however predict that the amount for the second quarter of 2023 sparring between April to June 2023 might be higher given the recent unification of the exchange rate by the CBN. Prior to the unification, there had been a huge gap between the exchange rate at the black market and the official rate. The japa wave has also continued to put huge pressure on the naira as migrating students have been forced to source dollars from Bureau De Change operators owing to delays by banks to process respective Form A. According to the CBN data, the sum of $96.19m was released in October 2022. There was an increase in November 2022 when a total of $125.29m was released for the same purpose. In December 2022, the CBN noted that a sum of $93.12m was released. Further breakdown revealed that in January 2023, the sum of $91.45m was released for educational purposes. In February 2023, there was a slight decrease in amount as only $74.03M was released. There was a slight decrease from that in March 2023 as the CBN revealed that only $53.40M was released. It was reported that Nigerians have continued to troop out in their numbers in pursuit of foreign academic qualifications. Recent data released by the Home Office of the United Kingdom revealed that the number of study visas released to Nigerians increased by 222.8 per cent, with 65,929 issued as of June 2022 as against 20,427 during the same period in 2021. A Professor of Education at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof. Alabi Thomas, in an interview with our correspondent blamed the migration on government policies which, according to him, have continued to cripple the education sector. Thomas also urged the incoming government to ensure that the sector is adequately catered to. Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran has resumed operations, state media in Iran reported Wednesday, following a thaw in ties seven years after the mission was closed. Former President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed shock over the coup in the Niger Republic that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum. Recall that Abdourahamane Tiani, a general and former head of Bazoums presidential guard, was declared as Nigers new head of state. Bazoums presidential guard had held him hostage in the palace on Wednesday, on account of bad governance and worsening security. Some of Bazoums supporters took to the streets of Niamey, Nigers capital, in protests, clashing with those who were in favour of the coup. Following the coup, the office of the Nigerien president through its Twitter account, said it remained positive that democracy would prevail. The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom will see to it, the tweet said. In a statement released on Friday by Garba Shehu, Buharis spokesperson, the former president said he was concerned about the safety of Bazoum and his family. As to be expected, I, just like millions of other Nigerians, am shocked by the latest turn of events in Niger Republic, our neighbour to the north, the statement reads. Concerns have been raised about the fate of democracy as a system of government in the country and in the wider sub-region, and equally so, about the safety of President Mohammed Bazoum and his family. I and my family are as much concerned about these as is everyone else. Bazoum had survived an attempted coup days before his inauguration as president in 2021. Buhari described the action as utterly naive and warned coup plotters to learn a lesson from history on the consequences of instability caused by violent takeover of governments. BUHARI HAILS TINUBU FOR ECOWAS INTERVENTION Following the initial signs of the coup on Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu, also the chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), condemned the actions in Niger. Tinubu said ECOWAS would not tolerate any anti-democratic acts in its region and said the union would do everything in its power to ensure peace returns to the West African country. Shortly after his statement, President Patrice Talon of Benin was deployed to Niger to assess the situation. Buhari, a former ECOWAS chairperson, applauded Tinubus speedy intervention and expressed hope that the situation will be completely rectified. It is heartening to note that the ECOWAS, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is already dealing effectively with the matter and our hope and prayers are that the unwanted situation will be completely reversed and the safety and wellbeing of President Bazoum and his family are ensured, the former president said. A former Minister of Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has warned that a coup detat could not be a solution to disputed elections in Africa, insisting it is not acceptable to support a coup under any guise. Keyamo urged everyone, whether as members of the opposition or the ruling party, to outrightly reject and condemn the coup in Niger Republic. The former Minister claimed that those who think they have scored a point by comparing the coup to their so-called narrative of a flawed election in Nigeria should know that they are cutting their noses to spite their faces. In a statement on his verified Twitter handle on Saturday, Keyamo stated that while there are constitutional means to seek redress in a disputed election, there is no means to seek redress for a coup He wrote, We all have a duty, whether as members of the opposition or the ruling party, to outrightly reject and condemn the coup in Niger Republic. Those who think they have scored a point by comparing the coup to their so-called narrative of a flawed election in Nigeria should know that they are cutting their noses to spite their faces. A coup does not overthrow only the President alone; a coup overthrows all levels of constitutional governments in a country, including the governments formed by the Opposition parties themselves at different levels of governments after winning elections at those levels. In fact those who take a fancy in appealing to the mob on social media to get clicks and likes will be in jail if a coup happens and will not even have such opportunity again to speak their minds. The earlier we realise that a coup detat is not a solution to disputed elections in Africa, the better for us. Almost all elections in Africa have always been disputed anyway. Whilst there are constitutional means to seek redress in a disputed election, there is no means to seek redress for a coup, because even the Constitution itself would be suspended when a coup happens. Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has ordered an end to the weekly sit-at-home in the south-east. In a letter, posted on Twitter on Friday by Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel to Kanu, the IPOB leader asked Simon Ekpa, his self-acclaimed disciple, to desist from calling for further sit-at-home. He asked Ekpa to make a public announcement to the effect that Monday sit-at-home is now cancelled. Simon this is a direct order from me. I hereby instruct you to desist from calling for any sit-at-home henceforth, the letter reads. Equally refrain from antagonising governors or persons in political positions because you are not in a position to know what they are doing on my behalf. I am ordering you to make a public announcement to the effect that you are in receipt of a direct order from me to cancel any pending sit-at-home in place at the moment. I embarked on this movement to liberate our people not to enslave them. I despise and will despise any person or entity that wishes to inflict unnecessary hardship on our people. I have authorized Aloy to issue a press statement if you fail to make this announcement on your platform. Kanu added that anyone engaging in sit-at-home is not his disciple, saying the directive is a waste of time, resources and energy. Anybody still engaging in sit-at-home is not my disciple. Haters of Biafra and mindless murderers in uniform are hiding under the cover of combating enforcers of sit-at-home to unleash mayhem against the same people we swore to defend. I have sent countless messages to those purportedly enforcing sit-at-home that they are not doing so in my name. I am not begging anybody to release me just that Nigeria should have the decency to obey their own laws. The main issue which our people should address their minds to is the unconscionable delays in hearing the govt appeal at the Supreme Court, which is a situation not amenable to any sit-at-home. Therefore sit-at-home is a waste of time, resources and energy, Kanu added. IT IS FAKE Meanwhile, in a Twitter post , Ekpa discountenanced the letter tagging it as fake. He said Kanu cannot write such a letter, adding that it is not only a joke but an insult taken too far. Our attention has been drawn to the fake letter from the pit of hell being paraded by Sahara Reporters and other Nigeria media claiming that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wrote a letter, he tweeted. It is not only a joke but an insult taken too far that the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra is being misrepresented in this way. As the Prime Minister of Biafra under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, I call on all Biafrans to disregard the fake letter coming from DSS. We cant take any order from the Islamic DSS and that is final. The European Union (EU) has condemned in the strongest terms the coup in Niger, insisting that the events in the West African country in recent days constitute a serious attack on stability and democracy. It also warned that any abuse of the fundamental rights of the ousted leader would meet dire consequences with the suspension of support for the troubled country. The EU, in a statement on Friday signed by the High Representative, Josep Borrell said: As ECOWAS pointed out in its latest press release, this coup is in total violation of the democratic principles on which the management of political power in the region is based. The EU reiterated its support for the action of the organisation in the sub-region and for the ongoing efforts to allow an immediate return to constitutional order. It called for President Bazoums security and freedom of movement to be guaranteed unconditionally, warning that: Any breach of the constitutional order will have consequences for cooperation between the EU and Niger, including the immediate suspension of all budget support. We will remain in close coordination with the ECOWAS Heads of State. The EU, however, said it stands with the people of Niger and reaffirms its full commitment to strict respect for the rule of law, human rights, and international humanitarian law in the country. A Civil Society Organisation, Save Nigerian Movement (SNM), has condemned call by some individuals and groups for the resignation of Mr Yusuf Bichi, the Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS). The group, in a statement signed by its Convener, Rev. Solomon Semaka, on Saturday in Abuja said the call was the handiwork of high profile criminal suspects currently undergoing trial. Semaka described the call as a desperate bid by criminal elements to hoodwink Nigerians and curry public sympathy against the service and the Federal Government. The call is a reckless ploy and afterthought, deployed by powerful criminal suspects undergoing trial in line with the rule of law. These individuals have resorted to smear campaign against the Federal Government apparently to evade justice and stamp their feet and take control of the system, he said. According to him, these high profile and very powerful criminal syndicates already in custody have deployed their enormous financial war against the DSS at the detriment of national security and Nigerians. As a frontline Civil Society Organisation, committed to promoting democracy and societal values, we deem it necessary to condemn the purported call for the sack of the DSS boss. We also condemned the threats of a nationwide protests by those we consider as crisis entrepreneurs who always avail themselves to be bought by wealthy criminals at the detriment of Nigerians. It is troubling that some Nigerians have sold their conscience to the same corrupt elements that impoverished us while in public office by engaging in criminality instead of service delivery, he said. Semaka said the allegations made by the crisis entrepreneurs against Bichi and the DSS were baseless and a clear case of corruption fighting back. He said the use of criminally acquired wealth, influence and faceless groups to sponsor campaigns of calumny against the DSS was an old trick that Nigerians would not fall for. The convener said it was shameful that some greedy Nigerians had teamed up with enemies of the country just because of selfish financial gain. This is a clear case of corruption fighting back to overwhelm the state. The DSS must do its job and refrain from falling for cheap blackmail as they strive to ensure national security, he added. General Overseer of Salvation Ministries, Pastor David Ibiyomie has revealed that he gives his wife N1 million monthly for feeding. The cleric made this known during a sermon while advising married women to be prudent with the money given to them. He recalled that he used to give his wife N600k per month for feeding and N500k N600k for each service. However, because his house was big, he increased the feeding amount to N1 million per month. He said, I used to give my wife N600k for feeding a month, then I use to give every service N500 to 600k per service when I was giving her N600k per month. Then I shifted to N1 million per month, my house is big. All women who are not prudent, please be prudent. Dont tell me your husband is rich so you waste money. If with all the wealth I have my wife can use N1 million. Famous Anambra native doctor, Chidozie Nwangwu popularly called Akwa Okuko Tiwaraki, has said he had what it takes to prevent his abduction but chose not to. Nwangwu was kidnapped last Sunday and released early Saturday morning. While narrating his experience, he said he willingly submitted himself to his abductors to avoid more casualties after his two bodyguards were killed. He said, What really happened was that I was there (at home) that day, at around 11:30am, when someone called me and said they were at my hotel, and that they were spending money, and had spent close to N300,000, and that they would have wanted me to be around. I obliged them and drove to the hotel all by myself, in my new car. No one came with me. I was there, and not up to 30 minutes later, gunshots rented the air. People started running helter-skelter. I now went out to see what was happening, and the people started shooting at me. They killed two of my security men. I dont want to reveal much now, but I know that only two things can save a man. If your charms do not save you, your money will save you. Anyone who has charms should have money. So the people took me into their car. If I wanted to run away, I would have run away, but I have seen those that were shot and I said if I leave, they would kill many people. A lot of people were lying down, and if I wanted to leave, they would have killed many. The story too would have been that the whole thing started when I came in, meaning that I was the one who brought in kidnappers. I decided to follow them to show that my hands were clean. What I did was to save many souls. If you think they took me because I ate peoples money, let me tell you I did not. If I eat your money, come to me I will give you money because I have money. The witch doctor also revealed that his ordeal was not unconnected with the sit-at-home exercise in the South-East region. This whole thing is related to this sit-at-home people, and they mentioned names of more people they will take, but its not something I can say now. They killed many in front of me. They killed up to 20 people before me. I did not take anyones money, they just came to kidnap and their target is people who have money. They wanted to kidnap as many as 50 people from my hotel that day, but I rather followed them, he said. Vice-President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria will give its fullest support to both domestic and foreign investors. Olusola Abiola, director of information, office of the VP, in a statement, said Shettima spoke on Friday while addressing political and business leaders at the second plenary session of the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Shettima said the Bola Tinubu administration is taking decisive steps to fight crime, punish offenders, directly tackle insurgency, and do everything necessary to secure lives and investments in the country. He said the Tinubu administration is determined to consolidate on industrialising Nigeria and diversifying its economy into sectors that the country has a comparative advantage. The administration of President Tinubu recognizes the private sector as the engine of growth and a veritable partner in our economic agenda, and will therefore give the fullest possible support to foreign and domestic investors, he said. The administration has identified key growth drivers and sectors that are very important to the diversification of the Nigerian economy, including power, transportation, infrastructure, maritime, agro-processing, mining, manufacturing, petro-chemicals, food processing and textiles. The Nigerian government considers these sectors as key priority areas that will drive the countrys economic agenda. In view of the current geopolitical situation, we must begin to think of real time investment in addition to trading in commodities. He called on Russian companies to take advantage of the vast potentials in Nigeria to invest in strategic areas and to derive maximum benefits. On peace and security, Shettima noted that no meaningful development could take place without peace. He added that the Russia-Ukraine crisis was impacting all nations in different ways. The ongoing situation between these two brotherly countries is unfortunate. Nigeria remains non-aligned in any conflict situation, but we are deeply concerned about the potential impact of the crisis on global peace and security, Shettima said. We call on parties to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means as that is the best option for resolving conflicts and fostering international peace and security. Shettima commended President Vladimir Putin for convening the summit, saying it is very significant to Nigeria in many respects. The second session of the Russia-Africa summit is coming at a time when the administration of President Bola Tinubu is implementing a home-grown and private sector-driven economic agenda, he said. The agenda is predicated on good governance, infrastructure and human capital development, as well as business climate reforms with the expected outcomes in job creation and poverty alleviation. The need, therefore, to invite private sector participation in the Nigerian economy cannot be over-emphasized. Moreover, the timing of the summit is very appropriate, as it is a case of investments meeting opportunities. Earlier, the Russian president reiterated his countrys commitment to the full economic transformation of the African continent. Russia is sincerely ready and willing to stand by African countries in their efforts to address challenges confronting them, Putin said. We cherish our relationship with each African nation and will make efforts to sustain it. The National Executive Council, NEC, of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has endorsed the August 2 nationwide strike and mass protests by NLC over the recent hike in pump price of petrol. In a communique issued at the end of the NEC meeting on Thursday, NEC members also approved other decisions reached by the Central Working Committee, CWC, of NLC, held on July 25, 2023. The Communique signed by President and General Secretary of NLC, Joe Ajaero and Emma Ugboaja respectively, reads and others, NEC-in-session after exhaustively deliberating and reviewing the current socioeconomic situation confronting Nigerian workers and masses and the attendant mass sufferings and deprivation across the nation as a result of the unfortunate actions and Policies of the current occupiers of the seat of Government arrived at the following conclusions in agreement with the Central Working Committees (CWC) earlier deduction that the government has shown disdain and contempt to the plight of Nigerians, shunning reasonable dialogue and refusing to take active measures to protect Nigerians instead it resorted to robbing the people to pay the rich despite the massive outcry across the nation. To this end, NEC-in-session applauds, Re-affirms and supports all the decisions of the Central Working Committee Meeting of the 25th of July, 2023 of the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the federal government including the recent hike in PMS price, Increase in Public School fees, the release of the eight months withheld Salary of University lecturers and Workers and increase in VAT. The immediate inauguration of the Presidential Steering Committee as agreed in the earlier consequential dialogues, to begin the building across the nation of a Coalition of all Nigerians where all will be leaders and all will be followers, to call on all civil society organisations and Nigerians wherever they may be to begin mobilization to take action on theirown to save our nation and to lead and organize mass protest rallies across the nation to demonstrate outrage against the inhuman actions and policies ofthe government. NEC agreed to give the federal government a Seven- Day ultimatum within which to meet all our demands and to embark on a nation wide action beginning Wednesday the 2nd of August, 2023 to compel the government to reverse its anti-poor and anti-workers policies. NEC Consequently directs all Affiliates and State Councils to begin immediate mobilization and closely work with associations, individuals and other entities including the ones already on the streets to ensure that government listens to the people. Members of NEC insisted that the unseriousness of the federal Government towards the creation of frameworks to cushion the impact of its hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or Petrol was demonstrated not only in the quality of its representation in the hastily called meeting of yesterday (Wednesday) but also in their unpreparedness to deal with the issues as canvassed. NEC therefore set up strategy committees across all the states urging all affiliates and State Councils including the civil society to come out beginning Wednesday, the 2nd ofAugust, 2023 across the nation to protest Governments insensitivity to the plights of Nigerians. National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members have been warned to obey the customs and traditions of their host communities and avoid any action that may put them on collision against each other throughout their service year. This advice was given by the NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Yushau Dogara Ahmed, while addressing corps members during his visit to Adamawa State Orientation Camp in Damare, Girei Local Government Area of the State. In the same vein, the Director-General also visited their colleagues at Taraba State Orientation Camp in Simbre. While in both camps, he advised the corps members to study their new environments after the orientation course, learn and understand their culture and traditions and also try to inculcate new values. General Ahmed also urged them to ensure personal security and desist from any adventure that may put their lives at risk. He disclosed that improper dressing in NYSC uniforms and unauthorized journeys during the service year attracts sanctions as stipulated in the NYSC Byelaws. The Director General warned against the misuse of social media adding that they should use it for the promotion of national unity and integration, self development and other meaningful activities. Avoid drugs, illegal gathering and whether in camp or out of camp, you must dress according to NYSC dress code, he added. General Ahmed, whose visit coincided with the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme exhibition in both camps, enjoined the corps members to embrace the opportunities of NYSC SAED programme to become job creators. NYSC Adamawa State Coordinator, Mr Jingi Dennis, stated that all the registered 1,139 corps members have adjusted to camp life and ready to contribute to the development of their host communities. Similarly, in Taraba camp, the State Coordinator, Mr Tony Nzoka, informed General Ahmed that a total of 1,141 corps members, comprising 601 males and 540 males, have been exhibiting great zeal by participating in all camp activities. Israeli military fire killed a 14-year-old Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said Thursday, as an extremist Israeli Cabinet minister broke into the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. "The occupation forces had stormed the Naqar neighbourhood in the west of Qalqilya, which led to clashes," the Palestinian official Wafa news agency reported. "They fired live and rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at residents and their homes." The Palestinian health ministry identified the dead teenager as Fares Abu Samrah, 14, and said he died of bullet wounds to the head. On Wednesday, a Palestinian was killed in the main northern West Bank city of Nablus during what the army also described as "counter-terrorism activity". On Tuesday, Israeli troops killed three Palestinian militants in an exchange of fire in Nablus. Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967. Since early last year, the territory has seen violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities as well as a string of attacks by Palestinians on Israeli targets. So far this year, violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has killed at least 203 Palestinians, 27 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on both sides. Extremist Israeli Cabinet minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the compounds of al-Aqsa mosque on Thursday, drawing condemnation from Palestinians who view such visits as provocative. The site is revered by Jews and Muslims, and the competing claims lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ben-Gvir was joining what will likely be hundreds of Jews visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to mark the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, a key event in Jewish history. This is the most important place for the people of Israel which we must return to and show our rule, Ben-Gvir said in a video released by his office, with the golden Dome of the Rock in the background. Ben-Gvir, a former West Bank settler leader and far-right activist who years ago was convicted of incitement and supporting a Jewish terror group, now serves as Israels national security minister, overseeing the countrys police force. Thursday was Ben-Gvir's third known visit to the holy site since becoming a minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government. Under longstanding arrangements, Jews are permitted to visit the site, but not to pray there. But in recent years, a growing number of Jewish visitors have begun to quietly pray, raising fears among Palestinians that Israel is plotting to divide or take over the site. Ben-Gvir has long called for increased Jewish access. Netanyahu's government, consisting of ultranationalists and West Bank settlement supporters like Ben-Gvir, has intensified steps to solidify Israel's hold on territories that Palestinians seek for a future state, angering Israel's top ally, the United States, and dimming hopes for Palestinian statehood. Search Keywords: Short link: Haruna Garba, commissioner of the federal capital territory (FCT) police command, has warned Nigerians against using the commands emergency contact for obtaining loans. Garba gave the warning on Friday in a statement issued by Josephine Adeh, the commands spokesperson. The commissioner, who added that non-state actors have also been engaging the numbers, warned that those behind the acts will be arrested and prosecuted. He appealed that the emergency contacts should only be used for the designated purposes. the CP enjoins non-state actors who have been engaging the Police emergency lines in their mischievous posts, aimed at misleading members of the public and those submitting same to obtain loans to desist from such and only use the emergency lines for its intended purpose as deliberate steps will be taken to arrest and prosecute the purveyors of these illegal acts, the statement reads. Garba further denied reports that kidnappers wore police uniforms to abduct 17 residents in the Apo area of Abuja. He described the reports as a figment of the authors imagination. The Commissioner of Police FCT hereby wish to inform members of the public that contrary to the falsehood making the rounds on media platforms alleging that kidnappers who adorned the Police uniform to perpetrate their illicit acts have kidnapped 17 persons from the Apo area in Abuja is a figment of the authors imagination as no incident of such happened within the FCT, he said. He urged FCT residents to take advantage of the police control room numbers 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653, and 08028940883 in reporting suspicious activities. The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has rejected the approved N25,000 quarterly accoutrement allowance from the federal government. In a circular signed by Ekpo Nta, chairman of the national salary and wages commission, the federal government said it had approved the payment of an accoutrement allowance of N25,000 per quarter to medical and dental doctors in hospitals, medical centres and clinics in the federal public service. The allowance is to be paid from the overhead budget, the circular reads. In a separate circular, the federal government said it had also approved a 25% increase in consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS). Speaking with TheCable on Saturday, Emeka Orji, NARD president, said the association has rejected the accoutrement allowance as it does not meet the doctors demands. In the letter we wrote to the federal government last year, we also asked for instrument allowances to be included. Many of the instruments in public hospitals were procured by doctors themselves. I buy instruments I use to operate my patients. These are things the government should be providing, he said. These instruments also wear out and we need to replace them. Having this in mind, is it N25,000 per quarter that will be able to address it? What we requested for is nothing near what they offered and that is why we are rejecting it. In a communique on Saturday after a meeting of its national executive council (NEC) in Lagos, NARD conveyed the rejection of the 25 percent salary increase which it described as paltry. NEC has resolved to vehemently reject the paltry 25% increment in the basic salary of doctors as well as the accouterment allowance, adding that her earlier demand is for full restoration of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to its right value as at the time of the approval of the structure in 2009, the communique reads. The association said it would continue the ongoing nationwide total and indefinite strike action until reasonable progress is made by the government to address its demands. The salary and allowance approval come in the wake of an indefinite strike by the resident doctors. The association is demanding the immediate payment of the 2023 medical residency training fund (MRTF), release of the circular on one-for-one replacement, payment of skipping arrears, and upward review of the CONMESS by at least 200%. Other demands include payment of the arrears of consequential adjustment of minimum to the omitted doctors, reversal of the downgrading of the membership certificate by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), new hazard allowance, and payment of omitted hazard allowance arrears. The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has dismissed claims by Finland-based Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa that its leader, Nnamdi Kanus letter was fake. IPOBs spokesman, Emma Powerful, insisted that Kanus letter ordering Ekpa to end the sit-at-home in the Southeast was authentic. On Friday, Kanu had sent a handwritten letter to Ekpa, ordering him to end the Southeast sit-at-home. Kanu sent the letter through his Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor. Confirming the letter, Powerful said Ekpas claim that Kanus letter was fake was part of an effort to cause mischief. A statement by Powerful on Saturday reads partly: The global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) confirm the authenticity of the handwritten note of our leader penned to the Finland infiltrator and crime minister instructing him to end his infamous and reckless sit-at-homes. It is pertinent to make the message disassociating Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB from the senseless enforcement of sit-at-home public to avoid consequences on innocent citizens. Kanu, in his wisdom, communicated the message to the infiltrators through the right channel and a source they should trust. The claims that Kanus handwritten note is fake is part of their mischief to continue in their contract to blackmail IPOB and Kanu with the violent enforcement of the infamous sit-at-homes used to terrorise our people. We understand that a power-drunk crime Minister with his inconsequential kangaroo defacto government in exile will ignore the order for the fear of deflating his over-bloated ego. The note from our leader disassociating himself and IPOB from the infamous sit-at-homes are being distributed to all Nigeria Security Agencies, all foreign Embassies in Abuja, and to the contractors of the infiltrators for their notice. We are IPOB, and we are wiser than the serpent. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-cultural organization, on Saturday, confirmed the authenticity of the handwritten letter by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, to self-acclaimed Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa. Ohanaeze said Kanu sent the letter over Ekpas attempt to destroy the Southeast in 14 days using the sit-at-home. The body said Ekpas claim that Kanus letter was fake proved that the Finland-based agitator was working for those determined to destroy the Southeast. The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization noted that Ekpa capitalised on the Federal Governments lapses to release Kanu to sponsor insecurity in the Southeast. Speaking with newsmen, Ohanaezes factional Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said: The current face-off between Simon Ekpa and Nnamdi Kanu is proof that he has been using Kanus incarceration to terrorize the people of the Southeast. He capitalized on the lapses of the Federal Government not to release Kanu on bail to terrorize the people of the Southeast. He is using the weak link to unleash terror on the Southeast while he is working for the enemies of Ndigbo to ensure that he destabilizes the Southeast. The people trying to destroy the Southeast through insecurity are those sponsoring Ekpa. After due investigation, the letter Kanu wrote to Ekpa is 100 percent genuine, we have confirmed from reliable sources that the handwritten letter was written in view of Ekpas sit-at-home to cripple the Southeast in 14 days, and this is the height of terrorism, given the entrepreneur nature of the Igbo nation. The authenticity of that letter is 100 percent, its not fake, Ekpa knows that by obeying Kanu, he would lose those sponsoring him to destroy the Southeast. Ekpas disobedience to Kanus order is a proof that hes being sponsored by those who want the Southeast to continually have insecurity challenge. President Bola Tinubu is expected to host a special meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja, over the recent military coup in Niger. Dele Alake, special adviser to Tinubu on special duties, communications and strategy, announced the development in a statement on Friday. Recall Amadou Abdramane, a colonel-major, announced the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum from office in a late-night address on Wednesday. Abdramane dissolved the countrys constitution, suspended all institutions and closed the borders. Following the coup in the Republic of Niger that has upended the constitutional political leadership in the West African country, the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Tinubu will host a special meeting of the regional leaders on Sunday, July 30th in Abuja the statement reads. President Tinubu as Chairman of ECOWAS, in a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, condemned the current political situation in the neighbouring country and promised that ECOWAS and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure that democratic governance continues to take firm root in the sub-region. US Vice President Kamala Harris and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in separate telephone calls on Thursday evening with President Tinubu affirmed the support of the US and UN for the position taken by ECOWAS and the Nigerian leader to restore constitutional order in Niger. The United States issued Nigeria and Ghana their highest-ever student visa in history in 2022, a recent report has revealed. ApplyBoard, the Canadian educational company, said more African students were awarded F1 visas in 2022 than ever before, citing data from the US Department of State. F1 visa is usually issued to those pursuing an academic programme or seeking a full-time degree at a US institution. Nigeria and Ghana will be particularly interesting to watch over the next couple of years both were issued the most student visas in their histories in 2022, the report said. As the US grows in popularity among African and Indian students, the short-term trade-off may be slightly lower approval rates. But the long-term benefits could help fast-track the recovery of the US international education sector. The Voice of America reports that the number of visas issued to students from Africa in 2022 surpassed 30,700 an increase from 23,229 recorded in the 2021 fiscal year. The data also showed that the most visas issued to students from Africa in 2018 stood at 21,037. The US issued 20,165 student visas to Africa in 2019 while the figure dropped to 7,333 in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Over 411,000 student visas were issued by the US in 2022, a 15 per cent increase from that of 2021 which had 357,839. The 2022 figure is estimated to be the highest number of student visas recorded globally since 2017. In spite of the hike, the US visa approval rates dropped to 65 per cent amid the rising volume of applications. India was issued over 115,000 student visas in 2022 an over 43% increase from the previous year. The country is projected to displace China as the country with the most international students in the US in the coming years. US STILL BEHIND CANADA, UK IN STUDENT VISA ISSUANCE The ApplyBoard data showed that the US is still behind the UK and Canada which are highly sought after by Nigerians in terms of student visas issued in 2022. Its worth noting, however, that we continue to see higher growth trajectories from competing destination markets. Canada issued over 420,000 student visas in 2022, a 27% increase over 2021, the report said. In the UK, annual growth was 34% in the year ending March 2023. This is the only line that attempts to draw that comparison in the report. Two Lunar Trines People are nice for their own reasons, which could have little to do with the nuances of any single interaction. So, while you may prefer to earn your niceties, two lunar trines strongly suggest we dont worry too much about who deserves what. Take the goodness when it comes and assume its a bit of indirect karma circling back. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You can leverage the special connection you share with your fellow fire signs (Aries and Sagittarius) to tick off an item on your wish list. Getting what you want will have a ripple effect, and others will have what they want too. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Take advantage of calm stretches. What needs doing? Handle the little details you wont have time for when the action picks up, like sharpening your tools or your skills. Also, the day will show you what you need to learn next. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Instead of listening to people tell you what they can do, observe the work they actually have done. In general, interactions will be lucky when you keep it short and leave them wanting more. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your day has a strange rhythm of fast action then odd lulls. In the blur of a quick pace, its easy to overlook basic information like what exactly is expected of you. Keep checking in about that because it will change. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). It is said that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but it could also get thrown in the garbage bin, traded out for a wheel that spins quietly. Before complaining you will carefully assess whether you can fix a problem yourself. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Even on days like today when youre not committed, obligated or in any way pressured to show up any place in particular, your energy and time are still sacred commodities. Youll spend them well, ever mindful of the good they can do. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Some silences are heavy, and others float, glow, gloat or grow. You read silence very well now and assign accurate meanings to the pauses, which communicate more than words. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Moods happen. People will erroneously assign reasons for them, but the circumstances are not to blame. Mood lifters that work consistently include exercise, sunshine and connecting with others, especially in a helping capacity. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Emotions can come over you at seemingly inopportune times, though keep in mind that this is just what makes life interesting. Also, a feeling doesnt have to be optimal, comfortable or even appropriate to be perfectly acceptable. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Dorothy had to land in Oz to appreciate everyone back home. Travel will do the same for you. Get your ticket to a magical place, or anyplace different really. Anticipating a trip will begin your appreciation process. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Even the most intellectual problem will benefit from some physicalization. Your brain is a body part too and needs circulation and hydration to be at its best. Engaging your body in the thought process will help you figure everything out. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Because you believe in yourself, the idea that your work has flaws is not a threat to your self-worth. Also, optimism does not preclude you from having a backup strategy. A plan B can actually give you more confidence. TODAYS BIRTHDAY (JULY 29). The year is one long celebration of love in its many forms. Your devotion to an endeavor will define your lifestyle for several months at a time. Youll stick with things until they bear fruit. More highlights: The universe throws you for a loop intended to better your fortunes. Youll make a product, attract buyers and cash in. Youll often master the art of contentment. Capricorn and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 4, 37, 8 and 15. CELEBRITY PROFILES: Martina McBride recently supported her friend Wynonna Judd by joining her on stage in Judds final tour. McBride is a loyal Leo who is perpetually in creativity mode. The County Music Hall of Famer has created podcasts, cookbooks, albums, tours and a show on the Food Network, but like a true lioness (Leo is the sign of children) shell confess her favorite role is mom to three daughters with sound engineer husband John McBride. Holiday Mathis debut novel, How To Fail Epically in Hollywood, is out now! This fast-paced romp about achieving Hollywood stardom is available as a paperback and ebook. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com. COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM A 50-year-old Jersey City motorcyclist was seriously injured Thursday night when he was involved in a crash on Kennedy Boulevard, according to the crash report. The Danforth Avenue man was unconscious after the 6:44 p.m. crash at the intersection of Orient Avenue and taken to the Jersey City Medical Center, the report said. The driver of the other vehicle, a 40-year-old Jersey City woman, told police she was driving south on Kennedy Boulevard and was making a left turn onto Orient Avenue when the motorcyclist sped up and the crash occurred. A two-alarm fire burned down a house in Bergen County early Saturday morning. Local firefighters fought a blaze that occurred at a home on Maryann Lane in Harrington Park, according to the River Vale Fire Department in Bergen County. When it comes to sand and the money New Jersey is willing to spend to keep piles upon piles of it on Jersey Shore beaches, there seem to be no bounds. New Jerseys latest budget, signed by Gov. Phil Murphy on June 30, includes a record-setting $50 million for the Shore Protection Fund money largely dedicated to replenishing beaches with sand, state officials said this week. COP28 president-designate urges G20 to lead climate action Xinhua) 10:40, July 29, 2023 DUBAI, July 28 (Xinhua) -- COP28 President-Designate Sultan Al Jaber on Friday called on the Group of 20 nations to take a leadership role in mitigating climate change, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) official news agency WAM reported. Al Jaber, also the UAE's special envoy for climate change, made the call at the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting held in Chennai, India, said the report. Noting that the G20 economies account for around 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Jaber said decisions made by the group could "have a huge influence on outcomes for everyone" and therefore urged G20 nations to drive actions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Jaber also urged solidarity and cooperation among all parties toward scaling up renewable energy, comprehensively decarbonizing the energy system, and building a system free of fossil fuels. The president-designate highlighted the importance of making progress on adaptation, a key part of the Paris Agreement, reiterating the need to "move the needle on adaptation finance," which is merely around 10 percent of that allocated for mitigation. In the three-day meeting, the G20 major nations failed to agree on concrete targets to mitigate emissions, with disputes lingering over carbon budgets, historical emissions, net-zero goals, and financing for developing countries, according to a document issued by organizers on Friday. The meeting had been considered a chance for the G20 to make pragmatic steps ahead of the COP28 Summit in the UAE in November. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) Photo: Pixabay Would we survive an alien invasion? British Columbians have the worst chance of survival, according to a new report. With the U.S. House of Representatives holding landmark hearings on UFO sightings, online gambling site BonusFinder Canada has released a tongue-in-cheek, points-based analysis of the provinces. B.C. comes in tenth, with an alien survivability score of 5.96 out of 10. According to the points criteria, the provinces vast and remote terrain could pose challenges for people trying to escape or live off the land. We also have the second lowest number of residents in active military service (191.87 per 100,000 people) and only 471.92 agriculturalists per 100,000 population. The analysis took into consideration several factors including population density, total forest area, fresh water, scientists, police officers, number of farms, number of food businesses, construction and manufacturing per 100,000, healthcare professionals per capita and the average duration of reported UFO visits. Nova Scotia scored the highest out of 10, thanks to its high number of people in active military service and lots of scientists. It also gets points for the Shag Harbour incident, when a UFO reportedly crashed into the ocean, leaving no trace other than yellow foam. Manitoba was the second most likely to survive an Alien invasion according to BonusFinder Canada, while Newfoundland and Labrador was third. The UFO sighting data used in the report was scraped from the National UFO Reporting Centre Online Database. British Columbia has 1,178 report on the database, with the most recent coming from Kelowna on June 3, 2023. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and African leaders discussed priorities for the Russia-Africa Partnership during a luncheon on the sidelines of the second Russia-Africa Summit. According to the official spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency Ahmed Fahmy, President El-Sisi's participation in the summit comes in his capacity as the current president of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) -- the development arm of the African Union (AU). NEPAD mobilizes financial resources to support Africa's flagship projects under the 2063 African Development Agenda. The organization supports efforts for continental integration, including through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It also supports initiatives aimed at developing Africa's infrastructure and industrial transformation. During the luncheon, President El-Sisi outlined Egypt's vision on the priorities for the Africa-Russia partnership, including enhancing peace and security and strengthening post-conflict reconstruction under the AU. The Egyptian president also stressed Cairo's leading role in facilitating intra-continental discussions through the Aswan Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development and as the host of the African Union's Reconstruction and Development Centre. As the chair of NEPAD in the next two years, Egypt is determined to promote programs that foster the linkage between peace, security, and development, El-Sisi noted. The Egyptian president said Cairo was actively contributing to Africa's food security by providing solutions for issues -- such as food supply, fertilizers, and agriculture technology -- and securing the necessary financial support. He added that Egypt remains steadfast in taking concrete and sincere steps to secure the necessary financing to support African countries in their efforts to address the challenges of climate change. The second edition of the Russia-Africa summit kicked off on Thursday in St. Petersburg with the participation of 49 countries. President El-Sisi met Russian President Putin on Wednesday evening to discuss means to strengthen relations between the two countries. Search Keywords: Short link: Travel to Europe is about to get a little more complex. U.S. passport holders will need to apply for a travel authorization through the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) to visit 30 European countries starting in 2024. While U.S. passport holders currently enjoy visa-free access to these countries, come next year, they will have to take this extra step before packing their bags. Here is what you need to know about the ETIAS. What is the ETIAS? How does it work? ETIAS is an electronic travel authorization connected to a travelers passport. Travelers from over 60 visa-exempt countries, including the U.S., can enter 30 European countries for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. However, just because you successfully obtained an ETIAS does not mean you will automatically gain access to your desired country. A border guard at your point of entry will determine if you have all the entry requirements. What is the application process like? Most ETIAS applications take a few minutes to process. But sometimes, it can take up to 14 days, if you need to submit more information or documents. If there is an interview needed, the process can take up to 30 days. This is why travel experts advise that you apply for your ETIAS travel authorization many weeks before your European trip. How do you apply for an ETIAS travel authorization? You can fill out the application form on the ETIAS website or app to request the travel authorization. Keep in mind that you cannot apply for an authorization just yet. The European Union has not opened the application process and will not do so until well into next year. How much does it cost to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization? An ETIAS travel authorization is $7.79 translated into American dollars. However, some travelers can get an exemption from paying this fee. Check the application requirements on the website for more information. What documents and information do you need to apply? You need a valid travel document where a visa can be placed, according to the ETIAS website. The travel document, such as a passport, should not expire within three months and not be older than 10 years. You will need to provide personal information, including your name, surname, date and place of birth. You will also need to show the details of your travel document, your level of education and current occupation and intended travel and stay in the countries where ETIAS is required. You will also be required to show details of any criminal convictions, past travels to war or conflict zones and if you were recently the subject of a decision requiring you to leave the territory of a country. More details about the necessary requirements for an ETIAS application are listed here. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips. The Great American Bash: NXT will air on Sunday, July 30. You can watch live as it airs on Peacock (free trial). The event will take place at the the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in the Austin town of Cedar Park, Texas, with the main show beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Heres what you need to know to watch The Great American Bash: NXT online as it airs. When is WWE The Great American Bash: NXT 2023? The Great American Bash: NXT will be live, and available to watch via Peacock (free trial), on Sunday, July 30. What time does WWE The Great American Bash: NXT start? The Great American Bash: NXT main event will begin in full at 8 p.m. eastern time. How do I watch WWE The Great American Bash: NXT? The Great American Bash: NXT will be available to watch on Peacock (free trial) live as it airs. Because Peacock is now the official home of the WWE, this will be the only place to watch the event, whether live or on-demand. Peacock is a must-have if youre interested in watching any future WWE events, whether that includes WrestleMania itself or later highlights of the 2023 calendar like Clash at the Castle. There will be no other way to view these events. What matches will be featured in WWE The Great American Bash: NXT? The night will feature both some of the years biggest matches, all as part of the The Great American Bash: NXT chronology, and the high point of several of its storylines. The declared matches for The Great American Bash: NXT are currently all available to view here. Among them will be Dragon Lee, Nathan Frazer, Yulisa Leon, and Valentina Feroz vs. The Meta-Four. How do I subscribe to the WWE Network on Peacock? You can sign up for a Peacock subscription by going here. Heres a look at WWE The Great American Bash: NXT, courtesy of the WWEs official YouTube channel: Related stories about streaming TV services The best VPNs of 2023, according to reviews How to watch The Last of Us, the hottest show on TV right now Hulu raising prices: Is the streaming service still worth it? How to watch Acorn TV: What is it? How much does it cost? What TV shows does it have? The best streaming services for live TV in 2022: Prices, features, free trials How to watch Yellowstone, the hottest show on TV right now Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Joseph Rejent covers TV, writing about live television, streaming services and cord-cutting. He can be reached at jrejent@njadvancemedia.com. BALTIMORE - Surely Brian Cashman had the same reaction as Yankees fans watching Anthony Santanders walk-off HR in the ninth inning Friday night pure agony. Everything about the 1-0 loss to the Orioles was designed to break the franchises spirit, from ownership, to the players, down to the folks at home who wanted to smash their TVs as the Os celebrated. Aaron Boone knew it wasnt enough to call it a tough defeat. He said it twice for emphasis. And even then, there was no proper way to describe the dejection in the clubhouse. The Yankees fired all their bullets at the Orioles in this must-win series: Gerrit Cole was at his season-best, throwing seven shutout innings. And Aaron Judge, having returned to the lineup for the first time since June 3, got on base three times. And yet, by the end of the night, the Yankees had fallen nine games behind the first-place Orioles. More importantly theyre 3.5 games out of the wild-card race. The situation has deteriorate from concerning to critical. That puts the onus squarely on Cashman, who has three days to acquire reinforcements for Judge. If the GM was hoping for a miracle turnaround with No. 99 back in the No. 2 spot, its time to wake up. BUY YANKEES TICKETS: STUBHUB, VIVID SEATS, TICKETMASTER The current roster doesnt have the firepower to catapult the Yankees back into the wild card race. The Yankees are 13th in the American League in runs scored this month. Even the Royals have out-produced them, which is an embarrassment. The reality is that Boones lineup is littered with easy outs, all of whom were exposed by Orioles rookie Grayson Rodriguez. Give the kid credit, though. He was throwing close 100-mph and was able to match Cole inning for inning. Rodriguez represents the can-do aptitude thats turning the Os season into a miracle. But none of that shouldve come at the Yankees expense not when Cole was in Terminator mode. A bona fide contender has to prevail when their ace is putting zeroes on the scoreboard. That Cole ended up with a no-decision was unforgivable. No one has to explain this to Cashman. He knows. So does Boone. The manager spoke eloquently about rebounding Saturday against the Orioles. For once he was right when he said the Yankees had played their best. Up until the moment Kahnles change-up was tomahawked by Santander over the right field wall, the Bombers had done nearly everything right. And it still wasnt enough. Want to bet on MLB? See the best NJ Sports Betting sites Cashman has to choose one of two paths. He can either launch a full, frontal assault for Cody Bellinger, even if it means a wild overpay. The Yankees are otherwise in danger of being boxed out for the Cubs slugger. The problem is that everyone wants Bellinger, and the odds are long that hed even be available. The Cubs have won seven in a row and legitimately believe theyre wild-card contenders. That means Cashman cant take no for answer. That was his mistake in 2022, when the Mariners swooped in to pluck right-hander Luis Castillo from the Reds. The Yankees, whod been talking to Cincinnati, never even got a chance to make a best-and-final offer for Castillo. The Mariners outmaneuvered the competition, Yankees included. Option Two would be to start re-tooling for 2024, which means taking a long, hard look at the kids. Cashman knows nothing is mathematically impossible in late July, but neither is he a dreamer. He probably knows this stat by heart: the Yankees once had an 80 percent chance of making the playoffs (per Fangraphs.com). That likelihood is now down to 28 percent. Thats a disaster for a club with a $240 million payroll. But at this rate the Yankees will soon be walking in the Mets shoes as the worst team money could buy. One caveat, though: I dont think Cashman would ever allow the franchise to crater while building a next-generation contender. He wont let the Yankees become the 2018 Orioles, who lost 100 or more games three times in the next four years. The Yankees, after all, still have their pillars Cole and Judge which means the foundation will remain intact for at least 3-4 more years. But its becoming apparent who the 2023 Bombers really are. The empty offense is slowly sabotaging this group. Thereve been too many games like the one the Yankees just lost on Friday. Dont ask Judge to agree, however. Instead of allowing himself to be swept into the popular narrative Judge returns, goes deep, rescues Yankees he exercised enough discipline to draw three weeks. Most hitters, fresh off the Injured List, wouldve likely spent the night swinging for Mars. Judge, however, said, hasnt given up. His toe isnt 100 percent healed, he probably wont play everyday down the stretch. And yet none of that bothers Judge enough to notice the walls are closing in on the Yankees. But Cashman does. He didnt need any further explanation after Santanders finished circling the bases Friday. While the Orioles were busy going full Animal House, the Yankees had sunk deeper in last place than at any time since 1992. Now that was a lousy year. Look it up. Because history is repeating itself. >.subtext-iframe{max-width:540px;}iframe#subtext_embed{width:1px;min-width:100%;min-height:256px;} Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Bob Klapisch may be reached at bklapisch@njadvancemedia.com. THOUSAND ISLAND PARK You wont ever find a dollar store in this hamlet on Wellesley Island, but a dollar could give you a rich history lesson on what makes this place, founded in 1875 as a Methodist campground and now a private residential community, a unique and peaceful haven. You can pay what you want or nothing, but a dollar is the suggested donation for entry to the Thousand Island Park Museum, which has seen a resurgence of involvement and interest in the past few years. On Thursday morning, Sarah Grimm of Hartford, Conn., had just left the museum, but, reflective of the hamlets pace, she then leisurely lingered on the expansive and inviting porch of the Wellesley Hotel, which houses the museum, and chatted with others. Time was of no concern after her stroll through history. Grimm is a regular visitor of the park the guest of Tracey Mariano, Oneida who has a family cottage in the hamlet. Grimm said she attempts to describe Thousand Island Park to people not familiar with it back home in Connecticut. Its like nothing I could describe, she said. Its not like a Block Island or anything or any of the vineyards. And just the fact that theres a lot of families here and youre able to bring your animals its just very cozy and comfortable. When my friends come up here, they say its like going back in time, Mariano said. And its great for kids to grow up in this atmosphere. Were all river rats and we love it here. Its such a rich history, Grimm said. A new display at the Thousand Island Park Museum looks at some of the history of Wellesley Island and Thousand Island Park through the eyes of artist and naturalist Minna Anthony Common, 1882-1950. From 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, the museum, 42223 Rainbow St. West, Orleans, will host a celebration of her work. Her family has loaned us a number of her paintings and drawings, said museum docent Thomas L. French, a fourth generation Thousand Island Parker. Family photos, reflective of the life of Minna Anthony Common, are displayed in one of the two large front windows of the museum. Inside are about 20 of her artworks that were loaned by family members. Every year, I try to rotate something new into one of the windows, French said. The other front window has information about the life and works of Carol L. Gridley, one of the museum founders and a lifetime resident of the park who died in January 2022, two weeks after turning 100. According to the exhibit biography, Minna was born on a farm in Pamelia. Her mother died five weeks after her birth from diphtheria. Her father took her to live with his mother, Amelia Brown Anthony, in Watertown, where she graduated from Watertown High School in 1899. Brown Anthony, who raised Minna, was a direct descendant of George Brown, who emigrated from Leicester, England, and settled in Bucks County, Penn. in 1679. George Brown, who was born in 1755 and who was a grandson of the original George Brown who settled in Bucks County, came to Northern New York after serving in the Revolutionary War. When George Brown came into the north country in 1798 he brought with him his 7-year-old son Thomas, settling in Brownville. Minna participated in a post-high-school program at Watertown High School to become a public school teacher. She served as librarian of the high school during her four years. She taught the first four grades at Brownville/Glen Park School for several years, commuting from Watertown by bicycle in favorable weather and by trolley in inclement weather, until she married James A. Common in 1904, a traveling salesman. She continued to tutor children intermittently the rest of her life. Minna spent almost every summer of her life at Thousand Island Park where her grandmother Amelia was one of the first residents. The family leased a lot on the corner of Park Avenue and Bay Shore near the current entrance to the Rock Ridges Nature Trail. As was often the case at the park, the family lived in a tent on the site until the cottage was built. After learning botany through a summer course offered at the park by Anna Botsford Comstock, the first female professor at Cornell University, she began painting, with no formal training, though she later took lessons from neighbors and friends. For 24 years preceding her death, Minna was the official federal bird observer for this area and had kept Washington Fish and Life Service informed of bird migrations. Minna and James Common had six children: Faith, Robert, June, Catherine, Ruth and Vera. All six children attended local schools and received college educations. It was through the insistence on Minnas part that education was vitally important that all six of her children attended college. One of their daughters, Catherine A. Common, married John B. Johnson, editor and publisher of the Watertown Daily Times for more than 50 years and a business and civic leader. He died in 2001, and Catherine, who at a very early age began hiking with her mother all over the western end of Wellesley Island, died in 2004. Minna was more than an artist. She was a leading authority on the birds, flowers, trees, plants and animals of New York. For 25 years, her pen and ink illustrations and essays on natural history were published in the Watertown Daily Times and other publications, including the New York Times. In 1969, the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center, on 600 acres of land within the Wellesley Island State Park, was named in her honor following a unanimous vote by the Thousand Islands Park Commission. Also at Thousand Island Park, theres the Minna Anthony Common Rock Ridges Trail, on the hill behind the tabernacle. Minna originated the trail, which opened in 1935 and winds up and across the wooded hill with spectacular views across South Bay. The paintings by Minna on display are all oils, French said. His favorite is a painting of the Thousand Islands International Bridge, which opened in 1938. Its an accurate painting and its vivid, he said. The colors are there and theres little cottages and one of the buoys on the St. Lawrence in the background. Her name is very clear. The variety of other images range from a sailboat, which French suspects is a scene from South Bay, and two paintings done on wood of flowers. The artwork is not just river-themed. One of the pieces is a colored-pencil drawing of a stone building in Burrville. Somebody told me they think the building is still there, French said. Inscribed on the drawing, apparently by the artist: Blue jays and chickadees came to the window to eat crumbs at the school in Burrville February of 1948. BLAZING A TRAIL On a table below Minnas paintings are a few copies of the 2019 book, Blazing A Trail: The Minna Anthony Common Story. Copies of the book will also be available next week at The Little Bookstore in Clayton. Blazing a Trail is a narrative nonfiction book by Becky Ferrigno, Rochester, with illustrations by Jennifer M. Varn. Like many women of her generation, she was ahead of her time, Ferrigno said in a phone interview on Thursday. What she was doing ecologically with her trails and her nature programs was just unheard of. Reading about her and going up to the nature center was instantly, as a writer, something I thought, This needs to be told. This needs to be put down somewhere so shes not forgotten. Minna was also an inspiration to Ferrigno. Everything she did, from her paintings to her writings to her knowledge in science was all self-taught. She sought out all of her education. Its also the fact that she had the audacity and strength to find what she needed to learn and find the people she needed to learn it from. She added, She was a strong woman who defied everyones expectations. She was married with six children and still was able to run a nature trail and teach about ecology and do all these things. She was an avid learner. That, as a mother of two myself, I admire her tenacity, and really, her brilliance. HISTORIC ROOTS The nonprofit Thousand Island Park Museum is maintained by the Thousand Island Park Historical Association. The museum was founded in the mid-1980s by Frenchs mother, Nellie (Mitchell) Taylor; his grandfather, Thomas Mitchell II, whose family moved to Thousand Island Park from Wolfe Island sometime near the turn of the 20th century; Carol Gridley; Michael Ridley and Bernie Slate. Slate is a fifth generation Wellesley Islander who attended the one-room schoolhouse at Thousand Island Park until 1954. The school closed in the mid-1950s. Slate attended the school up until grade 6 and later graduated from Alexandria Central. He would go on to become a public school teacher teaching third and fourth grades at Harrisville for 33 years. Slate now educates, as a volunteer, about Thousand Island Park and Wellesley Island as a museum docent. I always come back to this area every summer for vacations, Slate said Thursday as he took a break from his duties. I know a lot of the families. A lot of them have been on this island for over 150 years. Theres an awful lot of history on this island. Most of the people on it in the early years were dairy farmers. My grandfather had a very large farm going over to the state park. The state purchased all of that land, and then he had a little organic farm. More island history is finding its way to the Thousand Island Park Museum. When they first started, they didnt have a lot of stuff, French said. Now, we have people dropping stuff off all the time. The other day, somebody dropped off a movie program schedule from 1968 when they used to have movies here four nights a week. When I was growing up, I used to run the big, old movie projectors. A sense of what life was like at Thousand Island Park can be seen in a bulky book that French opened. This is the general store ledger from the mid-1890s, he said. I think my grandfather somehow got hold of it and kept it. Every page tells what people bought. There are also bags of receipts, for things such as paints, buggies, bicycles and thermometers, along with the names of people and businesses who purchased them. French said people who come in and discover a name are thrilled by such discoveries. A row of post office mailboxes at the museum has a link to the old Guzzle, the Thousand Island Park business that serves as the communitys market, coffee shop, bakery and community hub. Its especially known for its ice cream and locally sourced goods. In 2014, a fire destroyed the Guzzle, but it was rebuilt. The new Guzzle opened in 2017. However, the new establishment is no longer a place where people pick up their mail. The U.S. Postal Service installed new post office boxes in a building next to the hotel. Someone brings the mail down once a day from the new post office that was built a few years ago near the (Thousand Islands) bridge, French explained. The mail box display at the museum is popular with visitors who recall the old boxes, and perhaps the combination to them. The museum has a promotion related to the mail display. Anyone who successfully opens their box, and everyone will because we will supply the combination if necessary, is entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate, French said. The certificate will be good for the Guzzle, Thousand Island Park Hotel, Michael Ringers Gallery in Clayton, River Rat Cheese or Bay House Artisans. The cost to enter is a $5 donation. A sampling of what museum visitors can discover: - Delve into over 100, 19th-century, 3D stereoviews from all along the St. Lawrence River. A 3D viewer is available. French is the author of River Views: A History of the 1000 Islands in 3D, which in 2012 won a silver medal in the Independent Book Awards for best regional nonfiction book in the Northeast. - Find out what the Introduction of yoga to the United States has to do with Thousand Island Park. - Photos of fires and ruins. - Toot an original ferry whistle salvaged from a local vessel. - Discover why author J.D. Salinger was a frequent guest to Thousand Island Park. - Explore how early people survived the winters and filled ice houses. - Observe the craftsmanship of historic, Native American baskets. - Learn how the original Guzzles 1915 fire code construction successfully saved the park from further destruction in 2014. - And something for the future: Somebody just gave us a dozen home movies from 1975 and of the centennial celebration here, French said. There was a revue, skits and things at the tabernacle. Im going to raise some funds to get those digitized. Many visitors, Slate said, are interested in the parks ties to Swami Vivekananda. In 1893, Swami Vivekananda, a 30-year-old monk from Calcutta, took the podium at the Worlds Parliament of Religions, an interfaith gathering in Chicago, and declared the faith he followed emphasized toleration and acceptance of all religions as he spread the word of his mentor, Sri Ramakrishna. Two years later, Vivekananda (1863-1902) brought his message to Wellesley Island at the invitation of one of his students, Oswego native M. Elizabeth Dutcher. She invited the swami to rest from his labors at her cottage on a secluded hill behind the Thousand Island Park tabernacle. The cottage he stayed at is now called Vivekananda Cottage, run by the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, an accredited branch of the Ramakrishna Order of India. The building, maintained as a place of pilgrimage, was rediscovered and restored by the center in 1947. AN ENGAGING VISIT French said that in recent years, the museum has seen between 1,000 to 1,200 visitors per year. Thats a lot of people to come through, and already this year, theres been 700-and-something visitors. He said that donors who are dedicated to the museum help to fund it. We have a small number of donors who give anywhere from $500 to $1,000 a year. The Thousand Island Park Foundation also contributes. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily during the summer months, although the museum may be closed on Mondays in mid-to-late August due to staffing. For the first 20 years, it was only open for two hours, for three days a week in the mornings, French said. It was run by a number of volunteers, like Bernie (Slate). French said the museum now has up to four teens hired as docents. Theres also a volunteer adult on staff during the open hours. It feels very satisfying, French said of the museums growing popularity. Also its satisfying when people come in who have been coming to the river a lot and wonder: When did this come here? They discover it. French and other volunteers and staffers like to welcome visitors like old friends matching the homey atmosphere of the park itself. When people walk in, we just dont say hello, he said. I try to engage people. Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost. If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below. Egypt's president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called for a consensual agreement on grain exports to halt the continuous rise in grain prices during his speech on Friday at the Russia-Africa Summit in Russia's St. Petersburg. I look forward to reaching a consensus on a grain export agreement that takes into account the demands and interests of all parties involved and puts an end to the continuous increase in grain prices," he added. The second edition of the summit kicked off on Thursday with the participation of 49 countries, including Egypt, represented by nearly 45 heads of state. During his speech on Friday, El-Sisi stated that this summit takes place amidst a highly complex international context characterized by heightened polarization and transformative changes that challenge the fundamental principles of the modern international system. In this regard, he pointed out that African countries face various challenges that affect their developmental paths, security, and the rights of future generations, stressing the need for tools and measures to address these issues and ensure a safe future. In his speech, the Egyptian president outlined Egypt's four-point vision for the current international situation and the key areas for enhancing cooperation within the strategic partnership between Africa and Russia. Firstly, El-Sisi emphasized the significance of African sovereignty and independence. He asserted that African countries are not passive players but sovereign and independent actors who seek peace, security, and sustainable development that prioritise the well-being of their people. Therefore, he stressed the importance of staying immune to divisive polarization and uniting for the greater good. Secondly, the Egyptian president stressed that any solutions to existing conflicts must be grounded in the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter and in international law. El-Sisi stressed the importance of reaching peaceful resolutions to conflicts, safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and addressing the root causes of crises, especially those linked to national security determinants. Furthermore, he called for refraining from using tools that only served to fuel conflicts and deepen divisions. Thirdly, the Egyptian president highlighted the severe ramifications of conflicts on the economy of African countries by pointing out the adverse impact of such conflicts on food security, supply chains, and energy prices. Therefore, El-Sisi stressed the necessity of providing affordable food and fertilizers in a way that helps African countries resolve these crises. He also affirmed the importance of exploring innovative financing mechanisms in supporting agricultural and food systems in Africa. "I emphasize the importance of finding urgent solutions to provide food and fertilizers at prices that help Africa overcome this crisis. We should explore innovative financing mechanisms to support agricultural and food systems in Africa," the Egyptian president said. El-Sisi thus expressed keenness to achieve a consensual agreement on grain exports that would consider the interests and demands of all parties and end the continuous rise in grain prices. In this regard, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia understands the importance of supplying African countries with foodstuffs and will remain a reliable source of foodstuffs for Africa. Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea grain agreement after protesting for months that the parts of the deal that allowed for the export of Russian fertiliser were not honoured and refused to renew the deal last week. A decision that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said will affect millions of people who are facing hunger. Finally, El-Sisi addressed the importance of having an influential and effective African voice within international forums. He also reaffirmed Egypt's willingness to support African demands within the G20 framework and advocate for reforms in international financial institutions that meet such demands. The Egyptian president concluded by highlighting the pivotal role that Russia can play in this regard. I express Egypt's aspiration for African demands to be acknowledged within the framework of the G20, as well as efforts to reform international financial institutions, with the support of our Russian partner and friend, El-Sisi said Search Keywords: Short link: With her new digital series, "On the Record," filmmaker Stacey Muhammad wants to introduce wider audiences to newer artists and a fuller range of New Orleans music. She wants to go past the jazz, the brass bands and the bounce the city is known for and showcase artists bringing alternative sounds in New Orleans hip-hop, contemporary R&B and soul. "People know about the music scene in New Orleans, but I don't think they realize there are so many different types of music here," she says, "alternative artists like, $leazy [EZ], people who are R&B artists and hip-hop artists like Pell or Ambre." $leazy EZ, Pell and Ambre are joined by Cavalier, Flighteous and Nesby Phips in the first six-episode season of "On the Record," which premieres Sunday on the new platform APEX. Each 15-minute episode will feature an interview about life and making music and a performance by an individual artist. A premiere party featuring performances by Pell, $leazy EZ, Cavalier, Flighteous, Nesby Phips and special guest Dominic Scott will take place Sunday, July 30, at Hotel Saint Vincent. Hosted by St. Claude, the event runs 8 p.m. to midnight and is free to attend with RSVP via eventbrite.com. A New Orleans native, Muhammad has directed episodes of "Queen Sugar," "Bel-Air," "Manifest" and other television shows as well as commercial work. When she was approached to contribute to APEX an app streaming artist-focused content Muhammad and her producing partner, Marc Lamont Hill, pitched several short-form shows and "On the Record" was picked up. Muhammad and her crew shot the series in March 2022 in the French Quarter. "On the Record" producing partners included music supervisor Ghazi Gamali and editor Dominic Scott. When people think about different types of alternative music, "New Orleans doesn't come to mind," Muhammad says. "They think primarily about jazz here, and I'm like, there's an entire community of young artists who are doing amazing work in hip-hop, in R&B, and they're not getting a lot of attention outside of the city." Find more information about the "On the Record" premiere party here. And find the APEX app at watchapex.com. On Tuesday afternoon, Dionne Lunkins got a call from the school her niece attends. No one had come to pick up the 4-year-old and it was getting late. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said Moscow is "carefully" examining proposals made by some African leaders to end the conflict in Ukraine. "We respect your initiatives and we are examining them carefully," Putin said on the second day of a Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg. "Previous mediation initiatives were monopolised by so-called advanced democracies. Now Africa too is ready to help resolve problems that appear to be outside of its area of priorities," he said. The Russia-Africa summit comes after Russia pulled out of a deal to allow Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, raising concern among African nations. In June, an African delegation travelled first to Ukraine and then to Russia to offer mediation in the conflict. The African proposals included military de-escalation, security guarantees for both sides and a mutual recognition of sovereignty. Ukraine rejected the offer, saying it would freeze the conflict without ensuring that Russian troops leave Ukrainian soil. The Kremlin had also said earlier that the African proposals would be "very difficult to implement". Search Keywords: Short link: Two term-limited state representatives are running for open seats on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Rep. Paul Hollis, R-Covington, is pursuing the seat that includes all of St. Tammany Parish and portions of Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Metairie attorney Jim Garvey is completing his fourth term and cannot run for re-election. Meanwhile, Rep. Lance Harris, R-Alexandria, is running for a 19-parish seat that extends from Evangeline Parish into northeast Louisiana. That position opened up because Ashley Ellis, a long-time educator in Monroe, is not running for re-election after a single term in office. Lance's dedication and his passion for education make him the ideal candidate to build upon the foundation we've established," Ellis said in a statement endorsing his candidacy. At least three Myanmar students were killed in an early morning military raid in the country's northwest, a student union said Friday. The Southeast Asian nation's junta has unleashed deadly violence on its opponents since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in a February 2021 coup. The junta is facing resistance from anti-coup "People's Defence Force" militias and long-established ethnic rebel armies. The All-Burma Federation of Student Unions said in a Facebook post that the students had been killed in a Friday raid on an office where activists stayed in the Sagaing region's Budalin township. The region -- a hotbed of anti-junta resistance -- has seen heavy fighting in recent months. The student union last week had posted pictures on social media of student activists protesting the junta with banners and flags. A local villager who declined to be named due to fear of reprisals said the three student activists, aged late teens to early 20s, had died from stab wounds. "They stabbed knives into their chests. They cut out their tongues," the villager told AFP, adding that at least five houses had been burnt down in the incident and an unknown number of people arrested. AFP has sought comment from the junta's information team. More than 3,800 civilians have been killed since the putsch in the junta's deadly crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group. The junta puts the death toll at about 5,000 people, including teachers. Search Keywords: Short link: The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Osama Askar discussed military cooperation and partnership between the Egyptian and US armies with US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla and his delegation who are currently visiting Cairo. According to a statement by the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesperson Gharib Abdel-Hafez Gharib, Lt. Gen. Askar expressed his appreciation for the strong ties that bind the armed forces of both countries, affirming the keenness of the General Command of the Egyptian Armed Forces to strengthen joint cooperation in various military and security fields. For his part, CENTCOM Commander General Kurilla praised the central role played by Egypt in maintaining regional security and stability, pointing to the US keenness to support strategic partnership and continuous coordination between the two sides in many fields. A number of Egyptian and US military commanders and the Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Cairo attended the meeting. Search Keywords: Short link: A Whitney Houston tribute act will soon perform at the Hard Rock Casino in Gary. The Greatest Love of All Starring Belinda Davids: A Tribute to Whitney Houston perform at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indianas Hard Rock Live venue at 5400 W. 29th Ave. in Gary on Saturday, Aug. 5. Doors open at 7 p.m. "Whitney Houstons musical legacy is brought to life in this critically acclaimed concert experience described as mind-blowingly spot on," Hard Rock Casino said in a press release. "Be stunned by the breathtaking vocals of Britains Got Talent finalist Belinda Davids, with the accompaniment of a live band and backing vocalists, plus state-of-the-art sound, lighting, vision and theatrical effects. This two-hour production will fill you with joy, nostalgia and wonderment as it takes you on a heartfelt journey through Houstons greatest hits." Expect to hear I Will Always Love You, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, One Moment in Time" and Greatest Love of All." They will be sung by Belinda Davids, a South African native. "Her talent was glaringly apparent from an early age. Still to this day she has never had vocal training and is blessed with a 4-octave vocal range, putting her in the company of such vocal luminaries as Minnie Riperton, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and Freddie Mercury," Hard Rock Casino said in a press release. "She began performing professionally at just 14 years of age and became technically adept at many genres, but her true love has always been R&B; her childhood inspirations included Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Michael Jackson and of course the one artist who has had the biggest impact on her life - Whitney Houston." She released an album with Turk Records in the 1990s and started to play at venues in cities like Dubai, London and Hong Kong. After her television appearance on Showtime Australias The Greatest Love of All, she went on to tour all around the globe. "The COVID-19 pandemic which erupted in 2020 flat-lined most of Belindas touring schedule for the next two years, forcing the devastating postponement of major international tours and grounding her at home in South Africa," Hard Rock Casino said in a press release. "However, even under such circumstances, she still managed to hit another high thanks to the support and determination of TV producers, Belinda traveled, under strict quarantine regulations, to the UK to compete in Britains Got Talent, where she progressed to the semi-finals." Tickets start at $29.50. For more information, call 219-228-2383 or visit hardrockcasinonorthernindiana.com. CROWN POINT A jury found a Gary man who was accused of strangling his neighbor to death and stealing her cash guilty on Friday. Court records indicate that John Cushionberry Collins Sr. ,66, was charged on March 31, 2022 with murder, burglary and robbery in connection to the death of his 92-year-old next-door neighbor, Mary Ann Krill. Collinss trial proceedings kicked off on Monday in Judge Natalie Bokotas courtroom. Police were dispatched to Krills apartment, the Al Thomas Senior High Rise located at 100 W. 11th Avenue, on March 17 after a janitor found the womans body, charging documents stated. Krill hadnt been seen or heard from since March 14 at around 9:30 p.m., according to the probable-cause affidavit. The exact date of the womans death remains unknown. The Lake County Coroners Office ruled her death a homicide caused by strangulation. Collins was charged with the Krills murder after surveillance footage showed him knocking on her door, and then pushing the door open and entering her apartment on March 14, the affidavit stated. The footage then showed Collins leave the apartment a bit later holding a white bag and keys. Lake County Sheriff Deputy Commander Tyrone Douglas testified on Friday that the security footage from March 15, 2022, the day after Collins was seen leaving Krills apartment, wasnt turned over for Krills murder investigation. Douglas said he requested footage from March 14 to the 17, and he didnt realize that the footage from March 15 was missing until farther along the proceedings of the investigation. Collinss defense attorneys Susan Severtson and Amanda Hires argued that the elderly woman was a hoarder and she likely fell and hurt herself. They said the defendant and Krill were friends, and hed often help her around the house. Charging documents show that "Collins referred to Krill as a 'pest' and stated that she would always ask him to do things for her such as go to the store and reprogram her remotes. Collins purportedly told police when he was taken into custody that he went to Krills house to take out her garbage and reprogram her remote. He said that she had given him the keys downstairs. Collins's attorneys indicated that they to appeal the guilty verdict. His sentencing hearing is set for August 24 in Judge Bokota's courtroom, according to court records. VALPARAISO A familiar face rejoined the Valparaiso school board, a new board president was elected, and the school board agreed to urge state legislators to fully fund textbook expenses. On Thursday night, Karl Cender was officially sworn in as a school board member. Cender had previously served from 2010-2022 and served as board president in 2021. Cender was reappointed by the Valparaiso City Council in May, where his appointment faced opposition from council Democrats. Valparaiso Community Schools differs from most school districts as its school board members are appointed by the city and township rather than elected by voters. Cender said he was happy to be back on the board I look forward to serving the community, our kids and also serving along with these fine board members, Cender said during the meeting. The school board members also elected officers. Kurt Minko was unanimously elected as board president, succeeding former board member Jennifer Bognar. Rob Behrend was elected board vice president but faced a challenge from fellow board member Erika Watkins, who nominated herself for the position. Behrend was elected board VP in a rare non-unanimous 4 to 1 vote. Watkins was then unanimously elected board secretary. Watkins later said she respected everyone on the board and didnt want her vying for the vice president position to be a discussion in the community. I just want to sit next to Kurt Minko, she joked, saying she would continue to voice what she feels is right. The school board heard from district CFO Jim Holifield, who updated the board on the estimated impact of the elimination of textbook rental fees. House Enrolled Act 1001, the states two-year budget, prohibits schools from charging families for curricular materials, which was most commonly in the form of textbook rental fees. The state legislature appropriated $160 million for curricular material that will be distributed to schools based on attendance later this year. Schools will still be able to collect unpaid fees from students who are not on free or reduced lunch. In addition, parents will still be responsible for the cost of activities and materials such as field trips, school supplies and damages to textbooks. Holfield estimated Valparaiso schools would lose around $167,000 for the next school year. He recommended the school board urge state legislators to increase appropriations for curricular materials to fully fund the expenses. Superintendent Jim McCall also updated the board on the school districts ILEARN test scores, telling them Valparaiso Community Schools were in the top 15 of math and English language arts scores statewide. The next school board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 24. PHOTOS: Valparaiso Athletics hosts coaches bus tour Elkhart Mayor Rod Robertson will address the Gary Chamber of Commerce at its next general membership luncheon. The chamber representing businesses in Gary will host Roberson as its guest speaker at its meeting at noon Aug. 14 at The Chateau Banquets at 530 W. 61st Ave. in Merrillville. Networking starts at 11:30 a.m. and attendees are encouraged to bring their business cards. Robertson served four terms on the city council of Elkhart, the RV manufacturing capital of North America in north-central Indiana, before being elected the city's first Black mayor in 2019. Now seeking reelection, he has pursued projects like neighborhood revitalization, housing, new playgrounds and the addition of mental health specialists to the Elkhart Police Department. He's also been working to reopen the Tolson Center for troubled youth in the blue-collar city east of South Bend. "The city of Elkhart has a rich manufacturing tradition with emerging industries. Mayor Roberson will share with members how the citys economic and financial growth through 'The Thrive Plan,' is working," The Gary Chamber of Commerce said in a press release. "Can a model of that plan boost our economy and benefit your business? Lets hear what its all about." The luncheon costs $25 per person, which must be paid in advance to reserve a seat and lunch. For more information or to make a reservation, call 219-885-7407. Yellow, the beleaguered trucking company that received a $700 million pandemic loan from the federal government, notified staff on Friday that it is shutting down and laying off employees at all of its locations. The move comes ahead of an expected bankruptcy filing by Yellow in the coming days. The closure of the company would mean the loss of approximately 30,000 jobs and mark the end of a business that just three years ago was deemed so critical to the nations supply chains that it warranted a federal bailout. The company is shutting down its regular operations on July 28, 2023, closing and/or laying off employees at all of its locations, including yours, the company said in a memo to staff that was reviewed by The New York Times. Yellow has been locked in protracted labor negotiations with International Brotherhood of Teamsters over a new contract that the company has said is essential to its ability to move forward with a restructuring plan. METROPOLITAN An article on Page 1 this weekend about repurposed abandoned buildings in the Hudson Valley misidentifies the year that BjornQorn bought the Skate Time roller rink. It was 2022, not 2012. BUSINESS An article on Friday about Modelo Especial position as the top-selling beer in America incorrectly described Constellations relationship to the Mexican beer brands Modelo, Corona and Pacifico. Those brands are all part of Grupo Modelo, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Constellation owns the U.S. rights to those brands; it does not own the brands. An article on Thursday about NASAs choice of Lockheed Martin to build a nuclear-powered rocket, using information from a news conference, misstated the timing of a possible flight test of a nuclear-thermal engine. The launch is scheduled for late 2026 or early 2027, not late 2025 or early 2026. ARTS & LEISURE An article on Page 15 about the photographer Felipe Romero Beltran includes an incorrect byline. It was written by Jennifer Harlan. This year marks the 75th anniversary of one of the most hair-raising horror films ever to hit the big screen: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. Adapted from a popular 1946 novel, it tells the story of Jim and Muriel Blandings (Cary Grant and Myrna Loy), a couple climbing the walls in their cramped Manhattan apartment, who buy an old house in Connecticut that becomes a gateway to misery. On their journey through renovation hell, the couple and their two young daughters encounter a rapacious real estate agent, a rotting foundation, inept and condescending construction workers, fugitive groundwater and an architect who gives in too readily to their baronial ambitions when they have to demolish the wreck and start afresh. Costs mount. Schedules unravel. Tempers hit the stratosphere. James Sanders, an architect and the author of Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies, believes the 1948 film maintains its power to trigger anyone who has set out to fix or build a home. But Mr. Blandings has earned its place in the cinematic pantheon for another reason. It was exactly at this precise time and captured and epitomized for the ages nowhere better than in this film that the great American suburban dream of more living space, less density, more open space and greenery took hold in its modern form, he said. Hunter Biden, 53, who is recovering from crack cocaine addiction, is the last surviving son of the president, who lost his eldest, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015. The younger Mr. Biden, who has five children, has said that he fathered Navy at a low point in his life and that he did not have a relationship with her. President Biden had followed his sons lead, referring to six grandchildren instead of seven. I have six grandchildren. And Im crazy about them, the president told a group of children in April. And I speak to them every single day. Not a joke. In White House strategy meetings, aides have been told that the Bidens have six, not seven, grandchildren, according to two people familiar with the discussions. But in recent weeks, the president told his son that he wanted to meet Navy when the time was right, according to a person familiar with those discussions. The person was not authorized to speak publicly. On Friday, another person familiar with the situation said the president would say that he had seven grandchildren going forward. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private matter. The North Carolina resolution was especially significant because that university was at the center, along with Harvard, of the challenge to affirmative action at the Supreme Court. North Carolina trustees said in their resolution this week that the university could not unlawfully discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, people based on their race or other protected status. I think the punchline of this resolution is that to end discrimination, we have to end discrimination, Trustee Marty Kotis said. And thats what were seeking to do. Thats what the court had ruled. But the approval was not unanimous. Trustee Ralph Meekins Sr. told his colleagues that he believed the action was too hasty and could lead to legal risk for the university. He said that this resolution goes well beyond the Supreme Court ruling, and if you talk to any lawyer, theyll tell you the same. Many universities have long considered race as one factor among many in deciding which students to admit. Defenders of the practice argue that colleges benefit from having students with more varied life experiences, and that using affirmative action allows students from historically disadvantaged groups, including Black, Hispanic and Native American people, a fairer chance to attend prestigious schools. But opponents of affirmative action have repeatedly challenged the concept in court, describing it as unfair to white and Asian applicants and in conflict with the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Courts six conservative justices agreed in their ruling last month. Australia will accelerate efforts to make missiles for the United States as well as expand military cooperation and training under a plan announced on Saturday by Australian and American officials. The announcement came as the two countries paused a joint military exercise to search for the four-person crew of an Australian army helicopter that crashed overnight. The crash and the new missile agreement highlight deepening military ties between the two allies and their defense industries and the risks that come with the increased tempo of training exercises led by the United States in the region to strengthen deterrence against a more assertive China. Australian and U.S. defense force personnel are working closely together, said Richard Marles, Australias defense minister, at a news conference Saturday afternoon. The plans to cooperate and the crash followed two days of discussions in Brisbane between Australian officials and U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, whose visit was focused on expanding and clarifying how the two countries will work together on security in the region. Four "fighters" from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been killed by a drone strike in northern Iraq, officials in the autonomous Kurdistan region said, blaming the Turkish military. The strike on Friday near Iraqi Kurdistan's second city Sulaimaniyah came as Kurdish authorities in neighbouring Syria said a drone attack also by Turkey had killed four members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Ankara and its Western allies classify the PKK as a "terrorist" organisation. Turkey also considers the main component of the SDF, the People's Protection Units (YPG), to be a "terrorist" offshoot of the PKK. The Turkish army rarely comments on its strikes in Iraq, but routinely targets PKK rear bases in the mountains of the Kurdistan region. On Friday around 8:00 pm (1700 GMT), "four PKK fighters were killed and another wounded when a Turkish army drone targeted their vehicle near the village of Rangina" north of Sulaimaniyah, according to a statement from Iraqi Kurdistan's anti-terrorism services. Since 1984 the PKK has waged an insurgency in Turkey that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, and Ankara has long maintained military positions inside northern Iraq where it regularly launches operations against them. Two raids a week apart in May in Iraqi Kurdistan's Sinjar district killed six Yazidi fighters affiliated with the PKK, in strikes local security officials blamed on Ankara. In late February and early March, strikes which the anti-terrorism service attributed to Turkey, again killed fighters from the Sinjar Resistance Units. The movement took up arms against the Islamic State group in 2014 following the jihadists' massacre of thousands of Yazidi men and their abduction of thousands of women for use as sex slaves. Both the Iraqi federal authorities and the Kurdistan regional government have been accused of tolerating Turkey's military activities to preserve their close economic ties. On Tuesday the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani referred to an "upcoming visit" by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but did not provide a specific date. The meeting would likely focus on economic activity as well as the sensitive issue of water. Baghdad says upstream dams built by Turkey on major rivers it shares with drought-hit Iraq have contributed to severe water shortages in recent years. Search Keywords: Short link: But then we started talking about coming out, and the mood in the room shifted, fast. Last year, Connor came out on Twitter as bisexual, saying he felt forced to do so after some fans accused him of queer-baiting. Telling someone youre gay or bi or part of the queer community, theres a thing where you feel like they might see you differently or think that it would change who you are, he said. For me, its just who I am. Coming out didnt change me. Hes cool with being called queer, he said, explaining that it is more freeing in a way, less about labels. Locke, who also identifies as queer, jumped in: I think coming out is stupid, that its still a thing that people have to do. He said he briefly came out at 12 on Instagram before reconsidering. I had just told my mum, and I was on top of the world, he said. I quickly realized I was ready to tell my mum but I was not ready to tell the world. So I quickly deleted it and said my Instagram had been hacked. I went back in the closet for three years. I retold all my friends and theyre like, Yeah, you told us two years ago. And now that hes out-out and playing gay on Heartstopper? Locke glanced down and fingered his rings. It has been a hundred years since D.H. Lawrence published Studies in Classic American Literature, and in the annals of literary criticism the book may still claim the widest discrepancy between title and content. Not with respect to subject matter: As advertised, this compact volume consists of essays on canonical American authors of the 18th and 19th centuries a familiar gathering of dead white men. Some (Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman) are still household names more than a century later, while others (Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, Richard Henry Dana Jr.) have faded into relative obscurity. By the 1950s, when American literature was fully established as a respectable field of academic study, Melvilles Moby-Dick, Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, Whitmans Leaves of Grass and Crevecoeurs Letters From an American Farmer had become staples of the college and grad school syllabus, which is where I and many others found them in the later decades of the 20th century. Thank goodness Lawrence got there first. This is not going to be one of those laments about how nobody reads the great old books anymore. Not many people read them when they first appeared, either. My point is that nobody ever read them like Lawrence did as madly, as wildly or as insightfully. Thats what I mean about the gap between the book and its title. Studies in Classic American Literature is as dull a phrase as any committee of professors could devise. Just try to say those five words without yawning. But look inside and you will be jolted awake. Digit drew a crowd, even here, in a convention center full of robot aficionados. A humanoid warehouse worker, Digit walked upright on goatlike legs and grabbed bins off a shelf with muscular arms made from aerospace-grade aluminum. It then placed the boxes on an assembly line and walked back to the shelf to search for more. The crowd, which had assembled at ProMat, the premier trade show for the manufacturing and supply chain industry, held up phones and watched, a little quiet, wondering if at some point the robot would teeter and fall. It did not. Digit, made by Oregon-based Agility Robotics, is the kind of technology that people have worried about for generations: a machine with the strength and adroitness to rival our own, and the ability to take our jobs, or much worse. Then ChatGPT came online, and suddenly the fear was of something smarter rather than stronger malevolent bots rather than metallic brutes. The automaton is still coming. It might not be ready to take over the Amazon warehouse yet, but the long-anticipated robot revolution has begun, accelerated in large part by the pandemic and the thunderous growth of e-commerce. Machines like Digit are ready to take over a vast swath of physical labor, from operating forklifts to doing the laundry. Ron Kyslinger thinks this is a good thing. Mr. Kyslinger, an engineer who has spearheaded automation for some of the largest retailers in the world, including Amazon and Walmart, is passionate about the potential of robots to improve the quality of life for workers. Robots free humans from boredom, repetition, physical strain and productivity limits that can put their jobs at risk, he believes. He also believes that Americans have a prejudice against automation because of movies like The Terminator, inhibiting them from adapting to technology in ways both beneficial and inevitable. Class 1: Maximum speed, 20 m.p.h.; the motor may provide power only while the rider is pedaling. (This is known as pedal assist.) Age restrictions: None in most states, although some states, such as Oregon, do not permit the use of any class of e-bike by riders younger than 16. Class 2: Maximum speed, 20 m.p.h.; the motor may provide power independently of the pedals. Age restrictions: none in most states. (These e-bikes in particular attract criticism because, by relying solely on the motor, they can achieve immediate bursts of speed.) Class 3: Maximum speed, 28 m.p.h. but only if the pedals and the motor are used simultaneously. These vehicles are intended for commuters and other riders who are interested in traveling farther than a traditional bicycle would easily allow. Use not permitted by riders younger than 16, in many states. Notably, the federal consumer agency does not recognize the three-class system. What Are the State Rules? According to PeopleForBikes, the trade group that helped craft the three-class system for manufacturers, 42 states have laws that are largely in line with the classification system. In most states, then, riders under 16 can use Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, while riders of Class 3 e-bikes must be 16 or older. But enforcing those rules is tricky, according to local and state law enforcement officials. It can be hard to tell by looking if a teenage rider is too young for the e-bike being ridden. And glancing at an e-bikes motor does not establish whether it can go faster than 20 m.p.h. A New Jersey school district has agreed to pay $9.1 million to the parents of a sixth grader who died by suicide in 2017, ending a lawsuit that accused administrators of failing to take bullying complaints seriously. Dianne and Seth Grossman sued following the death of their 12-year-old daughter, Mallory, during her first year at Copeland Middle School in Rockaway Township. Mallory had been repeatedly bullied by other students in text and Snapchat messages, and although administrators were routinely contacted about the bullying, the school did not do enough to respond, according to the lawsuit. The settlement, first reported by Northjersey.com, comes as schools face growing scrutiny over how they handle reports of bullying, both within their halls and online, after a student takes their own life. The factors that contribute to suicide are complex and varied, and the act is rarely attributable to any one thing. But the question of a schools culpability in cases where administrators made missteps or took insufficient action has become the subject of court cases around the country. Unless that battle results in a DeSantis collapse and a chance for someone else to go up against the front-runner. After all, why should DeSantis be the only non-Trump hope just because he seemed potent early on? Why not, well, Tim Scott? Say this for Scott: He has an obvious asset that DeSantis is missing, a fundamental good cheer that Americans favor in their presidents. Say this as well: He has the profile of a potent general-election candidate, an African American and youthful-seeming generic Republican to set against Joe Bidens senescence. Say this, finally: Scott sits in the sweet spot for the Republican donor class, as a George W. Bush-style conservative untouched by the rabble-rousing and edgelord memes of Trump-era populism. But all of these strengths are connected to primary-campaign weaknesses. To beat Trump, you eventually need around half the Republican electorate to vote for you (depending on the wrinkles of delegate allocation). And theres no indication that half of Republican primary voters want to return to pre-2016 conservatism, that they would favor a generic-Republican alternative to Trumps crush-your-enemies style or that they especially value winsomeness and optimism, as opposed to a style suited to a pessimistic mood. The reason that DeSantis seemed like the best hope against Trump was a record and persona that seemed to meet Republican voters where they are. His success was built after Trumps election, on issues that mattered to current G.O.P. voters, not those of 30 years ago. He could claim to be better at the pugilistic style than Trump with more to show for his battles substantively and more political success as well. On certain issues, Covid policy especially, he could claim to represent the views of Trumps supporters better than Trump himself. And with DeSantiss war on Disney, nobody would confuse him for a creature of the donor class. All this set up a plausible strategy for pulling some Trump voters to DeSantiss side by casting himself as the fulfiller of Trumps promise more competent, more politically able, bolder, younger and better suited to the times. To the Editor: Re If Loneliness Is an Epidemic, How Do We Treat It?, by Eleanor Cummins and Andrew Zaleski (Opinion guest essay, July 16): I found your guest essay a disservice to the lonely. Instead of trying to cure loneliness, why not accept it as part of the human condition? Why make people feel bad, inferior or ill? It just perpetuates a negative myth. In the past couple of years I have come to terms with my loneliness. Covid was a game changer for me. It taught me to be more accepting of it. It enabled me to find workarounds for social situations that made me uncomfortable. I had a married friend who made me feel bad about being single with awkward questions like Dont you want to settle down with a partner? This of course made me mad, embarrassed or guilty. I felt judged. She wasnt being mean, but I couldnt understand how she was insensitive to my feelings. I wish we could all agree that loneliness is just a state of the human condition, accept it and not perpetuate the negative feelings that we have imbued it with. At the end of the day its enabled me to enjoy spending time with myself alone and maybe have a greater appreciation of the time that I do spend with others. Its not that the urge to multitask is anything new. One thinks with a watch in ones hand, Nietzsche complained as early as 1887, even as one eats ones midday meal while reading the latest news of the stock market. Weve also long known that multitasking doesnt really work. Youve probably read perhaps while half-watching TV articles explaining the research findings that multitasking isnt really even possible; mainly, were just switching our attention rapidly between different foci without realizing it, incurring cognitive costs each time we do so. One study of drivers found only 2.5 percent of people showed no performance decrease when attempting two tasks at once. The rest of us just end up doing everything worse. Yet the pressure to multitask can still often seem like something imposed on us from outside. Burdened by so many demands at work, you can feel as though youve no choice but to split your attention among them. Meanwhile, should you feel some responsibility to address the troubles of the wider world as well, then the causes for alarm the climate, the fate of democracy, the threats from artificial intelligence and the risk of nuclear war, to name just a few are so numerous as to make multitasking look like every citizens duty. Technological advances turn the screw further. Those of us not raised as digital natives can remember a time when we didnt have the option of using social media to distract ourselves from unpleasant tasks, and when the limits imposed by our tools the speed of snail mail, for example, or the time it took to visit a library to conduct research meant we felt less pressure from bosses or customers to somehow transcend the limits imposed by our finite attention spans. But philosophers and spiritual teachers have long understood that the urge to avoid giving ourselves fully to any single activity goes deeper, to the core of our struggles as finite human beings. The Hindu mystic Patanjali, for example, saw doing one thing at a time as a core yogic discipline, suggesting that it didnt come easily to people 2,000 years ago, either. We rail against what the Christian productivity writer Jordan Raynor calls our unipresence our inability to be in more than one place at a time, in contrast to the omnipresence attributed to God and against the shortness of our time on earth, which averages little more than four thousand weeks. All this finitude feels unpleasantly constraining, because it means there will always be many more things we could do than we ever will do and that the choice to spend a portion of our time on any one thing automatically entails the sacrifice of countless other things we might have done with it. The accusations of sexual misconduct against Eddie Scott, the sheriff of Clay County, Miss., will be new to almost everyone who reads our latest investigation. They are not new to the residents of Clay County, where Sheriff Scott has been in office since 2012 and was chief deputy sheriff before then. But the particulars of what the sheriff has been accused of and the accounting of how people in power handled the allegations is a long story one we wanted to tell. After months of reporting, Jerry Mitchell, a veteran investigative reporter in Mississippi, and I published an article this month that charted allegations against the sheriff that date to his earliest days in office. Two women accused the sheriff of using his power to coerce them into sex. Another woman said she endured sexual harassment from the sheriff while she was an employee in his office. At least five people who accused the sheriff of misconduct, or who were potential witnesses, said he had retaliated against them. Many of these allegations, despite being detailed in courtroom transcripts, lawsuits and Facebook posts, went nowhere. On an afternoon in June while wildfire smoke enveloped Manhattan, people lined up outside Irving Plaza some before dawn, some sporting face masks, some fresh off red-eye flights to see Dave Matthews. That night, the 56-year-old balladeer was playing a rare solo gig celebrating his namesake bands new album, Walk Around the Moon. Josh Roberts, 42, a special-education teacher in Las Vegas, who has seen the Dave Matthews Band, or DMB, 523 times, stood in that line. Mr. Roberts estimates that he has spent $100,000 on tickets and travel since discovering the band as a struggling high school junior in 1995. This band has songs about love, depression, sex, things that you connect to, he said. Mr. Matthews is the first to admit he doesnt always get it right. Ive written lots of terrible lyrics, he declared at the Four Seasons hotel in TriBeCa the next day, scanning a printout of a song generated by ChatGPT in the style of DMB. He cringed and added, I would never say, Grab my guitar, strumming with all my might. Still, plucking his guitar with abandon is exactly what Mr. Matthews has done since 1991, when DMB established itself in Charlottesville, Va. DMB is the second-largest ticket-seller in the world, according to the trade publication Pollstar, which tracked the top touring artists of the last 40 years. Mr. Matthews believes that curiosity about how to write a good song may be one reason his band has stayed in the spotlight for more than three decades, attracting hundreds of thousands of concertgoers on their 45-stop summer 2023 tour. Political instability in Niger resulting from a military takeover that deposed the president this week threatens the economic support provided by Washington to the African nation, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Saturday. Members of the Niger military announced on Wednesday they had deposed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and on Friday named Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the country's new leader, adding Niger to a growing list of military regimes in West Africas Sahel region. Blinken, who is in Australia as part of a Pacific tour, said the continued security and economic arrangements that Niger has with the U.S. hinged on the release of Bazoum and the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Niger. Our economic and security partnership with Niger which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days, Blinken said. So that assistance, that support, is in clear jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately reversed. Blinken stopped short of calling the military actions in Niger a coup, a designation that could result in the African country losing millions of dollars of military aid and assistance. Speaking in Brisbane, Blinken said he had spoken with President Bazoum on Saturday but did not provide details. He cited the support of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and other regional entities in trying to bring an end to the unrest. The very significant assistance that we have in place thats making a material difference in the lives of the people of Niger is clearly in jeopardy and weve communicated that as clearly as we possibly can to those responsible for disrupting the constitutional order and Nigers democracy," Blinken said. Blinken said the U.S. Embassy in Niger had accounted for the safety of all staff members and their families, while issuing a security alert advising U.S. citizens in the country to limit unnecessary movements and avoid areas impacted by the coup. The military group that conducted the coup, calling itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, said its members remained committed to engaging with the international and national community. This is as a result of the continuing degradation of the security situation, the bad economic and social governance, air force Col. Major Amadou Abdramane said in the video released by the coup leaders Wednesday. He said aerial and land borders were closed and a curfew was in place until the situation stabilized. Bazoum was elected two years ago in Nigers first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France. Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africas Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism. France has 1,500 soldiers in the country who conduct joint operations with Niger's military, while the U.S. and other European countries have helped train the nations troops. Search Keywords: Short link: Saudi demands for normalization with Israel have been expansive. Among other things, Saudi officials want a NATO-level alliance with the United States in which an attack on one is an attack on all, long a taboo among American policymakers who do not want to be committed to coming to the defense of a nondemocratic monarchy in case of war. And they want a civilian nuclear program despite longstanding opposition by Israel and the United States, which fear a nuclear arms race in the region. Israeli officials who recently met with American counterparts were given the impression that while the first phase of the negotiations did not include any demand for significant Israeli concessions in their conflict with the Palestinians, it is now believed that a deal would require significant progress on the issue. Israeli officials were told that King Salman, who has ceded much control to his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, intervened in the negotiations to insist any deal include a clear Israeli move toward the Palestinians, according to an Israeli defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The Saudis, according to the Israeli impression, would not be satisfied with a promise by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to annex the West Bank, something that is not even envisioned by the current government. Instead, they would demand significant action on the ground. It is highly doubtful whether significant concessions to the Palestinians would be approved by the current right-wing Israeli coalition, and an internal push for such a proposal could dissolve the government. Opposition leaders have vehemently refused to join any government led by Mr. Netanyahu, but questions have come up in discussions with Americans about whether the leaders might relent if it meant establishing diplomatic relations with the Saudis. The Biden administration is hunting for malicious computer code it believes China has hidden deep inside the networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases in the United States and around the world, according to American military, intelligence and national security officials. The discovery of the malware has raised fears that Chinese hackers, probably working for the Peoples Liberation Army, have inserted code designed to disrupt U.S. military operations in the event of a conflict, including if Beijing moves against Taiwan in coming years. The malware, one congressional official said, was essentially a ticking time bomb that could give China the power to interrupt or slow American military deployments or resupply operations by cutting off power, water and communications to U.S. military bases. But its impact could be far broader, because that same infrastructure often supplies the houses and businesses of ordinary Americans, according to U.S. officials. The first public hints of the malware campaign began to emerge in late May, when Microsoft said it had detected mysterious computer code in telecommunications systems in Guam, the Pacific island with a vast American air base, and elsewhere in the United States. But that turned out to be only the narrow slice of the problem that Microsoft could see through its networks. When former President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida shared the same stage at an Iowa Republican Party dinner on Friday, their appearances seemed to capture the basic dynamics of the 2024 presidential primary. Mr. Trump played headliner. Mr. DeSantis was reduced to an opening act. Even as Mr. Trump has been hit with two criminal indictments, with more possibly coming, he has only consolidated support in recent months, flashing the same resilience in Iowa that he has nationally. Mr. Trumps rivals have long circled Iowa as the early state where Mr. Trump, who finished a disappointing second in the 2016 Iowa caucuses, might be most vulnerable in 2024. But although some influential leaders have signaled their eagerness for an alternative, Mr. Trump arrived on Friday for one of his episodic visits as the undisputed front-runner, as Republicans look past his political and legal liabilities. He died from a fentanyl overdose, his sister said. Not long after his friends death, Mr. Hollenbeck got word that the insurance company was offering to compensate Mr. Saldana for the injuries he sustained when he was hit by the car. He would have received $16,600, enough to cover many months of rent. The conditions that we have created as a society didnt let me get that money to him in time, Mr. Hollenbeck said. That is something that haunts me. Ms. Richardson appreciates what Mr. Hollenbeck did to support and comfort her brother. And she will hold on to the image of her brother standing up to protect his young neighbor. It was Portland at its best, and proof to her that the citys ethos of community endures. But in the end, that wasnt enough to save her brother from the hurt that followed him wherever he went. Africas coup belt spans the continent: a line of six countries crossing 3,500 miles, from coast to coast, that has become the longest corridor of military rule on Earth. This past weeks military takeover in the West African nation of Niger toppled the final domino in a band across the girth of Africa, from Guinea in the west to Sudan in the east, now controlled by juntas that came to power in a coup all but one in the past two years. The last leader to fall was Nigers Mohamed Bazoum, a democratically elected American ally who disappeared on Wednesday when his own guards detained him at the presidential palace in the capital, Niamey. His security chief now claims to be running the country. Russian forces struck a grain terminal in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, extending a bombardment of the countrys infrastructure that has raised alarm about Kyivs ability to ship grain to the world. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has vowed to enhance air defenses around the port and the southern coast, but Kyivs resources are stretched thin and it faces difficult choices about where to deploy the limited number of air defense systems that can shoot down Russias most sophisticated missiles. Ukraine continues to ask its Western allies to speed up the delivery of more air defense systems and warn that continued Russian bombardment could leave it without the necessary infrastructure to ship grain even if Black Sea shipping lanes open up. Moscow has struck Ukrainian ports near daily since pulling out of a deal last week that allowed Ukraine to ship its grain despite the war. In two or three months, we may not have a single port left, Natalia Humeniuk, the spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military southern command, told French journalists this past week. They want to dominate the Black Sea. They want to have a monopoly on grain, she said. More than 10,000 reserve pilots, intelligence officers, commandos, military instructors, army medics and infantrymen had threatened to resign from volunteer duty if the government pressed ahead with the judicial overhaul bill that was approved by Parliament on Monday. It is too soon to tell how many will make good on their promises, like Mr. Herzel, because reservists are called up on a rolling basis. But estimates provided by reservists prominent in the protest movement suggest that at least 1,000 have so far made the wrenching decision to resign. To those leaving the reserves, and for most Jewish Israelis, the military is a melting pot that unifies citizens from most social, ethnic and political backgrounds around a shared and hallowed national project: the defense of the Jewish state, within living memory of a genocide that killed millions of Jews. The turmoil surrounding the reservists resignations casts doubt on that sense of common mission. And while the number of resignations represents a small minority of reservists, some serve in critical positions, and the losses have already raised fears about the combat readiness at what is considered the most tumultuous moment for the Israeli military, outside a war, since its founding in 1948. For now, the worries center mostly on the air force, given its reliance on reservist pilots who are often more experienced than those in the active military. Resignations forced at least one squadron of helicopters at a flying school to be grounded because of a sudden dearth in flying instructors, according to a senior officer and pilot in the air force reserve who requested anonymity to discuss a delicate subject. An animation showing circles that represent Starlink satellites moving over a map of Ukraine, a sped-up view of five minutes of satellite movement. The satellites enter and leave in different directions, and their flight paths include Ukraines occupied territory. Five minutes of Starlink satellites over Ukraine on July 25. Elon Musks Unmatched Power in the Stars The tech billionaire has become the dominant power in satellite internet technology. The ways he is wielding that influence are raising global alarms. On March 17, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the leader of Ukraines Armed Forces, dialed into a call to discuss Russias invasion of Ukraine. Over the secure line, the two military leaders conferred on air defense systems, real-time battlefield assessments and shared intelligence on Russias military losses. They also talked about Elon Musk. Listen to this article For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio, a new iOS app available for news subscribers. General Zaluzhnyi raised the topic of Starlink, the satellite internet technology made by Mr. Musks rocket company, SpaceX, three people with knowledge of the conversation said. Ukraines battlefield decisions depended on the continued use of Starlink for communications, General Zaluzhnyi said, and his country wanted to ensure access and discuss how to cover the cost of the service. General Zaluzhnyi also asked if the United States had an assessment of Mr. Musk, who has sprawling business interests and murky politics to which American officials gave no answer. Mr. Musk, who leads SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter, has become the most dominant player in space as he has steadily amassed power over the strategically significant field of satellite internet. Yet faced with little regulation and oversight, his erratic and personality-driven style has increasingly worried militaries and political leaders around the world, with the tech billionaire sometimes wielding his authority in unpredictable ways. Since 2019, Mr. Musk has sent SpaceX rockets into space nearly every week that deliver dozens of sofa-size satellites into orbit. The satellites communicate with terminals on Earth, so they can beam high-speed internet to nearly every corner of the planet. Today, more than 4,500 Starlink satellites are in the skies, accounting for more than 50 percent of all active satellites. They have already started changing the complexion of the night sky, even before accounting for Mr. Musks plans to have as many as 42,000 satellites in orbit in the coming years. A global satellite network There are over 4,500 Starlink satellites orbiting Earth. What appear to be long lines here are recently launched satellites approaching their place in orbit. An animation showing circles that represent Starlink satellites orbiting Earth as it rotates. Most of the satellites are spaced out and move in a gridlike formation between Earths poles, while a few are closely clustered and move together in lines. Source: CelesTrak Notes: Data includes Starlink satellites launched through July 10. Animation shows approximately 10 minutes of orbiting Starlink satellites. Earth rotation is for display purposes only. The power of the technology, which has helped push the value of closely held SpaceX to nearly $140 billion, is just beginning to be felt. Starlink is often the only way to get internet access in war zones, remote areas and places hit by natural disasters. It is used in Ukraine for coordinating drone strikes and intelligence gathering. Activists in Iran and Turkey have sought to use the service as a hedge against government controls. The U.S. Defense Department is a big Starlink customer, while other militaries, such as in Japan, are testing the technology. But Mr. Musks near total control of satellite internet has raised alarms. A combustible personality, the 52-year-olds allegiances are fuzzy. While Mr. Musk is hailed as a genius innovator, he alone can decide to shut down Starlink internet access for a customer or country, and he has the ability to leverage sensitive information that the service gathers. Such concerns have been heightened because no companies or governments have come close to matching what he has built. In Ukraine, some fears have been realized. Mr. Musk has restricted Starlink access multiple times during the war, people familiar with the situation said. At one point, he denied the Ukrainian militarys request to turn on Starlink near Crimea, the Russian-controlled territory, affecting battlefield strategy. Last year, he publicly floated a peace plan for the war that seemed aligned with Russian interests. At times, Mr. Musk has openly flaunted Starlinks capabilities. Between, Tesla, Starlink & Twitter, I may have more real-time global economic data in one head than anyone ever, he tweeted in April. Starlinks are a majority of active satellites orbiting Earth Starlink satellites operate approximately 300 miles above Earth in what is known as low-Earth orbit. That's more than 60 times closer than traditional satellite internet services that operate at higher altitudes in geosynchronous orbit. Animated circles that represent satellites move around the Earth. Some are near Earth in low-Earth orbit, and others are farther away in geosynchronous orbit, forming a wide ring. Text in the graphic reads, There are over 10,300 satellites orbiting the Earth. Over 80% of those satellites are currently active. 53% of active satellites are Starlink. The Starlink satellites are highlighted and are all operating in low-Earth orbit. Source: CelesTrak Note: Data is as of July 25. The animation shows approximately one hour of orbiting satellites. Mr. Musk did not respond to requests for comment. SpaceX declined to comment. Worried about over-dependence on Mr. Musks technology, Ukrainian officials have talked with other satellite internet providers, though they acknowledged none rival Starlinks reach. Starlink is indeed the blood of our entire communication infrastructure now, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraines digital minister, said in an interview. At least nine countries including in Europe and the Middle East have also brought up Starlink with American officials over the past 18 months, with some questioning Mr. Musks power over the technology, two U.S. intelligence officials briefed on the discussions said. Few nations will speak publicly about their concerns, for fear of alienating Mr. Musk, said intelligence and cybersecurity officials briefed on the conversations. U.S. officials have said little publicly about Starlink as they balance domestic and geopolitical priorities related to Mr. Musk, who has criticized President Biden but whose technology is unavoidable. The federal government is one of SpaceXs biggest customers, using its rockets for NASA missions and launching military surveillance satellites. Senior Pentagon officials have tried mediating issues involving Starlink, particularly Ukraine, a person familiar with the discussions said. The Defense Department confirmed it contracts with Starlink, but it declined to elaborate, citing the critical nature of these systems. Other governments are wary. Taiwan, which has an internet infrastructure that could be vulnerable in the event of a Chinese invasion, is reluctant to use the service partly because of Mr. Musks business links to China, Taiwanese and American officials said. China has its own concerns. Mr. Musk said last year that Beijing sought assurances that he would not turn Starlink on inside the country, where the internet is controlled and censored by the state. In 2020, China registered with an international body to launch 13,000 internet satellites of its own. The European Union, partly driven by misgivings about Starlink and Mr. Musk, also earmarked 2.4 billion euros, or $2.6 billion, last year to build a satellite constellation for civilian and military use. This is not just one company, but one person, said Dmitri Alperovitch, a cybersecurity expert who co-founded the Silverado Policy Accelerator think tank and has advised governments on satellite internet. You are completely beholden to his whims and desires. Reaching for the skies Sir Martin Sweeting, a British engineer who founded the satellite design and manufacturing company Surrey Satellite Technology, was encouraged by a business associate in 2001 to meet with a chap who wants to put a greenhouse on Mars. It turned out to be Mr. Musk. Mr. Sweeting and Mr. Musk met soon after for breakfast at a space conference in Colorado, where the tech entrepreneur criticized NASA and talked about building a private space fleet. Elon Musk, SpaceXs founder and chief executive, during a test flight of a Falcon 9 rocket in Cape Canaveral, Fla., in 2019. Mike Blake/ Reuters He was very focused, said Mr. Sweeting, whose company later received an investment from Mr. Musk and had him on its board of directors before it sold to Airbus in 2009. Mr. Musk was also interested in an emerging field of research where small satellites are placed in the sky several hundred miles above sea level, an area known as low-Earth orbit, Mr. Sweeting said. Footage of a launch of a SpaceX rocket, of a stack of Starlink satellites being released in space, and of a rocket landing back on Earth. Video footage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 spaceship on its first launch of Starlink satellites in May 2019, of the Falcon 9 deploying 60 Starlink satellites into space in June 2020, and of the spaceship returning to Earth in June 2023. SpaceX and Getty Images Their work together was one of the earliest examples of Mr. Musks focus on a technology that would help underpin Starlink. Satellites dating to the 1960s are typically bigger often the size of school buses and located higher in space, in what is known as geosynchronous orbit, limiting their communication capabilities. Smaller satellites can orbit at a lower altitude, allowing them to link up with terminals on Earth to beam high-speed internet service to far-flung locations. Many small satellites are necessary for this to work. Thats because as one satellite moves above a Starlink terminal on land, it hands the internet signal to another satellite behind it to keep up a single, uninterrupted flow to users below. How Starlink customers connect to the internet Starlink satellites orbit at much lower altitudes than traditional satellite internet services. As a result, the area that each Starlink satellite covers is smaller, requiring terminals on the ground to continually connect with the nearest passing satellite. Diagram illustrating a Starlink satellite in low-Earth orbit. Text reads A constellation of small satellites blankets the globe, providing sweeping coverage in countries Starlink is permitted to operate. Satellites link to one another using lasers, and connect to a Starlink terminal, known as a dishy, which constantly scans the sky to connect with the nearest satellite above. Using the dishy, customers can connect to the internet with their devices. Mr. Musk launched his first Starlink satellites into orbit in 2019. At the time, satellite internet was viewed as a fools errand. In the 1990s and 2000s, other companies had pursued low-orbit communication satellites with little success because of the expense and technical difficulties of getting them into space. But Mr. Musk had an advantage. SpaceXs rockets return to Earth after a trip to space and are partially reusable. This effectively gave him control of an express train to constantly deliver satellites to space, sometimes dozens at a time. Satellite launches per year A bar chart of all satellite launches per year, from 1960 through 2023, showing a spike in the number of launches in recent years. Over half the launches in each of the past three years are highlighted as Starlink launches. Source: CelesTrak Note: Data includes Starlink launches through July 10. Now nearly every week, a SpaceX rocket loaded with Starlink satellites takes off from a site in California or Florida. Each satellite is designed to work for about three and half years. There are so many in orbit that they are often mistaken for shooting stars. Astronomers have documented how the devices have interfered with research telescopes and warned about the risk of collisions. The Starlink network grows This animation shows how the satellite network expanded with each launch, over four years. Launches happen nearly every week, and about 60 satellites are released into orbit each time. Animated circles that represent 59 Starlink satellites move around Earth. A progress bar starts in 2019 with a Starlink launch. Every few seconds, the animation shows a snapshot of satellites after the next Starlink launch, with launches increasing in frequency and with more Starlink satellites orbiting Earth over time. At the end of the animation, the progress bar is in 2023 and reads: 4,491 Starlinks. Source: CelesTrak Note: Data is as of July 26, which includes Starlink launches through July 16. The night sky is one of the most glorious shows that nature puts on and humans are changing it forever, said Patrick Seitzer, an astronomer at the University of Michigan who studies orbital debris. Starlink provides internet download speeds typically around 100 megabits per second, comparable to many landline services. SpaceX generally charges individual customers about $600 for each terminal that receives a connection from space, plus a monthly service fee of about $75, with costs higher for businesses and governments. The company knows the location, movement and altitude of each Starlink terminal, experts said. A long exposure image showing the double star Albireo visually obstructed by Starlink satellites moving across the sky. Rafael Schmall/NOIRLab/National Science Foundation The service, which officially debuted in 2021 in a handful of countries, is now available in more than 50 countries and territories, including the United States, Japan, much of Europe and parts of Latin America. In Africa, where internet access lags the rest of the world, Starlink is available in Nigeria, Mozambique and Rwanda, with more than a dozen other countries following by the end of 2024, according to Starlinks website. Everywhere on earth will have high bandwidth, low latency internet, Mr. Musk predicted on the Joe Rogan podcast in 2020. Militaries, telecom companies, airlines, cruise lines and maritime shippers have flocked to Starlink, which has said it has more than 1.5 million subscribers. Rivals have struggled, though competition is growing. OneWeb, a British company, was so plagued by financial difficulties that it had to be bailed out by the British government and sold to a group of investors. Amazon, founded by Jeff Bezos, who owns the rocket company Blue Origin, plans a Starlink competitor, Project Kuiper, but it has yet to get a satellite into space. Lifeline on the battlefield No event has demonstrated Starlinks power and Mr. Musks influence more than the war in Ukraine. More than 42,000 Starlink terminals are now used in Ukraine by the military, hospitals, businesses and aid organizations. During Russian bombing campaigns last year that caused widespread blackouts, Ukraines public agencies turned to Starlink to stay online. Simulated Starlink speeds since the Russian invasion Simulations of internet speeds suggest improved service in Ukraine, based on changes in satellite parameters, the number of satellites and ground station locations. Side-by-side heat maps of simulated Starlink internet speeds in Ukraine on Feb. 25, 2022, and May 19, 2023, show that speeds have increased across the country. Source: Starlink coverage tracker Without Starlink, we cannot fly, we cannot communicate, said one Ukrainian deputy commander who goes by the nickname Zub, or Tooth, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity for security reasons. Starlink entered Ukraine in February 2022, when Russia invaded and a cyberattack later attributed to Russia took down a satellite system run by the high-speed communications company Viasat that was being used by the Ukrainian military. With troops and commanders knocked offline, Mr. Fedorov, the digital minister, posted a plea to Mr. Musk for help. Within hours, Mr. Musk contacted Mr. Fedorov to say that Starlink had been activated in Ukraine. Days later, Starlink terminals arrived. The technology found in forests, fields, villages and mounted on the roofs of military vehicles has given Ukraines army a major advantage over Russian forces. It has enabled artillery teams, commanders and pilots to watch drone footage simultaneously while chatting online. The response times from finding a target to hitting it have been cut to about a minute from nearly 20 minutes, soldiers said. The huge number of lives that Starlink has helped save can be measured in the thousands, Mr. Fedorov said. This is one of the fundamental components of our success. A Ukrainian soldier with a Starlink satellite link on the front lines in Kreminna, Ukraine, in January. Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters But concerns among Ukrainian and Western officials about Mr. Musks hold over the technology have grown, coming to a head last fall when he repeatedly made comments about the war that raised questions about his commitment to Starlinks service in Ukraine. In September, at a private event on world and business affairs in Aspen, Colo., which was attended by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others, Mr. Musk proposed a peace plan for Ukraine that included Russia annexing Ukrainian land. The proposal outraged many attendees. Around this time, questions arose about who would pay for Starlinks service in Ukraine. SpaceX had initially covered some of the costs, with the United States and other allies also providing funding. That same month, SpaceX told the U.S. Defense Department that it could not continue the arrangement and asked the Pentagon to take over funding. The company estimated the cost at nearly $400 million over 12 months, according to a SpaceX letter reported by CNN, which was verified by The New York Times. The Biden administration directed a top Pentagon official, Colin H. Kahl, to mediate. On Oct. 7, Mr. Kahl called Mr. Musk, who expressed fears that Ukraine would use Starlink to not just defend itself, but also conduct offensive operations to regain territory seized by Russia, which could cause significant Russian military casualties, a former administration official said. Mr. Kahl told Mr. Musk more people in Ukraine would suffer if Starlink was shut down. Mr. Musk nonetheless turned off access for some Starlink terminals in Ukraine. Late last year, about 1,300 Starlink terminals purchased through a British supplier stopped working in the country after the Ukrainian government could not pay the $2,500 monthly fee for each, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Ukrainians lined up for internet access from a Starlink connection in Kherson's main square in November after Russians blew up the communications tower and access to electricity and water on the way out of town. Lynsey Addario for The New York Times Starlink access also fluctuated depending on the movements of the war as Russia won territory and Ukraine fought to take it back. As the battle lines shifted, Mr. Musk used a process called geofencing to restrict where Starlink was available on the front lines. SpaceX uses location data gathered by its service to enforce geofencing limits. This caused problems. When Ukrainian troops tried retaking cities like Kherson in Russian-controlled areas in the fall, they needed internet access to communicate. Mr. Fedorov and members of the armed forces messaged Mr. Musk and SpaceX employees requests to restore service in areas where the army was advancing. Mr. Fedorov said SpaceX responded very promptly. Starlink controls which areas receive service Starlink does not operate in Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine. The Ukrainian military was at times without service in the fall as troops recaptured Russia-held territory. A map of Ukraine including the Dnipro River shows that the area where Starlink worked was limited to territory held by Ukraine, while in territories that the Ukrainian military was recapturing from Russia, Starlink was deactivated. Mr. Musk had other red lines that he would not cross. He refused Ukraines request last year to provide Starlink access near Crimea, the Russian-controlled peninsula, so it could send an explosive-filled maritime drone into Russian ships docked in the Black Sea, two people familiar with the discussions said. Mr. Musk later said that Starlink could not be used for long-range drone strikes. Other U.S. officials have weighed in. In June, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved a Pentagon deal to buy 400 to 500 new Starlink terminals and services. The deal gives the Pentagon control of setting where Starlinks internet signal works inside Ukraine for those new devices to carry out key capabilities and certain missions, two people familiar with the deal said. This appeared intended to provide Ukraine with dedicated terminals and services to conduct sensitive functions without fear of interruption. Unlike traditional defense contractors, whose weapon sales to foreign countries are typically done through the federal government, Starlink is a commercial product. That allows Mr. Musk to act in ways that sometimes do not align with U.S. interests, such as when SpaceX said it could not continue funding Starlink in Ukraine, said Gregory C. Allen, a former Defense Department official who worked at Blue Origin. It has certainly been a long time since weve seen a company and an individual like this go pretty openly against U.S. foreign policy in the middle of a war, said Mr. Allen, who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Mr. Musks behavior has divided Ukrainian officials. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Twitter in February that SpaceX needed to pick a side. But Mr. Fedorov said questions about Mr. Musks commitment were unfair. When Ukraine was under heavy bombardment and facing major power outages in November, Mr. Musk helped expedite the delivery of about 10,000 Starlink terminals, he said. SpaceX and Elon Musk have shown through their deeds whose side they are actually on, Mr. Fedorov said. From Taiwan to Europe In February, two undersea internet cables running between Taiwans main island and the outlying islands of Matsu were severed by Chinese shipping vessels. The incident interrupted online access across Matsu, intensifying concerns that Taiwans communications infrastructure was vulnerable. Taiwan, which China has claimed as its own territory, would seem to be an ideal place to bring in Starlink. But Taiwan was reluctant a concern increasingly echoed elsewhere as governments weigh the power of satellite internet against the risks of working with Mr. Musk. Taiwanese officials had spoken with SpaceX about Starlink, said Jason Hsu, a former Taiwan legislator who advises the government on digital infrastructure. But talks slowed partly because of tremendous concerns about Mr. Musk, whose financial interests are tied to China, he said. With roughly 50 percent of new Tesla cars estimated to be manufactured in Shanghai, Taiwan did not trust Mr. Musk to provide Starlink access if Beijing applied pressure to turn off the service, he added. We worry that if we order devices from Starlink, well fall into some sort of trap, said Mr. Hsu, now a senior research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School in Taipei. Elon has huge commercial interests in China. When a U.S. congressional delegation visited Taiwan in April, Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, a Republican and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asked the Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing-wen, during a lunch about potentially using Starlink, according to committee staff on the trip. Ms. Tsai was noncommittal. Congressional aides concluded soon after that the service was not a viable option for Taiwan because of Mr. Musks links to China, the committee staff said. Audrey Tang, Taiwans digital minister, said the country struck a deal with OneWeb in June and had not ruled out working with any satellite provider. We want to test as many constellations as possible, she said. A train of SpaceXs Starlink satellites passed over the town Capilla del Sauce in central Uruguay in 2021. Mariana Suarez/Agence France-Presse Getty Images Mr. Musks influence has been debated elsewhere. In the European Union, concerns about Starlinks dominance influenced the 27-nation bloc to set aside 2.4 billion euros last year for a sovereign satellite constellation, to launch as soon as 2027. Space has become a highly contested domain where the European Union must safeguard its vital interests, said Thierry Breton, the European commissioner overseeing the project. The E.U. cannot afford to be reliant on others. To address government needs, SpaceX last year introduced a Starlink-related service, Starshield, that offered stronger security for handling classified material and processing sensitive data. Starlink also faces criticism from more authoritarian governments. When anti-government protests broke out in Iran last year, Mr. Musk made Starlink available there to help activists stay online. The Iranian government accused SpaceX of violating its sovereignty. China complained this year to a United Nations panel that SpaceX was putting so many satellites into orbit that it would prevent others from accessing space. In February, Turkey refused Mr. Musks offer to provide Starlink access after a major earthquake, which civil society groups viewed as an effort to prevent unfavorable news from spreading online. The government was afraid that Starlink is not under its control, and could represent a threat, said Cherif El Kadhi, a policy analyst tracking Turkey for Access Now, a digital rights organization. Mr. Musks dominance in space is unlikely to be equaled any time soon. In May, Amazon prepared to put its first two satellites into orbit, but the launch was put on hold after a problem was discovered in rocket testing. Since then, Mr. Musk has sent at least 595 more Starlink satellites into space. SINN Fein will run two candidates in the Tullamore Electoral Area in the Offaly County Council election which is scheduled for June next year. Party sources indicated that two candidates may also be selected to contest each of the other two areas in the county, Edenderry and Birr. At a convention in the Tullamore Court Hotel on Friday evening, Aoife Masterson, a Tullamore native and Leinster House-based party worker, and Arden View woman Theresa Bracken, a social care practitioner, were formally endorsed as the Tullamore candidates for the 2024 local elections. Sinn Fein is hoping to recover from the wipe-out at the last council election in 2019 when it lost all three of its Offaly seats. Both Ms Bracken and Ms Masterson are first-time election candidates and the convenor of the meeting, party worker Gavin Gallagher, said they had come through a candidate assessment support process after being proposed by the Tullamore cumann and the south Leinster/Midlands cuige region. Mr Gallagher thanked a number of members, including Claire Murray, who has been mentioned as a likely candidate in the Edenderry area, for the work they had done in reforming the cumann and helping us get to where we are tonight. In her address to party members and supporters, Ms Bracken said she joined Sinn Fein because she wanted to be involved in the change that is happening both north and south. Having worked for 18 years in social care she had seen the difficulties faced by the most vulnerable people. Time and time again I've seen families being failed, I've seen policies not being endorsed, said Ms Bracken. She said she had worked with the homeless services, people experiencing domestic violence, and those impacted by the housing crisis and spiralling rents. I will ensure that every voice is heard and every voice counts especially those that are most vulnerable and I will continue to advocate, she said. In her remarks, Ms Masterson (pictured below) paid tribute to those present at the meeting, saying they were the backbone of the party. Ms Masterson said she had got involved in politics because from a young age her family (her father is Rory Masterson, formerly a teacher at Colaiste Choilm, Tullamore), had instilled in her a belief in fairness and equality. From working in the NGO sector, Free Legal Advice Centre, and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties she saw the difficulties ordinary people were facing, day in and day out. I saw the small things that lead to people falling through the cracks are what ultimately leads to a broken society, said Ms Masterson. She said she'd been struck by the fact that 233 people are now homeless in the Midlands, one in four of whom are children. For me it was impossible to stand by and not take action knowing that the current Fianna Fail-Fine Gael government are failing our children and our people in such a fundamental way. She said Tullamore had been neglected by the Government and had not been seen as important and promised that she would stand up for the area and for rural Ireland if elected. Guest speaker, Longford-Westmeath Sinn Fein TD Sorca Clarke, called on all Sinn Fein activists to work hard to ensure the election of both Tullamore candidates. This may be a local government election but it's going to be fought and it's going to be won on national policies, said Deputy Clarke. She described Ms Bracken and Ms Masterson as two strong republican women and said they would both be returned to the Offaly council chamber if the campaign was right. You have got two brilliant candidates here to row in behind, said the TD. Another speaker, former Sinn Fein TD for Sligo-North Leitrim, Micheal Colreavy, said it was uplifting to see candidates of the calibre of Ms Bracken and Ms Masterson. An uncle of Ms Masterson, Mr Colreavy said the two Tullamore women would be a team: A team that is trying to bring about change that this area and Ireland so badly needs at this time. He warned party supporters that when canvassing they should pass no house because votes, whether they be first or second preferences, were available everywhere. He also urged party volunteers to focus on the registration of 18-year-olds. Make sure that they are registered and talk to them about the importance of the vote. Mr Colreavy, who said he had been involved in Sinn Fein since the 1970s and through the hunger strike period, said the party's goal was a united republic of Ireland and a fair Ireland. We don't just want a change in the faces in the County Council, we want a new Ireland. Closing the meeting, Mr Gallagher, a Westmeath resident who was born in Co Down, said Sinn Fein had won 144 seats in the local elections in the North in May. He revealed that Sinn Fein will run nearly 400 candidates in the council elections in the Republic next year where polls consistently showed support of between 30 and 35%. The establishment parties kept us out by coalescing, putting whatever petty differences they had aside and joined to keep us out, he said. The convention was also attended by Birr man Sean Maher, who was co-opted onto Offaly County Council in 2016 to replace the councillor elected in 2014, Carol Nolan, when she won a seat in the Dail. Mr Maher contested the 2019 local election but did not hold the seat. That election also saw Sinn Fein lose the seats won five years earlier by Brendan Killeavy in the Tullamore Area and Martin O'Reilly in the Edenderry Area. Mr Maher is now expected to seek a nomination to run again in the Birr Area and selection conventions will next be held there and in Edenderry. The party's objective in Offaly will be to reverse the decline which began when area poll toppers Mr Killeavy and Mr O'Reilly opted out of politics and which was intensified when Carol Nolan and Sinn Fein parted company because of her pro-life stance during the abortion referendum. She subsequently retained her Dail seat in 2020 as an independent. Wildfires that have scorched Greece for more than two weeks were on Saturday mostly under control, but firefighters remained in key hotspots with strong winds still a threat, officials said. Three fires broke out on Saturday in the Peloponnese peninsula, with authorities protectively ordering the evacuation of four communities near the city of Pyrgos. Over 100 firefighters are active in the area, backed by seven aircraft and two helicopters, the fire department said. Earlier Saturday the agency had told AFP there was "no active front" in the three biggest wildfires in Rhodes, Corfu and central Greece that had forced thousands of people to flee in recent days. Nevertheless, more than 460 firefighters were still deployed in these three areas as a precaution, it said. "There is no de-escalation of forces until the major incidents are checked," it said. Fed by scorching temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds, the two-week inferno had sparked chaos at the peak of the busy summer tourist season. Some 20,000 visitors and locals fled from hotels and villages on the island of Rhodes. Hundreds more were evacuated in Corfu and other areas. The fires killed at least five people and scorched nearly 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) of forest and vegetation, according to estimates by the Athens Observatory. Two pilots died on Tuesday when their water-bombing plane crashed while battling a blaze in Evia, while three more bodies were recovered in fires in Evia and near the industrial zone of the port city of Volos in central Greece. The blazes have also put political pressure on the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which was re-elected just a month ago. The citizen's protection minister resigned his post Friday after it emerged that he had taken a vacation as the country battled the wildfires. For more than 10 days this month, Greece sweltered under what some experts say is the longest heatwave recorded in July for decades. Temperatures, which reached 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit) this week, have begun to fall. National weather forecaster EMY predicted the mercury would not climb above 37C on Saturday, but said wind gusts could reach 60 kilometres (37 miles) per hour. Fires have also flared in Croatia, Italy and Portugal this week, and blazes killed 34 in Algeria in extreme heat that has left landscapes tinder dry. Search Keywords: Short link: 2024 LS Polls Predictions: What Happens If Elections Are Held Today? Check India TV-CNX Opinion Poll Results India oi-Prakash KL What happens if the Lok Sabha polls are today? Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi will get a third term? Or can the Opposition block INDIA end the BJP juggernaut? Well, India TV-CNX's opinion has answered these questions. The survey conducted by India TV and CNX Opinion poll has predicted that the BJP government will return to power with a bang. Yes, Narendra Modi will get his third term and the saffron party although it might lose a few seats. According to the opinion poll, the NDA may get 318 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. The BJP will get 290 on its own. It means 13 seats lesser than it bagged in 2019 polls. The results were announced by the channel on its special show 'Desh Ki Awaaz'. It comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence of coming back to power. India will find a place in the top three economies in the world in my third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Wednesday. "In our first term, India was in the 10th spot in terms of economy. In my second term, it is the world's fifth-largest economy. On the basis of track record, I will make the country believe, in the third term, the economy will be among the world's top three," he added. "In my third term, India will stand among the top three economies. And this is Modi's guarantee," he said at an event. How WIll Congress Perform If Polls Are Held Today? After its thumping victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls, the Congress has been hoping to bounce back in the Lok Sabha polls. However, the survey report is not encouraging as it predicted the grand old party of taking its tally to 66, an increase of 14 seats from the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Mamata Banerjee's All India Trinamool Congress is poised to become the third-largest party in the Lok Sabha this time, securing 29 seats, an increase of seven seats from their previous tally of 22. On the other hand, the ruling YSR Congress party from Andhra Pradesh is projected to emerge as the fourth-largest party with 18 seats, a decrease of four seats compared to the 22 seats it won in the previous elections. According to projections, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) is expected to enhance its current seat count of six to eleven, while Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party may significantly increase its present one LS seat to ten seats if elections were held now. Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal in Odisha may witness a slight increase in its tally, going from 12 to 13 seats as per the projections. However, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena (Shinde) may experience a considerable decline in strength, dropping from twelve seats to two. Party Wise Seat Projection Party Name Predicted Seats BJP 290 Congress 66 TMC 29 DMK 19 YSRCP 18 BJD 13 Shiv Sena UBT 11 Shiv Sena Shinde 2 AAP 10 RJD 7 JDU 7 AIADMK 8 SP 4 NCP (Sharad Pawar) 4 NCP (Ajit Pawar) 2 TDP 7 Left Front 8 BRS 8 Independents 30 INDIA VS NDA In total, the BJP-led NDA is likely to bag 318 seats while the newly-formed Opposition bloc INDIA is predicted to win 175 seats. Manipur Violence: SC Sets Up Panel Of 3 Former HC Judges To Look Into Relief, Rehabilitation Congress Has Blood On Its Hands In Northeast: Himanta On Manipur Violence Only 4 Min 34 Seconds: Cong Claims Less Screen Time For Rahul Gandhi's LS Speech On Manipur Manipur CM Is Operated With The Centre: Shah Defends Biren Singh Amid Demand For Resignation Over Violence Opposition MPs of INDIA Bloc Reach Manipur, To Assess Ground Situation India oi-PTI A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA arrived on Saturday for a two-day visit to Manipur to assess the current state of affairs in the ethnic strife-hit state. Ahead of the visit, Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi called for an inquiry under a retired Supreme Court judge into the violence in Manipur. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Congress MP and whip in Rajya Sabha Naseer Hussain said the MPs from 16 parties would visit affected areas and people both in the valley and the hills. They would also visit two relief camps in both places to assess the situation. The delegation will also meet Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Sunday morning. Recommended Video Manipur: Opposition front I.N.D.I.A in Manipur to assess situation; BJP takes a jibe | Oneindia News INDIA Bloc MPs Will Assess Ground Situation In Manipur Today The team of the opposition MPs has sought the use of helicopters locally from the state government to visit Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place. Besides Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi, the delegation will include TMC's Sushmita Dev, JMM's Mahua Maji, DMK's Kanimozhi, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP, JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JD-U), CPI's P Sandosh Kumar and CPI(M)'s A A Rahim among others. 8 People Killed In Fire Cracker Unit Blast In Tamil Nadu India oi-Madhuri Adnal A devastating explosion at a firecracker unit in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district claimed the lives of eight individuals, including three women, as reported by the police on Saturday. The sudden blast occurred in the firecracker manufacturing godown situated in Pazhayapettai within the district, leaving several others injured. The impact of the explosion caused significant damage to nearby houses and some shops in the vicinity of the unit. Swiftly responding to the emergency, the police, along with fire and rescue services personnel, rushed to the scene to rescue those affected. As of now, 12 critically injured individuals have been rushed to the hospital for immediate medical attention. The fire tenders and rescue teams present at the site have been tirelessly working to extinguish the fire and safely extract people who may still be trapped inside the debris. The district collector reported that a hotel building was completely demolished by the force of the explosion, and three to four neighboring houses suffered partial damages due to the impact. Tamil Nadu Weather Update: These Districts To Get Heavy Rains The situation remains tense as the rescue teams continue their efforts to ascertain the total number of individuals trapped under the rubble. As the investigation unfolds, authorities are yet to determine the cause of the tragic explosion that resulted in significant loss of life and property. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, July 29, 2023, 17:35 [IST] Manipur Violence: SC Sets Up Panel Of 3 Former HC Judges To Look Into Relief, Rehabilitation Congress Has Blood On Its Hands In Northeast: Himanta On Manipur Violence Manipur CM Is Operated With The Centre: Shah Defends Biren Singh Amid Demand For Resignation Over Violence Amid Ethnic Clashes, Manipur Begins Capturing Biometric Details Of Illegal Immigrants From Myanmar India oi-Prakash KL The Manipur government restarted its campaign to capture biometric details of illegal Myanmar immigrants on Saturday. It resumed on the instructions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). "On instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India to complete the campaign for biometric capture of illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State of Manipur by September 2023, the Government of Manipur has resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State from today," the release said. The press release said that a team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) assisted the State Government officials in capturing biometric data of illegal immigrants in Imphal East District today. "A team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs for training and handholding of State Government Officers in this campaign, assisted the State Government officials in capturing biometric data of illegal immigrants at Foreigners' Detention Centre, Sajiwa, Imphal East District today," it said. "The campaign will continue in all districts until biometric data of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the State are successfully captured. The same is targeted for completion by September 2023," the release added. Since May 3, Manipur has been embroiled in an ethnic conflict between the Kuki tribe, predominantly residing in the hills, and the Meiteis, who constitute the majority in the valley. According to officials, both the Mizoram and Manipur governments have identified over 37,000 migrants who have been included in negative lists for Aadhaar and Voter identity. The Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar was initially established to acknowledge the traditional social ties shared by border communities, facilitating the movement of genuine individuals residing in close proximity to the border. However, it has been exploited by militants and criminals involved in the smuggling of weapons, narcotics, contraband goods, and counterfeit Indian currency notes. The recent crackdown by the Junta government on the Kuki-Chin community in neighbouring Myanmar has resulted in the FMR being utilized by migrants seeking refuge in the region. CBI Registers Fresh FIR In Muzaffarpur Shelter Home Abuse Case India oi-PTI The CBI registered a fresh FIR on Saturday against unidentified officials of a shelter home for girls in Muzaffarpur in Bihar, which hit the headlines in 2018 for large-scale sexual abuse of inmates, in connection with a missing girl who was shown as reunited with parents in 2015 on the basis of forged documents. Brajesh Thakur whose NGO ran the shelter home, Balika Gruh, was sentenced to imprisonment till last breath by a special CBI court in 2020. The CBI during its probe found details of a physically and mentally disabled girl, who was shown on paper to have been reunited with her parents in 2015, remains missing. Manipur Viral Video Case: CBI Arrests 10 Accused, 6 FIRs Filed ''During further investigation of that case, it was revealed that one minor girl...who was physically and mentally disabled and was reportedly restored on November 10 to her father...in compliance of the order dated November 10, 2015 purportedly passed by Child Welfare Committee, Sitamarhi,'' the FIR alleged. When the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) dug further it found that the voter ID cards of persons claiming to be the father and his wife were fake. ''It was also found that Nathuni Mukhiya, the identifier of the father and his wife, is a fictitious person and no such person ever functioned as Mukhiya of the said village and it has also established that release order...dated November 10, 2015 was not signed by Mansi Samadar, the then chairperson, and Renu Kumari Singh, the then member, CWC (Child Welfare Committee) Sitamarhi. The said order was found to be fake and forged,'' the CBI has alleged. Based on the report, the Bihar government handed over the probe to the CBI in March this year which has now registered the FIR. Vivekananda Reddy Murder: CBI Presents CM Jagan's Sister Sharmila As Secret Witness Thakur is currently serving life sentence after a Delhi court in February 2020 sentenced him ''rigorous imprisonment till the remainder of his life'' and imposed a fine of Rs 32.20 lakh on him in the shelter home case. The sexual abuse of inmates of the shelter home had come to light on May 26, 2018 after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences submitted a report to the Bihar government highlighting it. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, July 29, 2023, 17:27 [IST] Kenya's government and opposition announced Saturday they had agreed to form a joint committee "to resolve our differences amicably," following weeks of street protests that sometimes turned deadly. President William Ruto's government has endured nine days of demonstrations since March, when his rival Raila Odinga called Kenyans onto the streets over a cost of living crisis. Twenty people have died in the unrest, according to official figures, spurring calls for the two sides to find a political solution to the standoff in one of East Africa's most stable democracies. Odinga, who claims last year's presidential election was "stolen" from him and says Ruto's government is illegitimate, had ruled out talks without a third-party mediator. But in a statement, his Azimio alliance said "facilitation" by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo had resulted in an agreement to form a 10-member committee of equal representation to iron out their differences. "Determined to resolve our differences amicably for the benefit of all our people, we have therefore agreed with Kenya Kwanza to establish a committee," Azimio said, referring to the ruling party alliance. A joint statement by both parties said the committee would be comprised of four MPs, four members from outside parliament, and the majority and minority leaders from the national assembly. Among other issues, it would discuss reforms to the electoral committee and the establishment of an office for Odinga, who has lost five elections and alleged cheating in many of them. Both parties agreed that opposition to a controversial financial bill signed into law in June "should be decided in court," where it is being challenged. The law raises taxes and was seized upon by Odinga during the protests. - Condemnation of violence - Odinga called off demonstrations in April and May after Ruto agreed to dialogue through a similar joint committee, but those talks broke down and the opposition returned to the streets. The demonstrations sometimes spiralled into looting and deadly clashes with police, with rights groups condemning the use of tear gas and live rounds to disperse stone-throwing protesters. Azimio says 50 people died in the marches and laid flowers at vigils this week for the victims of "unprecedented police brutality". Ruto has repeatedly called for a halt to the protests and vowed to clamp down on any sign of "anarchy". In their statement, the two parties offered "joint condemnation and regrets of violence that has visited our nation with loss of life, serious injuries and the destruction of properties." Critics accuse Ruto of rowing back on promises made during his election campaign last year, when he pledged to improve the fortunes of impoverished Kenyans. The rags-to-riches businessman imposed hefty new taxes this year, further adding to the economic misery endured by ordinary Kenyans. As the demonstrations have dragged on, appetite for the protests has flagged, with Kenyans largely ignoring last week's call for three consecutive days of rallies. Opposition protests following Odinga's election loss in 2017 continued until he brokered a surprise pact with his erstwhile foe, former president Uhuru Kenyatta, that became known as "the handshake". Search Keywords: Short link: Delhi Student Murder: Cousin Had Planned Her Death, Stalked Her Every Day India oi-Madhuri Adnal A tragic incident unfolded in a Delhi park where a 25-year-old woman named Nargis was brutally murdered by her cousin, Irfan, after she rejected his marriage proposal. According to the police, Irfan had planned the murder three days prior and was well aware of Nargis's daily routine. Knowing that she passed through the park on her way to stenography classes every day, he chose this location to carry out the heinous act. In his confession, Irfan claimed that he had taken the iron rod used in the crime from his own house. He also stated that he had attempted to approach Nargis on the previous Monday but couldn't meet her due to unspecified reasons. The police are currently investigating the veracity of his claims. Nargis, a recent graduate of Kamala Nehru College, had refused Irfan's marriage proposal as he did not have a stable job and worked as a food delivery agent. This rejection left him heartbroken and struggling to find another prospective partner. His attempts to communicate with Nargis were futile, as she stopped taking his calls. On a fateful Friday morning, Irfan carried out his dreadful plan, mercilessly beating Nargis to death with the iron rod in a park near Delhi University's Sri Aurobindo College. Weather Alert: Rain Lashes Parts Of Delhi-NCR, More Showers Expected The police received information about the incident, and an iron rod was found near Nargis's lifeless body in the park. Hours after committing the crime, Irfan surrendered to the authorities. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed his anguish over the deteriorating law and order situation in the city following this brutal incident. He urged the Union Home Minister and the Lieutenant Governor to take strict measures to address the safety concerns of the people, particularly the women of Delhi. The tragic loss of yet another daughter in the city highlights the urgency to prioritize and strengthen law enforcement. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, July 29, 2023, 9:47 [IST] Seema Haider-Sachin Meena's Family Puts Up Notice Asking Media To Leave Them Alone UP Minors Forced To Drink Urine, Tortured With Chillies On Suspicion of Theft Kerala Governor's Convoy Attacked in Uttar Pradesh, 2 Arrested India oi-Madhuri Adnal A security breach occurred on Friday night as a speeding car collided with the convoy of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan while he was en route to Delhi after attending an event in Noida. The Uttar Pradesh Police swiftly took action and arrested two individuals in connection with the incident. According to the police, the culprits were found to be in an inebriated state at the time of the incident. The speeding vehicle reportedly rammed into the governor's convoy on two occasions, raising serious concerns about the safety of high-profile dignitaries. In addition to the arrests, the police also apprehended a black Scorpio car that was allegedly involved in the incident. The two accused have been identified as Gaurav Solanki and Monu Kumar, both residents of Ghaziabad. KSRTC Bus Catches Fire On Highway In Thiruvananthapuram, Passengers Escape Unhurt It was revealed that Arif Mohammad Khan had visited Noida to attend a private function in Sector 77 when the incident occurred, adding to the gravity of the security lapse. Authorities are actively investigating the matter to ensure the safety and protection of dignitaries and to prevent any such breaches in the future. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, July 29, 2023, 16:47 [IST] Major Reshuffle in BJP Central Leadership, Nadda Names 13 Vice Presidents, 9 General Secretaries India oi-Madhuri Adnal Anil Antony, the son of senior Congress leader AK Antony, and former AMU vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor have assumed significant roles in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday. Anil Antony and Tariq Mansoor have been appointed as Vice Presidents of the party. Additionally, Bandi Sanjay, the former president of the Telangana state unit, has been appointed as the National General Secretary, along with Radha Mohan Agarwal, a lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh. The newly appointed office-bearers form part of the larger leadership structure that includes 13 Vice Presidents, nine General Secretaries, with BL Santhosh overseeing the party organization as the in-charge, and 13 Secretaries. As the leadership roles shift within the BJP, some prominent names have been dropped from their positions. Leaders such as CT Ravi from Karnataka, Dilip Saikia, a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, and Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh are no longer serving as General Secretaries. Speculations suggest that they might be contesting in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Anil Antony's journey to the BJP began in April of the current year when he joined the party in the presence of Union Minister Piyush Goyal. His departure from the Congress party occurred in January, after he expressed critical remarks about the party during the BBC raids incident concerning the documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bharatiya Janata Party releases list of its central office bearers - Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Radhamohan Agrawal inducted as general secretaries pic.twitter.com/vFfZscJI0B ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2023 Tariq Mansoor, the former Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), resigned from his position earlier this year after being nominated as a member of the UP Legislative Council. His appointment to a new role within the BJP is seen as a strategic move to reach out to the Pasmanda Muslims in Uttar Pradesh. Udupi's Toilet Cam Incident: BJP Worker Arrested Over A Tweet On Siddaramaiah In the revamped structure, BL Santhosh will continue as the National General Secretary, while Shiv Prakash retains his position as the Joint General Secretary. Many other office-bearers have been retained in their respective roles in the party's new list. Former Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, has been removed from his position as a Vice President within the party. As the BJP's leadership undergoes changes, the party aims to strengthen its organizational structure and expand its outreach to various communities and regions in preparation for the forthcoming political challenges. If your imagination of India is one of Hindutva, its unconstitutional, says Author Mukulika Banerjee Have you met Talwar Bhai, the most authentically musical, the best and biggest rapper of Rajasthan Minor Girl Reaches Jaipur Airport To Go To Pakistan To Meet Her Instagram Friend, Handed Over To Police India oi-Madhuri Adnal A minor girl who wanted to go to Pakistan to meet her Instagram friend was handed over to police by Jaipur airport authorities on Friday, officials said. Airport Station Officer Digpal Singh said the girl, a resident of Sikar's Shrimadhopur, had no documents required for international travel. He also said there is no flight from Jaipur to Pakistan. The official said the girl told police she went to the airport to go to Pakistan to meet her Instagram friend. Pakistan Girl Stayed In India Illegally For 3 Years, Finally Caught In Jaipur He said the family members of the girl have been informed and she would be handed over to them. Recently, a 34-year-old married woman from Alwar, Rajasthan, went to Pakistan on a valid passport and visa to meet with her Facebook friend, whom she later got married to. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, July 29, 2023, 10:04 [IST] Pakistan Airlines Flight PK248 Enters Indian Airspace, Flies Over 3 States For An Hour India oi-Madhuri Adnal In a shocking incident, a Pakistani airplane, PIA-308, unexpectedly entered Indian airspace on Monday evening, causing concern among aviation authorities. The aircraft, en route from Karachi to Islamabad, encountered adverse weather conditions shortly after takeoff at 4:31 PM. Due to the weather's sudden deterioration, the flight deviated from its intended path and inadvertently crossed into Indian airspace at 5:02 PM. The airplane entered Indian territory through Rajasthan after departing from Hyderabad in Pakistan. For a duration of approximately 1 hour and 12 minutes, it flew over the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab before returning to Pakistani airspace from Punjab at 6.14 PM. This isn't the first time such an incident has occurred. In June of this year, an IndiGo flight experienced a similar situation when it unintentionally slipped into Pakistan's airspace due to adverse air conditions. The flight briefly flew over Gujranwala in Pakistan before safely returning to India. The airline attributed the diversion to Atari in Pakistan to unfavorable weather conditions. During the incident involving the IndiGo flight, Amritsar Air Traffic Control (ATC) handled the diversion adeptly by coordinating with Pakistani authorities via telephone. The entire crew maintained clear communication with Pakistan throughout the process, ensuring the flight's safe landing in Ahmedabad. Minor Girl Reaches Jaipur Airport To Go To Pakistan To Meet Her Instagram Friend, Handed Over To Police Moreover, security concerns related to airspace violations persist. Just last month, the Border Security Force (BSF) intercepted a Pakistan drone that entered Indian airspace in Punjab's Tarn Taran district. The drone, a Hexacopter, was later recovered in a damaged state during a joint search operation conducted by the BSF and Punjab Police in a farming field near Village Mehdipur. Prompt action by the BSF personnel allowed them to intercept the suspected drone swiftly, underscoring the importance of maintaining vigilance along the borders. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, July 29, 2023, 13:01 [IST] The Zaporizhzhia power plant has become a chess piece in the Kremlins illegal invasion of Ukraine, a prized chip it is unwilling to relinquish. 2008-2023 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. At least nine people have been injured after a Russian missile strike in Ukraine's Dnipro. Meanwhile, US has said that Russia's defense minister is seeking weapons during a trip to North Korea. DW has the latest. President Joe Biden, in a statement to People magazine, said, "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy." Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with other African leaders, as part of the African initiative to settle the Russia-Ukraine crisis, according to a statement by Egyptian Presidential Spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy on Saturday. This meeting comes during the second edition of the Russia-Africa Summit, which kicked off in St. Petersburg on Thursday with the participation of 49 countries, including Egypt, represented by nearly 45 heads of state. According to the statement, the leaders discussed recent developments regarding the African initiative to end the Russia-Ukraine crisis, reaffirming Africas stake in the conflict, which negatively impacts the continents food security, finances and energy sector. The meeting concluded with an agreement to continue the African agenda by developing mechanisms to encourage positive engagement from both Russia and Ukraine in the near future, as per the statement. On Friday, Putin stated that Moscow is "carefully" examining proposals made by some African leaders to end the conflict. "We respect your initiatives and are examining them carefully," he said. "Previous mediation initiatives were monopolized by so-called advanced democracies. Now Africa too is ready to help resolve problems that appear to be outside its area of priorities," added the Russian president. Search Keywords: Short link: In the clash of geopolitical agendas between Russia and the West, the biggest loser turns out to be the EU. But in this downward.. Eurasia Review 12 Jul 2023 All I did was believe in myself and work towards my goal, said Manjusha Radhakrishnan, who bagged the Kerala State's Best Costume Designer Award for the film 'Saudi Vellaka'. Manjusha never intended to pursue a career in the film industry, but she was adamant about honing her skills and pursuing her interest in fashion. From being a partner in her cousin's Indian clothing line store in Switzerland to working with directors such as Vidhu Vincent, Manjusha did not stop herself from taking risks or working hard even in tough times. Was being a costume designer always part of your plan? My mother wanted me to be a lawyer. Unfortunately, Amma's illness forced me to leave my LLB programme after a year so that I could take care of her. Even though I was devastated at that time, Amma pushed me to follow my passion for fashion designing. Soon after my studies, I joined my cousin's cloth store in Switzerland. However, my heart was always in Kerala, and I returned after a few years. I also worked as a visiting faculty member at my friend's institute in North India and eventually worked on a few advertisements. The first film on which I worked as a stylist was Sakalakalashala, released in 2019. Although working in film was never on the cards, I was confident that I could carve a niche for myself in the fashion industry. You have also acted in a few advertisements and films. Can you tell us more about it? I used to enjoy acting, and I have had a few small roles in films like Sunday Holiday (director Lal Jose's wife) and Vijay Superum Pournamiyum (Aishwarya Lekshmi's younger version's teacher). I studied at Mount Carmel Vidyaniketan CBSE School, Kottayam, where 'Nakshthrakoodaram' starring Suresh Gopi and Swetha Menon was shot. I was given the opportunity to play a small role, but Amma disapproved it. When I was offered a part in Nirappara's advertisement, I had the opportunity to meet Lalettan. But now, I adore working behind the camera. I enjoy the rigorous and challenging backstage tasks. Manjusha with Tharun Moorthy on the sets of 'Saudi Vellakka'. Photo: Instagram/ manjuartcurator Can you share your experience while working in 'Saudi Vellakka'? It was an exciting journey! The first time I read the film's script, the colour palatte of a few movies, such as Turkish film 'Mucize' and 'The Short Story', came through my mind. I shared it with DOP Sharan Velayudhan, who backed me. All these films have a mild yet catchy muse that must add life to the story. I visited Saudi (in Kochi) to understand their way of living and dressing style. The production period was challenging with the Covid-19 situation. Since the protagonist, Devi Varma's character- Ayisha Rawther, is an aged person, we had to be careful while choosing our material and dye. We chose the natural process for dying and each saree was dyed seven times to give it the desired look. Each character had its own depth and our focus was to bring it through their attires. For instance, Sujith Shanker's character Ayisha's son, Sathar, has an identity crisis, which must also be depicted in his outfits. We chose raw cheques and loose sleeves for oversized shirts. A wrong attire would feel out of place. We visualised the characters while reading the script, which actually helped us in delivering the right output. I had also worked with Tharun Moorthy in his first film, 'Operation Java'. He believed in my work and kept reminding me from the beginning, 'Manjusha! The aim is a Kerala State Award!'. I always wanted to be a part of good films and crew and collaborating with Tharun has been a unique experience. Manjusha with Devi Varma. Photo: Special Arrangement Did the Kerala State Award come as a surprise? No, I have always dreamed of it (laughs). My team and I put a lot of work into 'Saudi Vellakka', so I am glad the jury appreciated it. Manjusha hand painting sarees. Photo: Instagram/ manjuartcurator About 'Vastramika' 'Vastramika' focuses on both everyday clothing and ethnic casuals. I adore fusion fashion, and our best-selling sarees are hand-painted, especially around Onam, Christmas, and Vishu. I create patterns and designs and hand-paint them myself during my free time. I believe handlooms have room for exploration, and I would like to work more on them for Vastramika. I have a workspace in Kochi. Vastramika has also been a part of various flea markets here. Somebody or any industry you would like to work with I have a small list of artists I would love working with: Vineeth Sreenivasan, Prithviraj, Mammotty, Nayanthara, and Vidya Balan. I would also like to collaborate on fantasy movies and a Tamil production. Future projects I have a lot of films scheduled from next month. Most of them have not yet been announced. This year is exciting for me! Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Ariel Sharon, deceased former Israeli Prime Minister, said he was not concerned about Arab countries, or the Palestinians destroying Israel. He said his only fear was that the relationship between Israel and America would change, and the lack of US support for Israel would be the end of the country. US President Joe Biden has denounced the proposed Israeli bill which, according to Biden, threatens stripping Israel from their coveted status as a democracy. Thousands of Israeli citizens are protesting judicial reforms proposed by the extremist government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Street protests against the proposed bill began in January, and are gathering momentum as military units, labor unions, and medical associations join the throng of protesters. Over 500 Israeli air force pilots have said they will refuse to perform their duties if called on in protest of the bill. Netanyahu is powerless to stop the protests, or the bill. His personal freedom hangs in the balance and is dependent on the Jewish extremists who brought him to power in the last election. Without their support, his government would collapse, and he would face jail time on corruption charges. In the past, Netanyahu had ridiculed those extremists and maintained he would never give them positions in his government. But, now his freedom and position depend on their support to keep him at the helm of the government. The controversial bill at the heart of the protests would diminish the power of the judiciary to review and comment on proposed government moves. In the classic 'checks and balances' of a modern democracy, one of the 'checks' would be made impotent. The extremists in control of the government could railroad bills into law that could strip women of rights, and ethnically cleanse further areas in the Occupied Territory of the Palestinians, making the US- and UN-supported Two-State Solution for Palestine impossible. Elements in the Netanyahu government rebuked Biden for his comments about Israel, saying they would never bow down to US pressure, and that Israel is not a star on the American flag. The Biden government has distanced itself from the extremist Netanyahu government and called on Netanyahu to throw out the proposed bill. Biden has promised to host Netanyahu in a White House visit, but the date has not been set, making media reports rife with commentary on the rocky relationship. Continuing tensions between Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank Territory and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have seen repeated attacks on Jenin and other hot-spots by the IDF with deaths and injuries sustained by civilians. The Israeli street protests are not aimed at promoting the freedom and democracy of the 6 million Palestinians under occupation, but are aimed at resisting the judiciary reform bill, which will affect the 6 million Jews who live in freedom and have human rights, whereas the Palestinians have neither freedom nor human rights. When Netanyahu came to power, he promised his priority was to sign up more Arab countries to the Abraham Accords, with the crown prize being Saudi Arabia. However, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has insisted that the end of the occupation of Palestine must come first before any normalization can begin. Netanyahu has made a priority of annexing even more occupied lands in the West Bank that house American Jews who are religious extremists and are supporters of the extremist far-right parties in the Netanyahu government alliance. The northern border of Israel is not secure as Israel has recently begun a process of encroaching further into Lebanon. The Lebanese resistance group is well prepared to launch resistance operations into Israel, and with the IDF and Israeli air force in disarray from protesting the bill, the security of Israel is hanging in the balance. Netanyahu is well known for instigating military operations against Gaza and the West Bank in order to divert attention away from his domestic political problems. Netanyahu bets on the unity of the Israeli citizens to band together in times of a military crisis; however, he might lose that bet now because the Jews are far from united due to the continuing protests against the government. He can't depend on the military either, as they are taking a political stand against the controversial bill, which seems unstoppable. Some analysts have gone so far as to suggest the brewing of civil war in Israel. The White House has been concerned about the freedoms enjoyed by the Israeli citizens, and the loss of those freedoms presented by the bill if passed into law. Meanwhile, the White House disregards the total lack of human rights and freedom of the Palestinians living under a brutal occupation that shows no sign of changing. While the Israeli citizens are struggling to retain their freedom and democracy, the Palestinian resistance movement continues to fight for the end of occupation and their human rights. With the US continuing to support the occupation of the Palestinian territories, and refusing to pressure Israel to sit at the negotiation table, the status quo will be maintained. America is complicit in the oppression and suffering of the Palestinian people. Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist Josiah Royce. (Image by Wikipedia (commons.wikimedia.org), Author: Unknown author Unknown author ) Details Source DMCA Duluth, Minnesota (OpEdNews) July 29, 2023: Google for "Beloved Community" and you will readily learn that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968; Ph.D. in theology, Boston University, 1955) popularized this expression. You might even learn that Kenneth L. Smith and Ira G. Zepp, Jr., published a short book titled Search for the Beloved Community: The Thinking of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Judson Press, 1974). You might even learn that the King Center in Atlanta devotes a page of its website to Dr. King's idea about the Beloved Community. If you search further, you may also learn that Harvard's prolific philosopher Josiah Royce (1855-1916; Ph.D. in philosophy, Johns Hopkins University, 1878) used the expression the Beloved Community in his exploratory 1913 book The Problem of Christianity (Macmillan; expanded edition published by the Catholic University of America Press, 2001). However, it does not necessarily follow that Dr. King ever read any of Royce's uses of the expression the Beloved Community. But we cannot rule out the possibility that King may read something by Royce. In any event, Harvard's philosopher of religion Royce was famous enough that his use of the expression the Beloved Community may have been known by the theology faculty and students at nearby Boston University when King was doing his doctoral studies in theology there. Royce did not belong to any church. Perhaps we should think of him as a non-denominational Christian, because his thought about the Beloved Community is clearly rooted in the Christian tradition of thought - more specifically in Pauline Christology and ecclesiology. However, as we will see momentarily, Royce in the end advises Christians to "Simplify your traditional Christology." Question: If Christians were to take Royce's advice and "Simplify [their] traditional Christology," at what juncture on their simplifying their traditional Christology would they cease to be Christians? In other words, isn't some form of traditional Christology a pre-condition for being a Christian? Now, the Wikipedia entry on Royce includes a quote from him that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945; Harvard class of 1903) included in his 1936 State of the Union Address (from an article published by Royce in 1914): "'The human race now passes through one of its great crises. New ideas, new issues - a new call for men [and women] to carry on the work of righteousness, of charity, of courage, of patience, and of loyalty. . . . I studied, I loved, I labored, unsparingly and hopefully, to be worthy of my generation.'" FDR's quotation is taken from Royce's article "A Word for the Times" in the Harvard Graduates' Magazine, volume XXIII, number XC (December 1914): pp. 207-209 (the ellipsis in the quotation is in the Wikipedia text; the first part of FDR's quote is from p. 208 of Royce's article; the second part from p. 209). No doubt the prolific Royce "labored, unsparingly and hopefully, to be worthy of [his] generation." In any event, the late American Jesuit philosopher Frank M. Oppenheim (1925-2020; Ph.D. in philosophy, Saint Louis University, 1962) published the following three books about Royce (all published by the University of Notre Dame Press): (1) Royce's Mature Philosophy of Religion (1987); (2) Royce's Mature Ethics (1993); (3) Reverence for the Relations of Life: Re-imagining Pragmatism via Josiah Royce's Interactions with Peirce, James, and Dewey (2005). For Oppenheim, Royce's mature work involves his books and essays from about 1910 onward. However, Royce's 1908 book The Philosophy of Loyalty (Macmillan) is the focus of Oppenheim's 1993 book Royce's Mature Ethics. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Sound of Freedom - Official Trailer (2023) Sound of Freedom, based on the incredible true story, shines a light on even the darkest of places. After rescuing a young boy ... (Image by YouTube, Channel: IGN Movie Trailers) Details DMCA I've just seen the surprise blockbuster movie "Sound of Freedom." It's the story of Tim Ballard, the ex-CIA, and Homeland Security operative whose real-life crusade against child sex trafficking is the film's subject. The Angel Studio's release on July 4th surprised everyone by far outgrossing "Indiana Jones," even though "Sound of Freedom's" budget was by comparison extremely low, and despite its depending on word of mouth for much of its publicity. Like most viewers, I found the film exceptionally moving, its acting splendid, and its cinematography of the highest quality. I'm not surprised that some are even talking about Academy Awards. (By the way, despite "liberal" criticisms, "Sound of Freedom" made no mention whatsoever of QAnon, conspiracy, Pizzagate, adrenochrome, or political parties either Democrat or Republican. There was no hint of any of that.) Instead, "Sound of Freedom" straightforwardly focuses on one topic, child sex trafficking. It accordingly summarizes itself in six spare words: "God's children are not for sale." Others have expressed its imperative in just three: "Connect the dots." The first summary reveals the film's shocking content and (understated) faith perspective. However, the film's dot connection uncovers a suspiciously limited political perspective. Intentionally or not, its nearly invisible political viewpoint ends up subtly heroizing the CIA, Homeland Security, and the Colombian police, while vilifying "rebels" against the corrupt authority all three represent. In what follows, let me show you what I mean by (1) briefly acknowledging the deplorable problem addressed by "Sound of Freedom," (2) highlighting the film's suspicious CIA connections, (3) its missing dots, and (4) suggesting the "Sound's" promise for stimulating dialog across liberal-conservative divides. Child Sex Trafficking To begin with, the "Sound of Freedom" is so moving because it is factual, not fiction. It describes a huge problem it identifies as the fastest growing criminal enterprise the world has ever seen. In fact, child sex trafficking, it says, already grosses more money than international arms trafficking. Its annual income will soon surpass that of the worldwide drug trade. Moreover, and as noted above, "Sound of Freedom's" main protagonist is also real and highly admirable. As movingly portrayed by Jim Caviezel (of "Passion of the Christ" and "Count of Monte Cristo" fame), Tim Ballard joins the CIA and later Homeland Security as an act of patriotism following 9/11. Significantly, Ballard's fundamentalist Christian faith made him especially attractive to Homeland Security which, he says, preferred such commitment from its agents in the War on Terror. Eventually, Ballard's duties introduce him to the issue of child sex trafficking. It so hooks him that he ends up risking all to combat its evil. Months before qualifying for a lifetime CIA pension eventually worth millions, he decides to leave the agency when it identifies as unacceptable overreach his desire to continue "rescuing Honduran kids in Colombia." CIA Connections Despite such idealistic motivations, "Sound of Freedom's" links to the CIA and Homeland Security as well as those with apolitical Christian fundamentalism raised uncomfortable questions for me. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). DEAR ABBY: My son is dating a girl I cant stand. Im not too crazy about my son right now, either. I no longer want to be out in public with them because their public displays of affection are so over the top it makes me ill. I cannot imagine spending every holiday, birthday or whatever with them for the rest of my life. He hasnt told us anything about this person. We dont even know her last name. Help! -- TURNED-OFF MOM IN INDIANA DEAR MOM: You didnt mention your sons age or how long he has been involved with this young woman. It appears they are both quite young. Romances that burn with this kind of intensity usually cool down fairly quickly. In the meantime, be patient. Say nothing that will cause you to be perceived as the enemy. If you would like more information about the girl, ask her in a non-threatening way. (Are you a schoolmate? Do you have a last name? Does your family live in town?) Then make sure your son knows how to protect them both from unwanted pregnancy and STDs should the need arise, and wait them out. DEAR ABBY: I am a 49-year-old mother of 10. I always loved my kids dearly and tried my best. But I wanted to be a friend rather than a disciplinarian, and I always gave in. I assumed that because my husband and I never did bad things around them while they were growing up, and because I always resisted peer pressure when I was a teenager, they would follow in our footsteps, but I was wrong. They are now mean to me, and most of them hate me. I sometimes feel like I dont want to go on because Ill always feel sad and depressed. I cant remember the last time I was happy and didnt dread waking up every morning. Please find time to answer and give me some hope again. -- BROKEN IN WEST VIRGINIA DEAR BROKEN: Its time you stopped depending on your children to validate you, and began recognizing that, for better or worse, you did the best you could as a parent. Please discuss this with your religious adviser AND your physician. You need more help than I can offer in a letter, but those are the places to start. There are better days ahead. DEAR ABBY: I am adopted, and 10 years ago I met my birth mom and her family. I go to their family gatherings and see them for holidays. I am getting married, and Ive asked my birth mom to be my matron of honor, which my parents are OK with. After the ceremony, we are going to have a reception at the church and then a dinner with 20 people hours later. Im not sure if I should invite my birth mom to the dinner or not. My parents said it might be awkward for her and for them. I am just trying to do the right thing. What should I do? -- NERVOUS IN NEW MEXICO DEAR NERVOUS: This is something you should discuss with your birth mother. While one would think that as part of the wedding party she would be welcome at all of the festivities, if it would make the couple who raised you uncomfortable, she should understand why she isnt being asked to attend. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. State regulators want to hear from Oregonians about insurance companies plans to increase costs in 2024. Each year, the states Division of Financial Regulation holds public hearings before deciding whether to approve requests from insurance companies to increase rates for two types of plans: small businesses with 50 or fewer employees and individual plans for people who purchase their own coverage rather than through an employer. Larger employers negotiate rates directly with insurers and those are not regulated by the state. The hearings on Aug. 4 will allow people to voice any concerns or objections to proposals that would impact how much they pay for insurance coverage. Insurers will give their pitch on why the increases, which average 6.2% for individual plans and 12.1% for small business plans, are necessary. In the market for individual plans, six insurers submitted rate proposals that seek average increases ranging from 3.5% to 8.5%. Thats a weighted average increase of 6.2% for the plans, based on their size. Individuals would see higher or lower increases based on the type of plan. The average 40-year-old Portland resident with a silver plan would pay between $467 and $537 in monthly premiums after increases, depending on the insurer. Providence Health Plan has the highest proposed rate increase of 8.5%. Its proposal would affect nearly 50,000 Oregonians, the most of all insurers that provide individual market plans. PacificSource Health Plans submitted the lowest proposed increase of 3.5%, which would affect about 17,000 people. In the market for small employers, eight insurers requested rate increases that range from 0.8% to 12.4% on average. Thats a weighted average increase of 8.1%, which is higher than the requests submitted last year. In 2022, insurers sought an average increase of 6.9%. Proposals from the two largest insurers are: Providence Health Plan requested a 12.4% average increase for small employer plans, which affects nearly 53,000 people. Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon requested a 6.1% average increase, which affects about 42,000 people. State regulators will make preliminary decisions before the Aug. 4 hearing but will make final decisions about whether to deny or approve the requests in August after the public hearing. More information: The Division of Financial Regulation will have virtual two public hearings about insurers requested rates on Friday, Aug. 4. The first is from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and the next is from 1 to 4 p.m. Go here to access the virtual hearings. Go here to see the requested rates from insurers. Go here to read detailed rate requests from insurers and submit written public comments before Aug. 4. Peacock Lane, which has been billed Portlands Christmas Street, celebrated its 100-year anniversary at a media event Friday morning. The Lane is made up of four residential blocks in Southeast Portland between Stark and Belmont streets and is home to one of the citys largest and most popular holiday lights displays. To honor its centennial, about a dozen Peacock Lane residents and Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan gathered for cookies and iced tea and then unveiled new historic street sign toppers, reading Historic Peacock Lane. The blue sign toppers have art depicting architecture from Peacock Lane on one side and a peacock on the other. Ryan spoke with residents and read a proclamation on behalf of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler recognizing the significance of the historic architecture, the value of cohesive neighborhoods and the importance of time-honored traditions. In the proclamation, Ryan also noted that former Portland Mayor Bud Clark proclaimed in 1989 that Aug. 12 would be recognized by the city as Peacock Lane Day. A photocopy of the 1989 proclamation, with Clarks signature, was posted on a trifold display along with archival photos, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia. Resident Krista Brockwood, who put together the display, said shes sort of become Peacock Lanes archivist and has lived there for 20 Christmases. Many of the residents refer to their tenure in the neighborhood in Christmases, not years. Brockwood said she moved in when she was pregnant with her son, who turned 20 this year. For me, I love being part of something so much bigger than what we are. Seeing so many people come and enjoy it. Knowing my kids have grown up here and what this street has meant to them, Brockwood said. Peacock Lane was developed in 1924 by R.F. Wassell, who designed the houses in an English Tudor or cottage style. The steep roofs lined with Christmas lights give the street a storybook feel. In 2017, neighbors successfully petitioned to put the Lane on the National Register of Historic Places, hoping to preserve its unique charm. Brockwood said residents of Peacock Lane are not required to put up holiday lights and decor. We dont sign anything, she said. This is all just because we love doing it. Read more about Peacock Lane: Cleanup crews began going door-to-door Friday through neighborhoods surrounding the old Kmart building that caught fire earlier this month offering to remove ashen debris that some worry might contain cancer-causing asbestos. But the latest test results released by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality this week show no asbestos has been found in the air or debris that drifted onto nearby properties. Meanwhile on Thursday, a resident who lives within a mile of the site of the fire filed a class-action lawsuit against RFC Joint Venture, the company that owns the building, and Prologis, the company leasing it. The suit, first reported by Willamette Week, claims the companies allowed people who are experiencing homelessness to freely enter the derelict property, which accumulated dangerous and flammable materials over time. The suit estimates that more than 2,000 homes may be affected. The cleanup is being offered by Prologis, which had been working to convert the building near Northeast 122nd Avenue and Sandy Boulevard into a warehouse and distribution center. That, however, has raised objections from some residents over increased traffic and pollution. The building erupted in flames on July 19, with embers and massive columns of smoke billowing into nearby neighborhoods. Prologis crews began removing debris from the fire from nearby schools and parks, according to the company. On Friday, more than 20 crews started canvassing the most affected neighborhoods and offering to remove large debris of 1 inch or larger from yards. The crews are seeking permission from residents first. If no one is home, theyre leaving information about how to summon the crews back to do the work. Residents also can request cleanup by emailing kmartfireneighborhoodcleanup@gmail.com. Officials at DEQ say its safe for residents to clean up the debris on their own, as long as they follow guidance that includes gently wetting the debris and wearing a high-quality mask, such as an N95. -- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe Portland police on Friday identified a woman shot to death in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood this week as Laura Guerrero-Rafaela, 41, of Portland. Police said they have made no arrests in her killing. Portland police on Friday, July 29, 2023, identified a woman shot to death in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood on Wednesday as Laura Guerrero-Rafaela, 41, of Portland.Family photo via Portland police Officers found Guerrero-Rafaela when they responded to a shooting call about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 5500 block of Southeast 111th Avenue, police said. She died at the scene, they said. Guerrero-Rafaelas killing was the 50th homicide in Portland so far this year, according to an analysis by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Last year, when the city recorded a record 101 homicides, 53 people had died in homicides by the same date. In both years, most people were killed in shootings. Guerrero-Rafaela was the third person shot and killed in Portland since Saturday. Police asked anyone with information in the case to contact Detective Shaye Samora at Shaye.Samora@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0768 or Detective Tony Harris at Tony.Harris@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0441 and reference case number 23-196128. Photo: BC Hydro Electric vehicle drivers now have more charging options in the Kootenays. BC Hydro has added a new 50-kilowatt charging unit, effectively doubling the number of chargers at its electric vehicle fast charging site in Nakusp. An important part of our CleanBC climate plan is helping people make the switch from a gas-powered vehicle to one that runs on B.C.s clean electricity whether youre driving around a city, a small town, or a more remote area of our vast and beautiful province, said Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. This new electric vehicle charger in Nakusp continues our work with BC Hydro and other partners to make cleaner options more accessible and affordable for all British Columbians. The BC Hydro site in Nakusp was acquired at the Visitor Information Centre in November of 2022. This expanded charge site in Nakusp will support electric vehicle tourism along Highway 6 in the West Kootenay region, says Katrine Conroy, MLA for Kootenay West. The site has newly installed lighting to enhance safety for all users and is convenient for drivers visiting the local business community. Initially, the site was built with one 50-kilowatt charging unit which can add 50 kilometres of driving to an average electric vehicle in about 10 minutes. Then on July 26, an additional 50-kilowatt charging unit was brought into service. This updated location also includes a curbless design and lower displays on the new charger for better accessibility. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in New Alamein on Saturday to hold talks with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and attend unity talks with top representatives of Palestinian factions on Sunday. The meeting between El-Sisi and Abbas is part of the continuous coordination between the leaderships in the two countries to confront the challenges the Palestinian people face in obtaining their inalienable rights, according to a statement by the Palestinian embassy in Cairo. Egyptian-Palestinian coordination also seeks to allow the Palestinian people to achieve the right to self-determination and establish their independent state that enjoys full national sovereignty over all its lands with Jerusalem as its capital, added the embassy. The embassy further noted that the presidents visit reflects the continuous consultation and coordination with his brother, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on the relations between the two states and the multiple issues at the Arab, regional, and international levels. A delegation of Palestinian officials accompanies Abbas during his visit, including Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Hussein Al-Sheikh; PLOs Executive Committee member Ziad Abu Amr; and Head of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service Majed Faraj. Other officials in the Palestinian delegation include Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Adviser to the Palestinian President for Religious and Islamic Affairs; Majdi Khalidi, Advisor to the President for Diplomatic Affairs; Ahmad Assaf, the General Supervisor of the Official Palestinian Media; and Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab Al-Louh. Unity meeting Another delegation representing the Hamas movement, headed by its leader Ismail Haniyeh, also arrived in Egypt on Saturday to participate in the Palestinian factions secretaries-generals' meeting, Hamas announced in a statement. The meeting will be held in New Alamein, according to Hamas. Hamass delegation includes deputy chief Saleh Al-Arouri and political bureau members Mousa Abu Marzouq, Khalil Al-Hayya, Husam Badran, and Rawhi Mushtaha. In this meeting, Hamas seeks to unify the Palestinian position and reach consensus on a unified national strategic plan to confront occupation, the statement read. A third delegation from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the second largest faction within the PLO, arrived in Cairo to participate in the meeting. In a statement issued Saturday, Deputy Secretary-General of the PFLP Jamil Mezher said his faction will do its best alongside the participating forces to reach a specific agreement that allows the Palestinian people and their forces to unite against the fascist policies and measures of the (Israeli) government. During the meeting, the PFLP will call for the formation of a unified comprehensive resistance leadership with the participation of all forces, Mezher said. The resistance leadership will be followed by protection committees to defend our people in the Palestinian cities, villages and towns who suffer from assaults by the Israeli forces and the fascist settlers, he added. Palestinian President Abbas had called for this meeting following the deadly Israeli attack on the Jenin camp in the West Bank. Both Abbas and Haniyeh met in Ankara on Wednesday in the run-up to Sunday's crucial meeting. A Palestinian official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said the talks aim to "end the divisions (between factions) in preparation for a unified Palestinian government and presidential and general elections." Haniyeh's spokesman Taher al-Nunu told AFP that Hamas sought to "unify the Palestinian position" under a strategic plan to "confront the Israeli occupation in light of the aggression of its extremist government." Egypt has hosted several meetings of the Palestinian factions over recent years in an attempt to end the internal division that began in 2007. Search Keywords: Short link: In January, on what should have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Ashly Lorenzana was invited to Kingston, N.Y., to talk about her multiple abortions. Lorenzana who lives in a mobile-home park just north of the Columbia Slough in Northeast Portland was one of 11 women invited on stage for what was billed as A Night of True Storytelling for Reproductive Justice. She was both encouraged and surprised by the honor: It could have been the fact that Im a sex worker. You dont hear from them very often. And best she can tell, we dont care all that much when they disappear. Lorenzana, 36, posted her first Erotic Services ad on Craigslist when she was 17. She followed her mother into the business, and her mothers boyfriend drove her to the clients home. The $100-an-hour adventure went fairly well. As she told me back in 2011, He seemed to like me. He seemed pretty impressed with the entire experience. I met Lorenzana when, at 23, she sent me her memoir, Sex, Drugs and Being an Escort. From the beginning, she was fiercely independent, disarmingly funny I twice invited her into my writing classroom at the University of Portland to share her story and unapologetic about her addiction to methamphetamines. I always figured meth was the most dangerous element in her life. The arrest of a New York architect in the Gilgo Beach serial killings on Long Island has me rethinking that. On July 13, Rex Heuermann was charged with three of the Gilgo Beach murders and declared the prime suspect in the death of a fourth woman whose body was discovered in the marshland, similarly wrapped in burlap, 13 years ago. As The New York Times notes, All four victims were petite women, police officials said. All were between 22 and 27 years old, and all had been employed as escorts. Lorenzana tracked this disheartening case for years. You look at the victims, and they look like ordinary girls, she says. Non-Barbie doll, normal-ass people. Women doing the same thing I do. Trying to make ends meet and survive. She even reached out to Robert Kolker, who wrote a book Lost Girls about the killings. (He was very kind in his response, Lorenzana adds.) Every time I see a story about a serial killer who preys on sex workers, I think its our fault that theyre the easy targets, she says. They can go unnoticed. People have decided they dont matter. Nobody cares. Lorenzana has never walked the street. Too dangerous. Its dangerous enough on the Internet. Over the years, most of her clients reach out to her through websites. Shes a big fan of references and regulars, and shes far more comfortable inviting men to her place than searching the suburbs for theirs. Its easier for me. And most of them need a place to go. Theyre in a relationship. As a woman, there is risk in everything, Lorenzana says. But to be fair, the overwhelming majority of the clients I meet are average dudes. Its not that different from a casual hook-up. Your odds of finding a cute and satisfying partner there arent that good, either. Lorenzana has honed her survival instincts over the years. Probably why Im still here, right? she laughs, rapping gently on our outdoor table. Her grandparents raised her, rescuing her from a childhood she recalls as both abusive and negligent, and after all these years, she is not easily rattled. She was sitting in her red Hyundai at the drive-thru window of the McDonalds at Northeast Columbia and Martin Luther King Boulevard in October 2021 when a guy opened the passenger door, tumbled into the car and yelled, Drive! Drive! Cops are after me! He was frantic. Lorenzana remained calm. I had no interest in being involved in a high-speed police chase, she says. As she pulled slowly forward, she told the guy, I have a better idea. Im just going to get out, and you take the car. He did. He didnt make it very far, though, Lorenzana says. Three Portland Police patrol cars soon pulled into the lot. I tend to be law-enforcement avoidant, she says, but she flagged them down, told them her cellphone was still in the Hyundai, and led them back to her mobile home so they could track the phone on her computer. Later that night, she identified the carjacker, Gregory Eyler, for the cops downtown. She cant afford to be careless in her escort work. Lorenzana knows that. She charges $200 an hour, and some guys think that means anything goes. Any deep, dark depraved thing you can imagine, Ive been asked, she says. A client once texted her after sex and asked if, on his next visit, he could put a plastic bag over her head. Uh, no, she says with a sigh, Definitely not. Lorenzana has never felt cornered, fearing for her life. Ive been fortunate, she says. I pick up clues. I never make it there. She doesnt know why others have. Is a womans judgment that poor? Or can a guy at the snap of a finger turn into someone else? She tries not to think about hearing those fingers snap: I think once that sense comes over you, youre in trouble. Its too late. A woman is not going to make it out of that. Lorenzana has become more of an activist in her 30s. She regularly canvasses for Planned Parenthood and volunteers to work the hotline at All-Options, providing support for pregnant women who dont know where to turn. She is also convinced that sex workers, whether they live near Gilgo Beach or Delta Park, will never be safe until the work is decriminalized, and escorts arent treated like pariahs. They need to be able to go to the police if something bad happens, and they cant, Lorenzana says. Theyre criminals, as far as the law is concerned. And when a guys fantasies include plastic bags? Theres no way to report that right now without incriminating yourself. -- Steve Duin stephen.b.duin@gmail.com The sensational foodie-focused reality travel series -- Diners, Drive Ins and Dives -- returns to TV tonight with another episode from the 45th season of the series as Guy Fieri makes a stop in Bend, Oregon for vegan tostadas on tonights episode. Find out what goes down when Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives at 9 p.m. PT/ET on Friday, July 28 with a live broadcast on Food Network, or streaming on demand shortly after. WATCH: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives tonight for free when it debuts with Philo (free trial), or catch up on all episodes of the show streaming for free on demand right now. As our own Kristi Turnquist noted in her recent story about this weeks DDD episode, the Oregon culinary visit sounds pretty promising. The official description doesnt say where Fieri is heading, but a bit of online digging suggests he and the Triple D crew will make a trip to A Broken Angel to try out a vegan joint that is getting creative with tostadas. HOW TO WATCH What: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - Season 45, Episode 9 (Top-Notch Toppings) When: Friday, July 28 at 9 p.m. PT/ET (new episodes drop every Friday at 9 p.m.) TV Channel: Food Network Watch the show live streaming online: If you dont have cable, you can watch the episode live, or on demand for free with Philo (free trial). If you have run out of free trials with this service, keep in mind that Philo is the cheapest TV streaming service on the market and costs just $25/month for the service and you can cancel anytime. You can find out more about which channel Food Network is on by using the channel finders here: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV and Dish. More of our coverage on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and more Oregon-related food shows: Guy Fieri visits a vegan joint in Bend on Fridays Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy Fieris Northwest-focused All-American Road Trip earns Daytime Emmy Award nomination Guy Fieri visits Jim Belushis Oregon cannabis farm, the coast, and more NW stops in Food Network series Guys All-American Road Trip Episode 2: Guy Fieri and friends eat crab, and rainy day chili Firefighters have made progress battling the Flat fire, the largest of four wildfires currently burning in Oregon. The Flat fire, located 2 two miles southeast of Agness in Curry County, has burned 24,951 acres as of Saturday morning and is 14% contained, up from 4% contained on Thursday, according to the U.S. Forest Service. More than 1,700 people are responding to the fire, including 51 engines, 42 crews, 8 bulldozers, 32 water tenders, 8 masticators and 12 helicopters. Humans sparked the fire on July 15, although the exact cause remains under investigation, officials said. The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center expects the fire to be contained by Sept. 1. The Forest Service said crews today are progressing on the southwestern flank, south of forest road 3680. In the next few days, operations will be taking place on the northeast side using forest roads 3577 and 150 as control lines. The Rogue-River Siskiyou National Forest has closed the fire area including trails, roads and a portion of the Illinois River. Level 1 (get ready) evacuation orders are in effect on the north side of the Rogue River in Agesss up to Illahe Lodge and along the Rogue River from Quosatana Creek Campground to the Agness area. Level 2 (get set) orders are in effect for the area immediately east of Agness as well as some areas to the southwest of the fire. You can sign up for evacuation notices on Everbridge. Other Oregon wildfires Bedrock fire: More than 500 people are fighting the 9,052-acre fire 27 miles of southeast of Eugene. It grew by almost 1,000 acres Friday and is 0% contained. The fire started July 22 and the cause is still under investigation. The area surrounding the fire in the Willamette National Forest is closed. Golden fire: This 2,137-acre fire nine miles north of Bonanza in Klamath County is 27% contained. There is high potential for the fire to spread with high temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions expected today and tomorrow. Simnasho fire: This 1,280-acre fire 16 miles northwest of Warm Springs is 90% contained and did not grow yesterday. The Oregonian/OregonLive Egypt looks forward to soon being officially recognized and accredited by regional and global health organizations as the first country to eliminate hepatitis C, said Egypts Minister of Health and Population Khalid Abdel-Ghaffar on Friday. Abdel-Ghaffars remarks came during his televised speech at the World Health Organization (WHO) meeting in Geneva, celebrating World Hepatitis Day, according to a statement by the health ministry. In July 2020, the health minister announced that Egypt was the first country to successfully eradicate Hepatitis C, with several Egyptian landmarks lit up in green to celebrate the achievement. Egypt has achieved remarkable recent success in combating Hepatitis C by developing a comprehensive plan which diagnosed and treated nearly 4 million Hepatitis C patients in less than five years, Abdel-Ghaffar explained. The virus previously claimed the lives of between 40,000 to 50,000 Egyptians annually. Over 6,000 testing sites with diagnostic facilities were set up nationwide, which tested more than 60 million people for free, both Egyptians and foreigners, within just 7 months. Millions of Hepatitis C antiviral drugs were manufactured in Egyptian factories at competitive prices and used to treat those diagnosed with the virus at over 200 treatment centers, says Abdel-Ghaffar. The whole project forms a part of the 100 Million Health presidential initiative, he continued. Launched in October 2018, the initiative was tasked with eradicating hepatitis and non-communicable diseases among Egyptians. The initiative included mass screenings of all adult citizens for early detection of various diseases and viruses, including Hepatitis C, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Global eradication Abdel-Ghaffar also reaffirmed Egypts commitment to treat one million African Hepatitis C patients and to expand efforts to eliminate viral Hepatitis C in Africa, as part of the 100 Million Health initiatives extended goals. The minister also highlighted Egypts role in eradicating Hepatitis C in 2022 at the global level, explaining that Egypt participated in designing the first set of global guidelines for combating viral Hepatitis C in 2021. Egypt will combine its efforts with the international community to eliminate viral Hepatitis C by the year 2030, said Abdel-Ghaffar, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and WHO objectives. The minister concluded his remarks by pointing out plans for cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDCP). The ministry is planning an extensive program to train African healthcare workers to treat Hepatitis C and eradicate it in their home countries. Search Keywords: Short link: Niamey, Niger (PANA) - The international community has continued to pledge support for ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum as the coup makers consolidate power and warn against any attempt at foreign military intervention to reinstate the deposed leader Khartoum, Sudan (PAN,A) - The US government has described as terrible the toll of human suffering from the ongoing fighting between the government Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) now in its fourth month Photo: (Photo : Possessed Photography on Unsplash) The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace holds the promise of increased efficiency and productivity. However, for many, this technological advancement has brought unexpected challenges. Neil Clarke, an editor and publisher of the science fiction and fantasy magazine "Clarkesworld," recently faced a dilemma. The online submission form for the magazine had to be temporarily closed due to a flood of AI-generated content, which proved to be of consistently poor quality. This deluge overwhelmed Clarke's team, doubling their workload as they manually sifted through hundreds of subpar submissions. Benefits, Challenges of AI Across Industries While tech leaders have hailed AI's potential to revolutionize work and usher in a new era of productivity, the reality has not been uniformly positive. As AI tools are embraced by Big Tech companies to streamline tasks such as drafting emails, creating presentations, and summarizing data, their impact varies across different industries and markets. A study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) revealed that access to ChatGPT, an AI language model, boosted productivity for certain tasks like writing cover letters and cost-benefit analyses. Nonetheless, the long-term consequences of widespread AI adoption remain uncertain, and the road to a techno-utopia has not been without bumps. Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, acknowledged that AI can improve certain aspects of job quality. However, workers have also reported an increase in the intensity of their workloads after AI implementation. For non-specialists and non-managers, wages have not seen significant improvements, leaving employees to cope with escalated work demands without commensurate pay raises. According to CNN, workers' unions have expressed concerns about feeling like "guinea pigs" as employers rapidly deploy AI-powered tools in various sectors. Ivana Saula, the research director for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, shared that the introduction of AI often leads to additional residual tasks that humans must handle in addition to their existing responsibilities. This creates added pressure and time constraints for workers as they grapple with adapting to the new technology. Read Also: Artificial Intelligence INVADES Fast Food: How AI Technology Could Change The Way Humans Dine Editor Turns to AI Detectors to Tackle Content Influx In media organizations, AI's impact is evident in both positive and negative ways. These tools hold the potential to accelerate or automate tasks such as copywriting and advertising, but they have also resulted in notable blunders. News outlets like CNET and Gizmodo experienced issues with AI-generated content, leading to substantial corrections and internal disruptions. Despite these challenges, some media companies still intend to use AI as a valuable tool in their newsrooms. Editor Neil Clarke attempted to address the challenges posed by AI-generated submissions by utilizing AI-powered detectors to identify such content. However, they proved unreliable, especially when assessing submissions from writers for whom English is a second language. Clarke highlighted the disconnection between AI's touted potential in various fields and its current limitations in practical applications. As AI continues to be integrated into workplaces, it becomes crucial to involve workers in the implementation process. Their firsthand knowledge can inform decision-makers about the actual impact of AI on their work and identify areas where it may fall short. By fostering collaboration between frontline workers and upper management, companies can better navigate the complexities of AI integration and ensure a more equitable and sustainable workforce transformation. Related Article: ChatGPT AI Takes Over College Classrooms: Innovative Teaching, Cheating Prevention Combined Photo: (Photo : Megan Varner / Getty Images) Carlee Russell, a 25-year-old woman from Alabama, has been arrested and charged with false reporting after she admitted to fabricating a kidnapping tale that led to a statewide search. The incident caused outrage among law enforcement officials and the community, as valuable resources were expended in response to her false claims. The Hoover Police Department Chief, Nicholas Derzis, announced the charges during a press conference on Friday, shedding light on the case that has raised concerns about the impact of false reports on genuine kidnapping investigations. Allegations and Charges Carlee Russell's story of abduction unfolded on July 12 when she called 911 to report the presence of a toddler on Interstate 459 in Alabama. As per the BBC, the Hoover Police Department launched an extensive investigation, scouring the area for any evidence of the child's presence. However, no signs of a child walking on the side of the road were found, raising suspicions about the validity of Russell's claims. As the search continued, Russell's story took a perplexing turn. On July 15, after two days of being missing, she returned home and told the police that she was taken by a male and a female after stopping to check on the toddler she had reported. This twist in the narrative only deepened the mystery surrounding her disappearance. Russell's attorney, Emory Anthony, made a statement on her behalf, confessing that the entire abduction account was a "hoax." The attorney acknowledged that there was no kidnapping, no baby on the side of the road, and that Russell acted alone in perpetuating the false narrative. The admission prompted swift action from law enforcement authorities. Charges and Repercussions Hoover Police Department Chief Nicholas Derzis declared that Carlee Russell is facing two misdemeanor charges for making false statements to the police. According to ABC, the charges include one count of false reporting to law enforcement authorities and another count of falsely reporting an incident. Each misdemeanor charge carries a $1,000 bond, and if convicted, Russell could face up to one year in prison and a potential $6,000 fine. Despite the severity of the situation and the emotional toll it took on the community, Russell was released after posting a $2,000 bond. The arrest and misdemeanor charges against Russell have raised questions about the existing laws related to false reporting in Alabama. Chief Derzis expressed his frustration and called on state legislators to consider an "enhancement" to the law to deal more rigorously with individuals who falsely report kidnappings or other violent crimes. As it stands, the current laws only allow for the charges that were filed against Russell, which some believe are not sufficient to deter similar incidents in the future. Read Also: Labor Department Announces 44% Surge in Child Labor Cases Amidst Migrant Children Controversy Impact on Genuine Kidnapping Investigations The fabricated kidnapping tale has left law enforcement officials grappling with the consequences of such false reports. According to NBC News, Derzis stated that her actions on that fateful night caused widespread panic and concern among the city's residents and even nationwide, as there were fears of a kidnapper exploiting a young child. He expressed that her fabricated tale reopened emotional wounds for families who had experienced genuine kidnapping incidents, with some of them actively participating in search efforts for missing loved ones. Additionally, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's office agreed to take on the case due to the public tension it generated. Marshall affirmed his commitment to fully prosecute the case, emphasizing that false reporting is not a victimless crime. Moreover, the case has sparked concerns about the potential impact on investigations into genuine cases of missing individuals, particularly Black and brown women. Chief Derzis and Attorney General Marshall both dismissed these concerns, assuring the public that all cases are treated with the utmost seriousness, regardless of the victim's gender or race. Nonetheless, the resources and manpower devoted to investigating the fabricated kidnapping were significant, putting a strain on the police department. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of accurate and truthful reporting when it comes to missing person cases to ensure that law enforcement can focus their efforts on legitimate investigations. Related Article: Missing Glendale Teen Alicia Navarro Found Safe After Four Years in Small Montana Town Photo: (Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images) President Joe Biden, in a significant move, publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild, a four-year-old girl named Navy, on Friday. Navy is the daughter of President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, and Lunden Roberts, an Arkansas woman, and her existence has been the subject of media speculation until now. A Family Matter: Biden Emphasizes Privacy and Well-being for Granddaughter In a heartfelt statement, President Biden expressed his support for his son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden. He shared that the two are working together to foster a positive relationship for the sake of their daughter. The President also emphasized the importance of safeguarding Navy's privacy as she grows up, indicating his commitment to protecting her from unwanted public attention. "This is not a political issue; it's a family matter," President Biden asserted, making it clear that his sole concern is the well-being and happiness of all his grandchildren, Navy included. The President's wife, Jill Biden, shares the same sentiment, and both are united in their desire to ensure the best for their extended family. The paternity of Hunter Biden was confirmed through DNA testing after Lunden Roberts filed a lawsuit for child support. While the legal proceedings were ongoing, the President refrained from publicly acknowledging the Navy. However, the two parties have now resolved the outstanding child support matters, bringing a sense of stability to Navy's future. In his 2021 memoir, Hunter Biden candidly opened up about his past struggles with addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine. He reflected on his limited connection with others during that tumultuous time and took full responsibility for his actions. He expressed remorse for the impact his past had on his family and personal relationships, acknowledging the challenges it posed. An attorney representing Lunden Roberts has not yet provided any comment on the matter, keeping the focus on the family's privacy and the President's statement. Read Also: President Biden Concerned About Monkeypox; What Parents Need to Know About Deadly Virus Beau Biden's Legacy Honored as Hunter Names Son After Late Brother Throughout his presidency, Joe Biden has consistently emphasized the significance of family in his public image. Despite facing criticism from political rivals and pundits for not acknowledging his granddaughter earlier, President Biden explained that he was following his son Hunter's lead while the legal proceedings were still underway. However, the decision to address the matter publicly at this time signifies a step towards greater openness and transparency. According to CNN, Hunter Biden has four other children, including a son named Beau, who was born to his wife Melissa Cohen in 2020. Beau Biden's namesake honors the memory of the President's late son, who tragically passed away from cancer in 2015, leaving behind two children. The President's grandchildren have played a significant role in his presidency, frequently joining him and the first lady on official trips and regularly visiting the White House. In fact, the President has credited his grandchildren with influencing his decision to run for the White House in 2020, demonstrating how their presence has had a profound impact on his life and decisions. Their innocence and unique perspective have brought joy and a fresh outlook to the President's life, inspiring him to seek the highest office in the nation. The statement regarding the Navy's acknowledgment by President Biden was initially reported by People Magazine, providing the public with insight into the family's dynamic and the steps taken to ensure the well-being of all family members. The news has been received with warmth and understanding, as it reveals a family's commitment to unity and protecting their loved ones from unnecessary scrutiny. As President Biden continues to lead the country, his commitment to family values remains unwavering. By acknowledging his granddaughter Navy publicly, he sends a powerful message about love, understanding, and the importance of cherishing family bonds. With this step, the President has demonstrated that family matters should be handled with care and compassion, regardless of one's position in public life. Navy, along with her siblings and cousins, will continue to be an integral part of the President's life and legacy, reminding the world of the significance of family in shaping a leader's vision and priorities. Related Article: Families Separated by Trump Reunite, Thanks to the Biden Administration Photo: (Photo : CHRISTINA ASSI / Getty Images) African and South American students are dealing with the consequences of the rising visa denials in the U.S. A report published on Wednesday revealed that students from Africa and South America seeking to study in the United States have been facing disproportionately higher visa denial rates compared to students from other parts of the world. The research, conducted by Shorelight and the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, analyzed data from 2015 to 2022, shedding light on the challenges these students encounter in pursuing U.S. education. The surge in F-1 student visa denials has raised concerns among education experts and policy advisers, calling for a closer examination of the visa process to ensure equal opportunities for international students. Visa Denial Rates Surge for African and South American Students According to Higher Ed Immigration, the number of F-1 student visa denials has seen a notable increase in recent years, raising eyebrows among academic circles and immigration experts. Specifically, students hailing from Africa and South America have been significantly affected by the rise in visa rejections, hindering their ambitions to pursue higher education in the United States. The report, published on the Higher Ed Immigration Portal, utilized data from the U.S. government and international sources, such as the Institute of International Education, the United Nations, and the World Bank, to analyze trends over a seven-year period. The research findings underscored a stark contrast in visa denial rates across different regions, particularly impacting students from Africa and South America. Over the last decade, South American student visa denials more than doubled, while African students faced the highest denial rates of all regions, except for four countries in southern Africa. Notably, denial rates for students from Africa remained consistently high throughout the seven-year study period, suggesting a concerning pattern that demands attention. Struggle of African Students and the Call for Change According to NBC News, among the regions analyzed, African students bore the brunt of visa denials in 2015, along with students from South Asia and parts of the Middle East. Even as the pandemic unfolded, visa denials increased globally, with the exception of Australia, China, Brazil, South Africa, and select European countries. The most significant surge in visa denial rates was observed for South American students, whose F-1 visa denial rate escalated from 10% to 24% over the eight-year period studied. Policy advisers and researchers from the Presidents' Alliance expressed concern over the existing perceptions surrounding F-1 visa denials, which have often been attributed to students' perceived unpreparedness for visa interviews or lack of sufficient funds for a U.S. education. However, the report revealed that even when students from sub-Saharan Africa secured admission to graduate programs in the U.S. and demonstrated adequate funding, 40% of them were still denied student visas. This highlights the need for a deeper evaluation of the visa process and its impact on African and South American students' access to education opportunities in the U.S. Read Also: Alabama Woman Arrested, Charged With False Reporting After Fabricating Kidnapping Tale Missed Opportunities and Growing Demand The researchers estimated that approximately 92,000 potential students who were eligible and qualified to study in the U.S., missed out on the opportunity due to visa denials. The disparity in visa approval rates equated to a significant loss of talent for American educational institutions, potentially hampering their competitiveness on the global stage. According to IHE, Miriam Feldblum, the executive director of the Presidents' Alliance, emphasized that the report underscores the importance of establishing a comprehensive national policy regarding international education. She further highlighted the necessity to reevaluate the student visa approval process, particularly in light of growing competition from educational institutions in countries like China and Canada, which are increasingly vying for international applicants. According to Feldblum, addressing these barriers is crucial at the national level, as the repercussions of not taking action could have significant implications. By addressing the existing disparities and enhancing transparency in the visa application process, the U.S. can tap into a valuable talent pool from Africa and South America, fostering a diverse and thriving educational environment for the betterment of all. Related Article: New Jersey Mother Demands Answers: Tragic School Bus Incident Claims 6-Year-Old Wheelchair User The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has announced that the new academic year 2023-2024 at Egyptian universities will start on 30 September. The Supreme Council of Universities approved the decision in its meeting on Saturday under Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ayman Ashour, the ministry said in a statement. The first semester, which will last for 14 weeks, ends on 4 January 2024. The end-of-semester exams will begin on 9 January 2024 and end on 25 January 2024, the ministry added. The second semester will start on 10 February and last until 30 May, the ministry said. The final exams will be held in June. Search Keywords: Short link: Photo: (Photo : SETH HERALD / Getty Images) Residents of Germantown, Tennessee, have endured a week-long water crisis as a diesel spill contaminated their tap water supply. The incident, caused by a diesel overflow from a backup generator during recent storms, prompted health concerns and forced the community to rely on bottled water for drinking and other essential needs. Despite the city's announcement that the water was safe to drink again, some residents still detected a gasoline-like odor in their faucets, raising fears about potential health risks. The lingering effects of the diesel spill have left Germantown's residents uncertain about the safety of their tap water, and authorities are now facing questions and demands for more comprehensive testing and solutions. Lingering Contamination and Health Worries According to the Associated Press, the water crisis in Germantown, Tennessee, began on July 20 when residents received text messages informing them that their tap water was no longer safe for consumption or daily use, except for flushing toilets. The diesel spill had seeped into an underground reservoir, leaving residents alarmed and concerned about their well-being. Reports from five residents indicated that even after the city's reassurance of water safety, a gasoline-like odor persisted in their water, raising red flags about potential ongoing contamination. The Shelby County Health Department issued warnings about the health risks associated with diesel-contaminated water, which could lead to various ailments, including upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, and even liver or kidney damage due to benzene, a carcinogenic component present in diesel fuel. City's Response and Controversy As the water crisis unfolded, the city of Germantown worked to address the issue promptly. According to NBC News, independent tests were conducted to determine the presence of diesel fuel in the reservoir, and finally, on Thursday, the city announced that the water was safe to drink again after no traces of diesel were detected. However, some residents remain skeptical and concerned about the lingering gasoline-like odor in their tap water. Christopher Mantia, a long-time Germantown resident, reported that his water still smelled like turpentine or WD-40 lubricant. "My wife and I still don't think that we'll drink it until somebody can give us some definitive information," he said. The city's approach to testing and addressing the issue has come under scrutiny. Germantown has chosen not to test individual homes but is instead collecting additional water samples in areas where at least three households have reported persistent odors. Stacey Crockett, the city's chief communications officer, estimated that 1% to 2% of the community's homes, approximately 150 to 300 households, were still experiencing odors as of Friday. Read Also: Alabama Woman Arrested, Charged With False Reporting After Fabricating Kidnapping Tale The Aftermath and Long-Term Concerns Despite reassurances from experts like Phillip Scheuerman, a professor of environmental health, who believes that the health risks are minimal now that diesel has stopped being detected, many residents remain cautious. Scheuerman suggested using bottled water and urging the city to conduct further measurements in affected homes. According to the Guardian, The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which approved the decision to resume tap water usage, stated that they were aware some Germantown customers were still detecting odors and recommended contacting the city for additional guidance. Residents who experienced symptoms related to water usage were advised to seek medical attention promptly. The diesel spill in Germantown serves as a stark reminder of the potential secondary risks and ripple effects that extreme weather, exacerbated by climate change, can bring. As the city continues to deal with the aftermath of the water crisis, questions arise about the adequacy of backup power sources and the steps needed to prevent similar incidents in the future. For now, Germantown's residents are left grappling with uncertainty, questioning the safety of their tap water, and considering alternative solutions until they can trust their water supply once more. As investigations into the diesel spill continue and authorities respond to community demands, the focus remains on safeguarding the well-being of Germantown's inhabitants and restoring their confidence in the water that sustains their daily lives. Related Article: New Jersey Mother Demands Answers: Tragic School Bus Incident Claims 6-Year-Old Wheelchair User Photo: (Photo : Matthew Hatcher / Getty Images) The moment every parent simultaneously dreads and anticipates has arrived: it's time to send your child off to college. The college drop-off and move-in days can be an emotional rollercoaster for both parents and students alike. However, with some careful planning and preparation, you can turn this milestone event into a smooth and memorable experience for everyone involved. With that, here are a few essential tips to make the college drop-off a breeze, ensuring a successful transition for your young adult. College Drop-Off Tips 1. Start Planning Early Moving.com recommends that the key to a stress-free college move-in day starts with early planning. As soon as your child receives their acceptance letter and chooses their college, it's time to begin preparing. Coordinate with your child and the university to determine the move-in date, as well as any specific guidelines or restrictions regarding drop-off times and procedures. 2. Create a Checklist A comprehensive checklist is a parent's best friend during the college drop-off process. Collaborate with your child to ensure you cover all the essential items they'll need in their new dorm room. Some key items to include are bedding, toiletries, electronics, school supplies, and clothing suitable for the local climate. Check the university's website for any recommended items or prohibited ones. 3. Coordinate with Roommates If your child has roommates, consider reaching out to them or their parents before move-in day. Coordinating who will bring larger shared items like a mini-fridge or microwave can prevent duplication and save valuable space in the dorm room. 4. Pack Smart Moving into a college dorm can be challenging, as space is often limited. Optimize your packing by using space-saving techniques, such as vacuum-sealed bags for clothing and under-bed storage containers. Additionally, packing in labeled boxes or containers can make unpacking more organized and efficient. 5. Attend Orientation Programs Many colleges offer orientation programs for incoming students and their families. These programs are a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the campus, meet other parents and students, and gain valuable insights into college life. Take advantage of these orientations to ease any concerns and make connections. 6. Plan for Emotional Goodbyes According to the Verywell Family, emotions will inevitably run high during the college drop-off, so prepare for tearful goodbyes. Remind yourself that this moment marks a significant milestone in your child's life and that they are embarking on an exciting journey towards independence and personal growth. 7. Be Mindful of Move-In Day Logistics As move-in day approaches, be mindful of logistics such as travel arrangements, parking, and traffic. Some universities have designated parking zones and time slots for drop-offs to ensure a smooth flow of vehicles. Consider hiring a moving service if necessary, as they can assist with carrying heavy items and navigating campus. Read Also: How To Empower Your Teen to Navigate Peer Pressure 8. Stay Hydrated and Take Breaks Move-in day can be physically demanding, especially if you have to carry numerous items up flights of stairs. Stay hydrated, take regular breaks, and don't hesitate to ask for help from university staff or volunteers if needed. 9. Keep Important Documents Handy According to Movein Rambler, ensure you have all necessary documents readily available. This includes your child's identification, college acceptance letter, medical records, and any housing paperwork required during the move-in process. 10. Connect with Other Parents Chances are, you are not the only parent experiencing a mix of emotions during college drop-off. Take the opportunity to connect with other parents who are going through the same transition. Sharing experiences and stories can be reassuring and comforting during this time. The college drop-off and move-in days are significant events in both a parent's and a student's lives. By planning ahead, packing smart, and coordinating with the university and roommates, you can ensure a smooth and successful transition for your child. Embrace the emotions of the day, but also take practical steps to make the experience as stress-free as possible. Remember, this is a moment to celebrate your child's achievements and support them as they embark on an exciting new chapter in their life. Cherish the memories you create during this time, and trust that your parenting has prepared them well for this next phase of their journey. Related Article: Back-To-School Guide: Preparing Kids for a Successful Academic Year Mauritanian authorities have charged a high school student with blasphemy over a mock exam paper she submitted. The young woman was arrested last week for allegedly showing disrespect to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. If found guilty, she could be sentenced to death with no possibility of appeal. Mauritania has strengthened its blasphemy laws in recent years, removing the clause allowing offenders to escape death if they show remorse. Nevertheless, there have been no executions for blasphemy in the country for more than 30 years. The student was arrested on 18 July in the northwestern town of Atar on charges of "disrespect and mockery of the Prophet" and using social networks "to undermine (the) holy values of Islam", an official from the public prosecutor's office in the capital, Nouakchott, told the AFP news agency. Specific details of what she was alleged to have written were not released. The student's family later released a statement to the pan-Arabic newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi in which they asked for forgiveness, saying she suffered from mental health issues. Another news outlet, al-Quds al-Araby, reported that the accused is from the Haratin ethnic group, who are the descendants of slaves of sub-Saharan origin. The official announcement of the arrest comes after the country's religious authorities decreed that people found guilty of insulting the Prophet Muhammad should face the death penalty. The Mauritanian Council of Islamic Scholars issued the edict last week after President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani ordered clerics to clarify their stance on blasphemy. Aside from the death penalty, those who are convicted of lesser blasphemy offences can face up to two years in prison and a fine. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Some community piped rural water supply services in the Ashanti Region are demanding the payment of arrears owed them by the government for providing free water to consumers under the COVID-19 relief package. In April 2020, President Nana Akufo-Addo announced a utility package to absorb water and electricity bills for lifeline consumers for a year. However, some community water suppliers say they are yet to receive payment for the services provided. At the just-ended second conference of the Network of Community Water Services, managers of community water supplies at Kuntenase, Boanim, and Ankaase said the government owed them at least GHc140,000. The three communities are part of several others across the country owed cumulatively over a million Ghana cedis. In spite of several letters and visits to local assemblies for payment of the arrears, the managers insist their calls have fallen on deaf ears. Emmanuel Oppong, speaking on behalf of the Boanim Water Supply, said: The system did well to supply free water for one good year. Weve done our best going to the district assembly on how to get the money, but nothing has happened. The total amount for Ankaase was about 300,000 Ghana cedis but the government has made few payments. Quite recently, our pump developed faults but someone assisted us with some amounts of money before we were able to repair it. Electricity Company of Ghana is also demanding that we pay our bills. We are owing them about 80,000 Ghana cedis because of the free water. If government fails to pay the arrears, we are not going to sustain the system as we head towards the dry season, he added. Emmanuel Abban, who also spoke on behalf of the Ankaase Sanitation area, noted that: We used about GHc140,000 to produce water. Our sister station at Kuntenase is owed GHc150,000. The outstanding balance, according to them, is hampering their operations with imminent threats to water supply in these areas. The suppliers said they need the outstanding amount for extension works to provide water coverage to other households in the community. Source: adomonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghanas second president under the Fourth Republic, Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, has called on the government to be accountable and transparent to the people of Ghana. According to him, the governors of the country need to be responsible, accountable, and transparent to the governed in the scheme of governance. Mr. Kufuor cautioned against abuse of office by government officials in the governance of any country. The former president explained that the 1992 Constitution of Ghana confers sovereignty on Ghanaians, and for that matter,transparency and accountability are integral to governance. Former President Kufuor was speaking at the maiden edition of the National Development Conference 2023, organised by the Church of Pentecost, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. The conference, which took place at the Pentecost Convention Center in Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region, was on the theme Moral Vision and National Development. Indeed, the national constitution of Ghana reposes sovereignty in the people as a whole. This is why the conditions of accountability and transparency are requisite to governance so the governors will always be mindful that they hold power in trust of the people, the real owners of power he stressed. He commended the organisers of the two-day conference for bringing together all stakeholders to discuss issues concerning the development of Ghana and the theme chosen for the Conference. The former president believed that the national development conference could be the touchstone to fix the proper compass for the development of Ghana. He argued that all developments rolled out by a particular government can only be justified in terms of their service to better the lot of all citizens, regardless of tribe, religion, ideology, gender, or wealth, among others. Other speakers at the Conference, held at the Pentecost Convention Center (PCC) in the Central Region, were former President John Dramani Mahama, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, Speaker Alban Bagbin, and Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Kenya's President William Ruto has condemned the coup in Niger. He called for the immediate release of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and for him to be restored as the democratically elected head of state: In this moment of strife, we implore all parties to engage in constructive discourse to restore peace in this fraternal nation, which has steadfastly stood as a bulwark against terrorism and its agents in the Sahel region. In this moment of strife, we implore all parties to engage in constructive discourse to restore peace in this fraternal nation, which has steadfastly stood as a bulwark against terrorism and its agents in the Sahel region. Kenya is willing to assist in resolving the conflict under the auspices of the Africa Union should it be deemed appropriate." Kenya is willing to assist in resolving the conflict under the auspices of the Africa Union should it be deemed appropriate." Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has clarified an alleged incident involving one of its Security Patrol Boats and a fishing boat on July 27, 2023. Earlier reports had suggested that the encounter resulted in the unfortunate death of some fishermen at sea. But the GPHA in a statement issued clarified that there was no collision between the Security Patrol Boat and any fishing boat as alleged. According to the Authority, the incident rather involved the Port Control Station receiving a distress call on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at approximately 0030HRS from MV. SEASPAN DUBAI. The security patrol team which comprises the Ghana Navy, Marine Police and GPHA Security timeously responded, cautioned, and asked the said fishing boats to leave. That is at 0118HRS MT. MARINA M which was also at the anchorage, also called the Port Control Station for assistance to ward off a suspicious-looking fishing boat with about nine occupants, the Authority explained. The team again responded by cautioning and directing the boat and its occupants to row out. On their way back, the Patrol Team chanced upon another set of fishermen who had cast their nets and were fishing within the terminal 3 basin, close to a container vessel. The nets were seized, and the men were cautioned and led out of the basin, it added. The GPHA further emphasized that the unfortunate death of some two fishermen at sea were not caused by any actions involving the Authoritys patrol team. It also clarified that all patrol activities conducted on July 27, 2023 were halted at 0455HRS with no incident of collision recorded. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former Special Prosecutor, Martin A. B. K. Amidu has said Cecilia Dapaah's case seriously demonstrates a clear failure of the executive branch of government and the authority conferred upon it under the Constitution that "extends to the execution and maintenance of this Constitution and all laws made under or continued in force by this Constitution. According to him the power to investigate and prosecute offences committed under the laws of Ghana is the prerogative of the executive branch vested in the President of the Republic. "The fact that the Government and the public learnt for the first time simultaneously through the medium of the media that police prosecutors were prosecuting suspects for stealing various sums involving colossal amounts of US$1 million, 300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis and assorted clothes valued at GH95,000, handbags, perfumes, and jewellery valued at US$95,000, six pieces of Kente cloth worth GH90,000 and six sets of mens suits valued at US$3,000 the property of a Minister of State and her husband also exposes serious weakness in the security and intelligence apparatus of Ghana," he stated in his latest epistle copied to Peacefmonline.com "The fundamental issue in the Cecilia Dapaah case in my view is not the colossal amounts allegedly stolen from her residence but the security breach posed by employing unvetted persons who have access to the residences of Ministers of State and access to their bedrooms. The fact that the suspects unlawfully entered into the Minister and her husbands living room in their absence over a period of time to be able to steal the properties involved must have been of prime interest to the Director-General CID for her to have officially informed the Inspector-General of Police in writing or by situation report (Sitrep) of the complaint by the Ministers husband and her as soon as it was received in October 2022 as disclosed on the charge sheet in the Circuit Court where the case of stealing alone ended up for trial." "The Inspector-General of Police has a responsibility to inform the Minister for the Interior and the Minister for National Security of all serious cases involving security breaches at the residences of any Minister of State being investigated by the police to enable them to fulfill their coordinating function of briefing the President, the National Security Council, and the Cabinet during security briefings. The weekly or monthly security briefings under an efficiently run Government must reflect such important and serious security breaches of a Minister of States residence. The fact that weekly or monthly written security briefs may indicate which and when senior officials of the Republic have exited the country and when they returned underscore the fact that the personal safety and security of Ministers of State is an important matter for any investigator to report to his or her superior officer for purposes of security and intelligence briefs to the appropriate quarters." Read attached his full article Your browser does not support iframes. Source: Martin A. B. K. Amidu Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Two motorists were killed Thursday morning when their trucks collided at a Salem County, New Jersey, intersection, police said. Ashley Knuth, 36, of Bridgeton, was driving a pickup truck pulling a trailer westbound on Mannington-Yorktown Road in Mannington shortly after 9 a.m., and David Mitchell, 42, of Woodstown, was driving an International 920 truck tractor north on Alloway-Woodstown Road, according to a New Jersey State Police spokesman. The trucks collided at the intersection, killing both drivers, police said. A juvenile passenger in the pickup suffered serious injuries, while a second juvenile in the truck suffered minor injuries, police said. The intersection was closed for about seven hours, and the crash remains under investigation, police said. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. More: Trolley rolls from Pa. service area, crashes into SUV, home: reports Pa. teen charged with homicide after deadly crash: reports The European Union on Saturday said it would not recognise Niger's putschists who seized power this week and that it was suspending security cooperation with the jihadist-hit country. Abdourahamane Tchiani, a general who has led Niger's presidential guard since 2011, declared himself head of the troubled West African country on national television on Friday. The presidential guard had detained democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and confined him to his official residence in the capital Niamey on Wednesday, in the latest coup to strike Africa's Sahel region. Neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso have both undergone two military coups since 2020 as the countries battle long-running insurgencies waged by jihadists linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda. "The European Union does not recognise and will not recognise the authorities from the putsch in Niger," the bloc's chief diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement. "All cooperation in the security field is suspended indefinitely with immediate effect" in addition to the end to budgetary aid, he added. Bazoum "remains the only legitimate president of Niger", the statement said, calling for his immediate release and holding the coup leaders to account for the safety of him and his family. Borrell said the EU was ready to support future decisions taken by West Africa's regional bloc, "including the adoption of sanctions". Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States will meet on Sunday in Abuja to discuss the coup, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said. Search Keywords: Short link: A lawsuit filed against Delta Airlines states the airline offered 5,000 free miles to a woman and her teenage daughter after they were allegedly groped by a dunk passenger, according to a New York Post report. The suit states the incident occurred on a nine-hour flight from John F. Kennedy to Athens, Greece on July 26 2002. What happened to them during a flight was not just a nightmare, it was completely preventable, lawyer, Evan Brustein told the Post. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in a Brooklyn Federal Court, states Delta flight attendants blatantly ignored calls for assistance, which included requests to stop serving alcohol to the man. Flight attendants allegedly served the man 10 vodka cocktails and a glass of wine during the flight, the suit states. The unidentified man put his hands on the teenager, the suit states, and followed that up by making obscene gestures and demanded her personal information. At one point, the man went to the lavatory to vomit. The situation escalated with the man inappropriately touching the teen and the mother after flight attendants approached the man and requested he move to a different seat. The alleged victims eventually moved to different seats. The mother demanded flight attendants contact police but was advised to calm down and think about it. Later, the flight attendants offered the victims 5,000 free airline miles for their trouble. The man walked off the plane without being charged. The Post reported that Delta officials wouldnt comment on the pending lawsuit. -- Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Follow Tom De Martini on Twitter -- @TomDeMartini1 PITTSBURGH (AP) A federal trial for the man who fatally shot 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue approached its conclusion Friday as the defense, trying to persuade a jury to spare his life, pressed its case that mental illness spurred the nations deadliest antisemitic attack. Robert Bowers, a 50 year-old truck driver from suburban Baldwin, was convicted in June on 63 criminal counts for the 2018 massacre at Tree of Life synagogue. The jury has been hearing testimony in the penalty phase of the trial and will decide whether Bowers will receive the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Prosecutors have presented evidence that Bowers was motivated by his hatred of Jewish people when he opened fire at the synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, killing members of three congregations gathered for Sabbath worship and study. The defense argues Bowers has schizophrenia and acted out of a delusional belief that Jews were participating in a genocide of white people. On Friday, a defense psychiatrist who met with Bowers 10 times for nearly 40 hours said Bowers saw himself as a soldier of God in a war in which Satan was trying to use Jewish people to bring about the end of the world. Dr. George Corvin, of Raleigh, N.C., said it was a delusion brought on by psychosis. Corvin said Bowers continues to express delusional beliefs about Jews disgustingly so and that he is incapable of remorse. He said Bowers should be on anti-psychotic medication. Bowers has a belief that were at the end of a war thats been going on for thousands of years, Corvin testified. He still envisions what he did as an unfortunate act of violence at the direction of God that it will save lives. He believes hes a tool for God. I know it sounds absurd. Its psychotic. Corvin continued: This is the result of a mental illness. Corvin was one of several defense experts who diagnosed Bowers with schizophrenia, a serious brain disorder whose symptoms include delusions and hallucinations. A neurologist testifying for the prosecution disputed that Bowers has schizophrenia, saying Bowers has a personality disorder but is not delusional, and that mental illness did not appear to play a role in the attack. Prosecutors have noted Bowers spent six months planning the shooting. Also testifying Friday were Bowers aunt and uncle. The uncle, Clyde Munger, said he visited with Bowers in prison because he is my nephew and I love him. He said he prays for Bowers every morning. The aunt, Patricia Fine, was expected to the final defense witness. She said Bowers had a difficult childhood from infancy, describing the house where he lived as unsafe. She said he was a sad child and that she was convinced he would take his own life. A defense expert previously described Bowers early life as deeply unstable and said he attempted suicide several times in his teens. Fines testimony was scheduled to resume Monday, with closing arguments and jury deliberations expected to follow. Note: This story has been updated to better detail Goodens background. A former bishop with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, boy scout leader and lawyer from central Pennsylvania is facing several charges including the rape of a person less than 13 years old. Pennsylvania State Police say Shawn Gooden sexually abused a 12-year-old while on a camping trip in Pennsylvania with the victim and the victims brother in 2000. Last week Gooden pleaded guilty to charges in Virginia for assaulting a child in the 1990s and early 2000, according to abc27. Records show that a camping reservation was made for Shawn Gooden at French Creek State Park in April 2000. In a 2023 interview with state police, the victim said the sexual abuse started as a game of truth or dare. State police say at some point, Gooden performed oral sex on the victim as well as having the victim perform oral sex on him. The victim also detailed that Gooden brought Vaseline that he applied to the victims penis, telling him to have anal sex with Gooden. The victim also said they felt gross and had to leave the tent to throw up at one point. Troopers spoke with Gooden on June 14, 2023, when he admitted that everything the victim detailed had occurred and that he knew it was wrong. Gooden is facing three charges of rape of a person less than 13 years old and 16 related charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 8, 2023. Gooden worked as a lawyer for Weber Gallagher and Thomas, Thomas & Hafer, LLP in Harrisburg from 2004 to 2022, according to a LinkedIn page. Gooden was also named as a bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Lebanon Ward according to a Facebook post, and acted as a member of the executive board for the New Birth of Freedom Boy Scouts organization until 2022, although he has not been an active member since 2019. LEWISBURG -- The owners, operators and managers of Heritage Springs Memory Care Center near Lewisburg have been accused in a civil suit of treating a 93-year-old female resident over the past eight months with utter cruelty. The allegation is related to Buffalo Valley Regional Police charging two former employees on July 12. The suit, filed in Union County court on behalf of Alice K. Longenberger, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2018, claims she and other residents were subjected to torture for eight months. Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland County, said Friday afternoon that the state Senate will return in August to finish the waylaid general appropriations bill, although it remains uncertain how the rest of the state budget process may pan out. Ward, the head of the Republican-controlled chamber, has suggested to news outlets over the past week that the Senate would return earlier than its next scheduled session date in September to push forward on the budget process. Pennsylvanias budget is now a month late, with the states fiscal year having ended June 30 a delay brought on by a dispute between the GOP Senate, the Democratic-controlled House, and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro over a proposed school voucher program. Vi Stolyarov had a very specific reason for attending the Central Pennsylvania Pride Festival in Harrisburg on Saturday. This is the one day I can be myself in public and be open about it, said Stolyarov, who is 17 and transgender. Normally the only other place is at work but other than that when I go out people just stare and make comments about what I m wearing and the way I look. A person was seriously wounded in a shooting near a Cumberland County convenience store this week, according to the district attorney. The shooting was reported about 6 p.m. Wednesday July 26 near the Sheetz at 1098 Harrisburg Pike in Middlesex Township. News media, including PennLive, initially reported that night that multiple people were shot but District Attorney Sean McCormack on Friday confirmed there was only one victim. The victim suffered very serious but not life-threatening injuries, he said, declining to provide the persons age or gender. The shooting occurred in the street outside of Sheetz property, McCormack said, not in the store or its parking lot. We believe this was an isolated incident, he said when asked about the circumstances of the shooting. He declined to provide more information about whether the victim and shooter were in vehicles when the shooting happened or what prompted the gun violence. Evidence markers placed at the scene by police indicated dozens of shell casings. The investigation is ongoing so I am limited to what I can say at this time, McCormack said. Police have not made any arrests in the case as of Friday evening. The Middlesex Township Police Department is investigating a shooting that injured multiple people at a Cumberland County Sheetz. READ MORE: Widow told family worried about her new fiance that everythings OK. It wasnt Man found in burning car in Cumberland County died by suicide: coroner By Gillian McGoldrick and Julia Terruso, The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS) PHILADELPHIA Former President Donald Trump is coming to Erie for a campaign rally Saturday, as speculation swirls that another federal indictment over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Pennsylvania and other states could be on the way, and as he faces new federal charges in a case alleging he mishandled classified documents. The former president will appear Saturday night at the Erie Insurance Arena. The rally comes two days after his lawyers met with the special counsel investigating his efforts to overturn the presidential election results and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots and after prosecutors announced new charges in the classified documents case, accusing him of asking a staffer to delete camera footage to obstruct the investigation. During his rally, Trump is likely to repeat his frequent falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen from him, just as he did during his latest trip to Pennsylvania. Trump, the Republican front-runner for president, will also likely use the campaign event to rail against President Joe Bidens son, whose federal plea deal for tax and gun charges fell apart on Wednesday. Saturday will be Trumps second trip to Pennsylvania in a month, after appearing at the controversial Moms for Liberty conference in Philadelphia, where he told supporters the nation is teetering on the edge of tyranny. These threats escalated again this week, when former Trump adviser Peter Navarro said the country was on the brink of a second civil war because Democrats were targeting the former president through criminal charges. Biden, who has said little about the charges against Trump, has not made it a centerpiece of his campaign. Earlier this week, Eries mayor told the Erie Times-News that the Great Lakes city will seek reimbursement from the Trump campaign for taxpayer-funded overtime costs arising from his visit. Erie also has asked the Trump campaign to reimburse more than $35,000 for a 2018 Trump appearance at the Erie Insurance Arena, which the campaign has failed to do over the last five years. Trumps campaign rallies have become infamous for leaving unpaid tabs to cities where he appeared. France has suspended all development aid and budgetary support to Niger following a military coup against President Mohamed Bazoum, the French foreign ministry said Saturday. Paris "calls for an immediate return to constitutional order in Niger," along with the reinstatement of democratically-elected Bazoum, the ministry said in a statement. Located in the heart of the Sahel, the country of some 26 million people is two-thirds desert and has one of the highest demographic growth rates in the world. The French Development Agency in 2021 committed 97 million euros to the country, one of the poorest in the world, according to figures on agency website. French President Emmanuel Macron, while visiting Papua New Guinea on Friday, strongly condemned the coup, calling it "dangerous" for the region and demanding the release of Bazoum, who has been confined to his official residence since Wednesday. Niger is one of the last allies France has in the Sahel, a region plagued by instability, insecurity and jihadist attacks. France ended its anti-jihadist operations and withdrew its forces from Mali earlier this year in response to demands from the Bamako junta leader. The former colonial power has 1,500 troops in Niger who operate jointly with the Nigerien army. The coup in Niamey is the third such event in the region since 2020, following the ascension of military rulers in Mali and Burkina Faso. Search Keywords: Short link: Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print House Oversight Committee ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin says that Committee Chair Rep. James Comer (R-KY) is refusing to release evidence that disproves the GOPs Biden conspiracy theory. Raskin wrote to Comer in part: This failure to release a transcript is the latest in your troubling pattern of concealing key evidence in order to advance a false and distorted narrative about your investigation of Joe Biden that has not only failed to develop any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden but has, in fact, uncovered substantial evidence to the contrary. Yet, in refusing to release the transcript of the former FBI Supervisory Special Agents interview, you have advanced a false, distorted, and grossly incomplete narrative based on cherry-picked facts and deprived the American people of the opportunity to come to their own conclusion in light of all the evidence, . Just this week, you once again referenced documents purportedly from Hunter Bidens laptop, despite your months-long refusal to provide a copy of the hard drive you received containing these documents. Your conduct flies in the face of the Committees traditional commitment to transparency and underscores the illegitimacy of an investigation that you have described as your top priority and that has recently devolved into a voyeuristic obsession with salacious aspects of Hunter Bidens life, despite your admission, last fall, that such a focus would be very counter to a credible investigation. . I urge you to stop concealing key evidence and to instead commit to making public all the investigative steps undertaken and all materials gathered as part of this investigation. The American people deserve to be able to make their own determination, free of constant political spin, by reviewing for themselves all of the facts. After all, a half-truth can often function as a complete lie. As a first step toward real transparency, I urge you to release immediately the transcript of the July 17, 2023, interview of the former FBI Supervisory Special Agent. If James Comer and Jim Jordan have evidence of Biden wrongdoing, they would be releasing it to the public. The fact that Comer and Jordan continue to hide evidence that disagrees with their conspiracy theory is revealing. House Republicans keep talking about Hunter Bidens laptop, but they wont provide Democrats a copy of the laptops hard drive. House Republicans dont have any evidence against Biden, so they cherry-pick bits and pieces of information and construct conspiracy theories to glue it all together. Rep. Comer isnt investigating. Hes constructing a theory for impeachment. Rep. Raskin was correct. It is time for Comer and other House Republicans to stop hiding evidence and lying. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Floridians got a surprise after a fender bender on I-75 near Chattanooga, Tennessee when the accident revealed Republican Governor Ron DeSantis was using state government vehicles for his 2024 run. He was on his way to a fundraiser in Tennessee, where he also defended his offensively false pro-slavery curriculum. Tuesdays four-vehicle collision on the way to a campaign fundraiser draws a curtain back on the campaigns use of state resources. But finding out whos paying for it is nearly impossible thanks to a new law passed by the Legislature to protect the governors travel records from public view, Jeffrey Schweers reported Friday in the Orlando Sentinel. Lets pause here to appreciate that this is a symptom of deep political corruption and democratic backsliding; the use of the law to legalize power grabs is an authoritarian move and one modeled for conservatives by Hungary PM Viktor Orban at his CPAC appearances. As I wrote back in August of 2022 about using the law to achieve democratic backsliding: Orban achieved what is referred to as soft fascism in Hungary by using the same mechanisms Republicans are using in the United States. Thats not an accident, because the dictator gave conservatives a 12-point plan to enact even more democratic backsliding in the U.S. and in the doing, consolidate power. Its done by changing the law and then using it to steal power, rather than by overt violence or force. Our Supreme Court has already done this in some major ways. The Sentinel shared some thoughts from Ben Wilcox, research director for Integrity Florida, a nonpartisan research institute and government watchdog, The legislature has enabled him to hide his travel records so we dont know and have no way to hold him accountable if he is using state resources in his campaign or if that is even the case. They report that the DeSantis campaign didnt respond to a request for comment, but the DeSantis campaigns last report doesnt show any payments to FDLE for travel or security expenses. It does show the campaign spent $76,256 on private security firms, including $64,588 to Rubicon Protection security services of Sun City, Ariz. High security and no transparency, while using state vehicles while out of state running for higher office. This tells a story, as does his reported penchant for flying on the private jets of wealthy donors with a huge entourage. This is the same man who poses as a culture warrior. Does his real story represent freedom and democracy? Michael Barfield, director of public access for the Florida Center for Government Accountability, told the Sentinel that DeSantis is also setting a precedent for lack of transparency. At the end of the day, taxpayers dont know what their money is being spent on. That kind of entitlement from a governor doesnt bode well should that person get into the White House; but on the other hand, the White House brings with it a level of scrutiny that will shed light on political corruption, as Donald Trump learned the hard way. If conservatives have their way, though, that will change. DeSantis assault on basic democracy has long legs. Back in 2020, journalists called him out for violating the states public meeting laws and chose to exclude the @MiamiHerald and @TB_Times from a media briefing at the Capitol. He was so determined to keep us out, he had an FDLE vehicle pick up TV reporter Mike Vasilinda to give him back door access. While no politician loves the press, excluding well-respected outlets from a media briefing and showing favoritism toward favorable reporters is a sign that the politician doesnt respect the basic right to know that buttresses our supposed freedom in the United States. Things are not going well for DeSantis presidential campaign. Hes now being criticized by three of the five Black Republican U.S. lawmakers for his pro-slavery curriculum changes and while he has been showered with big money, his campaign is lagging. Ron DeSantis gives off an awkward, wet noodle, self-indulgent, self-righteous, control-freak, micro-manager vibe at political events, like when he scolded a little girl in Iowa saying that her Icee probably had a lot of sugar. He just doesnt have the star power that a few others in his party have. The bottom line behind all of these power grabs from the U.S. Congress to Trumps assault on the law itself to DeSantis autocratic test waters in Florida is for Republicans to assert the power to decide what is legal and what isnt. Thats why the hypocrisy is so glaring and yet irrelevant. This is not a party running on principles, other than the principle that they are entitled to all of the power. Metallicas foundation, All Within My Hands, selected Aiken Technical College from a competitive pool of applicants to receive $100,000 to transform the futures of students in the community. Read moreAiken Tech receives $100,000 from Metallica foundation The SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare hosted its first Purrs & Pours adoption event at the Alley Downtown Taproom on Sunday. Read moreAiken SPCA hosts successful Purrs & Pours adoption event at downtown business A Johns Island couple is suing the developers of a former Snapchat feature that they say encouraged a 16-year-old to drive at excessive speeds, resulting in a crash that killed their young daughter. The negligence lawsuit was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Charleston by Jeremy and Susan Batts. They're seeking damages from Snap Inc. over the death of Kaiea Spring Batts, who was 14 when she died in the wreck on June 17, 2021. Batts was a passenger in the back seat of a 2016 Hyundai Sonata that another girl was driving at "an extremely high and dangerous rate of speed" on Betsy Kerrison Parkway near Seabrook Island Road on Johns Island, according to the complaint. The lawsuit states the driver was using Snapchats "speed" filter when she ran off the road and hit an oak tree, causing the car to split in two and throwing Batts from the vehicle. She died at the scene. Her parents finalized a financial settlement last year with the driver and her mother, who owned and insured the Sonata, according to public records filed in state court. The newly filed federal complaint alleges that Snap co-founder and CEO Even Spiegel and Emily White, a former COO who left the company in 2015, knew or should have known that they were motivating, incentivizing, or otherwise encouraging Snapchat users to drive at excessive, dangerous and unsafe speeds" by including the filter in the app. The feature was designed to display how fast a car was moving and then took a picture. The lawsuit stated that users were encouraged to drive as fast as possible until they were driving at excessive and dangerous speeds so that they could record and share their speed for potential rewards. Snap said it could not comment on an active lawsuit, but that safety and the well-being of its users were of the utmost importance to the company. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based social media firm was founded in 2011 and is valued at roughly $17 billion. It introduced the speed filter as part of the Snapchat app in 2013. From the beginning, the speed filter had a warning telling users not to Snap and drive," the company said in an email. Years ago, we disabled the speed filter at unsafe driving speeds, and in 2021 it was removed from the app altogether, a Snap spokesperson said. We continue to take steps to prioritize the safety of our users, the company added. The speed filter has been involved in other legal battles involving deadly wrecks. In a case brought in federal court in California, two sets of Wisconsin parents blamed the feature for the deaths of their sons in a car crash. A May 2021 ruling found that the families should be able to sue Snap over negligent design. Courts are recognizing that apps can be dangerous and that technology companies have to consider the safety of their apps, said Gedney Howe IV, one of the attorneys representing Batts' parents. Prior cases cited the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which established that operators of online forums arent considered the publisher of posts that appear on their sites and cant be held liable. The Batts case is based on an alleged defect of the product, not published content, according to one of their other lawyers. Technology companies should be held responsible when they design a dangerous app, especially when that dangerous app is targeted to teenage users, Howe said. "We hope this lawsuit helps bring attention to the need for greater safety protections when designing an app, he added. In a separate but related case, the driver of the car in the Johns Island crash, who is now 18, and her mother filed a personal injury and product liability lawsuit earlier this week in federal court in California. Snap and two other well-known social media companies are named as defendants. The July 25 complaint seeks unspecified relief and a jury trial. According to the lawsuit, the daughter has experienced "severe physical and emotional injuries" from an unspecified accident caused by the companies' "targeting of dangerous high speed-related challenges" at her while she still was a minor. Did you know, you can do much of your business online with Social Security? This means no need to call or visit a local Social Security office. You can take your time completing our online applications and even save your progress to return to later. Read moreApply for Social Security benefits online President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday he was visiting "advanced positions" of Ukraine's special forces near the hotspot of Bakhmut as Kyiv ramps up its counter-offensive. "The Bakhmut direction, advanced positions of the Special Operations Forces," Zelensky said on messaging app Telegram. "I am here to congratulate our warriors on their professional day, to honour their strength." Zelensky said he was not at liberty to disclose details of the special forces' current operations. He said he heard a commander's report and spoke with the troops, praising their "truly heroic" performance. Ukraine last month began its highly anticipated fightback after stockpiling Western weapons and building up its offensive forces. Kyiv has however admitted difficult battles and called on the United States and other allies to provide long-range weapons and artillery. Ukrainian authorities have said Kyiv's troops are gradually moving forward near the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces seized in May. Search Keywords: Short link: Three years ago, a group of men from the Black River Saw Mill Community off Highway 527 got together and formed 527 Mens Club with the common goal of taking care of their community. Now 31 members strong, the men, ages 25 to 62, are serving the community that brought them up. Read more527 Club brings change to community Mount Pleasant, SC (29464) Today Partly cloudy. High around 90F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 79F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. SUMMERVILLE A 2-year-old boy was found floating face down in a retention pond behind his home earlier this month. Now, authorities have arrested his grandmother in connection with his death. Faith Robinson was charged July 27 with unlawful conduct toward a child. Summerville police said the boy, Alijah Brown, was left in his grandmother's care on July 8, and sometime before 5:15 p.m., while she was distracted, the boy slipped out of the home. Officers found the toddler drowned in one of three ponds in Central Commons, a gated apartment complex off Parsons Road. Police initially struggled to get into the community because of the gate, according to an incident report. Several officers jumped the fence and dove into the water to retrieve the boy while neighbors looked on from their back patios, an officer noted in the report. Police and fire personnel attempted CPR. Life-saving efforts were continued by emergency medical personnel in route to Summerville Medical Center, where the child was pronounced dead around 6 p.m. Robinson, 63, told police that Alijah was known to wander out of the home, and had done so three times before, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. She had gone to her car, leaving the home's main door open, Robinson told police. The screen door remained closed, but unlocked, the affidavit said. The boy was seen in a doorbell camera leave through the open front door and walking toward the front of the community, the court document stated. When his grandmother re-entered the home, she told police she didn't see the boy in the living room, where he'd been before she'd gone to her car. She "left with the assumption that the child was upstairs, but without physically laying eyes on him," the affidavit said. Thirty minutes later, police told the family the boy's body had been found in the water nearby. The South Carolina statue Robinson is accused of violating states it is unlawful to place a child at unreasonable risk of harm or willfully abandon the child. The felony is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. As a medical educator, Im always thinking about how to mitigate the physician shortage crisis in South Carolina. A recent commentary in The Post and Courier has prompted me to offer some clarification and context around this crisis and how we can better address it. Read moreCommentary: SC needs more doctors. Here's what MUSC is doing about it. Contrary to what nearly everybody on both sides of the issue claims, the U.S. Supreme Court did not strike down affirmative action in college admissions last month. The 6-3 court struck down racial preferences in college admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Indeed, the court didnt even say that race-based admission policies automatically violate the law and the Constitution. It said Harvards and UNCs did, because they could not survive the same daunting two-step examination of strict scrutiny that the court has set for decades regarding racial decisions: The use of race must serve a compelling governmental interest, and it must be narrowly tailored to achieve that interest. It might be impossible to construct a race-based admissions policy in a way that would meet the courts standard, but the distinction still is one that needs to be kept in mind as people try to extend the court's decision in Students for Fair Admissions v, Harvard College to cover matters it doesnt cover. Starting with affirmative action. Elite colleges have used racial preferences to expand their minority enrollment, but affirmative action is much broader than that, with a focus on expanding the pool of applicants beyond white men think summer enrichment programs that bring poor middle school students to a college campus to show them it's a place they can aspire to, workshops that help kids select the right high school courses to be on track to qualify for admission and then helping students succeed once they're on campus. The idea that its now illegal or unconstitutional to offer such programs is overwrought. So is the idea that the courts decision bars other government affirmative action programs that do not take race into account. Which brings us to a recent discussion in North Charleston. As The Post and Couriers Kenna Coe reports, a letter signed by S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson has the City Councils finance committee wondering if the city can continue to operate its Small, Disadvantaged, Minority Business Program, even though the program is open to any business that brings in less than $500,000 annually, regardless of the race of the owner. The letter was another one of those missives that Mr. Wilson signed onto along with a handful of other Republican attorneys general this one warning large businesses against using race in hiring and contracting. Although it notes correctly that responsible corporations interested in supporting underprivileged individuals and communities can find many lawful outlets to do so and drawing crude lines based on skin color is not a lawful outlet, its not hard to read the letter as an effort to bully businesses into abandoning efforts to create a diverse workforce, even without using race and even when they have a compelling business interest in doing so. Wed much prefer that Mr. Wilson focus on enforcing South Carolina laws starting with one of our most-abused laws, the Freedom of Information Act rather than joining in these partisan culture war battles. Absent that, we look forward to seeing the response from the professional staff in his office to a request from S.C. Rep. Marvin Pendarvis for an official opinion on the legality of North Charlestons policy an opinion we hope will calm some of the hysteria that is developing as the misdirected conversation over affirmative action expands beyond the college campus. There are legitimate reasons to consider whether a city should offer preferential contracting programs: On the one hand, governments have a legitimate interest in helping local businesses succeed; on the other, the preference generally allows the preferred business to charge more, which means taxpayers pay more than they would without such a program. What's not legitimate is abandoning a policy because pandering politicians bully you into believing the law says something it doesn't. Click here for more opinion content from The Post and Courier. We dont know if the political brawl in the capital city over a judicial reappointment is in fact the best evidence yet of the need for judicial selection reform, as S.C. Sen. Dick Harpootlian proclaimed last week theres a lot of competition out there but it certainly advances the argum Read moreEditorial: Who elected these gangs to run our counties? A statement released Wednesday, Aug. 9, by Goose Creek Police Department Chief LJ Roscoe highlights a four-day effort to zero in on sexual predators. The sobering results warranted a cautious reminder to parents and guardians to be on point with watching their children's internet use. Read moreGoose Creek Police: Internet predators are prolific The United States on Friday unveiled a $345 million military aid package for Taiwan designed to quickly bolster the island's ability to deter a Chinese invasion. The package -- which an official said features intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment and small arms munitions -- will be drawn from the US' own reserves, allowing it to be delivered on a faster-than-usual timeline. These are "capabilities that Taiwan will be able to use to bolster deterrence now and in the future," a Pentagon spokesperson said. Elements of the package "address critical defensive stockpiles, multi-domain awareness, anti-armor and air defense capabilities," he added. "We are working expeditiously to deliver the military assistance announced today." Taiwan's defense ministry thanked Washington "for its staunch commitment to Taiwan's security." "The Presidential Drawdown Authority is another important support for Taiwan's self-defense in addition to weapons sales," ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said. "Taiwan and the US will continue to cooperate closely in safety issues in order to maintain peace, stability and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait." Congress has authorized President Joe Biden to draw aid for Taiwan from American military stocks -- the same way that Washington has provided large quantities of assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. In the past year, the Chinese military has held two major drills around Taiwan, simulating targeted strikes and a blockade of the island. China, which is an increasingly assertive diplomatic and military power, claims the democratic, self-ruled island of Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take it, by force if necessary. A statement from the White House announced the package of "defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan." Search Keywords: Short link: After clearing the decks of the latest headlines from the week involving Biden trials and Trump tribulations, we get down to business discussing Johns new PIG book, The Politically-Incorrect Guide to the Supreme Court (co-authored with Robert Delahunty). Naturally Steve and Lucretia have some issues to pick with John. Steve manages to annoy everyone by noting the Statute-That-Cannot-Be-Named-On-This-Podcast (rhymes with Lean Fair Fact) and connecting it to the L-Word, meaning the Lochner case. You thought it meant something else? How old fashioned and quaint in this Age of Infinite Pronouns. (Note: Johns PIG book will go very nicely on your shelf next to my PIG book from 2012, The Politically-Incorrect Guide to the Presidents. Coming soon: A GoFundMe page to get Lucretia to write the book for which she is best qualified, The Politically-Incorrect Guide to Political Incorrectness.) And did Kamala Harris set a new low in hypocrisy and bad faith this week with her attack on Floridas African-American history standards? Let us count the ways. . . So listen here, or head over to our hosts at Ricochet. P.SA. I totally forgot to mention that I guest hosted the flagship Ricochet podcast against yesterday, which included a very interesting discussion with Marian Tupy of the Human Progress project at the Cato Institute. Listen here. Columbia Law School Professor Philip Hamburger and his New Civil Liberties Alliance colleague Jenin Younes write in their column The Biden Administrations Assault on Free Speech in todays Wall Street Journal: [T]he nation needs to come to terms with the reality and scale of the assault on free speech. Our government has established a vast system of censorship. By keeping it largely secret, it has been able to exert unconstitutional control over medical, scientific and political speech, suppressing debate over questions of great public importance. This is a shocking constitutional violation. All of us, not only the courts, need to recognize what is at stake. Among other works of scholarship, Professor Hamburger is the author of the eye-opening Is Administrative Law Unlawful?. The New Civil Liberties Alliance represents plaintiffs in Missouri v. Biden (NCLA case summary here), discussed in the column along with Changizi v. HHS (NCLA case summary here). PR-Inside.com: 2023-07-29 01:01:27 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 351 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / July 28, 2023 / The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP ( www.ktmc.com) is currently investigating potential violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of investors of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) ("Discover Financial").On July 19, 2023, Discover Financial disclosed in a statement that the company had misclassified some of its credit cards. Specifically, Discover Financial revealed that it misclassified certain credit card accounts into its highest pricing tier, starting in 2007, meaning merchants were charged more than they should have been to accept the cards for payment. Discover Financial indicated the company is discussing the matter with regulators and warned it could face future regulatory actions. Discover Financial also disclosed that it received a proposed consent order from the FDIC for a consumer compliance issue which is different than the misclassification matter.Following this news, Discover Financial's stock price declined over 14%, to close at $102.83 on July 20, 2023.If you are a Discover Financial investor and would like to learn more about our investigation, please CLICK HERE to fill out our online form or contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP: Jonathan Naji, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or E-mail at info@ ktmc.com . You can also click on the following link or paste it in your browser: https://www.ktmc.com/discover-financial-services-investigation-2023?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=dfs&mktm=r Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, please visit www.ktmc.com CONTACT:Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPJonathan Naji, Esq.280 King of Prussia RoadRadnor, PA 19087(484) 270-1453info@ ktmc.com SOURCE: Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP PR-Inside.com: 2023-07-29 04:45:37 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 307 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 28, 2023 / As disclosed in the May 4, 2023 news release, pursuant to an agreement between Europacific Metals Inc. (TSXV:EUP) (the "Company") and European Electric Metals Inc. ("European Metals"), the Company acquired from European Metals the remaining 30% interest in EVX Portugal, a Portuguese company that holds the exploration rights on the Borba 2 mineral properties. The Company is pleased to announce that it has now received approval from the TSXV to proceed with the acquisition of the remaining 30% equity interest in EVX Portugal.In exchange for the remaining 30% interest in EVX Portugal, the Company paid CAD$50,000 and issued 700,000 Company's shares to European Metals. The shares will be released according to the following schedule:Nov 25, 2023 - 175,000Feb 24, 2024 - 175,000May 24, 2024 - 175,000Aug 24, 2024 - 175,000Dr. Chris Osterman, President and CEO of Europacific Metals Inc, commented: "The acquisition of the remaining 30% in EVX Portugal gives the Company now full control over its Portuguese subsidiary, which allows the Company to have better flexibility in seeking association with business partners and investors who will support the advancement of Borba 2."About Europacific Metals IncEuropacific Metals Inc. is a Canadian public company listed on TSXV and in US on OTCQB (AUCCF). The Company holds brownfield gold and copper-gold projects located in Portugal. The Company is focused on exploration in highly prospective geological settings in Europe and Eurasian jurisdictions.On behalf of the Board of Directors"Chris Osterman"CEOFor further information please contact:Europacific Metals Inc.Mr. Chris Osterman, Chief Executive OfficerSuite 650 - 1021 West Hastings StreetVancouver, BC V6E 0C3E: chris@ europacificmetals.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Europacific Metals Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2023-07-29 01:51:19 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 791 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Highlights:Aaron Bellmore, founder at Fresh Coast Investments Inc. has a proven track record with a portfolio of $22M+ in residential real estate.The plan to construct a 101-unit sustainable apartment building in Grande Prairie, Alberta, via South Banks Developments Limited Partnership Presents profitable returns and investment opportunities.Investors will have the potential to see significant future returns on a total investment of $4.5 million.Aaron Bellmore, founder of Fresh Coast Investments Inc., brings extensive industry knowledge as a certified Real Estate Investment Advisor in Canada.Aaron Bellmore' unique business model of investing and self-managing properties in conjunction with his partner for over two decades.TORONTO , ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2023 / Raises.com Inc. (the "Company" or " Raises.com") is pleased to announce that South Banks Developments Limited Partnership has officially unveiled plans to construct a 101-unit sustainable apartment building in Grande Prairie, Alberta, offering profitable returns and investment opportunities.The venture will be led by Aaron Bellmore, founder of Fresh Coast Investments Inc., who is managing an impressive portfolio of over $22M in residential real estate, including more than 116 units with 350 rooms in Grande Prairie. Bellmore is also a certified Real Estate Investment Advisor in Canada, and has successfully invested and self-managed properties since 2006.The proposed sustainable apartment building will add to Fresh Coast's robust portfolio, reflecting Bellmore's extensive experience and innovative approach in the real estate sector. The project represents a strategic investment opportunity for investors looking to diversify their portfolios, with a total investment needed of $4.5 million.Before founding Fresh Coast Investments Inc., Bellmore honed his skills in the oil & gas sector and as a Red Seal Journeyman certified Steamfitter/Pipefitter. He has successfully leveraged his industry knowledge and experience to establish a company that has a significant footprint in the residential real estate sector.Apart from managing a growing portfolio, Bellmore also shares his real estate expertise by authoring books, managing a newsletter, and providing investment opportunities in real estate. His commitment to sharing his knowledge and contributing to the growth of the sector is a testament to his leadership and dedication.Fresh Coast Investments is open to discussing with potential suitable partners who would like to partake in this exclusive offering. Interested parties are invited to reach out directly to Aaron Bellmore at aaron@ freshcoastinvestments.ca or +1-250-218-9398 to discuss this investment opportunity.DisclaimerThis post is subject to: Raises.com/disclaimer NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE, NOR THEIR REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDERS HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASEThis press release contains "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: anticipate, intend, plan, goal, seek, believe, project, estimate, expect, strategy, future, likely, may, should, will and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding changing the Company's name.Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: shareholders approving the change of name to Raises.com , the adequacy of our cash flow and earnings, the availability of future financing and/or credit, and other conditions which may affect our ability to expand the App Platform described herein, the level of demand and financial performance of the cryptocurrency industry, developments and changes in laws and regulations, including increased regulation of any industry through legislative action and revised rules and standards applied by the Canadian Securities Administrators, Ontario Securities Commission, and/or other similar regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions, disruptions to our technology network including computer systems, software and cloud data, or other disruptions of our operating systems, structures or equipment.Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.SOURCE: Raises.com PR-Inside.com: 2023-07-29 02:00:28 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 934 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 WINNIPEG, MB / ACCESSWIRE / July 28, 2023 / Medicure Inc. ("Medicure" or the "Company") (TSXV:MPH)(OTC PINK:MCUJF), a company focused on the development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products for patients and prescribers in the United States market, today reported its results from operations for the quarter ended June 30, 2023.Quarter Ended June 30, 2023 Highlights:Recorded total net revenue of $6.0 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2023 compared to $5.7 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 and;Recorded total net revenue from the sale of AGGRASTAT of $2.6 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2023 compared to $2.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 and;Recorded total net revenue from the sale of ZYPITAMAG of $1.4 million ($722,000 from insured business and $678,000 through Marley Drug) during the quarter ended June 30, 2023 compared to $1.7 million ($1.4 million from insured business and $300,000 through Marley Drug) for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 and;Recorded total net revenue from the Marley Drug business of $2.7 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2023 compared to $1.8 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 and;Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA1) for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 was $948,000 compared to adjusted EBITDA of negative $210,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 and;Net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 was $253,000 or $0.02 per share compared to net loss of $683,000 or $0.06 per share for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.Financial ResultsThe modest decrease in AGGRASTAT revenues when compared to the same period in the previous year, as described above, is the result of a decrease in the volume of AGGRASTAT sold in 2023 when compared to 2022, in conjunction with an increase in wholesaler fees.ZYPITAMAG contributed $722,000 of revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 compared to $1.1 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. The decrease in revenue through insured channels is primarily as a result of increased fees to wholesalers and pharmacy benefit managers. This amount does not include sales of ZYPITAMAG through the Marley Drug business.The Marley Drug business contributed $2.7 million of revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 compared to $1.8 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. Marley Drug is a US pharmacy licensed to ship medications to all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. It serves thousands of customers and provides another channel for direct-to-consumer marketing, distribution and improved profit margin for ZYPITAMAG. The increase in revenue is a result of increased sales through its e-commerce platform, including increased sales of ZYPITAMAG.Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 was $948,000 compared to negative $210,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. Increased adjusted EBITDA for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 resulted from increased Marley Drug revenue and reduced research and development expenses, offset by lower revenues from the product sales of AGGRASTAT and ZYPITAMAG through insured channels.Net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 was $253,000 or $0.02 per share compared to net loss of $683,000 or $0.06 per share for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. The main factors contributing to the increase in net income recorded for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 were increased Marley Drug revenue and reduced research and development expenses, offset by lower revenues from the product sales of AGGRASTAT and ZYPITAMAG through insured channels.At June 30, 2023, the Company had unrestricted cash totaling $5.4 million, an increase from $4.9 million of unrestricted cash held as of December 31, 2022. Cash flows from operating activities for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 was $766,000 compared to cash flows from operating activities of $1.4 million for the period ended June 30, 2022.All amounts referenced herein are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.The full financial statements are available at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.medicure.com NotesThe Company defines EBITDA as "earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and other income or expense" and Adjusted EBITDA as "EBITDA adjusted for noncash and non-recurring items". The terms "EBITDA" and "Adjusted EBITDA", as it relates to the three months and year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 results prepared using IFRS, do not have any standardized meaning according to IFRS. It is therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.Conference Call Info:Topic: Medicure's Q2 2023 ResultsCall date: Monday, July 31, 2023Time: 7:30 AM Central Time (8:30 AM Eastern Time)Toll Free: 1 (888) 506-0062International: 1 (973) 528-0011Participant Access Code: 599508Webcast: This conference call will be webcast live over the internet at the following link: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2965/48792 You may request international country-specific access information by e-mailing the Company in advance. Management will accept and answer questions related to the financial results and operations during the question-and-answer period at the end of the conference call. A recording of the call will be available following the event at the Company's website.About Medicure Inc.Medicure is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for the U.S. cardiovascular market. The present focus of the Company is the marketing and distribution of AGGRASTAT (tirofiban hydrochloride) injection and ZYPITAMAG (pitavastatin) tablets in the United States, where they are sold through the Company's U.S. subsidiary, Medicure Pharma Inc. Medicure also operates Marley Drug, Inc. ("Marley Drug"), a pharmacy located in North Carolina that offers an Extended Supply drug program serving all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Marley Drug is committed to improving the health status of its patients and the communities they serve while reducing overall health care costs for employers and other health care consumers. For more information visit www.marleydrug.com . To learn more about The Extended Supply Generic Drug Program call 800.286.6781 or email info@ marleydrug.com.For more information on Medicure please visit www.medicure.com . For additional information about AGGRASTAT, please visit www.aggrastathdb.com or refer to the full Prescribing Industrial giant Dangote Cement had little profit to show for its record N950.8 billion half-year sales, which climbed 17.7 per cent compared to a year ago, as its net exchange loss on dollar-denominated transactions more than doubled in blow to margin. Nigerias biggest manufacturer by market value reported a net loss of N113.6 billion on forex-denominated transactions January through June from N40.7 billion one year prior, its unaudited financial report issued on Friday showed. Net exchange loss on foreign-denominated transactions is due to material devaluation of the Nigerian Naira in June 2023, Dangote Cement said in the notes to the document. The Naira moved from 465/$ at end of May 2023 to close at 756/$ in June 2023, it added. That triggered a net exchange loss of N116.1 billion resulting from the elevated currency conversion rate for the repayment of the groups foreign loans and payables in its home market Nigeria. Dangote Cement, which operates in 10 countries in Africa, turned in more than 90 per cent of the loss in the second quarter alone. Its fiercest rival BUA Cement, owned by Nigerias second-wealthiest person Abdul Samad Rabiu, noted a similar trend in its financials released on the same day. Its own net exchange loss also doubled but, at N2.1 billion, is nothing compared to Dangote Cement, controlled by Africas richest man, after which the cement-maker is named. Cost of sales accelerated 18.8 per cent to N383.1 billion, driven by pressures from the spending on fuel & power consumed. Helped by a surge in haulage cost, selling and distribution expenses came to N153.2 billion compared to N135.3 billion in the same period of last year. Profit before tax was down by 9.4 per cent, while after-tax profit inched up by 3.8 per cent to N178.6 billion, strengthened by a lower income tax expense. The corporation is set to scale capacity by building a new 6-metric-tonne integrated plant in Itori, Ogun State. New grinding plant projects in Ghana and Ivory Coast are close to delivery. This month, Dangote Cement completed the first tranche of its share repurchase programme, which saw 121.4 million units of its shares bought back in deals worth N41.2 billion. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Egyptian Tax Authority (ETA) has undergone major changes over the past few years, among them digitisation and the introduction of the electronic invoicing and receipt system. Another challenge has been to change the mentality of people used to dealing in person with tax officials and paperwork and to familiarise them with online transactions. Implementing the changes has necessitated a major overhaul of the ETAs infrastructure and staff structure. The global economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and then the war in Ukraine have compounded the pressures on the ETA, which accounts for about 75 per cent of the states revenues. Fayez Al-Dabaani, who took over as the new head of the ETA just over a month ago, spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly about how the authority has managed the challenges. His predecessors initiated various positive developments that he has followed through on, such as the ETAs contribution to the drive to stimulate higher foreign and domestic investment by streamlining bureaucracy. The ETA has created three large and medium taxpayers tax centres in Alexandria and Hurghada, and it has merged Cairos first and second tax departments, completing the merger of seven offices located in Cairo, Giza, and the Canal Zone, with plans to merge four more at the Greater Cairo level. This involves bringing income tax and VAT processing into one office, storing taxpayer information in a single place, and uniting staff, who will include specialised tax officers trained in reviewing tax returns. Completing the transition to digitisation is also complex and means comparing written with digital files, double checking these with online invoices and receipts, and then conducting field inspections to sort out any irregularities or discrepancies in the information. The system will help to minimise tax evasion, with violators subject to the legally stipulated penalties that can include jail. The ETA is one of the main economic pillars of the state, Al-Dabaani said, adding that Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait faced resistance following the 2019 decision to introduce the new electronic declaration system. Taxpayers feared that the process would be complicated and were worried by the inability to communicate in person with officials at the ETA. However, once the system was applied, it proved very successful, and within its first years the ETA received three million tax returns in digital form. Al-Dabaani said that once the system is fully operational and all taxpayers are registered online, the ETA will no longer require them to file because their information will already be stored with the ETA. One common concern has been that the government intends to introduce new taxes to meet its target for the next fiscal year. But according to Al-Dabaani, this is out of the question. The general budget set a target of LE1.5 trillion in tax revenues for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, while the total estimated revenues for the fiscal year that has just ended are expected to come in to LE1.2 trillion. To reach the target, the ETA must do more to broaden the tax base and close off avenues to evasion. Al-Dabaani noted that the current tax law, which came into force in 1991, lowered corporate taxes from 40 to 20 per cent, made the submission of a tax return voluntary, and abolished arbitrary assessments. The purpose was to generate more revenues and increase trust between taxpayers and the ETA. Nevertheless, the ETA still needs to find new sources of tax revenues, and for this reason it has become more vigorous in applying the law regarding rental incomes. Real-estate owners must report their income from rented properties on their annual tax returns. The rent for some properties in the North Coast can be LE30,000 a day, Al-Dabaani noted. The law on taxing this income, not new, exempts half the value of the rent and calculates the tax owed on the other half. Real estate, whether commercial or residential, can only be taxed as income if it generates revenues. If it is rented out, the owner will be taxed on revenues from the rent. If the owner decides to sell the property, he will be required to pay a 2.5 per cent tax on the value of the sale. The value of the rent can be ascertained from owners associations in some areas, such as the North Coast, Al-Dabaani said. While the real estate tax levied on properties is a form of wealth tax, rental or sale income is treated as income tax, so there is no risk of double taxation. Should a taxpayer fail to report rental revenues, he could be prosecuted for tax evasion. The ETA follows established procedures to ensure tax compliance, just as it complies with legally stipulated provisions regarding exemptions. It is conducting campaigns in the North Coast region to raise awareness on the need to report residential units that are being rented out and on which tax is due. According to Al-Dabaani, more that 151 million e-receipts, or an average of more than 17 million a month, have been filed in the electronic system since it went into operation. An e-receipt is a way to digitise transactions that do not involve invoicing clients. A medical practitioner would not normally invoice a patient and instead would issue an e-receipt in exchange for payment, for example. If the practitioner performs services for an organisation, he would issue an e-invoice for charges. To date, 420,320 taxpayers are registered on the e-invoicing system, and the total number of invoices they have issued exceeds 686 million. The new e-invoicing system is a useful tool for protecting consumers end eliminating fake companies. But some types of tax evasion are harder to check. An example is the so-called tutoring centres. In 2009, the ETA department specialising in the liberal professions began to track the activities of these centres, warning them that if they did not register, they would be charged with tax evasion. As it is difficult to ascertain how much money teachers in such centres charge, the ETA has generally accepted self-reporting. In 2022, the ETA found that the owners of YouTube channels and the like could earn sizeable sums that had remained unreported. It set up a special unit to track online content creation, and hundreds of content creators, such as YouTubers and bloggers, are now registered with the authority and have opened accounts on the online system. They will also be required to submit monthly VAT returns if their earnings exceed LE500,000. The ETA hopes to earn LE500 million in tax revenues from online content creation this year and to gradually increase revenues annually. VAT began to be applied to Google services in Egypt at a rate of 14 per cent on 1 July this year. This situation is different from collecting income taxes from companies such as Google and Amazon. They are subject to taxation under international agreements, and the G20 group of countries is working on mechanisms to tax them that will then be applied to all state parties. Any revenues gained from a profession or activity are taxable in Egypt, regardless of whether the revenues are earned abroad, as long as Egypt is the base for practising the profession or activity concerned, Al-Dabaani said. Everyone must comply with the provisions of the tax laws, the most important of which is to register with the ETA and then submit returns on the stipulated dates. Any changes, such as cessation of activities, change of premises, or the death or departure of a partner, must be reported to the ETA. * A version of this article appears in print in the 27 July, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: O ne of the ways of achieving parenthood is through surrogacy which has gained popularity across the globe, including in Nigeria, especially for couples with difficulty having children. While surrogacy and other methods of assisted reproductive services offer a lot of hope to intending parents, many fertility clinics, surrogacy agents, and young women have turned it into a transactional affair and above all as an avenue to earn an income, albeit illicitly. To unearth the illegitimate practices beneath surrogacy in Nigeria, I posed as a mother of one who wants to be a surrogate to unsuspecting agents leveraging digital media to promote their businesses online. During this mission, I saw firsthand the risks faced by young women who become surrogate or egg donors and the unethical methods employed by some fertility clinics. Underground Online Surrogacy Network In the digital underground world of this illicit act, different Facebook groups offer different services to the surrogacy community. While some basically seek donors and surrogate mothers, others provide support systems for women who are surrogates or who are considering surrogacy as an option for their fertility challenges. To start this journey, I created a Facebook account with the name Patience Chris, in April 2023, and within two weeks, I posted content about food, my supposedly carefree attitude to life, and my desire to make money at all costs. I joined two groups Surrogate Mums in Nigeria (private) and Egg Donor and Surrogate Mothers in Nigeria (public). After joining, I could not ignore the numerous advertisements and requests for surrogates and offer of enticing remuneration. Each advert had a standard procedure. It came with requests for specific requirements such as age bracket, genotype, complexion and location. A major requirement that was also listed was for surrogates to have given birth in the past. Other elements of the various posts ranged from juicy offers of one million to 1.5 million naira for surrogates, excluding feeding, accommodation, and wardrobe allowances, while egg donors were to get between N100,000 and N180,000, aside their transportation allowance. The next step I took was to post on the groups that I was a willing surrogate residing in Lagos. I also made myself available to different agents who needed surrogates in Lagos. The conversation always took place under the veil of private messages (DM). A little while after our conversation and juicy promises, my agent invited me to a fertility clinic (name withheld) to meet Nurse Oluchi. She then advised that I pay a visit to the clinic at a time I would be menstruating. I was not sure why but I did not seek further clarification. Infiltrating the clandestine world of surrogacy brokers On Saturday, May 20, I visited the address, in the company of two female friends, not just for the purpose of acting as surrogate and foetus donor respectively, but for some form of protection in the event anything went wrong. Neither of them is a security operative. Upon arrival at the cream and brown-coloured building, the mention of Nurse Oluchi opened the gate for us, and the security officer at the gate directed us to go through a side of the building to a small room. There was no signpost or anything to indicate that the building was a hospital or a fertility clinic. As such, I became a bit scared, but when we entered the room, we saw ladies roughly between the ages of 17 and 25 years, in their numbers, waiting to be attended to. The room was so full that I had to stand and my two friends sat outside. The ladies we met grinned at the sight of us because we obviously looked like Jolly just come (a term used for those who are new to a place) in the surrogacy business. They had a lot to share with us, but we wanted to meet Nurse Oluchi. There was no one to point us to Nurse Oluchi and when I told my agent via Facebook Messenger that I had arrived at the clinic, she advised me to wait at the sitting area and that I would be attended to. Desperation and vulnerability of young women enticed into donation While we waited for Nurse Oluchi, nurses kept coming into the room through a different door linking to the inner part of the hospital. We later found that no one ever gets to that part, except upon being invited for a test or hormone injection. When the three of us eventually sat down, because some ladies had been attended to and left already, we heard the stories of ladies who had taken egg donation and surrogacy as a profession, an opportunity to live a soft life or a quick fix to their immediate financial needs. Monica James, a single mother of one, was receiving treatment as a surrogate mother for the second time. According to her, she needed to fend for her child who looked less than 18 months. My daughter and I need to survive and I think this is better than prostitution or stealing. In fact, I am helping those who cannot give birth on their own, Ms James said. She confessed she would rather be a surrogate than an egg donor because the money is substantial, and she is able to make use of it effectively. Speaking about how she spent the proceeds from her first surrogacy contract, Ms James said: The money is not paid once, and if you are not careful, you would spend everything you have before delivery. You know once someone is pregnant, there are a lot of cravings and needs, so, you have to spend from the money you have. Some agents also do not pay the agreed money in full because they want to take advantage of you, and you dont have an option anymore, she added. She was, however, determined to save more for this round, as she lamented about the poor economy and her increasing needs. Unlike Ms James, Marvie George considered egg donation an opportunity to make fast money and move on to other things. And of course, no one would question her about being pregnant, as it would have been the case if she was a surrogate. I dont know why you do surrogacy. Mine is to donate and leave quickly. After two months, I do another one. The money gets to me immediately and nobody will ask me how I got pregnant, Ms George said. Ms George, who said her boyfriend was in Warri and spoke in Pidgin, said she considered her actions as better than cheating on her boyfriend to make money. Around noon, a woman, Aminat Ajagbe, entered the room with a lot of excitement and greetings to friends and colleagues that she met in the business. She was full of energy, she sat beside me and started interacting with her friends with whom she had earlier started the treatment together. They came to receive their intramuscular injection as they were almost set for retrieval (when the eggs were ready for harvesting) and that meant they could be in the clinic for up to 72 hours for the retrieval process to take place. Ms Ajagbe had just written her JAMB examination in early May but was unwilling to share why she wanted to donate her eggs, whether for the money or for any other purpose. It was however clear that it was not a soothing decision for her as she complained about the distance from her house in Ikotun to the clinic in Festac town. Victoria Obi, who sat quietly in a corner all along, became agitated when one of the nurses gave her the same pill she claimed to have been using in the last 28 days. Ms Obi recounted that the nurse instructed her to visit the hospital when she was menstruating but the nurse insisted that she was supposed to visit the hospital before her next menstruation as the stimulation medication was meant to prevent her from menstruating. After a long argument and intervention from Ms Obis agent, who spoke with the nurse, she was attended to and agreed that she would subsequently proceed to the next stage. Ms Obi said she works with a Chinese firm in Ikeja and lives in Ikorodu. So, she wants to use her gains from the egg donation to rent an apartment somewhere close to her office. Even though the N200,000 (or less) she will earn from egg donation may not get her the accommodation she desires, Ms Obi believes she is better than her friends that are donors all because they want to buy an iPhone or live pretentious sophisticated lifestyles. NEXT: The subsequent parts of this report will reveal the identity of the fertility clinic and how it operates without registration or accreditation. The harrowing accounts of surrogates and donors will also be narrated revealing health risks, emotional trauma, and lack of informed consent. Editors Note: All the names of the donors in this story are fictitious, to protect the womens identities. This report was supported by the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under its Report Women! Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP), champion building edition. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print On Friday, 28 July, in a one-on-one interview with PREMIUM TIMES, US Special Envoy and Coordinator of the US Department of States Global Engagement Center (GEC), James Rubin, said, Disinformation is a tool of war for the Russians. In a conversation with PREMIUM TIMES, and speaking from Washington, on the second day of the Russia-Africa Summit, he said that when the Russians claim that theyre the good guys here, those are what we call crocodile tears. Excerpts: MATIBE: Thank you for being available today, Special Envoy. Last December at the end of the US-Africa Leaders Summit, the State Department announced your appointment of Special Envoy and Coordinator of the State Departments Global Engagement Center, the GEC. Youve been tasked with leading one of the most powerful government offices of the United States, to slow down, eliminate, and counter foreign adversaries who attempt to undermine the interests of the United States. This is the job of countering certain foreign actors: China, Russia, transnational criminal organizations such as ISIS, al Qaeda, and the Wagner group. There are others, but Im just naming a few. Id like to talk to you today about the interests of the United States. Today is the second, and last day of, the Russia-Africa Summit. Can you comment on the summit in St. Petersburg, and your work related to the actors that I just mentioned? I mean, is there a national security threat to the United States? Thanks. RUBIN: Thank you very much for your question. I did begin this job about six months ago. And I must say its a difficult challenge because disinformation and information manipulation are complex subjects. But we do believe that, particularly in the case of Russia, there is a clear attempt by the Russians to mislead the world about the war in Ukraine and now about food crisis that may develop because of their decisions. At todays Summit, [and] yesterdays meeting, President Putin is putting out a lot of information thats not true; claiming that the Black Sea Grain Initiative which enabled 32 million tons of grain and food to be exported, is going to be ended by them. And the fact that they made food as a weapon is clear. Theyve made the worlds most vulnerable populations part of this war, because not only have they pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, but theyve attacked the ports and the facilities where grain and food could be exported. So, when they claim that theyre the good guys here, those are what we call crocodile tears. They are purposefully intentionally making food part of this war, while the West led by the United States has worked very, very hard to try to keep food separate from the war so that food prices will not increase. So that availability around the world will be possible. And as a result of Russias policies, at the simplest level, [is] Russia claims that the sanctions are interfering with food exports The reason why we know thats not true is because Russia had a bumper crop last year and exported as much wheat as theyve ever exported. So, food is not part of the sanctions; agriculture is not part of the sanctions. Russia has made huge amounts of money, billions and billions of dollars selling food, and theyre now making food, a weapon of this war. Its bad enough, theyve made Ukraine suffer from this war. Now, theyre making the most [vulnerable] people in the world suffer, in Africa, in Asia, in the Sahel, Yemen. These are the people that suffer when food prices go up and food availability drops. READ ALSO: MATIBE: Okay, so let me ask you about disinformation because disinformation is, to my understanding, a big element of the job that you have been tasked to take on for your government. Disinformation, when I say this, just to be clear, I mean this to be a distinct concept from censoring speech, but as a national security threat. What is your assessment of where, when, and how disinformation is a national security threat in Africa? I mean, whos doing what, and how does your office view you know, issues with ISIS or al Qaeda and as you mentioned, the Black Sea Grain Initiative? What have you got to say about disinformation as a national security threat? RUBIN: Thank you. We do believe disinformation and information manipulation are a national security threat and Africa provides some pretty clear examples of that. The Wagner Group, a brutal private military that now the Russians have accepted that they really make it part of their military, uses lies in West Africa, to try to justify their presence in these countries where theyre paid, and they lie about the peacekeeping initiatives that protected Africans, and they lie about what theyre doing there. And they try to discredit the French, discredit the United Nations, discredit the United States, claiming that, you know, were some kind of colonial effort, when in fact, Putin has shown that he wants the Wagner Group countries to be his colonies. Those are the ones hes offering grain to at this Summit. So, disinformation is a tool of war for the Russians. Unfortunately, they have seen information that way for a long, long time. They do it at the highest levels. I mean, on any given day, a Russian leader will lie about the reasons for the war in Ukraine. Theyll lie about claims that the United States has biological weapons there, and now theyre lying about this Black Sea Grain Initiative and their reasons for pulling out of it. Your pulling out of it is damaging to those most vulnerable populations. We know it was working. We know it was providing food and grain. And we know Russia was able to export as much food and grain as it wanted. And so, disinformation is a national security threat because it can make people not appreciate the damage done by Russia and blame other countries for Russian policy. Pearl Matibe is a Washington, DC-based White House Correspondent, and media commentator with expertise on US foreign policy and international security. You may follow her on Twitter: @PearlMatibe Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Chukwudozie Nwangwu, a popular native doctor in Anambra State, who was kidnapped by gunmen on Sunday night has been released. His was abducted about six days ago. PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Nwangwu, otherwise known as Akwa Okuko Tiwaraki, was abducted from his Triple P Hotel on Sunday when the gunmen attacked him and shot dead two of his security aides. The incident happened at Oba, a community in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state. Release of the native doctor Sources told this newspaper that the native doctor was released on Saturday morning after reportedly paying an undisclosed amount of money as ransom. When contacted, the police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the release of the native doctor to PREMIUM TIMES. Yes. I can confirm to you that he has been released by the kidnappers, he said. Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said he has no information about the circumstances surrounding his release. The police spokesperson said the native doctor would be debriefed so that the police would know the next line of action. The native doctor speaks Mr Nwangwu, the native doctor, on Saturday morning, confirmed his release in a video clip which has gone viral on Facebook page. The native doctor was seen in the clip narrating to his supporters and friends how he was attacked by the hoodlums. He said he was at one of his hotels around 11:30 p.m. on that fateful night when somebody known as Okey Japan, asked him to come over to another of his hotel. Okey Japan said he wanted to see me because it was his first time coming to my hotel. So, I drove my new car to the hotel without anybody with me. Not up to 30 minutes after I arrived there, gunshots started raining, Mr Nwangwu said in Igbo language. The native doctor said the kidnappers killed two of his security men and others in the hotel fled. When I came out to know what was wrong, they began shooting at me, but I know who I am. They subsequently dragged me into their vehicle and zoomed off. If I had wanted to run, I would have run, but I had seen people they would shoot at, if I dared to run. What I did was to save the souls of others. I followed them so I would also not be accused of bringing the kidnappers, he narrated. The native doctor said he was infuriated by nonsense remarks made by several persons on radio and social media after he was kidnapped. He did not give details of where he was taken to and what transpired where he was kept. Pro-Biafra agitators? Mr Nwangwu said the attackers were armed with sophisticated weapons, including rocket launchers and and that they were on lookout for the rich and powerful. He suggested that the attackers could be part of the group agitating for a sovereign state of Biafra, but did not give details. They called names of people they would attack later, but I wouldnt say it myself. Many, about 20, were killed in my presence. They said they wanted to kidnap 50 people. Even the sit-at-home we observe, in fact the people are angry. There is something they are complaining about. They want to clear everywhere so that they would be taken seriously, the native doctor stated. Sit-at-home order has become a strategy often adopted by pro-Biafra groups in the South-east to protest the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, a group leading the agitation for the secession of the South-east and some parts of the South-south regions from Nigeria. Ransom paid? There are speculations that the native doctor paid about N300 million and additional N50 million to secure his release. But PREMIUM TIMES could not verify the claim. As of the time of this report, the native doctor has not mentioned if he paid any ransom or not. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Abdullahi Gumel, says documentation for all ministerial nominees has commenced. Mr Gumel told journalists on Friday in Abuja that the nominees were expected to visit the office of the SSA, located at AB 25, Basement, National Assembly complex, between 28 July and 30 July. This is for necessary documentation, ahead of screening, which commences on Monday 31 July. Documentation for ministerial nominees has commenced and the nominees are expected to complete all necessary processes before the screening. The office will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for this purpose; this is to enable all nominees complete the process before the screening, he said. The Senate had on Thursday received President Bola Tinubus list of 28 ministerial nominees for screening and confirmation. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The scheduled meeting between the federal government and the labour unions over fuel subsidy removal did not hold as expected on Friday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The meeting was part of the process of arriving at sustainable decisions on the palliatives to be provided for Nigerians due to the removal of subsidy on fuel by the federal government. After a meeting on Wednesday, Festus Osifo, Trade Union Congress (TUC) president, said that the talks would continue on Friday. However, an official of one of the unions present at Fridays scheduled meeting, who pleaded anonymity, told State House Correspondents that the meeting could not hold because of a lack of quorum. The meeting was scheduled to hold in the conference room of the office of the chief of staff to the president. The meeting did not form a quorum. If there is no quorum, we are a people that operate on the basis of process. So, if theres no quorum in a meeting what do you do? You will adjourn for lack of quorum, he said. NAN reports that the federal government had pledged to continue to work out measures to ameliorate the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians. These measures include the introduction of the use of Compress Natural Gas, mass transportation and cleaner energy alternatives. President Bola Tinubus Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen, disclosed this at the end of the Wednesday meeting with the unions in Abuja. She said that the meeting made progress in agreeing to fast-track a lot of the interventions that would stop the strike planned by the labour unions next week. But we are making progress, were trying to address the issues that will prevent a strike. We have to get it right. Its important that we do this well, and we keep our promises. So its important that whatever is announced actually gets done. We dont want to make big announcements and continue to lose peoples trust. ALSO READ: Northern petrol marketers to embark on strike over N250bn unpaid subsidy Its important that we build trust, and that most of the announcements and the plans that we roll out are credible and impactful, Ms Verheijen said. She assured that Mr Tinubu was taking measures to address issues concerning the palliatives, adding that he is very concerned about it. He is concerned about it, as youve seen all of us working round the clock here to make sure that we are able to announce these measures as quickly as possible. Its a whole package of issues that were rolling out as quickly as possible. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo, has threatened that the Rivers State Governor, Siminalaye Fubara, will have trouble from him if he (the governor) is looking for trouble. Mr Dokubo stated this in a viral video posted on Twitter on Tuesday. In the video, Mr Dokubo is seen sitting and surrounded by bodyguards one fanning him behind with a hand-fan while another wearing a Fez cap, sits beside him with an AK-47 rifle. Speaking in Pidgin English, the ex-militant leader said, We no look for him trouble make him sef no look for our trouble because if him look for trouble, him go collect Woto woto, his supporters retorted. Although Mr Dokubo did not mention Mr Fubara by name, it is apparent he was referring to the Rivers governor. Under the Constitution of Nigeria whether him be governor or him be anything we equal to am. him no be anybody. Hes just an ordinary citizen like Dokubo Asari, the former militant leader said. Him dey when Nnamdi Kanu put hundred million pound for him oga head, Nyesom Wike, that time him no get mouth to talk. Because him see say we no de look for trouble but if yanga de sleep trouble come wake am, em go collect. If you do anyhow, he said, shaking his head in apparent anger. You see anyhow, his supporters responded. More threats Mr Dokubu hails from Asari-Toru Local Government Area while Governor Fubara hails from Opobo Nkoro Local Government Area. Both are parts of the Ijaw ethnic nationality. The ex-militant leader said in the video that he had the power to turn Rivers State upside down during the 2023 elections but that he refused to do so because he did not want an Ijaw man to die. He said any clash between him and Governor Fubara would make the terrorist organisation, Boko Harams attacks in Nigerias North-east a childs play. We have the capacity to turn Rivers State upside down but we did not do it. They rigged election, hes in Government House. The person that is beating that drum with him, let him know the wood, stick that is used to beat drums sometimes can break, Mr Dokubo said. A spokesperson to Governor Fubara, Boniface Onyedi, declined comment on Mr Dokubos outburst when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES. Mr Dokubo has been in the spotlight lately, with several Nigerians criticising the Federal Government for prosecuting the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele for alleged possession of firearms, while failing to arrest Mr Dokubo, months after he was seen brandishing rifles in a video clip. The video resurfaced on the internet in June, days after Mr Dokubo, met with President Bola Tinubu at Aso Rock Villa. ALSO READ: Nigerian authorities fail to arrest Asari Dokubo but charge Emefiele with possession of firearms Besides, the former militant leader had been condemned for calling the Igbos slaves threatening to kill them. Did Gov Fubara provoke Asari Dokubo with these remarks? Governor Fubara had in a meeting with a new army commander in charge, GOC, 6 Division, Jamal Abdulssalami, in Government House, on 18 June, described the public brandishing of firearms by non-state actors as a national embarrassment and urged the military to clamp down on them. Although the governor did not mention Mr Dokubos name, he made the remarks days after Mr Dokubos firearms viral video resurfaced on the internet. When the military, for whatever reason, overlooks such acts of lawlessness displayed by non-state actors who should have nothing to do with possession of firearms and using it to intimidate law-abiding citizens, it raises concern about what has become of our country. I want to ask, do our laws now allow individuals to start showcasing AK-47? Have our laws got to that point where people can brandish arms before military personnel and you dont do anything about it? It is an insult to the State and Federal Government of Nigeria, Mr Fubara said. The governors remarks, which may have provoked Mr Dokubo, was contained in a statement posted on Facebook by his spokesperson, Mr Onyedi. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Vice President Kashim Shettima has assured Nigerians, especially those living in Russia, that the country, under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, will work again. The Vice President gave the assurance late Friday evening in St Petersburg at a forum with members of the Nigerian community in Russia. Mr Shettima, who was addressing concerns raised by members of the community, said be rest assured that in the next nine to 12 months there will be a swift change in the fortunes of Nigeria, Im talking with all sense of certainty and responsibility because I believe in the capacity and commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Speaking on the efforts of the administration to reposition the economy, he said we are here for the Africa-Russia Summit, but we are also here fundamentally to pursue the completion of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex and revival of the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON). Its going to be a game changer. Having a vibrant steel industry is a sine qua non for the industrial take off of any nation. I can bet you, I can promise you that the President will bring Ajaokuta to a reality. Be rest assured that if there is one legacy that President Tinubu would bequeath to fellow Nigerians, Ajaokuta is one. Ill come back to Russia, we are going to drive this process, and my leader, my boss and principal President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is irrevocably committed to Ajaokuta and to ALSCON. We have begun the discussion, and we will see to it that these two companies take off, we have no option than to bring them to reality, Vice President Shettima emphasised. Speaking further about the prospects for Nigerias transformation, he said the Tinubu administration will harness the vast human and material resources to put the country on the path of sustainable development and growth. According to him, this is the land of opportunities, we have the landmass and vibrant youth population. By 2035, there will be 65 million talent deficit in the world, America, Russia, Brazil will all suffer 6 million talent deficit. And Nigeria with a vibrant young population will be expected to fill the gap. So, opportunities abound in the digital space. Our target is to train 1,000,000 Nigerians on digital skills. The Vice President expressed confidence in the capacity of President Tinubu to transform Nigeria, noting that the President passionately believes in the Nigeria project, and that his emergence as leader of the nation did not happen by chance. Citing examples of President Tinubus sterling performance as Lagos State Governor, Mr Shettima said the President has shown the propensity to inspire development across all sectors, and he has also shown the zeal, passion as well as the commitment to transform Nigeria. He then commended the conduct of leaders and members of the Nigerian community in Russia, stating that the maturity exhibited by Nigerians living in Russia is an understatement, and I must confess that I am impressed by the Ambassadors impressive achievements. Representatives of the Nigerian community in separate remarks commended the initiatives of the Tinubu administration to actively engage with the Russian government to improve relations between Nigeria and Russia. Present at the forum were Nigerias Ambassador to Russia, Amb Shehu Abdullahi; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Gabriel Aduda; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Mary Ogbe; President of Nigerian Community in Russia, Maurice Okoli, and Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora (NIDO), Russia, Mr Sampson Uwem, among others. In a related development, Mr Shettima, on Saturday in St. Petersburg, attended the second edition of the Annual Arts Exhibition of the Nigerian Embassy titled I imagine Nigeria which showcased art works by young Russian artists. Besides seeing art works exhibited at the event and presenting gift prizes to young Russian artists, Mr Shettima, in a brief remark, emphasised the importance of cultural diplomacy, noting its potential in deepening ties between Nigeria and Russia. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The police in Imo State, South-east Nigeria, said they have killed a suspected armed robber in the state. The police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, disclosed this in a press conference at the Police Command Headquarters on Saturday. A video clip of the press conference was also posted on Facebook. Mr Okoye, an assistant superintendent of police, said the slain suspect was part of a five-man criminal gang that robbed a shop at Ikenegbu Area of Owerri, the state capital, earlier on Saturday. The police spokesperson said two other members of the gang were arrested by police operatives. He gave the names of the arrested suspects as Peter Gaura, 27, an indigene of Kogi State and Joshua Promise, 25, who hails from Delta State. Mr Gaura, one of the suspects, is a dismissed soldier, the police said. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that two other members of the gang escaped. How the killing, arrest happened Mr Okoye said the arrest of the two suspects and killing of one of them followed a distress call at about 1:00 p.m. that the hoodlums were robbing a shop in the area. The police spokesperson said the suspects, armed with sophisticated weapons and numbering about seven, operated in white Toyota Hilux truck with its number plate covered. He said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ahmed Barde, consequently mobilised and personally led the tactical team of the police to the scene of the attack. The hoodlums, on sighting the police operatives, immediately opened fire but were overwhelmed by the dexterity showcased by the operatives as well as the superior fire power of the operatives which forced these hoodlums to flee with various degrees of gunshot injuries, he said. In the process (during the shoot-out), one of them was gunned down while the two suspects that we paraded today were arrested, Mr Okoye added. Two pump action guns, four locally made pistols with eight rounds of live cartridges and one expended cartridge were among the items recovered from the suspects, according to the police. Others were two pairs of military underwear, two pairs of special forces underwear, face masks, school bags, pieces of jewelry worth millions of naira, and the truck used by the suspects in the robbery. Mr Okoye said the body of the slain suspect was immediately deposited at a morgue while the other two suspects arrested by the operatives were being investigated. Certainly, they would be arraigned upon completion of diligent investigation by the commands tactical team, he said of the arrested suspects. The Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Mr Barde, commended the operatives for successfully tracking down the hoodlums, Mr Okoye said. The police commissioner urged the operatives to sustain the fight against criminals in the state. He enjoined residents of the state to continue to support the police with actional intelligence that will help the police in tracking down more crime suspects in the state. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The waves of military coups in West Africa are becoming a serious concern and if the trend is not urgently redressed, the number of military regimes in West Africa and the Sahel may soon outnumber civilian governments. The African Union (AU), and regional institution, ECOWAS, must brace themselves for a prolonged battle to rid Africa of military coups and other forms of unconstitutional change of government (UCGs). On 26 July, Niger experienced the fifth military coup in its troubled history. The head of the Presidential Guard, General Omar Tchiani, led a group of army officers to overthrow and detain the civilian President Mohamed Bazoum. On the second day, General Omar Tchiani was declared the new leader of the country. Just like in other West African countries that have been struck by coups in the last two years, the Tchiani-led coup plotters cited a deteriorating security situation and bad governance as the main reasons for the military takeover. The plotters announced the immediate closure of the countrys borders, imposed a nationwide curfew, and suspended all the institutions of government. More worrisome are the celebrations that have been accompanying all the military coups in the region, which reflect the illegitimacy of the incumbent civilian administrations that were removed. While many have argued that such celebrations were directed against the civilian governments and were not necessarily in support of the military regimes, these jubilant sights remain a dent on the marketability of democracy in Africa. Indeed, liberalism has not delivered on its ideological promises on the continent. Despite President Bazoums close partnerships with the US and other regional powers in the fight against terrorism, the country has struggled under the weight of insecurity and socio-economic crisis. While the country is rich in uranium, about 40% of the population earns less than $1 a day, and hunger remains very prevalent. The recent coup in Niger has sent shockwaves through the region, raising concerns over the countrys fragile political landscape. The coup plotters are primarily composed of a faction within the Nigerien military, and it is essential to analyse the motives and interests behind this coup. The interests of the coup plotters appear to stem from a combination of political grievances and concerns over the governments handling of internal security challenges, particularly in the face of rising threats of insurgency in the region. Moreover, long-standing frustrations over issues of governance, such as corruption and the lack of political representation, likely played a significant role in fuelling the actions of the conspirators. As the situation unfolds, it will be crucial to closely monitor the coup plotters statements and actions to gain a clearer understanding of their objectives and potential impacts on Nigers security and stability. This coup has unveiled a complex web of actors and interests, necessitating a holistic analysis of the resurgence of coups in Africa. Preliminary reports suggest that the military faction leading the coup has ties to various interest groups, including disgruntled military personnel and political elites dissatisfied with the current administrations policies and the idiosyncrasies of President Bazoum. The international community, including France and the United States, as well as regional institutions in Africa, have condemned the unconstitutional change of government. The European Union (EU) has raised alarm over the growing instability of the region, and France must have been particularly worried about the anti-French songs echoed by the jubilant Nigeriens, who were celebrating with a Russian flag. The West is gradually losing its hegemony in the Sahel region. The DW reported a meeting between US Vice President Kamala Harris and Nigerias Tinubu, which has been categorised as the highest-level US engagement with Tinubu since his emergence as president of the crippled giant. Both Nigeria and Niger have been confronted by the Boko Haram reign of deadly terror and the possibility of how ceding the country to a military regime would threaten US counterterrorist initiative in the region. This coup has unveiled a complex web of actors and interests, necessitating a holistic analysis of the resurgence of coups in Africa. Preliminary reports suggest that the military faction leading the coup has ties to various interest groups, including disgruntled military personnel and political elites dissatisfied with the current administrations policies and the idiosyncrasies of President Bazoum. While internal dynamics are important, it is also pertinent to scrutinise the potential external influences that may have contributed to the coups planning and execution. The regional reality, such as the spillover effect of coups in neigbouring countries and transnational connections, could play a pivotal role in shaping the coup plotters interests, as Niger is situated in a volatile region known for its instability and terrorist activities. Understanding the underlying motivations and interests of the coup plotters is essential for both the international community and regional actors to formulate an effective response that prioritises the restoration of democratic governance and the preservation of peace and security in Niger and its neighbouring countries. The waves of military coups in West Africa are becoming a serious concern and if the trend is not urgently redressed, the number of military regimes in West Africa and the Sahel may soon outnumber civilian governments. The African Union (AU), and regional institution, ECOWAS, must brace themselves for a prolonged battle to rid Africa of military coups and other forms of unconstitutional change of government (UCGs). This becomes more imperative as the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), an agency of the AU, recently launched its Africa Governance Report 2023: Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa. About 43 countries in Africa, including Niger, participated in the APRM. The report highlights the causes, drivers, and triggers of UCGs and engages the efficacy and effectiveness of the AU policy, principles, and legal norms against UCGs. A comprehensive multilateral approach is necessary to tackle structural violence and safeguard democracy. This involves promoting inclusive governance, curbing autocratic tendencies in civilian administrations, and preventing illegitimate tenure extensions to ensure stability and progress. By focusing on these areas, Africa can make further strides toward the attainment of Agenda 2063. Incumbent civilian administrations have been accused of abuses of power, corruption, and authoritarian tendencies. It is crucial to enforce mechanisms that hold these leaders accountable for their actions and decisions. Strengthening democratic institutions, promoting transparency, and fostering a culture of public participation are vital aspects of democratisation. Moreover, the issue of illegitimate tenure elongation poses a significant challenge to democratic progress in the Sahel region. When leaders manipulate the constitutional and electoral processes to engage in power consolidation beyond legal limits, it undermines the principles of democracy and can lead to instability, conflicts, and military coups. I commend the efforts made by regional institutions, such as the AU and APRM, in promoting political stability and security, particularly in dealing with military regimes and other threats. Despite some shortcomings, the AU remains instrumental in preventing Africa from facing even greater challenges. Thus, while they have made useful interventions on the continent, it is essential to recognise the importance of tackling additional issues that also impact political stability and democratic governance. A comprehensive multilateral approach is necessary to tackle structural violence and safeguard democracy. This involves promoting inclusive governance, curbing autocratic tendencies in civilian administrations, and preventing illegitimate tenure extensions to ensure stability and progress. By focusing on these areas, Africa can make further strides toward the attainment of Agenda 2063. Adeoye O. Akinola is Head of Research and Teaching at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation, University of Johannesburg. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Organised in collaboration with the IMF, the first International Conference on Development and Migration, which took place on 23 July, brought heads of state and government as well as ministers of foreign affairs from the wider Mediterranean region together with representatives of EU member states and the main international financial institutions. Its aim was to rally support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melonis plan to control the flow of migrants and refugees into her country from the Middle East and Africa. In addition to the far right Italian prime minister, participants included Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed, Tunisian President Kais Saied, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouni, President of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed Al-Menfi, Prime Minister of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity Abdel-Hamid Dbeibah, the EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen and the foreign ministers of Turkey, Malta, Greece, and Ethiopia. Meloni hopes to encourage the participant countries to join Italy in formulating ways to address emergencies and launching a shared development strategy. The objectives of the conference were to launch an international road map for the implementation of concrete measures for growth and development in the wider Mediterranean and Africa; to address the root causes of irregular migration flows to defeat human traffickers criminal activities; to find solutions to protect the environment, meeting the challenges of energy diversification and climate change, according to a statement released by the Italian prime ministers office. With this foreign policy initiative, Rome aims to exercise its key role in the wider Mediterranean by launching a multi-year road map, with concrete and verifiable commitments by the participating states on development and migration, the statement continued. The conference is another step as part of the Meloni governments wide-ranging diplomatic efforts to deal with the emergencies with an integrated approach that aims to build a multidimensional and long-term partnership of equals, based on solidarity among nations, respect for their sovereignty and shared responsibility. The Italian plan, proposed by Meloni, involves coordinating efforts to govern irregular and illegal migration, organise the reception of migrants and combat human trafficking through closer security collaboration and better management of border zones. It also aims to promote economic development based on a new model of collaboration between states, by jointly planning and implementing initiatives and projects in six main sectors: agriculture; energy; infrastructure; education and training; health; water and hygiene. The list of attendees demonstrates Italys intent to mobilise an international support and funding mechanism for the Rome process that Meloni launched, following through on a plan previously unveiled by her government called the Mattei Plan to curb migrant flows. The plan is named after Enrico Mattei, the founder of the Italian energy giant, ENI, who broke the hegemony of the seven major Western energy companies over that sector, linking his breakthrough with development plans. In addition to senior officials from most of the countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean, participants included EU member states of first arrival, Italys partners from the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and heads of European and international financial institutions. In her keynote address, the Italian prime minister said that her country wanted to launch a development programme for countries in Africa and the Mediterranean to combat irregular migration, the flows of which have increased since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. She urged participants to work together to increase security and intelligence coordination to fight human trafficking rings. Speaking in Rome, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli spoke of the success of Egypts comprehensive approach to addressing the migration problem, proved by the fact that not a single boat carrying illegal migrants has left Egyptian shores since September 2016. Urging stronger international cooperation in combatting illegal migration, he stressed the need to develop a deeper understanding of its root causes in order to produce more effective solutions. The rise in illegal migration flows is one of the main repercussions of global crises and therefore demands sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships to address them. In his speech the President of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed Al-Manfi stressed that the security approach on its own could never solve the illegal and irregular migration problem. He also stressed that human trafficking was a cross-border crime that Libya could not combat alone, calling for greater concerted efforts to promote development in Africa, optimising the continents natural resources to help the people of the region realise their aspirations to a better future. Comprehensive and sustainable development was essential for uprooting the causes of illegal and irregular migration, he said, adding that closer coordination and solidarity were needed to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and to reinforce border security to prevent death boats from setting sail. The Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Unity Abdel-Hamid Dbeibah took the opportunity to caution against any plans or projects that aim to settle migrants in Libya. He simultaneously reaffirmed Libyas pledge to fulfill its obligations towards the approximately two million irregular migrants currently in the country. Tunisian President Kais Saied called on donor nations to establish a new international fund for the purpose and to cancel African nations crippling foreign debt burden. We will never achieve stability if we can not address the root causes of inequality and restore security, he said. In a similar spirit, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani called for a sustainable solution to the irregular migration problem. A collective drive offering comprehensive remedies was needed to combat poverty, marginalisation and inequality, and radical and sustainable solutions were needed to fight human trafficking rings that thrived on irregular migration, he said. Setting a model, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced a $100 million donation to support development projects and initiatives in the framework of the Rome Process targeting countries affected by irregular migration. He also called for collective international action to build bridges of cooperation among countries around the world to confront common global challenges, advance human welfare and ensure a prosperous future for the generations to come. In a joint statement released at the end of the conference, the participants agreed to develop a whole array of measures to slow down the pace of irregular migration and address some of the problems that drive migrants to leave their homes and try to reach Europe. The measures included efforts to marshal funding for development projects devised in the framework of the Rome Process which would continue for many years. Speaking to reporters after the conference, Prime Minister Meloni praised the participants commitment to fighting human trafficking and improving cooperation between European and African countries in such fields as renewable energy. She also stressed her countrys commitment to receiving more migrants through legal channels. Italy and Europe as a whole needs migration, she said in what appears to be a retreat from the hard-line anti-migrant positions she had espoused as an opposition leader before becoming prime minister. Her government now plans to hold a conference for donor nations to martial financing for the Mattei Plan to curb migration flows. Despite the repeated emphasis on the need for security and intelligence cooperation to fight human trafficking, it is interesting that Meloni did not address the problem of instability in Sahel and Central African countries which are among the main sources of migration flows to Europe. On the other hand, she alluded to the long ongoing controversy over migration in Europe, discord over which recently brought down the ruling coalition in the Netherlands. Meloni is likely to encounter difficulty in mobilising European funding to assist first-arrival states, of which Italy is a main one in view of its proximity to North African shores. * A version of this article appears in print in the 28 July, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: After some local vigilante members on Thursday attacked and injured at least four herders whom they accused of hiding a suspected criminal, residents of Gaa, a community in Garki Local Government of Jigawa State, said the increasing clashes between the vigilantes and herders have become a source of concern. This is after a similar incident resulted in the death of one person in the area a few weeks ago. Residents said the vigilante group known as Yan Bulaliya pursued a herder named Adamu Baushe. But when they could not apprehend him, they accused a group of herders of hiding the fleeing suspect. After they (the Yan Bulaliya) could not catch Mr Baushe, they started assaulting the herders believing that they were hiding Mr Baushe, said a community leader, Haruna Malam. The herders were unwilling or perhaps genuinely unaware of Mr Baushes whereabouts but found themselves at the receiving end of the Yan Bulaliyas wrath, the community leader added. In an appalling turn of events, the Yan Bulaliya group resorted to unspeakable violence, inflicting grievous injuries upon residents they presumed guilty. Their actions sent shockwaves throughout the areas, leaving scars that would not easily heal and may end up in violent reprisals, Mr Malam claimed. He showed PREMIUM TIMES gory pictures of those he claimed were victims of the attack. He claimed the victims are receiving treatment at a hospital in the area. How it started, and now escalating Another resident, Iro Abubakar, said the groups activities are becoming worrisome. He urged the Jigawa government and security agencies to act before the situation deteriorated to reprisal attacks. In the face of such atrocities, the victims, mostly herders, decided it was time to seek justice through the legal system, filing criminal complaints against the Yan Bulaliya, but it has been to no avail. Curiously, despite the groups admission of guilt during one of such incidents after a police investigation, they were surprisingly released without facing trial. This glaring miscarriage of justice deepened the wounds of the aggrieved communities and may erode their trust in the system meant to protect them if nothing is done to correct the wrong impression, Mr Abubakar said. The vigilantes had taken it upon themselves to maintain law and order in the Garki. However, they operated outside the law, unregistered and unlicensed, he added. The growing discord Mr Abubakar said the animosity between the group and the herders is fast becoming a security concern. He said the government should intervene to prevent escalation. Yan Bulaliya killed one Muhammadu Kato, a herder. The police arrested three members of the group linked to the killing, but to the dismay of the grieving family, they were soon released under the pretence of forgiveness from the victims families. However, the widows and children of the deceased were unwilling to let his killers escape justice so easily. The bereaved family confronted the police headquarters in Dutse, demanding justice and accountability for their loss. The relentless pursuit for justice finally bore fruit as the police eventually charged the three members of the vigilantes in court. The group made desperate attempts to secure the release of their members. Frustration and rage consumed them as their efforts yielded no results. In their fury, they retaliated by raiding the house of the deceased, Mr Kato, subjecting his elder son to a brutal assault and pursuing his younger brother, Mr Baushe, who fled for his life, which resulted in the fresh attack of the rearing herders on Thursday after accusing them of hiding Mr Baushe, Mr Abubakar alleges. Residents said the growing incident has resulted in animosity among the Yan Bulaliya group, primarily farmers and the community, mostly cattle herders. The leader of the vigilante group in Jigawa, Sharu Sani, said the Yan Bulaliya group is not a member of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria. He said the group may be sponsored by local politicians. Thus, he cannot speak about their operations. But the police commissioner in Jigawa, Emmanuel Ekot, told PREMIUM TIMES that the police have arrested and charged some members of the group to court following an attack on residents of the area. He said the latest incident that occurred is being investigated by the command. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives Union (BEPU) said armed bandits killed the Vice Chairman of the towns branch of an Islamic sect, Jamaatul Izalatul Bidah Wa Iqamatus-Sunnah (JIBWIS), Yakubu Muhammad, and three other farmers in the areas. The chairperson of the BEPU, Ishaq Usman, in a statement on Saturday, said the JIBWIS vice chairperson was shot on Wednesday while working on his farm. After the shooting, he was rushed to Jibril Mai-Gwari General Hospital, in the Birnin Gwari town, where he was certified dead the day after, Mr Usman said. Until his murder, Mr Muhammed was a strong pillar, pioneer member, and also the Vice-Chairman of the Birnin-Gwari Orphans Foundation, an organisation devoted to taking care of thousands of orphans whose parents were killed by the armed banditry in the security-ravaged areas, the statement said. Residents said gunmen have intensified attacks on vulnerable farming communities. He gave some of the most recent attacks as follows: In another sad development, around Sabon-Layi, Kurgi, Yelwa, Tashan-Keji, Shiwaka, Unguwan Danfulani and many more rural Communities in the Western part of Birnin-Gwari who are sharing boundaries with Kamuku and Kuyambana Forests hideouts of the Bandits. A large number of locals were kidnapped at their farms. The situation is so rampant and complex and confusing for someone to report. The bandits also herd over peoples farms in those areas where in the Sabon-layi community alone, more than 10 farms (especially those with grown-up maize) have been cleared deliberately by the bandits cattle. The Bandits told the farmers to stop wasting their time going to farm in the area because even if they do, they will not allow them to harvest and may end up being killed or abducted, the community leader said. Mr Usman said the gunmen are also taking hostage locals, unchallenged, killing and kidnapping women and children. On 21 July, the bandits invaded Unguwan Bawa in Randagi Ward and kidnapped 28 persons, including women and children, and also killed one and shot four who are currently receiving medical attention at various health facilities. However, 13 out of the captives have managed to escape from the kidnappers den. On 25 July, the bandits attacked Rafin Zango, around Eka Farm, and kidnapped two persons who were on their way coming back from Birnin-Gwari town heading to Gagumi Community. On 26 July, they (terrorists) invaded Unguwan Roka of Kakangi Ward, killed one person, and kidnapped nine others. On 26 July, four locals were kidnapped at their farms in Yelwa Community in the Sabon-Layi axis. On 27 July, the bandits came back to a nearby Community, Unguwan Danfulani, killed one person and kidnapped seven others from one family. Earlier on the same date, the bandits blocked traders and grain suppliers who were on their way from the Western part to the Birnin-Gwari weekly Market. The bandits operated for about an hour and kidnapped six persons, Mr Usman said. The police spokesperson in Kaduna, Muhammad Jalige, could not be immediately reached to comment on the development as calls to his phone number failed to connect. Appeal to government, police The community appealed to security agencies to intensify their efforts ior The BEPU are deeply concerned that farmers continue to be attacked whenever they go to their farms. This poses a danger to this years targeted farming outputs, as about 70 per cent of farmlands are yet to be accessible. The kidnapping and killings of locals at farms have become rampant in the entire Birnin-Gwari general area. Even today (Saturday), the bandits abducted two farmers at the Maraban Agyaro area of the Gagumi axis. BEPU is deeply concerned that the killings and abductions of farmers in the Birnin-Gwari general area have continued to escalate daily, unchallenged and unreported. Given the situation, BEPU appreciates the determination of the new administration and the effort of the security agencies toward addressing the problem. The union, however, appeal to the federal government to facilitate the establishment of military detachments in Katakaki, Gagumi, Tashar-Keji, and Bugai axis of the Western part of Birnin-Gwari, which the Bandits Warlords are now using as their operational basis and continuously terrorising the Birnin-Gwari general area. Equally important, there is a need for restoration of the Mobile Police Unit in Damari Community of the eastern part of the Local Government, which bandits are using as a route in attacking many Communities in the area. The victims of armed banditry continue to die due to poor medical attention as a result of inadequate staffing and equipment in the Jibril Mai-Gwari General Hospital. (There is) only one medical doctor in the entire hospital. This is by far not proportionate to the population. On this note, BEPU appeals to the Kaduna State Government to post more health personnel or recruit indigenous medical doctors who would manage the hospital as victims of armed banditry continue to die due to insufficient primary medical attention, Mr Usman said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print ( Read 1930 Times) Janjati Ayukt Meena distributed 'Crop Amrit' to farmers to promote organic farming in Jhadol. Udaipur, 27th July. Janjati Ayukt (Tribal Commissioner) Tarachand Meena has initiated a unique campaign in the Jhadol region with the aim of providing modern irrigation facilities to traditional farmers. During an event organized jointly by the Information and Technology Department, ISTART, and EF Polymer under the Rajasthan government, Meena distributed packets of 'Crop Amrit' to 400 farmers in Jhadol. He urged the farmers to use these packets to enhance their crop yields through organic farming practices. While distributing the 'Crop Amrit' packets to farmers, Janjati Ayukt Meena stated that the use of chemical fertilizers depletes the fertility of the soil, leading to a decline in crop productivity over time. He emphasized that every farmer must adopt organic farming practices as they are derived from our traditional knowledge and help protect human life from various diseases. The Campaign's Focus: Janjati Ayukt Meena explained that due to traditional farming practices in the tribal region, farmers use various chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which harm the environment and human health. To address this issue, the campaign was launched in the Jhadol belt, aiming to encourage farmers to adopt organic farming practices. EF Polymer, a renowned company that has won the Rajiv Gandhi Innovation Award, is leading this initiative, which is part of the Rajasthan government's ISTART program. The Bio-Product: Crop Amrit Meena highlighted that the campaign aims to promote bio-products and is encouraging a new agricultural product called 'Crop Amrit.' This product aids in water retention in plants, enhances plant growth, and boosts crop yields for farmers. By providing essential nutrients to plants naturally, Crop Amrit reduces the need for harmful chemicals, thus contributing to a better environment and improved human health. The initiative by EF Polymer can bring positive transformations to agriculture in the Jhadol belt. During the program, officials from EF Polymer, including Ankit Jain and Gaurav Jain, briefed Janjati Ayukt Meena about the unique features of 'Crop Amrit' and its potential to bring positive changes in crop yields for farmers in the tribal region. Source : ( Read 2357 Times) Neo-university Newton School Of Technology that has been actively inculcating outcome-driven tech education since 2019, has announced final round of their all India NSAT (Newton Scholastic Aptitude Test), an online entrance exam, on 2nd August, 2023 calling out applications for a unique B.Tech in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, in collaboration with Rishihood University. The campus of Newton School of Technology - Rishihood University is situated near the heart of the Tech landscape of Delhi NCR. With the recent inauguration of the first Sohna-Dausa stretch of Delhi -Mumbai Expressway and with improved connectivity between Delhi and Jaipur, the Newton School of Technology team is certain that the campus will be easily accessible for Jaipur students. This B.Tech in Computer Science & AI is designed to provide students of Jaipur and suburbs of the city, an opportunity of a lifetime with faculties from Duke University, MIT (Cambridge, United States) and top IITs of India. Newton School of Technology also focuses on industry-led learning and mentorship by CXOs and leaders from companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft and more. Admission to this program also features up to 100% scholarship based on merit, as well as Young Women Leader Scholarship to female candidates Siddharth Maheshwari, Co-founder, Newton School said, We aim to unlock Indias massive potential of becoming the tech powerhouse of the world. We aim to foster innovation and shape global tech leaders of tomorrow from the country, who will help redefine the boundaries of technology. The program will be delivered by a pool of academia and industry experts, blending real-world experiences in their teaching. Our collective aim is to pave the way for students to overcome complex challenges posed by real-life situations and nurture them to become the top 1% software developers of India. To be eligible for NSAT, the applicants must have completed Class 12th with PCM in 2021, 2022 or 2023 from a recognised board with at least 50% marks. The application process will include paying a nominal registration fee to enrol for the upcoming NSAT exam that consists of 45 questions in English, Maths, and Logical Reasoning sections and is timed for approx. 2 hours. This will be followed by an on-campus physical interview round in 4 locations - Newton School of Technology - Rishihood University Campus in Sonipat, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Mumbai. Once shortlisted students have completed their interview, the admissions team will respond with their final decision. The results will be announced 2-3 days after the commencement of the interview window. Shortlisted students will fall into three categories - accepted, rejected and waitlisted. The entrance test will also be open to students who could not be accommodated in the last rounds. The last date of registration is 01 August, 2023. Nishant Chandra, Co-founder, Newton School of Technology said, Our team at Newton School of Technology works relentlessly to equip students with industry leading immersive and practical learning imperative for 21st century and beyond. The education system in Jaipur has gone through a transformation lately with more and more govt and private academic institutions entering the city to provide better prospect and opportunities to all students. We are glad to be able to tap into the tech landscape of this potential market. The NSAT exam is a perfect entry door for students to create a futuristic career that enables them to get practical learning from day 1. Admission Process for Newton School of Technology Newton School of Technology takes in highly motivated students hence there are multi-step admission process as follows Step1. Eligibility for NSAT, Student needs to have at least 50% secured in 12th class, with PCM subjects Step2. NSAT cutoff is usually released post-exam as its dependent on the total student's shown-up ratio, but usually, it would be 40% minimum to further proceed in the admission process Step 3 Interview round, as per course structure one needs to attend and crack the final interview If the student successfully secures passing grades in all, then he/she would be eligible for admission with respective scholarships as per their ranking. Source : Poland on Wednesday signed a W25 trillion contract to buy K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers and FA-50 light combat fighter jets from Korea (US$1=W1,313). The weapons will be shipped on three occasions over the next decade, with the first shipment alone worth W10 trillion, making it the biggest arms contract Korea has ever clinched. The two countries' defense ministers met in May and President Yoon Suk-yeol also talked about defense cooperation with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Spain in June. Warsaw is to take delivery of 980 K2 tanks, 648 K9 self-propelled howitzers and 48 FA-50 fighter jets. PHOENIX, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - 4Front Ventures Corp. (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQX: FFNTF) ("4Front" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator and retailer, announced that it has entered into a consulting agreement with Leo Gontmakher, Chief Executive Officer of the Company (the "Consulting Agreement"). Pursuant to the Consulting Agreement, the Company has agreed to: (i) pay Mr. Gontmakher an annual base fee of US$400,000 payable in regular installments; (ii) issue 6,000,000 subordinate voting shares in the capital of the Company (each a "SVS") at a deemed issue price of CAD$0.17 per SVS as a signing bonus; (iii) if Mr. Gontmakher completes the initial term of the Consulting Agreement ending December 31, 2023, issue 1,800,000 SVS if certain financial metrics of the Company are achieved by year-end 2023 and such number of SVS sufficient to make him a 1.00% owner calculated on a fully diluted basis to the extent not the case at the time of issuance, such SVS to be priced in accordance with the Canadian Securities Exchange policy at the time of issuance; and (iv) if Mr. Gontmakher remains continuously retained through the date of the closing of a transaction that results in a Change in Control (as defined in the Consulting Agreement), Mr. Gontmakher shall be eligible to receive a portion of the transaction bonus pool allocated for senior executives, which shall be equal to 1.00% of the fair market value of all consideration paid to the Company's stockholders in the transaction, subject to applicable terms and conditions. In addition, the Company has agreed to issue 3,300,250 SVS at a deemed issue price of CAD$0.17 per SVS to Mr. Gontmakher in connection with his fiscal year-end 2022 compensation package (collectively with the issuances contemplated by the Consulting Agreement, the "Gontmakher Issuances"). RSU Grant The Company also announced that it has agreed to issue a total of 9,853,830 restricted share units ("RSUs"), at a deemed issue price of CAD$0.165 based on the closing price of the SVS on July 27, 2023, to certain officers and employees of the Company in payment of fiscal year-end 2022 bonus entitlements. The RSUs are fully vested as of the grant date and represent the right to receive one (1) SVS upon the earliest to occur of a change in control, disability, death, unforeseeable emergency, separation from service other than for cause, or the date that is eighteen (18) months following the grant date, each as more particularly described in the applicable restricted share unit agreement (collectively, the "RSU Grant"). Extension of Senior Secured Debt Additionally, the Company has entered into a definitive agreement with its senior secured lender, LI Lending, LLC (the "Lender") to extend the maturity date, reduce the interest payable, and expand the third-party financings available under the December 17, 2020 Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement ("Loan") between 4Front and the Lender on the terms and conditions set out in the amending agreement (collectively, the "Extension"), as initially announced in a press release dated May 6, 2023. Under the Extension, the Lender has extended the maturity date of the Loan to May 1, 2026 and reduced the interest payable to 12.0% per year, payable monthly. Currently, the Lender holds a senior secured position on all assets of 4Front and certain of its subsidiaries and the right of consent over any additional financings secured by those assets. Pursuant to the Extension, the Lender consents to equipment financing collateralized by 4Front equipment of up to US$5 million; secured convertible debt senior to the Loan collateralized by all assets of 4Front of up to US$10 million; and secured debt senior to the Loan collateralized by the assets of new Illinois retail locations of up to US$20 million, with Lender agreeing to take a junior secured position on those assets. Under the terms of the Extension, the Lender will receive a number of warrants equal to 33% of the Loan balance as of the current maturity date (US$17,061,000) each exercisable into one SVS for a term equal to the term of the Loan and with an exercise price not less than US$0.17 (each a "Warrant"). If 4Front obtains a bona fide offer from a third party to refinance the Loan within six months of the effective date of the definitive documents effectuating the Extension, the Lender will have the option to match the proposed terms of the offer or keep the Loan in force; upon exercise of either option, the Lender's Warrant coverage will be reduced to 30% of the Loan balance as of the current maturity date. If 4Front obtains permitted secured debt senior to the Loan up to US$8 million, 75% of the Warrants will become exercisable by cashless exercise. If 4Front obtains permitted secured debt senior to the Loan in excess of US$8 million (up to the US$10 million maximum), 100% of the Warrants will become exercisable by cashless exercise. The Extension also provides that the Company will pay the Lender an origination fee equal to 1.00% of the Loan balance at the current maturity date (US$51 million), payable in cash on May 1, 2024. Under the terms of the Extension, while the Loan is outstanding, if 4Front unilaterally removes its CEO or President from their current positions without either cause or Lender consent the maturity date of the Loan will be accelerated to the date that is 30 days after the first unilateral removal. Leo Gontmakher, the CEO and a director of the Company, and Roman Tkachenko, a director of the Company, each own 14.28% of the Lender. Related Party Transaction Participation of related parties of the Company in the Gontmakher Issuances and RSU Grant constitute "related party transactions" as defined under Multilateral Instrument - 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company intends to rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that participation in the Gontmakher Issuances and RSU Grant by insiders will not exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization and also because the SVS trade only on the Canadian Securities Exchange. A material change report was not filed in connection with the participation of the insiders at least 21 days in advance of the closing of the Gontmakher Issuances and RSU Grant, which the Company deemed reasonable in the circumstances. About 4Front Ventures Corp. 4Front is a national, vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator who owns or manages operations and facilities in strategic medical and adult-use cannabis markets, including California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan and Washington. Since its founding in 2011, 4Front has built a strong reputation for its high standards and low-cost cultivation and production methodologies earned through a track record of success in facility design, cultivation, genetics, growing processes, manufacturing, purchasing, distribution, and retail. To date, 4Front has successfully brought to market more than 20 different cannabis brands and over 1800 products, which are strategically distributed through its fully owned and operated Mission dispensaries and retail outlets in its core markets. As the Company continues to drive value for its shareholders, its team is applying its decade of expertise in the sector across the cannabis industry value chain and ecosystem. For more information, visit https://4frontventures.com/. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking, such as statements containing the terms and conditions of the proposed Extension, the entering into of definitive documentation and regulatory approval and other forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words and phrases such as "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," "could," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "seek," "should," "will," "would," "expect," "objective," "projection," "forecast," "goal," "guidance," "outlook," "effort," "target" or the negative of such words and other comparable terminology. However, the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Any forward-looking statements expressing an expectation or belief as to future events is expressed in good faith and believed to be reasonable at the time such forward-looking statement is made. However, these statements are not guarantees of future events and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors beyond 4Front's control. Therefore, you are cautioned against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed in any forward-looking statement. Except as required by applicable law, including Canadian and U.S. federal securities laws, 4Front does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform them to actual results or revised expectations. SOURCE 4Front Ventures Corp. NEW ORLEANS, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until September 11, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX), if they purchased the Company's securities between May 12, 2022 and February 8, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Get Help Baxter investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-bax-4/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit Baxter and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On February 9, 2023, pre-market, the Company announced its Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2002 earnings results, disclosing that, despite its prior assurances, the problems with its supply chain and the resulting effect on its operations was not under control, that it did not meet its earnings guidance for the year, and that earnings guidance going forward would have to be lowered for the first quarter of 2023. On this news, shares of Baxter fell from $45.68 per share to $41.01 per share, on unusually heavy trading volume. The case is Kelley v. Baxter International, Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-04497. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. SOURCE ClaimsFiler NEW YORK, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The electric AC motors market size is forecast to increase by USD 35850.81 million from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.48%, according to a recent market study by Technavio. The growth of the market will be driven by the rising factory automation and use of industrial robots, increasing demand for synchronous motors for energy efficiency, and increased interest in electric vehicles. Charts & data tables about market and segment sizes for a historic period of five (2017-2021) years have been covered in this report. Download The Sample Report Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Electric Alternating Current (AC) Motors Market Technavio has extensively analyzed 15 major vendors, including ABB Ltd., Addison Electric Inc., Allied Motion Technologies Inc., Arc Systems Inc., BDI, Emerson Electric Co., General Electric Co., Hitachi Ltd., Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd., Kirloskar Electric Co. Ltd., Lenze SE, Lunar Motors Pvt. Ltd., Nidec Corp., Regal Rexnord Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc., SAS TT Electric, Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, TAMAGAWA SEIKI Co. Ltd., and Toshiba Corp. Get a holistic overview of the electric AC motors market from industry experts to evaluate and develop growth strategies. Download the Sample Key Benefits for Industry Players & Stakeholders The report offers information on the criticality of vendor inputs, including R&D, CAPEX, and technology. It also provides detailed analyses of the market's competitive landscape and vendors' product offerings. The report also provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of vendors to help clients understand the wider business environment as well as the strengths and weaknesses of key market players. Data is qualitatively analyzed to categorize vendors as pure play, category-focused, industry-focused, and diversified; it is quantitatively analyzed to categorize vendors as dominant, leading, strong, tentative, and weak. Expand operations in the future - To get requisite details, ask for a custom report. Electric AC Motors Market - Segmentation Assessment The electric AC motors market report extensively covers market segmentation by type (induction and synchronous), power output (integral and fractional), and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and the Middle East and Africa). The market share growth by the induction segment will be significant for the market growth during the forecast period. One of the main reasons for the rapid growth of the induction segment in the global electric AC motors market is its cost advantage over synchronous motors. As induction motors have no commutator and brushes and have lower moving parts than synchronous motors, they are less expensive when compared to synchronous motors. Several applications of induction motors are oil and gas exploration tools, in-drill logging, in-drill measurement, tractor tools, rotary steering systems, formation testing tools, actuators, completion tools, and hydraulic pumps. Hence, such factors are expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. To get detailed insights about inclusions and exclusions, buy the report Electric AC Motors Market - Market Dynamics Key Drivers Increasing factory automation and the use of industrial robots drive the global electric AC motors market growth during the forecast period. There is a rising need for high-precision production in a shorter time due to the growing demand for products across various industries, such as consumer electronics, healthcare, and automobiles. Some of the key automation and advancement of IoT and artificial intelligence (AI) in these industries have enabled the use of robots in manufacturing processes. Hence, such developments require the need for electric AC motors are positively impacting the market. Therefore, such factors are expected to drive the global electric AC motors market growth during the forecast period. Significant Trends The rising focus on using energy-efficient motors is a key trend in the global electric AC motors market during the forecast period. Several governments across the world offer tax or financial incentives for programs that enhance energy efficiency. For instance, the US government provides several federal and state tax credits to encourage energy efficiency concepts in both businesses and homes. Thus the growing focus on energy efficiency is significantly fuelling the demand for AC electric motors in various applications. There is an increase in investments in EVs by many countries such as China, the UK, India, and Germany as conventional vehicles highly depend on fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel which are leading to air pollution. Hence, such initiatives are positively impacting the market. Therefore, such factors are expected to drive the global electric AC motors market growth during the forecast period. Major Challenges Limitations of power rating are a significant challenge hindering the growth of the global electric AC motors market during the forecast period. High-performance AC motor accessories require strong permanent magnets which are very expensive and hence add to the overall cost of manufacturing. The strong permanent magnets are manufactured from rare earth materials such as neodymium, whose prices tend to fluctuate due to their limited availability in some countries such as China and Australia. Furthermore, several incidences of trade wars in which China has limited the export of such rare metals which has significantly contributed to the huge supply and demand gap, which has influenced the neodymium prices. Hence, such factors are expected to hinder the global electric motors accessories market growth during the forecast period. What are the key data covered in this Electric AC Motors Market report? CAGR of the market during the forecast period Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the electric AC motors market between 2023 and 2027 Precise estimation of the electric AC motors market size and its contribution to the market with a focus on the parent market Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior Growth of the electric AC motors market across APAC, Europe , North America , South America , and the Middle East and Africa , , , and the and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of electric AC motors market vendors Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Related Reports: The hyperspectral remote sensing market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 10.7% between 2022 and 2027 and the size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 85.6 million. This report extensively covers market segmentation by type (VNIR, SWIR, and thermal IWIR), application (agriculture and forestry, geology and mineral exploration, ecology, and disaster management), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The growing adoption of UAVs is driving market growth. The air quality monitor market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.99% between 2022 and 2027 and the size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 1,998.11 million. This report extensively covers market segmentation by product (indoor, outdoor, and wearable), end-user (government, commercial and residential, energy and pharmaceuticals, and others), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The growing need to monitor indoor air quality in residential and commercial sectors is the key factor driving the growth of the global air quality monitor market. Electric AC Motors Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.48% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 35850.81 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 5.41 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 51% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and France Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled ABB Ltd., Addison Electric Inc., Allied Motion Technologies Inc., Arc Systems Inc., BDI, Emerson Electric Co., General Electric Co., Hitachi Ltd., Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd., Kirloskar Electric Co. Ltd., Lenze SE, Lunar Motors Pvt. Ltd., Nidec Corp., Regal Rexnord Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc., SAS TT Electric, Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, TAMAGAWA SEIKI Co. Ltd., and Toshiba Corp. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Type Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Power Output Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 09: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 10: Parent market Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 13: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 4 Historic Market Size 4.1 Global electric alternating current (AC) motors market 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size Data Table on global electric alternating current (ac) motors market 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.2 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.3 Power Output Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size Power Output Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 5 Five Forces Analysis 5.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027 5.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027 5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.7 Market condition Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027 6 Market Segmentation by Type 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 30: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Type Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Type Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Type 6.3 Induction - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 34: Chart on Induction - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Induction - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 36: Chart on Induction - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 37: Data Table on Induction - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Synchronous - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 38: Chart on Synchronous - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Synchronous - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 40: Chart on Synchronous - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 41: Data Table on Synchronous - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 Market opportunity by Type Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Type ($ million) Exhibit 43: Data Table on Market opportunity by Type ($ million) 7 Market Segmentation by Power Output 7.1 Market segments Exhibit 44: Chart on Power Output - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on Power Output - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 7.2 Comparison by Power Output Exhibit 46: Chart on Comparison by Power Output Exhibit 47: Data Table on Comparison by Power Output 7.3 Integral - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 48: Chart on Integral - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Integral - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 50: Chart on Integral - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 51: Data Table on Integral - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.4 Fractional - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 52: Chart on Fractional - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 53: Data Table on Fractional - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 54: Chart on Fractional - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Fractional - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.5 Market opportunity by Power Output Exhibit 56: Market opportunity by Power Output ($ million) Exhibit 57: Data Table on Market opportunity by Power Output ($ million) 8 Customer Landscape 8.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 58: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 9 Geographic Landscape 9.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 59: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 60: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 9.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 61: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 62: Data Table on Geographic comparison 9.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 63: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 64: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 65: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 66: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 67: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 68: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 69: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 70: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 71: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 73: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 74: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 75: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 76: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 77: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 78: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 79: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 80: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 81: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 82: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.8 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 83: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 84: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 85: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 86: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.9 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 87: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 88: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 89: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 90: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.10 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 91: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 92: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 93: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 94: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.11 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 95: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 96: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 97: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 98: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.12 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 99: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 100: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 101: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 102: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 103: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) Exhibit 104: Data Tables on Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10.1 Market drivers 10.2 Market challenges 10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 105: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 10.4 Market trends 11 Vendor Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 106: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 11.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 107: Overview on factors of disruption 11.4 Industry risks Exhibit 108: Impact of key risks on business 12 Vendor Analysis 12.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 109: Vendors covered 12.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 110: Matrix on vendor position and classification 12.3 ABB Ltd. Exhibit 111: ABB Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 112: ABB Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 113: ABB Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 114: ABB Ltd. - Segment focus 12.4 Allied Motion Technologies Inc. Exhibit 115: Allied Motion Technologies Inc. - Overview Exhibit 116: Allied Motion Technologies Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 117: Allied Motion Technologies Inc. - Key offerings 12.5 Arc Systems Inc. Exhibit 118: Arc Systems Inc. - Overview Exhibit 119: Arc Systems Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 120: Arc Systems Inc. - Key offerings 12.6 Emerson Electric Co. Exhibit 121: Emerson Electric Co. - Overview Exhibit 122: Emerson Electric Co. - Business segments Exhibit 123: Emerson Electric Co. - Key news Exhibit 124: Emerson Electric Co. - Key offerings Exhibit 125: Emerson Electric Co. - Segment focus 12.7 General Electric Co. Exhibit 126: General Electric Co. - Overview Exhibit 127: General Electric Co. - Business segments Exhibit 128: General Electric Co. - Key news Exhibit 129: General Electric Co. - Key offerings Exhibit 130: General Electric Co. - Segment focus 12.8 Hitachi Ltd. Exhibit 131: Hitachi Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 132: Hitachi Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 133: Hitachi Ltd. - Key news Exhibit 134: Hitachi Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 135: Hitachi Ltd. - Segment focus 12.9 Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd. Exhibit 136: Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 137: Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 138: Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 139: Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd. - Segment focus 12.10 Kirloskar Electric Co. Ltd. Exhibit 140: Kirloskar Electric Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 141: Kirloskar Electric Co. Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 142: Kirloskar Electric Co. Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 143: Kirloskar Electric Co. Ltd. - Segment focus 12.11 Nidec Corp. Exhibit 144: Nidec Corp. - Overview Exhibit 145: Nidec Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 146: Nidec Corp. - Key news Exhibit 147: Nidec Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 148: Nidec Corp. - Segment focus 12.12 Regal Rexnord Corp. Exhibit 149: Regal Rexnord Corp. - Overview Exhibit 150: Regal Rexnord Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 151: Regal Rexnord Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 152: Regal Rexnord Corp. - Segment focus 12.13 Rockwell Automation Inc. Exhibit 153: Rockwell Automation Inc. - Overview Exhibit 154: Rockwell Automation Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 155: Rockwell Automation Inc. - Key news Exhibit 156: Rockwell Automation Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 157: Rockwell Automation Inc. - Segment focus 12.14 SAS TT Electric Exhibit 158: SAS TT Electric - Overview Exhibit 159: SAS TT Electric - Product / Service Exhibit 160: SAS TT Electric - Key offerings 12.15 Schneider Electric SE Exhibit 161: Schneider Electric SE - Overview Exhibit 162: Schneider Electric SE - Business segments Exhibit 163: Schneider Electric SE - Key news Exhibit 164: Schneider Electric SE - Key offerings Exhibit 165: Schneider Electric SE - Segment focus 12.16 Siemens AG Exhibit 166: Siemens AG - Overview Exhibit 167: Siemens AG - Business segments Exhibit 168: Siemens AG - Key news Exhibit 169: Siemens AG - Key offerings Exhibit 170: Siemens AG - Segment focus 12.17 Toshiba Corp. Exhibit 171: Toshiba Corp. - Overview Exhibit 172: Toshiba Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 173: Toshiba Corp. - Key news Exhibit 174: Toshiba Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 175: Toshiba Corp. - Segment focus 13 Appendix 13.1 Scope of the report 13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 176: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 177: Exclusions checklist 13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 178: Currency conversion rates for US$ 13.4 Research methodology Exhibit 179: Research methodology Exhibit 180: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 181: Information sources 13.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 182: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com SOURCE Technavio WASHINGTON, July 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid a coordinated effort to undermine No Labels' work to secure ballot access in states nationwide, we have named Jay Nixon a lifelong Democrat who spent 30 years serving Missouri as a governor, attorney general and state senator as director of our new Ballot Integrity Project. Since early last year, No Labels has gathered over 700,000 signatures and qualified for the ballot in five states. We have a strategy to get on the ballot in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., with the aim of potentially offering our line to an independent Unity presidential ticket in 2024. No Labels is responding to the overwhelming desire of Americans for more choices and voices in our politics with two-thirds of voters saying they don't want a rematch of the 2020 election but we now face organized opposition from a group of political operatives and former elected officials intent on keeping us off the ballot. "At a moment when so many Americans' are losing trust in our democracy, we need to hold even tighter to the pillars that have held our democracy up for almost 250 years. In our country, you win by persuading more people and getting more votes, not by limiting voters' choices and denying competitors a place on the ballot," said Nixon. "Americans have the constitutional right to put any person or party on the ballot and to vote for whomever they want. Anyone who is against that isn't standing up for democracy. They are standing in the way." Former Gov. Larry Hogan will welcome Nixon to the No Labels community in his first scheduled public appearance at a town hall o n Tuesday, August 1, at 5 p.m. ET. Register here to join the town hall. In Nixon's decorated public service career, he established a stellar record as a champion for the civil and voting rights of Americans. In his new role with No Labels, Nixon will work closely with No Labels national co-chair and civil rights icon, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., to monitor legal developments, provide strategic counsel and serve as a public advocate for No Labels' ballot access efforts. Since the start of its ballot access effort, No Labels has rigorously followed the letter and spirit of all applicable election laws. In recent months, however, it has become the target of an undemocratic campaign by organized and powerful partisan interests determined to keep No Labels off the ballot. Local parties and partisan election officials have filed baseless lawsuits, invented spurious charges and delayed certification without justification in Arizona, Maine and North Carolina. Now, a new well-resourced group, organized under the name "Citizens to Save our Republic," has embarked on an effort to pressure No Labels and its members to abandon our ballot access effort. "No Labels is a movement dedicated to democracy, and democracy can't stop because the powers that be think it's 'dangerous' to have competition," said Chavis. "The way to unite this country and to restore Americans faith in our future is to have more democracy, not less. I'm eager to begin working side by side with former Gov. Nixon to protect Americans' most fundamental constitutional rights." On July 18, No Labels launched its Common Sense policy booklet at an overflow town hall event at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., featuring Dr. Chavis, his fellow No Labels co-chairs former Gov. Pat McCrory and Sen. Joe Lieberman and special guests Sen. Joe Manchin and Gov. Jon Huntsman. It was the first of many town halls No Labels will host in the months ahead with different leaders in different states to spur a long overdue discussion about where America needs to go in 2024 and beyond. By early 2024, No Labels will gauge the mood of the American public and their openness to an independent Unity ticket and will offer our ballot line to a ticket if and only if, such a ticket has a viable path to victory in the 2024 presidential election. Since its founding in 2009, No Labels has spent 13 years working to give voice to America's commonsense majority. We are now getting ballot access in states across the country to ensure Americans have the choice to vote for a 2024 presidential ticket that features strong, effective, and honest leaders who will commit to working closely with both parties to find commonsense solutions to America's biggest problems. www.nolabels.org . SOURCE No Labels DUBLIN, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Courier, Express, and Parcel (CEP) Market - Forecasts from 2023 to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This comprehensive report provides insights into the global CEP market, including market size, growth trends, end-user segments, and regional outlook. Market Overview: The global courier, express, and parcel (CEP) market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.68%, reaching $734.054 billion in 2028 from $437.414 billion in 2021. The market is expected to witness significant growth, driven by urbanization, expanding middle-class population in emerging economies, and increasing national and international trade. The growing e-commerce industry and M&A activities among market players are further contributing to market growth. E-commerce Industry Driving Market Demand: The surge in the e-commerce industry has led to increased parcel delivery demand. The adoption of e-commerce retailing and digitization has also resulted in higher parcel volumes due to evolving customer expectations for faster and flexible deliveries. To meet these demands, delivery models are evolving with advanced technologies like analytics, dynamic route optimization, and artificial intelligence, enhancing delivery speed and flexibility. Last-Mile Delivery Trend: Retailers and CEP providers are offering same-day or next-day delivery options to meet consumer expectations for faster delivery times, driving market growth. Last-mile delivery has become a key focus for retailers, with investments and innovation in the CEP market to ensure efficient delivery for customer satisfaction. Tech-Savvy Customers and Incentives: The presence of tech-savvy customers and high penetration of mobile devices has increased demand for e-commerce. Tech-savvy customers expect features like delivery window selection, real-time delivery tracking, and communication with drivers. Additionally, incentives and discounts offered by e-commerce organizations drive market growth. Retail Dominates the End-User Segment: The retail segment is expected to hold a significant market share due to the growth of e-commerce and rising disposable income in developing countries. The healthcare industry is anticipated to witness exponential growth, with increasing importance of on-time delivery of pharmaceutical and healthcare products. The food and beverage industry is also expected to grow significantly, augmenting the demand for efficient CEP services. North America Holds a Significant Share: North America, led by the United States, holds a significant market share, driven by technological advancements and increasing e-commerce activities. The presence of major CEP service providers and high-tech delivery solutions further support market growth. Key Companies Mentioned include: Fedex Corporation United Parcel Service Inc Deutsche Post AG Singapore Post Limited SG Holdings Co., Ltd. S.F. Express Co., Ltd. A-1 Express Aramex International LLC Allied Express Transport Parcelforce Worldwide DTDC Express Ltd. One World Express Inc. Ltd. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tvaf1r About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets VERO BEACH, Fla, , July 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the sixth consecutive year, Market Street Memory Care Residence Viera celebrates their certification as a Great Place to Work under the operational management of Watercrest Senior Living. Great Place to Work certification is awarded by the Great Place to Work Institute and its senior care partner Activated Insights. Market Street Memory Care Residence Viera celebrates six years as a certified Great Place to Work under the operational leadership of Watercrest Senior Living Group. "Achieving the honor of Great Place to Work for six consecutive years is a direct reflection of our Watercrest associate's feelings of respect and appreciation for their contributions to the organization and to the seniors that we serve," says Marc Vorkapich, principal and CEO of Watercrest Senior Living Group. "By cultivating our team members God-given talents and recognizing their unique contributions, Watercrest continues to uphold our reputation as one of the nation's premier senior living providers." Market Street Viera is an award-winning senior living community in Melbourne, Florida prestigiously recognized by U.S. News & World Report for the past two years as a Best Memory Care Community. U.S. News awards the designation of Best Senior Living only to those communities that achieved the highest possible rating for Memory Care. Prior to hiring at Market Street Memory Care, candidates complete a thorough behavioral based interview process to discover how their values align with the Watercrest mission and vision. Selected candidates proudly display their core value on their name badge, honoring a call to serve seniors. Great workplaces are defined by employees' levels of trust, pride and camaraderie, but the best workplaces are characterized by factors such as executive team effectiveness, innovation experience, complexity, and financial sustainability, all which contribute to a great workplace for associates at every level within the organization. "Being recognized as both a Great Place to Work and a two-time U.S. News & World Report Best Memory Care Community are achievements which go hand-in-hand," says Kim Sviben, Executive Director of Market Street Viera. "Our associates are valued and respected which creates an environment for our seniors to feel value, respect, and comfort in their home here at Market Street Viera." More than 60 elements of team members' experience on the job were evaluated, including the feeling of being welcomed as a new employee, the belief that their work makes a difference, and feeling their work has special meaning. Rankings are based on employees' experiences, regardless of title or position. Market Street Memory Care Residence Viera offers world class care, multi-sensory programming, diverse culinary experiences, and unparalleled associate training honoring seniors with Alzheimer's and dementia. The community is conveniently located at 6845 Murrell Road in Melbourne, Florida; for more information, contact the community at 321-730-2444. The Watercrest Senior Living Group certification of Great Place to Work encompasses all of the senior living communities operating under the Watercrest Senior Living umbrella, including Market Street Memory Care Residences, Pelican Landing Assisted Living and Memory Care, and LifeBUILT Architecture. About Watercrest Senior Living Group Watercrest Senior Living Group was founded to honor our mothers and fathers, aspiring to become a beacon for quality in senior living by surpassing standards of care, service and associate training. Watercrest senior living communities are recognized for their luxury aesthetic, exceptional amenities, world-class care, and innovative memory care programming offering unparalleled service to seniors living with Alzheimer's and dementia. A six-time certified Great Place to Work, Watercrest specializes in the development and operations of assisted living and memory care communities and the growth of servant leaders. For information, visit www.watercrestseniorliving.com. About Activated Insights Activated Insights is the senior care affiliate of Great Place to Work, the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through its aging services certification program, Activated Insights helps Great Place to Work recognize outstanding workplace cultures in the aging services industry and produce the annual Fortune "Best Workplaces for Aging Services" as well as other Great Place to Work Best Workplaces lists for Millennials, Women, Diversity, Small & Medium Companies, and various regions. Through its employee engagement platform, Activated Insights helps clients create great workplaces that outpace peers on key business metrics like revenue growth, profitability, and retention. SOURCE Watercrest Senior Living Group NEW YORK, July 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The military logistics market size is estimated to grow by USD 1,115.84 million from 2022 to 2027. The market will accelerate at a CAGR of 2.43% according to Technavio. Download a Sample Report Now! Military logistics market insights - Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Military Logistics Market 2023-2027 Vendors : 15+, Including AECOM, Agility Public Warehousing Co. K.S.C.P, Amentum Services Inc., Anham Fzco LLC, BAE Systems Plc, CACI International Inc., CLAXTON LOGISTICS SERVICES LLC, CMA CGM SA, Colak Group, Crane Worldwide Logistics, Crowley Maritime Corp., Fluor Corp., General Dynamics Corp., KBR Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., ManTech International Corp., One Network Enterprises Inc., SEKO Logistics, Thales Group, and Wincanton Plc, among others : 15+, Including AECOM, Agility Public Warehousing Co. K.S.C.P, Amentum Services Inc., Anham Fzco LLC, BAE Systems Plc, CACI International Inc., CLAXTON LOGISTICS SERVICES LLC, CMA CGM SA, Colak Group, Crane Worldwide Logistics, Crowley Maritime Corp., Fluor Corp., General Dynamics Corp., KBR Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., ManTech International Corp., One Network Enterprises Inc., SEKO Logistics, Thales Group, and Wincanton Plc, among others Coverage: Parent market analysis; key drivers, major trends, and challenges; customer and vendor landscape; vendor product insights and recent developments; key vendors; and market positioning of vendors Parent market analysis; key drivers, major trends, and challenges; customer and vendor landscape; vendor product insights and recent developments; key vendors; and market positioning of vendors Segments: End-user (Army, Navy, and Airforce), Type (Logistics and distribution, Facility management, and Services), and Geography ( North America , Europe , APAC, South America , and Middle East and Africa ) To understand more about the military logistics market, request a sample report Military logistics market - Vendor Insights The growing competition in the market is compelling vendors to adopt various growth strategies such as promotional activities and spending on advertisements to improve the visibility of their services. Technavio report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors including AECOM, Agility Public Warehousing Co. K.S.C.P, Amentum Services Inc., Anham Fzco LLC, BAE Systems Plc, CACI International Inc., CLAXTON LOGISTICS SERVICES LLC, CMA CGM SA, Colak Group, Crane Worldwide Logistics, Crowley Maritime Corp., Fluor Corp., General Dynamics Corp., KBR Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., ManTech International Corp., One Network Enterprises Inc., SEKO Logistics, Thales Group, and Wincanton Plc Military logistics market Market Dynamics Major Drivers - Growing demand for international peacekeeping operations drives the growth of the military logistics market. There has been a steady growth in the demand for international peacekeeping operations over the past decade. In 2020, the UN had over 90,000 peacekeepers deployed in 13 different missions worldwide. Also, the UN has been increasing its peacekeeping budget in recent years. Additionally, along with the demand for peacekeeping operations increases, the demand for military logistics services also increases. Transporting troops, equipment, and supplies into and out of conflict areas, as well as providing basic services such as food, water, and medical supplies also increases. Hence, such factors drive the growth of the military logistics market during the forecast period. Significant Trends - Increasing globalization of military operations is an emerging market trend in the military logistics market. Due to countries working together to address common security challenges, there has been a growing trend toward multinational military operations over the past decade. For instance, in 2021, the US and NATO allies completed the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan after two decades of military operations. Also, the increasing globalization of military operations is driving the demand for military logistics services that can operate in multiple regions and countries. Hence, trends such as the increasing globalization of military operations are a significant driver which is expected to drive the growth of the global military logistics market during the forecast period. Key challenges - Infrastructure limitations required to support military operations challenge the growth of the military logistics market. Since the logistics infrastructure required to support military operations is often complex, it is costly and subject to many constraints and limitations. The availability and condition of transportation infrastructure such as roads, bridges, railroads, and ports is a key constraint for the market. The availability of storage and warehousing facilities is another market limitation. Additionally, military logistics operations often require large quantities of equipment, supplies, and ammunition to be stored and maintained in secure facilities but in many parts of the world, suitable storage facilities may be limited, inadequate, or subject to security risks. Hence, infrastructure limitations can become a major challenge to the growth of the global military logistics market during the forecast period. Drivers, Trends, and Challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact businesses. Find more insights in a sample report! The military logistics market report provides critical information and factual data, with a qualitative and quantitative study of the market based on market drivers and limitations as well as future prospects. Why Buy? Add credibility to strategy Analyzes competitor's offerings Get a holistic view of the market Grow your profit margin with Technavio- Buy the Report What are the key data covered in this military logistics market report? CAGR of the market during the forecast period Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the military logistics market between 2023 and 2027 Precise estimation of the size of the military logistics market and its contribution to the market with a focus on the parent market Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior Growth of the military logistics market across North America , Europe , APAC, South America , and Middle East and Africa , , APAC, , and and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of military logistics market vendors Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Related Reports: The Military Mobile Computing Systems Market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.93% between 2022 and 2027, and the size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 1,387.07 million. This military mobile computing systems market report extensively covers market segmentation by component (products and services), device (radio, smartphones, tablets, and PCs and laptops), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa). A greater focus on ISR operations is the key factor driving the global military mobile computing systems market growth. The military hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and electric vehicle (EV) market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 14.36% between 2022 and 2027 and the size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 8.48 billion. This report extensively covers market segmentation by product (manned military HEV and EV and unmanned military HEV and EV), type (AC charging and DC charging), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). High-density, high-power, and small-size Li-ion batteries is the primary trend in the global military hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and electric vehicle (EV) market. Military logistics market scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 2.43% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 1,115.84 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 1.98 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 34% Key countries US, China, India, Russia, and France Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled AECOM, Agility Public Warehousing Co. K.S.C.P, Amentum Services Inc., Anham Fzco LLC, BAE Systems Plc, CACI International Inc., CLAXTON LOGISTICS SERVICES LLC, CMA CGM SA, Colak Group, Crane Worldwide Logistics, Crowley Maritime Corp., Fluor Corp., General Dynamics Corp., KBR Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., ManTech International Corp., One Network Enterprises Inc., SEKO Logistics, Thales Group, and Wincanton Plc Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by End-user Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Type Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 09: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 10: Parent market Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 13: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 4 Historic Market Size 4.1 Global military logistics market 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size Data Table on global military logistics market 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.2 End-User Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size End-User Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.3 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 5 Five Forces Analysis 5.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027 5.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027 5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.7 Market condition Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027 6 Market Segmentation by End-user 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 30: Chart on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 6.2 Comparison by End-user Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by End-user Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by End-user 6.3 Army - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 34: Chart on Army - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Army - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 36: Chart on Army - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 37: Data Table on Army - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Navy - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 38: Chart on Navy - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Navy - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 40: Chart on Navy - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 41: Data Table on Navy - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 Airforce - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 42: Chart on Airforce - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Data Table on Airforce - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 44: Chart on Airforce - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on Airforce - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.6 Market opportunity by End-user Exhibit 46: Market opportunity by End-user ($ million) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Market opportunity by End-user ($ million) 7 Market Segmentation by Type 7.1 Market segments Exhibit 48: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 7.2 Comparison by Type Exhibit 50: Chart on Comparison by Type Exhibit 51: Data Table on Comparison by Type 7.3 Logistics and distribution - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 52: Chart on Logistics and distribution - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 53: Data Table on Logistics and distribution - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 54: Chart on Logistics and distribution - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Logistics and distribution - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.4 Facility management - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 56: Chart on Facility management - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 57: Data Table on Facility management - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 58: Chart on Facility management - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 59: Data Table on Facility management - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.5 Services - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 60: Chart on Services - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 61: Data Table on Services - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 62: Chart on Services - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 63: Data Table on Services - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.6 Market opportunity by Type Exhibit 64: Market opportunity by Type ($ million) Exhibit 65: Data Table on Market opportunity by Type ($ million) 8 Customer Landscape 8.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 66: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 9 Geographic Landscape 9.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 67: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 68: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 9.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 69: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 70: Data Table on Geographic comparison 9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 71: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 73: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 74: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 75: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 76: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 77: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 78: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 79: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 80: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 81: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 82: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 83: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 84: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 85: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 86: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 87: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 88: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 89: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 90: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 91: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 92: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 93: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 94: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 95: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 96: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 97: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 98: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.10 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 99: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 100: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 101: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 102: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.11 Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 103: Chart on Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 104: Data Table on Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 105: Chart on Russia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 106: Data Table on Russia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.12 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 107: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 108: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 109: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 110: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 111: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) Exhibit 112: Data Tables on Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10.1 Market drivers 10.2 Market challenges 10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 113: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 10.4 Market trends 11 Vendor Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 114: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 11.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 115: Overview on factors of disruption 11.4 Industry risks Exhibit 116: Impact of key risks on business 12 Vendor Analysis 12.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 117: Vendors covered 12.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 118: Matrix on vendor position and classification 12.3 AECOM Exhibit 119: AECOM - Overview Exhibit 120: AECOM - Business segments Exhibit 121: AECOM - Key news Exhibit 122: AECOM - Key offerings Exhibit 123: AECOM - Segment focus 12.4 Agility Public Warehousing Co. K.S.C.P Exhibit 124: Agility Public Warehousing Co. K.S.C.P - Overview Exhibit 125: Agility Public Warehousing Co. K.S.C.P - Business segments Exhibit 126: Agility Public Warehousing Co. K.S.C.P - Key news Exhibit 127: Agility Public Warehousing Co. K.S.C.P - Key offerings Exhibit 128: Agility Public Warehousing Co. K.S.C.P - Segment focus 12.5 Amentum Services Inc. Exhibit 129: Amentum Services Inc. - Overview Exhibit 130: Amentum Services Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 131: Amentum Services Inc. - Key offerings 12.6 Anham Fzco LLC Exhibit 132: Anham Fzco LLC - Overview Exhibit 133: Anham Fzco LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 134: Anham Fzco LLC - Key offerings 12.7 BAE Systems Plc Exhibit 135: BAE Systems Plc - Overview Exhibit 136: BAE Systems Plc - Business segments Exhibit 137: BAE Systems Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 138: BAE Systems Plc - Segment focus 12.8 CACI International Inc. Exhibit 139: CACI International Inc. - Overview Exhibit 140: CACI International Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 141: CACI International Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 142: CACI International Inc. - Segment focus 12.9 CLAXTON LOGISTICS SERVICES LLC Exhibit 143: CLAXTON LOGISTICS SERVICES LLC - Overview Exhibit 144: CLAXTON LOGISTICS SERVICES LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 145: CLAXTON LOGISTICS SERVICES LLC - Key offerings 12.10 CMA CGM SA Exhibit 146: CMA CGM SA - Overview Exhibit 147: CMA CGM SA - Business segments Exhibit 148: CMA CGM SA - Key news Exhibit 149: CMA CGM SA - Key offerings Exhibit 150: CMA CGM SA - Segment focus 12.11 Crowley Maritime Corp. Exhibit 151: Crowley Maritime Corp. - Overview Exhibit 152: Crowley Maritime Corp. - Product / Service Exhibit 153: Crowley Maritime Corp. - Key offerings 12.12 Fluor Corp. Exhibit 154: Fluor Corp. - Overview Exhibit 155: Fluor Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 156: Fluor Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 157: Fluor Corp. - Segment focus 12.13 General Dynamics Corp. Exhibit 158: General Dynamics Corp. - Overview Exhibit 159: General Dynamics Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 160: General Dynamics Corp. - Key news Exhibit 161: General Dynamics Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 162: General Dynamics Corp. - Segment focus 12.14 KBR Inc. Exhibit 163: KBR Inc. - Overview Exhibit 164: KBR Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 165: KBR Inc. - Key news Exhibit 166: KBR Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 167: KBR Inc. - Segment focus 12.15 Lockheed Martin Corp. Exhibit 168: Lockheed Martin Corp. - Overview Exhibit 169: Lockheed Martin Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 170: Lockheed Martin Corp. - Key news Exhibit 171: Lockheed Martin Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 172: Lockheed Martin Corp. - Segment focus 12.16 One Network Enterprises Inc. Exhibit 173: One Network Enterprises Inc. - Overview Exhibit 174: One Network Enterprises Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 175: One Network Enterprises Inc. - Key offerings 12.17 Thales Group Exhibit 176: Thales Group - Overview Exhibit 177: Thales Group - Business segments Exhibit 178: Thales Group - Key news Exhibit 179: Thales Group - Key offerings Exhibit 180: Thales Group - Segment focus 13 Appendix 13.1 Scope of the report 13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 181: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 182: Exclusions checklist 13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 183: Currency conversion rates for US$ 13.4 Research methodology Exhibit 184: Research methodology Exhibit 185: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 186: Information sources 13.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 187: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com SOURCE Technavio Photo: The Canadian Press Public Safety Minster Mike Ellis is sworn into cabinet in Edmonton on Friday, June 9, 2023. The Alberta government is partnering with community groups and putting up $4 million over two years to create an office to combat human trafficking. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson The Alberta government is partnering with community groups and putting up $4 million over two years to create an office to combat human trafficking. Public Safety Minster Mike Ellis says the office is to provide supports to those victimized by human trafficking while raising public awareness of the problem. The province says it involves multiple areas such as sex trafficking, labour trafficking and the trafficking of organs. It says in the last decade or so, more than 3,500 cases of human trafficking have been reported across Canada. The majority of victims are women and girls, and one quarter of them are under the age of 18. It says Indigenous women and girls are the most affected. Korea's arms exports crossed a record US$17 billion early this month and will likely exceed $20 billion by year's end. The main driver has been Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which spurred frantic arms purchases from neighboring Poland. Arms export deals Korea struck with Poland alone this year are worth $14.76 billion, including K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzer guns, FA-50 light combat fighter jets and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers. Originally, Poland had considered buying the weapons from the U.S. and Germany, but it decided to buy Korean weapons instead because they are cheaper and can be delivered faster. The German Leopard-2 A7 tank and PzH 2000 self-propelled gun are twice as expensive as Korea's K2 tank and K9 howitzer. DUBAI, UAE, July 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A Greek Golden Visa is one of Europe's most popular residence by investment programs. This article will highlight everything you need to know about the Greek Golden Visa and how you can qualify for this residence-by-investment scheme. Overview Of Greece Where in the World is Greece? The southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula houses Greece. Head east to reach the Aegean Sea, south to get to the Mediterranean Sea, and west to hit the Ionian Sea. Its neighbors are Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Turkiye. How Big is Greece? Imagine a land mass the size of Alabama or England comprising a mainland plus over 2,000 islands. Greece has roughly 10.4 million inhabitants. What Language Do They Speak in Greece? The official language is Greek, an ancient tongue dating back to around the 15th century BCE. About half of Greece's population can speak English. This compares favorably with Italy and Spain but less so with Germany. Which Currency Do They Use in Greece? As Greece belongs to the European Union, they use the Euro. Greece Golden Visa Program Benefits There are many reasons to invest in the Greek Golden Visa program. They include: A renewable 5-year Greek permanent residence permit for you and your family members Visa-free travel around the Schengen Zone for third-country nationals Access to complimentary education for your children Free family healthcare for tax residents Mediterranean climate A route to Greek citizenship. Interesting investment opportunities on an open market Greece Golden Visa Process The steps to obtaining a Greek Golden Visa are very simple: Make a qualified investment Submit a full online application through the government's portal Once approved, applicants must travel to Greece to submit biometrics to submit biometrics They then collect their Golden Visas within Greece The entire process takes about three months on average. Greece has an excellent healthcare system, amazing education infrastructure, a pleasant climate, and, most importantly, a simple residency by investment program with a route to Greek citizenship. Greek Golden Visa Program FAQs When Did They Start the Greece Golden Visa? The Greek government launched the Golden Visa scheme in 2013. What Are the Advantages of Getting a Golden Visa in Greece? The Greek Golden Visa lets you live in Greece as a resident and gives you visa-free access to the Schengen region, among many other benefits. How Long Does the Process of Obtaining Residency in Greece Take? Submit your application form. Then you will have to wait no more than three months to receive your residence permits. How Do You Get Greek Citizenship? You will receive a Greek Golden Visa residence permit. This is not a citizenship-by-investment program. But, if you live in the country for seven years, you can become a Greek citizen through naturalisation. You will need to pass a Greek language test. Which Family Members Can Go with Me on a Greek Golden Visa? You can bring family members with you. These include spouses and dependent children up to the age of 24. Parents and grandparents can come too. Will I Have to Pay Taxes in Greece? It depends. If you are spending more than 183 days in the country, yes. If you are renting out your real estate investment, no. Greece has double taxation agreements with many countries. These include the UK and US. So, you will only pay tax on your Greek property. Savory & Partners is an accredited agent for multiple governments where citizenship by investment is offered. The company has coverage in over 20 jurisdictions including Europe and was the first firm to obtain all five authorised agent licenses for the governments of the Caribbean Islands. To date it has processed second passports for over 4,000 citizens with a 100 percent success rate. With presence in 3 continents and 7 countries, more than 60 experts worldwide, the company's multinational staff is made up of advisors who guide clients in English, Arabic, Farsi, French, Spanish and Hindi. To know more about Savory and Partners, visit www.savoryandpartners.com or email [email protected]. You can also call +971 04 430 1717 or send a WhatsApp message to +971 54 440 2955 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1738007/Savory_and_Partners_Logo.jpg SOURCE Savory And Partners NEW ORLEANS, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until August 7, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against SentinelOne, Inc. (NYSE: S), if they purchased the Company's securities between June 1, 2022 and June 1, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Get Help SentinelOne investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-s-7/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit SentinelOne and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On June 1, 2023, the Company disclosed that "[a]s a result of a change in methodology and correction of historical inaccuracieswe made a one-time adjustment to ARR of $27.0 million or approximately 5% of total ARR" and that the Company had slashed its fiscal year 2024 revenue guidance from a range of $631 million to $640 million to a range of $590 million to $600 million, due to the discovery of "historical upsell and renewal recording inaccuracies relating to ARR on certain subscription and consumption contracts, which are now corrected." On this news, shares of SentinelOne fell $7.28 per share, or more than 35%, to close at $13.44 per share on June 2, 2023. The case is Johansson v. SentinelOne, Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-02786. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. SOURCE ClaimsFiler If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here ABU DHABI, Nov. 12, 2019 (Xinhua) -- United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber addresses the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and. Image Source: IANS News Dubai, July 29 : COP28 President-designate Sultan Al Jaber has called on the G-20 nations to take a leadership role in mitigating climate change, media reported. Al Jaber, also the UAE's special envoy for climate change, made the call at the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting held in Chennai, India, said the report on Friday. Noting that the G20 economies account for around 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Jaber said decisions made by the group could "have a huge influence on outcomes for everyone" and therefore urged G20 nations to drive actions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. He also urged solidarity and cooperation among all parties toward scaling up renewable energy, comprehensively decarbonising the energy system, and building a system free of fossil fuels, Xinhua news agency reported. The president-designate highlighted the importance of making progress on adaptation, a key part of the Paris Agreement, reiterating the need to "move the needle on adaptation finance," which is merely around 10 per cent of that allocated for mitigation. In the three-day meeting, the G20 major nations failed to agree on concrete targets to mitigate emissions, with disputes lingering over carbon budgets, historical emissions, net-zero goals, and financing for developing countries, according to a document issued by organisers on Friday. The meeting had been considered a chance for the G20 to make pragmatic steps ahead of the COP28 Summit in the UAE in November. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Riyadh, July 29 : The Yemeni government has expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for its additional $8-million assistance in the salvage operations of the Safer tanker abandoned off Yemen's western coast, media reported. According to Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani, the new aid, along with the previous $10-million support from Saudi Arabia, will be extended to the ongoing UN-led salvage operations of the decaying tanker off the coast of western Hodeidah province. The UN emergency team on Tuesday started to transfer crude oil from the Safer tanker to a replacement vessel as part of an urgent mission to avert a potential environmental catastrophe of a massive oil spill, Xinhua news agency reported. The Safer tanker was originally constructed as a supertanker in 1976 and later converted to a floating storage and offloading facility (FSO) for oil. After years of neglect because of civil conflict, the FSO Safer is on the brink of breaking up, raising concerns about a potential oil spill that could wreak havoc on the fragile marine ecosystem and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen. Earlier in July, the UN said it had raised about $118 million out of the estimated $148-million budget for the emergency rescue project for Safer. New Delhi, July 29 : Even as the third meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is all set to take place in Mumbai on August 25 and 26, some of the leaders of the bloc on Friday raised concern over Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Supremo Sharad Pawar sharing stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Maharashtra's Pune on August 1. A party source said that during the meeting of floor leaders of the INDIA bloc on Friday, some of the members raised concerns about Pawar being the chief guest of the function in which Modi is honoured with the Lokmanya Tilak Award. The source added that there were suggestions that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge could speak to the NCP leader to urge and request him not to attend the function. The source said that few of INDIA bloc leaders felt that Pawar sharing stage with the Prime Minister would create a bad impression, when the like-minded opposition parties are coming together to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The source also added that by sharing stage with Modi, Pawar will dent the image of the INDIA bloc, which has taken a lot of effort to build and it will also lead to send a wrong message among people as Prime Minister Modi has attacked INDIA with its comparison to the East India Company and terror organisation Indian Mujahideen. The NCP patriarch has been invited as the chief guest of the function which is organised by Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust. During the programme, Pawar will be handing over the award to Modi. Meanwhile, the third meeting of INDIA will take place in Mumbai on August 25 and 26 and Shiv Sena (UBT) and Pawar-led NCP will be the host. New Delhi : A view of Delhi Mumbai Expressway which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today,in Dausa on Sunday, February 12, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Twitter). Image Source: IANS News Jaipur, July 29 : Amid heavy rain, the Jaipur Rural Police have urged the public to take the Dausa Expressway to travel between the Rajasthan state capital to Delhi. The incessant downpours and flyover constructions have led to massive jams in Kotputli and Shahpura on the National Highway-48, which connects Jaipur and Delhi. According to Jaipur Rural SP Rajeev Pachar, there has been jams spanning to around 10 km on both sides of the highway. "Hence its a request that people should take the Dausa Expressway and avoid waterlogged lanes which are blocking traffic at construction sites," Pachar added. San Francisco, July 29 : As Twitter is being rebranded as X, its owner Elon Musk said the platform has hit a "new high" in "monthly users" this year. On Friday, the tech billionaire posted a graph showing the platform's growth and wrote: "X monthly users reach new high in 2023. Chart is 1/1 to yesterday. Also, this is after removal of a vast number of bots." The number 541,562,214 is at the end of the chart. The company has also updated its iOS app on the App Store to replace the blue bird logo with the new X logo. While the blue bird is gone, the platform is still named Twitter on iOS. Image Source: IANS News Musk had started hinting at the rebranding of Twitter as X on July 23 with a series of tweets, starting with one that said, "soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds". The following day, the X logo replaced the Twitter blue bird on the platform's web version. Also this week, workers were seen removing letters from the iconic vertical sign at Twitter's headquarters. However, the work was halted by the police. On Thursday, the company had updated its Android app by replacing it with the new logo and name, and on Friday announced that the 'Ads Revenue Sharing' programme -- which launched earlier this month -- was now live for eligible creators globally. monthly users reach new high in 2023 pic.twitter.com/trqLGBEvvA Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 28, 2023 "We want X to be the best place on the internet to earn a living as a creator and this is our first step in rewarding you for your efforts," the platform said. Earlier this week, Musk had said: "Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech and as an accelerant for X, the everything app. This is not simply a company renaming itself, but doing the same thing. The Twitter name made sense when it was just 140 character messages going back and forth -- like birds tweeting -- but now you can post almost anything, including several hours of video." --IANS -- Syndicated from IANS The main opposition Syriza party issued a statement accusing the center-right government of using "personal grounds" as a euphemism for "[Mitarachi's] holidays while the country was burning from end to end." As the situation improved considerably on Friday, Greece's minister for the police unexpectedly stepped down, citing "personal grounds." Greek media said Notis Mitarachi's resignation was requested after it emerged that he had been on a family holiday during the wildfire crisis. Fueled by the heat waves and strong gusts of wind, wildfires in Europe's Mediterranean region have kept travelers and residents on alert. In Greece, fires scorched hundreds of square kilometers of land outside Athens, on the island of Rhodes and elsewhere this month. "[I hope] that the risks to our common home, exacerbated by the present climate crisis, will spur all people to renew their efforts to care for the gift of creation, for the sake of future generations," Francis said. The pope noted that successive heat waves have exacerbated the dangers of the summer fire season. He offered his prayers for firefighters and emergency personnel in particular. Francis, who has been outspoken on environmental issues, sent a telegram of condolences to Greece, where wildfires killed five people over the past week, including the pilots of a water-dropping aircraft. Pope Francis urged governments to do more to fight climate change and protect "our common home" as improving weather conditions Friday helped firefighters contain wildfires in Greece, Italy and other countries in southern Europe. In central Greece, authorities maintained an exclusion zone around one of the country's largest air force bases after a wildfire triggered powerful explosions at a nearby ammunition depot Thursday. Fighter jets stationed at the 111th Combat Wing base were moved to other facilities. The depot blasts near the central city of Volos shattered windows in nearby towns and prompted the evacuation of more than 2,000 people. Local news broadcasts showed a ground-shaking fireball erupting. Residents were rushed onto private boats mobilized by the coast guard and taken to a conference center in Volos, some 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from the weapons storage site. A civilian traffic ban and evacuation order remained in effect Friday within a 3-kilometer radius of the depot. The explosions did not affect flights at Volos international airport, officials told The Associated Press. A drop in temperatures and calmer winds helped firefighters get a handle on the blazes in Greece and all major fires were contained by midday Friday, Greek Fire Service officials said. Conditions also improved elsewhere in Europe's Mediterranean regions thanks to cooler temperatures, allowing firefighters to contain wildfires along the Croatian coast and in Sicily. Firefighting teams in Turkey also brought a wildfire burning close to the southern Mediterranean resort of Kemer under control, four days after it erupted, Ibrahim Yumakli, the country's forestry minister, said. The governments of the countries hit by heat waves and fires have steered public debate away from the potential impact on tourism. Rhodes, where a fire last weekend required about 19,000 people to be evacuated from several locations on the island, was promised state support Friday for its international advertising campaign. In Germany, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach sought Friday to address Italian irritation over a mid-July social media post in which he described the heat wave he encountered on a visit to Italy as "spectacular" and added that "if it goes on like this, these vacation destinations will have no future in the long term." Lauterbach told reporters in Berlin that he wasn't warning against vacations in southern Europe and plans to visit Italy again himself. "Of course, it is more difficult now for the southern countries to organize heat protection in such a way that it is also accessible for every tourist, but I think those countries will know exactly what they have to do," he said. Vassilis Kikilias, the Greek minister for climate change and civil protection, said fires had burned 400 square kilometers of land in the country in July alone, while the recent average is 500 square kilometers (nearly 200 square miles) in a year. "Is the situation any better in other countries bordering the Mediterranean? It's a fair question... but the answer is no," Kikilias said. "The climate crisis that brought us this unprecedented heat wave is here. It's not a theory. It is our actual experience," he said. "This is not something that will just occur this year. It will last and we have to face the consequences of what that means." Colombo, July 29 : Emmanuel Macron, who became the first ever French President to visit Sri Lanka, has pledged strong support for the island nation's ongoing debt restricting process which will help the country recover from its worst-ever financial crisis. As part of his wider visit to the South Pacific Region, Macron arrived in Colombo on Friday following which he held talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe. "President Macron reaffirmed France's willingness and commitment to supporting Sri Lanka in its economic recovery. As the fourth-largest creditor to Sri Lanka, France pledged its assistance in the debt restructuring process, aiming for a positive outcome for the country," the President's Media Division (PMD) said in a statement. In a Twitter post following the discussions, the French leader said: "Sri Lanka and France are two nations in Indian Ocean sharing the same goal: an open, inclusive and prosper indo-pacific. In Colombo we confirmed it: strong as in our 75 years of diplomatic relations, we would open a new era to our partnership,". During the discussion between the two leaders which lasted about an hour, Wickremesinghe expressed admiration for France's significant role in global affairs, particularly in areas such as climate mitigation, global debt restructuring, and matters related to the Indo-Pacific region. The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in various sectors, including politics, economics, tourism, climate change, sustainable development, and maritime activities. Marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations, several specific areas for further collaboration were identified which included the establishment of a school for maritime safety and security; opening of a permanent office for the French Agency for Development (AFD) in Sri Lanka; initiation of high-level diplomatic dialogues;cooperation in the education sector; and the enhancement of efforts to combat human trafficking in the maritime safety and security sector, the PMD added. "Additionally, both leaders exchanged views on topics of regional and multilateral interest in the current global context. President Macron expressed keen interest in collaborating with Sri Lanka during its upcoming chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), of which France is a member. In turn, President Wickremesinghe showed interest in the Indian Ocean Commission, where France actively participates," it added. In April, France together with the two other creditors of Sri Lanka -- India and Japan -- took the initiative to launch the debt restructuring negotiation process. In May 17, countries, including the Paris Club Creditors, co-chaired by India, Japan and France, formed an official creditor committee which included the to discuss Sri Lanka's request for a debt treatment. The French delegation accompanying President Macron included the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, Ambassador of France in Sri Lanka and Maldives Jean-Francoise Pactet and Head of Asia Department of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Benoit Guidee. Ottawa, July 29 : Over 1,000 wildfires are still burning more than 100,000 square km of land in Canada, more than 600 of them out of control and growing rapidly, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC). The burnt area is equivalent to the size of Iceland or South Korea, Xinhua news agency quoted the CIFFC as saying. This exceeds the record of some 76,000 square km set in 1989 and is four times of average Canadian wildfire burning area, which should be around 25,000 square km per year. According to local media, more Canadians have been evacuated from their homes this year than in the last four decades, with more than 155,000 forced to leave due to fire and smoke. Canada now has 5,500 domestic and some 3,300 international firefighters working together to put out the blaze. However, the personnel deficit is still large compared to the scale of burning. Roughly 2,500 firefighters are short of what is needed, said Mike Flannigan, a wildfire specialist and professor at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia. Till now two firefighters and a pilot have lost their lives in the combat against the monstrous natural disaster. Meanwhile, the enormous carbon dioxide emissions from the unprecedented fires raised concerns among scientists and the public as they hamper international efforts to mitigate climate change. The greenhouse gas emissions from the raging wildfires in Canada have exceeded one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), according to a study by Chinese scientists led by Liu Zhihua, a researcher from the Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The methane and nitrous oxide emissions are about 110 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent, and the total greenhouse gas emissions are about 1.11 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent. A similar estimate is made by Werner Kurz, a senior research scientist with Natural Resources Canada. As of July 18, a preliminary estimate suggests roughly 1.42 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent have been released from the fires so far, across Canada's managed and unmanaged forests, Kurz said. This is at least twice the emissions from all other sectors of the nation's economy combined, which totaled 670 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2021. Kurz further noted that roughly the same amount of indirect carbon emissions will be released when the dead remnants of scorched trees decompose in the coming years. Carbon emissions not only aggravate global warming but also create a dangerous feedback loop by creating conditions where forests are more likely to burn, further shrinking Earth's carbon sink capacities. A global challenge like wildfires requires global collaboration among all stakeholders. The UN Environment Programme called for international and regional collaboration to tackle wildfires in its 2022 report on Rapid Response Assessment. Greater international collaboration enhances fire prevention capability through knowledge sharing for prevention, pre-suppression planning, and risk reduction activities. For individual countries, effective measures should be taken to mitigate CO2 emissions from natural processes, said Liu, adding with regard to wildfires, strategies such as fuel treatment and improved forest management can be used to limit fire intensity and subsequently reduce CO2 emissions. Restoration after fires is also encouraged because plant bodies are able to absorb carbon dioxide and will help remove some CO2 from the atmosphere, said Karen Hodges, a professor in ecology at the University of British Columbia. As forest fires have become a major CO2 source, Liu said it is crucial to build better carbon emission monitoring and accounting systems, which include CO2 emissions from both human activities and natural processes, such as wildfires. Echoing Liu, Hodges said governments should "get far more serious about climate change and policies that reduce fossil fuel emissions, and we need to do that globally". Seoul, July 29 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met a Chinese delegation, a day after commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, Pyongyang's state media reported on Saturday. During Friday's meeting, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing their bilateral relations, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The Chinese party-government delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday to attend anniversary celebrations held the following day, reports Yonhap News Agency. Led by Li Hongzhong, a member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo, the delegation was one of the first foreign groups to visit Pyongyang since North Korea implemented border lockdowns due to Covid-19 in early 2020, alongside a Russian delegation. Kim met the Russian delegation on Wednesday. On Friday, Kim expressed gratitude to China for its help during the Korean War and said North Korea will always remember the significant contributions made during its "most difficult period", according to the KCNA. Kim also voiced his appreciation to Chinese President Xi Jinping for sending the delegation and a personal letter. However, the content of the letter was not disclosed. After the meeting, Kim also held a reception with the Chinese delegation, where his powerful sister Yo-jong and Li made speeches, according to the KCNA report. Washington/Seoul, July 29 : US President Joe Biden will host a trilateral summit with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington on August 18, the White House said. "At the summit (in Camp David), the leaders will celebrate a new chapter in their trilateral relationship as they reaffirm their strong bonds of friendship and the ironclad alliances between the US and Japan, and the US and the Republic of Korea," Yonhap News Agency quoted White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as saying in a statement on Friday, referring to South Korea by its official name. The leaders will mainly discuss threats posed by North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile programs, according to Jean-Pierre. "The three leaders will discuss expanding trilateral cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and beyond -- including to address the continued threat posed by the DPRK and to strengthen ties with ASEAN and the Pacific Islands," the White House spokesperson said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Also confirming the development, spokesperson of the South Korean presidential office Lee Do-woon said: "This summit will be an important opportunity to elevate the cooperation among the three countries that share core values to a new level. We expect the three nations to enhance the rules-based international order together and to make more active contributions to regional and global security and economic prosperity." As for the summit's agenda, the spokesperson said the three leaders will hold in-depth discussions on policy coordination regarding the North Korean nuclear and missile threats, as well as cooperation on economic security and other major regional and global issues. The proposed summit will be the first stand-alone trilateral summit to be held as the leaders of the US, South Korea and Japan have only held trilateral summits on the sidelines of other gatherings, such as regional meetings, in the past, according to Seoul officials. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said the summit will also mark the first visit to Camp David by a foreign leader since 2015. "At the summit, the leaders will celebrate a new chapter in their trilateral relationship, and they will reaffirm strong bonds of friendship," Kirby said at a press briefing. London, July 29 : A 38-year-old Asian-origin man has been found guilty of being part of an organised crime group linked to the prolific smuggling of migrants, including minors, to the UK. Najib Khan, 38, from Ilford was identified as being part of the network by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), following the arrest of his co-conspirator Waqas Ikram, 40, in March 2021. Ikram, who was caught red-handed attempting to break into a heavy goods vehicle to put migrants inside, worked for a people smuggling organised crime group headed by Mokter Hossain. An iPhone belonging to Ikram, seized following his arrest, contained numerous conversations with Khan outlining their involvement in a separate people smuggling network, charging migrants up to 7,000 pounds a head to bring them to the UK, the NCA said in a statement. Phone evidence showed that Khan and Ikram had been involved in a successful crossing involving five migrants being transported into Harwich in March 2019, and two other attempts that had been foiled by border agents. The first of these was in May 2019, when 15 Vietnamese and one Afghan migrant were found in a lorry at the Hook of Holland as it prepared to board a ferry to Harwich. In the same year in August, 16 migrants including 11 minors, were rescued from a purpose built concealment in a lorry carrying 2,000 loose tyres. The lorry was preparing to board a ferry from Dieppe to Newhaven, and officers reported the heat and the nature of the concealment made breathing difficult. The lorry drivers involved in both would later be jailed in the Netherlands and France, but the NCA was able to prove Ikramas crime group had been involved in both attempts. Further conversations between Khan and Ikram showed they were using GPS trackers to follow lorries that they had arranged to be broken into without driversa knowledge to stow migrants. One of the trackers was found at Khanas house when he was arrested by the NCA. In 2020, Khan and Ikram purchased a rigid hull inflatable boat for the purpose of smuggling migrants, and Ikram attended a course for piloting powerboats that June, the NCA said. In July, the pair were encountered by Border Force off the coast of Suffolk in their RHIB. They told officers they were scouting for scuba diving sites, and returned to Walton-on-the-Naze. aIkram and Khan had no regard for the safety and security of those they were transporting, they were only interested in making money from them," NCA branch commander Andy Noyes said in a statement. aIn at least one case it was only the fact that the migrants were discovered by border agents that prevented them being left in what could have been an incredibly dangerous, and potential fatal, situation," Noyes added. Ikram was arrested by the NCA in 2021, charged with people smuggling offences and released on bail by the court. Both he and Khan were detained in connection with further offences by the NCA in July 2022 and charged with three counts of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration. While Ikram pleaded guilty to the charge, Khan went to trial, following which a jury at Reading Crown Court on Friday found him guilty on all three counts. They will be sentenced on October 30. --IANS mi/ksk San Francisco, July 29 : Leading VC firm Sequoia Capital has massively cut its crypto fund, more than 65 per cent to now about $200 million, amid the funding winter. Sequoia Capital has downsized its two major venture funds, including the crypto fund (from $585 million to $200 million), reports the Wall Street Journal. The move came amid several crypto exchanges and platforms announcing bankruptcy in recent months amid tightening regulations. Sequoia is now reportedly looking to invest in younger startups. "We made these changes to sharpen our focus on seed-stage opportunities and to provide liquidity to our limited partners," a company spokesperson was quoted as saying. "The crypto fund will primarily focus on new company formation, with the opportunity to supplement these investments from our seed, venture, growth, and expansion funds as the companies mature," the spokesperson added. "By paring back the fund sizes, Sequoia is lowering the amount of committed capital required from investors," the report noted. Sequoia Capital has pared back the size of two major venture funds "as part of a dramatic downsizing the storied venture firm is undertaking amid a broad startup downturn". The crypto and blockchain sector witnessed an investment of $2.32 billion in the second quarter (Q2) this year, marking a new cycle low and the lowest since Q4 2020, continuing a downtrend that began after a peak of $13 billion in Q1 2022. According to the crypto investment firm Galaxy Digital, crypto and blockchain startups raised less money across the last three quarters combined than they did in Q2 of 2022. In Q2 this year, 10 new crypto VC (venture capital) funds raised only $720 million, the lowest amount since Q3 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Colombo, July 29 : Indian naval ship 'Khanjar', an indigenously-built Missile Corvette of the Khukri class, will make a three-day visit to Sri Lanka's eastern habour of Trincomalee from Saturday. The ship's Commanding Officer NVS Phani Kumar will call on the Commander Eastern Naval Area, while various professional interactions will take place on VBSS, gunnery and missile operations, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement. "The visit of the Indian naval ship Khanjar, a Khukri class Corvette, is also significant in view of the potential for cooperation between India and Sri Lanka for augmenting capabilities of Sri Lanka Navy for efficiently addressing shared challenges for maritime security in the region," the statement said. With an aim to further people-to-people connection and familiarise the public with the Indian Navy and its capabilities, the ship will be open for visits by school children. The general public can visit it on July 30. In promoting goodwill and involving in social activities, the crew will carry out a yoga session, beach cleaning programme and a visit to a school in Trincomaleen, while a reception has been planned onboard for senior officials from the military and civil administration. Meanwhile, a Maritime Partnership Exercise with a Sri Lanka Navy ship off Trincomalee is also planned for July 31, the High Commission added. According to the "India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership Vision" agreed upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ranil Wickremesinghe during the latter's recent visit to New Delhi, Trincomalee had become major highlight in promoting connectivity between the two South Asian neighbours. The two leaders had held discussion to establish land connectivity between the two countries for developing land access to the ports of Trincomalee. To promote maritime connectivity, it had been agreed to cooperate in development of ports and logistics infrastructure at Trincomalee with the aim to consolidate regional logistics and shipping and also to explore air connectivity between Chennai and Trincomalee. With the India-run Trincomalee Tank Farms, it was agreed to develop the port city as a national and regional hub of industry, energy and economic activity. To celebrate the International Day of Yoga in June, Indian naval Submarine Vagir had visited Colombo. At the time, the High Commission had said "visits by Indian Navy vessels to Sri Lanka further strengthen the camaraderie and interoperability between the Navies of the two neighbours, in keeping with India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine and 'Neighbourhood First' policy". Umag : , July 29 (IANS) Stan Wawrinka held his nerve to break his 2023 semi-final duck at the Croatia Open, where the former World No. 3 reached the last four by downing Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 7-5, here. In the pair's second ATP Head to Head clash in the space of 11 days, Wawrinka improved to 2-0 against Carballes Baena by prevailing in a tense quarter-final clash of narrow margins on Friday. A late break of serve in each set ultimately proved decisive for the sixth-seeded Swiss, who wrapped a one-hour, 44-minute win to reach his first tour-level semi-final since Metz in September 2022. "He's a really tough player, I expected a tough match," said Wawrinka in his on-court interview. "I think tonight I was playing well. Itas slow conditions so itas not easy to get through, to be aggressive, but my game is there and Iam enjoying my time here. Iam happy to be in the semi-finals tomorrow," he added. Wawrinka has impressed so far this week on his first appearance in Umag since 2007. He has now won all six sets he has played at the clay-court ATP 250 as he looks to clinch his first tour-level title since Geneva in 2017. His next opponent in Croatia will be Lorenzo Sonego, who defeated Jaume Munar 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. "It's going to be a tough match," said Wawrinka, who lifted his maiden ATP Tour title in Umag in 2006. "He's a great player. He's a big fighter with some amazing shots, so I expect a really tough battle. But hopefully I can keep playing that well and keep winning," he added. Indian national in Dubai to get over Rs 5.5 lakh per month for next 25 years. Image Source: IANS News Dubai, July 29 : A 38-year-old Indian architect will get Rs 5.5 lakh per month for the next 25 years after he was named the first winner of the UAE's mega prize draw. Mohammed Adil Khan from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, who has been working at a real estate company in Dubai since five years, participated in the Emirates Draw's FAST5 game for the first time and became the lucky winner, The Khaleej Times reported. Khan said he was shocked to get a congratulatory email informing him about his windfall. " The initial shock turned into excitement when I received the mail. When I received a call from the organisers, I was way too overwhelmed. I couldn't believe it and feel like I can retire and my future is secure. I feel I have retired early," Khan, who has a family of eight back home dependent on him, told The Khaleej Times. Emirates Draw launched its FAST5 game nearly 8 weeks ago which offers participants the fastest route to winning with a single Dh25 ticket. In addition to competing for the Dh25,000 grand prize every month for the next 25 years, three participants can also win substantial amounts of Dh75,000, Dh50,000, and Dh25,000 each in the raffle draw. Khan is the sole breadwinner of the family after his brother passed away due to Covid, and says that he wants to bring his whole family to the UAE and enrol his nephews in schools here. "This winning is not just mine. Possible due to prayers of every single one in my family, the Almighty God has favoured his blessings on us," Khan told The Khaleej Times, adding that the winning will also be going to friends and extended family, welfare and charity. When asked about his strategy in selecting his winning numbers, Khan said: "I picked my numbers randomly. Most importantly, one must be in it to win it." --IANS mi/ksk Chennai, July 29 : At least five people were killed and 10 others injured in an explosion at a firecracker storage godown in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district on Saturday According to authorities, five more people are said to be trapped in the godown, with the fire and rescue services jointly conducting an operation with the district police. Krishnagiri police officers confirmed to the media that rescue operations are underway and the identities of the victims are yet to be ascertained. On Tuesday, two women workers lost their lives in an explosion at a firecracker unit in Sivakasi, Virudhunagar district. --IANS aal/ksk The U.S. State Department on Thursday ordered non-emergency government personnel and family members to leave Haiti as soon as possible, citing "kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure." The State Department said U.S. citizens not working for the government should also leave Haiti as soon as possible "by commercial or other privately available transportation options." "Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens. Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, and even convoys have been attacked," the State Department said in a travel advisory. Hyderabad, July 29 : Vehicular traffic between Telangana and Chhattisgarh came to a halt on Saturday as the highway connecting the two states was flooded while Godavari river was flowing above the third danger mark at Bhadrachalam inundating some-lying areas in the temple town. With the water level crossing 53 feet late Friday, authorities issued a third warning.The level rose to 54.50 feet on Saturday morning. Authorities were discharging 14.92 lakh cusecs of water downstream. With continued inflows from upstream, the river remained in spate for the last two days. With the highway connecting Telangana to neighbouring Chhattisgarh getting flooded, vehicular traffic between the two states has been suspended. The continued rise in water level has triggered panic among people living in the low-lying areas downstream. Bhadradri Kothagudem district collector Priyanka Ala, however, said there was no need for any panic as the district administration can handle the situation even if the water level crosses 60 feet. She dismissed rumours that the embankment had weakened. She recalled that the situation was effectively tackled last year when the water level had reached 71.6 feet. The district administration has opened rehabilitation centres in nine mandals (blocks). Fourteen rehabilitation centres have been opened. The collector said people from 44 habitations were evacuated and relocated to these centres. Irrigation department officials say that water level may reach even 60 feet. Authorities have identified villages which may be inundated if the water level rises to 60 feet and taken steps for their evacuation. --IANS ms/svn Washington, July 29 : Aerospace engineer Hirsh Vardhan Singh has become the third Indian-American vying for the Republican nomination for the 2024 US presidential race after former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Singh, 38, introduced himself as a lifelong Republican and an "America First constitutional carry and pro-life conservative who helped restore the conservative wing of New Jersey's Republican Party starting in 2017" in a video message posted on Twitter on Thursday. He ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2020, and the present bid is the fourth time the defence and aerospace industry executive is eyeing public office. According to Singh, Americans face grave threats from the corruption of both, big tech and big pharma, and in addition, there is an all out attack on American family values, parental rights and open debate. "While Big Pharma has made massive profits working with the government to compel everyone to take the experimental vaccines, Big Tech has become the Big Brother, who invades our privacy and indulges in censorship of our political and contrarian viewpoints," her said in an over three-minute-long video. "We need strong leadership to restore American values. That is why I have decided to seek the Republican Party's nomination for the 2024 election," he added. While praising fellow Republican candidate Donald Trump as the "greatest president of my lifetime", Singh said that "America needs more". "It is time to move past outdated politicians of a bygone era," Singh said, calling himself the "only pure blood candidate for the President" as he never gave in to the Covid vaccinations. "Even New Jersey's Democrat Senate President labelled me as 'Trump on steroids," he said in his video message. Singh joins a crowded list of Republican candidates vying for presidency, which includes Trump, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Florida Governer Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Ramaswamy, Haley, Senator Tim Scott and businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley. According to a recent Morning Consult poll, 59 per cent of voters support Trump, 16 per cent would vote for DeSantis, 8 per cent to Ramaswamy, 6 per cent to Pence, and 2 per cent to Scott. Born to Indian immigrant parents, Singh is armed with a bachelor's degree in engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2009. Entering New Jersey politics in 2017 as a candidate for Governor, Singh finished third in the race, securing a meagre 9.8 per cent of the vote share. He was awarded Aviation Ambassador in 2003 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. --IANS mi/ksk Kolkata, July 29 : Union minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday questioned why the MPs of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) constituents who are going to Manipur are silent on the incidents of violence and bloodbath in West Bengal. "They are playing a drama about visiting Manipur today. But why are they silent over the recent violence over the panchayat polls in West Bengal which included the atrocities against women in the state? Will Congress and the other parties in the opposition alliance come to West Bengal? My question is also to the Lok Sabha member of Congress from West Bengal (Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury), who is the leader of his party in the Lok Sabha, on whether he would ask the other constituents of the opposition alliance to come to West Bengal," he said on arrival in Kolkata on Saturday morning. The Union minister's comments come at a time when the monsoon session of the West Bengal assembly is on and the ruling Trinamool Congress is moving a special motion to discuss and condemn the situation in violence-ridden Manipur. As a counter, BJP's legislative party in the state assembly too moved two adjournment motions seeking discussion on atrocities against women and the recent incident of violence in the rural body polls, the discussion on which took place on July 27. Since the beginning, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress had been raising the Manipur issues as a tool to attack BJP and the Union government. She had repeatedly claimed that while the Union government and BJP are sending a regular central fact-finding team to West Bengal, they are silent on the issue of Manipur despite the burning situation there. --IANS src/uk Google's longtime director of news let go after 13 years, plans to come back to India. Image Source: IANS News San Francisco, July 29 : Tech giant Google has announced that it is rolling out a new in-line reply feature in the communication service 'Google Chat', that allows space members to respond to or discuss an announcement. Earlier this year, the company had introduced the ability for space managers to configure spaces for sharing organisational announcements. "While these announcement spaces aim to facilitate one-way controlled communication in Google Chat, weare adding an optional in-line reply feature that will enable members of a space to respond to or discuss an announcement," the tech giant said in a Workspace Updates blogpost on Friday. The new in-line reply feature does not have admin control, and is available to all Google Workspace customers. For newly created announcement spaces, the in-line reply feature is the default for all members, the company said. Last week, the tech giant had announced that it was increasing the number of members users can add to a space in Google Chat from 8,000 to 50,000. This update is especially impactful for company-wide announcements, event-oriented spaces, large communities within companies, and support-related spaces. Moreover, the company introduced the ability to easily search for members within a space. Meanwhile, in March this year, Google had announced that it was rolling out new features for space managers in Chat, including the ability to decide if members can add or remove members or groups to a space. Also, the company had introduced the "Space configuration" feature which allows space managers to choose if members can change space details, such as name, icon, description, and guidelines, or turn Chat history on/off for the space. On the other hand, the "Conversation moderation" feature "authorises space managers to determine whether members can use @all in a space." --IANS aj/svn San Francisco, July 29 : An Apple AirTag has helped to track down a restaurant burglar who stole $15,000 worth of goods. According to the police, a man named Smith from South Carolina has been accused of stealing a fake safe from the Sneaky Beagle, reports Gizmochina. It was possible for the police to track the man's movements because the safe was fitted with an Apple AirTag. The police followed his movements to a number of nearby other thefts. Smith has been accused of robbing four different restaurants taking cash, money bags and other valuables. The entire amount taken is still unknown, but it is estimated to be between $15,000 and $20,000. "Smith was taken into custody last Friday and is now in Horry County Jail," the report said. His hearing is scheduled for August 1. Earlier this month, it was reported that an AirTag had helped to track stolen possessions, resulting in the burglar's arrest and 15-month imprisonment term. In June, an AirTag had helped to bust robbers who stole more than $62,000 in thefts. A Texas family became fed up with gravesite robbers and installed a hidden AirTag to capture them in the act. The family didn't anticipate that their smart use of AirTag would help authorities find stolen bronze memorial vases valued at more than $62,000. In January this year, an AirTag had helped to rescue a year-old Australian shepherd who got away from his owner while out for a walk and fell into a fast-flowing storm drain, by leading rescuers to his location. --IANS aj/ksk Bhopal, July 29 : A day after an 11-year-old girl was brutally gang-raped in Madhya Pradesh's Satna, the district administration bulldozed the houses of the two accused on Saturday morning. While the accused identified as Atul Barolia and Ravindra Kumar have been sent to police custody, the victim is recuperating at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Rewa. "A joint team of administration and the police demolished the illegal construction of both the accused," Satna district collector tweeted on his official twitter handle. Both the accused were employees of 'Maa Sharda Devi mandir Management Committee' and following the arrest, the committee sacked both of them immediately. The accused have been booked under IPC sections 376 (punishment for rape), 376DB (punishment for gang rape on woman under 12 years of age), 366A (procuration of minor girl), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 34 (common intention) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police said. Notably, the gang-rape incident took place in Maihar, a temple town about 45 km from district headquarters, on Friday. The accused had allegedly lured the girl and assaulted her in an isolated place . Thiruvananthapuram, July 29 : The body of a five-year-old girl, who was missing, was found in a sack in Aluva market in Kerala's Ernakulam district on Saturday. The daughter of a migrant couple from Bihar was abducted from her home by Ashfak, an outstation worker reportedly from Assam. Aluva Deputy Superintendent of Police Pradeep Kumar told media persons that the body of the missing girl was found in a sack.Ashfak is in police custody since morning and he was in an inebriated state. According to the police officers of Aluva, he had told the cops that he had handed the child to another person named Sakeer. Local people told IANS that the back side of the Aluva market is an open bar after 3 p.m. and anti-social elements visit the area. Police officers told IANS that further details can be provided only after post-mortem is completed. --IANS aal/svn Chennai, July 29 : Political commentator and publisher Badri Sheshadri was arrested from his residence on Saturday for criticising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud over Supreme Court's observation in Manipur violence case. The arrest was made following a complaint filed by social activist and advocate, Kaviyarasu of Kadur village. Sheshadri, according to police sources was arrested from his Mylapore residence and later brought to Perambalur district police headquarters. According to police, the case against Seshadri was registered under Sections 153( wantonly giving provocation with the intention to create riot), 153 A( promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony and 505 1(b)( with intent to cause or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public) of the Indian Penal Code. Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai slammed the arrest of Badri Seshadri. He said that DMK government has been targeting ordinary people for their opinion and added that the state government was unable to respond to the opinions of ordinary people and was resorting to arrests. --IANS aal/svn Paresh Rawal's 'The Storyteller' based on Satyajit Ray's work to be premiered at IFFM. Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, July 29 : After being screen at Busan, veteran actor Paresh Rawal's film 'The Storyteller', is all set to have its Australian premiere at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne next month in August. Speaking about this news, Paresh said: "I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to be a part of the film which will premiere in Australia. My experience was very enthralling and satisfying. This kind of story itself is a rarity and with the terrific bunch of talent as my co artist is fulfilling. I am eternally grateful to my producers and my director Ananth Mahadevan ji". Directed by Anant Narayan Mahadevan, the film is based on the legendary Satyajit Ray's short story 'Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro' and explores the themes of originality versus plagiarism. Alongside Paresh, the film features an exceptional ensemble cast including Adil Hussain, Revathi, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Anindita Bose, and Jayesh More. 'The Storyteller' is a cinematic gem that pays homage to the literary genius of Satyajit Ray. Based on the renowned author's celebrated short story, the film delves into the captivating conflict between originality and plagiarism. Tarini Ranjan Bandhopadhyay played by Paresh, is an unconventional narrator, has gained a reputation for his tendency to change professions, having transitioned between 32 jobs throughout his working life. At the age of 60, residing in Kolkata and widowed, Tarini's sole regret is his inability to fulfill his late wife Anuradha's long-standing wish for a vacation. With retirement now upon him and an abundance of free time, Tarini finds himself distanced from his loved ones. Through compelling storytelling and thought-provoking performances, 'The Storyteller' poses important questions about creativity, inspiration, and the ethical boundaries of artistic expression. Having appeared in over 240 films, Paresh has been feted with several honours including Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour from the government in 2014. The actor has received recognition for his villainous roles in Telugu films such as 'Kshana Kshanam' (1991), 'Money' (1993), 'Money Money' (1995), 'Govinda Govinda' (1994), 'Rikshavodu'. In Hindi cinema are 'Naam' (1986), 'Shiva' (1990), 'Mohra' (1994), 'Tamanna' (1996), 'Aitraaz' (2004), 'Table No. 21' (2013) 'Andaz Apna Apna' (1994), 'Hera Pheri' (2000), 'Nayak', 'Hungama' (2003), 'Garam Masala' (2005), 'Phir Hera Pheri' (2006), 'Chup Chup Ke' (2006), 'Malamaal Weekly', 'Tiger Zinda Hai' (2017) and 'Sanju' (2018). San Francisco, July 29 : Elon Musk-owned Tesla's Cybertruck has been spotted with a wrap that makes it look like a Ford F-150 pickup truck. Cybertruck was seen being transported on a truck in Livermore, California, reports Electrek. On prototype cars, Tesla rarely used camouflage or wraps, but lately, the Cybertruck has been seen more frequently with wraps. Some people believe that the auto-maker is wrapping the Cybertruck prototypes to hide the final production design, while others speculate that the company is testing wraps since it is going to be the only way to make the vehicle look different "CEO Elon Musk has always set his sights on the F-150 as a competitor for the Cybertruck," the report said. Earlier this month, the auto-maker had announced that it built the "first Cybertruck." However, with the release of its quarter two (Q2) earnings, the company confirmed that it is currently only producing release candidates-- last step before the official start of production. Also, the pickup truck was recently spotted with a new darker camouflage wrap which was better at hiding the electric pickup truckas design features. Last month, the electric pickup truck's prototype was spotted arriving in New Zealand by plane, possibly for its last winter testing. While the vehicle was covered, it was easy to recognise the electric pickup truck. Earlier, a prototype of the truck was spotted going through a drive-through in California and it was equipped with camouflage. Another Cybertruck prototype was spotted stuck in a field in rural Texas in May this year. The company had claimed that the electric pickup truck would hit the market by the end of 2021 when it first announced the Cybertruck in 2019. The closet door swings wide, revealing dozens of brightly colored outfits. The shiny tips of two-tone dress shoes peak out from the shelves. On a mirrored dresser sit wide-brimmed hats with feathers, chain watches, suspenders and rhinestone cufflinks. For Jose de la Rosa, alias Pachuco Nereidas, this dressing room is his own private chapel. Watching him adjust his cufflinks and angle the feather in his hat, scrutinizing himself in the mirror with an expression of serious concentration, is like witnessing the ritual of a bullfighter getting dressed before entering the ring. This is where Jose curates the transformation that connects him with his truest self. Los pachucos somos de sangre we pachucos are bonded by blood, he says. My grandfather was a pachuco and my father after him. This is not a costume, its a way of life passed down through the generations, he says. Jose de la Rosas chest reveals a life story told through tattoos and scars. On his sternum, his nom de guerre is engraved in ink, next to a tattoo of an eagle devouring a snake: Mexicos national coat of arms. His scars are testimonies of more violent and less romantic times, when the pachucos struggled to stay afloat in the murky waters of gang conflict, before becoming the peaceful dandies they are today. Ready! he exclaims, tapping his finger on the brim of his hat the proud gesture of someone who knows hes the king of the neighborhood. Parked in front of his house: a spectacular white 1950s Dodge with worn brown-leather seats completes the postcard image from a decade 70 years past. Jose de la Rosa, alias Pachuco Nereidas, in pure 1950s Chicano zoot-suit style. Rafael Estefania The pachucos were born as a youth gang movement in the late 1930s in the U.S.-Mexico border region. They were the children of second-generation immigrants who suffered everyday racism. Marginalized, orphans in a no mans land, they rebelled against an American society that excluded them, explains Mexican sociologist Vicente Froilan Escamilla, an expert in urban cultural expression. The movements members were certainly no fans of Nobel Prize-winning Mexican author Octavio Paz, who defined them, in an essay titled The Pachuco and Other Extremes, as impassive and sinister clowns who through their grotesque dandyism and anarchic behavior do not so much reveal the injustice and incapacity of a society that has failed to assimilate them as they demonstrate their determination to remain different. And the pachucos were different, without a doubt. They discovered a unique countercultural identity and turned their clothing into a style of rebellion, and used that style to make their existence known, and above all, be seen. Music events in Mexico Citys central plaza, or Zocalo, are one of the main meeting points for pachucos in Mexico. Rafael Estefania Aesthetically, the pachucos were inspired by other groups of marginalized migrants, mainly from Harlem, adopting the aesthetic of the zoot suit popular in New York jazz circles and claiming it as their own symbol of rebellion, says Vicente Froilan. Baggy, high-waisted pants held up by suspenders and cinched at the ankles to highlight their two-tone shoes, with long, bright-colored jackets, exaggerated by shoulder pads, and brimmed hats adorned with feathers. This exuberant aesthetic had its own soundtrack, with the rhythms of danzon, swing, cha-cha-cha and mambo. And the movement had its own hero on the big screen: Tin-Tan, the character immortalized by Mexican actor German Valdes, the star of hundreds of films from the golden age of Mexican cinema who would become the quintessential personification of pachuco culture the man who left behind his quarrelsome past to assume the friendly party animal lifestyle associated with the movement today. In Mexico Citys Zona Rosa, in the heart of downtown, a four-meter-high statue of Tin-Tan looks ready to jump off its pedestal and onto the dance floor. Music and dance are the glue that holds the pachucos together, compelling these mostly elderly zoot-suiters to leave their homes and gather at Ciudadela Park every Saturday to dance to a live band or a sound system making an inadvertent and anachronistic tourist attraction or to wear out their soles on Danzon Tuesdays at the Salon de Baile Los Angeles. In a way, the pachucos are the last guardians of a style of music that was conceived specifically to be danced to music that only reveals its true power when experienced on the dance floor. In Mexico City, therell be about 150 of us pachucos. Then theres the ones in border cities like Chihuahua and Tijuana, and the pachucos who live in Los Angeles, Jose tells me. A few of the more than 80 outfits Jose de la Rosa keeps in the private Pachuco chapel that is his dressing room. Rafael Estefania Today, theres a musical event taking place in the Zocalo. On our way, we make a brief stop at the storage space where Jose keeps the rest of his collection. We walk through an auto repair shop, with scrap cars and a mechanic changing tires, and enter a room filled with pachuco memorabilia: hats, shoes and outfits from the eighties carefully stored in clear plastic cases. I cant fit them all at home, so I have to store them here, Jose says. Plus, the mechanic who rents me this space also tunes up my old cars, so its perfect. Jose chooses a fuchsia-pink suit with a matching hat, a white polka dot undershirt and pink and white two-tone shoes. Now were ready for Tuesday, he says. The Tuesday Jose is talking about is Martes de Danzon [Danzon Tuesday], an institution within an institution: the official meeting day of the pachucos, held every week at their temple, the Salon de Baile Los Angeles in Mexico Citys Colonia Guerrero. The place opened its doors in 1937 it is the oldest dance hall in Mexico and the music hasnt stopped playing since. More than just a dance hall, the Salon de Baile is a time capsule. Its walls are covered with hundreds of photographs of bands that passed through and played at the place over the decades. In one corner, there is an altar commemorating Damaso Perez Prado, the king of mambo, who popularized the style from this very stage in the 1940s. On one of these tables, Benny More wrote the lyrics to Bonito y sabroso on a napkin, says Miguel Nieto, the director of the dance hall. On this very floor, Frida Kahlo danced with Diego Rivera. The history of Mexicos culture and music was written in each of these corners, he adds, gesturing with the pride of someone who owns a space as sacred as a cathedral, but way more fun. The salons motto, coined by my father, is: If you dont know the Salon Los Angeles, you dont know Mexico. Its a phrase that speaks to the salon and the neighborhood, but also to the city of Los Angeles, because if you dont know that city, you dont know a very important part of Mexican culture migrants and it was precisely those migrants who created the pachuco movement. A closet of two-tone shoes, ready to be shined. Rafael Estefania The doors have not even opened and the pachucos are already starting to arrive. The median age is around 60. At 69, Carlos Bueno is one of the older participants, and he looks impeccable in his ivory suit, shimmering gold shirt, pendants, gilded brooch and embroidered hat. Ive been coming here for 40 years, he says. For me, being a pachuco means being free, doing what you want, and enjoying dancing and life no matter how old you are. There can be no pachuco without a rumbera (or a jaina, as the women of the movement are called). Carmen, Carlos partner in romance and dance, who is sheathed in a silver and green elastic bodysuit with rhinestones and a plume of green feathers, could pass for a circus trapeze artist from a bygone era. For me, to be able to dress like the 1930s rumberas is something magical. Ive had a fascination with these outfits since I was a little girl, she says. The pachucos and rumberas of Mexico City are like a family. We all know each other, and when one of us is gone, we miss them very much. Given the age of the pachucos, is gone exudes a tragic air, and a reminder that we might, right now, be witnessing the last generation of Mexican dandies, observing the last dance of a species on the verge of extinction. My somber thoughts are quickly dispelled when Zaira and Joshua walk through the salon doors: a couple of decidedly young pachucos, perfectly matched in their metallic blue suits. My grandfather was an old-school pachuco. For me its a pleasure, a privilege, and it has become part of my life. Its about continuing to explore and find our identity. Were not from there, were not from here, but were here, Joshua explains, alluding to the uprooting of his ancestors. Zaira adds: The old rhythms like cha-cha-cha and danzon might be a bit alien to those of us of the younger generation, but when youre on the dance floor and you get caught up in the music, something truly magical catches you. Dressing up for the occasion, the dancing... everything is a ritual. The dance hall coat check. Rafael Estefania As the band takes the stage, the salon begins to fill with people. In this democratic space, class difference dissolves and people from all walks of life share the experience as equals. At one of the tables next to the dance floor, an elegant man in a tuxedo and black bow tie sips a glass of champagne with his wife, who is dressed in a fine yellow tulle evening gown. Three tables away, a group of women are celebrating a birthday with quesadillas, mole, and homemade cake that they brought in tupperware containers. On the dance floor, pachucos mingle with the hundreds of couples lined up to starts the next danzon. A bit later, a conga sounds and the pachucos take the center of the floor, showing off their choreography and forming part of a chorus of dancers around them who try to imitate the moves of the veteran performers. Jose de la Rosa shows his tattoos. Rafael Estefania Descending the wide spiral staircase, Pachuco Nereidas appears in his brand new pink zoot suit with the air of a vintage gallant who strides through the crowd almost reverentially. A quick shoulder movement, accentuated by the suits large shoulder pads, and a combination of frenetic dance steps on the checkered tiles, make clear, in just two moves, the impressive pedigree of this dandy dancer. Throughout the evening, many couples will pass through his arms in cadenced danzones from a bygone era. Our culture will survive, it will never die, Jose says, before inviting a lady to join him for the next danzon. The pachuco is elegance, the pachuco has dignity. In short, the pachuco lives, and the dance goes on, he says, disappearing onto the floor, melting into the elegant embrace of the crowd of dancing couples. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition New Delhi, July 29 : The group of highly skilled athletes, Chhattisgarh's 'Abujhmad Senior and Junior', have devoted years to mastering the ancient art form of 'Mallakhamb', and now they are all set to leave the audience amazed by their extraordinary performance of this ancient sport in 'India's Got Talent' season 10. Wowed by their act, Judge Badshah said: "I watched Mallakhamb live for the first-time last season and now, I am reliving the magic again with your group. I believe Abujhmad is the future." The rapper further said that the show will give their talent wings to fly, and they will receive global recognition for their craft. "I am amazed by your talent and the confidence with which the group showcased Mallakhamb is just outstanding," he added. 'Mallakhamba' is a traditional sport, originating from the Indian subcontinent, in which a gymnast performs aerial yoga or gymnastic postures and wrestling grips in concert with a vertical stationary or hanging wooden pole, cane, or rope. Furthermore, Badshah will also promise to gift their village a television set, so that all the villagers can watch their beloved team on screen and get inspired. Not only this, but the group will also honour Badshah with a 'Gaur Mukut'. Echoing the sentiment of 'Vijayi Vishwa Hunar Hamara,' the show will put the spotlight on 'hunar', and will see extraordinary artists showcase their unique talent on this prestigious stage. The participants will need to impress the judge's trio -- Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Kirron Kher and Badshah -- to get the golden buzzer and secure their place in the competition. From shadow puppetry to archery, mind reading to card magicians, Indian classical dancers to innovative drone acts, India's Got Talent Season 10 offers a diverse talent pool that will enthrals one and all. Furthermore, a few of the participants will try to set new a benchmark as they attempt to break the 'Guinness World Record' with their extraordinary talent and grit, making the 10th season of India's Got Talent an iconic and historic milestone to cherish. Produced by Fremantle India Television Productions Pvt Ltd, and hosted by actor Arjun Bijlani, Indiaas Got Talent Season 10 will air from today on Sony. Mumbai, July 29 : Actress-filmmaker Kangana Ranaut slammed the latest release 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani' starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh. The actress called it "rubbish" and said that shame on filmmaker Karan Johar for copying his own films of the nineties. Kangana took to Instagram, where she first drew parallels of 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani' to last week's Hollywood release, Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'. She said that the "nepo gang" hinting at Kjo, whom she had called the "flag bearer of nepotism" on an episode of 'Koffee With Karan', has made as a "saas bahu ka rona". Kangana wrote on her Instagram stories: "Indian audiences watching 3 hours long film on the origin of nuclear weapon and intricacies of atomic science aur yahan nepo gang ka wahi saas bahu ka rona, lekin why he needs Rs 250 crore to make a daily soap . ???" "Shame on you Karan Johar for making the same nth time calling yourself the flag bearer of Indian cinema and perpetually regressing it Don't waste funds it's not easy time for the industry, retire now and let young film makers make new and revolutionary films " She then added that the audience can't be fooled anymore. "They have rejected atrocious and creatively poor films full of fake sets and over the top fake costumes, who dresses like this in real life also where are tacky houses like those in Delhi??? What rubbish!!!! Shame on Karan Johar for copying his own vintage movies of the nineties also how come he spend Rs 250 crore on this stupidity? Who gives them this kind of money's while real talent struggle to get funds !!!" The actress also gave a word of advice to actor Ranveer Singh. "My sincere advice to @ranveersingh he should stop getting influenced by Karan Johar and his dressing sense he should dress up like a normal human being, like Dharm ji (Dharmendra) or Vinod Khanna ji dressed in their days, Indian people can't identify with a cartoon looking person calling himself a hero, please see all south heroes how they dress up and carry themselves with great dignity and integrity.. They look manly and dignified people don't ruin the culture in our country." On the acting front, Kangana will next be seen in 'Tejas' and 'Emergency'. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Islamabad, July 29 : At least 14 people were killed and seven others injured during the past two days in rain-related incidents across Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday. The NDMA said the monsoon rain have wreaked havoc, triggering flash floods in hilly areas, submerging urban localities, and destroying houses across the country, reports Xinhua news agency. Six people lost their lives in hyber Pakhtunkhwa, five in Balochistan, two in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and one in Sindh, according to the report. The heavy monsoon rain spell continued for the fifth consecutive day on Friday and caused devastation in parts of the country, especially hilly regions. The Pakistan Meteorological Department also issued a red alert, saying that heavy monsoon rains are likely in upper and central parts of the country until July 30, which can cause flooding and landslides. According to the NDMA, the torrential rains and floods also damaged 804 houses and killed 44 heads of livestock. The report added that at least 169 people have lost their lives, 256 sustained injuries, 1,404 houses damaged, and 374 cattle heads perished since June 25, when the heavy rains started in the country. New Delhi, July 29 : A mega free medical camp was organised by the director of Rajesh Singh Dayal Foundation Rajesh Singh Dayal at Pipra Baghel village where thousands of people from nearby areas like Rajpur, Bhugatpura, Sirsia Pawar, Bhavani Chhapar etc. attended for medical consultation. People who have come from these areas for their treatment are being given free medicines and tests. The same people are looking very happy with this treatment and investigation. People say that we have never seen such a convenient medical camp. It is a matter of good luck for our region that in this medical camp, specialist doctors from Chandan Hospital, a well-known hospital of Lucknow, are coming and treating here. On the other hand, expressing satisfaction, many patients of the previous camp in Salempur came again and registered their presence in this camp and availed free medicines, free check-up and free treatment. Sri Lanka's Road Transport Information Broadcasting Minister and Spokesperson Dr. Bandula Gunawardene along with his wife reached Pipra Baghel village of Deoria district where he inaugurated the medical camp being organised by Rajesh Singh Dayal Foundation. The Sri Lankan Minister was warmly welcomed by the people upon his arrival, during which the Sri Lankan Minister also visited the medical camp. Minister Dr. Bandula appreciated Rajesh Singh Dayal's true loyalty, dedication, and sacrifice towards the society and also addressed him as the messiah of Salempur area. Rajesh Singh Dayal emotionally appreciated the respect and love given by the people of Uttarpatti Pipra Baghel from the stage and assured to continue striving for the betterment of the society. Many respected personalities of the area were honored by Rajesh Singh Dayal and Dr. Bandula on the stage by giving mementos and shawls, in which the chief was Haricharan Kushwaha, regional minister BJP, Vinay Kumar Pandey, Abhay Kumar Dwivedi, Raghavendra Pratap Singh, Radheshyam Yadav, Vashishtha Singh, Tej Pratap Singh, Babban Singh, Sunil Singh Principal Bhishma Singh Intermediate College, Parth Singh Chhotu Singh, Ravinder Singh etc. remained. After this, Dr. Bandula along with his wife and Mr. Rajesh Singh Dayal went out to inspect the entire camp and said that he had seen such an organised medical camp for the first time in his life. Mumbai, July 29 : Television actress Sana Maqbul has opened up about her battle with hepatitis during the early stages of her career. Sana took to Instagram, where she posted a reel talking about that she was an F3-F4 patient but now she reversed it to F1-F2. She talked about how her journey till date has been draining emotionally, physically and mentally. "Hi guys! Well, it's July 28, it's World Hepatitis Day and on this day I want to share something which is very personal. Yes, I'm an autoimmune hepatitis patient. I discovered this in 2020," she said. The actress added: "Till date, the journey has been tough mentally, emotionally, physically. The best part is in 2021 when I went for Khatron Ke Khiladi. I was on medication and I battled it well, even the show, even my health. When I came back from there I was stronger, I felt I could do this and I got this." She revealed that for the last one year she has been focussing on herself. Sana said: "It's said that when everything is going well then something happens. I think with me also that happened when my career was taking off and I had to take a pause. I was working non stop but I had to take a seat back and focus on my health. I was deteriorating not physically but internally I was. And I think for the last one and a half years I have been doing that. I have been just focusing on me, myself and my health mentally, emotionally, physically drained." Sana revealed she lost work, woke up with "puffy face, swollen feet, swollen hands, you have water retention on your body, you gain weight." "Especially when you are an actor, you have to look a certain way, you have to maintain a certain weight. So, I think I was battling with it and I came back stronger. Today on world hepatitis day, I wanted to share with you all that I have reversed my stage. I have been F3-F4 patient and now I've reversed it to F1-F2 which is a very good improvement," she added. "People talk when they detect their disease. I detected it, I was fighting with it. As I said, I'm all set to resume my work because I am healthy and I'm as normal as you guys are. So, for all you guys out there who are dealing with such a disease whether it's curable it's non-curable, hang in there," she concluded. "Don't lose hope, keep faith, there's always light at the end of the tunnel. Earlier I used to think, 'Why God, why me?' But as it is said, God always gives his hardest battle to his strongest soldier. So you are strong, stay healthy stay fit and Happy World Hepatitis Day." Sana is best known for her work in 'Vish'. She was also seen in Rohit Shetty-hosted 'Khatron Ke Khiladi' Season 11. New Delhi, July 29 : The most awaited list of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), party's highest decision making body, has been delayed as former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is yet to return to Delhi from Kerala. The Gandhi scion is currently undergoing treatment for his knee problem in the southern state. Source said that the final list of CWC was to be decided by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in consultation with former party chief and Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The source said that before making the list final, Kharge wanted to have a detailed discussion with the Gandhis for the CWC list. However, Rahul Gandhi, currently getting treatment for his childhood knee injury problem in Keralaas Arya Vaid Shala is yet to return to the national capital, thus delaying the announcement, the source added. Sources said that the reshuffling in the organisation has been pending for long after Mallikarjun Kharge took over as party chief last year in October. They said that the list is likely to be made public during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament as most of the leaders are available in the national capital. The source said that the party will give opportunity to several leaders under the new formula of 50 per cent under 50 years of age. He also said that young leaders of party like Imran Pratapgarhi, Supriya Shrinate, Ranjeet Ranjan, Gourav Vallabh and several others might get place under 50 under 50 formula. The source said that many leaders under the age of 50 years will get an important role in the party. The source also revealed that the party has also planned one state, one in-charge formula. Besides the changes in the organisation, the source said that many leaders will also get place in the partyas CWC and that former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has also been offered some senior position in Delhi. At the partyas three-day plenary session held in Chhattisgarhas Raipur from February 24 to 26 this year, the Steering Committee had unanimously decided to authorise Kharge to nominate all members of the CWC and thus election was not required for the partyas top decision making body. The party during the 85th Plenary Session has also decided to provide 50 per cent reservation for SC, ST, OBC, minorities, women, and youth below the age of 50 years in the CWC and also expanded the members of the highest decision making body to 35. Kerala professor's palm chopping case: Three PFI cadre gets life in jail, others get separate jail terms. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, July 29 : A Delhi court has denied default bail to three members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in connection with a money-laundering case linked to alleged terror activities. Special Judge Shailendra Malik of Patiala House Courts denied default bail to Mohammad Ilias, Mohammad Perwez Ahmed and Abdul Muqeet stating that there was no case made to support their claim. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had lodged the prosecution complaint against the accused on November 19, 2022, and the accused argued that it was filed before the investigation was completed. However, the court disagreed, stating that the ED had gathered sufficient details during their investigation, and any ongoing "further investigation" would be for additional evidence. The case involves an alleged laundering amount of Rs 120 crore over several years and also invokes the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The accused were arrested on September 22, 2022 and are currently in judicial custody. Special Public Prosecutor N.K. Matta, who appeared in the court on behalf of the ED, submitted that merely because "further investigation" is going on, it cannot be assumed that the agencyas probe regarding the applicants remains incomplete. The judge then said: "This court, in the facts and circumstances of the case, does not find substance in the submissions on behalf of the accused/applicants, firstly because the complaint has been filed within the statutory period. A perusal of the complaint does not indicate in any manner that its investigation remained incomplete on the facts stated therein. "A meaningful reading of the complaint would also show that the investigation of the ED was complete qua the accused/applicants and they have enumerated details of the facts, evidence and documents collected during the investigation. Thus, to my mind, the accused/applicants are not entitled for the claim of default bail." the court added. The ED had filed the prosecution complaint against the three accused and the PFI, claiming that Ahmed was the President of the proscribed outfitas Delhi unit while Ilias was its General Secretary and Muqeet the Office secretary. --IANS spr/vd Patna, July 29 : A 17 year-old minor girl has been gang-raped by two people in Bihar's Araria district. The victim and her mother had gone for a Tazia event organised during Muharram when the girl suddenly disappeared. After people searched for the victim, she was found naked in a jute agricultural field. The people got hold of the two accused near the agriculture field who have been identified as Mohammad Asfaq and Mohammad Mumtaz. The accused are residents of Moti Tappu ward number 14 of Pathraha Panchayat under Narpatganj police station. The accused had gone to victim's village, which falls under Forbesganj in Araria, and gang-raped the victim. "We have arrested the accused under the POCSO Act following the complaint filed by the victim's mother. We have also conducted the medical examination of the victim," said Aftab Ahmed, SHO of Forbesganj Araria. --IANS ajk/dan New Delhi, July 29 : Megastar Thalaiva Rajinikanth was holidaying in the tropical paradise of the Maldives after completing his work for the upcoming film 'Lal Salaam' directed by his daughter Aishwarya. A few days back, the 'Shivaji: The Boss' actor flew into the archipelago to relax. Exclusive pictures from the Thalaiva's 12-day vacation at the Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives, which he said has "become my home", have beenaccessed by IANS. In the photos, we can see how he was accorded a grand welcome by the hotel staff with dhol beats and showering of rose petals. Rajinikanth is seen in donning a trademark black tee paired with off-white pants and white shoes. Another picture of the Thalaiva shows him praising the chefs of the hotel, who dished up an eclectic mix of Lucknow Biryani,Malabari Chicken Curry and Fresh Fish Chettinad. Thecooking staff stood in awe of the actor as he cuts a cake with them, writing words of appreciation in the diary. One photo shows the actor joining his hands, flaunting a smile, and walking in a row with the staff. The pictures also shows some native women of Maldives dressed in their traditional attire. The last photo shows him on a yacht, bidding adieu to the hotel staff. He is dressed in a white tee and a grey jogger. The mesmerising backdrop is a picturesque view of the sea. Some time back, too, a photo of the actor from a beach in the Maldives had gone viral on social media. The fans had then praised Rajinikanth for his simple natural look in the picture, as one can see him wearing a red tee paired with black shorts rounded up with a fanny bag around his waist. In 'Lal Salaam', directed by Aishwarya Rajinikanth, the Thalaiva will be seen in a cameo appearance as Moideen Bhai, the look of which has already been unveiled and created a massive buzz. His much-anticipated next film 'Jailer', meanwhie, is a Tamil action comedy written and directed by Nelson, and produced by Kalanithi Maran of Sun Pictures. It stars Rajinikanth in the title role of Muthuvel Pandian. Gearing up for a grand release in theatres on August 10, 'Jailer' has a pan-India star cast featuring Jackie Shroff, Ramya Krishnan and Tamannaah Vinayakan, with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal and Kannada cinema's leading star Shiva Rajkumar playing cameos. --IANSsp/kvd -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed San Francisco, July 29 : In a bizarre incident, a US woman received more than 100 packages from Amazon she never ordered, which was likely part of a Chinese vendor's money-saving scheme. The Amazon boxes contained about 1,000 headlamps, 800 glue guns, and dozens of binoculars for children, reports Insider quoting CBS affiliate station WUSA. Cindy Smith of Virginia state in the US said she never ordered those from Amazon. "It's a lot of packages. I didn't order them and they kept coming from everybody," she told WUSA. Smith drove around the town, giving packages to those who would just take them. "A lot of people told me I was weird. I would drive around with headlamps and glue guns in the car. I gave them to everybody I met," she was quoted as saying. "All my neighbours got glue guns or headlamps. I gave them to dog shelters, to veterinary clinics," she added. These packages were addressed to someone called Lixiao Zhang. According to reports, the incident is more likely linked to a different kind of vendor scheme, one that involves sellers trying to remove unsold merchandise from Amazon fulfillment centres. WUSA traced the returned packaging labels to 15 fulfillment centers in nine different US states. Sellers in China who need to get their products out of Amazon warehouses pick random addresses and send their unwanted products there, he said, adding: "It's just cheaper for them to do so." Amazon said in a statement that the seller account had violated the company's policy by engaging in "abusive activity" and the account has been closed. Skeleton of an Amazigh with 16 bone marks after having been attacked and, above, a medieval sword similar to the one used to kill him. In the first century B.C., a few hundred Berbers also known as the Amazigh people landed on the coast of Gran Canaria, the third-largest island of the archipelago that is now known as the Canary Islands. They didnt come alone: they brought their ceramics, the alphabet, domestic animals (including pigs, goats, sheep and dogs), seeds (barley, wheat, lentils and peas) and fig trees. Their culture soon spread throughout the island. It evolved for about 1,400 years until, in 1487, following its conquest by the Catholic Monarchs, the territory was incorporated into the Crown of Castile. Historias de una isla. Arqueologia de Gran Canaria [Stories of an Island: Archeology of Gran Canaria] is an exhibition now open to the public at Spains National Archaeological Museum. It recounts, through the use of original artifacts, an exciting story from North Africa, explains Mari Carmen Cruz de Mercadal, curator of the exhibition and of Museo Canario [the Canary Museum], where most of the objects on display come from. The reasons that led this North African group to undertake the journey to the archipelago are unknown, although Roman pressure on what is now the region of North Africa may be one of the causes. Its also unknown if the Berbers arrived to the Canary Islands on their own, or if they were transported by another group that was adept at sailing. Similarly, historians are unable to determine if they populated all the islands in the archipelago from the start, or if they moved from island to island over time. The first generations of Berbers occupied ravines and mountains far from the coast something unusual for a people who supposedly knew how to sail. They lived in caves, in the vicinity of which they located their cemeteries, Cruz de Mercadal recounts. Their main activity was herding. But, between the 7th and 8th centuries, new settlers from the continent arrived and pushed for agricultural development. Three centuries later, a radical change took place regarding the location of the settlements, for reasons which are unknown: the Berbers began to build stone houses on the coasts, while the caves were abandoned. Face and neck of a Canarian Berber ceramic idol. El Museo Canario In the 11th century, the Amazigh specialized in fishing, which led to significant population growth. In fact, some skulls discovered by archeologists reveal that these peoples suffered from a bone anomaly known as auricular exostosis, which is caused by prolonged contact with cold water. It wasnt a serious problem. Its the same thing that happens to surfers when theyre in icy waters; although, in the long run, [this condition] can end up affecting your hearing, the curator notes. The absence of metals on the island forced the Berbers to exploit obsidian to create sharp objects, while basalt and phonolite were mined to carve tools. Obsidian was obtained in open pit mining and horizontal tunnel mines, which required collaborative work and very specific technical knowledge, the expert adds. For their part, imported goats, sheep and pigs from North Africa quickly adapted to the conditions of the island. They were a basic resource for subsistence, but their bones and skins also provided things such as leather, threads and needles. Meanwhile, agricultural work was fruitful, so much so that it became essential to build large storage granaries out of rock. These pre-Hispanic inhabitants also made clay figurines for their domestic spaces. They produced a great variety in terms of postures, anatomical parts, or the representation of hair. Most of this art revolved around the concept of fertility. In this society, Cruz de Mercadal explains, the role of the community was essential to this careful work. [The Berbers] devoted time, effort and knowledge [to their crafts]. Archaeological traces are abundant, as evidenced by important bone fractures that, despite their severity, managed to heal. [This] could only be achieved through [medical] care and by replacing the jobs that the injured person used to perform. In the 14th century, the first Europeans arrived in the archipelago, searching for new trade routes and sources of wealth. It was a period of evangelizing missions, slave raids and looting, which was followed by a period of conquest in the 15th century. This culminated in the incorporation of all the islands into the Crown of Castile. The conquest and colonization had a brutal impact on the first settlers, who were decimated by war, famine and new pathogens. The social, economic and ideological system collapsed. But the Indigenous imprint remains in human genetics, mainly through maternal lineages, due to the greater survival of Indigenous women, who ended up related to a predominantly male colonizing population. While the percentages vary according to each island, DNA tests have revealed that up to 50% of residents of the Canary Islands have some Amazigh heritage. In the 16th century thanks to the cultivation and export of sugar cane, highly demanded in European markets there was strong economic activity in the archipelago. Gran Canaria specifically was located at the crossroads of major trade routes, which favored port and commercial activity. Grabado de la Armada holandesa de 1599, atacando Gran Canaria. El Museo canario In 1599, Gran Canaria suffered a brutal attack by the privateering army of Van der Does: the Dutch mercenaries destroyed Las Palmas and forced its inhabitants to flee towards the mountains. Believing that he had won the battle, the Dutchman grew confident; he stormed the island and walked right into an ambush, leaving 1,440 corpses in his flight. In 2000, an archaeological mission to Rosarito Street in Gran Canaria revealed the remains of two members of the attacking army, who were buried in a grave dug in the sand. They were two men between the ages of 20 and 40 who suffered major injuries they had been pierced by six projectiles. Dying on the ship, their bodies were thrown overboard by Dutch survivors. They subsequently washed ashore and were buried face down by the islanders. The following centuries saw epidemics brought by the ships that docked in the ports (in 1851, 10% of the population died from cholera), intense commercial activity in the 19th century (all kinds of English glass bottles have been found), the Civil War (in 2008, a 180-foot-deep well was found with a group of skeletons shot in the skull) and, finally, tourism. In 2022, the island received 3.8 million visitors five times the resident population. Pipas de caolin utilizadas por los religiosos de un convento del siglo XVIII de Las Palmas y que suponian la excomunion y una multa de 3.000 maravedies. The exhibition ends in an original way, with the archaeological footprint that we will leave to the next generations. We have placed one last display case with objects found on the island today, such as glass bottles of sparkling water, candy wrappers, a mobile phone, batteries, a computer mouse, and a toy pirate ship, the curator chuckles. Because of Van der Does, the privateer. 400 Gran Canarians fought against 8,000 Dutch. Were much more than just sun and sand, she concludes, fixing her gaze on a picture of an umbrella in the sand the photograph that the exhibition tour begins with. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Kolkata, July 29 : Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhdeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday was admitted to the ICCU of the city-based hospital after he complained of a severe respiratory problem. He is 79. Sources close to him said that the the leader's oxygen saturation level dropped to a great extent following which his condition deteriorated and he had to be admitted to the hospital. His wife Meera Bhattacharjee accompanied him on his way to hospital. Their daughter Suchetana Bhattacharjee has also reached the hospital. Bhattacharjee had been a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient for quite some time. Sources said that his health condition had been deteriorating for the last few days. However, that time he refused to adhere to the doctor's advice to get admitted to the hospital.Since afternoon, his condition started deteriorating and the oxygen saturation level was dropping fast. So, the team of doctors attending on him decided to get him admitted to the hospital without further delay. In 2021, the former chief minister was infected with COVID-19 and was admitted to the same hospital. He became the chief minister succeeding the nonagenarian leader Jyoti Basu in November 2000 and continued to be in the chair till 2021, when Mamata Banerjee- led Trinamool Congress came to power ending the 34- year Left Front rule in the state As chief minister, Bhattacharjee was vocal on the need of massive industrialisation in the state. However, the land acquisition matters during his tenure backfired for his party and the Left Front. Ludhiana, Feb 6 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday called upon the industrialists to showcase 'Brand Punjab' before the global industry coming to the state for participating in the Invest Punjab Summit on February 23-24.. Image Source: IANS News Chandigarh, July 29 : Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday gave nod to introduce model fair price shops under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to deliver atta and wheat to beneficiaries at doorstep. A decision to this effect was taken by the Council of Ministers at a meeting here. A spokesperson for the Chief Ministeras Office said the Cabinet has approved a revised mechanism for distribution of packaged atta and wheat. The distribution would be allowed in lose quantities, duly weighed, across the counter in ration depots or in special sealed packets delivered at doorstep or the nearest motorable point by the ration depot holder. It will be a more dignified way of receiving the packaged atta and wheat as the beneficiary shall not be required to stand in long queues, especially braving inclement weather. All mandatory requirements of biometric verification, handing over of printed weight slip to the beneficiaries and others will be ensured while the delivery. The home delivery service will introduce the concept of model fair price shops which will be run by the Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd, being the apex cooperative and preference provided under the NFS Act to cooperatives. In order to provide sand and gravel at affordable rates to the consumers, besides ensuring its adequate supply in the state, the Cabinet also gave go ahead to Punjab Crusher Policy 2023. As per the policy, there will be two main classes of crusher units -- Commercial Crusher Units and Public Crusher Units. The screening-cum-washing plants will also fall under the category of crushers units. A public crusher unit shall be a registered crusher unit selected through a transparent tendering process prescribed under the Punjab Transparency in Public Procurement Act and based on the lowest mineral price quoted by such a crusher unit. The Cabinet also approved amendments in Punjab Minor Minerals Rules 2013 to curb the menace of illegal mining and to increase the supply of minor minerals in the state. The Cabinet also gave consent to a policy for providing relief to the farm labourers due loss of crops in case of natural calamity. The Cabinet gave nod to revive 39 posts of teaching faculty, including five professors, 10 associate professors and 24 assistant professors of direct recruitment in nine departments of Government Dental College and Hospital, Amritsar and Patiala besides taking them out of the purview of Punjab Public Service Commission, Patiala, to fill these posts through the departmental selection committee. Los Angeles, July 29 : Hollywood director Jeff Nichols' latest star-studded film 'The Bikeriders' will debut in theatres on December 1. The film boasts stars including Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus, and Michael Shannon. As per the Collider, the film will follow the history of a fictional mid-century Midwestern biker club, detailing its initial beginnings as a refuge for misfits and outsiders, and charting its gradual descent into a violent criminal organization, leading to conflict with the club's original members. This mirrors the path that many motorcycle clubs took in those years; initially founded by veterans dissatisfied by society, many motorcycle clubs became brutal criminal gangs, dealing in drugs, prostitution, and violence. It will be Nichols' first film since 2016, when he released the sci-fi suspense film 'Midnight Special', and 'Loving', a historical drama detailing the path to the legalization of interracial marriage. The upcoming drama movie is written and directed by Jeff Nichols. 'The Bikeriders' will share a release date with the Thomasin McKenzie/Anne Hathaway period psychological thriller 'Eileen'; Saltburn, Emerald Fennell's Barry Keoghan/Jacob Elordi black comedy, will debut the week before, on November 24, and Yorgos Lanthimos' Frankenstein-inspired 'Poor Things' (which was pushed back from its initial September release date) and the Jonathan Majors bodybuilding drama Magazine Dreams will bow the week after, on December 8. 'The Bikeriders' debuts a week after Disneyas major animated feature, 'Wish', and a week before the weirdly dual releases of the Emma Stone-starring 'Poor Things' and the Jonathan Majors drama 'Magazine Dreams'. 'The Bikeriders' will be produced by Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones through Nichols' production company Tri-State; it will also be produced by New Regency Pictures. Fred Berger will executive produce. Filming wrapped on the project last December, and it is now in post-production. The film fills a vacancy initially listed for an untitled Disney movie. Despite questions of how the film will fare amid the Hollywood strike, Disney is going ahead with the release right in the middle of awards season. Walt Disney Pictures announced on Friday the release date of Nicholsa latest film under the 20th Century banner. New Delhi, July 29 : 700 women leaders have come together in Bihar to share their stories about solar adoption and celebrate their contributions to the field. These significant 'Solar Sabhas' took place in Nalanda and Gaya, with the participation of key government officials, policymakers, and organisations in the solar and renewable energy sector. Organised by Bolega Bihar, a program working closely with women entrepreneurs in the state to promote clean energy solutions at India's grassroots, these Sabhas highlighted the importance of adopting solar energy at the local level. The events featured panel discussions, and stalls showcasing solar products, and acknowledged the pivotal role of women in driving the transition to sustainable energy in Bihar. Both gatherings, in Rajgir and Gaya, were uniquely women-centric in the context of renewable energy usage in the state. Various women leaders shared their journey through the transformative solar energy campaign and those who successfully completed the program were felicitated at the event. The events proved to be an ideal platform for cross-engagement with women who took part in live discussions with civic administrators and decision-makers to share innovative ideas and discuss the use of renewable energy for household and entrepreneurial purposes. "We are overwhelmed by the responses we received from both the Solar Sabhas. The sessions proved beneficial for women entrepreneurs as they gained insights into key leadership skills and various training modules to effectively utilise solar and DRE solutions at both household and business levels. The event also facilitated their understanding of new solar products, with arranged demos," a statement quoting Deepti Ojha, senior campaigner, Bolega Bihar, said. The discussions also highlighted the remarkable potential of the solar and DRE (decentralized renewable energy) systems to uplift the lives of women and families and called for a program effort to ensure better services and new policies to bring positive change in the renewable energy sector. The Bolega Bihar Solar Art Installation, which was also featured during Bihar Diwas 2023, was on display at the meet along with various stalls featuring an array of inventive products. Mani Bhushan Jha, Senior Program Associate WRI (World Resources Institute) India Climate Program, at the Nalanda program, said: "Given the population density and the land scarcity, innovative solutions like rooftop solar, solar trees in the farms, and community-owned cold storage powered by DRE will be significant for Bihar's climate goals and for generating green jobs. "However, it is important that the future climate projections are included while designing any DRE project to make the solutions climate resilient." Divya Gaur, program associate, powering livelihoods, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), in Gaya, said: "Promoting DRE as a central focus in women's socio-economic development empowers them through access to reliable, clean energy for local economic opportunities, fostering micro-entrepreneurship. "These technologies not only increase income but also enhance productivity, reduce drudgery, save time and energy. Prioritizing women and leveraging their competence to drive community-level change, such as in Bihar, will ensure a just and inclusive clean energy transition, where no one is left behind." The outcome of both the Solar Sabhas has helped to craft a charter of recommendations that Bolega Bihar has submitted to the government stakeholders in the state of Bihar. New Delhi, July 29 : The Centre has issued notifications regarding appointment of judges across 7 different High Courts, within two weeks of the recommendations being made by the CJI D.Y. Chandrachud-headed Supreme Court collegium on July 15. The President has appointed Justices Basant Balaji, Chandrasekharan Kartha Jayachandran, Sophy Thomas, and Puthen Veedu Gopala Pillai Ajithkumar as permanent Judges in the Kerala High Court, after the SC Collegium recommended their names. On March 17, the Collegium of the Kerala High Court unanimously recommended names of these Additional Judges for their appointment as permanent Judges. The collegium noted that the Kerala Chief Minister and Governor concurred with the recommendation," said the SC Collegium. Additional Judges, Justices Kakheto Sema, Devashis Baruah, Malasri Nandi, Marli Vankung, and Arun Dev Choudhury have been appointed as Judges of the Gauhati High Court, after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended their names. On May 10, the Collegium of the Gauhati High Court unanimously recommended these Additional Judges for appointment as permanent Judges. "The Chief Ministers and Governors of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh have concurred with the above recommendation," said the SC Collegium. The President has appointed Additional Judge, Justice Deepak Kumar Tiwari, as permanent Judge of Chhattisgarh High Court after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended his name on July 15. On April 11, the Collegium of the High Court of Chhattisgarh unanimously recommended his candidature for appointment as permanent Judge. "The Chief Minister and the Governor of the state of Chhattisgarh have concurred with the above recommendation," said the Collegium. Additional Judges, Justices Anil Laxman Pansare and Sandipkumar Chandrabhan More have been appointed permanent Judges of the High Court of Bombay, after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the names. On 12 April 2023, the Collegium of the High Court of Bombay unanimously recommended these two Additional Judges for appointment as Permanent Judges of the High Court. "The Chief Ministers and Governors of Maharashtra and Goa have concurred with the above recommendation," said the apex court Collegium. The President has appointed Justices Krishna Rao, Bibhas Ranjan De, and Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee as permanent Judges of the Calcutta High Court after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the names of these Additional Judges. On March 14, the Chief Justice of the High Court at Calcutta made the recommendation in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues. "The Chief Minister and the Governor of the State of West Bengal have conveyed their agreement with the recommendation," said the SC Collegium. Advocates Ranjan Sharma and Bipin Chander Negi and judicial officer Rakesh Kainthla were appointed Judges of the Himachal Pradesh High Court after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended their names. The names of the two advocates and the judicial officer, were recommended for appointment on December 5, 2022 by the Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues. "The Chief Minister and the Governor of the state of Himachal Pradesh have concurred in the recommendation," said the SC Collegium. The President has appointed judicial officer Sujana Kalasikam, and advocates Laxminarayana Alishetty and Anil Kumar Jukanti to be Additional Judges at the Telengana High Court after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended their names for appointment. For appointment of Kalasikam, the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court made the recommendation in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues on October 23, 2022. "We have considered the views given by the Chief Minister and the Governor of the State of Telangana," said the SC Collegium. In regard to the advocates proposed to be appointed as judges, the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues made the recommendation on December 22, 2022. Their inter se seniority be fixed in terms of the existing practice, the SC Collegium said. "The Chief Minister and the Governor for the state of Telangana have concurred in the recommendation," it added. New Delhi, July 29 : The Delhi High Court has directed two families involved in a dispute over a minor issue, which has already been resolved, to plant 400 saplings in their respective areas to channel their "negative energy" towards a positive contribution to society. The court said that each party must plant 200 trees, and the location will be chosen by the investigating officer after consulting the horticulture department. Justice Dinesh Kumar has also suggested the possibility of geo-tagging the saplings for proper monitoring. The compliance report is expected in November. The court quashed the proceedings in two criminal cases registered by the two families. According to the first FIR, on March 4, 2017, three members of a family visited the complainant's house to collect their IDs for receiving blankets distributed by a political party's candidate. However, the complainant identified them as supporters of a rival political party, leading to a verbal argument and subsequent physical altercation. In the second FIR, the opposite side claimed that while they were collecting IDs for distributing blankets, the other family initiated a quarrel and assaulted them. However, both parties reached an agreement later and informed the court that they settled the matter voluntarily, without any fear, force, or coercion. --IANS spr/sha London, July 29 : Amid record youth unemployment, the Chinese government wants young people to 'go to the farmland' -- but the prospect is unappealing for many, the media reported. This is the offer facing Chinaas graduating class of 2023: decamping to work in impoverished rural areas. But many young people are not convinced, The Guardian reported. More than 11.5 million students will graduate this summer looking to move into a jobs market where youth unemployment is at a record high. In June, 21.3 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds in urban areas were out of work, according to official statistics, and some economists estimate that the true number could be far higher, The Guardian reported. While graduates now joke online that their degrees are worthless, the government is trying to push the message that China's gen Z are being too picky. In March, the Communist Youth League exhorted young people to "roll up their sleeves and go to the farmland". Xi Jinping, China's president, has called on youths to "eat bitterness" a" a Chinese phrase for enduring hardship a" to "create a better China". For older people, such exhortations recall the Cultural Revolution, when urban youths were sent to the villages to work alongside farmers. "There is a collective memory for Xi Jinping and those around him of Xia Xiang as a very formative life experience," said Rana Mitter, a professor of Chinese history at Oxford University, using the Mandarin term for being sent to the countryside. For young people, the idea of such toiling being character-building has "almost no resonance whatsoever", Mitter said, The Guardian reported. This year the ministry of education hopes to recruit 52,300 people to a programme that ships teachers to poverty-stricken areas with "special difficulties". But working in remote, undeveloped parts of China is challenging for even the most experienced educators. "The high unemployment rate will not encourage young people to work in the countrysidea because rural areas do not have the jobs they want to work in," said Nie Riming, a researcher at Shanghai Institute of Finance and Law. At best, Nie said, teachers may teach in rural areas for a few years as a means of getting an urban job, The Guardian reported. The bigger problem is that many young people who chose to stay in education longer while the economy was in effect shut down during the zero-Covid years are now overqualified for the jobs available. Bhopal, July 29 : A Class 12 student of a government-run school was allegedly stabbed to death by one of his juniors - a minor in Madhya Pradesh's Indore. The victim, who was admitted to a hospital with multiple stab injuries inflicted with knife on Friday, succumbed to his injuries during treatment at night, police said. The incident occurred at Tukoganj area and both students were known to each other as they were students of Swami Vivekanad school. The deceased has been identified as Samarth Kushwaha, while the accused is a minor, enrolled in Class 11. As per the police, Samarth has seen his junior (accused) smoking cigarette and made his video. Samarth shown that video to a school teacher. Since then, the accused boy along with his some other friends were planning to take revenge from Samarth. The incident was spotted by a cop passing through that area, and chased the accused. A video surfaced on social media, in which a cop was seen chasing a boy shouting 'pakdo isko pakdo, chaku mar ke bhag raha hai.' After chasing for few meters, the cop managed to overpower the minor boy, who was still holding a knife in his hand. "The accused is minor. He has been detained. Victim's family has lodged an FIR and we are investigation the matter. The FIR says that victim had made a video of the accused and had shown to a school teacher. We will visit the school for inquiry," the police said. Chennai, July 29 : The death toll in the explosion at a firecracker godown in Krishnagiri on Saturday reached nine while eleven people have sustained injuries who have been admitted in various hospitals. The owner of the godown along with his wife and two children have also died in the explosion. They have been identified as Ravi (42), the owner of the godown, his wife Jayasree (40), daughter Rithika (19), son Rutheesh (21). The other deceased have been identified as Rajeswari (45) -- owner of a eatery, two others -- Ibrahim (21) and Imran (8). Two more bodies are yet to be identified. Police said that the blast occurred due to the explosion of a gas cylinder at an eatery adjacent to the godown. The explosion resulted in a massive fire which engulfed the godown, house, welding unit, and a restaurant. Police said that few bodies are still trapped under the cement rubble. They said that the fire and rescue services along with the police are trying their best to remove the rubble to reach to the bodies. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has paid condolences and announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakhs for the deceased families. The government also announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh to those who have sustained serious injuries and are undergoing treatment. An amount of Rs 50,000 has also been announced for those who have suffered minor injuries. The Chief Minister Stalin has instructed Civil Supplies Minister R. Sakkarpani to oversee the rescue operations. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also expressed condolences over the tragedy and said that he was deeply saddened to know about the tragic fire accident in a crackers factory in Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu). "I extend my sincerest condolences to the family members of the deceased and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Shah tweeted. Pertinently, two women also died following an explosion at a firecracker unit in Sivakasi a week ago. The firecracker industry of Tamil Nadu employs around 8 lakh people, directly and indirectly, and has an annual turnover of Rs 6000 crores. New Delhi, July 29 : The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had, on February 5, banned 232 lending and betting apps based on recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs as India grapples with the issue of predatory lending by Chinese nationals operating from locations in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, or Southeast Asia. These scams in China have evolved into hubs of criminal activities, encompassing online loans, betting, gambling, cryptocurrency transactions, lotteries, and more. The Indian government's app ban, however, is viewed as a temporary solution against the lending mafia, which employs various strategies. Given the complexities in India-China relations, counting on the Chinese government's cooperation to combat predatory lending seems improbable. Aditya Okhade, an IT expert based in Pune, suggests a more effective approach involving a thorough analysis of the entities behind these operations. "The government should map the network of lending apps, identify their operational bases, and seek jurisdictional cooperation to prosecute those responsible. This will enable the authorities to apprehend individuals operating from offshore locations and prevent new apps from enticing Indians with promises of quick wealth," he said. Fraudsters circumvent Indian laws through loopholes: The Chinese loan apps exploit a gap by partnering with NBFCs (non-banking financial companies) via MoUs, allowing them to engage in predatory lending outside regulatory oversight. To operate discreetly, some Indian nationals are appointed as directors of these dubious lending operations, with some even learning Chinese to be part of the business. This practice posed a challenge for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in combating the growing menace of Indian nationals forming NBFCs and transferring ownership to foreign nationals with official approval. Consequently, Chinese loan apps operate in India with the aid of local directors who often harass borrowers. Tragically, some borrowers in India have resorted to suicide due to relentless harassment by these lenders. Addressing the issue, the RBI introduced new guidelines stipulating that lenders cannot increase customers' credit limit without explicit consent and must disclose the annual interest fee upfront. Furthermore, digital lenders must obtain explicit consent from customers before collecting any data But how do these scams target gullible people? The apps request access to personal data from users, including contacts, chats, messages, and images, which are then uploaded to servers in India and abroad. Desperate for small loans ranging from Rs 5,000 to 10,000, people download these Chinese applications. The loan money is quickly disbursed to their bank accounts. However, even after the money is repaid, the Chinese fraudsters, armed with the victim's personal data, resort to threats of leaking morphed nude pictures. They then proceed to blackmail and extort money from their victims, leading to tragic incidents, including reported suicides in various parts of the country, as shared by IT expert Dinesh Sangwan. But still, there is a catch! The money cannot be directly transferred to international or Chinese bank accounts so the fraudsters need Indian bank accounts to take payments. This is where the Chinese scamsters are finding vulnerable and poor people in the country in a bid to get Indian bank accounts. (Shekhar Singh can be reached at shekhar.s@ians.in) Rodrigo Chaves. Luis Granena In October 2019, then-President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado surprised the entire country by announcing his new minister of finance. His pick wasnt from his party or any other political bloc, for that matter. Rather, he was a World Bank official, who, at the time, held a senior position in Indonesia and East Timor. The centrist Alvarado opted for the technocrat Rodrigo Chaves a PhD in Economics with more than 30 years of experience in the field to clean up messy public finances. But Chaves was only in the position for seven months. He left in May 2020, without having failed or triumphed. The unknown economist had, apparently, ended his brief foray into politics. Two years later, Alvarado would be passing the symbolic presidential sash to the dark horse candidate in the 2022 elections his former finance minister who, immediately after leaving the Ministry of Finance, embarked on a crusade against the traditional political class and national elites. Now, in the second year of his administration, hes facing an increase in crime, while being criticized for his erratic social policy in the health and education sectors. When he resigned from cabinet due to a disagreement with the president over the reduction in public spending, Chaves, for months, dedicated himself to publicly denouncing the corruption he witnessed in the Ministry of Finance. This is how he began to gain followers, who praised his direct and emboldened style. On July 7, 2021, the economist formalized his candidacy for the presidency, vowing to put an end to the nations illness-plagued institutions and lead Costa Rica towards prosperity. He found a small party willing to adopt him as a candidate, the Social Democratic Progress Party. It had never had representation in public office. In the 2022 campaign, the polls didnt give Chaves much hope. Analysts claimed that the real battle was between the traditional parties. Ultimately, however, he obtained 16.7% of the votes in the first round, coming in second place. As no candidate secured 50% of the vote, he and former President Jose Maria Figueres Olsen of the center right coalition contested a runoff election. Chaves won with 52.82% of the vote. Chaves likes to present himself as a man of the people a Costa Rican like everyone else. Thats why, during the campaign, he referred to himself as the son of Don Pepes bodyguard and driver. In the 1940s and 1950s, his father worked for former President Jose Figueres Ferrer: one of the most important figures in Costa Rica in the 20th century, and father of the former president of the same name, whom Chaves defeated in the elections. This is how the economist marked the difference between them: his opponent was the heir to the old political class, while he, a middle-class citizen, had made his way on his own merits. Coming from a large family that lived in a neighborhood of El Carmen in the heart of San Jose, the capital Chaves began his studies at the University of Costa Rica. But he left early, after obtaining a scholarship to go to the United States. He learned English and studied at Ohio State University, graduating with a doctorate in Economics in 1993. From academia, he went directly to the World Bank, where we worked for 27 years. During his campaign, Chaves stressed how the Costa Rica he grew up in was one where people like him could thrive. Political scientist Gustavo Araya thinks that his fast rise has many traits in common with other populist leaders across Latin America. Rodrigo Chaves manages to capitalize on that anger against the political class, as could be seen in Brazil with Bolsonaro, or in El Salvador with Bukele, he explains to EL PAIS by video call. Chaves wasnt impeded by the major controversy that arose during the electoral campaign, when La Nacion one of the best-known Costa Rican newspapers reported that, in 2019, he had been sanctioned at the World Bank for sexually harassing two of his subordinates. The economist claimed that this was a declaration of war by the newspaper, dismissing the accusations from the women as being due to cultural differences. From then on, he coined the term rogue press to refer to La Nacion and other outlets that repeated his offenses. These outlets which have subsequently been critical of his administration have continued to be subject to the same hostile treatment. His supporters repeat the term rogue press like a mantra. As president, Chavess attacks on the press havent lessened. So much so that Costa Rica a country traditionally considered a safe haven to practice journalism dropped 15 places in the press freedom ranking put out by Reporters Without Borders. The Central American nation went from 8th place to 23rd place in a single year. After 15 months in office, Chaves greatest strength is his high approval rating, which hovers around 60% one of the highest on the continent. His aggressive speech comes out in the press conferences he gives from the Presidential House, the seat of government in San Jose. For political scientist Gustavo Araya, these conferences are a manifestation of his hate speech. [Chaves] uses ironic language to put on a whole show every Wednesday. Like other populists in Latin America, he controls spaces so that he can broadcast the truth, Araya says. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition New Delhi, July 29 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four persons, including two Joint Director-rank officers posted in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, in connection with a bribery case, officials said on Saturday. Those arrested have been identified as Joint Directors Manjit Singh and Puneet Duggal, Senior Technical Assistant Ruhi Arora, all associated with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and Alok Industries associate Reshabh Raizada, officials said. The accused public servants were allegedly receiving bribe from Alok Industries for showing favour in the files pertaining to the investigation being made by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs for adopting illegal and unethical business activities. A case was registered against them on Friday. It was alleged that the public servants were indulged in corrupt and illegal activities and in pursuance of the said conspiracy, were taking bribe from the private person. A trap was laid and a Joint Director was caught with bribe money of Rs 3 lakh. Later, the other accused including the private person were also nabbed by the CBI, officials added. "Searches were conducted in Delhi, Gurugram and Chennai in the premises of the accused which led to the recovery of cash of Rs 59.80 lakh (approximately), several incriminating documents and digital evidences," the CBI said in a statement. All the arrested accused will be produced before the court. Kolkata: Veteran CPI-M leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee being discharged from a private hospital nearly a week after being admitted, in Kolkata on Dec 14, 2020. . Image Source: IANS News Kolkata, July 29 : Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhdeb Bhattacharjee has been kept on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) support at the ICCU unit of a private hospital in Kolkata after he was admitted on Saturday after his oxygen saturation level started dropping. A medical board, which includes the personal physician of the former West Bengal chief minister, has been formed for his treatment. "He has started responding to the treatment as informed by the doctors treating him, with the oxygen saturation level going up," said CPI(M) central committee member Robin Deb. Governor C.V. Ananda Bose also rushed to the private hospital in South Kolkata after getting news of hospitalisation of the former chief minister. "He is under medication under a team of able doctors. I wish him speedy recovery," the Governor told media persons at the hospital premises on Saturday. Municipal Affairs & Urban Development Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said that the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had expressed concern over the health condition of her predecessor. The Chief Minister herself is also scheduled to come to the hospital and enquire about the health of her predecessor. Party sources said that the condition of the former chief minister might not have deteriorated had he not ignored the doctor's advice for hospitalisation a couple of days back. Mumbai, July 29 : In the wake of a 'terror recce' of the Chabad House in Colaba, the Mumbai Police have beefed up security at this Jewish community centre which was targeted during the 26/11, 2008 terror strikes. The action follows the Pune Police nabbing two terror suspects of Rajasthan from Pune when they were caught stealing motorcycles 10 days ago. They were identified as Mohammed Yunus Khan, 23 and Yunus Yakub Saki, 24, both hailing from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, and carrying a reward of Rs 500,000 on their heads. After an initial case was lodged against them in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) entered the probe and filed its chargesheet against them in MP in April 2022, naming Khan-Sakhi and 10 others as accused in the matter. The Pune Police subsequently handed them over to the NIA which revealed that they were the wanted absconders with suspected links to an extremist group Al-Sufa and had been holed up in Pune for over a year in a rented location. Later, the Pune Anti Terrorism Squad nabbed two more suspects including Abdul Qadir and one more associate apprehended from Ratnagiri on Saturday, both said to be linked with the Khan-Saki duo arrested earlier. Further interrogation and investigations have revealed a map and images of Chabad House and other locations of Mumbai where they reportedly carried out asurveillancea, besides seizing laptops, computers, pen-drives, hard disks and mobiles from them. They were produced before a Special Court and are currently in police custody till August 5, while further probe is going on into their local Pune contacts or associates, the sources of their fundings, the motives for their stay here, the modules of the Al-Sufa network that may be active in different parts of the state, and related angles. Thiruvananthapuram, July 29 : Kerala Leader of Opposition V.D Satheeshan on Saturday said that the state police has failed in saving the life of a five-year-old victim who was sexually assaulted and killed in Aluva city. The victim was missing since Friday and her body was found on Saturday morning at Aluva vegetable market. Victimas postmortem revealed that the she was sexually assaulted before being smothered to death. V.D Satheesan said that the girl was in the Aluva town and Kerala police failed to save the life of the victim. The five-year-old is the eldest among the four children of a Bihar family who was working in Kerala. The accused Ashfaq Alam, is also a migrant labour, and had been staying in the same locality since last two days. Meanwhile, Kerala Minister for Industries P. Rajeeve said that the Police had cracked the case within 24 hours but was not unable to save the victim's life. Kerala Police Chief Sheikh Darvesh Sahib told media that the state police worked properly in cracking the case and did not fail. Chittoor : , July 29 (IANS) A tomato farmer in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district has literally hit the jackpot by earning a whopping Rs 4 crore in 45 days. With the prices of tomatoes skyrocketing, Murali's fortunes took a dramatic turn. The 48-year-old sold his produce not only in the tomato market in Madanapalle but also transported to neighbouring Karnataka as it fetched a higher price there. Murali and his wife cultivated tomatoes on 22-acre land in Karakamandla village in April. During last 45 days, they sold 40,000 boxes of tomatoes. The farmer said the huge earning helped them clear debts of Rs 1.5 crore, which they had incurred while cultivating the same vegetable in the past. According to Murali, this time the yield was good due to improvement in power supply. However, the steep hike in prices of tomatoes came as the biggest turnaround. "I had never imagined that tomatoes will yield such a huge income," said a beaming Murali. He plans to invest a part of the profit to expand horticulture activities. Murali is the second farmer to reap such a huge income. A farmer in Telangana's Medak district had whopping Rs 2 crore by selling tomatoes during the last one month while another crop worth Rs 1 crore is ready for harvest. Bansuvada Mahipal Reddy of Mohammed Nagar in Kaudipalli mandal of Medak district became a millionaire overnight due to the skyrocketing price of tomatoes. With the price of tomatoes soaring to Rs 150 per kg in the market and lack of adequate supply from Andhra Pradesh and other places, Mahipal Reddy catered to the demand in Hyderabad market. He sold the produce for Rs 100 per kg in the wholesale market. During the last one month, he sold about 8,000 boxes of tomatoes, each over 25 kg. The 40-year-old farmer, a school dropout, has emerged as a role model for all. New Delhi, July 29 : A team of doctors at a hospital here has successfully performed a rare two-way liver transplant, granting a new life to two foreign nationals hailing from Uzbekistan. Overcoming the challenges of ABO incompatibility, the medical team, devised an innovative solution where willing donors exchanged organs to match the blood groups of the recipients. The medical team conducted four simultaneous surgeries on June 9, saving the lives of both 41-year-old Gulyam and 51-year-old Matlubakhon. The intricacy of the situation stemmed from the challenging ABO incompatibility between the patients and their designated donors. While Gulyam's blood group was B, his son, who volunteered to donate, had blood group A. Similarly, Matlubakhon, who also required an urgent transplant, had blood group A, while her sister's blood group was B. ABO-incompatible transplants, where the blood type of the donor and recipient are not compatible have a high rate of rejection by the recipient's body, and this apparent mismatch of blood groups poses a significant obstacle to the success of liver transplants. The immune system recognises the transplanted organ as foreign and launches an immune response which leads to a potential rejection of the liver and endangers the life of the recipient. "This remarkable swap liver transplant offered an extraordinary chance for a cure to both recipients who were in dire need of compatible livers. After gaining approval from both families and securing necessary clearances from the authorisation committee, our medical team conducted all four surgeries simultaneously," said Abhideep Chaudhary, who led the medical team. Chaudhary, who is also the Vice Chairman and HOD, HPB Surgery, and Liver Transplantation, BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, added: "The swap transplant is indeed a challenging and complex procedure both medically as well as logistically, the dedication and skill demonstrated by our medical team comprising of 20 doctors have played a pivotal role in achieving the remarkable result." Chengdu : , July 29 (IANS) India edged out China 152-151 to enter the archery compound mixed team final at the 31st FISU World University Games here on Saturday, with the team of Aman Saini and Pragati assuring themselves of a medal. In the semifinal, India got a 10 in the third shot of the opener, while China only shot 9. The first set ended 39-38 in the favour of Aman and Pragati. The Chinese pair Wang Shikun and Zhou Jiayu strived to narrow the gap in the following sets but was held by India 38-38, 38-38, 37-37, reports Xinhua. India will meet South Korea in the final. In the second semifinal, South Korea and Chinese Taipei tied the score 154-154 after a seesaw battle in the four regular sets. In the decider, South Korea notched double 10s to squeeze into the final. In the men's recurve semifinals, India's Sachin Gupta lost 5-0 to Japan's Tokyo Olympic men's team bronze medalist Yuki Kawata. "I have participated in some big events before, so I was only slightly nervous for a while," said Yuki. "I am preparing for the Paris Olympics, but currently I just want to grab a gold at the Universiade." In the recurve mixed team semifinals, South Korea crushed France 6-0, while Japan thrashed Italy 6-0. Both recurve and compound team finals will be held on Sunday. Kabul, July 29 : The Kabul Premier League witnessed a jaw-dropping feat on Saturday when Afghanistan batter Sediqullah Atal smashed seven sixes in an over (with a no-ball). Atal smashed left-arm spinner Amir Zazai for a whopping 48 runs in the 19th over of his team Shaheen Hunters' innings. Hunters were on 158 for six when they were to go to the 19th over, with Atal, captaining the side, on 71 off 43 balls. Zazai was coming back to bowl his final over of the innings after conceding 31 runs and taking a wicket in his three overs. Atal smashed the first ball of the over for a six, which was called a no-ball. Zazai then conceded five wides before Atal smashed another six off a free hit yet again. He then sent the next five balls for as many maximums to power his team past 200 and also reached his century off just 48 balls in the process. Zazaias figures read as one for 79 in four overs, thanks to him being hit for 48 runs by Atal. Hunters eventually made a massive 213 for six with Atal unbeaten on a 56-ball 118, laced with seven fours and ten sixes. Atal, the left-handed batter has one T20I appearance for Afghanistan, coming against Pakistan in March this year. In reply, Defenders were skittled for 121 in 18.3 overs as Hunters registered a thumping 92-run victory. Mumbai, July 29 : After intense efforts of several weeks, the Mumbai Police finally nabbed absconding killer and gangster Chhota Shakeel's aide, Laik Ahmed Fidahussein Shaikh -- reported 'missing' for over 25 years -- from his solitary hideout in Mumbra town in Thane district, officials said on Saturday. Shaikh, now 50, along with an accomplice, had shot dead a mafiosi named Munna Daadhi, belonging to the Chhota Rajan gang on April 2, 1997 in the Pydhonie area of south Mumbai. Soon after the broad daylight killing, he was arrested by the Pydhonie Police Station, but after a few months, managed to secure bail in 1998, and was residing at a tenement in Dongri area, barely one km away. However, thereafter he repeatedly skipped court hearings and was subsequently declared an absconder, as his whereabouts were not known. Police teams which had landed at his known address in Dongri found that he was no longer living there since 2004, and from then, he remained amissinga for over 25 years after getting enlarged on bail. Not willing to give up, the Mumbai Police continued to search for him and finally tracked him down to his lair in Mumbra town, some 45 kms away in Thane district. Since he was living alone and there were no photos or identification documents, it was difficult for the police to confirm his identity or take action. After several weeks of investigations, keeping tabs on Shaikhas movements, activating the local informersa network and deploying tech-intel, the Mumbai Police finally nabbed him near the Thane railway station, notching a major success. The entire operation was guided by Additional Commissioner of Police, South, Dr Abhinav Deshmukh, Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr Mohit K. Garg, and their teams from the police, crime branch and the technical branch. Imphal, July 29 : The parliamentary delegation of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), which visited Manipur on Saturday, again criticised Prime Minister Narendar Modi for not visiting the violence-hit state and failing to restore peace and normalcy even after around three months. Congressa Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi, who is also part of the delegation of 21 MPs from 16 parties, said that the Prime Minister should have led the all-party delegation to Manipur to restore peace by involving all communities. "He (PM) not only avoids visiting Manipur but also refuses the all opposition partiesa continuous demand to give a statement in the parliament on the Manipur issue," he said. Gogoi said that the 21 member parliamentary team, divided in two groups, visited Churachandpur, Imphal East and other districts and talked with the affected people of both communities. The ethnic violence in Manipur which broke out on May 3 has so far killed over 160 people and injured more than 600 others beides destroying thousands of houses and other properties. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Sushmita Dev, who is also part of the delegation, said that they will also likely meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey. "We will visit Churachandpur and other affected areas of Manipur. We will not meet Chief Minister (N. Biren Singh) as he is a villain to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur," Dev, who is visiting Manipur for the second time in ten days, told IANS. "BJP and its governments are responsible for the Manipur crisis and loss of many lives and the mayhem. BJP is a lost face, Prime Minister is a lost face. It was important for us to come and meet the victims here. The sad part is that the Government of India should have sent a delegation but it remained a mute spectator." A team of INDIA on Saturday visited the riot-hit town of Churachandpur, where they met Kuki leaders and members of the civil society besides ethnic strife victims in the relief camps where they were lodged. After meeting the Kuki leaders in Churachandpur, Congressa Lok Sabha group leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told the media that the inmates of the relief camps are demanding a CBI probe into the crimes committed against the women. "Government did not listen to the voice of the affected Manipuri peoplea They (central government) are sleeping till now?" he asked. IUML MP E.T. Muhammed Basheer said: "Our main intention is fact-finding. We are getting horrific information of crimes like sexual harassment, naked-parading. So we will have a discussion with officials concerned also, we have visited the affected areas and met the victims. We would once again raise the issue in the parliament with all the experience we gathered from Manipur." Shiv Sena-UBT MP Arvind Sawant said: "Our plan to visit Manipur is to bring peace and harmony between the communities." CPI-MP P. Santhosh Kumar said that the visit is to give a message that team INDIA is not just an alliance for election but it is an alliance to raise people's voice. RJD MP Manoj Jha said that they wanted to tell the PM that "we are making an effort to do what he and his team should have done". "We are visiting Manipur to understand the collective pain of the people of the violence affected state," Jha stated. "We met the people of Manipur and told them that we stand with them and we are fighting for them. We asked for permission to meet the Manipur Governor also. We expect the PM to reply in Parliament after the discussion on Manipur," said DMK MP Kanimozhi, who is also part of the delegation. The parliamentary delegation is likely to meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan here on Sunday to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), an apex body of tribals in Manipur, submitted a memorandum to the visiting parliamentary delegation seeking the support of their demand of a separate administration (equivalent to separate state) and implementation of President's rule in Manipur. The Congress and other opposition parties are also demanding the imposition of the Presidentas rule in Manipur and discussions in the Parliament. The other delegation members are Rajiv Ranjan Singh, A.A. Rahim, Javed Ali Khan, Mahua Maji, P.P. Mohammed Faizal, Aneel Prasad Hegde, N.K. Premachandran, Sushil Gupta, D. Ravikumar, Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan, Jayant Singh, Phulo Devi Netam, and K. Suresh. --IANS sc/vd On Thursday, while President Dina Boluarte was finalizing details of her speech for July 28, the date on which Perus independence is commemorated, a group of fifteen U.S. Democratic congresspeople sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The purpose of the missive was to alert him of what is happening in Peru, a country plunged in social convulsion since Boluarte was sworn in as president last December after the failure of Pedro Castillos self-coup. EL PAIS has had access to the document, headed by Joaquin Castro (Texas) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (California), ranking Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. The main concern expressed in the letter is the lack of accountability for Peruvian security forces responsible for the disproportionate and lethal use of force against anti-government in recent months, which, according to the lawmakers, reflects the underlying corruption and impunity that has undermined Perus democracy and contributed to widespread political disillusionment. Between December and February, the peak of the mass protests, 49 civilians died due to military and police repression and another 11 died due to roadblocks. Seven military personnel and one police officer lost their lives in the context of the demonstrations. The protests have been reignited since July 19. The first page of the letter from the group of Democratic congresspeople to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. EL PAIS The Democrats believe that, given their deep bilateral relationship, the United States has a responsibility to actively work with Perus leaders and civil society to ensure that those responsible for human rights violations are held accountable and to support a political reconciliation process. Failure to do so at this inflection point in Perus democratic history will only exacerbate insecurity in the region, embolden undemocratic actors, and increase irregular migration, the document continues. In the letter which has also been sent to the U.S. Ambassador to Peru, Lisa Kenna the representatives emphasize that the bulk of the protesters were rural and Indigenous people from marginalized regions of the country who face higher rates of poverty and discrimination and lower access to public services. They denounce that although the countrys Ombudsperson described most of the protesters as peaceful, Peruvian officials insinuated that the demonstrators were criminals and terrorists. In the missive, the congresspeople lay out a list of six measures they request from the U.S. State Department. The most drastic consists of coordinating with the U.S. Department of Defense to temporarily suspend joint exercises or cooperation with units of the Peruvian security forces allegedly responsible for human rights violations, as well as conducting an investigation into whether such units received security assistance from the United States. If proven, they demand that further assistance be restricted. They also call for the creation of an Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts in Peru to provide legal and technical assistance to clarify the murders, a recommendation already made by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The lawmakers also ask for support to be provided to the Peruvian Prosecutors Office to guarantee exhaustive, prompt and impartial investigations. They are concerned that after several months, the Peruvian government has yet to take meaningful steps to hold the perpetrators of these abuses accountable. According to spokespeople from the office of Congressman Joaquin Castro (Texas), there has been no public update on what evidence has been collected or who is being investigated, and members of civil society have expressed serious concerns about the lack of transparency and urgency in the process. An Amnesty International report found that decision-makers at the highest levels also actively sought to conceal the weapons used to kill protesters, they told EL PAIS. Another part of the letter lists a series of issues involving the Peruvian Congress, an institution whose disapproval usually hovers around 90% in the polls. The lawmakers denounce the removal of the interim Ombudsperson, Eliana Revollar, as a reprisal for having spoken out against the villanization of the demonstrators by the government and replacing her with Jose Gutierrez, a former congressman with neither experience nor knowledge of human rights. They also state their rejection of the replacement of six of the seven members of the Constitutional Tribunal in a process that lacked transparency and clear criteria for the selection of candidates. In addition to Joaquin Castro (Texas) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (California), the motion is signed by Nanette Diaz-Barragan (California), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Raul M. Grijalva (Arizona), member of the Natural Resources Committee; Jim McGovern (Massachusetts), member of the Rules Committee; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), of the Hispanic Caucus. Rounding out the list are Cori Bush (Missouri), Lloyd Doggett (Texas), Adriano Espaillat (New York), Chuy Garcia (Illinois), Hank Johnson (Georgia), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (District of Columbia), Jan Schakowsky (Illinois), Melanie Stansbury (New Mexico) and Juan Vargas (California). In short, the fifteen signatories express serious concerns about growing threats to human rights, democracy and rule of lawn in Peru and hope that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden will see the urgent imperative to support the Peruvian people during this crucial time. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Srinagar, July 29 : A hybrid terrorist linked with proscribed terrorist outfit Al-Badr was arrested in Batamaloo area of Srinagar and incriminating materials along with arms and ammunition recovered from his possession, police said on Saturday. "Acting on specific intelligence, a small team of Srinagar police arrested a hybrid terrorist linked with proscribed terrorist outfit Al-Badr identified as Arfat Yusuf, son of Mohd Yusuf Khan, resident of Rajpora, Pulwama, from Batamaloo area of Srinagar. Incriminating materials along with arms and ammunition including a Pistol, 20 live rounds, two magazines have been recovered from his possession," police said. "Preliminary investigation reveals that he has been involved in terror related activities in south Kashmir range and had come to Srinagar with the nefarious designs and was arrested before he could execute any terror attack." Police said he was involved in throwing grenades twice on security forces, first time on a CRPF vehicle in Rajpora and on second time, at the CRPF/RR Camp at Hawal, Rajpora Pulwama. "Besides throwing grenades he was involved in pasting posters on 26/03/2023 and 10/03/2023 of Lone wolf warrior. Several terror crime cases have already been registered against him," police said. Srinagar, July 29 : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta on Saturday asked the health professionals to screen the whole population of the UT for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) like Hypertension, Diabetes and common types of cancers. Chief Secretary said that the NCD are major cause of deaths across the globe so their early diagnosis could lead to better prevention and cure of such diseases. He asked for organising camps all across J&K for conducting free of cost screening of people. CS said that there is still scope for improvement in institutional births despite it being ahead of national average. He also emphasised on further improving the ranking of the UT in SDG goals related to health. He asked the department to digitise all the health records of the patients so that it is accessible to them anywhere by using their ABHA numbers and advised them to allow them to add their previous records to it for saving the same for posterity. He also enquired from the officers about the defunct machinery and poorly managed infrastructure in the hospitals of the UT. He said that the department should make a plan to repair all of such machines and upgrading the infrastructure to put it to optimal use for the benefit of general public. Imphal, July 29 : The Manipur government -- on the instructions of the Home Ministry -- on Saturday began collecting the biometrics of illegal Myanmar immigrants in the northeastern state, an official said, adding the exercise would be completed by September. A team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), deputed by the Home Ministry, assisted the state government officials in collecting the biometrics of illegal immigrants at the Foreigners' Detention Centre at Sajiwa in Imphal East district on Saturday. The exercise would continue in all districts until the data of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the state are collected. As many as 718 Myanmar nationals, including 301 children and 208 women, have entered Manipur's Chandel district on July 22 and 23 due to the ongoing clashes between the Army and the civil forces in the neighbouring country. The Myanmar nationals are now staying in seven locations of the Chandel district -- Lajang, Bonse, New Samtal, New Lajang, Yangnomphai, Yangnomphai Saw Mill, and Aivomjang -- all villages along the India-Myanmar border. Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi on July 24 had asked the Assam Rifles to push back the Myanmar nationals. "The government has sought a detailed report from the Assam Rifles to clarify on the facts and reasons, as to why and how these 718 Myanmar nationals were allowed to enter into India in Chandel district without proper travel documents. The state government has strictly advised the Assam Rifles to push back those 718 illegal Myanmar nationals immediately," the Chief Secretary had said. Joshi further said that the state government has told the Assam Rifles to take strict action to prevent entry of Myanmar nationals into Manipur on any ground without valid visa and travel documents as per the instructions of the Home Ministry. "The state government views the fresh illegal entry of 718 refugees very seriously with utmost sensitivity as the same may have international ramifications more particularly in view of the ongoing law and order issues," he said. The Chief Secretary had asked the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Chandel district to deal with the situation effectively and also keep biometrics and photographs of all such persons. Meanwhile, after the military takeover in Myanmar in February 2021, thousands of Myanmarese fled to Mizoram with around 35,000 men, women and children from that country now staying in the mountainous state. Around 5,000 Myanmarese also earlier took shelter in Manipur. Manipur has around 400 km and Mizoram has 510 km unfenced border with Myanmar. Shillong, July 29 : Taking a jibe at the opposition parties' alliance 'INDIA' members who have been visiting strife-torn Manipur, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Saturday said 'they should have interest in the northeastern region during other times as well'. Interacting with the media here, Sangma said: "Every political party can visit Manipur. This is their democratic right. But I think the political parties must have an interest in the northeast in other times also and they should visit." According to the Meghalaya Chief Minister, the state administrations in this region face diverse challenges. "Political parties should come and see how challenging it is to work in the northeastern region," he added. Jaipur, July 29 : In a scathing attack on the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan, BJP's National President J.P. Nadda said here on Saturday that there was no rule in Rajasthan but a "loot government". Chairing a BJP's State Core Committee meeting at the party headquarters here, Nadda added, "There is no Gehlot government in Rajasthan, but actually it is a "loot government" pleasing their masters (AICC) sitting in Delhi with booty collected from the state." He further said that he based this argument on the basis of a red diary which speaks about the Rajasthan government indulging in kickbacks and commissions. "The hallmark of corruption in the state is the "Laal Diary" in which black deeds of corruption are recorded. The pot of sins of the Congress government is now full," he added. During the saffron party's meeting, a detailed discussion was held regarding the upcoming plans and election strategy. "The people have come to know that this government (in Rajasthan) is a "government of loot". Every day, 18-19 rape cases, seven to eight murder cases are being registered in the state," Nadda said. Talking about the cases of atrocities on Dalits, the BJP National President noted that by 2022, 8,000 cases of Dalit atrocities have been registered. "Attacks on Dalits are increasing every day in the state, youth are being tortured in the Rajasthan Eligibility Entrance Test paper leak case and other paper leak cases," Nadda said, adding that the "people were deeply hurt by the "Jungle Raj" in the state". "Rajasthan has a glorious history. The people here will no longer tolerate atrocities on sisters and daughters. The plight of the farmers is such that the lands of over 19,500 have been auctioned. The farmer is forced to commit suicide. The state has become well-known for deteriorating law and order, "jungle raj", oppression of Dalits and women." "Regarding the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, we are sure that BJP will get one-sided blessings of the people and we will make a clean sweep in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections." The BJP-led Central government has taken care of the interests of every section of the society, including the common man, working on the empowerment of Dalits, underprivileged, farmers, youth and women, Nadda said. "We claim absolute majority on the strength of the Centre's public welfare schemes," he said, adding that "BJP's welfare schemes were discussed in detail in the state office on Saturday from the point of view of upcoming elections". Attacking the Ashok Gehlot-led state government, Nadda said that the people of the state will not tolerate the Gehlot government at all. The "Nahi Sahega Rajasthan" campaign being run by the BJP across the state is a successful campaign, he added. On August 1, a huge movement will be organised in Jaipur in which the people of the state are set to visit Jaipur in lakhs to lay siege to the Secretariat. BJP's core committee members, including party National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santosh, party state election-in charge and Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, party National General Secretary and state-in charge Arun Singh, State BJP President C.P. Joshi, State BJP election co-incharge Nitin Patel, state co-incharge Vijaya Rahatkar, Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Kailash Chowdhary, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Rajya Sabha MP Rajendra Gehlot, MP Kankamal Katara, BJP National Spokesperson and MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathod and Deputy Leader of Opposition Satish Poonia were present. Agartala/Guwahati, July 29 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the infiltration by Rohingyas is alarming in the northeast. "There is a network of brokers who bring Rohingyas into Tripura and from there to Assam and the rest of the country. Our Police are in Tripura now working with the state government to take action against them," the Chief Minister said. Soon after Sarma's remarks, the Tripura Police in a tweet said: "Tripura Police is strongly determined to take action against illegal migration, including Rohingya, in coordination with other agencies. This year, till June, a total 354 illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas and border touts/facilitators, have been arrested by Tripura Police." Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, in the just concluded session of the state Assembly, said that of the 856 km India-Bangladesh border with Tripura, a 50 km patch could not be fenced due to various reasons, including objection by the Border Guards Bangladesh. Infiltrators, smugglers and drug peddlers are also taking advantage of trans-border movement and to carry out their illegal trade through these unfenced frontiers, Saha had said. The Tripura Chief Minister said that 18 battalions of the BSF have been deployed along the India-Bangladesh border in the state and the state police, in coordination with the BSF, have been maintaining a strict vigil in the border villages to thwart infiltration, smuggling, cross-border crimes and other illegal activities. Imphal, July 29 : Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Saturday met two young tribal women, who were paraded naked by a mob in the state on May 4, and handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh each to their families. The Governor said that the entire country is ashamed of the incident, and necessary financial and moral support would be given to them (the victims). The Governor, in her second visit to relief centres in Churachandpur, urged everyone to work together for the restoration of peace, normalcy and harmony in the state. The Governor inspected the relief centres by visiting rooms where affected people are staying, interacted with the displaced persons and distributed relief materials (hygiene kits, eatables to kids with some cash amount). The Governor made an appeal to the youth of Manipur not to take the law in their hands and abstain from unlawful activities. Interacting with the displaced people who are sheltered at the relief camps, Uikey said she was visiting the camps to console, empathise and extend her support to the affected people. The government would provide compensation to the affected people, she said, while also assuring to do everything possible for the restoration of peace and the future of the people. The Governor also interacted with families of ex-servicemen and Civil Society Organisation leaders at Tuibong and heard their grievances. Kuki Inpi, ITLF, Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights submitted a memorandum to the Governor. As the President of Rajya Sainik Board, the Governor also donated cash of Rs 15,000 to seven ex-servicemen's families along with some relief materials (blanket, jumbo box etc.). She also handed over relief materials to the district's Red Cross Society. Flow of basic amenities, including medicine, has been hampered due to blockade along the roads. She had brought some medical supplies and other relief materials including mosquito nets, tarpaulin, hygiene kits, etc. Saying that she felt the pain and sufferings of the affected people and their eagerness to return to their respective home, the Governor appealed to the two communities to come together, negotiate and find a durable solution to end the violence. Appealing all concerned not to resort to vigilantism, the Governor reiterated that various Central forces are in place to ensure security for all. She appealed to all concerned to extend support for restoring peace and normalcy in the state. New Delhi, July 29 : Delhi L-G V.K. Saxena has expressed satisfaction after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in cooperation with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) restored the iconic Rajon Ki Baoli into a vibrant water body in record time, which was filled with silt and garbage before the restioration works at several archeaological sites commenced. Saxena on Saturday visited the Mehrauli Archaeological Park and Sanjay Van in the national capital and took stock of the restoration works being undertaken at these sites by the DDA and the ASI. Works at these two locations had started after the L-G visited them first, after assuming charge as the L-G last year. It was his fourth visit to the Mehrauli Archaeological Park where restoration works of the Tomb of Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban, Metcalfe's Lodge (Dilkhusha a" Mohammad Quli Khan's Tomb), Jamali-Kamali Mosque and Rajon ki Baoli have been underway after Saxena visited the site twice in February this year, followed by a review visit last June. "While works on the other projects at the locations was in different stages of execution, Rajon ki Baoli which was filled up to its arches with silt and garbage, before works commenced in February this year, has been restored into a vibrant water body in record time. Similarly, works of restoring the Metcalfe Lodge a" Dilkhusha were also nearing completion and soon an eco-friendly restaurant (by end of August) will be operationalised in its vicinity," the L-G office said. It added that the place is expected to come up as a unique and major attraction at this historically iconic site. The L-G also visited King Prithviraj Chauhan's Qila Rai Pithora and expressed grave disappointment at its decrepit state due to neglect by the authorities. He has instructed the DDA and ASI to immediately take up works for the restoration of this historical monument and asked for cleaning operations to be started and restoration designs to be put to him within the coming week. Saxena also directed DDA and ASI to work in coordination. During his visit, L-G also oversaw the ongoing restoration of the 11th century Anang Tal Baoli, which had started in July last year, post his visit in third week of June 2022. Saxena also directed officials to speedily restore the hitherto unexplored heritage site, which also houses a plethora of flora and fauna. He said that the complex could serve as a perfect showcase for visitors to the national capital of India. New Delhi, July 30 : The Congress on Saturday took a swipe at the BJP government at the Centre, saying ahead of assembly polls all ministers used to visit Manipur, but after the violence only the Union Home Minister visited the state with no tangible impact to show. The Congress also said that first it was former party chief Rahul Gandhi and now a delegation of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) who were in Manipur to listen to the pain, anguish and horror of both the communities, while appealing for peace. Taking a jibe at the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, Congress General Secretary communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter: "NDA Union Ministers used to visit Manipur every week and at times every other day in the run up to the 2022 Assembly elections in the state." "Since the outbreak of ethnic violence, only the Union Home Minister has visited once, that too after a delay of more than a montha with no tangible impact to show," the Rajya Sabha MP said. "Meanwhile, first it was Rahul Gandhi and now the delegation of 20 MPs from Team INDIA, who are there in Manipur -- listening to the pain, anguish and horror of both the communities, appealing for peace, taking stock of the condition of the relief camps across Manipur, and trying to build bridges," the Congress leader said. His remarks came after a delegation of 21 MPs from 16 parties of INDIA arrived in Imphal on Saturday on a two-day visit to assess the ground situation in violence-hit Manipur. Politics to heat up in MP as top leaders to visit state. Image Source: IANS News Bhopal, July 30 : The political environment in Madhya Pradesh is set to heat up in coming days as the state is gearing up for the Assembly elections to be held later this year and the main contenders - BJP and Congress - are in no mood to leave any stone unturned in their efforts to win the polls. While the BJP's Central leadership has appointed three union ministers as state election in-charges, party's key strategist and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has intensified his visits to the poll-bound state. Shah has visited state capital Bhopal thrice in the last 20 days and held several rounds of high-level meetings at party headquarters. He will be addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Indore on Sunday. State Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who is the minister in-charge of Indore, along with national General Secretary and local leader Kailash Vijayvargiya is setting the stage for Shah to charge up the party cadres in Malwa-Nimar region of the state. Shah was also supposed to visit Bhopal on Sunday, however the programme was later postponed, party sources told IANS. On the other hand, the Congress is also organising several programmes in Indore. On Sunday, former Chief Minister and party's state unit chief Kamal Nath will address a 'Adivasi Yuva Pachayat'. Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president and Congress in-charge of NSUI Kanhaiya Kumar will also be sharing stage with Kamal Nath. Reacting to Congress' Indore event, fire-brand BJP leader Narottam Mishra has said: "Kamal Nath will be sharing stage with those who supported 'tukde tukde' gang in JNU and shouted slogans to divide the country." Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Abbas Hafeez has said that he has written a letter to BJP President J.P. Nadda, and urged him to curtail the frequency of Shah's visit to Bhopal as the Union Home Minister's visit "leave the city shut for hours and triggers traffic snarls". "Several parts of Bhopal city gets shut due to heavy security for the Home Minister, which the security agencies obviously have to do, but the public has to suffer due to this... Other Union Ministers also visit Bhopal regularly but disruption is not that much," he claimed. The ability to say Ok, Google or Hey, Siri while sitting on our couch at home or driving to work, and to have our devices respond to our every command, is an undeniably useful perk in our increasingly digital lives. At last, tasks can be executed without having to place a single finger on the screen. But does this convenience come at the expense of our privacy? Do our cell phones really eavesdrop on us, even when were not knowingly giving them permission to listen? The cybersecurity company that developed the NordVPN privacy software has proposed an experiment that, they say, allows users to test whether their phones are actively listening in the background to record what they hear and use it to cater advertising to individual users. To demonstrate, three NordVPN workers conducted the experiment themselves, placing their phones on a table near them, at a safe distance from each other, but within listening range of their respective owners. Then, each person spoke about a specific topic, using keywords like Alaska or Volvo and carrying on conversations with repeated references to those chosen terms. The experiment participants repeated these sessions for three consecutive days, after which they analyzed the advertising content appearing on their devices. NordVPN has emphasized that the conclusions of the study are not clear; that is, they do not prove a direct correlation between the conversations and the content of the ads. But one of the test participants, who talked repeatedly about Volvo, did report that they were bombarded by advertising for the brand. This person did not even own a car, nor had they searched the Internet to buy a Volvo or any other kind of car. They did, however, occasionally follow Formula One racing events online. Our mobile devices, essential components of our daily lives, have access to our private information and the capacity to track our digital activities and physical movements. To answer the question do our cell phones listen to us? we need to first understand how the listening capabilities of our devices actually work. Fernando Suarez, president of the Council of Colleges in Engineering Informatics, a Spanish nonprofit, explains that there are two general types of applications that might be listening in. First, there are voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, which are programmed to always be attentive to our voice commands. Second, applications that we download may also have the ability to listen, depending on the permissions we grant them, he says. According to Suarez, if cell-phone users want to ensure that our data (and our conversations) are not being misused, we should make sure we know what permissions have been granted on our devices, both to the integrated system software as well as any third-party applications we install. These permissions can include giving apps unrestricted or partial access to our microphones and cameras. We can check and adjust these permissions in the privacy settings of our mobile devices. Its crucial to review and, if necessary, revoke permissions granted to applications that do not need such access, Suarez advises. Its crucial to review and, if necessary, revoke permissions granted to applications that do not need such access. Fernando Suarez, President of the Council of Colleges in Engineering Informatics The next question is whether our devices are indeed spying on us. As NordVPN argues, the answer is essentially no, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that phones are constantly recording or listening to our conversations. Our devices do collect a significant amount of data about us, however, even without needing to activate our microphones. The metadata from our Internet activity, which can range from our physical location, to the websites we visit, to who we interact with on social media, can reveal quite a lot about our lives. But what about recording voice and key-term data? Companies often claim that they dont store this data, but will admit that they do use it to learn and improve their services. So, in a way, our devices are learning from us and adapting to better understand our requests, concludes Suarez. The key difference is that this information remains completely anonymous; that is, it is not linked to the individual users account or profile. Google explains in its privacy policy that these recordings and their transcripts are stored in encrypted form, but that a small sampling may be heard at some point by human listeners. Data and the possibility of spying Googles privacy disclaimer does not necessarily suggest that a human will be listening to everything spoken within earshot of a users cell phone, but that, on occasion (Google estimates roughly 0.2% of the total number of audio recordings analyzed), a team of people may listen to these recordings in order to improve the systems learning capabilities. This information is anonymous, and is not linked to a specific person. Responding to a request for comment from EL PAIS, Google categorically denied that these audio recordings might be used for any other purpose: Google does not use the background sounds recorded by any device for advertising purposes, the technology giant confirmed. The belief that devices listen to us [in order to individually cater advertising] has been widely disproven. The cybersecurity company Wandera conducted an experiment similar to the one performed by NordVPN, isolating two cell phones (an Android and an iPhone) in a room for 30 minutes and playing recordings of cat- and dog food advertising. The idea was to analyze whether any correlation could be identified between the subsequent advertising that appeared on the devices and the content of the audio played during the test. The answer was a resounding no. The reality is that it is impossible to have a secure system in which the user does not give up some privacy in exchange for enjoying the service; there will always be a toll to pay. The platforms compensate for this complex balance by guaranteeing security measures to protect the information provided by the user. To this end, Apple, for example, has incorporated an extra layer of security in its iPhone software: as Julio Cesar Fernandez, academic director at Apple Coding Academy, explains, when a developer wants to use the microphone in iOS, permission is requested from the user, and if an out-of-the-ordinary use of the microphone is detected, Apple rejects the application. But perhaps the method that offers the best guarantee is the feature that warns users when their device is listening: When an application is using the microphone, an indicator light will appear at the top of the screen, says Fernandez Therefore, on an iPhone without a jailbreak [a patch that removes some of the limitations that Apple imposes on the software of its mobile devices], it is impossible to activate the microphone without the users knowledge and consent. This applies to applications, but how does the iPhone handle the active listening of its virtual assistant, Siri? If the user gives permission, Apple applies differential privacy algorithms to protect the users identity, so that the source of the recording cannot be identified, Fernandez explains. He recommends, however, that users always keep their devices software up to date to avoid possible security flaws that might be exploited by hackers, who could then gain unauthorized access to the microphone. So, knowing all this, do cell phones listen to us or not? The answer is too complicated for easy monosyllabic assurances. Mobile devices certainly have the ability to listen, offering users the added value of a virtual assistant, which can be activated by voice alone; but this does not mean that someone is always, or ever, listening to our commands and conversations without our consent. Operating systems and applications are designed with built-in controls that offer certain security and privacy guarantees. But, at the end of the day, the user even assuming those privacy barriers work should know that there is always a remote possibility that one of their conversations or commands could be heard by someone working to improve the quality of the systems they use. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Abu Dhabi, July 30 : The UAE has imposed a four-month ban on rice exports and re-exports, the country's Ministry of Economy said. The ban, with effect from July 28, covers the free zones in the UAE and applies to all rice varieties, including brown rice, fully or partially milled rice, and broken rice, according to a statement released on the Ministry's social media account on Saturday. Companies interested in exporting or re-exporting rice must request an export permit from the Ministry of Economy, said the statement. The ban can be automatically extended unless a decision is made to cancel its implementation, it added. The UAE ban comes after the Indian government decided last week to halt exports of non-basmati white rice because of the price rise in domestic market and significant crop damage caused by late but heavy monsoon rains, Xinhua news agency reported. The UAE imports nearly 90 per cent of its needed food. Tehran, July 30 : The Iranian police have seized 1.313 tonne of illegal drugs in the southern province of Hormuzgan over the past seven days in operations carried out under a scheme to fight narcotics trafficking, media reported. During the operations, "19 traffickers as well as 18 drug retailers and distributors" were arrested, official news agency IRNA quoted Hormuzgan Police Commander Ali Akbar Javidan as saying on Saturday. He listed the seized drugs as 881 kg of opium, 177 kg of hashish, 253 kg of methamphetamine and 2 kg of other illicit substances, noting nine vehicles used for carrying the drugs were also confiscated, Xinhua news agency reported. Apart from the announced seizure, Javidan said that in a separate operation supported by intelligence from a central province, its forces managed to seize 500-kg methamphetamine concealed in a truck in Hormuzgan earlier on Friday. He added two suspects were arrested in the operation, noting that the methamphetamine cargo had been loaded onto the truck in Afghanistan. Tehran, July 30 : A female Azerbaijani national imprisoned in Iran has been repatriated to her home country under a convict extradition agreement between the two neighbours, media reported. Iran handed over the Azerbaijani citizen to her country's authorities on Thursday on "humanitarian grounds and in line with promoting constructive interaction" with the neighbouring state, Mizan news agency quoted Askar Jalalian, deputy Iranian Justice Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs, as saying on Saturday. He pointed to the "positive" trend reflected by the two countries' judicial and legal cooperation, expressing hope for a deepened "friendly" bilateral relations in legal and judicial fields, Xinhua news agency reported. Iran and Azerbaijan signed the prisoner extradition agreement in 1999. Death toll in Krishnagiri firecracker explosion rises to seven, ten injured. Image Source: IANS News Bangkok, July 30 : At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 were injured after a fireworks warehouse exploded in southern Thailand, government officials said. The explosion, which occurred on Saturday afternoon, destroyed 10 houses and partially damaged about 100 houses in a market in Narathiwat province bordering Malaysia, said Deputy Government Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek. The local Public Relations Department said at least 10 people were killed and 118 were injured, Xinhua news agency reported. Authorities have now brought the fire under control and are searching for anyone who may be trapped under the debris, Ratchada added in a statement. Those wounded, including 14 in critical condition, were sent to local hospitals for treatment, she said. In response to the accident, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed relevant agencies to provide support for the injured and those affected, the statement said. Robert Stapf, British Swim School Hudson Waterfront I am very proud of the dedicated and passionate team that I have around me, and thankful for their leadership and drive. They work very hard on making us the best franchise, and their hard work is paying off. British Swim Schools Robert Stapf was identified by franchise research firm, Franchise Business Review, as being one of 2023s Franchise Rock Stars. Stapf was selected from over 36,000 franchisees, representing more than 360 brands that participated in Franchise Business Reviews research. The Franchise Rock Stars were nominated by their franchise brands leadership in one of eight categories as franchisees who set admirable examples when it comes to leadership, business acumen, financial and professional success, and contributing to their community. Categories included: Giving Back, Women, Millennials, Veterans, Family-Owned, Freshmen, Top-Performers, and Multi-Unit Owners. Its a great honor, but the credit goes all to my team, Stapf said. I am very proud of the dedicated and passionate team that I have around me, and thankful for their leadership and drive. They work very hard on making us the best franchise, and their hard work is paying off. Stapf oversees British Swim School of Hudson Waterfront, which serves an area of the New York Metropolitan region. There are nearly a dozen locations that have seen steady growth over the past year. Weve always looked at Robert as one of our rock star franchisees, so for him to be recognized on a broader scale is fantastic, said Ashley Gundlach, President of British Swim School. Robert and his staff are an asset to the community and were thrilled for him and this tremendous honor." Visit FranchiseBusinessReview.com to see the full list of 2023 Franchise Rock Stars. For more information about British Swim School, visit http://www.britishswimschool.com. To learn more about the benefits of British Swim Schools franchising opportunities, visit http://www.britishswimschoolfranchise.com. About British Swim School British Swim School, the nations most established swim school franchise, with over 40 years in business, believes that every individual, regardless of age or ability, should have the opportunity to become a safe and happy swimmer. Offering lessons for babies, children, and adults, the brand is dedicated to its mantra, Survival of the Littlest, focusing first on the survival skills needed to survive a water accident, then moving on to stroke development and more advanced skills. Not only does British Swim Schools give peace of mind to countless families who seek the essential life skill the brand offers their children but the purpose-driven franchise also offers an exceptional opportunity for entrepreneurs who seek a fulfilling business venture with a sound foundation, low investment, and easily scalable model. Part of the Buzz Franchise Brands family, British Swim School currently operates over 315 schools across the United States and Canada. For more information about British Swim School, visit http://www.britishswimschool.com. To learn more about the benefits of British Swim Schools franchising opportunities, visit http://www.britishswimschoolfranchise.com. About Franchise Business Review Franchise Business Review (FBR) is a leading market research firm serving the franchise sector. FBR measures satisfaction and engagement of franchisees and franchise employees and publishes various guides and reports for entrepreneurs considering an investment in a franchise business. Since 2005, FBR has surveyed hundreds of thousands of franchise owners and over 1,200 leading franchise companies. FBR publishes free and unbiased franchisee satisfaction research reports throughout the year online at http://www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com. To read our publications, visit https://franchisebusinessreview.com/page/digital-guides/. Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the lawsuit against CBOCS West, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The Los Angeles employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a lawsuit against CBOCS West, Inc. alleging the company violated Labor Code 2699, et seq. seeking penalties for DEFENDANTs alleged violation of California Labor Code 201-203, 204 et seq., 210, 218, 221, 226(a), 226.7, 227.3, 246 et seq., 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802. The lawsuit against CBOCS West, Inc. is currently pending in the San Bernardino County Superior Court, Case No. CIVSB2313831. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here. According to the lawsuit filed, CBOCS West, Inc. allegedly failed to pay employees for all the time they were under the employer's control. This, allegedly, includes the time Plaintiff and other Aggrieved Employees had to submit to mandatory COVID-19 screening prior to clocking in for the day. To the extent that the time worked off the clock did not qualify for overtime premium payment, Defendant allegedly failed to pay minimum and overtime wages for the time worked off-the-clock. PAGA is a mechanism by which the State of California itself can enforce state labor laws through the employee suing under the PAGA who do so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. An action to recover civil penalties under PAGA is fundamentally a law enforcement action designed to protect the public and not to benefit private parties. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of "deputizing" citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code. For more information about the lawsuit against CBOCS West, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** KYODO NEWS - Jul 29, 2023 - 22:52 | World, All The United States said Saturday it will help Australia produce guided multiple-launch rocket systems by 2025, with the two countries stepping up cooperation in the face of China's growing influence over Pacific island nations. The commitment is among "several mutually beneficial initiatives" that the Pentagon is pursuing with Australia's defense industry, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a press conference following bilateral security talks in Brisbane. The United States is also "racing to accelerate Australia's access to priority munitions through a streamlined acquisition process," he added. Earlier in the day, Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong for an annual dialogue, known as the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations. The two countries have been ramping up collaborative defense efforts, which include a plan for Canberra to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under a three-way security partnership involving Britain, known as AUKUS. Austin, speaking alongside Blinken and their Australian counterparts, emphasized the significance of transferring U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia, a move that has triggered concern among a group of Republican lawmakers about the submarine production capacity of the country's defense industry. "Regarding AUKUS, I am confident that there will continue to be strong bipartisan support for this initiative," the Pentagon chief said. "This initiative...creates a generational capability, and again, it helps us to realize our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific," he added. Blinken underscored the two countries' efforts to defend the international rules-based order, noting that they are doing so by engaging with China while also "as necessary, opposing its efforts to disrupt freedom of navigation and overflight" in the South and East China seas. Blinken said the United States and Australia oppose China's attempts "to upend the status quo that has preserved peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." China's diplomatic drive to seek closer ties with Pacific island nations has alarmed the United States and its allies, such as Australia and Japan. Most notably, Beijing's signing of a security pact with the Solomon Islands in April last year caused significant concern. The security accord reportedly allows Beijing to deploy its military and dock its vessels in the island country to Australia's northeast. Marles echoed Austin's remarks regarding his confidence in the United States' "bipartisan commitment" to Australia's acquisition of the submarines. He also said Canberra is expecting to "see more visits" of U.S. nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, which he anticipates will be "the first steps in walking the path of Australia developing the capability to operate nuclear-powered submarines ourselves." KYODO NEWS - Jul 29, 2023 - 12:57 | All, World, Japan The family of a missing French woman is renewing its call for Japan to help gather more information about her on the fifth anniversary of her mysterious disappearance during a trip to a tourist spot north of Tokyo. "We won't give up. We need answers," Damien Veron, 43, said in a recent interview, referring to his and supporters' efforts to work with Japanese authorities to find out exactly what happened to his sister Tiphaine Veron. "We would like the existing pieces of evidence to be considered through a criminal investigation," he said. Tiphaine went missing on July 29, 2018, when she was 36, after checking in at her accommodation in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, the previous day. She left her luggage and passport in her room. Firmly believing that her disappearance was not an accident but a possible crime amid continuing uncertainties, her family published a book last year titled "Tiphaine Where Are You?" to express their difficulties in dealing with Japan's judicial system. On Saturday, which marked five years since she went missing, Japanese police handed out flyers in Nikko, asking for information about the woman. The U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearances urged Japan to enhance cooperation with French authorities in an April document that said France had opened an investigation of the matter as a kidnapping case. French authorities asked Japanese police to collect and safeguard relevant mobile phone data in 2018 and 2021, but "received no response," according to the document. Earlier this month, a top Japanese government spokesman said Tokyo has "properly responded" to the request from the U.N. panel. "The Tochigi prefectural police have searched for her and taken other actions, suspecting both possibilities -- that she was involved in a crime or an accident," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference. Tiphaine's family "sincerely" thanked the Nikko police for continuing their search for her for five years in a statement released on the fifth anniversary of her disappearance. It said Tiphaine's case has been handled by an organization for special investigations of old and complex cases in Nanterre, a Paris suburb, and her family will visit Japan in September in a bid to find more clues regarding her fate. Jeff Trexler, interim director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, told PW that the book bans happening across the country were a topic of much conversation at San Diego Comic-Con. When people saw my badge, they would want to stop and talk, said Trexler. The CBLDF is among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit seeking to overturn Texass new law requiring retailers to rate books for sexual content before selling them to schools. Trexler is sanguine that the publishing and bookselling community will win, citing the success earlier this year in getting a judge in Virginia Beach, Va., to throw out a lawsuit seeking to ban the sale of Gender Queer and A Court of Mist and Fury to minors. The thing is, now the lawyers are adapting and learning from their losses, he explained. For example, the lawyer who argued the Virginia Beach case said that after that case failed they would pursue requiring book ratings, which is what we are now seeing in Texas. Reflecting on recent events, Trexler said literacy is shifting from a verbal written culture to a visual one, and at these moments of transition people are heard shouting to stop history. We can expect more and more of these obscenity-related cases going forward, he predicted, adding that the impact of censorship efforts is already being felt in diminished sales in changes to the types of books being acquired. The antidote is collaborative citizenship and communication. Publishers cant fight this on their own, retailers cant fight this on their own, Trexler said. Theres already a lot of rope-a-dope and misdirection around this issue. Its as if they are simply trying to wear us out. The main thing is, we cant be passive. We have to work together to try and get ahead of this. In Web3 (Harper Business, Sept.), investor Tapscott explores what the future of the internet might look like. What is Web3? Web1 describes the dot-com era, the first era of the commercial web. It was primarily a broadcast medium, a way to consume info digitally and democratize access to information. Web2 was the read-write web. Users could consume content, share their own information, and build communities online, but that all ended up in the hands of a few powerful platforms who used the data for their own profit. Web3 is read-write-own, a way for users to actually own digital assets, and thats going to transform business and society in some profound ways. Will Web3 change the way people earn money online? Web3 makes it easier to own assets and to build wealth online. Lots of people globally have internet access but not a bank account; new tools give them a way to move and store value in U.S. dollars. In the world of decentralized finance, entrepreneurs are creating peer-to-peer models for trading assets, or lending pools, without the need for a traditional bank. For these platforms to be valuable, you must have people who are willing to use them, so some platforms have incentivized early users by offering tokens. The value of tokens is currently $3 billion, which accounts for over 20% of all global exchange volume. Its taking a bite out of traditional corporations. Issuing tokens turns users into owners, a transformation that could also be applied to social networks and gaming. How will Web3 change compensation for artists? For most of human history, technology has been a tailwind for creators. In the Middle Ages, artists had to rely on patronage, but the invention of lithography made it possible for them to inexpensively mass produce and sell their work. Today, the internet has produced new problemsstreaming music, for instance, has led to the rise of new intermediaries, such as YouTube and Spotify, that put distance between artists and users. Culture needs a new business model; if your art gets used for AI learning, you should be compensated. What is the idea behind the concept of sovereign identity? Theres a virtual you out there, and a virtual me out there, and the virtual me knows more about me than I knowwhat Ive searched for, what Ive posted, every interaction Ive had online. I dont own it, and I cant control or monetize it. That data is owned by the companies I interact with, and maybe it ends up in the wrong hands. Its the Faustian bargain we made: When Web2 came, we traded our time, attention, and data for the features, but now we dont think its such a great idea. The idea has become that revenue from data should go to the users who generated it, perhaps via a token that will deposit a U.S. dollarstable coin into a wallet attached to your bank. "So many stupid things, says Zadie Smith, recalling the projects she was offered after the publication of her sensational debut novel, White Teeth, in 2000. Fashion things. Reality TV. TV, generally. Lots of TV. There was a real belief that you would only write a book to get to somewhere else. But I just wanted to write books, so it wasnt a difficult decision. Its absurd to imagine a world in which Smith, rather than contributing potent personal essays and criticism to the New York Review of Books and other publications, or writing four more novels (The Autograph Man, On Beauty, NW, and, most recently, Swing Time) and a story collection (Grand Union) teeming with big ideas, sympathetic characterizations, and roguish wit, had instead spent the past two decades morphing into a Kardashian. But as dark comedy, its not so far removed from a joke that Smith weaves throughout The Fraud (Penguin Press, Sept.), her latest novel and first work of historical fiction. Speaking over Zoom from her studymaroon walls, Paris Review tote bag, Huey Newton peacock chair by the doorin the northwest London suburb of Kilburn, where she was raised and returned to full-time in 2020, after a decade spent teaching creative writing at NYU, Smith describes her curiosity about another neighborhood resident, the prolific 19th-century author William Harrison Ainsworth. I just thought it was so funny, she says, that there was such a famous and successful novelist around the corner from me who was completely forgotten and had written over 40 books that nobody reads anymore. That always entertained mehow fleeting literary reputations are. Its hilarious. (It should be noted here that Smith, the daughter of a Black Jamaican immigrant and a white working-class British WWII veteran, who has been pushing back against the various labelsmulticultural, wunderkind, hyper-realistassigned to her since she published White Teeth at age 24, does seem to find the idea of literary obsolescence genuinely funny. Her laugh when she tells me that 99% of Victorian literature is pulped, and that exactly the same thing will happen to her and her peers, is bright, disarming, and unbidden. A deliberate and often quizzical-looking respondent, Smith appears most at ease when shes amusedusually by an unexpected, and slightly perverse, turn of her own mind.) Back to Ainsworth. In the 1830s and 40s, he was one of the brightest lights of literary London, outselling his good friend Charles Dickens and hosting raucous dinner parties attended by such luminaries as William Thackery and Wilkie Collins. Then came the fallings-out and the long, intractable slide into obscurity. The Fraud, which tracks Ainsworths decline over decades, casts novelists and their vampiric hunger for other peoples stories in a vividly unflattering light. Writers are badly behaved, but have nothing on poets, says a grinning Smith, who is married to the poet Nick Laird. Were angels compared to poets, who are just devilish. But Ainsworth, perhaps inevitably, is not the star of his own story. That honor is shared by two other real-life figures, whose presence in The Fraud more directly signals that Smith, one of contemporary literatures most perceptive chroniclers of the legacy of colonialism and the complexities of identity, is at the wheel. The first of these characters is Eliza Touchet, Ainsworths widowed cousin and housekeeper. The real Mrs. Touchet died in 1869, 13 years before her cousin. In The Fraud, Smith extends her life beyond Ainsworths and enriches it in ways only hinted at in the historical record. It was such a pure idea, Smith says. I only had one sentence about her, which is in somebodys letter. I cant even remember if its Dickens or Thackeray, just saying, Oh god, is Mrs. Touchet going to be there tonight? She always makes me nervous. And I thought, Thats so weird, that this woman would make a load of male writers nervous. What could she have been like? From there, Smith extrapolated a character as intelligent, prickly, romantic, stubborn, prejudiced, and incisive as any she has created. A staunch abolitionist, womens rights advocate, and the consciousness through which the novel is filtered, Mrs. Touchet develops an unexpected friendship with Ainsworths vulgar second wife, Sarah, a former maid turned pampered lady of the house whose ardent interest in one of the eras most sensationalized legal cases eventually brings the novels other main character into focus. First, though, a bit about the case. On one side stood the Tichborne claimant, a heavyset man with the face of a simpleton and a chin-strap beard, as Smith writes. In 1866, he arrived in England from Australia purporting to be Sir Roger Tichborne, the missing heir to the Tichborne baronetcy and estates, and was recognized as such by Sir Rogers mother before she died. On the other side were the remainder of the Tichborne family, pointing out that the real Sir Roger, presumed to have died in a shipwreck off the coast of South America in 1854, was slender, spoke fluent French (which the claimant did not), and had zero connection to an East London butcher named Arthur Orton (which the claimant, who looked just like Orton and made a secret visit to the Orton family on his way back from Australia, clearly did). Though the logic of the Tichborne claimants supporters was incoherentas Smith puts it, The argument was, Poor men never get a fair go in this court. So, this man is Sir Roger their loyalty was fierce. (Smith says she was reminded while writing of the rhetorical reversal Donald Trump has managed to pull off: How do you sell yourself as a man of the people-stroke-millionaire? It seems like craziness, but Tichbornes exactly the same. Hes a working-class aristocrat.) Working-class Britons came out in droves to hear him speak and even bought shares in the land he sought to inherit. The key man in the claimants corner was Andrew Bogle, a former slave on the Hope Estate in Jamaica and valet to Sir Rogers uncle. Described as respectable looking and having an intelligent face in newspaper accounts of the trial, Bogle met the claimant in Australia, came back with him to England, and delivered the most persuasive testimony on his behalf. For Smith, who first encountered the Tichborne case in a Jorge Luis Borges story (Tom Castro, the Improbable Impostor), the discovery of Bogles involvement was a revelation. Its 1870, but theres a Black man in court giving testimony for two years, something impossible in America. And hes married to a white woman. He has all these things that are impossible in America, but of course, did happen in England. Not because it was any less racist, but because we just did not have racial laws. I wanted to remember that because, if you spend too long in America, you start forgetting that not everywhere is like America. Though Borges imagined that Bogle was the mastermind of the fraud (which resulted in a 14-year prison sentence for the claimant and the loss of Bogles pension from the Tichborne family), Smith leaves his motivations more of a mystery. Instead, she brings Mrs. Touchet, who has begun attending the trial with Sarah and feels compelled to write about it, and Bogle together for a series of interviews and encounters that raises penetrating questions about the nature of human rights, and the order in which theyre granted. Explaining that in 19th-century England, those seeking expanded rights were being encouraged in this teleological idea of all in good time, well do the middle-class men first, then the working men, then maybe well get to the women, then well consider the colonies, then well think about the Blacks, Smith says that she wanted to take seriously the idea that everybody involved is in need at the same momentand so then by consequence, is unbelievably frustrated and oppressed at every moment. Or, to put it more plainly: I didnt want to write a cozy book about how everything was nicer or quieter or greener back then. The truth was not cozy. Twinhood, human evolution, infrastructure, and tactile communication are among the wide range of topics covered in this seasons noteworthy first outings. Outside the Norm Cat Bohannon Cat Bohannon was a grad student at Columbia when she was having a conversation with a postdoc about his studies on mice. Thats when I learned that across the biological sciences, there is the male norm, Bohannon says, referring to the fact that most lab studies are done with male subjects, though their conclusions are applied across the board. The idea that womens bodies werent getting enough attention became the basis of Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Evolution (Knopf, Oct.), which considers humankinds development from the female perspective. In addition to a PhD in the evolution of narrative and cognition, Bohannon has an MFA in creative writing from Columbia and was a self-described poet gal in the early aughts, when she cooked up a gig for herself as poet-in-residence at a Warhol-like factory in Dalian, China, run by the man who invented plastination. She wrote an essay about it for the Georgia Review, where Elyse Cheney, her future agent, read it. Cheney praises Bohannons writing for its range: Its so rich, she says. She can be funny, witty, radical. Knopf executive editor Andrew Miller recalls his excitement upon first encountering Eve. There are some proposals you read and by the time youre halfway through, you just know you have to publish this book, he says. This was definitely one of those. Double Vision Helena de Bres Wellesley College philosophy professor Helena de Bres wrote the first full draft of How to Be Multiple: The Philosophy of Twins (Bloomsbury, Nov.) during a sabbatical in New Zealand, where she stayed in the bedroom she shared with her twin sister Julia. The book, de Bress trade debut, examines selfhood, human connection, and the unique experience of being a twin. It also features illustrations by Julia, a longtime collaborator. When I was 12, I wrote a novel and she drew the pictures, de Bres says. We were just at home in the suburbs, always dreaming up adventures and projects. Working together in adulthood felt like a natural mode. Callie Garnett, de Bress editor at Bloomsbury (and an identical twin herself), recalls that for a long time, shes wanted to read something that depicted twinhood from a specific angle. I wanted it both ways, she says. I wanted to see it theorized, but I wanted it to be by someone who has lived the experience and could explore it phenomenologically in a useful way. Garnett was delighted to find that combination in How to Be Multiple, and notes that de Bres is remarkable for her ability to strike a balance in her writing between being humorous and being the philosophy professor that she is. A Good Fit Deb Chachra Ive been interested in infrastructure my entire life, says engineer Deb Chachra about the genesis of How Infrastructure Works: Inside the Systems That Shape Our World (Riverhead, Oct.). My dad worked for the local power utility, and I grew up close to our local nuclear station. Growing up in Canada as the country was investing in infrastructure projects such as highways and clean water systems, Chachra was somewhat aware of these developments. Visiting her parents hometown in India as a child, however, made infrastructure much more obvious, she says, because you actually see the things you take for granted when you dont have them. How Infrastructure Works covers the mechanics of bridges, highways, reservoirs, and more. It also considers the social forces behind those projects, how theyre changing, and ways to improve them. We have the opportunity to actually make these systems amazingly better, Chachra says. She and her agent, Lydia Wills, were less interested in shopping the book around and more interested in going with the right editor. The first time I met [Riverhead executive editor] Courtney Young, I asked her what kind of authors she worked with, and her answer was nerds, Chachra recalls. I thought, this is going to be a good fit. Working on her book has changed the way I see the world, Young says. Its both a fascinating celebration of infrastructure and a very serious, urgent plan for what we need to do next to have our infrastructural systems persist. Fumbling at the Edge John Lee Clark John Lee Clark is a Deafblind poet, essayist, and educator working on Protactile, a language thats at the heart of his essay collection Touch the Future: A Manifesto in Essays (Norton, Oct.). The Protactile movement emerged in 2007 in Seattle, when three Deafblind activists decided to go without interpreters for their meetings. Touching became central to communication, and, as Clark writes in the book, A grammar soon developed to coordinate all that contact. A new language was born. Clarks debut offers reflections on that language and the movement behind it, a history of the term Deafblind, and an examination of his writing room, among other topics. He notes that the essays grew as the movement did. Its hard to tell whether an essay made a fresh incision at the cutting edge and the movement follows or the movement opened up a new nook and an essay is reporting this, he says. The book is the fruit of the fumbling at the edge. You step away from this book with a renewed sense of excitement about the possibilities for the future of language and communication, says Norton executive editor Jill Bialosky, who praises the electric charge of Clarks voice, vision, and spirit. Asked about his own hopes for Touch the Future, Clark points to Protactiles developing nature. It may seem strange to say, but I hope that, on one level, my book will quickly grow to be outdated, he notes. This will be because what the movement has suggested or only just begun to make manifest has come to pass. Textbook Case Michael Harriot Michael Harriot wrote Black AF History: The Un-whitewashed Story of America (Dey Street, Sept.) in the odd hoursprimarily from one to four in the morningwhen he wasnt busy with his day job as a staff writer at the Root. Harriot points out that, before electricity, people would go to sleep when the sun went down, and then wake up in the middle of the night. Sometimes theyd feed farm animals or read the Bible, and then sleep another three or four hours, and wake up when the sun comes up. Instead of milking cows, I would work on the book. As a graduate student at Florida State University, Harriot taught a course titled, Race as an Economic Construct, which became the basis of a book proposal with a more academic bent, until, he says, everyone who listened to the proposal said, Well, what about that thing you do where you take history and make it funny? The one-book proposal turned into a two-book deal, and Black AF History moved to the front of the line. Combining research and humor, it functions as an updated American history textbook that emphasizes the oft-overlooked perspectives of Indigenous and Black people. Stuart Roberts, Harriots editor at Dey Street, recalls being blown away when he saw the manuscript for the first time, calling the book a wildly entertaining ride while youre being informed and enlightened. Harriot emphasizes the importance of bringing a human angle to history. All of the things that we think of as history arent dates and figures and facts and timelines, he says. They are actual people and stories. Somebodys Got to Write This Patti Hartigan Im one of those strange people who at the age of 12 said, I want to be a theatre critic, says Patti Hartigan, author of August Wilson: A Life (Simon & Schuster, Aug.). In 1987, Hartigan was a very young aspiring critic at the National Critics Institute at the Eugene ONeill Theatre Center in Connecticut, where she first met Wilson. The playwright Jeffrey Hatcher and I ended up sitting under a tree with August, and he just regaled us with his stories, Hartigan says. In 2005, she wrote an appreciation of him for the Boston Globe, where she worked as a critic for more than 15 years. And then time passed and time passed, and there was no biography of this enormously influential genius of a man. A decade later, she was in the audience of Wilsons one-man show How I Learned What I Learned at Bostons Huntington Theatre. The final scene moved her to tears. At that point, Hartigan recalls, I thought, somebodys got to write this biography. Hartigan has followed Wilsons career almost from the beginning, notes S&S executive editor Bob Bender. In many ways, her own career parallels his. And thanks to Hartigans rigorous research, he adds, shes able to give readers the real August Wilson, both his genius and his flaws. Hartigans intensive research took her to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale, to Minnesota, and to Pennsylvania, among other places. That all came to a halt when the pandemic hit, but it had a silver lining for Hartigan: It forced me to stop researching and just sit down and write a book, she says. Hot Takes Roger Reeves Roger Reevess Dark Days: Fugitive Essays (Graywolf, Aug.) brings together pieces on race, community, politics, and literature. And while Reevess own story is in there, too, it wasnt always. I was challenging myself, because at first I wanted it to all be critical, he says. But then I was thinking about how James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, and even Susan Sontag were really able to weave the personal into thinking about the literary and the political and the social. I was like, okay, lets try this. The author of two poetry collections, Reeves has a PhD in English from the University of Texas at Austin. Ive written lots and lots of essays for academic purposes, he says. And I kind of got into thinking about whats possible with the essay form, and how it might overlap and intersect with that of the poem. Graywolf executive editor Jeff Shotts notes that its not just Reevess experience as a poet that shaped his writing in Dark Days. Roger writes a lot about coming out of the Pentecostal tradition, the tradition of reading scripture, but also the kind of oracular way of passing the word, Shotts says. And that really comes out in the beautiful sentence-making in this book. Reeves says that as he was writing Dark Days, public intellectualism and the role of criticism in society were on his mind. Everybody loves the hot take, he adds. Critique is a worthwhile endeavorits something that we should pay attention to. Ingenious Solutions Nick Romeo Nick Romeo was writing a story about gig workers for the New Yorker in 2020 when the seed for The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy (PublicAffairs, Jan. 2024) was planted. There were the conventional answers to the precarity of gig work, says Romeo, and then there was a kind of out-of-left-field, very ingenious solution proposed that really cut across both types of solutions. That idea was to replace private, for-profit companies with public markets for gig workers that functioned similarly to the way that public utilities operate. Romeo found the proposal eye-opening and was surprised that few had taken notice of it. The model for the entire book is to look at similar case studiesincredibly compelling, ingenious ideas that are not widely recognized, he says. And yet, they do already exist. In addition to gig work, The Alternative examines job guarantee programs, emission reduction targets, and worker-owned cooperatives. The books combination of rigorous reporting and accessibility appealed to PublicAffairs editor John Mahaney, who notes that Romeo frames each of the issues that he takes on with the story of an interesting person. So, its very human centered, and he eases you into some of the bigger questions. Personal History David Shih In early 2019, David Shih, an English professor at the University of WisconsinEau Claire, learned that his father in Texas had a stroke and was hospitalized. In the two weeks that followed, Shih almost went through his life business as usual, he says, and then booked a plane ticket. But he was too late. His father had died. I just started thinking about what took me so long, Shih says. That is, why didnt I go back immediately? Answering that question became the spark behind Chinese Prodigal: A Memoir in Eight Arguments (Atlantic Monthly, Aug.). Though the collection began with a personal investigation, the essays open up into a larger look at the history of race in America. I couldnt just write a straight memoir without talking about other points in history and other people from history whose notoriety, if you will, I had to negotiate, Shih says. They all shaped the what it means to be a Chinese American or an Asian American in some way. And like it or not, I had to reckon with those meanings. Amy Hundley, Shihs editor at Grove Atlantic, notes that really what hes doing is translating ideas that have been happening in the academy for a general readership. Praising the books rigorous nature, she adds that Shih is a writer who has a really arresting authority and presence on the page. A Presidents Life Ruth J. Simmons Ruth J. Simmons was the president of Brown University when she began work on Up Home: One Girls Journey (Random House, Sept.), but the responsibilities of the job didnt leave her with enough time to write. A presidents life is morning, noon, and night, Simmons says. When the pandemic hit, she finally had the time and space to get back to work on it. The idea to write a memoir came directly out of conversations she was having with students. Having previously served as president of Smith College in Northampton, Mass., Simmons arrived at Brown in 2001 as the first Black president of an Ivy League university. She stayed there until 2012, and from 2017 to 2023 served as president of Prairie View A&M University, an HBCU in Texas. Ever since her time at Smith, Simmons notes, shes been bombarded with questions from students about how she got there. Tracing the first two decades of Simmonss life, Up Home begins in 1945 in East Texas, where she was born the youngest of 12 in a family of sharecroppers. Writing it was a way of explaining the aspects of my early life that led me, logically, to the place where I am today, she says. Random House executive editor David Ebershoff says he was struck by the books classic tone from the first page, the first time I read it, noting that, because of Simmonss clear and honest voice, its as if a person, a friend, is speaking directly to you. Carliann Rittman has an MFA in creative writing and lives in Upstate NY. Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated Andrew Miller's job title. Click Here to go to PublishersWeekly.com The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looks poised to introduce an outright ban on menthol cigarettes, a product favored by over 18.9 million Americans. Thats much more than an inconvenience. It paves the way for Mexican drug cartels and Chinese state-backed purveyors of counterfeit cigarettes to gain a foothold inside American borders. Thanks to Americas appallingly policed drug laws, there is already rampant activity from Mexican-led criminal gangs in the U.S. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), around 90% of the drugs sold in American cities like Chicago come from Mexico. Much of that trade is down to a single mob boss named Nemesio Cervantes, known as El Mencho, whom the DEA estimates is behind one third of the drugs sold in the U.S. No doubt El Mencho and his associates will leap on the opportunity to peddle products to a whole new market in the United States: those who dont take drugs but do smoke menthol cigarettes. When law-abiding citizens find they can no longer purchase their menthols legally, all the evidence from studies of similar policies suggests they will turn straight to illicit vendors. It's not just Mexican criminals who stand to benefit from this black-market boon. A 2015 FDA-backed study titled Understanding the U.S. Illicit Tobacco Market identifies China as the source of most of the worlds counterfeit cigarettes. In 2021, intrepid journalists lifted the lid on a single Chinese state-backed company which produces almost 50% of worldwide cigarette production and already funnels its products illegally into countries across Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. The U.S. government might as well put up a banner at the border saying, Black Market Tobacco Salesmen Welcome. The FDAs mad ban plan will distract police from spiraling crime, sending them after cigarette sellers instead, at a cost of around $6.6 billion, not to mention the lost revenue from tobacco taxes. Meanwhile, a huge chunk of the menthol market will simply turn to illicit sellers, as so many already do for drugs, to the delight of those who profit from selling illegal products to Americans, such as Mexican drug cartels. The menthol ban policy will especially worsen the lot of African-American smokers. Its ironic that politicians like Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL), who speak often of racial justice issues, support the measure. Kelly is chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, which claims protecting health equity and reducing health disparities in all communities are among its key aims. Banning menthol cigarettes will widen, not improve, health disparities. African-Americans disproportionately choose menthols over non-mentholated alternatives. A whopping 85% of African-American smokers favor menthols. That didnt stop Rep. Kelly from writing a letter to the FDA expressing strong support for the proposed rule to remove menthol cigarettes from the market, along with a cabal of her Democratic colleagues on the Congressional Black Caucus. African-Americans are much more likely to end up behind bars than any other racial group, especially for drug offenses. Making menthol cigarettes illegal too will almost certainly result in yet more African-Americans associating with the wrong kinds of people and getting themselves into trouble, because the black market will be their only option. The Biden administration is allowing and even encouraging the FDA to indulge its paternalistic instincts. The menthol ban is just one of a slew of aggressive new interventions coming down the pipeline which will do more harm than good. It will place law-abiding African-American menthol smokers on the wrong side of the law and invite Mexican cartels and Chinese manufacturers to expand their illegal activities in America. If only the FDA could take a more moderated, nuanced approach to complex policy issues like smoking, rather than lunging to tax and regulate products it doesnt like out of existence, all these unnecessary new problems could be avoided. Jason Reed is a policy writer based in London, UK, contributing to a wide range of outlets on both sides of the Atlantic and acting as a spokesperson for Young Voices, a U.S.-based non-profit organization. He tweets @JasonReed624. Property details: .BUY LAND NOW2.7 Miles to the GULF/BEACH!FISHING-BOATING!! START INVESTING NOW!This land is perfect for Land Banking! Buy and hold for future investment. Many companies and investors purchase land at a substantial discount for their investment portfolios. Then later, use this as collateral for their business. Low Low Prices!Great Investment for new investor. Start your own land business now!Residential Land Lot in Bay St. Louis , Mississippi. So many possibilities to use it for residential , par... Price: $ 907 Seller State of Residence: California Type: Homesite, Lot Property Address: on Caribbean Street , Bay St. Louis, Mississippi 39520 Zip/Postal Code: 39520 Zoning: Residential City: Bay St Louis State/Province: Mississippi Location: 395**, Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Mississippi Photo: Canuckle / Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) BCEHS has made little to no progress on issues of public transparency and accountability since 2019, a recent update by the B.C. auditor general indicates. Vital signs on the performance and state of B.C.s ambulance service remain an outstanding mystery, an update from the B.C. auditor general on Tuesday shows. BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) and the Ministry of Health have failed to improve public transparency and accountability for ambulance services, or establish a co-ordinated approach so that patient care meets acceptable medical standards, indicates an extensive review of the provinces track record in response to 18 individual audits involving a wide range of agencies since 2019. The auditors findings, especially on the lack of public transparency or accountability around BCEHS services, are part of a persistent problem plaguing B.C.s entire health-care system, say health policy experts. I don't say this lightly, but B.C. is really in the dark ages when it comes to public reporting of health system performance, said Andrew Longhurst, a health-care researcher at Simon Fraser University. Whats going on with the ambulance service is symptomatic and part of that larger story and larger problem. The NDP government, Minister of Health Adrian Dix and provincial health authorities have been repeatedly criticized by media, health professionals and the public for secrecy around health data. The concerns ranged from lack of information about the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency rooms or hospitals, ambulance services and the lack of family doctors, Longhurst noted. Theres a trend worldwide in advanced health-care systems to make public data accessible and transparent to allow for wider analysis and debate with the goal of improving services, he added. Photo: Contributed The Health Ministry and B.C. Emergency Health Services have developed a culture of secrecy around public health data, says Andrew Longhurst, a health-care researcher at SFU. The province and health agencies like BCEHS certainly collect relevant data, but simply dont share it to avoid any political repercussions, fostering a culture of secrecy around public health information, he said. Thats fundamentally troubling in a democratic society, Longhurst added. Hard-pressed to find worse public accountability In 2019, BCEHS and the province agreed with the auditors original audit findings on transparency and accountability promising to post regular reports about progress on key initiatives and performance measures on its website. Little has changed in the three years since the original audit, Longhurst said. The BCEHS website doesnt even outline what the targets are for patient care, response times, staffing or qualification levels at a provincial, regional or community level much less actually report on performance outcomes. Metrics like the number of medical calls or overdose events paramedics respond to, or how many helicopters or ambulances BCEHS operates, dont provide meaningful information if they are not paired with some evaluation of service levels or the quality of patient care, or which populations or communities do or do not get them, Longhurst said. Reporting by ambulance services internationally, or even in neighbouring provinces, puts B.C. to shame, he said. The Scottish Ambulance Service reports weekly on operations and performance, breaking the data down by geography, Longhurst noted. The website for Albertas Emergency Medical Services features a performance dashboard with quarterly reports on six measures, patient satisfaction surveys and response times broken down by geography. The site also posts updates on promised system improvements and response times against stated targets for urban, rural and remote communities. We dont even have to look across the Atlantic, but look to the province next door to see what can be reported, Longhurst said. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find another province thats so bad at reporting basic data. No one from the Ministry of Health or BCEHS was made available to Canadas National Observer for an interview or questions on transparency or accountability at the ambulance service before the publishing deadline. Emergency health services met half of 2019 audit recommendations Photo: Screenshot via Facebook On Tuesday, auditor general Michael Pickup released a review of the progress by the province and various government agencies in meeting recommendations from 18 different audits since 2019. BCEHS and the province have met half or two of four of the key recommendations outlined in the 2019 audit of BCEHS services, auditor general Michael Pickup said. The ambulance service has improved performance measures and targets around the timeliness and quality of care provided by BCEHS, the auditor's review found. And BCEHS has devised a strategy and set coverage levels for patients needing advanced care in serious or urgent medical emergencies like cardiac arrest, the report added. The province intends to address unmet recommendations around transparency and improving the interagency co-ordination to sustain patient care, the auditors recent review states. For the review, the province provided some specific details around progress to improve interagency co-ordination for medical oversight, data sharing and a developing framework for providing care with partners in various communities. But few concrete details around progress or plans to improve BCEHS transparency or accountability were provided. The Health Ministry referenced a new performance measure, called in-service hour targets, to reflect the availability of ambulances to respond to a medical call. But no timeline or public reporting method for the new measure or its targets or any other existing BCEHS performance measure or target was provided. In 2021, the minister of health set a benchmark for a nine-minute median response time for BCEHS for the most serious calls, the review noted, but there was no mention around how it intends to report on that threshold. BCEHS did put out a progress report in 2021 focused largely on paramedic staffing and workplace improvements that didnt include performance against specific targets for either. Nor did it provide information on paramedic staffing or resources by community, region or in urban, rural or remote areas. The sole patient care performance measure showed the median times for urgent calls across the whole province for the entire year. One of the few recent and detailed reports posted on the BCEHS website involves a flurry of information early in July related to a damning 2022 report about workplace culture that reportedly only saw the light of day because of a freedom-of-information request by CTV. Rather than openly examining and sharing the reports concerns on sexual harassment and toxic workplace culture as an opportunity to learn and commit to improvements, BCEHS continues to treat information as a liability and tries to bury it, Longhurst said. Its the entirely wrong approach, especially when peoples lives are literally on the line, he said. That sort of attitude isnt going to support better outcomes, its going to lead to deaths. TEHRAN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A Iranian criminal court said it plans to bring 104 members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) to trial, the Mizan news agency affiliated to the Iranian judiciary reported Saturday. The trial of the 104 MKO members, including the group's leader Maryam Rajavi, will go in absentia, according to a public announcement issued by the Branch 1 of Tehran's Criminal Court in major Iranian newspapers. Iran designates MKO as a terrorist organization, accusing it of having assassinated tens of thousands of Iranian citizens. The group is currently based in Albania. Property details: No Reserve Auction. Small Beautiful land lot in Mohave County, Arizona. Lot 5837 of Valle Vista, Unit 4 A, TRACT 1207-A. Please see the pictures. Parcel Number 33320059. This lot is 15 miles north to Kingman. A dirt road crosses the property enhancing the value. Beautiful real estate. The title will transfer via special warranty deed. No back taxes or liens.Please add $450 for closing cost to the final bid price. Highest bid wins the auction. Buy it now only $2400. The highest bidder will be sen... Price: $ 153 Seller State of Residence: Arizona Property Address: N.Painted Rock Drive Type: Homesite, Lot Zip/Postal Code: 86401 Zoning: A-General City: Kingman State/Province: Arizona Location: 864**, Kingman, Arizona You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Arizona Property details: **1924 Single-Family Home Fixer-Upper Opportunity in Prime Location!** Welcome to a golden opportunity for investors and DIY aficionados! 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Please perform your own due diligence OVERVIEW1430 OCEAN DR, MIAMI BEACH, FL 33139Miami's South Beach defines urban sophistication, with its al fresco cafes, art deco architecture, mosaic of culture and world-class attitude. With a premier Ocean Drive address in the heart of South Beach, Hilton Grand Vacation... Price: $ 1,250 Seller State of Residence: Florida Property Address: 1430 Ocean Dr Number of Bedrooms: 1 Number of Bathrooms: 1 Zip/Postal Code: 33139 City: MIAMI BEACH State/Province: Florida Location: 331**, Miami Beach, Florida You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Florida Property details: San Clemente Inn San Clemente, CA Welcome home to San Clemente. Kick back and soak up the sun in this beautiful town on the Southern California coast, famous for its Mediterranean architecture, pristine beaches, and laidback charm. South of the bustle of Los Angeles and just north of San Diego County, lies a charming town with a Mediterranean feel and laidback pace of life set against a glimmering Pacific Ocean. San Clemente Inn sits on a hillside and is a short drive from the San Clemente Pier ... Price: $ 1 Seller State of Residence: Missouri Property Address: 2600 Avenida Del Presidente, San Clemente, CA 92672 Number of Bedrooms: 1 Number of Bathrooms: 1 Zip/Postal Code: 92672 City: San Clemente State/Province: California Location: 658**, Springfield, Missouri You will be redirected to eBay Nearby California American Horror Story and Ratched actress Sarah Paulson is set to star in the Broadway play, Appropriate. ADVERTISEMENT "I haven't been on stage in a decade. But this play, playwright, director and home @2stnyc made it impossible to say no. I feel wildly lucky for the opportunity. SO- I'm thrilled to return to Broadway in Appropriate @2stnyc," Paulson wrote on Instagram Thursday. Previews of the dark comedy are to begin Nov. 28 at Second Stage's Hayes Theater, with an opening night planned for Dec. 18. The show was penned by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' and will be directed by Lila Neugebauer. It will marks Paulson's first return to the New York stage since 2013 when she co-starred with Danny Burstein in Lanford Wilson's Talley's Folly. "It's summer, the cicadas are singing, and the Lafayette family has returned to their late patriarch's Arkansas home to deal with the remains of his estate. Toni, the eldest daughter, hopes they'll spend the weekend remembering and reconnecting over their beloved father," a synopsis said. "Bo, her brother, wants to recoup some of the funds he spent caring for Dad at the end of his life. But things take a turn when their estranged brother, Franz, appears late one night, and mysterious objects are discovered among the clutter. Suddenly, long-hidden secrets and buried resentments can't be contained, and the family is forced to face the ghosts of their past." No other casting has been announced yet. Katie Thurston / Instagram By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/28/2023 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. alum Katie Thurston has claimed it "took a long time" for her ex-boyfriend John Hersey to pay her back for the van she had purchased him while they were dating.Katie and John -- a San-Diego based bartender who was eliminated during Week 2 of Katie's season -- went Instagram official in November 2021, and then Katie announced in late June 2022 that the couple had called it quits on their relationship.Katie and 17 alum had a whirlwind six-month romance, which included Katie letting John move into her former San Diego apartment."We lived together, I bought him, like, a travel van... I was, like, so all-in," Katie, 32, said on the July 25 episode of the "LadyGang" podcast.When co-host Becca Tobin expressed disappointment in the idea Katie had made such a big purchase for a guy, Katie quipped, "Don't worry, he paid me back."But Katie laughed about how it "took a long time" for John, 29, to pay her back because "travel vans aren't cheap! Okay?!"Katie then insisted she'll "never buy a man" an expensive present like that "ever" again.She also shot down speculation John was wealthy when he appeared on 's seventeenth season."He was literally living in the van when we broke up," The Bachelor alum claimed."He has since sold the van. I don't know what he's doing, but rich is not the way I would describe him."Katie vented on the "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe " podcast in August 2022 how John had been the one to break up with her -- after she had bought him the van so they could take road trips together."I let this man quit his job. I was like, 'Whatever you need me to be, I will be' -- which, in hindsight, that's not healthy, that's not good," Katie said, acknowledging she had lost herself in the relationship."But it is a little, like, offensive to be like, 'Damn, like, I gave you everything,' and you're still being like, 'This isn't working out.'"Katie said at the time that John had agreed to reimburse her for the cost of the travel van."I don't want to say I regret it because I think every relationship is a lesson, but it was just six months crash and burn," Katie noted.Katie got engaged to Blake Moynes , a Canadian wildlife manager, at the end of 's seventeenth season, which filmed in April 2021 and aired in August last year.Katie and John, who had been her best friend for months, went public with their romance only three short weeks after Katie and Blake announced in late October they had split and decided to end their engagement.Katie faced backlash for having moved on from her former fiance too quickly with a "rebound," but both Katie and John denied any wrongdoing in the press, and Katie insisted she had never emotionally or physically cheated on Blake.John even posted a long Reddit message to fans at the time defending his romance with Katie and how they both had the best of intentions and only got together, romantically, once Katie and Blake's relationship was over.But then John and Katie announced their split via separate Instagram accounts in June 2022."I don't know how it happened, but we just had gotten into a conversation, and at one point, I just said to him, 'I know more reasons why you don't like me than why you love me.' And that's a really sh-tty feeling," Katie shared with Kaitlyn Bristowe last summer.Katie suggested that being on TV changed John and he cared too much about what others thought of him. Katie said she found it annoying John always tried to "cater to the public.""But for me, the big tipping point that, to this day, will always piss me off, is he said, 'I just really need someone who can enjoy my passions and who wants to watch surf, maybe learn surfing with me,'" Katie recalled."I look at him and I go, 'You realize I jumped out of a f-cking plane three times [and] twice solo skydiving to join him in his passions. [It required] eight hours of ground school,'" Katie complained, adding, "Now we're focused on surfing? At that point, I knew nothing I did was ever going to be good enough."After John and Katie's breakup, Katie moved out of the San Diego apartment they had shared for several months because of all the memories they shared there together."I'm just in a good place. I realize my worth and I realize what I want," Katie said. "I feel in some ways so free right now... The only person I need to please is myself, no pun intended."Prior to starring on , Katie competed on Matt James ' season of The Bachelor.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group The Chicks were forced to cancel their Thursday show in Nashville. ADVERTISEMENT The country music trio were to perform at Bridgestone Arena as part of their world tour but will reschedule the concert due to illness. "Due to illness, The Chicks must regretfully postpone tonight's show at Bridgestone Arena," the band said on Instagram. "We are working on rescheduling and will provide a new show date as soon as possible." "Fans are encouraged to hold on to their tickets for the newly scheduled date. The Chicks are looking forward to seeing their Nashville fans soon and apologize for any inconveniences this may cause." The Chicks kicked off their world tour with special guests Maren Morris, Wild Rivers and Ben Harper in Oslo, Norway, in June. "North America! Thank you to all our fans for making last Summer so fun! We look forward to returning to the road and bringing the show to fans in new cities across the US and Canada! See you soon," the group said while announcing the tour in February. The Chicks are next scheduled to perform Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn. The Chicks released their most recent album, Gaslighter, in 2020. Sony Pictures announced movie release dates for 2024 on Friday. These include the third film in the Venom franchise and fourth in the Bad Boys series. ADVERTISEMENT Venom 3 was one of the productions halted when SAG-AFTRA went on strike on July 14. A release date of July 12, 2024 suggests Sony hopes it can be completed with enough time for visual effects by next summer. Sony lists both Untitled Venom Sequel and Untitled Bad Boys Sequel, though they are the third and fourth films respectively. The second Venom bore the subtitle Let There Be Carnage and third Bad Boys was Bad Boys for Life. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence announced the fourth Bad Boys in February. The film was in production in Atlanta since April and is schedule for release June 14, specifically for Father's Day. The holiday release of a new Ghostbusters film has been postponed until March 29. Kraven the Hunter has moved from this October to Labor Day weekend 2024, Aug. 30. A new Karate Kid film will release Dec. 13, 2024. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and the Blumhouse horror film They Listen are now in flux. For the third Spider-Verse film, Sony said they are considering several dates depending on the length of the strike. While writers of animation are separate from the WGA, voice actors still fall under SAG-AFTRA. The Spider-Man spin-off Madame Web opens two days earlier than originally planned, now on Feb. 14. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! This year, Gran Turismo has moved from Aug. 11 to Aug. 25. Sony announced sneak previews the two prior weekends and asked fans to promote the film in lieu of actors who cannot do publicity while on strike. Variety also reported that Warner Bros. is considering postponing this fall's releases of Dune: Part Two, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Color Purple due to the strike. Warner Bros. has not made an official announcement yet. BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- He Lifeng, special representative of President Xi Jinping, will travel to Pakistan from July 30 to August 1 to attend the Decade of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor celebration event in Islamabad, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Saturday. He, vice premier of the State Council, will travel to Pakistan at the invitation of the government of Pakistan, Mao added. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by President Xi Jinping, and also the 10th anniversary of the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Over the past decade, as an important pioneering project of the BRI, the CPEC has achieved fruitful results and become a new benchmark for the friendship between China and Pakistan, a foreign ministry spokesperson said. To mark the 10th anniversary of the launch of the CPEC, the Pakistani government will hold a grand celebration event in the country's capital Islamabad. He will attend the event and meet with the leaders of Pakistan, the spokesperson said. China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and iron-clad friends, and the friendship between the two countries is time-honored, the spokesperson noted. China hopes that this visit will be an opportunity for both sides to jointly implement the important consensus between leaders of the two countries, renew the traditional friendship, build on past achievements and upgrade the development of the CPEC, consolidate and deepen the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, advance the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era and contribute to the development and prosperity of the region and beyond, the spokesperson added. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. 'I'm very much against petrol and diesel....' 'I travel in an electric car.' 'I have had a really good experience with it.' IMAGE: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inspects the Harrier EV car at the Auto Expo 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo India's electric vehicle journey is now at an inflection point. In an attempt to take the EV discourse to the next level, Business Standard organised an evening of conversations on some of the most electric topics. In a fireside chat at the Business Standard EV Dialogues in New Delhi, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari shared his views on what would drive e-mobility, the need for subsidies, global competition, Tesla and more. Do you think at the policy level, things should have been better on EVs? Absolutely, 100 per cent. Presently, the potential of the EV market, according to Niti Aayog statistics, is Rs 16 trillion by 2030. At the same time, we are expecting to export more. Our auto industry was at number four. A month ago, we surpassed Japan and now we are at number three. The first number is China, second is the US and third is India. My dream and mission are to make the Indian auto industry worth at least Rs 30 trillion. I feel there will be huge exports. We have a big potential for electric buses. I feel within five years, 60 per cent of buses will be electric. Right now, only 1 per cent is. IMAGE: Gadkari arrives at Parliament by a green hydrogen-powered car. Photograph: PTI Photo from the Rediff archives Will that include private buses? Yes, it will. As transport minister, I am always impressed by London Transport. There are nine operators and buses belong to operators with public-private investments. The conductor belongs to the (transport) corporation, and the drivers belong to the corporation and private operators. There are cameras through which you can use your card at the time of entering and exiting the bus. Through such an electronic system, we can reduce losses. On the basis of that, I'm suggesting that manufacturers should make buses with that design. It will be 100 per cent possible to make our state transport profitable. Coming to the target of 2030, are the numbers too lofty? What are the challenges on the way and do you think those targets will be achieved? India's EV market is expected to grow to 1 crore (10 million) units of annual sales and create 5 crore (50 million) direct and indirect jobs by 2030. That will be a good picture. At the same time, we are working on flex fuel vehicles. We have just launched one pilot project in Bengaluru by adding 20 per cent methanol to diesel. Now, Ashok Leyland and Tata have also got such buses and trucks where ICE vehicles can use hydrogen. So there's a lot of development going on and I feel that an alternative fuel will be a great source for the country. The policy will include the following--import, substitute, cost-effective, pollution free, and indigenous. IMAGE: Nitin Gadkari inaugurates an EV bus at Auto Expo 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo Are we talking of a Jio moment for EVs? It is just the start. When you start any new technology, new products, some teething troubles are always there. I feel that in due course of time, we will resolve the problem. In August, Toyota is also going to launch its flex engine vehicle. What are your thoughts on subsidies? Today, it is a policy decision with the permission of the finance minister. I have had discussions with the finance minister and other concerned people, but it doesn't come under my ministry's purview. But, in sync with what other countries are doing globally, are we offering the right kind of subsidy? And, is it being given the right way? If the manufacturing number has increased, my honest opinion is that we do not need a subsidy. But still, the government is supporting. And, after that, it is up to the finance ministry to take a decision on it. Do you think that Tesla will be a turning point for the EV revolution in India? Or do you believe our domestic manufacturers are good enough? The EV revolution in India has already started and all are welcome. I travel in an electric car. Indian manufacturers are also making good-quality EVs. I have had a really good experience with it. At the same time, if Tesla wants to come, we do not have any problem. We will support them. Has the Tesla top team had discussions with you? We have discussed the issue a number of times. Actually, at the time of the prime minister's visit to the US, there was an interaction as well. I feel that in due course of time, Tesla will come to India. Because India has got a huge domestic market and that is going to be a win-win situation for both. IMAGE: Gadkari, left, and MG Motor India President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba with India's first pure electric Internet SUV, the MG ZS EV. Photograph: Kind courtesy Morris Garages India/Facebook We had a panel discussion on 'atmanirbharta' and whether India can be 'atmanirbhar' in EVs. What is your view? In Jammu and Kashmir, the department of mining has identified lithium mines. Every year import of lithium-ion is 1,200 tonnes. When I was with Jammu and Kashmir LG (lieutenant governor At the same time, we are working on alternative chemistry like zinc, aluminum ion, silicon ion. Aluminum ion is a successful experiment. The GST on EVs is 5 per cent whereas the retrofitted cars are being charged 18 per cent GST. Will it not create issues with deepening of the market? I will take this proposal to the finance minister. This (EV retrofitment) is also good because two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and cars can be converted which will be a good thing for the poor people. We will support it. If players in this industry are able to give good alternatives, customers would buy. EVs are close to your heart and you have been travelling in a car that runs on renewable energy. Do you have Cabinet colleagues doing the same? (Laughs) I'm telling you I'm very much against petrol and diesel... So I'm campaigning to people so that they use EVs and alternative fuel. Use anything but not fossil fuel because pollution is a big concern... Two to three ministers are now using electric cars and now the government has asked departments to replace cars which are 15 years and more. Probably, a majority of the new cars will be EVs. Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com By comparing I.N.D.IA. with banned terror outfits, Modi has exhibited the kind of nervousness never ever associated with him even at the height of the Gujarat riots, and certainly since his prime ministerial days, observes N Sathiya Moorthy. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi interacts with National Democratic Alliance leaders ahead of the NDA meeting in New Delhi, July 18, 2023. Photograph: Rahul Singh/ANI Photo If the Opposition 'I.N.D.IA.-cited' reason for their moving a no-trust motion against the incumbent government is right, then it is a sad commentary on the current state of democracy in the country. Even there, it is only customary for the prime minister to respond to their charges before the Lok Sabha votes on their no-trust motion. It is not mandatory, and some other minister could well respond in his place -- if Modi wanted to take the current deadlock further and also farther from democratic precedents of the kind. As they concede at the very outset, the Opposition has moved the no-trust motion even while they do not stand a chance in a house where the government leads 334-142, with 62 Lok Sabha members from 10 different parties remaining non-committal at present -- not that even their wholesale support for the motion would change its fate. What may change could be the electoral fate of some of these parties, which too have a substantial following among the minorities. The Manipur issue, which is the only provocation for the no-trust motion having consolidated the minorities especially against the ruling BJP-NDA, voting with the government or even abstaining from the vote could well send out a wrong message to these constituencies in the respective states. Or, so seems to be the second reason for the Opposition strategy. In their reckoning, the 'I.N.D.IA. alliance stands to gain electorally in these states. The Congress will be the chief beneficiary in most cases, but the depth and width of such support may vary from state to state, party to party. As coincidence would have it, many of these 'non-committed' parties and MPs are placed in south India. Of the total of 62 only 14 are from outside the region, which includes OdisHa. The remaining 48 are considered 'Congress seats' by other parties in the Opposition alliance, and that is saying something -- but nothing anywhere close to declaring the party the victor in any or all of them just now. The list of 'neutrals' at present comprise the TDP (3) from Andhra Pradesh, ruling TRS/BRS in Telangana (9) and, yes, the Muslim-exclusive AIMM (2), also from the state and which the Opposition for long has been dubbing as the BJP's 'B-Team' or stooge. Then, of course, there is the ruling BJD in OdisHa with nine Lok Sabha members, whose leader and Chief Minister Navin Patnaik has done the balancing act very effectively through his five terms as chief minister. Among the rest, there is the BSP with nine Lok Sabha members from UP, Akali Dal (2) and Akali Dal-Mann (2) from Punjab, apart from the AIUDF from Assam with one seat. IMAGE: Women of Kwairamband Ima Keithel stage a protest demanding an immediate call for an assembly session in Manipur, outside the Raj Bhavan in Imphal West, July 28, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo The break-up would show why the Congress and also the ruling BJP at the Centre are keen on 'fixing' these cat-on-the-wall parties, one way or the other -- though that is not their real or even main motive behind moving this no-trust vote. In a way, the south Indian parties jumping on to the Opposition bandwagon would be difficult for the Congress as the party hopes to revive its chances, especially in the footsteps of wresting power from the BJP rival in Karnataka. It is another matter if the party aligns itself as a junior partner (though not a 'sub-junior') with the ruling parties in these states, but if and if only there is a facilitator, and also willingness on the party of the Congress high command and state leaderships to play along. For the BJP, it needs to figure out early as to their election-time alignment, if any, before going after them, one way or the other. The chances are these regional parties may take their call only post-poll, yet, in terms of vote, their decision on the no-trust vote may matter the most for the Congress, hence the Opposition alliance. IMAGE: MPs of oppposition parties alliance, I.N.D.IA., protest on the Parliament premises demanding that Prime Minister Narendra D Modi make a statement on Manipur in both Houses during the ongoing monsoon session. Photograph: Rahul Singh/ANI Photo It is yet anybody's guess why Modi and the ruling BJP allowed the 'Manipur wound' to fester when they could have through the agencies of the Centre doused the flames early on. Possibly, they had not bargained for the social media post of two women being paraded naked, that too making its presence on the very eve of the Monsoon session of Parliament. There is no use for the BJP and its sympathisers to cry wolf, and blame it all on drug industry, China or even the Christian West as some of Modi bhakts had done in the earlier rounds, forgetting the close proximity that the PM has built in his relations with US President Joe Biden and French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, even as Manipur raged. The fact is that someone seemed to have taken charge of the unfocussed and at times untrained Opposition attacks on the government, especially since the Modi avalanche swept them away in elections 2014. It is not saying a lot yet, but this used to be the way that authenticated media leaks on the government's alleged wrong-doings used to appear in newspapers on the eve of Parliament session, or on the very morning either house was discussing the budgetary allocation for individual ministries. IMAGE: Damaged houses and shops following the violence in Manipur. Photograph: ANI Photo At the end of it, by comparing I.N.D.IA. with banned terror outfits, Modi has only exhibited the kind of nervousness never ever associated with him, even at the height of the Gujarat riots, and certainly since his prime ministerial days. The question in the minds of the average BJP cadre is if Modiji, sitting where he is, is seeing more than what the others have no way of knowing about. What more, more and more Modi supporters who are otherwise apolitical seem to be coming around to look at the leader minus his ideological baggage. It does not mean that they are going to vote against Modi and the BJP, but a constant repeat of Manipur-like episodes and continued indifference, if not collusion, of the ruling BJP, as they see it, could make these voters to stay at home on polling day. In a way, another 'surgical strike' may not do the trick. After all, they are familiar with the coincidences of the Karnataka hijab ban issue at the height of the UP assembly election campaign, and now the Manipur riots when Karnataka was polling. For the record, barring price rise and employment, people do not vote on the same issue twice. Otherwise, the whole nation would not have wiped out the anti-Congress Opposition in elections 1984 in the aftermath of the Indira Gandhi assassination and the electoral impact restricted to native UP and action-scene Tamil Nadu following the Rajiv Gandhi assassination (1991). Yet, the voters ignored terrorism as an election issue in elections 1998, when the Coimbatore serial blasts against then BJP boss L K Advani did not create as much ripples even in Tamil Nadu, where it happened. In that election, for the first time for a losing alliance, the ruling DMK-TMC combine crossed the double-digit mark for the 40 Lok Sabha seats, including the Union territory of Puducherry. The Opposition AIADMK-BJP combine bagged the majority 30 seats, which was five or more fewer than the usual 'winner's tally', which on occasions as the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi assassinations had produced a 40-nil score. It was equally so in elections 1996 against the first Jaya government and the second one in 2004. Both owed not only to governmental corruption and high-handedness, but more so to the kind of alliance that then DMK boss M Karunanidhi could stitch. And the story is true of the rest of the country, too, until the Modi magic rewrote all election strategies and calculations of the kind. Possibly not any more, or that is what the PM's unbecoming attack on I.N.D.I.A. alliance has conveyed to his hardened supporters, but those that are not his ideological brethren from a shared past. Maybe, it is time the BJP too look itself in the mirror, and remade itself than reapplying the same old makeup that has begun peeling at the periphery. N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and author, is a Chennai-based policy analyst and political commentator. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Deciphering its secrets will unlock the early history of not only our planet, but also of the star system, explains Kumar Abishek. IMAGE: A Full Moon. Photograph: ANI Photo We are all moonstruck with the launch of Chandrayaan-3 -- India's latest attempt to demonstrate its capability of safely landing and operating a rover on the lunar surface, becoming only the fourth country to achieve this feat. Do not let the excitement fade as this 42-day journey is part of a voyage that may eventually lead to the setting up of bases on the moon for astronauts, propelling our efforts to explore places like Mars and beyond. As lander Vikram and rover Pragyan embark on another mission to unravel the mysteries of the lunar surface, let's scroll through cultures, history and folklore to see perspectives that have shrouded our Chanda mama in mystery. The first such folklore I was told as a child related to a lonely, old woman who lives all by herself on the moon, observing us earthlings from above. The woman (or craters) is indeed old -- anywhere between 4.1 billion and 3.9 billion years. IMAGE: The Strawberry Moon framed against NASA's new Moon rocket, Artemis-1. Photograph: Joe Skipper/Reuters Before we dive deeper into the cultural history of the moon, let's decode its etymology. The word 'moon' can be traced back to 'mona', an Old English word said to have been derived from the Proto-Germanic'menon', which shared its roots with the Sanskrit masah -- both derived from the Proto-Indo-European 'menses' or 'month'(me means to measure, in reference to lunar phases as an ancient and universal measure of time). On the other hand, chandra in Sanskrit traces its roots to (s)kand or scandra in Proto-Indo-European. The word meant 'shining' or 'radiant' -- adjectives that are fit to describe Luna, the Roman moon goddess. IMAGE: The supermoon rises behind Glastonbury Tor, England, September 27, 2015. This was the first time in three decades that a supermoon -- the time when the moon is at its closest orbit to the Earth, making it appear around 14 per cent bigger -- combined with a lunar eclipse, giving the moon an ethereal red glow. You won't get to see this sight till 2033. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images from the Rediff Archives To fairly illustrate humanity's relationship with the moon is an unattainable task. The moon's earliest meanings for us were spiritual and often sacred: A faraway, mysterious object that was radiant in the darkness of the night; it had phases which affected tides. In fact, lunar phases were a timekeeping tool, and the periods of its waxing and waning were the basis of many calendars. In what could be the oldest lunar calendar ever created, the 15,000-year-old paintings on the walls of prehistoric caves at Lascaux in France, according to Michael Rappenglueck of the University of Munich, depict the moon going through its phases. IMAGE: The Pink Supermoon rises over the Shard skyscraper in London. The Pink Supermoon is an astronomical event that occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit, making it appear much larger and brighter than usual. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters Though lunar deities were only a few across cultures, they were often characterised as dangerous male figures among hunter-gatherers and as benevolent women in later agricultural traditions. For the Vedic people, who deified the moon as Soma/Chandra, the celestial body represented recurrence, rebirth, decay, and impermanence. For ancient Egyptians, the moon god Khonsu, whose name meant traveller, was generally depicted as a youth. The Mayans told stories about the moon goddess, Ix Chel, and how she fell in love with the mercurial sun god, and then came out of the abusive relationship. IMAGE: The 'super blood wolf moon' is seen behind an Orthodox church in the village of Turets, Belarus. Photograph: Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters Now, let's move to the world of science fiction. The first written imagination of a voyage to the moon can be attributed to Church of England bishop Francis Godwin, who wrote The Man in the Moone in the 1620s. It tells the story of Spanish citizen Domingo Gonsales, who after having been stuck at St Helena uses the power of wild swans in his bid to return home but ultimately lands on the moon, where he meets inhabitants -- the Lunars -- who he describes as Christian people enjoying life in a pastoral utopia. H G Wells' The First Men in the Moon (1901) talks about the adventures of earthlings Bedford and Cavor as they encounter insectoid 'selenites', 'mooncalves', and extraordinarily rapidly growing plants on the lunar surface. Among movies, we witnessed the Varun Dhawan-starrer Bhediya only last year and the impact of the new moon on 'werewolves'. The moon is now part of a new political and commercial reality. Hence, its mysteries, too, now should have roots in reality, rather than in human imagination. IMAGE: A blood red moon lights up the sky, April 2, 2015, during a total lunar eclipse in Auckland, New Zealand. Photograph: Phil Walter/Getty Images from the Rediff Archives While the lander and rover of Chandrayaan-3 would seek to 'measure the near-surface plasma (ions and electrons) density' and carry out qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis of the lunar surface, besides other tasks, there are still several unanswered questions about Earth's only natural satellite. Some of these are: Is the Earth-Theia (a Mars-sized early planet) collision theory for the birth of the moon nearly 4.5 billion years ago wrong? Is there enough water on the lunar surface to support long-term human missions? What can it tell us about the development of life on Earth? Why is the far side of the moon so different from the one we can see -- it has a thicker crust and hardly any large lava sea or maria that we see on the near side? The moon is something like the mysterious Rosetta Stone of our solar system and deciphering its secrets will unlock the early history of not only our planet, but also of the star system. Also, it will remain lovely as ever for the romantics, even as we shoot for the moon and revel in our scientific curiosity. Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com The Congress high command has convened two meetings with the party leaders in Karnataka in New Delhi on August 2, apparently to quell the dissidence brewing for some time now, top party sources said. According to sources in the Congress, the first meeting will take place between the party high command and the top Congress leaders in Karnataka. "In that meeting, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D K Shivakumar, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, general secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is also the Karnataka in-charge and some other top functionaries will take part," a Congress office-bearer told PTI. The second meeting will take place with the Congress ministers where some senior party MLAs may take part, the office-bearer added. The meetings are taking place in the wake of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting on Thursday remaining inconclusive to address the grievances of the party MLAs. The Congress legislators are reportedly upset that no development works are taking place in their constituencies. They also charged during the meeting that ministers were not giving time to them and addressing their problems. "These MLAs had also carried out a signature campaign which the party leaders did not appreciate. Even Chief Minister Siddaramaiah admonished them during the CLP meeting not to resort to such tactics as it brings a bad name to the government," another Congress insider said. However, state Home Minister Dr Parameshwara denied that there was any dissent note during the CLP meeting. "A few MLAs had written to the Chief Minister saying that he has to convene a meeting of the legislative party members. The reason was that the previous CLP meeting ended half-way because Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had wished to meet the ministers and MLAs," Parameshwara told reporters on Friday. He also said that Siddaramaiah told the MLAs that "writing letters is not proper." "The Chief Minister said if you had told me orally, I would have convened the meeting. He requested them that the convention of writing letters should not be continued in future," Parameshwara said. The MLAs were worried and upset ever since the Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar told the legislators that there will not be any development works as most of the state's revenue will be spent on the five guarantees which will cost about Rs 60,000 crore annually. The Congress wants to sustain its leading position in the state till the next Lok Sabha election, which is less than a year ago, the party functionary said. CAIRO, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said Friday that solutions to ongoing global conflicts should be based on the purposes of the UN Charter and the principles of international law. Sisi made the remarks while addressing the second Russia-Africa summit in Russia's St. Petersburg, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement. The two-day summit started Thursday with the participation of 49 African countries, with topics covering cooperation opportunities in food, energy, space, information technology, education and sports, among others. Amid complex and rapidly changing international circumstances characterized by polarization, "our African countries stand to face a huge number of challenges not only affecting our ability to complete development paths but also threatening the determinants of our security and the rights of future generations," he noted. Sisi said African countries are sovereign, independent, active in the international community, and aspire to peace, security and serving the interests of their people through sustainable development. African economies have been challenged by severe repercussions of ongoing conflicts, especially those in food security, supply chains and high energy prices, he noted. He underscored the importance of finding prompt solutions to provide food and grain at prices that would help Africa overcome this crisis while exploring innovative financing mechanisms to support agricultural and food systems in Africa. "I look forward to reaching a consensual solution with regard to the grain deal, that would take into consideration the demands and interests of all parties and curb rising grain prices," Sisi noted. He also reiterated Egypt's commitment to continuing deepening strategic partnership. The first Russia-Africa summit was held in Sochi, Russia in 2019 co-hosted by Russia and Egypt when the latter was chair of the African Union. The police in Maharashtra's Amravati district on Saturday registered a case against Sambhaji Bhide for his alleged derogatory remarks on Mahatma Gandhi, with state Congress chief Nana Patole insisting the right-wing activist must be arrested. Patole said his party would agitate across the state after the end of the Monsoon session of the Assembly on August 4 if Bhide is not put behind bars. Bhide, the founder of Shri Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan outfit, is accused of making offensive remarks about the Father of the Nation in his speech during a programme at Bharat Mangal Hall in Badnera Road area in Amravati district on Thursday. The Rajapeth police in Amravati booked Bhide under Indian Penal Code section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), an official said. "If the state government does not arrest Bhide, the Congress will organise protests across Maharashtra after the Monsoon session of the Assembly ends on August 4," Patole said. The relationship between Bhide and the Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is well-known and he is getting protection from them, Patole alleged. Patole also claimed Bhide is involved in the Koregaon Bhima caste violence case but continued to remain free. Violence took place in Koregaon Bhima area of Pune on January 1, 2018 near a war memorial revered by Dalits. Nationalist Congress Party national spokesperson Clyde Crasto too sought action against "rabble-rouser" Bhide. "Why is the BJP not acting against him? It was because of their leniency that Bhide is continuing to speak shamelessly," Crasto alleged. Meanwhile, Congress workers led by party MLA Yashomati Thakur and former minister Sunil Deshmukh protested at Rajkamal Square in Amravati city on Saturday. Thakur demanded that the sedition charge be also invoked against Bhide. Workers of Congress and a few Ambedkarite organisations staged protests in Yavatmal city and tore banners of Bhide, who was there to deliver a lecture and take part in other programmes. During these protests, Bhide's effigy was hit with slippers and burnt. On Friday, Congress state secretary Nandkishore Kuyate had filed a complaint against Bhide at Rajapeth police station here, demanding that a case be registered against him. Maharashtra Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Balasaheb Thorat and Prithviraj Chavan, speaking in the Assembly on Friday, had demanded strict action against Bhide. "Sambhaji Bhide has a twisted mindset. His comments about the Father of the Nation have disturbed the country. He repeatedly makes controversial comments and it needs to be found out who is backing him for political interests. We want strict action against him," said Thorat. Without taking names, he claimed a machinery was working to finish off progressive ideology. Thorat's colleague and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had said, "If such a person is making a defamatory statement regarding Mahatma Gandhi, then he has no right to roam (freely) in the state." In the past too, Bhide has drawn flak for his controversial comments. Mere holding of certain literature through which violent acts may be propagated would not attract the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Supreme Court on Friday said as it granted bail to activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. IMAGE: Arun Ferreira. Photograph: PTI Photo A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Sudhanshu Dhulia said the actual involvement of Gonsalves and Ferreira in any terrorist act has not surfaced from any third-party communications. "Mere holding of certain literatures through which violent acts may be propagated would not ipso facto attract the provisions of Section 15(1)(b) (use of criminal force or the show of criminal force or attempts to do so or cause the death of any public functionary ) of the said Act. "Thus, prima facie, in our opinion, we cannot reasonably come to a finding that any case against the appellants under Section 15(1) (b) of the 1967 Act can be held to be true," the bench said. According to the NIA, various letters and other materials recovered from the arrested co-accused persons including Surendra Gadling and Rona Wilson showed the involvement of Gonsalves and Ferreira with the Communist Party of India (Maoist). The top court said no evidence of their continued membership after the party was classified as a terrorist organisation has been brought to its notice. "Nor is there any reliable evidence to link Indian Association of People's Lawyer (to which Ferreira belonged) with CPI (Maoist) as its frontal organisation," it said. The apex court said the contents of the letters through which the appellants are sought to be implicated are in the nature of hearsay evidence, recovered from co-accused. "Moreover, no covert or overt terrorist act has been attributed to the appellants in these letters, or any other material forming part of records of these two appeals. Reference to the activities of the accused are in the nature of ideological propagation and allegations of recruitment. "No evidence of any of the persons who are alleged to have been recruited or have joined this 'struggle' inspired by the appellants has been brought before us. Thus, we are unable to accept NIA's contention that the appellants have committed the offence relating to support given to a terrorist organisation," the bench said. A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Sudhanshu Dhulia said Gonsalves and Ferreira shall not leave Maharashtra without the trial court's permission and surrender their passports. "Considering the fact that almost five years have elapsed, we are satisfied they have made out a case for bail. The allegations are serious, no doubt, but for that reason alone, bail cannot be denied to them," the bench said. Imposing a number of conditions, the apex court directed the two activists to use one mobile phone each and let the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the case, know their addresses. The apex court also directed that the mobile phones of the activists should be charged and active round-the-clock. "They shall keep the location status of their mobile phones active 24 hours a day and their phone shall be paired with NIA's IO to enable him to identify their exact location at any time. They shall also report to the investigating officer once a week," the bench said. It also granted liberty to the NIA to seek cancellation of their bail if there is any violation of the bail conditions. The activists had moved the top court against a Bombay High Court order rejecting their bail pleas. The Communist Party of India-Maoist has been placed in the First Schedule to the 1967 Act as a terrorist organisation by a notification dated June 22, 2009, issued in terms of Section 2(m) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 Act. The prosecution's case is that the Gonsalves and Ferreira played an active role in the recruitment of and training for cadres of the said organisation and Ferreira also had a role in managing the finances of that organisation. The case pertains to the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017 which, according to the Pune police, was funded by Maoists. The inflammatory speeches made there led to violence at the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in Pune the next day, police had alleged. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), an umbrella group of tribals in Manipur, on Saturday wrote a letter to opposition alliance INDIA, seeking its support for their demand of a separate administration and implementation of President's rule in the violence-hit state. IMAGE: Manipuris appeal for peace during the visit of MPs of opposition bloc INDIA at a relief camp at Don Bosco School, in Churachandpur . Photograph: ANI Photo Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes since May 3 between the majority Meiteis and tribals that have left over 150 people dead. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts. "We fervently appeal to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take up our cause and apprise the nation about our plight. "We implore you to help us survive this onslaught by supporting our demand for a separate administration from Manipur and to urge the central government to introduce President rule immediately in Manipur to end the violence," the ITLF said in its two-page letter to the opposition parties. The letter, signed by ITLF chairman Pagin Haokip and secretary Muan Tombing, said almost three months into the sectarian conflict, peace remains a distant dream in the northeast state. "While all sides have suffered, the minority Kuki-Zo tribals have borne the brunt of the violence, making up over two-thirds of the deaths in the conflict," it claimed. The ITLF alleged that thousands of weapons looted from state armouries in capital Imphal are being used in the "ethnic cleansing campaign". "To add to our plight, state police commandos with sophisticated guns and mortars have been openly joining armed Meitei gunmen in raiding tribal villages and attacking the frontlines... Gaps in military buffer zones are being constantly exploited, and the army and other security forces are handicapped because President's rule has still not been implemented," it said. It said blockade of the only national highway leading to the hills of Churachandpur, the state's largest district, also means that lakhs of tribals are facing shortage of essential commodities and medicine. "Those that are available are ferried from Mizoram through mountainous roads, leading to a huge increase in the prices of goods," the ITLF said. Since the start of the violence on May 3, the ITLF said it has recorded 119 confirmed deaths, mostly innocent civilians, among the tribals with over 7,000 homes burnt, 359 churches destroyed and more than 40,000 tribals displaced. "Tribals and Meiteis are now separated physically. After so much blood and trauma, there is no possibility of them living together again. We refuse to entertain the thought of going back to living under the communal Manipur government controlled by the Meitei community," the letter read. It said "the next logical step is to separate us politically. For the Kuki-Zo tribals to survive in our own land we are asking the central government to give us the right to govern ourselves under the Indian constitution." A team of the opposition bloc INDIA on Saturday visited the riot-hit town of Churachandpur in Manipur where they met Kuki leaders and members of the civil society besides ethnic strife victims in the relief camps where they were lodged. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters after visiting a relief camp, "They are talking of investigation by CBI (into the crimes committed)... I would like to ask were they (central government) sleeping till now?" Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev said the team will speak with representatives of both the communities. "Everyone's voice must be heard. We will be talking to both Kukis and Meiteis," she said. A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached Imphal earlier in the day and then teams from the delegation flew to Churachandpur in two helicopter flights. The team led by Chowdhury visited a relief camp set up at the Boys Hostel of Churachandpur College. Another team, comprising Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and others, went to a relief camp at Don Bosco School in Churachandpur. "We are here to spread the message of peace," Gogoi said. After returning to Imphal, the team led by Chowdhury will visit a relief camp at Moirang College in Bishnupur district by road to meet victims from the Meitei community. The other team of opposition MPs will go to the Ideal Girl's College relief camp at Akampat in Imphal East district and will visit another camp at Lamboikhongangkhong in Imphal West. On Sunday morning, the delegation of opposition MPs will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan here to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest. The team is scheduled to return to the national capital on Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the visit, Gogoi had, in Delhi, called for an inquiry led by a retired Supreme Court judge into the ongoing ethnic clashes between the two communities in Manipur. Besides Chowdhury and Gogoi, the delegation will include TMC's Sushmita Dev, JMM's Mahua Maji, DMK's Kanimozhi, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP, JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JD-U), CPI's P Sandosh Kumar and CPI(M)'s A A Rahim among others. More than 160 people lost their lives and many people were injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. You are the owner of this article. Overcoming the logistical challenges posed by the mountains, Zigui County in central China is soaring to new heights with aerial drones! Discover how this cost-effective and efficient delivery method is helping with the transportation of naval oranges. Beijing gives authoritarian regimes the technological tools they need to surveil, repress and punish dissidents. Visitors look at surveillance cameras displayed at Security China, the China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security, in Beijing, June 7, 2023. Credit: Florence Lo/Reuters Lost in recent news about Chinas spy-base in Cuba was the fact that Huawei employees are working for the Latin American dictatorship. The Chinese telecoms giant isnt just helping maintain an intelligence-gathering facility. Its also helping Cuba oppress its own citizens. This is a common thread in Chinese diplomacy: Giving authoritarian regimes the technological tools they need to surveil, repress, and punish dissidents. Huawei, whose links with the Chinese Communist Party are well established, has been Cubas main technology provider for the state telecommunications company since 2017. According to a Swedish study, this is part of Chinas support for digital authoritarianism, and Huaweis eSight Internet management software that filters web searches is also in use across Latin America. When the Cuban people staged massive protests in July 2021, the government controlled and blocked the internet using technology made, sold and installed by China, according to Senator Marco Rubio. Then theres Africa. In September 2018, Djibouti started surveillance system construction in collaboration with the state-owned China Railway Electrification Bureau Group. The video surveillance system covers major urban areas, airports, docks, and ports in the city of Djibouti. In Asia, China is reportedly cooperating with Myanmars military government in constructing a surveillance post on Great Coco Island. In December 2020, Myanmar applied 335 Huawei surveillance cameras in eight townships as part of its Safe City project. China's President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, April 28, 2019. Credit: Madoka Ikegami/Pool via Reuters The cameras have facial recognition functions and alert authorities if surveilled persons are on a wanted list. In July 2022, Reuters reported that Myanmar's military government installed Chinese-made cameras with facial recognition capabilities in cities across the country. The equipment was purchased from Dahua, Huawei, and Hikvision. In another case of close Chinese support for an authoritarian ruler in Southeast Asia, it was confirmed in February 2023, that China has a naval base in Ream, Cambodia. In June 2019, the Deputy Commissioner of the General Commissariat of the Kingdom of Cambodia Police and Chief of Phnom Penh Municipal Police visited Chinese companies including Huawei and Hikvision, expressing interest in Chinas Safe Cities surveillance systems and other police equipment which he hoped to introduce for improving public security and combating crimes. In October 2022, according to Voice of America, Cambodian human rights activists suspected Cambodian local police of using drones and surveillance cameras supplied by Chinese companies to monitor labor rights protesters. Belt and Road Initiative In Pakistan, China has installed Chinese technology for domestic surveillance since at least 2016. Thats when the so-called Safe City project commenced operations in Islamabad, in collaboration with Huawei and other Chinese companies like e-Hualu. The project has established checkpoints and electronic police systems along major city thoroughfares, enabling citywide vehicle monitoring. In 2017, Huawei collaborated with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority in Pakistan to build a safe city system in Lahore. The project includes an integrated command and communication center, 200 police station sites, and 100 LTE base stations. In Central Asia, Huawei and Hualu surveillance systems are throughout Dushanbe, ostensibly to combat what local authorities say is terrorism and extremism. In May 2023, the head of Sughd Province Tajikistan met with Huawei representatives to discuss its 25 million USD Safe City project in Khujand, its provincial capital. A staff member sits in front of a screen displaying footage from surveillance cameras, at the Hikvision booth at Security China, the China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security, in Beijing, June 7, 2023. Credit: Florence Lo/Reuters Much of Chinas global provision of domestic surveillance tools is through its Belt and Road initiative, through which it has sent technology to Egypt and Nigeria, Uganda, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Angola, Laos, Kazakhstan, and Kenya. Theres also Serbia, where a political dissident claimed that the objective of the countrys participation in the Belt and Road Initiative is to hunt down political opponents." Technology surveys show that around the world, at least 79 states have bought into Huaweis surveillance package. They include liberal democracies like Italy, Netherlands, and Germany. A Huawei contract can thus signal entry-level affiliation with Xi Jinpings New World Order, where a future and destiny of every nation and every country are closely interconnectedby invasive Chinese technology that abets oppression. That doesnt belong in Americas backyard, in Cuba, or anywhere else in the world. Aaron Rhodes is senior fellow at Common Sense Society and President of the Forum for Religious Freedom-Europe. Cheryl Yu is senior researcher at Common Sense Society. The views expressed here are their own and do not reflect the position of RFA. Authorities revoked Lu Siweis law license in 2021 after he spoke out on behalf of Hong Kong democracy activists. Chinese rights lawyer Lu Siwei stands along a road, at an undisclosed location, around 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Vientiane, Laos, on July 27, 2023. He was heading south to the border with Thailand. A Chinese human rights lawyer who lost his law license after speaking out about the cases of 12 Hong Kong activists has been arrested in Laos and could face deportation to China, the Associated Press reported. Lu Siwei was arrested in Vientiane Friday morning as he boarded a train for Thailand. He was traveling to Bangkok to board a flight to the United States to be with his wife and daughter, according to the AP. Lao police said that there was something wrong with his passport, according to Bob Fu, founder of Texas-based religious rights group ChinaAid. Lu sent a message at 10:10 a.m. on Friday saying that he had been detained by three policemen, according to his wife, Zhang Chunxiao. I havent been able to get in touch with him again, she told Radio Free Asia. I feel that they will send him back as soon as possible. Lu had been under surveillance in China since his attorneys license was revoked in 2021, Zhang said. A camera was installed at the door of their house, and he had been barred from leaving China. Long-arm jurisdiction The arrest in Laos was obviously due to the long-arm jurisdiction of Chinese authorities, who have been aggressively pursuing Chinese dissidents abroad, Fu said. Lu would face prison if returned to China. Fu said he was contacted by Lus family two weeks ago to help him leave China. Lu had valid visas for Laos and the United States, and two ChinaAid activists were traveling with him when he was arrested, the AP said. Fu sent the AP photos of Lus passport to verify his claims. He told RFA that Chinese authorities likely asked Lao police to focus on Lus passport during the interaction at the train station. He said hes spoken with several U.S. State Department senior officials about the arrest. One of the two activists [left] traveling with Chinese rights lawyer Lu Siwei [right] argues with police who were in the process of detaining Lu, near the Thanaleng dry port, 13 kilometers (8 miles), south of Vientiane, on July 28, 2023. Credit: Anonymous source via AP The State Department activated the emergency response mechanism and immediately notified the U.S. embassy in Laos and the diplomatic systems of other allied countries, Fu said. Chinas Foreign Ministry didnt immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP on Friday. Numbers listed for Laos Foreign Ministry rang unanswered, and the Laotian embassy in Beijing didnt immediately respond to emailed requests for comment, the AP said. Lawyer for detained activist Lu was hired by the family of Quinn Moon, one of 12 protesters who were jailed after trying to escape to democratic Taiwan by speedboat following the 2019 Hong Kong protest movement. He was particularly vocal in the months following their initial detention and repeatedly commented about his unsuccessful attempts to gain access to his client. After his law license was revoked in 2021, Lu told RFA that he couldnt have predicted he would end up in this situation. Sometimes it is difficult to imagine what your life will bring, he said. You can make some plans, but there are still some certain events that will change your life. Edited by Matt Reed. When the Taliban seized power in 2021, Afghanistan's Shi'ite Hazara minority feared that the historically persecuted community would once again become the main target of Taliban atrocities. During its first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban terrorized the group, wresting control of Hazara regions in Afghanistan through a campaign of targeted killings. After regaining power, the Sunni militant group tried to assuage Hazaras' fears of discrimination and persecution. The Taliban visited Shi'a mosques in the Afghan capital and deployed its fighters to protect ceremonies marking the Shi'ite month of Muharram. But members of the community have accused the Taliban of since backtracking on its promises to protect Shi'a and grant them the right to freely observe their faith. Last week, the Taliban prevented Shi'a from celebrating an important religious festival. The militants have also restricted the teaching of Shi'a jurisprudence in universities in Afghanistan. In February, the Taliban reportedly banned marriages between Shi'a and Sunnis in northeastern Badakhshan Province. The Shi'ite community has accused the Taliban of failing to prevent deadly attacks on Hazaras by the rival Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) extremist group. Meanwhile, rights groups have documented the forced evictions of Hazaras by the Taliban, a predominately Pashtun group, in several provinces. "The Taliban are becoming increasingly intolerant of public expressions and displays of the Shi'ite religious faith," said Niamatullah Ibrahimi, senior lecturer at Australia's La Trobe University. "If it becomes a pattern, it will clearly limit the religious freedom of Shi'a, especially ceremonies that are often public in nature." Taliban fighters prevented Shi'ite residents in Kabul from publicly celebrating Eid al-Ghadir on July 7. The festival celebrates what Shi'a believe is the day that Prophet Muhammad declared Ali, a cousin and son-in-law, his successor. But the festival clashes with the Sunni belief that Abu Bakr, the first Muslim caliph, was the rightful successor to Prophet Muhammad. These conflicting beliefs are among the most important differences between the two main Muslim sects. 'They Want To Eliminate Minorities' In May, the Taliban banned the teaching of the Shi'a Jafari school of jurisprudence at Bamiyan University. It is not clear if the ban has been extended to all universities in Afghanistan. Most residents in the province of Bamiyan, in central Afghanistan, are Shi'a. Nematullah, an Islamic studies student at Bamiyan University, said they have been forced to study the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence that is followed by the Taliban. "We were told that if we raise our voice, we will be taken away and tortured," the 20-year-old told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, adding that the Taliban ban was forcing Shi'a to give up their education or leave their homeland. Mohammad Hassani, another student at the university, accused the Taliban of trying to "eliminate minorities and their religions by force." Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Rizwani, a prominent scholar at the Shi'a Ulema Council of Afghanistan, told Radio Azadi that the Taliban's ban on teaching Jafari jurisprudence contradicts "the spirit of Islamic brotherhood and national unity." Although a census has never been conducted, Shi'a are believed to make up around 15 percent of Afghanistan's 40 million people, which is largely Sunni. Hazaras account for the overwhelming majority of Shi'a in the country. During the 19th century, Afghan monarchs attempted to forcibly convert the Hazara, seize their lands, and bring Hazara regions in the country's central highlands under the control of the central government, campaigns that killed thousands and forced even more to flee their homes, including many to British India. Hazaras who resettled in Kabul and other cities suffered discrimination and were often employed only in low-paying jobs. In a significant step to address the historical grievances of the Hazaras, Afghanistan's 2004 constitution permitted Shi'a to use Jafari jurisprudence in court cases involving personal matters. The community also gained an unprecedented share in power during the Western-backed political order that emerged after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. Only The Beginning? Since regaining power in August 2021, the Taliban has mostly maintained the state's administrative structure. But it has scrapped the 2004 constitution and laws that guaranteed freedoms and rights to Afghans, particularly to religious minorities and women. The Taliban's theocratic government is made up almost entirely of senior Taliban members, with no women and just a few non-Pashtuns. "There are deep fears within the community that this could be only the beginning of systematic discrimination against the Shi'a and the representation of their understanding of Islam in the country's laws, society, and politics," said Ibrahimi of La Trobe University. Niala Mohammad, the director of policy and strategy at the nonprofit Muslim Public Affairs Council in Washington, said the Taliban has failed to protect Afghanistan's Shi'ite minority from the IS-K, which has killed scores of Hazaras in attacks on schools and mosques since the Taliban takeover. "[The Taliban] continue to harass and target those that do not adhere to their distorted view of Islam," said Mohammad, who was previously the South Asia analyst for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. "Particularly Shi'a Hazaras, whom they view as heretics." She said the Taliban's mounting restrictions on the Shi'ite minority "emboldens Shi'a persecution by other religious extremists across the region and deepens the sectarian divide." Authorities in Iran are expanding their reach in their efforts to enforce compliance with the country's strict hijab law by pushing popular start-up companies to police their younger, tech-savvy employees. In recent weeks, the operations of at least three web-based companies -- the DigiKala online retailer, the Azki.com insurance company, and the Taaghche book app -- have been shut down. In each case, the closures came after the emergence of photographs showing female employees without the mandatory head scarf. The images had reportedly been posted on employees' personal social-media accounts, not by the companies themselves. But that did not prevent the authorities from going after the start-ups that until recently had been touted for their successful, cutting-edge business models. The pressure on such firms comes after Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili said on July 27 that action would be taken against start-up companies if their employees failed to comply with the Chastity and Hijab Law. But observers say Tehran is playing a dangerous game that threatens to further alienate the younger generation and potentially make entrepreneurs and foreign investors think twice about bringing modern businesses to the Islamic republic. The start-ups that have come under scrutiny vary in their organization, with some being private, some semi-private, and some having strong ties to the government either directly or indirectly, Amir Rashidi, the New-York-based director of Internet security and digital rights at the Miaan Group, told RFE/RL. But they all share common traits and differ from the old way of doing business in Iran, in that they employ young, educated people to deliver services to younger customers using modern technology. "The kind of culture that exists [at the companies] is usually not the kind of culture that could represent the culture of the Iranian government," Rashidi said. "Because this is the new generation. These are the techie people. These are the most connected population of Iranians, who are connected to the outside world because of the Internet, because of the job that they do, who have more opportunity to be in touch with [people] outside the country." In the wake of months of street protests that broke out last year against the Islamic dress code and the clerical establishment, hard-liners have sought to strengthen the Chastity and Hijab Law. According to new draft legislation presented by parliament late last month, fines of up to $720 can be levied against women who defy the law, along with prison sentences of up to three years. The revision of the law was prompted by the protests that began following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested for an alleged hijab violation, and has been described by prominent members of the clerical establishment as necessary to preserve the Islamic republic's fundamental values. Amid a crackdown on the antiestablishment protests that resulted in at least 500 deaths since September, the authorities have disrupted Internet access multiple times and have gone after individuals who used social media to show support for the demonstrations by posting pictures of themselves without head scarves. Prominent female celebrities and athletes have been among those targeted, including three film and television actresses who were sentenced last month and diagnosed as having personality disorders after they were photographed without their hijabs. On July 23, the pressure on start-ups began with the suspension of DigiKala's business. And just a day before parliament published the text of the new Chastity and Hijab bill, and hours after Esmailis warning to start-ups, a legal case was filed on July 27 against the book retailer Taaghche, along with similar actions against Azki.com. The shutdown of the companies had an immediate effect, with customers expressing dismay at being cut off from purchasing books, products, and services online, and business associations warning that the action would harm efforts to develop the business sector. Since then, Azki.com and Taaghche have been allowed to resume operations after releasing public commitments that they and their employees would adhere to the Chastity and Hijab Law. The situation at DigiKala, often described as Iran's Amazon online retailer, remains unclear. On August 2, a post on the company's website said that the "violation" depicted in a photograph posted on the personal site of one of its employees "was not approved by the company's management." DigiKala, the statement continued, "always considers itself obligated to comply with all national laws" and the company hoped that by being allowed to resume operations it "can play a more substantial role in better serving the people and economy of the Islamic republic." Then, within hours, the statement was inexplicably removed, and the company's offices remain sealed and its business suspended. In its effort to exert control over the start-ups, which have been lauded as examples of Iran's ability to successfully launch modern companies on its own despite the hurdle of international sanctions, Tehran is essentially forcing them to police their own employees. But the approach has been met with warnings by the Association of Emerging Businesses of Iran, which following Azki.com's closure said that such suspensions presented a "big and crisis-causing obstacle" to the development of the private sector. Rashidi expressed skepticism that "using people against people" would work, both at the societal and business level. He says that in the absence of digital rights and the recent emphasis on compliance with the Chastity and Hijab Law, the government will be able to catch offenders more easily and to fine and even arrest them. But in the end, he said, "it's going to create more tension and challenges." And outside investors and partners of Iranian companies are likely to take note as well, Rashidi said. "Some of these companies have investors from outside Iran," he said. "And this definitely will affect those companies, because they don't want to be seen internationally as a supporter of censorship." A worker wearing a face mask sprays anti-mosquito fog to fight against dengue fever in Yangon, Myanmar, July 29, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua) YANGON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar saw a sharp decline in dengue fever cases and fatalities this year, with 6,685 cases and 30 deaths reported as of July 15, according to the Ministry of Health. While the country was previously among those with the highest dengue fever infections in Southeast Asia, this year's numbers are notably lower compared to the infections reported last year, said the ministry on Friday. "The number of infections till this time (July) of last year was relatively high," Than Naing Soe, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, told Xinhua on Friday. Soe attributed the decline to the strenuous efforts taken at the beginning of the year, including measures to combat the dengue virus. "First, we combated dengue by killing mosquito larvae. Then, we fogged around 30 houses near the patient's house to eliminate mosquitoes," he explained. To prevent further spread, the health ministry advised immediate hospitalization of children with fever during the rainy season. The ministry also distributed guidelines for treating dengue fever based on the World Health Organization's recommendations. Dengue fever, a viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, presents symptoms such as headache, high fever, exhaustion, muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, vomiting, and rash. The peak of the dengue epidemic period in Myanmar occurs during the rainy season, particularly in June, July, and August, according to the health ministry. A worker wearing a face mask sprays anti-mosquito fog to fight against dengue fever in Yangon, Myanmar, July 29, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua) A worker wearing a face mask sprays anti-mosquito fog to fight against dengue fever in Yangon, Myanmar, July 29, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua) A worker wearing a face mask sprays anti-mosquito fog to fight against dengue fever in Yangon, Myanmar, July 29, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua) Kurdish-Iranian documentarian Negin Ahmadi gathered unique frontline insights into the lives of female soldiers in the civil war in Syria in 2016. For her newly released film, Dream's Gate, she decided to take her video camera into the war zone, hoping to somehow absorb the courage of women fighting Islamic State militants. The footage shows that her subjects -- several now dead -- offered more than inspiration. Ahmadi found herself on the battle front, armed and wearing the uniforms of the Kurdish fighters of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) in Syria. The United States issued new sanctions against several Belarusian entities and individuals on August 9, the third anniversary of the 2020 presidential election that kept authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka in power. The Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election. The U.S. Treasury Department said the new sanctions target entities involved in the regimes continued civil society repression, its complicity in the Russias unjustified war in Ukraine, and the enrichment of Lukashenka. The sanctions imposed by the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) target eight individuals, including the general-director of Belarusian Steel Works and members of the family that the department said controls significant portions of the tobacco products and transportation sectors in Belarus. They also hit three state-owned entities, including airline Belavia, and a Canadair regional jet used by high-ranking officials and members of Lukashenkas family, the Treasury Department said in a news release. The news release refers to the August 9, 2020, election as fraudulent and says the sanctions highlight the unified view that Belaruss prolonged subjugation of its people and its continued support of Russias war against Ukraine remain a global concern. Brian Nelson, the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the sanctions are meant to disrupt the state-owned enterprises and key government officials that the regime relies on to generate substantial revenue to support its fiercely undemocratic and repressive policies. In addition to Belavia, the companies targeted include state-owned enterprises Minsk Civil Aviation Plant 407 and Belarusian Steel Works (BSW). All three have been previously designated by the OFAC. Minsk Civil Aviation Plant 407 is one of the biggest aircraft component manufacturer and repair facilities in Belarus and has been highlighted by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a key facility for Belarusian production to meet Russias civil and military aircraft demand, the Treasury Department said. The OFAC also targeted Belarusian businessman Alyaksey Aleksin, who it said is a close confidant of Lukashenka and known as one of Lukashenkas wallets, receiving preferential treatment from the government in exchange for providing funds to Lukashenka and other members of his inner circle. Shortly before his designation, Aleksin transferred ownership in several key businesses to his sons, Dzmitry Aleksin and Vital Aleksin, and his wife, Ina Aleksina, all of whom were designated for sanctions on August 9. The new sanctions also apply to the Department of Financial Investigations (DFR) and its top directors for what the Treasury Department said was its oppression of independent media and civil society actors. The sanctions freeze all property and interests in property in U.S. jurisdiction owned by the designated persons and entities. The OFACs regulations also generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons that involve any property of the people designated. The State Department on August 9 also took action to impose visa restrictions on 101 regime officials and their affiliates for their involvement in undermining or suppressing democratic institutions in Belarus. The list includes several judges responsible for issuing what the State Department said were unjust and excessive politically motivated sentences against Belarusians for exercising their fundamental freedoms, including posting their grievances about the regime on social media. "The United States continues to stand with the brave people of Belarus as they seek a country grounded in the rule of law, respect for human rights, and an accountable, democratically elected government," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the State Department's news release. Blinken also reiterated U.S. calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all 1,500 political prisoners held by the Lukashenka regime, including Ales Byalyatski, Viktar Babaryka, Maryya Kalesnikava, Ihar Losik, and Syarhey Tsikhanouski. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has visited the front line near the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut as heavy fighting continued in the country's south. Zelenskiy posted images on social media on July 29 showing him meeting with Ukrainian troops near Bakhmut, a city in the eastern Donetsk region that has been the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the 17-month war and which Russia seized in May. "The performance of tasks for the sake of Ukraine by you, guys, is truly heroic," Zelenskiy wrote, praising Ukraine's special forces troops on the occasion of Special Operation Forces Day. Two people were killed, and another was wounded in the city of Zaporizhzhya on July 29, where a "missile hit an open area," a local official said. "The shock wave shattered the windows of a very tall building, and damaged an education center and a supermarket," city council official Anatoliy Kurtev wrote on social media. Ukrainian media outlets published images of what they described as the aftermath of the attack, including the destroyed frontage of a supermarket with empty shelves that had been plunged into darkness by the explosion. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here. The Ukrainian military said that Russian forces had launched "five missiles and carried out 19 air strikes" during the day. They had fired "multiple rocket launchers 30 times" on Ukrainian positions and inhabited areas, the military added. Fighting has reportedly intensified in recent days after months of slow progress, with Ukrainian military officials saying that Kyiv was ramping up its counteroffensive with operations in the Zaporizhzhya region. British intelligence said in an assessment issued on July 29 that over the past 48 hours it had recorded an "uptick of fighting in two sectors of southern Ukraine": Orikhiv, in the Zaporizhzhya region, and 80 kilometers to the east in the Staromayorske area of the Donetsk region. On July 29, the Ukrainian military said that there were 27 clashes the previous day between Ukrainian forces and Russian troops, with Russian forces carrying out attacks in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The Ukrainian military also said it was continuing to stave off a Russian offensive near Maryinka, in the Donetsk region, and that Russia was concentrating its troops in the Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions in the south. Peace Efforts Saudi Arabia is set to host Ukraine peace talks next month, inviting Western countries, Ukraine, and major developing nations, including India and Brazil, The Wall Street Journal reported on July 29, citing diplomats involved in the discussions. Senior officials from up to 30 countries, including Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico, Chile, and Zambia have been invited to the meeting in Jeddah on August 5-6, the report said. It is not clear how many of them will attend. Britain, South Africa, Poland, and the European Union are among those who have confirmed attendance and the U.S. national-security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is expected to attend, the WSJ said. The talks exclude Russia. The report said Ukraine and Western officials hope that the talks can lead to international backing for peace terms favoring Ukraine. Kyiv says negotiations with Russia would only be possible after Moscow withdraws its troops. Russia -- which claims to have annexed around a sixth of Ukraine -- has said it is open to peace talks with Ukraine but that they must take account of these "new realities" on the ground. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on July 29 that Moscow did not reject talks on Ukraine and that an African peace initiative as well as a Chinese one could be a basis for peace. He made the comments at a press conference after meeting African leaders in St Petersburg. China's peace plan, published in February, doesn't call for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. It calls for negotiations and respect for national sovereignty, but doesn't provide specific proposals. With reporting by Reuters and AFP Lyudmyla, who retired from law enforcement in the city of Luhansk in 2014, received an unexpected phone call from her former colleagues earlier this month. The caller asked if she was receiving her pension and if she needed any assistance. He also asked, as if in passing, whether she had accepted a Russian passport. At first I thought an election must be coming up and suddenly everyone is paying attention to their constituents, she told RFE/RL. The names of all those interviewed for this story who are living in Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation have been changed for their safety. 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. But later, in private conversations with other former colleagues, Lyudmyla learned that the occupation authorities in the Russian-held parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions had launched an active campaign to ferret out civilians who might be helping the Ukrainian military to locate targets behind the front lines. The phone call to Lyudmyla came the day after Ukrainian shelling hit the Luhanskteplovod locomotive factory, which has been used as a military base since 2014. Locals from Luhansk, Donetsk, Sorokyne, and elsewhere confirmed to RFE/RLs Donbas.Realities that such searches have begun, with one person calling them witch hunts. The campaign comes as Ukraine accelerates the crucial counteroffensive it launched in early June. Mykola, a retired military veteran living under the Russian occupation, said the searches have targeted specific categories of people, including military retirees like himself and disabled veterans. Others in the crosshairs include people whose children live in government-held parts of Ukraine, particularly if they have not accepted Russian citizenship, and people working for the occupation administration but who they feel have not demonstrated sufficient loyalty on social media. In addition, former law enforcement employees like Lyudmyla, particularly veterans of the Berkut riot police, are under the microscope. After all, Mykola said, they think if these people betrayed Ukraine, they might betray them too. Sowing Fear Media controlled by the occupation authorities have reported Ukrainian strikes targeting the Luhansk mine and the Luhansktsentrokuz ironworks this month. Explosions were also reported on July 25 in the center of Donetsk near a factory that has been used as a Russian staging area. Mykola said the witch hunt is a sign that the occupation authorities are concerned about the counteroffensive, in which Ukraine has reported small territorial gains both in eastern Ukraine, which includes the Donbas, and in the south. The progress is making them nervous, Mykola said. The authorities routinely blame Ukrainian rocket strikes on so-called waiters, or civilians who are waiting for Kyiv to restore control over its territories. Yelena, a woman from Luhansk, noted that after each successful strike the occupation authorities report the arrest of a supposed spotter. But the attacks continue, Yelena said. As if in occupied Luhansk there is some sort of factory stamping out one spotter after another. Of course, everyone understands they merely arrested some random person. Mykola said the arrests are an attempt by the occupation authorities to prove to Moscow that they are vigilant and have control over their regions. In addition, the high-profile well-publicized arrests sow fear among locals who might be quietly cheering on the Ukrainian counteroffensive. In addition, he said, the detainees become an additional bargaining tool in exchange negotiations with Kyiv. Other locals who spoke with RFE/RL said it is easy to get arrested in the occupied territories, even if one has never expressed pro-Ukrainian sentiments. Sometimes all it takes is a house or car or business that attracts the attention of some de facto official or militia figure. Denunciations also play a role. If you have a conflict with a neighbor and he has a contact in the [de facto police], you might find yourself locked in a basement, Yelena said. An estranged wife or husband might decide to take revenge. If you argue with the babushka next door about the state of the fence, she might write a denunciation that she heard you speaking Ukrainian. People arrested in such cases can easily be portrayed as spotters, she added. Such arbitrary arrests might be counterproductive for the authorities, said Artem, a former resident of the Luhansk region who did provide intelligence assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces before he left for Kyiv-controlled territory. Now, as an army volunteer, he coordinates information coming from various sources in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine. It is difficult to intimidate people with possible arrest when they know they might end up in a basement without actually doing anything, Artem said. Written by RFE/RLs Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RL Donbas.Realities correspondent Olha Modina. For nearly a year, Arina Khavanskikh lived in the hope that her husband, Serhiy, was still alive and could one day return from being taken as a prisoner of war (POW) by Russian forces when his Azov Regiment laid down their arms after holding out in Mariupols Azovstal steel plant for three months. But in June, that hope was finally taken away from her when she received a call from Ukrainian investigators that had been conducting DNA examinations of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in an explosion in a Russian prison camp exactly one year ago. They sent me a photo from the morgue, Khavanskikh told Current Time, a Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. I recognized my husband from the photographs. Khavanskikh and Serhiy married shortly before Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022, which saw him join the defense of Azovstal. In late May 2022, Serhiy and other soldiers at the steel plant received an order to lay down their arms as he and many others from his regiment were taken to a prison camp on the outskirts of Olenivka village -- about 19 kilometers from the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Early on July 29, 2022, a mysterious explosion tore through the prison in Olenivka that housed Ukrainian detainees. The blast killed at least 53 people, including Serhiy. All or most of the POWs at the detention complex were members of the Azov Regiment who had surrendered in May 2022 after resisting a lengthy siege that turned them into Ukrainian folk heroes and made them the focus of prisoner-exchange negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. Russia promptly claimed that the prison camp was fired on by Ukraine using U.S.-supplied HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) rockets. In Ukraine, the incident was called a mass public execution, with some officials referring to it as a Russian terrorist attack meant to punish Azov Regiment fighters for their past resistance. Both sides continue to blame each other for the explosion and ensuing massacre -- a potential war crime. An international investigation has been hamstrung by a lack of access to the area, but satellite imagery, firsthand testimony, and open-source analysis have begun to fill in some of the blanks about what transpired. Now, one year after the blast, as Khavanskikh and others who lost loved ones in the explosion have learned their fates, a push for more answers -- and justice -- is underway. There has been almost no information about the surviving prisoners of war after the explosion in Olenivka, said Olha Andrianova, whose fiance, Serhiy Petrenko, was killed in the July 2022 blast. Its important not only to achieve the resumption of an international investigation, but most importantly, not to let those who are still in captivity be forgotten. What Happened In Olenivka? Among the detainees in the Olenivka prison camp ahead of the July 29, 2022 explosion were an estimated 1,500 fighters from Azovstal, the ex-commander of the Ukrainian National Guards Azov Regiment, Maksym Zhorin, told the Associated Press in August 2022. Following the blast, Russian defense officials have claimed that Kyiv caused it by using HIMARS in a strike meant to prevent fighters from giving up information. Russian media promptly shared photos of what they claimed were fragments of U.S.-made HIMARS rockets at the scene. But the Russian claims were quickly met with skepticism. In early August 2022, the Associated Press, citing U.S. intelligence findings, reported that Russia planned to fabricate evidence to pin the blame for the deaths on Ukraine, including by planting ammunition from a HIMARS. Open-source analysis of available images by experts also seem to show that the destroyed building at the prison appears inconsistent with a HIMARS-launched attack, pointing to a lack of shrapnel marks and craters and only minimal damage to internal walls in the available visuals of the aftermath. Ukrainian authorities claim that the deliberate transfer of fighters to a new housing area, which was ultimately the area damaged in the blast, demonstrates that Russian forces had planned an attack. Satellite imagery also appears to show physical changes to the complex prior to the attack and multiple former detainees said that prisoners had been housed in a different area from where the blast occurred. According to all the information, we can affirmatively say that it was a pre-planned action, Ukraines human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, told Current Time during a recent interview, citing the building of a separate barracks in advance as preparations for the explosions. Ukrainian officials also claim that graves were dug in the prison complex shortly before the explosion. Imagery captured by Planet Labs satellites shows that land at the southern edge of the compound was altered beginning sometime between July 18 and July 21 last year. Following the 2022 explosion, the Ukrainian Defense Ministrys Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has said that the blast in Olenivka was organized and carried out by Wagner mercenaries acting on the order of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the groups head who led a short-lived revolt in Russia in June. In a statement on July 25, Volker Turk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said that the explosion could not have been caused by shelling from a HIMARS-launched rocket, as Russian authorities claimed. The UN rights body, which said it has conducted extensive interviews with survivors and analyzed additional information, stated that it has not identified the source of the explosion, but would continue to follow up on the incident. Is An International Investigation Under Way? Following the attack one year ago, the UN said it planned to launch a fact-finding mission, but doing so has faced stiff resistance within the body from Russian diplomats. According to the UN Commission on Human Rights, Moscow has not granted requests to access parts of Ukraine under temporary Russian control and has not given satisfactory safety assurances for a site visit. In January, the UN disbanded its fact-finding mission into the deaths of Ukrainian POWs in Olenivka. Since then, the relatives of the dead and 75 wounded soldiers announced the creation of a new organization to gather evidence and lobby for a fair international investigation. A war crime has no statute of limitations, Lubinets said. [An investigation] is not a quick process, its complicated. What Happens Next? Ukrainian authorities say they continue to push for a resumption of an international investigation and have been documenting evidence on their own and publishing their findings. For the families of those killed and wounded in Olenivka, their energy is increasingly turned toward finding justice. Ulyana Osinnya, whose husband Vitaliy was killed in the July 29, 2022 blast, says she was only able to bury her husband a week ago. The Russian side handed over the bodies to their Ukrainian counterparts months previously, but the identification process has moved slowly due to many bodies being burned and disfigured during the explosion. Osinnya says the main question on her mind lately is why her husband and others were selected to be placed in a newly made building that was blown up while others at Olenivka were not. How were these lists compiled and according to what criteria were they chosen? she asks. Kyiv has said that Russian forces singled out Ukrainian members of the Azov Regiment days before the blast and moved them to the newly constructed prison building, but it's unclear why some fighters from the group were chosen and others were not. Khavanskikh shares Osinnyas sentiment, saying that she does not believe in the randomness of these lists. We cant seem to find any logical connection between each of the fighters, because they are of different ages and ranks, Khavanskikh said. These are different companies and divisions; Medics, mortarmen, and scouts; but we are sure that these lists are not accidental. Ren Xin performs during an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Kang Yong (C), leader and director of "bian lian" performing squad, talks with other performers prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin (R, front) performs with other "bian lian" performers during an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin (3rd R) and other "bian lian" performers wait prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin (C) changes her headwear behind a folding screen prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin (L) and her fellow performer walk to the waiting area with "bian lian" costumes prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin (R) close the folding screen as other performers changing their headwears prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Kang Yong (C), leader as well as director of "bian lian" performing squad, pose with other performers during an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 8, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin (R) and her fellow performers prepare their "bian lian" costumes prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin prepares her gears prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin (front) performs with other "bian lian" performers during an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin (1st L) helps other "bian lian" performers check their costumes prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin (L top) distributes sunstroke prevention medications to other "bian lian" performers prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) A fellow student helps Ren Xin (L) with her costume prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin adjusts her headwear prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Kang Yong (R), leader as well as director of "bian lian" performing squad, helps Ren Xin with her headwear prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Actors and actresses perform "bian lian" during the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) Actors and actresses perform "bian lian" during the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Wu Gang) Ren Xin is pictured prior to an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ren Xin (3rd R, front) performs with other "bian lian" performers during an opening ceremony rehearsal in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Actors and actresses perform "bian lian" during the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, a 19-year-old college student, was fascinated with dancing since her childhood. She was one of the actors and actresses who performed the traditional "bian lian", or face-changing during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu on July 28, 2023. Ren Xin, who was born in a remote mountain village called Changsheng Community in Washi Township of Tongjiang County in Sichuan Province, is now a student majored in dancing performance at Sichuan Film and Television University. Together with other 30 "bian lian" performers, Ren and her fellows were chosen from over 700 dancing performance majors. Four months of intensive "bian lian" training helped those beginners with zero "bian lian" background developed to skilled performers for the opening ceremony. Days of training not only helped those students mastered the "bian lian" skills, but also enhanced the groundwork for their dancing and performing majors. The face-changing technique is one of the most famous parts of Sichuan Opera, whereby actors rapidly alter their face makeup in stunning and dramatic effect. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo) Rain Alert Thick Black Clouds Envelop Cities While Punjab Sees Relief from Flooding CHANDIGARH: After grappling with flood conditions, Punjab is now witnessing a return to normalcy with the monsoon resuming its course. The Meteorological Department has issued a rain alert in 11 districts of the state today, accompanied by strong winds and thundershowers in some areas. Cities are witnessing a mix of clouds and sunshine as the weather pattern fluctuates. According to data received from the Meteorological Department, the districts likely to experience rainfall include Fazilka, Faridkot, Moga, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Pathankot. The previous day saw minimal rainfall in the region, with recorded amounts of 4 mm each in Patiala and Ludhiana, 19.5 mm in Barnala, 6 mm in Fatehgarh Sahib, 3.5 mm in Moga, 2.5 mm in Ropar, and 5 mm in Balachore. Advertisement In the midst of these weather developments, the water level in the Bhakra Dam continues to rise steadily. The latest measurements indicate that the water level of Bhakra Dam has increased by one and a half feet compared to the previous day. As of Saturday morning, the water level reached 1659.51 feet, compared to the previous day's measurement of 1658.01 feet. The inflow of water in the dam currently stands at 68,403 cusecs, while only 41,641 cusecs of water are being released through the turbines. Similarly, Nangal Dam is releasing 12,350 cusecs of water into Nangal Hydel Canal, while Anandpur Sahib Hydel Canal and Sutlej River have water releases of 10,150 cusecs and 19,200 cusecs, respectively. Despite the increase in water levels, Bhakra Dam remains approximately 21 feet below the danger mark of 1680 feet. Residents of the affected districts are urged to remain cautious and take necessary precautions during the rain and windy conditions. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation. An advanced body frame and a range of driver assist features allow Honda Elevate to meet global safety standard With awareness, car safety has emerged as an important factor in consumer decision-making process. Organizations like Global NCAP have been instrumental in letting people know about safety capabilities of various cars. The government has also been working to introduce stricter safety standards in the country. As safety becomes a priority, OEMs are working to make their cars more robust and crash-proof. A relevant example is recently introduced Honda Elevate. At a media event, Honda revealed that Elevate has been crash tested internally. And it meets global safety standards. Honda Elevate crash tested internally At the ongoing media drive event of the new Elevate, Kunal Behl (Operating Head Marketing & Strategy at Honda Cars India Ltd.) revealed that their Elevate meets global safety standards. Could this mean that Elevate will soon undergo Global NCAP crash tests? Well, we will have to wait for that one. As far as internally conducted crash tests are concerned, Honda Elevate has delivered top-level collision safety performance. In the in-house testing, Elevate has undergone various crash tests such as front (offset) crash test at 64 kmph, side moving barrier test at 50 kmph, flat barrier test at 50 kmph, side pole impact test at 32 kmph, rear moving barrier test at 50 kmph and front (offset) test at 64 kmph with child dummy. Honda claims that Elevate has achieved desired results in all these tests. In-house crash tests for Elevate also cover pedestrian protection. It includes leg impact test and head impact test. Elevate has officially achieved AIS100 Pedestrian Protection Test. Elevate has also been designed to effectively tackle light crash events. Some deformations are likely in such light crash events. But internal parts will continue to function normally. So, users can expect to operate the car normally after light crash events. This eliminates the possibility of getting stranded. Honda Elevate ACE body offers improved safety Honda has revealed that Elevate utilizes an ACE body (Advanced Compatibility Engineering), wherein high tensile steel is used to improve occupant safety in the event of a crash. The frame is designed to disperse front collision impact over a wider area. This reduces the shock experienced by occupants. The ACE body is also designed to improve energy absorption and slip off prevention. Another great thing about Elevate is that it is offering a range of ADAS features. It is something new in compact SUV segment, currently available with the likes MG Astor and recently launched 2023 Kia Seltos. ADAS features for Elevate are available via Honda Sensing platform. It includes road departure mitigation system, collision mitigation braking system, lane keeping assist system, auto high beam, adaptive cruise control and lead car departure notification system. Other safety features available with Honda Elevate include 6 airbags, hill start assist, vehicle stability assist, agile handling assist, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and camera and emergency stop signal. MEXICO CITY, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday criticized U.S. agencies for lacking coordination regarding information they have on Mexican drug cartels. In his daily press conference, the president dismissed the statements made this week by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram before a House hearing, who said that the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel, both from Mexico, have over 44,800 members, associates, facilitators, and brokers in 100 countries. She held the two cartels responsible for the fentanyl crisis in the United States. "Let them tell us what evidence they have. With all due respect, the problem they have within the U.S. government is that there is no coordination between them (agencies)," said Lopez Obrador, in response to press questions in the city of Tepic, the capital of Nayarit state. Lopez Obrador explained that this information was not revealed in a meeting held this week with the U.S. security team headed by White House Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall in Mexico City. This is not the first time that U.S. officials publicly disseminated unsolicited information on criminal organizations in the country, asserting that Mexican authorities "do not have good information," he said. TIANJIN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- In the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, a bustling Italian SME Industrial Park has become a hub for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Italy that are seeking access to and growth in the Chinese market via the northern harbor city. Established in 2019, the industrial park has already attracted over 30 Italian SMEs, offering specialized support and services to facilitate their entry into the Chinese market. CIMU Science, a start-up focusing on the trade of foundry equipment, settled in the park swiftly after its establishment in 2020, drawn to the benefits of being part of a promising industrial cluster. "The industrial park fosters an environment where information can be shared extensively. Regular policy interpretation activities, covering talent introduction, export tax rebates and foreign trade risk avoidance, have been instrumental in our success in the Chinese market," said He Ningning, a financial manager at CIMU Science, noting that she was deeply impressed by the agglomeration effect of the industrial park. Zheng Jian, an official of the Tianjin Italian SME Industrial Park, said that the industrial park provides comprehensive support for Italian companies in information consultation, investigation, site selection, establishment and operation processes, aiming to improve the business environment. "We established a strategic partnership with the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce to communicate with more Italian enterprises. We also try to leverage the location advantages of the free trade zone and provide support based on the companies' specific needs," Zheng said. One of the companies benefiting from the industrial park's support is Goglio (Tianjin) Packaging Co. Ltd., which specializes in packaging for food products like tomato paste, juice concentrate and coffee. Aseptic packaging bags, the company's main product, require sterilization through gamma-ray irradiation. With the support of the industrial park and the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, an irradiation supplier established a factory opposite the company, leading to significant cost savings. In 2022, the trade volume between China and Italy totaled 77.88 billion U.S. dollars, according to data from China's customs authority. The Chinese market's business-friendly environment, generous preferential policies and customized assistance policies have attracted more Italian SMEs to seize opportunities here. Chinese market expansion plans are evident among these Italian SMEs. Goglio (Tianjin) Packaging Co. Ltd., for instance, plans to introduce four more sets of production equipment in 2024 to expand its one-way degassing valve production capacity, the company's flagship product, which is used to preserve the aroma of coffee. "After years of development in China, we have seen the unlimited opportunities here. Our further expansion of production capacity not only aims to bring good products to China, but also reflects the attraction of the Chinese market," said Zhang Dan, the HR and Admin Director of the company. Patrizio Valsoni, general manager of CIMU Science, acknowledged the fast development in China and the changes in the market as the government has attached great importance to environmental protection. "Many traditional foundries in China upgraded their production equipment in recent years. This provided opportunities for us. We will continue to invest in China in the future." Similarly, Asadental China Co., Ltd., an Italian company specializing in dental medical devices, has added a new brand line this year to expand its market share. With China experiencing significant economic and social development, the demand for high-quality dental treatments is on the rise. "Economic cooperation between China and Italy is very promising. Both countries have complementary resources and expertise that can foster synergies and beneficial trade exchanges," said Allesandro Malfatti, the general manager of the company. The Chinese dental market offers an exciting opportunity for the company, Malfatti said. "And we are willing to seize it." With the Tianjin Italian SME Industrial Park as a gateway, Italian SMEs are finding themselves well-positioned to ride the wave of China's economic growth and tap into the vast potential of the Chinese market. As opportunities continue to unfold, these enterprises remain optimistic about their prospects for further success in their business ventures in China. QUT researchers have developed a new approach for designing molecular ON-OFF switches based on proteins which can be used in a multitude of biotechnological, biomedical and bioengineering applications. The research team demonstrated that this novel approach allows them to design and build faster and more accurate diagnostic tests for detecting diseases, monitoring water quality and detecting environmental pollutants. Professor Kirill Alexandrov, of the QUT School of Biology and Environmental Science, lead scientist on the CSIRO-QUT Synthetic Biology Alliance and a researcher with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, said that the new technique published in the scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology demonstrated that protein switches could be engineered in a predictable way. Professor Alexandrov said currently available 'point of care' diagnostic tests which provided immediate results, such as blood glucose, pregnancy, and COVID test kits, used protein-sensing systems to detect the presence of sugar, pregnancy hormones, and COVID proteins. "These, however, represent only a tiny fraction of what is needed in patient-focused healthcare model," Professor Alexandrov said. "However, developing new sensing systems is a challenging and time-consuming trial-and-error process. "The new 'protein nano-switch' method can massively accelerate development of similar diagnostics by decreasing the time and increasing the success rate. It uses proteins modified to behave like ON/OFF switches in response to specific targets. advertisement "The advantage of our approach is that the system is modular, similar to building with Lego bricks, so you can replace parts easily to target something else -- another drug or a medical biomarker, for example." Professor Alexandrov said the method offered the possibility of building many different diagnostic and analytic tests, with a wide range of possible applications including diagnostics in human and animal health, testing kits for water contamination, and detecting rare earth metals in samples to direct mining efforts. The multidisciplinary research team included scientists from QUT and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, consisting of lead researcher Professor Kirill Alexandrov, Dr Zhong Guo, Cagla Ergun Ayva, Patricia Walden and Adjunct Professor Claudia Vickers. The QUT team collaborated with leading electrochemists Evgeny Katz and Oleh Smutok from Clarkson University, in New York, and chemical pathologist Dr Jacobus Ungerer from Queensland Health. To demonstrate the technology, the team focused on a cancer chemotherapy drug that is toxic and requires constant measurement to ensure patient welfare. "Too little of the drug won't kill the cancer, but too much could kill the patient," Professor Alexandrov said. advertisement The sensor the team designed for the drug uses a colour change to identify and quantify the drug. Professor Alexandrov said the next step was the for the sensor to be tested in Queensland Health laboratories for approval for use in clinical setting. Professor Kirill Alexandrov. "It's really exciting, because it's the first time an artificially designed protein biosensor may be actually suitable for a real-life diagnostic application" Professor Alexandrov said. Dr Ungerer said the protein-engineering technology developed by the research team provided a novel means to create laboratory tests. "This has the potential to improve and expand laboratory testing, which will result in substantial health and economic benefits," Dr Ungerer said. Dr Guo said these advancements were made possible by an international and interdisciplinary team and excellent teamwork. Professor Alexandrov said that the next step was to take this approach and standardise and scale it, to then start building more sophisticated sub-systems. He said there are two future directions for the work. "One is to develop computer models that allow us to design and build the switches even more rapidly and precisely," he said. "The other is to demonstrate the scale and potential of the technology by building many switches for different diagnostic applications." Professor Alexandrov said the team were currently modifying existing proteins, but in the future, they could use the same principles to develop components that did not exist and would be designed from scratch. "The new technique provides scientists unprecedented control over construction of protein-based sensing systems," he said. A hot bath is a place to relax. For scientists, it is also where molecules or tiny building blocks meet to form materials. Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) take it to the next level and use the energy of swimming bacteria to forge materials. A recent study in Nature Physics shows us how this works and the potential sustainability benefits that may arise from this innovative approach. You never know when dazzling ideas will strike you. Sometimes they emerge from the most unexpected places, like a boulder gym in Vienna. Such was the case for ISTA's Daniel Grober, a graduate student in the research group of physicist Jeremie Palacci, who had been working on how to assemble materials leveraging the energy of swimming bacteria, and Mehmet Can Ucar, a postdoc in Edouard Hannezo's group. Fueled by their shared passion for science and climbing, discussions at the gym turned into a paper-pen model of Grober's experiment. Their concept captivated Ivan Palaia, a postdoc in Anela Saric's group, who decided to join the task force. Together, this dynamic all-ISTA trio embarked on a collaborative effort that now reaches its pinnacle with a paper published today in Nature Physics. The study shows a novel experimental strategy to fabricate materials from small building blocks. It translates ideas from metallurgy -- the fine art of blacksmithing, where cycles of high temperature and slow cooling set a material's structure -- into soft materials, using the activity from a bath of swimming bacteria. What are active baths? In Jeremie Palacci's research group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, it is all about microscopic particles. "Our work revolves around tiny 'Lego'-like building blocks that are a hundred times smaller than a hair. We try to understand how these components come together and form larger structures," he explains. Typically, when these building blocks are suspended in water, they jiggle due to temperature, which provides the energy for the particles to hop back and forth randomly. A phenomenon first rationalized by Einstein in 1905 and known as Brownian motion. To introduce order amidst the chaos, adding an "active agent" to the water is beneficial. This results in what is known as an "active bath," where the agent acts like a small fire. In principle, with this extra energy, you can hope to control the assembly and properties of materials -- the way the blacksmith forges. However, until now, an approach where for instance bacteria is used to forge, had never been explored. Bacteria -- the fire Palacci's student, Daniel Grober, took on this challenge and started to construct such an active bath with characteristics inspired by metallurgy. Grober says, "We used E. coli bacteria as an active agent, as their swimming movement provided energy and some kind of agitation -- 'temperature' for a physicist, equivalent to 2000 C, similar to the one needed to craft metals. But because it is made by bacteria, and it is not a real oven, it remains gentle enough to be used with gels and soft materials without burning them." The building blocks were microscopic particles in the form of sticky colloids -- round beads that stick together when in contact. advertisement This idea proved to be successful. The swimming bacteria effectively amplified the motion of the beads, resulting in the formation of aggregations and gel-like structures. Dance to the beat of bacteria Moreover, the observation of these newly formed clusters showed an intriguing singularity. At all times, the aggregates were spinning clockwise, but very slowly. To shed light on this observation, Grober conducted a statistical analysis of the system's motion. He confirmed a slow and persistent rotation of the aggregates that originates in the clockwise spin (chirality) of the E. coli flagella -- the minuscule appendages that propel the bacteria in their movement. The scientist suspected that the rotational motion played a pivotal role in forming the unconventional structures he observed. Presenting his work in a weekly lab meeting intrigued his colleague Ivan Palaia, which led to the understanding of the phenomenon. Palaia proposed a minimal computational model, to capture the chirality of the bacterial bath without simulating the swimming bacteria. The computer simulations were first validated by quantitatively reproducing the experimental results before providing a deeper understanding of the mechanism. The model confirmed the salient role of the rotation in shaping gels, by forming remarkable structures with exotic mechanical properties that cannot be achieved conventionally. More to come in the future This utilization of bacterial baths to assemble unconventional materials holds great promise. For instance, although the study was limited to 2D structures at the micron scale, the approach was designed for its potential in upscaling. "With this innovative approach, it could theoretically be possible to construct 3D samples, large enough to be held in the palm of my hand!" Palacci adds. This advancement could also enhance the sustainability of material production by harnessing energy from bacteria rather than relying on external energy sources. Finally, the study serves as a proof of concept, laying the foundation for Palacci's ERC-funded project called "VULCAN: matter powered from within" and underlines once again the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration in science that drives innovation. "The project would have never reached this conceptual and quantitative depth without the collaborative work fostered by ISTA," Palacci concludes. Early genetic testing can improve cancer outcomes, but individuals often don't undergo this screening if they lack a family history or can't afford a test. A clinical laboratory team at Oregon Health & Science University is hoping to change that for residents of their state by providing free genetic screening for inherited cancer and familial hypercholesteremia to all adults with an Oregon address. After screening over 13,000 Oregonians since 2018, the team presents their methods, findings, and lessons learned on July 27 in The American Journal of Human Genetics. "We're hoping that this can really be used as a model for other states that want to do low-cost population screening," says first author Timothy O'Brien, a staff scientist at Knight Diagnostic Laboratories. "We've provided a kind of roadmap where up-and-coming screening programs can look at us and see both what worked and what could be improved upon." The team recruited participants through social media ads and tabling at events like farmers markets. They even set up vending machines where individuals could retrieve and return testing kits that collected a mouthwash saliva sample. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals could request a testing kit through the mail. Once participants gave their consent through a HIPAA-compliant app, samples were processed at a clinical laboratory to screen for disease-causing variants in 31 genes related to inherited cancer and 1 gene related to familial hypercholesteremia. "We wanted to report on any disease-causing variant that was deemed to be actionable, which means there's something you can do about it," says senior author Sue Richards, a Professor Emeritus of Molecular & Medical Genetics at Oregon Health & Science University. "It could be something like changing your screening habits, taking a prophylactic surgery or medication, or consulting with your clinician." 710 out of over 13,000 participants screened positive for a disease-causing variant. All participants with confirmed positive results received a call from a genetic counselor to explain their results, how the results impact their disease risk, and recommendations for medical management. "Genetic counseling is critical to this program," says Richards. "It's not easy for the public to understand these genetic testing reports because they're fairly technical, and it's important to understand that just because they carry a disease-causing variant may not mean that they will develop that type of cancer. The counselor also talks to them not only about their own health and family history but also how they pass that information along to other family members, since they are at risk of having the variant as well." When the laboratory team first started this project, they had to scale up the lab's genetic testing workflow to about ten times its original capacity by focusing on a select group of disease-causing variants and employing the help of robots, which performed more tedious tasks. This allowed the group to process up to 1,000 samples per month with one lab technologist at the estimated cost of $50 per participant. To reduce the possibility of a laboratory mix-up resulting in a false positive, all participants with positive results were asked to undergo secondary screening using a different genetic sequencing method. Even so, the researchers report zero clinically relevant sample mix-ups out of the 20,000 specimens that they sequenced. From their sequencing results, the researchers have also assembled a large repository of data that can be used to analyze the genetic risk factors of Oregon's population and conduct additional research studies. Approximately 5% of participants screened positive for a disease-causing inherited cancer variant, which was higher than several prior population-screening studies have reported and may be because people with a personal or family history of cancer were more likely to seek testing. This higher-than-expected prevalence could also be because prior studies screened for a different set of genes. The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) details a minimum set of genes not related to the individual's condition but recommended to analyze in those undergoing clinical testing. However, if the researchers had only examined genes from this list, they would have missed 59% of disease-causing variants in their study population. In addition, the most common disease-causing variants detected in the study were not on ACMG's list. This highlights how expanding the range of genes being tested can have a significant impact on how many people receive positive results in large screening studies. The team plans on continuing their screening program in the future and increasing efforts to reach a more diverse population of participants. Currently, 76% of study participants are female, so the study is looking at how to recruit more male participants. In addition, by translating their consent app into Spanish, the researchers plan on reaching more of Oregon's Spanish-speaking population. "The overall goal of this project was really to help Oregonians and empower them with this health information," says O'Brien. "We feel like we've been able to accomplish that and hope that this continues to be a strong proponent of health for Oregonians in the future." Humans may never be able to tame the Sun, but hydrogen plasma -- making up most of the Sun's interior -- can be confined in a magnetic field as part of fusion power generation: with a caveat. The extremely high temperature plasmas, typically as high as 100 million degrees Celsius, confined in the tokamaks -- donut-shaped fusion reactors -- cause damage to the containment walls of these mega devices. Researchers inject hydrogen and inert gases near the device wall to cool the plasma by radiation and recombination, which is the reverse of ionization. Heat load mitigation is critical to extending the lifetime of future fusion device. Understanding and predicting the process of the vibrational and rotational temperatures of hydrogen molecules near the walls could enhance the recombination, but effective strategies have remained elusive. An international team of researchers led by Kyoto University has recently found a way to explain the rotational temperatures measured in three different experimental fusion devices in Japan and the United States. Their model evaluates the surface interactions and electron-proton collisions of hydrogen molecules. "In our model, we targeted the evaluation on the rotational temperatures in the low energy levels, enabling us to explain the measurements from several experimental devices," adds corresponding author Nao Yoneda of KyotoU's Graduate School of Engineering. By enabling the prediction and control of the rotational temperature near the wall surface, the team was able to dissipate plasma heat flux and optimize the devices' operative conditions. "We still need to understand the mechanisms of rotational-vibrational hydrogen excitations," Yoneda reflects, "but we were pleased that the versatility of our model also allowed us to reproduce the measured rotational temperatures reported in literature." UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday called on the UN Security Council to lift sanctions against certain African countries so as to improve their capacity for the protection of civilians. Host countries of UN peacekeeping operations shoulder the primary responsibility for the protection of civilians. UN peacekeeping operations should actively support host countries in tackling security challenges and developing greater capacity for the protection of civilians, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. The Security Council sanctions have seriously hampered the ability of certain African countries to fulfill their responsibility to protect civilians. These sanctions should be lifted as soon as possible, he told a Security Council meeting on UN peacekeeping that was focused on the protection of civilians. The international community should intensify partnerships with Africa and support African countries in steadily improving their self-reliant peacekeeping capacity, he added. The civilian protection mandate in UN peacekeeping operations is part of the overall framework and should be considered as such. The civilian protection mandate should be coordinated with other mandates and implemented in a balanced manner so that all the mandates serve the purpose of helping bring about a political solution, said Geng. In recent years, the unbridled proliferation of peacekeeping mandates has aggravated the pre-existing strains on resources and capacity, impinging on missions' ability to implement their civilian protection mandate properly, he warned. "It is necessary to strengthen conflict prevention and optimize early-warning arrangements so that security risks can be detected and dealt with as early as possible. It is necessary to develop systematic and holistic plans of action, and improve the capacity of situation awareness to enable swift response. The vulnerabilities of special groups, such as women and children, should be taken into full account and protection afforded to them should be more robust and tailored," said Geng. "We cannot rely on the military approach alone to effectively implement the civilian protection mandate. Peacekeeping operations need to focus more on engagement and dialogue to create a secure environment," he said. UN peacekeepers are facing growing security risks. All stakeholders, including the UN Secretariat, peacekeeping missions, troop-contributing countries and host countries, should put in solid efforts to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers, he said. China is a builder and defender of world peace, a participant in and contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. China will continue to support, promote and participate in UN peacekeeping operations and make greater contributions to the maintenance of international peace and security, said Geng. SHIJIAZHUANG, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Two people were confirmed dead, and two others were seriously injured in a gas explosion in Anping County, north China's Hebei Province, on Saturday morning, according to local authorities. The accident happened at around 10:13 a.m. in a street-front shop at Hongqi Street. The fire was extinguished at around 11:20 a.m. Preliminary investigation showed that the gas explosion was caused by the rupture of a natural gas pipeline due to a pipeline renovation. Five individuals related to the incident have been taken into custody by the public security authorities. Further investigation into the incident is underway. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Two individuals have been arrested and charged in connection to a stolen vehicle from New Jersey following a traffic stop by the NYPD near the Outerbridge Crossing Thursday. Nasser Davis, 19, and Thomas Davis, 26, of Newark have both been charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, according to online court records. The 26-year-old is also facing numerous criminal possession of stolen property charges, as well as reckless driving. On Thursday, July 28, officers pulled over a 2021 BMW X7 with several people in the car in the vicinity of the Outerbridge Crossing and Arthur Kill Road around 11 p.m., according to a spokesman for the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. The people in the car appeared to be in their late teens and early 20s, and at least some of them were wearing masks, a source with knowledge of the investigation told the Advance/SILive.com. Some of the suspects fled on foot from the vehicle, but three persons of interest from New Jersey were taken in for questioning, the police spokesman said. The BMW was reported missing in Montclair, N.J., the police spokesman said. A defense attorney for the two individuals could not be immediately reached for comment. Car thefts are up 9% this year on Staten Island, according to CompStat statistics from July 23, the NYPDs computerized system for tracking crimes. So far this year, 241 vehicles have been reported stolen on our borough compared to 221 at this time last year, according to CompStat. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A new committee of federal prosecutors will review claims of wrongful convictions in cases originating in the Eastern District of New York, which encompasses Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, this week announced the creation of the Conviction Integrity Committee, which will receive, evaluate and review cases that may have raised eyebrows over the years. In October 2022, Peace appointed Assistant United States Attorney Kayla Bensing to the newly created position of Conviction Integrity Coordinator in a move to formalize the offices conviction integrity process and collaborate with our law enforcement partners who are undertaking similar efforts to ensure the integrity of all convictions, read the press release issued Monday. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace speaks to members of the media outside Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) It is critical to this offices law enforcement mission and our sacred responsibility to seek justice and uphold the public trust that, whenever there is reason to doubt the integrity of conviction, we move quickly to evaluate the prosecution and take the necessary steps to achieve a just result, said Peace. From my first day as U.S. Attorney, it has been my priority to pursue justice and protect the civil rights of everyone in our community without bias and with compassion, and I am confident that the measures announced today will help accomplish that goal. If Staten Island residents have concerns related to the integrity of a conviction in Brooklyn Federal Court, theyre asked to email USANYE-Convictionintegrity@usdoj.gov and provide the information requested here. Decisions as to whether a case might be investigated and the process in which that might happen are made at the U.S. Attorneys discretion and are not reviewable by any court, officials say. There is no timeframe by which claims presented to the U.S. Attorneys Office will be resolved, but staff will make every effort to expedite the resolution of each inquiry. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Curtis High School senior and up-and-coming filmmaker Pedro Carranza has won top honors at the 2023 All American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF), the premier destination for talented high school filmmakers and media arts enthusiasts from around the world. Pedros film, Time, was selected Best Documentary at AAHSFF, in a pool of international high school films, and will be screened in NYC October 20-22, in front of other student filmmakers and their families. At the festival, Pedro and other winners will also be eligible to win additional prizes and scholarships and will get the chance to network with college officials, other student filmmakers and professionals. But lets backtrack a little. In 2021, Curtis High School theater and filmmaking teacher Frank Barranca founded the Curtis High School Film Festival, inviting any Curtis student interested in filmmaking to submit his or her original work to compete for honors. The impressive student films were judged by Barranca, and other Curtis faculty: Jason Bresowsky, Michael Danza and James Torta, for honors in Best Documentary, Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Screenplay, Best Original/Experimental Film and Best Film. The judging was difficult, as all the impressive submissions showcased the budding filmmakers immense talents. Ultimately, however, grand prize for Best Film was given to Time, written and directed by Pedro. For the first time ever for Curtis, Barranca submitted Pedros film to the AAHSFF. Curtis covered the entry fee. To the pride and delight of Barranca, Curtis faculty and students, Pedros film came out on top again, winning in the 2023 Best Documentary category at AAHSFF. It felt amazing, Pedro said, upon hearing of his Best Film award. I feel like I could go further with film. Pedro is the only Staten Islander in the festival this year, and Barranca said he couldnt be prouder. I was completely blown away at looking at the Pedros film, said Barranca. His film is done really well the cinematography, the framing, the audio, and the overall message of the film are amazing. Time provides a unique perspective not just for his generation, but for all of us. The competition is tough this year, as there are films from students not just in the other four boroughs, but also all 50 states, England, Ireland, China and Ukraine. Frank Barranca is the Curtis High School theater and filmmaking teacher. (Courtesy Frank Barranca) ABOUT PEDRO CARRANZA According to Barranca, Pedro is the first student to have his or her film selected by AAHSFF, whose mission is to provide immersive education with a profound impact, connecting the filmmakers of the future with the rewards, respect and recognition they deserve. Im so happy he is representing, not just Curtis High School, but all of Staten Island as well, said Barranca. It is such an honor to be a part of the AAHSFF. I hope he gets to network with others students like himself, potential colleges and professionals. Pedro would definitely love to be in the filmmaking field, as hes always had a passion to create, including filmmaking. There are other winners from the other boroughs of New York, but Pedro is the only one representing Staten Island this year. Im so happy he is representing, not just Curtis High School, but all of Staten Island as well. Go Pedro, Go! THE ALL AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL FILM FESTIVAL In its 11th year, the festival has awarded students from all 50 states, and many international countries, well with over $3,000,000 in scholarships and prizes to date. The mission of the AAHSFF is to provide immersive education with a profound impact, connecting the filmmakers of the future with the rewards, respect and recognition they deserve. AAHSFF presents the worlds largest high school film festival, offering a grand stage for the next generation of talented filmmakers where they can: screen their amazing creations; learn from top industry professionals; connect with the latest technology; explore myriad higher education opportunities; receive scholarships and technology prizes, and create a community of shared passions and lifelong relationships. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Verizon Wireless stores nationwide are helping students get ready for back-to-school season through the 11th annual School Rocks Backpack Giveaway. On Sunday, July 30, starting at 1 p.m., two Staten Island Verizon Store locations will be participating in the giveaway. The locations are 1267 Forest Ave. and 658 Forest Ave. Parents with school-age children can come to our store and get a backpack with school supplies for free, explained Bob Tafaghodi, who runs the Verizon Store at 1267 Forest Ave. Supplies will be given to students on a first-come, first-served basis. Increased prices of school supplies can put a strain on students and their families. The Department of Education reported that in the 2021-2022 school year, 71.9% of students in New York City public schools were economically disadvantaged. Its our way of giving back to the wonderful community that has been supporting us since 2006, said Nick Singh, a Verizon employee. The use of red-light cameras is prohibited in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. Voters in 2008 approved the ban by a 51% margin. That charter amendment also placed limitations on all traffic photo-monitoring devices, including speed cameras. The prohibitions were put in place because voters and state lawmakers believed that the devices were nothing more than a money grab. It was thought that local officials wanted to use the devices to fill budget gaps or to fund pet projects, not to save lives. There was also concern about motorists in minority communities being inordinately targeted in jurisdictions where traffic cameras are in use. PBS recently reported that tickets and fines generated by speed cameras in places like Chicago fell disproportionately on Black and brown drivers. But some in Cincinnati are now looking to put the traffic-camera ban back on the ballot, thinking that they made a mistake the first time around. They want to repeal the prohibition. They want to tamp down increasing pedestrian injuries and deaths. They want to make city streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. And, yes, theyll certainly take all the revenue that will no doubt be generated. Cincinnati in May unveiled a $1.59 billion city budget for the years 2024 and 2025 that included a projected deficit of around $10 million next year. So lawmakers definitely need to increase revenue. And New York City motorists know that speed cameras in particular are a speedy way to do that. Cincinnati would have some decisions to make if the devices are put into use. For example, will there be red-light cameras only or speed cameras as well? If they look at the money generated by speed cameras in New York City and elsewhere, I think I can predict which way theyll go. Cincinnati will also have to figure out where to deploy the devices. Among the proposals on the table is, you guessed it, limiting the traffic cameras to school zones. We all know how thats worked out in New York City, where the speed camera program has expanded to the point that the devices are everywhere you look and operate around the clock. Speed limits were also lowered here, making it even easier to ding motorists. And as far as improving road safety, speed cameras have an uneven record at best in New York City. But the traffic camera lucre would come at a price in Cincinnati. A state law, upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court, allows the state to cut funding to cities that use traffic cameras. Cities must report to the state how much money the cameras have generated so that the appropriate aid reduction can be made. It makes sense. If you come up with a new revenue stream on your own, you dont need as much aid from the state government. Simple. When will lawmakers in Albany figure this one out? The law has led some Ohio cities to actually remove traffic cameras, hard as that is for New York City motorists to imagine. Staten Island would likely have to secede from the city before wed see a single speed camera taken down here. Other cities in Ohio, however, have continued to use the devices. Because, just as in New York, traffic cameras have proven to be a reliable source of revenue. Dont do it, Cincinnati voters. Heed what New Yorkers have gone through. Traffic cameras wont solve your road safety problems, theyll criminalize driving and soon they will be everywhere you drive. Its the most slippery of slippery slopes. Trust me. Bitter experience has made us wise. MORE SPEED CAMERA OPINION FROM TOM WROBLESKI How NYC rigs the speed camera program to best rip off drivers (opinion) Watch out: Heres how NYC speed cameras could become an even bigger ripoff (opinion) Heres the proof that NYC speed cameras are about money, not safety (opinion) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The deadline to apply for free college tuition through New Yorks Excelsior Scholarship is rapidly approaching, but interested applicants still have some time to secure a free ride. The Excelsior Scholarship fills a tuition gap after federal and state financial aid providing the potential for a tuition-free college experience for eligible state residents at City University of New York (CUNY) and State University of New York (SUNY) colleges. The Excelsior Scholarship is one of the most promising programs in New York State. It provides access to an affordable college education for thousands of middle and lower-income New Yorkers, helping them reach their full potential, said Gov. Kathy Hochul. At a time when economic disparities are widening, it is more important than ever to ensure that every student has access to the resources they need to succeed. The Fall 2023 Excelsior Scholarship application is now open to first-time students entering college this fall and current college students who have never received the Excelsior Scholarship, with the Aug. 31 deadline just over a month away. Students currently receiving an Excelsior Scholarship do not need to complete this application to receive continued award payments. To be eligible for a Fall 2023 Excelsior Scholarship award students must: Be a resident of New York State and have resided in New York State for 12 continuous months prior to the beginning of the term; Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen; Have either graduated from high school in the United States, earned a high school equivalency diploma, or passed a federally approved Ability to Benefit test, as defined by the Commissioner of the State Education Department; Have a combined federal adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less; Be pursuing an undergraduate degree at a SUNY or CUNY college, including community colleges and the statutory colleges at Cornell University and Alfred University; Be enrolled in at least 12 credits per term and complete at least 30 credits each year (successively), applicable toward his or her degree program through continuous study with no break in enrollment except for certain reasons that can be documented; If attended college prior to the 2023-24 academic year, have earned at least 30 credits each year (successively), applicable toward his or her degree program prior to applying for an Excelsior Scholarship; Be in a non-default status on a student loan made under any NYS or federal education loan program or on the repayment of any NYS award; Be in compliance with the terms of the service condition(s) imposed by any NYS award that you have previously received; and Execute a contract agreeing to reside in NYS for the length of time the award was received, and, if employed during such time, be employed in NYS. The Excelsior Scholarship is provided by the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), New Yorks higher education student financial aid agency. The HESC processes more than a half-million grant, scholarship and loan forgiveness applications each year and awards nearly $1 billion in financial aid to more than 330,000 students. The Excelsior Scholarship is a testament to New Yorks commitment to making college more accessible to all students, regardless of their economic backgrounds. Enabling more New Yorkers the opportunity to pursue a college degree is an important step toward ensuring that every student has an opportunity to succeed, said HESC President Dr. Guillermo Linares. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Shark Week 2023 comes to an end Saturday evening, with two final episodes to wrap up the summertime viewing tradition, which airs every year on the Discovery Channel. This year, actor Jason Momoa is hosting the shark extravaganza, serving as the master of ceremonies. Momoa is the second person to host the beloved event, following Dwayne The Rock Johnson, who served in the same position during Shark Week 2022. If you are a cord-cutter, you can watch Shark Week on fuboTV or Philo, both of which offer a free trial. Shark Week will also be available to stream on Max. Heres a look at the schedule for Saturday night. 8 p.m. Dawn of the Monster Mako A 14-foot giant mako shark is spotted in the waters of Portugals Azores region. Underwater cinematographer Joe Romeiro and his marine biologist wife, Lauren, search the teeming depths around the ancient islands to capture the beast on film. 9 p.m. Mega Sharks of Dangerous Reef The remote islands off the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia are believed to harbor some of the biggest white sharks on the planet. While local fishing reports suggest these giant sharks are still around, they are rarely seen. SHARK-RELATED CONTENT Should recent shark sightings in NYC area keep swimmers out of the water? Experts weigh in. As shark sightings rise in NYC and New Jersey, experts offer tips for staying safe in the water Shark-infested waters: New York to deploy dozens of monitoring drones as bite reports mount Welcome to Edinburgh! The capital of Scotland will be your home from home for the next few years, and what a great place to live. Whilst the University, the sixth oldest in the English-speaking world and one of the most respected institutions for higher education in the UK, its also positively brimming with some of the finest nightlife in Scotland. Sneaky Pete's, The Liquid Room, and La Belle Angele always host great club nights and live gigs, with the occasional mammoth festival taking place at the Royal Highland Centre. Also, keep an eye on Colours and Nightvision for some of the biggest rave-ups in the city. Edinburgh freshers week 2023 will be a wonderful mixture of all these events youll soon be weekly attendants of, but the actual list of Edinburgh freshers events is so much bigger, check it out below! After Freshers' Week has passed, you might want to check out our comprehensive guide to What's On In Edinburgh for all the latest listings in clubbing, comedy, gigs and more. You can also check out our guide to Edinburgh here. With 100,000 students spread between three universities, Manchester boasts one of the largest student populations of any city in Europe. The University of Manchester is the city's main student hive with the main campus located on Oxford Road and further buildings in the city centre.] MMU (Manchester Metropolitan University) is also on Oxford road and only a stone's throw away, while The University of Salford lies a five-minute bus ride out of the other side of the city centre. The city's nightlife caters for all with numerous bars and nightclubs that put on nights dedicated to house, garage, funk, indie, hip hop and loads more. Manchester's clubbing scene is steeped in rave history and is home to the UK's biggest dance music season - The Warehouse Project. So with Manchester freshers week 2023 fast approaching, we want to be THE place for you to find out the best Manchester freshers events to dance and sing the night away with the strangers soon to be your closest friends. After Fresher's Week is done be sure to visit our Manchester What's On Guide and make sure you get the most out of the capital of the North. Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! SYDNEY, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Four military personnel are missing after an Australian military helicopter crashed into the waters near Lindeman Island off the coast of Queensland overnight. Australian Department of Defence said on Saturday that the Australian Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter was participating in a nighttime training activity as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023, a bilateral joint military exercise between Australia and the United States, when it was reported missing late Friday night. Four crew were on board the aircraft at the time of the incident and are currently missing. The department said military and civilian search and rescue aircraft and watercraft are currently conducting search and rescue operations at the incident site. Families of affected personnel have been notified. We actually need outcomes and this term of parliament maybe provides more hope than what weve had for many years. Minister for Housing Rose Jackson and Transport Minister Jo Haylen have previously spoken in favour of drug law reforms, along with independent Alex Greenwich. The summit aims to replicate the success of former premier Bob Carrs 1999 drug summit, which led to Australias first injecting room in Sydneys Kings Cross. But critics say the summit risks replicating the findings from the ice inquiry, which cost $11 million and handed down its report in 2020. The previous government took nearly three years to respond to the ice inquiry report, and eventually accepted 86 of the reports 109 recommendations, rejecting recommendations on pill testing, drug sniffer dogs and drug decriminalisation. A landmark $500 million was announced in response to the inquiry, with $358 million going to NSW Health to address treatment gaps and improve health and social outcomes, and another $141 million to expand justice initiatives, including expanding access to the NSW Drug Court. Consumption of Methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, MDA, fentanyl and ketamine increased in the past quarter despite record seizures, according to wastewater analysis, with Australia ranking third for consumption of meth when compared with 24 other countries. Theres been a spike in the number of ecstasy use or possession offences, with a 75.7 per cent increase in the two years to March 2023, while illicit drug offences are the third most common type of offence nationally, making up for 14 per cent of offenders. Dealing and trafficking cocaine offences have also increased by 11.6 per cent across the past five years in NSW. President of Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia Gino Vumbaca said the organisation had offered to run free pill testing trials, both during last months pride month or at a future music festival, which were not responded to favourably. Rather than talk about results from Canberra, we would have some NSW or Sydney-based information on pill testing that the drug summit could consider, he said. Earlier this month Canberras pill testing service CanTest released the results of its first six months of operation, finding more than half the drugs tested contained unexpected substances, leading one in ten samples to be discarded on site. Loading Victoria also announced last week the government is developing a trial to allow those using medicinal cannabis to legally drive if they are not impaired. There is currently no universally accepted technology to test for cannabis impairment, only presence. Vumbaca said he would also support a NSW driving trial ahead of the summit. Developing a summit takes time, but in the interim, lets try some things so when we sit down, they have recent and local data, he said. Were concerned that by the time you have the summit, report, consideration of the report, its quite a wait by the time you get to services on the ground. While some experts and reform advocates have warned a drug summit risks replicating the work of the ice inquiry, others say the drug landscape has changed significantly enough to warrant a look, broadening the scope to therapeutic medicines. Legalise Cannabis Australia MP Jeremy Buckingham believes a summit could examine periphery drug issues including nicotine vapes, nitrous oxide bulbs, known as nangs, and new therapeutic treatments including psilocybin, ketamine and MDMA. Legalise Cannabis MLC Jeremy Buckingham said he believes the drug summit would address emerging drug trends and new regulation. Credit: Brook Mitchell Were always learning new things, change is constant. Its a good idea to flesh these issues out in the modern context, Buckingham said. Were going to want to see meat on the bones in terms of how, and see commitment in terms of responding to it, but theres an appetite for change. President of the NSW Bar Association Gabrielle Bashir, SC, said the summit risks reinventing the wheel. Loading Theres no need for another drug summit, that it would be as superfluous and unnecessary public expense in light of the ice inquiries, she said. We think that theres a clear road map for reform and that, without delay, there should be the decriminalisation of the possession and use of small quantities of illicit substances. In its ice inquiry response, the previous government also requested the NSW Police and the NSW Chief Health Officer provide advice on whether the roll-out of services and supports is sufficiently advanced to allow the commencement of a pre-court diversion scheme, to be provided by June 30 of this year. Labor has yet to publicly respond to or release this advice. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park referred questions to Attorney-General Michael Daley, who did not respond to questions about the advice received. We recognise there is a need for a comprehensive look at drug policy in NSW, a spokesperson for Daley said. The drug summit is an opportunity to gather advice from legal professionals, health experts, police, academics, support services, families and other stakeholders to inform a pragmatic and evidence-based approach to drug policy. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb did not directly respond to questions, while police declined to answer questions on the advice provided. The NSW Police Force recognises that the problem of illicit drug usage is complex and is committed to playing our part in the National Drug Strategy, a NSW Police spokesperson said. Loading Police will continue to work in partnership with the community to detect and deter illicit and illicit drugs and the harmful effect they have in our society. Health Minister Ryan Park said drug use is a healthcare issue, reiterating funding announced by the previous government to expand justice initiatives, address treatment gaps, and improve health and social outcomes. The NSW governments drug summit will bring together health and other experts in developing a whole of community, evidence-based approach to achieving positive health outcomes, he said. A dangerously caffeinated drink promoted by YouTube personalities is driving a black market in Sydney after it was banned from sale for not complying with safety standards. Prime Energy, which has twice the permitted caffeine content for a beverage under the Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Code, is being sold for up to $17 a can in convenience stores and online. The NSW food authority is asking members of the public to report sightings of the drink on store shelves so that it can crack down on illegal sales. PRIME Energy drinks are being sold in Australia illegally in convenience stores and online. Credit: AP Meanwhile, a caffeine-free legal version of the drink, Prime Hydration, is causing problems of its own, becoming such a playground status symbol for tween boys that empty bottles can sell for similar prices to full ones. A man has been shot in an inner-Brisbane suburb, with witnesses reporting two people fleeing the scene on Saturday afternoon. Police and paramedics responded to the incident on Tufton Street in Bowen Hills, in the citys north. The man suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen, just before 3pm. Police said initial investigations indicated at least one person had come to the front door of a property on the street, before firing a gun at the man. A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said the man was rushed to the Royal Brisbane Womens Hospital in a serious condition. Clare Looker saw the limits of Victorias public health system up close when, as a doctor working inside the governments pandemic response, she helped investigate the twin outbreaks from quarantine hotels which seeded the states devastating second wave. She is responsible for leading that system into the post-pandemic era after she was confirmed as Brett Suttons replacement as chief health officer. Clare Looker, Victorias newly appointed chief health officer. Looker was part of a small team of public health physicians who found themselves on the Health Departments front line when the coronavirus crisis hit in February 2020. She later took a senior role in Victorias rebooted approach to contact tracing and case management which, before the arrival of the Delta variant, brought the virus back under control. Six weeks ago, at the start of the campaign to replace former premier Mark McGowan a win for young Labor strategist Magenta Marshall was all but guaranteed, with Labor holding the seat by almost 38 per cent after a landslide victory in the 2021 election. But after a campaign marred by controversy surrounding Labors introduction of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage laws, the housing crisis and cost of living pressures, Premier Roger Cook has conceded the election result will be tight. Roger Cook concedes it will be a tight election. Credit: Facebook Speaking outside Charthouse Primary School in Waikiki on Saturday morning, Cook said the party took nothing for granted. We know this is going to be a tight election, he said. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Premier Chris Minns says he wants to build up and not out, but it is easier (and I am guessing cheaper) to build on greenfield areas (Building on paddocks is much easier: Why Sydney keeps expanding outwards, July 23). Heres an idea: the government should consider putting a levy on building in greenfield areas which it could use either to coerce developers to build in the city or to fund infrastructure in greenfield suburbs. Yes, it may be a tax, but the electorate may not mind so much if wealthy developers are the only ones paying it. Another benefit is that we preserve our precious flora and fauna, which developers will happily bulldoze in their search for profits. Barry ODwyer, Earlwood Blacktown mayor Tony Bleasdale said Sydneys urban sprawl had created infrastructure deserts where schools, swimming pools and trees were lacking. Credit: Wolter Peeters Defence of the democratic realm Struggling to make ends meet and struggling to survive literally (Three quarters of Australians back more support for Ukraine, July 23). Both are harsh truths, yet Australians by and large fully appreciate the greater stakes at hand by supporting Ukraine in its struggle to exist. We are fortunate that Australia sits quite comfortably in its continental island armchair, but from our comfort zone we have the ability, if not the responsibility, to send the struggling younger democracy of Ukraine the brilliance of our technological defence innovations, par excellence military training and humanitarian succour. Steve Dillon, Thirroul Learning safely about safe sex We continually underestimate what children are capable of understanding and information about human sexuality is where we underestimate the most (Banning books on sex is dangerous for kids, July 27). Provided the information is age appropriate, children can calmly and sensibly acquire knowledge about human sexuality as they do in all other areas of the school curriculum. Knowledge is power, and in no area do children need more knowledge than in an understanding of the respectful and consensual way that sexual activities should be conducted. Books can play a role, but only in the company of planned instruction. Trevor Somerville, Illawong Advertisement Bagging a bargain I have a postgraduate degree in fine arts and consider myself reasonably intelligent and as having some aesthetic knowledge (Louise paid $2500 for her dream bag but says it was a superfake, July 23). However, I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to spend $4000 or even $2500 for a handbag that looks scarcely different to one that could be purchased for far less than a tenth that price. Heather Johnson, West Pennant Hills No time for own goals Talk about an own goal by those behind Team No (Voice of referendum draws out critics, July 23). By applying their substantial media diamond-toothed resources towards Tom Mayo, the only result to date is a blunt blade. Despite the negative predictions of recent polls, months away from polling day the titanium resilience from one of the architects of the Uluru Statement remains untarnished; indeed it shines. Far from proposing an aggressive and radical agenda as claimed by one of the No spokespeople, Mayos voice is measured, calm and quiet: no insults, no recriminations, no megaphone politics, no hidden agendas. Rather, a softly spoken Yes to shaping a fairer, respectful and more equitable Australia. Cleveland Rose, Dee Why Love of ones life The perpetual Romantics among us are sad to hear that Mike Cannon-Brookes and Annie are parting ways, not long after the same announcement from Nicola and Andrew Forrest. Clearly, deep pockets alone are insufficient to repair the relationship crevices that we all face. Will it be hard for them to find genuine love again, untainted by wealth? I wish them happiness. Forty years on, I still love the same man. Hes invaluable. Amanda Berry, Hamilton East Advertisement We are really in the fog of war, and in the middle of a war that Russia is losing badly, says Paul Dorfman, associate fellow in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex Business School. Kyiv say they have intelligence, and they have warned for a long time about a potential Russian false-flag operation. Russia seems to be playing its usual game, which is to threaten. Its difficult to really know what they might or might not do, given that they make so many bad decisions. Zaporizhzhia was placed in a cold shutdown last September, meaning the reactors temperature is below boiling point, but water must still be pumped through the reactor core to cool the fuel and avoid a nuclear meltdown. Operators have since restarted one reactor in hot shutdown, where the temperature is maintained at a level to produce thermal power for wastewater treatment, as well as air conditioning in control rooms, but not for generating electricity. The steps taken to shut down most of the plants reactors significantly lowered the threat of a meltdown. Loading Last year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the creation of a demilitarised zone at the plant, a call backed by 42 countries, including the United States, Japan, Britain, Turkey and the European Union. While the UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned of potential catastrophe at Zaporizhzhia from military clashes nearby, other nuclear experts are more circumspect. Eugene Shwageraus, professor of nuclear energy systems engineering at the University of Cambridge, says a Chernobyl-like disaster is out of the question. The reactors have been shut down. In Chernobyl, the chain reaction was happening during the accident, and it spiralled out of control, he says. Theres no pressure difference between inside the reactor vessel and outside the reactor vessel. All components are not stressed. Shwageraus says because the reactors are being maintained largely at room temperature, there is no force that could create the kind of spectacular explosion seen during the 1986 Chernobyl incident. When reactors operate, they have lots of stored energy, with potential to break through. But in the case of Zaporizhzhia, the reactors are not operating. Theyre depressurised ... so all that power that tries to break through doesnt exist. The explosion at Ukraines Chernobyl nuclear power plant is considered the worlds worst nuclear disaster. It forced the permanent evacuation of an entire city and showered radioactive waste over central Europe, Scandinavia and Britain. A playground is seen in Pripyat, a ghost city since the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, three kilometres away. Credit: AP At Zaporizhzhia today, Shwageraus says there is almost certainly no radioactive iodine left in the nuclear material. Iodine-131, the most harmful isotope to human health with strong links to thyroid cancer, has a half-life of eight days, meaning it is unlikely to be present 10 months after the major reactors were shut down. Most radioactive forms of iodine are a byproduct of nuclear fission. Shwageraus calls recent warnings of potential nuclear disaster by media commentators, politicians and military leaders irresponsible, adding that they were trying to weaponise something that is not there. Radiation from Chernobyl has resulted in an ongoing health crisis many years after the explosion. Credit: AP Dr Mark Wenman, a reader in nuclear materials at Imperial College London, expressed similar views. I would want to put peoples minds at ease that, you know, were not going to see another Chernobyl ...Its just physically not going to happen, he says. The power station itself is so robust that actually they would struggle to do anything that would lead to any significant consequences for the population around there, and certainly not the population of Europe. It would be very localised to the site. Reactor containment buildings at the plant are made from 1.2-metre-thick reinforced concrete, designed to withstand earthquakes and aircraft impact, Wenman adds. Loading Regardless, Zaporizhias emergency services have conducted dress rehearsals, while a local childrens hospital has prepared a decontamination centre with a 14-day supply of food and water. Experts from the IAEA in June said they had seen no sign of explosives at Zaporizhzhia on their most recent visit, but this month the agencys director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi said anti-personnel mines had now been detected. The placement of the mines was not directly attributed to the Russians but said experts were told it was in an area controlled by military. Having such explosives on the site is inconsistent with the IAEA safety standards and nuclear security guidance and creates additional psychological pressure on plant staff, Grossi said. White House officials have said they do not believe a threat is imminent, but they are continuing to monitor conditions. However, the reactor remains beyond the reach of independent scrutiny and will likely remain so for some time. Loading Dorfman says any request by the regulator for greater access would likely go unanswered. We are effectively powerless. Russia has complete control of the nuclear power plant ... There is nothing that we can do at the moment. He says the occupation of a such a plant during a war the first time this has ever happened should serve as a warning to all governments about the risk of nuclear energy, especially from a military perspective. No nuclear plant in the world is [full] proof against military attack, and the consequences are so great in an increasingly unstable world ... whether its Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, these are the other potential targets that bad actors may consider. In May, the IAEA outlined concrete principles essential for averting a catastrophic incident at the plant: no attack of any kind, no heavy weapons to be stored on site, off-site power to the plant should not be threatened and systems critical to safe operation should be protected from sabotage. Valeriia Hesse, a Ukrainian non-proliferation and international security expert based in Austria, says there is no political will within the Kremlin to follow the IAEAs edict. Russia likes having this bargaining chip and acting [in an] irrational [way]. It might even be that they blew up the Kakhovka dam to make a statement: We can. Be afraid. And [to] make a case that they can do the same with Zaporizhzhia. Hesse agrees that a Chernobyl-like explosion is implausible. Two factors - flaws in reactor design combined with human error - led to the accident at Chernobyl. But [Zaporizhzhia] has a different type of reactor. If the plant was still fully operational, Hesse says an accident like that of Japans 2011 Fukushima disaster would have been more likely. Caught up in the chaos of Russias protracted occupation are the Ukrainian workers who have been forced to continue working since the site was seized in March last year. Two workers were beaten to death, 10 were abducted and are still missing, others were taken to basements and held for days, their homes searched as they endured threats to sign employment contracts. The accounts, gathered in a joint investigation by Europes International Labour Organisation and the global union federation IndustriALL, highlight the troubling conditions inside the plant, now entering its 14th month on the front line. In their joint briefing published last month, labour groups expressed grave concerns about civilian casualties, the impact on workers and irreversible damage to Ukraines infrastructure, economy and labour market. The ILO has received reports that those who remain working in the [plant] have been forced to sign employment contracts with the Russian state atomic energy corporation, Rosatom, and to join unions created or controlled by the occupying forces, the report says. The workers accounts were collected from members of trade unions in Ukraine, as well as other secondary sources, the ILO says. Since the Nova Kakhovka Dam was destroyed last month, its reservoir - holding about 18 cubic kilometres of water - has drained into the Dnipro River and the Black Sea beyond. Water from the dam in southern Ukraine was a key source for the Zaporizhzhia plant, essential to the cooling of reactors and spent fuel ponds. The dams collapse triggered a warning from a French nuclear safety organisation in June that the plants cooling pond could be in danger, suggesting a drop in the Dnipros water level could lead to basin leakage or even to the collapse of the surrounding dyke, due to the pressure in the basin. Water could still be supplied through other means to protect against a nuclear meltdown; however, experts maintain the risk level remains high. Ed Lyman, director of nuclear safety at the international Union of Concerned Scientists, believes the situation is fluid and that the plant remains vulnerable to both accidents and attacks. Loading While this ongoing crisis should not lead to panic, there is no cause for complacency either, he argues in a piece published by the union in early July. Lyman says that if cooling were disrupted to one or more of the reactors, there would be a longer period of time days instead of hours for operators to address the problem before the cooling water in the reactor cores would start to boil away ... causing the fuel to overheat and degrade. An aide then went to her side to guide her to vote; followed by fellow Senator Patty Murray. Just say Aye, Murray urged her. The awkward moment, coupled with the unnerving episode involving McConnell the day before, has reignited the debate about whether some of the most powerful people in US politics should still be in office. Congressional research shows the average age of members in the current US Senate is 64 years, while the average age of members in the House of Representatives is 57.9 years. But many members are over 80, including Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley (89); progressive stalwart Bernie Sanders (81) and former speaker Nancy Pelosi (83). While age doesnt necessarily determine ability, is it time for a new generation? Some politicians and political aspirants seem to think so. America is not past our prime its just that our politicians are past theirs, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley declared when she launched her candidacy for the presidency earlier this year. Then US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley with Donald Trump in the White House in 2018. Credit: AP In the America I see, the permanent politician will finally retire. Well have term limits for Congress. And mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old. The remark was undeniably aimed at Biden, who has become so accustomed to people criticising his age and his ability to do his job that he has taken to joking about it at events. A lot of you are tired, the president told the crowd at a community safety summit in Connecticut recently. I get it. Try being 110. But 51-year-old Haley could have also been taking a veiled swipe at her former boss, Donald Trump, who is now 77 and the overwhelming frontrunner to win the Republican nomination to contest the 2024 election against Biden. Trump, however, has backed her idea and even went one step further when it comes to contenders for the White House, posting on his Truth Social platform that ANYBODY running for the Office of President of the United States should agree to take a full & complete Mental Competency Test no matter how old they are. Being an outstanding president requires great mental acuity & physical stamina, he wrote. If you dont have these qualities or traits, it is likely you wont succeed. MAGA! But what about members of Congress, where Senators are elected for six-year terms and members of the House of Representatives are elected for two? Should term limits be set? Nancy Pelosi stood aside as the top Democrat in the House to make way for Hakeem Jeffries Credit: AP Gary Nordlinger, a professor of politics at George Washington University, said changing the system would be incredibly difficult and require an amendment to the Constitution. He suggests that a more realistic reform would be for Congress to set retirement ages for leadership positions on its powerful House and Senate committees, which monitor government operations and identify issues for legislative review. To some extent, there have been positive signs of renewal. This year, for instance, the Democrats top three leaders in the House former speaker Nancy Pelosi, 83, former majority leader Steny Hoyer, 84, and former whip Jim Clyburn 83 stepped aside for a new generation of leadership: Hakeem Jeffries, 52, Katherine Clark, 60, and Peter Aguilar, 44. But on the other hand, stalwarts like McConnell - who was elected in 1984 and is now the longest serving leader in the history of the Senate - have offered no hint of retirement. Loading His mid-sentence freeze on Wednesday also came after he tripped and fell at a dinner in March, which resulted in the top Republican being hospitalised for days and treated for concussion and a rib fracture. He has been noticeably slower ever since. Feinstein, meanwhile, has had a groundbreaking career that shattered gender barriers from San Francisco (where she was the citys first female mayor) to Capitol Hill (where she was elected to a male-dominated chamber in 1992). But her mental and physical health have been declining for some time, resulting in her often missing votes, including for crucial judicial confirmations. Supporters of fixed-term limits argue that frequent turnover would make both chambers more responsive and representative of their constituents - many of whom are far younger than their political representatives. Indeed, according to new research by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake and political documentary maker Mac Heller, the number of Gen Z voters (those born in the late 1990s and early 2010s) will have advanced by a net 52 million against older people between 2016 and 2024. Loading Opponents, however, say elections serve as de facto term limits and give voters the power to decide. They also argue that experience goes a long way when making policy decisions, and quite rightly point out that age does not always determine how well you do your job. What youre seeing today is nothing new, Nordlinger adds, citing the 1969 case of North Dakota senator Karl Mundt, who suffered a debilitating stroke that year but refused to resign. He instead served out the rest of his term, despite never again setting foot in the US Capitol. PHILIPSBURG:--- The 1st edition of the Services Directory for Families with Children has been published in three languages. The printed booklet includes government, NPO, and church services that can be helpful for vulnerable families with children. The listed services target families' basic needs, such as applying for social welfare, medical support, food assistance, clothing donations, emergency numbers, etc. The initiative is part of the Child Resilience and Protection Program (CRPP), executed by UNICEF the Netherlands, in collaboration with the Government of Sint Maarten, financed by the Government of The Netherlands, through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, as part of the Child Resilience and Protection Project (CRPP). The directory aims to provide more accessible English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole information about the services available in Sint Maarten for vulnerable families with children. When a family is in need, it can be challenging to reach out for help. Providing accessible referrals and information on available services can provide a discreet way for families to know where to go in their time of need. We hope this resource is also helpful for institutions and the critical work they do to support families and their children, explains Soraya Agard-Lake, the focal point of the CRPP for the Government of Sint Maarten. The directories have been delivered to locations that assist vulnerable families regularly, including community help desks, the Court of Guardianship, Foundation Judicial Institutes St. Maarten, Government social & labour services, the Police Department, Sint Maarten Medical Center, Mental Health Foundation, and non-profit organizations that work with families and children. At the end of 2023, a 2nd edition of the directory will be published: Thank you to all who assisted in providing relevant information to assemble this directory. Please reach out if you provide services for vulnerable families and their children and would like to be included in the 2nd edition of the directory, says Laura Bijnsdorp, Communications Specialist for UNICEF in the Netherlands. Readers can email Ms. Bijnsdorp at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if they have questions regarding the directory, noticed incorrect information, or know of other services that should be listed in this directory. CHENGDU, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The southwestern Chinese metropolis of Chengdu saw the launch of the 31st FISU World University Games on Friday, with its mascot Rongbao based on the giant panda, a wild animal closely associated with the region. China's giant panda has been the focus of intense conservation efforts over the decades, from 1963, when the first batch of giant panda reserves were initiated, to the construction of the country's giant panda national park in recent years. As a result, the animal has seen a significant recovery in its population, and has been downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable." The panda, which is generally acknowledged as a "national treasure" among Chinese people, boasts enduring charm and appeal around the globe, as clearly embodied in the success of the Chengdu FISU World University Games mascot. In addition, China's decades-long efforts to preserve the species and its habitats have served as another paradigm of biodiversity protection for the whole world. FROM CAPTIVE BREEDING TO WILD TRAINING In late May, the panda Xinxin gave birth to a cub at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province. It was the first birth this year for the captive pandas at the center. The center's staff are keeping a close eye on a dozen or so pregnant pandas around the clock. China started captive breeding of pandas in its zoos as early as 1953. A research team led by Zhang Hemin dedicated about 13 years to making major breakthroughs in enticing captive-bred pandas to mate, as well as improving the survival rate of cubs. Thanks to relentless efforts by generations of researchers, China's captive breeding technologies have made remarkable progress over the years, boosting the species' population in captivity from an initial 10 pandas to more than 670 now. However, this is still far from the ultimate goal of the scientists. "Captive breeding is not the end. The best protection for giant pandas is to release them back into nature," said Zhang. In 2010, a 15-member research team led by Wu Daifu, director of the Wolong Hetaoping base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, started their decade-long project of training pandas to live and breed in the wild. Their very first attempt involved four captive giant pandas. To date, 11 captive-bred pandas have received training and been released into the wild by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, while six female pandas have been sent to mate with wild pandas. In the future, China will strive to release three to six captive pandas into the wild annually, and will gradually establish a genetic germplasm bank of wild giant pandas to increase the genetic diversity of the species. FROM ONE SPECIES TO THE WHOLE ECOSYSTEM The last pristine home of China's wild pandas is a long and narrow strip of forest-covered wilderness stretching from the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the Qinling Mountains. "Over the past two to three decades, through the joint efforts of the government, scientists and the international community, the decline in the area of wild habitats and wild population of giant pandas has been gradually reversed, and there has been a significant recovery in both figures," said Li Sheng, a researcher at Peking University's School of Life Sciences. In 2017, China launched its pilot work on building a national park system for giant pandas. In 2021, the Giant Panda National Park was officially set up, covering about 27,000 square km over three provinces. In the counties of Pingwu and Jiuzhaigou, pandas have long had difficulty mating between the two places because of the winding mountain roads and frequent human activities. But now, as the national park helps integrate their habitats, the winding roads have been replaced by tunnels and the surrounding vegetation has gradually recovered, allowing wild animals such as pandas and takin to move about the slopes freely. Sichuan's Baoxing County, where giant pandas were first discovered, has shut down more than 20 hydroelectric power facilities and all the mines inside the national park to give the wildlife a better living environment. Now, local villagers frequently spot wild pandas as they go about their daily lives. "We protect the giant panda not only to protect this single species, but also to protect the entire ecosystem," said Zhang Qian with the wildlife and wetland protection department of the provincial forestry and grassland bureau. The giant panda is now a flagship species for global biodiversity protection. Under the auspice of the giant panda national park, rare wildlife species, including snow leopards and tufted deer, as well as new subspecies of wild plants, have been frequently spotted in the area. In Rongbao, the 31st FISU World University Games really have a mascot worth cheering for. China\-s dynamic gold consumption The economy is picking up again in China, just as economic activity is returning to normal. The recovery of the Chinese economy is accompanied by dynamic gold consumption. In the first six months of 2023, gold consumption in the Middle Kingdom has risen sharply, according to the China Gold Association. In the gold jewelry sector, gold consumption has gone up by nearly 15 percent, while gold coins and bars have seen an increase of just over 30 percent. In the industrial sector, on the other hand, gold demand has decreased by 7.65 percent. In contrast, gold production grew only slightly, by 2.24 percent year-on-year. Gold imports increased by 17.5 percent, by 65 tons to 554.88 tons compared to the same period last year. There has also been strong activity in the area of acquisitions and mergers. The People\-s Bank of China also made strong gains in gold. In June, its gold holdings increased by 21 tons. In total, the Chinese central bank is now sitting on a gold hoard of 2,113 tons of gold. One reason for the bank\-s hunger for gold is its now well-known desire to de-dollarize. Compared to the central bank in the U.S., which holds more than 8,100 tons of gold, China may be looking to increase its gold reserves even more significantly. Currently, China ranks fifth in the hit list of the world\-s largest gold reserves. Overall, even among the citizens of China, the demand for gold is increasing significantly. By the way, Chinese citizens often buy an enormous amount of gold when they make profits on the stock market. So not only physical gold, but also the stocks of gold companies such as Revival Gold and Skeena Resources deserve attention. Revival Gold https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/revival-gold-inc/ is exploring and developing the Beartrack-Arnett gold property in Idaho. All-in sustaining costs are expected to be $1,235 per ounce of gold. Skeena Resources https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/skeena-resources-ltd/ is reviving the past producing Eskay Creek gold-silver property and the Snip property. The projects are located in the Golden Triangle of British Columbia. Current corporate information and press releases from Skeena Resources (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/skeena-resources-ltd/ -). In accordance with A34 WpHG I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and thus a possible conflict of interest exists. No guarantee for the translation into English. Only the German version of this news is valid. Disclaimer: The information provided does not represent any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damage arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are always associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. Despite the greatest care, I expressly reserve the right to make errors, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained herein is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but in no way claims to be accurate or complete. Due to court decisions, the contents of linked external sites are also co-responsible (e.g. Landgericht Hamburg, in the decision of 12.05.1998 312 O 85/98), as long as there is no explicit dissociation from them. Despite careful control of the content, I do not assume liability for the content of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG also applies: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer/ Nickel for the steel sector and for e-car batteries The use of nickel is constantly increasing. It is dependent on economic development. While global demand for nickel was 1.12 million tons in 2000, it had already risen to 1.46 million tons by 2010. In 2020, global nickel demand was 2.38 million tons. Nickel demand has grown by around 3.8 percent annually since 2000. In China alone, nickel demand grew by five percent per year from 2010 to 2020. In 2022, about 3.3 million tons of nickel were produced on earth, of which about 1.6 million tons came from Indonesia, the largest nickel producer. Nickel is mainly used for the production of stainless steels. But the metal is also needed for electric vehicle batteries. According to estimates by the International Nickel Study Group, there will be a nickel surplus in the current year, although this is due to the presence of low-quality nickel. For nickel class one, the market is expected to be tight. In any case, it is an interesting metal that is increasingly in demand. The metal is processed in consumer and industrial goods, for example in stainless steel, coins, sanitary fittings or certain magnets. Currently, according to estimates, around five percent of global nickel production goes into the manufacture of electric cars. That\-s not that much yet, but demand from this industry is expected to rise. Nickel is therefore one of the raw materials that stand for net-zero targets and decarbonization. Nickel, for example, is held by Green Shift Commodities https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/green-shift-commodities-ltd/ at its Berlin project in Colombia. Phosphate, uranium and vanadium are also contained there, as is neodymium, which belongs to the rare earth elements. Neodymium is used in powerful magnets to increase efficiency in wind turbines and electric motors. In Ontario, nickel is available from the Canada Nickel Company https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/canada-nickel-company-inc/ at the Crawford project. This also has cobalt, making it another battery raw material. Current corporate information and press releases from Canada Nickel Company (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/canada-nickel-company-inc/ -). In accordance with A34 WpHG I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and thus a possible conflict of interest exists. No guarantee for the translation into English. Only the German version of this news is valid. Disclaimer: The information provided does not represent any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damage arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are always associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. Despite the greatest care, I expressly reserve the right to make errors, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained herein is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but in no way claims to be accurate or complete. Due to court decisions, the contents of linked external sites are also co-responsible (e.g. Landgericht Hamburg, in the decision of 12.05.1998 312 O 85/98), as long as there is no explicit dissociation from them. Despite careful control of the content, I do not assume liability for the content of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG also applies: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer/ A red giant is a dying star in the final stages of stellar evolution. In about five billion years, our own sun will turn into a red giant, expand and engulf the inner planets including Earth. What does the future hold for the light of our solar system and others like it? Related: Will our solar system survive the death of our sun? Red giant star formation Most of the stars in the universe are main sequence stars those that convert hydrogen into helium in their cores via nuclear fusion. Over the course of their "normal" lives, the outward pressure of fusion inside main sequence stars balances out the inward pressure of gravity. Once the core fusion stops, however, gravity takes over and begins compressing the star. "This raises the internal temperature of the star and ignites a shell of hydrogen burning around the inert core," Swinburne University of Technology in Australia wrote in a stellar evolution explainer. "Meanwhile, the helium core continues to contract and increase in temperature, which leads to an increased energy generation rate in the hydrogen shell," the explainer continues. "This causes the star to expand enormously and increase in luminosity the star becomes a red giant." Red giant size and temperature Red giant stars bloat to 62 million to 620 million miles in diameter (100 million to 1 billion kilometers) 100 to 1,000 times wider than our sun is today. Because these stars' energy is spread across such a large area, their surface temperatures are actually relatively cool, reaching only 4,000 to 5,800 degrees Fahrenheit (2,200 to 3,200 degrees Celsius), a little over half as hot as the sun. This temperature change causes stars to shine in the redder part of the spectrum, leading to the name "red giant," though they are often more orangish in appearance. Red giants' core temperatures, however, continue to rise as the core contracts further, eventually reaching levels where helium fuses to form carbon. (This is known as the "triple alpha process" because it involves three helium-4 isotopes or alpha particles.) If the star is at least 2.2 times more massive than our sun, helium-to-carbon ignition is a relatively gradual process. But for less hefty stars, it occurs with an explosive flash. Eventually, the helium in the core runs out and fusion stops. The core shrinks again and a helium shell just beyond it ignites, as happened with hydrogen shortly after the star burned through its stores of that initial fuel. This ignition causes the giant's outer layers to expand even further, but its core continues to collapse in on itself. The star eventually becomes incredibly compact, turning into a superdense object known as a white dwarf. Around the time of this transition, the star ejects its outer layers in huge clouds of gas and dust known as planetary nebulae. (The misleading name was given by early astronomers, who thought these sky sights looked like planets.) These shells are much larger and fainter than their parent stars. After spending about 1 billion years as a red giant, our own sun will become a white dwarf, packing most of its initial mass into a sphere roughly the size of Earth. This fate awaits many other stars as well all of them that are less than about eight times more massive than the sun, in fact. The end-of-life scenario for giant stars is different. Stars roughly eight to 40 times more massive than the sun, for example, go through a "red supergiant" phase. Their cores get hot enough to burn carbon, which our sun never will, and they eventually die in powerful supernova explosions. When it's all said and done, these massive stars leave behind either a neutron star or a black hole. And this all happens quite quickly, cosmically speaking, because huge stars burn through their fuel very fast. For example, while our sun will end up fusing hydrogen in its core for about 10 billion years, stars that become red supergiants exhaust their reserves in just 10 million years or so. And they march through the other late-life steps even faster than that. Some of the brightest and best-known stars in the night sky are red supergiants. Betelgeuse, which forms the shoulder of the constellation Orion (The Hunter), is a red supergiant. So is Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Related: Amazing photos of supernova explosions The future of the sun In approximately five billion years, our own sun will transition to the red giant phase. When it expands, its outer layers will consume Mercury and Venus and also reach Earth. Scientists are still debating whether or not our planet will be engulfed, or whether it will orbit dangerously close to the red giant sun. Either way, life, as we know it on Earth, will cease to exist. Related: When will the sun die? In fact, surface life on our planet will likely be wiped out long before the sun turns into a red giant. Our star has been getting warmer over the eons, as main-sequence stars of its mass do, and in a few hundred million years, it will be hot enough to start evaporating the oceans. So there may not be much left for our bloated, red-giant sun to destroy. "The future of the Earth is to die with the sun boiling up the oceans, but the hot rock will survive," astrophysicist Don Kurtz, of the University of Lancashire, told Reuters. Our changing sun may provide hope to other planets, however. When a star morphs into a red giant, it changes its home system's "habitable zone," the range of orbital distance where liquid water can exist on a world's surface. Because a star remains a red giant for approximately a billion years, it may be possible for life to arise on distantly orbiting planets and moons, which will finally receive some warmth. "When a star ages and brightens, the habitable zone moves outward, and you're basically giving a second wind to a planetary system," exoplanet scientist Ramses M. Ramirez, a researcher at Cornell University's Carl Sagan Institute, said in a statement. "Currently objects in these outer regions are frozen in our own solar system, like Europa and Enceladus moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn." The window of opportunity will be open only briefly, however. When the sun and other smaller stars shrink back down to white dwarfs, the life-giving light will dissipate. And supernovae from larger stars could present other habitability issues. Red giant stars Q&A with an expert We asked Sarafina El-Badry Nance, Berkeley astrophysicist and author, a few frequently asked questions about red giant stars. Sarafina El-Badry Nance Astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance is an astrophysicist and Ph.D. candidate at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab researching supernovas and computational cosmology. She is the author of Dutton's newly-released memoir, STARSTRUCK: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark. What are red giant stars? Red giant stars (RSGs) are bright, bloated, low-to-medium mass stars approaching the ends of their lives. Nuclear fusion is the lifeblood of stars; they undergo nuclear fusion within their stellar cores to exert a pressure counteracting the inward force of gravity. Stars fuse progressively heavier and heavier elements throughout their lives. From the outset, stars fuse hydrogen to helium, but once stars that will form RSGs exhaust hydrogen, they're unable to counteract the force of gravity. Instead, their helium core begins to collapse at the same time as surrounding hydrogen shells re-ignite, puffing out the star with sky-rocketing temperatures and creating an extraordinarily luminous, rapidly bloating star. As the star's outer envelope cools, it reddens, forming what we dub a "red giant". What does a red giant star turn into? As the bloated, dying star expels gas as it expands, the core recedes back in on itself, until it ultimately fizzles out and becomes a white dwarf. The gas surrounding the white dwarf continues to glow, creating a planetary nebula that houses a white dwarf at its center. What is an example of a red giant star? A few examples of RSGs include Aldebaran, Arcturus, and Mira. Planetary nebulae, however, can be much more astonishing for the casual stargazer to observe, such as the Cat's Eye Nebula, the Little Dumbbell Nebula, and NGC 2438. Will the sun become a red giant? The fate of our sun exemplifies the evolution of RSGs. Our sun will become a red giant near the end of its life in five billion years or so growing so large that it will engulf the inner planets and even Earth itself. Then, the gently expelled outer layers will form a glowing planetary nebula surrounding the fizzled out core a white dwarf. Additional resources You can find good introductions to the basics of stellar evolution at this Swinburne University of Technology page and from NASA here. To learn more about red giants in particular, check out this lecture posted by the University of Oregon. And NASA's exoplanet site has a nice summary of what will happen in our solar system when the sun becomes a red giant. Bibliography Jastrow, Robert. "Red giants and white dwarfs: The evolution of stars, planets, and life," Harper and Row, 1967. https://www.amazon.com/Red-giants-white-dwarfs-evolution/dp/B0006BO9H8 Landau, Elizabeth. "Life and death of a planetary system." https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/life-and-death/intro/ NASA, "The life cycles of stars: How supernovae are formed." https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/lessons/xray_spectra/background-lifecycles.html Vlemmings, Wouter et al. "The shock-heated atmosphere of an asymptotic giant branch star resolved by ALMA," Nature Astronomy 1, 848853 (2017). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-017-0288-9 Follow Nola Taylor Redd at @NolaTRedd or on Facebook. Follow us at @Spacedotcom or on Facebook. T he leader of the biggest rail workers union has accused the Government of preventing a settlement of the long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions, which is causing fresh travel disruption on Saturday. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union walked out for the day, leading to the widespread cancellation of train services. The union has been embroiled in the dispute for over a year, with no sign of a breakthrough. Controversial plans to close most ticket offices have worsened the dispute. There were picket lines outside railway stations across England on Saturday. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the decision to close ticket offices will only save about 89 million a tiny fraction of the 1 billion he claims has been spent by the Government to artificially keep the dispute going and prevent a settlement. He said: The public is being ripped off not only to financially underwrite this dispute that could have been settled 18 months ago, but also to fund the closure of ticket offices which they rely on. Closing 1,000 ticket offices will only save a small fraction of the money spent on rail company indemnity, to prolong the strike and the handsome profits they have made. Ticket office closures are not popular with the public and we have seen mass opposition across the country. Not only are ticket office closures being used as a fig leaf for the wholesale de-staffing of stations, but this is the thin end of the wedge for getting rid of staff across the railway network, something our union will oppose vigorously. The elderly, vulnerable and disabled will no longer want to and in some cases be unable to use the railway because trained and friendly staff are waiting to assist them. Our union remains wholly committed to reaching a negotiated settlement on pay, jobs, security and conditions. But our members remain steadfast in their industrial action and will not be cowed into submission by anyone. Passengers were advised to check their travel arrangements as the strike will see wide variations in services across the country, with trains starting later and finishing much earlier than usual. In some areas only about half of train services will run, while others will have no services at all. In a message to families whose summer holiday plans have been affected by the latest walk-out, the RMT senior assistant general secretary said we need to stand together rather than fight each other. Standing on a picket line outside Euston Station in north London, Eddie Dempsey told the PA news agency: What Id say to them is, if theyre honest, people are going to find it difficult on a strike day. But everyone in this country is finding it hard when its not a strike day. And the reason for that is because weve got a Government that is presiding over a massive cost-of-living crisis, everybodys wages have been falling, all of our public services are under-funded, we can see all of the services we rely on in the country in a state of managed decline, nothings getting better. So, if people are being really honest, theyll recognise that everyone in this country is having a pretty difficult time virtually every day of the week, and so Id say to them, you need to join in with campaigns like ours. He said the public have been extremely supportive of the RMT strikes. Mr Dempsey said the union has had no formal negotiations of any kind since mid-April, claiming that the industry side havent got any mandate from Government for fresh talks. A Rail Delivery Group spokesman said the strike would disrupt the plans of families during the summer holidays. This will lead to disappointment, frustration, and financial strain for tens of thousands of people. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and understand the impact on individuals and businesses. Our advice is to check before you travel. The very least we should expect from the transport secretary is to sit down with the unions and rail operators, to try and reach an agreement to end these strikes for good Louise Haigh, shadow transport secretary, has written to Transport Secretary Mark Harper, telling him to get back to work and sit down with rail unions and operators to end the strikes. Labour said the transport secretary has not met either of the two rail unions at the centre of the rail strikes since before Christmas last year. Ms Haigh said: The fact that Mark Harper has refused to do his job whilst the British public have faced over a year of rail chaos is unacceptable. The very least we should expect from the transport secretary is to sit down with the unions and rail operators, to try and reach an agreement to end these strikes for good. The fact he has failed to do even that means we can safely add the transport secretary to the list of things that do not work in Britain any more. Edirehan, Ma Jieying and Jihelazuo (L to R, front) perform during a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Zhaojue County of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 2, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua) Jiduoshila (C) performs during a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Zhaojue County of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 2, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua) Jiziyisheng (C, front) and Jiduoshila (R, front) perform during a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Zhaojue County of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 2, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua) Ma Jieying poses for a photo prior to a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Girls from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture pose after participating in a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Jiziyisheng, Edirehan, Ma Jieying, Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Jiduoshila (L to R, front) perform during a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 8, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Children of Yi ethnic group (front row) perform during the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 28, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) Jiziyisheng (L) and Jiduoshila pose prior to a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 16, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie) Jihaoyouguo (L, front) leaves the field after participating in a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Jiziyisheng, Edirehan, Ma Jieying, Jihelazuo, Jiduoshila (Front, from L to R) and Jihaoyouguo (C) attend the rehearsal of the opening ceremony of the Chengdu FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 8, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Jihaoyouguo (C) performs during a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Edirehan, Jiziyisheng, Ma Jieying, Jihaoyouguo, Jiduoshila and Jihelazuo (L to R) participate in the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 28, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Wu Gang) Jihaoyouguo (C) participates in the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 28, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo) Children (front) from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture participate in the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 28, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Wu Gang) Children from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture pose after participating in a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie) Jihaoyouguo poses for a photo prior to a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Children from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture pose with other performers after participating in a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying and Edirehan (L to R) chat with friends via a video link after participating in a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 16, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie) Jihelazuo (C) performs during a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Zhaojue County of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 2, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua) Edirehan poses for a photo prior to a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Edirehan, Ma Jieying, Jiziyisheng (L to R, front) perform during a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ma Jieying cheers after performing during the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games, in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie) Jiduoshila poses for a photo prior to a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Jiziyisheng poses for a photo prior to a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Jihaoyouguo poses for a photo prior to a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Ma Jieying, Jihelazuo and Edirehan (L to R) play games prior to a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Jihelazuo (L) and Ma Jieying watch during rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 16, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie) Jihaoyouguo (C) performs during a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Jihelazuo (R) helps Edirehan with her costume prior to rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Jihelazuo poses for a photo prior to a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2023. Six children dressed in traditional Yi ethnic costumes choired a song to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games. Jihaoyouguo, Jihelazuo, Ma Jieying, Edirehan, Jiziyisheng and Jiduoshila came from Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Despite their age differences, they all share a common hobby of singing. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture was once one of the most poverty-stricken areas in China. After achieving great success in poverty alleviation, the conditions for children's education have greatly improved. Besides acquiring academic knowledge, they now have a bigger stage to showcase their various talents. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) T wo east London people smugglers charged migrants up to 7,000 to bring them into the UK. Najib Khan, 38, from Ilford was identified as being part of a people smuggling network after the arrest of his co-conspirator Waqas Ikram, 40, from Dagenham in March 2021. On Friday, a jury at Reading Crown Court found Khan guilty on three people smuggling counts. Ikram had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge. The court heard how Ikram was caught red-handed at South Mimms services, where he was attempting to break into a lorry to put migrants inside. At the time, he had been working for a people smuggling group headed by Md Mokter Hossain, who was later jailed for more than ten years. But an iPhone seized on his arrest revealed conversations with Khan outlining how they were charging migrants up to 7,000 a head in a separate people smuggling outfit. A person in a concealment in a lorry in Dieppe / NCA The chats revealed the pair had been involved in smuggling five migrants over the border at Harwich, Essex, in March 2019. Two other attempts were foiled by border agents. The first of these was in May 2019, when 15 Vietnamese and one Afghan migrant were found in a lorry at the Hook of Holland as it prepared to board a ferry to Harwich. And in August that year, 16 migrants, including 11 minors, were rescued from a purpose built concealment in a lorry carrying 2,000 loose tyres - leaving them struggling to breathe. Investigators with the National Crime Agency said it could have been potentially fatal. The drivers of the lorry, which was attempting to board a ferry from Dieppe to Newhaven were jailed. But Ikrams crime group were also proven to be involved. People were concealed behind tyres / NCA The pair would use GPS trackers to trace lorries which they had arranged to be broken into without the drivers knowledge. They had also purchased a rigid hull inflatable boat for the purpose of smuggling people - telling officers that they were in fact scouting for scuba diving sights. They are due to be sentenced on October 30. Branch commander at the National Crime Agency Andy Noyes said: Ikram and Khan had no regard for the safety and security of those they were transporting, they were only interested in making money from them. In at least one case it was only the fact that the migrants were discovered by border agents that prevented them being left in what could have been an incredibly dangerous, and potential fatal, situation. They then moved their attentions to obtaining boats, but fortunately we were able to stop them before their plans progressed. P olice have issued an urgent appeal to black cab drivers across the capital after a father left an urn containing his childs ashes in a taxi. The man left a black Adidas bag with the urn in the vehicle after taking a cab from Fenchurch Street to Smithfield Meat Market at 6.30am on Friday. Steve McNamara, general secretary at the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, the London cab drivers trade union, said he is not in the slightest bit surprised by the appeal. He told The Daily Telegraph: Im not in the slightest bit surprised [that these ashes have been left] - the stuff that gets left in cabs literally beggars belief. Weve had tens of thousands in cash left in cabs, the most recent one we had a guy who left 35,000 cash in the cab and the driver handed it back to a police station. Weve had babies numerous times, false teeth, mobile phones by the hundred every day, dogs, prosthetic limbs, you name it, weve had it. People forget. The husband and wife get out of the cab, he pays the cab or she pays the cab, they think the other ones going to get the baby. City of London Police has urged anyone with information to contact them on 020 7601 2222. T ravellers are facing a weekend of disruption which could go on into next week with lengthy traffic jams and rail strikes causing chaos. Holidaymakers who took to the roads early as the rail network shut down faced two-hour long queues at Dover with a nine-lane-wide queue stretched alongside the white cliffs throughout Saturday morning on the approach to the border where French guards were checking passports. It was only at 6pm the Port announced traffic was free-flowing with around 29,000 passengers setting sail by early evening. Travellers also faced continuing chaos on the railways with Saturdays strike by RMT members also affecting early services on Sunday while strike action by the drivers union ASLEF will start on Monday. Avanti West Coast, which runs services from Euston, warned early services the next day will also be affected. We recommend you check your entire journey before you travel, especially the first and last trains on strike days. Gatwick Express did not run its usual non-stop service from Victoria on Saturday and said it would not run between Monday and Friday next week after ASLEF called an overtime ban. Members of the RMT are on strike / PA Archive The strike brought disruption on other major lines in and out of London, including London Northwestern Railway, Northern, Southeastern, Southern, South Western Railway, and Thameslink. Other affected services include c2c, Caledonian Sleeper, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Northern, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Heathrow Express, LNER, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Railway. There are also delays or part closures on the Bakerloo, District, Hammersmith and City, Piccadilly, DLR, and Overground. A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said the strikes were disrupting the plans of families during the summer holidays. They said: This will lead to disappointment, frustration and financial strain for tens of thousands of people. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and understand the impact on individuals and businesses. Our advice is to check before you travel." The ongoing industrial dispute has been worsened by plans to close most ticket offices. In a message to families whose summer holiday plans have been affected by the latest walk-out, the RMT senior assistant general secretary said we need to stand together rather than fight each other". Standing on a picket line outside Euston Station, Eddie Dempsey said: What Id say to them is, if theyre honest, people are going to find it difficult on a strike day. "But everyone in this country is finding it hard when its not a strike day. "And the reason for that is because weve got a Government that is presiding over a massive cost-of-living crisis, everybodys wages have been falling, all of our public services are under-funded, we can see all of the services we rely on in the country in a state of managed decline, nothings getting better. M uslims spoke about the importance of standing shoulder to shoulder as a community as they attended the first day of the largest Islamic convention in the UK. Around 40,000 Muslims are expected to attend the Jalsa Salana, which began on Friday and ends on Sunday with some travelling from overseas to reach Oakland Farm in Alton, Hampshire, where the convention takes place. Fraz Ahmad, 19, a law student from Bradford who said he journeyed for five hours on Friday morning to reach Alton, told the PA news agency: I think its really important to remove the misconceptions around Islam and change the narrative, change the perspective, that people have upon it. By people coming here and having a look at what true Islam looks like, and what we believe Islam is about, thats the only way that narrative is going to change. The convention, which is in its 57th year, was formed with the help of around 5,000 volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, which is deemed to be the fastest growing sect within Islam. The convention offers people that chance to come together to self-reflect and focus on spiritual goals for the coming year and also features several highly symbolic services and sermons from the leader, or Caliph, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. On Friday, the Caliph hoisted the flag for the community alongside the Union flag, which was raised by Rafiq Hayat, the national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in the UK. It was followed by a sermon from the Caliph, who addressed the current issues facing the community and society as a whole. Across the weekend, around 270,000 meals will also be prepared onsite by the volunteers, and the bread factory at the convention provides around 9,000 rotis a flatbread which is eaten with meals every hour for the attendees. Sarah Ward, a 43-year-old primary school teacher from Kingston, south-west London, said it is really nice to see the diversity of the Muslim community as well as the unity that comes with the convention. We know, as Muslim women, were very diverse, were not monolith, were from different backgrounds, we have different skills, we have different passions, we do different jobs, but we come together as one community, the mother-of-three told PA. Were united under our Caliph, and its really nice to see that diversity yet that unity thats there. Of the Jalsa Salana, Ms Ward added: As much as Jalsa changes in that the marquees might be bigger or we might have more facilities the essence of why we come to Jalsa is exactly the same. We come here to listen to the speeches of our Caliph, to self-reflect, to self-improve. Its a pause in the year where we come together and we just have that space to enjoy our sisterhood and focus on our spiritual goals for the coming year, and you always come away quite refreshed. Munazzah Chou, 38, from Farnham, said the five daily prayers which also include an extra special morning prayer at the convention are made more amazing due to the sheer scale of the Jalsa Salana. During Jalsa, everybody gets together and its an amazing experience, Ms Chou, a doctor, told PA. Prayer, in general, is all about coming together, standing shoulder to shoulder in a row, theres no hierarchy, and during Jalsa, the sheer scale of it makes it more amazing. The mother-of-three added that the convention provides the feeling of sisterhood and allows attendees to [express] our morals. Hospitality is a huge part of being a Muslim, so being hospitable towards travellers and everybody you meet, its a big part of that, and every year we get an experience of that, she added. Meals are to be cooked onsite over the course of the weekend, with 772 pots of food made to cater for the convention on Friday alone. The kitchen also plans to prepare around 270,000 meals in total from South Asian and European cuisines across the three days. Javed Uddin, 57, from Leicester who has been preparing meals for the convention for over 20 years, said he loves working here. Were all different ages, we come from different parts of the UK and abroad, and we all work together, Mr Uddin told PA. We usually cook dahls, which is lentils, in the afternoon, and then we cook lamb and potatoes in the evening. Mr Uddin, who works at Asda, added: When you do worldly things, you can work here like 14, 15 hours, which Ive done many times, and youre shattered and finishing at three, four, five oclock in the morning, but it just keeps you going. The site is also equipped with a roti-making factory, which produces around 9,000 rotis every hour which are then hand-packaged and sent across the site. Fathay Rashid, 31, from London who has been working in the onsite factory for around 10 years, said around 350,000 rotis will be prepared across the course of the three-day convention. Mr Rashid, who is a pilot, said they begin making the dough batches for the roti at 3am, the bread of which consists of whole wheat flour, water, sugar and yeast. Of his role at the Jalsa Salana, he said: I love it. Every year I come back to do this, its voluntary work. All the people you see every year, theyre like family, home. On Saturday, the Caliph will lead the afternoon prayer with the women in the female section of the convention, while all attendees will gather to pledge allegiance to the Caliph in a human chain formed of 40,000 people on Sunday. A n 80-year-old man has died after falling from a mountain on the Isle of Skye. Police were called after reports the man had fallen from the 3,064ft (933m) Coire a Bhasteir at about 3pm on Wednesday and emergency services including Skye Mountain Rescue attended but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. A post from the mountain rescue team on Facebook said: On Wednesday afternoon, the team responded to a report of a fallen climber in Coire a Bhasteir. Sadly, the experienced males injuries were fatal. Stornoway rescue helicopter R948, 20 mountain rescue personnel, and several passing climbers all assisted in evacuating the body from the mountain. Our thoughts go out to the climbers family and friends. A spokesperson for Police Scotland said there were no suspicious circumstances, adding : Officers received a report of a man having fallen at Coire a Bhasteir on the Isle of Skye around 3.05pm on Wednesday, 26 July 2023. Emergency services attended, and an 80-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal. A search is ongoing to find four missing air crew members after an Australian army helicopter landed into waters off the Queensland state coast on Friday. The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter went down near Hamilton Island while conducting joint military exercises with the United States, officials said. Defence minister Richard Marles told reporters: Defence exercises, which are so necessary for the readiness of our defence force, are serious. They carry risk. As we desperately hope for better news during the course of this day we are reminded about the gravity of the act which comes with wearing our nations uniform." A rescue helicopter reported spotting debris on Saturday near Dent Island in the Whitsunday Islands group. The Taipan was taking part in Talisman Sabre, a biennial joint US-Australian military exercise that is largely based in Queensland. Mr Marles said the helicopter ditched, which refers to an emergency landing on water. He said it was taking part in a mission that involved a second helicopter, which immediately started a search and rescue operation. US military personnel are also taking part in the search. The missing helicopter had just dropped off two Australian commandos before it hit the water, Australian Broadcasting Corp reported. It is the second emergency involving an Australian Taipan this year, after one ditched into the sea off the New South Wales state coast in March. That helicopter was taking part in a night-time counterterrorism training exercise when it ran into trouble. All 10 passengers and crew members were rescued. Australia announced in January its army and navy would stop flying the European-built Taipans by December 2024, 13 years earlier than originally planned, because they had proved unreliable. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin was in Brisbane for a meeting on Saturday and is due to travel with Mr Marles to north Queensland on Sunday to see the exercise. The exercise has been paused by the search. Mr Austin and US secretary of state Antony Blinken paid tribute to the missing air crew at the outset of a meeting with their Australian counterparts. Mr Austin said: Its always tough when you have accidents in training, but... the reason that we train to such high standards is so that we can be successful and we can protect lives when we are called to answer any kind of crisis. R ussian missiles hit an apartment complex in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday, injuring nine, including two teenagers. A building belonging to Ukraines security services (SBU) was also hit, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, calling it Russian missile terror". Mr Zelensky said he had convened emergency meetings following the missile strikes. Regional governor Serhiy Lysak said the injured, including a 14-year-old and a 17-year-old, were receiving treatment at home. The strike happened at around 20:30 local time (17:30 GMT). Pictures posted on social media showed part of one building reduced to rubble and debris strewn across a large courtyard. Local residents are seen outside the apartment building damaged by a Russian missile strike / REUTERS Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said it was the third time the SBU security service building had been targeted. Both buildings were largely empty - the residential building because it had just been completed and units were being put up for sale. Mr Lysak said on national television: Part of the apartment building was destroyed. It was not even yet in use and there werent many people there. A few people were trapped but are now out. The security service building is partially destroyed." Russia has often struck apartment buildings during the conflict, while denying it intentionally targets civilians. It comes as the commander of Ukraines armed forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said his troops were pushing forward in parts of eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia. The enemy fiercely clings to every centimeter, conducting intense artillery and mortar fire," he said in a statement. Recent fighting has taken place at multiple places along the more than 600-mile front, where Ukraine deployed its recently acquired Western weapons to push out the Kremlins forces. Western officials said on Thursday that Ukraine had launched a major push in the southeast. Vladimir Putin acknowledged that fighting has intensified there, but insisted Kyivs push has failed. Separately, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed it shot down a Ukrainian missile in the city of Taganrog, about 24 miles east of the border with Ukraine. It reported 20 people were injured, identifying the epicentre as an art museum. But Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraines secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, blamed Russian air defence systems for the explosion. A large explosion tore through a fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand on Saturday, killing at least 10 people and wounding many more, officials said. At least 118 people have been injured, some seriously, and residents of more than 200 households affected, Narathiwat province officials said. They believe there are still people trapped under debris waiting to be rescued. Videos posted on social media show a huge plume of smoke over the area and many damaged structures, cars and motorbikes. Streets were covered with debris. Saturdays blast caused damage in a radius of about 500 metres (1,640ft), the local public relations agency reported. About 100 homes have been damaged, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said. Provincial governor Sanan Pongaksorn told public broadcaster Thai PBS the explosion was likely triggered by construction work taking place in the warehouse, with sparks from metal welding causing the fireworks stored inside to catch fire and explode. He said about 500 to 800 people who live nearby may have to be moved to a temporary shelter. Separately on Saturday, an explosion ripped through a fireworks factory in southern India, killing eight people and injuring several others, police said. The cause of the explosion in the district of Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu state was not immediately known. Houses and shops nearby were also damaged, authorities told the Press Trust of India news agency. India has a huge demand for fireworks, which are used in religious festivals and weddings. There are fatal accidents nearly every year as people work in makeshift factories in the absence of proper safety standards. In 2018 a massive fire at a firework factory in the capital New Delhi killed 17 workers. U krainiansoldiers could cross into Crimea soon according to one of the countrys top defence officials. Crimea has been occupied by Russia since 2014 and is a key target of Ukraines counteroffensive which was launched in June. The campaign has been slow going altough it seems to have picked up momentum in recent weeks with repeated attacks reported in Crimea including an explosion damaging the Kerch Bridge linking the peninsula with Russia. Black smoke billows from a fire on the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to Russia, after a truck exploded, near Kerch / AFP via Getty Images Speaking to journalists about the possible entry of Ukrainian forces into Crimea, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraines defence ministry said this would happen soon. Kyrylo Budanov, who was speaking to TSN, did not specify a particular date but said this would happen in the near future. He was speaking as President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Ukrainian troops near the eastern Bakhmut front line on Saturday. Photos published by Zelenskiy on Twitter showed him meeting troops and looking at maps in a dimly lit, windowless concrete-walled room. He praised Ukraines Special Operations Forces. The performance of tasks for the sake of Ukraine by you, guys, is truly heroic, Zelensky wrote. Other Ukrainian troops have been seen using North Korean rockets they said were seized by a friendly country before being delivered to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. The countrys defence ministry suggested the arms were captured from the Russians, the newspaper said. The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, including alleged shipments by sea, but has not offered proof and North Korean weapons have not been widely observed on the battlefields in Ukraine. North Korea and Russia deny conducting arms transactions. Ukrainian soldiers fire toward Russian position on the frontline in Zaporizhzhia region. / AP The North Korean weapons were shown by Ukrainian troops operating Soviet-era Grad multiple-launch rocket systems near the destroyed eastern city of Bakhmut. Russias Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Pyongyang this week to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, the first visit by Moscows top defence official since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. During the visit, Shoigu was photographed viewing banned North Korean ballistic missiles with leader Kim Jong Un at a military expo in Pyongyang, signalling deeper ties between the two countries as they each face off with the United States. O ver 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, according to the Polish prime minister. Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference the mercenaries had moved close to the Suwalki Gap, a strategic stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian territory separated from the mainland. Poland is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and it has worried about its security with Russian ally Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern border. Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki arrives for the plenary session of a summit of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (EU-CELAC) at The European Council Building in Brussels on July 18, 2023. / AFP via Getty Images Those fears have grown since Wagner group mercenaries arrived in Belarus since the groups short-lived rebellion earlier this summer. The Poland-Belarus border has already been a tense place for a couple of years, ever since large numbers of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa began arriving, seeking to enter the EU by crossing into Poland, as well as Lithuania. Polands government accuses Russia and Belarus of using the migrants to destabilize Poland and other EU countries. It calls the migration a form of hybrid warfare, and has responded by building a high wall along part of its border with Belarus. Now the situation becomes even more dangerous, Morawiecki told reporters. He added this is certainly a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory. Morawiecki spoke during a visit to an arms factory in Gliwice, in southern Poland, where Leopard tanks used by the Ukrainian army are being repaired. BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- China's automobile commodities exports and imports saw robust growth momentum in June, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, citing data from the General Administration of Customs. In June, the country's imports and exports of automobile commodities totaled 23.61 billion U.S. dollars, increasing by 22.3 percent year on year, according to the association. Exports of automobile commodities went up 35 percent year on year to 17.12 billion dollars in the month, while imports eased 2.1 percent to 6.48 billion dollars. In the first half of the year, the total trade value of automobile commodities reached 136.07 billion dollars, up 16.2 percent year on year, it said. S hona McGarty is leaving EastEnders after starring in the BBC soap opera for 15 years, the broadcaster has confirmed. The actress, 31, has been a staple in Albert Square since she joined the cast in 2008 aged 16 to portray Whitney Dean. It has been reported that her final scenes will be broadcast early next year. McGarty told The Sun on Sunday: I have decided to spread my wings and will be leaving EastEnders. I have loved my years in the show. I have been trusted with some incredible storylines and have made amazing friendships and family which will endure. Her character arrived in Albert Square as adoptive daughter of Bianca Jackson, played by Patsy Palmer. Whitney was engaged on a number of occasions and married Lee Carter, played by Danny Hatchard, before they later filed for divorce. McGarty has been nominated for a host of awards for her portrayal of Whitney including a number of National Television Awards. She was also nominated earlier this year at the British Soap Awards in the scene of the year category for her depiction of losing her baby with Zack Hudson, who is played by James Farrar. The actress has featured in a number of charitable projects with the BBC soap such as crossover episode with Coronation Street in 2010 and in 2020. The cast shake-up will also see Lorraine Stanley, 47, who plays launderette worker Karen Taylor, written out of the show after she made her first appearance on the show in 2017. Stanley is also known for playing Kelly in the 2006 film London To Brighton. H ollywood star Michelle Yeoh has married her long-term partner Jean Todt after a 19-year engagement. The Oscar-winning actress, 60, posted a series of photos on Instagram of the pair at the wedding ceremony, including one of them admiring the ring on Todts finger. Another showed Yeoh looking delighted during the proceedings while dressed in an elegant white outfit featuring a silk shirt and a long ruffled skirt. Former Ferrari chief Todt, 77, donned a navy blue suit, white shirt and decorative blue tie for the ceremony, which was held in an ornately-decorated room in Geneva on Thursday. The Hollywood star also shared a photo of her with her new husband cuddled up in bed, which was decorated with white and purple rose petals in the shape of a heart and two swans made out of towels. The last photo in the series made reference to her starring role in the 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies as the classic image of her on the back of a motorcycle with Pierce Brosnan had been edited to her with Todt, with the line Love Never Dies emblazoned across it. Yeoh wrote alongside the post: 19 years and YES!! we are married!! Thkq to our families who love us for all these years. We love you and heres to many more to come. Former Ferrari Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa was among the famous faces in attendance at the ceremony. A message in the wedding programme posted by Massa on Instagram revealed the couple had been engaged for 6,992 days before they tied the knot. The message read: We met in Shanghai on 4th June 2004. On 26th July 2004, J.T proposed to marry M.Y and she said YES! Today after 6992 days on 27th July 2023 in Geneva, surrounded by loving family and friends, we are so happy to celebrate this special moment together! Earlier this year, Yeoh made history as the first Asian to win the Academy Award for best actress for her performance as a laundromat owner in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Yeoh started her career in Hong Kong before becoming a Hollywood star with her credits including 2000s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2018s Crazy Rich Asians and the TV series Star Trek: Discovery. The actress will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as part of the class of 2024. Todt was the president of Formula One governing body, the Federation Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA), until the end of 2021. He was formerly a director of Peugeot Talbot Sport and then Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team principal before being appointed chief executive of Ferrari. Photo taken on Sept. 20, 2019 shows a monument of China-aided Ruzibazi hydropower station project in Rumonge province, southwestern Burundi. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran) "China has always been with us to give support. We are continuing to hold discussions and mobilize funding because there are still potential sites available, and we will continue to seek the support from China," a Burundian energy official has said. BUJUMBURA, Burundi, July 29 (Xinhua) -- China has always supported Burundi in many sectors, and is a contributor to the country's socio-economic development, especially in terms of energy, a senior Burundian official has said. Burundi highly values China's support for its energy sector and anticipates more cooperation with China in this area, Selemani Khamissi, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Hydraulics, Energy and Mines, told Xinhua in a recent interview. In September 2022, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye and Chinese Ambassador to Burundi Zhao Jiangping inaugurated the Ruzibazi hydropower plant in southwestern Bujumbura province, 43 km south of the commercial capital of Bujumbura. The dam was constructed with Chinese financial and technical assistance. "China via the Sinohydro Construction Company can be considered as a model in terms of the construction of hydropower plants," Khamissi said, hailing the cooperation as benefitting Burundi's socio-economic life, not least the energy sector. Construction of the hydropower station took place as scheduled, and was completed ahead of the four-year deadline in 2022, Khamissi said. Burundian authorities believe that the Ruzibazi hydropower station possesses a large proportion of the total installed capacity in Burundi and is very important to the country's future development. The Ruzibazi hydropower station is by far the largest China-aided project in Burundi, according to Burundian officials. Besides the Ruzibazi project, China also signed an agreement to provide technical assistance for the operation of three hydropower plants namely Mugere, Ruvyironza and Gikonge, and agreed to train Burundian technicians. This photo taken on June 22, 2023 shows a city scene in Bujumbura, Burundi. Bujumbura is economic capital, the largest city and main port of Burundi. (Xinhua/Han Xu) "China has always been with us to give support. We are continuing to hold discussions and mobilize funding because there are still potential sites available, and we will continue to seek the support from China," he said. "We hope that China will always remain alongside Burundi, especially in the energy sector," Khamissi said. Bilateral cooperation dates back to 1963, when Burundi and China established diplomatic relations, and was further deepened in 2000 through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Over the past decades, the two partners have made substantial progress in their cooperation in such areas as energy, infrastructure, agriculture and health. Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sept 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sept 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (17) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sept 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (134) Jun 2013 (203) Jul 2013 (292) Aug 2013 (350) Sept 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (347) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (437) Jan 2014 (543) Feb 2014 (473) Mar 2014 (525) Apr 2014 (526) May 2014 (470) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sept 2014 (440) Oct 2014 (471) Nov 2014 (496) Dec 2014 (535) Jan 2015 (535) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (578) Apr 2015 (657) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sept 2015 (922) Oct 2015 (919) Nov 2015 (798) Dec 2015 (789) Jan 2016 (781) Feb 2016 (834) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (864) May 2016 (945) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (880) Aug 2016 (1034) Sept 2016 (966) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (884) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sept 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (808) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sept 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (934) Jul 2019 (949) Aug 2019 (936) Sept 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (848) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (787) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sept 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (811) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sept 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (694) Feb 2022 (654) Mar 2022 (740) Apr 2022 (745) May 2022 (748) Jun 2022 (701) Jul 2022 (704) Aug 2022 (702) Sept 2022 (699) Oct 2022 (737) Nov 2022 (718) Dec 2022 (692) Jan 2023 (662) Feb 2023 (611) Mar 2023 (692) Apr 2023 (652) May 2023 (696) Jun 2023 (701) Jul 2023 (742) Aug 2023 (203) The Holocaust Monument in central Targu Mures, a bronze monument, inaugurated on May 4, 2003, which depicts a family of Jews - adults and children -, each of the carved characters conveying fear and despair, was made by the sculptor Marton Izsak (1913- 2004), the one who lost his mother and 24 other close relatives in the Auschwitz death camps, during the Second World War. Marton Izsak was born on April 12, 1913, in Galautas, Harghita County, and died on February 1, 2004, in Targu Mures, being the first Romanian Jew to return home after the Second World War, after being part, for two years, from a work detachment including in Siberia. Due to his work as an artist, but especially for the fact that he decisively contributed to the establishment of the Art High School in Targu Mures, during the education reform of 1948, in the conditions in which only five such institutions were approved at the national level, in 2001, Marton Izsak was declared an Honorary Citizen of the municipality. The sculptor told in an extensive interview given to the Centropa Foundation, in 2002, how he managed to convince the Ministry of Arts to establish the Art School in Targu Mures, along with those in Bucharest, Iasi, Baia Mare and Cluj-Napoca. His drama was that in this art school, of which he was director in the period 1949-1974, there was no Jewish child, as he recounted, because "after the Second World War, there were almost no Jewish children. Almost one hundred percent of the Jewish children were killed in Auschwitz". And this because, in 1944, in the months of May-June, 7,700 Jews from Targu Mures and its surroundings were deported, of which 5,993 never returned. "The majority were children, of which 343 children, who did not reach the age of 15 to allow them to be sent to the labour camps, were sent to be gassed," the leader of the Jewish community in Targu Mures, Vasile Dub, explained to AGERPRES. When the Second World War broke out, the sculptor says that he came home from Bucharest, to TarguMures, and in 1942, he was already in the labour detachments, where he worked for two years. At the same time, on the Ukrainian front, his younger brother was caught and taken prisoner. The Jews were stripped of their uniforms and taken to work, and Marton Izsak ended up in Siberia, where he did all kinds of activities - clearing forests, repairing roads, bridges and cutting wood for two years, then managed to escape at home, encountering many difficulties. Marton Izsak was the first Jew who came to Targu Mures and he could not find any relatives, although he had received assurances that those who served in the army on the front line would be exempted from deportation, as well as their relatives. "Despite all this, they deported my mother and my younger sister and the whole family. Twenty-five of my close relatives died. My mother was 54 years old. They rounded up the Jews, took them to the factory of brick and they deported them from there. (...) In the deportation, all of my wife's (Rozalia Sidler, ed. n.) family perished, only her brother survived. She escaped by accident. (...) We were not married then, I was just courting her. She was in Auschwitz, then I don't know what city she ended up in, where she worked in an airplane factory with my sister. When the Germans saw that there was trouble, that the Russians were close, they ran back in Germany, and they, the deportees, were also kicked out. They stayed on the property of a German landowner and about fifteen of them worked. (...) Then the deportees who worked on the estate came home, including my wife. But my wife didn't tell me much about it, and I didn't ask much. But she always told stories to her students," Marton Izsak said in the 2002 interview. Marton Izsak said that after the Second World War, the public atmosphere in Targu Mures was the same as before the war, only that there were no Jews. And that's because very few returned home after deportation, and some of those who survived preferred to go to Israel. In the proposal formulated by the Jewish Community for granting the title of Honorary Citizen of the municipality of Targu Murea, from 2001, it is shown that one of his main works, the Holocaust Monument, "is a vibrant evocation of the tragic fate of our parents and children, as well as the tragedy of all Jews in the Holocaust". "The model of the statue, a masterpiece created by the master Izsak Marton in 1955 from plaster, is in the place of honour in the Art Museum, and a copy, also made of plaster, watches over the mortuary hall of the Jewish cemetery in Verii street (in Targu Mures, ed. n.). (...) He began his studies in his native Galautas, then in Targu Mures and Budapest, where he studied sculpture at the Art Institute. Starting from 1933, he presented his works in various exhibitions. He had successful exhibitions in Bucharest, Targu Mures, Ciuc, Sfantu Gheorghe and in other cities, his sculptures could be seen in New York, Budapest, Venice, Vienna, St. Petersburg (Hermitage), Prague, Helsinki, Athens, Berlin, Ankara, Sofia, Tel Aviv, Warsaw, Belgrade and Moscow. His works are kept at the Museum of Art in Bucharest, Targu Mures, Arad, Constanta, Oradea, Craiova, Tulcea, Cluj, Sfantu Gheorghe and in other county museums," stated the proposal of the Jewish Community. Marton Izsak's sculptures and works decorate a number of cities, such as Budapest, Targu Mures, Sfantu Gheorghe, and his statue called "Deportees", placed in the city of Dej in 1947, is the first monument to the Jews deported from the country and the oldest in Europe. As for the Holocaust Monument in Targu Mures, it sparked a series of controversies after the artist's death. The plinth of the monument in Targu Mures was restored in 2013, on which occasion a black marble slab was placed on which the inscription 'Remember the Holocaust' in English and Yiddish can be found, giving it up, at the request of the Jewish community, to the inscription referring to the fact that the atrocities were committed by the 'Hungarian fascist government' that ruled Northern Transylvania in 1944. Marton Izsak is also the co-author, along with Istvan Csorvassy, of two of the most representative statues in Targu Mures - the Two Bolyai Monument, located in Bolyai Square, and the Unknown Soldier, located in Victoriei Square, but also the statue of Stalin bears the mark, made in 1955, which once decorated the city, but which disappeared without a trace in 1962. Marton Izsak started making art as a child, together with a friend, his first work being a plaster head sculpture, after which he modeled his grandfather's head, then a walking stick for his father. During that period, an artist from Pest, Geza Rozsa, was invited to the "Szekely es Reti" furniture factory in Targu Mures and was hired as a master to teach children to carve furniture. Geza Rozsa stayed for around two years in Targu Mures and taught sculpture to some children, among whom was Marton Izsak, whom he noticed and recommended to the family to let him study this art. Thus, Marton Izsak, as he himself reported, studied at Targu Mures, then in Budapest, where he enrolled at the School of Applied Arts. He finished high school in Budapest and continued his university studies there, where he studied with renowned artists, such as Imre Simay - sculptor, painter, graphic artist - with Lajos Matrai and Geza Rozsa. "My first real work, which I did when I was still a student in Budapest, was my diploma thesis, which was exhibited in the park of the College of Physical Education there. It shows an athlete resting, a life-size figure," mentioned Marton Izsak, in the interview granted to the Centropa Foundation. After graduating from university, he returned to Targu Mures at the end of the 1930s, where he organized an exhibition, in 1938, at the furniture store in the city. After that first exhibition, his artistic life has constantly manifested between Targu Mures and Bucharest, with the exception of the period spent in the labour detachment. Approximately 382,500 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, and over 100,200 means of transportation carried out the control formalities (both inbound and outbound) on Friday, through Romanian border points, a release from the Border Police sent to AGERPRES on Saturday reads. As many as 197,365 people entered Romania, of whom 17,587 were Ukrainian citizens. The Border Police mentions that, being the summer season, increases in traffic values are expected every weekend at the main border crossing points, especially at the border with Bulgaria and Hungary. Thus, measures were ordered to supplement the control lanes up to the maximum capacity allowed by the infrastructure of each crossing point, respectively to supplement the staff. Also in order to streamline the traffic at Romania's borders, the representatives of the Border Police permanently maintain contact with the border authorities in Hungary and Bulgaria, in order to arrange common measures so that the control formalities can be carried out promptly, the source adds. Since traffic participants mainly use western PTF Nadlac II and PTF Petea, from the border with Hungary, respectively southern PTF Giurgiu, from the one with Bulgaria, the Border Police recommends citizens to transit through the other existing border points on the border, so as to avoid the occurrence agglomerations. At the border with Hungary, 12 international border crossing points are operational for people, cars and trucks, and at the border with Bulgaria, 11 border crossing points are operational. Regarding the specific activities, in the areas of competence - the crossing points and the "green border" - the Border Police found, in the last 24 hours, 67 illegal acts (36 crimes and 31 misdemeanors) committed by both citizens Romanians as well as foreigners, and the goods seized for confiscation were worth approximately 6,793,000 RON. On Friday, 16 foreign citizens who did not meet the conditions provided for by law were not allowed to enter the country, and 25 Romanian citizens were also not allowed to leave for various legal reasons. JEFFERSON CITY Nearly six months after announcing an investigation into the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said this week his probe was ongoing. Bailey on Feb. 9 confirmed his office had been investigating the center after Jamie Reed, a former case manager there, contacted the attorney general and alleged children received puberty blockers and hormone therapies without proper screening or parental consent. Reed also provided the attorney general with "documentary evidence that the Center has been unlawfully billing state taxpayers to fund these actions," and also signed a sworn affidavit on Feb. 7, according to a news release sent out at the time. The Republican attorney general said his office had received "disturbing allegations" that individuals "have been harming hundreds of children each year, including by using experimental drugs on them." He went on to say his office was "thoroughly investigating." Bailey said the Division of Professional Registration, which disciplines medical professionals, and the Department of Social Services, which administers the state's Medicaid funds, would join his investigation. "The investigation is ongoing," Caitlin Whaley, spokeswoman for the Department of Social Services, said in an email Thursday. And at the Missouri attorney general's office, an office spokeswoman had no news to share. "Our investigation into the pediatric transgender center continues," said Madeline Sieren, spokeswoman for Bailey, in an email on Wednesday. "Due to the fact that it is ongoing, I am going to wait to comment on our findings until the investigation is complete." After Bailey initiated his investigation, Missouri lawmakers, lifted by Reed's allegations, approved limits on transgender care for minors, which Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed in June. Opponents of the law filed a lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court this week in an attempt to block the measure from taking effect Aug. 28. After announcing his probe on Feb. 9, Bailey the next day called on the president of St. Louis Children's Hospital and the chancellor of Washington University to issue a moratorium on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for children pending his investigation. When the clinic rejected Bailey's plea, on Feb. 17 he pledged that "no stone would go unturned" in his effort to "root out any case of child abuse that occurred within that clinic." "If even 10% of the allegations in the affidavit are true, we've got a serious issue," Bailey said in a statement. Since announcing his investigation into the St. Louis clinic, the scope of Bailey's probe has appeared to expand. On April 13, he said in a statement, "My office has uncovered a clandestine network of clinics across the state who are harming children by ignoring the science." Planned Parenthood, which provides gender affirming care to teens 16 or older, sued the Missouri attorney general March 31 in an effort to quash a subpoena issued to the organization. There has been no recent action in the case, filed in St. Louis Circuit Court. Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City filed a similar lawsuit against the Missouri attorney general in April. That case was still pending Thursday. Bailey filed regulations with the secretary of state in April to greatly limit transgender health care for transgender minors and adults through a list of rules including a therapy requirement that created an 18-month waiting period for care. Bailey withdrew the regulations in May after a St. Louis County judge temporarily blocked enforcement of the rules until July. Meanwhile, Washington University conducted its own investigation, releasing the results in April and concluding that Reed's claims were unfounded. "The review affirmed that physicians and staff at the Center follow appropriate policies and procedures and treat patients according to the accepted standards of care," the university said in a statement. In her affidavit, Reed described hormone treatment for gender-questioning adolescents at the clinic as inevitable, characterizing it as "the prevailing narrative of immediate crosssex hormones for all by the prescribing physicians." TIANJIN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Summer is in full swing in north China's Tianjin Municipality, and things have been hotting up at the Changlu Fluorochemicals Co., Ltd., where workers are operating at full capacity to meet the swelling market demand for chemicals like perfluoropolyether. "This year, our production is racing to keep up with the surge in demand," said Bai Zhiyong, general manager of the company. "It is hard to imagine that, nearly a decade ago, we relied heavily on imported high-end chemicals." A year after its founding, Changlu Fluorochemicals now has plans to launch six innovative chemical products, applying the principles of industrial transformation to their high-tech production. Meanwhile, the second phase of the construction of factory buildings is being prepared. "Once the project is completed, our output value is expected to reach 8 to 10 times the current level," Bai said. Tianjin, which is among those Chinese cities with the most complete industrial systems, has always embraced manufacturing as its strategic advantage. These days, the manufacturing industry is witnessing a deep integration of intelligent technology throughout its production process, thus accelerating the pace of industrial transformation. Zhang Kunyu, the general manager of Troila Technology Co., Ltd., acknowledges the benefits of digital technologies in the manufacturing sector. Troila Technology is a renowned supplier of virtualization and cloud infrastructure software in China. As the industrial digitalization process accelerates, the efficiency of manufacturing and industrial chain coordination will be significantly improved, thereby bringing more competitive advantages to enterprises, Zhang said. Since the beginning of this year, China's industrial development momentum has remained robust, with high-tech manufacturing sustaining rapid growth, and the foundation of the real economy's development becoming increasingly stable. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the country's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, went up 3.8 percent year on year in the first half of 2023. High-tech industries saw strong growth, with investment up 12.5 percent during the same period year on year. Specifically, investment in the sectors of high-tech manufacturing and high-tech services expanded by 11.8 percent and 13.9 percent, respectively. With the gradual recovery of market demand, combined with the implementation of policies to strengthen the real economy and promote industrial transformation and upgrading, China's industrial growth remains steady and the structure is optimized, said Fu Linghui, an official of NBS. Moreover, new growth drivers are expanding, contributing to the steady improvement in the quality of development, said Fu. The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector ended a three-month decline in June, an encouraging sign of improving factory activities and strengthening economic momentum. The PMI came in at 49 in June, up from 48.8 in May, data from the NBS shows. "The PMI saw a slight increase in June, indicating that the foundation for economic recovery is continuously consolidating," said Zhang Liqun, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council. Zhang said the fundamentals of China's long-term economic growth have not changed, and positive factors driving overall economic improvement have become more apparent, showing a sound trend toward high-quality development. In the spring of 2017, Shawn Nunley shot two people. He was 14. Neither victim died. Nunley was certified to stand trial as an adult, but he was sentenced under a dual-jurisdiction statute. He would go to a juvenile facility rather than an adult prison. He thrived in the juvenile system. When he turned 21 this June, the Division of Youth Services recommended he be released on probation rather than be sent to prison. St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Walsh read the reports and liked what he saw of the young man standing in front of him. He seemed a young man who wanted to become something. Of course, what I see is often a lot of performance art, the judge conceded later. Still, he saw a chance to save a life. He granted probation. I wrote about the decision. Reader reaction was split. A couple of weeks later, I visited Nunley. He was living with his mother, his twin sister and her child in a small house just north of the city limits. A pit bull was chained to a stake in the front yard. A dilapidated van was the driveway. Two paintings of Marilyn Monroe dominated the small living room. Nunley explained that his mom was a fan. Cleaning supplies were scattered on the floor. Those supplies, and the van, represented Nunleys plan for the future. He would have a mobile car wash company. He had saved about $2,000 from various work programs from his years in the juvenile system. He spent his savings on the van and the supplies. But what kind of a van can you get for two grand? It needed work. The power washer was broken. Nunley had not yet decided on a pricing system. Do you set mileage limits or what? Also, he didnt have a drivers license. I did not push hard at these things, but Nunley caught my skepticism. I need a business mentor, he said. That showed a certain self-awareness, I thought. He spent his early years in his grandmothers house on the citys south side. His mom lived there, too. So did Nunleys 11 siblings and a couple of cousins. Fifteen kids total. Nunleys father was in and out of prison, mostly in. As a young child, Nunley looked up to his uncle, but he went to prison for murder after killing a man in an argument about sharing heroin. Nunley had behavior issues at school and pretty much quit at 12. His incarceration at the age of 14 seemed a blessing. He found structure. He earned his high school diploma online while living at the Hogan Street juvenile facility. He took two semesters of community college classes online. He was on the deans list. According to the report submitted to the judge, he was a leader. I asked him about that, and he said he stopped a couple of escapes. I asked if he had gone to the staff. No, I talked to the boys myself. Then he added, I mind my own business. I asked what he wanted to be doing in 10 years. He said he wanted to be an entrepreneur. Or maybe work with troubled kids. He said he wanted to have a family and support that family. He talked about a yen to travel. He wanted to see the ocean. He mentioned California, Miami and Hawaii. Ive never been out of town, he said. He told me he had a support system. Most of his siblings are doing fine. Two sisters are beauticians. A brother has a job and is supporting his family. Not everybody rose above. RIP Geno is tattooed on his right arm. Geno was a cousin who lived with the family. Nunleys brother T.J. is commemorated on his left arm. Nunley said he was enrolled at Florissant Valley Community College for the fall semester. I hoped he might find a mentor. He was arrested a couple of weeks ago in the citys Baden neighborhood. Police stopped a Mercedes Benz with heavily tinted windows and long-expired tags. The Mercedes slowed up as soon as the flashing lights went on, but it did not immediately stop. It rolled slowly along. Thats often a sign somebody in the car is trying to hide something. If that was the plan, it was not successful. Police found an extended magazine, a gun and a bag of capsules filed with white powder. Nunley was charged with two counts of delivering a controlled substance and two counts of possessing a controlled substance. He was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon. He is, of course, a felon. He called me when he was released from custody. Wisely, I thought, he didnt want to go into details. I called him Wednesday morning. He said he had a hearing in front of Judge Walsh that afternoon. He came to court with two women. The older one told me she was his mother-in-law. I didnt know Shawn was married, I said. Im his girlfriends mother, she said. I turned to the younger woman and asked if she was Shawns girlfriend. No, she said. There had been a young woman in the Mercedes. I didnt ask. I said the whole situation was sad. Shawn seemed to be doing well when I visited him a couple of weeks ago. Hes still doing well, said the older woman. I must have looked puzzled. It seemed to me three trains were hurtling toward him probation revocation, the new state charges and a potential federal charge of felon in possession of a firearm. The woman shook her head. You can be in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people, she said. Hes still doing fine. The hearing was conducted in the judges chambers. I was in the hallway when a uniformed officer led Nunley away in handcuffs. He looked straight ahead. His face was impassive. Technically, Wednesdays hearing was not a probation revocation hearing. That will come later and be a more formal affair with witnesses and arguments. This was just a determination that Nunley was in violation of his probation and should face a revocation. By the way, a revocation hearing does not require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The standard is the preponderance of the evidence. Is it more likely than not? The judge declined to comment on the matter, but he seemed a lot less animated than he had appeared a few weeks ago when he declined to comment on his decision to put Nunley on probation. Sometimes life can wear a person down. Of course, I should be clear about this Nunley has not been convicted of any of these recent charges. He is presumed innocent. Things are not always as they appear. But even if they are as they appear in this instance, there is the possibility that Nunley will make a deal and have everything run concurrently the new state charges and the old ones. Maybe the federal charges, too. In that event, he could be out of prison by the time hes 30. Its probably easier to straighten up at that age, anyway, and there would still be plenty of time to have a family and support that family and even take them on a vacation to the ocean. St. Louis No. 1 music superfan, concertgoer and dancing machine, Robert Beatle Bob Matonis, died Thursday morning at age 70 of Bulbar-onset ALS, which he had been living with since 2022. He was at his mothers home in St. Peters. Matonis is said to have attended more than 9,400 consecutive concerts in over 27 years. It was a streak that ended with his disease. His striking appearance at shows with a Beatles-style mop of hair, vintage dinner jackets and jittery dance moves made him a celebrity in St. Louis and far beyond. He had even taken to signing autographs, and concertgoers sought him out for photos. National bands have been known to give Matonis shoutouts from the stage. Despite his celebrity, he had detractors. Matonis reportedly was banned from various record stores and concert venues, and some concertgoers found him disruptive. The St. Louis native received the nickname Beatle Bob as a youngster after a nun at Mount Providence Boarding School for Boys snatched a Beatles magazine from him in class, telling him, Thatll be enough of that, Beatle Bob, said his sister, Christine Mickel, of St. Charles. Matonis is survived by his mother, Shirley McGuire, of St. Peters; his sister and brother-in-law Christine and Steve Mickel of St. Charles; and niece Lauren Stecz of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Arrangements are pending. This story will be updated. U.S. Reps. Cori Bush and Emanuel Cleaver II, Democrats who represent Missouris two biggest cities, on Saturday called on Gov. Mike Parson to halt the execution of Johnny Johnson. Johnson was convicted in the attempted rape and killing of 6-year-old Casey Williamson in 2002 in St. Louis County. Johnson, 45, scheduled to die by lethal injection on Tuesday, was granted a stay by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in a 2-1 decision announced earlier this week. His attorneys argued he is incompetent to die by lethal injection because of his severe mental illness. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Baileys office filed a motion for a rehearing on the stay before the full court, which is composed of 11 judges. Bush and Cleaver, anticipating the stay will be lifted, ask Parson to act, citing Johnsons severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, major depression, psychotic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Nothing is lost by halting the execution to assess Mr. Johnsons competency, as the Eighth Circuit ruled; in contrast, his life stands to be unlawfully taken, the lawmakers write. Each of us is more than the worst thing weve ever done. The same is true for Mr. Johnson. As ordained ministers, we believe in accountability and the sanctity of life, and do not think these tenets are mutually exclusive. We must therefore make investments in the social and economic well-being of all people. In order to do so, we must first acknowledge the moral depravity of executions. The two members of Congress previously called on Parson, a Republican, to block the executions this year of Amber McLaughlin, Kevin Johnson and Ernest Johnson. The governor denied clemency requests in all three cases. The 56 people Missouri has executed since 2000 ST. LOUIS A panel of federal appeals judges on Saturday lifted a stay on the execution set for a man who kidnapped and killed a 6-year-old girl in Valley Park in 2002. Johnny Johnson, 45, is set to die by lethal injection Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre. Johnson has been in custody since he killed 6-year-old Casey Williamson on July 26, 2002. He had slept on her familys couch in Valley Park that night, and in the morning he lured the child away from the home and killed her after she fought back against his attempt to sexually assault her. A jury in January 2005 took about three hours to find Johnson guilty of first-degree murder, along with armed criminal action, kidnapping and attempted rape. In March of that year, a judge sentenced him to die by lethal injection and told the court it was perhaps the most heinous crime he had ever presided over. Saturdays ruling comes after a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this week voted 2-1 to stop his execution. The appeal was then reviewed by a panel of 10 of the 11 judges in that same circuit, and on Saturday seven of those judges filed a judgment denying Johnsons request to halt his execution on grounds of mental competency. Johnsons lawyers have argued that his execution would violate the U.S. Constitution because he is incompetent and does not understand why he is being killed. They say Johnson suffers from severe psychotic mental illness and a cognitively impaired brain and has said Johnson believes the true reason for his execution is to do Satans bidding to bring about the end of the world as part of spiritual warfare between Satan and the forces of good. Testimony in his original trial showed Johnsons defense he suffered with mental illnesses, including schizoaffective disorder, a disease similar to schizophrenia. In June, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Johnson failed to prove that his claims of constitutional violations related to his sanity should stop his execution. Johnson then sought relief in federal court under but was also denied. Missouri has executed three other inmates this year: Amber McLaughlin on Jan. 3; Leonard Taylor, on Feb. 7, and Michael Tisius on June 6. On Saturday, U.S. Reps. Emanuel Cleaver II of Kansas City and Cori Bush of St. Louis called on Gov. Mike Parson to halt Johnsons execution. The 56 people Missouri has executed since 2000 ST. LOUIS After Derontae Martin was found shot in the head at a party in rural Missouri in April 2021, police and a forensic pathologist called the death a suicide. When a second autopsy commissioned by Martins family questioned that finding, the Madison County, Missouri, coroner called for an inquest to determine the cause of death. Three months after the death, a six-member jury ruled the 19-year-old had died by violence, not suicide. But the case was not reopened. The teens family and supporters now are calling on federal law enforcement authorities to step in and investigate. They plan a rally at Kiener Plaza at 2 p.m. Sunday the two-year anniversary of the jurys decision to bring attention to the case. Its made me feel upset with our justice system and the fact that the system is upholding injustice, said Kimberly Lotts, Martins grandmother. Because Martin was a Black youth fatally shot in the home of a white man with a history of racist social media posts, the family wants law enforcement to investigate the death as a possible hate crime. He deserves it. He wasnt a throwaway dog. He had a bright future that was stolen, said Martins mother, Ericka Lotts, who now lives in north St. Louis County. Although the family and supporters say the inquest ruled out suicide, law enforcement officials dont agree. I dont think the finding did anything to further the case in any way, Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Ligons said on Friday. Dr. Russell Deidiker, the pathologist who performed the first autopsy, testified during the inquest that Martin had died of a gunshot wound to his left temple. A soot ring indicated the gun was fired at near contact to Martins head. The second autopsy, commissioned by the family, indicated the gun had been fired from a different range. But Deidiker said the second autopsy was performed after the body had been cleaned and embalmed. Missouri law recommends inquests be performed before a coroner rules on a cause of death. Typically, inquests are initiated by the coroner in questionable deaths, such as fatal police shootings or claims of self-defense. Evidence is presented and witnesses, including investigators, testify before a jury determines the cause of death. At the time of Martins inquest, the county coroner had already ruled his death a suicide. Ligons, who was elected last year, told the Post-Dispatch that the last document his office received on Martins investigation from the Missouri State Highway Patrol or Madison County Sheriffs Department was from June 2021 before the jury even made its decision. The Highway Patrol told the Post-Dispatch their investigation is closed and Ligons office has all the latest documents. Madison County Sheriff Katy McCutcheon did not return a request for comment. This whole thing was botched. Thats what this all proves. There was never any real investigation, said Erika Lotts, Martins mother. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Joe Amrine was released 20 years ago from a Missouri prison after spending more than 16 years on death row, at times coming within hours of execution for a murder he did not commit. He lives in Kansas City, where he grew up, and marked two decades of freedom on Friday. Hes been able to enjoy time with his son and six grandchildren five girls and one boy who range in age from 12 to 26. Im loving it, said Amrine, now 66. In 1985, Amrine was more than halfway through a 15-year sentence for robbing a Safeway store with an unloaded gun when another prisoner, Gary Fox Barber, was stabbed to death at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. Based on the word of three other prisoners at times dubious testimony that has led to other wrongful convictions in Missouri Amrine, who is Black, was found guilty the next year of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death by an all-white jury. During his 6,043 days on death row, Amrine himself faced execution four times. His case illustrated what lawyers describe as the historical callousness of the Missouri Attorney Generals Office, which argued in 2003 when Democrat Jay Nixon led that office that Amrine should be executed even if the states highest court found him innocent. Instead, Amrine was exonerated and released at age 46. His life since July 28, 2003, has not been easy. At times he has struggled financially and emotionally. But in April, he got a cleaning job at Kauffman Stadium, where he makes $16 an hour, the highest wage he has ever earned. Im liking it, he said Friday. Im cleaning bathrooms, but its a job. Amrine has also had speaking engagements, where he has shared his story and spoken out against the death penalty. Since 1989, Missouri has executed 96 prisoners, including ones with claims of innocence. Four have been exonerated and released from death row. Amrine told The Star he does not like those odds. Im a perfect example, he said. I could have been executed. Our systems not perfect. A fundraiser has been started for Amrine by the group Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty. Amrines supporters say he continues to face financial burdens and lives in a house without running water. Prisoners who are guilty and get paroled receive more resources than an innocent person who is exonerated, Amrine noted. While Missouri has a compensation law, its so narrow that most exonerees, including Amrine, do not qualify. Earlier this month, Gov. Mike Parson vetoed a bill that would have expanded restitution. He should be executed? Amrine was freed after the three prisoners who testified against him at trial recanted and admitted they lied for their own benefit. But the Missouri Attorney Generals Office which has fought just about every wrongful conviction claim to come before it in recent memory, including Kevin Stricklands in Jackson County argued that Amrine should be executed in the name of finality. Are you suggesting ... even if we find that Mr. Amrine is actually innocent, he should be executed? Laura Denvir Stith, a state Supreme Court justice, asked of Assistant Attorney General Frank Jung in February 2003. Jung responded: Thats correct, your honor. Amrine prevailed and went home. In a story three days after he was exonerated, a Star reporter wrote, He says hes like a man living a dream. At the same time, Amrine had trouble sleeping and was unfamiliar with items such as remote controls and cordless phones. He has relied on a food pantry and has had his water and electricity cut off for weeks at a time. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and survivors guilt. He hoped it would get better with time it hasnt. This year, the Missouri General Assembly passed a bill that would have allowed more people exonerated by the courts to receive restitution, though it would not have been retroactive. Only wrongfully convicted people who were cleared by DNA evidence are eligible for payments from the state. The measure would have increased the amount of money owed to the wrongly convicted from a yearly cap of $36,500 to $65,000. When Parson vetoed the bill, he argued that Missouri should not pay for prosecutorial errors at the local level. But that is how it works in other states that provide compensation, experts say. Some innocence attorneys called the rationale bogus because state investigators at prisons and the AGs office have wrongly convicted Missourians. The whole rationale just doesnt hold water, said Kansas City-based lawyer Kent Gipson, adding that Amrines wrongful conviction was squarely the fault of (the Department of Corrections). As Amrine reflected Friday, he said, The Lord aint through with me. Thats what gets me up every day ... Im not no hold-me-down religious person but I believe in God and my point is that if God was through with me, Id be dead. Until then, he aint through with me. Thats what gets me up in the morning, thats what makes me feel good. The 56 people Missouri has executed since 2000 CLAYTON A St. Louis County Circuit judge sentenced a woman on Friday to 20 years in prison for running over a store employee with her car during a 2019 shoplifting incident in West St. Louis County. Circuit Judge Kristine Kerr told Debbie Penn, 34, she would give her a sentence no higher than what prosecuting attorney Nicole Frankenburg recommended, which was 20 years for the assault. The victim in the case was a Menards employee, Michelle Arthur. In September 2019, she followed Penn into the store parking lot, accusing her of shoplifting. As Penn drove away she struck Arthur, who fell off the vehicle. Arthur lost vision in one eye, had to learn to walk again and has cognitive deficits from brain damage. She was hospitalized for about six months, and court records show medical insurance claims of more than $1.2 million. Penn apologized to Arthur in letters to the judge, and in court Friday. Penns mother and a childhood friend outlined Penns mental health history, said she was trying to get away from a man hurling racist slurs at her in the parking lot, and talked about the negative effect of time away from her children. But the judge noted before the sentence: The only decision thats before me today is how much time. Thats the only decision. If I had other decisions to make, I would have said dont put the kids in the car and go to Menards, said Kerr. No one got up in the morning, either from the victim side or the defense side and said Today Im going to go cause serious brain injury to somebody, Kerr said. Nobody did that. And here we are. Penn awaited trial for nearly four years. During that time she accused a guard of sexually assaulting her, but pleaded guilty to making a false report. She also pleaded guilty to throwing toilet bowl cleaner at the jail guard; Kerr handed Penn a seven-year sentence for that offense, which will run concurrently with the 20-year sentence for assault. In court Friday, Penn told the judge she became pregnant, was assaulted and forced to participate in bribery-for-sex schemes while incarcerated. Representatives for the St. Louis County jail and the prosecuting attorneys office did not respond to requests for comment about Penns allegations. Penn said in court she plans to appeal, and that her attorney did not adequately investigate her claims or defend her. She said he coerced her into pleading guilty when she wanted to go to trial instead, a claim he denied. LINCOLN COUNTY Evidence presented in court Friday revealed new details in what prosecutors call an intimidation campaign against the man leading the corruption probe into the infamous early investigations of Pam Hupp. Lincoln County Sheriffs Chief Deputy Randy Lambert testified Friday that he received several threatening texts from an obscured number last year while he was investigating law enforcement misconduct after the 2011 stabbing death of Hupps friend Elizabeth Betsy Faria. Farias husband, Russell Faria, was initially convicted of her death, but he was found not guilty in a second trial. The initial investigation has been widely panned for overlooking Hupp, now charged in Betsy Farias death. Former Lincoln County Sheriffs Office Capt. Mike Merkel, 43, was one of two detectives who interviewed Hupp after Betsy Farias death and offered her a theory that led her to implicate Betsy Farias husband. Merkel and two of his relatives his wife and former civilian sheriffs office employee Rebecca Becky Merkel, and his brother, federal agent Kevin Merkel have since been charged with first-degree harassment and second-degree stalking of a law enforcement officer in connection with the texts to Lambert, the deputy leading the misconduct probe. The hearing on Friday laid out the evidence in Mike Merkels case, including testimony from Lambert and two Troy, Missouri, police detectives who investigated the harassment claims. Lambert testified that the messages came to his former department cellphone the evening of March 14, 2022, and included pictures of his county cruiser outside a Wentzville restaurant, photos of him drinking a beer as he ate dinner and a message reading: I have video of you drinking and getting into your county car. We are watching you closely. You should stop throwing stones at glass houses or yours will come down first and fast. Lambert said he soon believed the texts were Mike Merkel telling me to back off from looking into the Faria investigation. Betsy Farias death and the resulting investigation garnered national attention after Hupp pleaded guilty in 2019 to another killing. The saga sparked local news investigations, multiple podcasts, a series of episodes on NBCs Dateline and a scripted NBC show, The Thing About Pam, starring Renee Zellweger, exploring the crimes and glaring problems in the investigation. Russell Faria, who spent more than three years behind bars before his conviction in his wifes death was overturned, attended the hearing Friday, calling the evidence against Mike Merkel appalling. The corruption review is ongoing, but Faria said hes eager to see its conclusions. You can see theyre scared of what its going to find, he said after the hearing. I want to see what other names come out and just how deep it goes. Mike Merkels defense attorney Donald Weaver argued Friday that his clients charges should be thrown out because they violate his right to free speech. He argued there was no actual threat of physical violence made in the texts and Mike Merkel never directly messaged Lambert. Assistant prosecutor Dulany Harms countered that Mike Merkel and his family members used a shell game to mask the origins of messages that clearly threatened Lamberts job and well-being. Harms, a longtime prosecutor, was brought on to the Lincoln County Prosecutors Office exclusively to handle cases related to Hupp. Circuit Judge David Mobley ruled Friday there was enough evidence against Mike Merkel for the case to move forward. The evidence The evidence presented Friday included surveillance images, phone records and testimony revealing new details about the threats to Lambert. Lincoln County prosecutor Mike Wood announced the misconduct probe into the Faria case in December 2021 the day he charged Hupp with Betsy Farias death. Lambert said Friday that soon after, he instructed a detective who knew Mike Merkel to ask if he and an attorney would submit to an interview for the investigation. He basically said we can go (expletive) ourselves, Lambert testified. The threatening texts came a few months later, Lambert said. Prosecutors presented surveillance images showing that Mike and Becky Merkel were out to dinner with their children the evening of March 14, 2022, at a Texas Roadhouse in Wentzville where Lambert and his wife were also eating. Investigators testified the meeting appeared to be a coincidence. Surveillance images presented Friday appear to show Mike and Becky Merkel taking photographs of Lamberts vehicle. Lambert said later that night his former department cell received texts that included photos of himself at the restaurant with a beer in his hand and a close-up photo of his cruiser and its license plate outside the restaurant. Lambert told the judge he was off duty and that he was not drunk that night. Troy police detectives took over the investigation to avoid a conflict of interest with the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office. A series of search warrants revealed the texts were sent by Mike Merkels brother, Kevin, an agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency, using his work phone and a number-masking app called Burner, detectives testified. Kevin Merkel was placed on suspension at the federal agency. The texts introduced in court Friday also included a mention that Lambert could see a repeat of Mandeville. Lamberts testimony shed light on that threat Friday. Lambert said that in 2006, while working as a police officer in Mandeville, Louisiana, he faced harassment and a threat of arrest when he truthfully testified about the towns former mayor, Eddie Price. Price called him and other officers to request a reduced charge against a wealthy friend who beat a woman unconscious. A yearslong corruption investigation eventually led to another officer and Price both pleading guilty to perjury. A prosecutor with the Louisiana Attorney Generals Office praised Lambert at the conclusion of that case, however, saying Lamberts truthful testimony led higher-ups in his own department to threaten criminal charges against him and run him out of the department, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. I was threatened to be arrested for perjury, Lambert said on the stand Friday. They burned stuff in my yard and sent the same type of threats ... but I told the truth. The judge, Mobley, said Friday that the mention of Mandeville in the texts was key in his decision to allow the felony charges against Mike Merkel to go forward. Becky and Kevin Merkel, both of whom attended Fridays hearing, are scheduled for similar hearings in the coming weeks. The Hupp saga Lambert and other detectives have stayed quiet so far on the conclusions of the corruption probe. Early investigations into Farias 2011 death, led by Mike Merkel and other detectives, did not focus on Hupp, despite her being named as the sole beneficiary of Betsy Farias $150,000 life insurance policy days before her death. Russell Faria had an alibi backed by four people, surveillance images and receipts, but was nevertheless prosecuted and found guilty. Mike Merkel, then still a Lincoln County Sheriffs detective, testified at the retrial that a camera at the crime scene showed absolutely nothing and seemingly malfunctioned. Farias defense attorney Joel Schwartz called that testimony into question when he presented more than 100 photos that included images showing a trail of blood at the crime scene. Scrutiny of the initial investigation intensified in 2016 when Hupp killed a mentally and physically disabled man, Louis Gumpenberger, 33, in her OFallon, Missouri, home. Hupp claimed Gumpenberger had tried to kidnap her at knifepoint, but her story fell apart after investigators listened to the 911 call and traced money Hupp paid to Gumpenberger. Hupp is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for Gumpenbergers death. Wood took office as Lincoln County prosecutor in 2019 and charged Hupp in June 2021 with first-degree murder in Betsy Farias death. His office plans to seek the death penalty in the case, which is being tried in Greene County. No trial date has been set. Russell Faria named Mike Merkel and two other investigators in a civil suit over his case that ended in a $2 million settlement for Faria in 2020. Saturday marks International Tiger Day, a day to raise awareness of the endangered tiger species and to promote conservation efforts. In a national park in northeast China, the population of wild Siberian tigers is on the rise, thanks to the country's persistent efforts. Produced by Xinhua Global Service SYRACUSE, N.Y. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse on Thursday announced a $100 million settlement with people who say they were sexual abuse victims as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. Catholic dioceses around the state are dealing with a surge of lawsuits dating to when New York temporarily suspended the statute of limitations to give people who say they were victims of childhood sexual abuse the ability to pursue decades-old allegations. I can tell you as shocking as the settlement amount may seem to leaders of our own parishes and other Catholic entities, more appalling and heart-rending to me is the pain and mistreatment experienced by the survivors of child and adult sexual abuse at the hands of those they thought they could trust, Bishop Douglas Lucia wrote in an open letter Thursday. The Syracuse diocese, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020, said there are 411 claims involving 387 people, with some people filing multiple claims. An abuse claims reviewer will be appointed to evaluate claims and make awards to survivors, according to the diocese. The settlement, which remains subject to a creditor vote and court approval, would provide $100 million to all victims of sexual abuse committed in the diocese by clergy, employees and volunteers. Under the agreement, the diocese would contribute $50 million, parishes would contribute $45 million and the remaining $5 million would come from other diocesan entities, according to the diocese. The diocese and the committee of unsecured creditors were still discussing ways to strengthen child protection protocols. This settlement does not include the six insurance companies that provided coverage to the diocese. Although the battle is not over, todays settlement represents a significant step toward the accountability and justice that survivors in the Diocese of Syracuse deserve, said Taylor Stippel, an attorney for victims. Six of New Yorks eight dioceses have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. DES MOINES, Iowa Donald Trump and his top rivals for the GOP presidential nomination took the stage one by one Friday night to address an influential gathering of Iowa Republicans, with none of the top-tier hopefuls mentioning that new federal charges had been filed against the former president just a day earlier. Instead, Trumps competitors mostly reserved their sharpest criticism for President Joe Biden and a Democratic Party they argued had lost touch with mainstream America failing to pounce on additional counts over Trumps retention of classified documents that might have otherwise been an opportunity to cut into his comfortable early lead in the polls. The time for excuses is over. We must get the job done, said Ron DeSantis. I will get the job done. The Florida governor also repeated his frequent promise to halt the weaponization of the Justice Department, an allusion to Trumps legal troubles. But he offered no specific thoughts on the cases against him even though Trump is also bracing to be charged soon in Washington over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The former president frequently avoids attending multicandidate events in person, questioning why he would share a stage with competitors who are badly trailing him in polls. Still, with Iowas first-in-the-nation caucus less than six months away, Trump joined a dozen other GOP hopefuls in speaking to about 1,200 GOP members and activists at the Lincoln Day Dinner. If I werent running, I would have nobody coming after me, Trump said in his only veiled reference to his legal issues. He also insisted the same would be true if he were trailing in the polls. While DeSantis didnt mention the former president by name, meanwhile, Trump didnt return the favor. He told the crowd, I wouldnt take a chance on that one, and repeatedly branded him DeSanctus. Trump was even blunter before the dinner as he opened a campaign office in Urbandale, outside Des Moines. I understand the other candidates are falling very flat ... its like death, Trump said. More than 100 people packed the small office, many wearing Make America Great Again hats and shirts. They waited in 100-degree weather to enter, and the poorly ventilated office quickly became sweltering. Staff handed out water bottles, and people fanned themselves with campaign handouts. Some used paper towels to wipe away sweat. Similar strong support for the former president was evident during the dinner, when many attendees wore Trump Country stickers, including 72-year-old Diane Weaver of Ankeny, Iowa. I think he makes America great, said Weaver, a retiree who plans to caucus for Trump. I think he did it once and I think he can do it again. West Des Moines resident Jane Schrader chose to wear her Trump Country sticker on her pants instead of at eye level. Im not quite dyed-in-the-wool. Im a supporter, but not that kind, said the retired physician, explaining her sticker placement. DeSantis, who like most of Fridays speakers vowed to visit all of Iowas 99 counties, is Trumps strongest primary competitor but has been trying to reset his stalled campaign for two weeks. Hes increasingly focusing on Iowa in its efforts on trying to derail Trump, and spoke at the dinner in the midst of a two-day bus tour of the state. The governors stumbles have raised questions about whether another candidate might be able to emerge from the field and catch the former president. Some evangelicals, who can be determinative in Iowas caucuses, have pointed to South Carolina Sen. Tim Scotts upbeat message and pulpit-style delivery as strengths that could help him rise there. Scott, who also spoke Friday night and didnt mention Trump or the cases against him, took a swipe this week at DeSantis over the Florida governors support for new standards that require the states teachers to instruct middle school students that slaves developed skills that could be applied for their personal benefit. The only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, Scott said all Americans should recognize how devastating slavery was. There is no silver lining to slavery, he added. Vice President Kamala Harris made her own Iowa stop on Friday, seeking to draw a contrast with the Republicans as she looked to lift President Joe Bidens reelection campaign. Harris met in Des Moines with activists and discussed abortion rights, after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently signed a ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. I do believe that we are witnessing a national agenda that is about a full-on attack on hard-won freedoms and hard-won rights, the vice president said. Trump, meanwhile, did face criticism Friday night from some Republican opponents, but only those considered long shots. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison declared, As a party, we need a new direction for America and for the GOP, drawing only muted reaction from the crowd. Loud and sustained boos came, however, for Will Hurd, a former Texas congressman, who said, The reason Donald Trump lost the election in 2020 is he failed to grow the GOP brand. The former congressman pressed on, saying: Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again. ... Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison. That was the only reference to locking Trump up on the night, except for a surprising and potentially coincidental snippet of walk-on music played as the former president took the stage. Like all the candidates, the events organizers played parts of Brooks & Dunns Only in America as Trump approached. But his part included the lyrics: One could end up going to prison. One just might be president. THE FLORIDA KEYS Cynthia Lewis carefully pulled back the lid covering a 240-gallon tank. As the bubbles subsided, there they were: her lifes work, the very animals she has studied for more than two decades, dying in front of her eyes. Corals, hundreds of them, lined the scores of saltwater tanks in the outdoor lab Lewis oversees. All showed signs of serious trouble paled patches or bleached entirely white and some were likely already dead. Just days and even hours before, many of these corals were in the open ocean, where temperatures surged this past week into the triple digits for the first time in recorded history. A buoy stationed in the waters around Manatee Bay, to the north of Key Largo, recorded an ocean temperature of 101.1 degrees at 6 p.m. July 24. If verified, that could be the hottest sea surface temperature ever recorded on Earth. Now, scientists are scrambling to evacuate corals from their suddenly unlivable waters. More than 1,500 corals and counting have already been harvested from offshore nurseries over the past week and delivered to their new refuge in the temperature-controlled tanks at the Keys Marine Laboratory on Long Key. The corals will likely shelter here in what Lewis describes as a coral halfway house for months until the ocean heat subsides. This time of the year, water temperatures should be in the mid-80s, not pushing mid-90s or higher. Its happening so much earlier than weve ever seen it, said Lewis, the labs director. She paused in the 95-degree heat to catch her breath. Its an unprecedented event: Weve never seen it this hot, for this long, this early. In a last-ditch effort to curb mass bleaching and death, scientists from across the state who monitor offshore nurseries are using the lab as refuge. The Tampa-based Florida Aquarium, the states wildlife commission and the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg are using the coral refuge. Lewis worries for her staff. Like her, they are losing animals they dearly love. And fast. For many working to round up corals, theres no time to grieve, Lewis says. That part will come later, as it inevitably does in this line of work, marred by disease, human-caused water quality problems and the looming threats of climate change. But for now, she says, there is only time to act. When youre dealing with super-heated corals in an unprecedented marine heat wave, every minute counts. Theres an emotional toll that nobody can understand unless youve been in the trenches and done it yourself, Lewis said. Theyre under a lot of emotional stress. But for now, theyre running on adrenaline. Theyve got to get it done. Last week, the federally operated Coral Reef Watch placed the Florida Keys under a bleaching Alert Level 2, the highest alert level on the scale. That means theres a likelihood of more than 90% of all the reefs and corals in the Florida Keys bleaching at some point this summer, according to Bill Precht, a Miami-based coral scientist with more than four decades of research experience. Acting quickly to soften the crisis, the Coral Restoration Consortium, a community of global experts, sent out guidance this week with advice for how scientists in Florida should respond: Immediately cease restoration activities, the consortium urged, and move offshore corals to land facilities. Monitor the health of rescued corals daily. Document the losses. Take pictures. And do your best. When temperatures rise, corals begin bleaching, or weakening, as they expel the tiny algae species living in their tissues. When a coral bleaches, it becomes more susceptible to diseases like the lesion-causing stony coral tissue loss disease, which is impacting more than 20 coral species across the Caribbean. The number of weeks when the water temperature is above a corals bleaching threshold for a given location is usually eight to 10 weeks during a bad summer, according to Precht. This year, some areas are already entering week six. And its only July. We likely havent seen the warmest part of the year yet, Precht said. Even if temperatures were to stay the same, and not get any warmer through August and September, there could be at least nine more weeks above the bleaching threshold, he said. That could be 14 weeks, or more, with inhospitable temperatures for corals this year. All the clues in front of us are pointing to that this year is going to be catastrophic unlike any other year, Precht said. We could be losing corals in percentages that weve never lost before in a year. For Keri ONeil, the ongoing coral rescue operation has been a crazy, crazy time. As the director of the Tampa-based Florida Aquariums Coral Conservation Program, ONeil and a team of researchers spent last week driving up and down the Florida Keys, scooping up elkhorn corals reined in from offshore nurseries. The team drove those corals to Lewis and the Keys Marine Laboratory, where they rent a few of the 60 saltwater tanks, which range anywhere from 40 to 1,000 gallons. The lab, part of the larger St. Petersburg-based Florida Institute of Oceanography, is the favorite landing spot for most coral rescuers, as its located roughly in the middle of the 220-mile island chain. Their work is especially pressing because of whats on the horizon: The August full moon, one week away, is when corals begin to spawn. Its a crucially important period when creating future corals begins and this year, its aligning with the marine heat wave. Its really easy to get to this point where you just want to throw your hands up in the air and give up, ONeil said. But our work is more important now than ever. We cant just give up. Photos: Coral evolution tweaked for global warming EQS-Ad-hoc: Leifheit Aktiengesellschaft / Key word(s): Personnel Leifheit Aktiengesellschaft: Resignment of the Chairman of the Board of Management 29-Jul-2023 / 11:38 CET/CEST Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Nassau, 29 July 2023: The Supervisory Board of Leifheit AG and Henner Rinsche have come to a mutual agreement today that Mr Rinsche will step down as Chairman of the Board of Management of Leifheit AG with effect from 31 July 2023. The Supervisory Board is confident that it will be able to appoint a permanent successor to Mr Rinsche as Chairman of the Board of Management in the near future. For the short transitional period until the new Chairman of the Board of Management can take office, Stefan De Loecker, former Chairman of the Board of Management of Beiersdorf AG, will take over the role as Chairman of the Board of Management. His position as Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leifheit AG will be suspended during the transitional period. The change will not affect the board members' areas of responsibility. Contact: Leifheit AG Petra Dombrowsky Executive Assistant/CIRO D-56377 Nassau ir@leifheit.com +49 2604 977218 Leifheit AGPetra DombrowskyExecutive Assistant/CIROD-56377 Nassauir@leifheit.com+49 2604 977218 End of Inside Information 29-Jul-2023 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On July 28th, Meg 2: The Trench, an international deep-sea monster blockbuster, premiered at the Beijing National Indoor Stadium in Beijing. The event was attended by Director Ben Vitelli, producers Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, and Bella Avery, CMC Pictures President Ying Xujun, and starring actors Wu Jing and Cai Shuya, among others. The premiere showcased the film's captivating underwater world and the charm of the ocean. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230729400869/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) Meg 2: The Trench is China's first deep-sea monster blockbuster that highlights the spirit of exploration and the unknown. It features rich details of Chinese culture and provides a platform for global filmmakers to learn from each other. The film is set to be released globally on August 4th, with Jason Stanson and Wu Jing leading the audience on a journey to the mysterious prehistoric underwater world that has been isolated for millions of years. Unfortunately, the premiere of the movie in London, UK, has been canceled due to a strike by the American Actors Guild. However, China has become the only venue for the film's premiere. Chinese Film President Ying Xujun said that the audience attending the Chinese premiere would be the first in the world to watch the movie. Meg 2: The Trench promises to be a grand audio-visual feast for global audiences. Wu Jing hopes that through global cooperation and screenings, more people will come to understand Chinese culture. Fu Ruoqing, Chairman of the Board of Directors of China Film Group Corporation, believes that the Meg series will have a better impact on the world, filling the gap of marine culture for Chinese films. The Meg series is copyrighted by CMC Pictures, a leading Chinese film company that invests in project development and production. They are committed to providing high-quality local and national films that meet the needs of the Chinese mainland and global markets, with the support of the Chinese Culture Group. The company has created a number of independent IPs such as Meg and has become one of the most influential Chinese film companies in the world. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230729400869/en/ CMC Pictures https://cmc-pictures.com/ [email protected] Nancy Lee Source: CMC Pictures DUBLIN, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: NAVB) (Navidea or the Company), a company focused on the development of precision immunodiagnostic agents and immunotherapeutics, received written notification from NYSE American LLC ("NYSE American" or the "Exchange") stating that the staff of NYSE Regulation has determined to commence proceedings to delist the common stock of Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (the Company) ticker symbol NAVB from the Exchange. The Company's Board of Directors has determined to appeal the Exchange's determination to commence delisting proceedings. NYSE Regulation has determined that the Company is no longer suitable for listing pursuant to Section 1009(a) of the NYSE American Company Guide (the Company Guide) as the Company was unable to demonstrate that it had regained compliance with Sections 1003(a)(i), (ii) and (iii) of the Company Guide by the end of the maximum 18-month compliance plan period, which expired on July 28, 2023. The Exchanges application with the Securities and Exchange Commission to delist the Companys common stock is pending, subject to completion of all applicable procedures, including any appeal by the Company of the NYSE Regulation staffs decision. The Company has a right to an appeal of the staffs determination by the Exchange, provided that the Company files a written request for such review within seven calendar days after receiving the notice. The Company's Board of Directors has determined to appeal the Exchange's determination to commence delisting proceedings. There can be no assurance that Navideas request for continued listing will be granted. The Companys common stock will continue to be listed and traded on NYSE American during the pendency of the Companys appeal, subject to NYSE Americans discretion to immediately suspend trading if it believes suspension to be in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or to promote just and equitable principles of trade. Navidea intends to make arrangements to have its common stock quoted in the over-the-counter market if its common stock is delisted from the Exchange. About Navidea Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: NAVB) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of precision immunodiagnostic agents and immunotherapeutics. Navidea is developing multiple precision-targeted products based on its Manocept platform to enhance patient care by identifying the sites and pathways of disease and enable better diagnostic accuracy, clinical decision-making, and targeted treatment. Navideas Manocept platform is predicated on the ability to specifically target the CD206 mannose receptor expressed on activated macrophages. The Manocept platform serves as the molecular backbone of Tc99m tilmanocept, the first product developed and commercialized by Navidea based on the platform. Navideas strategy is to deliver superior growth and shareholder return by bringing to market novel products and advancing the Companys pipeline through global partnering and commercialization efforts. For more information, visit www.navidea.com. About G2G Ventures G2G Ventures is a Colorado-based private equity firm focused on empowering organizations to reach their full potential through investment and consulting services. Specializing in creating long-term partnerships with trusted investors and established businesses, G2G Ventures draws on strong internal balance sheet liquidity, augmented by trusted investor capital, to craft bespoke capital solutions which include private equity investment, venture capital participation, and mezzanine debt options. Beyond financial investment, G2G Ventures provides accretive consulting services to help clarify strategic goals and key performance indicators (KPIs), evolve financial processes, and enhance operational effectiveness. To learn more about how G2G Ventures is a growth partner for enduring business, connect with our team. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the financial condition of our business. Forward-looking statements include our expectations regarding pending litigation and other matters. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, among other things: our history of operating losses and uncertainty of future profitability; the final outcome of any pending litigation; our ability to successfully complete research and further development of our drug candidates; the timing, cost and uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approvals of our drug candidates; our ability to successfully commercialize our drug candidates; dependence on royalties and grant revenue; our ability to implement our growth strategy; anticipated trends in our business; our limited product line and distribution channels; advances in technologies and development of new competitive products; our common stock is subject to delisting from the NYSE American under a currently pending delisting proceeding; our ability to comply with the NYSE American continued listing standards; our ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting; the impact of the current coronavirus pandemic; and other risk factors detailed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other SEC filings. You are urged to carefully review and consider the disclosures found in our SEC filings, which are available at http://www.sec.gov or at http://ir.navidea.com. Investors are urged to consider statements that include the words will, may, could, should, plan, continue, designed, goal, forecast, future, believe, intend, expect, anticipate, estimate, project, and similar expressions, as well as the negatives of those words or other comparable words, to be uncertain forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, any of which could turn out to be incorrect. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date of this report. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this report may not occur and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230728368165/en/ Investor Relations Contact Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. G2G Ventures - Executive Consultant Theodore Gerbick Chief Marketing Officer [email protected] Source: Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Paid press release content from Evertise Financial. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation. Uttar Pradesh,.India,july28,2023- Will the payment transfer get any better in the future? This question has already disturbed the peace of mind of many of us. But not anymore because the governments first real-time payment service, FedNow, has arrived. On July 20, we witnessed something exceptional in the nations central banking system Federal Reserve, yes, its none other than FedNow that is here to turn the bill payments and money transfers faster than ever before. Financial institutions can expect to get on board in the coming months and years with faster and more convenient everyday payment services. Even the FedNow Instant Payments enable a person to immediately receive a paycheck and a company to get funds after the payment to invoice is done. Here is more about FedNow and the governments efforts to make this service live. So, lets get started! Consumer-facing apps like Zelle, Venmo, Paypal, etc., offer support for instant peer-to-peer payments. However, FedNow focuses more on the robust payment infrastructure that lets banks do money transfers conveniently and instantly. Unlike Paypal, which users can download and connect to their bank accounts, FedNow is only for customers who want to implement the new system. No more fear of delayed payments will be there because users can pay their mortgage bills even on Christmas and any other holiday. Instead, instant money transfer between saving accounts and checklists provides another level of convenience. Lots more have been unveiled regarding FedNow in the remaining part of the blog, and you can also streamline your business growth with a digital solution like this while taking support from the best fintech app development company like Techugo, which is skilled in bringing some dynamic and exceptional surprises to the consumers of the fintech world. To build a digital solution like FedNow, you must develop your concepts and understanding of its working procedure, and guess what? We are here to provide you with the same. Almost all financial service companies, banks, and credit unions can make the most of the FedNow service because it has made Clearing and Settlement a walk in the park that hardly takes a few seconds. Wondering how is this possible? Reveal its practices! Yes, the transfer speed at FedNow is instant, giving the recipients full access to funds within seconds after they make payment. The financial institution or company at FedNow can transfer amounts under $5,00,000 and set the default transfer limit at $1,00,000. Instead, it allows to raise or lower the limits as per the convenience of banks. Although FedNow can charge a certain fee to banks using tools and services on the platform, it is still unclear whether the banks will pass on the costs to their customers or not. Initially, the FedNow service will be limited to domestic payments, which means within the geographical region of the U.S., but it can also support overseas transactions in the future. Buckle up your seat belt and witness how the FedNow brings favors to you with a suite of services in the most hassle-free way. Instant bill payments Account-to-account transfers These two uses can bring a new revolution in how people handle their finances. Moreover, instant money transfers can attract consumers from every corner who are on tight budgets and consider late payment fees. What else? You can receive immediate confirmation about the payment when a bill is due. As the first real-time payment service in the U.S., it will bring more tools that let financial institutions, credit unions, and banks access payment services. Whats even more interesting is that users can seamlessly manage their accounts across banks with instant account-to-account transfers. What lies behind this remarkable solution and how it will help create a better world is all discussed here. Well, the launch of the FedNow instant payment system gets the utmost attention as it is here to modify the traditional payment systems that could not meet the ever-evolving demands of businesses due to delayed settlement times and batch processing. Also, it offers an alternative and modern solution to the existing payment systems that lower transaction costs, boost technological advancements, and ensure a modern payment ecosystem. Lets understand the significance of FedNow Instant Payments here. Yes, financial institutions will stay competitive when they provide their customers with a way to process payments straight away. Moreover, banks can increase customer retention and offer more convenience and value with instant payment. Whether it be about managing time-sensitive costs or cash flow, the service has much more to offer. Yes, FedNow follows some high-tech security measures that diminish the risk of errors and fraud. While the conventional way of payments cannot let people fight against fraud, FedNow Instant Payments provide a secured shield and real-time payment monitoring that helps detect suspicious and address fraudulent activities. A robust tech infrastructure is required for banks to consume the benefits FedNow Instant Payments offer that will help them manage real-time processing. And do you know what a top mobile app development company can help you construct the same? All entrepreneurs cant stay updated with the current law and compliance. Fortunately, a technology partner also makes this easy and lets you meet the latest regulatory requirements that align well with the policies. Instead, this will help banks avoid other penalties and risks. Now that you have learned why it becomes necessary for you to join hands with a tech expert, dont waste any time further; prepare for the unlimited benefits FedNow Instant Payment offers to you while joining hands with Techugo, a top mobile app development company. With the numerous revolutions they bring to businesses of all industry verticals, you will have the foundation for the bright future you have always dreamed of. So, are you excited to meet some exceptional leaders in the app development industry? If yes, book a consultation today. Name: Ankit Singh Company:Techugo pvt ltd Email: [email protected] Web: www.Techugo.com Address:A:26 sector 63, noida,uttar pradesh.India The safety net hospitals eighth annual Community Baby Shower helps teach families how to prepare for their new babies Chicago, Illinois, July 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CHICAGOMore than 100 new moms and moms-to-be will gather for hands-on learning sessions and free baby care essentials at the 8th annual Community Baby Shower in the Englewood neighborhood hosted by St. Bernard Hospital on July 29. The outdoor event will be held in the parking lot of its Ambulatory Care Center located, 6307 S. Stewart Ave., and will feature talks and demonstrations about breastfeeding and postpartum care, to support moms in the care of their newborn babies. The highly anticipated free community event aims to prepare parents with information and resources to support the positive physical, mental and emotional development of their newborns. The baby shower is supported by lead sponsor Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc., Moms will receive helpful tips on childcare while they play educational games to receive gifts like diaper bags, bathtubs, bottles, and bibs as well as larger gifts like car seats and playpens. According to BabyCenter.coms baby-cost-calculator, non-medical, first-year baby costs can add up to more than $15,000. St. Bernard Hospital and event sponsors hope to minimize those costs for parents. St. Bernard Hospital provides womens health and wellness services to South Side residents, many of whom are uninsured and underinsured. Each year, the safety net hospital treated women to free mammograms during the month of October. Families deserve to feel supported by their community. With recent shortages on important baby items, families should feel confident that they have what they need, said Yolanda Penny, vice president of nursing services. We want moms to know that we have their best interest in mind and that we are here to support the healthy development of their children. About St. Bernard Hospital St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center has served the Englewood community and Chicago's South Side since 1904. The hospital has 174 licensed beds and offers primary and specialty care, behavioral health services, dental care, imaging and rehabilitation among its services. Our mission calls us to care for the sick and promote the health of the residents in the community while witnessing the Christian values of respect, dignity, caring and compassion for all persons. About Meridian Health Plan of Illinois Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc. and its family of plans provide government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors, and individuals with complex medical needs. This includes Meridian's Medicaid and Medicaid-Medicare plans, and YouthCare HealthChoice Illinois. YouthCare is a specialized program designed to address the healthcare needs of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) youth in out-of-home placement and former foster youth. Meridian connects members to care and offers comprehensive services to support lifelong health and wellness. Learn more at ILmeridian.com. PASCAGOULA, Miss., July 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HIIs (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced today the successful completion of acceptance sea trials for the U.S. Coast Guards newest national security cutter, Calhoun (WMSL 759). During the trial, the ship spent time proving the ships systems including performing numerous tests in the areas of propulsion, electric plant, and mission systems. Our joint Ingalls and Coast Guard team has completed another successful sea trial, and I am pleased to say NSC 10 performed well, Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. Our shipbuilders are now one step closer to delivering this highly capable and advanced cutter to the U.S. Coast Guard. For over two decades, Ingalls Shipbuilding has designed and built the Coast Guard Legend-class national security cutters. These ships are capable of embarking and supporting a wide range of Coast Guard, Navy and NATO missions. National security cutters have proven to be ideal platforms for drug interdiction, global illegal fishing, disaster relief and defense support operations. A photo accompanying this release is available at: https://hii.com/news/hii-acceptance-trials-national-security-cutter-calhoun-wmsl-759. Its an honor to see the hard work of our shipbuilders come to fruition during a sea trial, and I couldnt be more proud of the team, Ingalls Shipbuilding NSC Program Manager Amanda Whitaker said. We stand ready to deliver Calhoun and provide our Coast Guard partners with this tremendous national security asset. NSC 10 is named to honor Charles L. Calhoun, the first master chief petty officer of the U.S. Coast Guard. Calhoun served in the U.S. Navy for three years during World War II and was honorably discharged in 1946 as a torpedomans mate petty officer 2nd class. He enlisted in the Coast Guard that same year and held varying positions of leadership over the course of his career. Ingalls has delivered nine Legend-class national security cutters to the Coast Guard further enabling their important missions around the globe. About HII HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HIIs mission is to deliver the worlds most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world. As the nations largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HIIs workforce is 43,000 strong. For more information, visit: HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/ HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII HII on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII Contact: Kimberly K. Aguillard 228-355-5663 [email protected] A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3e1c4a82-c602-4ff4-b7bd-849158d10703 An innovative marketing technology company is introducing a service allowing dentists to promote their practices on the top search engines search box. Marina Del Rey, California--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2023) - 'My Tooth Media' has announced a service that allows it to optimize a business listing to make it more likely to be suggested by the top search engine's autocomplete. Dubbed "autocomplete optimization," the service is unique to 'My Tooth Media' and is being rolled out specifically for dental practices across the US. More information is available at https://www.mytoothmedia.com/. Search Engines Autocomplete Optimization Service For Dentists Announced To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/175232_f9b4237ae4e0caf4_001full.jpg 'My Tooth Media' is offering autocomplete optimization as a more cost-effective alternative to traditional SEO, referring to it as "SEO on steroids." The reason, it said, is that suggestions that appear on the top search engine's search box are perceived as trustworthy and are more likely to be clicked. "As soon as they click, you leapfrog the competition instantly," a company spokesperson said. "It doesn't matter if other clinics are dominating the search engine's first page because your prospects don't even need to see that page to see your practice's name." "Your clinic will be the default suggested result," they added. Moreover, 'My Tooth Media' can also optimize for other search engines and platforms, allowing their clients to appear as an autocomplete suggestion on YouTube and Bing. These results also appear on both desktop and mobile devices. The entire process is fully DFY ('done-for-you'), meaning that clients need only to specify the keywords they want to rank for. Compared to SEO that often requires retaining a provider, autocomplete optimization has a single-payment scheme. 'My Tooth Media' does not engage in double-selling, which means that it will not optimize the same set of keywords for multiple parties. "Each client has exclusive rights to their chosen keywords," its spokesperson said. The company also eschews black- or gray-hat methods, favoring instead an approach to building authority that is in line with the standards of the top search engine's algorithm. This involves slowly building a client's reputation on social media to organically influence autocomplete results. 'My Tooth Media' said it can work with local dental clinics that want to position themselves as the preferred provider in a particular locality, and large practices with a national footprint. With the latter, a tailored marketing plan can be crafted. Interested parties can learn more by visiting https://www.mytoothmedia.com/. Contact Info: Name: Damien Gallow Email: [email protected] Organization: DJG Global Investments, LLC DBA My Tooth Media Address: 578 Washington Blvd Unit 203, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, United States Website: https://mytoothmedia.clientcabin.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/175232 HANGZHOU, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A China-Europe freight train departed from the city of Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province on Saturday morning for Madrid, Spain, marking the 10,000th trip of China-Europe freight trains this year. Loaded with 110 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of various goods such as accessories, automotive parts, electric bicycles, and photovoltaic modules, the train will pass through the Alataw Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and is expected to arrive in Madrid in approximately 21 days. China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway) said that the number of 10,000 trips of China-Europe freight train this year was achieved 22 days earlier than last year. Those trains have transported over 1.08 million TEUs of goods this year, up 27 percent over a year ago. China Railway attributed the achievement to the strong demand for cross-border goods transportation in the post-pandemic era and the advantages of the China-Europe freight trains, including its all-weather operation, large capacity, environmentally friendly and low carbon footprint, as well as smooth and secure services. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 28, 2023) - Xineoh Technologies Inc. ("Xineoh" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed a non-brokered private placement of common shares for aggregate gross proceeds of US$81,000 (the "Share Offering"). Pursuant to the terms of the Offering, the Company has issued 5,400,000 common shares (each a "Share") at a price of US$0.015 per Share. The Company has also closed a non-brokered private placement of debentures for aggregate gross proceeds of US$247,000 (the "Debenture Offering"). Pursuant to the terms of the Debenture Offering, the Company has issued convertible debentures (the "Debentures") having an aggregate principal amount of US$247,000. The Debentures are convertible into Shares at a conversion price equal to the lesser of: (a) US$0.045; and (b) a 10% discount to the price that Shares are sold for in a liquidity event offering if completed within one year of closing or a 20% discount if completed after one year from closing, subject to adjustment as provided for in the Debenture. The Debentures have a three year and bear interest at a rate of 8.5% per annum. The proceeds of the Offering were used to cover previously incurred expenses associated with the Company's development and commercialization of its AI platform. All securities issued in the Share Offering and Debenture Offering are subject to a statutory four-month hold period expiring on November 29, 2023. This news release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements. About Xineoh Technologies Inc. https://www.xineoh.com/. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Vian Chinner" Chief Executive Officer Contact Information: [email protected] 604-681-8030 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release discusses items that may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws and that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements include those with respect to the use of proceeds of the Offering, future prospects and strategy of the Company and the performance of its technology. Although the Company believes in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, they can give no assurances that those expectations will be achieved, and actual results may differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements and information. Such assumptions, which may prove incorrect, include the following: (i) the Company will succeed in obtaining any necessary future financing to fund its ongoing operations, (ii) no material obstacles, technical or otherwise, will hinder the Company's operations, and (iii) the Company will be able implement its business plans in a profitable manner. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include (i) the Company's failure to make effective use of its available funds, (ii) the failure of the Company's commercialization strategy for technical, logistical, labour-relations or other reasons, (iii) an increase in the Company's operating costs above what is necessary to sustain its operations, (iv) cybersecurity issues, labour disputes or the materialization of similar risks, (v) a deterioration in capital market conditions that prevents the Company from raising the funds that it requires on a timely basis, and (vi) generally, an inability of the Company to develop and implement a successful business plan for any reason. These factors and others are more fully discussed in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities available at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR RELEASE TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/175344 PHOENIX , July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - 4Front Ventures Corp. (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQX: FFNTF) ("4Front" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator and retailer, announced that it has entered into a consulting agreement with Leo Gontmakher , Chief Executive Officer of the Company (the "Consulting Agreement"). Pursuant to the Consulting Agreement, the Company has agreed to: (i) pay Mr. Gontmakher an annual base fee of US$400,000 payable in regular installments; (ii) issue 6,000,000 subordinate voting shares in the capital of the Company (each a "SVS") at a deemed issue price of CAD$0.17 per SVS as a signing bonus; (iii) if Mr. Gontmakher completes the initial term of the Consulting Agreement ending December 31, 2023 , issue 1,800,000 SVS if certain financial metrics of the Company are achieved by year-end 2023 and such number of SVS sufficient to make him a 1.00% owner calculated on a fully diluted basis to the extent not the case at the time of issuance, such SVS to be priced in accordance with the Canadian Securities Exchange policy at the time of issuance; and (iv) if Mr. Gontmakher remains continuously retained through the date of the closing of a transaction that results in a Change in Control (as defined in the Consulting Agreement), Mr. Gontmakher shall be eligible to receive a portion of the transaction bonus pool allocated for senior executives, which shall be equal to 1.00% of the fair market value of all consideration paid to the Company's stockholders in the transaction, subject to applicable terms and conditions. In addition, the Company has agreed to issue 3,300,250 SVS at a deemed issue price of CAD$0.17 per SVS to Mr. Gontmakher in connection with his fiscal year-end 2022 compensation package (collectively with the issuances contemplated by the Consulting Agreement, the "Gontmakher Issuances"). RSU Grant The Company also announced that it has agreed to issue a total of 9,853,830 restricted share units ("RSUs"), at a deemed issue price of CAD$0.165 based on the closing price of the SVS on July 27, 2023 , to certain officers and employees of the Company in payment of fiscal year-end 2022 bonus entitlements. The RSUs are fully vested as of the grant date and represent the right to receive one (1) SVS upon the earliest to occur of a change in control, disability, death, unforeseeable emergency, separation from service other than for cause, or the date that is eighteen (18) months following the grant date, each as more particularly described in the applicable restricted share unit agreement (collectively, the "RSU Grant"). Extension of Senior Secured Debt Additionally, the Company has entered into a definitive agreement with its senior secured lender, LI Lending, LLC (the "Lender") to extend the maturity date, reduce the interest payable, and expand the third-party financings available under the December 17, 2020 Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement ("Loan") between 4Front and the Lender on the terms and conditions set out in the amending agreement (collectively, the "Extension"), as initially announced in a press release dated May 6, 2023 . Under the Extension, the Lender has extended the maturity date of the Loan to May 1, 2026 and reduced the interest payable to 12.0% per year, payable monthly. Currently, the Lender holds a senior secured position on all assets of 4Front and certain of its subsidiaries and the right of consent over any additional financings secured by those assets. Pursuant to the Extension, the Lender consents to equipment financing collateralized by 4Front equipment of up to US$5 million ; secured convertible debt senior to the Loan collateralized by all assets of 4Front of up to US$10 million ; and secured debt senior to the Loan collateralized by the assets of new Illinois retail locations of up to US$20 million , with Lender agreeing to take a junior secured position on those assets. Under the terms of the Extension, the Lender will receive a number of warrants equal to 33% of the Loan balance as of the current maturity date ( US$17,061,000 ) each exercisable into one SVS for a term equal to the term of the Loan and with an exercise price not less than US$0.17 (each a "Warrant"). If 4Front obtains a bona fide offer from a third party to refinance the Loan within six months of the effective date of the definitive documents effectuating the Extension, the Lender will have the option to match the proposed terms of the offer or keep the Loan in force; upon exercise of either option, the Lender's Warrant coverage will be reduced to 30% of the Loan balance as of the current maturity date. If 4Front obtains permitted secured debt senior to the Loan up to US$8 million , 75% of the Warrants will become exercisable by cashless exercise. If 4Front obtains permitted secured debt senior to the Loan in excess of US$8 million (up to the US$10 million maximum), 100% of the Warrants will become exercisable by cashless exercise. The Extension also provides that the Company will pay the Lender an origination fee equal to 1.00% of the Loan balance at the current maturity date ( US$51 million ), payable in cash on May 1, 2024. Under the terms of the Extension, while the Loan is outstanding, if 4Front unilaterally removes its CEO or President from their current positions without either cause or Lender consent the maturity date of the Loan will be accelerated to the date that is 30 days after the first unilateral removal. Leo Gontmakher , the CEO and a director of the Company, and Roman Tkachenko , a director of the Company, each own 14.28% of the Lender. Related Party Transaction Participation of related parties of the Company in the Gontmakher Issuances and RSU Grant constitute "related party transactions" as defined under Multilateral Instrument - 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company intends to rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that participation in the Gontmakher Issuances and RSU Grant by insiders will not exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization and also because the SVS trade only on the Canadian Securities Exchange. A material change report was not filed in connection with the participation of the insiders at least 21 days in advance of the closing of the Gontmakher Issuances and RSU Grant, which the Company deemed reasonable in the circumstances. About 4Front Ventures Corp. 4Front is a national, vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator who owns or manages operations and facilities in strategic medical and adult-use cannabis markets, including California , Illinois , Massachusetts , Michigan and Washington . Since its founding in 2011, 4Front has built a strong reputation for its high standards and low-cost cultivation and production methodologies earned through a track record of success in facility design, cultivation, genetics, growing processes, manufacturing, purchasing, distribution, and retail. To date, 4Front has successfully brought to market more than 20 different cannabis brands and over 1800 products, which are strategically distributed through its fully owned and operated Mission dispensaries and retail outlets in its core markets. As the Company continues to drive value for its shareholders, its team is applying its decade of expertise in the sector across the cannabis industry value chain and ecosystem. For more information, visit https://4frontventures.com/. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking, such as statements containing the terms and conditions of the proposed Extension, the entering into of definitive documentation and regulatory approval and other forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words and phrases such as "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," "could," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "seek," "should," "will," "would," "expect," "objective," "projection," "forecast," "goal," "guidance," "outlook," "effort," "target" or the negative of such words and other comparable terminology. However, the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Any forward-looking statements expressing an expectation or belief as to future events is expressed in good faith and believed to be reasonable at the time such forward-looking statement is made. However, these statements are not guarantees of future events and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors beyond 4Front's control. Therefore, you are cautioned against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed in any forward-looking statement. Except as required by applicable law, including Canadian and U.S. federal securities laws, 4Front does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform them to actual results or revised expectations. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4front-announces-executive-team-equity-compensation-details-and-signs-definitive-agreement-for-extension-of-senior-secured-debt-301888704.html SOURCE 4Front Ventures Corp. BEIJING , July 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of English education experts and scholars from all over the world assembled in Macao on Friday for a three-day event to explore new opportunities for global cooperation in English education brought by China's development. The 2023 Global English Education China Assembly, an online-and-offline event that opened at the City University of Macau (CityU), attracted over 1,600 experts, front-line educators and scholars from more than 20 countries and regions. Participants were mainly from China , the United States , the United Kingdom , New Zealand , Italy , Thailand , Russia , Singapore , Nepal , Mongolia , Indonesia and Pakistan . They shared their insights to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and discussed the most recent trends in English language teaching. The event's theme is "New opportunities for the world with new advances in China's development: Opening up new prospects in English education cooperation worldwide", and features nine keynote speeches and 23 parallel sessions. This year's assembly is hosted by China Daily and Shanghai International Studies University, and co-hosted by the Macao SAR Government Education and Youth Development Bureau, and organized by CityU and China Daily's 21st Century English Education Media. For the first time, the assembly, which started in 2018, was held in Macao one of the engine cities of the Guangdong -Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area . This location echoes the Outline Development Plan for the GBA released in 2019, which set out to, among other goals, build the region as a model area for high-quality education and promote opening up education to the world. At the event's opening ceremony, Qu Yingpu, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, highlighted that 2023 marks the 10th year since President Xi Jinping put forward both the idea of "building a community with a shared future for mankind" and the Belt and Road Initiative. It is, therefore, appropriate that for the first time, the conference this year has moved out of the Chinese mainland to Macao where East meets West and multiple cultures blend, Qu said. He said he believes the event will catalyze many innovative outcomes. Qu further said that English education could be a bridge to promote high-quality development of the BRI and people-to-people cultural exchanges could provide momentum for "building a community with a shared future for mankind". He urged the audience to cultivate talent in order to bolster the promotion of the three global initiatives brought forward by Xi the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. Qu also said China attaches great importance to education and cultural exchange. Xi, in his several correspondences with foreign students studying in China , has encouraged the latter to see with their own eyes the development of China and tell the world about what they have seen, to boost people-to-people bonding and friendship between their countries and China . Zha Mingjian, vice-president of Shanghai International Studies University, said development in recent times has brought many opportunities as well as challenges. In this context, the English education sector in China has the responsibility to serve as a vital bridge for English education globally. Opening education more extensively to the outside world will significantly strengthen China's efforts to modernize education in the new era, Zha said. Svetlana V. Sannikova, coordination council chairperson of the National Association of Teachers of English in Russia , said the Macao event offers a high-end international academic platform where teachers can learn many practical ideas and methods to improve their English teaching skills. On Friday, the event's organizer and CityU jointly established the Belt and Road English Education Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Exchange Base, which will use English education as a means to promote cultural exchanges and people-to-people bonding in countries and regions participating in the BRI. The GBA Exchange Base will also strive to promote high-quality development in the BRI landscape. Liu Jun , rector of CityU and president of the International Research Foundation for English Language Education, and Zeng Qingkai, editor-in-chief of 21st Century English Education Media, were the signatories of the document for the establishment of the base. Among the several dignitaries who graced Friday's opening ceremony were Ao Ieong U, secretary for social affairs and culture of the Macao SAR government, participating in the event on behalf of Macao SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng; Yan Zhichan, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR; Liu Xianfa, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao SAR; Kong Chimeng, director of the Macao SAR government Education and Youth Development Bureau; and Chan Meng -kam, chairman of the council of CityU. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/experts-foresee-china-role-in-english-learning-301888761.html SOURCE China Daily VERO BEACH , Fla, , July 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the sixth consecutive year, Market Street Memory Care Residence Viera celebrates their certification as a Great Place to Work under the operational management of Watercrest Senior Living. Great Place to Work certification is awarded by the Great Place to Work Institute and its senior care partner Activated Insights. "Achieving the honor of Great Place to Work for six consecutive years is a direct reflection of our Watercrest associate's feelings of respect and appreciation for their contributions to the organization and to the seniors that we serve," says Marc Vorkapich , principal and CEO of Watercrest Senior Living Group. "By cultivating our team members God-given talents and recognizing their unique contributions, Watercrest continues to uphold our reputation as one of the nation's premier senior living providers." Market Street Viera is an award-winning senior living community in Melbourne, Florida prestigiously recognized by U.S. News & World Report for the past two years as a Best Memory Care Community. U.S. News awards the designation of Best Senior Living only to those communities that achieved the highest possible rating for Memory Care . Prior to hiring at Market Street Memory Care , candidates complete a thorough behavioral based interview process to discover how their values align with the Watercrest mission and vision. Selected candidates proudly display their core value on their name badge, honoring a call to serve seniors. Great workplaces are defined by employees' levels of trust, pride and camaraderie, but the best workplaces are characterized by factors such as executive team effectiveness, innovation experience, complexity, and financial sustainability, all which contribute to a great workplace for associates at every level within the organization. "Being recognized as both a Great Place to Work and a two-time U.S. News & World Report Best Memory Care Community are achievements which go hand-in-hand," says Kim Sviben , Executive Director of Market Street Viera. "Our associates are valued and respected which creates an environment for our seniors to feel value, respect, and comfort in their home here at Market Street Viera." More than 60 elements of team members' experience on the job were evaluated, including the feeling of being welcomed as a new employee, the belief that their work makes a difference, and feeling their work has special meaning. Rankings are based on employees' experiences, regardless of title or position. Market Street Memory Care Residence Viera offers world class care, multi-sensory programming, diverse culinary experiences, and unparalleled associate training honoring seniors with Alzheimer's and dementia. The community is conveniently located at 6845 Murrell Road in Melbourne, Florida ; for more information, contact the community at 321-730-2444. The Watercrest Senior Living Group certification of Great Place to Work encompasses all of the senior living communities operating under the Watercrest Senior Living umbrella, including Market Street Memory Care Residences, Pelican Landing Assisted Living and Memory Care, and LifeBUILT Architecture. About Watercrest Senior Living Group Watercrest Senior Living Group was founded to honor our mothers and fathers, aspiring to become a beacon for quality in senior living by surpassing standards of care, service and associate training. Watercrest senior living communities are recognized for their luxury aesthetic, exceptional amenities, world-class care, and innovative memory care programming offering unparalleled service to seniors living with Alzheimer's and dementia. A six-time certified Great Place to Work, Watercrest specializes in the development and operations of assisted living and memory care communities and the growth of servant leaders. For information, visit www.watercrestseniorliving.com. About Activated Insights Activated Insights is the senior care affiliate of Great Place to Work, the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through its aging services certification program, Activated Insights helps Great Place to Work recognize outstanding workplace cultures in the aging services industry and produce the annual Fortune "Best Workplaces for Aging Services" as well as other Great Place to Work Best Workplaces lists for Millennials, Women, Diversity, Small & Medium Companies, and various regions. Through its employee engagement platform, Activated Insights helps clients create great workplaces that outpace peers on key business metrics like revenue growth, profitability, and retention. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/market-street-memory-care-residence-viera-celebrates-six-years-as-a-certified-great-place-to-worko-301888807.html SOURCE Watercrest Senior Living Group LIMERICK, Ireland , July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NAC Aviation 29 Designated Activity Company (the "Company") today announced amendments to (i) its previously announced offer to purchase an amount up to the Tender Cap (as defined below) of its 4.75% Senior Secured Notes due June 30, 2026 (the "Notes") at a purchase price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes for cash (the "Notes Offer") as set forth in the Company's amended Offer to Purchase and dated July 28, 2023 (as amended hereby, the "Amended Offer to Purchase ") and (ii) the concurrent purchase by way of assignment from lenders (the "TLB Lenders"), of loans (the "TLB Loans") under its term loan B credit agreement dated as of June 1, 2022 between, among others, the Company as a borrower, the financial institutions named therein as original lenders and Wilmington Trust (London) Limited as agent for the lenders (as amended from time to time, the "Term Loan B Credit Agreement" and, together with the Notes, the "NAC 29 Debt"), on substantially the same economic terms as the Notes Offer (the "TLB Offer" and, together with the Notes Offer, the "Debt Purchase Transactions"). The maximum aggregate amount (at face value) of NAC 29 Debt to be purchased by the Company pursuant to the Debt Purchase Transactions is $80,000,000 (the "Tender Cap"). The Company is hereby amending the Amended Offer to Purchase to (1) amend the Early Tender Premium component of the Total Consideration (both as defined in the Amended Offer to Purchase ) from $30.00 to $10.00 per $1,000 principal amount for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase by the Company, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding the settlement date; (2) extend the Early Tender Time and the Withdrawal Deadline (both as defined in the Amended Offer to Purchase ) from 5:00 p.m. , New York City time, on August 7, 2023 to 5:00 p.m. , New York City time, on August 10, 2023 ; and (3) a clarificatory change to the table on the second page of the Amended Offer to Purchase . These amendments apply to both the Notes Offer and the TLB Offer. The change in the Early Tender Premium has been made to ensure compliance with the requirements as set out in Clause 4.3 of side letter no. 2 to the intercreditor agreement that was entered into by, among others, the Company on 18 July 2023 . No further action is required to be taken by holders who have already validly tendered and not validly withdrawn their NAC 29 Debt in order to receive the Total Consideration, including the amended Early Tender Premium. Except as described herein, other terms of the previously announced Debt Purchase Transactions remain unchanged. The complete terms and conditions of the Notes Offer are described in the Amended Offer to Purchase , dated July 28, 2023 , a copy of which may be obtained from Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the tender agent and information agent (the "Tender and Information Agent") for the Notes Offer, by telephone at +1 (855) 654-2014 ( U.S. toll free) and +1 (212) 430-3774 (collect), in writing at 65 Broadway Suite 404, New York, New York 10006, Attention: Corporate Actions. The complete terms of the TLB Offer are described in the Amended Auction Notice dated July 28, 2023 , a copy of which may be obtained from Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as purchase agent (the "Purchase Agent") for the TLB Offer by telephone at +1 (855) 287-1922 (toll-free) or +1 (212) 250-7527 (collect), or in writing at One Columbus Circle , New York, New York 10019, Attention: Liability Management Group. The Company has engaged Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to act as the dealer manager (the "Dealer Manager") in connection with the Notes Offer and as Purchase Agent in connection with the TLB Offer. Questions regarding the terms of the Debt Purchase Transactions may be directed to the Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. by telephone at +1 (855) 287-1922 (toll-free) and +1 (212) 250-7527 (collect). Cautionary Statement None of the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Purchase Agent, the Tender and Information Agent or the trustee for the Notes, or any of their respective affiliates, is making any recommendation as to whether holders and/or lenders should or should not tender any NAC 29 Debt in response to the Debt Purchase Transactions or expressing any opinion as to whether the terms of the Debt Purchase Transactions are fair to any holder or lender. Holders and/or lenders must make their own decision as to whether to tender any of their NAC 29 Debt and, if so, the principal amount of NAC 29 Debt to tender and the bid price at which to tender. Holders of Notes should refer to the Amended Offer to Purchase for a description of the offer terms, conditions, disclaimers and other information applicable to the Notes Offer, and TLB Lenders should refer to the TLB Auction Notice for a description of the offer terms, conditions, disclaimers and other information applicable to the TLB Offer. This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or the solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. The Notes Offer is being made solely by means of the Amended Offer to Purchase . The Debt Purchase Transactions are not being made to holders of securities in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require any Debt Purchase Transactions to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Debt Purchase Transactions will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by the Dealer Manager or Purchase Agent (as applicable) or one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction. About Nordic Aviation Capital NAC is a global leader in regional aircraft leasing and is expanding into larger narrowbody aircraft leveraging its world-class asset management platform. The firm is based in Ireland and currently has offices also in Singapore , Denmark , Toronto and Beijing. Forward Looking Information Disclaimer Some of the statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include statements regarding the Company's intent and belief or current expectations and may be identified by the use of words like "anticipate", "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "will," "should," "seek," the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, without limitation, the Company's ability to consummate the Debt Purchase Transactions, as well as matters beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, results or events. Contacts: Nordic Aviation Capital: Media contact: [email protected] Global Bondholder Services Corporation: 65 Broadway Suite 404 New York, NY 10006 United States Attn: Corporate Actions Banks and Brokers call: +1 (212) 430-3774 Toll free +1 (855) 654-2014 Email: [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nac-aviation-29-designated-activity-company-announces-amendment-of-partial-notes-tender-offer-and-term-loan-b-offer-301888671.html SOURCE NAC Aviation 29 Designated Activity Company LONDON , July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VAPORESSO, a leading innovator in the vaping industry, has received well-deserved recognition at this year's London Design Awards, with four of its groundbreaking products being awarded for their exceptional design. The London Design Awards is an international competition that recognises exceptional designs and outstanding creative projects worldwide, celebrating the vibrancy and diversity of the international design community. The four distinguished products from VAPORESSO - the COSS, ECO NANO , LUXE XR, and XROS 3 NANO - have showcased the brand's formidable innovative prowess and have also been recognized with awards from many organizations. VAPORESSO's latest groundbreaking offering, the VAPORESSO COSS, is regarded as a game-changer in the vaping industry. It tackles existing issues with a thoughtful design that seamlessly caters to user habits. Its slogan, 'Convenient Operating, Smart Supplying', perfectly encapsulates the product's core values of INNOVATION, RELIABILITY, and STYLE. "Winning these awards is a testament to the creativity, skill, and dedication of our team," said Jimmy Hu , Vice President of VAPORESSO, "We are thrilled to have our efforts recognised on such a prestigious global platform. It validates our commitment to delivering innovative, high-quality products that enhance the vaping experience for our customers." The London Design Awards, held annually, applauds outstanding design achievements across various creative sectors. It acknowledges exemplary projects, products, and professionals who demonstrate innovation, creativity, and excellence within their respective industries. Meanwhile, the London Design Awards not only honours design excellence but also fosters creativity, encourages innovation, and facilitates collaborations between designers and design-driven businesses. The awards have grown in stature and popularity since their inception, attracting a wide range of participants from various design fields. The recognition from the London Design Awards underscores VAPORESSO's dedication to creating products that exceed customer expectations and further solidifies its position as a thought leader in the industry. It also acts as an external validation of VAPORESSO's capabilities and quality of work, building trust and confidence among potential customers. About VAPORESSO Established in 2015, VAPORESSO is committed to creating a smoke-free world and enhancing the quality of life for its users. Through continuous innovation, stringent quality control, and substantial commitment, VAPORESSO produces products that cater to all levels and styles of vapers. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vaporesso-wins-big-at-london-design-awards-2023-with-four-innovative-vaping-products-301888698.html SOURCE VAPORESSO FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and grandchildren Natalie Biden and Robert Hunter Biden disembark Air Force One following their holiday visit to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, as they arrive at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden publicly acknowledged a seventh grandchild for the first time on Friday in a statement to People Magazine. The 4-year-old girl is the child of Biden's son, Hunter, who settled a years-long court battle over child support in June. "This is not a political issue, its a family matter. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy," Biden said. The president said his son is working with the child's mother to foster a relationship that is "in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward". Speaking at an event at the White House in April, Biden noted that he was "crazy" about his six grandchildren, adding that he spoke to them every day. Some Republicans and Democrats have criticized Biden's past decision not to acknowledge his seventh grandchild. (Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) A virtual operations center of Chile's state-owned Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, is seen during its inauguration in Santiago, Chile, December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Fabian Cambero SANTIAGO (Reuters) -Chile's state miner, Codelco, on Friday cut its copper output forecast for 2023 and said it expects more halts in production during the second half of the year, following months of declines. The miner expects to have a yearly production of between 1.31 million-1.35 million metric tons from 1.35 million-1.45 million tons previously forecast, it said on Friday, as it reported that pretax profit fell 86% in the first six months of this year. The new forecast follows a recent rock explosion accident in its biggest mine, El Teniente, which has affected parts of the area's project developments and a productive area in the north of the mine, it said. This will hamper production in the remainder of the year, it added. The miner's pretax profit landed at $329 million for the first half of 2023, while its copper output slipped 14% year-on-year to 633,000 metric tons, extending a slowdown reported in the first three months of the year. Codelco's average copper sales prices fell 3% and sales volumes shrank 11.3%, while direct production costs rose 41.3% to hit about $2.12 per pound, from $1.506 the year before. Codelco, whose production fell to its lowest level in a quarter-century last year, has faced a series of adverse weather and operational problems, including the death of a contract worker at El Teniente in June. The company has also been tasked with leading talks with private companies in Chile's push to increase state control over the country's vast lithium industry. Chile is the world's top copper-producing country and No. 2 for lithium, key to powering the booming electric vehicle industry, though Codelco does not mine any lithium. Chief Executive Andre Sougarret recently decided to step down by the end of August. Codelco has yet to name a successor. (Reporting by Fabian Cambero in SantiagoWriting by Carolina PuliceEditing by Sarah Morland and Matthew Lewis) FILE PHOTO: Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi poses for pictures with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry following a bilateral meeting during his visit in Colombo, Sri Lanka July 29,2023. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte/File Photo By Uditha Jayasinghe COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lanka on Saturday invited Japan to resume investment in projects including power, roads and ports as the Japanese foreign minister wrapped up the first high-level visit to the crisis-hit country in nearly four years. Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said his country was seeking Japanese investment in sectors such as power, infrastructure and dedicated investment zones, as well as in the green and digital economies. The South Asian island nation is working to restructure its massive debt to continue a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund, after its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades last year triggered default and the resignation of its president. "We are confident that Sri Lanka's economic recovery, which has made a promising start, and future growth prospects will provide us with greater opportunities to enhance the Japan-Sri Lanka relationship," Sabry told a news conference. He was joined by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who is in Colombo as part of a multi-country diplomatic tour including India, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia and the Maldives. "I conveyed my expectations for further progress in the debt restructuring process and stressed the importance of a transparent and comparable debt restructuring that involves all creditor countries," Hayashi said. He did not respond publicly to Sabry's investment invitation. Japan's historically vibrant relations with Sri Lanka cooled after the island unilaterally suspended a $2 billion light railway project in 2020. Ties improved in recent months after President Ranil Wickremesinghe appealed to Japan to help Sri Lanka weather the crisis, caused by economic mismanagement by successive governments, deep tax cuts and then the COVID-19 pandemic. Wickremesinghe received Cabinet approval this month to reactivate the light rail project. Lying along key shipping routes in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has become a hot spot for influence between India and Japan on the one side and China on the other. Japan is Sri Lanka's biggest bilateral lender after China, with about $2.7 billion in outstanding loans, according to finance ministry data. India is the third key creditor. (Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe; Editing by Lincoln Feast and William Mallard) RABAT (Reuters) - The Dominican Republic has recognized Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, Rabat's foreign ministry said on Saturday, as a slowly growing number of nations back the North African nation's claim. Morocco considers Western Sahara its own territory, but the Algerian-backed Polisario Front wants to establish an independent state there. The dispute has soured Morocco's relations with some of its neighbours, most of all Algeria. The Dominican Republic's position was expressed in a letter by its foreign minister Roberto Alvarez, Morocco's foreign ministry said in a statement. The Dominican Republic's stance aligns it with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, which opened a consulate in Western Sahara last year. Winning support for its rule over Western Sahara has been the ultimate goal of Moroccan diplomacy. Some 28 other states, mostly Arab and African, have opened consulates in the territory as tangible proof of their support for Rabat. Earlier this month Morocco won Israel's recognition of its sovereignty claim over the territory, following a similar move by the United States in 2020. Algeria has strongly criticised Israel's move. (Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Hugh Lawson) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 25, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) CHENGDU, Sichuan/HANZHONG, Shaanxi, July 29 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has called for breaking new ground in China's high-quality development during an inspection tour in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged the province to write a new chapter in advancing Chinese modernization. He said that it is imperative to apply the new development philosophy, forge a new pattern of development and promote common prosperity across the board and throughout economic and social development. He urged more efforts to advance the transformation of the model, driving force, areas and quality of development to break new ground in the country's high-quality development. During the Sichuan tour, Xi visited places including Guangyuan and Deyang cities from July 25 to 27. On Tuesday afternoon, he went to Guangyuan and visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao." Xi walked along the ancient road and took a close look at the ancient cypress forest that has been well preserved. Xi stressed the importance of building institutional frameworks and their implementation as well as inspiring the people's motivation, initiative and creativity to consolidate and expand the achievements in ecological conservation. On Wednesday afternoon, Xi visited the new building of the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang. Sanxingdui Ruins are the remnants of an ancient capital and represent the ancient Shu civilization. After touring the exhibition halls, Xi went to the venue for relic preservation and repair, where he carefully observed the procedures, details, and latest techniques. Xi also talked with the staff on site. He stressed more state support for the preservation and repair of cultural relics, describing the work as a long-term task. Xi also called for promoting craftsmanship and perseverance to yield more achievements in this regard. On Thursday morning, Xi was briefed by the Sichuan provincial Party committee and government about their work, and recognized their efforts in various respects. He urged Sichuan to make more progress in sci-tech innovation, the building of a modern industrial system, rural revitalization and the consolidation of ecological shields along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. On his way back to Beijing, Xi inspected the city of Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province. General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 26, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Li Tao) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 26, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 26, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 26, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 25, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 25, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 25, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 25, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Hanzhong Museum in Hanzhong, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 29, 2023. Xi made an inspection tour in southwest China's Sichuan Province. On his way back to Beijing, Xi inspected the city of Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Hanzhong Museum in Hanzhong, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 29, 2023. Xi made an inspection tour in southwest China's Sichuan Province. On his way back to Beijing, Xi inspected the city of Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) FILE PHOTO: Aerial view shows destroyed buildings as a result of intense fighting, amid the Russian invasion, in Bakhmut, Ukraine in this still image from handout video released June 15, 2023. 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Brigade/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo (Reuters) - Ukrainian soldiers were observed using North Korean rockets that they said were seized by a "friendly" country before being delivered to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. Ukraine's defence ministry suggested the arms were captured from the Russians, the newspaper said. The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, including alleged shipments by sea, but has not offered proof and North Korean weapons have not been widely observed on the battlefields in Ukraine. North Korea and Russia deny conducting arms transactions. The North Korean weapons were shown by Ukrainian troops operating Soviet-era Grad multiple-launch rocket systems near the destroyed eastern city of Bakhmut, site of lengthy brutal fighting, the report said. Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Pyongyang this week to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, the first visit by Moscow's top defence official since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. During the visit, Shoigu was photographed viewing banned North Korean ballistic missiles with leader Kim Jong Un at a military expo in Pyongyang, signalling deeper ties between the two countries as they each face off with the United States. (Reporting by Josh Smith and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by William Mallard) (Tribune News Service) Billy Frank Jr. was arrested over 50 times trying to preserve his and his tribe's treaty right to fish in their ancestral waters. Now, the legendary Nisqually elder who was a central figure in the fight for tribal fishing rights and environmental protections in the Pacific Northwest will have a U.S. Navy ship named after him. A future U.S. Navy Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship TATS-11 will be named the USNS Billy Frank Jr., officials announced this month. "This is truly an honor for the Frank family, Wa-he-lut School and the Nisqually Nation," said Willie Frank III, son of Billy Frank Jr. and chair of the Nisqually Indian Tribe, in a statement. Starting in 2019, the Navy began naming a new class of ships after prominent Native Americans or Native American tribes in honor of their contributions to the armed forces American Indians and Alaska Natives serve in the U.S. military at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in the country. Frank served in the Marine Corps for two years. The USNS Billy Frank Jr., the sixth ship in the class, is the first to be named after an individual. "We have a chance to tell our story and educate a whole new audience about the Nisqually Tribe, Billy Frank Jr., and the 29 tribes in the state of Washington," said Willie Frank III. William "Billy" Frank Jr. was born in 1931 as a member of the Nisqually tribe in Washington, and he grew up fishing on his tribal land. He began his long career as an activist in 1945 as a boy, when he was arrested for catching steelhead and chum with his net in the Nisqually River. Over the years, he would become the face of a defining civil rights movement in the Pacific Northwest. After serving as a military policeman in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, Frank returned to Washington, where he continued to fight for the right to fish Chinook and other salmon in his tribe's historical waters. Despite 19th century treaties guaranteeing Northwest tribes access to historical waters, commercial and sport fishing had led to a drop in stocks at local salmon fisheries. In response, state game agents began harassing and targeting tribal fishermen, including Frank and his father. Over the years, Frank and others staged "fish-ins" at the Washington state Capitol, protesting the arrests and raids against Indigenous fishermen blamed for the decline. That organizing culminated in a landmark decision in 1974, when U.S. District Judge George Boldt affirmed the tribes' right to half of the fish harvest as well as the country's obligation to honor treaties. That ruling was extended to the harvest of shellfish in 1993. "He'll stand with all the great Indian names of the past two centuries in the Pacific Northwest and across the nation," his longtime friend Hank Adams told The Seattle Times in 2014. "His is a name that will stand out in the future for all he's given to Indians and the world." Frank would go on to serve as chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for over three decades and receive numerous accolades. In the later half of his life, Frank turned his activism toward protecting forests and salmon streams from excessive timber harvest and development. He died in 2014 at age 83. A statue of Frank is set to be placed in the Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol, a revered civic space where each state is represented by two figures deserving of national commemoration. Navajo-class ships provide "ocean-going tug, salvage and rescue capabilities to support Fleet operations," according to U.S. Navy officials. They can tow other Navy vessels and have 6,000 square feet of deck space. Other ships in the class have been named in honor of the Cherokee Nation, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. "My father served this beautiful country as a United States Marine. He was proud to serve his country," said Willie Frank III in a statement. "As Chairman of the Nisqually Tribe, we want to thank the United States Navy for recognizing and honoring our Nisqually veteran, father and uncle." (c)2023 The Seattle Times Visit www.seattletimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (Tribune News Service) The U.S. is ordering non-emergency staff at its embassy in Port-au-Prince to leave Haiti after an escalation in gang violence this week led dozens of Haitian families to seek refuge outside of the embassy compound in the Tabarre neighborhood of the capital. The mandate leaves a skeletal staff to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens. It will also mean longer wait time for Haitian nationals seeking to renew their U.S. tourist visas, or get permission to reunited with family already in the United States. The embassy was already struggling to process such requests due to the high level of kidnappings and armed violence by gangs, which led to a similar order last fall. As is always the case, the safety and security of U.S. personnel serving abroad is one of the highest priorities from the Department of State, Brian A. Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere at the State Department, told the Miami Herald on Friday. On Thursday, the State Department ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. personnel and their eligible family members from Haiti due to the current security issues and persisting infrastructure challenges. It also reissued its Do Not Travel advisory, the highest level, for Haiti. The advisory tells U.S. citizens to leave the country immediately due to recent armed clashes between criminal groups and police in Port-au-Prince. Earlier in the week, dozens of Haitians fleeing their homes decided to seek refuge in front of the U.S. embassy. Several residents said they lived directly behind the embassy or near its housing compound. Asked why they decided to camp out in front of the embassy, several Haitians told the Herald that they wanted the U.S. to help. Others complained that the embassy doesnt want to do anything for us. When they go home, they have police for security. We are on our own, said a man who refused to give his name while sitting on the sidewalk. In response to the situation, a specialized unit of the Haitian police on Tuesday used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Among those who were tear gassed, according to local media reports, were children and pregnant women. By Friday, the crowds had left the vicinity of the embassy and were taking up refuge at a public school in nearby Caradeux. In October, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry asked the international community to help the struggling Haitian national police force by deploying a specialized armed force to the country. The request was backed by U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the United States, which penned a resolution in the Security Council for such a deployment. More than nine months later, however, no country has volunteered to lead the force, though some African nations have offered to send police officers to Haiti and Jamaica has offered to deploy some of its military. Earlier this month, the Security Council asked Guterres to come up with options to improve the security situation, including a possible U.N. peacekeeping force and a non-U.N. multinational force. Guterres was given 30 days to to report back. Guterres spokesman said his position on the need for a robust force to be deployed to help Haiti has not change and were still looking for movement from member states in that direction. In addition to the violence in Tabarre, gangs have also launched attacks outside of Port-au-Prince. Among the victims: an independent radio station in Liancourt in Haitis Artibonite Valley. It was set on fire over the weekend when dozens of heavily armed men attacked the rural town, setting houses ablaze and sending residents fleeing for their lives. The uptick in violence comes despite a recent truce among some gang leaders. Nichols said the Biden administration remains committed to helping Haiti address its deteriorating security situation, and continues to urge Henry and the countrys political and civil society groups to work together on a governance agreement. Were continuing to collaborate with our international partners to develop a framework for a possible multinational force to restore security and stability in Haiti, he said. Were working to identify a lead nation for that effort. In the meantime, the U.S. and Canada have focused on issuing sanctions against gang members as well as members of Haitis political and business elite. On Friday, the European Union, thanks to the efforts of France, also decided to amend its laws to allow the E.U. to autonomously impose restrictive measures on individuals and entities responsible for threatening the peace, security or stability of Haiti, or for undermining democracy or the rule of law in the country. The decision means that some Haitians will find themselves shut out of the U.S., Canada and the Dominican Republic, and now the European Union. The restrictions consist of a travel ban for individuals and the freezing of funds belonging to both individuals and companies. In addition, people and entities in the E.U. will be forbidden from making funds available to those listed, either directly or indirectly. The current situation in Haiti constitutes a threat to international peace and security in the region, said Josep Borrell, the E.U.s high representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. With this new framework for restrictive measures, we are sending a clear signal to Haitian gang leaders and their financiers: We know how they operate and there will be no impunity. The E.U. stands with Haiti and its people. The U.S. embassy area is surrounded by at least three powerful gangs, two of which are controlled by leaders implicated in the kidnapping of 17 American and Canadian missionaries in October 2021. The gangs, 400 Mawozo and Kraze Barye, have been escalating their violence in the last week, raiding businesses and homes. The Kraze Barye gang, which is behind the latest upsurge in violence, is led by a politically connected gang leader, Vitelhomme Innocent. Despite having a $1 million FBI reward for his capture for the missionaries kidnapping, he has been carrying out a wave of brutal attacks in recent months, including one against a business housing the Jamaica consulate in Haiti. He is also tied to the ongoing abduction of the former head of the Provisional Electoral Council, Pierre-Louis Opont. Opont, who is also owns a television station, remains in captivity more than a month after being kidnapped near his home in Tabarre. Nichols said the State Department believes Innocent is currently vying for control of the Tabarre neighborhood and has directed his subordinates to invade nearby communities. Since that happened, the Haitian national police have been actively trying to repel the gang members from the neighborhood so that people can return to their homes. That meant that the of violence in and around our facilities is elevated, Nichols said. These are evil people who exploit ordinary citizens, take their money, carry out rapes, murders, assaults, robberies of the general population, he added. And unfortunately, thats whats going on here. 2023 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Brazilian justice officials said Thursday they can't approve a U.S. request to extradite an alleged Russian spy because they have already been processing Moscow's own request for the man. Sergey Cherkasov, 37, was charged by the U.S. Justice Department in March with acting as an illegal agent of a Russian intelligence service while attending Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington as a master's student. He faces additional U.S. charges including visa fraud, bank fraud and wire fraud, according to a complaint. Cherkasov is serving a sentence in Brazil on charges of using fraudulent documents. Brazil's justice minister, Flavio Dino, said on Twitter that Cherkasov will remain imprisoned in Brazil for the time being. A Russian request for Cherkasov on allegations of drug trafficking had been conditionally approved by Brazil's Supreme Court earlier this year, making them unable to complete the U.S. request, the Brazilian Justice Ministry stated. However, the Russian request is also pending Brazil's own spying investigation into Cherkasov. Paulo Ferreira, one of Cherkasov's lawyers, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night. He told the Wall Street Journal his client is not a Russian spy. The Justice Department and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Justice Department's March complaint alleges Cherkasov acted as a type of deep-cover Russian agent called an "illegal." Such agents operate without any known link to their home government and often build elaborate false identities. Cherkasov lived under the alias Victor Muller Ferreira, a Brazilian citizen, but U.S. and Brazilian authorities say he was actually born in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave sandwiched between Poland, Lithuania and the Baltics. Cherkasov was seen by some as a potential bargaining chip in a prisoner swap the United States is seeking to negotiate in exchange for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being held in Russia for espionage. Gershkovich and the Journal both say the charge is false, and the State Department says he has been wrongfully detained. KYIV, Ukraine Fierce fighting raged Thursday in southeastern Ukraine, where a Western official said Kyiv has launched a major push and Russian President Vladimir Putin said "hostilities have intensified significantly." Battles in recent weeks have taken place on multiple points along the over 600-mile front line as Ukraine wages a counteroffensive with Western-supplied weapons and Western-trained troops against Russian forces who invaded 17 months ago. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated his troops on reclaiming control of a village, while Putin praised Russian troops "heroism" in repelling attacks in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. Putin insisted on state TV that the Ukrainian troops' push "wasn't successful" and charged that they suffered heavy casualties, although it was not possible to independently verify his claim. Putin was in St. Petersburg at a summit of African leaders. Ukrainian troops have made only incremental gains since launching a counteroffensive in early June, and Putin has repeatedly claimed Ukraine has suffered heavy losses, without offering evidence. Ukraine has committed thousands of troops in the region in recent days, said a Western official who was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter. A U.S. official said Ukraine has begun to commit troops from the 10th Corps, although it's not certain all of its units are moving into the fight. Ukraine had been holding the 10th Corps in reserve, with the expectation it would be used to exploit gaps or soft spots the ground forces opened up. Those additional new forces would be used to take advantage of places where Ukrainian troops have been able to break through some of Russia's defenses. The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Pentagon reporters last week that Ukraine was "preserving their combat power" and that a "significant" amount of it had not yet entered action as Ukrainian forces slowly and deliberately worked their way through the Russian minefields. It was unclear how the current effort differs from previous ones by the Ukrainian military to break through deeply entrenched Russian defenses. The Russian army has set up vast minefields to stymie Ukrainian advances and used combat aircraft and loitering munitions to strike Ukrainian armor and artillery. Zelenskyy posted a video Thursday in which a group of Ukrainian soldiers said they had taken control of the village of Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region next to the Zaporizhzhia province. "Our South! Our guys! Glory to Ukraine!" Zelenskyy declared. Russian military bloggers have confirmed that Ukrainian forces have taken part of the village that was the focus of Ukraine's attacks in recent days. If Russian defenses in the area collapse, it would open the way for the Ukrainian forces to push southward toward the coast. Ukrainian authorities have kept operational details of the counteroffensive under wraps, and they have released scant information about its progress. However, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Wednesday that troops are advancing toward the city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhizhia region. The seizure of Melitopol near the Sea of Azov would be a major success for Ukraine, which hopes to punch through the land corridor between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. That could split Russian forces into two and cut supply lines to units farther west. Russia currently controls the whole Sea of Azov coast. The Institute of Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, reported that Ukrainian forces launched "a significant mechanized counteroffensive operation" in western Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday and "appear to have broken through certain pre-prepared Russian defensive positions." The reinvigorated Ukrainian push comes in the wake of Russian military and political turmoil in June that saw Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner private military company, stage a short-lived rebellion that posed the gravest threat to Putin in his 23-year rule. The mercenaries have withdrawn from the battlefield in Ukraine, where they played a pivotal role in capturing the stronghold of Bakhmut following the war's longest battle. Thousands of Wagner troops have reportedly deployed to Belarus to help train its troops before moving to Africa. Zelenskyy, meanwhile, visited the city of Dnipro, along the Dnieper River to the north of Zaporizhzhia, meeting with military commanders to discuss air defenses, ammunition supplies and regional recruitment. He also visited a medical facility caring for the wounded from the front, thanking the staff and emphasizing the importance of their work in saving the lives. A recent increase in wounded at a Dnipro hospital hinted that the tempo of fighting had increased. In what appeared to be a precautionary move, Russia's Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, prohibited civilian access to the Arabat Spit in Crimea, a narrow strip of land that links the peninsula to the partially occupied Kherson region. The open-ended ban is needed to contain security threats, the FSB said in a statement quoted by Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti. U.S. officials, who have provided Kyiv with weapons and intelligence, declined to comment publicly on the latest developments, though they have previously urged patience as Ukraine seeks to grind down Russian positions. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a visit to Papua New Guinea that Kyiv's effort to retake land seized by Russia since its full-scale invasion in February 2022 would be tough and long, with successes and setbacks. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said "an intense battle" is taking place but declined to provide details. "We believe that tools, the equipment, the training, the advice that many of us have shared with Ukrainians over many months puts them in good position to be successful on the ground in recovering more of the territory that Russia has taken from Ukraine," Blinken said in New Zealand. Meanwhile, a missile strike on Ukraine's southern Odesa region killed one civilian and further damaged its port infrastructure in the latest attack since Moscow broke off a grain export agreement, Odesa Gov. Oleh Kiper said. The attack used Kalibr cruise missiles launched from the Black Sea, he said. Ukraine's air force said it intercepted 36 Russian missiles launched from Tu-95MS strategic bombers. Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Lolita C. Baldor and Aamer Madhani in Washington, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, and Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed. PAVLIVKA, Ukraine When four Russian cruise missiles ripped apart a grain storage facility in this southern village last week, shock waves shattered the windows of adjacent homes, sending broken glass everywhere. One shard left a nearly 3-inch wound in the arm of Tetiana Lazarova, a nearby resident who jumped out of her bed after she heard the second explosion. "The sound was so foul," she said. "It felt like the world was ending." Like many of the farmers who live near Odesa, one of Ukraine's major port cities, Lazarova is convinced that Moscow's attacks on the port and its agriculture sector are aimed at extracting maximum pain following Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to terminate a United Nations-brokered deal allowing grain exports from the Black Sea. "They're sick! They are doing it on purpose!" she said, nursing a bandage on her arm as she stood among twisted scraps of metal strewn about the nearby homes. Odesa's grain industry suffered tens of millions of dollars in damage as a result of the near-nightly Russian airstrikes. The attacks destroyed at least 60,000 tons of grain, enough to feed more than 270,000 people for a year, according to the U.N. World Food Program. Follow-on attacks Monday targeted grain warehouses along the Danube River a key alternative route for exports following the collapse of the Black Sea deal and appeared to be aimed at crippling the country's entire agricultural industry, which accounted for about 20 percent of Ukraine's economy before Russia's invasion. On Thursday, another Russian missile hit Odesa's cargo terminal and administrative buildings, killing one employee, Ukraine's military said. Russia, one of the world's largest producers of fertilizer, said it backed out of the Black Sea deal because it was being implemented to benefit only Ukraine and was not resulting in a substantial increase of exports of Russian grain and fertilizer because of Western sanctions a point fiercely disputed by the United Nations, the United States and international aid agencies. "Only upon receipt of concrete results, and not promises and assurances, will Russia be ready to consider restoring the deal," Russia's Foreign Ministry said. U.S. officials reject that Western sanctions are to blame and see Putin executing an explicit strategy. "This is very intentional," Samantha Power, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, told reporters this week after returning from a visit to Odesa. Not only is Putin using "food as a weapon of war," Power said, "but it also appears to be part of an ongoing campaign to decimate Ukraine's economy." Many Ukrainian farmers also face the danger of thousands of deadly land mines and other unexploded ordnance now strewn across their fields. The Black Sea deal, forged by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022, ended a four-month Russian naval blockade of Ukraine's ports that had dramatically curtailed Ukraine's exports, crippling its already war-battered economy. In the year that followed, the deal allowed Ukraine to export 33 million tons of grain and other food products. Power has made it her goal to salvage Ukraine's agricultural sector, announcing an additional $250 million to increase the rate of loading and unloading at Danube ports, expand access to financing for farmers who lost business in the war and cannot afford to plant new crops, and streamline Western border checkpoints to increase trade. The use of the Danube River as an alternative trade route has shown the most promise thus far. In March 2022, the Danube routes moved 55,000 tons of agricultural cargo but have now greatly expanded capacity, with 2.2 million tons moving in May. "That's almost a 4,000 percent increase," Power said. But that amount still falls far short of satisfying export potential in a country that expects to harvest 44 million tons of grain this year cut nearly in half from a high of 86 million in 2021. On Thursday, African leaders attending a summit meeting in St. Petersburg urged Putin to halt his blockade and return to the grain deal. They have warned that restrictions on exports will worsen an already critical food crisis in some African nations. Andrii Dykun, chairman of the Ukrainian Agrarian Council, says the United States has been "crucial for Ukrainian farmers," underscoring the benefit that loan assistance has provided for farmers whose profit margins have been decimated by increased shipping costs or the inability to get their products to market. "Without that support we would not survive," Dykun said. Other farmers, however, are pessimistic that governments or international institutions will have enough impact to allow their business to survive. "It's not economically viable to trade grain to the world right now at all," said Oleksandr Chumak, a farmer who employs more than 200 people across 8,000 acres of land. Chumak, who grows wheat, barley and other crops, said there were several months last year when the Black Sea deal moved exports quickly, but eventually Russia began restricting the movement of ships unpredictably, raising transport costs for farmers. "The last six months it wasn't working at all," he said. While he has been able to export some products via the Danube, it is too expensive to be profitable, he said. Other farmers, such as Anatoliy Artemenko, who grows wheat in the Odesa region, said it is still worth it to export his product, but that is easier said than done. "It just stays in storage this year, next year it just keeps piling up," he said. A key problem is competing for export contracts at a time of pent-up supply. "We were given a contract for 1,000 tons, and that's what we exported," Artemenko said. Russia is not the only problem for Ukrainian farmers. Poland's government, at the behest of its influential farm lobby, is pushing the European Union to extend import restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural products a move some Ukrainian farmers view as a betrayal from an otherwise staunch ally. "It's a complete disaster for us," said Dykun, the head of the agrarian council. "And from a country that always says, 'You are our brothers and sisters.'" For Power, restoring Ukraine's agriculture industry is key to making the war, which shows no signs of ending soon, more sustainable financially for the United States, which has expended tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance. Gainfully employed farmers are an "important source of tax revenue for the Ukrainian government," Power said. "And while the United States and Europe provide very significant direct budget support to the Ukrainian government," she added, "the goal has been, of course, to decrease that ... over time as Ukraine's own economy recovers." WARSAW, Poland Over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, the Polish prime minister said Saturday. Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference that the mercenaries had moved close to the Suwalki Gap, a strategic stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian territory separated from the mainland. Poland is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and it has worried about its security with Russian ally Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern border. Those fears have grown since Wagner group mercenaries arrived in Belarus since the group's short-lived rebellion earlier this summer. The Poland-Belarus border has already been a tense place for a couple of years, ever since large numbers of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa began arriving, seeking to enter the EU by crossing into Poland, as well as Lithuania. Poland's government accuses Russia and Belarus of using the migrants to destabilize Poland and other EU countries. It calls the migration a form of hybrid warfare, and has responded by building a high wall along part of its border with Belarus. "Now the situation becomes even more dangerous," Morawiecki told reporters. He added that "this is certainly a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory." Morawiecki spoke during a visit to an arms factory in Gliwice, in southern Poland, where Leopard tanks used by the Ukrainian army are being repaired. Carl Skau, deputy executive director and chief operating officer of the World Food Programme (WFP), speaks at a press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, on July 28, 2023. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) "Less funding means WFP is forced to stop assisting people who are only in the hunger category known as 'crisis level.' This is so that we can save those who are literally starving -- those in the catastrophic hunger category," says Carl Skau. UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A funding crunch is forcing the World Food Programme (WFP) to cut its operations, said a high-ranking official on Friday. "WFP is in the midst of a crippling funding crisis that is forcing us to scale back life-saving assistance right as acute hunger is hitting record levels," Carl Skau, deputy executive director and chief operating officer of the WFP, told reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York. At least 38 of 86 WFP country operations have already cut, or plan to soon cut, the size and scope of life-saving food, cash and nutrition assistance programs, he said. In Afghanistan, the WFP was forced to cut rations from 75 percent to 50 percent for communities facing emergency level of hunger in March; in Syria, the WFP cut assistance in July for 2.5 million of the 5.5 million people who rely on the agency for their basic food needs; and in Yemen, the agency will be forced to scale down its work as early as next month, with cuts for 7 million people across the country, he said. Most of the countries in West Africa are facing extensive ration cuts, particularly the seven larger crisis operations of Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon, where acute hunger is on the rise, said Skau. Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Zhou Pingjian (C) and Ron Sibanda (R), country director and representative of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), attend a handover ceremony at a warehouse of WFP near Maiduguri, Nigeria, on May 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Baoping) "Less funding means WFP is forced to stop assisting people who are only in the hunger category known as 'crisis level.' This is so that we can save those who are literally starving -- those in the catastrophic hunger category," he said. But what happens is that those people at crisis level of hunger now rapidly drop into emergency level and catastrophe level, he added. "And so, we will have an additional humanitarian emergency on our hands down the road if this continues. We are entering a humanitarian doom loop where we save people who are starving, at the cost of allowing millions of others to fall closer into that same category. Ration cuts are clearly not the way to go forward," he said. Skau warned that funding is drying up while humanitarian needs continue to grow and the drivers for hunger remain. The funding prospects for 2024 are more dire as aid budgets and humanitarian budgets both in Europe and the United States are not what they were in 2021 and 2022, he said. World leaders must act to prioritize funding for humanitarian response, enhance coordination among aid organizations and governments, and invest in long-term solutions that address the root causes of these crises, such as conflict resolution, poverty reduction, and sustainable development, said Skau. With $14 billion in new federal funding, the infrastructure law was supposed to jolt efforts to protect the U.S. highway network from a changing climate and curb carbon emissions that are warming the planet. New records show the effort is off to an unsteady start as hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent elsewhere. Last year, 38 states made use of a provision in the law to shift about $755 million to general-purpose highway construction accounts, according to Federal Highway Administration records. The sum is more than one-quarter of the total annual amount made available to states in two new climate-related programs. California shifted $97 million to pay for safety projects. New York moved $36 million to fund what officials called the state's "core capital program." Arizona said it used $20 million for its five-year highway construction program, largely for "pavement preservation," and Louisiana used $8.2 million to fund roundabouts near an outlet mall. Five states couldn't account for how the money was used after it was transferred. The nibbling away of climate funding highlights a fundamental tension in the 2021 law, which was crafted to secure bipartisan support. Protections to long-standing flexibility in how states use federal highway funding are hampering efforts by Democrats and the Biden administration to make progress on environmental goals. Amid clashes over federal guidance, the financial transfers from two climate programs - coming as weather events batter the nation's infrastructure with increased intensity - illustrate how states have wide latitude to discount the wishes of leaders in Washington. The records, released under a Freedom of Information Act request, show several states said they were still putting together plans for how to use the money, typically an injection of tens of millions of dollars annually for each state. Some blamed slow guidance on how to spend the money. Transportation projects can take years to develop, and many states have only begun grappling with what a changing climate means for their infrastructure and have argued that their power to cut emissions is limited. The overall picture is one of states slowly coming to grips with how to best use a windfall of money intended to shield thousands of miles of roads and bridges and curb carbon emissions. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) credited President Biden's focus on the environment for securing the first-of-its-kind money in the infrastructure law. The agency said it would implement the law as Congress intended, aiming to reduce the role the transportation sector plays in contributing to climate change. "The Biden Administration recognizes climate change as a crisis facing our nation and has adopted a whole of government response, which has already meant critical new investments in carbon emissions reduction and resiliency in all elements of our nation's infrastructure," FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt said in a statement. "These investments are making a difference as states put them to use." The agency pointed to projects in five states as examples of how funding from the new programs was shoring up the nation's infrastructure for a changing climate. They include raising a two-mile stretch of highway above a flood plain in Kentucky, deepening the foundations of a bridge carrying Interstate 20 in South Carolina and raising the elevation of a highway in Louisiana. A legal provision predating the infrastructure law allows states to shift up to half of their federal transportation funds among several different programs - a provision that also applies to transportation money from the new law. Kevin DeGood, director of the infrastructure program at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said Congress clearly intended for money to be allocated to projects that would reduce emissions or protect against extreme weather. "It's an absolute failure that this is allowed to happen," he said. Some state transportation departments said the transferred money ultimately will contribute to climate resilience or emissions cuts. California and other states said they planned to transfer money back to the two climate programs in the future - a step that records show Virginia has already done. In the meantime, federal and state transportation officials are increasingly turning their attention to how a changing climate is putting highways, bridges and rail lines at risk. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg witnessed the consequences earlier this month in Vermont, where a storm dropped as much as 9 inches of rain - about the norm for June and July combined - within 36 hours. The deluge closed almost 300 miles of state roads and affected more than 200 bridges, according to the Vermont Agency of Transportation. After touring the damage, Buttigieg said punishing weather driven by climate change is increasingly putting infrastructure at risk. "It feels like every few weeks we see a new flood, storm, heat wave, drought. It's not lost on me that our skies are hazy because of wildfires of a nature and severity that should not be an annual event, and yet, here we are," he said. "Americans are seeing the results of climate change with our own eyes and dealing with the consequences." Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) said the state would use money from the infrastructure law to guard against future disasters. "By using all these federal resources, we have an opportunity to ensure the infrastructure Vermonters rely on is strong and more resilient," he said. In November, Vermont's transportation agency submitted paperwork to the FHWA to transfer $7 million out of the climate resilience fund to a general purpose transportation building fund, almost the maximum amount allowed by the law. Vermont is among four states that said its transferred funds would still contribute to climate protection projects. Andrea Wright, the state transportation agency's environmental policy manager, said the agency transferred the money to maximize federal contributions to projects that "meet the intent of the originating funding programs." Most of the money was used to overhaul a section of Interstate 89 that highway officials say was at risk of sinking. At the same time, Wright said the agency is finalizing resilience and emissions reduction plans, and could transfer money back into the climate programs in the future. Jason Maulucci, a spokesman for Scott, said the state also used federal pandemic relief money to bolster climate resilience. Officials in Maine, Oregon and Colorado, three other states that transferred money away, also said they might return funds to the climate programs. "Maine is committed both to maximizing the amount of federal funding under these programs and doing everything we can to prudently and effectively strengthen our infrastructure and mitigate the impacts of climate change," Paul Merrill, spokesman for the Maine Transportation Department, said in an email. Other states have been quick to put the resilience money to use. Utah repaired flood damage and stabilized a slope. Delaware plans to elevate some its many flood-prone roads. While most federal transportation funding is allocated to states using formulas - the method of distribution for the new climate and emissions programs - the infrastructure law also included $1.4 billion in new climate resilience grants for Buttigieg to award at his discretion. The FHWA said the agency launched the program this year to let states assess how they might use their formula funds before pursuing the grants. Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said the criteria for using the resilience funding is strict and states will soon begin to have a pipeline of eligible projects. "It's hard for any new programs, whether it's states or transit agencies, to be able to ramp up in that first year, especially if guidance and eligibility doesn't come out until later in the fiscal year," he said. Tackling climate change has been a source of tension between Washington and some states since the infrastructure law passed. The Biden administration has tried to encourage states to use the money for climate resilience or emission-reduction purposes. Guidance documents for the two programs remind states they are receiving an infusion of funding and to think twice before shifting money around, although many states didn't heed the advice. After West Virginia became the first state to file paperwork to transfer money from the emissions-reduction program in April 2022, the FHWA's chief financial officer wrote to the state reiterating the guidance. State transportation secretary Jimmy Wriston defended the move during a Senate hearing five months later, saying coordination with federal agencies since the passage of the infrastructure law was "chaotic at best." "We need the flexibility to do things that will get a result," he said. "By moving that money into a different bucket, you give me the flexibility to take a holistic approach, to look at the overall environmental concerns and put together comprehensive plans to address them." Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said during the hearing the letter and what appeared to be contrasting guidance to different states "makes no sense, and you wonder, is the right hand talking to the left hand?" The FHWA said West Virginia received the letter because it was the first to transfer money away from the emissions-focused program, adding that the agency subsequently took a different approach to communicating with states. It declined to describe the new approach. A spokesman for Capito, her party's leader on the committee that wrote much of the transportation section of the infrastructure law, declined to comment on state fund transfers. Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., the committee's chairman, said the dedicated climate funds in the law are "a floor, not a ceiling." He said through a spokesman that "states should incorporate climate resilience into all of their transportation projects, regardless of the funding source." Beth Osborne, director of advocacy group Transportation for America, said transfers show the infrastructure law did not overhaul how federal transportation funding flows to states, as some in Congress had hoped. Lawmakers instead opted to create programs intended to tackle federal priorities while leaving states free to continue expanding highways, she said. "Members of Congress and the president asked us to believe that dedicating 2 to 3 percent of the bipartisan infrastructure law's funding to resilience and reducing greenhouse gas emissions was going to do the trick," Osborne said. Some states transferred money from the climate programs to support spending on transit, a move encouraged by federal officials. Eleven states and the District did not transfer any money last year, according to federal records, and said they would allocate their full amount to resilience and emissions-reduction projects. (Kansas said it transferred its maximum $13 million from the programs, but the transfers were not reflected in federal records released to The Washington Post.) Some states said they have yet to find ways to spend the new money. In other cases, money that wasn't transferred has been spent on congestion-fighting projects that experts say will have questionable long-term effects on reducing emissions. South Carolina's transportation department said it used some of the money to redesign interchanges in Charleston and Columbia. Multiple states are investing in technology designed to improve traffic signals and ease vehicle flow. Such technology can reduce congestion, but researchers have also found that unclogging roads tends to induce people to drive more, spurring more emissions. Alex Bigazzi, a civil engineering professor at the University of British Columbia who has studied the effects of congestion-reducing technology, said it's not the most efficient way to cut emissions. "It's a stretch to say this is a carbon-reduction strategy," he said. "Traffic volumes are really the major driver of emissions from transportation systems." The FHWA said the range of projects funded by the program reflects the need for "an all-of-the-above approach" to reducing emissions. In Rhode Island, some of the resilience money is being used to redesign bridges and roads in Jamestown, on an island off Newport. Pam Cotter, the department's planning director, said the coastal state has been working for years to understand its vulnerability to sea level rise. The emissions-reduction money in the infrastructure law, she said, will help the state reach a goal of spending $30 million a year on bike and pedestrian infrastructure. "That's a big investment and a major change than what we've had previously," Cotter said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday that he didn't mean he'd put Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of the Food and Drug Administration or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when the Republican candidate said earlier this week that he'd "sic" the political family scion on the agencies. Instead, he said, he would want Kennedy to work on a bipartisan panel charged with holding the federal government accountable for the response to the covid-19 pandemic. "The word I use is, like, you know, lets sic [Kennedy] on these agencies, you know, to hold them accountable. And that would be part of being kind of outside the agency and getting answers and bringing accountability to bear," DeSantis told "The Megyn Kelly Show" in a clip released on Friday. DeSantis' comments attempted to clarify what he said in an interview with OutKick's Clay Travis earlier this week. When Travis asked the Florida governor if he wanted Kennedy to be his running mate, DeSantis rejected the idea but added, "If you're president, sic him on the FDA if he'd be willing to serve - or sic him on CDC." "It wouldn't be [that] he's the head of the CDC," DeSantis underscored to Kelly on Friday, adding that Kennedy's role would be "outside the agency getting answers and bringing accountability to bear." The Republican governor's embrace of Kennedy - who earlier this month advanced a dangerous conspiracy theory that the coronavirus could have been a bioweapon "deliberately targeted" to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people - highlights a wedge issue where DeSantis may be attempting to dramatically split away from his rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, former president Donald Trump. Early in the pandemic, DeSantis repeatedly praised Trump for the expedited development and rollout of a coronavirus vaccine and his office pushed for $480 million in pandemic resources. He also lauded the Biden administration for helping to expand access to vaccines. But a December 2022 Washington Post review of DeSantis's public positions on the vaccines shows a full reversal that has unfolded gradually since 2021. In a DeSantis presidential administration, the governor told Kelly, the CDC and FDA would be run by "doctor, PhD type(s)," like Stanford University professor of medicine Jay Bhattacharya, "who was right on covid." Bhattacharya was among a group of scientists who early in the pandemic, under the Trump administration, argued that authorities should allow the coronavirus to spread among young healthy people while protecting the elderly and the vulnerable. The controversial approach to rely on achieving "herd immunity" by infecting people rather than via vaccination was embraced by one of Trump's covid advisers, Scot Atlas. But experts at the time warned that adopting the strategy could lead to a significant loss of life. In his interview with Kelly, DeSantis took aim at lockdown restrictions' impact on children's' education and the economy, as well as a frequent conservative foe - former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony S. Fauci. But he also criticized the passage of the Cares Act, a $2 trillion legislative package signed into law in March 2020 by Trump. The Washington Post's Lena H. Sun contributed to this report. BATH, Maine Marine 1st Lt. Harvey Barney Barnum jumped to the ground when he came under fire during an ambush in Vietnam that killed his radio operator and commander. Collecting himself, Barnum realized he was now the highest-ranking officer of a rifle company he'd just joined. He called in artillery and, amid gunfire, dragged the commander to safety, where he died in Barnums arms. Then he proceeded to mount a counterattack, oversee evacuation of the wounded and lead the units eventual break out to rejoin the battalion. The Medal of Honor recipient, now 83, watched Saturday as his wife smashed a bottle of sparkling wine against the bow to christen the future U.S. Navy destroyer that'll bear the name Harvey C. Barnum Jr. He said he was speechless when he learned that a warship would bear his name. "As anybody that knows Barney Barnum knows, Ive never been speechless, he joked before the event. The ceremony on Saturday at Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works was a tribute to the Vietnam War hero who during his first firefight was foisted into leadership of Marines who didnt yet know his name because hed just joined them a couple of days earlier. Dignitaries included Maine's governor and senators, as well as Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, who praised Barnum's humility and generosity, in addition to being a war hero who inspired fellow Marines. Gen. Eric Smith, the acting Marine Corps commandant whose nomination to lead the Marine Corps is being blocked by a Republican senator, called Barnum an icon, a legend, a Marine. In an interview, Barnum said the combat was harrowing on that day, Dec. 18, 1965, during Operation Harvest Moon. His unit was outnumbered, caught off guard and separated from the larger battalion outside the village of Ky Phu in Quang Tin Province. The ship's namesake said he was scared like everybody else but he tried not to show it. The other Marines were looking to him, an artillery spotter, after their commander died, he said. To launch a counterattack, he brandished a .45-caliber handgun and told the others to follow him. They did. Its a tough business. But when it gets tough, the tough get going and thats what Marines do, he said. We came together as a team. And, you know, theres no fury unleashed that's greater than that of a bunch of Marines that know that their buddies have been shot. Barnum later became the first Medal of Honor recipient in the Vietnam conflict to return for another tour. He retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel after nearly three decades of service and served the secretary of defense as principal director of drug enforcement policy, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for reserve affairs, and acting assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs. Barnum, of Reston, Va., was born in Cheshire, Conn., and studied at Saint Anselm College, a Benedictine college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. The schools abbot, Mark Cooper, delivered the invocation on Saturday. The event was a family affair for Barnum, who now lives in Virginia. His wife, Martha Hill, served as the ships sponsor. At the event Saturday, she was in a wheelchair; Barnum has been her care provider since she had a stroke about five years ago. Her daughter; two granddaughters, one of whom sang God Bless America; and an 11-year-old great-granddaughter were also participants at the event Saturday. Other family and friends were present. Displacing 9,500 tons, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is built to simultaneously wage war against submarines, aircraft and missiles, and other warships. The newest versions are being equipped for ballistic missile defense. The 510-foot guided-missile destroyer was in dry dock for the ceremony as work continues to prepare the ship for delivery to the Navy. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is arriving in Pakistan tomorrow on a three-day visit. Besides participating in the 10th anniversary celebrations of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Chinese dignitary will also meet with President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Vice Premier He Lifeng has played a prominent role in Chinas international economic relations and implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, of which the CPEC is a flagship project. According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, the Chinese official will be the chief guest at the CPEC event. The FO further said the vice premier played an important role in the CPEC as well as Pakistan-China economic relations. As the Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, He Lifeng was also active in the implementation of the CPEC projects, said the FO spokesperson. The Chinese vice premiers visit is part of high-level contacts between Pakistan and China, the spokesman added. The VPs visit to Pakistan is a reflection of the strengthening of the friendship with China. The bureau claims Mr Peng is the mastermind behind the organised group of 13 individuals that has laundered millions of euro for Irish-based drug gangs Various assets linked to the alleged leader of an Irish-based Chinese crime gang are likely derived from crime proceeds, the High Court has ruled. Mr Justice Alexander Owens proposed to make various orders sought by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) in respect of assets linked to Peng Fei He and two other Chinese nationals alleged to be part of a Dublin-centred group that has allegedly laundered millions in drug trafficking proceeds on behalf of Irish criminals. Cash of some 21,000 and an Audi A4 vehicle found at Mr Pengs address at Annagh Court, Blanchardstown, Dublin, during a June 2020 search were, on the balance of probabilities, derived directly or indirectly from proceeds of crime, the judge held on Friday. The bureau claims Mr Peng is the mastermind behind the organised group of 13 individuals that has laundered millions of euro for Irish-based drug gangs, including one allegedly led by Ciaran OSullivan, who, the bureau claims, has historical links to Christy Kinahan snr. Christy Kinahan Mr Peng, who was jailed here in 2016 for six years for drug offences, was pictured with OSullivan, who, the Cab says, resides at an address at Adelaide Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin, when he is in Ireland. Mr Justice Owens said Mr Peng (40) was not out of jail a wet month and all of this is happening around himself and his girlfriend. The judge last month made an order concerning assets linked to four other alleged members of the gang. He concluded the bureau made out a case that a money laundering operation involved people who immigrated to Ireland years ago from China. On Friday, on the application of the bureau, through its barrister Shelley Horan, the judge deemed various assets linked to Mr Peng and two others as likely proceeds of crime. None of the three were in court, but evidence was given that each had been served with the proceedings. The judge was satisfied he could make the orders sought by the bureau, including receivership orders for the cash amounts and the power to sell the vehicle. The same orders apply to some 15,000 held in a bank account of Yun Yu (44), Mr Pengs girlfriend, who also lived at Annagh Court, and 6,000 cash found in a rucksack during a search of 27-year-old Tan Lijias address on Crumlin Road, Dublin. Ms Horan previously told the court gardai seized hundreds of thousands of euros in cash during searches at various locations in June 2020 following a surveillance operation. There was also evidence of vast sums passing through various bank accounts linked to members of the Chinese group, she said. It was the bureaus case that the individuals purchased high-value goods in Brown Thomas and other Irish stores to export them as a way of laundering money derived from crime. Maher, originally from Tullamore, Co Offaly, and with an address at North Circular Road, Dublin, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to her neighbour, possession of a knife and assaulting the garda. A binge-drinking woman who threatened her neighbour with slicing throat gestures answered the door to gardai with a knife in her hand, before kicking the officer. Terry Maher (40), described as a Jekyll and Hyde character, made the frightening threat after bad relations between the two women reached a tipping point, a court heard. Judge Patricia Cronin jailed her for 10 months. Maher, originally from Tullamore, Co Offaly, and with an address at North Circular Road, Dublin, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to her neighbour, possession of a knife and assaulting the garda. Dublin District Court heard gardai were called to the address on May 26 last year and Maher answered the door with a knife in her hand. There had been queries about her health and she was asked by the gardai to drop the knife, which she did. She was then asked to step outside and when she did so, she became aggressive toward the garda. Mahers speech was slurred as she shouted curses and abuse at the garda before kicking her on the knee. The court heard Maher had earlier threatened her neighbour with slicing throat gestures. The two women were living adjacent to each other in flats in the same building and simply did not get on, Mahers solicitor said. There was not any great intent to the threat but it would still have been quite upsetting in itself for the victim, he said. Separately, Maher also admitted public drunkenness, garda obstruction, threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour, and criminal damage. The court heard gardai were called to Marlborough Place in central Dublin on April 20 this year, when the accused was highly intoxicated, abusive to gardai and attempted to kick out at them. On May 8, gardai were called to a homeless shelter on the same street. Maher had caused 400 of damage by punching through two windows when she became very angry after an argument with a resident. She had blood on her hands when gardai spoke to her. On June 20, gardai were called back to the North Circular Road address, where the neighbour said Maher was banging on the door, screaming and shouting. The accused was drunkenly swaying on her feet and stumbling on to the road. Maher had 102 previous convictions. Maher was a Jekyll and Hyde style character who hit the bottle quite hard at night, but alcohol did not suit her, her solicitor said. After her violent outbursts she was a different person in the cold light of day. Her sexuality had caused a lot of issues in her life, the court heard. David Grusch, a former intelligence officer, is sworn in July 26, 2023, before a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Sarah Silbiger/NYT) At last, in the swampy heat of late-summer Washington, Congress appears to have stumbled across an issue on which both of our contentious political parties find remarkable agreement: UFOs. Or as the Defense Department prefers to call them these days, UAPs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena. It used to stand for unidentified aerial phenomena, but defense officials changed the term to include submerged and trans-medium objects. NASA and other agencies soon followed suit. Advertisement Just try to keep up. The clunky label is intended to identify anything that might be coming at us in space, in the air, on land, in the sea or under the sea that cant be identified but might pose a threat to U.S. military operations and facilities, according to a DOD explainer. As a lifelong science nerd and science fiction junkie, my love of flying saucer movies began with the likes of The Day the Earth Stood Still, a 1951 classic in which a wise alien named Klaatu, played by Michael Rennie, visits Washington with his robot, Gort, to offer earthlings some help as they begin to stumble into the new scientific age of the 1950s. Unfortunately, fearful leaders give Klaatu the worst sort of welcome: They shoot him. Advertisement Fortunately, the atmosphere at the House Oversight Committees UAP meeting was much friendlier. A robust turnout of House members as diverse as New Yorks Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the left and Floridas Matt Gaetz on the right attended the hearings without serious altercations. Star of the show was former U.S. intelligence official David Grusch, who under oath told the committee that the U.S. is concealing a long-standing program that retrieves and reverse-engineers unidentified flying objects to reconstruct the technology. Through a combination of military and tech-speak, he said nonhuman remains, which he described as biological, had been retrieved from spacecraft, but he noted that he has not personally seen a UAP. Has our government possibly made contact with extraterrestrial life? Grusch evaded the question with only, Thats something I cant discuss in a public setting. Still, Grusch maintained that he was absolutely certain that the federal government is in possession of UAPs sort of like federal authorities in the alien invasion film Independence Day, I imagine. He based his certainty on interviews he had with some 40 witnesses in recent years, he said. However, he added, he was denied access to the alleged facility itself. Thats too bad. Grusch makes a very sincere-sounding witness and, combined with the videos that have been shot of UFOs in various shapes, sizes and breathtaking maneuverability over the years, Im not going to try to deny he saw something. But what? Thats enough to make my long-tenured baloney detector begin to go off until I get more supporting evidence. When asked whether he had any personal knowledge of a U.S. official being injured while attempting to reverse-engineer a UAP, Grusch answered, yes. But when he was asked for further clarification, he said only: You have to imagine, assessing an unknown unknown, theres a lot of potentialities you cant fully prepare for. Yeah. I hate it when that happens. Advertisement A similar sort of skepticism came from someone with a lot more expertise on science than I have: Jordan Bimm, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Chicagos Institute on the Formation of Knowledge. Clarence Page Columns As it happens Sign up to receive Clarence Pages columns by email as soon as they're published. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > Bimm, in an interview with CBS Chicago after the hearing, quoted another famous U. of C. alum, Carl Sagan, who said: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Indeed, considering the nearest stars to Earth, Alpha Centauri A, B and C, are more than 4 light-years away, it would take more than four years traveling at the speed of light for a radio wave or a UFO to visit our planet. Thats a long trip. But then maybe the UFO has a warp drive like the Starship Enterprise on Star Trek, which we would again have a very strong interest in learning more about, if our curiosity didnt kill us first. I like to stay more optimistic than that. Its the American way. Especially when, as the characters say on TVs The X Files: The truth is out there. Advertisement cpage@chicagotribune.com Twitter @cptime TEHRAN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Two Iranian frigates will take part in a naval parade scheduled for Sunday in Russia's St. Petersburg to mark the country's Navy Day, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday. The missile-launching Kaman-class frigates, which belong to the Iranian Navy's Northern Fleet based in the Caspian Sea, have set out for the Russian city as Navy Commander Shahram Irani arrived in the country to attend the parade, the report said. Irani is slated to meet a number of other countries' navy commanders who will also take part in the parade, it added. The naval parade will be staged in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the report. Russia marks its Navy Day by staging a parade of ships on the last Sunday of July on the Neva River in St. Petersburg and the Port of Kronstadt. Last year, more than 40 ships, boats and submarines, as well as 42 aircraft and over 3,500 military personnel took part in the parade. According to the Chilean Prosecutor's Office, the Irish passport holder has now become a major player in the international drugs mob. A truck burns on a street in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, after an attack by the cartel. Photo: Martin Urista/AP Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin Guzman Loera aka "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted by Mexican police as he is extradited to US A dual Irish-Mexican citizen called Morris OShea is facing extradition to Chile after being accused of running a cell in Mexicos infamous Sinaloa Cartel. O'Shea also known as Morris OShea Salazar - is accused of trying to establish a cell of the notorious international gang in northern Chile during the first months of 2020. The Sinaloa Cartel is regarded as one of the worlds biggest narco-trafficking gangs and was previously headed up by Joaquin Guzman, better known as El Chapo. But according to the Chilean Prosecutor's Office, Irish passport holder OShea Salazar has now become a major player in the international drugs mob. Chilean officials have said OShea Salazar have ties directly to El Chapo through the Mexican Cartel leaders first wife Maria Alejandrina Salazar Hernandez. O'Shea, who is currently located in Mexico, allegedly tried to send a shipment of cocaine from Bolivia from the northern city of Iquique to Europe. Investigations by the Tarapaca Prosecutor's Office are claiming the Sinaloa Cartel cell sought to open an "exit line" for drugs from Bolivia. El Chapo This week, a court in Chile accepted the request of the Prosecutor's Office to extradite OShea Salazar described as an important member of the Sinaloa cartel. The agency claim his cell would import cocaine from Bolivia, which would be collected in the commune of Alto Hospicio, to finally (...) achieve its shipment to various ports and airports in Europe, in countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain." Chilean officials have described Morris O'Shea as the son of Yolanda Salazar Tarriba who was arrested in 2021 for illicit drug trafficking. "They are related to the Sinaloa Cartel [and] are close relatives of Chapo Guzman" national prosecutor Jorge Abbott told the media this week. Yolanda Salazar Tarriba and her brother Ricardo Salazar Tarriba are said to have arrived in Chile in 2020 to coordinate the purchase of cocaine from Bolivia and its subsequent shipment abroad. According to the investigation, this operation was directed by Morris O'Shea who was living in Spain. During Ricardo and Yolanda Salazar Tarriba's stay in the country, they acquired a little more than 61 kilos of cocaine which was due to be sent to Europe as a sample for potential buyers. In March 2021, Ricardo and Yolanda Salazar Tarriba were arrested and charged as they attempted to flee Chile. A truck burns on a street in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, after an attack by the cartel. Photo: Martin Urista/AP However, prosecutors claim it was not possible to detain Morris O'Shea, despite coordination between the Chilean Prosecutor's Office and the Spanish Civil Guard. For this reason, the Tarapaca Prosecutor's Office requested that an extradition request be filed against him, and it was formalized in absentia for the crimes of illicit drug trafficking and illicit association. In 2019, El Chapo Guzman was found guilty of a number of criminal charges related to his leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the US He is currently jailed in the Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, The court heard Cooper had 90 previous convictions for offences including sale and supply of drugs. Jeremy Cooper was caught with more than 400 of tablets A drug dealer caught selling sleeping tablets on the street had got involved after his own prescription was stopped because he had been using them for too long. Jeremy Cooper (54) was found with more than 400 of tablets when he ran from gardai and was caught after a chase, a court heard. Judge Patricia Cronin jailed him for six months but made it concurrent to a sentence he is already serving. Cooper, from Sean Treacy House in Dublins north inner city, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply. Garda David OCallaghan said he was on routine patrol in Summerhill on December 2, 2021, when he saw the accused in a suspicious transaction. Cooper ran from the garda, who caught and searched him. The accused was found with 404 of zopiclone tablets and was arrested and brought to Mountjoy garda station. The court heard Cooper had 90 previous convictions for offences including sale and supply of drugs. He had been given a 12-year sentence in 2008. The Sunday World previously revealed how Cooper was once a major gangland criminal who was involved in the kidnapping of a drug dealer who was tortured and killed in the mid-1990s. He was a part of a gang who abducted Mark Dwyer, who was blamed for the disappearance of 40,000 ecstasy tablets imported by a gang led by Cotton Eye Joe Delaney. "Cotton Eye" Joe Delaney Cooper was initially charged with murder but the murder charge was dropped after he agreed to plead guilty to false imprisonment. He received a 12-year sentence for his involvement. Cooper also received a 14-year sentence for a horrific home invasion in Tipperary in May 1997. Cooper was one of three armed and masked men who burst into Mr Dwyers flat in Ballybough in Dublin and tied him up before taking him to a house, where he was tortured. He also had links to well-known gang leaders, including Brian Rattigan and John Gilligan. However, this week a court heard how Cooper was now involved in petty street dealing. Cooper had been prescribed sleeping tablets and had been on the prescription for a long period of time, his solicitor Daniel Hanahoe said. His GP said he had been on it too long and stopped the prescription, after which Cooper began buying the drug on the street. He accumulated a debt and started selling it as a result. The accused was already serving another sentence when he appeared in court, with a release date in March next year. Judge Cronin sentenced him to six months but said she would not make it consecutive. She now hopes Quirke, who dumped her fathers body in a run-off tank on a farm to conceal the murder, never breathes free air again. Patrick Quirke has exhausted his appeals after conviction for the murder of Bobby Ryan. Photo: Gerry Mooney For Michelle Ryan, the daughter of murder victim Bobby Ryan, the past four months have been pure torture. In March, the Supreme Court found that material discovered on Patrick Quirkes computer evidence crucial to his conviction had been unlawfully obtained by gardai. The decision gave rise to the possibility of a retrial, or worse still for Michelle, that her fathers killer might walk free due to a lapse in the garda investigation. Those fears were finally allayed yesterday when, in a further ruling, a seven-judge panel of the court unanimously found the evidence was still admissible and affirmed the conviction. Thankfully, they did come up with that decision because, to be honest with you, I think it would have mentally broke every single one of us if it was a thing he [Quirke] got out or that it went back to a retrial, Ms Ryan told the Irish Independent. She now hopes Quirke, who dumped her fathers body in a run-off tank on a farm to conceal the murder, never breathes free air again. After what that man has inflicted, I dont think he should ever be released, she said. Never once did he show a sign of remorse. Mr Justice Peter Charleton, who gave the ruling on behalf of the court, said a mistake by gardai in not specifying in a search warrant application that they contemplated seizing computers was due to honest inadvertence. This finding meant that, in line with principles established in another Supreme Court case known as JC, the evidence could be deemed admissible. Quirke, a married farmer from Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, was jailed for life in 2019 following a 15-week trial. The case gripped the nation as a tale involving a love triangle, obsession, money and land in a small community unfolded in the Central Criminal Court. The prosecution case was that Quirke killed Mr Ryan, a truck driver and part-time DJ known as Mr Moonlight, so he could rekindle an affair he previously had with Mr Ryans girlfriend, Mary Lowry. Ms Lowry, of Fawnagown, Co Tipperary, was a widow. Her late husband, Martin, had been the best man at Quirkes wedding and a brother of Quirkes wife, Imelda, who stood by him throughout the trial. After Martin Lowry died in September 2007, Quirke took out a lease to farm what was now Mary Lowrys land. He started helping her with her finances and they began an affair in early 2008. Their finances became intertwined, with Quirke using 80,000 of her money to invest in contracts for difference, or CFDs, an instrument for betting on share price movements. He borrowed 20,000 from her when creditors demanded repayment of loans and suggested she leave him 100,000 in her will so he could take care of her children. But in August 2010, Mary Lowry met Mr Ryan, a divorcee with two children, Michelle and Robert, from his previous relationship. She found him to be a breath of fresh air. It was a happy relationship in which she no longer had to lie and hide. However, Quirke was obsessed with Ms Lowry and reliant on her emotionally and financially. He used devious tactics to try to end her new relationship, including making unfounded accusations about her to Tusla and using her phone to text Mr Ryan. When these failed, he resorted to murder in June 2011. The prosecution case was that Quirke staged the discovery of Mr Ryans body in April 2013 as his lease was about to end and he feared he would be found out. In the absence of a murder weapon or forensics, the case against Quirke was circumstantial. A key piece of the jigsaw was the discovery by gardai that Quirkes computer had been used to conduct online searches for webpages about the decomposition of human remains. As Michelle Ryan puts it, this tied Quirke to the murder and the case against him was thin without it. Before yesterdays decision, she had real fears her fathers killer would end up going free. Thankfully, those judges have reached the proper decision on that, she said. This is an end to Patrick Quirke now. The man that took Daddy out of this life is now sporting his grey tracksuit in prison with his little number on the top of his shoulders. Both myself and Roberts kids dont have to be going about the place now worrying about Patrick Quirkes name on a headline associated with Moonlight or Patrick Quirkes face on the front of a newspaper beside their grandfather. We dont have to worry about that any more. This draws a line under it now. Daddy no longer has the strings of Patrick Quirkes name hanging on his own one. The four months between the initial Supreme Court ruling and the subsequent one yesterday on the practical implications of the earlier decision were tough for Ms Ryan and her family. I thought about it every day. There was no getting away from it. It was a cross and there were only certain people who could ease the weight of it, she said. We had the full brunt of it until those seven judges, thanks be to God, were unanimous in their decisions. She said she felt physically sick leaving the courtroom following the initial Supreme Court decision last March and vowed to never go back. A detective phoned her with news of yesterdays decision. Ms Ryan said it took time for it to sink in. I think he must have told me three times before I fully understood Patrick Quirke had lost and it was all over, she said. I think I was so worked up. Nothing the detective was saying on the phone was actually registering with me. We prayed. The gods listened. I know we have plenty of family up there that we prayed to non-stop this week as soon as we heard the decision was coming back. They were with us. They gave us the strength to stay standing. They were definitely holding me up this morning because I was choppier than a sea in the middle of a storm. Despite the outcome, which means Quirke has now exhausted his avenues of appeal, Ms Ryan is concerned about how he was able to come so close to undermining his conviction. While gardai had done super work in the case, the issue had dimmed the light for her. I think the one thing that should have been at the top of the checklist was to ensure that everything was correct surrounding the evidence, so that the loophole that Patrick Quirke tried to squeeze through was never there for him. If that had been done, we wouldnt have had to go through what we have gone through because he wouldnt have had any opening. The Supreme Court decision last March set out clearly that computers must be specified on warrant applications. The court ruled that because the seizure for entry into the digital space involves the automatic loss of privacy rights on a vast scale there needed to be judicial oversight when the seizure of computers was contemplated. Michael Scott reversed over 76-year-old Chrissie Treacy with a teleporter in April 2018 Michael Scott was convicted of the manslaughter of Chrissie Treacy (inset) A farmer who killed his aunt by reversing over her with a teleporter has appealed the severity of his six-year-jail sentence after previously telling the Sunday World : In my opinion you cant be doing time for gross negligence. Michael Scott, of Portumna in Co Galway, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of 76-year-old Chrissie Treacy in April 2018. But he was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury after his trial ended in March, on the basis of gross negligence. The prosecution case was that Scott had deliberately reversed over his aunt following a long running dispute about land. However, Scott's defence was that her death was a tragic accident while he was reversing a teleporter across the yard outside Ms Treacy's home. In Scotts only public comments, made to the Sunday World after he was convicted but before he was sentenced for the manslaughter, the 59-year-old predicted he would not see jail over his aunts killing. Well, I think, unless things go very wrong, I will be coming home again, he told us. You cant be doing time for gross negligence, thats my opinion. Chrissie Treacy with her Jack Russell dog Bradley, which disappeared Details of the horrific circumstances of Chrissie Treacys death, and allegations she had been intimidated and was living in fear of Scott prior to her death, had been detailed over the course of a lengthy trial. The court heard allegations a toxic relationship had developed between Scott and his elderly aunt, as a result of a dispute over 140 acres of farmland they shared at Derryhiney. The court heard evidence that Ms Treacy intended to partition her land from Scott's land and that he was angry about this. She had begun legal proceedings and a letter outlining her intentions had been sent to Scott. On 27 April, Scott rang a neighbour, Francis Hardiman, and told him he had hit Ms Treacy with the teleporter. Ms Treacy was found lying face down on the concrete near her home - she had suffered multiple traumatic crush injuries. Scott told Mr Hardiman he had not called an ambulance as he did not know you could dial 999 for an ambulance. The court heard neighbours and friends had been concerned about Ms Treacy and about the deterioration in her relationship with Scott. There had been incidents such as Scott refusing to take her rubbish away, her oil was turned off during very severe weather and her Jack Russell dog, Bradley, disappeared. Michael Scott But defence counsel Paul Greene had told the jury that no matter how unkind or monstrous Scott's behaviour was towards his aunt, that did not mean he should be convicted of murder. Ruling the killing an act of gross negligence, the jury of six men and six women ultimately did not accept the prosecutions case that Scott had deliberately knocked down Chrissie in an act of murder out of a sense of entitlement and for revenge. Instead, they found the Galway farmer guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. When asked by this newspaper if he was sorry for causing the death of the pensioner, Scott replied: Oh Lord God, why wouldnt I be? My only aunt without a doubt We are genuine people. What went out from day one was very, very wrong. Its all very, very sad. People are saying horrible things and our side of the story hasnt been heard at all. But Id be afraid Id be interfering with the barristers or solicitors by saying anything now. People have made me out to be a monster. Thats very tough thats very hard to listen to. Asked if had meant any harm to his aunt, he responded: Oh God, not at all, not at all, I didnt the heartbreak. You have to remember there that she was the last surviving member of the family on my mothers side. This has had an awful impact on our whole family but out story is not being heard. I was convicted of manslaughter through gross negligence people are forgetting that. Sentencing Scott for the manslaughter of Chrissie last month, Ms Justice Caroline Biggs said the offence involved the driving of effectively a lethal weapon, which was far more dangerous than any car. She said Scott had a weak right eye and she had to accept that he had been looking over his right shoulder when he hit his aunt. The teleporter had no left mirror and the back window was dirty but these issues could have easily been remedied by Scott, she said. She said the incident happened in Ms Treacy's own yard at her home. While she did not come into the yard all the time, she did do so occasionally and had the expectation to be safe in her own yard, Judge Biggs said. She said Scott did not think at all about his aunt - an elderly lady living on her own. The judge said there was no plea of guilty by Scott and he had shown no remorse or compassion for his aunt in the immediate aftermath of hitting her with the teleporter. She said he had lied to gardai for his own self-preservation. She said he had shown remorse but it was at a late stage. She also noted he had mental health issues and limited intellectual capacity. She sentenced him to six years in prison. No date has yet been set for Scotts appeal on the severity of his sentence. The court heard gardai received a report of a robbery at the coffee shop at 2.30pm with witnesses describing the suspect as a 6ft 2 male with an Irish accent and wearing a black rain jacket. A man who allegedly threatened staff at a Dublin cafe with a broken glass bottle during a robbery has been refused bail. A court today also heard that there would be a threat to the accused if he was remanded to Cloverhill Prison. Glen Conroy (35), with an address at North Frederick Street in Dublin 1, appeared before a sitting of Swords District Court this morning. He is charged with a number of offences including robbery and theft at the Triangle Coffee cafe in Donabate on June 25. Gda Ashling Moore, of Swords Garda Station, gave evidence of arrest, charge, and caution. She said the accused was arrested on Talbot Street, Dublin 1, on Thursday morning and made no reply made no reply when later charged. Gda Moore said she was objecting to him being granted bail due to the seriousness of the charge, the nature and strength of the evidence, and over fears of interference with witnesses. The court heard gardai received a report of a robbery at the coffee shop at 2.30pm with witnesses describing the suspect as a 6ft 2 male with an Irish accent and wearing a black rain jacket. She said the perpetrator entered the cafe with a shopping bag in one hand and a broken glass bottle in the other. The man wearing a hoodie threatened staff and demanded they put the contents of the cash register into the bag. Gda Moore said the suspect "got frustrated" and began putting the cash into the bag himself before fleeing the scene. The court was told that a technical examination of the till recovered a fingerprint which matched Glen Conroy. She said a reliable garda witness had also identified the accused from CCTV footage of the raid. Gda Moore also said the accused made admissions during garda interviews and raised concerns about reprisals towards staff and witnesses. Counsel for Mr Conroy said that his client's mother had recently passed away and that he is a carer for his ill partner. He also said his client would abide by strict bail conditions and had 100 which he could offer for a cash bond. Gda Moore told Judge Shalom Binchy that no conditions would alleviate her concerns. Judge Binchy said the case for witness interference had not been met but refused bail, citing the nature and strength of the evidence. Counsel also asked that his client is remanded to Mountjoy Prison because there would be a threat to him if he was remanded to Cloverhill. Judge Binchy said this was a matter for the governor. The accused was remanded in custody and will appear before Cloverhill District Court next week. Our images show the 41-year-old apparently graduating from the University of Zimbabwe. These are the first pictures of the Zimbabwean con-artist who used false papers to secure an 86,000 a year post as a child psychologist in Sligo. The images were used by Nikiwe Dube as part of a complex ruse to deceive employers resulting in the unqualified fraudster providing mental health services to vulnerable children over a two-year period. Our images show the 41-year-old apparently graduating from the University of Zimbabwe. Another shows the fraudster, who said he handed over 4,300 to purchase a pack of documents allowing him to pose as a child psychologist, posing for the camera with a stethoscope draped over his shoulders. As part of an investigation into Dubes activities in Ireland, we have also learned how he gave a talk for Epic Ireland, an organising devoted to empowering people in care, in January of 2021. In a tweet publicising the talk, Epic wrote: Nikiwe Dube, clinical psychologist, will discuss his experience working with children and young people in the care system in Ireland and the issue and challenges they face in relation to their ethnicity and identity. A video promoting the talk has since been deleted. Nikewe Dube Questions over Dubes qualifications only arose in February 2022, after he was put forward for a senior post as a child psychologist with an annual salary of 80,000 by recruitment agency TTM Healthcare. This application was reviewed by the head of psychology at Avista Medical, who had some concerns that the submitted documents, including a letter of validation, did not conform with the standard content and format. This person brought his concerns to the attention of the human resources department. Separately on March 15, 2022, an assistant principal officer in the Department of Health's professional regulation unit, which is responsible for the validation of foreign psychology qualifications, told gardai they had been contacted by Avista in relation to the letter of validation included in Dube's application. The Department of Health staff member said the unit had checked their archives and had no record of Dube. As such, the letter of validation was not issued by the Department of Health. Further enquiries determined the letter of validation to be false. Gardai then contacted the recruitment agency TTM Healthcare, which provided them with documents including a letter of validation, a GNIB card, transcripts from the University of Zimbabwe and a Zimbabwean police clearance certificate. The court also heard Dube was employed by Gateway Residential Care in Sligo between November 2019 and November 2021 as a child psychologist. He received 172,000 in wages and expenses during this period. Gateway Residential Care provided gardai in March 2022 with documents including a letter of good standing from the PSI and documentation from the University of Zimbabwe including a qualification in psychology. Gardai also spoke with a recruitment consultant working for TTM Healthcare who said Dube contacted them in August 2021 about a vacancy for a HSE clinical post. Dube was screened and it was confirmed that he met the requirements of the post. Dube provided documents to TTM Healthcare including a Master of Science in clinical psychology transcript, a diploma in cognitive behavioural therapy, his GNIB card and a letter of validation. Garda vetting forms for TTM Healthcare and the HSE were also completed. Dube was approved for a locum post in November 2021, however TTM paid his wages of 11,628 during this period due to outstanding garda vetting. The investigating garda confirmed that much of Dube's work was carried out remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic and he had limited interaction with patients, both supervised and unsupervised. Dube also had an identification badge purportedly from the PSI, however the society does not issue badges. The PSI contacted the University of Zimbabwe, whose staff confirmed that Dube had not studied there. In May 2022, a garda at the Navan Garda Immigration Office confirmed that a stamp on a transcript did not originate from that office. Gardai arrested Dube in August 2022 in Drogheda. After caution, he told gardai that he had been expecting this, but not at that moment. He told them that he had paid over 4,300 online for a pack of documents and that he knew he should not have done it. Dube made no comment when interviewed. He has no previous convictions and has been in custody since August 5, 2022. The investigating garda agreed with Gerardine Small SC, defending, that her client made admissions when first approached by gardai. He also confirmed that Dube had been in custody since his arrest and that his guilty plea avoided what would have been a complex trial. No victim impact statements were provided to the court. Ms Small asked the court to take into consideration her client's early guilty plea, immediate admissions and expressions of remorse. She said her client had educational attainment in this area. Dube was born in Zimbabwe and worked as a LGBT counsellor for six years, the court heard. He had to flee the country due to concerns for his safety and applied for international protection in 2018. Dube (41) with an address at Colpe Drive, Deepforde, Drogheda, Co Louth, pleaded guilty to four charges of using a false instrument on dates between November 2019 and February 2022 including a psychological transcript with a false garda stamp, a false identification badge purportedly from the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) and a fake medical certificate. He further pleaded guilty to two counts of deception in that he dishonestly induced TTM Healthcare to put him on their books of employment, causing a loss, on a date between August 15, 2021 and September 9, 2021 and that he did dishonestly induce the HSE to give him an interview towards employment on August 18, 2022. Imposing sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday last, Judge Elva Duffy said Dube had chosen to live a fake life where he abused trust and received significant money for his work. She also noted that the State confirmed that the gardai have not been able to confirm Dubes true identity and said that is of some concern to the court. Judge Duffy acknowledged that Dube made immediate admissions, has expressed remorse and that his plea of guilty was valuable as it would have been a difficult case to prove. She said the case warranted a headline sentence of five and a half years before she imposed a sentence of four years, having taken the mitigation into account. The sentence was backdated to when Dube first went into custody on August 5, 2022. Speaking with Virgin Media TV, Mike Rizzuto said: Hes awake, he's actually out of coma thankfully, [but] still dont know about the eye. The sons of Stephen Termini (57), an American tourist who was assaulted in Dublin have said their father is out of a coma. Jess and Mike Rizzuto, after visiting their father in the hospital following their arrival in Ireland, have spoken about Mr Termini's current condition. Upon their arrival, Stephen Termini was said to have been in a serious but stable condition at Beaumont Hospital after suffering injuries to his head and eye - injuries suffered from the attack which took place last week. Speaking with Virgin Media TV, Mike Rizzuto said: Hes awake, he's actually out of coma thankfully, [but] still dont know about the eye. We don't know what's to come with all of that but he's out of the coma so that's at least good. We're just taking it hour by hour. Stephen Termini's sons made it to Ireland thanks to a GoFundMe page set up to help with their travel costs. The fundraising gathered more than $125,571 (113,934). Its still hard to put into words, I dont think I have processed it yet, everyone here has been super helpful. Everyone that Ive met, shaking peoples hand, apologising. And reassuring them that I understand the situation, Mr Rizzuto said. Three teenage boys are now facing charges in relation to the incident. The alleged attackers, aged 14, 15 and 16 were remanded on bail pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions yesterday. Mr Termini, an artist and musician was rushed to hospital after an incident on the corner of Store Street and Talbot Street in the north inner city last week. Meanwhile, the US embassy in Dublin has advised US tourists travelling to Ireland to be aware of their safety due to recent assaults in Dublin city. Gardai say their investigation is ongoing as they appeal for any witnesses to come forward. A young man was rushed to hospital after suffering serious injuries in a scrambler bike crash in west Dublin. The incident occurred shortly before 10pm last night on the Wheatfield Road in Palmerstown, Dublin 20. Gardai said the driver of the scrambler, a man in his 20s, is currently being treated at Beaumont Hospital for serious injuries. Gardai say their investigation is ongoing as they appeal for any witnesses to come forward. "Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the Wheatfield Road area between 9:30pm and 10pm are asked to make this footage available to Gardai, a garda spokesperson said. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Ballyfermot Garda station on 01 666 7200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station, they added. Ashley Donald has been ordered to serve a minimum term of 23 years A man who fled to Ireland after being involved in a hit-and-run attack has been jailed for murder. Ashley Donald has been ordered to serve a minimum term of 23 years for murder following the death of Andrew Flamson. Flamson, 40, was struck by a car on Grosvenor Road, Coventry, on 12 July last year and died in hospital from head injuries three days later. A number of other people were injured in the incident. Driver Donald, 24, from Birmingham, fled to Ireland two days after the fatal crash and extradition proceedings were underway. However, he returned to the UK and handed himself in, according to police. Andrew Flamson The three other passengers in the car were sentenced for manslaughter. Samuel Henneberry, 62, Carl Tomlinson, 52, and Callum Ayre, 20, all from Coventry, were jailed for 15 years, 13 years and 12 years respectively. During the trial the court heard how tensions had built over a long-standing debt leading up to the incident. The court heard that Flamson had been walking his dog on Grosvenor Road in Coventry with family members and friends on July 12, when he was deliberately targeted. The car, which had been driven by Ashley Donald, was later found abandoned half a mile away. Mr Flamsons family paid tribute to the 40-year-old victim, saying in a statement: We will miss our Andrew forever. He was a kind, loving and gentle man. He was loved by his family, his partner and lots of friends. We prayed for justice for our lost boy. Andrew is now our spirit in the sky, dancing with the angels, and he will probably be teaching them his dance moves, they added. This is not the right to protest, it is intimidation with behaviour that is threatening in its intent A CORK politician lashed out at the closure of Cork City Library due to the actions of far-right activists protesting against books today. Protestors organised a demonstration outside the library on Grand Parade over the availability of LGBTQ+ material in the library. The small number of protestors, who want to ban a number of books, celebrated the closure of the library yesterday while other library users described them as having worms for brains. A larger counter-protest against right-wing activists was also taking place in the city today. Local councillor Dan Boyle criticised those protesting against the library. The closure today of Cork City Central Library due to the actions of the far right is intolerable. This is not the right to protest, it is intimidation with behaviour that is threatening in its intent. A counter protest at the library (Pic: @IrlagainstFash) Cork City Council said they took the decision to close the library from 12.30pm due to the planned protest. "This decision is taken in the interests of the safety and well-being of the public and library staff," the council said. One of the leaders of the protests is Andy Heasman who has also taken part in a number of anti-immigrant protests. He previously served a two-month sentence in Castlerea Prison for refusing to wear a mask on a Bus Eireann bus during covid restrictions. Staff at the library and others around Ireland have been filmed and harassed by far-right activists unhappy with the availability LGBTQ+ material. In one video recorded at the library this week one right wing protestor said: these people are disgusting. Its grooming. In another incident recorded this week in Ballyphehane Library in Cork staff had to leave their counter after protestors hassled them about books and wouldnt leave. Other customers challenged the protestors. One customer said: The staff at the library have told you repeatedly if you have a problem with books you go to the council and make a complaint there. Thats how you make a complaint, not with the people who are on the front desk who are essentially on minimum wage. We know your MO because of the months of harassment and abuse. He said they were ignoring the rules of the library and annoying other customers. But because youre a fascist you have your own rules and think everyone else should abide them Another customer then joins in the criticism of the protestors and says to them: To be honest with you if my daughter was in behind the counter there and you came in there, Id f**k you out of it. Id get myself arrested if my daughter was in there. Another customer can then he heard saying the protestors have worms for brains and said they were harassing staff. BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Beijing on Saturday evening issued a red alert for rainstorms, as heavy rains brought by Typhoon Doksuri are expected to pound the Chinese capital and vast areas in the north. Heavy rain will hit most parts of Beijing between Saturday night and Tuesday, and the municipal meteorological bureau has warned of torrential rains in the capital's western and southern areas. The bureau upgraded an orange alert that was issued at midday to a red alert, and warned of mountain torrents and geological disasters. Residents have received text message warnings to stay indoors on Saturday night. A red alert is issued when precipitation is expected to exceed 100 millimeters within an hour, or 150 millimeters within six hours. Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in east China's Fujian Province on Friday morning, bringing strong gales and heavy rain. It moved north to Jiangxi Province on Friday night, where it gradually weakened into a tropical storm, edging further north to impact Beijing, Tianjin and the northern provinces of Hebei and Shanxi. Beijing's neighbor Hebei raised its emergency response level to Level II on Saturday, indicating a major meteorological disaster. The provincial meteorological bureau and water conservancy department have issued an alert for mountain torrents, warning that some cities, including the provincial capital Shijiazhuang and the Xiong'an New Area, should expect heavy downpours of 250 to 450 millimeters. Rain has also battered many parts of the country's eastern Shandong Province since Friday night. Shandong has issued a yellow alert for heavy rains, alongside alerts for mountain torrents and geological disasters. Writing in The Irish Times, Tubridy recalls his last conversation with OConnor, which occurred at the height of the recent RTE scandal, where she offered a "safe haven" to him. Ryan Tubridy has opened up about his unlikely friendship with the late Sinead O'Connor, and how their relationship grew closer with each appearance she made on The Late Late Show. Writing in The Irish Times, Tubridy recalls his last conversation with OConnor, which occurred at the height of the recent RTE scandal, where she offered a "safe haven" to him. "Two weeks ago, I was in Clifden escaping from reality when my phone rang. It was Sinead Jesus man, what the f**k is going on? and so began a very long chat about life and the universe," Tubridy wrote. "She told me that sometimes bad situations were really just visits from God in a hoodie whereby you think youre being mugged but theres a higher purpose beautifully Sinead! Mourners pay tribute to 'beautiful soul' Sinead OConnor "I wont go into more detail but she understood darkness, she understood loyalty, she understood family and she understood love." She went on to offer Tubridy her spare bedroom in her London flat. "She offered me her spare room in the new flat if I needed a safe haven, but more importantly she offered kindness." Tubridy remembered OConnor fondly saying that even though she was "insanely rock'n'roll," and he "was pretty much the opposite of that," their friendship grew during several appearances over the years alongside him on The Late Late Show. "There was always a pre-show smoke around the side of the building, an innocuous spot that Late Late Show house band MD Jim Sheridan and I renamed The Sinead O'Connor Suite (she loved that)," Tubridy said. "Then there was the reverence for her among the other guests and crew, who always knew that a Sinead night was a special one. "With every appearance on the Late Late, our unlikely friendship grew. Thoughtful text messages, bawdy WhatsApp memes and occasional phone calls became part of our thing. Speaking about the type of person OConnor was, Tubridy recalled an appearance she made on The Late Late Show in 2019. "On the first Late Late of the 2019 season (pre-Covid), we invited members of the Irish frontline services on, as a celebration of the best of Ireland. "Sinead was in her dressing room with her sister, and we were chatting away until she stopped and asked could she meet the frontline personnel, and so off we went to the studio and she shrank into herself, a little overwhelmed by the admiration and appreciation shown to her by the people she had wanted to admire and appreciate. Sinead had that effect." Tubridy went on to compare OConnor the ancient Greek figure Cassandra, who was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecies but never to be believed. "Its hard to see it now in the light of her death but Sinead got a hard time for many years probably because she was misunderstood," he said. "In recent years Ive taken to comparing her with the ancient Greek figure of Cassandra, who told everyone what was going to happen but was dismissed as a crank, only for her predictions to come true without fail. "What a frustrating place to be and yet there she was, warning us about the myriad dangers that faced, and face, us as a society." The picture was posted as Brandos first birthday approaches Irish actor Barry Keoghan has shared a touching tribute to his baby boy on social media. Love you mboy, said Keoghan on Instagram as he shared a photo with his son Brando. The picture was posted as Brandos first birthday approaches. Keoghan and Brandos mum Alyson Sandro welcomed their baby into the world last August. The couple are reported to have split in recent weeks but have not commented on the reports. The Dubliner has since described fatherhood as indescribable and a love Ive not felt before. The Irish actor is set to be back on the big screen later this year as the release date for his next movie was announced this week. Saltburn will see the actor working with director Emerald Fennell, who had a breakout hit last year with the movie Promising Young Woman. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten, according to a synopsis for the movie. Co-starring Irish actress and Conversations with Friends star Alison Oliver, the movie will also star Jacob Elordi, Richard E Grant and Rosemund Pike. The movie is set to be released in cinemas on November 24th. I lost the lot. Got a little bit back, went back into bankruptcy, became a millionaire again Kerry Katona has told how shes experienced both being a millionaire and having to shoplift for food - and added that life has taught her that being wealthy doesnt make you happy. Speaking on the Matt Haycox podcast, Kerry told how she had to live through poverty both as a child and a mum. I've been on every side of the coin you can think of, she said on the podcast. I went from having nothing to getting my clothes off a car boot sale with my nan. Going on the rob with my mum. I remember being nine years of age and it was Christmas. We just got moved from a refuge into a new house and it was Christmas morning and we had no decorations and the people from the refuge knocked on Christmas morning with a bin bag of second hand stuff. We were eternally grateful. Kerry, who used to be married to Irish Westlife star Brian McFadden, has also experienced times of wealth and poverty in her adult life. I became a millionaire overnight, then split up with Brian. Then I got the Iceland deal... then I had my own reality show, became a millionaire again, added the 42 year old. Lost the lot. Got a little bit back, went back into bankruptcy, became a millionaire again. I don't know anybody who has done that. I'm a grafter and I work and continue to work my a**e off because of those kids, she said of supporting her family. Katona - who recently wrote about her struggles in her autobiography, Whole Again - added that shes learnt from living through very different financial times. The one thing I've learnt is, money doesn't make you happy, it just gives you options, she added. A 13-year-old Papamoa dancer has created her own business to fund a trip to compete against the best in the world. Milan Brown is one of 64 hip hop dancers from Taurangas SPACE studios, which has qualified for the annual World of Dance in Los Angeles. The trip is self-funded, so shes aiming to raise $10,000 by selling towels that are cleverly designed for gym users. My auntie and uncle in Australia came up with the idea and had lots of stock here that hadnt been shown to the New Zealand public yet, so they offered them to me, says Milan. They have magnets and a hood so they can be attached easily to gym equipment or anything metal. It beats using an ugly bath towel, says Milans mum Christy Brown. You can use them for anything. Theyre great to go over the car seat for when the kids jump in after the beach or the lake. Little kids love wearing them with the hood to keep warm and you can open the boot of the car and use them as an instant privacy screen. Milans team, NXTGEN, will be up against hundreds of teams from around the world at the Anaheim Convention Center from August 11-14, performing in front of a panel of international judges. SPACE studios choreographer Cameron Smith says so much more goes into the three-minute routine that the audience sees on-stage. These dancers have sacrificed normal teenage daily activities like hanging out with friends and family events to invest in their craft and make a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity happen. Hard work will always pay off and we know our kiddos are going to put Bay of Plenty on the world map. Milan has been been dancing hip hop since the age of five so this is a chance for me to learn from great dancers and choreographers and have fun on stage. Id like to keep dancing as long as I can and see where it takes me. To buy a towel to support Milan, go to her Instagram @mojoactivelifestyle Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. GAZA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) needs to raise millions of dollars to bridge its deficit before the end of 2023, a UNRWA official said on Saturday. Adnan Abu Hasna, the UN agency's media advisor, told reporters in Gaza City that the agency needs more support to fund health, education, relief, and other programs for Palestinian refugees. According to the official, the lack of funding will affect the organization's food aid programs in the Gaza Strip that would benefit 1.2 million Palestinian refugees, its cash assistance programs in Syria and Lebanon, and the normal operation of the organization. He warned of the consequences of suspending food and cash aid programs on which hundreds of thousands of refugees depend in both Lebanon and Syria, two countries that were hit hard by economic turmoils. Established in 1949, UNRWA was mandated to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees. Nearly all of its funding comes from voluntary contributions. Suicide prevention help is available. Dial 911 if you are in immediate danger. 988 - National Suicide Prevention Hotline. This toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. (It was formerly 1-800-273-8255, which also still works.) By dialing 988, the call is routed to the nearest crisis center in a national network of more than 150 crisis centers, including Contact Community Services in Syracuse. You can also text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org (315)-251-0600 - Contact Community Services Hotline, provides 24 hour telephone counseling. 1-800-273-8255 Press 1 - Veterans and Military Crisis Line 741741- Crisis Text Line, a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7 and confidential. Pompey, N.Y. Three teen siblings who authorities believe were stabbed by their mother in a Pompey home Friday are expected to survive. The siblings, two girls and one boy, ran to a neighbors house on Oran Delphi Road around 9:03 a.m. Friday looking for help. The neighbor called 911 to report the children said they were attacked by their mother with a knife. The Onondaga County Sheriffs Office said Friday afternoon that one of the siblings was in critical condition and undergoing surgery. Another was in serious condition and the third was released with minor wounds. By Friday evening, deputies said in a news release that all siblings are expected to survive. The female suspect was found dead in the home at 3621 Oran Delphi Road, a sheriffs office spokesperson said. The person died from a self-inflicted gunshot. The sheriffs office would not confirm whether the suspect was the mother of the siblings at this time. Two sources, however, said the suspect is believed to be the mother who they said stabbed her children. Suicide prevention help is available. Dial 911 if you are in immediate danger. 1-800-273-8255 National Suicide Prevention Hotline. This toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. By dialing 1-800-273-TALK, the call is routed to the nearest crisis center in a national network of more than 150 crisis centers, including Contact Community Services in Syracuse. (315)-251-0600 Contact Community Services Hotline, provides 24 hour telephone counseling. 1-800-273-8255 Press 1, Veterans and Military Crisis Line Crisis Text Line, a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7 and confidential. Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him: Email | Twitter or at 315-690-6950. Cortlandville, N.Y. Another credit card skimming device was found at a store in Central New York, state troopers said. An employee at a Save a Lot Food store in Cortlandville spotted the device Monday, Trooper Aga Dembinska, a state police spokesperson, said in a news release Friday. The store is located at 1111 State Route 222. Police did not say which register the device was placed at. Dembinska said the employee was making a purchase when he noticed the keys on the credit card machines keypad looked different. He pulled on the cover of the keypad and the skimming device came off, Dembinska said. No suspect information was released by police Friday. Similar card skimming devices were found at more than a dozen Walmarts in the region over the July 4 weekend. Experts said the devices are capable of copying credit card information and sending it nearby through bluetooth or practically anywhere through cell service. To avoid being scammed, experts say to use a cards chip instead of swiping. Even better, use the tap feature or Apple Pay or Google Pay, which encrypts card data, according to experts. While some skimmers are capable of collecting information from transactions where a chip is used, there are fewer of those devices and it can be more difficult to collect that data, according to experts. *** Walmart stores hit These are the Walmart stores police agencies have said had skimmers secretly installed, mostly between July 2 and July 5. There could be more stores hit, but Walmart officials refuse to release what stores were targeted. (Note the list includes the checkout lane number where available.) Auburn (No. 2) Camillus (No. 5) Canandaigua (No. 15) Central Square (No. 1) Cortland/Cortlandville (No. 2) East Syracuse (No. 6) Fulton/Granby (No. 7) Geneva (No. 13) Johnson City (No. 11) Norwich Oswego (No. 1) Painted Post Erwin (No. 5) Waterloo (No. 10) How to contact Walmart A Walmart spokesperson said customers concerned they may have been impacted by the skimmers should contact their card provider or Walmart Customer Care Team at 800-925-6278. More on credit card skimmers How to avoid becoming a victim of credit card skimmers like those found at CNY Walmarts Update: Credit card skimmers now found at 11 Walmart stores in Central NY, Upstate New York See what credit card skimmer found at Central NY Walmarts looks like; 2 more stores identified The questions Walmart refuses to answer about credit card skimmers found at 5 Central NY stores Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him: Email | Twitter or at 315-690-6950. The Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival is back this weekend with crowds of buyers and sellers taking over the Columbus Circle corridor. The annual festival, presented by M&T Bank and the Downtown Syracuse Committee, provides an opportunity for artisans and entertainer to showcase their talents, and for buyers to go home with one-of-a-kind artwork, jewelry and more. As you roam around the festival this weekend seeking your next treasure, here are five vendors you might stumble upon: Lukacs Studios Pottery Married couple Cathy and Mark Lukacs have been throwing clay on pottery wheels for more than 45 years. The two metcoincidentlyin a pottery class at SUNY Geneseo. Cathy and Mark are Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival veterans, participating as vendors for more than 40 years. We are actually the oldest exhibitors in the show, said Cathy. Only one other person has been doing it longer. Lukacs Studios Pottery creates unique and practical ceramic goods. Need an easier way to cook an egg for your bagels in the morning? The couple created a microwave egg cooker that will make breakfast just a bit easier. They also have a two-tiered jewelry holder, one of Cathys favorites pieces since its an original design and was hard to make. Mark also makes ceramic flutes, which is a bit unusual in ceramics, he said. He might even play a tune or two on one of the flutes if you stop by. Website: lukacspottery.com Email: lukacspottery@gmail.com Storefront: 7060 Route 14, Sodus Point, NY 14555 Cathy and Mark Lukacs have been participating as vendors at the Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival for more than 40 years.Tania Ortiz Carol Gingrich Designs Carol Gingrichs art combines photography, painting, embroidery and sculptures all on fabric to bring to life pieces inspired by the nature of the Pocono Mountains in Bushkill, Pennsylvania, where she resides. Gingrichs one-of-a-kind pieces are hard to miss as the three dimensional willow tree sculptures and different flowers will jump out at you. Even though I make the same willow trees, no two ever look alike, said Gingrich. The paintings are always different. I use a lot of inspiration from where I live and the flowers that I grow. Gingrich learned how to embroider four types of stitches from her mother at the age of 10 and by the time she was 15, she self-taught herself in the embroidery encyclopedia. While she mastered the art of embroidery, life took her in a different direction and for the past 30 years, she made soaps. The pandemic provided her with the opportunity to focus on her artwork and retire from making soaps, she said. Instagram: @carolgingrichdesigns Email: carolgingrich@yahoo.com Carol Gingrich creates nature inspired pieces mixing photography, embroidery, sculpting and painting.Tania Ortiz Allan Sackey Generations of traditional weaving practices from the northern regions of Ghana are on display at Allan Sackeys stand at this years festival. The handwoven goodsbags, baskets, fans and bowlsare made from elephant grass, vegetable dye and pure cow leather. Sackey learned how to weave from his grandparents in Ghana and is now passing down the tradition to his five children, who lend a hand in the business. The weaving practice is very common in the community he grew up in, he said. Each of the items Sackey and his family make take numerous hours, he said. For example, one of the large laundry baskets available at the festival takes him about 30 to 40 hours to make. But dont expect to find Sackeys designs online, the weaver exclusively sells his creations in person. If you want to snag more of his designs after this weekend, Sackey also participates in farmers markets in Schenectady, New York every Sunday. Email: alasack2016@gmail.com Allan Sackey hand weaves baskets, bags and hats from elephant grass.Tania Ortiz Stevo Mosaics If you are looking for a piece of art that can spruce of your living space, youre in luck because Steve Sadvarys mosaic pieces are the perfect addition. The Pittsburgh native creates different mosaic images with stain glass, and the way he stumbled on this form of art was accidental, finding glass tiles left behind in the basement of a house he had bought. He originally was a weaver before dabbling with mosaics, he said. I tinkered around with that [glass tiles], said Sadvary. Someone saw that and wanted something. And it kind of just took off from there. It usually takes Sadvary a day to complete a piece from sketching out the image being projected onto a fiber glass board before placing the tiles into their respective places. To make face contours, he uses a technique called andamento to create a pattern to make certain features stand out in a mosaic. Website: stevoshphere.com Steven Sadvary stands beside a few of his mosaic pieces at the Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival.Tania Ortiz Natural Sur From natural materials, like lima beans, nuts, seeds and orange peels, Lula Castillo creates colorful, one-of-a-kind sustainable jewelry. I recycle seeds, nuts. I also work with citrus peels and lima beans, said Castillo. So, everything comes from nature and eventually go back to nature. Castillo considers herself an alchemist, as she transforms the natural materials into jewelry. Shes giving the materials that would otherwise be thrown out another life. The jewelry maker sees what others may consider garbage as beautiful. She hopes that her product helps contribute to sustainability and inspire others that they can recycle anything and make it into something. Intsagram: @natsur.organicjewelry Email: lula@natural-sur.com Lula Castillo creates sustainable jewelry from natural materials like lima beans and orange peels.Tania Ortiz If you go: WHERE: Columbus Circle corridor in Downtown Syracuse on the 200 and 300 blocks of East Onondaga Street, the 300 and 400 blocks of Montgomery Street, and the 200 and 300 blocks of East Jefferson Street. WHEN: Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. PRICE: Free MORE INFO: https://www.downtownsyracuse.com/events/signature/syracuse-arts-crafts-festival Albert J. Capria, 81, of Cicero, died unexpectedly on Thursday. Capria served in the U.S. Army. He was a machinist at Carrier Corp until his retirement and was a member of Sheetmetal Union Local 527. After his retirement, Capria drove tour buses. He volunteered with Clear Path for Veterans. He enjoyed hunting and spending time with friends and family at his camp. He also showed and worked on classic cars and enjoyed cooking. Capria and his wife, Dorothy, enjoyed wintering in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Florida. Calling hours will take place from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Thomas J. Pirro Funeral Home, 3401 Vickery Road, North Syracuse. A funeral Mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Friday at Epiphany Parish at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 424 Beechwood Ave., Liverpool. Internment with military honors will follow at Assumption Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Clear Path for Veterans, 1223 Salt Springs Road, Chittenango, NY 13037 You may contact Sharon Dellinger by phone at 315-470-2265 or email. Syracuse, N.Y. -- A cold front sliding down from Canada today will bring a string of fall-like summer nights to Upstate New York, but it could also usher in another round of wildfire smoke. On Friday, heat advisories were in place across much of Upstate New York, where the heat index rose into the mid 90s. Temperatures this morning are expected to fall no lower than the low 70s. That heat will be short-lived, though. That cold front coming through today will cause a deep dip in the jet stream, the circulating ribbon of air in the upper atmosphere that acts as a curtain separating hot and cold. Theres going to be a pretty significant dip in the jet stream farther south, and thats going to allow the cooler air to come in, said Tom Kines, a meteorologist with Accuweather. The high temperature today across Upstate will remain in the 70s, and by Sunday the cool mornings will kick in: The National Weather Service forecast for Sunday morning is a low of 60 degrees, more than 10 degrees lower than todays low. Kines said the end of July and the first half of August are likely to remain cooler than normal across Upstate New York. The normal high temperature for Syracuse in early August is 81, and the low is 62. Over the next week, the National Weather Service predicts that temperatures will be 3 to 5 degrees lower than that. Nighttime temperatures could drop into the mid to lower 50s, which is more typical of mid-September than early August. The humidity will drop, too, making it feel even cooler. The weather services long-range forecasting arm, the Climate Prediction Center, says the odds are in favor of a cool start to August across the Northeast. On the southern side of the newly aligned jet stream, most of the rest of the nation will continue to be hotter than usual for the next week or two. The odds are in favor of a cool start to August in Upstate New York, while much of the country remains locked in a heat wave. Theres a catch to that cool air coming from Canada, though, as weve seen several times this summer. The fires are still going on up across western and central Canada, Kines noted. During the weekend or early next week, when our winds are out of the northwest, there can certainly be some smoke smoke and haze. The timing and density of smoke are difficult to predict. The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation air quality forecasts are issued in late afternoon for the next day only. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 25, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) CHENGDU, Sichuan/HANZHONG, Shaanxi, July 29 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has called for breaking new ground in China's high-quality development during an inspection tour in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged the province to write a new chapter in advancing Chinese modernization. He said that it is imperative to apply the new development philosophy, forge a new pattern of development and promote common prosperity across the board and throughout economic and social development. He urged more efforts to advance the transformation of the model, driving force, areas and quality of development to break new ground in the country's high-quality development. During the Sichuan tour, Xi visited places including Guangyuan and Deyang cities from July 25 to 27. On Tuesday afternoon, he went to Guangyuan and visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao." Xi walked along the ancient road and took a close look at the ancient cypress forest that has been well preserved. Xi stressed the importance of building institutional frameworks and their implementation as well as inspiring the people's motivation, initiative and creativity to consolidate and expand the achievements in ecological conservation. On Wednesday afternoon, Xi visited the new building of the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang. Sanxingdui Ruins are the remnants of an ancient capital and represent the ancient Shu civilization. After touring the exhibition halls, Xi went to the venue for relic preservation and repair, where he carefully observed the procedures, details, and latest techniques. Xi also talked with the staff on site. He stressed more state support for the preservation and repair of cultural relics, describing the work as a long-term task. Xi also called for promoting craftsmanship and perseverance to yield more achievements in this regard. On Thursday morning, Xi was briefed by the Sichuan provincial Party committee and government about their work, and recognized their efforts in various respects. He urged Sichuan to make more progress in sci-tech innovation, the building of a modern industrial system, rural revitalization and the consolidation of ecological shields along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. Opening up new areas of development with sci-tech innovation is an urgent requirement for high-quality development, Xi said, calling on Sichuan to give full play to its strengths and make efforts on both sci-tech innovation and the application of scientific and technological achievements. He asked the province to resolve problems concerning a number of core technologies in key fields and to become an innovation hub in western China. Relying on its unique advantages in manufacturing, Sichuan should actively contribute to the safety of the country's industrial and supply chains, and dock itself with the new industrial layout in China's eastern coastal areas in a high-quality manner, Xi said. Stressing the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, Xi called on the province to build a modernized industrial system with Sichuan characteristics and strengths. He urged Sichuan to put rural revitalization in a prominent position and further take on the responsibilities of stabilizing the production and ensuring the supply of major agricultural products such as grain, hogs and oilseed crops. Xi stressed that Sichuan should enhance ecological conservation, move faster to build a national park-based nature reserve system, and actively advocate eco-friendly and low-carbon ways of work and life. Xi urged Sichuan to keep skies blue, waters clear, and lands pollution-free by higher standards, improve the compensation system for ecological conservation, and elevate the modernization of ecological environment governance. Xi pointed out that as Sichuan is a place with frequent natural disasters, it is necessary to strengthen the building of emergency response forces. July and August mark the time the Yangtze River basin enters its main flood season, Xi said, calling for efforts to make preparations for flood control and disaster relief and minimize casualties and property losses to the greatest extent. Xi also urged Sichuan to comprehensively check the hidden dangers of workplace safety, and resolutely prevent and contain the occurrence of major workplace safety accidents. On the education campaign launched by the CPC, Xi urged Party organizations at all levels to fully carry out the CPC Central Committee's plans and make practical progress as the first round of the campaign will conclude in less than two months. On Saturday, Xi visited Hanzhong in northwest China's Shaanxi Province on his way back to Beijing. During his visit to the municipal museum, Xi emphasized making good use of museums. He also called for efforts to expand the influence of Chinese culture. "I was in Hanzhong in 2008 after the devastating Wenchuan earthquake to oversee the relief work. Hanzhong has always been in my heart over the years," Xi told local residents who gathered around him when he was leaving the museum. Xi said he was delighted to see huge changes of the city since then. In Hanzhong, Xi also visited a wetland park, where he stressed the important responsibility and great significance of protecting the wetland resources in the area along the Hanjiang River and its tributaries. He urged efforts to improve the overall protection and systematic restoration of the wetland ecosystem. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, accompanied Xi on the inspection tour. General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 26, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Li Tao) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 26, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 26, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 26, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 25, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 25, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 25, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 25, 2023. Xi inspected southwest China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological conservation, the progress in the excavation and research of historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural relics. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Hanzhong Museum in Hanzhong, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 29, 2023. Xi made an inspection tour in southwest China's Sichuan Province. On his way back to Beijing, Xi inspected the city of Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Hanzhong Museum in Hanzhong, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 29, 2023. Xi made an inspection tour in southwest China's Sichuan Province. On his way back to Beijing, Xi inspected the city of Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) ruzbehxyz Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: MH02 to MH46 Posts: 1,519 Thanked: 5,774 Times Re: Ship carrying 3,000 cars catches fire, burns off Dutch coast Source: Cars and vehicles have been carried on vessels called "Car Carriers" and "Ro-Ro" since many decades. However what's changed now is that many of these cars are EV's which pose a great danger to the ships that they are carried it. They are a mix of combustible materials (mostly plastic), with inherent ignition sources. Now we have a very specific risk that Li-ion battery EVs pose when carried at sea in the same manner as all vehicles. If EVs are not adequately lashed and a vessel encounters bad weather, the cars can become loose, have an impact, and cause a fire. A single vehicle fire could prove catastrophic and impossible for the limited number of crew to extinguish. Unfortunately, some of the basic and widely relied upon fire safety principles are not available for Li-ion battery EV fires. There is no effective or practicable potential for early detection, warning, or fire suppression. There is, currently, no effective and capable fixed and portable fire fighting system for such fires. Even a modern, full-time, public fire service is unable to control a Li-ion EV fire in any timely manner. In short, at present, no ships system or crew nor any port or public fire service is capable of dealing effectively with the risk aboard. Aware of the rising risks from EV fires, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) issued a paper in June 2022 in which it said that fire fighting equipment and measures in existing ships carrying cars needed to be reassessed. The following are all potential risk scenarios that could arise when transporting EVs: 1. Battery fire during on-board charging of the EV. 2. Battery fire due to increase in temperature from a fire in the surrounding area. 3. Battery fire after an accidental impact during cargo operation or vessel movement in bad weather. 4. Fire or explosion due to the escape of hydrogen from the fuel cell hydrogen pressure tank resulting from fire in the lower deck or surrounding area 5. Battery runaway due to an internal short circuit resulting from an impact, or poor battery quality leading to fire when the battery internal safety mechanisms stop working In addition, a lithium-ion battery exposed to temperatures above 150 C from a surrounding fire might start to discharge toxic gases with possible ignition. Quote: Over recent years there have been numerous fires on vehicle carriers, some of which have been attributed to faults in the vehicles being carried onboard. The outcome of these vehicle carrier fires have, in the main, been significant. We have summarised a few of these incidents below. On the MV Honor in February 2017, a fire in the upper vehicle deck was attributed to a fault in the starter motor solenoid in one of the vehicles being transported. The fire led to extensive damage to the Honors vehicle decks as well as its cargo of about 5,000 vehicles. In May 2018, a fire started on the 11th deck of the Auto Banner. The fire was alleged to have been caused by the over-heating of one of the used vehicles on board. The fire was cooled by helicopters dropping water from the air and more than 40 fire engines spraying the hull. The entire crew of 28 were safely evacuated without any reported injuries. Grande America suffered a fire in March 2018 and subsequently developed a starboard list, causing it to capsize and sink in a depth of around 4,600 metres. The resulting oil spill stretched for 10km and the ship was carrying 2,000 cars and 365 containers, of which 45 were deemed to hold hazardous substances. Sincerity Ace caught fire in the Pacific on New Years Eve 2018 with more than 3,500 cars onboard. The crew had to abandon the vessel, and whilst 16 crew were rescued, five tragically died as a result of the incident. In June 2019, Diamond Highway had to be abandoned by its crew in the South China Sea, due to fire, whilst carrying 6,354 cars. Thankfully, all 25 crew were rescued. MOL, which operates one of the worlds largest car carrier fleets, suffered this years largest shipping casualty to date in dollar terms when its 6,400 ceu vessel, Felicity Ace, caught fire and eventually sank off the Azores five weeks ago with losses, according to law firm Vinson & Elkins, in the region of $500m. The casualty was the fourth big car carrier blaze involving EVs since 2019. The bottom line is that at present we still do not have proper systems on board for carriage of EV's. Source: https://www.9news.com.au/world/ship-...2-2030030a7e1f Cars and vehicles have been carried on vessels called "Car Carriers" and "Ro-Ro" since many decades. However what's changed now is that many of these cars are EV's which pose a great danger to the ships that they are carried it. They are a mix of combustible materials (mostly plastic), with inherent ignition sources. Now we have a very specific risk that Li-ion battery EVs pose when carried at sea in the same manner as all vehicles.If EVs are not adequately lashed and a vessel encounters bad weather, the cars can become loose, have an impact, and cause a fire. A single vehicle fire could prove catastrophic and impossible for the limited number of crew to extinguish.The following are all potential risk scenarios that could arise when transporting EVs:1. Battery fire during on-board charging of the EV.2. Battery fire due to increase in temperature from a fire in the surrounding area.3. Battery fire after an accidental impact during cargo operation or vessel movement in bad weather.4. Fire or explosion due to the escape of hydrogen from the fuel cell hydrogen pressure tank resulting from fire in the lower deck or surrounding area5. Battery runaway due to an internal short circuit resulting from an impact, or poor battery quality leading to fire when the battery internal safety mechanisms stop workingIn addition, a lithium-ion battery exposed to temperatures above 150 C from a surrounding fire might start to discharge toxic gases with possible ignition.Source: https://safety4sea.com/car-carrier-f...ransportation/ MOL, which operates one of the worlds largest car carrier fleets, suffered this years largest shipping casualty to date in dollar terms when its 6,400 ceu vessel, Felicity Ace, caught fire and eventually sank off the Azores five weeks ago with losses, according to law firm Vinson & Elkins, in the region of $500m. The casualty was the fourth big car carrier blaze involving EVs since 2019.The bottom line is that at present we still do not have proper systems on board for carriage of EV's. Last edited by ruzbehxyz : 27th July 2023 at 09:47 . As the summer heat intensifies, NASA has set its sights on a mission to tackle the critical issue of air pollution in megacities. As it teams up with various partners, the space agency is deploying innovative tools to observe air quality from ground level to the stratosphere. The first satellite instrument of its kind, TEMPO, short for Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, will be used to provide hourly measurements of air quality over North America during daylight hours, boasting an unprecedented resolution of just a few square miles. Launched into orbit earlier this year, TEMPO's field of view reportedly stretches from Mexico City to central Canada and the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. This latest atmospheric chemistry instrument of NASA is expected to start transmitting invaluable data for scientific research soon. NASA's TEMPO and STAQS Working in tandem with TEMPO, NASA also launched a separate mission, called the Synergistic TEMPO Air Quality Science (STAQS), operating from the ground level. This ambitious initiative includes a fleet of aircraft, mobile laboratories, weather balloons, and hundreds of scientists mobilized to track pollution in unprecedented detail. The summer 2023 campaign will observe the air quality in several North American megacities, such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Toronto. STAQS aims to create detailed 3D maps of air pollutants, tracing their origins and monitoring their fluctuations on an hourly basis. The mission also seeks to identify communities disproportionately exposed to unhealthy air. According to NASA, the primary pollutant under scrutiny is nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emitted by vehicles and industrial sources and is a major contributor to ground-level ozone or smog. The missions will also monitor fine particulate matter and volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde, methane, and carbon dioxide - potent greenhouse gases contributing to Earth's warming. The STAQS campaign receives support from NOAA, which leads the complementary AEROMMA field campaign. This collaboration involves government, university-led, and regional efforts. A united front of more than 20 universities, regional consortiums, state and local governments, and federal agencies is forming a coast-to-coast air quality community, bolstering research efforts. Read Also: NASA's Picture of the Day: Galactic Cannibalism in 'The River' Localized Air Pollution According to NASA, while improved air quality has been a success story in recent decades, localized air pollution poses new challenges. For instance, in Chicago, a freight hub, a STAQS team will closely monitor ozone concentrations along Lake Michigan's shoreline and high levels of truck exhaust near massive warehouses. Identifying such disparities is crucial for protecting public health, particularly for individuals living and working in affected areas. The STAQS team deploys two research aircraft with remote sensors, including spectrometers, to enable the mapping of pollutants up to three times daily. John Sullivan, leading the ground-based operations for STAQS, emphasized the importance of a 3D perspective of air pollution movement and mixing in different atmospheric layers. Ground-support teams will use state-of-the-art sensors while aircraft fly overhead, gathering comprehensive data. Remote-sensing instruments like TOLNet and Pandora, part of a global network of sky-scanning spectrometers, will serve as observational "anchor points" during the STAQS campaign. Additionally, STAQS instruments will operate alongside existing trace-gas analyzing equipment managed by national and local air quality agencies, enabling comprehensive comparisons and augmentations of observations. Ultimately, the collected data will benefit state and local air quality agencies. The mission's findings are expected to help these agencies formulate effective strategies for improving air quality and safeguarding public health. Related Article: NASA Engineers Test Hybrid Printed Electronics at the Edge of Space 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Armaments Research Company, Inc. (ARC) has been granted a $950 million contract by the US Air Force for the advancement of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS). This contract aims to enhance Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) by leveraging open systems design, modern software, and algorithm development across various platforms and domains. US Air Force and ARC Contract The contract provides ARC and other awardees the opportunity to compete for efforts in seven different competitive pools that support the development and operation of systems as a unified force across all domains: air, land, sea, space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum. The goal is to create an open architecture family of systems that enables capabilities through multiple integrated platforms. Michael Canty, the CEO of ARC, expressed enthusiasm for the contract, highlighting the potential benefits of ABMS in connecting ground warfighters to aerial support more efficiently, thereby reducing sensor-to-shooter timelines. He noted that the ABMS contract represents an expansion of ARC's involvement in the US Army's JADC2 initiative, Project Convergence, providing an opportunity to enhance coordination across military services and break down information silos. Established in 2016, ARC is a privately-owned technology firm based in Washington, D.C., specializing in top-secret-cleared operations. A team of technology experts and combat-tested military veterans leads the company. ARC's original solutions were developed with sponsorship from DARPA and the National Science Foundation, utilizing cutting-edge Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning (ML) technologies. These advancements enable ARC to transform weapons into information nodes or 'sensors,' empowering Commanders with advanced real-time decision support capabilities. Read Also: MQ-9 Reaper Drone Operates on Regular Highway for the First Time! How Can This Benefit US Air Force? New Horizons The ABMS contract opens up new horizons for ARC and its mission to revolutionize military operations through advanced technology solutions. With a focus on JADC2, the company seeks to enhance the seamless integration of various domains, fostering a more agile and effective joint command and control system. By leveraging modern software, algorithm development, and open systems design, ARC aims to pave the way for enhanced military capabilities across platforms and domains. The competitive nature of the multiple-award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract ensures that future work will be subjected to the Fair Opportunity process, encouraging continuous innovation and providing the best solutions are implemented for Joint All Domain Command and Control. "ABMS offers an opportunity to securely connect ground warfighters to necessary aerial support, reducing sensor-to-shooter timelines. The US Air Force's ABMS IDIQ represents an expansion of our participation in the US Army's JADC2 initiative, Project Convergence," Michael Canty, ARC's CEO, said in a statement. "It's a chance for ARC to streamline coordination across military services and break down information silos. We couldn't be prouder of the potential impact," he added. Related Article: US Air Force Announces It Will Not Use Lockheed Martin's Hypersonic 'Arrow' 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The European Commission has initiated an antitrust probe into Microsoft to determine if it bundled its Teams video and chat app with some of its other products, breaching the EU's competition rules. The investigation focuses on examining whether Microsoft tied or bundled its communication and collaboration product, Teams, with its widely used Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites for businesses. Microsoft's Incorporation of Teams Teams, a cloud-based communication and collaboration tool, offers various features like messaging, calling, video meetings, and file sharing. It integrates Microsoft's own workplace tools and third-party applications, catering to the growing demand for remote working and cloud-based software solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift towards remote work has accelerated the adoption of cloud-based software, allowing customers to access various applications from different providers through subscription models, eliminating the need for in-house data centers. Platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams have become popular since the pandemic. The concern raised by the Commission revolves around Microsoft's incorporation of Teams into its well-established cloud-based productivity suites, which are popular among business customers. The fear is that Microsoft's actions may impede competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) for communication and collaboration products, potentially limiting customers' choices and interoperability between Microsoft's suites and competing offerings. If proven, such practices could be considered anti-competitive tying or bundling, preventing suppliers of other communication and collaboration tools from competing fairly in the EEA and ultimately affecting customers. Read Also: EU's Digital Services Act Names Tech Companies That Must Follow its Latest Rules; Violators To Be Fined Complaint Filed by Slack The EU's investigation was prompted by a complaint filed by Slack Technologies, Inc. on July 14, 2020, alleging that Microsoft unlawfully tied Teams to its dominant productivity suites. The investigation is conducted under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which prohibits the abuse of a dominant market position that may hinder competition and trade within the EU. There is no specific timeline for concluding an antitrust investigation, as various factors influence its duration, including the case's complexity, the level of cooperation from the companies involved, and the exercise of defense rights. As the investigation unfolds, all stakeholders will closely monitor the proceedings and await the Commission's findings. The outcome of this investigation could have significant implications for Microsoft and the broader landscape of communication and collaboration tools in the EU market. "Remote communication and collaboration tools like Teams have become indispensable for many businesses in Europe. We must therefore ensure that the markets for these products remain competitive, and companies are free to choose the products that best meet their needs," Margrethe Vestager, the EU's executive vice president in charge of competition policy, said in a statement. "This is why we are investigating whether Microsoft's tying of its productivity suites with Teams may be in breach of EU competition rules," she added. Related Article: Microsoft CEO Nadella Aims to Remove Xbox Exclusives, Blaming Sony for Defining Market, Competition 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ford has reported strong second-quarter earnings of $1.9 billion, nearly triple the previous year's level, and revenue of $45 billion, a 12% increase. The company's CFO, John Lawler, described the quarter as "really strong," attributing the success to better-than-expected pricing in the first half of 2023. $4.5 Billion Operating Losses While Ford's internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle business performed well, the company also revealed operating losses of $4.5 billion in its electric vehicle (EV) business, a revision from the prior estimate of $3 billion. Ford attributed this to a slower pace of EV adoption, but CEO Jim Farley emphasized the company's commitment to breakthrough EVs, indicating the potential for growth and resilience with Ford+. "The near-term pace of EV adoption will be a little slower than expected, which is going to benefit early movers like Ford," Farley said in a statement. "EV customers are brand loyal and we're winning lots of them with our high-volume, first-generation products; we're making smart investments in capabilities and capacity around the world; and, while others are trying to catch up, we have clean-sheet, next-generation products in advanced development that will blow people away." Ford Pro, targeting commercial customers, achieved a 22% revenue growth, and the Ford Blue gas and hybrid business reported $2.3 billion in EBIT, with the new global Ranger pickup being popular and profitable. The revenue from Ford Model E, the company's electric vehicle lineup, saw a substantial increase of 39%, positioning Ford as a leader in the next-generation EV industry. The company now aims to reach a 600,000-unit EV production run rate by 2024. Ford raised its full-year 2023 guidance for adjusted EBIT to between $11 billion and $12 billion and for adjusted free cash flow to between $6.5 billion and $7 billion. Read Also: Ford F-150 Lightning EV: Almost $10,000 Price Drop, Also Eligible for $7,500 Tax Credits Breakthrough EVs Underway CEO Jim Farley emphasized Ford's agility in guiding customers through the evolving EV landscape and expressed confidence in the company's clean-sheet, next-generation products in advanced development. Ford believes early movers like them will benefit from the slightly slower pace of EV adoption. The company's strong cash flow from operations and adjusted free cash flow of $5.0 billion and $2.9 billion, respectively, provide financial flexibility for investments and shareholder returns. Ford's balance sheet remains robust, with nearly $30 billion of cash and over $47 billion of liquidity. "The shift to powerful digital experiences and breakthrough EVs is underway and going to be volatile, so being able to guide customers through and adapt to the pace of adoption are big advantages for us," said Farley. "Ford+ is making us more resilient, efficient, and profitable, which you can see in Ford Pro's breakout second-quarter revenue improvement (22%) and EBIT margin (15%)." Related Article: Ford to Still Feature Apple CarPlay as GM, Tesla Favors Android Auto or Own Infotainment Connections 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. BUJUMBURA, Burundi, July 29 (Xinhua) -- China has always supported Burundi in many sectors, and is a contributor to the country's socio-economic development, especially in terms of energy, a senior Burundian official has said. Burundi highly values China's support for its energy sector and anticipates more cooperation with China in this area, Selemani Khamissi, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Hydraulics, Energy and Mines, told Xinhua in a recent interview. In September 2022, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye and Chinese Ambassador to Burundi Zhao Jiangping inaugurated the Ruzibazi hydropower plant in southwestern Bujumbura province, 43 km south of the commercial capital of Bujumbura. The dam was constructed with Chinese financial and technical assistance. "China via the Sinohydro Construction Company can be considered as a model in terms of the construction of hydropower plants," Khamissi said, hailing the cooperation as benefitting Burundi's socio-economic life, not least the energy sector. Construction of the hydropower station took place as scheduled, and was completed ahead of the four-year deadline in 2022, Khamissi said. Burundian authorities believe that the Ruzibazi hydropower station possesses a large proportion of the total installed capacity in Burundi and is very important to the country's future development. The Ruzibazi hydropower station is by far the largest China-aided project in Burundi, according to Burundian officials. Besides the Ruzibazi project, China also signed an agreement to provide technical assistance for the operation of three hydropower plants namely Mugere, Ruvyironza and Gikonge, and agreed to train Burundian technicians. "China has always been with us to give support. We are continuing to hold discussions and mobilize funding because there are still potential sites available, and we will continue to seek the support from China," he said. "We hope that China will always remain alongside Burundi, especially in the energy sector," Khamissi said. Bilateral cooperation dates back to 1963, when Burundi and China established diplomatic relations, and was further deepened in 2000 through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Over the past decades, the two partners have made substantial progress in their cooperation in such areas as energy, infrastructure, agriculture and health. Get ready to embark on an exciting journey through the cosmos as NASA gears up to launch its very own streaming platform, NASA+! This addition to the digital landscape promises to take viewers on a breathtaking adventure through the wonders of space, exploration, and innovation. But that's not all; NASA isn't stopping there. The space agency is making significant strides in elevating its digital platforms to offer a cutting-edge user experience for all. By revamping its flagship and science websites and upgrading the NASA app, NASA aims to inspire humanity through a unified, world-class web experience. Unified NASA Web Experience The beta website is already available for an early preview, and users are encouraged to visit and provide feedback. Jeff Seaton, the chief information officer at NASA's headquarters in Washington, expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity to enhance the user experience, making NASA's information more accessible, discoverable, and secure. "Our vision is to inspire humanity through a unified, world-class NASA web experience," said Seaton. "NASA's legacy footprint presents an opportunity to dramatically improve the user experience for the public we serve. Modernizing our main websites from a technology standpoint and streamlining how the public engages with our content online are critical first steps in making our agency's information more accessible, discoverable, and secure." The updated websites, nasa.gov, and science.nasa.gov, will offer a connected, topic-driven experience with a common search engine and optimized publishing capabilities. This consolidation of information will provide a one-stop-shop for the agency's missions, research, climate data, Artemis updates, and much more. NASA is committed to continually improving the beta site based on valuable feedback from its visitors. The full launch will include content from various popular agency websites, ensuring easy access to the wealth of NASA's information scattered across the digital landscape. Read Also: More Americans Prefer NASA Missions Against Killer Asteroids Instead of Mars Expeditions: Survey Ad-free NASA+ The real star of the show, however, is the upcoming NASA+ streaming platform, set to launch later this year. This ad-free, no-cost, and family-friendly service will provide users with access to NASA's Emmy Award-winning live coverage and exclusive views into the agency's mesmerizing missions. Marc Etkind, associate administrator of the Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters, summed up the exhilarating prospects of NASA+. He revealed that this transformative digital presence will allow NASA to better share the incredible stories of exploration, discovery, and innovation that unfold in the vastness of space. NASA+ will be accessible on a wide range of major platforms, providing users from around the world with seamless access. Whether you're using iOS or Android devices, tablets, or popular streaming media players such as Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV, NASA+ will be available at your fingertips. Related Article: NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Could Find 400 Earth-Mass Rogue Planets, New Study Reveals 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ancient pathogens, once frozen for thousands of years in glaciers and permafrost, are emerging due to global warming. As the ice melts, these "time-traveling invaders" could pose a significant threat to the planet. The Melting Ice and Emerging Pathogens In a piece from The Conversation, scientists have been warning us about the potential dangers of ancient pathogens being released into our modern world as a result of climate change. In a groundbreaking study published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, researchers simulated the release of one type of ancient pathogen into our present-day biological communities. The alarming finding: Even a mere 1% release of just one dormant pathogen could wreak havoc on our environment and lead to the widespread loss of host organisms worldwide. So, how did they conduct this chilling experiment? The researchers used a software called Avida to create digital worlds where ancient pathogens could interact with modern biological communities. What they discovered was both fascinating and scary. These invading pathogens not only survived but evolved in the simulated world. In around 3% of cases, the invaders became exceptionally dominant, causing significant losses to the diversity of modern host bacteria. Read Also: Florida Ocean Temperatures Rise to Unfathomable Levels; Could Be World Record A Real and Present Danger You might wonder, "How big of a problem are we talking about here?" Well, the numbers are staggering. The warming climate is causing the release of an estimated four sextillion (21 zeros!) microorganisms from melting ice every year. Now, while the odds of an apocalyptic outbreak are low, the sheer abundance of these ancient microbes poses a substantial risk. These "time-traveling" pathogens could become powerful drivers of ecological change, throwing ecosystems out of balance and potentially leading to species extinctions. In 2014, a "zombie" virus called Pithovirus sibericum was revived from 30,000-year-old Siberian permafrost. In 2016, an anthrax outbreak in Siberia was linked to the rapid thawing of ancient B. anthracis spores, causing massive harm to wildlife and humans alike. While the study did not directly model the risks to humans, it is plausible that some ancient pathogens could jump the species barrier and cause trouble for us. Notable viruses like SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, and HIV likely originated from contact with animal hosts, and it is no different with these ancient invaders. While global warming raises awareness about the significance of sustainability and environmental protection, it also highlights the terrifying threats hiding beneath the surface. The melting ice may be a treasure trove for the past, but it also opens Pandora's box of possible dangers. In Other News According to scientists, Death Valley, notorious for its blistering temperatures, is on track to break the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth. Reports indicate that increased heat waves caused by climate change have resulted in extreme weather events, lengthy droughts, and destructive wildfires. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Related Article: USCG Icebreaker Healy Is Capturing Arctic Images for AI Analysis Tools 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After a recent email hacking attempt on government officials and businesses, US Senator Ron Wyden called for three separate probes against Microsoft. The breach, which impacted roughly 25 organizations-including government agencies-has seriously caused many people to question the firm's security procedures, according to Tech Radar. The cyberattack, blamed on a Chinese threat actor identified as Storm-0558, permitted unauthorized access to email accounts, exposing private data belonging to prominent officials like Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, among others. Microsoft said the compromise included linked consumer accounts connected to the impacted businesses. Senator Wyden connected the attempt to the 2020 SolarWinds campaign, which featured a Russian threat actor hacking into US government communications, in a letter addressing the problem. In addition to criticizing Microsoft's apparent unwillingness to accept responsibility for the attack, Wyden said that the company's shoddy security procedures contributed to the hackers' success. Negligence on Microsoft's Part In Wyden's opinion, Microsoft's reaction to the issue was problematic since it assigned responsibility to others and urged users to stick with their interests. The senator described instances where Chinese hackers allegedly used fake authentication tokens for Exchange Online and Outlook.com to access government email accounts. Microsoft said that the hackers had obtained a "Microsoft account (MSA) consumer signing key," which enabled them to create forged corporate account authentication tokens. Wyden said that Microsoft "bears significant responsibility for this new incident, despite the availability of "limited details." He added that the company "should not have had a single skeleton key" that could be utilized to "forge access" to various private communications when "inevitably stolen," per PC Mag. It goes without saying that foreign governments shouldn't be able to hack into the email accounts of U.S. government officials. I'm demanding the federal government investigate how Microsofts neglect of cybersecurity enabled this Chinese spying campaign. https://t.co/5IzukiCtOO Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) July 27, 2023 Read Also: Report: Tesla Allegedly Manipulating Driving Range Complaints In addition, Wyden lambasted Microsoft for not storing signing keys in a hardware security module, a step they had previously advised clients to take in the wake of the SolarWinds hack. One of the keys used in the Outlook breach had been in use since 2016 and had just recently been updated, according to cloud security vendor Wiz. The senator from Oregon emphasized that to reduce the danger of compromise, industry best practices and cybersecurity recommendations advise updating encryption keys more regularly. Additionally, the fact that Microsoft's internal and external audits missed the critical signature vulnerability raises questions about the possibility of additional, unidentified problems in the company's products. Tech Giant is in Hot Water Microsoft recognized the difficulties of cybersecurity in the face of sophisticated assaults in response to Wyden's demand for probes. It guaranteed that they were engaging with federal authorities on the issue. The business promised to keep disseminating information through its blog, Microsoft Threat Intelligence. Microsoft's practices have been criticized before. For years, the EU has monitored the company on antitrust and anticompetitive concerns, according to NY Breaking. Microsoft has recently been under fire for allegedly unfair cloud practices connected to its Azure platform. Senator Wyden argues that a thorough, all-government effort is required to hold Microsoft responsible for its incompetence, given the gravity of the most recent incident. The three US government agencies selected to undertake separate investigations will be charged with determining the scope of the security breach and looking into any possible flaws in Microsoft's systems and products. The findings of these inquiries might have significant ramifications for Microsoft and the larger IT sector, highlighting the crucial significance of solid cybersecurity in the modern digital environment. Related Article: FAA Taking Steps Toward Regulating Commercial Spaceflight 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Are you a Facebook user with an active account between May 2007 and December 2022? If so, you may be entitled to a share of the massive $725 million settlement that Facebook, now known as Meta, is offering as compensation for privacy violations. CNBC tells us that this settlement, signed in December 2022, marks the end of a long and tumultuous chapter for the social media giant, stemming from the infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal that shook both the US electoral process and Silicon Valley. The Cambridge Analytica Scandal The Cambridge Analytica scandal came to light in 2018 when Facebook disclosed that the data of 87 million users had been improperly shared with the British political consultancy firm. The information was misused to influence the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump and several other political figures. The fallout from the scandal cost Meta a staggering $5.9 billion, making it one of the costliest privacy breaches in history. The $725 Million Settlement Now, Facebook users have until August 25 to submit their claims for a portion of the $725 million settlement. However, individual payout amounts have not been determined yet. The size of each payment will depend on the number of users who apply and the duration of their Facebook account usage during the specified period. How to Submit a Claim To make a claim, eligible users must visit Facebookuserprivacysettlement.com, provide their name, address, and email address, and confirm their residency in the United States during the mentioned dates. This user-friendly process ensures those affected can easily apply for their rightful compensation. Holding Meta Accountable It is worth noting that the $725 million settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by Meta. Instead, the company pursued the settlement to safeguard the interests of its community and shareholders. The settlement, along with other fines and penalties, holds Facebook accountable for its role in the data breach and reminds tech giants about the importance of safeguarding user data. Read Also: BEWARE: Facebook Ads Pretending to be AI Apps Are Malware that Steals Sensitive Info The Cambridge Analytica scandal had far-reaching consequences for Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg, the company's founder, was called to testify before Congress, where he apologized for the lapses in handling user data. The company took out full-page newspaper ads to express regret and outline steps to prevent such incidents from recurring. "I'm sorry we didn't do more at the time. We're now taking steps to ensure this doesn't happen again," Zuckerberg said, emphasizing the company's commitment to enhancing user privacy and data security. Interestingly, the Cambridge Analytica incident also led Facebook to undergo a significant transformation. In 2021, the company rebranded itself as Meta. The company has since ventured into the metaverse, unveiling hardware products like the Quest 3, which is set to launch in September. Additionally, Meta introduced the Llama 2 large language artificial intelligence model, Reels to rival TikTok, and Threads to compete with Twitter. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Related Article: Facebook's Influence on 2020 Election: New Study Shows Conservatives More Likely to Believe False News Than Liberals 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. One of the oldest and longest-running spacecraft with an interstellar mission, Voyager 2, has temporarily lost contact with the Earth, and it is surprising because NASA is not that concerned. The spacecraft is now almost 20 billion kilometers away from the home planet as it continues its extended mission, with last week seeing its antenna face slightly away from the Earth. The Voyager 2 remains a significant and valued spacecraft for NASA, with its services still needed by the space agency in learning more about the galaxy. NASA Temporarily Loses Contact with the Voyager 2 (Photo : NASA/JPL-Caltech) NASA's blog detailed last Friday that its team has temporarily lost contact with the Voyager 2 spacecraft which is now 19.9 billion kilometers away from the planet. This was due to the Voyager team who sent a series of commands to the probe which led to its antenna facing slightly away from the planet. While the lifeline of spacecraft is also centered on their ability to contact home, this may seem like a major concern for NASA, considering that it is almost a 50-year-old tech. The Voyager is known for expanding the Earth's knowledge of the galaxy, picking up where Pioneer 10 and 11 left off in their study of Jupiter and Saturn. It also gave humans an in-depth view of Neptune and Uranus. Read Also: Voyager 2 Will Continue: Here's What NASA Did NASA is Not Concerned, Here is Why In the blog post, NASA is not showing any signs of concern or anxiousness about this happening. This is because the Voyager 2 is known for resetting its orientation several times a year to focus its antenna back to the planet and re-establish communications. According to Ars Technica, the spacecraft's next schedule for this reset is by October 15, and NASA said that it will remain on its course for the time being. Voyager 2 is expected to return to normal operations soon. NASA's Voyager Mission Back in 1977, NASA launched its twin probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, who both went their separate ways in exploring the galaxy's farther planets to bring more knowledge and information to the world. In 2022, the space agency celebrated 45 years of the Voyager mission, with the twin spacecraft still operating now. It went on historic missions toward Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, and Uranus, which established its capabilities for interstellar missions. Since then, the Voyagers have not yet returned home, and despite facing many plans for decommissioning, the spacecraft extended its initial timeline to explore more of the great beyond. The Voyager remains one of the most significant spacecraft that is currently operating in space, and news of NASA losing its contact with it may be concerning for some. But fear not, as the space agency is not that worried as there are countermeasures for the Voyager 2, with the spacecraft soon coming back around to reset its antennas for it to reestablish contact. Related Article: NASA's Golden Record, the Intergalactic Message, Expected to Sell at Around $600K 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Indian and Japanese scientists discover ancient ocean water in Himalayan mineral deposits dating back 600 million years, providing key insights into Earth's oceanic evolution and the potential origins of life. (Photo : XAVIER GALIANA/AFP via Getty Images) TOPSHOT - This picture taken on October 17, 2022 shows a Sadhu, Hindu Holy man, walking to take a bath in the Bhagirathi River, one of the two headstreams of the Ganges River, in Gangotri. Unearthing Ancient Ocean Water in Himalayan Mineral Deposits Researchers from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Niigata University have made a groundbreaking discovery in the Himalayas after finding small water droplets confined within mineral deposits that bear evidence of an ancient ocean existing approximately 600 million years ago. According to Interesting Engineering, the 600-million-year-old ocean water preserved in the Himalayas holds the potential to unravel crucial insights into the historical evolution of Earth's oceans and could even shed light on the development of life on our planet. Scientists have compelling evidence suggesting that approximately 700 to 500 million years ago, our planet experienced a momentous glacial event known as the Snowball Earth glaciation. The remarkable preservation of magnesite in the Himalayan region suggests a prolonged interruption of impurities like calcium in the Deoban Basin, likely caused by river freezing over an extended period. This research was led by Prakash Chandra Arya, a Ph.D. student at the Centre for Earth Sciences (CEaS), IISc. Along with the researchers, they have stumbled upon a time capsule for paleo oceans, presenting a unique opportunity to unravel the mysteries of Earth's ancient waters. Through rigorous laboratory analysis, the team successfully verified that the deposits originated from the precipitation of ancient ocean water. Importantly, they were able to rule out other potential sources, such as the Earth's interior, including submarine volcanic activity. With little knowledge about past oceans, the team is eager to understand how they differed from or resembled present-day oceans in terms of acidity, nutrient levels, temperature, and chemical and isotopic composition. These insights hold the potential to shed light on the history of our planet's oceans and Earth's past climate, making them invaluable for climate modeling efforts. Also Read: Research Sheds New Light On Measuring Ancient Ocean Temperatures Snowball Earth Glaciation The Snowball Earth glaciation, a significant event in Earth's history, was succeeded by the Second Great Oxygenation Event. The Hindu reported that new research establishes a direct link between these two events, as scientists discovered sedimentary basins showing prolonged calcium deprivation during the glaciation. This suggests that changing weathering, possibly due to reduced riverine input, played a role in the evolution of complex life forms during the Second Great Oxygenation Event. The intriguing connection between these events has remained elusive for scientists due to the scarcity of well-preserved fossils and the absence of ancient oceans from Earth's history. However, the discovery of marine rocks in the Himalayas offers a promising opportunity to shed light on these mysteries, providing potential answers to the enigmatic relationship between these crucial geological epochs, according to the research published in Science Direct. Related Article: Seawater From The Ice Age Squeezed Out Of Ancient Rock From Maldives 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Fear and panic struck Tesla Gigafactory early Friday morning as an active shooter report sent shock waves in the Austin, Texas facility. The employees reportedly ran outside screaming after an active shooter alert was sent to their phones. However, it turned out to be a false alarm, and relief washed over the premises after the police cleared the factory. (Photo : Brandon Bell/Getty Images) AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 03: Tesla cars are seen on a lot at a Tesla dealership on January 03, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Tesla's quarterly earnings fell short of Wall Street's expectations and its 2022 delivery target, losing approximately $675 billion in market valuation. Active Shooting at Tesla Gigafactory False Alarm Occupying an expansive 2,500 acres, the renowned Tesla Gigafactory stands as the prominent manufacturing hub for its Model Y car in the United States. However, an unexpected event disrupted the usual operations at the factory, leaving employees on edge until the situation was thoroughly investigated and resolved. Authorities in Texas launched an investigation into a 911 call reporting an active shooter at the Tesla plant. According to Electek, Travis County Sheriff's Office swiftly responded after receiving the report at around 5 a.m. Medics from the Austin-Travis County EMS also responded to the scene to treat potential patients after a "shots fired" call came in. Amid their daily routines, workers at the factory, which is over 12,500, unexpectedly received the alarming notification sent to emails. The message alerted the employees about an "active attacker near column location 35Z at the Giga Factory Texas," and directed them to "take cover and stand by for further details." However, it appears to have been a false alarm as the entire Tesla Gigafactory plant was found without any trace of a shooter, injury, or missing person. After the situation was thoroughly assessed and deemed safe, police declared it a false alarm, and employees received the green light to resume working. According to local reporter Pamela Comme, "hundreds of people have gone down the hill and they seem to be entering the Tesla Gigafactory" after the "all clear" had been given at the plant. "We can see them walking on the last two floors," she noted. All hundreds of people have gone down the hill and they seem to be entering the Tesla Gigafactory. We can see them walking on the last two floors. pic.twitter.com/ATKWAv3uee Pamela Comme (@commepamela) July 28, 2023 Comme also tweeted that the road leading to the factory was also reopened. "The exit to get onto Tesla Road is back open. Cars are going through, and workers seem to be entering the Tesla Gigafactory," she wrote. The exit to get onto Tesla Road is back open. Cars are going through, and workers seem to be entering the Tesla Gigafactory. https://t.co/QcX3p9Dxpe pic.twitter.com/yh6RLHgvub Pamela Comme (@commepamela) July 28, 2023 Also Read: Tesla Is Laying Off Battery Workers at Gigafactory Shanghai in China Immediate Response From Texas Police In the early morning hours, an alarming 911 call was received by the Travis County Sheriff's Department, leading to a swift deployment of police and paramedics to the Tesla Gigafactory site. Upon arrival, Mirror reported that the police urgently instructed workers to evacuate to ensure their safety, causing a rush to the exits. Police swiftly established a cordon at the scene, with a significant presence of emergency vehicles captured in the footage. Due to the incident, Tesla Road was closed, causing traffic along the State Highway 130 toll road while workers anxiously awaited the all-clear signal to return to their duties. According to Reuters, the nature of the phone call, including who placed it and where it came from, was being investigated by police. Tesla has yet to comment on the incident. Related Article: Tesla Plans to Reveal New Gigafactory's Location by End of 2023, Musk Says 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Virgin Voyages, the popular cruise line, is taking a bold approach to increase cruise bookings with the help of global icon Jennifer Lopez and her digital twin, "Jen AI." The campaign kicks off with an entertaining commercial featuring Jennifer Lopez playfully interacting with artificial intelligence (AI). In a hilarious twist, "Jen AI" experiences a malfunction, revealing her true identity as a guy named Kyle. Jennifer Lopez Digital Twin: Jen AI As Chief Celebrations Officer for Richard Branson's epic cruise line, Jennifer Lopez is teaming up with the travel brand to encourage people to stop making excuses and start setting sail for the adventure of a lifetime on the high seas. With leisure travel becoming more in demand after a long hiatus, travelers are eager for unique and memorable experiences to commemorate important milestones. According to Conde Nast Traveler, celebration travel is on top of readers' minds in 2023, with 76% indicating they have either traveled or plan to travel for a special event in the coming year. Virgin Voyages aims to tap into this desire by utilizing the fun of augmented reality and enhancing it with JLo's likeness through Jen AI. With a few simple clicks, travelers can create custom invites from the actress, an invitation that very few can resist. The AI-powered tool allows users to invite their friends and family to celebrate in person this summer on one of Virgin Voyages' three ships. Jennifer Lopez expressed the significance of cherishing life's special moments and encouraging others to do the same. She believes that the past few years have taught everyone the importance of celebrating these moments with their inner circle. "It's so important to me that we stop and take time to celebrate special moments in our lives, and encourage others to do the same. If the last few years have taught us anything, it's how important it is to cherish life's special moments with your inner circle," said Lopez. On the other hand, Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, said in a statement, "This extraordinary company was founded on the idea of connecting people and celebrating all of life's special moments. We want to be the ultimate choice for any kind of celebration travel, and let's be honest, who can say no to Jennifer?" Read Also: 'Barbie' AI Selfie Generator Racks up More Than 13 Million Uses Activating Jen AI of Virgin Voyages To activate Jen AI, travelers can visit VirginVoyages.com and answer a few simple questions related to their celebration preferences, destination, and companions. The platform generates a personalized invite that can be easily shared. Virgin Voyages streamlines the planning process for celebratory cruises through their Sailor Services team. Guests can link their cabin reservations or upgrade to the "Splash For Your Bash" package, which includes various amenities for a memorable celebration. Virgin Voyages provides diverse options for travelers, with three Lady Ships operating across the globe, and offering over 40 itineraries to 100 ports of call. Related Article: Brain2Music: AI Model Can Reconstruct Music From Human Brain Waves 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A recent discovery by a PhD student of Northeastern University has revealed a potential vulnerability in text messaging that could expose smartphone users' location to hackers. Sophisticated Machine Learning PhD student in cybersecurity at Northeastern Evangelos Bitsikas and his research group employed a sophisticated machine-learning program to analyze data from the traditional SMS system, which has been used since the early 1990s and identified this concerning flaw. Bitsikas explained that the vulnerability lies in the automated delivery notification feature of SMS. When a text message is sent, the recipient's phone automatically responds with a delivery notification. By sending multiple text messages to a target phone, a hacker could leverage the timing of these automated replies to triangulate the user's location. What's worrying is that this could occur even if the user's communications are encrypted, according to the researchers. "Just by knowing the phone number of the user victim and having normal network access, you can locate that victim," Bitsikas said in a statement. "Eventually, this leads to tracking the user to different locations worldwide." Read Also: FeverPhone: This App Will Transform Your Smartphone Into a Thermometer Without Invasive Hardware Location Fingerprint The research demonstrated that the timing of each automated notification creates a location fingerprint. Using machine learning, the research group developed an algorithm capable of detecting and predicting these fingerprints. With just the target's phone number and normal network access, an attacker could track the user's movements worldwide. So far, the vulnerability has primarily been observed in Android operating systems. Although there's no evidence of it being exploited currently, Bitsikas cautioned that advanced attackers with ample resources could leverage this flaw to locate individuals such as government leaders, activists, and CEOs who value their privacy. "The procedure might be difficult to scale. The attacker will need to have Android devices in multiple locations sending messages every hour and calculating the responses. The collection itself can take days or weeks depending on how many fingerprints the attacker wants to collect," Bitsikas noted. Bitsikas emphasized that fixing this issue is not as straightforward as a software patch for smartphones. Instead, it necessitates a significant overhaul of the SMS infrastructure worldwide. As a result, closing the window of opportunity for hackers to exploit this vulnerability might take considerable time and effort. In light of these findings, Bitsikas plans to continue his research to further explore and address this concerning vulnerability in smartphone systems. The findings of the team were published in the journal arXiv. Related Article: Daily Charging, Battery Below 5%, and Charging with a Phone Case Could Permanently Damage Owners' Smartphone Battery 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Sony Xperia I V has arrived in the United States, offering a powerhouse of features for tech fans everywhere. Unveiled in May, GSMArena reports that this flagship device is now shipping and can be yours for $1,400. Let us take a closer look. 120Hz OLED Display and Powerful Snapdragon Processor The new Xperia I V boasts a mesmerizing 6.5" 120Hz OLED display with an impressive 3,840x1,644-pixel resolution and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. Say goodbye to screen lag and hello to crisp, responsive visuals that enhance gaming and multimedia experiences. Under the hood, the Xperia I V is fueled by the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, providing snappy performance and seamless multitasking. Running on the latest Android 13 operating system, you will enjoy all the newest software enhancements and features right out of the box. Next-Gen Camera Technology For photography enthusiasts, the Xperia I V is a dream come true. Equipped with a sophisticated camera setup, it includes a 48MP primary lens with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) for crisp and clear shots. The 12MP telephoto lens with OIS ensures excellent zoom capabilities, while the 12MP ultrawide lens lets you capture expansive landscapes. Selfie lovers will appreciate the 12MP front-facing camera that takes stunning self-portraits. Read Also: Upgrade Your Home Theatre with Samsung's High-End 9.1.2-Channel Soundbar, Deal Saves You $698! Low-light photography reaches new heights with its next-gen sensor technology and computational processing, delivering stunning images even in challenging lighting conditions. The addition of S-Cinetone allows for cinematic color expression, giving your videos a professional touch. Videography Pro and Live Streaming The Xperia I V's 4K HDR native 120fps video recording on all rear lenses ensures your videos are nothing short of cinematic masterpieces. With Videography Pro, you have creative control over video capture and streaming, allowing you to create content like never before. The Xperia I V takes audio to a new level with front stereo speakers and a new amplifier, ensuring an incredible audio experience for music, videos, and gaming. With Bluetooth LE Audio support, enjoy high-quality wireless audio with compatible devices. Accessibility Features and More For users with accessibility needs, the Xperia I V has various features, such as Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC), Teletypewriter (TTY) support, and screen readers. Experiment with high-contrast text and other accessibility settings to customize your user experience. Bluetooth 5.3 wireless technology and NFC support ensure seamless pairing with other devices. The USB Type-C port allows for fast charging and data transfer, while multiple location services like A-GPS, A-GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, and QZSS keep you on track wherever you go. The Sony Xperia I V With its captivating 120Hz OLED display, advanced camera technology, powerful performance, and versatile features, the Sony Xperia I V sets a new standard for flagship smartphones. The $1,400 price tag may seem steep, but this device is worth every penny for those seeking the ultimate smartphone experience. Now available on Sony's official website and Amazon, it is time to elevate your mobile experience with the Sony Xperia I V. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Related Article: 75-Inch QLED 4K TV Spotted Selling Under $700 at Walmart: Best Summer Sale Deal? 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. KHARTOUM, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The commander of Sudan's paramilitary at war with the Sudanese army has demanded a change of command from the latter as a precondition to an urgent solution to the Sudan crisis. In a video posted Friday on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)'s website, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said the paramilitary "can reach an agreement within 72 hours if the command of the Sudanese army has changed." At the beginning of the video, Dagalo appeared in a military vehicle surrounded by RSF soldiers before he addresses them. He accused the Sudanese army's command of working according to instructions from the leaders of the former regime in Sudan. Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, resulting in over 3,000 deaths and more than 6,000 injuries, according to figures released by the Sudanese Health Ministry. More than 3 million people have been forced into displacement, inside and outside the country, since the conflict broke out in Sudan, according to UN estimates. A security expert has warned users to remove their outdated apps on their smartphones as soon as possible. If the unused software stays for long in Android or iOS phones, the device is at risk of being compromised by hackers. Security Expert Urges Users to Delete Two Kinds of Apps In a report by The Sun, KnowBe4 security awareness advocate James McQuiggan recommends that users uninstall their unused apps the soonest time possible. The cybersecurity professional highlights the need to delete them because they take up so much space on your device. What's worse is that you are being spied on without your knowledge. "It's a good idea to only install apps from reputable sources like the Google Play store or Apple's App Store," McQuiggan says. He also adds that users are always facing the risk of getting malware on their handsets once the app installation begins. A remote hacker can steal your personal data stored in your phone and it might damage your device. Because of this, McQuiggan points out that people should not always be kind when giving app permissions. Unnecessary permissions can access your mic, camera, and even your current location. For example, if a notification appears on the screen where an app wants to access your microphone without any explanation, it's definitely a red flag you need to quickly avoid. McQuiggan says that it's always important to consider the function of the app and what are the requirements for this purpose. The expert adds that you need to thoroughly add the permissions asked by social media apps since these are usually the scam apps that can have access to your contacts. He recommends users manually search for the identity of the people in the contacts without permitting the app to access the list. This way, you're not only protecting yourself but also your friends from fraudsters. Related Article: Beware iPhone Users: QuaDream Hackers Using Calendar Invites to Spread Spyware Uninstall These Apps Right Now A few weeks ago, News Nation Now reported that Pradeo, a cybersecurity company, encouraged users to remove File Manager and File Recovery & Data Recovery. According to the firm, these apps could work without user interaction. Of course, they are operated by remote hackers who silently steal your data. Pradeo said that the servers allegedly came from China. Pradeo added that only one developer created these two apps. At that time, the apps already had 1.5 million downloads before they were removed by Google. This is good news for people who want to download these apps. If they are still existing on your iPhone or Android device, immediately delete them to avoid any kind of fraud. Pradeo noted that people should always read the reviews of the app before they install it. They should also pay attention to the app permissions. Read Also: Android Users Beware! App on Google Play Store Comes with Password-Stealing Malware | More than 100K Downloads? 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TikTokers are testing another dangerous trend on the platform with the latest borax drinking challenge. Some people who tried consuming the substance claim that it can remove parasites and reduce inflammation in their bodies. However, the experts opposed these claims and said that it's ineffective and it's not recommended for consumption. TikTok Borax Drinking Challenge is a Bust Drinking a chemical that can pose extreme danger to a person's health is never recommended at all costs, but if your favorite influencer is doing that, you might resort to doing it, as well. Some TikTok users believe that drinking borax is the latest way to reap several health benefits like in the case of @thetruthaboutparasites. This content creator claims that she drinks it with coffee in the morning. According to Business Insider, borax is commonly found in household cleaning agents such as detergents. While it's deemed to be a health booster, experts debunked the misinformation by saying its health disadvantages. According to the National Capital Poison Center, a person who ingested borax might experience skin rashes on top of diarrhea and vomiting. In the worst-case scenario, the chemical can cause the person to be anemic. It's a mystery why it became explosive on TikTok. While many content creators also told their viewers that drinking borax is harmful, others still believe that it can cure cancer and arthritis. As of writing, the #TikTokboraxchallenge has amassed over 34 million views and they still keep on piling up on TikTok. As you scroll through the feed, you will see a lot of clips featuring people who drink it with water. "Just a pinch or two a day." A TikTok creator Todd Mendlesohn who was a former bodybuilder has claimed that a mixture of borax, Celtic sea salt, and baking soda serves as his "pre-workout" drink. At the time of posting, the video already garnered over 150,000 views on TikTok. Related Article: Is TikTok's 'Boat Jumping Challenge' Fake? Alabama Group Says No Such Viral Trend Borax Poisoning is No Joke Vox notes in its report that TikTok people used to call the latest borax challenge the "Tide Pod challenge" for boomers. While both TikTok trends are dangerous and not recommended to be done by any individuals, some people find no wrong in doing it. According to Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, National Capital Poison Center's co-medical director, some patients who ingested borax experienced chills and fevers which are common symptoms of the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. According to the National Library of Medicine, about 5 to 6 grams are considered fatal doses for children. Meanwhile, for adults, 10 to 25 grams of borax are proven fatal. In case you drink the substance, immediately seek medical attention. Call the local poison information center as soon as possible. Beyond the health concerns, another room for concern is the fact that borax companies take advantage of this viral trend to earn more profit instead of informing citizens that the chemical is not for human consumption. Read Also: [VIRAL] What Is TikTok's Beige Flag Trend? Here's Why Couples Are Into It 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung Unpacked 2023 event has presented a lot of interesting gadgets to the public including two new foldable phones, a next-gen S9 tablet, Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, and Galaxy Watch 6. However, there's another exciting sighting that some fans long to see during the annual tech show: a Samsung Galaxy ring. It appears that the previous rumors are true as the smart wearable is projected to undergo production as nearly as August 2023. Will We See Samsung Galaxy Ring in 2024? The Elec, a South Korean outlet known for reporting advanced announcements about the latest technology, suggests that Samsung will line up the production of Galaxy Ring as early as next month. Since the smart wearable is projected to be manufactured this year, we could expect that its launch will likely fall by early 2024 at the very least. If that's the case, then the tech giant will coincide the release of the smart ring with the Samsung Galaxy S24. It makes sense since the company usually does this sometime in January or February. Related Article: Samsung Galaxy Glasses, Galaxy Ring Sees Application for Trademark-New XR Experience? Is the Galaxy Smart Ring Samsung's Answer to Oura? This is not the first time that the Samsung Galaxy Ring is purported to be in development. As per Tech Times' report on July 19, this wearable will contain the usual features we see from other smart rings including the capability to track the user's body mass. The rumored smart wearable was also the subject of the trademark filing back in February. According to the filing, the device will be used for "for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of a ring." Following this report, several sources claimed that Samsung has released different prototypes for the Galaxy Ring. All of them are already at an advanced stage, thus making them more stable than before. This goes to show that the previous rumors are all pointing to the alleged arrival of the Galaxy Ring earlier than expected. If it fares well in the eyes of the consumers, maybe Samsung can have a shot of a lifetime to compete with smart ring leader Oura in the market. In another story, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 will sport an outer display that can play YouTube clips. Aside from that, the foldable phone can also allow users to access Messages and Google Maps. Early reviewers called the Z Flip5's outer screen the "Flex Window." Even if the device is folded, you won't encounter any problems if you play videos on YouTube. Samsung might have already shown the world that its foldable products can go further as long as new features are present. The company has added improved hinges that act as support for the folding motion of the handset. That's not the only thing you need to hear from Z Flip5. As a matter of fact, it also comes with enhanced dust and water resistance which makes it more durable than its predecessors. Read Also: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Up For Grabs Right Now: Here's How to Pre-Order This Tablet 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. LILONGWE, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese government has donated a modern fingerprint and forensic science laboratory worth 143,000 U.S. dollars to Malawi Police Service (MPS) to enhance the country's law enforcement capacity. Chinese Ambassador to Malawi Long Zhou made the handover of the donation in Lilongwe, Malawi's capital, Friday. The newly donated facility is expected to play a vital role in expediting the investigation of criminal cases in Malawi, thus bolstering the efficiency and efficacy of police operations. Long emphasized the need for Malawi to embrace digital technology in the rapidly evolving global landscape. "Integrating digital devices into the policing system will elevate Malawi's standards and response capabilities," he said. Malawi Police Inspector General Merlyn Yolamu thanked the Chinese government for its invaluable support. "The implementation of the fingerprint lab is poised to streamline police operations, benefiting the nation as a whole," she added. China's commitment to assisting Malawi's security system extends beyond this donation, as the Chinese government has pledged continued support for Malawi's security efforts, signifying a lasting partnership aimed at strengthening the southern African country's safety and law enforcement infrastructure. Woman found in Forbach: at the heart of the case, a couple in full "social disarray" Fire in a home for the disabled in Alsace: at least 11 people "would be missing" Circumnavigation of the moon next year: Crew of the "Artemis 2" visits their spacecraft France: At least nine dead in fire in holiday home for disabled people in Alsace The county rectified medical corruption, and hundreds of people took the initiative to explain the problem and return the stolen goods... After a visit by an American official to Niamey. Analysts rule out military intervention to resolve Niger's coup crisis The authorities of Kazakhstan have suspended the work of the domain yandex.kz Nursing assistants trained as nurses in two years? "There is bound to be a skills gap" Arsenal is the first to benefit. The FA begins to calculate the lost time applied in the World Cup in Qatar and the stars respond Nadeshiko Japan to face Sweden "We want to win and move on to the next match" With hope for a revival: Neymar wants to leave PSG, but Barcelona is against his return Similar episodes continue to be interpreted in different ways: why the work of referees in the RPL requires transparency In the first half of the year, the import volume of dried fresh melons, fruits and nuts at Shanghai Port accounted for a quarter of the country's - Chinanews.com video Reservations not honored: how restaurateurs redouble their ingenuity in the face of "no-shows" Economic Watch: China's property market has undergone major changes, how will the industry develop in the future? What are the reasons for the year-on-year decline in CPI in July? What is the future? Agreement in the cabinet: This is how expensive the climate fund should be This is how expensive the climate fund should be "Kommersant": the manufacturer "May" warned of rising prices for coffee and tea in September The Central Bank of Russia will not buy foreign currency until the end of the year within the framework of the budget rule Two former 100 billion real estate enterprises delisted, how to view the changes in the real estate industry? "The version of the drone is not confirmed": what is known about the explosion on the territory of the plant in Sergiev Posad In the Chelyabinsk region, investigators opened a case after the death of a child due to a sofa fire War in Ukraine: What to remember on the 532nd day of the Russian invasion In Germany, an employee of the Bundeswehr was detained on suspicion of espionage in favor of Russia Bild: Ukraine will have to prepare for Russia's offensive in the absence of success on the battlefield The court of Ulyanovsk arrested the former mayor of Dimitrovgrad Bolshakov, accused of bribery To save corals, efforts will have to combine at sea and on land, scientists say The booksellers of the banks of the Seine refuse to be moved for the Paris Olympics A vegan influencer who had been eating only fruits and natural juices for years dies Daniel Sancho admits his sexual link with Edwin Arrieta: what is known about the relationship between the chef and the Colombian doctor The butcher Daniel Sancho and his victim "were going to set up a business" and saw each other in Spain Economic drama two days before the start of LaLiga: most teams have not been able to register all their signings Typhoon Kanu continues to move north-west and will have heavy rainfall in Jilin, Heilongjiang and other places A prisoner self-identifies as a woman and impregnates another inmate after being sent to the female module Bild: The Armed Forces of Ukraine are forced to drive their Su-24s to different airfields every day Nadeshiko Japan to face Sweden "We want to win and move on to the next match" L'Orient-Le Jour: UAE wants to organize a meeting between Putin and Zelensky at the UN conference China: If Japan is sincere in addressing the concerns of its neighbors, it should immediately stop pushing its plan to remove the sea Fireworks festivals and summer festivals are canceled or curtailed one after another, against the backdrop of soaring costs and labor shortages | NHK The cry of the sister of Edwin Arrieta, victim of Daniel Sancho: "I want this nightmare to stop" 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. BRISBANE, Australia, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Police in the Australian state of Queensland updated on Saturday that the wreckage of a missing army helicopter has been found after it impacted waters near Lindeman Island, off the state's coast. "We have located a number of items of debris that would appear to be from the missing helicopter. They will form part of the investigation as we move forward into what has occurred up there," said Queensland Police Service Acting Assistant Commissioner Douglas McDonald. As the investigation is still in its infancy, McDonald told reporters that it is "very early" to confirm exactly which parts are from the helicopter. Joining McDonald at the media conference, Talisman Sabre Exercise Director Brigadier Damian Hill said that after the aircraft incident, the military exercise was paused on Saturday morning for the crew to contact their families. "We have started some limited exercise activity again, mostly in Western Australia and Northern Territory. As a precaution, the ADF (Australian Defense Force) has established an operational pause for all our MRH-90 fleet," Hill said. He also confirmed that the four missing crew members are from Australia's Sixth Aviation Regiment, located at Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney. According to Hill, the Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter was participating in a night-time training activity as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023, a bilateral joint military exercise between Australia and the United States. The chopper crashed into the waters at approximately 11:00 p.m. local time on Friday. "Defense can confirm that there were four people on board at the time of the incident. And sadly, at this stage, those personnel have yet to be found," Hill added. These children, some as young as 10 years old, were often abducted from their homes and communities and forced to fight in the conflict. The use of child soldiers in the Angolan Civil War had a profound impact on the children involved, as well as on the wider society. Many of these children suffered from physical and psychological abuse, including exposure to violence and forced labor. They were also subjected to indoctrination and forced to commit atrocities, including killing civilians and other children. In addition to the use of child soldiers, the Angolan Civil War was also characterized by the widespread use of landmines. Both sides in the conflict used landmines extensively, laying them in civilian areas, along roads and in fields, and in other strategic locations. The use of landmines had a devastating impact on the civilian population, with thousands of people being killed or injured by the explosive devices long after the conflict ended. Many children who survived the conflict were left with disabilities and lifelong injuries as a result of landmine explosions. Angolan Civil War and war repercussions for the average Angolan. The Angolan Civil War was a long-lasting conflict that lasted from 1975 to 2002. The war began immediately after Angola gained independence from Portugal and was fought between three main factions: the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA). The war had severe consequences for the average Angolan, as the conflict led to widespread violence, displacement, and economic disruption. Angolan Civil War, spanning from 1975 to 2002, both governmental forces and rebel groups employed child soldiers in their armed engagements. The Angolan Civil War began in 1975 when the three factions, MPLA, UNITA, and FNLA, began fighting for control over Angola. The MPLA emerged as the victor, and its leader, Agostinho Neto, became the first president of Angola. UNITA and FNLA refused to recognize the MPLA government and continued fighting against it. This led to a prolonged period of instability, as the MPLA government struggled to maintain control over the country. The conflict intensified in the 1980s when UNITA received military support from South Africa and the United States. This aid allowed UNITA to become a formidable military force and posed a significant threat to the MPLA government. The conflict led to widespread violence, with both sides committing numerous human rights violations, including massacres of civilians, torture, and forced displacement. In 1991, the MPLA government and UNITA signed a peace agreement that called for a ceasefire and democratic elections. However, the peace process broke down, and the war resumed in 1992. The conflict once again intensified, leading to widespread violence and displacement. The war also had a severe economic impact, with infrastructure and agricultural production severely disrupted, leading to food shortages and famine. The war continued into the 2000s, with the MPLA government gaining the upper hand with the support of Cuban troops. In 2002, UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi was killed in battle, leading to a ceasefire and the official end of the conflict. The MPLA government remained in power, and the country began a slow process of reconstruction and recovery. The war had severe consequences for the average Angolan, with widespread violence and displacement. The conflict caused significant damage to infrastructure and agriculture, leading to food shortages and famine. The war also had a severe impact on the country's economy, with resources diverted to the military and productive industries severely disrupted. Liberation movements fought Government forces in the Portuguese dominated territories in African throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In the words of the Angolan Leader, Agostinho Neto, they worked "to free and modernize our peoples by a dual revolution-against their traditional structure which can no longer serve them and against colonial rule". From Playgrounds to Battlefields the use of Child Soldiers in Angolan Civil War. The use of child soldiers was a significant aspect of the Angolan Civil War, and it had devastating consequences for the children involved. Child soldiers were used by both the MPLA and UNITA forces, as well as other armed groups operating in the country. Children were often forcibly recruited into the military, taken from their families or abducted from their villages. Some children joined voluntarily, either out of a desire for adventure or because they saw no other way to survive. Once recruited, child soldiers were trained to fight and often sent to the front lines of the conflict. The use of child soldiers was widespread in the civil war, with estimates suggesting that tens of thousands of children were involved. Many children were subjected to physical and emotional abuse, including beatings and torture, and were often forced to commit atrocities against civilians. The consequences of the use of child soldiers were severe. Many children were killed or injured in the conflict, and those who survived suffered from physical and mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. The use of child soldiers also had a lasting impact on the social fabric of Angolan society, as it disrupted families and communities. The recruitment of child soldiers was outlawed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, and Angola is a signatory to this convention. However, the practice continued throughout the civil war, and even after the conflict ended, many former child soldiers struggled to reintegrate into society. Efforts have been made to address the issue of child soldiers in Angola. In 2007, the government passed a law criminalizing the recruitment of child soldiers, and a program was established to demobilize former child soldiers and provide them with education and job training. NGOs such as UNICEF and Save the Children have also been active in providing support to former child soldiers and advocating for their rights. The Human Toll of Landmines in Angola. Landmines were widely used during the Angolan Civil War, and their impact on the country and its people was severe. Both government forces and rebel groups used landmines as a weapon of war, and Angola became one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Landmines were used to control territory and to disrupt supply lines, as well as to inflict casualties on enemy forces. They were often laid indiscriminately, without regard for the safety of civilians, and many were left behind after the conflict ended, causing ongoing harm. The impact of landmines on civilians was particularly devastating. Landmines were responsible for the deaths and injuries of thousands of Angolans, many of whom were children. Landmines also made it difficult for farmers to cultivate their land, which had a significant impact on the country's food security. The legacy of landmines in Angola continues to be felt today, with an estimated 10-20% of the country's population living in areas contaminated by landmines. Efforts have been made to clear landmines, but progress has been slow, and many areas remain unsafe. In response to the widespread use of landmines in Angola, the country became a signatory to the Ottawa Treaty in 2002, which bans the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of landmines. Angola has also been active in international efforts to address the issue of landmines, and it has received support from the United Nations and other international organizations in its efforts to clear landmines and provide assistance to victims. In 2023 Angola is still recovering from the effects of the civil war. The Angolan Civil War led to the displacement of millions of people, with many forced to flee their homes and communities. The war also led to the widespread use of child soldiers, with both sides recruiting children as young as 10 years old to fight in the conflict. The children who were recruited as child soldiers suffered from physical and psychological abuse, including beatings, forced labor, and exposure to violence. They were also subjected to indoctrination and forced to commit atrocities, including killing civilians and other children. Following the end of the war in 2002, efforts were made to disarm and demobilize the child soldiers. The United Nations and other international organizations played a key role in these efforts, working with the Angolan government to develop programs to rehabilitate and reintegrate former child soldiers into their communities. These programs included providing psychological counseling and support to help the children overcome the trauma of their experiences. They also provided education and vocational training to help the children acquire new skills and prepare for a new life outside of the military. However, the reintegration process was not always successful, and many former child soldiers faced ongoing challenges in their efforts to rebuild their lives. Some children faced discrimination and stigma from their communities due to their past involvement in the conflict. Others struggled with ongoing psychological trauma and had difficulty adapting to civilian life. The war also had severe consequences for public health, with widespread violence leading to increased rates of injury and death. The conflict also disrupted health services, leading to the spread of diseases such as cholera and malaria. The war had a severe impact on education, with many schools closed or destroyed. This led to widespread illiteracy and a significant impact on the country's future development. The war also had a severe impact on cultural heritage, with many cultural sites destroyed or damaged. The legacy of the Angolan Civil War continues to be felt in the country today. The war left behind a legacy of poverty, inequality, and underdevelopment, with many communities still struggling to recover from the conflict. The country remains one of the poorest in the world, with high rates of child mortality, illiteracy, and poverty. The Angolan Civil War was a long-lasting conflict that had severe consequences for the average Angolan. The war led to widespread violence, displacement, and economic disruption, with significant impacts on public health, education, and cultural heritage. The legacy of the conflict continues to be felt in the country today, with many communities still struggling. Today, the legacy of the Angolan Civil War continues to be felt in Angola, with the use of child soldiers and landmines remaining a painful reminder of the conflict's human cost. Despite efforts to disarm and rehabilitate former child soldiers and clear landmines, the ongoing effects of the conflict continue to be felt by the people of Angola. More links to articles you will find thought provoking. Advertisement Eating outBest of From strangers to soulmates by dessert: The Melbourne restaurants serving social connection Emma Breheny July 30, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Live dating shows, shared feasts for solo diners and speed friending nights are selling out at restaurants and bars around Melbourne as people delete dating apps and seek out physical moments to meet new people. When Farah Sabet opened the Footscray wine bar, Bud of Love, last spring, she knew she wanted to share more than riesling and rose with her customers. Talking to people in the area, theyd say, Im over online dating or Its really hard to make friends as an adult, she says. Footscray wine bar Bud of Love has regular events to provide social connections. Simon Schluter Sabet bought a large communal table for the bar and began hosting regular events, such as trivia nights on Thursdays and monthly speed dating nights. Advertisement The first speed dating event sold out within two hours. Frances, a 27-year-old lawyer who attended the event, says she was drawn to it because she was weary of apps like Tinder and Bumble. You meet people you might not ordinarily swipe across on an app, she says. You open yourself up to new people. I walked out of there with a really warm feeling. Bud of Love owner Farah Sabet: Theres engineers, designers, DJs, artists. These people would not normally have connected if it was online. Simon Schluter Downloads of Tinder dropped 5 per cent in 2021, and subscriber numbers have been flat or declining for the past six quarters. The company, which launched in 2012, ran its first global marketing campaign this year to stem the losses. Joey Kellock, whose Thornbury restaurant 1800 Lasagne has held seven speed dating afternoons in the past year, firmly believes were seeing an app backlash. Advertisement Theres nothing like that real connection: to look into the eyes of somebody and chat, rather than wasting time connecting on a dating app, he says. 1800 Lasagne has regularly held speed dating events over the past year, with most selling out. Justin McManus The truly adventurous might attend Human Love Quest, a live version of an old-fashioned TV dating show, with three contestants on stage in front of an audience at Brunswick Ballroom. The events regularly sell out as people seek a tongue-in-cheek antidote to the sometimes cut-throat world of Super Likes and endless online chat. But more venues are hosting social events not focused on romance, including Free to Mingle, a long-table feast last month, where 75 guests were encouraged to show up solo by hosts Free to Feed, with the aim of making friends. The people who attended were mothers feeling isolated, people new to Melbourne, new arrivals to Australia, and people just out of relationships. Advertisement Were all craving this social connection but were just not sure where to go for it, says organiser Monica Knoll. The first Free to Mingle event was a sell-out. Hugh Davison One quarter of Australian adults experienced loneliness in 2018, according to a Swinburne University and Australian Psychological Society survey. A 2020 survey that included people both in and out of lockdown in Australia showed those who could freely socialise felt only slightly less lonely (4 per cent) than those stuck at home. At the sell-out Free to Mingle event, people arrived to an open bar and name tags where you could also write your favourite conversation topics, with facilitators dotted around the room to help break the ice. By the end of the night, there was a conga line. We werent needed at all, says Knoll. People really came with the intention of meeting new people. Advertisement In a way, everyone was an outsider It takes away some of that fear. At Bud of Love, speed dating ends with all 14 attendees sitting on the communal table talking over drinks. For Frances, this was the highlight of attending the night. It doesnt always have to be [about] meeting someone that you have a romantic connection with, it can be a connection nonetheless, she says. One group of western suburbs locals who met around the communal table now regularly make plans as friends, including attending one persons upcoming DJ set. Sabet believes this part of the event makes it different to other speed dating nights. Theres engineers, designers, DJs, artists. These people would not normally have connected if it was online. 1800 Lasagnes events are on hold for now, but will return next year. Bud of Love has upped its schedule from monthly to fortnightly, with plans for queer speed dating under way, and Free to Feed is looking at how to replicate the success of Free to Mingle. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up My recent travels confirm Australia doesnt exist. Not this one, anyway. Get north of Bali and this place is Terra Australis still, a myth. Australia? In Europe they roll the word on the tongue like a jube, searching for taste. Hmm, give me a minute. What flavour is it, this place name? It would be a cliche to mention kangaroos, of course, but the rascals just come bounding into the front paddock of the mind when you say the word. For the peoples of the northern hemisphere she is tucked away beyond the curve of the world, out of sight and significance. A Rorschach blot on the global map that sparks a few faded classroom facts in their heads: Englands, wasnt she? Penal colony? Origami Opera House harbour Then they might spare some brief grief for the reef. (That dobber Attenborough!) Credit: When asked to say what Australia means most will say its an Australian word for Canada. When pressed to explain the meaning of Canada theyll tell you its a Canadian word for Australia. Press them further and they describe a vast, benign place that exists as a catch-all for the real worlds sporadic totalitarian overspills and crop failures that is, a type of wan safe zone you wouldnt migrate to unless you were about to starve or thugs were readying to line you up against a wall. A smiling nonentity too boring to remember, like some middling looker who rocked a pair of cords at uni but never spoke a word. The best that can be said of Australias place in the world is that the globe doesnt bear us any grudges. I appreciate humanitys ignorance of Australia. Most of us have a field to till, a shoe to tie, a leaking pipe, a tooth cavity, or an ongoing battle with a neighbour to wage. Typically were as local as the nearest chemist. And what do you know, or care, of Angola? East Coast Tasmania James Vodicka (The Rambler Co) Closer to home, the destination on everyones list is Tasmania. The Rambler Co has the east coast covered from Flinders Island to Bruny Island in the second edition of its Australian Travel series. Find places to stay, from a rustic surfers shack on the shore of Bay of Fires to a luxury lodge in Freycinet, and get advice on where to hike, eat and explore while there. The inclusion of a beautifully illustrated guide to foraging for coastal creatures (think sea urchins and rock lobsters) ensures youll never go hungry. The Slow Traveller Jo Tinsley (Ivy Press) The idea of travelling with intention is not new but it has certainly gained traction of late. In her new book, Tinsley encourages travellers to leave less of a footprint, to be mindful of their arrangements and to take time to savour the experience. She also imparts her wisdom on topics such as eco-travel, foraging, the benefits of rail travel and the beauty of long-distance walks. After all, if we dont begin to traverse this planet more sustainably, one day many of these destinations wont be worth visiting. Cinematic Places Sarah Baxter (White Lion Publishing) Ever wanted to stay in the Tokyo hotel where Lost in Translation was filmed, or sing where they shot The Sound of Music in Salzburg? Travel journalist Sarah Baxter thinks the location of a film not only sets the scene but is as important to the mood of a movie as its stars. In this book, part of the Inspired Travellers Guide series, Baxter explores 25 destinations, from Amelies Paris to Rockys Philadelphia, and serves up plenty of fascinating filmic facts in between. Beyond the Cobblestones in Dublin Fiona Hilliard (Hardie Grant Explore) The land of limericks and leprechauns is a top travel spot, to be sure. The Curious Travel Guides latest offering is a compendium of the best places to stay, eat and explore in Dublin, a city thats undeniably rich in history and lore. Ditch the tourist trail for literary landmarks, lush parks and pubs favoured by locals; get an insiders guide to the best places to shop for home-grown knitwear, ceramics and glassware; and find carefully curated itineraries that ensure time is well spent, no matter how long the stay. (Available August 2). Boatlife Katharina Charpian (Gestalten) For many people, the aim of travel is to get as close as possible to the sea. Most are lured to the coast, but for others only a boat will do. This stunning tome takes a deep dive into life on the ocean wave and the freedom (and challenges) of living on a vessel. Offering endless inspiration for maritime enthusiasts, each chapter charts an incredible journey, such as one taken by a couple who sailed from Norway to New Zealand in their 40-foot yacht, Beaver. Wanderlust Nordics Cam Honan (Gestalten) This hefty tome is at once an exhaustive guide to Scandinavias best trails and a bounty of inspiration. From serene forests in Sweden to alpine tundra in Iceland, it will appeal to hiking diehards and enthusiastic explorers alike. With its vast landscapes and edge-of-the-Earth beauty, its no surprise this part of the world a top destination for many. Even if youre more plodder than hiker, the puffin trail of Mykines in the Faroe Island is surely one for the bucket list. Explore Australia 2024 (Hardie Grant Explore) A Brisbane worker who fell during a scaffolding accident at one of Australias biggest megaprojects remains fighting for his life in hospital, his family says. Nation Nash Kouka, 54, fell several metres on Tuesday at the $6.3 billion Cross River Rail Boggo Road station site in Dutton Park, in Brisbanes inner south. Nation Nash Kouka remains fighting for life after falling at the Cross River Rail site earlier this week. He suffered serious injuries and was rushed to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition. In an online fundraiser started to help Kouka, his family said the accident was devastating. TOKYO, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Toyota Motor Corp. sold 5.1 percent more vehicles in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year, owing to exceptionally stronger demand in Japan. The automaker sold some 4.9 million vehicles globally in the six months through June, including the luxury brand Lexus, with its sales in Japan jumping 33.2 percent year on year to reach 878,215 units, it said on Friday. Meanwhile, the company's sales in the United States dropped 0.7 percent to just over 1 million vehicles and those in Asia fell half a percent to about 1.5 million units. In June, global sales increased 10 percent to 898,947 units, helped by growing demand, including for electrified vehicles such as hybrids, in key markets such as the United States and Europe. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In a top-secret location in Victoria, some of Australias rarest, most expensive cars are hidden away from prying eyes, with 24-hour video monitoring and black fabric covers that disguise models worth millions. This is Auto Cache a Victorian car storage facility housing all manner of classic vehicles and priceless supercars for its well-heeled (and well-wheeled) clients. Whether its as rare and specialised as a Mercedes-Benz 300SL or as simple as a daily driver, Auto Cache provides specialist car storage complete with top-level security and ongoing maintenance for a monthly fee. Given the value of the cars, the facilitys location is known only to customers. However, we can say that its within a five-kilometre-radius of Australias next-biggest city. Priceless supercars sit in secret with bespoke cloth covers. Credit: Ted Airey Within 30 seconds of being welcomed inside the facility, youll spot multi million-dollar supercar silhouettes... but more on those later. Owner-operators Damon Lawrence and Nathan Stirling opened the car storage facility in 2021, after identifying the demand for a full-service outfit catering to all kinds of weird and wonderful cars. Advertisement We started Auto Cache off the back of Auto Attention, one of Australias leading car detailing services, says Lawrence. Our love of cars and connections to some of the greatest collections in Australia has inspired us to bring Auto Attentions premium vehicle experience to car storage. We found a huge amount of support for a prestige car housing solution that specialises in luxury and exotic car security, particularly one that provides continued maintenance for the duration of a vehicles stay. Lighting plays a big part of the spaces mysterious allure. Credit: Auto Cache Providing a space for clients to feel confident that their vehicles are safe, protected, and cared for is the driving force behind the creation of Auto Cache. Security is paramount. The space is backed by an array of high-tech, motion-sensing cameras that offer 24-hour monitoring, as well as physical blockades that make it impossible to drive any of the cars out the door without the right clearance. Advertisement Whether its protecting the $5000 project car of one owner or ensuring the $5 million Ferrari Enzo beside it stays untouched, neither Auto Cache nor its clients want to attract any prying attention. Auto Cache has played home to everything from a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, Jaguar E-Type and Ferrari 308, to multi-million-dollar hypercars rarely seen in Australia such as the McLaren P1, Ferrari Enzo, and Porsche Carrera GT. Even Swedish hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg trusted Auto Cache to keep the prototype of its Koenigsegg Jesko under wraps ahead of its Australian debut in 2022. The team makes sure every car is cared for as well as, or even better than, its owner would at home. Credit: Auto Cache The large facility is purpose-built to house high-calibre cars. Every vehicle is supplied with a C-Tek trickle charger to ensure batteries are topped up, while the team will cater to any maintenance request an owner desires. During our tour of the space, we were led through a brightly lit holding bay that acts as the go-between for clients picking up or dropping back their vehicles. The bay can be opened at any time remotely for owners with specific needs, but most clients will come in and talk cars with Stirling in the facilitys lounge. Advertisement It houses all kinds of automotive memorabilia and conversation starters, while theres even a bar and coffee machine at the ready. But few people are allowed beyond the holding bay to see where the cars are housed. In a dimly lit space designed to promote the facilitys secure nature, there are rows and rows of cars under bespoke cloth car covers. Many Lamborghinis can be found in the garage. Credit: Ted Airey Some silhouettes are immediately recognisable, such as that of the Mercedes McLaren SLR and the bullet-like profile of a Lamborghini Gallardo. Not even 10 metres into the space, we were already seeing some big-dollar exotica. The guys recently installed two banks of vehicle lifts just to cope with the influx of clients wanting to store cars. Advertisement Loading When it comes to car storage, floor space is everything. To maximise our storage capacity, weve installed double car stackers, which means weve doubled the available capacity, says Lawrence. In Auto Caches current layout, the space has capacity for 90 vehicles. This might not ordinarily sound like a huge number of cars, but this is no ordinary parking garage. Naturally, the cars used less often are stored on the top shelf, while the more frequently used vehicles are stored ready and waiting below. The facility also houses all kinds of automotive memorabilia and conversation starters. Credit: Ted Airey Deeper inside, we came across a puzzling shape sitting in a corner. About half the size of other cars, but with a streamlined shape and a power plug coming out of the side. Lawrence was unwilling to uncover the car at the request of its owner but subsequent investigation revealed it to be a Volkswagen XL1. Advertisement Melbourne councils are urgently planting thousands of trees, trialling awnings over street seating and could open libraries as heat refuges, as they forecast future sweltering summers that have climate campaigners calling on landlords to be legally required to cool rental homes. On Friday, the United Nations confirmed July will be the globes hottest month ever recorded, amid frightening heatwaves across the northern hemisphere. Campaigners and experts say the prediction should be a warning to authorities in Melbourne of what the southern summer will bring as a likely El Nino weather pattern begins to take hold. Melbourne councils need to prepare communities for the coming summer of heat. Credit: Penny Stephens Its sobering, says Krista Milne, one of the City of Melbournes heat officers, of the UNs proclamation. But weve known this day was coming. As weve seen in the northern hemisphere, [heat] actually kills more people than all other natural disasters combined. And thats both globally and locally. The Victorian Labor and National parties have opposed a ban on donations from the property industry, as the states anti-corruption watchdog found a developer showered the major parties with cash to gain access and attempt to influence lucrative planning decisions. The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission on Thursday recommended that Premier Daniel Andrews establish a taskforce to consider whether the states donations regime would be strengthened by identifying and prohibiting high-risk groups (including, but not limited to, property developers) from making political donations to political entities and state and local government candidates. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says IBACs reports 34 recommendations will be given appropriate consideration. Credit: Wayne Taylor IBACs Operation Sandon found developer John Woodman paid almost $1.2 million to two former Casey Council mayors in exchange for their support, and sought to influence the major parties and their candidates with almost $1 million in donations and other payments over nine years. In 2015, Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass also recommended the government consider banning donations from developers, as NSW and Queensland have done. Niamey: Leaders of a coup in Niger declared General Abdourahamane Tiani as the new head of state days after saying they had ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in the seventh military takeover in West and Central Africa in less than three years. African countries, Western powers and regional and international organisations have voiced support for Bazoum and called for democracy to be restored. Some officials suggested the outcome was not yet final. General Abdourahmane Tchiani makes a statement on TV declaring he is now the head of state following the coup. Credit: AP Frances Foreign Minister Catherina Colonna explicitly referred to it as an attempted coup, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Bazoum during a phone conversation that the US would work to ensure full restoration of constitutional order following a military takeover there. The upheaval has raised concerns about the security of a region where Niger has been a key ally of Western powers seeking to contain insurgencies by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi... This photo taken on July 30, 2023 shows the scene of explosion in Narathiwat, Thailand. At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 were injured after a fireworks warehouse exploded in southern Thailand on Saturday, government officials said. The explosion, which occurred in the afternoon, destroyed some 10 houses and partially damaged about 100 houses in a market in Narathiwat province bordering Malaysia, said Deputy Government Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek. (Xinhua) BANGKOK, July 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 were injured after a fireworks warehouse exploded in southern Thailand on Saturday, government officials said. The explosion, which occurred in the afternoon, destroyed some 10 houses and partially damaged about 100 houses in a market in Narathiwat province bordering Malaysia, said Deputy Government Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek. The local Public Relations Department said at least 10 people were killed and 118 were injured. Authorities have now brought the fire under control and are searching for anyone who may be trapped under the debris, Ratchada said in a statement. Those wounded, including 14 in critical condition, were sent to local hospitals for treatment, she said. In response to the accident, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed relevant agencies to provide support for the injured and those affected, the statement said. This photo taken on July 30, 2023 shows the scene of explosion in Narathiwat, Thailand. At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 were injured after a fireworks warehouse exploded in southern Thailand on Saturday, government officials said. The explosion, which occurred in the afternoon, destroyed some 10 houses and partially damaged about 100 houses in a market in Narathiwat province bordering Malaysia, said Deputy Government Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek. (Xinhua) Batavia, NY (14020) Today A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 64F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Two Maywood buildings, 1001-1009 South 17th Avenue, left, and 1023-1031 South 17th Avenue, right, are at the center of a lawsuit with a county employee suing Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough has been dogged by accusations she inappropriately mixed her work as a public official with her personal and political business, even to the point that a federal court until just earlier this month supervised her offices to prevent patronage hiring. A new lawsuit filed by a Cook County employee against Yarbrough and her husband echoes much of the criticism. It alleges a mix of family, political and professional actions taken by Yarbrough which the employee states were wanton, calculated, and with malice and willfulness defrauded the employee out of hundreds of thousands of dollars involving the sale of two buildings in Maywood, Yarbroughs political home base. Advertisement Filed in Cook County this week, the lawsuit lays out a complex series of questionable moves and countermoves regarding the sale and purchase of two buildings on 17th Street in Maywood and alleges Yarbrough was not even legally allowed to make the sales. It also involves Yarbroughs husband, Henderson, who used to be the Maywood village president; other Yarbrough family members; her political office; and village of Maywood officials who the county employee accuses of harassment and obstruction against him as a landlord. Through a spokeswoman, Yarbrough dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous and a private matter relating to her late fathers estate. Advertisement The suit lands just weeks after Yarbrough was freed from federal oversight into her hiring practices that followed her for a decade from her time as county recorder of deeds to clerk. That oversight was designed to ensure politics didnt unduly creep into her offices hiring, firing, and promotion practices. Yarbrough was repeatedly accused of defying best employment practices and enlisting friends and political allies for jobs in her government offices. A federal judge released her from that oversight earlier this month, despite some reservations from watchdogs that she hadnt fully addressed problematic personnel practices. The plaintiff in the case, George Ferro, is a clerk in the countys circuit court system who also has worked for Yarbroughs government office as a seasonal election worker. Ferros attorney is Anthony Peraica, a Republican who previously served on the Cook County Board and unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for several countywide seats, including losing to Yarbrough for the clerks seat in 2022. Peraica also has filed lawsuits alleging political chicanery by former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Yarbrough ally. George Ferro, a Cook County employee, is suing Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, over a Maywood property deal, July 27, 2023. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune) Ferros suit alleges Yarbroughs daughter arranged a meeting between Ferro and Karen Yarbrough to discuss a commercial real estate sale in 2019. Yarbrough was selling the property through a company named Donora Realty in Maywood, according to the suit. Donora Realty, which state records show is now dissolved, was started by Yarbroughs late father, former Maywood Village President Donald Williams Sr., in 1967. The companys most recent managing broker, according to state records, was Yarbroughs husband. At their first meeting, Yarbrough solicited Ferro to buy a property at 1001-1009 S. 17th Ave. in Maywood, a two-story building with storefronts on the ground level and apartments above, according to the suit. Ferro said he negotiated with Yarbrough, Yarbroughs brother Donald Williams Jr. and an unnamed sister. [ Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough seeks end to historic anti-patronage case despite charges that she stonewalls ] Yarbrough said the Proviso Township Democratic Party she leads paid $750 per month to rent the property at 1001 S. 17th Ave. and that members of her family rented the apartments above, according to the suit. She also told Ferro the roof had been properly maintained with no leaks, the suit stated. Ferro paid Yarbrough $5,000 in earnest money and another $106,000 when he and Yarbrough signed a deed agreement at Donora Realty on Christmas Eve of 2019, according to the suit. In 2020, Ferros lawsuit states, Yarbrough offered to sell Ferro a property down the block at 1023-1031 S. 17th Ave. and that the tenants included an insurance firm and a clothing store owned by Yarbrough and or members of her family, as well as the Donora Realty offices. Other Yarbrough family members lived in the apartments upstairs, according to the suit. Advertisement Ferro signed another agreement and paid $100,000 for that property in June 2020 and states in the lawsuit he made $300,000 worth of improvements at both buildings, including new roofing, a water heating system and repairs to structures and electrical systems. The suit alleges Yarbrough, acting as a trustee for the properties, was not legally allowed to make the sales. Two articles of agreement for deed are attached as exhibits for the suit, with Yarbroughs signatures above the name of the trust that technically owned the properties. After he began acting as landlord, Ferro alleges the first buildings roof leaked prior to him getting it fixed and that the Proviso Township Democratic Party and family-owned businesses on the ground level failed to make rent payments, as did all but one of the relatives living in the units above. Relatives also tried to pass the unpaid water bills to Ferro with knowledge of the party at fault, according to the suit. While the lawsuit said Yarbrough claimed the Proviso Township Democratic Party was paying $750 per month in rent, state records tell a slightly different story. Yarbroughs campaign fund, Citizens for Karen Yarbrough, not the party fund, made regular $700 payments to Donora Realty starting in 2012. Those payments stopped appearing in campaign disclosures at the end of 2019, similar to what the suit alleges. Yarbroughs office declined to answer questions about whether Yarbrough has ever sold properties or had an ownership stake of Donora Realty or whether her family members were tenants at the property. County elected and appointed officials, as well as some government employees, are required to file annual statements of economic interest with the clerks office that Yarbrough heads. As the former recorder of deeds and the countys clerk since 2018, Yarbrough has been required to make those annual ethics filings for several years. But there was no mention of Donora Realty nor any proceeds from any property sales in disclosures that Yarbrough made dating back to 2013. In 2021 and 2022, the disclosures show she owned a home in Maywood. Advertisement This frivolous lawsuit comes from a disgruntled county employee whose attorney was overwhelmingly defeated by Clerk Karen Yarbrough when she was reelected in 2022, Yarbrough spokeswoman Sally Daly said in an email Thursday. The allegations stem from private, family-related real estate transactions in which she was serving as the trustee for her deceased fathers properties. The Clerk has been a realtor in good standing for nearly 50 years serving Maywood and surrounding communities and she intends to vigorously defend her reputation against these false and malicious allegations, Daly said in the statement. The Clerk believes that she has complied with the requirements associated with her statement of economic interest. [ Court ends oversight of hiring in Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbroughs office, closing historic anti-patronage case ] After the June 2020 sale, Ferro alleges village employees, acting at the request of Karen Yarbrough and her husband, Henderson, commenced to act to harass and obstruct him from operating the property. Building inspectors told tenants not to pay rent, sought to pass the unpaid water bills of relatives to Ferro, stopped Ferro from obtaining new tenants and sent inspectors for repeated inspection to assess unfounded violations at the properties, according to the suit. A notice forbidding entrance into the building located at 1001 S. 17th Ave. is posted on the door on July 28, 2023. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Henderson Yarbrough was village president between 2005 and 2013 and was a village trustee from 2013 to 2019, meaning he was out of office when Ferro alleged the harassment began. Maywood village officials did not respond to a request for comment. Ferro is suing Karen Yarbrough for fraud, and her husband and the village of Maywood for civil conspiracy and aiding and abetting the clerks efforts. Hes seeking damages, attorneys fees, and the deeds to both properties. If that effort is unsuccessful, he wants to be paid back for what he spent. Advertisement Ferro states in the suit he later learned Yarbrough, who as clerk is also in charge of maintaining county records of land transfers, never possessed the legal authority to sell the properties on behalf of the trust and never turned over the deeds for either property. Peraica told the Tribune in an interview that an admission was made verbally by Yarbrough to Ferro, and they will not know for sure who had authority to sell the properties until they subpoena the trust that owns them. After confronting Yarbrough, Ferro states in the suit that she advised him to allow the properties to go to tax sale and bid on the properties through a new entity. Ferro alleges in the suit he thought Yarbrough was coordinating so others could outbid him. Yarbrough intended that (Ferro) lose all claim to both properties by administrative proceedings such as tax sales or sale forced by financial failure caused by a lack of rental income and that her actions were wanton, calculated, and with malice and willfulness. Overdue taxes for the two properties totaling roughly $31,000 did indeed go up for sale in 2022. According to records from the county treasurers office, late taxes owed by both properties were sold to other entities. Its always money, its all about the money here, they had a bad building on their hands, they found a sacrificial lamb who was willing to give them a lot of money, then they wanted him to lose the property, Peraica said. Ferro had no representation during negotiations and relied on Yarbroughs word that the signed agreement was sufficient. Was it smart on his part? No. Absolutely not. Now, Ferro says his current boss, Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez, is moving to fire him on false allegations of improper actions. He thinks Yarbrough requested it, according to the suit. Advertisement Payroll records show Ferro as an active employee as recently as a month ago, and that he has worked for the county since 2006. The suit says he also worked part time in Yarbroughs office during election season, which Yarbroughs office confirmed. An LLC Ferro manages, Private Holdings, is also a plaintiff. The LLCs authority to do business in Illinois has been revoked as of May, according to state records, meaning its leaders failed to pay the annual fee and file the annual report. The letter from Martinezs office alerting Ferro of allegations of misconduct related to job performance including being distracted during court calls and failing to correctly enter case information into the offices internal system came in early June, Peraica said. The allegations by Martinezs office are untrue, Peraica said. Only after receiving the letter did Ferro move to pursue legal action. In a prepared statement Monday, Martinez said she was not part of the litigation and that Ms. Yarbrough has never contacted my office regarding Mr. Ferro. The allegations made by Mr. Ferro and his attorney Anthony Peraica about me are not only false, they are presumptive, reckless and defamatory, Martinez said in the statement to the Tribune. While Mr. Ferros job performance in my office has been reviewed multiple times prior to the filing of his lawsuit against Clerk Yarbrough, it has nothing to do with retaliatory conduct. This story has been updated to include a prepared response from Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez. Advertisement Tribune reporter Ray Long contributed. aquig@chicagotribune.com In a disturbing trend of continuous attacks on Hindu temples in Pakistan, it has been revealed that the number of temples has drastically decreased since the country's independence. According to the Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement, at the time of partition in 1947, there were 428 Hindu temples in Pakistan. However, shockingly, by the 1990s, the majority of these temples, around 408, were converted into restaurants, hotels, government schools, or madrassas. Presently, only 22 Hindu temples have managed to survive the relentless wave of destruction. Out of these, 11 are located in the Sindh region, four in Punjab, four in Pakhtunkhwa, and three in Balochistan. Some of the most appalling incidents include the conversion of the Kalibari temple in Pakistan's Dara Ismail Khan into the Taj Mahal Hotel, the destruction of a Hindu temple in Bannu district, replaced by a sweet shop, and the Shiva temple in Kohat, which is now being used as a school. In a rare positive discovery, in the year 2020, the Archaeological Department unearthed a 1300-year-old Hindu temple in the Swat district of northwestern Pakistan. The temple was believed to be dedicated to Lord Vishnu and was found during an excavation conducted by a joint team of archaeological experts from Pakistan and Italy. However, the fate of this historical site remains uncertain, as questions arise about its preservation in a country where temples continue to be targeted. Even in the capital city of Islamabad, the construction of a temple for Shri Krishna faced opposition. In 2020, former Prime Minister Imran Khan granted permission for the temple's construction, but it was met with resistance from fundamentalist groups. The temple's wall was demolished initially, causing public outcry. Eventually, under pressure, the government proceeded with the temple's construction. The ongoing attacks on Hindu temples in Pakistan are a cause for concern, as minority communities continue to face discrimination and threats. The international community is closely monitoring the situation, urging authorities to protect the country's cultural heritage and ensure religious freedom for all its citizens. Muharram 2023: Jammu govt postpones Ashura holiday; See new date Sindhi Religion: A Journey of Cultural and Spiritual Traditions If you are going on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, do not forget to visit these places as well Drew Angerer/Getty Images/TNS From left, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stand for a photo before a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the U.S. Capitol July 27, 2023, in Washington, DC. In the heart of Pakistan lies a fascinating piece of history that dates back a millennium - a majestic temple that has withstood the test of time. However, this historical treasure, once a symbol of religious and cultural harmony, fell victim to the tumultuous events of the past. Following the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, the temple was taken over by the land mafia, and its sacred halls echoed with silence and neglect. Nevertheless, a glimmer of hope emerged in 2007 when the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) decided to reclaim this ancient marvel and restore it to its former glory. Yet, despite regaining control, the temple continues to suffer from neglect and is in dire need of attention. A Forgotten Past: Located in the heart of a bustling city, this temple holds a profound historical significance that transcends religious boundaries. Originally constructed around 1,000 years ago, it served as a testimony to the coexistence of diverse communities in the region. For centuries, it stood as a beacon of unity, bringing together people from different walks of life to pay homage to their beliefs in harmony. The Temple's Ordeal: The partition of British India in 1947 brought with it a series of tragic events that scarred the nation and changed its landscape forever. During this tumultuous period, the temple fell victim to the land mafia, who took advantage of the ensuing chaos to assert their dominance over the property. Consequently, the once-sacred grounds of the temple became a battleground for greed and corruption. A Ray of Hope: In 2007, the Pakistan Hindu Council took a momentous step to reclaim the temple from the clutches of the land mafia. With dedicated efforts and unwavering resolve, the PHC managed to regain control of the ancient site in June of that year. The news was met with a sense of joy and hope, as it signified the potential revival of a shared heritage that transcended religious boundaries. The Struggle for Restoration: However, the road to restoration proved to be challenging. Despite the temple's historical importance and the efforts made by the PHC, the restoration process did not receive the required support from concerned authorities. As a result, the temple's condition remains dismal, with time and neglect taking their toll on the once-resplendent structure. The Need for Urgent Action: The temple's plight serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of preserving historical and cultural sites. Neglecting such precious heritage not only erodes the country's rich history but also undermines the values of inclusivity and coexistence that it once stood for. As a nation that prides itself on its diverse cultural tapestry, it is imperative that we join hands to protect and restore these symbols of unity. A Call to the Community: The responsibility of safeguarding this ancient temple does not rest solely on the shoulders of the Pakistan Hindu Council. It is a collective endeavor that requires cooperation from the government, local communities, and concerned citizens alike. By recognizing the temple's significance and investing in its restoration, we can send a message of unity and tolerance to the world. The story of the 1,000-year-old temple is a testament to the resilience of history and the enduring spirit of harmony. From its glory days as a symbol of religious coexistence to its unfortunate decline into neglect, the temple's journey is a mirror reflecting our society's strengths and weaknesses. As we stand at a crossroads today, it is time to rekindle the flames of cultural appreciation and solidarity, breathing new life into this ancient temple and preserving its legacy for generations to come. Let us unite as a nation to restore this historical gem and showcase our commitment to preserving our shared heritage. Muharram 2023: Jammu govt postpones Ashura holiday; See new date Sindhi Religion: A Journey of Cultural and Spiritual Traditions If you are going on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, do not forget to visit these places as well 2 security men hurt in Manipur gunfight IMPHAL, TWO security personnel, including an Army jawan, were injured in a gun-battle with militants in Manipurs Bishnupur district, officials said. The gunfight broke out in Phoubakchao Ikhai area, around 50 km from State capital Imphal, on Thursday morning and continued for around 15 hours till late at night, when the insurgents fled the area. At least one house in nearby Tera Khongsangbi was set on fire during the shootout. As the two sides were engaged in the shootout, the police personnel intervened to disperse the mobs, they said. The injured Manipur Police commando has been identified as 40-year-old Nameirakpam Ibomcha. He has sustained splinter injuries on his right leg and right ear in a mortar blast, a police officer said. The Army jawan belongs to Kumaon Regiment but is yet to be identified, he said. Drone flown over the area captured footage of the militants carrying some of their comrades. But it is not yet clear whether those insurgents were injured or killed in action, he said. GANDHINAGAR, TECHNOLOGY firms will be given 50 per cent financial assistance for setting up semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, as he announced that his Government has rolled out red carpet for semiconductor industries. Speaking after inaugurating the Semicon India 2023 conference in Gandhinagar, Modi said every industrial revolution that the world has witnessed was driven by the aspirations of people at different times. The PM said he believes that the fourth industrial revolution being witnessed now is driven by Indias aspirations. Modi said India is establishing an entire ecosystem for the semiconductor industry to grow in the country. We were offering incentives as part of the Semicon India programme. It has been increased, and now technology firms will get 50 per cent financial assistance to set up semiconductor manufacturing facilities (in India), Modi said. The semiconductor industry will witness exponential growth in India, Modi said. A year ago, people used to ask why they should invest in the Indian semiconductor sector. Now they ask why not invest in India, he added. India is becoming a grand conductor for investments in the semiconductor sector, Modi said. The world needs a trusted and reliable chip supply chain, he said. Modi said 300 colleges in India have been identified for starting courses on semiconductor design. Today the world is becoming witness to Industry 4.0. Whenever the world has passed through any such industrial revolution, its base has been the aspirations of the people of a particular region. The same relation was seen between the first industrial revolution and the American dream, he said. Today I see the same relation between the fourth industrial revolution and Indian aspirations, said Modi, who shared the dais with some world leaders of the semiconductor industry. The PM said Indian aspirations are driving the countrys development and have made it a nation that has rapidly eradicated extreme poverty and seen a fast rise of the neo-middle class. Modi said India understands its global responsibility very well. Therefore, we are working on a wide roadmap together with our friendly countries. We are taking special efforts to create a semiconductor ecosystem in India, he said, adding that the country recently approved the National Quantum Mission and is going to introduce the Nation Research Foundation Bill in Parliament. The National Quantum Mission aims to seed, nurture and scale up scientific and industrial research and development and create a vibrant and innovative ecosystem in quantum technology. For the semiconductor ecosystem, we are changing the engineering curriculum. India has identified more than 300 big colleges where courses will be offered on semiconductors. It is expected that in the next five years, we will have more than 1 lakh design engineers. Indias continuously growing startup ecosystem will also provide strength to the semiconductor sector, Modi said. Underscoring that electricity is required for this sector, Modi said the countrys installed solar power capacity has multiplied 20 times in the last decade. India has set a target for 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by the end of this decade and has taken big steps for the production of solar PV (photovoltaic) models, green hydrogen and electrolysers, he said. Policy reforms happening in India will also have a positive impact in sharpening the semiconductor ecosystem, Modi said. For a new manufacturing industry, we have announced different types of tax reliefs. India is today among the countries with the lowest corporate tax. We have made the taxation process faceless and seamless, he said. Modi said his Government has done away with many old laws and compliances that were coming in the way of the ease of doing business and has provided special incentives for the semiconductor industry. AICCs SC Department Chairman pulls up BJP govt at Centre Staff Reporter RAIPUR, In a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government at the Centre, Rajesh Lilothia, the Chairman of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Scheduled Caste (SC) Department, has accused the ruling party of weakening constitutional institutions. He was in the state capital to attend a meeting of the SC Department of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) held at State Congress party office, Rajiv Bhawan, in State Capital. Addressing a press conference Lilothia stated that the AICCs SC Department has initiated a campaign to appoint Samvidhan Rakshak (Guardians of the Constitution) to protect the Indian constitution. Through this app, citizens can actively participate in safeguarding the constitutional principles, he added. Highlighting his concerns, Lilothia expressed that the Indian constitution is under threat in the BJP rule, alleging that the government does not adhere to its principles. He further asserted that the marginalised sections of society, including Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and minorities, are not receiving adequate social security measures. Commending the work of the Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the AICCs SC Department Chairman praised the all-round development happening in Chhattisgarh under Congress rule. In addition to criticising the Central Governments approach, Lilothia also addressed the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, holding the government accountable for the situation. During the press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, Labour Minister Dr. Shiv Kumar Dahariya joined Lilothia and stated that the CPCCs SC Department meeting had taken place, where strategies for the upcoming assembly elections were discussed along with various other issues. The press conference was attended by State Congress Media Chief Sushil Anand Shukla and other prominent party leaders. Bise finally arrested for swindling Rs 54 cr from 11,396 investors Our Correspondent Jashpur, THE Jashpur Police successfully apprehended Phoolchand Bise, fugitive director of Vinayak Homes and Real Estate Private Limited, from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. It is to be informed that Bise was the mastermind behind a large-scale chit fund scam that swindled over Rs 54 crore from a staggering 11,396 investors across eight districts in Chhattisgarh. The elaborate scam involved Bise and four other associates, who enticed investors, promising them high returns and annual commissions on their investments in the company. A total of 792 investors from Jashpur district alone fell victim to the fraudulent scheme, collectively losing Rs 1,60,51,534. Efforts from law enforcement officials, including Surguja Range IG Ramgopal Garg (IPS) and Jashpur SP J R Thakur, played a crucial role in cracking the case. Additional Superintendent of Police, Jashpur, Umesh Kumar Kashyap, and Sub-Divisional Officer of Police, Kunakuri Sandeep Mittal, the accused. The investigation began when Avadhika Nirmala Bai, a resident of Gadhtoli, Jashpur, lodged a complaint with City Kotwali Police Station after being duped of Rs 1,20,000. As the probe progressed, it was discovered that Bise and his accomplices had multiple criminal cases registered against them in different police stations. The specialised team dispatched to Madhya Pradesh, under the guidance of Additional Superintendent of Police Jashpur, Umesh Kumar Kashyap, and Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Kunkuri, Sandeep Mittal, finally succeeded in locating and apprehending Bise after co-operation with local authorities. Bise confessed to his involvement in the fraudulent activities and disclosed information about his partners in crime. The police have registered a case against the accused under Sections 420, 120 (B) IPC, and Section 10 of the Chhattisgarh Protection of Depositors (In Financial Establishments) Act, 2005. Amidst the bustling streets of Karachi, Pakistan, lie two ancient marvels that serve as a testament to the rich historical and cultural diversity of the region. The Panchmukhi Hanuman Temples, located in Islamkot of Nagarparkar and Scholzer Bazaar, stand proudly as rare remnants of Pakistan's Hindu heritage. With the former dating back an astonishing 1500 years, these temples attract both devout worshippers and curious tourists alike. While the temple in Islamkot continues to be a site of active worship, the one in Scholzer Bazaar now languishes in dire need of restoration. This article explores the significance of these temples and the urgent call for preserving Pakistan's ancient Hindu legacy. The Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple in Islamkot: Situated in the heart of Nagarparkar, the Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple in Islamkot holds immense religious importance for Hindus both within Pakistan and beyond its borders. Dating back 1500 years, this temple is a living testament to the coexistence of different faiths throughout history. Devotees, bathed in devotion, flock to this sacred place, seeking blessings from the five-faced deity, Lord Hanuman. The temple's architecture reflects a fascinating blend of ancient Hindu design and local craftsmanship, reflecting the unique syncretism that characterizes the region. Despite the passage of time, this historical Ram temple has retained its spiritual allure, beckoning pilgrims and historians to explore its fascinating past. The idol of Panchmukhi Hanuman, said to be awe-inspiring, exudes an aura of tranquility and power that captivates all who lay their eyes upon it. The Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple in Scholzer Bazaar: In stark contrast to its vibrant counterpart in Islamkot, the Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple in Scholzer Bazaar paints a different picture. The once-majestic temple now stands in a state of disrepair, echoing the ravages of time and neglect. This unfortunate situation reflects the dwindling interest and dwindling resources allocated to preserving Pakistan's Hindu cultural heritage. The idol of Panchmukhi Hanuman, which once radiated splendor, now calls for urgent restoration and attention. The fading paint and weathered features only reinforce the need for immediate action to prevent irreversible decay. It is crucial that steps are taken promptly to safeguard this piece of history before it is lost forever. Preservation and Cultural Heritage: The existence of these ancient Panchmukhi Hanuman Temples stands as a reminder of the harmonious coexistence of diverse religious beliefs that were once an integral part of Pakistan's cultural tapestry. Their preservation goes beyond religious sentiment; it signifies the nation's commitment to respecting and safeguarding its cultural diversity. Efforts must be made by the authorities and heritage organizations to restore the temple in Scholzer Bazaar, ensuring its survival for generations to come. By promoting the restoration and upkeep of such historically significant sites, Pakistan can foster a sense of pride in its pluralistic past and embrace a more inclusive future. The Panchmukhi Hanuman Temples in Karachi, particularly the ancient temple in Islamkot and the neglected one in Scholzer Bazaar, are unique historical treasures that deserve the utmost attention and preservation. These temples are not just symbols of religious devotion but also serve as bridges connecting Pakistan's diverse cultural roots. While the Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple in Islamkot continues to attract devotees and tourists, it is the duty of the authorities and society to come together and restore the temple in Scholzer Bazaar to its former glory. By doing so, Pakistan can demonstrate its commitment to protecting its cultural heritage and upholding the values of tolerance and pluralism. These ancient temples can become a source of inspiration for future generations to embrace and celebrate their diverse heritage, contributing to a more harmonious and united society. Muharram 2023: Jammu govt postpones Ashura holiday; See new date Sindhi Religion: A Journey of Cultural and Spiritual Traditions If you are going on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, do not forget to visit these places as well Double murder case: Bajrang Dal leader among six arrested Staff Reporter Six history-sheeters, including a senior Bajrang Dal leader, were arrested by Nagpur rural police in a case of murder of two city businessmen on Friday. The traders were shot dead at a farmhouse in Kondhali after luring them with the promise of doubling their money through a black to white money exchange trap. The deceased businessmen, Niralakumar Jaiprakash Singh (43), a resident of Plot No, 42, Prasad Apartment, H B Town, and Amrish Deodutt Gole (41), a resident of Flat No. 102, Narkesari Layout, Jaiprakash Nagar, went missing on Tuesday. Their families filed complaints with the Sitabuldi and Sonegaon police stations respectively. However, it wasnt until Thursday that the gruesome murder came to light when the Talegaon police discovered a half-burnt body, later identified as Niralakumars. The investigations quickly led to the arrest of the accused persons: Harsh Anandilal Verma (22), a resident of Plot No. 39, Khadgaon Road, Sonba Nagar; Danesh Durgaprasad Shivpeth (21), a resident of Godhni Road, Old Mankapur; Lucky Sanjay Turkel (22), a resident of Mariyam Nagar, Sitabuldi; Omkar Mahendra Talmale (25), a resident of Plot No. 54, Smruti Layout; Harsh Saudagar Bagde (19), a resident of Plot No. 37, Dattawadi, Wadi; and Vishal Pawankumar Punj (41), a resident of Plot No. 15/04, Mohan Nagar Badkas Chowk, Kotwali. Punj is Sah-Sanyojak (co-convenor) of Bajrang Dal Vidarbha. After murdering the two, the accused persons burned their bodies and later dumped them in the swollen Wardha river to cover-up their act. The crime came to light after Nagpur police, which were alerted about the sudden disappearance of the businesspersons, undertook intense searches to uncover the murders. The mastermind of the gruesome act was identified as Omkar Talmale, who hails from a well-to-do family, but had fallen into debt due to his vices. To solve his financial problems, he concocted a plan to double his money quickly, enlisting the other accused as accomplices. A police official said that the victims were close friends of Talmale and Punj, who lured them into the deadly trap under the pretext of exchanging "black money" for "white money." The accused claimed to possess Rs. 2.80 crore in black money and offered to convert it into white money for a fee of Rs. 1.50 crore. The businessmen, enticed by the offer, agreed to the deal, the police said. The accused called Niralakumar and Gole at a cafe in Chitnavis Center to discuss the final details of the exchange. From there, they took the businessmen in a four-wheeler to Turkel's farmhouse at Ringnabodi village, Kondhali police stations jurisdiction. Upon reaching the farmhouse, the accused executed their sinister plan, shooting Niralakumar and Gole point-blank with pistols. The victims died on the spot after suffering eight to ten gunshots each. Former MLAs demand security in sensitive areas Staff Reporter RAIPUR, Former BJP MLAs from Chhattisgarh, in a meeting with Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, expressed their concerns about the Congress Governments alleged attempt to gain power by exploiting fear. The former MLAs strongly objected to the tampering of their security in tribal areas. The delegation, including Dr Subhau Kashyap, Bhojraj Nag, Lachhu Kashyap, Baidu Kashyap, Pinky Shivraj Shah, and Shravan Markam, submitted a memorandum to the Governor, demanding the restoration of security arrangements for former MLAs in Naxal-affected areas. According to the former MLAs, several districts and assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh are in sensitive and Naxal-affected areas. The State is also gearing up for Assembly elections. However, the Congress government, they alleged, had decided to reduce the security of former MLAs residing in these regions based on a directive dated June 16. This directive was issued after the Protection Review Groups meeting on May 22. The former MLAs accused the State Government of playing with the security of public representatives in sensitive areas and viewed the reduction in security as a potential political conspiracy. They emphasised that this decision put their lives and property at a higher risk, referring to statistics that showed 33 peoples representatives and politically active individuals were killed by Naxalite Maoist groups between April 2019 and March 2023 in sensitive areas. Moreover, in the last six months, four BJP workers fell victim to targeted killings. The delegation urged Governor Harichandan to address this matter promptly, emphasising that the security of former legislators in sensitive areas was the responsibility of the State Government. They called for the restoration of the security measures for those whose protection has been reduced. The former MLAs emphasised the significance of safeguarding the lives of public representatives and legislators over any political agenda or election interests. They sought the Governors intervention to communicate to the Congress government the importance of upholding the security of former MLAs and public representatives in sensitive regions. Important to address root countries behind terror: EAM NEW DELHI, EXTERNAL Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Friday said that it is important for Japan and India to be on the same page on countering terrorism and emphasised the need to address not only the root cause but also the root countries behind the menace. Speaking at the India-Japan Forum 2023 in the national capital, Jaishankar, was responding to his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashis remarks that top priority of cooperation between like-minded countries India and Japan should be to counter-terrorism. Jaishankar and Hayashi discussed critical global issues, including terrorism and nuclear proliferation at the forum. The visiting Japanese Minister highlighted the Japan-India cooperation towards the future of the Indo-Pacific. In a subsequent question and answer session at the Forum, Hayashi said, Its an unquestionable issue that everybody, India, Japan, everyone should be very strict, vis a vis all those activities such as terrorism. Each country should be ready for that. Everyone should be very strict on activities such as terrorism. Cooperation between like-minded countries like us to counter-terrorism is a top priority issue. Jaishankar also touched upon the issue of terrorism in the question and answer session. There are some really important challenges in the world, like missile nuclear proliferation and terrorism and it is important that we address root causes and root countries which are behind this and it is important that Japan and India are on the same page. Meanwhile, speaking on strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries the Japanese Foreign Minister said that it is crucial that people-to-people exchanges between India and Japan are promoted. Mah doubles financial aid to women SHGs MUMBAI, IN A major initiative, the Maharashtra Government has decided to double the revolving funds available to womens Self Help Groups under the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission, or Umed Mission, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said here on Friday. The free amount is being doubled from the existing Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 and would benefit over six million women in the rural areas under the Umed Mission, with an additional expenditure of Rs 913 crore to the State Government, he said. There are around 6,00,000 womens SHGs in the State with more than 60 lakh women involved in them, plus 30,854 village groups and 1,788 ward units under the Umed Mission, which was launched in 2011. Usually, three months after they are formed, the SHGs receive a revolving fund for their internal loan transaction and related work and so far, 391,476 such SHGs have received a total amount of Rs 584 crore. Another 80,348 groups have been given community investment funds to the tune of Rs 577 crore, and till date, 4.75 lakh SHGs have been disbursed loans worth Rs 19,771 crore, said the CM. In the last fiscal (2022-2023), 238,368 SHGs were given bank loans worth Rs 5,860 crore, 96 per cent of which were repaid on time, with a NPA ratio of barely 4.31 per cent and hence banks readily come forward to lend to such SHGs. Now, local committees to decide heritage trees fate By Kaushik Bhattacharya Now, the local tree committee can take the decision on the fate of trees in its jurisdiction without referring matters to the State Tree Authority. The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed a bill, on Friday, that empowers local tree committees to allow felling of all types of trees. The bill is an amendment of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975. The bill is yet to be passed by the Legislative Council. Under the existing law, the applications for cutting down more than two hundred trees, which are five years or older, and also heritage trees, are referred by the local (municipal) tree committee to the Maharashtra State Tree Authority (MSTA). After this amendment, the local tree authorities can now grant permission on their own, in all cases. While introducing the bill, the Government said that facilitating the ease of doing business is one of the best ways to promote development and attract investors. During the debate on the bill, BJP MLAs Ashish Shelar, Atul Bhatkhalkar and Ameet Satam slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA and former Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray for enacting the previous amendment to the Act and forming the State Tree Authority. They also accused the Shiv Sena (UBT) of opposing all development projects. Thackeray pointed out that the State Tree Authoritys mandate was to identify heritage trees and ascertain if there was a need to cut them, to what extent trees should be felled, and how much compensation should be paid. There can be ease of doing business only if there is ease of living, Thackeray said. There should be a balance between development and environmental protection, he added. In the Assembly, Congress MLAs Prithviraj Chavan, Varsha Gaikwad and Nana Patole stressed the need for sustainable development while protecting the environment. After getting the information about the new bill, the environment experts and activists of the city called it unfortunate decision and it will lead to mass tree felling all over the state. New Delhi, Parliament was adjourned for the day on Friday amid a protest by Opposition members over the Manipur issue. in Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar abruptly adjourned the House for the day after a spat with TMC leader Derek OBrien who was pressing for discussion on the Manipur situation. Dhankhar was interrupted by the TMC MP who thumped the desk to make a point over non-admission of notices given by Opposition members under Rule 267 to discuss the Manipur situation, prompting him to adjourn proceedings. As many as 47 MPs from parties, including the Congress, Left parties, TMC, SP, AAP, NCP and DMK, had given notices on Friday under the rule that calls for suspension of the listed business and taking up the issue being raised. A visibly perturbed Dhankhar termed OBriens behaviour theatrics that would not be tolerated. We cant suffer this, he said and adjourned the proceedings for the day. As the Lok Sabha reconvened at 12 noon after the first adjournment Opposition members continued their protest over the Manipur issue, Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the Chair adjourned the House for the day. Soon after the House met at 11 am, the Opposition members were on their feet demanding an immediate discussion on the no-confidence motion moved by the Congress against the Modi Government. Speaker Om Birla asked the opposition MPs to take part in the proceedings. Dhaka: In the most recent demonstration calling for the resignation of the prime minister, Bangladeshi police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse stone-throwing crowds blocking major roads in the capital Dhaka on Saturday. Since last year, the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies have protested repeatedly, calling on Sheikh Hasina to resign and give control of the upcoming elections to a caretaker government. When police intervened to clear throngs of people who had gathered early in the morning to obstruct traffic on major thoroughfares throughout the city, clashes broke out in a number of locations. Also Read: Dnipro Under Fire: Three Injured in Missile Strike, Ukraine Reports Faruq Ahmed, a spokesman for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, reported that "some officers were hurt." "We used rubber bullets and tear gas." Police and protesters engaged in combat at least four different protest locations throughout the city, according to Ahmed. At one protest location in Dholaikhal, a former neighbourhood that is now home to many auto repair shops, AFP journalists saw protesters retaliate by throwing rocks at riot police and their cars. Six protesters had been admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital with injuries, according to Bacchu Mia, a police inspector there. Goyeshwar Roy and Amanullah Aman, two prominent BNP leaders, were taken into police custody but weren't formally detained, according to Ahmed. Transport links between the nation's capital and other regions were severely disrupted, with trucks and buses snarled in traffic. Also Read: Joint Military Exercise Hits Tragic Halt: Helicopter Crash Leaves Four Missing Bangladesh has been ruled by Hasina's Awami League since 2009, and it has been charged with violating human rights, being corrupt, and edging closer to totalitarianism. Since the beginning of the year, BNP-led demonstrations have become more frequent, with rallies this month drawing tens of thousands of people to the streets. Earlier this week, in advance of a rally outside the party's headquarters, police detained at least 500 opposition activists. The political climate in Bangladesh, where the ruling party controls the legislature and treats it essentially as a rubber stamp, has drawn concern from Western governments. Tens of thousands of opposition activists are allegedly being detained by her security forces, hundreds are allegedly killed in extrajudicial shootings, and hundreds of leaders and supporters have vanished. Also Read: Atlantic Fever: Record-Breaking Ocean Temperature Surges, Says US Agency Washington sanctioned the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) security force and seven of its senior officers in 2021 in response to those alleged rights violations. After being found guilty of corruption, Khaleda Zia, the leader of the BNP and a former rival of Hasina's, is essentially under house arrest. Jeddah: The devastating effects of the more than 100-day-long war on the Sudanese people are highlighted by a tally of death figures compiled by local activists and volunteer organisations, which suggests that the civilian death toll in Khartoum State may be more than double the official count. Early in May, a loud explosion shook Shambat, a section of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Locals rushed to put out the fires consuming a temporary home that they claim were started by an airstrike. Too late, they were. Five witnesses reported finding a pregnant woman, a man, and five kids among the smouldering wreckage. The man was buried nearby, while the woman and children were buried at the scene of the May 7 attack. The seven victims of the Shambat attack are not counted in the official death toll in Khartoum State, which has seen the majority of the fighting between the Sudanese Army and the main paramilitary organisation in the nation, the Rapid Support Forces. This makes them similar to many other victims in the war that has ravaged Sudan since mid-April. Also Read: Police in Bangladesh fight with protesters who are blocking the capital The government and health services that normally record fatalities have been severely damaged by the conflict, making them largely inoperable. According to a Health Ministry report distributed to aid organisations on July 5, there had been 234 fatalities in Khartoum State. The report makes it clear that only civilian hospitals were used to collect the data. However, activist and volunteer groups have tallied at least 580 civilian fatalities due to airstrikes, artillery, and gunfire across Khartoum State, which includes the nation's capital as well as its sister cities Omdurman and Bahri, as of July 26. Also Read: Tragic Tide: Senegalese Beaches Conceal Unmarked Graves as Migrant Disappearances Soar The discrepancy in the data for Khartoum State raises the possibility that the Health Ministry's estimate of 1,136 deaths nationwide as of July 5 may also be an underestimate. The official figure, according to a ministry official, is "the tip of the iceberg." Also Read: Top Bangladeshi businessmen are planning to investigate the Saudi market According to him, this is because many civilians have passed away at home or in their neighbourhoods rather than in hospitals, where their deaths would have been recorded. In his first appearance on camera since hostilities started, Sudanese paramilitary leader Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, called for the army's leadership to be replaced. Hemedti is seen in the video apologising to the Sudanese people for the effects of the ongoing conflict while being cheered on by RSF members, which was posted to the paramilitary group's Facebook page. We advise our military brothers that if they want a quick fix, they should change their leadership and we'll reach an agreement in 72 hours. Dhaka: Top business executives from Bangladesh are getting ready to travel to Saudi Arabia to learn more about the markets there and to strengthen trade ties between the two nations, according to the delegation's leader, who spoke to Arab News. Since a delegation led by the Saudi Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi visited Dhaka in March, there have been more opportunities for collaboration. The minister had been invited by the government of Bangladesh and the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, which is the top business organisation in the nation. Several investment agreements were signed during the visit, allowing Saudi Arabia to enter Bangladesh's energy, port, and agricultural sectors. The two countries' chambers of commerce also established a joint council to oversee their bilateral trade relations. Also Read: Dnipro Under Fire: Three Injured in Missile Strike, Ukraine Reports "We are currently organising and getting ready for a business delegation to visit Saudi Arabia. The delegation, which will be led by Sameer Sattar, president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries, will consist of 5060 members from various sectors, Sattar said to Arab News on Thursday night. Saudi Arabia, in my opinion, is a sizable market for us. We have historically concentrated primarily on exporting to the EU and the US, but due to the LDC's (least developed country) graduation status, we are currently in transition. Bangladesh was given permission by the UN to leave the LDC category by 2026 because it had attained middle-income status in November 2021. According to the UN, this would entail that the nation would forfeit the "benefits accruing from LDC-specific international support measures" and would instead have to mitigate these effects through a variety of economic changes, including increased trade with other countries. Also Read: Joint Military Exercise Hits Tragic Halt: Helicopter Crash Leaves Four Missing Our export markets need to be more varied. We shouldn't limit our attention to just one or two places, said Sattar. The delegation, which will include business leaders from small, medium, and large enterprises, will represent a variety of sectors. IFAD Group and United Group, according to Sattar, should both be represented in the delegation. According to Sattar, "These two conglomerates have operations in a variety of industries, including food, automobiles, real estate, construction, hospitals, medical colleges, pharmaceuticals, power, and energy." "I want to take a significant business delegation to Makkah, Madinah, and Riyadh. The (Saudi) ambassador and other pertinent embassy staff members are extremely excited about this visit. Arab News reported earlier this week that the delegation was scheduled to visit the Kingdom in the upcoming weeks, according to Saudi Ambassador Essa Al-Duhailan. Also Read: Atlantic Fever: Record-Breaking Ocean Temperature Surges, Says US Agency "I called the Bangladeshi businessmen and companies to go to Saudi Arabia, explore the market, and have joint ventures with their counterparts, businessmen in Saudi Arabia, to have investment in line with Vision 2030," the man said. "Saudi Arabia offers a wide range of opportunities. Any field you choose, you can invest in it. Sulaimaniyah: Officials in the autonomous Kurdistan region blamed the Turkish military and claimed that four "fighters" from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed by a drone strike in northern Iraq. As Kurdish authorities in neighbouring Syria reported that a drone attack by Turkiye had killed four members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the strike near Sulaimaniyah, the second largest city in Iraqi Kurdistan, took place on Friday. The PKK is considered a "terrorist" group by Ankara and its Western allies. Turkiye views the People's Protection Units (YPG), which make up the majority of the SDF, as a PKK "terrorist" offshoot. Also Read: Police in Bangladesh fight with protesters who are blocking the capital Despite frequently attacking PKK rear bases in the Kurdistan region's mountains, the Turkish army rarely discusses its operations in Iraq. According to a statement from the Iraqi Kurdistan anti-terrorism services, "four PKK fighters were killed and another was wounded when a Turkish army drone targeted their vehicle near the village of Rangina" on Friday at 8:00 p.m. (1700 GMT). Also Read: Tragic Tide: Senegalese Beaches Conceal Unmarked Graves as Migrant Disappearances Soar Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives in Turkiye as a result of the PKK's insurgency since 1984, and Ankara has long maintained military outposts in northern Iraq from which it routinely conducts operations against them. Six Yazidi PKK fighters were killed in two raids in May that occurred in the Iraqi Kurdistan district of Sinjar, which local security officials attributed to Ankara. Fighters from the Sinjar Resistance Units were once more killed in strikes that the anti-terrorism service blamed on Turkiye in late February and early March. Following the extremists' 2014 massacre of thousands of Yazidi men and their kidnapping of thousands of women to be used as sex slaves, the movement decided to take up arms against the Daesh organisation. Also Read: Top Bangladeshi businessmen are planning to investigate the Saudi market Both the Kurdistan regional government and the federal government of Iraq have been charged with tolerating Turkiye's military activities in order to maintain their strong economic ties. An "upcoming visit" by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was mentioned by the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani on Tuesday, but no specific date was given. The meeting's main topics would probably be the economy and the delicate problem of water. According to Baghdad, severe water shortages in recent years have been a result of Turkiye building upstream dams on important rivers that both countries share during the current drought. Thumb-up emojis are legally binding says a Canadian court Emojis were created by Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita in 1999 and then hailed as a new-era hieroglyphic language, wrote Chinese researchers Jiamin Pei and Le Cheng in a Nature article in 2022. The word emoji is made up of two Japanese words e (picture) and moji (character). It will not be surprising in Ghana and the Gambia when people begin to institute actions of breach of promise to marry, breach of contract, defamation, negligence, etcetera as a result of the wrong use of social medial emojis- it is so imminent. In this article, we examine whether emojis could represent or form the basis of a breach of Promise to Marry, sexual harassment in court. The case for analysis The case involved South West Terminal Ltd v Achter Land & Cattle [2023] SKKB 116 has to do with an action for breach of contract where South West Terminal (SWT) purchased flax from Achter Land & Cattle (Achter), with delivery expected by the end of November 2021. However, the flax was never delivered, and the supplier Achter argued that the use of a thumbs-up emoji () could not convey an acceptance of contractual terms, and therefore there was no legally binding agreement for the supply. Two main questions before the court The Court was confronted with whether there was "consensus ad idem" ("a meeting of the minds") or an intention to create legal relations between the parties resulting in a validly formed contract with thump-up emojis. Court ruling and reasoning The Court ruled that the thump-up emoji was effective to convey acceptance of the contractual terms and that a valid contract had been formed. Achter was ordered to pay damages for $82,000 (CAD) for failing to deliver the flax (this amount being the difference in pricing between the contract in dispute and the cost of the replacement supply). The court further reasoned that: in the circumstances, a () emoji was an action in electronic form that includes "touching or clicking on an appropriately designated icon or place on a computer screen or otherwise communicating electronically in a manner that is intended to express the offer used to allow to express acceptance" as permitted under local law; a the contract could have alternatively been executed in hard copy does not detract from the fact that there are a number of options to execute a contract, nor should it lead to the conclusion that using an electronic option is invalid; the use of the thumbs-up emoji () was analogous to the formerly sent short-form texts confirming agreement ("looks good", "ok" and "yup") and was the customary method by which the parties conducted their commercial relationship; and The defendant had accepted the contract "just like he had done before except this time he used a emoji", and the contract was validly formed due to the existence of consensus ad idem. In the same vein, an Israeli court has recently determined that an emoji can illustrate legal intent . It ordered damages to a landlord who claimed he replied to his detriment when he received a text with positive emojis and took down the ad for the property. The defense The defendant reasoned that one needs an actual signature to confirm the persons identity and that it conveys a message of acceptance. The Court did not deny this and said that was the traditional position but found that itself does not prevent the use of an emoji such as a (). The court reasoned that the authenticity of the text messages and identity of users were not an issue in the case as it was agreed that the cell phones used during communications were unique to the key individuals representing each of the parties. However, the defendant argued on the grounds of a public policy and drew the court's attention that allowing a () emoji to signify identity and acceptance would open up the floodgates to allow all sorts of cases coming forward asking for interpretations as to what various emojis mean (e.g. what does a () emoji or a () emoji mean?) which would lead to the Court being flooded with disputes. The Court acknowledged the defendants concern but said this case was novel (at least in Saskatchewan), however, the Court said it could not (nor should it) attempt to stem the tide of technology and common usage by denying the meaning of the emoji in communications. Judicial Notice on emojis and contracts Common law courts have always applied a wide range of analysis to determine contractual issues such as whether a certain type of signature is sufficient or whether parties agreed to be bound. In many instances, courts have regarded several deviations from wet ink signatures, including simple modifications such as crosses, initials, pseudonyms, printed names, and rubber stamps, to then considering scanned signatures and electronic or artificially generated signatures. Also, Courts have taken judicial notice of many forms of documents used to bind parties, from deeds and vellum to contract paper to emails "in writing". Agreements by a seal, signing, handshake or orally made, acceptance by email, click through online terms, clicking on the I agree" icon, or pressing a computer screen at an appropriately designed icon as constituting consent, agreement, or an electronic signature. Emojis in relationships, flitting There are instances where emojis could also land you into trouble for sexual harassment and breach of contract to marry. With breach of contract to marry, the court position is clear thatwhen you are in a relationship, and promise to marry someone, the emojis you have sent could be the evidence. For instance, the lady texted Will you marry me? and you reply (), it means to consent, yes or agreed. Also, there are several emojis for flitting during chatting. One should be careful with how to use these emojis. For instance, the (tongue) emoji is also a sexual innuendo. It could be used as evidence of sexual harassment in the future. In Bellue v. East Baton Rouge Sheriff NO.: 3:17-CV-00576-BAJ-RLB (M.D. La. Apr. 8, 2019), an employee sued her employer for sexual harassment after a colleague sent her a message commenting on her good looks, followed by a winking emoji. In this case, the court reasoned that message could be regarded as insensitive and uncouth, and it is in material to be regarded as harassment. Though, the court reasoned that the emojiswerent considered harassment, in case they did, the court regard them as material and thus constitute sexual harassment. Take Home From the reasoning, of any contractual breaches using social medial and where thumb-up emojis are involved, there is a recent decision from the Canadian court that a thumbs-up emoji is a legally valid acceptance to form a contract. Thus we should be mindful of what we say or use via social media. Also with regards to sexual harassment, one can be held liable for emoji sexual harassment conducted through direct messages on Twitter, chats, texts, or the notorious Facebook others inbox. For instance, texting eggplants and winky faces might land you in trouble at work. Emojis appear to be the new reality in our society and courts will have to be ready to meet the new challenges that may arise from the use of emojis and the like. Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu is a (BL) candidate at the Gambia Law School, Banjul, The Gambia, and Daniel Sackey is a Part Two student of the Ghana School of Law, Accra, Ghana. E-mail: [email protected] . The authors have an interest in medico-legal issues and patient rights. The legal article is for academic awareness only. Blood donation campaign honours Kings birthday PHUKET: A blood donation drive in honour of the birthday of His Majesty King Maha Vachiralongkorn (Rama X) was organised yesterday (July 28) at Limelight Avenue and Phuket Regional Blood Center in Phuket Town. charityhealth By The Phuket News Saturday 29 July 2023 02:00 PM Hundreds of blood donors headed to Limelight Avenue on Dibuk Rd and Phuket Regional Blood Center on Rattanakosin 200 Pi Rd yesterday (July 28) to make a good deed and honour the 71st birthday of His Majesty Rama X. All donors were welcome but special focus was given to Rh negative blood. Phuket is constantly in short supply of Rh-negative blood stocks as it is not common among Asians but critically needed for providing help to foreigners. Fight for Mr Coleskes life On Thursday (July 27), the International Department of Vachira Phuket Hospital posted an urgent appeal to potential Rh-negative donors after 62-year-old Marius Coleske was admitted to the ICU at Vachira Phuket Hospital with a severe case of Respiratory Failure and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever. The South African national required immediate blood transfusions, prompting Vachira Phuket Hospital to search for donors. We are seeking the support of our community and friends in the Phuket area to come forward and donate blood for Mr. Coleske. The blood group required is O negative. Your contribution could make all the difference in Mr. Coleskes fight for life, said a letter signed by Methavee Maneesri from Vachira Phuket Hospitals International Department. For those who may not be eligible to donate blood but still wish to help, we urge you to spread this appeal among your friends, family, and colleagues. Increasing awareness can significantly impact the number of potential donors and increase Mr Coleskes chances of receiving the blood he urgently needs, Ms Methavee added. It was confirmed to The Phuket News at the Limelight blood donation on July 28 that at least one volume of blood for Mr. Coleske had been received. Yet the patient might need much more. Blood Donations in August The special events on July 28 are part of a continuing blood donation drive organised by the Phuket chapter of the Thai Red Cross and Vachira Phuket Hospital in an effort to replenish reserves in their blood banks, as medics in Phuket and nearby provinces face shortages due to an increasing number of road accidents and other emergencies. The Phuket chapter of the Thai Red Cross has announced the following schedule of mobile donation points for the month of August: Aug 3 9am-3pm Prince of Songkhla University (PSU) Aug 4 9am-3pm Phuket Rajabhat University (PRU) Aug 5 9am-3pm Phuket Rajabhat University (PRU) Aug 6 9am-3pm Phuket Rajabhat University (PRU) Aug 9 noon-6pm Lotuss Bypass Aug 9 1pm-6pm Blue Canyon Country Club Aug 10 10am-4pm Phuket International Airport, Office Building Aug 11 10am-3pm Wat Sawang Arom (Wat Rawai) Aug 12 9am-3.30pm Phuket RBC (Special Event on Mothers Day) Aug 16 10am-4pm Toyota Pearl Phuket Town Aug 23 noon-6pm Jungceylon Patong Aug 23 noon-6pm Lotuss Bypass Aug 25 9am-1pm CU Bank Phuket (Rassada) Aug 25 10am-3pm Chalong Health Promotion Center Aug 26 2pm-6pm Lotuss Bypass Aug 28 noon-6pm Lotuss Thalang Aug 28 noon-6pm Central Floresta Aug 30 noon-6pm Lotuss Thalang Aug 30 noon-6pm Lotuss Bypass Vachira Hospital Phuket has announced the following schedule of mobile donation points in August: Aug 3 10am-3pm Chalong Hospital Chalong Hospital Aug 7 10am-3pm Royal Paradise Hotel Royal Paradise Hotel Aug 8 10am-3pm Limelight Avenue Phuket Aug 9 10am-4pm Anantara Mai Khao Villas Anantara Villas Aug 1 0 10am-3pm Phuket Graceland Resort Aug 1 1 10am-3pm Kathu Wittaya School 1 Aug 12 10am-6pm Limelight Avenue Phuket (Special Event on Mothers Day) Aug 15 10am-3pm Boat Lagoon Aug 16 10am-3pm Namaka Resort Kamala Aug 17 10am-3pm Sunwing Kamala Hotel Aug 18 10am-3pm Rassada Municipality Aug 21 10am-3pm Cape Panwa Hotel Aug 22 10am-3pm Pa Khlok Municipality Aug 23 10am-3pm Kathu Municipality Aug 24 10am-3pm Thalang Hospital Aug 25 10am-3pm Thai Watsadu Thalang Aug 27 10am-6pm Thai Watsadu Chalong Aug 29 10am-3pm Kalima Hotel Aug 30 10am-3pm Phuket Revenue Office People can also donate blood every day, including weekends and public holidays, at the Blood Bank on the 4th floor of Vachira Phuket Hospital and at the Phuket RBC in Phuket Town. For more details, click here. Phuket tourists urged to respect red flags amid new heavy weather warning PHUKET: The island of Phuket and nearby areas are expected to experience heavy rainfall from July 30 through August 2, with the Phuket branch of the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issuing a warning for four provinces along the Andaman coast. weatherSafety By Petanque Saturday 29 July 2023 10:00 AM The Southwestern Meteorological Center, located near Phuket International Airport (Phuket Met), issued a heavy rain warning at 6am yesterday (July 28) and reissued it at 6am today (July 29). The heavy weather period is expected to start tomorrow (July 30), according to the most recent warning signed by Phuket Met Director Weera Samalee. Though Phuket Mets forecast for today also promises wet weather. "The abundant and heavy rain will occur in some areas, including the provinces of Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, and Krabi. People should be cautious due to the severe conditions," Mr Weera warned. "The wind waves in the upper part of the Andaman Sea will intensify, reaching up to 2-3 meters high and above 3 meters high in thundershower areas and nearby. All ships should proceed with caution and avoid shipping in thundershower areas. Small ships in the upper part of the Andaman Sea should stay at bay. People should be aware of severe weather conditions and stay tuned to official announcements," he added. Many areas on the beaches along the west coast are already marked with red flags, indicating that it is not safe to swim in those areas. Beachgoers are urged to swim only in areas marked by yellow-red flags, where lifeguards are on duty. The Patong Surf Life Saving Facebook page posted a video yesterday (July 28) showing yet another tourist being escorted out of the treacherous surf, along with a heartfelt plea for all tourists to heed the warnings of lifeguards. The appeal came just as emergency workers were initiating a search and rescue operation for a missing tourist who had attempted to swim at Freedom Beach. As of todays morning (July 29), they have been no reports on that case. Search for missing foreign man continues PHUKET: Search teams are continuing their efforts to search the waters along Phukets west coast for a 22-year-old foreigner who went missing after failing to reach the shore from rough surf yesterday (July 28). The missing man has been identified as Cheikhouna Ba, holding a Senegalese passport. By Eakkapop Thongtub Saturday 29 July 2023 04:24 PM As of 4pm on July 29, the missing foreigner had not been found. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub As of 4pm on July 29, the missing foreigner had not been found. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub As of 4pm on July 29, the missing foreigner had not been found. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub As of 4pm on July 29, the missing foreigner had not been found. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub As of 4pm on July 29, the missing foreigner had not been found. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub As of 4pm on July 29, the missing foreigner had not been found. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub As of 4pm on July 29, the missing foreigner had not been found. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Mr Ba was declared missing following an incident at Freedom Beach around noon on July 28. According to rescue workers, red flags were posted on the beach on that day meaning swimming was prohibited. Todays pictures clearly show red flags and people enjoying themselves in the water. Initially, Phuket emergency workers were informed that Mr Ba, believed at that time to be a French national, was swimming in the sea with three friends and drowned. However, later on that day is was clarified that Mr Ba was missing. Today, officials provided further details, stating that Mr Ba is a Senegalese national and he visiting Freedom Beach with only one friend, a 22-year-old French national named Yoram Boualem Machraoui. While Mr Machraoui successfully made it to the beach from the surf, Mr Ba was dragged out to sea. The search and rescue operations were suspended for the nighttime and resumed this morning (July 29). As of 4pm, there have been no reports regarding Mr Bas fate. Officials have confirmed that the man was staying in Thailand on an education visa. He arrived via Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi airport On June 24 (his most recent) and was granted temporary permission to stay in the country until Sept 21. Description The mission of SOFOs Young Environmentalists Society, known as YES!, for ages 10 to 16, is to engage young minds in developing a fuller awareness and understanding of the current state of our environment. The group works together and, through experience-based learning, place-based learning, critical thinking processes, and local activism, develops strategies for individuals and the community that are designed to shape how we live on this planet now and in the future. The Club meets on the last Saturday of each month, from 10AM to 11:30AM. Club Leader: Mare Dianora, an educator and the mother of two sons, is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice involves building community and exploring connections to home and place.This program is for ages 10 to 16.This is a FREE program, thanks to the generosity of a foundation that prefers to remain anonymous. There is bilingual support for Spanish-speaking participants. The date may change for this program. An elected Trinamool Congress gram panchayat member has been murdered in South Parganas district in continuation of the poll-related violence in West Bengal. The incident took place late Friday night in Magrahat and the deceased has been identified as Moimur Gharami. With this, the overall total death toll in the violence linked to the recently concluded panchayat polls in the state has increased to 55. Advertisement During the attack, Gharamis close associate Sahajahan Molla was shot and injured. He is currently under treatment at a local hospital and is said to be in critical condition. Meanwhile, four people have been arrested in connection to the murder. Local people in the area told the police that while Gharami was returning home, he was suddenly surrounded by a group of unidentified miscreants. Gharami was first hacked and then shot at from a close range, killing him on the spot. Molla, who rushed to save him, was also shot by the attackers. A huge police contingent of the Diamond Harbour district police led by sub-divisional police officer Mitun De reached the spot. The deceased was an elected gram panchayat member from Arjunpur in Magrahat (east) block of South 24 Parganas district. He recently had a feud with some local anti-social elements. The killing is probably the fallout of that, De said. Union Minister Anurag Thakur has come down heavily on the state of the pre- and post-poll violence in West Bengal during his visit to the state. Thakur was on a visit to khanakul for a BJP meet before proceeding to Kamarpukur Ramakrishna math and mission. Speaking to the media persons here, he raised the issue of law and order situation, corruption, killings and atrocities on women in the state. He questioned the indifference of the Congress and the CPI-M to the political violence and atrocities on women in west Bengal. Advertisement The Central minister urge members of the newly-formed Opposition alliance, INDIA, which is on a visit to Manipur to review the situation there arising from ethnic violence, to visit West Bengal also if they have equal concern for the atrocities on women and poll violence in the recently-held panchayat election. I urge the members of the INDIA to also visit Bengal for an appraisal of the ongoing atrocities on the women in Bengal, he said. Calling Bengal an abode of saints, philosophers, reformers, revolutionaries, social harmony, and above all, humanity, which is given the highest priority; he said Under the rule of Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal has turned into a lawless state with corruption, violence, bloodshed and atrocities on women everywhere. He said the chief minister has brought shame to Bengal. The constitutional rights of the people of Bengal are throttled, all due to the indifference of Mamata Banerjee. Not only the BJP, the Congress and the CPIM too lost their cadre to the poll violence. He wondered why the leaders of the two parties remained indifferent to the issue of law and order. Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Odisha Police on Saturday arrested a former manager of a Bhubaneswar-based branch of a nationalised bank on the charge of perpetrating vehicle loan fraud to the tune of Rs 1.09 crore. The accused, Swayam Prakash Parida, former branch manager of Central Bank of India, Palaspalli Branch, Bhubaneswar was earlier terminated from service after prima facie evidence was established against him. During his tenure as manager, Parida had perpetrated the fraud in complicity with an accountholder between 2015-17, said EOW officials. The accused booked 420/467/468/ 471/120-B sections of Indian Penal Code was later remanded to judicial custody after production in a local court. Advertisement The arrested banker had sanctioned the vehicle loans with premeditated deceit. Though the loanee had furnished fake insurance certificates, cover notes, payment receipts without purchase of any vehicle, the bank manager had sanctioned the loans despite being aware of the fraud. Besides, there was no mandatory hypothecation of the vehicles to the lender bank. As a result, the bank could not recover the loan amounts as there was no collateral security. An amount of Rs 1.09 crore in respect of the 24 vehicle loans and one Cash Credit loan were sanctioned and disbursed illegally, and the amount was misappropriated by the arrested banker and the loanee, the EOW added. Get ready for the highly anticipated true crime docu-series, The Hunt for Veerappan, premiering on August 4, as it promises to reveal fascinating and lesser-known aspects of Indias notorious outlaw. We bring you some intriguing facts about Veerappan that will be explored in the series. Facts about Veerappan 1. Veerappans criminal journey began as a smuggler, dealing in the illegal trade of ivory and sandalwood. He infamously poached around 200 elephants and smuggled ivory worth a staggering $2.6 million. 2. His distinctive Katabammon mustache became synonymous with his identity. In an interesting twist, people often mention that his wife, Muthulakshmi, found his notoriety and unique mustache very attractive. Advertisement 3. Veerappan captured the nations attention in 2000 when he kidnapped Rajkumar, a beloved Kannada movie star, demanding a hefty ransom. After holding the actor in captivity for 108 days, he eventually released him unharmed. Reports indicate that a substantial sum of around 30 crore rupees went to Veerappan for Rajkumars freedom. In 2002, Veerappan also kidnapped the former regional minister H. Nagappa but ended up killing him when negotiations failed. 4. Wildlife photographers Krupakar and Senani faced the wrath of Veerappan when he abducted them in 1998. After their release, they documented their harrowing experience in the book Birds, Beasts, and Bandits: 14 Days with Veerappan. 5. The governments efforts to capture Veerappan were relentless, leading to the establishment of the Special Task Force (STF) operation in 1991 by the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Finally, in 2004, Operation Cocoon came to life. It brought about the fatal encounter with Veerappan and his associates. There is an estimate that the extensive manhunt, spanning over the years, has cost around $200 million. The docu-series The Hunt for Veerappan delves deep into the captivating world of this infamous outlaw, presenting an intricate narrative of his life and crimes that have left an indelible mark on Indias history. Viewers can prepare to be engrossed in the gripping tale of Veerappans exploits and the relentless pursuit that ultimately brought his reign of terror to an end. A highly anticipated true crime docu-series, The Hunt for Veerappan, is set to premiere on OTT soon, offering fresh insights into Indias infamous outlaw. Among the riveting topics it covers is Veerappans criminal history, which well explore today. Veerappans criminal history Veerappans journey into crime began with aiding his uncle Saalvai Gounder, a poacher and sandalwood smuggler. Initially, he started with smuggling sandalwood and ivory, ruthlessly hunting elephants for their valuable tusks. In the next 25 years, along with other poachers, Veerappan was responsible for the deaths of 2,000 to 3,000 elephants. His first arrest occurred in 1972. At just 17 years old, Veerappan committed his first murder and continued to eliminate those who opposed his illicit activities, including police officers, forest officials, and informants. Advertisement In 1987, his actions caught the attention of the Indian Government when he kidnapped and murdered a Sathyamangalam Taluka forest officer named Chidambaram from Tamil Nadu. His notoriety grew when he killed a senior IFS officer, Pandillapalli Srinivas, in November 1991, followed by an ambush in August 1992 that claimed the life of a senior IPS officer, Harikrishna. Veerappan didnt hesitate to harm civilians, even killing a man from his own village for traveling in a police jeep. He also regularly targeted suspected police informers. Taking advantage of political instability, he could easily escape across state borders, making it challenging for the police to apprehend him. Abduction One of the most infamous incidents occurred on 30 July 2000, when Veerappan abducted Kannada cinema actor Rajkumar and three others, sparking public outcry and violence in Bangalore and other parts of Karnataka. Efforts to secure Rajkumars release involved seeking assistance from the Tamil Nadu Government. In 2002, Veerappan kidnapped H. Nagappa, a former minister of Karnataka. The release attempts ultimately failed, and the STF found his dead body in a forest three months later. In response, the Karnataka state government increased the reward for Veerappans capture to 15 crore rupees. Veerappans criminal history is marked by a trail of violence, fear, and audacious crimes, leaving a lasting impact on the regions he terrorized. With the Assembly elections in Rajasthan round the corner, Opposition parties, particularly the BJP, have raised the heat on the Ashok Gehlot government on the issue of Paper Leak in a recruitment drive. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at his mega public rally in Bikaner on 8 July, had also alleged that Rajasthan has become a Paper Leak Industry. Six-time MLA from Bikaner region and senior Cabinet Minister Bulaki Das Kalla currently holds key portfolios, including Education (Primary and Secondary), Art, Literature, Culture and Archaeology. During the recent Assembly session, Dr Kalla spoke to Yash Goyal on a number of issues, including paper leak. Advertisement Excerpts: Q. How many papers were leaked in the education department between 2019 and 2023 during the Gehlot governments tenure as compared to the previous BJP governments tenure? A. Our department does not conduct examinations. It is mainly done by Rajasthan Public Service Commission, Subordinate Service Board, and Board of Secondary Education. As per the reply made in the Assembly recently, only eight question papers of the recruitment drive in education were leaked from January 2019 to January 2023. In the previous BJP governments regime, 19 incidents of question paper leak and cheating were reported till 2018 but none was probed by the police. The paper leak and cheating mafias were active in many other states too. Gujarat has reported eight cases since 2018 and J & K, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra have reported three each. The official number may vary in these states but the paper leak mafia is active all over. Q. How many cases of paper leak have been registered? What was the outcome of the police investigation and any legal action? A. There were 15 complaints of paper leak (including some in the police recruitment drive) filed in police stations during the stipulated period. The Special Operation Group & the ATS of Rajasthan Police have arrested 296 accused for their alleged involvement in 15 cases, 14 charge sheets were produced in the court and one case is still being probed. Under the Departmental Probe of the Education Department, the services of five employees were terminated and six others were suspended. Forty-six students who were caught in the paper leak and cheating were debarred from future recruitment examinations. Under the new law of Rajasthan, the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act-2022 adopted by the Assembly last year, no accused was spared, charge sheets were filed in certain cases, and three examinations whose papers got leaked were rescheduled. Q. What was the need to amend last years legislation on the Prevention of Unfair Means2022 in the recent Assembly session? A. Public representatives wanted rigid laws and rigorous punishment for the convicts. Thus Rajasthan becomes the first state to frame the stringent laws and the bill was adopted by a voice vote after a serious debate in the House recently. Thus, the newly inducted amendments in the legislation raised the punishment from 10 years to life imprisonment. The offence has been made cognisable and non-bailable with a fine of Rs 10 crore and attachment of assets of the culprits. Attachment of property of those found guilty has already been done. Q. What is the status of rescheduling of leaked papers, and new employment in the education department? A. All recruitment examinations of REET Level 1 and 2, PTI, librarians have been conducted successfully, and about 90,000 posts filled, and remaining 90,000 posts will be given to qualified candidates in the next two/three months. The recommendations of the Kumawat, Vyas and Kerala Committees have been considered and action is being taken by the Department of Personnel and the Education Department to check unfair means in every recruitment examination. Q. Do you think that Opposition parties can make the Paper Leak an election issue in the Assembly election? A. It is the tendency of the BJP to highlight non-issues. Let them try this false agenda, but the Rajasthan government has given jobs to up to 1.80 lakh people in the education department through an effective recruitment drive. Congress workers would carry this message up to every citizen during the election campaign, if required. Q. Is there any breakthrough in your department that has given a global recognition to Rajasthan? A. Rajasthan School Education department has been conferred with a citation and included in the World Book of Records (London) for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) of OCR (Optical Character Recognition) of 1.35 crore students in class 3-8 in all schools in the state. It is the largest application of AI used at the state level in a mass drive titled Rajasthan Ke Shiksha Mein Badhate Kadam (RKSMBK). We have started more than 2,700 Mahatma Gandhi English medium schools in the state so far. In the coming days, 1,000 more English medium schools will be opened in urban and rural areas. At present, more than 3.5 lakh students are studying in English medium schools in the state and 10,000 teachers of English medium would be given new jobs soon. Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur has accused the state government of inept preparation for floods ahead of the monsoon season. Addressing media persons here on Saturday, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader said, Himachal Pradesh has suffered heavy losses due to floods and rains this monsoon season. The loss of both life and property has been huge, it was an unexpected rain and more than 170 people have lost their lives in Himachal. The state government knew about the arrival of monsoons, but it did not hold meetings to discuss arrangement for the rains, he alleged. Advertisement Making his partys stand clear for always helping the government in times of disaster, he blamed the Congress government for resorting to politics at the time of disaster. There has definitely been a lot of loss of infrastructure in the state. The Oppositions stand is clear in the moments of such a crisis and we are giving full cooperation to the government. We have fully helped the government and as per the guidelines of BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda. Our workers have also worked unitedly to help the affected families, he claimed. He futher said, It is unfortunate that the ruling party is constantly trying to blame the BJP. If politics was started in this hour of disaster, then it has been from the side of the Congress government. Politics was never done by the opposition. The opposition is standing shoulder to shoulder with the government and the people of Himachal Pradesh. Thakur said when his government was in power, it had witnessed a major epidemic Covid-19, but such mismanagement did not happen in Himachal. In Himachal Pradesh, for the three, seasons summer, rainy and winter, preparations are made well in advance for drought-like conditions in summer, floods in rainy season, and snowfall in winter season, he said. For preparations, a state-level meeting is organized in which the chief minister and the officers participate. However, this time no such meeting took place, he charged. This government knew well that heavy rains are going to hit the state and a meeting should have been called, he rued. It is the role of the Opposition to bring out the shortcomings to the notice of the government, but it is unfortunate to hold the Opposition responsible just for the sake of politics, he blamed. He said his party had apprised Union Minister Amit Shah, National President Jagat Prakash Nadda about the flood situation in Himachal through telephonically and personally. After which, Centre provided a relief amount of Rs 382 crores to Himachal Pradesh. NDRF rescue operations were conducted, the team which comes in the month of November to take stock of the damage, has come visiting immediately and is also about to submit its report to the Centre, said Thakur, accusing Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of issuing statement that no help has been received from the Centre. We have apprised Union Minister Nitin Gadkari about the situation of Himachal Pradesh and how much damage has been done to the national highways and roads. On our request he has agreed to visit the state to take stock of the situation. He will come to Kullu-Manali on August 1 and after that, he will also visit other areas of Himachal Pradesh, said Thakur. The work of providing immediate relief to the public is going on in a haphazard manner. Congress office bearers, MLAs family members and Congress workers are distributing cash just to gain publicity. There is even discrimination in giving relief to the public, he charged. BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda on Saturday announced the names of partys national office-bearers with two former chief ministers Raman Singh and Vasundhara Raje from the poll-bound states of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan being appointed as vice-presidents. Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are scheduled to be held later this year. BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda According to a communique issued by the BJP, among the names of vice-presidents are former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Baijayant Panda and Rekha Verma. Advertisement Arun Singh, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Dushyanth Kumar Gautam and Tarun Chugh are among the names of national general secretaries appointed. As per the release, other office-bearers appointed by Nadda include the partys national secretary. Pankaja Munde and Rituraj Singha are among the national secretaries announced by the BJP. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured that India will be among the top three economies of the world in his third term, in an apparent reference that his government will return to power again in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has exuded confidence that it will return to power again in 2024 General Elections. Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda chaired a core committee meeting of Rajasthan party leaders on Saturday. The meeting was attended by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, State unit chief CP Joshi, former CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia, and several other senior Rajasthan leaders. The BJP National President is on a one-day visit to the state and prior to the meeting, Nadda also offered prayers at Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple in Jaipur. Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday released a list of its central office bearers which includes Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Rajya Sabha MP Radha Mohan Agarwal appointed the partys national general secretaries. Advertisement The move comes as the party prepares for the upcoming Assembly elections in states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. The new list contains the names of 13 vice presidents, nine general secretaries, including B L Santhosh as the in-charge of the organisation, and 13 secretaries. Apart from this, Tarik Mansoor an MLC from Uttar Pradesh and the former vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University has been appointed as BJP vice president. Anil Antony the son of veteran Congress leader A K Antony has been made a national secretary of the party. Lakshmikant Bajpai has also been included in the list of National General-Secretary. Meanwhile, the names of CT Ravi from Karnataka and Dilip Saikia from Assam have been removed as National General Secretaries. Rajesh Aggarwal has been given the responsibility of Treasurer and Naresh Bansal posted as Assistant Treasurer.BJP national president JP Nadda of Friday chaired a nearly four-hour-long meeting with the partys national general secretaries. The meeting focused on crucial topics, including the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, NDA meeting, outreach strategies and the electoral battles in five states. During the meeting, Nadda reviewed the progress of the partys Maha Jan Shampark Abhiyan (Mega Contact Campaign) and sought inputs from central ministers and senior party leaders regarding their tours and outreach efforts. The discussion also included the partys blueprint for the upcoming elections in five states and the strategies to be adopted for the Lok Sabha polls. Moreover, the partys general secretaries held a separate meeting wherein they discussed Prime Minister Narendra Modis travel plans and the leaderships tour schedules. Emphasis was laid on accelerating organizational expansion and expediting ongoing party programs. Notably, discussions concerning a meeting with the members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were also held during the gathering. The meeting witnessed the presence of several key figures, including the BJPs National General Secretary (Org.) B.L. Santosh, National Joint organisational secretary V. Satish along with General Secretaries Arun Singh, Sunil Bansal, Vinod Tawde, Tarun Chugh, Kailash Vijayvargiya, and Dushyant Gautam. With the forthcoming elections in mind, the participants deliberated on various strategies to enhance the partys activities and increase its engagement with the public. The BJP aims to boost its active presence among the masses in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Mizoram, as these states are set to have assembly elections ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Indian Naval Ship Khanjar, has safely brought back 36 Indian fishermen who were stranded 130 nautical miles from the Tamil Nadu coast in the Bay of Bengal. The fishermen were onboard three fishing vessels, which were towed by INS Khanjar for more than 30 hours in challenging sea conditions. INS Khanjar is on an operational deployment in the Bay of Bengal and detected three fishing Vessels Sabarainathan, Kalaivani and V Sami approximately 130 mm from the Tamil Nadu Coast. The vessels with 36 fishermen onboard were from Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. They had been stranded at sea for over two days due to rough weather conditions, without fuel, provisions and engine breakdown. The ship supplied the Fishing Vessels with the necessary provisions and towed them for over 30 hours, ensuring their safe return to Chennai harbour on 28 July 2023. INS Khanjar is an indigenous Khukri class Missile Corvette, currently in service with the Indian Navy. Advertisement In this article, we will be covering the 15 most noodle eating countries in the world. This article will cover recent industry trends and navigate through the major players in the industry. If you want to skip our analysis, go directly to the 5 Most Noodle Eating Countries in the World. An Analysis of the Instant Noodle Industry According to a report by ReportLinker, the global instant noodles industry was valued at $52.73 billion in 2022. The global instant noodles industry is expected to grow to a market valuation of $71.83 billion by 2027 at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.53%. Instant noodles are a popular staple consumed across the globe, either as a snack or a meal. However, instant noodles are constantly under criticism and skepticism surrounding their lack of nutritional value. Such explains the rapid localization of ramen across different countries to make the meal healthier and more flavorful. Experts suggest that product innovation is a significant contributor to the success of instant noodle companies. For instance, Yu Foodlabs, an Indian instant noodle company, launched two flavors suiting the local spice and taste requirements in April 2022. The Zingy Cheese and Chili Manchurian instant noodles were launched to cater to the Indo-Chinese cuisine in India, adapting to local tastes at low prices. The rapid growth of the instant noodles industry can be explained by the increasing demand and availability of ready-to-eat meals. According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the ready-to-eat food industry is expected to attain a value of $383.93 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to $488.60 billion by 2028, recording a compound annual growth rate of 4.94% over the forecasted period. India, China, and Indonesia are amongst the most noodle eating countries in the world. According to another report Mordor Intelligence, the instant noodle industry in India is forecasted to grow from a market size of $1.84 billion in 2023 to $3.48 billion in 2028, at a compound annual growth rate of 13.69%. This explains the large-scale distribution of packaged and cup noodles across the country. Story continues Europe is becoming another region where the demand for noodles is strong. On May 11, Bloomberg News reported that Sun Noodles, a noodles producer based in the United States, has set up a new factory in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to supply the continent with 4 million servings of noodles annually. The new factory reportedly cost the US noodle maker $3.8 million. Sun Noodles has particularly been enthusiastic about its transition to the European market. While the demand for ramen in the continent is steadily growing, the company looks forward to prospective demand from major economic powers including Italy, Paris, and Poland. The Contribution of Social Media to the Ramen Industry Over the past few years, 2-minute noodles videos on Instagram and TikTok have been viewed and shared by masses across the globe. Not only did this contribute to the sales of noodle brands, but it also influenced people to try different noodle brands and share their experiences along with personalized recipes. According to a news report by AllKpop, influencer marketing played a major role in the success of a popular brand Samyang Foods Co., Ltd. (KRX:003230). Jimin, a popular BTS member, took to social media to express his liking for the fire chicken (Buldak) brand of Samyang Foods Co., Ltd. (KRX:003230). In 2022, the sales of the brand rose by 41.6% compared to the previous year. Experts suggest the rise is due to widespread awareness of the brand through social media ultimately contributing to the large-scale distribution through the company's subsidiaries. Such popularity and growth has officially led Samyang Foods Co. Ltd. (KRX:003230) to sponsor major award shows and dance performances for BTS. According to a report by Global Youth News by Wharton, Shoki Ramen, a noodles restaurant in Sacramento California, United States, experienced an exponential increase in sales due to viral marketing. Letetsu, a student at Wharton, attempted to bring sales for his long-lost family noodle business in an attempt to re-open the restaurant. He simply resorted to posting short promotional videos on Instagram, and within no time, the videos blew up to reach the masses. The story concludes with Letetsu, being reached out by ABC10, a television station in Sacramento, to document the reopening of the Shoki Ramen restaurant. Major Companies in the Noodles Industry Some of the leading instant noodle companies, operating globally, include Nissin Foods Holdings Co, Ltd. (OTC:NFPDF), PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk (OTC:PIFMF), and Nestle S.A. (OTC:NSRGY). Nissin Foods Holdings Co, Ltd. (OTC:NFPDF) is a leading instant noodle manufacturer based in Japan. As of July 28, 2023, the company boasts a market cap of $8.73 billion. The company sells packaged noodles, cup noodles, frozen foods, soups, chilled noodles, and dairy products under the following brand names: Chicken Ramen, Cup Noodle, Cup Noodles Chicken, Demae Iccho, He wei dao, 365 Noodles. PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk (OTC:PIFMF) is a food and beverage company based in Indonesia. As of July 28, 2023, the company recorded a market cap of $4.30 billion. The company offers different variations of noodles, including cup noodles, fresh egg noodles, round noodles, and chicken noodle soup. The most popular brand of noodles the company offers is Indomie. However, Indomie has recently been under the waters over health concerns. On April 21 Reuters reported that the packaged noodles have been rumored to contain carcinogenic, a cancer-causing ingredient. However, the company denies such allegations and continues to sell the product worldwide. Tests on the brand conducted by Indonesian food regulators declare the brand as a safe snacking option. Nestle S.A. (OTC:NSRGY) operates as a food and beverage company based in Switzerland. As of July 28, 2023, Nestle S.A. (OTC:NSRGY) boasts a market cap of $331.741 billion. The company provides its products in multiple zones including North America, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Greater China, and Europe. The company offers a variety of instant noodles under the brand name, Maggi. These include 2-minute noodles, veggie masala noodles, chicken noodles, and oats masala noodles to name a few. 15 Most Noodle Eating Countries in the World Lisovskaya Natalia/Shutterstock.com Our Methodology We shortlisted the 15 most noodle eating countries in the world using data from the official World Instant Noodle Association, GlobalData, and Fortune Business Insights. Our rankings are based on the primary metric of annual demand as of December 31, 2022, with a unit of annual servings. To make our list more comprehensive, we have acquired the country-wise noodle industry market size valuation from Fortune Business Insights and GlobalData. While key takeaways can be derived from the market size of the noodles industry of a country, the inclusion of such information has been subject to data availability. We have included all available information where possible for better coverage of the noodles industry scenario. Given that the annual servings of a country may be subject to factors such as population, the standard of living, and the average age of the population, our rankings may not be perfect, but an approximate depiction of the noodles industry across the globe. 15 most noodle eating countries in the world 15. Mexico Servings as of December 31, 2022: 1.51 Billion As of December 31, 2022, the annual servings of instant noodles in Mexico were recorded at 1.51 billion, contributing to its ranking amongst the 15 most noodle eating nations in the world. The most popular form of noodles consumed in Mexico is Vermivelli, usually served with tomato sauce. Some of the leading instant noodle companies, operating globally, include Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Ltd. (OTC:NFPDF), PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk (OTC:PIFMF), and Nestle S.A. (OTC:NSRGY). 14. Malaysia Servings as of December 31, 2022: 1.55 Billion Malaysia ranks as the fourteenth most noodle eating country in the world, with annual servings of 1.55 billion, as of December 31, 2022. A popular dish in Malaysian culture is fried noodles served with chili and sweet soy sauce. Since Malaysia comprises a range of ethnicities, including Muslims and Hindus, the country is home to a variety of ramen flavors and styles. 13. Nepal Servings as of December 31, 2022: 1.65 Billion Nepal enjoys distinct variations in its dishes, including brown noodles rich with spices and seasoning, and white noodles. Citizens in Nepal enjoy brown noodles on the regular, attributable to their flavor and cooking technique. As of December 31, 2022, Nepal recorded an annual demand of 1.65 billion servings. 12. Russia Servings as of December 31, 2022: 2.20 Billion Russia is amongst the 15 most noodle eating countries in the world, with a recorded annual demand of 2.20 billion servings as of December 31, 2022. Russia is home to some unique noodle traditions. For example, noodles are usually consumed on sleeper trains, with BBQ dishes, and in outdoor settings. The forecasted compounded annual growth rate for the Russian noodle industry from the years 2021-2025 is reported at 5%. 11. Nigeria Servings as of December 31, 2022: 2.79 Billion Nigeria is among the world's most noodle eating countries in the world, with an annual demand of 2.79 billion servings as of December 31, 2022. Nigerians consume noodles for breakfast as well as a snack for lunch. The primary segment for the noodles industry is students and young adults. Popular Nigerian noodle dishes are consumed without soup. Indomie Instant Noodles are the most consumed noodles in Nigeria, attributable to their distinct flavors and large quantity. 10. Brazil Servings as of December 31, 2022: 2.83 Billion Brazil boasts an annual demand of 2.83 billion servings as of December 31, 2022. The Brazilian noodles industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6% between 2021 and 2025. The most popular forms of noodles consumed in Brazil include chili noodles, instant noodles, dried noodles, and ambient noodles. 9. Thailand Servings as of December 31, 2022: 3.87 Billion Thailand is the ninth most noodle eating country in the world with an annual demand of 3.87 billion servings as of December 31, 2022. Thai noodles dishes are usually very spicy and are consumed without soup. The average expected compound annual growth rate for the country's noodle industry between 2021 and 2025 is reportedly at over 4%. 8. Republic of Korea Servings as of December 31, 2022: 3.95 Billion The Republic of Korea boasted an annual demand of 3.95 billion servings as of December 31, 2022. The South Korean market is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 4.1% between 2023 and 2028. The most popular noodles brand in Korea is Nongshim Shin Noodle Soup. This brand has been gaining popularity across the globe as well. As of today, the brand exports its noodles to over 100 countries, and has production units in the United States, China, and South Korea. 7. Philippines Servings as of December 31, 2022: 4.29 Billion The Philippines is the seventh most noodle eating country in the world. The Philippines consume noodles as a primary snacking item. One of the most popular types of fried noodles includes Pancit Canton. Other popular dishes include stir fry noodles, pancit Luban, kinalas, spaghetti, and Pancit Malabon to name a few. The country reported an annual demand of 4.29 billion servings as of December 31, 2022. 6. USA Servings as of December 31, 2022: 5.15 Billion The United States of America serves as the sixth most noodle eating country in the world. The company had an annual demand of 5.15 billion servings as of December 31, 2022. North America is one of the most popular regions accounting for the majority of noodle consumption across the United States. The demand for noodles is primarily backed by the rising demand for ready-to-eat meals coupled with the frequent launch of new and exciting flavors. Amongst the different types of noodles available in North America, fried noodles contribute to the majority of the sales. In addition to Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Ltd. (OTC:NFPDF), other prominent players in the global noodles industry include PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk (OTC:PIFMF) and Nestle S.A. (OTC:NSRGY). Click to continue reading and see the 5 Most Noodle Eating Countries in the World. Suggested articles: Disclosure: None. 15 Most Noodle Eating Countries in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey. Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan on Saturday demanded the removal of Higher Education Minister R Bindu from the Cabinet if she doesnt resign on her own, in the wake of the revelations about her intervention in the preparation of the final list for the appointment of principals in government colleges in the state. Satheesan said here on Saturday that R Bindu by intervening in the preparation of the final list for the appointment of principals in government colleges in the state, has abused her power and that she should resign from the Cabinet. Her action amounted to nepotism and also constituted a violation of her oath of office, he said. If Bindu declines to resign on her own, she should be removed from the post, Satheesan said. He said that by making the PSC as scarecrow and bypassing the UGC rules, the minister illegally interfered to sabotage the original list for appointing her own people as principals in government colleges. Advertisement Higher Education Minister R Bindu has landed in a controversy after a Right To Information (RTI) reply allegedly revealed her interference in the selection process of principals for government arts and science colleges. The minister reportedly directed officials to treat the selection list of 43 candidates for the principal post as a draft list and to form an appeal committee to address complaints from those who were not included in the selection process. It has been alleged that the Ministers direction to treat the selection list as a draft and to constitute an appeal committee was to ensure that senior teachers, mostly belonging to Left-affiliated teachers unions, were also considered for the principal posts. Meanwhile, Higher Education Minister R Bindu has refuted allegations that she intervened to put on hold the list of teachers to be appointed as principals in government arts and science colleges in the state. In a scathing attack on the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan, BJPs National President J P Nadda said here on Saturday that there was no rule in Rajasthan, but a loot government. Chairing a BJPs State Core Committee meeting at the party headquarters here, J P Nadda said, No Gehlot Government, actually it is a loot (heist) government to please its masters (AICC) sitting in Delhi with booty collected from the state. He based his argument on a red diary that he claimed to have proofs of the state governments acts of omissions and commissions. The hallmark of corruption in the state is the Red Diary in which black deeds of corruption are recorded. The pot of sins of the Congress government is brimming. The public has come to know that this government is a government of loot. Advertisement On the law and order front, the BJP chief claimed that every day 18-19 rape and 7-8 murder cases are being registered in the state. Quoting him, a party statement said by 2022, 8,000 cases of atrocities on Dalits have been registered. Attacks on Dalits are increasing by the day, youths facing the brunt of the REET and other paper leak cases. . On the upcoming assembly elections in December this year and Lok Sabha elections in 2024, Nadda sounded confident when he said, We are sure that BJP will get one-sided blessing of the people and will make a clean sweep in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well. He asserted, We claim absolute majority on the strength of the Centres public welfare schemes in both the assembly and the Lok Sabha polls due next year. Nadda informed that BJPs welfare schemes were discussed in detail in the state office on Saturday from the point of view of elections and the state will not tolerate the Congress government at all. On Nahi Sahega Rajasthan campaign being run by the BJP across the state, the party si going to launch a huge movement on August 1, in which the people from all districts would reach the state capital to lay siege to the secretariat. The meeting of the core committee of the BJP was attended by National Organization General Secretary BL Santosh, State Election Incharge and Central Minister Prahlad Joshi, National General Secretary and State Incharge Arun Singh, BJP State President CP Joshi, State Election Co-incharge Nitin Patel, State Co-incharge Vijaya Rahatkar, Central Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Kailash Chowdhary, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Rajya Sabha MP Rajendra Gehlot, MP Kankamal Katara, National Spokesperson and MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathod, Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathod and Deputy Leader of Opposition Satish Poonia among others. The Opposition delegation said in Manipur on Saturday that it aims to bring some psychological healing for the people through its visit, and is ready to hold a discussion with the Centre and offer suggestions while the BJP said the trip was a drama. The Opposition delegation slammed the BJP-led Centre for not sending its team and said it would happily join Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he visits the state with an all-party delegation. The BJP on the other hand, has slammed the Opposition delegation, saying that it is ready for discussion, and it is the Opposition which is running away. The 21-member delegation of the grand Opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A is on a two-day visit to Manipur, which has seen ethnic violence since May 4. Advertisement Addressing a press conference, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, I.N.D.I.A. alliance is the only delegation which is continuously visited ManipurWe have always said that if the Prime Minister wants to lead an all-party delegation, we would be happy to be a part of it. In the end, we want peace to be established. Political parties from West Bengal, Jharkhand, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu want to have a dialogue with the people and we want their concerns to be presented in Parliament, he added. He said that the delegation has identified a total of four relief camps, and after sharing the experience within the team, it will meet Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Sunday. We have visited a total of four relief camps, two in Churachandpur, one in Imphal and one in Moirang. Everyone wants peace and everyone wants to build their lives. We will meet with our second team and share our experiences and tomorrow we will meet the Governor. We have come to Manipur to understand the expectations of the people and we will reflect that in Parliament, he said. Gogoi said it is high time that Parliament held a discussion on the issue of Manipur. We feel that Parliament should have a discussion on this and I think too much delay has happened. The government has to give a roadmap and we all want to listen to the governments plan and give our suggestions, he said. Notably, two teams of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance visited four relief camps across the state and met with the people affected by Manipur violence. After visiting a relief camp in Bishnupur district, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury appealed to Manipur CM Biren Singh to meet the affected people. I want to appeal to Manipur CM N Biren Singh to meet people living in these relief camps. The situation on the ground is that common people are facing a lot of difficulties. We will all have to work for them, he said. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha said after visiting a relief camp in Churachandpur, that their visit is just a way to provide some psychological healing to the people in distress. Speaking to ANI, Jha said, We met several people in the relief camp here and listened to their problems. We have assured them that there will be a change in the situation and we are all working in that direction. This is our small step in the direction of psychological healing. Reacting to BJPs allegation that the Opposition doesnt go to Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh, Jha said, I pray to god it doesnt happen, but if such situation takes place there, we will definitely go there as well. But, today at this statement, I would only say Get well soon. You are sick peopleI leave it to PM Modis conscience to speak up and appeal for peace. Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev slammed BJP and said that the Centre instead should have sent a delegation to violence-hit Manipur. The people are terrified. There are many children as well. It was important for us to come and meet the victims here, the sad part is that the Government of India should have sent the delegation but they refused, so the I.N.D.I.A. alliance has come here, she said. Reacting to the CBI probe in Manipur viral video case, Sushmita Dev said, Did the Home Minister not have any idea what was happening here since May? Today you are handing over the probe to CBI. They have arrested those who were making videos? It means Amit Shah is threatening the people of Manipur not to make videos. Notably, the viral video from Manipur where two women were purportedly seen being paraded naked triggered a war of words and raised concerns over the Manipur situation, where ethnic clashes have broken out since May 4. The 21-member opposition delegation has arrived in Manipur for their two-day visit to the violence-hit state. After setting foot in the state on Saturday, the Opposition leaders said the purpose of their visit is to represent the demands of the people. Meanwhile, BJP slammed the Opposition delegation, terming their visit as a show off and political tourism. BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi accused the Opposition of running away from discussion. The Opposition has the right to go anywhere. But, the Parliament session is going on. The government is ready for discussion, then why are they running away? For the last seven days, they havent allowed the Parliament to function, Sushil Modi told ANI. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari slammed the opposition parties calling their visit as political tourism. Instead of analysing the situation there (Manipur), they are posting pictures on their way to the airport and from the airport, so are they on political tourism? They should consider having a discussion in Parliament, Tiwari said. BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh said that while the Centre is trying to restore normalcy, the opposition is staging a drama. This is mere show-offPM Modis government is trying to heal the wounds of people in Manipur but the Opposition is simply staging a drama, Tarun Chugh said. Earlier, on Saturday, Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey urged the visiting I.N.D.I.A leaders to contribute to the restoration of peace and order to the violence-hit Northeast. She also called on all parties and stakeholders to help put the state back on track. The leaders of the visiting delegation said earlier they would refrain from raising any political issues during their visit and would simply focus on getting a sense of the situation on the ground. The 21-member Opposition delegation from both Houses includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Phulo Devi Netam of the Congress; Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh of the JDU; Sushmita Dev from Trinamool Congress; Kanimozhi from DMK; Sandosh Kumar of the CPI; AA Rahim from CPI(M), Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD; Javed Ali Khan of SP; Mahua Maji of JMM; PP Mohammed Faizal of NCP; Aneel Prasad Hegde of JDU, ET Mohammed Basheer of IUML; NK Premachandran of RSP; Sushil Gupta of AAP; Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT); D Ravikumar of VCK; Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan also of VCK; and Jayant Singh of the RLD. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday made an appeal for peace in the North East as peace is the path to development, and said recent events that took place in the region were extremely painful for everyone as a society and as human beings. Speaking in Shillong at the inauguration of the 20th Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), India Region Zone-III, he said Our behaviour with no one should cause any kind of pain to women and should not hurt their dignity. Birla said the North Eastern region is going through a massive transformation. Apart from development of infrastructure, efforts are being made at the level of international dimension to create a focal point of regional cooperation and connectivity in Asia. Advertisement Indias Act East Policy will enhance regional solidarity at the political, economic and social level, he added. The entire North East region is now poised for a transformational change but in the process of development, we have to pay attention that we do not deviate from the path of human values and ethics and it is the collective responsibility of all of us to protect our tradition, heritage, and culture, Birla said. The North East is a hotspot of biodiversity, he said, adding, any ecological disturbance here can have far-reaching implications on environmental stability across India. Therefore, there is a need for better preparedness for disaster risk reduction and management in such sensitive areas, the Lok Sabah speaker said. He further said to deal with these situations, it is necessary to formulate policies that prevent irreparable or excessive damage to ecosystem due to natural disasters. He stressed on awareness among people about the dangers of natural calamities. Speaking about the disaster management policy, Birla stressed that we need to focus on the prime ministers 10-point agenda, which emphasizes the need to build local capacities and initiatives. The Indian development model is based on sustainability and over the period of time, with the use of technology and optimum utilization of human resources, we have strengthened disaster preparedness and management, the Lok Sabha Speaker said. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh applauded the Presiding Officers of the northeastern region for taking the initiative to consistently engage on various subjects of regional importance. Underlining the improved connectivity, the deputy chairman emphasised the importance of sustainable development and planning for the impact of climate change. He said for hill states, climate change poses an even bigger and immediate concern that requires more emphasis on adaptation and mitigation strategies. Therefore, it is important to note that planning for disaster management is no more an isolated policy but they must feature in the broader plan to tackle climate change in every state, he said. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma; Arunachal Pradesh Speaker and Chairman, CPA India Region Zone III Pasang D Sona; Members of Parliament; and Members of Meghalaya State Assembly attended the conference. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday visited Vivekananda Memorial House in Rameswaram, and offered his obeisance to the great philosopher. Shah, who is on a two-day visit to the Ramanathapuram district of the southernmost state took twitter to share photographs of his visit and shared thoughts on Swami Vivekananda. Visited Vivekananda Memorial House in Rameswaram, a sacred place graced with the aura of Swami Jis divine wisdom. It reminds us that no matter which part of India we belong to we are all bound together with the one thread of spirituality as one people, Shah said in a tweet. I paid my obeisance to the great saint who awakened India to a new spiritual renaissance, he added. Shah visited the Vivekananda Memorial House a day after inaugurating the Tamil nadu BJPs padayatra in Rameshwaram. Advertisement Earlier, Shah on Saturday visited Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram and also unveiled the book Memories Never Die, a tribute to the life and legacy of the late former President APJ Abdul Kalam. The book is co-authored by APJM Nasima Maraikayar and scientist YS Rajan. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, L Murugan and Tamil Nadu BJP President, Annamalai and were present on the occasion. Under PM Modis leadership, opportunities in space science for our students and their startups are open. I believe that APJ Abdul Kalams dream of space science will be accomplished due to PM Modis new innovations and India will lead the entire world in the field of space science Shah said at the book unveiling ceremony. Shah recalled the roadmap for the development of the country highlighted in President Kalams book India 2020: Vision for the New Millennium. He (President Kalam) said three things India must recognise its potential, develop a technology-based economy and ensure balanced growth between agriculture and industry and cities and villages, said Shah. The Union Home Minister also visited the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam House in Rameswaram. Shah who visited the Rameswarn temple earlier today took to Twitter to post, I consider it a great privilege to perform aarti and abhishekam at Rameswaram temple. Of the 12 Jyotirlingams, this is the place where Lord Ram worshipped Lord Shiva. This temple is an expression of the antiquity of Sanatana Dharma. I prayed for the well-being of the people and for the prosperity of our nation, the Union Minister said. Shah is in Tamil Nadu to sound the poll bugle for the state BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2024. On Friday the Union Minister launched Tamil Nadu BJPs En Mann, En Makkal (My Land My People) padayatra and also took part in a rally at Rameswaram. Even as Uttar Pradesh grabbed a major chunk in the national executive of the BJP announced on Saturday by party president JP Nadda , the ruling party has drawn up a mega strategy to win the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the coming General Elections next year by training 5 lakh workers. UP has achieved over 41 per cent share in the BJPs national executive, with three Vice Presidents, two General Secretaries, one secretary, treasurer and joint organisational secretary. UP has got eight posts in the total 38-member national executive. The surprise inclusion is former Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and Legislative Council member Tariq Mansoor, who is among three national vice-presidents from UP. Mansoor will be the new Muslim face of the BJP in the state to help the party woo the Pasmanda Muslim community in the Lok Sabha elections. Advertisement In the new executive, MP Rekha Verma, MP Laxmikant Vajpayee and Tariq have been made the Vice Presidents while Arun Singh and Rajya Sabha member from Gorakhpur Dr Radha Mohan Das Agarwal have been made National General Secretaries. Surendra Singh Nagar has been made the national secretary. Rajesh Agarwal has been appointed treasurer and Shivprakash joint national organisation general secretary. On the announcement of the new National Executive, BJP State President Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary has congratulated and congratulated the newly elected office bearers. BJPs Rajya Sabha member Laxmikant Vajpayees stature in national politics is continuously increasing after being sideline for almost six years. He was made a member of Rajya Sabha in 2022. After that he was made the Chief Whip in the Rajya Sabha and was made BJP in-charge of Jharkhand. He was also made in-charge of Junagadh in the Gujarat assembly elections. Similarly, the stature of Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, a five-time MLA from Gorakhpur, has also grown in the BJP. In the 2022 assembly elections, the BJP had fielded Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as its candidate by denying his ticket. After that, Radha Mohan Das was sent to the Rajya Sabha. The outgoing members of the national executive Basti MP Harish Dwivedi and Kaushambi MP Vinod Sonkar could be made a minister in the Modi Government. At the same time, the Uttar Pradesh BJP will soon get a new in-charge. Bihar MP Radha Mohan Singh, the outgoing in-charge of UP BJP, has been removed from the post of Vice President. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh BJP will train eight lakh cadres before the Lok Sabha polls in UP along with appointing Vistarakas to reach almost each and every voter in the state. The training programme will be organised from Municipal Corporation to Nagar Panchayat level. The BJP leaders said here that training will be given to the workers on August 5 and 6 in Ghaziabad, on August 7 and 8 of 67 district panchayat presidents of western UP in Haryana. In this sequence, on August 12 and 13, there will be training for the workers of Awadh region in Ayodhya , on August 19 and 20 in Gorakhpur and Bithaur (Kanpur) and on August 21 in Varanasi for Kashi region. In showing the mirror to a hypocritical British society, Russia-born media tycoon Evgeny Lebedev, who owns both the Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, has only underlined what many have known for long. Writing in one of his papers, Lebedev, who was controversially given a life peerage by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020, said this week, Nowadays, being Russian ~ even with British citizenship ~ is enough. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine Ive been turned down by all manner of businesses and institutions, who applaud their anti-Russian sentiment as a symbol of moral rectitude after spending decades prostrating for the attention of Russian money. Lebedev, the son of a former KGB officer and Russian oligarch, cited several instances of the hypocrisy he had faced. These included a decision by the London Coliseum, which had previously hosted theatre awards hosted by his newspaper, choosing not to do so now; refusal by an insurer to renew coverage purchased by the Evening Standard, and even reluctance shown by a London law firm to draft his will. All of this was the consequence, Mr Lebedev claimed, of a campaign to taint him because of his origins, a tactic which according to him has seen pariahs made of all Russians, rich and poor, in Britain. In words that ought to serve as a slap but will likely be water off a ducks back, Mr Lebedev said: Its not enough that I called for the war to end in the first week of the invasion, on the front page of the free London paper I rescued from financial ruin. I need a new surname, a new passport, and a new speech therapist to train the Ruski accent out of me. Businesses that were once so far up my backside you couldnt see their legs are so deluded they feel they can now pass judgement on me based purely on hearsay. Others with origins outside the United Kingdom who poured their money and industry into the United Kingdom, and contributed to keeping afloat the countrys institutions which had been ravaged by serial acts of profligacy, have faced similar snubs from Britains business and aristocratic elite. A case in point is that of Eygptian-born businessman Mohammed Al Fayed who faced a series of chastisements from the establishment until he chose to take it on. Advertisement While Mr Al Fayed is now largely reconciled to his position, having even sold his stake in that most British of institutions, Harrods, it is clear that the current generation of foreign-origin business-men who in a sense Mr Lebedev represents, will not take slights, real or imagined, lying down. While his salvo in the newspaper that he owns concludes by saying that Russophobia has become an easy way for companies to signal their virtue, the British will do well to remember that while wars end, businesses must go on. The City of London needs the money of oligarchs, sheikhs and even carpetbaggers to run. (Incorporating and directly descended from THE FRIEND OF INDIA Founded 1818) The Hunt for Veerappan, a much-awaited true crime docu-series, is gearing up for its OTT premiere on August 4, promising to unveil Indias infamous outlaw in an entirely new light. Among the gripping subjects to be explored, the show delves into fascinating details about Veerappans life. Today, we turn our attention to Veerappans children and learn more about them. When Veerappan met his end in the Operation Cocoon back in 2004, he left behind two daughters: Vidhya Rani, born in 1990, and Prabha, born in 1993. The young girls were studying in Tamil Nadu at that time. The daughters of the forest brigand had faced their share of trauma, longing for a peaceful life away from public scrutiny and the ever-watchful eye of the Special Task Force. Advertisement Despite their tumultuous upbringing and the challenges they knew lay ahead, the determined girls nurtured a burning ambition to receive an education, striving to study as much as they could. Vidhya, in particular, was closely monitored by the Special Task Force, which knew of her fathers special affection for her. The constant surveillance took a toll on her studies, but she persevered and overcame the hurdles. During the time her mother, Muthulakshmi, was in STF custody, Vidhya was raised by a relative, but this disrupted her education, causing her to lose two critical years of schooling. Today, Vidhya Rani is married to a Christian Dalit man, despite her mothers objections to an inter-caste marriage. Interestingly, she enjoys support from the Pattali Makkal Katchi party, which publicly advocated for clemency on behalf of Veerappan. Furthermore, Vidhya Rani holds the position of vice-president in the BJPs Tamil Nadu youth wing. Prabha, who was merely 11 years old when her father met his fate, had never had the opportunity to meet him, thus having no personal connection with the notorious outlaw. As such, her sufferings were relatively less, as the STF did not interfere with her life or studies. A thoughtful lawyer from Chennai now takes care of her education. Although her identity as Veerappans daughter became public knowledge due to media attention, Prabha decided to wait until next year before considering a school change. Fernando Perez Algaba, an entrepreneur and cryptocurrency influencer from Argentina, was tragically found dead after being missing for over a week. The grim discovery was made by the police who found his remains stuffed inside a red suitcase near a stream in Buenos Aires, according to the New York Post. Let us look at who Algaba is. Aged 41 and based in Spain, Fernando Perez Algaba was known for his business ventures and influence in the cryptocurrency world. He ran a luxury car and jet ski rental firm before venturing into cryptocurrency trading, where he employed 25 people in his office. With a substantial following of over 900,000 on Instagram, Algaba frequently advertised his ventures on social media. However, reports suggest that he owed money to Argentinas tax agency. Before his disappearance, Algaba left behind a note revealing that he had borrowed money from the notorious gang, Barra Bravas. He also mentioned that his cryptocurrency investments had resulted in significant losses. Notably, Algaba had informed the gang in case anything happened to him, raising suspicion about the circumstances surrounding his death. Advertisement This disturbing case came to light when a group of children stumbled upon the suitcase filled with body parts while playing by the stream last Sunday. Mr. Algaba had been missing since July 19. Known for showcasing his opulent lifestyle on social media, Algaba had amassed around one million followers on Instagram. After living briefly in Miami, United States, he had settled in Barcelona, Spain. His brother, Rodolfo Perez, disclosed that Algaba was facing financial difficulties due to troubles with his cryptocurrency investments, leading to debts with the Argentinean tax authority. The official autopsy report revealed that Algabas body had suffered three gunshot wounds before being dismembered and concealed inside the suitcase. Skilled expertise was evident in the dismemberment process. Authorities confirmed the identity of the body parts through Algabas fingerprints and tattoos. His disappearance was reported last Tuesday. At the time of his suspected murder, Algaba had been staying in Argentina for a week, with a deadline of July 19 to return the keys to his leased flat. However, the owner of the property stated that Algaba did not show up or respond to phone calls, sparking concerns about his wellbeing. The investigation into this distressing case is ongoing as authorities seek answers to the mysterious circumstances surrounding Fernando Perez Algabas tragic demise. Laik Ahmed Fida Hussain Sheikh, a 50-year-old man, arrested by the Mumbai Police, is a shooter of the Chhota Shakeel gang. He was arrested by Pydhonie Police from near Thane railway station on July 28. Sheikh is accused in the murder of a member of the arrested underworld don Chhota Rajan gang. According to the official, the police tracked down Sheikhs whereabouts and captured him on Friday after setting up a trap close to Thane Railway Station. On July 28, Pydhonie Police arrested Laik Ahmed Fida Hussain Sheikh (50), a gunman for the Chhota Shakeel gang, near the Thane railway station. The official stated on Friday that Sheikh is suspected of killing a member of the Chhota Rajan gang, an organized crime group that has been apprehended. Advertisement On April 2 1997, Sheikh along with his accomplices shot dead Munna Dhari who was a member of the arrested underworld don Chhota Rajan gang. On the evening of April 2, 1997, the accused and his cronies shot and killed Munna Dhari, a member of the gang led by the detained don Chhota Rajan. At that time, the police arrested Sheikh by filing a complaint under Sections 302, 34 of the IPC and Sections 3, 25 of the Arms Act against the suspect. In 1998, a judge granted bail to Sheikh on bond, the police official continued. The accused Sheikh disappeared in 1998 and did not show up for any court proceedings, at which point he was labelled a fugitive. Secret sources provided the police with information indicating that the accused Sheikh resided in Mumbra. then, when they arrived at the address, they could not trace him. Nobody recognized him in the area. Police also received information that the accused worked as a taxi driver at the Thane campus. Finally, the police were able to trace him by setting a trap and arrested him on Friday. Attendees at Amazon.com Inc annual cloud computing conference walk past the Amazon Web Services logo Amazon and Microsoft have warned that their investment in Britain is threatened by moves to loosen their stranglehold on the 15bn cloud computing market, in the latest escalation of tensions between regulators and Big Tech. The rivals sharply criticised a report from Ofcom that accused it of locking customers into deals that damage competition. Regulators claimed that discounts for customers who rent large amounts of capacity are stopping them from shopping around and hurting smaller rivals. In response Amazon Web Services (AWS) criticised Ofcoms findings, warning that attempts to reform the market would leave it unable to predict demand and could considerably affect AWSs investment decisions. The company warned that placing restrictions on discounting practices could lead to unintended consequences, including dampening of incentives to invest. AWS rents computing power to thousands of businesses, which remotely connect to its data centres for data storage or processing. It generated over 60bn in revenues worldwide last year and has emerged as one of the leading suppliers to the Government, holding contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds annually. Ofcom is consulting on whether to ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to launch a full investigation into the sector. What is the CMA? Between them, US tech giants Amazon, Microsoft and Google account for more than 80pc of the market in the UK. Microsoft also hit out at the regulator, arguing that restrictions on pricing practices could very well leave UK enterprises and public sector customers worse off. It added that another proposal, to enforce technical standards to make switching easier, could chill investment. Ofcoms warned that cloud computing customers had complained they were hit with high fees when they tried to move data from one provider to another. In its submission, Amazon argued it was not the case that it charged higher exit fees. Microsoft said its fees were transparent and clear. Story continues An Ofcom spokesman said: We will carefully consider all views on our provisional findings in our interim report. The final report is due to be published in October. An Amazon Web Services spokesman said: The regulatory interventions proposed would be unwarranted, and could lead to significant unintended harm to customers and competition. Microsoft declined to comment beyond its consultation submission. The row comes as Microsoft is locked in talks with the CMA to salvage its $69bn takeover of the Call of Duty videogames developer Activision. The regulator initially blocked the transaction, arguing it would hamper competition in video game streaming. It led Microsoft to angrily declare that Britain was no longer as attractive as Europe for starting a tech business. The CMA and Microsoft are now discussing a restructuring that could green light the merger. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. President Joe Biden has finally acknowledged his seventh granddaughter, a four-year-old girl, born in 2018 to his son Hunter and an Arkansas lady named Lunden Roberts. It is for the first time that Joe Biden accepted the child named Navy, as his seventh grandchild for the first time in public on Friday. Lunden Roberts filed a child support lawsuit. Hunter Bidens paternity was thereafter confirmed through DNA testing, and the two recently worked out any lingering child support issues. Advertisement The presidents son described his meeting with Roberts in his memoir from 2021, claiming that it took place when he was suffering from a severe crack cocaine and alcohol addiction. Hunter Biden has four more kids, including a boy named Beau who was born in 2020 to his wife Melissa Cohen. He was given the name of the late son of the president, who passed away from cancer in 2015 and left behind two children. According to a statement from Biden, our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in their daughters best interests, maintaining her privacy as much as is possible moving forward. It was his first time recognizing the kid. This is not a political issue, its a family matter, he declared. People Magazine was the first to report on Bidens statement. The President has come under increasing fire from political foes and pundits for neglecting to recognize the grandchild. The president has made a devotion to family a fundamental aspect of his public persona. The grandkids of President Joe Biden have made a significant contribution to his presidency, frequently traveling with him or the First Lady and paying many visits to the White House. The president also attributes his decision to run against then-President Donald Trump for the White House in 2020 to his grandchildren. In the realm of true crime journalism, Nakkeeran Gopal, a seasoned 64-year-old journalist from Tamil Nadu, India, has left an indelible mark. As the editor and publisher of the Tamil political investigative journal Nakkheeran, he gained national fame in the 1990s for a series of interviews with none other than the infamous sandalwood and ivory smuggler, Veerappan. Back in 1988, Rajagopal, as he was initially known, took a daring step to launch his own political investigative weekly magazine with a meager sum of four thousand rupees. He aspired to call it Nakkheeran, an epic title he cherished. However, the title was already held by a politician named K. Subbu. Remarkably, upon approaching K. Subbu, he generously relinquished the title, allowing the evolution of Nakkheeran, the now renowned Tamil magazine. Gopals journalistic prowess came to the forefront when he effectively acted as a mediator between Veerappan and the state governments during the high-stakes rescue mission of thespian Rajkumar, who was abducted in 2000. This daring endeavor helped ease the tense atmosphere prevailing between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Prior to this, Gopal had also succeeded in rescuing eight forest guards previously kidnapped by Veerappan. Advertisement However, in 2003, Gopal faced a tumultuous turn of events when he was arrested on charges of possessing an unlicensed revolver with ammunition. After spending eight months behind bars, Gopal was eventually granted bail by a division bench of the Madras High Court, thanks to a habeas corpus petition filed by his brother. Upon his release, Gopal expressed his belief that obtaining bail was a significant step in challenging the autocratic rule of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. Throughout his career, Nakkeeran Gopal has been known for his courageous and investigative approach to journalism. In his own Nakkheeran magazine, he penned two noteworthy series titled Challenge in the late 1990s and Yutham in the late 2000s, further cementing his reputation as a prominent figure in the field of true crime reporting. As The Hunt for Veerappan docu-series prepares to make its debut on OTT, it is sure to shed further light on the intriguing encounters between Nakkeeran Gopal and the notorious forest brigand, adding to the legacy of this veteran journalist in Indias media landscape. Muthulakshmi is the widow of the infamous Indian bandit and sandalwood smuggler, Veerappan. The audience expects to know more about her in the true crime docu-series, The Hunt for Veerappan. Director Selvamani Selvaraj is all set to bring the story in an awaited Netflix series. After her husbands demise at the hands of the Special Task Force in 2004, Veerappans wife Muthulakshmi resided in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India, where she had political ambitions, leveraging her husbands Robin Hood image to aid the people. Who is Veerappans wife Muthulakshmi? Born in Neruppore village, Dharmapuri District in Tamil Nadu, Muthulakshmi tied the knot with Veerappan in 1990, and together, they lived deep within the forests of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Keralas border areas. The life of Muthulakshmi took a tumultuous turn when the police arrested her multiple times on charges of aiding and abetting various crimes and murders committed by her husband Veerappans gang. Advertisement Notably, Muthulakshmis involvement in the infamous kidnapping of Kannada actor Rajkumar alongside Veerappan is well-known. They held the actor in captivity for 108 days. They demanded a huge ransom to set the actor free. Despite police efforts, Veerappan managed to evade capture, leading to her arrest on several charges, including killing police personnel in the Palar blast, elephant killings, and sandalwood smuggling. Through a series of legal battles, Muthulakshmi faced several charges, yet she was acquitted of most of them. Determined to make a positive impact, she announced her plans to engage in social service activities to assist those affected by law enforcement agencies while supporting Veerappan. Muthulakshmi, a mother of two daughters pursuing engineering studies in Tamil Nadu, continues to embrace her husbands legacy, standing up for his portrayal in the film Attahasa and receiving compensation before its release. As The Hunt for Veerappan uncovers various aspects of Veerappans life, viewers will also gain insight into the complex journey of Muthulakshmi, whose life intertwines with the enigmatic criminals infamous tale. The highly anticipated true crime docu-series, The Hunt for Veerappan, is set to premiere on OTT soon, offering captivating insights into the life of Indias infamous outlaw. Among the intriguing events it will cover are the tragic murders of Chidambaram and Pandillapalli Srinivas. Today, we take a closer look at who these individuals were. The ordeal for the villagers began in 1987 when Veerappan ruthlessly killed Chidambaram, a forest official from Tamil Nadu. Three years later, in 1990, he struck again, taking the life of Srinivas, a forest officer from Karnataka. These brutal incidents prompted the respective governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to establish their Special Task Forces, aiming to put an end to the reign of terror. For 60-year-old Govindamma, the pain was still fresh as she recalled how Veerappan killed her husband, Kottinaicker, for the mere act of traveling in a police jeep to Kolathur. The fear instilled by this incident continued to grip the villagers. Advertisement Srinivas held the distinction of being the first and only person to arrest Veerappan back in 1986 when the SAARC Summit was underway in Bengaluru. After the arrest, Veerappan was brought to the Budipadaga Forest Rest House in Chamarajanagar Division for questioning. Based on the valuable information obtained during the interrogation, Srinivas conducted numerous raids on the gangs hideouts across Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Veerappan managed to escape custody while Srinivas was away on one of his raids. Though it wasnt Srinivass fault, he couldnt help but feel responsible for the escape. This sense of responsibility drove him to relentlessly pursue Veerappan, even when he could have opted for less risky postings elsewhere. After Srinivas was transferred as DCF to Chickmangalur in 1987, he assisted the local administration in investigating the murder of Mr. Chidambaram, the Range Forest Officer in Satyamangalam Range. Srinivas took bold steps, developing a network of informers in Veerappans native village, Gopinatham. However, the forest brigand ruthlessly silenced the informers and displayed their severed heads as a gruesome example to the village. Veerappan also distributed part of his ill-gotten wealth among the villagers, further tightening his grip on the area. Srinivas fell victim to Veerappans violence and was murdered in November 1991. In recognition of his exceptional bravery and service, the President of India posthumously honored Srinivas by conferring the Kirti Chakra to his grieving mother in 1992. At least 14 people were killed and seven others injured during the past two days in rain-related incidents across Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday. The NDMA said the monsoon rain have wreaked havoc, triggering flash floods in hilly areas, submerging urban localities, and destroying houses across the country, reports Xinhua news agency. Six people lost their lives in hyber Pakhtunkhwa, five in Balochistan, two in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and one in Sindh, according to the report. Advertisement The heavy monsoon rain spell continued for the fifth consecutive day on Friday and caused devastation in parts of the country, especially hilly regions. The Pakistan Meteorological Department also issued a red alert, saying that heavy monsoon rains are likely in upper and central parts of the country until July 30, which can cause flooding and landslides. According to the NDMA, the torrential rains and floods also damaged 804 houses and killed 44 heads of livestock. The report added that at least 169 people have lost their lives, 256 sustained injuries, 1,404 houses damaged, and 374 cattle heads perished since June 25, when the heavy rains started in the country. Thirty-six-year-old gangster Ravinder Samra was shot dead on Thursday evening in the town of Richmond. The officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment said that they received a phone call about a critically injured man. Despite having rushed to the scene of the crime and despite all the life-saving measures by emergency responders, he was pronounced dead on the spot. Who is Ravinder Samra Ravinder Samra is the brother of 36-year-old Amarpreet Samra, who too was a gangster. Amarpreet was also shot dead on May 28 in Vancouver outside a banquet hall. He was just 28. Mr. Samra was known to police, and we believe this was a targeted shooting associated with the BC Gang Conflict, IHIT spokesperson Cpl Sukhi Dhesi said in a statement released on Friday. Investigators are now inquiring about the witnesses who may have dashcams or CCTV footages to assist them in solving the crime. Ravinders brother killed in similar fashion Ravinders brother Amanpreet was listed among Canadas top 10 gangsters. Amanpreet was killed by gang Brothers Group outside a marriage function in Vancouver of Canada on May 28. Advertisement Reports suggest Samra (Junior) also known as Chakki was in Vancouver for a wedding ceremony. After dinner, when Amanpreet stepped out of Fraserview Hall, thats when the gang members of the Brothers Keepers group opened fire. When Amanpreet was killed, his brother Ravinder too was with him. Canadian Police Officer Tania Visintin has said that the police received a call at 1.30 am. Subsequently, a team was dispatched to the spot but they couldnt save Amanpreet. Ravinder Samra also met almost the same fate as his brother who the police tried to revive but couldnt despite their best efforts. In a recent report on Afghanistan, UNICEF said that over 15 million people are expected to experience food insecurity till October 2023, with 29.2 million people expected to require humanitarian assistance, TOLOnews reported. Afghanistans recession has been exacerbated by drought-like conditions, floods, insecurity, harsh winters, political and economic instability, and displacement. The economic crisis is expected to continue, with 64 per cent of households unable to meet their basic needs as vulnerable populations are pushed to the brink, TOLOnews reported citing the UNICEF report. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the situation of people in Afghanistan has only deteriorated as the country is under a massive grip of a humanitarian crisis. Regarding the situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, an economist, Sayed Masoud said, The main objective of humanitarian aid and food security is to raise the level of consumption and the basic needs of families. According to UNICEF, the restriction on Afghan women working for NGOs and the UN has greatly raised the threats to the protection of weak women and children. The best talents exist in women, and they can play an active role in the social and work fields, but unfortunately, the current government has not been able to solve this problem in the country so far, said Surya Paykan, womens rights activist, according to TOLOnews. Since the Taliban seized power, apart from people facing difficulties over basic amenities, it is also the situation of women in the country that has also got worse. Women in the country are prohibited from leadership posts, and not allowed to work as well as travel unless accompanied by a male companion. There is still no word on when or if schools will reopen or if the ban is indefinite. Advertisement Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has said that solutions to ongoing global conflicts should be based on the purposes of the UN Charter and the principles of international law. Sisi made the remarks while addressing the second Russia-Africa summit in Russias St. Petersburg, the Egyptian Presidency said on Friday in a statement. The two-day summit started on Thursday with the participation of 49 African countries, with topics covering cooperation opportunities in food, energy, space, information technology, education and sports, among others. Advertisement Amid complex and rapidly changing international circumstances characterised by polarization, our African countries stand to face a huge number of challenges not only affecting our ability to complete development paths but also threatening the determinants of our security and the rights of future generations, he noted. Sisi said African countries are sovereign, independent, active in the international community, and aspire to peace, security and serving the interests of their people through sustainable development, Xinhua news agency reported. African economies have been challenged by severe repercussions of ongoing conflicts, especially those in food security, supply chains and high energy prices, he noted. He underscored the importance of finding prompt solutions to provide food and grain at prices that would help Africa overcome this crisis while exploring innovative financing mechanisms to support agricultural and food systems in Africa. I look forward to reaching a consensual solution with regard to the grain deal, that would take into consideration the demands and interests of all parties and curb rising grain prices, Sisi noted. He also reiterated Egypts commitment to continuing deepening strategic partnership. The first Russia-Africa summit was held in Sochi, Russia, in 2019 co-hosted by Russia and Egypt when the latter was chair of the African Union. Another Indo-Canadian has become the latest casualty in the continuing gang war in the province of British Columbia, two months after his brother was shot and killed in Vancouver. Officers from the Richmond, Ontario, detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police responded to reports of gunfire on Thursday evening. A male who was found to be seriously injured was given the prognosis of death at the scene, despite emergency personnels best efforts to save him. The victim was named as 36-year-old Ravinder Samra by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, or IHIT, which was assigned to the case on Friday. Amarpreet Samra, his brother, was shot and killed on May 28 in Vancouver outside a banquet hall. He was 28 years old. Advertisement Mr. Samra was known to police, and we believe this was a targeted shooting associated with the BC Gang Conflict, IHIT spokesperson Cpl Sukhi Dhesi said in a statement released on Friday. That was consistent with what the police had reported following the death of his younger brother. According to a press release at the time from the Vancouver Police Department, the shooting was a targeted shooting related to the ongoing gang conflict. According to the Vancouver Sun, the brothers were thought to be members of the United Nations gang, which was at odds with other groups including Brothers Keepers. Nine of the 11 people on the list were Indo-Canadians. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit or CFSEU-BC warned that this was being done due to the significant threat to the public posed by a number of individuals involved in the Lower Mainland gang conflict and their ongoing nexus to violence. The Samra brothers were included in the list. It also stated that Police believe anyone with, or in proximity to, these individuals may be putting themselves at risk. A senior Pakistani official has acknowledged that his nation uses drones to deliver drugs in Punjab, India. Drones are used to deliver drugs across the border, and Pakistani agencies are working to stop it, according to Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, a close adviser and special assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for defence. He said this during a discussion in Kasur with Hamid Mir, a senior Pakistani journalist from Pakistans Geo News TV channel, 10 kg of heroin were recently connected to two drones and hurled in two separate incidents. Authorities are attempting to halt it. This is the reason they cut off the connections (mobile signals) when they receive intelligence, Khan told Pakistans Geo News. Khan hails from Kasur, a town in Pakistans Punjab province that borders India. He is a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), the party in power in the nation, and has three terms as a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly. Big disclosure by PMs advisor Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan. Smugglers using drones In the flood affected areas of Kasur near Pakistan-India border to transport Heroin. He demanded a special package for the rehabilitation of the flood victims otherwise victims will join smugglers. pic.twitter.com/HhWNSNuiKp Advertisement Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) July 17, 2023 Rangers are in charge here. Due to border laws, there are some sensitive issues, according to Khan. In the past few months, two drones were tethered to a total of 10 kg of heroin and tossed. To stop this, agencies are working. The links (cell signals) are cut off as a result, according to Khan, who spoke to Pakistans Geo News. From the Pakistani Punjab provinces bordering town of Kasur, Khan is a politician. He was a three-time member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly and is a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), which now has power in the nation. According to Khan, there are some sensitive issues because of border laws. According to the story citing the Pakistani journalist, Kasur MPA Khan took a lot of heat in Pakistan for admitting this on live television. According to the journalist, Khan has ties to Pakistans military leadership. In an effort to restore mobile access, which has been hampered by signal jammers set up to stop cross-border drone movements, and to draw attention to the plight of Kasur villages hit by the floods, Khan has been attempting to engage Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The Evanston Police Department is investigating several incidents of disorderly conduct after small pride flags with pride death written on them were found in three places across the city. The flags were found in the 1700 and 2100 block of Central Street as well as the 600 block of Dempster Street, according to a news release. The incidents happened in the early morning of Thursday, July 27 and were not placed outside prominent LGBTQ+ businesses or establishments. Advertisement Commander Ryan Glew with the Evanston Police Department said while the incidents are concerning, Evanston police did not find any specific threats to those in the LGBTQ+ community. The possibility of a hate crime will be one of the central parts of our investigation, Glew said. Advertisement Evanston police encourage anyone with information to reach out to the department. Anglo American (LON:AAL) First Half 2023 Results Key Financial Results Revenue: US$15.7b (down 14% from 1H 2022). Net income: US$1.26b (down 66% from 1H 2022). Profit margin: 8.1% (down from 20% in 1H 2022). EPS: US$1.04 (down from US$3.03 in 1H 2022). All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Anglo American EPS Misses Expectations Revenue was in line with analyst estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) missed analyst estimates by 21%. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 1.6% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, while revenues in the Metals and Mining industry in the United Kingdom are expected to remain flat. Performance of the British Metals and Mining industry. The company's share price is broadly unchanged from a week ago. Risk Analysis Before we wrap up, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Anglo American that you should be aware of. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here On July 7, First Fridays took place on the festive Olympic Park Esplanade with nearly 25,000 visitors visiting some 60 restaurants. The Cultural Street, which is a new avenue that pays tribute to one of Montreal's many cultural communities each month, was dedicated to the Philippines, with music, food and cultural tributes. For the next edition, First Fridays will be throwing a real fiesta, and this time the event will take place over three days August 4, 5 and 6 at a new location: the Clock Tower Quay in the Old Port of Montreal. August's First Fridays will offer a true immersion into Latin American cuisine with a long list of options for visitors who will be able to sample different dishes for under $10 and experience the flavours of this region of the world. Diablos BBQ Cantina will be taking over the Skip truck this time with recipes for guests to try, along with these other restaurants, among others, that will be offering their specialties: La Cabane a Chichis (Latin America) and their churros (Latin America) and their churros Bubble Contact (Mexico) and their tacos, tacos dorados, nachos and quesadillas (Mexico) and their tacos, tacos dorados, nachos and quesadillas Churros & Churros (Latin America) and their churros stuffed with chocolate and dulce de leche and ice cream (Latin America) and their churros stuffed with chocolate and dulce de leche and ice cream Bistro L'Arepa (Venezuela) for arepas, arepitas, tequenos, empanadas, cachapas, tostones and toston playero (Venezuela) for arepas, arepitas, tequenos, empanadas, cachapas, tostones and toston playero A lArret (Chile) for their choripan (Chile) for their choripan Miss Tacos (Mexico) for tacos and quesabirrias (Mexico) for tacos and quesabirrias Le Roi Du Tacos Express (Mexico) for their tacos, tortas, quesadillas, burritos, guacamole and taco bowls (Mexico) for their tacos, tortas, quesadillas, burritos, guacamole and taco bowls La Maison d'Anita (Argentina) for their empanadas, churros and alfajores with a vegan option (Argentina) for their empanadas, churros and alfajores with a vegan option Mango Tropical (Mexico) for their Mango Loko, mangonadas and maruchans loka. The sun and warmth of Latin America can also be found in the signature cocktail by Loyd Von Rose, who will be setting up shop at the Bistro SAQ for the occasion. Visitors will also be able to enjoy one of the biggest pop-up patios in all of Montreal, a great music lineup and a long list of activities for the whole family. Schedule Friday, August 4 and Saturday, August 5: 12 noon to 11 pm Sunday, August 6: 12 noon to 8 pm General admission is $5 (a portion of which will be donated to a food bank) For tickets: https://bit.ly/43mmrD9 Accessible for those with reduced mobility Pets are not allowed First Fridays, presented by Skip, takes place every month on the first Friday of the month until October. For more information, follow First Fridays on Facebook: @1ersVendredisMtl or Instagram: @lespremiersvendredis First Fridays A. Bonaparte BankFinancial (BFIN) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.18 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.27 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.19 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -33.33%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this bank holding company would post earnings of $0.28 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.21, delivering a surprise of -25%. Over the last four quarters, the company has not been able to surpass consensus EPS estimates. BankFinancial , which belongs to the Zacks Financial - Savings and Loan industry, posted revenues of $14.18 million for the quarter ended June 2023, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.52%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $13.97 million. The company has not been able to beat consensus revenue estimates over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. BankFinancial shares have lost about 15.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 18.2%. What's Next for BankFinancial? While BankFinancial has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Story continues Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for BankFinancial: mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.28 on $15 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.05 on $59.76 million in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Financial - Savings and Loan is currently in the bottom 2% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Regional Management (RM), another stock in the broader Zacks Finance sector, has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2023. The results are expected to be released on August 2. This financial services company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.48 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -61.3%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1.2% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. Regional Management's revenues are expected to be $132.46 million, up 7.8% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report BankFinancial Corporation (BFIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Regional Management Corp. (RM) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Elon Musk's move to rebrand Twitter as X.com took the internet by storm last week. The tech mogul is obsessed with the letter X, so much so that he even went on to name one of his children X A-12. He had already renamed Twitter's corporate name to X Corp. after he bought it in October. Amid online discussions on company's rebranding, the city of San Francisco has now launched a probe into a gigantic X sign installed on top of the company's downtown headquarters. The X appeared after San Francisco police department stopped workers from removing the brand's iconic bird logo from the side of the building on Monday, saying they hadn't taped off the sidewalk to keep pedestrians safe if anything fell. Patrick Hannan, a spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection, said replacing letters or symbols would require a permit to ensure consistency with the historic nature of the building and to make sure additions are safely attached to the sign. He added that erecting a sign on top of a building also requires a permit. In April this year, Musk removed the letter w from the Twitter sign installed outside the headquarters, leaving the word 'Titter' to be displayed. Musk later clarified that the company was legally required to keep the w on at the building. Hence, instead of completely removing the letter, Musks team painted over the blue w in the background white colour. Our landlord at SF HQ says were legally required to keep sign as Twitter & cannot remove w, so we painted it background color. Problem solved! Musk tweeted in April. In a later tweet, he joked, They tried to muffle our titter. In December 2022, Twitter was sued by its landlord over $136,260 unpaid rent. The same month, San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection launched a review after Musk reportedly violated the city's zoning regulations by making employees sleep in their offices overnight. The company allegedly directed its staffers to convert rooms in the San Francisco headquarters office into hotel rooms, while informing inspectors and their landlord they were just temporary rest spaces. Back then, Musk slammed the city, saying it was attacking companies for providing beds to "tired employees". Bollywood film Bawaal, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, seems to be at the centre of an international controversy over scenes that refer to Holocaust victims. The film starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, which started streaming on Amazon Prime Video last week, revolves around a newly-married couple who tour the World War II trail during their honeymoon. Several critics as well as the international Jewish community have critiqued dialogues that draw parallels between the couple's relationship and and the Holocaust. One of the scenes that have come under sharp criticism is a nightmare sequence which shows Janhvi's character trapped inside a gas chamber at the Auschwitz camp where many Jews were killed during the Holocaust. In yet another scene, her character says 'Aren't we all a bit like Hitler?', whereas in another scenario where the couple talk about the challenges in relationships, she says: Every relationship goes through its Auschwitz. Reacting to the film earlier this week, Jewish human rights organisation Simon Wiesenthal Centre said in a statement that the film trivialises and demeans the memory of six million murdered Jews and millions of others who suffered at the hands of Hitler's genocidal regime, BBC reported. The organisation also requested the streaming platform to pull down the film. The statement further added: If the filmmakers goal was to gain PR for their movie by reportedly filming a fantasy sequence at the Nazi death camp, he has succeeded. Adding to the international anger, the Israeli embassy in India, said in a statement that it was disturbed by the trivialisation of the significance of the Holocaust. There was a poor choice in the utilisation of some terminology in the movie, and though we assume no malice was intended, we urge everyone who may not be fully aware of the horrors of the Holocaust to educate themselves about it., it added. I did not and will not watch the film Bawaal but from what Ive read, there was a poor choice of terminology and symbolism. Trivialization of the Holocaust should disturb all. I urge those who dont know enough about the horrors of the #Holocaust to educate themselves about it. Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) July 28, 2023 Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon later tweeted his criticism and urged everyone to 'educate themselves' of the horrors of the Holocaust. Responding to the controversy surrounding Bawaal, Tiwari said that he was a bit disappointed with the way some people comprehended the film. We have made Bawaal with a lot of love, a lot of care and a lot of good intentions, he told Pinkvilla. You can question the creative process, but please do not question the intent. When you start questioning the intent, it becomes hurtful, he added. Every day in 2022, 32-odd children went missing in Madhya Pradesh, of which more than 24 were girls, reveals Right to Information (RTI) data gathered and analysed by NGO Child Rights and You (CRY). In all, 11,717 children went missing in the 54 districts of the state, of which 8,844 (75 per cent) were girls and 2,873 were boys, the RTI data gathered from state government and police shows. CRY released the data on the eve of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons (July 30), with a positive note that though the total number of children who went missing increased slightly, there was a decline in the percentage of missing girls compared to 2021. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, in 2021, a total 11,607 kids had gone missing, of which 9,407 (81 per cent) were girls, while 2,200 were boys. Thus in 2022, a 6 per cent decline in the number of missing girls was achieved. However, the number of boys who went missing increased from 19 per cent to 25 per cent. In all, from 2018 to 2022; 41,627 girls and 11,508 boys went missing in MP, the total number of missing kids being 53,125, the combined data of NCRB and RTI shows. The percentage of missing girls during these five years comes to over 78 per cent. CRY has expressed concern on the continuing trend of a very high proportion of missing children being girls. Children who go missing are often an easy target of human trafficking. Fact Sheet reveals in MP, among the children who went missing in 2022 more than 75 percent were girls. It is a matter of grave concern that the trend of girls constituting a significantly higher proportion of missing children has persisted for the last five years, said Soha Moitra, the Regional Director, CRY (North). She further said The phenomenon of missing girls constituting the larger portion of missing children could have been driven by increased demand for domestic helps, commercial sex work, and girls themselves running away due to domestic violence, abuse and neglect. Number of missing boys is also of a grave concern as demand for child labour has increased due to the shortage of cheap labour in the unorganised sector. Thus, indicating higher risk of child trafficking. She added There are also cases of runaway girls who leave home at an early age in search of a better life without being aware of the possible consequences. These girls who mostly come from low-income and marginalized families many a times become easy targets for trafficking and kidnapping. Indore and Bhopal reported highest number of cases in the state According to the RTI-based factsheet released by CRY, Indore and Bhopal reported highest number of missing children cases in the state in 2022. Indore registered 977 cases of missing children, while Bhopal registered 661 cases of missing children in 2022. Data also revealed that the prevalence of missing children cases was more in urban areas compared to rural areas. 36% rise in cases of child trafficking in MP NCRB The CRY also analysed the NCRB data to show that MP also recorded 36 per cent rise in registered child trafficking in the year 2021 compared to previous year with the number of child trafficking cases increased from 33 (2020) to 52 in 2021. Since missing children are at higher risk of being trafficked, major difference in the registered cases of missing children and number of trafficked children also raises serious concern, said CRY. Only 34% traced in 2022 The RTI data by CRY showed that in 2022, of the 11,717 missing kids, only 3,974 (34 per cent) were found, while 7,698 remained untraced. The NCRB data gives out the number of missing children traced year wise, but these figures include the children missing from previous years too and thus it is difficult to get the actual percentage of children traced. From 2018 to 2021, according to NCRB, total 42,970 kids were traced in the state, including 34,104 girls and 8,956 boys. The fact that the number of missing children being rescued is also highest in the country in MP shows the system's promptness. However, there is still a huge gap in the number of children who went missing and children being rescued or traced. Over more than a decade of CRYs work on the issue of missing children, it has been observed that although there have been many proactive measures taken by different departments and authorities, there have been several constraints due to which the situation has remained more or less the same, said Moitra. Moitra also said that the United Nations has announced theme of this years World Day against Trafficking in Persons as reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind. The need of the hour is to act even more promptly and following the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for cases of missing children stringently. Considering the potential risk of a missing child falling into the trap of traffickers, the SOP clearly states that if a child cannot be traced within a period of four months, the investigation of the case shall be transferred to the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTUs) in the district. At the same time, there should be adequate resources allocated towards strengthening the AHTUs and make sure they work in tandem with all concerned stakeholders, she said. Congress attacks BJP govt Citing the figures presented in Lok Sabha by union minister of women and child development Smriti Irani, MP Congress has slammed the BJP government in the state. In-charge of the various organizations and cells of the state Congress, Shobha Oza, said that as per figures presented in Lok Sabha, as many as 61102 kids went missing in the state between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2023, of which 49,024 are girls and 12,075 boys (3 missing kids categorised as others), which is highest in the country. This is frightening data and exposes the situation safety of kids in MP. It also exposes the fact that the dramatic chief minister of MP tries to mislead the young people when the truth is something different. If the CM has any shame left, he should apologise to the people of the state after release of this data; and make public the action taken and future plan of the government regards missing children, Oza said in a statement. Retorting, BJP spokesman Narendra Saluja said Congress was spreading lies about missing children. You should study the statistics of Shivraj government's Operation Muskaan (for recovery of missing children). From January 2021 to February 2023, 9329 girls have returned to their homes safely due to the efforts of the government. You should rather tell the status of your 15 month government as to how many children went missing during that period and what efforts were made by your government to bring them back, he said in a tweet. Missing children trend in Madhya Pradesh in last 5 years Year Girls Boys Total 2018 7545 2464 10038 2019 8572 2450 11022 2020 7230 1521 8751 2021 9407 2200 11607 2022 8844 2873 11717 Source: NCRB (2018-2021) and RTIs (2022) Top 5 districts in terms of missing children in Madhya Pradesh in 2022 Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reworked its team of central office-bearers on Saturday. BJP president J.P. Nadda announced the new list of 13 vice presidents, and nine general secretaries. Among the list of names stood out Anil Antony, son of veteran Congress leader A K Antony, who has been brought in as a national secretary. In January this year, Anil had announced his resignation from Congress party. His opinions on the BBC documentary, The Modi Question, was not received well with his fellow party members which resulted in his exit. BJP also brought in Pasmanda Muslim from Uttar Pradesh as one of its vice presidents and also former Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar was named as a national general secretary. C.T. Ravi, a leader from Karnataka and Dilip Saikia, an MP from Assam was dropped by the BJP. Reportedly, they are expected to contest for the upcoming LS polls. In order to woo the Pasmanda Muslims, former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor, now a BJP MLC in Uttar Pradesh, has been made a vice-president. Most of the office-bearers have been retained as vice-presidents, general secretaries and secretaries in the new list. There are 13 vice-presidents, nine general secretaries, including B. L. Santhosh as the in-charge of organisation, and 13 secretaries in the list. Former Union minister Radha Mohan Singh, a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, has been dropped as a party vice-president. (With PTI inputs) Hindutva activist Sambhaji Bhide is facing severe criticism from almost all corners after his derogatory remarks about Mahatma Gandhi. A couple of days ago, in a public meeting at Amaravati, Bhide claimed that Karamchand Gandhi was not the real father of Gandhi and that his real father was a Muslim landlord. Bhides outrageous claim sparked a wave of anger among admirers of Gandhi and leaders of almost all secular parties demanded strict action against Bhide, an octogenarian who founded Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, a right-wing organisation that is popular in western Maharashtra. This is not the first time Bhide is making controversial statements. In the past, he had claimed that if women ate mangoes from his orchard, they would be blessed with a male child. Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan demanded in the state assembly that Bhide should be immediately arrested for his insulting remarks about the Mahatma. Former minister and Congress legislator Vijay Wadettiwar said Bhide is known for poisoning the minds of youth through such claims and he is acting on behalf of RSS. On one hand Prime Minister Modi bows before Mahatma Gandhi wherever he goes abroad and on the other hand, people like Bhide, from the same Sangh Parivar carry out a campaign to insult and abuse Gandhiji without the slightest hesitation. Such a person (Bhide) should be thrown in jail permanently, said Wadettiwar. Former minister and another senior Congress leader Yashomati Thakur demanded that Bhide should be thrown out of the country. Prominent Marathi actor and poet Kishore Kadam too has demanded immediate arrest of Bhide. However, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis are yet to order any strict action against Bhide. Bank turmoil arrived in small-town America on Friday night when a tiny four-branch bank in Kansas failed, becoming the fourth lender to be seized by regulators this year and the fifth to fold altogether. According to the Kansas State Banking Commissioner David Herndon, the event "had nothing to do" with the year's earlier regional bank failures. The Heartland Tri-State Bank, of Elkhart, Kan., is the smallest to go under in 2023 by far. It had $139 million in assets when it went down Friday, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The other banks that failed thus far this year all had assets of more than $100 billion, including Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The biggest was First Republic, which had $229 billion when it was seized by regulators in May, becoming the second-largest bank failure in US history. The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March were the third- and fourth-biggest ever. Silvergate agreed in March to shut itself down voluntarily. First Republic is the year's biggest bank failure. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) 'An isolated event' The Kansas Office of the State Banking Commissioner said in a release that Bank Commissioner David Herndon "determined that Heartland Tri-State Bank was insolvent" and that it "became insolvent due to an isolated event." Herndon said in a later interview with Yahoo Finance that "the bank was a victim of a scam that suddenly caused its insolvency" and "it had nothing to do with any of the reported turmoils, or the closures from March of the banks in California, New York, and that sort of thing." He could not offer more details on the matter in light of an ongoing investigation into the matter. Heartland is one of thousands of small community banks that serve local areas across the US. Most banks in this country are more like Heartland than they are like industry giant JPMorgan Chase, which has thousands of branches and more than $3 trillion in assets. Elkhart, where Heartland is headquartered, has a population of less than 2,000 people, according to 2021 US Census records, and is located in the southwest corner of the state. Story continues Elkhart was among the many towns in that part of the country struck by "Dust Bowl" storms in the 1930s. A dust storm in Elkhart, Kan., in May 1937. (Library Of Congress/Getty Images) Another community bank in that state Dream First Bank, of Syracuse, Kan. agreed to assume all of Heartland Tri-State's deposits and purchase "essentially all" of the failed bank's assets, according to the FDIC. The FDIC agreed to share future losses on loans purchased by Dream First. It estimates this failure will cost the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund $54.2 million. Dream First had $480 million in assets as of March 31, making it the 1,515th-largest in the US. Its founding dates to 1906, and it said on its website that it played "a key role in growing the community and bringing the dairy industry to southwest Kansas." Correction: An earlier version of this story included Silvergate Bank as one of the banks that failed this year. Silvergate chose to voluntarily wind down its operations. Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including events that move stocks Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Battling a split in the party, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar has decided to launch his statewide tour on August 16. Pawar faced the biggest challenge in his political career when his nephew Ajit Pawar recently raised a banner of rebellion and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government as deputy chief minister. Eight other senior NCP leaders followed him and joined the state cabinet as ministers. The revolt by Ajit prompted a show of strength on July 5 by both groups - Pawar Senior loyalists and those who sided with Ajit. As of now Ajit has claimed support of 40 of the 53 NCP legislators and two MPs. Pawar had said on July 5 that he will rebuild the party and fight the battle in peoples court instead of a protracted legal battle. He had then announced that he would start his statewide campaign to take on the rebels by holding rallies in their constituencies and strongholds. Accordingly, the first rally was organized at Yeola in Nashik district, the constituency of veteran NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who has now joined hands with Ajit. Then Pawar was scheduled to travel to Ambegaon in Pune district and the constituency of Dilip Walse-Patil, another NCP veteran who is also among the party's founding members. But that tour didnt happen because of heavy rainfall in the region. When the monsoon session of the state legislature started on July 17, Ajit surprised everyone by visiting his uncle on the very first day to seek his blessings. The next day he took all his supporter legislators to meet Pawar Senior. These two meetings raised suspicions whether the latter had decided to support his nephew. However, the NCP supremo denied it and went to Bengaluru to attend the meeting of opposition parties. Meanwhile, Jayant Patil, the state president of Pawar loyalist NCP faction, took the loyalist legislators for a dinner at a five-star hotel in south Mumbai. There he was questioned about the ambivalence by the party on Ajit and other leaders who left with him. Patil told the gathering that there was no ambiguity on the issue of joining NDA and Pawar Senior was very clear that his NCP was very much part of opposition unity. During this meeting, a suggestion came up that there was an urgent need to clear doubts in the minds of thousands of party workers across the state and Pawar Senior was the best person to do it. Following this, a statewide tour was mooted. There are couple of options on the table for the NCP supremo's tour. Either, he will focus on the assembly constituencies of rebel legislators and hold rallies in each of them. Another option is to start the tour from temple town of Tuljapur after seeking blessings of Goddess Tulja Bhavani, one of the most revered deities of Maharashtra. Nitty-gritty of both the plans are being worked out and they will be submitted before Pawar Senior soon for his final approval. Thus it seems that the ageing Maratha leader is preparing to go all out against his nephew in order to rebuild the party. Twenty-four years after the Kargil conflict, no Indian soldiers sit on the icy dominating heights, including at the 16,610 feet high (5,062m) Tiger Hills or the Tololing Ridge that overlook the vital National Highway number 1 (NH-1) connecting the Kashmir Valley to Ladakh. The reason is simple. Pakistani soldiers and intruders who had stealthily taken positions at those heights in 1999 were hunted down and driven out about 9-10km away from the dominating heights to across the Line of Control (LoC). General Pervez Musharrafs Operation Badr had aimed to occupy the dominating heights in Kargil. It would have severed road connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh, thereby crippling supplies and troop movement to the sensitive Siachen glacier. Musharrafs brilliant plan was to secure for Pakistan a higher bargaining position that would have forced India to yield concessions on Kashmir. But that over 60-day-long war in May-July 1999 unleashed tremendous forces that changed the Indian military and continue to impact policies till date. First, the ongoing process of change and historic reformation in the Indian military in the appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the jointness, integration and threatisation effort as well as the need to have a younger profile for the Indian soldiers in form of the Agnipath system had their seeds sown during the Kargil conflict. Both the Kargil Review Committee report (2000) and the Group of Ministers Report (2001) had made these recommendations. Second, the recent US fighter aircraft GE F414 aero-engine and the General Atomics MQ 9B Reaper drone deals with India or even the agreement for semiconductor manufacture and sharing critical emerging technologies, have their genesis in a changed trajectory in the India-US bilateral ties. The seeds of this change lay in the Kargil conflict. It warmed up US to India, ending a period of cold relationship after India conducted the nuclear tests in May 1998. Kargil led to the beginning of USs disengagement with Pakistan and the beginning of an engagement with India, thereby setting a new trajectory for India-US ties. It consequently led to Indias designation as a strategic partner of the US and brought in the centrality of India in the USs Indo-Pacific policy. To cold shoulder Pakistan when it was so vital for USs operations in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and later when US forces moved into Afghanistan post 9/11 or even to counter a rising China, would have required a big change in US policy. It is Kargil that contributed to that change. Third, after the Indian militarys 'Operation Vijay' successfully countered Pakistan Army chief Musharrafs 'Operation Badr', it demonstrated before the world, Indias expertise in high-altitude warfare in oxygen-depleted, freezing cold and extremely mountainous terrain. The valour of Indian soldiers in beating back the intruders, shrugging off Pakistans first-mover advantage under extremely difficult conditions, stood underlined. Fourth, from then on, Indias intelligence network was sewn into the countrys military architecture. Intelligence, counter-terrorist operations and civil-military relations were special areas of focus in the Kargil Review Committee recommendations. This was perhaps one of the earlier instances of seeking a whole-of-the-nation effort. Fifth, India was able to consolidate its hold on the strategic peaks and dominating heights along the border with Pakistan. Continuous border vigil and military consolidation became a key factor in the border management plan that has now stood the test of time. A delegation of 20 MPs belonging to opposition alliance INDIA will head to Manipur on Saturday to assess the ground situation in the violence-hit state. The two-day visit comes a month after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited relief camps and interacted with those affected by the ethnic clashes in the northeastern state. The opposition parties have been protesting in Parliament, demanding a detailed statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a subsequent discussion on the Manipur issue. Proceedings in both Houses have been affected by the protests since the beginning of the monsoon session and the BJP accused the opposition bloc of creating tension in parliament. The delegation will also meet Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Sunday morning, reports stated. The MPs have also sought permission to use helicopters, and if allowed, they will visit far-flung areas of Churachandpur district where fresh violence was reported, Indian Express stated. The MPs had been requesting for permission to visit the strife-torn state but were denied permission till now owing to the situation. The Congress has also called for an inquiry under a retired Supreme Court judge into the violence in Manipur. The ethnic violence between the Kukis and Meiteis which broke out on May 3 has killed over 160 people and injured hundreds. Earlier this month, a viral video of two women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted in Manipur, triggered outrage across the country, and made international headlines. The BJP has come under sharp criticism over of its handling of the tense situation in the northeastern state and inaction towards Chief Minister Biren Singh. The delegation The delegation of representative of the parties in the newly-formed opposition alliance will visit relief camps to get first-hand information of the situation, and 'suggest solutions and recommendations to the government and parliament', the leaders said. According to reports, The delegation will include Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress, TMC's Sushmita Dev, JMM's Mahua Maji, DMK's Kanimozhi, NCP's Mohammad Faizal, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of Revolutionary Socialist Party and T Thirumavalavan of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. JDU chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JDU), CPI's Sandosh Kumar, CPI(M)'s AA Rahim, Samajwadi Party's Javed Ali Khan, IUML's E T Mohammed Basheer, AAP's Sushil Gupta, Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena-Uddhav Thackeray), D Ravikumar (DMK) and Phulo Devi Netam (Congress) will also be part of the delegation. BJP warns INDIA The BJP has warned the opposition MPs to desist from 'aggravating the situation' during their visit to violence-hit Manipur. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said he has no objection to opposition leaders visiting the violence-hit state but they should not aggravate the situation there. BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav said opposition leaders are merely doing a "drama". "They are running away from discussing the issue in Parliament and are trying to take mileage from the situation," he said. The Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant, Governor, Manoj Sinha, on Saturday attended the 10th Muharram procession in Srinagar and distributed refreshments among the participants. The procession is taken out by Shia Muslims in remembrance of the battle of Karbala, in which Imam Hussain, grandson of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad was killed along with his companions 1,400 years ago. This year, the government allowed the procession after more than three decades. The administration said the Muharram procession is a testament to the improved situation in Kashmir. Dressed in black like many mourners, Sinha visited Bota Kadal in downtown Srinagar and distributed refreshments to those participating in the procession. He extended full support to the people on the occasion. The procession will culminate at Zadibal, a few kilometres from Bota Kadal. ADGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bhiduri, SSP Srinagar Rakesh Balwal, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Muhammad Aijaz Asad and other officials accompanied Sinha. The Shia community thanked the administration for allowing the procession and making necessary arrangements. The procession used to be an annual affair in Kashmir before the eruption of militancy. Shia Muslims in other parts of Kashmir also took out the procession peacefully. Political parties have welcomed the lifting of the ban on Muharram procession. On Thursday (8th Muharram), the government allowed the Muharram procession from Guru Bazar to Dalgate for two hours. The event passed off peacefully. Due to its positive feedback, the government gave the go-ahead to the 10th Muharram procession. Last week, the administration and Shia leaders held talks regarding permission for the Muharram procession. After some hiccups, the government agreed to allow the procession and made adequate security arrangements for the event. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), an umbrella group of tribals in Manipur, on Saturday, wrote a letter to opposition alliance INDIA, seeking its support for their demand of a separate administration and implementation of President's rule in the violence-hit state. The development comes on a day when a team of the opposition bloc visited the riot-hit town of Churachandpur in Manipur where they met Kuki leaders and members of the civil society besides ethnic strife victims in the relief camps where they were lodged. Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes since May 3 between the majority Meiteis and tribals, that have left over 150 people dead. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts. "We fervently appeal to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take up our cause and apprise the nation about our plight. "We implore you to help us survive this onslaught by supporting our demand for a separate administration from Manipur and to urge the central government to introduce President rule immediately in Manipur to end the violence," the ITLF said in its two-page letter to the opposition parties. MPs of opposition alliance INDIA visit relief camps in Manipur | Salil Bera The ITLF alleged that thousands of weapons looted from state armouries in capital Imphal are being used in the "ethnic cleansing campaign". It said blockade of the only national highway leading to the hills of Churachandpur, the state's largest district, also means that lakhs of tribals are facing shortage of essential commodities and medicine. Since the start of the violence on May 3, the ITLF said it has recorded 119 confirmed deaths, mostly innocent civilians, among the tribals with over 7,000 homes burnt, 359 churches destroyed and more than 40,000 tribals displaced. 'Was Centre sleeping till now?' Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters after visiting a relief camp, "They are talking of investigation by CBI (into the crimes committed)... I would like to ask were they (central government) sleeping till now?" TMC leader Sushmita Dev said the team will speak with representatives of both the communities. "Everyone's voice must be heard. We will be talking to both Kukis and Meiteis." Teams from the delegation flew to Churachandpur in two helicopter flights. The team led by Chowdhury visited a relief camp set up at the Boys Hostel of Churachandpur College. Another team, comprising Congress's deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and others, went to a relief camp at Don Bosco School in Churachandpur. "We are here to spread the message of peace," Gogoi said. After returning to Imphal, the team led by Chowdhury will visit a relief camp at Moirang College in Bishnupur district by road to meet victims from the Meitei community. The other team of opposition MPs will go to the Ideal Girl's College relief camp at Akampat in Imphal East district and will visit another camp at Lamboikhongangkhong in Imphal West. On Sunday morning, the delegation of opposition MPs will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest. MPs of opposition alliance INDIA visit relief camps in Manipur | Salil Bera The team is scheduled to return to the national capital on Sunday afternoon. Besides Chowdhury and Gogoi, and Dev, the delegation includes JMM's Mahua Maji, DMK's Kanimozhi, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N.K. Premachandran of RSP, JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JD-U), CPI's P. Sandosh Kumar and CPI(M)'s A.A. Rahim among others. Rally held to protest against demand for 'separate administration' by Kukis A massive rally was taken out in Imphal on Saturday to protest against the demand for a 'separate administration' for areas inhabited by the Kuki community. Tens of thousands of demonstrators from across five valley districts of the state participated in the rally. The protest march, organised by Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), began at Thangmeiband in Imphal West district and culminated at Hapta Kangjeibunand in Imphal East, covering a distance of 5km. Holding aloft placards, demonstrators raised slogans against those who demanded separate administration, and against "illegal immigrants from Myanmar". Notably, ten MLAs from the Kuki community in Manipur had, in May, demanded a separate administration, stating that the administration had miserably failed to protect the Chin-Kuki-Zomi tribals. Kukis, who have demanded a separate administration, have however not made clear the definition of a separate administration as also the areas for which they are claiming such a dispensation. The committee that organised the rally was also against the ongoing talks, reportedly being held in Delhi, between a home ministry team and former Kuki militants. (With PTI inputs) The Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances has pulled up the Union government for failing to fulfil its assurance given on the floor of the House in 2019 about providing information on whether there were any discrepancies between the electronic voting machines and the voter verifiable paper audit trail in the Lok Sabha elections held that year. The Committee on Government Assurances, in its 85th report on the Review of Pending Assurances Pertaining to the Ministry of Law and Justice, expressed its disappointment about the government having failed to provide Parliament with the information and said it was deeply concerned to note that the inputs from the Election Commission are still awaited by the ministry. ...finding discrepancies between electronic voting machines and voter verifiable paper audit trail is a crucial aspect of ensuring the integrity and transparency of the electoral process. The Committee feels that the need for identifying such issues is all the more necessary to ensure security and reliability of the voting process. EVMs and VVPATs are designed to provide an accurate reflection of voter's choice. Detecting discrepancies helps ensure compliance with legal requirements. Election authorities, government agencies and experts in the field should collaborate to establish robust procedures and protocols to address discrepancies effectively, the committee said. The Committee, however, regrets to note that precious little has been done in this direction with the result that the Assurance given by the Government as early as June, 2019 still remains unfulfilled even after a lapse of more than four years although the task involved was simply to collect information from the Election Commission, it said in the report. It said it was deeply concerned to note that the requisite information is still awaited from the Election Commission. The panel pulled up the ministry, saying the very fact that information has not been received explains the lack of concerted and coordinated approach of the ministry on the issue. The committee said it is not convinced with the manner in which the subject matter has been handled or treated by the ministry due to which the implementation of the assurance given to Parliament has been long overdue. The Committee felt that there is an urgent necessity for identifying the discrepancies between the EVMs and VVPAT as it helps in maintaining trust in the electoral process by ensuring that votes are being recorded and counted correctly. It, therefore, has recommended to the ministry to accord utmost priority to the matter, make more serious efforts under a concrete action plan and find ways and means to better coordinate with the Election Commission and to get the requisite information. The assurance that the committee referred to was given in response to a question dated June 26, 2019 regarding 'Discrepancy in EVM and VVPAT'. The issue raised in the question were whether any discrepancy was found between the EVM and VVPAT machine counts in any of the constituencies in the Lok Sabha elections. In reply, the ministry gave an assurance that the information was being collected and will be laid on the Table of the House. Giving an update on the efforts made by it to implement the assurance, the ministry, in its status note, furnished in January 2023 stated that the requisite information was sought from the poll panel on March 12, 2020 and subsequent reminders were sent on September 3, 2020, February 19, 2021, October 7, 2021, November 26, 2021 and June 3, 2022. It said the information was still awaited from the EC. During oral evidence, the secretary, ministry of law and justice, explained the reasons for the delay in implementing the assurance, saying: This is about discrepancy in EVM and VVPAT. We had called the Election Commission but today they are having discussions with some political parties and they have said that they cannot come today. When the committee desired that the ministry should expedite the fulfilment of the assurance, the secretary, legislative department, requested for two weeks time. The committee acceded to the request for grant of extension of time and gave one month extension to the ministry to fulfil the assurance. The Lok Sabha on July 29 passed the 108-page Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill during the monsoon session of Parliament. The bill was first introduced in December last year and later referred to the joint committee of parliament for review. It essentially proposes to decriminalise 183 provisions in 42 legislations, in order to promote ease of doing business in the country. This means it aims to redefine the regulatory landscape and decriminalise small offences, get rid of outdated rules and regulations and rationalise monetary penalties. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the NDA government has repealed 1,486 laws and once the present bill gets Parliaments nod, the number of laws removed from statute books will go up to 1,562. Presently, the bill covers the Boilers Act, the Aadhaar Act, 2016, the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, the Collection of Statistics Act, the Government Securities Act, 2006, and The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, among others. The bill is part of periodical measures taken up to repeal enactments that have ceased to be in force or have become obsolete. So, among the changes made to several acts, there are certain changes applied to two sections of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, which governs the manufacturing, storage and sale of medicines in India. This has sparked a debate that it will allow drug makers to get off lightly on charges of making substandard medicines. One of the amendments proposed under the Bill will allow compounding paying a fine instead of facing imprisonment for some offences. The first amendment seeks to change the punishment for a repeated offence of using a government analysis or test report for advertising a drug. The previous punishment was imprisonment up to two years or a fine of more than Rs 10,000, which has now been proposed to only a fine, but more than Rs 5 lakh. The second amendment allows for compounding, that is, paying a fine instead of undergoing criminal proceedings for drugs not of standard quality (NSQ), as defined under Section 27 (d) of the 1940 Act. The health ministry said compounding will be allowed only for drugs that have not failed parameters considered injurious to health, that do not contain toxic substances, that do not contain substance which reduce quality or strength of a drug, that havent been manufactured in unsanitary conditions, that havent been manufactured without a licence, and that do not have any misleading labels. However, activists argue that drugs not of standard quality as listed in Section 27 (d) could be unsafe and harmful. Tweeting on the issue, Dinesh Thakur, who works in the area of drug regulation, said the press release issued by the ministry claims that Section 27(d) which prescribes criminal punishment of manufacturers of NSQ drugs has not been decriminalised. Technically, thats correct since it makes the offence compoundable, that is, pay the paltry fine and escape jail time, he said. The point of debate is: Why have the penalties been drastically reduced and why will companies not have to face imprisonment for substandard drugs, also called the NSQ drugs? There have been cases where pharma companies in the country have produced substandard drugs in the past and if this happens again, these drug makers will not face imprisonment and instead they can get away by just paying paltry fines. Industry owners have long wanted that minor offences to be decriminalised so as to totally waive off the terms for imprisonment. That will now be answered through the fresh amendments. The question is if drugs that do not conform to the standards in the Indian Pharmacopeia and are considered to be NSQ reach the market, will the offenders be imprisoned? US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned that the United States' economic arrangements with Niger is at risk due to the coup and demanded immediate restoration of democratic order in the country. The European Union also announced suspension of its economic support to Niger and suspended indefinitely all cooperation with the country. Blinken, who is in Australia as part of a Pacific tour, said the continued security and economic arrangements that Niger has with the US hinged on the release of Bazoum and the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Niger. Blinken told presspersons in Brisbane, Australia that he spoke with Bazoum by telephone but did not provide further details. Members of the Niger military announced on Wednesday they had deposed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and on Friday named General Abdourahmane Tchiani as the country's new leader, adding Niger to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa's Sahel region. Blinken said that United States' economic and security partnership with Niger depends on the continuation of democratic governance and constitutional order. Our economic and security partnership with Niger which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars, depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days, Blinken said. So that assistance, that support, is in clear jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately reversed, Blinken said. Blinken stopped short of calling the military actions in Niger a coup, a designation that could result in the African country losing millions of dollars of military aid and assistance. The very significant assistance that we have in place that's making a material difference in the lives of the people of Niger is clearly in jeopardy and we've communicated that as clearly as we possibly can to those responsible for disrupting the constitutional order and Niger's democracy," Blinken said. Blinken said the US Embassy in Niger had accounted for the safety of all staff members and their families, while issuing a security alert advising US citizens in the country to limit unnecessary movements and avoid areas impacted by the coup. The military group that conducted the coup, calling itself the 'National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country', said its members remained committed to engaging with the international and national community. Bazoum was elected two years ago in Niger's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France. Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africa's Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism. France has 1,500 soldiers in the country who conduct joint operations with Niger's military, while the US and other European countries have helped train the nation's troops. The European Union suspended financial support and all other cooperation with Niger with immediate effect. EU demanded the immediate release of Bazoum. The Guardian quoted Josep Borrell, EUs foreign policy head as saying, In addition to the immediate cessation of budget support, all cooperation actions in the domain of security are suspended indefinitely with immediate effect, Borrell said. Borrell added European Union will not recognise authorities from the coup and said, Mohamed Bazoum remains the only legitimate president of Niger. (With PTI inputs.) At least four air crew members were feared dead on Friday after an Australian Defence Force (ADF) helicopter crashed into the ocean off the Queensland state coast during joint military exercises with the US, officials said. The war games were put on hold on Saturday following the incident. The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter went down in the waters close to Hamilton Island, a Great Barrier Reef tourist resort, about 890km north of Queensland capital Brisbane, at about 10:30 pm on Friday. Defence Minister Richard Marles said a rescue operation to find the missing helicopter and its crew was underway in the area and their families were informed. Reports said debris were spotted by a rescue helicopter on Saturday morning near Dent Island in the Whitsunday Islands group. The crashed helicopter was taking part in Talisman Sabre, a biennial joint US-Australian military exercise that lasts for two weeks. This year's exercise involves 13 countries and over 30,000 military personnel, in a show of force and unity amid China's military build-up in the region. Talisman Sabre military exercise director Brigadier Damian Hill said the war games were put on hold following the crash. "I've initiated a Pause-Ex across Australia for all participants of Talisman Sabre to enable them all, regardless of their nation, to reach out and let their families know what is going on," Hill said in an official transcript. The war games are taking place largely in Queensland and various other locations across Australia. It includes mock land and air combat, as well as amphibious landings. Marles said it was taking part in a mission that involved a second helicopter, which immediately started a search and rescue operation. Defence exercises, which are so necessary for the readiness of our defence force, are serious. They carry risk. As we desperately hope for better news during the course of this day we are reminded about the gravity of the act which comes with wearing our nation's uniform, he told the media. After ousting President Mohammed Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tiani, the commander of Niger's presidential guard, declared himself as the head of state on July 28. Tiani appeared on Tele Sahel, the state television with a banner that referred to him as President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland. A statement said the constitution has been suspended and all government institutions have been dissolved. This is the seventh military takeover in West and Central Africa in less than three years. Western powers have raised concerns over the coup and Bazoum's ouster as Niger has been their key ally in the region to counter insurgencies by groups affiliated to Al Qaeda and Islamic State. Here's a look at Tiani's past accomplishments as he takes over the African country's reins. Who is General Abdourahamane Tiani? Hailing from Filingue, Tillaberi, which borders Mali, the 62-year-old general was a former military attache at Niger's embassy in Germany. He has led the elite presidential guard unit since 2011. Tiani was decorated for securing the crash site of a French UTA flight near Bilma in northern Niger in 1989. All 170 people on board were killed, following a suitcase bomb explosion. Tiani was the first officer on site, according to Reuters. Heading a battalion in Agadez, he also led military operations in the Niger desert against contraband and drug traffickers. Worsening security led to the coup: Tiani In a statement on Tele Sahel on Friday, Tiani asked "the technical and financial partners and friends of Niger to understand the specific situation of our country and provide all necessary support to help it overcome the challenges it faces". Tiania said the coup was necessary because of the worsening security in the country, adding that "we cannot continue with the same approaches proposed so far, as it risks witnessing the gradual and inevitable disappearance of our nation". US says there is room for diplomacy White House national security spokesman John Kirby said there was still room for diplomacy and warned that the US will be forced to cease security and other cooperation with Niger. French Foreign Minister Catherina Colonna referred to it as an "attempted coup" on Friday, saying the military takeover is not final. with agency inputs Richard Brian/Reuters Billionaire investor Mark Mobius confirmed all of his money is outside the US. That's because he's so bullish on emerging markets, he told CNBC. Mobius said he is focusing his investments on Taiwan, South Korea, and India. Billionaire investor Mark Mobius confirmed he has no US investments, saying he is bullish on emerging markets in Asia. "I'm all international and emerging markets in particular," the Mobius Capital Partners founder said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday. Mobius said he is focusing his investments in Taiwan, South Korea, and India. But he sounded more cautious on China, saying he is looking at Hong Kong-listed companies because they have attractive valuations. He added that the world's second-largest economy is still going through a "tremendous adjustment" that will make it "very difficult for many companies." Companies in countries like Korea are also exposed to China as they export to customers there, and are looking to diversify to reduce their dependence on China, Mobius said. As a result, he is looking for companies that have found alternative markets, while acknowledging that Korean and Taiwanese companies would have trouble completely cutting off their exposure to China. "We want companies that have been diversified internationally, and we're finding a number of these companies with incredible technology so they're able to diversify their investor base," he said. Mobius previously cautioned investors on China, as he was unable to withdraw his funds from his Shanghai HSBC account due to the government's capital controls. But he later said those issues were resolved. And while some observers have expressed concern over potential conflict between China and Taiwan, Mobius believed tensions were unlikely to boil over anytime soon. Any attack delivered on Taiwan would likely face resistance from the US, and China's economy is dependent on US markets, he said. Story continues Mobius has also turned more bullish on India, as companies like Apple are shifting towards India in order to diversify their business away from China. India's population of 1.4 billion is also larger than China's, and its GDP is growing at a rate of 7% a year. Those factors can help the nation become a significant supply base in the future, he said. In Korea, Mobius was enticed by the nation's impressive technological developments, pointing to one company he invested in that's developing machines to smooth over wrinkles. Other Wall Street commentators have turned optimistic on emerging market investments as financial conditions tighten in the US. Emerging markets could top the US in the global stock market starting in 2030, Goldman Sachs estimated. Meanwhile, the MSCI Emerging Markets exchange traded fund has risen 10% this year. Read the original article on Business Insider NEW DELHI, July 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Every story needs to be told, and here is one woman's story, like no other tumultuous, full of courage and teeming with the timeless themes of love, relationships, betrayal, grief and most of all, human resilience. Unbroken, published by HarperCollins India, is the story of Indrani Mukerjea, in her own words, for the very first time. Talking about the book, Indrani Mukerjea says, "In Unbroken, I strip away the layers of sensationalism that surrounded me and reveal the raw truth of my experiences. In these pages, I lay bare my vulnerabilities and the complexities of my relationships, and the life I led. Through the book, I want to reach out to anyone who has faced adversity and believed they were beyond repair. Each of us has it in us to rise from the ashes of our darkest moments and find strength in the face of relentless scrutiny, and I hope the reader finds that strength when they walk with me on this journey." Adding to the above, Bushra Ahmed, Senior Commissioning Editor HarperCollins India, says, "In my very first meeting with Indrani I knew this is a story that needs to be told. Like everyone else, I had seen the news stories, but no one really knew Indrani's side of the story. In the end, this is a story of a family, of an infamous media trial, Indrani's experiences in prison and a saga that continues to captivate us." ABOUT THE BOOK You've seen the headlines and heard the rumours. Now hear the story from the woman who was at the centre of it all. 25 AUGUST 2015 was to be a happy day for Indrani Mukerjeaa birthday celebration had been planned in the family. But everything changed when she was accosted by a group of officers of the Mumbai Police in plain clothes as she exited Anand Ashram that day. The charge: the murder of her daughter, Sheena Bora. As the news spread and more details unravelled, Indrani found herself in the middle of a sensational murder investigation. A fast-expanding list of suspects, the beginnings of a sinister plot, and the strong whiff of scandalthe media had smelt blood. And soon, Indrani was under the merciless glare of journalists and television anchors, making her a household name. Accusations of filicide, broken marriages, a mighty business empire, the gilded lives of the rich and famous, powerful politicians, and a complicated familythis case had it all. As a constant feed of images and updates from the trial bombarded television screens across the country, people across the country grew more and more curious about this woman who was at the very heart of the controversy and stories swirling around. In her memoir, Unbroken, Indrani doesn't hold back. From her childhood in Guwahati, the time she spent in Calcutta in the 1990s to her meteoric rise as a media baron in Mumbai, the city of dreams, and nally, the 2460 days she spent in Byculla jail as prisoner number 1468this is her journey, in her own words, for the very rst time. Told with unflinching honesty, Indrani's memoir speaks to the fragility of human relationships, the devastating aftermath of betrayal and grief, and the power of human resilience, of a woman who despite it all remains unbroken. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Indrani Mukerjea is an India-born British media baron. From founding INX Services Private Limited in Kolkata to co-founding and leading INX Media in Mumbai, Indrani's journey in the media business makes for a great story of entrepreneurial spirit. The Wall Street Journal acknowledged her remarkable contributions by including her in their prestigious list of '50 Women to Watch'. Committed to promoting fairness, justice and rehabilitation within the prison system, Mukerjea has embraced philanthropy and is actively engaged in improving the lives of prison inmates in undertrial prisons. She can be found at @indranimukerjea on Instagram. For more information, please contact: Shabnam.srivastava@harpercollins.co.in Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2105077/4095906/HarperCollins_Logo.jpg (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR New Delhi (India), July 29: A prominent figure has emerged within the Indian Youth Congress, the youth wing of the Congress party. His journey from a Ward President to now serving as the National Secretary of the Indian Youth Congress has been marked by relentless struggles and unwavering commitment. Drawing inspiration from the ideologies of Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, and Rahul Gandhi's "shop of love," Satyaveer Aloria has dedicated his life to strengthening democracy and uplifting underprivileged sections of society. Beyond his political commitments, Satyaveer Aloria exhibits an altruistic nature through various social initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he funded vaccination drives at different locations and distributed ration kits to aid the underprivileged. Additionally, he has organized blood donation camps and social awareness programs, striving to eradicate child marriage and other social ills under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign. Hailing from a lower-middle-class family in Jaipur, Satyaveer faced early challenges when his father's mental illness burdened the family, and responsibilities fell on his young shoulders. Despite adversities, he persisted in his studies and supported his family by establishing a vegetable stall and selling ripe bananas. Determined to prioritize education and transcend circumstances, Aloria continued his studies while fulfilling household duties. Satyaveer's academic journey led him to pass Class X from Lakshmi Shikshan Sansthan Senior Secondary School in 2003 and Class XII from Vivekananda Senior Secondary School in 2005. He pursued higher education at Rajasthan University Rajasthan College, where he showed a keen interest in politics while assisting students from rural backgrounds. Following his graduation in 2008, he pursued law at Rajasthan University's Law College, envisioning a path to fight for the rights of the marginalized and deprived. In 2011, armed with a degree in law and a fervent determination to champion the causes of the poor, oppressed, backward, rural communities, farmers, youth, and women, Satyaveer Aloria embarked on a life devoted to politics. He tied the knot with Mamta Aloria on 24th January 2015, and together they have two children, a daughter named Satvika and a son named Satyadev. Satyaveer's political journey commenced with grassroots struggles, leading him to become the Ward President of Ward 70 from 2006 to 2007. With each step, he climbed the ladder of success within the Indian Youth Congress, becoming the Block President of Vidyadhar Nagar Youth Congress from 2007 to 2008, the District Secretary of Jaipur Youth Congress from 2008 to 2009, and the District General Secretary of Jaipur Youth Congress from 2009 to 2010. Having garnered experience and support, Satyaveer aimed higher and won the election as the Vidyadhar Nagar Youth Congress Assembly President from 2010 to 2013. His political acumen and dedication earned him successive positions, serving as the State Secretary from 2015 to 2017 and then the State General Secretary from 2017 to 2020. In 2020, Satyaveer's aspirations led him to contest the organization elections of the Rajasthan Youth Congress, where he became the State Vice-President before ultimately ascending to the coveted role of National Secretary of the Indian Youth Congress in 2022. Currently, Satyaveer Aloria is contesting as a Congress candidate from Jaipur's Bagru constituency, leading a formidable team of youth with a shared vision to serve the nation and its people. With a remarkable journey that exemplifies the power of dedication and determination, Satyaveer Aloria continues to inspire the youth of India, serving as a symbol of hope and change in the political landscape. His passion for social welfare and commitment to empowering the marginalized make him a force to be reckoned with as he vies for a brighter future for the people he represents. For more information, visit: https:atyaveeraloriya.com/ (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PNN and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR Islamabad, Jul 29 (PTI) Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will arrive here on Sunday on a three-day visit to participate in the 10th anniversary celebrations of the ambitious multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the foreign office said on Saturday. The Vice Premier, who is a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, will visit Islamabad from July 30 to August 1 at the invitation of Pakistan, the statement from the FO said. Vice Premier He will attend the 10th-anniversary celebrations of CPEC and call on the President and the Prime Minister, FO said, adding that He will also be the chief guest at an event celebrating the decade of the CPEC. The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013. The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China's ambitious multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The BRI was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to further its influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments all over the world. The initiative also led to allegations of smaller countries reeling under mounting Chinese debt after Sri Lanka gave its Hambantota port in a debt swap to China in 2017 on a 99-year lease. Vice Premier He has played a prominent role in Chinas international economic relations and implementation of the BRI. As the Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (2017-23), he also was instrumental in the planning and execution of multiple CPEC projects in Pakistan. The Pakistan FO said that the visit reflects the importance attached by Pakistan and China to further deepen their All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. It also reaffirms support on issues of each others core interests; enhances economic and financial cooperation; advances high-quality development of CPEC; and explores new avenues for strengthening trade and investment ties between the two countries. Colombo, Jul 29 (PTI) Sri Lanka with its location at a strategic juncture along the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean is an important partner in realising a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa said here on Saturday. Yoshimasa arrived here late on Friday on a two-day visit to the island nation after meetings in New Delhi. He held talks with President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday, amidst China's aggressive investment projects in the cash-strapped nation. At todays (Saturday's) meeting, I explained about the new plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced in March this year," he said. Yoshimasa was referring to the Japanese prime minister's statement that Japan attaches importance to cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to be chaired by Sri Lanka in October this year. The US, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the resource-rich region. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. China also has territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea. Yoshimasa wished for further progress in Sri Lankas debt restructuring process and stressed the importance of a transparent and comparable debt restructuring that involves all creditor countries. Sri Lanka was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. I welcomed Sri Lanka's efforts under the IMF agreement, including its anti-corruption measures and transparency in the policy-making process. I also commended Sri Lanka's efforts on national reconciliation, and expressed Japans intention to support Sri Lankas efforts, the minister said. Analysts have described the visit of the Japanese foreign minister as a demonstration of Wickremesinghes efforts to repair Sri Lanka's soured relationship with Japan. The Sri Lankan president visited Japan twice since being elected in July 2022. His predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksas action to halt a Japanese light railway project caused Japan to claim damages from Sri Lanka. Colombo, Jul 29 (PTI) Indian naval ship 'Khanjar', an indigenously-built Missile Corvette of the Khukri class, will make a three-day visit to Sri Lankas eastern harbour of Trincomalee from Saturday to further people-to-people connect and familiarise the people with the Indian Navy. The visit is significant in view of the potential for cooperation between India and Sri Lanka for augmenting the capabilities of the Sri Lanka Navy for efficiently addressing shared challenges for maritime security in the region, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement on Friday. The ships Commanding Officer NVS Phani Kumar will call on the Commander of Eastern Naval Area, while various professional interactions will take place on VBSS, gunnery and missile operations. "In order to further people-to-people connect and familiarise the people with the Indian Navy and its capabilities, the ship will be open for a visit by school children," the statement said. The public can visit the ship on July 30 July at Trincomalee Port. The ship will also carry out a Yoga Session, Beach Cleaning and Special School in Trincomalee, the statement said. On July 31, post departure, a Maritime Partnership Exercise with Sri Lanka Navy Ship off Trincomalee is also planned, it said. In June, Indian Naval Submarine Vagir visited Colombo to celebrate the International Day of Yoga. Last week, during Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sri Lankan President agreed upon 'Promoting Connectivity, Catalysing Prosperity: India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership Vision'. The leaders acknowledged that the India-Sri Lanka partnership has been a source of strength in overcoming economic difficulties faced by Sri Lanka and Wickremesinghe especially appreciated Indias timely, unprecedented, and crucial support to the Government and the people of Sri Lanka, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on July 21. The two leaders agreed on establishing land connectivity between Sri Lanka and India for developing land access to the ports of Trincomalee and Colombo. To promote maritime connectivity, they agreed to cooperate in the development of ports and logistics infrastructure at Colombo, Trincomalee and Kankesanthurai with an aim to consolidate regional logistics and shipping, as per mutual understanding. Visits by Indian Navy vessels to Sri Lanka further strengthen the camaraderie and interoperability between the Navies of the two neighbours, in keeping with Indias SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine and the Neighbourhood First policy. London, Jul 29 (PTI) A number of British Asian men have been found guilty of being part of an organised crime group linked to what UK authorities said was a prolific people smuggling racket. Najib Khan, 38, was identified as being part of the network by the UKs National Crime Agency (NCA) and convicted of three counts of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration at the end of a trial at Reading Crown Court on Friday. He was caught following the arrest of a co-conspirator, Waqas Ikram, 40, who had pleaded guilty to the charge earlier. At the time of his arrest, Ikram was working for a people-smuggling gang headed by one Mohammed Mokter Hossain, who was later jailed for more than 10 years for transporting migrants in lorries in both directions across the English Channel following an NCA investigation codenamed Operation Symbolry. Ikram and Khan had no regard for the safety and security of those they were transporting, they were only interested in making money from them, said NCA branch commander Andy Noyes. In at least one case it was only the fact that the migrants were discovered by border agents that prevented them from being left in what could have been an incredibly dangerous, and potentially fatal, situation. They then moved their attention to obtaining boats, but fortunately, we were able to stop them before their plans progressed, he said. The NCA said an iPhone belonging to Ikram, seized following his arrest, contained numerous conversations with Khan outlining their involvement in a separate people smuggling network, charging migrants up to GBP 7,000 a head to bring them to the UK. Phone evidence showed that the two had been involved in a successful crossing involving five migrants being transported in March 2019, and two other attempts that had been foiled by border agents. The first of these involved 15 Vietnamese and one Afghan migrant found in a lorry at the Hook of Holland as it prepared to board a ferry to the coastal England town of Harwich. And in August that same year, 16 migrants including 11 minors were rescued from a purpose-built concealment in a lorry carrying 2,000 loose tyres. The lorry was preparing to board a ferry from Dieppe in France to Newhaven in England and officers reported the heat and the nature of the concealment made breathing difficult. The lorry drivers involved in both would later be jailed in the Netherlands and France, but the NCA said it was able to prove Ikrams gang had been involved in both attempts. Further conversations between Khan and Ikram showed they were using GPS trackers to follow lorries that they had arranged to be broken into without drivers knowledge to stow migrants. One of the trackers was found at Khans house when he was arrested by the NCA. In 2020, Khan and Ikram purchased a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) for the purpose of smuggling migrants, and Ikram attended a course for piloting powerboats. The pair were encountered by the UK Border Force in July of that year off the coast of Suffolk in their RHIB. They told officers they were scouting for scuba diving sites, and returned to Walton-on-the-Naze. Ikram was arrested by the NCA for his role in Operation Symbolry in 2021 and charged with people smuggling offences. Both he and Khan were detained in connection with further offences by the NCA in July 2022 and charged with three counts of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration. Tackling people smuggling is a priority for the NCA, and we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the organised crime groups involved, added Noyes. Khan and Ikram will be sentenced at the end of October. Washington, Jul 29 (PTI) Hirsh Vardhan Singh, an Indian-American engineer, has announced his bid for the White House, becoming the third person of Indian descent after Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy to join the crowded Republican field of candidates vying to become US President in 2024. In a video message posted on Twitter, Singh, 38, said that he is a lifelong Republican and America First conservative who worked to restore a conservative wing of the New Jersey Republican Party. "We need strong leadership to reverse the changes that have occurred in the past few years and restore American values. That is why I have decided to seek the Republican Partys nomination for the 2024 election for the office of president of the United States, Singh said on Friday in a 3-minute video. He officially filed his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday, reported The Hill newspaper on Friday. Prior to Singh, former South Carolina Governor Haley, 51, and millionaire entrepreneur Ramaswamy, 37, announced their candidacy from the Republican Party for the top US post earlier this year. They will contest against former US president Donald Trump, who is leading in the race for the Republican Party's nomination for 2024 despite the legal challenges he is facing. Republicans will meet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from July 15-18, 2024, for their national convention to formally select their partys next presidential nominee. Singh also called himself the only pureblood candidate because he never gave in to the COVID vaccinations. He ran in the Republican primaries for governor of New Jersey in 2017 and 2021, for a House seat in 2018 and for Senate in 2020 but was unsuccessful in winning the Republican Party's nomination, the report said. In his most recent run for governor, he campaigned as a more conservative option more closely aligned with former president Trump than the eventual nominee, Jack Ciattarelli, but he came in third for the nomination. Singh is one of several long-shot candidates in the race, including former Cranston, Rhode Island, Mayor Steve Laffey, Michigan businessman Perry Johnson and Texas pastor Ryan Binkley, it said. Toronto, Jul 28 (PTI) Canadian authorities on Friday said they found a body this month in the St Lawrence River which belonged to a man connected to an investigation into the drowning of eight migrants, including members of an Indian family, in March when they were trying to enter the US from Canada illegally. The body has been identified as Casey Oakes, who disappeared in March after he was last seen operating a boat later found near the bodies of two migrant families. One of the families was from Romania and the other was from India. The Indian victims have been identified by their kin in India as Pravin Chaudhary (50), Dakshaben Chaudhary (45), their daughter Vidhi (23), and son Met (20). Oakes was 30 when he disappeared on March 29. His body was found in the river on July 3 near Ross Island, but it took some time for the identity to be confirmed. He had last been seen at night, launching into St Lawrence from the eastern part of Cornwall Island near the Ontario-Quebec border in a light blue boat. His family reported him missing the next day, the same day the bodies of six people, including a two-year-old child, were found in the water. Two other bodies were recovered the following day. Police believe the victims were attempting to cross into the US. In a news release issued Friday, Akwesasne Mohawk police said the coroner's office recently confirmed Oakes's identity. "We wish to extend our condolences to Casey's family and thank them for their patience during a difficult time," the police service said. "No further information will be released at this time." The investigation into Oakes's death, and the deaths of eight foreign nationals who were crossing the river by boat, continues, police said. Colombo, Jul 29 (PTI) French President Emmanuel Macron pledged strong support for the island nation's debt restructuring and discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe during a historic visit to Colombo. The first-ever visit by a French president to Sri Lanka took place as the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic ties this year. Macron, who was on his return home from a 5-day visit to the Pacific islands of Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, was met by Wickremesinghe at the airport and spent over two hours in Colombo on Friday. His visit marked the first time a French President visited Sri Lanka. Wickremesinghe and Macron held "friendly and productive" bilateral discussions to enhance and elevate the existing relations between Sri Lanka and France, the President's Media Division said in a statement on Saturday. The discussions figured on Sri Lankas ongoing debt restructuring process. Macron reaffirmed Frances willingness and commitment to support Sri Lanka in its economic recovery. As Colombo's fourth-largest creditor, France pledged its assistance in the debt restructuring process, aiming for a positive outcome for the country, the statement said. Sri Lanka was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. Sri Lanka and France are two nations in the Indian Ocean sharing the same goal: an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific. In Colombo, we confirmed it: strong as in our 75 years of diplomatic relations, we would open a new era to our partnership, Macron tweeted after the meeting. The discussions during the over-one-hour meeting between the two presidents focused on strengthening cooperation in various sectors, including politics, economics, tourism, climate change, sustainable development, and maritime activities. As part of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations, several specific areas for further collaboration were identified, according to the statement. "These areas of cooperation included the establishment of a school for maritime safety and security, the opening of a permanent office for the French Agency for Development (AFD) in Sri Lanka, the initiation of high-level diplomatic dialogues, cooperation in the education sector, and the enhancement of efforts to combat human trafficking in the maritime safety and security sector," the statement reads. Additionally, both leaders exchanged views on regional and multilateral interests in the current global context. Macron expressed keen interest in collaborating with Sri Lanka during its upcoming chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), of which France is a member. Wickremesinghe showed interest in the Indian Ocean Commission, where France actively participates, and conveyed Sri Lankas agreement to join the Paris Agenda for the People and the Planet, emphasising the island nation's commitment to global efforts for a sustainable future. He also expressed admiration for France's significant role in global affairs, particularly in areas such as climate mitigation, global debt restructuring, and matters related to the Indo-Pacific region. In June, Wickremesinghe met Macron in Paris during the heads of state sessions of the conference for a New Global Financing Pact. Meanwhile, the Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa also arrived Friday night on a two-day visit and paid a courtesy call on Wickremesinghe on Saturday. Thane, Jul 29 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday lashed out at the Centre as well as the Manipur government over the May 3 incident in the northeastern state where two women were paraded naked and sexually assaulted. Addressing a gathering of north Indians in Thane city, he asked whether those in power in Delhi had become "Dhritarashtra" of the Mahabharata as they failed to act when women were being humiliated. He also slammed Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh for reportedly stating that several such incidents had taken place since the violence began. "You should be ashamed," Thackeray said. The former Maharashtra chief minister said that President Droupadi Murmu was a woman and a tribal. "I want to ask the president, what have you been doing? Don't you have any sensitivity?" he said. "The Governor (of Manipur, Anusuiya Uikey) is also a woman and what is she doing?" Thackeray further asked. Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough has been dogged by accusations she inappropriately mixed her work as a public official with her personal and political business, even to the point that a federal court until just earlier this month supervised her offices to prevent patronage hiring. A new lawsuit filed by a Cook County employee against Yarbrough and her husband echoes much of the criticism. It alleges a mix of family, political and professional actions taken by Yarbrough which the employee states were wanton, calculated, and with malice and willfulness defrauded the employee out of hundreds of thousands of dollars involving the sale of two buildings in Maywood, Yarbroughs political home base. Filed in Cook County this week, the lawsuit lays out a complex series of questionable moves and countermoves regarding the sale and purchase of two buildings on 17th Street in Maywood and alleges Yarbrough was not even legally allowed to make the sales. It also involves Yarbroughs husband, Henderson, who used to be the Maywood village president; other Yarbrough family members; her political office; and village of Maywood officials who the county employee accuses of harassment and obstruction against him as a landlord. Through a spokeswoman, Yarbrough dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous and a private matter relating to her late fathers estate. The suit lands just weeks after Yarbrough was freed from federal oversight into her hiring practices that followed her for a decade from her time as county recorder of deeds to clerk. That oversight was designed to ensure politics didnt unduly creep into her offices hiring, firing, and promotion practices. Yarbrough was repeatedly accused of defying best employment practices and enlisting friends and political allies for jobs in her government offices. A federal judge released her from that oversight earlier this month, despite some reservations from watchdogs that she hadnt fully addressed problematic personnel practices. Story continues The plaintiff in the case, George Ferro, is a clerk in the countys circuit court system who also has worked for Yarbroughs government office as a seasonal election worker. Ferros attorney is Anthony Peraica, a Republican who previously served on the Cook County Board and unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for several countywide seats, including losing to Yarbrough for the clerks seat in 2022. Peraica also has filed lawsuits alleging political chicanery by former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Yarbrough ally. Ferros suit alleges Yarbroughs daughter arranged a meeting between Ferro and Karen Yarbrough to discuss a commercial real estate sale in 2019. Yarbrough was selling the property through a company named Donora Realty in Maywood, according to the suit. Donora Realty, which state records show is now dissolved, was started by Yarbroughs late father, former Maywood Village President Donald Williams Sr., in 1967. The companys most recent managing broker, according to state records, was Yarbroughs husband. At their first meeting, Yarbrough solicited Ferro to buy a property at 1001-1009 S. 17th Ave. in Maywood, a two-story building with storefronts on the ground level and apartments above, according to the suit. Ferro said he negotiated with Yarbrough, Yarbroughs brother Donald Williams Jr. and an unnamed sister. Yarbrough said the Proviso Township Democratic Party she leads paid $750 per month to rent the property at 1001 S. 17th Ave. and that members of her family rented the apartments above, according to the suit. She also told Ferro the roof had been properly maintained with no leaks, the suit stated. Ferro paid Yarbrough $5,000 in earnest money and another $106,000 when he and Yarbrough signed a deed agreement at Donora Realty on Christmas Eve of 2019, according to the suit. In 2020, Ferros lawsuit states, Yarbrough offered to sell Ferro a property down the block at 1023-1031 S. 17th Ave. and that the tenants included an insurance firm and a clothing store owned by Yarbrough and or members of her family, as well as the Donora Realty offices. Other Yarbrough family members lived in the apartments upstairs, according to the suit. Ferro signed another agreement and paid $100,000 for that property in June 2020 and states in the lawsuit he made $300,000 worth of improvements at both buildings, including new roofing, a water heating system and repairs to structures and electrical systems. The suit alleges Yarbrough, acting as a trustee for the properties, was not legally allowed to make the sales. Two articles of agreement for deed are attached as exhibits for the suit, with Yarbroughs signatures above the name of the trust that technically owned the properties. After he began acting as landlord, Ferro alleges the first buildings roof leaked prior to him getting it fixed and that the Proviso Township Democratic Party and family-owned businesses on the ground level failed to make rent payments, as did all but one of the relatives living in the units above. Relatives also tried to pass the unpaid water bills to Ferro with knowledge of the party at fault, according to the suit. While the lawsuit said Yarbrough claimed the Proviso Township Democratic Party was paying $750 per month in rent, state records tell a slightly different story. Yarbroughs campaign fund, Citizens for Karen Yarbrough, not the party fund, made regular $700 payments to Donora Realty starting in 2012. Those payments stopped appearing in campaign disclosures at the end of 2019, similar to what the suit alleges. Yarbroughs office declined to answer questions about whether Yarbrough has ever sold properties or had an ownership stake of Donora Realty or whether her family members were tenants at the property. County elected and appointed officials, as well as some government employees, are required to file annual statements of economic interest with the clerks office that Yarbrough heads. As the former recorder of deeds and the countys clerk since 2018, Yarbrough has been required to make those annual ethics filings for several years. But there was no mention of Donora Realty nor any proceeds from any property sales in disclosures that Yarbrough made dating back to 2013. In 2021 and 2022, the disclosures show she owned a home in Maywood. This frivolous lawsuit comes from a disgruntled county employee whose attorney was overwhelmingly defeated by Clerk Karen Yarbrough when she was reelected in 2022, Yarbrough spokeswoman Sally Daly said in an email Thursday. The allegations stem from private, family-related real estate transactions in which she was serving as the trustee for her deceased fathers properties. The Clerk has been a realtor in good standing for nearly 50 years serving Maywood and surrounding communities and she intends to vigorously defend her reputation against these false and malicious allegations, Daly said in the statement. The Clerk believes that she has complied with the requirements associated with her statement of economic interest. After the June 2020 sale, Ferro alleges village employees, acting at the request of Karen Yarbrough and her husband, Henderson, commenced to act to harass and obstruct him from operating the property. Building inspectors told tenants not to pay rent, sought to pass the unpaid water bills of relatives to Ferro, stopped Ferro from obtaining new tenants and sent inspectors for repeated inspection to assess unfounded violations at the properties, according to the suit. Henderson Yarbrough was village president between 2005 and 2013 and was a village trustee from 2013 to 2019, meaning he was out of office when Ferro alleged the harassment began. Maywood village officials did not respond to a request for comment. Ferro is suing Karen Yarbrough for fraud, and her husband and the village of Maywood for civil conspiracy and aiding and abetting the clerks efforts. Hes seeking damages, attorneys fees, and the deeds to both properties. If that effort is unsuccessful, he wants to be paid back for what he spent. Ferro states in the suit he later learned Yarbrough, who as clerk is also in charge of maintaining county records of land transfers, never possessed the legal authority to sell the properties on behalf of the trust and never turned over the deeds for either property. Peraica told the Tribune in an interview that an admission was made verbally by Yarbrough to Ferro, and they will not know for sure who had authority to sell the properties until they subpoena the trust that owns them. After confronting Yarbrough, Ferro states in the suit that she advised him to allow the properties to go to tax sale and bid on the properties through a new entity. Ferro alleges in the suit he thought Yarbrough was coordinating so others could outbid him. Yarbrough intended that (Ferro) lose all claim to both properties by administrative proceedings such as tax sales or sale forced by financial failure caused by a lack of rental income and that her actions were wanton, calculated, and with malice and willfulness. Overdue taxes for the two properties totaling roughly $31,000 did indeed go up for sale in 2022. According to records from the county treasurers office, late taxes owed by both properties were sold to other entities. Its always money, its all about the money here, they had a bad building on their hands, they found a sacrificial lamb who was willing to give them a lot of money, then they wanted him to lose the property, Peraica said. Ferro had no representation during negotiations and relied on Yarbroughs word that the signed agreement was sufficient. Was it smart on his part? No. Absolutely not. Now, Ferro says his current boss, Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez, is moving to fire him on false allegations of improper actions. He thinks Yarbrough requested it, according to the suit. Payroll records show Ferro as an active employee as recently as a month ago, and that he has worked for the county since 2006. The suit says he also worked part time in Yarbroughs office during election season, which Yarbroughs office confirmed. An LLC Ferro manages, Private Holdings, is also a plaintiff. The LLCs authority to do business in Illinois has been revoked as of May, according to state records, meaning its leaders failed to pay the annual fee and file the annual report. The letter from Martinezs office alerting Ferro of allegations of misconduct related to job performance including being distracted during court calls and failing to correctly enter case information into the offices internal system came in early June, Peraica said. The allegations by Martinezs office are untrue, Peraica said. Only after receiving the letter did Ferro move to pursue legal action. In a prepared statement Monday, Martinez said she was not part of the litigation and that Ms. Yarbrough has never contacted my office regarding Mr. Ferro. The allegations made by Mr. Ferro and his attorney Anthony Peraica about me are not only false, they are presumptive, reckless and defamatory, Martinez said in the statement to the Tribune. While Mr. Ferros job performance in my office has been reviewed multiple times prior to the filing of his lawsuit against Clerk Yarbrough, it has nothing to do with retaliatory conduct. This story has been updated to include a prepared response from Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez. Tribune reporter Ray Long contributed. aquig@chicagotribune.com Mumbai, Jul 29 (PTI) Hundreds of policemen, including traffic personnel, have been deployed on the streets of Mumbai and its suburbs to prevent any untoward incidents during Muharram processions on Saturday, an official said. The police have tightened security in south Mumbai, the suburbs of Mankhurd, Malwani, Kurla and other Muslim dominated areas of the city, the official said. A large number of traffic policemen have been deployed to ensure smooth flow of traffic and to prevent any type of congestion during the procession. According to the authorities, the Tazia procession will be taken out in South Mumbai, from P Ismail Merchant Chowk (Nesbit junction) through Sofia Zuber junction, Sir J J junction, I R Road, Pakmodia street and Jainbia Hall. The traffic police had on Friday issued a circular to inform citizens about the closure of roads, no-parking zones and suggested alternate routes. While entry to heavy vehicles (except those used in the procession and BEST buses) is prohibited on both bounds between Chheda Nagar and Mankhurd T junction on Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road, light vehicles can use Ghatkopar-Mankhurd flyover, the official said. Light vehicles heading to Vashi from Chheda Nagar can use the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd flyover, and heavy vehicles shall proceed via Umarshi Bappa junction to V N Purav Marg, he said. In view of the Tazia procession, traffic will be affected at Dharavi, Mahim-Sion Link Road, Sant Rohidas Road and other adjoining areas. The traffic police have made elaborate arrangements for the same. Ahmedabad, Jul 29 (PTI) Gujarat will host the G20 EMPOWER summit and the G20 ministerial conference on women empowerment in Gandhinagar between August 1 and 4, the state government said on Saturday. The theme of the event will be women-led inclusive development. More than 600 delegates from all over the world will attend this event, the government said. The EMPOWER summit under India's G20 presidency will begin on August 1 with the launch of the G20 EMPOWER digital inclusion platform by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, stated an official release. Panel discussions during the event will centre around the topics of women redefining leadership, leveraging digital public infrastructure to advance financial equality of women, achieving 'tech-equity' for women, women-led enterprises, and empowering stories by inspirational leaders, etc, the release said. The G20 ministerial conference on women empowerment will be inaugurated by Union minister Irani on August 2 and will be followed by deliberations across five ministerial sessions on subjects on education and digital skilling for women's empowerment, skilling opportunities for women, and women in emerging technologies. There will also be ministerial-level discussions on topics such as women and space, power of culture and women's empowerment, climate resilience action-impact on women's health and farming, and women and girls as changemakers in climate resilience action among others, the release said. Pune, Jul 29 (PTI) The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a man from Ratnagiri district for providing financial aid to two terror suspects, who were taken into custody by the Pune police on July 18, taking the number of arrests in the case to four. According to a press release issued by the ATS on Saturday, the person from Ratnagiri was earlier detained. However, he was arrested on Friday after a probe showed his involvement in the case. The man provided financial help to the two terror suspects who were arrested by the Kothrud police in Pune, said the release. The ATS has not disclosed the identity of the person. The ATS said a team that went to another state to investigate the case has issued a notice to a suspect asking the person to appear before it for inquiry. The agency on Wednesday arrested a man named Abdul Qadir Dastgir Pathan in Pune for providing shelter to the terror suspects Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan (23) and Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki (24). The ATS, which recently took over the probe from Pune police, said that it recovered black explosive powder, laptops, parts of drones and books written in Arabic, among other things from Khan and Saki, in addition to a tent that they had allegedly procured to stay in forest areas in Punes adjoining districts. Khan and Saki, wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for their alleged involvement in a terror-related case in Rajasthan, were nabbed from the Kothrud area of Pune city on July 18. Khan, Saki and Qadir have been remanded in police custody till August 5. The two arrested terror suspects hail from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh and are graphic designers. Both carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each, the police said. They fled Ratlam after learning that their names had cropped up in an investigation into a terror case in which some suspected members of the Al-Sufa outfit were apprehended by the Rajasthan police from the MP town, the police said. They reached Mumbai, where they stayed in the Bhendi Bazaar area for two to three days and then came to Punes Kondhwa area. The duo took up jobs with the help of a local resident, sources had said earlier. They befriended a third person, a resident of Jharkhand, who managed to escape when the police nabbed the duo, police said. In Kondhwa, the two happened to meet Qadir and told him that they had come to Pune in search of jobs as their financial condition was weak, the sources said. Qadir, who himself was involved in graphic designing work, provided them jobs and sublet the place he had taken on rent, they said. Imphal, Jul 29 (PTI) Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said here on Saturday that the ethnic conflict in Manipur was sullying India's image and all parties must try and find a peaceful solution to end it. A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached Imphal to assess the ground situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. The team of opposition MPs would visit several relief camps to meet victims of the ethnic clashes during their two-day visit beginning Saturday. "We have come here to meet victims of ethnic clashes and understand the problem. We want the end of violence and the restoration of peace at the earliest...the entire world is watching what is going on in Manipur," Chowdhury told PTI . He also said, " The ethnic clashes have damaged the image of Manipur, the northeast region and India as a whole. We all have to try for a peaceful solution. We are here not to do any politics." The MPs reached Imphal by a commercial flight from Delhi. After their arrival here, the delegation went to Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place, to meet victims from the Kuki community in the relief camps there. "From Imphal, they took a chopper to Churachandpur due to security issues. As only one helicopter is available, the members of the delegation were divided into two teams, and the chopper would make two trips to ferry them," a security official told PTI. One team, comprising Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and others, departed for Churachandpur first to visit the relief camp set up at the Boys Hostel of Churachandpur College. Another team, comprising Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and others, would visit the relief camp at Don Bosco School in Churachandpur, a source in Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) said. "After returning to Imphal, the team led by Chowdhury will go to another relief camp at Moirang College in Bishnupur district by road to meet victims from the Meitei community," he said. The other team of opposition MPs will go to the Ideal Girl's College relief camp at Akampat in Imphal East district and will visit another camp at Lamboikhongangkhong in Imphal West district. On Sunday morning, the opposition party delegation will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan here to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest, the MPCC official said. The team is scheduled to return to the national capital on Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the visit, Gogoi had called for an inquiry led by a retired Supreme Court judge into the ongoing ethnic clashes between the two communities in Manipur. Besides Chowdhury and Gogoi, the delegation will include TMC's Sushmita Dev, JMM's Mahua Maji, DMK's Kanimozhi, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP, JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JD-U), CPI's P Sandosh Kumar and CPI(M)'s A A Rahim among others. More than 160 people lost their lives and many people were injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. Kolkata, Jul 29 (PTI) Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday alleged that the visit of members of opposition bloc INDIA to Manipur was a "mere show-off". After arriving at Kolkata on Saturday morning, the senior BJP leader alleged that when Manipur used to burn under previous governments, those visiting the northeastern state now did not utter a single word in the Parliament. "When Manipur used to remain shut for months, they had not spoken a word," he said. Thakur said that when the delegation returns from Manipur, the members of the team "will not allow Parliament to function". "In this context, my request to Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is to bring the same delegation to West Bengal, where atrocities are happening against women," he said. "Does the Congress oppose the way the Mamata Banerjee government is holding on to power through killings?" he added. He asked whether the INDIA bloc will visit Rajasthan where "crimes against women are taking place" and submit reports on West Bengal and Rajasthan. A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached Imphal on Saturday to assess the situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. The team will visit several relief camps to meet victims of the ethnic clashes that broke in the northeastern state on May 3. Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes since early May between the majority Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills. Over 160 people have been killed in the violence so far. New Delhi/Ramnagar (U'khand), Jul 29 (PTI) The number of tigers in India has increased from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,682 in 2022, an annual rise of 6 per cent, according to the latest government data released on the International Tiger Day on Saturday. With this, India has become home to approximately 75 per cent of the world's tiger population, Union Minister of State for Forest, Environment and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey said in Ramnagar while releasing the data for 2022. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the "Status of Tigers 2022" to mark the completion of 50 years of "Project Tiger" in April, the government had said there are at least 3167 tigers in India. Tiger census is held every four years in the country. "There are a maximum of 3925 tigers in the country. The average number is 3,682," a senior official from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) said. With a 50 per cent increase in the last four years, Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number (785) of tigers in the country, followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444), according to the data. In his message on the occasion, Union Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said, "India's exemplary efforts in tiger conservation and the increase in tiger numbers is not just a statistic but a testament to the determination and commitment of the nation. "Under the ambit of tiger conservation, India has not only successfully safeguarded its tiger population, but also has secured the future of all life forms, truly in line with our philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutambakam'." He also took to Twitter to congratulate Madhya Pradesh for the achievement. "With 785 tigers as per the latest tiger estimation exercise, MP is the Leading Tiger State of India! This reflects MP's commitment to conserving tigers through intensive protection and monitoring by involving local communities," he said. However, the data shows, states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have recorded a dip in the number of majestic cats in the last few years. The ministry has called for serious conservation efforts to aid in the recovery of the tiger population in these states. According to data analysis done by the Wildlife Institute of India, the upper limit of the tiger population is estimated to be 3925 and the average number is 3682 tigers, reflecting a commendable annual growth rate of 6.1 percent per annum, the ministry said. In his address, Choubey said, "Nature protects those who conserve nature. So, nature and wildlife must be protected at any cost." Arunachal Pradesh lost around 70 per cent of its tigers -- from 29 in 2018 to just 9 in 2022. The number of tigers dropped from 28 to 20 in Odisha, from 5 to 1 in Jharkhand, from 19 to 17 in Chhattisgarh and from 26 to 21 in Telangana. The count dipped from 6 in 2006 to nil in 2022 in Mizoram and from 10 in 2006 to just 2 in 2022 in northern West Bengal. Nagaland also does not have any tigers now, according to the data. Approximately, 35 per cent of the 53 tiger reserves in India urgently require enhanced protection measures, habitat restoration, ungulate augmentation, and subsequent tiger reintroduction, the Union environment ministry said in a statement. The number of tigers "within the tiger reserve" is highest in Corbett (260), followed by Bandipur (150), Nagarhole (141), Bandhavgarh (135), Dudhwa (135), Mudumalai(114), Kanha (105), Kaziranga (104), Sundarbans (100), Tadoba (97), Sathyamangalam (85), and Pench-MP (77). Eighteen tiger reserves have less than 10 big cats left. These are Ranipur in Uttar Pradesh; Achanakmar, Indravati and Udanti Sitanadi in Chhattisgarh; Palamau in Jharkhand; Bor and Sahyadri in Maharashtra; Satkosia in Odisha; Mukundara and Ramgarh Vishdhari in Rajasthan; Kawal in Telangana; Kalakad Mundanthurai in Tamil Nadu; Nameri in Assam; Dampa in Mizoram; Pakke, Kamlang and Namdapha in Arunachal Pradesh and Buxa in West Bengal. Released in April, the "Status of Tigers 2022" report highlighted both encouraging and concerning trends in tiger populations across various landscapes. The tiger population in the forest divisions of the Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains landscape has experienced a significant surge: 804 unique tigers have been photographed in these regions, surpassing the estimated 646 population in 2018. This increase in tiger numbers has been attributed to photographic evidence showing tigers in new areas of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, raising hopes for range expansion in these regions. The Western Ghats witnessed a decrease in tiger occupancy, except for a few areas like Kali (Anshi Dandeli), where the number of unique tigers remains stable. The report pointed to "increasing human footprint and development" as the primary reasons behind the declining tiger population in the Western Ghats and stressed the need to address the issue of human-mega herbivore and carnivore tensions in this vital biodiversity hotspot. Moving to the Northeastern Hills and Brahmaputra Plains landscape, while the number of distinctive tigers captured on camera decreased to 194 from the estimated 219 in 2018, the report assured that the tiger population in the region is still "secure". However, due to its small size and genetic uniqueness, intensive conservation efforts are necessary to protect the tiger population from threats such as habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict, it said. Central India has seen an increase in the tiger population, with 1,161 tigers photographed compared to the estimated 1,033 in 2018. While this expansion of tiger habitats is positive, urgent attention and conservation efforts are required in areas where local tiger populations have become extinct, including reserves like Kawal, Satkosia, and Sahyadri, to prevent the extinction of small populations and mitigate human-tiger interactions, the government said. In the Sundarbans, 100 tigers were captured on camera in 2022 compared to 88 in 2018. The population remains steady, but there is limited potential for range extension. To preserve the ecological integrity of the Sundarbans, the report stressed the importance of cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange between India and Bangladesh. Attending the programme in Ramnagar virtually, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a balance between ecology and economy is a must. He also sought more resources from the Centre to curb man-animal conflicts and illegal poaching of animals. The programme was also addressed by Union Minister of State for Defence and Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt, Director General (forest) Chandra Prakash Goyal and NTCA member secretary SP Yadav. Apart from the All India Tiger Estimation 2022 report, a report on the reserves and management effectiveness and evaluation report were also released. Six tiger reserves in the country -- Kali, Melghat, Pilibhit, Tadoba Andhari, Navegaon and Periyar -- were given CAT awards. New Delhi, Jul 29 (PTI) BJP president J P Nadda rejigged the list of the party's central office-bearers on Saturday, bringing in a Pasmanda Muslim from Uttar Pradesh as one of its-vice presidents and accommodating its former Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar as a national general secretary. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dropped C T Ravi, a leader from Karnataka, and Dilip Saikia, a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, as its general secretaries, with sources indicating that they may be contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor, now a BJP MLC in Uttar Pradesh, has been made a vice-president, a decision seen to be part of the party's overtures to Pasmanda Muslims. Most of the office-bearers have been retained as vice-presidents, general secretaries and secretaries in the new list. There are 13 vice-presidents, nine general secretaries, including B L Santhosh as the in-charge of organisation, and 13 secretaries in the list. Former Union minister Radha Mohan Singh, a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, has been dropped as a party vice-president. Anil Antony, son of veteran Congress leader A K Antony, has been brought in as a national secretary. Srinagar, Jul 28 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbag Singh said Friday Pakistan made all attempts including propagating a "venomous narrative" to disrupt peace in Jammu and Kashmir but all its conspiracies were defeated by the strenuous efforts of security forces and the support of people. Singh made these remarks during an interaction with a group of probationary IPS officers from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad. Other senior Police officers of the J-K Police were also present at the interaction at the Police Headquarters here. The group of 22 IPS probationary officers including two women officers and two officers from Nepal and the Maldives are on a study-cum-cultural tour to J-K as a part of Bharat Darshan programme and of their basic training. While giving an overview of working of the JKP in different wings, the DGP said the J-K police has faced a huge share of problems over the last three decades. Appreciating the support of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said Pakistan has made all attempts including a venomous narrative to lure the people and disrupt the peace. However, all conspiracies have been defeated by strenuous efforts of J-K Police along with other security forces and the support of the people, he added. Referring to the G20 tourism working group meeting held here in May, and Thursday historic Muharram processions taken out after 34 years, the DGP said the conduct of such events speaks about the peaceful changes that have happened with the efforts of J-K Police along with other security forces. While giving credit to personnel and officers of JKP and other security forces on the ground, the DGP said over the years different forces have worked tirelessly with an aim to bring peace and stability in the region. He added much has been achieved, and more efforts are on to consolidate the peace further. Giving an overview of the past law and order situations, Singh said, "We are proud of our martyrs and it's our endeavour to remember the sacrifices of our personnel and pay our homage on every occasion." "It was always a big challenge for the JK Police personnel to fight against terrorism as they come from the same society. It is sheer courage and valour of JKP jawans that by and large today policeman is seen as peacemaker and as a hero," he said. Chandigarh, Jul 29 (PTI) The Punjab Police on Saturday said it has foiled a conspiracy by Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI to disturb peace in the state ahead of Independence Day with the arrest of five operatives of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). The arrests were made following a two-week operation, it said. Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said inputs were received that some terrorist elements based abroad have formed a terror module by recruiting foot soldiers through criminals lodged in jails and are hatching a conspiracy to target minority leaders, police officials and other prominent people to disturb peace and harmony in the state. Based on these inputs, the State Special Operating Cell (SSOC) of SAS Nagar registered a case and started a special operation, he said. "Around a two-week-long operation, which involved meticulous intelligence gathering, technical analysis and swift action, led to the apprehension of five operatives of this terrorist module involved in the nefarious plot," Yadav said in a statement. This new module has links with the same foreign-based handlers who had targeted Shiv Sena (Samajwadi) leader Rajeev Mahajan in Batala on June 24. They were controlling this separate module through these operatives to carry out different targeted killings in the state, he said. Investigations also revealed that the KLF operatives were "talent spotting" in India and recruiting foot soldiers through criminals lodged in jails, the DGP said. They use fake narratives to influence impressionable youths on social media and transfer money into their bank accounts to motivate them to carry out targeted killings in Punjab, he added. Yadav said the Punjab Police is fully committed to maintaining peace and communal harmony in the state and the nefarious designs of anti-national elements will not be allowed to succeed. Assistant Inspector General, SSOC, Ashwani Kapur said it was discovered that foreign-based handlers of the KLF had provided a list of targets to the module members, who had already conducted recce of some of the targets. New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) The National Medical Commission has directed all health institutions to constitute sexual harassment probe committees in compliance with the provisions of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act. In a letter to the institutions and medical colleges, the Commission referred to the directions of the Supreme Court regarding the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. "Accordingly, all the medical colleges are requested to comply with the directions of the Supreme Court as under. "All health institutions/medical colleges are directed to undertake a time bound exercise to verify as to whether the medical colleges/institutions has constituted ICCS/LCS/ICs, as they case may be and that the composition of the said committees are strictly in terms of the provision of the POSH Act," the Commission said. "The institutions shall ensure that necessary information regarding the constitution and composition of the ICCS/LCS/ICs, details of the e-mail IDs and contact of the designated persons, the procedure prescribed for submitting an online complaint, as also the relevant rules, regulations and internals policies are made readily available on the website of the institution/organisation/authority/functionary/body which is required to be updated from time to time," it said. George Santos, a first-term member of the House of Representatives, is under indictment for thirteen felonies, including allegedly embezzling contributions from supporters, fraudulently collecting unemployment checks and lying in disclosures to the House. But one of his more bizarre schemes, which involved cryptocurrency, seemed to be inspired by the classic Nigerian prince email scheme, according to a New York Times report. According to a campaign donor who spoke to the Times, Santos and two other men approached him claiming there was a wealthy Polish citizen who wanted to buy cryptocurrency but couldnt because his assets were frozen. The trio didnt say why the assets were frozen, nor provide the name of the Polish investor, but wanted the donor to create a limited liability company to help them gain access to the funds. The donor told the Times he was struck by how much their pitch sounded like the classic Nigerian prince email scam in which a wealthy foreigner asks someone for help gaining access to frozen assets. He asked for more information, and Santos and associates asked the donor to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The donor then asked for changes to the agreement, and the talks ended there. The scheme involved Santos, former Republican state assemblyman Michael LiPetri and Bryant Park Associates, a company run by Republican donor Dominick Sartorio, according to the report. LiPetri told The Times that he was aware of Santos efforts but wasn't involved in detail and said no deal ultimately happened. A request for comment for this story sent to Santos' lawyer was not immediately returned. Thirty-five year old Santos, who represents New Yorks 3rd congressional district, was arrested and charged with thirteen felonies in March and pleaded not guilty. The intersection of crypto and politics has recently moved beyond regulatory discussions into more detailed and sometimes unusual territory. U.S. Democratic Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared in a Twitter Spaces on Wednesday where he finally confirmed owning bitcoin and called the cryptocurrency a currency of freedom. He has also said if elected, he would move to back the U.S. dollar with bitcoin and exempt bitcoin from taxes. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI) New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) The autopsies of a woman who was shot dead and her attacker who later killed himself in the city's Dabri area have been completed and the bodies handed over to their families, police said on Friday. The 42-year-old woman was shot dead near her house on Thursday and the man later shot himself on the terrace of his residence. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dwarka, M Harsha Vardhan said questioning in the case will resume on Saturday as the families were busy with rituals. A probe is underway in the case and no complaint of stalking has been received, the DCP said. A purported CCTV footage of the incident is being circulated on social media. Police had said that the Dabri police station received information regarding the incident around 8.45 pm on Thursday. The woman, Renu, and her attacker, Ashish, reportedly knew each other. They used to go to the same gym a couple of years earlier, police added. Jaipur, Jul 29 (PTI) A 21-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide, hours after her brother drowned in a nullah in Bikaner district, police said on Saturday. According to police, Rekha was upset over her 19-year-old brother Sandeep's death and allegedly jumped into a water tank near her house. Sandeep died after accidentally falling into the nullah overflowing with rainwater near his house at around 1 pm. The bodies were handed over to family members after postmortem, police said. Sometimes it is the grand professionals who get things wrong and the little people who are the ones who get it right. There is a rule of thumb in equity markets that retail investors are sucked into buying at the top of the market. Remember how, years ago, whenever shares boomed there would be pages of adverts in the newspapers for unit trust launches? And when the markets went into reverse nobody wanted to buy, and the adverts dried up? We hear a lot these days about Fomo fear of missing out but in investment it's a long-established human characteristic. Little people: On a ten-year or longer view, UK personal investors will in general have done at least as well as their professional counterparts, and probably somewhat better This year the triumph of small investors vis-a-vis the big boys has been the dominant theme of investment across the Atlantic. At the start of the year, as highlighted here last week, most top analysts forecast shares would fall further. Yet, thanks in part to continued buying by retail investors, the most important index, the S&P500 is up nearly 20 per cent this year. In a notable mea culpa, the chief analyst for Morgan Stanley, Mike Wilson, acknowledged last week in a client note that 'we were wrong'. Hats off to him for the confession, but hats off too to the millions of small investors who kept faith with corporate America. Back here, the market has moved sideways, so the past six months haven't really been an example of retail investors beating professionals, as they have over there. But over a longer period, which of course matters more, a rather similar story emerges. On a ten-year or longer view, UK personal investors will in general have done at least as well as their professional counterparts, and probably though it is hard to find the data somewhat better. On a ten-year or longer view, UK personal investors will in general have done at least as well as their professional counterparts That is not because they are better stock-pickers. There doesn't seem to be much evidence of that. It is because of asset allocation. Individuals have held on to a decent stake in UK equities, while the professionals have sold out. As we have highlighted recently, the share of UK equities held by British insurers and pension funds was down to about 4 per cent in 2020, against a peak of more than half in the late 1990s. The share of UK equities held by individuals also fell from 15 per cent in 1999 to 12 per cent. But add in the 7 per cent of unit trusts and 1 per cent from investment trusts, and personal holdings will be over 20 per cent of the market. And individuals don't hold many gilts. There was a long bull market in gilts until two years ago. Since then it has been one of the most catastrophic periods in history for holding fixed-interest securities. The biggest holder of gilts is the Bank of England, thanks to the quantitative easing programme. The latest estimate for its loss was published on Tuesday just under 150 billion. That is a beefy sum even by public accounting standards and must be paid by us as taxpayers over the next ten years. The losses incurred by pension funds and insurance companies will also be huge, another example that the professionals can give awful advice. The fundamental point is that we need, as a society, to encourage our savers to buy and hold equities. It is a lesson that has to be learnt and relearnt. Over any long period they give better results than fixed-interest securities, and much better results than leaving money in a bank. So what's to be done? Well, there is an organisation, ProShare, founded back in 1992 to promote wider share ownership. Now it focuses solely on employee share ownership, but I think it would be fair to say that the zip has gone out of that movement. In any case, it isn't a great idea for employees to have too much of their assets invested in their employer. If the company goes through tough times they may lose both their job and their savings. It's far better to spread the risk over a range of investments. Earlier this year, Archie Norman, chairman of Marks & Spencer, launched a scheme called Share Your Voice. The idea was to update company law so firms could communicate directly with shareholders with holdings in nominee accounts, as well as making company annual reports shorter and simpler, and so on. Most of this is sensible, and it is in line with the views of this newspaper that we should try to encourage greater investment in stocks and shares. But ultimately the killer argument is that, aside from buying a home of one's own, money put in a spread of the shares of solid companies will in the long run almost certainly do better than anything else. In 2019, consumers worldwide spent almost 100 billion on subscriptions of one sort or another. By last year, that had more than doubled to 210 billion and experts suggest total expenditure will exceed 450 billion in the next three years. Individual company fortunes may wax and wane. But overall the so-called subscription economy is booming as more and more firms offer their wares via monthly payments. Taking the lead: The 210 billion-a-year subscription sector includes TV channels to keep dogs occupied Music and movies led the way. Now, however, we can subscribe to online yoga and language lessons, loo roll, cheese and chocolate deliveries, even dog TV, designed to entertain Fido while his owners are out. As the list grows, it becomes hard to remember what you have bought, how much you paid for it and whether you still want it. Bango helps to make the process easier. Based in Cambridge, Bango is a clever technology company that makes it simpler for businesses to charge for goods and customers to pay for them. The firm was founded in 1999 by entrepreneur Ray Anderson and initially focused on developing tools that would allow consumers to pay for music and video games through their mobile phone bill. Anderson still chairs Bango, but the firm has expanded significantly, as citizens the world over increasingly use mobile phones for almost every aspect of daily life, from shopping to binge-watching Ted Lasso. Bango customers include Amazon, Google and Microsoft, as well as major telecom companies, from Vodafone to Samsung to America's AT&T. Last year alone, Bango processed more than 7 billion of payments made by consumers across the globe, from Tokyo to Frankfurt to New York City. The firm also bought its main rival, Docomo of Japan a deal expected to turbocharge sales and profits. Now Bango has a new division that allows consumers to see all their subscriptions in one place and makes it easier to add, cancel, upgrade or downgrade each and every one of them. Customers: Bango's services are used by Amazon, Google and Microsoft, as well as major telecom companies, from Vodafone to Samsung to America's AT&T For mobile phone firms, the service helps attract and retain customers, as they can offer discounts or special offers along the way. For businesses, Bango's network of telecom customers gives them access to millions of potential new subscribers and sophisticated data so they can offer personalised recommendations to consumers. The service, known as super-bundling, has been taken up by several firms, including Verizon, one of the US's largest phone groups, and leading Australian player Optus. Others are expected to follow suit. A recent survey showed that 88 per cent of large phone firms here and in the US plan to offer super-bundling in the near future and Bango is the dominant player in the market, described by customers as leaps and bounds ahead of rivals. Other companies are interested in Bango's technology, such as Japanese employee benefits specialist Benefits One which is using it to provide added extras for millions of workers. A first half trading statement last week was upbeat and brokers expect Bango to deliver substantial growth, with revenues forecast to rise 73 per cent this year to $49 million (38 million) and a further 16 per cent in 2024 to $57 million. Bango was loss-making last year, but profits of $3.4 million are expected this year, soaring to $14 million next year. The firm, which reports in dollars because most of its contracts are denominated in the US currency, also won the first ever King's Award for Enterprise for International Trade earlier this year. Midas verdict: Bango shares are at 1.89, having been at more than 2.50 at the beginning of the year. The fall reflects wider unease about technology stocks rather than Bango's own growth potential. Supportive brokers believe Bango shares could hit 3.15, as the subscription business expands and the group moves into profit. Buy. Traded on: AIM Ticker: BGO Contact: bango.com or 01223 617 387 Perhaps the Square Mile shouldn't have been surprised when Matt Moulding's THG bought freesheet newspaper City AM last week. THG already runs a couple of publications through subsidiaries. And Moulding has been unimpressed, to put it mildly, by the negative news coverage that he and THG have endured since his company floated in 2020 and some of that came from City AM. Claim: THG's Matt Moulding insists City AM will retain independence in terms of its content From sceptical opinion pieces scrutinising his company's use of garbled jargon to an article describing his 'latest outburst' following another rant about the stock market, the publication has not lavished him with praise. His mother won City AM's 'Mum of the Year' award after she telephoned Sunday Times journalist Oliver Shah and read the riot act on her son's behalf. Moulding insists the title will retain independence in terms of its content. But Whispers can't help wondering whether Mama Moulding will have a hotline to the editor's office. Palaniappan swapping takeaways for toolboxes We hear that a former Uber and Just Eats executive will be swapping takeaways for toolboxes. Jambu Palaniappan is set to run Checkatrade, a website that directs consumers to local tradesmen. While many of us might prefer personal recommendations, Checkatrade a subsidiary of private equity-owned HomeServe is betting this will change. Palaniappan, a Silicon Valley old hand, will be responsible for ramping up growth in the UK. New book from Varoufakis Treacle-voiced heart-throb Yanis Varoufakis is releasing his new book in September, sadly too late for it to be a summer beach read for his many swooning admirers. Called Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, the latest tome from Greece's former finance minister promises to dissect how 21st Century capitalism was usurped by a 'new economic system' overseen by Big Tech and central banks. 'With every click we labour like serfs to increase its power,' one blurb teases, suggesting in another line we may not have noticed as we were watching cat videos on TikTok. Varoufakis has yet to expand his arguments using, er, Big Tech, on his Twitter, Instagram and, yes, TikTok accounts. Cat got your tongue, Yanis? Poachers make the best game keepers Former rogue trader Nick Leeson has spent the past few months as a private spy with the London-based Red Mist Market Enforcement Unit, which investigates financial misconduct. In his role at the group Leeson, the ex-derivatives trader who brought down 233-year-old Barings Bank in the 1990s, helps investors seek compensation in court when regulators are not able to help. Now the word on the street is that a big Middle Eastern client has enlisted his help to conduct due diligence for potential investments aiming to scrutinise potential transactions with the same forensic attention to detail that applies to Red Mist's other research. They say poachers make the best game keepers. Quit: NatWest boss Dame Alison Rose Banks are shutting more than a thousand accounts every working day, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The number of bank accounts being closed has ballooned in recent years from under 50,000 in 2016 to almost 350,000 last year. Details of the sheer scale of account closures were obtained under a Freedom of Information request made to City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority. They come as crisis-hit NatWest continues to reel from the fallout of the Nigel Farage affair. Dame Alison Rose was forced to quit as chief executive last week after NatWest's private banking arm Coutts closed the account of the former Ukip leader due to his political views. Almost 90,000 individuals are estimated to have been categorised as 'politically exposed persons' by the banks. These include MPs and other figures deemed to be at risk of abusing their positions for private gain and who require extra checks. Separate figures from the Financial Ombudsman Service show NatWest, which is 39 per cent taxpayer-owned, had the joint highest number of complaints about decisions to close bank accounts last year, along with Barclays. But NatWest chairman Sir Howard Davies, who is under pressure to step down, said account closures were 'not an enormously big consumer issue' and the number of complaints was 'stable'. The FCA data on 'debanking' obtained by The Mail on Sunday is based on annual returns from almost 250 lenders who have shut accounts solely because of concerns over financial crime such as money laundering and fraud. The huge rise in account closures would appear to confirm anecdotal evidence that lenders are increasingly adopting a 'shoot first, ask questions later' approach. Growing numbers of businesses, individuals and charities say this has led to their accounts being shut despite there being no evidence of wrongdoing. Sources say some customers are being debanked simply because they hold perfectly legal cryptocurrency or gambling accounts. Such closures are frequently shrouded in secrecy with banks refusing to say why an account has been shut down, usually to avoid tipping off criminals. 'In some cases banks are legally prevented from telling customers why an account has been closed,' said Tina McKenzie, policy chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses. 'But where possible, they should be told, so that if there has been a misinterpretation or misunderstanding, it can be swiftly resolved.' McKenzie called on regulators to publish annual figures on how many accounts have been closed. Individual banks are currently not required to give this information. Banks generated more than a million 'suspicious activity reports' in 2019/20 and around half of these were referred to the National Crime Agency. The FCA data suggests it is far more widespread than was previously known 'It's clear that more innocent customers are having their accounts closed wrongly,' said Jenny Ross, editor of Which? Money. MPs on the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking last week launched an inquiry into the scale of bank account closures. 'The FCA data suggests it is far more widespread than was previously known,' said James Russell, managing partner of Humphries Kerstetter, the City law firm working with MPs. Simon Fell, an MP and former co-chairman of the APPG, said banks seemed to be dropping customers 'simply to de-risk' rather than having genuine concerns. 'This is a worrying trend and one that needs proper scrutiny,' he added. The Government has announced plans to change the rules around bank account closures including a requirement to give longer notice of an impending shutdown. The FCA said more monitoring by banks may explain some of the increase in account closures. In this Handout photo released by Sri Lanka President's office shows, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickermesinghe shakes hand with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during a meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, July 28, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron held discussions with his Sri Lankan counterpart on an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and other areas such as politics, maritime activities and climate change in a first-ever visit by a French leader to the Indian Ocean island nation. (Sri Lanka President's office via AP) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron held discussions with his Sri Lankan counterpart Saturday on an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region in the first-ever visit by a French leader to the Indian Ocean island nation. As the fourth-largest creditor to Sri Lanka, France had pledged cooperation in debt restructuring to help the island nation recover from its economic crisis. Macron arrived in Sri Lanka Friday night, following his trip to the South Pacific region, to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations, Sri Lanka's president's office said. Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe praised Frances significant role in global affairs, particularly in areas such as climate mitigation, global debt restructuring, and matters related to the Indo-Pacific region, the statement said. Sri Lanka and France are two Indian Ocean nations that share the same goal: an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific. In Colombo we confirmed it: strengthened by 75 years of diplomatic relations, we can open a new era of our partnership, Macron said in a Twitter message after the meeting. Sir John Rose, the former chief executive of Rolls-Royce, is calling on the Government to back British nuclear technology developed by the engineering giant. Rolls is spearheading a project to design a fleet of mini power plants known as SMRs or small modular reactors which have become a key part of the UK's long-term energy strategy. Ministers have already put more than 200 million of public money into the project. But, rather than backing Rolls, the Government has launched a competition to select a provider, which will pit the FTSE 100 flagship against foreign rivals. Sir John, who led the company from 1996 to 2011, has described the move as 'depressing'. Warning: Sir John Rose said that by not throwing its support behind Rolls-Royce, Ministers risked killing off a potentially valuable stream of export income He warned that by not throwing its support behind Rolls-Royce, Ministers risked killing off a potentially valuable stream of export income and missing out on highly skilled jobs. Rolls has previously said that if it won the contract, it could create 40,000 UK jobs by 2050 and boost the economy by 52 billion. A deal would also benefit suppliers and potentially turn the country into a global hub for nuclear technology. Rose described the competition as 'a good example' of Government failure to provide the support British business needs. 'The probability of achieving export success is vanishingly small if the producer is not supported by its Government,' he said. 'Instead of a competition, why don't we place an order for ten of Rolls-Royce's small modular reactors subject to the design achieving regulatory approval?' he asked. Rose said the decision to have a contest 'seems odd in circumstances where there is relatively little difference technically between the offerings'. Competitors are thought to include TerraPower, a nuclear startup backed by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, and another US company called NuScale. Rose added that any risk the Rolls-Royce SMR might not be 'best in class' would be outweighed by other benefits to Britain such as high-value skilled jobs and 'the establishment of a supply chain that can serve the global industry and increase energy security'. Countries including the Czech Republic and Poland have already expressed interest in ordering the small reactors. The project has also received investment from France, the US and Qatar. Sir John's intervention comes soon after Ministers launched a new Government body called Great British Nuclear. Small modular reactors are being seen as key to cutting Britain's carbon output as they are quicker and cheaper to build than conventional sites. Rolls' SMR design is based on the nuclear reactors it provides for British submarines. The plants would each cost about 1.8 billion and each would provide energy for 45,000 homes. A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesman said: 'We've launched a fair and transparent competition that will provide a range of companies the opportunity to help us develop the best SMR technologies in the world.' 'Lead belt': Some of the universe's largest battles are fuelled by games companies based in Nottingham When it comes to mythical conflicts, Nottingham is associated with Robin Hood and the wicked sheriff rather than with legions of orcs and goblins. But some of the universe's largest battles are fuelled by games companies based in the East Midlands city, in an area known as the 'Lead Belt' a reference to the casting of model soldiers in lead alloy. The largest of the firms, headquartered in an industrial estate not far from the city centre, is Games Workshop, owner of the Warhammer franchise and the world's largest manufacturer of miniature battle figures. Since its inception in the 1970s, the firm has grown into a global behemoth and its former employees have spawned several smaller companies that collectively employ more than 2,600 people and contribute millions of pounds to the British economy. Other companies to have set up shop in the area include The Assault Group, Mantic Games and Wargames Foundry. Another, Warlord Games, makes a series called Bolt Action which it boasts is one of the world's leading Second World War wargames. While many would dismiss the pastime of sending hand-painted miniatures of fantastical creatures into battle as the preserve of children and maladjusted men in dimly lit basements, Warhammer has legions of devoted fans around the world. Famous enthusiasts include Superman actor Henry Cavill, musician Ed Sheeran and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. Pumping out thousands of miniature warriors is a profitable business. Games Workshop itself raked in profits of 170.6 million in its latest annual results on the back of record sales of over 445 million. Enthusiast: Superman actor Henry Cavill The FTSE 250 firm has been listed in London for nearly three decades. The share price has been on a tear since 2017 and exploded during the pandemic when new customers took up the hobby in a attempt to escape the boredom of lockdown. The stock topped out at a record high of 123 in September 2021 and, despite a steep drop in 2022, regained most of its lost ground. Shares are currently changing hands at 116, giving the firm a market cap of 3.7 billion. That is the same value as easyJet and more than Mike Ashley's retail empire Frasers Group. Games Workshop is as British as they come. It was founded in 1975 in London by game designers John Peake, Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson. The firm originally made wooden boards for traditional games including backgammon and later imported copies of the US fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. It struck gold in 1983 with the launch of Warhammer Fantasy and achieved success again four years later with its sci-fi-inspired counterpart Warhammer 40,000. It relocated to Nottingham from London in 1997. Such is Warhammer's popularity that many enthusiasts from around the world embark on a pilgrimage to the company's headquarters, which includes the Warhammer World visitor centre. There has been a material increase in interest in tabletop games, particularly those that are immersive and strategic Charles Hall, Peel Hunt The boom in business has also provided Games Workshop with a lucrative intellectual property portfolio. The firm last year signed a deal with Amazon's TV production arm to bring a Warhammer-inspired series to screens. Charles Hall, analyst at City broker Peel Hunt, said that while Warhammer had begun life as a 'super niche hobby', its mainstream appeal had broadened in recent years, helped by the success of medieval fantasy series including Game of Thrones and Netflix's The Witcher. In a report this month, Hall said: 'Additionally, there has been a material increase in interest in tabletop games, particularly those that are immersive and strategic.' The companies that make up the wider 'Lead Belt' account for about 90 per cent of the British wargaming miniatures market. Many supporting businesses are located nearby. Britain's biggest private sector pension fund has lost 16 billion after an 'unnecessary' debt-driven investment strategy unravelled. The Universities Superannuation Scheme looks after the nest eggs of 528,000 past and present higher education staff. It is one of the few defined benefit schemes still open to new joiners that offers a pension based on a member's final salary. USS invested heavily in controversial liability-driven investments (LDIs) despite warnings from sponsoring employers at Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London. On the edge: USS invested heavily in controversial liability-driven investments despite warnings LDIs are meant to help ensure schemes can fulfil their promise to pay future pensions. But they came unstuck after last year's mini-Budget sent the pensions market into meltdown. The rout, which revealed huge borrowing hidden in the pensions system, was only halted by a 19 billion Bank of England bailout. USS, led by former pensions regulator Bill Galvin, insisted it was not a big user of leveraged LDIs. But accounts just published show the scheme's assets plunged from 89 billion to 73 billion last year. 'These accounts show a terrible picture of unnecessary losses,' said pensions expert Henry Tapper. Galvin, who is due to retire this year, was an architect of LDI strategies as industry regulator. He was paid 790,000 in his last year at USS, including a 262,000 bonus. Despite the fact that its investments include a 20 per cent stake in troubled Thames Water, the scheme's overall funding position improved due to higher gilt or Government bond yields reducing its liabilities. Ameresco (NYSE:AMRC Get Free Report) will post its quarterly earnings results after the market closes on Monday, July 31st. Analysts expect Ameresco to post earnings of $0.18 per share for the quarter. Individual interested in registering for the companys earnings conference call can do so using this link. Ameresco (NYSE:AMRC Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.04 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $271.04 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $231.61 million. Ameresco had a return on equity of 9.74% and a net margin of 4.85%. The businesss revenue was down 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.36 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect Ameresco to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year. Get Ameresco alerts: Ameresco Price Performance Shares of NYSE AMRC opened at $57.36 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Ameresco has a 52 week low of $39.62 and a 52 week high of $76.54. Insider Activity Institutional Trading of Ameresco In other news, CFO Spencer Doran Hole sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.24, for a total value of $231,200.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink . Insiders own 41.75% of the companys stock. Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Ameresco by 24.8% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 89,815 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $7,141,000 after purchasing an additional 17,857 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ameresco by 58.9% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 15,991 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,271,000 after purchasing an additional 5,927 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Ameresco by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 32,223 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,562,000 after purchasing an additional 2,055 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ameresco by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,355,254 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $187,241,000 after buying an additional 72,667 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ameresco by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 8,278 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $658,000 after buying an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.94% of the companys stock. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on AMRC shares. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Ameresco from $59.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. VNET Group reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Ameresco in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. B. Riley dropped their price objective on shares of Ameresco from $63.00 to $62.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 30th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Ameresco from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Ameresco in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. They issued a buy rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $63.31. Ameresco Company Profile (Get Free Report) Ameresco, Inc, a clean technology integrator, provides a portfolio of energy efficiency and renewable energy supply solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through U.S. Regions, U.S. Federal, Canada, and Alternative Fuels segments. It offers energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, energy security and resilience, asset sustainability, and renewable energy solutions for businesses and organizations. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Ameresco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ameresco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Paramount Group (NYSE:PGRE Get Free Report) is scheduled to post its quarterly earnings results after the market closes on Monday, July 31st. Analysts expect Paramount Group to post earnings of $0.23 per share for the quarter. Individual that wish to register for the companys earnings conference call can do so using this link. Paramount Group Price Performance Paramount Group stock opened at $5.21 on Friday. Paramount Group has a 1 year low of $3.90 and a 1 year high of $7.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $4.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.94. The company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.62, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 4.46 and a current ratio of 4.46. Get Paramount Group alerts: Paramount Group Cuts Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 14th. Investors of record on Friday, June 30th were issued a $0.035 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $0.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. Paramount Groups payout ratio is -82.35%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Institutional Trading of Paramount Group Several research firms have issued reports on PGRE. Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating and set a $4.50 price objective on shares of Paramount Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of Paramount Group from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Thursday, July 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $5.92. A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Paramount Group by 3.2% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 39,466 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 1,229 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Paramount Group by 1.7% during the second quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 76,170 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of Paramount Group by 13.9% during the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 13,986 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in shares of Paramount Group by 3.5% during the third quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 54,155 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 1,822 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Paramount Group by 0.3% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,314,424 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $8,189,000 after acquiring an additional 3,766 shares during the last quarter. 59.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Paramount Group (Get Free Report) Headquartered in New York City, Paramount Group, Inc is a fully-integrated real estate investment trust that owns, operates, manages, acquires and redevelops high-quality, Class A office properties located in select central business district submarkets of New York City and San Francisco. Paramount is focused on maximizing the value of its portfolio by leveraging the sought-after locations of its assets and its proven property management capabilities to attract and retain high-quality tenants. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Paramount Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Paramount Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Equities researchers at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Ampio Pharmaceuticals (NYSEAMERICAN:AMPE Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. The firm set a sell rating on the specialty pharmaceutical companys stock. Ampio Pharmaceuticals Price Performance Shares of AMPE opened at $0.24 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.60 million, a P/E ratio of -0.19 and a beta of 1.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $0.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $0.26. Ampio Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $0.18 and a 12 month high of $2.39. Get Ampio Pharmaceuticals alerts: Ampio Pharmaceuticals (NYSEAMERICAN:AMPE Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 8th. The specialty pharmaceutical company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Institutional Trading of Ampio Pharmaceuticals About Ampio Pharmaceuticals Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ampio Pharmaceuticals by 0.4% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 13,996,074 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical companys stock valued at $6,578,000 after buying an additional 61,269 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ampio Pharmaceuticals by 20.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,954,092 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical companys stock valued at $602,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662,127 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Ampio Pharmaceuticals by 2.0% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,430,770 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,612,000 after purchasing an additional 66,375 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ampio Pharmaceuticals by 998.6% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,035,413 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical companys stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,850,138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ampio Pharmaceuticals by 304.3% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 432,216 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical companys stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 325,300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.44% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, develops therapies for the treatment of osteoarthritis-related pain. It focuses on the preclinical development of AR-300, a novel proprietary, small molecule formulation for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. The company is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Ampio Pharmaceuticals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ampio Pharmaceuticals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shore Capital restated their house stock rating on shares of Wynnstay Group (LON:WYN Free Report) in a research note released on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Wynnstay Group Stock Performance LON:WYN opened at GBX 470 ($6.03) on Tuesday. Wynnstay Group has a twelve month low of GBX 416.55 ($5.34) and a twelve month high of GBX 641 ($8.22). The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40. The business has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 460.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 481.97. The company has a market cap of 105.99 million, a P/E ratio of 770.49 and a beta of 0.68. Get Wynnstay Group alerts: Wynnstay Group Cuts Dividend The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 28th will be given a dividend of GBX 5.50 ($0.07) per share. This represents a yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 28th. Wynnstay Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2,786.89%. About Wynnstay Group Wynnstay Group Plc manufactures and supplies agricultural products in the United Kingdom. It operates through Agriculture and Specialist Agricultural Merchanting segments. The Agriculture segment offers animal nutrition products to the agricultural market; and seeds, fertilizers, and agro-chemicals to arable and grassland farmers, as well as markets grains. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Wynnstay Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wynnstay Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Premium Brands Holdings Co. (TSE:PBH Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$117.44. A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Securities increased their target price on Premium Brands from C$120.00 to C$125.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. CIBC increased their target price on Premium Brands from C$98.00 to C$99.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Premium Brands from C$121.00 to C$130.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Finally, National Bankshares lowered their target price on Premium Brands from C$124.00 to C$121.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Get Premium Brands alerts: Premium Brands Price Performance TSE:PBH opened at C$107.32 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 147.06. The stocks 50 day moving average price is C$103.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$99.32. The firm has a market capitalization of C$4.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.98. Premium Brands has a 12-month low of C$77.36 and a 12-month high of C$109.49. Premium Brands Dividend Announcement Premium Brands ( TSE:PBH Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 15th. The company reported C$0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$0.82 by C($0.18). The business had revenue of C$1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$1.39 billion. Premium Brands had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 8.10%. On average, analysts anticipate that Premium Brands will post 4.8148643 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 14th. Investors of record on Friday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. Premium Brandss dividend payout ratio is currently 96.25%. About Premium Brands (Get Free Report Premium Brands Holdings Corporation, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes food products primarily in Canada and the United States. It operates in two segments, Specialty Foods and Premium Food Distribution. The company provides processed meat, deli products, meat snacks, beef jerky and halal, sandwiches, pastries, specialty and gourmet products, entrees, panini, wraps, subs, hamburgers, burgers, salads and kettle products, muffins, breads, pastas, and baking and sushi products. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Premium Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Premium Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. National Bank of Canada (TSE:NA Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of Hold from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$105.71. Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NA. Cormark decreased their target price on National Bank of Canada from C$113.00 to C$109.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 1st. Barclays cut their price target on National Bank of Canada from C$93.00 to C$92.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 7th. Scotiabank cut their price target on National Bank of Canada from C$111.00 to C$109.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. CSFB cut their price target on National Bank of Canada from C$116.00 to C$111.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. Finally, TD Securities upped their price target on National Bank of Canada from C$100.00 to C$105.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. Get National Bank of Canada alerts: National Bank of Canada Price Performance NA opened at C$102.88 on Monday. National Bank of Canada has a one year low of C$82.16 and a one year high of C$104.83. The firm has a market capitalization of C$34.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.05, a PEG ratio of 18.85 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of C$98.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$99.03. National Bank of Canada Increases Dividend National Bank of Canada ( TSE:NA Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 31st. The financial services provider reported C$2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$2.40 by C($0.02). National Bank of Canada had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 34.69%. The firm had revenue of C$2.48 billion during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that National Bank of Canada will post 10.0522167 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.97%. This is an increase from National Bank of Canadas previous quarterly dividend of $0.97. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 23rd. National Bank of Canadas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.82%. About National Bank of Canada (Get Free Report National Bank of Canada provides various financial products and services to retail, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients in Canada and internationally. It operates through four segments: Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, Financial Markets, and U.S. Specialty Finance and International. See Also Receive News & Ratings for National Bank of Canada Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for National Bank of Canada and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SiriusPoint (NYSE:SPNT Get Free Report) and Hannover Ruck (OTCMKTS:HVRRY Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk. Profitability This table compares SiriusPoint and Hannover Rucks net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get SiriusPoint alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets SiriusPoint -1.28% -1.59% -0.28% Hannover Ruck 5.26% 17.13% 1.96% Earnings & Valuation This table compares SiriusPoint and Hannover Rucks top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio SiriusPoint $2.11 billion 0.73 -$386.80 million ($0.38) -24.96 Hannover Ruck $33.44 billion 0.79 $1.48 billion $7.06 15.43 Institutional & Insider Ownership Hannover Ruck has higher revenue and earnings than SiriusPoint. SiriusPoint is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Hannover Ruck, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. 57.8% of SiriusPoint shares are held by institutional investors. 50.9% of SiriusPoint shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Analyst Ratings This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for SiriusPoint and Hannover Ruck, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score SiriusPoint 0 0 0 0 N/A Hannover Ruck 1 3 3 0 2.29 Hannover Ruck has a consensus target price of $183.67, suggesting a potential upside of 68.65%. Given Hannover Rucks higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Hannover Ruck is more favorable than SiriusPoint. Risk & Volatility SiriusPoint has a beta of 0.99, meaning that its stock price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Hannover Ruck has a beta of 0.7, meaning that its stock price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500. Summary Hannover Ruck beats SiriusPoint on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks. About SiriusPoint (Get 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. About Hannover Ruck (Get Free Report) Hannover Ruck SE, together with its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance products and services worldwide. It operates through Property & Casualty Reinsurance, and Life & Health Reinsurance segments. The company offers property and casualty reinsurance solutions for agricultural, livestock, and bloodstock businesses; aviation and space businesses; catastrophe XL business; credit, surety, and political risks businesses; facultative business; and marine and offshore energy businesses, as well as insurance-linked securities and structured reinsurance. It also provides risk solutions in the areas of critical illness, disability, health, longevity, long term care, and mortality. In addition, the company offers group and individual retirement and lifestyle, credit life, and Takaful reinsurance products. Further, it provides various financial solutions, including new-business financing; monetization of embedded value; reserve and solvency relief; and divestiture of non-core businesses. The company was formerly known as Hannover Ruckversicherung AG and changed its name to Hannover Ruck SE in March 2013. The company was founded in 1966 and is based in Hanover, Germany. Hannover Ruck SE is a subsidiary of Talanx AG. Receive News & Ratings for SiriusPoint Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SiriusPoint and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Paul Norris's is now due to step down as chief executive of Building Digital UK in September - DCMS Comms/dcms The boss of the Governments 5bn rural broadband upgrade is to exit amid fears the project is failing to deliver. The Telegraph can reveal that Paul Norris, chief executive of Building Digital UK (BDUK), will step down from the arms-length body in September after three years. He will be replaced by Dean Creamer, a government official who oversaw the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. It is understood that letters were sent to a wide range of industry players earlier this month announcing the changes. Multiple sources said Mr Norris had been pushed out amid concerns about slow progress. BDUK is overseeing the Governments flagship 5bn project to deliver high-speed internet connections to remote areas where the costs cannot be justified commercially. The scheme, dubbed Project Gigabit, aims to reach 85pc of the UK by the end of 2025 and nationwide coverage by 2030. The Governments latest update, published last month, showed 76pc of UK premises are able to access high-speed broadband, up from 6pc at the start of 2019. But critics have taken aim at BDUK for failing to roll out internet services in the places that need them most. A damning report published earlier this month found that only one of the 10 local authorities with the worst broadband connectivity had received funding from Project Gigabit, while 50pc of homes without access to minimum broadband speeds were still waiting for investment. The report, commissioned by mobile internet provider National Broadband, accused the Government of instead ploughing money into densely populated areas that are much easier and cheaper to reach in a bid to reach its own targets. The report said: This is resulting in full-fibre connectivity being funded for properties that already benefit from perfectly good broadband performance, while properties in more rural and harder to reach areas which are typically those suffering with the poorest current landline broadband speeds are being excluded. Story continues Such a policy is actually going to widen the digital divide, rather than help close it. A government spokesman said: Our 5 billion Project Gigabit programme is on track to deliver nationwide gigabit-capable broadband by 2030 and weve already made 1.9 billion available with more to be spent as we continue to get this help to communities that would otherwise miss out. 76pc of UK homes and businesses, including Portsmouth to Penrith and Swansea to Stirling, are already benefitting from gigabit-capable connections, compared to 6pc in 2019 a huge increase thanks to our targeted support in some of the most rural and hard to reach parts of the country. 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. Silverlake Axis (OTCMKTS:SLVFF Get Free Report) is one of 293 publicly-traded companies in the SoftwareApplication industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare Silverlake Axis to similar businesses based on the strength of its risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings and profitability. Dividends Silverlake Axis pays an annual dividend of $0.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 47.2%. Silverlake Axis pays out 86.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, SoftwareApplication companies pay a dividend yield of 1.8% and pay out 70.8% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Get Silverlake Axis alerts: Earnings and Valuation This table compares Silverlake Axis and its rivals gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Silverlake Axis N/A N/A 1.83 Silverlake Axis Competitors $456.68 million -$6.52 million 733.65 Insider and Institutional Ownership Silverlake Axis rivals have higher revenue, but lower earnings than Silverlake Axis. Silverlake Axis 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. 14.6% of Silverlake Axis shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 31.9% of shares of all SoftwareApplication companies are owned by institutional investors. 29.9% of shares of all SoftwareApplication companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Profitability This table compares Silverlake Axis and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Silverlake Axis N/A N/A N/A Silverlake Axis Competitors -45.23% -254.51% -7.56% Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Silverlake Axis and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Silverlake Axis 0 0 0 0 N/A Silverlake Axis Competitors 452 1513 3718 49 2.59 As a group, SoftwareApplication companies have a potential upside of 28.10%. Given Silverlake Axis rivals higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Silverlake Axis has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. Summary Silverlake Axis rivals beat Silverlake Axis on 6 of the 10 factors compared. About Silverlake Axis (Get Free Report) Silverlake Axis Ltd, an investment holding company, provides software solutions and services to the financial services, retail, and logistics industries. It operates through Software Licensing, Software Project Services, Maintenance and Enhancement Services, Sale of Software and Hardware Products, Insurance Ecosystem Transaction and Services, Retail Transactions Processing, and Others segments. The company offers digital economy solutions; software customization and implementation services; round-the-clock software maintenance support and software enhancement services; cloud computing Software-as-a-Service; and Software-as-a-Service subscription. It operates in South East Asia, North East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, Africa, and Europe. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Singapore. Silverlake Axis Ltd is a subsidiary of Zezz FundQ Pte. Ltd. Receive News & Ratings for Silverlake Axis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Silverlake Axis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in John Bean Technologies Co. (NYSE:JBT Free Report) by 15.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,698 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 1,320 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in John Bean Technologies were worth $1,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of JBT. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in John Bean Technologies by 1,700.0% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 270 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Money Concepts Capital Corp bought a new position in John Bean Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in John Bean Technologies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $59,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC bought a new position in John Bean Technologies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $75,000. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in John Bean Technologies by 53.9% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. 97.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get John Bean Technologies alerts: John Bean Technologies Stock Performance John Bean Technologies stock opened at $120.96 on Friday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $116.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 1.43. John Bean Technologies Co. has a fifty-two week low of $81.59 and a fifty-two week high of $125.88. John Bean Technologies Announces Dividend John Bean Technologies ( NYSE:JBT Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $529.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $513.54 million. John Bean Technologies had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 18.50%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that John Bean Technologies Co. will post 5.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 25th were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 24th. John Bean Technologiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.80%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have issued reports on JBT. Robert W. Baird reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $128.00 target price on shares of John Bean Technologies in a research note on Friday, June 30th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of John Bean Technologies in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. 888 reiterated a reiterates rating on shares of John Bean Technologies in a research note on Friday, June 30th. 58.com reiterated a reiterates rating on shares of John Bean Technologies in a research note on Friday, June 30th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of John Bean Technologies from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research note on Monday, July 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, John Bean Technologies presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $116.00. John Bean Technologies Company Profile (Free Report) John Bean Technologies Corporation provides technology solutions to food and beverage industry and equipment and services to air transportation industries in North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through two segments: FoodTech and AeroTech. It offers value-added processing that includes chilling, mixing/grinding, injecting, blending, marinating, tumbling, flattening, foaming, portioning, coating, cooking, frying, freezing, weighing, and inspection. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JBT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for John Bean Technologies Co. (NYSE:JBT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for John Bean Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for John Bean Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Black Hills Co. (NYSE:BKH Free Report) by 84.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,480 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 13,654 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.s holdings in Black Hills were worth $156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Black Hills by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,969,058 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $472,015,000 after acquiring an additional 151,038 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,678,201 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $452,315,000 after buying an additional 178,522 shares during the period. Macquarie Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 2,502,209 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $182,085,000 after buying an additional 318,024 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,293,169 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $90,962,000 after buying an additional 273,200 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,268,019 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $89,192,000 after buying an additional 111,853 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.24% of the companys stock. Get Black Hills alerts: Black Hills Trading Up 0.6 % BKH opened at $60.17 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $60.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.87. Black Hills Co. has a 12 month low of $56.75 and a 12 month high of $79.78. The firm has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.43, a PEG ratio of 7.50 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. Black Hills Announces Dividend Black Hills ( NYSE:BKH Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.06. Black Hills had a return on equity of 8.33% and a net margin of 9.62%. The company had revenue of $921.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $754.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Black Hills Co. will post 3.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.625 per share. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 17th. Black Hillss dividend payout ratio is currently 64.10%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several brokerages have weighed in on BKH. Mizuho lowered their target price on Black Hills from $60.00 to $56.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Black Hills from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, June 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $66.71. Insider Activity at Black Hills In other news, CFO Richard Kinzley sold 10,033 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.49, for a total value of $657,061.17. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 36,576 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,395,362.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Black Hills Company Profile (Free Report) Black Hills Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Electric Utilities and Gas Utilities. The Electric Utilities segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 220,000 electric utility customers in Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and owns and operates 1,482 megawatts of generation capacity and 9,024 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Black Hills Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Black Hills and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. WEX (NYSE:WEX Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The business services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.01), reports. WEX had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 8.42%. The business had revenue of $621.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $620.63 million. WEX updated its Q3 guidance to $3.65-$3.75 EPS and its FY23 guidance to $14.15-$14.35 EPS. WEX Stock Down 1.4 % NYSE WEX opened at $188.37 on Friday. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $181.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $181.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market cap of $8.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.60. WEX has a 52 week low of $125.00 and a 52 week high of $204.05. Get WEX alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, COO Robert Joseph Deshaies sold 750 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.25, for a total transaction of $129,187.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,181 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,236,927.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other WEX news, CEO Melissa D. Smith sold 41,107 shares of WEX stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.00, for a total value of $8,015,865.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 81,998 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,989,610. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Robert Joseph Deshaies sold 750 shares of WEX stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.25, for a total value of $129,187.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,181 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,236,927.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 43,896 shares of company stock valued at $8,494,961. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On WEX Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of WEX by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,754 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,105,000 after buying an additional 656 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of WEX by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 102,654 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $16,799,000 after buying an additional 4,221 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of WEX in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of WEX by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 19,838 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $3,246,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of WEX by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 47,409 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $7,758,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. 98.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Several brokerages recently weighed in on WEX. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of WEX from $220.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their target price on WEX from $219.00 to $226.00 in a research report on Friday, July 14th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on WEX in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on WEX from $236.00 to $252.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on WEX from $180.00 to $195.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $209.67. About WEX (Get Free Report) WEX Inc operates a commerce platform in the United States and internationally. The Fleet Solutions segment offers fleet vehicle payment solutions, transaction processing, and information management services. It also provides account and account retention services; authorization and billing inquiries, and account maintenance services; account management; credit and collections services; merchant services; analytics solutions; and ancillary services and tools to fleets to manage expenses and capital requirements. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for WEX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WEX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Boliden AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:BDNNY Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,200 shares, a decrease of 40.0% from the June 30th total of 2,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 28,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.0 days. Boliden AB (publ) Stock Performance Shares of OTCMKTS:BDNNY opened at $57.48 on Friday. Boliden AB has a 52-week low of $52.89 and a 52-week high of $92.60. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $61.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.99. Get Boliden AB (publ) alerts: Boliden AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:BDNNY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter. Boliden AB (publ) Cuts Dividend Analysts Set New Price Targets The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 10th were given a dividend of $1.8424 per share. This represents a yield of 9.63%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 9th. Boliden AB (publ)s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.50%. A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BDNNY. Berenberg Bank downgraded Boliden AB (publ) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley raised Boliden AB (publ) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 21st. DNB Markets downgraded Boliden AB (publ) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. Barclays upgraded Boliden AB (publ) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Boliden AB (publ) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $368.75. About Boliden AB (publ) (Get Free Report) Boliden AB (publ) engages in the exploring, extracting, and processing of base metals and precious metals in Sweden, other Nordic region, Germany, the United Kingdom, the rest of Europe, North America, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Business Area Mines and Business Area Smelters. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Boliden AB (publ) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Boliden AB (publ) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Motive Wealth Advisors reduced its stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM Free Report) by 16.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,566 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after selling 711 shares during the period. Motive Wealth Advisors holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 140,855.3% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 123,341,568 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $13,604,575,000 after buying an additional 123,254,064 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 52,478,674 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $5,788,398,000 after buying an additional 5,566,797 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth $5,226,390,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 41,011,875 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $4,523,610,000 after buying an additional 1,344,934 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,180,397 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $2,575,190,000 after buying an additional 560,517 shares during the period. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Exxon Mobil alerts: Exxon Mobil Trading Down 1.2 % Exxon Mobil stock opened at $104.11 on Friday. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 52 week low of $83.89 and a 52 week high of $119.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $420.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.05, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $104.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $109.16. Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend Exxon Mobil ( NYSE:XOM Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 28th. The oil and gas company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.04 by ($0.10). Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 31.48% and a net margin of 15.06%. The business had revenue of $82.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.14 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 28.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 8.87 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Exxon Mobils dividend payout ratio is presently 24.64%. Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.11, for a total transaction of $290,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 29,272 shares in the company, valued at $3,398,771.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several brokerages recently commented on XOM. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Exxon Mobil from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $125.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, May 1st. HSBC lifted their price target on Exxon Mobil from $113.50 to $115.50 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $118.00 to $110.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 24th. UBS Group raised Exxon Mobil from a neutral rating to a buy rating and lifted their price target for the company from $125.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $122.00 to $121.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $124.30. Exxon Mobil Profile (Free Report) Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding XOM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Exxon Mobil Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Exxon Mobil and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The roadshow was conducted in Canberra and Sydney SYDNEY, July 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS), a leading provider of solutions in digital consumer experience (CX), business process management (BPM), and digital media services, had organized its much-anticipated HGS Tech Roadshow in Australia in the week of July 17th in Canberra and Sydney. HGS leadership with industry leaders of Australia and CM of Canberra and the High Commissioner of Mauritius The HGS Tech Roadshow in Canberra was co-hosted by the esteemed India-Australia Strategic Alliance. As part of the Tech Roadshow, a panel discussion took place at the prestigious National Press Club of Australia, held in collaboration with the Canberra Business Chamber. The discussion was expertly moderated by Shiraz Engineer of Asialink. Esteemed panelists included Mr. Dane Richmond, Manager Asia Management Austrade, Mr. Dave Roberts, Managing Director - TLR Global, and Mr. Pushkar Misra, President & CEO of HGS APAC. Noteworthy attendees of the event included participants from the Australia India Business Council, Asialink Business, and representatives from the ACT Government and Australian Trade and Investment Commission. The HGS Tech Roadshow provided a great interactive platform for business leaders, innovators, and tech enthusiasts to delve into the boundless possibilities of data analytics and AI in the CX landscape. The Tech Roadshow in Sydney was held at the esteemed Royal Automobile Club, where distinguished guests such as Tony Abbott, Former Prime Minister of Australia, Dr. Jagviner Singh Virk, Chairman of the India Australia Strategic Alliance, and Dr. Sunil Chadda, Senior Advisor to the Hinduja Group graced the occasion. The event also saw the attendance of Hon. Zed Seselja, Hon. Senator Andrew Bragg, and Dr. Peter Gangemi, Mayor of the Hills Shire Council, as well as the Mauritius High Commissioner, H.E Marie Monty. The HGS Tech Roadshow was successful in fostering meaningful connections and exploring the transformative potential of data analytics and AI in delivering exceptional customer experiences in the Australian market. Story continues About Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS): A global leader in optimizing the customer experience lifecycle, digital transformation, business process management, and digital media ecosystem, HGS is helping its clients become more competitive every day. HGS' core BPM business combines automation, analytics, and artificial intelligence with deep domain expertise focusing on digital customer experiences, back-office processing, contact centers, and HRO solutions. HGS' digital media business, NXTDIGITAL (www.nxtdigital.in), is India's premier integrated Digital Delivery Platforms Company delivering services via satellite, digital cable and broadband to over 5 million customers across 1,500 cities and towns. Part of the multi-billion-dollar conglomerate Hinduja Group, HGS takes a "globally local" approach. HGS has 20,683 employees across 35 delivery centers in nine countries, making a difference to some of the world's leading brands across verticals. For the year ended March 31, 2023, HGS had revenues of Rs. 5,023.2 crore (US$ 623.5 million). Visit https://hgs.cx to learn how HGS transforms customer experiences and builds businesses for the future. Hinduja Global Solutions Logo Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/hgs-organizes-3-day-tech-roadshow-in-australia-301888504.html SOURCE Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) [July 28, 2023] Globalstar, Inc. Earnings Release and Call Notice Tweet Globalstar, Inc. (NYSE American: GSAT) will announce its second quarter 2023 financial and operating results on Thursday, August 3, 2023 before the market opens. The release will be available over the wire and from the Globalstar, Inc. website at www.globalstar.com. The Company will also conduct a conference call on Thursday, August 3, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. EDT to discuss these results. Details are as follows: Earnings Call: The earnings call will be available via webcast from the following link. Webcast Link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/69gz3m5f If you would like to participate in the live question and answer session following the Company's conference call, please dial 1 (800) 715-9871 (US and Canada), 1 (646) 307-1963 (International) and use the participant pass code 9019515. Audio Replay: For those unable to participate in the live call, a replay of the webcast will be available in the Investor Relations section of our website. About Globalstar, Inc. Globalstar empowers its customers to connect, transmit and communicate in smarter ways - easily, quickly, securely, and affordably - offering reliable satellite and terrestrial connectivity services as an international telecom infrastructure provider. The Company's LEO satellite constellation assures secure data transmission for connecting and protecting assets, delivering key operational data, and saving lives - from any location - for consumers, businesses, and government agencies across the globe. Globalstar's terrestrial spectrum, Band 53/n53, offers carriers, cable companies, and system integrators a versatile, fully licensed channel with a growing ecosystem to improve customer wireless connectivity. In addition to SPOT GPS messengers, Globalstar offers next-generation IoT hardware and software products for efficiently tracking and monitoring assets, processing smart data at the edge, and managing analytics with cloud-based telematics solutions to drive safety, productivity, and profitability. Note that all SPOT products described in this press release are the products of SPOT LLC, which is not affiliated in any manner with Spot Image of Toulouse, France or Spot Image Corporation of Chantilly, Virginia. For more information, visit www.globalstar.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230728551862/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 28, 2023] INVESTIGATION ALERT: Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP Investigates Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation's Directors and Officers for Breach of Fiduciary Duties - BAH Tweet Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP ("Scott+Scott"), an international securities and consumer rights litigation firm, is investigating whether certain directors and officers of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation ("Booz Allen") (NYSE: BAH) breached their fiduciary duties to Booz Allen and its shareholders. If you are a Booz Allen shareholder, you may contact attorney Joe Pettigrew for additional information toll-free at 844-818-6982, or [email protected]. Scott+Scott is investigating whether members o Booz Allen's board of directors or senior management failed to manage Booz Allen in an acceptable manner, in breach of their fiduciary duties to Booz Allen, and whether Booz Allen and its shareholders have suffered damages as a result. On July 21, 2023, Booz Allen announced it had agreed to pay $377.5 million to resolve civil litigation and an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice regarding allegations that Booz Allen improperly charged the U.S. government, from 2011 through 2021, for indirect costs that it should have billed under its commercial contracts. An investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the same conduct remains pending. What You Can Do If you are a Booz Allen shareholder, you may have legal claims against Booz Allen's directors and officers. If you wish to discuss this investigation, or have questions about this notice or your legal rights, please contact attorney Joe Pettigrew toll-free at 844-818-6982 or [email protected]. About Scott+Scott Scott+Scott has significant experience in prosecuting major securities, antitrust, and consumer rights actions throughout the United States. The firm represents pension funds, foundations, individuals, and other entities worldwide with offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Connecticut, California, and Ohio. Attorney Advertising View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230728049504/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] NEW YORK (AP) Chatter on one of Prabha Rao's WhatsApp groups exploded last week when India announced that it was severely curtailing some rice exports to the rest of the world, triggering worry among the Indian diaspora in the United States that access to a food staple from home might soon be cut off. As in any crisis situation think bottled water and toilet paper some rushed to supermarkets to stock up, stacking carts with bags and bags of rice. In some places, lines formed outside some stores as panic buying ensued. But Rao, who lives near Syracuse, New York, was reassured when the proprietor of her Indian market sent out an email to customers to let them know there was no need to worry: There was an ample supply of rice. At least for now. An earlier than expected El Nino brought drier, warmer weather in some parts of Asia and is expected to harm rice production. But in some parts of India, where the monsoon season was especially brutal, flooding destroyed some crops, adding to production woes and rising prices. Hoping to stave off inflationary pressures on a diet staple, the Indian government earlier this month imposed export bans on non-Basmati white rice varieties, prompting hoarding in some parts of the world. The move was taken to ensure adequate availability and to allay the rise in prices in the domestic market, India's Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution announced July 20. Over the past year, prices have increased by more than 11%, and by 3% over the past month, the government said. Non-Basmati white rice constitutes about a fourth of the rice exported by India. On WhatsApp, I got a lot of messages saying that rice was not going to be available. I think there was a lot of confusion in the beginning because, as you know, rice is very important for us, Rao said. When we first heard the news, there was just mild confusion and people started panic buying because they thought that it may not be available, she said. Story continues There are scores of different varieties of rice, with people having their preference depending on taste and texture. India's export ban does not apply to Basmati rice, a long-grain variety that is more aromatic. The ban applies to short-grain rice that is starchier and has a relatively neutral flavor which Rao says is preferable in some dishes or favored in specific regions of India, especially in southern areas of the country. Shortages of non-basmati rice caused by rains and drought in rice-producing regions of India have sent prices soaring in the country. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images) At Little India, a grocery store in New York City's Curry Hill neighborhood in Manhattan, there was no shortage of Basmati rice and other varieties. That wasn't the case at other Indian groceries. On its Facebook page, India Bazaar, an Indian grocery chain in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, told customers not to panic. We are working hard to meet all our shoppers' demands, the post said. Customers cleared shelves and waited in long lines to stockpile bags of rice, reported NBC Dallas affiliate KXAS. They really wanted to purchase ten, 12, 15 bags, India Bazaar's president, Anand Pabari, told the station. It was a really crazy situation. Indias move came days after Russia backed out of a deal to allow Ukrainian wheat safe passage through the Black Sea, prompting warnings that the action could lead to surging prices. Some economists say the ban might further hurt food supplies around the world, and some governments have urged the Indian government to reconsider the export ban. At least in the United States, the supply of imported rice from India may not yet be a problem despite the panic buying but a long-term ban would certainly deplete that stock. Roa says she and others will just have to adapt by purchasing rice grown in the United States or imported from other countries. I might have to substitute Basmati rice," she said, "but it doesnt taste that good, especially with South Indian dishes. A U.S. resident for three decades, Rao said she is accustomed to improvising. When we first came here, there was not even that much rice from India, she said. "So Ive learned to substitute, and Im fine with the other brands that we get. [July 28, 2023] LOANDEPOT INVESTIGATION INITIATED by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates the Officers and Directors of loanDepot, Inc. - LDI Tweet Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into loanDepot, Inc. (NYSE: LDI). In February 2021, the Company, an independent non-bank retail mortgage lender that provides residential and refinance loans, and personal loan products, to borrowers, completed its initial public offering ("IPO"). On September 21, 2021, the Company's former COO filed a wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit against the Company, revealing allegations of a wide-ranging illegal scheme conducted to fraudulently inflate the Company's value, including closing loans without required documentation and wrongful collection of double interest from borrowers, among other things. The Company has been sued in a securities class action lawsuit for failing to disclose material information, violating federal securities laws. Recently, the court presiding over that case denied the Company's motion to dismiss, allowing the case to move forward. KSF's investigation is focusing on whether loanDepot' officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to its shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws. If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of loanDepot shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-833-938-0905 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ldi/ to learn more. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey. To learn more about KSF, you may visit ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230728989595/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 29, 2023] Statement by Minister O'Regan Tweet GATINEAU, QC, July 29, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, Minister of Labour, Seamus O'Regan Jr., issued the following statement on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada ratification vote: "Last night, the membership of the ILWU Canada voted to reject the tentative agreement with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA). This comes after the proposed Terms of Settlement by the federal mediator were both accepted by the ILWU Canada bargaining team and recommended to the membership for ratification by the ILWU Canada Longshore Caucus. This state of uncertainty cannot continue. While our BC ports are operating right now, we need long term stability for the many workers and businesses that depend on them. As Minister of Labour, I am using my authorities under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to preserve indusrial peace. I have directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to determine whether the union's rejection of the tentative agreement has eliminated the possibility of a negotiated resolution. If the Board determines that to be the case, I have directed them to either impose a new collective agreement on the parties or impose final binding arbitration to resolve outstanding terms of the collective agreement. Our economy cannot face further disruption from this dispute. Following the Incident Response Group meeting with the Prime Minister on July 19, the Government is prepared for all options and eventualities. Canada is a reliable trading partner to the world. That is a good thing for every worker and employer in this country. But our credibility depends on the stable operation of our supply chains. We must do everything we can to preserve that stability." Associated Link Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Follow us on Twitter SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Right now hottie fashionista Kara inspires our taste for pop culture, community news and top headlines. Check TKC news gathering . . . Sweaty Strides Today 'Psycho Psummer' Trail Nerds participants run in heat, humidity Many avoided getting out in the heat this week, but a group of dedicated trail runners woke up Saturday morning ready to lace up. Tragic Luxury Car Aftermath Driver, passenger injured after BMW strikes tree, catches fire Officers with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department responded to a critical injury crash around 2:40 a.m. Saturday. Highway Disaster Postscript Pedestrian hit and killed on I-435 Saturday Early Saturday morning a pedestrian was killed on I-435 in Kansas City, Missouri after laying in the road. Rolling Consequences Hit-and-run crash victim dies 2 days after motorcycle collision Kansas City, Missouri, police were informed Saturday that the victim of a hit-and-run motorcycle crash, that took place Thursday night in KCMO, passed away. Meth Town Cleanup Working Independence, Missouri city leaders cite success with abandoned shopping cart ordinance New law went into effect in 2022 requiring businesses to plan how to retrieve carts Economic Concern In Kansas Bank failure: Kansas Heartland Tri-State Bank closed by FDIC | CNN Business Heartland Tri-State Bank of Elkhart, Kansas, failed on Friday, with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation taking control. Show-Me Career Dedication First-ever female manager at Walmart retires after 48 years working in Missouri After 48 years at Walmart, one woman is retiring. But she's not just any employee. Jane Marshall is Walmart's first female manager in the nation, and she's worked here in Missouri her whole life. Checking Into Hard Life 'It's been a struggle': Woman now living in hotel details life after Stonegate Meadows apartments Amber Wiltse wanted to share her story to help people realize the impact of former living conditions Crafting Cont'd Golden Ghetto Creative Pandemic Help Johnson County artists can now apply for a grant to aid in COVID recovery The COVID-19 pandemic hit everyone hard and a lot of us are still trying to catch up from the chaos that was 2020-mid 2022. A group that was largely affected by the pandemic is artists. With a career that revolves so heavily on people and public audiences, those who use art to make their living have always struggled to keep... Influencer Adorned In Hotness Kara Del Toro in Bathing Suit is "Most Myself in the Sunshine" Kara Del Toro is living her best life in her bathing suit. The model and influencer shows off her incredible body in Dior. White House Chaos In Every Way First pooch Commander Biden in the dog house as trainers call for his muzzling Dog trainers are calling on the Biden administration to properly train the president's dog Commander, who has a tendency to bite Secret Service members. Goodwin's Law Still Applies Judge dismisses Trump's 'Big Lie' lawsuit against CNN The Trump-appointed judge wrote that CNN's statements, while "repugnant," were not defamatory. White House Social Media Joke Crackdown For Realz 'Facebook Files' show Biden's administration even targeted jokes for censorship The Biden administration and its allies were right about one thing: Jokes can be deadly to a censorship system. Midwest Rebukes MAGA Critics GOP presidential candidate, Trump critic Will Hurd booed off stage at Iowa event Former Republican Texas Congressman and presidential candidate Will Hurd was booed off the stage at an Iowa event after he began railing against former President Donald Trump. First Amendment Defends Divas Almost nothing has come from all the talk about states banning drag in front of kids Across the country, efforts by state Republicans to restrict drag performances in front of kids have fallen short. Bills have been scuttled, blocked, vetoed and more. Worsening War In Europe Turns To Heavy Artillery Ukraine Is Lobbing Eight-Ton Air-Defense Missiles At Russian Cities Russian rocket strikes on Ukrainian civilians are a near-daily occurrence. Retaliatory strikes could become more common as the Ukrainians field more long-range weapons. No Local Love For Far East Most Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans are unhappy with China, poll shows A Pew Research Center survey of more than 7,000 Asian Americans found most see their ancestral homelands favorably -- except for Chinese Americans. Rebuilding World's Wonder Notre Dame cathedral reconstruction project takes a big leap forward "The heart of the spire" for the iconic, fire-damaged Paris church has been reconstructed using ancient ways and ancient wood, and some help from modern technology. Naughty Drinking Games How to Make a Pornstar Martini, a Delicious Vodka Cocktail That's for Adults Only Invented in London in 2002, the Pornstar Martini is a vodka, vanilla, passion fruit cocktail that's shaken and served with Champagne on the side. Newflash: Fans Appreciate Wins Of course Royals fans want more to cheer about before opening our wallets for stadium | Opinion "You need to spend money to improve this team," one fan said in response to John Sherman's open letter. So are we here to pile on? Sort of. | Opinion Kegger Flexes On Colleagues Travis Kelce Throws Punch at Chiefs Teammate After Touchdown During Heated Practice Training camp fight alert! Local Dinner Plans Debut Enzo Bistro and Wine Bar is the ideal spot to have dinner with your in-laws. Enzo Bistro and Wine Bar is the ideal spot to have dinner with your in-laws. Hipsters Sound Off Celebration New-look Burney Sisters showcase artistic progression at Knuckleheads The Burney Sisters. // photo courtesy the artist Hours before Columbia duo The Burney Sisters took to the Gospel Lounge stage at Knuckleheads on the eve of July 21, Emma Burney, 15-the elder of the two siblings currently in the lineup-spent her savings on her very first car, a Honda Element. Katie Forecast Cont'd Excessive Heat Warning continues today It is a First Alert Weather Alert Day Ice Spice - Deli is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. Just as many skeptics predicted . . . The Border Wall didn't work. However, that's not all bad news given fading population numbers in rural Kansas and a nationwide shortage of workers and/or people who haven't figured out how to garner lazy girl jobs. Accordingly, here's a peek at an upcoming conversation on exotic dating prospects for your granddaughter . . . Were asking Kansas to not just talk, but take on an assignment, one thats small but significant. We want you to gather in a group for 60 or 90 minutes and answer the following questions: - How are the demographics of your community changing and what does it mean for you? - How might immigration affect the future of your community? - What values do you think should bind us together as Americans? - What should your community do to navigate changes and thrive? Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Follow-up coverage on the upcoming courtroom debate over driver's license dox . . . Check the latest demand for representation . . . (AG) Kobach argues that a new state law would require drivers licenses to reflect an individuals sex at birth. The ACLU filed a motion to intervene on behalf of five transgender Kansans earlier this month. However, Kobach is asking a Shawnee County District Court judge to deny that request. You cannot try to attempt to make a law or file a lawsuit, and not allow the people that youre speaking about in the room or at the table, said Justin Brace, Executive Director of Transgender Kansas. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Multiple dogs being transported in a truck through Lake Station on Thursday died of heat-related illness after temperatures in the trucks cargo area reached dangerous levels, according to Lake Station police, who drew criticism from the citys contractual animal care provider over its alleged handling of the incident. In a statement posted to Facebook early on Friday morning, the Lake Station Police Department wrote that the dogs were being transported from OHare International Airport in Chicago to a training facility in Michigan City amid the days extreme heat. Advertisement The animals were confined to crates in the trucks separate cargo area. The driver stopped on Ripley Street in Lake Station after the dogs barking alerted him to their distress, according to the statement, and called 911 after discovering the animals condition. The police department characterized the incident as accidental. Advertisement The Lake Station Police Department believes after speaking with the person(s) involved that this was not an act of animal cruelty or neglect but a mechanical failure of the AC unit that was being used in the cargo area, the police department wrote. Staff from the Humane Society of Hobart, Lake Stations contractual animal care and control partner, soon arrived at the scene, alongside police, discovering that some of the animals had died. Jennifer Webber, the Humane Societys executive director, wrote in a statement released on Friday that she followed her organizations standard procedures, asking the driver of the truck to provide vaccination records for the animals, along with permitted health certificates which establish temperatures safe for transport and a certified veterinary license required to transport the dogs across state lines. When the driver did not comply, Webber said, she told him that she believed he was not in compliance with several local codes governing the treatment and transport of animals. She announced her intention to seize the surviving dogs and transport them to a veterinary hospital to receive emergency care, conduct an investigation and return the animals once compliance was proved and any fines and fees paid. The driver again refused to comply, Webber said, and said he would not allow Humane Society staff to transport the animals in their vehicles. Police at the scene respected the drivers wishes, and the animals were transported to two local animal hospitals by emergency medical services, which arrived later, according to Webber. This decision and the resulting delay, Webber said, resulted in potentially unnecessary animal deaths, as some animals did not recover and were euthanized. The police department did not provide the number of dogs involved in the incident, nor the number that died. We have an amazing relationship with Lake Station animal control and Mayor Bill Carroll and the city council, Webber told the Post-Tribune. I have never conducted an animal investigation or assessment or acquisition like this before. It was completely out of protocol. In her statement, Webber voiced her intention to seize possession of the hospitalized dogs, of which she said there are five, citing Lake Station ordinances that empower the Humane Society to impound an animal that is reasonably believed to have been abused or neglected; and dogs without current license tags. Advertisement The animals, she said, can be reclaimed by their owner after the required documents are provided and fees are paid. The Lake Station Police Department did not identify the driver, and did not return a request for comment on Friday afternoon. adalton@chicagotribune.com WOOSTER One of Wayne County's most popular donut stands is celebrating a big birthday in 2023. Lerch's Donuts, headquartered in Wooster, is celebrating its 90th anniversary. And whether it's from appearing at county fairs to reaching out into their surrounding communities, Lerch's is a name remembered and passed down from generation to generation. But the donut shop offers more than just donuts. They also offer special French-style waffles and fresh-squeezed lemonade for those hot summer days. More: From food truck to family-run restaurant: El Cerrito opens doors in Orrville After the donuts are coated they are boxed for sale. Being one of the most recognizable names for donuts makes them a name that will be passed down and etched in tradition. And that is something their current owner is very proud of. "It's a tradition," Adam Geitgey said. "We have grandparents bringing their kids and grandkids to our stand, and they become fans." Not only that, but people have some interesting stories about Lerch's. And Geitgey realizes that the first day that Lerch's opens for the new year is like a rite of spring. "People used to say that when the donut trailer comes out in Wayne County, it's the first sign of spring," he said. Donuts coated and ready to be boxed. '... and you can't eat just one' Now, as Lerch's rolls on in 2023, their customers are finding plenty of ways to enjoy their donuts. Whether plain, topped with sugar, dipped in milk or coffee, Lerch's are a staple across multiple counties in northeast and north central Ohio. One particular Wayne County resident is a major fan of the brand. "The donuts are always fresh, and you can't eat just one," Wayne County Commissioner Sue Smail said. And the popularity of Lerch's Donuts doesn't just apply to older generations, but to college-age people too. And most people often know what they get and appreciate the quality of having a hometown option. "I would say I like their donuts in particular because I know what I'm getting from them every time as they are local and fresh," Wooster resident and Ashland University alum Jake Hjerpe said. Story continues The Lerch's Donut stand located at Portage Road and state route 585 next to Mission Thrift and Planet Fitness. But the most popular times of year for donuts are when they are sold at county fairs. In 2023, Lerch's will set up at 12 fairs across nine counties in Northeast and North Central Ohio. The donut stand is one of the most popular stands at three county fairs in particular. "They are extremely popular. It used to be one of the things people would look forward to," Holmes County Director of Concessions Jamie Darr said. The 2023 Holmes County Fair, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is scheduled for Aug. 7-12 in Millersburg. 'By far, Lerch's is a fan favorite' Lerch's has two locations, including a full building at the eastern end near the grandstand at the Wayne County Fair. And the fair manager confirms the success of the donut shop. "By far, Lerch's is a fan favorite, with long lines throughout the day," Matt Martin said. Hanna Wilson has worked for Lerch's Donuts for 3 years. She is coating fresh donuts with cinnamon for sale. This stand is locatednext to state route 585 near Planet Fitness in Wooster. The Wayne County Fair is scheduled for Sept. 9-14 in Wooster. And with college students in school, plenty of people will flock to fairs toward the end of summer. Ashland University students will often flock to the Ashland County fair, and Lerch's is a popular stand at the event. "A lot of Lerch's donuts are sold throughout the day, people make sure to get over," Ashland County Director of Concessions Kathy Rice said. Ashland's County Fair is for Sept. 17-23. Being a fan favorite sometimes mean a person has to adapt to change over time, but Lerch's has stuck with what works, as one employee notes. "Well, it's the original recipe for 90 years. You know what you're getting," employee Honore Strader said. As they roll on, Lerch's Donuts continues to celebrate its 90th anniversary and its popularity continues to grow. Hanna Wilson holds a mixed box of cinnamon and powder sugar donuts. This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: 'It's a tradition': Lerch's Donuts celebrates 90th anniversary From February 24, 2022 to July 29, 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated about 245,220 Russian military personnel, including 390 soldiers over the past day. This is stated in the report by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published on Facebook. Moreover, the Ukrainian troops destroyed 4,191 (+1 over the past day) enemy tanks, 8,167 (+6) armored combat vehicles, 4,786 (+11) artillery systems, 698 MLRS, 458 air defense systems, 315 aircraft, 311 helicopters, 4,007 operational-tactical UAVs, 1,347 cruise missiles, 18 ships/boats, 7,247 (+7) vehicles and fuel tanks, 710 (+1) special equipment units. As reported, missile and artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit eight enemy artillery pieces on firing positions, two EW systems, an ammunition depot, and a fuel depot over the past day. Key Insights The projected fair value for Varta is 22.77 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Varta's 20.60 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate Our fair value estimate is 7.7% higher than Varta's analyst price target of 21.14 In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Varta AG (ETR:VAR1) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple! Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you. Check out our latest analysis for Varta 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, 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 (, Millions) 29.9m 47.2m 60.9m 73.3m 83.9m 92.4m 99.0m 104.0m 107.8m 110.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Est @ 29.06% Est @ 20.41% Est @ 14.36% Est @ 10.12% Est @ 7.16% Est @ 5.08% Est @ 3.63% Est @ 2.61% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 9.3% 27.3 39.5 46.6 51.4 53.7 54.1 53.0 51.0 48.3 45.4 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 470m Story continues 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 (0.2%) 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 9.3%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = 111m (1 + 0.2%) (9.3% 0.2%) = 1.2b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 1.2b ( 1 + 9.3%)10= 501m The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is 971m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of 20.6, the company appears about fair value at a 9.5% 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 Important Assumptions We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Varta 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 9.3%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.529. 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 Varta Strength Debt is well covered by earnings. Weakness Shareholders have been diluted in the past year. Opportunity Forecast to reduce losses next year. Has sufficient cash runway for more than 3 years based on current free cash flows. Current share price is below our estimate of fair value. Threat Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow. Next Steps: Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" 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. For Varta, there are three important elements you should look at: Risks: Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Varta (at least 1 which can't be ignored) , and understanding these should be part of your investment process. Future Earnings: How does VAR1's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every German stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here The Russian army has killed 498 children in Ukraine and left 1,080 others injured. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office said this in a post on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. "As of the morning of July 28, 2023, more than 1,578 children have been affected in Ukraine as a result of Russia's full-scale armed aggression. According to official information from juvenile prosecutors, 498 children were killed and more than 1,080 were injured," the post reads. These figures are not final, as work is underway to establish them in areas of hostilities and in temporarily captured and liberated territories. The largest number of children was killed or injured in Donetsk region (482), Kharkiv region (298), Kyiv region (129), Kherson region (116), Zaporizhzhia region (97), Mykolaiv region (95), Dnipropetrovsk region (85), Chernihiv region (71), and Luhansk region (67). On July 27, a 16-year-old girl was injured by enemy shelling in the Ochakiv district of the Mykolaiv region. On July 28, two children aged 14 and 17 were injured by a Russian missile strike in the city of Dnipro. Members of the Center of Special Operations "A" of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) destroyed a Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system, 13 tanks, and many other Russian armored vehicles over the past week. "Soldiers of the Center of Special Operations A of the Security Service of Ukraine destroyed a Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system, 13 tanks of various modifications, eight artillery systems, two MLRS, two air defense systems, three EW systems, 11 armored vehicles, 32 vehicles, one video surveillance system, 28 fortifications, and four firing positions," the SBU posted on Telegram. Also, SBU special forces in cooperation with fellow artillerists of the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated 255 Russians and about 30 more pieces of equipment and other targets. Video: SBU, Telegram Seventeen soldiers of the Special Operations Forces have been awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, including 13 of them posthumously, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. In total, 2,520 SOF soldiers received state awards. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a daily video address, Ukrinform reports. "Special Operations Forces mean such heroism about which it is impossible to tell the details. Only years later such specifics of operations. The guys inflict particularly tangible blows on Russian terrorists. What we can talk about now, of course, is participation in key combat operations. Bakhmut in particular, Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Marinka. Soledar. Together with everyone, they defended Kyiv and Hostomel, and Bucha, and Irpin, and Moschun, and Makariv. Snake Island also SOF together with intelligence, together with the Alpha group and the Navy. Kinburn Spit. Kherson," he said. Zelensky clarified that he had the honor to personally congratulate and reward Special Operations Forces soldiers on their professional day in the Donetsk region. "Let every loss of Russia be retribution for its evil, and let every occupier, every Russian murderer, all those responsible for this terror against Ukraine and Ukrainians know while they are still alive that justice wins. Ukraine will win! Thanks to everyone who brings our victory closer! Eternal memory to everyone who gave his life for the sake of Ukraine!" Zelensky added. As part of his working trip to the Donetsk region, Zelensky visited a SOF unit where he took part in ceremonial events on the occasion of the Special Operations Forces Day. The head of state congratulated the soldiers and thanked them for their courage and resilience. Ukraine marks Special Operations Forces Day on July 29. Ukraine desperately needs powerful air and missile defense systems to protect grain terminals and port infrastructure. "We really need systems that will be able to destroy at a long distance the mere Russians plans regarding the destruction of this direction both the grain and port infrastructure, and the global grain initiative in general. [We need] long-range weapons, missiles of this class that can reach missile carriers which are now located in the so-called missile-safe area, closer to Novorossiysk. And we also need air and missile defense systems which will provide the protective dome for the entire infrastructure in the immediate vicinity of the ports," Natalia Humeniuk, the head of the joint press center of the Operational Command "South", said during the United News telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. She expressed hope that the international community understands that the enemy will not stop at the acts already done, as well as the threats and previous warnings about port infrastructure in the south. "We announced and emphasized the fact that we need more powerful protection against such types of damage, taking into account the characteristics of those missiles that the enemy uses in such attacks. So, we need air and missile defense systems against supersonic missiles. And they should work not only for the protection of the residents of Odesa, the south, or Ukraine. They should work to protect the prospects of the navigation in the Black Sea because the port infrastructure of the south of Ukraine is a quite powerful sector of the water area which is linked with navigation," Humeniuk stressed. The head of the joint press center of the Operational Command "South" commented on the threats made by Russian warships against civilian vessels passing near the seaports of Ukraine and the real possibilities of the enemy to attack. "One of the attacks was aimed at the Danube ports in general this was a message from the Russians that they are capable of resorting to the most profound provocations, the most profound pressure, fire military pressure on the economic activity of Ukraine, on the activity of the grain initiative. Therefore, we need strong support at the diplomatic level in addition to strengthening our security component. I will remind everyone, when the grain agreement was working, the security guarantors were the UN and Turkiye, and the security component was provided by the security forces of Ukraine," Humeniuk said. The presentation of the products of Ukraines defense companies at the IDEF2023 International Defence Industry Fair opened up new prospects for supply, joint production, creation of new types of weapons, in particular in cooperation with Turkish companies. Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkiye Vasyl Bodnar said this in a comment to Ukrinform following the IDEF2023 fair in Istanbul. "Ukrainian companies, especially the private sector, are widely represented at the IDEF2023 fair, they offer a wide range of Ukrainian defense-industrial complex products from armored vehicles, radar stations to Neptun [anti-ship cruise missile] and Bohdana [wheeled self-propelled howitzer]. For us, this is a very important element of the presentation of Ukraine during the war. Our military equipment confirms its high combat capability in combat conditions and this is a very strong element of Ukraine's promotion abroad, despite the tragedy of the war," Bodnar said. The Ambassador emphasized that the arms market would always remain one of the key for technologically developed countries, including Ukraine. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday, July 28, that allowing Russia to give free grain to Africa is not the right path out of the crisis caused by Russia's withdrawal from a Ukraine grain export deal. That's according to ANSA, Ukrinform reports. "We are pushing for dialogue on the grain corridor to be maintained. [] It is mainly the African peoples who pay the price for suspending the agreement," Tajani told La7 TV, adding that Italy supports Turkey's diplomatic efforts in this matter. He also noted that if the Black Sea grain export deal is not renewed, grain prices would rise. Read also: African leaders call on Russia to return to Black Sea grain deal On July 17, Moscow announced the termination of the agreement with Turkey and the UN that allowed the safe passage of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on July 28 that Turkey "will not hesitate" to take the initiative necessary to prevent the "harmful consequences" of Moscow's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal. Erdogan said that a "detailed discussion of this issue" with Russian President Vladimir Putin "will ensure the continuation of this humanitarian movement." Photo: ANSA/EPA The Russian occupiers moved ZNPPs unit 4 to hot shutdown and completed the planned transition of reactor unit 5 to cold shutdown. This is stated in a new report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Ukraines Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has completed the planned transition of its reactor unit 5 to cold shutdown while moving reactor unit 4 to hot shutdown, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today. As noted, the ZNPP conducted this change in reactor status in order to carry out maintenance activities at unit 5 that are only possible in cold shutdown. Unit 5 was transitioned into cold shutdown yesterday morning, three days after unit 4 shifted to hot shutdown, its steam now being used to treat wastewater at the ZNPP. The other units remain in cold shutdown. The IAEA experts at the site have been encouraging the ZNPP to investigate all possible options to install an external boiler instead to generate the steam required, which would enable the site to bring all units into a cold shutdown state. As reported previously, the Ukraine national regulator had issued regulatory orders to limit the operation of all six units to a cold shutdown state. Yesterday, the IAEA team visited reactor unit 5 where they observed the reactor vessel, spent fuel pool and the steam generator. The team noted that all equipment seemed to be in normal condition. There were no restrictions during the visit and the team did not observe any mines or explosives. However, during a walkdown within the sites perimeter on Thursday, the team confirmed that the mines that they observed on 23 July were still in place. The IAEA is also continuing to request access to the roofs of the ZNPPs reactors and their turbine halls. Over the last few days, the IAEA team has heard occasional detonations; some at a distance away from the plant, and some apparently closer. Director General Grossi again stressed the paramount importance of adhering to the five basic principles for the protection of the ZNPP that he established on 30 May at the United Nations Security Council. An increased risk of military activities near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant could potentially endanger nuclear safety and security at this major facility. I call on all sides to refrain from any action that could lead to a nuclear accident with potential consequences for public health and the environment, Director General Grossi said. Now more than ever, these five basic principles designed to ensure the protection of Europes largest nuclear power plant must be strictly observed. It should be in everybodys interest to help prevent a nuclear accident, he said. The IAEA experts at the ZNPP are continuing to closely monitor the situation regarding the availability of water for cooling the ZNPPs six reactors and other essential nuclear safety and security functions, following the destruction of the downstream Kakhovka dam in early June and the subsequent depletion of the huge reservoir near the plant. Russian propaganda continues to fabricate content to discredit Ukrainians abroad In their posts, Russian Telegram channels began to actively share a photo of a memorial plaque to composer Richard Wagner in Dresden. According to propagandists, it was allegedly defaced by Ukrainian vandals who wrote the word "Orc" on the wall near the plaque. This is a fake. Ukrinform managed to contact representatives of local authorities. They sent a recent photo of the plaque to Richard Wagner. The inscription "Orc" is missing there. As the propagandists themselves pointed out, "orc" is a shortened "orchestrator" word. This is how the Russians call the representatives of PMC Wagner who actively fought on the side of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Thus, the authors of the fake tried to draw a parallel between the famous German composer and the terrorist organization. Their goal was to discredit Ukrainians who are currently in Germany. For Russian propaganda, Ukrainians abroad are one of the common targets. This month, Ukrinform already refuted two fakes about Ukrainian refugees. At first, the Russians tried to prove that the citizens of the Czech Republic and Slovakia were outraged by the fact that Ukrainians who had left the war were returning for vacations. And last week, Russian propaganda fabricated a campaign leaflet with a list of words that Ukrainians need to know in order to find a job in Germany. Dmytro Badrak The Security Service of Ukraine collected indisputable evidence of the guilt of another 91 members of the State Duma of the Russian Federation who contributed to the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine. Of them, 18 were sentenced to 15 years in prison, and the indictments against 73 Russian MPs were sent to court. It was established that on February 15, 2022, the officials supported the resolution to ask the President of the Russian Federation to recognize the so-called independence of the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) posted on Telegram. And already on February 22, they voted for the ratification of the so-called "agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance" between the Kremlin and the terrorist organizations "LPR/DPR". Moscow used this decision as a formal basis for launching a full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine. Based on these facts, the SBU investigators conducted an investigation under Part 3 of Art. 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine). Since 18 convicted Russian MPs currently stay in the territory of Russia, their term of serving the punishment will start from the day of their actual detention. As reported, the court sentenced five members of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, who encroached on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property. The ambassadors of the Group of Seven nations welcomed the initiative of Ukraines legislators to reinstate mandatory electronic declaration of assets by government officials. This was reported on Twitter by the Japanese chairmanship of the G7 Group of Ambassadors in Kyiv, reports Ukrinform. "G7 Ambassadors welcome the initiative of MPs to restore submission of asset declarations and ensure maximum transparency (with only limited, proportionate, and clearly defined exceptions related to martial law). This is a vital anti-corruption measure for Ukraine and an important step on way to the EU," the diplomats noted. As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Verkhovna Rada will consider at first reading at its next meeting the draft law on the restoration of electronic declaration of assets. At the outset of the full-scale war, the parliament suspended the process of mandatory declaration of assets by officials, allowing them to submit data on their wealth once martial law is lifted. At the same time, the National Agency on Prevention of Corruption allowed fort the voluntary filing of asset reports. Currently, draft law No. 8071, which restores the process of electronic declaration of assets, is under consideration in parliament. The Ministry of Justice has developed its version of the bill on the restoration of electronic declaration of assets for public officials. The government project was criticized by anti-corruption organizations and civil society. Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk called on lawmakers to support the relevant draft law. Meet Alexandr Wang, a prodigy entrepreneur who etched his name in history as the world's youngest self-made billionaire. At age 24, he achieved what many only dream of a spot in the elite billionaires' club. He's been hailed as a genius and compared to Elon Musk, the visionary behind SpaceX and Tesla Inc. Wang's journey to success began with his fascination with artificial intelligence (AI). During a trip to his ancestral homeland, he observed China's brightest engineers discussing AI's potential without addressing its practical applications. This pivotal moment, coupled with his parents' background as nuclear physicists, fueled his determination to explore AI. To stay updated with top startup news & investments, sign up for Benzinga's Startup Investing & Equity Crowdfunding Newsletter Gifted with an innate talent for mathematics and coding, Wang secured a coding job at Quora while still in his teens. His relentless pursuit of knowledge led him to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he immersed himself in machine learning and AI. Wang's intelligence and foresight guided him to seize an opportunity when he saw one. Please enable Javascript to view this content At age 19, with only one year at MIT under his belt, Wang took a leap of faith and cofounded Scale AI in 2016. The timing proved fortuitous as industries sought to harness the power of machine learning for their growth. Scale AI began by providing crucial data to autonomous vehicle companies, gradually expanding its reach to various sectors like enterprise automation, e-commerce, insurance and robotics. The rise of AI continues to be a hot funding area for venture capitalists and retail startup investors alike. Startups like GenesisAI have raised hundreds of thousands from retail investors. And OpenAI and other venture capital powerhouses are raking in billions from venture capital and private equity. Story continues By using the potential of clickworkers and integrating their unique skills with advanced AI algorithms, Wang created a winning formula that drives efficiency and addresses ethical concerns. Wang's focus on fair compensation and equal benefits for clickworkers set his company apart from other AI-driven businesses, earning it recognition as an innovative and disruptive force. The company continues to expand and develop cutting-edge AI solutions for various industries. The turning point came when the U.S. Air Force contracted Scale AI to implement AI for optimizing its data management, particularly in analyzing satellite images. This collaboration brought in over $350 million in government contracts, solidifying Scale AI's position as a leading player in the AI domain. See more on startup investing from Benzinga: Don't miss real-time alerts on your stocks - join Benzinga Pro for free! Try the tool that will help you invest smarter, faster, and better. This article The Next Elon Musk? This 26-Year-Old College Dropout Built A $7.3 Billion Tech Empire To Become The World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire originally appeared on Benzinga.com . 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Aristotle Atlantic Partners, an investment management firm, released its second quarter 2023 investor letter, a copy of which can be downloaded here. For the second quarter of 2023, Aristotle Atlantics Core Equity Composite posted a total return of 9.29 % gross of fees (9.18% net of fees), outperforming the S&P 500 Index, which recorded a total return of 8.74%. Spare some time to check the funds top 5 holdings to know more about their top bets for 2023. In its Q2 2023 investor letter, Aristotle Atlantic Partners mentioned The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and explained its insights for the company. Founded in 1923, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is a Burbank, California-based mass media and entertainment conglomerate with a $157.3 billion market capitalization. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) delivered a -0.86% return since the beginning of the year, while its 12-month returns are down by -18.82%. The stock closed at $86.13 per share on July 28, 2023. Here is what Aristotle Atlantic Partners has to say about The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in its Q2 2023 investor letter: "We sold our position in Disney, as the shift to streaming since the launch of Disney Plus nearly three years ago has been more challenging than expected. Overall company margins have declined, primarily driven by losses in the streaming segment, as Disney Plus strives to attract more subscribers. The focus on growth and profitability in streaming has come at the expense of reduced licensing revenues, as content shifts from the companys traditional linear networks to Disney Plus. Additionally, Disney is going through this challenging transition amidst upheaval in senior management." Top 15 Live Entertainment Companies in the World Our calculations show that The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) ranks 23rd on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was in 95 hedge fund portfolios at the end of the second quarter of 2023, compared to 99 funds in the previous quarter. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) delivered a -15.97% return in the past 3 months. Story continues We also discussed The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in another article. You can find other investor letters from hedge funds and prominent investors on our hedge fund investor letters Q2 2023 page. Suggested Articles: Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. (@FahadShabbir) ST. PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2023) Russia is not going to store huge quantities of gas in Turkey as this is the place for an electronic platform for trading it, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters. "Yes, it (the gas hub project) remains on the agenda, but I want it to be clear, it is not oil and not an oil storage, it is gas. We and our Turkish friends know it, we are talking about the creation of an electronic trading platform ... We are not going to store gas in huge tanks there, it is just a convenient place to set up such an electronic trading platform," Putin said on Saturday. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Summerland Key, United States, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2023 ) :Super-heated seawater off the Florida Keys has grown so perilous to the world's third-largest barrier reef that scientists are now removing samples of coral from ocean nurseries to place in cooler land-based tanks. Sea temperatures off Florida have risen to extraordinary highs this month, presenting a severe threat to the barrier reef. "Hot water is not good for any marine organism, whether it be coral, fish or lobster. So we run the risk of having massive fish die offs, sea turtle die offs, things like that," said Alex Neufeld, projects coordinator with the Coral Restoration Foundation. Surface water temperatures rose above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) several days earlier this month, and on Monday hit a record 101.1F in Manatee Bay, a sound near Key Largo. Coral can routinely survive sea temperatures between 70 and 84F (21 to 28.8C). "This is the worst that I've seen. And I think many people would agree that... it has the potential to be the worst one that the Keys has ever experienced," Neufeld said. Neufeld's nonprofit group, working with other local groups, has been collecting samples of genetic strains of coral from nurseries "and pulling them into land-based facilities where the water parameters can be controlled, and where they can be safeguarded," he said. As scientists race to ensure the survival of reef-based sea life, business owners despair over the possible impact on tourism to the Florida Keys. Brian Branigan, a 65-year-old boat captain who rents launches to tourists from Big Pine Key (near Key West), says the warming has shaken him. "What has happened in the last two weeks is terrible, shocking. I wanted to cry myself, when I was in the water, snorkeling to see this," he said as he took AFP to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, some five miles (eight kilometers) off the coast. Just a few feet below the boat, barracuda, blue tang surgeonfish and parrotfish dart around a reef populated with coral that is turning white, a sign of severe stress. The bleaching of the reefs appears to be accelerated this year, and summer heat has barely passed its mid-point. Bleaching occurs when stressed coral expel algae living in symbiosis with them, providing them with nutrients and giving them color. Fallout from damage to the reef could definitely spill onto land. KUALA LUMPUR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2023 ) :John Lee, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said here on Friday that his visit to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia has expanded business opportunities, promoted Hong Kong, and paved way for broader cooperation. Lee told a media conference that he and leaders of the three Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have come to a consensus that cooperation is the way forward and they should expand cooperation and enhance exchange of knowledge and experience. He noted that over the past week, a total of 33 Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and agreements have been signed with different organisations of the three countries, covering such areas as trading and commerce, investment, finance, innovation and technology, logistics, academic research and cultural exchange. On the same day, Lee also visited Malaysian local major enterprises, attended a business luncheon and exchanged views with local political and business leaders. When addressing the luncheon, Lee said Hong Kong is bestowed with the unique advantages of having the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected with the world under "one country, two systems", and he expected more enterprises of Malaysia and other ASEAN members to come to Hong Kong and explore business opportunities. Enterprises and institutions of Hong Kong and Malaysia signed 11 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and agreements in areas including trade, finance, railway and property development, digital transformation, and financial technology. According to Malaysia's Bernama news agency, the signing of MOUs and agreements signals the shared vision of enhanced cooperation and paves the way for mutually beneficial opportunities across both economic and cultural domains. Lee's delegation will return to Hong Kong on Saturday. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2023 ) :US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Niger's ousted leader Mohamed Bazoum Washington's steadfast support, and warned those detaining him that "hundreds of millions of Dollars of assistance" was at risk, the State Department said Friday. General Abdourahamane Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, has declared himself the new leader of Niger after a coup earlier this week in which the pro-Western Bazoum was detained. Blinken, who was wrapping up a multi-nation Pacific tour, called Bazoum for the second time in as many days to offer America's "unflagging support," department spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement. The US secretary of state also "praised Bazoum's role in promoting security not only in Niger but the wider West Africa region," and said Washington would keep working to "ensure the full restoration of constitutional order and democratic rule in Niger. " In a separate call to former Nigerien leader Mahamadou Issoufou, Blinken expressed concern over Bazoum's ongoing detention, and that "negotiations to ensure constitutional order in Niger were at an impasse." He told Issoufou that he "regretted that those detaining Bazoum were threatening years of successful cooperation and hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance" to Niamey, and asked Issoufou to keep working on Bazoum's behalf, Miller said. Washington had already warned it could cease security and other cooperation with Niger, where about 1,000 US troops are stationed -- for now. Blinken also spoke with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna about the situation in Niger, emphasizing the "urgency of efforts to restore constitutional order" in the West African nation. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2023) African Union Peace and Security Council said on Saturday that it condemned the coup in Niger and demanded the military personnel to return to their barracks within 15 days. "The Peace and Security Council ... demands the military personnel to immediately and unconditionally return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority, within a maximum period of fifteen (15) days from the date of the adoption of the present Communique," the council said in a statement. The council also demanded the release of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, the statement read. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2023) Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the organization of the Second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday. "The president really commends the preparation of the summit, given that it did not consist only of high-level meetings. A lot of events in sports, science and education, higher education, and in the media spheres took place on the sidelines of both the summit and the forum," Peskov said. He added that "it was a very, very comprehensive dialogue on a whole range of subjects." Moreover, Peskov noted that Russia-Africa summits would be held regularly, once every three years, as stated in the final declaration. When close to half the companies operating in the Food industry in Malaysia have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.1x, you may consider NPC Resources Berhad (KLSE:NPC) as an attractive investment with its 0.5x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited. See our latest analysis for NPC Resources Berhad How NPC Resources Berhad Has Been Performing NPC Resources Berhad has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue at a solid pace. One possibility is that the P/S is low because investors think this respectable revenue growth might actually underperform the broader industry in the near future. Those who are bullish on NPC Resources Berhad will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on NPC Resources Berhad's earnings, revenue and cash flow. Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For NPC Resources Berhad? In order to justify its P/S ratio, NPC Resources Berhad would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the industry. If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 8.7%. This was backed up an excellent period prior to see revenue up by 82% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company. In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to decline by 2.4% over the next year, which puts the company's recent medium-term positive growth rates in a good light for now. With this information, we find it very odd that NPC Resources Berhad is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance has exceeded its limits and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices. Story continues What We Can Learn From NPC Resources Berhad's P/S? Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company. Upon analysing the past data, we see it is unexpected that NPC Resources Berhad is currently trading at a lower P/S than the rest of the industry given that its revenue growth in the past three-year years is exceeding expectations in a challenging industry. We think potential risks might be placing significant pressure on the P/S ratio and share price. Perhaps there is some hesitation about the company's ability to stay its recent course and swim against the current of the broader industry turmoil. It appears many are indeed anticipating revenue instability, because this relative performance should normally provide a boost to the share price. Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for NPC Resources Berhad (2 are a bit unpleasant) you should be aware of. If you're unsure about the strength of NPC Resources Berhad'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. 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 African leaders pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to move ahead with their plan to end the Ukraine conflict and to renew a deal crucial to Africa on the safe wartime export of Ukrainian grain, which Moscow tore up last week. While not directly critical of Russia, their interventions on the second day of a summit were more concerted and forceful than those that African countries have voiced previously. They served as reminders of the depth of African concern at the consequences of the war, especially rising food prices. "This war must end. And it can only end on the basis of justice and reason," African Union (AU) Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat told Putin and African leaders in St. Petersburg. "The disruptions of energy and grain supplies must end immediately. The grain deal must be extended for the benefit of all the peoples of the world, Africans in particular." Reuters reported in June that the African plan floats a series of possible steps to defuse the conflict, including a Russian troop pullback, removal of Russian tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, suspension of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Putin and sanctions relief. Putin gave it a cool reception when African leaders presented it to him last month. In public remarks on Friday, he restated in similar terms his argument that Ukraine and the West, not Russia, were responsible for the conflict. Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso said the initiative "deserves the closest attention," calling "urgently" for peace. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told Putin: "We feel that we have a right to call for peace the ongoing conflict also negatively affects us." The stream of calls prompted Putin repeatedly to defend Russia's position and finally to make an eight-minute statement, later issued by the Kremlin in a video, at the start of evening talks with the African leaders behind the peace plan. He again accused the West of backing a "coup" in Kyiv in 2014 when a wave of street protests forced Ukraine's pro-Russian president to flee and of trying to draw Ukraine into the U.S.-led NATO military alliance and undermine Russian statehood. He said it was Kyiv that was refusing to negotiate under a decree passed shortly after he claimed last September to have annexed four Ukrainian regions that Russia partly controls, adding: "The ball is entirely in their court." 'New realities' Russia has long said it is open to talks but that these must take account of the "new realities" on the ground. AU chair Azali Assoumani said Putin had shown his readiness to talk, and "now we have to convince the other side." But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected the idea of a ceasefire now that would leave Russia in control of nearly a fifth of his country and give its forces time to regroup after 17 grinding months of war. At the summit, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi urged Russia to revive the Black Sea grain deal which, until Moscow refused to renew it last week, had granted Ukraine a "safe corridor" to export grain from its seaports despite the conflict. Egypt is a big buyer of grain via the Black Sea route, and Sissi told the summit it was "essential to reach agreement" on reviving the deal. Putin responded by arguing, as he has in the past, that rising world food prices were a consequence of Western policy mistakes long predating the Ukraine war. He has repeatedly said Russia quit the agreement because the deal was not getting grain to the poorest countries and the West was not keeping its side of the bargain. Russia's withdrawal and its bombardment of Ukrainian ports and grain depots have prompted accusations from Ukraine and the West that Russia is using food as a weapon of war and driving the global wheat price up by some 9%. On Thursday, Putin promised to deliver up to 300,000 tons of free Russian grain which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called a "handful of donations" among six of the countries attending the summit. Assoumani said this might not be enough, and what was needed was a cease-fire. Putin wanted the summit to energize Russia's ties with Africa and enlist its support in countering what he describes as U.S. hegemony and Western neo-colonialism. Many of the leaders praised Moscow's support for their countries in their 20th-century liberation struggles, and the final declaration promised Russia would help them seek compensation for the damage done by colonial rule. The leaders of Mali and Central African Republic, whose governments have relied heavily on the services of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, both expressed gratitude to Putin. From curbside pickup to having groceries delivered, the COVID-19 pandemic changed many norms in American society, including what it means to be on the job. It's been that catalyst that transformed how we work. It's changed the acceptability of working at home, says Timothy Golden, professor of management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. "Employee expectations and the norms for employees have been altered by this experience of mass remote work. In the three-plus years since the pandemic forced many to work from home, remote work has transformed from a temporary arrangement to a new way of living and working. More than one-third of Americans, 34%, worked from home at least some of the time in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. By comparison, just 24% of people teleworked in 2019, before the pandemic. Many major companies such as Amazon, Apple, Meta [Facebook] and Disney have called workers back into the office for at least part of the week. In October 2022, bank and financial holding company Goldman Sachs said that more than two-thirds of its staff were back in the office full-time. Organizational psychologist Cathleen Swody says her corporate clients are mostly settling on a hybrid schedule where workers are in the office about three days a week. I am hearing a lot of pushback from employees against the mandatory full-time, back-to-work option, says Swody, a managing partner at Thrive Leadership. They feel that they've been working from home for three years. They've been demonstrating their performance and that they're trustworthy, and that they can actually get their work done without being on site. And now they feel a little bit like thats being called into question. Golden, who has studied the issue for more than 20 years, says remote work highlights an ever-present tension between managers and employees. Remote work brings to the surface a lot of these classic issues in management thought, in terms of control versus autonomy, Golden says. Managers have a sense that maybe, somehow, they have less control over their employees because they can't physically observe them all the time. And so, that's uncomfortable for many managers. McKinsey and Company, a management consulting firm, surveyed 25,000 Americans in the spring of 2022 and found that 58% reported having the opportunity to work from home at least one day a week, while 35% said they could work from home five days a week. Eighty-seven percent of people who have the option to work from home take advantage of the opportunity, the survey said. A majority of what we're talking about is some combination of one, two, three days per week working from home. It's not fully remote, says Ryan Luby, an associate partner at McKinsey & Company. The implication of that is that folks tend to live within a reasonable commuting radius of their offices. You're still going to be what we think about as tethered to an urban core. Having the flexibility to work remotely is more valuable than money to some employees, according to Luby, which could help boost employers' bottom line. It looks like folks are willing to exchange wage growth for the opportunity to work flexibly, Luby says. And I think, in a world in which wages are increasing rapidly and employers are concerned about wage growth, I think there's an interesting opportunity to think about granting flexibility. Employers might not have much of a choice. The newest entrants into the job market recent college graduates are beginning their careers with different expectations than previous generations. They have begun the world of work with the presence of remote work and so, that's what they know. And in large ways, that's what they have come to expect, Golden says. And so, when they look for career opportunities and job opportunities, they look for remote work as an option. Maybe not full time, maybe as a hybrid form. The experts agree that theres almost no chance of going back to the office full time for the majority of workers who were able to telework during the pandemic. The horse has been let out of the barn. We have experience. We have demonstrated that the technology can work, that we can be effective not being in the office full time. And we've seen a lot of perks for employees and for work-life management, flexibility for organizations, Swody says. I think it's going to be very hard to go back to where we were. BANGKOK When Gao Peng landed in Thailand on July 3, he was not expecting to be accused of making bomb threats, to be put on an EU travel blacklist, or to see his mother and 16-year-old sister detained and threatened with deportation back to China. But bomb threats made in his and his mother's names against airports, luxury hotels and the Chinese embassy in Bangkok derailed the family's plan to seek asylum in the Netherlands, where Gao Peng's father moved three years ago. The threats appear to be part of Beijing's increasingly sophisticated efforts to harass Chinese dissidents living overseas and their families. While parts of the story told by Gao Peng and his father, Gao Zhi, couldn't be independently confirmed, their predicament echoes accounts by other Chinese dissidents abroad, who believe Chinese authorities are making bomb threats in their names to control their political activities. William Nee, research and advocacy coordinator at a coalition of rights organizations known as Chinese Human Rights Defenders, said that the bomb threats appear to be a new tactic that manipulates other governments into acting against Chinese dissidents. "Obviously, public authorities may take such a threat seriously," he said. "It's hard for them to have the context to understand that it is a preposterous allegation." Bomb threat allegations led the Netherlands to revoke visa approvals for Gao's family, and put his wife and son on an EU travel blacklist that kept them in Thailand until their visas expired. Thai police have not confirmed whether they are investigating the bomb threats. An offer of asylum, and a mysterious bargain Gao Zhi was not a prominent dissident. Until early 2020, he was a migrant factory worker who'd learned to evade China's censorship systems to use Twitter, where he followed human rights activists and posted calls for the overthrow of the Communist Party. Gao got asylum in the Netherlands and moved there in January 2020. Back home, police questioned Gao's family twice, but the pressure felt manageable at first. That changed when Gao attended a rally organized by his friend Wang Jingyu, a more prominent dissident, on the June 4 anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. On June 15, police came to the home of Gao's wife, Liu Fengling, and demanded her cellphone. When she refused, they forced her into a chair, scratching her wrist in the tussle, and took it. When Liu told her husband what happened, he urged her to leave China. Dutch officials told Gao his family could get emergency visas at the Dutch embassy in Bangkok, where Chinese citizens can get visas on arrival. But before the family left China, someone claiming to work for the country's Ministry of Public Security contacted Gao, according to undated screenshots he shared with the AP. The person proposed a deal: if Gao promised to tone down his rhetoric and influenced Wang to give fewer interviews, the government would help reunite his family. Otherwise, Liu would be prevented from leaving China. After speaking to Wang, Gao agreed. The Associated Press was not able to verify the screenshots independently, and the ministry did not reply to a request for comment. Liu and her daughter, Gao Han, traveled to Bangkok on June 27, followed on July 3 by the couple's son. Gao Peng said he didn't know why they were going to Thailand. His parents had never told him why his father left China, although he was aware there was some trouble with the police. Dissidents, families face bomb threat accusations overseas The day after Gao Peng arrived in Thailand, someone called his mother and accused him of making bomb threats. According to a recording made by Liu, the man identified himself as Wang Mingsen, a consular official at the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok. "He said he wants to put a bomb at the embassy, because his father has been persecuted in China," Wang said. When reached by the AP, Wang said "This situation, we don't have any information we can share with you." Gao Peng said that his family tried to report the bomb threats to police, but it took until July 9 to find an officer who spoke Chinese. He told them threats had been called in to hotels across the country, including Phuket's Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott hotels, and rooms in many of the same hotels had been booked under Gao Peng and his mother's names. The officer said it was probably a scam and they should just not pick up the phone. A receptionist at the Marriott hotel in Phuket said they would ask their marketing team to provide comment. A resort under the Ritz-Carlton brand in Phuket said they hadn't received any threats. The accusations frightened Gao Peng, he said. "But I was also very indignant, because they're accusing me and smearing me, I can't accept that." Wang Jingyu, the Netherlands-based activist, and at least three other people linked to him have also described bomb threats made in their names. Wang said he was questioned by Dutch police, who eventually concluded that the threats were sent from IP addresses in Hong Kong and China, and gave him a document clearing his name. Two journalists based in Europe also had bomb threats called into hotels where bookings were made in their names. Bob Fu, a U.S.-based activist who helped Wang when he was detained in Dubai, said that he now has to alert both local and federal law enforcement every time he travels because of bomb threats. Plans derailed as family fears deportation to China Bomb threats also stopped Gao Zhi from buying airline tickets for his wife and son. When he tried, airline websites refused, saying they were on an EU "safety blacklist." The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service told him that bomb threats had been sent to European airports in their names, and helped remove them from the blacklist, but the back and forth took days. Amid the delay, Liu and her daughter's visas expired on July 11. The next day, Thai police came to the family's hotel and took the two women into custody. Around the same time, the Dutch government informed Gao that it had revoked his family's visas, writing in an e-mail seen by the AP that Thai police had informed Dutch immigration authorities that they were investigating the family for bomb threats, and that the family had confessed and volunteered to go back to China. The Dutch immigration service declined to comment, saying they do not discuss individual cases. The Royal Thai Police did not respond to a request for comment. Liu was charged with overstaying a visa, according to the lawyer, Waritsara. Her daughter has not been charged. Thailand has a record of deporting dissidents and refugees back to China, sometimes at the request of the Chinese government. "It's well understood that there is Chinese pressure in Thailand ... so there's quite a bit of pressure on Chinese activists and asylum seekers in Thailand," said Nee. Thai police told Waritsara that the Chinese Embassy had expressed a special interest in the case. Gao Zhi's Telegram contact promised to help, and told him to send his son to Huai Khwang police station in Bangkok, where he would receive a report ending the investigation. The police did not issue the report, Gao Peng said, but did return the family's cellphones. Thai immigration officials also refused to extend Gao Peng's visa, mentioning a police warrant according to a recording he made, but he has not been detained. What's next for the family is uncertain. The Dutch government told Gao Zhi that if his son can get UNHCR refugee status and the family reaches the Netherlands, they can get visas. Gao Zhi is spending his days writing to the Dutch and Thai governments to plead for his family. "I thought I was saving them," he said. "I didn't think I was sending them into a Thai jail." HUARINA, Bolivia A 70-year-old man's feet sink into the soil as he passes abandoned boats where there used to be the water of Lake Titicaca. The highest navigable lake in the world has receded to what Bolivian authorities say are critically low levels due to a persistent drought. Its completely dry, Jaime Mamani said in exasperation while walking along the new shoreline in Huarina, a farming town 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of La Paz where he is a community leader. The National Service of Naval Hydrography declared an alert this week for the iconic lake after its surface fell 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) below the drought warning stage, or 3,807.8 meters (12,492.7 feet) above sea level. But the agency says this is just the beginning of a situation that is worrying Indigenous Aymara communities that rely on the lake for their livelihoods and fear the dry spell could permanently impact the regions flora and fauna. The hydrology unit of Bolivias navy warned that water levels could reach historically low levels in the coming months. By December, there is a high probability Lake Titicaca will be 64 centimeters (more than 25 inches) below the drought alert level, breaking a low-water record set in 1998 by 33 centimeters (almost 13 inches). In three months, the water has decreased by 30 centimeters (11.8 inches), and considering that radiation is much stronger during this time of the year we expect it to keep decreasing, Carlos Carrasco, a hydraulic engineer for the hydrography service said. The drought is the result of a combination of factors, including natural phenomena like La Nina and El Nino, which arrived unusually early this year and have been particularly strong due in part to climate change, according to Lucia Walper, who heads up the Hydrological Forecasting Unit at Bolivia's National Meteorology and Hydrology Service. But the vast lake is vital for this region of the Bolivian highlands, where hundreds of Aymara rural communities have relied on the blue body of water for millennia to practice subsistence farming and raise livestock. Authorities in the Peruvian city of Puno also issued a warning about the declining water levels and expressed concern about the potential impact on tourism. Were reaching a critical point. There will be a significant loss of water, said Juan Jose Ocola, president of the Binational Authority of Lake Titicaca. The lake serves as the border between Bolivia and Peru. Mateo Vargas, 56, a fisherman who has lived off the lake for 28 years, said he used to catch lots of fish daily. Now he considers himself lucky if he can catch six. Vargas wife, Justina Condori, shares his concerns. The fish have vanished, Condori, 58, said, predicting there will be famine if the current conditions persist. Condori makes a living by renting boats to tourists. She worries fewer people will come to visit the lake, which at an elevation of 3,810 meters above sea level, is the largest body of freshwater in the Andes mountain range. Evidence of the receding lake is seemingly everywhere. Women who sell fried fish and other snacks by the lake face rising costs for ingredients. Those who make a living transporting people from one side of the lake to the other are altering their routes because their rafts and boats no longer reach their usual docks. Livestock farmers who rely on the plants that grow on the shores of the Titicaca to feed their animals are also seeing their livelihoods threatened. The economic hardship is causing many residents of Huarina to migrate to other areas of the country, leaving behind mostly older townspeople, Mamani said. The waters of the Titicaca have always been shallow around the town, so the drought is even more visible there. There is a detriment to the economy of the inhabitants of the region, he said. Vargas, the fisherman, is also concerned about what the declining water levels will mean for the future. It looks like it will continue to decrease, day by day, he said. Were worried because if we continue like this, whats going to happen to our children? WASHINGTON - Hong Kong expatriates are welcoming a reported decision by the U.S. government to bar Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee from attending an economic conference in the United States because of his role in crushing the citys pro-democracy movement. The Biden administrations decision was first reported by The Washington Post, which, citing unidentified U.S. officials, said he would be barred from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in San Francisco in November. Lee has been the subject of U.S. sanctions since 2020 for his role as Hong Kongs top police official during the crackdown, in which dozens of pro-democracy activists were arrested. He was named chief executive of the city last year. VOA contacted the State Department for confirmation of the decision but didnt receive any response by the time of publication. Anna Kwok, executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, a nonprofit organization founded in 2019 by Hong Kongers, told VOA the organization welcomes the Biden administration's decision and hopes the U.S. remains firm in opposing human rights violations in Hong Kong. "The White House has made the right decision to bar John Lee, a sanctioned human rights abuser, to protect the integrity of human-right sanctioning as one of the accountability mechanisms," she said. "While the decision is welcomed by the Hong Kong community, we would like to stress the time it took for the decision to be made and publicized. It should be the default to not issue sanction waivers to human rights abusers for a meeting on economic coordination." The Chinese government demanded the U.S. reverse its decision and lift the "illegal and unreasonable" sanctions on Lee. "We demand that the U.S. side immediately correct its wrong move, lift the sanctions against the chief executive and other officials of the [special administrative region], fulfill the due responsibility as APEC host, and invite Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to the meeting," said Mao Ning, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. "APEC meetings do not belong to any country or economy," the office said in a statement Friday. Lee later said in a press briefing that the city would attend the meeting according to APEC rules and guidelines, saying he hoped that the host of the meeting could handle it in accordance with such norms. Kwok said, "Chinas demand screams the Chinese governments inability to understand its standing in international relations. China should not overestimate its leverage to conduct economic coercion on other countries, including the United States, and should know its blatant human rights abuses and transnational repressive behaviors come with their costs. "China also keeps pushing the bar: if the international community doesnt stand its ground, China will keep expanding its influence globally while repressing its people transnationally." Carlos Reyes sought shade under a tree in the Bronx on a day that felt like it was over 38 degrees Celsius because of the heat and humidity. "It's not like when you were younger, you were playing around," said the 56-year-old who runs a daycare center. "Now it's like you got the humidity. It makes you kind of not breathe the same way. So when you walk, you get a little more tired, a little more exhausted." Reyes was one of nearly 200 million people in the United States, or 60% of the U.S. population, who had been under a heat advisory or flood warning or watch since Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Dangerous heat engulfed much of the eastern half of the United States on Friday as extreme temperatures spread from the Midwest into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic where some residents saw their hottest temperatures of the year. Although much of the country does not cool much on normal summer nights, night temperatures are forecast to stay hotter than usual, prompting excessive heat warnings from the Plains to the East Coast. From Thursday to Friday, the number of people under a heat advisory rose from 180 million to 184 million and the number of people under a flood warning or watch dropped from 17 to 10 million. Moisture moved into the Southwest, cooling somewhat the southernmost counties of California and parts of southern Arizona, but excessive heat warnings remain for much of the region. On top of the heat, severe thunderstorms were forecast for multiple regions of the country. There were forecasts with flash flood warnings for Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, west to the middle Missouri Valley through Saturday morning. Tornado watches were posted in Wisconsin and New Hampshire, in addition to the heat advisories and potential for severe storms. The prediction for continued excessive heat came as the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service declared July 2023 the hottest month on record. Scientists have long warned that climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, by deforestation and by certain agricultural practices, will lead to more and prolonged bouts of extreme weather. On Thursday, heat and humidity in major cities along the East Coast, including Washington, Philadelphia and New York City, made it feel above 37.8 degrees Celsius. Forecasters expected several records might break Friday with temperatures 5.5 to 8 degrees Celsius above average. The "dangerous" heat wave, as the National Weather Service called it, may begin to subside Saturday as thunderstorms and a cold front from Canada progress through the region. It seems the hottest temperatures happened on Friday. The Salvation Army in the Bronx was one of hundreds of cooling centers open in New York City to give people a respite from the scorching heat. "It's very hot every year. This year, it started last week, becoming very hot," said Robert Ciriaco, a corps officer with the Salvation Army. "[It's] very dangerous for people. Some people die. So that's why we open - to offer people [a place] to come to be comfortable." Philadelphia declared a heat health emergency as temperatures soared past 32 degrees, and city authorities opened cooling centers. But some residents took the heat in stride. Alexander Roman, who took his children to play in the fountain at the city's iconic Love Park, said he was not worried about heatstroke as long as his family could cool down. "A lot of water with ice and it will be OK," he said. In the Southwest and southern Plains, oppressive temperatures have been a blanket for weeks. One meteorologist based in New Mexico called the prolonged period of temperatures above 37.8 Celsius unprecedented. Because of the extreme heat, some of the nation's large power grids and utilities were under stress, which could affect Americans' ability to cool off. In New York City, utility Con Edison sent out a text blast asking residents to be frugal with air conditioning to conserve electricity. Overtaxing an electrical grid can mean blackouts, which are not just an inconvenience, but can lead to equipment failures and major pollution as equipment restarts. The country's largest power grid, PJM Interconnection, declared a level one energy emergency alert for its 13-state grid on Wednesday, meaning the company had concerns about its ability to provide enough electricity. PJM wasn't the only electrical grid to issue such an alert. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which mostly covers states in the Midwest and northern Plains, issued a similar one Thursday. The dangerous heat was expected to peak in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Midwest on Friday and Saturday before a cold front brings some relief Sunday and into next week. Questions about former Chinese foreign minister Qin Gangs fate remain unanswered after the Chinese government abruptly replaced him with his predecessor, Wang Yi, on Tuesday. Analysts say the opaque nature of his removal will reduce global confidence in China and increase uncertainties that eventually may paralyze Chinas governance system. Chinas system is compromised, Alfred Wu, an expert on Chinese politics at the National University of Singapore, or NUS, told VOA. When the checks and balances in the system are gone, it will force China to depend entirely on one persons decision and there could be a lot of surprises that might eventually rattle the system. Following his abrupt removal, the foreign ministry initially erased all information related to Qin from the website, but by Friday morning local time, some of his meeting records reappeared. Analysts say that reflects a lack of coordination between different government departments, and it also suggests that Chinas top leadership still views Qins case as problematic. They dont know how to handle Qins removal appropriately and it shows that his case remains unresolved, said Wu from NUS. The 57-year-old career diplomat was originally one of Chinese leader Xi Jinpings most trusted aides, but since he disappeared from the publics view after meeting counterparts from Vietnam and Sri Lanka on June 25, the outside world has been seeking clues that may explain the mysterious downfall of a rising star in the Chinese Communist Party. After initially attributing his disappearance to health issues, the Chinese government has refused to comment on the case in recent days. The lack of explanation triggered unsubstantiated speculation online and abroad. During the regular foreign ministry press briefing on Wednesday, Mao Ning, the foreign ministrys spokesperson, avoided a series of questions related to Qin and his removal. She repeatedly referred journalists to the brief statement issued by the top decision-making body of Chinas rubber-stamp parliament or a report released by the state-run Xinhua News agency. The decision adopted by the fourth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Peoples Congress and the presidential decree of the Peoples Republic of China has made it really clear. Please refer to that, she said. None of the exchanges were included in the official transcript released by the Chinese foreign ministry. Some experts think the Chinese governments reluctance to offer a clear explanation of Qins removal shows the actual cause is more than just a health problem. Beijing shouldnt have to be so secretive about the reason for his dismissal if it were just a health issue, Chang Wu-Ueh, an expert on Chinese politics at Tamkang University in Taiwan, told VOA. He said the fact that Qin maintains the title of state councilor means the Communist Party hasnt finalized its investigation into the real issue. Varying views Qins removal comes at a crucial time for China as it tries to deepen diplomatic influence around the world. It also follows efforts to re-establish bilateral communication between high-level officials from China and the United States. Wu from NUS thinks the removal of Qin and the lack of proper explanation of the incident will deepen democratic countries skepticism toward China as a reliable partner. The latest survey released by Pew Research Center shows the level of negative views of China reached historic high in many countries, he told VOA, adding that Beijings handling of Qins case will further reinforce the unfavorable views of China among high-income countries. But for countries in the Global South, which generally have more favorable views of China, according to the survey from Pew, Qins abrupt dismissal may not have the same negative impact as it does with advanced economies. The most important thing for these countries is whether China can deliver substance when dealing with them and whether they can maintain stable bilateral relations with China or not, said Moritz Rudolf, a fellow at Yale Law Schools Paul Tsai China Center. By re-appointing Wang Yi as foreign minister, Wu said, Beijing wants to show that an experienced figure will be at the helm of its foreign policy apparatus. For China, it makes sense for the top diplomat to take care of the job of its No. 2 diplomat, and they think the outside world should be satisfied with the arrangement, he said. Isolated leadership Qins mysterious downfall isnt the only incident in the past few months that raises questions about the long-term impact of Chinas one-man rule under Xi Jinping. In recent days, Chinese media reported the deaths of two top military commanders, but the delayed revelation and vague explanation of their deaths have caused unsubstantiated rumors to circulate. Some experts say those incidents reflect the inner opacity of Chinas governance system. Elite politics is so secretive that even other top officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may not be well-informed of Qins situation, Neil Thomas, a fellow for Chinese Politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told VOA. He said that such uncertainty could paralyze bureaucratic decision-making if lower-level officials are worried about the political risk of taking any initiatives not pre-approved from the top. Other analysts contend Qins removal is one of a series of public setbacks for Xi that shows Chinas top leadership is becoming increasingly isolated. Its all about Xis own ideas, which is control-oriented, and he wants to have his people in place, said Ian Johnson, a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Johnson told VOA that the setbacks could be precursors to China becoming a country with a slower economy and an aging leader who surrounds himself with cronies. That implies a less powerful China, he says. PHOENIX By the time Aaliyah Ibarra started second grade, her family had moved five times in four years in search of stable housing. As she was about to start a new school, her mother, Bridget Ibarra, saw how much it was affecting her education. At 8 years old, her daughter did not know the alphabet. "She was in second grade and couldn't tell me any of the letters. I would point them out and she didn't know," Bridget Ibarra said. "She would sing the song in order, but as soon as I mixed them up, she had no idea." "I just didn't know what letters were which," says Aaliyah, now 9. "I know them now." The family's struggles coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic that forced Aaliyah to begin her school experience online. Unfamiliar with a computer, Aaliyah was regularly kicked out of the virtual classroom, her mother said. Teachers complained she was not looking at the screen and took too many breaks. Zoom school was especially difficult for Aaliyah because she was homeless and like thousands of students nationally, her school didn't know. Homeless students often fell through the cracks during the tumult of the pandemic, when many schools struggled to keep track of families with unstable housing. Not being identified as homeless meant students lost out on eligibility for crucial support such as transportation, free uniforms, laundry services and other help. Years later, the effects have cascaded. As students nationwide have struggled to make up for missed learning, educators have lost critical time identifying who needs the most help. Schools are offering tutoring and counseling but now have limited time to spend federal pandemic relief money for homeless students, said Barbara Duffield, executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, a national homelessness organization. "There is urgency because of the losses that have occurred over the pandemic loss in learning, the gaps in attendance and the health crisis," she said. Many education leaders, Duffield said, don't even know about federal money earmarked for homeless students and the programs expire next year. The number of children identified as homeless by schools nationwide dropped by 21% from the 2018-19 school year to the 2020-21 school year, according to federal data. But the decrease, representing more than 288,000 students, likely includes many kids whose homelessness was unknown to schools. Federal counts of homeless people living on the street or in shelters also appeared to decrease in 2021 due to pandemic disruptions, but by 2022, those numbers shot up to the highest in a decade. In Bridget Ibarra's case, she chose not to tell the school her kids were homeless and she says teachers, disconnected from students by a screen, never asked. She was worried if officials knew the family was staying in a shelter, and the school was obliged by law to provide transportation, the family would face pressure to enroll in a different school that was closer. She knew how hard the disruptions were on her kids. "I know they didn't enjoy moving as often as we did. They would say things like, 'We're moving again? We just moved!'" Ibarra said. "When I moved, I missed my friends and my teacher," Aaliyah said. The stigma and fear associated with homelessness also can lead families not to tell anyone they lack secure housing, Duffield said. "If we don't identify children proactively, we can't ensure that they have everything they need to be successful in school and even go to school," she said. Before the pandemic, Ibarra and her two children moved in with her brother in Phoenix because she was having trouble making ends meet. Then her brother died unexpectedly. At the time, Ibarra was pregnant with her third child and couldn't afford the rent with what she earned working at a fast-food restaurant. The family spent the next six months at Maggie's Place, a shelter in North Phoenix that caters to pregnant women. The four of them, including Aaliyah's infant brother, moved next to Homeward Bound, an apartment-like shelter for families, where they were living when the pandemic hit a few months before Aaliyah started kindergarten. Aaliyah's school, David Crockett Elementary, stuck with online learning her entire kindergarten year. Aaliyah and her older brother, joined by several other children, spent most of their school days on computers in a mixed-grade makeshift classroom at the shelter. "It was like she wasn't even in school," Ibarra said. While the shelter helped the family meet their basic needs, Ibarra said she asked the school repeatedly for extra academic help for her daughter. She blamed the struggles partly on online learning, but she also felt the school was giving all their attention to Aaliyah's older brother because he already was designated as a special education student with an individualized education program, or IEP. The principal, Sean Hannafin, said school officials met frequently with the children's mom. He said they offered the support they had available, but it was hard to determine online which students had needs that required intervention. "The best thing we could do was take that data and flag them for when we returned in person, because you need a certain amount of time to observe a child in a classroom," he said. "The online setting is not the place to observe." A federal law aimed at ensuring homeless students have equal access to education provides rights and services to children without a "fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence." Many students aren't identified as homeless when their parents or guardians enroll them. At school, teachers, cafeteria staff, aides or bus drivers often notice other students whose well-being may need looking into. Students may have unwashed clothes, or many late arrivals or absences. But with children learning online, teachers and staff often didn't see those things. Overall, the drop in the student homelessness count began before the pandemic, but it was much steeper in the first full school year after COVID-19 hit. The percentage of enrolled students identified as homeless in the U.S. dropped from 2.7% in 2018-19 to 2.2% in 2020-21. Over that timeframe, Arizona had one of the biggest drops in the number of students identified as homeless, from about 21,000 to nearly 14,000. But there were signs many families were in distress. KateLynn Dean, who works at Homeward Bound, said the shelter saw huge numbers of families dealing with homelessness for the first time during the pandemic. Eventually, Bridget Ibarra had to enroll Aaliyah in a different school. After getting kicked out of low-income housing last year when their property owner sold the building, the family lived with Ibarra's mother before finding another low-income unit in Chandler, more than 32 kilometers east of Phoenix. Once the family moved, enrolling in school was far from easy. Aaliyah missed the first three weeks of the school year last fall because of delays obtaining transcripts, and Ibarra insisted she not start the year without a plan to address her delays in reading and writing. Aaliyah spent that time playing and sitting around the house. "Honestly, Aaliyah said she didn't care how long, because she didn't want to go to that school anyway," her mother said. She said Aaliyah missed her friends and was tired of moving. At Aaliyah's new school, Frye Elementary, Principal Alexis Cruz Freeman saw for herself how hard it was to keep in touch with families when children were not in classrooms. Several students disappeared altogether. But she said families have started reengaging with school. The state of Arizona reported more than 22,000 students were identified as homeless in the last school year twice as many as the year before. Ibarra said she tried to shield as much discomfort about their living situation from her kids as possible. It worked. Aaliyah doesn't remember much about the places they've stayed except the people that surrounded her family. Aaliyah has gained ground academically at her new school, Cruz Freeman said. She still has trouble pronouncing and recognizing some words. But by the end of the school year, she was able to read a text and write four sentences based on its meaning. She is also performing at grade level in math. The principal considers her a success story in part because of her mother's support. "She was an advocate for her children, which is all that we can ever ask for," Cruz Freeman said. nVent Electric plc (NYSE:NVT) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript July 28, 2023 nVent Electric plc misses on earnings expectations. Reported EPS is $0.57 EPS, expectations were $0.68. Operator: Good day and welcome to the nVent Electric Second Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please note, this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Mr. Tony Riter, Vice President of Investor Relations. Please go ahead, sir. Tony Riter: Thank you and welcome to nVent's second quarter 2023 earnings call. On the call with me are Beth Wozniak, our Chair and Chief Executive Officer; and Sara Zawoyski, our Chief Financial Officer. They will provide details on our second quarter performance, provide an outlook for the third quarter and an update to our full year 2023 outlook. Before we begin, let me remind you that any statements made about the company's anticipated financial results are forward-looking statements subject to the future risks and uncertainties, such as the risks outlined in today's press release and nVent's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are made as of today and the company undertakes no obligation to update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from anticipated results. Today's webcast is accompanied by a presentation which you can find in the Investors section of nVent's website. References to non-GAAP financials are reconciled in the appendix of the presentation. We will have time for questions after our prepared remarks. With that, please just turn to Slide 3 and I will now turn the call over to Beth. Beth Wozniak: Thank you, Tony and good morning, everyone. It's great to be with you today to share our strong second quarter results. We continue to execute on our strategy for growth with a focus on high-growth verticals, new products, acquisitions and geographic expansion. In the second quarter, we delivered record sales, up 10% and adjusted EPS up an impressive 35%. Our strong execution resulted in another quarter of robust margin expansion and free cash flow. Highlights for the quarter include the acquisition of ECM Industries, expanding our electrical power connection and grounding solutions portfolio. We also published our 2022 ESG report which highlighted significant progress on our goals around our People, Products and Planet pillars. Story continues Overall, we are very pleased with our strong first-half performance and are raising our full year sales and adjusted EPS guidance. Now on to Slide 4 for a summary of our second quarter performance. Sales in the quarter were up 4% organically on top of 21% a year ago, with all verticals growing, led by infrastructure. New products contributed approximately 3 points to sales growth. We've launched 33 new products in the first half and are on track to launch 50-plus for the full year. We closed on the ECM acquisition and are excited to welcome the team to nVent. In Q2, ECM added 7 points to sales and was accretive to overall nVent margins. Segment income grew 45% year-over-year, with return on sales up an impressive 540 basis points. Adjusted EPS grew 35% on top of 14% a year ago. We generated $62 million of free cash flow, up 29%. We are on track for another strong year. I am very proud of our results and the great work being done by our nVent team. I want to share some recent awards and recognition to highlight this. nVent was named a top 10 data solutions provider by CIO Applications for the second year in a row. This recognition is for companies at the forefront of providing data center solutions and transforming businesses. We also were named by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal as the 2023 Large Manufacturer of the Year. Based on our contributions to the regional economy and community, this award recognized our performance, innovation and manufacturing excellence. And nVent is 1 of 4 finalists in the mid-cap category for the 2023 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award by the National Association of Corporate Directors. This award recognizes forward-thinking boards that leverage the power of DE&I to enhance their governance, create long-term value and build innovative and inclusive workplaces and boardrooms. Looking at performance across our key verticals, all grew organic sales in the quarter. Infrastructure led the way, up 10%, including Data Solutions growing double digits and Power Utilities up over 40%. Industrial and Energy each grew low single digits and commercial and resi was also positive. Turning to organic sales by geography. We continue to see broad-based growth in North America, up high single digits. Europe declined low single digits, primarily due to our wind-down in Russia and Asia Pacific declined due to a slow recovery in China. Lastly, organic orders in Q2 grew low single digits year-over-year on top of high-teens orders growth a year ago. As expected, we saw distributors adjusting their inventories in Q2, with improving supply chains and lead times. Importantly, we continue to see positive distributor sell-through. Looking ahead, I am excited for both the ECM acquisition and TEXA acquisition which we just announced and how they further position nVent with the Electrification of Everything. We are raising our full year guidance, reflecting our strong first half and the addition of our 2 acquisitions. We expect electrification, sustainability and digitalization to drive demand. Specifically, we expect continued strength in infrastructure, including data solutions, power utilities and renewables, in industrial with the trends of automation in onshoring and in energy with the energy transition. We continue to expect the commercial/resi vertical to be soft. Lastly, artificial intelligence is driving demand for our liquid cooling solutions, leading us to increase investments in the back half of the year to drive future growth in our Data Solutions business. Overall, I am very proud of our nVent team and how we continue to execute and deliver for our customers and shareholders. We're on track for another strong year. I will now turn the call over to Sara for some detail on our second quarter results and our updated outlook for 2023. Sara, please go ahead. Sara Zawoyski: Thank you, Beth. We had a strong second quarter with robust margin expansion and free cash flow. Let's turn to Slide 5 to review our second quarter results. Sales of $803 million were up 10% relative to last year, or up 4% organically. Price contributed more than 5 points to growth and volumes were down 2 points. ECM added $50 million in sales, or 7 points to growth. Second quarter segment income was $181 million, up 45%. Return on sales was 22.6%, up 540 basis points year-over-year. Our strong performance was driven by price costs, continued productivity improvements and favorable mix in the quarter. Price more than offset the impact from inflation of roughly $25 million. In addition, ECM contributed meaningfully to the quarter and was accretive to overall nVent return on sales. Q2 adjusted EPS was $0.77, up 35% and above the high end of our guidance range. This included a $0.02 contribution from the ECM acquisition. We generated robust free cash flow in the quarter of $62 million, up 29%. This includes higher CapEx investments for growth and capacity. Now please turn to Slide 6 for a discussion of our second quarter segment performance. Starting with Enclosures. Sales of $400 million increased 5% organically, with both price and volume contributing. Infrastructure led with continued strength in Data Solutions. Industrial was also a solid contributor, driven by the trends in automation. Geographically, North America led up high single digits. Enclosures second quarter segment income was $90 million, up 46%. Return on sales of 22.5% increased an impressive 630 basis points year-over-year, driven by price cost and productivity. franco lucato/Shutterstock.com We are expanding our Data Solutions business rapidly and stepping up investments in CapEx and OpEx in the second half to support our strong orders and future growth. Moving to Electrical & Fastening. Sales of $267 million increased 33%, with the ECM acquisition contributing 25 points to sales. Organic growth was 8%, driven by strong price. All verticals grew, led by Infrastructure up low double digits, with strength in Power Utilities and Data Solutions. Commercial/resi grew mid-single digits. Geographically, sales growth was led by North America and Europe. Electrical & Fastening segment income was $86 million, up 47%. Return on sales was a notable 32.4%, up 310 basis points relative to last year on price cost and favorable mix. Turning to Thermal Management; sales of $136 million were down 5% organically. Price contributed 4 points to growth, while volumes were negative. The decline was driven by commercial/resi and Industrial both declining high single digits, partially offset by infrastructure and energy. Industrial MRO demand remains solid. Geographically, North America was flat with declines in China and Europe, including our wind down in Russia. Notably, orders were up mid-single digits and backlog grew sequentially. Thermal Management segment income of $29 million was up 1% and return on sales of 21% was up 160 basis points year-over-year on strong execution. On Slide 7, titled Balance Sheet and Cash Flow, we ended the quarter with $139 million of cash on hand and $500 million available on our revolver. We added approximately $900 million in debt to our balance sheet in the quarter to finance the ECM acquisition. Turning to Slide 8, where we will outline our capital allocation priorities. We believe our robust balance sheet and cash generation puts us in a strong position to continue to invest in growth, return cash to shareholders and deliver great returns. We had strong free cash flow in the quarter, with the first half growing more than 150% compared to a year ago. We exited Q2 with a net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of 2.8x. With our strong cash flow generation, we believe we are on track to get back to our targeted range of 2x to 2.5x. In the first half of the year, we've returned approximately $73 million to shareholders, including dividends and share repurchases. So moving to Slide 9; we are raising full year reported sales and adjusted EPS guidance, reflecting our strong first half performance and the impact of acquisitions. Reported sales growth is now expected to be in the range of 13% to 15% versus our prior guidance of 4% to 6%. We continue to expect organic sales to grow 4% to 6%. We now expect adjusted EPS to be in the range of $2.85 to $2.91, up 19% to 21% versus our original guidance of $2.65 to $2.73. This new guidance reflects our strong first half, increased investments in Data Solutions and $0.08 to $0.10 for acquisitions. A couple of modeling assumptions to note. First, acquisitions are expected to add approximately 9 points to sales growth in the year. Second, with acquisitions, full year net interest expense is now expected to be approximately $80 million and depreciation and amortization are expected to be approximately $140 million. Third, we now expect our tax rate to be 19.5% versus 18.5% due to geographical mix and the ECM acquisition. And lastly, we are raising our CapEx expectations of $15 million to a range of $70 million to $75 million to reflect the impact of acquisitions and investments to expand capacity for our Data Solutions business. Looking at our third quarter outlook on Slide 10. We expect reported sales to grow 16% to 18%, with acquisitions contributing approximately 14 points to sales. Organic sales are expected to be up 1% to 3%. We expect adjusted EPS to be between $0.72 and $0.74 which at the midpoint, reflects 11% growth relative to last year. Wrapping up, I am pleased with our second quarter performance. We delivered robust margins and cash flow and are well positioned for another great year. This concludes my remarks and I will now turn the call over to Beth. Beth Wozniak: Thank you, Sara. Turning to Slide 11. I would like to share a few highlights on nVent. First, I would like to talk about our opportunity for Data Solutions. The acceleration of AI, greater data consumption, rising heat densities and growth in edge computing are all drivers of demand for our Data Solutions offerings, including liquid cooling. We view the total opportunity in Data Solutions to be approximately $10 billion, growing at roughly 10%. Our Data Solutions business was $375 million last year, growing 30% the last 2 years and we believe we are in a position to win and outgrow the industry. Today, only about 5% of data centers are liquid-cooled. When compared to conventional cooling, we believe liquid cooling is growing 3x faster and providing up to a 50% savings in energy. What differentiates us is our leading technical expertise, our innovative designs and our ability to manufacture at scale. We have been partnering with major data center players for many years, some going back pre-spin and have developed high-quality solutions. We provide a broad range of cooling offerings for both greenfield and retrofit. We are building out a portfolio of standard products to drive scale, broader adoption and access through distribution channels. To serve the increasing demand, we're making significant investments in the back half of the year and next year to expand our operations and capacity. We believe our Data Solutions business is well on its way to over $500 million. Moving to Slide 12. Last month, we published our latest ESG report and I'm proud of the meaningful progress we've made on our goals in our 3 pillars of People, Products and Planet. In our People pillar, we increased diverse representation in our employee population and continue to build on our programs to develop, recognize and support our employees. We believe our culture and our people are a differentiator for nVent. We were certified again as a Great Place to Work and received the highest recognition by 50/50 Women on Boards. In our Products pillar, we continue to build on our efforts to deliver innovative products that make a positive ESG impact in 1 or more of our 3 ESG categories: eco-friendly materials; eco-friendly designs; and end user safety. 76% of the products in our new product pipeline at the end of 2022 met at least 1 of these criteria. In our Planet pillar, we reduced our Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions and increased our renewable energy consumption to 13%. We remain focused on environmental stewardship, achieving our planet goals, investing in renewable energy, reducing water consumption and reducing and diverting waste. We will continue to build on the progress we've made across our People, Products and Planet pillars. At nVent, we are building a more sustainable and electrified world. Turning to Slide 13. We continue to execute on our strategy for growth which includes acquisitions and have now completed 6 deals since spin. We expect a lot of future value creation from these acquisitions and continue to have a strong pipeline of opportunities. Our acquisition framework starts with finding companies that have great products aligned to high-growth verticals with the ability to scale and invest for growth. The ECM and TEXA acquisitions squarely fit this framework. ECM is a leader in power connections and grounding solutions, tools and test instruments and cable management. ECM closed in May and is off to a good start. We have a dedicated team leading our efforts to execute our integration playbook. We are excited for the TEXA acquisition that closed a few weeks ago and is now part of our Enclosures segment. TEXA, much like our Eldon acquisition in 2019, has an innovative product portfolio which we plan to expand through our distribution channels and globally. TEXA provides innovative industrial air conditioners and chillers. With increasing heat loads, cooling is critical inside an enclosure to ensure performance and uptime. Combined with our expertise in liquid cooling, TEXA strengthens our ability to provide global cooling solutions in demanding environments such as industrial automation and energy storage. Both acquisitions are a great fit for nVent, expanding our Connect and Protect portfolio. We believe they have significant growth potential and long-term value creation with the Electrification of Everything. Wrapping up on Slide 14. We had another strong quarter with record sales and adjusted EPS. We completed 2 acquisitions and have made significant progress on our ESG goals. We are raising our guidance and expect another year of strong sales and EPS growth. We believe we are well positioned with the electrification, sustainability and digitalization trends. Our future is bright. With that, I will now turn the call over to the operator to start Q&A. See also 11 Cheap Lithium Stocks To Buy and 25 Most Fun Countries in the World. To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here. Two major labor unions in Iran are strongly condemning the Revolutionary Court of Tehrans sentencing of Reyhaneh Ansari-Nejad, a retired worker and dedicated labor activist, to a four-year prison term. Ansari-Nejad was sentenced for participating in an organizational session and alleged affiliations with dissident groups and French spy organizations. The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Mill Labor Syndicate and the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company both firmly asserted that Thursdays verdict was a fabrication and plot, expressing their unequivocal disapproval. In its statement, Haft Tappeh denounced all forms of judicial fabrication targeting workers and labor activists, including Ansari-Nejad. It demanded an immediate cessation of what it called fabricated plots. The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company also released a statement expressing its deep concern over the verdict given to Ansari-Nejad. It said the judgment appeared to be based on the routine procedures of the Ministry of Intelligence, which, it said, were not even followed in their customary manner. It further said, "This case serves as yet another confirmation that judges within this unjust system merely operate as signature machines, devoid of any true independence. Regardless of their titles or the branches they preside over, they seem compelled to deliver judgments in closed-door hearings." In an interview Thursday with the news outlet Emtedad, Raziye Zeydi, the lawyer representing Ansari-Nejad, said that in addition to the four-year jail sentence, her client had been sentenced to a two-year ban from political party membership, a two-year prohibition on engaging in social media and media activities, and an additional two-year travel ban. In May, Ansari-Nejad and several other trade and civil activists were arrested while visiting the family of Mohammad Habibi, a detained teacher. The Fars News Agency, known to have close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, accused the detainees, without presenting any evidence, of participating in an organizational session and alleged affiliations with myriad dissident networks and spy organizations. Ansari-Nejad was arrested by security forces and subsequently granted temporary release on bail. Security and judicial actions against labor activists, retirees, teachers and other wage earners have sparked strong criticisms from human rights organizations and labor unions worldwide. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: About 100 soldiers from the Russian Wagner group have moved closer to the Polish border, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Saturday. Poland, a NATO member, is worried that any skirmishes on its border could lead to a spillover of war on its territory. Ukrainian soldiers have used North Korean rockets they claim were seized by a "friendly" country before being delivered to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported Saturday. Ukraines defense ministry suggested the arms were captured from the Russians. A 9-year-old girl and her 10-year-old brother have been summoned to testify in a criminal case against their mother, Lidia Prudovskaya, who is accused of repeatedly discrediting the Russian army by posting anti-war messages on social media, a criminal offense in Russia. Four African heads of state will attend Russia's annual Navy Day Parade in St. Petersburg on Sunday, while five other African countries are sending other representation, the Kremlin said Saturday. African leaders Friday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war on Ukraine and to renew the United Nations-brokered Black Sea grain deal that allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain vital to Africa. Putin told African leaders at a summit in St. Petersburg on Thursday that Moscow can replace Ukrainian grain exports to Africa, and he would give tens of thousands of tons of grain to six countries within months. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that a "handful of donations" won't correct the adverse consequences of the canceled Black Sea grain deal. Under the Black Sea agreement, the World Food Program purchased and shipped 725,000 metric tons of grain to Afghanistan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen over the past year. The pact has allowed the WFP so far to procure 80% of its wheat purchases this year from Ukraine up from 50% in 2021 and 2022. Overall, nearly 33 million metric tons of grain were exported by Ukraine under the deal, which aimed to combat a global hunger exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Global wheat prices have risen about 9% since Russia exited the agreement on July 17 and began pounding Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube River. Ukrainian counteroffensive The Ukrainian counteroffensive, which began June 5, appears to be gaining momentum. Reports of a new push first came on Wednesday when Ukraine started throwing its reserves onto a large-scale attack south of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where Russian defensive lines are at their strongest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video Thursday night in which Ukrainian soldiers said they had taken Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region. Thats the fifth in a string of villages along the Mokri Yaly River in western Donetsk Oblast, about 75 kilometers east of the battles near Orikhiv. Russian military bloggers said artillery fire at the Ukrainian troops had effectively razed Staromaiorske, and they reported more barrages Friday. Meanwhile, the commander of Ukraine's armed forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said his troops were advancing in parts of eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia and meeting stiff resistance as the war enters its 18th month. "The enemy fiercely clings to every centimeter, conducting intense artillery and mortar fire," Syrskyi said in a statement. Recent fighting has taken place at multiple places along the more than 1,000-kilometer front, where Ukraine deployed its recently acquired Western weapons to push out the Kremlin's forces. It is attacking without vital air support, however, and Russia is deeply dug in. Russia is trying to hold on to the territory it controls in the four provinces it illegally annexed in September Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kherson and Luhansk. It was not possible to independently verify either side's claims about what is happening in the war zone. Dnipro attack Russian forces on Friday struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro and pounded a key village in the southeast that Ukraine said it recaptured, while Moscow accused Kyiv of firing two missiles at southern Russia and wounding 20 people. "Russian missile terror again," Zelenskyy wrote on social media. Video shows a 12-story apartment building with its upper floors ruined, smoke billowing from them, and flames raging on the ground level. Shattered concrete and glass littered a courtyard. Russia has often struck apartment buildings during the conflict, while denying it intentionally targets civilians. TEHRAN, Iran Millions of Shiite Muslims in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and around the world on Friday commemorated Ashoura, a remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, that gave birth to their faith. In Afghanistan, the Taliban cut mobile phone services in key cities holding commemorations for fear of militants targeting Shiites, whom Sunni extremists consider heretics. Security forces in neighboring Pakistan also stood on high alert as the commemorations there have seen attacks in the past. Not all Shiites, however, were to mark the day on Friday. Iraq, Lebanon and Syria planned their remembrances for Saturday, which will see a major suburb of Beirut shut down and the faithful descend on the Iraqi city of Karbala, where Hussein is entombed in a gold-domed shrine. Shiites represent over 10% of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims and view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein's death in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, ingrained a deep rift in Islam and continues to this day to play a key role in shaping Shiite identity. More than 1,340 years after Hussein's martyrdom, Baghdad, Tehran, Islamabad and other major capitals in the Middle East were adorned with symbols of Shiite piety and repentance: red flags for Hussein's blood, symbolic black funeral tents and black dress for mourning, processions of men and boys expressing fervor in the ritual of chest-beating and self-flagellation with chains. In Iran, where the theocratic government views itself as the protector of Shiites worldwide, the story of Hussein's martyrdom takes on political connotations amid its tensions with the West over its advancing nuclear program. Iranian state television aired images of commemorations across the Islamic Republic, tying the event to criticisms of the West, Israel and the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Anchor Wesam Bahrani on Iran's state-run English-language broadcaster Press TV referred to America as the "biggest opponent of Islam" and criticized Muslim countries allied with the U.S. In the suburb of Sayida Zeinab near Syria's capital, Damascus, security forces guarded checkpoints after a bomb hidden in a motorcycle exploded Thursday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more. On Tuesday, another bomb in a motorcycle wounded two people. The suburb is home to a shrine to Zeinab, the daughter of the first Shiite imam, Ali, and granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. On Friday, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the recent attacks in a statement, claiming that Thursday's attack killed about 10 and wounded about 40 others "during their annual polytheistic rituals." The group's extreme interpretation of Islam holds Shiite Muslims to be apostates. Iraq will see the main observance of the Ashoura on Saturday in Karbala, where hundreds of thousands are expected and many will rush toward the shrine to symbolize their desire to answer Hussein's last cries for help in battle. Convoys of the faithful arrived throughout the day Friday. In Pakistan, authorities stepped up security as an Interior Ministry alert warned that "terrorists" could target Ashoura processions in major cities. Security was tight in the capital, Islamabad, where police were deployed at a key Shiite place of worship. "The Imam's lesson is ... hold on to patience," said Anam Batool, a mourner who took part in a commemoration in Islamabad. "After that, resist falsehood, stand with the truth. Where you must raise your voice against oppression, raise your voice there." Southeast Asian countries are warning about the long-term dangers of cluster bombs in Ukraine after the United States sent the explosives to Kyiv earlier this month for use in their drive to recapture territory seized during Russias invasion. Russia has been documented using cluster bombs against Ukraine since the beginning of its invasion. Ukraine asked Washington for the munitions, which break apart in midair and scatter smaller explosives, to target Russian troops on its territory. But Cambodia and Laos experts say cluster munitions should never be used because some of the small bomblets fail to explode and remain deadly for decades. From 1964 and 1973, the height of the Vietnam War, Laos was the victim of intense U.S. bombing campaigns, becoming the most heavily bombed country in the world per capita. The raids included an estimated 250 million cluster munitions, about 30% of which failed to detonate upon impact, leaving many of them strewn across broad swaths of territory with the latent potential to explode unexpectedly. Titus Peachey, a member of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines Steering Committee, spent over five years in Laos between 1981 and 1994. These weapons cover a wide area and are difficult to target precisely, he told VOA. Many fail to detonate on impact but can still remain lethal for decades, he said. Unexploded ordnance makes everyday activity risky. Farmers in Ukraine will have to farm at their own peril until the bombs can be found and destroyed. Clearance work is expensive, painstaking, and tedious. In a rare statement earlier this month, the Laotian Foreign Affairs Ministry urged any state to refrain from use of any cluster munitions. "As the worlds largest victim of cluster munitions and a state party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Lao People's Democratic Republic expresses its profound concern over the announcement and the possible use of cluster munitions," the statement said. The Convention on Cluster Munitions is an international treaty of more than 100 international state parties, including Laos, that came into force in 2010 to prohibit all use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. Russia, Ukraine and the United States did not sign the treaty. The position of the Lao government takes a moral stand, in that it not only wants to prevent the transfer of munitions to Ukraine, but to encourage other state actors to prevent the production and the stockpiling of these weapons, said Mark S. Cogan, associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Kansai Gaidai University. In the case of Laos, there is credibility in its early adoption of the convention, ratifying it very early, back in 2008, he told VOA. I attribute that to intergenerational trauma, where the lasting consequences of these munitions not only affect those born during and immediately after the war, but the psycho-social effects linger. Although there is no war in Laos today, the countrys 7 million population still lives in fear of more casualties. According to demining group Mines Advisory Group, more than 50,000 people have been killed by unexploded bombs in Laos, 20,000 of those since the Vietnam War ended in 1975. Shui Meng, wife of renowned Lao activist Sombath Somphone, who disappeared in 2012, has lived in Laos for over three decades. She believes the small munitions will remain a threat for decades to come. I don't think Laos will ever be cleared, she told VOA. The bombing has been so widespread, and I think the country would have to live with this for a long time and maybe forever. Cambodia After almost three decades of civil war ended in 1998, the Cambodian countryside was left littered with an estimated 4 million to 6 million pieces of unexploded ordnance, according to demining advocacy groups. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who recently won Cambodias 2023 general elections, called for the cluster bombs not to be used. He spoke of Cambodias painful experience and said cluster bombs represent the greatest danger for Ukrainians. Cogan found that stance surprising. Despite being one of the most land-mined countries in the world today, Cambodia has still not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. While Cambodia doesnt have the same record of activism against cluster munitions as Laos, it is no less of a victim, which also traces back to its bloody conflict between the Khmer Rouge and the government of Cambodia, Cogan said. I find it odd that Cambodia has urged countries to avoid the use of cluster munitions, but has long delayed joining the convention, even though it is a party to both the land mine treaty and the Convention on Conventional Weapons. Cambodia has cited security related reasons for its decision not to join the convention. From 1979 to 2022, more than 65,000 people were injured or killed by unexploded bombs in Cambodia, according to the Cambodian Mine Action and Assistance Authority as reported in the Phnom Penh Post. Chhengpor Aun, a visiting fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who focuses on Cambodian politics, said Hun Sen has been personally affected by the munitions. "Mr. Hun Sen himself was a former anti-West fighter in Cambodian civil war, a survivor of American bombing of Cambodia, unlike many who could not make it, and later a leader of one of the world's most mined and bombed countries, he told VOA. To him, this is personal. Meas Nee, a Cambodian political commentator and critic of Hun Sen, agrees with the prime minister. We are from a country where we suffer from the war and particularly the eyewitness of the danger of the cluster bomb, he told VOA. We don't want to see this used elsewhere. Biden administration national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN earlier this month that the White House decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions is a stopgap measure to alleviate a shortage of 155 mm artillery shells. President Joe Biden said he based his decision on the "recommendation of the Defense Department to, not permanently, but to allow for this transition period, while we get more 155 weapons, these shells, for the Ukrainians. The U.S. decision to use the controversial ordnance drew immediate criticism from domestic and international human rights groups, along with some congressional lawmakers. Supporters of the decision, however, have said cluster munitions are already being used in Ukraine, primarily by Moscow but also by Kyiv. Ukrainian forces have pledged to confine their deployment to non-civilian areas and track their use for postwar cleanup operations. White House national security coordinator John Kirby told reporters that Ukraine is already using the cluster munitions effectively. Here are some Native American-related news stories that made headlines this week: Archaeologists fail to find childrens remains at Indian boarding school site Nebraska state archaeologists say theyve ended a two-week search for the graves of former students at the Indian Industrial School in Genoa, Nebraska, after failing to find any human remains. Researchers believe more than 80 students died at the school, most from infectious diseases. So far, theyve identified 49 students who died at the school. Some were returned home for burial, but others are believed to have been buried at the school. State archaeologist Dave Williams said his team will now reevaluate the data and consult with the dozens of tribes that lost ancestors to the school. Read more: Kansas university scholars accused of race shifting Native American groups and individuals have accused three University of Kansas professors of Pretendianism, that is, falsely claiming Native American ancestry. The most prominent of the three is Kent Blansett, associate professor of Indigenous studies and history and founder of the American Indian Digital History Project, which digitizes rare Indigenous newspapers, photographs and other archival materials. As VOA has reported previously, Indigenous scholars complain that academics frequently manufacture an Indigenous identity for personal, professional and financial gain. Read more: US Appeals Court to review Wyoming convictions against Crow hunters A federal judge in Wyoming has agreed to review a 34-year-old dispute over whether the Crow Tribe in Montana has the right to hunt beyond reservation borders. In late 1989, Wyoming fined Crow citizen Thomas L. Ten Bear for shooting an elk in Wyomings Big Horn Forest. The Crow sued Wyoming, arguing that the 1868 treaty signed with the U.S. gave them the right to hunt on unoccupied U.S. lands so long as game may be found and relations with whites were peaceful. Wyoming ruled against the Crow, saying those treaty rights expired when Wyoming became a U.S. state. But 25 years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in another case that Crow hunting rights did not expire. The Crow have since fought to have the original ruling overturned. This week, a federal appeals judge said he will more thoroughly review the facts. Read more: Oklahoma Senate overrides veto on compacts with tribes Oklahomas majority-Republican Senate on Monday overrode Governor Kevin Stitts vetoes of two bills that would extend for another year tobacco and vehicle registration compacts the state has made with Oklahoma tribes. The state currently holds agreements with tribes to split the tax revenue from tribal sales of tobacco to non-Natives and from motor vehicle registrations and tags. The Cherokee Phoenix reports that, according to the current motor vehicle compact, the Cherokee Nation allocates 38% of car registration revenue to public school districts in or near the reservation in 2023, that amount was $7.8 million; since 2002, the tribe has given more than $84 million to schools. Stitt has said the compacts shortchange the state, and he is looking to limit the compacts to trust land only. I am trying to protect eastern Oklahoma from turning into a reservation, and Ive been working to ensure these compacts are the best deal for all 4 million Oklahomans, Stitt posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It is a reference to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma, which held that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation was never formally disestablished and, therefore, at least for criminal jurisdiction purposes, covered half of the state. Read more: Native Americans: Theres nothing funny about smallpox joke The new Barbie film, which opened last weekend to record profits, has provoked the ire of many Native Americans. At issue is a joke that referenced the devastating impact introduced diseases had on Indigenous populations. Heres the plot: Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) travel from the pink and perfect Barbieland to the real world, which isnt so pretty. Ken, inspired by the patriarchy of the real world, returns home and turns Barbieland into the patriarchal Kenland. Toward the end of the film, Ken jokes about how easy it was to make the change: "I just explained the immaculate logic of patriarchy, and they crumbled." The character Gloria (America Ferrera), exclaims, Oh my god! This is like in the 1500s with the Indigenous people and smallpox. They had no defenses against it! Keeli Siyaka, Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota, has posted an online petition calling on Warner Brothers and film director Greta Gerwig to remove that line from the film. Seeing as no one in the audience laughed, I don't think anyone would miss it, and if they do, we have a problem, she stated. Read more: NIAMEY, Niger The European Union has cut off financial support to Niger, and the United States has threatened to do the same after military leaders this week announced they had overthrown the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, receiving close to $2 billion a year in official development assistance, according to the World Bank. It is also a key security partner of Western countries such as France and the United States, which use it as a base for their efforts to contain an Islamist insurgency in West and Central Africa's Sahel region. Previously seen as the most stable country among several unstable neighbors, Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium. Niger's foreign allies so far have refused to recognize the new military government led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, previously head of the presidential guard, who officers declared head of state on Friday. Bazoum has not been heard from since early Thursday when he was confined within the presidential palace, although the European Union, France and others say they still recognize him as the legitimate president. "In addition to the immediate cessation of budget support, all cooperation actions in the domain of security are suspended indefinitely with immediate effect," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement. Niger is a key partner of the European Union in helping curb the flow of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. The EU also has a small number of troops in Niger for a military training mission. The EU allocated $554 million from its budget to improve governance, education and sustainable growth in Niger over 2021-2024, according to its website. The United States has two military bases in Niger with some 1,100 soldiers, and it also provides hundreds of millions of dollars to the country in security and development aid. "The very significant assistance that we have in place for people in Niger is clearly in jeopardy," said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. U.S. support depends on the continuation of democratic governance, he said. The United Nations said the coup has not affected its deliveries of humanitarian aid. It is unclear how much support the military junta has among Niger's population. Some crowds came out in support of Bazoum on Wednesday, but the following day coup supporters were demonstrating in the streets. The Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, will hold an emergency summit in Nigeria on Sunday to discuss the situation. After an emergency meeting on Friday, the African Union's Peace and Security Council issued a statement demanding the military return to their barracks and restore constitutional order within 15 days. It did not say what would happen after that. Somali authorities have confirmed Saturday the arrest of 14 people, including officers and soldiers, in connection with a suicide bombing Monday that targeted the Jalle Siyad military academy in Mogadishu. The attack killed 30 soldiers and injured 70 others. Deputy Defense Minister Abdifitah Qasim made the announcement during a session of Somalias Lower House of Parliament. He reported that security agencies, including the National Security Agency and the police and military command, are actively investigating the attack on the Jalle Siyad military camp. Among those arrested was the camp commander. Qasim underscored the government's commitment to a thorough investigation, expressing the sentiment that the fallen soldiers are like our own children, and that those responsible for facilitating the attack will be held accountable. The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack the day after in a statement on Telegram, stating one of its suicide bombers carried out the strike. The bomber detonated a suicide vest as the soldiers lined up after breakfast. The soldiers had been recently deployed to Mogadishu for additional training and re-equipping, officials confirmed. Concerns have arisen about potential ties between senior members of the security forces and al-Shabab, which has been orchestrating various assaults. This incident marks the largest number of officers and soldiers arrested in connection with an al-Shabab attack on a heavily guarded military facility. On a separate note, Somalia's Deputy Minister of Information, Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adala, informed the media Saturday of a joint operation involving Somali government forces and friendly countries. The operation targeted an area between the Middle Shabelle and Galgaduud regions, killing 100 al-Shabab militants, he said. The identities of the foreign forces involved in this operation were not disclosed. During the past several months, Somali forces have been actively combating al-Shabab in a series of military operations, focusing on central regions where the group has held control over certain areas for many years. Australia will be seeing more U.S. troops, more U.S. planes, more U.S. ships and more U.S weapons as the two allies take what officials describe as a major step in strengthening and expanding their military alliance. The United States and Australia unveiled the agreements to increase the rotational presence of American forces and capabilities, and to help integrate Australia into key U.S. defense production capabilities Saturday, following hours of talks by the top U.S. and Australian defense and diplomatic officials. Australia at this moment has no better friend than America," Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles told reporters following the conclusion of the 33rd annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations in Brisbane, Australia. Marles said the agreements include a larger U.S. rotational presence at Australias northern military bases, additional visits by U.S. vessels and maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, and an increased tempo of visits from U.S. nuclear-powered submarines until Australia is able to acquire its own with U.S. help. Just as importantly, according to U.S. and Australian officials, the new agreements will pave the way for Australia to join the United States in the production of missiles and ammunition at a time when the war in Ukraine, and Western support, has eroded key stocks. "We hope to see manufacturing of missiles commenced in Australia in two years' time," Marles said. The initial focus will be on Australian production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, also known as GMLRS. However, U.S. officials said Washington also intends to support Australian production of 155 mm artillery shells, which have been in high demand in Ukraine. These initiatives will strengthen our ability to respond to crises in the region while enhancing our interoperability, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, describing the efforts as a major step for the U.S. and Australian defense industrial base. 'Significant step forward' Other U.S. officials agreed, suggesting Australia could eventually help with the production and maintenance of other weapons and systems. I think what we have seen very clearly is the value across the board on strengthening the defense industrial base, not just of the United States, but of our allies and partners, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters, speaking on the condition of anonymity. We see this as a significant step forward. Marles and Austin, along with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, also expressed confidence that despite the opposition of some U.S. lawmakers, an agreement to provide Australia with three nuclear-powered submarines will go through. This is in both our countries interest, Wong said, speaking alongside the others outside the Queensland Government House in Brisbane. "Whether its the acquisition of the AUKUS submarine capability or all of the other capabilities in which we are engaged we see this as increasing the capability of our nations across many domains, she said. The agreements also include provisions for greater cooperation in space and for investments in Australias military infrastructure. Blinken said such cooperation is critical if the United States and Australia are to be able to push back against China and maintain "a region where countries are free to chart their own path and choose their own partners. Were doing that in part by engaging China but also as necessary opposing its efforts to disrupt freedom of navigation and overflight in the South and East China seas, to upend the status quo that has preserved peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, to pressure countries through economic coercion or threats to their citizens, he said. Regional cooperation U.S. officials, speaking on the sidelines of the ministerial, also said the two countries are looking to increase cooperation with other countries in the region. One example is a proposal for trilateral cooperation with Japan for exercises and training on the F-35 stealth fighter in Australia. They also pointed to the current Talisman Sabre exercise, which this year has seen participation from India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, as well as Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga. The officials also noted other agreements, such as the Defense Cooperation Agreement with Papua New Guinea and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the Philippines. It is evolutionary, said a second senior U.S. defense official, like the first briefing on the condition of anonymity. There's a number of mini lateral and multilateral arrangements that are complementary ... each of them is providing, in some ways, overlapping but unique provisions of security, the official said. It is, again, a profound trend in the region. A declassified report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released Thursday says that support from China is "critical" to Russia's ability to continue waging its war against Ukraine. The report, which was requested by Congress, assesses how a range of actors, including the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party, state-owned Chinese companies and other Chinese entities, are supporting Russia's economy and its military, nearly 18 months after the Kremlin's unprovoked attack on Ukraine. "Beijing is pursuing a variety of economic support mechanisms for Russia that mitigate both the impact of Western sanctions and export controls," the report finds. "The PRC [Peoples Republic of China] has increased its importation of Russian energy exports, including oil and gas supplies rerouted from Europe. Beijing has also significantly increased the use of its currency, the yuan, and its financial infrastructure in commercial interactions with Russia, allowing Russian entities to conduct financial transactions unfettered of Western interdiction." The report also finds that China has been directly supporting the Russian war effort by selling technology and "dual use" equipment meaning items that may have both civilian and military uses to Moscow. Enabling a 'brutal invasion' The report was released by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Representative Jim Himes, the most senior Democrat on the committee, said, "This unclassified assessment, mandated by last year's Intelligence Authorization Act, details the extent of China's support for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's ongoing invasion. "Russia's war against Ukraine has been enabled in no small part by China's willingness to support them, in direct and indirect ways. I hope this report makes clear to Beijing that the United States, and the world, will know if they take further actions to enable Putin's brutal invasion." Representative Mike Turner, the committee's Republican chairman, had not issued a statement about the report as of Friday afternoon. China responds Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning commented on the report in her daily news briefing Friday, saying there was nothing out of the ordinary involved in her country's trade with Russia, while decrying Western sanctions on Moscow. "China is engaged in normal economic and trade cooperation with Russia and other countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit," Mao said. "We oppose unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or mandate from the Security Council. China-Russia cooperation does not target any third party and shall be free from disruption or coercion by any third party." China and Russia have significantly deepened their relationship in recent years. In the days prior to the launch of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin announced that their countries' partnership had "no limits." Oil and gas In the wake of the invasion, a united front of nations led by the United States applied an extraordinary web of sanctions, severing the flow of goods and services between Russia and most major Western markets. The report finds that since the invasion, trade with China has replaced much of that lost commerce. In 2022, bilateral trade between Russia and China hit a record high, with Russian imports from China rising by 14% and exports to China jumping by 43%. Much of Russia's exports to China came in the form of oil and gas products that Moscow previously sold to the West. China's purchase of the petroleum products has been a valuable source of income for the Kremlin, and steep discounts on Russian fuel have been a boon to China. China is providing supertankers to move Russian oil to market as well as the insurance coverage that shipping companies demand, after sanctions cut Russia off from the global maritime insurance market. Semiconductor trade One of the West's major efforts against Russia has involved cutting the country off from a reliable supply of semiconductors needed for many modern devices, including military vehicles and weapons systems. The report notes the appearance of a web of newly formed businesses in Hong Kong, which it characterizes as "shell companies" that are being used to purchase semiconductors on the open market and then resell them to Russia in violation of U.S. export control rules. China is supplying both dual use goods and some explicitly military material to Russia, the report says. "[C]ustoms records show PRC state-owned defense companies shipping navigation equipment, jamming technology and fighter-jet parts to sanctioned Russian government-owned defense companies," the report reads. "Russia has continued to acquire chips through circuitous routes, with a large portion flowing through small traders in Hong Kong and mainland PRC, according to foreign press." After Russian banks were largely cut off from systems that allow cross-border payments, many began to rely on Chinese banks to facilitate trade between the two countries and between Russian companies and firms in third countries that are not participating in Western sanctions. Russia has also been accepting payments and purchasing goods using China's currency, the yuan. By August 2022, six months after the beginning of the invasion, Russia's use of the yuan in offshore payments had increased by a factor of 10. Open source Ian Johnson, a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told VOA that even though much of the material in the report was drawn from sources that were already public, its assembly in one place makes the scope of Beijing's support for Moscow clearer. "I don't think it's new, but it reinforces and systematically explains what many people have felt: that China is trying to help Russia as much as possible without getting in big trouble regarding sanctions," Johnson said. "They're trying to push the envelope as much as possible, and anything they can do by sopping up extra energy that Russia hasn't been able to unload, letting them use the yuan makes it a little bit easier for Russia," he said. "All these things are also in China's interest. It's not entirely altruistic. They have many reasons for wanting to keep Russia afloat." BRISBANE, Australia The U.S. is sending Taiwan $345 million in security assistance as part of a long-awaited aid package meant to help the island defend itself from a potential invasion by China. The announcement from the White House on Friday said the aid, going to Taiwan as part of a drawdown from existing U.S. weapons stocks, will include "defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training." Speaking in Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized the defensive nature of the weapons and systems included in the package and said it should not be seen as a provocation. "This is no change from what weve done in the past," Austin said following the conclusion of the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their Australian counterparts. "Its important to use every instrument we have available, every mechanism we have available its really using every tool we have in the inventory," he added. Speaking to reporters in Brisbane, Pentagon spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Martin Meiners said the package "includes self-defense capabilities that Taiwan will be able to use to build to bolster deterrence now and in the future." Systems included in the package "address critical defensive stockpiles, multidomain awareness, anti-armor and air defense capabilities," he said. Some media reports have quoted anonymous U.S. defense officials as saying the aid package also includes MQ-9 Reaper drones. Taiwan has previously bought MQ-9s from the U.S. Pentagon officials declined to say how soon items in the package would arrive in Taiwan but said that they were "working expeditiously" to deliver the systems. Meiners said the announcement of the package did not indicate any new or emerging threats to Taiwan. And unlike similar security assistance packages done under the presidential drawdown authority for Ukraine, this aid package does not require the declaration of an emergency. Meiners also said the aid package to Taiwan would not affect ongoing U.S. assistance to Ukraine. U.S. military and intelligence officials have said Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the Chinese military to be ready to launch an invasion to reunify Taiwan with China by 2027. "I wouldn't underestimate President Xi's determination to assert China's control, the People's Republic of China's control, over Taiwan," CIA Director William Burns said at a security forum earlier this month in Aspen, Colorado. VOA has reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Washington for comment. Speaking at the same conference as Burns, China's ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, insisted Beijing wants a peaceful reunification with Taiwan. "No one is more eager or sincere than China to see a peaceful solution," Xie said, although he said what he called Taiwanese separatists were taking actions that only serve to destabilize the situation with U.S. support. "The first and foremost thing we should bear in mind is that Taiwan is China's Taiwan," he added. But already, China is voicing displeasure. China firmly opposes U.S. military ties with and arms provision to Taiwan, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told VOA via email. This position is consistent and unequivocal, he said. The U.S. should abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, stop providing arms to Taiwan, stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait and stop posing risks to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Congress has authorized the U.S. to send Taiwan up to $1 billion in security assistance through the presidential drawdown authority this fiscal year. Defense Secretary Austin has previously said he intends to use all the drawdown authority to support Taiwan. "The administration continues to review Taiwan's self-defense requirements and we will continue to assess the best authority to meet these requirements going forward," said Meiners. "We have no further assistance to announce today." There had been expectations and hopes among some U.S. lawmakers that the White House would rush the aid package to Taiwan, given what they and defense officials see as increasingly aggressive behavior from China. Defense officials, though, said the package took time to put together because it required "substantial coordination with multiple U.S. government stakeholders, because this was the first PDA [presidential drawdown authority] package for Taiwan." The House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, Republican Michael McCaul, praised the package as "much-needed as Communist China eyes further aggression." But he criticized President Joe Biden and his administration for not sending it sooner. "This administration's repeated fear of escalation in providing critical weapon systems in the midst of a great power competition has only served to embolden Chairman Xi and his unholy alliance," McCaul said in a statement. "The U.S. must remain committed to providing necessary defense articles to enable Taiwan in maintaining deterrence and self-defense capability." Looking at Peel Hunt Limited's (LON:PEEL ) insider transactions over the last year, we can see that insiders were net buyers. That is, there were more number of shares purchased by insiders than there were sold. Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. View our latest analysis for Peel Hunt Peel Hunt Insider Transactions Over The Last Year The Chief Financial & Operating Officer Sunil Dhall made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK563k worth of shares at a price of UK1.05 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being UK1.05). 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. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. It is encouraging to see an insider paid above the current price for shares, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. Sunil Dhall was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months. Notably Sunil Dhall was also the biggest seller. 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! There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Insider Ownership Of Peel Hunt 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 20% of Peel Hunt shares, worth about UK26m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. Story continues What Might The Insider Transactions At Peel Hunt Tell Us? There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Peel Hunt insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. 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. 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 BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - The United States is warning mutineers who have seized control of Niger that U.S. support for the Western African nation will dry up unless President Mohamed Bazoum is released and returned to power. The threat Saturday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to pull hundreds of millions of dollars in aid followed Fridays announcement by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the presidential guard, that he is Nigers new leader. "Let me be very, very clear," Blinken said at a news conference in Brisbane, Australia, following consultations with his Australian counterpart. "That support is in clear jeopardy. "Our economic and security partnership with Niger, which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars, depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted," he said. Just this past March, during a visit to Niger, Blinken announced the country would get part of a $150 million humanitarian aid package. Niger has also benefited from hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of U.S. military aid and counterterrorism training and has been hosting about 1,100 U.S. troops. White House National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said Friday the military takeover in Niger "may cause the United States to cease security and other cooperation with the government of Niger." Kirby said, though, that while the U.S. is "deeply concerned," it was still holding out hope for a peaceful resolution. "We believe that there is still a space for diplomacy here, and that that diplomacy is actively being pursued not just by the United States, but by our allies and partners and our African partners as well," he said. Funding cuts, ultimatums The European Union and France have both cut off funding to Niger, they said in separate announcements Saturday. The EU had budgeted $554 million for Niger from 2021 to 2024, according to the EU website. The African Union issued a 15-day ultimatum to the junta in Niger after its African Union Peace and Security Council met Friday. It asked the soldiers to "return immediately and unconditionally to their barracks and restore constitutional authority, within a maximum of fifteen (15) days." It said failure to release Bazoum would prompt "necessary action, including punitive measures against the perpetrators" by the bloc. It did not say what those specific actions would be. In Niger The mutineers have declared the government dissolved and suspended the countrys constitution. Their leader, Tchiani, said they acted to oust the president because of deteriorating security in the West African country, which is fighting an Islamist militant insurgency. They have also closed the country's borders and airspace and imposed a nationwide curfew. Leaders of the countrys army declared their support for Wednesdays overthrow of Bazoum, who was democratically elected two years ago. In a statement on social media, the army said is backing the coup to prevent a deadly confrontation that could lead to a bloodbath in Niger. Brigadier General Mohamed Toumba, who is among Tchianis soldiers, told state television the junta had met with civil servants on Friday and asked them to continue their work as usual. "Everything that must be done will be done," he said. On the streets of the Nigerien capital Saturday, things appeared to be normal as locals wait to see what happens. Many say they still support Bazoum. "I'm with him, he does a good work. (But) what can we do?" Mohamed Cisse, a street seller, told The Associated Press. "This is (the new leader's) time, Bazoum's time is over," he said. Where is Bazoum? Bazoums current whereabouts remain unknown. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to him Friday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told Agence France-Presse. According to Colonna, Macron said Bazoum is "reachable" and "in good health." U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield also spoke with Bazoum and expressed Washingtons strong condemnation of any effort to seize power by force. In a message posted Thursday to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Bazoum said democracy would prevail in his country. "The hard-won gains will be safeguarded," he said. "All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom would want this." Diplomatic response In Paris, the French presidency said Macron will chair a defense meeting Saturday on the situation. France, the former colonial power in Niger, has about 1,500 troops in the country. The West African regional bloc ECOWAS will hold a summit Sunday in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on the situation. The regional bloc has condemned the events in Niger and called on what it described as coup plotters to free the president "immediately and without any condition." Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council met Friday behind closed doors to discuss the evolving situation. The U.N. representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, briefed the council from Dakkar. "All council members expressed their concern about the situation," said British Deputy U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki after the meeting. His government holds the councils rotating presidency this month. "All council members expressed the need to restore the constitutional democracy. All council members condemned the action. So we have a very strong sense that the council is united in seeking to condemn and act." The council is discussing a draft statement put forward by its three African members Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique that strongly condemns the unconstitutional change of government and expresses support for the efforts of ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations. There are 4.3 million people who need humanitarian assistance in Niger. The U.N. said aid flights have been temporarily suspended because of the closure of the countrys airspace, but humanitarian assistance continues to be delivered. Bazoums government is a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist insurgents in Africas Sahel. Germany, Italy, France and the United States have troops in Niger on military training and counterinsurgency missions. Russia has established a foothold in Nigers neighbors through its Wagner mercenary group. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who recently challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin, welcomed the militarys attempted takeover. In a voice message believed to be Prigozhin on the Telegram app, he hailed the coup attempt and offered the services of his mercenaries to help bring order. Niger is one of the regions most unstable countries. Wednesdays coup marks the fifth military takeover since the country won independence from France in 1960. VOAs Carol Van Dam Falk, Margaret Besheer and French to Africa Service contributed to this report. Some information came from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters. The U.S. government announced Friday that it would take referrals of Haitian, Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan citizens from Mexico for possible resettlement as refugees in the United States. Mexico announced earlier this week that it would set up a service center offering jobs and resettlement for people from those four countries. It said the center would be on the southern border with Guatemala but did not specify where or when it would open. When the U.S. government began requiring asylum-seekers to apply online or from their home countries, many of them had already begun the journey to the U.S. border and wound up stuck in Mexico. The Mexican center is meant to serve those people. "We are announcing our full support for an international multipurpose space that the government of Mexico plans to establish in southern Mexico to offer new refugee and labor options for the most vulnerable people who are currently in Mexico," U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. He said the United States was supporting Mexico's new center and would "accept refugee resettlement referrals from qualified individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who are already in Mexico." He gave no details on how the referrals would work or how many would be accepted. The U.S. has a new policy to grant parole for two years to up to 30,000 people a month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela if they apply online with a financial sponsor and arrive at an airport. It was not clear whether referrals accepted from Mexico would have to have a financial sponsor. On Wednesday, Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said in a statement that the new center "would provide refugee services, and ... employment options to connect migrants with the big projects being built." Mexico is building a tourist train line, a string of industrial parks, an oil refinery and other projects in the area. Mexico also has been pressing Washington to help finance two Mexican programs that it is seeking to expand to Central America. One pays farmers to plant and care for trees and the other is a system of youth job training and apprenticeships. Mexico said Wednesday that the U.S. had agreed to contribute $40 million to that effort in El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Cuba and Ecuador. The U.S. government has physically blocked migrants from claiming asylum at land crossings with Mexico unless they have an appointment through the CBP One app. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Saturday that Sri Lanka is a key partner in a Tokyo-led initiative aimed at building security and economic cooperation around the Indo-Pacific but also at countering an increasingly assertive China. Sri Lanka, strategically located in the Indian Ocean, is integral to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, Hayashi said. He was speaking after a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Ali Sabry, in the capital, Colombo. The initiative, announced by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in March includes Japans assistance to emerging economies, support for maritime security, a provision of coast guard patrol boats and equipment and other infrastructure cooperation. Last year Sri Lanka, which owed $51 billion in foreign debt, became the first Asia-Pacific country since the late 1990s to default, sparking an economic crisis. While Japan is Sri Lanka's largest creditor, about 10% of its debt is held by China, which lent Colombo billions to build seaports, airports and power plants as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. In March, China agreed to offer Sri Lanka a two-year moratorium on loan repayments. Hayashi said that he conveyed expectations for further progress in Sri Lanka's debt restructuring process. He welcomed Sri Lankas efforts under an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which includes anti-corruption measures and transparency in the policy-making process. Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Sabry said that he, along with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, invited Japan to resume investment projects already in the pipeline and to consider fresh investments in sectors such as power generation, ports and highways, and dedicated investment zones, as well as in the green and digital economy. Over many decades, Japan became one of Sri Lanka's key donors, carrying out key projects under concessionary terms. However, relations between the two countries came under strain after Wickremesinghe's predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, unilaterally scrapped a Japan-funded light railway project following his election in 2019. Sri Lanka's Cabinet has already approved a proposal to restart the railway project. Rajapaksa was forced to resign in July 2022 amid angry public protests over the country's worsening economic crisis. By James Gamble via SWNS A new wearable ultrasound patch that fits inside a bra can detect breast cancer quicker. The device is designed to monitor breast tissue and detect tumors in their early stages - dramatically increasing patients' survival rates. American researchers developed the wearable device to combat 'interval cancers' which develop between regular scans and account for nearly a third (30 percent) of all breast cancer cases. The survival rate for breast cancer - the most common cancer among women - is nearly 100 percent when diagnosed in its earliest stages. However, for tumors detected in the latter stages, that figure drops by three-quarters to just 25 percent. The research team, led by Turkish scientist Dr. Canan DaAdeviren, was engineered as a way to monitor those most at risk of breast cancer at home. The 38-year-old, who is also an Associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Media Lab in the US, was additionally influenced in her work by her tragic personal experiences. Dr. DaAdeviren's aunt, Fatma Caliskanoglu, was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer aged 49 despite regular screenings and sadly passed away six months later. Determined to improve and aid early cancer diagnoses, and drawing influence from her aunt's bedside, Dr. DaAdeviren, then a postdoctorate student at MIT, began thinking of how to go about designing a wearable diagnostic device that could be incorporated into a bra. The resulting ultrasound device hopes to aid earlier diagnoses of breast cancer in women and was found to take images just as good as those at medical imaging centers. Researchers developed the device as a flexible patch that can be attached to a bra, allowing the wearer to move freely whilst an ultrasound tracker images breast tissue from different angles. The device was also found to obtain ultrasound images with a comparable resolution to those taken by ultrasound probes used in medical imaging centers. Where a person lives and whether they have access to affordable healthcare and regular screenings can also affect an individual's survival rate. Dr. DaAdeviren explained: "We changed the form factor of the ultrasound technology so that it can be used in your home. "Its portable and easy to use and provides real-time, user-friendly monitoring of breast tissue. "My goal is to target the people who are most likely to develop interval cancer. "With more frequent screening, our goal is to increase the survival rate to up to 98 percent." Breast tumors that develop in between regularly scheduled mammogram breast screenings are known as interval cancers and account for between 20 and 30 percent of all cases of breast cancer. These tumors tend to be more aggressive than those found during routine scans. Dr. DaAdeviren's research group, which specializes in wearable electronic devices conforming to the body, began by developing a miniaturized ultrasound scanner that allowed the user to perform imaging at any time. The scanner is based on the same kind of technology used in medical imaging centers but uses a novel, piezoelectric material - a material that creates an electrical charge when mechanically stressed - which allowed the team to miniaturize the scanner. To make the device wearable, the team designed a flexible, 3D-printed patch with honeycomb-like openings which, using magnets, can be attached to a bra that has openings that allow the scanner to make contact with the wearer's skin. The ultrasound scanner fits snugly inside a small tracker which can be moved to six different positions, allowing the entire breast to be imaged. It can also be rotated to take images from different angles and requires no specialist expertise to operate. Anantha Chandrakasan, Dean of MITs School of Engineering and another author of the study said: "This technology provides a fundamental capability in the detection and early diagnosis of breast cancer, which is key to a positive outcome. "This work will significantly advance ultrasound research and medical device designs, leveraging advances in materials, low-power circuits, AI algorithms, and biomedical systems." The team tested the device on a 71-year-old woman with a history of breast cysts and found the device was able to detect these cysts which were as small as 0.3 centimeters in diameter - a similar size to early-stage tumors. The device also took images of a comparable resolution to that of a typical ultrasound, and that tissue could be imaged at a depth of up to eight centimeters. Catherine Ricciardi, nurse director at MITs Center for Clinical and Translational Research and another author of the study, said factors such as access to healthcare also had a major role to play in the early detection of breast cancer. Access to quality and affordable health care is essential for early detection and diagnosis," she said. "As a nurse, I have witnessed the negative outcomes of a delayed diagnosis. "This technology holds the promise of breaking down the many barriers for early breast cancer detection by providing a more reliable, comfortable, and less intimidating diagnostic." Though wearers currently have to connect their scanners to the same kind of ultrasound machine as those in imaging centers, the research team is currently working on a miniaturized imaging system around the size of a smartphone. The ultrasound patch can be reused again and again, and the researchers envisage it being used at home by those at high risk of breast cancer who could benefit from more frequent screening, as well as helping diagnose cancer in those who have no access to regular screening. Dr. Tolga Ozmen, a breast cancer surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital who is also an author of the study, said the 'commute' for women to get to an imaging centre remained one of the biggest obstacles to early detection. Dr. Ozmen said: "Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and it is treatable when detected early. "One of the main obstacles in imaging and early detection is the commute that the women have to make to an imaging center. "This conformable ultrasound patch is a highly promising technology as it eliminates the need for women to travel to an imaging center." The researchers also hope to incorporate advances in artificial intelligence to analyze how images change over time, offering more accurate diagnostics than relying on the assessment of a radiologist comparing images taken years apart. The team also plans to explore adapting the technology to scan other parts of the body; leading to earlier diagnoses of other cancers. Whats Joe Bidens plan to get Travis Scott in the final cut of Wonka? Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Getty Images The lyricism on Utopia, Travis Scotts first full project since Astroworld released at a time when litigation over the festivals deadly crowd-crush is ongoing is everything youd expect from one of his drops. At turns, its corny (Back outside, it aint no time for Zooms), then completely removed from reality (Im loyal, bitch / I got Ye over Biden), and most often its deeply unserious (I might still eat McDonalds / But dont think Im a Ronald). The 19-track record features artists like Beyonce, 21 Savage, Drake, the Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Playboi Carti, and James Blake and name-drops even more. Were unconvinced whether Scott is dissing Timothee Chalamet (the reported new man of his ex Kylie Jenner), jealous of the upcoming Paul King movie, or just really likes brown watches based on the lyric Chocolate AP and chocolate the Vs (Vs), got the Willy Wonka factory (Vs). Below, Scotts most memorable Utopia lyrics. Hyaena Write a show by myself like Im Chelsea Handler / Or write a series bout my bitches like Im Kelsey Grammer. Do you, boo. So long as you dont cross the picket line. Modern Jam Way I keep th knowledge, think Im Socrates. One of two Socrates mentions. Its up for Greek-philosophy stans. My Eyes Rolie Polie on my wrist. He uses the name of the seminal Playhouse Disney animated childrens series as shorthand for Rolex. Missed opportunity to sample the theme song and make the reference more satisfying, IMO. I replay them nights and right by my side, all I see is a sea of people that ride wit me / If they just knew what Scotty would do to jump off the stage and save him a child. Scott refers to the crowd-crush tragedy in November 2021 at Astroworld, where ten people, including children, died. Prior to the deadly festival, his concerts were known for repeatedly treading into violent territory. Despite the gravity of the event, this is one of the few references to it. Sirens Back outside, it aint no time for Zooms (look out) / One-point-two, thats a whole lot of more vroom (look out). Scott missed the window for writing bars about the end of the pandemic. Beyonce was the last person to get a pass for corny lyrics about being back outside. Meltdown You act like you love this American shit / But, really, the truth is you scared of the Six / Yeah, you scared of the Six. This one comes courtesy of feature guest Drake. The truth is I am scared of Canada. Thank you for speaking my truth, Drizzy. Nothing more terrifying than six-foot-tall moose and Quebecois. I shudder at the thought. Chocolate AP and chocolate the Vs (Vs), got the Willy Wonka factory (Vs) / Burn a athlete like its calories, find another flame hot as me, bitch. Does Travis want his ex-girlfriends flings latest role? Timothee Chalamet, did you beat him in auditions? Or does he like brown Audemars Piguet watches? If so, this is an issue of taste. Ill shoot your ass in Walmart like Im DaBaby (in Walmart) / The boy going Lionel Messi, I go Tom Brady (woo). Choosing to act like DaBaby and siding with Tom Brady is interesting decision-making. DaBaby is basically jobless after making homophobic comments. Tom Bradys supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen, just left him, and he faces litigation over his involvement in crypto. You might be hexing yourself, Scott. Hubris is a vengeful god. Circus Maximus I might still eat McDonalds / But dont think Im a Ronald. Scott is not a clown. You are nawt what you eat, people! Dont let anyone tell you otherwise. Off the sake, turned to Socrates (woo). Give him one margarita (two of two Socrates mentions). Skitzo Seen the top-ten pen list / I dont even know how they could pin this / Knowin that Im the human Pinterest. No notes. Im loyal, bitch / I got Ye over Biden. Bold statement postYes antisemitism controversy. Looove Imagine my world of misogyny / Nigga, fuck a, fuck a monogamy. Hes just Ken. While not a mind-blowing move, it is good to see that the OPENLANE, Inc. (NYSE:KAR) share price has gained 14% in the last three months. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last five years have been less than pleasing. In fact, the share price is down 74%, which falls well short of the return you could get by buying an index fund. With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies. See our latest analysis for OPENLANE To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' 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 five years of share price growth, OPENLANE moved from a loss to profitability. That would generally be considered a positive, so we are surprised to see the share price is down. Other metrics might give us a better handle on how its value is changing over time. It could be that the revenue decline of 19% per year is viewed as evidence that OPENLANE is shrinking. This has probably encouraged some shareholders to sell down the stock. The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail). We know that OPENLANE has improved its bottom line lately, but what does the future have in store? So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think OPENLANE will earn in the future (free profit forecasts). What About The Total Shareholder Return (TSR)? We've already covered OPENLANE's share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). Arguably the TSR is a more complete return calculation because it accounts for the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested), along with the hypothetical value of any discounted capital that have been offered to shareholders. Its history of dividend payouts mean that OPENLANE's TSR, which was a 28% drop over the last 5 years, was not as bad as the share price return. Story continues A Different Perspective OPENLANE shareholders are down 9.9% for the year, but the market itself is up 12%. 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 5% 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. 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. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with OPENLANE , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. 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. 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 By opening and closing on the same two images, the Solomon/Soderbergh series examines the lies that fueled two families decades of delusions. Photo: Max Spoilers follow for the miniseries Full Circle, which premiered its final two episodes on Max July 27. Wouldnt you know it: In its final episode, Full Circle comes full circle. The limited series begins and ends with two images: a framed, Picasso-esque painting sitting in overgrown grass and a sun-faded billboard advertising a life of luxury at the tropical Colony at Essequibo resort. Neither image means anything to viewers upon first appearance, but these pieces of art come to represent everything the two families at Full Circles center stand for. The painting signifies the wealth and connections built by the Brownes via their culinary empire, while the Essequibo rendering serves as a reminder of betrayal and promise of revenge for the Mahabir crime family. By the end of its finale, as Full Circle illustrates how the Brownes painting came to be abandoned at a pier and why the Mahabirs advertisement sat forgotten for decades next to a half-built compound, each image has been diluted to its core essence of self-delusion. From left: Photo: Max Photo: Max From top: Photo: Max Photo: Max The six-part series from writer Ed Solomon and director Steven Soderbergh starts off with a clear delineation between villain and victim: The Mahabirs, led by matriarch Savitri (CCH Pounder), have been struggling with various arms of their criminal organization since the death of Ranwell, Savitris husband. Their many schemes include bringing fellow Guyanese to New York City and forcing them into indentured servitude-style jobs to pay off their travel. Mrs. M and her second-in-command Garmen (the mesmerizing Phaldut Sharma) manipulate immigrants American-dream aspirations, and in the seriess opening minutes, theyve ensnared three 20-somethings: masseuse-in-training Natalia (Adia), her younger brother Louis (Gerald Jones), and his best friend Xavier (Sheyi Cole). New to the U.S., Louis and Xavier soon learn that Mrs. M believes their inconsistent business is due to a curse set upon them by Clarence (Ted Sod), the father of a boy Ranwell killed back in Guyana as part of a real-estate scheme. Clarence now wants to close the circle of his own suffering that is, get revenge and convinces Mrs. M to participate in an obeah ritual to reverse her fortune. Full Circle is clear that Mrs. Ms growing zealotry in this spiritual folk practice is at odds with the rest of her family, yet no one argues against the eye-for-an-eye-style kidnapping and killing of teen Jared Browne (Ethan Stoddard). To appease Clarence and reverse the Mahabirs string of bad luck, a strangers death seems like a reasonable price. Compared to the Mahabirs, the Brownes appear positively Rockwellian: Sam (Claire Danes) and Derek (Timothy Olyphant) run the business side of her father Chef Jeffs (Dennis Quaid) expansive food corporation built on the back of a tomatillo salsa. But theres a deep unhappiness underlining their interactions, and wrangling Jeff seems more stressful than it needs to be. Solomons dialogue relays Jeffs inability to understand finances and assumption that attorney Sam will handle everything because shes spent decades doing just that; the amount of time he spends patting himself on the back for being a good person, particularly when it comes to his fans, suggests, of course, that hes not. (And that French braid hes sporting? An unhinged choice.) Until its final episodes, Full Circle is cagey about exactly how the Brownes and the Mahabirs are linked, and why the death of the formers son would wipe the latters metaphysical slate clean. The mysticism of the obeah and the mystery of the connection to the Brownes is key to building the seriess peculiar, deliberately evasive vibe, and it gets a little too convoluted when finally explaining the connections between the two families. Twenty years ago, Sam was involved in a property-investment scheme in Guyana with Ranwell, who seized the land of farmers and the underclass, accepted bribes in return for payments made to foreign investors, then abandoned the projects after everyone got their money. Ranwell killed Clarences son as an act of intimidation in order to keep the grift going, and that murder and the financing it provided each family has lingered between the Mahabirs and Brownes since. Sam has convinced herself the Essequibo money she used to kickstart her fathers career was simply acquired, not stolen, and Derek used that same blood money to abandon another son 16 years earlier and secure his one-night-stands silence. Meanwhile, Mrs. M uses her established connections back home to maintain the pipeline of young and impressionable Guyanese immigrants who work at her various businesses and line her pockets. The Guyana cash fueled the corruption of both families, and the symbols with which they surround themselves are an extension of that hubris. The Mahabirs itemize their attempts to seek penance: Mrs. Ms chalk and rice circles provide the protection she believes she deserves, a ransom demand in the amount of pi offers another circle motif, and her husbands photograph and wedding ring are centered as totems on her desk. For the Brownes, their stuff is about status: the wall of limited-edition sneakers in Jareds bedroom, the pricey security system Sam installed in their apartment, Jeffs high credit line with a nearby casino. All are external manifestations of the prestige and good karma each family is convinced theyre owed, and those two art pieces in particular convey how each family has persuaded themselves that they deserve whatever theyre fighting for. A shrunken-down version of the Colony at Essequibo ad hangs in Mrs. Ms office, while an unidentified-but-expensive painting receives primary placement in the Brownes living room. From left: Photo: Max Photo: Max From top: Photo: Max Photo: Max Artistically and aesthetically, the pieces dont have much in common. The watercolor resides in a simple frame within Mrs. Ms eyeline when she sits at her desk but goes unnoticed by those who visit the room. The latter, a bunch of sparse squiggles complemented by accent lighting, is bolted to the wall, worth so much that Jared has mentioned the price to his friends and U.S. Postal Inspector Melody Harmony (Zazie Beetz) comments on it when she questions the Brownes in their apartment after the botched kidnapping. (Daness best line delivery of the series might be her sneering, Actually, it wouldnt, in response to Beetzs assessment. You know, that painting would be worth a lot more if the head was on top of the body.) Narratively, though, the images each reflect how their owners define themselves. Mrs. M sees herself as a warrior blessed by the obeah, and the sketch of the Colony at Essequibo is a portrait of her past, what could have been, and what she still needs to accomplish to get vengeance for her husband. Sam sees herself as a resourceful survivor, and the costly painting is proof that her hustling in support of Chef Jeff even if it required immoral business decisions paid off. I worked hard for this life, and Im going to protect the fuck out of it, she tells Mel in a girlboss-y moment that feels hollow because it is. Mrs. M and Sam arent the same, but theyve told themselves the same types of stories about what it takes to succeed. But is success genuinely earned if other people have to be displaced or killed to achieve it? Full Circle ends by placing the two images in direct tension with each other. If one piece of artwork is financially worthless and the other is visibly prized, their thematic importance reverses in the final moments of Essequibo. Desperate to get back to Guyana and needing cash for the flight, Louis sneaks into the Brownes apartment to steal the painting; when Sam learns hes from Essequibo, she gives it to him to ease her guilt. But when Louis and Natalia reach Garmen and Xavier at the plane home, they walk into another double cross: Garmen wants Xavier to kill Louis and Natalia so they can tie up Mrs. Ms loose ends. The painting is Garmens funding for a new life until Xavier kills Garmen, defending Louis and Natalia and securing their passage home. Still, he leaves the artwork in the grass, discarded and stripped of its power. Xaviers pursuit of the American dream has no space for the symbols of other peoples dreams. So Louis and Natalia return home, free of Mrs. M and the debt she forced them to accrue. But theyre also back in the explicit shadow of the Colony at Essequibo, walking among its deserted condos and passing that coming in 2003 billboard. Twenty years later, Natalia and Louis fled this place, but not the devastation it wrought; like that boy Mrs. Ms husband killed, the siblings are victims of other peoples greed. The Colony at Essequibo advertisement, with its beatific palm trees and white tourists, holds no value for them, just like that painting held none for Xavier. The ad is a fantasy and the seriess real curse. I dont know whats worse: It works, and its all broke up now, or it never worked in the first place, Natalia says to Louis of the obeah ceremony Mrs. M thought could provide a circle of protection around her family. In Full Circle, symbols deceive just as much as the people who give them their meaning. Good Omens Every Day Season 2 Episode 6 Editors Rating 3 stars * * * Previous Next Previous Episode Next Episode Photo: Courtesy of Prime Video I knew it! I knew Gabriel was in love. And I had a sneaking suspicion it was with Beelzebub, just because they seemed out of sorts while Gabriel was MIA. The mystery, as sparsely as it was addressed, ended in a satisfying way for me. The situation with our boys, less so. First of all, hats off to the Good Omens team for coming up with something more blasphemous than season one. The people who would get mad about that sort of thing would get really, really mad. If they hadnt written the show off already for how it treated Revelations before. Also, all the gays, theyd probably dislike all the gays. But an archangel and a Duke of Hell getting amorous, thats some Anne Ricelevel horny nonsense right there. Congrats. But before the big reveal, there are several little reveals. While Nina, Maggie, and Aziraphale hold off the demonic horde with a preposterous number of fire extinguishers, Crowley and Muriel go sleuthing. Muriel doesnt have clearance to open the files Crowley needs, but apparently he does. Heaven never changes its passwords. Anyone whos gone through security training at a large corporation must know that hell invented anti-phishing protocols. Two-factor verification might be heavenly, though. Crowley learns that Gabriel wasnt feeling the latest plan for Armageddon. Thats a nah, he says. We still dont know why, but its enough to get Gabriel shitcanned. He almost gleefully accepts that hes going to be cast down as a demon, but he finds out hes just getting demoted. Rather than go through with the demotion, he hides his memories in the matchbook, then goes down to earth in the nude. Not sure why the nudity was important to the plan, but thanks all the same. Crowley sees Gabriel put something in the big box he came to Aziraphales with, so its back down to earth to find out whats in the box. The whole heavenly gang comes along as well. Its good heaven is coming down to earth because hell is coming up. In defense of his human pals, Aziraphale did the thing with the halo, which maybe, sorta counted as an act of war against hell. The fire extinguishers worked for a while (and it was fun seeing the demons do a Double Dare physical challenge only to get yeeted out of the material plane time and time again), but desperate times called for desperate measures. Thankfully, Crowley solves the Jimriel mystery in such a way that implicates both heaven and hell on a systemic level. Crowley figures out that Gabriel left a note to himself on the big empty box. Im in the fly, it says. Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, is able to locate the one fly in Aziraphales bookshop. And by burrowing into Jims pupil (gross), we learn what set Gabriel on this path. Now, the third romance of this season. Gabriel and Beelzebub agree to their own arrangement in Edinburgh: No more attempts to immanentize the eschaton. They also find they both enjoy the song Everyday by Buddy Holly. It becomes their song, and that moment is so cute I paused to sort of giddily clap like an idiot. Gabriel and Beelzebub come to understand their feelings much sooner than Crowley and Aziraphale. But its always easier for the second person to climb a mountain, you know? They decide to fuck off to a nebula, and thats that on that. Beelzebubs vacancy leaves a ducal vacancy in hell, so Shax is happy. And Gabriels vacancy, thats TBD. Oh, P.S.: Metatrons here. Derek Jacobi is a perfect angel, so know-it-all-y and uptight. Also, I think hes the oldest person to ever order an oat-milk latte. Once heaven and hell depart to their respective sides of the playground, Metatron has a quick huddle with Aziraphale. Meanwhile, Nina and Maggie want to smush Crowley and Aziraphale together much in the same way they were smushed at the ball. Time to say all the things youre feeling, Crowley! Or is it? Remember when I said it couldnt be more penultimate if Aziraphale got a job that sent him to Paris? Well, hes getting a job that would send him to Paris. Metatron wants him to be the new HAIC in heaven, and hes willing to re-angelify Crowley as part of the deal. Poor dummy, hes so excited about this great plan that allows him to have his cake and eat it too. Crowleys not biting, though. Even if he didnt fall so much as saunter vaguely downward, he genuinely has beef with heaven. And rightfully so! This season made heaven seem even worse than the last, which in many ways was about the arbitrary nature of good and evil as litigated by organized religion. Crowley wants to stay where there are nightingales, wine, and kissing. Aziraphale wants to Make a Difference. The classic separatist versus changing things from the inside debate that tears many a progressive couple asunder. We get a Big Damn Kiss between our fellas, but it feels rushed. And rueful. In fact, this whole will-they-wont-they part of the finale feels very sequel hook and not self-supporting. It feels (and I say this as disparagingly as possible) Marvel Cinematic Universe. Always teeing up the next thing, never letting something stand on its own. Metatron name-drops the second coming (presumably the main plot engine of season three), Crowley walks away despondent, and were all left without ever fully reaching an emotional climax. If they want the show to get another season, I get that this is what they have to do. But this industry is so fucked, so why leave even one ball in the air that you dont have to? At least Crowley got his apartment back. Biblical Apocrypha Gay-O-Meter briefly went to DEFCON 1: BIG GAY KISS before bumping back down to DEFCON 4: PERPETUAL EDGING. Aziraphale using the same discorporation method that got him last season; that was a nice touch. Beelzebubs sash! That should have been the clue Gabriel was consorting with Beelzebub because the bartender said that they were dressed like a Mason. If Id ever seen a Mason IRL, maybe I would have connected the dots a little sooner. The Doctor Who nods were coming thick and fast this episode. We have David Tennant and Derek Jacobi, who both essentially Jimrieled themselves on that show. The Beelzebub said the fly was bigger on the inside. Then you had Tennant walking away sad as the love of his life was rendered inaccessible to him during a season-two finale. That guy cant catch a break. When Metatron says that hes consumed stuff before in his day, that made me giggle. Very I was gay once, for a while, no big deal. If Minxs season-two premiere welcomed the magazines triumphant, well-funded relaunch, then the shows very next episode, I Thought the Bed Was Gonna Fly, should serve as a reminder that, actually, all is not well at Bottom Dollar Productions or should I say at BDP. Doug is relaunching the company with a new business-friendly moniker using Constances endless coffers and a big, invite-only screening of Deep Throat. Joyce is dubious about Dougs suggestion that Deep Throat is a feminist porno; shes absolutely correct. While screening the movie certainly makes for a good episode as well as exactly the kind of cultural happening that Constance hoped to be a part of it also feels a little gross. Given when Minx is set, all of this information certainly wouldnt have been public knowledge, but the show often colors with a bit of a modern brush, so Im interested in whether theres more of a message here than Wow, what a silly porno. Is this screening (and the later party) an indication that, actually, the general population doesnt really seem to get what Minx is actually about? And that, maybe, the people who work there dont even 100 percent understand it? Only time will tell, really, but in the meantime, I Thought the Bed Was Gonna Fly is packed with relaunch drama, including some missing movie reels, an impromptu trip to Robert Evanss front gate, and a whole bunch of 70s celebrity name drops. (Red Buttons, Yul Brynner, Alan Alda, the recently departed Alan Arkin, and Ernest Borgnine, to name a few.) Theres also a whole subplot about Joyces obsession with the awkward and omnipresent Joan Didion, whos at the screening just to see what all the fuss is about. For me, one of the high points, story-wise, of the episode was whatever was going on between Shelly and Lenny. He still doesnt seem to have a clue about what happened with her and Bambi, and the two really hit it off at the premiere, much to Shellys dismay. Later, amid dentist jokes at the afterparty, Lenny pops half of some pill astronauts use to focus as Shelly white-knuckles her way through the whole experience. She seems deeply uncomfortable, most likely because of her deception, but eventually seems to lighten up after Lenny, who is very sweet, tells her that he just wanted to have a little fun together because, clearly, something is going on with her. Richie says hell do whatever it takes to figure out their marriage, and the pair sneak off for a quickie in the magazines darkroom, which has only recently been vacated by Richie and his Paramount paramour. Im rooting for Shelly and Lenny to figure it out, but only if thats what she really wants. Speaking of couples in trouble: Doug and Tina. She turned down business school at the University Of Chicago to become Minxs managing editor, and while that does seem like a pretty solid choice on paper, in actuality, its turning out to be a total shit show. Shes still running all of Dougs errands, and while I have no doubt he either loves her or absolutely thinks he does, hes still treating her like shit. He only really thinks about himself, sending her off on silly errands, and thats why Tinas fully justified when she comes slamming into BDP at the end of the episode to tell him off. Hopefully, Doug will hire her replacement soon or somethings going to give in this relationship. The afterparty seems to do a number on Bambi, too. While she seems initially happy to pass around a silver tray of pills in her capacity as Chief Fun Officer, she quickly realizes that being in charge of fun often means youre not really having any. Shes bummed out that partygoers are gawking at the magazines stash of unsolicited dick pics (Thats Ray. He has a Purple Heart.), and she doesnt want to be everyones maid. I hope Bambi finds purpose and peace this season, even if she did like all the old parties better. The episode ends with Joyce banging out an editors letter titled, Why I Hated Deep Throat And Why Its Good for America, which she then pins to the layout board alongside a smart-looking headshot of herself. While its certainly nice that she seems to be taking front-page ownership of what shes created, I do worry that Constances money, Dougs promises, and Minxs rising fortunes may have created at least a little bit of a monster. Dont forget where you came from, Joyce! Reflections of Desire Minx glances over what Deep Throat is with some coy clips and plot summaries, and yes, its a very goofy movie, but its also kind of a troubled one. If youre really keen on getting into the nitty-gritty, I strongly recommend checking out Karina Longworths episode of You Must Remember This about the movie and the rise of porno chic culture, but if the hour-plus commitment is just too daunting, all you really have to know is that Deep Throat came out in 1972 and is widely hailed as one of the first porno movies with a plot. Minx sums up the story pretty accurately in that its about a woman who discovers her clitoris is at the back of her throat. Still, theres a whole lot of other backstory about the movie, including some disturbing allegations star Linda Lovelace has made about how she was coerced into appearing in the movie and others. Theres also her disclosure that, despite Deep Throats $600 million gross, Lovelace was only paid $1,250, which her allegedly abusive husband then took from her. She later became an anti-porn activist. I loved the shot of the girls at the sleepover in Palos Verdes, though I do not doubt that at least a few of those (fictional) gals left that event shook for life. When Tina and Richie are heading off to retrieve the reels, Richie asks Doug if he has The Thomas Guide, which is this huge, spiral-bound set of maps that basically every single L.A. resident swore by for decades. I even remember my friends having them when I visited in the early 00s. Now, everyone uses Google Maps or Waze, but interestingly enough, California legislation requires every police and fire vehicle to carry one, so the company does still sell between 1,000 and 1,500 copies a year. No one can really rock a baby-blue set of tuxedo tails like Jake Johnson. It would look absurd on anyone else, but on him, somehow, it works. Its the little nubbin under the beret. Ew. Usually, when one insider buys stock, it might not be a monumental event. But when multiple insiders are buying like they did in the case of The Rank Group Plc (LON:RNK), that sends out a positive message to the company's shareholders. While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. See our latest analysis for Rank Group The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Rank Group The Chief People Officer Hazel Boyle made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK135k worth of shares at a price of UK0.93 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is UK0.95. 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. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. The good news for Rank Group share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price. Rank Group insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! Rank Group is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Insider Ownership Of Rank Group I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. From looking at our data, insiders own UK995k worth of Rank Group stock, about 0.2% of the company. However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. We consider this fairly low insider ownership. Story continues So What Does This Data Suggest About Rank Group Insiders? It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Rank Group shares in the last quarter. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more Rank Group stock. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To assist with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Rank Group. 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 Share Comment on this story Comment BEIJING The coastal Chinese city of Shantou on Thursday joined parts of Taiwan in shutting down schools and offices as Typhoon Doksuri brings heavy wind and rain to the Taiwan Strait and surrounding areas. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Doksuri weakened further on Thursday, with sustained winds of 155 kph (96 mph) and gusts of up to 190 kph (118 mph), according to Taiwans Central Weather Bureau. The typhoons center wont hit Taiwans mainland, but its outlying bands will still bring stronger winds and rains on Thursday afternoon. Shantou, which lies on the border between Guangdong and Fujian provinces, will remain largely shut through the end of Friday, the local government said on social media. Images from the area on public news broadcasts showed fishing ships tied up in port as heavy waves broke along the seawall. Apart from an occasional squall, there was no sign of heavy rain as of early Thursday afternoon, reports said. Advertisement The Taiwan Strait is one of the worlds busiest routes for international trade and the typhoon has caused major disruptions to shipping and flights. In southern Taiwan, the port city Kaohsiung and the ancient capital Tainan announced that offices and schools will be closed Thursday. Hualien and Taitung counties along the Pacific Ocean on the islands east coast also shuttered schools and offices. Kaohsuing also evacuated about 300 residents who lived in a mountainous part of the district, according to the semiofficial Central News Agency. Share this article Share The storm temporarily left tens of thousands of households without power in Kaohsiung and Tainan, although most of them have had their electricity restored as of Thursday morning, according to the Taiwan Power Company. The storm will travel through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and make landfall in Chinas Fujian province on Friday. Advertisement The typhoon swept through northern Philippine provinces with ferocious wind and rain on Wednesday, leaving at least nine people dead, including four members of a family whose house was buried in a landslide, and displacing thousands of villagers. Authorities expect the death toll to rise as more provincial reports come in. The storm caused widespread power outages and agricultural damage and prompted the suspension of work, classes and sea travel for about two days, disaster response officials said. ___ Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, and Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report. Its been really difficult for me in the past few years, and I just cant get it out of my head, said Paul, who like me was now in his early 50s. So, to cut a long story short, I wanted to tell you Ive decided to do something about it. Ive reported Des to the police and a detective has been assigned to investigate my case. I want to put this bastard in jail for what he did. However, one night about 20 years later, when Paul and I were under the influence of a lot of drugs and alcohol, we told each other what had happened to us at school. Then we never spoke about it again. F---. Of all the reasons that had gone through my mind since receiving his text, this wasnt one of them. Des was Desmond John Thornton, a teacher at Marcellin College in Randwick, an all-boys Catholic high school in Sydneys east that wed both attended in the 1980s. Separately, but under similar circumstances, Paul and I were sexually abused by Thornton, who taught social sciences while doubling as the schools careers counsellor. Neither of us spoke about it at the time not to a parent, a teacher, another student, or one another. You might be wondering why I wanted to have dinner. I wanted to let you know that Ive been thinking a lot about Des and what happened to us at school. We ordered promptly, and were soon raising our glasses. There was some brief chit-chat about work and how we hadnt seen each other in a while. We both apologised for being busy. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then he came out with it. I knew there was nothing romantic about the invitation. Paul and I met at school in 1977, were friends throughout our school years and had remained in contact in the decades since we graduated. His text seemed innocent enough it was just an invitation to dinner, after all but I was nevertheless circumspect about agreeing. My instincts told me there had to be more to it than just dinner. Something in my subconscious was warning me: approach with caution. Hey David, just wondering if youd like to catch up and have dinner one night soon, Paul. In July 2018, newly single after the end of a six-year relationship, I received an out-of-the-blue text message from a man inviting me to dinner. It ought to have been cause for excitement. But this message made me nervous. But right now, at that July 2018 dinner, when Paul raised the prospect of taking Thornton to court, I didnt immediately agree to get involved. It took me more than six months to make my own contact with police. The prospect of Thornton going to prison for what hed done to me was suddenly the realest it had ever been. If it happened, I knew Id want to have had some hand in it. This wasnt the first time Id contemplated pursuing justice Id in fact taken a very small step towards it in 2013, when Id tracked Thornton down to Alice Springs, where he was teaching at Centralian Senior College. Having found him, I sent an email confronting him with what hed done. To my surprise, his written reply contained a kind of apology. As potentially self- incriminating as this is, I take this opportunity to apologise to you, he wrote, without specifying what it was he was sorry for. It would prove a pivotal email in years to come. Meagher as a schoolboy in 1981. He met his abuser, Desmond Thornton, when he was 13, on his first day of year 8. Credit: Courtesy of David Meagher Paul told me that Detective Senior Constable Annie Clark from the NSW Polices Maroubra Detectives Unit had been assigned to investigate his case, and that his official police statement was now underway. Hed told Clark there was another victim but hadnt given her my name or told her anything about me. He said she was keen to meet me. Just call me Des, hed said when I met him in 1980, on the first day of year 8. I was 13, so normal circumstances dictated that I ought to be calling him Sir or Mr Thornton, regardless of what he asked me to do. Des implied that we were friends or contemporaries. We were neither. Just call me Des was a deliberate attempt at affability and a way to counteract the power imbalance between us. Just call me Des was his first attempt to groom me. Hearing Paul use Thorntons first name after all those years jarred. It had been a trigger for me for more than four decades; I never liked hearing the name, even if in reference to a different Des. I preferred the verbal abuse because I learnt to ignore it, but with hindsight it might have been better to take the punches. Bruises heal quickly, but the damage caused by insults takes a lot longer to repair. It took me years to recover and at times it seemed like it was going to get the better of me. When I was 14, I contemplated taking my own life, and even took a feeble step towards it. You cant bully or sexually abuse a dead kid is how my teenage brain rationalised it. Being bullied at school has an amplifying effect. You become a lightning rod for the insecurities and frustrations of other students. No one wants to be a target, so they pile onto those who are, as a survival mechanism. If youre part of the bullying pack, the logic goes, no one will notice your own difference, and youll be left alone. When the persecution involves being called gay, its a double whammy. Other boys dont want to be seen with you in case theyre thought to be gay by association. All of this meant that I didnt have a lot of allies at school. I acknowledge that the school doesnt operate in the same way today. The schools website says it provides a safe, supportive and inclusive environment to nurture the wellbeing of all students and that it rejects all forms of bullying behaviour. But my story isnt about the environment in schools today, its about how the bullying and victimisation to which I was subjected four decades ago created a perfect opportunity for a paedophile. It might seem counter-intuitive, but sometimes I was the one who got in trouble for being bullied. Another student would whisper an insult at me in class, or throw something at me, or spit on me. They would do it when the teacher was facing the chalkboard, which meant when he or she turned to see who was speaking, Id be the one with my mouth open, muttering something back at my torturer. Id be the one given detention, or sent to see the headmaster, or to receive six cuts of the cane. What started as gentle ribbing for not being good at sport developed into full-scale, homophobic harassment and persecution; sometimes physically violent and always emotionally wounding. By the end of year 7 Id been called every gay slur you can think of. Id been punched, kicked, tripped, spat on, threatened, ignored and excluded. Id been the subject of rumours and dirty looks. I dont recall a time at Marcellin when I wasnt being bullied. If there was a honeymoon period at the beginning of high school, it was a brief one. Other boys were quick to recognise that I was different from them, and they pounced on it. I wasnt interested in sport and when forced to participate, was terrible at it. I was shy and introverted and found the sporty boys (that is, most of them) intimidating. I didnt know then that I was gay, but the other boys assumed my lack of sporting ability meant I must be what other explanation could there be? and wasted no time letting me know it. Im concerned about you. Youre always talking in class and the other teachers tell me youre disruptive in their classes, too, he said. If you continue to talk in class and dont pay attention, your grades will suffer, and then you might have to repeat year 8. Thornton knew that repeating a year was a bullied kids worst fear; he threatened me with it a lot. I dunno, I said. I was shy and uncomfortable around adults. I didnt like the attention and I just wanted to shut down the conversation. When the period finished the first time this happened, and it was just the two of us in the classroom, he asked why I was so disruptive in class. I got in trouble a lot in Thorntons classes. With a particularly finely-tuned ear for when I was talking, hed sternly instruct me to stay back after class, threatening to use the cane or give me a detention if there was one more word out of me before the bell sounded. His bluster was just for show, though. He wanted to look like a tyrant in front of the class but the last thing he wanted was for someone else to earn the punishment of staying back after class. He wanted me alone. Aged 26, Des Thornton was an ex-student living at home with his parents in Malabar when he took the job at Marcellin, only his second teaching position. I knew this because he went to great lengths to befriend me, to ensure I saw him as different to the other teachers. Just call me Des, remember. The last thing he wanted was for someone else to earn the punishment of staying after class. He wanted me alone. Needless to say I hated everything about school, but the thing I dreaded most was lunchtime. At least in class there was structure and closer adult supervision. I looked for any opportunity to have something to do at lunchtime apart from socialising with the other boys. I went to the library; I hung out in the classrooms; I tried to find a quiet spot to sit. That my absence in the playground often went unnoticed proved an added bonus for Des Thornton. Youre going to be in year 9 next year and youll have to choose elective subjects. Thats a big responsibility. If you dont choose the right ones, you might not be eligible for the university course you want. You need to start thinking about what you want to be now. All the other boys already know what they want to do. Im sure youre good at something, we just need to find out what that is. What do you mean you dont know? You must have some idea of what you want to do. What are you good at? I guess so. Im just trying to help you. Why dont you come and see me in the careers room one lunchtime, and we can work together to find out what youre good at and what interests you. Or I can give you a detention notice, but I think you will benefit more from coming to the careers room than being on detention. Teacher Des Thorton invited 13-year-old Meagher to call him Des, which the writer calls a deliberate attempt at affability and a way to counteract the power imbalance between us. Credit: Courtesy of David Meagher I didnt want my parents to know that I was on detention again and I didnt want to stay back after school. The less time I spent on the school grounds, the better. Going to the careers room at lunchtime seemed like an easy alternative and I genuinely didnt know what I wanted to be when I grew up. On top of that, it meant that for at least one lunchtime that week I wouldnt have to find something to occupy myself with. Thornton told me to come and see him on Thursday, and I did what I was told. Early in 2019, Paul and I agreed to meet up again, this time at his home. Paul went to buy coffee and pastries at the Kings Cross markets while I sat on his rooftop terrace, admiring the view. When he returned, he handed me my coffee. Shits about to get real, he said. My first thought was that he was referring to the crowds at the markets. Detective Annie Clark, he said, was poised to make an arrest. I immediately felt guilty that Id done nothing to help get the case to this critical point. Paul had done all the work and I was riding on his coattails. We talked about how Clarks investigation had progressed: what shed found out and what she hadnt been able to ascertain or verify. Paul told me that Clark was keen to speak to me, to add a final piece to the puzzle. I could remain anonymous my identity would be tightly protected and suppressed if the matter went to trial. Paul assured me Clark just wanted to hear my story. Loading I realised that if Thornton was charged and sent to prison, it wouldnt be for anything hed done to me. I felt guilty for not helping Paul but I also had an inkling that I was missing out on something momentous. F--- it, Im in. Give her my number, call her and tell her I want to make a statement, I told Paul. Im sorry Ive been so flaky, but Im ready to do this now. In March 2019, two weeks after that coffee meeting, I sat in an interview room at the Kings Cross Police Station, giving my official statement to Annie Clark. It was a difficult and traumatic process that would ultimately take two days and necessitate, among other things, that I describe a penis I had seen only briefly, and that I draw a floorplan of an apartment I was in for less than an hour both based on my 40-year-old memories. My police statement says I went to the careers room at least 10 times but since I gave that statement some memories have become clearer, and Im sure it was many more times than that. In fact, I think it was every week until the end of that year, which is what Thornton prescribed. My police statement details what he did with me in that room. How he would place two chairs opposite each other and that they were uncomfortably close. How when I would move my chair back to regain some personal space, he would swiftly drag it closer to him. I told Clark about how he would play with my penis through my school shorts and how he eventually took it out of my shorts. I told her how he would grab my pubic hair and pull it if I tried to move away. I told her about ejaculating for the first time ever in the careers room. That I didnt know what it was. How Thornton got angry and just left me there to clean it up. I also told Clark about moving into year 9 the following year and deliberately choosing subjects that Thornton didnt teach, as a way to get away from him. And of how that strategy worked until it didnt. Not being one of his students forced him to become a little more creative in thinking up ways to get one-on-one access to me. I told Clark how, one day, Thornton showed up at my house with a story about being locked out of a nearby apartment he was looking after for his brother. He needed someone small to climb through an open window and let him in. I told her how things escalated to a terrifying new level in that apartment. I told her how frightened I was to be in a strange apartment with Thornton and how no one in my family knew exactly where I was. I was frightened. No one in my family knew exactly where I was. I told her that, once Id climbed through the window and let him in, Thornton gave me breakfast and sat me in front of the television, then went to the bathroom to shower. He emerged and sat down beside me on the sofa, wearing only a towel. I told Clark about how he undid the towel and masturbated himself with one hand while doing what hed done to me in the careers room with the other. And I told her how he stood up, naked, and blocked my view of the television. How he forced me to perform oral sex on him. I told her that I couldnt recall how long it lasted but that at one point I did something I still cant believe I had the courage to do. I pushed him away, stood up and moved to the other side of the room. I dont want to do this any more, I said, crying. With that he told me to get dressed and that he would take me home, then on to school. He never spoke to me again. At some point in the middle of the following year, Des Thornton left Marcellin College, with no apparent explanation. When Thornton left Marcellin, the only thought I had about the abuse was that it was over. There was nothing he could do now to get me alone. There was nothing but blue skies ahead for me. It didnt take long for me to become acutely aware of how immature that idea was; how long-lasting the effects of sexual abuse are on victims. I first saw a psychiatrist when I was in my early 20s because I couldnt put thoughts of the abuse out of my head. Meagher took drugs to escape his thoughts, but the comedowns became persistent enough to leave him in a permanently bad mood. Credit: Nic Walker Later in life I found other solutions, including drugs, most specifically ecstasy, MDMA and crystal methamphetamine. When I was high, I didnt have a care in the world. The only thing I had to worry about was coming down, and when I was in my 30s and early 40s, coming down was easy to handle. Drugs were fun because they were mind-altering. They took me away from my thoughts for a few hours. However, while the highs dont get any higher, the lows gradually get lower and lower, such that the time spent high becomes immeasurably outweighed by the time spent recovering from it. Because I was often coming down, I was in a permanently bad mood, easily irritated and rarely happy. I wasnt so much a glass-half-empty guy as a glass-completely-drained one. That said, I never considered myself an addict and never went into recovery. I managed to hide my drug-taking well. I was single and most of my friends were in relationships so it was easy to go unnoticed for a weekend while on a drug and sex-fuelled bender. I thought I was smarter than other drug users and would never let it get out of control. Then, in 2002, following one of those drug and sex-fuelled benders, I was diagnosed as HIV positive. It was caught early and Ive been on effective antiretroviral treatment ever since. Im going to live as long as the next person, but in 2002 I thought it was a death sentence. Eventually, a psychiatrist who Id told about the abuse recommended I go on antidepressant medication. I was in my late 30s and holding down a position as a senior journalist on a magazine. I felt like I had the journalism job Id always wanted but was increasingly struggling to find the joy in it. I didnt make the connection between my drug-taking and my mood and resisted my psychiatrists advice. What have you got to lose? he finally asked. He meant what did I have to lose from trying an antidepressant drug that might help me, but he asked it during a time in which Id been thinking that I had nothing to lose from no longer living. I had no firm plan for taking my own life, but I thought of suicide as a kind of trapdoor I could escape through if things ever got too hard to handle. Loading I knew it wasnt good to have those thoughts, and I was so ashamed of them that I couldnt even discuss them with my psychiatrist. Its stupid, but I thought he would judge me for my suicidal tendencies which of course was precisely what I was paying him to do. So, I took his advice to heart and thought, what do I have to lose from taking another drug? Ive put worse shit into my body. If this doesnt work, I will still have my trapdoor. I took antidepressants for more than a decade and they did their job. The thing about taking antidepressants and amphetamines, though, is that they kind of cancel each other out. Recreational drugs just didnt have potency and I gradually lost interest in them. I focused on my career and the more I did, the more demanding it became. Eventually I was hired to edit a magazine, my dream job. My career took off, my dark thoughts disappeared and my memories of the abuse were no longer front of mind. Until that dinner with Paul in 2018. On September 4 , 2019, Des Thornton received a knock on his Alice Springs door. It was officers from the Northern Territory Police Force. They asked him to go with them to the station, where he was arrested for multiple historic sexual abuse offences relating to Paul and myself. He was taken into custody, staying overnight in the cells, and appeared before a magistrate the next day. Detective Annie Clark: I think [Thornton] had been expecting that knock for a very long time. Credit: Jessica Hromas By then, detective Annie Clark was on the next plane out of Sydney, bound for Alice Springs. We dont fly out until there is confirmation that they have the person, she would later tell me. The words that were said to me after he was arrested by the police in Alice Springs was that he didnt seem surprised. I think hed been expecting that knock for a very long time. Thornton was ordered to appear at Maroubra Police Station in Sydney a couple of weeks later, where he was charged with multiple offences relating to the sexual abuse of two minors between 1980 and 1982. Our matter was handed over to the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. It proceeded with more than a dozen charges relating to me and Paul. Thornton agreed to plead guilty to seven of the charges: five for Paul and two for me. Our lawyer, Amanda-Lee James, assured us the charges he was willing to plead guilty to would be enough to ensure a custodial sentence, so we accepted the defences revised statement of facts and avoided what would have been a traumatic trial. On February 25, 2021, at the Downing Centre District Court of NSW, Judge Ian McClintock sentenced Desmond John Thornton to a prison sentence of four years, with a non-parole period of 18 months. In NSW, pleading guilty early attracts a 25 per cent discount on the sentence for those charges. Its a reward for saving the time and resources of the court, as well as for making the legal process less painful for the victims. On August 24, 2022, Desmond John Thornton was released on parole. That morning, I got a phone call from NSW Victims Services to tell me the news, which Id been expecting. It was a brief call. I was asked if I had any questions. I didnt. I thanked the caller for letting me know and hung up. I dont know if they were expecting more emotion on my part, but there wasnt much to say. Ive barely thought about Thorntons release from prison since. He served his time, and from a legal point of view, the matter has been resolved. After the sentencing hearing, Amanda-Lee James said she thought that four years with a non-parole period of 18 months was on the lighter side. A longer sentence could however have given the defence cause to appeal, and dragged out our case further. On balance, we agreed, it was a satisfactory outcome. Thorntons release from prison meant the case was now closed. The end. In the weeks leading up to sentencing, some of those who knew my story asked how Id feel if he wasnt sent to prison. No one asked how Id feel if he was. Bringing the person who abused me as a child to justice gave me confidence in the police, in the law, in myself. How did I feel when he was sentenced to prison? I felt like a changed man. I felt happier, as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. It was the end of a 40-year struggle and Im glad I did it. One of my reasons for writing a book about my experience has been to let go of the secrets, the shame and the stress Ive held on to for four decades. But forgiveness? Thats the hardest thing. Im not there yet and if I ever get there, it will be for my benefit, not his. Lifeline: 13 11 14. Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 This is an edited extract from Secrets and Lies: A Story of Justice, Perseverance and the Life That Comes After (Penguin Random House, $35), by David Meagher, out August 2. To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times But Anthony Albanese pounced on what he described as serious allegations. The prime minister said: This is taxpayers money and Mr Dutton has a responsibility to explain what occurred on his watch as home affairs minister with this scandal. Loading The Coalitions defence of Morrison during recent inquisitions has been lukewarm; hes now a backbencher, politically failed and an embarrassment, and on his way out of parliament. The defence of Dutton, however, as the movements leader, will be much more spirited. The Liberal leadership makes the point that, before Dutton was minister, Labor ministers operated in the same way in the portfolio, playing no part in awarding contracts. So they are pursuing him as a political stunt, runs the argument. For Labor, the allegations are a political gift to keep pressure on the Coalition and to put Dutton on the defensive. For the Greens and the teal independents, its an opportunity to remind voters that they campaigned on integrity as a key theme. The Greens were the first of the political parties to call for a federal anti-corruption commission; this week they called for a royal commission into Home Affairs. A brace of teals Sophie Scamps, Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall and Kylea Tink also demanded a public inquiry. The particular Bhojani incident was one part of a much broader set of systemic concerns. As McKenzie, Bachelard and Amelia Ballinger wrote this week: Australias Home Affairs Department oversaw the payment of millions of taxpayer dollars to powerful Pacific Island politicians through a chain of suspect contracts as it sought to maintain controversial offshore asylum seeker processing centres. Loading Financial data, internal emails and whistleblower testimony implicate Home Affairs lead contractors Broadspectrum, Canstruct and Paladin in suspected systemic misuse of taxpayer dollars in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Some of the biggest and most lucrative contracts were let without competitive tender. At least one of these three lead contractors was a Liberal Party donor Brisbane-based Canstruct, which was paid $1.82 billion in taxpayer funds over five years to run the Nauru centre. The relationship between Canstruct and the Liberals is expected to come under close Labor attention in parliament. One Liberal MP, Tasmanias Bridget Archer, crossed the party line in calling for an independent inquiry into the allegations: I certainly think they are very serious revelations and warrant further inquiry, said Archer. It was critical that there is trust and integrity in government contracts. The chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, former NSW Court of Appeal judge Anthony Whealy, says that the government is right to hold an independent inquiry, but he adds a key caveat. At the moment all thats been revealed looks bad for the Coalition, but Im not sure that it reveals what wed normally call corruption, says Whealy, one of the original campaigners for a national anti-corruption commission. The Greens will pledge to abolish Australian Border Force. Credit: Wolter Peeters Maybe it shows Home Affairs asleep at the wheel, maybe it shows Home Affairs turning a blind eye, but clearly it warrants closer examination. If theres anything worse uncovered, that could be referred to the NACC, the spanking-new National Anti-Corruption Commission, whose commission took effect this month. He makes the point that theres a rich backlog of material already on the NACC commissioners desk. For instance, just this week, the chief fundraiser for a Morrison cabinet minister, Stuart Robert, left the country and severed all ties rather than face a parliamentary committee on Friday to answer some tough questions about his dealings with Robert. As for Robert himself, a close ally of Morrisons and a fellow member of the Morrison parliamentary prayer group, he quit parliament in May. An independent inquiry into Home Affairs and this weeks revelations, says Anthony Whealy, might generate enough extra material to make a referral to the NACC much more formidable. If it refers for investigation payments through Nauru and PNG, that may generate material its not enough for Home Affairs to say we didnt have relationships with the sub-contractors. I think they had an ethical and certainly a moral obligation to ensure that enormous sums like these are handled correctly and not used in any way thats illegal. Loading As for the specific Bhojani incident and the $9.3 million contract, says Whealy, on the face of it, it was turning a blind eye to something that required a much more vigilant degree of oversight rather than evidence of corruption. Beyond any alleged malpractice in the management of the offshore detention centres, the Home Truths series exposed systemic, criminal abuse of the visa system. As part of the series, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age published online, in full, a confidential report for the federal government by the former Victorian police commissioner Christine Nixon. Nixon found what she describes as grotesque abuses of the visa system, with temporary migrants the victims. One example, exposed by the Home Truths series, was the muscling in by Albanian organised criminal syndicates: State and federal law enforcement officials have issued repeated warnings in confidential reports circulated to Home Affairs that the Albanian mafia has strategically rorted the migration system for more than a decade to build powerful criminal enterprises, write the investigative reporters. Loading Secret policing intelligence links the Albanian mafia to shootings or suspicious deaths in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, large-scale drug importations and money laundering. The Nixon report makes a series of recommendations for repairing the system. Home Affairs Minister Clare ONeil had already declared that the visa system for temporary workers was broken all the rules that we use to decide who comes in and who doesnt arent working, she told this masthead. ONeil is working on a comprehensive reform of the visa system, expected to be announced in October. It will include policy responses to the Nixon report. For the next two years, the Australian taxpayer continued funding this politicians company to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The 2020 document was produced by an agency within Home Affairs. So what happened as a result? The Australian Federal Police began an investigation codenamed Operation Bernie but, as the Home Truths series by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes has shown, from another part of the same department, the payments kept flowing. One of these politicians held a key Home Affairs contract and made millions of dollars from it. The contracts were signed and paid from Australia with the full knowledge and approval of the lead contractors and, above them, Home Affairs itself. In the language of corruption fighters, they were politically exposed persons, and Home Affairs and its contractors should have been particularly careful and transparent in their dealings with them. These were not just any Pacific politicians. They were Naurus gatekeepers, people who had the power to dictate the direction of a policy cherished by both the Coalition and Labor: offshore refugee processing. In late 2020, an alarming file began circulating in the Department of Home Affairs . The file, from money-laundering watchdog AUSTRAC, raised the spectre that a number of senior Nauruan politicians might be involved in corruption using a series of Australian bank accounts. A months-long investigation into the failures of Home Affairs, exposing deep flaws in the operation of Australias gatekeepers. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. As for technology, Parkinson found at Australias borders it was, in some cases, 40 years old. Two official inquiries, one by former police chief Christine Nixon and the other by former public servant Martin Parkinson , are equally scathing. Commissioned by Labors Home Affairs Minister, Clare ONeil, they found criminals can eke out a 10-year crime spree on temporary visas alone. The number of people in visa limbo has been rising for years, and appeals are slowing processing times almost to a halt. And he was the man to lead it. But, judged by the measures set out at its birth six years ago, Home Affairs is failing. Home Affairs head, Mike Pezzullo, put it rather more colourfully. He invoked a dark universe brought into being by the globalisation of terror, crime and, indeed, evil. What the country needed, the secretary said in an October 2017 speech, was a single department with a single accountable minister running the latest possible technology. Alongside defence and foreign affairs, it would be Australias third force of security. When Home Affairs was set up in 2017 as a single mega-department, bringing together customs, immigration and Border Force with ASIO, the Australian Federal Police, the anti-money laundering agency AUSTRAC and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull spruiked it as a structure to meet the challenge of the times. It would, he said, entrench the co-operation between the agencies. He has run and dominated the department, and its predecessor agency, since 2014. It surprised many on the left, who believe he was far too close to Dutton, that ONeil kept him on after the 2022 election. Now facing calls for an independent inquiry into his departments operations, some people, including his former minister Karen Andrews , believe the time has come for Pezzullo himself to step aside. Those questions consistently lead back to Pezzullo himself, a man described by one observer as the hardest nut in government. Pezzullo came up with the concept of Home Affairs many years before its birth, shaped its structure and culture, and helped convince Turnbull to bring it into existence. This mastheads Home Truths investigation has taken months, asked questions of dozens of current and senior officials, politicians and contractors, scrutinised secret and public documents from Australia and offshore. It has revealed that serious questions need to be asked about whether Home Affairs is doing what it says on the label. The departments response was markedly different. A spokesman asserted there were only isolated exceptions to the departments highly successful handling of threats to the system. ONeil blames Dutton, her political rival. The migration system was designed and run by Peter Dutton, and its failure is his lasting legacy, she said in a statement. It was, she added, completely broken. Nixon concluded that the laser focus over the past decade on stopping boat arrivals had taken attention from the departments core business of helping legitimate migrants arrive and settle, and repelling or expelling the rest. He is on the phone to his staff at five in the morning and midnight at night, said one senior bureaucrat not authorised to speak publicly. Pezzullo wields a blue pen to mark up documents, even news articles, sometimes with the single word facts or a question mark, challenging his officials to investigate and report back. He joins staff to WhatsApp groups, then peppers them with things to read and think about. Pezzullo earned $918,000 last year, is said to sleep a handful of hours a night in his big house on a dress circle street in Canberra, and to divide the rest of his time between working, reading, thinking and his family (he is married to health economist Lynne and has four children and a grandchild). Widely known in Canberra as The Pezz, he is the child of barely literate Italian migrants who, through brains and determination, turned himself into a well-read, hard-working, often-charming and successful life-long public servant. When Home Affairs came into being in 2017 out of its predecessor, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Turnbull described it as the most significant reform of Australias national intelligence and domestic security arrangements and their oversight in more than 40 years. In 2009, Pezzullo was entrusted to write the Defence White Paper for prime minister Kevin Rudd, which rang the alarm for the first time on the military implications of Chinas rise. After Beazleys election defeat, according to one former close colleague speaking anonymously to protect his position, Pezzullo put his concept paper away in a safe in his office. He worked his way up through the defence department, where he became a deputy secretary a job he told one former Labor staffer and former colleague was better than sex. Pezzullos answer for Beazley was a new department, modelled on the British Home Office, to keep all Australias security-related agencies together. It would be, according to Labors policy document of that year, the most powerful and focused peacetime ministerial arrangement for co-ordinating Australias domestic security in our history. It was in the heat of the 2001 election campaign that Pezzullo conceived the idea of the mega-department that became Home Affairs. He was Labor leader Kim Beazleys deputy chief of staff when prime minister John Howard was weaponising the Tampa affair and the terrorist attacks in New York to question the opposition leaders ticker. Pezzullo abstains from alcohol (during work hours at least) and expects his underlings to do the same. A committed Christian, at Easter he sends messages to the contacts in his phone about the glory of the risen Christ. He dominates Senate estimates committee hearings, chiding politicians and making sweeping statements across his portfolio. He is well-connected and has cultivated strong relationships across the political divide, as well as with influential journalists, across his long career. That paper is now seen as visionary, but it alarmed the Chinese government and Pezzullo was dispatched to Beijing to brief their officials. US cables released by WikiLeaks quote the Australian boasting to US diplomats of his encounter with a man he described as the bruiser the Chinese defence ministrys deputy director of foreign affairs, Major-General Jai Xiaoning who expressed cold fury at the White Papers account of Chinas military modernisation. Jai wanted changes but Pezzullo, according to a book by journalist David Uren, told him he had not come to negotiate. Pezzullo is fond of telling the story, according to a Canberra journalist speaking on condition of anonymity, because it demonstrates his toughness when carrying out a brief for the boss. They say he regards it as one of his proudest professional moments. The snake and the crocodile By 2013, toughness was once again in vogue in Canberra. Tony Abbott had been elected prime minister promising to stop maritime boat arrivals using the offshore processing system on Nauru and Manus Island that Labor had exhumed from the Howard years. Pezzullo, then the chief executive of customs, played a key part in Operation Sovereign Borders. He later described his role as another career highlight. The satisfaction, he insisted, came not from the policy itself (thats between the politicians to argue about), but because it had required him to harness a dozen or more agencies to execute the plan. Piggybacking on that success, Pezzullo pulled the Home Affairs idea out of the safe. Senior bureaucrats from the time, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said his minister Scott Morrison loved it, but attorney-general George Brandis and foreign minister Julie Bishop objected. ASIO and the AFP also pushed back hard, and ultimately convinced Abbott to say no. Back into the safe the idea went. Brandis wrote later that governments should try, so far as possible, to avoid politicising national security policy, was not a view which all of my political colleagues shared. In 2014, Pezzullo survived criticism from Labor after he had failed to immediately inform parliament that his brother, Fabio Pezzullo, a junior customs officer, had been charged with selling a prescription drug to other customs officers and misleading the anti-corruption commission. Pezzullo countered by launching a taskforce to tackle integrity concerns inside the customs agency. These events did him no apparent damage: late that year, Abbott appointed him as the secretary of Immigration and Border Protection, a new agency which merged customs and immigration for the first time. Shortly afterwards, Dutton became his minister. A new armed, uniformed and semi-independent agency, Australian Border Force, was part of the package. Under commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg, Border Force brought together the enforcement functions in customs and immigration, and Pezzullo enthused about it as a shift in services philosophy towards a law enforcement-style command and control model. Customs officials were patting themselves on the back about the merger, according to one former senior immigration official not authorised to comment publicly. Their guy was in charge and the smaller agency had absorbed the larger. The snake swallowed the crocodile, they boasted. The consequences quickly became apparent. Public servants in the immigration side of the department said Border Forces ability to knock on doors to pick up people dodging visas or to crack down on worker exploitation weakened as the new agency poured resources into stopping drug, gun and illegal tobacco importations. Nixons report found that, over years, investigative skills appear to have been degraded to the point where there was no compliance or investigative capability within immigration itself. Across the new department, Pezzullo installed old colleagues from Defence into top jobs and, citing its privileged position in the security apparatus, imposed dress codes and drug and alcohol testing on bureaucrats. In step with Dutton, he hardened the rhetoric in his many speeches around immigration, talking about borders as crucial barriers between the state and the dangers outside. An Auditor-Generals report later found that the department had suffered a loss of corporate memory due to the level of turn-over of senior executive staff. Almost half of the people at that level present in July 2015 were no longer in the department at July 2017, the watchdog found. A senior bureaucrat from the day described it as a pogrom. Among the remaining workforce, survey after survey showed morale plummeting. Old immigration hands had also seen their job in economic and social terms, but now settlement and welfare programs were shifted to other departments. According to a former deputy secretary Abul Rizvi, Pezzullo treated immigration as second class. Some say he disparaged them as care bears though Pezzullo has denied ever using the term. In a pair of speeches in 2015, Pezzullo declared mission accomplished on the era of mass, nation-building migration. He was also on the cusp of creating the department hed dreamt of for years and which is now at the centre of a political storm. Authoritarian management In the years 2014 and 2015 there was a global uptick in terror attacks, including at home in Melbourne and Sydney. The times suited the deepening threat-based view of the world shared by Dutton and Pezzullo. Behind the scenes, they were agitating again for a Home Affairs portfolio. The screws got tighter and tighter on Turnbull, said one senior bureaucrat. Under threat from Dutton for his leadership, Turnbull finally agreed in 2017. The Coalition shifted ASIO and the AFP from the Attorney-Generals Department and under Pezzullos administrative umbrella, along with other powerful agencies, the ACIC and anti-money laundering agency, AUSTRAC. They remained independent statutory bodies. Australian Border Force, however, did not. Its staff reported to the department. Binding the massive apparatus together was Pezzullos determination to oversee one function that is wielding state power to keep our fellow citizens safe and secure. That and an Abbott-style three-word slogan: Prosperous. Secure. United. A senior figure active in the debate described the new department as a hostile takeover of not just immigration but two-thirds of the Attorney-Generals portfolio. The agency heads were not happy. If my colleagues were apprehensive about Dutton, the various agencies involved in the restructure were horrified by the thought of working with Michael Pezzullo, Turnbull wrote in his memoirs. I have never known anyone in the Australian Public Service who is more disliked by his senior colleagues. Pezzullo was one of the most brilliant civil servants in Canberra, Turnbull wrote, but much of the subsequent grief associated with the creation of the new department had been caused by his, and to some extent Duttons authoritarian management style. A swath of senior bureaucrats who are not authorised to speak publicly agreed. He rode roughshod over everybody, said one. John Blaxland, an international security and intelligence studies professor at ANU, said he was concerned that there was an aggregation of too much power in too few hands, and that there were some risks to civil society that were associated with that. The Border Force brand had become the brand for the whole department, Blaxland said. Immigrations power slipped further. The word itself dropped from the name of the department for the first time since its establishment in 1945. I think that when Home Affairs was first established more enforcement was a priority. National security was a priority. And immigration, the processing of visas was considered a lesser priority, concedes former minister Karen Andrews. It was seen more as an administrative function than it should have been. A senior former bureaucrat, speaking anonymously to discuss confidential conversations, said Dutton wanted a smaller program, so fewer visas processed and fewer migrants suited him. The Home Affairs model has been a disaster for the immigration function, wrote Peter Hughes, one of the many former senior department officials who left. An organisation which prioritises security above all else has simply choked it to death. Justifying it all was the promised role it would play in keeping Australians safe. The Nixon and Parkinson reports I have been appalled, wrote Nixon, the former Victorian chief police commissioner Christine Nixon in May, by the abuses of sexual exploitation, human trafficking and other organised crime that have been presented to me. Eight years after the customs snake swallowed the immigration crocodile, and five years after Home Affairs came into being, Nixon was commissioned by Clare ONeil to work out how transnational organised criminals were able to work so freely in Australia. This masthead released a leaked copy of the report this week. It documented abhorrent crimes, with organised crime syndicates abusing gaps and areas of weakness in Australias visa system. Young women were being trafficked to Australia as students by migration and education agents and placed into a shadow sex industry. Calculating foreign criminals could stay in Australia on a tourist visa or student visa before applying for a partner visa, followed by a refugee visa, appealing each rejection through the three possible layers of review and extending their temporary stay to a decade or more. The report punctured the departments security-focused rhetoric. It had a diminished investigation function and field compliance resources, Nixon found, with degraded investigative skills. Law enforcement priorities such as illicit drugs, tobacco and Unauthorised Maritime Arrivals [people seeking asylum by boat] had taken all the focus, she found. Meanwhile, departmental figures show the number of failed asylum seekers who are still in Australia is at 73,000 and growing, and another 27,000 cases are still waiting to be determined, meaning there more than 100,000 people who arrived by plane with mostly false refugee claims. Only 10 are being located and removed from Australia per month most voluntarily. Former immigration officials say funding cuts to areas processing visas means 1000 fewer staff doing the work. Former department deputy secretary Abul Rizvi, a long-time critic of the Home Affairs model, said that once a large group of shadow workers were entrenched in a country as it is in the United States and the UK its very difficult to reverse, because the backlog just keeps growing. The department, says Rizvi, didnt understand that the compliance function goes hand in hand with visa processing. Separate the two and kill one off and the unscrupulous in the world flourish. The second major report into Home Affairs, by former senior public servant Martin Parkinson, is just as damning. Immigration, he found, had been degraded over many years by piecemeal reforms and an incremental, patchwork approach to migration policy. It was governed by an excessively complex system without a clear strategy or objective, while migration expertise had been eroded. About 100 visa subclasses formed a spaghetti junction of complexity. The result was that Australia was in danger of losing the race to attract younger and more highly educated people on the global marketplace and had grown relatively weak compared to competitors such as Britain, Singapore and Canada. People wait up to 50 years for their parents to get a visa to join them something highly valued among many young migrants. So unfriendly was the visa system that Australia risked reputational harm. The 1.8 million temporary migrants in the country mostly had work rights, but unclear pathways to permanent residence, creating a permanently temporary underclass that now forms about 13 per cent of Australias labour market twice the number seen 15 years ago which is ripe for exploitation. In a 2015 speech, Pezzullo said the future of immigration would be made up of skilled mobile global citizens in Australia on a temporary basis, and not seeking necessarily to settle at all. Eight years later, Parkinson, in a report to the department Pezzullo runs, warned this was not in Australias national interest. Putting people in a system that denied them a sense of belonging and a pathway to citizenship undermines our democratic resilience and social cohesion, Parkinson wrote. Perhaps the old care bears of immigration had a point. In 2014, Pezzullo said the department needed to be world-leading in the uptake of technology, but Parkinson pointed out that, in some areas its still operating on technology from the 1980s and 1990s. The department has a disastrous record of commissioning new technology. It has tried three times and spent more than $100 million failing to create a new permissions capability to allow users to apply for visas, licences and accreditation online. A number of Auditor-General reports have shown how poorly it has managed these projects. Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews is critical of Pezzullo. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Home Affairs also suffers high staff turnover, relatively poor pay and worse morale. In the most recent survey, almost one-third of employees agreed that I want to leave my position within the next 12 months. The former senior departmental executive pointed to constant fiddling with the structure: Every time you turn around, Pezz is restructuring with no rationale. Pezzullo, the senior former official says, is running on too many fronts. Former minister Karen Andrews said she had noticed a lot of people moving within the department, and it wasnt always clear why they were moving and what the basis for the changes were. She criticised Pezzullo for his tendency to centralise information, intelligence and decision-making in his office, and his attempts to mediate her relationship with the agency heads even those with statutory independence. Despite all this, two years ago, celebrating the anniversary of Home Affairs establishment, the department produced a glossy brochure that boasted of its unalloyed success. In her ministerial foreword, Andrews enthused that: This prescient reform by the Government has continued to safeguard Australias security and enhance our prosperity and unity. No one is indispensable Despite this mastheads revelations and the damning Nixon and Parkinson reports, so far ONeil, Pezzullos minister, remains firmly behind him. Anthony Albanese made it clear in his first press conference as prime minister that he would not be sacking senior bureaucrats. ONeil pins the blame for failings on Dutton. One of the great frauds thats been perpetrated in Australian politics, she said in a recent interview, is Peter Dutton presenting himself as the big tough guy whos tough on our borders. Pezzullo is a most unusual public servant. Labor eminences such as former foreign minister Gareth Evans and former Labor leader Kim Beazley are supporters, and he has friends, acolytes and former colleagues in many parts of the Canberra ecosystem. Evans told this masthead Pezzullo was a passionately loyal civil servant, who will serve whoever is his minister of the day with undivided commitment. He was also, said Evans, more sensitive to the moral dimensions of policymaking than is often attributed to him by his critics. Pezzullo certainly speaks in sophisticated terms of the ambiguities of his role. In one speech he said public servants should be jealous of their honour and not seek to please. But, conversely, the job was to be able to both create WorkChoices and then, when the government changes, dismantle WorkChoices. People close to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus who are not permitted to speak publicly say he describes Pezzullo in unprintable terms. For years, Dreyfus and other members of Labor pursued the Home Affairs secretary in parliamentary hearings over offshore processing contracts that appear to be tainted by corruption. They were often met by answers that were partial or difficult to interpret. In response to detailed questions from this masthead, Pezzullo said he had always acted with integrity and that, for the duration of my tenure, I have been the subject of integrity oversight in the form of the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity and now the National Anti-Corruption Commission. I am proud of the record of achievements of the Department of Home Affairs, he said. Andrews said Pezzullo could be particularly charming. When she started in the role, he bent over backwards to help me. A former senior journalist said, half admiringly, that Pezzullos appeal to ministers was that he was a junkyard dog who made it clear that it was his mission to protect them. But Andrews also believes Pezzullo should take responsibility for the departments many failings. It has to be, simply because hes the secretary, she said. Asked if it could do without him, she replied sharply: No one is indispensable. The beast that covers everything ONeil might have kept her secretary, but last year the government pulled the AFP, the ACIC and AUSTRAC out of the department and put them back into Dreyfus portfolio. The ANUs John Blaxland, who was concerned about the original structure, said the trimmed-down Home Affairs made him reasonably optimistic that it could work. ONeil also appears intent on restoring her departments heft on immigration. A new position has appeared on the ever-changing Home Affairs organisational chart: an associate secretary, respected bureaucrat Stephanie Foster, who oversees all the immigration functions. Multicultural affairs and settlement are back. A recent former departmental executive said that there is a quite clear divide coming back in between immigration and the security focus of the department, which is increasingly directed towards cybercrime. Immigration under Foster, he said, would have a level of autonomy that it used to have as a department of state that it lost back in 2014. Pezzullos contract is up for renewal next year and if Labors intention is not to renew it, sources in the department who are not authorised to speak publicly speculate that Foster is being groomed to replace him. There are some things that should be kept, and some things tweaked and there are some things that should be just thrown out the door, according to Andrews. Australian Border Force, for example, should become a genuinely independent authority, in charge of its own staff and budget. When you create a beast that covers everything its very broad, a former Home Affairs senior executive says. Other departments are big, but they have a common purpose. Home Affairs never had that. And the three-word slogan is not enough to hold it all together. Loading He thinks the answer is a small, central policy department administering a series of independent agencies, including separate customs and immigration functions. Others, including former immigration officer Peter Hughes, have called for an immigration, citizenship and multicultural affairs department with its own cabinet minister. Colleen Lewis, a professor at the Australian Studies Institute at ANU, said it should be split up. These are not just political games for the Canberra elite. This weeks revelations carry serious risks for Australia and its reputation in the Pacific. Several former immigration hands point out how heavily reliant Australia is on migrants, and how they must be made part of our society, not just an underclass that damages national cohesion. How we manage immigration is effectively how we manage Australia into the future, Rizvi says. Weve got to get it right. Get the days breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter here. The investigation comes on top of two major independent reviews by senior public servant Martin Parkinson and former Victorian police commissioner Christine Nixon, which called out big delays in assessing genuine visa applications while criminals and sex traffickers game the system to stay in the country for up to a decade. Political editor Peter Hartcher reports today that the federal government is in the process of establishing an independent inquiry into this weeks revelations about the management of the department in recent years, with an announcement expected as soon as Monday. When Home Affairs was formed in 2017, it brought together immigration, customs and Border Force, and gave Pezzullo administrative oversight (though not operational control) of independent security agencies ASIO, the Australian Federal Police, the anti money-laundering agency Austrac and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. Andrews, who will step down at the next election, said a key feature of Pezzullos leadership was a desire to centralise. He was the consummate public servant and he would want to gather information into the one place as much as he could, she said. The way that Mike Pezzullo operated was that he liked to manage the agencies as well as the employees that were part of Home Affairs. I dont think the agency heads liked it. A senior public servant who was not authorised to speak publicly agreed that Pezzullo had inserted himself into everything. Loading Pezzullo, the official said, had wanted to take over the technology, the platform that holds the data in the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. Pezz wanted to be the organised crime tsar, they said. Andrews confirmed that Pezzullo had tried to gain control of the independent agencys aggregated data, saying: Yes, I was aware that that was one of the things that he wanted to do. She said she had resisted this because often centralisation equates to control. Coordination between agencies doesnt mean that the department has to hold every single piece of information and determine who can access that, how they can access it and when they can access it, Andrews said. She said Pezzullo had also tried to mediate the contact that the heads of the independent agencies had with her as minister. There was a meeting of agency heads that would come together, [and] by and large, Mike Pezzullo would speak first at that meeting, and then the agency chairs followed. I asked agency heads to speak to me directly, rather than be managed by Mike Pezzullo. I never felt I reported to Mike Pezzullo, so I was under no obligation to relate those discussions in a formal sense, she said. Andrews said the size and difficulty of the Home Affairs department required particular strengths including a good relationship with the people you work with. Thinking that youre the smartest in the room is a high-risk strategy when youre talking about people with very senior level responsibilities, she said. Last year, without fanfare, the Labor government restructured Home Affairs, removing the federal police, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the anti-money laundering agency from ONeils Home Affairs and returning them to the attorney-generals portfolio. ASIO remained administratively part of Home Affairs. Asked if Pezzullo should keep his job, Andrews said: Are a fresh set of eyes needed? Well, I think that Clare ONeil has demonstrated that she wants to make some fundamental changes and that may well mean that there needs to be some changes at senior level. With the greatest respect to Mike Pezzullo he has been in that job now at a very senior level for a long time. Pezzullo, she said, gets to wear any deficiencies in his department. One structural issue was that the armed, uniformed Australian Border Force was led by an independent commissioner, but his staff were public servants in the Department of Home Affairs who ultimately reported to Pezzullo. That set-up meant that the Border Force commissioner cant give an instruction effectively to the people that seem to report to him Its dysfunctional, Andrews said. If she had remained Home Affairs minister after the last election, Andrews said she would have pushed to give Border Force statutory independence. Visa processing should be streamlined and very straightforward, but was not, she said, because immigration was seen more as an administrative function than it should have been. There are some things that should be kept, and some things tweaked and there are some things that should be just thrown out the door. The staff in the department were enthusiastic and competent, she said, So all I can think is that the instructions that they were being given was not in line with the views of the government of the day. Asked what she had done to oversee or direct the department on the questions raised in reporting this week relating to suspect payments on Nauru and Manus Island, Andrews said procurement was at arms length [from] the ministers office. She reiterated that: The management of a department including staffing and process is the responsibility of its secretary and/or leadership team.There are some things that should be kept, and some things tweaked and there are some things that should be just thrown out the door. Andrews declined to answer a question about how much responsibility the long-time minister, Peter Dutton now Opposition Leader should take for the departments problems. Andrews comments differ markedly from those attributed to her in a glossy departmental publication called The Fourth Year to commemorate four years of the operation of the Home Affairs department. In her foreword, Andrews is quoted saying the formation of the portfolio in 2017 was a prescient reform and the most significant reform to Australias national security, intelligence and law enforcement arrangements in decades. But here were talking about massive tech corporations. A cynic would argue that Google and Microsoft developed many of the technologies in place to prevent bots getting into places they shouldnt be. Most CAPTCHA puzzles, for example those boxes full of images you need to click to prove youre human are run by Google. What would stop them taking everything? A pair of class action lawsuits recently filed in the US allege thats exactly what the tech giants have been doing. Microsoft has partnered with OpenAI to turn its Bing search engine into a chatbot. Brought by Clarkson Law Firm, the cases allege that OpenAI, Microsoft and Google have been harvesting as much information from the internet as possible including, illegally, private information and copyrighted works to build their AI chatbots. The lawsuits also allege that these actions have caused or will cause harm; that the companies ignored an existing and established market for purchasing information, that models trained on copyrighted works will be used to compete against traditional media, and that people will be sold products that were created by data stolen from them in the first place. [Bing and ChatGPT] use stolen private information, including personally identifiable information, from hundreds of millions of internet users, including children of all ages, without their informed consent or knowledge, the first lawsuit alleges, in part. Furthermore, defendants continue to unlawfully collect and feed additional personal data from millions of unsuspecting consumers worldwide, far in excess of any reasonably authorised use, in order to continue developing and training the products. A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment. Clarkson makes similar claims in its lawsuit against Google. Google illegally accessed restricted, subscription-based websites to take the content of millions without permission and infringed at least 200 million materials explicitly protected by copyright, including previously stolen property from websites known for pirated collections of books and other creative works, that lawsuit says in part. Without this mass theft of private and copyrighted information belonging to real people, communicated to unique communities for specific purposes, and targeting specific audiences, many of Googles AI products, including Bard, would not exist. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman. Credit: Bloomberg In response to the allegations, Google reiterated that all its data collection practices were legal. Weve been clear for years that we use data from public sources like information published to the open web and public datasets to train the AI models behind services like Google Translate, responsibly and in line with our AI principles, said Google general counsel Halimah DeLaine Prado. American law supports using public information to create new beneficial uses, and we look forward to refuting these baseless claims. Loading This masthead does not suggest that Google, OpenAI or Microsoft have done anything illegal. The question of how chatbots are trained and improved, and whether our own personal data is used, brings to mind a familiar problem weve seen primarily in social media. The fundamental problem is that the inner workings of this technology which seems bound to play a big part in our lives is completely opaque, making it impossible to answer burning questions or truly understand whats happening with the information we place online. Its unclear even if those operating the bots fully control or understand the scope of their data collection. And as with social media, privacy policies and official FAQs dont offer much illumination. For example, Googles privacy policy makes it clear that it collects information about every email you send, photo you upload, and search you make, and that its used to develop, maintain and improve services. So does that mean an original novel that you have sitting in your Google Drive is helping train language models? Loading A Google spokesperson said no. Personal data from Gmail, Photos and Googles Workspace services are not used to train AI models including Bard. But the same might not be true if you happen to post your writing on a forum. A recent change to Googles policy explicitly states it will use information thats publicly available or from other public sources to train AI models and build products. Recently, discussion site Reddit has seemed to realise that its service was being constantly crawled by bots, and instituted a change to its backend that meant nobody could get unfettered access to its content without paying a hefty subscription fee. The moved caused a site-wide protest supporting developers who needed that access to create accessible and custom-made versions of the site. But Reddit chief executive Steve Huffman said at the time he didnt need to give all of that value to some of the largest companies in the world for free. It's a somber retirement forecast for Generation X workers those who are now between the ages of 41 and 56. Many in the so-called latchkey-kid generation, who may have muddled through a childhood with less parent hand-holding than millennials and baby boomers, are now in need of some serious nurturing, according to a new report published by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS). The NIRS scrutinized the retirement readiness of Gen X, and its not pretty. The typical Gen X household has only $40,000 in retirement savings and those savings are concentrated among top earners according to the findings published by the nonpartisan organization. Also, Blacks and Hispanics have considerably lower savings and access to employer-provided retirement plans as compared to whites. Welcome to the new retirement Generation X represents the leading edge of the new retirement in America, Tyler Bond, a co-author of the report and NIRS research director, told Yahoo Finance. As the first generation to mostly enter the workforce after the move away from defined benefit pensions in the private sector, most Gen Xers will not enjoy the secure retirement income that pensions have provided to so many in previous generations." National Institute on Retirement Security The report, which defines Gen X as those born between 1965 and 1980, about 64 million Americans, or nearly 20% of the US population, is based on research data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), which provides information on income, employment, household composition, and government program participation. The tenuous outlook for Gen X has been trumpeted in a range of recent reports this year, including the finding from the 23rd Annual Transamerica Retirement survey that about one in three Gen Xers do not have any financial strategy for retirement. The retirement landscape shifted dramatically for this generation, and theyre at risk of falling through the cracks, Catherine Collinson, CEO of Transamerica Institute and Transamerica Center for Retirement, said. Story continues Zero retirement savings The troubling crux of the NIRS research: The median account balance for an individual in Gen X is only $10,000, which means half of Gen Xers have less than that amount saved for retirement. One in four Gen Xers dont have a retirement savings account at all. For Black Gen Xers, the median retirement account balance is $1 and half have nothing at all. Two-thirds of Hispanic Gen Xers havent even started a retirement savings account. National Institute on Retirement Security Theres a notable gender gap, too. The median retirement savings is $13,000 for single Gen X men and $6,000 for Gen X women. (That might be because Gen X women are more likely to work part-time.) Married men and women tend to have higher savings levels. Read more: The best high-yield savings account rates for July 2023 Why is Gen X so behind? One factor: 401(k)s were just coming online when Gen X entered the workforce and relatively few workers had access to them. Only 14% of Gen Xers have a traditional employer pension plan, and only about half (55%) have access to an employer-provided retirement plan at their job like a 401(k). Thats the overarching problem. When workers dont have access to an employer-sponsored plan, they typically dont start their own retirement accounts. Only 5% of workers take the steps to open up a retirement savings account if it is not provided by their employer, according to Angela M. Antonelli, executive director of the Center for Retirement Initiatives at Georgetown University. If a worker has access to an employer-sponsored plan, participation jumps to 72%. (Photo: Getty Creative) Having access to saving in a retirement plan at work is typically reserved for full-time employees. But 12% of working Gen Xers work part-time, the NIRS report found. Among Gen X men, 7% worked part-time. For Gen X women, it was more than double that number, nearly two in 10 (18%). The fact is its easier to save when you have an employer-provided retirement account. Workers with an IRA or Keogh account had an average balance of $148,920 and the median balance was $44,100. For those with 401(k), 403(b) and other employer-sponsored plans, the average balance was $173,553 and the median balance came in at $50,000. "These are better than the overall numbers, but are hardly encouraging for a generation fast approaching retirement age," Bond said. It is no surprise that Gen X workers who are top earners are holding their own. The top quartile of Gen X workers with income of $76,789, and above, have savings of around $250,000, on average, while the bottom half those with incomes of $43,921 or less have almost nothing socked away. When looking at the median, those Gen X households with $24,096 or less in income have only $200 saved for retirement. Those with income between $24,097 and $43,920: $4,290. New policy initiatives may help Is there hope? If Gen Xers start saving now, they can make up for lost time. Most Gen Xers are in their peak earning years and the youngest Gen Xers have two decades to work with. Some new public policy changes are likely to make it easier for many part-time workers. A new provision in the Secure 2.0 legislation, which will go into effect in 2025, requires that 401(k) or 403(b) plans allow a long-term part-time employee to participate in the plan, if that employee worked at least 500 hours per year for two consecutive years. Meantime, a growing number of states have passed laws in recent years to help clear up this retirement savings dilemma. And the new legislation seems to be propelling a boost in employers opting to offer a 401(k) plan instead of participating in their states program, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). So far, 19 states have enacted retirement programs for private-sector workers. Fifteen of these states are auto-IRA programs. They require most private employers that dont sponsor a savings plan of their own to enroll workers in a state-facilitated individual retirement account at a preset savings rate usually 3% to 5% of earnings and automatically deducted from paychecks. Given the number of Gen Xers who are not currently participating in a retirement plan, increasing access to savings plans is potentially a big boost. But its just a beginning. And then there's the nagging shadow of Social Security. Many Gen Xers are not confident Social Security will be there for them when they need it, the NIRS researchers conclude. They either think that Social Security will go bankrupt before they are eligible to claim benefits, or that the benefits will be cut. There are looming retirement challenges facing Gen X, Bond added, and an urgency to strengthen the nations retirement structure for these workers and the generations that will follow. Kerry Hannon is a Senior Reporter and Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a workplace futurist, a career and retirement strategist, and the author of 14 books, including "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in The New World of Work" and "Never Too Old To Get Rich." Follow her on Twitter @kerryhannon. Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance 4-H kids hang out the edge of the Livestock Show Arena at the Porter County Fair as they write down their answers during the 4-H youth livestock judging contest on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune) The sheep werent being cooperative. The young 4-H members held onto them for dear life the sheep had to give the kids a chance to examine them closely. All 30 kids stood in line eyeing them up and down. The sheep, struggling to get free, must have known what was going on. The kids, after all, were trying to determine which of them would make the best meal. Advertisement The Porter County Fair held a 4-H youth livestock judging contest Friday afternoon, with kids ranging from pre-K to recent high school graduates evaluating cattle, pigs and sheep based upon a variety of market characteristics, such as how much meat the animals will produce. During the contest the kids were able to look at and touch the animals for a brief period before being sent back to the bleachers, where they sat turned away from the livestock while 4-H volunteer Truman Maxwell quizzed them about what they observed. Advertisement 4-H members observe and take note of a lamb's traits during the 4-H youth livestock judging contest at the Porter County Fair on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune) The children were on the lookout for such things like muscle, fat cover, and how well the animals moved through the ring. Maxwell asked them questions like, Which lamb is the heavy-muscled, high-quality sheep, and, Which calf needs more days on feed to maximize their carcass value? The goal is to help 4-Hers understand the why behind raising livestock, which is good quality meat, fair board member Rachel Stoner said. The main thing we want the kids to learn is how to take care of animals ethically and humanely, while at the same time raising a good product. Stoner teaches agriculture at Morgan Township High School and is on the executive committee for the Porter County Fair. She led the event, grading all of the kids quizzes, some of whom had been her students. She explained that each animal in the event had been raised by the 4-H kids, was sold earlier in the week, and by Monday would be slaughtered. The 4-Hers work really hard to give them a quality life, Stoner said. And a lot of times the kids get really attached. I was a 4-Her myself, and I wept on sale night. Its a good lesson on the circle of life, and raising the food we all eat. Kids gather on the livestock show floor at the Porter County Fair as hogs of different grades are shown to them during the 4-H youth livestock judging contest on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune) The kids were split into different categories Explorer, Beginner, Intermediate, and Senior based upon age. For the younger kids, questions like, Which calves are more likely to grade choice, or, Which pig is showing signs of a staph infection, can be difficult, and Stoner said the contest mostly serves as an exposure experience for them. The 4-H kids purchased their animals during the previous spring and fall. Stoner said many of the kids have family members or mentors who help them raise the animal, preparing it for when it comes to market in the summer. A winner was chosen in each age group, with Brinley Biggs winning in the Explorer group, Brynn Hefner the Beginner group, Tyler Banks in the Intermediate group, and Sam Maxwell in the Senior group. Each winner received $20 in fair bucks that they could spend on food. Advertisement Volunteer Truman Maxwell was a 10-year 4-H member and has been volunteering at the fair for five years. He had been on a livestock judging team for eight years, and he chose the animals the kids would judge during the event. He said the kids were all very focused, and that the event was a great opportunity for them to get a judges perspective on what makes good livestock. 4-H member Kaitlyn Whitaker, 18, of Valparaiso, ushers a steer through the show arena at the Porter County Fair during the 4-H youth livestock judging contest on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune) The whole point of (the contest) is building up our kids and showing them the process of the food chain, Maxwell said. Maxwell said the 4-H kids who raised the livestock learn valuable skills, like maintaining a solid work ethic and how to problem solve, that they can take with them later in life. He added that many employers value those who have been involved in 4-H because of those skills. Its a great way of spending a summer with your family, Maxwell said. And all the things the kids learned you cant put a price tag on that. Jared Quigg is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. Market forces rained on the parade of Centrica plc (LON:CNA) shareholders today, when the analysts downgraded their forecasts for this year. There was a fairly draconian cut to their revenue estimates, perhaps an implicit admission that previous forecasts were much too optimistic. The stock price has risen 5.8% to UK1.34 over the past week. Investors could be forgiven for changing their mind on the business following the downgrade; but it's not clear if the revised forecasts will lead to selling activity. After the downgrade, the consensus from Centrica's ten analysts is for revenues of UK28b in 2023, which would reflect a noticeable 5.5% decline in sales compared to the last year of performance. Statutory earnings per share are supposed to nosedive 70% to UK0.23 in the same period. Previously, the analysts had been modelling revenues of UK33b and earnings per share (EPS) of UK0.25 in 2023. It looks like analyst sentiment has fallen somewhat in this update, with a substantial drop in revenue estimates and a minor downgrade to earnings per share numbers as well. See our latest analysis for Centrica Despite the cuts to forecast earnings, there was no real change to the UK1.48 price target, showing that the analysts don't think the changes have a meaningful impact on its intrinsic value. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Centrica at UK1.70 per share, while the most bearish prices it at UK1.10. This shows there is still some diversity in estimates, but analysts don't appear to be totally split on the stock as though it might be a success or failure situation. One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast annualised revenue decline of 11% by the end of 2023. This indicates a significant reduction from annual growth of 0.3% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the industry are forecast to see their revenue decline 1.0% annually for the foreseeable future. So it's pretty clear that Centrica's revenues are expected to shrink faster than the wider industry. Story continues The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that analysts cut their earnings per share estimates, expecting a clear decline in business conditions. Unfortunately they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and our aggregation of analyst estimates suggests that Centrica revenue is expected to perform worse than the wider market. Often, one downgrade can set off a daisy-chain of cuts, especially if an industry is in decline. So we wouldn't be surprised if the market became a lot more cautious on Centrica after today. So things certainly aren't looking great, and you should also know that we've spotted some potential warning signs with Centrica, including concerns around earnings quality. Learn more, and discover the 1 other risk we've identified, for free on our platform here. Another way to search for interesting companies that could be reaching an inflection point is to track whether management are buying or selling, with our free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. 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 Rio Tinto Group (LON:RIO) has announced that on 21st of September, it will be paying a dividend of$1.38, which a reduction from last year's comparable dividend. However, the dividend yield of 7.3% still remains in a typical range for the industry. View our latest analysis for Rio Tinto Group Rio Tinto Group's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. Prior to this announcement, Rio Tinto Group's dividend was making up a very large proportion of earnings and perhaps more concerning was that it was 129% of cash flows. Paying out such a high proportion of cash flows certainly exposes the company to cutting the dividend if cash flows were to reduce. Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 7.0% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 65%, which would make us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend, despite the levels currently being quite high. Dividend Volatility The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2013, the dividend has gone from $1.58 total annually to $4.81. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 12% per annum over that time. Rio Tinto Group has grown distributions at a rapid rate despite cutting the dividend at least once in the past. Companies that cut once often cut again, so we would be cautious about buying this stock solely for the dividend income. Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Although it's important to note that Rio Tinto Group's earnings per share has basically not grown from where it was five years ago, which could erode the purchasing power of the dividend over time. The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable Overall, the dividend looks like it may have been a bit high, which explains why it has now been cut. The track record isn't great, and the payments are a bit high to be considered sustainable. We don't think Rio Tinto Group is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus. Story continues It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've picked out 2 warning signs for Rio Tinto Group that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield 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. 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 ALLEN TWP., Pa. - Pennsylvania State Police say a person broke into an apartment in Allen Township, Northampton County at a building that had been damaged due to a fire that displaced 38 people. The person removed fencing and forced entry into an apartment at the 400 block of Harrison Court at some point between 5 p.m. on June 29 and noon on June 30, according to a news release from state police. State police say the apartment building had recently burned down and is enclosed by fences so no entry can be made to the property. The fire chief told 69 News all of the apartments in the two-story building were affected, making the entire building uninhabitable. The Red Cross said 38 people from 16 apartment units were displaced by the fire. Many neighbors said it was lightning that struck the roof of the apartment complex. Officials acknowledged those claims, while saying they needed to investigate further before determining the cause for sure. NEWARK, N.J. - A convicted felon in New Jersey faces federal charges after police used his boastful social media presence to track him down. According to the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey's office, 36-year-old Justin Pope got into an altercation with a woman in a car in a Clifton, Passaic County, parking lot on July 12. As the woman tried to exit the car, Pope fired several shots at her from close range, law enforcement said. The next day, police reviewed an Instagram video depicting Pope firing a gun in the air in which he stated, Cant find me. Police. Yall never gonna find me. Pope was arrested several hours later when he attempted to board a bus to New York City and brandished a firearm to bus employees. Police recovered the firearm upon arresting him, which was later identified as a privately-made, loaded 9mm gun with a large-capacity magazine attached. As a previously convicted felon, Pope is charged with illegally possessing ammunition. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey's office. TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey is seeking help from the federal government as Warren County continues to recover from its devastating flash flooding two weeks ago. Gov. Phil Murphy is asking the Biden Administration to approve a Major Disaster Declaration for the state. Murphy says the declaration is needed to get federal aid "critical" to the recovery. On the weekend of July 14 to July 16, flooding in Warren County tore up roads and bridges and left many homes and businesses damaged. PHILLIPSBURG, N.J. - New Jersey's Department of Transportation is giving Warren County $1.5 million to repair two bridges. The bridges are: The South Main Street Bridge over Lopatcong Creek in Phillipsburg and the Valley Road Bridge over Pohatcong Creek in Mansfield Township. The money will come from New Jersey's "Local Bridges Fund." Pope Francis has urged governments to do more to fight climate change and protect our common home as improving weather conditions help firefighters contain wildfires in Greece, Italy and other countries in southern Europe. Francis sent a telegram of condolences to Greece, where wildfires killed five people over the past week, including the pilots of a water-dropping aircraft. The pope notes that successive heat waves have exacerbated the dangers of the summer fire season and has offered his prayers for firefighters and emergency personnel in particular. A break in the extreme weather on Friday has helped firefighters contain major blazes in Greece, Italy, Croatia and Turkey. In this article, we discuss top 20 smart cities in the world. You can skip our detailed analysis of smart cities technology and its future, and go directly to read Top 5 Smart Cities in the World. The technological advancements in today's world leave almost everyone amazed. The transformation the world has undergone in the last two decades highlights the increasing significance of technology in shaping our future. Each day, we step into a new world filled with groundbreaking discoveries that captivate the entire globe. One such phenomenon is the concept of smart cities, which revolves around the integration of advanced technologies and data-driven solutions to improve the overall quality of life for residents and enhance the efficiency of urban services and infrastructure. According to the United Nations, around 70% of the world's population will reside in urban areas by 2050 (see 20 Largest Economies by 2050). As a result, emissions and energy consumption will continue to increase. To address these challenges, smarter urban solutions are necessary. This is where smart city programs and initiatives play a crucial role. By integrating smart technologies into urban areas, the quality of life for residents can be enhanced, and public safety can be improved. Although the concept of smart cities is still in its early stages, it is rapidly gaining momentum worldwide. Bloomberg reported Grand View Researchs data and highlighted that the global smart cities market was valued at roughly $1.1 trillion in 2021 and is projected to grow significantly to $6.9 trillion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.2% between 2022 and 2030. Various studies have highlighted that by integrating advanced technologies and data-driven solutions, smart cities can tackle urban challenges in a more efficient and effective manner. According to a report by McKinsey Global Institution published in 2018, digital applications have the potential to address practical and human concerns in cities. The report highlights that smart technologies can lead to significant improvements in key quality-of-life indicators, ranging from 10 to 30 percent. These improvements translate into saved lives, reduced crime incidents, shorter commutes, improved health outcomes, and lower carbon emissions. Story continues Smart city projects often require significant investments in advanced technologies, infrastructure, and expertise. For this reason, leading companies in the US are actively involved in launching smart city initiatives. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) and International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) were among the pioneers, starting their work on the concept in 2009. IBM organized nearly 100 Smarter Cities Forums globally in 2009. The company initiated the Smarter Planet University jam to provide students with access to technology and training for acquiring new skills and supporting city projects worldwide. Moreover, from 2010 through 2017, IBM sent 800 top experts to assist over 130 cities through the Smarter Cities Challenge. Similarly, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)'s CityNext is a global initiative that aims to empower cities with intelligent solutions to address urban challenges and improve the quality of life for citizens. Through this program, Microsoft offers a wide range of solutions, including smart energy management, traffic optimization, public safety enhancements, citizen engagement platforms, and smart infrastructure monitoring. The company also took part in the 2021 Smart City Expo & World Congress, an event that focused on urban innovation. As the benefits of smart cities become increasingly apparent, governments and private entities worldwide are investing significant resources in research, pilot projects, and large-scale implementations. The Indian government has allocated Rs 16,000 crore for its Smart Cities Mission. Additionally, they have introduced an urban infrastructure development fund for smaller towns and proposed reforms in urban planning and property tax to enhance sustainability. Considering the growing popularity of smart cities around the world, we have compiled a list of the top 20 smart cities in the world. Top 20 Smart Cities in the World Our Methodology: For this list, we used the IMD Smart City Index 2023, which is a survey that evaluates the perceptions of residents from 141 cities worldwide. It ranks these cities based on their infrastructure and technology services. The final score is calculated using perceptions from the last three years, with different weights assigned to each year. The survey focuses on two main aspects: Structures, which assesses existing infrastructure, and Technology, which evaluates technological provisions. Each aspect is further examined in five key areas: health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities, and governance. The cities are grouped based on their Human Development Index (HDI) score, and within each group, they are assigned a 'rating scale' (AAA to D) based on their perceptions score relative to other cities in the same group. 20. Munich Munich is the capital and the largest city of the German state Bavaria. The city recently started implementing a smart city framework strategy, incorporating advanced technologies into new developments to create a smarter and more connected urban environment. As a part of its Smarter Together project, Munich is transforming the Neuaubing-Westkreuz/Freiham district, which is currently home to around 30,000 people, into a smart and futuristic neighborhood. The Smart City project is working to promote e-mobility, installing smart and energy-efficient street lighting, refurbishing houses to lower energy consumption and move towards 100% renewable energy, and introducing a SmartCity app that connects various services intelligently. Additionally, they are setting up a smart urban data platform as the foundational technology to support all these smart city measures. 19. Hong Kong Hong Kong is next on our list of the top 20 smart cities in the world. In 2017, Hong Kong launched a Smart City Blueprint, pledging over HK$900 million (approximately US$116 million) to develop digital infrastructure and smart city initiatives. Some of these strategies include the "iAM Smart" program and Covid-19 tracing apps, which have demonstrated how smart city concepts can be integrated into people's everyday lives. In addition to this, Hong Kong's Science and Technology Parks Corporation and Cyberport offer valuable assistance to digital entrepreneurs, providing funding and incubation support. 18. Sydney Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and is one of the largest cities in Australia. Its Smart City Strategic Framework serves as a guiding approach for effectively utilizing technology and data to make informed decisions and improve the overall quality of life for our diverse communities. It is one of the top 20 smart cities in the world. It is projected that by the year 2030, around 25%-46% of the current workplace activities in Australia could be automated. This automation is expected to contribute significantly to the national economy, generating an approximate boost of $1.2 trillion. By increasing productivity through automation, there is potential for inclusive income growth, and it is estimated that each Australian could see an additional $4,000 in their annual income. 17. Dubai Dubai is next on our list of the top 20 smart cities in the world. The primary objective of Dubai's Smart City is to enhance connectivity and foster stronger collaboration between the city or emirate and its residents. It aims to achieve this by encouraging the widespread adoption of smart applications to access various government facilities and services, making daily interactions with the city more efficient and convenient for its inhabitants. 16. Seoul Seoul is the capital city of South Korea. It is the largest city in the country and serves as its political, cultural, and economic center. Seoul has been honored with the title of Smart City of 2022 at the World Smart City Awards, an annual recognition presented by the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC). These awards acknowledge exceptional initiatives and projects within the innovation and urban transformation sector. Seoul is considered a smart city due to its extensive use of advanced technologies and innovative initiatives aimed at enhancing urban living and efficiency. The online reporting of city maintenance issues offers a quick and efficient solution to address problems promptly. The availability of free public WiFi has enhanced access to city services for residents and the presence of CCTV cameras has contributed to an increased sense of safety among residents. Moreover, a website or app enables residents to effectively monitor air pollution levels in the city. 15. Amsterdam Amsterdam is one of the most high-tech cities in the world. The city serves as a leading model for smart cities worldwide by effectively integrating cutting-edge solutions, promoting collaboration among stakeholders, and placing a strong emphasis on citizen engagement. Through these efforts, Amsterdam demonstrates how a city can leverage technology and innovation to create a more sustainable, efficient, and livable urban environment. The Amsterdam Smart City Project is leading the way in the energy revolution with its innovative use of smart grids. These grids enable efficient distribution, consumption, and production of energy throughout the city. 14. Prague Prague is next on our list of the top 20 smart cities in the world. Some projects from the Smart Prague concept include the Prague Data platform, which allows city apps and data to connect seamlessly and handle large volumes of data. It also addresses neglected data that was previously limited by technical or legal constraints. In addition to this, implementation has started on some other projects, such as an intermodal route planner and intelligent traffic analysis. 13. Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is next on our list of the top smart cities in the world. Over the years, Abu Dhabi has become a smart and sustainable city by adopting advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT). The city has implemented smart city projects in different areas, including public services and transportation. These initiatives have allowed Abu Dhabi to create a modern and eco-friendly urban environment. 12. Beijing Beijing, the capital of China, stands out as a prime example of a smart city, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to enhance urban living and sustainability. Beijing's Citizen Social Service Card is one of its most popular smart city initiatives. The digital card stores essential information like identification documents and health conditions. Being a cashless city, Beijing residents can conveniently use their smartphones to pay for various services, including public transport and goods. 11. Hamburg Hamburg is located in northern Germany. It is one of the country's major port cities, serving as a significant economic and cultural hub in the region. Hamburg's Smart City Approach is evident in its daily life with the integration of smart technologies, innovative pilot projects, and modern architecture shaping the city's progress. The city's success is driven by a growing economy with abundant job opportunities and a wide array of educational institutions. 10. Stockholm Stockholm is next on our list of the top smart cities in the world. Stockholm has developed a strategy to become a smart and connected city through collaboration with its employees, residents, businesses, and academic institutions. This strategy was officially adopted by the Stockholm City Council in 2017. The aim is to use advanced technologies and data-driven solutions to improve urban living, sustainability, and efficiency in various areas. In addition to this, Stockholm's fiber-optic infrastructure is continuously playing a crucial role in enhancing the city's appeal to businesses, especially in the technology sector. The availability of high-speed and reliable internet connectivity through fiber optics has become a significant advantage for companies operating in Stockholm. 9. Geneva Geneva is located in the western part of Switzerland. Geneva's smart city vision, Smart Geneva, serves as a hub for innovation, aiming to create a network of dedicated individuals and organizations committed to driving innovative initiatives for the Grand Geneve area. The focus is on engaging the community to bring about positive changes that align with the region's unique characteristics and needs. 8. Helsinki The Helsinki Smart Region is a Finnish innovation center with a focus on three main areas: creating a city that revolves around its citizens, exploring climate-friendly solutions, and promoting industrial technologies. Through its digital inclusion initiative, citizens have access to a wide range of information, including health statistics and 3D models of buildings. This data empowers cities to develop more inclusive and tailored services for their residents. In addition to this, Helsinki Smart Region is also exploring smart strategies like promoting AI, climate neutrality, and smart mobility. 7. Singapore Singapore ranks seventh on our list of the top 20 smart cities in the world. The Smart Nation initiative of Singapore was initiated by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2014. Through 2017, the government provided a substantial injection of $1.73 billion to support the program. As a result, Singapore has successfully implemented a diverse range of smart technologies in both its public and private sectors. In 2016, nuTonomy, which was later acquired bY, Aptiv PLC (NYSE:APTV), made history in Singapore by introducing the first "robot taxis," marking the beginning of autonomous vehicle testing in the country. Although the initial trial was modest, with only six vehicles operating in a 2.5-square-mile area, it served as a groundbreaking milestone, paving the way for other companies to conduct their autonomous taxi trials in the region. Another German aerospace company, Volocopter GmbH announced that Singapore is poised to become the location for the world's first electric-powered air taxi service by the end of 2023. 6. London London is home to some of the major multinational companies such as Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL), Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL), and British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI). In 2018, London's Mayor, Sadiq Khan, launched the Smarter London Together Roadmap to enhance the city's smart capabilities. This roadmap proposed ideas for city-wide cooperation, utilizing valuable data, enhancing digital infrastructure, and fostering local talent and innovation in all 32 boroughs of the city. London has established itself as a leader in smart and sustainable infrastructure in Europe. The city boasts more 5G towers, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and green infrastructure than most European cities. Its dedication to green-certified buildings and publicly accessible EV charging points further demonstrates its commitment to building a greener and more sustainable urban environment. Click to continue reading and see Top 5 Smart Cities in the World. Suggested articles: Disclosure. None. Top 20 Smart Cities in the World is originally published in Insider Monkey. A fire on a freight ship carrying nearly 3,000 cars is burning out of control in the North Sea. The Dutch coast guard says one crew member has died, others are hurt and it is working to save the vessel from sinking. Boats and helicopters were used to get the 23 crew members off the ship after they tried unsuccessfully to put out the blaze, about 17 miles north of the Dutch island of Ameland. A coast guard spokesperson says other vessels on the scene are looking at how to get the fire under control and preparing for all scenarios. The cause of the blaze and how the crew member died aren't immediately clear. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. (NYSE:BVN Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The mining company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.11 by ($0.14), MarketWatch Earnings reports. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. had a net margin of 9.29% and a return on equity of 2.31%. The company had revenue of $173.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $187.33 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.16) EPS. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. Trading Up 0.7 % Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $7.54. The stock had a trading volume of 2,765,224 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,457,425. The company has a 50-day moving average of $7.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. has a fifty-two week low of $5.09 and a fifty-two week high of $8.73. Get Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. from $9.30 to $8.60 in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, June 30th. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. Company Profile Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC acquired a new position in Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. by 14,350.0% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 7,225 shares of the mining companys stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 7,175 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $104,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. by 73.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,023 shares of the mining companys stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 5,943 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 14,506 shares of the mining companys stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. (Get Free Report) Compania de Minas Buenaventura SAA. engages in the exploration, mining, concentration, smelting, and marketing of polymetallic ores and metals in Peru, the United States, Asia, and Europe. The company explores for gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper metals. It operates operating mining units, including Tambomayo located in the Caylloma province, Orcopampa Unit located in the province of Castilla, Uchucchacua located in province of Oyon, Julcani located in province of Angaraes, Peru, as well as San Gabrie located in the province of General Sanchez Cerro, in the Moquegua region. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tupperware was a mainstay of kitchens in the US. Now, the company is on the verge of going out of business. Science & Society Picture Library/SSPL/Getty Images Tupperware has become a meme stock as the brand struggles to stay in business. It helped make plastic bowls a key part of American kitchens and multilevel marketing a part of American consumerism. Here's a history of Tupperware, from a plastics manufacturer during the Great Depression to its modern troubles. Tupperware was developed by Earl Tupper, who founded a plastics manufacturing company in Leominster, Massachusetts, during the Great Depression. Tupperware Tupper was born in New Hampshire in 1907. While he wasn't a great student, he spent a lot of his early life sketching out inventions in a notebook, such as a comb with a belt clip and a fish-powered boat, according to PBS's "American Experience." His inventions didn't lead to financial success, so Tupper started a landscaping business to support himself and, later, his wife and children, per "American Experience." Then, during the Great Depression, he started working in the plastics industry and eventually founded his own company in Leominster, which was a manufacturing hub at the time. Tupper started out making plastic holders for soap and cigarettes, but his big break came after World War II. US Army reinforcements wade ashore from landing ship tanks in the background, at Saipan in the Mariana Islands, about 1,500 miles from Japan, in June 1944. AP Photo/US Army Signal Corps After the war, chemical company Dupont was trying to increase sales of a new substance called polyethylene, according to PBS. Polyethylene was a popular component of radar equipment during the war. It was "the resin that helped win World War II," Plastics News reported in 2007. Afterward, Dupont, the company that made it, turned it into the most widely used kind of plastic, promoting its use for packaging, toys, and other consumer goods. By 1946, Tupper had refined the plastic to make kitchenware. Smithsonian Museum of American History It took some experimentation, but Tupper used polyethylene to make the first-ever set of Tupperware. Tupper's "wonder bowl" sealed, allowing users to keep its contents from spilling. They could also push air out before sealing to keep food fresh a process the company called "burping," according to PBS. Story continues Tupper sold his kitchenware in department stores and a showroom in Manhattan, but sales were slow. Meanwhile, in Florida, a woman named Brownie Wise was running a company called Patio Parties. Smithsonian National Museum of American History Wise had worked as an advice columnist before she started selling Tupperware. Her company's premise: Tupperware was so new that most people didn't understand how it worked if they saw it on a store shelf. Instead, Wise sold Tupperware by demonstrating how it worked at parties. The events targeted stay-at-home women, who bought the kitchenware after seeing its merits over glass and ceramic alternatives, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Importantly, Wise also recruited some of those women to host parties of their own, which got Tupperware in front of new potential customers. Tupperware was one of many multilevel marketing companies at the time, alongside cosmetics maker Avon. Wise's strategy worked. One woman she recruited sold 56 bowls in one week, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Museum of American History At the time, Wise called the events "Poly-T parties" in a nod to the plastic that the bowls were made of. Tupper himself eventually heard about Wise's success. In 1951, he hired her to be vice president of marketing for Tupperware. Smithsonian Museum of American History Tupper remained focused on the manufacturing side of the business, while Wise built out Tupperware's network of dealers and most public-facing parts of the company. Tupperware built its headquarters near Orlando in 1953. John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images Tupper bought 1,300 acres of land in Kissimmee, Florida, to the south of Orlando, in 1953. The area was a small farm town at the time, according to the company. Part of that land is still home to the company's headquarters today. Tupperware sales reached $25 million in 1954. Tupper oversaw production, while Wise expanded the Tupperware party model across the US during the 1950s. Smithsonian National Museum of American History Wise nationalized the model she had developed in Florida. At Tupperware parties, attendees would play games, such as tossing a sealed bowl full of grape juice around the room to demonstrate how leakproof the bowls were, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The model was also a key source of income for the women who worked as dealers, many of whom had no income apart from what their husbands made. Wise also organized an annual "Jubilee" event that recognized top-selling dealers and awarded them prizes including a brand-new car. But Tupper got jealous of the attention that Wise got as the public face of the brand. A Tupperware party scene, 1960. Science & Society Picture Library/SSPL/Getty Images In 1958, he and the company's board of directors fired her, and Tupper sold the company later that year to drugstore chain Rexall for $9 million, according to the New York Times. Tupperware continued to grow in the 1960s and 1970s, reaching new countries such as the UK. A Tupperware party at a home in the UK in 1963. Daily Herald Archive/SSPL/Getty Images Tupper ended up parting ways with the company after the sale to Rexall. He divorced his wife and moved to Costa Rica in an effort to avoid paying US taxes, according to PBS. Meanwhile, Tupperware parties continued in the US, Europe, and elsewhere. One television ad from 1961 showed the virtues of hosting a party, including free Tupperware for the host and her guests. "It's a Tupperware party, and it's really fun," the narrator says. But in the 1980s, the patents on Tupper's products started to expire. Amazon That made it possible for other companies to produce cheaper versions of Tupperware's products and cut into its sales. At the same time, more women than ever were working full-time. Women in a commercial for Tupperware in 1980. deputay/Youtube The share of US women in the labor force went from 34% in 1950 to 60% in 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More women going to work outside the home was bad news for Tupperware since it meant fewer were interested in hosting parties and selling the plastic containers. Tupperware was acquired by Kraft, the food company, in 1980. REUTERS/Frank Polich Kraft tried new products and sales strategies. It made microwave-safe Tupperware and encouraged hosts to have Tupperware parties with colleagues during lunch breaks at work, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2017. But none of that was enough to reverse the brand's fortunes. Kraft ended up spinning off the brand in 1996, turning it into a public company. Tupperware has tried new ways of reaching consumers, from mall kiosks to brand partnerships to online sales. Tupperware It has also continued selling through its network of party hosts. A 2019 segment from CBS Sunday Morning featured a Tupperware dealer in Charlotte, North Carolina throwing a party. Her mother also worked for Tupperware. Tupperware also struck partnerships with other brands, such as Loop, which makes reusable packaging for consumer brands, retailers, and restaurants. The company experienced a bump in sales as people cooked at home early in the pandemic. Scott Olson/Getty Images After years of struggling, Tupperware got a boost as people cooked more at home during the early months of the pandemic, according to its 2020 earnings reports. Its stock reached above $35 a share, its highest price in years, in November 2020. "We do believe the results reflect that we pivoted as a company, and now we're more confident in our ability to turn around the business," Executive Vice Chairman Richard Goudis said during a July 2020 earnings call. But sales have slowed down since then. AP Photo/Richard Drew Its shares lost almost half their value and closed at $1.23 on April 10, 2023, after the company warned investors that it could go out of business. Tupperware ran afoul of New York Stock Exchange requirements when it failed to file an annual report for 2022 earlier this year, the company said. It's also hired financial advisors to help attract new investors. In July, it joined other troubled companies that have attracted attention from meme stock investors. Omar Havana/Getty Images Shares of Tupperware rose 350% over just five days, Quartz reported on Friday. Other companies targeted by the same investors include movie theater chain AMC and retailer Bed, Bath & Beyond. In fact, it was likely just a rally in AMC stock at the end of July that caused some investors to take an interest in Tupperware's share, Quartz reported. Read the original article on Business Insider Gyroscope Capital Management Group LLC reduced its stake in PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM Free Report) by 6.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,054 shares of the construction companys stock after selling 1,915 shares during the period. Gyroscope Capital Management Group LLCs holdings in PulteGroup were worth $1,752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PHM. Arlington Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in PulteGroup during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. CVA Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of PulteGroup by 222.9% in the 4th quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 565 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of PulteGroup in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PulteGroup during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 90.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get PulteGroup alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets PHM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on PulteGroup from $90.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Wednesday. VNET Group restated a maintains rating on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of PulteGroup from $90.00 to $97.00 in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of PulteGroup in a report on Wednesday, May 31st. They issued a buy rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $81.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $86.27. PulteGroup Stock Performance Shares of PulteGroup stock traded up $1.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $84.80. 2,277,585 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,796,370. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $74.70 and a 200-day moving average of $63.71. PulteGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $35.99 and a 1 year high of $86.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.36. PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 25th. The construction company reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.69. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 29.58%. PulteGroups quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.73 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that PulteGroup, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year. PulteGroup Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 20th were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 16th. PulteGroups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.29%. PulteGroup declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, April 25th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 6.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the companys board of directors believes its stock is undervalued. PulteGroup Company Profile (Free Report) PulteGroup, Inc, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the homebuilding business in the United States. It acquires and develops land primarily for residential purposes; and constructs housing on such land. The company also offers various home designs, including single-family detached, townhomes, condominiums, and duplexes under the Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes, American West, and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods brand names. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for PulteGroup Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PulteGroup and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gyroscope Capital Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL Free Report) by 13.2% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,020 shares of the enterprise software providers stock after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the quarter. Gyroscope Capital Management Group LLCs holdings in Oracle were worth $1,117,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in Oracle by 843.3% in the 1st quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 283 shares of the enterprise software providers stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Tanglewood Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 43.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Oracle alerts: Insider Activity In other news, insider Edward Screven sold 354,837 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.39, for a total value of $43,783,337.43. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,543,033 shares in the company, valued at $313,784,841.87. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 3,680 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total value of $423,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,600 shares in the company, valued at $1,909,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward Screven sold 354,837 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.39, for a total value of $43,783,337.43. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,543,033 shares of the companys stock, valued at $313,784,841.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,175,443 shares of company stock worth $510,658,596 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 43.70% of the companys stock. Oracle Trading Down 0.4 % ORCL stock traded down $0.41 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $115.99. 6,910,316 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,621,225. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $113.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 55.54, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $314.83 billion, a PE ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.01. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $60.78 and a one year high of $127.54. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, June 12th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $13.84 billion for 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 companys revenue for the quarter was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.31 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Oracle Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 12th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. Oracles dividend payout ratio is presently 52.29%. Analyst Ratings Changes ORCL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Oracle from $105.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, June 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Oracle from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. VNET Group reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Oracle from $84.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $119.37. 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. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ORCL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Oracle Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Oracle and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Allison Transmission (NYSE:ALSN Free Report) had its target price increased by Oppenheimer from $53.00 to $67.00 in a report released on Friday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on ALSN. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Allison Transmission from $40.00 to $44.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Allison Transmission from $55.00 to $52.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Allison Transmission from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Allison Transmission from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Saturday, July 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $48.57. Get Allison Transmission alerts: Allison Transmission Price Performance ALSN stock opened at $58.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. Allison Transmission has a 52-week low of $32.63 and a 52-week high of $60.17. The stocks 50 day moving average is $54.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.77. The company has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a PE ratio of 8.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.02. Allison Transmission Announces Dividend Allison Transmission ( NYSE:ALSN Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The auto parts company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.31. Allison Transmission had a return on equity of 71.46% and a net margin of 21.17%. The company had revenue of $783.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $735.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. Allison Transmissions revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Allison Transmission will post 6.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 31st. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 12th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. Allison Transmissions dividend payout ratio is currently 13.65%. Insider Activity at Allison Transmission In related news, SVP John Coll sold 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.89, for a total transaction of $113,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 18,788 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,068,849.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALSN. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Allison Transmission by 54.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,462,569 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $155,123,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218,399 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Allison Transmission during the 4th quarter worth $49,812,000. Balyasny Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Allison Transmission during the 3rd quarter worth $16,514,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Allison Transmission by 309.4% during the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 627,556 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $28,391,000 after acquiring an additional 474,287 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in Allison Transmission during the 4th quarter worth $13,939,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.67% of the companys stock. About Allison Transmission (Get Free Report) Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells commercial and defense fully automatic transmissions for medium-and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, and medium-and heavy-tactical U.S. defense vehicles worldwide. The company offers transmissions for various applications, including distribution, refuse, construction, fire, and emergency on-highway trucks; school and transit buses; motor homes; energy, mining, and construction off-highway vehicles and equipment; and wheeled and tracked defense vehicles. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Allison Transmission Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Allison Transmission and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Altria Group (NYSE:MO Get Free Report) and Smoore International (OTCMKTS:SMORF Get Free Report) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends and risk. Profitability This table compares Altria Group and Smoore Internationals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Altria Group alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Altria Group 22.44% -245.43% 24.43% Smoore International N/A N/A N/A Insider and Institutional Ownership 58.4% of Altria Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Altria Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Valuation and Earnings Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Altria Group $25.10 billion 3.23 $5.76 billion $3.11 14.62 Smoore International N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A This table compares Altria Group and Smoore Internationals gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Altria Group has higher revenue and earnings than Smoore International. Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Altria Group and Smoore International, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Altria Group 1 2 1 0 2.00 Smoore International 0 1 0 0 2.00 Altria Group presently has a consensus target price of $46.00, indicating a potential upside of 1.14%. Summary Altria Group beats Smoore International on 6 of the 7 factors compared between the two stocks. About Altria Group (Get 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. It sells its tobacco products primarily to wholesalers, including distributors; and large retail organizations, such as chain stores. The company was founded in 1822 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. About Smoore International (Get Free Report) Smoore International Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the provision of vaping technology solutions. It researches, designs, and manufactures vaping devices and components, as well as advanced personal vaporizers and atomization products for tobacco companies, independent vaping, and other corporate clients. The company also offers vaping solutions under the FEELM brand; open system vaping products under the VAPORESSO brand; and HTP atomization solutions under the METEX brand. In addition, it provides anti-leakage technology under the COREX brand; and smart electric core platform under the Axon Chip brand. The company serves in Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Croatia, New Zealand, and internationally. Smoore International Holdings Limited was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. AMREP Co. (NYSE:AXR Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $14.67 and traded as high as $18.60. AMREP shares last traded at $17.08, with a volume of 14,905 shares changing hands. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of AMREP from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday. Get AMREP alerts: AMREP Trading Down 2.7 % The company has a market cap of $87.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $16.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.70. Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMREP About AMREP A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in AMREP by 11.1% during the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 9,000 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. EA Series Trust acquired a new position in AMREP during the second quarter valued at approximately $527,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in AMREP during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,655,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in AMREP by 3.5% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 119,800 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,676,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in AMREP by 17.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 174,387 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,967,000 after purchasing an additional 25,857 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 29.72% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) AMREP Corporation, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the real estate business. The company operates through two segments, Land Development and Homebuilding. The company sells developed and undeveloped lots to homebuilders, commercial and industrial property developers, and others. As of July 1, 2022, it owned approximately 17,000 acres in Sandoval County, New Mexico. Read More Receive News & Ratings for AMREP Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AMREP and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Andrew Peller Ltd (TSE:ADW.A Get Free Report)s stock price passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$4.09 and traded as high as C$4.30. Andrew Peller shares last traded at C$4.26, with a volume of 39,639 shares trading hands. Andrew Peller Price Performance The businesss 50 day moving average is C$4.09 and its 200-day moving average is C$4.54. The firm has a market capitalization of C$144.72 million, a P/E ratio of -51.63 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 4.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 89.80. About Andrew Peller (Get Free Report) Andrew Peller Limited engages in the production, bottling, and marketing of wines and craft beverage alcohol products in Canada. The company offers products under Peller Estates, Trius, Thirty Bench, Wayne Gretzky, Sandhill, Red Rooster, Black Hills Estate Winery, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, Gray Monk Estate Winery, Raven Conspiracy, and Conviction brands; Peller Family Vineyards, Copper Moon, Black Cellar, and XOXO brands; and Hochtaler, Domaine D'Or, Schloss Laderheim, Royal, and Sommet brands. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Andrew Peller Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Andrew Peller and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Banco Santander, S.A. (LON:BNC Get Free Report) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 283.03 ($3.63) and traded as high as GBX 318.13 ($4.08). Banco Santander shares last traded at GBX 315 ($4.04), with a volume of 1,683,369 shares traded. Banco Santander Price Performance The company has a market cap of 51.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 644.90 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 283.78 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 292.13. About Banco Santander (Get Free Report) Banco Santander, SA provides various retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small and medium-sized enterprises, and large companies worldwide. The company operates through Retail Banking, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, Wealth Management & Insurance, and PagoNxt segments. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Banco Santander Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Banco Santander and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of the Philippine Islands (OTCMKTS:BPHLF Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,100 shares, a growth of 468.8% from the June 30th total of 1,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 18.2 days. Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Bank of the Philippine Islands in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. They set a neutral rating for the company. Get Bank of the Philippine Islands alerts: Bank of the Philippine Islands Price Performance Shares of OTCMKTS BPHLF remained flat at $1.89 during midday trading on Friday. Bank of the Philippine Islands has a 12 month low of $1.49 and a 12 month high of $1.99. The companys 50-day moving average is $1.80 and its 200-day moving average is $1.83. Bank of the Philippine Islands Company Profile Bank of the Philippine Islands, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services to retail and corporate clients in the Philippines. It operates through Consumer Banking, Corporate Banking, and Investment Banking segments. The Consumer Banking segment offers deposit taking and servicing; and consumer lending, such as home mortgages, auto loans, and credit card finance, as well as remittance services to individual and retail markets. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Bank of the Philippine Islands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of the Philippine Islands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 6,631 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock, valued at approximately $460,000. Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dakota Wealth Management bought a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 1st quarter valued at $332,000. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 111.5% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,052 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $150,000 after buying an additional 1,082 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 53.2% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 165,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $12,075,000 after buying an additional 57,444 shares in the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,997,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 25.1% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 338,563 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $24,725,000 after purchasing an additional 68,018 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.57% of the companys stock. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: Insider Activity In other news, EVP Rupert Vessey sold 50,385 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $3,378,818.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,751 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,202,182.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock. Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:BMY opened at $61.41 on Friday. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 12 month low of $60.05 and a 12 month high of $81.43. The company has a market cap of $129.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $64.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.24). Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 17.62% and a return on equity of 50.56%. The company had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.93 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 7.5 EPS for the current year. Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is presently 60.64%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms recently weighed in on BMY. SVB Securities started coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Monday, July 10th. They set a market perform rating and a $66.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $78.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an underweight rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. SVB Leerink reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group decreased their price objective on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $72.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $71.14. Bristol-Myers Squibb Profile (Free Report) Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chemed (NYSE:CHE Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of $19.90-$20.10 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $20.92. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Chemed also updated its FY23 guidance to $19.90-20.10 EPS. Chemed Price Performance Shares of CHE traded up $2.47 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $523.21. 104,317 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 71,621. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $541.05 and a 200-day moving average of $531.10. The firm has a market cap of $7.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.88, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Chemed has a one year low of $430.16 and a one year high of $574.66. Get Chemed alerts: Chemed (NYSE:CHE Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The company reported $4.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $5.09 by ($0.38). Chemed had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 34.65%. The company had revenue of $553.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $562.54 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.84 EPS. The companys revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Chemed will post 20.37 EPS for the current fiscal year. Chemed Announces Dividend Analyst Ratings Changes The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 25th were given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.29%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 24th. Chemeds dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.13%. Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Chemed from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Chemed from $580.00 to $610.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Chemed from $587.00 to $610.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. Insider Activity In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 4,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $549.34, for a total value of $2,197,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 119,571 shares in the company, valued at $65,685,133.14. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $549.34, for a total transaction of $2,197,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 119,571 shares in the company, valued at $65,685,133.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Patrick P. Grace sold 294 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.24, for a total transaction of $160,006.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,270 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,779,664.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,624 shares of company stock worth $3,076,019 in the last 90 days. 4.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Trading of Chemed Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Chemed during the first quarter valued at about $223,000. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed in the first quarter worth $212,000. Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new stake in Chemed in the 4th quarter worth $199,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 405.0% during the first quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 303 shares of the companys stock valued at $153,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Chemed by 90.4% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 259 shares of the companys stock worth $131,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.37% of the companys stock. About Chemed (Get Free Report) Chemed Corporation provides hospice and palliative care services to patients through a network of physicians, registered nurses, home health aides, social workers, clergy, and volunteers primarily in the United States. The company operates in two segments, VITAS and Roto-Rooter. It offers plumbing, drain cleaning, excavation, water restoration, and other related services to residential and commercial customers through company-owned branches, independent contractors, and franchisees. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Chemed Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chemed and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The worst result, after buying shares in a company (assuming no leverage), would be if you lose all the money you put in. But on the bright side, if you buy shares in a high quality company at the right price, you can gain well over 100%. For instance, the price of West African Resources Limited (ASX:WAF) stock is up an impressive 178% over the last five years. Let's take a look at the underlying fundamentals over the longer term, and see if they've been consistent with shareholders returns. Check out our latest analysis for West African Resources In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. During the last half decade, West African Resources became profitable. That kind of transition can be an inflection point that justifies a strong share price gain, just as we have seen here. You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values). We know that West African Resources has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic. A Different Perspective West African Resources shareholders are down 33% for the year, but the market itself is up 12%. 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. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 23%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand West African Resources better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for West African Resources that you should be aware of. Story continues 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 Australian exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Modular Medical (OTC:MODD Get Free Report) and Penumbra (NYSE:PEN Get Free Report) are both medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations. Earnings & Valuation This table compares Modular Medical and Penumbras top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Get Modular Medical alerts: Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Modular Medical N/A N/A -$13.88 million ($1.48) -0.65 Penumbra $847.13 million 13.91 -$2.00 million $0.16 1,925.31 Penumbra has higher revenue and earnings than Modular Medical. Modular Medical is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Penumbra, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Profitability Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Modular Medical N/A -148.86% -132.61% Penumbra 0.73% 1.58% 1.16% Analyst Ratings This table compares Modular Medical and Penumbras net margins, return on equity and return on assets. This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Modular Medical and Penumbra, as reported by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Modular Medical 0 0 1 0 3.00 Penumbra 0 1 10 0 2.91 Modular Medical currently has a consensus target price of $4.25, suggesting a potential upside of 342.71%. Penumbra has a consensus target price of $330.58, suggesting a potential upside of 7.32%. Given Modular Medicals stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Modular Medical is more favorable than Penumbra. Risk & Volatility Modular Medical has a beta of 0.15, meaning that its share price is 85% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Penumbra has a beta of 0.53, meaning that its share price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500. Insider & Institutional Ownership 14.0% of Modular Medical shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.1% of Penumbra shares are held by institutional investors. 59.2% of Modular Medical shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.3% of Penumbra 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. Summary Penumbra beats Modular Medical on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks. About Modular Medical (Get Free Report) Modular Medical, Inc. operates as a development stage medical device company. It focuses on the design, development, and commercialization of insulin pumps. It offers MODD1, a two-part patch pump for diabetes. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Diego, California. About Penumbra (Get Free Report) Penumbra, Inc., together with its subsidiairies, designs, develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices in the United States and internationally. The company offers aspiration based thrombectomy systems and accessory devices, including revascularization device for mechanical thrombectomy, such as Penumbra System under the Penumbra RED, JET, ACE, 3D Revascularization Device, and Penumbra ENGINE brands, as well as components and accessories; neurovascular embolization coiling systems to treat patients with various sizes of aneurysms and other neurovascular lesions under the Penumbra Coil 400, POD400, PAC400, and Penumbra SMART Coil brand names; and neurovascular access systems designed to provide intracranial access for use in a range of neurovascular therapies under the Neuron, Neuron MAX, Select, BENCHMARK, BMX96, DDC, SENDit, and PX SLIM brands. It also provides neurosurgical aspiration tools for the removal of tissue and fluids under the Artemis Neuro Evacuation Device brand; aspiration-based thrombectomy systems for vascular applications under the Indigo System, Lightning, and CAT RX brand; and detachable embolic coil systems for peripheral embolization under the Ruby Coil and Ruby LP brand names. In addition, the company offers microcatheter for the delivery of detachable coils and occlusion devices under the LANTERN brand; and POD (Penumbra Occlusion Device) brand, as well as immersive 3D computer-based technology platform under the Real Immersive System brand; and a complementary device for use with Ruby Coil and POD for vessel occlusion under the Packing Coil and Packing Coil LP brands. The company sells its products through direct sales organizations and distributors. Penumbra, Inc. was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Alameda, California. Receive News & Ratings for Modular Medical Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Modular Medical and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY23 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of $2.50-2.60 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $2.55. The company issued revenue guidance of $5.9-6.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $5.96 billion. Edwards Lifesciences also updated its FY 2023 guidance to $2.50-$2.60 EPS. Edwards Lifesciences Trading Up 1.3 % Shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $83.74. The companys stock had a trading volume of 5,128,514 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,915,679. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $88.86 and a 200-day moving average of $84.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 2.17 and a current ratio of 3.15. The stock has a market cap of $50.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 1.03. Edwards Lifesciences has a twelve month low of $67.13 and a twelve month high of $107.18. Get Edwards Lifesciences alerts: Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The medical research company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.01. Edwards Lifesciences had a net margin of 24.56% and a return on equity of 25.43%. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.63 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Edwards Lifesciences will post 2.54 EPS for the current year. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Insider Activity at Edwards Lifesciences A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EW. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Edwards Lifesciences from $78.00 to $90.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. They issued an outperform rating and a $107.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Edwards Lifesciences from $94.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a research note on Friday, July 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $93.16. In other Edwards Lifesciences news, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 80,700 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.54, for a total value of $7,145,178.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,294 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,619,750.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 80,700 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.54, for a total transaction of $7,145,178.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,294 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,619,750.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Larry L. Wood sold 6,421 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.23, for a total transaction of $540,840.83. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 213,794 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $18,007,868.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 216,046 shares of company stock worth $19,145,434 in the last 90 days. 1.29% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 32.2% during the 1st quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 3,272 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $271,000 after purchasing an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in Edwards Lifesciences by 319.4% in the 1st quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 267,598 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $22,137,000 after acquiring an additional 203,787 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 365,688 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $30,253,000 after buying an additional 3,417 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences during the 1st quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences during the 1st quarter valued at $317,000. 79.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Edwards Lifesciences Company Profile (Get 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Edwards Lifesciences Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Edwards Lifesciences and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. FD Technologies (OTCMKTS:FDRVF Get Free Report) is one of 127 publicly-traded companies in the Information Technology Services industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare FD Technologies to related companies based on the strength of its valuation, risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends and institutional ownership. Profitability This table compares FD Technologies and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get FD Technologies alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets FD Technologies N/A N/A N/A FD Technologies Competitors -19.48% -141.20% -4.82% Institutional and Insider Ownership 35.0% of FD Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.3% of shares of all Information Technology Services companies are held by institutional investors. 33.5% of shares of all Information Technology Services companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Earnings & Valuation Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio FD Technologies N/A N/A 75.29 FD Technologies Competitors $1.23 billion $41.91 million -27.53 This table compares FD Technologies and its rivals revenue, earnings per share and valuation. FD Technologies rivals have higher revenue and earnings than FD Technologies. FD Technologies 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. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for FD Technologies and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score FD Technologies 0 1 1 0 2.50 FD Technologies Competitors 178 406 1263 11 2.60 As a group, Information Technology Services companies have a potential upside of 50.44%. Given FD Technologies rivals stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe FD Technologies has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. Dividends FD Technologies pays an annual dividend of C$0.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. FD Technologies pays out 40.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Information Technology Services companies pay a dividend yield of 4.8% and pay out 155.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Summary FD Technologies rivals beat FD Technologies on 7 of the 13 factors compared. About FD Technologies (Get Free Report) FD Technologies plc provides software and consulting services in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company operates through three segments: KX, First Derivative, and MRP. It provides KX, a real-time decision-making engine that captures data, from various location and format; First Derivative, a capital markets consulting solutions; and MRP Prelytix platform, an enterprise-class predictive account-based marketing solution. The company also licenses software. It serves finance, technology, retail, pharma, manufacturing, and energy markets. The company was formerly known as First Derivatives plc and changed its name to FD Technologies plc in July 2021. FD Technologies plc was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Newry, the United Kingdom. Receive News & Ratings for FD Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for FD Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP Free Report) had its price target boosted by Piper Sandler from $14.00 to $17.00 in a research report report published on Friday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. StockNews.com upgraded First BanCorp. from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on First BanCorp. from $14.00 to $12.50 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Get First BanCorp. alerts: First BanCorp. Stock Up 4.3 % FBP opened at $14.71 on Friday. The businesss fifty day moving average is $12.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.31, a PEG ratio of 8.61 and a beta of 1.12. First BanCorp. has a one year low of $10.18 and a one year high of $16.40. First BanCorp. Announces Dividend First BanCorp. ( NYSE:FBP Get 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 21.15% and a net margin of 27.51%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that First BanCorp. will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 23rd. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.81%. First BanCorp.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.44%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On First BanCorp. A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FBP. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of First BanCorp. by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,643,742 shares of the banks stock worth $323,327,000 after acquiring an additional 544,469 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of First BanCorp. by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,679,620 shares of the banks stock worth $179,477,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097,862 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First BanCorp. by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,432,126 shares of the banks stock worth $96,295,000 after purchasing an additional 141,577 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First BanCorp. by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,442,950 shares of the banks stock worth $39,319,000 after purchasing an additional 99,657 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of First BanCorp. by 12.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,328,437 shares of the banks stock worth $30,549,000 after purchasing an additional 261,516 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.24% of the companys stock. About First BanCorp. (Get 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. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for First BanCorp. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First BanCorp. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW Free Report) by 6.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,412 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 731 shares during the quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLCs holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $2,778,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 3.7% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 9,666 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,024,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 4.2% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 9,070 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,899,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 54.7% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,859 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 1,011 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 9.9% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 2,407 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 70.7% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 746 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the period. 79.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Illinois Tool Works alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Illinois Tool Works In other Illinois Tool Works news, CAO Randall J. Scheuneman sold 5,425 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,870 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,121,970.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Illinois Tool Works Trading Up 1.7 % NYSE:ITW opened at $259.96 on Friday. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $242.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $236.70. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 12 month low of $180.27 and a 12 month high of $260.15. The company has a market capitalization of $79.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.00, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 1.13. Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.11 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 9.64 earnings per share for the current year. Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 13th. Investors of record on Friday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Illinois Tool Workss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.40%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ITW shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $203.00 to $210.00 in a report on Monday, July 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Illinois Tool Works from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $236.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $183.00 to $181.00 and set a sell rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $235.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Illinois Tool Works presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $234.92. 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. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ITW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Illinois Tool Works Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Illinois Tool Works and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. GLG Life Tech Co. (TSE:GLG Get Free Report)s share price crossed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of C$0.05 and traded as low as C$0.04. GLG Life Tech shares last traded at C$0.04, with a volume of 1,000 shares traded. GLG Life Tech Price Performance The stock has a market cap of C$1.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.05 and a beta of 1.87. The business has a 50-day moving average of C$0.05 and a 200-day moving average of C$0.05. Get GLG Life Tech alerts: GLG Life Tech (TSE:GLG Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 15th. The company reported C($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$1.56 million during the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that GLG Life Tech Co. will post -0.32 earnings per share for the current year. GLG Life Tech Company Profile GLG Life Tech Corporation engages in the research, development, growing, refining, and production of natural sweeteners extracted from the stevia plant and monk fruit worldwide. The company also offers P-Pro Plus, a pea protein product; and natural ingredients. It serves in the food and beverage industry. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for GLG Life Tech Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for GLG Life Tech and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Greggs plc (LON:GRG Get Free Report)s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 2,692.65 ($34.53) and traded as high as GBX 2,750.56 ($35.27). Greggs shares last traded at GBX 2,734 ($35.06), with a volume of 127,958 shares. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth GRG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Liberum Capital lowered shares of Greggs to a hold rating and set a GBX 2,800 ($35.90) price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on shares of Greggs from GBX 3,000 ($38.47) to GBX 3,200 ($41.03) and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Peel Hunt reiterated a hold rating and set a GBX 2,500 ($32.06) price target on shares of Greggs in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated a hold rating on shares of Greggs in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of GBX 2,862.50 ($36.70). Get Greggs alerts: Greggs Stock Down 0.6 % The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 67.56, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firms 50-day simple moving average is GBX 2,643.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 2,694.55. The company has a market capitalization of 2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2,363.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.29. Insiders Place Their Bets Greggs Company Profile In related news, insider Roisin Currie bought 3,077 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 2,632 ($33.75) per share, for a total transaction of 80,986.64 ($103,842.34). 6.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. (Get 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. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Greggs Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Greggs and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hyman Charles D trimmed its holdings in iShares MSCI Australia ETF (NYSEARCA:EWA Free Report) by 3.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,071 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 2,475 shares during the period. Hyman Charles D owned approximately 0.08% of iShares MSCI Australia ETF worth $1,653,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of EWA. Laffer Tengler Investments grew its position in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF by 41.7% during the 4th quarter. Laffer Tengler Investments now owns 1,727 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF during the 1st quarter valued at $54,000. Simplex Trading LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF during the 1st quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF during the 4th quarter valued at $80,000. 48.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get iShares MSCI Australia ETF alerts: iShares MSCI Australia ETF Trading Down 0.5 % Shares of NYSEARCA:EWA opened at $23.13 on Friday. iShares MSCI Australia ETF has a 52-week low of $19.19 and a 52-week high of $25.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $22.70 and a 200 day moving average of $23.12. iShares MSCI Australia ETF Company Profile iShares MSCI Australia ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, of publicly traded securities in the Australian market, as represented by the MSCI Australia Index (the Index). Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Australia ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Australia ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Ibstock plc (LON:IBST Get Free Report) passed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 152.22 ($1.95) and traded as low as GBX 149.61 ($1.92). Ibstock shares last traded at GBX 152 ($1.95), with a volume of 671,975 shares changing hands. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, Berenberg Bank reiterated a hold rating and set a GBX 180 ($2.31) price target on shares of Ibstock in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Get Ibstock alerts: Ibstock Stock Down 0.9 % The firm has a 50-day moving average of GBX 151.89 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 162.59. The stock has a market capitalization of 592.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 717.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.03. Ibstock Company Profile Ibstock plc manufactures and sells clay and concrete building products and solutions in the United Kingdom. The company offers bricks and masonry, which includes facing and engineering bricks, brick slips, special shaped bricks, walling stone, architectural masonry, prefabricated components, eco-habitats, and padstones and lintels, as well as facade systems; roofing products comprising roof tiles and accessories, and chimneys; retaining walls, such as stepoc, slopeloc, and keystone. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Ibstock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ibstock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LTC Properties, Inc. (NYSE:LTC Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the five analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.00. A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LTC. VNET Group reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of LTC Properties in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of LTC Properties from $37.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of LTC Properties in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Credit Suisse Group lowered their price objective on shares of LTC Properties from $37.00 to $36.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of LTC Properties from $40.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Get LTC Properties alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at LTC Properties In other news, Director Timothy Triche sold 6,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.03, for a total value of $198,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 39,425 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,302,207.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of LTC Properties LTC Properties Price Performance A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LTC. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of LTC Properties by 27.2% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,533,890 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $135,949,000 after acquiring an additional 755,055 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of LTC Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,137,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of LTC Properties in the 1st quarter worth approximately $10,505,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in LTC Properties by 1,185.7% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 294,623 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $10,350,000 after purchasing an additional 271,708 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weiss Multi Strategy Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in LTC Properties during the first quarter valued at approximately $9,948,000. 70.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. LTC opened at $34.41 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 17.30 and a current ratio of 17.30. LTC Properties has a 1-year low of $30.87 and a 1-year high of $45.49. The company has a 50-day moving average of $33.44 and a 200-day moving average of $34.59. The company has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 0.94. LTC Properties Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 20th. LTC Propertiess payout ratio is 78.08%. About LTC Properties (Get Free Report LTC is a real estate investment trust (REIT) investing in seniors housing and health care properties primarily through sale-leasebacks, mortgage financing, joint-ventures and structured finance solutions including preferred equity and mezzanine lending. LTC's investment portfolio includes 212 properties in 29 states with 31 operating partners. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for LTC Properties Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for LTC Properties and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Key Insights Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Xaar's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions The top 3 shareholders own 50% of the company Analyst forecasts along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business If you want to know who really controls Xaar plc (LON:XAR), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 88% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company. Given the vast amount of money and research capacities at their disposal, institutional ownership tends to carry a lot of weight, especially with individual investors. Hence, having a considerable amount of institutional money invested in a company is often regarded as a desirable trait. In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Xaar. See our latest analysis for Xaar What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Xaar? Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices. As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Xaar. 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. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Xaar's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters. Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. Xaar is not owned by hedge funds. Schroder Investment Management Limited is currently the company's largest shareholder with 28% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 13% and 9.6% of the stock. Story continues To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 3 shareholders have a majority ownership in the company, meaning that they are powerful enough to influence the decisions of the company. While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future. Insider Ownership Of Xaar 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. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. Our information suggests that Xaar plc insiders own under 1% of the company. It seems the board members have no more than UK512k worth of shares in the UK146m company. Many investors in smaller companies prefer to see the board more heavily invested. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. General Public Ownership The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 10% stake in Xaar. 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: While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Xaar (1 is significant!) that you should be aware of before investing here. But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter 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. 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 Mitsubishi Chemical Group Co. (OTCMKTS:MTLHF Get Free Report) rose 4.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $6.15 and last traded at $6.15. Approximately 500 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 24% from the average daily volume of 658 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.90. Mitsubishi Chemical Group Stock Performance The firm has a 50-day moving average of $5.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.79. About Mitsubishi Chemical Group (Get Free Report) Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation provides performance products, chemicals, industrial gases, health care products, and other products in Japan and internationally. The company offers polyester films for various applications, including optical materials, for electronic displays; industrial materials for electronic components, automotive parts, and medical equipment; and packaging materials for food and other products. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Mitsubishi Chemical Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mitsubishi Chemical Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. cut its holdings in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA Free Report) by 12.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,296,114 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 180,419 shares during the quarter. Mueller Water Products makes up about 3.8% of Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc.s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $18,068,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. KBC Group NV grew its position in Mueller Water Products by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,849,640 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $25,784,000 after purchasing an additional 100,498 shares during the last quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 1st quarter worth about $139,000. Nia Impact Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,811,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the first quarter valued at about $247,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 181.3% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 164,311 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,290,000 after purchasing an additional 105,899 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% of the companys stock. Get Mueller Water Products alerts: Mueller Water Products Price Performance Shares of Mueller Water Products stock traded up $0.12 on Friday, reaching $15.98. The companys stock had a trading volume of 625,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 963,092. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.90 and a 52-week high of $16.62. The company has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.96, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 3.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $15.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.07. Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend Mueller Water Products ( NYSE:MWA Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.02). Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 12.69% and a net margin of 5.90%. The company had revenue of $332.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $332.45 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.15 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 0.68 EPS for the current year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.061 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 9th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. Mueller Water Productss payout ratio is currently 48.00%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MWA shares. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. DA Davidson reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Seaport Res Ptn restated a buy rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Tuesday, May 9th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Mueller Water Products from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and lifted their price target for the company from $11.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $13.67. Mueller Water Products Company Profile (Free Report) Mueller Water Products, Inc manufactures and markets products and services for the transmission, distribution, and measurement of water used by municipalities, and the residential and non-residential construction industries in the United States, Israel, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Water Flow Solutions and Water Management Solutions. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MWA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Mueller Water Products Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mueller Water Products and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The North West Company Inc. (OTCMKTS:NNWWF Get Free Report)s share price passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $26.64 and traded as low as $24.60. North West shares last traded at $24.60, with a volume of 153 shares changing hands. Analysts Set New Price Targets NNWWF has been the topic of several research reports. TD Securities upped their target price on North West from C$39.00 to C$41.00 in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on North West from C$38.00 to C$36.00 in a research report on Monday, June 12th. CIBC upped their price objective on North West from C$37.00 to C$39.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on North West from C$41.00 to C$39.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. Get North West alerts: North West Stock Performance The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.64. North West Company Profile The North West Company Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the retail of food and everyday products and services to rural communities and urban neighborhood markets in northern Canada, rural Alaska, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. The Canadian operations comprises Northern stores, which offers food, financial services, and general merchandise; NorthMart stores that provides fresh foods, apparel, and health products and services; Quickstop convenience stores that provides ready-to-eat foods, and fuel and related services; Giant Tiger junior discount stores, which offers family fashion, household products, and food; Valu Lots discount center and direct-to-customer food distribution outlet; solo market, a store in remote market; Pharmacy and Convenience stores; and North West Company motorsports dealership offering sales, service, parts and accessories for Ski-doo, Honda, Can-am and other premier brands. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for North West Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for North West and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX Free Report) by 4.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,180,000 shares of the natural resource companys stock after purchasing an additional 100,000 shares during the period. Freeport-McMoRan comprises approximately 8.4% of Pacific Heights Asset Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC owned 0.15% of Freeport-McMoRan worth $89,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. America First Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. 79.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Freeport-McMoRan alerts: Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance Shares of FCX stock opened at $43.62 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.52 billion, a PE ratio of 30.08 and a beta of 2.01. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.94, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.03 and a 12 month high of $46.73. Freeport-McMoRan Announces Dividend Freeport-McMoRan ( NYSE:FCX Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The natural resource company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $5.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.61 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 9.45%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.58 EPS. Analysts forecast that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. Freeport-McMoRans dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.69%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $49.00 to $48.00 in a report on Tuesday. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM restated an initiates rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Thursday, June 29th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Thursday, June 29th. They set a market perform rating and a $41.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $39.29. Insider Buying and Selling at Freeport-McMoRan In other Freeport-McMoRan news, Director Sara Grootwassink Lewis purchased 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $34.90 per share, for a total transaction of $139,600.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 17,800 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $621,220. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Freeport-McMoRan Company Profile (Free Report) Freeport-McMoRan Inc engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. It primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals, as well as oil and gas. The company's assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Tyrone and Chino in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FCX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Freeport-McMoRan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Freeport-McMoRan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (OTCMKTS:PBCRF Get Free Report) were down 2.7% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $0.60 and last traded at $0.62. Approximately 403,801 shares were traded during mid-day trading, The stock had previously closed at $0.63. Analysts Set New Price Targets PBCRF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of PT Bank Central Asia Tbk in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. They set a sell rating on the stock. HSBC downgraded shares of PT Bank Central Asia Tbk from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Get PT Bank Central Asia Tbk alerts: PT Bank Central Asia Tbk Stock Performance The stocks 50 day moving average price is $0.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $0.61. About PT Bank Central Asia Tbk PT Bank Central Asia Tbk, together with its subsidiaries, provides banking products and services to individual, corporate, and small and medium enterprise customers in Indonesia and internationally. It offers savings accounts; motorcycle financing, as well as car, housing, working capital, and investment loans; mutual funds and bonds; electronic money services; credit cards; business collection services; and home and eBanking, remittance, and customer services. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for PT Bank Central Asia Tbk Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PT Bank Central Asia Tbk and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Skylands Capital LLC raised its stake in Newmont Co. (NYSE:NEM Free Report) by 33.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,025 shares of the basic materials companys stock after buying an additional 11,200 shares during the quarter. Skylands Capital LLCs holdings in Newmont were worth $2,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in shares of Newmont by 14.8% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 42,511 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $3,378,000 after purchasing an additional 5,484 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Newmont by 19.3% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 66,212 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $5,219,000 after purchasing an additional 10,692 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Newmont by 46.9% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 27,905 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $2,217,000 after purchasing an additional 8,915 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Newmont by 7.2% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 595,641 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $47,324,000 after purchasing an additional 39,765 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Newmont by 25.8% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,354 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.82% of the companys stock. Get Newmont alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, COO Robert D. Atkinson sold 3,000 shares of Newmont stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.76, for a total transaction of $143,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 81,751 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,904,427.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, COO Robert D. Atkinson sold 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.76, for a total transaction of $143,280.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 81,751 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,904,427.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Ronald Palmer sold 11,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.76, for a total transaction of $525,360.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 300,039 shares in the company, valued at $14,329,862.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,589,230 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets Newmont Stock Up 0.7 % A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NEM. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on Newmont from $63.00 to $57.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 24th. CIBC lowered Newmont from a sector outperform rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the company from $54.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Raymond James dropped their target price on Newmont from $64.00 to $62.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Argus dropped their target price on Newmont from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, National Bank Financial lifted their target price on Newmont from C$91.00 to C$94.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $59.19. Shares of NEM stock traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $42.42. 5,195,226 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,661,256. The company has a current ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $33.71 billion, a PE ratio of -44.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.34. The companys 50 day moving average is $42.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.30. Newmont Co. has a 1 year low of $37.45 and a 1 year high of $60.08. Newmont (NYSE:NEM Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.06). Newmont had a negative net margin of 6.77% and a positive return on equity of 5.74%. The firm had revenue of $2.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. Newmonts quarterly revenue was down 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Newmont Co. will post 2.06 EPS for the current year. Newmont Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, September 7th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 6th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.77%. Newmonts dividend payout ratio is currently -166.66%. About Newmont (Free Report) Newmont Corporation engages in the production and exploration of gold. It also explores for copper, silver, zinc, and lead. The company has operations and/or assets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Suriname, Argentina, Chile, Australia, and Ghana. As of December 31, 2022, it had proven and probable gold reserves of 96.1 million ounces and land position of 61,500 square kilometers. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NEM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Newmont Co. (NYSE:NEM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Newmont Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Newmont and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in American Express (NYSE:AXP Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,375 shares of the payment services companys stock, valued at approximately $227,000. A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $227,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 10,330 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $1,704,000 after purchasing an additional 726 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 19,360 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $2,861,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 38,600 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $5,703,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Hutchinson lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 4,100 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $676,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. 82.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get American Express alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AXP shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on American Express from $194.00 to $185.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Citigroup dropped their target price on American Express from $152.00 to $150.00 and set a sell rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 21st. Redburn Partners downgraded American Express from a neutral rating to a sell rating and set a $125.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 25th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on American Express from $180.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, 3M reiterated a reiterates rating on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, June 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $172.88. American Express Stock Performance Shares of NYSE AXP traded up $1.84 during trading on Friday, reaching $165.44. The stock had a trading volume of 2,925,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,331,276. American Express has a one year low of $130.65 and a one year high of $182.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a market cap of $121.84 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.19. The firms 50 day moving average price is $168.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.34. American Express (NYSE:AXP Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 21st. The payment services company reported $2.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.08. American Express had a return on equity of 29.26% and a net margin of 12.99%. The business had revenue of $15.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.57 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that American Express will post 11.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. American Express Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 10th. Investors of record on Friday, July 7th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 6th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. American Expresss dividend payout ratio is currently 24.42%. American Express Profile (Free Report) American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Global Consumer Services Group, Global Commercial Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Its products and services include payment and financing products; network services; accounts payable expense management products and services; and travel and lifestyle services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for American Express Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Express and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust plc (LON:SLS Get Free Report) shares passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 732 ($9.39) and traded as high as GBX 744 ($9.54). Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust shares last traded at GBX 732 ($9.39), with a volume of 84,315 shares traded. Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust Price Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.92, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of 715.41 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.37. The stocks fifty day moving average is GBX 732 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 732. About Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust (Get Free Report) Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust plc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched by Standard Life Investments Limited. The fund is managed by Standard Life Investments (Corporate Funds) Limited. It invests in the public equity markets of the United Kingdom. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Summit Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL Free Report) by 6.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,170 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the quarter. Summit Financial LLCs holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $781,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. United Bank increased its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 1.8% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 4,879 shares of the companys stock worth $1,329,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 78.4% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 17,748 shares of the companys stock worth $4,833,000 after purchasing an additional 7,797 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC bought a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $1,147,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 2.4% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,932 shares of the companys stock worth $1,071,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 27.3% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 978 shares of the companys stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 57.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Estee Lauder Companies alerts: Insider Activity In related news, insider Hudis Jane Hertzmark sold 9,869 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total value of $1,973,306.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,280,629.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 12.75% of the companys stock. Analyst Ratings Changes Estee Lauder Companies Stock Up 4.0 % Several analysts have issued reports on EL shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $290.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Citigroup cut their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $295.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Argus lowered Estee Lauder Companies from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, May 12th. StockNews.com started coverage on Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a strong-buy rating for the company in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $252.67. EL traded up $6.99 during trading on Friday, reaching $180.44. The stock had a trading volume of 2,099,769 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,922,766. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a one year low of $171.93 and a one year high of $284.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stocks 50 day moving average is $189.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $225.87. The company has a market capitalization of $64.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.95, a P/E/G ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 1.02. Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.04). Estee Lauder Companies had a net margin of 6.88% and a return on equity of 23.99%. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companiess revenue was down 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current year. Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st were issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 30th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Estee Lauder Companiess payout ratio is presently 87.71%. Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile (Free Report) The Estee Lauder Companies Inc manufactures, markets, and sells skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products worldwide. It offers a range of skin care products, including moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, body care, exfoliators, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, cleansing devices, and sun care products; and makeup products, such as lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, foundations, eyeshadows, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Estee Lauder Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Estee Lauder Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) (OTCMKTS:SVCBF Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,696,500 shares, a drop of 18.8% from the June 30th total of 3,321,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3,370.6 days. Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) Stock Performance OTCMKTS:SVCBF traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $13.18. The stock had a trading volume of 513 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,827. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.51. Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA has a 12 month low of $11.75 and a 12 month high of $15.30. Get Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) alerts: Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) Company Profile (Get Free Report) Read More Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ), a forest products company, develops, manufactures, and sells forest, wood, pulp, and containerboard products in Sweden, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers various sawn wood products; wood solutions for industrial buildings comprise construction timber, outer panels, dimensionally planed timber, laths, base rafters, planks, and shaped timber products; wood solutions for merchants include joists, batten, and untreated and painted outer panel, as well as pressure-impregnated wood products; and marine and land transportation services, including forwarding services using RoRo vessels, container express, and road and rail. Receive News & Ratings for Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. FREDERICKSBURG Fairview Baptist Church, 900 Charlotte St., hosts a food pantry on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, 9:3011 a.m., for residents of Fredericksburg, Locust Grove and Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George and Caroline counties. Bring ID. 540/373-8377; fairview-baptist.org. Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, 308 Hanover St. A new series, 3 Simple Rules to Live By, begins Sunday. Traditional services are Sunday at 8:15 and 11:15 a.m. with a livestream on YouTube at 9:45 and 11:15 a.m. Family fellowship tables at the contemporary worship service at 9:45 a.m. seat everyone together. Simple Sunday School for grades K5 includes a brief pull-out from worship for age-appropriate lessons and activities before rejoining the 9:45 a.m. service. Wednesday Worship & Potluck starts at 5:30 p.m. The annual Blessing of the Backpacks is Aug. 13 at all services. A fall kick-off worship concert is Aug. 18. 540/973-9021; fumcva.org. Hillcrest United Methodist Church, 2208 Lafayette Blvd., holds Sunday service at 10 a.m. 540/898-2180; hillcrestumc.com. Mount Zion Baptist Church, 309 Wolfe St., has reopened its regular church services. Capacity is limited to 50%; face coverings and social distancing are mandatory. Weekly and Sunday service will be held on Facebook Live at the following times: Bible study at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday worship services at 10:50 a.m. Call in by telephone conference number to 978/990-5000 and enter pin 569693#. 540/371-2878; mtzionfbg.org. Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site), 801 Sophia St., worships in person and online each Sunday at 10 a.m. Masks are now optional and available. Worship virtually via Facebook, Shiloh Old Site Live; on the churchs website; or by conference call 1-855/552-4463, ID 3487 96 5653. Breakfast is provided to the homeless/less fortunate every Wednesday, 7:308:30 a.m. The food pantry is open on the second and fourth Friday of each month, 9 a.m.noon, and can be accessed from the glass door in front of the church located on Sophia Street. Follow posted signs for directions and safety procedures. 540/373-8701; shiloholdsite.org. Trinity Episcopal Church, corner of William Street and College Avenue. Worship services are held Sundays at 8 and 10 a.m. A food pantry, Tuesday and Thursday mornings 911 a.m., and financial assistance are available. Call the church at 540/373-2996 to request this help, and someone will return your call. trinity-fredericksburg.org. Turning Point Christian Church, Dorothy Hart Community Center, 408 Canal St. Sunday worship is at 10 a.m. yourturningpointchurch.org. United Church of Christ of Fredericksburg, 803 Princess Anne St. (Hanover Street entrance), will meet Sunday at 10 a.m. 202/255-3320. Unity of Fredericksburg. Sunday Services are held online through Zoom and YouTube livestreaming on Sundays at 10:45 a.m. Email info@uofva.org for the link. 540/661-7976; uofva.org. SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY Christ Episcopal Church, 8951 Courthouse Road. In-person worship is held Sundays at 8 a.m. (Rite I) and 10:30 a.m. (Rite II); 10:30 a.m. worship is streamed on YouTube. Childrens activity bags available. Nursery and Christian education are also at 10:30 a.m.; youth at noon. Celtic Eucharist is offered Wednesdays at noon. The food pantry distributes on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, 10 a.m. to noon. Families unable to come during these hours due to work conflicts may retrieve food from lockers on the church campus; for more information, email secretary@christchurchspotsy.com. 540/582-5033; christchurchspotsy.com. Church of the Messiah Episcopal Church, 12201 Spotswood Furnace Lane, holds Sunday worship services at 8:30 a.m. (Rite I) and 11 a.m. (Rite II); the 11 a.m. service is also livestreamed on the churchs Facebook page. Childrens Sunday school and adult education are offered Sunday at 9:45 a.m., August through May. Morning prayer services are livestreamed on Facebook at 9 a.m., Monday through Friday. 540/786-3100; churchofthemessiahva.org; facebook.com/cotmfredericksburg. Cornerstone Chapel, 4743 Patriot Highway, holds services on Sunday at 11 a.m. 540/663-3398; cornerstonechapel.cc. Eastland United Methodist Church, 10718 Courthouse Road, worships in person on Sunday at 11 a.m.; masks are optional. Services are also livestreamed on the churchs Facebook page. 540/898-6430; eastlandumc.org. Goshen Baptist Church, 9800 Gordon Road. Worship service is Sunday at 10:45 a.m.; Sunday school is 9:30 a.m. for ages 3 to adult. 540/786-7500; goshenbaptistchurch.net. Mercy Hill Community Church, 9215 Courthouse Road, holds Sunday worship service at 10:30 a.m. Mercyhillcc.org. New Post Church, 1900 New Post Blvd., worships in person on Sunday at 11 a.m. Services are also streamed at facebook.com/newpostchurch. 540/287-4100; newpost.church. Peace United Methodist Church, 801 Maple Grove Drive, worships in person on Sunday at 8:30 and 11 a.m. Services are also streamed on Facebook; search for Family Of Peace. 540/786-8585; passthepeacechurch.org. Potomac Valley Church, 12500 Chewning Lane, worships in person on Sundays at 10 a.m. and provides a childrens ministry. 703/878-6937; potomacvalleychurch.com/contact. Redeemer Bible Church, 7610 Heths Salient St., worships in person on Sunday at 9:30 and 11 a.m. Services may also be streamed on the churchs Facebook page. Resurrection Lutheran Church, 6170 Plank Road, worships in person and online on Sunday at 10 a.m. The service is livestreamed on facebook.com/ResurrectionPeople or resurrectionpeople.org. Bulletins are posted one hour before worship. Prayer requests may be left on the chat on the Facebook page. 540/786-7778; resurrectionpeople.org. Second New Hope Baptist Church, 3836 Summit Crossing Road, holds in-person, modified praise and worship services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Congregants will continue to follow CDC protocols. 540/898-9899; secondnewhope.org. Spotswood Baptist Church, 4009 Lafayette Blvd., worships in person on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. (traditional) and 11 a.m. (contemporary). Services may also be streamed at Spotswood.org/watch-live or from the churchs Facebook page. Small groups meet Sunday mornings and throughout the week. spotswood.org. Spotsylvania Sunday School Union has scheduled a general meeting for Sunday at 10 a.m. at Little Mine Road Baptist Church, 12600 Post Oak Road. SpotsylvaniaSundaySchoolUnion@gmail.com. St. Matthew Catholic Church, 8200 Robert E. Lee Drive, hosts a drive-up food pantry and baby closet 26 p.m. Wednesdays; 9 a.m. to noon Fridays; and 911 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month. Tabernacle United Methodist Church, 7310A Old Plank Road, will host a community breakfast and car wash today at 9 a.m. Worship Sunday in person at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. Join the 10:30 a.m. service via livestream at tabumc.org/watch. The Resource Closet provides nonperishable food and paper/personal care items to families in need on the last Saturday of the month, 9 a.m. to noon. 540/786-6162; tabumc.org. Wallers Baptist Church, 4001 Partlow Road, Partlow. On Sunday, a traditional service will be held at 11 a.m. and posted on the churchs Facebook page by 4 p.m. Drive Thru Prayer continues to be held in the church parking lot Wednesdays, 56 p.m. Adult Bible study will begin Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. 540/582-5703; wallersbaptist.com. STAFFORD COUNTY Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church, 1732 Brooke Road, offers Sunday contemporary worship at 9 a.m. Traditional services are Sundays at 11 a.m., in person and on YouTube. Sunday School for all ages is 10 a.m. Bible study is held Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. 540/659-2461; andrewchapelumc@yahoo.com; andrewchapelumc-staffordva.com. Antioch United Methodist Church, 138 Kellogg Mill Road, worships in person on Sundays at 9:30 a.m., following current guidelines. A food pantry for qualified families is open every other Thursday from 35 p.m. 540/752-3108; antiochumcstafford.org. Aquia Episcopal Church, 2938 Richmond Highway. Sunday worship schedule is 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Broadcasts for morning prayer continue at facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch on most Sundays at 7:30 a.m. and most weekdays at 8 a.m. Bible studies Wednesdays at 7 p.m. are streamed on Facebook and Thursdays at 11 a.m. are in-person and livestreamed. These events are viewable afterward and can be accessed even without a Facebook account. Aquias Table provides curbside pickup of takeout meals and Aquias Pantry provides curbside pickup of groceries on most Wednesdays, 67 p.m., while supplies last. Both programs will be closed when Stafford County Public Schools announce closings for inclement weather. 540/659-4007; aquiachurch.org. Beth Sholom Temple, 805 Lyons Blvd. Friday evening Shabbat services are at 7:30 p.m. On first Fridays, a family Shabbat service is at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Shabbat services are at 10 a.m., and Torah study is at noon. Tots Shabbat is suspended for the summer. 540/373-4834; bstva.org. Bethlehem Baptist Church, 135 Chapel Green Road, will hold in-person services on first, second and third Sundays at 10 a.m.; phone conference call is also available. Services on fourth and fifth Sundays will be by conference call: 425/436-6350, code is 245538#. Homecoming will be celebrated Sept. 3 at 10 a.m., marking the churchs 155th anniversary and dedication of new church windows. Guest minister will be the Rev. Ralph Williams, interim pastor of Mt. Morris Baptist Church, Hume. bethlehempbc.net. Ferry Farm Baptist Church, 1 Westmoreland Drive. Summer worship schedule ends Sunday at 10:30 a.m.; services are also livestreamed at ferryfarmbc.org. Bible fellowship for all ages meets at 9:15 a.m. ferryfarmbc.org. Hollywood Church of the Brethren, 225 Ferry Road. Worship services are Sundays at 11 a.m. in person and on Facebook and YouTube. Sunday school for all ages is 10 a.m. The church hosts a food pantry on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. until noon. Donations are appreciated. Hulls Memorial Baptist Church, 420 Enon Road. Sunday school and adult Bible study are at 9:30 a.m., and Sunday worship is at 10:45 a.m. Childcare/nursery is provided. 540/371-4124; hullsbaptist.org. Mount Olive Baptist Church, 395 Mt. Olive Road, worships in person on Sunday at 11 a.m.; or connect on Facebook or by conference call to 202/602-1295, access code 778-183-179#. 540/752-4296. New Hope United Methodist Church, 164 New Hope Church Road, has resumed in-person worship. A drive-in option is also available. The service can be viewed on YouTube and Facebook. 540/370-4875; newhopeva.com. Rock Hill Baptist Church, 12 Van Horn Lane. On Sunday, Bible study for all ages is at 9:30 a.m.; worship service is at 11 a.m. 540/752-0336; rockhillbaptistchurch.org. St. Lukes Anglican Church, 65 Warrenton Road, Falmouth, offers traditional Anglican worship using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer on Sundays at 11 a.m. Sunday school for adults and children is at 10 a.m. Mid-day prayer and Holy Eucharist service is Tuesdays at noon. 540/371-8405; stlukeanglican.org. St. Matthias United Methodist Church, 426 Deacon Road, worships in person Sundays at 10 a.m. 540/373-8759; stmtoday.com. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fredericksburg, 25 Chalice Circle. Sunday service is at 10:30 a.m. in person and online. Zoom and YouTube links may be found at uuffxbg.org. 540/310-4001. KING GEORGE COUNTY Fletchers Chapel United Methodist Church, 8330 Fletchers Chapel Road, holds in-person worship on Sunday at 9 a.m., followed by adult Sunday school at 10 a.m. On the second Sunday of each month, Coffee Fellowship is at 10 a.m. with Sunday school at 10:30 a.m. 540/775-7247; fletcherschapel-kinggeorge-va.org. Gods Holy Temple, 17192 Kings Highway. Services are held on Sundays at 11 a.m., and Bible study is held Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Good Hope Baptist Church, 17223 Good Hope Road, worships in person on Sundays at 9 a.m. Masks are required. Little Ark Baptist Church, 15681 Owens Drive, holds Bible school at 8:45 a.m. and worship service at 10 a.m. on Sunday; worship is streamed on Facebook Live. Bible study is Wednesday at 6 p.m. The churchs radio broadcast is Saturday at 4:40 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at dmvpoweredgospel.airtime.pro. 540/663-2831; little.arkbc@gmail.com; littlearkbaptistchurch.org. Mountain View Baptist Church, 6713 Passapatanzy Drive. On Sundays, Small Group Bible Study is at 10 a.m. Homecoming is Sunday; a fellowship meal immediately follows the 11 a.m. worship service. Revival is Sunday through Wednesday at 7 p.m.; the Rev. Royce Williams of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, will bring the message for Homecoming and revival services. mtnviewbaptistchurch.org. Peace Lutheran Church, 5590 Kings Highway. On Sundays, a contemporary service is held at 8:30 a.m., and a traditional service is held at 10:30 a.m.; Sunday school is at 9:30 a.m. View online services on the church Facebook page. 540/775-9131; peacekg.com. St. Pauls Episcopal Church, 5486 St. Pauls Road, worships in person at 8 and 10 a.m., following current health guidelines. 540/663-3085; stpaulskgva.org. St. Stephens Baptist Church, 9142 Comorn Road, worships in person Sundays at 10 a.m. Access the service by conference line at 1-712/832-8330, access code 8055544#, or on Facebook Live. CAROLINE COUNTY First Baptist Church, 9262 Guinea Station Road, Woodford, will not hold service on Sunday. 804/633-4233; firstbaptistwoodford.com. Long Branch Baptist Church, 14297 Long Branch Road, Woodford, holds in-person Sunday school at 10 a.m. and worship service at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The service is also streamed on the church website and YouTube. Bible study is Wednesdays, 78 p.m.; call in to 605/313-5416, access code 7856145#. 540/373-0690; lbbcwoodford.org. River Rock Church Caroline, Lewis and Clark Elementary School, 18101 Clark and York Blvd., Ruther Glen, worships in person on Sundays at 10:15 a.m. Service is also streamed at riverrockcc.com. Community groups meet in person Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. and throughout the week; they can be found at riverrockcc.com/next-steps/community-groups. St. Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church, 10306 Ladysmith Road. In-church Mass is held Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 8:30 and 11 a.m. The church sponsors a drive-up food pantry on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 67:30 p.m. Bring your ID. 804/448-9064; saintmarycc.org. St. Paul United Methodist Church, 25187 Signboard Road, Ruther Glen, meets in person on Sundays at 11 a.m. ORANGE COUNTY Mount Olive Baptist Church, 11251 Tower Road, Unionville. Sundays service is at 10 a.m. CULPEPER COUNTY Beulah Baptist Church, 9297 Eggbornsville Road, Rixeyville, holds Sunday school at 9 a.m. and worship service at 10 a.m. CDC guidelines will be followed. To participate by Zoom, enter meeting ID 69720505050; or call 253/205-0468 and enter meeting ID 6972050505 followed by #; or view on Beulah Baptist Church Facebook or YouTube. 540/937-5563; bbc9297@gmail.com. Christ Episcopal Church, 14586 Alanthus Road, Brandy Station, will hold a regular church service Sunday at 9 a.m. christchurchbs.com. Culpeper United Methodist Church, 1233 Oaklawn Drive, will host a ministry benefit concert by Ken Medena on Sunday at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. Proceeds will support the ministry and missions of Richardsville UMC and Hopewell UMC. 540/399-1843; culpeperumc.org. Jeffersonton Baptist Church, 18498 Springs Road, Jeffersonton, hosts Bible study Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the church and online. 540/937-5446; jeffersontonbaptistchurch.org. Oakland Baptist Church, 28348 Eleys Ford Road, Richardsville. Worship in person on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Sunday school is at 9:30 a.m. obcrichardsville@gmail.com; 540/399-1248. St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 115 N. East St. The Food Closet is in need of toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner and deodorant. Drop off donations 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. Park at 120 N. Commerce St. For more information, visit ststephensculpeper.net/culpeper-food-closet or contact 540/825-1177 or culpeperfoodcloset@gmail.com. 540/825-8786; ssec@ststephensculpeper.net; ststephensculpeper.net. WESTMORELAND COUNTY Our Lady of Good Hope Anglican Catholic Church, at Stilfontein Priory, 11264 Kings Highway, Montross, celebrates the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass every Sunday at 5 p.m. 804/250-6502; stilfonteinpriory.org. REGIONAL First Baptist Church, 5340 Tidewater Trail, Loretto, seeks a youth/young adult pastor to lead and organize a life-changing ministry, implementing fellowship, worship biblical teaching, discipleship and evangelism. The candidate must possess a hunger for the things of God and display the ability to follow the vision of the senior pastor. Email resumes to godsservant10133@gmail.com; or mail Box 176, Champlain, VA 22438. The church holds worship services in the gym on Sundays at 11 a.m. Temperature checks, social distancing and masks/face coverings are required. Sunday worship and Wednesday 7 p.m. Bible study is livestreamed at facebook.com/fbcloretto or the conference line, 313/209-8800, access code 2610624#. Moments of Inspiration for Seniors is Thursdays, 66:30 p.m.; call 425/436-6367, access code: 871111. 804/443-5007. Grace United Methodist Church, 13056 Elk Ridge Road. Enrollment is open for Grace Place Preschool for ages 35. Preschool hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with early drop-off available at 8 a.m. at no extra charge. Aftercare available from 15 p.m. For information or to schedule a tour, call 540/684-3535. graceumchartwood.net. Kirk OCliff Presbyterian Church, 16420 Monrovia Road, Mineral, holds services in person on Sundays at 11 a.m. with Sunday school at 10 a.m. 540/854-5525; kirk@kirkocliff.org; kirkocliff.org. Temple of Deliverance, HCG, 5756 Zachary Taylor Highway, Mineral, holds Sunday worship at 11 a.m. Arrive early for temperature check and seating; CDC guidelines will be followed. Sermon is livestreamed at 11:30 a.m. on Facebook Live. The church operates a food pantry every third Thursday, 57 p.m. 540/894-4458; templeofdeliverancehcg.org. Victory Free Will Baptist Church, 3164 N. Blue Ridge Turnpike, Madison, Justified will minister in song on Sunday at 6 p.m. Sylvania Platinum Limited (LON:SLP Get Free Report)s stock price passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 91.16 ($1.17) and traded as low as GBX 67 ($0.86). Sylvania Platinum shares last traded at GBX 71 ($0.91), with a volume of 682,152 shares. Sylvania Platinum Stock Performance The stock has a market cap of 181.51 million, a P/E ratio of 383.33, a PEG ratio of 0.05 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a fifty day moving average of GBX 76.79 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 90.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 11.05 and a quick ratio of 15.92. About Sylvania Platinum (Get Free Report) Sylvania Platinum Limited primarily engages in the retreatment of platinum group metals (PGM) bearing chrome tailings materials in South Africa and Mauritius. The company produces PGMs, including platinum, palladium, and rhodium. It holds interests in the Sylvania dump operations that comprise six chrome beneficiation and PGM processing plants located in the Eastern and Western Limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex; and various mineral asset development projects, including Volspruit and Northern Limb projects located on the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex located in South Africa. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Sylvania Platinum Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sylvania Platinum and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM Free Report) by 4.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,238 shares of the semiconductor companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,721 shares during the quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLCs holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $3,836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stephens Inc. AR grew its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 325.8% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 52,688 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $3,925,000 after purchasing an additional 40,315 shares in the last quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee bought a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. South Dakota Investment Council increased its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 18,812 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $1,401,000 after acquiring an additional 1,750 shares during the last quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson bought a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $306,000. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 4,364 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.41% of the companys stock. Get Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing alerts: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Price Performance Shares of TSM opened at $100.85 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $523.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.64, a PEG ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $101.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.04. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited has a 12 month low of $59.43 and a 12 month high of $110.69. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 12th. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.489 per share. This is an increase from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio is presently 22.94%. TSM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 21st. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a report on Friday, July 14th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $108.33. About Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (Free Report) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides complementary metal oxide silicon wafer fabrication processes to manufacture logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, and embedded memory semiconductors. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Telecom Italia S.p.A. (OTCMKTS:TIIAY Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 22,800 shares, an increase of 82.4% from the June 30th total of 12,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 35,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.6 days. Telecom Italia Stock Up 0.2 % TIIAY stock traded up $0.01 on Friday, hitting $2.87. 25,468 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,007. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $2.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.98. Telecom Italia has a 12-month low of $1.65 and a 12-month high of $3.48. Get Telecom Italia alerts: About Telecom Italia (Get Free Report) Featured Stories Telecom Italia S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Italy and internationally. The company operates through Domestic, Brazil, and Other Operations segments. It offers fixed and mobile voice and Internet, and public telephony services, as well as products managed and developed for individuals and families; and voice, data, and Internet services and products, and information and communications technology solutions for small and medium-size enterprises, small offices/home offices, the public sector, large accounts, and enterprises in the fixed and mobile telecommunications markets. Receive News & Ratings for Telecom Italia Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Telecom Italia and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teucrium Corn Fund (NYSEARCA:CORN Get Free Report)s share price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $24.69 and traded as low as $23.64. Teucrium Corn Fund shares last traded at $23.78, with a volume of 125,470 shares traded. Teucrium Corn Fund Stock Down 1.9 % The stock has a fifty day moving average of $23.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.68. Get Teucrium Corn Fund alerts: Institutional Trading of Teucrium Corn Fund Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its position in Teucrium Corn Fund by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 81,830 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,065,000 after purchasing an additional 5,253 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of Teucrium Corn Fund by 128.4% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 58,666 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 32,981 shares during the last quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC raised its position in Teucrium Corn Fund by 352.6% in the first quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC now owns 64,251 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,621,000 after acquiring an additional 50,055 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in Teucrium Corn Fund by 18.1% during the first quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,462 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 1,910 shares during the period. Finally, U S Global Investors Inc. purchased a new stake in Teucrium Corn Fund in the 1st quarter worth about $50,000. Teucrium Corn Fund Company Profile Teucrium Corn Fund (the Fund) is a commodity pool that is a series of Teucrium Commodity Trust (Trust), a Delaware statutory trust. It will issue common units representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in such Fund, called Shares. The investment objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the shares net asset value reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for corn (Corn Futures Contracts) that are traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), including the second to expire CBOT Corn Futures Contract, weighted 35%, the third-to-expire CBOT Corn Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and the CBOT Corn Futures Contract, weighted 35%. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Teucrium Corn Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teucrium Corn Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW Free Report) by 16.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 210,000 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 30,000 shares during the quarter. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLCs holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $11,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SCHW. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in Charles Schwab by 7.5% during the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 20,822 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,847,000 after buying an additional 1,452 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its position in Charles Schwab by 4.3% during the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 6,263 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Charles Schwab by 25.4% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,064 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,101,000 after buying an additional 2,648 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Charles Schwab by 7.5% during the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,807 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in Charles Schwab by 16.6% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,239 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.77% of the companys stock. Get Charles Schwab alerts: 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 transaction of $4,018,646.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 59,771,278 shares in the company, valued at $3,093,761,349.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Charles Schwab news, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 72,047 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.66, for a total transaction of $4,802,653.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 59,748,538 shares in the company, valued at $3,982,837,543.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $4,018,646.40. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 59,771,278 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,093,761,349.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 225,447 shares of company stock valued at $13,866,915 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.60% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Charles Schwab Stock Performance Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $46.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $86.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. Redburn Partners lowered shares of Charles Schwab from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $64.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $68.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Charles Schwab currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $72.09. NYSE:SCHW opened at $65.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The companys 50-day moving average price is $57.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.96. The Charles Schwab Co. has a twelve month low of $45.00 and a twelve month high of $86.63. The company has a market cap of $116.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.88. Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.04. Charles Schwab had a net margin of 33.15% and a return on equity of 27.81%. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. Charles Schwabs quarterly revenue was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.15%. About Charles Schwab (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. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SCHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Charles Schwab Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Charles Schwab and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tri Pointe Homes (NYSE:TPH Free Report) had its target price hoisted by Royal Bank of Canada from $29.00 to $32.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the construction companys stock. A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on TPH. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Tri Pointe Homes in a report on Wednesday, May 31st. They issued a buy rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of Tri Pointe Homes from $27.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Tri Pointe Homes in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $30.25. Get Tri Pointe Homes alerts: Tri Pointe Homes Price Performance TPH stock opened at $31.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 2.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.53, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.46. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $31.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.05. Tri Pointe Homes has a 52-week low of $14.59 and a 52-week high of $34.04. Insider Activity Tri Pointe Homes ( NYSE:TPH Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The construction company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $819.08 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $703.67 million. Tri Pointe Homes had a net margin of 11.71% and a return on equity of 17.37%. Equities research analysts forecast that Tri Pointe Homes will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year. In related news, CFO Glenn J. Keeler sold 21,413 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.01, for a total transaction of $706,843.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 102,194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,423.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Tri Pointe Homes news, CFO Glenn J. Keeler sold 21,413 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.01, for a total transaction of $706,843.13. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 102,194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,423.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Douglas F. Bauer sold 19,076 shares of Tri Pointe Homes stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.24, for a total value of $557,782.24. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 423,514 shares of the companys stock, valued at $12,383,549.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.00% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Tri Pointe Homes Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TPH. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Tri Pointe Homes during the first quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Tri Pointe Homes by 30.4% in the first quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,275 shares of the construction companys stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 531 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Tri Pointe Homes in the 4th quarter valued at about $78,000. Gibson Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Tri Pointe Homes by 6,200.0% during the 4th quarter. Gibson Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,670 shares of the construction companys stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 5,580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Tri Pointe Homes by 291.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,014 shares of the construction companys stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 2,244 shares during the last quarter. 98.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Tri Pointe Homes (Get Free Report) Tri Pointe Homes, Inc engages in the design, construction, and sale of single-family attached and detached homes in the United States. The company operates through a portfolio of six regional home building brands comprising Maracay in Arizona; Pardee Homes in California and Nevada; Quadrant Homes in Washington; Trendmaker Homes in Texas; TRI Pointe Homes in California, Colorado, and the Carolinas; and Winchester Homes in Maryland and Northern Virginia. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Tri Pointe Homes Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tri Pointe Homes and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Westpac Banking Corp lessened its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC Free Report) by 12.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 115,712 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 16,866 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corps holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $10,968,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in WEC Energy Group by 140.7% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 17,343 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,644,000 after buying an additional 10,137 shares during the last quarter. Beck Bode LLC acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $10,052,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 49.7% during the 1st quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 4,230 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 1,404 shares during the last quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 112.5% during the 1st quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC now owns 14,027 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,323,000 after buying an additional 7,426 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Liberty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group during the first quarter worth approximately $222,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.68% of the companys stock. Get WEC Energy Group alerts: WEC Energy Group Trading Down 0.6 % Shares of NYSE WEC opened at $90.06 on Friday. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $80.82 and a 12-month high of $108.20. The company has a market cap of $28.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $89.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.15. WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement WEC Energy Group ( NYSE:WEC Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.90 billion. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 11.60% and a net margin of 14.10%. The firms quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.79 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.6 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 14th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 11th. WEC Energy Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 72.90%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades WEC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $100.00 to $96.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 14th. Mizuho reissued a buy rating and issued a $98.00 price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Friday, June 30th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on WEC Energy Group from $98.00 to $91.00 in a report on Friday, June 9th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their target price on WEC Energy Group from $99.00 to $94.00 in a research report on Friday, July 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $99.10. Insider Buying and Selling at WEC Energy Group In other WEC Energy Group news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.36, for a total transaction of $141,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,029,023.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders. WEC Energy Group Profile (Free Report) WEC Energy Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides regulated natural gas and electricity, and renewable and nonregulated renewable energy services in the United States. The company operates through six segments: Wisconsin, Illinois, Other States, Electric Transmission, Non-Utility Energy Infrastructure, and Corporate and Other. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WEC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for WEC Energy Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WEC Energy Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO Free Report) had its target price hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $62.00 to $70.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports. A number of other research firms have also issued reports on BRO. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Brown & Brown from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Citigroup raised Brown & Brown from a neutral rating to a buy rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $62.00 to $69.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Brown & Brown from $69.00 to $68.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 10th. StockNews.com raised Brown & Brown from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Brown & Brown from $73.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $70.80. Get Brown & Brown alerts: Brown & Brown Stock Performance NYSE BRO opened at $70.59 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.49, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Brown & Brown has a 52-week low of $52.82 and a 52-week high of $72.99. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $66.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $61.90. The firm has a market cap of $20.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.36 and a beta of 0.77. Brown & Brown Dividend Announcement Brown & Brown ( NYSE:BRO Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.08. Brown & Brown had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 18.34%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $997.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 24.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Brown & Brown will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.115 per share. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 8th. Brown & Browns dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.83%. Insider Transactions at Brown & Brown In other news, Director Bronislaw Edmund Masojada purchased 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $65.78 per share, with a total value of $263,120.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $263,120. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 17.02% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brown & Brown A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brown & Brown by 93.7% during the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 461 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brown & Brown during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. PSI Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brown & Brown during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brown & Brown by 1,427.8% during the 2nd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 550 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the period. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brown & Brown during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.90% of the companys stock. Brown & Brown Company Profile (Get Free Report) Brown & Brown, Inc markets and sells insurance products and services in the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Retail, National Programs, Wholesale Brokerage, and Services. The Retail segment provides property and casualty, employee benefits insurance products, personal insurance products, specialties insurance products, risk management strategies, loss control survey and analysis, consultancy, and claims processing services. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Brown & Brown Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Brown & Brown and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of WidePoint (NYSEAMERICAN:WYY Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning. The firm issued a sell rating on the technology companys stock. WidePoint Stock Up 2.6 % WYY stock opened at $1.95 on Tuesday. WidePoint has a 52 week low of $1.70 and a 52 week high of $3.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.03 million, a P/E ratio of -1.12 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.93. Get WidePoint alerts: WidePoint (NYSEAMERICAN:WYY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 15th. The technology company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $25.27 million for the quarter. WidePoint had a negative net margin of 16.03% and a positive return on equity of 2.98%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On WidePoint WidePoint Company Profile A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in WidePoint by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 390,757 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $833,000 after acquiring an additional 34,072 shares during the period. Channel Wealth LLC acquired a new position in WidePoint during the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. EA Series Trust acquired a new stake in shares of WidePoint in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in WidePoint in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP purchased a new stake in WidePoint during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.85% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) WidePoint Corporation provides technology management as a service (TMaaS) to the government and business enterprises in North America and Europe. The company offers TMaaS solutions through a secure federal government certified proprietary portal and secure enterprise portal that provides ability to manage, analyze, and protect communications assets, as well as deploy identity management solutions that provide secured virtual and physical access to restricted environments. See Also Receive News & Ratings for WidePoint Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WidePoint and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF Free Report) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 5,766 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $1,409,000. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF makes up about 1.3% of ZRC Wealth Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,723 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,050 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,208 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 2,565 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $627,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPG Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. RPG Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,688 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF alerts: iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Stock Up 1.6 % Shares of NYSEARCA IWF traded up $4.41 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $284.07. The stock had a trading volume of 1,073,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,461,928. The company has a market capitalization of $73.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 1.08. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a 1-year low of $202.05 and a 1-year high of $286.96. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $270.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $248.61. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Company Profile iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment returns that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of equity securities of Russell 1000 index issuers with relatively higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IWF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A four-day jury trial in the felony case against former Spotsylvania School Board Chair Kirk Twigg, which was scheduled to begin Aug. 7, has been delayed due to the unavailability of a witness. Twigg was indicted by a Spotsylvania Grand Jury in February and charged with one felony count of forgery and one misdemeanor count of tampering with public records. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in March and the jury trial was scheduled. The charges stem from a Sept. 21, 2022, school board meeting during which Twigg is alleged to have altered a contract for interim superintendent Kelly Guempel, doubling the amount of his monthly stipend, after it had been approved by the board. The witness who is unavailable is Bradford King, an attorney with Richmond-based firm Sands Anderson, who represented the school board from January through mid-September of last year, when he resigned. On July 6, King filed a motion to intervene and an objection to the issuance of a subpoena requiring him to testify at the trial. According to exhibits attached to the motion, King was contacted on June 26 by Twiggs attorney, Jeffrey Mangeno, requesting a meeting and indicating his intent to subpoena King. My review of discovery and information independently gathered from my client indicates that you have information that will aid in my clients defense and therefore I anticipate, absent your consent, seeking leave from the Court to issue a witness subpoena upon you, Mangeno wrote. In his motion objecting to the subpoena, Kings lawyer, Cullen Seltzer, argued that Kings testimony would violate attorneyclient privilege. He stated that in lieu of appearing as a witness, King would agree to prepare an affidavit, but that he had not received a draft of the affidavit by the time he filed the motion. Seltzer also stated King would not be available to appear at the August trial due to a previously scheduled vacation. There was a hearing on July 20 on Kings objection, at which the court approved the subpoena request for King, prosecuting attorney James Hingeley told The Free LanceStar in an email this week. Hingeley, who serves as the Commonwealths Attorney for Albemarle County, will be in Spotsylvania Circuit Court on Aug. 7 to argue motions to dismiss the case filed by Twiggs lawyer, Mangeno, in July. The motion to dismiss argues that even if Twigg did alter Guempels contract, the actions do not constitute forgery of a public document under Virginia law. In his response, Hingeley argues the facts asserted establish that Kirk Twigg materially altered a public record such that it is no longer what it purports to be and constitutes the forgery of a public record in violation of 18.2-168 of the Code of Virginia. Twigg is running for a third term on the Spotsylvania School Board representing the Livingston District. He is being challenged by Megan Jackson, a mother of four students in Spotsylvania schools. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2023. Ndayishimiye is here to attend the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games and visit China. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu] CHENGDU, July 28 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. Ndayishimiye is here to attend the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games and visit China. Xi said that China-Burundi relations have withstood the test of international changes and uncertainties, and the two countries are all-weather friends who share weal and woe and good partners respecting each other and developing together. China firmly supports Burundi in upholding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in pursuing an independent and self-reliant development path, Xi said. China is willing to strengthen exchanges of state governance experience with Burundi, Xi said, adding that China will accelerate the progress of major cooperation projects and support the early export of Burundi's agricultural products to China. He said China encourages capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Burundi, and will help Burundi achieve food self-sufficiency and sustainable development. China is willing to work with Burundi to jointly contribute to peace and stability in Africa, Xi said. Noting that China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future, Xi said the two sides need to strengthen unity and cooperation to safeguard the common interests of developing countries as well as international fairness and justice in a world that is facing multiple challenges and crises. China is willing to provide new opportunities to African countries with its new development, and work with Africans to promote Belt and Road cooperation, align the Global Development Initiative with the African Union's Agenda 2063, and achieve common development and progress, said Xi. Ndayishimiye said Burundi regards China as an all-weather cooperative partner for its national development, and firmly adheres to the one-China policy and considers Taiwan as an inalienable part of China. Burundi firmly supports the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by China, opposes double standards on human rights issues, and stands against interference in other countries' internal affairs, he said. Ndayishimiye expressed the hope to strengthen cooperation with China in agriculture, mining, animal husbandry and other fields. Burundi is willing to enhance communication and cooperation with China in regional and international affairs, strengthen Africa-China unity and cooperation, and build a more just and reasonable international order, he said. Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Wang Yi, and Shen Yiqin attended the meeting. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2023. Ndayishimiye is here to attend the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games and visit China. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu] (Source: Xinhua) Weather Alert .Multiple rounds of heavy rain are expected this afternoon and tonight, and this will cause areas of flash flooding to develop across parts of southeast Missouri, far southern and southwest Illinois, and the Purchase Region of western Kentucky. ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible. * WHERE...Portions of southern Illinois, western Kentucky and southeast Missouri, including the following areas, in southern Illinois, Alexander, Johnson, Massac, Pulaski and Union. In western Kentucky, Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall and McCracken. In southeast Missouri, Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Mississippi, New Madrid, Ripley, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne MO. * WHEN...Through this evening. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Low-water crossings may be flooded. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - Widespread rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches can be expected through late tonight, with locally higher amounts possible. Given the very saturated soils from recent rains, it will not take much heavy rain to cause flooding to develop. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. && A federal judge in Fairfax County ruled to dismiss a class-action lawsuit brought against the Virginia Department of Education and the Fairfax County school division under federal disability law. The plaintiffs in the case had alleged active involvement of the state department of education in denying students with disabilities access to educational services that are guaranteed to them under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The law, passed in 1975, ensures that students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff did not deny the plaintiffs claims, but rather dismissed the case on procedural grounds. He found that none of the plaintiffs had standing to sue. But the judges order does not prevent different plaintiffs from pursuing the claims at issue in the lawsuit. The judge ruled that the Chaplick family was unable to sustain their claims because they failed to exhaust Virginias administrative procedures when trying to obtain educational services that they claimed were appropriate for their son. The judge wrote that he does not see how the procedural issues with the suit at hand would apply to plaintiffs who had exhausted the administrative procedures. Thus, while this case must be dismissed, a future case may fare differently, Nachmanoff wrote in his opinion filed this week. The Virginia Department of Education declined to discuss the decision. The Fairfax County Public Schools division declined to comment on the allegations presented in the lawsuit, but provided a statement: FCPS appreciates the courts careful consideration of the arguments presented and agrees with the dismissal of the lawsuit. FCPS remains committed to working with parents to provide students with disabilities an education that meets their needs. The class-action suit filed in Fairfax County in September asserted that in recent decades hearing officers rarely sided with parents who challenge school plans for how to educate their children. Plaintiffs Trevor Chaplick and Vivian Chaplick, the parents of a current Fairfax County Public Schools student, said the school district rejected the idea that the student needed to leave the division. Identified as D.C. in the suit, the Chaplicks' son has faced significant challenges in his life including Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-Primarily Hyperactive-Impulsive Type, Tourettes Syndrome, Encephalopathy, Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety and Disturbance of Conduct, and an Intellectual Disability of an undetermined severity, according to the suit. The Chaplicks went ahead with a due-process hearing despite receiving a warning from a school system social worker that they should not bother [with the case] because they would lose' according to the suit. In January, the Chaplicks broadened the scope of their case to allege active involvement of the state education department in denying students with disabilities access to educational services that are guaranteed to them under federal law. The amended lawsuit alleged that school divisions and the state education department encouraged the falsification of students grades, illegally withheld information from parents, failed to properly investigate denials of appropriate education services to students and failed to create and update Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in accordance with federal law. A joint statement released Thursday by the European Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirms that the first three weeks of July have been the warmest three-week period ever recorded and predicts that the month will be the hottest ever experienced by human civilization. Carlo Buontempo, the director of C3S, noted as part of the statement, Record-breaking temperatures are part of the trend of drastic increases in global temperatures. Anthropogenic emissions are ultimately the main driver of these rising temperatures. He continued, Julys record is unlikely to remain isolated this year, C3S seasonal forecasts indicate that over land areas temperatures are likely to be well above average, exceeding the 80th percentile of climatology for the time of year. A local resident reacts as the flames burn trees in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. [AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris] The record broken this July was last set in August 2016, when the global average temperature spiked to 16.92 degrees Celsius (62.46 degrees Fahrenheit), as measured by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). But since July 3, the worldwide temperature averaged every 24 hours skyrocketed past that, reaching a new height of 17.23 C (63.01 F) on July 6. The coolest day since then was July 14, falling to 16.94 C (62.49 F), still just above the previous peak. Earths tropics and Northern Hemisphere have been hit particularly hard by the ongoing heatwave, with temperatures in those regions currently about 0.9 C (1.6 F) and 1.2 C (2.1 F) above average, respectively. Ocean temperatures in the North Atlantic have been shattering seasonal records since March, reaching almost 1.5 C (2.7 F) above average, while world ocean temperatures outside the poles remain 0.8 C (1.4 F) above average, including a new record 21.1 C (69.98 F), also set in March. It is increasingly likely that 2023 as a whole will become the hottest year ever recorded. Among the most catastrophic consequences of the record temperatures this year have been the wildfires in Canada, which have burned more than 100,000 square kilometers (38,600 square miles), nearly double the previous record set in 1989, and blanketed the North American Northeast with toxic levels of smoke and ash. Large portions of Southern Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and the entire Southern US were or still are under heat alerts. Floods have killed 47 people in the US, including 13 from the flash floods in July, while wildfires in Europe and North Africa have killed more than 40. Hundreds have died from heat stroke in Algeria, China, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Mexico and Spain. Moreover, the disasters caused by climate change now are the precursors to even more catastrophic events. The water temperatures off the Florida coast38.38 C (101.1 F)and the extent of Antarctic sea icemore than 2.6 million square kilometers (about 1 million square miles) below averageare indicators of what is to come. Warming oceans threaten critical coral systems and the global plankton population with disease and mass die-off, which in turn threatens the base of the entire food chain. The lack of Antarctic sea ice constantly poses the mortal danger of land ice falling into the ocean, raising ocean levels worldwide and permanently flooding coastal areas where an estimated 3 billion people live. There is no longer any doubt that global warming has been caused by the exploitation of Earths resources by anarchic capitalist production, particularly the essentially unregulated burning of coal, oil and natural gas for a century and a half. The pressing question is for a resolution to the ongoing and accelerating ecological crisis. In response to the C3S and WMO report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted at a press conference that Humanity is in the hot seat [and] humans are to blame. This is a false equivalency, and Guterres knows this. Humanity is not to blame; capitalism is. What really blocks every effort to seriously address the climate crisis is the profit system, the subordination of economic life to private profit and the division of the world into rival nation-states. In 2008, the US Socialist Equality Party statement of principles declared, The irreconcilable conflict between the profit system and the very survival of humanity finds, in a literal sense, its most noxious expression in the crisis of global warming and the natural environment. The cause of this crisis lies not, as is falsely claimed by the bourgeois media, with population growth. Nor is it the result of science and technologywhose development is critical to the advance of human civilizationbut, rather, with their misuse by an irrational and obsolete economic order. It concludes, All scientific evidence points to the fact that nothing short of the socialist reorganization of the world economyin which the planetary environment would no longer be held hostage to either the profit motive or destructive nationalist interestswill achieve the reductions in greenhouse gases necessary to prevent disaster. Every international conference to address climate change, most recently the COP27 climate summit, has ended in abject failure, as a result of the impossibility of addressing a fundamentally global problem on the basis of feuding capitalist nation-states, all of which are reneging on whatever climate pledges they made in an earlier period as they massively expand military spending. The capitalist profit system, which organizes society on the basis of the self-interest of the capitalist class, is organically incapable of the massive level of social planning and organization necessary to address the climate crisis. According to the Carbon Majors Report, which was most recently updated in 2020, the top 108 fossil fuel companies (e.g. Saudi Aramco, Chevron, Gazprom, BP, ExxonMobil) are responsible for 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions since 1751 (the year often used as the baseline for global warming), half of which have been emitted since 1990. Just 20 of those companies are responsible for 30 percent of global emissions. The profits are astronomical. The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, stated this past February that oil and gas profits globally shot up to $4 trillion in 2022, further enriching the investment firms and financial institutions in every major capitalist country that control these companies. While multimillionaires and billionaires gorge themselves on the resources of the Earth, it is the working class and rural masses who pay the price. The heat wave in Europe last year killed more than 61,000 people, a toll that is expected to be equalled or surpassed this year. Last years climate change-induced flooding in Pakistan displaced 33 million people. Around 500 million people who farm livestock are at risk of losing their livelihoods. Nearly 1 billion people are at risk of starvation as the land they rely on for sustenance becomes too arid to sustain human life. In other words, the fight against climate change is fundamentally a class question. The impact of climate change is most directly and catastrophically felt by the working class, including through droughts, famine, wildfires and floods. To this one can add all the workers who labor under and die as a result of extreme weather and the myriad other consequences of global warming. All appeals to any section of the capitalist ruling elite are therefore bankrupt. Whether led by the Democrats or Republicans in the US, or the Conservatives or Social Democrats in Europe, the major capitalist powers stand exposed as incapable and disinterested in dealing with the crisis. They are far more interested in enriching themselves through various carbon trading schemes and invading and destroying whole countries. The response of world governments to the coronavirus pandemic serves as a further example of the interests of this tiny social layer. Rather than initiating a global campaign to prevent the spread of the deadly disease, the US and every major power first sought to ensure that corporate profits, not human lives, would be protected. The underlying policy of malign neglect has left an estimated 24 million dead and tens of millions more suffering from Long COVID. As for the middle class environmental movements, their evolution is epitomized by the Greens, who have become supporters of militarism and critical instruments of class rule. The German Green Party, in particular, has, as a result of its support for capitalism, become one of the most fervent advocates of imperialist war, including the US-NATO war against Russia in Ukraine. The political trajectory of these parties and tendencies makes clear that any effort to abate and reverse global warming that is not based on the development of a movement of the working class to overthrow capitalism on a global scale is hopelessly utopian and bankrupt. The record-breaking upsurge in global temperatures is taking place at the same time as the emergence of a massive strike movement around the world. Just this past year has seen sharp struggles in the auto, healthcare and logistics industries, with explosive class battles at UPS, USPS, West Coast docks and the Big Three auto companies already taking shape in the United States alone. Just as with the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and imperialist war, the fight against climate change is inexorably bound up with the development of the class struggle. It is urgently necessary to arm these mounting working class struggles with a socialist perspective for the reorganization of society on a rational basis to address human needs, not private profit. This is the only means by which the climatological catastrophe can be averted. A man who pummeled several staff members at the regional juvenile holding facility last year pleaded guilty to three felony charges this week. Vick Joshua Watford, 19, of Newport News, was convicted Thursday in Stafford Circuit Court of maliciously injuring a law enforcement officer and two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer. He will face the possibility of up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 28. Watford was being held in the Rappahannock Juvenile Center on Wyche Road in Stafford when the incident took place on Sept. 9. He was being held on a robbery conviction stemming from an incident that occurred when he was a juvenile. According to the evidence presented by prosecutor Philip Chichester, Watford and another inmate attacked several staff members after being told to get off the phone and lock down early for the night. Watford refused to get off the phone and became aggressive when confronted by staff members, court records state. Several staffers were struck during the ensuing commotion, and two ended up in the hospital. The most seriously injured officer suffered a broken nose, a fractured orbital socket, a head injury and a sprained neck. Other injuries included abrasions and deep bruises. Chichester wrote that the fractures were caused by Watfords fists. Watford has since been transferred to the local adult jail. On Thursday, Biobot Analytics released its latest wastewater estimates, finding that over the last five weeks levels of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage water has doubled in the United States. These data underscore that the latest summer surge of COVID-19 has been well underway for some time, despite the near-total blackout by capitalist politicians and the corporate media. Given the complete lack of data on actual infections across the country, wastewater is now the only reliable means of tracking viral transmission. In a tweet by World Socialist Web Site writer Andre Damon, which has gone viral and been viewed by nearly 1 million people, he noted, The public is being told nothing by a government and media intent on covering up this ongoing disaster. According to Biobot, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and founded by an interdisciplinary group of biologists and urban studies researchers, genomic sequencing of wastewater samples demonstrate that every region of the US is presently seeing a rise in viral particles in wastewater, with the Midwest and West now playing catch-up with the Northeast and South, where the surge initially began. This weeks announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that there has been a sudden spike in the number of hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits for COVID-19 only gives clinical validity to the use of wastewater data. Over the past week, the number of overall COVID-19 hospital admissions has risen roughly 10 percent, while emergency room visits for COVID-19 have increased 50 percent. Data scientist JP Weiland, who has been providing critical modeling analysis on the state of the pandemic in the US, recently updated his graphs, indicating that the current wastewater levels correspond to roughly 366,000 daily COVID-19 infections. Additionally, he noted that the trend for rising hospital admissions for COVID-19 would continue well past August. US COVID Projections, July 26, 2023. Credit @JPWeiland. [Photo: @JPWeiland] Despite these developments, the public has yet to be informed of the latest surge by the Biden administration, while the media continues to dutifully play accomplice to the cover-up, either remaining silent on the topic or minimizing the potential implications of allowing the virus to repeatedly rip through society. For instance, after acknowledging these worrisome trends, the Wall Street Journal gleefully wrote, The good news is that we are starting from very low rates. However, the current wastewater levels are already far higher than at the same time in 2020, and slightly higher than in 2021 when the Delta surge was already well underway. Although the morbidity from an acute infection impacts the elderly and immunocompromised most severely, no one is really immune to the ravages of COVID-19, as roughly one in 10 people will develop Long COVID, often with significant consequences. For people suffering with Long COVID for more than 12 weeks, a UK-based study found that two years on they show reduced performance in memory and reasoning tests and have poorer motor controls. In a recent article in The Atlantic on fatigue, one of the most common Long COVID symptoms, patients describe its often debilitating effects. The report notes that the fatigue these people experience has many faces. The debilitating impact of Long COVID has forced millions to leave the workforce and even more to care for their loved ones, who anguish for any answers let alone treatment for their maladies. Under these circumstances, the CDC is manipulating its wastewater data to hide the real state of the pandemic, as only the WSWS has reported. Percent of sites in each percent change category over time, United States. With the decline in surveillance sites as depicted by the black trend line (red arrow), the rise in wastewater levels of SARS-CoV-2 is blunted or declining (blue arrow). [Photo: CDC] As the figure above from the CDC demonstrates, since the beginning of July the number of sites providing wastewater data has dropped precipitously from 1,343 to 1,114, or by nearly 20 percent. This precipitous drop in reporting sites corresponds with a blunting of the beginning of the current surge through the month of July. This same sudden drop-off of reporting sites occurred at the end of December 2022, hiding the winter surge of the XBB.1.5 variant. Without the Biobot data to confirm the current surge, the CDC could have easily reported that the surge was passing and the rise in their healthcare statistics simply an anomaly. This is only the latest in a long of data manipulation by the CDC, which has played fast and loose with data that is vital to protecting the health and welfare of the population. On three separate occasionswith the Omicron BA.5 subvariant in October 2022, XBB.1.5 in January 2023, and XBB.1.16 in April 2023the CDC delayed announcing the presence of the latest Omicron variants until called out under growing public pressure. Again, the WSWS is the only outlet that seriously reported these coverups. In a recent interview, Dr. Michael Osterholm, previous adviser to the Biden administration on the pandemic, commented on the disastrous state of public health in the US, stating: Over the next several months, were about to see the public health system in this country systematically dismantled. Ive never seen anything like this in my 48 years in the businessthe amount of claw back that has happened with resources and funds. Were going to see major layoffs in public health agencies all across the country at federal, state, and local levels. Were going to see research scaled back substantially on infectious disease. Osterholm concluded, If you add it all up, and then you realize the lack of trust that exists now in public health, I think were less prepared for the future than we were in 2019 and 2020. He went on to warn: Just think of the following: If you look at coronavirus potential, between SARS and MERS, they killed 15 to 35 percent of the people that got infected. The good news was that they were not nearly as infectious as SARS-CoV-2. But SARS-CoV-2 only killed a half-percent of people at most. There is nothing in the biological cookbook that says eventually were not going to see a coronavirus that is as infectious as SARS-CoV-2 and kills at the same rate as MERS and SARS. Given the clarity of these comments, one must ask why Osterholm authored an essay with Ezekiel Emanuel and Celine Gounder in January 2022 calling for a national strategy for living with COVID-19 as the new normal? As the WSWS warned at the time, Rather than take measures to end the pandemic, the US political establishment is promoting the equivalent of an accounting trick, aimed at burying and concealing deaths. The call to eliminate and eradicate the SARS-CoV-2 virus by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) early in the course of the pandemic was not simply a public health pronouncement. Rather, it was part of an international strategy to strengthen global ties among scientists and public health officials in order to prioritize the health of the worlds population. Such a program, which remains both viable and necessary, requires the following: Investing in technologyincluding HEPA filtration, Far-UVC devices and emerging detection technologiesto detect and eliminate the virus in indoor public spaces Building a vast cadre of epidemiologists and public health experts to guide communities in safe practices while meticulously tracking infections Sharing of scientific breakthroughs and identifying medicines and sterilizing vaccines that could guard against the ravages of the virus Funding healthcare systems with highly trained staff in sufficient numbers to care for those who are falling ill and at the same time tend to the medical needs of the entire population Fundamentally, the elimination principle aims at placing the needs of the working class foremost by creating the necessary infrastructure to ensure its health and welfare are made a priority. In a manner of speaking, it places at its fore the revolutionary principles of scientific socialism, providing a tremendous impetus to the perspective of guaranteeing social equality and a high standard of living for all people. The dismantling of public health infrastructure and the ending of the pandemic emergency measures are in essence attacks on the entire working population and all the gains that have been won through centuries of struggle, as measured by the previously growing life expectancy. Since 2020, more than 24 million global excess deaths attributable to the pandemic could have been averted, of which a significant number occurred among working age people. These are the fundamental lessons that the international working class must assimilate in its revolutionary role in leading the class struggle. It is not just COVID-19 that needs to be eliminated but capitalism that has given the virus the breadth to wreak havoc. Developments over the past week have underscored Australias transformation into a key hub for US-led preparations for an aggressive war against China. Missiles being fired during Talisman Sabre exercises in Australia [Photo: Talisman Sabre] Behind the backs of the population, the Labor government is currently presiding over massive war games rehearsing such a conflict; engaging in talks with top-level Biden administration officials to further integrate the armed forces of the two countries; and activating plans for the development of a war economy, in which broad swathes of economic life will be subordinated to the military machine. The current centerpiece of a broad range of diplomatic and military activities in the country directed against China are the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), taking place today in Brisbane. Australian defence and foreign ministers Richard Marles and Penny Wong are cloistered in closed-room discussions with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. What has been revealed in the press thus far indicates that the Labor ministers are agreeing to an even greater militarisation of the country than has already occurred. According to a detailed account in the Australian, AUSMIN will include a commitment from the Biden administration to assist in Australias guided weapons manufacturing plan. Australia will manufacture missiles for the US, and stockpile them, in a bid to expand the military-industrial base of both countries and integrate them. The turn to Australian missile production has a domestic component. A Defence Stratetic Review, whose recommendations were accepted by the Labor government in April, called for a vast expansion of Australian strike capabilities, above all in missiles, so that the country could engage in impactful projection throughout the region. While the details have yet to be released, interlinked US and Australian missile production also serves the aim of transforming Australia further into a southern anchor of aggressive US operations across the Indo-Pacific. The US is increasingly moving to station its most potent strike capabilities on the Australian continent, especially its north. There they would be out of range of some Chinese missiles and could be rapidly launched into the Indo-Pacific. In little noted reports last October, it was revealed that the Labor government had already agreed to allow US nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to rotate through northern Australia, being stationed there part of the year. The Australian report indicates that a further expansion of US basing is under discussion. The article stated that the talks would likely include a commitment to step up the rotations of US forces through Australia, and upgrade the nations northern air bases for use by both countries. The second part of the sentence directly contradicts the pretense in the first that US assets are merely rotating through Australia. In reality, the northern bases are to function as joint assets of the US and Australian militaries, underscoring the fact that Australia will automatically be involved in any US war with China. It has also been revealed that combatting purported Chinese influence and establishing US diplomatic and geo-strategic dominance over Southeast Asian and Pacific countries is a key item in the talks. A recently-announced police cooperation agreement between the tiny Pacific nation of the Solomon Islands and China is specifically mentioned in the Australian report as a focus of AUSMIN. The Labor government has been at the forefront of a pushback against Beijing in the Pacific. Wong has toured the region repeatedly, hectoring and bullying its leaders to toe the US line. The Solomons are a particular focal point. When it was revealed in April last year that its government had signed a security agreement with Beijing, the US, together with Australia, responded with threats of a military intervention if the deal included any permanent basing of Chinese forces. The offensive in the Pacific was demonstrated by Blinken and Austins itinerary prior to their arrival in Australia. Blinken took the highly unusual step of visiting the Pacific nation of Tonga, where he opened a new US embassy building, emphasised Americas commitment to the region and explicitly denounced Chinas purportedly problematic activities. Austin travelled to Papua New Guinea. There he reportedly held discussions about greater US access to the Lombrum naval base on Manus Island. Papua New Guinea is particularly strategic, as far and away the largest Pacific nation by landmass and population. Unlike a number of other Pacific nations, it has the size to accommodate large US warships, and the Lombrum facility has been a focus of successive US administrations. Blinken also visited New Zealand and held talks with its Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. While New Zealand is a US ally, persistent concerns have been raised that it is not sufficiently committed to the US confrontation with China, due to its dependence on trade with that country. Notably, Albanese separately visited New Zealand this week, indicating a coordinated, full-court press to more deeply align New Zealand with the war drive. The focus on Pacific dominance is also key to the Talisman Sabre military exercises, which have been underway for a week with another week to run. Initially established as a joint US-Australian operation, Talisman Sabre is now a vast undertaking. There is a large contingent of German troops participating for the first time, in line with the push to expand NATO into the Indo-Pacific. Soldiers from Japan and Taiwan, two crucial regional US allies, are present in force, as are a host of other Pacific and Southeast Asian nations which the US and Australia are trying to cajole more directly into their camp. The operation includes a greater number of live-fire exercises than ever before. It involves some 31,000 soldiers, who are conducting activities over a broader expanse of the Australian continent than in any previous iteration of Talisman Sabre. The focal point is a mock invasion of the Australian territory of Norfolk Island in the Pacific, in a clear dress rehearsal of an actual military conflict with Chinese forces. Various US military figures are obviously in the country for Talisman Sabre. But they are also participating in other activities. Last Saturday, in a development that has received virtually no press coverage, the US commissioned a new littoral combat ship, the USS Canberra. The event in Sydney, Australias largest city, was the first time in its entire history that the US navy has commissioned a ship abroad. The USS Canberra in the Pacific Ocean, June 2, 2023. [Photo: US Department of Defense/Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Mark D. Faram ] The event underscored the fact that Australia is overrun with US military officials and personnel. Present at the event was US Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro. Del Toro, a fanatical anti-communist from the Miami Cuban emigre community, has previously described AUKUS, the militarist pact between the US, Australia and Britain as the vehicle for defeating China and communism in every possible way, i.e., through war. Also in attendance was Admiral Michael Gilday, the chief of operations for the entire US navy. Australian ambassador to the US and former prime minister Kevin Rudd took part, as did other prominent figures crucial to Australias ever-deeper alignment with the American military build-up. Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador to Australia, has been continuously campaigning to promote the alliance after the announcement in March of a $368 billion deal for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines provoked widespread anger. The star-spangled kangaroo emblem is unveiled at the commissioning of USS Canberra on July 22, 2023. [Photo: @USEmbAustralia] Kennedy hailed the commissioning of the vessel, which will sail under the emblem of a star-spangled kangaroo. Speaking in strange, almost existential terms, Our lives may be shaped by the historical forces of our time, but it is the connections we make to one another that define us and give our lives meaning. Now it is our turn to carry this alliance forward for our own children and grandchildren. Similar statements have been made by Blinken and Austin. Such comments take the form of flattery of Australias crucial role in US operations, not only in this region, but internationally. But they also contain a veiled, or not so veiled threat. Any deviation from the alliance, and from the extensive military build-up that it requires will not be tolerated. The transformation of Australia into a vast base for war against China must be completed, not in the distant future but as an imminent necessity. In the lead-up to the AUSMIN talks, Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of the Australian published several articles highly critical of the Albanese government. Sheridan, a figure with the closest ties to Washington and the military-intelligence establishment, has generally backed the Labor administration and has welcomed its commitment to AUKUS and to war. However, in his articles last week, he sounded a different note. There was a growing danger, Sheridan warned, that the Labor government was all about photo opportunities and press releases. The central thrust of the Defence Strategic Review, of the need for a vast expansion of strike capabilities and of the military, had to be carried out in practice without delay. The major military acquisitions could not be kicked down the road, for fear of popular anger over the massive military spending that will be required. The author was Sheridan, but there is little doubt that he was transmitting a message from Washington. On Monday, the US Justice Department unveiled a lawsuit against the state of Texas and governor Greg Abbott after the state refused to move a 1,000-foot-long floating barrier deployed in the Rio Grande earlier this month. In a letter to Abbott and Interim Texas Attorney General Angela Colmenero, the federal government accused Texas of violating the Rivers and Harbors Act and endangering public safety in a manner that would obstruct the federal governments duties regarding immigration law. We write to inform you ... that the United States intends to file legal action in relation to the State of Texass unlawful construction of a floating barrier in the Rio Grande, the letter read. The legal action follows a previous letter sent by the Biden administration last Thursday that threatened to sue Texas if it failed to agree to a commitment to remove the buoy barrier by 1 pm Central Time on Monday. Instead, Abbott revived the old argument of states rights and challenged the long-established authority the federal government has concerning immigration. US National Guardsmen patrol as workers continue to deploy large buoys to be used as a border barrier along the banks of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. [AP Photo/Eric Gay] The legal action also comes nearly a week after the Houston Chronicle reported a series of allegations from a state trooper who complained to a superior in an email that a Department of Public Safety (DPS) official in Eagle Pass ordered troopers to push migrants including small children and mothers with nursing babies back into the Rio Grande. DPS says it is investigating these claims. Abbott responded with a letter of his own to Bidens office, committing to keep the barrier in place and claiming it was his right as the commander-in-chief of our States militia. The buoy barrier, accompanied by traps of razor wire, was deployed earlier this month by Texas troopers as part of Operation Lone Star, Abbotts border security initiative launched in March 2021, shortly after Biden took office. This fascistic initiative, funded to the tune of $4 billion, has included busing thousands of migrants to Democratic-led cities and arresting asylum seekers on trespassing charges. Although the barrier only covers a small section of the 1,254-mile long border between Mexico and Texas, Abbott has utilized its deployment to embolden the racist and fascist forces in the far right and incite a political rebellion against federal authority. Hours after the lawsuit was filed, Abbott took to Twitter, saying, Texas will see the Biden Administration in court to aggressively defend our sovereign authority to secure the border. Bidens open border policies created this humanitarian disaster. Texas will continue to exercise our constitutional right to respond. In an interview with Fox News Bret Baier, Abbott claimed that Texas efforts had repelled tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of refugees trying to cross the border. The emerging legal battle between Texas and the federal government marks the first time the Biden administration has challenged Abbott over his refusal to acknowledge the legal authority the federal government holds over matters of immigration. However, the response of the Democratic Party has been rife with hypocrisy and reflects indifference towards the lives of migrants. Last Friday, more than 80 Democrats in the US House of Representatives, including all of those from Texas, sent a letter to the President urging him to intervene against Operation Lone Star and stop Abbotts dangerous and cruel actions by asserting his administrations authority at the border. The Democrats do not call for an end to the mistreatment of migrants, but merely ask that Biden give what occurs at the border a more humane veneer. In their response to Abbott, the Democrats could not help boasting of the efficacy of Bidens border policies. President Bidens border enforcement plan has led to the lowest levels of unlawful border crossings in over two years, White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan said in a written statement. Governor Abbotts dangerous and unlawful actions are undermining that effective plan, making it hard for the men and women of Border Patrol to do their jobs of securing the border, and putting migrants and border agents in danger. According to the Department of Homeland Security, about 85,000 migrants have been repatriated since the pandemic emergency order Title 42 was lifted. Thats a 65 percent rise since the same period last year, which saw 51,246. During the same period the previous year, there were 33,087 repatriations, according to the department. The Department is sending a clear message about the consequences of coming to the United States and seeking asylum improperly, said Miguel Vergara, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Harlingen field office director. The Democrats have also joined forces with Republicans who are opposed to Abbotts actions because they interfere with a source of cheap labor for employers. A bipartisan group, led by Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), introduced the H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers (HIRE) Act. The HIRE Act suggests changes to current immigration law so more low-income immigrants can be welcomed into the United States to address the labor shortage. With our current labor shortage crisis, we often ask why employers dont turn to the H-2 Visa program to fill their labor needs. The fact is that this program is often an employers last resort, Gonzalez stated. The current system adds financial and administrative burdens on businesses that are already struggling to find workers, he added. We must make it easier for small businesses, like those in South Texas, to fill their labor needs. This common sense bill streamlines our nations H-2 Visa program, supports our struggling agriculture and construction industries and mitigates illegal migration. Ultimately, the attack on immigrants is an attack against the working class as a whole. The attitude of both capitalist parties towards immigrants is embodied in the decades-long history of bipartisan efforts to seal the US border and exploit what few poor workers the government allows in legally. The brutality with which American capitalism treats asylum seekers is a conscious class policy. American workers must unite their struggles with those of their immigrant brothers and sisters to secure democratic rights, a decent standard of living and the right for workers to move about as they please. Sixty-five workers from Ramboda Estates RB division at Kotmale in the Nuwara- Eliya district have been on strike since May 16 to demand that their employer deposit required funds into their pension accounts, which are maintained by the Central Bank. The strikers allege that the owner of the estate has not deposited the legally required payments and that workers will not receive their pensions when they retire. Workers from RB division of the Ramboda Estate picketing to demand their pension fund and housing rights on July 16 2023 The workers pension fund includes two categories. The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is a shared pension system with contributions from employers and employees. Employees contributions are a percentage of their salaries and comes from their monthly wage. The other category is the Employees Trust Fund scheme which the employer contributes to. Strikers say that their employer has not deposited any money into these pension funds for years even though the workers contribution is automatically deducted from their monthly income. The workers launched this struggle independently of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Sri Lankas main plantation union, which has a branch on the estate. While the CWC has completely abandoned these workers, the strikers are determined to continue their action until their demands are met. RB is one of the four divisions of the Ramboda Estate. The others are Bloomfield, New Division and Fifty-Acres with a total of around 300 workers employed across the whole estate, which is privately owned by Gandhi Soundararajan. Soundararajan works at Malayaha [Up-country] Development Authority and is also the official CWC representative at the estate. He is related to the Thondaman family, which has controlled the CWC for six decades. The current CWC leader is Jeevan Thondaman, who is also the Wickremesinghe governments minister of estate infrastructure and water supply. RB division workers told the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) that the estates ownership has changed several time since 1991 when the state-owned plantation was leased out to private companies. All owners were close relatives of the Thondaman family. Sundararajan assumed ownership of the estate in 2017. A worker inside her line room at RB division of Ramboda estate, July 19, 2023 As several workers explained: All the rights we previously enjoyed have one by one been removed by management since 1991. The estate dispensary was closed and now its even very difficult to obtain a letter from the management confirming our residency [on the estate]. They said that work schedules have been reduced to three days per week and employees must pluck 20 kilograms of tea leaves per day to receive the 1,000-rupee daily wage. The estate has not been properly maintained and looks like a forest. The land is not being cleared, agrochemicals not applied, and the estates infrastructure is completely dilapidated. How can we pluck 20 kilograms per day in this situation? Our monthly average wage is less than 10,000 rupees ($US30) and its not even paid on the due date which is the 10th of every month. Paying our wage is delayed for days, one worker told the WSWS. While workers have protested against these attacks since 1991, including several month-long strikes over the non-payment of pension funds, these struggles were betrayed by the CWC, in collaboration with management. Another worker said: We been on strike for nearly three months. Our children tell us that they are not ready to live as slaves under the estate management and they are ready to fight with us. This time we not going to abandon our struggle until we win our demand. Estate management has attempted to sabotage the strike from the outset, threatening workers with dismissal. On June 12, management sent 39 strikers registered letters declaring that if they did not end the strike they would be deemed to have voluntarily abandoned their jobs. On June 21, they received another letter ordering them to report to work. After workers rejected managements threats and resolved to continue their struggle, they were sent a third letter ordering them to vacate their estate line rooms. A worker standing in front of her line room at Ramboda estate, July 19, 2023 Estate owner Soundararajan recently visited the estate accompanied by members of Special Task Force (STF) police officers. He falsely promised strikers that he would resolve the issue within three weeks and told them to return to work. Workers refused, telling him that they would not return to work until he resolved the problem. While maintaining their industrial action, the strikers are working outside the estate to earn a living. K. Saraswathie showed her EPF receipt to WSWS reporters. Ive been working here 28 years but theres only 60,000 rupees in my EPF account. The EPF money deducted from my wage has not even been sent to the Central Bank, she said. We are living in homes that are like cow sheds. We have to walk through crossroads and steps that are completely damaged and its very dangerous to reach the tea fields. There are leeches, leopards, snakes and wild pigs that attack us. The trade union is not concerned about any of our problems but is supporting management, she added. The problems described by Saraswathie are faced by thousands of plantation workers. This will intensify as the government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe brutally imposes the austerity measures demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan workers are threatened with job destruction, increased workloads, and attacks on their pensions. The Wickremesinghe government is moving to restructure 22 regional plantation companies (RPC) as part of its privatisation and restructuring of hundreds of state enterprises. This includes the closure of unprofitable estates, the cultivation of alternative commercial crops and the establishment tourist facilities in plantations. The RPCs has also introduced various methods to increase productivity and cut wages, including the highly exploitative revenue-share system, new technology such as tea plucking machines, and systematic increases in workloads. The CWC and all other plantation unions, including the National Workers Union, Democratic Workers Congress and the Upcountry Peoples Front have refused to defend estate workers rights. Instead, they are deepening their collaboration with the plantation companies and the government against the workers. The brutal attacks on Ramboda Estate workers since 1991 are yet another confirmation for plantation workers and every section of the working class that they cannot defend their jobs and basic rights through the trade unions which defend the profit system. Workers need alternative organisations, workers action committees independent of the trade union bureaucracy that collaborates with employers and capitalist governments. The workers at Alton and Glenugie estates in Maskeliya have already formed such committees. We urge Ramboda Estate workers, who have defied the trade unions call to return to work and rejected their employers threats, to step forward and build their own action committee. This will enable them to unite with their class brothers and sisters in other plantations and industrial sectors to fight against employers attacks on their living conditions and social and democratic rights. At the same time, we urge workers in other plantations to come to the assistance of striking Ramboda Estate workers by organising actions in their areas and building their own action committees. Broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunks (WDR) 24 July edition of Zeitzeichen, which commemorates a historical event every day, dealt with the arrival of Leon Trotsky in France 90 years ago. The Russian revolutionary and socialist opponent of Stalin had been expelled from the Soviet Union by Stalin in 1929 and spent four years on the Turkish island of Prinkipo before he managed to obtain a visa for France. Two years later he had to leave France again, first to Norway and then to Mexico. Trotsky speaking in Copenhagen in November 1932 The broadcast was a spiteful attack on Trotskyan amalgam of insults, lies, half-truths and omissions. The slanders were so crude that they discredit not Trotsky but the authors of the programme. Insofar as Trotsky himself is heard or the programme mentioned historical facts, he emerges as a positive and attractive person, in contrast to the vicious comments. For example, a speech by Trotsky is played in the original English (here the YouTube version), in which he thanks the Mexican people for the fact that the country granted him asylum andunlike the European governmentsoffered him the opportunity to defend himself against the slanders of the Moscow show trials: Dear listeners, you will understand that I begin my short address in my very imperfect English with thanks to the Mexican people. When fiends absurdly threatened my family, when my wife and I could no longer defend ourselves, the Mexican government opened the doors to this wonderful country and told us that here you can defend your rights and your honour freely. There is also an original quotation from the famous Copenhagen speech of 1932, in which Trotsky justifies, in German, the legitimacy of the October Revolution of 1917, which he led together with Lenin: The fact that the proletariat first came to power in one of the most backward countries of Europe seems at first sight quite puzzling. But this is nevertheless completely lawful. Lenin gave this explanation in a pithy formula: The chain is broken at its weakest link. Two other passages give some idea of the tremendous support Trotsky, the Left Opposition he led and the Fourth International he founded in 1938, possessed in the Soviet Union and internationally. A quote from Trotskys wife Natalya Sedova (it comes from Trotskys autobiography My Life) describes the scenes at a Moscow railway station when Trotsky was deported from Moscow and sent into exile to Alma Ata in January 1928: The demonstrators ran in front of the locomotive, clung to the carriages, stopped the train and called for Trotsky. ... There was an indescribable commotion at the station. There were clashes with the militia and the agents of the [Stalinist secret police] GPU, there were casualties on both sides; arrests were made. The train could not leave for an hour and a half. And towards the end of the programme, it is mentioned that 300,000 people gathered for Trotskys funeral in Mexico City after he succumbed to an attack by a Stalinist agent on 21 August 1940. Baberowski The rest of the programme stands in irreconcilable contrast to these scenes. Author Heiner Wember and editor Gesa Runker, who is the deputy chairperson of Verdi/WDR, hired Jorg Baberowski as an expert in insulting Trotsky. He had his say in detail in the 15-minute programme. Baberowski holds the chair for the history of Eastern Europe at Berlins Humboldt University and, according to a court decision, may be called a right-wing radical and a falsifier of history. When he was a student, Baberowski had already slandered Trotsky. As a member of the Maoist KBW, he justified the Moscow show trials and Stalins Great Terror, to which hundreds of thousands of Trotskyists, socialists, intellectuals, engineers and workers fell victim at the end of the 1930s. He also collected money for the Cambodian mass murderer Pol Pot. Since then, he has changed political flags: the Stalinist has become a fervent anticommunist and Hitler apologist. But Baberowskis attitude to Trotsky has remained the same. In 2014, he invited the British historian Robert Service to Humboldt University to promote his biography of Trotsky, which had been condemned by international experts as a piece of hack-work. The editor-in-chief of the World Socialist Web Site, David North, had demonstrated that Services work contained dozens of falsifications and concluded that his book was not a work of history but character assassination. The renowned journal The American Historical Review fully confirmed this assessment; the book disregarded the basic standards of historical scholarship, Bertrand M. Patenaude found. Fourteen historians, political scientists and commentators from Germany, Austria and Switzerland wrote an open letter against the publication of Services work by Suhrkamp Verlag. Professor Dr. Hermann Weber, doyen of communism and Stalinism research, described it as a diatribe and not a scholarly critical polemic. It was written in a completely tendentious manner and bristled with deliberate misrepresentations and distortions. Baberowski then invited Service to Berlin. To prevent him from being asked any critical questions, he moved the event to a secret location and employed a security guard to deny critics, including David North and students from his own faculty access to the venue. That WDR has now decided to invite this professional anti-Trotskyist and right-wing radical as an expert is no coincidence. Baberowski was chosen to continue the character assassination of Trotsky. He tried his best to fulfil this missionand at the most primitive intellectual level. Trotsky was a ruthless violent criminal who did not shy from employing violence, Baberowski railed. He was cold and without a trace of humanity. He was successful in the civil war because he was ruthless. This is claimed by a man who publicly attested of Adolf Hitler, he was not vicious and a Schreibtischtater [desk-bound perpetrator] who did not want to know about the bloody consequences of his deeds; who publicly declared that one should keep ones hands off fighting terrorists if one were not prepared to take hostages, burn villages and hang people and spread fear and terror, as the terrorists do; who physically attacked a Trotskyist member of the student parliament at Humboldt University, tore down election posters with his own hands and was therefore ordered by the court to pay 4,000 to drop a case for bodily harm and damage to property; who runs in right-wing radical circles and trivialises the crimes of the Nazis. Baberowski is an opponent of violence when it serves the revolution andas in the Russian civil warthe fight against counterrevolution. If, on the other hand, it is a matter of fascist violence or state terror, Baberowski has a completely different opinion. Then, it is justified to take hostages, burn villages and hang people. Under Trotskys command, the Red Army defeated several invading imperialist armies and White troops led by notorious butchers and antisemites, thus preventing Russia from reverting to pre-revolutionary despotism and barbarism. Trotsky himself never made a secret of the fact that the civil war demanded hardship. You cannot build an army without reprisals. You cannot lead masses of people to their death without having in the arsenal of command the death penalty, he wrote in My Life. That he ordered the shooting of hostages and personally witnessed their execution, as Baberowski claims in the WDR broadcast, is, however, a foul slander. For the moralising philistines who measured the behaviour of the revolution by the same abstract moral standards as that of reaction, Trotsky had only contempt: Let contemptible eunuchs not tell us that the slave owner who keeps the slave in chains by cunning and violence and the slave who breaks the chains by cunning or violence are equal before the court of morals, he wrote in 1938 in Their Morals and Ours. Baberowskis rants against Trotsky sometimes take on bizarre features. For example, he claims that the armoured train Trotsky used as a mobile command centre between the fronts in the vast country actually served the staging of power and radiated violence and power. It was important, that the commander-in-chief appeared like that and not otherwise. Or he declares that Lev Davidovich Bronstein adopted the party name Trotsky in order to be able to run away, to be able to disappearas if escaping from tsarist captivity were a reprehensible act. Baberowski presents the conflict between Stalinism and Trotskyism as a struggle between two individuals who wanted all the power for themselves. This is a mockery of any scientific view of history. As if a political struggle that lasted decades, involved hundreds of thousands, cost countless lives, and decided the fate of the working class in countries like China, Germany, France and Spain could be explained by the personal ambitions of two individuals! Trotsky and the Left Opposition embodied the historic interests of the international working class; they defended the programme of world socialist revolution that had helped the October Revolution to victory and underpinned the Communist International. Stalin represented the interests of the parasitic bureaucracy that had seized power in the Soviet Union, embodied imperialisms pressure on the isolated workers state and also played a counterrevolutionary role internationally. Stalins nationalist programme of socialism in one country was diametrically opposed to Trotskys programme of permanent revolution. Baberowskis sympathies in this struggle lie unreservedly on the side of Stalin, the dictator and mass murderer, whom he repeatedly highlights in a positive light against Trotsky: Stalin was the pragmatist among the Bolsheviks because he understood that he had to put the imperium on a foundation. It was absolutely clear to him that he could not operate with utopian ideas. Hence socialism in one country and the abandonment of world revolution. Trotsky was able to inspire people, Baberowski claims, but was not a team player. Stalin was a team player. He could manipulate people, use them, and give them the feeling that he respected them and treated them as equals. Trotsky could not do that because he always thought he was the greatest. What a mockery of reality! Stalin, who secured his rule by means of intrigues, the secret service and terror, was notorious for his solitary decisions, which took on paranoid features towards the end of his life. Trotsky, on the other hand, who no longer had any of the means of state power after his expulsion from the party, gathered thousands of loyal comrades-in-arms around him worldwide. Baberowski also brings antisemitic motives into play. He imputes to Trotsky the cynical phrase: The Trotskys make the revolution and the Bronsteins will pay for it. In reality, Trotsky never said anything of the sort. The sentence blaming the revolutionary activity of non-religious Jews (Trotsky) for the counterrevolutionary pogroms against the Jewish population (Bronstein) circulated in religious Jewish circles at the time, although the Bolsheviks fought antisemitism with all available means. The WDR broadcast ends with a scene from Boris Pasternaks novel Doctor Zhivago, in which the warlord Strelnikov (whom WDR equates with Trotsky) tells the poet Zhivago that he can no longer admire his poems because they are absurdly personal and history has killed private life in Russia. Killed also by him, the revolutionary Leon Trotsky, adds WDR. What an abysmal falsification of history! Trotsky was not only an outstanding Marxist theoretician, revolutionary leader and author, he also wrote an important contribution to the Marxist understanding of art with Literature and Revolution. Among other things, he subjected the doctrine of proletarian art, which later flowed into the socialist realism of the Stalin era, to a biting critique. In 1938, together with the surrealist writer Andre Breton and the Mexican painter Diego Rivera, he published a manifesto For an Independent Revolutionary Art. Trotskys fight against Hitler The WDR programme denounces Trotskys role in the revolution and the civil war but conceals the political circumstances of his arrival in France. Less than six months earlier, Hitler had seized power in Germany. When Trotsky arrived in France, the concentration camps were filling up with communists, trade unionists, social democrats and soon Jews. Trotsky, from his Turkish exile, had warned of the impending catastrophe like no other and fought tirelessly against the disastrous policies of the German Communist Party (KPD) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) that divided the working class and allowed Hitler to seize power without a fight. His writings on Germany from this period, which fill two thick volumes, were read by tens of thousands and aroused the admiration of people as diverse as Kurt Tucholsky and Bertold Brecht. Trotskys arrival in France set alarm bells ringing in Nazi Germany. Hitler knew as well as Goebbels that Trotsky, not Stalin, embodied the world socialist revolution against which the Nazi terror was directed. When the French Ambassador Coulondre warned Hitler six years later, shortly before the war began, that in the event of war the real victor would be Trotsky, the Fuhrer replied: I know. Trotsky commented on this dialogue, These gentlemen like to give the spectre of revolution a personal name. Baberowskis diatribes against Trotsky could have appeared in this form in 1933 in the Nazi daily Volkischer Beobachter or another propaganda organ of Goebbels. This is no coincidence. Since Baberowski declared in Der Spiegel nine years ago that Hitler was not vicious, the rehabilitation of Nazi crimes has come a long way. Even then, the media fell not on Baberowski but on the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) and its youth organisation IYSSE, which criticised Baberowski. While numerous students and their organisations supported the IYSSE, the professors almost unanimously backed Baberowski. In the meantime, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) sits in the Bundestag (federal parliament) and the state parliaments, the federal government cooperates with Ukraine and the Baltic States with governments that erect monuments to Nazi collaborators and right-wing extremists sit in government in Italy, Finland, Sweden and Hungary. The rehabilitation of the Nazis and the slander of Trotsky are two sides of the same coin. Decades of social austerity and growing social inequality place fierce class struggles on the agenda. Those in ruling circles react to this as they did 90 years ago, with fascism and war. They fear that the perspective of world socialist revolution, which Trotsky embodied like no other in the 20th century, will again find favour among workers and youth. These gentlemen, too, like to give the spectre of revolution a personal name. The poisoning of Flint, Michigans drinking water has rightly become symbolic of the brutality of American capitalism, but Flint is only one of many communities facing a water crisis. A raging battle over water and other natural resources is taking place across the US, as Wall Street utilizes the necessities of life to extract every penny possible from the working class. The tiny Detroit enclave of Highland Park, Michigan, is one of these desperate communities. On April 17, the City Council voted to ask Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for permission to file Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy to keep the water flowing. If we do not, the citizens houses will be levied, and our water can possibly be shut off, Highland Park Mayor Glenda McDonald said. The crisis in the enclave occurs exactly 10 years after its surrounding district, Detroit, was forced into the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history. The Detroit bankruptcy resulted in a massive payout to the banks and hedge funds, financed through the destruction of workers pensions, benefits and jobs, and the sale or partial privatization of city assets, including the water department. The plight of Highland Parka parcel of land less than three square miles which sits in the middle of Detroit (143 square miles) that survives on Detroits services, sends its children to Detroit schools and is wholly tied to Detroitrefutes the lying claim that the bankruptcy fixed the crisis for anyone but wealthy bondholders and bankers. Highland Park, with a population of under 9,000 people, suffers the same degrading poverty as much of Detroit and ranks among the most impoverished municipalities in the country. It has a water debt of between $24-58 million and an income of only $9 million annually from property taxes. How is Highland Park going to paywith Monopoly money? commented Adolph Mongo, a Detroit political consultant. Highland Parks storied history The city was not always poor. Just the opposite. Like all of Southeast Michigan, including Detroit, Flint and Pontiac, Highland Parks fortunes followed those of the auto industry. Highland Park Ford Plant 1922. [Photo: Clarence Monroe Burton, William Stocking, Gordon K. Miller] In 1913, Henry Ford established the first automotive assembly line in the world to build the Model T at his new Highland Park factory. The assembly plant, called the Crystal Palace for its extensive glass, was designed by renowned architect Albert Kahn. Following the wild success of the Model T, the city of Highland Park was incorporated in 1918. By 1925, 70,000 workers were employed at the site. The municipality was established to retain those tax revenues and resist Detroit encroachment. Chrysler Corporation also began production in Highland Park in 1925 and established its headquarters there. These were the citys boom years. Highland Park was really a shining city on a hill. It was really the place to live, said Jeff Horner, urban studies professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. But Highland Park Ford discontinued production in 1973, and Chrysler moved its headquarters in the 1990s, taking with it another 6,000 jobs. The decline of Highland Park reflected the overall impact of globalization, the rise of international automotive rivals, and the growing internal contradictions of US capitalism. Assembly line at the Ford Motor Company's Highland Park plant, 1913. [Photo: Library of Congress] Beginning in 2000, a series of state-imposed emergency managers (EMs) with near-dictatorial powers imposed balanced budgets on the now-impoverished city. While these scorched-earth policies are often portrayed as Republican, they were bipartisan. The first EM law was put into place by Democratic Governor James Blanchard in 1990. Highland Parks first EM, Ramona Henderson-Pearson, laid off most city workers and closed the only public library, a city jewel. Her successor, Arthur Blackwell, was fired for over-payments, essentially stealing from the city coffers. McGregor Public Library, Highland Park, Michigan. [Photo: New York Public Library] The Detroit Free Press explained that behind the scenes the state had loaded up debt on the city to achieve this balanced budget, which meant over $1 million a year in debt service payments going forward, creating the conditions for Wall Street to bleed the city dry for years to come. In 2011, DTE Energy turned off the street lights and repossessed the lamp postsa measure so draconian it had never been seen before. In 2012, the citys water treatment plant was closed to avoid paying for repairs. And in 2015, the districts last high school (a for-profit charter operation imposed by another emergency manager) was shut down. It is for good reason that Highland Park residents now fear the ballooning water debt will be another means to impose price hikes, skyrocketing taxes and water shutoffs. Jaime Edwards told CBS Detroit: I live off of my retirement that will be affected if you go into Chapter Nine. And then youre going to ask me to pay three times the amount of taxes. How can I afford it? This isnt the first time that the city went into financial hardship, and I lost the first time they did. You took money from me, but I never stopped paying my bill. She concluded, We need our home, and we need to live like everyone else. And we are just asking to live. Indeed, the Highland Park City Council noted in an April 10 resolution that if $19 million in debt were spread across the city, residents taxes would triple. Whitmer denies expedited bankruptcy Soon after the April request from the City Council, Governor Gretchen Whitmer denied the expedited bankruptcy, stating through a spokesperson, They cannot skip to the end. They have to go step by step. Commentators noted that the action was most likely a response to suburban Detroit politicians, who were braying for Highland Park to solve its own problems. Any potential write-down of debt by the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) would be passed on through higher prices to other municipalities. On June 11, however, Highland Park paid the GLWA $1 million and was granted an interim stay on collection activities. State of Michigan officials will oversee court-ordered negotiations to attempt a final settlement of GLWA lawsuits from 2014 and 2020. Whitmer has claimed that a recent state allocation of $25 million to the GLWA should be used to help resolve the Highland Park crisis. Given the GLWAs decade-long legal pursuit of Highland Parks water debt, any interim agreement will simply be the prelude to further demands. The GLWA has repeatedly threatened the municipality with ending water delivery and/or the imposition of a punitive tax levy. As to the claims that the state would like its $25 million payment to the GLWA to resolve the crisis, these funds would be deducted from the already appropriated funds for water safety and the removal of lead service lines. The recently enacted budget provided a paltry $226 million to remove and replace 40,000 lead service lines across the state over 10 years, leaving the bulk of them, 378,000, in the ground. Despite Flints deaths, miscarriages and lead poisoning of children, Michigan is still rife with ancient, potentially toxic lead service lines for water delivery. Where did the water debt come from? Highland Park has not made any payments for sewer services since April 2021 and has paid less than 1 percent of its water service charges since 2012, according to the GLWA. Yet over 90 percent of Highland Parks water bills are paid by residents and businesses. The debt accrued primarily as a product of the citys antiquated and leaky infrastructure. Some water mains are so old they are made of wood. Without a massive rebuilding of the system, the water debt will continue to escalate. According to the GLWA, for every gallon of water consumed by a Highland Park resident, two gallons leak out of Highland Parks water systemamounting to some 896 gallons per minute leaking from Highland Parks water distribution system, according to a city survey. The debt has been further compounded by the refusal of absentee owners of vacant properties, perhaps in the hundreds, to pay their bills. In 2013, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department sued Highland Park for the funds. According to Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), this prompted the city to send some residents bills for thousands of dollars, while others were asked to pay for the water use of previous tenants. PBS added, Some even lost their houses because of liens caused by water bills they could not afford. The Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed the citys debt in 2015. Highland Park contended it was overcharged and was not obligated to pay for years of rate increases. Suits and countersuits followed. What is the Great Lakes Water Authority? The GLWA, the agency demanding payment of Highland Park debt, was formed in late 2014 as part of the Detroit bankruptcy. It is a regional government agency involving 112 communities in Southeast Michigan. Overseen by a board of directors drawn from the Metro Detroit area, the GLWA became the financial centerpiece of the corporate-led reorganization of the city. This was due to its lucrative income stream and ability to float revenue bonds. The Detroit water department was leased to the GLWA, a public-private enterprise, and the latter was loaded with debt. According to budgets posted on the GLWA website, the fiscal year budget for 2023 shows a payout to the banks of $356 million for debt service, while operations and maintenance come in at only $329 million! In other words, water was transformed from a city service into a financial instrument to extort ever higher prices from a captive population. While the GLWA oversees water delivery and wastewater purification, its core mission is, in reality, to serve as a collection agency for the bondholders and banks. Bankruptcy was the means through which the public utility became financialized. The GLWA became a structure designed to ensure that the interests of banks and investors were prioritized well into the future. This arrangement, dubbed The Grand Bargain, was put into place by the Michigan courts under Judge Stephen Rhodes, working in tandem with Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and backed by the entire political establishment, including then-Detroit Mayor David Bing, a Democrat, and Democratic President Barack Obama. For their part, the unions acted as enforcers for Wall Street, endorsing the Detroit bankruptcy deal in exchange for being handed control of a lucrative healthcare investment plan known as a Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association (VEBA), worth $524 million. It is now 10 years since the Detroit bankruptcy, and the media and politicians are pronouncing it a success. At worst, they say, it was a painful necessity to revitalize the city. Nothing could be further from the truth. The current plight of Highland Park and large swaths of Detroit is a living refutation of this claim. The banks, the bondholders, the corporations and billionaire landlords like real estate mogul Dan Gilbert all cashed in, while the working class population has been further impoverished, consigned to low-paying jobs and burdened with paltry city services. Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink Like Flint and Detroit, Highland Park sits in the Great Lakes ecosystem, which holds about 90 percent of the fresh water in the United States and approximately 20 percent of the worlds fresh water supply. The abundance of water in the area, however, has not lessened the financial pressure on workers but only whetted the profit appetite of hedge funds, municipal bondholders and water conglomerates. Rate hikes by the GLWA are already making water unaffordable. Jen Read, the director of the University of Michigan Water Center, was the lead author of a study showing that low-income households in Detroit spend at least a quarter of their disposable incomes on water and sewer bills. Compared with other household costs, water and sewer bills have skyrocketed since the mid-1980s, rising twice as fast as wages for low-income workers and faster than any other basic need, except healthcare. If we continue on this trajectory, more people are going to have challenges affording their water, and more communities are going to run into problems, Read told the Detroit News. The widespread policy of denying families potable water in Detroit was so egregious that it prompted the United Nations to single it out as a human rights abuse in a 2014 report. It is contrary to human rights to disconnect water from people who simply do not have the means to pay their bills, said Catarina de Albuquerque, the special rapporteur on the human right to water and sanitation. These official pronouncements have, predictably, resulted in no benefit to Michigan families struggling to keep the tap turned on. With the end of a pandemic shutoff pause, the GLWA is pressing for legal authorization to restart the barbaric practice. As of January 2023, 27 percent of Detroits households were threatened with shutoffs. In a new twist, a Dickensian payment program was instituted for poor residents based on rationing themselves to 4,500 gallons per month. The GLWA is already projecting annual price increases of at least 3 percent for water and 2.5 percent for sewerage. Meanwhile, the agency has washed its hands of all responsibility for the safe operation of its system, denying all 24,000 claims for the June 2021 failure of all pumping stations and the flooding of 100,000 homes in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. The most recent GLWA failure occurred in August 2022, when a massive water main broke near the GLWAs Lake Huron water treatment facility. A state of emergency was declared over four counties, with more than 25 percent of the population in the Detroit Metropolitan area affected. Water is increasingly unaffordable The media coverage of the Highland Park crisis invariably characterizes the citys plight as the product of racism directed at all minority-majority cities. This is a smokescreen designed to conceal the role of the banks, Wall Street and the Democratic Party politicians. The ruling elites are amassing record profits from driving down wages, destroying social programs and capitalizing on the escalating growth of poverty among all races. In fact, a University of Michigan study shows that challenges with water/sewer service affordability affect people throughout Michigan, across geography and demographics. The study continues: The challenges affect households statewidewhether residents live in cities, suburbs, or rural areasand the magnitude of the affordability problem has been increasing. The problem is capitalism Highland Park went from boom town to disaster as a direct result of deindustrialization and the growth of financial parasitism in the service of capitalist profit-taking. Meanwhile, the water debt, which is being used to exact a final pound of flesh from the population, is a drop in the bucket compared to the vast expenditures on the US-NATO war against Russia and the record-setting $1 trillion military budget enacted this year. The working class must implacably oppose all demands for sacrifice to protect the wealth of the financial aristocracy, whether it be imposed via bankruptcy or cuts. This fight must be linked to a new political strategy based on opposition to the Democrats and Republicans and the unification of the class struggle internationally. The claim that there is no money for basic social services is a lie. The debts must be repudiated and the parasitical financial system of capitalism ended, so that societys abundant resources can be devoted to social needs rather than private profit and war. NASA to launch new commercial resupply mission to space station next week Xinhua) 10:45, July 29, 2023 LOS ANGELES, July 28 (Xinhua) -- NASA and commercial cargo provider Northrop Grumman are targeting next Tuesday, Aug. 1, for the launch of the company's 19th resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch is scheduled for 8:31 p.m. Eastern Time from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in the eastern U.S. state of Virginia. Filled with more than 8,200 pounds of supplies, Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the space station on Friday, Aug. 4. The scientific investigations launching to the ISS include studies of fire suppression, gene therapy, atmospheric monitoring, and other experiments along with space-flown student artwork, according to NASA. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) Center Township Trustee and Valparaiso University Law School alum Jesse Harper asks a question during the community town hall held Tuesday September 20, 2022 in Valparaiso, Indiana. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune) For most people, the impact of the dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes has yet to be felt. Television programs and movies continue to roll out though production on most new scripted programming from Hollywood has come to a grinding halt. Advertisement The industry saw the strike coming and put a lot of stuff in the can, Jesse Harper of Center Township in Porter County said. Movie-goers and TV watchers should not notice the impact of the strike for about two or three months. Harper has been a member of SAG-AFTRA for 30 years and serves on the Chicago board of the guild as a representative of Indiana. He also serves as Center Township Trustee. He said there was a lot of production recently happening in Chicago that has ceased. Advertisement Auditions obviously have slowed down, Harper said. Shows that shoot in Chicago such as Chicago Fire, Chicago PD and The Bear are on their usual summer hiatus. Feature films, unless granted a waiver, are not shooting. But the strike has not yet affected commercial contracts or theater contracts. Obviously I support the strike whole heartedly. The industry has changed so much so fast. The compensation for the talent, the actors, hasnt kept up, Harper said. People holding picket signage attend the SAG-AFTRA "Rock the City for a Fair Contract" rally in Times Square on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in New York. The actors strike comes more than two months after screenwriters began striking in their bid to get better pay and working conditions. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) (Charles Sykes/Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Erin Sweitzer, vice president of strategic communications for the Indiana Economic Development Corp., which oversees the Indiana Film Office, said she cant speak to how other states, specifically those that are not right-to-work states, are being impacted by the strike, but Indiana continues to receive significant interest from people wanting to film and create other forms of media in Indiana. She would not elaborate on what types of films or media are considering the state. We arent aware of any projects being delayed, and the interest we are seeing covers a variety of project types, Sweitzer said. Commercial contracts and theater contracts, along with other non-scripted projects, are not affected by the strike. Screenwriter, playwright and actor James Henry, resident playwright at the Chicago Street Theater in Valparaiso, said while he personally has not been impacted by the dual strikes, many in his circle including his son who is a production manager have. He was supposed to leave for a film about two weeks ago, Henry said. His sister is a WGA member. Advertisement As a writer, even or theater, I really empathize with the issues around AI, Henry said. Human writers are the artistic voice in projects, he said. Striking Hotel workers from Unite Here Local 11 join the picketing actors of SAG-AFTRA, and writers of the WGA, outside Netflix studios on Friday, July 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. The actors strike comes more than two months after screenwriters began striking in their bid to get better pay and working conditions. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Without that I think we will severely lose quality. Things will be formulated. The people who program the AI will inform the writing, Henry said. There is no diversity of thought. Studios already push people to be formulaic as writers, he continued. When somebody breaks the mold and does something exciting and new, they then want you to copy that person, he said. AI is a dangerous thing from the writers standpoint. Actors images and voices have always been something to be protected. Advertisement You cant use their image or voice without paying them. Seeing that, I dont know how this is going to be resolved, Henry said. On stage in the live theater, the writer is very respected. TV and film is much less so. If they can save money be not having the meat thats what they call the writers around, they are going to do it, Henry said. Harper said he believes SAG-AFTRA and WGA are at the tip of the spear when it comes to the impact on their members when it comes to the development of artificial intelligence. For me personally, the most important aspect of this strike are the questions involving AI, Harper said. AI has the potential in a very, very short period of time two to three years to totally decimate these industries. Its not just our industry. It is estimated the way AI is developing within two or three years the technology will be able to create actors who are indiscernible from the real actor, a living breathing human being, he added. Striking writers and actors take part in a rally outside Netflix studio in Los Angeles on Friday, July 14, 2023. This marks the first day actors formally joined the picket lines, more than two months after screenwriters began striking in their bid to get better pay and working conditions. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/AP) One of the things producers put forward was having the ability to take an image of a background artist, save it and use it in perpetuity in any format and any program they want. Advertisement This one person, who for one day of work is paid $180 to $200, maybe will never work again. They will have his or her image to use in any manner they see fit, Harper said. Harper worked on NBCs Chicago Fire last year. At the time the day rate for eight hours was $1,200. The actors bread and butter, he said, is the residuals. Actors like himself can go shoot three or four episodes as a day player or guest start, get paid for the day of work and also get the residuals from syndication. With streaming its a lot different. Also, the manner in which they produce and shoot the programs has changed, he said. A typical season for a network-scripted television series such as Seinfeld and Friends once numbered more than 20 episodes. Now seasons often run as few as eight to 12 episodes. The industry has changed so dramatically. I can see it taking a while to come to some resolution. Harper said. Roger Roach describes it as a close call. About a year ago, Roger had a heart valve replacement and was placed on blood thinners. Everything was fine for a while. Once in a while, Id get nose bleeds, said Roger, who lives in Fremont. More recently, Roger had such a severe nose bleed that he had to go to the hospital. The next day, he wasnt feeling well and was hospitalized in Omaha with pneumonia caused when blood had gotten into his lungs. Roger was waiting for a visit from his wife, Nancy, when he blew his nose. Blood came out as if from a water faucet. Id never seen anything like that, Roger said. It was quite the deal. Couldnt get it stopped. Roger remembers two wonderful nurses, Gabriel and Elizabeth, who tried to help him. They were fighting the good fight for me, Roger said. The nurses had Roger sit in a chair. I had blood all over the place, all over me and my hair and clothes. They had to change my garments four times. It was that bad, he said. The room filled with doctors and nurses. As he saw blood on the floor, Roger had a revelation of Christs sacrifice. Oh Jesus, thats what you did for me, Roger said. You spilled your blood for us. This is what it must have been like. Roger said he felt the Holy Spirit giving him the opportunity to praise God. He began praying for people and thanking them. Roger said he could see the serious looks on the medical professionals faces and knew things werent going well. He began to get weak. I was going to go out with my spiritual guns blazing, he said. A nurse then brought what looked like a cigar-size stick of gauze. She told Roger that he wouldnt like what she was going to do next, but shed need to get it up his nose to stop the bleeding. She was right. He didnt like it. I wouldnt wish it on anybody, he said. But she got the bleeding to stop. Nurses cleaned up Roger, who thanked everyone for providing their support. I was praising God, just gave God the glory. I was so grateful to him, Roger said. He asked Gabriel and Elizabeth to return to his room that night before they left. Gabriel was able to stop by. Ill never forget what you two did for me. You were fighting the good fight. God bless you. God will use you in the days ahead to bring glory and honor to him in your services as a medic, he said. The next day, a longtime medical professional told Roger that hed never seen anyone bleed like he had. Roger shared his story in my church recently, praising God and thanking his wife and other people who prayed for him. Could that bloody nose have ended Rogers life on earth? I dont know. Im not a doctor. But I know that whatever happened, Roger would have been OK. If hed died, he would have been with God in heaven. As his life continues on earth, Roger continues to love and serve God. Roger would have been the winner no matter what happened. And Ive felt the same way in my life. Years ago, I believe God gave me the strength to approach an uncertain medical diagnosis with a similar win-win perspective. As it turned out, I had a successful surgery and went on with life on this planet. I love how Roger gave glory to God even amid less-than-desirable circumstances. He continues to point his listeners attention not to himself but to our Savior Jesus. Roger also points to the Bible verse 1 Corinthians 6:20 in which the Apostle Paul reminds readers: you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are Gods. What does that mean? God sent his only son, Jesus, to die on a cross to pay the penalty for the sins of the world so whoever believes in him can have eternal life. I was a teenager, when a man visiting my church asked if I knew I would go to heaven if I died that night. As a 16-year-old, I hadnt thought about that. Thats when he shared the Gospel. He said if I believed that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins and rose again, and if I repented of my sins (was so sorry that I never wanted to do them again) and asked Jesus into my heart that I could go to heaven. I thought that sounded like a good deal. So I prayed, telling God I was sorry for my sins and asking Jesus to come into my heart to be my Lord and Savior. No birds sang. No lightning flashed. No angel came down from heaven to pat me on the back. But I remember feeling pretty happy. I got more involved in my churchs youth group and in serving the Lord. Later, I backslid from the faith, but as Ive said many times I believe God has a way of bringing back his lost lambs. I prayed that prayer again and have sought to live for Christ since. Am I perfect? Nope. I just keep trying to live as I think God would want. I pray and read Scripture daily, depending on the Lord to help me. Please let me add that I dont believe God immunizes us from temptation or all human emotion once we ask Christ to come into our hearts, but the Holy Spirit (our guide and comforter) takes up residence inside of us to help mold us to be more like Christ. Its a continuing process. Roger has been part of that process for a long time. Roger knows Jesus paid the penalty for his sins and the blood of Christ was the payment that purchased him. He was bought at a high price and belongs to Christ now. So Roger lives to honor Jesus and tell others about him whether its in church or a hospital room. One more thing: When Roger commended the nurses for fighting the good fight, he was referring to something the Apostle Paul said toward the end of his life. In a letter to his mentee, Timothy, the apostle wrote: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now, there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Roger has been fighting the good fight for a long time and I pray and trust that hell be fighting for more years to come. Actually, I think anybody who plans to go out with his spiritual guns blazing, probably has a whole lot of fight still in him. DES MOINES, Iowa Donald Trump and his top rivals for the GOP presidential nomination took the stage one by one Friday night to address an influential gathering of Iowa Republicans, with none of the top-tier hopefuls mentioning that new federal charges had been filed against the former president just a day earlier. Instead, Trumps competitors mostly reserved their sharpest criticism for President Joe Biden and a Democratic Party they argued had lost touch with mainstream America failing to pounce on additional counts over Trump's retention of classified documents that might have otherwise been an opportunity to cut into his comfortable early lead in the polls. The time for excuses is over. We must get the job done," said Ron DeSantis. I will get the job done. The Florida governor also repeated his frequent promise to halt the weaponization of the Justice Department, an allusion to Trumps legal troubles. But he offered no specific thoughts on the cases against him even though Trump is also bracing to be charged soon in Washington over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The former president frequently avoids attending multicandidate events in person, questioning why he would share a stage with competitors who are badly trailing him in polls. Still, with Iowas first-in-the-nation caucus less than six months away, Trump joined a dozen other GOP hopefuls in speaking to about 1,200 GOP members and activists at the Lincoln Day Dinner. If I werent running, I would have nobody coming after me, Trump said in his only veiled reference to his legal issues. He also insisted the same would be true if he were trailing in the polls. While DeSantis didn't mention the former president by name, meanwhile, Trump didn't return the favor. He told the crowd, I wouldnt take a chance on that one, and repeatedly branded him DeSanctus. Trump was even blunter before the dinner as he opened a campaign office in Urbandale, outside Des Moines. I understand the other candidates are falling very flat ... its like death, Trump said. More than 100 people packed the small office, many wearing Make America Great Again hats and shirts. They waited in 100-degree weather to enter, and the poorly ventilated office quickly became sweltering. Staff handed out water bottles, and people fanned themselves with campaign handouts. Some used paper towels to wipe away sweat. Similar strong support for the former president was evident during the dinner, when many attendees wore Trump Country stickers, including 72-year-old Diane Weaver of Ankeny, Iowa. I think he makes America great, said Weaver, a retiree who plans to caucus for Trump. I think he did it once and I think he can do it again. West Des Moines resident Jane Schrader chose to wear her Trump Country sticker on her pants instead of at eye level. Im not quite dyed-in-the-wool. Im a supporter, but not that kind, said the retired physician, explaining her sticker placement. DeSantis, who like most of Friday's speakers vowed to visit all of Iowa's 99 counties, is Trumps strongest primary competitor but has been trying to reset his stalled campaign for two weeks. He's increasingly focusing on Iowa in its efforts on trying to derail Trump, and spoke at the dinner in the midst of a two-day bus tour of the state. The governor's stumbles have raised questions about whether another candidate might be able to emerge from the field and catch the former president. Some evangelicals, who can be determinative in Iowa's caucuses, have pointed to South Carolina Sen. Tim Scotts upbeat message and pulpit-style delivery as strengths that could help him rise there. Scott, who also spoke Friday night and didn't mention Trump or the cases against him, took a swipe this week at DeSantis over the Florida governor's support for new standards that require the state's teachers to instruct middle school students that slaves developed skills that could be applied for their personal benefit. The only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, Scott said all Americans should recognize how devastating slavery was. There is no silver lining to slavery, he added. Vice President Kamala Harris made her own Iowa stop on Friday, seeking to draw a contrast with the Republicans as she looked to lift President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. Harris met in Des Moines with activists and discussed abortion rights, after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently signed a ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. I do believe that we are witnessing a national agenda that is about a full-on attack on hard-won freedoms and hard-won rights, the vice president said. Trump, meanwhile, did face criticism Friday night from some Republican opponents, but only those considered long shots. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison declared, As a party, we need a new direction for America and for the GOP, drawing only muted reaction from the crowd. Loud and sustained boos came, however, for Will Hurd, a former Texas congressman, who said, The reason Donald Trump lost the election in 2020 is he failed to grow the GOP brand. The former congressman pressed on, saying: Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again. ... Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison." That was the only reference to locking Trump up on the night, except for a surprising and potentially coincidental snippet of walk-on music played as the former president took the stage. Like all the candidates, the event's organizers played parts of Brooks & Dunns Only in America as Trump approached. But his part included the lyrics: One could end up going to prison. One just might be president. The director of Public Works for the City of Fremont said in an interview this week that a new road being constructed off Luther Road in conjunction with a new elementary school should not create more congestion or backed up traffic in the area. Justin Zetterman, director of public works for Fremont, spoke to the Tribune on Tuesday about the soon-to-be new road called Elkhorn Drive, which is in the very early stages of construction. The road is part of the Fremont Public Schools new Deer Pointe Elementary School development. Elk Lane already exists running south of 23rd Street from the Aldi store, east of Deer Lane westward to about 100 yards past the intersection of Deer Crossing. The new Elkhorn Drive, Zetterman explained, will run in front of and to the north of the new elementary school, then curve northward, connecting to the current end point of Elk Lane just west of Deer Crossing and then continuing westward to Luther Road. The new Elkhorn Drive, once completed, will create a four-way intersection at Luther Road directly across the street from the current endpoint of 22nd Street. One concern raised by residents and drivers is that traffic on the two-lane Luther Road is already heavier than in the past, and vehicles waiting at the lighted traffic signal at Luther Road and 23rd Street a scant few hundreds away from the new intersection could become backed up all the way to the four-way stop at 22nd Street and Elkhorn Drive, in turn creating more congestion as cars wait at the new stop sign. Zetterman said the new, four-way stop sign traffic control will be installed once the extension of Elkhorn Drive is completed. The newly extended thoroughfare is expected to be completed and open to traffic before the new elementary school opens in August 2024, he added, but no finish date has been determined. The traffic study that was done recommended a four-way stop (sign) at 22nd (Street) and Luther (Road), and that is the current plan moving forward. That is what will be there to control traffic, Zetterman said. The traffic study did not show that traffic either backing up from (northbound) Luther (Road) or southbound Luther traffic backing up toward 23rd (Street) would conflict with any of the intersections. Zetterman also said changes are being planned for the lighted traffic signal at Luther Road and 23rd Street. But, he noted, no plans are on the table at the moment to widen Luther Road in any manner. We will be installing a lefthand turn arrow for northbound Luther (Road) traffic to get onto 23rd (Street), which will help, he added. Widening Luther to three lanes is a project that has been out there for years. It is very expensive. There are a lot of utilities, especially the further south you get. It is a difficult project. The new Elkhorn Drive and the Elk Lane corridor is expected to be heavily traveled, as in addition to the new elementary school being constructed, a new bank branch is under construction between Elk Lane and 23rd Street and a new Chipotle restaurant with a double drive-through lane is planned for further east on Elk Lane at the intersection of Diers Parkway. Zetterman said despite all those projects, as well as a potential new housing development located between the new elementary school and Luther Road, the traffic for those entities and businesses would not conflict. Fortunately, a lot of these (developments), the users dont overlap. So, when Chipotle is at its busiest at lunch or for dinner, the school traffic is not there. In the morning, and at the end of day with rush hour the school traffic being in the afternoon (overlap) isnt there. There may be some overlap in the morning. That helps a bit, Zetterman explained. It will be a change in traffic patterns. But, undoubtedly, no matter how hard you try to model things, the real world is going to tell us if we need to make any tweaks or changes to the plans. The new lefthand turn arrow signal is expected to be constructed and running sometime in 2024, Zetterman said. The Elkhorn Drive construction timeframe has not been finalized. astroworld-doc-dump.jpg Astroworld Festival 2021 - Credit: Rick Kern/Getty Images The Houston Police department released its full 1266-page investigation on the 2021 Astroworld tragedy, providing more details on the event that killed 10 people and injured hundreds of others. The massive report which includes interviews with festival organizers, security staff, camera operators, medical staff, Travis Scott and his manager, and Drake (a guest performer that night) among many others was released on Friday, a month after a grand jury declined to indict the rapper, and less than a day after Scott released his fifth studio album Utopia. More from Rolling Stone The documents depict a chaotic scene from just after Scotts headlining set. While the bulk of the incident began not long after Scott took the stage at 9 p.m., the show didnt end until over an hour later. During that time, fans yelled for the show to be stopped, while others leapt over barricades to get room to breath. Some medics said they were overwhelmed as attendees arrived at the medical tent for attention. The investigation includes disturbing anecdotes from both the concertgoers and workers who witnessed the carnage, as camera operator Gregory Hoffman described it. Hoffman was operating a crane with a camera attached to capture video of the concert. Fans began crowding near him and the crane early in the show to get a better view of the concert, he said. Hoffman told the police he called in for backup from security to stop the crowding issues, noting that the heavy crane posed a significant safety risk if it tipped over. Other members of the production team came to his assistance, Hoffman said, but he never got help from security. After a few songs, they shut the crane down because people attempted to climb it. Hoffman said he saw paramedics giving CPR to one of the concertgoers, Brianna Rodriguez. By 9:25 p.m. Hoffman said, after the production team asked about getting the crane functioning again, he yelled back on the radio to the other production crew members that the crane is down, and that they were doing CPR under my crane, and that people were dying. Story continues Investigators interviewed Scott at his home several days after the incident, alongside his security guard and manager. Scott told the investigators that he wasnt aware of the severity of the case until after the show from an early morning press conference. He described being in a trance during his performance, so he wasnt observing the crowd as closely. Drake told the police that his earpiece made it difficult to hear the crowd, and that he didnt hear any calls from fans to stop the show. He and Scott met up later that night, and by then they did not know at that point in time that something had happened at the concert, according to the report. He said he was informed of the issue by his manager, and that he learned more about the incident while looking through social media at 2 a.m. Several camera operators who spoke to the police said they witnessed attendees receiving CPR early in Scotts set. Hoffman told the authorities that he and his direct boss the camera director didnt have the authorization power to stop the show. One security worker had sent texts as early as about 9 p.m. to Shawna Boardman, one of the organizers, about concerns on the crowd constrictions, according to the report. Boardmans attorneys told the police last year that she saw things werent as bad as the worker had texted. Another security worker, Marty Wallgren, told Houston Police that after several attendees were getting CPR, hed gotten a directive from safety and risk director Seyth Boardman to stop the show at 10 p.m., but that two members of Scotts team didnt relay the message to Scott after Wallgren went backstage. Wallgren, the police said, felt that the two members resisted the directions they were given and actively impeded the ability for anyone to stop the show at a time other than the one they desired. Wallgren told the police that while he tried stopping the show at 10 p.m., executive assistant police chief Larry Satterwhite also came backstage and said the show would end at 10:10 p.m. Wallgren told the police he stood in disbelief waiting for 10:10. In a subsequent document, Satterwhite said that he told three men running the technical portion of the show that we had three people receiving CPR and we had to shut the show down immediately. Satterwhite added, One of the males responded by saying but theyre not dead. I yelled they might be and we had to shut down. I told them I needed him to shut it down the right way so that the crowd would peacefully disperse, Satterwhite continued. I told them five minutes and they said they needed more time. I told them it had to be shut down by 10:10 pm. Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. (Photo Credit: Sony) Sony has announced the Bad Boys 4 release date for the action movie starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The Bad Boys 4 release date is set for June 14, 2024. This summer release sets it up as a high-profile movie and is later than the latest installment, 2020s Bad Boys for Life, which came out on January 17. Bad Boys II came out on July 18, 2003, while the original came out on April 7, 1995. Who is making Bad Boys 4? Bad Boys 4 is being directed by Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and written by Chris Bremner. The directing duo also directed the unreleased Batgirl movie that starred Leslie Grace and Brendan Fraser and two episodes of Marvels Disney+ series Ms. Marvel. Little is known about the story details. Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Smith for Westbrook, Doug Belgrad, and Chad Oman are set to produce, with Martin Lawrence, James Lassiter, Mike Stenson, Barry Waldman, and Jon Mone serving as executive producers. The post Bad Boys 4 Release Date Set for Latest in Sony Action Movie Series appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Cafe Delamar co-owner Gabriel Charron makes lunch deliveries around town on his bike. Cafe Delamar, the mostly takeout-and-delivery spot in Via DeMario off Worth Avenue, will be closed for five weeks starting Monday so its owners can take their annual vacation. The cafe, known for its scratch-made breakfast and lunch fare, will reopen at 9 a.m. on Sept. 5 and resume its Monday-through-Friday schedule. During their time off from the cafe, owners Gabriel and France Charron along with their 4-year-old daughter, Mikayla, and the familys Chihuahua-and-dachshund mix named Playa will head first to their native Canada to visit family and friends. Then theyre off to Hawaii. Playa will stay in Canada with relatives while the Charrons and other family members spend 10 days on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Cafe Delamar co-owner France Charron at the front counter of the mostly takeout-and-delivery cafe. Yes, we have some excursions planned, but were also allowing ourselves to take each day as it comes and be flexible, France told the Daily News on Friday. Cafe Delamar, near the Peruvian Avenue side of Via Demario, is known for its house-made soups, sandwiches, salads and breakfast items; in the tiny kitchen, Morna Ramcharran has been the solo chef for nearly 20 years. For more information, visit cafedelamar.com. This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Cafe Delamar shuts down for August, plans reopening Sept. 5 Former President Donald Trump faced the music at a campaign event in Iowa and the irony was off the charts. (Watch the video below.) As Trump took the stage, the song lyric one could end up going to prison, one just might be president played from Brooks & Dunns Only in America. Trump pumped his fist after prison but probably wasnt hearing the words. Politicos Natalie Allison posted a video of the moment online, noting that all GOP presidential candidates at the Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines also walked up to bits of the same song. As Trump took the stage in Iowa, this ironic line played: One could end up going to prison, one just might be president. He had to walk out to Brooks & Dunn (like all candidates tonight) instead of his usual Lee Greenwood. pic.twitter.com/Ial80MXp76 Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) July 29, 2023 But the timing seemed too perfect. HuffPost has reached out to Trumps camp for comment. The possibility of prison for Trump, the leading Republican candidate, increased this week. Special counsel Jack Smith tacked on three more felony charges in a case focused on Trumps handling of classified documents. Trump also has been indicted in connection with a hush money payment to a porn star. At the same time, he faces possible legal jeopardy for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which are tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and his alleged pressuring of Georgia officials to reverse his loss in the state. Walk-on music has proved controversial for Trump before. In September 2020, he disembarked from Air Force One to Creedence Clearwater Revivals protest anthem Fortunate Son, a song calling out the ability of the privileged to avoid the Vietnam War while the less fortunate could not. Trump was born into wealth and has been labeled a draft dodger for a claim of foot bone spurs that enabled him to skip military service. Related... More than four decades after he rode in on a song, George Strait, the King of Country Music, returned to his throne on Friday night in this case, center stage at Nashvilles Nissan Stadium as he played his first-ever headlining concert at the venue, and the first in a doubleheader of shows slated for July 28 and 29. Earlier in the evening, the guitar-wielding, golden-throated Chris Stapleton one of the evenings two openers alongside superb vocal group Little Big Town told the crowd, Im not going to do a whole lot of talking; Im going to play a whole lot of music in the time that we have, as his thundering voice brought seemingly effortless gravitas to a 17-song set that included Parachute, Nobody to Blame, Fire Away, Starting Over Tennessee Whiskey and White Horse, a new bluesy-rocker from his upcoming November release Higher, that already sounds like a classic. More from Billboard That same ethos of letting the songs, the stories and the voice take center stage equally applied to Strait himself, who led the packed audience in nearly three dozen songs into his 120-minute headlining set. At 71, Straits proud Texas twang and earnest vocal delivery is still in fine form. What a great audience you are tonight, the three-time CMA entertainer of the year said. Been looking forward to this for months Its good to be back in Nashville, he said, leading into How Bout Them Cowgirls. Strait brought the Texas heat with him in more ways than one, as temperatures lingered near the nineties well after sunset, and he held court before the packed crowd, rarely straying far from the center stage microphone and letting hit song after hit song waft over the crowd and into the warm Tennessee night. Story continues Though with 44 Billboard Hot Country Songs chart-toppers to his credit, its a formidable challenge to fit in every classic Strait hit. But Friday evening, like on so many of his concerts, he essentially offer his own Eras Tour, leading a well-curated, decade-spanning set of songs. There was his 1981 debut single, the top 10 hit Unwound, and No. 1 hits from the 1980s including 1985s The Chair and 1987s Ocean Front Property. He offered the 1990s hits Check Yes or No, Write This Down, and I Can Still Make Cheyenne, 2008s Troubadour and 2019s The Weight of the Badge. Though he primarily sailed from one hit into another, he took a moment to set up The Weight of the Badge, dedicating the song to all you men and women out there waring the badge. He added, I want to thank you for being there when we need you sometimes laying your own lives down for ours, drawing the applause of the crowd. I held one of those badges one time and I was surprised how light it was. I thought, its light until you put it on, and then it becomes really heavy. With a set list this packed with hits, Strait did what he does best offer an no-frills run of songs with no need for pyrotechnics, dazzling lights or frenetic dance moves. Strait, his signature cowboy hat, starched jeans and pearl snap shirt, trusty acoustic guitar and tight-knit Ace in the Hole band were all that was required to keep the capacity crowd on its feet, singing and swaying along until the last note. They sang faithfully to Give It Away, and swayed along with the fiddle-drenched western swing of the Bob Wills classic Take Me Back to Tulsa, and the mournful Milk Cow Blues. Whether the audience members had followed Straits career since its early days, or if they hadnt even been born when Strait had his first hits, it didnt matter: they had absorbed the songs, the lyrics, the legend. Ive been asked what my favorite song is that Ive ever recorded, Strait said at one point. I have to say this one, he said, launching into 1983s Amarillo By Morning. Though straightforward, the show was anything but stale, as this seasoned performer peppered the concert with a few surprises. Throughout the night, Strait punctuated the set with more covers, paying homage to many of his musical heroes, including a rendition of Merle Haggards Misery and Gin (I miss him so much, Strait said). Stapleton joined Strait for a trio of songs including a cover of the 1983 Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson classic Pancho and Lefty, with Stapletons gravelly voice offering a perfect foil for Straits smooth, pure twang. Its hot. Id rather be hot than cold, Strait, his own pearl snap soaked in sweat, told the crowd with a grin, before offering up a story about his longtime friend and fellow musician Stapleton. Chris and I have been friends for a while. Back in the day, I recorded a couple of his songs. You might know one of them, he said, referring to his 2011 hit Loves Gonna Make It Alright, But you might not know this one, he added, before he and Stapleton traded lines on You Dont Know What Youre Missing, a song from Straits 2013 album Love Is Everything. They followed with Straits aforementioned 2011 hit. Another special moment during the evening came as Strait welcomed U.S. military sergeant Derrell Kingsberry to the stage, to honor him by teaming with the Military Warriors Support Foundation Home for Wounded Heroes to make Kingsberry the recipient of a new home. Thank you so much for your service, Strait said. This marks the 108th home Strait has been part of helping to give away to deserving military personnel. From there, Strait launched into Haggards The Fightin Side of Me. Elsewhere in the evening, Straits easygoing camaraderie with the audience also brought a few lighthearted moments, as at one point he heard a fan yell out in adoration and he responded, I love you, too. He ended his set with that 1981 debut, Unwound, before walking the edges of the stage, waving to the crowd with his signature smile, bowing several times and pointing to the audience. Thank yall for being such a great audience tonight. We had a great time. Adios, goodnight everybody, he said. Undeterred and not ready for the evening to conclude, the audience stood to its feet, cell phones lighting up the crowd, and coaxed the legendary performer back to the stage for an encore not that Strait needed much coaxing. I wasnt ready to go either, he said. He gave a musical shoutout to his own tequila brand Codigo with a song of the same name, before offering up All My Exes Live in Texas, a cover of Johnny Cashs Folsom Prison Blues, and later wrapping his set with his 1985 hit The Cowboy Rides Away, giving another nod to his Ace in the Hole band and thanking the crowd. The Cowboy Rides Aways opening line state, I knew the stakes were high right from the start, a notion thats true in love and in the music business. But over the past four decades, Strait has not only beat the odds of a fickle industry, but became a standard-bearer, by keeping a laser focus on what matters most: the music, and artistry, and the fans. Best of Billboard Click here to read the full article. A judge previously ruled that Christine had until the end of the month to move out of the home she shared with Costner during their 18-year marriage Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic Kevin Costner's estranged wife Christine is officially relocating. On Friday a day after Christine, 49, was pictured running errands in Montecito, California moving trucks were seen leaving the $145 million Santa Barbara compound that she has shared with Costner, 68, and their children during her 18-year marriage to the actor in photos obtained by Page Six and other outlets. Christine is following the legal advice per the prenup and is vacating the family house," a source confirms to PEOPLE, adding that she "will stay at a smaller house on the property thats been used as a staff quarter." "This is a temporary solution," the insider adds. "She is still looking for another house. She is staying in the area to not disrupt the kids lives. They will be back at school in the fall with their friends. "Christine is trying to keep everything as normal as possible. Her sole focus is the kids, the source tells PEOPLE. The moving truck sighting comes days before Christine is legally required to move out of the home, as earlier this month a judge ordered that she must do so by Monday, July 31. Christine, who is going through contentious divorce proceedings with Costner, had originally requested to have until Aug. 31 to move out if a child-support agreement had been made. The Yellowstone actor requested for her to move out by July 13. Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic Kevin Costner and now-estranged wife Christine in Hollywood on Nov. 8, 2014 An attorney for Christine did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment Friday. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. Related: Kevin Costner's Estranged Wife Christine Seen Out Running Errands After Returning from Hawaii Vacation On July 5, Judge Thomas Anderele ruled that Christine (nee Baumgartner) would have to move out of the home she shares with Costner by the end of July, according to court documents. Story continues "He was relieved," a source told PEOPLE at the time of Costner's reaction to the ruling. Christine had remained in the home since filing for divorce on May 1, despite a clause in her prenuptial agreement that reportedly required her to leave within 30 days. The July 6 meeting came after PEOPLE obtained court documents filed on June 30, in which Costners legal team claimed that Christine allegedly grasps at straws with one baseless argument after another, as to why she should be allowed to stay in his home. Costner, the document continued, respectfully requests that Christine be ordered to vacate his separate property residence forthwith and no later than July 13, 2023. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Jamie McCarthy/Getty Kevin Costner and now-estrange wife Christine Related: A Complete Timeline of Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner's Divorce Both the Oscar winner and his estranged wife are coming off of separate, back-to-back summer vacations with their three children: Grace, 13, Hayes, 14, and Cayden, 16. (The Field of Dreams actor is also dad to three adult children Annie, 39, Lily, 36, and Joe, 35 with his ex-wife Cindy Silva, as well as son Liam, 26, with former partner Bridget Rooney.) Earlier this month, Costner took his three teenagers to British Columbia, causing him to be out of town for a July 12 court date. Christine was then spotted with their kids on a getaway to Hawaii last week, where she enjoyed some fun in the sun with Grace as they walked along the beach and took selfies while posing by the water. She was also seen spending time with Josh Connor, a financier who lives near the family in California, at the beach in Hawaii. The latter vacation came just a week after Christine was awarded $129,000 per month in child support from Costner. She had previously requested $248,000, an amount the actor's side slammed as "inflated." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. I caught a glimpse of Colorados future last week, and it scared the hell out of me. An article in The Washington Post took a hard look at what has happened to Portugal 20 years after it decriminalized consumption of all drugs for personal use. For two decades, Portugal has not sent a single person to prison for possessing drugs. Those who misuse drugs are registered by police and referred to dissuasion commissions that funnel people into voluntary rehab programs. Portugals harm reduction approach ended years of punishment-driven policies and became a model for progressive cities worldwide such as Denver and Portland who were looking for a new way to address drug consumption. Portugal was touted as a model of success for reframing drug addiction as a public health challenge rather than a criminal activity. A video a few years ago produced by the Economist boasted: How Portugal and Colorado solved their drug problems. The problem, reporters Anthony Faiola and Catarina Fernandes Martins found, is that 20 years on Portugal is having serious second thoughts about decriminalization because Portugal is a mess. Addiction haunts the recesses of this ancient port city, as people with gaunt, clumsy hands lift crack pipes to lips, syringes to veins, Faiola and Frenandes write of the city of Porto. Authorities are sealing off warren-like alleyways with iron bars and fencing in parks to halt the spread of encampments. A siege mentality is taking root in nearby enclaves of pricey condos and multimillion-euro homes. Urban visibility of the drug problem is at its worst point in decades, police in Portugal say. Overdose rates have hit 12-year highs and almost doubled in Lisbon from 2019 to 2023, the Post article says. Sewage samples in Lisbon show cocaine and ketamine detection is now among the highest in Europe, with elevated weekend rates suggesting party-heavy usage. In Porto, the collection of drug-related debris from city streets surged 24% between 2021 and 2022, with this year on track to far outpace the last. Crime including robbery in public spaces spiked 14% from 2021 to 2022, a rise police blame partly on increased drug use. Sound familiar? Decriminalization has normalized drug consumption so thoroughly that fatigue has set in among police and politicians dealing with its side effects such as crime and homelessness. Of two dozen street people who use drugs and were questioned by Post reporters, not one said theyd appeared before one of Portugals Dissuasion Commissions. Post reporters observed police ignoring people using drugs in public, even though the law still requires them to register public users for appearances before those commissions. Police are less motivated to register people who misuse drugs and there are yearlong waits for state-funded rehabilitation treatment even as the number of people seeking help has fallen dramatically, the Post wrote. The return in force of visible urban drug use, meanwhile, is leading the mayor and others here to ask an explosive question: Is it time to reconsider this countrys globally hailed drug model? Portugal isnt the only place worried that a harm reduction approach is flailing. Some places that were early adopters of liberal drug policies are beginning to repeal permissive laws, while Colorado plows headlong ahead with more decriminalization, this time targeting hallucinogenic mushrooms, nine years after decriminalizing pot. Amsterdam, known worldwide for its liberal drug laws and pot cafes, last month instituted a new ban on smoking marijuana in public places. In Norway, a plan to decriminalize drugs collapsed in 2021, and the country is trying a more piecemeal approach. Sign up for free: Gazette Business Receive a weekly roundup of business news around El Paso County. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. And Oregons decriminalization policy, modeled on Portugals, is off to a rough start. Their effort also tries to keep people with addiction out of jail and funneled to rehab instead. But Police have shown little interest in handing out toothless citations for drug use, grants for treatment have lagged, and extremely few people are seeking voluntary rehabilitation, Post reporters wrote. Meanwhile, overdoses this year in Portland, the states largest city, have surged 46%." The feisty Willamette Week recently reported that The Multnomah County Health Department would begin distributing tinfoil and straws this month to fentanyl smokers at sites across Portland. The smoking supplies, which also include glass pipes for smoking meth and crack as well as snorting kits, are part of a national effort to minimize the health consequences of drug use, Willamette Week wrote. Harm reduction is a key pillar of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Overdose Prevention Strategy now. That federal policy states that harm reduction services save lives by being available and accessible in a manner that emphasizes the need for humility and compassion toward people who use drugs. But being a drug user is not a right, and drugs arent just a health problem. Criminal justice must still play a role in tackling addiction and overdoses because the harm from drugs extends beyond the people who use them, contributing to crime, the degradation of neighborhoods, and homelessness, among other things. The cartels and criminal organizations that dump huge amounts of black-market drugs into the United States cannot be treated with the same kind of compassion and humility. Colorado law enforcement agencies have told the Gazette they are battling a boom in illegal marijuana cultivation by sometimes violent groups of criminals who rake in millions of dollars by exporting what they grow. They are using Colorados legalized market and lighter penalties as a wind shadow to set up their operations. "It's out of control," Ray Padilla, a drug agent in the state, told us a few years ago. "We probably spend more assets on marijuana now than we ever did." He and other law enforcement leaders say the lure of marijuana millions has drawn armed growers from places as distant as Florida, California and Mexico, as well as home-grown black marketeers who set up elaborate lighting and irrigation systems in suburban houses. Overall, marijuana cases filed in state courts have plummeted by about 80% since voters legalized recreational marijuana in November 2012, with sales beginning in 2014, The Gazette has reported. Most officials attribute that number to the precipitous drop in simple possession arrests. However, felony marijuana cases have risen steadily beginning in 2015 with 579 cases; 2016 saw 807 felony cases, and there were 901 in 2017. Possession of an ounce or less of marijuana is legal, whereas possessing 10 ounces or more is a felony. And in the United States, overdose deaths, fueled by opioids and deadly synthetic fentanyl, topped 100,000 in both 2021 and 2022 or double what they were in 2015. Portugal holds a clear lesson for Colorado and the United States: Over time, decriminalization has fostered a stubborn and corroding culture of drug use in places that have tried it, and harm reduction is not enough in and of itself to contain and control that drug use. When you first back off enforcement, there are not many people walking over the line that youve removed. And the public think its working really well, Keith Humphreys, former senior drug policy adviser in the Obama administration and a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, told the Post. Then word gets out that theres an open market, limits to penalties, and you start drawing in more drug users. Then youve got a more stable drug culture, and, frankly, it doesnt look as good anymore. From London to South Korea, here's every 'Barbie' star's best premiere style, ranked Margot Robbie's Barbie waving to Barbie Land citizens in "Barbie." Warner Bros. Pictures Greta Gerwig's highly-anticipated "Barbie" premiered this month. Margot Robbie and her costars have attended Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, and Seoul premieres. Robbie wore her best look at the Los Angeles premiere, while Simu Liu's London look subverted fashion genres. It's officially a Barbie summer! Greta Gerwig's film premiered this month and has received a wave of fanfare from "Barbie" lovers. The pop culture phenomenon saw many cast members attending press events, including premieres in London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Seoul. Here's a ranking of the "Barbie" cast's best premiere looks on the pink carpet. Margot Robbie attended a host of "Barbie" press events, but her Los Angeles premiere ensemble looked immaculate. Margot Robbie at "Barbie" premieres (from L to R) in Los Angeles, London, and Seoul. Jon Kopaloff/Anadolu Agency/Han Myung-Gu Robbie may have been the busiest "Barbie" cast member during the film's global press tour, but this allowed her to wow fans with several looks. She attended the Seoul "Barbie" premiere in a glittery Versace gown and donned a classic off-the-shoulder silk gown designed by Vivienne Westwood at the London premiere. She also attended the Mexico City premiere in a Balmain minidress, but her Los Angeles style took the crown. Robbie donned a shimmering black strapless gown in Los Angeles with a tulle halo along the hem. The dress, designed by Schiaparelli, is modeled after the 1961 Solo in the Spotlight Barbie doll, featuring black gloves and a diamond choker. It's a timeless and gorgeous style moment. Ryan Gosling stuck to a classic suit for the "Barbie" premieres but added a fun flair with pastel colors. Ryan Gosling attends "Barbie" premieres (from L to R) in Los Angeles, London, and Mexico City. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Anadolu Agency/Medios y Media Gosling essentially wore the same Gucci suit silhouette to the "Barbie" premieres but included a different color palette for each one. In Mexico City, Gosling stepped onto the pink carpet in a light yellow suit with a white undershirt and loafers, while he wore a mint green suit in London. Story continues While the yellow and mint green suits are fun, Gosling's pink version in Los Angeles encapsulates the "Barbie" aesthetic, helping it top the list. The black gown America Ferrera wore to the London premiere looked effortlessly elegant. America Ferrera attends "Barbie premieres (from L to R) in London, Los Angeles, and Seoul. Karwai Tang/Matt Winkelmeyer/GA/Chung Sung-Jun Like Robbie, Ferrera attended the "Barbie" premieres in Los Angeles, Mexico City, London, and Seoul. In Seoul, Ferrera wore a patterned two-set Rosetta Getty ensemble that featured a strapped top, a blazer, and matching pants. Ferrera took it up a notch in Los Angeles by wearing a light pink two-set St. John gown, according to Ferrera's stylist revealed on Instagram. But the actor's best look took center stage in London, where she wore a glittering Roland Mouret gown with a ruffle feature below the neckline and paired it with sheer gloves and open-toe heels. The dress gave an old Hollywood vibe that looked breathtaking on the pink carpet. Issa Rae only attended two of the "Barbie" premieres, but she absolutely understood the assignment. Issa Rae attends "Barbie" premieres (from L to R) in Los Angeles and London. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Karwai Tang In London, the "Insecure" star arrived in a hot pink minidress with a slight slit along the leg and matching strappy heels. While the London dress captures the fun and flirty "Barbie" aesthetic, the floor-length Marc Bouwer gown she wore to the Los Angeles premiere was regal. The gown featuring a peek-a-boo cut and a turtle neck gave Issa a presidential flair, just like her "Barbie" character. Simi Liu avoided pink with his "Barbie" premiere looks but had fun subverting fashion genres with his ensembles. Simu Liu attends "Barbie" premieres (from L to R) in Los Angeles and London. Frazer Harrison/Anadolu Agency The "Marvel" star joined the "Barbie" cast at the Los Angeles and London premieres. Liu's London ensemble may look basic, but upon closer inspection, the Fendi shirt and pants feature subtle floral patterns that elevate the pieces. The all-black ensemble's preppy accents make it both stylish and unexpected. He pulled together the look with a black sweater tied around his shoulders, along with silver jewelry. In Los Angeles, Liu continued to play with style genres by wearing a light blue suit with a utilitarian vest underneath the jacket designed by Versace. While the Fendi outfit looked impeccable, the Versace is playful and fits in well amid summer, making it his best premiere outfit. Kate McKinnon only attended one premiere but arrived in a custom pink suit. Kate McKinnon attends "Barbie" premiere in Los Angeles. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images McKinnon attended the Los Angeles premiere in a hot pink waistcoat and matching pants with silver heels. Kallmeyer designed the ensemble. Read the original article on Insider Michael Jacksons Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, having sold a reported 70 million copies. Sarasota mystery writer Don Bruns would be happy with a fraction of that success for the new anthology he put together inspired by the album. As he did with last years hit Hotel California, Bruns has edited and written a story for the collection based off titles from Jacksons album. When we started Hotel California I thought I was calling in favors from the writers. Instead, every writer I talked to said, Oh, my God. I want to be part of this. The cover of the new mystery anthology Thriller, edited by Sarasota author Don Bruns and released by Blackstone Publishing. The book features nine short stories that use the song titles, but nothing else from the songs or lyrics. Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bone Collector, which is being adapted into a new TV series, chose The Lady in My Life, and Heather Graham picked the albums title song for their projects. Bruns himself wrote a story titled Wanna Be Startin Somethin. Bruns said Deaver was his first call for the book. I thought if I can get somebody of that calibre it would make it easy. But it all came together. Heather, (William) Kent Krueger and all the rest, and then some of them said, whats next. The book also features stories by David R. Slayton, Jennifer Graeser Dornbush, Neil S. Plakcy, Dahlia Rose and Rick Bleiweiss. Often, the hardest part of writing a song or story is coming up with a grabber title, and these songs are all familiar titles, just like with Hotel California, Bruns said. But the authors had to come up with their own story ideas. Sarasota author Don Bruns edited and contributed to Thriller, a new anthology of short mystery stories by nine different writers. They dont write stories about the song. We dont want any copyright infringement issues. We can use the titles but if we write stories based on the theme of a song, thats a problem, he said. He was surprised that Wanna Be Startin Somethin was still available for him to use after he let the other writers pick first. It was a big song. I thought this is a great title because it could be about anything. He ended up creating a story about a young girl and an older woman who become friends walking dogs. It sounds almost like a cozy story but it is a mystery, he said. Story continues It was inspired by the 14-year-old daughter of a family friend who asked if we could put her in the book. She finds this older woman is in a romance scam and some guy is trying to get her fortune. He said Graham created a story that really uses the idea of thriller, but Deavers story tied into the title only because he uses a woman in his life. Mystery writers tackle short stories in different ways. Deaver told Bruns that he wrote his in three days. Bruns said if he were more disciplined, he might have finished in a week, but it took longer. Only one writer turned him down, Bruns said. He told me it takes him longer to write a short story than a full novel. Bruns, who always has two or three books in development, is now on the fourth book in his New Orleans series that began with Casting Bones. and next summer a third anthology will be released based on the AC/DC album Back in Black. Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com. And please support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Michael Jacksons Thriller inspires new mystery anthology collection NORFOLK Its a copy editors worst nightmare. Drivers heading eastbound on Interstate 264 between Norfolk and Virginia Beach may have already noticed it. Near the 11th mile marker, about a mile from the Military Highway exit in Norfolk, there is a misspelling of Newtown Road a vein on the border of the two cities that leads to several residential neighborhoods on either side of the highway and the Greenwich Road commercial corridor to the south. Instead, drivers are directed to Newton Road, along with Military Highway and Chesapeake. Newton Road only exists on one of the exits overhead signs, and all other indicators for the 13, 14 and 15 exits are spelled correctly. The sign has been up since June 6, but a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Transportation said in an email that only one person had complained to the agency about it as of Friday afternoon. The spokesperson said this type of mistake is rare. This is part of a project being completed by contractor crews to replace overhead signs throughout Hampton Roads, said Jordan-Ashley Walker, senior communications specialist for the Hampton Roads District. The VDOT sign inspection team reviews and inspects the highway signs yearly for compliance. VDOT did not immediately respond to follow-up questions about when the agency was made aware of the error, or whether signs are checked for spelling before they are installed. As for a new sign, Walker said the replacement is a high-priority item. The new sign panel drawings have been sent to the contractor to be rebuilt, and the department has instructed the contractor to have it replaced as soon as possible. Walker said the contractor for the project will pay for the sign to be replaced but did not immediately reply to a question about how much that would cost. In May, a typo was discovered on a city-installed sign for Old Dam Neck Road in Virginia Beach, according to a report by 13New Now. The sign, which was only up for about a day, labeled the street Old Damn Neck Road. The replacement sign cost the city $556, according to the report. Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com "Ive gone from doing most everything for the babies when they first got to me to now she runs the show," Katrina Mullen says of her adopted daughter Courtesy of Katrina Mullen Shariya Small's triplets, daughters Sarayah and Serenitee and son Samari NICU nurse Katrina Mullen felt an instant connection when she met Shariya Small, a teenage mother of preemie triplets. Earlier this year, Mullen legally adopted her and is now grandmother to the three toddlers. My life has come full circle, Mullen, 45, tells PEOPLE. The Indiana nurse, a teen mom herself, was 16 when she placed her baby boy up for adoption nearly 30 years ago. Every day is different and every day we just love each other through it and we figure it out, Mullen adds of their family. Related: NICU Nurse with 5 Kids Adopts Teen Mom She Cared for After the Girl Gave Birth to Triplets at 14 When Small, now 17, discovered she was pregnant over Mother's Day weekend 2020, she felt unprepared for the journey ahead. I was 14, I was like, I dont want to be a mom right now, she tells PEOPLE. She had her first ultrasound on August 3 and then learned she was expecting triplets. "I was speechless," Small says. "I was panicking, but I had no time to panic." The babies two girls and a boy were born three weeks later on Aug. 30, 2020 at only 26 weeks. The teen was often by herself when her babies at Community Hospital Norths NICU. I felt like I couldnt relate to all the other moms on the floor, Small says. Courtesy of Katrina Mullen Shariya Small's triplets Mullen introduced herself and told Small she understood what she was going through. I wanted her to know that I was a teen mom, and that I knew how scary it was, says Mullen, a single mother of five boys: Sevonte Sumpter-Bey, 23, Shai Sumpter-Bey, 22, SeQuayvion Sumpter-Bey, 16, ShaKovon Sumpter-Bey, 15 and JJ Mullen, 8. Mullen regularly stopped by Smalls room to check on her and slowly, Small started venturing out of her room to find the nurse, who worked 12-hour night shifts three nights a week. On nights when Mullen wasnt caring for babies, but was working as the charge nurse, Small would just sit in her office beside her. Story continues It felt really good to finally have somebody to talk to that wasnt on my phone, Small says. My Extraordinary Family is PEOPLE's new series that explores fascinating families in all their forms. If you have a sweet story the world needs to know, send the details to love@people.com. In January 2021, Small's babies, daughters Sarayah and Serenitee and son Samari, were released from the hospital one at a time. But before Small left the hospital for good, she and Mullen both left notes for each other asking to stay in touch. I started hearing from her every day, Mullens says, sharing that the teen would "call me crying sometimes." I was really overwhelmed, Small says. I would just call Katrina and she would talk me down and tell me what to do. Mullen recalled worrying that the teen didn't have anybody else in her life to help. "I began to feel like I was her only support, the nurse says. Courtesy of Katrina Mullen Katrina Mullen and Shariya Small In March 2021, around Smalls 15th birthday, Mullen and a friend drove an hour to pay the young family a visit and everything seemed great. A few weeks later, Mullen visited again because she saw on FaceTime that Small's son had an eczema flare up and seemed unwell. This time, she was given a different address and she found Small sleeping on the couch at an aunts house. Meanwhile, her son was covered in scratches, almost bald and had lost a lot of weight. I said, You have to get him to the doctor today, Mullens remembers. Hes not okay. Related: Teen Who Beat Cancer Saves Boy, 3, Struggling with Disease in Ukraine: 'Now We're Like Family' (Exclusive) It took Small a few days to find a ride to take the baby to the hospital. And once she got him to the hospital, she didnt have anyone to babysit her daughters. Coincidentally, Mullen was not scheduled to work that week so she offered to watch the two girls. While at the hospital, Small's son was diagnosed with failure to thrive, which triggered a Child Protective Services investigation. A case worker told Mullen that Small and her babies were all going to be removed from their home and placed in foster care. But then, the case worker told her something else: Small wanted to live with Mullen. "Would you be willing to take them? Mullens remembers being asked. I was dumbfounded. My brain was racing. I was thinking to myself how hard it was going to be for them to find a foster home for all four of them to stay together. "She was willing to help me when nobody else was," adds Small. Courtesy of Katrina Mullen Katrina Mullen and Shariya Small with family Two days later, the family officially moved in as her foster children. And after 668 days of being her foster mom, on Feb. 6, 2023, Mullen legally adopted Small. I had nobody else to call mom, Small says. Im not alone anymore. I dont have to do everything by myself. (A GoFundMe page has also been created to support the young mother.) Related: Brothers in Foster Care Are Adopted Together by Single Dad: We Get to Have a Family (Exclusive) Small began attending an alternative high school and graduated with her diploma in June. In August, she plans to begin studying to be a social worker at Marian University. I want to help other teen moms, because I wanted somebody like that in my corner, Small says. I think I would be a big help. The school provided childcare for her two daughters. However, her son has a feeding tube and requires more care than the schools daycare could provide, so Mullen shifted her work schedule so she could stay home with him. The most fun for me is being a grandma. Thats my favorite part, Mullen says. They are such a joy to me. They make me smile and laugh so much every day, she adds. If I am stressed or Im in a bad mood, or something going on that I dont know how to fix, I just sit with them or one of them will run up to me and say, You need a hug? I mean, its just the best. Courtesy of Katrina Mullen Shariya Small and Katrina Mullen Now the triplets, who turn 3 next month, are "all thriving and doing great," Mullen says. The two girls graduated from therapy, and will enroll in a mainstream preschool this fall and Small's son still receives occupational therapy and physical therapy every week. Mullen is also proud of the "fierce" mom Small has become. Ive seen her blossom from a scared teenager who has no idea how to do this to a total boss mom, Mullen says. Shes such a hands-on parent. She is with the three of them 24/7 right now. Ive gone from doing most everything for the babies when they first got to me, to now she runs the show, and I just am there if she needs backup or if she needs a break. Courtesy of Katrina Mullen Shariya Small and triplets For her part, Small says that now she really likes "everything about being a mom" And her kids, she says, dont know they have a teen mom. All they know is that they have a mom that loves them and I hope that continues," she adds. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. "Our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter," the president said in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE Celeste Sloman, Lunden Roberts/instagram President Joe Biden, first lady Dr. Jill Biden and granddaughter Navy Roberts President Joe Biden has offered his first statement on 4-year-old grandchild Navy Joan Roberts, the daughter of Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts, an Arkansas woman who filed a paternity suit against the president's son in May 2019. Our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," President Biden said in a statement provided exclusively to PEOPLE. Navy, one of the president's seven grandchildren, has recently been the subject of headlines as Republicans have criticized the president for previously touting his "six grandchildren." "This is not a political issue, its a family matter," President Biden's statement continues. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty President Joe Biden, first lady Dr. Jill Biden, and son Hunter Biden A source familiar with the situation tells PEOPLE that the recently resolved child support dispute between Hunter and Lunden has dictated how the relationship has played out so far. "You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navys parents happening until just a few weeks ago. As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunters lead," the source says, adding, "They are and have been giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out." The legal dispute between Lunden and Hunter worked its way through Arkansas courts for more than four years and led to a November 2019 ruling that, despite his denials, Hunter did father the child (which was confirmed with a DNA test). Speaking to PEOPLE, the source notes that the situation is a family issue. Thousands of families have faced similar circumstances, working it out in private, versus the spotlight," the source says. "At the center is a 4-year-old girl and everyone wants what is best for her, including all of her grandparents. Story continues Related: Everything to Know About President Joe Biden's 7 Grandchildren Win McNamee/Getty Hunter Biden carries son Beau at the White House on Nov. 21, 2022 In January 2020, Hunter agreed to pay an undisclosed amount in child support to Lunden, including retroactive payments going back to November 2018. But in April 2021, she filed a "motion for contempt" which claimed Hunter had withheld evidence and ignored previous court rulings throughout their paternity dispute. The contempt motion echoed a previous filing made by Roberts ahead of the January 2020 settlement, when Lunden argued that Hunter should be held in contempt by the judge for ignoring various court orders. She also requested that he be required to pay her attorney fees, which was included in the recent filing, too. In June 2023, Hunter settled the child support case in Arkansas state court, reaching an agreement with Lunden, the terms of which have been under wraps. CNN has reported that, as part of the settlement, the child will receive both monetary child support and some of Hunter's paintings. Lunden, meanwhile, dropped an earlier attempt to change Navy's last name to Biden, according to the court filing. A lot has thankfully been sorted out, and Navys parents are working on a way forward thats best for her," the source tells PEOPLE. Drew Angerer/Getty President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden embrace son Hunter Biden and daughter Ashley Biden after the Democratic politician was sworn in on Inauguration Day 2021 Hunter is a father to four additional children. He shares daughters Naomi, 29, Finnegan, 22, and Maisy, 21, with ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, and son Beau Jr., 3, with his current wife, Melissa Cohen. 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. President Biden's close relationship with his other grandchildren (who call him "Pop") has been well-documented. Last November, Naomi got married at the White House. "They're crazy about me and I'm crazy about them," the president said of his grandkids on an episode of the SmartLess podcast in 2022. "Every single day, I contact every one of my grandchildren." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Rapper G Herbo pleaded guilty Friday to using stolen credit card information from the dark web to pay for private jets, exotic car rentals, a luxury vacation rental, and expensive designer puppies. The lifestyle was a far cry from his growing up years on the East Side of Chicago in a neighborhood dubbed Terror Town, so named for its gang and gun violence. More from Deadline He released his debut mix tapes Welcome to Fazoland and Pistol P Project in 2014, both named for friends who had been killed in the city. His first album was 2017s Humble Beast, and his latest is Survivors Remorse, released last year. His 2020 album PTSD debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200. The 27-year-old Chicago rapper (real name Herbert Wright III) entered a guilty plea today in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and making false statements. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed several counts of aggravated identity theft. As part of his plea, G Herbo also agreed to forfeit nearly $140,000, the amount he used in what prosecutors claimed was a $1.5 million scheme that involved several other people. Mr. Wright used stolen account information as his very own unlimited funding source, using victims payment cards to finance an extravagant lifestyle and advance his career, acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said in a statement. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 7, and he faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. From at least March 2017 until November 2018, G Herbo and his promoter, Antonio Strong, used text messages, social media messages and emails to share account information taken from dark websites, authorities said. Story continues Prosecutors contend that the stolen account information paid for a chartered jet to fly the rapper and members of his entourage from Chicago to Austin, Texas. On another occasion, they used a stolen account on a six-bedroom Jamaican Villa, racking up a nearly $15,000 bill. , In court documents, prosecutors said G Herbo used the proceeds of these frauds to travel to various concert venues and to advance his career by posting photographs and/or videos of himself on the private jets, in the exotic cars, and at the Jamaican villa. G Herbo was also charged in May 2021 with lying to investigators by denying that he had any ties to Strong. The two worked together since 2016. Strong has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. police cars in Nashville By Rebekah Riess (CNN) A Tennessee police officer has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, claiming unlawful denial of employment because of his HIV status, according to the complaint filed Friday in federal court. The plaintiff, who is a current police officer with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and only identified as John Doe, is challenging the legality of what he describes as Nashvilles policy of not employing someone with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a police officer. The lawsuit argues the policy constitutes a violation of federal law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act. In February 2020, the officer received a job offer from Nashville police on the condition that he pass a medical exam, but when his blood work tested positive for HIV, it was rescinded, according to the complaint. According to the lawsuit, the officers own HIV viral load is fully suppressed and un-transmittable, and he poses no threat of transmission to his co-workers or the community at large. The lawsuit argues the policy in effect categorically bars anyone living with HIV from serving in the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, despite medical advancements that render HIV status irrelevant to a persons ability to perform the duties of a police officer in any capacity. When reached for comment, Allison Bussell, with Nashvilles Metropolitan Department of Law, told CNN they had not been served with the lawsuit as of Wednesday morning, and declined to comment on pending litigation. The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. If youre already planning your trip to Europe for next summer, be aware that travel regulations are expected to change in 2024. Starting next year, travelers will need travel authorization via the European Travel Information and Authorization System to enter 30 European nations. According to the European Unions website, the authorization allows for stays up to 90 days in any 180-day period and you can go for as often as youd like. However, having this visa doesnt mean youre guaranteed entry into the country. Youll still need to show your passport and other documents, and verify you meet the countrys entry rules. Is ETIAS a visa? ETIAS is not a visa, but is considered a travel authorization to get into Europe, according to the ETIAS website. And, unlike visas, ETIAS is an electronic verification thats linked to a passport and it can only be applied for online. Visas are a physical paper document and travelers have to apply in person with an interview. This program has been in the works for some time and has been delayed that means, according to CBS News, its start date may be extended again. Which countries need the visa pass in Europe? The 30 countries requiring authorization include: Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland How to apply Although the program begins next year, ETIAS is not yet accepting applications. By then, youll have to apply on the ETIAS website or through its mobile app either process is fully electronic. Applications can be processed within minutes or up to 30 days, depending on whether you need to submit additional information or have an interview, according to EU authorities. Application costs Each application is 7 euros, which is about $8 in the U.S. How it works Once approved, youll get a confirmation email and the authorization will be linked to your U.S. passport. This visa lasts three years or until your passport expires, if that happens before the visa expiration. If you are denied, you get a chance to appeal. What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com. July 28 (UPI) -- A family fishing off the coast of Massachusetts captured video of the rare moment three humpback whales jumped out of the water in unison. Robert Addie said he was fishing with his daughters and son-in-law near Provincetown when he started recording video of some nearby whales. Addie's footage captured the moment three of the whales breached at the same time, followed by a nearby juvenile a few moments later. "I've been on the water a long time. I've worked sword and tuna out of Gloucester. I worked fishing in Alaska as a young man and I've seen a lot of whales," Addie told WFXT-TV. "I'll tell you, I've never seen a triple in sync like that." Philip Hamilton, senior scientist at the New England Aquarium, said whales have been known to breach in unison, but three at the same time is a "bit rarer" to see. "God was shining down on my family," Addie told The Washington Post. "It was just a fantastic day on the water." Don't feel bad if you don't know who Gov. Doug Burgum is or that he's among the roughly dozen candidates jockeying for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. A June poll by Quinnipiac University showed 90% of Americans haven't heard of North Dakota's billionaire governor. In a primary dominated by former President Donald Trump, he concedes he is one of the least-known contenders, which means coming up with new ways to get attention. One strategy that generated attention and elevated Burgum to qualifying for the Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee Aug. 23 was offering a $20 gift card to people who donated $1 to his presidential campaign, which critics blasted as buying support. Some used their gift card money to donate to President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. "I love the creativity that people have," Burgum told USA TODAY. "I know a lot of people that got their whole family to give a dollar and we got five donors and then they used it to help pay down the food bill or pay for the next tank of gas." But there's plenty that is serious about Burgum, who signed one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country this year and whose views on energy draw praise from conservative thinkers. He sat down with USA TODAY reporters and editors on Tuesday to introduce himself to voters and talk about the nations biggest challenges and how he wants to solve them. Burgum is a software entrepreneur, largely self-funded North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks at the state Capitol in Bismarck, North Dakota. Burgum has signed a veto-proof bill into law that restricts transgender health care and criminalizes providers who give gender-affirming care to people under 18. Burgum, 66, was born in Arthur, North Dakota, northwest of Fargo. He attended Stanford University, where he earned a masters degree in business administration. In the 1980s, he and his relatives including his grandparents, who owned an agriculture business bought Great Plains Software, a software company that eventually was bought by Microsoft for $1.1 billion in 1997. Most of Burgum's fundraising comes from his own pocket with a $10.2 million personal loan to the campaign. Story continues He has been a major underdog before North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks to the Northside Conservative Breakfast Club in Ankeny. When Burgum first entered politics as a gubernatorial contender in 2016, he was a long shot, trailing by 49% in the GOP primary against a popular attorney general. He won that election by 20%, largely running as an outsider in the year that Trump first captured the Republican nomination for president. Trump's staying power Former President Donald Trump departs after a visit with campaign volunteers at the Elks Lodge, Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Most public polls put Burgum in the basement of the Republican presidential primary and often barely registering with 1% to 2% of voters. Like every other GOP hopeful, he has to contend with a news cycle dominated daily by Trump, who has already been indicted twice on the campaign trail. Asked about the former president's staying power, the North Dakota Republican said that in the seven weeks he has been in the race, he has already made the Aug. 23 debate stage and that polls taken far from Election Day haven't been good forecasts for who wins. "There's lots of twists and turns," Burgum said. "But for us right now, our focus is really on trying to introduce ourselves to the American public because we're the least known of any of the candidates who will be on stage. But we think we've got some of the best qualifications to actually lead the country." Climate change and buying energy from friends FILE -- Wildfires burning in Quebec, Canada, on June 14, 2023. Across North America, Europe and Asia, hundreds of millions of people endured blistering conditions. The U.S. special envoy for climate change called it a threat to all of humankind. (Renaud Philippe/The New York Times) If there's a subject Burgum loves to talk about, it's energy and its role in America's domestic and foreign policy. "The potential for us to have an amazing future as a country has never been greater, and yet we're trapped in this politically and talking about internal division and really talking about the past," he said. Burgum believes human activity has caused climate change, and as governor he made it a goal to get the Roughrider State carbon-neutral by 2030. But he rejects the Democratic worldview of using regulation to curtail fossil fuel use and instead emphasizes innovative technology to capture carbon emissions. The energy debate is also a national security issue, Burgum said. "It's one sentence, which is we need to sell energy to our friends and allies and stop buying it from our adversaries." Winning the cold war against China China's President Xi Jinping (R) speaks with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger during a meeting in Beijing on July 20, 2023. Burgum's energy views dovetail with a foreign policy perspective that centers on China being America's chief rival in the 21st century. The first campaign ad Burgum launched was all about China's communist leadership, and he has been stark in saying that the U.S. is engaged in a cold war with Beijing that must be won economically. But unlike the Cold War with the Soviet Union, he said, this conflict will require dialogue with China but a firm stance on U.S. values. "There's a lot more nuance required here, because it is a fact that you've got a dictatorship with a bad track record on human rights and a bad track record against democracy, but our two economies are very much intertwined." GOP debate 'all upside' for non-Trump contenders, Burgum says From left, John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie and Rand Paul at a Republican presidential debate on Oct. 28, 2015, in Boulder, Colo. Qualifying for the Aug. 23 debate is a big step for the Burgum campaign, mainly because it will put the North Dakota governor on national TV. Burgum said that he would support whoever wins the GOP nomination, including Trump, but that he is running to win. "I think competition is good for the Republican Party, and it's great for this country," he said. "Ninety-three percent of Americans want something different than a Biden-Trump matchup, and if that's what they really want, then people should pay attention." What remains unclear is if Trump, the unquestionable front-runner in the primary, will even attend the debate and how that will influence other candidates' approaches. But Burgum said he isn't joining the "media obsession" of candidates commenting on one another's campaigns. "If you got 100% name recognition and you've been participating, it's all downside," he said. "If you've got low name recognition, you know that you've got things that matter to all Americans, it's all upside for us." No national abortion ban Demonstrators hold signs during the Women's March in Washington, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Abortion rights and anti-abortion activists held rallies Saturday in Washington and across the country to call attention to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling on June 24, 2022, which upended the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Like other governors, Burgum is on the front lines of the country reshuffling its reproductive rights laws in the wake of the Supreme Court knocking down Roe v. Wade last year. North Dakota passed one of the nation's most strict abortion bans; it blocks the procedure at all stages of pregnancy at up to six weeks with the exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies. But that comes amid other bans failing in conservative-leaning states either through the legislative or referendum processes. The question being posed to many White House hopefuls on the GOP side is whether they support Congress establishing a federal ban, which many social conservatives have been demanding in recent months. Burgum told USA TODAY he would not support such a move, however. "It absolutely belongs to the states," he said. "What would fly in New York would never fly in North Dakota. Those are two very different things." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who's Doug Burgum, the N.D. governor running for president?: Takeaways During the Gulf War, Pat Abeyta, a former Army welder and mechanic, was among those sent to work the massive pits where rubber, wood, plastics and other trash was burned, sending toxic substances into the air. As part of the work, he helped keep children away from the military's trash that was dumped by the truckload into a hole the size of a building. "We had to stand guard to keep the kids out. The kids as soon as they see a bag, they want to tear it open and see what was inside. You know, maybe there was food or something they could use," he said. Now, 62, the Fountain resident believes the exposure from the smoke led to lost lung capacity over time and like many others is submitting a claim under the recently passed PACT Act for disability benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs now assumes that numerous medical conditions, including several causing loss of lung function, were caused by exposure to the burn pits used during the Gulf War and during the post-Sept. 11 conflicts. For Vietnam War-era veterans, the law allows veterans exposed to Agent Orange in new locations such as Thailand, Laos and Cambodia to apply for monthly compensation if they have certain conditions, among other changes. Under the new law, the VA is granting claims that were previously denied. Charles Graves, assistant veteran service officer for El Paso County, said his office has filed 451 claims under the PACT Act. The data is not available say how many of those claims have been granted. Across Colorado, 2,312 claims have been granted and 2,740 claims are pending, according to data from the Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs. The state was home to 387,618 veterans in 2022, state data shows. For those who have their disability claims granted, the difference it can make to their monthly income can be substantial, with those granted 80% disability earning $1,900 a month and those granted 100% disability earning $3,621 a month if they are single, Graves said. Collectively, compensation and pensions paid to El Paso County veterans in the past fiscal year totaled over $1 billion, excluding retirement benefits, VA data shows. For Graves and others working to sign up veterans, and in some cases, their surviving spouses, some of the challenges have been getting the word out and helping veterans accept if they developed certain conditions they deserve the compensation. Matt Lewis volunteers his time to help veterans file their claims as the veterans service officer for VFW Post 6461 in Fountain, and he sometimes works with those who do not feel they deserve compensation, in part because they lost friends in conflict and they have friends who did not come home whole. He typically tells them: "Youve served your time. Its time for the government to take care of you." For Lewis, a veteran who went through a long claims process himself, helping veterans is a bit like therapy. Under the new law, widows can also qualify for the expanded benefits under the PACT Act a change that's helped Toni Sparks, who filed a claim in 2016 related to her husband's Vietnam-era deployment in Thailand. She was denied after going through the appeals process. Sign Up for free: Military Brief Your weekly local update on local military news and events, sent straight to your inbox. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. "Quite honestly, I didnt expect to succeed because I didnt succeed the first time," she said. "I would encourage anybody to keep on keeping on." Her husband, Calvin Sparks, who died in 2016, served in Thailand where he was the head of a squadron that photographed battle damage. Later in life, he experienced a laundry list of health conditions that fit the pattern of exposure to Agent Orange, such as diabetes. But since he served in Thailand, he didn't qualify. So Toni Sparks' initial claim was related to post-traumatic stress disorder from the ruins from war that he documented. When the rules changed under the PACT Act, she decided to apply again and was successful, with the help of the staff of the county's Veterans Service Office. "I am, of course, very grateful," she said. For those interested in applying, the deadline to file a claim or an intent to file a claim is Aug. 9 to receive benefits backdated to Aug. 10, 2022, according to the VA. El Paso County Veterans Services and several other agencies are holding a clinic to help veterans apply Aug. 7, 8, 9 from noon to 8 p.m. at the Colorado National Guard Center at 9510 Voyager Parkway. A team of nurses from the Veterans Health Administration will provide toxic exposure screenings and veteran service representatives with the Veterans Benefits Administration will help file claims and other services over the three-day clinic. The clinic is intended to help as many veterans as possible ahead of the deadline. Veterans can file for PACT Act benefits after the deadline, which could benefit some still serving. For example, active- duty service members exposed to the burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan or other areas will be allowed to apply for benefits if they develop certain conditions in the future. For Abeyta, while the burn pits have made it difficult for him to breathe, particularly in the morning, they did make practical sense at the time because the tons of trash the military produced in 1990 and 1991 couldn't be buried in the sand. It would have been uncovered and then blown away, he said. When U.S. troops returned to the Middle East a decade later, burn pits became common again, with some smoldering 24/7. The VA estimates 3.5 million service members were exposed to them. A 2019 DOD report said the military was operating nine burn pits, and the use of burn pits now has been prohibited unless there is no alternative. Here are the fascinating stories behind abandoned amusement parks around the United States. Carly Caramanna Theres just something about the eerie draw of an abandoned amusement park that captivates us. These once-cherished locations, formerly filled with laughter and cheery music, have become long-gone places of yesteryear that sit in decay, slowly succumbing to nature. While some are demolished to make way for new developments, others sit in ruin, intriguing theme park enthusiasts who want to know what these parks were like at their peaks and why they closed. From the hurricane-ravaged Six Flags New Orleans to the whimsical Land of Oz, here are some of the most fascinating abandoned amusement parks in the United States. Note that many of these theme parks are now closed to the public and visiting them may be considered trespassing. Related: 20 Best Amusement Parks in the World Six Flags New Orleans Carly Caramanna There are few abandoned sites in the United States as creepy as Six Flags New Orleans. The storied amusement park, which first operated as Jazzland, was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The park sat in seven feet of water for over a month and ultimately became an unofficial symbol of one of the most destructive storms the country had ever seen. The damage was substantial, and only a few of the parks attractions were salvaged. As a shadow of its former self, the park sits in ruin due to the high cost of demolishing it so many of its rides, including rust-coated roller coasters, reside in plain view just off the main interstate heading into New Orleans. Today, the park has a second life as a filming location its spooky atmosphere makes it an in-demand set for movie and television shoots. Discovery Island at Walt Disney World While Walt Disney World may conjure up images of glossy facades and colorful castles, there are a few relics of the resorts past that visitors can spot in broad daylight. Located on Bay Lake near Magic Kingdom Park, Discovery Island was once a lively zoological attraction. The wildlife sanctuary, which operated from 1974 to 1999, was home to hundreds of birds and primates. Story continues The park closed exactly 25 years after opening, and the animals that resided here were relocated to Disneys Animal Kingdom and its standout facilities. To this day, all of its original buildings remain on the private island, and fireworks cruises often sail by the overgrown island, offering closer views for curious onlookers. Related: 13 Permanently Closed Disney Attractions We Wish We Could Experience Again Ghost Town in the Sky Carly Caramanna Wild West-themed amusement park Ghost Town in the Sky opened in 1961 atop Buck Mountain in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. And guests couldnt just drive up and park at the gates they had to take either a 3,370-foot-long chair lift or an inclined funicular railway to reach the theme park. During its heyday, park goers enjoyed live performances from country music stars, classic amusement rides, and a recreated Old West town. Poor conditions, mounting operational costs, and a steep decline in tourists finally led to Ghost Town in the Skys closure in 2002. Throughout the years, several new owners attempted to reopen the historic park, but it still sits empty atop Buck Mountain today. Guests passing through the Smoky Mountains can spot the parks entrance, funicular, and abandoned steel looping roller coaster, Cliff Hanger, high in the sky. Heritage USA Carly Caramanna Heritage USA the brainchild of television evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker opened just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina in 1978. The Christianity-themed water park and theme park was a bona fide destination complete with on-site accommodations; at its height, it was one of the most-visited parks in the world following Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Plagued with money issues and growing controversy, it closed for good in 1989. While much of the park was cleared for residential construction, its famed promenade and 21-story abandoned hotel tower still stand. Part of the complex is even used as a conference and wedding venue. Nickelodeon Studios Carly Caramanna Nostalgic 90s kids remember when Nickelodeon Studios was located at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando. Known for its brightly hued exterior and orange splatter logo, the fully functioning television studio was part production house and part theme park attraction. Guests of Universal Studios could catch a live taping of favorite shows like Family Double Dare, participate in daily studio tours, and even get slimed. Over 2,000 episodes were filmed at the studio, which was closed for good in 2005. The property went on to house a residency of the Blue Man Group, but that since closed and the building now sits quietly just steps from the theme park. Guests can sometimes get a glimpse into the studios Stage 18, which once housed production for Legends of the Hidden Temple, during the holiday season for the annual Grinch-mas celebration. Jungle Island Courtesy of Dr. John C. Webb Knotts Berry Farms long-forgotten second gate was a unique theme park that featured a lush tropical setting and peculiar exhibits. Another one of Walter Knotts grand ideas, Jungle Island operated just across the street from Knotts from 1964 to 1982. The park targeted younger visitors and housed a number of playscapes and relaxation areas. It was best known for its over 200 wood-imal creatures, carved pieces resembling animals made by Illinois landscape artist Forrest L. Morrow. The folk artist and his family operated the Southern California park until its demise in 1982 when Knotts opened a brand-new kid-focused land. The park has since been repurposed into a private event space named Knotts Lagoon. Land of Oz Wizard of Oz-themed Land Of Oz was created as a way to bring year-round tourism to Beech Mountain, a North Carolina ski resort. The park opened in 1970 with great fanfare Debbie Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher were on hand to celebrate the official ribbon cutting. Inside, guests explored a recreation of the iconic yellow brick road, met Scarecrow and the gang, and got up close with actual props and costumes from the film, including Judy Garlands iconic Dorothy dress. A ski lift was turned into an artificial balloon ride, mimicking the final scene from the movie and offering riders a stunning birds-eye view of the surrounding mountains. Business misfortunes and a 1975 fire ultimately led to the parks decline, and it was abandoned for several years. According to the parks website, former employees reunited in the late 1980s, sparking an interest in reviving the Land of Oz, and today, people can journey back to the Emerald City each fall for Autumn of Oz weekend events. Lake Dolores Waterpark/Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark Carly Caramanna Rock-A-Hoola Waterparks graffiti-covered buildings often catch the eyes of travelers driving along Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The desert water park dates back to the 1950s when it was called Lake Dolores Waterpark. In 1998, the original park received a makeover and became Rock-A-Hoola, a sort of retro 1950s-themed water park, but even that couldnt save the floundering park it was rebranded as Discovery Waterpark and finally closed again in 2004. Many of the 1950s-inspired buildings and water slide structures stand today, faded by the blazing Mojave sun. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. While we just had a taste of what's to come this holiday season with Christmas in July movies on Hallmark Channel, we still have summer to get through. Hopefully, many of you will be able to enjoy some fun and sun at the beach or other large body of water. If you can't get away or don't want to leave the comfort of your air-conditioned home, beat the heat with summer movies. Hallmark's Summer Nights lineup of films will take you on safari, to a music festival, and to wine country. The first stop is Hawaii with Aloha Heart. Here's everything we know about Aloha Heart including a Parade.com exclusive sneak peek! Take a look! What is Aloha Heart about? Manu (Kanoa Goo) loves his Hawaiian homeland. His heart is in conservation, knowing full well his familys hotel needs to make big changes to how the business operates for sustainability of the precious lands it sits on. His family resists his costly suggestions, wanting to stay competitive with bigger resort hotels on the islands. Sara Hamilton (Taylor Cole) is the best friend and maid of honor in her friends wedding, which is being held at Manus hotel. She has had trouble getting her foot into the world of environmental protection and is starting to lose hope shell be able to pursue what matters most to her. When Sara and Manu meet, she has all kinds of suggestions for making the hotel a more sustainable business, but her overzealous approach only rubs Manu the wrong way. Leading up to the wedding, Manu and Sara find out they are in fact kindred spirits. Manu needs help getting his family on board to manage the business the right way, and Sara needs to balance her work passion with enjoying life that is too quickly passing by. In the partnership that forms, they discover they make the right kind of team, especially as an unexpected love for each other enriches their dream of making the world a better place. Related: Hallmark Channel Launches the Ultimate Fan Event: A Festival Christmas Cruise Meet the cast of Aloha Heart Taylor Cole (Sara) Cole has been a fixture at Hallmark Channel, starring in popular movies on the network like One Winter Weekend, My Summer Prince, and Making Spirits Bright. Cole's stepfather is actor Shawn Christian. The two have appeared together on Summerland and Ruby Herring Mysteries. Story continues Kanoa Goo (Manu) Goo is a Hawaiian native and has appeared in prominent roles on The Rookie, Fire Country, and Dwight in Shining Armor. He has had guest starring roles on NCIS: Hawai'i, Hawaii Five-O, and City on a Hill. This is his first Hallmark movie (and hopefully not his last!) When does Aloha Heart premiere? Aloha Heart premieres on Saturday, July 29 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel. When can I watch Aloha Heart again? Sunday, Jul. 30 at 7 p.m. ET Thursday, Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 6 at 1 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 25 at 6 p.m. ET Does Parade.com have a sneak peek of Aloha Heart? Aloha! Yes, we do! Check out the exclusive Parade.com sneak peek of Aloha Heart below. View the 27 images of this gallery on the original article New Medicaid expansion backed by Gov. Roy Cooper would strengthen mental health care and substance abuse services for inmates, the North Carolina governor said Friday. Even though lawmakers have not yet approved the funding, Coopers Wednesday announcement on his administrations plan to expand Medicaid on Oct. 1 now pressures the states Republican-controlled legislature to act, as the News & Observer reported this week. Mentally-ill prisoners disproportionately experience mental or behavioral health issues and experts have said those in the jail population will especially benefit from expansion in North Carolina. Statewide, more than 600,000 people are expected to be eligible for the program and gain new health care coverage. On Friday, Cooper was visiting Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office Summer Camp, held for the first time this year at the former Juvenile Detention Center in north Charlotte. Sheriff Garry McFadden stood alongside Cooper as kids wrapped up their third week in the Escape Camp by learning archery. Asked about a case like Devalos Perkins a 37-year-old Charlotte murder suspect who has been waiting more than 10 years in jail due to his mental health condition and a one-word loophole in state law Cooper pointed to Medicaid expanding as part of a solution for a broken system. We know that weve underfunded our behavioral and mental health system significantly over the last few years, Cooper said. Earlier this month, The Charlotte Observers Purgatory a four-part series about Perkins revealed legal ambiguity and a one-word loophole in state law allows criminal defendants like him to wait years, and even more than a decade in some cases, to go to trial if they are deemed mentally-incapable of proceeding to trial. Our Department of Health and Human Services already has a program going on here in Charlotte-Mecklenburg to help restore capacity for people, Cooper said. ... Its so important for people who have been found to be mentally incapacitated in order to be able to stand trial. Story continues With not enough room in psychiatric hospitals, North Carolina is focusing on providing local resources for those with mental health and substance abuse issues those who know they shouldnt have handcuffs, they should have health care, Cooper said. Investment in health care would help the criminal justice system more than anything else, Cooper said. Republican and Democratic sheriffs alike understand that, the governor said, and thats why the North Carolina Sheriffs Association endorsed Medicaid expansion. Republican legislators previously declined to fund Medicaid separately and instead tied it to the budget. House Speaker Tim Moore told reporters last week he has not sensed any appetite in our caucus to move the expansion separate and apart from the budget. So I would anticipate any expansion that happens on Medicaid to be a part of the budget thats enacted, Moore said. On that, Cooper has said in a statement: Making Medicaid Expansion contingent on passing the budget was and is unnecessary, and now the failure of Republican legislators to pass the budget is ripping health care away from thousands of real people and costing our state and our hospitals millions of dollars. Lawmakers have until Sept. 1 to fund Coopers proposal. If they miss the deadline, Medicaid expansion in the state would be delayed until Dec. 1, health officials told Politico. Its unclear how much of the new Medicaid spending would go directly toward inmate services in Coopers proposal. CACY offering new 'Hidden in Plain Sight' virtual activity for adults Not all teens will misuse substances but all teens are at risk for substance use or risky behaviors. CACY's Hidden in Plain Sight (HIPS) adult education program is an interactive display designed to educate concerned adults about what to look for and the confidence to know what to do if you find something concerning. It provides clues to help determine whether a child you know has favorable attitudes or behaviors toward substance use or other risky behaviors. Hidden in Plain Sight is a display of a typical teen bedroom set up with drug paraphernalia that are hidden in plain sight. This interactive visual program offers adults insight into current trends in youth attitudes concerning substance use/abuse, drug paraphernalia, concealment and sales of illicit drugs, tobacco, alcohol, medication and inhalants. To play the game, visit cacyohio.org/hidden-in-plain-sight/. Area Agency on Aging to host cryptocurrency scam awareness event on Aug. 4 MARION The Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging Inc. will hold an upcoming event in Marion that's focused on raising awareness and equipping older adults with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves from cryptocurrency scams. Exploitation, especially scams such as cryptocurrency scams, continue to be a growing concern amongst older adults. Understanding the urgency to address this issue, the Area Agency on Aging has organized a dedicated event to shed light on these scams and arm vulnerable individuals with the information they need to safeguard their finances. Titled Cryptocurrency Scam Awareness and Information, the event will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Friday at The Brickyard on Main, 135 S. Main St., Marion. Representatives from the Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Marion Senior Center, Marion County Council on Aging, ProSeniors, Ohio Attorney General and Marion Job and Family Services and Adult Protective Services will be on-site to provide resources and information. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about various types of cryptocurrency scams, including fraudulent schemes, and identity theft, along with practical tips to detect and prevent such scams. Story continues This event is free and is intended for older adults, finance professionals, and community members who engage with older adults. For more information, contact Sue Montgomery at smontgomery@aaa5ohio.org. Registration is not required but space is limited. This event will be livestreamed on Aug. 4 on the Agencys Facebook page. AU launches Talon Track program with Ashland City School District ASHLAND Leaders from Ashland University and the Ashland City School District have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which outlines a new and expanded collaboration between the two institutions through an initiative called Talon Track. The Talon Track program will include a kiosk where Ashland High School students can find information about Ashland University. Plans call for Talon Track to be expanded throughout the region. The Talon Track program, which includes a permanent kiosk, will provide area educational opportunities for high school students that will enhance their experiences in the classroom and promote the benefits of higher education, support for college-bound students and their families in the search process and an introduction to AU as one example of the college experience. In addition to the kiosk, other specific plans of the Talon Track program include: AU faculty visits to teach courses and/or explore careers in various academic disciplines Panels of current AU students who will discuss the difference between high school and college An onsite financial aid workshop for students and their families, presented by the AU financial aid office A career exploration workshop for students and their families, presented by the AU Career Center for Life Calling College Credit Plus courses for interested students, offered both in-person and online A $1,000 tuition scholarship to graduates of the partner high school who enroll at AU and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA, and another $1,000 housing scholarship for those who choose to reside on campus and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA starting fall 2024 While Ashland High School is the first official Talon Track partner, AU plans to expand the program and will work with other schools across the region and state that have a shared vision. This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: CACY virtual activity for adults, cryptocurrency scams, Talon Track Drinking History The cocktail passes from patron to patron down the bar at Handshake Speakeasy, each guest dipping a short metal straw into the coupe to siphon out a fleeting taste of the 100 Year Old Hanky Panky. Everyone at the Mexico City bar knows theyll never taste a drink quite like this againlush and concentrated, its amaro edge softened over time, made with gin and vermouth that predate the Sputnik launch and a Fernet-Branca thats older still, dating back to 1930. Although better known for its modernist cocktails, Handshakes menu has, since last summer, featured four drinks incorporating vintage spirits, ranging from a $55 shakerato made with 1980s Campari to that time-capsule Hanky Panky, which sells for a breathtaking $430. And it joins an elite club of establishmentsthe Office in Chicago, Seattles Canon, and Maison Premiere in New York Citygleaning inspiration from rows of dusty bottles. More from Robb Report Londons Connaught Bar, a perennial favorite on the Worlds 50 Best Bars list, also introduced a vintage program last year. We were ready to give guests a piece of liquid history, says Agostino Perrone, who heads the Connaught Bar team. Its selection has grown from three drinksincluding a martini and a white ladyto seven, to meet overwhelming consumer demand for all things small production, limited edition, and rare. Hence the success of the Connaughts Silver Jubilee Rob Roy, made with a limited-run Scotch bottled for the former queens 1977 Platinum Jubilee and priced at 2,000 (about $2,500). Jim Wrigley remembers drinking his first vintage cocktail seven years ago, at the Merchant Hotel in Belfasta Trader Vics 1944 mai tai made with period-correct Wray & Nephew rum. You could never re-create the original with modern spirits, says Wrigley, who, along with Andrew Copsey, opened Library by the Sea at Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa on Grand Cayman last December. Story continues Among other literary themes, Wrigleys menu includes what he has dubbed rare and first editions. When a customer orders a $350 E. Hemingway Special daiquiri, the bartender ascends a ladder to pull down a Dorothy Thorpe coupe, the 1952 issue of Life magazine that debuted The Old Man and the Sea, and the same 1930s Bacardi rum and maraschino liqueur that Papa Hemingway would have imbibed at El Floridita, in Havana, Cuba. As distinct as vintage spirits arethanks to a combination of evaporation, bygone production methods, and defunct sugar sourcesits the experience that differentiates these drinks. Theres this moment in hospitality when youre connecting with the guest and say, The next time you come back, this bottle wont be here. This is something just for us, says Shawn Lickliter, bar director at Manzke, in Los Angeles. A full 85 percent of Manzkes back bar is vintage, from pre-Prohibition whiskeys to coveted 1960s Camparieven its Chambord and Cointreau are approaching Medicare age. But Lickliters no time-travel purist. He likes to mash up eras, with a vintage negroni that uses current-day sweet vermouth and a monte carlo featuring 1996 Rittenhouse rye, 1950s Benedictine, and Angostura bitters from the 1970s. As much as vintage bottles define Manzkes bar program, Lickliter is fully aware that the good stuff will eventually run out. Its not sustainable, he says, estimating that in two to five years, guests will return to find a completely modern back bar. I kind of love that, he says. Like, Remember when this was all vintage? It was such a cool thing to be part of. And then, like time itself, We just move on. Caroline Hatchett How To: Know When to Fold Em Robb Reports resident bartender and Cocktails for Grown-ups host is willing to shell out serious coin for a drink made with vintage spiritsbut only under very specific circumstances. Theres a scene in a movie. You know it, even if you havent watched it. A crowded poker table has been whittled down to two rivals. Its one of those high-anxiety moments, a pile of chips in the middle of the tablehe might be bluffing, he might not be. Sweat beads on brows. Do you have it? asks the first. You can find out, says the other, for $50,000. This is all I can think about when I see a ludicrously expensive cocktail at the bottom of a menu: Do you have it? I try to read the room, suddenly playing detective. How did the bartender move behind the bar? Were the other cocktails thoughtful or merely competent? Is the menu clean and unwrinkled? Okay, youre confident enough to put it on the menubut did you do it right? People tend to think of cocktails like steak dinners: The spirit is the steak; everything else is accouterment. Through this lens, more money for a vintage liquor makes sense. If someone offered to replace your steak with a more special steak, it would be an obvious improvementthe same thing you were going to have anyway, just better. But cocktails arent like that at all. Each particular liquid is itself a finely honed recipe and creates a unique expression on the palate, like a fingerprint. Truly great drinks have been meticulously tested, with 10, 20, or 30 versions compared side by side just to find the perfectly suited spirit. So, while its possible that a rye whiskey exhumed from a 19th-century shipwreck can anchor a sublime manhattan, its ability to do so will be completely unrelated to the specialness of the bottle. No matter how good the Wagyu, in other words, it doesnt necessarily improve the dish if its replacing clams, or duck. It might not work at all. To be clear, if given an opportunity to try a Sazerac with pre-phylloxera Cognac, say, or an old-fashioned with 1880s bitters and bourbon, or the precise Vesper that Ian Fleming was enjoying when he wrote the recipe into Casino Royale in the 1950s, youll find me on my phone, negotiating an increase to my credit limit. But am I interested in a Moscow mule with its price multiplied three dozen times because they found a bottle of vodka thats older than my mother? Deal me out. Jason OBryan The Flex: Salvatores Legacy Legendary barman Salvatore Calabrese has been on cocktail connoisseurs radar since at least 1985, when, at Dukes, in London, he created the extremely cold, dry, and potent Direct Martini-freezer-chilled gin poured straight from the bottle into a glass (also frozen) seasoned with a hint of vermouthfor journalist Stanton Delaplane, who covered it in the San Francisco Chronicle. His current establishment, the Donovan Bar, in Browns Hotel, is where many of the citys top bartenders head when they want an expertly prepared vintage cocktail-because Calabrese is also considered the godfather of the current phenomenon. We can see and read history, we can touch and feel history, Calabrese says. But one thing no one could do is taste history. So I came out with this concept of selling liquid history. Salvatore Calabrese Of a cocktail oeuvre that includes an old-fashioned with bourbon from the 1890s, when the drink was invented, and a negroni made using only ingredients from the period when the famed Conte Negroni was battling in the Franco-Prussian War, his masterpiece is surely the Salvatores Legacy, once heralded by Guinness World Records as the most expensive cocktail, at 5,500 (nearly $7,000). If the price tag makes it sound like a gimmick, consider the ingredients: The base spirit is a Vieux Cognac, Clos de Griffier, from 1788, with caraway seedflavored Kummel Liqueur from 1770 and a helping of 1860 Dubb Orange Curacao. Even the Angostura bitters are from the 1930s. Asked why he attached his legacy, literally, to a cocktail that few are likely to experience, Calabrese leans into the exclusivity. Why can it not be my legacy? he asks. After all, it is my booze, my creation, with over 750 years of history in one drink, made my way. Nicolas Stetcher Best of Robb Report Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. As bicyclists pedaled through Iowa over the past week, they grabbed snacks from local fundraisers, ate dinner at local restaurants and helped RAGBRAI raise more than $400,000 for local communities all across Iowa. RAGBRAI Gives Back, the annual bicycle ride's charity arm, will donate $415,143 to the towns that were a part of this route as well as the Dream Team, a program that trains underprivileged youth to ride on the cross-state trek. "To be able to give back to the communities that gave our riders so much is special and important," said Anne Lawrie, cycling director of Ventures Endurance, RAGBRAI's parent company. "Those communities donated hundreds of hours of time and brought out hundreds of volunteers to produce a life-changing week for riders who came to rural Iowa from all over the country and all across the world." Specifically, RAGBRAI will give $5,000 to each of this year's 32 pass-through towns; $10,000 to the seven meeting towns; and $15,000 to eight overnight towns. Cyclists make their way along the route between Buffalo and Davenport during RAGBRAI on Saturday. The RAGBRAI community fund, which riders can opt to donate to during registration, will give an additional $65,143 divided equally between the eight overnight towns and Dream Team. This year, RAGBRAI also partnered with GoFundMe to allow riders to set up individual fundraising pages for specific causes. As of Friday, those fundraising pages had raised a total of $159,210. About $11,000 of that was raised on Monday's "I Ride 4" day, which was designated for cyclists show their pride, share their stories and raise some money for causes close to their hearts. "We hope to continue to grow our community fund, so that we can see the impact not just during the week of RAGBRAI, but long after our tires have been dipped," Lawrie said. Cyclists stand in line at the tire dip site at the Mississippi River in Davenport during RAGBRAI on Saturday. COURTNEY CROWDER, the Register's Iowa Columnist, traverses the state's 99 counties telling Iowans' stories. She co-directed, "Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary," which is currently playing in movie theaters across Iowa. You can reach her at (515) 284-8360 or ccrowder@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter @courtneycare. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI 50: RAGBRAI donates more than $400,000 to Iowa communities Mike Asbe proposes to Rebecca Salado during RAGBRAI 50's stop at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. Rebecca Salado didn't want to ride RAGBRAI. The weekend before it started, Salado tried to skip the river-to-river ride across Iowa. She broke her toe. Then, an issue arose with the Siberian Husky she shared with her boyfriend Mike Asbe. It felt like too much at one time. "She didn't understand," Asbe, 29, said. "She was like, 'Why is this such a big deal?'" Asbe begged her to ride. She gave in, but Salado didn't understand Mike's insistence. On Tuesday, she found out why. Asbe dropped down to one knee in Ames' Jack Trice Stadium and asked her to marry him. She said yes. But the Ames couple's story starts years before RAGBRAI's 50th run. Why Asbe and Salado got engaged on RAGBRAI 50 Mike Asbe proposes to Rebecca Salado during RAGBRAI 50's stop at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. The pair, who met at AJ's Ultralounge in Ames, where Asbe worked in 2016, had a first date at El Azteca in the city and the rest is history. They moved in together, got an apartment, adopted a Siberian Husky named Koba and bought a house. Then, a week before this year's ride, Salado wanted to skip out on RAGBRAI 50. But Asbe convinced her. He was going to propose on his ninth ride, but she needed to be present. "I got the RAGBRAI bug like everyone else," Asbe said. "He's been trying to get me to do it for several years now and so I hopped on last year and I found out how much fun it can be and decided to join again this year" Salado added. On Day 3 of the ride before RAGBRAI rolled into Ames, Salado started overheating at the mile 40 mark. They poured cold water on her and later safely rode into the college town, which is home to Iowa State University. "I did not make it easy for him," Salado, 28, joked. When the duo arrived near Jack Trice Stadium, Salado flew ahead as she got excited about the end of the day's ride. Then, the real excitement arrived. The pair took pictures and Asbe asked, "Do you want to do this again next year." The answer was no. Then, he asked another question: Did she want to marry him? She immediately said yes. Story continues "Her battery went from 5% all the way back to 100%" Asbe said. More: For RAGBRAI riders, decorating roadkill is a lively tradition on the 50th anniversary route 'Probably wouldn't be your typical engagement story' Mike Asbe proposes to Rebecca Salado during RAGBRAI 50's stop at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. Asbe, who is a Clear Lake native, and Salado, who hails from the Chicago suburbs, are not planning to marry at RAGBRAI 51. But they are grateful that their love will always be intertwined with RAGBRAI's 50th ride. "I like RAGBRAI, but I also want to enjoy our wedding and not be sweating and grumpy," Asbe said. Once RAGBRAI ends, the couple is looking forward to shifting gears. "The past couple days probably wouldn't be your typical engagement story," Asbe said. Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa couple gets engaged on RAGBRAI route in Ames Chanel Iman. Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated On the island of Zanzibar in 2016, Chanel Iman returned to the SI Swimsuit Issue for the third year in a row, beginning with her debut in Madagascar in 2014. Under the guidance and creative eye of photographer Ruven Afanador, the American model posed for numerous striking photos, including several of her standing among a group of Maasai warriors, which she dubbed the most amazing shot[s]. The most shocking yet epic shots, however, were those of the 32-year-old posing with several giant pythons. Chanel Iman was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Zanzibar. Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Iman showed a certain nonchalance when it came to the snapshot with the snakes, seemingly unfazed by an experience that others would surely shy away from. I dont mind shooting with the snake, she said on the set of the African island. The Georgia native attributed the genius of the images to Afanador. I was really excited to work with Ruven because I think he has a great eye. You have to be very comfortable to work with the photographer and I feel my strongest in front of his lens, she remarked. Sometimes it just clicks with the photographer and thats how the pictures come to life. And those photos certainly came to life thanks in part to the snakes, which added a level of thrill to the photoshoot that made it all the more striking and impressive. For the three-time brand model, going to Zanzibar with SI Swimsuit was a blessing. But from the snaps with the Maasai warriors to the poses with the pythons, it was also a blast for Iman. When youre in the rhythm of being on set and having a good time and just embracing where you are, I just give my best and I just have a good time. It really doesnt feel like work for me, she said of the experience. Chanel Iman was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Zanzibar. Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube! an orca biting the underside of a whale shark underwater an orca biting the underside of a whale shark underwater A orca tears open a whale shark and eats its liver off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, shocking new footage shows. The rare video reveals the orca swimming upside down beneath the shark and chomping its underside, with blood spewing from the wound. After the orca has finished its feast, it pushes itself to the surface as the whale shark's lifeless body sinks below. The video was taken by James Moskito , CEO of the California-based ocean tour operator Ocean Safaris , during an expedition to the Gulf of California in April. He noticed a whale shark and swam over, coming about 6 feet (1.8 meters) above it when the orcas arrived, he told Live Science. "The killer whales start coming in and next I know they're biting the bottom of it," he said. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are the biggest species of shark on Earth, growing to around 60 feet (18 m) long. Healthy adults have few natural predators, but calves and injured individuals are known to sometimes fall prey to tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) and orcas (Orcinus orca). Related: In rare attack, 30 orcas 'badly wounded' 2 adult gray whales in California While orcas have been filmed attacking juvenile whale sharks, Moskito's footage appears to be the first known video of the mammals attacking an adult whale shark, which was estimated to be 27 feet (8.2 m) long. "It's literally over in a matter of seconds," Moskito said. "They came in, they bit the bottom of the whale shark. Looks like they slurped in the liver and then the whale shark just fell and descended down, with no movement I'm assuming it was dead." Moskito said that shortly after this encounter, he and the others on board saw the orcas attack and kill another whale shark. When they arrived at the location, Moskito said they saw a whale shark "just thrashing at the surface with a killer whale attached to it." Moskito said that one large, adult orca male known as Montezuma was involved in both of the attacks. "He's a known killer whale, and he was with this different pod this time," Moskito said. "He was not with his normal pod. He was kind of the instigator of the stuff, even though in the video it's a female biting it [the whale shark], not the male." Story continues RELATED STORIES Whale sharks are the worlds biggest omnivores, scientists discover 'An enormous mass of flesh armed with teeth': How orcas gained their 'killer' reputation Photo shows 'massive' great white shark scarred after rare battle with 2 serial killer orcas Shark livers are highly nutritious, filled with fats and oils and orcas across the globe have been documented engaging in this liver-eating behavior for decades. The suspects reserved rental cars using stolen credit card information and false identities, per an indictment. Getty Images Eight people were indicted on charges that they defrauded a car rental firm by stealing 19 vehicles. The Department of Justice said the group would reserve rentals with fake IDs and credit cards. An indictment alleged the individuals rented the cars from airports and never return them. Eight people have been indicted in St. Louis on charges that allege they stole at least 19 rental cars worth more than $1 million as part of an identity fraud scheme. In a statement issued Wednesday, the Department of Justice said eight people aged 32 to 39 had been indicted at the US District Court in St. Louis for defrauding a company it named "Business E.H." The company is headquartered in Clayton, Missouri, per the indictment, which Insider has reviewed. According to the indictment, the suspects would reserve rental cars from the company using stolen credit card information and false identities. They would then pick the vehicles up using false documents and counterfeit credit cards, it stated. It added that the value of the stolen cars was just over $1.1 million. The indictment said Tyrell Oliver, one of those indicted, would make the reservations and pay co-conspirators to pick up the vehicles. They would fly to airports in the eastern US and Midwest to pick up the vehicles, which included a BMW X7, GMC Yukon, and Chevrolet Suburban, the indictment said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how criminals use people's stolen identities," said Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. "Perpetrators can easily and cheaply buy an endless supply of personal and credit card information. While the company in this case was the direct victim, innocent people were initially accused of theft because their stolen identities were used to commit the fraud." The DoJ said the charges in the indictment were merely accusations and did not constitute proof of guilt. Read the original article on Business Insider For months GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville has kept hundreds of military officers from taking their posts as he pressures the Department of Defense to change its abortion policy and now the incoming leaders of Colorado Springs-based Space Command and the combined Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command are set to get caught up in the delays. The two generals Space Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting who has been nominated to lead U.S. Space Command and Air Force Lt. Gen. Gregory Guillot who is expected to take over Northern Command and NORAD faced a joint confirmation hearing last week in front of the Senate Committee on Armed Services in which Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., underscored the uncertainty around their confirmations. "Let me point out though that both Gen. Whiting and Gen. Guillot said 'if confirmed' a number of times. ... The 'if confirmed' is certainly in question because of Sen. Tuberville's holds on these promotions," Kelly said. Tuberville, R-Ala., is holding up about 270 military officer nominations because he opposes a Department of Defense policy that allows service members to take administrative leave to seek abortion care. The DOD covers some abortions, such as in cases of rape or if the mother's life is in danger. Under a new policy, if the service member is in a state where abortion care has been restricted they can travel to seek care. Twenty-five states have restricted access to abortion following last year's Supreme Court decision to reverse Roe v. Wade. President Joe Biden called out Tuberville in a statement this month, saying holding up routine confirmations of military nominations "is not only wrong it is dangerous. In this moment of rapidly evolving security environments and intense competition, he is risking our ability to ensure that the United States Armed Forces remain the greatest fighting force in the history of the world." If he keeps holding up confirmations 650 positions could by vacant by the end of the year, according to the DOD. Among the Colorado delegation, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet has been one of the most vocal critics, taking to the Senate floor seven times to try to move nominations through the process. There have been about 15 requests to confirm the nominations in total. When Tuberville blocked his most recent attempt to confirm the nominees, Bennet pointed out the hold has affected the highest ranking officers, including the nominee for the nation's top military position, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. The senator from Alabama claims that what he is doing doesnt matter; that our generals dont matter. Thats far from the truth. Leadership matters, especially in the Armed Forces, he said. He also noted delaying the nominations is unfair to military families who need to make plans to move from one military base to another and it's making a challenging lifestyle harder. When nominations for general and flag officer positions are delayed it filters down to lower ranking officers, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, calling Tuberville's delays a readiness issue. Sign Up for free: Military Brief Your weekly local update on local military news and events, sent straight to your inbox. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. "It cascades. It creates friction throughout the entire chain," Austin said. The military's policy does not pay for elective abortions, as Tuberville has claimed, but it does allow service members to take leave to obtain health care that the military does not cover, Austin said. He noted that it was important to him to preserve access to health care for women, since they represent one in five service members. "The importance of the health and welfare of my troops is really, really important to me, and we're going to continue to do what's necessary to ensure that they have that access," he said. Tuberville said in a speech earlier this month that he did not see it as a readiness issue and while he has spoken to Austin twice on the phone recently, there has been no movement toward a compromise. "Thus far the Pentagon has done nothing but attack me," he said. He also said he felt as though support for his position was building and growing, saying most of the country is opposed to taxpayer-funded abortion. Tuberville has drawn the support of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Rifle, who praised him in mid-July for jamming up Biden's agenda. "I am proud to stand with his efforts," she said. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, had no comment on Tuberville's holds. Grizzly bears in Alaska, called brown bears, that live around the town of Bethel, population 6,325, should have a good life as they dont interact with many people. But their future is in peril. Alaskas bears have powerful governmental enemies, starting with the state of Alaska. This spring, state wildlife agents in helicopters gunned down 94 brown bears, including cubs. Agents also killed five black bears and five wolves. Why were these animals destroyed? It was an attempt to eliminate carnivores in a misguided effort to grow a small caribou herd for hunters. By Alaskas own admission, the aerial gunning went too far. An early assessment by a state biologist said fewer than 25 brown bears would be killed. For now, in the lower 48 states grizzly bears are protected, though some Western governors and members of Congress support trophy-hunting seasons targeting bears. Wendy Keefover In Alaska thats already legal, although a 2019 study co-authored by conservation biologist William Ripple, and others, found that in addition to state-sponsored shooting and trapping of brown bears, trophy hunters have doubled their kill numbers for bears over the past 30 years. That is not sustainable. Alaskas population of some 32,000 iconic brown bears now face the same fate as their lower 48 cousins, which once numbered 50,000 but are reduced to 2,000 animals. Alaskas predator-control projects cater to a small number of hunters who want to bring home trophy animals, or who wrongly believe that fewer carnivores like bears and wolves will create more prey animals. Alaskas wildlife culls have been roundly criticized by many biologists as unnecessary. Numerous studies indicate that predator-prey relationships are always complicated by multiple factors. In this case, the caribou herd was plagued by brucellosis, a disease of ungulates, as well as inadequate food and poachers. What is undeniable, say multiple biologists from North America writing as part of a 2018 letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior is that officials need to protect Alaskas bears and wolves from too much trophy hunting. Story continues Shockingly, Alaskas bear-killing activities are funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, using Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act dollars, which is an excise tax on guns, ammunition and archery equipment. The Service also funds other controversial predator-control programs such as in Colorado and New Mexico. Whats puzzling is why hunting would come first when Alaska decides the fate of its brown bears. Why is bear-related tourism a growth industry ignored? Americans love to watch bears. Because of their popularity, brown-bear viewing opportunities in Alaskas Katmai National Park had to be limited by lottery. Whats more, over 10 million viewers tune into bear cams annually to virtually watch Katmai bears fish for salmon. Tapping into this fervor, the National Park Service began an annual Fat Bear Week contest at the park, based on grizzles gorging themselves to get ready for hibernation. In 2021, more than 800,000 voted for Otis, an aged, toothless fellow who lost out the next yearto 747, a colossus nicknamed Bear Force One by the Park Service. Thousands of tourists travel to Alaska every year just to catch a glimpse of Alaskas brown bears in the wild, a pilgrimage that pours dollars into the state. A 2011 survey valued wildlife-watching tourism in Alaska at more than a billion dollars and this number has almost certainly grown as appreciation for wildlife has expanded in the United States. A 2018 American Wildlife Values national survey showed that more Americans than ever before appreciate their wildlife alive. The question almost asks itself: What sense does it make for Alaska to kill bears? The answer is none. Federal funding for state wildlife agencies to kill carnivores makes no sense. The Fish and Wildlife Service needs to adopt the widely supported 2021 formal petition, led by the Global Indigenous Council and co-signed by 28 organizations and scholars, which asks the agency to set up a public comment process before Pittman-Robertson funds can go to states for killing projects. Wildlife management ought to represent all the people who care about wildlife, and sound science should be the guide when it comes to deciding what animal gets to live or die. Wendy Keefover is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She is a senior strategist for the Humane Society of the United States. This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Alaska needs to value its live bears One motorist is in critical condition and a suspected wrong-way driver is facing felony drunken driving charges after a series of collisions late Friday that shut down a south Sacramento stretch of Highway 99 into the overnight hours. California Highway Patrol officers said they arrested a 19-year-old Sacramento man on suspicion of felony driving under the influence of alcohol causing injuries. The arrest was made at a hospital where he was taken after the fiery wreck. Officers found the suspected wrong-way drivers vehicle engulfed in flames on the northbound freeway at Fruitridge Road about 10:45 p.m., with debris strewn across all lanes of traffic, CHP officials said Saturday. Officers say the teen was driving a BMW sedan the wrong way onto the northbound lanes north of Fruitridge Road when his car sideswiped a Toyota driven by a motorist identified as a 20-year-old Orangevale woman. The force of that collision sent the BMW into the path of a Dodge driven by a 27-year-old Modesto man. The driver of the Dodge plowed broadside into the BMW and the BMW burst into flames. The driver of the Dodge then collided with a Lexus sedan in the next lane and driven by a Modesto woman, 31. Officers pulled the 19-year-old from the wreckage of the BMW. The driver of the Dodge was already out of his vehicle and on the ground when officers found him and rendered aid until Sacramento Fire Department crews arrived. The Dodge driver was in critical condition Saturday, according to the CHP. The drivers of the Toyota and Lexus were treated for minor injuries at the scene. Crews continued to remove wreckage and clear debris into early Saturday. The CHP did not reopen the northbound freeway until after 2 a.m. An inmate who escaped from a New Hampshire correctional facility was shot and killed by a police officer after threatening two people with a knife, officials said. On July 21, Darien Young walked off the grounds of the Calumet House transitional housing unit a facility for prisoner re-entry in Manchester and didn't return, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections said in a news statement. Six days later, Miami Beach police said they received a 911 call at 5:32 p.m. that a man was threatening two people with a knife at a Victoria's Secret. Police arrived at the location and an officer shot Young. Young, 29, was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition, Miami Beach Police said. He later died, the corrections department confirmed. Young, who was incarcerated for controlled drugs, burglary and other charges, was eligible for parole on July 31. Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting, the Miami Beach Police said. Taylor Swift's Seattle concerts cause seismic activity, geologists say LeBron James shares video of son Bronny recovering at home after cardiac arrest Mega Millions jackpot hits $1 billion Former Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker criticized special counsel Jack Smith after he laid three additional charges against former President Trump in a superseding indictment this week, calling the move vindictive and petty. I think this last round of charges, to supersede this indictment, was to try to punish Donald Trump, Whitaker said in a Fox News interview on Saturday. Smith originally indicted Trump on 37 counts related to mishandling of classified information at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. The three additional counts relate to alleged attempts by Trumps aides to delete security footage of the classified information being moved around the club. It seems to me a little vindictive and petty, he added. The reason why I would say that is because these charges do not add anything, other than a new defendant, to a potential sentence if President Trump does get convicted. Longtime Trump aide Walt Nauta was also charged in the original indictment alongside Mar-a-Lago club manager Carlos De Oliveira who is a new addition to the case. Smith is also leading a separate investigation into Trumps actions around the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol and attempts by the former president and his team to overturn the 2020 election. The special counsel met with Trumps lawyers earlier Thursday to discuss the Jan. 6 probe. The DOJ delivered a target letter to Trump earlier this month, raising speculation that the former president could be indicted a third time soon. Whitaker said Smith breaks news on his two Trump investigations whenever news about investigations into Hunter Biden, President Bidens son, reaches the front page. While he did not go as far as to call it a conspiracy, Whitaker did suggest, without evidence, that the White House was pressuring Smith to advance his Trump cases. I would not allege a conspiracy, that is obviously a loaded term, but what I would suggest is that there is very much an attempt by the White House and the Department of Justice to try to move the Bidens off of the front page and keep Donald Trump on the front page, he said. Trump is also facing criminal charges in a New York state case alleging that he falsified business documents making hush money payments over an alleged past affair. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. May 16, 2022; Lima, Ohio, USA; Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman stands in Lima Square. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch Whos the real hypocrite? Hypocrisy is the Ohio GOPs issue. Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman had the audacity to accuse people who are trying to keep the rights of majority voters to have a say in the laws of this state. Ohio Senate president: The rabid opposition to State Issue 1 is the height of hypocrisy Here is the list of just a few of the items they have done recently that are extremely hypocritical. The electorate of Ohio voted overwhelmingly to have fair balanced voting districts. The GOP answer was to just ignore this and keep the status quo. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled time and again that they needed to fix this problem. Their next step was to make sure a new justice elected was of their choosing to keep things the way they are. They created a law that there could be no more special August elections, most likely to keep public schools from sneaking in a passed levy as a result of lower voter turnout in August. They violated their own law to create a special August election in an attempt to get a supermajority requirement to keep abortion illegal in the state. This is due to the fact that polling shows 59% of voters believe abortion should be legal to some extent. They are aware that the abortion issue would most likely pass in November. I have little doubt that they will not follow the wishes of the majority to allow abortion clinics to continue to operate. After all, they did not create the voting districts that voters wanted. They will simply have the audacity to follow the playbook of Donald Trump and just ignore the law. They are a wannabe dictatorship and Huffman is among the worst elected officials in this state. God help Ohio. Thomas W. Billing, Springfield Help me understand I am looking for some help on how to vote for Issue 1. The Republicans are telling me that I should vote yes on the issue since it will keep out of state big money groups from controlling the Ohio Constitution and only a few states have the "low threshold" of 50% plus 1 to pass an amendment. Could they please provide some examples of from the past in Ohio and other states with this threshold? Doesn't big money already control the Ohio House and Senate based on the First Energy fiasco? Story continues They also say it is necessary to "protect" a ban on abortions - even though last year they said the issue had nothing to do with a ban on abortion. Can they please explain what has changed? I see Republicans passing out many yard signs and heard them say vote yes on Issue 1 to save lives. Can they explain why being prolife seems to stop at banning abortions and does not apply to banning capital punishment, reasonable gun control, more subsidized food, medical care, housing, and a living wage? I am opposed to abortions, but I also believe all social issues are equally important and need to be addressed. Without some answers, I will have to Vote no on Issue 1. Raymond D'Angelo, Westerville Letters to the Editor More: How to submit a letter to the editor for The Columbus Dispatch Where is the integrity? If framers of Issue 1 were truly consistent about their proposal, they failed the chance to prove it. Since they want constitutional amendments to pass only with a 60% majority vote, the language of Issue 1 should have proclaimed This amendment shall pass only with a 60% majority vote. Unfortunately, it said no such thing. Apparently, the proponents of Issue 1 dont have that level of integrity. William A. McCartney, Delaware This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: Hypocrite Matt Huffman has extreme audacity when it comes to Issue 1 John VanDenBerg suspects he was gardening when a mosquito got him. It was September 2018, and VanDenBerg, then 67, had been feeling a little "off" for a few days, he said, like maybe he had the flu. But one morning, as he was walking out of his Colorado home, he collapsed. "I just went down," VanDenBerg said. "That's the last I remember for quite some time." VanDenBerg had a severe form of West Nile virus, caused by a single mosquito bite. John VanDenBerg lies in bed paralyzed, with his dog, in Sept. 2018. (Courtesy John VanDenBerg) He developed inflammation in his brain. He lost his ability to read and write. His arms and legs stiffened with paralysis. "I didn't know whether my mobility would ever come back," he said. "It was a pretty scary time." The rise of West Nile While this summer saw the first locally acquired cases of another illness linked to mosquitoes, malaria, in two decades, it's West Nile virus and the mosquitoes that spread it that most worries federal health officials. Those bugs, a species of mosquitoes called Culex, are the CDC's "primary concern in the continental U.S. right now," said Roxanne Connelly, a medical entomologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC's Roxanne Connelly studies mosquitoes that can carry West Nile virus. (Lauren Dunn / NBC News) The combination of an unusually wet season from rainfall and melting snow packs and intense heat waves this year appears to be dramatically increasing the mosquito populations. And, CDC scientists say, those mosquitoes have become increasingly resistant to the insecticides that communities use in mass sprays to try to kill the bugs and their eggs. "It's not a good sign," Connelly said. "We're losing some of our tools that we normally rely on to control infected mosquitoes." At CDC's insect lab located in Fort Collins, Colorado home to tens of thousands of mosquitoes Connelly's team has found that Culex mosquitoes are living longer when they're exposed to insecticides. "You want a product that's gonna be able to knock them down, not do this," Connelly said, pointing to a bottle of mosquitoes exposed to the chemicals. Many were still flying. Story continues Experiments at the lab have not shown any resistance to bug sprays people typically use to repel mosquitoes during hikes and other outdoor activities. They continue to work well, Connelly said. But as the bugs grow stronger than insecticides, they're also increasing in dramatic numbers in certain pockets of the country. CDC worker Juan De Rivera looks to see whether mosquitoes exposed to insecticide have died. (Lauren Dunn / NBC News) So far in 2023, there have been 69 human cases of West Nile in the U.S., according to the CDC. It's nowhere near a record; there were 9,862 cases in 2003. But more mosquitoes now two decades later means more chances that people will be bitten and get sick. West Nile cases usually peak in August and September. "This is just the beginning of when we see West Nile start to take off in the United States," said Dr. Erin Staples, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC's Fort Collins lab. "We expect a steady increase of disease cases to occur over the next several weeks." In Maricopa County, Arizona, for example, 149 mosquito traps have tested positive for West Nile so far this year, compared with eight in 2022. Heavy rains that have created pockets of standing water, coupled with extreme heat, appear to be playing a role, said John Townsend, manager of Maricopa County's Vector Control Division of Environmental Services. "The water that is sitting there is just ripe for mosquitoes to lay eggs in it," Townsend said. Mosquitoes hatch more quickly in warmer water within three or four days, he said, compared with up to two weeks when they're in cooler water. An unusually rainy June in Larimer County, Colorado where the Fort Collins lab is based has also led to an "unprecedented abundance" of mosquitoes that can spread West Nile, said Tom Gonzales, the county's public health director. County data show five times the number of mosquitoes that can spread West Nile this year, compared with last year. The increases in certain areas of the country are "very concerning," said Connelly. "This is something different than what we've been seeing for the past few years." What are symptoms of West Nile virus? Since West Nile was first detected in the United States in 1999, it's become the most common mosquito-borne illness in the country. Each year, several thousands of people are infected, Staples said. West Nile does not spread from person to person through casual contact. Only Culex mosquitoes spread the virus. The bugs become infected when they bite sick birds, then spread the virus to people through another bite. There is no treatment or vaccine. The majority of people never feel a thing. One in five experience a fever, headache, body aches, vomiting and diarrhea according to the CDC. Symptoms typically appear between three and 14 days after being bitten. One in 150 people with West Nile virus have serious complications, including death. Anyone can become severely ill, but Staples said that people over the age of 60 and those with underlying medical problems are at higher risk. Five years after his West Nile diagnosis, VanDenBerg has regained many of his abilities, thanks to intense physical therapy. His feet remain numb, however, prompting him to rely on a cane. "I think I'm functioning really well mentally," he said, "but I have kind of a clunky walk." While the severity of VanDenBerg's illness is rare, it coincided with another tragic case. John VanDenBerg on his farm walking in May 2019. (Courtesy John VanDenBerg) When VanDenBerg collapsed on that September morning in 2018, he'd been on his way to a funeral for a friend who had died from complications of West Nile virus. The illness, he said, "can be very, very serious, and people need to know that. It can change your life." Protecting against West Nile While resistance to insecticides may be on the rise, Connelly's team finds that common repellents people use while outdoors still work well. Bug spray with ingredients like DEET and picaridin are best, according to the CDC. Other strategies to steer clear of mosquitoes: Dress in loose-fitting clothes that cover arms and legs. Use air conditioning when possible, or make certain that open windows and doors have screens. Regularly empty standing water from common backyard items, such as bird baths, flower pots and toys, where mosquitoes can lay their eggs. Follow NBC HEALTH on Twitter & Facebook. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com McLaughlin Oklahomans will come together Aug. 3 to celebrate David Lee McLaughlin's life and the impacts he made on the state during a successful decades-long run where he helped establish and grow a profitable food business in Enid and supported communities, entrepreneurs and young people through various charitable activities. McLaughlin, a Minnesota native who was 85 years old, died in Oklahoma City on July 24 after a brief illness. McLaughlin began carving out a niche within Oklahoma's business scene in 1973 when he and partner Paul Allen co-founded Advance Food Co. in Enid. The business, which started out with five employees, produced hamburger patties and breaded beef products. Over time, McLaughlin, Allen and eventually their children grew the business into an international operation offering 2,100 distinct products to grocery stores, restaurants and institutional food operations within broader categories of chicken-fried steaks, pre-cooked hamburger patties and Philly steaks. They also expanded the company's product line to include fully cooked chicken breasts, pork ribs, steak burgers and meatballs. The company employed more than 2,400 workers before entering a 2010 merger to become AdvancePierre Foods. Ultimately, the company employed more than 4,000 workers across multiple states when it was acquired by Tyson Foods in 2018. Tyson continues to operate Advance-created manufacturing facilities in Enid today. More: 'The View' co-creator and Barbara Walters producer Bill Geddie, who grew up in OKC, dies From business to mentoring, to philanthropy, a look at David Lee McLaughlin's life As the company achieved its successes, McLaughlin remained modest. "We dont have the greatest growth in our sector, but its a stable industry, McLaughlin told The Oklahoman in 2009. "Its the kind of business that makes sense. Those who knew McLaughlin best say he took joy from successes achieved by entrepreneurs he mentored during Fortune Club breakfasts, especially those venturing into the food industry. Story continues McLaughlin also regularly stopped into his family's Square Deal Capital office in Oklahoma City to share stories or contribute thoughts about real estate, investing or philanthropic ventures. With his wife, Jean, and other members of his family, McLaughlin established a family foundation in 2004. Today, the foundation provides grants and other types of financial support to organizations helping children and families across the greater Oklahoma City area. More: Remaining rooted: Collaboration sown in history impacts the future of Oklahoma agriculture McLaughlin also helped create the Made in Oklahoma program for state-grown or manufactured foods, served on the board of Saxon Publishing and enjoyed volunteering his time as a regent for the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. McLaughlin is survived by his wife, Jean, their four children and their families, a sister, a brother and many extended family members. A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 222 NW 15, in Oklahoma City. Smith & Kernke Funeral Homes & Crematory, which is handling the service's arrangements, will post a link on its website for those who wish to watch the service virtually. The family asks mourners to make gifts to their favorite charities or schools instead of sending flowers. "To honor Daves memory, please consider supporting a local entrepreneur, telling a joke, or eating a chicken fried steak," an obituary celebrating McLaughlin's life states. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma businessman David McLaughlin, co-founder of Advance Foods, dies Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters Tucked away in a new law aimed at raising the draft age for Russias military are several mysterious amendments that are designed to create new armed groups or paramilitary companies throughout the country. The military companies, also known as special enterprises, would be there to maintain public order, protect Russias borders, and counter sabotage efforts, according to the text of the bill. As the proposal is currently framed, the new military companies would be armed and run by governors, but would obtain weapons from the Russian Ministry of Defense. They would ostensibly operate at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The law on draft age adopted this week is raising questions about when they will begin formingand what exactly the State Duma is trying to accomplish, as Russia already has a national guard and territorial defenses. The steps to create the military companies come just weeks after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin sent his mercenaries storming through Russia toward Moscow in an apparent mutiny. And although Putin was able to stymie the revolt through negotiation, the entire affair has sent ripples through Moscows approach to security and public order, exposing the vulnerabilities in the Kremlins armor. Wagner Revolt Could Leave Putin Pal on Shaky Ground For Putin, the Wagner mutiny exposed the yawning gap of his security apparatus and its ability to clamp down on threats to the regime, and this is his attempt to patch it up, according to Don Jensen, a former U.S. diplomat who served at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. This still shows brittleness in the regime. There are cracks all over the place, Jensen said. This is done to reinforce the security of the regime. The measure says that the special military groups wont be able to use force against crowds, unless there is group resistance. The special military groups will also be able to go after unmanned drones and other attacks, which could indicate that the groups will be expected to block potential Ukrainian incursions inside Russia proper. Story continues Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses members of Russian military units to honor armed forces that upheld order during the recent mutiny, in Cathedral Square at the Kremlin in Moscow. Sputnik via Reuters Employees of enterprises have the right to stop the operation of unmanned aerial, underwater and surface vessels and vehicles, unmanned vehicles and other automated unmanned systems in order to repel an attack, the text of the proposed law stated. Gaps in Russian air defenses have grown especially apparent in recent months. Russian officials know this, and outlined a plan in April to bolster the countrys air defense operations. The reforms are undoubtedly planned and will be implemented, the deputy commander-in-chief of aerospace forces, Lieutenant General Andrei Demin, said at the time. Tightrope The new military companies are likely intended to address the increasing incursions from Ukraine, as well as clamping down on potential future mutinies, according to Nikolai Sokov, who previously worked at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union and Russia. They are a tool to enhance security [important given very active clandestine actions by Ukrainian military intelligence], and can, as necessary, help against any new mutiny, said Sokov, now a senior fellow at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation. But Moscow is likely keen to avoid creating a new Wagner Group that might pose a threat to the regime. Instead, the measure reveals that Moscow is working to fill some of the security vulnerabilities that allowed the Wagner Group to stage the mutiny in the first place. The new military groups are meant to empower Russians to take up arms to keep the public in order, without creating a powerful beast like Wagner, according to Karolina Hird, a Russia Analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. Theyre trying to balance these two competing but very very important security requirements. And thats the need to create some sort of militarized entity akin to Wagner, but that is structurally very different from Wagner because Wagners structure was kind of inherent of the security threat it ended up posing to the Russian state, Hird told The Daily Beast. They need these kind of entities to fill certain law enforcement and security roles in Russian regions, but these entities cannot be so centralized and powerful that they become their own Wagner group and then pose a threat to the Russian state akin to what Wagner posed during the rebellion, she added. That is likely why the proposal includes checks on the new formations that could essentially erase them off the map at a moments notice. The new formations can be abolished by Putin, at which point they would be required to turn over their arms in a matter of days. Russian service members move into positions, as part of a counter-terrorist operation declared after an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group, in the Moscow region. Reuters Panic Button The introduction of the special enterprises suggests the regime is worried about internal political turmoil, too, said Pavel Luzin, a visiting scholar at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. While they appear designed to bolster local police and FSB forces, they will likely also serve as a mechanism to counter-balance the FSB, since the Kremlin doesnt trust it much, Luzin said. These state-owned security enterprises are the next probable episode of the fragmentation of military power typical for many authoritarian regimes, said Luzin, a non-resident Senior Fellow with the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). It may also be a preparatory step for future domestic disorder that may come if Moscow has to resort to ordering future mobilizations for the war in Ukraine, where Russia has begun to face manpower issues. It is an option for keeping power in face of domestic political turbulence if/when the Kremlin decides to conduct the massive mobilization and to proclaim martial law, Luzin said. The creation of the new militia groups, however, might not be the solution to the problem Moscow is trying to solve. In creating the new militias, it is possible that Putin may be creating a series of armed military groups that may come back to bite him one day, according to Jensen. Its almost a feudalization of the system which I dont think personally is good for Putin, Jensen told The Daily Beast, adding its not clear whether the new military companies will be loyal to Putin. Rumors Swirl as Russian General Who Knew of Prigozhins Mutiny Goes Missing A foundational element of how the military companies will functiontheir leadership structuremight undermine Putin, warned Jensen. The way the proposal is written now, governors would ostensibly be in charge of their own new enterprises, and jostling for control may be a fundamental part of the new militias. The governor will do what all governors do, which is he wants as much autonomy as he can. And that autonomy will be bolstered by the fact that he has the ability to raise a band, a militia, Jensen told The Daily Beast. That, to me, is a vociferous tendency in the system as opposed to a unifying tendency in the system. Prigozhins adventure is not going to be the last one. It will just be in a different form, Jensen warned. It could be another group, another armed group that makes different kinds of demands. Just as more dissent is likely to bubble up and pose a threat to the regime as the war effort continues to flounder, so too will Kremlin efforts to stomp them out. The Kremlin is really aware of the fact that they are not necessarily as protected as they thought they were. And theyre going to need to solve that issue while theres kind of growing domestic discontent over the war, continued issues in actually generating enough force capacity to sustain the war in Ukraine, Hird said. Its almost inevitable that therell be this continued proliferation of different militarized entities meant to kind of protect Russia internally or kind of expand power externally. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. WASHINGTON Cruel. Unjust. Inhumane. Those are the strong words White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre used to condemn Texas border control actions that include coils of lacerating wire placed at the American shoreline and reports of migrants being denied water in the extreme heat. And on Monday, the Justice Department sued Texas over the governors refusal to remove a floating border barrier the Biden administration says was unlawfully put into place and presents humanitarian concerns. But thats not enough for some Democrats and immigrant advocacy groups who are still waiting for President Joe Biden to personally denounce Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts aggressive border tactics. These are actions that an American president, especially a Democrat ought to be able to condemn, without having to worry about the politics of it, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, told USA TODAY. When he was running for office in 2020, President Biden pledged to restore moral standing in the world. Migrants travel along a steep embankment searching for an opening in the razor wire lining part of the Rio Grande bordering Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 22, 2023. Other events this week show why its perhaps not surprising Biden hasnt been more vocal. A federal judge rejected his asylum policy, which many progressives have called too tough, while House Republicans renewed calls to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for not sufficiently controlling the border. Secretary Mayorkas, if you will not resign, that leaves us with no other option. You should be impeached, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said Wednesday at a House Judiciary Committee hearing during which Republicans repeatedly accused Mayorkas of mismanagement and lax enforcement. New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, the committees top Democrat, defended Mayorkas while expressing reservations about the administrations immigration policies from the opposite perspective. They have not uncovered evidence of wrongdoing or malfeasance of any kind, Nadler said of Republicans. They have policy disagreements with the secretary, and so do we. But policy disagreements and personal grudges are not a basis for impeachment. Story continues Seth Stodder, a former assistant secretary of Homeland Security for border, immigration and trade policy in the Obama administration, said Biden is caught between his progressive base thinking his border policies are too harsh and the Republican right denouncing them as too liberal. Biden needs to keep the border under control so Republicans can't use the issue against him in 2024 but he can't disillusion his base in the process. Its incredibly politically tricky, he said. In this case, Biden is deftly threading that needle, Stodder said, by having the Justice Department go after Texas without getting personally involved. I dont think theres any need for President Biden to up the temperature on an issue that is already pretty hot, he said. The temperature shot up after the recent publication of an email from a Texas state trooper alleging employees were told to push migrants "back into the water" of the Rio Grande when they reach the American side of the river as part of Abbotts border security initiative. The trooper, who is a medic and made it clear in the email to his superior that he supports the aims of the initiative, listed several incidents in the Del Rio area in late June and early July during which migrants were distressed. Those events included injured children, a pregnant woman who miscarried and many others not given water or proper medical care despite intense heat. Abbott has insisted hes given no orders or directions that would compromise the lives of those attempting to cross the border illegally. Former Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who unsuccessfully challenged Abbott's reelection last year, called on Biden to step up his response to Abbott. I know that the politics on this arent easy, ORourke wrote in an opinion piece published in the New York Times Tuesday. And I can see why it might be tempting to allow the governor to assume ownership over the Texas border rather than pursue a public confrontation on an issue that is this politically charged. But if the president fails to enforce the federal governments clear supremacy on matters of immigration, he will allow this challenge to grow as both a humanitarian crisis and as a political liability for his administration as he heads into 2024. Castro, who represents San Antonio, told USA TODAY he thought Jean-Pierres comments were strong. But thats not the same as Biden, himself, speaking out. Castro noted that Biden took time Thursday to address with the mayors of San Antonio and Phoenix the dangers of extreme heat that's baking much of the nation. Biden touted steps hes taking to help, including increasing enforcement to ensure outdoor workers have access to water breaks. I'm glad the president said something about it, Castro said. He should be able to say something about this as well. Pressed this week on why Biden, himself, hasnt addressed whats happening at the Texas border, Jean-Pierre pointed to Bidens overall efforts to expand legal pathways for migrants combined with humane border enforcement. I think if you look at the president's actions, that says everything that you need to know to the question that you're asking me, she said. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks at the daily news briefing at the White House on July 17, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Diana Mutz, a professor of political science and communication at the University of Pennsylvania, said the backlash Biden might get for speaking out may not be worth the political risk since most people dont pay attention to whether the president himself, or a spokesperson, is delivering the message. Yes, it would be good to have him talk about the fact that states cant have their own foreign policies, she said. But do I think this is influencing the mass public at the moment? Probably not, because theyre not watching that carefully. Research by the universitys Institute for the Study of Citizens and Politics shows the publics view of immigration has become more positive in recent decades. But people still want to be assured that migrants are being screened and processed in an orderly fashion, Mutz said. Thats the level at which most people are following immigration, she said. Less than one in four Americans think the government is doing a good job dealing with the large number of people seeking asylum at the border, according to a June survey by the Pew Research Center. During the Trump administration, the publics view of how the government was handling the border situation was also overwhelmingly negative. After Donald Trumps strict approach to immigration, which included separating migrant children from their parents, Biden promised to build a more humane immigration system. But immigration advocates accused him of violating that pledge this year when he imposed severe limitations on migrants seeking asylum that advocates said was not that different from Trumps policy. The same federal judge who ruled against the Trump administrations efforts to limit asylum to people who dont apply for protection in a country they travel through before coming to the United States likewise ruled Tuesday that Bidens asylum rule is unlawful. The administration is appealing that decision. Danilo Zak, acting director of policy and advocacy at Church World Service, said the Biden administration has put forward some good policies and has smart people working on the issue. But my overall assessment would be that President Biden has not lived up to the promises that he made," he said, "on creating a more humane border." Contributing: John C. Moritz and Kate Perez, Corpus Christi Caller-Times This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Buoys and razor wire at the Texas border: Why has Biden stayed silent? Hot and dry conditions in July have increased the risk for year-round fires despite higher-than-usual rainfall in the spring. After massive downpours along Colorado's Front Range during an exceptionally wet June softened into shorter and lighter rainfall, daily high temperatures creeped into the mid-90s and moderately dry conditions returned across the southwest portions of Colorado. "In June, we had an anomalously wet month. Compared to that, we've been significantly drier (in July)," Klint Skelly, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Pueblo, said Friday. On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported dryness increased in Colorado for the second week in a row, following two noteworthy weeks where there was no abnormal dryness in any county the first time since 2019. The agency's mapping shows about 24% of the state, primarily in Colorado's southwest corner, is abnormally dry. About 1.8% of the state, in portions of Costilla, Alamosa, Conejos and Rio Grande counties, is considered to be in the first stage of drought. In the past week, several smaller fires have been reported in the Pikes Peak region, including west of Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, northwest of Monument in El Paso County and west of Divide in Teller County. The Lowline wildfire burning farther west in Gunnison County, probably sparked by lightning Wednesday, had burned 803 acres and was zero percent contained as of 2:40 p.m. Friday, the Gunnison Regional 911 Center said on Facebook. Hotter days, lower levels of humidity and shorter, less uniform bouts of precipitation have begun to dry out vegetation after June downpours helped flora grow. "These factors make fires rapidly spread," said Evan Direnzo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder. When wildfires strike, dry plants, underbrush and grasses can fuel them, said Ashley Whitworth, Colorado Springs Fire Department's wildfire mitigation program coordinator. "All these nice, tall green grasses and (underbrush) we have that are growing up they're still green, but they're starting to dry out. That does pose a bigger risk in July now versus June," she said. The delay of Colorado's monsoon season that usually develops in early July also means spottier patterns of rainfall, Skelly said. As of Friday, the Pikes Peak region was starting to see its first signs of monsoon a seasonal shift in winds that can bring storms or rainfall which can "be really spotty where it develops," he said. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. "One portion of El Paso County can get rain where, say for example, the southern portion of El Paso County won't get rain. (Vegetation is) growing and rapidly drying if they're not getting thunderstorms throughout the day." To determine moisture levels in Colorado Springs, Whitworth and her mitigation team test samples of vegetation like Gambel oak, ponderosa pine, grasses, leaves and needles taken from the north and south sides of town, she said. The team burns the samples in a special oven for 24 hours to determine the percentage of moisture left in the materials. The lower the percentage of moisture, the higher the danger is that a fire could move rapidly if it struck. "That translates to us: What would that fire behavior be in that specific fuel type if we had a fire?" Whitworth said. Colorado Springs Fire Department also conducts regular fire mitigation around the city, typically treating certain areas every three to five years, depending on moisture levels. Thanks to high levels of precipitation last month, officials are seeing "a tremendous amount of regeneration" of fire fuels, Whitworth said. The Fire Department tracks its wildfire mitigation areas and will reassess fuel growth and fire danger, she said. They plan to prioritize recent mitigation efforts near Austin Bluffs Open Space and The Broadmoor, she said. "What we don't want to do is not retreat areas and then it's kind of back to square one," she said. "That's not our intent. It's a lot easier to retreat and remitigate areas that have already been mitigated." Residents can help prevent wildfires by being aware of day-to-day fire danger levels and taking care not to use machinery that can spark and ignite dry fuels, for example, she said. Residents should also take caution when using fire pits or putting out cigarettes. Colorado Springs residents can also sign up for PeakAlerts to be notified about emergencies in their area, like a wildfire. Register online at coswildfireready.org/notifications. Fire danger could lessen again, with a cool, wet fall predicted. But anything can still happen, Skelly said. "It definitely is too early to say, because weather is weather, and weather will change based on whatever atmospheric conditions are there," he said. DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE - APRIL 28: The Ukrainian army fires grad shells with a BM-21 at its position in the direction of Bakhmut as the Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk, Ukraine on April 28, 2023. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) In another bizarre example of Ukraine searching high and low for ammunition, Kyiv has been striking Russian positions with 122mm Grad rockets from an interesting source: North Korea. Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) reported in Financial Times on Saturday that a batch of rockets from one of Moscows few remaining allies made it into the Ukrainian stockpile. Exactly how Kyiv got them remains in question, the rockets were either captured from Russian positions or allegedly seized at sea by a friendly country and donated to Ukraine. https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1685126870159802373 Citing a Ukrainian artillery commander, Miller reports the rockets have earned a troublesome reputation for duds and misfires, so much so that a soldier warned not to stand too close to the BM-21 launcher when it fired the rounds. Markings reportedly indicate they were manufactured in the 1980s or 1990s. Miller spoke to Ukrainian soldiers using the rockets on Bakhmuts flanks, but photos from late June show another batch of rockets in use with a unit fighting near Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. A staple of many conflicts since its introduction in the mid-1960s, a BM-21 can fire its full load of 40 Grad rockets in 20 seconds, saturating a broad target area with munitions. They have been widely used by both sides of the war since the full-scale invasions opening hours. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP_OlBPS_dg A Ukrainian BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher. Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Like many Soviet Cold War systems, it was widely proliferated, reproduced, and adapted by Warsaw Pact and Moscow-aligned countries, including North Korea. Pyongyang has its own version of the launcher, known as the BM-11, but it carries only 30 rockets and rides on a different chassis. A North Korean BM-11 30-tube multiple rocket launcher. Basset55 via Wikimedia Commons. The U.S. has previously accused North Korea of providing vast stocks of weapons, ammunition, and winter gear to Russia to support their war in Ukraine. A further sign of the nations codependence, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu led Moscows delegation to Pyongyang this week marking the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. Story continues However Ukraine got the rockets, its the latest example of Kyiv and its allies securing whatever large caliber ammunition supplies they can to feed the war effort as the counteroffensive continues. Last October, we wrote about the remarkable case of the Royal Air Force shuttling thousands of Soviet-caliber artillery rounds from Pakistan to Romania for later transfer to Ukrainian forces. As long as much of Ukraines army relies on Soviet-made artillery, the hunt for third-party ammunition supplies will continue. Before we head into the latest news from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage of the war here. The Latest CNN got an up-close look at one of Ukraines latest drone boat, that follows in a lineage that includes those used in past raids against Sevastopol, attacks on ships of the Black Sea Fleet, and possibly in a recent strike on the Kerch Strait Bridge,. The low-visibility gray boat has a gimballed and staring optical sensors allowing for remote control. It can reportedly carry a big 300-kilogram warhead out to a range of 800 kilometers. https://twitter.com/MarquardtA/status/1685263332733845505 The boat can be seen making tight turns and maneuvers just offshore while under the control of its operator, call sign Shark. He told CNN the drone boats exploit a hole in Russian warships defenses with their low profile. CNN Warships of the Black Sea Fleet are designed to fight other warships and target similarly sized surface vessels, Shark said. Their sensors and targeting systems are ill-equipped to track and engage the low-observable boats. Still, Russian ships and helicopters have managed to engage the boats in massed small arms and cannon fire once within visual range. https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1661379305236987907?s=20 https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1586358375389884417?s=20 The satellite communications array seen at the rear of the boat is also new. It is widely assumed that Starlink was used on earlier Ukrainian drone boats, but the company began limiting access to certain areas and other parameters to negate the system's with weapons like drone boats. This new satcom array likely gets around those limitations by using another provider. In its Saturday intelligence update, the British Ministry of Defense noted increased fighting in two frontline sectors in southern Ukraine over the last 48 hours. Battles between Ukrainian forces and elements of Russias 58th Combined Arms Army are ongoing near the village of Robotyne as Ukrainian troops try to breach the first of Russias defensive lines. The update also confirmed the news of Staromaiorskes liberation, the Donetsk Oblast logistics node to the east. Ukrainian forces retook the village from the VDVs 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment. At the same time, however, other VDV units have continued attacks in the Serebriansk Forest along the Kremina-Svatove line, though they have gained little ground on Ukrainian forces. https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1685168188453974016 https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1685201868182446080 The Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) reported the Ukrainian offensive on Robotyne was unsuccessful, though they have reportedly closed to the towns northeast outskirts. https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1685115724572807169 Drone video is claimed to show a failed Ukrainian attack east of Robotyne, with mounted troops advancing from a heavily cratered treeline up to Russian trenches. However, the column ends up exposed in the open, with heavy fire coming down on the Ukrainian vehicles. https://twitter.com/Teoyaomiquu/status/1685075457962627072 If it wasnt apparent from the last two months of Ukrainian counterattacks against dug-in Russian positions, there has been neither a sweeping advance nor a rout of Russian forces like those in Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts last year. Speaking in ISWs Briefing Room on YouTube, Russia analyst George Barros cautioned against lofty expectations for the coming weeks. https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1685315754776731648 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuvP6LvS-oA Also in the south, Ukrainian counterbattery fire continues to hunt down Russian guns. In a Telegram post, Russian blogger Ross Marsov says a battalions worth of artillery guns have been lost in an area known as the Vremevsky Ledge around Staromlynivka in the last two months. https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1685249036293394433 Video shows a strike on a Russian 2A36 Giatsint-B 152mm field gun position, with some of the nearby ammunition cooking off after the strike. Another video shows the guns self-propelled counterpart, the 2S5 Giatsint-S, burning down after a Ukrainian attack. https://twitter.com/AndrewPerpetua/status/1685370719960543232 https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1685342163683450880 There's also an incredible photo from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense showing a 155mm rocket-assisted-projectile (RAP) fired by troops with the 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade. Brilliant flames from the rocket motor can be seen pouring out from behind the shell just after launch. https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1685385407200935938 Clips from Ukraines 3rd Company, 3rd Separate Assault Brigade show incredible first-person footage of a mechanized attack on Russian positions near Bakhmut. Dismounting from their M113 armored personnel carrier, the troops move up through the tall grass before descending into the trenches and dugouts. Overhead drone footage shows the harrowing advance into the trenches and foxholes as Ukrainians clear the positions. https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1685230543045029888 Also near Bakhmut, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Special Operations Forces (SSO) troops to meet with commanders and commend their efforts in the sector. Saturday is also Day of Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which Zelensky marked with a video showing some of SSOs operations since the war began. https://twitter.com/KyivPost/status/1685238816137748480 https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1685206254531002368 Zelensky also made another visit to a Donetsk Oblast gas station, where he took selfies with Ukrainian troops behind the lines. https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1685244291050860544 Two explosions rocked the city of Donetsk on Saturday, the first an attack on the Ministry of Internal Affairs building seen from a passing dashcam. Its not clear from the video what kind of munition was used, but large chunks of building and concrete sidewalk can be seen raining back to the street as the driver speeds away. https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1684983291240165386 Later in the day, a reported Russian ammunition dump in the city exploded with numerous secondary blasts heard on video of the distant flames. https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1685345611665526784 https://twitter.com/typicaldonetsk/status/1685344208658247681 Explosions were also reported in occupied Crimea, where there was reportedly an attack on the critical Chongar Bridge connecting the peninsula to Ukraine. We wrote about an earlier strike on the bridge, one of Ukraines first using the British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles, in June. https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1685248024329568256 Reports have since emerged that the bridge is now closed with road traffic having backed up into Crimea. Russian accounts had intercepted a number of cruise missiles in an attempted attack, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces has claimed a "successful attack" on the bridge. It remains to be seen how and if the bridge was indeed hit in the strike. https://twitter.com/DmytroSolenko/status/1685374080743002114 https://twitter.com/DevanaUkraine/status/1685357711083356160 https://twitter.com/maria_drutska/status/1685364108802076672 Also in Crimea, the Ukrainian GUR military intelligence agency claims several explosions occurred at a Russian ammo depot near Cossack Bay in Sevastopols west end. The 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade is based in the numerous military facilities along the bay, and Ukraine struck the nearby fuel depot in late April. https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1685231133305270273 In Poland, two more Leopard 2A4 tanks arrived at the Giwice maintenance hub for repairs after taking battle damage in Ukrainian service. The long supply line for such repairs to get those tanks back in the fight is precisely why German arms maker Rheinmetall will soon open a repair center inside Ukraine. https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1685330522732425216 The Polish government has also further sounded alarm over Wagner Group PMC forces in neighboring Belarus. Having already deployed additional troops to the border after Wagner elements neared, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki claims more than 100 Wagner troops have moved toward the strategic Suwalki Gap. The move, Morawieki says, is to disguise Wagner forces as Belarussian border guards and assist migrants trying to illegally cross into Poland, what the prime minister called an unconditional step towards a hybrid attack on Poland. https://twitter.com/Flash_news_ua/status/1685262860996288513 As Russian troops poured into Belarus and massed ahead of their invasion of Ukraine, Warsaw and Minsk came into crisis amid significant unrest over migrant riots along their borders in late 2021. At the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have confirmed one reactors cold shutdown and anothers move to hot shutdown. The IAEA team further reported the reactor vessel, spent fuel pool, and steam generator appeared to be in normal condition. https://twitter.com/UN_News_Centre/status/1685347295301140480 Russian forces have captured a Ukrainian CV9040C infantry fighting vehicle near Kremina in Luhansk Oblast. The Swedish-supplied vehicle was reportedly damaged by an RPG and abandoned by its crew a few days before its capture. https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1685304986387853313 Lastly, there is a remarkable clip from a Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze drone flying right in the open back window of a Russian SUV. The strike reportedly occurred on the E40 highway north of Bakhmut, with the drone's final moments capturing a Russian occupant holding his phone as if to take a picture just before impact. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1685312248145686529?s=20 Thats all for now. We will update this story when theres more to report on Ukraine. Contact the author: stetson.payne@thewarzone.com Jasper Kenzo Sundeen's reporting for the Yakima Herald-Republic is possible with support from Report for America and community members through the Yakima Valley Community Fund. For information on republishing, email news@yakimaherald.com. Close up of a group of friends enjoying wine after a dinner on the patio in the woods Sturgeon dying in Columbia River as water heats up to above historic summer average What we know about the Seattle mass shooting at an outreach event The troll bubble is Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambos happy place. The real world melts away when hes inside the invisible cocoon of creativity. That currently includes his twin sons turning 1 year old on Saturday, occupancy issues with his home in Denmark, and having less than two months to achieve his goal of building 10 trolls across America in roughly four months. Replacing lifes stresses is the magic that enables Dambo to assume the persona of the latest giant troll hes shaping out of recycled wood in Victor. In his make-believe world, the oversized trolls bring joy to the little people, or humans, and teach them Dambos mantra, that something made of something old can be just as good, as valuable and as beautiful as something made of something new. For the next week, the sacred space for Dambo is off a scenic hiking trail in the small historic mining town of Victor. On Friday, the site throbbed with sounds of sawing, hammering and drilling, with a variety of rap, reggae and country music playing from a large speaker plunked down. A gentle breeze cooled the intense heat of the high-altitude sun and coaxed wildflowers to wave at workers. The Sangre de Cristo range and Collegiate Mountains loom to the west, modern-day gold mining scars fill the opposite view, and two locals, Mount Pisgah and Grouse Mountain, rise up in another direction. Nearby remnants of an 1800s blacksmith shop used during the Gold Rush days, when underground mining produced more than a kings ransom, became a makeshift wood shop where volunteers fine-tuned the new trolls hands. Debbie Fung-A-Fat and her husband, James, drove in from Boulder, as two of 120 volunteers helping with the massive public art installation. I have a mild obsession with trolls, she said. The fascination has led to a troll-themed room in the couples Breckenridge getaway and trips to find other Dambo troll sculptures; the one in Victor is his 119th and the fourth of 10 in his coast-to-coast Way of the Bird King tour. Imagining humans and trolls coexisting is not such a stretch when viewing his pieces, Fung-A-Fat said. To me they almost have real-life expressions, some sweet, some not so sweet, she said. They seem very personable. One reason might be the process Dambo uses in conjuring up his trolls. Each is unique and built specifically for the site in the community in which it lives. The nonprofit Gold Mining District Impact Group asked Dambo in January to consider adding Victor to his list of upcoming projects. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. After nine years of placing trolls in 17 countries, the requests are so numerous now that he cannot possibly fulfill all of them, said his wife, Alexa Piekarski, who works as The People Person for her husbands company. After consulting with an obtaining approval from local groups, Dambo scouts for a location for a new sculpture. Somewhere near public parking and away from homes, in a natural setting and a space where the troll will feel comfortable and welcomed. You cant put a troll anywhere, he said. Maybe Id like to put it on the moon, but I cant. I would need a permit. Donning his troll hat, Dambo enacts the pose and story that comes to his mind with each proposal. Photos preserve the idea, and he carves the head, fingers and feet in his shop near Copenhagen, Denmark. The rest of the sculpture is formed on-site, using scrap wood. The Victor troll will be made of about 150 old wooden pallets that volunteers are dismantling and reconfiguring. His brain is like a never-ending hamster wheel, Piekarski says of her husband. The Victor troll is a female whose name will be revealed at a public completion celebration at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 4, at Pinnacle Park Plaza, 109 N. 3rd St. She will be kneeling with her hands outstretched and poised to simulate pushing rocks into holes in the ground that were made in early mining days as prospectors searched for gold ore veins. Dambo said he hasnt erected a sculpture on a mountain or used a Western theme before. To be here is to be living in a cowboy movie, he said. Also, being a little like a gold digger. Its the perfect spot. The troll will feel at home in Victor, he said. But what Dambo most appreciates about the area is the undeveloped land and abundant nature, which he said Denmark doesnt have because people have not taken care of the land. Dambo likes giving people a reason to leave their cars and enjoy the thrill of discovering his hidden-gem trolls in forests, near lakes, along hiking trails and at other unexpected locations. For me, its about people being brought together for an experience, he said. His favorite troll? That's easy. It's always the one hes working on at that moment. As an artist, you have to believe its the best one youre doing, he said. Otherwise, why do it? Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Fashion trends come and go, but denim jeans never go out of style. They are the foundation of any wardrobe and the ultimate symbol of cool, casual style. But which brand should you opt for? Well, Sparky Jeans has gained a household name for its high-quality jeans and has a reputation for manufacturing comfortable, fashionable, and long-lasting jeans. This well-known 'Make in India' fashion brand has stood the test of time because of its dedication to quality, innovation, and style. Jeans: The enduring popularity of the timeless classic Fashion continues to evolve, pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation as well as inspiring people to express themselves through their clothing. Only the brands that can match the pace of this ever-evolving industry make history. Sparky Jeans' premium quality products have made it a go-to for many people when they need a reliable pair of jeans that can be worn on any occasion. Whether you're looking for a classic pair of jeans or something more stylish and unique, it is a brand you can rely on. The brand uses only the finest materials, including premium quality cotton and other high-quality fabrics, to ensure that its jeans are comfortable and durable. The brand also uses innovative techniques to enhance the quality of its jeans, such as pre-washing and stone-washing, which gives the jeans a soft and comfortable feel. The brand's cutting-edge research and development team is constantly experimenting with new designs and fabrics, which has helped Sparky stay one step ahead of the competition in style and fashion. Sparky Jeans is also known for its attention to detail, with its jeans featuring intricate stitching, stylish designs, and unique details such as pocket placement and zipper styles. The brand's focus on detail has made it stand out from other denim brands, with its jeans being recognized for their uniqueness. Adding more feathers to its cap In addition to denim jeans, Sparky also produces a range of knits in-house, including t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, chinos, jackets, and bottoms. These products have helped the brand maintain tighter control over the look and feel of its products, positioning it as an industry leader in producing high-quality and stylish knits. Sparky Jeans is now focusing its attention on the market for children. J.K. Jain, the founder of Sparky Jeans, says, Kids' clothing is experiencing rapid growth, and we are entering the market to capitalise on this trend. Sparky Jeans is also committed to sustainable and ethical manufacturing practices. The brand has implemented several initiatives to reduce its environmental impact, such as reducing water usage during production and using eco-friendly materials. Sparky Jeans is also committed to fair labor practices, ensuring all workers are treated fairly and paid a fair wage. Threading the needle of Growth The company has set a three-year goal of Rs 1000 crore in sales, a remarkable sum that would put an Indian fashion label on the international stage. The brand has a significant presence in Northern India's largest markets, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, followed by West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and South India. Many of India's finest department stores and shopping malls carry Sparky products. In today's fashion-conscious world, finding a brand that offers style, sustainability, and quality is essential. Sparky Jeans is one such brand that has made a name for itself in the fashion industry. It has become a go-to destination for those looking for fashionable clothes that make a statement. With its focus on sustainability and ethical production, the brand has managed to strike a balance between fashion and responsibility. Whether you're looking for casual wear, office attire, or evening wear, it offers a range of options that are sure to turn heads. Shop now and make a statement. New Delhi: Life can seem bleak at times, but if you keep going and believe in yourself, you can turn everything around, illuminating the path for others to follow. In today's success story, we'll learn about Chandubhai Virani, a 10-class pass Gujarati businessman who stood the test of time, worked in a canteen for a monthly salary of Rs 90, and started Balaji Wafers, which today generates Rs 4,000 crore in revenue. Chandubhai Virani, the founder and director of Balaji Wafers, lives a life that inspires us to persevere in the face of terrible adversity and to have faith that bad things always turn out for the best. Early Life Of Chandubhai Virani Chandubhai Virani was born into a family of farmers in Gujarat. It was in the year 1974 when the Virani brothers were compelled to leave their Jamnagar hamlet and travel to Rajkot in quest of a job. After selling some land, their father offered them Rs 20,000 to start a new life. The brothers started a small business selling farm supplies in Rajkot which failed miserably. Birth Of Balaji Wafers Even if their hopes were dashed, their resolve never wavered. Chandubhai and his brother persisted in looking for employment, which led them to the Astron Cinema canteen. Chandubhai began his job in the canteen for a monthly salary of Rs 90. In addition to serving as a canteen employee, Chandubhai also performed odd jobs including door keeping, affixing posters, and chair repair. Chandubhai and his family had a terrible time making ends meet. Once they were under such extreme financial pressure that they had to vacate the rented property because they lacked the Rs. 50 required to pay the rent. But Chandubhai was given a chance of a lifetime, which drastically changed the path of his life. With their efforts in the canteen, Chandubhai and his brothers acquired a contract of Rs 1,000 per month with which Chandubhai built a small shed in the courtyard and began making chips from his one-room home. To market their wafers, Chandubhai and his brothers came up with the name "Balaji." Their fledgling wafer business began to receive enthusiastic support both inside and outside the theatre. However, the first several days were difficult for them. The brothers had to travel from one shop to another while carrying bags of wafers on their bicycles and bikes. This continued for some time. With time Balaji started gaining widespread praise for its quality and taste. Balaji converted to a private limited company in 1995. Later, it added namkeen and other snacks to the product line. Today Balaji is the largest wafer brand in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. The snacks manufacturer is also promoting a pan-Indian presence. Balaji Wafers Revenue According to reports, revenue of Balaji Wafers' led by Chandubhai Virani as of FY21 was Rs 4,000 crore. New Delhi: India's sanitary napkin manufacturing industry is flourishing and offers a profitable investment opportunity. The market's size has changed significantly during the past ten years and is expected to continue expanding. Manufacturing sanitary napkins is a lucrative industry with high demand. It is a hygiene item that many ladies use all throughout the world. Due to their poor economy, many women in India use this on a daily basis. According to data by Business Monitor International, India has a sizable market for the manufacture of sanitary napkins. In India, the market for sanitary napkins has expanded significantly in recent years. This can be due to women's increasing understanding of menstruation hygiene and the accessibility of cost-effective solutions. The primary factors propelling the expansion of the sanitary napkin market in India are the rising level of awareness regarding menstrual hygiene and the accessibility of reasonably priced products. Additionally, government programmes like "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan" and "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" are assisting in the expansion of this sector. License And Registration In India, there are a number of licences and registrations needed to launch a sanitary napkin manufacturing company. Getting a Manufacturing Licence from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) is the initial step. Any business that wishes to produce or market pharmaceutical products in India must obtain this licence. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) must be contacted in order to get a Registration Certificate. Any company that produces or distributes medical devices in India must have this certificate. Last but not least, the business needs to register with the government and receive a Quality Certification. Manufacturing Area In India, there are no geographical restrictions on where one can launch a sanitary napkin manufacturing company. The plant must be spotless and well-ventilated in order to create the napkins without contamination, though. The manufacturing area should be sufficiently large to accommodate the tools and machines needed for production. Napkin Manufacturing: Investment Details Several variables can affect the cost of starting a sanitary napkin manufacturing firm in India. The size of the operation is the most crucial element. The napkin manufacturing business can cost Rs 2 lakh. Napkin Manufacturing: Profit The profitability depends on various factors but one can earn from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh. In the realm of the world's grandest laboratories, where groundbreaking experiments unfold on a massive scale, there exists a common perception that these centers of innovation are predominantly situated in the West, steered by individuals of Caucasian origin. However, this notion is far from reality, as Indians have made an indelible mark in the realm of research, leaving an enduring impact on institutions like NASA and CERN. Among the distinguished Indian scientists making strides in coveted research programs worldwide is Dr. Archana Sharma, a leading particle physicist and senior scientist at CERN. Dr. Sharma is at the helm of the monumental CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) project, which holds such complexity that a comprehensive article would be required merely to scratch the surface of its essence. Her work not only captivates with its intriguing nature but also surpasses the boundaries of most people's imagination. On the sidelines of the Physics Conclave held at Shiv Nadar School, Gurgaon, in conversation with Zee News English, Dr. Sharma candidly opens up about her feelings of being an imposter, even in the face of tremendous success at CERN. Despite her remarkable achievements, she remains humble and driven by a relentless pursuit of knowledge. Her work at CERN carries profound significance for the world, touching upon aspects of particle physics that have far-reaching implications. In her conversation with Zee News English, Dr Sharma shares why she still feels like an imposter even after achieving such a huge success at CERN and why her work matters for the world. When asked about the temperature of a place 100 metres below the earth's surface, Dr Sharma shared that the temperature below the ground is nearly 19 to 20 degrees Celsius which is something we try to maintain with air conditioners or ACs at our homes and offices, hence the underground lab has its natural AC. Talking about the importance of the availability and accessibility of educational resources to young minds, Dr Sharma said, "A student who liked to do science at school and has fire in him or her for the subject but as he grows older the fire starts to fade away and the mega-science projects and pursuing of a career in research field incorporating pure science feel like a far fetched dream. In order to maintain that fire we need to make the learning very simple and very accessible," she further stated. Dr Sharma with her NGO "Life Lab Foundation" is trying to do something like this and make the field of pure science more relatable for the students. She is on a mission to help young minds less afraid of science and more open to doing practical. Throwing light on the use of particle physics in the greater good of humanity, Dr Sharma explained its application in the field of medicine where the particles are used in the treatment of cancer and there are 106 centres in the world using the particle method to treat the disease. Another ongoing research use of particles aims to produce X-ray images with 100 to 200 times lesser dose and higher resolution. If you have ever had an X-ray you might know that the technician leaves the X-ray room when they hit with the rays to produce the image of the broken bone or other tissues of the body, it is because they work with these rays for most hours and such long dose of X-rays is harmful to living cells but the anyways the patient is exposed to these rays hence the researchers are trying to lower the dose with the help of particles without compromising the resolution of images rather producing with higher resolution. Talking about India's progress and investment in the field of research and development, Dr Sharma said, India being a developing country has many priorities and spending on R&D is a luxury but the country is still doing it because our government realises that we need to invest in R&D to progress later and the investment will increase as our economy grows. Dr Archana Sharma who was part of the huge team that was invested in the discovery of the Higgs-Boson particle or the God particle asks the young minds who may not be sitting in the metro cities but the remote village of rural India to "keep on dreaming, dreams will come true because you will make it happen, there is no failure, it's either a step forward or learning". NEW DELHI: A team of opposition MPs belonging to the Indian National Developmental Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) will visit violence-hit Manipur on July 29 and 30 amid their demand for a detailed discussion in Parliament on the situation in the state. The 26-member delegation includes Rashtriya Janata Dal Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, Trinamool MP Sushmita Dev, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sushil Gupta, Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, NK Premchandran from Revolutionary Socialist Party, Jayant Chaudhry from RLD, Kanimozhi from DMK, Thol Thirumavalavan from VCK among others. Phulo Devi Netam from Congress, Sandosh Kumar from CPI, Javed Ali Khan from Samajwadi Party, PP Mohammad Faizal from NCP, Aneel Prasad Hedge from JD (U), Sushil Gupta from AAP, Mahua Maji from JJM and Jayant Singh from RLD are also the members of the team. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi who is also part of the delegation, said that the leaders of the Opposition are going with an open mind and will try to work as per the suggestions that will be given to them. "No Confidence Motion moved by INDIA alliance parties has been accepted by the Speaker. I hope we will have a discussion soon. It is important that we speak of Manipur in this discussion. We want to speak about the people of Manipur who have been forgotten by the PM. That is why our two-day visit is essential. We want to know of their pain so that we can present their case boldly..., Gogoi said. He further said that they aim to know what are the expectations of the people of Manipur with INDIA alliance. It will be difficult to visit the violence-affected areas but the areas where people are staying at relief camps can be visited so that we can see how the Administration is taking care of them and what they had to go through...We would want to know what are the expectations of the people of Manipur with INDIA alliance. We are going with open minds and we will try to work as per the suggestions that will be given to us," he added. Members of the grand Opposition alliance, I.N.D.I.A, have been adamant on the demand that all listed businesses in both Houses be aside for a discussion on the Manipur situation. The Opposition parties have been pressing for their demand since the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament on July 20. The government has said it is ready for debate on the issue but the opposition has insisted on a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in both the Houses. Meanwhile, the proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were cut short after both Houses were adjourned for the day on Friday over the demands of opposition members related to the Manipur situation. Earlier on Thursday, most of the Opposition members arrived in the Parliament dressed in black as a mark of protest against the alleged denial of a discussion on Manipur and the postponement of a debate on the no-confidence motion. The Biden administration announced a $345 million military aid package for Taiwan on Friday evening. The move, which is the first time the United States has transferred weapons to Taiwan under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the U.S. to pull equipment directly from its existing stockpiles and provide it to them, will all but certainly anger Beijing at a time when the administration is seeking to get on better terms. A BURNING ISSUE: BIDEN AND DEMOCRATS LOOK TO COMBAT EXTREME HEAT ACROSS THE US Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Martin Meiners said the package "includes self-defense capabilities that Taiwan will be able to use to build to bolster deterrence now and in the future," and noted the systems include "critical defensive stockpiles, multi-domain awareness, anti-armor and air defense capabilities," according to CNN. Providing the equipment through the president's drawdown authority allows the U.S. to get the weapons to Taiwan much faster than the alternatives. Previously, the U.S. has allowed Taiwan to purchase weapons from the country, though this process takes much longer than delivering the equipment directly from U.S. stockpiles. "With respect to Taiwan, the capability that we are providing them is defensive capability. As you know, in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act, we are committed to helping them get the capability they need to defend themselves," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during a press conference on Saturday. A top Department of Defense official met with a Chinese government representative earlier this month in what was the first official meeting between the Pentagon and Beijing since November. The military-to-military relationship soured when the U.S. uncovered a Chinese spy balloon traversing the continental U.S., even flying over sensitive U.S. military locations. The U.S. ultimately shot it down once it reached the Atlantic Ocean. Chinese military leaders had been giving their U.S. counterparts the silent treatment for months until the meeting earlier this month between Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner and Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng. U.S. defense officials have repeatedly warned over the last couple of months that the silence from Chinese military leaders only increases the possibility of a miscommunication that could lead to a consequential escalation between the two global powers. They discussed "defense relations, as well as a range of international and regional security issues. Ratner also underscored the Department's commitment to maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication between the United States and the PRC," Department of Defense spokesman Lt. Col. Martin Meiners said in a readout of the meeting. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Defense officials have warned for months that the lack of communication could lead to an unintended incident or escalation. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Secretary of State Antony Blinken delayed a scheduled trip to Beijing in February following the spy balloon incident, though last month, he ultimately became the first top U.S. official to make the journey to the Chinese capital in five years. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen followed soon after, as did Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. China has been modernizing and expanding its military for years, and its military posture toward Taiwan has grown increasingly aggressive. Chinese leaders have publicly said they want the military to be ready to invade Taiwan for unification by 2027. Original Location: Biden administration announces $345 million military aid package for Taiwan Washington Examiner Videos New Delhi: Even as the third meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is all set to take place in Mumbai on August 25 and 26, some of the leaders of the bloc on Friday raised concern over Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Supremo Sharad Pawar sharing stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Maharashtra's Pune on August 1. A party source said that during the meeting of floor leaders of the INDIA bloc on Friday, some of the members raised concerns about Pawar being the chief guest of the function in which Modi is honoured with the Lokmanya Tilak Award. The source added that there were suggestions that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge could speak to the NCP leader to urge and request him not to attend the function. The source said that few of INDIA bloc leaders felt that Pawar sharing stage with the Prime Minister would create a bad impression, when the like-minded opposition parties are coming together to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The source also added that by sharing stage with Modi, Pawar will dent the image of the INDIA bloc, which has taken a lot of effort to build and it will also lead to send a wrong message among people as Prime Minister Modi has attacked INDIA with its comparison to the East India Company and terror organisation Indian Mujahideen. The NCP patriarch has been invited as the chief guest of the function which is organised by Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust. During the programme, Pawar will be handing over the award to Modi. Meanwhile, the third meeting of INDIA will take place in Mumbai on August 25 and 26 and Shiv Sena (UBT) and Pawar-led NCP will be the host. Anju, a married Indian woman and a mother of two, who had travelled to Pakistan legally with a visa to meet her Facebook friend Nasrullah, changed her religion and married him in a local court. She is now known as Fatima and has received a lot of attention and gifts from Pakistani people. A video shared by a Pakistani journalist shows him giving her a shawl, clothes, and papers of a flat and a plot worth lakhs of rupees. Anjus story has created a buzz on both sides of the border, as it is the opposite of Seema Haiders story, who had entered India illegally from Pakistan to be with her lover Sachin Meena. Here are the details of Anju Nasrullahs love story. The Facebook romance Anju, who lived in Alwar district of Rajasthan with her husband and two children, met Nasrullah on Facebook in 2019. They became friends and fell in love with each other. On July 20, she left her home and told her husband that she was going to Jaipur to meet her friends. However, she went to Pakistan with a valid visa to meet Nasrullah. Her husband Arvind said that he received a phone call from Anju saying that she was in Lahore and would return in a few days. He said that he did not know how Anju got the visa and how she went to Pakistan. The marriage and conversion Anju and Nasrullahs marriage was solemnised on Tuesday in a local court in Upper Dir district of Pakistans tribal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Anju converted to Islam and took the name of Fatima before the marriage. She told the court that she had come to Pakistan willingly and was very happy. Nasrullah is a science graduate from a university in Sheringal and is the youngest among five brothers. He said that they appeared before the court because they were in danger and needed security. He said that the government had provided them with 50 police officers for protection. The gifts and attention Anju Nasrullahs marriage has attracted a lot of attention and gifts from Pakistani people. A video shared by Dilip Kumar Khatri, a journalist from Sindh province, shows him giving Anju a shawl, clothes, and papers of a flat and a plot worth lakhs of rupees. He said that he was impressed by Anjus courage and love for Nasrullah. He said that he wanted to help them start their new life. The video also shows Anju thanking him for his generosity. Another video shows Anju and Nasrullah enjoying dinner with their friends. Anju Nasrullahs story is the reverse of Seema Haiders story, who had crossed into India illegally from Nepal without a visa to be with her lover Sachin Meena in Greater Noida. They had met on PUBG, an online game platform. Both women crossed the border for love, but faced legal troubles and investigations. Delhi's Nangloi district witnessed a distressing turn of events during the Moharram procession as what began as a solemn religious observance quickly escalated into chaos. With a massive turnout of around 8,000 to 10,000 participants, the procession took an unruly turn when a few organizers decided to divert from the pre-approved route. The situation intensified when the police tried to reason with them, leading to the agitated crowd hurling stones at the law enforcement officers. The outbreak of violence compelled the police to resort to a mild lathi-charge to restore order. Several police personnel sustained injuries during the unfortunate incident. As the authorities assess the situation, tensions remain high in the area. Unruly Scenes Unfold: According to DCP Harinder Singh, the Moharram procession in Nangloi commenced peacefully, with organizers and attendees marching peacefully to observe the occasion. However, the atmosphere turned tense when a small group of organizers expressed displeasure with the designated route and decided to deviate from it. Despite prior agreements made during a meeting, these individuals caused disruptions, leading to confrontations with the police. Stone-Pelting Incident: As the police attempted to intervene and reason with the agitated organizers, the situation quickly escalated when stones were hurled at the law enforcement officers. The unruly behavior of the crowd further intensified the chaos during the procession. In response to the escalating violence, the police decided to use a mild lathi-charge to disperse the unruly mob and restore order in the area. Injuries and Damages: During the altercation, several police officers sustained injuries due to the stone-pelting incident. Additionally, some police vehicles were damaged in the process. Prompt medical attention was provided to the injured officers, and they are currently receiving treatment. Assessing the Aftermath: While the situation has been brought under control, authorities continue to remain vigilant to prevent any potential flare-ups. As of now, no arrests have been made, but law enforcement officials are closely monitoring the situation. Legal action is expected to be taken in response to the violent incident. Similar Incidents Elsewhere: It is worth noting that during Moharram processions in other locations, similar incidents of clashes and disturbances have been reported. Recently, in Varanasi, tensions erupted between Shia and Sunni communities during a Tazia procession, necessitating police intervention to restore peace. Conclusion: The Moharram procession in Delhi's Nangloi, intended to be a peaceful religious gathering, took an unfortunate turn as clashes between some organizers and the police led to violence and stone-pelting. The incident has raised concerns over the need for proper management and security arrangements during large public events. As authorities take stock of the situation and investigate the root causes of the unrest, it is hoped that measures will be taken to ensure the safety and peaceful conduct of such processions in the future. In a remarkable feat of police work, the West Bengal police have successfully apprehended a highly elusive thief who had managed to evade capture for the past 25 years. Contrary to the stereotypical image of a criminal, this thief, identified as Nadeem Qureshi (45), adopted a high-flying lifestyle, accumulating properties worth crores in Mumbai and Pune. His children were enrolled in prestigious schools, making him appear as an ordinary, law-abiding citizen. The authorities had been pursuing Nadeem Qureshi since 2021 when he committed a burglary at Sourav Abasan in Salt Lake, stealing valuables worth Rs 12 lakhs. Employing a unique modus operandi, he meticulously planned and executed over 1,200 burglaries in 14 different states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Odisha. The thief's approach involved dressing up in corporate formals and traveling in chauffeur-driven cars, giving an impression of an affluent individual. He would selectively target less-guarded housing complexes or stand-alone buildings, gaining access through elevators and then proceeding to walk down the stairs to explore vacant homes that had been unattended for extended periods. Nadeem Qureshi's sole focus was on stealing cash and gold, ensuring that the stolen items couldn't be easily traced. Qureshi started his criminal career by stealing cattle in his native village in Ghaziabad. By the time he was 17, he had already committed multiple burglaries. Over the years, his criminal activities expanded to various states, leaving a trail of stolen wealth. Despite being arrested on at least eight occasions, Nadeem Qureshi managed to evade prolonged custody and continued to perpetrate crimes. He even formed a gang, known as the "Nadeem gang," which operated similarly to his own methods. In a significant breakthrough, the Bidhannagar Police finally tracked him down in 2021 after the burglary at Sourav Abasan. However, he was later moved to Tihar jail after being convicted of a burglary case in Ghaziabad. Recently, after persistent efforts by the Bidhannagar City Police, he was brought back to West Bengal for further investigation. A Salt Lake court granted the police seven-day custody of Nadeem Qureshi, allowing them to delve deeper into his connections and network in the state. The authorities hope that this arrest will lead to solving numerous unsolved cases related to his criminal activities. It is a testament to the diligence and determination of the police force, whose relentless pursuit of justice has finally brought the long-running thief to face the consequences of his actions. The education department of Bihar has issued a dress code for government teachers in the state. The order was issued by the district education officer of Begusarai, following the directions of the additional chief secretary of the education department, KK Pathak. The dress code forbids teachers from wearing jeans and T-shirts in school and also advises female teachers to wear Indian attire and avoid flashy clothes. Male teachers are also asked to shave their beards. The order warns of action against those who violate the dress code. The order also includes 14 other points related to school cleanliness, teacher attendance, and student welfare. The prohibition on jeans and T-shirts The order states that jeans and T-shirts are against the official culture and do not reflect dignity. It asks all teachers to wear formal dress while coming to school. The order was issued by the director (administration) of the education department, Subodh Kumar Chaudhary, on behalf of KK Pathak. It is believed that Pathak is trying to implement some new rules along with some old ones for the teachers. Now, teachers have to reach school on time and stay there for the prescribed duration. Pathak has also banned teachers from using chairs in class. The advice on Indian attire and beards The order also advises female teachers to wear Indian attire while coming to school. It says that female teachers should not wear flashy or provocative clothes in school. The order also asks male teachers not to grow beards and come clean-shaven to school. The other points in the order The order also includes 14 other points related to school cleanliness, teacher attendance, and student welfare. It asks teachers to display a list of seniority in school, ensure toilet hygiene and repair damaged toilets, provide drinking water facilities, maintain student registers, conduct morning prayers, celebrate national festivals, organise parent-teacher meetings, conduct remedial classes, and follow Covid-19 guidelines. The general public is happy to see the changes in the old system. This order is opposite to Seema Haider and Sachin Meenas story, who had crossed the border for love. Seema Haider, a Pakistani woman, had entered India illegally from Nepal without a visa to be with her lover Sachin Meena in Greater Noida. They had met on PUBG, an online game platform. Both women crossed the border for love, but faced different outcomes. The Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe in a case of alleged sexual assault on two women by a mob in Manipur in May. The CBI also filed a fresh FIR in the case and began its investigation today. Earlier, the Central government had told the Supreme Court that it has handed over the probe to the CBI. The case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a reference from the Union home ministry. A video purportedly shot on May 4, showing the two women being paraded naked, went viral earlier this month, resulting in a massive uproar across the country. The CBI has taken over the FIR registered by the Manipur Police against unidentified people in accordance with its procedure. During a hearing in the apex court on July 27, the Centre through its affidavit informed that the approach of the Central government is of zero tolerance towards any crimes against women. Several Police teams have been formed for mass operation at several locations to arrest identified culprits and an Additional SP rank officer has been entrusted to investigate the case, under the constant supervision of other senior police officials, it added. Subsequently, the government of Manipur vide letter dated July 26, 2023, has recommended Secretary, DOP&T for entrusting the case to CBI for further investigation, which has been duly recommended to Secretary, DOP&T by MHA vide letter dated July 27, 2023. The investigation shall thus, be transferred to CBI, the affidavit read. It further stated that regarding the unfortunate and unacceptable incident of sexual assault and violence on two women in Manipur, Union Home Ministry has been continuously monitoring developments of the case after it came to light. Centre added that the State government has informed it that during the investigation, seven main accused have been arrested and are in police custody for further examination. It recommended that a trial of the case should be conducted outside of the state and it should be completed within six months. (With agency inputs) Love knows no boundaries, but sometimes it can also lead to dangerous consequences. This is what happened to a 16-year-old girl from Rajasthan, who was in love with a Pakistani man whom she met on Instagram. She was so blinded by love that she decided to go to Pakistan without any documents, risking her life and security. However, she was stopped by the airport authorities at Jaipur airport, who foiled her plan and saved her from becoming another Anju. Anju is a 35-year-old Indian woman who recently travelled to Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to meet her Facebook friend, Nasrullah. Her story has been compared to that of Seema Haider, who came to India from Pakistan for her lover Sachin Meena. Both women crossed the border for love, but faced legal troubles and investigations. The Instagram love story The girl, who belongs to Shrimadhopur in Sikar district of Rajasthan, was in contact with a Pakistani man named Aslam Lahori for a year. They became friends on Instagram and soon fell in love with each other. Lahori lured her into love and convinced her to go to the airport to meet him. He told her what words to use and what to say about her name, work and how she came there. He also promised to bear all her expenses after reaching Pakistan. The airport drama The girl arrived at Jaipur airport on Friday, hoping to board a flight to Pakistan. She asked for a ticket to Pakistan, but she did not have a passport or visa. She was then taken into custody and interrogated by the police and security agencies. The girl told them that she had come to the airport to meet her online lover, who was waiting for her in Pakistan. She also said that she was not inspired by Seema Haider or Anju, who had crossed the border for love. She just used to chat with him and did not know anything else. The legal action The SHO of the airport police station said that the girls parents have been informed about the incident and they are on their way to Jaipur. He also said that the girl will be produced before the child welfare committee and appropriate action will be taken as per the law. He added that the police are also investigating the role of Lahori and his intentions behind luring the girl. The comparison with other cross-border love stories The girls story has drawn parallels with other cross-border love stories that have come to light recently. Seema Haider, 30, from Pakistans Sindh province, crossed into India illegally in May with her four children to be with her lover Sachin Meena in Greater Noida. They had met on PUBG, an online game platform. Anju, 35, from India, travelled to Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in July to meet her Facebook friend Nasrullah. They had met on Facebook and exchanged messages and calls. Both women are now facing inquiries related to their cross-border relationships. Ramdas Athawale, a minister in the Modi government, is always in the news for his controversial statements. He has once again made headlines for his startling claim on Nitish Kumar joining the NDA. He said that Nitish Kumar can join the NDA anytime and he is ours. He also praised Nitish Kumar for the development work done in Bihar. He made this claim while talking to the media in Patna. The claim on Nitish Kumar Ramdas Athawale was asked by journalists if Nitish Kumar would be accepted if he initiates to join the NDA again. Athawale said that he has been with us before and he can join us anytime. He said that he appeals to Nitish Kumar not to go to the Mumbai meeting. Ramdas Athawale is in Bihar for various programmes. He also visited Munger. Ramdas praised Nitish Kumar for the development work done in Bihar. He said that he had gone to Munger a day ago. There has been good work done in Bihar in roads and other areas. The development work done in Bihar under the leadership of Nitish Kumar can be easily seen. He said that when he had come to Bihar a long time ago, the roads were not good in Bihar. But now a lot of good work is being done in Bihar under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. The previous controversial statements Ramdas Athawale has not made such a claim for the first time. He often makes controversial statements on various issues. Earlier, he had made a controversial statement on Hindu-Muslim issues. He had said that if Muslims are harassed in the country, then Hindus will also suffer. He had said that if 20 houses of Muslims are closed due to disturbance, then 70 houses of Hindus will also be closed. He had said that this will harm everyone. He had made this statement in reference to the violence in Jahangirpuri, Delhi. He had also made a controversial statement on girls marriage age. He had advocated for reducing the marriage age of girls to 16 years. He had said that instead of increasing the marriage age of girls, the central government should reduce it. He had given a logic for this, saying that girls physical development is faster than boys. He had said that keeping this in mind, the marriage age of girls should be reduced to 16 years. New Delhi: Actress-filmmaker Kangana Ranaut slammed the latest release 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani' starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh. The actress called it "rubbish" and said that shame on filmmaker Karan Johar for copying his own films of the nineties. Kangana took to Instagram, where she first drew parallels of 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani' to last week's Hollywood release, Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'. She said that the "nepo gang" hinting at Kjo, whom she had called the "flag bearer of nepotism" on an episode of 'Koffee With Karan', has made as a "saas bahu ka rona". Kangana wrote on her Instagram stories: "Indian audiences watching 3 hours long film on the origin of nuclear weapon and intricacies of atomic science aur yahan nepo gang ka wahi saas bahu ka rona, lekin why he needs Rs 250 crore to make a daily soap . ??? "Shame on you Karan Johar for making the same nth time calling yourself the flag bearer of Indian cinema and perpetually regressing it Don't waste funds it's not easy time for the industry, retire now and let young film makers make new and revolutionary films " She then added that the audience can't be fooled anymore. "They have rejected atrocious and creatively poor films full of fake sets and over the top fake costumes, who dresses like this in real life also where are tacky houses like those in Delhi??? What rubbish!!!! Shame on Karan Johar for copying his own vintage movies of the nineties also how come he spend Rs 250 crore on this stupidity? Who gives them this kind of money's while real talent struggle to get funds !!! The actress also gave a word of advice to actor Ranveer Singh. "My sincere advice to @ranveersingh he should stop getting influenced by Karan Johar and his dressing sense he should dress up like a normal human being, like Dharm ji (Dharmendra) or Vinod Khanna ji dressed in their days, Indian people can't identify with a cartoon looking person calling himself a hero, please see all south heroes how they dress up and carry themselves with great dignity and integrity.. They look manly and dignified people don't ruin the culture in our country." On the acting front, Kangana will next be seen in 'Tejas' and 'Emergency'. New Delhi: Sussanne Khan, Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan's ex-wife, has lauded Infosys founder Narayan Murthy for talking about actor Kareena Kapoor Khan. A video is doing rounds on social media, where Murthy shared how Kareena ignored her fans on a flight, which he was on as well. He talked about the incident and shared that he was surprised to see the actress not responding to her fans. Murthy said: "The other day I was coming from London, and next to me was Kareena Kapoor, sitting in her seat. So many people came to her and they said hello. She didn't even bother to react. I was a little bit surprised. Whoever came to me, I stood up, and we discussed for a minute or half a minute-that's all they were expecting." Coming in support of Kareena, Murthy's wife Sudha said that she has a million admirers. She must have been tired. However, Murthy said that this was not the issue. "The issue is that when somebody shows affection, you can also show it back, however cryptic manner you can. I think that is very important. These are all ways to reduce your ego, that's all." The video was also shared on a new portal's Instagram handle, where Sussanne praised him. She wrote, "Well said Mr Murthy." Kareena and Hrithik have together worked in films such as 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham', 'Yaadein' and 'Mujhse Shaadi Karoge'. Hunter Biden's expected plea deal collapsed in court this week under scrutiny from a federal judge. The "curveball" development had the White House on defense. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden has "no" plans to pardon his son as he faces charges related to tax evasion and lying on a form to obtain a gun. Confronted with a trove of new testimony from IRS whistleblowers and allegations from an FBI informant, the White House tweaked the denial about the president's involvement with Hunter Biden's affairs. Previously, Joe Biden claimed he's "never spoken" to Hunter Biden about foreign business deals, but Jean-Pierre declined to parrot that line. She said, "The president was never in business with his son." DONALD TRUMP INDICTED: THREE THINGS WE LEARNED IN JACK SMITH'S SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT Also this week, Joe Biden acknowledged his seventh grandchild for the first time, a 4-year-old girl named Navy Joan Roberts. Hunter Biden fathered the child with an ex-stripper who had to bring him to court to prove paternity and get child support. The family court dispute was recently settled in Arkansas. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy," the elder Biden said Friday evening in a statement. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Here's a look at scenes from Washington during the week of July 24, 2023, captured by Washington Examiner photographer Graeme Jennings. Karine Jean-Pierre says Biden won't pardon son Hunter White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre takes questions during the daily briefing on Monday, July 24, 2023. During the briefing, reporters questioned Jean-Pierre about Hunter Biden's business dealings. Jean-Pierre stated "The president was never in business with his son. I just don't have anything else to add." GRAEME JENNINGS UFO whistleblower testifies to Congress that US has recovered nonhuman remains from crash sites David Grusch, former National Reconnaissance Office representative on the Defense Department's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, prepares to testify before the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on UFOs, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, on Capitol Hill. Grusch, who went from being part of the Pentagon's UAP Task Force to becoming a whistleblower, told the Committee that "non-human" biological matter from crashed craft of unknown origin exists. GRAEME JENNINGS Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) take questions from the media following a House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on UFOs, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Burchett criticized the Pentagon, accusing Defense Department officials of stonewalling inquiries into unidentified flying objects ahead of the hearing. GRAEME JENNINGS Texas Republicans tell Gov. Greg Abbott to 'stand your ground' in border fight against Biden Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) speaks at a press conference about the current situation at the US-Mexico Border. Roy, accompanied by other Texas Republicans, heavily criticized the Biden Administrations southern border policy, and accused DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of lying under oath when he claimed that the administration has the border under control. Detransitioner Chloe Cole breaks down before Congress speaking to mother of transgender child "Detransitioner" Chloe Cole pauses while testifying before a House Judiciary Subcommittee on the "Dangers and Due Process Violations of 'Gender-Affirming Care' for Children," on Capitol Hill, Thursday, July 27, 2023. After being diagnosed with gender dysphoria, Cole was prescribed puberty blockers and testosterone, at the age of 13. During her testimony, she stated "I'm making a desperate plea to my representatives learn the lessons from other medical scandals like the opioid crisis to recognize that doctors are human too. And sometimes they are wrong." Speaker Kevin McCarthy weighs Biden impeachment inquiry House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) gaggles with reporters at the Capitol on July 25, 2023. Freedom Caucus members voice concerns about the appropriations process Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) speaks at a news conference on Fiscal Year spending, on Capitol Building on July 25, 2023. Members of the House Freedom Caucus have called on both the House and Senate to rein in federal spending. The current national debt is over $30 trillion. GRAEME JENNINGS Original Location: Hunter Biden legal troubles dog White House: Washington Photos of the Week Washington Examiner Videos New Delhi: Bigg Boss 14 contestant Nikki Tamboli is known for her bold fashion statements and her latest social media post is doing full justice with the tag. Nikki took the internet by storm with her recent sexy look and fans are now gasping for breath. In the latest post, Nikki puts her curves on display as she slips into a sultry black ensemble. Nikki has often taken over the internet with her sensuous photo shoots in bikinis and bold outfits. In her new post, Nikki can be seen slaying in a black low-waist skirt and halter neck bralette. She ditched accessories and opted for minimal makeup to let her outfit take center stage. Nikki kept her locks open and posed sensuously for the shutterbugs. Fans have flooded the comment section with fire and heart-eye emojis. One wrote, 'sexiest of all,' another one commented, 'Oh so hot.' Some fans were impressed by her fitness and commented, '@nikki_tamboli please share what you eat in a day session what you do for your fitness plz' The actress often remains in the news for her bold and hot avatar. Before gaining fame from Bigg Boss 14, she primarily worked in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. Last year, Nikki's name cropped up during a probe into the Rs 200-crore extortion case involving conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. She was taken to Tihar Jail in Delhi with one more actress to recreate their alleged meeting with conman Sukesh as part of a probe into the extortion case. As per IANS sources, "Nikki Tamboli of 'Bigg Boss' fame, Chahatt Khanna of 'Bade Acche Lagte Hai' fame, Sophia Singh, and Arusha Patil met Chandrasekhar in the jail premises and he introduced himself as a producer of the southern film industry. Chandrasekhar's close aide Pinky Irani, who was arrested by the Delhi Police`s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in November last year, had facilitated their meetings with the conman. All these four actresses were given expensive gifts from renowned brands such as Gucci, Versace, and Louis Vuitton," the website reported. New Delhi: Ahead of the much-awaited release of the series The Kashmir Files Unreported.' director-producer duo Vivek Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi spent some time soaking in the beauty of Kashmir while indulging in a shikara ride on the banks of the picturesque Dal Lake. The makers unveiled the trailer at SKICC in Srinagar, Kashmir. Taking to Instagram, Vivek Agnihotri announced that The Kashmir Files Unreported' will premiere on August 11 on Zee5. Later, while sipping the traditional Kashmiri Kahwa chai, the couple also revealed that they had been lusting for some relaxing moments in between their strenuous work schedules and nothing could have been better than choosing Kashmir. Vivek Agnihotri said, Yeh Vishwa ki sabse khubsoorat jagah hai aur yeh sabse khubsoorat lake hai. Pallavi Joshi further added that Shikara reminds her of the unforgettable memories from the 1990s picturing Shashi Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, and Sharmila Tagore. She believes, Kashmir has truly laid the foundation of Indian cinema and will continue to do so in the future as well. As Shikaras represent romance, Vivek Agnihotri elaborated on his equation with Pallavi Joshi at home saying, Ghar pe direction nahi order chalta hai. Pehle main order se ladhta tha lekin ab bas wohi hai, thats it. Unity in diversity. Ek ka order hai aur ek follower hai When asked about family vacations, Main toh proud mumbaikar hu, born and raised in Mumbai. Mujhse toh bhai paani aur samundar kabhi chutne nahi wala hai. Mujhe samundar se bohot pyaar hai, Pallavi Joshi concludes. While Vivek Agnihotri loves scripting his films amidst hilly regions, Pallavi Joshi finds solace on the lake front. The producer-director duo makes us believe that opposites attract. The upcoming series explores the untold truth of the Kashmiri Pandits straight from the horses mouth. After 4 years of extensive research, 'The Kashmir Files Unreported' will capture the historical, ethnical, and geopolitical details, encapsulating the events, mistakes, crimes, and circumstances that led to the massacre and mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in the 1990s. It goes on to portray the situation which led to the abrogation of Article 370 and its repercussions on Kashmir today. Woven together through real life anecdotes, survivor testimonies and archived footage, 'The Kashmir Files Unreported' is all set to give you goosebumps. New Delhi: During a recent interaction Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yoshimasa Hayashi, publicly expressed his admiration for Man of Masses NTR Jr., hailing him as not only a brilliant performer. The minister's appreciation for NTR Jr.'s talent and popularity underscores the deep cultural connections between India and Japan and reflects the power of cinema in fostering international bonds. Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi's passion for Indian cinema came to light when he mentioned NTR Jr. as his favorite actor from the recent RRR release. NTR Jr. has an illustrious career in the Indian film industry, particularly in Telugu cinema, where he has garnered a massive following both in India and the world. The minister's endorsement further highlights the actor's global appeal and influence beyond borders. My Favourite Star Is Rama Rao Jr --- Minister Of Foreign Affairs Of Japan - Yoshimasa Hayashi Bravo @tarak9999 pic.twitter.com/zZOxL2Ko2n NTR Trends (@NTRFanTrends) July 28, 2023 NTR Jr.'s ability to connect with people from all walks of life has captured the attention of millions in India and now, it seems, has garnered admirers in the political realm of Japan. Man of masses NTR Jr is currently shooting for his much-awaited film Devara which is directed by Kortala Siva and is scheduled to release on 5th April 2024. New Delhi: Actors Rana Daggubati and Dulquer Salmaan will be seen working together in the upcoming multi-lingual film 'Kaantha'. Wishing Dulquer on his birthday, Rana, Founder of Spirit Media said: "At Spirit Media, we are always on the lookout for unique but universally appealing stories, and 'Kaantha' undoubtedly fits that vision." "Collaborating with Dulquer and Wayfarer Films and having a brilliant director Selvamani Selvaraj on board is truly rewarding, and for my friend Dulquer this is a delightful gift from the team to celebrate his birthday, with millions of his fans." 'Kaantha' is set to showcase Dulquer in a never seen before role. This much-anticipated project will be directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, whose upcoming project titled 'The Hunt for Veerappan' an international docu-drama series is set to release on Netflix on August 4. He also assisted the Oscar winning Director Ang Lee on 'Life of Pi'. Dulquer, Founder of Wayfarer Films, expressed: " 'Kaantha' is extremely close to my heart and I've been eager to bring this to life from the day I heard the story as it's unlike anything weve seen in Indian cinema." "To produce this along with Spirit Media and to perform one of the most challenging roles in my career is definitely an exciting journey that I am looking forward to." "The story of 'Kaantha' is brought to screen with the conviction of two people I deeply admire and respect, Rana Daggubati and Dulquer Salmaan. The centrepiece of the film is the acting prowess of Dulquer and I am honoured to weave this dream with someone as talented and rooted as him," stated, Selvamani Selvaraj. New Delhi: Actor Munmun Dutta expressed her gratitude as her show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah completed 15 years. She talked about her experience of being part of the sitcom and the importance it holds in her career. She wrote along with a series of pictures with the cast of the sitcom, Gratitude! Gratitude and only gratitude is what I can express today ! I am so grateful and thankful for the way my life has taken a turn for the better in the past 15 years, grateful for the love thats showered on me / us by everyone that has seen the show and have made us a part of their lives. She added, Grateful for a wonderful team of colleagues.. actors/ directors/ writers and each and everyone in the entire unit..Asit jis relentless pursuit and dedication for achieving one goal after another . This is a result of everyones hardwork, time , passion, patience , dedication, determination and everything that can be given in this project. Happiest 15th Birthday Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah The iconic show that first aired on July 28, 2008 is a popular family comedy shows that in a light and humorous way keep creating awareness on societal issues. It is based on the weekly column 'Duniya Ne Undha Chasma' by Taarak Mehta. Its initial cast included names such as Dilip Joshi as Jethalal, Disha Vakani as Daya Jethalal Gada or popularly known as Daya Ben and Shailesh Lodha as Taarak Mehta, the narrator of the show. Now, he quit the comedy-drama. The show's success largely depends on its close connection with the Indian society which it represents through its storyline and its characters. You are here: Business China's automobile commodities exports and imports saw robust growth momentum in June, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, citing data from the General Administration of Customs. In June, the country's imports and exports of automobile commodities totaled 23.61 billion U.S. dollars, increasing by 22.3 percent year on year, according to the association. Exports of automobile commodities went up 35 percent year on year to 17.12 billion dollars in the month, while imports eased 2.1 percent to 6.48 billion dollars. In the first half of the year, the total trade value of automobile commodities reached 136.07 billion dollars, up 16.2 percent year on year, it said. DES MOINES, Iowa Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) criticized Hunter Biden for his foreign business dealings days after the first son's federal tax and gun crime plea deal fell apart in court. "My son is only 5 years old, so he's not going to be lining his pockets with money from foreign governments," DeSantis said Friday during the Iowa Republican Party's Lincoln Day dinner in Des Moines. THREE THINGS WE LEARNED IN JACK SMITH'S SUPERSEDING TRUMP INDICTMENT DeSantis's border and public health policies received a boisterous response from the audience, as did his anti-government weaponization position. "You don't coddle bureaucrats like Dr. [Anthony] Fauci," he said of the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director. "You bring them in and say, 'You are fired.'" Earlier Friday, DeSantis distanced himself from former President Donald Trump's legal problems and defended himself from criticism regarding the Florida Board of Education's new black teaching standards, changed to align school curricula with his Stop WOKE Act. "When they're shooting at you, the way you handle it is not shoot yourself in the foot and then make sure you keep the eye on the ball," he said after a small business stop in Albia. "So that is what we're gonna do: eye on the ball, focused on the mission, deliver results for the American people." Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa's 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, July 28, 2023. Charlie Neibergall/AP Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The Lincoln Day Dinner is a critical opportunity for 2024 Republican primary presidential candidates to differentiate themselves from a crowded field before next January's first-in-the-nation caucuses. Trump has an average of 52% support, DeSantis has 18%, biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Vice President Mike Pence has 5%, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has 4%, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has 3%, according to RealClearPolitics. Original Location: Lincoln Day Dinner: Ron DeSantis clips Hunter Biden, says his son won't line 'his pockets' Washington Examiner Videos DES MOINES, Iowa Former President Donald Trump took repeated shots at Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) while claiming his critics would not be attacking him if he were not a dominant force in the 2024 Republican presidential primary as he appealed to Iowa Republicans to support him next year. "Unlike the establishment globalists in this race, I've been an unwavering warrior for Iowa ethanol," Trump said Friday during the Iowa Republican Party's Lincoln Day dinner in Des Moines. "Ron DeSanctus has aggressively gone against ethanol." DONALD TRUMP INDICTED: THREE THINGS WE LEARNED IN JACK SMITH'S SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT Trump was warmly received by the crowd, many of whom yelled that they "loved" him as he lapped up the applause. Moments before, long-shot candidate Will Hurd, a former Texas GOP congressman, was roundly booed when he suggested the only reason Trump was running was to stay out of prison. "I'm here to deliver a simple message: Iowa's never had a better friend in the White House than Donald J. Trump," the former president said, citing his abortion position to his trade policies. Trump, whose public addresses tend to last for more than an hour, stuck to his script in order to keep his remarks to the 10-minute time limit. But he was certain to describe President Joe Biden as "the most crooked president in the history of our country." "They rigged the presidential election in 2020. We're not going to allow them to rig the presidential election in 2024," Trump said. "They used COVID to cheat." Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER "If I weren't running, I would have nobody coming after me, or if I was losing by a lot, I would have nobody coming after me. They wouldn't be coming after me," he added. Trump has an average of 52% support, DeSantis has 18%, biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has 5%, former Vice President Mike Pence has 5%, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has 4%, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has 3%, according to RealClearPolitics. Original Location: Lincoln Day Dinner: Trump dings Ron 'DeSanctus' on ethanol in Iowa Washington Examiner Videos DES MOINES, Iowa Former Texas GOP Rep. Will Hurd was heckled by Iowa Republicans after he told the Lincoln Day Dinner, an important party fundraiser, that former President Donald Trump was seeking reelection because he was trying to "stay out of prison." "Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again. Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison," Hurd said Friday during the Iowa Republican Party event in Des Moines. THREE THINGS WE LEARNED IN JACK SMITH'S SUPERSEDING TRUMP INDICTMENT Parts of the crowded ballroom erupted into boos, with several guests clanging their flatware and glasses with their silverware, one day after special counsel Jack Smith hit Trump with more charges in the federal classified documents case. "Listen, I know the truth. The truth is hard. But if we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House," he said. "America can't handle that." Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who immediately followed Hurd at the cattle call event, thanked the former congressman for making him look good in comparison. "Thank you, Will. You just made it very easy for me," he quipped. Republican presidential candidate former Texas Rep. Will Hurd speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa's 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, July 28, 2023. Charlie Neibergall/AP Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The Lincoln Day Dinner is a critical opportunity for 2024 Republican primary presidential candidates to differentiate themselves from a crowded field before next January's first-in-the-nation caucuses. Trump has an average of 52% support, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has 18%, biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Vice President Mike Pence have 5%, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has 4%, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has 3%, according to RealClearPolitics. Original Location: Lincoln Day Dinner: Will Hurd booed for saying Trump is running to 'to stay out of prison' Washington Examiner Videos The Arkansas Valley Conduit, a water pipeline project that has been slow to start, will get $60 million from the latest round of federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday announced a total of $210 million in funding, earmarked for projects that seek to deliver clean, reliable drinking water to communities across the West through water storage and conveyance projects. The money is part of the $1.05 billion in Water Storage, Groundwater Storage and Conveyance Projects provided by the infrastructure law. The new money for Arkansas Valley Conduit means the project could be completed seven years earlier than initially estimated. The conduit, a 130-mile pipeline project with "spurs," could add another 97 miles and provide water to as many as 40 communities and 50,000 people east of Pueblo. The conduit will deliver filtered water ready for treatment from Pueblo Reservoir. The conduit will solve one of the biggest problems in the Lower Arkansas Valley: lack of clean drinking water. Bill Long, president of the Southeastern Water Conservancy District (SWCD), told Colorado Politics in 2020 that the area is under enforcement orders from the state to clean up its water quality. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Residents of the Lower Arkansas get their water from wells, but the water has high levels of salt, selenium and even radioactive materials. Two dozen water systems in the Lower Arkansas are or have been in violation of the Clean Water Act in recent years, with high levels of radium, uranium and, in a few instances, "gross alpha radiation." Radium levels in some water systems in the eastern Lower Arkansas are 63 times higher than levels at the Pueblo Reservoir, and the amount of uranium is up to 12 times higher. The project's total cost was estimated in 2020 at $500 million. The federal government is expected to contribute 65% of the cost, with 35% from SWCD, which will repay the federal government for its share over a period of 50 years. The project received $28 million in federal dollars to get it off the ground in 2020. That money was used for final design and to begin construction. Gov. Jared Polis also signed legislation in 2020 for $90 million in loans and $10 million in state grants. Groundbreaking for the project took place in October 2020. The bureau announced on Sept. 29 that it had issued the first contract for construction, which is expected to begin in a few months, according to SWCD. The conduit, which Bureau of Reclamation will operate, has been on the drawing board since 1962, when Congress approved it as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. But it was never built largely because of the inability of participants to repay construction costs. The project, under its management plan, is expected to reach Lamar by 2035, although an expedited process taking into account the federal infrastructure funding announced Monday could move the completion date to as soon as 2028, according to SWCD's Chris Woodka. Sixty years ago, President Kennedy came to Pueblo and promised to build the Arkansas Valley Conduit to deliver clean drinking water to families in southeastern Colorado. Since Ive been in the Senate, Ive fought to ensure the federal government keeps its word to Colorado and finishes this vital infrastructure project," said U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who has been working on funding for the project since 2009. "One of the first bills I passed helped to jumpstart and fund construction on the Arkansas Valley Conduit, and with this announcement, weve delivered more than $140 million to help complete construction and deliver on this decades-old promise. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, long-stalled projects like the Ark Valley Conduit are moving forward. Today, were bringing this 60-year project over the finish line, added U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper. Sixty Years Ago This Week: U.S. Rep. Wayne Aspinall, D-Palisade, announced to a meeting of Western Slope Democrats that he would indeed be running for reelection in 1964. If I look like a corpse, go out and see if you can find a livelier one, Aspinall said, in reference to Republican hopes that he wouldnt be able to handle the stress of another campaign. Aspinall, who was born in April 1896, was 67 years old. He was first elected to Congress in 1948 and sworn into his U.S. House seat in January 1949 at the age of 52. Well make it in 1964 just like we have before, Aspinall said to loud cheers. In fact, I may even run for five or six more terms. The popular Western Colorado congressmans announcement came during mounting speculation over who the GOP would pick to oppose Aspinall in the upcoming election. Also in attendance was the chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party, Robert Maytag, who let loose a blistering attack on the Republican Partys seeming acceptance of right-wing influence and called on the GOP to disavow the aims and activities of the extremist, right-wing groups infiltrating the Republican Party. Maytag pointed to one example from three years prior when U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-AZ, recommended that the Republican Party in the southern states not actively seek the Black vote, which prompted the GOPs national chairman, William Miller, to publicly reaffirm the partys platform on civil rights, as had been adopted at the 1956 convention. Maytag told reporters at The Colorado Democrat that the meeting was a very lively one and provided ample evidence that the Mesa County Democratic Party was alive and well. Thirty Years Ago: In the heat of what would later be termed Denvers Summer of Violence, state Sen. Al Meiklejohn, R-Arvada, told the Colorado Commission for Achievement in Education that early childhood education was just one piece of the puzzle in dealing with juvenile violence. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Also present at the commission meeting was former Rep. Marleen Fish, R-Lakewood, whod been named to head the Task Force on Early Education in 1992. By the time the kids get in gangs, its too late, Fish said, emphasizing the desperate need for educational programs to set children on the right path before they matriculated into elementary school. To this end, the state and federal governments operated eight early childhood education programs, and the Head Start Program was one available to low income families with children starting at three years of age through high school. But the Head Start Program was the target of intense controversy in the state. Dave Smith of the State Department of Education noted that much of the effectiveness of Head Start and other pre-school programs evaporated by the time a child reached the third grade. Deborah Stinson, who ran several pre-school programs in Colorado Springs, told the commission that the drop-off in effectiveness was because support services to parents ended when a child entered elementary school. The prevention of juvenile violence had quickly become a key issue among state and public officials after a spate of drive-by and accidental shootings in the Denver metro area. City council members for the City and County of Denver had passed two ordinances aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of minors, and Gov. Roy Romer said that he was considering calling the legislature back for a special session to address the issue. Fish told the commission that the state should start encouraging local communities to start their own pre-school programs and said her task force would recommend new legislation for the 1994 legislative session that would be mostly technical in nature and aimed at moral support from the state. Sen. Sally Hopper, R-Golden, who chaired both an interim committee on juvenile violence and the subcommittee on juvenile violence for the Criminal Justice Commission, said that not a lot of legislation was expected from either group. Hopper stressed that both of her committees were coordinating efforts to avoid duplication and to review what leads already existed and what new ones would be needed. Rachael Wright has dual bachelors degrees in political science and history from Colorado Mesa University. She is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Gazette. Deborah Guthrie saw a sign of peace when she applied to live in the new block of apartments in South Lebanon. Colonia Paz translates to community of peace in English. And thats what Guthrie hoped to find after openings were announced in the spring. She came from another housing complex where landlords were hiking the rent, she said. The streets were dark, the buildings were run down, and I couldnt afford what they were raising it to, Guthrie said. Elected city leaders and state housing officials on Wednesday dedicated the apartments to 116 families that will live there, many from low-income households. The board of a Woodburn-based nonprofit and agricultural housing advocate unanimously approved the name back in 2018, said Reyna Lopez, executive director at the sister organization Pineros y Campesinos Unidos. She spoke to the decades-long mission of advocates to create housing that serves some of Oregons most vulnerable residents. Im also a proud daughter of immigrants that came to Oregon, following the migration of work north, Lopez said. Lopez said her family bounced from one relatives house to the next after settling in Salem. And Im really grateful that my family and my community held us tight in that time despite the fact that they, themselves, did not have very much, Lopez said. Neighbors appealed the complexs development in 2020 after Farmworker Housing Development Corporation applied to Lebanon for permission to build on around 9.5 acres just south of a Walmart store. City planning officials held a special hearing and took hundreds of pages of testimony from state officials speaking in favor and city residents opposing Colonia Pazs construction. Farmworker Housing broke ground in 2021 on a 24-unit apartment block dedicated strictly to farmworkers and their families, pulling together around $4.2 million in federal and state grants and tax credits and covering the rest with low-income housing and rural development loans. They followed with a second phase about a year later, looking to spend $15.4 million in Oregon Housing and Community Services grant funding. The apartments opened July 27 prioritizes people applying from low-income households. Lebanon saw a glut of new apartment construction around the same time relatively affordable housing, city officials found, was missing from local real estate listings. Mayor Kenneth Jackola described how his family came to Lebanon in the 1970s. We learned it was family. And we were not alone in that transition, Jackola said. He greeted the renters and state officials gathered in a roundabout between the four-story buildings at Colonia Paz. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help (copy) Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald. I look forward to getting to know the newest family members, Jackola said. A China-Europe freight train departed from the city of Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province on Saturday morning for Madrid, Spain, marking the 10,000th trip of China-Europe freight trains this year. Loaded with 110 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of various goods such as accessories, automotive parts, electric bicycles, and photovoltaic modules, the train will pass through the Alataw Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and is expected to arrive in Madrid in approximately 21 days. China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway) said that the number of 10,000 trips of China-Europe freight train this year was achieved 22 days earlier than last year. Those trains have transported over 1.08 million TEUs of goods this year, up 27 percent over a year ago. China Railway attributed the achievement to the strong demand for cross-border goods transportation in the post-pandemic era and the advantages of the China-Europe freight trains, including its all-weather operation, large capacity, environmentally friendly and low carbon footprint, as well as smooth and secure services. A Rock Island woman is accused of concealing the death of her 10-year-old son. Sushi Stapes, 37, was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of concealing a death and of obstructing justice. She additionally is charged with failing to report the death of Zion Staples. A police complaint indicates that Staples, the boy's mother, "... knowingly moved the body of (Zion) from its place of death with the intent of concealing information, regarding the place or manner of (Zion's) death by moving (Zion's) body from inside the residence to a large garbage bin that was located in the garage." The obstruction of justice charge is a result, police said, of Staples' intent to prevent prosecution when she, "lied about the whereabouts of her son." She additionally claimed she didn't have a son, according to police records, and said the child's birth certificate was fraudulent. Reports indicate the 10-year-old died in December 2022. Rock Island police responded at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to the 1700 block of 20 1/2 Avenue to investigate a report of a suspicious death, they said. Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson, who released the boys identity, said Zion was officially pronounced dead at 10:06 p.m. Wednesday at the scene. The autopsy was performed Friday in Rockford and the preliminary results indicate his death was suspicious and not natural, Gustafson said. Due to the ongoing investigation, further details were not being released Friday. Sushi Staples made her first appearance on the charges on Friday afternoon. Her bail has been set at $500,000. To be released, she would have to post a $50,000 bond. Court records state her next hearing has been set for Aug. 15. Five Iowa nursing homes have been added to a federal list of the nations worst care facilities. One of the five is a Sioux City home that, after being cited for violations tied to four resident deaths, is now in the process of voluntarily closing. The five homes are all deemed eligible for inclusion on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services national list of special-focus facilities. They join five other Iowa care facilities already deemed eligible for inclusion on the periodic list of nursing homes that have recurring quality-of-care problems. The five Iowa homes that have been added to the list since April are Embassy Rehab and Care Center of Sergeant Bluff; Aspire of Gowrie; Countryside Health Care Center of Sioux City; Dunlap Specialty Care Center; and Iowa City Rehab & Health Care. They join five other Iowa facilities long considered eligible for special-focus status: Cedar Falls Health Care Center, which has been on the eligibility list for five months; Genesis Senior Living of Des Moines, which has spent 14 months on the list; Griswold Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, which has spent 10 months on the list; New London Specialty Care, which has spent seven months on the list; and Northern Mahaska Specialty Care of Oskaloosa, which has spent 10 months on the list. Iowa has two other care facilities that are officially designated as special-focus facilities and are operating under additional scrutiny from regulators: Arbor Court of Mount Pleasant and Aspire of Primghar. The five Iowa homes recently deemed eligible for inclusion on the list have a history of regulatory issues: Embassy Rehab and Care Center of Sergeant Bluff This 60-bed facility has a one-star rating from CMS for both inspection results and for quality measures. The administrator is Billijean Moerman. In May, state inspectors visited the facility in response to four complaints, all of which were substantiated, and cited the facility for 40 state and federal violations, an unusually high number. Among the violations: A resident complained that when he told a male aide the water in the shower was too hot, the aide turned the water to ice cold. The resident responded by telling the Filipino aide to go back to the jungle, at which point the aide allegedly placed his hand over the residents mouth and nose while pressing the residents neck down until the water from the shower went up the residents nose. The resident said he tried to yell for help but could not. CMS has fined the facility twice since 2020, for a total of $93,712. It is owned by a limited liability corporation that, according to CMS, operates under the name Kismet Sux. The individuals who have a significant ownership stake in the business include Cammy, Mary and Travis Lantis. Aspire of Gowrie This 46-bed facility has a one-star rating from CMS for inspection results, staffing levels and quality measures. The administrator is Rachael Marshall. So far this year, the home has been cited for 27 state and federal violations. Last December, the home was cited for mistakenly placing fingernail glue, rather than medication, in a residents eye. CMS has fined the facility seven times since June 2021, for a total of $154,112. The home is owned by limited liability corporation called Blackhawk Healthcare, which is owned entirely by Bruce Wertheim. Countryside Health Care Center of Sioux City This 101-bed facility has a one-star rating from CMS for both inspection results and for quality measures. The administrator is Jackie Loghry Pirner. Since December 2020, the home has been cited for violations related to four resident deaths. This year, the home was cited for 39 state and federal violations. When inspectors visited the home in April, there was a backlog of 19 complaints awaiting investigation by the state. Earlier this month, the facility announced it would be closing. CMS has fined the facility 14 times since September 2020, for a total of $98,405. It is owned by a limited liability corporation, 6120 Morningside Avenue Propco. Dunlap Specialty Care Center This 57-bed facility has a one-star rating from CMS for inspection results and a two-star rating for staffing levels. The administrator is Paul Hubbeling. In May, inspectors cited the home for 17 violations. CMS has fined the facility four times since November 2020, for a total of $263,422. It is owned and operated by Care Initiatives, a West Des Moines nonprofit run by Michael Beal, who collected $608,638 in compensation in 2021, according to tax records. Iowa City Rehab & Health Care This 89-bed facility has a one-star rating from CMS for both inspection results and staffing levels. The administrator is Brandy Calvelage. In May, inspectors cited the home for 21 federal violations. CMS has fined the facility twice since May 2022, for a total of $20,040. It is owned by a limited liability company, Premier Estates, which is owned by Arboreta Healthcare, Greenside Healthcare Properties and Fairway Healthcare Properties. Two Iowa facilities subject to added oversight Unlike the 10 Iowa facilities on the eligible list, the two Iowa care facilities officially designated as special-focus facilities are each operating under additional regulatory oversight. Arbor Court is a 62-bed, for-profit home owned by Judah Bienstock and Arbor Court Investments. It has a one-star rating from CMS for both health-inspection results and quality-of-care measures. The federal government has fined the home seven times in the past three years. Since September 2021, those fines have totaled $272,024. Last December, the home was cited for a residents death after the woman was given an antibiotic and an anticoagulant medication that were contraindicated. The woman was taken to a hospital, diagnosed with a gastrointestinal bleed, and died. In January 2022, the state cited Arbor Court after a resident of the home, Donna Lee Huffaker, fell to her death from a mechanical device that was being used to transfer her in and out of bed. Aspire of Primghar is a 40-bed, for-profit home owned by Bruce Wertheim and Black Hawk Healthcare. It has a one-star rating from CMS for both health-inspection results and staffing levels. The federal government has fined the home nine times in the past three years, with the penalties totaling $265,168. Last year, Aspire of Primghar was cited for 26 violations of federal nursing home regulations related to a wide variety of issues, including abuse and neglect, failure to meet professional standards, the overall quality of care, mistreatment of pressure sores, insufficient physician visits, the use of unnecessary psychotropic drugs, medication errors, inadequate infection control and other violations. List is intended to stimulate improvements in care The federal Special-Focus Facilities list is now updated monthly by the CMS and includes homes deemed by the agency to have a history of serious quality issues. Nationally, there are 88 nursing facilities on the list, with one or two slots filled by each state. Those homes are enrolled in a special program intended to stimulate improvements in their quality of care through increased regulatory oversight. Because the number of Special-Focus Facilities is capped, new facilities even those that have earned CMS lowest ratings for quality cant be named a special-focus facility until other homes in that same state shut down or improve and graduate from the program. Thats a process that can take four years or more. As a result, there are several homes in each state that are deemed eligible for special-focus status due to ongoing quality-of-care issues, but they are unable to benefit from actual enrollment in the program. Iowa generally has 10 nursing homes on the list of eligible facilities. Typically, all of the homes that are deemed eligible for special-focus designation have about twice the average number of violations cited by state inspectors; they have more serious problems than most other nursing homes, including harm or injury to residents, and they have established a pattern of serious problems that has persisted over a long period of time. Photos: Missing children in Iowa Alexandra Storm Hailey Coleman Jamira Debose Osbourne Breasia Terrell Julian Murray Daniela Salinas-mejia Jade Colvin Fredrick Workman Benjamin Roseland Erin Pospisil Marc Allen Eugene Martin John Gosch Kimberly Doss Colleen Simpson Caleb Williams Xavior Harrelson Alyssa Dluzak Fatima Conteh Daniela Vera-Ortega Xerxes Blaesing Jorge Peneda Castillo Anya Pritchard Desirae Gifford Daquan Nelson Diomarix Crespo Alivia Beeding Hunter Kenyon Caydence Roberts In a packed auditorium at Drake University, Vice President Kamala Harris urged Iowa Democrats to work to protect abortion rights, which she said are under attack by Republican leaders. Harris spoke with Jennifer Palmieri, a Democratic adviser and host of the Showtime series The Circus, about abortion rights, highlighting a six-week ban Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law this month that has been blocked by a district court. It was the second visit the vice president has made to the Hawkeye State this year. She held a similar event in March at Grand View University. Harris said Iowas law, which bans abortion before many women know they are pregnant, is in effect an outright ban. As I travel the country, it becomes clear to me that so many people in the state legislatures don't even know how women's bodies work, she said. Most people do not even know they are pregnant at six weeks. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the strict abortion ban into law this month, banning abortions once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo or fetus. The law was temporarily blocked by a district court and abortion up to 20 weeks remains legal in Iowa. The Iowa Supreme Court said this week Reynolds can appeal the temporary injunction, and the court will weigh the injunction and may set a new standard governing abortion laws in Iowa. Iowa Republicans who passed a similar law that was permanently blocked in 2018 made another attempt at the law after a pair of court decisions that reshaped the legal landscape around abortion. Last summer, the Iowa Supreme Court reversed a decision that guaranteed a fundamental right to an abortion and the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed a federal right to abortion since 1973. A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll from March found that 61% of Iowans think abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Harris said that federal decision Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Clinic was the first time the court took away a constitutionally recognized right. We are a nation that has measured its progress and growth in many ways, including through an understanding that we are stronger through an expansion of rights, not a restriction of rights, she said. Harris also connected the push to restrict abortion in many Republican-led to what she called attacks on other freedoms, like voting rights and the rights of LGBTQ people. But she said those pressures will allow Democrats to build stronger bases of support in future elections. I think it's very important to see this in that context, but to also see the opportunity presented in this moment of crisis, she said. Which is the opportunity to rededicate ourselves to coalition building, bringing people together. To the room of Democrats and abortion rights advocates, Harris said they should organize and register to vote in coming elections, to give Congress the Democratic majorities it needs to codify abortion rights and pass other Democratic priorities like a national voting rights act and the Equality Act. In the 2022 election, Republicans underperformed expectations nationally, which many credit to abortion rights being a major issue in the election following the Supreme Court's decision. Harris noted that in places like Kansas and Kentucky, amendments to restrain constitutional abortion rights were rejected by voters. "Let's make sure that people start registering now," Harris said. "Let's not wait until the eve of the election. Let's take these next few months until the end of the year and make it our personal mission to remind everyone we know, please register to vote. Because it will and it does make a difference." Harriss visit, an official office visit, took place hours before 13 Republican presidential candidates took the stage at the Iowa Events Center for the state partys Lincoln Dinner, a major fundraiser. Some of those candidates have advocated for strict national abortion bans, while others have shied away from what is seen as an unpopular topic for general election audiences. In a statement on Friday Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann took aim at Harris and Bidens economic and immigration policies. You know what Iowans are really talking about? How 'Bideonomics' is eating up their paychecks as real wages continue to decline, and how Joe Biden and his 'Border Czar' Kamala Harris are overseeing the worst border disaster in American history, he said. "Kamala Harris' taxpayer-funded trip isn't going to be enough to distract Iowans from this hard reality." Sarah Carmichael, 36, a Democrat from Des Moines, said she was glad Harris came to talk about abortion issues, and she was inspired by the talk. She said political activism starts at the local level, and the event motivated her to keep up that involvement. I live in Des Moines, which is a very Democratic city, but working with rural populations is important, she said. Making sure you know your city council and what they're doing and trying to attend city council meetings, hold them accountable for how they're voting on things, how they're spending money. Photos: Drake wins MVC Women's Basketball Championship, defeats Belmont, 89-71 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-61.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-60.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-59.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-58.jpg MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball MVC Belmont Drake Basketball 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-34.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-33.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-32.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-31.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-30.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-29.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-28.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-27.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-26.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-25.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-24.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-23.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-22.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-21.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-20.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-19.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-18.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-17.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-16.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-15.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-14.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-13.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-12.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-11.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-10.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-09.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-08.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-07.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-06.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-05.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-04.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-03.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-02.jpg 031223-qc-spt-mvc champ-01.jpg The one certainty about the Ukrainian-Russian war is that there is little certainty. Even with Russias recent history of aggression, few predicted outright war. Then, when it came, no one predicted Russia would so badly misplay its opening gambit. And who could have foreseen a former television comedian rallying his out-manned, out-gunned citizenry to meet every bloody challenge and incredibly, reverse the field on the invaders? Past events suggested that the next big event would also be a surprise butsurprise!it was just Vladimir Putin being Vladimir Putin: he pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal to keep an estimated 40 million metric tons (mmt) of 2023 Ukrainian grain from the worlds 600 million hungry. He then sent missiles to destroy much of Odesa's export infrastructure to ensure the world received the his mad message. By itself, however, the closing down of Odesa shipments, tweeted Andre Sizov, a 27-year veteran of the Black Sea grain trade, are not a game changer. Ukraine can ship 40+ mmt of grain via other routes. One of the other routes Sizov pointed to July 21 was a Ukrainian Danube port on the Black Seas northwestern shore. Then, surprise, Russian drones bombed that port, Reni, too. The July 24 action took guts because the bombed side of the river is Ukraine; the other side Romania, a NATO ally that, had it been hit, would have likely required a military response by the U.S.-led, 31-nation security group. News of the drones, destruction, and export delays lit global grain markets on fire. Corn, the soy complex, and wheat went up and down and then back up. Some of the moves energy came from continued dryness throughout much of the grain-producing Midwest. Most, however, arrived courtesy of Russias attacks on Ukrainian ports. But Russia, noted Sizov, has much to lose, too if Ukraine rises to the challengeas it has for 17 months nowand retaliates by attacking Russian shipping. Right now, Russia has almost 50 mmt of wheat to ship to finance its war. Like the Ukrainian grain, it too is waiting for a ride. Also, any increase in attacks on Russian shipping imperils its economic lifeblood, oil exports. Experts estimate that 43 percent of all exported Russian oil is shipped through the Black Sea, mostly on Greek-flagged tankers. Any move by anyone in that arena carries repercussionsmarket-wise, political, and militarythat few want to consider. Five days after the first Putin action, European Union (EU) ag ministers met to develop a plan to move the mountain of now-stuck Ukrainian grain through its border-sharing member nationsPoland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakiaand into key markets in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Its not a new ideait was used to move some of the 2022 Ukrainian crop into the world marketbut its not very popular either. In fact, two months ago, on June 5, the European Commission, the body that oversees EU trade policy, said it would extend its current rule that allowed the five border nations to restrict Ukrainian grain flowing through their nations. Whats more, the Commission allowed the same five to outright ban sales of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds in their countries. Any new deal now will be met with quiet derision, not boisterous unity. The road and rail routes through neighboring countries have stirred anger from local farmers faced with a glut of Ukrainian grain that has driven down prices and hurt their livelihoods, ABC News reported July 25, 2023. Its not great for Ukrainian farmers either. Shipping delays and higher transportation costs mean lower farm prices and smaller profits for the already war-weary group. In the meantime, unsurprisingly, Russia keeps raising the stakes. When EU ag ministers suggested Ukrainian grain exports might be diverted through Baltic ports in Lithuania, a Russian spokesman said, sure, go ahead and try it. Be forewarned, he added, We will continue to counter that. What does that mean? The chances are good that not even Vlad the Invader knows, but its certain that the threat to global commodity markets is far from over. Email special events to news@registerbee.com. The deadline is noon Wednesday. SATURDAY, JULY 29 The Remnant Church of Power, 601 Berryman Ave., will hold a Summer Blast at 1 p.m. sponsored by the Youth Ministry. This outdoor event will include activities for the youth, food, clothing outreach and back to school supplies. Vendors will be on site. The Union Hall Food Pantry and Clothing Ministry, 6861 Strawberry Road, Chatham, (across from Union Hall Baptist Church) will be open from 9 a.m. to noon to meet the communitys need of food and all types of clothing including men, women and childrens clothing. For questions, please call 434-724-4354. ONGOING Shockoe Missionary Baptist Church, 857 Java Road, Java, hosts a monthly Wellness Walking Ministry from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., meeting every fourth Saturday. All ages are welcome to participate. The Health and Wellness Ministry will meet at 9 a.m. before each walking session. For information, contact Kathy B. Ramsey at 434-251-0379 or atbjrk@gmail.com. Ascension Lutheran Church, 314 West Main St., worships Sundays at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary and live on Facebook at www.facebook/ascensionlutherandanville. Mount Vernon United Methodist Church offers in-person services at 10 a.m. each Sunday as well as online worship services every Sunday at mtvernonumc.org or www.facebook.com/MountVernonUMC. Christ the King Lutheran Church, 1172 Franklin Turnpike, will have in-house worship services on Sundays at 11 a.m. Free books available anytime from a Little Free Library located on a post next to the driveway. Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, 406 Gay St., has in-person services at 10 a.m. for hour of power on the first and third Sundays. North New Hope Baptist Church, 123 Old Piney Forest Road, has resumed in church worship services at 11 a.m. and Sunday school at 9:30 p.m. Mount Sinai Glorious Church of God, 716 Jefferson St., will hold services in the sanctuary with Sunday school at 10 a.m. and morning worship at 10:30 a.m. Participants are asked to wear a mask and to practice social distancing. The service also will be streamed on Facebook. Mount Freeman Baptist Church, 2100 Laniers Mill Road, hosts in-person service at 11 a.m. Sunday. There will be no Sunday school. Sacred Heart Catholic Church will livestream worship service at 9 a.m. Sundays in English and noon in Spanish at www.facebook.com/sheartchurch. Staunton River Baptist Church, Long Island, will hold drive-in services at 10 a.m. each Sunday. Sacred Heart Catholic Church celebrates Mass every weekend with a vigil Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday and at 9 p.m. Sunday in English and noon in Spanish. Watson Level Missionary Baptist Church holds Sunday worship services each week at 11 a.m. Because of COVID-19, a face mask is required for all attendees and social distancing is mandatory. Calvary Church of the Nazarene, 2450 Franklin Turnpike, from 6 to 7 p.m. every Sunday, will hold Ladies Need Encouragement, an hour of worship and prayer. Participants are asked to bring a Bible and practice social distancing. The event is for ages 10 and up with adult supervision. For more information, call 540-907-8836. Mount Zion Temple, now located at 503 Hughes St., presents The Word Homelitic Institute at 10 a.m. every Sunday. Transportation is provided by calling Bishop David K. Fuller at 434-429-8960. Melody Stoffel, a registered nurse at Sovah Health-Danville was honored recently with The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundations programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. Stoffel works in the behavioral health unit at Sovah Health-Danville and was nominated for the award by several individuals. As one nominator wrote, During my stay at the hospital, Melody was extremely kind. She took the time to listen and give me advice and hope. She helped to make my stay very comfortable by being a great nurse and just being herself. The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, California, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses. Melody is an exemplary nurse who makes a tremendous impact on the patients she cares for, and I was pleased to present the DAISY award to her, said Teresa Pruitt, interim chief nursing officer at Sovah Health-Danville. She is a highly skilled member of our team who is compassionate and listens when patients just need to talk. We are so proud of her, as well as all our nurses here at Sovah Health that continuously dedicate themselves to care for our community. As a DAISY Award winner, Melody received a pin, award certificate and a hand-carved stone sculpture entitled A Healers Touch. Along with the public recognition, DAISY award winners receive financial discounts for nursing certification training, reduced tuition for continued education, conference scholarship opportunities and are eligible for the national DAISY Award. To nominate a Sovah Health nurse for the DAISY Award, visit SovahHealth.com/daisy-award. In December 2021 Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office investigator Devin Taylor had been working a double-homicide case for five days, getting by on about two hours of sleep per night. He was in Lynchburg at an offsite office when he got up to go to the restroom. I was really dizzy, my ears started ringing, recalled Taylor, 48, who is also an EMT. Thats when I knew then I was getting ready to have a stroke. He also temporarily lost his ability to speak. His co-workers sent him home. Taylor drove himself there. When I got home, my wife was waiting for me, said Taylor, who lives in Gretna. She asked him questions, but Taylor couldnt get his words out. I could hear her, but I couldnt answer her, he said. Taylor was out of it and tried to sleep it off, but when he got up, he couldnt even carry himself across the room. I had my daughter drive me to the emergency room, Taylor said. They went to Carilion Clinic Family Medicine in Rocky Mount, but it was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and there were no available beds. They went to Centra Gretna, where Taylor underwent a flurry of tests. However, Taylor was told the closest available hospital bed was four hours away. He was sent home and his family physician took over, who monitored Taylor, prescribing medication and rest while Taylor recovered at home. He literally saved my life, Taylor said. I credit him with saving my life. Taylor had also suffered a mild heart attack. In February 2022, he returned to work at the sheriffs office. But the following October, when he was driving home from a trunk or treat event, he felt dizziness and a sharp pain in his forehead, like somebody hit me with a ball peen hammer. It was a second stroke. This time, he temporarily lost his eyesight. In the middle of November last year, Taylor went to his doctor regarding his medications. His blood pressure was dangerously high, so his doctor decided Taylor should take a leave from his job begin to seek treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. With his cardiovascular issues and the roughly half-dozen medications he is on he is in no condition to handle a firearm or perform other job-related duties, Taylors doctor determined. He hasnt worked since Nov. 16, and has had several heart-related scares including chest pains and struggles with high blood pressure. Ive been back at least one time to the ER, he said, adding that he has had medications adjusted. To stay involved in the community, he volunteers with disaster-relief ministry. Its something to keep my mind occupied, he said. Its actually therapy in and of itself. But Taylor says the county has not compensated him for his medical leave. On July 11, he filed a complaint against Pittsylvania County claiming he has been denied sick leave pay. Taylor, who has worked for the sheriffs office for 12 years, filed a warrant in debt against the county, seeking about $23,000. Included in that amount is 30 days of sick pay multiplied times three, as well as attorney fees, Taylor said. Apart from the sick pay complaint, he says he and his wife have had to pay $30,000 in medical bills either out-of-pocket or through her insurance. In a separate case, he is also seeking workers compensation. He said he also plans to pursue legal action for additional unpaid sick time and medical bills. County government officials would not comment on Taylors complaint. The county does not publicly comment on ongoing litigation matters, especially ones involving personnel, County Attorney J. Vaden Hunt told the Danville Register & Bee on July 21. Besides investigator, Taylor serves other roles with the sheriffs office, including as a member of the hostage/crisis negotiations team. He is also appointed to the Virginia Department of Emergency Services as the sheriffs office public information officer, and is a liaison officer to the Virginia State Police Fusion Center. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises anyone with the signs of a stroke, or anyone who observes those signs in another person, to immediately call 911. Below are signs of stroke, according to the CDC: Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or lack of coordination. Sudden severe headache with no known cause. TIGHTSQUEEZE A proposed change to a troubled intersection in Tightsqueeze essentially has been killed following public outcry and a new option is being explored. It all started in 2019 when the Virginia Department of Transportation developed a plan for the U.S. 29 corridor in Pittsylvania County. Part of that involved studying the intersections. This particular intersection is along U.S. 29 with Tightsqueeze Road to one side and Fairview Road to the other. The concerns are both operational and safety, VDOT spokesperson Len Stevens told the Register & Bee. The safety concerns are a result of crashes that have occurred. One change pitched for the often congested area was a restricted crossing U-turn, or RCUT. The idea of the somewhat convoluted plan is to keep vehicles from turning left out of a connecting road onto a main highway like U.S. 29. Instead, drivers would turn right, go a short distance and then make a U-turn at a specially designed median space. According to VDOT, the RCUTs increase capacity and reduce crashes by about 20%. However, it would restrict some turning movement and could involve right-of-way acquisitions. Residents strongly pushed back against VDOTs solution during a public hearing, mainly because of the RCUT concept, Stevens said. Most of the feedback I got was in relationship to businesses with their trucks, Bob Warren, a supervisor representing the Chatham-Blairs district, said at a recent work session. It presented an added traffic headache with drivers not being allowed to turn left and instead having to go right, travel a little ways down the road and navigate a U-turn. To wipe the slate clean and start over, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors sent a letter to VDOT requesting the solution with the RCUT be canceled. In turn, that goes through the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The board likely will take formal action to cancel the project in October, according to VDOT Lynchburg district engineer Chris Winstead. The original cost was pegged at about $11.43 million, which would be paid for fully via VDOT Smart Scale funding. The Lynchburg team from VDOT presented another option last week that appeared to be a better fit, supervisors signaled. The latest plan is to add another left-turn lane on Tightsqueeze Road heading north on U.S. 29 and put an additional right-turn lane on Fairview Road. A raised median on Tightsqueeze Road for access management would be added and a traffic signal pole would be relocated. VDOT also plans to put down rumble strips for the northbound and southbound lanes of U.S. 29. The strips true to the name create a rumbling sound when drivers veer out of the lane. They are often put at the edge or center of a roadway. Going this route would reduce backups along Tightsqueeze Road by about 50% and scale back delays a the intersection by 35%, a presentation by VDOT explained. The alternative appears to be within the original budget, Stevens said when asked if the new plan would add to the price. So far, about $270,000 has been spent. Although the code of Virginia states if a locality requests a project be terminated, they could be on the hook to reimburse funds already spent, Winstead said that wouldnt be the case this time. However, he noted if supervisors pursued a revised option and then later canceled that one, he cannot predict how that would turn out. With the wheels in motion to nix the RCUT-centered plan, the next step for VDOT is to hold what it calls a citizen information meeting in September. Thats when theyll give updates to the public and gauge feedback to the new plan. Winstead said it likely will cost about $50,000 to get ready for that meeting. If the county wanted to officially proceed with the revamped plans, VDOT would need a resolution from the board of supervisors. It just seems very logical to me, Warren said of the new changes for the intersection. Other areas Despite concerns from residents on the safety of the Va. 57 bridge near Chatham, Winstead also told supervisors recently there are worse structures in the county. All of the bridges that are in our system that are open are safe, he said. Last month, supervisors adopted a resolution asking VDOT to take all necessary steps to repair or replace the bridge in an expedited and efficient manner. The 91-year-old structure is restricted to only one lane with a traffic light to control the flow. The bridge was reduced to one lane and some businesses pass over that bridge and are concerned about the weight and its structural soundness, Banister district supervisor Robert Tucker said late last month. The board sent a letter to VDOT, but also wanted the resolution to keep that bridge in the forefront of everyones mind and get the attention it needs. Winstead insisted the bridge is safe and said he personally visited it. VDOT cited the most recent inspection on May 10 declaring the deck of the bridge in fair condition. The superstructure also is in fair shape and the substructure in satisfactory condition, although it has some minor deterioration. It doesnt qualify for funding because there are other bridges in far worse shape. Winstead also noted that due to the large land mass area, 22% of all state bridges are in Pittsylvania County. Pittsylvania County Schools Superintendent Mark Jones reported that the one-lane situation only impacts one regular bus and one special-needs bus in that area. He also said its not uncommon for buses to encounter similar traffic control devices in the county. Chris Key, the director of public safety for Pittsylvania County, said the bridge doesnt pose a significant impact to emergency responders, according to a statement from the county. It only causes a delay of up to 30 seconds, similar to other traffic lights. When it finally leaked that one of the three possible criminal offenses referenced in the target letter sent to Donald Trump by the special counsel involved the civil rights conspiracy statute, some commentators knee-jerk reaction was that this was a novel charge, an unexpected and untested legal theory. It was proof, in other words, that the special counsels case was too weak to support the more compelling case recommended by the Jan. 6 committee giving aid and comfort to an insurrection. But, at least from what we know publicly, a civil rights conspiracy is exactly what happened the former president attempted to overturn a presidential election. Here, the former presidents alleged conduct is well within the established scope of the civil rights conspiracy statue, Section 241 of the federal criminal code. Historically, it was a part of what came to be known as the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, passed after the ratification of the 15th Amendment, which guaranteed all citizens, regardless of race or previous condition of servitude, the right to vote. That amendment, and the Ku Klux Klan Act, were deemed necessary by the 1870 Congress, despite the new freedoms ensured in the 13th and 14th amendments, because of a wave of killings and assaults by the Klan specifically designed to keep Black people from voting for candidates of their choice. Later application of this conspiracy statute in other contexts confirmed that Congress intended it to be an expansive protection of all federal rights and privileges broad enough to include criminal interference with any federal election. In United States v. Price, a landmark 1966 civil rights decision, the Supreme Court held that Section 241 protected the exercise of all rights and privileges secured to citizens under all of the Constitution and all of the laws of the United States. That case specifically involved the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi who were denied their right to due process, not the right to vote. But in the 1974 ruling for Anderson v. the U.S., Justice Thurgood Marshall, writing for the court, recognized that it has long been settled that Section 241 embraces a conspiracy to stuff the ballot boxes in a federal election thereby to dilute the value of votes of qualified voters. In so holding, Marshall cited three Supreme Court cases dating to 1915, all holding that diluting the value of a persons vote violated this statute. Under those cases, and cases brought by the Justice Department since, a scheme to not just dilute votes but also to completely negate the votes of more than 81 million Americans who voted for Joe Biden for president would clearly fall within the scope of a civil rights conspiracy. It is also worth noting that this conspiracy statute was drafted in a way to reach the most dangerous conduct threatening the country at that time. Like the seditious conspiracy statute, Section 241 does not require separate proof of an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy like most of the other federal conspiracy laws. What that means is that a mere agreement to injure, oppress, threaten or intimidate any person in the free exercise of their rights and privileges secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States is enough. Thus, an agreement to disenfranchise voters qualified to cast ballots, either in the November 2020 election or as the lawfully selected electors in that election, even if unsuccessful, is enough to subject those conspirators to imprisonment for up to 10 years. For all these reasons, Section 241 might just be the perfect fit for what the former president and others are alleged to have clearly done to try to keep him in office. My goal is to target the people who are most likely to develop interval cancer. With more frequent screening, our goal to increase the survival rate to up to 98% Canan Dagdeviren Breast tumors that develop in between regularly scheduled mammograms known as interval cancers account for 20-30% of all breast cancer cases, and these tumors tend to be more aggressive than those found during routine scans. My goal is to target the people who are most likely to develop interval cancer, says Dagdeviren, whose research group specializes in developing wearable electronic devices that conform to the body. With more frequent screening, our goal to increase the survival rate to up to 98%. To make her vision of a diagnostic bra a reality, Dagdeviren designed a miniaturized ultrasound scanner that could allow the user to perform imaging at any time. This scanner is based on the same kind of ultrasound technology used in medical imaging centers, but incorporates a novel piezoelectric material that allowed the researchers to miniaturize the ultrasound scanner. To make the device wearable, the researchers designed a flexible, 3D-printed patch, which has honeycomb-like openings. Using magnets, this patch can be attached to a bra that has openings that allow the ultrasound scanner to contact the skin. The ultrasound scanner fits inside a small tracker that can be moved to six different positions, allowing the entire breast to be imaged. The scanner can also be rotated to take images from different angles, and does not require any special expertise to operate. This technology provides a fundamental capability in the detection and early diagnosis of breast cancer, which is key to a positive outcome, says Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of MITs School of Engineering, the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and one of the authors of the study. This work will significantly advance ultrasound research and medical device designs, leveraging advances in materials, low-power circuits, AI algorithms, and biomedical systems. Montana Pride is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary July 30-Aug. 6 with events at locations across Helena, culminating in the annual parade Aug. 5. Downtown is going to be packed, Montana Pride President Kevin Hamm said. Itll look like every rainbow in the world is converging on Helena. With a federal judge on Friday issuing a temporary block to House Bill 359, which barred minors from attending drag performances, Montana Pride event organizers said the shows will go on. Its going to be amazing, Hamm said of the parade. Hamm said at this time last year, the parade had between 15 and 20 participating groups. This years parade already boasts more than 45 registered participants. The parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Aug. 5 and will head south on Last Chance Gulch from the intersection of Helena and Neill avenues to Anchor Park. The Pride Rally is set to begin at noon in Anchor Park following the parade. Community leaders will give speeches, and attendees will also find a slew of vendors and educators. Many Pride happenings are slated for the week leading up to the parade. Hamm noted a free-to-attend lecture and question and answer session on intersex experiences at The Myrna Loy Aug. 2 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Intersex individuals are born with variations in their physical sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female, Montana Prides website states. This Q&A session provides a unique opportunity to engage in an open dialogue about intersexuality, fostering an environment of learning, empathy, and support. Hamm said he hopes people will consider attending the event as it covers part of the community even the community doesnt know a lot about. Holter Museum of Art boasts three events on its schedule. The museum plans to host a Make Your Own Pride T-shirt get together Aug. 5 at 2 p.m. and a stained glass resin Pride flag workshop Aug. 2 at 5 p.m. The museums teen arts council is planning and organizing a Queer Teen Prom. Museum Executive Director Christina Barbachano said museum leadership did meet to discuss the dance as it pertained to HB 359. We talked as a staff about what to do with our Pride events, and in the end, we doubled down, Barbachano said. But we wanted to first have that conversation and get everyone on the same page. She said the dance the team is planning for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19 years old is straightforward and wholesome. Were putting the parameters in place and ensuring it will be well chaperoned, she said, adding that safety of the children and museum are of the utmost concern. But its almost entirely driven by our kids. The Queer Teen Prom is free to attend, but attendees must register in advance. The dances theme is Under the Sea. The ever popular Street Drag Show is scheduled for Aug. 5 from 7 to 8:55 p.m. A full list of events can be found at montanapride.org. Hamm said, as per usual, the Helena Police Department has been engaged and proactive in helping police Pride events. We are aware of the events this coming week and will be working some of the events that the Police Department has been contracted for, the same as other events this weekend and next, Helena Police Department Assistant Chief Cory Bailey said in an email. We will also perform extra patrols in the area as we would with any other large event that is going on in the city limits. As always, the main focus for the Helena Police Department is to protect the rights and safety of everyone involved whether at any of the events or in their day-to-day activities around Helena, Bailey said. New Life Thrift Store Boutique and Bridal opens Thrift store shoppers have a new place to go that is devoted just to the ladies. New Life Thrift Store has expanded to a Boutique and Bridal shop, located at 3080 N. Kandy Lane in Decatur, just a few doors down from the original store. According to the stores manager, Sheree Schinzler, the products are geared towards women. Its all for the gals, she said. Its more like a boutique atmosphere. Clean, fresh, but friendly and fun. Schinzler credits the donors for creating the new space. We ran out of space down there, because our donors are so generous, she said. The products consist of dresses, accessories, homegoods, intimates, suits and bridal wear. A lot of our donors give us new items, Schinzler said. We felt like putting it in a different atmosphere than in a thrift shop and making it a boutique. The original shop, located at 1700 E. Pershing Road, will continue to collect and sell womens clothing as well as other products. All donations will still be accepted at the Pershing Road location. As they go through the processes, if they think it is worthy for here, they will bring them here, Schinzler said about the boutique items. RockWell Coffee trailer ready for customers If the RockWell Coffee Company trailer is sitting in the parking lot of the New Vision Church on the corner of Eldorado and Van Dyke Streets, then the business is ready for customers. The staff serve hot or cold coffee and espresso-based drinks as well as chai, lattes, energy drinks, lemonades and Italian cream sodas. We plan to do this 12 months out of the year, said owner Dale McKinney. The mobile walk-in coffee shop is air conditioned and heated based on the weather. McKinney works in the medical field. And with five children still living at home, opening hours are currently limited to 7 to 11 a.m. two to three days a week at their home base in the church parking lot. Updated information is available on the business Facebook page or website. We may try a few lunchtime hours as well to see if that has any luck, McKinney said. Thats the beauty of being a small mom-and-pop shop. We can change the rules at any time. RockWell Coffee has been a dream for McKinney and his wife, Ann, for nine years. A brick-and-mortar store was not conducive to their lifestyle, McKinney said. So when this became available as an opportunity, we jumped on it, he said. Although the McKinneys have plans to expand their business, including adding pre-packaged pastries and other foods, the current goal is to become experts at making coffee drinks, to get a good reputation and to figure out how to do this, McKinney said. Hopes Attic makes a move The new location at 1130 N. Main St., Decatur, once housed the Saturday Store. And it was only open on Saturdays, said Hopes Attic employee Gena Harvey. Were open Monday through Saturday. Store hours are 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The thrift store has a wide selection of clothing, as well as housewares, linens and decor. One room is devoted to Christmas items. And its Christmas all year round, Harvey said. Other holiday items are displayed as the festivities draw closer. The current season is Back to School. Most of the childrens clothing is priced at under $4. Funds from Hopes Attic are used to support the Water Street Mission, a mens homeless shelter in Decatur. 11 memorable Decatur companies that are no longer with us General Electric Block & Kuhl Goldblatt's Linn & Scruggs Borg-Warner Corp. Marvel-Schebler Decatur Brewing Co. Houdaille-Hershey Kelly Food Products Bridgestone/Firestone Decatur Signal Depot HARRISTOWN Dozens of hopeful customers were outside braving the heat as Mystic Greenz cannabis dispensary prepared to open its doors to the public for the first time. Visitors began arriving at Macon Countys first dispensary at 9 a.m. Friday, an hour before opening, though most waited in their cars, away from the sun, until people started lining up around 9:30. A crowd of around 50 people snaked around the front and side of the building by the time customers could finally go inside. Its 4:20 somewhere, joked Decatur resident Seymour Phillips as the doors opened. Phillips was first in line on Friday. He and others agreed the best aspect of the new dispensary was its convenience. Many had previously been making regular 50-mile drives to and from Springfield or Champaign. But the benefits dont end there, according to Mystic Greenz co-owner Rose Jones-Hupp. For the village of Harristown, this is going to tremendously help them, Jones-Hupp said. They'll get lots of revenue from our tax, and that will improve their streets. Their schools need improvement. This is really going to help their schools. Their schools are dated and they need lots of work. So this revenue is going to greatly improve them. At a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Harristown Mayor Evelyn Deverell said: "We have high hopes and we're very excited. Located at 5045 Indus Dr. in Harristown, the dispensary is just down the road from a new gas station. Jones-Hupp is hopeful the dispensarys customers will also spread the love at other area businesses. There have been detractors throughout the journey, she acknowledged. A lot of people are against it. They thought There's a stigma with cannabis, but it's not like it used to be, Jones-Hupp said. There's lots of purposes for cannabis. Not just recreational, it's medical purposes. So I think this is going to make a big difference in this community. Other vendors promoting their products at Fridays grand opening party had similar sentiments for those still skeptical about a cannabis store in their community. Deja Simon, one of the co-owners of Happy Hut Smoke Shop in Decatur, said she thinks the Harristown dispensary could still help support local businesses in Decatur and elsewhere in Macon County, despite other municipalities resistance to cannabis. I like this area, and especially, I hope they continue to economically develop downtown Decatur and the Decatur area, Simon said. I feel strongly about the economic revitalization (here). LONG TIME COMING Macon Countys first cannabis dispensary has been a long time coming. The opening comes more than four years after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the state's recreational marijuana legalization law. Since recreational sales went live in 2020, Macon County residents have had to travel upwards of 45 minutes to an hour for access to the nearest dispensaries in Springfield and Champaign. This was due to the lack of existing medical marijuana dispensaries, which were permitted to sell recreational product immediately, as well as delays in the rollout, first due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later due to a series of lawsuits over dispensary license lottery process. Charles Mahoney, a Decatur resident who was one of a few lucky customers to get a sneak peak of the facility on Thursday, said the new location "keeps a lot of people from wasting gas," noting that he's traveled to as far as Carlinville and Peoria to get product in the past. "It only takes me five minutes to get here," Mahoney said. "I live right in the heart of town, so I could almost just walk out here." Joseph Couch, of Decatur, was also among the first through the doors Thursday, taking advantage of the dispensary's self-service kiosk to order his product. A medical cannabis patient, Couch said he started growing his own product at home in order to avoid the long drive to Champaign or Springfield. It's an expensive endeavor he no longer needs to take on with the new shop in town. "It's a really, really big financial saver to have a dispensary this close," Couch said. "It's kind of a bummer it's not in 'Decatur' Decatur because we'll miss out on a lot of tax money, but it's going to be great for Harristown," he added. Despite being within Harristown city limits, the dispensary has a Decatur mailing address. And it is expected to draw most of its customer base from within Decatur. But, a majority on the Decatur City Council has been steadfast in their refusal to reconsider their 2020 decision to opt out of adult-use cannabis sales, meaning that Mystic Greenz and other prospective dispensary operators have been limited to a handful of sites within the county. Recreational cannabis sales are also not allowed in unincorporated Macon County. Besides Harristown, the only two municipalities in Macon County open to permitting a dispensary within their borders are Argenta and Maroa. INSIDE THE FACILITY The 4,000-square-foot dispensary is located at 5045 Indus Dr., near the intersection of Interstate 72 and U.S. 36. A billboard at this intersection already has been updated to include "Now Open." Inside, customers are greeted in a front 'welcome' space with seating, which leads into a smaller room that serves as a checkpoint to enter the retail space. The retail space includes televisions featuring pricing of available products, a wall of company-branded T-shirts available for purchase, two self-service kiosks and much like a traditional retail shopping experience a front counter area with registers where orders are rung up and the product is received. Dispensary co-owner Krishna Balakrishnan said they are still waiting on some shelving, but they eventually plan to put displays of various product packaging up for customers to see. He said there should be no surprises in the types and brands of products that they offer. "Pretty much we have all the products here starting from flower, pre-rolls, vapes, concentrates, edibles," Balakrishnan said. "So whatever they can get in Springfield, they can get right here in the store. There's a little bit of tax benefit being in Harristown, so they might save a percentage here or there too." Balakrishnan said he and his fellow co-owners believe they have found the perfect site. The large parcel provides enough room for a planned 30,000-square-foot cultivation facility, which will be used to grow products that will be sold in the dispensary and transported to others. Balakrishnan said the group would likely turn their focus to the cultivation center next year. Construction of the dispensary began in early March. Balakrishnan said there was a lot of hard work in between, with no day "less than 18 hours for us." He touted the dispensary's security, saying that there are 57 cameras covering every inch of the building" and that "securitys like Fort Knox here." The constructed structure includes a second, unfinished unit next to the dispensary, which Balakrishnan predicted would be occupied by a restaurant. Mystic Greenz's parent company, Indus 365, was one of three awarded a recreational license for use in Macon County. Plans for the other two licensees have not yet been announced. Photos: Many facets emerge from legalization of marijuana in Illinois 020920-blm-loc-5potsunday 020920-blm-loc-1potsunday 020920-blm-loc-2potsunday Normal 020920-blm-loc-4potsunday 020920-blm-loc-6potsunday 020920-blm-loc-7potsunday 020920-blm-loc-8potsunday 020920-blm-loc-9potsunday 020920-blm-loc-10potsunday SPRINGFIELD Illinois' Attorney General is asking Congress to give Black World War II veterans government benefits they were denied. Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined 23 other attorneys general to call for passage of the Sgt. Isaac Woodard Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2023. The bill would extend eligibility for Veterans Affairs housing loan and Post-9/11 GI Bill educational assistance programs to Black World War II veterans and their families and descendants if the veteran can prove they were denied GI Bill benefits on the basis of race. It would also create an accountability office to monitor how many veterans received benefits from the bill and a panel to study inequalities in how women and minority veterans are given benefits. After returning home from World War II, many Black veterans found they could not access the same benefits from the GI Bill that white veterans could. "These discriminatory policies affected generations of African American families, greatly limiting their access to the economic benefits of home ownership, including denying access to the middle class for Black veterans and their families," Raoul said. The new bill is named for two Black World War II veterans. Woodard was beaten and blinded by South Carolina police in 1946. Maddox was accepted into Harvard University, but Veterans Affairs denied him financial assistance. Raoul was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. Our only son has been enduring the heat of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, going through army basic training for the Tennessee National Guard, separated from his wife and sons, for more than two months. It has been rough on the whole family, but it is almost over now. His separation from family while he serves his country has stirred some memories in his dad, too. Before Stephen made his appearance in the world, I left my young wife and three daughters for a couple of weeks and flew half way around the world on a mission trip to Kerala in South India. Obviously two weeks is not like two months, but some of our feelings and lonely nights must have been similar. As I began making the comparison and started to recall my experience from decades ago, I found an old notebook I had used as a journal to record my journey. For several days, off and on, I pored over the words I had scribbled on those pages so long ago. At the time, Sammie and I had three very precious young daughters. The youngest, Stacia, was only three. The four of them stayed in Greensboro, NC with Sammies parents while I traveled to New York, London, Rome, Bombay and finally to Cochin, Kerala. Stacia had seen me board the first airplane for my flight to New York and until they met me at the airport in Greensboro on my return she would see planes flying over Nanny and Papas house and would wave enthusiastically, crying, Theres Daddy! Hey Daddy! There were eight of us in our party, and in Cochin we divided up and went to three different locations to preach and teach for the next several days. Mike Christian and I met Kunjumon Chacko and rode over narrow bumpy roads for three hours to the city of Kottayam; dodging cows and every imaginable type of vehicle, it was quite a trip. While in Kottayam we lectured at a Bible college, led crusades and other services including Vacation Bible School in a couple of outlying villages. The overall experience was phenomenal and life changing for me. I was introduced to an extremely different culture and met some folks I could have only read about, had I not made the journey. Among those I met were Hindu priests, a snake charmer and a leper beggar that I gave a rupee to. As I read the words I had penned so many years ago, the theme that stood out most in my writing was how much I missed my precious wife and little girls. I only got to talk to Sammie one time by phone while I was in India, and it was mostly, I miss you so much what did you say? youre breaking up on me can you hear me? The loneliness of separation from those you love most in this world is one common thread that runs through the experiences of my mission trip to India and my sons basic training in Missouri. Theres another connection that I did not make at first. Dr. Kunjumon Chacko, who was our host while we were in Kottayam, is founder and chairman of the India Baptist Theological Seminary, Chairman of the India Baptist Convention, author of more than 20 books and has been in the ministry since 1973. But his passion and principle calling is to prison ministry. He is Chairman of Prison Fellowship India and India Vision. Those many years ago, his greatest ministry was in the prisons. With the help of countless volunteers, his ministry has helped more than 100,000 prisoners get back into society throughout the whole country of India. Many of them have committed their lives to Christ. Part of our sons job with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development is helping those who have served time in prison to get back into the workforce and become productive citizens. Wouldnt it be nice if Stephen and Dr. Chacko could meet? If not here, I believe they will in heaven. Please pray for them both. WISE, Va. The parking lot of the Wise County Fairgrounds was busy but not overflowing Friday morning with vehicles bearing license plates from New Jersey and Massachusetts sprinkled among the vehicles from Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. It was opening day of the seventh Move Mountains Medical Mission a free health care clinic formerly known as RAM. There was a time a few years ago when parking was at a premium for these events, with people driving hours or days to get to this remote location in the mountains of Appalachia, a few miles north of downtown Wise and a few miles south of the Kentucky state line. But instead of corn dogs, live music and farm animals, the focus at this fairgrounds was delivering life changing health care, often to people in the most dire need. Over the past two decades thousands upon thousands trekked to this place seeking relief from untreated dental issues, diabetes, runaway hypertension, cancer and a thousand other maladies for masses of desperate, uninsured people who were often too broke or too proud to seek help. The lines were shorter, the parking lot less crowded this year. But a small army of volunteers was again ready to greet and treat them. Dr. Teresa Tyson, president and CEO of the Health Wagon hosts for the mission calls 2023 a rebuilding year, following no clinics during two years of the global pandemic and a much smaller scale event last year. Tyson said this year they also scheduled a number of appointments instead of the first come, first served policy of years past to try and reduce waiting times on a weekend when afternoon high temperatures climbed past 90 degrees. We did a lot of appointments so it doesnt look as busy but we have a lot of people coming by appointment. We kind of spread it out over the day, Tyson said. The clinic was open all day Saturday and concludes Sunday with health care services available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The free dental treatment event on the campus of UVA Wise concluded Saturday. Need vision care? The waiting area is inside the McDonalds Farm building, one of several red barns on the fairgrounds property. Registration for vital signs and basic health screenings? There were tents on each end of the property, with the busiest next to the horse show arena. Dogs of all shapes and sizes were waiting with their owners in a fenced area next to another barn marked by signs reading Veterinary only. Tyson said they also used the makeshift vet clinic as an opportunity to discuss human health concerns with the pet owners. Female health screenings occurred inside the mobile units of event sponsor the Health Wagon. Mental health services are also part of the mix, delivered in an open building near the performance stage, with patients shielded by tarps. A concession trailer served as a makeshift pharmacy and a host of other services were available in nearly every available nook and cranny. Need clothing, food, or other items? Tents and other displays were set up to meet an array of needs. It isnt fancy, but its free. Volunteer health care providers, area service agencies and those seeking care were joined by some of Virginias top health officials who came to see first-hand the health disparities which continue plaguing far Southwest Virginia. John Littel, Virginias Secretary of Health and Human Services, state Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton who formerly managed multiple Southwest Virginia health districts and Dr. Danny Avula, Virginias former COVID czar were among the dignitaries who made their way to Wise to see and learn. It is extremely important. Weve always tried to invite the legislators and the governors. Having the governors cabinet at this event because were so far removed Richmond bringing them here and letting them see first-hand; to hear the patients stories and hear the plight of limited health care access here. Nothing beats seeing it in person and experiencing it first-hand, Tyson said. That way, when we need to call on them for support for a grant, or they see some funding they can send our way, hopefully they will support us as we continue to work on that issue here. Nothing beats experiencing it first- hand so were glad the governors cabinet is here, she added. The story of 18-year-old patient Lois Wongchow of Pound, Va., is typical. She, her husband and other family members left home around 5:30 a.m., going first to the dental clinic. They waited outside the David J. Prior Convocation Center for the doors to open around 6:30 a.m. for dental care. Volunteers provided a couple of fillings and a cleaning and they were done by 9 a.m. The entire family then traveled to the fairgrounds to get vision exams and new glasses, with all of that completed by 3 p.m. Hundreds came through the fairgrounds clinics on Friday. Olivia Newby, president of the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners and a nurse practitioner from Norfolk, said she came to support the event, which is managed by nurse practitioners, including Tyson and Paula Hill-Collins of Health Wagon. This is my very first time at this event. Ive always admired the work of the Health Wagon, Newby said. Im very impressed with the support of the communities, the varying organizations coming together. A lot of times health care works in silos, but this brings everybody together its a one-stop shop. Since 2015, the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia has advocated on behalf of the 80 school divisions that make up our membership to bring awareness to funding discrepancies that exist for students who attend small schools in high poverty areas of rural Virginia. Our message has centered on inadequate facilities, significant and unexpected losses in enrollment, the increased cost of serving an at-risk population, and the difficulty of scaling services. After reading the recent Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report, it seems our advocacy has been right on target. According to the report, Virginia is currently under-funding public education to the tune of at least $1900 per-pupil. When a students economic or disability status is considered, the discrepancy is even worse. We trail our neighboring states, the southeast, and our entire nation in several key funding benchmarks. These staggering statistics shouldnt be true in a struggling third world country, much less one of the wealthiest States in the wealthiest country in the world. To have this data, provided by a non-partisan committee tasked with advising the General Assembly on important issues, and not to immediately act is unacceptable by any standard. At the same time, credit should be given to many legislators, like Del. Israel OQuinn and Sen. Todd Pillion for advocating for increased appropriations to the At-Risk Add On funding stream. As a result of their support, the percentage for increased funding in this formula has increased by 46% since 2013. Despite the recent increases to this funding stream, Virginia still trails our neighbors in providing funding for at-risk students, identifying a 382% negative discrepancy with Maryland as the most appalling. Unfortunately, state funding for students with disabilities during that same period has declined by 16%. Although the report is clear that more resources are needed by educators who serve high need populations, it is unimaginable how abysmal this report would have been without the work of some Legislators, like those in the Southwest Virginia delegation, who support adequate and equitable funding for public education. Furthermore, difficulty in scaling of services has long been an issue for members of our coalition. However, the Draconian reductions to support staff funding associated with the Great Recession had a larger, negative impact on small school divisions who serve students with robust, challenging, and diverse needs, than the impact on larger, more affluent divisions. As an example, many members of our Coalition have enrollments of 2000 students or less. The JLARC report determined that some per student costs are between 15% and 50% higher, depending on enrollment, for small school divisions. That fact, combined with the high concentration of poverty in our divisions and our disproportional number of students with disabilities, causes the inadequacy of education funding for rural students to be exacerbated. One thing I have learned after serving 28 years in public education is that timing in life is everything. The recent JLARC report is probably the most scathing testimony against Virginias model of education funding that I have seen in three decades of serving small and rural communities. However, Virginias $5 billion surplus is, without a doubt, the best opportunity our Commonwealth has had in its history to address this critical and important need. Without question, this is a legacy moment for the Virginia General Assembly. On behalf of the 80 members of the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia, I urge and beseech the members of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees to reconvene and adopt a budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year that addresses these critical and inequitable issues immediately. The needs of high poverty school divisions have never been more urgent nor has the Commonwealths ability to address those needs ever been greater. This is not the time for political differences or upcoming elections to take precedent. The message from the non-partisan JLARC is clear. Our students and schools, deserve better. As planners begin to prepare the 2024-25 budget, our coalition also support the following recommendations from JLARC: 1. Designate the At-Risk Add-On (ARAO) program as an SOQ funded program. 2. Use the Identified Student Percentage (ISP) to rectify outdated free lunch estimates. 3. Consolidate ARAO with the Prevention, Intervention, and Remediation program as an SOQ funded program using a formula based on the ISP. 4. Add on economies of scale adjustment to the SOQ formula to provide additional funding to divisions with fewer than 2,000 students. 5. Include all division central office positions in the State funding formula. 6. Remove the cap on non-personal cost assumptions. 7. Account for facilities staff costs in the State funding formula. 8. Develop staffing ratios that accurately reflect how divisions are staffed. 9. Eliminate the cap on support positions. 10. Re-instate funded categories that were removed during the Great Recession. 11. Use an accurate federal fund deduction methodology. 12. Use current salary cost assumptions in the State funding formula. 13. Increase teacher salaries to be at or above the national average. 14. Develop accurate special education staffing needs estimates. Respectfully submitted, Keith Perrigan, Ed.D. In just over a month, students will be returning to their choice for schools. They will be attending classes at a time when school curricula and the battle of parental rights are hitting high points in our society and culture. Currently, there are 62 parental rights bills being debated in 24 states. Bills range from proposing changes in state school curriculum to allowing parents to attend classes. Others are more specific involving how to notify parents if a student chooses to be identified by another gender. Questions surrounding the teaching of critical race theory are still prominent in some places. There are also many questions about book selections and what students should be offered to read and explore. A lot of people coming to these issues view them as new to our society and culture, but they really are not. One hundred years ago the biggest curriculum questions was whether or not the theory of evolution should be taught in schools. In Tennessee, questions regarding creationism vs. evolution evoked as many strong feelings as we are seeing in our current times. North Carolina politicians took a more moderate approach to the issues then, and our leaders today should take note of that. Some parents fear teachings of Marxism in our schools today, well, the evolution issue had tinges of that too many years ago. One of the evolving features regarding peoples viewpoints these days is an all-or-none mentality. It really stems from personal failure to communicate and debate. Of course, parents should be able to be made aware of what students are learning in the classroom. There must be trust between students, parents, school boards, and elected and appointed state education leaders. Generally, there is. Schools are working harder to communicate with parents and to find better ways of doing so. Teachers work hard, as well, to let parents know the subjects which are being taught, too. With the increasing news and fears of schools indoctrinating students, the trust factor is paramount between parents and educational institutions. Where parents have concerns, school personnel need to listen and communicate. Leadership is essential. Yet, parents also need to understand teachers pick educational materials in order to both teach and challenge students in order to broaden their thinking about certain topics. For example, for a social studies teacher not to talk to students about slavery and race relations is to do them a disservice. To not teach the Civil Rights Movement and to ask students to compare the movements origin and strategies to current events is to restrict them from seeing an important historical theme continuity and change. Make no mistake about it, these are hard issues to sometimes talk about but can be handled professionally by a trained adult. While some parents fear the idea of their student being indoctrinated, it really rarely occurs. Still, parents have a right to address concerns. Most teachers take these concerns to heart and adjust lessons to address the needs of their students. Again, these issues are not either-or or you against me. Educating students should be one of the greatest partnerships in life. The goal is to teach students and give them the proper skills to move into careers but also to be involved citizens. In order to do these things, all adults, teachers, parents, and mentors alike, should model good communication and good behavior. When, at times, parents and educators speak to one another unkindly at school board meetings and elsewhere, it displays a disparaging character on both sides. Individuals can be passionate without being rude. In our current culture, where people can speak ugly to one another and use the rudest, most foul-mouthed words available, there is no wonder issues cannot be decided upon. Many people these days, again its nothing new, would rather shout down someone else and claim victory than work to solve issues with respect and decency. This has to change. The recent footage of school board meetings in certain areas turning violent is a symptom of individuals lacking communication skills, not necessarily being passionate about their ideas. Professional educators welcome the involvement of parents and certainly do not see this as threatening. Continued innovations by schools and school boards can further help with this to alleviate parental fears regarding curriculum and processes of education. Teachers, counselors, and administrators are being asked to perform a lot more duties in these days and times. It is one of the better things about suffering through a pandemic parents and grandparents were forced, with sometimes good and bad results, to actually see what students were learning. This evoked a wide range of emotions which might have spurred on a better relationship with their respective schools. The lesson of history is we will come out of these current cultural wars only to face others in the future. What needs to be a constant is effective and purposeful communication between all education stakeholders. MAYPORT, Fla. Petty Officer 1st Class Hunter Childers, a native of Kannapolis, serves aboard one of the countrys most versatile combat ships, USS St. Louis, operating out of Mayport, Florida. Childers, a 2014 graduate of Northwest Cabarrus High School, joined the Navy seven years ago. I joined the military because all the males in my family have joined, going all the way back to the Civil War, said Childers. I was one of the first from my family to join the Navy, and I chose that branch because I wanted to do something different. Today, Childers relies upon skills and values similar to those found in Kannapolis to succeed in the military. Growing up, I learned you have to work hard, said Childers. Nothing beats someone who will work hard for you, and I have carried that lesson with me to the Navy. These lessons have helped Childers while serving in the Navy. The St. Louis is a fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored surface combatant that operates in near-shore and open-ocean environments, according to Navy officials. Littoral combat ships integrate with joint, combined, manned and unmanned teams to support forward-presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe. Littoral combat ships are hybrid surface combatants that lead manned-unmanned teams using unmanned aerial systems like the Fire Scout and Expeditionary Ordnance Disposal forces unmanned underwater vehicles. They conduct forward and maritime security missions like the Secretary of Defense Oceania Maritime Security Initiative. The ships also strengthen partnerships through port visits in small island nations like Tahiti and Fiji due to their shallow-depth hull. According to Navy officials, the path to becoming an LCS sailor is unique and challenging. At the culmination of their 18-month training pipeline, sailors qualify on a virtual reality simulator that is nearly identical to the ship. This intense and realistic training pipeline allows sailors to execute their roles and responsibilities immediately upon stepping on board. With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to trained sailors and a strong Navy. Our mission remains timeless to provide our fellow citizens with nothing less than the very best Navy: fully combat ready at all times, focused on warfighting excellence, and committed to superior leadership at every single level, said Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations. This is our calling. And I cannot imagine a calling more worthy. Serving in the Navy means Childers is part of a team that is taking on new importance in Americas focus on strengthening alliances, modernizing capabilities, increasing capacities and maintaining military readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy. The Navy is important to national defense because we can go anywhere and touch anything, said Childers. Childers and the sailors he serves with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service. My proudest accomplishment is graduating from Search and Rescue Swimmer school, said Childers. A lot of people dont make it through the training, and the thought of being able to help someone in need makes me proud. As Childers and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy. Serving in the Navy, to me, is about tradition, said Childers. We try to maintain and keep traditions going, and that makes me proud. Its about keeping the memory of the people who came before us alive. We are who we are today because of them. Childers is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible. I would like to thank my parents and grandparents for teaching me hard work and integrity, added Childers. They taught me that if you say something, you need to mean it, and you always need to do the right thing. Ryan Gosling may or may not be your ideal Ken in the new Barbie movie, but one of the films casting directors has shared who else might have gotten the role. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Allison Jones who cast the hit film along with Lucy Bevan talked about who else might have joined Barbie in her dream house. Like the line of dolls the movie is based on, there are multiple Barbies and Kens portrayed by a diverse cast of actors. But not everyone who wanted in was able to participate. According to Jones, Covid restrictions at the time meant having to spend three months in London where a great deal of the movie was filmed. And that meant Bowen Yang, Dan Levy, and Ben Platt were out of the running to play Ken. They were, Im not kidding, really bummed they couldnt do it, she said. And they werent the only ones angling for the role. Simu Liu was dying to be a Ken, God bless him, Jones said of the actor who was eventually cast as one of the Kens. She also mentioned an actor who had to turn down the role of Kens friend Allan, she said. Dear, dear Jonathan Groff was like, I cant believe Im typing this, but I cant do Allan, the casting director told the publication. That role instead went to Michael Cera. Multiple aspiring Barbie and Kens sent in audition tapes and according to Bevan, director Greta Gerwig was keen on speaking with the possible actors before even sending them the script to read. She really wanted to get to know them as people, Bevan said. That was very important to her. On the key Barbie and Ken roles, she got a very good idea of what an actor was like from talking to them. Margot Robbie snagged the main role of Barbie, though there are multiple other Barbies in the film played by a diverse group of actresses including Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae and Dua Lipa. MATTOON Lake Land College Board Trustee Doris Reynolds of Mattoon received the Illinois Community College Trustee Association 30-Year Trustee Award for her service to college and the Illinois academic system. "Serving on a local community college board demands countless hours of unpaid time and energy. Doris Reynolds has a tireless passion for the work of community colleges," said ICCTA President Maureen Dunne. Reynolds received the ICCTA recognition at an awards banquet on June 2 in Normal. Throughout her three decades of service, Trustee Reynolds has truly made an impact on the success of the college as a whole and more importantly, has touched the lives of countless Lake Land students. We thank her for her years of service and look forward to the future, Lake Land President Josh Bullock said. In addition to her contributions on the Lake Land board, Reynolds has served as the Lake Land College Foundation board liaison, ICCTA member, Mattoon Lights Works Committee charter member and past CCAR board member and chair. Having served on the Lake Land College Board of Trustees since 1993, Reynolds described her time as a trustee as of yet to be an incredible experience. At Lake Land College, we put students first. Everyone from trustees to faculty and staff do all that they can to help students succeed, Reynolds said. The education and experiences our Lake Land College students receive are among the best in the nation. As a trustee it is an honor to meet the Lake Land alumni in our communities and see them excelling in their careers. Reynolds said she appreciates the interaction board members have with employees and especially students. I still get to learn new things all the time, and I love that about my role. The students are constantly sharing new ideas that motivate and inspire us, Reynolds said. Mattoon-area places through the years Young Radiator Oil well New post office Memorial District Hospital Mattoon Mounters Kozy Log Illinois Central Railroad depot Downtown Downtown MATTOON Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois is pleased to celebrate the outstanding volunteers who earned awards at their second annual Recognition of Excellence ceremony. The Presidents Award, which recognizes the efforts of a service unit team whose exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience surpassed team goals and resulted in significant, measurable impact toward reaching the councils overall goals, has been awarded to: Service Unit 521 serving the western Coles/Cumberland County area Service Unit 522 serving the eastern Coles County area Service Unit 531 serving the Edgar/Clark County area Mason McCormick of Charleston, serving the eastern Coles County area, has been awarded the Sustained Service Award recognizing a long-term Girl Scout volunteer who has continued to provide exemplary service at the service unit level for at least l0 years. Miranda Zerbst of Charleston, serving the eastern Coles County area, has received the The Living Her Legacy Award recognizing a leader, co-leader, or member of the leadership team that started a troop as kindergarten Daisies and continued the same troop until the girls became high school graduated Ambassadors. The following volunteers have all received the The Volunteer of Excellence Award recognizing volunteers who have contributed outstanding service while partnering directly with girls to implement the Girl Scout Leadership Experience through the use of the national program portfolio or who have contributed outstanding service in support of the councils mission delivery to girl and adult members: Abby Walker from Mattoon, serving the western Coles/Cumberland County area; Betty Sears from Mattoon, serving the western Coles/Cumberland County area, Destini Bocook from Paris, serving the Edgar/Clark County area, Erica Moses from Mattoon, serving the Western Coles/Cumberland County area; and Kara Macke from Marshall, serving the Edgar/Clark County area. LOOK BACK: Check out these Mattoon locations through the years Burgess Memorial Auditorium Central Illinois singles First Methodist Grant Hotel Korean War Memorial Memorial Hospital Post Office Roundhouse Trains and More Women's Spring Bar Hop WASHINGTON Heres a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week. House votes SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS: The House has rejected the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act (H.R. 1338), sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. The bill would have created a new system at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for licensing commercial satellite communications networks. Rodgers said it sought to provide certainty to satellite operators by setting out clear performance objectives for satellite communications systems. An opponent, Rep. Donald Beyer Jr., D-Va., faulted the bills assigning of authority over space safety and orbital debris to the FCC, which Beyer said would only detract and divert attention and resources from the FCCs primary mission of assessing applications to use the electromagnetic spectrum for communications purposes. The vote, on July 25, was 250 yeas to 163 nays, with a two-thirds majority required for approval. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Manning D-NC (6th), Edwards R-NC (11th), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st) NAYS: Foxx R-NC (5th), Adams D-NC (12th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th) CHEMICAL FACILITIES AND TERRORISM: The House has passed the Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act (H.R. 4470), sponsored by Rep. Laurel M. Lee, R-Fla., to reauthorize, through fiscal 2025, the Homeland Security Departments Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program. Lee said: This program must be reauthorized by July 27 to ensure these standards of protection against cyber and physical risks remain in place. The vote, on July 25, was 409 yeas to 1 nay. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Adams D-NC (12th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Edwards R-NC (11th), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th) NOT VOTING: Manning D-NC (6th) REPAIRING WEST POINT DAMAGE: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Patrick Ryan, D-N.Y., to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366), that would shift $103 million of military construction spending to cover repairs following flooding damage earlier this month at the Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Ryan said: Allowing West Point to be hamstrung by such significant damage imperils our military readiness, and we must ensure the institution has the resources it needs to urgently repair and rebuild and get back to their mission. The vote, on July 26, was 394 yeas to 19 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Adams D-NC (12th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Edwards R-NC (11th), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th) FIREARMS BACKGROUND CHECKS: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366). The amendment would bar funding for the Veterans Affairs Department to add a veterans name to the Justice Departments National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for firearms purchases if the veteran has assistance from a fiduciary. Bost said the lack of legal review of the current process of adding names meant the same veterans who protected our constitutional rights are now losing theirs because they need a bit of help managing their finances. An amendment opponent, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., called it a partisan stunt and claimed that only under a discrete set of circumstances for a very discrete population does the Veterans Health Administration report veterans to NICS. The vote, on July 26, was 228 yeas to 206 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Edwards R-NC (11th) NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th) MASK MANDATES AND THE VA: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont, to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366) that would bar funding for the imposition of mask mandates related to Covid. Rosendale said: Denying a veteran medical care over a personal decision is outrageous. We owe it to care for our nations heroes and to provide them with the best possible care, not stigmatize them over masking decisions. An opponent, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said that with the amendment, extreme MAGA Republicans are once again trying to prevent people trying to make sure that we have more people get sick rather than fewer. The vote, on July 26, was 223 yeas to 211 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Edwards R-NC (11th) NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th) CLEAN ENERGY AND THE MILITARY: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366), that would bar funding for adopting a President Biden executive order for developing clean energy industries. Zinke said the order, by increasing military reliance on electricity and renewable energy, was moving to more dependency on our allies and what could be our adversaries, including China. An amendment opponent, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said: The focus on elevating fossil fuels and thwarting the advancement of clean energy will not help this nation build a strong economy for the future. The vote, on July 26, was 222 yeas to 212 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Edwards R-NC (11th) NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th) SPENDING ON VA, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION: The House has passed the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations (H.R. 4366), sponsored by Rep. John R. Carter, R-Texas. The bill would provide fiscal 2024 funding for the Veterans Affairs Department and related agencies, as well as $17.5 billion for military construction programs. Carter said it keeps our promises to veterans, and we do more to help veterans in the Pacific. We also ensure taxpayer funds will be used appropriately and effectively by increasing oversight of several programs. An opponent, Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., said the bill cut military construction funding by more than $1.5 billion, and claimed it falls short of our commitments and backtracks on our promises to our veterans, our servicemembers, and their families. The vote, on July 27, was 219 yeas to 211 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Edwards R-NC (11th) NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th) LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN RULE: The House has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 9), sponsored by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., to disapprove of and void a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule putting populations of the lesser prairie-chicken on threatened and endangered species lists, with accompanying environmental regulations for chicken habitat. The vote, on July 27, was 221 yeas to 206 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Edwards R-NC (11th) NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th) LONG-EARED BAT: The House has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 24), sponsored by Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to disapprove of and void a Fish and Wildlife Service rule listing the northern long-eared bat as an endangered species. A resolution supporter, Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said the rule and the agencys approach to managing bat habitat will prove to be unlikely to benefit the bat but is guaranteed to leave our forests unmanaged, unhealthy, and vulnerable to catastrophic events such as wildfires. An opponent, Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., said: We should be strengthening and supporting ESA (Endangered Species Act) science and implementation, not pecking at it in order to destroy ESA. The vote, on July 27, was 220 yeas to 209 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Edwards R-NC (11th) NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th) Senate votes NATIONAL SECURITY AND U.S. ADVERSARIES: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2226) that would create a Treasury Department program requiring U.S. companies to notify Treasury of their planned investments in national security technology sectors in China and other countries considered to be of concern to the U.S. Cornyn said: We policymakers need to know what American companies are doing to help finance an aggressive, authoritarian adversary. The vote, on July 25, was 91 yeas to 6 nays. NAYS: Tillis R-NC NOT VOTING: Budd R-NC FARMLAND SALES: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2226), to place the Agriculture Secretary on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and have the Committee bar China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran from purchasing U.S. farm land and agricultural businesses. Rounds said the ban will make our homeland more secure. The vote, on July 25, was 91 yeas to 7 nays. YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC DEBT AND MILITARY MEMBERS: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2226), to increase protections given to members of the military against harassment by debt collectors. Warnock said such harassing actions undermine our national security by distracting our servicemembers from focusing on their mission and caring for their families. The vote, on July 26, was 95 yeas to 2 nays. YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC AUDITING AID TO UKRAINE: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2226), that would have established an Office of the Lead Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance. Wicker said creating an Office with a direct connection to the heads of the Defense and State Departments would deliver true oversight of spending on the Russia-Ukraine war. An opponent, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said: There is no gap in U.S. authorities, presence, or even additional resources for our oversight efforts that this amendment addresses. The vote, on July 26, was 51 yeas to 48 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval. YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC FLAGS AT GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2226), that would have put restrictions on the display of any flag other than the U.S. flag, or flags representing other government entities, at government buildings. Marshall said: Wouldnt you think that, to honor America and those who serve, especially for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and the Gold Star families, our country should honor one American flag? An amendment opponent, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., claimed the restriction is about not being able to fly the Pride flag at government facilities. The vote, on July 27, was 50 yeas to 49 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval. YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC FOREIGN AID CONDITIONS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2226), that would have blocked the provision of special drawing rights aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to countries deemed to be perpetrators of genocide or sponsors of terrorism. Kennedy said a remedy was needed for the current situation of Iran and other U.S. adversaries being able to access low-cost IMF funds to support such activities. An amendment opponent, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said it violated IMF rules, and therefore would harm the Treasury Departments ability to respond to deficit in the global supply of reserves on a global crisis. The vote, on July 27, was 51 yeas to 47 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval. YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC 9/11 HEALTH CARE FUNDING: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2226), that would amend an existing law to increase funding for a program for treating victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Gillibrand said: In 2011, when Congress created the World Trade Center Health Program, which provided medical treatment and monitoring for the survivors, it was not fully funded then, and we are hoping to get closer to fully funding it with this addition. The vote, on July 27, was 94 yeas to 4 nays. YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC 2024 MILITARY SPENDING: The Senate has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2226), sponsored by Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. The bill would authorize about $845 billion of fiscal 2024 spending at the Defense Department, military construction programs, and $32 billion of spending on military-related programs at the Energy Department. Reed said: The bill authorizes a record level of investment in key technologies like hypersonics and artificial intelligence and makes real progress toward modernizing our ships, our aircraft, and our combat vehicles. The vote, on July 27, was 86 yeas to 11 nays. YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC Plant a trillion trees. U.S. House Republicans have offered that idea as their plan for addressing the global climate emergency. And its hard to know whether to laugh or cry in response. Yes, planting more trees is always a fine idea, as deforestation is a big and deeply worrisome contributing factor to the worlds environmental woes. And its heartening to hear people whove so long denied the reality of climate change finally acknowledge the seriousness of the problem. But the hard truth is that theres no simple fix for the climate crisis. Just managing the devastation and keeping the situation from spiraling completely out of control will take herculean efforts in dozens of fields. And given that the political right still adamantly rejects one of the most important imperatives dramatically reducing fossil fuel use the tree scheme smacks more of a cynical P.R. move than a genuine commitment to action. Sadly, North Carolinians have born witness to a similarly superficial, inadequate and distracting initiative of late in a very different part of the public policy landscape. As numerous news outlets have reported, state legislative leaders are advancing a new scheme for addressing the economic struggles of some rural communities: casino gambling. House Speaker Tim Moore told WRAL that three economically disadvantaged counties Rockingham (home of Senate leader Phil Berger), Anson and Nash are the ones targeted in the scheme, though a fourth casino could also be authorized for the southeastern section of the state under the auspices of the Lumbee Tribe. An undisclosed corporation presumably one of the nations giant gambling conglomerates would supposedly invest as much as $1.5 billion. Moore, who of course has already succeeded in helping the South Carolina-based Catawba Tribe in opening a casino in his hometown of Kings Mountain, claimed that rural lawmakers a group that one might ordinarily assume would be inclined to listen to conservative religious leaders opposed to gambling are enthusiastic. They see it as a way to really spur the economy of the region, Moore said. The GOP gambling plan could also reportedly include legislation to open general legalization of slot-machine-style video lottery terminals in bars, restaurants and convenience stores. Its hard to overstate what a terrible idea all of this is. The people of North Carolina need a lot right now from their elected leaders: an adequately funded public education system, access to affordable health care, funding to fill thousands of vacancies in state jobs, and strong action to protect them from the spread of toxic chemicals, just to name a few. One thing, however, thats most assuredly not on the list is this: more corporate-controlled gambling. Indeed, its remarkable how directly the dishonest playbook the gambling industry and its lobbyists follow with politicians mirrors its business model with its customers. You know how this goes: Get rich! Create jobs! Fund your schools! For decades now, giant predatory gambling corporations have promised U.S. states that their product would provide a magical lift to their economies and tax bases. And repeatedly, the promises have turned out to be illusory. Yes, Nevada has built an economy around gambling tourism though many would question the nature of the community to which that economy has given rise but elsewhere, the story is one of almost unbroken failure. Remarkably, advocates at the nonprofit Stop Predatory Gambling report that according to a study by the Illinois Gambling Board, the total enrollment of citizens in the states voluntary Self-Exclusion Program was 11,119 and the total number of full and part-time casino jobs was 7,137 almost 35% higher. In other words, thousands more people battling gambling addiction have banned themselves from the states casinos than there are people who work inside them. And the number of self-identified addicts is much lower than the actual number. One can only imagine how such numbers would soar in North Carolina if lawmakers were to go so far as to unleash the states bars, restaurants and convenience stores to start hosting video gambling terminals. As this summers frightful weather makes clear, now is the time for urgent, all-hands-on-deck action to combat the global climate emergency. And so it is as well when it comes to the struggles economic, environmental, public health that confront so much of rural North Carolina. While its easy to understand the allure of seemingly quick-and-easy fixes be it a trillion trees or a crop of casinos the best hope for lasting and meaningful solutions in both areas lies in a renewed commitment to unglamorous public solutions that take time, public investments, hard work, and shared sacrifice. Food and agricultural innovations in Nebraska will be the focus of a weeklong visit by guests from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Missouri and Alberta, Canada, sponsored by Friendship Force of Lincoln from Aug. 24-30. Friendship Force of Lincoln encourages community members to join part or all of the events. Contact Maxine Moul at mmoul1@allophone.com for more information. This will be the first trip by Friendship Force International to Lincoln since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lincoln group is collaborating with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Agriculture and will include visits to East Campus, to the Nebraska State Fair and to Otoe County farming and entrepreneurial businesses. There will be two bus trips. A Sunday, Aug. 27 trip will be to the Otoe County communities of Nebraska City, Syracuse and Bennett. At Nebraska City, the agenda includes a salmon fish farm, a farm-to-table lunch at The Keeping Room with Nebraska beef tenderloin, greens and salad from the local fish farm, local vegetables and dessert. A salmon appetizer is also planned with fresh Atlantic salmon from the fish farm. A Backwoods Tour of Arbor Day Farm, a Syracuse farm equipment dealer and Bee World at Bennett are other Otoe County tour sites. Monday, Aug. 28, will feature a bus trip to the Vetter organic grain farm at Marquette and the State Fair in Grand Island. Lunch at the fairs Beef Pit will be followed by options at the Raising Nebraska Pavilion, the Oakridge Boys performance, Birthing Pavilion, livestock exhibits, quilt exhibit, open class exhibits and others. They include an overview of state and local innovative practices that protect and sustain Nebraskas resources by managing food production and agricultural practices, water use, and crops in a time of climate change. Panelists will include John Porter of UNL Extension, Hilary Maricle of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and Joe Luck of UNL Biological Systems. Other topics during the week are Global Warming and Agriculture, Precision Agriculture, Animal Science, the UNL Food Processing Center and the Nebraska Food for Health Center. Tuesday, Aug. 29, will include a presentation by Nebraskas Secretary of Agriculture, a Governors Mansion luncheon with Gov. Jim Pillen as guest speaker and a Tour of the Nebraska State Capitol. Other highlights will include a tour of Branched Oak Farm and Dutch Girl Creamery, and the Avert Vertical Cultivation, a hydroponic farm. Friendship Force of Lincoln has been invited to visit two communities in Java, Indonesia in 2024, also the first such journeys since COVID. Annual membership in Friendship Force Lincoln is $50. For more local club information, visit www.friendshipforcelincoln.org. Friendship Force of Lincoln is one of 364 chapters or clubs affiliated with Friendship Force International, a nonprofit organization based in more than 45 countries and on six continents, with 15,000 active members and over 300 journeys taking place each year. Friendship Force is dedicated to the principle that each person can contribute to global goodwill through personal friendships. The international website, www.friendshipforce.org, lists journeys in the United States and internationally. A 20-year-old Lincoln man is facing a maximum sentence of a year of incarceration after pleading no contest to child abuse in connection to a college student's reported rape. Dominic Bardales is set for sentencing in September, following the plea hearing Thursday. Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Julie Mruz said the state reduced the charge from first-degree sexual assault of an incompetent person to the misdemeanor in exchange for Bardales' plea. She said that just after 2 a.m. Aug. 20, University Police were called to a student apartment at 50/50 at 18th and R streets near the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus on a report of a sexual assault. Mruz said a woman said Bardales, whom she had met on the dating app Tinder, had come over with a friend and a case of beer. She and Bardales went into her bedroom and had consensual sex. After, Bardales left her room and went into her roommate's bedroom and closed the door. Shortly after, the woman and the others heard crying coming from the room and knocked. Mruz said Bardales opened the door, said he didn't do anything and left. The victim, an 18-year-old UNL student, was hyperventilating on her bed with no pants on. She said she didn't want to have sex and tried to call out but Bardales put his hand over her mouth, Mruz said. University Police arrested Bardales, who wasn't a student, the next day. UNL maintains a comprehensive list of campus and local resources for sexual assault survivors on its website, including information on how to report sexual assaults to both law enforcement and the school's Title IX office. What you missed this week in notable Southeast Nebraska crimes and court cases This week's local crime and court updates from The Lincoln Journal Star. Local News editor's pick topical Lincoln man sentenced for selling heroin that led to overdose death "This case obviously involves a tragic situation where a victim overdosed and subsequently died," Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Bunjer said in court Friday. The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday reversed a Lincoln man's conviction and sentence for stabbing a Lincoln Police officer in a 2018 confrontation in his home that ended with him and another officer being shot by friendly fire. Christopher Brennauer's case was sent back to Lancaster County District Court for a new trial. And he is likely to remain, for now, at the Nebraska Reception & Treatment Center, where he has been serving a 57- to 79-year sentence. It all has to do with the insanity defense and the instructions given to the jury at Brennauer's trial in 2021. "At trial, Brennauers insanity defense presented a question of law that we have not previously considered: the effect of Nebraska Revised Statute 29-2203(4) on the insanity defense," according to the unanimous court. The law at issue deals with the insanity defense, and the particular section with temporary insanity caused by voluntarily drinking, taking drugs or other "mentally debilitating substances." The charges in Brennauers case are related to a single event on Dec. 29, 2018, arising from a 911 call from Brennauers girlfriend in which she said Brennauer was mentally ill and threatening to harm himself with a knife. When police tried to take him into emergency protective custody, he resisted, resulting in an officer receiving a stab wound and Brennauer receiving two gunshot wounds to his back. Another officer also was shot by friendly fire and since has retired, citing the injury. At trial, Brennauer's public defenders raised an insanity defense, arguing that officers, rather than deescalating the situation and getting help for a mentally ill man in crisis, rushed in, cornered him and quickly pointed Tasers and a gun at him. Brennauer had a long history of mental illness that dated back to when he was 12. In 2003, he was found not responsible by reason of insanity for an attempted robbery and hospitalized at the Lincoln Regional Center until 2011. He was re-hospitalized in 2013 for failing to take his medications and for using illicit substances. By 2018, he was out and using methamphetamine, alcohol and cannabis. He had been on a waiting list for a residential program on Dec. 29, 2018. At trial, experts on both sides agreed Brennauer had a history of mental illness but disagreed on the cause of his loss of memory about that night and whether he understood the nature and consequences of his actions or the difference between right and wrong at the time. They also disagreed about whether Brennauer had been in a meth-induced psychosis. In the end, the jury found him guilty of possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, two counts of assault on an officer and use of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony. The Lancaster County Public Defender's Office argued the state had "complicated the issue" presented to the jury by suggesting in closing arguments that the jury could not find Brennauer was insane if it found that his memory loss of the incident was due to his intoxication, which could not be ruled out completely. The state contended the evidence undisputedly showed that Brennauers mental condition at the time was a temporary condition caused by his intoxication and, therefore, not a defense. But the court said, under the states interpretation of the law, a successful insanity defense is precluded when any voluntary use of intoxicating substances led to the defendants lack of capacity. That overlooks longstanding precedent, according to the opinion. While temporary insanity caused by voluntary intoxication is not a complete defense to a crime, one may be both intoxicated and insane, the court said. "To be punishable under such circumstances, the crime must take place and be the immediate result of a fit of intoxication, and not the result of insanity occasioned by previous bad habits," the judges said. They said two of the instructions could have been confusing to jurors on the issue and sent it back for retrial. What you missed this week in notable Southeast Nebraska crimes and court cases This week's local crime and court updates from The Lincoln Journal Star. Local News editor's pick topical Lincoln man sentenced for selling heroin that led to overdose death "This case obviously involves a tragic situation where a victim overdosed and subsequently died," Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Bunjer said in court Friday. The state agency charged with enforcing Nebraska's campaign finance disclosure and lobbying laws named its next executive director after commissioners mulled the choice for nearly an hour Friday. Members of Nebraska's Accountability and Disclosure Commission ultimately voted 7-0 Friday to promote David Hunter, who has worked for the agency for 23 years, to head the commission. Hunter, the agency's deputy director, will succeed his longtime boss Frank Daley Jr., who will retire in September after serving for more than two decades as the agency's executive director, a job he's held since 1999. At an open meeting Friday at the Capitol, the commission interviewed Hunter and two other finalists: Tag Herbek, a senior attorney at the state Department of Banking and Finance, and Jamie Karl, the managing director of communication services at the Ohio Manufacturers' Association. Karl previously worked for Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, the state Department of Agriculture and two Republican representatives in the state's congressional delegation. Hunter and the two other finalists were among 77 applicants who vied for the executive director job, which pays $105,000 to $110,000 annually. His exact salary will be negotiated in the coming weeks. In his interview with the commission, Hunter, who started at the agency in 2000, touted his decades of direct experience on the commission and said he plans to work there until he retires. "Without our office, the opportunities for corruption ... could be unlimited," Hunter said Friday after Secretary of State Bob Evnen asked him what he viewed as the primary purpose of the commission's existence. Hunter, who told commissioners he planned to model his leadership in part off of Daley, who he was worked under for his entire career at the agency, also faced questions over what he might do differently than his predecessor. "Frank Daley is an extremely impressive person," Hunter responded. "He does the job of multiple people. I think I would try to and build up some more staff, perhaps." Hunter noted that the agency has had a vacant auditor position for more than a year, and he said he would seek funding for an additional staffer. The longtime deputy director suggested he might allow employees to work from home in a hybrid model to help recruit staff in what he described as a difficult labor market, particularly in the public sector. "The bottom line for the majority of applicants, I think, is pay. At least that is what's, I think, preventing the auditor position from being filled," he said of the job that pays $21.45 an hour. He suggested that he would consider adding duties to the auditor position to in turn raise the pay scale in an effort to attract qualified candidates. After interviews with all three candidates, the commission entered closed session for approximately 50 minutes to select the finalist that will lead the agency, ultimately settling on Hunter. Though the board publicly voted unanimously to appoint the longtime deputy to the director position, it's unclear if there was consensus from the start of the commission's closed-door discussion. Marty Callahan, who has served on the commission since 2018, said outside the meeting room that commissioners held "general discussion (of) the candidates" amid the closed session. "I mean that's nothing we'll go into detail on," he said. "I think it was just a review of the candidates. Nothing spectacular, and the vote came out at, I think, 7-0." When the meeting reopened to the public Friday, Daley summoned a beaming Hunter from elsewhere in the Capitol building to reappear before the commission. "Well, Mr. David Hunter, congratulations. You are soon to be our new executive director," said Kate Sullivan, the commission's chair. "Have any thoughts?" "I'm ready to work," he said. Photos: Last day of the 108th Nebraska Legislature An attorney with more than a decade of experience in advocacy at the local, state and federal levels was named the chief lobbyist of the University of Nebraska system on Friday. Kristen Hassebrook, an associate at Mueller Robak, will replace Heath Mello as NU's lead advocate at the Capitol. She was also named associate vice president for government relations. NU President Ted Carter said Hassebrook "will be a fantastic addition to our team." "As a native Nebraskan and Husker alum, she knows our state and university well, and she has spent her career building strong and trusted relationships with leaders in government, agriculture, business and education," Carter said. "Kristen is exactly the right person to share stories of the universitys work and impact with elected leaders and other officials, both in Nebraska and Washington, whose partnership is so vital to our success," he added. With Hassebrook's hiring comes a shuffle in Carter's administrative cabinet. Mello, in addition to being NU's chief lobbyist, was also a vice president of the university system. That position has been eliminated, and Hassebrook will report directly to Carter. Her salary will be $240,000, according to an NU spokeswoman. A native of Laurel, Hassebrook graduated with bachelor's and law degrees from UNL and was admitted to the Nebraska bar in 2011. She was previously the executive vice president for legislation and policy at the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and has served as vice president for legal and regulatory affairs for the Nebraska Cattlemen and as executive director of the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska. Hassebrook is also a former development director for the University of Nebraska Foundation, where her fundraising efforts focused on the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In addition to advocacy, Hassebrook has lectured at UNL in agriculture and natural resources ethics. "The University of Nebraska is a symbol of leadership in education, research and economic advancement for the entire state," Hassebrook said in a statement. "The chance to help chart the path forward for my alma mater, which has done so much for me and my family, is the opportunity of a lifetime." Hassebrook lives in Raymond and raises livestock with her husband and two daughters. Top Journal Star photos for July 2023 A mountain lion first identified Monday in southwest Omaha was spotted again early Friday relatively close to the location of the first sighting, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The mountain lion was documented on security video at 5:25 a.m. Friday near Interstate 80 and Mockingbird Drive. The location is about 1.4 miles from where the animal was recorded by a home security video at 4:15 a.m. Monday near I-80 and Q Street. Wildlife professionals from Game and Parks and officers from the Omaha Police Department were monitoring the area where the cat was recorded Friday. Game and Parks officials said Monday that it was difficult to determine the animals age because the video was not well-lit. Male and female mountain lions are difficult to distinguish because they do not have differentiating markings that can typically be seen in photos or video. It was not immediately clear Friday whether the new video had yielded any additional information about the animal. Mountain lions found in the eastern part of the state are typically sub-adults who are looking for territory of their own. Dispersing males usually weigh 100 to 120 pounds, and dispersing females are typically 70 to 90 pounds. They can walk up to 20 miles a day. The nearest established population of mountain lions is near Valentine. According to Game and Parks Mountain Lion Response Plan, a mountain lion within the limits of a municipality will be killed, if it can be done safely, to protect the public. Mountain lion attacks, however, are rare. For more information about mountain lions in Nebraska, including the management plan and additional tips for what to do if you encounter one, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov and search mountain lion management plan. Top Journal Star photos for July 2023 NORTH PLATTE The University of Nebraska Medical Center and Great Plains Health signed an affiliation agreement Wednesday that will bring medical students to North Platte. Students at UNMC will be given the opportunity to take their classroom skills into real-life situations at the North Platte hospital as they work toward completing their education. With physician and nursing shortages across the United States, the groundbreaking agreement will address one aspect to help students attain their goals. Literally after months of work and years of spectacularly successful collaboration, we signed a master affiliation agreement with Great Plains Health, UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey Gold said. Its a big deal, and I might add that actually of these new umbrella agreement arrangements that we have developed, literally hot off the press, this was the first one that we have signed. In a statement, GPH CEO Ivan Mitchell said, Today demonstrates our commitment to further enhancing our partnership with UNMC so that we can serve our community and build this critical workforce. We appreciate any opportunity to streamline processes that create meaningful clinical experiences for students in Greater Nebraska. Gold said the agreement will help to continually grow educational experiences for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, therapists and a host of health profession students. Those students will be offered the opportunity to obtain some of their clinical experiences at Great Plains Health, Gold said. Frankly, it will allow us to add pieces over a period of time. Discussions include adding more surgical training, pediatrics training and different types of nursing programs at GPH. He said the plan is to cultivate similar agreements with other hospitals in Nebraska as well as other states. Our highest and most important focus is in Nebraska, Gold said. This agreement, Gold said, would bolster the medical workforce. At the end of the day, there are only a limited number of things that determine what the future of the health professional workforce is going to be, Gold said. Of course, you need the substrate. You need the young women and young men who want a career in the health profession. Next is the need for the accredited educational programs, the colleges and universities that provide the faculty and staff, classrooms and simulation. Then you need the clinical experience, Gold said. You need bedside experience, operative experience, emergency experience, and labor and delivery experience. The final step is based on that clinical experience, Gold said, so young women and young men who graduate from those programs want to stay in that community. That is to say, they have to be made to feel welcome, Gold said, so thats what (the hospitals) want to sell. Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, UNMC dean of Nursing, said one of the things the UNMC College of Nursing works to achieve in its programs is getting those students into the clinical placements Gold described. What weve found is that the more clinical experiences and those times that students spend in the hospitals, Sharp-McHenry said, the higher chance theyre going to choose those places to work after graduation. We really try to work with our clinical partners to open up those clinical opportunities, and this master affiliation agreement will do just that. She said it will help UNMC get students into those locations sooner and allow them to spend more time in those facilities. That gives the institutions first opportunity to hire those students because theyve had a chance to observe their clinical experiences across semesters and to make offers early. Thats something that is really common across the country, Sharp-McHenry said. Were seeing more of that in nursing programs because hospitals are seeing the values of getting students into their facilities earlier and longer and giving them first opportunity to hire those students and being able to retain them in those communities. Gold said this type of agreement is just one step, but a very important one, in determining where these young professionals will settle, particularly if they grew up in a rural community. If they derive the majority of their education and their clinical experiences in a rural community, Gold said, then thats the highest likelihood of retaining them. MOUNT PLEASANT Italian Festival, a longstanding Racine tradition, is back and continues into Sunday. The 44th annual event, taking place at Roma Lodge, 7130 Spring St., kicked off with a lunch before opening later in the day to live music and a craft fair. Pat Diem, chair on the festivals organizing committee, said the lodge uses the phrase family, fun and food in reference to the festival. Thats sort of what the Italian heritage is about, Diem said. Bringing people together as families or extended families and having food as a centerpiece of that and just having fun. This is the third festival at Roma Lodges current location in Mount Pleasant. Previously, the festival was held near the lakefront at Festival Hall. Diem said that out of the 350 Roma Lodge members, about 200 members and their families volunteer to make the weekend possible. Volunteers work booths and make and serve food. Children of members like Vincenzo Ruffalo, 20, who is helping man the bomber station this weekend have been helping out at the annual festival for most of their lives. Frank Bisotti, president of Roma Lodge, said the festival is his favorite event the lodge puts on every year. The son of a past president, Bisotti worked the first Italian Festival as a bartender when he was 19. When Im done being president, I told Pat I want to be on the committee, Bisotti said with a laugh. Saturdays events will include live music from noon to midnight, another craft fair from 2 -8 p.m., and baked Italian chicken served at the lodges Cafe Roma. Other food, including beef sandwiches, pizza and various fried foods, will be available to purchase at the festival each day. The Vittoria Colonna, the female-led sister organization to Roma Lodge, will also be selling various baked goods like fried dough, Italian cookies and cannoli. Its red, white and green day, Exclaimed Barb Porcaro Suprak as she ran to her position at the festivals cannoli stand. Sunday is the festivals final day. Mass will take place at 10:30 a.m., with other festival events happening 12-5 p.m. A raffle drawing is scheduled for 3 p.m., and lasagna will be served at the cafe. A spaghetti eating contest is planned to start after the raffle drawing. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Roma Lodge and be donated to various local organizations. Last year, Roma Lodge gave $5,000 of donations from Italian Fest proceeds to Health Care Network, 500 Wisconsin Ave., Racine. Roma Lodge is also celebrating its centennial anniversary this year. Established in 1923, Roma Lodge members helped to integrate immigrants from the old country into American society by helping them learn English and find jobs. Since then, Roma Lodge has become a fraternity to provide Italian Americans in the area a community. Tickets for Italian Festival are $5 at the gate, with free admission on Sunday. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Yes. Killeen has already committed $100,000; if funding is halted, it will all be for nothing. Yes. It's important for the city to follow through on its obligation to voters on this issue. No. The city has already spent too much taxpayer money on this. Cut off the funding. No. The ordinance is illegal. The city should have repealed it and adjusted city policy instead. Unsure. It's hard to say. There are some valid points on both sides of the argument. Vote View Results HOLDREGE A vote that would have put the merger of two major power districts back on track failed Friday during a packed meeting at Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District headquarters in Holdrege. Today was a day when local politics worked, said Gary Robison, a Bertrand irrigator who led the Citizens Opposed to the Merger organization that stopped Centrals consolidation with Dawson Public Power District based in Lexington. During a special meeting Friday of the Central Board of Directors, the intent was to vote to amend Centrals charter and fix the technicality that sidetracked the merger in April when the matter went before the Nebraska Power Review Board for approval. On Friday, the Central board voted 7-5 in favor of adopting the amendment; however, under state law, eight votes in favor were required. We worked hard to get people to that meeting on Friday, Robison said. We wanted people on the board to see their constituents when they voted. Robison said two Central board representatives from Kearney County who voted in favor of the merger in October 2021 flipped their votes on Friday, and it was enough to kill the measure to fix the technicality in Centrals bylaws. I dont think its dead. If it comes back, its because theyll feel like they shored up the vote and are ready to make another try, Robison said. One day before Fridays vote, descendants of George Kingsley who was instrumental in making Lake McConaughy, the Kingsley hydro and the vast network of irrigation canals a reality announced they opposed the merger. Four great-grandchildren of Kingsley, Tim Kingsley, Liz Mattson, David Kingsley and Nancy Oertle, urged the CNPPID Board to vote against the merger at Fridays special meeting. Our great grandfather, George P. Kingsley, gave his time, money, and the last 20 years of his life to the formation of what is today Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, the grandchildren wrote in a letter to CNPPID directors. His dream was to bring irrigation to the fertile lands of the tri-county basin (Kearney, Phelps and Gosper). Those farms are the heartbeat of the communities within, and their sustainability is dependent upon agriculture. Efforts to merge Central and Dawson began when they announced plans to study a potential merger in November 2020. A consultant was hired to review finances, assets, board governance and the benefits for the customers. The study process was divided into four levels, with each one being more detailed. Both Central and Dawson boards voted on each stage of review, having the opportunity to end the process at any time. In addition to news media coverage, press releases, newsletter articles, public open house events were held to share information and listen to concerns. The expenses for the study and legal consultation have been shared by Central and Dawson PPD. A spokesman for Central said whether the power and irrigation district attempts to salvage the merger at this point would be up to the Board of Directors. Both Central and Dawson boards had voted to merge in October 2021, but irrigators organized the Citizens Opposed to the Merger group to fight the proposed consolidation. COTM has 100 members and $400,000 to fight the proposed merger. COTM said water users in Phelps, Kearney and Gosper counties might lose control of the water that fuels crop production in south-central Nebraska. More specifically, COTM claimed that south-central Nebraska would be under represented on the new board of directors for the merged districts. Pucker up for Lipstick Day on July 29. Its also International Tiger Day, and the Racine Zoo celebrates with fun events all day, which are FREE with zoo admission. Its all part of the zoos Zoorific Saturdays. For more details, go to racinezoo.org. Head to the Northside Library, 1500 27th Ave., for Animals, Animals Theyre Everywhere at 10:30 a.m. Participants are invited to join the humorous and entertaining naturalist David Stokes for songs, stories, and artifacts while you learn about and meet some live animals. This is a free program open to everyone. Taste of Wisconsin wraps up today in HarborPark. The festival features 30-plus food and beverage vendors, plus live music on four stages. The festival is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. along the harbor, at 54th Street and Calabria Way (formerly Ring Road). Tonight, Joey Belotti & Sonic Freedom rocks out on the Rock Stage at 9:30 p.m. and the John Crawford Jazz Band plays at 8 p.m. on the Jazz Stage. Admission and parking are free. For more about the festival, go to tasteofwi.com. The new Lake Fest event described by organizers as a celebration of fun activities on or near the water starts at 10 a.m. today with a Family Dock Party at Great Lakes Yacht Sales, 443 50th St. on the harbor. The Dock Party features games, food and arts and crafts from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A Scavenger Hunt (with prizes) is noon to 2 p.m. At 11 a.m., the Coast Guard Auxiliary will talk about boat safety. Step by Step dancers will perform at noon. At 1 p.m., the Kenosha Police Departments Officer Friendly will talk about water safety. Events at the Beach House on Simmons Island, 5001 Fourth Ave. at the lakefront, include a Bags Tournament and a Bocce Ball Tournament, both from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A highlight is the Venetian Night Boat Parade at sunset, starting about 8 p.m. The public is invited to view the Venetian Boat Parade along the harbor channel and harborside. To find out more about the parade and viewing areas, join Lake Fests Facebook group (search Kenosha Lake Fest). The annual Picnic in Paris is noon to 9 p.m. today on the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church grounds, 1501 172nd Ave. (on Highway D just north of Highway 142). The free festival includes a car show from noon to 4 p.m.; silent auction items; live music from The Chevelles Band (1 to 4 p.m.) and The Hat Guys (6 to 9 p.m.), raffles, kids games, a white elephant and rummage sale area and a country store booth. The festival features plenty of food options, too, including the festivals specialty: schaum tortes. The Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 First Ave., is hosting the Transparent Watercolor Societys annual exhibit, showcasing paintings from the top transparent watercolor artists in the country. Admission is free. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. FOUNTAIN CITY Joe Chisholm knows firsthand how much infectious positivity can be when it comes from the family of the late Casey Knutson. When I blew up at Deer Creek at Fall Jamboree, Caseys dad came up to me and said Hang your head high, theres a lot of good to come and keep carrying those red, white and blue colors, Chisholm said. That kind of stuck with me. Chisholm was met in victory lane by the Knutson family after winning the fourth annual K-Town Klash in the USRA B-Mod feature at Mississippi Thunder Speedway on Thursday night. The Osage, Iowa-native took home $1,712 and the same trophy his brother Jim won previously. This is one of my want to win races and I wanted to make sure everything was right, Chisholm said. This is one Ive wanted and just pushed it farther. Ive come close to it and it just drove me to want it more. Smoke held off Dylan Goettl late after a caution with eight laps to go restacked the field. While Chisholm had ridden the high line to the point, he searched around for the cleanest line to best Goettl. Dylan was just better at the bottom, Chisholm said. I was the momentum car and once he poked his nose underneath me one more time I had to go up to the wall. Chisholm took the checkered flag just past 11:30 p.m. after a heavy downpour delayed the start of the event by just under two hours. The rain and track preparation actually contributed to Chisholms early strategy. The night started strong for Chisholm, winning his heat race in his first B-Mod action at MTS in four weeks. As part of a special three-wide start, Chisholm was sandwiched between points leader Ryan Olson and Nathan Butterfield. Chisholm managed to pull away at the start and found himself putting cars a lap down quickly. I really wanted to control the race early because the track was great and I knew wed have a few green flag runs, Chisholm said. We got into lap traffic and thats kind of where I could start searching for lines for that potential late green flag run like we had. I had a general idea how to run those lines and where to go. A debris caution caught up Goettl and Olson back to Chisholms rear bumper, but the fourth place car at the time wouldnt be able to challenge. Taylor Ausrad collected damage on the ensuing restart and was forced to retire, settling for a 28th place finish. Another caution with eight laps to go from an accident involving John Feirn and Dylan Hutkowski gave Goettl and Olson one last shot at the No. 25 car. Goettls No. 24 car had edged out Chisholm at the line while taking the white flag, but the momentum from the high side in turn one and two gave Chisholm the spot back. Olson settled for third after late contact with the outside wall. Dan Hovden finished fourth while Brandon Hare rounded out the top-five. In honor of Casey Knutsons former No. 12, Zach Brom received a bonus of over $150 for his 12th place finish. Tyler Werner, who won the B-Main to qualify for the event, earned the hard charger bonus for making up 11 spots on the way to 14th. Charlotte Fung Miller is a watercolor artist and is the August guest artist at VIVA Gallery in Viroqua. She works on rice paper and you will notice in her painting that shadowing and depth is achieved using gradation of color. Serenity, peace and a reverence for nature is evident in her art. It is clear that she takes much delight in the changing seasons of Wisconsin. Along with her painting, she shares her heritage by teaching courses in Chinese art and cooking. Ms. Fung Miller studied formal Chinese calligraphy and Chinese brush painting under San Francisco Master Lui-Sang Wong. She is a native of San Francisco and now resides in Mukwonago, Wisconsin. Her captivating work can be seen through the month of August at VIVA. Meet Charlotte and learn more about her and her work at our 1st Thursday Artist Reception, Aug. 3 from 5 to 7 p.m. at VIVA Gallery. VIVA Gallery invites you to come and experience the joy and beauty that art of all mediums can offer. The work of our guest artist and the work of the members of VIVA will bring inspiration, connection, and insight into your own world. VIVA Gallery is located at 217 S. Main St.; check the website for more information at www.vivagallery.net. Its owners, Xavier Yang and his fiancee, Yer Thao, say theyre pleased with the amount of business that Eau Juicy-La Crosse has received, since the Asian-inspired Cajun seafood boil restaurant opened July 14. Weve learned a lot about what-area residents like, Yang said at the restaurant at 412 Main St. in downtown La Crosse, where Soulas Cuisina restaurant closed at the end of June. Weve noticed that here, a lot of people like snow crab. Yang and Thao operated their first Eau Juicy restaurant in Eau Claire from July 2021 to September 2022, and plan to open another Eau Juicy next spring in nearby Altoona. Some of the other most popular menu items include head-off shrimp and the Dillybob Special platter which is 4 to 5 pounds of shrimp, mussels, crawfish and snow crab with four pieces of corn, four potatoes and 12 pieces of sausages, and which can feed two to four people. Besides seafood, Eau Juicy-La Crosses menu includes wings, french fries, egg rolls and add-ons and sides such as corn, potatoes, sausages, sticky rice and sweet rolls. It also includes various sauces. The restaurant also offers catering. Yang and Thao hope to begin offering beer, wine and cocktails in September, once they get a city liquor license. The restaurant uses Cajun and Asian spices. Thao was born in Thailand and came to the United States initially to Wisconsin Rapids in 2004. She later moved to Eau Claire, where she met Yang. Yang, who was born and raised in Eau Claire, attended Viterbo University in La Crosse from 2014 to 2017, where he received a bachelors degree in business management. His familiarity with La Crosse was one reason why he and Thao chose the city for their second restaurant location. The restaurants summer hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Thao and Yang plan to expand hours once classes begin this fall at local colleges. For more information, call 715-492-3575 or visit the restaurants Facebook page. As I mentioned in last weeks column, plans for construction of a new Panda Express restaurant as part of the redevelopment of the former Macys department store property at Valley View Mall were reviewed July 21 by the citys Commercial/Multi-Family Design Review Committee. Yesterday, the committee reviewed plans for construction of a Club Car Wash near Panda Express. The car wash also would be part of the redevelopment of the former Macys property. The redevelopment involves demolishing the vacant former department store building and constructing some new, smaller buildings there and in some adjacent parking areas. The Panda Express plans reviewed July 21 showed that the Panda Express would be built between a car wash and a fast-food restaurant. And there also were references to a financial office and a coffee business. Panda Express was the only business identified by name in those documents. According to a June 7 press release on the Columbia, Mo., car wash companys website, Club Car Wash has more than 130 locations in 10 states (including Wisconsin) in the central United States. For more information, visit http://clubcarwash.com. Mike Rude opened his Polite Barber Shop in late June in its new location at 705 State St. in downtown La Crosse, where he also plans to open a barber college. Its in the former location of the Family Medical Supply and CPAP Store, which moved last August to 624 King St. The Polite Barber Shop had been at 109 N. Fourth St. since 2018. The barber shops hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Rude, who has been a barber for 11 years, chose the Polite name for the barber shop partly because its the opposite of his last name. He also owns Rude Barber Shop in Wisconsin Rapids, which he opened last August. Rude said he moved his La Crosse barber shop to the State Street location because he needed a larger space, partly because he plans to also open the Polite Barber Academy there once he can get state approval. I hope I can take on my first student by Sept. 1, he said. For more information, call the barber shop at 608-385-6050 or visit its Facebook page. Steve Cahalan can be reached at stevecahalan.reporter@gmail.com. Welcome to life on the river... bring your boat & fishing poles and enjoy riverfront living on the north branch of the upper Fox River. Travel on your boat north into Wisconsin or head south through beautiful Chain O'Lakes State Park to tour the entire Chain O'Lakes and continue south down the Fox River through the locks in McHenry all the way down to Algonquin IL. This new construction three-bedroom, two-bath home sits at least two feet above floodplain and offers a nice great room with cathedral ceiling & sliding glass door, kitchen, eating area, two main level bedrooms as well as a full bath & laundry room and upper-level master suite with full bath & loft overlooking great room. Main level features beautiful Bamboo flooring. Pretty view of the Fox River and across to the nature area with plenty of wildlife to enjoy. Exterior is cedar with vinyl shingle siding, architectural shingle roof, Andersen windows and masonry around concrete flow-through foundation. Nice deep lot with two car garage and plenty of parking & storage for your boat & other toys. Oak Park playground and boat launch is just a couple minutes away, Gander Mountain Nature Preserve is 5 minutes away and the Chain O'Lakes State Park is approximately 10 minutes away. Shopping areas in Antioch and Spring Grove are also about 10 minutes away. View More Japan recently put in place export controls on the latest microchip, or semiconductor, technologies. Observers said the move targets China. Japans export controls follow other recent restrictions enforced by the United States and the Netherlands, two other major producers of the most modern semiconductors. Japan listed 23 kinds of semiconductor technology that have export restrictions. The restrictions started July 23. They include different kinds of advanced microchip manufacturing equipment. The controls will affect Chinas ability to make advanced chips, researcher Yoshiaki Takayama of the Japan Institute for International Affairs in Tokyo said. The Japanese measure complements U.S.-led export control measures because the number of companies with the capacity to manufacture cutting-edge chips is extremely limited, Takayama told VOA. He added, The Japanese measure makes it difficult for China not only to import advanced chips, but also to manufacture them. He added that China appears to be starting to produce less advanced semiconductors. Western controls The United States banned the export of some advanced microchips and semiconductor manufacturing technology to China in October and urged Western allies to do the same. The Netherlands is another important producer of semiconductors. That country enforced similar measures in June. Taiwan has also promised to support the U.S. policy. The U.S. says it wants to prevent China from using the technology for military purposes. The Group of Seven large economic powers discussed the issue at its meeting in Japan in May. The allies agreed on the need to de-risk from possible Chinese economic coercion. Members said they want to avoid becoming dependent on China for semiconductor technologies. These combined measures will severely affect Chinas ability to keep up with Western technology, Takayama said. It will hurt Chinas ability to manufacture state-of-the-art semiconductors and increase its manufacturing capacity. Unlike the traditional mechanical technology industries, where reverse engineering has produced important technological learnings, reverse engineering does not produce useful knowledge in the semiconductor manufacturing sector, Takayama said. He said that todays scientific progress is largely the result of big data research and computer technology rather than repeated trial and error. And he added that it seems that China, with limited availability of the latest semiconductors, could fall behind in scientific and technological research and development. Unlike the United States and the Netherlands, Japan did not name China as the target of its export restrictions. The restrictions affect 160 countries. However, China still reacted angrily. Researchers say it is important that Western allies work together on their export controls. The U.S. is expected to update its list of banned semiconductor technologies soon. Chinas response In a retaliatory move, China banned the import of semiconductors from the American company Micron in May. Chinese officials said the ban was over national security concerns. Takayama said some companies in Japan fear China will seek to restrict their imports. China has additionally threatened to restrict exports of two important metals in the production of semiconductors: gallium and germanium. Chinas move seems to be in response to the U.S. Chips Act and the increasing pressure on U.S. allies to restrict sales of microchip technology. Im Gregory Stachel. Gregory Stachel adapted this report for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters sources. ________________________________________________ Words in This Story chip n. (technology) a very small piece of hard material (usually silicon) in a computer or other device that contains many electronic circuits complement v. to complete something else or make it better capacity n. the ability to do something coerce v. to make (someone) do something by using force or threats reverse engineer v. to study the parts of a device to see how it was made and how it works so that you can make something that is like it retaliate v. to do something bad to someone who has hurt you or treated you badly: to get revenge against someone state-of-the-art adj. having or using the latest technology trial and error phrase the process of trying different ways to solve a problem until you find one that works _______________________________________________ What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. Marla Delgado-Guerrero has been counseling undergraduate students since she was one herself. A job as multicultural resident consultant, or MRC, in Chadbourne Hall was an unofficial launch to Delgado-Guerreros counseling career. Unlike a traditional house fellow who monitors behavior and enforces quiet hours in the residence halls, Delgado-Guerrero was tasked with being a resource for students of color. I remember very distinctly setting up my dorm room with my futon (and) a little end table with magazines sprawled out, she said. One of my residents said, I feel like Im in a shrinks office, I feel like youre my therapist. It was through that job the then-family and consumer journalism major discovered she had a passion for helping students and its defined her career ever since. Another pivotal moment came as a graduate student when Delgado-Guerrero mentored UW-Madisons class of 2011 Chicago Posse. Posse is a national scholarship foundation that uplifts prospective students with leadership potential who might otherwise be overlooked under traditional college admissions processes at elite schools, with UW-Madison being one of the foundations 63 university partners. The Posse program is highly competitive but comes with an enormous benefit if selected: Students receive a full-ride scholarship and are given academic and emotional support by being grouped in a posse of 10 students from their same city and receiving mentoring from graduate students. Many of the Posse students come from diverse backgrounds a key pillar of the program, as Posse Foundation leaders believes diversity is needed to solve national issues. Many of the 800 students admitted into the program each year are from Black and Hispanic communities in large cities. Delgado-Guerrero took over UW-Madisons Posse program in November after nearly seven years as a psychologist at Marquette University. As director, Delgado-Guerreros posse has effectively grown to 160. Her class of 2011 group remains with her each day, though, in a photo collage the students made that hangs on the wall of her office in the Red Gym. UW-Madison Posse program undergraduates are grouped into four city-centric posses from Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. And while Delgado-Guerrero wasnt a Posse student, some of her experiences align with theirs. As children, Delgado-Guerrero and her seven siblings moved from an urban area with a large population of people who shared their heritage to a place that didnt. She also chose to attend a predominately white university hours from home. Born in Chicago to Mexican-American immigrants, Delgado-Guerrero moved to Omro as a child as her family sought safer lives free from gang violence. Delgado-Guerreros older siblings took the brunt of discrimination as it seemed to taper off the longer the family lived there, she said. I think it was a brave decision, she said. Picture 20-25 Mexican-Americans moving into a predominately white community the community was unfamiliar with us, to say the least. Youre a three-time Badger. What brought you to UW-Madison? I was invited to be part of the (American Legion Auxiliarys) Badger state girls program. At that time it was in Madison, so (I) got to see the campus, fell in love with it. I could really see myself being here. I only applied to UW-Madison for college, got in and came in 2000. How did you first get involved with Posse? Posse came to UW-Madison in 2002. (UW-Madison alumnus) Wade Fetzer was just so impressed with that group of 20 students (from Chicago), saying, I would love to have you all come to Madison. So he brought all 20 of those finalists to Madison for the very first Posse. Those students happened to be my residents in the residence halls. They quickly became my friends after I finished being the MRC. When I was going to graduate school, my mentor Dr. Alberta Gloria said, Do you have funding for graduate school? I thought I was just going to take loans; thats probably what most people do. She said, actually theres a program called the Posse program, and those Posse mentors are graduate assistants. They get their tuition covered for graduate school, they get a stipend. And she goes, would you be interested in that position? Did being a Posse mentor have an impact on you? I was influential to my mentees (but) I see how theyve influenced me as well. So it really was a two-way street. It really taught me that relationships are so foundational and that ability to just connect, to see somebody, to be in a vulnerable state with somebody can just be so helpful for them. And it just solidified my passion to say, I really want to work with college students in my future career. Im really, really proud that all 11 graduated UW-Madison one took a little longer, but again we got her done and just are doing quite incredible things in their lives now, and I still maintain contact with them. I do consider myself a mentor to them still. Theyll ask me about career (choices and) they all came to my wedding in 2013, so those are just relationships that I absolutely treasure and cherish and have Posse to thank for that. Do you feel that your background is a plus in your position? A lot of scholars are coming from New York, L.A., D.C. and Chicago, so adjusting from big cities to Madison, Wisconsin theres a big adjustment process. And I knew firsthand because I already had mentored Chicago scholars, so I knew the psychological processes of moving away from home, what you grew up with, all you know. So for me knowing that transition can be difficult, I really want to focus on how to make sure that were recognizing that is a challenge to work through and to give ourselves some grace and some patience while we do that process. A lot of them will also say its the first time they started feeling that imposter syndrome, like I dont belong here, or maybe Im not as smart as I thought I was. And I say, youre also at a university thats attracting incredible students from across the world, so its OK to feel that way. So really using my background to really emphasize that piece to help increase their self-esteem, self-efficacy, I think has come a long way already. What has been the most rewarding part of your job so far? Just making those connections with the scholars. I took this job because it was going to give me both that macro level, to the kind of administrative decisions to keep moving the program forward. I wanted to not lose contact with the actual student, too. Every time I get an opportunity to sit down with a scholar and just say, Tell me a little bit about your story, or Id love to hear kind of what are your goals and your aspirations those pieces where they feel heard and seen is just so special. And theyre like, for you to take take the time to just meet with me, know my name, make me feel like Im not a number here at a huge campus, I think thats really special. Photos: UW-Madison's 170th commencement WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell briefly left his own press conference Wednesday after stopping his remarks midsentence and staring off into space for several seconds. McConnell approached the podium for his weekly press conference and began speaking about the annual defense bill on the floor, which he said was proceeding with good bipartisan cooperation. But he then appeared to lose his train of thought, trailing off with a drawn-out uh. The Kentucky senator then appeared to freeze up and stared vacantly for around 20 seconds before his colleagues in Republican leadership, who were standing behind him and could not see his face, grabbed his elbows and asked if he wanted to go back to his office. He did not answer, but slowly walked back to his office with an aide and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, a former orthopedic surgeon who is the No. 3 Republican in the Senate. After sitting down in his office for several minutes, McConnell later returned to the press conference and answered questions from the press. McConnell, 81, was out of the Senate for almost six weeks earlier this year after falling and hitting his head after a dinner event at a hotel. He was hospitalized for several days, and his office later said he suffered a concussion and fractured a rib. His speech has sounded more halting in recent weeks, prompting questions among some of his colleagues about his health. When he returned to answer questions, McConnell said he was fine. Asked if he is still able to do his job, he said, Yeah. McConnell's office declined to say whether he was seen by a doctor after the episode. After the press conference, Barrasso told reporters he wanted to make sure everything was fine and walked McConnell down the hall to his office. Barrasso said he has been concerned since McConnell was injured earlier this year, and I continue to be concerned. But asked about his particular concerns, Barrasso said: I said I was concerned when he fell and hit his head a number of months ago and was hospitalized. And I think he's made a remarkable recovery, he's doing a great job leading our conference and was able to answer every question the press asked him today. Walking out of his office Wednesday evening, McConnell again told reporters he was fine. He said President Joe Biden had called him. The president called to check up on me, and I told him I got sandbagged, McConnell joked, referencing a quote from Biden in June after he tripped over a sandbag and fell while onstage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation. First elected to the Senate in 1984, McConnell became the longest-serving Senate party leader in history in January. He was easily reelected to his leadership post that same month, despite a challenge from Florida Sen. Rick Scott. Still, several Republicans, including No. 2 Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota and Barrasso, are seen as waiting in the wings to someday replace him. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is also seen as a potential candidate to succeed McConnell, told reporters after the episode, I support Senator McConnell as long as he wants to serve as leader. McConnell had polio in his early childhood and he has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in climbing stairs. In addition to his fall in March, he also tripped and fell four years ago at his home in Kentucky, causing a shoulder fracture that required surgery. The Republican leader is one of several senators who have been absent due to health issues this year. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, 90, was out of the Senate for more than two months as she recovered from a bout of shingles. And Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., 53, took leave for several weeks to get treatment for clinical depression. In a presidential contest cycle, Senate races dont get the same kind of attention when theres still a year to go until Election Day. But the start of the second fundraising quarter earlier this month brought a host of new candidate names some declared and some still biding their time that will help shape the race for control of the chamber in 2024 and the ultimate power dynamics for whoever is president in 2025. With more candidates launching their campaigns this month, the prospect of competitive primaries has become more real especially on the Republican side. Thats especially true in the top three seats most likely to flip, which represent the GOPs best chances to pick up the one or two seats theyd need to control the chamber, depending on who wins the presidency. (Rankings are based on CNNs reporting, fundraising figures and historical data about how states and candidates have performed.) West Virginias GOP primary mainly between the governor and a congressman was already brewing, but its looking even more contentious with outside groups like the Club for Growths political arm touting the millions theyre planning to spend. This race will be a marquee battle between the national GOPs more establishment forces and the conservative outside group. And, as in other races like Montana and Nevada, this one will test the National Republican Senatorial Committees new strategy of picking sides in primaries. Its impossible to talk about Republican primaries without discussing former President Donald Trump. Ever since 2016, loyalty to him has been a key litmus test for the GOP often much more than actual conservatism. But adherence to his election conspiracy theories has sometimes hurt Republicans in general elections, with the 2022 midterms being a prime example. The chairman of the NRSC, Montana Sen. Steve Daines, has endorsed Trump. And for now, at least, the former president appears to be playing along. CNN reported that hes informed two House Freedom Caucus members whom hes previously backed in West Virginia and Montana that they wont have his support for the Senate. (In Montana, Rep. Matt Rosendale hasnt yet announced his campaign but is expected to challenge the NRSCs preferred candidate.) This months ranking isnt all about primary drama, however. In Pennsylvania, Republicans breathed a major sigh of relief in May when election denier Doug Mastriano, fresh off his 15-point gubernatorial loss, decided not to run. The expectation that Dave McCormick will get into the race with a clearer lane and the GOPs lack of candidates right now in other states bumps the Keystone State up one spot on this list as slightly more likely to flip. Overall, the Senate map remains an offensive opportunity for Republicans. Democrats hold seven of the 10 seats most likely to flip next year, an independent holds one and Republicans hold two a breakdown thats unlikely to change much, although the order of the ranking will likely evolve in the months to come. ISLAM TEHRAN, Iran Millions of Shiite Muslims in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and around the world on Friday commemorated Ashoura, a remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, that gave birth to their faith. In Afghanistan, the Taliban cut mobile phone services in key cities holding commemorations for fear of militants targeting Shiites, whom Sunni extremists consider heretics. Security forces in neighboring Pakistan as well stood on high alert as the commemorations there have seen attacks in the past. Not all Shiites, however, were to mark the day Friday. Iraq, Lebanon and Syria planned their remembrances for Saturday, which will see a major suburb of Beirut shut down and the faithful descend on the Iraqi city of Karbala, where Hussein is entombed in a gold-domed shrine. Shiites represent over 10% of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims and view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein's death in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, ingrained a deep rift in Islam and to this day continues to play a key role in shaping Shiite identity. Over 1,340 years after Hussein's martyrdom, Baghdad, Tehran, Islamabad and other major capitals in the Middle East were adorned with symbols of Shiite piety and repentance: red flags for Hussein's blood, symbolic black funeral tents and black dress for mourning, processions of men and boys expressing fervor in the ritual of chest-beating and self-flagellation with chains. Men wore black, beating their chests in mourning or using flails to strike their backs. Some wore red headbands, as black and red banners bore Hussein's name. Some sprayed water over the mourners in the intense heat. In Iran, where the theocratic government views itself as the protector of Shiites worldwide, the story of Hussein's martyrdom takes on political connotations amid its tensions with the West over its nuclear program. Iranian state television aired images of commemorations across the Islamic Republic, tying the event to criticizing the West, Israel and the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Anchor Wesam Bahrani on Iran's state-run English-language broadcaster Press TV referred to America as the "biggest opponent of Islam" and criticized Muslim countries allied with the U.S. Dr. Garth Greenwell, who is double board-certified in physical medicine and interventional pain management, has joined the medical staff at Minidoka Memorial Hospital in Rupert. Following his 1985 graduation from Oakley High School, Greenwell went on to serve four years in the U.S. Air Force including a deployment during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and later returned to Idaho to work for the Twin Falls Fire Department. In 1996, Greenwell decided to return to school with hopes of becoming a physician, according to a news release from the hospital. He graduated in 1999 from Idaho State University, earned his medical degree in 2003 from the Western University of Health Sciences in California and completed his residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., according to the release. Greenwell lives in Rupert with his wife, Brook. He has four grown children, two living in Boise and two in college in California. He enjoys outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing and hiking in his spare time. I first learned about World War II Japanese American incarceration from a short paragraph in a U.S. history book. I remember reading about an internment camp in Arizona but the words didnt evoke much emotion from me. I later learned about what locals call the 33,000-acre Hunt Camp in Jerome County a place where 13,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. When I mentioned the camp, my managing editor at the Times-News handed me a book titled Surviving Minidoka, compiled by various authors about Japanese Americans incarcerated at what is officially called the Minidoka Internment Camp. I became exposed to the harsh reality of the Japanese Americans who were held there a reality that was missing from the U.S. history book I had read earlier and I began to feel a deep connection to the Japanese American community. My family are Bhutanese-Nepali refugees who moved to Twin Falls when I was 6 years old. My mother told me stories of life and loss in Bhutan when we had to flee to a refugee camp in Nepal. Reading about the harrowing reality of the Japanese Americans lives in internment camps carved a path to reflect on my familys time in camp. A coworker at the newspaper spoke of an annual Minidoka pilgrimage happening in Twin Falls and I was immediately drawn to the event. I wanted to explore the historic site to gain a better understanding of the Japanese American history that was left out of my education. And I wanted to meet Japanese Americans whose ancestors endured the cruel hysteria against the Japanese American community. Japanese Americans living on the West Coast were forcibly removed from their homes and imprisoned in concentration camps after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in 1942, shortly after Imperial Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Ten concentration camps across the U.S. were constructed to house and monitor these Americans, where pilgrimages are now offered annually. Earlier this month, Minidoka came alive with personal testimonies, solemn mourning and heartfelt healing as pilgrims visited the camp. I joined the tour July 8 at the Minidoka National Historic Site led by Emily Teraoka, a ranger with the National Park Service. The clouds hovered above the group as we walked along the dirt path to see the origin of generational trauma for many Japanese Americans. I sensed the emotions of grief and heartache as Teraoka shared the painful reality that Japanese Americans suffered in the camp. What kind of ancestors do we want to be? was the theme of this years pilgrimage, presented by planning committee co-chair Erin Shigaki. I thought about my refugee camp as I went inside each one of the historic barracks. In Nepal, families would cover the thin walls of their homes with local newspapers to hide the small holes and gain more privacy from the outside world. I soon began to connect Americas distrust of Japanese Americans during World War II to the hostility that Nepalis felt toward Nepali-Bhutanese refugees when I was in Nepal. I mourned my own ancestors and their loss of home and normalcy together with the suffering endured by Hunt Camp internees and their descendants. The stories of incarcerated ancestors continued in the generational group talks at the College of Southern Idaho. Seated in a circle, those in my group relayed personal testimonies regarding their ancestry. The room was quiet with raw emotion as strangers grieved their powerful stories. A single tissue box was passed around. I spoke to Karen Yokota Love, a third-time Minidoka pilgrim, on July 8 during the closing dinner after the legacy sessions at CSI. Her purpose for the pilgrimage was to find ways to heal her community at Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church in Seattle. Incarcerated elders who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a deeper feeling of mourning, she said. The feelings this time are very different. Theyre stronger. Theres more grief involved, Love told the Times-News. I think these pilgrimages are really important for the healing process because the experience of being incarcerated is traumatic, Love said. So for me, what Im most fascinated about is how to minister to people that basically had this experience where they havent talked about their history or their lives. And then to come back to the actual ground, hear those stories and talk about the stories for the first time.... I think its very cathartic and its healing. Its nice to see they can come full circle and experience that. Miyako Namba grew up being involved in the Japanese American community with the influence of her grandmother May, one of the founders of the Minidoka pilgrimage that started in 2003. A lot of us have been coming for about a decade and so its fun to have these connections and relationships and grow them and build them, Namba told the Times-News. Its such an emotional and intense weekend that you just kind of bond with them very deeply like you would, you know, a summer camp friend. Namba, who mourns the passing of her grandmother, wants to be an ancestor who shapes her community someone that helped build community and whether that means here or at home, she said. Namba encouraged me to reflect on what kind of ancestor I wanted to be for my own community. I witnessed the power of collective storytelling by attending the pilgrimage. I aim to be an ancestor who shares and celebrates the origins of my ancestry. I also encountered Nikki Nojima Louis after the pilgrimage concluded at the Minidoka site. She conveyed stories of struggle and strength as a child survivor of Minidoka. Louis and her mother were incarcerated in Minidoka after her father was separated from her family. Louis birthday is Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor Day. She will turn 86 this year. Louis stories shared a similar parallel to the stories of other participants of the pilgrimage. Her family spoke little about their incarceration experience after they resettled outside of the camp. The trauma from camp remained buried for a long time. I knew more about the Holocaust than I knew about my own Japanese American experience, Louis told the Times-News. There is a certain amount of guilt and shame about being put in camp because I think there was more of a tendency to identify ourselves as victims, she said. Now we are survivors and surviving means a lot more qualities: Consistency, bravery, resilience, stoicism. So its much more of a human approach and thats the kind of approach that I hope we have with all people. PHOTOS: 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage Tying pray mementos for Japanese ancestors Remembering Japanese ancestry Minidoka camp display Signing the 48-Star Flag Holding the door open 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage Rusting kitchen tools Minidoka survivors' panel 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage Minidoka's root cellar 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage A new honor roll 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage Pravina Khadka is a summer intern at the Times-News. Email her at Pravina.Khadka@magicvalley.com. An Oregon judge has denied a motion to modify the conditions of the release of Minidoka Brad Calbo, who is facing felony charges in that state. Circuit Court Judge Sheryl Bachart shot down the motion that would have allowed Calbo to return back to work in Jerome, frequenting the same workplace as the woman who told police in early June that Calbo had momentarily strangled her and committed other acts of violence. After being released from jail, Calbo had a no-contact order placed against him. The victim was in favor of allowing the motion, saying that Calbo was extremely intoxicated at the time of the incident and that she didnt feel threatened by him. In addition, the three-part motion heard by Bachart could have allowed Calbo to go to the victims residence for property maintenance, as long as he did not have direct contact with the victim, and Calbo could have been allowed to have contact with the victim for purposes of drug/alcohol treatment, and for counseling. Had the judge approved the motion to modify Calbos release agreement, Jerome Commissioner Charlie Howell said commissioners wouldnt legally have been able to stop Calbo from coming to work, despite his legal problems, although we would probably try to visit with him, to have a conversation. Having a sit-down meeting with Calbo is what commissioners have been seeking since Calbos release, but so far that has not taken place. Howell believes Calbo is now living in southern Idaho but is unsure of his intentions. The woman said in a motion filed with the court that she looked forward to Calbo returning to his job. The situation with Calbo is awkward, Howell said, because both commissioners and the office of the prosecuting attorney are elected positions. Commissioners in June hired a local law firm Williams Meservy & Larsen to help them navigate the situation. Howell said that commissioners have been in close contact with the law firm and wore them out with questions. If things arent worked out, some recourse might be available to the county once Calbo has been absent 90 days, he said, although he was unsure of the exact procedure. Idaho Statutes discuss the removal of prosecuting attorneys through a grand jury. Another possibility for removal from office Jerome residents started a recall petition, although by Idaho Code it appears a recall vote couldnt take place until November. Deputy Prosecutor Sam Beus has stepped up to help fill the void in Calbos absence, Howell said. The next court date for Calbo is an early resolution conference set for Aug. 14. Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The United States-Transportation Security Administration (US-TSA) is set to provide additional training and equipment to the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) as part of its sustainable security initiatives. This after US-TSA Assistant Administrator for International Operations Gary Renfrow made a visit to the office of Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista telling the latter that he was impressed about the improved aviation security in the Philippines and assured him of continued support for capacity development efforts for airport authorities. I think were making fantastic progress in terms of aviation security here in the Philippines. Our collaboration has been particularly important in this progress, and we are committed to continuing that work, Renfrow told Secretary Bautista. Bautista, for his part, assured the US-TSA that the DOTr and OTS will continue to adopt the best practices in global aviation security to ensure passenger safety in airports. You have our commitment to see to it that we continue to adopt the best practices in the [aviation] industry. Our aviation industry now is back to pre-pandemic level here in the Philippines, so we must ensure the safety and security of all passengers, Bautista said, addressing Assistant Administrator Renfrow and US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission in the Philippines Heather Variava. The officials discussed challenges in aviation security and how local airport officials are adopting techniques and methods to protect air transportation from various security threats. They also tackled other topics from security protocols to cutting-edge technology in the aviation industry. The transport chief likewise cited the US government for its support to beef up aviation security in the Philippines, including the security screening equipment, training initiatives for OTS personnel, posting of aviation security advisors, and sponsorship of an airport observation visit to Indianapolis International Airport in the US. Other officials who joined the meeting were DOTr Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Roberto Lim, OTS Undersecretary Ma.O Aplasca and other TSA representatives. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) said it received a P55-million grant from the Australian government to implement the Resilient Emergency Communications for Enhanced Disaster Response project for climate-vulnerable local government units of Butuan in Agusan del Norte, Virac in Catanduanes and Borongan in Samar. The PDRF, an alliance of businesses dedicated to building the disaster risk management capabilities of the private sector in the country, also hosted an operational briefing for the private sector on the effects of Typhoon Egay (international name: Doksuri). It reported widespread flooding in MIMAROPA, Central Luzon, and Ilocos Region, with landslides also observed in the Cordillera Administrative Region. PDRF said member companies Manila Water and Maynilad are monitoring dams and rivers; McDonalds Kindness Kitchen and Jollibee Foods Corp. are monitoring stores in affected areas and are on standby to distribute hot meals to evacuation centers and PLDT and Smart are also sending packs of rice and hygiene kits. Alagang Kapatid Foundation Inc. dispatched a team to Northern Luzon to distribute relief goods from Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc., One Meralco Foundation, Maynilad, Metro Pacific Investments Foundation, and Makati Medical Center Foundation. Lifeline utilities are mobilizing to restore services in Egay-affected areas in Northern Luzon, it said. Launched at the PDRF Emergency Operations Center in Pampanga, Project REACHED is a two-year program that offers a solution to the recurring problem of establishing communications after a major disaster. Project REACHED aims to provide select LGUs with the necessary equipment and training to ensure access to communications during and after calamities and help coordinate response and recovery operations in affected areas. The LGUs of Butuan, Virac and Borongan were selected based on their vulnerability to typhoons, economic revenue, population, resources and competitive index resilience score. The project aims to harness public-private partnerships and will be implemented in collaboration with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Office of Civil Defense, World Food Programme, Globe Telecom and PLDT-Smart. Thanh Le, counsellor development of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines, said that building long-term disaster and climate resilience has been a key priority for Australia in the Philippines. We recognize that natural disasters and climate change are threat multipliers that disproportionately affect the weakest and most vulnerable sectors of society. By investing in resilient emergency communications, we can save countless lives and prevent vulnerable communities from experiencing even more difficulties and hardships, Le said. PDRF president Rene Meily said Typhoon Egays destructive swath through the northern Philippines is a reminder of how critical telecommunications are during a crisis. Our thanks to the Australian government for their support. May Project REACHED help make life safer for the people of Butuan, Virac and Boronganthree cities that are frequently hit by storms, Meily said. The investment in Project REACHED is a critical component of Australias development assistance in the Philippines that aims to enhance local resilience to natural disasters. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Four Australian military aircrew are missing after their helicopter ditched in waters off the countrys northeast coast while on a major military exercise, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Saturday. The MRH-90 Taipan went down late Friday night in sub-tropical waters off Hamilton Island, Queensland, while taking part in the 30,000-strong Talisman Sabre drills. As we speak to you now, the four aircrew are yet to be found Marles said after a nearly 12 hour overnight search, which is set to continue Saturday. The families of the four aircrew have been notified of this incident and our hopes and thoughts are very much with the aircrew and their families, he added. We desperately hope for better news during the course of this day. Defence officials announced a pause in the Talisman Sabre exercise, which also includes soldiers from Japan, France, Germany, and South Korea. The exercise had been entering its second week and was testing large-scale logistics, land combat, amphibious landings and air operations. Australia is currently embarking on a major overhaul of its armed forces, pivoting towards long-range strike capabilities in an effort to keep would-be foes such as China at arms length. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. A total of 43 out-of-school youths (OSY) completed a months-long entrepreneurial training from the Technological Institute of the Philippines (T.I.P.) Quezon City at the culmination of its Kabataang NEGOSYANTE project last June 30, 2023. The project was accomplished through a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) grant under its Opportunity 2.0 program, which was designed to provide second-chance education for Filipino OSY in at least 15 cities across the country. NEGOSYANTE stands for Navigating, Engaging, and Gearing Out-of-School Youths As New Technology Entrepreneurs. Its objective was to teach underprivileged children how to use available technologies that can help them earn possible livelihood opportunities. Under the mentorship of T.I.P. faculty members, participants were provided with technical skills, business training, and values formation to help them set up their own online businesses through social media and other internet-based applications. Dr. David Hall, Chief of Party for the USAID Opportunity 2.0 program and the Education Development Center (EDC), commended T.I.P. for merging its commitment to entrepreneurship with its responsibility to the local community through the Kabataang NEGOSYANTE project. What were trying to do is to strengthen systems to help out-of-school youth in the Philippines back into education and employment. And perhaps, most significantly with this grant, into self-employment, Dr. Hall said in a video message played at the closing ceremony. The OSY learners belong to the communities of Barangays Batasan Hills, Commonwealth and Holy Spirit in Quezon City. The outreach program started in June 2022 and ran for about a year. It accommodated a total of 76 learners, 43 of whom were able to complete the training modules. All participants were honored with certificates and special awards. Cash prizes were also handed out for the top teams that presented best outputs. T.I.P. President Dr. Elizabeth Quirino-Lahoz also graced the concluding activity along with other school executives. The collective journey continues, and we should not doubt that together, we will make a lasting and positive impact on the world, said Dr. Angeles de Guzman, Dean of T.I.P. Quezon City College of Business Education and project manager for Kabataang NEGOSYANTE. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. ONE SERVICE ONLY Shiloh Way of the Cross Church of Christ of the Apostolic Doctrine, 938 Brookdale St, Martinsville, will have service one service only on Sunday at 10 a.m. The Way of the Cross Church of Christ International Holy Convocation, Headquarters in Martinsville will convene in Baltimore, Maryland, July 31-Aug. 4 at the Baltimore Waterfront Marriott, Bishop Earley Dillard, Presiding Bishop. The original Dodson 5 of Martinsville, and Stella award winner/Actress Jekalyn Carr will be guest psalmist on Monday at the opening Gala. FREE BIBLES The Chatham Heights Church of Christ will be handing out free Bibles today from 10 a.m. until noon next to Bryant Radio, 3449 Virginia Avenue in Collinsville. The Bibles are brand new and contain the Old and New Testaments and will be made available to anyone wishing to have one. PASTOR APPRECIATION DINNER Whites Chapel Baptist Church, 6237 Horsepasture Price Road, Ridgeway, will have a pastor appreciation dinner for Jerry Slemp who is stepping down at the end of July. The dinner will be after the service on Sunday in the fellowship hall. PATRIOTIC MUSIC PROGRAM Fieldale United Methodist Church, 36 Patrick Ave., Fieldale, will host a Patriotic Music Program and Ice Cream Social today, beginning at 3 p.m. A choir comprised of performers from Fieldale United Methodist Church, Fieldale Baptist Church, and Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church will be presenting both vocal and handbell music to celebrate America. An ice cream social with a make-your-own-sundae bar will follow in the church social hall. For more information call the church at 276-673-6355 or visit Fieldale United Methodist Church on Facebook. CHANGE IN SERVICE McCabe Memorial Baptist Church, 107 Clearview Drive, Martinsville, has combined the Sunday morning worship services into one that will be held at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary. A breakfast will be held each Sunday at 8:45 a.m., followed by family bible study at 9 a.m. and adult bible study at 11 a.m. For more information call 276-638-7824. BIBLE STUDY Traditional Christian Church, 2630 Virginia Ave., Collinsville has begun holding a weekly non-denominational Bible study each Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring their Bibles. Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church, 120 Old Bassett Heights Road, Bassett, hosts Community Bible Study, a gathering of Christians of various denominations for Bible study, every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon in the fellowship hall. MUSIC Clearview Wesleyan Church will host Covenant at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. For more information on Covenant click here: (https://www.covenantgospelmusic.com/bio) Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church holds Pickers and Fiddlers on the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon. Breakfast-type refreshments are served, and both the program and refreshments are free. Come to listen or bring your harmonica or stringed instrument and join in. Mill Creek Baptist Church, 6200 Henry Road, will host New Song Community Choir on Sunday at 5 p.m. CLOTHES Christ Church Community Clothes Closet is open on the fourth Saturday of each month. MEALS First Presbyterian Church, 1901 Patrick Henry Ave., Martinsville, (across from Patrick Henry Elementary School) will hold a free community breakfast from 8-9:30 a.m., with carry out plates available between 9-9:30 a.m. if food available. This breakfast is held the third Saturday of each month. Ridgeway United Methodist Church, will hold a free community breakfast from 8:30-10 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month. Smith Memorial United Methodist Church, corner of John Redd Boulevard and Daniels Creek Road, Collinsville, serves take-out community meals each month every other Wednesday from 5-6 p.m. Call 647-8150 before 3:30 on Wednesday to reserve meals. Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church, 120 Old Bassett Heights Road, Bassett, holds its monthly community meals at 6 p.m. each third Thursday of the month, in the fellowship hall. Starling Avenue Baptist Church, 932 Starling Ave., Martinsville, serves meals in the fellowship hall the last Tuesday of each month from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Christ Episcopal Church, 311 E. Church St., Martinsville, will serve a free community meal the last Wednesday of each month from 5-6 p.m. in the Undercroft with a sit-down community meal (and takeout will be available only at the end of the meal if there are any leftovers). There are limited parking spaces behind the church for people with mobility issues. Masks are required for unvaccinated adults. Hand sanitizer is available for use. Publication of church events is free in the Bulletin. Announcements received by the newspaper by 3 p.m. Thursday will be published on Saturday. Pictures are welcomed. Send information to accent@martinsville bulletin.com or Martinsville Bulletin, P.O. Box 3711, Martinsville, Va., 24115. Would you be willing to turn over 1.4 billion dollars to an unknown group over which you have no oversight or control and who can do with it as they choose? I bet you wouldnt do that with even $1,400. But our legislature appears ready to go with the $1.4B. Some background. If North Carolina is going to remain competitive and successful in coming years we need to wisely invest in our future. The state has amassed a huge savings account some estimate $6 billion or more so we have the capacity to invest. Our state continues to receive accolades as one of the tops in the nation for businesses to locate or expand. We even rank number two in research and development, but once an idea is germinated how does it get the capital it needs to grow and prosper? The failure rate for new start-ups is high and making that big leap from innovative idea to generating enough funds to sustain and grow into success is a big gap, often referred to as the valley of death. Enter NCInnovation. The concept behind NCInnovation is to provide financial support for researchers at our universities to bridge that valley of death. A group of business leaders have already chipped in some $23 million to get it started. It was only natural they would come to the state for additional funding. Governor Cooper included $50 million in his proposed budget for the concept. The House budget included the same number. Heres where the good idea becomes a bad solution. The State Senate decided to up the ante to $1.4 billion in state funds and make major structural changes; even some of the original investors into NCInnovation are pooh-poohing what would be the largest single investment in the states history to one organization. They think the Senate approach is wrong. Some history. Former Governor Luther Hodges was the visionary who saw North Carolinas future in research, innovation and commerce. In 1958 Hodges enlisted Archie Davis, then-president of Wachovia Bank, and they raised $1.5 million to purchase land and, in concert with UNC, N.C. State and Duke, create what we now know as Research Triangle Park. We all recognize what RTP has meant to our state. NCInnovation has the same potential for the 21st century and there are some aspects of it that are appealing, but it needs to be scaled back and restructured. Lets offer some suggestions. Luther Hodges and Archie Davis had good sense with RTP. NCInnovation needs to be a public nonprofit, not a private for-profit venture. The governing board should consist of a minority of political appointees equally divided between the House, Senate and Executive branch. We like that the current board includes the chancellors of NC A&T, UNC-Charlotte, East Carolina University and Western Carolina University, schools which currently have research agreements with NCInnovation, much as Duke, State and Carolina did with the Research Triangle Institute. The remainder of board members should come from research, development, product commercialization, entrepreneurial business development and capital formation, as the Senate language now states, along with at least one patent lawyer, one business start-up lawyer and a representative from the N.C. Department of Commerce. NCInnovation should have an equity stake in any investment it makes, so as to generate a future income stream and cash to invest. The charter should strongly state that preference for investments come from research done on North Carolina campuses, (especially those listed above), and recipients should pledge to domicile in and operate from our state for a reasonable period, say five years. That board should have sole authority to hire and fire staff, keep accurate minutes of meetings and NCInnovation should abide by state public records laws. These laws allow for the exemption of trade secrets and proprietary information. It should at least annually publish balances in their accounting and lists of investments made, giving the name, location, a general description of the organization and names of key officers. Taxpayers have the right to know these things. My biggest remaining question concerns what to do with the investments already made by private individuals and companies. I see four options: first, these citizens could decide theirs was a worthwhile civic contribution to our future and allow their funds to remain; second, they could be repaid as the board feels funds are available; third, the state could give tax credits to those investors so they can get their money back from tax savings; or fourth, the legislature could increase its appropriation to return the initial $23 million. There have been many voices opposing the Senates proposed legislation. We hope enough others will speak out to stop another apparent power grab by legislators. That said, let us applaud NCInnovation, chair Kelly King and others who have the vision to initiate what could (and hopefully will) become another RTP success story. Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Marion recently hosted a Spiritual Adoption Baby Shower event for the McDowell Pregnancy Care Center (MPCC). Father Carl and church parishioners have been busy collecting baby supplies such as diapers, wipes, food, formula, bottles and other items to help meet the needs of the local ministry. Glen and Carole Keller, representatives of the OLA pro-life ministry, were greeted with smiles and excitement as they delivered a carload of baby supplies and some monetary donations to MPCC after the event. We are so grateful, said Denise McCormick, director of MPCC. These items will be passed along to our well-deserving clients. According to MPCC staff, the center is the busiest theyve ever been since opening their doors just over 20 years ago. Their mission is to offer HELP and HOPE to families facing an unplanned pregnancy and to walk alongside families during their parenting journey. All of their services are free and confidential. My wife and I learned about the pregnancy center about this time last year, said Keller. We went by the center, took a tour, met the staff, asked questions, and immediately felt compelled to help. Our Lady of the Angels church members want to challenge other churches to step up and help such a wonderful organization. We just cant imagine that people wouldnt want to be advocates for children and be a voice for the unborn, said Keller. We are called to make a difference and this is one way we can do that. Did you know eight passenger trains a day once ran through Old Fort? And that, back in the late 1700s, three former Indian trails intersected here? If youre old enough, you might recall soda-swilling Sally the Bear who lived at Point Lookout in a cage complete with a swimming pool. Or you may remember how one mans effort to desegregate Old Fort School in the mid-1950s was noted in the nationally circulated Look magazine. Even if youre too young to have these memories, youre likely to enjoy the second phase of the Mountain Gateway Museums photography exhibit, A Peek Into the Past: Old Fort at 150. Opening on Tuesday, Aug. 1, part two of this free exhibit continues to celebrate the town of Old Forts sesquicentennial with images that feature some of the towns outstanding people, places, events, and institutions from the past century and a half, according to a news release. The images are digitized photographs pulled from both public and personal collections, including those of Bill Nichols, Kim Clark, Dee Daughtridge, Shearon Cline, the Col. Daniel W. Adams family, the Peggy Silvers family, the McDowell County Public Library, the Historic Carson House, the town of Old Fort, the Western Regional Archives at Oteen, and others. The exhibit also includes more than two dozen artifacts on loan from local residents and businesses. As a bonus, some of the exhibit labels contain QR codes. When scanned with a smart phone, the codes reveal excerpts from recorded interviews with McDowell County senior citizens, whose memories relate to the accompanying photograph. The interviews were done between 2011 and 2015 as part of the McDowell County Tourism Development Authoritys McDowell County Legacy Project. Retired WNCW 88.7 radio producer Kim Clark edited the interviews for this exhibition. The town of Old Fort, first incorporated as Catawba Vale on Jan. 25, 1872, was re-chartered as Old Fort by the North Carolina General Assembly on Feb. 23, 1873. The name was inspired by the stockade that Samuel Davidson built alongside Mill Creek during the 1770s for early settlers protection from the Cherokee. By the American Revolution, Gen. Griffith Rutherfords soldiers had converted Davidsons simple stockade into a militia fort. From there, Rutherford launched a scorched-earth campaign against Cherokee towns in western North Carolina in September 1776. The expeditions purpose was twofold: to weaken the Cherokee before they could fully ally with British troops and to retaliate against the native people for their attacks on European settlers, who had been encroaching on Cherokee territory. The route of the expedition became known as the Rutherford Trace, according to the news release. A Peek Into the Past: Old Fort at 150 will remain open through Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. The Mountain Gateway Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 2-5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information about the exhibit, contact RoAnn Bishop at the Mountain Gateway Museum at 828-668-9259 or roann.bishop@ncdcr.gov or visit the museums Website www.mgmnc.org. A regional branch of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, the Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center is the westernmost facility in the N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources Division of State History Museums. Nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in downtown Old Fort, the museum uses artifacts, exhibitions, educational programs, living history demonstrations, and special events to teach people about the rich history and cultural heritage of the states mountain region, from its original inhabitants through early settlement and into the 20th century. The Dominican Republic has reiterated its absolute recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara, stressing that it considers favorably the opening of a Dominican consulate in the town of Dakhla. A press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates said on Saturday that the Dominican Minister of External Relations, Roberto Alvarez, had written to his Moroccan peer in order to bring to the attention of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, on behalf of the President of the Dominican Republic, His Excellency Mr. Luis Abinader, his countrys position on the Moroccan Sahara issue. In this respect, the Dominican Republic reiterates its absolute recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara, added the same source, making known that the Ministry of Foreign Relations of the Dominican Republic considers favorably, the opening of a Dominican consulate in the city of Dakhla. The same source stressed that the Dominican Republic reaffirms that the autonomy initiative presented by the Kingdom of Morocco in 2007 constitutes the realistic, credible and serious solution for reaching a negotiated agreement between the parties. The Dominican minister also informed his Moroccan peer that President Luis Abinader has expressed the wish to pay a state visit to the Kingdom of Morocco, in order to further strengthen political, commercial and cooperation ties between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Dominican Republic, concluded the press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates. Despite its comparatively small population, Montana has dozens of homicide cold cases dating back decades. But what may be even more surprising is that several of these cold cases involve multiple victims. Some cases have seen suspects arrested and released, while others have left investigat Montana State Fund on Thursday announced a matching donation of up-to $150,000 over five years to Kids Chance of Montana, which gave a $4,000 scholarship to the daughter of a Montana Highway Patrol trooper injured in the line of duty. Mia Palmer, the 18-year-old daughter of Highway Patrol Trooper Wade Palmer, received the money. Palmer was severely injured by a gunshot wound to the head while in pursuit of a murder suspect in 2019. Kids Chance is a non-profit organization established nationwide to help dependents of workers who have been injured or killed on the job with their higher education goals. Montanas chapter was established in 2017 since its inception, Kids Chance of Montana has raised more than $365,000 and awarded scholarships to 28 students totaling more than $185,000. Palmers wife Lindsey came with Mia from Stevensville to attend Thursdays check presentation from State Fund to Kids Chance. The $4,000 scholarship will be put toward Mias tuition. She will be a freshman this fall at the University of Idaho, where her mother said she will study interior design. Palmer is one of three freshmen, joining 10 returning recipients, receiving a KCMT scholarship for the 2023/24 school year. We are extremely grateful, Lindsey Palmer said. During the ceremony she gave an update on her husband as several Montana Highway Patrol troopers sat in the audience in the Montana State Fund office in Helena. He is currently still working on his road to recovery and going to therapy every week, she said. The audience applauded when she said he was walking mostly unaided. Hes truly been a miracle and we cant wait to see how much further he can go, Lindsey Palmer said. Montana State Fund is the states not-for-profit and leading workers compensation insurance company, The donation is a matching donation intended to raise awareness of the KCMT program and the fact that often, severe workplace accidents can have ramifications for yearsor decades. The mission of KCMT is to alleviate the financial burden a life-changing injury can have on not just the injured worker, but also their family. Previously MSF donated more than $25,000 to establish an endowment to help carry the organization into the future. Holly ODell, MSFs president and chief executive officer, said Montana State Fund has donated in previous years. She noted in a news release that workplace accidents may have impacts that extend to other family members sometime for years. We believe it is our duty, obligation, and opportunity to help relieve some of those impacts through Kids Chance so families and communities know when the worst happens, they are not alone, she said. She said the donation helps State Fund in its mission to serve Montanans. Leah Tietz, president of Kids Chance of Montana, said the $150,000 will help more Montana students achieve their educational goals. Im so proud of our students, she said. And we get the chance to see them shine. To learn more about Kids Chance of Montana, visit www.kidschanceofmontana.org for more information or to donate. As Montana Pride is set to start in Helena this weekend, a federal judge Friday issued a temporary block on a law meant to ban minors' attendance at some drag performances and story hours. The block came as part of a lawsuit challenging House Bill 359, passed earlier this year. Organizers of the week-long Pride event initially said their request for permits to hold the gatherings would be denied. The city of Helena, added as a defendant in the case along with the state Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction and chief executive of Butte-Silver Bow County, later said it would issue the permits. The city joined individuals, businesses and organizations in calling for the temporary halt to the law, saying it did not want to deny permits and possibly violate organizers' and participants' rights but also didn't want its employees at risk of legal challenges for issuing permits. "The 30th annual Montana Pride is slated to begin in less than two days. Plaintiffs, along with the approximately 15,000 Montanans who wish to attend the events, cannot avoid chilled speech or exposure to potential civil or criminal liability under HB 359 in the absence of the extraordinary remedy of a (temporary restraining order)," U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris wrote in his order. "The City of Helena faces the untenable choice between 'infring[ing] upon plaintiff[s] constitutional rights' and 'subject[ing]' the city employees tasked with reviewing Montana Prides application 'to civil and criminal liability under the provisions of HB 359.' In addition to saying the plaintiffs in the case were likely to succeed in proving their claims the law is too vague and violates the First Amendment, Morris wrote that plaintiffs were likely to suffer "irreparable harm" if the law stayed in place for now. "The court determines that HB 359s statutory scheme likely will disproportionately harm not only drag performers, but any person who falls outside traditional gender and identity norms, including trans and Two Spirit people," Morris wrote. Two Spirt refers to those in the Native community that have male and female spirits or identify as such. "Plaintiffs and the thousands of community members and the local businesses who wish to participate in or attend 2023 Montana Pride face the prospect of irreparable harm in the absence of a (temporary restraining order) should they face attendant criminal and/or civil liability under HB 359 for their protected speech and expression," Morris wrote later in his ruling. Morris also referenced people already having to change their behavior or planned actions because of the law, like the cancelation of a talk by Adria Jawort, a trans woman from Billings. The Butte Public Library called off the event, citing HB 359, and it was eventually hosted elsewhere. Morris also referenced in his order drag bans in Florida and Tennessee, where a judge wrote the bill "reeks with constitutional maladies of vagueness and over-breadth fatal to statutes that regulate the First Amendment." "HB 359 appears to suffer from similar 'constitutional maladies,'" Morris wrote. House Bill 359, carried by Republican Rep. Braxton Mitchell of Columbia Falls, bans minors from drag story hours in public schools, libraries and other places that receive public funding, as well as drag shows held on public property or in places that receive public funding and in sexually oriented businesses, as defined in the law. The bill was passed with only GOP support and signed into law by Republican Gov Greg. Gianforte earlier this year. Plaintiffs in the case welcomed the block on the law. Drag is definitionally political and artistic speech, said Diana Bourgeois, president of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the State of Montana. The courts order today protects our right to be commentators and artists and to create a safe, joyful and welcoming environment through our expression. One of the owners of a Helena business hosting a drag story hour during Pride said the ruling can foster a better environment for Pride and the community at large. The importance of feeling safe in our community cannot be overstated, said Chelsia Rice, co-owner of the Montana Book Co. HB 359 is an attack on the LGBTQ+ community. We will always be a safe place for our communityand it is a relief to know that the courts will back us up. Lawyers said their efforts would continue. HB 359 is an affront to the First Amendment, said attorney Niki Zupanic, deputy director for Upper Seven Law. Montanans of every background and identity must be free to express themselves without fear of state retribution. In an emailed statement, Helena city Manager Tim Burton said Friday we appreciate Judge Morris expediency in issuing a decision prior to the start of the Montana Pride event. Montana Pride President Kevin Hamm thanked the city of Helena for its continued support. "The city is supportive of Pride; they've always been supportive," Hamm said. "They threw the state under the bus nicely." Emily Flower, a spokesperson for the state Attorney General, wrote in a statement Friday: "We look forward to presenting our written response and full argument at the upcoming preliminary injunction hearing to defend the law and protect minors from sexually oriented performances." The Superintendent of Public Instruction's office said in a statement Friday "Superintendent Arntzen typically does not comment on pending litigation but appreciates Judge Morris recognition that 'the government possesses a compelling state interest in childrens wellbeing and safety. Reporter Nolan Lister contributed to this story. A 39-year-old Billings man was freed from state custody on Friday after a District Court judge vowed to overturn his 2016 conviction. Joseph Jefferson-Dust, now relieved of his obligations to the state probation agency, could hardly stand still in the Yellowstone County Courthouse hallway after the hearing. I feel like Im finally able to breathe after seven or eight years, or however long it was, he said. Edwina Beaumont, Jefferson-Dusts grandmother, looked at a reporter and clarified by holding up seven fingers: Seven hard-fought years her grandson has maintained his innocence, often at his own peril. Like all of us, seeing all of us this, Im just glad its coming to an end, said Jefferson-Dusts mother, Lydia Big Man. A 9-year-old girl accused Jefferson-Dust of sexual assault in 2015, although recent court documents have shown the girl was prodded by her father to do so, perhaps in part because he held a contempt for Native Americans. Jefferson-Dust is a member of the Crow Tribe. In late 2016 Jefferson-Dust, staring down a possible 100-year prison sentence, entered a no contest plea to the lesser charge of reckless endangerment, and was sentenced to 10 years in custody of the Montana Department of Corrections. In the following years, Jefferson-Dust lived in a revolving door of probation violations and jail time not for committing new crimes, but for breaching the rules of probation. His accuser, however, recanted her allegations in 2020 in an interview with the local public defenders office. Lee Newspapers earlier this year chronicled how that recantation sat idle in an overworked and under-resourced public defense office for 13 months before it saw the light of day. The county prosecutors office eventually uncovered the recantation through an entirely unrelated case. Yellowstone County District Court Judge Brett Linnewebber, however, took aim at a different dimension of the investigation into the allegations against Jefferson-Dust. After an eight-month review of the prosecutors case file against Jefferson-Dust, Linnewebber said Friday questions put to his accuser by an investigator had been misleading and would have been thrown out at trial. Investigators discredited some of her answers, and appeared to reward her for giving different answers, Linnewebber said. And for reasons not made clear in Fridays hearing, the girlfriend of the girls father who urged the accusations had been present during the interview, rather than her own mother. This was not designed to get at the truth, Linnewebber said. Linnewebber said Friday he intends to overturn Jefferson-Dusts conviction, but sought additional briefing after the hearing to determine whether that ruling should dismiss the criminal case outright or order a new trial. In the case of the latter, Linnewebber and Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito both concurred the prosecutors office would be ethically required to dismiss the case. Caiti Carpenter, legal director at the Montana Innocence Project who represented Jefferson-Dust on the case with Billings attorney Jacob Dillon, called the final procedural steps a difference without a distinction. Were very pleased with the courts direction today in removing the conditions of probation and parole from Joe and we look forward to his conviction being fully overturned, Carpenter said after the hearing. Jefferson-Dust had been sent to jail on a probation violation once for simply refusing to take accountability for the crime he did not commit in sex offender therapy he did not need. He was once in violation for attending the Crow Fair because of prohibitions on attending events where children are present. On Friday, he was excited about attending this years event to celebrate his culture with his family without crossing authorities. That weight (on your shoulders) that they talk about, that is real, he said after the hearing. Im just looking forward to getting back to the things I missed out, family stuff. The Office of the State Public Defender, too, is in a better place these days, agency director Brett Schandelson told state lawmakers earlier this week. The Legislature in May approved eight more full-time positions for the agency, four of which are allocated to the Billings office and already staffed. In the meantime, the agency has shifted to guarding staff attorneys caseload limits, preventing burnout or, at least, slowing turnover in the last 12 months, and raised pay for entry-level staff. The agency has precisely as many commitments from graduating law school students as it does current vacancies in the agency, Schandelson told legislators. Assuming each of them pass the upcoming bar exam, We will be as fully staffed as the agency has ever been, Schandelson said. We are very excited about that. Late July. Outdoors, Montanas breathless beauty makes you shiver. Indoors, the ugliness oozing from the airwaves does too. But its late July. Everywhere I look, I see Rodger. Rodger McConnell was one of the 2.7 million Americans who fought in Vietnam. In 1966, with the snap of Uncle Sams fingers, he went from that friendly neighbor with the flashy GTO to a terrified, lonely agent of destruction. Combat is such an affront to your morality and spirit, Rodger later recalled. Nothing can prepare you for it. It launches you out where youve never been before. He retreated to that quiet place in his mind and did what he needed to do to survive. A year later, he looked down from an airplane on the city lights below and thought, Its over. Im home. He was wrong on both counts. Hed left combat behind, but the things hed seen and done wouldnt go away. Angry, alienated, and increasingly alcohol-addled, he spent the next 15 years homeless and hopeless. He was that guy rolled up in a blanket on the park bench, that unkempt wanderer downtown, blinking away the brightness of the noonday sun. One day another veteran approached him outside some bar and said, I know where youve been, and I know where youre going. Dont go there. Somehow Rodger heard him. He got helpa college educationa teaching job. Then when he retired in 2003, he really got to work, pursuing his biggest passion: helping other veterans. Rodger McConnell was a leading force in creating Great Falls veterans memorial. He was the voice for veterans on public radio, interviewing vets and those who helped them in order to raise awareness about veterans struggles. He connected veterans with medical screening, counseling, clothing, shelter, and referrals for other services. He convinced a newly elected judge to establish a veterans court in Great Falls where unresolved combat-related issues were addressed through a structured counseling and accountability program mentored by other vets. Rodgers happiest moments were standing beside graduates of that program in a jam-packed courtroom as they received the accolades of their mentors and the applause of family and friends. Those moments ended in 2016. He died on July 21, the anniversary of the ambush in Vietnam that had tormented him for 49 years. Rodger had a childlike capacity for finding joy in the moment: watching co-eds at Starbucksplaying poker with friendswhooping it up at a Mini-Cooper rally. Still, there was this ineffable sadness about him, an almost ethereal quality, as if war and its aftermath had ravaged him so, all that could survive was this benevolent spirit, its sweetness too good to be true, its good works too evident not to be. Rodger learned humility in a way none of us would envy. He never sought acclaim. But the mayor who worked with him on the veterans memorial called Rodgers friendship the most affirming hed ever known. And the judge he convinced to start a veterans court hurried to Rodgers bedside to tell him he loved him before he died. Rodger lost the boy he was in Vietnam and almost lost the man he would become in its aftermath. Then a caring stranger made a passing remark that turned him around, and Rodger spent the rest of his life helping other soldiers really, truly come back home. In this incongruous time, when we call ourselves Christians but love only replicas of ourselves, when self-proclaimed patriots honor veterans one day a year, but criminalize their suffering the other 364, I miss a friendly ghost. Nearly 20 years have passed since Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks last updated its Elk Management Plan (out for comment now). The new EMP has some good ideas, like reviewing the plan every five years, and raising elk herd objectives now called goals in many districts, then using three-year averages to determine if these goals are met. But some proposals are troubling. "Where [a hunting district] is chronically and significantly over the stated population size goal and is using limited either-sex permits or limited bull permits, FWP will propose to allow a brow-tined-bull or any bull on a General Elk License. However, harvesting cow elk not bulls impacts populations most, and there are already liberal seasons and tools to harvest cows and incentivize access, coupled with legitimate concerns of public lands overcrowding. Will unlimited bull tags fix anything, or make the problems worse? In most of these areas, hunters can already kill up to three elk per year, and hunt for six months. Landowners can employ damage hunts, enroll in Block Management and earn up to $50,000 per year, or allow public crossing for tax breaks or payments up to $15,000 annually via two other programs. Plus, landowners currently get at least 15% of permits; and if thats not enough, they can get a permit outside of the draw, so long as they allow for just three public hunters. Where landowners have participated in management, elk herds are within objectives. Yet, elsewhere, we're still not killing enough elk, according to some. But this kill-all-the-bulls approach could incentivize the wrong behavior. Large landowners who outfit could be less inclined to work towards population goals, since allowing herds to grow or stay where they are would mean bull tags become more readily available. On the other side of the fence, on publicly accessible lands, this would be a free-for-all, further pushing elk onto private property, compounding the problem. After opening day, hunters would be hard-pressed to find an elk on public lands. This isnt a new conundrum; FWP has known of this for decades. Its also why Montanans should be concerned with what's not in the EMP namely this language found in the 2005 plan: "to avoid over-harvest of accessible elk on public lands or private lands open to hunting, the inaccessible elk may not be included in objective numbers." Tallying these inaccessible elk balloons the counts, leading FWP to implement more liberal tag allocations, adding pressure on accessible elk and pushing them onto private lands, making the situation worse. This 2005 verbiage wisely recognized this predicament but needed better definitions to be implemented. This language is worth keeping and improving rather than removing. Remember, these elk goals are artificially low to consider landowner concerns already. So landowner tolerance sets goals low, then some landowners refuse to participate in management, then argue that since we're above artificially low goals that they and their clients should get unlimited bull tags? Yet this "solution" wont address the stated problem. Round in circles we go. This change would mean that all of us hunters, working ranches, and even most outfitters would lose. Only a handful of mostly out-of-state landowners with large swaths of exclusive access would win. Once these easy-to-get bull tags (and the business they bring) become established, can we ever go back? Our friends in New Mexico would say no. Its time we say no too. MUSCATINE Nearly two decades ago, many people within the LGBTQ+ community saw Iowa as one of the most progressive states around when it came to LGBTQ+ rights. Now, those within the LGBTQ+ community as well as those who support the community hope to do what they can to steer it back towards that direction. This Thursday, Progress Muscatine hosted LGBTQ+ Equality: a Muscatine Community Conversation at the Musser Public Library. The discussion event was led by Christine Moad, who uses they/them pronouns and who serves as Progress Muscatines secretary, and Jessica Brackett, Board President of Progress Muscatine. The event began with a brief overview of LGBTQ+ language, the history of LGBTQ+ rights laws in Iowa, and current trend of anti-LGBTQ+ laws within the state. During this portion, Moad briefly talked about how they were able to realize their identity, about being genderqueer, and being able to explore and eventually realize their identity was ultimately a positive force in their life. Brackett, as someone who helped pass previous LGBTQ+ rights laws in Iowa, then used part of her presentation to emphasize the importance of maintaining those rights. Regarding the most recent anti-LGBTQ laws passed in Iowa, she also pointed out how these laws can impact those outside of the community. One example of this are teachers who, due to Bill SF496 (also known as the Dont Say Gay/Trans bill), are currently not allowed to acknowledge a students parents in class if their parents are same-sex parents. Teachers who do acknowledge LGBTQ+ examples, such as a students' parents, even if done accidentally, could still be punished. In addition to this, Brackett acknowledged the civil rights that may be in danger next year, including the Safe Schools Bill, which protects LGBTQ+ students by including sexual orientation and gender identity within school harassment policies. If those (anti-LGBTQ+ bills) pass, then we will once again be able to be fired from our job, be denied a bank loan or be kept out of educational opportunities in schools, she said. During the group discussion portion of the event, Vanessa Langdon, who lives at what some have dubbed the Flag House on Mulberry Street, due to the many LGBTQ+ flags that are always seen hanging outside it, shared that this was meant as a gesture to show support to those who may feel alone. One of the things that really bothered me is the amount of teenagers who have come to our house, asking for rides and stuff because their parents found out they were gay or trans and threw them out, Langdon said. They felt that our house was a safe place. She went on to say that she wants to not only continue her support but also show that the Muscatine community is better than that," and encouraged others to also put out LGBTQ+ flags. Another guest, Desiree Reisen, said that her reason for being at that nights event were her concerns for her sons future. Hes only four, but I still worry about what his future looks like or what his friends futures look like here in Iowa. Its always been kind of scary for me to think, What if my son cant come out to his peers or his teachers or anyone he feels safe around?' Kathy Garrido, a teacher at West Liberty, shared that one of her fellow West Liberty teachers and his son, who is transgender, were forced to move both so that his son could continue getting the treatment he needed and so he could live somewhere he felt safe. His son was like Well, this state hates me Its sad, but I dont blame them for moving, because they are trying to make life impossible for trans people here in Iowa, she said. In addition to these comments, Randy Naver, who is part of the Democratic Central Committee, took the time to share that he and his group are in the process of establishing Stonewall Muscatine in order to better support LGBTQ+ residents and students in the Muscatine community. The event concluded with Brackett encouraging guests who were part of the LGBTQ+ to share their stories, all while encouraging LGBTQ+ allies to learn how to be the best allies they can be. In the meantime, she and her team at Progress Muscatine hope to continue giving LGBTQ+ 101 educational presentations, with these events being sponsored and supported by local businesses and groups. To learn more about Progress Muscatine, its events and its continuing efforts, residents can visit www.progressmuscatine.org. China ready to promote sound, steady development of ties with DPRK: official Xinhua) 10:53, July 29, 2023 PYONGYANG, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee has paid a visit upon invitation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as head of a delegation of the Party and government representatives, starting from July 26. During the visit, Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, met with Li. Li handed over a letter signed by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. In the letter, Xi pointed out that 70 years ago, the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV), together with the people and army of DPRK, achieved a great victory in resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea, and forged a great friendship bond by blood. No matter how the international situation may change, it is always the unswerving policy of the CPC and the Chinese government to maintain, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations, said Xi in the letter. Noting that in recent years, Xi and Kim have met five times, ushering in a new era of China-DPRK relations, Li said that China is willing to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and countries with the DPRK, strengthen communication and exchanges, advance practical cooperation, promote the sound and steady development of China-DPRK relations, and make positive contributions to maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula and of the region. Kim expressed sincere gratitude to Xi for the signed letter, saying that the party and people of the DPRK will always remember the immortal achievements of the CPV martyrs. He added that the DPRK is willing to consolidate traditional friendship with China, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, push DPRK-China relations to a higher level, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability and the common interests of both sides. During his visit, Li also met with Choe Ryong-hae and other DPRK leaders, attended the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, visited the China-DPRK Friendship Tower, and went to the cemetery of the martyrs of the CPV in Hoechang County. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) St. Helena's biggest and most controversial housing project in decades is headed to court. Opponents of the 87-unit Hunter project filed a lawsuit Thursday in Napa Superior Court challenging the City Council's June 26 approval of the project's tentative map and environmental impact report (EIR). Download the Napa Valley Register's free news app Easily access the very latest local news that matters in an app built for you. Read, see, and hear exclusive commentary, stunning photography, The suit was filed by St. Helena Citizens for a Sustainable Future, a group formed by the project's opponents, and Water Audit California, an environmental watchdog group that's previously sued the city of St. Helena and Napa County over water management issues. The 33-page complaint echoes neighbors' concerns that the project application is vague and incomplete and segregates affordable housing into one area of the site. It alleges that the EIR fails to adequately analyze emergency access, flood risks, water supply, traffic, and the status of an on-site well that would be used for non-potable use throughout the project site. The lawsuit also claims that the city approved the project without adequate analysis of how potential groundwater extraction would affect flows in the Napa River. It claims that the approval violated the Fish and Game Code and the public trust doctrine, which holds that the state and local governments are responsible for managing water resources as "a public trust for the benefit of the people." The lawsuit names the city of St. Helena, the St. Helena City Council, and applicants Ben vanZutphen and White Fang Properties, LLC. Applicants are typically responsible for the city's legal costs in defending against lawsuits against an approved project. Members of the council majority who voted for the Hunter project said they had little choice, with the state applying unprecedented pressure on the city to approve the project and the applicant poised to sue the city if the council rejected the project. City Attorney Ethan Walsh told councilmembers at the time that their hands were tied by state law, and they couldn't deny the project without finding that the project would have a "specific adverse impact" on health and safety. The approval of the tentative map and EIR doesn't allow construction to move ahead right away. The applicants still need to demonstrate how they will offset the project's demand on city water and satisfy the city's affordable housing requirements. Mayor Paul Dohring released a statement Saturday in reaction to the lawsuit. "Many in the community have made it clear that they are dissatisfied with the developers responses to several key issues, including public safety, open space, water neutrality, and affordable housing," Dohring said. "Perhaps this lawsuit will serve as a catalyst for building more consensus around these important community concerns. In the meantime, our residents should know that our city council remains focused on our most pressing challenges: securing our water supplies, addressing wildfire risk, restoring our infrastructure, creating employee housing and building additional revenue sources. Photos: Grand opening of St. Helena's Brenkle Court housing complex Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Mentis, which has provided community-based mental wellness services to Napans since 1948, will soon have a new and much bigger home. Download Napa Valley Register news app today! Your story lives in the Napa Valley. Get in-depth stories from the Napa region and beyond including news, sports, features and politics. The nonprofit recently purchased a large property currently occupied by Blue Oak Middle School, at 1272 Hayes St. in Napa. Its a game changer for the nonprofit, said Rob Weiss, executive director for Mentis. At Mentis new home, we will consolidate, bring all our staff into one location, and expand programming," he said. "And that's the exciting part because there's tremendous need for more mental health services, particularly for youth. According to the Napa County Clerk-Recorder's Office, the property sold for $6.42 million on June 30. Mentis had previously purchased an adjacent cottage, at 1248 Hayes St., from the school. On July 12, Mentis sold that property for $650,000. Blue Oak Middle School will move to a new campus, currently under construction across from the Blue Oak elementary school building at 1436 Polk St. in downtown Napa. A $4.75 million award from California for youth mental health is another key element of the evolution of Mentis. Old dry cleaning toxins delay opening of new Blue Oak School campus in Napa Blue Oak School is pushing back the opening of its new middle school campus after the discovery of toxic dry cleaning residue at its building site in downtown Napa. The grant comes from the state Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program. In December, the state announced a total of $480.5 million in infrastructure grants to support youth mental health initiatives. Mentis is one of just four nonprofits in the Bay Area and the only one in Napa County to receive such funding at this time. The Hayes Street property is extremely well-suited to the work we do and the environment that we want to operate in, said Weiss. Mentis work goes beyond improving access to mental health services. Mentis looks upstream to prevent mental health issues from escalating in the first place and intervening early, Weiss said, adding that the school property can be easily refashioned to Mentis' mission. A lot of the infrastructure that already existed for a school is well-translated and converted into a nonprofit organization and what we need to deliver mental health services, said Weiss. The new campus will be used during the day, not for overnight care. The property is also big enough for Mentis to expand. The nonprofits current home, at 709 Franklin St., is only 1,600 square feet, while the new building will cover more than 13,000 square feet. In addition, the environment has a very soothing energy, said Weiss, referring to the site's abundant trees and a warm, brown-colored building that looks unlike a traditional health clinic. Mentis currently has about 50 employees across Napa County. With a state grant and a larger campus, we will be scaling up staffing (for) the expansion of services, Weiss said. According to data from Mentis, the need for mental health services has never been more urgent. The nonprofit reports that one in three adults in any given year experiences a mental health condition. In Napa County that amounts to more than 30,000 adults enough to fill Napas Memorial Stadium five times. Weiss said that 40% of Napa County youth reported that they have felt chronic sadness or hopelessness for two weeks or more during the past year," and 20% said "they have contemplated suicide in the last 12 months. To accommodate ongoing construction at Blue Oaks middle school campus, Mentis will wait to move into the Hayes Street site until the winter of 2025, said Liz Marks, Mentis development director. Decisions about the Franklin Street Mentis building's future have yet to be announced, according to Weiss. Photos: Meet Obi, Napa's animal assisted therapy pig Meet Obi, Napa's therapy pig Meet Obi, Napa's therapy pig Meet Obi, Napa's therapy pig Meet Obi, Napa's therapy pig Meet Obi, Napa's therapy pig Meet Obi, Napa's therapy pig Meet Obi, Napa's therapy pig Meet Obi, Napa's therapy pig National Night Out, the annual collection of community gatherings hosted by law enforcement agencies, returns to Napa County and the rest of the country on Tuesday. The 40th annual campaign arrives in the first Tuesday of August in 17,000 communities across the U.S. and Canada. Through activities like festivals, parades and block parties, agencies taking part in National Night Out seek to promote safer communities and build ties between law enforcement and the people, according to organizers. Its a night out where the community comes out and are able to meet all of the resources we have in the county, Napa County sheriffs Deputy Reina Maravilla said of National Night Out, which will include gatherings hosted by the Napa, American Canyon, St. Helena and Calistoga police departments. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community, the National Association of Town Watch, which created the first such events in 1984, said in a statement. Here are details about local events planned on Tuesday for National Night Out: Napa 4 to 7 p.m. at Walmart, 681 Lincoln Ave. The event will include members of Napa Police, Napa Fire, the Napa County Sheriffs Office, American Medical Response, Napa County Library, Napa County In-Home Supportive Services, and the Napa Recovery Center. There will be formal presentations of various specialties, and exhibits for people to ask questions and learn more about their community. Children can take part in various arts and crafts, as well as a scavenger hunt with prizes. Youth also can get hands-on experience with some of the tools and gadgets used by law enforcement officers. American Canyon 6 to 8 p.m.; block parties in various neighborhoods Uniquely among Napa Valley towns, American Canyon celebrates National Night Out with a series of neighborhood block parties. According to Lt. Nicol Dudley of American Canyon Police, the city will host 13 such gatherings; the locations of seven parties had been released as of Friday morning: Las Casitas Mobile Home Park (3000 Broadway St. (Highway 29)), Oriole Court 100 block of Horizon Way 200 block of Hummingbird Way 60 block of Melvin Road 20 block of Bluebell Street 200 block of Los Altos Place Olympia Mobilodge of Napa (244 American Canyon Road), Mosaic Court Members of the city police and fire departments, the city police mascot Lobo, City Council members and city staff will patrol neighborhoods and stop by to meet residents. St. Helena 5 to 8 p.m. at the Napa Valley College Upper Valley Campus, 1088 College Ave. St. Helenas gathering will include members of the city police and fire departments, city government, UpValley Family Centers, AMR, and various vendors and county agencies. The event will include music, lawn games, and childrens activities such as arts and crafts. Younger visitors also will have the chance to see a police patrol car and other equipment used by officers. Vendors and city parks staff will provide food and beverages. Calistoga Open house from 3 to 5 p.m. at Calistoga Police, 1235 Washington St.; National Night Out gathering from 5 to 8 p.m. at Pioneer Park, Cedar and Spring streets Calistogas open house will take place at the city police station, where visitors see patrol vehicles and gadgets used on the job. During National Night Out, groups with exhibits will include the city police and fire departments as well as UpValley Family Centers. Childrens activities will include a bounce house, lawn games, music, and arts and crafts. Free food and beverages will be provided. Photos: Napa County National Night Out 2019 Napa National Night Out 2019 American Canyon Neighborhood Watch St. Helena National Night Out St. Helena National Night Out Napa National Night Out 2019 Napa National Night Out 2019 Napa National Night Out 2019 Calistoga National Night Out Calistoga National Night Out Calistoga National Night Out Calistoga National Night Out Calistoga National Night Out SACRAMENTO Weeks after Democratic lawmakers forced Gov. Gavin Newsom to make good on a four-year-old pledge to use tax penalty proceeds from fining the uninsured to increase health insurance subsidies for low- and middle-income Californians, Covered California officials announced they will funnel that money into reducing out-of-pocket spending for many enrollees struggling with the cost of care. Download Napa Valley Register news app today! Your story lives in the Napa Valley. Get in-depth stories from the Napa region and beyond including news, sports, features and politics. The states health insurance exchange will zero out some patients hospital deductibles, up to $5,400; lower the copay of primary care visits from $50 to $35; and reduce the cost for generic drugs from $19 to $15. Some enrollees will also see their annual out-of-pocket spending capped at $6,100, down from $7,500. Covered California CEO Jessica Altman argues these are tangible reductions savings on deductibles and copays on top of subsidies to lower monthly premiums that will affect hundreds of thousands of people and entice them to use their coverage. Deductibles uniquely detract people from seeking care, so thats a significant focus, Altman told KFF Health News. California is really grappling with affordability and thinking about, What does affordability really mean? Many people simply do not have $5,000 sitting in their bank account in case they need it for health care. Additional reductions in patients out-of-pocket costs on top of existing federal health insurance subsidies to reduce monthly premiums will take effect in January for people renewing or purchasing coverage during Covered Californias next enrollment period, which begins in the fall. The state could go further in helping reduce patients costs in subsequent years with future budget increases, Altman said. California started fining those without health coverage in the tax year 2020, establishing its own individual mandate. In that first year, the state raised $403 million in penalty revenue, according to the state Franchise Tax Board. It has continued to levy fines, paid for largely by low- or middle-income earners, the very people the new subsidies are intended to help. Legislative leaders had pushed Newsom, a fellow Democrat, to funnel the tax revenue into lowering health care costs for low- and middle-income people purchasing coverage via Covered California many of whom reported skipping or delaying care due to high out-of-pocket costs. The governor for years resisted pleas to put penalty money into Covered California subsidies, arguing that the state couldnt afford it and needed the money given looming economic downturns and the potential loss of federal premium subsidies which could be threatened by a change in federal leadership. But under ongoing pressure, Newsom relented in June and agreed to begin spending some of the money to boost state subsidies. According to the state Department of Finance, California is expected to plow $83 million next year and $165 million annually in subsequent years to expand financial assistance roughly half the revenue it raises annually into reducing Covered California patients costs. The remainder of the money will be set aside in a special health care fund that could be tapped later. The budget deal also allows the Newsom administration to borrow up to $600 million in penalty revenue for the state general fund, which it must pay back. Penalty revenues are projected to bring in $362 million this year with an additional $366 million projected next year, according to Finance Department spokesperson H.D. Palmer. Covered California board members approved the new plan design last week. They say the cost-sharing subsidies will lower out-of-pocket spending for nearly 700,000 people out of roughly 1.6 million enrolled in Covered California. The boost in funding, which represents the states most significant effort to slash patients costs in Covered California, will largely benefit lower-income Californians who earn below 250% of the federal poverty level, which is $33,975 for an individual and $69,375 for a family of four for 2023, according to the exchange. Bringing down deductibles goes a long way to help middle-class California families struggling with increasing costs of living, said Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, who rallied fellow Democrats to block a plan by Newsom and his administration to keep the revenue for the state general fund, which can be used for any purpose. Atkins added, We will continue our work to lower the costs even more in the years to come. Newsom spokesperson Brandon Richards defended the governors health care record, saying Newsom is committed to ensuring Californians can access health care. In addition to boosting assistance in Covered California, Richards said, the governor has expanded public health insurance coverage to immigrants lacking legal status and is increasing how much doctors, hospitals, and other providers get paid to see Medicaid patients. Originally required by the federal Affordable Care Act, the so-called individual mandate to hold health coverage or pay a tax penalty was gutted by Republicans in 2017, eliminating the fine nationally. Newsom reinstated it for California when he took office in 2019 a key component of his ambitious health care platform. California is one of at least five states, along with Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia that have their own health coverage mandate, though not all levy a tax penalty for remaining uninsured. Among them, California is most aggressively trying to lower health care costs and achieve universal coverage, said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF. Even though they may disagree on the big picture of health care reform and single-payer, California Democrats have managed to come together and unify around these incremental steps to improve the current system, Levitt said. Step by step, they have put in place the pieces to get as close to universal coverage as they possibly can. Democratic leaders in the state have faced political blowback for not using the penalty revenue for health care, details first reported by KFF Health News, even though Newsom and other Democrats vowed to spend the money to make health care more affordable in Covered California. Advocates say the deal represents a win for low- and middle-income people. Were excited that this money is protected for health care, and ultimately is set aside for future affordability assistance, said Diana Douglas, chief lobbyist with the consumer advocacy group Health Access California. Advocates want the state to tap those health care dollars to get more people covered, such as lowering health care costs for immigrants living in the state without legal permission. A bill this year by Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, a Fresno Democrat, would require Covered California to establish a separate health insurance marketplace so that immigrants who lack legal status and earn too much to qualify for Medi-Cal, Californias version of Medicaid, can purchase comprehensive coverage that is nearly identical to plans sold on Covered California. Currently, immigrants without legal residency are not allowed on the exchange. Other states, such as Washington and Colorado, have set up similar online marketplaces. Were working hard to create a system that has equal benefits and affordability assistance for everyone, Arambula said. NKR ombudsman: Human rights activists expressed their stance, its international arena political decision-makers turn Azerbaijan fires at civilians in Karabakh village, civilian car sustains damage (PHOTOS) ECtHR forwards to Armenian side Azerbaijan information on abducted Karabakh resident Vagif Khachatryan Lithuania FM: Crucial to ensure unimpeded movement through Lachin corridor Minister, UAE envoy to Armenia discuss promising domains of cooperation in economy US Senate Foreign Relations Committee representatives visit Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Armenia parliament vice-speaker briefs Estonia envoy on growing humanitarian crisis in Karabakh Ocampo submits report to Karabakh president, concludes that genocide is being committed against people of Artsakh Armenia FM briefs Spain, Greece counterparts on humanitarian crisis in Karabakh Public TV: Another one joins trucks sent from Armenia for Karabakh, this humanitarian aid is from France Burbank mayor meets with protesting American Armenians demanding lifting of Karabakh blockade Armenia Security Council chief meets with US Senate Foreign Relations Committee representatives Armenia FM has phone conversation with Bulgaria counterpart Ex-FM: Armenians have only one lever in their hands which is to sign or not to sign peace treaty with Azerbaijan Russia MFA: Signal being received from Azerbaijan, Armenia doesnt mean parties are ready to agree to any conditions Armenia defense minister receives newly appointed France ambassador (PHOTOS) Which political party Yerevan residents will vote for the most in upcoming municipal election? Red Cross transfers 10 more medical patients from Karabakh to Armenia Azerbaijani economist is detained in Turkey, handed over to homeland Ombudsperson: Cases of fainting due to malnutrition continue to increase in Karabakh Armenia FM briefs Lithuania colleague on situation, growing humanitarian crisis in Karabakh Luis Moreno Ocampo: Azerbaijan blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh is genocide Los Angeles Armenians block street, march to Congressman Adam Schiff residence Crusaders detachment reaches area where humanitarian aid trucks sent from Armenia to Karabakh are waiting ARF does not find it proper to nominate its own proportional representation list for Yerevan elections Armenia premier congratulates Singapore counterpart on National Day Sputnik Armenia: Where, under what conditions father and son Smbatyan are detained? Newspaper: When Armenia ruling party election headquarters will start working? Armenia MFA spox: Abducting of patient under Red Cross care must be condemned Erdogan confirms Turkey participation in 2020 war against Karabakh Russia MoD records ceasefire violation in Nagorno-Karabakh President sends urgent appeal to international community to take immediate action to prevent genocide of NKR people Turkey army General Staff head of intelligence visits Azerbaijan Poland new envoy expresses readiness to assist reforms within Armenia internal affairs ministry (PHOTOS) Estonia ambassador to Armenia joins EU civilian monitoring mission patrol Congressman Adam Schiff: We must recognize Artsakh Republic independence if we truly stand for democracy, human rights Robert Khachatryan, Andrea Wiktorin discuss EU-assisted high-tech projects in Armenia Who are included in ex-mayor Hayk Marutyan's political team for Yerevan Council of Elders election? Armenia PM congratulates newly appointed Tunis colleague Armenia wins 1 gold, 4 silver medals at International Mathematics Competition for University Students US State Department spox.: Turkey can play productive role in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations normalization Crusaders detachment members reopen avenue nearby Armenia government building Armenia national opera and ballet theater has new director Karabakh war-participating detachment members block avenue near Armenia government building Delegation visiting Armenia on US Senator Robert Menendezs instruction is in Syunik Province (PHOTOS) Protesters give Armenia government time until 6pm to have Lachin corridor reopened Red Cross transports 11 medical patients from Karabakh to Armenia after 11 days of complete blockade by Azerbaijan Karabakh war-participating detachment members protest outside Armenia government building Red Cross representatives visit 2 Azerbaijani soldiers who illegally entered Armenia With which party ex-mayor Hayk Marutyan will run in Yerevan municipal elections? Armenia responds to Azerbaijan letter regarding plant under construction in Yeraskh village Tasnim: Iran, Armenia security councils heads discuss regional situation Armenia Security Council chief briefs Iran diplomat on humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh Tesla CFO unexpectedly resigns Ex-mayor Hayk Marutyan to run in Yerevan election Health ministry: Comprehensive siege of Karabakh leads to considerable increase in mortality, morbidity rates Azerbaijan ombudsperson representatives visit detained Karabakh resident Rashid Beglaryan UN experts call on Azerbaijan to immediately restore free movement through Lachin corridor Karabakh state minister: Even in these conditions there are still people who are engaged in idle talk Worlds largest Nissan to go out of production Aram I, Vatican bishop discuss current situation in Nagorno-Karabakh Andranik Tevanyan: Mother Armenia movement will run in Yerevan municipal elections Newspaper: Armenia parliament new session to be heated, ruling force already has decision Azerbaijan slams UN experts for their objective assessments of situation in Karabakh US State Department: Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement remains within reach Vardan Sargsyan: Humanitarian crisis in Karabakh is deepening, with widespread malnutrition Turkey ministers council discusses Armenia-Azerbaijan relations Armenia internal affairs minister, China ambassador confer on bilateral cooperation About 256,000 tourists visit Armenia in July Armenian Tourism Federation president: Whoever happens should not represent our country Karabakh legislature new head: We will continue fight for preservation, strengthening of Artsakh statehood at any cost Armenia Security Council chief has telephone conversation with newly appointed Iran counterpart UNICEF urges to place Karabakh childrens safety, survival above all other considerations Red Cross visits Karabakh resident Vagif Khachatryan, abducted by Azerbaijan Yerevan murder circumstances being ascertained, criminal proceedings launched (PHOTOS) Newly appointed UAE envoy ready to assist in Armenia justice sector reforms (PHOTOS) Hurriyet: Putin-Erdogan talks will discuss Turkey relations with Azerbaijan, Armenia What are most popular names given to Armenia newborns in first 6 months of 2023? European Parliament member considers Lachin corridor blocking a war crime Artur Osipyan: Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh turned down petition to escort motorcade to Hakari bridge Hakan Fidan: Turkey-Armenia, Azerbaijan-Armenia relations normalization process should proceed in parallel Karabakh residents protest in front of Armenia MFA American Armenians start sit-in, in support of Karabakh, outside Congressman Adam Schiffs office shamshyan.com: Shootings in Yerevan, man with gunshot wound in the head dies in hospital Person, 35, found dead in Armenias Lake Sevan Armenia MFA spox: Clear steps needed to implement all international calls, decisions regarding Karabakh Malta Armenians hold peaceful demonstration in support of Karabakh Karabakh has a cash problem World Council of Churches, Conference of European Churches call on Borrell to have Karabakh blockade lifted Karabakh National Assembly has new speaker Armenia-Azerbaijan relations to be discussed at Turkey government Cabinet session Karabakh legislature ruling faction nominates opposition ARF MP Davit Ishkhanyan for post of parliament speaker Military junta closes Niger airspace Azerbaijan fires at Armenia positions, also uses mortars President of Karabakh: Its as result of government activities that we have chance not to starve yet Arayik Harutyunyan: The West made effort to organize a Baku-Stepanakert meeting in 3rd country President of Karabakh: There seems to be tacit agreement to leave us all alone with Azerbaijan Arayik Harutyunyan: Azerbaijan wants to abandon tripartite statement, to continue the war Karabakh President: Humanitarian disaster border is crossed, now we are witnessing Azerbaijans genocidal policy Artur Abraham calls on the UN and the civilized world to intervene in the situation around the Lachin corridor The people of Artsakh are facing an unimaginable humanitarian crisis at the hands of Aliyev's regime. Due to Azerbaijan's blockade of the [Berdzor] Lachin Corridor, food is running out, medical supplies are limited and the need for basic necessities is dangerously low, says the statement issued by the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairs Congressman Frank Pallone, Gus M. Bilirakis, David G. Valadao, and Adam B. Schiff. The international community has sat on the sidelines for far too long, watching as this crisis has escalated to a critical point where the lives of tens of thousands are currently at risk. Meanwhile, President Aliyev has faced zero consequences for his brutal campaign to force Armenians in Artsakh off their historic lands. This is the definition of ethnic cleansing. The international community must utilize all diplomatic tools available to halt the blockade, open this vital lifeline, and prevent a catastrophic humanitarian crisis from unfolding. We call on the Biden Administration to act immediately and help bring this deliberate and calculated crisis to a peaceful end. Armenians in the South Caucasus are continuously threatened by the destabilizing, brutal actions of the Aliyev regime. The blockade of the Lachin Corridor for over seven months is risking the lives and livelihoods of over 120,000 people in Artsakh, and the prevention of aid from going through the corridor is bringing the humanitarian crisis to a head. It is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis caused by Azerbaijans deadly 2020 invasion of Artsakh that killed 5,000 and forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to leave their homes. Azeri forces continue to harass, detain, and kill individuals in Armenia and Artsakh, while also falsely declaring Armenian territory as their own, the statement reads. enian territory as their own, the statement reads. Azerbaijan detained a 68-year-old citizen of Artsakh, who was transferred to a medical institution of the Republic of Armenia through the Red Cross for treatment, State Minister of Artsakh Gurgen Nersisyan said on Facebook. According to Nersisyan, today, Azerbaijan detained a 68-year-old citizen of Artsakh, from among the patients being transported to medical institutions of the Republic of Armenia through the mediation of ICRC, and transferred him from the checkpoint to another place. And all this while being called to respect at least the mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross. At the moment, the ICRC representative is with our citizen, but the negotiations have not yielded any results yet, we are waiting for new information. In the same procession, our citizens who were transported to Armenia accompanied by the ICRC representative from the city of Goris were transferred to Goris Medical Center, and the procession returning our citizens who were treated in Armenia to Artsakh was canceled. It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan has always tried in every possible way to obstruct the process of transferring patients to Armenia even through the ICRC and every time presented the Red Cross with new conditions, and this was another step to create fear among people of passing through the [Berdzor] Lachin Corridor even for the purpose of treatment. These are the day-by-day consequences of recognizing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and calling Artsakh Azerbaijan, of the scarce efforts from Armenian authorities to condemn the months-long crimes against the people of Artsakh, and the almost inactive behavior of the international community. These consequences must be prevented at any cost. Armenians, I am crying out again and again, wake up, stand up to all of this." he wrote. Flash China will firmly safeguard the legitimate and lawful right of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to attend APEC meetings, according to a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Friday. Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular news briefing in response to reports that the United States will not invite HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in the United States towards the end of this year due to relevant sanctions, according to unnamed U.S. officials. It is widely understood that APEC host economies have the responsibility and obligation to ensure the smooth participation of the representatives of all members in APEC meetings. Imposing illegal and unreasonable sanctions on Chief Executive John Lee and other Chinese officials is in itself a bullying act which seriously violates the basic international norms, Mao said. She said that to not invite HKSAR Chief Executive to the APEC meeting by citing those sanctions as the reason is yet another mistake, which blatantly violates APEC rules and gravely contravenes the U.S. commitment as the host. "China strongly disapproves of and firmly opposes this and has made serious demarches to the United States," said Mao. China asked the United States to correct the wrong move immediately, lift the sanctions on Chief Executive John Lee and other HKSAR officials, fulfill its due responsibility as the APEC host, invite Chief Executive John Lee to the meeting according to customary practice, make sure that representatives of all APEC members, including those of China's Hong Kong, will participate smoothly in the APEC events, and stop undermining the solidarity and cooperation of APEC, she said. The Azerbaijani authorities grossly used the data of the ICRC to illegally arrest Artsakh citizen Vagif Khachatryan. As previously reported, a citizen of Artsakh, transported by the ICRC from Artsakh to Armenia, was kidnapped during an inspection at a checkpoint illegally installed by the Azerbaijani side in the [Berdzor] Lachin Corridor. The ICRC later clarified that all data on persons being transported are shared with the parties. Taking advantage of this, the Azerbaijani authorities hastily concocted an "accusation" on the "basis" of which the man was kidnapped. The Azerbaijani media has already spread information about the detention of Khachatryan on charges of "involvement in the genocide" of Azerbaijanis. The investigation established that on the specified date, a citizen of Azerbaijan, born in 1955, a native of the village of Badara, [Mayraberd] Askeran region, who lived in this village, Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan, who worked as a driver at the city motor transport enterprise in [Stepanakert] Khankendi, together with other persons of Armenian nationality in the village of [Kharkhaput] Mesli, using various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, carried out an armed attack on this village; 25 people of Azerbaijani nationality were killed, 14 people received bodily injuries of varying severity, 358 people were forcibly evicted from their places of legal residence. In addition, Khachatryan, continuing joint criminal actions with persons with whom he had previously colluded, caused material damage to the state and the property of the villagers in the total amount of 5 million 496 thousand 900 Manats, the Azerbaijani media writes, citing statement of the Prosecutor Generals Office. Azerbaijan's actions are blatant violation of international humanitarian law. The detention of a person who is under the protection of international humanitarian law and the ICRC can only be characterized as a war crime, says the statement of Armenian Foreign Ministry in connection with the kidnapping of an Artsakh citizen by the Azerbaijani side. On July 29, 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan, who was being transported from [Artsakh] Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia with serious health problems, accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross [ICRC] for treatment, was kidnapped by representatives of the Azerbaijani border service at an illegal checkpoint in the [Berdzor] Lachin Corridor and taken away in an unknown direction without any explanation. We consider it necessary to emphasize that ICRC provides the parties with the lists of patients to be transported in advance and carries out their transfer only after agreement. The dissemination of a message filled with false narratives and accusations by the Prosecutor Generals Office of Azerbaijan immediately after the kidnapping shows that this action was carefully planned in advance. Moreover, the message explicitly threatens to apply the same approach to other residents of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan's actions are a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. The detention of a person who is under the protection of international humanitarian law and the ICRC can only be qualified as a war crime. These actions are also aimed to completely disorganize ICRC activities in Nagorno-Karabakh, while Azerbaijan continues to block the Lachin Corridor and generally prevents other humanitarian organizations from entering Nagorno-Karabakh. It is noteworthy that the actions of the Azerbaijani authorities represent a direct implementation of the statement made on May 28 by the President of this country that the installation of a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor will be a lesson for the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and [implementation of] the constant threats, about which the Armenian side has repeatedly warned international partners, calling for the condemnation of these and similar statements. Azerbaijan's actions directly indicate that the alarming reports of ethnic cleansing, which have been voiced by Armenia for a long time, reflect the seriousness of the existing threat. Moreover, this once again shows the bankruptcy of the arguments of the Azerbaijani side regarding not returning Armenian prisoners of war and civilians illegally held in Baku after the [Artsakh] 44-day war, as well as military personnel abducted on May 26 of this year from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and holding fabricated trials against them. These actions, in parallel with blocking the Lachin corridor and refusing to address the issues of the rights and security of the people of NK, are aimed at intimidating the population of NK and once again cast serious doubt on the possibility of not only ensuring the minimum rights of the people of NK, but also the realization of the right to life in the absence of international involvement We consider unacceptable and deserving of condemnation the criminal act committed by Azerbaijan today and the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor. We expect unified and clear steps by the international community, including the use of existing tools aimed at restoring unhindered movement along the Lachin corridor, ensuring the activities of international humanitarian organizations in Nagorno-Karabakh and ensuring humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh," the statement reads. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. Ndayishimiye is here to attend the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games and visit China. Xi said that China-Burundi relations have withstood the test of international changes and uncertainties, and the two countries are all-weather friends who share weal and woe and good partners respecting each other and developing together. China firmly supports Burundi in upholding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in pursuing an independent and self-reliant development path, Xi said. China is willing to strengthen exchanges of state governance experience with Burundi, Xi said, adding that China will accelerate the progress of major cooperation projects and support the early export of Burundi's agricultural products to China. He said China encourages capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Burundi, and will help Burundi achieve food self-sufficiency and sustainable development. China is willing to work with Burundi to jointly contribute to peace and stability in Africa, Xi said. Noting that China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future, Xi said the two sides need to strengthen unity and cooperation to safeguard the common interests of developing countries as well as international fairness and justice in a world that is facing multiple challenges and crises. China is willing to provide new opportunities to African countries with its new development, and work with Africans to promote Belt and Road cooperation, align the Global Development Initiative with the African Union's Agenda 2063, and achieve common development and progress, said Xi. Ndayishimiye said Burundi regards China as an all-weather cooperative partner for its national development, and firmly adheres to the one-China policy and considers Taiwan as an inalienable part of China. Burundi firmly supports the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by China, opposes double standards on human rights issues, and stands against interference in other countries' internal affairs, he said. Ndayishimiye expressed the hope to strengthen cooperation with China in agriculture, mining, animal husbandry and other fields. Burundi is willing to enhance communication and cooperation with China in regional and international affairs, strengthen Africa-China unity and cooperation, and build a more just and reasonable international order, he said. Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Wang Yi, and Shen Yiqin attended the meeting. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh has issued a statement regarding the abduction of a 68-year-old citizen of Artsakh. On 29 July, a 68-year-old citizen of the Republic of Artsakh, who was being transported to Armenia for medical treatment under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was abducted by representatives of Azerbaijan from the checkpoint illegally established in the Lachin Corridor. The passage of the citizen of Artsakh was agreed in advance through the mediation of the ICRC. The illegal arrest of a citizen of Artsakh, being under the protection of the international law and the ICRC mandate , constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, provisions of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020 and legally binding Orders of the International Court of Justice and ECtHR, and clearly demonstrates the true intentions of Azerbaijan towards the people of Artsakh. It is evident that if Azerbaijan's policy of forced subjugation of Artsakh, which Baku presents to the international community as its resolution plan, succeeds, abductions, illegal detentions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other massive violations of the rights of Artsakh Armenians will become a widespread. In case of the control over the citizens of Artsakh, the Azerbaijani authorities will not miss the opportunity to subject them to illegal detention, torture, deprive them of their lives or violate their human rights in any other way. If falling under the control of Azerbaijan, the Armenians of Artsakh have practically no chance of survival and humane treatment. Thirty-eight civilians who fell in hands of the Azerbaijani military during the aggression against Artsakh in 2020 have already become victims of this inhumane policy of Azerbaijan. All of them were tortured and brutally killed. Three other civilians, as well as three police officers and twenty-one military personnel of the Republic of Artsakh, were killed by Azerbaijan after the war and the signing of the trilateral ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020. The abduction of a civilian is yet another example of Azerbaijan's state policy of widespread and systematic violations of the rights of Artsakh's residents directly arising from the establishment of an illegal checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, which has become an instrument of intimidation of the Armenians of Artsakh, infringement of their rights and dignity, as well as an excuse for committing war crimes. Having subjected the people of Artsakh to starvation and other hardships for almost eight months, deliberately and arbitrarily depriving them of the right to receive humanitarian relief, the Azerbaijani authorities have now resorted to persecuting vulnerable citizens of Artsakh on an individual level. We demand that all involved international actors, including the ICRC, take urgent and effective measures to immediately release and repatriate the abducted citizen of Artsakh, put an end to crimes against humanity committed by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh, as well as prevent the escalation of these violations into the crime of genocide. We consider it imperative to consolidate the efforts of all involved actors for a complete and unconditional cessation of the blockade and the establishment of a long-term international mechanism to protect the rights and security of the people of Artsakh from Azerbaijan's genocidal policies. We insist that the issue of the ongoing, nearly 8-month-long illegal blockade, carried out as part of Azerbaijan's state policy of annihilation of the people of Artsakh as such, be promptly addressed by the United Nations Security Council. We call upon the International Committee of the Red Cross, as the only international organisation present on the ground and endowed with the relevant international mandate, to urgently express its public position and provide the international community, particularly the member states of the UN Security Council, with detailed factual and legal information regarding the situation in Artsakh and Azerbaijan's actions, says the statement. The Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh published the facts collected by Human Rights Defenders office regarding the kidnapping of Vagif Khachatryan by Azerbaijan. On July 29, at about 9:30, accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), by prior agreement with the Azerbaijani side, the convoy transporting patients from Artsakh to Armenia reached the illegal Azerbaijani "checkpoint" located near the Hakari Bridge. During the passport check, Vagif Khachatryan, a resident of the Patara community of the Republic of Artsakh, born in 1955, gave his passport to representatives of the Azerbaijani border service, who then did not return his passport. When asked by Vagif Khachatryan's daughter and the ICRC representative why they did not return the passport, the Azerbaijanis replied that they would return it in 5 minutes. At that time, Vagif Khachatryan was escorted to a medical office located at an illegal Azerbaijani "checkpoint", where he was asked health-related questions and about the reasons for his transfer to Armenia. Then Vagif Khachatryan was informed that he had to proceed to one of the rooms located near the "checkpoint" for 15 minutes to answer a few questions. Vagif's daughter and the ICRC representative insisted that they could ask their questions directly at the checkpoint and that there was no need to move to another place. After that, the Azerbaijanis threatened to do it with the use of force. At the same time, according to the testimonies, a lot of Azerbaijani servicemen armed with machine guns were gathered at the checkpoint. Vagif Khachatryan and the ICRC representative of the Stepanakert Office (a foreign national) were put into a Niva car, which headed to the lower part of the Hakari bridge. Approximately 10 minutes later, the ICRC representative returned to the checkpoint in a Chevrolet car, while Vagif Khachatryan was taken away in an unknown direction. According to the testimony, the ICRC representative was pushed out of the car by the Azerbaijanis. All these actions took place in the presence of Vagif Khachatryan's daughter, who tried to do everything possible to prevent the kidnapping of her father, but she was threatened with the use of force. 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan suffered from cardiovascular disease and was being transferred to the Nork Marash Medical Center in Yerevan for surgery. Before transferring patients to medical institutions of the Republic of Armenia, the ICRC receives the consent of all parties, including the Azerbaijani side. Therefore, after the agreement is reached, the ICRC is responsible for the safe transportation of these persons. The criminal case initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan against Vagif Khachatryan and his so-called arrest within its framework is a false and far-fetched pretext for his abduction. According to the information received and the research conducted by the Office of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, it was confirmed that there is no data on Vagif Khachatryan in any international intelligence system. Consequently, Vagif Khachatryan is a person under international humanitarian protection, for the protection of whose rights the human rights defender of Artsakh demands the following: A public statement made by the ICRC, making a legal assessment of this Azerbaijani crime, to take all actions arising from the ICRC's mandate to return Vagif Khachatryan to Artsakh, to ensure the protection of the rights of Vagif Khachatryan before his return, to exclude torture and inhumane treatment towards him. To present to international organizations and governments of individual States the facts about the kidnapping of a citizen of the Republic of Artsakh by Azerbaijan and crimes systematically carried out against the people of Artsakh, pursuing the undeniable goal of ethnic cleansing and genocide, in order to ensure the necessary international pressure. International organizations should take as a basis the alarm voiced by the ICRC and a number of international human rights organizations about Azerbaijan's large-scale violations of the rights of the people of Artsakh, apply coercive and punitive measures against Azerbaijan to make it fulfill its international obligations. The Lachin corridor, which also includes the Hakari Bridge, according to the Trilateral Statement of 2020, is under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces. The kidnapping of Vagif Khachatryan took place a few meters from the unit of the Russian peacekeeping contingent located at the Hakari Bridge, which did nothing to prevent the abduction. Taking into account the fact that the Lachin corridor is considered a territory under the control of Russian peacekeepers, and the Russian Federation is the guarantor of the implementation of the provisions of the Trilateral Statement, the Russian Federation should take all actions to return Vagif Khachatryan to Artsakh and restore full control over the Lachin corridor, preventing the recurrence of cases of abduction of Artsakh citizens by Azerbaijan. Vagif Khachatryan is not an international wanted person. The unlawful interference with his rights violates international legal guarantees and standards, Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan wrote on Facebook. In addition to the previous publication of the Human Rights Defender, the information obtained and studies carried out by the Office of the Human Rights Defender confirmed the fact that there is no data in international wanted lists that Mr. Vagif Khachatryan, who was taken to Armenia for treatment and kidnapped by the Azerbaijani side, is an internationally wanted person. Therefore, the statement of the Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan does not correspond to reality. The Human Rights Defender emphasizes that Mr. Vagif Khachatryan is a protected person under international humanitarian law who was being transported to Armenia under the auspices of the ICRC for the purpose of receiving medical treatment. Therefore, the latter's abduction by the border guards of Azerbaijan is a gross violation of international humanitarian law. The transfer of persons to Armenia to receive urgent medical assistance by the ICRC was agreed upon with the Azerbaijani authorities, after which only the ICRC performed the international humanitarian mission. In other words, Azerbaijan agreed to transfer a person for humanitarian purposes and then unlawfully interfered with fundamental human rights. As a result, Azerbaijan violates the Geneva Convention of August 12, 1949, and Article 37 of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions related to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol 1). The Defender considers it essential to emphasize that the state's obstruction of the humanitarian mission of the organization providing humanitarian aid, in this particular case, the ICRC, is inadmissible and contradicts the international legal principles related to the activities of such organizations. The abovementioned is a basis to conclude that, in this case, we are dealing with gross human rights violations by the Azerbaijani authorities, considering that international legal guarantees and standards universally recognized in the modern civilized world regarding interference with fundamental human rights are not ensured. Issues related to guaranteeing the rights of Mr. Vagif Khachatryan are under the direct attention of the Human Rights Defender, and the Defender is in contact with international partners with a mandate of human rights protection, she said. NewsVoir Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 29: Covering two hectares of the 90-hectare AYANA Estate in Jimbaran, Balis largest integrated resort, AYANA Farm is an organic oasis and learning centre that provides the estate with a wide array of high-quality produce and enables guests to experience time-honoured sustainable farming techniques. After undergoing months of production system and infrastructure enhancements, the reimagined AYANA Farm is now offering guests and the wider community an expanded range of immersive, educational, and enriching experiences. These diverse new experiences invite visitors to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of their surroundings while deepening their understanding of sustainability techniques, along with the agricultural practices that have shaped Bali for centuries. Agrarian culture and striving for ecological balance play a significant role in the spiritual lives of Balinese, and AYANA Farm is the perfect setting to delve deeper into the foundations of the islands unique agricultural heritage. Through its use of eco-friendly and climate-smart practices -including soil health and biodiversity maintenance, water conservation, and resource optimization -along with methods passed down through generations of Indonesian farmers, AYANA Farm is the ideal location for guests interested in learning about environmental sustainability and Balis ancient agricultural ethos. To learn about the farms sustainability principles and traditional methods used to grow a diverse array of vegetables, fruits, herbs, edible flowers, and medicinal plants, AYANA welcomes guests and all community members to enjoy the complementary AYANA Farm Walk, which runs every Monday, Thursday and Saturday from 9am to 9.45am. During the Rediscover Agriculture at AYANA Farm experience, guests can explore sustainable farming practices, participate in activities such as planting and harvesting, and learn about the farms Apotek Hidup, or living pharmacy, which highlights Balinese and Indonesian traditional medicinal knowledge. At the end of the visit -which runs every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday from 8.30am to 10am -participants create their own herbal teas using AYANA Farm organic edible flowers and herbs. Meanwhile, from July 13, those who are intrigued by the ancient art of Indonesia's traditional herbal remedies can join The Art of Djamoe by the Jamu Bar. Led by expert herbalists and jamu makers it will be conducted every Tuesday and Thursday from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. From July 27, guests who may be aspiring mixologists or who simply enjoy getting creative with beverages at home will be enticed by the Farm-to-Bar Workshop. In this unique experience, which will run every Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 6pm, participants will craft their own personalized cocktails and mocktails using freshly harvested edible flowers, herbs, and spices. Finally, for those more inclined to relax and soak up the healing power of nature, the Afternoon Tea at AYANA Farm runs every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday from 3pm to 5pm. Guests can experience the farms extraordinary biodiversity and bask in the wonders of Balis fertile lands. The opening of the completely reimagined AYANA Farm reaffirms our commitment to using environmentally sustainable practices across our resorts and hotels, while also honouring local traditions,saysGiordano Faggioli, General Manager of AYANA Estate.We are also proud to announce that AYANA Farm will shift to 100% solar energy this year,Giordanocontinues. With the increase in travellers wanting to give back to the communities they visit and to form lasting connections, we believe AYANA Farm is set to become one of Balis standout eco-tourism destinations,concludesGiordano. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) NewsVoir Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 29: The Clear Aligners Market in India is witnessing a remarkable growth trajectory, projected to reach an impressive $500 million or INR 4,000 crore by 2023. This surge is attributed to several factors, including the rising prevalence of malocclusion among the Indian population, the increasing demand for orthodontic treatment, and the continuous technological advancements in the industry. In a bid to explore the latest developments in digital dentistry and its impact on patient care, the Digital Dentistry Society-International and the Indian Dental Association recently organized the first-ever International Digital Dentistry Congress (IDDC). The prestigious event took place on June 10-11, 2023, at the renowned Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. At the event, Delhi-based Rejov Aligners, Co-founded by Captain Vikram Kumar and Dr. Priyanka Goyat, partnered with Mumbai-based Dental Ceramists, led by Dinesh Jain, Chairman, and displayed their latest offerings. The presence of Dr. Ashok Dhoble, Secretary General of the Indian Dental Association (IDA), at the event demonstrated the industry's tremendous potential. Esteemed companies such as 3Shape, BioHorizons, Bredent Group, Confident, Durr Dental, DWS, and Envista, along with industry professionals, renowned orthodontists, and dental experts from around the globe, gathered at the congress to exchange knowledge and insights. The adoption of nanorobotics has significantly revolutionized the orthodontics industry, use of Digital Intraoral Scanners and Orthodontic Softwares have replaced to a great extent, the age-old practice of uncomfortable tray impressions and conventional bracket-wire system with Clear Aligners. The adoption of Clear Aligners is seem across various age groups making it age agnostic and a very high value proposition with its ability to correct aesthetics, form and function. Captain Vikram Kumar, Co-founder of Rejov Aligners, expressed his enthusiasm about the efficiency, predictability, and effectiveness of clear aligners in orthodontic treatment. He pointed out the massive growth spurt anticipated in the global market for clear aligners, projected to reach $10.04 billion by 2028. Captain Vikram Kumar emphasized the importance of embracing evolving trends in the dynamic clear aligner market to further strengthen Rejov Aligners' position in India. Dr. Priyanka Goyat, Orthodontist and Co-founder of Rejov Aligners, was equally delighted to participate in the International Digital Dentistry Congress. She highlighted the advancements in digital technology, which have led to an array of options for dental materials, including surfaces, colors, and multilayer materials. Dr. Goyat expressed pride in showcasing new technologies and innovative solutions that enhance patient satisfaction and overall experience. India has witnessed a steady rise in the demand for orthodontic treatment, driven by increasing attention to dental health and aesthetics. With a growing willingness among individuals to invest in their wellness, more people are embracing transparent aligners as a common orthodontic treatment. The success of the International Digital Dentistry Congress has shed light on the transformative power of digital dentistry, propelling the clear aligners market in India to new heights. As technology continues to advance, industry players like Rejov Aligners are at the forefront, revolutionizing orthodontic treatment and elevating patient care to unprecedented levels. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN New Delhi [India], July 29: Transline Technologies, a leading provider of advanced security solutions, has secured a significant contract to implement an IP-based Video Surveillance Solution at railway stations across multiple states in North India. This groundbreaking project, covering states such as Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, and MP, marks a significant milestone in enhancing the security infrastructure of the region's railway network. With a total of 1633 stations included in this project, Transline Technologies is set to transform the security landscape of North India's railway stations. The IP-based Video Surveillance Solution will be tailored to meet the unique requirements of each station, ensuring comprehensive coverage and the safety of millions of passengers. As part of the project, Transline Technologies will supply, install, and commission Video Management Systems (VMS) at the designated railway stations. This includes the deployment of state-of-the-art servers, workstations, storage systems, and panic buttons, enabling efficient monitoring and rapid response capabilities. The integration of Network Video Recorders (NVRs), Video Analytics (VA), and Facial Recognition Systems (FRS) at the Railway Protection Force (RPF) main thanas will further augment the security measures. Additionally, RPF monitoring thanas will be equipped with Live Facial Detection (LFD) technology, enabling real-time identification and prompt action against potential security incidents. To achieve comprehensive surveillance coverage, over 16,000 cameras will be strategically installed across the railway stations involved in the project. This extensive camera network will greatly enhance situational awareness and establish a robust security framework for the railways. Arun Gupta, the Managing Director of Transline Technologies, expressed his enthusiasm about the project, stating, "We are honored to have been awarded this prestigious contract to implement an IP-based Video Surveillance Solution at railway stations in North India. This project showcases our commitment to delivering cutting-edge security solutions and solidifies our position as a trusted partner in securing critical infrastructure." Transline Technologies' expertise in providing innovative and reliable security solutions, combined with their dedication to customer satisfaction, has played a pivotal role in securing this landmark project. By leveraging advanced technology and adhering to industry best practices, Transline Technologies aims to create a safer environment for railway passengers and personnel. Under the visionary leadership of Arun Gupta, Transline Technologies is poised to lead the way in transforming security measures within the railway industry. With a focus on excellence, the company is spearheading the development of highly secure and technologically advanced railway stations across North India. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Flash Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee has paid a visit upon invitation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as head of a delegation of the Party and government representatives, starting from July 26. During the visit, Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, met with Li. Li handed over a letter signed by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. In the letter, Xi pointed out that 70 years ago, the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV), together with the people and army of DPRK, achieved a great victory in resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea, and forged a great friendship bond by blood. No matter how the international situation may change, it is always the unswerving policy of the CPC and the Chinese government to maintain, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations, said Xi in the letter. Noting that in recent years, Xi and Kim have met five times, ushering in a new era of China-DPRK relations, Li said that China is willing to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and countries with the DPRK, strengthen communication and exchanges, advance practical cooperation, promote the sound and steady development of China-DPRK relations, and make positive contributions to maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula and of the region. Kim expressed sincere gratitude to Xi for the signed letter, saying that the party and people of the DPRK will always remember the immortal achievements of the CPV martyrs. He added that the DPRK is willing to consolidate traditional friendship with China, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, push DPRK-China relations to a higher level, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability and the common interests of both sides. During his visit, Li also met with Choe Ryong-hae and other DPRK leaders, attended the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, visited the China-DPRK Friendship Tower, and went to the cemetery of the martyrs of the CPV in Hoechang County. A 21-member delegation from the grand Opposition alliance, I.N.D.I.A, is set to touch down at Imphal airport on Saturday for a two-visit to violence-hit Manipur. The visit follows from a chorus from the Opposition members for a debate on the Manipur situation and a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has resulted in repeated disruptions and adjournments in both Houses of Parliament. The Northeast state has been racked by ehtnic violence, which broke out over a Manipur High Court order asking the state government to consider adding the Meitei community to the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs). Amid the persistent violence, a video from May 4, when the clashes broke out, surfaced recently purportedly showing two women being paraded naked. The viral video triggered a fierce war of words between the BJP-led Centre and the Opposition, both within the four walls of the Parliament and outside, over the prevailing state of affairs in the Northeast state. Demanding that all scheduled businesses in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha be set aside for a discussion on Manipur, members of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) raised a ruckus, disrupting and stalling proceedings in both Houses. The visit by the I.N.D.I.A delegation comes even as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted a motion of no cofidence moved by the Opposition against the Centre over the Manipur situation. The motion was tabled in the Lower House by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who is part of the delegation visiting Manipur on Saturday. Defending the motion against the Centre, Opposition leaders said it was aimed at eliciting a response from PM Modi over the Manipur situation in Parliament. The 21-member Opposition delegation, from both Houses, includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Phulo Devi Netam of the Congress; Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh of the JDU; Sushmita Dev from Trinamool Congress; Kanimozhi from DMK; Sandosh Kumar of the CPI; AA Rahim from CPI(M), Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD; Javed Ali Khan of SP; Mahua Maji of JMM; PP Mohammed Faizal of NCP; Aneel Prasad Hegde of JDU, ET Mohammed Basheer of IUML; NK Premachandran of RSP; Sushil Gupta of AAP; Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT); D Ravikumar of VCK; Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan also of VCK; and Jayant Singh of the RLD. As per the schedule, the delegation, split into two teams, will reach the Imphal airport at 12 pm on Saturday and will leave for Churachandpur, the epicentre of the ethnic violence in the state. The delegation will likely hold a press conference at 8.30 pm later in the day. The Opppsition members have been adamant on the demand for a discussion on Manipur and a statement from PM Modi on the prevailing state of affairs in the state since the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 20. While the Treasury said it was ready for a discussion on Manipur, the Opposition insisted on a debateunder adjournment motion. Amid the disruptions in the Rajya Sabha over the Manipur issue, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday held a meeting with leaders of all Opposition parties to discuss the proceedings of the Upper House next week. The BJP's Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha and Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said the Opposition should proper functioning of the House by way ofdialogue, debate and discussion. Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Manipur during which he announced several steps to restore peace. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had visited the state in June. (ANI) Even as the 21-member delegation of Opposition leaders was due to arrive shortly in Manipur, Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Saturday urged the visiting I.N.D.I.A leaders to contribute to the restoration of peace and order to the violence-hit Northeast. She also called on all parties and stakeholders help put the state back on track. Earlier, on Saturday, the leaders of the visiting delegation said they would refrain from raising any political issues during their visit and would simply focus on getting a sense of the situation on the ground. Speaking to reporters after visiting relief centres in Churachandpur, which was the epicentre of the ethnic violence in the state, Governor Uikey said, "People are asking when peace will be restored to the state. I make constant efforts to bring communities and stakeholders together in the interest of restoring peace to the state. We are also calling on all political parties to help us in this effort." On the two-day visit by the Opposition delegation, the ManipurGovernor said, "I would appeal to them to contribute towards restoring peace to the state." After visiting people displaced by the ethnic violence at the Churachandpur relief shelters, the Governor said, "The government will provide compensation to people, to lost family members to the violence and also suffered loss of property. I will do everything possible to bring peace to Manipur and towards the welfare and well-being of the people, across communities." During her visit to the relief camps, several dispaced locals asked when peace would return to the state. The Governor said, "The people here want to return home. I am striving to bring all parties together in the interest of restoring peace to the state." Earlier, a 21-member delegation of the Opposition alliance, I.N.D.I.A, boarded a flight to Imphal, saying their two-day visit to violence-hit Manipur will be aimed at assessing "the real situation on the ground". Speaking to ANI before boarding the Manipur flight, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is part of the 21-member delegation, said, "The PM hasn't even made an attempt to visit Manipur as yet. Only after receiving a jolt from the Opposition did the Centre wake up to the situation." Earlier, on Saturday, Chowdhury, who heads the Congress in his native West Bengal, said the visit was about understanding the "real situation" in Manipur. The state has been racked ehtnic strife and violence over an order by the Manipur High Court, asking the state government to consider adding the Meitei community to the list of Scheduled Tribes. The visit follows a chorus from the Opposition members for a debate on the Manipur situation and a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has resulted in repeated disruptions and adjournments in both Houses of Parliament. Gaurav Gogoi, a Congress Lok Sabha member from Assam, who tabled a motion of no confidence against the Centre over the Manipur situation, told ANI, "We wish to place the concerns and plight of the people of Manipur before the Parliament. Those who used to talk about one India have split Manipur along ethnic lines." The 21-member Opposition delegation, from both Houses, includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Phulo Devi Netam of the Congress; Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh of the JDU; Sushmita Dev from Trinamool Congress; Kanimozhi from DMK; Sandosh Kumar of the CPI; AA Rahim from CPI(M), Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD; Javed Ali Khan of SP; Mahua Maji of JMM; PP Mohammed Faizal of NCP; Aneel Prasad Hegde of JDU, ET Mohammed Basheer of IUML; NK Premachandran of RSP; Sushil Gupta of AAP; Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT); D Ravikumar of VCK; Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan also of VCK; and Jayant Singh of the RLD. (ANI) On a day-long visit to the state, the BJP national party president will chair a core committee meeting of the party in Rajasthan while also interacting with state party leaders individually. The move comes as the party prepares for the upcoming Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. Meanwhile, the BJP on Saturdayreleased a list of its central office bearers, which includes Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Rajya Sabha MP Radha Mohan Agarwal, who were appointed the party's national general secretaries. Earlier, on Friday, the BJP national president chaired a nearly four-hour-long meeting with the party's national general secretaries. The discussions at the meeting were around next year's Lok Sabha elections, the NDA meeting, outreach strategies, and the electoral battles in poll-bound states. The party's general secretaries held a separate meeting where they discussed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's travel plans. An emphasis was laid on accelerating organisational expansion and expediting ongoing party programmes. Notably, discussions on a meeting with the members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were also held at the huddle. With the forthcoming elections in mind, the participants deliberated on various strategies to enhance the party's activities and increase its engagement with the public. The BJP aims to boost its active presence among the masses in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Mizoram, which will poll for their assemblies ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (ANI) A Delhi Court granted bail to a man accused in a case related to making an obscene video of a Union Minister after screen recording a video call. His co-accused allegedly made threatening/blackmailing calls to the minister to extort the money. This case is being investigated by the Crime Branch of Delhi police. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria allowed the bail application of the accused Vakeel after considering the submissions and facts and circumstances of the case. "Considering the overall facts and circumstances of the case and that the applicant/accused is in custody since July 11, 2023. Recovery is already affected, no notice Under section 41A CrPC was given to accused Vakeel, he is no more required for custodial interrogation and no fruitful purpose would be served by keeping the applicant/accused behind bars," CMM said in the order of July 25. However, the court took a serious view of the fact that the decision of the Supreme Court in the Arnesh Kumar case was not followed and directed the police to take action. "Let intimation be sent to DCP concerned with respect to non-compliance of the judgment of Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in Arnesh Kumar vs State by the IO qua accused Vakeel and for taking appropriate action," the court directed. Advocate Sanjeev Malik, counsel for the accused, argued that the applicant was not even named in the FIR. Applicant is 35 years of age and is the sole bread earner of his family consisting of his wife, six minor children and old aged father. Further, the applicant/accused undertakes to abide by all the terms and conditions which may be imposed upon him while granting bail to him, counsel submitted. The accused is a resident of Rajasthan. Another accused Sahib was granted bail on July 21. The bail application was opposed by the Prosecution and IO on the ground that the investigation of the case is in the initial stage and pending against the accused is pending. It was argued by the Delhi Police that the mobile in which the alleged video was prepared has been recovered at the instance of the accused. It was stated that the accused is an active member of this gang as he used to make calls to the victim to threaten him claiming to be an officer of the Crime Branch. It was further argued that the associate of the applicant, accused Sabir is absconding. Therefore, it is prayed that considering the grounds, gravity and seriousness of the offences, the present application may be dismissed. Delhi Police filed a reply on bail plea and stated that a complaint on June 26, 2023 that a video call from a mobile number by a woman was made to a senior minister to the Government of India on his mobile number. The caller acted in a sexually explicit manner and recorded the call. Though the minister immediately disconnected the call, the alleged lady sent him the recorded video and threatened him with intent to extort/blackmail, the reply stated. The reply also stated that on the same day, another call was made to the minister on his mobile number from another mobile number to threaten him, by the purported aide of the lady. The caller claimed to be an officer of the Crime Branch. The present case under section 419/468/471/120B IPC and 67 IT Act has been registered at PS Crime Branch. Delhi Police said that during the investigation, the location of both mobile numbers was found at the same place in the village Maliki Distt Bharatpur Rajasthan. One mobile number is found registered in the name of Sabir a resident of Maliki, District Bharatpur, Rajasthan and another mobile number is found registered in the name of Parshuram Mahji a resident of Tarabari, Bahari Rijarbha, District Barpeta, Assam. It was found that two mobile numbers used for calling were registered in the name of the applicant/accused Vakeel. On July 11, 2023, accused Sahib and Vakeel were arrested. During the course of sustained interrogation, both the accused Vakeel and Sahib disclosed that they used to extort money from victims by video calling on their mobile numbers and their associate Sabir used to collect mobile numbers of victims, police said. During video calling, they used two mobile phones, one was used for WhatsApp calling to victims while the other mobile phone contained obscene videos. Thereafter they used to record the purported video and sent it to the victim on the pretext to circulate the recorded video on social media sites, it alleged. In this case, accused Sabir and applicant Vakeel had made a video in their village. While calling, two mobile sets were used by the accused Sabir and applicant Vakeel, police submitted. After calling and screen recording accused Sabir has sent the obscene video to the victim with the intention to threaten/extort money on the pretext to circulate on various social media sites, it claimed. Accused Sahib made a call to the Minister on his mobile number from a mobile number to threaten him, by the purported aide of the lady. The accused claimed to be an officer of the Crime Branch, Police alleged. The mobile recovered from the applicant has been deposited in the FSL and the report is still awaited, said the police. (ANI) This comes after eight people were found dead and several sustained injuries in an explosion in the godown of a firecracker factory in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district on Saturday morning. Krishnagiri Superintendant of Police Saroj Kumar Thakore said that blast occurred inside the firecracker factory owned by one Ravi in the Pazhayapettai area. Referring to this, Shah tweeted, "Deeply saddened to know about the tragic fire accident in a crackers factory in Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu). I extend my sincerest condolences to the family members of the deceased and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured." After the factory caught fire, the blaze further spread to nearby shops and houses. Police and fire personnel rushed to the spot and carried out rescue operations. SP Thakore earlier said that seven people have been found dead in the tragic incident but later added that one more person had died in the mishap. The injured and rescued persons were sent to Krishnagiri Government Medical College Hospital for treatment. Further details into the matter are awaited. (ANI) Mumbai Police beefed up security outside Chabad house in Colaba after a Google image of Chabad house was recovered from two suspected terrorist arrested for planning an attack in Rajasthan. Notably, Chabad house was one of the targets of 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai in 2008. The ATS has taken custody of Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan and Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki residents of Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh from Pune a few days ago and were probing the case and during the same investigation, police got the Google image of Chabad House from them. Earlier, Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested one person from Pune for giving shelter to both the suspected terrorists. "During the investigation of the duo suspects, it was found that they took the help of a person in Pune to make arrangements for their shelter when they arrived in the city. On the information received during interrogation of the accused, the said person was detained first, and after questioning, he was arrested and booked along with the two suspects," the press release issued by Maharashtra ATS on Thursday said. Maharashta ATS further stated that both accused were booked under UAPA charges. "During the investigation, it was revealed that both were planning to carry out anti-national activities to disturb the unity and safety of the nation, and for this, both had taken the training to make bombs and kept the required materials in their possession," an official statement said. "ATS has recovered a tent from their residence that was planned for future use to have shelter in the jungles. ATS has also recovered a laptop, some Arabic literature, and a shining white powder that was found to be an explosive material. accused also had a weighing machine, a drone, electronic circuits item soldering machine," it added. Earlier, both suspected terrorists Imran Khan and Yunus Saki were arrested by Pune city police during a regular combing operation while they were trying to steal a bike from the Kothrud area of the city on July 18 in the early hours. (ANI) The police recovered 1.2 kg of heroin, 3 pistols, 260 live cartridges and Rs 1.4 lakh drug money from the possession of the two main accused, said the official. Taking to Twitter, DGP Punjab Police wrote, In a major breakthrough, @SBSNagarPolice has busted a narco-organised crime syndicate operated by gangster Ravi Balachauria. Two main operatives arrested with seizure of 1.2 Kg Heroin, 3 pistols, 260 live cartridges and Rs 1.4 lakh drug money." Punjab Police on Thursday busted a cross-border arms smuggling racket and arrested five people involved in operating the racket. According to Punjab police, the arrested accused were running one of the biggest arms smuggling rackets in North India and were engaged in supplying weapons across Punjab and Haryana. 24 illegal weapons and 12 live cartridges from their possession. Taking to Twitter, DGP Punjab Police wrote, In a mega breakthrough, CIA unit of @sasnagarpolice busts one of the biggest arms smuggling racket of North India. The arms smugglers used to supply weapons in #Punjab & #Haryana. Identified 4 major Gangsters of Bambiha & Lawrence Gang and arrested 5 associates. The main Kingpin of this racket, Vikrant @ Vikki Thakur of #Meerut used to supply illegal firearms to major gangs. Recovered 24 illegal weapons & 12 live cartridges @PunjabPoliceInd is fully committed to destroy illegal arms network as per directions of CM @BhagwantMann, he said. Earlier on July 23, Punjab Police recovered 20 kg of heroin allegedly being smuggled from Pakistan and arrested two drug peddlers from Fazilka. The accused were identified as Subeg Singh, a resident of Lakhmir Ke Uttar in Fazilka and Sandip Singh alias Seepa of village Mansa in Fazilka. (ANI) Union Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said that the young innovators present at an exhibition held on the sidelines of the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam impressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi with their knowledge, skills and ideas. PM Modi inaugurated an educational convention titled the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam at the Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on Saturday, which coincided with the third anniversary of National Education Policy 2020. Referring to this, the Education Minister tweeted, "The exhibition on the sidelines of the ABSS was a nursery of innovation, research & new possibilities! Young innovators impressed PM @narendramodi ji with their knowledge, skills and ideas. Indias techade dream will be fulfilled by young innovators, like these." Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Annapurna Devi, Subhas Sarkar and Rajkumar Ranjan Singh were present at the programme. The Prime Minister also interacted with children and adults and also looked at the projects the children had displayed. While addressing the gathering, PM Modi said that National Education Policy was going to give a new direction to 21st Century India and we are becoming part of a moment that is laying the foundation for building the future of our country. He also stressed the significance of education and said it has the power to change the fate of the nation. PM Modi said, "It is education that has the power to change the destiny of the country. Education has an important role in achieving the target with which the country is moving forward. You are the representative of this. It is an important opportunity for me as well to be a part of Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam." Guided by the vision of the Prime Minister, NEP 2020 was launched with a view to groom the youth and prepare them for leading the country in Amrit Kaal. The two-day programme, being held on July 29-30, will provide a platform for academics, sector experts, policymakers, industry representatives, teachers and students from schools, higher education and skilling institutions, among others, to share their insights, success stories and best practices in implementing the NEP 2020 and work out strategies for taking it further ahead. The Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam includes 16 sessions, in which discussions are being held on themes including Access to Quality Education and Governance, Equitable and Inclusive Education, Issues of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups, National Institute Ranking Framework, Indian Knowledge System, Internationalisation of Education, among others. (ANI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has urged political parties to take a keen interest in the Northeast region and address the challenges faced by its communities. Speaking about the recent violence in Manipur, CM Sangma emphasized the importance of peace in the state for the overall well-being of the Northeast. Stressing the significance of dialogue, communication, and discussion, he expressed optimism in finding peaceful resolutions to the issues at hand. His remark comes at a time when the Opposition MPs of the grand alliance I.N.D.I.A. parties are in Manipur for a two-day visit.Also, both houses of Parliament facing logjam in the ongoing Monsoon Session on the issue of violence in this northeastern state. Opposition parties are demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement in the Parliament and also discuss the issue in both houses of the Parliament. The Chief Minister highlighted that all political parties are welcome to visit the region, and he hopes they will use these opportunities not only during crises but also at other times to witness the difficulties faced by the people of the Northeast. He believes that through collaboration and understanding, lasting peace can be restored in the region. Earlier, Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey urged the visiting I.N.D.I.A. leaders to contribute to the restoration of peace and order to the violence-hit Northeast. She also called on all parties and stakeholders to help put the state back on track. The leaders of the visiting delegation said earlier they would refrain from raising any political issues during their visit and would simply focus on getting a sense of the situation on the ground. (ANI) The North East has the economic potential to come at par with mainland India, and for this, the development of infrastructure is necessary, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla said on Saturday. Birla inaugurated the 20th Annual Conference of CPA, India Region Zone - III at Shillong, Meghalaya on Saturday. He said that regional cooperation and connectivity through Act East will enhance regional integration at political, economic and social levels. On this occasion, he referred to several projects like PM Gati Shakti, the expansion of the National Highway in the North East, the increase in the number of operational airports under the UDAN scheme and developments in the telecom sector, inland waterways, forest sanctuaries, industrial parks etc. Birla said, The Northeastern region is going through a massive transformation. Apart from the development of infrastructure in this area, efforts are also being made at the level of an international dimension to create a 'focal point' of regional cooperation and connectivity in Asia and India's Act East, which will enhance regional solidarity at the political, economic and social level. The entire North East region is now poised for a transformational change. He added that in the process of development, attention has to be paid to not deviating from the path of human values and ethics and it is the collective responsibility of everyone to protect our tradition, heritage, and culture. At the outset, Birla congratulated the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, India Region Zone III and especially the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly for organising the Conference and for extending warm hospitality to the Delegates. He thanked the Speaker of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and the Chairman of CPA India Region Zone-III, Pasang D Sona, for providing a useful platform to discuss issues related to the North East region. Birla also recalled former Lok Sabha speaker and former Meghalaya Chief Minister, PA Sangma and his contributions to Meghalaya's development and to strengthen India's parliamentary democracy. Conrad K. Sangma, Chief Minister, Meghalaya, Harivansh, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Thomas A Sangma, Speaker, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Pasang D Sona, Speaker, Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Chairman, CPA India Region Zone III, Members of Parliament; Members of Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and other dignitaries graced the occasion. Birla said that Zone-III of the CPA India Region is the most active of all the four zones. The 20 annual conventions held so far reflect its commitment to the values and ideals of parliamentary democracy. Mentioning the uniqueness of the Legislative Assemblies of the North East Region, Birla observed that meaningful and serious discussions take place in the Assemblies of the North East Region without interruptions. Consequently, a meaningful conclusion emerges from the dialogue which proves beneficial for the region and the country and is an inspiration for other Zones. Speaking on the subjects selected for the Conference, Birla noted that the selected topics, atural Disasters and strategies for management with special reference to North East Region and Regional connectivity to bring North-East Region at par with mainland India are relevant and contemporary. The Northeast is a hotspot of biodiversity, and any ecological disturbance event here can have far-reaching effects on environmental stability across India. Therefore, there is a need for better preparedness for disaster risk reduction and management in such sensitive areas, he further said. Speaking about the policy of disaster management, Birla stressed that we need to focus on the Prime Minister's 10-point agenda, which emphasizes the need to build local capacities and initiatives. The Indian development model is based on sustainability and over a period of time, with the use of technology and optimum utilization of human resources, we have strengthened disaster preparedness and management, he said. Addressing the delegates of the Conference, Meghalaya CM, Conrad K Sangma said, The CPA has evolved through time and has proved to be an effective forum for bringing together its members with a shared commitment to promoting the rule of law and pursuing the ideals of a Parliamentary democracy. Sangma highlighted that calamities such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, cyclones, and droughts, prove to be an impediment to the pace of development which he felt needed to be encountered through an effective response mechanism. Citing the example of the recent floods in Garo Hills Sangma informed that a timely and coherent approach was taken for mitigating the impact through a holistic approach by government agencies private sector organisations, non-profit organizations, faith-based organisations and volunteers. The disastrous impact of the floods was contained to a large extent by the combined efforts of these agencies which resulted in a well-organised mechanism of channelising the available resources to the most affected, he added. Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Harivansh applauded the Presiding Officers of the northeastern region for taking the initiative to consistently engage on various subjects of regional importance. Underlining the improved connectivity, he said, For hill states, climate change poses an even bigger and immediate concern that requires more emphasis on adaptation and mitigation strategies. Therefore, it is important to note that planning for disaster management is no more an isolated policy but it must feature in the broader plan to tackle climate change in every state. He added, While we have the concept of State Action Plans on Climate Change, these plans need to be regularly revisited to account for the latest scientific evidence. With the increasing frequency of natural disasters, it is imperative to plan the financing of climate action plans as well. Delivering the keynote address, the Speaker of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Chairman, CPA India Region Zone III, Pasang D Sona lauded the CPA for providing a forum for legislators and policymakers to discuss and debate issues and policies in a cohesive manner which resulted in keener insights through best practice sharing. The Conference will conclude on July 30, 2023, with the Valedictory Address of Meghalaya Governor Phagu Chauhan. (ANI) Flash A military parade is held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) staged a large military parade in Pyongyang, one of several events in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The military parade was held Thursday evening on Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang. Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK attended the event, a KCNA report said Friday. Soldiers representing different military units of the Korean People's Army (KPA) participated in the parade. The parade also featured new attack drones, new-type intercontinental ballistic missiles and a stunt flight show, the KCNA reported. A solemn commemoration gathering and a large artistic performance attended by the DPRK top leader and senior officials were also held on the same day, according to the KCNA. Young people dance during the military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] A military parade is held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] People give cheers of hurrah during the military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] A military parade is held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] A military parade is held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] A military parade is held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] A military parade is held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] A military parade is held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] Veterans attend the military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] Veterans attend the military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] Veterans attend the military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] A military parade is held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] Veterans attend the military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] A military parade is held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] People give cheers of hurrah after the military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] Veterans attend the military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] A military parade is held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on July 27, 2023 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the country's Fatherland Liberation War. [Photo/Xinhua] With the assembly elections scheduled to be held at the end of this year in Madhya Pradesh, the visits of central leaders have intensified in the state. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Madhya Pradesh for the second time within a week and he will address the party workers of the Indore division. National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kailash Vijayvargiya on Saturday said that Shah would address around 50,000 party workers of Indore division at Kankeshwari Devi Ground in Indore. Vijayvargiya made the remark while addressing the media persons in the city. He also said that along with this, Shah would visit Janapav Kuti, the birthplace of Lord Parshuram. When asked about Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh and Congress leader Kanaiya Kumar are visiting Indore, he said, Kamal Nath is a very senior Congress leader, I respect him. But if a young man (referring to Kanhaiya Kumar) who made to chant slogans of Bharat tere tukde honge inshallah, inshallah', changed party and joined the Congress. If anyone changes his facemask, then his identity does not change. The Congress is promoting such people. It is a matter of concern what will be the mentality of Congress. Meanwhile, talking about the upcoming assembly polls in the state, Vijayvargiya added that BJP would get at least 160 seats in the MP assembly polls. On the other hand, Digvijaya Singh took a jibe on Shahs visit and said, This proves how incompetently the Chief Ministers of BJP have led the state for the last 20 years. The BJP leadership of Madhya Pradesh is so lifeless and useless that Amit Shah has to visit here. Reacting to Vijayvargiyas remark about Kanhaiya Kumar, Singh said, We do not need the proof of patriotism from those who did not participate in the independence of the country. (ANI) "Acting on specific intelligence, a small team of Srinagar Police arrested a hybrid terrorist linked with proscribed terrorist outfit Al-Badr identified as Arfat Yusuf, a resident of Rajpora Pulwama from Batamaloo area of Srinagar. Incriminating materials alongwith arms and ammunition including a Pistol, 20 live rounds, 02 magazines have been recovered from his possession," said the police in a statement. Preliminary investigation reveals that he has been involved in terror related activities in South Kashmir Range and had come to Srinagar with the nefarious designs and was arrested before he could execute any terror attack, said the police. The police said that he was involved in throwing grenades twice on security forces. Besides throwing grenades he was involved in pasting posters on 26/03/2023 and 10/03/2023 of Lone wolf warrior. Several terror crime cases have already been registered against him. A case vide FIR number 94/2023 under sections 13, 23 of ULAP Act and 7/25 of IA Act stands registered at Police Station Batamaloo, they added. (ANI) With an aim to inspire the youth, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will organize various events at the Panchayat and local body level on the occasion of Independence Day under the Meri Mati, Mera Desh program, said an official statement from the UP Government on Saturday. The program will include paying tributes to the brave warriors born in the soil of Uttar Pradesh, honouring the families of martyrs, and acquainting the youth with their heroic saga. Furthermore, 75 saplings will be planted as part of the Tree Plantation Campaign 2023 in all village panchayats to develop an Amrit Vatika on the same day, added the official statement. As part of the Amrit Mahotsav celebration of Independence, the Yogi government is gearing up to make the event truly unique and unforgettable. On July 22, the government made history by planting more than 30 crore trees as per the set target to plant over 35 crore trees on July 22 and August 15 collectively. Under the Vasudha Vandana initiative, the Yogi government will mark the spots in all 57,702 village panchayats for planting 75 indigenous saplings each to develop an Amrit Vatika on August 15. Soil collected from all parts of the country and the state will be used to develop the Amrit Vatika, said the official statement. On August 15, the Yogi government will also honour the families of freedom fighters as well as martyrs of the Army, the Air Force, the Central Reserve Police Force, and the State Police. Following the unfurling the national flag, the national anthem will be presented by police, PAC and school bands, along with other local bands. The objective is to familiarize the present and future generations with the heroic tales of soldiers, both at the local and national levels, mentioned the statement from the state government. Additionally, there is a plan to prepare clay pots (maati kalash) in all 57,702 village panchayats and 493 nagar panchayats on the same day. Cultural programs with patriotic themes by local artists will also be organized on Independence Day. At the panchayat and local body levels, the Village Development Officer, Panchayat Secretary, Lekhpal, and Sanitation Inspector appointed by Block Development Officer and Administrative Officer will coordinate to ensure the smooth organization of the program, as mentioned in the offical statement. The presence of the Gram Pradhan, village-level employees, and Kotedar is mandatory in the program. All members of the Gram Panchayat and Gram Sabha have also been asked to attend the program. The government also intends to have the presence of freedom fighters' dependents, relatives of police martyrs, and military martyrs' families, and other distinguished individuals in the programs to be held on Independence Day. The program will also involve the cooperation of various social groups, including Self-Help Groups, Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, Swachhagrahis, Gram Sevak, Rojgar Sevak, Jiledar, Tubewell Operator, etc., read the UP government statement. (ANI) Karnataka Congress leaders will hold a meeting on August 2, with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi to discuss the poll strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Congress General Secretary Organisation KC Venugopal, Congress General Secretary and Incharge of Karnataka PCC Randeep Surjewala, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiya, Dy CM And PCC Chief DK Shivkumar are to be present along with other senior leaders of the state. Congress is part ofI.N.D.I.A or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, a group of 26 opposition parties. The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In May, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party in Karnataka after winning the May 10 assembly election. It won 135 seats in the 224-member Karnataka assembly, while BJP managed 66 seats. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold meetings with groups of NDA MPs between July 31 and August 10 as the alliance gears up its preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. BJP leaders held a meeting on Tuesday in the national capital and ten groups of National Democratic Alliance MPs have been formed to deliberate programmes for 2024 general election, party sources said. The groups have been formed as part of efforts to bring more synergy in poll efforts of NDA constituents."Ten groups of MPs have been formed. PM Modi is likely to chair the meetings of each group," a source told ANI. Meetings on the first day will have MPs from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha. The BJP will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NDA with the ruling alliance also seeking to set the narrative for the 2024 poll battle. Sources said union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh, along with BJP chief JP Nadda have been given the responsibility of coordination with NDA leaders. Four leaders including Bhupendra Yadav, Sarbananda Sonowal, Tarun Chugh, and Rituraj, have been given the responsibility for NDA programmes and four more leaders including Pralhad Patel, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and V. Muraleedharan have been associated with them. (ANI) Acting on a tip-off, vigilant troops of 110 Bn BSF Meghalaya confiscated 58 buffaloes brutally crammed into two trucks from Ichamati- Shella road, East Khasi Hills on Saturday, BSF Meghalaya stated. "These buffaloes were being taken to the international border for smuggling to Bangladesh," BSF Meghalaya further said. The seized cattle and vehicles have been handed over to the concerned Police station for further legal action. "In a different operation troops of 193 BSF battalion conducted a special ambush and rescued 30 cattle on the international border of East Khasi Hills while they were being smuggled to Bangladesh. The seized cattle were handed over to Danger police station for further legal action," BSF Meghalaya further said. Enhanced vigilance by BSF on international border has led to the seizure of more than 2000 cattle from different border areas of Meghalaya since January 2023. Around 24 people have been arrested for allegedly being involved in 'cattle smuggling' after 51 cattle heads were seized from their possession in Assam's South Salmara Mankachar district along India-Bangladesh border, officials said on Friday. Additional Superintendent of Police, Faruk Ahmed said that based on secret information, police and BSF teams jointly launched an operation in the riverine areas along the international border and seized the cattle heads. "We cordoned the entire area and seized 51 cattle heads including two cows and 49 buffaloes from the area and arrested 24 persons who were involved in cattle smuggling. It is one of the biggest successful operations," ASP Faruk Ahmed said. (ANI) Bhutan was acknowledged for its services during a recent visit by the United Nations Under Secretary General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. The UN Secretariat's Department of Peace Operations acknowledged Bhutan's substantial contribution to UN Peacekeeping (UNPK) operations with the first-ever high-level visit of its sort to Bhutan. Bhutan's commitment to maintaining global peace and security is strong, and the country has benefited from international recognition and support ever since it joined the UN in 1971. The country aims to send well-equipped and trained small units in the future, including medical and engineering teams, to contribute more to UN peacekeeping missions. Moreover, as the Royal Bhutan Army has met its gender parity goal, the Formed Police Unit (FPU) platoons will also contain 40 per cent women. Bhutan's military and police contingents have also reduced their carbon footprint when deployed by adhering to sustainable practices such as using renewable solar energy and implementing environmental conservation measures. According to Bhutan Live, participating in UNPK missions aligns with Bhutans foreign policy initiatives as well. It showcases the Himalayan nations coming of age and its tangible contribution to international peace and security. Additionally, it raises Bhutan's prominence and visibility in the global arena while highlighting its dedication to responsible global engagement. Bhutan has boosted its involvement in UNPK missions since 2014, sending military and police officers to places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Israel, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan, and Western Sahara. (ANI) Following their brief insurrection against the senior military brass of Russia, the Wagner fighters have been staying in Belarus. The considerations are real. The possibility of closing the border exists, Arnoldas Abramavicius told reporters regarding the border closure, according to Al Jazeera. Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, took credit for arranging the agreement between Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin that put an end to the insurrection. Since then, Lukashenko has invited the Wagner forces to Belarus to assist in the military training. Recently, the United States imposed sanctions on three Malian government and military officials, including Defence Minister, for "facilitating the deployment and expansion" of Russia's Wagner Group's activities in Mali. In a statement on Monday this week, the US Department of the Treasury said that it has imposed sanctions on three Malian transition government and military officials -- Colonel Sadio Camara (Defence Minister of Mali), Colonel Alou Boi Diarra (Malis Chief of Staff of the Air Force) and Lieutenant Colonel Adama Bagayoko (Malian Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff)-- for facilitating the deployment and expansion of the Wagner Group's activities in Mali. It further stated that this development is based on evidence showing that these Malian officials have contributed to the Wagner Groups malicious activities in Mali. Earlier in June, the Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, sent armed fighters on a march towards Moscow, however, later, when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko mediate to avert the bloodbath due to his longstanding ties with Prigozhin, the mercenary forces halted their march towards Moscow. (ANI) Dawn is a Pakistani English-language newspaper. The Pakistan meteorological department has issued a fresh warning of thundershowers in the upper and central parts of the country over the next three days. One more death was reported in the Pishin area, while several villages came under floodwater, leaving hundreds homeless. The provinces road link with Sindh could not be restored as the causeway built near Pinjra bridge was once again swept away in a flash flood in the Bolan district on Friday. A state emergency has been declared in Ziarat, Qila Saifullah, Harnai, Sanjavi, Qila Abdullah, Kharan, Panjgur, Pishin and Zhob districts. As per officials, the provinces northern, central, and eastern districts were continuously receiving heavy downpours. Chief Minister Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo while taking notice of damages to life and property, announced the immediate release of Rs 150 million for a relief operation. Officials said that the situation in Panjgur and Kharan was worsening as the torrential monsoon rains flooded the main towns and villages. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Gen (Retd) Qadir Baloch said: The western part of Kharan town was presenting a picture of complete destruction. All dams have been completely filled up to their capacity and floodwater is flowing from spillways. Our all dams were in danger, if rain continued the dams would be damaged, deputy commissioner Panjgur said, adding that link roads are also badly affected due to flood as seasonal rivers of the area are carrying huge amount of floodwater. Kohlu and other areas are cut off due to landslides while the situation is also dire in Qila Saifullah, where roads linking the area with other districts are washed away, as per Dawn. (ANI) According to a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), banned outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) might seek a merger with Al Qaeda to create an umbrella organisation that incorporates all militant groups operating in South Asia, reported Dawn. Some UN member states registered concern that TTP might provide an umbrella under which a range of foreign groups operate, or even coalesce, avoiding attempts at control by the Taliban, the report said. The report, compiled by a UN committee that monitors terrorist activities across the globe, endorsed Pakistans complaint that the banned TTP has increased its influence in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, the Pakistan media outlet reported. The report further warned, One member state noted the possibility of Al Qaeda and TTP merging. It assessed Al Qaeda to be providing guidance to TTP for conducting increased attacks within Pakistan." However, Kabul rejected UNSC report claiming Al Qaeda's presence in Afghanistan. According to the document, training camps run by various terrorist groups in Afghanistans Kunar province are being used by fighters of the banned TTP as well. Since the reunification with several splinter groups, and emboldened by the Taliban take over in Afghanistan, TTP has aspired to re-establish control of territory in Pakistan.," the report added. The report further said that the TTP does not control territory. "TTP capability is assessed as not matching its ambition, given that it does not control territory and lacks popular appeal in the tribal areas, the report said. The UN committee reported that in June, certain elements of the banned TTP were relocated away from the border area, as part of the Talibans efforts to rein in the group under pressure from the government of Pakistan, reported Dawn. Furthermore, the UN committee submitted its report to the Security Council on July 25, highlighting how the banned TTP was gaining momentum in Afghanistan since the Afghan Taliban took control in August 2021. It also emphasized on how other terrorist groups were using the TTP cover to operate in the war-torn country., reported Dawn. The distinctions between members of Al Qaeda and affiliated groups, including TTP, and [IS-K] are at times blurred at the edges, with individuals sometimes identifying with more than one group and a tendency for people to gravitate towards the dominant or ascending power, the report noted. The report added, There is growing reporting that other sanctioned terrorist groups are using support to TTP as a means to evade control by the Afghan Taliban." According to Dawn, the UN committee noted that relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda remains close and symbiotic. Mostly, Al Qaeda operates covertly in Afghanistan to help promote the narrative that the Taliban comply with agreements not to use Afghan soil for terrorist purposes." Under the patronage of high-ranking officials of the de facto Taliban authorities, Al Qaeda members infiltrate law enforcement agencies and public administration bodies, ensuring the security of Al Qaeda cells dispersed throughout the country. (ANI) Dubai [UAE], July 29 (ANI/WAM): Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has launched the third batch of the "For Her" programme, in collaboration with Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) under the theme 'Future Capabilities for Inspiring Women'. The programme, which aims to foster capable female leaders who contribute to achieving DEWA's vision and strategic goals, supports the organisation's ongoing efforts to enhance the capabilities of its female employees. The third batch of the programme has 25 female employees from various divisions. "We are keen to empower female employees in various occupational levels and enhance their capabilities by providing them with all the resources and tools to develop their skills and leadership capabilities within an encouraging and inspiring work environment that fosters their innovation and creativity. The programme will prepare inspiring female leaders capable of developing innovative solutions that contribute to achieving new accomplishments and consolidating DEWA's global position," said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA. Fatima Al Jokar, Chairperson of DEWA's Women Committee, explained that the programme has five main pillars: strategic thinking and planning; resilience and stress management; result-based management; creative problem-solving and decision-making skills, tools, and techniques; and leadership skills. The For Her programme is an extension of the 'DEWA Female Ambassadors Programme' under the supervision of DEWA Women's Committee and the Business Support and Human Resources division. (ANI/WAM) You are here: World Flash Russian forces have thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack targeting facilities in the Moscow region, the country's defense ministry said Friday. "This morning, the country's forces thwarted an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack with the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle on facilities in the Moscow region," the defense ministry said in a Telegram post. It added that there were no casualties or damage following the attack. North Korea held a huge military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War, said its state media, displaying the countrys latest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and drones as a display of its military strength. Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, took the reviewing stand to observe the military parade in Pyongyang late on Thursday to commemorate Victory Day while senior representatives from China and Russia were also present, Yonhap reported citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Yonhap News Agency is a South Korean news agency based in Seoul. With their presence at the parade, the North appears to have wanted to express its solidarity with Beijing and Moscow, who supported Pyongyang throughout the Cold War fight, at a time when Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo are strengthening their three-way security cooperation. Kim did not give the highly anticipated speech at the event. The Korean War, which began with an invasion by the North Korea in 1950, concluded with the armistice on July 27, 1953. However, the North declared the war over and designated the day of the armistice signing as Victory Day. The recalcitrant regime has displayed new cutting-edge weapons during the parades to show off its military might. The latest parade, which was held amid higher tensions brought on by Pyongyang's ongoing missile testing, was the second in around five months. The North displayed new, cutting-edge long-range missiles, including the intercontinental ballistic missiles Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18, at the parade. However, it did not introduce any new types of ICBM. Later in the day, footage released by the North's Korean Central Television also showed the "Haeil," the North's alleged first-ever autonomous underwater vehicle with nuclear weapons, as well as unmanned spy aircraft and strike drones. The strategic reconnaissance drones and multi-purpose attack drones that were newly developed and produced... made circular flights in the sky above the square for the military parade," Yonhap reported quoting KCNA. As "the most powerful core mainstay means" of its strategic force to "fully and overwhelmingly" deter nuclear threats from its enemies, the North also referred to the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBMs. North Korea inviting Chinese and Russian officials to its parade, marks its first known foreign visits since Pyongyangs strict border closure induced by the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence minister, and Li Hongzhong, a politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party's, joined the leader of the North in the VIP stand to observe the parade. Shoigu was called on before Li, as the important guests were introduced during the main ceremony. Kim was seen smiling and talking with Shoigu and Li, who were standing to his right and left, respectively. The pursuit by the North of nuclear and ballistic missiles that are prohibited by numerous Security Council resolutions is signalled by such imagery by China and Russia, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), note observers. During their discussions this week, Kim and Shoigu specifically pledged to boost defence cooperation. The meeting has ignited speculations that the two sides may have discussed Pyongyang's arsenal for use in Moscow's conflict with Ukraine during their meeting. In a speech at the parade, North Korean Defence Minister Kang Sun-nam said the United States would confront a "unimaginable and unforeseen crisis" if it tried to launch a nuclear attack against the North, as per Yonhap. Kang used the abbreviation for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and declared that, "the US imperialists have no room of choice of survival in case they used nuclear weapons against the DPRK." Kim could be seen fighting back tears as he sang along to the national anthem before the military march began in the official TV footage from the North. Additionally, it was stated that Pyongyang had shown its support for Beijing and Moscow in light of improved trilateral security cooperation between Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo. North Korea has recently increased the frequency of its weapons tests, as Seoul and Washington intensify their efforts to support America's commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its ally. Under Kim's rule, the North has staged 14 military parades, including the one this week. The nation initially unveiled the Hwasong-18 ICBM during the last parade, which was conducted in February to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of its military forces, Yonhap reported. (ANI) The two held discussions on Indias support for Bhutans development aspirations. Pleased to receive Foreign Secretary Aum Pema Choden of Bhutan after the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks this evening. Discussed our support for Bhutans development aspirations, tweeted Jaishankar. At the invitation of Kwatra, she paid an official visit to India from July 28 to 29. The Bhutans foreign secretary met Jaishankar after co-chairing India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks with her Indian counterpart Vinay Kwatra. Kwatra discussed with her the ways to further strengthen the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation, informed the Ministry of External Affairs. The two Foreign Secretaries co-chaired the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks (Plan Talks). The Bhutanese side shared details regarding Bhutans 13th Five Year Plan. Foreign Secretary Kwatra conveyed Indias commitment to partner with Bhutan based on the priorities of the government and people of Bhutan, and advancing the bilateral partnership, including into newer areas, as per an MEA press release. The two Foreign Secretaries also noted with appreciation the progress on bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, development partnership, cross-border connectivity, trade and economic ties, digital development, science and technology, skill development and furthering people to people ties. It was agreed that both sides will continue to work to further strengthen such cooperation in keeping with the Joint Statement issued during the official visit King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, to India in April 2023. India is expanding its technological footprint through digital and space collaboration, while Bhutan is gaining from India's investments and know-how in transforming these areas in Bhutan. Bhutan's socioeconomic progress and territorial integrity have always been a priority for India in terms of its foreign policy objectives. Bhutan King's visit to India was an effort to strengthen and reaffirm the relationship between the two neighbours. Foreign Secretary of Bhutan called on the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar on Saturday. India and Bhutan share an exemplary bilateral relationship characterized by utmost trust, goodwill and mutual understanding at all levels, strong bonds of friendship and close people-to-people ties. The visit of Foreign Secretary of Bhutan reinforced the long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries to discuss all issues of mutual interest, said the Ministry of External Affairs. (ANI) Mayor Karen Bass visits a homeless encampment near LACMA whose residents became part of her Inside Safe initiative in February. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) About one out of every six homeless people who have taken part in Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' Inside Safe initiative have either left the program's housing facilities or exited the program entirely, according to figures prepared by the regional agency charged with addressing homelessness. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority reported this week that Inside Safe, which has been moving people out of encampments and into hotels, motels and other facilities, had an 83% housing retention rate through Thursday raising the prospect that a significant number of participants in the program have gone back to the streets. The agency reported that 153 people, or 10.5% of Inside Safe's participants, have exited the program entirely. Six of them died, at least four due to fatal overdoses, according to the mayor. Four were placed in medical or psychiatric facilities and three were incarcerated, the agency's dashboard said. On top of that, 6.6% of Inside Safe's participants are now listed as being "served from the streets." That classification refers to people who have moved out of Inside Safe's interim or permanent housing but are still engaging with outreach workers, according to the agency. Those figures could easily change. LAHSA's Inside Safe figures have fluctuated in recent weeks, as the housing status of Inside Safe participants changes and agency staffers attempt to refine their numbers. For example, in its report, the agency said it is trying to resolve questions around 42 clients who "have no record of ever entering interim housing." Read more: Shape Your L.A. on homelessness Bass said her team is doing everything it can to increase its retention rate. "I want it to be 100%," she said, "or that people who leave the program leave the program because they're housed either with family or in permanent supportive housing. But definitely not leaving the program to go back on the streets." Story continues Bass said she has been told that one reason for the departures is dissatisfaction with the rules in place at the program's hotels and motels. At the L.A. Grand Hotel, which is in downtown Los Angeles and currently being used as temporary homeless housing, residents have been prohibited from having guests in their rooms, she said. Others have left Inside Safe because of struggles with addiction or deteriorating mental health, Bass said. Ahmad Chapman, a spokesperson for LAHSA, said his agency does not know for sure if everyone who exited the Inside Safe program wound up back on the street. He also cautioned that "not every interim housing program works for everyone." "The transition to being inside can be difficult, and it is not always successful on the first attempt," he said in an email. Chapman said Inside Safe's retention rate is in line with the results found in the city's Bridge Homes homeless shelters created during the administration of Mayor Eric Garcetti, which can accommodate dozens of people but do not provide residents their own rooms. Those facilities had a 79% retention rate for the first six months of this year, he said. For any interim housing program, the attrition rate is highest in the weeks immediately after someone moves in, an agency official said. Bitta Sharma, who has been volunteering with mutual aid groups that support unhoused residents on the Westside, said she has long been worried about the lack of resources being provided by Inside Safe. Homeless people who are being moved indoors shouldn't be "languishing without services," she said. "If you want to stop the flow of people out of the program, and not have to serve them from the street, you need to expand the programming that's inside," she said. Sharma also said LAHSA shouldn't count a person as participating in Inside Safe if they "don't have a roof over their head." Bass said she is working to ensure that Inside Safe's temporary housing facilities have a wider array of services healthcare teams, addiction specialists and organizations that help unhoused residents find work. "There should be opportunities for them to meet with job counselors, and we are putting that in place," she said. "Anything and everything to get people on their feet and independent." Inside Safe has carried out about two dozen operations since December, sending staffers to homeless encampments in Hollywood, Venice, Chatsworth, downtown and many other areas. Earlier this year, the City Council approved $250 million for the program for the current budget year. By mid-July, the program had generated invoices from 38 motels and hotels for a total of 57,533 room nights, according to a report issued this week by the city's top budget official. The programs interim housing stock is just over 1,100 rooms, the report said. Of the 1,463 people served by the Inside Safe so far, 1,105 are currently living in interim housing the vast majority of them in motels, according to LAHSA's report. An additional 108, or about 7%, have made their way into permanent housing so far, the agency found. The vast majority are relying on "time limited" apartment subsidies, which can last up to 24 months, with the possibility of further extensions. Ten went into permanent supportive housing, according to the Inside Safe dashboard. Three weeks ago, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield expressed alarm at the fact that so few of the participants in Inside Safe made their way into permanent housing, even after the city has staged housing fairs and other events. Bass said her office has begun hiring its own team of outreach workers to more closely track the needs of people participating in Inside Safe. The mayor is also seeking a change in federal rules to allow agencies to move people into permanent housing before they have fully qualified financially. Sign up for Essential California, your daily guide to news, views and life in the Golden State. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Madaree Tohlala/AFP via Getty Images A horrific explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Thailand killed at least 10 peopleincluding three childrenand injured over 100 others on Saturday. The blast caused huge damage to anything within a roughly 1,640-foot radius of the building in the town of Sungai Kolok, with as many 500 homes affected, according to local broadcasting service Thai PBS. The Narathiwat provinces Public Relations Department said at least 118 were wounded and many more remain trapped under debris waiting for rescue. According to provincial governor Sanan Pongaksorn, a chain reaction ignited by a spark from a welder at an on-site construction project is to blame for the freak incident. The fire is now under control. Preliminary investigation suggests the cause was a technical error during the steel-welding process, as the building is under construction, Pongaksorn told Thai PBS. Footage on social media and local news shows massive clouds of smoke rising from streets littered with rubble from shattered windows, collapsed roofs and walls, and destroyed buildings and vehicles. An explosion at a fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand has killed at least nine people and injured at least 115, according to the governor of Narathiwat province.https://t.co/LDXSDwsZ4n pic.twitter.com/tiP9p5fQyk Sky News (@SkyNews) July 29, 2023 Seksan Taesen, who lives approximately 300 feet from the warehouse, told Agence France-Presse he was playing on his phone when he heard a loud, thunderous noise. My whole house shook, he said. I looked outside and I saw houses collapsing and people lying on the ground everywhere. It was chaos. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Sarah Paulson The Best of Sarah Paulson Sarah Paulson Out actor and longtime LGBTQ+ advocate Sarah Paulson excels in everything she does. Whether starring in a film, a TV series, or on a Broadway stage, she knows how to lose herself in a role. And the world has taken note: in 2017, she was named one of the 100 most influential people across the globe by Time magazine. The Emmy-winning actor will star in the Second Stage Theater production of the dark comedy-family drama Appropriate, according to Deadline. Lila Neugebauer will direct the play. Paulson isnt new to Broadway. The out actor has been in The Sisters Rosensweig (1993), The Glass Menagerie (2005), and Collected Stories (2010). In 2013, she appeared in the Off-Broadway revival of Talleys Folly. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist who is known for his plays An Octoroon and The Comeuppance. Hes also written, executive produced, and served as showrunner for the 2022 Hulu/FX drama Kindred. Its summer, the cicadas are singing, and the Lafayette family has returned to their late patriarchs Arkansas home to deal with the remains of his estate. Toni (Paulson), the eldest daughter, hopes theyll spend the weekend remembering and reconnecting over their beloved father. Bo, her brother, wants to recoup some of the funds he spent caring for Dad at the end of his life. But things take a turn when their estranged brother, Franz, appears late one night, and mysterious objects are discovered among the clutter. Suddenly, long-hidden secrets and buried resentments cant be contained, and the family is forced to face the ghosts of their past, the synopsis of the play reads, according to Deadline. The activist and actor has had an incredible career so far. To showcase her incredible range and talent, we've brought together 10 of her greatest performances across nearly 30 years in show business. What are your favorite roles by the acclaimed actor? Ocean's 8 Sarah Paulson in Ocean's 8 Warner Bros. Pictures Story continues Who doesn't want to see Sarah Paulson in a feminist heist movie alongside Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and more? Unsurprisingly, Paulson's Tammy a suburban mom who fences stolen goods is one of the film's standout characters. Mrs. America Sarah Paulson in Mrs. America FX In one of Paulson's many successful collaborations with FX, Mrs. America has the star playing a conservative housewife opposed to the Equal Rights Amendment. IndieWire praised Paulson's small but critical role as one of the best in the miniseries. You'll want to check out episode eight, "Houston," as it's where her character really comes into her own. Impeachment: American Crime Story Sarah Paulson in Impeachment FX As if her award-winning performance in The People v. O. J. Simpson wasn't enough, Paulson returned to make her mark on the third season of FX's American Crime Story anthology. This time, she took on the leading role of Linda Tripp, a woman central to the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal of 1998. Paulson, who is nearly unrecognizable as Tripp, was required to wear extensive prosthetics and heavy makeup for the part. Blue Jay Sarah Paulson in Blue Jay The Orchard/Netflix Blue Jay is a spirited romantic drama starring Paulson and Mark Duplass (Creep, The League). Shot on a tight budget in just seven days, the movie's heart lies in its characters and the actors who bring them to life. Paulson dazzles in black-and-white, and her performance is the highlight of the film. Run Sarah Paulson in Run Hulu Run is Sarah Paulson's movie, through and through. If you loved Toni Colette's performance in Hereditary, this is the film for you. With nine seasons of American Horror Story under her belt, Paulson is no stranger to the psychological horror genre. But it's refreshing to see her in such a tightly paced film. She is delightfully deranged as Diane Sherman, a mother who is not who she appears to be. Carol Sarah Paulson in Carol The Weinstein Co. Though Paulson told Variety that she was concerned about being the "weak link" in the cast of Carol, it's wonderful to watch her onscreen opposite Cate Blanchett. As usual, the Florida-born star holds her own, bringing queer representation to the Oscar-nominated drama. And let's not forget that she learned how to drive a 1949 Packard in stick shift for the role. 12 Years a Slave Sarah Paulson in 12 Years a Slave Fox Searchlight Pictures In what must have been one of the most challenging roles in her career, 12 Years a Slave sees Paulson playing the monstrous wife of an equally monstrous slaveowner. Speaking of the part with IndieWire, she said, "I feel like Im an actress who did my job. If it comes out in a mean or negative way, I think I can take it, because that just means I did a good job. I told the story that my character was there to tell." American Horror Story: Asylum Sarah Paulson in American Horror Story: Asylum FX Paulson has appeared in a whopping nine seasons of FX's horror anthology series American Horror Story. While a list of the star's greatest performances could be made up entirely of her roles in AHS, her part in season two (Asylum) is her very best. She gives a stirring performance as Lana Winters, an investigative journalist who is forcibly committed to an "insane asylum" when she begins to uncover its secrets. Ratched Sarah Paulson in Ratched Netflix In Ryan Murphy's Ratched, Paulson holds the title role of Nurse Mildred Ratched. This psychological thriller series from Netflix serves as a prequel to the acclaimed 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, in which Ratched is the primary antagonist. In the series, we get a fuller picture of the troubled nurse and her descent into monstrousness, portrayed by Paulson in one of her highest achievements as an actor. The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story Sarah Paulson in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story FX Widely considered Paulson's greatest accomplishment as an actor, her appearance as Marcia Clark in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story won her both a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe Award. Clark served as lead prosecutor in the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial, and Paulson gave a career-best performance in portraying her. Republican presidential candidates looking to topple Donald Trump from his front-runner status ahead of the Iowa caucuses have been tiptoeing around the former president, largely refusing to directly criticize him even as the legal challenges he faces pile higher. At the Republican Party of Iowas annual Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines on Friday night, former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd showed why. Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again. Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020, Hurd said to a ballroom filled with 1,200 Iowa Republicans who listened silently, appearing almost to hold their breaths as they waited to see how Hurd planned to resolve the point. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison, he finished, eliciting a round of boos that drowned out the few spotty cheers of support. I know, I know, I know, I know, he repeated, trying to regain his footing over the jeers. Listen, I know the truth the truth is hard. But if we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House, and America can't handle that. Republican presidential candidate hopeful Will Hurd speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Hurd drew boos from the crowd after making comments against former President Donald Trump, sho spoke at the event shortly after. It was one of the nights only direct references to Trump, who this week saw new charges added to an indictment that accuses him of mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House and obstructing the investigation to retrieve them. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told Iowa Republicans they will be caucusing while multiple criminal cases are pending against former President Trump, and he urged them to chart a new direction for America and for the GOP. But the audience largely panned his remarks, neither cheering nor booing. More: 13 GOP presidential candidates make their pitch at Iowa Lincoln Dinner. What they said: Trump was the final candidate of 13 to take the stage at the largest "cattle call" of presidential candidates so far this caucus cycle, drawing a standing ovation as he stepped up to the lectern. Story continues But Trump the showman stood aside for a more scripted candidate who kept to written talking points outlining his accomplishments while in office. Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. "Iowa has never had a better friend in the White House," he said to begin his remarks. Few others directed their fire at Trump. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy promised that he would not personally attack any of the candidates running in the Republican primary. They are good people who wish to serve this country, he said. Republican presidential candidate hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has become more outspoken in criticizing his former running mate, made only a veiled reference to Trump without naming him. Joe Bidens been a disaster for America, he said. And I understand the temptation to cling to what is familiar over leadership fitted to the times. But I believe we must resist the politics of personality and the siren song of populism unmoored to conservative values. Because different times calls for different leadership. Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann said his job is to provide a platform where every Republican presidential candidate feels comfortable making their case directly to Iowans. You can accept their message, you can reject their message or you can further consider their message, he told the Register. Clearly, tonight Will Hurd had several people reject it. But, you know, it was his message and he brought it to the people, and now you can better believe hes going to be justifying that and probably people are going to ask him to flesh that answer out. Kaufmann said the event provided a good microcosm of what the candidates have to offer. I think we did our job, he said of the sold-out event. And you can better believe the first call I make tomorrow is to Ronna (McDaniel, the Republican National Committee Chair) saying, I told you we could handle this. Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Fast-paced event showcases Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis The event was fast-paced as candidates took the stage back-to-back with no introductions; organizers promised to cut their microphones if they lingered past 10 minutes. Intent on sticking to the time limit, Trump stuck almost entirely to prepared remarks, joking that he was "going to go quickly" as he ticked through his administration's record in Iowa. "We did a lot of things, it's hard to do that quickly," he said. He touted his administrations record on ethanol and biofuels and drew cheers when he spoke about appointing conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. Three times he intentionally referenced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as Ron DeSanctus, and told the crowd that he wouldnt take a chance on that one. Trump was given the final speaking slot, organizers said, because he was the first to commit to attending the event. Ahead of the event, Trump dropped into an Urbandale office opening to thank supporters and volunteers. He once again falsely claimed that the 2020 election was rigged against him. We're not going to let that happen, he said of his 2024 effort. This is the most important election we've ever had by far even more so than 2016." Over 300 supporters attended Trumps rally in his headquarters in Urbandale. DeSantis arrived at the event after spending two days on a bus tour organized by his Never Back Down super PAC. He also received a warm reaction from a crowd that applauded appreciatively throughout his speech. As he ticked through the pivotal aspects of his campaign message his record in Florida, his aims to halt the "weaponization" of the federal government and his pledge to "rip the politics out" of the military he received consistent applause from the crowd. "I'm running for president because we as Republicans cannot be content with simply managing the decline of our country a little better than the Democrats," DeSantis said. Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate hopeful Ron DeSantis speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. He also attacked Vice President Kamala Harris, who has criticized new educational standards in Florida that she and others say undermines critical conversations around slavery, in part instructing that enslaved people "developed skills" for "personal benefit." DeSantis' defense of his state's new curriculum has drawn criticism from several Black Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, whom DeSantis said this week are siding with "the left" and the vice president. He said Harris was creating "phony narratives" about the new standards. "We have beaten the left's agenda in the state of Florida, so she thinks she can come down and lie about what we're doing," DeSantis said. "I'm not budging an inch. We are going to fight back against these people, and we are not letting them take over our schools any longer." Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Mike Pence rely heavily on stump speeches Many of the nights speeches closely tracked the candidates stump speeches that theyve been busy delivering across the state. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley spoke first, rattling off a string of policy proposals, including term limits for the presidency and members of Congress. Republican presidential candidate hopeful Nikki Haley speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. If this week didnt prove it to you, weve got to have mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75, Haley said, repeating a position shes advocated on the campaign trail. This week, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, froze for nearly 30 seconds during a news conference and seemed unable to speak for several seconds. He later returned to answer reporters questions and said he was fine. Biden is 80 years old and Trump is 77. The questions on the tests are simple, Haley, 51, said, like how many grandchildren do you have? It was an apparent reference to Biden belatedly acknowledging his 4-year-old granddaughter living in Arkansas, who his son Hunter Biden fathered out of wedlock. What? she said, as the crowd laughed. I dont know what yall are laughing at. Scott focused on his family history and personal biography, describing his upbringing with his grandparents and the lessons they taught him. His grandfather, he said, taught him two lessons: to kneel to the Father in prayer and to stand for the flag in respect. He said, Son, you can be bitter or you can get better. But you cant be both, Scott said. These were valuable lessons. Republican presidential candidate hopeful Sen. Tim Scott speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Scott said he is living proof that anything is possible in America. Protecting the values of America is protecting the rungs on the ladder that allow the poorest, most vulnerable students in this nation to climb, he said. We must protect our values. Im running for president because I know America can do for anyone what shes done for me. Pence sought to draw in the crowd by calling for more restrictive abortion bans around the country. We can end Bidens radical abortion agenda by doing just what you all did recently here in Iowa, and that is promoting pro-life laws in states across the country, Pence said. And I believe the time has come for a minimum national standard of a 15-week ban at the federal level. But despite an enthusiastic response from Reynolds when she mentioned the states new abortion law, Pences line drew little applause from the crowd. Former Republican vice president and current presidential candidate hopeful Mike Pence speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. He got his best response of the night by promising to ban transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military. We can end the political correctness at the Pentagon including reinstituting a ban on transgender personnel in the United States military, Pence said. Iowa event attendees say many candidates stood out Though DeSantis and Trump received some of the loudest ovations of the night, several attendees said they are keeping their options wide open. Ethan Settle, a 29-year-old Des Moines resident who attended the event, said Hurds comments about Trump didnt completely turn him off to the candidate. He said hes interested in seeing the party move in a new direction. A lot of the candidates talked about unity and stuff of the nation, he said. I think that's critically important, right? Theres a lot of things Trump does right, but he can be a little divisive, too. So maybe a younger guy that connects. He said he thought Ramaswamy brought a lot of energy and a youthful appeal. But he also liked conservative talk radio host Larry Elders focus on strong families. Republican presidential candidate hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. At the end of the day I really liked the sentiment of a lot of the candidates, he said. Gwen Ecklund, a 65-year-old Denison resident and activist, said she thought that Trumps recitation of his accomplishments came off as bragging. She and her husband Arlan, 68, said they like DeSantis, Pence, Haley and Scott, among others. I've heard a lot of them. Ive hosted a lot of them in the county, Gwen Ecklund said. I'm still interested in maybe six top ones. But they noted the relatively cold reception for Pence. I think Mike has a problem in that the people who don't like Trump see him as being in Trump's administration, and the people who do like Trump see him as the guy who stood up to him, you know, after the election, Arlan Ecklund said. I think Mike Pence is really a man of honor. I like Mike Pence a lot. I don't know if he's got the pizzazz to win a national election. Former Republican vice president and current presidential candidate hopeful Mike Pence speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Candidates pose for selfies, host after-parties After the speaking portion of the evening concluded, candidates hosted reception rooms on a lower level of the events center. A line to enter the Trump campaign's after-party wrapped around the corner as dozens waited for a handshake and photo with the former president, who posed with a thumbs up. As they trickled into the room, staffers offered them caucus pledge cards for them to sign. As campaign song staples "Macho Man" and Laura Branigan's "Gloria" played over the speakers, supporters moved through the line, taking Trump 2024 stickers and ice cream. Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Trump, who was stationed partially behind a curtained barrier for the photo line, was flanked by Secret Service agents and staff including Walt Nauta, the aide charged alongside him in the classified documents case in Florida. Throughout the event center, including directly outside the Trump campaign room, staffers with "DeSantis 2024" signs shouted the room number of the reception for Never Back Down, the super PAC backing the Florida governor. At his own reception room, Ramaswamy took a break from posing for pictures with dozens of supporters to take questions from the media and discussed his plans to shut down a swath of federal agencies, including the FBI and the U.S. Department of Education. He said he plans on sending thousands of officers packing and placing them in other departments such as the U.S. Marshals Service, which isnt corrupt in the same way, or U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This isn't some highfalutin vision that we poll test as a slogan and see if the crowd likes it. No, he said. We have detailed plans unprecedented detail on exactly how we will reorganize and shut down parts of the deep state that should not exist. Kaufmann said several candidates had moments throughout the night that stood out, including Elder and businessman Perry Johnson. Republican presidential candidate hopeful Perry Johnson speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. "I think a lot of people were taken aback," he said. "I think it was a reality check that these individuals really are of the people in terms of their experiences. I think (all the candidates) were able to remind everyone once again of what they stand for and the style that theyre going to have as president. Now its up to Iowans." Reporter Nixson Benitez contributed to this story. Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Will Hurd gets boos for taking on Trump indictments at Iowa GOP dinner Boston Police are searching for the last of four suspects that entered a watch boutique, smashing glass inside the business before making off with several expensive watches Friday, sources tell Boston 25 News. Sources tell Boston 25 News that three of the suspects have been arrested while one remains on the run. Boston Police received the armed robbery call from the Audemars Piguet watch store on Boylston Street around 5:51 p.m., police told Boston 25 News. Authorities shut down Boylston Street as officers investigated the crime scene. Smashed glass inside the store could be seen from the sidewalk. The Swiss watch company has locations across North America, Europe, Asia and South America, according to Audemars Piguets website. Watches on the site retail for tens of thousands of dollars. No one was injured during the armed robbery, Boston Police say. It is not currently known if any of the watches have been recovered. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW A M142 HIMARS launches a rocket in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on May 18, 2023. Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images The West has been sending Ukraine weapons and armed vehicles since the start of the war. Insider spoke to three experts who picked some of the most useful weapons in Ukraine's possession. These include Storm Shadow missiles and high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS). For months, Ukraine pleaded with allies to get advanced weapons and armored vehicles that would make a big difference on the battlefield. Many countries delivered: Germany sent over Leopard 2 tanks, the US provided Patriot missile defense systems, and the UK gifted a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks. Now, as Ukraine is in the midst of its counteroffensive to regain crucial territory from Russia, many of these weapons are proving useful. Insider spoke to three military experts about which of the Western-provided weapons have been the most effective for Ukraine in the war. We break down the top five below: High Mobility Artillery Rocket System or HIMARS A M142 HIMARS launcher with armored cab stands in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on May 18, 2023. Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images Ukraine has received dozens of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems or HIMARS, which have been crucial in its defensive and offensive capacity. The US-made system is an advanced missile launcher that is mounted on a truck and can fire six, GPS-guided missiles that can reach up to 50 miles (80 km). Its reach allows Ukraine to destroy high-value targets that are far behind the front lines. Since the missiles are also fixed on the back of a truck, the system is also flexible and can adapt to changing war tactics, Ben Caves, a senior research leader at the RAND Corporation told Insider. "An important characteristic with the HIMARS is the fact that they can be moved really quickly so that the Russians can never identify where they were, so that has been extremely useful for Ukraine," Caves said. "They have hurt the Russian logistical effort," he added. "And that's meant the Russians have had to push stuff more to the rear, and that's made Russia in turn, more vulnerable." The weapon was particularly useful to Ukrainian forces last November when they successfully pushed Russian forces away from the southern city of Kherson, which it was occupying at the time. Story continues Zelenskyy has previously said the system is vital to his country's efforts. "HIMARS and other precision weapons are turning the course of the war in our favor," he said. Patriot Missile Systems A US Army MIM-104 Patriot, a surface-to-air missile system launcher, is pictured at Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, Poland, on March 16, 2022 Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters The US-provided systems arrived in Ukraine in April, with Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov tweeting: "Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure." The Patriot is considered to be one of the most sophisticated air defense systems in the world. It has the capability to stop cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles before they reach their target. It can also shoot down aircraft. The anti-air system has bolstered the military's air defenses, which have previously been unable to intercept more modern Russian missiles, Dr. Huseyn Aliyev, from the Research Center for East European Studies, told Insider. "Patriots are only a recent addition to Ukraine's army, but they have already had a very notable effect on their ability to shoot down, for example, ballistic missiles, which they couldn't really shoot down before," he said. "They could only target Cruise missiles, but now they can bring down even the most advanced Russian so-called hypersonic missiles," he added. Earlier this year, Ukrainian officials claimed they used a Patriot to shoot down several Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, which Moscow previously boasted were unstoppable. Javelin anti-tank missile In this image released by Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service, Ukrainian soldiers use a launcher with US Javelin missiles. Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP While the American-made, FGM-148 anti-tank missile is commonly known as a Javelin, Ukrainian soldiers have given it a new name: "Saint Javelin, Protector of Ukraine," according to the Military Times. The portable surface-to-air missile, which can be fired from the shoulder or from a launcher, is highly effective against main battle tanks and other armored vehicles. Last summer, the US government provided Ukraine with more than 5,000 Javelins as part of its more than $8 billion military aid package. Caves told Insider that Javelins were particularly effective in the early stages of the war when Russia failed to take Kyiv. "They were great in taking out a lot of the Russian armor," Cave told Insider."But that was probably exacerbated by the tactics that the Russians employed in the sense that they made themselves easy targets and underestimated the enemy," he added. Ukraine is also in possession of UK-made Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) which Caves said is equally as useful because it's smaller and requires very little training. "You can give these weapons to someone and they can easily use it," he said. Storm Shadow Missiles The Storm Shadow cruise missile is on display during the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, France, Monday, June 19, 2023 Lewis Joly/AP Photo The Storm Shadow, also known as the SCALP, has been described as a game changer for Ukraine's counteroffensive, given its evasive abilities, precise targeting, and its 155-mile range. The missiles, which were recently provided by the UK, are designed to fly low after launch to evade detection and have an onboard infrared target-seeking system that allows them to recognize planned targets for a precision strike. Marina Miron, a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of War Studies at King's College London, told Insider that Storm Shadows "act as a force multiplier for the Ukrainian forces." "These are the longest-range missiles that the Ukrainians can fire from their Soviet fighter jets to strike high-value targets far behind the enemy lines such as command and control centers, logistical nods, ammunition depots, and other hardened targets," she said. "This in turn helps to disrupt operations and reduce the military capacity of the Russian forces," she added. "While these missiles are few, they are still important to give Ukraine the ability to strike and destroy such targets without a major risk." Bradley Fighting Vehicles A group of Ukrainian soldiers in front of a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, seemingly taken before it was damaged. Hanna Maliar/Telegram Ukraine received a major delivery of armored fighting vehicles from Europe and the US earlier this year. But the US-provided M2 Bradley fighting vehicles have proven particularly successful, according to Aliyev. "They're important because they help Ukraine to move infantry to the frontlines," Alivey told Insider. "They don't only offer protection to the military personnel but also allow for flexibility so that soldiers can adapt on the battlefield. An armored vehicle like the Bradley pairs heavy firepower with the ability to transport up to 15 soldiers, Alivey said.It also comes with night vision, range calculators, and fire control. "Their purpose is actually not to fight tanks or not to fight on the battle, but just to move infantry, to offer protection," he said. "Sometimes the most dangerous part for troops is just getting to the frontlines," he said. Only time will tell how useful the weapons really are It is still unclear how Ukraine's counteroffensive will unfold, and how long the Western weapons will hold until Ukraine will need more. A top Ukrainian general told the BBC on Thursday that because Russia has littered the frontlines in south Ukraine with multi-layered minefields, Western tanks are proving ineffective. Some of the vehicles became badly damaged, Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said, forcing Ukrainian units to leave them behind and advance slowly on foot. "I don't underestimate the enemy," Tarnavskyi added. Read the original article on Business Insider Former President Trumps legal crises are growing more serious this week and show no signs of fading, even as his 2024 bid for the White House barrels forward. Federal prosecutors filed additional serious charges against Trump on Thursday over his handling of classified materials after leaving the White House, and anticipation has reached a fever pitch over whether Trump will be charged in Washington, D.C., for his conduct after the 2020 election. Here are five takeaways from the latest legal developments around Trump. The new documents case charges are serious The additional charges filed in Thursdays superseding indictment point to more serious allegations against Trump that could make his grip on the GOP more tenuous in the months to come. Prosecutors laid out a new set of allegations that Trump acted with two aides in attempts to delete surveillance footage at Mar-a-Lago after prosecutors subpoenaed it in connection with their investigation in June 2022. Trump now faces two new obstruction charges in connection with the allegations. The indictment also included a new charge over Trumps retention of a classified document containing secret Pentagon plans to attack Iran. The document is at the center of a recorded conversation mentioned in the original indictment in which Trump is discussing the materials with individuals who did not have security clearances. The former president has tried to claim that he may not have had the physical document at the time, but the fresh allegations suggest prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to bring charges over the incident. The nature of the allegations are sure to fuel further charges from Trumps critics that he is unfit for office. Ive never been indicted and I am not a lawyer, but if you are deleting evidence, it is because you know you are committing a crime, former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), a 2024 presidential candidate, said Thursday night. And anybody who supports this, anybody who defends this, is complicit in endangering America. Story continues Trumps circle is increasingly implicated The superseding indictment added a third defendant to the case: Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager of Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate. De Oliveira joins longtime Trump aide Walt Nauta in being charged in connection with the former presidents retention of classified documents and possible obstruction of efforts to get them back. The indictment alleges De Oliveira, 56, extensively pushed Mar-a-Lagos director of information technology (IT) who was not charged or named in the indictment to delete surveillance footage after prosecutors subpoenaed it in June 2022 in connection with their investigation. Other Trump associates could still be implicated in the ongoing investigations into Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election, particularly over a scheme to appoint alternative electors that would flip the Electoral College in Trumps favor. Sadly, Ive made this statement to many different people Walt Nauta, run. Carlos [De Oliveira], run, said Michael Cohen, Trumps former attorney who reached a deal with prosecutors in Manhattan and has since turned against the former president. Volume of legal risks is on the rise One concern for Trump is that the sheer volume of charges against him is mounting, increasing his legal exposure. The superseding indictment in the documents case means Trump now faces a total of 40 criminal counts in that case alone, three more than he did previously. Trump is separately facing 34 felony counts in Manhattan over allegations of a hush money scheme to keep quiet allegations of an affair. And Trump may face charges elsewhere; he is still under federal investigation in Washington, D.C., and in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Legal experts have noted that the more charges Trump faces, the greater his risk of being convicted on even a single count. If you had a choice, you wouldnt want to be indicted in three different jurisdictions, said one Republican strategist. Jan. 6 charges loom Trump attorneys met with special counsel Jack Smiths office Thursday over the investigation into the former presidents efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election. With an indictment seeming imminent, Trumps lawyers sought to make the case for why their client should not be charged. A grand jury has typically been meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, though no indictment was announced this week. Still, Trump has received a target letter in the case, typically a sign that prosecutors have enough evidence to charge an individual in an investigation. On top of the anticipation that is building over charges in D.C., the former president is under investigation in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the states election results in 2020. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has indicated charges could be announced in August, setting up for yet another cycle of bad legal developments for the former president. Trump ups pressure on GOP allies As the legal pressure on Trump mounts, he has turned to some of his Republican allies to ratchet up their defenses. Trump, in comments to Fox News Digital after the superseding indictment was filed, complained that the charges against him were ridiculous and that the Justice Department was abusing its power. Hopefully the Republican Party will do something about it, Trump said. The former presidents comments may turn up the heat on some of his supporters in the House, and even Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), to back funding cuts to the special counsels office. Such measures have been floated by staunch Trump allies such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). The reality for Republicans is they will have to continue to answer questions about Trumps conduct as the cases against him develop and the charges potentially mount. Trump, asked if he would end his 2024 campaign even if convicted, told conservative radio host John Fredericks, not at all. Theres nothing in the Constitution to say that it could. And not at all, Trump said. Even the radical left crazies are saying no, that wouldnt stop. And it wouldnt stop me either. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. You are here: World Flash The Chinese military has always been a steadfast force in upholding world peace and stability, a defense spokesperson said on Saturday. China's military force has never posed a challenge to anyone nor threatened others, said Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, in response to a question concerning the 2023 defense white paper newly approved by the Japanese government. According to media reports, the white paper says China has presented an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge to Japan. The Japanese defense white paper clings to its mistaken perception of China, deliberately exaggerates the so-called "Chinese military threat," smears China's legitimate military development and activities, rudely interferes in China's internal affairs, and provokes regional tensions, Tan said. "We strongly oppose this and have already made serious representations to Japan," the spokesperson noted. In recent years, Japan has substantially increased defense spending and has been steadily advancing its military expansion, Tan said, adding that it has aligned itself with certain major powers, forming targeted "small circles." These acts have posed a severe challenge to regional and global peace, security, and stability, Tan added. The spokesperson urged Japan to learn from historical lessons, refrain from irresponsible words and actions, abandon zero-sum and confrontational thinking toward neighboring countries, develop a correct understanding of China, and take practical steps to restore bilateral relations onto the right path. Albert Gosnell was fresh out of Greenville High School when he enlisted in the Army just before the Korean War began. He had been a boxer at the YMCA in Greenville and lived in the Sans Souci neighborhood with his parents Mr. and Mrs. J.O. Gosnell and his brother Bruce. In June 1950, he wrote to his parents to say he was in Japan, learning combat techniques. When the war began June 25, 1950. Gosnell was among the first U.S. servicemen in Korea. And then he was gone. On July 16, 1950, Gosnell was reported missing in action after his ill-equipped and outmanned unit Heavy Mortar Company, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division came under heavy fire from the North Koreans and retreated somewhere near Taejon, South Korea. His body could not be recovered immediately. It was three years before the Gosnells learned their son had been officially declared dead. It was 73 years before his remains were identified. On Thursday the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced dental, anthropological analysis, and chest radiograph comparison were used to identify the remains. Armed Forces Medical Examiner System scientists also used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis. Initially, Gosenlls remains were known as X-274 Taejon, one of many U.S. soldiers who died during the three-day battle beside the Kum River, trying to defend the headquarters of the 24th Infantry Division. Once the U.S. regained control of Taejon in the fall of 1950, remains were recovered and interred at the United Nations Military Cemetery Taejon. From there they were sent to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. The accounting agency began disinterring 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl in July 2016 in hope of identifying them. Gosnells remains were disinterred in July 2018 and were identified in May of this year. Gosnells name was listed on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl and will now be marked with a rosette to show he has been accounted for. He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. Gosnell will be buried in Anderson. Most Ukrainians believe in Ukraine's victory According to a sociological survey commissioned by the International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV), 77% of Ukrainians have absolute confidence in their nation's victory in the war with Russia, and they are not open to any territorial concessions. The study was conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, with the results published on July 27. Read also: Zelenskyy to attend Vilnius summit, Turkey gives green light to Swedish membership In the survey, 77% of respondents stated their unwavering belief in Ukraine's victory, while 16% showed at least partial belief in the same outcome. Moreover, 70% of the surveyed citizens defined the victory as liberation of all Ukrainian territories. Read also: 500 days: 10 key facts about our liberation war, by deputy defense minister Maliar opinion Other significant markers of victory for the respondents included the return of all POWs and deportees (60%), and punishment of war criminals (51%). Some Ukrainians are open to certain compromises: 36% say that some concessions are acceptable, but this does not include ceding territory or abandoning plans to join NATO or the EU. Read also: Netherlands to sign up to G7 declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine A mere 6% of Ukrainian citizens support the idea of "peace at any cost." When asked about possible security guarantees, 54% of the respondents preferred NATO membership. The second most favored security alternative, supported by 16% of respondents, was the conclusion of strategic defense cooperation agreements with several NATO member countries. Read also: Some NATO states strongly resisted membership for Ukraine before summit - ex US amabassador This face-to-face survey was conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in collaboration with the Center for Political Sociology, commissioned by the ICUV. The survey took place from June 5 to 15, involving 2001 respondents aged 18 and above. The sample population mirrored the demographic structure of the adult population in the surveyed territories as of early 2022. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine While responding to reports of multiple armed suspects at a Macon apartment complex, Bibb County Sheriffs deputies arrested eight people, including five juveniles. Deputies said the three adults who were detained were charged with criminal street gang activity, illegally having firearms and multiple counts of contributing delinquency to minors. The arrests occurred on Wednesday at North Napier Apartments on Napier Avenue. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] According to the sheriffs office, multiple reports came in about armed suspects at North Napier Apartments. When deputies arrived, responding to reports about individuals standing outside and pointing firearms within the complex, they found three adults and five juveniles, who were then detained. While investigating the incident, deputies found and recovered a rifle and three handguns. TRENDING STORIES: As a result of the investigation and subsequent detentions, Keyantae Tireque Blash, 19, Dorian MArkel Rumph, 18, and Zyikee Mylakhi Storud, 20, of Macon were arrested. All five juveniles were identified and released to their parents, pending further investigation, according to the sheriffs office. The three adults face the following charges: Criminal street gang activity Unlawful possession of firearms Contributing to the delinquency of minors (multiple counts) Blash, who was on probation for carrying a firearm on school grounds and felony indictment for robbery by force was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and probation violation. Deputies said Blash, Rumph, and Stroud were transported to the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center from Investigation Headquarters. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] OTHER NEWS: At least nine people are injured, including two children, in the Russian missile strike against Dnipro on July 28, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak reported. Russian forces launched Iskander missiles against an empty building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and a residential building with no tenants, the city mayor said earlier. Interior Minister Klymenko said earlier that at least five people were wounded "during the attack on a high-rise building" but did not specify whether they were inside the structure at the moment of the attack. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine clarified that the upper floors of the 12-story building were damaged, and a fire was put out in the second building. According to Ukrainska Pravda, the residential building that sustained the hit was new and many of its flats were still unoccupied. The SBU building had been empty for some time, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing its sources. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Dnipro with missiles, at least 5 injured Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Editors Note: Want to save a piece of the Eras Tour? Sign up here to have a special-edition digital Sacramento Bee front page from Taylor Swifts Santa Clara concerts sent directly to your inbox. Taylor Swift fans in sequined shirts and cowboy boots trickled into Sacramento Valley Station Friday afternoon, ready to embark on a 3-hour train ride to see the 12-time Grammy Award-winning artist perform in Santa Clara. The train conductor greeted his passengers proclaiming This is the Swiftie train, as eager concert-goers longtime fans, young kids and their parents picked their seats on the Capitol Corridor. By 5 p.m., roughly 500 people had already passed through the train headed to the sold-out Levis Stadium. See photos of Taylor Swift performing at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara. Were you there? Sacramento-area mother and daughter Nickea and Lili Stalter have a shared love for the Swift culture and music. The 10-year-old was born on Oct. 22, 2012 the same day Taylor Swift release Red. Miranda Newman, left, and Lili Stalter, 10, right, admire each others friendship bracelets for Taylor Swifts concert on Friday, July 28, 2023, during the three-hour train trip from Sacramento to Levis Stadium. Its hard to find music that isnt kids bop thats appropriate to listen to with your young tween daughter and is inspirational and exciting, said Stalter as she sat in the Capitol Corridor with her daughter before boarding the train. Lili was dressed in the Red era, with heart-shaped sunglasses and a 22 shirt, her face bedazzled with red jewels. Her mom, Nickeas outfit was inspired by folklore, a white floral dress with puffed sleeves. The album that resonated with her during the pandemic, she said. Both sported a handful of friendship bracelets. Annmargaret Dwyer creates friendship bracelets for Taylor Swifts concert on Friday, July 28, 2023, during the three-hour train trip from Sacramento to Levis Stadium. And they werent the only two commemorating their favorite Swift eras with vibrant outfits and charms. In fact, aboard the last train of the day, there were roughly 200 passengers. Savannah Riccomini, 29, a Woodland resident was riding the train with her sister. Shes been a fan her whole life and says she now in her Lover Era, which was why she chose to wear a gold sequined dress. Story continues Im very excited to be here with my sister to experience this with her, Riccomini said. People wait in line for food and drinks on Friday, July 28, 2023, during the three-hour train trip from Sacramento to Levis Stadium for the Taylor Swift concert. Daryn Erickson, 25, drove from Flagstaff, Arizona, for Fridays concert. She was going up to kids and adults to exchange the bracelets she prepared at home before the concert. I just love the community that we have as Swifties, Erickson said. Coming together after COVID and all the other stuff that happened and just getting to have a really fun time and bonding over our favorite songs and Eras and its just a lot of fun. At the show, fans continued to swap bracelets as they waited for Swift to take the stage, where she then performed a 3-hour set including two surprise songs. Singer Taylor Swift performs at Levis Stadium on Friday, July 28, 2023, in Santa Clara, in the first of two concerts at the stadium. Swift will perform again Saturday night at Levis Stadium before she heads to Los Angeles to finish the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour, the most extensive of her career yet with a total of 52 shows throughout the country. The New York man accused of killing three women bought about 18 acres of land beside a string of small, secluded ponds in Chester County two years ago as a retirement home. Neighbors say Rex Heuermann had planned to buy everyone else out, The New York Post reported. I heard that, said James Austin, who lives across a small pond from Heuermanns property. Im not going anywhere. He can see Heuermanns property but the residence is shrouded by a thick growth of trees along both the pond and the road on the other side. Austin and three others own the dam that impounds one of the dozen or so lakes that make up what is known as Mirror Lakes subdivision. It is an area of mostly mobile homes on large lots, each at least 4 acres. Austin said he and his wife moved to the area 20 years ago. The main draw is privacy. He can see the homes of less than a handful of neighbors from his 7 acres. Heuermanns property on Rippling Brooke Drive was searched by the FBI, New York law enforcement agencies and Chester County Sheriff deputies this month. A Chevrolet Avalanche was seized. Heuermann, an architect, is charged in three of the 11 deaths of women whose remains were found buried along a stretch of Gilgo Beach beside the Atlantic Ocean in Babylon, New York in 2010 and 2011. The truck or a similar one taken from Heuermanns Massapequa Park, New York, residence factors into the murder investigation because an associate of one of the women told police he had seen a vehicle like it at the time of her murder. Officers were looking for cell phones, condoms, cut ends of black leather belts, devices that stamp letters on leather, knives, scissors, cutting instruments, and Bounty paper towels, according to a search warrant. Austin said Heuermanns brother Craig also has property in the subdivision but does not live there. He has talked with him once, mostly about the fact they were both MPs in the service. Austin said the Heuermanns mostly kept to themselves. His contact with Rex was seeing him riding by in the Avalanche. Story continues Many stories about the Heuermanns have circulated among the community, including one in which Craig hit a neighbor with a pole for mowing on Sunday, The New York Post reported. Craig and Rex were also believed to have cut a small boat in half after warning the owner to get it off their property, Austin said. The boat had been there since Austin moved in decades before. Austin said he used to fish the area as a boy growing up in Chester, looking for crappie, brim and bass. Back then it was known as Whites ponds. There was a box at the gate for people to pay to fish. Now, the 70-year-old mostly fishes for bass and throws them back in. Its pretty quiet, he said. Property records in Chester County show Heuermann bought property in the Mirror Lakes subdivision on July 28, 2021 for $154,351. The Chester County Sheriffs Office said on Facebook the agency has been working with the Gilgo Beach Task Force gathering evidence in Chester County relevant to their investigation. Chester Sheriffs spokeswoman Londa Pringle declined to give more information about the agencys involvement but did say they were on site just that one day. Heuermann is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, according to an indictment unsealed in Suffolk County Criminal Court. He has pleaded not guilty. He is also considered the prime suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. One Chester County neighbor told The New York Post, Im glad that they found this out before he moved down here. We wonder whats going to happen from this point on. A rendering of a new tower planned for the World Trade Center campus, where a third of the apartments would be targeted at lower-income renters. (New York Governors Office via The New York Times) NEW YORK The latest luxury tower to rise in New York could distinguish itself not for its sky-high views but for its residents: survivors of 9/11, and some of the lowest-income renters in the city. On Thursday, a state oversight board cleared the way for a 900-foot mixed-use tower to be built at 130 Liberty St., also known as 5 World Trade, the only site on the World Trade Center campus that is expected to be residential. It took two decades of political wrangling. But the real feat, spurred by a group of local agitators, could be the inclusion of an unexpected share of permanently below-market-rate apartments. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Four hundred of the 1,200 units will be reserved for low- and middle-income renters, spread across the soaring tower. A portion of those units, 80 apartments, will be offered to people who lived or worked in lower Manhattan between Sept. 11, 2001, and the end of June 2002. It represents a rare inversion of New Yorks new supertall skyline, known for its pieds-a-terre for some of the wealthiest people in the world, on one of the most symbolic development sites in the city. Were tremendously happy with what we have achieved, said Mariama James, a member of the Coalition for a 100% Affordable 5WTC, the neighborhood group that fell short of its original goal but pushed the developers further than some had anticipated. The building, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, will sit on public land and is being developed by a team led by Brookfield Properties and Silverstein Properties. An earlier proposal would have reserved one-fourth of the units at below market rate and included no carve-out for 9/11 survivors. Opposition was swift. How can you build a residential tower that is blocks no, feet from ground zero, and not have any units allocated to the 9/11 community? said James, who has lived near the World Trade Center for decades. Her father died of a 9/11-related illness in 2021, followed by her mother earlier this year, from colon cancer, she said, and she and her family suffer from the health effects of exposure to the pollutants released after the attacks. Story continues In a statement, Marty Burger, CEO of Silverstein Properties, thanked elected officials and public agencies for their commitment to this important project, but the company declined to comment further on the new mix of affordable units. The tower will also include commercial, retail and office space. The revised plan, approved by the Public Authorities Control Board, comes after months of philosophical and ultimately financial deliberations: How much affordable housing makes sense in a skyscraper? The property owner, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., a subsidiary of state-controlled Empire State Development Corp., estimated in 2021 that each unit of housing would cost about $1 million to build, about twice as much as a unit in a typical affordable project, in part because of the complexities of building a skyscraper on the site. In May, the boards of Empire State Development and the Port Authority, which will collect rent on the site, agreed to increase the number of income-restricted units to 30%, from 25%. Gov. Kathy Hochul then announced that an additional $65 million in unallocated public funding could be used to subsidize the project and add more affordable units, said state Sen. Brian Kavanagh, who helped negotiate the deal. Affordability doesnt materialize out of goodwill, he said. I think we got to a place where a great many people in our community are very enthusiastic about this. A majority of the income-restricted units will skew toward lower-income renters, including 252 units that will be split between tenants who make 40% to 80% of the area median income, or about $50,800 to $101,700 for a family of three. And 148 units will go to renters making 100% to 120% of the median income, or up to about $152,500 for a family of three. The plan will mean a substantial increase in affordable housing for the area. Since 2014, the city has financed 212 new affordable units in the district that includes the World Trade Center. Not everyone is happy with the updated plan. Its a little depressing, said Todd Fine, a member of the 100% Affordable coalition, who wanted to see a much greater degree of affordability for the last undeveloped public site on the 16-acre World Trade Center campus. He points to the faltering office market as a sign that now is the time to push for more affordable housing. Maybe, he said, its time to consider bringing affordable housing to other parts of the neighborhood, like a long-delayed office tower nearby? Why dont we make 2 World Trade Center fully affordable? he said. c.2023 The New York Times Company General Abdourahamane Tiani appeared on state television on Friday to declare himself Niger's new leader (-) The African Union asked Niger's new junta to return to their bases and restore constitutional order in 15 days as the EU and former colonial ruler France Saturday suspended security cooperation and financial aid to the jihadist-hit country. General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the elite Presidential Guard, on Friday declared himself the West African country's new leader, two days after his forces confined democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum to his official residence. Tiani said the putsch was a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to jihadist bloodshed as well as corruption and economic woes. Niger's neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso have both undergone two military coups since 2020, fuelled by anger at a failure to quash long-running insurgencies by jihadists linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda. The African Union's Peace and Security Council asked "military personnel to immediately and unconditionally return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority, within a maximum period of fifteen (15) days," after a meeting Friday on the coup. It condemned the coup in "the strongest terms possible" and expressed deep concern over the "alarming resurgence" of military overthrows in Africa. France's foreign ministry said it was suspending development aid and budgetary support to Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, while calling for "an immediate return to constitutional order" and Bazoum's reinstatement. The EU's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell meanwhile said the bloc would not recognise the putschists and announced the indefinite suspension of security cooperation with Niger with immediate effect as well as budgetary aid. Bazoum "remains the only legitimate president of Niger," the EU statement said, calling for his immediate release and holding the coup leaders to account for the safety of the president and his family. Story continues Borrell said the EU was ready to support future decisions taken by West Africa's regional bloc, "including the adoption of sanctions". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Niger's ousted leader Washington's steadfast support and warned those detaining him that they were "threatening years of successful cooperation and hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance". - Regional leaders to meet - Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc will meet on Sunday in the Nigerian capital Abuja to discuss the coup. French President Emmanuel Macron was due to chair a meeting of his Defence and National Security Council on the coup on Saturday afternoon, the presidency said. France has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, while the United States has around 1,000 troops there. Tiani, 59, has shunned the limelight despite a stellar military career which has seen him lead the 700-member presidential guard since 2011. Sources close to Bazoum told AFP that he had been considering replacing Tiani as the head of the elite unit and that relations between the two men had deteriorated in the past months. Landlocked Niger often ranks last in the UN's Human Development Index, despite vast deposits of uranium. It has had a turbulent political history since gaining independence in 1960, with four coups as well as numerous other attempts -- including two previously against Bazoum. The 63-year-old has been one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel as juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso turn away from traditional allies and towards Russia. burs/giv/ach Brian Branigan, a 65-year-old boat captain who rents launches to tourists from Big Pine Key (near Key West), says the warming has shaken him (Gianrigo MARLETTA) Super-heated seawater off the Florida Keys has grown so perilous to the world's third-largest barrier reef that scientists are now removing samples of coral from ocean nurseries to place in cooler land-based tanks. Sea temperatures off Florida have risen to extraordinary highs this month, presenting a severe threat to the barrier reef. "Hot water is not good for any marine organism, whether it be coral, fish or lobster. So we run the risk of having massive fish die offs, sea turtle die offs, things like that," said Alex Neufeld, projects coordinator with the Coral Restoration Foundation. Surface water temperatures rose above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) several days earlier this month, and on Monday hit a record 101.1F in Manatee Bay, a sound near Key Largo. Coral can routinely survive sea temperatures between 70 and 84F (21 to 28.8C). "This is the worst that I've seen. And I think many people would agree that... it has the potential to be the worst one that the Keys has ever experienced," Neufeld said. Neufeld's nonprofit group, working with other local groups, has been collecting samples of genetic strains of coral from nurseries "and pulling them into land-based facilities where the water parameters can be controlled, and where they can be safeguarded," he said. As scientists race to ensure the survival of reef-based sea life, business owners despair over the possible impact on tourism to the Florida Keys. Brian Branigan, a 65-year-old boat captain who rents launches to tourists from Big Pine Key (near Key West), says the warming has shaken him. "What has happened in the last two weeks is terrible, shocking. I wanted to cry myself, when I was in the water, snorkeling to see this," he said as he took AFP to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, some five miles (eight kilometers) off the coast. Just a few feet below the boat, barracuda, blue tang surgeonfish and parrotfish dart around a reef populated with coral that is turning white, a sign of severe stress. Story continues The bleaching of the reefs appears to be accelerated this year, and summer heat has barely passed its mid-point. Bleaching occurs when stressed coral expel algae living in symbiosis with them, providing them with nutrients and giving them color. Fallout from damage to the reef could definitely spill onto land. - 'Very sad' - According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida's coral reefs generate $2 billion in local revenue and 70,400 full- and part-time jobs. Brad Roberts traveled with his family from Fort Myers on Florida's Gulf Coast to Islamorada in the Keys to fish for lobster. "What's happening is very sad to see. A lot of these people make their living off the reefs. And I don't think people will want to come down here and see a bunch of dead coral," Roberts said. Sport fishermen, a significant sector of tourism, may have a change of heart toward the area. "If you come down here and have four bad trips, and only one good trip, well, you're probably going to want to spend your tourist dollars somewhere else," said Roberts, an insurance company employee. Branigan, who learned to scuba dive 48 years ago, depends heavily on sport fishermen and scuba aficionados to rent his boats. "We are concerned about how it will impact us, personally and financially," he said. "I'm sure it will have some negative impact and maybe catastrophically even." While business owners worry about survival, Neufeld and other scientists remain busy seeking to gather coral samples from nurseries. "We've taken representatives from all of those corals and... we've actually moved them to physically different locations to further safeguard and build in a bit of redundancy for those critical species," he said. For two weeks now, groups like Coral Restoration Foundation have been collecting the samples to bring to land-based -- less heated -- tanks, he said. Their mission is essential to protect the barrier reef -- but also indirectly the humans living on shore. Reefs, in addition to harboring numerous marine animals, are one of the main protective barriers against hurricanes and storm surges made more intense by global warming. gma/tjj/bfm The Armed Forces of Ukraine killed 390 Russian soldiers on 28 July. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Details: The total combat losses of the Russian forces from 24 February 2022 to 29 July 2023 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses ed.]: approximately 245,220 (+390) military personnel; 4,191 (+1) tanks; 8,167 (+6) armoured combat vehicles; 4,786 (+11) artillery systems; 698 (+0) multiple-launch rocket systems; 458 (+0) air defence systems; 315 (+0) fixed-wing aircraft; 311 (+0) helicopters; 4,007 (+0) tactical UAVs; 1,347 (+0) cruise missiles; 18 (+0) ships/boats; 7,247 (+7) vehicles and tankers; 710 (+1) special vehicles. The data is being updated. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! The Winstons in 1969. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images The 'Amen break' is the most sampled drum break in music history, appearing in over 6,000 songs. The 20-second break was part of a song by the Winstons, a multiracial soul band. Despite the Amen break's seminal popularity across music genres, the Winstons never received royalties. Nobody suspected that the Amen break would become the most sampled break in music history, not even the band that wrote it. The four-bar drum break a smattering of rhythmic beats punctuated by a skip, then early crash cymbal was added to lengthen the song it was part of. In 1969, the Winstons, a multiracial soul band who played throughout the southern United States, recorded the single "Color Him Father." For its B-side, they recorded "Amen, Brother," an instrumental song loosely based on an old gospel song. Composing the song took just about 20 minutes, according to the band's frontman Richard Lewis Spencer. The Winstons' drummer, Gregory "G.C." Coleman, "didn't care for it," but picked up his drumsticks and knocked out the six-second drum break, Spencer told the Financial Times. "Color Him Father," the A-side of the record, became a 1969 top 10 R&B hit in the US and snagged a Grammy the following year. But "Amen, Brother" and its drum break went largely unnoticed for more than 15 years. The Winstons themselves, struggling to secure gigs in the South, disbanded the same year in 1970. It wasn't until Coleman's drum solo appeared in the early hip hop compilation album "Ultimate Breaks and Beats" in 1986 that the "Amen break" took on a life of its own, influencing a new generation of musicians across genres. Sampling the Amen break The resurgence of the drum break that became known as the "Amen break" is closely tied to the rise of hip hop in the 1970s and 80s. Sampling became a popular practice in the late 1970s, when DJs used turntables to mix records, isolate, and loop breaks to create backdrops for raps, according to Stephen Collins, professor and chair of Macquarie University's department of media, communications, creative arts, language and literature. Sampling became a way for artists to pay homage to other songs and other artists. Story continues "When it is used, the Amen break rarely sounds the same twice; it is sped up, slowed down, pitched up and down, chopped up and rearranged," Collins told Insider. The Amen break "provided the foundations for a lot of early hip hop releases," and showed "how a single drum break could be manipulated and creatively re-used," Collins said. Female rap duo Salt-N-Pepa's 1986 single "I Desire" had one of the earliest uses of the break: "The beat is bad / The beat is pro / We're gonna bounce this beat all over the place," they rapped. NWA's legendary "Straight Outta Compton" in 1988 catapulted the Amen break into the mainstream. In the 1990s, the break became the bedrock of British dance music, particularly drum and bass and jungle music. Countless other artists have since incorporated the break into their songs, including David Bowie, Oasis, and Amy Winehouse. A mixed legacy The Amen break is the most sampled track in history, appearing in more than 6,000 songs, according to WhoSampled, a website that catalogs samples based on user contributions. But despite the break's widespread popularity, the Winstons never received any royalties for its use, according to Spencer, the bandleader. After the Winstons disbanded, Spencer was working in the Washington DC transit system in 1996, when he got a call from a record label asking for a copy of the master recording, according to the Financial Times. "I felt as if I've been touched somewhere that none should touch. I felt invaded upon," he told the FT. Spencer said in later years he felt more at peace with the break's use. "It's not the worst thing that can happen to you. I'm a Black man in America and the fact that someone wants to use something I created that's flattering," he told the BBC in 2015. Coleman, the drummer behind the Amen break, died unhoused and destitute in 2006. Spencer told the BBC it was unlikely he was aware of the impact he'd made on music. Read the original article on Insider One of Columbias top restaurants is suing a trucking company over the rights for the Motor Supply name. Motor Supply Company Bistro is one of the oldest restaurants in Columbias Vista and one of the top-rated city-wide. The upscale eatery opened in 1989 in a building formerly used by a mechanic and motor supply business hence the restaurants name. Now, a trucking company doing business as Motor Supply Inc. has caused confusion, a lawsuit seeking to defend the restaurants trademark alleges. The two businesses have been quietly battling since late 2021. Now, a jury could decide who has a right to the Motor Supply name. Motor Supply Co. is spelled out in bright neon letters on a vintage sign outside of one of Columbias premier fine dining restaurants. The business first owner, Eric Nord, found the sign while renovating the historic building and the rest was history. Before he bought it, the structure housed an auto-shop. The owners were in their 90s and ready to retire, according to court filings. Eddie Wales, a one-time waiter at Motor Supply Co. Bistro, bought the shop from Nord in 2000 and has led the restaurant ever since. Motor Supply Inc, is a newer presence in Columbia. The long-haul trucking company was incorporated in 2019, according to the South Carolina Secretary of States Office. Its website, motor-supply.com, says it specializes in dry van, flatbed, power only, and temperature-controlled freight. The companys office address is listed as 1332 Main Street, Suite 204 inside the Arcade Mall in downtown Columbia. Wales learned about Motor Supply, Inc. in 2021. In November of that year, Wales attorneys sent the business a cease and desist letter asking that they stop using the Motor Supply name because it was causing confusion in town and among other business owners, according to a legal complaint filed Feb. 2022. The confusion led some to question if the businesses were associated and other business owners asked Wales about the dual names, attorneys for the restaurant Lyndey Bryant and Kirby Shealy argued in the complaint. Story continues Im not a litigious person, Ive never been involved in a lawsuit or anything, Wales told The State. But we have worked hard for over 33 years now to build this business and our brand in the Columbia area and the surrounding areas and I need to do what I have to to defend that brand. An attorney for Motor Supply Inc., the trucking company, did not respond to questions by press time. The Motor Supply Co. Bistro is incorporated under the name The Vista Cafe, Inc, which it has operated under since 1989. In Nov. 2021, Wales trademarked the Motor Supply Company Bistro name. That trademark is active until Nov. 12, 2026, according to the South Carolina Secretary of State website. Motor Supply Inc.s attorneys have argued that if there is no likelihood of confusion, classic trademark law mandates that it is possible that the exact same marks can peacefully coexist on different goods and services, they wrote in a motion responding to Wales initial complaint. Champion, Delta, Eagle and United, for example, are all names shared by companies in different industries, the response adds. The attorneys argue that a restaurant is vastly different and unrelated to a trucking company and that Wales has not provided evidence that the shared names have harmed the Motor Supply Co. Bistros business. The trucking company is being represented by Dawes Cooke, Hunter Freeman and John Fletcher. The case is on a jury roster for Richland County Circuit Court, noting that the case wont be heard before August 14. New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticised Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday, after the high court jurist claimed the US court was above any regulation from Congress. Democrats in the Senate have been pushing for a new law that would require the Supreme Court to adopt a binding ethics code and new enforcement regulations to assure justices stick to it, after a bruising series of ethics scandals on the nations top appellate court. What a surprise, guy who is supposed to enforce checks and balances thinks checks shouldnt apply to him, Ms Ocasio-Cortez wrote on social media. Too bad! Corruption and abuse of power must be stopped, no matter the source. In fact, the court should be *most* subject to scrutiny, bc it is unelected & life appointed. The pushback was in response to recent comments Mr Alito gave in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, where the right-leaning judge said, I know this is a controversial view, but Im willing to say it...No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court period. The courts financial disclosure requirements are a law, passed by Congress; its recusal requirements are a law, passed by Congress; and the body that implements financial disclosure and code of conduct issues is the Judicial Conference, a body created by Congress, Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse said earlier this month. Please lets not pretend Congress cant make amendments to laws Congress has passed or oversee agencies Congress has created, he said. Mr Alito was in the spotlight last month after ProPublica revealed the justice had travelled to a fishing trip in a remote part of Alaska onboard a private jet belonging to billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer, a wealthy Republican donor whos had cases before the Supreme Court. The trip wasnt disclosed on Mr Alitos yearly financial forms, a potential violation of federal law, though he disputes he did anything wrong. Story continues Earlier this year, another Republican-appointed judge, Clarence Thomas, found himself facing similar allegations of improper conduct. ProPublica detailed longstanding ties between him and Harlan Crow, another conservative-leaning billionaire. Mr Crow took Mr Thomas around the world on lavish vacations, and bought over $133,000 dollars worth of property from the justice. These ties were also not disclosed. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Twitter/ MSNBC) The ensuing scandal, in which Mr Thomas insisted he did nothing wrong, seemed to trigger an avalanche of issues at the court. Jane Roberts, wife of Chief Justice John Roberts, has also come in for scrutiny for her business activities. Between 2007 and 2014, she made more than $10m working as a legal recruiter, matching attorneys with top firms, at least one of which argued before her husband, Insider reported, citing information from a whistleblower complaint. The windfall made her one of the highest-paid legal recruiters in the country at the time. When I found out that the spouse of the chief justice was soliciting business from law firms, I knew immediately that it was wrong, the whistleblower, former colleague Kendal B Price, told the outlet. During the time I was there, I was discouraged from ever raising the issue. And I realized that even the law firms who were Janes clients had nowhere to go. They were being asked by the spouse of the chief justice for business worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and there was no one to complain to. Most of these firms were likely appearing or seeking to appear before the Supreme Court. Its natural that theyd do anything they felt was necessary to be competitive. Ms Robertss firm at the time said in a statement to the outlet she maintained the highest standards: Candidate confidentiality, client trust, and professionalism. One of the high courts liberals has also come under fire. Elena Kagan was a speaker at a 2017 event in Aspen, nicknamed billionaire mountain, where members of the Aspen Institute could pay $10,000 a year for a membership in the Justice Circle, where high-profile legal minds would speak at exclusive conclaves. At these events, corporate executives and lawyers, some of whom had business with the court, interacted with the justices, reported the outlet. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's campaign has continued pushing campaign cash to a Chinese foreign agent, filings reviewed by Fox News Digital show. The New York Democrat's campaign paid $442 to Sing Tao Newspapers May 25 for print advertisements, according to her campaign's records. While a small expense, Ocasio-Cortez's committee appears to be the only one to place advertisements in the paper during the second quarter. Her campaign previously sent $5,000 to the company for the same purpose. Sing Tao U.S. is a subsidiary of the Hong Kong-based Sing Tao News Corporation Ltd. In August 2021, the Justice Department required the Chinese-owned entity to register as a Chinese foreign agent as tensions rose between Washington and Beijing. AOC LASHES OUT AT TWITTER, CLAIMS SHE'S 'NEVER EXPERIENCED MORE HARASSMENT' BEFORE Ocasio-Cortez's campaign has spent campaign cash on Sing Tao ads since 2020. After the DOJ determined Sing Tao U.S. constituted foreign political activity, Ocasio-Cortez's campaign dropped nearly $1,500 on advertisements with the company before her most recent payment. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Sing Tao's United States operations include Chinese language publications in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It also has a radio station in Burlingame, California. SHARK TANK'S KEVIN O'LEARY CALLS AOC 'GREAT AT KILLING JOBS,' BLASTS BLUE STATES AS 'UNINVESTABLE' Before the most recent payment, Ocasio-Cortez's campaign sent $5,000 to the paper for the ads. The paper is considered pro-Beijing and receives over half its content from the Chinese company Star Production (Shenzhen) Limited, Axios previously reported. While Sing Tao U.S. has said it's free from Chinese Communist Party influence, China's government maintains one of the "world's most restrictive media environments, relying on censorship to control information in the news, online and on social media," the Council on Foreign Relations wrote. The Justice Department required Sing Tao U.S. to register as a Chinese foreign agent in 2021. The Chinese government has cut off media access to its citizens, monitored and suppressed publications and thrown dissident journalists in prison as part of its media control operations. Ocasio-Cortez's campaign did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment by press time. The planned execution of a 45-year-old Missouri man with schizophrenia is back on after an appellate court reversed course Saturday. Johnny Johnson is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre for killing 6-year-old Casey Williamson after trying to sexually assault her in 2002. With questions swirling about his mental competency, the execution was halted last Tuesday by a divided three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court. But after the Missouri Attorney Generals Office asked that the full court reconsider, that decision was reversed in a 7-3 ruling. The case will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court before the scheduled execution date. Attorneys for Johnson have claimed his schizophrenia prevents him from understanding the link between his crime and the punishment. They have also said Johnson has delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world. The Missouri Supreme Court in June declined to halt the execution based on the mental health claim. The attorney generals office challenged the credibility of psychiatric evaluations of Johnson and contended that medical records indicate he is able to manage his mental illness through medication. Johnson lured the girl to an abandoned glass factory, even carrying her on his shoulders on the walk to the dilapidated site. When he tried to sexually assault her, Casey screamed and tried to break free. He killed her with bricks and rocks, then washed off in the Meramec River. Johnson confessed to the crimes. Caseys disappearance set off a frantic search involving first responders and volunteers. Her body was found in a pit less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from her home, buried beneath rocks and debris. The execution would be the fourth in Missouri this year. State Sen. Robyn Kennedy filed a bill, passed Thursday by the Senate, waiving the application fee for state identification cards for Massachusetts residents experiencing homelessness. It should be a simple thing, applying for a state-issued identification card. Except its not if you dont have a permanent address. Legislation passed by the Massachusetts Senate could change all that, allowing those Massachusetts residents who are experiencing homelessness to apply for a card using temporary or service provider addresses. Sen. Robyn Kennedy, D-Worcester, was gratified when her colleagues in the Senate fast-tracked her policy bill, passing the measure Thursday. The measure had been championed by her predecessor, former Sen. Harriette Chandler, and the Senate had given the measure the nod in the past. Now it rests with the House to back the initiative where, Kennedy said, Rep. James ODay, D-West Boylston, is championing the measure. Its not a big cost impact for the state, Kennedy said. The bill would set up a mechanism through the state Registrar of Motor Vehicles that would allow the agency to waive the $25 application fee and issue the identification card. Because unhoused individuals may be staying with friends, couch surfing or working overnight shifts, the agency could use temporary addresses or the address of a service provider. Many youth in her district have relationships with agencies like LUK and Open Sky. The state would be able to use those addresses for youth getting services there. There are 20,000 residents in Massachusetts who would benefit from this bill, Kennedy said. While the cost may seem minimal, it could prove a real stumbling block for unhoused people. ID cards needed to apply for jobs, housing Identification is needed to apply for jobs, housing assistance, governmental programs and services. Without an ID, those avenues out of poverty are blocked. There is no access to what is needed to step ahead and out of poverty. Kennedy recognized that the housing crisis in Massachusetts is getting worse, affecting residents who have jobs and could have been considered at one time not to be in danger of losing their homes. Story continues The state, she said, needs to tackle the bigger issues, such as creating housing for all levels of income. It also needs to address workforce development, substance-use disorders, the opioid crisis and mental health issues. And it needs to bring supports to where people are, not create programs that are difficult to access by those who need it most. Kennedy mentioned the South Middlesex Opportunity Council shelter and the new clinic located inside the complex. The Family Health Center is across the street, but for some, however, for some it could be a million miles away. We have to get supports and services to where they are needed, Kennedy said, explaining that having screenings and supports inside the shelter eliminates any obstacles to care. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: State issued ID's for homeless residents could be free if House agrees On 28 July, Russian occupiers fired on Sumy Oblast 12 times. In total, 85 explosions were recorded, and 10 settlements in 6 hromadas came under fire. [Hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories ed.] Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration on Facebook Details: A mortar attack was recorded in Krasnopillia hromada (28 explosions). Two Russian helicopters launched unguided aerial missiles on Bilopillia hromada (seven explosions), and there was also a mortar attack (seven explosions). In Hlukhiv hromada, there was an attack with tubed artillery (two explosions) and artillery shelling (five explosions). There was a grenade launcher attack in Druzhba hromada (three explosions). A grenade launcher attack was recorded in Myropillia hromada (20 explosions). There was a mortar attack in Seredyna-Buda hromada (10 explosions). Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! The attorney for relatives of a man shot and killed in January by a security guard inside a West Side Kroger store wants the company to release a video surveillance recording of the incident. Chanda L. Brown said in a recent court filing that the video, which she has seen, is important evidence that should be made public. Her argument is based, in part, on the autopsy of the victim, Paris Royal, which stated that he was shot on Jan. 15 twice in the back and in the rear of the arm. The guard, Richard Rush, worked for Reliable Protection Services at the Kroger at 3600 Soldano Boulevard. Paris Royal, 26, was shot and killed by a Kroger security guard in January. According to an autopsy report from the Franklin County Coroner's office, the bullet in his lower back damaged his right kidney, liver, diaphragm and right lung along with arteries. The bullet in his upper rear arm entered his upper chest, according to the autopsy. This was at least the second lethal incident involving a Kroger customer and an armed Kroger security guard this year. Kroger has declined to comment on pending litigation, said spokeswoman Amy McCormick. "Paris Royal was shot in the back as he turned to disengage from an argument with a security guard (working at the Kroger)" according to the memorandum filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court arguing for the public release of the video. The video, Brown states in the memo, "is the best possible evidence available to show the truth of the events that led to Paris Royal's death." Kroger, in its own court filings, argues that the video is protected in part due to privacy concerns and that customers' personal information such as credit card numbers might be exposed and security measures inside the store exposed. Brown argues that she is not seeking the approximate 30 minutes of video before and after the shooting, just the moments immediately before, during and after, arguing that any personal information could easily be redacted. She states that Kroger's arguments related to privacy are "speculative" and not based on evidence or facts and that case law shows that there is a "reduced expectation of privacy" with the prevalence of cameras in public places. Story continues Read More: Family suing Kroger for January shooting death of customer by security guard Other deaths by Kroger security guards On June 1, a second man was shot and killed in the parking lot of a North Side Kroger by a Kroger private security guard. The incident stemmed from an incident inside the Kroger, at 1745 Morse Road, with one or more people accusing another of cutting in line, Columbus police detective Chris Journey had said. After the security guard asked the parties involved to leave, one of them, Juan M. J. Cuarenta, returned and attempted to rob another at gunpoint before the guard shot and killed him, police had said. The guard has not been named. Kroger stores in other cities have had similar lethal incidents by armed security guards. Two years ago on Aug. 8, in Memphis, security guard Gregory Livingston shot and killed Alvin Motley Jr. at a Kroger fuel center. Livingston was charged with murder. Kroger cut its ties with the security company it was using. Kroger has used special duty police officers in the past in Columbus. The company has not said why, or if, that has changed. Kroger declined to answer any questions about its operations, McCormick said. The cost for using sworn police officers can be three-to-four times more expensive than security guards.. dnarciso@dispatch.com This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kroger fighting to keep private in-store video of killing by guard US President Joe Biden (L) has acknowledged the four-year-old daughter of his son Hunter Biden (R) for the first time (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS) US President Joe Biden on Friday publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild for the first time -- a four-year-old girl his son Hunter fathered with an Arkansas woman -- after Republican criticism of his failure to recognize her. "This is not a political issue, it's a family matter," the president said in a statement to People magazine about the girl, Navy Joan Roberts. "Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward." Biden said he and his wife Jill "only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy." People cited an unnamed source familiar with the situation as saying that a child support dispute between Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts, settled last month, had affected how the First Couple interacted with their grandchild. "You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navy's parents happening until just a few weeks ago. As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunter's lead," the source said. The Democratic US president had come under tough criticism from Republicans who said his failure to mention Navy was at odds with his public image as a family man. Earlier this month, top Republican lawmaker Elise Stefanik called Biden "cold, heartless, selfish, and cowardly" for not acknowledging Navy, and labeled the situation "an inexcusable disgrace" in comments to the Daily Mail. Hunter Biden's paternity of the child was confirmed through DNA testing. She has reportedly not met her father or her grandparents. Hunter Biden, who has battled drug addiction and is currently mired in legal trouble over tax charges and illegal possession of a firearm, has four other children. sst/acb The Biden administration on Friday released a proposed rule to carry out the changes that Congress ordered for federal permitting requirements in last month's bipartisan debt ceiling deal but it's also including climate and equity factors that have sparked pushback from Republicans. The updates to the landmark National Environmental Policy Act included in that bill are designed to enable faster building of both fossil fuel and clean energy infrastructure projects. But the administration has proposed additional changes to how federal agencies execute reviews under NEPA that were not included in the deal reached between House Republicans and the White House, such as directing agencies to consider the impact of climate change on projects. The White House characterized the effort as a key component of its climate agenda that would bring a new wave of clean energy projects, especially interstate electric transmission lines that face unique permitting challenges. Republicans refused to include measures to boost transmission meant to deliver renewable power across state lines in the debt ceiling law. These provisions will help build clean energy and infrastructure faster while protecting the full scope of environmental reviews, said John Podesta, senior adviser to the president for clean energy innovation and implementation, in a call with reporters. We didn't get everything we proposed enacted into law, like more action on transmission. But our job is doing everything we can to accelerate the development of clean energy and infrastructure with the tools we have and to maximize the benefits of further investments even as we press for further change. But Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), who led GOP negotiations on the law's permitting provisions with the White House, said in a statement to POLITICO that he has strong concerns about aspects of the proposal focused on climate change that he said discriminate against the types of projects that could benefit from expedited permitting, and would actually increase the number of frivolous lawsuits challenging environmental reviews. Story continues Their methodology appears to double down on the Biden Administrations approach to energy and climate change which has resulted in higher greenhouse gas emissions, more dependence on foreign energy, and unaffordable gasoline and electricity prices, Graves added. The White House Council on Environmental Qualitys so-called Phase 2 NEPA rulemaking pushes agencies to consider short- and long-term effects of building a project including the potential of worsening climate change and requires reviews to consider measures to adapt to the effects of climate change. As an example, the rule says agencies might consider how a project protects against climate impacts like sea level rise, increased wildfire risk, poor air quality, species loss or water scarcity. Those changes build off steps the administration took last year to undo some of the more controversial aspects of the Trump administrations 2020 changes to NEPA, including by requiring federal agencies to consider indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of their actions like those related to climate change. CEQ also for the first time as part a second broader rulemaking to implement additional changes to NEPA on Friday directed agencies to consider environmental justice in reviews, encouraging agencies to evaluate the cumulative effects of pollution on communities that have historically faced discrimination, including people of color and rural and low-income residents who are disproportionately exposed to industrial activity. And it moved to reverse changes to NEPA regulations made by the Trump administration that sought to curtail judicial challenges against projects. Those changes included requirements on what public comments must contain to be considered by agencies and a provision that encouraged agencies to require litigants to post monetary bonds if they are seeking a preliminary injunction against a project. Republicans unsuccessfully sought to impose more restrictions on the ability of project opponents to sue as part of negotiations to lift the debt ceiling efforts supported by some Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), chair of the Energy Committee. And that issue is the subject of continued negotiations over a more comprehensive permitting bill sought by Manchin that the White House wants to include specific measures to help build transmission. CEQ is implementing what Democrats have described as the modest changes featured in the debt ceiling law, including imposing a two-year time limit on completing Environmental Impact Statements as well as a one-year limit for more limited environmental assessments, and allowing developers to seek the intervention of a court if the deadline is missed. Other provisions designate a lead federal agency to conduct reviews and release a single environmental review document with a publicly listed timeline. They also allow an agency to adopt or share another agencys categorical exclusion, or a determination to exempt a project from a full NEPA review due to low environmental impact. Republicans, though, have described the changes that Congress approved as more dramatic noting it represented the first meaningful legislative update to NEPA since its adoption in the 1970s. Graves has accused the administration of downplaying the significance of the NEPA changes. CEQ Chair Brenda Mallory during an explosive House committee hearing last month described the changes as largely codifying longstanding practices that federal agencies already use. But Graves took exception to the administrations interpretation of language in the debt ceiling law that says analyses of projects being permitted under NEPA should focus on reasonably foreseeable environmental effects, which he said was intended to narrow reviews. Anticipating GOP criticism, a senior administration official told POLITICO the proposed NEPA rule released Friday stays true to the debt ceiling law, which it is fully and faithfully implementing. The proposal doesnt adopt radical components that Graves and House Republicans failed to get into the debt ceiling law such as measures that would have limited the scope of NEPA effects to those occurring within 10 years of decision, the official said, adding that would have precluded consideration of climate impacts. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, defended the Biden administration, telling POLITICO in an interview that the administration is operating within the "discretion" it has to "define" the debt ceiling law. "Graves frustration is that he wants to define it. He doesn't have the discretion. The way it was passed, CEQ has the discretion," Grijalva added. But Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) in a statement accused the administration of being "dishonest" and said CEQ strayed from the debt bill to "prioritize their political agenda." And Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said in a statement the Biden administration "is attempting to layer on more requirements" for permitting agencies, and that the proposed rule "shows the need for further action by Congress to clarify the intent of NEPA. By Trevor Hunnicutt FREEPORT, Maine (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday Vietnam's leader wants to meet him for talks at the September G20 summit in New Delhi to discuss elevating U.S.-Vietnam relations. "I got a call from the head of Vietnam, desperately wants to meet with me when I go to the G20. He wants to elevate us to a major partner, along with Russia and China," Biden told dozens of donors to his 2024 re-election campaign at an event in Freeport, Maine. At a meeting in April, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed a desire to deepen their ties as Washington seeks to solidify relations with partners in Asia to counter an increasingly assertive China. Blinken had expressed hope then that this could happen "in the weeks and months ahead." Vietnam's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Biden's remarks. Washington has been working to elevate ties with Hanoi to a "strategic" partnership from one that for the past decade has been called "comprehensive," although Vietnam has been cautious given the risk of antagonizing China, a giant neighbor that supplies key inputs for its vital export trade, or Russia, another traditional partner. Officials have not said what this closer relationship might entail, but experts say it could include increased military cooperation and U.S. weapons supplies. Washington and U.S. defense firms have openly said they want to bolster military supplies to Vietnam - so far largely limited to coastguard ships and training aircraft - as the country seeks to diversify away from Russia, which remains its main supplier. Military deals with the U.S. face potential hurdles, however, including the possibility of their being held up by U.S. lawmakers critical of Vietnam's human rights record. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Leslie Adler and Muralikumar Anantharaman) One of Blake Lively's comments on her latest Instagram post left some fans confused. It all started on July 27, when Lively posted a photo of herself wearing a red bikini top with a yellow and white towel covering her waist. In the picture, Lively also wore a pair of red heart-shaped sunglasses. In the comments, people noted how great Lively looked, including a fan, who asked how the "Gossip Girl" alum had been able to keep herself in shape after welcoming four kids with her husband, Ryan Reynolds. "How have you had 4 kids???" they wrote, adding several fire emoji. According to InStyle, Lively first responded by tagging her personal trainer, Don Saladino, in the comments. Likely realizing the implication, she then replied with, "Wait. No. Thats not how. Hes not the father. Hes just the one who helps me fit into (some of) my clothes again after." "Hes an even better person and friend than trainer. And thats saying a lot. ," she wrote. Blake Lively sets the record straight. (Instagram) Lively and Reynolds are proud parents to four kids, James, Inez, Betty and a newborn, whose name has yet to be revealed. While talking about his family to ET Canada, Reynolds said that having four kids is not all that different from having three. You know, two to three was a huge jump three to four less so, he said. I cannot speak for my wife, but its just from what Ive observed. But, we love it," he added. "You know, we would be idiots to do this again if we didnt love it. This article was originally published on TODAY.com CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Political instability in Niger resulting from a military takeover that deposed the president this week threatens the economic support provided by Washington to the African nation, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Saturday. Members of the Niger military announced on Wednesday they had deposed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and on Friday named Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the country's new leader, adding Niger to a growing list of military regimes in West Africas Sahel region. Blinken, who is in Australia as part of a Pacific tour, said the continued security and economic arrangements that Niger has with the U.S. hinged on the release of Bazoum and the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Niger. Our economic and security partnership with Niger which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days, Blinken said. So that assistance, that support, is in clear jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately reversed. Blinken stopped short of calling the military actions in Niger a coup, a designation that could result in the African country losing millions of dollars of military aid and assistance. Speaking in Brisbane, Blinken said he had spoken with President Bazoum on Saturday but did not provide details. He cited the support of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and other regional entities in trying to bring an end to the unrest. The very significant assistance that we have in place thats making a material difference in the lives of the people of Niger is clearly in jeopardy and weve communicated that as clearly as we possibly can to those responsible for disrupting the constitutional order and Nigers democracy," Blinken said. Story continues Blinken said the U.S. Embassy in Niger had accounted for the safety of all staff members and their families, while issuing a security alert advising U.S. citizens in the country to limit unnecessary movements and avoid areas impacted by the coup. The military group that conducted the coup, calling itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, said its members remained committed to engaging with the international and national community. This is as a result of the continuing degradation of the security situation, the bad economic and social governance, air force Col. Major Amadou Abdramane said in the video released by the coup leaders Wednesday. He said aerial and land borders were closed and a curfew was in place until the situation stabilized. Bazoum was elected two years ago in Nigers first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France. Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africas Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism. France has 1,500 soldiers in the country who conduct joint operations with Niger's military, while the U.S. and other European countries have helped train the nations troops. ___ Hannon reported from Bangkok. Chad McArdle Boston Heights Police Chief Chad McArdle has been charged with one count of misdemeanor battery after being accused of attacking a homeless man outside a bar in Key West, Florida. According to Munroe County Jail records, the 40-year-old law enforcement officer was arrested at 2:53 a.m. Friday. He is scheduled for an arraignment Aug. 17. According to a report obtained by Beacon Journal partner News 5 Cleveland, Key West police responded to the area of Southard and Duval streets and met McArdle, who said he had been attacked, pushed and dragged into a vehicle by two men outside a bar on Duval Street. Florida news outlet Local10.com reported the 911 call came in just after 1 a.m. from a taxi driver who said McArdle was banging on his door and telling him that he had been attacked. McArdle reportedly told police one of the assailants stabbed him in the face and chest with a stick. He said he grabbed the stick and stabbed the attacker in the throat, possibly killing him. The two men then dragged him to a nearby alley, McArdle told police. Police said McArdle was unable to describe what happened next, gave conflicting descriptions of the attackers and changed his story several times. Police said a security camera from the bar showed no evidence of the events McArdle described. However, police said they found a homeless man in a nearby alley who said McArdle had kicked him in the back and kicked him again several times after he fell onto the ground. Paramedics treated the man at the scene. Boston Heights police said they have no comment on the chiefs arrest. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Boston Heights Police Chief Chad McArdle charged with battery in Key West Brazilian officials announced Thursday that the U.S. cannot extradite an alleged Russian spy because Russia has already begun its own extradition process for the man. The Justice Department (DOJ) charged Sergey Cherkasov in March for using a false Brazilian identity to attempt to infiltrate the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands. He was charged with wire fraud and espionage. Cherkasov used the identity Victor Muller Ferreira to attend Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, graduating in 2020, and attempted to get a job at the ICC in 2022. When Dutch authorities turned him away, he was arrested upon returning to Brazil. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Brazil for his crimes. Russia attempted to extradite Cherkasov earlier this year on drug trafficking charges. That request is being reviewed as Brazil conducts its own espionage investigation. The U.S. would only be able to extradite Cherkasov if the Russian attempt is ultimately denied due to the espionage investigation. Brazilian Justice Minister Flavio Dino said Thursday that Cherkasov will remain in Brazil pending the extradition requests. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A recreation of the experiment shows how Louis Slotin used a screwdriver to hold open metallic half-spheres around the "demon core." Los Alamos National Laboratory The Manhattan Project that built the atomic bomb wasn't without its own dangers. Experiments on a so-called "demon core" of plutonium caused the deaths of two Manhattan Project physicists. Both scientists died after their hands slipped, causing the core to release deadly levels of radiation. The atomic bombs had been dropped. But at the Los Alamos lab in New Mexico, scientists working on the Manhattan Project, the top-secret program led by J. Robert Oppenheimer that created the first nuclear weapons, were still experimenting with radioactive elements. As the war ended, a pair of incidents would underscore the dangers of the atomic age. Two physicists would both die in nearly identical ways after toying with a hunk of plutonium later dubbed an ominous nickname: the "demon core." The scientists Harry Daghlian and Louis Slotin were among those experimenting on the spherical 14-pound mass of plutonium, which wouldn't start a dangerous nuclear chain reaction on its own. The physicists were trying to push the core as close as possible to the edge before it went "critical," a weaker version of the same kind of reaction that occurred in the atomic bombs. In both cases, all it took was a simple slip of their hand for things to go horribly wrong. A dropped brick cost Daghlian his life On August 21, 1945 less than two weeks after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 24-year-old physicist Harry Daghlian was conducting a criticality experiment on the demon core at the Los Alamos, New Mexico testing site, according to The Atomic Heritage Foundation. Daghlian who had graduated from MIT at just 17 years old was using tungsten carbide bricks to build a barrier around the plutonium demon core, according to the AHF. The bricks would reflect neutrons shooting away from the radioactive plutonium back into the core. Daghlian was working to make a "neutron reflector," according to the AHF, which would push the core closer to going critical and reduce the mass needed to start a chain reaction. Story continues The recreation of the experiment involving the plutonium "demon core" that killed Harry Daghlian. Los Alamos National Laboratory The physicist had built four layers of bricks and was about to place a brick over the center when his monitoring device warned that laying the piece would trigger the core, according to The Atomic Heritage Foundation. So, Daghlian started to pull away, but he accidentally dropped the brick directly on top of the core, the foundation explained on its website. The brick falling into place caused a flash of light, a wave of heat, and a blast of extreme radiation, according to United Energy Workers Healthcare. Daghlian was able to knock the brick off the house, but his fate was already sealed. In seconds, the "demon core" of plutonium had bathed him in a lethal dose of radiation. He died slowly of radiation poisoning 25 days later, according to the AHF. 'Tickling the sleeping dragon's tail' But scientists continued experiments on the core and within a year, another researcher would be dead. 35-year-old Canadian physicist Louis Slotin was known as a bit of a cowboy on the research project who would make risky moves, according to Canada's History. In May 1946, Slotin was conducting more criticality experiments, this time trying to get even closer to the edge. Louis Slotin. Los Alamos National Laboratory Instead of laying bricks around the core as Daghlian had done, Slotin had the plutonium surrounded by two beryllium-coated metal half-spheres, according to the AHF. He was trying to lower the top sphere onto the bottom sphere, leaving as little space as possible between the two so that the plutonium core inside would get as close to critical as possible, the AHF explains on its website. If the spheres fully closed around the core it would start a chain reaction that would again release deadly levels of radiation. Slotin would wedge a screwdriver between the two spheres to create just enough space to keep them from closing around the plutonium core completely, according to the BBC. The process became known as "tickling the sleeping dragon's tail," according to a national security report from Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory. It was a dangerous experiment, one Slotin had conducted many times before, the BBC reported. But colleagues warned it could be deadly. Enrico Fermi reportedly told Slotin and other researchers that they would be "dead within a year" if they kept the experiments up, according to the report by Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory. A mockup of the experiment Slotin did using two spheres he placed around the "demon core." Los Alamos National Laboratory On May 21, 1946, Slotin was working one of his final days on the project, training a new scientist, Alvin Graves, to be his replacement, according to the BBC. He again attempted to experiment on the demon core, sliding the screwdriver between the metal halves. But, as Graves and six other colleagues looked on, Slotin's hands slipped and the metal spheres snapped shut around the core, sending it to its critical point. Another blue flash of light appeared along with a blast of heat, according to the AHF. Slotin was able to quickly remove the top sphere, but once again it was too late, the BBC reported. The others in the room survived, but Slotin was not so lucky. "Well, that does it," he said at the time. Over the next 9 days, according to the BBC, he died a slow, painful death from radiation poisoning, which causes a complete breakdown of bodily functions including diarrhea, vomiting, blistering, dizziness, and ultimately, organ failure. The two deadly incidents earned the plutonium core the nickname "the demon core." Now still radioactive enough to be hot, the core was allowed to cool. It had been scheduled to be used in a nuclear test, but the test was canceled, according to the New Yorker. That summer, the core was melted down and recycled into new cores for testing. Los Alamos never allowed its scientists to go hands-on with critical testing again. Read the original article on Business Insider RCDG selected as part of Microsofts national TechSpark program Richland Community Development Group (RCDG) will be working with Microsoft TechSpark to foster inclusive economic opportunity, job creation and innovation in Richland County. Technology is reshaping how people work, yet many do not have the digital skills needed to succeed in the changing workforce. Richland Community Development Group and the Mansfield-Richland Area Educational Foundation (Chamber Foundation) will develop and deliver solutions to close the digital skills gap for young people and adults. This effort will be supported by a Microsoft grant to fund a TechSpark community engagement fellow, who will spearhead local efforts, working with local partners to provide inclusive digital skilling. This fellowship represents the first time TechSpark has worked in Ohio. Chamber Foundation Director Angie Cirone will serve as the TechSpark Community Engagement Fellow. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced the expansion of its TechSpark program to tackle digital inclusion in four focus areas: digital access, digital skills, computer science education, and digital transformation with local based organizations. Since its inception in 2017, TechSpark has helped its eight communities secure more than $125 million in community funding, skill 55,000 people, and create 3,300 jobs. NC Ohio Industrial Museum plans exhibit honoring Women in Industry The North Central Ohio Industrial Museum is embarking on the creation of a Women in Industry exhibit to honor local women who have been pioneers in manufacturing success for the region. Local manufacturers are being asked to provide black and white or color images that depict the importance of women in industry, along with names, dates, title, and captions (limit 75 words) in order to highlight the variety of their roles, jobs performed and community service over the last 125 years. The museum is also seeking help in raising $9,700 to help design and build the exhibit. With each nominee there will be a $200 fee unless a benefactor steps forward. Museum officials hope to complete this project in time for the Champions of Industry dinner on Aug. 31. Story continues Email your Women in Industry nominee information and photos to Jerry Miller at Contact@ncoim.org or to NCOIM, 100 Reformatory Road, Mansfield, OH 44905 by Aug. 15. For more information, contact Miller at 419-521-8107. Gorman-Rupp wins federal contract WASHINGTON, D.C. Gorman-Rupp Company of Mansfield has won a federal contract award for $592,669 from the Defense Logistics Agency, Warren, Michigan, for pump unit hydraulic. TCC and Wireless Zone to donate backpacks with school supplies on Sunday FISHERS, Indiana Round Room LLC, the nations largest Verizon authorized retailer, announces its TCC and Wireless Zone retailers will be donating 120,000 backpacks with school supplies through the 11th annual School Rocks Backpack Giveaway. Since 2013, the School Rocks Backpack Giveaway has provided more than 1.3 million backpacks to children across the U.S. ahead of the upcoming academic year. Verizon retailer Wireless Zone stores across the nation including Mansfield will be handing out backpacks full of school supplies starting at 1 p.m. Sunday. At 1 p.m. Sunday while supplies last, more than 1,000 TCC and Wireless Zone stores nationwide are inviting local families to their locations to pick up a backpack filled with pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders, a ruler and glue. One backpack per child present will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis at each participating TCC and Wireless Zone store. Any leftover backpacks at School Rocks Backpack Giveaway events will be donated to local schools of each stores choice. Three Wireless Zone locations in Mansfield, at 625 Lexington Ave., 1048 Ashland Road, and 1206 Park Avenue West, are among the Ohio stores participating in the giveaway. This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: RCDG TechSpark, Industrial Museum exhibit, Gorman-Rupp contract & more A 33-year-old Southern California man accused of recording a 12-year-old girl inside a public restroom last Sunday was held down by the girls parents until police arrived after the girl told them what happened, officials said Friday. Jacob Anthony Arriola, 33, allegedly followed the girl into the womens restroom at a park in Fullerton, California, the Orange County District Attorneys Office said in a release. When the girl saw him she ran out and told her parents who confronted Arriola and then held him until officers arrived. Arriola has pleaded not guilty to one felony count of possession of child pornography and one misdemeanor count each of using a concealed recording device to record someone without their consent, using a minor in the sale or distribution of obscene matter or production of pornography and placing a concealed camera to secretly videotape someone in partial dress and peeping. TEXAS MAN WITH ONE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVE CHILD PORNOGRAPHY COLLECTIONS SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS IN PRISON Jacob Anthony Arriola is accused of filming a 12-year-old girl in the bathroom. CALIFORNIA MAN RECORDED HIMSELF STABBING WOMAN TO DEATH, SHARED VIDEO ON FACEBOOK: POLICE READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "Pedophiles will stop at nothing to satiate their own indulgences even brazenly recording a young girl at public restroom during the day, only a short distance away from parents," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. "Thankfully, the girl immediately reported what had happened and adults intervened. Protecting our children is paramount to me and to our community and we will do everything we can to hold those accountable who seek to exploit and manipulate kids." Arriola remains in custody in lieu of $20,000 bail and the district attorneys office says it believes he may have victimized others. A wireless camera was found hidden inside the restroom after Arriolas arrest and child pornography was allegedly found on his devices. For 22 years, former St. Paul police Sgt. Dan Bostrom represented much of the East Side as one of the more conservative voices on the St. Paul City Council. Not long after Bostrom left office at age 78, Nelsie Yang a union steward with the progressive advocacy organization TakeAction Minnesota was elected in his place. Then 24, Yang made history as both the youngest member ever seated on the city council and its first Hmong-American woman. When the face of the East Sides representation changed, so did its politics. The traditionally working-class Ward 6 elected a council member who has taken an uncompromising pro-tenant stance on rent control, advocates for free public transit and says she wants to abolish the institution that gave her predecessor his career. Yangs election in 2019 was a harbinger of what was to come for the East Side. Recent elections there for seats in the Legislature and on the Ramsey County Board and city council have gone to younger, more ethnically diverse and arguably more liberal candidates than the politicians who came before. That trend figures to continue this year as the council seat in Ward 7, which covers most of the rest of the citys East Side, turns over. Jane Prince is not seeking re-election, and the politically dominant St. Paul DFL in April endorsed Cheniqua Johnson in a four-way race that had no white entrants. Likewise, with four of the citys seven council members not seeking re-election, the DFL has endorsed 10 candidates for city council and school board, and seven identify as women of color. At least four have strong immigrant ties. Im just surprised its taken this long, former state Rep. Tim Mahoney, a union pipefitter who represented the East Side from 1999 to 2021, said of the new faces in local politics. Its not even the immigrants its their children. East Side politics Yang, who along with Rebecca Noecker and Mitra Jalali is a DFL-endorsed incumbent, has proven a reliable progressive vote in her first term. Story continues On rent control, she has called for rolling back city council amendments that exempted new construction, reverting the policy to a strong rent control that imposes a 3 percent cap on annual increases, no exceptions. Shes advocated for expanding city services through municipal sidewalk shoveling, alley plowing and child care subsidies that would require raising property taxes each year for 10 years. And she wants to immediately halt encampment closures and supports fare-free public transit. As for policing, Yang said the city should award no new money for cops, according to her written responses to a survey sponsored by the Democratic-Socialist organization Twin Cities DSA. I am an aspiring abolitionist. This means I believe in the abolition of policing and other carceral, punitive institutions in favor of diversion programs. As an elected Hmong-American on the citys East Side, a corner long represented by a mix of political progressives, moderates and others with ties to working class, organized labor, Yang has plenty of company. St. Paul school board Chairman Jim Vue, state Reps. Liz Lee and Jay Xiong, and Ramsey County Commissioner Mai Chong Xiong all have taken office in recent years, and state Sen. Foung Hawj has represented the East Side since 2013. Johnson, the DFL-endorsed newcomer, said her family was one of the few Black families around when she was growing up in rural Worthington, Minn. That experience should make it somewhat easier to make inroads in a ward that lacks a sense of ethnic cohesion. You can go from house to house and not have the same ethnicity living right next to each other, Johnson said. Our city council seat has never flipped for a person of color. And no matter who wins, we now have an opportunity to do that. Racial, ethnic diversity To some degree, political change on the East Side reflects both the emerging racial and ethnic diversity of the city as a whole, as well as the political leanings of an urban Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party increasingly sensitive to concerns about the historical under-representation of key identity groups, such as women, people of color, LGBTQ people and immigrants. Yet, most of the newer political candidates are quick to note theres plenty of ideological diversity between them. Only two candidates to date, for instance, have been endorsed by the Twin Cities DSA Yang and Hwa Jeong Kim, another DFL-endorsed city council candidate in Ward 5, which stretches from Como Park through the North End. And the East Side differs from much of the city in that it has a more sizable concentration of Hmong residents, some of whom are a generation removed from the more traditional, conservative leanings of their Hmong elders. Related Articles The area also hosts growing pockets of East African and West African families, new Afghan refugees and the Karen, an ethnic refugee group from Burma. U.S. Census maps show 22 percent to 28 percent of residents living within ZIP codes 55106 and 55119 are foreign-born, though the codes stretch into Maplewood. The East Side has always been a stepping stone for many immigrant groups. You had the Swedes, you had the Italians, you had the Irish, said Kassim Busuri, executive director of the Minnesota Dawah Institute, a Muslim faith center, who was appointed to temporarily hold the Ward 6 city council seat after Bostrom resigned. The Hmong are the most, but the Somali and Black population is growing. For most groups, it takes one or two generations, said Busuri, who was the first Somali-American to serve on the city council. Usually, the first generation are still trying to get their feet anchored and establish a community. Usually, the kids of those immigrants are the ones running for these positions. Low voter turnout in a youthful East Side Perhaps more than anything, the East Side skews young. Johnson, a new homeowner, said being in her late 20s is both an advantage in terms of relating to the concerns of the political wards many young families, and a challenge in terms of convincing skeptics of the promise of youth. Young people continue to be the heart of politics. On the East Side, half of the population is under 34, Johnson noted. Thats 54 percent in St. Paul and 58 percent on the East Side. Nelsie and I, were the same age. But it takes other folks to see folks of this age in this position. Given that much of the East Side is under voting age, Prince noted that a youthful population thins the target audience for candidates compared to higher-voter-turnout areas like Highland Park or Hamline-Midway. That could be to a new candidates political advantage. Due to low voter turnout, campaigns can focus more time and resources on fewer voters, Prince said. It takes less money and fewer volunteers to (reach) municipal voters, making these campaigns more accessible to newcomers, including me when I was a newcomer. While racial or ethnic ties are important, some candidates say theyre more likely to talk to voters about nuts-and-bolts issues like how to fund upkeep of the citys aging infrastructure potholes and parks maintenance while navigating thorny concerns about rising property taxes hitting moderate-income homeowners. The East Side and North End have been among the last areas in the city for home values to bounce back from the subprime mortgage crisis of a decade past, and tax burdens are catching up. We had a 14% property tax levy increase, but then home values also went up, said Pa Der Vang, a candidate for the Ward 7 seat. People will typically vote for somebody who looks like them, who can relate to them, but across the board, regardless of race, ethnicity or gender, everybody is concerned about the same thing potholes, property taxes, added Vang, an assistant professor of social work at St. Catherine University. No political primary Candidate filings for city council open Tuesday and close Aug. 15. There will be no political primary to thin the field before the ranked-choice election on Nov. 7, meaning each ward race could draw any number of candidates, some of whom have yet to declare. We need a city council member who has a cultural lens, Vang said, about how do we get the information out there heres a person who looks like us and is inviting us to this community meeting. Ive gone to community forums and theres not a lot of people of color. Mahoney, the former state lawmaker, said he sees history repeating itself when it comes to immigrant-driven political movements, though his political platform always centered around schools, transportation and employment. Related Articles That doesnt seem to be the platform that people run on any longer, he said. In major cities, theyre running on more humanistic terms, for the more humane treatment of people. Theyre running, I consider, on anger for those who were treated poorly in the past, and redlined, and given the crappiest city or county jobs. We as a society did not treat lower-income and immigrant populations fairly. The Irish were treated like crap, the Catholics were treated like crap, and they rose up, became officials, he said. In St. Paul, they became the police force, and in New York City, they became the police force. And many of them moved to the suburbs. And thats what these modern ethnic groups are doing. Related Articles A shooting in Charlotte Friday night ended in multiple arrests after a driver at the scene led officers on a high-speed chase and soon crashed, police said. The person who was shot was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said in a news release on Twitter. Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Injury Investigation in the North Tryon Division https://t.co/tgOO1chymB CMPD News (@CMPD) July 29, 2023 Officers had just arrived at the shooting scene on Prospect Drive in north Charlotte when the driver bolted at a high rate of speed, police said. Charlotte firefighters tended to the person who was shot, according to CMPD. Officers tried to stop the car, but the driver kept going, police said. A pursuit ensued as this was considered a crime dangerous to life, according to the news release. The driver crashed at Cinderella Lane and Sugar Creek Road, and no one was hurt during the pursuit, police said. Multiple people were taken into custody, but police didnt release their names Saturday or say if theyve been charged. Police also havent named the person who was shot or what they believe prompted the shooting. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. The Talisman Sabre exercise features 30,000 military personnel from Australia, the United States and several other nations (ANDREW LEESON) Australian police said Saturday that debris had been found from an Australian military helicopter that crashed into the Pacific Ocean, but there was still no sign of four missing crew members after a night and day's search. Militaries from at least three nations have joined police in looking for the crew of an MRH-90 Taipan that went down late Friday night in subtropical waters off the northeast coast of Australia. The chopper had been taking part in the large-scale Talisman Sabre exercise, which brings together 30,000 military personnel from Australia, the United States and several other nations. It ditched into the water near the Whitsunday Islands while taking part in a nighttime operation. "We have located a number of items of debris that would appear to be from the missing helicopter," said Queensland Police Superintendent Douglas McDonald. He insisted hope had not yet faded for finding the crew alive, saying "at this time it remains a search and rescue operation". But with the search entering a second night, fears are growing for the fate of the four missing Australian personnel. McDonald said that on Sunday helicopters, planes and boats from the Australian, Canadian and US militaries would be joined by underwater divers. The incident has shocked top Australian officials, who had been hosting US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in nearby Brisbane on Friday and Saturday. The incident was, according to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, a "stark reminder of the risk that the men and women who serve us take, and the courage that they show every day in the service of their country." While both Australian and US officials expressed concern about the incident, they insisted drills were needed to ensure both militaries were "match fit". After a brief pause in the Talisman Sabre operations on Saturday, some drills resumed away from the crash site. Story continues "It's always tough when you have accidents," Austin said. "But the reason you train to such a high standard is ultimately so you can protect lives." - Flying hours - Even before the incident, Canberra had announced it would replace its fleet of ageing Taipan helicopters with US-made Black Hawks. Australian officials have complained about having to repeatedly ground the European-made Taipans, citing difficulties with maintenance and getting spare parts. "We just haven't got the flying hours out of the Taipan that we need. We are confident we can get that from the Black Hawks," Defence Minister Richard Marles said in January. In March, an MRH-90 Taipan flying south of Sydney suffered engine failure during a nighttime training exercise, forcing the crew to ditch into the ocean. They survived with only minor injuries, but the entire Taipan fleet was grounded for one month. arb/smw A traffic stop led to a big bust that saw two people arrested this week in Fresno County, the California Highway Patrol reported. The CHP said a sergeant stopped a 2023 Jeep Cherokee on suspicion of a traffic violation at 8 p.m. Thursday on northbound Interstate 5 at Russell Avenue. During the stop, the sergeant believed the two suspects were engaging in criminal activity. CHP K-9 Shei was deployed to the exterior of the Cherokee, officers said, leading to the seizure of 6.5 pounds of fentanyl after a positive strong odor of narcotics. The drugs were found inside a backpack and are worth at least $286,000, CHP said. A 3-year-old child was also inside the vehicle. Diana Isela Leyva-Pacheco, 22, and Daniel Rosas-Gomez, 23, both of Seattle, were arrested and booked into the Fresno County jail on suspicion of drug-related charges, the CHP said. Charges include possession of fentanyl for sale, transportation of fentanyl across noncontiguous counties and felony child endangerment. The child was taken into protective custody and turned over to CPS. The CHP said the fentanyl recovered has the potential to kill 1.5 million people. The Fresno High Impact Investigation Team assisted with the case. The podcast setup at first appears familiar: a pair of white dudes, micd up at a table, wrestling out loud with big ideas. But the conversation between the two men veers, without guardrails, into a dystopian vision of a Christian nationalist America, in which the laws of the Old Testament have been substituted for the constitution and the community is responsible for executions, including for people who cheat on their spouses. Those executions, the men propose, should be done by stoning, the public act of hurling rocks at a condemned person until they are bludgeoned to death. Stoning is appropriately barbaric, argues Luke Saint, the author of the Sound Doctrine of Theocracy and a recent guest on the podcast of the Lancaster Patriot, a far-right publication based in Lancaster Pennsylvania, an hour-and-a-half drive west of Philadelphia. That means theres no closed doors. Theres nothing in the back room, where youre just executed quickly and quietly out of the sight of the public, he adds. With stoning, Saint advocates, Everyone knows who the accuser is. And everybody knows who the victim is. Everyone knows who the perpetrator is. Everythings out in the open. Nobody wants to do it, Saint says. And thats the way its supposed to be. Foes of Christian nationalism are frequently derided as hysterical when they compare the movement to the Taliban, or the fictional Gilead of The Handmaids Tale. But as this podcast illuminates, there are factions of Christian nationalists who dont just want to take America back to its supposed Christian origins. They seek to jettison our constitutional system of checks and balances in favor of a government based on biblical law, including reviving punishments that clash violently with modern notions of human rights. Saint is an extremist, but hes not a nobody, and hes not alone. His interviewer is the Patriots managing editor, Chris Hume, who has editorialized that Americas path forward must be blazed by setting a clear course towards a Christian society, based on the Bible and biblical law. (Hume also believes that the GOPs current crop of far-right candidates are far too squishy: Until politicians like [Doug] Mastriano and [Ron] DeSantis begin operating on a platform of biblical law, they will only propagate the problems.) Story continues Saints book purports to answer the question: If Christians were to be presented with an opportunity to create a new government, what would we create? He is also the chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Reformation Society (MARS), which touts that the Bible provides all necessary directions and instructions for a just, happy, and productive society. Hume sets up the conversation with Saint about stoning, hyping a great part of your book that may be controversial, perhaps for listeners. Biblically, Hume says, you have a system where the citizenry is responsible for seeing that justice is done, right? He adds: Society itself has to be the one to purge the evil. For Saint, a key part of this revived biblical justice, is recognizing what trespasses truly merit this death penalty. First off, he says, we need to realize that whatever sin requires stoning is more barbaric than the act of stoning itself. Christians have lost that idea, he argues. Were like, Oh, stoning is worse than adultery. No, no, no! Adultery is worse than stoning. The two men agree that stoning is not an anarchy or mob violence because civil magistrates would be involved in the process. And then the trial participants would have to carry out the judgment. Those same people have to throw the stone. It makes it difficult, Saint says, calling stoning a high maintenance event. In fact, the true reason stoning will be hard to revive, Saint suggests conspiratorially, is because it makes innocent blood a difficult thing to access. He adds of our nations leaders: They want to kill people, and they dont want to have to bear the consequences of it. Saint did not respond to an interview request. Hume answered questions from Rolling Stone via email. Asked to explain his biblical worldview, Hume insisted: The Bible not only offers a better path to a just society than our current American system does, but it offers the only path to a just society. When pressed on the horrific nature of stoning, he conceded: I also find the notion of taking up stones in the form of capital punishment against duly convicted criminals to be a shock to my modern sensibilities. But he insisted, it is not unjust, and added: The requirement that those bringing the charge must be first to put the convicted criminal to death serves as a safeguard against baseless accusations. As for making the non-crime of adultery a crime punishable by death, he wrote: there are other things that the Bible classifies as crimes that a loving society would recognize if transformed by the gospel, for the good of neighbor and the glory of God. Adultery, he insisted, is one of those crimes, and many early American communities recognized that. The podcast aired several weeks ago, but has not been previously reported. This week the Lancaster Patriot has a new story promoting Saint and an upcoming Future of Christendom Conference sponsored by MARS. That conference will feature a public debate: Is Gay Christian a Biblically Acceptable Identity for a Member of Christs Church? More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. According to an announcement made by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg, Christopher Leo Daragjati has admitted to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of theft of government property, over $1,000. The guilty plea was made in federal court on March 28, 2023. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< According to court documents, Daragjati was involved in a complex scheme of identity theft and fraud. He managed to obtain person identifiable information (PII) of multiple victims, including their Social Security numbers. The investigation into Daragjatis activities began in July 2022, when the Clay County Sheriffs Office discovered an unknown individual using stolen identities to commit fraud. Using the stolen information, Daragjati opened commercial lines of credit with Sunbelt Rentals, an equipment rental company, under the names of the victims. After accumulating thousands of dollars worth of equipment, he either pawned or stole the items, leading to the issuance of a felony arrest warrant for an innocent victim. Further investigations revealed that Daragjati had fraudulently obtained 26 genuine Florida drivers licenses and identification cards, indicating the extensive nature of his illicit activities. He also took advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by applying for three loans using stolen identities, receiving approximately $150,000 in loan proceeds from unsuspecting lenders. The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation discovered that Daragjati had filed eight fraudulent federal tax returns under the names of six victims. One of these returns was approved, and Daragjati received a refund of over $3,000 in the victims identity. As a consequence of his guilty plea, Daragjati faces severe penalties. Each wire fraud count carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, while the two counts of aggravated identity theft each come with a mandatory minimum penalty of 2 years imprisonment. Additionally, he could face up to 10 years in prison for the charge of theft of government property, over $1,000. Furthermore, he will be required to make restitution to the victims he defrauded. Story continues [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The court ordered Daragjatis detention, and his sentencing is scheduled for October 26, 2023. The investigation into Daragjatis crimes was a collaborative effort involving Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the Clay County Sheriffs Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Highway Patrol Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office, and the United States Secret Service Jacksonville Field Office. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein is leading the cases prosecution, while Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran is handling the asset forfeiture related to Daragjatis ill-gotten gains. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Vineyards in Wales have been flourishing in recent years A century-and-a-half after the Marquess of Bute planted the UK's first vineyard, drinkers are raising a glass to Welsh wine once again. The 3rd Marquess of Bute's Castell Coch venture on the outskirts of Cardiff had mixed success, finally becoming unviable with World War One's outbreak. Averaging about 3,000 bottles a year, it is unlikely the project broke even. But now there are about 40 vineyards, many of them with awards, and climate change is one reason for their success. Economics and a better understanding of habitat have also played their part. Award-winning grower Woody Lennard, of Montgomery Vineyard in Powys farms five acres. He said: "We have several natural advantages. We're 900ft (274m) above sea level, on a south-facing 32 degree slope, and with all of the nutrients of a glacial valley. "So that said there's no reason why people couldn't have been growing wine here hundreds of years before us." Mr Lennard sources hardier vines from France and Germany, pruning them every winter. "What we've done differently is think more closely about the varieties we're growing, and how we look after them," he said. Robb Merchant, of White Castle Vineyard, in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, has been using varieties never before seen in Wales, in particular red wines. The UK's first vineyard was at Castell Coch on the outskirts of Cardiff After 14 years, he's just picked up the gold medal from the Wine GB awards for his pinot noir precoce. Mr Merchant has no doubt climate change is having an effect. "The ideal latitude for red wines is 50 degrees north and 50 degrees south of the equator. "That band is growing 15km (9.3 miles) both north and south every year, so if you look at that we're right in it now, the range is at 52 degrees each way. "You only have to look at our 2018 vintage, where a record wet winter with the Beast From the East was followed by a record warm summer. Story continues "Our yield jumped from eight tonnes to 16.5 tonnes." Mr Merchant and Mr Lennard say their grapes are now juicier and more sugary. But at 20-30 a bottle Welsh wine remains pricey. Robb Merchant has no doubt climate change is affecting the wines of Wales Christie Hayes, acting sommelier at the Michelin-starred Beach House in Gower, said: "Wales can never compete with supermarket wine on price, there simply isn't the yield for us to fight over. "But we can - and we are - fighting on the quality front. "It might take me a little while to suggest Welsh wine to a customer at the table, but I promise you, once they've had one they usually have a second." Ms Hayes agreed climate change was part of the reason for the success of Welsh wine. She said: "We're in a sweet spot at the moment, Wales is becoming the place to grow wine, but if the climate carries on as it is, then in 40, 50 years time that sweet spot will have moved away from us to Scandinavia." "Most Michelin chefs want products from as close to their restaurants as possible, but we can also trade on the ethics. "Welsh wine has fewer food miles, lower carbon footprint, and is all-round better for our world." Mr Petro was urged by his father to "reflect about his own errors" The son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been arrested for money laundering and illicit enrichment by the country's attorney general. Nicolas Petro, a politician in Atlantico province, was detained over allegations he was paid by drug traffickers to fund his father's peace efforts and election campaign. He has denied the claims and welcomed the inquiry when it was launched. The younger Mr Petro's ex-wife has also been arrested as part of the probe. President Petro, the country's first left-wing leader, has denied taking money from Colombia's drug traffickers and ordered prosecutors to investigate his son in March. Writing on social media on Saturday, he said it was painful for one of his children to be sent to prison, but also that he would not interfere with the investigation. "To my son I wish luck and strength. May these occurrences forge his character and may he reflect about his own errors," Petro said. The attorney general's office said the allegations against Nicolas related to illegal contributions diverted from his father's election campaign last year. Nicolas and his former wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, are being transferred from the Caribbean coast to Colombia's capital Bogota. Ms Vasquez has previously alleged in local media that her former husband was given large amounts of money by drug cartels last year, during the political campaign that led to Gustavo Petro's victory in the presidential election. Around 450,000 people are believed to have been killed as a result of 60 years of internal conflict in Colombia. President Petro vowed to secure peace or surrender in deals with both Colombia's notorious armed rebel groups and drug cartels as part of his campaign - efforts which have seen intermittent success over his first year in office. A negotiated ceasefire is set to begin with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group in August, but talks with major crime gang the Clan del Golfo have failed because of ongoing violence. Gustavo Petro is seen with his son Nicolas on May 29, 2022 while campaigning for the presidency (YURI CORTEZ) Colombian President Gustavo Petro's son Nicolas was arrested Saturday on charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment in a scandal linked to Petro's election campaign, officials said. Colombia's first leftist president wrote on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X, that police arrested his son and the son's ex-wife Daysuris Vasquez. Security agents arrested Nicolas Petro, 37, and Vasquez in the coastal city of Barranquilla and brought them to the capital Bogota, where prosecutors said they were secured under heavy guard at a bunker awaiting a court hearing. In March, in an interview with the magazine Semana, Vasquez alleged that Nicolas Petro received large amounts of money from drug traffickers and smugglers in 2022 for his father's ultimately successful presidential campaign. But instead, the younger Petro used it to live in luxury in Barranquilla, Vasquez alleged. Petro wrote: "I wish my son luck and strength. May these events build his character and may he reflect on his mistakes." "As a person and father it hurts to see so much self-destruction," he added, and vowed to stay out of the legal proceedings involving his son. Prosecutors confirmed the arrest of Nicolas Petro on charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment. Vasquez was also charged with money laundering. Since the scandal broke, President Petro has denied receiving money from the country's powerful cocaine lords. He himself asked that his son be investigated. Nicolas Petro was born in the 1980s while his father was in the Marxist M-19 urban guerilla insurgency, one of several armed groups fighting the lock on power by traditional political parties. The father recently said he was absent from his son's life due to the civil war, unlike with his five younger children raised after a peace accord with the M-19 movement was signed in 1990. Nicolas Petro was a lawmaker for his father's party in the northern Atlantic department. News outlets published bank records of his showing he had far more assets than his salary from congress justified. Story continues In that department and elsewhere along Colombia's Caribbean coast, the younger Petro became a key player in his father's drive to become president. People in the country's Caribbean region have historically been wary of leftist politicians, but in 2022 they supported Petro as the country elected him as its first leftist president after decades of rule by conservatives. Vasquez said in the March interview with Semana that her former husband received the equivalent of $124,000 from a former drug trafficker named Samuel Santander Lopesierra. She said President Petro was not aware of the money Nicolas Petro got from the convicted trafficker. Santander Lopesierra served 18 years in prison in the United States for drug trafficking. In another scandal, involving illegal wiretaps, former Colombian ambassador to Venezuela Armando Benedetti threatened to reveal what he said were irregularities in the Petro campaign in the Caribbean region. In leaked conversations with the president's ex-chief of staff, Benedetti suggested Nicolas Petro was involved in these irregularities. das/ll/dw/bbk/tjj/acb An overnight shooting in the City of Chester, South Carolina, has concerned officials. In a news release received overnight, Chief of Police Curtis Singleton said the shooting occurred at the 100th block of Lowery Street. At the time of the release, there was one identified victim with injuries. There are no reported fatalities. It is with sadness that Chief Curtis Singleton shares the news of another shooting tonight in the City of Chester, SC, the release read. It is concerning that our community is plagued with more criminal activity. Officials say there is no active threat to the community. (WATCH: Chester Police, SLED investigating deadly shooting on Saluda Street) Seattle-based light fixture company LightArt has released a new collection of fixtures made entirely from plastic waste and created using 3D printers. Every year, nearly 14 million tons of plastic wind up in the ocean. In fact, 80% of ocean debris is plastic. That plastic poses risks to marine animals who might ingest or become tangled up in it. Plus, plastic emits polluting gases while it decomposes. The ocean is traditionally good at capturing and storing carbon, one of the toxic gases most responsible for Earths rising temperatures. However, some experts say that plastic in the ocean reduces the waters ability to do this. Through its new collection, the Ocean Coil Collection, LightArt is playing a part in finding a solution to all of that plastic waste in the water. It partnered with Oceanworks, a company dedicated to collecting plastic waste and turning it into recycled products. For this particular project, the plastic comes from mismanaged waste collected within 31 miles of the Honduras coastline. LightArt is then using proprietary technology to turn that plastic into pellets that are fed into 3D printers to create beautiful light fixtures with hues of blue and green. The Ocean Coil Collection, released in April 2023, adds onto a preexisting project called the Coil Collection, originally released in 2020 after roughly two years of development. The Coil Collection relied on recycled waste the company produced internally; using ocean plastic is a new method specific to the Ocean Coil Collection. Whats also new for this collection is a beautiful color that LightArt created by combining two types of plastic. Its called Marina and resembles sea glass. The ocean collection was inspired by sea foam and sea grass, and the pieces look like hand-spun pottery creations. Both collections recently received Declare Label certification, allowing them to be used in more commercial applications. Utilizing recycled materials in 3D printing technology is new for lighting manufacturing, especially at a mass scale, the company said, per Inhabitat. Our team recognized that material types change how products are made, and introducing a new material like Marina required this level of reengineering. Story continues Plastic production and waste are two leading causes in Earths rising temperatures. The manufacturing of plastic releases toxic gases into the air, and as mentioned before, its decomposition causes the same problem. Experts believe the plastic industry will release 1.34 billion tons of toxic gases annually by 2030. LightArt is fighting the plastic pollution issue on two fronts: It does not require the production of any new plastics to make its product, and its cleaning up some of the plastic waste made by other manufacturers. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet. UN humanitarian operations continue in Niger despite coup Xinhua) 10:56, July 29, 2023 UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations and partners continue their humanitarian assistance in Niger despite Wednesday's coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, UN officials in Niger said on Friday. "The United Nations in Niger ... would like to confirm that humanitarian assistance and (the) development and peace program continue in the country," said Nicole Kouassi, acting UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator in Niger. UN humanitarian assistance flights, however, are suspended due to the closure of the Nigerien air space, she told reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York via a video link from Niamey, the Nigerien capital. Humanitarian and development partners remain committed to supporting the vulnerable population who are affected by a combination of climate, economic and security shocks, she said. Right before the coup, 4.3 million Nigeriens needed humanitarian assistance. Some 3.3 million people were in acute food insecurity, the majority of whom were women and children, she said. Kouassi, who is also the representative of the UN Development Programme in Niger, called for more funds as the UN humanitarian response plan for Niger, which requires 583 million U.S. dollars, is only 32 percent funded. She said the situation in the country remains calm and the UN staff face no security threats, with all UN staff members accounted for and no accidents related to UN staff, vehicles or other resources. According to Kouassi, the UN team in Niger is not in contact with the military as it does not have a political mandate. Even if contact with the Nigerien military is required, no engagement is expected until after a summit of the Economic Community of West African States on Sunday and on the condition that the country team receives instructions from the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel. Jean-Noel Gentile, the representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Niger, also confirmed that the program's humanitarian operations continued with cash and food assistance to Nigeriens. The closure of the Nigerien borders has temporarily affected logistical support to operations in neighboring Chad for Sudanese refugees, and the WFP is working on alternative routes to Chad, he told the same press briefing. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) House Democrats are putting Justice Samuel Alito on blast over his comments that Congress does not have the constitutional authority to regulate the Supreme Court. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal editorial page published an extensive interview with the conservative justice in which he pushed back against a Democratic-led effort to regulate the Supreme Courts ethics rules. No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Courtperiod, Alito told the Journal. If were viewed as illegitimate, then disregard of our decisions becomes more acceptable and more popular. Senate Democrats last week passed a bill in committee that would revamp ethics and transparency standards for the court's justices. But the bill has little chance of proceeding any further in the Senate. The move responds to a series of news stories about luxury travel trips the justices have taken over the years, with many of the reports focused on Alito's actions. Congress has the authority to set the Supreme Courts budget and to infinitely expand the high court. But, according to Justice Alito, Congress cannot require SCOTUS to have a code of ethics like the rest of the federal government, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday. Does that sound remotely logical? Alitos next opinion piece in the WSJ is about to be I am a little king, actually. The Constitution doesnt explicitly say Im not, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) quipped. The renewed criticism seems unlikely to faze Alito, who told the Journal he has stepped out of the traditional expectation that judges are mute in the face of political backlash. I marvel at all the nonsense that has been written about me in the last year, he said. At a certain point Ive said to myself, nobody else is going to do this, so I have to defend myself. As one of the staunchest conservative jurists on the court, Alito has long drawn the ire of those on the left. Most notably, his authorship of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which overturned abortion rights, has made him a particular lightning rod. Story continues Justice Alito has no business policing womens private medical decisions, Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), wrote on X in response to a post of Alito's interview. Several Democrats with legal backgrounds were quick to question Alitos reasoning that Congress had no ability to regulate the Supreme Court. This view is more than controversial; its incorrect, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) posted on X. As a government official, I welcome the American people holding me accountablewhy doesnt Justice Alito? Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is running against Porter in a contentious primary for the states open Senate seat in 2024, chimed in with agreement later on Friday. Lets translate these statements from Justice Alito, real quick: What we do and how we do it, who pays for our trips and our vacations, or a family members tuition, is none of your damn business. So buzz off, Schiff wrote on X. They need an enforceable code of ethics. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., center, is helped by, from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, after the 81-year-old GOP leader froze at the microphones as he arrived for a news conference, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington. | J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, froze during a press conference earlier this week, it prompted questions about his health, and also about who might succeed him to lead Senate Republicans. McConnell was also hospitalized earlier this year after a fall, but he plans to serve his full term, his office indicated. Leader McConnell appreciates the continued support of his colleagues, and plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do, a spokesperson told Politico in a statement Thursday. McConnell is serving his seventh term in the U.S. Senate, which ends in 2027, making him the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. The Kentucky Republican was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984, and hes been the top Republican in the chamber since being elected minority leader in 2007. Unlike his counterparts in leadership the U.S. House, McConnell has enjoyed widespread support from his conference since becoming party leader. Hes only been challenged for leader once, last year, and the senators seen as his most likely successors have said theyll support him in the job as long as he wants it. While House Republicans lengthy fight over speaker proves how contentious leadership elections can be, the transition from one leader to another can also be seamless. The late Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., named Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York as his successor when he announced he was retiring in 2015, and Schumer had the votes allowing Democrats to avoid a public fight. Related Here are some potential Senate Republicans who could find themselves heading the Republican conference next: Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. As minority whip, Thune is the No. 2 Senate Republican and seen as a top contender to be the next Republican leader. He won election to the Senate in 2004, beating then-Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to become the first challenger to beat a Senate party leader in 52 years. Thune told Fox News last year the possibility perhaps of other leadership opportunities down the road played a role in his decision to run for reelection. Story continues Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas Cornyn was the Republican whip from 2013 to 2019, but stepped down because the position is term-limited. He remains interested in the top spot, though. In 2021 Cornyn told the Texas Tribune Festival he would support McConnell as long as he was in leadership, but should he decide to step down and no longer serve as a leader, Ive made it no secret that I would like to succeed him. Related Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. Barrasso was a Wyoming state lawmaker before being appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2007. Hes been the Senate Republican Conference chair since 2019, the No. 3 Senate Republican, and could follow Thune as whip after he steps down due to term limits. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. Scott was chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, or NRSC, until earlier this month, and running the Republican Partys Senate campaign arm gave him a prominent post in the party. He challenged McConnell last year for floor leader for the first time but lost 37-10. Though Scotts long shot bid came up short, it showed theres at least some appetite for new leadership among Senate Republicans. A man and woman who allege they languished in the Clay County Jail for 70 hours without seeing a judge are accusing suspended Sheriff Jeffrey Lyde and Clay County of violating their civil rights, according to allegations in a federal lawsuit filed July 10. Sarah Lynn Johnson and Landon Paul Goad are seeking damages for alleged false arrest and imprisonment, harm to their reputations, lost wages, mental anguish and other issues they say stem from an incident two years ago. Suspended Clay County Sheriff Jeffrey Lyde Our unlawful arrest and detention by Sheriff Lyde was not the end of our ordeal," Johnson said in a statement sent Friday by her lawyer. "As various legal proceedings sort themselves out, this civil rights case seeks to vindicate our rights against the massive abuses against us by the County. In addition, Johnson and Goad are suing John Does one through 10 individual and government agencies whose true identities are unknown to them. The trouble started when the two, who "have always had a feisty relationship," were engaged in a "spirited discussion," and law enforcement responded, according to the lawsuit. Two deputies arrived to check out a disturbance about 2:45 p.m. July 10, 2021 a Saturday afternoon at the couple's home on New London Road in Henrietta. The couple told the deputies they weren't engaging in physical violence against each other, but they were still arrested on misdemeanor domestic-violence charges. Each was put in a segregation cell at the jail for the evening. Come that Sunday, they were not taken before a judge to have their rights read. Come Monday, the same thing happened. The lawsuit notes that in Texas someone arrested for a misdemeanor charge must be brought before a judge within 24 hours. A person arrested for a felony must go before a judge within 48 hours of arrest. Everyone has a right to be treated fairly by the justice system," Baruch Gottesman, New York-based counsel for the couple, said via email Friday. Story continues "The gross mistreatment of the Plaintiffs, the Countys deceptive representations to the Court, and the constitutional violations against our clients shouldnt happen to anyone," Gottesman said. "Federal and Texas law requires fair treatment of all citizens of Clay County. Clay County Sheriff Jeffrey Lyde answered media questions during a press conference on the afternoon of Dec. 7, 2021. His lawyer, Randall Moore, standing, listens to the sheriff's remarks. In reaction to the allegations in the lawsuit, Clay County Judge Mike Campbell said in an email Thursday, "It is unfortunate that we are in this situation." Lyde's personal attorney, Randall D. Moore of Fort Worth, said in a message Friday that since lawyers hired by the county are representing Lyde in the matter, he and his client can't comment other than to say the lawsuit has "numerous inaccurate statements." In any case, Johnson called the jail administrator on an intercom from her cell July 12, 2021, and pointed out 48 hours had gone by, but she had not seen a judge as her constitutional rights require, according to the lawsuit. The jail administrator threatened to put Johnson on suicide watch to intimidate her into silence and into waiving her rights, according to allegations in the lawsuit. Johnson knew she would not be allowed to have a blanket, bedsheet, book or mat, her only possessions in the cell, if she were put on suicide watch. So she complied with the jail administrator's demand that she not assert her constitutional rights, according to the lawsuit. But three deputies went into her cell anyway and took away her belongings. They left the shower curtain. Johnson feigned self-harm so she would be taken to the local emergency room where her mother worked, hoping she would be able to speak with her, but the ploy failed. When Johnson got back to jail from the ER, Lyde told her then Justice of the Peace Justice John Swenson was responsible for her being in custody over 48 hours without seeing a judge, according to allegations in the lawsuit. While in custody, Johnson and Goad heard deputies say they didn't have sufficient information for probable cause, and that Lyde reviewed a draft affidavit and basically told them to lie in affidavits to support probable cause for their arrests, according to allegations in the lawsuit. At 1 p.m. July 13, 2021 a Tuesday Johnson and Goad were brought before Campbell, who set their bonds at $1,500 each, and they immediately bailed out of jail. In mid-August, the couple found out that 46 hours after they were taken into custody, Swenson found no probable cause for their arrests and determined their charges were dismissed, according to the lawsuit. Newly named Clay County Interim Sheriff Kirk Horton is sworn in Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, by Clay County Judge Mike Campbell during an emergency meeting of the Commissioners Court in Henrietta. In addition, Swenson wrote a letter to 97th District Attorney Casey Hall, asking for an investigation into the treatment of the couple and Lyde's disregard for Swenson's orders. Among criminal cases field against Lyde are two charges of official oppression related to a July 12, 2021, incident in which Johnson and Goad were allegedly held in jail without a finding of probable cause. Lyde has maintained his innocence of those charges. The investigation into those cases began in response of Swenson's July 13, 2021, letter. Lyde made it clear that he blamed Swenson for the couple being held without seeing a judge at a Dec. 7, 2021, press conference. Lyde held the press conference after he was indicted on the misdemeanor official oppression charges in connection with Johnson and Goad. Official oppression is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Lyde has also been indicted on two charges of tampering with a government document in connection with affidavits for the charges against Goad and Johnson. How is the county and Lyde's defense paid for? Campbell said the county is paying for Lyde's defense against the lawsuit because he was the sheriff at the time of the allegations. The county is a member of a statewide risk management pool that provides specialized attorneys appointed to represent the county in each case, Campbell said in an email. The county pays a deductible similar to a house or auto policy, and county officials budget for the pool each year in the annual budget, he said. Embroiled in litigation, criminal cases Another federal lawsuit filed by a former IT worker for the county is also pending against Lyde, former sheriff's Sgt. Investigator Kenny Nash and Clay County. Lyde is also fighting a petition to remove him from elected office in civil court. He has been suspended without pay from his duties since Feb. 23, following a hearing. He is expected to seek to sink the suspension order and the removal case during a hearing in August. In addition, Lyde faces three charges of official oppression related to sexual harassment and one charge of official oppression connected to assault, according to indictments filed in December. Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News in Wichita Falls, covers education, courts, breaking news, investigative projects and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia. This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Couple files federal lawsuit against suspended sheriff Lyde, county A woman holds a patients hand at a hospital. shapecharge/Getty Images A couple's wedding was nearly derailed after a chemical spill severely burned the groom. Preston Cobb lost nine toes and had eight fingers after he slipped in molten salt at work. Staff at the hospital where he was treated helped him and his wife Tanesha wed in the burn unit. A couple wed in a Georgia hospital where the groom was rushed to after his body was left "deformed" by a chemical spill. Preston and Tanesha Cobb initially planned on getting married on July 22 after he proposed to her with the help of his stepson in 2022, according to USA Today. However, wedding plans went out the window when Tanesha told the publication she received a call that Preston, a nitride operator, had been severely injured after slipping in hot molten salt at work on June 30. Tanesha Cobb did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. The liquid was a blistering 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, per the outlet. According to a GoFundMe page set up to cover funds for Preston's treatment, it resulted in burns on over 30% of his body, the loss of nine toes, and the amputation of eight fingers. It also says he has already undergone eight surgeries and is set to have more every week for the next month. As of Saturday, the GoFundMe set up to help the couple and their family through their challenge has raised over $8,800 toward its target of $30,000. Following the accident, Preston, a decorated veteran of the Iraq War, was airlifted to the Augusta Burn Unit, where he was in a coma for two days, per the outlet. When he woke up, he told USA Today he could only apologize to Tanesha. "I felt like I let her down and that she wouldn't want to be with me now that I am deformed," he said. Upon hearing that, the outlet reports that Tanesha said she told him she loved him for more than his physical appearance. According to USA Today, while receiving care at the Augusta Burn Unit in Georgia, a nurse overheard that the couple, who met growing up but didn't start dating until 2020, had been looking forward to their wedding before the accident. Story continues To help them stick to their original date, the nurse recruited more hospital staff members to plan a wedding for Preston and Tanesha on the unit floor. The ceremony was attended by friends, family, and staff members, per the outlet. Tanesha shared photos from the special day Monday on Instagram. Wearing a white dress, tiara, and veil, she stood by Preston, who wore a tuxedo-printed shirt as he lay on his hospital bed. In the caption, Tanesha wrote that she'd been "riding on cloud 9" and that the wedding felt "like a dream." "This intimate ceremony was something like a fairy tale. I married my true love. The man that loves, adores, protects and cares for me in a way that I can hardly put into words," she wrote. "Although this journey may not be easy... one thing I know is that it will all be worth it. I love you so much and I'm so in love you. Nothing will ever change that," Tanesha added. She shared her thanks for the staff at the burn unit for putting together the wedding for them. "We are tremendously grateful," she added. Read the original article on Insider KITTERY, Maine A resident-led push to preserve and protect the Spruce Creek watershed is being revived by the grassroots Save Kittery Waters group with a call to action to protect the towns water supply. The volunteer organization is taking on algal blooms that surface atop Spruce Creek each summer, and the pollution sources that seep into the watershed, with a new initiative aimed at citizens called the Creeksmart Campaign." Rogers Park is located in Kittery and is consisted of 27 preserved acres along Spruce Creek. Patricia Lynch, former executive director of The Music Hall in Portsmouth and chairperson of the steering committee for Save Kittery Waters, noted the efforts will revolve around informing residents on how their actions, for better or for worse, impact the watershed. This is a collaborative effort. None of this can happen without everybody picking up a piece of the tent and moving it to higher ground, she said. Right now, the planet is asking for our help. Were trying to answer that plea from the home that sustains us all. The CreekSmart Campaign will hit the ground running Monday night with a free public launch event at the Kittery Community Centers Star Theatre, the beginning of its efforts to educate residents on how they can change their habits and not pollute the watershed. The smart in CreekSmart Campaign, according to Lynch, is an acronym for several tips on how residents can best protect Spruce Creek, a list that includes mowing lawns high, not using harmful lawn fertilizers, avoiding pesticides, restoring vegetation around the watershed and taking care of their sewer systems. Save Kittery Waters awareness-raising campaign is partnering with the Rice Public Library, along with organizations and businesses in Kittery, to promote best practices for the future vitality of Spruce Creek. The organization is planning a public watershed walk in the coming months to highlight the importance of safeguarding it, and is planning to work hand-in-hand with residents in implementing action steps to lessen pollution into the creek. Story continues In order to walk it back, were each going to have to take steps, Lynch said of preserving the environment. Now is the time. We must all confront this as the challenge of our time. Spruce Creek, a nine-and-a-half-square-mile coastal watershed, is primarily located in Kittery, though roughly 10% is situated in Eliot. The creek drains into seven freshwater streams Barters Creek, Wilson Brook, Fuller Brook, Hill Brook, Hutchins Creek, Chickering Creek, and Crocketts Brook and feeds into the Spruce Creek estuary, which then drains into the Piscataqua River. Due to fecal contamination, in 2014 the Maine Department of Environmental Protection classified Spruce Creeks water quality as impaired, and its shellfish beds have been closed off since 2005. The causes of the algal growth in Spruce Creek, according to Melissa Paly, the Conservation Law Foundations Great BayPiscataqua waterkeeper, is most likely tied to nitrogen pollution. The contamination comes from a number of sources, including from septic systems discharge, fertilizers, lawn chemicals, and stormwater runoff, which Paly added is the cause of roughly two-thirds of nitrogen pollution in Great Bays waters. To address the algal blooms in Spruce Creek, which has limited swimming, kayaking and other recreational activities, the town will embark on water quality monitoring beginning in early August, a process to detect nitrogen pollution. Atmospheric nitrogen, Paly added, comes back to earths surface during rainfall, landing on paved surfaces and flowing into storm drains before being emptied into the nearest wetlands. Paly will serve as the guest speaker of the CreekSmart Campaigns launch event. Without people starting up in their own towns and cities, speaking up and taking action and convincing their friends and neighbors to take action, were not going to turn this around, she said. The CreekSmart Campaign is a reboot of sorts of the former Spruce Creek Association, a residential group that called attention to the high bacteria levels in the creek. Their outcry led to the town taking on a federal grant-funded watershed restoration project starting in 2008. The current CreekSmart initiative, set to last through October, is being funded with a $6,000 grant from Maine Community Fund. Town Council chairperson Judy Spiller will introduce Paly as the Monday night events guest speaker. What I think the purpose of all this is to say is that as an individual, you can have an impact on the world around you, she said. The CreekSmart Campaign launch will begin at 7 p.m. Monday. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Get 'CreekSmart': Save Kittery Waters aims to improve Spruce Creek By Uditha Jayasinghe COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lanka on Saturday invited Japan to resume investment in projects including power, roads and ports as the Japanese foreign minister wrapped up the first high-level visit to the crisis-hit country in nearly four years. Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said his country was seeking Japanese investment in sectors such as power, infrastructure and dedicated investment zones, as well as in the green and digital economies. The South Asian island nation is working to restructure its massive debt to continue a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund, after its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades last year triggered default and the resignation of its president. "We are confident that Sri Lanka's economic recovery, which has made a promising start, and future growth prospects will provide us with greater opportunities to enhance the Japan-Sri Lanka relationship," Sabry told a news conference. He was joined by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who is in Colombo as part of a multi-country diplomatic tour including India, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia and the Maldives. "I conveyed my expectations for further progress in the debt restructuring process and stressed the importance of a transparent and comparable debt restructuring that involves all creditor countries," Hayashi said. He did not respond publicly to Sabry's investment invitation. Japan's historically vibrant relations with Sri Lanka cooled after the island unilaterally suspended a $2 billion light railway project in 2020. Ties improved in recent months after President Ranil Wickremesinghe appealed to Japan to help Sri Lanka weather the crisis, caused by economic mismanagement by successive governments, deep tax cuts and then the COVID-19 pandemic. Wickremesinghe received Cabinet approval this month to reactivate the light rail project. Lying along key shipping routes in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has become a hot spot for influence between India and Japan on the one side and China on the other. Japan is Sri Lanka's biggest bilateral lender after China, with about $2.7 billion in outstanding loans, according to finance ministry data. India is the third key creditor. (Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe; Editing by Lincoln Feast and William Mallard) WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT A crypto millionaire received threatening messages a week before children discovered a suitcase on the banks of a river that contained his dismembered body parts. "Im going to kill you, Im going to do something worse to you," a man said in a voice message to Fernando Perez Algaba. "Im going to gouge out your eyes and cut off your hands so that you cant have any more money in your life." "I swear on my children that I have no problem going to jail," the man, identified only by his surname Iglesias by Argentinian outlet Telam, said. A group of children in Argentina made a chilling discovery when they found a suitcase while playing near a stream and opened it up to reveal dismembered body parts. Police had only the arms and legs to work with initially, but they were able to use tattoos and fingerprints to identify the victim. MAYOR ASSASSINATED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT AS VIOLENT CRIME SURGES IN SOUTH AMERICAN NATION READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Police in Buenos Aires determined they were parts from the body of Algaba, a 41-year-old cryptocurrency influencer and entrepreneur who had gone missing July 18. Algabas head floated downstream in a rucksack a few days later, Metro reported. Police further determined Algaba had been shot three times and that his limbs had been "cleanly" amputated, which they suggested only an experienced criminal could accomplish. Officers arrested one suspect for the alleged murder. URUGUAYAN SUICIDE RATE HITS RECORD HIGH: COUNTRY IS REGIONAL OUTLIER Algaba had reportedly piled up "irrecoverable" debts with Argentinas tax agency and allegedly ran into trouble with the Barra Bravas gang, which claimed he owed $40,000 on a loan. He also reportedly owed Iglesias son $70,000, which he was trying to reclaim from Algaba. In subsequent messages and calls reviewed by police, one of which lasted 20 minutes, Iglesias warned Algaba they would soon "see each other face to face" and blasted Algaba as "not good people because you ruined my son," who had to medicate himself after being "swindled" by Algaba. Story continues ECUADOR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AMID PRISON VIOLENCE SURGE "You betrayed me, and you caught me. I have a poison with you that I hate you," Iglesias said in another message. Another communication with a man known as Adrian Tesei informed Algaba they had an issue because the investor had told Tesei his money was "here" but then failed to deliver it. "Im not threatening you," Tesei claimed. "Im telling you that Im going to rip off your head. The money is mine, and you dont play with mine." Algaba claimed to have started as a pizza delivery boy working "with a bicycle and a box" selling sandwiches before turning his fortune trading on the Forex platform and gaining cryptocurrency. He then moved to Miami to build a car and jet ski rental company. Algaba had taken up residence in Barcelona, Spain, but he had visited his homeland Argentina for the week preceding his murder. He had rented an apartment and failed to return the keys or answer his phone when the landlord tried to find out what had happened, the New York Post reported. One of Algabas associates told Telam Algaba had developed a gambling addiction that only got worse during the COVID-19 pandemic, which drove him into a hole as he kept buying cryptocurrency despite his growing debts. Futuristic city with an organic architecture Getty Images/3000ad Visions of utopia are ubiquitous throughout Western history. They've inspired great works of art and literature, motivated countless believers to obey God's commandments and driven some of the bloodiest conflicts in the collective biography of our species. Utopian visions are also a central feature of the hype around artificial general intelligence, or AGI. In an article titled "Why AI Will Save the World," the tech billionaire Marc Andreessen writes that advanced AI systems will enable us to "take on new challenges that have been impossible to tackle without AI, from curing all diseases to achieving interstellar travel." The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, similarly declares that with AGI "we can colonize space. We can get fusion to work and solar [energy] to mass scale. We can cure all diseases." Utopianism is everywhere in Silicon Valley. The problem is that utopia has a menacing underbelly. First, its pursuit can cause profound harms to those who happen to be standing in the way. This is why utopian fantasies have fueled some of the worst atrocities in history: If the means are justified by the ends, and the ends are quite literally a utopian world of infinite or astronomical amounts of value, then what exactly is off the table when it comes to realizing those ends? We can already see this sort of thinking in the race to AGI: Companies like OpenAI have engaged in massive intellectual property theft, resulting in a slew of lawsuits, and systems like ChatGPT are built on the brutal exploitation of people in the Global South, some of whom were paid $1.32 per hour to sift through some of the most horrendous material on the web. These harms are surely worth the benefits, given that, in Altman's words, "we are only a few breakthroughs away from abundance at a scale that is difficult to imagine." Second, the realization of utopia could also have catastrophic consequences, as most utopian visions are inherently exclusionary. There is always someone who is purposely left out in any imagined utopia some undesirable group whose presence in paradise would disqualify it from counting as such. If the Christian heaven were to include atheists, for instance, it wouldn't be heaven. Hence, one should always ask who a particular utopian vision is for. Everyone, or just a select few? If so, which people are allowed in and which are banished to perdition, if not sentenced to be annihilated? Story continues Although religious belief is rapidly waning in the West, utopianism is not. That makes it important to understand the nature and potential dangers of utopian thinking. To get a better handle on these issues, I contacted my colleague Monika Bielskyte, a brilliant futures consultant who counts Universal Studios, DreamWorks and Nike among her past clients. She also consulted on the blockbuster movie "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," and over the past decade has given talks about the future at major media and tech conferences around the world. Subverting a term from the tech guru Kevin Kelly, she developed the "protopia futures" framework, which proposes a regenerative and inclusive vision for the future as an alternative to the utopia-dystopia binary. In our phone conversation, we discussed a range of topics, including the origins of utopian thinking and whether the tech elite are "true believers" or are merely using utopianism as a "smokescreen" to distract from their destruction of the planet. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. I've become very interested in this claim that utopia is inherently exclusionary. I heard you say on a podcast that marginalized peoples are often better off in imagined dystopias than utopias. Could you elaborate? It's not even that they're better off in dystopias than utopias they literally don't exist in utopias! Almost without exception, marginalized people are outright erased from all but the most recent utopian visions. Pretty much the only place where marginalized peoples exist in sci-fi and futurist visions have been in dystopias (and their presence is often perceived as a signifier of dystopia), because there's literally no place made for them in utopia, given the eugenic and exclusionary nature of utopianism. For example, the presence of queer people, disabled people and neurodivergent people in some way denies the very nature of utopianism because if disability still exists (let alone is celebrated), is it even utopia? There's a whole set of superficially inspiring futurological visions that outwardly celebrate this erasure. Then you inevitably have to ask the question: how did we arrive at the point where all of these people of marginalized backgrounds are literally gone? Was there a targeted genocide? A kind of eugenic elimination of those particular identities? So that's why these visions create this really difficult situation where a lot of creative people from these marginalized backgrounds end up having that preference for the dystopian genre, because those were the only sci-fi visions in which they saw themselves as kids or teenagers. So we start thinking, "Well, is that the only story of the future that we can be telling as marginalized peoples of never-ending oppression and struggle?" Consequently, this creates a narrowing of possibilities of actually imagining a future where people of marginalized identities are not in this continued or even expanded state of oppression, but actually become the leaders, visionaries and healers of the kind of world that, right now, we should be hoping and dreaming of and working toward. For example, I have this conversation with some peers of mine who are in the field of future-making as writers, directors, etc.: people from the Global South by which I mean the Majority World and its diaspora along with queer folks and the disabled and neurodivergent communities, who still too often feel that it is only within a dystopian framework that we can tell our stories. But the continuous regurgitation of dystopian inevitability reinforces our lack of agency in imagining a radical shift of any social, cultural or political narrative thinking that we can invent all these "magical" technologies and imagine all these extraordinary scientific advances, and yet we still cannot see a pathway towards a future that is beyond racism, homophobia, ableism, xenophobia and so on. We do not have the luxury to fetishize dystopia, because we, or our ancestors, have already lived through it. So why do we endlessly rehash these exhausted narratives and visions of the doomed future instead of using our time, energy and talent to envision what an actual liberation for oppressed peoples and a regenerative, life-centric society could look like? This is what the real danger of both utopian and dystopian visions is: They can have a toxic effect upon our imaginations, by distracting us away from both present-day oppression and liberatory future possibilities. It's why we started the Protopia Futures collective, to counter dystopian escapism as well as the utterly unrealistic and profoundly misinformed techno-solutionist narratives, and actually work toward what could be those shared "yes" visions of the future. The particular utopian visions discussed by techno-futurists today transhumanists, longtermists and the like are fairly novel, as they deal with advanced technologies that weren't discussed much or at all before the mid-20th century. Yet these visions didn't come out of nowhere. They have a lineage, a genealogy, that goes back to traditional religion. Could you help us understand the history of utopian thought in the West? So much of it has roots in Christian ascensionist narratives, a binary vision of paradise and hell (which is the predecessor of today's cosmic heavens and earthly soil utopia-dystopia binary) and its way of "sorting" who gets into each. This narrative is fundamentally settler-centric and human-centric. Only a narrow group of humans have the potential to reach paradise, based on a very homophobic and colonial idea of "morality," and no space at all is reserved for non-human species in "heaven." (This version of heaven, containing only humans, would be a kind of hell for most Indigenous people.) So Christian paradise, as the origin story of western utopianism, already has dystopia and exclusionism embedded within it. I'm reminded of a term that's started to go mainstream: the "Eremocene," or "Age of Loneliness," which describes a time when we have extinguished so many other species and become increasingly isolated as a human species on this planet a kind of existential isolation and loneliness that results from being separated from the biosphere through this violent genocide of species and the extinction of their sensory worlds, as one of my favorite authors, Ed Yong, writes in his brilliant new book "An Immense World." Many historical conceptions of utopia have also been exclusionary around these very lines of sexuality and ability anchored in settler-colonial "morality." Nazi Germany's justification for the utopian vision of the "Aryan Lebensraum" expansion provides an obvious example. The genocide began with the targeting of disabled and queer people and led to mass extermination of Jewish and Roma people and other minorities who were also associated with moral and physical "failures" for the purpose of dehumanization and expropriation. Similarly, the Soviet Union, especially under Joseph Stalin, justified mass ethnic cleansing, imprisonment, torture and genocidal campaigns to justify the achievement of communist "Fatherland" utopia i.e., Holodomor [the Ukrainian famine of the early 1930s]; Stalin's purge of Jewish people; the ethnic cleansing of the Crimean Tatars; the suppression of Indigenous cultural traditions and their forceful replacement by Communist ideology across Russia's colonial realms, including Siberia, the Caucasus and Central Asia; the criminalization of homosexuality; utilizing mental health facilities and mental health justifications to eliminate opponents of the regime; and so on, as well as environmental destruction on an unprecedented scale. I think the easiest way to measure the genocidal capacity of any given utopia is to look at how it treats marginalized peoples, especially those at the intersection of indigeneity, queerness and disability. The key point is that this toxic legacy is still with us today. Our lack of historical literacy of racist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic and anti-Indigenous biases, built on scientific grounds and amplified by technology, predisposes us to ignore how these discriminatory tendencies persist into the tech world today, and suffuse the scientific community. These narratives are like the water that we swim in, and hence are invisible to many people within these milieus. Even today, I see so many "progressive" people, with often the best intentions, unknowingly echoing eco-fascist talking points in their desirable future visions that disregard the access needs of disabled people, or environmental justice issues between the Global North and Global South. You've said in some of your talks that designing the future must always be a cooperative endeavor that it doesn't work if one group of people aims to dictate what the future will look like, even if they express concern for the wellbeing of other groups. Could you elaborate on this point? That's right. If you're hoping to design something that's not harmful to start with let alone something that is useful or actually beneficial you can never design for somebody, you can only design with them. And by "with," that doesn't mean that you just choose one "token" person and then pretend that you're inclusive. You actually have to work with communities that are at that bleeding edge of harm, you need to ensure that key leadership consists of the most impacted groups. Because otherwise we just end up with harmful tokenization that is, predatory inclusion. This was exemplified by last year's push for crypto in the Global South and diaspora communities. When Spike Lee released a commercial about how crypto is the new money, it utilized a lot of really talented, prominent Black, brown and queer creatives to promote a vision that is fundamentally about extracting from their very communities. So even though some of the people involved may have benefited from those ads, their communities were ultimately harmed by the crypto push. That's one of a million examples of predatory inclusion. A central feature of the techno-utopian visions influential within Silicon Valley today involves a narrative about humanity "transcending" itself. Our biological bodies are often derided as "meat-bags" that must be cast aside, replaced by robotic or computer hardware. Ultimately, the aim would be to replace biology altogether by "uploading" our minds to the cloud. I wonder how much this is influenced by the legacy of Christianity, which saw the body as sinful. After all, there are some cultural traditions for instance, some Indigenous traditions that don't see our bodies this way. Could you elaborate on how some of these traditions envisioned the future? First of all, Indigenous accounts of what would constitute an aspirational future or present are not uniform there is a considerable diversity of views, of course. But, fundamentally, from the Indigenous perspective, you don't see yourself as apart from either your body or the other bodies you are codependent with. By "other bodies," I mean all other life, including bodies of other humans, but also plants, fungi and so on. All the transcendence and all the joy and pleasure that one experiences is not through being removed from this. It is, in fact, by deepening our interdependence with it. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. This is where there's this fundamental clash in civilizational visions, you could say, between the colonial TESCREALists advocates of the TESCREAL bundle of ideologies and Indigenous perspectives. So, if TESCREALists say that they know better than the Indigenous people about the aspirational future we should aim for, then, again, it's the same "manifest destiny" colonialism all over again. Not just in this desire to go out there and subject all these complex ecosystems to our own will, but even in this very notion that we should aspire toward removing ourselves from our own bodies and from the ecosystems within and around our bodies, and even from Earth itself. Some harmful olden-day futurist notions persist, such as Buckminster Fuller's "Spaceship Earth" metaphor it seems appealing on the surface, but fundamentally misunderstands the fact that neither our home planet nor our very bodies can be engineered down to component parts, let alone zeroes and ones. As Indigenous people have always known, consciousness is not reducible to mathematical calculations, it's embodied, interconnected and inseparable from the matter that is life. So the way I see it, the techno-utopian visions of a colonized cosmos and transcended Earth are really just about finding ideological ways to justify compounded human and biosphere genocide happening today a way to say that in light of those grand visions, extinction of species or languages is ultimately "not that important." That is absolutely false. It's not that we shouldn't aim to learn more about the cosmos, but that we need to refocus more energy to understanding and regenerating the damage we have wrought upon ourselves and this planet improving soil health and the health of our oceans, rewilding, etc., are more future-worthy endeavors right now. Instead of fantasizing about machine or alien consciousness, we should prioritize understanding non-human animal consciousness, because we are rendering species extinct before we are even able to learn about their perception and sensory experience of the world we share. Finally, to what extent do you think the tech elite actually buy into their techno-utopian vision of being digital posthumans and colonizing space? Are they true believers? Or might they be exploiting the promise of utopia to "justify" their greed and ruthless quest for power in the present? This is where I sometimes think that you and I might have slightly different views on the matter. It seems to me that some of the tech gazillionaires that sell us these grand civilizational fantasies of intergalactic colonialism are just doing it to obfuscate and justify much more banal goals of personal enrichment and keeping up their scams. Elon Musk's Tesla edifice has been collapsing for a long time because it was sort of "crypto" before crypto, by which I mean that it is built on a pyramid-scheme type of hype, as detailed in Edward Niedermeyer's book "Ludicrous." Musk was being called the wealthiest man on Earth but it was fictional, inflated stock money dependent on false promises he can't keep up with anymore and in order to keep up with the scam in an increasingly competitive market, you need to stake increasingly unrealistic claims and hope you won't get called on it. In general, this is also how most tech bubble/hype cycles work they're predicated on the majority public's lack of future literacy and the media's willing participation in pumping up these sensational headlines with little critical inquiry behind the claims of those set to profit from them. So my sense is that the talk of humanity becoming "multiplanetary" is just a way to put a sci-fi smokescreen up to the media and general publiccapitalism always needs a new frontier, so space colonialism is this kind of deus ex machina to detract us from the reality that there is no "infinite growth" on a finite planet, and that we need fundamental restructuring of our societies and economies based on principles of equity and justice. I'm sure there are some "true believers" in the transhumanist, cosmist, longtermist movements. But I think that for somebody like Musk, the much more immediate goal is to develop the means to reach and, through robotic peripherals, mine the asteroid belt, to extract platinum, gold, diamonds and other rare minerals, especially those needed for batteries, microchips and so on. When Musk realized that his self-driving cars, his vision for Tesla, actually would not deliver on the promises, he still had to keep up with these grand visions of humanity's future, because he had gotten used to that level of power, influence and adulation. He has to keep inflating his vision by selling this fantasy, and because of the lack of future literacy, people keep buying into it. That being said, he might just be a delusional apartheid heir who has a dream to bring back the hierarchical structures of apartheid South Africa on a cosmic scale. Either way, whether he's a true believer or just a cosmically greedy man, the fact that he possesses so much influence on global future narratives and economies puts the rest of us in grave danger. In my talks, I often say that ultimately it's those who control the fantasy who control the future. So many of the richest and most influential men in tech never really grew out of that teenage phase of being fanboys of particular sci-fi authors, movies or series. They cling to these sci-fi fantasies of eternal lives in the cosmic matrix and other fictional stuff, even though the bleeding edge of scientific research suggests that minds cannot just be reduced to a digital program, because our consciousness is embodied and interconnected with an ecosystem that it's codependent with. But if they admit that all they want is, ultimately, to mine the asteroid belt, then all of a sudden they're going to have much more intense scrutiny. Who should have the right to go and mine asteroids? Could a single company in the Global North have this right? What kind of neocolonial relationships could that perpetuate between the Global North and Global South? Similarly, with AI, the more you talk about these visions of artificial general intelligence, the easier it is to divert attention away from the real issues of how these very fallible yet increasingly dangerous AI tools are being designed, used and abused. What bias gets embedded within them, whose data gets expropriated for it, who gets the access and what type of behavior and manipulation does this allow and to whom. So I tend to think that these people are not as "smart" and "visionary" as they're often perceived, but also not so foolish especially someone like Peter Thiel as to actually believe that the utopian fantasies they're peddling would not spell dystopia for most of the rest of us. It's not that they don't know how to read dystopian narratives critically, or that they fully buy into technology being the magical panacea for problems that are fundamentally social, cultural and political. It's that they actually see how dystopias (sometimes disguised as utopias) can be used as product roadmaps, not just because there's money to be made while the world burns, but because there's money to be made by setting the world on fire. Dystopia is not a bug, it's a feature. It will take all of us to resist it, and to fight for the kind of future that is actually livable. We must do all we can to resist these lures of eschatological tech theologies and accelerationist fantasies, because they are designed to benefit the few, while harming, if not outright extinguishing, the rest of us. Read more from Emile P. Torres on humanity's future The Prince and Princess of Wales kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 27, 1981. UPI File Photo July 29 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1588, off the coast of Gravelines, France, Spain's "Invincible Armada" was defeated by an English naval force under the command of Charles Howard and Francis Drake. In 1794, the first African Methodist Episcopal Church, Mother Bethel, was dedicated in Philadelphia. The church was founded by Black members of St. George's Methodist Church who left the congregation due to racial segregation at the church. In 1848, at the height of the potato famine in Ireland, an abortive nationalist revolt against English rule was crushed by government police in Tipperary. In 1900, Italian King Umberto I was shot to death by Gaetano Bresci, an Italian-born anarchist who resided in the United States before returning to his homeland to kill the king. Billy Ray Cyrus (L) and Lil Nas X perform during the 19th annual BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on June 23, 2019. Their song, "Old Town Road," broke the record for longest No. 1 single on the Billboard 100 on July 29, 2019. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration -- NASA. In 1967, a fire aboard the USS Forrestal killed 134 U.S. service members and injured another 161. The super carrier was in the Gulf of Tonkin launching aircraft in missions against targets in North Vietnam. On July 29, 1999, a federal judge in Little Rock, Ark., fined U.S. President Bill Clinton $89,000 for lying about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky in his deposition in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy In 1976, David Berkowitz, the so-called "Son of Sam," fatally shot two people in the Bronx, the first in a series of shootings that would terrorize New York City for months. Berkowitz pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced to more than 300 years in prison. Apollo 15 astronauts David R. Scott (L) and Alfred M. Worden (C) watch James B. Irwin open the hatch on a model of the Apollo 15 command service module after a news conference at the Manned Spacecraft Center. On July 29, 1958, NASA was created. UPI File Photo In 1981, British Prince Charles, son of the queen, married Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997. In 1999, a federal judge in Little Rock, Ark., fined U.S. President Bill Clinton $89,000 for lying about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky in his deposition in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, arrives at the U.S. District Courthouse for his arraignment in Washington on July 31, 2008. On July 29, 2008, Stevens was indicted on seven counts of failing to disclose thousands of dollars in services he received to renovate his home. File Photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI In 2004, Democrats nominated Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts to oppose Republican incumbent George W. Bush in the November presidential election. Story continues File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry stands with his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry after he spoke to the delegations on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter in Boston on July 29, 2004. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI In 2008, U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was indicted by a federal grand jury on seven felony counts accusing him of failing to disclose gifts from an oil services company. Stevens died in a 2010 plane crash. In 2019, "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus broke the record for longest-running Billboard Hot 100 No. 1. The previous record was set by Mariah Carey's "One Sweet Day." In 2021, Team USA's Sunisa Lee claimed the title of the world's best all-around women's gymnast with a victory in the individual competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. If youve received a debit card in the mail, dont throw it out; its not a scam! If you have a child in a Vermont public school, youll be getting a food benefit. Keep your eyes peeled for mail with the Vermont Department of Children and Families' logo. The Economic Services Division of Vermonts Department of Children and Families (DCF) is distributing Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to families with school-aged children, to make up for food benefits children may have missed due to COVID-19. Though food benefit distribution has been underway for some time, households are now beginning to receive P-EBTs. We want to make sure no child goes hungry during this health crisis, DCF Commissioner Chris Winters said in an April news release. The P-EBT benefit will provide much needed support to Vermont households that typically rely on free or reduced meals at school to feed their children. How much money is on the card The minimum amount of money on the card will be $120. Benefits increase depending on whether or not a child missed school for reasons related to COVID-19. Benefits are $8.18 for each day an eligible child missed. Residents who get 3SquaresVT benefits will be issued this additional benefit on their card. Parents may have received a P-EBT debit card from Vermont's Department for Children and Families Economic Services Division in July 2023. It was mailed in a large envelope and included this brochure. Use it or it goes back to the federal government Benefits not used for 274 days will disappear permanently from the holder's account and go back to the federal government. For people that dont feel comfortable using benefits for themselves, DCF encourages folks to buy food and donate it to a local food bank. Vermont families may have received a P-EBT card in the mail that came pre-loaded with at least $120 be used on food purchases. Why did I get a debit card from Vermont's DCF Children eligible to receive the P-EBT must attend a school that offers free meals to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2; all children attending public schools in Vermont from the year 2022-23 are eligible, with no income threshold. Vermont will issue $9.9 million to approximately 80,565 students in 53,535 households over the course of this summer, according to the DCF. Story continues The benefits come through the Federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which issued temporary assistance to households without access to meals for children in schools. It allows federal approval benefits to be issued through summer 2023, through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) EBT card systems. Child protection registry: Child abuse or parenting 'in todays complex world'? Some say Vermont DCF gets it wrong How to activate the debit card People receiving the P-EBT should be receiving two letters from the Department of Children and Families one containing the card and brochure discussing the terms of the card, and the other containing information on how to activate the card. A Vermont P-EBT card that was received in the mail on July 26, 2023. The card has $120 of pandemic relief money to be used on food purchases. To activate the card, one needs a birth date and a Social Security number, though neither of those are the recipient's actual birth date and Social Security number. It is your childs birthdate and a number issued by DCF. People that do not receive all materials, or have issues setting up their P-EBT, should contact the Economic Services Division at DCF at 1-800-479-6151. Vermont flooding: Children in state care need a home, assistance after flooding. Here's how you can help. Where to use it EBTs can be used at any participating stores, ATMs and farmers markets. The DFC has a website that locates participating stores near you. The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA) is offering a program to multiply 3SquaresVT or SNAP benefits into "Crop Cash," when benefits are used at farmers' markets. More information about using benefits at farmers' markets can be found on NOFAs website. Visit https://dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/ebt or call 1-800-479-6151 to learn more about the EBTs or to get assistance activating your card. Contact Free Press reporter Kate Sadoff at ksadoff@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont food benefit sent to many school-aged children as COVID relief Death Valley doesnt sound like a place anyone would want to visit. With summertime temperatures regularly soaring well into the triple digits, even in the shade, it can feel like an inferno. But its not always the hottest place on Earth, said Death Valley National Park ranger and spokesperson Abby Wines. If you come in the fall, winter, spring, it can be beautiful. It's especially stunning when wildflowers blanket the valley in vibrant colors. The key is knowing when to visit. Heres what travelers should know about Death Valley, the latest national park in USA TODAYs yearlong series. Visitors relish the wildflowers near Death Valley's Badwater Basin during a rare superbloom on Feb. 24, 2016. Where is Death Valley? Death Valley National Park is mostly located in eastern California, along the Nevada border. However Wines notes, 110,000 acres of the park (are) in Nevada. There are no paved roads in that section. Most people are in the California part. The nearest major airport is Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Why is it called the Death Valley? According to the park, Death Valley was given its forbidding name by a group of pioneers lost here in the winter of 1849-1850. Even though, as far as we know, only one of the group died here, they all assumed that this valley would be their grave ... As the party climbed out of the valley over the Panamint Mountains, one of the men turned, looked back, and said goodbye, Death Valley. Park rangers pose for pictures near an unofficial thermometer at Death Valley's Furnace Creek Visitor Center. What is Death Valley famous for? Death Valley is known as Americas hottest, driest and lowest national park. It holds the Guiness World Record for the highest temperature ever recorded anywhere: 134 degrees on July 10, 1913. Wines says temperatures have hit 130 degrees in recent summers and ground temperatures of 201 have been measured. Its the driest place on the continent. Some areas receive less than two inches of rain each year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And at 282 feet below sea level, the parks Badwater Basin is the lowest place in the U.S. Despite these harsh conditions, Death Valley is also a place of life. A number of species have adapted to living there and every decade or so, it boasts a super bloom of wildflowers. Story continues Wind picks up sand at Eureka Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park. Does anyone live in Death Valley? Death Valley is the historic homeland of the Timbasha Shoshone. Some members of the tribe still live within Death Valley, and their village is in Furnace Creek, Wines said. Its right here in the center of the park. Unfortunately, they don't have a visitor center or anything to really welcome the public. They were starting to work towards that before COVID hit, and since then they've been very cautious with opening back up to the public. What animals live in Death Valley? Kanagroo rats can go their whole lives without drinking water because they get it from the food. One of the animals that I love talking about is the kangaroo rat, Wines said. They're really cute They hop around like a kangaroo does, so that's why they're named (that). But this little rodent, it never has to drink water in its entire life. It makes all of the water it needs from dry seeds that it eats. Other animals that have adapted to life in Death Valley are desert tortoises and big horn sheep, though visitors are unlikely to see them. What you are likely to see are coyotes, road runners, ravens and depending on the time of year, probably some lizards, maybe a snake, Wines said. What flowers grow in Death Valley? Weakstem mariposa lily, desert gold, bear poppy, mariposa lily, desert chicory, desert five-spot, desert dandelion and lilac sunbonnet are among the wildflowers of Death Valley, but they arent around for long. According to the park, Rather than struggle to stay alive during the deserts most extreme conditions, annual wildflowers lie dormant as seeds. When enough rain finally does fall, the seeds quickly sprout, grow, bloom and go back to seed again before the dryness and heat returns. Some years see a super bloom. But even in a just average wildflower year, there's a beautiful variety of colors and flowers you can see alongside the roads and while hiking, Wines said, adding that spring blooms are usually found at lower elevations, where the rest of the year you might just see rocky slopes. Wildflowers wave in the breeze after sunset near Jubilee Pass on March 12, 2005. The wettest year on record brought massive blooms of desert wildflowers to Death Valley National Park. What not to miss at Death Valley Spanning 3,422,024 acres, its nearly the size of Connecticut and Americas largest national park outside of Alaska. Most people that have not been here before think that it's all going to be sand and cactus. Well sand is less than 4% of the park, Wines said.There are sand dunes and they are beautiful, (but) that's not most of what you're going to see. Visitors will definitely want to see Badwater Basin. Down on the valley floor, its this huge, white, beautiful salt flat that gets fractured into polygons, Wines said. Really photogenic. People pose for photos in Badwater Basin on Sept. 1, 2022 in Death Valley National Park. Tall mountains surround it. On one side, theres Dantes View. You can drive up to 5,000 feet and have a beautiful viewpoint just from your car, she said. Telescope Peak, the highest point in the park, is on the other side. Theres a hiking a trail that goes up there, and that hiking trail goes through pinyon-juniper forest and then eventually through Bristlecone pine forest, Wines said. Bristlecone pines are famous for being one of the oldest living things on the Earth. What is the best season to visit Death Valley National Park? It depends on your definition of best, Wines said. If you want to see flowers, mid-February through mid-April would be the best time for that, Bbut that is also when everybody else wants to come. She recommends visiting in December or January, outside of the holidays. Winter highs are usually in the 60s with overnight lows around 40, so great camping temperatures, great hiking temperatures, she said. You'll have trails to yourself, campgrounds to yourself, and the weather's perfect. Death Valley is an International Dark Sky Park. Ranger Abby Wines notes it's a great place to see the Milky Way. How long do you need to see Death Valley National Park? If you just want to do short hikes and see kind of the roadside highlights, two days is a good starting point, Wines said. If you love hiking, come for a week. No one ever comes for long enough, she laughed. How much does it cost to go in Death Valley National Park in California? Park entry costs $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle or $15 per person arriving by other means, like bike or foot. Signage warns visitors of extreme heat danger on July 15, 2023 near Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Death Valley? This national park will give you life. Russian forces are focusing on maintaining control of the land corridor to occupied Crimea in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, the Defense Ministry's Military Media Center reported on July 29. Russia occupied Crimea in 2014 and orchestrated pro-Moscow protests and the seizure of several cities in Donetsk Oblast, aiming to secure a land corridor that runs from Russia's southwestern cities all the way to occupied Crimea. Ukrainian military operations to liberate Mariupol and several other settlements in the south of Donetsk Oblast in the spring of 2014 dashed the Kremlin's longing of establishing such a corridor for years. When Russia unleashed its full-scale invasion in 2022, its forces occupied the southern parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzia, and Donetsk Oblast, including Mariupol, setting up the land corridor up to the occupied peninsula. The Military Media Center also reported that Russian forces are striving to prevent attacks on their fleet and fortify Black Sea and Azov Sea naval bases. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are conducting their summer counteroffensive in at least three directions, including two sectors in the southeast that could potentially cut off the land corridor to Crimea. The bulk of the Ukrainian forces committed to the counteroffensive has been deployed southeast, two unnamed U.S. officials told CNN on July 27. The report indicates that the counteroffensive has breached Russian defensive lines in the southeast, prompting the swift deployment of reserve units to seize the advantage. On the same day, Ukraine's military General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces are holding down their new positions in the southeast, in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions, after making gains during the counteroffensive. Read also: Ukraines counteroffensive lurches forward: Key moment looms as more forces committed Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Democrats and Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are sparring over whether a closed-door interview with an FBI agent boosts the GOPs claims of improper interference in the tax crimes investigation into Hunter Biden, the presidents son. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), ranking member on the committee, wrote to Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and called on him to publicly release the transcript of the interview that occurred on July 17, one day before the two IRS whistleblowers testified in a public hearing before the panel. Comer had said last week that the FBI supervisory special agent had confirmed key portions of the testimony from whistleblower Gary Shapley, an IRS agent who was overseeing the investigation into Hunter Biden. But Raskin argues the interview discredited House Republicans claim of political interference in the prosecution of President Bidens son. Raskins letter set off further partisan pushback that mirrored the dynamic of last weeks hearing and highlighted that the issue is likely to stay in the forefront. Committee Republicans are tearing into Raskin for incorrectly asserting in an original copy of the letter which was later corrected in a subsequent version that the minority had not been provided a copy of the interview of with the FBI agent. Democrats should check their email before launching baseless accusations, said a tweet from an account run by the committees Republican majority. We emailed the transcript to Democrat staff the day after the interview on July 18 at 7:17pm ET, shortly after we received it ourselves. The committee Republicans also said the transcript will be publicly released as soon as possible. The transcript is going through the normal review process where the witness and his/her counsel reviews it and is able to suggest any corrections needed. Once that process has been completed (and because in this case doing so mid-investigation will not harm upcoming investigative steps), we will release it, committee Republicans said. Story continues Both Comer and Raskin agree that the testimony of the FBI agent in question corroborated Shapleys claims that the two were set to seek an interview with Hunter Biden on Dec. 8, 2020 as his father Joe Biden was preparing to take office but the interview never happened after the FBI headquarters notified Secret Service headquarters ahead of time, and that the transition team was also notified about the interview. But while Comer in a statement last week said the advance notification that may have derailed the interview revealed a two-tiered system of justice, Raskin argues Comer had a grossly incomplete narrative based on cherry-picked facts. Additional context and information from the FBI agents interview, Raskin argues, debunked the idea that political influence played any part in the investigation. Republicans shot back that it was Democrats who are cherry-picking, disputing Raskins characterization of some key facts, and saying that the value of the interview is that it corroborates some key facts about the transition team notification by the IRS whistleblower Shapley. The value of the former FBI supervisory special agents testimony is that it supports what the IRS whistleblowers said happened. Democrats are cherry-picking from the transcribed interview to attack whistleblowers because they cant attack what happened, a GOP Oversight Committee spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. Raskin wrote in his letter to Comer that in the interview, the FBI agent explained that it was necessary for FBI headquarters to alert the U.S. Secret Service of its intent to interview Hunter Biden for the safety of agents on the investigative team seeking to approach a Secret Service protectee. A GOP aide, though, said the agent did not say it was necessary for FBI headquarters to alert Secret Service headquarters, but that he understood why that could happen to foster an ongoing working relationship. Shapley had said that the plan was for the FBI Los Angeles special agent in charge to notify the Los Angeles Secret Service agent in charge on the day of the planned interview, but that the night before, he learned that FBI headquarters had informed Secret Service headquarters of the plan. A person with knowledge of the transcript said the FBI agent said in the interview that it was common sense for the FBI to tell the Secret Service of the plan so that headquarters and agents in the field were aware, to speed up the process of getting the interview and keep law enforcement safe. A more major point for Republicans is the testimony from Shapley and the FBI agent that they heard the transition team as Biden was preparing to take office was informed of the plan to seek an interview with Hunter Biden, which Republicans see as inappropriate. Raskins letter also poked holes in the significance of the two men hearing that the transition team was notified of the plan to speak to Hunter Biden. He also stated that, while he was told an unspecified transition team would also be notified by FBI headquarters, he was not provided any actual details as to what transition team this referred to, and he did not know anything about whether they were actually notified, Raskin said. A GOP aide countered that the FBI former agent understood the transition team to be the typical meaning of the presidential transition team. A person with knowledge of the transcript said that the FBI agent said that he had no knowledge of who in the transition team, or at level, was supposedly made aware of the plan. Oversight Republicans had said in a press release last week that notification was not the original plan by the career agents, and that it frustrated their investigative efforts because people found out who did not need to know. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis barnstormed Iowa this week with six events in two days, hoping to spark a new beginning for his campaign after a series of recent setbacks. The bus tour, hosted by the super PAC "Never Back Down," which is supporting his run, featured the trappings of a traditional primary campaign: DeSantis spoke to more intimate crowds and did more of the retail politicking early-voting states value. The tour featured more engagements with press, all adjustments his campaign's top brass laid out to donors last weekend. Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis greets local residents during a meet and greet at the Hotel Charitone, Thursday, July 27, 2023, in Chariton, Iowa. / Credit: Charlie Neibergall / AP "We're gonna keep working. We're not entitled to anything. I'm not a political prognosticator. All I'm saying is I'm gonna outwork everybody, and we are going to earn the support," DeSantis told reporters Friday in Albia. But with stagnant poll numbers, a campaign finance report showing a high spending rate for his campaign, layoffs of a third of his large staff in recent weeks and an outcry from Black congressional Republicans about his state's education standards that isn't quieting down, DeSantis traveled through Iowa this week battered by questions about the strength and viability of his candidacy. Still, DeSantis' campaign says it is prioritizing and building momentum in Iowa, and pointed to a slate of 39 legislators who have endorsed DeSantis, growing support from local pastors and other legislators (including one who previously backed Trump until his criticism of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds) and an Iowa-heavy campaign schedule for DeSantis in the coming weeks. DeSantis campaign political director Sam Cooper said Iowa "is a place that has not been sucked into this national narrative of where the campaign's at" and dismissed early state polls, saying it's difficult to poll GOP caucus goers. "A national survey or state survey in July six months before the caucus, doesn't mean anything. If it did, Jeb Bush would be president," Cooper said. "The reason I'm not worried about the surveys right now is most people haven't dialed into this thing yet. It's summer. And for caucus goers, we have to go introduce him." Story continues DeSantis downplayed the layoffs as part of the campaign process and expressed confidence in his strategy for the early presidential primary states. "As a commander, you put out intent about what you want to see. If that intent is not followed, you ensure it's going to be followed. I think that we're in good shape," DeSantis told CBS News in an interview Thursday when asked about any further staff cuts. The DeSantis campaign also argued there's an opening for him among Iowa Republicans after former President Trump disparaged Gov. Reynolds, who is popular among the GOP in her state. Reynolds has said she would remain neutral in the 2024 Republican contest, but has appeared at several campaign events with DeSantis and even one with his wife, Casey DeSantis. Trump also plans to skip the one-on-one interviews Reynolds is doing with all of the presidential candidates at the Iowa State Fair in August. "I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won. Now, she wants to remain 'NEUTRAL,' Trump posted in early July, referencing his own endorsement of her in the 2018 race and the fact that the post was vacant after he named Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad to be ambassador to China. DeSantis has defended Reynolds and said he'd consider her as a potential running mate. He called Trump's attacks "out of hand" and "not the way we win." A survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and shared by the DeSantis campaign found that 78% of likely Republican Iowa caucus goers disagreed with Trump's comments about Reynolds. Other internal campaign polling showed Trump and DeSantis with the same favorability rating among Iowa Republicans, at 78%. Trump has also snubbed Bob Vander Plaats, an influential Evangelist leader in the state who has crticized the former president. Trump did not attend his Vander Plaats' cattle call of candidates earlier this month. Cooper also said DeSantis' electability against President Joe Biden is key to his message in Iowa. "Caucus goers wanna win. They've seen winning in Iowa with Kim Reynolds and her legislature there. They see winning in Florida with Gov. DeSantis. And they want to get there with family values that puts the country first," he said. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung responded by pointing to an awkward moment on the trail on Thursday between DeSantis and a child, and criticism by Black congressional Republicans of Florida's Black history standards. "From traumatizing a child for having an Icee during a hot summer day to disgustingly criticizing Black Republicans in Congress, Ron DeSantis' reboot is as wobbly as his high-heeled shoes," Cheung said. Republican voters across the state this week signaled an openness to hear from DeSantis and other candidates, despite Trump's big lead in the polls. But among those who attended the DeSantis events, while there was a sense of fatigue around Trump and his ongoing complaints about the 2020 election, most said they were just starting to get to know DeSantis. "I think Trump is finished. I think he's done. He's just deluding himself now," said Richard Borg of Fairfield, an undecided Iowa Republican who attended a DeSantis event in Albia. Asked why he attended DeSantis' event, Borg said, "Just curiosity. I like being able to see and hear live, the candidates. It's an opportunity you get in Iowa that is very rare." Roger Gay, who said DeSantis did a "very fine job" during an event he attended in Oskaloosa, called for "someone younger" than Trump to become president. "We need someone who's going to be honest," he added. Karen Fesler, an undecided Iowa voter and former Caucus Coalitions adviser for former Sen. Rick Santorum's 2016 presidential bid, said she'd like to see DeSantis "do better" in the state but noted Trump's base in Iowa "is still very strong." She thinks a statewide 99-county tour might boost DeSantis, but warned that it would take commitment to carry off. "There's doing a 99-county tour the way Rick Santorum did it [in 2012], and there's doing the 99-county tour the way Michelle Bachman did it. If Michelle Bachman stopped at Casey's and filled her campaign bus up with gas and got a piece of pizza and left, she checked that county off," she said. "If you're gonna do it, come in and do it. We'll see," she added. "It's the first of August and our caucuses are the 15th of January. And you've got Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's holidays in there. There's not a whole lot of time left." Ed O'Keefe, Olivia Rinaldi and Musadiq Bidar contributed reporting. Hollywood expects earnings bumps amid strikes These U.S. cities are adapting to effects of climate change Trump, DeSantis to share stage as candidates for first time Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is facing a growing chorus of criticism from Black conservatives over his states new education guidelines, which include the requirement that students be told about how Black people benefited from slavery. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who is Black, sparked an online feud with some of DeSantiss allies after he criticized that part of the guidelines. The Black Conservative Federation also condemned the policy, while Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is running against DeSantis for the GOP presidential nomination, responded by saying there is no silver lining in slavery. Slavery was really about separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating, he said. The backlash poses a challenge for DeSantis and his presidential campaign particularly in winning over Black voters in a general election if he does with the GOP nomination. If the only way Gov. DeSantis is able to garner attention from the masses is when he enrages the Black community, I dont see that as a winning strategy for his presidential campaign, Whitely Yates, director of diversity and engagement for the Indiana Republican State Committee, told The Hill. There are prominent Republicans, both Black and white, that see and take issue with the wording of this section and I think that they are well within their rights, she added. No one looks at other marginalized groups and genocides and attempts to pick out the silver lining in the genocide, the silver lining of the atrocity. Controversy surrounding Floridas education policies has been building since DeSantis signed the Stop WOKE Act into law last year. The legislation prohibits teachers from teaching anything that could make someone feel personal responsibility for historic wrongdoings because of their race, sex or national origin. Although that legislation received backlash mainly from Democrats, the provision about people benefitting from slavery has drawn bipartisan criticisms. Story continues Donalds has hedged his criticism, saying the standards overall are good, robust, & accurate. But he said the part of the guidelines that attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong & needs to be adjusted. That obviously wasnt the goal & I have faith that FLDOE will correct this, Donalds posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in a reference to Floridas Department of Education. Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for DeSantis, hit back at Donalds, saying he shouldnt swing for the liberal media fences like @VP. Congressional Black Caucus Chairman (CBC) Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) told reporters Thursday that while he and Donalds dont always see eye to eye on policies, his response to the guidelines should be acknowledged. I saw Rep. Donalds response, said Horsford. While I do not agree with a lot of his positions or his votes, on this issue of calling out the Governor and the board of education for standards that would in any way indicate that slavery was a benefit should be condoned. Donalds is not a member of the CBC. He has backed former President Donald Trump over DeSantis in the GOP primary. Still, Yates told The Hill alienating Floridas only Black GOP congressman was a mistake on the part of the DeSantis campaign. For the followers of DeSantis to then go and attack the one person who not only is in alignment with your views, but represents your state is distasteful, said Yates. And I think what hes going to find and figure out is that is definitely a negative strategy that will have further implications and a ripple effect. DeSantis and his team have generally taken a pugilistic attitude with the media and GOP rivals. Asked about Scotts remarks, he said the senator was siding with liberals. At the end of the day, you got to choose: Are you going to side with Kamala Harris and liberal media outlets or are you going to side with the state of Florida? DeSantis told reporters. I think its very clear that these guys did a good job on those standards. It wasnt anything that was politically motivated. The recent dustup comes as Scott has been seen as rising in the GOP primary contest, while DeSantis has been fighting off perceptions that his campaign is in trouble. Recent polls show Scott gaining on DeSantis. In recent Fox Business polls, Scott placed fourth at 10 percent among GOP primary voters in South Carolina, trailing DeSantis by 13 percent. In Iowa, Scott placed third at 11 percent among GOP caucusgoers, while DeSantis was in second at 16 percent. Shermichael Singleton, a conservative political strategist and former chief of staff at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, criticized the Florida governors handling of the criticism. This is just par for the course for a candidate who does not have an ability to connect with voters or message properly on the issues, Singleton told The Hill. It is exactly why he continues to suffer in the polls. I believe he will continue to suffer in the polls, and hes going to try to hang on as long as he can, but at some point, hes going to be running a vanity project. Singleton also argued that DeSantis doubling down on the policies could cause trouble in building more Black political support for the GOP in general. He puts the Republican Party in a very, very difficult position in terms of issues with race, said Singleton. The Black Conservative Federation, one of the leading Black conservative organizations in the country, in a Thursday statement also warned the new guidelines could make it harder for the GOP to build Black conservative power ahead of 2024. The Hill Elections 2024 coverage Positions and implementation of curriculum like this dismiss and misrepresent the experiences of marginalized communities, hinder progress, and will alienate potential supporters, the group said. In order to grow the party, the GOP must demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity, empathy, and an accurate understanding of our shared history. Yates said DeSantiss fall in the polls is telling, especially when Trump continues to lead despite a series of indictments. I think what were seeing is just the dissolution or the breakdown of the DeSantis campaign, and when looking at the totality of whos running for president on the Republican side, if you had to choose between a DeSantis and a Tim Scott, most people are probably going to go with the Tim Scott, specifically Black people, she said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to headline next month a barbecue billed as South Carolinas largest annual gathering of Republicans. This centerpiece appearance, in a state where success has historically been a catalyst for GOP presidential nominees, provides DeSantis with an opportunity to make his case in front of a large number of party activists, with whom former President Donald Trump, the GOP primary front-runner, remains popular. DeSantis will speak Aug. 28 at the Faith & Freedom BBQ in Anderson, event host Rep. Jeff Duncan told The Associated Press on Thursday. Ive had the privilege of knowing Ron for several years now, said Duncan, who represents South Carolinas 3rd Congressional District, adding that he and DeSantis were members of the House Freedom Caucus. In Florida, Ive admired his work to protect children, stand up to woke corporations, combat illegal immigration, and challenge the Biden administration. According to Duncans office, the casual event is the states largest annual gathering of Republicans, typically drawing more than 1,000 attendees. It features long rows of picnic tables, copious sweet tea and barbecue sides. ALSO READ: DeSantis to become 1st GOP candidate to file for South Carolina primary during visit next week The fundraiser, benefiting Duncans reelection campaign, has long been a showcase for possible White House contenders, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, then-Vice President Mike Pence, Sens. Ted Cruz, Joni Ernst and Marco Rubio, and former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, whos now part of the 2024 field. Sen. Tim Scott addressed the crowd last year as anticipation for his own eventual 2024 presidential bid began to build. The gathering will take place less than a week after Republicans first 2024 primary debate in Milwaukee. DeSantis and half a dozen other GOP candidates including Trump, Haley and Scott have said theyve qualified for the debate stage, although Trump has indicated he likely wont attend. Pence has yet to satisfy the requirement that participants have at least 40,000 unique donors. Story continues The barbecue also follows Trumps keynote earlier in August for the South Carolina Republican Partys Silver Elephant fundraiser, as well as entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamys appearance at the Dorchester County GOPs Faith, Family & Freedom Dinner. Duncan is one of the few Republicans in South Carolinas delegation not already aligned with a presidential candidate. Trump has secured the support of Reps. Joe Wilson, Russell Fry and William Timmons, along with Sen. Lindsey Graham. Haley has been endorsed by Rep. Ralph Norman. Rep. Nancy Mace hasnt yet endorsed for the primary. (WATCH BELOW: Florida Gov. DeSantis makes case to Tega Cay voters on why he should be next president) More than four decades since law enforcement found the remains of a young woman on the side of a Texas highway, her remains have been identified, Bastrop County Sheriff's Office announced at a news conference on Thursday. The woman was found in Elgin, Texas, when law enforcement was driving by. She was wearing a white shirt with red neck trim and dark blue jeans, according to DNA Solves, which helps crowdfund identification investigations. Her name was Kathy Ann Smith. She was just 22 years old, almost 23, at the time of her murder, the sheriff's office said. Investigators at the time had no leads on who she was or who killed her. In 1984, serial killer Henry Lee Lucas who confessed to killing hundreds of people, although only three were confirmed claimed responsibility for Smith's death. But local officials still didn't know the identity of the woman they had found. Lucas recanted some of his confessions, but didn't recant this particular case, the sheriff said at the news conference. "I know Henry Lee was capable of committing murder," said Bastrop County Sheriff Maurice Cook, but couldn't definitely say he was responsible for this particular crime. However, Lucas was listed in the investigation files, and still remains the only suspect, the sheriff said. The grave was exhumed in 2019 to collect DNA samples after Sergeant James Miller began examining the case, the sheriff's office said. There was not enough information to produce a DNA profile at that time. In 2022, another exhumation was conducted, the sheriff's office said, and enough DNA existed for a lab to identify the remains through forensic genealogy. The lab built a profile and provided law enforcement with a name in April 2023. "The problem was she was adopted," Cook said at the news conference. Law enforcement had to get court permission to get access to the adopted family's information so they could notify both families of what happened to the victim, before they notified the public. Story continues The sheriff's office worked the case "to give closure to the family," they said. Last week would have been Smith's 67th birthday, the sheriff's office. Smith left behind a daughter, who asked not to be identified, the sheriff's office said. "The daughter now knows what happened to her mother," Cook said. Hollywood expects earnings bumps amid strikes These U.S. cities are adapting to effects of climate change Trump, DeSantis to share stage as candidates for first time D. Smith never set out to be a filmmaker. For years, the Florida native enjoyed major success in the music business as a producer and songwriter, collaborating on projects with Lil Wayne, Katy Perry and other artists. All of that changed, however, when Smith came out as a transgender woman in 2014. Suddenly, she says, her opportunities in the recording studio ground to a halt, and she lost her home and her car as a result. Amidst that professional upheaval, however, Smith bought a camera and quietly began making plans for her latest project. Her new documentary, Kokomo City, offers a thoughtful and startlingly intimate look at the lives of four Black transgender sex workers Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell and Dominique Silver in New York and Georgia. The film, shot in stylish black-and-white, opened in theaters Friday after premiering at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January. I had no intentions on being the director of this film, but it worked out that way, Smith told HuffPost in an interview. I asked maybe five or six directors to do it. Im like: Hey, I got this great idea. You want it? Here you go. I saw it as clear as day. Everybody else saying no allowed me to be the director. Filmmaker D. Smith (second from left) with Filmmaker D. Smith (second from left) with "Kokomo City" stars Dominique Silver, Daniella Carter and Koko Da Doll. The music industrys rejection still weighed heavily on Smith as she began work on Kokomo City. That definitely not entitled approach, she said, helped her establish a jovial rapport with the sex workers in the film. I was in a really low place in my life, so I had this demeanor that they were helping me, and I wanted to help them as well by telling their stories, she said. I was very transparent about what the process of making this film was going to look like. Its not going to be glam. Theres no fancy lighting person, no hair and makeup. Its just me. And they were drawn to that. Story continues She went on to note: They were drawn to the fact that they didnt have to worry about the politics of being in the LGBTQ community or of being trans. Its very stressful, very taxing, actually. A lot of the rules and regulations that we have dehumanizes us. Still, Kokomo City is being released as violence against the transgender community is at an all-time high, and not surprisingly, the film finds its subjects sharing moments of trauma and tragedy. In one of the films opening scenes, Mitchell recalls spotting a loaded gun beside the bed of a client just as shes about to have sex with him. Liyah Mitchell in Liyah Mitchell in "Kokomo City." Sadly, that reality was emphasized when Koko Da Doll also known as Rasheeda Williams was fatally shot in April, just weeks after appearing at the films Sundance premiere. But Smith was adamant that Kokomo City depict Black trans sex workers as more than just victims and is quick to highlight the joy and occasional humor of her subjects private lives. She also interviews a number of trans-attracted men who have been involved with or, in some cases, had lengthy romantic relationships with the women. After its Sundance premiere, Kokomo City was warmly embraced by critics, who praised the films verite approach to an often-dehumanized subset of the LGBTQ+ community. The Washington Post called the film a meditation on masculinity, femininity, what constitutes pleasure, and the bitter price of personal and social denial, while The Hollywood Reporter praised Smith for stepping into relatively uncharted territory with grace and courage. Smith is, of course, heartened by the success of Kokomo City thus far. Ultimately, shes hopeful the film who help humanize a derided and much-overlooked subset of the LGBTQ+ community, too. Even as a trans woman, I was completely unaware of the things that sex workers and their clients go through, she said. All of that happens because people are not able to be who they are. Thats what it boils down to at the end of the day. And once you watch this film, you really dont want anything to happen to the girls. Watch the trailer for Kokomo City below. Related... Pedestrians cross at an intersection near the Stonewall Inn in New York, considered the site of the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Advocates fear backsliding on rights after a recent Supreme Court ruling. (Frank Franklin II / Associated Press) Forty-five years ago, Sue Englander went door knocking in San Francisco to tell anyone who would listen that she was a proud bisexual woman who supported LGBTQ+ rights. Other queer activists were fanning out across California to do the same as part of a 1978 campaign to defeat a ballot measure that would have made it illegal for gay men and lesbians and possibly their allies to teach in the state's public schools. The activists saw the measure as an attack on LGBTQ+ teachers and queer people's 1st Amendment right to free speech, so they used that same right to share their stories and shift public sentiment against the measure which voters ultimately rejected. "We were able to overcome, and stop in its tracks really, this attempt to silence not just teachers but the expression of support for LGBTQ rights," said Englander, now a 71-year-old history lecturer at San Francisco State University. Read more: Column: 'So exhausted.' She helped win an early gay rights fight but now sees the country moving backward It's a lesson that came back to Englander, she said, after the U.S. Supreme Court used the law in a very different way ruling that a Colorado wedding website designer with religious objections to same-sex nuptials had a 1st Amendment right to refuse service to queer couples. The high court's June 30 ruling in 303 Creative vs. Elenis was a clear blow to the LGBTQ+ rights movement, raising questions for queer people and other minorities about where they might be next denied service. But it was also a reminder to keep fighting, Englander said that the battle over queer rights is far from over, and every defeat can be challenged. "The Supreme Court does not necessarily have the last say," said Englander, still defiant. "Don't give up the ship." It's a message being echoed by queer rights activists, scholars, lawyers and litigants fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in courts all across the country. Story continues In the court's 303 Creative decision, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, wrote that public accommodations laws born out of the civil rights movement that mandate public businesses and facilities be open to everyone equally are justified. He also wrote that newer anti-discrimination laws aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ people and other minorities "have done much to secure the civil rights of all Americans." Nonetheless, Gorsuch concluded that wedding website designer Lorie Smith's work is sufficiently creative that it represents her speech, and that the 1st Amendment therefore protects her from being forced by Colorado to create websites in a way that violates her beliefs. "The 1st Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands," Gorsuch wrote. Some legal observers stressed that the ruling was limited applying only to businesses in which the work product itself is creative and might constitute speech and not to more general services such as those provided by restaurants, hotels and other public places. Read more: Supreme Court rules Christian web designer can turn away business related to same-sex weddings Still, many LGBTQ+ advocates and allies expressed concern that the ruling would be used by a host of business owners to justify denying services to queer people. In fact, such efforts are already underway. Take the pending federal case brought by a substitute teacher who claims he was let go by a Catholic high school for being gay. A lawyer for the school recently wrote a letter to the court arguing that, if the 1st Amendment protects Smith's decision to withhold business services from same-sex couples, it also "protects a church's decision about who is religiously qualified to fulfill the mission of a religious school." In Texas, a judge who came under a judicial investigation for refusing to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies sued the court overseers behind the probe. She alleged the requirement that she perform such ceremonies just as she does opposite-sex marriage ceremonies violates her religious beliefs. Her lawyer recently submitted a letter to the court arguing the 303 Creative decision bolsters her argument. People record the wedding of Andy Correa, center left, and Panchanit Wongsrila in San Francisco in June. Same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide in 2015. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) A wedding photographer who is suing the city of Louisville, Ky., over its anti-discrimination law, alleging she shouldn't have to photograph same-sex weddings, has cited the 303 Creative decision in her case too. Combined with a massive wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being put forward in conservative statehouses in recent years, the high court's ruling in 303 Creative and the more recent efforts to swiftly expand its scope have caused resentment, anger, frustration and fear in the queer community. But those in the thick of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights say such feelings though legitimate shouldn't lead people to give up on the fight for queer rights, or on the role the American legal system has to play in bolstering the demands of protesters and organizers. Because, they said, that same legal system has laid the foundation for queer rights for decades. LGBTQ+ rights have never been a foregone conclusion in this country. Instead, they note, those rights are the product of persistence and resolve among queer activists and their allies even in the face of powerful opposition, especially in the face of setbacks, often in a court of law. Modern wins for the LGBTQ+ community, such as the Supreme Court's 2015 decision upholding a right to marry for all, are built on more than half a century of legal victories won by queer people. And those wins form a strong legal foundation for LGBTQ+ rights upon which modern victories are continuing, said Kara Ingelhart, a senior attorney with Lambda Legal, one of the nation's most prominent LGBTQ+ legal advocacy organizations. Gorsuch also authored a ruling in 2020 that federal law prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It was considered a major victory for the LGBTQ+ community. Read more: Landmark civil rights law extends to LGBTQ employees, Supreme Court rules A federal judge recently tossed as unconstitutional a Tennessee ban on drag performances in public. Courts in several states have rejected broad bans on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, though an appellate court recently stayed an injunction on such a law in Tennessee allowing it to be enforced as the legal fight over it continues. "It's a tough time," Ingelhart said. "But we have been making strides." Carlos A. Ball, a Rutgers University law professor and author of "The First Amendment and LGBT Equality: A Contentious History," said the law has long been a tool for freedom in the queer community. "Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, before any courts recognized that LGBTQ people had rights to privacy and equality, some courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, recognized that gay men and lesbians had basic free speech rights that allowed them, for example, to publish magazines, advocate for policy reforms, and meet in public places," Ball said. Queer people exercising their free speech rights "made the LGBTQ movement's later successes, including on marriage equality, possible," he said. Ball said the Supreme Court's 303 Creative decision was a "radical departure" from legal precedent. "Before [the decision], there was a well-established distinction in constitutional law," he said, between what people who disagree with anti-discrimination laws can say about the laws and queer people and how they must treat customers when they open a business serving the general public. "That distinction has now been eviscerated, to the detriment of equality rights and the enforcement of civil rights laws." Still, the 1st Amendment remains "a crucial source of protections for LGBTQ people," Ball said. Jim Obergefell was the lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case that established a right to marry for same-sex couples nationwide in 2015. In the 303 Creative case, Smith derided the marriage equality decision as driving America "away from Gods design for marriage." Obergefell called the 303 Creative decision a disgrace. He said it gives religious bigots a right to discriminate against other people under "the guise of freedom of speech," which those same people will seek to exploit further. Read more: Pride as resistance: LGBTQ+ people struggle against right-wing war on their legal rights "People who are opposed to the queer community and who are opposed to us enjoying any sort of equality are going to take this decision and run with it," Obergefell said. Obergefell said he sees the 303 Creative ruling as a betrayal by the court because marriage equality no longer truly exists if queer couples planning their weddings can be turned away by businesses such as Smith's that are otherwise open to the public. "I especially think about same-sex couples in rural areas," Obergefell said. "Maybe there is only one bakery [in their town]. Maybe there is only one photographer. Maybe there is only one provider for whatever service, you name it." Though his name is attached to one of the greatest LGBTQ+ legal victories in American history, Obergefell said he worries about how the legal system will be used moving forward by the current conservative Supreme Court, which he believes is bent on reversing queer rights. Supporters of LGBTQ+ rights stage a protest on the street in front of the Supreme Court in 2019. A June decision has LGBTQ+ rights advocates nervous. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press) He urged LGBTQ+ people to defy the conservative right's "determination to push us back into the closet, to take back every bit of progress we have made as a country on LGBTQ+ rights and civil rights." Ingelhart, with Lambda Legal, said she appreciated Obergefell's candor about the threats and his call to action. Lawyers like her are fighting to build on decades of LGBTQ+ legal wins and hold the line against challenges to those rights including any new ones that arise out of 303 Creative but they can't do it alone. "I just hope people stand up together and speak up for each other and support our movement," Ingelhart said. "It takes support from everybody for us to be able to do it." Groups such as Lambda Legal are litigating a vast array of queer rights issues from cases challenging gender-affirming care bans to one challenging the long ban on people living with HIV serving in the military. Every LGBTQ+ rights case is important, because each victory bolsters the baseline argument that American law protects the rights of queer people, Ingelhart said. "It's important that in general people understand that LGBTQ people should be protected and that the law will be on their side," Ingelhart said. "That's why we're in the courts, so that there is pushback, so that everybody is on notice that the entire community should be protected." Read more: At center of Supreme Court gay marriage case, a story of love amid crippling disease Englander, in San Francisco, noted that in her lifetime, LGBTQ+ activists have managed to make astounding gains, shifting public sentiment on queer identity so profoundly that things that were once unthinkable such as same-sex marriage are now the law of the land. And yet, in the last few years, that progress has seemed increasingly vulnerable. Millennials who came up in a world of increasing acceptance of LGBTQ+ people are seeing the trend shift, seemingly in the opposite direction, for the first time. Younger Americans are confronting a new level of animosity toward queer people. Englander said that, for people in her generation, it all looks familiar. It was extremely disheartening when the 303 Creative decision came down, she said, and the "devil" on her shoulder her internal voice of pessimism piped up fast. "Dammit, I did this 50 years ago," it said, of fighting such clear-cut anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. Almost as quickly, though, came the angel on her other shoulder, Englander said. "Yeah, well, you know what? You just have to keep winning the same rights," it said. "Over and over again." Sign up for Essential California, your daily guide to news, views and life in the Golden State. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The German Foreign Ministry has reported that dozens of Germans have left to fight in the war in Ukraine since February 2022. Source: Welt am Sonntag with reference to the German Foreign Ministry, as reported by European Pravda Details: In total, German security authorities recorded 61 persons "who have connections with extremism or politically motivated crimes" leaving the country. A total of 39 people are reported to have left Germany "intending to participate in hostilities", including 27 pro-Russian and 12 pro-Ukrainian soldiers. The authorities have information confirming that the vast majority of these extremists took part in hostilities. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, this number includes both right-wing and left-wing extremists. The actual number of German volunteers fighting in Ukraine is greater. German authorities, however, only collect information on individuals associated with extremism. In addition, there are many ex-soldiers in the Ukrainian army who joined the International Legion. Some of those soldiers previously trained in the Bundeswehr. The spokesperson of the German Federal Ministry of Justice said that in general, participation in hostilities in Ukraine is not punished by law "as long as they do not act as mercenaries, but as members of the regular armed forces or equivalent volunteer corps and militias". However, this does not protect anyone against investigation of possible war crimes. The federal prosecutor did not want to comment on whether there will be appropriate proceedings against the extremists who left the country. Roderich Kiesewetter, Foreign Policy Expert from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Panel, has criticised the prosecutors' reluctance. "People or extremists who voluntarily join the Russian Armed Forces or terrorist groups to take part in the war in Ukraine should be prosecuted upon their return to Germany," he said. As we can assume that these militants "systematically participated in war crimes and crimes against human rights". Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! EAST JORDAN The Bright Lights girls youth group of East Jordan will host My Sister's Closet, a morning of refreshments, fellowship and free shopping from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Aug. 5. (From left) Victoria VanHorn, Isabella VanHorn, Madelyn Fagundo and Hannah Wyman help load up donations from a local garage sale. The event will be held at Lighthouse Missionary Church, 7824 Rogers Road in East Jordan. Their goal is to provide ladies of all ages with free, modest, gently-used clothing and apparel that works for them. "During the month of July, we are accepting donations of clothing and apparel for all seasons, from girls size 6 through all women's sizes," said the Bright Lights members. (From left) Laura Busick, Violet Fagundo and Victoria VanHorn pack donations for storage. Apparel could include pants, shorts, shirts, sweaters, dresses, skirts, shoes, purses, outerwear, pajamas, belts or accessories. Donations can be dropped off at East Jordan Community Church on Sundays and at Lighthouse Missionary Church or St. Joseph's Catholic Church in East Jordan any day of the week. No donations are required to come and shop. This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: East Jordan girls youth group hosts My Sister's Closet clothing giveaway The El Paso County Law Enforcement Memorial Wall was unveiled Aug. 2, 2016. The names on the wall include Sheriff's Office deputies, county constables, and policemen. The dates for the officers range from 1895 to 2019. At the time of the unveiling, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office was represented on the wall by eight names, dating back to 1913. The name of slain El Paso County Sheriff's Deputy Peter Herrera was added to the wall in May 2019. Herrera was mortally wounded when he was shot several times during a graveyard-shift traffic stop on March 22, 2019, in San Elizario. He died at a hospital two days later. Herrera, 35, was an 11-year veteran with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. He was a deputy for more than five years after first working as a detention officer. He and his wife, Ashley, were married in November 2018. More: El Paso Deputy Peter Herrera final words revealed in capital murder trial The El Paso County Sheriff's Office held its annual memorial Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at its headquarters in east El Paso. Deputy Peter Herreras name was added to the County Law Enforcement Memorial this year after he was shot and killed during a traffic stop in San Elizario. Herrera's father, Luis Herrera, and widow, Ashley Herrera, react after unveiling his name. During the addition of Hererra's name to the memorial, a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter did a fly-over and the Sheriff's Office SWAT Rifle Team did a 21-gun salute. Facundo Chavez and his girlfriend, Arlene Pina, were charged in connection with the deputys death. Pina was originally charged with capital murder. However, the charge was reduced to manslaughter. She was sentenced to 15 years in state prison. The trial of Chavez, who faces one count of capital murder of a peace officer, began Tuesday, July. Following is a list of officers on the memorial wall: El Paso County Sheriff's Office Detention Officer Cesar Arreola 2009 Detention Officer Cesar Arreola, 37 died Jan. 18, 2009, after falling ill during tryouts for the Sheriff's Office Special Response Team. At about 9 a.m., while he was participating in the tryouts, Arreola began feeling shortness of breath and feeling lightheaded after completing the assessment. Medical staff on site began treating him and he was later transported to Sierra-Providence East. He died about 5 a.m. the next day. Story continues Sgt. Ruben Orozco Sr. 2005 Sgt. Ruben Orozco Sr., 51, died Sept. 17, 2005, when his patrol car was struck by an airborne wheel on Interstate 10, near the Trowbridge Drive exit, after working an assignment at Sun Bowl Stadium. He was memorialized October 2006 during a dedication ceremony at the Sheriff's Region 8 Training Academy when El Paso County Sheriff Leo Samaniego, deputies of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, friends and family gathered at the training academy to dedicate the Sgt. Ruben Orozco Memorial Field and Track to him. Gov. Rick Perry posthumously awarded Orozco the 2006 Star of Texas Award. Texas legislators in 2003 approved the award to honor first responders seriously injured or killed on duty. Deputy Lonnie "Pat" Slape 1968 Deputy Lonnie "Pat" Slape, 32, died in Hotel Dieu Hospital on March 11, 1968. About 12:15 p.m., his patrol car was struck by a Southern Pacific freight train in Fabens. The force of the impact ripped the patrol car in two, flipping the main portion of the wreckage about 54 feet, with the chassis and other debris being thrown nearly 140 feet, coming to rest on a sidewalk. Carl Lovett, the engineer of the train, said he had no way of avoiding the collision and that the patrol car drove directly in front of the locomotive. Slape apparently did not see the train. A Department of Public Safety spokesman said Slape's view of the approaching train was "cut off by a building adjacent to the tracks on the east side of the roadway." Deputy John R. Cramer 1940 Deputy John R. Cramer, 55, was found dead in his car, from a bullet wound and three slashes across the abdomen. Cramer was found in his car a mile west of Clint, on April 26, 1940. About 2:30 p.m. Cramer arrested Rosalio Ontiveros on a complaint that he had abused Adella Frederico. Cramer was holding Ontiveros until he could contact Justice of the Peace C.B. Palm of Clint to file a charge. Witnesses said that Ontiveros was in the front passenger seat. Less than five hours later, Ontiveros was shot to death. Officers trailed him 20 miles through the desert northeast of Clint, finally overtaking him, shooting him seven times. Deputy Sheriff Harry Wiley announced: "The case is closed. We know now why Cramer arrested Ontiveros, and why Ontiveros killed Cramer. Ontiveros didn't want to face the kind of charge that Cramer was going to file." Deputy V.O. White 1934 Deputy V.O. White, 38, died Aug. 28, 1934, on the same floor of the Masonic hospital where his wife was recovering from the birth of their 4-day-old daughter, Willie Mae. White visited with his newborn daughter for a few minutes after her birth on Aug. 26 before "hurrying down the valley on his motorcycle to tell his friends he was a father." White and County Highway Officer O.B. Pearce noticed a speeding automobile swerving from side to side. The two gave chase and caught up to the car as it swerved to miss another car. White was unable to clear the two vehicles and was thrown from his motorcycle. White had cuts on his head and shoulders, a fractured right leg and internal injuries. Capt. Allan G. Falby arrested the driver of the car, Robert Seegrave, a few minutes later. Seegrave was one of White's closest friends. White was rushed to the Masonic hospital where, in a semiconscious state, he called the baby's name and asked for his wife. Mrs. White was in no condition to be taken to his room. She became hysterical when told of her husband's death. Deputy Shafter H. Wheeler 1933 Deputy Shafter H. Wheeler, 31, was shot and killed Nov. 5, 1933, after responding to a call of a man with a gun at Dalton's cafe. Wheeler entered the cafe, followed by John Moore. Moore pointed to W.H. Jenes without saying a word. Wheeler walked around in front of Jenes, who was sitting at the counter with his hand holding a pistol. Moore later related that Wheeler asked, "Do you have a gun?" "You're _ _ right I've got a gun," Jenes was quoted as saying. There was a loud report and a blaze of fire, witnesses said. Wheeler turned and fell to the floor. The bullet struck him in the left temple, a little above and in front of the ear. Jenes then put the gun in his pocket and walked over to the La Tuna Gin, where a Methodist Sunday school class was meeting. He brandished the gun and terrorized half a dozen women, telling them they would have to leave. Mrs. A.T. Coe tapped Jenes on the shoulder and demanded that he lay down his gun, which he did. The Sunday school superintendent, Edwin Selby, took the gun and ran out of the building. A few minutes later, four officers from El Paso arrived. When they attempted to arrest Jenes, he drew a knife. After a struggle, Jenes was handcuffed. Deputy Robert Alexander Trice 1931 Robert Alexander Trice, 54, a night watchman and a deputy sheriff in Clint, was shot and killed between 2:15 and 2:30 a.m. Nov. 19, 1931, in front of Dalton & Jones store. It was thought that he surprised burglars while they were attempting to break into the store. Trice was shot three times at close range, with one bullet entering his chest, a second his forehead, and a third glancing off his forehead. Powder burns on the sidewalk indicate that the third shot was fired while Trice was down and at close range. Fingerprints taken at the scene were "remarkably similar" to those of Galdino Godoy, held in the Juarez jail on a charge of robbery in the United States. Godoy and two companions, Jose Gonzalez and Pedro Ruiz, were arrested by Juarez police when El Paso officers asked them to assist in the search for Trice's murderers. Gregorio Ortega, sought as one of the men who killed Trice, was killed in a battle with border officers at San Elizario on June 20, 1932. Deputy William Henry Garlick 1913 Deputy William Henry Garlick and Ranger Scott Russell were killed shortly before 3 p.m. June 23, 1913. The pair entered the Eje del Barrio Libre grocery in Smeltertown, owned by the Guaderrama family, to purchase tobacco. Shortly after entering the store, Garlick and Russell were attacked, shot and killed. Revenge was believed to be the motive. The two officers had arrested Sabino Guaderrama the previous week on a charge of cattle rustling. According to the statement of a Mexican woman who had just left the store prior to the shooting, the officers asked for tobacco when they entered. The woman left the store and the shooting started. There were no eyewitnesses to the crime except those who were implicated. Five members of the Guaderrama family were tried for the murders. The jury deadlocked on Jan. 22, 1914. When the second trial was called in the 34th District Court in June 1915, the state was represented by W.W. Bridgers and Hudspeth & Dale, as special counsel, appointed by the governor. The defendants were represented by Mayor Tom Lea and J.A. Gillet. Lea had participated in the first trial and felt "duty bound to carry out his agreement to defend the men. On June 17, 1915, Juan Guaderrama was found guilty of murder in the second degree and given five years in the state prison. Jesus and David Guaderrama were found not guilty and were released. El Paso County Constables Constable Robert Parker White 2014 El PasoTimes edition from Nov. 2, 2014, reported White, who was constable for Precinct 1, died in a fight while working security detail in Canutillo during a Halloween event. White was punched in the face and then fell to the ground; he was not responding and "bleeding profusely. White was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The investigation revealed White and 19-year-old Devon Huerta-Person were involved in a fight. Huerta-Person was arrested on suspicion of capital murder and was booked into El Paso County Jail on a $5 million bond. After two mistrials, state prosecutors filed a motion in May 2018, to dismiss the aggravated assault charge against Huerta-Person. Constable Samuel J. Stepp 1920. From the Times, Jan 2, 1920, Before nightfall, another El Paso county peace officer likely will have made the supreme sacrifice for performing his duties because of being shot by a man he was attempting to arrest. No hope is held for the recovery of Sam Stepp, constable of the Smelter precinct, who was wounded with two bullets in the abdomen and one in the right wrist, from an army automatic in the hands of R.C. Crie, a soldier he shot to death. One of the shots knocked the hand grips off Constable Stepps gun. With his gun in this condition and his wrist broken, he fired the shot that penetrated Cries heart. When the constable reached the hospital, he was still conscious. He walked to the operating table, called for his wife, and told her he would get well. Death claimed Stepp at 7 p.m. Friday at Providence Hospital. George R. Gaddy, of the Nineteenth Infantry, who was charged with murder in connection with the killing of Stepp, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to serve 20 years in the penitentiary. Constable Carlos C. Carpio 1910 On Dec. 12, 1910, Francisco Apodaca and Gabriel Padillo who were charged with the murder of Constable Carlos Carpio, of Socorro, had a hearing before Justice McClintock. The evidence introduced by the state showed that on the night of Dec. 1 there was a big dance at Socorro, and everybody was drinking some; during the progress of the dance, a young man who had fallen down in the yard and cut his hand entered the ballroom and took a seat; that Constable Carpio notice the bleeding hand and quit dancing and walked over to the young man to ask the cause of his injury. Francisco Apodaca, Gabriel Padillo, and several of their friends resented the officers inquiry into the cause of the bleeding hand. Witnesses saw one man grasp the officer around the waist from behind while Apodaca was trying to take the officers pistol. There was a shot fired and Apodaca ran to the other side of the room with a pistol in his hand, which he refused to surrender until the town marshal took it from him. Though the wounded constable lived some days, he never could tell his wife who shot him. Carlos Carpio was elected constable last month and had assumed the duties of his office the day before he was shot. Constable Gus Krempkau 1881 In a Sept. 16, 1985, article by R.M. Moore about El Paso prior to 1881 the following mention on the subhead Law and Order recalled the murder of Krempkau: A new set of policemen had been appointed and sworn in April 15, I believe, under the new marshal, named (Dallas) Stoudemire. The outs were under the lead of a man by the name of Campbell, George, as I remember. Then there was another fierce fellow named Gilgerson, or a name like that. Sometime in the night of the 12 th two men had been killed a short distance above the old Mrs. Roman adobe hotel, and the marshal had sent two policemen, one of whom was Gus Krempkau, a San Antonio boy, to bring in the dead men. Campbell and one of his outs met Krempkau and fellow policeman about the middle of El Paso street, where San Antonio street joins it. I was sitting with a railroad man on the south side about a quarter of the block from the junction of the two streets as described above. Then the two parties met, Campbell said to Krempau: Cus, I didnt expect this of you; taking service under the new marshal. Krempkau replied: George, Ill see you directly. Campbell replied: No, you dont, and shot Krempkau dead. The marshal, quick as a flash, shot Campbell and his supporter dead, and one other. And, in scarcely no time, there lay at the junction of those two streets four dead men. Anthony Police Department Officer Ernesto Rascon 1976 On June 27, 1976, Officer Ernesto Rason was investigating a burglary and pursued the suspect. In a scuffle, the suspect took Rascons gun and shot him twice. According to Anthony Mayor Adrian Baca, Rascon was patrolling the streets and stopped his car when he saw a man trying to break into a home at about 7:40 p.m. and when he tried to apprehend him, the suspect fled. Rascon caught up to the man, they scuffled, and the man pulled the officers gun and shot him twice. When the Anthony police dispatcher got no response from Rascon, on a routine check, a second car was sent. Officer Demetrio Cuellar found Rascon lying on the ground beside his blood-spattered car. He called an ambulance. Officer Rascon was unconscious when the ambulance took him to Providence Memorial Hospital, where he died at 8:50 p.m. In March 1977, Theodore Mapula, 27, was placed on five years probation after being found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Rascon. A jury of six men and six women deliberated for 14 hours before reaching its manslaughter verdict but took less than an hour to assess probation as the punishment. Dist. Atty. Steve Simmons, who prosecuted Mapula on a capital murder indictment, had asked the maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter: 20 years in the state penitentiary. Earlier, he had sought the death penalty for murder. San Elizario Police Officer Dionisio Soto 1895 Sept. 29, 1895, the Times reported that unknown parties at San Elizario assaulted Policeman Dionicio Soto of that town and beat him into insensibility. The officer was in a very critical condition yesterday morning and was not expected t live. Deputy Sheriff Garcia has arrested several men living on the island on suspicion. Friday was the anniversary of San Elizario, the patron saint of that town and the people celebrated until Saturday morning, and among the celebrators were several tough characters from the island. Two men were tried in the death of Soto. 31 Oct. 1895, The case of the state vs. Jose Sierra, charged with murdering Soto was called in the district court. Considerable trouble was experienced in securing a jury, as many disqualified by stating they entertained conscientious scruples against the enforcement of the death penalty, while others said they had, from what they had read in the papers, formed opinions which would influence them in finding a verdict. As no paper in El Paso ever attempted to give any particulars relative to the killing of the San Elizario officer, the jurors probably formed their opinions from something the read in a San Elizario paper. The following day the jury returned a verdict of guilt and assessed Jose Sierras punishment at five years in the penitentiary. Nov. 10, 1895, In the district court in the case of the state vs. Severo Cordero, charged with murdering Officer De Soto of San Elizario, resulted in a conviction. The jury assessed Corderos punishment at ten years in the penitentiary. Trish Long may be reached at tlong@elpasotimes.com or 915-546-6179. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso County sheriff's Deputy Peter Herrera was added to the wall in 2019 (Reuters) - Ukraine's energy minister, reflecting on Saturday on what he has portrayed as the largest repairs campaign to a power system in modern history, expressed confidence the country could meet its generation needs during the cold months. Asked in a televised interview whether the country would be able to meet its goal of providing 1.7 gigawatts of generation capacity by the heating season, German Galushchenko said, "We will manage to do it." He said he could not give details now but that the country was adding power in ways it had never done before. "I am very confident that the symbiosis of all actions will lead to the fact that we will be able to reliably ensure supplies during the heating season." Missile and drone attacks on energy infrastructure following Russia's full-scale invasion last year caused sweeping blackouts and water outages for millions of Ukrainians during the winter. Galushchenko said that while the scale of any new Russian attacks were hard to predict, Ukraine would be able to carry out repairs. (Reporting by Nick Starkov in Kyiv and Elaine Monaghan in Washington; Writing by Elaine Monaghan; Editing by Alistair Bell) A wall-size image at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum that shows Jewish prisoners marching. The Nazis killed prisoners during these marches. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez Over seventy-five years ago, the world started to see the horrors of Nazi concentration camps. Shot by photographers Lee Miller, George Rodger and others, and published in Time, the Daily Mirror and other outlets, these pictures showed gaunt figures greeting Allied soldiers, and corpses piled alongside concentration camp buildings. They presented guards killed by liberators or former prisoners and civilians forced to view the horrors committed in their name. Critics have argued that regular viewing of these photographs risks further dehumanizing their subjects. Although it is important to engage with such worries, as a scholar of mass atrocity I believe they are misplaced. To engage thoughtfully with reports of atrocities happening today, one must look at photos of past crimes. Influence at Nuremberg and the UN Immediately after World War II, Holocaust photographs helped bring perpetrators to justice. At the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and other trials, photographs and films from Nazi leaders own collections were used as evidence against officials accused of war crimes. For example, it was a photograph that led to the death sentence for Corporal Josef Bloesche, a member of the Nazi party. In the photograph, Bloesche, holding a machine gun, is seen standing alongside a young boy who is surrendering with his hands raised following the 1943 Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland. Although its initial judicial use is largely forgotten, this photograph of the Warsaw Ghetto Boy remains among the most iconic of all photos of Nazi crimes. The photograph of Warsaw Ghetto Boy. AP Photo/B.I. Sanders Holocaust photos also influenced the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the foundational human rights document first published in 1948. The preamble to that text, which shapes many aspects of international and domestic politics, mentions barbarous acts that have outraged the conscience of mankind. Historian Sharon Sliwinski, commenting on the widespread publication of photos from the camps at this time, claims that the Declaration as a whole reads as an anxious response to the encounter with the visual representation of the Nazi atrocities. Story continues In the decades since the Universal Declaration, photographs of other human rights violations have become iconic. But images of the Holocaust significantly shaped the representation of those subsequent atrocities. Scenes of dead civilians stacked haphazardly after the My Lai massacre in Vietnam clearly echo the iconography of bodies piled at the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen in Germany. A picture of emaciated Muslim prisoners in Bosnia, starved by the Serbs, that ran in Time during the 1990s Balkan Wars caused Margaret Thatcher to remark, I never thought Id see another holocaust in my life. Restricting images? Despite this history, arguments that circulation of Holocaust images should be restricted persist. Some of these critics claim that any photograph staged or shot by perpetrators cannot be viewed without further dehumanizing the subject. Others who work in schools and museum contexts observe that Holocaust photos are usually displayed without proper provenance or attribution. Perhaps the sternest critique, advanced by scholar Barbie Zelizer in her 1998 book Remembering to Forget, holds that familiarity with Holocaust photos actually makes it easier to ignore contemporary scenes of suffering. Arguments for restricting images have already achieved some partial successes. In 2009, Germanys Constitutional Court upheld a lower courts ruling that animal rights activists could not use Holocaust photographs in a visual campaign against animal cruelty. The case against the activists turned largely on the claim that displaying such photos in this context would violate the dignity of their subjects. Similar reasoning underlies criticisms scholars and journalists have lodged against the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Shortly after the museum opened in 1993, reporter Philip Gourevitch compared the archival footage presented in the Museums permanent exhibition to peepshow[s] and snuff films. A 2013 exhibition at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster Historian Omer Bartov, writing around the same time, accepted the haunting power of this footage, but he too worried about the distancing which this massive exposure to dehumanized victims might cause. Ultimately, Bartov found that the presence of pictures of Jewish life before the years of destruction elevated the museums exhibition above other presentations of Holocaust imagery. Inhumanity and human suffering My research on the visual culture of mass atrocity finds that Holocaust photographs are valuable because they emphasize our common humanity, against all odds. For example, propaganda material in Hitlers Germany which included cartoons, posters, drawings, etchings, childrens books and other visual work portrayed Jews so they appeared menacing, with fangs, claws and fiery eyes. All this material made the targets of genocide appear close to, but less than, human. Photographs from the camps and ghettos provide a very different perspective from such ghastly caricatures. In looking at them, people see the bodies of Holocaust victims, their expressions and gestures, as well as their possessions, their embraces and injuries. By drawing on a historical iconography of suffering, media theorist Marta Zarzycka observes, these photographs convey the unimaginable to the outside world in a knowable form. In these photographs, people are able to recognize their subjects as real human beings subjected to inhuman suffering. The ethics of reproduction This is not to say all reproductions or uses of photographs from the camps and ghettos are appropriate. The German Constitutional Court case offers one example of contested usage by animal rights activists. In this case, the rhetorical power of archival photos was outweighed by respect for their subjects. Israeli-German artist Shahak Shapiras Yolocaust project provides another example of contested reuse of Holocaust imagery. In this 2017 project, Shapira sought to draw attention to visitors taking selfies at Holocaust sites in a variety of poses and posting them with emojis. Using these selfies uploaded by the visitors, the artist replaced the backgrounds to these images with historical images of victims of the Holocaust. In hovering over the images on a website he created, viewers saw the background of the site or memorial replaced by bodies and corpses. The reaction was swift; many people found the message about disrespectful selfie-takers to be powerful. I felt like people needed to know what they were actually doing, or how others might interpret what they were doing, Shapira remarked in an interview with the BBC in January 2017. [Ethics, faith, politics and culture together, in This Week in Religion.] Indeed, museums and other institutions that teach about the Holocaust bear particular responsibility for using historical photographs appropriately. This means displaying photographs with the same care given to other museum artifacts, rather than merely using them to fill out exhibits. It also means giving viewers the information needed to understand exactly what they are seeing. For all the problems involved in exhibiting Holocaust photographs, choosing not to look at such images is not the best answer. These photos expose inhumanity, its true. But they do so by displaying our shared humanity. 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: Paul Morrow, University of Dayton. Read more: Paul Morrow has previously received funding from the Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Former Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith accepted a plea offer made by state prosecutors in an embezzlement case alleging he misused drug and forfeiture funds in his former office, according to court records. Smith has a pretrial conference Tuesday before Oakland County Circuit Judge Nanci Grant, who was assigned the case after all the Macomb County Circuit judges recused themselves. A written plea agreement, mirroring one read into the record during a hearing in June, was filed with the Macomb County Circuit Court on Wednesday, the date set for Smith to accept or reject the offer. The court documents indicate the agreement was signed Tuesday by Smith and his attorney. The papers also are signed by the lead state assistant attorney general on the case. Former Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith The plea agreement has to be accepted by the court. Charges to which Smith agreed to plead guilty Smith, 56, is accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars for personal and unauthorized business expenses over many years in office. He pleaded guilty to an unrelated federal charge and served seven months in prison in that case. The plea agreement filed with the Macomb County Circuit Court states Smith will plead guilty to one count of official misconduct in office, a five-year felony; tampering with evidence, a four-year felony, and conspiracy to commit forgery of a false receipt, a 14-year felony. Smith will acknowledge "that he acted with corrupt intent ... in the exercise of his office while the elected Macomb County prosecutor, including by misusing public funds, that his acts were wrongful and malfeasance," per the agreement. More: Macomb County's culture of corruption: 'It's how it's always been' The date of the first act that resulted in the charge is March 24, 2014, six years prior to the filing of the complaint, per the agreement, and states that Smith "so acted on other dates thereafter." The sentence agreement Per the agreement, a restitution order will be entered by the court at sentencing in the amount of $25,000 in favor of the prosecutor's office drug and OWI forfeiture accounts. Story continues "The parties agree that Defendant Smith will be sentenced to incarceration in county jail for 12 months. This term of incarceration will be served concurrently with the term Defendant Smith was and is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons" imposed in his federal case. The court will set any and all other terms of Smith's sentence, per the agreement, and the parties agree if the plea is accepted by the court and after sentencing, prosecutors will dismiss seven other charges against Smith. Smith, a Democrat, resigned from his position as the longtime prosecutor on March 30, 2020, less than a week after he was charged in the state embezzlement probe. He has been disbarred, according to a prior notice on the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board. Three others, including two former assistant prosecutors, are awaiting sentencing for their roles in the state embezzlement probe involving Smith. More: Former Macomb chief assistant prosecutor pleads guilty to misdemeanors More: Former Macomb treasurer Derek Miller pleads guilty in embezzlement case Smith was released from federal prison in February after being sentenced for stealing money from his campaign fund in the unrelated federal case. He pleaded guilty in federal court in January 2021 after being accused of stealing just under $75,000 from his campaign fund from 2012 to 2019. He was sentenced Feb. 16, 2022, to 21 months in federal prison. He reported to federal prison in June of last year and was released early after serving nearly seven months. 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: Ex-Macomb prosecutor accepts plea offer in embezzlement case, per court records NEW YORK (AP) Former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri is joining No Labels ' increasingly contentious effort to lay the groundwork for a moderate third-party presidential ticket in the 2024 election. He gives the embattled organization another prominent ally amid escalating concerns from Democratic officials that the No Labels campaign could unintentionally help Republican Donald Trump return to the White House. Nixon, a 67-year-old lawyer, is stepping back into national politics for the first time since leaving office in 2017 and will serve as No Labels' director of ballot integrity. He said in an interview that he was drawn to the role after learning that well-funded groups aligned with Democrats were working to stop No Labels from securing ballot access in key states. He said that those seeking to block the group's right to appear on the presidential ballot are attacking a pillar of American democracy. What do I say to those Democrats? I say, Youre entitled to your opinion. But we are also entitled to use our constitutional and statutory rights to allow Americans to have another choice," Nixon told The Associated Press. President Joe Biden and Trump have dominated the 2024 campaign conversation so far. But No Labels, a Washington-based group that promotes compromise, national unity and centrist policy solutions, has been preparing for the strongest third-party presidential bid at least since Texas businessman Ross Perot earned nearly 19% of the popular vote in 1992. Working with an operating budget of roughly $70 million, No Labels is taking steps to secure presidential ballot spots in roughly 20 states this year; the group has done so already in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Oregon and Utah. While No Labels has yet to nominate candidates for president and vice president, its leadership insists there is a path to victory for a centrist third-party ticket if the two parties select unreasonably divisive presidential nominees." Story continues The group's critics across the Democratic Party are terrified that No Labels will siphon votes that would otherwise go to Biden, who narrowly beat Trump in 2020 with a coalition that included moderate Democrats, independents and disaffected Republicans. No Labels' leadership has promised a series of checks and balances that would allow the organization to withdraw its presidential ticket if it appears the group's participation would help Trump win. No Labels has not outlined a detailed plan about that, and leaders acknowledge privately there is some urgency to come out with their specific safeguards, which would vary state by state. They intend to do so by early fall. Anxious Democrats are unconvinced. On Thursday, two prominent Democratic groups, the centrist Third Way and more progressive MoveOn, hosted private meetings on Capitol Hill with dozens of chiefs of staff and senior aides to House and Senate Democrats to emphasize the need to stop No Labels presidential ambitions. In a nod to the seriousness of the Democratic establishment's concerns, the meetings were held in both the House and Senate Democrats campaign headquarters. We told them what we have been saying consistently now for a long time: This is dangerous, said Third Way co-founder Matt Bennett, who helped lead the briefing along with MoveOns executive director, Rahna Epting. The organizers detailed data showing that a No Labels ticket would undercut Biden in the general election and warned that it could handicap vulnerable House and Senate candidates is tight elections. They also questioned that No Labels' promise to withdraw its ticket if necessary to stop Trump. No Labels' leaders are furious. "They are telling the elected leaders of this country right now that our ballot is a runaway train. And that is categorically false. That is propaganda. And that is why were bringing on a director of ballot integrity to stop it because its outrageous, said No Labels' founder Nancy Jacobson, a former Democratic fundraiser. For now, Democrats are not willing to take Jacobson's word for it. I dont want to be doing this. Id much rather focus on other things. I am concerned, genuinely," Epting said. Theyre in over their head. They have not given any assurances that theyre clear and sober in their analysis. And when they talk about being able to put the horse back in the barn, they are not consistent about when or how theyre going to do that. Theyre just saying, Trust us, Epting said. We cant. We dont know you. And the stakes are too high. Meanwhile, Nixon joins a growing roster of former elected officials in both parties now affiliated with No Labels. Among the others: Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; former Govs. Jon Huntsman Jr., R-Utah, Larry Hogan, R-Md., and Pat McCrory, R-N.C.; and former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat who became an independent late in his political career. Manchin and Huntsman, ambassador to China under President Barack Obama and to Russia under Trump, hosted a town hall in New Hampshire this month, driving speculation they may ultimately become the No Labels presidential ticket. No Labels plans to hold a presidential nominating convention next April in Dallas, and the group is showing no signs of backing off its 2024 plans. With a massive budget fueled by anonymous donations, No Labels can afford to be patient in the fights ahead. Democrats in Arizona filed a complaint this month with the secretary of state asking to have the group suspended until it discloses it donors. In May, Maine's top elections official sent a cease-and-desist letter regarding No Labels voter registration efforts after claiming the group was misleading voters. The group Citizens to Save Our Republic formed a super political action committee this month specifically designed to stop No Labels. The group's members includes Bennett from Third Way, several advisers to the anti-Trump Lincoln Project and former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo. Nixon, who declined to criticize Biden or Trump, said he understands that he is walking into a political firestorm. But he said he is passionate about No Labels' constitutional right to secure a place on the ballot. I feel calm. I feel correct. I think we have a high moral ground here, he said. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Former Puerto Rican boxer Felix Verdejo was found guilty Friday on two charges related to the death of his 27-year-old pregnant lover. The verdict came after a 25-week trial in which the jury heard gruesome details about the April 2021 killing of Keishla Rodriguez that shocked the U.S. territory. The jury convicted Verdejo on the charge of kidnapping that leads to a death and one count of causing the death of an unborn child. The 12 jurors could not reach unanimous verdicts on the charge of intercepting and stealing vehicle with the consequence of causing a death or the charge of carrying a weapon to commit a violent crime. U.S. District Judge Pedro Delgado Hernandez set a Nov. 3 sentencing session, at which Verdejo could face a penalty of up to life in prison. Federal prosecutors relied on the testimony of more than 30 people, including key witness Luis Antonio Cadiz, a friend of Verdejo who also was charged in the case. He pleaded guilty last year after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors but hasnt been sentenced. Cadiz testified that Verdejo had pressured Rodriguez to get an abortion before she was killed. He testified that the day of the killing, Verdejo punched Rodriguez and injected her with a substance that Cadiz believed to be heroin before they both tied her limbs to a cement block and threw her off a busy bridge in broad daylight. A pathologist testified that Rodriguez, 27, was still alive when she was thrown into the lagoon below the bridge. Cadiz said he made an anonymous 911 call days later to provide the location of Rodriguezs body. An autopsy determined Rodriguez had fentanyl and xylazine, a sedative used for horses and other animals, in her system. Her death outraged many in Puerto Rico who keep demanding that authorities do a better job of protecting domestic violence victims. Verdejo represented Puerto Rico at the 2012 Olympics and became a professional boxer that year. He finished his career in the lightweight division with a 27-2 record, with 17 knockouts. The Italian Carabinieri discovered the remains of an Ancient Roman cargo ship full of terracotta jars, or "amphorae." Carabinieri Relics of an ancient Roman cargo ship were found near Rome on Friday. The vessel was filled with hundreds of Roman vases, and is estimated to be more than 20 meters long. The local police authority called the discovery "exceptional." The wreck of a 2,000-year-old Roman cargo ship was found off the coast of Italy on Friday in what archaeologists have described as an "exceptional" discovery. The vessel, dating back to the second or first century BC, was found loaded with hundreds of ancient Roman terracotta jars, also known as amphorae. Italian news organization La Repubblica suggested that the ship could have arrived from Spain, carrying a cargo of olives, olive oil, wine, peaches, and figs. The cultural-heritage division of the Carabinieri police found the wreck near the town of Civitavecchia, about 50 miles north of Italy's capital city, in a sandy seabed about 160 meters (525 feet) deep. The Carabinieri said in a statement: "This exceptional discovery represents an important example of the sinking of a Roman ship which faced the perils of the sea in an attempt to reach the coast, and bears witness to the ancient maritime trade routes." They added that local authorities were taking all necessary steps to safeguard and protect the archaeological site. The ship was likely part of the Cura Annonae, an ancient Roman body that was charged with importing and distributing grain to the residents of the cities of Rome. Italy's Mediterranean coastline is dotted with Roman shipwrecks. Last year, archaeologists discovered a similar shipwreck dating back nearly 2,200 years stocked with jars used to transport food off the coast of Palermo, Sicily. Read the original article on Business Insider A stay of execution ordered Tuesday in the case of Johnny Johnson was reversed Saturday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Johnson, 45, was granted a stay by the appeals court in a 2-1 decision announced Tuesday. Its reversal in a 7-3 decision over the weekend reinstates Johnsons execution scheduled for Aug. 1. On Saturday afternoon, lawyers for Johnson said that they plan to appeal the decision no later than Monday morning, attorney Kent Gipson said. Attorneys for Johnson had argued his mental illness is so severe that he would not be competent enough to die by lethal injection. Going forward with the execution, they said, would violate the Eighth Amendments ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The execution should be delayed so an evidentiary hearing could be held, attorneys said. Johnson was convicted in the attempted rape and killing of Casey Williamson, 6, in 2002. During a psychiatric evaluation earlier this year, Johnson told Dr. Bhushan Agharkar that he believes he communicates with beings from another dimension he calls the Underworld. Johnson also believes he is a vampire and may be able to reanimate his organs if he eats food before his execution, a report said. Johnson told Agharkar that Satan is using the state of Missouri to kill him and end the world. The attorney generals office argued delaying the execution would harm both the State and victims. They also said a prison counselor determined that Johnsons auditory hallucinations are well managed by medication, and that he appears to understand the nature of his upcoming execution. The state has executed three people this year: Amber McLaughlin, Leonard Raheem Taylor and Michael Tisius. Tisius was granted a stay by a federal judge on May 31. Two days later, the Eighth Circuit overturned the stay and Tisius was killed June 6. The grips of active psychosis Ernie Williamson, the father of the child killed by Johnson, said he does not want to see the now 45-year-old executed, according to a July 13 clemency application sent to Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. Story continues It wont bring Casey back, Williamson said in the application. Casey, 6, was killed 21 years ago in St. Louis County. Even in death, she is bringing good to the world, Williamson said, through a scholarship and safety fairs that were started in her name. Attorneys for Johnson said he was in the grips of active psychosis, at the time of the murder. Johnson suffered several traumatic experiences including physical and sexual abuse as a child and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia at age 16, according to a 49 page clemency application. By 18, he had been a psychiatric patient four times, the clemency application said. On July 25, 2002, about six months after he was released from a state psychiatric center, he went to a friends house. The Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center, a Missouri prison in Bonne Terre, is shown in this Feb. 7, 2023 photograph. On Feb. 7, Leonard Raheem Taylor, 58, was executed by the state for a 2004 quadruple murder in which he claimed innocence. Casey Williamson, who was also staying at the home, was reported missing the next day. Her body was discovered in a pit at a nearby glass factory. Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and attempted rape. While incarcerated, Johnson received a February 2023 psychiatric evaluation by Agharkar, which described him as quite psychotic. Although the report determined Johnson was not competent enough to be executed, prison counselor Ashley Skaggs disagreed, according to an affidavit. Johnsons attorneys contend Agharkar is more qualified and has spent twice as much time evaluating him. They also argue that Skaggs involvement was a conflict of interest since she is employed as a contractor with the Missouri Department of Corrections. His attorneys believe that he lacks the mental competency necessary to be executed. (Photo/File photo) Scientists say July will go down as the warmest month on record globally. The record temperatures are hitting parts of the Navajo Nation. In response to the high temperatures in parts of the country's largest Indian reservation and the surrounding Southwest region of the United States, the Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management on Tuesday, July 25, 2023 declared an extreme heat State of Emergency. Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. The Commission is calling for immediate collaboration with all relevant entities with the Navajo Nation in an all-out effort to utilize resources effectively to address the impacts of extreme heat. The focus of the Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management includes the following: Conducting assessments. Identifying areas most in need. Coordinating the implementation of heat health action plans. Seeking solutions to meet the unique needs of the Navajo Nation during this challenging period. The Commission says the extreme heat presents a wide array of risks that negatively impact human health, especially among the elderly, infants, children, and pregnant women, and those with chronic medical conditions, and those who may lack necessary cooling resources. Also cited by the Commission is the fact that heat exacerbates the impact on ecosystems, agriculture, property, livestock, pets, infrastructure, homes, and roads. It dries up surface water sources vital for wildlife and increases the potential for wildland fires. Additionally, these conditions intensify the existing drought conditions, further straining our environment and resources. The declaration of a State of Emergency will stay in effect until August 31, 2023, unless changes are made to extend, modify, or terminate it beforehand 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 Nigel Farage said the numbers getting their accounts closed because of political opinion stuff, as in his case, appear not particularly huge - Gareth Fuller/PA Banks are closing down the accounts of small businesses that refuse to go cashless, Nigel Farage said as he launched a new campaign to help victims of de-banking. The former Ukip leader has set up a website, AccountClosed.org, which is aimed at helping people who have had financial services unfairly withdrawn. Everything tells me that this is a major national scandal that needs to be revealed and needs to be acted upon, he told The Telegraph. After having his own accounts at Coutts closed because his political views were deemed not to align with the banks values, Mr Farage last week welcomed the resignations of Dame Alison Rose, the chief executive of NatWest, which owns Coutts, and Peter Flavel, the Coutts chief executive. He wants to significantly widen his campaign with AccountClosed.org, saying he decided to launch the website because at the moment we dont quite know the scale of the problem. He said he had been overwhelmed by members of the public sending him their own cases since revealing how his account was closed. I start work at four oclock in the morning looking at all this stuff, he added. Im beginning to have the impression this is much, much bigger than any of us could have contemplated. The website will try to establish in detail the various reasons why customers are having services withdrawn, with people invited to submit their own experiences along with the banks involved to help identify the worst offenders. We dont want cash Based on what he has heard to date, Mr Farages biggest worry relates to small and medium-sized businesses including banks allegedly threatening to close the accounts of enterprises reliant on cash. There are clearly a couple of things that have emerged, he says. Number one, a concerted attempt to drive out cash. Youre running a fish store? Well get a credit card machine we dont want cash. Youre a window cleaner? Sorry, we dont want cash. A lot of that. Ive got dozens of accounts of people saying to me that their bank is saying they are putting in too much cash, wheres the cash coming from, do they have the receipts to back up the cash? He said accounts being closed on this basis has happened to plenty of people. Story continues Investors in cryptocurrencies have also been affected, he added. I had a 19-year-old today, telling me that he puts 50 quid a month into crypto. And the bank have said nope, sorry, we dont want your business. So theyre even limiting how people spend money, which I find quite a shock. Expats and those receiving money from abroad have also run into trouble. Mr Farage said the numbers getting their accounts closed because of political opinion stuff, as in his case, appear not particularly huge, but added: The danger is it gets a lot bigger, as now through AI the banks are able to search the social media accounts of all of their customers. Thats very sinister and very worrying. Help me to help you He believes the full scale of de-banking has only just come to light because most victims dont say anything to anyone. They are embarrassed, they are humiliated. And they fear that, if they speak out in any way at all, it will damage their credit rating for the future. And there is strong evidence thats true. The de-banking phenomenon, he thinks, has been driven by complete overkill in the application of anti-money laundering and politically exposed person directives, along with a creeping politicisation of banks. Mr Farage claimed the latter issue is endemic throughout corporate culture, saying: It has run through the public and private sectors at the most extraordinary speed, accelerated particularly by the Black Lives Matter movement. But, for the time being at least, he is focusing on banks, explaining: Its in banking that its not only reached its most extreme point, but its reached an industry that is as essential as water and electricity. There is a culture that has gone right through the whole of banking of being terrified, terrified of heavy fines, as keen to show their green credentials and their inclusivity as they are to get on with the business of banking. AccountClosed.org will function as a help site, providing users with a template to send subject access requests (SARs) to obtain information about why their own accounts have been closed, as Mr Farage did to explosive effect with Coutts. He admitted that until a couple of months ago I didnt know what an SAR was. As well as documenting cases and identifying trends, he said he intended to use the website to ask for support with his campaign and his message to people was help me to help you. He continued: Were going to be appealing for people who are lawyers, were going to be appealing for people who are administrators. If we can pick up cases this is where it could be interesting. If we were able to represent large numbers of people collectively, then I think we may well have the ability to form a really powerful lobby group to go to Parliament and say look, we need not just a cultural change within the banks but actually, weve got to rethink this legislation. I mean, for us to be a functioning, capitalist economy, encouraging entrepreneurship, we have to have a banking system that works with us, not against us. Having led Ukip and the Brexit Party, Mr Farage has plenty of experience of helming insurgent political forces, but he insisted this one would be non-partisan. On Friday, he tweeted his support for the Remain campaigner Gina Miller, who also claims to have been de-banked. There is absolutely no politics in this whatsoever, he said. Mr Farage said the website was currently being run by a couple of financial guys and a couple of lawyers whove done the work, adding: Its their baby and they want me to front it and thats exactly what Im doing. He has already claimed two major scalps and does not appear to be finished yet. The announcement by Sir Howard Davies on Friday that he would not resign as the NatWest chairman was a very poor decision, he said. Halfway through our phone conversation on Friday afternoon, he interjects: Oh Smith, theyve got him, Smiths gone! Had another banking executive been forced out? No, it was just Mr Farage keeping an eye on England bowling to the Australian batsman Steve Smith in the background. For now, his banking crusade takes priority over the Ashes. This is about the right to free speech, he said. About having a country where people are treated fairly in an age when you frankly cant function on a personal level, let alone a business level, without a bank account. 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. Katniss Selezneva was playing outside her house The father of a seven-year-old girl killed by a hit-and-run while playing outside her home begged her to open her eyes as she lay dying in the street. Katnis Selezneva, originally from Bulgaria, was named in a tribute posted online by her mother, Tsvetelina. A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving in Walsall on Thursday evening, West Midlands Police said. Mrs Selezneva said: God took her away too young and fragile. I dont have strength and I dont want to say goodbye to you, my star. How to let you go, my heart is bleeding, my soul is aching. Who will take care of you now up there my angel! Im powerless, words are not enough, no consolation! Mrs Selezneva lives with husband Bojil Seleznev, a lorry driver, in a semi-detached property overlooking the road where their daughter was hit. A resident who tried to give Katniss CPR said it would live with her forever She continued: Your dad was calling you open your eyes Katnis, dad is here, open them but you closed them forever! She said her daughter told her every day: I love you mum, you are the best mother. Mrs Selezneva was seen giving out pieces of cake near floral tributes on Turnstone Road which she said was a Bulgarian tradition. The close-knit community had left a large number of flowers and cards as well as a silver balloon marking the childs age. Local residents said they had repeatedly warned the council of reckless teenagers joyriding motorbikes on the street where Katnis was killed. Speaking to the Telegraph one resident, who did not wish to be named, said: [Joyriding] is a massive issue, theyre forever chasing round here. I mean bearing in mind this is the first week of the kids school holidays, they shouldnt be driving around like that. Animals, reckless animals. They dont care we all know kids around here. Local residents said they had warned the council about kids riding bikes dangerously in the area Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby said his officers had been working to tackle the issue of illegal and antisocial riding. He said: I want to send a clear message to the public that young people in the area are able to ride these bikes because, in many cases, adults are giving them the bikes to ride. Story continues They also bear responsibility for the potential consequences and this needs to stop. It causes distress to the communities blighted by it and it is incredibly dangerous. West Midlands Ambulance Service said the girl received life support at the scene before she was taken to Birmingham Childrens Hospital where she was pronounced dead. One woman, who said she had given CPR to the child before paramedics arrived, said that having to give such a small child CPR would live with her forever. Another said: I cant get her precious little face out of my head. Det Sgt Paul Hughes said: We still have to recover the motorbike involved and I know someone out there in the local community knows where the bike is. I now need that community to come together and work with me. This is not about protecting people, this is about doing the right thing. 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. J. Robert Oppenheimer testifying at a hearing. Bettmann / Getty Images Contributor T he FBI spent years investigating J. Robert Oppenheimer, who helped make the WWII-ending atomic bomb. He was then tried by the Atomic Energy Commission, and his top-level security clearance was revoked. Reports from the FBI show Oppenheimer was accused of spreading information to the Soviets. During an inquest into the actions of J. Robert Oppenheimer by the FBI, the agency investigated the "father of the atomic bomb" on suspicion of crimes including espionage and the dissemination of nuclear information to the Soviet Union. As depicted in Christopher Nolan's summer blockbuster biopic "Oppenheimer," Oppenheimer's behavior came under renewed scrutiny in 1953 after William Borden, a staff director of the congressional Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, sent a letter to the FBI accusing Oppenheimer of being sympathetic to the Communist Party and possibly knowingly employing spies from the Soviet Union on his project developing the atomic bomb. Borden's letter was most likely sent at the suggestion of Oppenheimer's political nemesis Lewis Strauss, a businessman turned member of the US Atomic Energy Commission. While Oppenheimer's relationships and loyalties had been investigated prior to receiving his security clearance, efforts to discredit the physicist were redoubled by his rivals after he successfully led his team to create the atomic bomb, and the letter from Borden accelerated a chain of events that led to Oppenheimer losing his security clearance. The renewed investigation into Oppenheimer's loyalties as his security clearance came up for renewal cited the letter's accusations, Oppenheimer's associations that the US government found suspicious, as well as a wiretap the FBI ordered on his phone now widely described as illegal as evidence of his questionable loyalty to the United States. Documents from the investigation include hundreds of pages of phone records, along with interviews with his colleagues. Story continues Kenneth Pitzer, the dean of UC Berkeley's school of chemistry at the time, told agents in 1952 in an interview regarding the renewal of Oppenheimer's security clearance that his opinion of Oppenheimer had changed over the years earlier, in 1947, he said he had "the utmost confidence in both the loyalty and the scientific ability" of Oppenheimer, according to FBI records. During the investigation, though, Pitzer said he had new doubts about Oppenheimer's loyalty to the country because of Oppenheimer's initial reservations about the development of the hydrogen bomb, which some believed were an indication that he wanted the Soviet Union to develop the weapon first. Pitzer said Oppenheimer had "impeded" other scientists' progress on the bomb after his concerns were overruled. Another professor, Ward Evans of Loyola University Chicago, said he felt Oppenheimer did not hinder the production of the H-bomb and said he was "less of a security risk than he was in 1947" when he was cleared by the Atomic Energy Commission over a separate matter, according to the investigation. The other main accusation against Oppenheimer was that he might be a security risk over ties to communism. The scrutiny was fueled in part by his relationships with known communists like the psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, with whom Oppenheimer had a romantic relationship. In FBI reporting, Oppenheimer was also linked to Bernard Peters, a graduate student of his who was at one time a member of the German Communist Party these ties added to suspicions about Oppenheimer's objections to the H-bomb; critics attributed those objections to a loyalty to the Soviet Union rather than any conscientious objection over the development of the weapon. The Atomic Heritage Foundation does consider Oppenheimer likely to have held communist sympathies, but it maintains that information in the FBI's report of its investigation was exaggerated. The AHF says it was "unclear" whether Oppenheimer ever formally joined the US Communist Party. At the end of the inquest, despite no definitive proof that Oppenheimer was a Soviet spy or that he had employed spies in his work, Oppenheimer's top-level security clearances were revoked a devastating blow to the scientist. In 2022, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm nullified the decision to revoke Oppenheimer's security clearance, saying in a statement that Oppenheimer had a "central role" in World War II and the Department of Energy had a "responsibility to correct the historical record and honor Dr. Oppenheimer's profound contributions to our national defense and the scientific enterprise at large." "As time has passed, more evidence has come to light of the bias and unfairness of the process that Dr. Oppenheimer was subjected to," Granholm said in the statement. "While the evidence of his loyalty and love of country have only been further affirmed." The FBI, the Department of Energy, and the Atomic Heritage Foundation didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Correction: July 31, 2023 An earlier version of this story misstated where J. Robert Oppenheimer was tried before his top-level security clearance was revoked. He appeared before the Atomic Energy Commission, not Congress. It also misstated who contacted the FBI about Oppenheimer. It was William Borden, not Lewis Strauss. Additional context about the investigation and its origins was added. Read the original article on Business Insider Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) opened up about his first six months in Congress and did not hold back about how the institution functions. Theres a fixation on a lot of dumb s. Bad performance art is really what it gets down to, Fetterman said in an interview with The New York Times. The freshman senator said everything in Washington is turning into a culture war, adding that not everything has to be a think piece. Specifically pointing to the debt ceiling, he claimed in the interview that here shouldnt have been drama. The fact that were playing with something like that is antithetical to the stability of our democracy, he argued, calling everyone in Washington cynical. But we can fight for things that are meaningful, Fetterman said, adding, Were fighting for womens reproductive freedom, making sure we have resources and support our unions. Im going to fight for whats really important. Sign up for the latest from The Hill here Fetterman also opened up about being away from his family all the time for his job. You realize when you become a senator, youre going to be spending 50 percent less time with the people that you love, the Pennsylvania senator said. That breaks my heart. I get emotional thinking about it, he added. FaceTime is much better than just a phone call, but thats the worst part of the job. His remarks come months after he checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for clinical depression earlier this year. He left his rehab program at the end of March. He claimed its a burden, but a privilege, too, to talk about his mental health struggles. Its also an opportunity to be very bipartisan. Red or blue, if you have depression, get help, please, Fetterman said. Dont ever, ever, ever harm yourself. Do not leave behind a blueprint of that. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (AP) Not long ago, Marine Col. Jennifer Nash, a combat engineer with war deployments under her belt, made a vow to fellow officers as they headed to a dinner in Atlanta: She would get two new recruiting contacts by the end of the evening. She admits recruiting is not the job that she or other Marines had in mind when they enlisted. But after stints as a recruiter and senior officer at the Eastern recruiting command, she has become emblematic of the Corps' tradition of putting its best, battle-tested Marines on enlistment duty. They get results. Marine leaders say they will make their recruiting goal this year, while the active-duty Army, Navy and Air Force all expect to fall short. The services have struggled in the tight job market to compete with higher-paying businesses for the dwindling number of young people who can meet the militarys physical, mental and moral standards. On that night, Nash achieved her own goal. She had gotten the valet at the hotel and the hostess at the restaurant to provide their phone numbers and to consider a Marine career. Nashs boss, Brig. Gen. Walker Field, who head the Eastern recruiting region, says the Corps has historically put an emphasis on selecting top-performing Marines to fill recruiting jobs. He says that has been a key to the Marines recruiting success, along with efforts to increase the number of recruiters, extend those who do well and speed their return to high schools, where in-person recruiting stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said his recruiters who cover the territory between Canada and Puerto Rico and as far west as Mississippi will meet their mission and expect to have 30% of their 2024 goal when they start the next fiscal year, Oct. 1. More broadly, Marine officials say they expect the Corps to achieve its recruiting target of more than 33,000. Last year, the Navy, Air Force and Marines had to eat into their pools of delayed entry applicants in order to make their goals. The Marines will avoid that this year. Story continues That would be a great ending, said Field, speaking to The Associated Press on a recent steamy day at South Carolina's Parris Island, along the Atlantic Coast. Im bearish for not only concluding FY23 on a strong footing, but also how we set the conditions for FY24. The Marine Corps may get some help from its small size. The Army, for example, has a recruiting goal of 65,000 this year, which is nearly double the Corps', and expects to fall substantially short of that. Air Force and Navy officials say they will also miss their goals, although the Space Force, which is the smallest service and does its recruiting within Air Force stations, is expected to meet its goal of about 500 recruits. Sitting in the shadow of Parris Island's replica of the Iwo Jima monument, Field said his biggest challenge is that a number of Marine hopefuls cannot pass the militarys academic test, known as the Armed Services Voluntary Aptitude Battery. That is a widespread problem, but the Army recently set up a program that targets recruits who score below 30 on the test and provides schooling for several weeks to help them pass. Already more than 8,800 recruits have successfully gone through the classes, raised their scores and moved on to basic training. The Navy is taking another route with a pilot program that allows up to 20% of their recruits to score below 30 on the test, as long as they meet specific standards for their chosen naval job. Marine leaders, however, do not take those lowest scoring recruits, and so far have no plans for any type of formal improvement program such as the Army's. Field said the Marines are repositioning recruiting stations, moving them around based on where population totals have increased in the latest census. More important, he said, the Corps maintains its focus on choosing the right recruiters, encouraging successful ones to stay in the job and increasing the number of Marine reservists tapped for recruit duties from the current 31 to 96 by the end of next year. Nash, who until last month was assistant chief of staff for the Eastern region, said Marines are hand-selected for recruiting command jobs. Many three- and four-star Marines, including former Defense Secretary James Mattis, will cite their years doing enlistment duty. We put our best and brightest in those positions, said Nash, adding that those chosen for recruiting posts have a proven track record of success in previous assignments and have demonstrated critical leadership skills. That's why they got selected, because they were above their peers. She acknowledged that the first time she was picked for a recruiting job she was voluntold. But now, recounting her sales pitch in Atlanta, her rapid fire pitch comes without taking a breath. I say, 'Hey, ever thought about being Marine? We're a bunch of Marines. And, you know, I think you potentially could be a good Marine. You ever thought about it?' And usually you get, Yeah, I thought about it. And I'm, like, Whats holding you back? Would you like to learn more about your opportunities?' Absolutely. `OK. Mind giving me your name and phone number? Ill have one of my recruiters give you a phone call.' The Marines have resisted increasing bonuses to attract recruits something the other services have found helpful. Gen. Eric Smith, the acting Marine Corps commandant, got some ribbing for his response when he was asked about bonuses during a naval conference in February. Your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine, he said. "Thats your bonus, right? Theres no dollar amount that goes with that. Field, Nash and others also say the Corps prefers to give a lot of recruits a few thousand dollars, rather than increasing the amount and giving money to far fewer people. Field said that getting Marine recruiters in uniform back into high schools this year, after several years of COVID-19 restrictions, has been a key driver. There, young people line up to compete in pull-up contests, vying for a free T-shirt if they can do 20. And recruiters say many are drawn to the cache of being a Marine. If you told me youll give me $10 million worth of advertising and I can do something with it, or you'll give me 10 great-looking Marines in a Marine uniform whats going to get the most value? Give me those 10 Marines and give me a day, Nash said. "Well go out and well get more out of that, I think, than $10 million in advertising." Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall told Fox News Digital that the state will seek restitution in the Carlee Russell case if there's a conviction and said that the hoax could have a "crying wolf" impact on the public. 24-year-old Russell was charged on Friday with misdemeanor false reporting of an incident and false reporting to law enforcement after she called 911 on July 13 at around 9:34 p.m. and said that there was a toddler on the side of the road in diapers, then went missing. She returned home on July 15 at around 10:45 p.m. near where police say she was seen walking along the sidewalk beforehand. Russell's attorney, Emery Anthony, said in an emailed statement to the Hoover Police Department that his client admitted to never seeing a baby on Interstate 459 and was never a missing person. CARLEE RUSSELL ARRESTED, FACES CHARGES AFTER DISAPPEARANCE HOAX Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall told Fox News Digital that the state will seek restitution in the Carlee Russell case if there's a conviction and said that the hoax might have a "crying wolf" impact on the public. "My client did not have any help in this incident. This was a single act done by herself," the statement said. "My client was not with anyone or any hotel with anyone from the time she was missing. My client apologizes for her actions to this community, the volunteers who were searching for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies as well and to her friends and family." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Marshall made the comments during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Friday after Russell was charged with two misdemeanors. "That's our intention if we're able to gain a conviction, to be able to seek restitution," Marshall said. "It is no doubt that part of the role that we have in this case is not only develop the facts to present before the prosecution, but also to develop an argument relating to restitution." Carlee Russell Googled the movie "Taken" before disappearing on July 13 along with a slew of other searches leading up to the moment where she told a 911 operator that she saw a toddler walking along a busy interstate. On Monday, police said she admitted the whole thing was a hoax. He said that the Alabama Attorney General's office will be reaching out to individual agencies involved in this investigation to ask if they are seeking a recovery of investigative costs. Story continues Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said on Friday that Marshall's office has agreed to "adopt this case." The Alabama Attorney General also said there's a concern Carlee Russell's hoax may have a negative impact on future missing persons cases in regard to public attention. CARLEE RUSSELLS EX-BOYFRIEND SAYS HES DISGUSTED WITH HER FOR LYING ABOUT KIDNAPPING BY ALABAMA INTERSTATE Hoover, Alabama police are reviewing traffic camera video from I-459 that shows Carlee Russell's car, seen driving slowly in the emergency lane with warning lights, pull over before she went missing July 13. "The thing that I think is the most harmful is the many members of the general public that came forward in response to the concern there was an abduction of a young female and trying to find her," Marshall said. "And I think the concern there is similar to the old crying wolf story, right? Will you have that same public outpouring of help in the future if this arises?" "And one thing I know about the people of Alabama is they are charitable and good folks and they want to be able to help their neighbor," he said. He said the case is a "reflection of the lengths law enforcement will go in investigating a case and their willingness to follow the facts." CARLEE RUSSELL TRAVELING 6 FOOTBALL FIELDS DURING 911 CALL DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE: FORMER DETECTIVE Carlee Russell is charged with two misdemeanors after faking her own kidnapping in Hoover, Alabama. Her tale would go on to gain national attention, and many people locally spent hours looking for Russell in the Birmingham area. Derzis said during a press conference on Friday that police are still unclear of what exactly Russell was doing during the 49 hours she was missing. "We don't have any idea where Carlee Russell was [during those] 49 hours," Derzis said. Derzis said that he "shares the same frustration" with members of the public who believe Russell is being given a slap on the wrist. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Carlee Russell's residence that police say she returned to on July 15. "Existing laws only allow the charges that were filed to be filed," Derzis said. "I can tell you that I will be contacting our state legislatures on behalf of law enforcement in Montgomery and asking them to look at this law applied to these facts and urge them to add an enhancement to current legislation when somebody falsely reports kidnaping or another violent crime." Chef Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon at Kalaya. Courtesy of Mike Prince Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon was named best mid-Atlantic chef by the James Beard Awards in June. Her flavor-forward, southern Thai cooking at Philadelphia restaurant Kalaya has made her famous. The former flight attendant's career took off after stepping into the kitchen at 48. Before her eyes are fully open, Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon checks Resy on her phone. She scrolls through the reviews for her Philadelphia restaurant, Kalaya, and if there are any negative ones she looks up whoever wrote them and gives them a call. The James Beard winner named best mid-Atlantic chef at the awards ceremony this June says she isn't calling to grill the person; she's calling to ask what could be improved. It's how Suntaranon, 55, starts each day, she tells me at a table in the airy dining room of Kalaya, the restaurant that's made her and her flavor-forward, southern Thai cooking famous. The menu features impeccable dumplings; bright curries made with in-house curry paste; a hot-and-sour tom yum soup made with jumbo river prawns, barramundi, mushrooms, shallots, evaporated milk, and chili jam; and for dessert, a trembling tower of shaved ice, Kalaya's grand finale. Like anything Suntaranon does, it's served with style. (At one point, she tells me a story about cooking in couture until someone in the kitchen told her she was "highly flammable.") On the Tuesday morning in June when I meet Suntaranon at her Fishtown restaurant, it's the first time I've seen the dining room empty. She walks to meet me at the restaurant's side entrance in a matching set with a bold, retro pattern and her energetic Pomeranian Titi in tow and kisses me on both cheeks as though we're old friends. We've met briefly before at Machine Shop, one of my (and, it turns out, Suntaranon's) favorite bakeries in Philly, and another time when I was having dinner at Kalaya. Suntaranon is a regular at her restaurant, where she often stops at diners' tables in one of her signature Issey Miyake jumpsuits (she loves the designer so much, she has a buyer in Thailand) to ask how they're liking the food. After conversing with her, I now realize she wasn't just being polite she genuinely wanted to know. Story continues Chef Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon wearing a matching set with a vibrant, retro print holds her Pomeranian dog TiTi in her restaurant Kalaya. Suntaranon and her Pomeranian, Titi, at Kalaya.Chloe Pantazi-Wolber/Insider A little after 10:30 a.m., the dining room is quiet but things are already happening in the kitchen. As I follow Suntaranon into her domain, a pleasant clash of scents and spices hits my nose as the chef says good morning to her staff and checks in on one of the cooks who had left early the day before to see how he's doing. It's important to Suntaranon that she's on the ground when she can be. "I never feel like I'm coming to work," she tells me. "I always say, 'I'm going to the restaurant.'" And she's not above getting feedback. "People make mistakes," Suntaranon says. "Learn from your mistakes, listen, and just make it better." "My feet still touch the ground," she adds. "I know that I'm not perfect. And I know that there's still a lot of room for improvement. We're never too good." These are humbling words from a woman who has just won a James Beard award, the equivalent of an Oscar in the culinary community. For Suntaranon, however, it hasn't been a straight line to the top. And though she didn't start working in kitchens until the age of 48, she says food has always been part of her life. Shaved ice at Kalaya. Courtesy of Mike Prince 'Food always got my attention' At 5, in her hometown of Yan Ta Khao in the southern province of Trang, Suntaranon helped her mother who Kalaya is named after sell curry paste at the market, while her father worked as a hospital administrator and ran his own trucking business. Suntaranon says it wasn't an easy childhood. At one point, the family lost their home due to her father's gambling, she told Philadelphia Magazine's Jason Sheehan in 2022. "Before I left home, from 1 year old to 15, all I saw was struggle," Suntaranon tells me of her upbringing. "And how hard my mother worked to have the roof cover our heads, to provide the food for us, and to make us happy and just have whatever we should have." "Our family went through a lot together," she adds. "My mother is my hero." Growing up, Suntaranon found an escape in the library, where she read books that took her "worlds away." Naturally, food stuck out to her on the page. "Food always got my attention, even when I read," she says, adding that she wondered what pasta or Victoria sponge cake tasted like as she read about them. Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon (right) and her mother Kalaya (left). Courtesy of Michael Persico Suntaranon seems to have been inspired by her mom, whose Hainanese background influenced her home cooking. She also modeled a love of cooking for others, something Suntaranon has inherited. The way she describes her mom the "most generous, hardworking, and very witty" sounds a lot like the esteemed chef. Still, Suntaranon tells me she learned her love of cooking and a sense of adventure from her grandmother. She loved to try whatever treats her paternal grandmother would bring back from Bangkok whether it was butter cookies or doughnuts. Her grandmother would even make them herself, Suntaranon remembers. The chef tells me she was interested in the ingredients, and would even taste pure margarine straight from the tub. When she moved to Bangkok for high school, Suntaranon lived with her grandmother and her uncle in a boarding house there. She describes her grandmother as "super cool" and "sophisticated," a woman who would wear cat-eye sunglasses and cone-shaped bras. She'd go to the coffee shop every morning and read the newspaper, Suntaranon tells me, and go to the market and talk politics. She even inspired the chef's approach to making dumplings. "She combined all the flavors, all the ingredients into one tiny little bite," Suntaranon says. "I think that's had an influence over me because my dumplings are big flavors in one little bite." On the menu at Kalaya, there are two kinds: kanom jeeb nok, intricate dumplings shaped like mini birds (a nod to Suntaranon's nickname, Nok, which means "little bird" in Thai) and filled with caramelized cod and preserved radish; and shaw muang, parcels of ground chicken, cucumber, and Thai chili, wrapped in a flower shape. Bird-shaped dumplings sitting on a bed of cucumber slices at the Philadelphia restaurant Kalaya. Kanom jeeb nok at Kalaya.Courtesy of Mike Prince Before her career took off as a chef, Suntaranon was a flight attendant for 2 decades Suntaranon's love of adventure led her to join Kuwait Airways as a flight attendant in 1991 before moving to Thai Airways in 1994. She spent close to two decades in the profession, working in business and first class. Though Suntaranon tells me she doesn't touch plane food now and chose to pack her own food as a flight attendant the experience meant she could travel and eat all over the world. Suntaranon also had a side-hustle selling jewelry with a friend during this time and, in 2003, she helped open an Italian restaurant, Antonio's, in Bangkok with her then-husband. She continued to assist in running that business until 2009 when she also left her career as a flight attendant behind. That same year, Antonio's closed. Suntaranon moved to Philadelphia to join her now-husband Ziv Katalan, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The two met while she worked an 18-hour flight from Bangkok to New York in 2006. They married two years later. "Ziv was the person who told me that I am a very talented cook," Suntaranon told CNN's Kate Springer. "I never thought of myself as a great cook, but he believed in me." Food at Kalaya. Courtesy of Michael Persico So, in 2010, Suntaranon studied at New York's French Culinary Institute, then took a brief internship in France (she told CNN she was kicked out after screaming at the "drunk and abusive" chef), before cutting her teeth in kitchens around Philadelphia. Suntaranon interned for free at the Rittenhouse Hotel with Chef Fred Ortega, helped open J'aime French Bakery, and then worked at Jose Garces' pastry kitchen at the Kimmel Center. In 2011, she began cooking for her neighbors and friends. Eventually, she looked for a space where she could do more of it as demand for her food grew. Soon enough, she found a small space in Philly's Bella Vista neighborhood that would become Kalaya's first location, a 32-seat restaurant that opened in April 2019. Within months of opening, Suntaranon had plans to upgrade to a larger space, and following a delay due to the pandemic, in November 2022, the restaurant moved into its home today in Fishtown: a former warehouse that can seat up to 183 people, including bar seating and outdoor tables. Kalaya's food has been the talk of Philly's food scene for years, but the larger space has allowed Suntaranon to spread her wings. In 2020, Kalaya was a James Beard Award nominee for best new restaurant, and in 2021 and 2022, Suntaranon was nominated for the award she finally scooped up this year: best mid-Atlantic chef. As if that weren't enough, Suntaranon is working on a cookbook, expected to be released in fall 2024. She's one of America's best chefs, but won't call herself one Suntaranon's career may have taken off, but the chef stays grounded. I'm taken aback when she tells me she doesn't consider herself a chef. "People call me a chef because of my position here. But I never look at myself as a chef," she says. "I am a cook. I'm a middle-aged woman who loves good things, who loves fabulous stuff. I just like to cook and like to share. I am not a chef." But to Philadelphians, she's one of the most famous chefs in the city and she's earned a place on the global stage. When I ask Suntaranon what the James Beard win means to her, she tells me plainly that she was right. "I was not wrong about bringing authentic Thai food to Philadelphia," she says. "I was not wrong about not changing anything about my food." The food at Kalaya is unapologetically full of flavor and heat, the way Suntaranon learned to make it in Thailand she won't dial down the spice, nor should she. "I am very proud about how Thai food at this level is being recognized," she tells me. Tom yum soup at Kalaya. Courtesy of Michael Persico Suntaranon adds that she wasn't wrong about the prices at Kalaya, either. The chef says many people may know Thai food as comfort food and presume it should be cheap. They think, "If I eat Thai food in Thailand, it costs me $3." To those people, Suntaranon says: "Be my guest, buy the plane ticket right now and go there." As of July 2023, appetizers at her restaurant range from $14 to $28, and entrees cost between $26 and $95. While most entrees are on the lower end of that spectrum, the tom yum soup shared easily by two people is priced at $95. These prices are on par with other elevated restaurants in Philadelphia. The prices, she adds, help her take care of her staff and use the best ingredients for her food. Nam prik long rua at Kalaya. Courtesy of Mike Prince The chef's love of Philly is mutual While Suntaranon's food is an ode to her home, she describes it as a love letter to the people of Philly. "I just want to cook good food for my people here," she says. "Everything has to be the best." She's not just cooking excellent food at Kalaya, but all over Philly. A champion of the city's food scene, Suntaranon often collaborates with other Philadelphia chefs. A few weeks later, on the Fourth of July, I bump into Suntaranon at Bok Bar, a rooftop bar in South Philly, where she's closing up her "Thaitalian" fusion pop-up with Ed Crochet of Fiore Fine Foods. It had been a long, hot, and wet day, and while the fireworks were delayed by rain, there was no slowing down Suntaranon. She'd been there since the morning, preparing to feed the holiday crowd. I catch a glimpse of the chef cooking near the bar and don't want to disturb her in her element, but later Suntaranon stops by my table to say hi as she does with her guests at Kalaya. We talk about the crab cannoli, grilled turmeric chicken leg, and coconut and cashew gelato pops, which I'm still dreaming about. I ask Suntaranon if she'll get to take a break the following day. She can't, she tells me. Tomorrow's another busy day. Read the original article on Insider A group of fishermen off the Florida Keys captured the rare moment a pod of killer whales swam by their boat last weekend. "Oh, hes a big boy!" one of the fishermen on the boat can be heard saying in the video as one of the whales breaches the surface before coming right up to another man in the water next to the boat. "Hes looking at you!" one of the men shouts excitedly, laughing. FATHER CAPTURES RARE BREACH OF 3 SYNCHRONIZED WHALES OFF CAPE COD ON BIRTHDAY TRIP: ICING ON THE CAKE The fishermen captured the moment a pod of killer whales swam next to their boat last weekend. KILLER WHALE MOTHERS PROTECT THEIR SONS MORE THAN THEIR DAUGHTERS, STUDY FINDS Mike Slaughter, who posted several videos of the encounter near Key Largo on social media, told FOX 35, "Last Saturday we were fishing offshore and saw birds. We went to inspect and found a pod of about 7 orcas." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Slaughter, who told the station they believe the whales had just killed something because there was blood in the water, called the experience "epic." "They werent concerned with us at all. It was intimidating and humbling," he added. HOPEWELL A Florida man was killed late Friday night after a police pursuit beginning in Prince George County ended with a crash in Hopewell. Andre Bassett Jr., of Jacksonville, Florida, was taken to TriCities Hospital in Hopewell following the crash, which occurred around 11:40 p.m. at the intersection of Oaklawn Boulevard and Ashland Street. He died shortly after arrival. Two vehicles were involved in the wreck, a pick-up truck and a compact car. It stemmed from a car chase involving Prince George Police. The message from Hopewell Police did not indicate which of the vehicles was involved in the pursuit, nor did it say which car Bassett was driving. Prince George Police are only saying that the pursuit began when they attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver refused. They would not say where the pursuit began. Virginia State Police are assisting with the investigation. Anyone who may have information about the collision is asked to contact Hopewell Police at (804) 541-2222 or Crime Solvers at (804) 541-2202. That info may also be shared through the P3Tips mobile app. This is a developing story. This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Florida man killed after car chase ends in Hopewell Former Congressman Will Hurd is seen here in front of Capitol Hill. Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call Former congressman Will Hurd was effectively booed off stage for criticizing Trump. Hurd tore into the former president at the end of a speech in front of Iowa Republicans. The crowd made clear their displeasure with Hurd's claim that Trump 'is running to stay out of prison." Former Congressman Will Hurd on Friday received a very vocal reminder of former President Donald Trump's stranglehold on the Republican Party. Hurd, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination, did something few of his fellow challengers would do in going after the former president by name at the Iowa Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner, a major fundraiser and cattle call for candidates. "Donald Trump is not running for president to represent people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020," Hurd said. "Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison." Amanda Rooker KCCI (@ARookerKCCI) July 29, 2023 The boos were loud enough to be heard clearly on the live stream of the event. Inside the room, they were even more palpable. "If you're wondering what happens when Republican presidential candidates attack Donald Trump directly in Iowa... Exhibit A," The Des Moines Register's chief politics reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel wrote on X the platform previously known as Twitter. Shortly after Hurd delivered his line, he wrapped up his speech as the boos continued. Trump's legal troubles have received renewed attention in the wake of a superseding indictment that added additional charges to special counsel Jack Smith's probe of Trump's mishandling of classified documents. The former president has denied any wrongdoing. Hurd represented Texas in the US House for three terms. At the time he was the only Black Republican in the House. He has torn into Trump throughout his campaign, which has struggled to make a mark on the national stage. Hurd is not expected to qualify for the first Republican presidential primary debate next month, which requires candidates to meet polling and donation thresholds. Candidates must also pledge to support the nominee. Story continues Trump had yet to address Iowa Republicans when Hurd attacked him. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has publicly broken with the former president, had spoken before the crowd earlier in the evening. Pence said that the event was not the time for candidates to discuss their differences. "Thank Will, you just made it very easy for me," Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who followed Hurd, joked. "It's good to come in off a boo." Iowa is home to the first-in-the-nation caucuses, where actual voting for the GOP presidential nomination will begin in less than six months. Read the original article on Business Insider Sometimes, its better to look at the long game when making decisions and realize that a yes now could avoid a lot of trouble in the future. This definitely applies to the city of Fort Worth when it comes to a new free speech lawsuit logged against them by the Metroplex Atheists. The group filed the complaint July 17, charging that the city violated its speech rights by refusing to let the group hang banner advertisements for an event on keeping religion out of public schools, scheduled for Aug. 26. Fort Worth allows groups to hang banners with ads for events on light poles in various spots downtown, so long as their applications are approved. Though the atheist group was approved to hang such banners for an event back in 2019 the banners said In No God We Trust after a meeting between Metroplex Atheists and assistant city manager William Johnson this year, the group was told their event was not of a magnitude to qualify, according to the court filing. Its not exactly clear why the city rejected the Metroplex Atheists request for banners. In the City of Fort Worths Banner Policy and Procedures, event magnitude is not mentioned. The application for banner space requests no information about how many attendees or registrants an event has. If promoting an event/exhibit, it must be held in Fort Worth and be open to the public, or of common interest to the general community, or recognize /contribute to the cultural fabric of the city, the policy reads. One could argue an event aimed at keeping religion out of public schools isnt of common interest to the community, but Fort Worth just isnt being consistent. It still allowed the group to hang banners in 2019 for a similar event. It is true that in 2019, when Fort Worth approved the application for the same group to hold a similar event, the city received considerable criticism. The city got at least 100 complaints about those banners, but officials held firm then that it was a free speech issue and they were committed to honoring the principle. Story continues Then-Mayor Betsy Price tweeted I was appalled when I saw the banners currently being displayed downtown, as I do not support or agree with the message. While many of us may not agree with the message, the organization did follow policies and procedures set forth by the City & Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. ...We must respect freedom of speech. As we approach the Fourth of July, we must remember that many Americans have fought and died for the freedoms we cherish today. She was right. This is clearly a free speech issue, and the citys inconsistent handling has invited a lawsuit that will end up being more of a headache than if the city would have just gone ahead and approved Metroplex Atheists application for banners anyway. If Fort Worth is going to open this avenue for speech, officials must realize they will be faced with these kind of decisions and potential lawsuits under the First Amendment. If they dont deal with those side effects, they should end the program. Theres a fine line between giving in to groups with obscure events and fighting a free speech lawsuit youre likely to lose. On this, we think it would have been better to err on the side of more speech, not less. Do you have an opinion on this topic? Tell us! We love to hear from Texans with opinions on the news and to publish those views in the Opinion section. Letters should be no more than 150 words. Writers should submit letters only once every 30 days. Include your name, address (including city of residence), phone number and email address, so we can contact you if we have questions. You can submit a letter to the editor two ways: Email letters@star-telegram.com (preferred). Fill out this online form. Please note: Letters will be edited for style and clarity. Publication is not guaranteed. The best letters are focused on one topic. (Bloomberg) -- France and China have agreed to work together on improving the regulatory environment surrounding cosmetics to protect both market access and product safety. Most Read from Bloomberg Both countries will set up a working group that will hold its first meeting in France before the end of the year and try to harmonize regulations, the French finance ministry said Saturday. Topics of discussion will include collaboration on intellectual property including product information and counterfeit goods, as well work on standards and inspection. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire is in China to discuss economic and financial cooperation. His trip follows President Emmanuel Macrons visit in April. Read more: EU Raises Alarm Over Chinese Demands for Cosmetics Trade Secrets The European Union has raised concerns with China about the level of detailed product information that cosmetics companies like LOreal and LVMH have to provide to sell their goods in the worlds second-biggest economy, Bloomberg reported on June 1. China is imposing rules making cosmetics firms supply data spanning from ingredients to details of manufacturing processes, the sourcing of raw materials, and the precise composition of formulas. Much of the information is collected and stored in a database managed by Chinese authorities. Read more: France Wants to Work With China on Joint Standards for Cosmetics Bloomberg also reported that European companies are concerned they may be forced to surrender trade secrets under the guise of product safety, according to people familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. There is no evidence that China is misusing the information it collects from cosmetics companies, the people said. Story continues The EU as well as the US have long complained that certain policies and practices in China may lead to the transfer of technologies and intellectual property. Still, EU companies have little choice but to comply with the regulations if they want to access the Chinese market. (Updates with details from statement in second paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Alfredo Ramirez became a police officer for noble reasons. He was a law-and-order man, who spoke about the ravages of gun violence. He was a compassionate man, known to cry for victims and pray with their distraught families. He was a humble man, son of Cuban exiles, who worked long hours to protect Miami-Dade County from crime. In a place with a history of bad cops, killer cops, corrupt cops, his spotless record gleamed like the eight gold stars on his collar. As Ramirez rose through the ranks, from patrolling suburban streets to arresting drug dealers, gang leaders and money launderers, to leading the fourth-largest police force in the country, the respect of colleagues and citizens only grew. He remained steadfastly Freddy, the opposite of the cynical, traumatized, volatile, trigger-happy TV cop show stereotype. And then, he snapped. The rage of Ramirezs breakdown has left those who thought they knew him searching for explanations: How and why did his 28-year-career come to a bloody end Sunday night by the side of a highway with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head? READ MORE: Miami-Dade police chief shot himself in the head after fight with wife at Tampa hotel Ramirez, recovering from two surgeries at Tampa General Hospital, has lost sight in his right eye but the angle of the shot and the trajectory of the bullet did not cause brain damage, doctors said. Ramirez, 52, has not not yet addressed his 2024 candidacy for the new position of county sheriff, but political observers say his campaign cant survive what happened in Tampa. Voters would find it difficult to reconcile Ramirezs public image with descriptions of dangerous, despondent behavior so out of character he seemed to be possessed. Panicked 911 call from Tampa hotel What caused the even-tempered Ramirez to get into a heated argument with his wife of 30 years, Jody, in the lobby of the Tampa JW Marriott on the first evening of the Florida Sheriffs Association summer conference in full view of his stunned law-enforcement peers? Why did Ramirez shove his wife against a wall and put his hands around her throat, according to three attendees? As the couple moved outside, shouting at each other, why did Ramirez, the lauded peacemaker, pull out his gun at one point, aiming it at himself alarming guests, and prompting a panicked 911 call that summoned Tampa police to the hotel? Police questioned Ramirez and his wife about their domestic dispute, which they said was over, no harm done, no fear of harm, and Ramirez denied brandishing his gun. Story continues Kicked out of the Marriott by management, Ramirez and his wife began the trip to their West Kendall home. He called Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and his campaign manager, told them about the mortifying scene at the conference, and offered to resign as chief. Levine Cava, who described Ramirez as very remorseful, reassured him they would talk about it Monday. And then, did Ramirez crack again? What about the emotional state of his wife, Jody? As they drove south, enveloped inside their car by anger, despair and shame, what provoked the next violent outburst? Ramirez had his gun in his right hand when he shot himself but the details are unclear, the obvious questions unanswered. Who can understand the tests to a marriage except the partners themselves? Did Ramirez make a suicidal threat and Jody tried to wrestle the gun away? Did Ramirez take the gun from Jody? The Herald has requested the incident report, 911 call recordings and body camera footage from authorities who responded to the scene on I-75 near mile marker 244 but the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office and Florida Highway Patrol have not released those records. Nor has Ramirez made any statements. The main concern is his recuperation. We are shaken and hurt, and cant stop thinking about Freddy, said Tangela Sears, an anti-violence activist who has known Ramirez for 25 years, since he worked at the Northside station near her home in Liberty City. I had lunch with him last week and talked to him on Sunday afternoon about the campaign and the conference. Im asking myself if I saw any red flags. I dont know what may be going on with him in his personal life, but he was under a lot of pressure. Sears is a founder of Miami-Dade Mothers of Murdered Children. Her 29-year-old son was shot and killed in 2015. Ive been in Freddys shoes before, where you are in so much pain and feel so hopeless that you consider ending your life, Sears said. Ive been through tragedy after tragedy with family and friends. Were human, were not as strong as people think. Freddy was always by my side and Ill stay by his side. Alfredo Freddy Ramirez and Tangela Sears, founder of Miami-Dade Mothers of Murdered Children, who has known Ramirez for 25 years. Courtesy of Tangela Sears Its not the time to judge Ramirez, but to support him, said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle. I have witnessed him personally, innumerable times, where hes tried to console a grieving victim, she said at a press conference. Hes given a great deal to this community, to our community. And now its our turn. Levine Cava, who flew by county helicopter to the Tampa hospital at 2:30 a.m. Monday, said she cant speculate on what led to the shooting. She can only empathize with Ramirez and his wife. I love Freddy. He is an amazing human being, she said at a Wednesday press conference, her eyes red, her voice halting. He is the best of what law enforcement means. I have total trust in his leadership. READ MORE: Before he shot himself, Miami-Dades police director offered to resign, mayor says A visibly saddened Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava takes questions from reporters on the condition of Chief of Public Safety Alfredo Freddy Ramirez during a press conference at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center in downtown Miami on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Jose A. Iglesias/jiglesias@elnuevoherald.com A reassuring presence at crime scenes, memorials In announcing an interim police director and interim chief safety officer Ramirezs job was expanded by the mayor in 2022 when he assumed both roles Levine Cava emphasized the toll of police work on officers mental health. This incident is also a tragic reminder of the critical role that mental health plays in our law enforcement officers, Levine Cava said, flanked by police administrators and commanders in their taupe uniforms. The reality is that these jobs are very demanding, theyre stressful and theyre emotionally taxing. County Commission Chairman Oliver Gilbert, who joined Levine Cava in Tampa on Monday, said seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. We never want to be this sad again, he said. We never want to be this broken. Ramirez has been an outspoken advocate of mental health treatment for police officers, who suffer disproportionately high rates of suicide, depression, domestic violence, divorce and stress-related illnesses. Alex Piquero, a professor of criminology at the University of Miami and director of the Department of Bureau Statistics for the U.S. Department of Justice, praised Ramirezs rare one-on-one connection with people. They have worked together on the countys Peace and Prosperity Plan since the mass shooting at El Mula banquet hall in 2021. One of the biggest stress multipliers for cops is their inability to leave work behind at the station. Witnessing gore, addiction, death and the worst side of human beings for years on end leads to fractured relationships at home, Piquero said. Its not like cops can punch out and say Im done for the day, Piquero said. Its really, really hard for them to turn the toggle off. Ramirez had trouble compartmentalizing the pain he saw because even as an administrator managing 4,600 employees from a big office, he was a constant, earnest presence in Miami-Dades neighborhoods, at crime scenes, memorials, charity events. You cant take things personally and to the heart, but he did, said Charles Nanney, who retired from the Miami-Dade police department in 2018 after 36 years. Hes very energetic. Very quiet. But always working. And everyone liked him. More importantly, everyone wanted him in their units. Sears said Ramirez was a collaborator who welcomed community input. They have worked together to organize violence-prevention forums and programs to get guns off the streets. They have marched together at rallies. Any time you met with Freddy about a problem, you walked away with a solution, said Sears, who has consulted with politicians on reforms in law enforcement policies. He was out here making sure detectives maintained close contact with the neighborhoods, with the people. He took a zero-tolerance stand against gun violence and were going to continue that work. Ramirez met with family members of the 98 people killed in the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo. He drove to Surfside almost daily during the month-long search and rescue operation that turned into a search mission after it was determined there would be no survivors pulled from the rubble. Ramirez talked with anguished, anxious relatives, prayed with them for a miracle and promised that the remains of all victims would be found and identified. Miami-Dade Police Department Director Alfredo Freddy Ramirez III, along with other county officials, provides an update on the search-and-recovery operation following the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside at a press conference at Miami-Dade Emergency Operations in Doral, Florida, on July 26, 2021. The building collapsed June 24, 2021, killing 98 people. Daniel A. Varela/dvarela@miamiherald.com When robbery detective Cesar Echy Echaverry was killed last year in a Liberty City shootout with a felon, Ramirez treated Echaverrys relatives and colleagues like family, Nanney said. He cares so much. Hes always worried. So when Echy got killed, it hurt him. Its just the way hes built, Nanney said. READ MORE: Surrounded by loved ones, Miami-Dade detective dies two days after shooting Ramirez participated in an annual fundraiser picnic for juvenile diabetes patients at ZooMiami every year without fail, Nanney said. Another example of Ramirezs caring nature came after a major drug bust in Liberty City. It was around Christmas, and a group of young kids watched as Ramirez and his unit handcuffed suspects. Ramirez was worried residents would see the cops as occupiers of the neighborhood, so he told the kids hed make it up to them. The next day he brought toys to give away, Santa with a badge. I kept saying this guys going to be director one day, Nanney said. Hes very simple. He was raised the way everyone should be raised. Met his wife at Sunset High Before moving to Miami, Ramirez lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, with his parents and grandparents, who left Cuba when Fidel Castro took power. He graduated from Sunset Senior High School, where he met Jody, and earned a sociology degree from the University of Miami in 1995. They have four children; one son is a Miami-Dade police sergeant and a daughter is in medical school. Ramirezs favorite hobbies? Playing guitar and working out at the gym. After a few years of street patrols in the south end of the county, Ramirez became a sergeant in the Hammocks in 2002. By 2003, he was overseeing narcotics and search warrants. When he worked under Nanney, Freddy was the tip of the spear when it came to getting bad guys, and I got almost zero complaints on him, which is hard to do, Nanney said. In 2006, Ramirez was promoted to lieutenant. As a captain he supervised investigations of narcotics, money laundering, kidnapping, organized crime, human trafficking, gangs and murder. In 2012 he became a major in homicide and later chief of criminal investigations. Then it was on to senior leadership. He spent the next five years beside Director Juan Perez until he was named deputy director in 2018. When Perez left in 2020, then-Mayor Carlos Gimenez appointed Ramirez to succeed him. Then-Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez hugs the new director of the Miami-Dade Police Department Alfredo Freddy Ramirez after a press conference at Miami-Dade Police Department Headquarters on Jan. 8, 2020, in Doral. DAVID SANTIAGO/dsantiago@miamiherald.com The top job becomes an elected sheriff position in 2024, which has made Ramirez somewhat uncomfortable. Shy and soft-spoken, hes not one for schmoozing and self-promotion. READ MORE: In a traumatic evening, historic race for Miami-Dade sheriff gets thrown into turmoil Among Ramirezs campaign emails is an endorsement from Jody: Things werent always easy for us, she writes to voters. When we were first married, Freddy was working full time while finishing school all while we were raising our first child. But hard work, dedication and family are Freddys defining values. Those principles make him a great husband and father and an outstanding leader in our community. Freddy and I have raised our kids here in Miami-Dade County. We know how important it is for our neighborhoods to be safe for all residents. Im so proud of what our community has accomplished under Freddys leadership and I know that hell protect that progress as our first elected sheriff in over 50 years. On Friday, a Miami-Dade police officer was parked outside their home, saying the family was not talking. Newly appointed Miami-Dade Police Department Director Alfredo Freddy Ramirez smiles alongside his wife Jody, and their children Ryan, 11, and Brandon during a press conference at Miami-Dade Police Department Headquarters on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, in Doral. DAVID SANTIAGO/dsantiago@miamiherald.com The biggest setback for Ramirez occurred in December 2021, when Miami-Dade prosecutors were forced to drop murder charges against Warneric Buckner, a suspected gunman in the Memorial Day mass shooting at the El Mula banquet hall in Northwest Miami-Dade, where 23 people were shot, three of them killed, as they left a record release party. Prosecutors said two detectives who would later be demoted got an improper confession from Buckner after he asked for an attorney. Buckner reportedly admitted he fired into the crowd from the front seat of an SUV. Ramirez said he was disappointed and saddened by the decision and promised to continue investigating. In June, Buckner, who had been imprisoned for six months on an identity theft conviction, was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the 2021 drive-by shooting death of 6-year-old Chassidy Saunders, known as the Tik-Tok Princess. She was attending a birthday party. In his three years as chief, Ramirez has dealt with only one controversial firing of an officer: A cop at Miami International Airport who got caught on video slapping a woman after she got into his face. But even the person most likely to be at odds with a police chief the head of the police union had nothing but glowing praise for Ramirez. He was making a decision and I had a guy to defend, said Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association. Its been our only open disagreement in public. Its never been contentious. Thats unusual, but nope, not with him. Hes just a really great guy at all levels. He seems to navigate all waters. Is Ramirez finished? Nanney, his close friend, has a different prediction than most who think the chief, beloved for his steady, gentle leadership, cannot repair the reputation he shredded during a devastating night in Tampa. I wouldnt count him out. Sears said Ramirezs leadership is more essential than ever. I know he will heal and be a major voice on policing and mental health. I still believe he has a bright future preventing the gun violence that is destroying our country, she said. We didnt lose Freddy because we need Freddy. Miami Herald reporter Michelle Marchante and Bradenton Herald reporter Ryan Ballogg contributed to this report. On a chilly February morning, dressed in a fleece jacket and wool beanie, I observed the city of Fresnos Homeless Assistance Response Team tear down a tent encampment directly behind two of the Parkway Drive motels that had been converted to emergency shelters and affordable housing. Out of the 38 people inhabiting the camp, just three (two women and one older man) were offered beds at downtown homeless shelters. Only the man accepted provided he got the top bunk. The rest packed up their belongings and headed elsewhere. This past week, wearing shorts and flip flops, I was curious to see what else had changed at the same scene in six months besides my attire. A new chain-link fence erected around the city-owned portion of the vacant lots prevented the large camp from reforming. Still, three or four tents stood around the perimeter. A few blocks away on Olive Drive, on a vacant lot between another converted motel and a fast-food restaurant, a dozen or so tents stood where none had previously been. I was instantly reminded of what homeless advocate Dez Martinez said to me on that February morning: Were playing ping-pong, except with people. Opinion Findings included in the 2023 Point in Time count, released Wednesday by the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care, were a sobering reminder of the scale and complexities of the homeless crisis. Regardless of any attempt at a positive spin. No signs of subsiding Even though sincere efforts are being made to shelter and house those in our community living on the street, mainly by the city of Fresno and the Fresno Housing Authority utilizing more than $200 million in state and federal funding since 2021, the problem doesnt show much sign of subsiding. Every year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires local communities to survey the homeless population. This years figure 4,493 individuals throughout Fresno and Madera counties who were experiencing homelessness represents a 6.6% increase from 2022. Story continues However, there are mitigating factors that suggest the latest total is likely an undercount. The actual survey took place on the evening of Jan. 24 when overnight temperatures dipped into the mid-30s and the city of Fresno had its warming centers open. No telling how many folks spent the night in a community center gym rather than out in the elements where they might have been counted. That in itself may explain why the number of unsheltered homeless in Fresno climbed just 7.3% over 2022 while Fresno County went up 15.6%, and Madera County (180.8%) and the city of Madera (154.5%) both saw massive jumps during the same 12 months. Simply a hunch. Numbers rise Following last years survey, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer got a lot of mileage out of the citys 13% reduction in unsheltered homeless. It was one of his go-to statistics at press conferences. This years 7% bump isnt nearly as fun to take to Sacramento when Gov. Gavin Newsom asks Dyer, his avowed ally on homelessness, for an update. But rather than chide the mayor, lets give Fresno city leaders credit for trying. One of the more startling figures from the 2023 count is the number of people in Fresno County shelters on the night of the survey: 11. (Down from 27 the previous year.) Compare that to the 1,388 sheltered individuals within the Fresno city limits, and it makes one curious how Fresno County spent the $90 million in homelessness relief it received over the last three years. County leaders didnt spend it providing emergency and temporary housing to the homeless. They abdicated that responsibility and left it to Dyer and the city. That much seems clear. The bulk of that state and federal funding is intended to convert seedy motels and rundown apartments into permanent housing with subsidized rents. Which, in theory, should ease homelessness by creating more affordable options for those in need. The city of Fresno has doubled its shelter capacity since 2020, when two months before the pandemic the Point in Time count revealed a startling 45% increase in the homeless population. Thats the good news. But as more of those motels get converted to permanent housing, fewer beds will be available for those who suddenly lose their homes with no more money coming in to replenish the stock. What happens then? Will we have built enough affordable apartments and tiny homes so that there arent even more people living in tents on sidewalks and vacant lots? Those are the questions that should trouble us after throwing so many resources at a crisis and appearing no closer to a fix. It's not your imagination: Gas prices are going up. Fast. The national average for a gallon of gas jumped 13 cents since last week to $3.71, according to the American Automobile Association. While below the national average, gas prices in Florida have hit $3.66 for a gallon of regular as of July 27. That's an increase of 20 cents from the average cost of $3.459 a week ago. As is normally the case, Palm Beach County has the highest gas prices in the state, at $3.80. Prices were $3.50 a gallon a month ago. Looking back, though, state and Palm Beach County prices are still below the average of a year ago: $4.03 in the state and $4.26 in the county. How gas prices have changed in Florida Average cost of gallon of regular gasoline as of July 27, 2023, according to AAA. The highest recorded average price for regular unleaded gas in Florida was $4.891 on June 13, 2022. Why have gasoline prices been going up? The primary cause appears to be the price of oil, which is almost $4 higher over the past few days and now hovers near $80 per barrel. In June, Saudi Arabia announced it will reduce how much oilit sends to the global economy in an effort to prop up the sagging price of crude. The announcement came as the other OPEC+ producers agreed in a meeting in Vienna to extend earlier production cuts through next year. Saudi Arabia cut production by 1 million barrels per day, which started this month. Oil accounts for almost 50 percent of the cost of a gallon of gas, according to AAA. The Energy Information Administration reported domestic commercial crude inventories decreased by 600,000 billion barrels to 456.8 million billion barrels. "With supplies tight, if demand should spike, pump prices will follow suit," according to AAA. More: As global oil production is reduced, will gas prices increase or decrease? The answer is mixed. Are people using more gas? Gas demand, meaning people fueling up, remains tepid," said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. Story continues "Its lower now than at this time last year and in 2021. But while the heat may be keeping some folks home, it also suppresses refinery production, according to experts. Constrained supplies and a higher cost of oil are tipping the balance toward rising pump prices for now. More: 'Dangerous' heat threatens millions of Americans; Arizona county brings in coolers to store bodies: Updates Florida among the top 10 states with the largest increase in gas prices These 10 states have seen the largest increases in the average price of gas over the past week: Indiana: 23 cents. Florida: 20 cents. Iowa: 20 cents. Ohio: 19 cents. Georgia: 19 cents. Kansas: 18 cents. Tennessee: 18 cents. Texas: 18 cents. North Carolina: 18 cents. South Carolina: 18 cents. More: Diesel supply dwindles, with few ways to boost it. How this affects the economy and you. What states have the most expensive gas? The nationstop 10 most expensive markets for gasoline: California: $4.93. Washington: $4.93. Hawaii: $4.69. Oregon: $4.59. Alaska: $4.31. Nevada: $4.24. Utah: $3.94. Idaho: $3.89. Illinois: $3.95. Colorado: $3.92. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Gas prices near me: Fuel cost rises in Palm Beach County Florida Lexington attorney Gayle Slaughter, 67, who was among the first Black women lawyers in Lexington to operate a solo practice, died Wednesday, according to an obituary. Slaughter was known for taking on criminal cases, and she was involved in a number of high-profile Lexington cases over the years, including representing people who alleged abuse by Micro-City Government founder Ron Berry and well-known music teacher Charles F. Little Jr. In both instances, Slaughter represented plaintiffs who filed lawsuits arguing that those in power, be they city government officials or the Fayette County Board of Education, had shown indifference to allegations of sexual abuse. She had some very public and challenging cases, said her niece Frances Jordan. For a time, Slaughter suffered community backlash because of her support for abuse victims. Business dried up for a season for her, Jordan said. She persevered. In the early 2000s, Slaughter was also involved in a dispute over the citys plans for renovating the Lyric Theatre. She was president of a nonprofit group, Gods Center Foundation, that owned the Lyric when the city moved to take it by eminent domain. The foundation said it wanted to use the building for youth programming and engaged in a legal battle with the city that ended when a jury determined that the city should have to pay $240,000 for the historic building. Later, Slaughter represented Glenn Doneghy, who was convicted in the fatal 2010 hit-and-run collision that killed Lexington police officer Bryan Durman. She was a graduate of Henry Clay High School, Kentucky State University and the University of Kentucky Law School. She often helped people who could not afford an attorney, Jordan said. Slaughter brought legal services into her downtown neighborhood when she bought a former funeral home on Ohio Street, painted it pink and red because they were her nieces favorite colors and ran her legal office out of it, Jordan said. Story continues It really served as a beacon, she said. Jordan said Slaughter was still practicing law until she was recently sidelined by health problems, and over the past decade she had actively mentored younger lawyers. Slaughter inspired Jordan to become an attorney too. I wanted to be just like her, Jordan said. She was a great lawyer. This world often judges success by money, and she made so many sacrifices to do the right thing when it was not the most successful thing to do - but it mattered to the people who needed her to fight for them, Jordan wrote in a Facebook post. I am lucky that God judges by love, and my Aunt was the richest person I know. Slaughters practice of law was heavily influenced by her faith. She told a Herald-Leader reporter in 1989 that she tried to rehabilitate people and worked get them help to resolve whatever personal problems led them to offend in the first place. Im not just in this profession for the money, she said. I often encourage clients to acknowledge their wrongdoing, try to make them realize that they have to give account not only to man but to God as well. If an attorney is willing by hook or crook to do anything to get his client off . . . society doesnt get any benefit from that, Slaughter said. If I can help someone get out of trouble and help them stay out of trouble, thats a good way to contribute something to society. Slaughter is survived by seven siblings and 12 nieces and nephews, her obituary states. George Conway, an attorney and prominent conservative critic of former President Trump, said the newest charges against the former president over his handling and retention of classified documents show that there is literally a smoking arsenal here. They had him dead to rights back when they executed the search warrant and they came up with those documents, Conway told CNN on Friday, referring to the FBIs search of Mar-a-Lago last August. I mean, there is literally a smoking arsenal here. People are making a big deal about what we saw in the superseding indictment yesterday, but the fact of the matter is that its just icing on a very, very large cake of mind-bogglingly inculpatory evidence against Donald Trump, he continued. Hes like a never-ending, bottomless pit of illegality. The Justice Department filed a superseding indictment in the classified documents case Thursday night, accusing Trump of attempting to delete surveillance footage at Mar-a-Lago with the help of his aide and the hotels property manager. Here, hes basically, by asking his workers to destroy the videotape, he was obstructing justice, but he wasnt just obstructing justice, Conway said. He was obstructing justice about his prior efforts to obstruct justice because those videotapes showed how he and Walt Nauta were moving these boxes around. Hes like a matryoshka doll of criminality this man, the conservative attorney added. Hes not making it easier for himself. If anything, hes being unfair to himself because hes making it so easy for prosecutors. Along with an additional Espionage Act charge for a military document that Trump boasted of having during a 2021 meeting, the former president is now facing 40 counts in the case. He pleaded not guilty to the original 37-count indictment last month. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Police in Cobb County are investigating a fatal car crash that left a pedestrian dead. The accident left a 61-year-old man dead in Austell. Police said the crash happened on Cityview Drive just east of an intersection with Golden Pine Road Wednesday night, at 11:23 p.m. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: The Cobb County Police Departments Selective Traffic Enforcement Program identified the victim as Troy Bracy, an Atlanta resident. Police said he was walking in the roadway in the eastbound lane of Cityview Drive when Gustavo Isidoro, 18 of Mableton, struck him with his truck, a black 2006 GMC Sierra. Medical personnel from the Cobb County Medical Examiners Office pronounced Bracy dead at the scene. Isidoro, according to police, was not injured. The fatal crash remains under investigation, according to officers. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 770-499-3987. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] OTHER NEWS: German politicians from the opposition and coalition parties have called on the government to supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus cruise missiles. Source: European Pravda with reference to DW Details: Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the Bundestag from the oppositional Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said Berlin should "immediately" provide Kyiv with long-range Taurus missiles. Kiesewetter noted that the Bundeswehr has 600 Taurus missiles, including 450 that are not ready for combat missions, but can undergo modernisation by the MBDA company [European developer and manufacturer of missiles ed.] and be prepared for shipment to Ukraine. At the same time, Markus Faber, politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is part of the ruling coalition, informed that Ukraines Armed Forces successfully use the UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. Faber said this indicates the importance of this type of weapons for Ukraine, which is defending against the full-scale Russian invasion. Oleksii Makieiev, Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, also called for the Taurus missiles provision, asking the government "to shorten the discussion part this time and thereby save human lives," recalling the long debate in Germany regarding other weapon provisions, including Leopard tanks. However, the German Defence Ministry confirmed its refusal to supply missiles to Ukraine. The Ministry's representative showed the statement of Boris Pistorius, Federal Minister of German Defence, to DW. The minister made it clear that Taurus missiles will not be supplied to Ukraines Armed Forces. Background: At the end of May, Ukraine officially requested Germany to provide it with Taurus cruise missiles, ranging up to 500 kilometres. At the same time, France and the UK decided to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles. Ukraine started using Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the UK back in the spring. In July, French President Emmanuel Macron also announced the transfer of missiles, which will allow strikes in the deep rear of Russia, to Ukraine. Sources reported that they are SCALP long-range missiles, the supply of which has begun. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Rep. John James of Michigan. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images GOP Rep. John James called out Gov. Ron DeSantis over the new slavery curriculum in Florida. James on the social media platform X said DeSantis is now "so far from the Party of Lincoln." DeSantis has pushed back against Rep. Donalds and Sen. Scott over their critiques of the changes. Republican Rep. John James of Michigan on Friday blasted Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida over the governor's response to criticism from key Black conservatives over the state's new Black history education guidelines, stating that the presidential candidate had "gone too far" and needed to "stop" his defense of the changes. James a Black freshman lawmaker who was the GOP nominee in two highly competitive Senate races in 2018 and 2020 took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to lambast DeSantis for attacking Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina after they pushed back against the new slavery curriculum. "#1: slavery was not CTE! Nothing about that 400 years of evil was a "net benefit" to my ancestors. #2: there are only five black Republicans in Congress and you're attacking two of them. My brother in Christ if you find yourself in a deep hole put the shovel down," the congressman wrote. "You are now so far from the Party of Lincoln that your Ed. board is re-writing history and you're personally attacking conservatives like @VoteTimScott and @ByronDonalds on the topic of slavery. You've gone too far. Stop," he added. The revised state education guidelines for middle schoolers mandate that teachers include instruction about "how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit" which has created a firestorm among top Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who last Friday condemned DeSantis over the new standards and again on Tuesday during a ceremony commemorating a new Emmett Till national monument. Story continues But it is the pushback from Black conservatives, who would normally be political allies of virtually any Republican presidential contender, that has caused many people to turn their heads. Donalds who was a featured speaker at DeSantis' election night party last November before later endorsing Trump's 2024 presidential bid described the revised standards as "robust" and "accurate" earlier this week. But he also said that "the attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong" and "needs to be adjusted." "That obviously wasn't the goal & I have faith that FLDOE will correct this," Donalds added, referencing the Florida Department of Education. Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images When DeSantis got word of the remarks, he lashed out at Donalds when asked about the issue by reporters in Iowa. "At the end of the day, you got to choose: Are you going to side with Kamala Harris and liberal media outlets or are you going to side with the state of Florida?" the governor said. "I think it's very clear that these guys did a good job on those standards. It wasn't anything politically motivated." Donalds on Friday made an appearance on Fox News, where he pointed to the DeSantis campaign over the dustup. "Let's be clear. I don't even have a criticism," Donalds said. "My issue is with one sentence of the entire thing, one sentence of 200 pages. And the DeSantis team wants to make a big issue out of it? That's ridiculous." Scott who has been rising in the Republican presidential polls in recent weeks and could threaten DeSantis' current status as the most formidable alternative to former President Donald Trump called out the governor on Thursday over the curriculum regarding slavery. "What slavery was really about was separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating," the senator told reporters. "So I would hope that every person in our country and certainly running for president would appreciate that." "People have bad days," Scott added. "Sometimes they regret what they say. And we should ask them again to clarify their positions." DeSantis also responded to Scott on Friday, remarking that Washington Republicans "all too often accept false narratives" and "accept lies that are perpetrated by the left." "The way you lead is to fight back against the lies, is to speak the truth," the governor said while taking a campaign swing through Iowa. "So I'm here defending my state of Florida against false accusations and against lies, and we're going to continue to speak the truth." Read the original article on Business Insider Rep. John James (R-Mich.) criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday for his response to Republican lawmakers who called him out on his states new Black history education standards Friday. @RonDeSantis, #1: slavery was not CTE! James posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Nothing about that 400 years of evil was a net benefit to my ancestors. #2: there are only five black Republicans in Congress and youre attacking two of them. Both Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) have criticized the new standards, which indicate that American slavery helped enslaved people develop skills that benefited them, in the past few days. Scott rebuked the language during a campaign stop in Iowa on Thursday, claiming there is no silver lining in slavery. Slavery was really about separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives, he said. It was just devastating. DeSantis responded to the lawmakers by saying they were falling in line with Vice President Kamala Harris, who called the guidelines propaganda. They dare to push propaganda to our children, Harris said earlier this week in Jacksonville, Fla. Adults know what slavery really involved. It involved rape. It involved torture. It involved taking a baby from their mother. James pleaded with DeSantis to change course. My brother in Christ if you find yourself in a deep hole put the shovel down, he wrote. You are now so far from the Party of Lincoln that your Ed. board is re-writing history and youre personally attacking conservatives like [Scott] and [Donalds] on the topic of slavery. Youve gone too far. Stop, he added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A Hammond police officer who unsuccessfully sued the city and a coworker over an alleged 2016 sexual assault has announced her resignation from the police department effective on July 30. Corporal Denise Szanys legal battle with the city of Hammond stemmed from an October 2016 incident during which then-officer Jaime Garcia allegedly grabbed her by the vest before slapping her on the buttocks. Garcia was suspended for five days without pay over the incident. In September of 2017, Szany sued Garcia and the City of Hammond in federal court, claiming that her constitutional rights had been violated and seeking monetary damages. Judge Philip Simon of the U.S. District Court Northern District of Indiana ruled in May of 2020 that the City of Hammond didnt violate her civil rights and that the case belonged in a state court, not a federal one. After the ruling, the city and Garcia sent Szany bills for legal fees totaling over $8,000. Szanys lawyer asked Simon to lessen or eliminate Szanys obligation to the city. He reduced Hammonds cost claims by $294, but ordered her to pay the remainder. Szany sued Garcia and the city in Lake County court in June of 2020, but in September of that year moved to have the case dismissed. Both she and the defendants agreed to bear their own legal costs. Szany was not the only woman to bring allegations of sexual misconduct against Garcia. In 2019, two female former high school students who had participated in separate ride-alongs with Garcia came forward with allegations that Garcia groped them and made inappropriate sexual remarks, court records state. He quit the Hammond Police Department that year while under investigation. Zailey Hess, who was 17 in 2016 when she participated in her ride-along, sued Garcia along with former Hammond Police Chief John Doughty in 2022 in federal court. A U.S. District Court judge initially ruled to dismiss the suit, but earlier this month, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago reversed the ruling, allowing the litigation to proceed against Garcia but not against Doughty. The judges rejected arguments made by Garcias attorney, who acknowledged that the former officers conduct was boorish but claimed it was not severe enough to constitute a violation of Hesss rights, according to federal court records. Story continues It is well established that sexual assault by a government official acting under color of law violates the Constitution, the judges wrote in their ruling. We decline the invitation to draw lines between constitutional and un-constitutional sexual assaults by government officials acting under color of law. Sexual assault is an intentional act that never serves a legitimate governmental purpose. In a statement to the Post-Tribune, Szany lauded the decision. I believe I have been vindicated by Hesss victory before the federal appellate court, she wrote. I like that the message from the appellate court, in the Hess case, is that sexual assault against women should never be marginalized. Szany, who serves in the Hammond Police Departments Traffic Division, first joined the department in 2008. In her statement she wrote that while the Hammond Police Department has many great officers, the organizations climate is hostile to women. I am happy to be out of the Hammond PD, she wrote. The Hammond PD is not motivated to promote women. Police Department spokesman Lieutenant Steve Kellogg wrote in an email to the Post-Tribune that the department does not comment on personnel matters. I can tell you that we wish all of our officers the best in whatever career path they decide to take, he wrote. The Florida Department of Health in Clay County is warning the public that a blue-green algae bloom has been found in Doctors Lake. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< According to an alert issued by the Health Department, blooms have the potential to produce toxins, and what triggers them to do so remains poorly understood. Since bloom conditions can change at any time, it is important to exercise caution as if the bloom were toxic, even if toxin presence has not yet been confirmed. Read: Largest shoreline restoration project hosted in North East Florida for pervious oyster shell habitat Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions: You should not drink, swim, wade, water ski or engage in activities that may cause you to come in direct contact with waters where there is a visible bloom. Exercise caution when using personal watercraft or boating, to avoid stirring up or contacting the algae or the affected water. Avoid getting affected water in your eyes, nose or mouth. Wash your skin and clothing with soap and water if you have contact with algae or discolored or smelly water. You should keep pets and livestock away from the waters in this location. Eating fillets from healthy fish caught in freshwater lakes experiencing blooms is safe. Rinse fish fillets with tap or bottled water, throw out the guts and cook fish well. You should not eat shellfish from this location. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] To report a bloom to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection click here. The DEP said that it collects algae samples from reported bloom locations for toxin tests. Once completed, you can view the results by clicking here. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories Finn the police dog was treated as a hero after saving his handler's life A police dog who won the nation's hearts after he was stabbed while protecting his handler has died. PD Finn suffered near-fatal injuries in 2016 when he confronted an armed suspect in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, while protecting PC Dave Wardell. Finn recovered and returned to duty, before retiring in 2017. He also appeared on Britain's Got Talent and a new law in his name was introduced. PC Wardell said he was "broken" after his "hero" dog died aged 14. "I'm devastated," he said. "I'm completely lost without him. I hope people remember him and that his legacy lives forever." Dave Wardell slept beside Finn during his recovery from the knife attack German Shepherd Finn had been trained by, and lived with, the officer in Hertfordshire since he was a puppy. PC Wardell is in no doubt that Finn, then aged seven, saved his life on that fateful night in 2016. Finn was stabbed in the chest and head and was not expected to survive. PC Wardell was stabbed in the hand. A teenager was sentenced to youth custody for the attack. The assault on the dog was dealt with by the law as "criminal damage". After a campaign for a change in the law regarding injuries to police support animals was set up, the new Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act - known as Finn's Law - was introduced in 2019. A Facebook post released on behalf of PC Wardell and his wife Gemma said Finn died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday. After almost three months on from the near-fatal attack Finn returned to duty but retired at the age of eight in April 2017 Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a national charity that supports retired police dogs, said Finn left a "huge legacy" behind. "Our thoughts are with Finn's family at this very difficult time. Finn, your legacy will live on, may you stand down with pride," it posted on social media. In January, Hertfordshire Police said it was investigating PC Wardell regarding dog welfare issues. Story continues A spokesman at the time, said: "We can confirm that Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire professional standards department is currently investigating an officer's conduct with regards to police dog welfare issues." The force said PC Wardell had been put on restricted duties. A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Police told the BBC there was currently "no update at this stage" on the investigation. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk Hassan Nasrallah, who heads the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, has called for the killing of gay people (ANWAR AMRO) The leader of Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement on Saturday stepped up his attacks against the region's long-marginalised LGBTQ community. "We are not making up battles, nor are we making up dangers. This is a real danger that is imminent and has begun," Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech for the annual Ashura commemoration, among the most important in Shiite Islam. Last week, Nasrallah had said gay people, "even if they do it once... are to be killed". In his latest comments Nasrallah said that, "In Lebanon, this danger started with some educational institutions, and NGOs," which he accused of "promoting" same-sex relations to children. He called on the ministry of education to intervene. Many Western governments consider Hezbollah to be a "terrorist" organisation. It is the only side not to have disarmed following Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, and it is a powerful player in the politics of Lebanon, whose economy has collapsed since 2019. Religiously diverse Lebanon is one of the Middle East's more liberal countries, and the LGBTQ community has long been visible and outspoken, defying arbitrary crackdowns on its bars, nightclubs and community centres. But it has continued to face systematic social, economic and legal discrimination -- which an expert has warned could only be worsened by Nasrallah's rhetoric. "Hate speech functions as a tool of diversion, wielded by Nasrallah and political elites to divert public attention from profound economic disparities and governance failures," Hussein Cheaito, an economist who focuses on queer political economy, wrote on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X". "This calculated tactic perpetuates their grip on power," he said, while adding to "a vicious cycle of discrimination, fear, and exclusion, entwined with Lebanon's socio-economic fabric." Lebanon's LGBTQ community in 2018 scored a success when a court ruled that same-sex conduct is not unlawful, but since then it has seen more setbacks than victories. Story continues Last summer, the community was targeted by a crackdown that saw activists harassed and Pride gatherings cancelled after the interior ministry instructed security forces to clamp down on events "promoting sexual perversion". The ministry argued that LGBTQ events violate customs, traditions and "principles of religion" in Lebanon, where political power is split along faith lines between Shiite and Sunni Muslim, Christian, Druze and other groups. jos-aya/it A Hickory man was sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the Catawba County Justice Center. ALSO READ: Former Charlotte synagogue leader pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor Robert Oliver Parker, 76, of Hickory, received an active sentence of six to 22 years. Parker will serve his time in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections and will have to register as a sex offender for the next 30 years. In August 2020, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with the Department of Homeland Security, got a cyber tip about a person talking to and getting sexually explicit images of minors from someone in the Philippines, the Catawba County Justice Center says. The report was then sent to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), where they were able to trace the messages to Parkers email account. Further investigation shows that from 2010 to 2020, Parker got more than 16,000 images from individuals in the Philippines of more than 30 underage girls. SBI agents reached out to Parker in February 2021 at his home, where he confirmed his relationship with the person from the Philippines. Parker also told agents he had traveled there to have sexual intercourse with the females, which involved filming and taking pictures of the interaction, the Catawba County Justice Center says. Parker denied that the females were underage and told agents that he sent money to the person in the Philippines on a regular basis in return for photographs. Agents executed a search warrant at Parkers home, where they took multiple items containing child sexual abuse material, including videos and emails between Parker and the females where he was asking for photographs. (WATCH BELOW: 20-year-old man facing child exploitation charges in Union County, sheriffs office says) In this aerial view, former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is seen on September 14, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images) The Mar-a-Lago mansion was originally willed to the US government as a summer home for the president. When the White House refused it, citing high maintenance costs, Donald Trump purchased the estate. Since then, the iconic property has become central to one of the former President's criminal cases. The Mar-a-Lago Club has frequently been featured in the news cycle as the property at the heart of Donald Trump's confidential documents case but the estate's political connections date back far futher back than the former president's embattled administration. The sprawling estate was first opened in 1927 after its construction was funded by the heiress to the Postum Cereal Company, Marjorie Merriweather Post, NPR reported. Post, a known philanthropist, frequently used the estate to host events for elite members of society in addition to the underprivileged, according to the outlet. "She also was very keen on ensuring that the underprivileged were invited to events so that they could experience, for example, musical concerts," journalist Michael Luongo told NPR, adding that the heiress was "very understanding of the importance of her role in society." The 20-acre Mar-a-Lago property, meaning "Sea to Lake" in Spanish, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Worth. The estate itself is over 37,000 square feet, according to the Mar-a-Lago website. Smithsonian Magazine reports that the house was "grandiose" even by Palm Beach standards at the time of its construction. At its finish, the house cost $7 million, the equivalent of nearly $100 million in today's funds, per NPR. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Post donated the house to the government upon her death, hoping it would serve as a summer lodging for the US president. After the White House was unwilling to keep up with Mar-a-Lago's expensive maintenance costs, Trump purchased the property and its furniture in 1985 for only $8 million, according to Town & Country. Story continues Trump used the mansion as his own home for about 10 years, then opened it as a club in 1995. While in office, he referred to the estate as the "Winter White House." Since the purchase, the former president has engaged in a number of legal battles over the property with the state of Florida. Town & Country reported that he sued Palm Beach County at least twice, once for "malicious" direction of air traffic over Mar-a-Lago, and another time when he was fined for having an 80-foot flag pole, when the county limit is 42-feet. The first was resolved when Trump took office, since air traffic could no longer move over Mar-a-Lago when he was in the residence. The second ended in a compromise: Trump agreed to donate $100,000 to veteran's charities in lieu of paying county fines, and lowered the flagpole to 70-feet. While in office, Trump used the club as a hub for business meetings and political entertaining, welcoming powerful guests like Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. According to Town & Country, he also authorized a missile strike on Syria from Mar-a-Lago. According to reporting from The Palm Beach Post, a membership at Mar-a-Lago costs about $200,000 at sign-up, and then about $20,000 annually, though the club is so exclusive that only members know the exact costs. The estate is central to the case against Trump for his retention of highly-classified government documents. A new superseding indictment accuses Trump and several of his employees of moving documents between locations and in and out of various hiding spaces, like closets and bathrooms, to obscure the number of documents he held. Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham alleges Trump casually presented some of the documents to guests of the estate. Tuesday, Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump nominee, will preside over Trump's first pretrial hearing for the case. Trump, facing threats of a third indictment, denies the charges against him and hopes the judge will allow for a delay in the trial until after the 2024 election cycle, Insider previously reported. Read the original article on Business Insider Newport has its mansions, but the South Shore has its own grand historical homes where the public can marvel at the lives of the upper class. Most of these cottages were stately homes designed by notable architects. This is part of The Patriot Ledger's summer series "Summer Houses with History." BRAINTREE It wasn't in the mountains, and the shore was miles away. But Jechonias Thayer had something else in mind when he built the landmark Greek Revival home on Elm Street as a summer retreat for his wife and his family: proximity to family. Born in Braintree in 1786 and a Mayflower descendant, Thayer became a shipping merchant in Boston. In his history of Braintree, John Dennehy wrote that Thayer built the house in 1835 "near the 1640 home site of his ancestor Thomas Thayer." The year 1640 was when Braintree was incorporated as a town. The blog "Buildings of New England" describes the Jechonias Thayer House as a "high-style, temple-front Greek Revival home in the Doric order. The two-story columns support the colonnade and heavy, pedimented gable." The Thayer home at 216 Elm St. in Braintree as it looks today. Jechonias Thayer's father, Solomon Thayer, had lived on the land in an earlier dwelling, "Buildings of New England" says. A paymaster and a quartermaster in the Massachusetts Volunteer Milita during the War of 1812, Jechonias Thayer and had a grocery business after the war. From 1836 to 1840, he ran Thayer and Co. in New Orleans. A member of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, Thayer once sent a barrel of corn to former President Thomas Jefferson at his Monticello home in Virginia. Thomas May, who handled the final leg of the shipment, wrote Jefferson that "Mr. Thayer states to us the corn is considered valuable as being very prolific but requires a longer season to mature than that of Massachusetts." More: 'An escape from Boston': Past and future meet at Bradley Estate in Canton The letter is held by the National Archives. Story continues Thayer owned the house for more than three decades before it was sold by trustees nine years before his death in 1876. At the time of his death, he was living with his daughter Mary Hollingsworth in a house on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston's then-new Back Bay. Since then, the Braintree house has gone through more than a dozen owners. One of them was the Boston archdiocese, which used it as a convent for members of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, who taught at the now-closed St. Thomas More Elementary School. More: Bigelow estate evokes memories of Cohasset's 'summer colony' era "Buildings of New England" says the next owner of the house, Boston iron merchant Edward Reed, used it as a country house. Reed died in 1891. Leonard F. Norris, a Brockton real estate broker, was the third owner of the house. When he died in 1908, his son F. Edgar Norris inherited the property and renovated it. Edgar's son, Lowell Ames Norris, was a writer who named the property "Norcrest." "Buildings of New England" said Lowell Norris wrote about the renovated home in many architectural publications. He also wrote or edited more than 3,000 detective stories, according to his New York Times obituary. His son, Curt Norris, had a long-running column on New England mysteries in The Patriot Ledger. Their papers are housed at Brown University. More: Camp Kiwanee: A 'rustic retreat' for a prominent Boston family The house is still a private home, last sold in 2020 for $1.6 million, according to Zillow. The real estate listing described it as a five-bedroom, four-bathroom, more than 6,000-square-foot home that had "extensive renovations" in between 2011 and 2019, "beautifully recapturing its early 18th-century grandeur." It has an in-ground pool and original walnut pegged oak floors. The listing also said it has "potential for a second buildable lot." Reach Fred Hanson at fhanson@patriotledger.com. More: Whatever happened to the Hall Estate in Hull? Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 19th-century house on Braintree's Elm Street has long history The number of people who are homeless in Fresno and Madera counties is at its highest point in at least 10 years but it could be much worse if not for efforts to develop more shelter options for those living on the streets. And rather than abating, the factors believed to be driving homelessness are being magnified, even as some shelter facilities are out of commission while being converted to longer-term housing options. Laura Moreno, chairperson of the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care, reported this week that almost 4,500 homeless persons those unsheltered on the streets or in some form of emergency or longer-term shelter were counted earlier this year in the agencys annual Point-In-Time census a snapshot of the homeless situation on a given date. The 2023 Point-In-Time count was conducted by a cadre of volunteers on Jan. 24. But Moreno, a program manager for the Fresno County Department of Social Services, is under no illusion that the count is completely accurate. Im absolutely sure that were missing people, Moreno told The Fresno Bee on Thursday, after the two-county organization issued its counts. We have a lot of outreach people who go out on a regular basis with social service agencies, with police in different cities. So we have a really good sense of where to look. But, she added, the transient nature of the homeless population means that it can be easy to miss some of the people, who seldom are just out in the open and easy to see. We have to get people down the embankments of highways, roads and streams because for them, its dangerous to be out in the open. The 2023 count based in part on an eyes-on count of individuals, estimates based on population formulas for some ZIP codes, and the known population of homeless persons in various shelters included: Fresno city: 1,819 unsheltered, 1,388 sheltered, total 3,207 homeless. Fresno County: 594 unsheltered, 11 sheltered, total 605 homeless. Madera city: 205 unsheltered, 336 sheltered, total 541 homeless. Madera County: 140 unsheltered, no sheltered, total 140 homeless. Story continues The total estimated homeless population of 4,493 across the two counties represents a 6.6% increase from the 2022 count, and is the largest number since at least 2014, according to figures from the FMCoC. Men accounted for 63% of those experiencing homelessness, compared to 36% female, and 1% who were transgender nor non-binary. By age, 85% of the homeless were between the ages of 18 and 63; about 9% were children under 19, and 6% were 64 or older. AT 70%, whites made up the largest racial segment of the homeless population in the two-county region. About 16% were Black, followed by 7% American Indian or Alaska native, 3% Asian, 3% who identified as multi-racial, and 1% native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race represented 51% of the areas homeless, compared to 49% non-Hispanic. Additionally, 19% of homeless adults in Fresno and Madera counties said they were survivors of domestic violence, and 6% were military veterans. Over the past several years, the Fresno Housing Authority, in partnership with the city of Fresno and other agencies and armed with significant awards of state money from Project Homekey and other initiatives to combat homelessness, has purchased numerous motels in Fresno and converted them into emergency shelters and other homeless housing projects. Other organizations, including the Marjaree Mason Center, the Poverello House and the Fresno Mission, also operate shelters in the area. And while those efforts are making a dent in the need, its still not enough, Moreno said. Battling homelessness is a big endeavor, a huge endeavor, she told The Bee. It would be significantly worse if we didnt have those projects. If not for those oh, my gosh. Available shelter resources shrink temporarily But some of those facilities are now going through conversions into longer-term shelters, including rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing and are offline beds that arent currently available to house people even on an emergency basis. Those are what we have been using as shelters, Moreno said. That means in the next couple of years the region may see a dip in available beds and an increase in the unsheltered population, she added, but in a couple of years time well have more permanent housing, which will be much better than shelters. Well be better off in a couple of years. According to the FMCoC data, the region had a total of 3,814 year-round beds for the homeless and formerly homeless in the 2023 count, and more than 91% were filled. Moreno said those include: 1,480 emergency shelter beds that have a low barrier for entry, and offer a place for a person to get a bed and a meal, take a shower and rest for the short term. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, expanded shelter services were available for people to bring their partner, pets and possessions for up to six months while they work toward getting more permanent housing. 349 transitional housing beds, intended to provide shelter for up to 18 months for people to help get their lives back in order. Funding for such programs is being reduced, however, in favor of efforts to move people to something more permanent. 441 rapid rehousing beds, which provide vouchers or financial support for rental assistance for up to 24 months for someone to find a place, either sharing an apartment or house that they rent on their own with assistance. Facilities provide services to address case management and factors that led to homelessness in the first place, Moreno said. Services are gradually reduced depending on when a person is capable of taking over the rent payments on their own. Its tenant based; they decide where they want to live, and they lease it in their name, Moreno said. 1,491 permanent supportive housing beds, frequently for people with mental health or substance-abuse disorders who qualify. Such facilities provide long-term financial support and services on-site. These are households that, if they were set up on their own and didnt have support, would not be successful, Moreno said. People can exit permanent supportive housing if their situation stabilizes, but they dont have to. By contrast, there were more than 5,100 year-round beds in the various levels of programs at the time of the 2022 count, of which 68% were occupied. Whats driving increased homelessness? One concern Moreno said she has is for people who are chronically homeless individuals who have been out on the streets for a year or longer, often with some sort of disabling condition such as drug- or alcohol-dependency or mental illness. About 33%, or 1,500 of the homeless identified in the 2023 Point-In-Time count, fell into the chronically homeless category. I think the longer people live on the street, the harder it is to come back inside, Moreno told The Bee. People get tired of trying, tired of being disappointed, and sometimes it feels easier for them emotionally and mentally to just accept their situation as it is. The bottom line for the increase in homelessness, however, is poverty and income factors that were exacerbated when the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in thousands of people in the region losing their jobs, even as housing costs such as rent have been rising. In tandem with long-term mental health and substance-abuse issues, its proven to be what Moreno calls a perfect storm. Of the homeless adults in the two-county region, 36% said they had a substance-abuse problem, while 33% reported suffering from mental health issues. While the vast majority of the counted homeless population is in Fresno not surprising as its the largest city in the region, Moreno said there are few areas that are untouched by people who are living on the streets, even in small rural communities. But in those less populous areas, there are frequently more opportunities for them to camouflage themselves along canals or wooded river banks on the outskirts of towns rather than in neighborhoods, Moreno said. One gap in the counts is the ability to gauge how many people arent technically homeless, but have unstable housing situations, whether couch surfing on a temporary basis with friends or family, or people who live in their car or stay in a motel until their money runs out. Were getting much better at talking about those who are unstably housed, Moreno said. But we can only count those folks if we can find them. If theyre in a motel and paying for their own room for that night, theyre not counted. Off-year elections usually mean lower turnout, but for Seattle, this year might be different according to political analyst Alex Hays. We are just days away from the August primary and voters will be deciding on 45 candidates spread out across seven council districts. Many voters usually wait until the last day and even the last minute to drop their ballots, and without people like District 3 Councilmember Kshama Sawant running, Seattles left-leaning candidates may not drive as many voters to the polls. However, this year might be a bit different. Hays believes that the narrow races in Seattles upcoming city council elections may have more people voting than usual. This year Seattles turnout is going to be a little bit stronger than typical because of the genuinely competitive races, Hays told KIRO 7. For more information about voting in Seattle visit the King County website. Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) on Friday was jeered by a crowd of Iowa Republicans at a gathering for 2024 presidential candidates when he asserted former President Trump is only running for the White House to stay out of prison. One of the things we need in our elected leaders: To tell the truth, even if its not popular, Hurd, a candidate himself, said at the Iowa GOPs Lincoln Dinner. Donald Trump is not running for president to make American great again. Donald Trump is not even running to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and in 2020, Donald Trump is running for president to stay out of prison, Hurd continued, eliciting boos and heckles from those in attendance. The Hill Elections 2024 coverage I know, the truth is hard, he added, echoing comments he made on Thursday. But if we elect Donald Trump we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House. Hurd wrapped up his remarks moments later and exited the stage to a mix of applause and boos. The former congressman, who served three terms in the House and spent several years working at the CIA, has been sharply critical of Trump and argued the former president is unfit for another term in the White House. Hurd has argued Trump is merely running for president to avoid jail time in the wake of additional charges being filed by federal prosecutors over Trumps handling of classified documents. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Reactor unit 5 at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was successfully switched to cold shutdown status to conduct maintenance only possible in that state, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi said on July 29. The IAEA reported that unit 5's transfer into cold shutdown status a mode in which it no longer produces electricity was conducted on the morning of July 28, three days after unit 4 was brought to hot shutdown. According to the IAEA, one of the six reactors at the plants needs to remain in a hot shutdown status to generate steam, which helps ensure nuclear safety at the Russian-occupied facility. But to keep producing the steam required while having all units in a cold shutdown state, which helps minimize the risks of a man-made disaster, the IAEA has called on the management of the Russian-occupied nuclear plant to install an external boiler. Ukraine has also been calling on the management of the Russian-occupied nuclear plant to switch all reactors into cold shutdown mode. Nearly a year and a half since Russia swiftly occupied Europe's largest nuclear plant situated in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast in March 2022, uncertainty about what Russia could do next at the plant remains. The IAEA reported that the mines that they observed on 23 July at the plant's perimeter were still in place on July 27, and the Russian side has not granted the agency access to the roofs and the turbine halls yet. The IAEA also said that its on-the-ground team heard some detonations both distant and apparently closer to the plant over the last few days. Ukraine raised fresh concerns of a potential accident at the plant in June, with top officials warning that Russia had rigged the plant with explosives and could launch a terrorist attack. Since occupying the plant, Russia has used the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as a military base, placing troops and equipment there. Story continues Ukraine's HUR military intelligence reported earlier in July that Russia continues to mine the plant. According to the report, mines, and explosives continued to be delivered to the territory of the nuclear plant. The IAEA staff has been based at the Zaporizhzhia plant on rotation since September 2022, after Grossi's first visit to the occupied facility. Read also: On the edge of disaster: What could really happen if Russia destroys Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Weve been thinking a lot about ice cream during this insufferable heat wave, specifically about Bomb Pops ever since seeing that Fourth of July photo of Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, tongues out, licking one of the iconic red, white and blue summer treats. Swift posted the photo just hours before she performed the first of two concerts in Kansas City that week. Foodies wondered/predicted that Swift had made Bomb Pops the snack of the summer. Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez shared a Bomb Pop over the Fourth of July holiday. Swift posted these photos right before the first of two performances in Kansas City last month. Well, we were today years old when we learned that Bomb Pops were created right here in Kansas City by D.S. Abernethy and James S. Merritt of Merritt Foods on July 30, 1955. Sunday will be the frozen treats 68th birthday. (Eskimo Pies also have a KC connection: An Iowa schoolteacher and candy shop owner created the chocolate-coated ice cream bars in 1921; candyman Russell Stover then marketed them.) The Bomb Pop is a product of its time, created in the thick of the Cold War oh, the irony between the United States and the Soviet Union. It seems almost poetic that amidst the threat of nuclear warfare, Abernethy and Merritt came up with a frozen treat to cool down temperaments all over the nation, notes the website of National Bomb Pop Day, celebrated the last Thursday of June since 2005. The pop was shaped like a bomb with six fins, hence the name Bomb Pop, and its color scheme reflected the patriotic zeitgeist of America during the Cold War. Bomb Pops over everything else! pic.twitter.com/6Mv6jJE683 Travis Burden (@tdburd02) July 23, 2023 I am officially addicted to bomb pops. Cant stop wont stop pic.twitter.com/JuMkbD8vdF Barstool Brick (@BarstoolBrick) July 19, 2023 Bomb Pops back then Bomb Pops today We were robbed of something great... pic.twitter.com/uFMAIGSyQQ Coms Closed (For now)!~ FloofyChu (@floofy_chu) July 20, 2023 Ok lets finish this! V Show Twitter poll gauntlet BEST ICE CREAM! Cookie Sandwich wins the sandwich poll. Drumstick decimates the character pops. SO TIME FOR THE FINAL BOSS! THE BOMB POP!!! https://t.co/oSvvBhTRqZ pic.twitter.com/04JJG2Xjof Nicholas Valvano (@NickyVESPN) July 21, 2023 After Merritt Foods closed in 1991, the recipe and branding rights for Bomb Pops were obtained by Wells Dairy in Le Mars, Iowa known as the ice cream capital of the world. Wells Enterprises continues to make Bomb Pops today. Story continues The original Bomb Pop flavors still exist cherry, lime and blue raspberry. There are more flavors today, including watermelon, banana fudge, Nerds and Hawaiian Punch. Bomb pops come with a warning: This product, when extremely cold, may stick to warm lips or tongue. Allow to warm slightly before eating. In jumbo size, Bomb Pops are still standard fare on ice cream trucks. Last summer, Wells CEO Mike Wells told the epicurean experts at Delish that his father, Fred, a leader in the ice cream biz who died three years ago, hated the Bomb Pop (ice cream) trucks with their ringing bells. But theyre still rolling through neighborhoods, blasting music that makes kids, and some adults, within earshot salivate like Pavlovian dogs. Its fitting for these dog days of summer. On Friday, Twitter user Melissa in Missouri declared that with the temperature soaring past 100, its time. Its officially Bomb Pop time, she wrote. Stop what you are doing and head to the freezer. County Councilwoman Kathy Kershner is facing a challenge from Mark Stremler and Katherine Orlowski as she seeks re-election in the 4th District, which includes Lynden and rural Whatcom County south to just north of Bellingham. Its is a four-year term, and the job pays $77,915 annually. This years city and county races are nonpartisan, but Kershner and Stremler have been endorsed by the Republican Party. All voting is by mail only in Washington state. Ballots must be postmarked not simply placed in the mail by 8 p.m. Aug. 1 to be counted. Ballots can also be placed in official ballot drop boxes that will be locked when polling closes. Heres how the candidates responded to a Bellingham Herald questionnaire that asked them to list their qualifications, the top three issues facing the county, and how they would solve one of those priorities. Candidates are listed in the order that they appear on the ballot: Mark Stremler is one of three people running for the District 4 seat on the Whatcom County Council in the Aug. 1 primary election. Mark Stremler/Courtesy to The Bellingham Herald Mark Stremler Mark Stremler, who lives in the Laurel area of Whatcom County, graduated from Lynden Christian and is a senior road maintenance employee in the Whatcom County Public Works Department. A former dairy farmer and general contractor, Stremler is also a licensed foster parent. He said hes running for County Council to help with a new county jail, lower taxes and solve issues related to flooding on the Nooksack River, where heavy rain in 2020 and 2021 killed one man, cost more than $200 million in damages and displaced hundreds of residents. I will be the trusted voice for district 4 while listening to all perspectives to come up with common sense solutions, Stremler told The Herald. Get the new jail built. (It) cant be kicked down the road any longer. Recent increases are adding to the already high tax burden, Stremler said, citing the child care property tax measure that voters narrowly passed in November 2022. In addition, Stemler said the council must address affordable housing and the housing supply. I believe county government can be more transparent and efficient with property tax. Codes, building regulations and permitting should be streamlined, which will bring housing costs down. With all the new taxes the 50 cent per gallon carbon tax on gas, the long-term care payroll tax, capital gains tax, and the critical need for a sales tax increase to fund a new jail, the County Council needs to reconsider the wisdom of the Proposition 5 taxes recently enacted, he said. Story continues Stremler is endorsed by the Whatcom Republicans and has raised $24,997 for his council bid, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. County Councilwoman Kathy Kershner is seeking her third term representing District 4. Kathy Kershner/Courtesy to The Bellingham Herald Kathy Kershner Kathy Kershner is seeking her third term on the Whatcom County Council, where she represents an area known as the farmland district. Kershner was elected to the council in 2009, serving until 2013 and elected again in 2019. She retired from the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant after 22 years, rising from enlisted ranks as an anti-submarine warfare specialist and operations officer. She earned a bachelor of science degree in family resources from the University of Hawaii and is a small business owner and an advocate for people with developmental disabilities. Now, she is officer for programs serving adults with developmental disabilities through her business Advocations. We need a new jail and behavioral health center, we need to solve our housing crisis, and we need to stop fentanyl from taking our loved ones, Kershner told The Herald. We all realize that the current jail is in desperate need of replacement and is an embarrassment to Whatcom County. We can and should do better, she said. I have also been working on the County Council to bring a reasonable proposal to the voters to help us build a new jail and provide an array of services that we currently cannot offer due to insufficient space and abominable conditions in the current jail, Kershner said. Kershner is endorsed by the Whatcom Republicans, the Whatcom Housing Alliance, the Whatcom County Association of Realtors, the Bellingham-Whatcom Firefighters Local 106, and elected representatives such as Lynden Mayor Scott Korthuis, Port Commissioner Ken Bell, Sheriff Bill Elfo. She has raised $67,322 for her re-election bid, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Katherine Orlowski is one of three people running for the District 4 seat on the Whatcom County Council in the Aug. 1 primary election. Katherine Orlowski/Courtesy to The Bellingham Herald Katherine Orlowski Katherine Orlowski of north Bellingham is a self-employed truck driver. She studied at the University of Bridgeports Fones School of Dental Hygiene, and earned a commercial drivers license through the Pegasus Trucking School. Orlowski is a member of the Whatcom County Councils Child and Family Well-Being Taskforce and a former member of the board at HomesNow and the Bellingham Food Bank Board Shes a recipient of the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Centers Peacebuilder Award and has served on dental and medical marijuana advisory committees in Missoula County, Montana. Public safety including the jail, fentanyl, and housing are among her priorities, along with issues surrounding water, such as agriculture, salmon and flooding, Orlowski told The Herald. We obviously need a new jail, but building only a small part of the public safety solution without services and housing makes me wonder how long until we need to expand this jail again, Orlowski said. With so many (people) needing health services, supportive living, and housing, the current government is neglecting general welfare and causing extensive government waste in triage mode. I have the foresight to get ahead of the curve because I understand our public safety crisis, she said. Orlowski lists no endorsements and has not reported any fundraising to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Less than one year before India takes to the polls to elect its prime minister, dozens of the countrys opposition parties have joined hands to form an alliance in a bid to unseat one of the most popular leaders the nation has ever seen: Narendra Modi. The leaders of 26 political parties formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, known as INDIA, during a meeting in the southern city of Bengaluru last week, marking a significant step in the months leading up to the general election. Modi, the populist leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has tightened his grip on Indias democratic institutions in way not seen since 1970s, when Indira Gandhi ruled the country with an iron fist, pushing it toward autocracy. Since Modis rise to power nearly a decade ago, critics say the once secular and democratic founding ethos of the worlds largest democracy is crumbling at alarming speed, with minorities feeling persecuted under the BJPs majoritarian policies and any criticism of the government facing censorship and punishment. In the years since becoming prime minister in 2014, Modi has grown only more powerful and popular, while his opponents have been pushed further to the side. Now, it appears as if their only chance of winning is to join forces and consolidate their influence. Next years vote is a fight between Narendra Modi and INDIA, Rahul Gandhi, the embattled former chair of the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, told reporters after the alliance was formed last week. While Indian elections remain competitive, taking on the ruling BJP will be a tough challenge, even for the most united of alliances. The star power of Modi, his divisive but popular rhetoric among Indias Hindu majority, the lack of alternatives and the historic infighting of opposition, means the BJP are well placed to fight off challenges. But despite previous personality clashes and power ambitions, the 26 opposition leaders appear unified in one goal: to overturn Modi. Story continues Analysts say the BJP might have a reason to worry. The meeting should be seen as a serious attempt to form a united front to stop PM Modis BJP winning again, said Niranjan Sahoo, a senior fellow at New Delhis Observer Research Foundation. Many regional parties sense a fighting chance vis-a-vis a hegemonic BJP under PM Modi. On Wednesday, the alliance made its first attempt by tabling a no-confidence motion against Modi for his inaction in the restive state of Manipur, which has seen an eruption of deadly ethnic violence. The motion is unlikely to succeed, but it carries a symbolic message of an opposition united. India's opposition leaders announce their alliance in Bengaluru, India, July 18, 2023. - AP Gathering of important parties Coined to evoke a sense of nationalism ahead of the 2024 general election, the INDIA alliance in a statement last week emphasized its goal of upholding the countrys democratic institutions. The character of our republic is being severely assaulted in a systematic manner by the BJP, the statement said. We resolve to fight the systemic conspiracy by BJP to target, persecute and suppress our fellow Indians. A key success of the new alliance has been to persuade other regionally important opposition parties to join Congress. That includes the Trinamool Congress, which is influential in West Bengal; the Samajwadi Party, which has a significant voting bloc in Indias largest state, Uttar Pradesh; and the Aam Admi Party, which governs Delhi. It gathers some of the most important regional opposition parties, as well as a number of smaller formations, said Gilles Verniers, assistant professor of Political Science at Ashoka University and Co-Director of the Trivedi Centre for Political Data, adding it offers a powerful symbol of unity. The coming together of these parties, many of whom have been competing against one another for decades, is significant, and that its leaders are willing to put to their own prime ministerial ambitions to one side, is noteworthy, analysts say. Sahoo said it was formidable that these leaders have shown a willingness to patch up with their rivals to defeat the BJP. These parties led by Congress can put up a direct fight with the BJP in nearly two-third seats of Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Sahoo said. They can share resources and logistics to bridge the wide asymmetry with BJP. Millions of new voters While the opposition parties got together in Bengaluru last week, the BJP and its allies also gathered in the capital New Delhi to celebrate nine years in power. Modi described the INDIA alliance as a hardcore corruption convention, adding the BJP was on course to clinch another victory in 2024. But analysts say there are signs of anxiety within the BJP, especially after it lost state elections to the Congress in the significant southern state of Karnataka earlier this year a sign that its divisive Hindu-nationalist policies are not always a guaranteed vote-winner. The election in Karnataka was the first significant gauge of voter sentiment since former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi embarked on a 4,000-kilometer (2,500-mile) trek across India to revive interest in his once powerful party. They are already worried, Sahoo said. This is clearly visible from the fact that the BJP brought as many as 38 partner allies to fight the Lok Sabha elections (lower house elections) next year. Verniers, from Ashoka University, noted there will be millions of new voters, to convince at the next election. The BJP must answer for the extraordinary concentration of wealth and for the economic distress that is prevalent in the country, he said. Still, Modi remains the face of India. Under his leadership, the countrys influence on the global stage has appeared to grow, with Western allies courting New Delhi and global companies looking to expand their footprint in the worlds most populous nation. After 10 years in power, the BJP now represents the establishment, and no longer the outsider force that would transform how politics is done in India, said Verniers, adding however: They do have reasons to be worried. Rahul Gandhi addresses the media after winning the Karnataka Assembly Elections on May 13, 2023. - Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times/Getty Images No clear leader While the BJP can bank on the popularity of Modi, the INDIA alliance has not yet put forward a leader to challenge him next year. Gandhi, the former Congress chief and great-grandson of Indias first prime minister, is perhaps the only candidate with the same level of star power, or name recognition, to take on Modi. But Gandhi remains mired in a legal dispute his allies say is politically motivated, and has seen his status as a lawmaker revoked, leaving him unable to stand in the election next year. Having an acceptable PM face is going to be the biggest challenge for the new coalition given they will be campaigning against a popular and demagogic prime minister, said Sahoo, from Observer Research Foundation. Gandhi, who was convicted in March of defamation, is challenging that judgment in Indias Supreme Court. A ruling in his favor would see him get reinstated and able to run for prime minister. It remains a challenge for INIDA to take on the BJP and its allies, but analysts say the new alliance has shaken the ruling order and sets the stage for a dramatic showdown next year. This has huge symbolic values which has brought shivers in the (BJP) camp, Sahoo said. Regionalism is a major issue in continent-sized democracy and regional parties have the ability to check the national party with deeply unfederal impulses. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Notorious Preppy Killer Robert Chambers, convicted for the brutal 1986 Central Park strangling of a teen-age girl in a blockbuster Manhattan case, was paroled from prison after serving 15 years on a separate drug rap. The now 56-year-old Chambers was released Tuesday from the Shawangunk Correctional Facility, according to state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision records. It was his second stint behind bars following his earlier incarceration on a manslaughter plea for the headline-making rough sex killing of victim Jennifer Levin. Chambers was freed on Valentines Day 2003 after serving 15 years in her death before his arrest four years later for operating a cocaine and heroin operation out of his Manhattan apartment which led to his 2008 conviction and imprisonment. Chambers will remain on parole on the drug rap through 2028, according to correction documents. Authorities said Chambers had repeatedly sold drugs to undercover agents, and he also pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer during his arrest. The 18-year-old Levin, an Upper East Side resident like her killer, was found dead in Central Park after she and Chambers met inside Dorrians Red Hand Bar on E. 84th St. and headed to the park around 4 a.m. Her strangled, battered and nearly-naked body was found by a bicyclist two hours later beneath a tree behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with the 6-foot-4 Chambers making headlines as the Preppy Killer following his arrest for murder. The accused killer claimed the death was an accident Chambers said he yanked Levin from behind after she injured him during their sexual encounter. But prosecutors brought murder charges after finding scratches on Chambers neck and face matched up with bruises found on Levins hands that were consistent with a struggle. The killing set off a media frenzy, with the Hollywood-handsome murder suspect and his victim splashed across newspapers and television with a focus on the high-flying lifestyle led by teens on the Upper East Side. Story continues The murder suspect was soon dubbed the Preppy Killer, though Chambers was actually a college dropout with a cocaine problem. The killing was eventually revisited in a five-part documentary airing in in 2019. Chambers, charged with murder, took a plea to first-degree manslaughter in the ninth day of jury deliberations at his trial in 1988. Despite his claims Levins death was an accident, prosecutors suggested Chambers flew into a lethal rage set off by his impotence. After he was imprisoned for the killing, Chambers parole applications were rejected five times as the inmate racked up violations for heroin possession, assaulting a guard and weapons possession. Shortly after his sentencing in the death, he was caught on a video snapping the head off a small doll. Oops, I think I killed it, he cracked, holding the head in his hand. For an Alaska black bear looking to get some rest, this bald eagle nest was just right. The nest napper was spotted high up in a tree at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a military base in Anchorage, during a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service eagle nest survey on July 17. The agency shared a photo of the storybook-esque scene on Facebook a few days later. At first, my mind was trying to make it into a baby eagle ... perhaps with its wings spread or something, USFWS biologist Steve Lewis told McClatchy News on Thursday. Then I realized it was a small bear sleeping there. The nest was about 6 feet wide, he added. As cute as the image is, bears in eagle nests can spell bad news for the birds. The wildlife service noted in its Facebook post that black bears have been known to raid bald eagle nests, resulting in the death of young birds. This particular bear, however, is probably innocent. Lewis said he suspects that the nest had failed way back in the spring, before the bear found it. Its not totally clear why the bear chose that spot for a snooze. Sometimes bears are attracted to the smells of old and uneaten food, like fish, that can linger in nests. Its also possible that the bear came across the nest by chance and thought it looked comfortable, Lewis told Live Science. It could have just happened to climb the tree and decided to take a nap, he said. Related... A thriving online community gathers to brag about their strong, unbroken bones. Arantza Pena Popo/Insider The subreddit r/NeverBrokeABone has over 450,000 members who boast about their superior skeletons. If they discover a member has cracked or fractured a bone they're ridiculed and removed. Moderators share the story behind the group, and the humor that underpins it. Reddit has long embraced the super niche. Whether your thing is gathering bad Facebook memes, discussing mold, or pretending to live in a fictional seaside town, new faces are fully welcomed into the fold. But there exists a community that, although thriving, takes its exclusivity seriously, where members must earn the right to stick around, and face harsh consequences if they cannot. On February 20, a Reddit user who goes by kyuubicaughtU shared a post in the community saying she'd been mauled by dogs and broken both her ankles. She included a photo that appeared to show a blood-soaked bandage on her leg. The upload received over 3,500 likes and 360 comments, but not a single shred of sympathy. Instead, users called her out en masse for having "weak bones." They wrote they'd like to pet the dogs to thank them for outing her brittle skeleton, and unanimously agreed she should be banished from the community for good. She can't have been surprised though this all took place in the subreddit r/NeverBrokeABone, a group with over 450,000 members who take pride in their perfectly intact bones, and hold nothing but contempt for anyone with as much as a fractured finger. The subreddit came about nine years ago by happenstance and exists as a semi-satirical space where users take the rules very seriously, but everyone's in on the unspoken joke. The group began as an innocuous comment on another Reddit thread Edgar, a 35-year-old from Chicago, Illinois, who does not share his last name due to privacy concerns, was the inspiration behind the popular subreddit, but he didn't mean to be. In January 2014, he responded to a prompt in r/AskReddit, a group where users post and answer questions, which invited people to share a random fact about themselves. "I've never broken a bone," he wrote and received over 2,000 likes. A fellow Reddit user who goes by Triforcespower responded, "Thus a subreddit is born," with a link to the newly created page. Story continues The group ambled along with a few thousand members until 2018, when Edgar, who was made an honorary moderator, posted a link to the group in another r/AskReddit thread, where someone else had boasted about their lack of broken bones. This is when it started to blow up. Hundreds of thousands of followers later, the community is now a thriving hub, and in the top 1% of the largest communities on Reddit, according to the page's stats. It's packed with users who brag about their superior bones, or share stories of close calls where they probably should have fractured something but came away unscathed. Occasionally, the converasation will veer away from the general topic of bones, but it's rare. You're more likely to see a discussion on how to improve overall bone health, or bone-related memes. Often, users share their purported X-rays to demonstrate how strong, or weak, their skeletal structure is, including a former member who said she was pregnant and her baby had kicked so hard it had fractured her rib. Commenters told her she was banned, but her unborn child was still welcome. Screenshot of r/NeverBrokeABone in July 2023. Reddit Of course, not everyone can stay free of broken bones forever, which presents a problem The subreddit often receives messages from those who admit they no longer belong. These are often long-term followers of the group, who have recently had a break and discovered they weren't as invincible as they thought. The rules are very clear in situations like these. "If you have broken a bone, leave, it's that simple," the sidebar of the subreddit reads. Those who fall foul are instructed to out themselves as "weak-boned filth" and remaining members are encouraged to insult them. "The more ruthless, the better," the rules state. The group has also outlined what does and doesn't count as a bone break. Broken teeth are acceptable, so are surgical procedures that involve cutting or sawing at the bone, but anything outside of that, as minor as a fracture, is grounds for immediate removal. "I will say that we take that rule seriously," Edgar told Insider. He said he once found out a woman he was dating, who he met on Reddit, had broken a bone in the past, so he banned her from the subreddit right in front of her. "She eventually saw what I was doing and told me I was ridiculous for doing that, but that's how serious we are about standards," he said. "No mercy for weak bones, no matter how close they are to us." But the hardline stance has put the moderators in a tricky position. What happens if they ever break something themselves? "It is in the back of my mind whenever I do risky activities," Bayyari told Insider, as he's a keen hiker and very active outdoors. "We haven't come up with a procedure. I always thought if it ever happened I would make a public post and step down my mod privileges for someone else to take over." As far as Edgar is concerned, however, there's no need to consider such things. He calls himself a second-generation "strong-boned person" because his 70-year-old dad has never broken a bone either, and he doesn't expect it will ever happen to him. "We do not have a procedure, since we all have strong bones," he said. While the rules are enforced, they belie an absurdist humor that silently underpins the community Ammar Bayyari, a 26-year-old from Honolulu, Hawaii, has been a moderator on the subreddit since its inception. He replied to Edgar's original post and wrote he too had never broken anything, and suggested they should start a "Never Broken a Bone" club, before being invited onboard. He has overseen the layout of the page and watched it grow for almost a decade. In fact, it was Bayyari who added the note in the sidebar encouraging users to be especially ruthless to those who had broken something. He told Insider this "became the central theme of the subreddit as a sort of satirical RoastMe," referring to a popular Reddit community where users invite its 3.3 million members to mercilessly mock their appearance. There have been members who joined and were confused by the harsh humor in r/NeverBrokeABone, but generally speaking, most are in on the joke and enjoy the "creative insults" as Bayyari describes them. "I think it works very well because it's just a fun way to vent," he said. "Most people do recognize it as humor and satire." Edgar agrees. "Thankfully, it is all in jest and most people seem to understand that," he said, adding a personal favorite insult he'd recently encountered came from a member who accused someone else of having "tin foil bones," which made him laugh. The comments in r/NeverBrokeABone can be especially brutal at times though. Members celebrate the destruction of other people's limbs, lambast them for pretending to be one of them, and tell them not to accidentally break something else with their puny human structure on the way out, but Edgar told Insider they always seem to take it well. "When someone gets banned in other communities I moderate, they come into modmail, angry and aggressive over being banned," he said. "When people get banned in r/NeverBrokeABone they actually thank us! I don't know of any other Reddit community where you get this type of reaction." In fact, Edgar said he will sometimes get mail from members who had secretly broken a bone and not announced it, but finally succumbing to the guilt, they ask him to ban them, which he swiftly does. "We're always happy to oblige and cull the community of the weak bones," he told Insider. For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here. Read the original article on Insider A 39-year-old Iowa man has been sentenced to back-to-back life sentences for fatally shooting his girlfriend and her friend a few years ago. The families of 42-year-old Tamica Allison and 41-year-old Andrea Anderson begged Matthew Dee Buford III for an explanation over the February 2020 double-homicide he committed in Waterloo, Iowa. "If you had any ounce of human decency left, I would just ask you, let us know why," said Andersons son, Mohammed Calhoun, in Thursday's sentencing. A jury found 39-year-old Matthew Buford III guilty on two counts of first degree murder and one count of flight to avoid prosecution. Throughout Buford's month long trial, prosecutors did not offer a motive, although they did find the 39-year-old guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and flight to avoid prosecution. Authorities said that Burford was drinking with his girlfriend, Allison, and Anderson when he allegedly shot the two women. Buford and Allison lived together and Anderson was visiting, police said. FIRST ON FOX: ALABAMA AG VOWS TO SEEK RESTITUTION FROM CARLEE RUSSELL IF CONVICTED IN KIDNAPPING HOAX READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Allisons teenage daughter testified that she was in her bedroom upstairs and heard her mother's final words and two subsequent gunshots. "What are you going to do, shoot me in the face? I dont care, Im not scared," Allison's teenage daughter testified during the prosecution. Waterloo police department Police said that Buford dropped off the daughter and her younger brother at other homes, and then left the state. When responding officers with the Waterloo Police Department arrived, they would find the two women dead with gunshot wounds. He surrendered in Peoria, Illinois on February 12, 2020, and was transferred back to Waterloo on February 22, 2020. Many people want to find the time to study their genealogy and learn more about extended family members. Lynn Buckley, cousin to the Fenton family of Tuscarawas County, found herself wondering even more from her side of the Atlantic about what had happened to family members setting sail from Ireland for a new life in America. She began the search during the COVID-19 pandemic as no one living knew where Samuel and Jane Fenton and nine of their 10 children had made their home. Members of the Fenton family include, from left, Helen Fenton, Lynn Buckley, Don Fenton, Ian Fenton and Roland Buckley. Lynn and cousin Ian Fenton are the great-grandchildren of George, the one son who stayed behind in Ireland and thus they grew up there, but both now reside in England. Their great-grandfather was raised by two unmarried uncles and a grandmother on his maternal side. He would have been about 8 years old when the family left Ireland in 1846. He inherited the farm near the town of Omagh, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, which is now part of the United Kingdom. Samuel and Janes other children were James, William, Samuel, Archibald, Isabella, Alexander, Eliza, Robert and Mary born in the United States. My mother (nee Anne Fenton) did her best to track them down, but just did not have the means available at that time," Lynn said. "For me, it was the power of the internet and help from a friend which led me to discover that Samuel, Jane, and the children had in fact arrived first in Pennsylvania and lived there for five years before moving on to Newcomerstown, Ohio, in 1851. The breakthrough was profoundly moving especially seeing photographs of Samuel and Jane with a note referring to George as Stayed in Ireland. "Gradually the family stories took shape in the form of more photos, maps, and official records. I then contacted Ohio family member Sondra Paazig through Facebook and Ancestry. She and her husband, Earl, were responsible for putting the missing pieces together and making this happen ... Sondras maiden name was Finton, as one son of Samuel and Janes entered the military too young and was asked to leave. However, a short time later he successfully made it in under the last name of Finton instead of Fenton, and he went by that last name for the rest of his life." Story continues So, 177 years after the original emigration, Lynn, husband Roland, and her cousin Ian and his wife, Helen traveled to Newcomerstown for a few days to connect with family at the Fentons' 95th annual reunion. There they met more than 70 relatives Lynn never even knew existed. Don Fenton 91 of Newcomerstown and his son Mark and daughter-in-law Kathy were the hosts for the cousins, and they spent the first few days of their time locally visiting the former site of Samuel and Janes home located on Blue Ridge, as well as Bakersville Cemetery where seven of Samuel and Janes children are buried along with other family members. Ian and Lynn also visited a cousin, Dale Fenton of New Philadelphia, who was 103 years old. On their final day in the village the cousin group was welcomed at the Olde Main Street Museum by John Ourant, in addition to Marian and Walter Murphy serving as tour guides. Two exhibits were sentimental to the Fentons. One was the blacksmith display, which refers to Isaac Norris, a Fenton family member. The other was the Newcomerstown News replica showcasing Charles Phillips, a long-time owner of the paper and his wife Awilda, also a Fenton family member. The Phillips daughter Rachel Sindlinger has resided in Newcomerstown most of her life and continues to be active in the village. Over the few days there, we could not have had a warmer welcome from relatives and their friends. I deeply appreciate the time that they took to show us around, tell their stories, roll out the family history, provide us with delicious food and so much more. There is something about physically walking around the roads, fields, towns the places that I had only recently discovered through the lens of Google," Lynn said. "And there is something about actually being with the people whom I had only met via emails, Facebook, and notes on Ancestry." Don Fenton offered similar sentiments: The visit gave me many glimpses of life in the past that will never be in the history books, but they are my history and my family. It was an enjoyable five days for the entire Fenton family, and I know that we will continue to stay in touch via email, Facebook, and phone to continue to share the Fenton Family news. This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Ireland residents travel to Newcomerstown to connect with family Poll worker Carol McCahan checks in a voter during early voting for the Aug. 8 election at Stark County Board of Elections. Nearly 60% of Ohio voters oppose an August ballot measure that would make it harder to change the constitution, according to a new poll. A USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University poll released Thursday found 57% of voters are against Issue 1, including some Republicans and opponents of abortion. Twenty-six percent back the issue, while 17% are undecided with just weeks to go before the Aug. 8 election. More from our Ohio poll: Ohio voters are backing Donald Trump; Sen. Sherrod Brown in tight race in 2024 Issue 1, if passed, would require 60% of the vote to enact proposed constitutional amendments instead of a simple majority of 50% plus one. It also would require citizens to get signatures from all 88 counties to place something on the ballot, instead of 44, and remove a 10-day period that allows petitioners to replace bad signatures. "There is an enormous coalition working to educate voters about Issue 1 and the more voters learn, the more they hate it," said Dennis Willard, a spokesman for the One Person One Vote coalition, which opposes Issue 1. "But we also know that special interests and politicians put Issue 1 on an Aug. 8 ballot because they wanted to sneak it past voters, so we remain laser focused on raising awareness and turning out Ohioans to reject it." The poll of 500 voters, including 454 people who plan to vote this year, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. It was conducted July 9 to 12. Ohio Poll voter support Opposition to Issue 1 bucks partisan politics Some of the key groups advocating for and against Issue 1 fall along party lines. The Ohio Republican Party is urging voters to support the measure, while the Ohio Democratic Party is working against it. Other supporters include conservative-leaning organizations such as the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and Ohio Right to Life. One Person One Vote includes unions and environmental groups that tend to favor Democrats. But former GOP governors and nonpartisan voting rights advocates are also among the staunchest critics of Issue 1. Story continues The poll suggests those nuances exist among Ohio voters. Democrats are more likely to oppose Issue 1, but 41% of Republicans, 60% of independents and 41% of Ohioans who voted for President Donald Trump in 2020 said they're also against it. Conversely, 13% of Democrats and 12% of President Joe Biden's supporters said they back the issue. Eleven percent of Democrats, 21% of Republicans and 16% of independents remain undecided. Ohio Poll Issue 1 support based on party Opponents dominated other key demographics in the poll, including age, race and education level. The strongest opposition comes from voters in the Cleveland and Cincinnati areas, but over half of voters in all five regions of the state are against the ballot proposal. Proponents of Issue 1 dismissed the poll's findings and expressed confidence that Ohio voters are on their side. "Though the multiple millions spent by special interests on false ads against Issue 1 has impacted the medias polling, our polling shows that the momentum our grassroots campaign is building across all 88 counties of the state will show up in force on Election Day," said Spencer Gross, a spokesman for Protect Our Constitution. "When Ohioans hear the facts about Issue 1, they strongly support it because they want to protect our constitution against the very type of big money, out-of-state influence we have been seeing from the 'no' side." How is abortion influencing voters on Issue 1? The results indicate voters also have complicated views about the relationship between Issue 1 and abortion. Ohio Republicans pushed for the August election to get ahead of a potential November ballot issue that would enshrine abortion and other reproductive rights in the constitution. According to the poll: Nearly two-thirds of those who support the proposed abortion amendment are against Issue 1. Twenty-two percent of abortion-rights backers support Issue 1. Nearly half of voters who oppose the abortion amendment also oppose Issue 1. One-third of abortion opponents are in favor of Issue 1. University of Cincinnati political scientist David Niven said the findings particularly the division among anti-abortion Ohioans show Issue 1 supporters are struggling to sell the measure to their base. "The Republicans who are backing this issue are forced into selling an 'eat your peas' message," Niven said. "Theres nothing exciting about it. Theres nothing people want. Theyre grasping at something and trying to tell you it's for your own good." Read more about Issue 1 and the August election Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio. Early voting is underway at the Stark County Board of Elections for the Aug. 8 election. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Issue 1: Poll finds most Ohio voters oppose August ballot issue A Jackson County jury awarded $11 million in damages to the mother of a man killed in his Kansas City rental home, whose owners were accused of failing to keep the property up to city safety codes. The jury reached its decision in early July following a civil trial brought by Diana Trotter, the mother of 32-year-old Michael King. The judgment was made against Jason and Jana DeLong, Kansas City area realtors and rental property owners, and their company Lealan Homes LLC. The jury awarded $3 million in compensatory damages and $8 million for aggravating circumstances. Also included was the cost of the home, the cost of burial expenses, the average cost of a home inspection and the cost of a smoke detector. In December 2017, Kansas City firefighters responded to a house at 1210 W. 41st St. in the Volker neighborhood. King was found dead in his upstairs apartment and the cause was determined by the Jackson County Medical Examiners Office to be smoke and soot inhalation. In 2019, Trotter sued the DeLongs for wrongful death, alleging they failed to abide by safety requirements under Kansas City municipal codes, including a lack of smoke detectors and faulty wiring in the house, which had only one exit point for the upstairs unit. The lawsuit cited burns on Kings hands as evidence he had awoken to the morning blaze and attempted to crawl out before he was overcome by the fire. Defense attorneys argued about the cause of the fire, suggesting a gas can King kept in his upstairs apartment had spilled onto the floor. They also questioned whether King was asleep at the time and whether a smoke alarm would have made a difference, citing testimony from doctors who said King had recently used cocaine. An attorney for the DeLongs did not respond to The Stars request for comment late Friday afternoon. Reached by phone Friday, attorney Paula Brown of the law firm Scharnhorst Ast Kennard Griffin PC, which represented Trotter, said the mother wanted answers for her sons death and we believe that she got those answers. Story continues Before the verdict, Brown said the DeLongs had apparently profited from the fire, remodeling the home into a luxury short-term rental complete with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. She said the jury appeared to take issue with that point considering King had reported a malfunctioning refrigerator one month earlier that was never fixed. Brown added she hopes the verdict will encourage landlords to make property upkeep a priority. Our hope is that other landlords read this story, see this verdict, and take a second look at the properties they rent and make sure that theyve done what they should do as landlords to make these properties safe, Brown said. Jaden Smith said his mother introduced him to magic mushrooms. Rich Fury/ Jaden Smith said his mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, introduced him to magic mushrooms. Jaden Smith was 24 when he shared that, a time when experts said brains may still be developing. Neuroscientists explain how developing brains may be vulnerable to psilocybin's negative effects. An estimated 11% of adults in the US said in a 2021 survey they had taken psilocybin or mushrooms. But not everyone makes "magic mushrooms" a family affair. Jaden Smith recently discussed his introduction to psychedelic mushrooms by his mother, Jada Pinkett Smith who has credited mushrooms as helping her overcome crippling depression. Jaden said at a psychedelic conference in Denver that taking them had improved his relationships with his siblings by helping him feel more in touch with his empathy and love for them. Smith was 24 years old at the time he spoke about his experience with psychedelics. Experts told Insider that the human brain is still developing up to about age 25, adding that psychedelics may have a different effect on developing brains than adult ones. "The developing brain is in a constant state of change, or plasticity, with periods of intense refinement called 'critical periods', which are largely absent in the adult brain," Dustin Hines, a neuroscientist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas who researches psychedelics, told Insider. For that reason, taking 'shrooms before the brain is fully developed isn't the best idea, said Rochelle Hines, a neuroscientist who works alongside her husband in the Hines Lab. A representative for Jada Pinkett Smith didn't respond to a request for comment. (L-R) Jaden Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith. Amy Sussman/WireImage/Getty What we know about psilocybin's effects on adolescents Researchers have found that psilocybin is rarely addictive in adolescents and doesn't pose a risk for lethal overdose in kids, unlike other drugs. But, in some cases, it can lead to short-term unpleasant side effects, including nausea, panic, anxiety, or paranoia. Story continues For one 2019 study, college students answered an anonymous online survey about their use of hallucinogens, mental health issues, and certain traits like impulsivity. Researchers found that the students who said they took psilocybin were more likely to have mental health issues like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and poor self-esteem. Psilocybin also correlated with higher levels of problematic alcohol and other drug use, more frequent unprotected sex, and general impulsivity. But the study's findings don't necessarily mean that psilocybin use caused any of those issues in college students more detailed research is needed on the "negative effects of hallucinogen use on brain function and mental health, especially in young people," the researchers stated. Another 2022 study found a significant association between psilocybin use and major depressive episodes among people ages 12-17 who completed a survey for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health between 2008-18. Again, it's unclear if one caused the other, and more research is needed to determine how exactly psilocybin is connected to poor mental health in adolescents. It also seems that the younger a person is, the more likely they are to need emergency medical treatment during a mushroom trip. Usually, treatment is related to psychological symptoms like panic or confusion, but in some cases, more serious side effects can arise, like difficulty breathing or seizures. The FDA has granted both psilocybin and MDMA "Breakthrough Therapy" status, opening the door for more research on psilocybin's use in a controlled, therapeutic context. But, so far, studies have primarily looked at the drug's effects in adults. Further research on psilocybin use in adolescents might eventually take place because of the promising research on adults. Is it a good idea for young people to try psychedelics? Trey Smith, Willow Smith, Jaden Smith, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith at the premiere of Apple Original Films' "Emancipation" on November 30, 2022. Trey Smith, Willow Smith, Jaden Smith, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith at the premiere of Apple Original Films' "Emancipation" on November 30, 2022.Amy Sussman/Getty Images Hines told Insider she does not recommend kids or teens take psilocybin, the psychoactive chemical in "magic mushrooms" even in a safe, controlled setting. "Much more information is needed in order to assess the long term outcomes," she said. She added that psilocybin might impact important developmental stages in young people the "critical periods." During critical periods, some connections in the brain become strengthened while unnecessary ones become weakened, Rochelle Hines said. Critical periods are involved in learning language, for example, and during adolescence, they might contribute to the development of higher-order cognitive ability. "We need critical periods to help our experiences shape and prepare the brain for the world around us," she said. And since some research suggests that psychedelics reopen critical periods these drugs could potentially interfere with changes the brain undergoes naturally during development, she said. Although scientists lack research on how psilocybin affects the developing brain, "generally speaking, it's an absolutely bad idea to give teens psychedelics for purely recreational or 'personal growth.' There are too many unknowns and too much to lose with a developing brain," psychiatrist and neurobiologist Dr. David Feifel told Insider. Feifel is the chief investigator of a current research study on psilocybin for use in treatment-resistant depression. "Some teens are high risk for developing schizophrenia, for example, and the highest risk for that condition to emerge is between late teens and mid-20's," Feifel added. "Theoretically, at least, psychedelics can push an already at-risk brain over the line into schizophrenia." The Hines' and Feifel's opinions, however, haven't stopped young people from experimenting with psychedelics. In 2022, 4.4% of 12th graders reported using hallucinogens in the previous 12 months including, but not exclusive to, mushrooms, LSD, and peyote. And 8% of adults between ages 19-30 used hallucinogens in 2021, based on data from the project Monitoring the Future, which studies changes in US drug and alcohol use over the years. How psychedelics affect the human brain rendering of illuminated brain waves Psilocybin affects how different parts of the brain communicate.MR.Cole_Photographer/Getty Images Psilocybin breaks down in the human gut to the compound psilocin, which binds to serotonin receptors in the brain and can increase activity in the visual and auditory cortex, causing hallucinations and some of the changes in perception that occur during a "trip." Psilocybin also affects how different parts of the brain communicate with each other. It reduces connections in some brain areas, and has the "powerful ability to promote new connections between brain cells a process referred to as 'neuroplasticity,'" Feifel said. These changes to connections in the brain contribute to the expansive or egoless feeling that can occur when taking mushrooms. But some research suggests that psilocybin might provide more than just a pleasant, mystical, or, sometimes, bad experience. A number of studies are looking at psychedelics, including psilocybin, to determine if they might help treat conditions like depression, PTSD, and alcohol use disorder. Researchers aren't exactly sure how psilocybin works to help mental health conditions, but the leading theory focuses on its ability to temporarily disrupt the brain's default mode network a brain circuit responsible for our psychological self-identity, Feifel said. Psilocybin's effect on the brain's default mode network and neuroplasticity may allow ingrained, but maladaptive, thought patterns associated with conditions like depression to be replaced by healthier ones, Feifel said. Read the original article on Business Insider James Chadwick won a Nobel Prize for his discovery of the neutron The Oppenheimer movie has inevitably ignited interest in one of the most contentious episodes of modern history - the birth of a nuclear weapon which unleashed unprecedented destruction. While the film focuses on the eponymous American physicist spearheading Allied efforts to make the atomic bomb, the team also involved British Nobel Prize winner James Chadwick. Yet little is known about Chadwick when compared to his peers, whose names read like a who's who of school science lessons. The shy but steely scientist is credited with discovering the neutron, before going on to lead the British contingent in the Manhattan Project, that was set up to build the atomic bomb. As World War Two drew to a close, American bombers would drop the devices over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, instantaneously killing more than 100,000 people. During their development, Chadwick was the only non-American with access to all of the group's research and production plants, according to experts. He famously admitted his "only remedy" on realising the inevitability of the nuclear bomb was to take sleeping pills, which he ended up doing every night for more than 28 years. James Chadwick's school in Cheshire now has a blue plaque in tribute to him Before his tenure at Los Alamos, Chadwick's career had developed in Manchester, often described as the birthplace of nuclear physics. The city had become a hub of science and engineering from the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-18th Century. But Chadwick's origins 20 miles away never indicated what he would later achieve. "He was not from any kind of wealthy background," says Dr James Sumner, a historian of technology at the University of Manchester. "He was certainly not from a traditional academic background." Born in the Cheshire village of Bollington in 1891, Chadwick himself described his family as poor, with his father failing to set up a business in Manchester. During an interview later in life, he admitted losing contact with a younger brother, adding: "I'm afraid I don't have a great family feeling." Story continues He "didn't take school very seriously" and recalled playing truant one day with his friend - the headmaster's son - "to go bird-nesting". "I have quite a vivid memory of being caned very severely for it." Despite this less than promising start, he later moved to a school in Manchester where he benefited from "extremely good" teaching and gained a university scholarship. The University of Manchester became known as the birthplace of nuclear physics "Manchester then, as now, is a very progressive city indeed," Chadwick recalled, saying he wanted to study mathematics with "no intention whatever of reading physics". But a mix-up, which involved sitting on the wrong interview bench and being "too shy" to ask for a subject change, inadvertently led to a successful career in physics. He studied under Prof Ernest Rutherford, the Nobel Prize-winning New Zealander whose model of the atom is still used in schools worldwide. "You don't let undergraduate students near the monumental, partly because the professors want all the relevant glory for themselves," says Dr Sumner. "At that time, there were just far fewer physicists and there was more glory to go around, so people like Chadwick could make a difference very early on." Chadwick (seated left) was one of Rutherford's (seated right) prolific students, along with Hans Geiger (seated centre) and Otto Hahn (standing right), who won a Nobel Prize for discovering nuclear fission Manchester had been steadily attracting scientific prestige after John Dalton pioneered studies in atomic theory and colour blindness, while fellow student James Joule became a household name after his work in energy conservation. "Once you've got a big name there, everyone else goes in and makes more discoveries," says Dr William Bodel, who researches nuclear technology at the university in Manchester. Others to pass through the university included J.J. Thomson - who is credited with discovering the electron - quantum physicist Neils Bohr and Hans Geiger, co-inventor of the radiation counter. "Chadwick was one of several who did forefront cutting edge research," says Dr Sumner. "He is publishing forefront discoveries in the hot new science of atomic physics and that's really when his career took off." He met Albert Einstein on occasions at a Berlin laboratory, where Chadwick was undertaking research with Geiger. But after World War One broke out, he was imprisoned at a camp when all Englishmen were interned. He still managed to pursue his scientific interests, making a magnet as the German officers - whom he described as "extremely lenient" - turned a blind eye. Chadwick (left) gained the trust of Lt General Leslie Groves (right), who was in charge of the Manhattan Project On returning to Manchester much weakened and poorer after the war, he was offered work by Rutherford and the pair soon took up opportunities at the University of Cambridge. His life underwent another change in 1925, when he married Aileen Stewart-Brown in Liverpool and two years later, the couple had twin daughters. As the science of physics continued to develop, Chadwick proved the existence of the neutron in the early 1930s after some speculative - or "quite silly" as he called it - experiments, following years of believing it was a main constituent of the nucleus. "When I did the experiments, as I did off and on, they were done at odd moments and sometimes when nobody was about," he said. Yet Dr Bodel describes the discovery as "fundamental enough to teach to school children". "Before him, it was known there was an extra particle, but it was difficult to detect." Chadwick said "it hadn't crossed my mind" that the breakthrough would earn him the 1935 Nobel Prize for Physics but, in his typically succinct way, he said he was "naturally, extremely pleased". The prize came at a parting of the ways with his mentor Rutherford, as they differed about new equipment to advance their research. Chadwick took up the offer as chair of physics at the University of Liverpool, saying he also wanted "more contact with other people with different interests". Following the outbreak of another world war, his expertise saw him join a British working group to study the possibility of developing a nuclear weapon. A destructive legacy The US declared war on Japan after the latter bombed an American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in December 1941, following a decade of deteriorating relations Four days later, Nazi Germany and Italy declared war on the US - two years after World War Two began Some months before the start of the conflict in 1939, scientists confirmed the discovery of nuclear fission, where the nucleus splits while releasing huge amounts of energy Efforts were undertaken to use its force for military purposes, culminating in the "airbursts" of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945 respectively On 10 August, Japan offered to surrender, thus bringing six years of war to an end Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica In 1943, Chadwick travelled as head of the British mission to Los Alamos in the US, where scientists were developing the first atomic bomb. But he felt "much more needed in Washington to keep in touch with our people there and to see what was happening in different places". He worked closely with project chief Lt General Leslie Groves, played in the film by Matt Damon, and spoke rarely about laboratory director Oppenheimer or "Oppie" as he called him. However, there were concerns "other countries would take up the business", according to Chadwick. "I was quite sure, you see, that the Russians could not be far behind in knowing about the project." James Chadwick died at the age of 82 Chadwick believed British participation was "helpful", even though "perhaps we had not many contributions to make". The explosions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed more than 100,000 people, with more dying from the impact by the end of 1945. "It completely changed the way we operate," says Dr Bodel. "The world was not the same after the Hiroshima bomb. We can't underestimate their contribution." Despite Chadwick's discomfort at the devastating impact, he went on to lobby for the UK to have its own nuclear arsenal after the war. "I don't have any doubts that the bomb had to be used. And I don't feel any guilt in having taken part in producing it. Why should I? Far worse things happened than that perhaps not many," he said. Additional research by Isobel Fry Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk a galaxy shaped like a question mark against a dense field of stars and galaxies a galaxy shaped like a question mark against a dense field of stars and galaxies The James Webb Space Telescope continues to provide answers about the earliest days of the universe, but it's also discovering more questions. Question marks, to be precise. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) team at the European Space Agency (ESA) released an image on Wednesday (June 26) offering the most detailed look yet at two actively forming young stars located 1,470 light-years from Earth in the Vela Constellation. In the image, the stars, named Herbig-Haro 46/47, are surrounded by a disk of material that "feeds" the stars as they grow for millions of years. But just below those stars, in the background of the stunning deep-space image, is an object resembling a giant cosmic question mark. Is the universe asking us something? Related: James Webb Space Telescope stuns with glowing portrait of actively forming stars (photo) It's unclear exactly what the question mark-shaped object might be, but its color and shape give us some idea. "It is probably a distant galaxy, or potentially interacting galaxies (their interactions may have caused the distorted question mark-shape)," representatives of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, which manages JWST's science operations, told Space.com. According to STScI, the object's red color in the JWST image tells scientists that the object, whatever it may be, is quite distant. Even more exciting, this might be the first time astronomers have seen the cosmic question mark. "This may be the first time we've seen this particular object," STScI added. "Additional follow-up would be required to figure out what it is with any certainty. Webb is showing us many new, distant galaxies so there's a lot of new science to be done!" a red question mark-shaped object in deep space surrounded by galaxies of all colors and shapes RELATED STORIES: James Webb Space Telescope spies water near center of planet-forming disk in cosmic 1st James Webb Space Telescope stars in breathtaking new IMAX documentary Story continues James Webb Space Telescope makes 1st detection of diamond-like carbon dust in the universe's earliest stars Matt Caplan, an assistant professor of physics at Illinois State University, told Space.com that the object might be two galaxies merging. "The two distinct features could easily be merging galaxies in the background, with the upper part of the question mark being part of a larger galaxy getting tidally disrupted," Caplan said. "Given the color of some of the other background galaxies, this doesn't seem like the worst explanation. Despite how chaotic mergers are, double lobed objects with curvy tails extending away from them are very typical." Caplan added that there are plenty of other possibilities, as well, but rules out a star due to the lack of the eight-pronged refraction spikes that appear to emanate outward from stars in JWST's images as a result of its mirrors. More stunning discoveries such as this cosmic question mark are sure to come thanks to JWST's high-resolution near-infrared imaging capabilities, which allow it to peer into the far reaches of the universe, spotting galaxies as distant as 13.4 million light-years away that existed just 420 million years after the Big Bang. Over 750 pieces of peer-reviewed scientific literature using data produced by the James Webb Space Telescope have been published in its first year of operations, according to STScI. President Joe Biden speaks to children at the White House for "Take Your Child to Work Day," on April 27, 2023. Evan Vucci/AP Hunter Biden had a daughter named Navy with Lunden Roberts, a former stripper, in 2018. For years, President Joe Biden never acknowledged Navy, who is his seventh grandchild. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy," Biden told People. President Joe Biden broke his silence on his 4-year-old granddaughter, Navy Joan Roberts, for the first time on Friday after facing backlash for failing to acknowledge his seventh grandchild. The president told People magazine in a statement, "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy." Biden's son Hunter, who is currently in the midst of a legal snag after his plea deal in a case related to alleged tax crimes and a gun possession charge fell apart on Wednesday, fathered Navy in August 2018 with Lunden Roberts. Hunter and Roberts met at a strip club in Washington, DC, The New York Times reported. By mid-2018, Roberts began working as a personal assistant to Hunter, a person close to her told the newspaper. Roberts filed a lawsuit in May 2019 and requested a DNA test to establish Hunter's paternity shortly after he removed Roberts and the child from his health insurance, according to The Times. After a lengthy and contentious courtroom battle, Hunter and Roberts settled the suit, with Hunter agreeing to provide an undisclosed amount in child support, an undisclosed number of his paintings, and a college fund. "Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," President Biden said in the statement to People. The president added, "This is not a political issue it's a family matter." Until now, Biden had not publicly acknowledged Navy, who is his seventh grandchild. During the White House's "Take Your Child to Work Day" in April, the president said, "I have six grandchildren. And I'm crazy about them. And I speak to them every single day." Story continues Sources also told The Times that aides were told in recent years during strategy meetings that the Bidens have six grandchildren. The president's refusal to acknowledge Navy recently attracted more backlash, with critics calling the dismissal "cruel" and that it went against the image of a family-first father and grandfather that Biden tries to portray. It's unclear if the Bidens will make a visit to Navy and Roberts who both now reside in Arkansas. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) after a vote, on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 27, 2023. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times) WASHINGTON It has been an unusual first six months in Congress for Sen. John Fetterman, the 6-foot-8, tattooed Democrat from Pennsylvania, who moved to Washington in January after suffering a near-fatal stroke on the campaign trail last year and going on to win one of the most competitive seats in the midterm elections. Fetterman arrived on Capitol Hill, signature hoodie and all, as a figure of fascination. For months, though, he kept colleagues and reporters at an arms length as he labored to cope with auditory processing issues that are a side effect of his stroke and a debilitating bout of depression that he now says prompted him to consider harming himself. He was treated for clinical depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center earlier this year, and his six-week stay there placed him at the center of a national conversation about mental health, a role he wasnt always certain he wanted to fill. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times But in recent weeks, Fetterman has been adjusting to a more normal life for a lawmaker. Using a tablet that transcribes voice to text, he has started taking questions from reporters in the hallways, a staple of a senators life in Washington, and has begun inviting reporters into his office for informal off-the-record chats. He won approval last week of his first legislative proposal, an amendment to the annual military policy bill, which he wrote with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to ban the sale of strategic petroleum reserves to foreign adversaries. This week, he sat down for an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke candidly (and sometimes profanely) about an array of topics, including his view that Congress is fixated on pointless fights, stumbling at times over his words and noting that his political opponents were likely to attack him for it. He also spoke emotionally about the toll his new job has taken on his family. The interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. Story continues Q: Youve now been in Congress for just over six months. What is your overall impression of how the place functions? A: Theres a fixation on a lot of dumb shit. Bad performance art is really what it gets down to. The debt ceiling there should have been no drama with any of that. The fact that were playing with something like that is antithetical to the stability of our democracy. It really is. Everything is turning into a culture war. Not everything has to be a think piece, you know. Q: Does all of that political posturing make you cynical about Washington? A: Everyone here is cynical, of course. But we can fight for things that are meaningful. That we should have no hungry. Hanger. Hangry. Hanger. Hangry. Fox News will go crazy if that makes your story. Were fighting for womens reproductive freedom, making sure we have resources and support our unions. Im going to fight for whats really important. Q: Youve introduced legislation to expand access to contraception, with more than a dozen Democratic co-sponsors. Is there any Republican support for that in the Senate? A: Its going to be very hard. Somebody needs to tell Republicans, like in a memo, You won on abortion. You won. Why not have a serious conversation about birth control? Thats less abortions and unwanted children. I wish we could have an honest conversation with conservatives and Republicans that birth control is the answer for both sides. But there wouldnt be 60 votes in the Senate for that. I still really want to keep pushing it. I want to have that conversation. Q: Pennsylvania is going to be critical in the 2024 presidential election. Youll be seeing a lot of President Joe Biden. Are you at all concerned about his age? A: Im not concerned about his age. And even if I was, who cares? Theres nothing you can do about his age. Ive spent enough time around him. Hes sharp, hes aware, he is absolutely up to the task. Ill be doing whatever his campaign asks of me. I know Pennsylvania, Ive won Pennsylvania. Ill be helping with whatever he asks. Q: Is it difficult to keep talking about your own struggles with mental health, or do you enjoy the responsibility of that new role? A: Its a burden, but a privilege, too, to talk about it. Its also an opportunity to be very bipartisan. Red or blue, if you have depression, get help, please. Dont ever, ever, ever harm yourself. Do not leave behind a blueprint of that. In my own situation, in my very lowest, I started thinking about that. And I realized that if I do harm myself, I will leave behind for my children a blueprint that, if something happens with you, thats the answer. I cant do that to anyone. Q: Even before you checked yourself into Walter Reed for treatment for depression, you were a figure of fascination on Capitol Hill. Other senators would even stop you for selfies. Why is there so much interest in you? A: I dont know; it doesnt make any sense to me at all. I dont get it. Ill never understand it. I dont know why my wife married me. In the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murrays character says something like, You think Im arrogant? No, I dont even like me. Thats me. I dont even like me. Thats the truth. Q: Youre living alone in Washington, separated for most of the week from your three kids and your wife, who still live in Braddock, Pennsylvania. A: Its awful. In the last week or two, I came across a quote by Kevin Costner talking about his divorce. He said, it hits you that youre going to be spending 50% less time with the people you love the most. You realize when you become a senator, youre going to be spending 50% less time with the people that you love. That breaks my heart. I get emotional thinking about it. FaceTime is much better than just a phone call, but thats the worst part of the job. Q: Six years is a long term. Would you consider moving your family to Washington for a sustainable work-life balance? A: No, that would be disrupting their lives. I cant do that to them. It hurts. For example, my wife texted me about an hour ago that our three kids got great checkups. Its parenting by text. I miss them a lot. Q: Do you think David McCormick, the businessman who lost the Republican nomination to Dr. Mehmet Oz in your Senate race, will run against Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania next year? A: If he was serious, he would have gotten in last January. And now its just really late. And theres no anger focusing on Bob Casey. Im supremely confident that Bob Casey is going to win. He is a buzz saw for some Republican who thinks they can hot-dog it. He just keeps getting reelected. Q: Do you think the multiple indictments of former President Donald Trump will hurt him politically in your state? A: It doesnt matter. Im a senator, and Im not sure how many times hes been indicted. Hes been impeached twice. Has that changed anything? Youre still seeing Trump signs everywhere in Pennsylvania. You have to respect his strength in all of that. Trump would be very competitive in Pennsylvania. But Trump has to perform above his ceiling. I think theres a hard ceiling in Pennsylvania he cant get past. Q: Ever think about dropping the sweatshirt-and-shorts uniform and just wearing a suit in Congress? A: You want to talk about joy? It was a eureka moment when I figured out I dont have to be in a suit to stand at the threshold of the Senate chamber, going yea or nay, and it was amazing. Ive been able to reduce my suit time by about 75%. c.2023 The New York Times Company Reyna Cervantes collapses in grief at the site under a bridge in Ocotillo, Calif., where her husband, Jose Cervantes, died crossing from Mexico into the U.S. in July 2020. She visited the site this month to commemorate the third anniversary of his death. (Andrew Cullen / For The Times) Jose Federico Cervantes Arista was in trouble. The smuggler had stood him up at the agreed pick-up spot in Ocotillo, a lonely desert crossroads on the southwestern edge of Imperial County, which was suffering record heat from climate change. The afternoon hit 111 degrees. He was about 10 miles north of the border. The landscape was sand and dried-out shrubs. It was July 7, 2020, months into the pandemic, and it was Cervantes third attempt to reunite with his wife and four children in Delaware, where he had lived for two decades. Hed gone to Mexico in November 2019 to see his elderly father before he passed away. The plan had been to stay a short while, then return through the desert, but the pandemic had delayed him. Hed tried twice already, only to be caught and sent back by the border guards. He had no immigration papers and no legal path into the country. In the border guards eyes, Cervantes, 48, was an invader. In his eyes, he was a family man trying to go home. He had started a mobile food business with his wife, selling tamales, tacos and other treats. Their U.S.-born kids were on track to go to college. He was a proud Mexicano, with an Hecho en Mexico tattoo on his biceps and a passion for norteno love ballads, which he posted to Facebook and texted to his wife. But he also appeared in family photos wearing shirts printed with the American flag. Shortly before going to Mexico, hed taken the family to the Statue of Liberty. That day in the desert, he planned to forge on toward El Centro, about 27 miles east of where the smuggler stood him up. In that city he might blend in, find a hotel. He thought he could make it. He was strong, with years of working construction and other grueling jobs. Earlier, he had found three gallons of water left for migrants by activists. He drank some, but not all, wanting to leave some for others. He kept walking in the heat and eventually came across a small bridge under a mostly abandoned road. He took shelter underneath. It was still hot, but there was shade. He called his wife on his Mexican cellphone and told her he was struggling to walk, falling every few steps, but would rest and keep going. He was two miles from Interstate 8, where he might seek help from drivers, but he didnt want to risk detection. Story continues Ill fight to the death to make it back to you, his wife, Reyna, recalled him saying. I met her this month in that fateful spot in the desert, where she shared with me the tragedy that would alter the fate of their family forever. The use of towering steel barriers, military surveillance gear and armed border guards to push people into dangerous parts of the border began during the Clinton administration, decades before Donald Trump made banning immigration his signature issue. More than 9,000 migrants have died crossing the border since the late 1990s. Read more: Guerrero: A Trump-like border wall is about to be built unless Biden stops it The border has long been a Squid Game for the global south. The reward for the players who survive this hide-and-seek with border guards is the American dream; everybody else is eliminated by death or deportation. Although most crossing deaths occur along southern Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott has launched a campaign of open cruelty that includes pushing pregnant women and children back into the Rio Grande, the desert of Californias southeastern border is increasingly dangerous because of climate-change-induced extreme heat. In July 2020, Jose Cervantes died under this bridge on Evan Hewes Highway near Ocotillo, Calif., while trying to return to his wife and children in Delaware. (Andrew Cullen / For The Times) The borders death toll is soaring for many other reasons: More people are coming, the border militarization budget keeps getting bigger, and President Bidens new asylum restrictions motivate people to cross illegally. Last year, the U.S.-Mexico border became the deadliest land border in the world. At least 853 people died trying to cross, nearly triple the annual average since 1998, when Border Patrol began to record the deaths. Experts believe the actual number is far higher. Most bodies are never recovered. Moreover, Border Patrol has been failing to collect and record all available data on deaths, according to a 2022 Government Accountability Office report. Read more: Guerrero: Unending deaths of migrants, driven by desperation and U.S. border policies In the absence of legal pathways like the European Unions temporary protections for refugees, like those leaving Ukraine, people fleeing violence in Latin America or seeking to return to their relatives in the U.S. will continue to die by the killing machine that simultaneously uses and hides behind the viciousness of the Sonoran desert, writes Jason de Leon, an anthropologist at UCLA. This machine is built with the deserts furnace and the rising height of border walls, from which people fall and break their backs. Its the rivers strung with barbed wire. Its the border guards bullets, fired at innocent migrants. Women are killed by the hundreds, but the majority of the machines victims are working-age men, often primary breadwinners like Jose Cervantes. On July 8, his second day in the desert, he still couldnt walk. But he called Reyna and reassured her that hed make it to El Centro after sundown. He told her he thought it was two hours away. He just needed to rest a bit longer. He told her not to call him that night because Border Patrol agents might hear the phone. Hed contact her from the hotel. On the morning of July 9, Reyna was in agony. She hadnt heard from her husband. He wasnt responding to her texts. From her job walking horses at a racetrack at 6 a.m. in Wilmington, Reyna called him. He picked up. She begged for news, but after a long silence, she heard only a slow and strange Hola. Reyna broke into sobs. She knew he was in trouble. Jose was her best friend; shed loved him since theyd met in Mexico when she was 16. They had matching Cervantes tattoos on their arms under their inked Zodiac symbols: he a Scorpio, she a Taurus. She cried and asked him questions. Finally, she heard a few slurred words: I cant walk. I cant talk. Im here, on top of the bridge. Im waiting for somebody to give me a ride. Read more: Guerrero: Bidens border surveillance empire should scare you regardless of politics She told me she felt desperate and unmoored. Back at home, she told her children what was happening; the two oldest, Ricky, 16 at the time, and Francisco, 19 then, said theyd use the familys savings to fly west and find him. They called Border Patrol and told them their father was lost near El Centro. According to Border Patrol, agents initiated a search. But they didnt trust agents to do a thorough search. Last year, Border Patrol agents documented a record 22,014 migrant rescues. Nobody saves more migrants than the very border guards who chase them to their deaths. But agents dont always search. A report by No More Deaths and La Coalicion de Derechos Humanos found that in 63% of distress calls, Border Patrol didnt conduct any confirmed search. Only 0.03% of the Border Patrols budget goes to the Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue Unit, or BORSTAR. The evening of her sons departure, after numerous calls for help, Reyna learned about San Diegos Armadillos, one of several volunteer rescue and rescue groups that try to fill that gap. Reyna called them and told them her sons were going to California. Cesar Ortigoza, the groups leader, said it wasnt safe for her sons to search the desert alone. He and other volunteers would meet the boys in El Centro the next morning. Ricky Cervantes, 19, sits under the bridge in Ocotillo, Calif., on July 8, during a visit to the site to commemorate the third anniversary of his father's death. (Andrew Cullen / For The Times) Starting early on July 10, Ricky and the volunteers searched bridge after bridge around El Centro. Francisco stayed in El Centro to keep contacting authorities. He called 911 requesting that his dads cellphone be pinged for a location; Border Patrols attempts failed, according to Imperial County dispatcher notes. Border Patrol initiated an inactive search, deciding not to deploy BORSTAR because they didnt have an exact location. Back home, Reyna, who doesnt speak English like her son, called everybody she could think of for help: the Mexican consulates, relatives in Los Angeles, the smuggler, who was a family acquaintance. She called Jose, who was silent on the phone, and told him to hang on, help was on the way. Finally, she was able to reach the smuggler. She recalls him saying: Hes in Ocotillo. Hurry. He wont last. She called Ortigoza, and the rescue group sped to Ocotillo around sunset, sharing the new information with Border Patrol. They searched bridge by bridge near the desolate Evan Hewes Highway. After dark, the Armadillos saw a Border Patrol vehicle speed past with flashing lights, heading straight for a nearby bridge. Under that bridge, at 8:48 p.m., agents found a man with a broken leg and head injuries, according to the dispatcher notes. Ten minutes later, they said he had no pulse. Paramedics arrived. The Armadillos got there. They were told to stand back. Ricky caught a glimpse of his fathers favorite pants, bleach-splotched jeans with colorful patches. The Border Patrol guards told him he couldnt get any closer. Somebody declared forcefully that he had only recently died. My entire world was shattered there, Ricky told me later. For weeks, Reyna couldnt get up from the couch where shed sat during the search, she said. She couldnt bear to go into her bedroom, where she felt her husbands absence. She lost her job at the racetrack because five days of bereavement wasnt enough to recover. Francisco and Ricky picked up more jobs to provide for the family. The whole family was struggling with insomnia and other mental health issues. Read more: Guerrero: For Republicans, 'Bomb the Mexicans' is the new 'Build the Wall' Meanwhile, priests, friends and strangers stopped by to drop off groceries. Somebody left a check for the months rent. When Reyna got the strength to restart the familys mobile food business, people saw her grief and gave her $20, $50, or $100 bills for nothing. Reyna remembered something Jose had once said, explaining why he gave to charity: Youre not going to go poor by giving to others. God will reward you. Although Reyna couldnt afford to send for Jose's body after thousands of dollars were stolen by the smuggler, Border Angels, another San-Diego humanitarian nonprofit organization, paid for the bodys transfer to the familys home in Delaware and some funeral expenses. Reyna was grateful for the help of ordinary people, because she confronted negligence or worse in every government agency. She wanted to see Joses face. But his body had been stored improperly and she was told that it was too decomposed for an open casket funeral. The death certificate says he died of hyperthermia. But what of the injuries on the dispatcher notes? Did he hurt himself falling, or did somebody hurt him? Reyna is haunted by these questions. The coroners report remains open due to a backlog of cases in Imperial County. An incident report was never taken, according to the Sheriffs Office. Nevertheless, Reyna considers herself fortunate compared to others who lose loved ones to the borders killing machine. Most bodies are lost forever, becoming bone fragments after animals eat and scatter them. Reyna has a grave site to visit. She stops there most days, on her way back from work. On special occasions, she hires mariachi bands to play him love songs. She posts pictures of him to her Facebook. Read more: Guerrero: Want to stop immigration? Empower immigrants in the U.S. to help their families back home Three years later, Reyna still stays in touch with the Armadillos, who periodically visit the site of Jose's death to place flowers, Modelo Especial beers and other offerings at a memorial they made for him with a large wooden crucifix carved with his name. At the site, volunteers play Calibre 50s Te Volveria A Elegir, which Reyna says she wants her husband to hear. Id choose you again, the lyrics say in Spanish. One volunteer, Kari Frost, camped there one night to play guitar for Jose. Members of the Armadillos Busqueda y Rescate group placed a memorial cross for Jose Cervantes under the bridge where he died. (Andrew Cullen/ For The Times) Reyna has kept the mobile food business going, but she has had to pick up other jobs to make ends meet, such as packing boxes at an Amazon warehouse. Ricky got a job at Amazon too, but injured his head on machinery there. Hes on workers compensation and taking a break from his college computer science studies until hes recovered. He started having panic attacks after his fathers death, but listening to music keeps him going. So does his desire to live by his hardworking fathers example. Francisco got an IT job to help support the family. Their two younger siblings are in school. For three years, Reyna has longed to see the place of her husbands death, but she couldnt go because she was undocumented and feared being detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint near the site. Now she has a pending immigration case seeking residency and cancellation of deportation because her fatherless U.S. citizen children need her here. Last August, she received a temporary work permit while her case is being processed. It allowed her to make the trip. On July 8, just before the anniversary of Jose's death, she flew to L.A. with Ricky and his teenage sister Juana. The Armadillos, led by Cesar Ortigoza, picked them up and drove them to Ocotillo. They parked by the bridge. Reyna got out of the van first and walked straight under the bridge, ahead of everyone. When she reached the volunteers memorial, she fell to her knees and sobbed, clutching the sand. She slumped to the desert floor. She seemed to absorb the pain and anguish of Jose's last moments, his longing for his family. I cant walk anymore, she cried. My feet. She wept for a long time, until her sobs slowly quieted. I felt the release of a burden I had been carrying for three years, she told me later, referring to guilt she felt at not finding him in time. I felt as if something exited my body, and he was resting. Finally. You came. You found me. You didnt abandon me. I found him. I realized he never blamed me. She remained there for an hour and a half. Eventually, she sat up, wiping tears from her face. Thank you, she said to Cesar and Kari. I needed to come for him. Now I know my husband will rest. The border machinery had killed Jose and devastated his family. It was the kindness of the border volunteers that allowed Reyna to feel some measure of peace. @jeanguerre If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has become an increasingly popular option for patients in Ghana thanks to its simplicity, high healing effects and affordability. Produced by Xinhua Global Service A federal judge slapped down a more than $400 million defamation lawsuit brought by former President Donald Trump against CNN for the networks use of the phrase the Big Lie when referring to Trumps numerous false claims about the 2020 election. Judge Raag Singhal a Trump-appointed judge dismissed Trumps $475 million lawsuit against CNN on Friday, ruling that the networks writers and television anchors that referred to Trumps numerouselectionlies as the Big Lie was opinion and did not amount to defamation. In his lawsuit, Trump claimed the networks use of the phrase likened him to Adolf Hitler because the Big Lie has been used to describe lies told by the Nazis to justify the horrors of the Holocaust. Being Hitler-like is not a verifiable statement of fact that would support a defamation claim, Singhal wrote in his dismissal. CNNs statements, while repugnant, were not, as a matter of law, defamatory. Singhal, who was appointed by Trump in 2019, said CNN anchors and writers who used the phrase the Big Lie were expressing an opinion and alleged no false statement of fact. Trump complains that CNN described his election challenges as the Big Lie. Trump argues that the Big Lie is a phrase attributed to Joseph Goebbels and that CNNs use of the phrase wrongly links Trump with the Hitler regime in the public eye, the motion to dismiss reads. This is a stacking of inferences that cannot support a finding of falsehood. Trumps failed lawsuit against CNN may give him more time to focus on his numerouscriminal indictments, including another potential indictment that Trump has hinted would see him in the hot seat for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Related... A federal judge in Florida has thrown out former President Trumps defamation lawsuit against CNN, in which the former president alleged that the networks use of the term the Big Lie associates him with Hitler. The lawsuit cites five times when CNN commentators and writers used the Big Lie to refer to Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent and stolen. The term is generally associated with the Nazis, and the origin of the term is associated with Adolf Hitlers accusations of wrongdoing against Jewish people. In dismissing the case on Friday, the judge ruled that the terms use is opinion, not fact, and therefore not liable under defamation law. Trump complains that CNN described his election challenges as the Big Lie. Trump argues that the Big Lie is a phrase attributed to Nazi Party politician Joseph Goebbels and that CNNs use of the phrase wrongly links Trump with the Hitler regime in the public eye. This is a stacking of inferences that cannot support a finding of falsehood, Judge Raag Singhal wrote. Singhal also wrote that defamation is significantly more difficult to commit against public figures, especially those as prominent as former presidents. Additionally, he said that just the use of the term the Big Lie does not inherently connect Trump to Nazis. CNNs use of the phrase the Big Lie in connection with Trumps election challenges does not give rise to a plausible inference that Trump advocates the persecution and genocide of Jews or any other group of people, the decision reads. The Court finds Nazi references in the political discourse (made by whichever side) to be odious and repugnant. But bad rhetoric is not defamation when it does not include false statements of fact. The exact origin of the term is disputed, but it is generally attributed to either Hitler or Goebbels. It is most closely associated with the quote, If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it, often attributed to Goebbels. Story continues The suit cited uses of the term by CNN host Jake Tapper, former commentator Chris Cillizza, and writer Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Trump initially requested a $475 million judgment against the company. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A federal judge has thrown out former US president Donald Trump's $475 million defamation suit against CNN (Emily Elconin) A federal judge has dismissed a $475 million defamation lawsuit that Donald Trump filed against CNN for describing his claim that the 2020 election was stolen as the "Big Lie." Trump, in the suit filed in a US District Court in Florida in October, had alleged that the use of the phrase by the cable television news network associated the former US president with tactics used by Adolf Hitler. US District Court Judge Raag Singhal, who was appointed by Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, tossed out the suit on Friday. "There is no question that the statements made by CNN meet the publication requirement for defamation under Florida law," Singhal said in his ruling. "The next question is whether the statements were false statements of fact," the judge said. "This is where Trump's defamation claims fail. "The complained of statements are opinion, not factually false statements, and therefore are not actionable," Singhal said. "CNN's statements, while repugnant, were not, as a matter of law, defamatory. "The case will, therefore, be dismissed." In his defamation complaint, Trump said the network's use of the phrase the "Big Lie" was a "deliberate effort by CNN to propagate to its audience an association between the plaintiff and one of the most repugnant figures in modern history." Trump had a caustic relationship with CNN and other major news outlets like The New York Times during his White House term, branding them "fake news" and repeatedly raging against them on social media. The twice-impeached Trump, who has continued to insist falsely that he won the 2020 presidential election against Democrat Joe Biden, is to go on trial in Florida in May on charges of mishandling top secret government documents. Trump is also facing dozens of felony charges in a case involving hush money payments to a porn star in New York and is bracing for indictment in separate state and federal investigations into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. cl/dw The second of two Kansas City men who stood trial in the kidnapping and killing of a 52-year-old rancher was found guilty on Friday by a Jackson County jury. Rashaud Q. Lewis, 25, was convicted of second-degree felony murder, first-degree kidnapping and two counts of armed criminal action, according to the Jackson County Prosecutors Office. He was accused of killing Gilberto Gutierrez, who vanished from his south Kansas City ranch only to be found dead six days later. Prosecutors said Gutierrez, 52, was beaten and stabbed to death. His body was discovered underneath a blue tarp on a dead-end road at 56th Street and Elmwood Avenue. Lewis was accused, alongside alleged accomplice Ahmad Herring, 33, of Kansas City. Herring was found guilty during a separate trial of felony murder, kidnapping, armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse. Kansas City detectives began investigating the disappearance of Gutierrez on May 11, 2021. His daughter told police she went to check on him and stumbled upon a troubling discovery. In the barn and stables was a bloody piece of clothing, a pair of boots and zip tie, according to court documents. A friend of Gutierrez reported receiving a call from Gutierrezs phone. A man on the other line demanded $100,000 in ransom for his safe return. Several other phone calls were received that day, including one where Gutierrez could be heard shouting, according to court documents. Police reviewed surveillance tapes and received tips that led them to focus on a white Dodge Charger associated with Herring. On May 14, 2021, police attempted to pull the car over and Herring was arrested after a police pursuit. Inside the Charger were containers of bleach, vinegar and ammonia plus a receipt for the purchase of three blue drop cloths. Several cell phones were also found inside, according to court documents. As Herring was being held in the county jail on a felony charge of eluding police, Lewis allegedly spoke with him over the phone and said: Everything is good. Everything is 100. Story continues A cell phone taken from Lewis during a December 2021 arrest was also searched. Authorities found text messages that they alleged demonstrated the coordination of the kidnapping with Herring. Detectives also received an anonymous tip that led them to a property associated with Lewis. A search warrant for the property led authorities to conclude Gutierrez had been kept in a shed there. Herring was sentenced July 6 to 46 years in prison. Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced in September. Darion Lee, enters the courtoom Tuesday afternoon, July, 25, 2023. Lee, 20, is charged with murder in the second degree with a firearm and attempted murder in the first degree with a firearm. Lee, who was 16 at the time, was arrested in November 2019 after he turned himself in following a shooting. Arteaya Howard spoke quietly from the stand, tears flowing down her cheeks as she answered questions about her son who died a month after he was shot in November 2019 during a trial this week for the 20-year-old man accused of shooting a former classmate and killing Howard's son. Howard recalled the moment she learned from her sister that her son, LeQuavious Claridy, had been shot while she was driving home from work in Palmetto. She remembered running up to the scene on Carver Street on Nov. 10, 2019, after parking her car nearby and heading straight to her son who she spotted lying near a speed bump and his red bicycle. I dont want to die, Howard said her son told her. Claridy was rushed to Sarasota Memorial Hospital where he remained for a month, his condition improving and deteriorating several times before he died on Dec. 10. Following three hours of deliberation, a six-person jury found Darion Lee, 20, guilty Friday for murder in the second degree with a firearm and attempted murder in the first degree in connection to the 2019 shooting that killed Claridy and wounded then 17-year-old Sas Young. He will be sentenced at a later date and the maximum punishment Lee faces is life in prison. 'I forgive you': 2 sisters move past grief to help Manatee County man who killed their brother More Sarasota County court coverage: Sarasota man, 23, pleads guilty to 35 years in prison day trial is supposed to start "I'm really glad that after four years, we're able to bring this case to a close for Mr. Claridy and Mr. Young," Assistant State Attorney Kennedy Legler said Friday afternoon. Assistant Public Defender Jamie Pasquali, who was a co-counsel on the case, said the defense would be filing an appeal on behalf of Lee. Pasquali added she will continue to defend Lee in two other cases against him, including a 2019 aggravated assault with a deadly weapon case and a 2022 battery of an officer case. Previous Sarasota Herald-Tribune reporting states Lee, who was 16 at the time, was arrested after he turned himself in following the shooting. An affidavit in the case states the shooting was over an ongoing dispute over a dirt bike between Lee and Young, both students at Triad Sarasota alternative school. Story continues When police arrived on the scene, two victims were on the ground near pools of blood, reports stated at the time. Sarasota Police Department officers and firefighter-paramedics who testified said that when they arrived, they saw Young lying on the speed bump in the middle of the road while Claridy was lying on his back a little further away next to his overturned bicycle. Claridys aunt testified she was driving home and on the phone with Howard when she received a call from her nephew. When she picked up, Claridy told her that he and Young had been shot. In the background of the 911 call, Young could be heard saying, "Titi come quick Darion got us," prosecutors highlighted throughout the trial. Assistant State Attorney Megan Leaf presents evidence in court Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Darion Lee, 20, is charged with murder in the second degree with a firearm and attempted murder in the first degree with a firearm. Lee, who was 16 at the time, was arrested in November 2019 after he turned himself in following a shooting. Claridy was in a coma following the shooting, but when he awoke, he told his aunt it had been Lee who had shot him and repeated the name to detectives who came to interview him at the hospital. At least four witnesses said when they asked Claridy who had shot him both at the scene and in the hospital, he had told them it had been Darion Lee and described Lee as being heavy set with short dreads. Defense attorney Kathleen Kirwin, who represented Lee, asked one Sarasota Police Department lieutenant if Claridy could have said Davion Lee, but the lieutenant said with certainty that Claridy had said Darion Lee. Code of silence complicates investigation During the second day of the trial, prosecutors called SPD Sgt. Dominic Harris, who grew up in the Newtown community, to explain the code of silence. Harris said people fear speaking or being seen with law enforcement after something happens because theyre scared of being labeled a snitch and of someone retaliating against them or their families. Harris added the code of silence can hinder investigations, especially when someone stops cooperating or outright refuses to speak with police. Harris said when the police went to speak with Young at the hospital, he was hesitant and told the detectives he didnt know who shot him, although he confirmed hed been in an argument with Lee previously. Kathleen Kirwin, defense attorney for Darion Lee, questions a witness on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. He client, Lee, 20, is charged with murder in the second degree with a firearm and attempted murder in the first degree with a firearm. Lee, who was 16 at the time, was arrested in November 2019 after he turned himself in following a shooting. When detectives spoke with Young again at his home after he was discharged from the hospital, Harris and Detective Adam Morningstar said Young appeared to be upset that theyd come, throwing his crutches and refusing to speak. Kirwins questions towards Harris seemingly pointed out that the investigation by Sarasota police focused only on Lee without looking into anyone else, despite Young supposedly trying to tell them it wasnt Lee. However, Harris said law enforcement focused their investigation on Lee because Claridy never wavered from saying it had been Lee who shot at him and Young. While Young was subpoenaed to testify during the week-long trial, he did not appear in court. Kirwin questioned why blood samples taken from the scene and two bicycles werent tested for DNA or dusted for fingerprints. Kirwin also questioned detectives why they didn't get a search warrant for Lee's car the night of the shooting if they were so sure that Lee was the suspect, and his car was potentially involved, even despite eyewitnesses not being able to identify the car hours after the shooting. Teacher testifies why she didnt report outburst prior to shooting Days before the shooting, both Lee and Young were suspended from Triad Sarasota alternative school following a verbal argument on Nov. 4, Principal Melanie Ritter said. Ritter added Lee was suspended for two days as he wouldnt calm down when she was speaking with him. After Lee returned to school, another outburst seemingly ensued in one of his classes, according to Vivian Heggs, one of Lee's teachers. Heggs said Lee started to make a commotion in her class, raising his voice and allegedly saying he would shoot Young. When Heggs pointed out that Lee didnt have a gun, he responded he did. Heggs said she continued to attempt to get Lee to calm down and return his attention to his work. Previous reporting: Sarasota teacher knew of threats days before shooting that left teen wounded, man dead When Kirwin asked why Heggs hadnt reported Lees statements at the time, she explained she didn't think they held merit, and since Lee wasnt saying he planned to come to school with a gun and shoot anyone, she didnt take the threat seriously. It wasnt until after shed heard about the shooting that she immediately informed Ritter about Lees threats, writing a statement about what shed heard. Following an internal investigation, Heggs was cleared and retired in 2020. Ritter later visited Young in the hospital as he was recovering and after speaking with him, she alerted detectives that he had mentioned the name Tyderious Washington. Detectives re-interviewed Young, and in March 2023, interviewed Washington and found he had an alibi the night of the shooting. Forensic data maps where Lees phone was night of shooting Legler called on SPD forensic data specialist Brian Yang to break down information pulled from Lees phone which police had found during a search of his mothers home in December 2019. Yang said from the GPS location data pulled from the phone, he was able to plot out the devices location using Google Maps, indicating that the phone had been in the area of Gregg Street during the time of the shooting, which is in close proximity to Carver Street. The phone returned back to Lees mothers home shortly after the shooting before heading north to Old Bradenton Road before midnight on Nov. 10. In the early morning hours of Nov. 11, the phone made its way to Bradenton Beach where it remained for some time, until returning to Sarasota by mid-day. Assistant State Attorney Megan Leaf, left, questions Sarasota Police Department evidence technician Lee Kennedy about an article of clothing collected at the shooting scene. Darion Lee, 20, is charged with murder in the second degree with a firearm and attempted murder in the first degree with a firearm. Lee, who was 16 at the time, was arrested in November 2019 after he turned himself in following a shooting. Kirwin pointed out that Lee's phone data didn't list a GPS location ping on either the speed bump on Carver Street where the shooting happened or heading north on Orange Avenue, which was the direction a Chevy Malibu seen by witnesses and on video following the shooting had gone. Police in their investigation found that Lee's mother owned a Chevy Malibu and that Lee often drove it. When Kirwin called her digital expert James Klay, a retired Sarasota County Sheriff's Office detective, and owner of a forensic consulting firm, he said he plotted out over 18,000 location pings from the phone, establishing a pattern of places the phone had visited. In the data points, it appeared the phone frequented the area of Maple Avenue and 23rd Street many times prior to the shooting, which is just a few blocks from the shooting. Klay also said the Sprint cell tower data placed the phone three blocks north of where the GPS location data placed Lee. Legler pointed out in his questioning that according to the GPS location data, Lee's phone had only traveled to the area of Gregg Street near Carver Avenue once: the evening of the shooting on Nov. 10, 2019. Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota man, 20, found guilty of second-degree murder, attempted murder A northeast Kansas man convicted in the malnutrition death of his 2-year-old daughter was sentenced Friday to nearly 57 years in prison. Jeffery James Exon, of Topeka, was convicted in April of four crimes related to the death of his daughter Aurora, including aggravated child endangerment and first-degree murder in the commission of a felony. Officials said Aurora had died of malnutrition, which was due to the negligence of her father, local television WIBW reported. On Friday, District Judge Jessica Heinen sentenced him to the maximum term of 56 years and 11 months in prison, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal. The investigation into Exon began in early January 2021, when he called 911 to report that the 2-year-old had stopped breathing. He also told the dispatcher the girl had been starving herself. When officials arrived at the scene, they found the girl unresponsive and cold to the touch. It appeared she had been dead for several days, Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said. Authorities also found five empty liquor bottles in Exons room. Investigators later determined Exon would often neglect Aurora and her older brother, Theodore Teddy Exon, because of his addiction. At the time, Exon would be intoxicated and (pass) out in his bed for days on end, Shawnee County Deputy District Attorney Bethany Lee told jurors at his trial. Teddy, who was 4 at the time of his sisters death, testified at the trial, saying his father would lock both children in their rooms for days without any food while he slept. The last time his sister was seen alive was Dec. 26, 2020, Kagay said. NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's government and opposition will set up a team which aims to resolve their differences, senior politicians from both sides said on Saturday, after a series of opposition protests over the cost of living and tax increases. Opposition coalition Azimio la Umoja (Declaration of Unity) held a number of protests earlier this month, causing widespread disruption and in some cases violent confrontations with police in which more than two dozen people were killed and scores injured. Azimio and the government coalition Kenya Kwanza (Kenya First) issued separate statements confirming the talks. Kimani Ichung'wah, Kenya Kwanza's parliamentary majority leader, said in a statement that the talks would look at the makeup of Kenya's election commission and the creation of an office for the leader of the opposition, among other issues. The statement said the talks would not go into recent tax changes since these were already before a court. On Friday, an appeals court lifted a suspension placed on a law that would double value-added tax on fuel and introduce a new housing levy. The court said the lifting of the suspension may be subject to further appeals, which must be served within 14 days. A separate case challenging the law is also pending. Opiyo Wandayi, minority leader in parliament for the Azimio la Umoja coalition, whose name appeared on the joint statement, did not sign it. He issued a separate statement on Azimio's behalf confirming the formation of the team for talks, but did not give details on what those talks would entail. President William Ruto said earlier this week he was open to meeting Azimio leader Raila Odinga. Ruto has in the past said he would not enter into any power-sharing agreement with Odinga, while Odinga has also said he is not interested in any such deal. Talks between the opposition and government earlier this year failed to yield any solid agreement. (Reporting by Humphrey Malalo and George Obulutsa; Editing by David Holmes) Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk past a giant image of Putin on July 27, 2023. Reuters Photos released by North Korean state media show Kim Jong Un's huge portraits of Vladimir Putin. The images show the leader giving Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu a personal tour. Shoigu is in the country to discuss military issues and regional security. Kim Jong Un decorated his walls with huge portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a tour of a state office building, state media images show. The portraits were visible as the North Korean leader gave a personal tour to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Shoigu was attending a banquet at the Central Committee of the Workers' Party headquarters in Pyongyang, per the Daily Mail. It comes as the country celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which took place from 1950 to 1953. In the bizarre images, Kim and Shoigu can be seen walking down a corridor while huge portraits of Putin and Kim loom over them from either side. Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attends a reception for the Russian military delegation hosted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on July 27, 2023. Reuters In a separate photo, a large picture of Kim and Putin shaking hands fills the background as officials toast what appear to be glasses of wine. The image of the leaders was taken during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia in 2019, the Mail reported. The Korean Central News Agency said Kim and Shoigu reached agreements on Wednesday on "matters of mutual concern in the field of national defense and security and on the regional and international security environment," per the Associated Press. But Shoigu's visit to North Korea also sheds some light on the defense minister's current standing in Russia, Simon Miles, an assistant professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and a historian of the Soviet Union and US-Soviet relations, previously told Insider. Miles said it was "a humiliation for Russia, and for Shoigu personally, to have to go and break bread and glad hand" with the North Koreans. North Korea has seemed to side with Russia over the latter's invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration has accused the country of sending arms to Russia to help with the fight, something which the North Koreans have denied, the AP reported. In a greeting message to Putin last month, Kim said he wanted to work toward "strategic cooperation" between Pyongyang and Moscow, and desired to be "holding hands firmly with the Russian president." Read the original article on Business Insider King Charles and Queen Camilla will head to Scotland next week for their annual summer break at the Balmoral Estate, but will break with tradition by not staying in the main castle. The estate was the summer residence of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who typically stayed there from mid July until September or October each year. Following her death in September, this years visit will be a poignant one, marking Charless first summer at the estate without his mother, and his first as monarch. The Balmoral Estate, located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, has been a place of sanctuary for the royal family since Queen Victorias time. According to The Daily Mail, Charles will be breaking from his mothers tradition by not staying at Balmoral Castle itself, as the late Queen did, but staying instead at Birkhall his private home on the Balmoral Estate. One source told the publication that the King and Queen will happily decamp to the main castle for official visits from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other political representatives, but Birkhall will be their main base until the early autumn. Senior royal family members are also expected to visit the Balmoral Estate in the coming weeks, as the family typically gets together during the summer. The Prince and Princess of Wales, together with their children George, Charlotte and Louis, are expected to stay at the residence, with other visitors including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their teenage children, Louise and James; Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, along with her son Peter Phillips and daughter Zara Tindall; and Charless cousin, Lady Sarah Chatto. Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from royal duties in 2020, and following the release of Prince Harrys tell-all memoir Spare in January, it is unlikely that the couple will be visiting the residence this summer. The King and Queen are preparing for a summer visit to Balmoral (PA Wire) The Daily Mail reports that Prince Andrew, Duke of York, will also be spending time at the estate with his daughters Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, despite some speculation that he might have stayed away. Story continues Charles is expected to spend the first week of August at the Castle of Mey in Caithness, the former home of his grandmother, the Queen Mother, before Camilla joins him at Birkhall. The King will mark his first accession day on 8 September at the residence, one year on from his mothers death. Charles was officially crowned King at his coronation on 6 May, after which he immediately acceded to the throne, becoming King Charles III and taking on all of the responsibilities that came with his new title. The Queen holding an infant Prince Andrew in the grounds of Balmoral in November 1960 (PA) Balmoral was originally bought by Prince Albert for 32,000 in 1852 (roughly around 4m today), which means the property is privately owned, and not part of the Crown Estate. In previous years, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip hosted family members for informal dinners and barbecues. The Queen was often spotted behind the wheel of a Land Rover, horseriding or walking her dogs on the grounds 50,000 acreage. The residence, which is where Queen Elizabeth II died in September, was described by Princess Eugenie as the late Queens favourite home. The man who was fatally shot in Miami Beach after holding a woman hostage was an escaped inmate out of New Hampshire, new details show. Darien Young, 29, escaped from a halfway house, the Calumet House transitional housing, in New Hampshire on July 21, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections said. He was imprisoned for two counts of receiving stolen property, controlled drug acts prohibited, burglary and falsifying physical evidence. He had a minimum parole eligibility date of July 31 with a maximum release date of Jan. 31, 2028. Its still unclear how Young made it to Miami Beach or what provoked him to threaten two people. On Thursday, Miami Beach officers were called to a disturbance call and found a man threatening two people with a knife at a Victorias Secret, 901 Lincoln Road, police said. A law enforcement source said Young was threatening a girl with a knife. An officer told him to put down the weapon and when he wouldnt drop it, he shot Young in the head area. He had to make a split-second decision, Robert Hernandez, president of Miami Beachs Fraternal Order of Police, said about the officer who shot the suspect. He saved the young girls life. It was heroic. DENVER, the United States, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The harvest of Colorado's sweet corn this summer suffered a drastic drop due to an earworm infestation. Scientists warn the pest is spreading north due to climate change, endangering thousands more acres of crops. The pest problem, linked with the severe drought plaguing the Midwest U.S., could lead to an increase in already high food prices, impacting American consumers' wallets. DECIMATED HARVEST Corn earworms (Helicoverpa zea) are drastically cutting production of Colorado's Olathe Sweet corn, which generates about 15 million U.S. dollars of agricultural revenue annually for some two dozen growers. "We are scrambling. We are off balance. We are sad. We are embarrassed. We did not see this coming," David Harold, the son of John Harold who founded the Tuxedo Corn Company, the state's largest sweet corn producer, 41 years ago, told local media. Now Tuxedo is only packing about 3,000 boxes per day for shipment to stores compared with three times that in a normal year. Earworms come in the aftermath of last month's unprecedented infestation of millions of Mormon Locusts that covered roadways in Oregon and Idaho through northern Colorado, and parts of Wyoming and Nebraska. These events are proof that sudden insect proliferations are on the rise throughout the region, scientists warn. Tuxedo workers discovered the worms in the corn in mid-July just as harvest was about to begin, leading Tuxedo to go into damage-control mode in the fields. The Harolds said they will have to abandon about 400 acres of fields entirely due to the pervasive infestation, according to local media. Harold penned a plea for government aid to state Senator Michael Bennet. In his letter, Harold conveyed the urgency of the crisis local corn farmers are grappling with: "We have an EMERGENCY in sweet corn production in Western Colorado." This story reflects American farmers' struggle amid the production situation having "deteriorated to the worst in decades" as major producing areas missed out on much-needed rains, observed Reuters on June 26 based on U.S. government data. WARMING CLIMATE There were warning signs way before the irregular infestation broke out this year. Corn earworm is considered by some to be the most costly crop pest in North America. This pest feeds on a hundred plant species and is able to migrate up to 400 km in its lifetime, depositing eggs along the way. In the past, earworms have been found in North America up to the latitude of around 40 degrees. However, their overwintering zones are creeping northward as the climate warms. A 2022 study at North Carolina State University suggests that as warmer soil temperatures shift northward, the range of major insect pests, including earworms, may expand due to enhanced overwintering survival. The researchers advocated for predictive modeling of insect pest range shifts based on varying climate scenarios to help devise strategies that minimize crop losses in expansion areas. Despite these clear signals, without sufficient assistance, Colorado farmers admitted this year they were late to apply pesticides to combat the expected problem. EXTREME DROUGHT Scientists attribute the sudden irregular surge in pests to "overwintering" during periods of extreme dryness. Despite the 1,200-year historic drought, America's West experienced a deluge of mountain run-off water this late spring, due to record snowfalls over the 2022-23 winter that hit many mountainous regions across the West -- from California to Colorado -- a vast, high-elevation area in the throes of extreme drought conditions. That extreme dryness, suddenly interrupted by the sudden snowpack and melt moisture, combined with insects dormant and ready to explode, created "a perfect storm" for the current deluge of insects in the west, scientists have said. A Barren County constable is facing multiple charges after Kentucky State Police said he joined in a police pursuit that he did not have the authority to be a part of. Law enforcement officers began pursuing a stolen vehicle in Barren County Tuesday, and as the pursuit entered Hardin County, they discovered that Barren County Constable Joseph Ramey was also part of the chase, state police said in a news release. Ramey was driving in a reckless manner at a high rate of speed, nearly striking the cruiser of several law enforcement officers, according to the release. Ramey, 29, took office in January and does not have any law enforcement certification, state police said. He was driving a Honda Odyssey with green and amber emergency lights. The van had a star and the words Kentucky constable on the side, state police said. Trooper Scotty Sharp said the person police were pursuing was later arrested without incident in another county when the pursuit ended. State police said a warrant for Rameys arrest was issued as a result of an investigation. Ramey was arrested Friday and taken to the Hardin County Detention Center website. Ramey is charged with six counts of wanton endangerment, impersonating a peace officer, official misconduct, following an emergency vehicle too closely, using flashing lights or sirens on a non-emergency vehicle and failure to give right of way to an emergency vehicle. The state legislature passed a law last year that prohibits newly-elected constables from exercising general police powers unless they have been certified through professional peace officer training. The Kentucky Constable Association filed a lawsuit to try to stop the law from being implemented, saying it violates the state Constitution, but court records indicate that the suit was dismissed in December. Ramey was elected in November to serve Barren Countys 7th Magisterial District, receiving 829 votes and defeating Charles Benham, according to WCLU Radio. This is not Rameys first arrest since his election. Court records show the constable was arrested on charges of assault domestic violence and unlawful imprisonment in the early hours of Jan. 1, after a woman called police to report that Ramey, her boyfriend, had handcuffed her and held her against her will. Donald Trump talked up his appeal to labor groups in hotly contested Erie County Saturday evening, a western Pennsylvania bellwether Joe Biden won by a razor-thin margin almost three years ago. Known for its labor union roots, Erie County is emblematic of the ongoing battle for organized labor ahead of next years election, particularly if the country sees another Biden-Trump rematch. Trump, who won the support of many rank-and-file union members seven years ago, is currently vying for an endorsement from the United Auto Workers union. UAWs president Shawn Fain has criticized the Biden administration for pumping out billions in subsidies for electric vehicles without requiring higher wages and other protections. The union has so far withheld its support from Biden, frustrating current and former Biden aides. Alongside slamming the Biden administrations green energy policies, Trump on Saturday spoke about his attempt to win over workers to his and the GOP's cause. Dont forget the Democrats start off with a big advantage, they think they have the unions, he said. I happen to think the unions, the workers we have a lot of the people in the unions with us. I think we have largely a majority. Youve got to win that whole East Coast. Trumps campaign stop marked his second trip to the state in a month, after Biden held his first political event of his reelection bid in June with a union rally in his regular haunt of Philadelphia. Labor groups, including the AFL-CIO, threw their support behind the president last month, with the AFL-CIO noting that it was the earliest in a presidential cycle that the group had endorsed a presidential candidate. Biden often calls himself the most pro-union president and a son of Scranton, Pa. In 2020, Erie was one of two of Pennsylvanias 67 counties that flipped from Trump to Biden. The city of Erie, its suburbs and rural pockets have played a pivotal role in determining which direction the state goes. Eries surrounding county voted for President Barack Obama twice before Hillary Clinton lost the county by fewer than 2,000 votes. Story continues On Saturday, Trump slammed Washingtons betrayal of workers particularly in Pennsylvania. He talked up his administrations enactment of the USMCA trade deal to replace NAFTA. He further touted his administration's economic policies including tariffs on steel. Its the economy, stupid, he said, echoing Bill Clinton's famous election mantra in what he said could be the defining issue of the 2024 election. Since Joe Biden took over, he has wrecked our economy, he added, before citing a litany of economic factors he claimed were in his previous administration's favor, including worker productivity. I will defend Pennsylvania energy jobs including fracking, he added to cheers. We want American workers working. But Trumps focus was fleeting. His speech was combative, largely focused on his own legal troubles, attacking his rivals for the GOP presidential nomination and relitigating his 2020 election loss. In perhaps the most notable moment, Trump called on congressional Republicans to withhold military support to Ukraine until the FBI, DOJ and IRS hand over every scrap of evidence they have on the Biden Crime Familys corrupt business dealings. The language echoed his demands as president that Ukraine announce an investigation into the Bidens, which spurred his first impeachment. Democrats on Saturday were out in full force ahead of Trumps rally, a preview of the contentious 2024 battle set to play out in the key swing state. In 2020, Biden won Pennsylvania by just 1.2 percentage points, and Erie County by 1,400 votes, a small margin that Trump if he manages to secure the GOP nomination is working to turn back in his favor. The DNC announced a new five-figure digital ad buy in the battleground state on Saturday, contrasting Trumps countless unfulfilled promises with Bidens record on job creation, infrastructure and health care. The ad, titled Trump talks. Biden delivers, shows a split-screen of the former and current presidents. As Trump takes his lies to Pennsylvania and across the country, the DNC will constantly remind voters of the stark differences between Trumps abysmal economic agenda and the numerous accomplishments President Biden has delivered for working families, DNC chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement. The AFL-CIOs secretary-treasurer, Fred Redmond, and T.J. Sandell, of Erie, a union plumber with Plumbers Local 27 and president of the Great Lakes Building and Construction Trades Council, accused the former president of having an anti-worker record, on a Saturday morning press call as Trump continues to make a play for organized labor, most recently vying for an endorsement from the United Auto Workers. Donald Trump doesnt care about workers. Trump undermined workers rights. Trump rolled back workplace safety rules. He delivered massive tax giveaways to the extremely rich and big corporations while not lifting a finger to help struggling working people in Erie and so many other communities around the country, Redmond said. Trumps event at Erie Insurance Arena comes just days after federal prosecutors rolled out additional charges against the former president in the classified documents case. In a separate investigation, special counsel Jack Smiths team also appears to be on the verge of indicting him for efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 election in several states, including in Pennsylvania. Powerful new evidence in the Mar-a-Lago case accusing former President Trump of personally directing the deletion of security footage at his Florida estate could bolster prosecutors case and demonstrate the former president acted to conceal his guilt. The superseding indictment filed Thursday night details an effort by Trump, his valet Walt Nauta and a new co-defendant, Carlos De Oliveira, to delete security footage showing boxes being moved in and out of a Mar-a-Lago storage room. De Oliveira, head of the maintenance team at Trumps Florida home, spoke with others about how long security footage remained in the system, telling another Mar-a-Lago employee that the boss wanted the server deleted. The indictment alleges Trump was personally involved in directing the effort to delete the footage, noting a 24-minute call with De Oliveira the day after prosecutors flagged plans to subpoena security camera video. It goes on to describe Nauta and De Oliveira moving through bushes on the property and taking stock of where security cameras were located. Here is a plan led by him involving and implicating his two co-conspirators to destroy security footage presumably because Trump was concerned that it showed the movement of these boxes containing the classified documents around Mar-a-Lago. Thats so probative of his state of mind and his bad intent to obstruct justice, Norm Eisen, counsel for Democrats in Trumps first impeachment, told The Hill. Its such a gripping narrative for a jury, with the defendants sneaking around the property and taking pictures of where the surveillance cameras are, going through tunnels and climbing through the bushes to meet. And then Trump placing calls at the beginning and the end of that new section of the complaint. So its a big upgrade for [special counsel] Jack Smith, and hell need it. The superseding indictment, filed when prosecutors have additional charges and evidence, adds two counts of obstruction of justice for Trump in connection with attempting to delete the footage. Story continues It also adds another count to the number of Espionage Act charges facing Trump, now totalling 32, that includes military plans concerning Iran that Trump boasted of having while lamenting he never declassified the documents while president. Its inclusion is in part significant because Trump denied ever having the document, telling both ABC News and Semafor that it was just a handful of unrelated papers. I would say it was bravado; if you want to know the truth, it was bravado, Trump said in June. I was talking and just holding up papers and talking about them, but I had no documents. I didnt have any documents. Details about the alleged plot to delete the footage could be especially significant in the case, as experts say it shows a guilty mindset that is often compelling to juries. Danya Perry, an attorney who helped draft a model prosecution memo for the Mar-a-Lago case, called it incredibly devastating and inculpatory evidence. Here what you see is what is called in the law consciousness of guilt, which is typically very persuasive evidence in front of a jury that the defendant in question knew what he was doing was wrong. Its contemporaneous actions to conceal or destroy or cover up evidence or misconduct, she said. That can be very damning for a jury whos trying to peer into a defendants state of mind and determine whether or not they have a guilty conscience. In some respects, Smith had already demonstrated some of that conduct with the original obstruction of justice charges. Those included allegations that boxes were moved to keep them from Trumps lawyer, and that the former president later motioned for his attorney to pluck out any records that might look bad. Its common sense, Perry said. But most people dont try and cover up things that they dont think were wrong. Eisen argued that the latest filing adds clarity that will be compelling to juries who typically like to see evidence defendants knew what they were doing was wrong. Consciousness of guilt matters because issues about the defendants intent and state of mind are essential for juries to find wrongdoing. Having appeared in court now and before juries for more than 30 years, they dont want to convict people who they dont believe did wrong intentionally, he said. Trump on Friday dismissed the new allegations, calling it textbook Third World intimidation by rabid, lawless prosecutors. The superseding indictment does not include allegations about an incident that was referenced in media reports, namely that De Oliveira drained a Mar-a-Lago pool, flooding the room that housed the servers that stored the surveillance footage. CNN first reported the incident, noting that it was unclear whether the flooding was intentional. Perry said she was surprised that the incident, if true, went unmentioned in the indictment. That was pretty evocative reporting, she said. Prosecutors are not required to put into an indictment every piece of proof that they might use to support the allegations, she said, adding, Its not their job to reveal more of it than is necessary. Eisen said that may have been a strategic decision by Smith and his team. The reason that the pool draining does not come into the complaint is probably because they were not able to prove that it was intentional. And they didnt want to weaken their case by giving the defense something to shoot at and introduce evidence that it was an accident, he said. If it had been useful to them, they would have included it. So whatever the explanation, theyve made a determination that they could prove their case without it. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. In his latest effort to change the way the criminal justice system operates in Illinois, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed into law a measure that loosens restrictions on people who remain under state supervision after being released from prison. The new law modifies the conditions required to complete the final steps of a sentence, also known as parole and mandatory supervised release, which have historically ranged from mandatory drug testing to the need for permission to leave the state. The measure is part of a larger pattern of reforms championed by Pritzker and his progressive allies in the Illinois General Assembly that are meant to combat mass incarceration and make the justice process more fair. One of the most controversial of those changes, the elimination of cash bail, was upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court earlier this month. Unlike many of those measures, however, the legislation Pritzker signed Friday garnered bipartisan support as it breezed through both chambers of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly this spring. On Friday, Pritzker led a signing ceremony in Chicagos North Lawndale community alongside the main House sponsor of the legislation, Peoria Democrat and Speaker Pro Tempore Jehan Gordon-Booth, and a number of others, including rapper and criminal justice reform activist Meek Mill. Our current supervision system too often operates unfairly with rules that make it simply a revolving door back to jail, Pritzker said, adding that many people have ended up back behind bars due to a noncriminal, technical violation. Thats not a system designed to improve public safety. Thats not a system thats promoting rehabilitation. Its a system that values reincarceration, he said. Under the new law, which goes into effect in January, people on parole and mandatory supervised release would no longer be required to take a drug test as part of their conditions for release unless reasonable suspicion of illegal drug use can be documented. Story continues In addition, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board now must reduce by 90 days a persons supervisory release term if the individual attains an associate degree or vocational technical certification or earns other educational standards. In the past, a 90-day reduction was granted only to people who earned high school diplomas or passed high school equivalency testing. The law also allows people under supervision to meet with state officials for their regular check-ins by phone or other electronic communication instead of in person, which is intended to remove obstacles to child care and employment. This is a community that has always wanted to work, but the stigma associated with having a criminal record and then being incarcerated makes it hard for individuals to secure employment, said Brenda Palms, the president and CEO of the North Lawndale Employment Network, where Fridays bill signing took place. The event was an upbeat affair, largely due to the appearance by Meek Mill, who spent a chunk of his adult life on probation following his arrest as a teenager. Onlookers had their phones ready to catch a photo of the Philadelphia-raised rap sensation as he talked about his drug and gun case, which, according to news reports, dragged on for about a decade in the court system after a judge sentenced him to two to four years in prison for probation violations that involved him riding a dirt bike and an alleged scuffle at an airport. Meek Mill was pardoned in January by then-Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. During his reelection bid last year, Pritzker had to fend off intense criticism from Republicans who accused him and other Democrats of pushing soft-on-crime policies at a time when gun violence in Chicago and other Illinois cities had been on the rise throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But with Democrats cementing control of all aspects of state government in the November election, the GOP has been unable to stop Pritzkers reform agenda. A sweeping ban on high-powered guns and high-capacity magazines remains in limbo amid multiple legal challenges. But Pritzker scored a legal victory on July 19 when the Illinois Supreme Court cleared the way for Illinois to become the first state to fully eliminate cash bail as a condition for pretrial release. That measure had been vigorously opposed by Republicans and pro-law enforcement groups. The elimination of cash bail was part of the SAFE-T Act, sweeping legislation passed in 2021 that supporters argue will help create a more equitable criminal justice system. Other major initiatives under Pritzker include legalizing recreational marijuana, which has been accompanied by about 800,000 expungements for low-level marijuana arrest records. Earlier this year, Pritzker signed into law a measure that abolished natural life prison sentences for most people convicted of committing crimes when they were under 21, giving them an eventual chance at a parole hearing before the review board. Some lawmakers have been pushing to make that law as well as a separate but similar 2019 law that pertains to other lengthy prison sentences retroactive. One criminal justice reform advocacy group has said that if the retroactivity proposal becomes law, it could affect more than 3,000 people in prison in Illinois. Asked Friday whether he supports the proposal, Pritzker didnt answer directly but said that he evaluates pardons and commutations on a case-by-case basis. Obviously, when you talk about thousands of cases, it is something that youd have to consider en masse through the legislature, Pritzker said. I think there is an understanding across the nation that those kinds of sentences that were meted out years ago may not be appropriate going forward and, therefore, shouldnt we apply some of what weve learned to people who have been convicted under those and sentenced under those guidelines? Pritzker also successfully pushed for a multiyear plan to divert some $240 million in state funding to anti-violence organizations that specialize in mediating street conflicts and providing therapy and other social services to those who may be at risk of being party to violence either as a victim or perpetrator. But Pritzkers budgets have also allowed police departments to hire and retain more cops. On Thursday night, the governor emphasized the role of law enforcement when he spoke to an audience of a couple hundred at a north suburban synagogue about the gun ban, which he signed into law in January in response to the mass shooting at Highland Parks 2022 Fourth of July parade. He stressed the need for more police officers to be used for the interdiction of illegal guns that end up on the streets in Chicago and other areas of the state. We have to do more of this. We just have to. And we have a challenge. We dont have enough police, Pritzker said. jgorner@chicagotribune.com A Las Cruces man filed a lawsuit alleging a jail guard used excessive force when he shot him in the leg while the man showered. Vicente Sanchez, who was incarnated in the Dona Ana County Detention Center from July 2020 to May 2022, said that jail guard Brady Kehres used excessive force, violating his 14th amendment right in the process, and battered him during an incident on May 4, 2022. "This is a textbook case of excessive use of force," Mallory Gagan, an attorney at the New Mexico Prison & Jail Project who represents Sanchez, said in a news release. "Kehres' own lapel video shows exactly how unnecessarily aggressive his response was. Other corrections officers on scene confirmed that Vicente didn't present a threat of any kind to corrections officers or anyone else." Officials from Dona Ana County declined to comment on the matter, saying they wouldn't comment on pending litigation. Video shows guards shooting Sanchez with 'less lethal' round Sanchez was in jail on a judge's order after police accused him of breaking into a house and threatening a police officer with a folding knife. Sanchez later pleaded guilty to both allegations. Sanchez is currently incarcerated in a prison in Clayton. But before Sanchez' plea, a judge found that he was dangerous, and no conditions of release could protect the public's safety. Those findings led to the judge ordering Sanchez to remain in jail without bond. Sanchez' lawsuit says the incident occurred on May 4, 2022, the day before he was set to enter a plea. The incident began when a DACDC guard told everyone to return to their cells after an unrelated incident. Sanchez said in the lawsuit he couldn't hear this command since he was in the shower. The lawsuit noted that another person walked into the showers, apparently ignoring the commands to leave the area. That triggered the jail guard to call for more guards to help him. Meanwhile, Sanchez remained in the shower. According to the lawsuit, he was still oblivious to the situation outside. Video from a body camera worn by Kehres then shows the officer hustling down a flight of stairs toward the shower. He's carrying a Kel-Tec shotgun loaded with "less lethal" rounds. Story continues As Kehres enters the area, he shouts "get out of the shower," before firing a round at Sanchez in the shower. Sanchez then leaves the shower to grab a towel before Kehres fires two more times, hitting Sanchez once. The other man in the showers was also detained before the video shows guards escorting a wounded Sanchez back to his cell. A puddle of blood in the shower marked the spot where he'd been shot. According to Gagan, Sanchez' attorney, Sanchez was hospitalized in a Las Cruces hospital after the incident. Others are reading: New Mexico Prison and Jail Project takes case Gagan is an attorney with the New Mexico Prison and Jail Project. The Project takes cases "that will help press for better treatment and conditions for all incarcerated people in New Mexico," according to its mission statement. "This kind of violence occurs frequently around detention centers in New Mexico," Steven Robert Allen, the Project's director, told the Sun-News. As for this case, Gagan said he'd yet to learn of evidence suggesting this incident was part of a larger pattern in Dona Ana County Detention Center. Justin Garcia covers public safety and local government in Las Cruces. He can be reached via email at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com, via phone or text at 575-541-5449, or on Twitter @Just516Garc. This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Lawsuit alleges Dona Ana County jail staff shot naked man BAGHDAD (AP) The leader of Lebanons Shiite militant group Hezbollah said Saturday that if governments of Muslim-majority nations do not act against countries that allow the desecration of the Quran, Muslims should punish those who facilitate attacks on Islam's holy book. The comments by Hassan Nasrallah came in a video address to tens of thousands gathered in Beiruts southern suburbs to mark Ashoura, a Shiite holy day commemorating the 7th century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammads grandson Hussein. Nasrallah often uses religious occasions to send political messages to followers, and on Saturday slammed recent incidents in which the Quran was burned or otherwise desecrated at authorized demonstrations in Sweden and Denmark. He said Muslims should watch for the outcome of an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, scheduled to take place in Baghdad on Monday to discuss the organizations response to the Quran burnings. The organization and its member states should send a firm, decisive and unequivocal message to these governments that any repeat of the attacks will be met with a boycott, Nasrallah said. If they do not, he said, Muslim youth should punish the desecrators. He did not elaborate what such a boycott and punishment should entail. Members of the crowd, who carried banners with religious slogans alongside the flags of Hezbollah, Lebanon and Palestine, chanted, Oh, Quran, we are at your service; Oh, Hussein, we are at your service. Shiites represent over 10% of the worlds 1.8 billion Muslims and view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Husseins death in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, ingrained a deep rift in Islam and continues to this day to play a key role in shaping Shiite identity. Millions of Shiite Muslims in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and around the world on Friday commemorated Ashoura, while Saturday marked the culmination of the observances in countries such as Lebanon, Iraq and Syria. Story continues Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gathered in the Iraqi city of Karbala, where Hussein is entombed in a gold-domed shrine. In the streets of the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, mourners gathered to watch reenactments of the Battle of Karbala and Husseins death. In the streets, young men clad in black and white slashed their heads with swords and knives to demonstrate their grief. Friends swabbed each others heads with tissues and handed each other water. In Syrias capital, Damascus, the crowds were mourning not only the death of Hussein but a deadly attack in the suburb of Sayida Zeinab, home to a shrine to Zeinab, the daughter of the first Shiite imam, Ali, and granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. A bomb hidden in a motorcycle exploded there on Thursday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more. On Tuesday, another bomb in a motorcycle had wounded two people. On Friday, the Islamic State group a Sunni militant group that often targets Shiites claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying Thursdays bombing came during their annual polytheistic rituals. The groups extreme interpretation of Islam holds Shiite Muslims to be apostates. ___ Associated Press writers Anmar Khalil in Karbala, Iraq, and Hassan Ammar in Beirut contributed to this report. Texas Governor Greg Abbott (Associated Press / News Nation) To the editor: The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit over the illegal buoys and razor-wire fencing in Texas on the Rio Grande? A lawsuit? Really? This should not be handled by litigation from DOJ, but by Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security or the military. Biden should act boldly. The Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clauses 4 and 15) clearly confers sole power over immigration, border control and to repel invasions as conservatives describe undocumented entries to the federal government. The state of Texas has no jurisdiction in such matters unless invited by the federal government, which has not occurred. Biden should just send in Border Patrol or the military and remove the illegal barriers. Just do it! They have the authority. If Gov. Greg Abbott can concoct some kind of bizarre constitutional justification for his illegal scheme, let him be the one to file lawsuits after the illegal and inhumane safety hazards are removed. Douglas Dunn, Escondido .. To the editor: I find it incongruent to learn Catholic conservative Gov. Greg Abbott is doing Satans work along the Rio Grande River. When ordered by the Justice Department to stop the carnage his buoy barriers wrought, he responds coldly, uncaringly and arrogantly, Texas will see you in court, Mr. President! Gov. Abbott, how would Pope Francis respond to you drowning and endangering the lives of thousands of desperate, helpless immigrants? Apparently, Abbott believes scoring political points with life-endangering, despicable, sickening stunts that create more misery is more important than saving lives, helping the helpless, and caring for the desperate and downtrodden among us. Is cruelty, inhumanity, meanness, intolerance, bigotry, prejudice and racism, now the Texas state motto? Does Abbott represent what is best about Texas? Gov. Abbott, you continue to criticize, blame, and shame President Biden in the press and continually avoid any collaboration required to find humane solutions to the border crises. Story continues I implore Democrats in Texas: Save your state. Restore tolerance, acceptance, dignity, integrity and compassion. Organize to vote in overwhelming numbers and stop your governor. Nelson Sagisi, Santa Maria .. To the editor: It is looking more and more like Los Angeles should have its own Statue of Liberty with the words "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" engraved on it. While Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues to cruelly and mindlessly bus immigrants to Los Angeles in an effort to appeal to his anti-immigrant Republican base, the city of Los Angeles continues to graciously accept and welcome immigrant families in the spirit of true American patriotism. They're likely to be much better treated and happier here in Los Angeles than in anti-immigrant, Republican-controlled Texas anyway. James Mundy III, Inglewood This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A father and daughter have been arrested and charged following a shooting at a restaurant parking lot Thursday night in Swansea, South Carolina, according to a statement released by the Lexington County Sheriffs Department. Stephanie Lynn Brown, 40, is charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and pointing and presenting firearms at persons, according to arrest warrants. Her father, David Lee Brown, 66, is charged with pointing and presenting firearms at persons, according to arrest warrants. Surveillance video showed David Brown pointing the gun at the mother of the victim while she was involved in an altercation with Stephanie Brown, according to arrest warrants. David Brown then handed the gun back to his daughter who then shot the victim in the upper body,said Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Koon said. He did not identify either the victim or her mother. Responding deputies determined after speaking with witnesses that Stephanie Brown had fired at the victim, according to Koon. David Brown was released after meeting the conditions of his bond. Stephanie Brown was denied bond and is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center. The Swansea Police Department requested assistance to investigate the shooting, according to the statement. This article was originally published in Arkansas Advocate. Librarians across Arkansas are preparing in different ways for a new state law that is set to take effect next week and changes how libraries handle controversial material. Some library systems have altered their existing material reconsideration forms in hopes of handling future book challenges smoothly and in compliance with the law. Others have come to what they believe are reasonable conclusions about which local authorities will choose whether children can access certain books. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter One size does not fit all with public libraries, and that was not given consideration when this bill was put together, said Judy Calhoun, regional director of the Southeast Arkansas Regional Library system, which covers Bradley, Chicot, Desha, Drew and Lincoln counties. While library systems take steps to carry out the law, many librarians will be watching the outcome of a federal court hearing on Tuesday over a lawsuit that asks a judge to prevent Act 372 of 2023 from taking effect. The law requires a committee of library staff selected by head librarians to review a challenged book or other material on the basis of their appropriateness for children and to vote publicly on whether to keep the material where it is currently shelved or relocate it to an area of the library that minors cannot access. If a challenger disagrees with the library committees decision, city or county elected officials will have the final say on where material is placed. All public library systems in Arkansas have existing material reconsideration policies and procedures that need to be altered to comply with Act 372. The existing policies have rarely been used throughout the state, and people who challenge books often want them to be removed rather than relocated. Librarians statewide have expressed concerns that Act 372 will be used to discriminate against specific groups, such as LGBTQ+ people, but they have also said parts of the law are unclear and left to interpretation. Story continues During the legislative session earlier this year, the sponsors of Act 372 repeatedly claimed that the policy would be straightforward. Calhoun and several other library directors, including Nate Coulter of the Central Arkansas Library System, spoke against the bill before legislative committees. Coulter and CALS are now two of 18 plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit challenging portions of Act 372. The lawsuit not only alleges viewpoint discrimination but also claims the law gives unfettered discretion to quorum courts and city councils to decide whether materials are appropriate without any definite procedural safeguards or standards. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks will conduct a hearing in the case Tuesday morning in Fayetteville. Some library systems have board meetings scheduled for later in the week, so their policy changes are not final, and the boards decisions might hinge on a decision from Brooks, library directors said. Relocation concerns Act 372 has brought statewide attention to the debate over whether anyone under 18 should be able to access content pertaining to racism, sexual activity and LGBTQ+ identities. Supporters of the law say this content amounts to indoctrination and is fundamentally inappropriate for children. Opponents contend the content reflects the community and that restricting access is censorship. The legislation did not pass the House Judiciary Committee until it had been amended to say books would be relocated, not removed, if elected officials find them to be obscene. Library directors and staff have repeatedly said libraries do not have segregated sections that children cannot access. Coulter said in May, when the CALS board authorized the lawsuit, that relocating books under Act 372 would be totally impractical to enforce, even in one of the states largest library systems. Additionally, regional, multi-county library systems allow patrons in one county to check out books in another county, so a quorum court decision to relocate a book in Faulkner County would not keep the book away from minors in Van Buren County, said John McGraw, the executive director of the library system covering those two counties. Even if I had a vault I could stick these things into which I dont, and I dont know how I would do that theres nothing that prevents those materials from going to another county through the courier system, McGraw said. The Crawford County Library System moved childrens books with LGBTQ+ topics to a segregated social section at all five branches in December 2022. The library director at the time said relocating the books was a compromise after community members objected to their availability at multiple quorum court meetings. Crawford County officials have cited Act 372 as a reason to keep the books segregated, so the county and its county judge, Chris Keith, are defendants along with the state in the CALS-led lawsuit against Act 372. Additionally, three parents in the county filed a First Amendment lawsuit in May against Keith, the quorum court, the library board and the interim library director for segregating the books, alleging unlawful censorship based on an extreme and malevolent view of the Bible. A range of policy changes Act 372 states that a book challenged under the law shall be reviewed in its entirety and shall not have selected portions taken out of context. In May, the Saline County Library board of trustees updated the systems challenge policy to align with this portion of the law by requiring people to read, view, or listen to the entirety of the work before filing a reconsideration request. Meanwhile, Washington County Library System director Glenda Audrain said she and some library staff have preemptively reserved a block of time at the county courthouse once a month to handle book challenges, since they have to be heard in a public meeting. Earlier this year, Audrain wondered if the library system would have to buy more copies of challenged books for quorum court members to read if an appeal against the book reached the court. Itd be sad to buy books that are possibly going to be hidden, or that there might not be that much demand for, since we have 15 quorum court members and eight libraries, she said. The law does not require libraries to provide elected officials with copies of challenged books, McGraw said, but it also does not require officials to read the books. The text of the law simply says officials shall review the information submitted to them by the library committee. They dont even have to look at the cover, McGraw said. The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library plans to incorporate legal precedent into its updated challenge process, since obscenity is a judicial term repeatedly referenced in Act 372 and brought up by those who want certain books to be relocated, McGraw said. Obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment, according to Miller v. California, a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that created the three-step Miller test for obscenity. An item must meet all three criteria to be considered legally obscene: If the entire work appeals to the prurient interest based on contemporary community standards, as judged by the average person;If it depicts or describes sexual behavior in a patently offensive way;If the entire work lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. McGraw provided the Arkansas Advocate with a draft reconsideration policy that specifically includes these criteria and also requires challengers to read the entire work. The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library board is expected to vote on the policy this week. During this whole conversation, theres been this blurring of the lines over what counts as obscenity but there are no obscene books in the library, McGraw said. Workload and jurisdiction concerns Library board members have historically been in charge of handling book challenges, but Act 372 requires library staff to handle them. This could put an unprecedented amount of work on librarians since they still have to do their regular jobs, the five members of Faulkner Countys library board agreed at their April meeting. Van Buren County has its own library board, and each board sends representatives to a regional board overseeing the system. McGraw said he and board members are bracing for an influx of book challenges if Act 372 goes into effect. The Faulkner County board agreed in May to remove the first five books in the queue of challenges from library circulation until the reconsideration process is complete. Act 372 states that the elected officials of whichever entity provides the most funding to the library system are in charge of hearing appealed challenges. However, the five counties in the Southeast Arkansas Regional Library system provide roughly equal funding across the board, Calhoun said. She said she interprets Act 372 to mean a county quorum courts decision to relocate a book only applies to the libraries in that county and that the same book does not need to be relocated in another county unless the quorum court says so. Mike Rogers, director of the Northeast Arkansas Regional Library in Clay, Randolph and Greene counties, said he interprets the law the same way. The funding clause of Act 372 will require the Jonesboro city council to hear appeals in the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library system, which is funded by tax millage from both the city and the county, library director Vanessa Adams said. Craighead County and Jonesboro voters cut the library systems funding in half in 2022 after protests over an LGBTQ+ book display and a transgender authors visit to the library within the previous couple of years. Adams has expressed frustration with both the funding cuts and the new law, the latter of which takes the placement of books out of the librarys hands and puts the decision into the hands of elected officials, ignoring our expertise as trained experts, she said in an email last week. CALS covers Pulaski and Perry counties and is funded by tax millage in both counties, as well as the cities of Little Rock and Maumelle. Taxes from Little Rock provide the majority of CALS funding, Coulter said, so the Little Rock Board of Directors would handle appealed challenges from all 14 library branches: nine in the city, four elsewhere in Pulaski County and one in Perry County. This is an unusual amount of authority for a governmental body whose decisions usually apply only to the city of Little Rock, Coulter said. Obviously nobody envisioned, when [local governments] agreed to the ordinance to be part of the system, that the Legislature would come along years and years later and that one particular governmental entity would have some jurisdiction over the entire system, he said. He added that Act 372 was born from some groups dissatisfaction that the existing challenge process, which he said is very thoughtfully and professionally done, has rarely led to books being relocated or removed from libraries. The idea that this law creates something that libraries werent doing before is wrong and inaccurate, Coulter said. Its actually [about] people not being happy with the outcomes of those processes and wanting a different arbiter of the outcome. Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com. Follow Arkansas Advocate on Facebook and Twitter. Leopard 2 tank The Material and Technical Support Department of Lithuania has sent a letter to the German Ministry of Defense outlining its intentions to purchase Leopard tanks, Lithuanian news outlet LRT reported on July 28. According to the Ministry of Defense, this step allows the country to gain information and engage in discussions about the specifics required in the case that Vilnius decides to sign a contract to buy Leopard tanks. The statement of intent is not a legal commitment, but the German Defense Ministry will rely on the parties intentions in determining the total demand for new tanks in negotiations with the manufacturers, the ministry said. Read also: Estonia, Lithuania approve new military aid; Latvian PM visits Kyiv Earlier this week, Lithuanian Minister of Defense Arvydas Anusauskas, revealed that Lithuania had considered several manufacturers but ultimately chose the German model because it best meets the operational requirements of the country. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has clarified that a final decision regarding the specific model of Leopard tank has not been made yet. Read also: Spain transfers more Leopard-2 tanks to 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 ASEAN tour expands business opportunities, paves way for cooperation: HKSAR chief executive Xinhua) 10:59, July 29, 2023 KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Xinhua) -- John Lee, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said here on Friday that his visit to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia has expanded business opportunities, promoted Hong Kong, and paved way for broader cooperation. Lee told a media conference that he and leaders of the three Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have come to a consensus that cooperation is the way forward and they should expand cooperation and enhance exchange of knowledge and experience. He noted that over the past week, a total of 33 Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and agreements have been signed with different organisations of the three countries, covering such areas as trading and commerce, investment, finance, innovation and technology, logistics, academic research and cultural exchange. On the same day, Lee also visited Malaysian local major enterprises, attended a business luncheon and exchanged views with local political and business leaders. When addressing the luncheon, Lee said Hong Kong is bestowed with the unique advantages of having the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected with the world under "one country, two systems", and he expected more enterprises of Malaysia and other ASEAN members to come to Hong Kong and explore business opportunities. Enterprises and institutions of Hong Kong and Malaysia signed 11 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and agreements in areas including trade, finance, railway and property development, digital transformation, and financial technology. According to Malaysia's Bernama news agency, the signing of MOUs and agreements signals the shared vision of enhanced cooperation and paves the way for mutually beneficial opportunities across both economic and cultural domains. Lee's delegation will return to Hong Kong on Saturday. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) TEHRAN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian president has officially brought forth a motion in the parliament over the Republic of Korea (ROK)'s crude import arrears to Tehran, the official news agency IRNA reported Saturday. The report revealed a letter from Ebrahim Raisi to Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf dated July 22, showing that a bill titled "referring the dispute between the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and the ROK government to arbitration" had been submitted to the parliament. The bill, approved by the cabinet on July 5, indicated the beginning of legal formalities for reclaiming the CBI's financial assets frozen in ROK's banks and making the ROK side to pay compensation for the delay in paying off its arrears, according to IRNA. It is estimated that Iran has funds worth more than 7 billion U.S. dollars in ROK's two banks that it is unable to access because the banks and authorities in ROK refuse to process them for fear of possible U.S. penalties. The ROK was one of the largest customers of Iran's crude oil prior to 2018, the year when Washington pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed its unilateral sanctions on Tehran. WASHINGTON Blistering temperatures across the country have prompted significant concern from state and local officials who say they are struggling to manage the crisis without federal intervention. In letters sent Thursday and first obtained by NBC News, two of the countrys top organizations representing local officials on the federal level pushed Congress to pass a bill to declare extreme heat emergencies. The U.S. Conference of Mayors wrote to a bipartisan trio in the House, Reps. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, and Mark Amodei, R-Nev., who had introduced a bill last month, known as the Extreme Heat Emergency Act, that would add extreme heat to FEMAs list of major disaster qualifying events. In the letter from the National League of Cities, addressed to Gallego, CEO Clarence Anthony wrote: "By including extreme heat events in the definition of a major disaster ... this legislation will empower local governments to establish cooling centers, support vulnerable populations, assist the homeless, and enhance healthcare services during extreme heat events. The three lawmakers represent Arizona, Texas and Nevada, which are among the worst heat-plagued states in the country, with temperatures in Phoenix on track to become the first U.S. city to reach an average monthly temperature above 100F, according to the National Weather Service. After meeting with the mayors of Arizonas capital city and San Antonio this week, the Biden administration outlined a series of steps it is taking to help Americans battle the soaring temperatures, which the president described as the number one weather-related killer. Among several actions taken, the administration has directed the Labor Department to increase inspections at outdoor construction and agriculture sites in an effort to protect workers from the dangerous and persistent heat. But local officials, and some lawmakers from most-affected states, argued Bidens latest actions fall short of what is needed to address the problem. Story continues Local elected leaders are on the frontlines of responding to extreme heat, but they cant do it alone, Gallego said in a statement. I will keep pushing to get this bill through Congress, but with so many Arizonans dying or falling ill we cant waste any time. Thats why we need FEMA to act now and declare a major disaster for heat, Gallego added. Heat is not listed under the Stafford Act, the federal law that governs how the government responds to natural disasters and whether it allocates additional funds to states and cities. There is no precedent for FEMA to step in to respond to extreme heat events. A congressional aide who said they spoke with FEMA officials told NBC News that Congress must place extreme heat in the federal code. Because in order to declare an extreme heat disaster without congressional intervention, the temperature would have to exceed local governments capabilities to manage but theres currently no official metric for that, the aide said. In a statement to NBC News, a spokesperson for FEMA said: "Our agency has a well-established process for assessing if there is a need for supplemental federal disaster assistance where those needs exceed the state, tribal or local capacity. There is nothing specific that precludes a declaration for an extreme heat incident." The spokesperson added that the agency has "only received three historic requests for extreme heat declarations" two in 1980 and one in 1995 and that they were all "denied because they did not demonstrate that state and local capacity had been exceeded." "However, if a circumstance did occur where an extreme heat incident exceeded state and local capacity, an emergency or major disaster declaration request submission could be considered," the spokesperson said. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, in both chambers of Congress, have repeatedly urged FEMA to make the disaster declaration in recent years. But with this summer projected to be the hottest on record, proponents of the heat declaration are hoping relief will come soon. Enabling extreme heat events as eligible for disaster declarations would widen the amount of crucial federal resources available to cities as they continue to work towards saving lives, protecting infrastructure, and adapting to the impacts of a rapidly warming climate, wrote Tom Cochran, CEO of the Conference of Mayors, which represents 1,400 cities nationwide, in his letter to the lawmakers. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A New Hampshire father was on a fishing trip with his three daughters when he spotted three humpback whales breaching the ocean water in unison. Jason McCawley/Getty Images Robert Addie, a New Hampshire resident, was celebrating his 59th birthday with his 3 daughters. He had also just come back from a humanitarian aid trip in Ukraine. Seeing the whales breach the water with his daughters was like a welcome home gift, Addie told AP. It was a magical moment, Robert Addie said. Addie, a New Hampshire resident, was celebrating his 59th birthday, ending it with an annual fishing trip with his three grown daughters and son-in-law, the father told The Washington Post. It was the first time in years since he had his kids all together. On top of that, the father had just come back from a humanitarian aid trip from Ukraine, where he came under heavy artillery fire. As the family was sailing off the coast of Cape Cod, Addie experienced what he called "a gift from God": Three humpback whales breaching the surface of the water in unison. "I. Fucking. Got it. On video," Addie can be heard saying in disbelief. Marine researchers believe breaching is a form of communication, according to Ocean Conservancy. But it's unclear how often humpback whales are spotted breaching together as they did in Addie's video. Laura Howes, New England Aquarium Whale Watch's director of research and education, told The Post that it was a "once-in-a-lifetime sight." Addie told Associated Press that he has seen "thousands of whales" when he worked as a commercial fisherman. But never like this. "Somebody said it was a representation of the joy I had, having all of my three daughters in town for my birthday," the father told the outlet. "And it was a welcome home." Read the original article on Insider Actress Mandy Moore has revealed that her 2-year-old son August, nicknamed Gus, has been diagnosed with a rare skin condition called Gianotti Crosti syndrome. Moore took to social media on Friday to describe a "crazy rash" Gus woke up with last week. "We thought maybe an eczema flare? Poison Oak? Allergy," she wrote on Instagram Stories. "We tried to deduce what it could be and did anything to help him find relief from the itch." The "This is Us" star said Gus was taken to urgent care, and after consultations with a pediatrician, a dermatologist and then a pediatric dermatologist, Gus was eventually diagnosed with GCS. Moore, who shares Gus with her husband, musician Taylor Goldsmith from the band Dawes, said the experience is a reminder that parenting can be tough. "Sometimes you feel so helpless (and yes I'm ever so grateful it's only an itchy skin condition)," she wrote. "Kids are resilient and as long as he's smiling through it, we are a-okay." What is Gianotti Crosti syndrome? GCS is a rare childhood skin condition characterized by "a papular rash with blisters on the skin of the legs, buttocks, and arms," according to the National Institutes of Health. "Papular" refers to raised bumps on the skin. Those areas are exactly where Moore said Gus was experiencing symptoms. "It's all over his legs and feet (ouch) and the backs of his arms, but nowhere else," she said, sharing a photo of the boy's inflamed, rashy legs. Typically the skin lesions last at least 10 days, but they can last for several weeks, the NIH says on its website. The lesions are usually associated with an underlying infection, often a virus, that can cause other symptoms like a low-grade fever, sore throat or upper respiratory infection symptoms. "GCS is thought to be a hypersensitive response to the underlying infection," the NIH explains. "While in many countries the underlying cause is hepatitis B, this is rarely the cause in North America." Story continues The condition most often affects children between 9 months and 9 years of age, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. And while the lesions usually go away on their own, sometimes treatments are given to help with symptoms. "In some cases, the use of topical ointments or certain medications by mouth may be recommended to help alleviate mild to potentially severe itching," the organization's website notes. Moore shared a similar description of the treatment plan she's following for Gus. "There's nothing to do but a steroid cream and Benadryl at night...Anyone else ever experience this??" she wrote. Sara Moniusko contributed reporting. Prosecutors speak after jury approves death penalty for Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Jury recommends death penalty for Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Fitch Ratings downgrades U.S. credit from AAA to AA+ A pair of men manage to escape police interception after they were caught red-handed trying to tear away a Bank of America ATM with their pickup truck in Massachusetts, police said. On Friday at 3:43, the Higham Police Department were notified by the Bank of America alarm system that there were intruders on the property. The two men had fastened a chain onto the drive-up ATM and were attempting to tear it away, police said. Two male suspects tied a chain around a Bank of America ATM and attached a chain to their white 2007 Cadillac Escalade EXT, attempting to drive off with it, according to the Hingham Police Department. When police arrived, the men quickly vacated the premises and jumped into their white 2007 Cadillac Escalade EXT. Officers quickly attempted to pursue the pickup truck, but the suspects managed to evade arrest after ditching the vehicle on someone's home's patio, between a grill, deck chairs and a picnic table. CALIFORNIA'S SERIAL SNAKE BURGLAR SET FREE UNDER WOKE LAWS, PROSECUTOR SAYS READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The men ran off after abandoning their Cadillac and police deployed a K-9 unit from the Weymouth Police and the Plymouth County Sheriffs Department to search the area. Local law enforcement were unable to find the suspects after searching the surrounding area. After Higham Police arrived to Bank of America, the suspects quickly jump in their SUV and drove east onto a highway. The men ran off after abandoning their Cadillac pickup truck behind a home. Surrounding police department attempted to locate the suspects with a K-9 unit. Police said that no money was stolen from the Bank of America ATM, however the machine was severely damaged from the attempted robbery. Authorities mentioned that this was the third time that the ATM had been broken into in the past three years. Anyone with information about the attempted theft or the pickup truck is asked to call a Hingham police detective at (781)804-2238. WARNING: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE A massive brawl broke out on a popular tourist street in Spain, with drinkers smashing chairs and bottles against each other as police tried to stop the violence. The fight broke out in the early hours of July 23 on a street known as Pecat (or "sin") Street that features prominently in the Catalonian city of Sitges' nightlife. The cause of the fight remains unknown despite an investigation, but the leading explanation is that a disagreement with a bouncer quickly escalated. Video footage captured by local outlet CEN showed the fight breaking out as men started hitting each other with barstools, glass bottles and metal bars, among other things they could find within arms reach. FRONTIER AIRLINES FACES CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT OVER BAGGAGE FEES READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP A fight breaks out on the Primer de Maig Street, known as "Sin Street," in Sitges, Catalonia. The violence lasted for about a minute before those involved tried to flee the scene, The Mirror UK reported. Around 30 to 40 people were allegedly involved in the brawl. The street, officially known as Primer de Maig Street, is lined with bars and restaurants. It serves as a popular destination for British tourists, but it remains unknown whether any of those involved in starting the fight or escalating it were British. THREAT EXISTS FOR EU OFFICIALS TO WEAPONIZE VISA REQUIREMENTS: NILE GARDINER Two cops suffered dislocated joints, and another had cuts after a glass bottle hit them. No arrests were made, and no suspect was identified as the instigator, The Sun reported. Medical professionals who tended to any wounded individuals said all injuries were minor. PASSPORT BACKLOG STALLS AMERICANS' TRAVEL PLANS, LAWMAKERS CANNOT ASSIST Catalans Mossos dEsquadra, or the regions main police force, opened an investigation into the incident and similar ones in nearby towns over the weekend. A fight at another British tourist hot spot broke out when a group of young people refused to pay the entry fee for a nightclub, and a bouncer tried to turn them away. The clubs staff fought back when the youths tried to throw glass bottles at the bouncer and force their way in. The suspects fled as soon as police showed up, but authorities arrested one individual, an 18-year-old, who went to the hospital with an injury on his face. A Camden man who handed his friend the syringe of fentanyl that led to their overdose death in 2020 has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison. Sean Michael Taylor, 27, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court, South Carolina, to 220 months in federal prison followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision after pleading guilty to one count of distributing fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon presided over Taylors case. People sent to federal prison generally are not eligible for parole, according to the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. On July 21, 2020, Taylor told a customer who was purchasing fentanyl that he had provided the drugs that had led to an overdose death in Camden, on July 1, 2020, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for South Carolina. The customer was a confidential source who was purchasing the drugs at the direction of federal agents and officers assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program Task Force in Columbia. Following his arrest, Taylor admitted that he distributed the fentanyl that caused his friends death a few weeks prior and identified the victim by name, according to the statement. Taylor later told law enforcement he had first injected himself with a syringe containing fentanyl and then handed the syringe to his friend, who then injected what remained. The victim immediately collapsed to the floor, unresponsive, Taylor told law enforcement. Along with others present at the residence, Taylor dragged the victim to another room. No one could rouse the victim, according to the statement, and Taylor left the residence without calling 911. The Kershaw County Sheriffs Office and other first responders from the Kershaw County Emergency Medical Services and Coroners Office ultimately responded to the scene, where the victim was pronounced dead. The cause of death later was ruled to be fentanyl overdose. Story continues Fentanyl has driven the increase in overdose deaths in South Carolina, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. From 2020 to 2021, the department has said overdose deaths involving fentanyl escalated more than 35%, from 1,100 to 1,494 deaths. In 2021, fentanyl was involved in more than two-thirds of all overdose deaths involving opioids in South Carolina. As a condition of his sentence, Judge Lydon recommended that the federal Bureau of Prisons evaluate Taylor for participation in drug treatment programs. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Bales prosecuted the case. Taylor was represented by Mark Campbell McLawhorn, a federal public defender. The Columbia-based drug task force includes agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, Kershaw County Sheriffs Office, Richland County Sheriffs Department, Lexington County Sheriffs Department, and Department of Public Safety for the City of Orangeburg. The News DES MOINES Mike Pence said that President Biden took a welcome step by acknowledging 4-year old Navy Roberts as his seventh grandchild but that it shouldnt have taken that long. Look, I became a grandfather three times over in the last two years, Pence said, after his speech at the Republican Party of Iowas annual Lincoln Dinner on Friday. For all the difficulties in their family, I cant help but feel that the President has finally been willing to come to terms and be public with acknowledging all of his grandchildren. Davids view Biden had been more than reluctant to talk about Hunter Bidens daughter with Lunden Roberts, an Arkansas woman who had sued for child support after a DNA test proved that the presidents wayward son was Navys father. In a statement released to People magazine on Friday, Biden called the situation a family matter that was being resolved, adding that he and First Lady Jill Biden only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy. That was new; Biden had refused to answer questions about the topic before. Four years ago, when Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Biden about the paternity case, the future president referred to it as a private matter and sarcastically called the reporter classy for asking. And as president, when the subject of his extended family came up, Biden would say he had six grandchildren, referring only to the two children of his late son, Beau, and the four children Hunter had with his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and current wife Melissa Cohen. Setting aside the personal and legal issues at play, the presidents approach to Hunters daughter became politically difficult during a child support dispute that was litigated in Arkansas last month. While Roberts and the younger Biden settled it out of court, the conflict drove more press attention to a story that had been covered extensively in conservative media but gingerly by mainstream outlets. The new coverage included a front page New York Times story with the detail that several of the presidents allies fear that the case could damage his re-election prospects. Story continues Republican candidates had tread carefully around the topic, but that changed after the Times story, which preceded a brutal op-ed from the papers longtime columnist Maureen Dowd. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hit back at some criticism from the Biden administration with a shot at the president for failing to visit his granddaughter. At the Iowa GOP Dinner, two candidates former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson joked about Bidens refusal to say he had a seventh grandchild. I know how many grandchildren I have, said Hutchinson. I have seven. Haley made the story part of a joke about her suggestion that politicians over age 75 should be made to take mental acuity tests with questions like how many grandchildren do you have? The People magazine story cited a source who framed Bidens extended refusal to engage with his granddaughter as partially driven by not wanting to interfere in her parents extended court case one that has now been resolved. Know More Pence sat down with Semafor on Friday to talk through a number of issues playing out in the GOP primary. Look for the rest of his answers in Mondays Principals. Notable Service member mental health is a top priority for Sen. Tim Kaine in the upcoming defense spending bill in the wake of Hampton Roads-based suicide clusters. The Senate voted Thursday night to advance its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which supports $886.3 billion in funding. The House passed its version earlier this month. The chambers must reconcile the versions before the final bill goes to President Joe Bidens desk. Included in the Senates bill are several provisions Kaine advocated that would expand and improve service members access to mental health services and a housing allowance to give single junior sailors the opportunity to live in commercial housing, rather than aboard ships in a maintenance period. According to Kaine, expanding access to mental health services is recruitment and retention-focused. I would say the biggest thing is just doing much, much more to recruit And it doesnt have to be just all licensed clinical social workers or certified psychologists, Kaine said Friday to The Virginian-Pilot. We are making very positive use of family medical life specialists who kind of are in folks work units that they might feel really comfortable talking to them. They may not be trained to provide mental health services, but they do have enough training to spot the signs of somebody who needs them and then navigate with that person so they are getting the help that they need. Additionally, language in the bill would provide career flexibility for service members in mental health-focused rates in an effort to increase retention. We are seeing in society and in the military an inadequate supply of mental health professionals, and that is going to be the key thing we are going to work on, Kaine said. For active duty families covered by TRICARE, cost sharing requirements would be waived for the first three outpatient mental health visits each year. Story continues We dont want anybody not seeking treatment because of a cost sharing barrier, Kaine said. That is also a step that I think can increase access and encourage more people to seek care. The bill also includes language that would authorize sailors E-6 and below, who do not have dependents, the option of living off a ship that is in the yard. The provision is in response to a string of three sailor suicides in April 2022. The sailors were all connected to the USS George Washington, which was undergoing a lengthy mid-life refuel and complex overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding. During an investigation into potential connections among the suicides, sailors reported constant noise and cold temperatures aboard a shell of a ship that was periodically without hot water and power. And one of the sailors who died reportedly slept in his car on several occasions. I think just giving people more options so that they are not locked into a bad living situation will have a mental health boost possibility all on its own, Kaine said. The Department of Defense also would be required to provide Congress with a report regarding the services limited duty processes. This provision is a direct response to the deaths of four sailors at Norfolks Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center in the span of 28 days last fall. A Navy investigation into the suicides noted the medical separation process took far longer than intended for three of the four sailors. The process is intended to take 230 days from start to finish, but investigators found the process averages 360. The defense spending bill is typically passed by both chambers and signed by the president in December, effective beginning in January. But even if the mental health provisions are signed into law, it could be years before they are implemented. The Brandon Act, legislation allowing service members to seek mental health treatment confidentially, was signed into law as part of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. But enforcement and implementation requirements were not included in the bill, leaving it up to the Department of Defense to work the legislation into its policies at its leisure. It was May 2023 before the DoD released implementation guidelines, giving the services 45 days to establish policy in line with the act. Kaine said he knows it is a frustrating process for family members. But I do have some kind of practical sense for the fact that when the military is trying to implement this DoD-wide at the same time that they are trying to implement a whole lot of other requirements that land on them every year in the defense bill you have got to give them time to get it right, Kaine said. ___ Resources for service members and veterans struggling with mental health, including 24-hour crisis hotlines, can be found below: The Military Crisis Line: call 1-800-273-8255, ext. 1; or text 273Talk to 839863 Military OneSource: 1-800-342-9647 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 call or text Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com As close as you can get to the Mona Lisa. Jordan Parker Erb/Insider Italy is bearing the brunt of unruly tourists vandalizing historical sites this summer. The trend could end up making cultural heritage sites less accessible, a legal expert told Insider. On a smaller scale, the Mona Lisa was locked away behind bulletproof glass because of vandalism. Amid a horde of eager tourists and a string of vandals, Italy's vast collection of monuments is proving to be both a blessing and a curse. This summer, two tourists have been caught defacing Rome's ancient Colosseum one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations highlighting how difficult it is to protect heritage sites amid mass tourism. In Italy, in particular this summer, many tourists have arrived with a lawless mentality that cultural heritage sites, such as ancient monuments and storied artwork, are a playground. "I think people kind of get captured in that fantasy of Italy, which isn't really accurate," Leila Amineddoleh, a lawyer specializing in cultural heritage for Amineddoleh & Associates LLC, told Insider. "You can't jump in the fountain like in 'La Dolce Vita,' you will be fined for that behavior." In July, a fitness instructor based in the UK was filmed carving his and his partner's names into the Colosseum. Days later, a Swiss teenager carved her initials into the monument. Both could face up to $16,000 and five years in prison. And with the post-pandemic trend of "revenge travel" , referring to cooped-up passengers traveling in hordes after the pandemic, still ongoing, Italy has been one of the most popular tourist destinations. As European countries loosened COVID restrictions and regulations, European airports saw a 250% increase in arrivals by mid-2022, according to data sourced from Airports Council International, a group representing European airports. Italy, Spain, and Greece are among the most visited this summer, expecting to have record-breaking tourism seasons, per The Wall Street Journal. Story continues Elsewhere, the trend has led to famous works of art, such as the Mona Lisa, being made less accessible which ultimately dampens the experience of seeing art, Amineddoleh told Insider. Countries with UNESCO World Heritage sites spend public funds on protective measures and archaeological ventures. But vandalism forces those same host countries to spend money on security measures with that funding. "I don't think anyone wants an experience where they visit the coliseum and every 40 feet is a guard," Amineddoleh said. "It's really difficult for people who work in cultural heritage and in tourism to find that right balance between protecting objects but not destroying the experience." Amineddoleh said that the Mona Lisa was an example of how on a smaller scale, art can become less accessible or enjoyable when targeted by vandals using cake, spray paint, or rocks, something the Mona Lisa has dealt with for over a hundred years, according to ArtNet. The painting is now locked behind bulletproof glass in Paris' Louvre museum, with a barrier keeping people away as well. The end result is an unpleasant, crowded funnel of tourists clamoring to get a glimpse of the painting, which is now also accentuated by lights glaring off the glass encasing. Amineddoleh said people in her field do not want to see those kinds of major security measures imposed at historic sites. "We want people to be able to walk in and experience those sites and really connect, and to learn about history and perhaps feel in some way transported to another place," Amineddoleh said. Read the original article on Insider Protesters and counterprotesters on drag in Montana A federal judge in Montana has temporarily blocked the state law banning drag queen story hours and restricting other drag performances. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris heard the suit against the law Wednesday and issued a brief order Friday granting the plaintiffs request for a temporary restraining order and barring the state from enforcing it. It comes ahead of Montana Pride, which begins Sunday in Helena, the state capital, and runs through August 6. The plaintiffs had noted that the Pride celebration would start soon and that the law would interfere with the event. A transgender woman, an independent bookstore, and other individuals and institutions filed the lawsuit in early July against House Bill 359. The legislation took effect immediately when Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed it into law in May, banning drag story hours at publicly funded schools and libraries and prohibiting any sexually oriented performances at those venues or on any public property where children are present. It appears to be the first state law banning drag story hours even if they include no content that could be perceived as sexual not that such story hours do. The law is an unconstitutional content- and viewpoint-based restriction on free speech, the suit says. Its also vague and confusing, and it could be construed to ban many types of performances, the suit asserts. What todays hearing really solidified is that nobody seems to know exactly what it says, and with regard to the First Amendment, that is in and of itself a constitutional problem, said Constance Van Kley, an attorney with Upper Seven Law, a nonprofit law firm representing the plaintiffs, told Helena TV station KTVH Wednesday. Helena city officials still hadnt issued a permit for Montana Pride as of then. But they filed a document with the court saying they intended to grant the permit but wanted the temporary restraining order as well. Attorneys for the state argued that the law isnt really so vague and that it was proper to limit what kind of performances would be open to children. Morris will likely schedule a hearing in late August on whether to grant a longer-term injunction against the law, KTVH reports. Pictured: Drag queens counter anti-drag protesters in Montana. MOSCOW, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The African peace initiative for the Ukraine crisis echoes the provisions of the peace plan presented by China, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday night. The Ukraine crisis was provoked by some forces in the West, who "for many years were preparing for a hybrid war" with Russia, Putin said during a meeting with heads of delegations of African states on Ukrainian issues, according to the Kremlin. "They did everything to turn Ukraine into a tool to undermine the foundations of the security of the Russian Federation, to damage Russian positions in the world, and indeed to undermine our statehood," he added. "Of course, we are impressed by the position of the countries that put forward the initiative that the principles of the UN Charter must be respected and put into practice in their entirety and interconnection," said the president. There should be no double standards, no unilateral sanctions, no attempts to ensure one's own security at the expense of others, he added. Putin noted that the African peace initiative echoes the provisions of the peace plan presented by China to resolve the situation around Ukraine. "It was nice to hear that our ideas coincide with the ideas put forward by other parties, in particular, China," said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, one of the main initiators of the peace plan. "The fact is that this conflict now directly affects us," he said, adding that problems are being created in many fields including food security. "We believe that the restoration of peace is in the interests of mankind, as well as the peoples of Russia and Ukraine," he said. An African peace delegation visited Ukraine and Russia in June, pushing for a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis. More than 20 states across the U.S. are under heat advisories as of Saturday. From the California coast to the Midwest to the Southeast and the North- and Mid-Atlantic, 110 million Americans are facing scorching temperatures that could even get up to triple digits, according to ABC News. Earlier in the week, the National Weather Service warned of continued excessive summer heat across the country in a forecast discussion. In the Washington, D.C. region, daily highs sat around 96 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the NWS. In New York City, temperatures topped out at 90 degrees. Triple-digit heat continues across the southern half of the Plains to the eastern Gulf Coast while cool and unsettled weather continues across the northern Plains toward the Midwest, the NWS said in their latest forecast discussion on upcoming weather between Monday and Tuesday. The NWS said cooler temperatures will arrive in the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Sunday. However, they said these cooler temperatures will be preceded by thunderstorms as a result of the cold front creeping south. However, prior to the arrival of the cool air, the cold front will trigger strong to severe thunderstorms along with locally heavy downpours which may be accompanied with gusty winds and/or squalls as they move through the aforementioned areas from west to east through tonight, the NWS aid in the forecast discussion. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. AUSTIN In raw political terms, Gov. Greg Abbott can easily afford to lose the legal fight brought by the U.S. Justice Department against him and the state of Texas. President Joe Biden cannot. In fact, an argument can be made that Biden can ill afford to win. Let's look at how the immigration issue has played out through a political lens since Biden replaced former President Donald Trump in 2021 and changed the national approach to dealing with people crossing without legal authorization into the United States in general and into Texas in particular. President Joe Biden exchanges handshakes with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott when the president arrived in El Paso Jan. 8, 2023 to assess border enforcement operations and meet with community leaders coping with a historic number of migrants fleeing political oppression and gang violence in Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, accompanied the president on the flight to her hometown. Abbott seized the initiative right out of the gate. Units of the Texas National Guard were deployed to the border. So were scores of state troopers. Billions of tax dollars are still showering down on the governor's Operation Lone Star. Biden, on the other hand, announced he was tasking Vice President Kamala Harris with seeking a solution to the root causes of illegal immigration. Harris has resisted the informal title of "border czar," but thanks to relentless messaging by Abbott and other Republicans, the moniker stuck and continues to stick. Because whatever role the vice president is playing on immigration, it's hardly a public one. And the governor gets to put points on the political scoreboard by playing that up every chance he gets. For Abbott, the immigration crisis has been one national photo op after another. He was at center stage when he hosted several other Republican governors at the border to beat up Biden. He was alongside the ex-president in the South Texas town of Roma where work on the steel fencing along the Rio Grande was halted, and they both beat up Biden. More: Feds ask court to order removal of floating barrier from Rio Grande as lawsuit proceeds And in May, there was Abbott on an airport tarmac in Austin with even more National Guard soldiers in full battle gear marching toward military cargo planes for yet another buildup in South Texas. And, yes, he used the event to beat up Biden. Story continues While the governor through the 2022 election cycle that brought him a third term used leaders from the Texas Department of Public Safety as set pieces on his political chessboard, Biden and members of his administration have seldom followed suit when it comes to the U.S. Border Patrol and other frontline federal agencies. The Border Patrol often puts out news releases when they bust a transnational drug operation or when they rescue exploited migrants from stash houses and truck containers. But because the agency is not inherently political, the releases tend to lack the flair and drama Abbott and his aides bring to public events dealing with immigration. More: Texas prison inmates making the razor wire used by Operation Lone Star along Rio Grande If in the lawsuit filed July 24 in the Western District of Texas the court rules in favor of Texas and Abbott, Biden's Justice Department looks weak and ineffective. That would be a direct reflection on the president himself. But let's suppose the court says Abbott overstepped his legal authority when he ordered the string of floating buoys dropped into the international river to deter migrant crossings. The governor can still rail against the ruling, make good on his promise to appeal and thump his chest for being willing to take bold action while the feds are tying his hands. Razor wire and buoys in and around the Rio Grande placed to prevent unauthorized border crossings on Thursday, July 20, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. Where does that put Biden? The buoys will be removed, and perhaps so too the miles of razor wire on the Rio Grande shoreline. Does the president then signal to Abbott that if Texas applies for the permit the Justice Department says is needed for the buoys that the Army Corps of Engineers will grant it? If so, the president is seen as following the governor's lead. What if Biden chooses instead to beef up the federal presence at the border, and accede to the demands to the Democratic base that migrants who are apprehended at the border are given food, medical attention and other amenities? Will Abbott curtail his criticism? Don't hold your breath. No matter what the president does at the border, it won't be enough to suit Abbott. And the governor has little incentive to tone down his rhetoric on the immigration front, even if the court takes away some of his tactical tools. John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo. This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: MORITZ: Legal merits aside, federal lawsuit is a gift for Abbott RABAT (Reuters) - King Mohammed VI said on Saturday Morocco hopes for a return to normality and open borders with Algeria amid severed diplomatic ties. Borders between the Maghreb region's two most populous nations have been kept closed since 1994, despite repeated calls by Morocco in recent years for their reopening. Algeria unilaterally cut ties with Morocco in 2021 and halted the flow of a gas pipeline to Spain via Morocco. It later banned all Moroccan aircrafts from crossing its airspace. The Western Sahara dispute has been at the heart of worsening ties between the two countries. Morocco considers the territory its own, but the Algerian-backed Polisario front wants to establish an independent state there. "I pray to Almighty God for things to return to normality, and for the opening of borders between the two neighbouring, sister countries and peoples," said Morocco's king in a speech. He also welcomed Israeli recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, a decision fiercely criticized by Algeria, which has previously expressed discontent at the growing security ties between Rabat and Tel Aviv. "I should like to tell the leaders and people of our sister nation, Algeria, that no evil will ever be done to them, nor will any harm ever come to them from Morocco," king Mohammed said. Algeria's President Abdelmedjid Tebboune said earlier this year that relations with Morocco had reached "the point of no return". (Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Alistair Bell) Asian Americans largely feel positive about their ancestral homelands, a national survey has found, with one major exception: Barely 4 in 10 Chinese Americans said they favorably viewed mainland China. And among Asian Americans not from China, just 14% held favorable views of that country. The Pew Research Center survey of more than 7,000 Asian Americans, conducted from July 2022 to January 2023, highlights the views of Asian Americans with origins in seven particular nations China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam about their ancestral homelands, the United States, their identity and global affairs. Chinese Americans and Vietnamese Americans were the only two groups to view other countries more favorably than their own: Asian Americans with Chinese roots viewed Taiwan, South Korea and Japan more positively than their own, while Vietnamese Americans expressed more favorable views of Japan compared with their own ancestral homeland. To some extent that is not surprising, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and director of AAPI Data, a policy research and data hub at the University of California, Riverside, noting that the majority of Asian Americans close to 60% are foreign-born. People coming from more authoritarian regimes have left for a reason." Jenny Leung, executive director of the Chinese Culture Center, poses by a new Chinatown mural in San Francisco, Monday, May 23, 2022. Chinatowns and other Asian American enclaves across the U.S. are using art and culture to show they are safe and vibrant hubs. Among Chinese Americans, 41% held favorable views of China, the survey found. Six in 10 Vietnamese Americans felt positive about Vietnam. Faith influences Chinese immigrants' views Russell Jeung, a professor of Asian American studies at Californias San Francisco State University, was also not surprised by Chinese Americans views on China. Many immigrants migrated after the Cultural Revolution and the Tiananmen Square massacre, so they were fleeing the Communist Party's regime, he said. If you've witnessed the repression of Hong Kong, the nation's human rights abuses, and its authoritarian state during COVID-19, you would also be likely to have a critical stance. Story continues A majority of Americans overall have a negative view of China, surveys show. Jonathan Tan, professor of Catholic studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said religion also plays a role in how Chinese Americans view mainland China. About 40% of Chinese Americans are Christian, he said. At least 5% of people in China identify as Christian. Michelle Yeoh attends the premiere of the Disney+ original series "American Born Chinese" at Radio City Music Hall on May 7 in New York. Their Christian faith impacts on how they view communism, the practice of their Christian faith, and the Chinese government's efforts to control and regulate Christianity, Tan said. One should not be surprised that many of these Chinese Americans, especially those who are practicing Christians, are not interested in returning to China so long as the current political system is in place. Chinese Americans more likely to favor Taiwan Respondents generally had higher opinions of their ancestral nations than did those from other Asian countries, with India showing the starkest difference: While 76% of Indian Americans said they viewed their homeland favorably, just 23% of other Asian Americans had positive views of India a gap of 53 percentage points. Views of India were especially negative among Chinese and Korean adults, the survey found. More than 6 in 10 Chinese Americans said they viewed Taiwan favorably, a notable finding given rising tensions between mainland China and Taiwan. Last month, Chinese officials accused the United States of provoking separatist activities in Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory. Chinese immigrant adults were more likely (45%) than those born in the United States (25%) to view China positively. Ramakrishnan, of UC-Riverside, said the results spell difficulty for China's efforts through its "Young Thousand Talents" program to persuade young scholars who have sought higher education abroad to return to the mainland. This suggests that strategy will face a steep uphill climb, he said. Sami Watson, left, and Ha Nguyen from Hamkae Center in Virginia volunteered at a polling site in 2021. The center is reaching out to Asian American voters to provide election information in different languages. Among all Asian Americans, those who viewed China positively or negatively varied little by political affiliation, in contrast with the U.S. general public. About 83% of Republicans and those who lean toward the GOP have an unfavorable view of China, while 68% of Democrats and their independent supporters share that negative opinion. Most Asian Americans optimistic about the United States The vast majority of those with roots in Taiwan (95%), Japan (92%) and South Korea (86%) said they had favorable views of their homelands, while the same three nations were viewed positively by a majority of Asian Americans not from those nations Japan (67%), South Korea (60%) and Taiwan (56%). Smaller majorities of those who traced their heritage to the Philippines (72%) and Vietnam (59%) expressed favorable views of those nations. Meanwhile, more than three-quarters (78%) of respondents said they favorably viewed the United States and see it as the leading economic power of the next decade, with 44% describing their views as very favorable. Jeung, of San Francisco State University, said one observation he gleaned from the findings was that developed Asian nations were viewed more favorably than those still developing. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., speaks as she stands with fellow Asian American and Pacific Island members of Congress, during the 2016 Democratic National Convention at Wells Fargo Center. Asian Americans appear to value countries that are safe, healthy and efficiently run, he said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: China not popular with Chinese Americans, other Asian Americans Nearly every state in the United States is neglecting access to maternal mental health care, according to a recent report, and experts fear the situation could get worse as more states severely restrict or ban abortion. All but 10 US states received either a D or F grade on a number of key measures of maternal mental health risk policies and access to care including access to therapists, psychiatrists or mental health treatment programs, according to a May report released by the nonprofit Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, in partnership with researchers from George Washington University. This is the groups first report grading states on maternal mental health resources and policies. Forty states and the District of Columbia received grades of a D or F, while just one state California earned a grade higher than a C. No state where abortion was banned or severely restricted received a grade higher than a D+. More than a dozen states have banned abortion access in the year since the Supreme Courts landmark decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which has had severe consequences for maternal mental health, some providers told CNN. Other states continue to restrict abortion most recently, Iowa legislators passed a six-week ban that has since been temporarily blocked by the courts. A 12-week ban went into effect in North Carolina on July 1. The truth is that access to mental care in this country specifically in states where abortion has been restricted has been abysmal for a very long time, said Dr. Colleen McNicholas, the chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. The Policy Center report found that most states lack specialized care for pregnant and postpartum women. For instance, only five states California, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey and Oklahoma require ob/gyns to conduct maternal mental health screening during prenatal and postpartum visits, Caitlin Murphy, research scientist at the George Washington Universitys Milken Institute School of Public Health, told CNN. Story continues Alabama and Mississippi two states that banned abortion almost immediately after the Supreme Court reversed Roe vs. Wade already had among the lowest numbers of certified perinatal mental health providers relative to the expected number of births, according to data from the report. Both states received an F on the report cards. About 4 million babies are born every year in the country, and roughly 600,000 (20%) of US mothers may experience challenges with their mental well-being every year, according to the Policy Center. Black women are twice as likely as White women to experience maternal mental health conditions but half as likely to receive treatment, according to the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance. What we see is that the areas where there is the most need are actually the areas with the fewest resources and providers available, Murphy said. Texas is among the 15 states that received an F. Before the Dobbs decision, it banned abortions after six weeks of gestational age before many people realize they are pregnant. Elaine Cavazos, the chief clinical officer at a reproductive mental health care clinic in Austin, said that abortion bans have worsened an already-poor state of access to reproductive and mental health care in the state. She told CNN fears over prosecution for aiding and abetting an abortion have created a barrier between patients and providers to speak openly about their reproductive experiences, from pregnancy termination in another state to pregnancy loss. Mental health is already tricky as it is, but when you add in a layer of We cant even talk about these things openly for fear that some negative repercussion could happen to our client, it just adds a layer of oppression, Cavazos said. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found in an ongoing study that when people are denied abortion and are forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy, their mental health suffers, increasing the risk of perinatal mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. The UCSF researchers found that people who were denied an abortion experienced more symptoms of anxiety and low self-esteem than people who received one, according to their Turnaway Study. For people who are able to obtain an abortion out of state, bans have introduced major practical and financial barriers, McNicholas said. Seeking an abortion in this country at this time particularly if you live in the Midwest and the South, and most certainly if you live in a ban state is a moment of incredible anxiety, she said. Not necessarily because you need an abortion but because it is so difficult to do so. McNicholas said she has often encountered people seeking abortions due to pre-existing mental health conditions that could be exacerbated by a pregnancy. This includes people in recovery from addiction or who already experienced a case of postpartum depression from a previous pregnancy. Abortion has been a really critical tool for them to continue to manage mental health crises in their lives and to keep them healthy and safe, McNicholas said. Maternal health professionals are also moving away from abortion-restricted states which experts said may result in even less capacity to screen for and detect maternal mental health conditions. Most states have low access to maternal mental health care professionals already. The report cards allocated points for any state that had at least 5 certified perinatal mental health providers per 1,000 annual births. Just two states Vermont and Montana met that threshold. Those two states had fewer than 20,000 births combined in 2022, according to provisional CDC data Residency applications decreased slightly last year nationally, but those decreases were larger in states with total abortion bans, particularly for ob/gyns, according to research from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Although there is no systemic process to measure how many women receive maternal mental health screening and diagnosis in the United States, the CDC estimates that more than half of pregnant women suffering from depression dont receive treatment. Providers are already leaving the states with abortion restrictions because they feel like they really cant do their job properly, Murphy said. They feel they cant provide high-quality care to patients, whether thats through counseling or to ensure that a birthing person who needs to terminate their pregnancy for health reasons can do it. More providers fear also being held responsible for facilitating an abortion if their patient miscarries, which is especially common early in pregnancy, Murphy told CNN. This is a big risk for the mother and the baby, both in terms of mental health and general health, Murphy said. While experts told CNN they are most concerned about states where abortion bans were enacted and where bans may still be introduced the state of maternal mental health is poor nationally, and bans stand to affect patients beyond a states boundaries. Providers in states with access to abortions are seeing an increase in patient loads, as well as misinformation and mistrust all of which create barriers to care, said Anna King, a perinatal counselor and training director of the LA-based non-profit Maternal Mental Health NOW. Providers and communities across the board are feeling really impacted in terms of their ability to proceed in the way that they were, King said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Adam Mosseri was on a family vacation in Italy last November when he learned he'd have to go toe-to-toe with Elon Musk. The mercurial Musk had just taken over Twitter. Amid the ensuing chaos, Mosseri's boss at rival Meta smelled opportunity. CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other Meta executives wanted to woo creators from Twitter to their social networks. Mosseri, who runs Instagram, paused his holiday to take Zuckerberg's call. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. It was nighttime in Italy, and Mosseri spoke softly to avoid waking his sleeping wife. The group discussed Twitter-like features they could add to existing apps, including Instagram. Zuckerberg, however, had a different idea: "What if we went bigger?" By the time the call ended well after midnight, Mosseri had a mandate to build a stand-alone app to compete with Twitter - and a knot in his stomach. "Oh God, we've got to figure this out, because [Zuckerberg is] very excited about this," Mosseri recalled thinking. "Sometimes you can tell when he kind of gets his teeth into something." Just seven months later, Meta unveiled Threads, a project that has shocked even its creators with its instant success. Launched a week early to capitalize on Twitter's high-profile stumbles, including Musk's decision to cap the number of tweets users could view each day, Threads drew more than 100 million users in its first five days - making it, by some estimations, the most successful social media app launch of all time. Threads' long-term success is not assured. Weeks after its July 5 launch, analytics firms estimated that the app's usage dropped by more than half from its early peak. And Meta has a long history of copycat products or features that have failed to gain traction (along with a few, like Instagram Stories, that have thrived). Still, its promising start has reinvigorated a company battered by layoffs, scandals and competition from TikTok for younger users. And the story of Threads' creation, as recounted to The Washington Post by Mosseri and six other current and former employees, is being hailed by Meta leaders as a new path forward at a time when its ambitious, expensive push to build a virtual-reality-powered "metaverse" is sputtering and employee morale is flagging. Story continues With a mandate from Zuckerberg to take a big risk, Mosseri assembled a lean, engineer-heavy team of fewer than 60 people to hack together a bare-bones app on a breakneck timetable more reminiscent of a start-up than an entrenched tech giant. Speaking to investors this week after Meta reported strong earnings, Zuckerberg held up Threads as vindication of his "year of efficiency," in which he sheared tens of thousands of jobs in a bid for more agile teams that would ship products quickly. That Threads was created by such a small group in such a short amount of time has become something of a marvel inside Meta, according to current and former employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, as well as private messages viewed by The Post. Many see its quick rise as a reminder that well-executed product launches might not need all the bureaucratic trappings that a company with some 66,000 employees had grown accustomed to. "Quick execution. Nothing fancy," one person wrote on Blind, an anonymous workplace app. "Just solid engineering that most of our ICs [individual contributors] can do but unfortunately are shackled." Now that Threads' daily users have plummeted, the team behind it faces a new test: turning a bare-bones Twitter clone into a thriving social network with its own identity and staying power. - - - 'Do the simple thing first' Meta has long viewed Twitter as a competitor: Zuckerberg reportedly tried to buy the platform in 2008 for $500 million. But while Twitter captured the cultural and political zeitgeist, its business - with 237.8 million daily users and $5 billion in annual revenue - remained a fraction of Zuckerberg's empire, and never posed a serious threat. "They haven't been the business we thought they might," Mosseri said. But once Musk took over Twitter, embarking on what Mosseri called "high-risk" decisions like limiting the reach of posts for users who hadn't paid for verification, company executives inside Meta pounced. Zuckerberg wanted Threads up and running by January, less than two months after greenlighting it. Mosseri, who oversaw the work along with longtime product leader Connor Hayes, tempered the CEO's expectations, saying they first needed to assemble the right team. Over the next few months, the pair recruited an engineer-focused group, prioritizing people "willing to be scrappy, and sort of just crank through a bunch [of tasks] really quickly," Mosseri said. He drew workers from Messenger, Instagram and Facebook. Twitter attorney Alex Spiro earlier this month accused Meta of poaching Twitter employees to help create its "copycat" app so rapidly. But no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee, according to Meta spokesman Andy Stone. Initially, the team carried just two product managers and one or two designers alongside dozens of engineers - a flatter and more coder-dominated group than most Meta product teams, Mosseri said. (At launch, it had grown to three product managers, three designers and 50 coders.) Instead of 30-minute presentations on a single design decision, typical at Facebook and Instagram, "It would be like, 'Here are six things we need to go through this week.'" The process was a manifestation of what has been a divisive era at Meta, as it shed more than 20,000 workers in layoffs designed to return the business to what Zuckerberg has called "a more optimal ratio of engineers to other roles." To keep things moving, the Threads team punted thorny decisions and eschewed difficult features, including private messages and the ability to search for content or view the feeds of people you don't follow. The company also opted not to launch in the European Union, where regulators are preparing to enforce new rules next year requiring tech companies to provide more information to regulators about their algorithms. "You do the simple thing first," Mosseri said. "And I think that also helps reduce the scope, because often what happens is scope creep and you want to add all these things because they're all great." Threads isn't the first product Meta has hustled to market for competitive reasons. In 2020, it spun up a short-form video product, Instagram Reels, to vie with TikTok, said Sam Saliba, a former global brand marketing lead for Instagram. Meta launched its rival service at a moment when TikTok was politically vulnerable: President Donald Trump was seeking to ban the app or force a sale, citing national security concerns about the company's Chinese ownership. "They saw that as an opportunity to kind of launch quickly and get out the door and then build and iterate," Saliba said. "When it launched it was like a barely minimal product, like really thin." (Meta spokeswoman Seine Kim said the company worked on Reels for over a year.) Meta hopes Threads can steer clear of the political quagmires that have made Twitter and other social media platforms so controversial. Mosseri stirred debate earlier this month when he said Threads would not actively "encourage" politics and "hard news," because the extra engagement is not worth the scrutiny. Meta's president of global affairs Nick Clegg later elaborated in an interview that the company would likely not add specific news-focused product features, but would give more users control over what they see. Zuckerberg, for his part, has proudly welcomed some of his favorite mixed martial arts athletes to the platform. But if Threads takes off, the company might find it impossible to avoid the sort of politically charged decisions that have made operating Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp so challenging. Some of Threads' most influential early adopters were journalists and media organizations sharing the kind of breaking news that generates partisan reactions. Politicians such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and several Republican presidential hopefuls, including Mike Pence, were also quick to join the platform. Meta can't just "wish away" political discourse if it hopes to serve users fleeing from Twitter, said Yael Eisenstat, vice president at the Anti-Defamation League and a former senior Facebook policy official. She criticized the company's approach of prioritizing a rapid launch over careful consideration of the ways Threads could be exploited for hate speech, harassment or political misinformation. "I really at some point thought that we had finally moved on from this whole 'move fast and break things' mentality," Eisenstat said, referring to a famous internal motto from Facebook's earlier days. "If there's any company that should have learned the lessons of the real damage that can be done by not building in the proper safety mechanisms, privacy assurances, and integrity products, it should be Meta." Meta's Kim responded, "Our industry leading integrity enforcement tools and human review are wired into Threads." - - - 'Are we sure about these numbers?' When Musk announced July 1 that Twitter would temporarily limit the number of tweets users can read per day to combat an influx spam and bots, Meta took notice. Whereas new apps often face launch delays as the team works out kinks, Mosseri and company decided to move up Threads' launch date by about a week. (Two weeks later, Mosseri would announce a measure to fight an influx of spam attacks on his own platform.) After realizing the app would drop into some international app stores before it was live, Meta pivoted again, shaving another few hours off its launch. That night, a "core group" worked together at Meta headquarters while Mosseri and other team members chatted on an internal messaging forum, watching the sign-ups pour in. Mosseri recalled astonished team members asking, "Are we sure about these numbers? Can someone double-check that the logging isn't messed up?" As the number of sign-ups blew past the team's expectations, they started throwing out predictions of how high it might go, Mosseri said. Their giddiness was tempered when the avalanche of users triggered roughly a dozen severe technical glitches on the first day. Still, the aggressive timeline seemed to pay off: The next morning, Zuckerberg publicly touted the apps' early success, saying it "feels like the beginning of something special." For the first time in years, Meta had a viral hit on its hands - the first one built internally since the original Facebook app. Inside the firm, there was jubilation and perhaps relief, current and former employees said. Rank and file workers flooded Blind with analyses of the app's initial success in messages viewed by The Post. Still, getting users to log in to a Twitter alternative is one thing. Getting them to stick around is another - as Mastodon, Bluesky and any number of start-ups can attest. By the end of last week, third-party analytics services began reporting steep drops in Threads' engagement. On Google's Android platform, it was down from a high of 49 million daily users on July 7 - nearly half that of Twitter - to just 12.6 million on July 23, according to estimates from Similarweb. While Mosseri didn't confirm those numbers, he said it's normal to see a "novelty spike'" when a buzzy social experience launches. "I think things weren't as amazing as people were saying when we were at the peak, and it's certainly not as bad as people are saying now that we're stabilizing." Threads' unexpected popularity prompted Mosseri to cut short another Italian vacation last week to handle a deluge of requests and concerns from other Meta teams, such as communications and policy. He said he wants to keep the core Threads team insulated so they can focus on adding the features users expect from a full-service social app. Asked what he sees as the key to Threads' long-term success, Mosseri didn't offer the sort of big-picture vision he has become known for at Meta. Instead, he pointed to four short-term priorities: helping users build their lists of people to follow, improving the algorithms that decide what users see, giving users a way to see posts only from people they follow, and figuring out how to let people message each other. "Lots of basics like that really need to get fixed - and fixed quickly," he said. Five days after Mosseri spoke with The Post, Threads rolled out numerous new features, including a feed that shows users posts only from the people they follow. Meanwhile, the internal excitement about Threads has validated advice Mosseri said he received from Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom soon after Mosseri replaced him in 2018: Often, the best way to boost morale - even in a company battered by missteps and layoffs - is simply to deliver functional products. "You're focusing a lot on talking to everyone," Mosseri recalled Systrom telling him. "Just make sure you ship things that work and then everything will be easier, I promise." - - - The Washington Post's Gerrit De Vynck contributed to this report. Related Content No 'Oppenheimer' fanfare for those caught in first atomic bomb's fallout Doctors who put lives at risk with covid misinformation rarely punished Video shows 5 officers tackling mentally ill man. Experts question why. Ukrainian servicemen drive a pickup truck past a destroyed Russian tank in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Serhiy Rakhmanin, a member of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, has told on Radio NV how the approach of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the offensive in the south has changed, and what successes have already been achieved. Serhiy Rakhmanin People's Deputy, member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Several fairly effective offensive operations were carried out in the south of Donetsk Oblast. Read also: Ukraine launches new phase of counteroffensive focusing on south Movement is taking place in different directions towards Melitopol, Mariupol, and Berdyansk. The encirclement, and then taking control of Staromaiyorske was very effective and successful, which doomed the Russian garrison in Urozhany, and (opened up) the opportunity to advance further, to Staromlynivka. It's actually a tactical success, but it's the most effective tactical success in recent memory. Read also: Pushing forward, Ukrainian Armed Forces report advances on Melitopol front What has changed? The approach has changed. They abandoned the logic of large-scale breakthroughs due to the dominance of Russian aviation and dense mining of fields. Now these are actually infantry battles under the cover of artillery. But they are doing everything very correctly, because they are trying to knock out the means of destruction, first of all, self-propelled artillery and rocket systems of volley fire; try to find weak points; they hit the supply lines in order to create a certain shell famine in the enemy, and this is already happening in reality, problems are beginning (in the Russian Federation). Therefore, certain positives have appeared. I would refrain from any large-scale forecasts for now. There are some local successes, but this is a very serious (advance) compared to previous weeks. 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 Several German Shepherds died after their vehicle lost AC. R A Kearton via Getty Images Multiple dogs died on their way to a K-9 training facility after their vehicle lost AC. Indiana police did not disclose how many dogs died, though approximately 19 German Shepherds were in transport. A director from a local humane society suggested that the driver didn't follow proper protocols. An unknown number of dogs died en route to a K-9 training facility after the AC in their vehicle failed. Approximately 19 German Shepherds were involved in the lethal situation on July 27, though it remains unclear how many died, CBS News reported. The K-9s were en route from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to a training facility in Michigan City, Indiana. "This is truly devastating," Jenny Webber, executive director of the Humane Society of Hobart, Indiana, told CBS News, adding that the animals suffered from heat strokes. During transport, the vehicle was stuck in two-hour traffic, and at some point, the AC unit died, CBS reported. The temperature climbed in the cargo area housing the 19 dogs in crates. "Since the cargo area was separated, the driver wasn't aware at the time that the AC unit failed which caused some of the canines to go into heat-related medical distress. The driver's attention as to what was going on inside the cargo area was alerted to him by some of the canines barking," the Lake Station Police Department said in a statement on Facebook. Police Chief James Richardson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for additional comment. The driver pulled over and began removing the crated dogs from the vehicle. The Lake Station Fire Department, EMS, and police responded to the scene, according to the statement. "The scene was chaotic and took an emotional toll on all that were involved in trying to save as many canines as possible," the police statement read. "Any loss of life is tragic and thoughts and prayers are with all those that were affect[ed] by this 'freak event.'" Story continues The police department said in its statement that it believes the situation was not animal cruelty or neglect but a "mechanical failure of the AC unit." Webber, the executive director of the Humane Society of Hobart, responded to the scene and had a different take, suggesting proper protocol wasn't followed. "I don't think any veterinarian would've signed off on their health certificate given the temperature and the exposure that those pets would've been under," Webber told CBS. "I'm not even quite sure if they had any of that paperwork or any of the documentation they should've had." Webber told Insider seven dogs were taken to the Hobart Animal Clinic, four of which were euthanized, and the transport vehicle's driver left with four live dogs and an unknown number of dead dogs. "He left with the deceased animals, and four alive animals that I recommended be hospitalized immediately," Webber told CBS. "It's very confusing, very disheartening, and I would like a call from the chief of police immediately." In a statement Webber shared with Insider, she alleged that the police department, which the humane society has a contract with, refused to let the humane society seize the dogs and conduct an investigation after the dogs' owner refused. "I stated that it appeared he was not in compliance with several of our codes and that we should seize all pets, transport medical patients to emergency care, do an investigation and return the animals once compliance was proved," Webber said in a statement. "This made the owner very mad. He was derogatory and belligerent and subsequently stated he didn't want anyone from the Humane Society to touch his dogs." Webber said that the police obliged the dogs' owner and "complied with his request as multiple vehicles were standing by with air conditioning ready to transport sat idle and more lives were lost." Insider has reached out to the dogs' owner to request comment. She added in the statement that the officers let the owner leave the scene with four dogs in need of medical attention and several dead dogs, leaving the scene "in the same broken truck with the doors off, without properly securing the animals according to our code on the expressway. All against our municipal code." "We have worked alongside Lake Station for many years and cannot explain why protocol was not followed," Webber said in the statement. Read the original article on Insider With penicillin-based medications, patients have less of a risk of acquiring dangerous, highly contagious bacteria like C. difficile. U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Cincinnati, serves Ohios 2nd Congressional District. In the last month, China moved to limit exports of two key minerals, gallium and germanium, which industry experts view as retaliation against U.S. export controls. AP REPORT: China restricts exports of high-tech metals in a slap at Washington ahead of Yellens visit These minerals are key raw materials for the semiconductor industry and this is just the canary in the coal mine. It shows how China is willing to engage in economic coercion and weaponize its control over key supply chains. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, D.P.M For too long, U.S. policy has failed to recognize the economic threat China poses to domestic industries or how its domination of particular markets and supply chains creates a national security challenge. We cannot afford to continue this blindness. We are at a point where we cannot even produce the rare earth minerals we need for the military or the pharmaceutical ingredients we need for medicines. Opinion: Why you should care about semiconductor industry. 5 things Ohio colleges must do We are dependent on China's medicine. Many of the name brand and generic medications that millions of Americans rely on every day, from antibiotics and blood pressure medicines, to cancer drugs and blood thinners, are being manufactured in China, or rely on materials that come from China. It is estimated that if China stopped producing the active ingredients for our medicines, or simply stopped exporting them, the United States would have just two months until we run out of the drugs our patients rely on, according to Rosemary Gibson and Janaradan Prasad Singh, the authors of "China RX: Exposing the Risks of America's Dependence on China for Medicine (Prometheus Books)." The weakness of our supply chain is contributing to the worrisome drug shortages we are currently experiencing. If you had told me when I was a surgeon serving in Iraq that the personal protective equipment (PPE) I relied on to protect me, and the medications needed to serve our troops, had been manufactured in China, I would have asked, How did we allow ourselves to get here as a country, especially our military? Story continues Who is Brad Wenstrup? The doctor, Iraq vet and Congressman helped Rep. Steve Scalise today We import everything from tongue depressors to hip and knee replacements, speculums, surgical gowns and exam gloves, wheelchairs, pacemakers, pulse oximeters, dental implants, surgical screws, and diagnostic imaging equipment like MRIs and CT scanners from China. During the Coronavirus pandemic, the N-95 masks delivered to Congress under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were manufactured in China. How did the United States end up in this position? For decades, China crafted a strategy to push competitors out of the global market through a system of exploiting Chinas cheap labor and selling pharmaceuticals below market cost. China could do this because its government controls the market. In 1990, a plant in Connecticut was producing enough penicillin to supply one-third of Americas needs. But by 2008, the plant had completely closed. In 2004, the last plant in the U.S. making the raw material for penicillin was closed in East Syracuse, N.Y. Today, pharmacists fill prescriptions for penicillin with essential ingredients sourced from China. China undercut their competitors by dumping low-cost penicillin on the market. After China had obtained a substantial share of the global market, they raised prices on penicillin, a strategy China employs over and over again with several different vital pharmaceuticals. As China continues the push to dominate the global supply chain, it is vital that we work to create a strategic long-term approach of our own. What are the solutions? We need to look pragmatically at ways to incentivize domestic manufacturing of everything that goes into the production of the vastly important and complex components of our health: from our pharmaceuticals, to PPE, to medical devices. These are a vital part of our national security and should be viewed as strategic assets. They are critical to saving lives; and we therefore must rethink how we source them and act accordingly. Privately, some are stepping up efforts to ensure that producers exporting to the U.S. follow strict quality control measures. We also must and can diversify production so that we are not solely reliant on strategic adversaries for products which are key to our national health security. Last Congress, I introduced the American Made Medicine Act, a bill to help secure our health supply chains. This legislation would help create manufacturing jobs here in the U.S. by offering tax credits for investments in medical manufacturing. Health care professionals need a reliable source for personal protective equipment (PPE) and pharmaceuticals not one that can be cut off by an enemy at any moment. Because our medicines and pharmaceuticals are so vital to our national security, lets put in place more robust data reporting and oversight requirements for imports of key medical products. We currently lack complete data on the sourcing for our medicines, APIs, drug supply or other critical medical supplies. As we evaluate the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is an oversight that we cannot continue to ignore. U.S. Rep. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Cincinnati, serves Ohios 2nd Congressional District. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: American Made Medicine Act will help US cut dependency on China| Brad Wenstrup NASA's Juno spacecraft spins past Io as its parent planet Jupiter broods in the background. NASA's Juno spacecraft will get closer than ever before to Jupiters fiery moon, Io, this weekend. On Sunday (July 30), the solar-powered mission will come within 13,700 miles (22,000 km) of Io's volcanic surface. This Jovian satellite is just slightly larger than Earths moon, making it the fourth largest moon in our solar system. As it makes its flyby, Juno will use its scientific instruments to collect data about hundreds of eruptions taking place across the 2,260-mile (3,640 km) moon. One instrument in particular will get to shine during the event: The Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM). "While JIRAM was designed to look at Jupiters polar aurora, its capability to identify heat sources is proving to be indispensable in our hunt for active volcanos on Io," Juno Principal Investigator, Scott Bolton, said in a statement. "As we get closer with each flyby, JIRAM and other instruments aboard Juno add to our library of data on the moon, allowing us to not only better resolve surface features but understand how they change over time." Related: See Jupiters volcanic moon Io glow red-hot in incredible images from NASAs Juno probe After its launch in 2011, the Juno probe arrived at the Jovian system in 2016 and has since been investigating Jupiter and its moons. The day after Sunday's close fly-by of Io will be an important one for Juno, too, as Monday (July 31) will mark the beginning of its third year of extended operations. How Jupiter turns Io into a fiery stress toy Ios volcanism comes from the somewhat torturous relationship it has with Jupiter, largest planet in our solar system. The gas giant's tremendous gravitational influence pulls on Io, and as it does this, the moon is also gravitationally tugged on by its fellow Jovian moons Europa the solar systems largest moon and Ganymede. This cosmic tug of war gives rise to incredible tidal forces on the moon, stretching and squeezing Io while causing its surface to undulate in and out, resulting in uneven ground that can vary in height by as much as 330 feet (100 m). Story continues The effect of turning Io into a planetary stress toy gives rise to extreme volcanism, which makes the moon the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Lava from Io's volcanoes can erupt dozens of miles (or km) upward, according to NASA. JIRAM and Juno's other instruments are no strangers to Io's fiery temper. Even before the last flyby of the volcanic moon on May 16, JIRAM, for instance, had been able to see hot spots across the Jovian satellite. Hotspots accross the surface of Io as seen by Juno's JIRAM instrument on 12/14/2022/ (left) and 03/01/2023 (right) Also during this pass, another instrument on the spacecraft, JunoCam, snapped an image of Io from 22,100 miles (35,600 km) away which showed a smudge in a region near the equator called Volund. While "smudges" might not sound too exciting, to planetary scientists, they are smoking guns for volcanic activity. "When I compared it to visible-light images taken of the same area during Galileo and New Horizons flybys (in 1999 and 2007), I was excited to see changes at Volund, where the lava flow field had expanded to the west and another volcano just north of Volund had fresh lava flows surrounding it," University of Arizona researcher, Jason Perry, said. "Io is known for its extreme volcanic activity, but after 16 years, it is so nice to see these changes up close again." A small orange-white moon in space. But that wasn't the only smoking gun spotted during this flyby. JIRAM also caught one of its own. Imaging the 125-mile (202-km) wide volcanic depression, known as the Loki Patera, JIRAM had managed to catch a glimpse of what appears to be an active volcano. The Juno team hopes to actually get another look at this potential volcano, though this time in more detail, as Io makes its super close flyby of Io over the weekend. RELATED STORIES: NASA's Juno probe finds giant swirling waves in Jupiter's magnetosphere See Jupiter's volcanic moon Io glow red-hot in incredible images from NASA's Juno probe Massive, months-long volcanic eruption roils Jupiter's moon Io "The data show the lava could be bubbling to the surface in the northwest portion and creating a lava lake to the south and east," Juno co-investigator from the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome, Alessandro Mura, said. "Any volcanologist will tell you it is important to determine whether a lava lake has a stable source of material from an underground chamber. These data, and those we collect on upcoming flybys, will be crucial to understanding the kind of volcanism that is occurring at Io." Speaking before Juno's last flyby of Io, which brought the craft to within 22,060 miles (35,500 km) of the Jovian moons surface, the mission's principal investigator Scott Bolton explained why the investigation of the volcanic body is heating up. "Io is the most volcanic celestial body that we know of in our solar system," Bolton said in a statement. "By observing it over time on multiple passes, we can watch how the volcanoes vary how often they erupt, how bright and hot they are, whether they are linked to a group or solo, and if the shape of the lava flow changes." Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (L) and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar talk after their meeting at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN)-led Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in the old Nicosia airport complex in Nicosia, Cyprus, on July 28, 2023. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua) NICOSIA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus held a meeting on Friday, jointly appealing to people to provide information that would help locate missing persons in conflicts, which date back almost to the establishment of the Cypriot state. Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar held the meeting at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN)-led Committee on Missing Persons (CMP), which investigates the fate of hundreds of people from both the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities. "The two leaders called on all those who have information about possible sites of burial to share it with CMP ... as reliable information can accelerate the process of locating, exhuming and identifying the remains of missing persons," said a joint statement issued by the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) on behalf of the two leaders. CMP data shows that out of 1,510 Greek Cypriot missing persons, 741 have been identified and 769 are still missing. Out of 492 Turkish Cypriot missing persons, 292 have been identified and 200 are still missing. At a joint press conference after the meeting, Christodoulides and Tatar made an impassioned appeal to potential witnesses, saying that time is rapidly running out for the families that want to know the truth about the fate of their loved ones. They said people could share information with CMP confidentially. The two leaders pointed out that the issue of the missing people is a purely humanitarian one and should be insulated from political considerations. Christodoulides and Tatar toured CMP's workshops in the buffer zone on the outskirts of Nicosia and were briefed by experts on the task of locating human remains, sometimes tiny bits of bones, and of identifying them through deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing. The CMP workshops are situated in the old Nicosia airport complex, which was abandoned after fierce fighting in 1974 and was later turned into the headquarters of the UNFICYP. Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd R, Front) and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar (1st R, Front) visit the headquarters of the United Nations (UN)-led Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in the old Nicosia airport complex in Nicosia, Cyprus, on July 28, 2023. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua) Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd R, Front) and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar (1st R, Front) visit the headquarters of the United Nations (UN)-led Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in the old Nicosia airport complex in Nicosia, Cyprus, on July 28, 2023. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua) NASCAR great Jimmie Johnson is speaking up about a recent tragedy befalling his family. The seven-time Cup Series champion lost three of his in-laws last month in what authorities believe was a murder-suicide. Jack and Terry Lynn Janway the parents of Johnsons wife as well as their young grandson Dalton were found dead June 26 in an Oklahoma home. Our family is devastated by the profound loss of Lynn, Jack and Dalton Janway, Johnson wrote Friday in an Instagram post. We have been humbled by the outpouring of love and support during this unthinkably sad time and remain grateful for all of your compassion. The bodies were discovered at the Muskogee home after a woman called 911 to report a gun-related disturbance. Police entered the house to find Jack Janway, 69, dead in a hallway. They then heard a gunshot before coming upon the bodies of Terry Lynn Janway, 68, and Dalton, 11. Muskogee police spokesperson Lynn Hamlin said at the time that investigators believed Terry Lynn Janway fatally shot her husband and grandson before taking her own life. Police bodycam footage captured the moment when officers entered the home and discovered Jack Janway dead under a blanket. NASCAR issued a statement of sympathy when the news first broke. We are saddened by the tragic deaths of members of Chandra Johnsons family, it said, referring to Jimmie Johnsons wife. The entire NASCAR family extends its deepest support and condolences during this difficult time to Chandra, Jimmie and the entire Johnson & Janway families. Jimmie Johnson pulled out of a race in Chicago after the tragedy but refrained from publicly commenting on the incident until Friday. Though no motive for the shooting has been put forward, Terry Lynn Janway reportedly struggled with depression after losing her son in a skydiving accident in 2014. Johnson retired from NASCAR in 2020 to join IndyCars Chip Ganassi Racing. He recently took part in a NASCAR Cup Series race in May in Charlotte, North Carolina. Story continues If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Related... July 27, 2023, marked the 70th anniversary of the armistice ending overt fighting in the Korean conflict, a bloody war with more than 37,000 U.S. soldiers killed over three years and overall casualties, military and civilian, totaling 6 million. Most Americans know little about the war, although we are now witnessing mounting and troubling events involving what is now referred to as North Korea. When did this conflict start, what were some significant turning points, and what is the current outlook for peace? The war North Korea invaded what is now called South Korea in June 1950. Control of Seoul, the capital, changed hands five times during that year. The war was almost lost by the U.S. during the first weeks, saved by a last-minute stand at the Pusan peninsula. Later, after what has been characterized as a brilliant tactical invasion at Inchon, orchestrated by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, American troops pushed the North Koreans above the 38th parallel and then onward to the Chinese border. Victory seemed assured. However, as chronicled by David Halberstam in his classic book The Coldest Winter, as brilliant as MacArthurs invasion at Inchon was, his stubbornness and bravado led to very dark days for American soldiers and their South Korean counterparts. Despite warnings by U.S. intelligence that Chinese troops were amassed at the border, MacArthur ordered thinly dispersed Marine troops to the Yalu River between North Korea and China. In October 1950, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, 270,000 Chinese soldiers crossed the border, repelling American forces and imposing heavy casualties. During the next two months, American troops were pushed back to the 38th parallel. Members of the Honor Guard carry U.S. and South Korea flags after participating in the 2018 Security Consultative at the Pentagon, co-hosted by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and South Korea Minister of Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) The 1st Marine Division, although significantly outnumbered and fighting in sub-zero weather, fought its way back. This battle gave rise to the famous Marine Corps words: Retreat, hell we are just attacking in another direction. And survive they did, securing their positions, bringing home their dead, saving their equipment, "retreating" with morale high and killing or wounding 41,000 Chinese troops. As dramatic as the withdrawal was, the Battle of Chosin Reservoir was subsequently seen as a stunning military defeat, and the first from which the U.S. did not recover to win total victory. Story continues Halberstams riveting book provides subsequent details, but suffice it to say the following events took place after the Chosin Reservoir battle: MacArthur was fired by President Harry Truman. American forces were renewed under the courageous leadership of Gen. Matthew Ridgeway (years later praised by Colin Powell as the man who saved South Korea). Truce negotiations began in July 1951. A stalemate in fighting continued along the 38th parallel for two additional years. Finally, negotiations culminated on July 27, 1953, "encouraged" by a threat from President Dwight Eisenhower that he would use nuclear weapons if a truce was not finalized. More perspective 70 years have passed since Korean cease-fire. It's time to end America's longest war. The problem that won't go away And we are here again, but now it is North Korea that is threatening to use nuclear warfare. In an article in The Atlantic titled The Worse Problems on the Earth, Mark Bowden suggests that there are no good options for the U.S. regarding North Korea, as he examined four potential approaches: a) prevention, b) decapitation, c) turning the screws, and d) acceptance. He concluded that none is foolproof or without risks. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, in a Wall Street Journal article, echoed the same basic view, arguing that there are simply no good military options, as the sheer destructive potential of an all-out war would be disastrous. Still, he argued that North Korea must freeze its nuclear program and keep delivery systems to short range, but he noted that the U.S. has relatively little military leverage to bring about these outcomes. In 2019, then-President Donald Trump met with Kim Jong-Un, North Koreas leader, and, in Trumps telling, persuaded the dictator to abandon his nuclear program and agree on a non-nuclear future. Instead, North Korea significantly expanded its nuclear capacity. It was really a nonstarter to believe North Korea would ever surrender its nuclear weapons. In a March 2023 New York Times article, Lt. Gen. Dan Leaf, a former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, observed that North Korea is conducting missile tests at a record pace, including powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles now capable of delivering 40-plus nuclear warheads anywhere in the continental United States. Furthermore, Leaf contends, North Korean leader Kim has passed a law authorizing a preemptive nuclear strike. In this hair-trigger environment, Leaf argues that one wrong decision or misunderstanding could result in loss of life for millions. Interestingly, he argues for 1) a formal peace treaty among the U.S., South Korea and North Korea; 2) America to pursue serious and urgent diplomacy with North Korea; 3) the U.S. and North Korea to establish liaison offices in each country; 4) the U.S. to abandon the idea of North Korea's eliminating its nuclear weapons; and 5) the U.S. to assist the North Korean regime to promote human rights and improve health for its citizens. Outlook Opportunities have been missed by both sides. The result has been that successive U.S. administrations have been unable to prevent North Korea from becoming one of only three countries in the world that can target the United States with nuclear weapons. Nothing has worked in the past, so perhaps the approach suggested by Leaf is worth consideration. Who knows? Nothing else has been effective. Richard F. Keevey held two presidential appointments as deputy undersecretary at the Department of Defense and as the CFO at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He was appointed budget director by two New Jersey governors. He is currently a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University and a visiting lecturer at Princeton University. He served as the executive officer of a nuclear missile battery in Europe in the mid-1960s. Richard F. Keevey This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: North Korea: A brief history and ongoing worries By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried must be jailed pending his October fraud trial over the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded because he is trying to intimidate witnesses and influence their testimony, prosecutors said on Friday. Bankman-Fried, a former billionaire, has lived mainly under house arrest at his parents' Palo Alto, California, home since his December 2022 extradition from the Bahamas. His bail, which includes a $250 million bond, became an issue after the New York Times on July 20 published an article containing excerpts from his former romantic partner Caroline Ellison's personal Google documents prior to FTX's collapse. Bankman-Fried, 31, acknowledged sharing the documents with a Times reporter. The U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan said that crossed the line, and that Bankman-Fried's efforts to intimidate witnesses amounted to witness tampering. "[T]he defendant certainly has the right to speak and defend himself to the press," prosecutors said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan. "What the defendant may not do, and what he has now done repeatedly, is seek to corruptly influence witnesses and interfere with a fair trial through attempted public harassment and shaming," prosecutors added. A spokesperson for Bankman-Fried declined to comment. His lawyers have until Aug. 1 to respond to the government's letter. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer funds to plug losses at his Alameda Research hedge fund, where Ellison was chief executive. Prosecutors first made their surprise request to detain Bankman-Fried before his Oct. 2 trial at a Wednesday hearing, where Kaplan barred Bankman-Fried from discussing the case. His lawyer said at Wednesday's hearing that Bankman-Fried's communications with journalists were simply a means to protect his reputation. Prosecutors had in January accused Bankman-Fried of seeking to influence the testimony of an FTX lawyer. Story continues In writings cited by the Times, Ellison described being "unhappy and overwhelmed" with her job and feeling "hurt/rejected" from her breakup with Bankman-Fried. Ellison pleaded guilty to fraud charges and is expected to testify against Bankman-Fried at trial. She said in court last December that Bankman-Fried and other FTX executives received billions of dollars in hidden loans from Alameda. Two former FTX executives, Gary Wang and Nishad Singh, have also pleaded guilty over FTX's collapse and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis) Nigerien general Abdourahmane Tchiani. ORTN - Tele Sahel / AFP via Getty Images A Niger general who runs the country's presidential guard declared himself the country's new leader on Friday, two days after he led his soldiers in a coup d'etat that overthrew the nation's president. General Abdourahmane Tchiani made the announcement during a speech on Niger's state television, calling himself president and saying the coup was necessary "to preserve our homeland in the face of the continuing deterioration of our country's security situation." Tchiani added that there was "no real solution to the crisis in sight from the ousted authorities...the current security approach has failed to secure our country." Tchiani's speech came two days after he and his soldiers seized power from the country's democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, by overtaking the presidential palace. Bazoum, who was democratically elected in 2021, was detained by Tchiani's forces, and sources told Al Jazeera that "it remains unclear where Bazoum is or if he is still being detained." This marks yet another change of power for the West African country, which has recently seen heightened instability. The last coup attempt against Bazoum was in 2021, two days before he was slated to be inaugurated, though that uprising was unsuccessful. The coup was condemned by African leaders as well as many Western countries. The United States has given more than $500 million in aid to Niger over the past decade, and Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement that "substantial cooperation with the government of Niger is contingent on Niger's continued commitment to democratic standards." As the coup was unfolding, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Bazoum to reaffirm that American partnership with Niger "depends on the continuation of democratic governance and respect for the rule of law." In a separate press release, the State Department warned that aid to Niger could be in jeopardy due to the coup. You may also like Homepage By Moussa Aksar and Boureima Balima NIAMEY (Reuters) -The European Union and France have cut off financial support to Niger and the United States has threatened to do the same, after military leaders this week announced they had overthrown the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, receiving close to $2 billion a year in official development assistance, according to the World Bank. It is also a security partner of former colonial power France and the United States, which both use it as a base to fight an Islamist insurgency in West and Central Africa's wider Sahel region. Niger's foreign allies so far have refused to recognize the new military government led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, previously head of the presidential guard, who officers declared head of state on Friday. Bazoum has not been heard from since early Thursday when he was confined within the presidential palace, although the European Union, France and others say they still recognize him as the legitimate president. "In addition to the immediate cessation of budget support, all cooperation actions in the domain of security are suspended indefinitely with immediate effect," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement. The French foreign ministry said France had suspended all development aid and budget support with immediate effect, demanding a prompt return to constitutional order with Bazoum back in charge. French development aid for Niger was at around 120 million euros ($130 million) in 2022, and expected to be slightly higher this year. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "The very significant assistance that we have in place for people in Niger is clearly in jeopardy." The United States has two military bases in Niger with some 1,100 soldiers, and also provides hundreds of millions of dollars to the country in security and development aid. UNCERTAINTY ON STREETS Story continues On the bustling streets of the capital Niamey, business owners worried about uncertainty damaging trade, and about the prospect of financial flows from abroad abruptly drying up. "We've noticed that our clientele have dropped. There are hardly any customers at all," lamented electronics shop owner Abdoul Karim Mahama. Niamey-based economist Abdoulaye Soly said: "All externally-funded projects will come to a halt. Development projects financed by the EU, World Bank, IMF and others will be halted. Budgetary aid given to Niger will be stopped." Niger is a key partner of the European Union in helping curb the flow of irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. The EU also has a small number of troops in Niger for a military training mission. The bloc allocated 503 million euros ($554 million) from its budget to improve governance, education and sustainable growth in Niger over 2021-2024, according to its website. Through its European Peace Facility, the EU had approved around 70 million euros to support Niger's armed forces since July last year, including 4.7 million euros of weapons approved on June 8. The United Nations said the coup has not affected its deliveries of humanitarian aid. It was difficult to assess how much support the coup has among the population. Some crowds came out in support of Bazoum on Wednesday, but the following day coup supporters also took to the streets. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the West African Monetary Union will hold emergency summits in Nigeria on Sunday to discuss the situation, and further economic and financial sanctions could be decided. After an emergency meeting on Friday, the African Union issued a statement demanding the military return to their barracks and restore constitutional order within 15 days. It did not say what would happen after that. ($1 = 0.9079 euros) (Reporting by Moussa Aksar and Boureima Balima in Niamey and Kate Abnett in Brussels and John Irish in Paris, Writing by Nellie Peyton and Bate Felix; Editing by Giles Elgood and Peter Graff) Sirens ASHEVILLE No criminal charges will be filed against a Buncombe County Sheriff's deputy who wounded a man during a May gunfight in the lobby of the county jail. In a July 28 news release, District Attorney Todd Williams said after reviewing bodycam and surveillance video capturing the incident, he found Deputy Johnston was legally justified to use deadly force to defend himself against the use of deadly physical force per NCGS 15A-401(d)(2)(a). No criminal charges will be filed against Deputy Johnston and the NC State Bureau of Investigation may close this investigation. Per the N.C. Rules of Professional Conduct for Lawyers, no additional public comment by prosecutors is appropriate at this time, Williams added. At about 1:40 a.m. May 7, Buncombe Sheriffs Deputy William Johnston approached to arrest Ryan Ricky Houston, 40, who had walked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility on Davidson Drive moments before. Houston then allegedly resisted arrest, pulling out a firearm and shooting Johnston in the shoulder, according to a Sheriffs Office news release. Johnston returned fire, striking and injuring Houston, who stayed in the hospital for more than two weeks before being transferred to jail. Johnston was placed on administrative leave while recovering from a bullet wound to the shoulder, as last reported in May by sheriffs spokesperson Aaron Sarver. Spokesperson Christina Esmay told the Citizen Times July 29 that she does not know if Johnston has returned to duty but will provide an update shortly. More: Buncombe County jail gunfight suspect has court date: What happened? Houston was arrested May 10 and charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm. He is currently being held in the county jail on a $1.6 million bond. Houston was indicted for these charges June 5, which have been heard in Superior Court. Houston was also charged with multiple other offenses, which have now been taken out of District Court following the July 19 hearing, including: Story continues Assault causing serious bodily injury Two counts of communicating threats Breaking and entering to terrorize or injure Injury to personal property Possessing stolen firearm Breaking and entering, and larceny after breaking and entering Larceny of a firearm Three counts of misdemeanor child abuse Houston's next court date will be in superior court July 31. More: Man charged with accessory in Asheville cyclists death after brother's alleged hit-and-run Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. News tips? Email Ryley at rober@gannett.com. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville jail gunfight: No charges for Buncombe deputy involved Floridas new Black history standards have caused uproar on both sides of the aisle. Most recently, with one of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presidential competitors, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott. On July 20, the Florida State Board of Education approved new Black history standards in public schools, which include suggestions that Black people who were enslaved benefited because they learned useful skills. In a 216 page document by the Florida Department of Education, the new standards include language that slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit. At a campaign event Thursday evening in Ankeny, Iowa, Scott was asked about the new standards There is no silver lining in slavery, he said. As a country founded upon freedom, the greatest deprivation of freedom was slavery, Scott said. What slavery was really about was separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating. So I would hope that every person in our country, and certainly running for president, would appreciate that. Scott added people have bad days, to his response, and said sometimes they regret what they say, in reference to DeSantis. And we should ask them again to clarify their positions. DeSantis responded to Scotts comments Friday morning when speaking with reporters in Albia, Iowa, saying D.C Republicans accept lies and perpetuate Democratic talking points. I think part of the reason our country has struggled is because D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives, accept lies that are perpetrated by the left and accept the lie that Kamala Harris has been perpetrating, even when that has been debunked, DeSantis said, according to NBC News. At the end of the day, you got to choose: Are you going to side with Kamala Harris and liberal media outlets, or are you going to side with the state of Florida? DeSantis said at an earlier stop in Iowa. I think its very clear that these guys did a good job on those standards. It wasnt anything politically motivated. Story continues When news of the standards came out, Vice President Kamala Harris flew to Florida and denounced Floridas decision, saying extremists in the state are pushing propaganda to our children. DeSantis has since said Harris is spreading a hoax. Shes here to push a fake narrative, DeSantis said Tuesday in an interview with Fox News. As the only Black Republican in the field, Scotts response was a step in a different direction for his so-far friendly campaigning nature. Dubbed by some as the Happy Warrior, Scott has yet to really criticize his opponents, unlike many including DeSantis, Trump and even Haley, who have taken jabs at one another. Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said Scott appears to have a different game plan, when The State reported on name-calling in the GOP race. He clearly is taking a page out of Ronald Reagans book and trying to be the optimistic, happy warrior who believes in America. His own success story is quite impressive, Kamarck said. So hes trying to say, Look, weve moved beyond that, were in a sort of post-racial era. And I think its quite compelling. Scott has campaigned on optimism when it comes to racial issues in America, pushing back against the idea of systemic racism and harping on the why cant we all get along message. His response to Floridas new standards may signify a boundary of where he lies on racial issues in America. The campus of the University of North Carolina on the day the U.S. Supreme Court made a precedent-setting ruling that race-conscious admissions programs at UNC and Harvard were unconstitutional, in Chapel Hill, N.C., June 29, 2023. (Kate Medley/The New York Times) Trustees for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill voted Thursday to bar the consideration of race in admissions and hiring, a decision that came just weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that the universitys race-conscious application process was unconstitutional. Notably, the resolution passed by the trustees said that the university must not adopt proxies premised upon race-based preferences in hiring or admissions, such as through admissions essays. The vote is the latest sign that the courts decision, which called out commonplace but fiercely debated affirmative action programs as unlawful, is reverberating through American higher education. As admissions offices scramble to comply with the ruling, applicants have faced an uncertain entry process, and colleges have also come under pressure to end legacy admissions programs that give preferential treatment to the children of alumni. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times And it reflects the increasingly fraught politics of higher education across the country, in places including North Carolina, where the Republican-controlled legislature has regularly been at odds with the states flagship campus in Chapel Hill. The North Carolina resolution was especially significant because that university was at the center, along with Harvard, of the challenge to affirmative action at the Supreme Court. North Carolina trustees said in their resolution this week that the university could not unlawfully discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, people based on their race or other protected status. I think the punchline of this resolution is that to end discrimination, we have to end discrimination, trustee Marty Kotis said. And thats what were seeking to do. Thats what the court had ruled. But the approval was not unanimous. Trustee Ralph Meekins Sr. told his colleagues that he believed the action was too hasty and could lead to legal risk for the university. He said that this resolution goes well beyond the Supreme Court ruling, and if you talk to any lawyer, theyll tell you the same. Story continues Many universities have long considered race as one factor among many in deciding which students to admit. Defenders of the practice argue that colleges benefit from having students with more varied life experiences, and that using affirmative action allows students from historically disadvantaged groups, including Black, Hispanic and Native American people, a fairer chance to attend prestigious schools. But opponents of affirmative action have repeatedly challenged the concept in court, describing it as unfair to white and Asian applicants and in conflict with the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Courts six conservative justices agreed in their ruling last month. The Harvard and UNC admissions programs cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the equal protection clause, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority. Both 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. Fallout from the ruling has been widespread. Colleges have reevaluated not just their admissions processes, but also scholarships awarded in part based on race. And legacy admissions programs for the children of alumni, which often benefit wealthier, white applicants, have come under renewed criticism. The Education Department announced this week that it would investigate legacy admissions at Harvard. Officials at Wesleyan University and at the University of Minnesotas flagship campus said they would no longer consider legacy status in the admissions process. Just how far the Supreme Courts ruling goes has been the subject of significant debate. At a conference on equal opportunity in education sponsored by the Department of Education this week, Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, said the Justice Department was working on an analysis of the decision for colleges. She said race could still be discussed during the admissions process, such as in the case of a Black applicant who writes about how a visit to a courthouse prompted an interest in civil rights law. The bottom line, Clarke said, is that institutions of higher education remain free to consider any characteristic of a student that bears on the institutions admission decision, such as courage or determination, even if the students application tied that characteristic to his or her lived experience with race. c.2023 The New York Times Company By Ludwig Burger and Maggie Fick FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk has launched blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy in Germany, its first big European market, hoping Germans will pay hundreds of euros out of pocket for a drug that public health insurance plans are so far barred from covering. The drug, shown to help patients reduce body weight by around 15% when used along with exercise and lifestyle changes, is already available in the United States, but in Europe is so far on sale only in small markets Norway and Denmark. "The first patients have redeemed prescriptions in Germany," a spokesperson for Novo confirmed on Saturday to Reuters, in line with previously announced plans to launch the drug there at the end of July. The Danish drugmaker's share price has more than doubled in the two years since the drug debuted, turning Novo into Europe's second-most-valuable listed company after LVMH. Doctors and patients in Germany have told Reuters they anticipate high demand for the weekly injections, with many patients prepared to take on the cost, starting at 170 euros ($190) a month and rising to more than 300 euros as treatment requires the dosage to increase. Public health insurance plans, which cover about 90% of Germans, will not foot the bill, under a decades old law that bars them from covering weight-loss drugs. For the 10% of Germans with private health insurance, coverage will vary. Among major providers, Allianz says it will pay if a physician diagnoses a medical need, while Debeka said its plans exclude weight-loss treatments. Patient advocates and physicians have welcomed the arrival of Wegovy in Germany, where 18.5% of adults are obese, above the European Union average of 16%. The Robert Koch Institute, Germany's state public health agency, says diseases linked to excess body weight pose a considerable burden on health and social security systems. Novo is ramping up production to meet soaring demand in the United States, where the drug sells for as much as $1,350 a month. It says it will closely monitor prescriptions in Germany to ensure access for people with obesity, but it cannot not rule out supply delays. Story continues In Germany, Wegovy will be administered with the same injection pen used in Norway and Denmark, different from the one used in the United States, to avoid hitting supplies there. Wegovy's introduction in Germany will stir debate in a nation where the health care system has often treated obesity as a lifestyle choice rather than a chronic disease. Doctors say many Germans seeking to lose weight have already used Ozempic, a diabetes drug also made by Novo that is a lower dose version of the same ingredient as Wegovy. Physicians have worried that supplies would be strained by non-obese people seeking "vanity" prescriptions - a concern reflected in a Novo statement in mid-July saying physicians should "prescribe responsibly". ($1 = 0.8984 euros) (Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Maggie Fick in London) A nurse from New Hampshire and her child were allegedly kidnapped in Haiti Thursday, according to the non-profit she works for. Alix Dorsainvil and her child were kidnapped the morning of July 27 near the El Tio Haitis Port au Prince campus, the faith-based humanitarian group announced. Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family. Alix has worked tirelessly as our school and community nurse to bring relief to those who are suffering as she loves and serves the people of Haiti in the name of Jesus, said the nonprofit in a statement on its website. Alix serves as the groups community health nurse and is married organizations director, Sandro Dorsainvil. My name is Alix. Im a nurse from New Hampshire, but now I live in Haiti, Dorsainvil says in a video describing herself on the organizations website. Sandro invited me to come to the school to do some nursing for some of the kids. He said that was a big need they had. The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel advisory to Haiti, telling Americans in the country to leave, citing kidnapping threats. Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens. Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, and even convoys have been attacked. Kidnapping cases often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed during kidnappings. Victims families have paid thousands of dollars to rescue their family members. said the travel advisory in part. El Roi Haiti exists to raise up Haitian leaders who will strengthen families, restore relationships, and build healthy communities that function according to Gods design and purpose according to the nonprofits mission statement. The nonprofit also asked that people refrain from speculating on social media about the situation in order to protect Alix and her child. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW NAIROBI, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and Uganda will jointly mobilize resources to complete the remaining phase of the Mombasa-Nairobi-Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba-Kampala Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), transport ministers from the two East African countries have said. The ministers who held a meeting at Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa said in a joint communique late Friday that by jointly securing additional financing, implementation of the final phase of the SGR will be fast-tracked. Kenya and Uganda in November 2016 signed a bilateral agreement for the joint and seamless operation of the Mombasa-Kampala SGR, followed by a joint communique by the two countries' finance ministers in February 2017 to reaffirm that commitment. In addition, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda on May 11, 2014, signed and ratified the protocol for the development and operation of the SGR connecting the port of Mombasa to Kampala, Kigali, and Juba. Kenya has already completed and operationalized the Mombasa-Nairobi-Naivasha SGR section for both freight and passenger services, while the commercial contracts for Naivasha-Kisumu and Kisumu-Malaba SGR sections in Kenya have been signed, noted the transport ministers. The commercial contract for Malaba-Kampala SGR section in Uganda will be signed soon and the two governments are in the process of mobilizing the financing for its construction, the ministers said. "The two countries are at an advanced stage of securing financing for the Naivasha-Malaba-Kampala SGR line," Kipchumba Murkomen, cabinet secretary in the Kenyan Ministry of Roads, Transport and Public Works, and his Ugandan counterpart, Edward Katumba-Wamala, said in the joint statement. Completion of the final phase of the SGR, according to the two ministers, will lead to seamless and cost-effective movement of goods and passengers, and spur economic growth in the region. To be implemented under the Northern Corridor Integration Project, the final phase of the SGR will also be accompanied by the development of other essential infrastructure projects such as dry ports and industrial parks to attract investments and economic activities along its corridor, the ministers said. Uganda will ensure the SGR is extended to the border with Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo besides mobilizing funds to implement the SGR's western route that includes Kampala-Kasese and Mpondwe, according to the transport ministers. A branch line from Bihanga-Mirama hills will be constructed once Uganda secures financing for implementing the SGR eastern route that extends from Malaba to Kampala, said the ministers. Nurses at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley picketed on Friday morning, with claims the facility has unsafe staffing levels and poor working conditions. Nurses at Providence St. Mary Medical Center picketed Friday morning, with claims the facility has unsafe staffing levels and poor working conditions. California Nurses Association/National Nurses United say more than 370 registered nurses have left the Apple Valley hospital since 2021 due to chronic short staffing, poor working conditions and administration refusing to address the issues. The association represents nearly 650 nurses at St. Mary Medical Center. St. Mary spokesman Matthew Cabe said that through the eight bargaining sessions "significant progress and reached tentative agreements on 26 items." We look forward to continuing our engagement with (California Nurses Association/National Nurses United) toward a new contract that is equitable and fair, and positions Providence St. Mary Medical Center to continue providing the best in care for many years to come, Cabe said. 'Stretched to their limits' The nurses association alleges that because of the shortage, St. Mary patients in the ER are waiting up to eight hours for care and up to 48 hours for a bed if they are admitted. They also say nurses are alarmed that the administration has applied for Level IV trauma center status when the hospital can't retain nurses to adequately staff it now. St. Mary is continually short staffed and that is jeopardizing patient care, said Marissa Klein, an ICU RN. In an effort to accommodate more patients, St. Mary continues to make decisions that spread already-thin resources, even thinner. It is these decisions that put patients safety at risk and call on nurses to work in unsafe conditions." Despite hospital administrators' claim that significant process has been made, nurses said their union contract expired on July 16, and they have been bargaining since May, with little to no movement on key issues. "Its time St. Mary steps up and puts patient and nurse safety at the forefront of healthcare, Klein added. Story continues St. Mary nurses say they have attempted to address their concerns through meetings with the hospitals chief nursing officer, but their concerns about patient safety, optimal patient care, and safe staffing remain unresolved. The community deserves better," said Stacy Teal, ICU RN. "When you come to a hospital run by a large profitable healthcare corporation, you expect top-of-the-line patient care. That is not what you get when you come to St. Mary. Instead, you will find nurses stretched to their limits and inadequate resources." 'Significant progress made' So far, patient care has not been affected during the informational pickets, as nurses and other employees worked their normal schedules, according to Cabe. There have been eight bargaining sessions held to date, in which Providence St. Mary and the nurses association have made "significant progress and reached tentative agreements on 26 items," Cabe said. We do everything possible to minimize patient wait times in our Emergency Department," he said. "The time from when a patient enters the department and registers to when they are initially seen by a physician is typically around 15 minutes. The average length of stay for a patient who is seen and discharged from St. Marys Emergency Department is about 180 minutes, Cabe said. Additionally, hospital administration says that Providence St. Mary works to increase employee retention and reduce turnover rates, which benefits patients and the hospital's workforce. Our turnover rates for the last year have been consistent, if not better, than the national average for nurses at hospitals in the U.S., Cabe said. He added that St. Mary Medical Center is recognized for its quality care and deep commitment to the High Desert community. Our hospital provides excellent nursing care from a staff dedicated to the care of our patients and their loved ones, Cabe said. Nurses are included in efforts to continually raise the bar on quality, compassion and innovative care. Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Nurses picket Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley People wait in line for the Samaritan's Table at the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist's parish hall in Canton in this file photo. The program distributes free food to hundreds of people. A new poverty report from the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies indicates that Ohios poverty rate has increased for the first time in years. Produced with the Columbus-based Strategic Research Group and released on July 10, the study found that the states poverty rate jumped to 13.4% in 2021 from 12.7% in 2020 marking the first time these poverty numbers have increased year-to-year in over a decade. Stark County hovers right around the statewide figures, with a 2021 overall poverty rate of 12.8%. But the child poverty rate was 17%. And there is a major racial disparity, with the rate being 10.3% for white residents in Stark County and 34.5% and 33.6% for the Black and Hispanic populations, respectively. The rates, pulled from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, indicate the number of residents living under federal poverty levels. The information comes out amid existing concerns surrounding rising levels of homelessness and food insecurity. But the report highlights challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic across the state and identifies common themes among those living in poverty in order to offer wide-reaching solutions. "As we emerge from this pandemic, things are going to get better," said Philip Cole, executive director of OACAA, a Columbus-based organization supporting nearly 50 Community Action Agencies addressing needs of low-income families throughout Ohio. "But we still need to make up for the problems that were caused by it." Ohioans in need: 'The work is getting harder.' Over 90% of Columbus-area nonprofits report higher demand The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic The rise in statewide poverty rates can be explained by both the job loss during the pandemic, as well as the ending of several safety nets the state put in place, Cole said. For example, Ohio ended additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Additionally, Ohio officials estimate as many as 280,000 of the 3.55 million Ohioans enrolled in Medicaid may lose the insurance following the end of federally mandated automatic re-enrollment. Story continues Cole also cited the impact of eliminating some pandemic-era rent assistance initiatives. "People lost their jobs, but then we were able to keep them in their homes with the rent assistance," he said. "And during that time, what we saw around the state was landlords just jacking up the rent. Ive seen no evidence of it coming back down. We havent had time or money to get a handle on exactly how bad this has been, but all our indications and its all anecdotal is that its pretty bad. When you have to make choices between rent and food, you pay the rent. Or if its rent and health care, you pay the rent. Housing always comes first." To better help struggling residents, Cole proposed streamlining the numerous eligibility requirements for public assistance programs. And to ease the "benefits cliff," which occurs when workers lose benefits after a small pay increase, Cole suggested that assistance be tapered off rather than taken away all at once. "We just need to get a little creative on some of these things," he said. "Were making it harder than it is. The goal is, how do we help people move from being poor into being in the middle class? Instead, the tendency is to punish them." Resources for families in need: 12 rent, mortgage and utility assistance programs available to Columbus-area residents Learning loss, mental health and transportation are areas of focus The report identifies three areas of focus essential to tackling increased rates of poverty: pandemic learning loss, a lack of available mental health services and barriers to private and public transportation. State support and access to education, mental health and transportation are significantly below the national average. Reduced access impacts our neighbors ability to secure higher-paying jobs and reach their fullest potential, Cole wrote in a news release. Transportation: As Columbus booms, is region ready for transportation demands? A lot needs to happen Moreover, analysis of struggles related to learning loss and lack of mental health care due to the pandemic shows that those from low-income households were disproportionately impacted in both areas. For example, as indicated in the report, the average student experienced a 6.4% decline in test scores from 2019 to 2020, while economically disadvantaged students experienced a 10.2% decline in test scores during the same period. "We have to make up for the loss of a year, especially (for) kids in lower-income areas," Cole told The Dispatch. "We should use funds to pay for kids to go to school in the evenings and pick up time on the weekends, and for stronger summer programs to make up for this lost time. But I hear no talk about that." The report also makes reference to a well established link between poverty and mental health given that, according to the Ohio Department of Medicaid, 22 of Ohios 88 counties have no mental health providers registered for Medicaid. This lack of services available for low-income Ohioans, the report stated, can lead to loss of employment or underemployment. Thus, the cycle of poverty and poor mental health continues. "I was surprised by the number of counties that dont have Medicaid-registered mental health care providers," said Cole, who proposed incentives such as providing scholarships for college students going into the field or paying off student loans for those willing to work in mental health care deserts. "The pandemic was such a time of great stress on people. The government needs to start working on meeting some of these longer-term needs that were especially exposed by the pandemic." Mental health, bullying: Mental health issues, suicides, bullying among Ohio youth remains a challenge, experts say The report also reveals how barriers to transportation can also play a part in a cycle of poverty, prohibiting low-income individuals from being able to meet basic needs such as buying groceries. Of Ohio's 88 counties, only 63 have a public transit system, according to the study. And though Ohio is the seventh most-populated state in the country, it spends just $6 per capita on public transit funding well below the nationwide average of $60 per capita. Cole said improving both access to transportation and education is going to be vital as Intel, Honda and other companies bring jobs to central Ohio. "We need to make sure that theres equal opportunity and equal access to opportunity for everyone in the area," he said. Cole also encouraged Ohio residents to volunteer to help those less fortunate. "We tend to speak in numbers a lot," he said. "We need to remember that these are human beings and, most of the time, it just means they were born someplace else. A lot of poverty is birth. Get to know and interact with the people who youre helping out. Get involved in the community." How Stark County is addressing poverty The Stark Community Foundation, which has addressed issues related to poverty over the years, began to take a more concerted approach to poverty after a 2019 community assessment report revealed that Canton was tied with Youngstown as having the second-worst child poverty rate of any city in the United States with a total population greater than 65,000. The foundation released a report in 2020 that detailed the child poverty challenges facing Stark County and included recommendations for how Stark County could reduce child poverty by addressing immediate needs, increasing family earnings and breaking the cycles of poverty at the neighborhood level. Since then, the foundation has invested nearly $700,000 in planning and implementation grants to 15 organizations to address child poverty. It is not an exaggeration to say that everyone has a role to play in reducing child poverty, Mark J. Samolczyk, president and CEO of Stark Community Foundation, said in the foundation's July newsletter update about its efforts to reduce poverty. As with economic development, it will take government officials, nonprofits, businesses, residents and philanthropy to develop strategies, act and monitor results." The foundation is preparing an update to its report that it expects to publicly release in the next few months. Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Learning loss, mental health tied to new high in Ohio poverty rate One of the oldest and most beloved bears in Alaskas Katmai National Park has arrived for the salmon season just in time. Bear 480 Otis is a brown bear estimated to be about 27 years old, making him something of an ursine elder statesman. Otis and another unidentified bear in an undated photo. Otis and another unidentified bear in an undated photo. A bear thats around 30 years of age is approaching what would be the equivalent of a 100-year-old person, Mike Fitz, former Katmai park ranger now the resident naturalist at Explore.org, told The Washington Post. Most bears dont have the fortune of living that long. Fitz is also the creator of Fat Bear Week, the annual sensation that brought Otis to the national spotlight. Every summer, brown bears return to the parks Brooks River to fish for salmon and bulk up for winter hibernation. Fat Bear Week takes place in the fall, when the bears have gained significant mass, and is a March Madness-style bracket in which fans can vote on their favorite chunk. Otis is a four-time winner of the competition, most recently taking the crown in 2021. His popularity and age have won him the epithet King Otis. But Katmai Ranger Cheryl Spencer previously told Outsider that he also has a slightly less dignified nickname. We call him Floaty Otie in the fall, she said, explaining that he typically starts hunting for salmon in the lower part of Brooks River. Then when autumn hits, he slowly floats to Brooks Falls as hes fishing. Earlier this month, watchers of Explore.orgs bear live cam started getting concerned when Otis hadnt shown up at the river alongside his fellow bears. But on Wednesday, the animal livestream site became the bearers of good news. REJOICE!! KING OTIS HAS RETURNED! the site posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside a clip of the thin and somewhat bedraggled-looking senior bear standing in the rush of the river. Story continues Climate change is having a worrying impact on salmon and the bears like Otis, who depend on them. The last time he showed up this late, salmon were also late, and the salmon were late this year as well, Explore.org spokesperson Candice Rusch told the Post. What weve been seeing in Alaska is that the salmon run has been trending later into July, which means for bears like Otis waiting longer to eat that salmon. This year, Otis was seen successfully catching fish shortly after his late arrival. Many human admirers of the long-lived creature expressed joy and relief that he would be around for another season. Honestly shocked to see that Otis isnt trending. Otis Return is a national holiday. https://t.co/E2mfI5ZM0i Sophiane is Team Hoary (@HonkIfUrHoary) July 27, 2023 I love a lot of bears, and I have my favorites. But Otis. He has this intangible immutable beautiful thing. Hes the stuff of legends, and living legends give you goosebumps. Na Mee (@tsu_namee) July 27, 2023 Bear Cam Update - Here he is, old man Otis (480). He is one of the oldest bears at Katmai, I believe he's 28-29. He has a habit of arriving late to the river & yet still manages to be in the running for fattest bear. He's missing teeth, but he's a fishing master & avoids fights pic.twitter.com/moJOQunQMi Mark Mi Duck Hunter (@MarkFlegm) July 27, 2023 we interrupt todays hot Twitter mess with an important announcement! Bear 480 OTIS, the King of Katmai has returned to Brooks Falls!!!!! pic.twitter.com/FKE60ojr4I Claire Johnson (@tiny_direwolf) July 26, 2023 OTIS THE BEAR IS BACK A collective sigh of relief from the bear community. I wish Otis knew how much we love him WhiteNoise (@WhiteNoise1292) July 27, 2023 Our class learned all about the Brooks Falls Bears last fall. Otis was a favorite of many. At an estimated 27 years old, it was feared that Otis wouldn't make a return to the falls this year. Today the King of Katmai made his fashionably late. Welcome home Otis! pic.twitter.com/s4bn1q6VCO Mrs. Scarborough (@MrsScarborough4) July 27, 2023 were drinking for otis the bear this weekend kait (@kaitlynnlamkin) July 28, 2023 Related... Olympia School Board director Talauna Reed alleged in a recent candidate forum that the boards president, Darcy Huffman, said the N-word during a conference last November. Huffman confirmed with The Olympian she said the word, and she said she apologized when it happened. But other members of the board say more needs to be done to address the situation. Reed first brought the incident to light July 18 during an election event for candidates of color, hosted by Showing Up for Racial Justice Olympia. She said she has experienced members of the public, students, and even a board member use the N-word. Later, in a post on her public Facebook, Reed said it was Huffman who said the word in November, and that two other board members were present when it happened. Where the word was used Reed told The Olympian the incident happened around Nov. 16 in Spokane. She said Huffman and director Hilary Seidel were present, as well as former board president Maria Flores. Reed said the group was talking about what she had been going through, being a new board member and receiving hateful comments from the public. Reed said Huffman began telling a story when she used the N-word. Reed said Seidel told Huffman she couldnt talk that way, and Huffman continued on with her story without apologizing. According to Reed, Flores turned away from the conversation. Minutes passed, and Reed and the others were seated for a portion of the conference. Reed said she told her partner, who traveled with her, about the incident. I mean, the nerve, and the shocker was, it was just so casually said, like she didnt even say anything, Reed said. Since the incident, she said she has had few one-on-one interactions with board members, alleging Huffman and others ignore her, despite requests to have the incident addressed. Reed said she decided to share the incident at the candidate forum because her requests so far to have it addressed have been ignored. She said she emailed the board with no response. And questions regarding tackling racism and inequality in schools pushed her over the edge. Story continues She said she hopes the situation can be viewed as a learning opportunity for Huffman, but shes unsure of how it should be addressed now. Either way, she said it needs to be used as an example for kids in the district who could be exposed to this type of language. Whats happening to me is no different than what our students could go through because my kids went through it, Reed said. And so it makes me really sad. Reed said shes filed a formal complaint against the district office and staff. Hilary Seidel responds Hilary Seidel said her recollection of the incident is a little different from Reeds. She said she remembers the word being said, though. It happened at the beginning of the conference, before dinner. She said Huffman was talking with her about the comments and correspondence the directors received in the wake of Reeds appointment to the board. She said the board had decided, at Reeds request, not to share those comments with Reed because of how harmful they were, but they often spoke to each other about them. But we often talk about those things with each other because its really hard to hear those and you dont want to be the only person that holds those really negative comments, Seidel said. The sorrow shared is half the sorrow mentality. Seidels recollection was that Huffman shared one of the comments from the public with her, which included the N-word. And after, Huffman said that kind of language was permissible when she was growing up, but it obviously isnt now. And I did say, Even when youre repeating what someone else is saying, Im just not comfortable ever hearing that word, Seidel said. She said Huffman apologized and said she wouldnt say that word again. Seidel is unsure if Reed was present for the conversation, but understands she heard it either way. And she said Flores wasnt there at all that day, contrary to Reeds statement. She had arrived at the conference late. Seidel said she has no recollection of receiving a request from Reed to address the incident further, other than an email this past week. Im certainly happy to have that conversation with her, Seidel said. And do whatever repair work she feels is still necessary. Its her right to request that. Seidel said the board will have to work collaboratively to move forward from this. And it will require having the conversation in the public view, she said. But there are challenges with making that happen and when to do it, since the incident happened in a closed setting. On top of that, she said Reed has to be comfortable with having that conversation in public. At the same time, Seidel said Reeds most-recent email to the board asked that they not address the situation for now. Seidel said as the board vice president, she feels the obligation to coordinate a board retreat where the conversation can maybe start. But I really think that part of it is we need to hear from the person who wants the repair work to begin what feels supportive to them, Seidel said. Its not their job to do the repair work, but it is our job to listen and hear what feels supportive to them in that situation. Maria Flores responds Maria Flores said the July 18 forum was the first time she had heard about the incident in November, and she was the board president at the time. Flores asked Reed for more information about the incident during the forum, and Reed told her she was present during it. But Flores said she had arrived at the conference the following day and missed the conversation entirely, and she said no board members told her about it. She said she reached out to her fellow board members this last week to learn more about what happened. I was not present. If I had been present, I would have also said something to Darcy about that language being totally inappropriate and to apologize, Flores said. Flores has been on the record in the past talking about what it feels like as a board member to experience racism, sexism, homophobia and more. Shes the first Native and Latina person on the board, and Reed is the first Black person to be appointed. She said even their student representatives of color on the board have been verbally attacked during public comment periods. We have a lot of restorative work to do to repair our relationships and build back trust, Flores said. So I have some ideas on how were going to need to do that together. Flores said she expects Huffman to publicly apologize, and that its never too late to address racism. Shes requesting the board have a meeting or an anti-racism training retreat facilitated by an outside consultant. She said its needed to address this wrong, as well as a broader number of issues. I know as a board member there have been times where Ive asked my white colleagues to stand up for me, or, Can you say this so that I dont have to say it, Flores said. And weve had those conversations and board retreats before, of what it means to constantly feel like youre under attack. And their role as white allies is to stand up. Flores said she also wants to personally talk to Reed to repair their relationship, because despite the fact that theyre running against each other in the Aug. 1 primary, they dont see it that way. We both got dual endorsed by the Thurston County Democrats. And at that meeting, she said, You know, were gonna remember, Im not running against her, were just both running to defeat the far right, Flores said. President Huffman responds Darcy Huffman recalls that at the conference she was clearly upset about some emails and texts that had been sent in about Reed and she quoted one of the messages containing the racial slur. She admitted saying the word, and she apologized after Seidel told her it wasnt OK to say. I just really didnt think about that, she said. Huffman said shes not sure where Reed was at the time of the conversation. And having her bring it up all these months later has shocked her. Im really sad that its taken her so long to bring all of this up, and that maybe its been in the back of her heart, Huffman said. Obviously had she talked to me about this, I would have definitely apologized and done whatever it is that I could do to create the healing between us. Huffman said theres nothing more important to her than the board being able to work together to improve education for kids, and to give each person in the community a sense of belonging. Huffman said she didnt receive any correspondence from Reed prior to this week asking to address the situation. But she said its her intention to learn from the situation and deepen her understanding of what it means to be anti-racist and a better human being. Whether there will be a larger conversation about the situation is unclear, Huffman said. She said shes unsure if its a board or district issue that needs to be addressed in an open public meeting, but she has no issue going that route. But, as the other directors said, Reeds most recent email asked them not to address the situation any further. I dont know what thats going to look like, but I, at this point in time, I think that if Director Reed wants to bring it up, then I think the ball is in her court, she has asked us not to discuss it anymore, Huffman said. And I think that I have to honor that request. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Saturday that Sri Lanka is a key partner in a Tokyo-led initiative aimed at building security and economic cooperation around the Indo-Pacific but also at countering an increasingly assertive China. Sri Lanka, strategically located in the Indian Ocean, is integral to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, Hayashi said. He was speaking after a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Ali Sabry, in the capital, Colombo. The initiative, announced by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in March includes Japans assistance to emerging economies, support for maritime security, a provision of coast guard patrol boats and equipment and other infrastructure cooperation. Last year Sri Lanka, which owed $51 billion in foreign debt, became the first Asia-Pacific country since the late 1990s to default, sparking an economic crisis. While Japan is Sri Lanka's largest creditor, about 10% of its debt is held by China, which lent Colombo billions to build sea ports, airports and power plants as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. In March, China agreed to offer Sri Lanka a two-year moratorium on loan repayments. Hayashi said that he conveyed expectations for further progress in Sri Lanka's debt restructuring process. He welcomed Sri Lankas efforts under an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which includes anti-corruption measures and transparency in the policy-making process. Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Sabry said that he, along with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, invited Japan to resume investment projects already in the pipeline and to consider fresh investments in sectors such as power generation, ports and highways, and dedicated investment zones, as well as in the green and digital economy. Over many decades, Japan became one of Sri Lanka's key donors, carrying out key projects under concessionary terms. However, relations between the two countries came under strain after Wickremesinghe's predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa unilaterally scrapped a Japan-funded light railway project following his election in 2019. Sri Lanka's Cabinet has already approved a proposal to restart the railway project. Rajapaksa was forced to resign in July 2022 amid angry public protects over the country's worst economic crisis. As the walls close in on Donald Trump and the GOP squabbles over spending, House Republicans are flirting with the idea of an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. At least one of them isnt thrilled about it. Rep. Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican, recently accused his colleagues of using impeachment to distract from their own party turmoil, calling it impeachment theater. Buck isnt a moderate he represents one of the reddest districts in his state and is a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus. But hes one of the lone Republicans in the House who is willing to publicly say impeachment isnt a good idea. Good. Thats the kind of principled stance wed like to see from Republicans more often, especially in North Carolina, where our representatives tend to either wholeheartedly endorse their partys antics or quietly fall in line. Its not clear what, exactly, Republicans want to impeach Biden for. In recent weeks, some far-right Republicans have pushed for Biden to be impeached for his immigration policies, while others are hung up on unproven fantasies about a Biden crime family. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said this week that investigations into the Biden familys business dealings are rising to the level of impeachment inquiry, even going so far as to compare Biden to former President Richard Nixon. This president has used something we have not seen since Richard Nixon: the weaponization of government to benefit his family and deny Congress the ability to have oversight, McCarthy said on Fox News. Support for impeaching Biden has been building for quite some time,including from officials close to home. Former South Carolina Gov. and current GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said last month that Republicans absolutely should start the impeachment process against Biden. North Carolinas Dan Bishop has been publicly supportive of impeaching Biden and members of his cabinet for months, and Virginia Foxx recently said in a Fox interview that there is a rot in this administration that goes all the way to the top, and we want to root it out. Story continues Is there clear evidence that Joe Biden has himself done something illegal that warrants impeachment? Not yet. Does it matter? Apparently not. Republicans have their own reasons for impeachment, and they are shamefully and hollowly political. They just cant resist the opportunity to get even after a Democrat-led House voted to impeach Trump twice, despite the fact that the reasons for impeachment were demonstrably legitimate with Trump. Its hard to separate the GOPs support for impeachment from its loyalty to Trump, who sees impeachment of Biden both as revenge as well as a distraction from his own legal woes. Buck, the Texas Congressman, has also broken with his colleagues by suggesting that the scrutiny of Trump, particularly in the classified documents probe, is warranted. Buck called the allegations of Trump very serious and voiced his respect for Justice Department prosecutors, a far cry from Republicans who wail about weaponization of government and a two-tiered justice system. GOP leaders do seem to be aware they are heading into territory that is politically fraught, though that may not stop them from forging ahead anyway. McCarthy already has taken on a less direct tone on impeachment, insisting that he merely said Republicans could launch an inquiry, not that they will. Other Republicans have argued that opening an impeachment inquiry against Biden is different than actually impeaching him, as if they might actually stop short of finishing the job once theyve started. Buck is right: this is impeachment theater. And in saying so, hes created a blueprint for his colleagues. While many Republicans have abandoned independence for groupthink, Buck is proof that its possible to be a conservative without being cowing to Trump and his supporters. Weve long asked Republicans to be true to themselves and their country instead of merely following their party. Were glad at least one has shown how to put politics aside and just be real. Editors Note: Norman Eisen served as counsel to House Democrats in the first Trump impeachment and as White House ethics czar and ambassador to the Czech Republic in the Obama administration. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN. The remarkable new charges brought against former President Donald Trump in the federal classified documents case are absolutely necessary. Already facing 37 criminal charges, Trump now faces three additional charges one count for willful retention of national defense information and two counts for obstruction of justice. He has denied all counts against him. Norman Eisen - CNN Many experts agree that special counsel Jack Smith already had a strong case. So, why would he bother to file a superseding indictment, adding a third defendant Mar-a-Lago worker Carlos De Oliveira at the risk of further delaying a trial that has already been pushed back by US District Judge Aileen Cannon? A close look at the new charging document shows that the benefits to the special counsel and his case are well worth the costs in delay and otherwise. Two parts of the original indictment which alleged Trump violated the Espionage Act and obstructed justice have been strengthened in the updated version. On the Espionage Act charges for retaining national defense materials, prosecutors have added an additional count based upon an Iran attack plan document that Trump allegedly shared with a book writing team at his Bedminster estate in July 2021. Adding a charge focused specifically on this document allows prosecutors to center the case on this telling example of his alleged wrongdoing, making it more concrete and understandable. After all, theres a big difference between Trump allegedly storing documents in a bathroom or a ballroom and boastfully showing one off to people who do not have the proper security clearances. And prosecutors now have a much stronger legal basis to play the audio tape of Trump talking to the group about the document and to show the jury Trumps Fox News appearance falsely denying that he had any such document. With Trump unlikely to testify at trial because of the self-incrimination risk, those two tapes will let the prosecutors shape how the jury sees him as one who is willing to disregard our national security rules and then lie about doing so. Story continues Regarding the obstruction charges, prosecutors have added the details of the alleged Trump-led attempt to delete security camera footage at Mar-a-Lago. While the Justice Department already had powerful evidence on obstruction, this is a leap forward because it hammers home the extent of the degree to which he and his co-defendants went to conceal potential evidence from a jury. This addition, an alleged surveillance tape conspiracy, almost reads like a spy novel. It features Trump employee and co-defendant Walt Nautas surprise clandestine trip to Florida. And it is followed by Nauta and the new co-defendant, De Oliveira, observing and pointing out the surveillance cameras, and then De Oliveria having a conversation about the boss wanting the IT server deleted. (Nauta and De Oliveiras attorneys declined to comment to CNN.) Lest we miss the point, all of that is framed on either end of this new insert to the indictment with alleged calls from Trump to his new co-conspirator De Oliveira. If the facts bear out as charged, this is slam dunk legal proof that also has a strong human dimension. Like the unflattering nature of the Bedminster tape and the Fox News appearance, a former president allegedly dragging two of his workers into a criminal scheme is an extremely unsympathetic look. In truth, its not just that each of these charges strengthens the indictment, its also about the strength of the crossover effect. The newly persuasive details in each charge will add heft to the other charges. And in criminal trials, a rising tide lifts all boats. That matters more here than it might in other jurisdictions. Smith likely will not have the easiest path ahead with Cannon, who has shown a propensity in the past to rule in the former presidents favor. More challenging still, the case will be tried before a jury in Fort Pierce, Florida. The jury pool will be drawn from areas which likely include many Trump supporters, who may or may not be able to assess the facts objectively. And, then, of course there is the issue of a potential further trial delay. The complications stemming from the new defendant, new facts and new charges may well push back the current May 2024 trial date. Still, even if the judge relaxes the schedule, there remains some runway to begin the trial before the Republican National Convention next July and certainly before the general election in November 2024. Trump will likely fight that, renewing his original wish to push the trial to after the election. But even if that happens, Smith has another card to play. Trump announced last week that he is a target in Smiths January 6 investigation in Washington, DC, which many see as a precursor to Smith ultimately charging him. If Trump is charged in the January 6 case, this allows Smith to try to get this DC case to trial in 2024. He may be able to argue to the DC court that the exact timing of the Florida documents case is now uncertain, and that the January 6 case should be on a parallel or even faster track, in case the Florida case does not happen in May. While the success of that argument will depend on the judge Smith draws, the Washington, DC, federal judges (not to mention juries) are viewed as generally favorable to the special counsels case. Finally, putting all of those legal questions to the side, the updated indictment tells us something important about the politics of all of this namely that Smith doesnt give a damn about them. For him to drop these new charges on a day when the political and media worlds were on the edge of their seat in the January 6 case shows that hes put on blinders, charging straight ahead and doing his job as a prosecutor, irrespective of those external considerations. Thats as it should be. His job is not to worry about the press, politics or the public (apart from his eventual juries). A more political prosecutor might have waited until after the dust cleared from the January 6 case to supersede, or not have done it at all especially not in a week already marked by controversy over the federal prosecution of Hunter Biden, President Joe Bidens son. Smith is putting all that to the side and remaining committed to, above all else, presenting the most powerful prosecution that he can to a jury. The updated indictment enhances the power of his case. Smith has taken a strong hand and made it even better. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Shasta County Supervisor Patrick Jones at his gun shop in Redding. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) In any other county, a resolution proclaiming a 2nd Amendment sanctuary might have been interpreted as a routine symbolic gesture allowing veterans, gun owners and sundry other patriots a public moment of pride in their heritage and rural lifestyle. In Shasta County, which passed such a resolution this week, there is a lot more to it. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shasta Countys Board of Supervisors has made global headlines for strange happenings and curious decisions. There was the meeting in which local militia member Carlos Zapata told county supervisors and citizens that overcoming the supposed oppression unleashed by public health precautions could necessitate blood in the streets . There was last years recall of longtime conservative Supervisor Leonard Moty for not standing up to the state over COVID guidelines never mind that Shasta County never really shut down commerce the way others did. There was this years misinformation-driven decision to remove Dominion voting machines from the countys elections office without devising another system to take its place. Read more: Shasta supervisors declare county a 2nd Amendment fortress in 'war on guns' The Board of Supervisors is currently led by a 3-2 majority that is ideologically further right than anything that used to be called Republican. Its members are also extreme examples of the Dunning-Kruger Effect , whereby a lack of knowledge leads to an overestimation of ones competence. In dumping the voting machines, for example, the board largely dismissed county Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allens nearly 20 years of relevant experience. A recent elections town hall held by Board Chair Patrick Jones did not even include a presentation from the registrar but did feature a discredited election denier. Likewise, during the same meeting in which the board declared the county a safe space for the 2nd Amendment, it approved a 30-year agreement with a local Native American tribe to provide public safety services at a future resort casino next to Interstate 5 south of Redding. This agreement was passed without input from the county sheriff, fire chief or district attorney and without the approval of the county counsel or risk manager. Story continues The collective dysfunction of this governing board has led to an effort to recall one narrowly elected member of the far-right majority, Kevin Crye , as well as an exodus of the countys top leaders and talent. Since the regime change ushered in by the Moty recall, the director of the countys Health and Human Services Agency has resigned, the county health officer has been fired (for not keeping the county open during COVID), and the county executive officer has left. The assistant executive officer is on leave, a deputy county executive officer has left the government, and the personnel director went out on leave and then retired. Two public works directors have retired, and the county is currently seeking the third person to serve as county counsel this year . Read more: Opinion: QAnon has gone local, with strange repercussions in California's Shasta County and beyond All this provides ominous context for the resolution on gun rights, the second such measure to come before the board. The original iteration, drafted by the local chapter of the California Rifle and Pistol Assn., attempted to imbue the Shasta County Board of Supervisors with the power to interpret the Constitution. After then-County Counsel Rubin Cruse explained to the board and its packed chambers that the courts have the authority to interpret the U.S. and California constitutions, the resolution narrowly failed . Three weeks ago, a local online news publisher attended a publicly advertised Citizens for Freedom meeting in the small Shasta County town of Cottonwood. When she arrived, the meeting organizer asked her to leave. When she attempted to hold her ground, she was surrounded by several people and eventually assaulted by a secessionist militia member. Eventually, four sheriffs deputies arrived to ask the journalist to leave. The deputies werent there because of any threat posed by the reporter. They were there because they knew how many guns were likely to be in the room. This weeks 2nd Amendment resolution was stripped of the language attempting to empower county supervisors to interpret the law and the Constitution, but it is still laden with intent to break ranks with state and federal laws surrounding gun use according to the narrow constitutionalist perspective promulgated by local militia groups. We cant know what effect the supervisors latest questionable decision will have for the people they ostensibly represent, but we do know that its promoting the lawless use of firearms in a community primed for extremism and violence. Susanne Baremore is a Redding resident and concerned citizen. If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. 2023 Wichita voter guide: What to know about local candidates, where and how to vote A record amount of campaign cash is pouring into the Wichita mayoral primary election, including dark money that is working to give candidates an advantage without disclosing who paid for it or how much is being spent. Outside spending by organizations or individuals who arent part of candidates campaigns can have varying disclosure rules about who is giving and how much. Dark money campaigns in particular allow anonymous donors to spend unlimited money influencing the election, in contrast with the $500 contribution limits they would be held to if they donated directly to a candidate. The Wichita Eagle has identified four groups or individuals who have spent money outside of the city mayoral campaigns. Some have disclosed who they are and what they spent while others declined. Americans for Prosperity a Koch-backed conservative advocacy group that works as a national power broker in Republican politics spent more than $66,000 in the first two weeks of July to help elect Lily Wu with mailers, phone calls, text messages and online advertisements. Less than half of that money can be traced to a specific donor. The Better Government Institute a nonprofit corporation formed in late May by Save Century II organization leader and former Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn has been promoting Save Century II founder Celeste Racette through mailers and paid advertisements. A loophole in Kansas campaign finance laws has allowed the group to keep its donations and expenditures secret by avoiding the words vote for or other express advocacy. Matt Goolsby a managing partner at Market Advisory Group and former Wichita park board member sent out a mailer this week urging people to vote for City Council member Bryan Frye. He has not yet filed an independent expenditure report, but he told The Eagle he spent $5,000 of his own money on the letter. Story continues Free State Committee a nonprofit corporation formed in early June by Mayor Brandon Whipples friend and Ad Astra Democratic political strategist Levi Henry sent out advance ballot applications to targeted voters. The groups mailer does not mention or promote any city candidates. Get out the vote drives are not subject to the Kansas Campaign Finance Act. What effect outside spending will have on Tuesdays results remains to be seen. Candidates arent legally allowed to control or coordinate with outside groups, and their support can ultimately backfire, as it did in 2019 when The Eagle debunked a false, dark-money attack campaign put together by a group of three Republican officials who supported former Mayor Jeff Longwell. So far this cycle, all of the outside ads have been positive. But that could change as groups grow more aggressive on or near Election Day. AFPs funding blitz for Wu which includes multiple mailers, online ads and social media promotions and other activities gives her a definite advantage in reaching more voters more often. Her opponents have said the support of a divisive political group could undermine her campaign promise to unify the city. Peterjohns dark money promotion of Racette has reached thousands of potential voters without disclosing whos paying for it. Goolsbys letter put a personal appeal for Frye in front of an untold number of potential voters. He would not say how many were targeted. Henrys voter turnout effort may have helped thousands of potential Whipple voters more easily cast a ballot without disclosing how it was funded. Other candidates have shunned any form of campaign finance. Candidate and former City Council member Jared Cerullo is self-funding his campaign and has criticized the other candidates donations and outside support. Cerullo and the other four candidates Julie Rose Stroud, Anthony Gallardo, Shelia Davis (Rainman) and Tom Kane do not appear to be receiving any help from outside spending. Wu embraces AFP support AFPs support for Wu adds to what was already a record amount of campaign funding for the first-time candidate who quit her TV news job to run for mayor. Wu, who received $207,202 in donations from Jan. 1 to July 20, raised more money than all other candidates combined, more than doubling the previous record held by Longwell in 2019. And Wu has embraced the additional support from one of the nations most powerful conservative organizations that took a leading role in the rise of the Tea Party movement and strong national opposition to Obamacare, Medicaid expansion and environmental regulations. Under scrutiny for the AFP support at a recent televised debate, Wu said she was proud to be supported by a pro-freedom organization. Theyre against cronyism, Wu said. Wu has pledged not to take part in backroom deals and not to show favoritism to political insiders. AFPs $66,080 spending on Wu is $703 shy of total spending by Frye, the second-place fundraiser. In the first two weeks of July, the groups expenses dwarfed spending by Whipple and Racette, more than doubling what they spent combined during the first seven months of the primary election cycle. The vast majority of AFPs donations to Wus campaign are untraceable. The only named donor on a recent filing with the Kansas Government Ethics Commission was Richard A. Varner, who donated $24,500 48 times over the contribution limit if he would have donated directly to Wus campaign. Varner, a Wichita native, has been in the petroleum business for over 40 years, including as chairman of the Pacific Refining Company, a joint venture between Houston-based Coastal Corporation and a Chinese state-owned multinational conglomerate now known as Sinochem. He is now CEO of Navitas Utility Corporation, a natural gas utility company that serves much of rural Oklahoma. Wus longtime boyfriend Stephen Clark II and his father, Stephen Clark who both also donated to Wus campaign have recently given money to AFP causes, Federal Election Commission records show. In late November 2021, Clark Family LLC, an entity owned by the younger Clark and Shannon Clark through a irrevocable trust fund, donated $100,000 to Americans for Prosperitys PAC. Last July, Clarks father personally donated another $100,000 to the PAC. Americans for Prosperity did not return a request for comment. Save Century II work leads to backing for Racette Racettes support from The Better Government Institute has included campaign mailers with her photograph and name and a full-page ad in The Active Age newspaper, a free newspaper geared toward people over the age of 55. Peterjohn, a Libertarian-leaning Republican who served on the Sedgwick County Commission from 2009 to 2016, forged an unlikely alliance with Racette in a petition drive aimed at saving Century II and the former downtown public library from demolition. Racette, during a debate earlier this month, said she has no part in Peterjohns ads. As for Karl Peterjohn, what he does is his own, she said. He worked with me on Save Century II. Racette, a former Democratic precinct committeewoman, grew up the daughter of an old school Kansas Democrat Vincent Bogart, a former Wichita mayor and adviser to Democratic Kansas Gov. Robert Docking in the 1960s and 1970s. Racette cut ties with the Democratic Party in 2021 and is now unaffiliated. But she continues to have strong support from some Democrats. She has touted her alliance with Republicans Peterjohn and John Todd on the Save Century II petition as evidence that her campaign is bipartisan, focused less on national culture-war issues and more on local accountability and transparency. But The Better Government Institutes spending and donors are completely unavailable, leaving voters in the dark about who is funding the promotion of Racette and how much is being spent. In a phone interview, Peterjohn declined to provide a list of donors or say how much the organization is spending in the city election. He said none of the money was transferred from the Save Century II group that raised money for a petition drive in 2020. Donors to that effort have not been disclosed and are not required to be disclosed because the city never held an election on the issue and instead sued Peterjohn and Racette to have their petition thrown out. Better Government Institute is an outgrowth of the Save Century II effort because we got sued by the city and needless to say were not happy, Peterjohn said. Petition the city and get sued? Thats a real slap in the face for the First Amendment. Peterjohn said the material his organization has been sending out is not express advocacy and therefore is not legally required to be disclosed under state law. Were just exercising our First Amendment rights like hopefully any other citizen can do, although that seems to be very controversial, he said. Letter about police, safety In support of Frye, Goolsby took a different path. Instead of forming a PAC or a nonprofit organization, he paid about $5,000 in personal funds to reach voters. His letter which went out after the campaign reporting deadline is clearly labeled Paid for and written by Matt Goolsby. In it, he cites Wichita Police Department staffing troubles, saying he is concerned for the safety of Wichita and our residents and Im not sure why our local newspaper refuses to acknowledge the crisis we are facing? The Eagle has reported on Wichita police staffing troubles, officer departures, crime trends and slow response times. Goolsby urges voters to do your own research and provides a link to Fryes campaign page, after telling people to vote for Frye if you are concerned about the safety of our city. Goolsby said he plans to file an independent expenditure report with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, as required by state law. He said he did not receive any funding from Frye or anyone else for the mailer. I felt like it was necessary to do because Im not afraid or have to hide who I am or who I support, Goolsby said. I just wonder why that cant be said for whoever is paying for all these other mailers to get sent out. Frye said the fact Goolsby is named in the mailer makes it easier for the public to identify any future potential conflicts of interest or favoritism, something that would be nearly impossible if he had funneled the money through a PAC or certain other types of organizations. Financial contributions have never influenced my votes and they never will, Frye said. Primary voter turnout Henry, a longtime Whipple supporter and political strategist, took yet another option to impact the Wichita election. Instead of sending out mailers or running ads for his preferred candidate, he focused on getting ballots to voters. The mailer Free State Committee sent out does not mention any candidates, political parties or anything else that would be considered partisan. It simply urges voters to Make a plan to vote in the election held on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. It gives potential voters an advance by mail application and provides information on how to apply online. Its not effective to pair encouraging people to vote with persuasion activity, Henry said. Henry said he did not target voters based on political affiliation. But he also acknowledged Democrats turn out at a higher rate to vote by mail. Democrats have out-requested Republicans on advance ballots by nearly a 2-to-1 ratio in the city election, Sedgwick County Election Office data shows. Advance ballots went to 8,019 Democrats, 4,205 Republicans, 1,354 unaffiliated and 43 Libertarians. Henry said Free State Committee targeted voters based on whether they were likely to vote in a city election. He said it was loosely based on the New American Majority model by the Voter Participation Project and Center for Voter Information, which seek to increase voter participation by unmarried women, people of color and younger eligible voters. Party doesnt come into the equation, Henry said. There are a few variables that come into it. I dont want to break that part of it down because theres some part of it thats proprietary. Voting probability is certainly one of those factors. Henry said the group sent out thousands of the mailers but would not say specifically how many. He said he has not received permission from his three-person board of directors to disclose who funded the mailer or to say how much it cost. No candidates have pledged or given any money for this effort, Henry said. I didnt even solicit them. It gets a little too close for comfort there. Were not doing any express advocacy, Henry said. Were not trying to educate anybody about candidates. Functionally, pragmatically, it does not work to do any of that with this. So we just dont dont have any plans to. Kind of part of the mission is to not be a partisan organization but instead focus on just getting people to vote. Henry said the Free State Committees mailer was completely separate from the work of his political consulting business, Ad Astra Agency. That business was paid $3,320 on July 11 by Wichitas Future PAC a political action committee controlled by Chelsea Whipple, the mayors wife for voting reminder telecommunications, a campaign finance report shows. Thats a hard no, Henry said. Totally unrelated. Whipple said he had no involvement in the Free State Committees activities. Local elections usually have low voter turnout, so anyone working to help more people vote in these elections is a good thing, even if they arent telling people to vote for me, Whipple said. Mateusz Morawiecki Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has raised concerns over the movement of Russian Wagner mercenary company fighters towards the Suwalki Gap, saying it could be step towards a potential hybrid attack on Polands territory. The announcement was made through Morawieckis official Twitter account on July 29. The Suwalki Gap is a narrow strip of border between Poland and Lithuania, which separates Belarus from Kaliningrad Oblast, an exclave of Russia bordering Poland and Lithuania next to the Baltic Sea. Morawiecki stated that the situation is becoming even more dangerous as over a hundred Wagner PMC mercenaries are advancing towards the 100-kilometer stretch of border between Poland and Lithuania. Read also: Ukraine intel says Polish military would 'quickly' deal with any Wagner advance - intel agency Morawiecki emphasized that his country has been grappling with constant attacks on the Polish border for the past two years, with a staggering 16,000 attempts of illegal crossings reported this year alone. Earlier, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Presidential Office, warned about the possibility of Russia orchestrating a hybrid aggression against NATO using Wagner mercenaries. He pointed out that the Russian mercenaries might target the border areas of Poland and the Baltic countries since they cannot sit idle in tent camps in Belarus. The National Resistance Center (NRC, a Ukrainian civil defense organization) has also issued a caution regarding the preparations for provocations by Wagner PMC fighters. NRC data reveals that approximately a hundred Wagnerites have arrived in the Belarusian city of Grodno, near the Suwalki Gap, where they are undergoing training to destabilize the Polish-Lithuanian border. Wagner in Belarus: What is known On June 24, a group of Wagner mercenaries, led by commander Yevgeny Prigozhin, ended a one-day rebellion following negotiations with self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin presented three options to the Wagner group, including the possibility of exile in Belarus. Story continues Read also: Lukashenko muses about Wagner attacking Poland to distract Ukraines NATO and EU allies Shortly after, reports emerged about the construction of camps in Belarus to accommodate the Wagnerites, with satellite images suggesting the existence of a probable field camp for the mercenaries. Lukashenko denied the presence of such camps but offered assistance with accommodation if needed. The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service or DPSU estimated that Belarus could potentially host around 8,000 Wagner mercenaries. However, Ukrainian intelligence cautioned that it was too early to confirm the relocation of Wagnerites to Belarus. Later, it was revealed that the Wagnerites in Belarus would be providing combat training to Belarusian forces. This claim was first made by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and later confirmed by the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs in their negotiations regarding the training of Belarusian special forces on July 12. The DPSU announced on July 14 that Russia had withdrawn almost all of its military personnel from Belarus. Monitoring group the Belarusian Hajun reported the entry of a ninth column of Wagner mercenaries into Belarus on July 19. As of July 20, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus announced joint training operations with the Wagner militants near the border with Poland. Read also: Coup in Niger: what Prigozhin is showing Putin On the same day, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Baszczak announced the deployment of a contingent of troops to the eastern border in response to the presence of Wagner PMC mercenaries in Belarus. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius pledged support to Poland in the event of a potential Russian Wagner mercenary attack from Belarus. On July 23, the head of the Polish defense department revealed plans to establish a new military unit near the border with Belarus. Subsequently, on July 28, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, Jarosaw Kaczynski, disclosed the governments decision to reestablish and create new military units, effectively doubling the size of the Polish army. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine PHNOM PENH, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Saturday that all political officials in the old-term government would be reappointed to the new term. Except for the cabinet members, all secretaries of state, undersecretaries of state, and advisors to the government, ministries, and institutions in the old term will be reappointed to the new term, he said in his official Telegram channel. The prime minister's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) won a landslide victory in the seventh general election on July 23, which was held to elect the members of parliament for the 125-seat National Assembly for the 2023-2028 new term. According to the National Election Committee (NEC)'s preliminary results, the CPP won 120 parliamentary seats and the Funcinpec Party of Prince Norodom Chakravuth gained the remaining five seats. Hun Sen announced on Wednesday that he would step down on Aug. 22 after serving the position for more than 38 years, and would transfer the reins of power to his eldest son Hun Manet. He said the new cabinet led by Hun Manet will be sworn in on Aug. 22. An assistant principal who tried to breathe life into a dying student after a bullet exited his eye. A 16-year-old who crouched in a bathroom stall as a gunman killed a classmate just feet away, then ordered him out of the stall. A girl who dropped to her knees and prayed in the line of fire, then saved her friend. These are the horror stories that concluded the prosecution's case in an Oakland County courtroom Friday as a judge tries to determine whether confessed school shooter Ethan Crumbley should get life without the possibility of parole for his deadly rampage, or a chance to be free one day. The defense has argued that Crumbley is capable of being rehabilitated, and deserves the opportunity to prove that, especially given his age: He was 15 when he committed his crime. The prosecution disagrees, arguing Crumbley should never be free for murdering four students and injuring seven others in a shooting he planned and obsessed about in a journal and cryptic manifesto he recorded on the eve of the massacre. Nicole Kennedy left, escorts Phoebe Arthurs mom, Sandra Cunningham, during a break as Oakland County Sheriff Sgt. Stephanie Zajac follows close behind as a hearing is held at the Oakland County Court House on Friday, July 28, 2023, to determine whether Ethan Crumbley will serve a life sentence without parole for the Oxford School shootings where he murdered four students and injured seven others in the 2021 shooting massacre. "The first victim has to be a pretty girl," he wrote. His victim was a girl named Phoebe Arthur, who was shot in the face but survived. His last victim was Justin Shilling, who was shot execution-style in a bathroom, while another classmate was crouched in the stall, frantically texting his family. That classmate was 16-year-old Keegan Gregory, who testified Friday about coming face-to-face with Crumbley, and managing to escape. 'HELP,' 'GUN,' 'IM HIDING IN THE BATHROOM' Gregory testified that when the shooting started, he was walking down the hallway and stopped to use the bathroom, not knowing what was going on. "I was using the bathroom and heard shots, really loud. I didnt believe it was a gun at first, I didnt know what to think until I peeked out and saw people running," Gregory testified. Shocked, he went back into the bathroom, where he encountered Shilling, whom he had never met. Gregory entered a stall. Story continues "I squatted on the toilet," he said, noting that Shilling told him to do that so no one would see his feet. Shilling tried to hide his feet, as well. Buck Myre, father of slain Oxford student Tate Myre watches as Ethan Crumbley is escorted, on July 28, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. Prosecutors are making their case that the Michigan teenager should be sentenced to life in prison for killing four students at his high school in 2021. Prosecutors introduced dark journal entries written by Ethan Crumbley, plus chilling video and testimony from a wounded staff member. Both stayed quiet as they used their phones. Gregory texted his family in a group chat. Gregorys dad texted back, telling his son to stay down, stay quiet and stay calm. Im terrified, Gregory wrote. At one point, Shilling devised a plan to escape. He mouthed and signaled to him that when they heard gunshots get farther away, they were going to run. But before they knew it, the shooter was in the bathroom. Gregory alerted his family. His dad told him to stay down and not engage, We love you. Then the shooter kicked in the door of the bathroom stall and stared at us, Gregory testified, noting the gunman then left the stall. He said he and Shilling werent sure if the gunman was still in the bathroom, so Shilling at first tried to use his phone to look for feet, then bent over and mouthed to Gregory that he was there. We just stayed quiet, he said. At some point, Gregory testified, the shooter came back into the stall and told Shilling to come out. Gregory said he was still crouching on the toilet and then heard an extremely loud shot. The shooter then came back into the stall and motioned for Gregory to come out, he said. At some point, Gregory recalled looking at the shooter and saying "Please." "He had the gun at his side. He signaled me to go over by Justins body," he recalled. He saw Justins body in a pool of blood around his head a sight that prompted his next move. He bolted. "I ran behind his back behind the door," Gregory testified. "I think when I saw his body, I realized that if I stayed, I was gonna die. "I just kept running as fast as I could," he said. "I couldn't breathe. I was hyperventilating." Gregory has a tattoo on his arm with four hearts representing the four victims. One of the hearts has a halo over it. Gregory testified the halo is for Shilling. "If he didn't die in there," Gregory said, "then I'd be dead right now." 'It took me months to get the taste of blood out of my mouth' The most graphic and emotional testimony on Friday came from assistant principal Kristy Gibson-Marshall, who broke down in tears as she talked about how she tried to save Tate Myres life in the hallway, where she found him lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Oxford High School Assistant Principal Kristy Gibson-Marshall describes the shooting scene at the high school during testimony on Friday, July 28, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. Prosecutors are making their case that the Michigan teenager, Ethan Crumbley, should be sentenced to life in prison for killing four students at his high school in 2021. Prosecutors introduced dark journal entries written by Crumbley, plus chilling video and testimony from a wounded staff member. It was crushing. I had to help him. I had to save him, for his mom, said Gibson-Marshall, noting she felt the exit wound in the back of his head, and saw that the bullet had exited his eye. She began to weep. I just kept talking to him. I told him that I love him, that I needed him to hang with me, said Gibson-Marshall, whose testimony brought many to tears in the courtroom, including reporters. He was blue. When I was giving him breaths, he was getting white, so I kept giving him the breaths. It felt like forever. Sheri Myre, background, mother of slain Oxford student Tate Myre, hugs assistant principal Kristy Gibson-Marshall in court, on Friday, July 28, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. Prosecutors are making their case that the Michigan teenager should be sentenced to life in prison for killing four students at his high school in 2021. Prosecutors introduced dark journal entries written by Ethan Crumbley, plus chilling video and testimony from a wounded staff member. Gibson-Marshall stayed with Myre until police and paramedics arrived, and told them to keep giving him breaths. The blood still haunts her: It was all over me, she said It took me months to get the taste of blood out of my mouth. Gibson-Marshall broke protocol that day to help her students. Rather than locking down as she was supposed to she went toward the gunshots. And encountered Crumbley. She saw him from a distance, lowering his arm from shoulder height. He had a gun. She walked in his direction, and soon realized it was Crumbley, whom she has known since he was in elementary school. Ethan Crumbley sits in court on Friday, July 28, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. Prosecutors are making their case that the Michigan teenager should be sentenced to life in prison for killing four students at his high school in 2021. Prosecutors introduced dark journal entries written by Ethan Crumbley, plus chilling video and testimony from a wounded staff member. It couldnt be Ethan. He wouldnt do that, she recalled thinking. And so I talked to him. I said, Are you OK, whats going on? " Crumbley didnt respond. He kept walking, so she went back to help a student on the ground Tate Myre. Gibson-Marshall was in the hallway when Crumbley eventually surrendered after exiting a bathroom, where he killed his final victim. He came out with his hands up and he was on his knees, she said, noting police were trying to figure out who he was. He didnt answer. I said, "His name is Ethan. After her testimony, she walked over to Tate Myre's parents in the courtroom and hugged them. They were all in tears. Crumbley was seen wiping his face with a tissue. 'I just prayed' Another prosecution witness was Heidi Allen, who was among the crowd of students that Crumbley first fired upon when he exited a bathroom. She immediately dropped down and started praying. I just prayed and I covered my head because I didnt know if those were my last moments, Allen, now 17, testified. I just closed my eyes. When Allen realized the shooter was gone, she opened her eyes and saw two other girls across from her and another girl on the floor down the hall. It was Arthur, the first person Crumbley shot. More: Oxford teacher shot by Crumbley testifies: 'Do you know how hard it is to heal from this?' Allen testified that she helped Arthur into an open, empty classroom next to them and immediately used a door security device that helps prevent anyone from coming inside. She said she knew how to install it because during a school drill a month earlier, a teacher randomly called on her to try installing the device. Attorney Wolfgang Mueller, left consoles Phoebe Arthurs mom, Sandra Cunningham, in the hallway during a break as a hearing is held at the Oakland County Court House on July 28, 2023, to determine whether Ethan Crumbley will serve a life sentence without parole for the Oxford School shootings where he murdered four students and injured seven others in the 2021 shooting massacre. She kept reassuring Arthur that she would be OK, while trying herself to stay calm. Allen took her classmate to the middle of the room, saw she had been shot on the left side near her collarbone and neck and started putting pressure on the wounds. I started to pray with her because I didnt know what else to do, Allen testified. She said she felt she was meant to be there because theres no other reason that Im OK Several students around Allen had been shot. Eventually, she heard voices in the hallway, saw a police officer and called for help. An officer helped her get Arthur into a swivel chair and into the hallway, where emergency officials were trying to resuscitate a classmate: Hana St. Juliana, who was killed in the shooting. Defense shows troubling texts: 'Mommy can you please be home now' Also on Friday, the defense presented numerous text messages between Crumbley and his mom as part of a strategy to show that his parents ignored him and left him alone to battle his mental health troubles. This has been a main theme in the case, with both sides arguing that Crumbley's parents ignored a troubled child, and cared more about their own lives than their son. Here are some of the texts that the defense presented in court: Crumbley: I dont like being home alone Just be here at 11oclock mommy can you please be home now. Can you please be home. No response. He texts again: I just dont feel good, thats all. Mom responds at 11 p.m. : Its okay buddy. Were right down the road and the neighbors are home. Im out with the ski patrol celebrating. Its a big deal. In another text exchange with his mom, Crumbley wrote: Mommy The rest of my tooth is coming out please come as quickly as you can. No response. Crumbley also texted his mom about hallucinating, eight months before the shooting: Crumbley: Can you come home now. There is someone in the house I think. Someone walked into the bathroom and flushed the toilet and left the light on . There is no one in the house though. Dude, my door just slammed. Maybe its just my paranoia, but when are you going to get home No response. Crumbley: I cleaned until the clothes started flying off the shelf. This stuff only happens when Im home alone. No response. The defense also presented the notorious text that made international news the one she sent her son after he got caught at school researching bullets, the day before he carried out the shooting. LOL. Im not mad. You have to learn how not to get caught. Texts to a friend: 'I need help' The defense also presented text messages between Crumbley and a friend in an effort to show both his mental health issues, and that his parents weren't helping him. I actually asked my dad to take me to the doctor yesterday but he just gave me some pills and told me to suck it up, Crumbley texted the friend one night. Ethan Crumbley stands with his attorney Paulette Michel Loftin on Friday, July 28, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. Prosecutors are making their case that the Michigan teenager should be sentenced to life in prison for killing four students at his high school in 2021. Prosecutors introduced dark journal entries written by Ethan Crumbley, plus chilling video and testimony from a wounded staff member. Crumbley also texted his friend about hearing doors open in the house and someone walking around when no one else was home. Like I hear people talking to me and see someone in the distance," he texted. Crumbley also texted his friend that he was again going to ask his parents to take him to the doctor: This time Im going to tell them about the voices. Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents in America charged in a school shooting. Their appeal to have the charges struck is pending before the Michigan Supreme Court. Crumbley's psychiatrist tells about voices in his head Crumbleys jail psychiatrist, Dr. Fariha Qadir, who visits him once a week for 15 minutes via Zoom, testified Friday that she has not diagnosed the teenager with psychosis, but with major depressive disorder and adjustment disorder with anxiety. She described adjustment disorder as a condition involving a response to a stressor, like a loss in life. She said Crumbley is on an antidepressant, a mood stabilizer and a medication that helps him sleep and treats anxiety. Dr. Fariha Qadir is questioned by Attorney Paulette Michel Loftin in court on Friday, July 28, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. Prosecutors are making their case that the Michigan teenager, Ethan Crumbley, should be sentenced to life in prison for killing four students at his high school in 2021. Prosecutors introduced dark journal entries written by Crumbley, plus chilling video and testimony from a wounded staff member. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) She first met with Crumbley on Dec. 3, 2021, just days after the shooting, and testified that his condition is treatable with medicine and therapy. Qadir said she has asked Crumbley about hallucinations, and he told her he hears two voices: one internal, one external. The external voices, she explained, were very fleeting voices that come and go. Its a voice that does not interfere much in his daily life, she said. The other voices, "his internal thoughts, are more significant, and Crumbley told her: I cant get rid of them," Qadir testified, adding that Crumbley told her the thoughts got worse two weeks before the shooting. Crumbley 'has the potential to change' Dr. Kenneth Romanowski, a corrections expert who has spent decades working with juvenile lifers, testified on behalf of the defense Friday and said that Crumbley can be rehabilitated. "Everybody has the potential to change, and Mr. Crumbley is no exception to that rule," Romanowski testified. Dr. Kenneth Romanoski is questioned by defense Attorney Paulette Michel Loftin in court on Friday, July 28, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. Prosecutors are making their case that the Michigan teenager, Ethan Crumbley, should be sentenced to life in prison for killing four students at his high school in 2021. Prosecutors introduced dark journal entries written by Crumbley, plus chilling video and testimony from a wounded staff member. Romanowski, who has worked in numerous prisons with violent criminals convicted of horrific crimes, testified that young offenders have a better chance for rehabilitation than others because "their minds are still subject to change." And even the hardest of criminals are not impossible to rehabilitate, he said, noting he has met criminals who have not changed but that's because they didn't want to. Romanowski also said he was not aware of the details of Crumbley's crimes only that they were "horrific" and he still believes even the most horrific criminals can change if they want to. "I find those facts to be horribly disturbing," Romanowski said of the Oxford shooting. "But do I think he still has the possibility to change? Yes." Crumbley's hearing resumes Tuesday. Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwame Rowe will decide his fate after the hearing, which is mandated by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that juvenile murderers may not be sentenced to life without parole without a "Miller" hearing, named after the 2012 case, Miller v. Alabama. Support for the community The Oxford Resiliency Center, a program of Common Ground, has extended its hours through Aug. 1 to provide support for the community because of the traumatic nature of the hearing. The center has added support staff and has therapy dogs on-site. The center, open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., is at 1370 S. Lapeer Road in Oxford. The phone number is 248-653-5511. More information: www.allforoxford.org Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com. Contact Gina Kaufman: gkaufman@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oxford High survivors recount horror of Crumbley's murderous rampage Zoe Petersen, Deseret News Editors note: This is the third article in a series about peacemaking in America. In 431 B.C., the Greek historian Thucydides recorded a funeral oration given by the great statesman Pericles. Unlike a typical eulogy, the speech memorialized Athenian democracy in what many have called its golden age. During this speech, Pericles offered a relatively novel idea about just how expansive participation in public life could be. If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences, he said. But if someone didnt have social standing, Pericles argued, advancing in public life relies on that persons reputation for capacity, with class considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit; nor again does poverty bar the way, if a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition. Related In ancient times, the idea that class and poverty didnt disqualify a person from enjoying certain civic freedoms was a radical belief. Over a thousand years later, a group of New England revolutionaries would begin marking the path to the same sort of ideal, convincing people to join their cause by disseminating their ideas through pamphlets like Thomas Paines Common Sense. These open attempts at persuasion are a hallmark of both American and Greek systems. And yet, they sometimes seem at odds with peacemaking approaches centered on listening and understanding. Indeed, Americans of all political persuasions believe they are unable to speak freely and exchange ideas, according to a New York Times and Siena College poll. Freely exchanging ideas is critical to maintaining a democracy, and to do that, we need to rediscover the art of persuasion. Persuasion fatigue There are many reasons the art of persuasion has come to be seen so dimly. From political campaigns to endless marketing, many people get worn out by someone trying to sell them on something they perceive to be of little value. Institutional trust has also reached rock bottom the dwindling confidence exacerbated by partisan gridlock and a weaponization of deeply held values. Story continues In Scientific American, Nathan Ballantyne, Jared Celniker and Peter Ditto wrote about persuasion fatigue, which they described as frustration with trying to win people over to your viewpoint, with little success. In our weariness at hearing another pitch, any kind of persuasion can seem like just another tactic to manipulate us or sow enmity between neighbors. But its not. Its the exercise of a fundamental right granted by the First Amendment, one in which is embedded the potential for social good. And the reality is that many of us have moral, religious and political values which we believe are grounded in transcendent truth. Thats why we naturally feel its important to encourage others to live their lives in line with this truth. Theres a verse in one of my religions sacred texts echoing this idea. It reads, For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God. Related Inspired change To some degree, our social progress is dependent on persuasion. Abigail Adams, an early womens rights advocate, sent her husband a letter on March 31, 1776, when John Adams and other men were designing the future of American government. She wrote, And by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. This letter is considered one of the important Revolutionary era documents. Later, suffragists like Emmeline B. Wells and Ida B. Wells would echo and expand on the idea Abigail Adams expressed in 1776. A decade before she passed, Wells, suffragist and editor of Womans Exponent, recounted how much women in the West contributed to the suffrage movement. She urged historians to remember the women of Zion when compiling the history of this Western land. Persuasion can have a long shelf life; it can also have a material impact in a short time frame. Malala Yousafzai, an education activist, was shot in Pakistan in 2012 for her opposition to severe restrictions to female education. Yousafzai has spent most of her life writing about the conditions and experiences she had while advocating for change in her country. She continues to materially impact the lives of girls and women in countries around the world through her organization, the Malala Fund. Her rhetoric, including a Nobel Peace Prize-winning speech, has contributed to this positive impact. If we shy away from persuasive attempts like this, we could miss being part of morally correct and necessary change. Before the work of effective persuasion can begin, though, its important to listen to others deeply. Without a period of listening, persuasion can feel little more than superficial marketing, without any real understanding of the people we are trying to reach. There also are instances where activists on both the left and right may bristle at the thought of peacemaking when it comes to certain issues because they believe there can be no compromise. In such a case, an inability to see a pragmatic compromise on a deeply held moral issue shouldnt preclude still seeing basic dignity in another person. And by cultivating our own humility and openness, when our conscience pricks at us to change our own minds, we wont dig our heels in. Related When persuasion trumps compromise On Nov. 19, 1863, when Abraham Lincoln delivered one of Americas most important speeches, he said, It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. These persuasive remarks precipitated the Unions victory in the Civil War, beginning the process of granting freedom and rights to enslaved persons. In this instance, it was moral and right to say everyone deserves freedom. As President Russell Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has said, There is room for everyone. However, there is no room for prejudice, condemnation, or contention of any kind. In another famous speech, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dream of civil rights. He said, Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of Gods children. King said what was moral the promises of democracy and freedom need to extend to all people and segregation is a betrayal of justice and freedom. This is another instance where compromise wouldnt be sufficient because it would betray morality and truth. Morality and truth should be the companions of peacemaking. Yet a chasm has erupted in American public life, dividing families and neighbors along partisan lines. Persuasion can be the whisper of hope though it may not always convince someone to join your cause. But it offers the promise of establishing a common foundation once more. (Bloomberg) -- Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned that Wagner mercenary forces may attempt to enter his country from neighboring Belarus along with illegal migrants, the latest sign of potential tensions between the two nations. Most Read from Bloomberg The possibility of such a move by the private Russian military company has alarmed the government in Warsaw, which sent additional troops to reinforce Polands eastern border. Its also planning to expand a wall there to prevent illegal crossings. We have information that more than 100 of Wagner mercenaries have moved in the direction of Suwalki Gap, near Grodno in western Belarus, Morawiecki told reporters in Gliwice on Saturday. He described it as a step toward a hybrid attack on the Polish territory. Read more: Putin Warns Poland Over Aggression Against Ally Belarus Poland, a member of both the European Union and NATO, sits in a strategic position geographically, with Russias war in Ukraine unfolding directly to its east. While it has been one of Kyivs biggest supporters in the conflict, Poland has shown no intention to take unilateral, unprovoked military action. Wagner mercenaries have moved into Belarus under a deal ending the aborted mutiny last month by the groups leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Morawiecki said its fighters may dress up as Belarusian border guards to assist migrants trying to cross into Poland. He has accused Russia and Belarus of supporting crossings in an attempt to destabilize the country. Morawieckis government is facing a general election in the fall, and opinion polls show that the ruling party may fall short of a majority in parliament. The premier has tried to portray main opposition leader Donald Tusk as being soft on Russia. Story continues Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting at an apartment complex. Atlanta police said on Friday around 10:57 a.m., officers received reports of a person shot at an apartment complex on Southwood Cove Southwest. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] When officers arrived, they found a man and a woman who had both been shot. The woman was taken to the hospital in serious condition, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities have not been released. TRENDING STORIES: According to the investigation, the man and woman knew each other and were arguing when the man shot the woman and then shot himself. Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: One person died after being stabbed multiple times late Friday night on Columbus' South Side, according to the Columbus Division of Police. Officers responded to the 600 block of East Stewart Avenue on a report of a person being stabbed and found the victim unresponsive with multiple stab wounds, according to police. The victim, whom police had not identified as of Saturday morning, was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died at 11:40 p.m. No suspects have been publicly identified. Authorities ask anyone with information about the stabbing to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477). jlaird@dispatch.com @LairdWrites This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus' South Side stabbing leaves one dead Police are reminding the public not to leave their furry friends inside cars during heat waves after two dogs were rescued from a hot car Friday afternoon. Quincy Police say they received a call this afternoon for two dogs unattended and locked inside a car at a parking garage on Hancock Street. Arriving officers were unable to locate the owner, who was from out of the area, according to officials. The temperature outside was well into the 80s. Fearing for the dogs safety, the officers broke the window of the car. Both of the pooches were turned over to animal control. The owner, who has not been identified, is charged with two counts of animal cruelty. We thank the person who called our Communications Division and for Officer Sean Klimas and ACO Nicholas Malvestis quick actions, Quincy Police wrote in a social media post. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned Saturday that Wagner mercenaries are gathering to illegally enter Poland with an aim of destabilizing the country. File Photo by Cheriss May/UPI July 29 (UPI) -- The Polish government on Saturday accused the Wagner mercenary group of moving fighters towards the Suwalki Gap that separates Poland from the Russian Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad. "We have information that over 100 mercenaries of the Wagner Group have moved towards the Suwalki Gap near Grodno in Belarus," Polish Prime Minster Mateusz Morawiecki told a press conference Saturday. "This is certainly a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory," he said. The Suwalki Gap is a narrow, 60-mile land corridor stretching between Poland and Lithuania and ending on one side at the border of Russian ally Belarus and on the other at Kaliningrad, which remains part of Russia. It represents the only land border between the NATO members of the Baltic states such as Lithuania and the rest of North Atlantic alliance. The Polish government has accused the Wagner Mercenary Group of moving fighters toward a region separating Poland from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. File Photo by Arkady Budnitsky/UPI The Polish prime minister claimed there had been about 16,000 attempts to cross the border between Poland and Belarus this year, and that the migrants had been "pushed to Poland" by presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "They will probably be disguised as Belarusian border guards and will help illegal immigrants to enter Polish territory, destabilize Poland, but they will also probably try to infiltrate Poland pretending to be illegal immigrants, and this creates additional risks," Morawiecki said. Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski told Polish Radio that Wagner "are in Belarus to create various kinds of crises, mainly targeting Poland." "We are taking all measures, making preparations, expanding defenses," he said. While the Polish government has framed the issue of migration in the context of the war in Ukraine, the government has been adopting anti-immigrant policies for years. Amnesty International has accused the Polish government of "hypocrisy" for applying different standards to Ukrainian refugees and refugees from outside Europe. Story continues "Polish border guards have systematically rounded up and violently pushed back people crossing from Belarus, sometimes threatening them with guns," Amnesty said in a 2022 report. "The vast majority of those who have been fortunate enough to avoid being pushed back to Belarus and to apply for asylum in Poland are forced into automatic detention, without a proper assessment of their individual situation and the impact detention would have on their physical and mental health," the human rights group said. Last year, the Polish government started construction on a 115-mile-long wall along the border with Belarus. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on July 29 that the Wagner Group mercenaries could infiltrate Poland from Belarus, where they are currently stationed. Morawiecki said that more than 100 mercenaries were deployed to the Grodno area in Belarus near the Suwalki Gap, an area southwest of the Lithuania-Poland border, between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. This is a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory, Morawiecki said, as quoted by the Polish RMF24. Morawiecki also said that Wagner mercenaries could possibly disguise themselves as Belarusian border guards ushering refugees to the border in order to infiltrate Poland. In 2021, Belarus began allowing thousands of asylum seekers to come to the country with a promise of safe entry into Europe. The situation escalated in November of that year when Belarusian troops escorted thousands of asylum seekers to the Polish border, cutting through the wire fence to allow refugees to cross. Most of them were violently pushed back by Polish border guards. Wagner columns have been arriving to Belarus since Wagner boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin's abortive mutiny ended with an undisclosed agreement with the Kremlin brokered by Belarussian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Prigozhin reportedly told his mercenaries that the Wagner mercenaries would train Belarusian soldiers. Meanwhile, the State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demcnenko reported on national television on July 29 that 0ver 5,000 Wagner mercenaries have already arrived in Belarus but do not yet pose any threat to Ukraine. In response to the presence of Wagner troops in Poland, Polish deputy prime minister Jarosaw Kaczynski said on July 27 that the size of the Polish military would be nearly doubled. Read also: Belarus Weekly: Lithuanian president calls Belarus a Russian province, urges increasing defense Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has announced the relocation of a group of mercenaries from the Wagner Group to the Suwaki Gap, which connects the country with the Baltic States and also separates the territory of Russian Kaliningrad Oblast and Belarus. Source: RMF FM, as European Pravda reports Morawiecki said that Poland has been facing constant attacks on its border for the past two years. This year alone, he added, 16,000 attempts to illegally cross the border were recorded by migrants lured by Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko to "push them into Poland". "Now the situation is becoming even more dangerous. We have information that more than 100 mercenaries of the Wagner Group have moved towards the Suwaki Gap near Hrodna in Belarus," Morawiecki said. According to the Polish Prime Minister, "this is definitely a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory. They are likely to be disguised as Belarusian border guards and will help illegal immigrants enter Polish territory, destabilise Poland, but they are also likely to try to enter Polish territory posing as illegal immigrants, which creates additional risks," he said. Earlier, the National Resistance Center, created by the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, reported that about a hundred mercenaries of the Russian Wagner Group had arrived in Hrodna. The majority of the mercenaries have experience in smuggling activities, including the smuggling of illegal migrants, the centre claims. Earlier, Poland's Interior Minister said that in case of serious incidents involving Wagner's men, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia would "take action together". He added that Warsaw is in talks with Latvia and Lithuania on how to respond to the presence of mercenaries, and that the countries allow for the possible closure of borders with Belarus if necessary. Last week, Belarus announced the start of joint exercises with the Wagner Group at the Brest training ground near the Polish border. According to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, as of 22 July, there were approximately 5,000 Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group in Belarus. Poland decided to deploy its troops east because of the Wagner Group in Belarus, while Lithuania called the exercise a "demonstration action". Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! President Joe Biden on Friday publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild for the first time, while adding that his granddaughter Navy is not a political issue. In a statement first reported by People that was obtained by NBC News, Biden said that he and first lady Jill Biden wanted the best for all of their grandchildren, including Navy. Our son Hunter and Navys mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward, the president said. This is not a political issue, its a family matter. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy. Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts last month settled a paternity case over their daughter Navy in an Arkansas court. Fridays statement comes as Republican presidential hopefuls have increasingly taken jabs at the president for not counting Navy among his grandchildren in public remarks. Why dont you spend some time with your granddaughter in Arkansas, or at least recognize her existence before you start worrying about our kids? said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during remarks on parental rights to voters in Tennessee. In April, on Take Your Child to Work Day, Biden said: I have six grandchildren. And Im crazy about them. And I speak to them every single day. Not a joke. Matter of fact, I just got finished going through the calls. A source familiar with the situation told NBC News on Friday that the Bidens are and have been giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out. You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navys parents happening until just a few weeks ago, the source said. As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunters lead. This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. This article was originally published on TODAY.com ISLAMABAD, July 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and seven others injured during the last two days in rain-related incidents in different areas of Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said. The NDMA on Friday issued a report saying that at least 14 people were killed in different areas as monsoon wreaked havoc, triggering flash floods in hilly areas, submerging urban localities, and destroying houses across the country. Six people lost their lives in the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, five in southwest Balochistan province, two in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and one in southern Sindh province, according to the report. The heavy monsoon rain spell continued for the fifth consecutive day on Friday and caused devastation in parts of the country, especially hilly regions. The Pakistan Meteorological Department also issued a red alert, saying that heavy monsoon rains are likely in upper and central parts of the country until July 30, which can cause flooding and landslides. According to the NDMA, the torrential rains and floods also damaged 804 houses and killed 44 heads of livestock. The report added that at least 169 people have lost their lives, 256 sustained injuries, 1,404 houses damaged, and 374 cattle heads perished since June 25, when the heavy rains started in the country. President Joe Biden has faced criticism for his past decision not to acknowledge his granddaughter President Joe Biden has publicly acknowledged a seventh grandchild for the first time. The four-year-old girl, Navy, is the child of Mr Biden's son, Hunter, who recently settled a court battle over child support. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy," President Biden said on Friday. The president had been criticised by both Republicans and Democrats over his previous decision not to recognise her. In a statement to People magazine acknowledging the child for the first time, Mr Biden said it was "not a political issue, it's a family matter". He added that his son was working with Navy's mother, Lunden Roberts, to "foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward". Hunter Biden's paternity of Navy was established through DNA testing after Ms Roberts sued for child support. He wrote about his encounter with Ms Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs. "I had no recollection of our encounter," he wrote. "That's how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I've taken responsibility for." President Biden had come under increasing criticism from Republicans over his failure to mention Navy, with some claiming it was at odds with his public image as a family man. House Republican Elise Stefanik accused Mr Biden of "cold, heartless, selfish and cowardly" behaviour following the conclusion of the legal battle in June. "Every American knows that Joe Biden should have done the right thing years ago and acknowledged all of his grandchildren," she told the Daily Mail. In April, Mr Biden said he was "crazy" about his six grandchildren and he spoke to them every day. Hunter Biden has four other children, including a son Beau - named after the president's late son who died in 2015. Voters will take to the polls Tuesday for primary elections that will ultimately reshape Wyandotte Countys governing body for the next four years. Candidates are running to fill five seats on the Unified Governments 10-person Board of Commissioners. One race has just two candidates, who both will advance to the general election. Campaigns have centered on issues such as holding down rising property taxes and utility rates, sheltering unhoused people, transparently communicating with constituents and ensuring the UG is financially stable, among other things. For each race, the top two contenders will advance to the Nov. 7 general election. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. In District 2, three candidates Bill Burns, Anna Cole and Patrick Sumner are vying to fill the seat that will be left by Commissioner Brian McKiernan, who is not seeking re-election. That district includes the Riverview and Armourdale neighborhoods. Four candidates are running to unseat Commissioner Christian Ramirez, who was elected in 2019 to represent District 3, an area that includes the Rosedale and Argentine neighborhoods. Those challengers are Diana Aguirre, Michael Aguirre, Bette McGill and Tina Medina. In the race for District 4, which includes the northern part of the Kensington neighborhood, four candidates are hoping to fill the seat that will be left by Commissioner Harold Johnson, who is not running for re-election. They are Brandie Armstrong, Evelyn Hill, Tarence Maddox and Pamela Penn-Hicks. In the 6th District, which covers south central KCK, Commissioner Angela Markley is not seeking re-election. Philip Lopez, Mary Martin and Steve Neal are running to fill her seat. On Nov. 7, voters will also choose between At-large District 1 Commissioner Melissa Bynum, who has served on the UGs board of commissioners since 2015, and challenger Ricky Smith. Views about Wyandotte Countys future vary among the candidates, but in a questionnaire by The Beacon, a digital news outlet, seven of the 15 candidates answered yes when asked if the U.S. Department of Justice should investigate the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department. Not all candidates responded, but of those who did, none answered no to the question. Three seats are also up for election on the Board of Public Utilities, the publicly-owned utility that recently drew ire from residents over increased electric rates. Two of those seats will have primaries on Tuesday. One seat belonged for more than three decades to Robert Milan Sr., who is not seeking re-election. Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty The Supreme Court has entered the dog days of summer, after spending the end of the term careening from ethics scandal to ethics scandal. In April, ProPublica revealed that conservative billionaire Harlan Crow, in a previously undisclosed deal, bought a property co-owned by Justice Clarence Thomas. Days later, Politico reported that shortly after Justice Neil Gorsuchs confirmation, the CEO of a leading law firm with business before the Court bought 40 acres of land in which Gorsuch was part owner. This reporting could not have happened without access to public records about the justices and their assets. ProPublica reporters hopped on a plane to Georgia to rummage through local real estate records. Politico found a deed in a Colorado countys public records that eventually pointed to Gorsuch. Ron DeSantis Wants You to Be Scared Senseless About Crime (Dont Be) Journalists regularly rely on public records like these when reporting about alleged conflicts of interest, noncompliance with election law requirements (like those in 2021 that chased then-New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams), and false personal histories (like the web of lies peddled by disgraced Rep. George Santos). A judge, for example, might be hearing a casedespite leasing the mineral rights on his land to an energy company that is a party to the case. A politicians spending of public funds might be questioned based on his real estate holdings. And scores of judges might fail to recuse despite owning stock in the companies before them. Back in D.C., the justices have taken a nothing-to-see-here approach to their own public records-fueled scandals. And, soon, they may well be right. Congress, states, and organizations that draft laws to be enacted by them are actively engaged in making it more difficult for the press and public to learn even basic information about judges, law enforcement, and other public officialsinformation that has, until now, been widely available. Story continues The laws, broadly drafted to protect public officials privacy by putting information about them off limits to the public, are spreading across the country. A law adopted by Congress in 2022 as part of the nearly 2,000 page National Defense Authorization Act allows federal judges (including Supreme Court Justices) and anyone living in their homes to demand takedowns of information about them held by private parties. And, if they refuse, the at-risk individual can seek monetary damages from them. Sen. Rand Paul originally blocked the bill, arguing it should cover members of Congress too. He might get his wish. Sen. Amy Klobuchar introduced an amendment to the must-pass defense spending bill that would extend secrecy to members of Congress too. Congress originally adopted the judicial security law, named the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act (or Daniels Law, for short), after U.S. District Judge Esther Salas son, Daniel, was tragically murdered at her home by a mentally unstable lawyer. Trump Will Never Stop Reminding Us That He Hates Free Speech Judge Salas became a champion of the federal lawand related ones adopted at the state level, including her home state of New Jersey. The free flow of information from the internet allowed this sick and depraved human being to find all our personal information and target us, Judge Salas said in a recorded 2020 statement. But these laws, however awful their beginnings and admirable their intentions, are proving to have significant unintended consequences. They undercut Americans right to learn about and monitor public officials by pulling a veil of secrecy around even the most basic personal information about them. This makes it easier for misguided officials to game the system and skirt ethics rules. Recognizing the importance of the publics right of access to this kind of information, more than two dozen transparency organizations, writing in opposition to a proposed model bill similar to Daniels Law, cataloged some of these negative consequences. They cited a growing trend to limit access to information that could identify public officials and government employees. In West Virginia, local courts determined that they could not comply with their states version of Daniels Law, so they pulled down wholesale from their systems previously public information. Why do we care? a local paper asked. For one, something as basic as an address allows reporters to distinguish one John Smith or Jane Doe from another. A Florida rule that required redaction of personal information so delayed release of public court filings that the Florida Supreme Court withdrew it after years of complaints from the public, government employees, and the media. In doing so, the Court recognized that the rule had run up against its commitment to safeguard the publics right of access to court records. In New Jersey, Daniels Law has created chaos. One township removed its YouTube channel on the belief that leaving it up may violate the law. A county clerk limited access to real estate records. And now, New Jersey lawmakers no longer have to list their home addresses on financial disclosure forms. New Jerseys law is backed up by $1,000 penalties for violations. The fallout from the law is coming to a head. Elon Musk, Worst Free Speech Hero Ever The ACLU of New Jersey filed a lawsuit in July on behalf of reporter Charles Kratovil. According to the suit, Kratovil was investigating a New Brunswick city official who allegedly retired in 2010 with a $115,000 pension, and then was rehired 16 months later for $120,000, in addition to his pension. During his reporting, Kratovil learned that the official allegedly moved two hours away from New Brunswick. Unable to get answers to his questions about the change in residence, the suit says Kratovil attended multiple city council meetings and, on one occasion, referenced the officials new address but omitted the street number. Days later, the New Brunswick Police Department sent a warning that Kratovil cease the disclosure of such information and remove the protected information from the internet, citing Daniels Law and told him to be guided accordingly. Kravotil is seeking a ruling from a New Jersey court that New Brunswicks use of Daniels Law to prevent reporting on potential misconduct is unconstitutional under the federal and state constitutions. Its case is simple: Government should not threaten news reporters with prosecution or civil liability if they write a news story or share information about something questionable going on with a public servants address. Even if Kravotil succeeds on his claims, and there is good reason to believe he will, his case wont overturn New Jersey's Daniels Law altogether. But its facts should give lawmakers around the country pause, especially as the Senate considers ethics rules for the Supreme Court this summer. No matter how laudable the goals behind these laws are, the laws are simply too easy for public officials to abuse at the expense of the public. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Taras Semkiv, deputy head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in the Context of Armed Conflict of the Prosecutor General's Office, has said that a year later, the investigation still cannot understand the motives behind the terrorist attack that led to the deaths of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the territory of the colony in occupied Olenivka in July 2022. Source: Semkiv on air with Radio Svoboda (Liberty) Quote from Semkiv: "Unfortunately, we cannot understand the motives behind this. It is obvious that this is a war crime. The Russian Federation is cynically violating international humanitarian law. It is obliged to provide appropriate protection to prisoners of war, such as the people who were held in Olenivka, but this was not done, so it is difficult to talk about the motives behind their actions: whether it was hatred for our military for resisting armed aggression or some personal motives. But it is obvious that a war crime was committed, no one has any doubts about that." Details: The Office of the Prosecutor General still does not have data on the exact number of people killed and injured in Olenivka, as Ukraine has not yet had access to the area to investigate. Background: On 29 July, Russian media reported the attack on a colony in Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, where Ukrainian prisoners were being held. Propagandists claimed that at least 53 people were killed. Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces denied Russia's allegations that the attack was carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The General Staff said the Russians tried to hide the torture and murder of prisoners. The intelligence service believes that the killing of Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, was organised by the Wagner Group on the personal instructions of Yevgeny Prigozhin, without the approval of the Russian Ministry of Defence. The Security Service of Ukraine intercepted telephone conversations in which the occupiers confirmed that it was Russian troops who were responsible for the explosion in the colony of occupied Olenivka, which killed at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners. Azov units announced a manhunt for those involved in the killing of prisoners of war in Olenivka. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Dozens of LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people, and their allies, stood in opposition to South Dakotas gender-affirming care ban, House Bill 1080, on Friday night and called for its repeal in the next legislative session. The bill went into effect July 1 and requires minors to stop all components of their medical transition by the end of 2023, and limits any form of gender-affirming medical care for minors going forward in the state. Multiple speakers at the We Wont Go Back protest held in downtown Sioux Falls at Van Eps Park called for the bill to be repealed at the next legislative session, which begins in January. However, support for such a repeal isnt likely in the statehouse, where HB 1080 was supported by 60 of 70 Representatives, 30 of 35 Senators and signed into law by Republican Gov. Kristi Noem this winter. More: A decade of hate: How anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric has shaped legislation in Pierre Rep. Kameron Nelson (D-Sioux Falls) voted against the bill when it was in the House and spoke at the protest Friday. He said the three Republican representatives who voted down the bill in the House -- Rep. Mike Derby (R-Rapid City), Rep. Jessica Olson (R-Rapid City) and Rep. Dennis Krull (R-Hill City) -- alongside all seven House Democrats, deserve respect for what they did. Nelson described for the crowd how supporters of the bill bused people in from all across the state to introduce the bill in a press conference, which he called fear-mongering. Rep. Kameron Nelson (D-Sioux Falls) dons a shirt wearing his famous quote "I'm here, I'm queer, and I'm not leaving Pierre" from his speech against House Bill 1080, South Dakota's gender-affirming care ban, as part of a "We Won't Go Back" protest on July 28, 2023 in downtown Sioux Falls at Van Eps Park. Im mad as hell, yall, Nelson said as he opened his speech. We must call out bigotry (and) demand that (legislators) repeal HB 1080. We wont give up. Well do whats right. Well protect trans kids in the state of South Dakota. Samantha Chapman, a lobbyist with the ACLU of South Dakota, noted the bill was opposed by people from in the state, like trans youth, doctors, parents, psychologists and more, and said those people were ignored. Chapman called for the bill to be repealed in 2024, and encouraged protesters to write to their legislators demanding its repeal. Story continues Elizabeth Broekemeier, a parent to a trans son, spoke Friday about how the bill personally affects her family and said getting her son the care he needs requires taking time off, traveling to Minnesota, time off of school, childcare for her other child, financial burdens and more. Theyre coming for everyones rights, Broekemeier said of a majority of legislators in Pierre who voted in favor of HB 1080. Elizabeth Broekemeier speaks about how House Bill 1080, South Dakota's gender-affirming care ban, affects her trans son. She spoke at the "We Won't Go Back" protest on July 28, 2023 in downtown Sioux Falls at Van Eps Park. Wyatt Williams, a 16-year-old, said his existence as a trans boy doesnt have to be political and isn't a problem. He said because of the anti-trans rhetoric in South Dakota, he feels he has to speak up. Dylan Daniels, a Two Spirit person and a nurse at South Dakota Urban Indian Health, said his presence is a testament that trans people cant be erased, and that gender-affirming care is both life-saving and life-giving. Everyone in the medical field needs to be angry right now, Daniels said. Protest organizer Everett Moran said the protest was meant to show the community we dont accept HB 1080 and it needs to go away. He said he hopes legislators take the time to come to protests like this in the future, or reach out to local trans people. Protesters stand in opposition to House Bill 1080, South Dakota's gender-affirming care ban, as part of a "We Won't Go Back" protest on July 28, 2023 in downtown Sioux Falls at Van Eps Park. Attendees like Irene Dangles and Sydney Eager came to the protest to show their support for the LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit community, and their opposition to HB 1080. Dangles said she knows and loves quite a few trans people, and wants to send a message that trans rights are human rights. Eager said HB 1080 is purely hateful and bigoted. More: What would make South Dakota safer for the LGBTQ+ community? Not just policies alone. (HB 1080) is the opposite of what people like Kristi Noem espouse, Eager said. In a state where our legislators support freedom, theyre repeatedly stripping rights away from parents and citizens. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Protesters call for repeal of HB 1080, SD gender-affirming care ban A rally was held in Market Square on Friday to raise awareness about the death of a man in the Allegheny County Jail. Douglas Bonomo, 59, was found unresponsive in the jail at 7 a.m. Sunday morning and was pronounced dead just 20 minutes later. He was waiting to be transferred to Torrance State Hospital. PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Inmate dies at Allegheny County Jail Participants at the rally called for an end to what they say is abuse and corruption at the Allegheny County Jail. Bonomos death marked the first at the jail since Sept. 2022. Going to prison shouldnt be about not coming out. Youre meant to go there and do your time, Executive Director of the Thomas Merton Center, Rachel Munes said. An investigation into Bonomos death is being conducted by Allegheny County Police, the jail administration and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Adoptive mother, husband charged with murder of 5 year old in Westmoreland County Recall alert: Trader Joes recalls broccoli cheese soup over potential bug contamination Mother of 17-year-old who died after stabbing in Schenley Park shares her tragic experience VIDEO: Residents of local apartment building damaged in fire still looking for permanent housing, answers DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that an African initiative could be a basis for peace in Ukraine but that Ukrainian attacks made it hard to realise. He was speaking at a press conference after meeting African leaders in St Petersburg on Friday and hearing their calls for Moscow to move ahead with their plan. "There are provisions of this peace initiative that are being implemented," he said. "But there are things that are difficult or impossible to implement." Reuters reported in June that African mediation in the conflict could begin with confidence-building measures followed by a cessation of hostilities agreement accompanied by negotiations between Russia and the West. Putin said that one of the points in the initiative was a ceasefire. "But the Ukrainian army is on the offensive, they are attacking, they are implementing a large-scale strategic offensive operation... We cannot cease fire when we are under attack." On the question of starting peace talks, he said, "We did not reject them... In order for this process to begin, there needs to be agreement on both sides." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected the idea of a ceasefire now that would leave Russia in control of nearly a fifth of his country and give its forces time to regroup after 17 grinding months of war. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Alistair Bell) At a meeting with African leaders, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has said that Russia withdrew its army from Kyiv last year because it was "asked to do so to create conditions" for signing a peace treaty. Source: Putin quoted by Russian Telegram channels Astra and Sota Quote: "Essentially, a draft of this [peace ed.] agreement was agreed upon. But after the withdrawal of our troops from near Kyiv, which we were asked to do to create conditions for the conclusion of the final agreement, the Kyiv authorities rejected all previous agreements." Details: The Sota Telegram channel pointed out that the fragment with Putin's statements about the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kyiv had disappeared from the Kremlin's Telegram channel, although it was originally present in the video, and is not currently available in the textual transcript on the Kremlin's website. In July 2022, Putin already claimed that the Russians withdrew from the Ukrainian capital "to create conditions for negotiations". Background: During a meeting with African leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Ukraine's "neutral status" is of fundamental importance to Russia. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Russian pomp and circumstance greeted 17 leaders of African countries who arrived in St. Petersburg earlier this week. Some delegations were welcomed with a military orchestra, and Zimbabwes president received a helicopter as a gift from President Vladimir Putin. Putin billed Russias second summit with African leaders and delegates as a crucial event to boost ties and partnership for many years to come. For Russia, the event was a battle for influence and allies, and showed how isolated Russia could become in the shadow of its invasion of Ukraine. We see the same, reciprocal interest to act together, hand in hand, on the part of our African friends, Putin said. International powers have long been attracted to Africas wealth of raw materials and minerals, such as copper and gold. The war has also renewed global interest in African oil and gas amid sanctions on Russian products. Burkina Faso's Capt. Ibrahim Traore, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, on July 27, 2023. (Sergei Bobylev / TASS Host Photo Agency Pool Photo via AP) But when Putin and delegation leaders stood side by side for the family photo, there were notable absences. Only 17 heads of state were in attendance, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, down sharply from the 43 who participated in the first Russia-Africa summit in Sochi in 2019. Peskov blamed the Wests absolutely unconcealed brazen interference for some African leaders deciding to skip the forum, which ran Thursday and Friday. While pressure from the U.S., France and other countries may have influenced some leaders travel plans, geopolitics and economics were also on the agenda. Almost a year and a half since Russias invasion of Ukraine, food insecurity was high on the summits agenda. Russias invasion of Ukraine has already triggered sharp rises in the price of food and oil, and exacerbated a global food crisis. Days earlier, Russia announced it would suspend its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed food exports to flow from Ukrainian ports, a decision that immediately prompted warnings from international aid agencies about the impact on poorer countries. Story continues Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed African leaders to demand answers from Russia. They know exactly whos to blame for this current situation, Blinken said while on a visit to New Zealand. Under the Black Sea Grain initiative, 57% of the grain from Ukraine went to Africa and Asia, according to the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, making these countries especially vulnerable. So it is no surprise that some leaders urged Putin to revive the grain deal. I am not looking forward to a compromised solution when it comes to the grain deal, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told Putin on Friday. We want one that takes into consideration the needs and benefits of all sides that could stop the continuous climb of the price of grain. Members of delegations examine a weapon exhibition on the sideline of the Russia Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, on July 28, 2023. (Yegor Aleyev / TASS Host Photo Agency Pool Photo via AP) In the summits opening session, Putin announced he would give around 27,000 to 52,000 tons of grain in the next several months to six African nations: Burkina Faso, Mali, Zimbabwe, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Eritrea. He said Western sanctions imposed over the war prevented Russia from supplying fertilizers. Despite Putins promise to deliver grain, some African leaders made it clear the wars ramifications couldnt be ignored. It is important but maybe not enough, Azali Assoumani, president of the Union of Comoros and chair of the African Union, said Friday near the end of the summit. We need to achieve a cease-fire. Because it is always something unpredictable. And the longer [the war] is, the more unpredictable it becomes. Divided African leaders have been divided in their response to the war. Fifteen African countries abstained from voting on a March 2022 United Nations resolution condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine, while two nations voted against the resolution. Experts said their neutral stance stemmed partially from Russias involvement during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union provided funding and military support for several liberation movements, a point that was repeated by several leaders throughout the summit. Russias support during Africas anti-colonial struggles also bolstered political ties with some African nations. Russian and African leaders signed a declaration on the last day of the summit, agreeing to cooperate in seeking compensation for damages caused by colonialism, and the return of cultural artifacts. While [African countries] want to guard their sovereignty, they do not want to choose sides, said Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. They dont want to continue fighting on behalf of Russia either. At the 2019 summit, Putin sought to rekindle relations established during the Cold War and pledged to double trade with African countries to $40 billion in five years. Today, trade has stalled at $18 billion, and Russia is nowhere near one of the continents top trade partners, according to the International Monetary Fund. Ovigwe Eguegu, a policy analyst for Development Reimagined, said Russia relied heavily on political rhetoric to counter Western influence, rather than economic might. Russia thrives in places where theres an opportunity to grow in places with two components: where there is a failing state and where there is some form of disappointment or dissatisfaction with Western solutions, he said. The challenge with Russia-Africa relations is that [Russia] cannot compete on investment. It cannot compete on big infrastructure. So Russias strength is really in political relationships. The summit also put pressure on Russia to gain influence amid competing global interest in Africa, particularly from the U.S. and China. The U.S. hosted its own Africa summit last year, with Biden telling leaders the U.S. was all in on Africas future. China is a dominant source of aid and investment across the continent. This is the real game. You are in a geopolitical competition, and with Africa, everything is up for grabs, Eguegu said. Russian President Vladimir Putin with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on the sidelines of the Russia Africa Summit in St. Petersburg on July 27, 2023. (Mikhail Metzel / TASS Host Photo Agency Pool Photo via AP) But leaders at the summit said they wanted a bigger seat at the table. The continents 54 countries make up the largest voting bloc at the United Nations, and leaders increased their calls for the African Union to become a permanent member of the group of 20 leading rich and industrial nations. They also pressed Putin to move ahead with a peace plan proposed last month to end the war in Ukraine. As Russia competes alongside other major powers for influence, experts said Africa was making it clear it wanted to be an independent geopolitical force. Africans are not interested in being caught in this new wave of power competition, said Dizolele. Africans are interested in the simple question: who brings what to the table. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Credit - Getty Images Our son, Ben (whose name weve kept private at his request) is just a kida shy, squirmy, and anxious preteen who loves Star Wars and sticks close to his mom. But because hes also just a Black kid, Bens not afforded the luxury of losing himself completely in any escapist sci-fi realmnor can he trust that his mom will always be able to protect him. For that reason, hes heard versions of "The Talk" more times than hes seen The Rise of Skywalker. Listen, we began slowly as we offered yet another presentation of The Talk. Ben and his sisters had heard our spiel seven, maybe eight times already. Events demanded a refresher. On Jan. 3, 2023, a Black school teacher from Washington, DC was pulled over while on holiday in Los Angeles. Reacting to what appeared to be a panic attic, LAPD officers tased Keenan Anderson six times in the span of 42 seconds. The vacationing motorist, who pleaded please, sir, dont do this and exclaimed theyre trying to George Floyd me, died several hours later. Then, on January 7, 2023, Memphis police stopped Tyre Nichols for alleged reckless driving. The officers issued dozens of contradictory and unachievable orders, and then brutally and lethally beat the twenty-nine-year-old man. Amid the chaos and violence, Nichols cried out for his mother, a woman whose home stood a mere 100 yards away. Young. Black. Male. Panic-Stricken. Devoted to his mother. While we know those attributes apply to so many loving, joyful, and spirited sons, brothers, dads, and husbands, our thoughts turned squarely to Ben. Read More: Tyre Nichols' Killing Is The Result of a Diseased Culture Weve told you this before. But if the police ever stop the car, sit perfectly still, we explain. Dont scream. Dont wiggle. Dont unbuckle your seatbelt. Dont dig into your backpack. Dont reach for Mom! But. No buts. Our lawyerly middle child is a tireless and inventive debater. He tried again: But. Story continues Listen, theres nothing to argue. We just need your help to get through a situation like this. The barrister-in-training wasnt done. Wait. His face lit up. Ben had the answer; at least he thought he did. With theatrics reserved for the likes of a Jedi Perry Mason, Ben slowly rolled up his sleeves to show us his rail-thinand walnut-coloredarms. Look, he insisted, its possible theyll think Im White. You guys see it, right? Right? Our faces made clear we were anything but bowled over. Still, our Padawan persisted, selling it the best he could. We wanted to credit his ingenuity and his survival instincts. But we couldnt indulge him. Deflated, horrified, and simply saddened, all we could do was shake our heads. Maybe we can let them know Im biracial? Maybe theylltheyll just know! Ben was now bargaining, urgently, pathetically. He stared intently at his unmistakably White dad, hoping he would agree to punch his privilege ticket. But I (Jon) just looked down at the floor. I (Toni) was likewise no help. I reminded Ben of what the latter already knew: Hes the spitting image of meand thus unmistakably Black. Ben, you and I the police arent going to give either one of us a pass, I explained. In all of our previous renditions of The Talk, passing never came up. The thought hadnt even crossed our minds, in part because Ben has always identified as Black and in part because we never thought he could get away with it. And, in all of our previous renditions, we never brought up WileyBens maternal great-grandfather. When Wiley began practicing law in the Jim Crow South, hed regularly receive frantic calls. Someones son, brother, or cousin had been arrestedon trumped-up chargesand was now being held in a backwater county jail. Knowing itd prove unhelpful (and likely dangerous) for a young Black attorney to barge into those sheriffs offices demanding justice, Wiley worked the phones. Pretending to be just another good ol boy on the other end of the line, Wiley laid it on thick. Mimicking the patois of the White men who so strenuously opposed his bar admission, Wiley introduced himself as a country lawyer from up a-ways. Hed ask hows the fishin down there, feign excitement about huntin season, and commiserate with the sheriff over no-good civil rights agitators stirring up our Blacks. Then, and only then, did he get down to business. Wiley claimed that the detainee in question was kin to one of his domestics. And this domestic, he advised, was so struck with worry that she was useless around the house. Then came the closing: As one (strongly implied) White man to another, would the sheriff do him a favor and let the boy go. According to family lore, Wileys magic worked every time. That story had always filled Wileys children and grandchildren with pride. This time, though, Bens desperate gambit soured my (Tonis) memory; the customary feeling was now outstripped by heartache. Wileys strategic passing as White in 1950s Arkansas was plucky and daring, a selfless, stopgap measure en route to full racial equality. Thanks to the then-burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, passing would soon be passe. Bens recent plea to pass hit us very differently. His plan was clunky and implausible. Unable to conceal his coloring behind Ma Bells skirt, as Wiley once could thanks to his savvy telephonic advocacy, Ben wasnt going to fool anyone. Whats more, that once-promising future of full racial equality looks far less bright today as powerful strains of White nationalism re-infect our politics and constitutional jurisprudence. (Indeed, since this particular exchange with Ben, weve had to repeat and recast The Talk, now adding doorsteps and ones own home to an ever-expanding list of danger zones.) Todays rollback in civil rights further links Wiley and Ben. Wiley spent his career in the trenches, integrating schools in Little Rock, defending Mississippi Freedom Riders, expanding voting rights in Georgia, and readying the next generation of Black lawyers as Dean of Howard Universitys storied law school. In between Wiley and Ben, theres us. Were the beneficiaries of Wileys battles: The granddaughter of a civil rights lawyer and the grandson of Eastern European refugees; an interracial, interfaith couple whose love blossomed while in school togethersurely the segregationists greatest fearand yielded three wonderful kids. Yet the Wiley-to-Ben link is not shiny and sturdy, but tarnished and frayed. For here we are, living not in the deep red south but in bright blue California, some 70 years later, parents to a young Black male feeling Wileys same sense of urgency to outfox the good ol boys with badges. Contact us at letters@time.com. TOKYO, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Japan's weather agency said a blistering heat wave continued to grip much of Japan on Saturday, with heatstroke alerts issued for 38 prefectures across the country. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said a high-pressure system covering the archipelago drove up temperatures from early morning, and by noon, Ushiku in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, and Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture, registered 37.2 degrees. Daytime highs were expected to reach 39 degrees in Kumagaya City, and 38 degrees in such cities as Kyoto, Saitama, Maebashi and Fukushima, said the JMA. Weather officials warned that the intense heat will continue through Friday next week. A melted glacier revealed the remains of a long-lost German mountain climber this month. Denis Balibouse/Reuters Swiss officials found the body of a climber missing for 37 years after portions of a glacier melted. Just last year, another glacier in Switzerland melted enough to reveal a 1968 plane crash. Glaciers melting, driven by climate change, may result in extreme sea-level rise, experts say. Melting glacier ice a worrying symptom of worsening climate change is leading to the discovery of people thought lost for decades. Earlier this month, Swiss officials found the remains of a German mountain climber missing for almost 37 years after a portion of the Theodul glacier melted, local police said Thursday. The explorer's identity was confirmed using a DNA sample from the human remains, police said. He went missing in 1986 at 38 years old. This is not the first time melting ice has helped solve a cold case. Last summer, thawing ice on the Chessjen glacier in Switzerland revealed the remains of two people who died following a 1968 plane crash, Insider previously reported. Back in 2015, Swiss officials found the remains of two Japanese climbers who went missing in 1970 after a portion of the Matterhorn glacier melted, CNN reported at the time. Experts say melting glaciers could lead to extreme and rapid sea-level rise as the planet continues to warm. Even if the world reduces carbon emissions to meet current climate goals, glaciers worldwide could lose half their mass by the end of the century, a major study published in January in the peer-reviewed journal Science found. Read the original article on Business Insider Picture shows the Mediano reservoir at 25.5% of its capacity due to the ongoing drought, on July 26, 2023 in Mediano, Huesca province. Removing carbon from Earth's atmosphere may not reverse devastating changes to weather patterns in vulnerable areas, a new study suggests. In the study, Korean researchers simulated how removing large quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the air might affect the progress of local climate changes related to global warming. The study, based on computer modeling, examined a hypothetical scenario, in which carbon dioxide concentrations continued to rise from present-day levels for 140 years, then were gradually reduced back to the initial levels over another 140-year period. The researchers were particularly interested in how these changes would affect vulnerable subtropical regions, which are known to suffer from more intense and more frequent droughts as climate change progresses. Related stories: 10 devastating signs of climate change satellites can see from space The study results suggest that the local climate in these areas would not return to normal for more than 200 years after the carbon dioxide concentrations drop. The Mediterranean region, for example, plagued by ever more severe heatwaves, droughts and wildfires , would continue to suffer and could become even drier, the study found. In the study, the researchers modeled the changes to the air circulation pattern called the Hadley Cell, which transports moisture from the equatorial regions toward the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, which lie at about 23.5 degrees north and south of the equator, respectively. Scientists have known for years that the Hadley Cell circulation responds to climate change by expanding toward the poles. The humid air that rises from around the equator gets dumped back to Earth at higher and higher latitudes, causing worsening droughts in subtropical regions. The modeling done by the Korean team found that when carbon dioxide is removed from Earth's atmosphere , the Hadley Cell doesn't recover its original shape and extent even after another 220 years. In the Northern Hemisphere, the area where moisture arrives from tropical regions moves closer to the equator, a shift that could make the Mediterranean region drier than it is today. In the Southern Hemisphere, on the other hand, the cell remains slightly expanded toward the South Pole, possibly altering precipitation patterns over Australia. Story continues Study lead author Seo-Yeon Kim told Space.com that the unpredictable recovery of the crucial atmospheric circulation pattern has to do with the response of the global ocean to the decrease in temperatures prompted by the carbon dioxide removal. "One of the main reasons for this asymmetrical response [of the Hadley Cell] is the different response of the northern and southern oceans," said Kim, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at Seoul National University in South Korea. "It's related to ocean circulation. The response of the ocean is always slower than the removal of the carbon dioxide, and how fast the ocean responds then determines the recovery of the Hadley Cell." In the study, the team used current carbon dioxide levels as a starting point and modeled a scenario in which concentrations by a factor of four before being brought back to the base level. They didn't model a return to the levels that were common in pre-industrial times, before humans began burning fossil fuels. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), concentrations of carbon dioxide rose to 421 parts per million in 2022, more than 50% above the preindustrial era concentrations. Current concentrations of carbon dioxide are even higher than those of the Pliocene Climatic Optimum, a warm period in Earth's history some 4.5 million years ago when sea levels were up to 82 feet (25 meters) higher than they are today, according to NOAA. Despite the warnings of climatologists and political pledges at international conferences, the world still lags behind the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets needed to curb the progress of global warming. The developments are prompting calls that other climate interventions, including active carbon removal , will be necessary to prevent the planet from crossing dangerous warming thresholds. There are various ways to remove carbon dioxide from Earth's atmosphere, ranging from early-stage technologies that suck the warming gas from the air and sequester it in artificial stone to more natural interventions involving reforestation or fertilizing parts of the ocean to promote the growth of algae. Related stories: El Nino is officially here, scientists say Climate change may be changing the color of Earth's oceans Climate change keeps space debris afloat longer Developments around the globe already suggest that climate change is getting out of hand, with Antarctica seeing an unprecedented low sea ice extent during its peak winter period this year, extreme heat waves plaguing parts of Europe and North America and unusually high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean . Kim, however, cautions that the modeling results show that, while carbon removal might reduce temperatures, environmental changes caused by the warming may continue to affect millions of people in vulnerable regions even centuries later. "I think that the main message of our study is that we should reduce carbon dioxide emissions now, because afterwards it gets really difficult," she said. "We cannot control nature, we cannot reverse the consequences that easily; we cannot fix nature." For Donald Trump, loyalty was always key. I value loyalty above everything else, he once wrote. Its a striking reminder for those who now face legal jeopardy for their associations with the former president. This week, the legal risks for two aides whove worked for him in Florida came into sharper view. But their once-overlapping representation is also raising fresh legal and ethics questions based on revelations in the new, or superseding, indictment unsealed Thursday. The initial indictment charged Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, but the new indictment involves a third individual the Mar-a-Lago property manager, Carlos De Oliveira. Its De Oliveiras interactions with yet another Mar-a-Lago employee, the director of information technology, thats raising eyebrows. NBC News has confirmed that person is named Yuscil Taveras, and hes described in the court papers Employee 4. According to prosecutors, after Trumps attorneys were served with a grand jury subpoena requiring he turn over security camera footage from Mar-a-Lago, De Oliveira asked Taveras for a private conversation, where he told him that the boss wanted the server deleted. Taveras balked according to the superseding indictment but De Oliveira pressed for a solution, saying again, the boss wanted the server deleted and what are we going to do? What exactly happened to the server after that point is unclear, but Nauta later calls another unnamed Trump employee and said words to the effect of, someone just wants to make sure Carlos is good. That unnamed employee assures Nauta that De Oliveira is loyal and on the same day, Trump called De Oliveira and told De Oliveira that Trump would get De Oliveira an attorney. Based on Federal Election Commission filings and public reporting, it appears Trump made good on that promise. Trumps PAC paid $189,040 in 2022 to the law firm where De Oliveiras lawyer, John Irving, is a partner. Irving isnt representing De Oliveira alone, and some of that money may be related to other clients. Irving has been reported to represent several others close to Trump, including Peter Navarro, Stephen Miller, GOP Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, and may have other witnesses as clients. When contacted by NBC News, Irving declined to comment about De Oliveiras indictment or his representation. Story continues A corporation paying for its workers lawyers is not unusual, especially where the employees cannot afford counsel on their own. How it operates in practice is a different matter. As a matter of legal ethics you can have a third party paying those legal fees. The lawyer owes the duty of loyalty to the client, not the person paying the fees thats the doctrine, but the reality is sometimes different, says Kathleen Clark, a law professor at Washington University. Stephen Gillers, professor of law at New York University School of Law, says the danger signs are if the organization chooses the attorney for the employee and the worker doesnt get a say in the matter, or the lawyer also represents the organization itself which does not appear to be at issue in the Trump case. The more potentially perplexing conflict of interest is one that arises when a lawyer represents multiple witnesses to a crime, and one of those individuals subsequently faces criminal exposure himself. Its very risky for such a person to be represented by someone who owes loyalty to someone else, Clark explained. Trumps Save America PAC is paying other lawyers like Washington-based attorney Stanley Woodward, who represents people involved in the special counsel's investigation into both Trumps handling of classified materials and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Woodward is currently counsel of record for Nauta, and for some period of time also represented Taveras its unclear if he will going forward. But many details in the superseding indictment leave the strong impression that Taveras is cooperating with the prosecutors in some capacity particularly the evidence surrounding his alleged conversations with De Oliveira about the server. This is not rocket science, Gillers said. You cant represent a cooperator and someone fighting an indictment [like Nauta] in the same transaction. Woodward declined to comment to NBC News. But special counsel Jack Smith might not be willing to take the risk, even if Nauta and Taveras dont object to having Woodward as their attorney. All defendants have a right to effective counsel under the Sixth Amendment, and if either individual later challenged Woodwards representation on appeal and won, Smiths entire case could fall apart. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Asa Ellerup broke her silence Friday after husband Rex Heuermann was charged over a series of killings in New York. Heuermann was arrested earlier this month when a combination of DNA evidence, cell tower data and witness descriptions made him the prime suspect in at least three of the many Long Island killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders. In a press release, Ellerup said she was speaking out on behalf of my family and especially my elderly neighbors, who have also had their lives turned upside down by the enormous police presence, in addition to the spectators, and news crews. They deserve to live peacefully; they should be able to walk their dogs and go to the grocery stores without cameras shoved in their faces, she continued. I am pleading with you all to give us space so that we may regain some normalcy in our neighborhood. Ellerup was spotted outside her home Friday following a weeklong search by authorities, who suspected that her husband kept trophies of his alleged crimes. Heuermann, 59, worked as an architect in Manhattan until mounting evidence led to his arrest. The father of two is accused of killing Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Amber Costello, 27. He is also a suspect in the death of 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes but has yet to be charged in her killing, according to police. All four were found buried on Gilgo Beach over a decade ago. The remains of the young victims, who were identified as online sex workers, were among those of at least 10 people unearthed from the sandy stretch of Ocean Parkway. The string of unsolved killings eventually spawned a bestselling book and 2020 Netflix film. Rex Heuermann's Massapequa Park home became an active crime scene after his arrest. Rex Heuermann's Massapequa Park home became an active crime scene after his arrest. Ellerup filed for divorce less than a week after Heuermann was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder. Bob Macedonio, her lawyer, said Friday that the family is enduring a profound and indescribable catastrophe. Story continues Macedonio previously told Fox News that everything was all still a whirlwind for the family following the shocking allegations. They were home and the cops came in, and they were completely blindsided, and they told them what was going on, he said. Her and her childrens lives have been completely turned upside-down. Investigators say that Heuermann used burner cellphones to contact his victims and lured them to their death under the guise of prospective sex work. Authorities also allege that Heuermann made hundreds of online searches related to rape, torture and child sexual abuse material. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is on suicide watch at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility. Errol Toulon, the county sheriff, told WABC in New York that when he visited Heuermann behind bars, he showed no emotion. Heuermann is next scheduled to appear in court in August. Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website. Related... CHICAGO (AP) Luis Robert Jr. and Jake Burger each homered, Touki Toussaint pitched five innings for his first win and the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 on Friday night to snap a six-game losing streak. Chicagos victory came on the tail end of a day in which it dealt pitchers Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman to continue a deadline selling spree. Its tough seeing some teammates youve had for many years leave and go to a different team, Burger said. But we love the group we have here and can just take it a day at a time and try to go out there and leave it all on the field and not think about anything else. Toussaint (1-3) allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out four. Tanner Banks pitched three innings of two-hit ball and Gregory Santos notched his second save of the year. Hes been really consistent, manager Pedro Grifol said of Toussaint. Hes pounding the strike zone. He looks like a big leaguer out there. Im happy hes here. Im happy we can take a look at him for two months and possibly build with him. Robert hit his 29th homer off Xzavion Curry (3-1) to give Chicago a 1-0 lead in the first. After hitting two homers on Thursday, Burger continued his hot stretch with his 25th homer off Daniel Norris in the sixth, giving the White Sox a 2-0 advantage. Its kind of what I said when I hit my 20th, Burger said. Its a stepping stone to the next goal. Obviously it feels good, but now I want to get to the next milestone. Elvis Andrus, pinch running for Eloy Jimenez, scored from third on a single by Oscar Colas to make it 3-0 in the eighth. Josh Naylor had a double and two singles, accounting for half the Guardians six hits. Clevelands Terry Francona remained one win away from passing Hall of Famer Casey Stengel for the 13th-most wins by a manager in MLB history. DEADLINE DEALS Hours before first pitch, the White Sox dealt right-handers Lynn and Kelly to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a package that sent OF Trayce Thompson and minor league pitchers Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure to Chicago. Story continues The White Sox also traded right-handed reliever Graveman to the Houston Astros for minor league C Korey Lee, and called up RHP Declan Cronin from Triple-A Charlotte. After his latest pair of trades, GM Rick Hahn could sell more before Tuesdays trade deadline. We still have players of interest to other clubs and were still having talks, Hahn said. I dont even know what day it is, but it seems like theres a few days left until the deadline, until we get to Tuesday. So, were going to continue talking, and if theres something that makes sense, well pull the trigger. TRAINERS ROOM White Sox: INF Andrew Vaughn (bone bruise) missed a second consecutive game, but manager Pedro Grifol said he expects him back in the lineup on Saturday. 3B Yoan Moncada (back) took a day off after playing in three straight games since returning from the IL on Tuesday. Hell play on Saturday, Grifol said. The newly acquired Thompson (oblique) is close to returning from the 60-day IL, Hahn said. Guardians: INF Tyler Freeman (shoulder) returned to the lineup in the eighth after missing Thursdays contest. UP NEXT In the third meeting of the four-game series, LHP Logan Allen (4-3, 3.39 ERA) gets the nod for the Guardians. The White Sox have yet to determine a starter amid a deadline shakeup in their rotation. A Fanuc robot demonstrates its reach and dexterity by handling a basketball at the Automate Show in Detroit on May 24, 2023. (Nic Antaya/The New York Times) Digit drew a crowd, even here, in a convention center full of robot aficionados. A humanoid warehouse worker, Digit walked upright on goatlike legs and grabbed bins off a shelf with muscular arms made from aerospace-grade aluminum. It then placed the boxes on an assembly line and walked back to the shelf to search for more. The crowd, which had assembled at ProMat, the premier trade show for the manufacturing and supply chain industry, held up phones and watched, a little quiet, wondering if at some point the robot would teeter and fall. It did not. Digit, made by Oregon-based Agility Robotics, is the kind of technology that people have worried about for generations: a machine with the strength and adroitness to rival our own, and the ability to take our jobs, or much worse. Then ChatGPT came online, and suddenly the fear was of something smarter rather than stronger malevolent bots rather than metallic brutes. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times The automaton is still coming. It might not be ready to take over the Amazon warehouse yet, but the long-anticipated robot revolution has begun, accelerated in large part by the pandemic and the thunderous growth of e-commerce. Machines like Digit are ready to take over a vast swath of physical labor, from operating forklifts to doing the laundry. Ron Kyslinger thinks this is a good thing. Kyslinger, an engineer who has spearheaded automation for some of the largest retailers in the world, including Amazon and Walmart, is passionate about the potential of robots to improve the quality of life for workers. Robots free humans from boredom, repetition, physical strain and productivity limits that can put their jobs at risk, he believes. He also believes that Americans have a prejudice against automation because of movies like The Terminator, inhibiting them from adapting to technology in ways both beneficial and inevitable. Kyslinger, 56, is currently a consultant for companies hoping to increase automation, and his services are in high demand. Known for his ability to see the big picture not just in a warehouse full of whirring machines but across the global landscape of automation, he is blunt and methodical, and can be somewhat robotic himself in his personal manner. He is often hired to diagnose problems and tell a board or CEO how it really is. Story continues And how it really is right now, in Kyslingers opinion, is that the world is on the brink of enormous changes when it comes to the presence of robots at work. I dont think people really understand where we are, he told me. Were just scratching the surface. Use of robots by big brands, retailers and movers of goods accelerated significantly after 2019. According to the Association for Advancing Automation, robot orders in North America jumped 42% during the pandemic after essentially being flat over the previous five years. The shift has taken place largely out of sight, inside an archipelago of windowless warehouses across the Southeast and Midwest, helping companies to avoid inflaming the taboo against replacing human workers with machines. Some are reluctant to even discuss automation. Americans have long felt ambivalent toward automation. The country that invented such job-killers as the dishwasher and the combine also produced the likes of Philip K. Dick and James Cameron, artists whose dystopian visions helped breed lasting anxiety toward robots. Over the last few years, significant resources have been thrown at making robots profitable and this is paying off. More companies are competing to solve the problems that have traditionally come with automation, and many are succeeding. People are finally making money, said Samuel Reeves, CEO of FORT Robotics, a Philadelphia startup focused on robot safety. Youve got legit work being done by mobile autonomous robots. And thats only in the past two or three years. Interest skyrocketed during the pandemic and helped create relatively low-cost automation systems that companies can install very quickly, said Ash Sharma, managing director of Interact Analysis, which surveys trends in automation. Weve seen billions of dollars flying into this sector, he said. Yet the use of robots in most countries remains relatively low, suggesting that a true reckoning with their social impact lies ahead. The United States ranked ninth in robot density in 2021, down from seventh in 2020, according to the International Federation of Robotics. By contrast, in East Asia, where the aging of populations has long bred fears of worker shortages, robots have been embraced. The United States has its own problems with aging workers, however, especially in heavy industries like manufacturing, where baby boomers form an outsize part of the workforce. The pandemic took somewhere between 1 1/2 to 3 million people out of work, said Joseph Campbell, senior marketing manager for Universal Robots. A lot of boomers who were planning to work past 65 said 62 is good enough. Its scary. If a transition to a robotic workforce is underway, managing it is likely to fall to a small group of industry veterans such as Kyslinger. Almost 20 years ago, he was one of a small number of robot boosters who built the paradigm, and to see it today through his eyes is to see where it may be headed next. He has his concerns about people, not robots. Whats Best for Humanity At ProMat, which took place over four days in March inside Chicagos McCormick Place convention center, Digit was the undisputed star. The scene looked, for the most part, like a kid-friendly science fiction movie, a robot bazaar where the machines move slowly, say excuse me and execute limited tasks like picking up objects and dropping them. However, some robots sat inside plexiglass cages. You dont want to go in there, Kyslinger said, pointing at one. That thing will knock you on your butt. ProMats 51,000 attendees a glad-handing throng of well-groomed, middle-aged white male faces attached to monogrammed backpacks and fancy sneakers ambled from one exhibit to the next like visitors at a zoo. The crowd included buyers from major retailers and consumer goods companies, as well as venture capitalists and engineers. At one booth for a robot picker, I told one of the few women seemingly within miles that I was writing an article about a guy named Ron. Oh, really, she said, looking fatigued. There are a lot of Rons here. Kyslinger floated through this milieu like a celebrity entering a restaurant, barely able to move without being accosted. Welcome to Rons world, one attendee whispered to me above the whine of micro-motors. Rons the OG of automation, another said. Kyslinger blushed at the attention. I dont love talking about me, he said a bit gruffly. He had agreed to share his passion for and concerns about automation in the interest of whats best for humanity. Kyslinger, who grew up in western Pennsylvania and was a curveball-throwing right-hander for the University of Pittsburgh, majored in computer science in college. Practice was at 5 a.m., so he got up at 3:30 and went to the computer lab. After graduating in 1989, he went into the automotive world, where, starting as a controls engineer, he spent 23 years working for Chrysler, Ford and Honda. Car companies were among the first to embrace automation, replacing humans with crude, often dangerous robots on assembly lines. In the 1980s, robots were a rare example of the U.S. car industrys using technology to think ahead. But in some ways, industry experts believe, they set robotics back. Everything we sold was to take labor out, said Campbell of Universal Robots. Everything was to replace a worker. That was the impression, and at that point it was the truth. For Kyslinger, who today lives near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, working for a Japanese car company was a formative experience. He admired what he saw as Japanese cultures disciplined approach to complex problems and wrote a masters thesis on the different working environments at Honda and Ford. In 2011, Kyslinger moved to an industry trying even more aggressively to automate industrial workspaces: food distribution. At C&S Wholesale Grocers, the nations largest grocery distributor, he designed a warehouse in which robots traveling 30 mph filled up pallets destined for supermarkets. C&S is a little-known company that has a hand in transporting an outsized portion of the nations food. (If it belongs on a supermarket shelf, its probably moving through a C&S warehouse right now, the New Hampshire-based company likes to say.) Under Kyslinger, C&S pioneered warehouses with so few human workers that they came close to the industry goal of lights out, meaning the ability to operate in darkness, minus human eyes. Today Kyslinger says lights out is getting really close. As we walked the floor of ProMat, he identified robots that were closing the gap with humans and in some cases outperforming them. Squashing Q-Tips On the whole, Kyslinger is not easily impressed. He called the robot trade show full of bits and pieces of the future many parts make my brain hurt. Nevertheless, somewhat begrudgingly, he pointed out some highlights: A robotic arm with a kind of gripper that approached the versatility of human fingers. A visual sensor that had made progress in discerning the glare on a plastic wrapper from an object it contained. A sorter that excelled at finding the ideal geometry inside a cardboard box for items of different shapes, whether toothpaste, tuna fish or a teddy bear. Kyslinger seemed more interested in explaining what robots cant do. As a former computer programmer, he was decidedly unfazed by ChatGPT, the chatbot powered by artificial intelligence. People are looking for it to be the Holy Grail, he said, but its only as good as the people who programmed it. At another booth, we watched a cobot short for collaborative robot as it placed items inside a droid-like autonomous mobile robot zipping to and fro. Cobots are supposed to be harmless, but this machines Japanese manufacturer, Fanuc, a longtime provider of robotic arms to carmakers, had put it inside a cage anyway. Its writhing octopus-like appendages were hypnotic, but as soon as we started watching it, one of its end effectors (robot-speak for hands) failed to grip a box of Q-Tips and dropped it on the floor, where the autonomous mobile robot ran over it. See? Kyslinger said. The cobot was shut down so an attendant could enter the cage and remove the now-flattened Q-Tips. Kyslinger called this not a defect but an edge case, the kind of routine mistake that makes human intervention inevitable. It showed why getting to lights out in e-commerce will be a struggle. They probably taught the robot how to do this thousands of times in their lab, he said. Then they bring it out here and it still misses. We walked on, with Kyslinger being greeted at every turn. At one booth he stopped in his tracks. By now we had passed robotic lift trucks stacking boxes, robot sentry dogs with thermal and acoustic sensors, and robots unloading trailers. (At Automate, another industry event, we watched a Fanuc robotic arm twirl around 2,200-pound objects as if they were pizzas.) None of those moments, however, really made Kyslingers pupils widen. That catches my eye, he said. It was a Shelby Cobra, made in 1967 and retrofitted for racing. A car. Fear of Our Own Creation One of Kyslingers many consulting clients wandering the ProMat floor was Samuel Reeves, a roboticist from Philadelphia. Reeves, now 40, began working on a company he called Humanistic Robotics in the mid-2000s, shortly after he graduated from college. It was devoted to land mine removal, the kind of extreme task that robots have long been assigned. Humanistic Robots used a construction vehicle to build a 10,000-pound minesweeping robot that could move on its own. And we were immediately terrified of it, Reeves said. He then founded FORT Robotics, born of our fear of our own creation. He expressed the same kind of terror and regret that artificial intelligence creators have been voicing. FORT Robotics is a robotic-controlled platform, according to Reeves, and one of only a few companies focused on preventing robots from mauling workers, which Reeves called a disaster waiting to happen. In the last generation of automation, people were just really trying to get machines out there that worked, Reeves said. There have to be huge innovations to improve safety so that machines can run autonomously and faster around humans and at a lower price point. He added that safety-rated scanners are incredibly expensive like $10,000 a pop. Kyslinger echoed Reeves concerns. Ive seen robots go horribly wrong, he told me. In one warehouse owned by a company he advised, a robot essentially clobbered a worker, breaking several bones. A technician had accidentally disabled its safety features. Human error causes problems, not robot error, Kyslinger said, noting that airplane crashes have declined sharply since autopilot was introduced. The robot does what its told to do no more, no less. People think of The Terminator, he added, but that stuff cant happen when you have safety protocols. Such protocols can include bifurcating a robots safety controls so that two humans would have to agree to the sort of change that would put workers near the robot at risk. Safety concerns have made cobots one of the fastest-growing segments of industrial automation. A cobot can hit you, but it cant hurt you, Kyslinger said. It knows youre there. It senses youre there and stops. Robots Show Up In 2018, before the pandemic unleashed a torrent of pressure on companies to automate, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology commissioned a task force on The Work of the Future. The task force concluded that no compelling evidence suggests that technological advances are driving us toward a jobless future. On the contrary, it anticipated more job openings than workers to fill them. Nevertheless, it argued, the implications of robotics and automation for workers will not be benign. The pandemic laid bare vulnerabilities that have come from hollowing out U.S. manufacturing capabilities, said one of the task forces co-chairs, Elisabeth Reynolds, an MIT lecturer who went on to serve as a special assistant for manufacturing and economic development on the National Economic Council. Automation is going to help us make the transition to an advanced manufacturing center, while helping with a long-term shortage of workers. Another co-chair, professor David Mindell, agreed, calling the recent changes potentially positive for workers but only if the widespread incorporation of robots leads to the creation of new industries and new kinds of jobs. Sixty percent of the jobs in the Department of Labor database did not exist in 1940, Mindell said over Zoom. You know, web designer, massage therapist, dog walker, aerodynamic simulations engineer. We have to make sure that were continuing to create those kinds of jobs. At ProMat, Kyslinger and I eventually came to Digit, the humanoid warehouse worker. We watched Digit work itself into a crouch so it could pick up a bin near the floor. You dont want people bending over to lift from down there, Kyslinger said. Thats where injuries occur, in their backs, in their necks. Still, the machine was moving slowly slower than most humans. Kyslinger studied its movements, seemingly unimpressed. A lot of algorithms go into that, he said. Humans do those things without even thinking. But, he added, to be an improvement over humans, machines dont need to be faster. Robots show up every day, he said. c.2023 The New York Times Company Powerful thunderstorms are expected to erupt across the central United States in the coming days, bringing with them the potential for damaging winds, massive hail and flash flooding. A dome of high pressure firmly established over the Four Corners and southern Plains regions will yield a weather pattern that will dictate the storms' trajectories across the center of the nation. As the heat dome holds strong, it will continue to result in scorching temperatures and soaring humidity levels across the southern Plains. The combination of ample heat and high humidity will yield the perfect recipe for thunderstorms farther north that can stretch from the Front Range through the Plains and into the Midwest. Saturday morning, a dangerous complex of thunderstorms rolled through Nebraska, producing damaging wind gusts in places like Grand Island and Lincoln. These storms continued southeastward through the day, with damaging winds continuing across north-central Missouri and into western Kentucky. Progressing through this week, many of the same areas that faced the threat of severe weather over the weekend will continue to reside within the danger zone. The severe thunderstorm threat this week is expected to feature a heightened flood risk in addition to all other hazards that come along with severe thunderstorms. This heightened risk will come along from a boost in available moisture from an uptick in monsoon activity across the Southwest. Thunderstorms on Monday are expected to develop across portions of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska with some residents in that zone facing a moderate risk for severe storms Monday afternoon and night. Another batch of thunderstorms could erupt farther east on Monday, including areas from eastern Nebraska and southern Iowa into Louisiana. As monsoon thunderstorms blossom across the Four Corners and Central Rockies early this week, these too will ride around the fringes of the heat dome in the days to follow. Story continues This thunderstorm activity can regenerate for several days, so it is imperative to be prepared for the possibility of multiple storm rounds, and take necessary precautions to stay safe. The constant barrage of thunderstorms riding along the northern periphery of the heat dome early this week is expected to squash the heat farther south by mid- to late week. This can shift the corridor of thunderstorm activity farther south as well, bringing rain chances back into Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer. The Cinemark Century Riverpark movie theater at The Collection in north Oxnard in 2020. Police responded to a gunshot victim near a parking structure behind the theater Friday night. Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies: Police respond to gunshot victim at Riverpark Oxnard Police Department officers responded to a gunshot victim at a parking structure in the Collection shopping center in the Riverpark community Friday night. The incident was reported around 8:50 p.m. in the 2700 block of Riverpark Boulevard, with Oxnard firefighters and ambulance personnel also responding. The 15-year-old male victim was found in the first floor of the structure with a single gunshot wound in his lower leg. The wound was not life-threatening. The teen was taken by ambulance to a hospital and said to be in stable condition. The shooting was reported behind the Cinemark Century Riverpark movie theater, between the theater and the parking structure, said police Sgt. John McBride. As of 10:20 p.m. no arrests had been made but several subjects had been detained. The investigation is ongoing and the incident appeared to involve juveniles, McBride said. No additional details about potential suspects or conditions that preceded the gunfire were provided in a news release issued late Friday night, and no further information was available Saturday morning. The department asked anyone with information to contact Detective Steve Eckman at 805-385-7641 or at steve.eckman@oxnardpd.org. Information can also be reported online at oxnardpd.org under the report suspicious activity link, or submitted anonymously through Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. Friday's incident was the second this week to bring a large response to the north Oxnard shopping center. On Tuesday night, the movie theater was evacuated when a man reportedly brandished a stun gun and yelled during a showing of "Oppenheimer." No one was injured and the 62-year-old suspect was arrested. Ventura police arrest suspected shooter Detectives with the Ventura Police Department arrested a man Thursday they believe is responsible for three recent shooting incidents in the Montalvo area. Story continues The department is also seeking information from the public as officers continue to investigate. The first incident took place on June 8 at around 11 p.m. in the 2300 block of Peacock Avenue, when the suspect allegedly several times into a vehicle. No one was in the vehicle at the time. The second took place on July 22 around 3:30 a.m. at Peacock Avenue and Whippoorwill Street. A delivery driver was reportedly confronted by the suspect as the driver was leaving the area. The suspect shot several times at the delivery driver, striking his car as he left, according to police. On Monday at around 8 a.m., the suspect allegedly fired several rounds at an occupied vehicle parked near Peacock and Bristol Road, then fled on foot. No one was injured during any of the shootings, said police Cmdr. Rick Murray. The department's gang unit identified the 36-year-old man, described as a documented gang member, as the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant. Detectives located the man around 2 p.m. Thursday in the 6300 block of Bristol Road. He reportedly resisted arrest and was found with a concealed handgun. As a convicted felon, the suspect is barred from having firearms and ammunition. The man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at an occupied vehicle and various firearms-related felonies. He remained in Ventura County jail custody Friday with bail set at $120,000. Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call Detective Anthony Reginato at 805-339-4466. Oxnard man convicted in sex crimes case Victor Villanueva Legaria Jurors convicted an Oxnard man in a felony sex crimes case involving an underage victim. Victor Villanueva Legaria, 33, was found guilty of two counts of lewd acts on a child younger than 14 and one count of lewd acts on a child age 14 or 15, all felonies, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office reported. The jury also found true special allegations, including that Legaria took advantage of a position of trust. Legaria, who knew the victim, sexually abused her multiple times between 2016 and 2020, starting when the girl was 11, according to prosecutors. She reported the abuse to a family member in 2020, when the Oxnard Police Department was called in and launched an investigation. Deputy DA Twyla Atmore, who prosecuted the case, said in a release that sexual abuse of a child, by its nature, always occurs in secret. "Thanks to the bravery of one young woman, her abuser was brought out of the dark to face justice," Atmore said. Legaria's sentencing hearing is scheduled for the morning of Aug. 21 in room 45 of Ventura County Superior Court. Shoplifting sting brings 3 felony arrests A rash of unreported thefts at a north Oxnard shopping center prompted police to conduct a shoplifting sting Thursday. Three felony arrests were made during the operation, the Oxnard Police Department said in a news release Friday. Thursday's operation was carried out at the Marketplace at Oxnard in the 1800 block of Ventura Boulevard. The center along the north side of Highway 101 is near the Oxnard Auto Mall. Police officers worked with the department's organized retail crime investigators during peak hours to contact people believed to be actively stealing from businesses. The department had recently learned businesses at the center have had a large number of unreported thefts. One totaled losses during 2022 at $700,000, according to police. During Thursday's sting, two women, age 22 and 47, and a man, 36, were arrested on suspicion of felony theft offenses. All three are Oxnard residents. Police recovered more than $3,000 worth of merchandise. Residents and businesses with information about thefts or other crime are asked to call the police department at 805-385-7600. Items may be updated. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Oxnard police investigate shooting at Riverpark, more news Zaporizhzhya NPP Occupying Russian troops have kidnapped and continue to torture a worker of Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Serhiy Potynha, Ukraines nuclear operator Energoatom said in a Facebook post on July 28. "More than a month ago, on June 23, the invaders kidnapped Serhiy Potynha, an occupational safety engineer at Zaporizhzhya NPP," the message states. Read also: Russia planning to seize homes in Enerhodar to house Russian workers for Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant HUR Since the Russian occupation, Potynha has remained in Enerhodar and worked at the plant. It is reported that he was seen at the police department, where the Russians are holding the residents of Enerhodar and ZNPP employees. His family has confirmed that Serhiy is alive. Read also: Energoatom chief explains how Kakhovka dam explosion affects safety at Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant While in the Russian captivity, Sergey regularly suffers torture and physical violence, the message adds. After each torture session, the invaders send the engineer to the hospital so that he does not die. The Russians have not yet brought any charges against the man but continue to torture him, according to Energoatom. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Russian forces attacked the front-line town of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast with KAB guided bombs over the past day, the regional police department reported on July 29. No casualties were reported, while a five-story residential building and houses were damaged in the attack. The police didnt mention the quantity and the type of the KAB guided bomb Russian forces used against Orikhiv. Russia's KAB smart bombs, ranging from KAB-250 and KAB-500 to KAB-1500, can be laser-guided or satellite-guided. The KAB-500L, equipped with a high-explosive warhead, is frequently used in Russia's war against Ukraine, although multiple versions of KAB bombs have been used. Read also: Russias new guided bombs pose increasingly serious threat to Ukraine The Zaporizhzhia Oblast police said in total, Russian forces had launched 46 attacks with guided bombs, artillery, and multiple rocket launchers, targeting 16 settlements in the region over the past day. The report slightly contradicts the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Yurii Malashko, who reported on the morning of July 29 that Russian forces launched 46 attack against 18 settlements over the past day. Malashko said Russian struck Orikhiv with two guided bombs, without mentioning the type. Orikhiv is a frequent target of Russian attacks since the town is located in the southeastern part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, close to the front line. It is also one of the staging points for Kyivs counteroffensive to the south. Read also: Ukraines counteroffensive lurches forward: Key moment looms as more forces committed Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. ISLAMABAD, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani security forces on Saturday claimed to have killed three terrorists earlier this week in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said in a statement that the armed forces conducted two separate operations in the province's Khyber and the South Waziristan districts. The ISPR said an exchange of fire took place between security personnel and terrorists in the Bagh area of Khyber, leading to the killing of a terrorist on Thursday. On Friday, the security forces encountered a group of terrorists in the Gomal Zam area of South Waziristan and killed two terrorists of a banned outfit, added the ISPR. The armed forces also confiscated guns, ammunition, explosives, hand grenades, material to develop improvised explosive devices and suicide jackets, satellite communication systems, night vision equipment and rockets. The media wing said the killed terrorists had been actively involved in carrying out terrorist activities against security forces and killing innocent civilians. Russian forces shelled six communities in Sumy Oblast on July 28, firing over 85 rounds from various types of weapons, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on Facebook. According to the post, Russia shelled the Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Hlukhiv, Druzhbivka, Seredyna-Buda, and Myropillia communities. Russian troops used mortars and unguided aircraft missiles to attack the Bilopillia community, while the Hlukhiv and Druzhbivka communities were targeted with artillery and grenade launchers. No casualties have been reported following the shelling. There was no information on the damage in the region at the time of the publication. Sumy Oblast is located on Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia. It has been the target of daily Russian shelling and attacks from across the border since parts of the oblast were liberated from Russian troops in early April 2022. Read also: Update: 9 injured in Russian missile strike on Dnipro Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian forces shelled the city of Nikopol and the Marhanets community overnight on July 29, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak reported on Telegram. There were no casualties, according to the governor. In the meantime, rescue operation in Dnipro following Russia's missile strike on the city, concluded after 3 a.m. local time. Nine people were wounded in the attack, including two children, and this number remains the same. Nobody was killed in the missile strike, according to Lysak. Dnipro, a city of one million people in central Ukraine, was hit at around 8:30 p.m. on July 28 following an air raid siren. According to the footage provided by witnesses to the Kyiv Independent, as well as footage shared on social media, an apartment building in the city sustained heavy damage. Four other apartment buildings were damaged in the attack, as well as seven cars, Lysak reported. The headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was also damaged. The region has experiences numerous Russian attacks, including missile strikes, since February, 2022. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Dnipro with missiles, at least 5 injured . Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russia has entered a dangerous new phase of its war against Ukraine since it exited the Black Sea grain deal earlier this month, weaponizing global food exports, stepping up attacks on Ukrainian ports and cities and increasing the risk of spillover into NATO countries. Russias escalation is unlikely to deter the U.S. and allies from following through on delivering F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles to Ukraine in the coming months, which Moscow has repeatedly warned against. But it comes as Ukraine is struggling to make major gains in its grinding counteroffensive, and Russias strategy appears aimed at straining U.S. and European partners who have provided billions in assistance to Ukraine over the course of 16 months. Certainly, its an escalation, said Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations and who served as a senior director for Russia on the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush. Russia, I think, is clearly making an effort to continue to deepen the damage to the Ukrainian economy, he added. It has implications for Ukraines ability to continue the war effort, it raises concerns about attacks on NATO territory so its a reason to be concerned. Since pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal July 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin has targeted attacks on Ukraines southern city of Odesa, damaging the seaport and grain storage facilities and hitting residential and historical buildings, including an Orthodox cathedral. The grain deal, negotiated by the United Nations and Turkey, allowed for the export of Ukrainian grain through a Russian blockade on the Black Sea, clearing the way for 33 million metric tons of foodstuffs to move across the world, largely to developing countries, since it took effect in July 2022. But now, Putin is warning he views commercial ships in the Black Sea as legitimate military targets. The U.S. and the United Kingdom are warning Russia is plotting false flag operations, covertly mining the sea with the purpose of blaming Ukraine for any explosions. Story continues NATO and member countries bordering Ukraine are on high alert. Russia bears full responsibility for its dangerous and escalatory actions in the Black Sea region, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday during a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council. Russias actions also pose substantial risks to the stability of the Black Sea region, which is of strategic importance to NATO, he added. Allies are stepping up support to Ukraine and increasing our vigilance. We remain ready to defend every inch of Allied territory from any aggression. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Monday condemned a Russian attack on a civilian port on the Danube River in Ukraine near his country, tweeting that the escalation pose[s] serious risks to the security in the Black Sea. And Putin last week delivered a threat to NATO member Poland, accusing Warsaw of having designs on Belarus and saying an attack against Minsk would trigger a response from Moscow. Poland is dispatching an additional 1,000 troops to its borders with Belarus, concerned over Wagner mercenary forces exiled to the country after retreating from a short-lived rebellion against Moscow in June. Mary Beth Long, who served as assistant secretary of Defense during the George W. Bush administration, said Russia is seeking to maximize pressure on Kyiv and its allies in the lead-up to a slowdown of military operations by the winter. You cant escalate your way in or out of this, I think both sides know that. But theres more consequences to Ukraine because Russia is bigger, Russia is willing to strike civilians and its infrastructure, and it has shown that it can successfully do so, she said. Theres no real consequences to Russia, from Ukraine or NATO, theres no penalty to be paid for that, so that clears the way for him [Putin] to continue to not only strike against critical infrastructure and these nodes but to expand it. Long warned that Russia views the month of August as the best opportunity to inflict the most damage without a coherent response from the West, as American lawmakers are absent from Capitol Hill, European capitals are similarly quiet and NATO has no major meetings. I think Russias made the assessment that it has freedom of movement, in the next couple of months in particular, she said. It is doing everything it can to set the playing field before winter and it will continue to do so. While Russia is ramping up military tensions in the Black Sea, experts said its withdrawal from the grain deal is focused on the economic realm: sanctions relief and increasing trade. Russia really wants to make a deal, said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the International Security Program of the Center for Security and International Security (CSIS). The difficult trade-offs for the U.S. and the West are not going to be the military equipment ones, but the ones about economics and sanctions. Are we willing to ease those restrictions in the interests of opening up grain shipments? he asked. Putin has long criticized the deal as failing to meet his demands for the export of Russian grains and fertilizer and has given little to no signal that hes open to rejoining the agreement. During a meeting with African leaders in St. Petersburg on Thursday, the Russian president committed to delivering nearly 300,000 tons of grain to six African countries free of charge. The Russian president is also calling for sanctions relief on Russias agricultural bank, Rosselkhozbank, wanting it reconnected to the SWIFT international payment network. Absent Moscows cooperation, the options for shipping grain out of Ukraine are not attractive. While Ukraine is shipping grain and foodstuffs by rail and road, that amount is hundreds of thousands of tons less than can be moved through the Black Sea. The U.K. Ministry of Defense tweeted Wednesday that Russias Black Sea Fleet is altering its position in preparation to enforce a blockade against Ukraine, warning the potential for the intensity and scope of violence in the area to increase. Still, Cancian from the CSIS was optimistic that a solution surrounding grain exports from Ukraine would be reached in a relatively short time frame. Theyre likely to make a deal in a week or so, he said. This is, I think, unlikely to sort of linger for weeks or months. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Russian ammo depot explodes in occupied Crimea's Kozacha Bay A Russian army ammunition depot exploded in the Kozacha Bay in Sevastopol in occupied Crimea at approximately 10.00 p.m. on July 28, Ukrainian military intelligence has said. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense or HUR released a video capturing audio of the intense explosions that occurred during the incident. Witnesses reported hearing two initial explosions, followed by a series of detonations as the ammunition depot was engulfed in the chaos. In response to the emergency, several ambulances and police units shortly arrived at the scene. Ukrainian intelligence revealed that the 810th separate brigade of the Russian marines is stationed in the Kozacha Bay area, where the incident occurred. Read also: Ukrainian troops to enter Crimea soon says Budanov The HUR confirmed that the explosions and detonations were the result of sabotage within the Russian ammunition warehouse. In recent weeks, explosions at military facilities under Russian occupation in Crimea have seen a surge in frequency. Notably, on July 24, explosions were reported at the airfield in the village of Vesele near Dzhankoy, and on July 22, similar incidents occurred at the Oktyabrske airfield, where an estimated three tons of artillery shells were reportedly stored, according to Russian media. Read also: Russia admits Crimean Bridge repairs will take longer as Ukraine vows it will never be the same Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Russian forces attacked nine Ukrainian regions (oblasts) over the past day, injuring at least 14 people, regional officials reported on July 29. Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, and Sumy oblasts all came under attack. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, at least nine people were injured, including two teenagers of 14 and 17 year old, in the Russian missile strike against Dnipro on July 28, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak reported. Russian forces launched Iskander missiles at Dnipro, hitting the regional headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and a nearby apartment building. The SBU building was reportedly empty. The apartment building was newly-built and had no tenants yet, the city mayor said earlier. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said earlier that at least five people were wounded "during the attack on a high-rise building" but did not specify whether they were inside the structure at the moment of the attack. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine clarified that the upper floors of the 12-story building were damaged, and a fire was put out in the second building. In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces attacked the region 29 times with 126 shells, including 11 shells launched on the city of Kherson itself. Russians hit 14 settlements, including the village of Novoberyslav, where a 41-year-old was injured when Russian forces shelled a residential building. A Russian missile strike on the village of Kozatske injured a 57-year-old in their home. Four people in total were wounded by Russian attacks in the Kherson Oblast over the past day. In Donetsk Oblast, a Russian attack wounded one civilian, according to local authorities. The oblasts of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, and Sumy came under attack but local officials reported no casualties. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces liberate Staromaiorske village in southeast, reportedly ramp up counteroffensive Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A Russian missile struck open ground in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing two and wounding one civilian, Anatoliy Kurtiev, secretary of the city council, reported on July 29. The two killed were a woman and a man, according to Kurtiev, adding that first responders quickly reached the site of the attack. Windows of multi-story buildings, a local educational institution and a supermarket, were damaged, Kurtiev said in his Telegram post. The latest missile strike on Zaporizhzhia comes as Russia intensifies its attacks against civilians in central-eastern Ukraine. On June 28, Russian forces struck Dnipro, wounding nine people including two children. The attack also damaged an apartment building and the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Yurii Malashko reported early on July 29 that Russian forces launched 46 attacks against 18 settlements over the past day. According to the July 29 report of the regional police department, Russian forces attacked the front-line town of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast with KAB-guided bombs over the past day. No casualties were reported. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Dnipro with missiles, at least 5 injured Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. On 28 July, the Russian occupiers lost more than two companies of soldiers on the Tavriia front in killed and wounded. Source: Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Commander of the Tavriia Operational and Strategic Group of Forces, on Telegram Quote: "Work continues on the Tavriia front. The defence forces are systematically driving the enemy out and are having some success. In particular, Ukrainian troops have liberated Staromaiorske in Donetsk Oblast and are consolidating their positions. Over the last day, enemy losses in killed and wounded amounted to more than two companies. Nineteen units of enemy military equipment were destroyed. In particular, two tanks, four armoured combat vehicles, a D-20 machine gun, a Supercam UAV, a Zala UAV, an Elenor UAV, a 2A36 Giatsynt-B machine gun and vehicles were destroyed. Also, eight enemy ammunition storage points were destroyed." Details: Tarnavskyi also said that on 27 July, the Russians attacked Ukrainian positions on the Tavriia front 17 times and fired 666 times, while artillery units of the Defence Forces carried out 1,510 fire missions. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Russian forces shelled a grain terminal in the Beryslav area in Kherson Oblast overnight on July 28, local authorities reported. Russian military carried out 29 attacks on the oblast using mortars, artillery, tanks, aircraft and UAVs, targeting residential buildings and wounding four people. Russian forces shelled the city of Kherson 11 times in the past days. In the morning of July 29, Russian troops shelled the village of Vesele. Vesele is a village of 19 people that sits across the river from the Russian-occupied city of Nova Kakhovka. A 66-year-old woman was injured by the attack. The city and the oblast have become the daily target of Russian forces, garrisonned on the other side of the river since Ukraine liberated the city in November 2022. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Dnipro with missiles, at least 5 injured Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. On Saturday evening, Russian troops launched a missile attack on an educational institution in Sumy. Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration Quote: "Russian terrorists launched a rocket attack on an educational institution in the city of Sumy. All necessary services are at the site of the strike. Information about the destruction and victims is being clarified." Details: The Oblast Military Administration urged citizens not to publish any photos and videos of the site of the strike or the works aimed to eliminate the consequences of the attack. Background: As a result of a Russian rocket attack on Zaporizhzhia on Saturday evening, a man and a woman were killed, and another woman was injured. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! The Russians have attacked the village of Vesele in Kherson Oblast on the morning of 29 July, injuring a 69-year-old woman. Source: Kherson blast Military Administration Details: It is specified that in the morning, the Russians attacked the village of Vesele, striking residential buildings. A 69-year-old woman was injured. She was taken to hospital with mine-explosive injuries to chest and limb. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 28) Portugal wants to strengthen ties with the Philippines in the areas of maritime defense and security, among others, according to Lisbon's top diplomat. "We also have opportunities for defense, education, and maritime cooperation," Portugal Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho said during his official visit to Manila on Friday. He added that several Portuguese companies have expressed interest in investing in the Philippines. Cravinho is the first Portuguese foreign minister to visit the country since 1946, according to his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo. "His official visit is a milestone to the Philippine-Portugal bilateral relations," the foreign affairs secretary said. Cravinho also reiterated Portugal's support for Manila's historic arbitration win against Beijing in the South China Sea case. Manalo, meanwhile, said he also discussed with Cravinho how the Philippines and Portugal can strengthen trade and investment relations, as well as the importance of increasing partnerships between the two countries' higher education and diplomatic training institutions. CNN Philippines' correspondent Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report. It was noisy in the morning in Bryansk region Russian sources have claimed that Bryansk Oblast had come under shelling in the morning hours of July 29, with Russian Telegram channels reporting shelling the village of Lomakivka with mortars by Ukrainian forces. However, there is no independent confirmation of these reports at the moment. Read also: Shelling with Grad rockets reported in Russias Belgorod Oblast Additionally, the Russians report that the border areas of Belgorod Oblast were targeted by shelling in the past 24 hours. According to the governor of Belgorod, on July 28, the villages of Zhuravlivka and the Shebekino border crossing point were shelled. The day before, the Ukraines National Resistance Center warned that the Kremlin was planning a series of attacks against its own population in Bryansk Oblast, specifically in the area between the settlements of Novi Yurkovychi and Bila Berezka, near the border with Ukraine. Read also: An extremely alarming call for Putin. The ghost of 1917 appeared in Russia Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine A building of an educational institution was destroyed in a missile attack by Russian troops on Sumy on Saturday evening. Source: Suspilne Sumy Quote: "One of the buildings of the educational institution was destroyed as a result of the Russian missile attack on Sumy. The explosion rang out at around 20:00. Details: Suspilne also posted a photo of the strike. Background: On Saturday evening, Russian troops launched a missile attack on an educational institution in Sumy. The Oblast Military Administration reported that the information about the destruction and casualties is being clarified. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Russian authorities are planning to carry out terrorist attacks against Russians in Bryansk Oblast, near the Ukrainian border. Source: Ukraines National Resistance Center Quote: "In Bryansk Oblast, in the area from Novye Yurkovichi to Belaya Berezka, the Russian authorities are planning to carry out terrorist attacks against their own population. Information preparation for the operation is currently underway. Locals warn that for the past two days, the Russian authorities have been warning them about the possible infiltration of sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to commit acts of sabotage against the civilian population. Reinforcements are arriving in the area to simulate counter-sabotage measures." Details: Ukraines National Resistance Center stressed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are not fighting against the civilian population, and therefore do not plan any terrorist attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Pilots say the low-cost Irish airline is failing to honour a collective convention agreed in 2020 (Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD) A strike by Ryanair pilots in Belgium in an ongoing dispute over working conditions has cancelled 96 flights to and from Charleroi this weekend, the airport said, in the midst of the busy summer travel season. The industrial action will affect 17,000 passengers due to leave or land in the southern city, around 28 percent of the expected number of travellers, the airport's management told AFP. Pilots say the low-cost Irish airline is failing to honour a collective convention that sets time off work in exchange for salary cuts agreed in 2020 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, which decimated the industry. The pilots' union said the company was failing to respect Belgian law and was prospering thanks to "social dumping" that creates unfair competition for other airlines that abide by the rules. Ryanair has previously called on the pilots to negotiate rather than strike and noted it had reached deals on working conditions with its Italian, French and Spanish staff. More than half of Ryanair's traffic at Charleroi is provided by planes operated by non-Belgian staff, according to the company. A total of 120 flights to and from Charleroi were cancelled during the previous strike weekend on July 15 and 16. jug/imm Mikheil Saakashvili, the ex-president of Georgia, who is imprisoned in this country, and a citizen of Ukraine, has founded an initiative to help children who are in the occupied territories of Ukraine or have been abducted, as well as children of fallen Ukrainian servicemen. Source: Saakashvili on Facebook Quote: "We, together with Sofia Chkonia, decided to establish an international program/initiative for humanitarian and medical assistance for children lost or those in the occupied territories of Ukraine, victims of abduction, [and] children of killed Ukrainian soldiers. At least 15,000 Ukrainian children were abducted from the occupied territories of Ukraine, forcibly adopted into the families of the occupying country, and are in homes for homeless children. This war has already taken the lives of 535 children, many children lost parents, but their relatives and Ukraine as a state are looking for them. Even for the severe state of my health, I'm deeply compassionate about the tragedy of the children, as a father and as a citizen of Ukraine." Details: Saakashvili noted that fashion expert Sofia Chkonia has extensive experience in humanitarian activities. He asked his supporters in Russia, Ukraine and Georgia to help gather information and return the children. He asks that all information be sent to: Forhelp114@gmail.com The initiative will start working on 2 August. Background: In early July, Saakashvili took part in a court hearing for the first time since February through a video link from the Vivamed clinic. He looked extremely exhausted, which caused a wide response. After that, it became known that Polish doctors were allowed to visit Saakashvili after a six-month delay. However, the penitentiary service said that the Polish doctor tried to secretly take out samples of biological materials taken from the politician. The US State Department is closely monitoring the progress of the Saakashvili case in Georgia. A spokesman for the State Department said that the Georgian authorities are responsible for providing due medical assistance to Saakashvili. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Once the leader of a powerful Stockton nonprofit, Samuel Nunez appeared in court Friday to learn how much time he'd spend behind bars after being found guilty last month of sexual assaulting two children. Instead, he fired his attorney. Moments after the hearing started in the downtown Stockton courtroom, Nunez who appeared in a red jail jumpsuit and glasses alongside his attorney Aaron Villalobos formally asked to delay his sentencing. He then indicated he wanted to fire Villalobos on the grounds that Villalobos supposedly had not counseled Nunez effectively in his case. The judge allowed the move after a brief discussion behind closed doors. Sammy Nunez, founder and former director of Fathers and Families San Joaquin, is led out of Department 6C of the San Joaquin County Courthouse in downtown Stockton on Jul. 28, 2023 after a hearing after being found guilty of sexually abusing two young people in his family. Villalobos would not comment after court on the reasons behind Nunezs request. The Modesto-based attorneys termination isnt the first shake-up among people handling the highly sensitive case. In June 2021, shortly after Nunez was charged, Stocktons state Assembly representative Carlos Villapudua urged the California Attorney General to take over the case from the San Joaquin County District Attorneys office, then led by former District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar. Villapudua claimed Verber Salazar had personal ties to Nunez that created a conflict of interest and would prevent her from prosecuting him effectively. The Attorney Generals office told Verber Salazar to continue with the case, according to the spokesperson for the DAs office at the time. Several months later, in January 2022, Judge Xapuri Villapudua recused herself from the case, online court information shows. Prosecutor Theresa Stroud also appears to have asked for Judge Bernard Garber disqualified from the case on the basis of prejudice against the defendant. Its unclear from online court information whether the request was granted. Nunezs arrest in May 2021 on charges of sexually abusing his relatives shook the community and the wide-reaching organization Nunez founded, Fathers & Families of San Joaquin. Story continues Nunez, now 48, and his then-wife founded the nonprofit in 2006 with a promise to heal people and communities most impacted by incarceration, crime and intergenerational trauma. By then, Nunezs abuse of two girls in his family, both under 15, had already gone on for years, prosecutors argued at trial. By the time of his arrest over a decade later, Nunezs nonprofit had become intertwined with local governments and agencies, including through several agreements with San Joaquin County. After his arrest, Fathers & Families cut ties with Nunez. The nonprofit closed permanently shortly after. Nunez may choose to appeal his case, a move sometimes proceeded by a request to change attorneys like the one Nunez made on Friday, according to Blair Goss, a Sacramento-based criminal defense attorney. "Thats the most common road to an appeal, Goss said. Its probably strategically the best move a defendant could make at that point. This article originally appeared on The Record: Sammy Nunez fires lawyer minutes before he was set to head to prison The city of San Francisco has launched an investigation into Twitter headquarters, after a giant X was installed on the roof of the building without a permit amid the social media companys ongoing rebrand. The X was installed on top of the building in downtown San Francisco Friday, after police stopped workers earlier this week from dismantling the Twitter sign on the side of the building, according to The Associated Press. They reportedly lacked the proper permits and had not taped off the sidewalk as a safety measure. Two new complaints were filed with the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection on Friday, one over the unsafe condition of the Twitter sign and another over the installation of the X sign. The @ symbol of the partially dismantled Twitter sign is dangling from the building and could fall to the public way causing harm to pedestrians, according to one complaint. The other complaint noted that a city inspector had visited Twitter headquarters and requested access to the roof, where the giant X had been installed, but was denied. A representative with the social media company reportedly told the inspector that the X structure was a temporary lighted sign for an event. A building permit is required to make sure the sign is structurally sound and installed safely, Department of Building Inspection spokesman Patrick Hannan told The San Francisco Standard. Planning review and approval is also necessary for the installation of this sign. The city is opening a complaint and initiating an investigation. Twitter owner Elon Musk announced the rebrand last weekend, saying that the social media company would bid adieu to all the birds. The X symbol began to appear on the desktop version of the platform on Monday, while the bird has remained the prominent logo on the mobile version. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Santa Barbara News-Press, founded shortly after the Civil War, operated from this Spanish-style headquarters for more than a century. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) This city of red-tile roofs, temperate breezes and coastal charm has long glimmered as one of those exceptional California places. Its natural beauty attracts a literate and engaged population, and its residents, at least from afar, seem unduly blessed with fine weather, prosperity and more than a dose of the good life. That good fortune appeared to shine on Santa Barbara in 2000, when one of the states richest women bought the Santa Barbara News-Press, a venerable newspaper that at the time had been at the heart of the citys public life for more than 130 years. Santa Barbarans cheered at the notion of having a local in charge after more than a decade under the ownership of New York Times Co. They saw in Wendy McCaw an owner with the financial resources (once pegged by Forbes at $1.5 billion) to ensure long-term viability of the Pulitzer Prize-winning news outlet. And they liked what they knew of her politics: environmentalist; champion of wildlife. McCaw seemed in step with the liberal-leaning beach and university community. The reports of a match made in heaven proved greatly exaggerated. Within a few years, McCaws relationship with newsroom leaders and then with many readers began to crumble. A bloodbath exodus of top editors in 2006 unleashed what would become a slow-motion unraveling of the newspaper and its credibility. Santa Barbarans initially cheered when Wendy McCaw, one of the state's richest women, bought the News-Press in 2000. But reports of a match made in heaven proved greatly exaggerated. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) The downward spiral reached rock bottom July 21, when Ampersand Publishing, the McCaw-led company that owns the News-Press, filed for bankruptcy. The finishing stroke came without fanfare or public notice. "All of our jobs are eliminated, and the News-Press has stopped publishing," Managing Editor Dave Mason wrote in a brief email to the outlet's staffers. "They ran out of money to pay us." Santa Barbarans reacted to the shutdown with measures of sadness and resignation. Many said the newspapers fate had been sealed ever since McCaw began warring with her staff and injecting her right-leaning, government-upbraiding views deep into the news pages. Whether through inexperience or intent, her critics said, McCaw transformed a respected local news organization steeped in industry standards of fairness and independence into a tormented plaything. Circulation swooned. Story continues Its been like watching a cancer victim die, said Dawn Hobbs, a former News-Press reporter, who was fired in 2007 after she called for readers to boycott the paper because of McCaws purported meddling in editorial decisions. You are so sad at the end. But youre almost relieved that the entity has been put out of its misery. The News-Press' closure leaves Santa Barbara with a few online news sources and a solid alternative weekly, the Independent. But those outlets collectively do not employ the number of journalists who once powered the News-Press. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Joining in the regrets about the newspapers fate was a nominal rival, Nick Welsh, the irascible dean of the Santa Barbara press corps who has written for the alternative weekly, the Independent, for four decades. "At the time it was Local owner! Billionaire! Animal rights activist!' There was such an opportunity there for the News-Press, which was just totally squandered, said Welsh, whose droll Angry Poodle column is considered a must-read by many locals. The effects of the bankruptcy remain unclear because the famously reclusive McCaw, who lives in a gated seaside estate in ultra-luxe Hope Ranch, has said nothing publicly about what will happen next. The paper's website as of Friday remained intact but frozen with a handful of stories from shutdown day. The site had no mention of the closure. Mason, the managing editor, responded with a no comment to The Times' interview request. The attorney handling the company's bankruptcy did not answer emailed questions asking about the legal filing or who would speak for the owner. McCaw in the past has argued, in columns, interviews, legal proceedings and through intermediaries, that she is the victim in the long-running feud with News-Press journalists and the community. She has contended she was targeted because she dared to buck Santa Barbaras insular liberal ethos. Her editorial pages often railed against Santa Barbaras left-leaning orthodoxy and the purported overreach of the local, state and federal governments. The News-Press' closure came about three months after the newspaper relocated operations from its landmark headquarters on De La Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara to its printing plant in Goleta. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) With the News-Press team silent, it was left to journalist Joshua Molina of Noozhawk an online site maintained largely by former News-Press staffers to alert the community that a newspaper founded not long after the Civil War was no more. Thats not to say the closure shocked Santa Barbara. Locals had watched the paper go from a publication with a daily print circulation of more than 45,000 and a robust website to an online-only enterprise with paltry local coverage and national stories provided by a right-tilting news service. A news staff of close to 50 withered to fewer than 10 and became reliant on student interns to cover many public meetings. The Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing by parent company Ampersand Publishing calls for liquidation, not a reorganization, suggesting there will be little chance for a new owner to take over. The filing claims the News-Press has less than $50,000 in assets and up to $10 million in liabilities, owed to 818 individuals and entities, including subscribers and McCaw. Two of the most valuable holdings the News-Press graceful Spanish-style headquarters on De La Guerra Plaza and its Goleta printing plant are owned by other McCaw companies. Former employees expressed bitterness that the Chapter 7 filing could mean a crushing postscript to their two-decade legal fight with McCaw. They feared it might allow the owner to avoid paying nearly $3.5 million in back wages and interest levied by the National Labor Relations Board, which years ago found the company guilty of unfair labor practices. McCaw's repeated appeals extended the ordeal through last summer, when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that she needed to pay up. Santa Barbarans reacted to the News-Press' shutdown with measures of sadness and resignation. "It's been like watching a cancer victim die," says Dawn Hobbs, a former News-Press reporter. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) I hope there is a way for the creditors to go after her and force her to sell those properties to pay her debt, said Hobbs, the former reporter. She is coming out of this unscathed while the lives of so many have been turned upside down. This is not where this Santa Barbara media marriage was supposed to end. McCaw had obtained much of her fortune in a divorce settlement from her one-time Stanford University sweetheart, Craig McCaw, a Seattle-area cellular phone industry magnate who became a multibillionaire. After Wendy McCaw bought the paper from the New York Times in 2000 for a reported $110 million, she spoke of wanting to bolster attention to local issues. In an essay headlined Integrity, McCaw pledged to leave it entirely to our newsroom professionals to decide which stories were worth covering and how they should be covered. The News-Press' bid for journalistic excellence was reinforced in 2002, when Jerry Roberts, a former managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, took the post of executive editor. But the good times did not last. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) The paper's bid for journalistic excellence was reinforced in 2002, when Jerry Roberts, a noted political writer and former managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, took the post of executive editor. Reporters who worked under Roberts in those early years described an era of ambition, growth and an imperative to hold powerful interests to account. But the good times did not last. One dispute arose when McCaw directed that the paper kill a short article about a drunk-driving sentence given to the News-Press editorial page editor, who was soon to be publisher. The journalists argued the bust was public information, while the company countered the paper didnt cover most DUIs that didn't involve injury or death. In another owner-newsroom beef, a reporter and three editors drew a sharp reprimand for publishing the address where actor Rob Lowe had applied to public agencies to build his "dream home," a mega-mansion with elaborate trappings proposed for a vacant lot in Montecito. The journalists argued for transparency in a matter of public concern. McCaw, a personal friend of Lowe's, said listing the address intruded on his privacy. In what the Independent reported as a self-inflicted bloodbath, Roberts, four other top editors and veteran columnist Barney Brantingham resigned en masse in July 2006, protesting what they described as McCaws improper meddling in editorial content. The owner countered that she was the one trying to uphold journalistic standards because news articles became opinion pieces, reporting went unchecked and the paper was used as a personal arena to air petty infighting by the editors. The meltdown drew national attention, most of it accusing McCaw of violating the journalistic credo that insists on a wall between media owners and news-gatherers. Renowned political commentator Lou Cannon, a Santa Barbara resident, accused McCaw of destroying the publics trust and canceled his subscription. In recent decades, local readers had watched the News-Press go from a publication with a daily print circulation of more than 45,000 to an online-only enterprise with paltry local coverage and national stories provided by a right-tilting news service. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Journalists who remained at the Santa Barbara paper began labor-organizing and voted for representation by a unit of the Teamsters Union, also calling for a public boycott of the News-Press to protest the owner's purported overreach into editorial matters. In rapid succession, eight journalists were fired. Two were accused of bias in their reporting. Six others hung a banner above the 101 Freeway that urged "Cancel Your Newspaper Today!" in protest of what they said was McCaw's failure to bargain and intrusion into news decisions. The NLRB in 2011 declared that the "News-Press Eight" (as the Independent called them) had been illegally terminated for engaging in protected union activities. The agency ordered them reinstated. But a federal appeals court upheld the terminations in 2012. "The First Amendment affords a publisher not a reporter absolute authority to shape a newspaper's content," the three-judge panel ruled. The Byzantine legal fights dragged on. In one round, a federal appellate court ruled that the News-Press had engaged in unusually aggravated conduct against its employees. That conduct included bargaining in bad faith, discontinuing merit raises and unilaterally transferring work away from union employees to nonunion workers. Last summer, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an order for the News-Press to pay $2 million in back wages and other levies, which had grown with interest to nearly $3.5 million by the end of 2022. Read more: The California newspaper that has no reporters left The clashes between McCaw, her staff and the community would die down for a time, only to flare anew: Another reporter and editor lost their jobs after the owner objected to a story she said quoted then-Mayor Marty Blum a liberal and McCaw foe too often. Many readers objected strongly in 2015 when the paper's publishers insisted on calling migrants who did not hold immigration documents "illegals." In 2020, a McCaw editorial accused Democratic lawmakers of using the coronavirus for their own political agenda and compared stay-at-home orders to Nazi Germany. Editor-in-Chief Nick Masuda quit soon after. As with many prolonged passings, the demise of the News-Press felt both inevitable and sudden. Sitting at the bar of a favorite local haunt, Harrys Plaza Cafe, Bente and Stephen Millard shook their heads at the disintegration of a paper we used to be proud to get on our driveway every day. She can have a conservative slant on the opinion page. Thats her right, said Stephen Millard, a retired outdoor-festival impresario. But she shouldnt be controlling the stories in the news section of the newspaper. And previously the News-Press had supported the community and all sorts of events. That all seemed to slip away. In conversations with a dozen locals, it was clear residents had grown accustomed to searching alternative sources to get news about their community: the Independent, in print and online; the Noozhawk website; and Edhat, an online site reliant on citizen journalism. Valiant was the word News-Press veteran Melinda Burns used to describe the efforts made to fill the news void left during the papers unraveling. But she and an array of civic activists said the heft and influence of the old News-Press has never been fully replaced. Read more: Tucker Carlson is about to find out if hes bigger than Fox News Even the News-Press' origin story has been a point of contention. The owners have long claimed an 1855 birthday and asserted the paper's position as the oldest in Southern California. But a 1941 history published by the federal Works Progress Administration said the agency's research supported a May 1868 birthday for the Santa Barbara Post, one of the publications later melded into what became the News-Press. Birth date aside, longtime residents strike a uniform note of nostalgia about the newspaper's founder, a towering figure named Thomas More Storke. Storke was introduced to the trade by his father and went from cub reporter to editor to owner, a journalist acclaimed for sterling ethics and civic activism. He took on big topics in the pages of the News-Press and rallied his community to tackle outsized public works. He is credited as the force who drove forward Santa Barbaras Mediterranean motif and generous open spaces; championed the Lake Cachuma reservoir, and demanded a University of California branch just up the road in Isla Vista. Most notably, he powered a 1961 editorial expose revealing the skulduggery and character assassination employed by the John Birch Society, rabid anti-Communists who had risen to prominence in California. Storke won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. When he died in 1971, at 94, former Chief Justice Earl Warren memorialized the Santa Barbara native as one of the last of the old-time giants of journalism whose like will not be seen again. Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps grew up next door to the Storke home, and her father and mother, former U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), spoke reverently about the storied publisher. He stood as this pillar of integrity, said Supervisor Capps. And then [McCaw] turned the News-Press into something unrecognizable and something that actually detracted from the community. McCaw, asked through intermediaries to comment, failed to respond. Sign up for Essential California, your daily guide to news, views and life in the Golden State. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Comedian and actor Sarah Silverman has issued a diatribe against actors working on independent, SAG-AFTRA-approved projects during the ongoing actors and writers strikes. After the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists issued a strike action on 14 July, the union authorised 45 truly independent productions with strike exemptions. The exempt productions have been granted permission to continue filming because they are unaffiliated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the bargaining collective that represents Hollywoods major studios and streaming services. Can somebody explain to me what Im not understanding? Because I feel fucking pissed off. And I know I just must not be understanding something, Silverman said in a three-minute video posted on Instagram on Thursday (27 July). When SAG joined the strike, its: Movie stars arent making movies for you anymore, now what are you going to do? Well, theyre making movies. What the f***? I got offered an indie movie, I f***ing said no, and so did a bunch of my friends, and now some of my friends are saying yes. Im really pissed, the 52-year-old Emmy winner said. Please, explain to me why I shouldnt be angry, because people are making real-deal sacrifices. People, writers, actors, crew people, all these people are sacrificing their livelihood for this cause. Its called union strong, where we are all together. And when SAG joined the strike, we should see every movie star out there striking along, because you have insurance because of your union and you get residuals because of your union. All of these things you get because of your union and you cant stand with your union? Its scabbing, youve made that so clear that its scabbing, she concluded. Now, all of a sudden movie stars can make movies if theyre indie movies where they promise theyll only sell it if X, Y, and Z. Thats called the end of the strike, motherf***ers! Story continues Silverman captioned her post with an appeal: Set me straight and Ill take this down. What am I not getting? In the comments section, New Girl star Zooey Deschanel wrote: I think we are striking certain particular contractual agreements with the amptp not all work. Yellowjackets star Juliette Lewis commented: Call me an idealist but my HOPE is that there is a big mid- range Indie movie Renaissance that goes into theatres that are NOT waiting to be sold streamers and that this formula and model gets broken and interrupted and threatened- of going to streamers. That is my big hope & optimism with these in the productions. Also my brother, who is a labourer I would love him to work on an independent production. Bunch of my friends in other states have had their unemployment checks run out, so if theres movie productions that are not going to streamers Im for it for my crew and family, Lewis added in a second comment. Numerous A-listers joined a SAG-AFTRA rally in New York City on Tuesday (25 July), including Jessica Chastain, Brendan Fraser and Bryan Cranston. Breaking Bad star Cranston gave a rousing speech to the protestors, which took aim at Disney CEO Bob Iger. Iger had previously made disparaging comments about the combined industry strikes. Zack Arnold, the editor and associate producer of Netflixs Cobra Kai, told The Independent that the strike was caused by a perfect storm of streaming dominance, which has led to the erosion of residual pay, and the advent of AI in the industry. Residents in Volusia and Lake counties will have a chance to pick up food items at no cost Saturday morning. Farm Share, a nonprofit that aims to help food-insecure residents in Florida, will distribute free, fresh produce and non-perishable canned goods in DeLand and Clermont. At 9 a.m., organizers will join Houses of Hope to distribute food in DeLand. READ: Clark Howard: Heres how young parents can prepare now for the cost of higher education The July 29 event will be held at: 1640 East Voohis Avenue in DeLand, Florida 32724 See the map below for event location: Volusia Farm Share Flyer by Gene Saladna on Scribd Then, starting at 10 a.m. in Clermont, Farm Share will be teaming up with local community organizations to give away food as part of the Back 2 School Backpack Bash. READ: 9 things to do this weekend: Food and Wine starts, Back-to-School bash The event will happen at East Ridge High School, located at: 13322 Excalibur Road, Clermont, Florida 32711 See the map below for event location: Clermont Farm Share Flyer by Gene Saladna on Scribd Farm Share said it helps to fight hunger by working hand-in-hand with local farmers to recover and redistribute produce that would otherwise be thrown away due to aesthetic imperfections. Both distribution events will be drive-thru style. Attendees should arrive in a vehicle with a trunk or cargo bed, organizers said. READ: Orange County sees 156% jump in risk protection orders, sheriff says Saturdays food giveaways will be on a first-come, first-served basis and will operate until supplies run out. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29) President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said the government will provide both cash assistance and housing materials to residents whose homes were damaged by Super Typhoon Egay. He made the statement during his visit to Ilocos Norte, where he met with local officials from the entire Ilocos Region to be briefed about the storm's impact on the area. During a televised situation briefing, Marcos' nephew Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Manotoc suggested that the distribution of housing materials be prioritized, saying this will be a faster way to rebuild homes. Financial assistance can come at a later time, he added. "We'll do both," the president responded. "The reason that we give cash very soon after is because there are things that people need that are not included in the relief goods, for example medicines or baby care," Marcos noted. He said 10,000 will be given to families whose houses were partially destroyed. Those with totally damaged homes will receive 20,000. Marcos first visited Abra on Saturday before his trip to Ilocos Norte. Both provinces are under a state of calamity due to the super typhoon. Speaking to residents in Bangued town, Marcos assured them that officials are working to restore basic services, including power supply that has been disrupted in a number of areas. "Maganda naman ang ugnayan ng national at local (officials), kaya't sa palagay ko sa lalong madaling panahon, maibabalik na natin lahat ng serbisyong kinakailangan," he said during the distribution of government aid in the municipality. [Translation: National and local officials are coordinating well, so I think the necessary services will soon be restored.] Shortly after his Ilocos Norte visit, Marcos also traveled to nearby Tuguegarao City in Cagayan to check the situation in the area. Egay made two landfalls over Cagayan as a typhoon on Wednesday after it was downgraded from super typhoon category. Based on the latest report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, around 172,000 families or nearly 609,000 people from 45 provinces nationwide were affected by Egay. These numbers are still expected to rise as more reports come in. A recent decision from the Houston Independent School District to eliminate 28 school libraries and repurpose at least some of them as places for administrators to discipline students is drawing criticism from city leaders and intensifying the debate about the relevance of school libraries. The district's new Superintendent Mike Miles recently proposed a plan to close the libraries and get rid of designated librarian roles at a set of schools dubbed the New Education Schools for other purposes. Under the plan, the buildings could be used to host kids for discipline, additional classes or for multipurpose uses of learning, said Joseph Sam, a spokesman from the school district. The school board signed off on the plan this summer, said Sam. Miles will speak out about the decision at a news conference in Houston on Saturday, according to Sam. The decision comes at a time when school library books and the roles of school librarians are under attack across the nation. The Houston Independent School District is the largest district in Texas and serves more than 189,000 students at its 274 campuses, according to its website. The once- independent district was recently taken over by the Texas Education Agency. That agency appointed Miles as superintendent of the district, and he took reigns of the role in June. Houston ISD: "We understand the significance of certain programs associated with libraries" The repurposed libraries will be called "Team Centers," said Sam, "which are designed for students to continue working individually or in teams throughout the school day." During the school day students who act out in class could sent to one of the centers, "where they will rejoin their class in a virtual setting to maximize their access to ongoing instruction," he said, adding that kids can still access the libraries before and after school. April 21, 2023; Alexandria, VA, USA; Daisy Andonyadis, a third grade teacher at Cora Kelly School, observes her students in the library Friday, April 21, 2023.. Mandatory Credit: Josh Morgan-USA TODAY [Via MerlinFTP Drop] The district is also "evaluating libraries at 57 other schools on a case-by-case basis." wrote Sam. Story continues Despite the closures, Sam said school leaders "understand the significance of certain programs associated with libraries and will strive to maintain those valuable offerings." Houston Mayor: "What the hell are you doing?" Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner criticized the district for the move during a speech at a Houston city council meeting on Wednesday, Houston Public Media reported. "For many of these kids," Turner said, "the library is their portal to the outside world." You cannot have a situation where you are closing libraries for some schools in certain neighborhoods and there are other neighborhoods where there are libraries, fully equipped," he said. Multiple efforts in Illinois School District U-46, west of Chicago, are meant to manage student behavior. Crisis prevention training helps teachers maintain calm in their classrooms and a focus on improving instruction is expected to keep kids on task. Behavior vs. books: US students are rowdier than ever post-COVID. Hows a teacher to teach? Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kaylajjimenez. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Houstin ISD turns libraries in part into student discipline centers Fruit fly, Drosophila mercatorum Jose Casal and Peter Lawrence A group of researchers was able to successfully engineer "virgin birth" in fruit flies. Asexual reproduction, or parthenogenesis, is common in nature, but had never been engineered. The research establishes a genetic basis for asexual reproduction, and could help with pest control. Scientists say they have created "virgin births" in female fruit flies for the first time. Researchers were able to identify a gene that allowed the insects to reproduce without sperm from a father. "We're the first to show that you can engineer virgin births to happen in an animal," said Dr. Alexis Sperling, a researcher at the University of Cambridge who was involved in the study. "It was very exciting to see a virgin fly produce an embryo able to develop to adulthood, and then repeat the process." Switching 'on' the right genes Virgin births, known as facultative parthenogenesis, have been seen before in bees, ants, lizards, snakes, fish, and birds. The offspring of a virgin birth are always female and genetically very similar to their mothers. The researchers first sequenced the genome of one species of fruit fly, Drosophila mercatorum, which has the ability to reproduce both sexually and through parthenogenesis. This species was then compared to another that cannot reproduce without mating, the Drosophila melanogaster. After noting which genes were potentially responsible for the parthenogenesis, the researchers changed the genetic composition of the Drosophila melanogaster, in different combinations, to match that of the Drosophila mercatorum. At the end of a six-year research period, about 11% of the genetically engineered flies were able to successfully reproduce without a male partner. "I couldn't believe it," Sperling told the Washington Post. "We saw the development of the embryos, and they looked pretty sketchy, but eventually they kind of sorted out and developed into adult flies." Story continues A backup for isolated females The experiment was conducted on fruit flies because they are model organisms, or simple non-human species that are usually studied to better understand biology. "Fruit flies are incredibly special because they are basically the first model organism and have been studied for over 100 years," Sperling told the Post. Hannah Maude, a researcher at Imperial College London, told The Times the same process wouldn't allow humans to ever reproduce without a man. "Our diversity protects us: having two copies of the DNA not only provides a backup for harmful DNA variants found in every person but is necessary for so-called imprinted regions, which are specifically active from the maternal or paternal DNA copy," she said. Virgin births could help certain species and act as a "backup" for isolated females, according to The Guardian. But understanding parthenogenesis could help with the control of insect populations, the paper notes. For example, Sperling told Nature, a type of moth in the UK turned to parthenogenesis when the use of pesticides hindered the reproductive capabilities of males. Figuring out which pest-control methods trigger parthenogenesis in insects could help keep them under control. Read the original article on Business Insider Eunice Foote described the greenhouse gas effects of carbon dioxide in 1856. Carlyn Iverson/NOAA Climate.gov Long before the current political divide over climate change, and even before the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865), an American scientist named Eunice Foote documented the underlying cause of todays climate change crisis. The year was 1856. Footes brief scientific paper was the first to describe the extraordinary power of carbon dioxide gas to absorb heat the driving force of global warming. Carbon dioxide is an odorless, tasteless, transparent gas that forms when people burn fuels, including coal, oil, gasoline and wood. As Earths surface heats, one might think that the heat would just radiate back into space. But, its not that simple. The atmosphere stays hotter than expected mainly due to greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and atmospheric water vapor, which all absorb outgoing heat. Theyre called greenhouse gases because, not unlike the glass of a greenhouse, they trap heat in Earths atmosphere and radiate it back to the planets surface. The idea that the atmosphere trapped heat was known, but not the cause. Foote conducted a simple experiment. She put a thermometer in each of two glass cylinders, pumped carbon dioxide gas into one and air into the other and set the cylinders in the Sun. The cylinder containing carbon dioxide got much hotter than the one with air, and Foote realized that carbon dioxide would strongly absorb heat in the atmosphere. Eunice Footes paper in the American Journal of Science and Arts. Royal Society Footes discovery of the high heat absorption of carbon dioxide gas led her to conclude that if the air had mixed with it a higher proportion of carbon dioxide than at present, an increased temperature would result. A few years later, in 1861, the well-known Irish scientist John Tyndall also measured the heat absorption of carbon dioxide and was so surprised that something so transparent to light could so strongly absorb heat that he made several hundred experiments with this single substance. Tyndall also recognized the possible effects on the climate, saying every variation of water vapor or carbon dioxide must produce a change of climate. He also noted the contribution other hydrocarbon gases, such as methane, could make to climate change, writing that an almost inappreciable addition of gases like methane would have great effects on climate. Story continues Humans were already increasing carbon dioxide in the 1800s By the 1800s, human activities were already dramatically increasing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Burning more and more fossil fuels coal and eventually oil and gas added an ever-increasing amount of carbon dioxide into the air. The first quantitative estimate of carbon dioxide-induced climate change was made by Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish scientist and Nobel laureate. In 1896, he calculated that the temperature in the Arctic regions would rise 8 or 9 degrees Celsius if carbon dioxide increased to 2.5 or 3 times its level at that time. Arrhenius estimate was likely conservative: Since 1900 atmospheric carbon dioxide has risen from about 300 parts per million to around 417 ppm as a result of human activities, and the Arctic has already warmed by about 3.8 C (6.8 F). Nils Ekholm, a Swedish meteorologist, agreed, writing in 1901 that The present burning of pit-coal is so great that if it continues it must undoubtedly cause a very obvious rise in the mean temperature of the earth. Ekholm also noted that carbon dioxide acted in a layer high in the atmosphere, above water vapor layers, where small amounts of carbon dioxide mattered. All of this was understood well over a century ago. The Keeling curve tracks the changing carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. Observations from Hawaii starting in 1958 show the rise and fall of the seasons as concentrations climb. Scripps Institution of Oceanography Initially, scientists thought a possible small rise in the Earths temperature could be a benefit, but these scientists could not envision the coming huge increases in fossil fuel use. In 1937, English engineer Guy Callendar documented how rising temperatures correlated with rising carbon dioxide levels. By fuel combustion, man has added about 150,000 million tons of carbon dioxide to the air during the past half century, he wrote, and world temperatures have actually increased . A warning to the president in 1965, and then In 1965, scientists warned U.S. President Lyndon Johnson about the growing climate risk, concluding: Man is unwittingly conducting a vast geophysical experiment. Within a few generations he is burning the fossil fuels that slowly accumulated in the earth over the past 500 million years. The scientists issued clear warnings of high temperatures, melting ice caps, rising sea levels and acidification of ocean waters. In the half-century that has followed that warning, more of the ice has melted, sea level has risen further and acidification due to ever increasing absorption of carbon dioxide forming carbonic acid has become a critical problem for ocean-dwelling organisms. Scientific research has vastly strengthened the conclusion that human-generated emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are causing dangerous warming of the climate and a host of harmful effects. Politicians, however, have been slow to respond. Some follow an approach that has been used by some fossil fuel companies of denying and casting doubt on the truth, while others want to wait and see, despite the overwhelming evidence that harm and costs will continue to rise. In fact, reality is now fast overtaking scientific models. The megadrought and heat waves in the western U.S., record high temperatures and zombie fires in Siberia, massive wildfires in Australia and the U.S. West, relentless, intense Gulf Coast and European rains and more powerful hurricanes are all harbingers of increasing climate disruption. The world has known about the warming risk posed by excessive levels of carbon dioxide for decades, even before the invention of cars or coal-fired power stations. A rare female scientist in her time, Eunice Foote, explicitly warned about the basic science 165 years ago. Why havent we listened more closely? Neil Anderson, a retired chemical engineer and chemistry teacher, contributed to this article. [Get our best science, health and technology stories. Sign up for The Conversations science 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: Sylvia G. Dee, Rice University. Read more: Sylvia G. Dee receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) further weighed in on Floridas updated educational curriculum on slavery in an interview on Friday, arguing that slavery is antithetical to who we are and that it doesnt need to be explained, that just needs to be digested. During a podcast interview with NH Journal on Friday, Scott was asked about his comments over updated and controversial educational guidelines in Florida that have drawn criticism from members of both parties, including Vice President Harris and Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) and John James (R-Mich.) Harris alleged that officials were trying to push propaganda to our children while Donalds said in a tweet that the attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong & needs to be adjusted. Among some of the points that have drawn controversy is one that says that instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit. Scott first weighed in on the curriculum on Thursday, saying there is no silver lining in slavery. Slavery was really about separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating, he added. But the South Carolina Republican doubled down on Friday, noting what I said isnt controversial at all. Slavery has no redeeming benefit, no redeeming value. Theres no silver lining in slavery, he told the podcast. The fact is very clear that what slavery was about was the antithetical to who we are as Americans. We founded this nation upon the notion of freedom. Slavery is the deprivation of freedom. It is antithetical to who we are, that doesnt need to be explained, that just needs to be digested. And so truth be told, whether youre Kamala Harris or Ron DeSantis, having an opportunity to restate your position against slavery is always something that should be welcomed by all people conservatives, liberals, black, white, rich, poor, red, blue, doesnt really matter as long as we focus on the reality that more benefits all of us come when we have a serious conversation about the future of America looking through the windshield, he continued. Story continues Scott claimed that by being distracted these issues, Americans find ourselves once again entangled in a hot mess in the rearview mirror that isnt necessary. When reached for comment, a DeSantis spokesperson pointed to the governors comments on Friday when he was first asked about Scotts initial comments. You know I think part of the reason our country has struggled is because D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives, accept lies that are perpetrated by the left, DeSantis said on Friday. And to accept the lie that Kamala Harris has been perpetrating even when that has been debunked, thats not the way you do it. The way you do it, the way you lead is to fight back against the lies, is to speak the truth, he added. So Im here defending my state of Florida against false accusations and against lies. And were going to continue to speak the truth. The Hill Elections 2024 coverage DeSantis has previously defended the Florida educational curriculum on slavery. Sparring with a reporter on Thursday over whether he believed there were benefits to slavery, the Florida governor said, thats not what the curriculum says. The curriculum is very clear. Anyone that actually read that and listens to Kamala [Harris] would know that shes lying, DeSantis added. That particular provision about the skills, that was in spite of slavery not because of it. But the Florida slavery curriculum has created a dustup between several Black lawmakers, including Scott, Donalds, Hunt and others, and comes as DeSantis has grappled with a slew of negative headlines in recent weeks amid staff layoffs and a struggle to close the gap against former President Trump. Updated 10:20 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. AFP Tens of thousands of scouts were being evacuated from their problem-plagued South Korean campsite on Tuesday ahead of a typhoon, as the scout chief said the challenges were unprecedented in a century of global jamborees. "This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such compounded challenges," Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary-General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, said in a statement.He said the massive event, which brought together about 43,000 scouts to a campsite in South Korea's North Jeolla province, had been "very unlucky with the unprecedented heatwave and now the typhoon".The adverse weather conditions had "significantly impacted the planning and delivery of the 25th World Scout Jamboree" he said, adding that despite the challenges, scouts had shown "true resilience, determination and leadership in the face of adversity".The scout body said that it was the first time a campsite had been evacuated due to inclement weather since 1971, when a typhoon struck during a world scout jamboree in Japan.At the sprawling campsite in Buan Tuesday, tens of thousands of scouts were packing up their tents and belongings and queuing up to get onto buses bound for alternative accommodation in Seoul and the surrounding areas.Korea Special Forces were on hand to help with the evacuation, AFP reporters at the site saw. The government had said it would send 1,000 buses to move the mostly teenage scouts from the site.- 'A really great time' -Korean media have called the jamboree "a national disgrace" after an extreme heatwave caused hundreds of scouts to fall ill and prompted American and British scout groups to withdraw.The scout chief acknowledged some shortfalls at the site, saying in a post on LinkedIn that they had a "bumpy start with... services and facilities". But scouts at the campsite told AFP they were sad to leave."It's really hard but we had a great time. It took some while to get used to the circumstances but the youth they had a really great time," Nicola Raunig, 27, Austria scout unit leader, told AFP. "I'm sad it will end now," she said, adding that she had hoped participants could have enjoyed "the whole experience"."But we will make the best out of it," Raunig said.Typhoon Khanun, which killed at least two people in Japan, is due to make landfall in South Korea on Thursday, near where the scouts were camping for their problem-plagued jamboree.Organisers had insisted the event would continue despite the challenges, but on Monday they confirmed the scouts would be evacuated and the campsite closed due to the approaching typhoon.South Korea's weather agency said Typhoon Khanun is forecast to bring heavy rain and strong winds across the Korean peninsula, including winds with a maximum speed of up to 44 metres (144 feet) per second -- powerful enough to derail a moving train.Organisers have been strongly criticised by Korean media and parents of the scouts for a lack of planning for the extreme heat, even though South Korea had six years to prepare.Media also reported on poor drainage at the site, rudimentary showers and toilets, and gruesome bug bites affecting the participants.sh-kjk/ceb/aha Patty Murray and Chuck Schumer The U.S. Senate has passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act without any of the anti-LGBTQ+ or anti-abortion provisions in the House version, setting up a major battle. The Senate passed the bill Thursday, approving $886 billion in funding for the armed forces, in a bipartisan 86-11 vote. It lacks the amendments, known as riders, that the Republican-led House approved in its version, that include a ban on insurance coverage for trans service members gender-affirming care, a ban on reimbursement of travel costs for service members who have to go out of state to undergo an abortion, and that eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs for the military. The House and Senate have to agree on one version before the NDAA can go to President Joe Biden for his signature or veto. Whats happening in the Senate is a stark contrast to the partisan race to the bottom we saw in the House, where House Republicans are pushing partisan legislation that has zero chance of passing, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, said on the floor Thursday, as reported by several national media outlets. We are passing important bipartisan legislation; they are throwing on the floor partisan legislation that has no chance of passing. The conventional wisdom is that many of the most hardline provisions House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republicans packed into their bill to win conservative votes wont survive negotiations with the Senate, Politico reports. The Senate Appropriations Committee has also moved all 12 appropriations bills to the full Senate, and that will set up another clash with the House, which has likewise loaded its versions of those bills with anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion riders. The NDAA is considered a policy bill rather than an appropriations bill, setting priorities for funding, while the money is actually appropriated by separate legislation. This committee just finished passing all 12 individual appropriations bills in overwhelmingly bipartisan votes and we did it before the end of July. Everyone who follows this process knows: that is a big deal, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington State, the committee chair, said Thursday. This is the first time since 2018 we have marked up all 12 of our bills and the first time weve done it, actually, on live video. It is not mission accomplished. As we all know: We still have to get these bills passed through the full Senate, and the House, and signed into law, and I know that all of us are going to work really hard to get that done. But this is a really big deal. Story continues The bills passed out of committee include the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which maintains and in some cases increases funding for domestic HIV prevention and treatment programs while the Senate version would cut that funding and even eliminate the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative, which started under no less than Donald Trump. We sincerely thank Senate Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Tammy Baldwin and Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito and their colleagues for demonstrating their continued commitment to ending HIV in the United States. While working within the confines of an extremely restrictive budget agreement, they still were able to craft a spending bill that prioritizes the domestic response to HIV, Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, said in a press release. However, given that the House version of the bill includes sizable funding cuts, program eliminations and divisive policy riders, we realize passage of this spending bill is far from reality. House Republicans must come to the table and support bills, such as this one, that can pass the Congress and be signed by the president. And the full House has already approved the appropriations bill for military construction and the Veterans Administration, and its version includes the ban on coverage of gender-affirming care, restrictions on Pride flag displays, and elimination of DEI programs again, something the House and Senate will battle over in trying to reconcile the bills. By Ngouda Dione DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal's opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was charged on Saturday with plotting an insurrection, criminal conspiracy and other offenses, two months after his trial for a separate rape charge sparked deadly riots across the country. Sonko, 49, was handed a two-year prison sentence on June 1 for immoral behavior towards individuals younger than 21, leading to protests in which at least 16 people were killed. His followers have been angered by the prospect that his conviction could bar him from standing in next year's presidential election, though lawyers say the issue is ambiguous. Sonko was detained on Friday following a scuffle with security forces stationed outside his home, who he claimed were filming him without permission. He remains in custody, state prosecutors said on Saturday. Playing videos from a laptop of Sonko making allegedly inciteful speeches, Senegal's state prosecutor Abdou Karim Diop told a crowded press conference that Sonko would be freshly charged with calling for insurrection, plotting against the state and criminal conspiracy, among other charges. Neither Sonko's Friday arrest nor the new charges are linked to his conviction in June. He has not been asked to plead in the new case. Sonko denies wrongdoing. His legal team could not be immediately reached for comment. (Reporting by Ngouda Dione; Writing by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Bate Felix) DAKAR, Senegal (AP) Senegal's opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has been charged with conspiracy against the state and calls for insurrections among other offenses, the public prosecutor said Saturday. The announcement comes weeks after Sonko was convicted on separate charges of corrupting youth and sentenced to two years in prison, which ignited deadly protests across the nation. Prosecutor Abdou Karim Diop made the announcement on state television, a day after Sonko's lawyer said he was taken into custody for questioning at the police courthouse in the capital, Dakar. In June, Sonko was acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her. But he was convicted on a lighter sentence of corrupting young people, which includes using ones position of power to have sex with people under age 21. Corrupting youth is a criminal offense in Senegal that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to more than $6,000. The conviction led to deadly clashes across the country between Sonko supporters and police, where at least 23 people were killed and dozens injured. Sonko placed third in Senegals 2019 presidential election and is popular with the countrys youth. His supporters maintain the charges against him are part of a government effort to derail his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election. Sonko's ongoing legal battles may bar him from running. Once in prison, he can ask for a retrial for his June conviction. Saturdays charges are separate, said the public prosecutor. The accusations include calling an insurrection, criminal conspiracy to commit terrorism, compromising public security and theft. It is unclear what led to the charges. Sonko has mostly stayed in his house since being sentenced to prison. In a tweet posted shortly before his arrest on Friday afternoon, Sonko said a team of soldiers were breaking down the door following an altercation with secret service agents who were taking videoing him. Friday evening, an AP reporter saw around 20 protesters burning tires in the middle of the road in Parcelles Assainies, an outer neighborhood of Dakar. Multiple dogs being taken from Chicago, Illinois, to a K-9 training facility in Michigan City, Indiana, died on Thursday after the air conditioning unit in a vehicle cargo area they were being held in failed. Authorities did not specify exactly how many of the dogs died in the incident. Nineteen German Shepherds were being transported from O'Hare International Airport when the driver of the vehicle they were riding in was caught in a two-hour traffic delay, according to Indiana's Lake Station Police Department. After the unit failed, the temperatures in the cargo area began to rise, causing some of the dogs to go into heat-related medical distress. The driver was alerted by some of the dogs' barking. He stopped the vehicle in Lake Station which is located about 40 miles southeast of Chicago, and entered the cargo area, police said. He saw the dogs in distress and began to remove them inside crates. Lake Station fire and police were called. Police said the scene "took an emotional toll on all that were involved in trying to save as many canines as possible." "This is truly devastating," said Jenny Webber, executive director of the Humane Society of Hobart, Indiana. Webber, who also responded to the scene, claimed that protocol was not followed. "I don't think any veterinarian would've signed off on their health certificate given the temperature and the exposure that those pets would've been under," she said..."I'm not even quite sure if they had any of that paperwork or any of the documentation they should've had." Weber told CBS Chicago that four of the dogs were eventually transported to the Hobart Animal Clinic. "The driver left with four, and the rest were deceased, and he left with the deceased animals, and four alive animals that I recommended be hospitalized immediately," she said. She added that the surviving dogs appeared to be in critical condition. Story continues They were alert but "clearly suffering from heat stroke," she said. Police said that investigators do not believe this was not an act of animal cruelty or neglect, but a mechanical failure of the air conditioning unit. Webber said she is waiting for answers. "It's very confusing, very disheartening, and I would like a call from the chief of police immediately." Saturday Sessions: First Aid Kit performs "Angel" Saturday Sessions: First Aid Kit performs "Out Of My Head" How Washington, D.C. has become a home for honeybees CHICAGO (CBS) Multiple dogs being taken from Chicago to a K9 training facility in Michigan City died on Thursday after the air conditioning unit in a cargo area they were being held in failed. The 19 German sheperds were being taken from O'Hare International Airport and the driver of the vehicle was caught in a two-hour traffic delay, according to Lake Station, Indiana, police. After the unit failed, the temperatures in the cargo area began to rise and that caused some of the dogs to go into heat-related medical distress. The driver was alerted by some of the dogs' barking. He stopped the vehicle at the Road Ranger on Ripley Street in Lake Station and entered the cargo area. He saw the dogs in distress and began to remove the dogs inside crates. Lake Station fire and police were called to the scene. Police said the scene "took an emotional toll on all that were involved in trying to save as many canines as possible." "This is truly devastating," said Jenny Webber, executive director of the Humane Society of Hobart, Indiana. Webber responded to the scene and said protocol was not followed. "I don't think any veterinarian would've signed off on their health certificate given the temperature and the exposure that those pets would've been under," she said. "Now I don't, however, I'm not even quite sure if they had any of the paperwork or any of the documentation they should've had." Weber said four of the dogs were eventually transported to the Hobart Animal Clinic and as many as 10 of them may have died. Police did not specify how many dogs died. "The driver left with four and the rest were decreased, and he left deceased animals and four live animals that I recommended be hospitalized immediately," she said. She added the condition of those dogs was dire. Some were vomiting, had diarrhea. They were alert but "clearly suffering from heat stroke," she said. Story continues Police also said after speaking with those involved, this was not an act of animal cruelty or neglect, but a mechanical failure of the air conditioning unit. Still, Lake Station police have not responded to a request to address the allegations. Webber said she's also waiting for answers. "It's very confusing," she said. "It's very disheartening, and I would like a call from the chief of police immediately." Hollywood expects earnings bumps amid strikes These U.S. cities are adapting to effects of climate change Trump, DeSantis to share stage as candidates for first time 131st Mekong River joint patrol completed Xinhua) 11:04, July 29, 2023 KUNMING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Law-enforcement authorities from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand completed their 131st joint patrol of the Mekong River Friday, sources from the Chinese operation said. The joint patrol saw six vessels and 147 law-enforcement officers from the four countries cover 711 kilometers of waterway, with the operation lasting four days and three nights. During the patrol, the countries focused on cracking down on cross-border crimes to ensure safety and stability along the river. An information exchange meeting was also held in Thailand's Chiang Saen to analyze the security situation in the Mekong River drainage area. The four countries discussed ways to jointly fight cross-border crimes and reached consensus on their future cooperation. The Mekong River -- known as the Lancang River in China -- is a vital waterway for cross-border shipping. The four countries have been conducting joint patrols on the river since December 2011. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29) Rescuers have located the seven missing crew members of a distressed tugboat in the vicinity waters of Cagayan. The Office of Civil Defense Region 2 said they were found safe Saturday morning, and authorities are monitoring their condition. "Our team deployed in Camiguin-Calayan area passed by Camiguin Island and the seven crew members of the tugboat were found safe," OCD Region 2 Director Leon DG Rafael said in a situational briefing in Tuguegarao City. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday sent four of its personnel to rescue the seven crew members of M/Tug Iroquois 21 nautical miles from Aparri. But they went missing themselves after their boat capsized. There is still no sighting of the missing PCG rescuers, authorities said. Super Typhoon Egay left the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Thursday after barreling through Northern Luzon. But Tropical Storm Falcon entered the country's weather monitoring area Saturday morning. Several trees and power lines are down after severe storms move through the area overnight Saturday. >>PHOTOS: Trees down across area following overnight severe weather Multiple power poles are down at the 800 block of Foley Drive, Vandalia Police dispatchers told NewsCenter 7. Officers responded to the scene and AES Ohio has been requested. An iWitness 7 viewer sent photos of trees down on Charlesgate Road in Huber Heights. Another viewer told our newsroom that trees are down in the Cheviot Hills neighborhood right off Leffel Lane. They say trees are down, roads are closed, and several are without power. >>Nearly 6,000 without power following overnight storms The Shelby County Sheriffs Office also told NewsCenter 7 that several trees and power lines are down throughout the county. They did not say which areas have been affected. There are also reports of trees down throughout Clark County, according to the Clark County Sheriffs Office. Power lines and trees are down throughout Montgomery County. Power lines are down in Keowee Street and Webster Street, Montgomery County Regional Dispatch told NewsCenter 7. There is also a report of trees down on E. Stewart Street and Brown Street in Dayton as well as the S Union Road and Dayton Farmersville Road in Jefferson Township. Trees are down on State Route 343 and Hedges Road in Greene County, according to the Greene County Sheriffs Office. >>Share your weather photos & videos with us Thousands of people are without throughout the Miami Valley due to these storms. We will continue to provide updates on this developing story. Photo credit to iWitness 7 viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 reporter Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Photo credit to iWitness 7 Viewer Thunderstorms in St. Joseph sent fans at Saturdays Kansas City Chiefs training camp practice home early and forced the rest of the practice indoors. Players took the field at Missouri Western State University around 9:15 a.m., with a few thousand fans in attendance. Camp began last weekend and runs until Aug. 17, with fans able to attend all but three dates for free. Saturday was one of those three practices fans paid $5 to watch the Super Bowl champions prepare for the upcoming season. Around 10:20 a.m., however, an announcement was made that the Chiefs would leave the outdoor practice fields and move to their indoor facility at Missouri Western. Rain began to pour, and fans were asked to leave the facility. The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for St. Joseph after 7 a.m., and it remained in effect into the afternoon. While the crowd fled to their cars, the Chiefs jogged to their indoor building in a matter of minutes, where practice continued. The team knows the drill. Its the second time since training camp began two weeks ago that the Chiefs spent part of their practice indoors. Our guys dont flinch, said special teams coordinator Dave Toub. It happens real quick. Some guys change their shoes, but they dont miss a beat. Nobody (complains). Thats the beauty of our team. We have great leadership. Practice continued inside for another half-hour. The Stars Jesse Newell and Blair Kerkhoff also contributed to this report. Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero / The Daily Beast / Getty Enraged members of Floridas original task force on African American education say they were purposefully kept in the dark about the states new academic standardswhich now include the wild revisionist claim that skills used during Black enslavement provided personal benefitin a shady move that echoed plantation politics. The Florida Commissioner of Educations African American History Task Force was created in 1994 to implement the teaching of the history of African peoples and the contributions of African Americans to society, according to the groups website. However, three members now claim they were neglected to be informed about Gov. Ron DeSantis new mission to restructure how Black history was taught. Instead, a totally different work group was quietly formedand stacked with the Department of Educations own appointeesto advise on the new standards and pass an agenda. Its the same divide techniques that they used on the plantation, African American History Task Force member Dr. Donna Austin told The Daily Beast. Its the same, identical thing. They always use methods of dividing the African and African American people. Thats what they do. The Florida Board of Education approved the new guidelines July 19, which detail African American contributions in art and civic service, patriotism, the livelihood of people who were enslaved, and abolitionist movements. However, there was widespread criticism over one section on how African Americans benefited from enslavement. Florida Department of Education Examine the various duties and trades performed by slaves (e.g., agricultural work, painting, carpentry, tailoring, domestic service, blacksmithing, transportation), reads the Social Studies 2023 standards. Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit. To no surprise, members of the new work group were proud of the new standards. In an interview with NPR, academic Dr. William Allen said it was a collaborative process that he was perfectly content to be part of, then claimed famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass was inspired by his mistress to read while enslaved. Story continues That small glimmer of light was enough to inspire him to turn it into a burning flame of illumination from which he benefited and his country benefited, Allen said, according to NPR. Despite Allens mental gymnastics on enslavement, the controversy found its way to the White House when Vice President Kamala Harris publicly blasted lawmakers for pushing a misleading curriculum. They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, and we will not stand for it! Harris cried during the Social Action Luncheon for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. (The new section appeared to be academically shoddy, too: Nearly half of the examples provided by the department of enslaved people who may have benefited from slavery were never enslaved at all.) America Is Putting Up Memorials for a Lynching Victim, While Minimizing Slavery Im an African American, and Im not expecting any type of standard to imply that my ancestors benefited from slavery, Austin said in an interview with The Daily Beast Friday. I thought that that was very disrespectful, extremely demeaning, and it supports what people want others to believe about African and African American people. Austin explained that she knew the Department of Education was creating a new work group, which was made up of three members selected by the Task Force and 10 members selected by the department. But despite the Task Force being required, by law, to have input on the standards, Austin said she was completely unaware of the standards until they were released to the public. I've been on the Task Force for years, and we were making great strides in getting districts to implement African and African American history in their classrooms, she said. We were doing very well at helping them to understand how to infuse the standards and their curriculum so that children from K-12 can really learn the truth about African and African American history. And for this to come it seems to me that this was something that was applied and planned. Other Task Force members similarly shared their disgust at how the new standards whitewash African American history. Florida statute requires that instruction be provided on African civilization before colonization and slavery, the office of state Sen. Geraldine Thomas said in a statement to The Daily Beast. This focus is totally missing from the newly adopted standards. The standards should not advance the misconception that our history as a people began with slavery and not with one of the most advanced civilizations in the world. Thomas, who is a member of the Task Force but had nothing to do with the new standards, claimed that the new guidelines imply that Black history began with enslavement and that its mythologized as a training ground where enslaved people were taught skills that they could use for their benefit. This whitewashes the brutality that occurred when families were separated by being sold off during slavery and the resulting long-term trauma still experienced by current generations, she said. PragerU Says Florida Teachers Approved to Use Its Class Curriculum Kimberly Daniels, a Florida state representative who was appointed to the Task Force by Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, insisted she was also iced out of the process. I never participated in any conversation about the states Black History standards. In fact, I was never consulted about these standards, she said, according to local outlet CBS 47. I disagree with and would have immediately challenged and resisted any notion that slavery was a benefit to African Americans. Austin said she believed the separate work group was madewith a very similar sounding title of The African American History Standards Workgroupto intentionally confuse the public about who was responsible for the new standards. [DeSantis people] purposefully did that. They did that, she said, claiming the DeSantis administration utilized conservative Black people in the second group to do their dirty work. These people are very conniving and cunning Theyre very good at that because they set up systems for that to take place. But what we fail to do is recognize that this is a spirit of deception. Im gonna be honest with you: This is a race war, she added. And we have too many African Americans on the wrong side of the battlefield. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. The body of a slain Texas woman has been identified nearly half a century after it was discovered, police said. The case dates back to the summer of 1979 when a deceased woman was found alongside a Texas highway, according to a July 27 news release from the Bastrop County Sheriffs Office. At the time, officials could not determine her identity but believed the woman to be between 16 and 40 years old. A subsequent investigation into her death proved unsuccessful, but five years later, in 1984, self-proclaimed serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed to murdering the woman, police said. Then her case remained cold for the next 35 years. Police took another crack at it in 2019 when they had the womans grave exhumed in order to collect DNA samples. Over the next several years, it was determined that the genetic material obtained from the grave was not enough to provide an identification. Othram Inc., a forensic genealogy company in Texas, later offered to assist the case and was sent samples for testing, police said. Still, a full DNA profile of the woman proved elusive. A second exhumation of the grave was conducted in 2022, at which point further DNA samples were gathered and given to Othram, police said. This year, Othram obtained a complete DNA profile, and the womans family tree was established, which finally allowed police to determine her identity. The womans name was Kathy Ann Smith. She had been born on July 19, 1956. She had a different birth name and had been adopted at a young age, police said. The family has been notified of the location of her remains, police said. Kathy Smith was 22 years old, almost 23, at the time of her murder. Bastrop County is located about 35 miles southeast of Austin. Intoxicated man pushed 7-year-old into pool, Oklahoma cops say. They couldnt swim Worker burned during fire died days later, NC officials say. Now business faces fines Friends Facebook post reminds woman to check lottery tickets. Shes stunned by win Night photo of the "York Fire." Firefighters on Friday battled vegetation fire south of Interstate 15 and near Mountain Pass, in the Mojave National Preserve. Smoke from the York Fire, south of Interstate 15 and near Mountain Pass, drew the attention of weekend commuters heading to and from Las Vegas. The vegetation fire was reported at 12:09 p.m. Friday, in the Mojave National Preserve, west of the Nevada state border, San Bernardino County Fire officials reported. Several people driving along the highway told the Daily Press they saw smoke from a distance. The smoke didnt look too bad, but as we drove closer to Mountain Pass, the smoke got darker, said Victorville resident Emily Reyes, who drove to Henderson, Nevada to attend a family party. The fire began east of Cima Road on Maruba and New York Mountain roads, and in a region that includes desert scrub, juniper, and Joshua tree woodland. The fire spread in a northeast direction and was moving at a moderate speed, firefighters said. The west side of the fire was held within a rocky area, which meant the fire's spread was limited in that area, fire officials reported. On the east side, the fire remained active and was backing into the wind, which often results in a slower spread, with less intensity and aggressive growth. By Friday night, the fire was at 2,580 acres, with 0% containment. There were 92 firefighter assigned to the incident. Crews had constructed fire lines, extinguished flames, and limited the fire's advancement. Air resources dropped water or fire retardant to create fire breaks to slow the fires spread. There were no evacuations or closures reported on Friday night. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Firefighters on Friday battled the York Fire south of Interstate 15 and near Mountain Pass, in the Mojave National Preserve. This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Smoke from York Fire draws attention of commuters on Interstate 15 By Graham Keeley BARCELONA (Reuters) -Spain's Socialists have emerged with one seat fewer after counts of votes from abroad in last week's election, making it harder for them to be able to form a left-wing coalition as they would need the support of hardline Catalan separatists rather than just their abstention, analysts told Reuters on Saturday. In Sunday's close-fought election, neither the left or right blocs won enough seats to form a majority and Catalan separatist parties Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and Junts emerged as kingmakers, both controlling seven seats each. Esquerra is seen as likely to back Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez but with the fresh seat count - confirmed on Saturday evening by the electoral commission - it appears that Junts, the more hardline of the Catalan parties, would also have to actively support him for him to be able to form a government. Sanchez called last week's election early after left-wing parties were battered in local and regional elections in May, hoping to catch the opposition off guard. The left emerged stronger than opinion polls had predicted but Sanchez, now in a caretaker role, faces an uphill task forming a government. Counting of votes from over 233,000 Spaniards living abroad handed one seat in Madrid to the PP that had been awarded to the Socialists in the initial vote count, electoral authorities said. To form a government, an absolute majority of 176 votes is needed in a parliamentary vote in the 350-seat Congress. If neither bloc is able to secure that, there is a second vote in parliament and the side with the most votes wins by a simple majority. According to the revised seat count, the PP could muster a total 171 votes, including 137 of its own, 33 from the hard-right Vox party and one from the Union of the Navarran People, a regional party. No other parties have said they will support an administration that includes Vox. A spokeswoman for Canarian Coalition, a regional party with one lawmaker, told Reuters on Saturday it would not support a government containing Vox but had not decided if it would support Sanchez. Story continues For his part, Sanchez could muster 171 seats with 121 seats from the Socialists and the support of the far-left Sumar party (31 seats), Esquerra (seven), the Basque separatists EH Bildu (six), the Basque Nationalist Party (five) and the Galician Nationalist Bloc (one). On Friday, before the seat change occasioned by the foreign vote count, the left bloc could look forward to 172 votes, while the PP and allies Vox and UPN could only muster only 170. This meant Sanchez only had to persuade Junts to abstain, to be voted back into power with a simple majority. Now, depending on how the Canaries party decides to act, Sanchez is likely to need at least one vote from Junts to beat the PP and its allies. "This will make it harder for Sanchez because if he needs their votes, it will give Junts more power to demand things in return," Pablo Simon, a political analyst at the Carlos III University in Madrid, told Reuters. SEPARATIST CONDITIONS Junts, which takes a harder line on independence for Catalonia than the ERC, said on Monday its conditions for helping Sanchez get over the line were permission to hold a referendum in Catalonia on independence and an amnesty for all separatists facing legal charges related to a failed independence bid by the region in 2017. The holding of a referendum would need a change in the Spanish Constitution and the vote of a majority of lawmakers which is certain not to happen. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the PP leader, is still determined to try to form a right-wing coalition. "Feijoo wants to govern for all Spaniards," Pedro Rollan, the PP regional coordinator, said in Madrid on Saturday. Sumar leader Yolanda Diaz called on all "progressive forces" to support Sanchez. "I believe that political groups must rise to the occasion, and I appeal to the progressive and democratic forces of the country to guarantee (Sanchez) is voted in as prime minister," she said in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica published on Saturday. (Reporting by Graham KeeleyAdditional reporting by Alvise Armellini in RomeEditing by Frances Kerry) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the Russian President to resume the operation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative at a meeting of African leaders with Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine. Source: a statement by Ramaphosa shared by the Kremlins website Quote: "As we listened to your [Putin's ed.] speech today, when you were responding to some elements of our proposals, we noted the following. In particular, you were talking about grain. We proposed to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative, we talked about the need to open the Black Sea, we said that we would like the Black Sea to be open to world markets." Details: The South African president also said that African leaders "did not come here to ask for any 'gifts' for the African continent". "We understand, of course, that out of generosity you have decided to provide free grain to some African countries that are facing certain difficulties. We have great respect for that, and we are noting that. However, this is not our main goal here, it is not our main task to achieve any supplies of this nature," Ramaphosa said. Background: On 28 July, the African Union called for the immediate resumption of the UN-brokered agreement allowing Ukraine to export millions of tonnes of grain, which was suspended on Russia's orders. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Julius Malema Despite his dismal performance in school and divisive nature, the firebrand leader of South Africa's second-largest opposition party, Julius Malema, has become a symbol of success for his legion of supporters. This is largely because he has built from scratch his own political party, the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which has become a political force that cannot be ignored 10 years after he founded it. At the same time, Mr Malema has graduated from university with a BA in communication and African languages, and an honours degree in philosophy. The 42-year-old is currently registered for a master's degree at the highly respected Witwatersrand University. Few thought he would achieve this - after all, he was the subject of ridicule when his final-year school results were leaked in 2008, showing that he barely scraped through with a below average pass. An outspoken and controversial politician accused of promoting hate speech, he faced insults about his poor mathematics and woodwork results but said he did not let those define him because he "had no aspirations of being a carpenter but wanted to be an activist and politician". He previously admitted to failing two grades in high school because he "got too excited after joining Cosas" - the Congress of South African Students movement which had been formed to fight the racist system of apartheid. White-minority rule ended in 1994, when the African National Congress (ANC) - which was at the forefront of the campaign against apartheid - won South Africa's first democratic election. Now Mr Malema is seen as something of a trendsetter, with an increasing number of politicians and celebrities finishing school while others are furthering their studies, though none have cited him as an inspiration . "It is only through education that we'll be able to reclaim black pride," Mr Malema once said. Earlier this year, Mr Malema told his supporters that they had to have a matric (school-leaving) certificate, if they wanted to be party leaders. Story continues "We can't be worse than the ANC Go back to school if you want to lead the EFF or the country." Around 60% of South Africans live below the poverty line Youth unemployment in South Africa is currently at a shocking 51% and young people, particularly unemployed graduates, are desperate for better opportunities. "I have a teaching degree but I have been sitting at home, relying on a government grant because there are not enough vacancies for inexperienced job seekers," said Nobesuthu Khoza, who graduated four years ago. Many young people disagree with Mr Malema's style of politics - which has led to fist-fights in parliament, and attempts to prevent President Cyril Ramaphosa from delivering keynote speeches - but they still respect him. "I'll be voting for the first time in 2024 and I think the EFF is a popular choice for most young people in this country but I don't like the party's disruptive behaviour in parliament," said Siyabonga Mvelase, a university student based in Johannesburg. This disruptive behaviour has also occurred in some South African cities, including the economic heartland of Johannesburg, where Mr Malema and his EFF have emerged as political kingmakers. This comes after the ANC lost its outright majority in local elections in 2021, resulting in coalitions being formed to govern cities such as Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria. The EFF has often held the balance of power, making and breaking coalition governments. This has led to accusations that Mr Malema - like other politicians - is playing political games rather than focusing on the need to tackle the myriad problems facing residents, from bad roads to high crime. Some analysts believe that this will cost Mr Malema votes in next year's general election. The latest Ipsos opinion poll puts the party's support at around 13%, a slight increase from the 11% it obtained in the last election in 2019 but still a distant third nationwide. He has been repeatedly accused of hate speech. He's been dragged to court by civil rights group AfriForum after the organisation filed a complaint to have the two songs Dubul'ibhunu (Shoot the Boer) and Biza a ma'fire brigade (Call the Fire Brigade) declared hate speech and unfair discrimination. But the poll also records a slump in the ANC's support, from 57.5% in the election to around 50%, raising the prospect of a coalition government at national level - and Mr Malema becoming a political kingmaker there too. Derided by his critics as a populist and a political demagogue, Mr Malema was once the leader of the youth wing of the ANC, where he played a pivotal role in catapulting Jacob Zuma to the presidency but later the two fell out, leading to Mr Malema's expulsion. As EFF leader, he was a major figure in the anti-Zuma campaign after an inquiry found the then president had breached his office by using government money to upgrade his private residence. Many believed that his expulsion in 2012 meant that his political career was buried, but what later that year became known as the Marikana massacre - the police killing of 34 mineworkers striking for better pay - gave birth to the EFF. Mr Malema was the first politician to visit the Lonmin-owned platinum mine, portraying himself as the champion of poor workers and launching the EFF in 2013, with a pledge to nationalise key sectors of the economy - including mines and banks. The killing of the mineworkers was the worst atrocity committed by police since apartheid ended On Wednesday, he returned to a settlement near the mine, where poor people live, as part of events to mark the EFF's 10th anniversary. The party slaughtered 15 cows and brewed traditional sorghum beer to "appease the ancestors". "We were born the moment the blood of the workers was soaked in this land," said Mr Malema to the thousands of his supporters who had gathered to hear him speak. "Today, we are here to dance and celebrate so that the enemy looking at us from a distance must feel the chest pains because they said the EFF would not last, but we are still here 10 years down the line," he added. Known in the EFF as the commander-in-chief, Mr Malema has promised to keep fighting for "economic freedom" - something that most black people have not attained almost three decades after the end of white-minority rule. His critics say that his policies, especially nationalisation, are widely discredited, and will lead to economic disaster - not freedom. Voters will give their verdict in next year's general election, but for now Mr Malema is in buoyant mood, holding on Saturday a "festival of the poorest of the poor" as the climax of the EFF's 10th anniversary celebrations. Once again, this year was one for the history books as the City of Fresno approved a whopping $1.87 billion budget and a nearly $480 million general fund for the 2023-24 fiscal year. But lets step back for a moment and look at the 2022-23 fiscal year budgetadopted just one year ago. A year in which Fresno, at the time, adopted a record-breaking budget containing a surging general fund, which topped nearly $450 million providing more funding for police and fire departments, park maintenance, neighborhood programs and other vital city services. Opinion What was the source of the citys massive general fund? The answer lies in the citys recent explosion of sales tax revenue, projected to reach $158.4 million in 2023 which has propelled Fresnos general fund to new heights. To better understand this historic growth in revenue, INVEST Fresno, a non-profit public advocacy organization, commissioned a study of Fresnos economic engine, South Central Fresno. The study is based on 2022 economic data and shows that this small area delivers an outsize impact for the city. South Central Fresnos Business District, as outlined in the citys proposed South Central Specific Plan, is a 5,629-acre planning area less than 7.5% of Fresnos land area yet it is home to over 440 businesses, including retail, manufacturing, wholesaling and agriculture. The study found that these businesses provide more than 22,000 direct, full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs and create nearly 48,000 FTE jobs citywide. That equates to roughly 25% of Fresnos 195,000 FTE employment. And the annual average wage for these jobs is slightly higher than the rest of the city at $68,000. Beyond just the direct benefit of providing quality employment opportunities, the economic study showed that South Central Fresno greatly impacts economic output and tax revenue generated for the city. The South Central Fresno Business District accounts for 35.1% of the citys total economic output. Of the roughly $318 million in property and sales tax revenue collected by the city, approximately $90.4 million or 28% are generated in South Central Fresno alone. This is thanks in large part to Amazon and Ulta. Story continues Unlike traditional sales-tax revenue that is only generated from purchases within the city, Fresno receives sales-tax revenue from items that are shipped from our local retail distribution centers, whether the shopper lives in Fresno, Los Angeles or even another state. In other words, shoppers from all across the state and the nation pay to keep Fresno great, and Fresnans pay less for critical city services. Let this sink in for a moment: In 2022, South Central Fresno generated $102.7 million in tax revenue enough to fund the citys entire fire department. As Fresnos economic engine, South Central Fresnos Business District is delivering for residents by supporting essential services from the hiring of an additional 44 positions in the police department, the safety and maintenance of Fresnos roughly 80 parks and over $1 million to support mental health programs. All of these efforts are aided by the overwhelming impact of businesses in South Central Fresno. Fresno is a great city with enormous potential. Its clear we need to facilitate an environment that supports policies to not only retain existing businesses, but attract new businesses and industries to the area so Fresno can continue to grow and thrive for future generations. South Central Fresno is the citys economic engine, and its benefits to the city go far beyond just the 5,600-acre planning area. Ethan Smith is chairman of INVEST Fresno. ST. AUGUSTINE The Ponte Vedra teenager accused of stabbing his former girlfriend, her mother and another patron in the restaurant parking lot of Mr. Chubby's Wings pleaded not guilty Friday. Spencer Ross Pearson, 18, is charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and aggravated battery in the June 3 attack that paralyzed 17-year-old Madison Schemitz from the chest down. Schemitz was not in the courtroom Friday, but her mother and the man who helped stop the onslaught were, Times-Union news partner First Coast News reported. Pearson didn't have any expression on his face as he walked into the courtroom wearing a dark-blue jail jumpsuit and shackles. The scars are still visible on his neck, where he slit his own throat after the assault. 'No respect for life': Aiden Fucci gets only appropriate sentence for Tristyn Bailey slaying Spencer Pearson arrest warrant: Teen Madison Schemtiz stabbed 15 times in Ponte Vedra restaurant before suspect sliced his throat Surveillance video released by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office shows Schemitz walking to her car as Pearson runs out of the Ponte Vedra Beach restaurant and attacks, stabbing her 15 times. Her mother tries to restrain him and is slashed as well as Kennedy Armstrong, who had just arrived at the restaurant and tackled Pearson. Schemitz said he had been stalking and harassing her since she broke up with him, according to an arrest report, and then she and her mother were leaving the restaurant when they saw him there. Spencer Pearson pleads not guilty Friday to multiple charges in the June 3 stabbing of his former girlfriend Madison Schemitz, her mother and another patron in the parking lot of Mr. Chubby's Wings in Ponte Vedra Beach. Pearson's attorney Matthew Kachergus addressed some concerns in court. He said he wasnt notified when two additional battery charges were filed against his client. He also objected to the release of the surveillance footage, saying it was provided to local media, while the defense was never notified. "It's troubling to see the discovery in my case being disseminated widely in the media before I had even seen it or knew it was being disseminated. If we can play by the rules I would appreciate it," Kachergus told Judge R. Lee Smith. Story continues His motion stated, "The video was broadcast on virtually every media outlet and platform in Northeast Florida. It was released "in an apparent effort to try this case in the court of public opinion, thereby depriving defendant of his right to a fair and impartial jury under the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States." Smith agreed the state needs to notify the defense before releasing additional materials but said prosecutors didnt break any laws. "We are not prohibited from releasing this information," prosecutor Kaitlyn Payne said. "It is exempt. If they choose not to release the information, then that is something that is the prerogative and the state's right, but we can choose to release this information. We understand this court has the ability to want to keep a trial fair, but we do not think anything we have done will keep this fair." Madison Schemitz offers her thanks for all the support she and her family have been given during an update on her condition July 7 at Brooks Rehabilitation. She and her mother and a good Samaritan suffered multiple stab injuries in a June 3 attack by the 17-year-old's ex-boyfriend at Mr. Chubby's Wings in Ponte Vedra Beach. Defense attorney Shannon Schott said as the case moves forward, she expects a more coordinated release of information. "I think the strategy here from the defense is that they want to put the court on notice that these things are happening so that if something much more serious happens later, they can get more footing in their legal arguments with the judge as to why sanctions should be appropriate," Schott said. Pearson is due back in court on Sept. 28. Florida Times-Union Metro Editor Scott Butler contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Spencer Pearson pleads not guilty to Ponte Vedra restaurant stabbing (CNN) A Niger general, Abdourahamane Tiani, appeared on state television as the countrys new leader following a military coup that sparked international condemnation. Tiani appeared on Tele Sahel with a banner identifying him as President of the national council for the preservation of the homeland. Despite the move, an official loyal to the deposed president said there was infighting among the plotters while France has said the coup is not final. The appearance comes a day after the West African countrys military endorsed the leaders behind the toppling of President Mohamed Bazoums government. Tiani said in the broadcast that Wednesdays coup was motivated by both the desire to preserve our homeland in a context of a deteriorating security situation, and poor economic and social governance. Nigers former government, he said, did not give Nigeriens a glimpse of a real way out of the (security) crisis. On Thursday, the Nigerien army command said it was supporting the seizure in a bid to thwart bloodshed. The militarys statement also warned against foreign military intervention, which it said risks having disastrous and uncontrolled consequences. Bazoum was reportedly detained two days ago by members of his own presidential guard. Tiani has led the body since his appointment by former President Mahamadou Issoufou. International condemnation Niger lies at the heart of Africas Sahel region, which has seen numerous power grabs in recent years including in Mali and Burkina Faso. A key ally of the United States, France and other Western governments, Niger had been one of the few democracies in a region fraught with Islamist insurgencies. The ongoing situation unfolding in Niger in recent days has prompted swift condemnation from the global community. French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that the coup was deeply dangerous for Niger and the whole region, and called for Bazoums release. Macron, who was on an overseas trip to Papua New Guinea Friday and spoke at a press conference alongside the prime minister, described Bazoum as a courageous leader who is making the reforms and investments that his country needs. He added that France once Nigers colonial ruler would support regional organizations should they decide to impose sanctions against the putsch leaders. He also confirmed that he had spoken with the Nigerien president several times since he was detained. Frances foreign minister Catherine Colonna said Friday the coup was not final and there was still a way out of the current crisis for coup leaders if they listen to the international community. The European Union described the situation in Niger as a serious attack on stability and democracy, before warning that aid to the country could be suspended following the coup. Nigers coup plotters have ignored international calls to reinstate Bazoum, with the so-called National Council for the Preservation of the Homeland warning of consequences to any foreign military intervention in a separate televised statement on Friday. However, a senior official loyal to Bazoum has suggested there is discord among coup leaders. The situation is still confusing at the palace, the aide said. The putsch leaders cannot agree on who will be the head of the transition, the disagreement is deep. The official said some of those involved in the coup are beginning to fear the sanctions of [African regional body] ECOWAS and the international community and want to negotiate their exit. CNN is unable to verify the officials comments. The aide spoke on condition of not being identified because of the security situation. The official also commented on the Tianis broadcast earlier Friday, labeling it a non-event before adding that Bazoum had no intention of resigning. He said the president and his family were in good health. Bazoums whereabouts unknown The presidents whereabouts remain unknown, though Macron is one of several global leaders who have said theyve been in contact with him since he was taken into custody. US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke with Bazoum to express her strong support for the democratically-elected leader, the spokesperson for the US Mission to the United Nations said. Bazoum is feeling well, Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said after speaking with him, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Mahamat added that Nigerian mediators are in Niger for talks with rebels. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also said he had spoken with Bazoum to convey to him all our solidarity. Bazoum took office in 2021 in the countrys first democratic transfer of power was following years of military coups. Niger has experienced four takeovers since its independence from France in 1960. The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom will see to it, Nigers presidential office tweeted on Thursday, after the coup was announced late Wednesday night. A man identified as Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane appeared in the video, flanked by several apparent soldiers, and announced: We have decided to put an end to the regime that you know. Abdramane later said all activities of political parties had been suspended until the new order. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Niger general appears on state TV as new leader following coup" Residents of Kherson, Ukraine gather to use Starlink internet in November 2022. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters A Ukrainian official told The New York Times that Starlink satellites are vital to their communication systems. But he also voiced concerns about Ukraine's overdependence on Musk's global satellite system. His fears stem from several months of back-and-forth with Musk about the use of Starlink internet in the war against Russia. Ukraine's digital minister has reported concerns about the country's overreliance on Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet system amid the war with Russia, The New York Times reports. Mykhailo Fedorov told The Times that Starlink has become the "blood" of Ukrainian communication infrastructure. Starlink satellites make up the majority of satellites orbiting Earth, and the network is often useful for accessing the internet in war zones or regions struck by extreme weather disasters, The Times reports. Starlink satellites, then, are invaluable resources but also ones that Fedorov told The Times he's worried Ukraine has become overdependent on. Starlink internet has not always been available to aid Ukraine in the war effort. In September 2022, Ukrainian officials revealed Musk had blocked Starlink internet access in Russian-occupied Crimea, citing concerns about escalating the conflict. Around the same time, Musk also asked the US Pentagon to fund for their internet services to Ukraine because they could no longer afford to foot the bill, Insider reported. In February, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said SpaceX Musk's company that houses Starlink needed to pick a side in the war with Russia after Musk announced Kyiv could no longer use Starlink to control military drones. SpaceX did not respond to Insider's request for comment ahead of publication. Read the original article on Business Insider Detonation of ammunition at the warehouse of the occupiers in the Kirov district of Crimea, July 19, 2023 The recent strikes on weapon depots in occupied Crimea hold greater importance than the attack on the Kerch Bridge on July 17, former Aydar Battalion platoon commander Yevhen Dykyi said in an interview with Radio NV on July 26. Read also: Ukrainian HUR labels damage to Crimean Bridge as significant blow to Russia The strike on the Crimean Bridge this time carried significantly greater political and psychological significance, as it successfully targeted its vehicular section. The main military cargoes (both ammunition and equipment) are transported via the railway section of the Crimean Bridge, not the vehicular one, Dykyi explained. The strikes on the Crimean Bridge have significantly impacted Russian logistics, leading to the rerouting of travelers heading to Crimea for leisure through alternative routes passing Melitopol, Berdyansk, and Mariupol, due to the precarious situation on the bridge. Read also: Explosions heard near oil depot and railway in central Crimea, traffic halted on Kerch Bridge The Crimean Bridge still needs further work; we specifically need to target its railway section. However, the Crimean weapon depots hold greater importance, Dykyi added. He revealed that in the past few days, four very large depots in Crimea were hit. These depots, he said, were at the army level, intended to provide logistical support for the entire Russian armed forces for at least a month. Weve taken out at least four such depots in just the last week, and this should directly affect their situation at the frontlines, Dykyi asserted. The night of July 17 saw explosions on the Crimean Bridge, resulting in a complete halt of traffic. The Russians admitted that full restoration of the bridge would not be possible until the end of 2023. A source in law enforcement agencies informed NV that Ukraines SBU security service and the Ukrainian Navy were involved in the nighttime attack, which utilized surface drones. Read also: Traffic halted on Crimean bridge as its engulfed in thick smoke video Story continues There have been multiple strikes on weapon depots in Crimea over the past week: On July 19, a depot of the Russian Armed Forces near Staryi Krym caught fire and exploded for over a day. On July 22, explosions near the settlement of Oktyabrske, located approximately 43 kilometers from Simferopol, led to the occupiers reporting a detonation at an ammunition depot. On July 24, the Kremlin-appointed Crimea governor Sergei Aksionov reported a strike near Dzhankoy. Most recently, on July 26, it was reported that six Russian military personnel were injured due to a strike on a repair battalion in occupied Crimea. 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 Diners watched, bemused, as Plato approached their table. The three-and-a-half-foot-tall robot spun and paused, presenting them with their lunch. No one moved, unsure of what would come next, until a man in cowboy boots reached out and took his hamburger before passing another plate to his companions. Then Plato rolled away, back to The Cazadero's kitchen. "How was the experience?" a neighboring customer asked the group, leaning over his chair. "Phenomenal," one woman answered, still looking a little confused. But Plato, United Robotics Group's hospitality-oriented "cobiot," hasn't won over everyone in the timber town of Estacada, Oregon, highlighting the divide between businesses struggling to stay afloat and a customer base skeptical of change. "I had no clue that people would literally not want to come to the restaurant because I had a robot," Cazadero owner Sherry Andrus told Fox News. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Plato serves customers their lunch at The Cazadero restaurant July 5, 2023, in Estacada, Oregon. CHIPOTLE ROLLS OUT 'AUTOCADO,' A ROBOT TO HELP MAKE GUACAMOLE FASTER Andrus bought The Cazadero in 2018. Since then, Oregon's minimum wage has increased by nearly four dollars to $14.20 per hour. Food prices skyrocketed. And finding servers willing to commute to the small town approximately 45 minutes outside of Portland is so difficult that Andrus requests potential employees Google the address before applying. "You already have a small pool to work from," she said. "That we're out in a rural area makes it even harder." So Andrus flew to the Bar & Restaurant Expo in Las Vegas in March with the main purpose of exploring whether robots could take on some of the burden. She came home leasing Plato. "I love robots and what they can do," she said with a wide smile. "I think they're kind of cute and kind of fun." She posted on the business Facebook page and local community groups, excited to introduce Plato. But hundreds of angry comments poured in. Story continues "I will never go there again," "NO THANK YOU," "Get rid of this we [live] in a small a town why in earth!?" WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE Some community members defended Andrus. "Yall are insane," one woman wrote. "Theyve been hiring for months and everyones been complaining about the wait time here Stop your commenting and go apply for the job if youre so upset about it." The administrator of one community page had to shut down comments because they got so mean, Andrus said. "What was so frustrating is the misunderstanding that a AI is replacing people's jobs," she said. "The server positions, the bartender positions are still there. This is just a tool to help them do their job better and be more efficient for the guests." In person, the response has been friendlier. Usually. On a blisteringly hot July afternoon, a single employee manned the bar and rushed to get plates to tables as the lunch rush began. Her only reprieve was Plato, programmed to take plates of food from the kitchen to their destination for faster service when the restaurant is understaffed. One man who looked to be in his 20s told the server in no uncertain terms that he did not want a robot serving his family. That's fine by Andrus, who said customers can absolutely request a "100% human" experience. But several of the bar's regulars love Plato. "I say Hi to him every time he comes by," Roy, a Vietnam-era veteran, told Fox News. He added with a grin, "I know he can't answer, but Mama told me to be polite." Garrett said that when he left his job with a manufacturing firm, "they were replacing people with robots everywhere." "That's just modern times," he said, adding that it's fun to see customers interact with Plato. "The little kids love him." Two dozen Plato units are at work across the country, according to United Robotics Group. THE LAST LAUGH: HOW COMEDIANS PLAN TO TURN THE TABLES ON AI SCRAPING THEIR MATERIAL The Cazadero is one of about two dozen locations to deploy Plato so far. Small businesses have been early adopters of the cobiot, as United Robotics Group calls it. "They have a staffing issue where maybe there's only one or two people working at the time, and this is gonna help them get food out a little bit quicker," Greg McEntyre of URG told Fox News. Plato's shiny white exterior and cartoonish face stand in stark contrast with the Western-themed steakhouse. And with about 5,000 residents, Estacada is the smallest town to welcome the bionic bus boy. The one outcome Andrus said broke her heart was seeing tips go down after Plato's introduction. "Some servers have chosen not to use him for that, because this is their livelihood, and they rely on those tips, and they still provide the good customer service," she said. Whether rural communities are ready for new technology or not, Andrus predicts that AI will be a key part of the restaurant industry going forward. "We like being our little rural community, and they don't want to see new technology coming in," she said. "That being said, we are growing. We've doubled in size, and the people moving here are moving from the city." Plato waits 20 seconds after delivering an appetizer to a table in the bar section of The Cazadero July 5, 2023. She added, "As much as we might hate to say, we're changing our dynamic and our demographic, and you can't please everybody. I want to make everybody happy, but we definitely are a small town." To see Plato in action, click here. In 2018, news about how plastic straws pose dangers to wildlife went viral. After that, many people and restaurants switched to biodegradable straws. But a recent study revealed that these biodegradable alternatives might not be as environmentally friendly as they appear. Whats happening? When biodegradable straws started gaining popularity, John Bowden, an assistant professor at the University of Floridas College of Veterinary Medicine, was skeptical, reported Environmental Health News. He assembled a team to study biodegradable straws from 38 different brands. The team was looking for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are often used as a liquid-resistant coating. PFAS are often called forever chemicals because they dont break down naturally in other words, they arent biodegradable. Bowdens team detected 21 different PFAS chemicals and found that 36 of the 38 brands tested had PFAS. [PFAS are] very persistent, they repel water, those properties make it very difficult for them to break down, Bowden told Environmental Health News. If PFAS are on it, I would not consider that biodegradable. Why are PFAS concerning? When products containing PFAS like food wrappers, cosmetics, and furniture end up in landfills, those chemicals leach into groundwater. From there, the chemicals can contaminate water supplies. The Environmental Working Group estimated that there are 2,858 water supplies contaminated with PFAS in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 97% of Americans have some concentration of PFAS in their bodies. Small exposure to PFAS isnt harmful, but when exposure adds up, it can cause health risks. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to increased cholesterol rates, decreased vaccine response in children, and heightened risk of kidney and testicular cancer. Whats being done about PFAS? As the risks of PFAS become more widely recognized, countries are taking action. Earlier this year, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway submitted a proposal to ban the use and production of PFAS. Story continues Because PFAS are used in many products, the proposal suggested PFAS should only be allowed for essential uses before being completely phased out. In the U.S., individual states have taken steps to limit the use of PFAS. 33 states currently have policies that limit or prohibit the use and production of PFAS. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet. (Bloomberg) -- Trailing in the polls, battered by economic headwinds and seeing businesses and the City of London flirt with the Labour Party, Rishi Sunak is rolling the dice that a shift to the right could keep his Conservatives in power. Most Read from Bloomberg Read More: Tories Urge New Sunak Strategy, Cabinet After Election Losses When the British prime minister took office after the turmoil of Liz Trusss seven-week tenure in 10 Downing Street, he assured voters and investors he was the responsible choice to manage the country. His pitch based on political and economic sobriety had a calming impact on financial markets. It has not translated into electoral support. The Tories barely clung on to Boris Johnsons former parliamentary seat in northwest London in a special election this month and watched huge majorities vanish in two other constituencies. That bolstered forecasts that the party is heading for a landslide defeat in a general election expected next year. So Sunak is going on the offensive. According to ministers and Tory strategists interviewed by Bloomberg, the premiers plan is to lean into controversial cultural issues that play on some voters emotions and create dividing lines with Labour and the surging partys leader, Keir Starmer. Downing Streets political shift accelerated this week, starting with the signals the government was willing to row back on some environmental commitments. Thats because the election result in Uxbridge and South Ruislip Johnsons old stronghold showed local opposition to a plan to tackle air pollution by charging drivers of older vehicles. Turning away from green issues is a long-held demand on the climate-skeptic right of Sunaks party. Story continues It looks like the lesson the Conservatives have taken from Uxbridge is that attack is the best form of defense, David Gauke, a Treasury minister under former Tory leaders David Cameron and Theresa May, told Bloomberg. That may be correct, but the danger is that they pursue an approach that appeals to one part of their support but alienates the rest. There are plenty of voters to whom a center-right party should appeal who dislike the populist tone. Read More: NatWest Boss Brought Down by Sunak After-Hours Intervention On Tuesday, the premier dramatically intensified his attacks on Labour, accusing the opposition of being on the same side as criminal gangs smuggling migrants into the UK. Sunak and his team then weighed in on the free speech furor surrounding Natwest Group Plc and helped bring down executives Alison Rose and Peter Flavel over the closing of Brexit campaigner Nigel Farages bank account. Ministers and advisers told Bloomberg they would amplify difficult debates in the coming months to show voters there are key differences between the Tories and Labour on the pace of the green transition, changing workplace culture, transgender rights and migration. Sunaks office was delighted with the response to the social media posts by the prime minister and other Cabinet ministers this week, one official said. Yet it is a major gamble for Sunak, who will likely find himself at loggerheads with key constituencies. It seems quite short-termist for the government to be softening its commitments on green issues, given all the warning signs over climate change, and taking on the banks is not exactly a typical Conservative Party stance, said Will Jennings, a political scientist at the University of Southampton. Its not clear that Sunak is the best messenger for this sort of politics. Read More: Sunak Signals Readiness to Soften Green Policies After Election Some Tories are also skeptical. One former government adviser suggested Sunak wasnt a credible front man for a campaign based on a culture war against elites, as a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker with a large family fortune. Characterizing Sunak as a McKinsey consultant rather than a Farage-style firebrand, the former aide also predicted the prime minister wouldnt pursue policies to match the rhetoric, such as leaving the European Convention on Human Rights to enable the deportation of asylum seekers. But another Tory aide explained the thinking. The party will use Brexit-style arguments to appeal to the emotions of older voters who make up the base. Sunak will make the argument that the world is changing, but that the change will be managed carefully while warning that Labour will move too fast. The rationale for that is visible around Europe, according to the aide, who said Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have seen an electoral pushback against the green agenda. The government is due to make a series of announcements next week that it will frame as a common-sense approach to energy security and managing the green transition, a person familiar with the plans said. Ministers will also call for a cultural shift away from what some Tories call woke capitalism, embracing a strategy already employed by Republicans across the Atlantic. The view that firms are spending too much time focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion and environmental, social and corporate governance is widely-held in Sunaks government, one Cabinet minister said. Another minister called for a return to a just-the-numbers approach to business. While the resignations of Rose and Flavel were narrowly linked to their handling of the Farage story, broader discussions are taking place in government about whether top firms are prioritizing a progressive image over investors interests. According to one official, ministers are hoping that seeing executives lose their jobs would send a warning to firms about becoming overly politicized. Read More: Labour Invites Tory Donors to Breakfast in Bid to Woo City Elite Meanwhile Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt will publish proposals for new regulations on environmental, social and corporate governance ratings in the autumn, people familiar with the matter said, to ensure the system is proportionate and does not penalize small businesses. Still, its far from clear that tacking to the right and alienating business is a winning strategy. Labours move closer to the political center coupled with years of Tory turmoil is tied to its efforts to appear more business-friendly, while the opposition party has built a formidable lead of about 20 percentage points in national surveys. Taking on more divisive issues may help bolster his position with core Conservative voters, but may weaken it with the more socially liberal voters that he was appealing to, said Jennings, of the University of Southampton. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. In the wake of a superseding indictment in the classified documents case, former President Trumps ever-growing legal woes and the 2024 Republican presidential primary race will likely dominate this weeks Sunday talk show circuit. The Justice Department (DOJ) brought new charges against Trump over his handling and retention of classified materials on Thursday night, accusing the former president of attempting to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago property. More than 300 classified documents were recovered from the resort in Palm Beach, Fla., last year, some 100 of which were found during an FBI search of the property last August. The superseding indictment also alleged that Trump aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira aided the former president in his efforts to delete the footage. While Nauta was charged in the initial indictment, de Oliveira was a new addition to the case. Trump slammed the new charges on Thursday night as ridiculous, claiming that they amounted to election interference at the highest level. This is prosecutorial misconduct used at a level never seen before, he told Fox News Digital. If I werent leading Biden by a lot in numerous polls, and wasnt going to be the Republican nominee, it wouldnt be happening. It wouldnt be happening. The former president has repeatedly claimed prosecutorial misconduct and election interference in the wake of two indictments. Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over a 2016 hush money payment earlier this year, followed by the initial 37-count indictment in the classified documents case last month. Special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the DOJs Trump-related cases, also appears to be nearing an indictment in his investigation into the Jan. 6 riot. The former president received a letter earlier this month notifying him that he is a target of the probe, and his attorneys met with Smiths office on Thursday. Similar events also occurred before the last indictment. Story continues Alina Habba, a legal spokesperson for Trump, is set to join Fox News Sunday this weekend to discuss the new indictment, while Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), who served as lead counsel in Trumps first impeachment, will also chat about the investigation during an appearance on ABCs This Week. Despite his ever-growing legal woes, Trump continues to hold a commanding lead over the 2024 Republican field. A recent Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey found that 52 percent of Republican voters would support the former president in the primary, leaving him 40 points ahead of the next candidate. While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held onto second place in the poll with 12 percent, conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy saw his support tick upward to 10 percent. Ramaswamy, who is set to join CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, has repeatedly defended Trump amid his recent legal battles. Like the former president, Ramaswamy suggested on Thursday that the new charges represented election interference. Theyre leaving nothing to chance this time. Lock him up, facts or law be damned, he said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. While Ramaswamy and others have stood firmly behind the former president, the anti-Trump candidates in the GOP field have used the repeated indictments to knock their rival with limited success. Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who will make an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press this weekend, suggested on Thursday that the former president is running to stay out of jail. Donald Trump is not running for president to make American great again, Hurd told CNN. Donald Trump is not running for president to defend our interests overseas. Donald Trump is not even running to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and in 2020. Donald Trump is running for president in order for him to stay out of jail. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also called the former president a one-man crime wave on Thursday, while former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson suggested in Iowa on Friday that voters have an opportunity to choose a new direction for America and for the GOP. Christie is set to join CNNs State of the Union, and Hutchinson will make an appearance on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday. Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this weeks Sunday talk shows: ABCs This Week New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R); Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.); actor Matthew McConaughey NBCs Meet the Press Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.); former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican presidential candidate CBS Face the Nation Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Republican presidential candidates; Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg CNNs State of the Union Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican presidential candidates; Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) Fox News Sunday North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican presidential candidate; Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.); Alina Habba, a lawyer for Donald Trump Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio); Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; Miranda Devine, New York Post columnist and author of Laptop From Hell; Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law professor emeritus and author of Get Trump For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Memphis Rep. Jesse Chism waves to the crowd as he and other member of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators are introduced during a town hall at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center in Knoxville, Tenn. on Friday, June 16, 2023. Black legislators from around Tennessee met together at the National Civil Rights Museum Friday to discuss a variety of topics in a town hall setting. The Tennessee Black Caucus has been on a state-wide tour since the General Assembly recessed in May. Much of the discussion centered on the upcoming special session Gov. Bill Lee has called to address gun violence. The caucus reiterated numerous times that what constituents told them during the town hall brings inspiration for the legislation that will be introduced in the special session. The special session will start on Aug. 21. Gun violence was a central topic. State Rep. Jesse Chism said that much of the firearm debate is not Democrats versus Republicans, rather it is urban versus rural. "What is good for rural isn't always good for urban," Chism said. Tennessee State Rep. Larry Miller discusses plans for the South Memphis TIF during a press conference, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, in Memphis, TN. Ideas for legislation like gun safe lock programs for all firearm owners and making it a requirement for all guns stored in cars to have locks on them were mentioned. While the legislators said they want these things to happen, they have attempted for years and have not found success. They hope this special session will bring the change they have lobbied for over the years. The National Rifle Association was a major point of contention for the caucus. State Rep. Larry Miller said that legislators around the country have been having the same conversations about guns for the last 10 years, but nothing changes. "But, in Tennessee, the only thing that's going to change that is when the citizens in these rural counties and our elected officials stop being beholden to the NRA," Miller said. Sen. London Lamar asks a question concerning HB883 at Cordell Hull State Office Building during a Senate Judiciary hearing in Nashville , Tenn., Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Another main point was that the Black caucus said Black Tennesseans have been killed by guns at higher rates for years, but a special session was only called after the Covenant School shooting in Nashville, where some of the victims included white children. "Don't nobody care when Black children are getting killed in Memphis," State Sen. London Lamar said. Brooke Muckerman covers county government. She can be reached at brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @BrookeMuckerman. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Before special session, TN Black Caucus looks for gun violence answers For a week, residents of Germantown, Tennessee, could not drink or use their tap water, following a diesel spill into an underground reservoir. The residents were informed via text message on July 20 that their water was not safe for any purpose, except flushing toilets. I was freaking out, said Kyle Miller, who lives in Germantown with his wife and two kids, ages 2 and 4. Finally, on Thursday, the city announced that the water was safe to drink again after independent tests showed the reservoir was clear of the diesel fuel, which had spilled from a backup generator used to power a water treatment plant during recent storms. But five residents, including Miller, told NBC News that as of Friday they could still smell a gasoline-like odor from their faucets, prompting fears that the water may continue to pose a health risk. Water contaminated with diesel fuel can lead to upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea and liver or kidney damage, the Shelby County Health Department warned on Monday. Diesel fuel also contains benzene, a human carcinogen. Christopher Mantia, who grew up in Germantown and moved back seven years ago, said his water still smells like turpentine or WD-40 lubricant. If I did not smell the odor, I think wed be comfortable enough to shower and wash dishes and laundry, Mantia said. My wife and I still dont think that well drink it until somebody can give us some definitive information. Miller, too, said a gasoline smell lingers in his home even though he followed the directions from the city about how to flush his water line. As instructed, he ran cold water through the faucets, followed by hot, then repeated the process. Initially, the whole house smelled when I was flushing the water, Miller said, adding now, you fill up a cup and if you stick your nose to it, you can smell it. Samples being labeled to go to a lab on July 22 (City of Germantown) Phillip Scheuerman, a professor of environmental health at East Tennessee State University, said residents descriptions of the smell indicate they might still have some diesel in their water lines, though its hard to know without additional testing. Story continues I would err on the side of caution and use bottled water and ask the city to come take a measurement, Scheuerman said. But the city does not plan to test individual homes, according to Stacey Crockett, its chief communications officer. Crockett said the city is instead collecting additional water samples in areas where at least three households have reported persistent odors. She estimated that 1% to 2% of the communitys 15,000 homes 150 to 300 were still reporting odors as of noon on Friday. These reports are in concentrated areas and the city is currently executing additional main line flushing at these locations, which are predominantly where main lines dead end, such as in coves and courts, Crockett said. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation which approved the decision to allow residents to resume drinking their tap water said Friday that it was aware some Germantown customers continue to detect odors, and that those people should contact the city for additional instruction. If residents still detect an odor after multiple rounds of flushing each location in their home, they should revert to using water only to flush toilets until the odor is gone, Crockett said. A water distribution site at Forest Hill Elementary School in Germantown, Tenn. (City of Germantown) Geoffrey Craft said the odor in his home has gotten worse since Thursday. I ran my water the majority of the day yesterday, and then I woke up again today and began doing another flush, and the water coming out of all of my taps still smells. Theres no other way to put it it smells like it is half WD-40, he said. Julia East, the director of communications for a local church, said she got a headache during the flushing process. She has been driving 20 minutes to a family friends house every night to shower and bathe her baby until she can be confident that the water is safe, she said. Were kind of living out of bags and had to pack up all of our stuff for an indefinite amount of time, East said. The diesel spill is a reminder of the possible ripple effects and secondary risks that extreme weather can bring as climate change intensifies. A cluster of storms on July 18 downed some power lines in the Germantown area, rendering certain roads impassable. Another set of storms earlier in the month brought flash floods and high winds that felled trees, causing power outages. Hence the need for backup power sources: City Administrator Jason Huisman said Wednesday that the generator has been in operation quite a bit lately due to recent power outages. The diesel overflowed during the refueling process, he said. Staff from the City of Germantown's Engineering Department and the Town of Collierville provide residents with potable water at Bailey Station Elementary School in Collierville, Tenn. (City of Germantown) Scheuerman said the risk to peoples health is likely minimal now that tests stopped detecting diesel, and given that the spill was limited to 50 to 150 gallons, as the city reported. Lingering scents could also be disinfection byproducts or an additive to reduce the amount of the sediment in the water, he said. The Shelby County Health Department said Friday that anyone experiencing symptoms related to water usage should contact their primary care provider or urgent care center. Miller said he's not sure he'll ever feel confident in the safety of his tap water again, especially for his young children. "I dont want them drinking water that could potentially give them cancer," he said. "We invested a lot to live here and now, after this whole debacle, me and my wife are planning on leaving," Miller added. "You cant live in a place where you dont trust its drinking water." CORRECTION (July 31, 2023, 1:50 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the last name of Geoffrey Craft. It is Craft not Carter. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Trump supporters gather outside a California GOP executive committee meeting in Irvine on Saturday to protest a change in the state's delegate allocation rules. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) In a move backed by former President Trumps campaign, the California Republican Party on Saturday changed its rules for allocating delegates in the states presidential primary a shake-up that could discourage other GOP candidates from campaigning here and make the state less competitive in next years nominating contest. Tensions flared as the California GOP's executive committee approved the plan, with some pro-Trump demonstrators denouncing the move, police getting called and two factions nearly coming to fisticuffs. Trump supporters gather in Irvine amid tensions as the California GOP executive committee met Saturday on new primary rules that could make the major state less competitive in 2024. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Although demonstrators argued that the state party leadership was trying to undermine the former president, the decision by the California GOP's executive committee reflects a concerted effort by the Trump campaign to mold state party rules across the country to benefit his candidacy. The Michigan Republican Party also recently changed its rules for awarding delegates in a way that's expected to benefit Trump. Republicans in Idaho, Nevada, Louisiana and Colorado are considering other measures that could give Trump an advantage. Read more: How Trump is gaining an advantage in the nitty-gritty battle for delegates The new rule in California means a Republican presidential candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote in the March 5 primary will win all 169 delegates from California, which has more than any state in the nation. If no one reaches this benchmark, delegates will be awarded proportionally based on the statewide vote. State party leaders argued that the new plan would draw candidates to compete in California. Todays vote ... was a massive victory for California Republicans who are eager to have a say in deciding who our Partys 2024 presidential nominee will be," state party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson said in a statement. "Republican presidential candidates will not only be encouraged to spend real time campaigning in our state and making their case to voters, but Republican voters will equally be encouraged to turn out to support their chosen candidate to help them win delegates," she added Story continues Former President Trump speaks to campaign volunteers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on July 18. (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press) But other Republicans say the plan will instead make California less competitive than if the party had stuck with some version of the system it has used for much of the last two decades, in which three delegates were awarded for each congressional district won, said Jon Fleischman, who was executive director of the state GOP in 2000, when it adopted this plan (though it didnt go into effect until after the 2004 election). Such a system allows a candidate to strategically target a handful of areas instead of trying to campaign and advertise in an enormous state with some of the most expensive media markets in the nation. The net effect of passing this proposal will be no presidential campaign will be incentivized to do any campaigning in California, period, Fleischman said. The cost to advertise statewide is too great and the impact of trying to motivate volunteers is too small. So they will go to other states and ignore California in the primary, as they ignore California in the general election." Trump's campaign supported the plan because polling shows he can win more than half the votes in California's GOP primary, allowing him to sweep up the state's huge haul of delegates, according to an executive committee member who had spoken with a campaign official. Trump strategists also believe a previous proposal that the California GOP scrapped could have helped Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said the executive committee member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about the insider conversation. Under that system, delegates would have been awarded by congressional district, with two going to the winner in each district and one delegate going to the second-place finisher. California is so big, with 52 congressional districts, that such a system would have created an enormous consolation prize amounting to more delegates than those awarded by multiple other states combined. Ken Cuccinelli, founder of the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC, blasted the state GOP's decision to go the other route. Smoke filled back rooms do not reflect the will of or benefit voters in any state. Yet across the country games are afoot to enhance the potential outcome of primary elections for one former president who half of the Republican electorate no longer wants as the party leader," said Cuccinelli, a former Virginia attorney general who served in the Trump administration, in a statement. But "even with these asinine primary rules changes," he added, "we remain confident Governor DeSantis will become the Republican nominee and 47th president of the United States. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Read more: Poll: Trump takes big lead over DeSantis among California Republicans Had it not changed its rules, the California GOP would have lost half of its delegates to the Republican National Convention a huge blow to the state's clout. Either of the plans that were considered would have met the national party's requirements for sending a full delegation. California's 2024 primary is scheduled for Super Tuesday on March 5, along with contests in more than a dozen other states. While California's overwhelmingly Democratic tilt has long made it uncompetitive for Republican presidential nominees in general elections, the state could play a significant role in deciding the next GOP nominee particularly if a candidate doesnt take a commanding lead in earlier contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. By the time California votes in the spring, Trump could be under indictment in four separate criminal cases. He has already been charged in connection with an alleged hush money payment to an adult-film star in the final days of the 2016 campaign, and with mishandling and illegally possessing classified documents at his Florida home after his presidency ended. Trump is also being investigated in Georgia on allegations that he attempted to overturn his 2020 loss in the crucial state to Democrat Joe Biden; and federal prosecutors have targeted the former president in an investigation into other efforts to keep him in office, including the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Although Trump's campaign is pushing for such primary rule changes in states across the U.S., some supporters of the former president denounced the state GOP's decision on Saturday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) But Trump's legal issues have not dampened support from his base including the more than 50 supporters who staged a protest at the Marriott hotel in Irvine on Saturday morning. The protesters saw the California GOP's earlier proposal as a purposeful effort to harm Trump, and remained angry that a decision was being made by the party's 100-member executive committee rather than by more than 1,400 members at their fall convention a reflection of the distrust of party leadership among conservative activists across the country. They unsuccessfully pushed for a candidate having to receive a certain percentage of the vote to be awarded any delegates. "There's a part of me that does think that maybe they're trying to take votes away from Trump, specifically, who's coming in strong, and so they're kind of thinking, 'What can we do to take away votes for Trump?'" said Bonnie Wallace, president of the Greater Pasadena Republican Assembly. As a state party delegate, she was able to observe the committee meeting, which was closed to the media, but she was unable to vote on the matter. "What I heard in there is, 'Oh, we need to open this up so all the candidates are welcome. ... If they get 5% of the vote, they'll get something," added Wallace, who carried a sign that read, "CAGOP & RNC/Why not Trump? Stop supporting corruption!" "You know, we need to whittle things down. We don't have participation trophies." The executive committee approved the delegate allocation plan on a 53-16 vote. State party officials said they could not wait for the convention to debate the matter due to a tight deadline for submitting plans to national Republicans. The protest was driven in part by fury and confusion sowed on social media, where far-right activists argued that Millan Patterson and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, who effectively controls the state party, were trying to derail Trumps candidacy. They are trying to change the laws so they can orchestrate a brokered convention at the National convention and steal the GOP nomination from Donald Trump," Laura Loomer, a Trump supporter from Florida who has a history of spreading conspiracies to her large online following, wrote on Twitter on July 20. "We cant allow [Millan Patterson] and [McCarthy] to get away with their deceptive rule changes that are designed to screw Donald Trump. Millan Patterson and McCarthy did not respond to requests for comment on the accusations. As demonstrators gathered Saturday outside the California GOP executive committee meeting in Irvine, two factions of Trump supporters nearly came to blows. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Protesters wearing red "Make America Great Again" caps and carrying American, Trump and "Don't Tread on Me" Gadsden flags gathered outside of the committee meeting, chanting Trump's name and "America first!" After they tried to enter the meeting and were blocked by security guards, Irvine police officers showed up and tried to cool emotions. Later, two pro-Trump factions began screaming at each other, with one side accusing the other of being white nationalists and the other responding that their foes supported open borders. They started jostling with one another and nearly came to blows before other protestors stepped between the two groups. Anna Bryson of Laguna Niguel, an executive committee member, was inside the meeting room but knew something problematic was occurring outside when she heard raised voices and then saw security guards race out of the room. Two pro-Trump factions began screaming at each other outside of a California GOP executive committee meeting on Saturday at the Irvine Marriott. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) "We have to fight for a vote at the polls. Not one another. Focus, people," said Bryson, who supported the rule change. "Get your friends and neighbors out to vote for the Republican Party," she continued. "And if you all are fighting with one another, you're not out there going door to door and talking about our great candidates." Get the best of the Los Angeles Times politics coverage with the Essential Politics newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The Academic Building on the Texas A&M University campus on March 26, 2018. Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents will meet Sunday to authorize the university to negotiate a potential settlement with Kathleen McElroy, a Black University of Texas at Austin journalism professor, who turned down a position at A&M after the university changed her job offer under pressure from conservative groups. McElroys botched hiring led to the resignation of multiple administrators, including the university president last week. Its not clear whether McElroy, who said she felt judged because of her race and gender, has filed claims against A&M, but if the board gives its approval the university could enter a settlement discussion with the UT professor, who has since hired legal counsel. The Board of Regents also plans to appoint an interim president for A&M, according to an agenda for the July 30 special meeting, which is open to the public. On July 20, M. Katherine Banks resigned as president of the university following the public backlash over the failed hiring of McElroy. Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp named Mark A. Welsh III, dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service, as acting president following Banks departure. Sharp recommended appointing Welsh in the interim until the board can do a national search for a new president. A&M celebrated the hiring of McElroy earlier this year to revive the universitys journalism program as a tenure-track professor. But following outcries from conservative groups and alumni, McElroy was presented with a succession of different offer letters that promised a less lucrative role at A&M. McElroy turned down the final offer, which was a one-year contract that could be terminated at any time. McElroy told The Texas Tribune on Friday that negotiations are still ongoing and declined further comment. The Board of Regents will consult with A&M System attorneys, likely in executive session or otherwise behind closed doors, to discuss the possibility of settling with McElroy over the failed hiring. Story continues In addition to Banks resignation, two deans at the university announced their plans to step down from their administrative roles at A&M in the wake of the mishandled hiring. The case has deflated morale among A&M faculty members, who previously expressed distrust with the administration over what they said was a lack of transparency in the decision-making process. Kate McGee contributed to this story. Disclosure: Kathleen McElroy, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University System and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. More than 200 speakers are now confirmed for the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival in downtown Austin from Sept. 21-23. Each year, the Festival engages, challenges and surprises attendees with unexpected talent mashups, must-see interviews and more, curated by the award-winning journalists at The Texas Tribune. See the lineup and get tickets today. (CNN) Moored five miles off the coast of Yemen for more than 30 years, a decaying supertanker carrying a million barrels of oil is finally being offloaded by a United Nations-led mission, hoping to avert what threatened to be one of the worlds worst ecological disasters in decades. Experts are now delicately handling the 47-year-old vessel called the FSO Safer working to remove the crude without the tanker falling apart, the oil exploding, or a massive spill taking place. Sitting atop The Endeavor, the salvage UN ship supervising the offloading, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen David Gressly said that the operation is estimated to cost $141 million, and is using the expertise of SMIT, the dredging and offshore contractor that helped dislodge the Ever Given ship that blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week in 2021. Twenty-three UN member states are funding the mission, with another $16 million coming from the private sector contributors. Donors include Yemens largest private company, HSA Group, which pledged $1.2 million in August 2022. The UN also engaged in a unique crowdfunding effort, contributing to the pool which took a year to raise, according to Gressly. The team is pumping between 4,000 and 5,000 barrels of oil every hour, and has so far transferred more than 120,000 barrels to the replacement vessel carrying the offloaded oil, Gressly said. The full transfer is expected to take 19 days. The tanker was carrying a million barrels of oil. That would be enough to power up to 83,333 cars or 50,000 US homes for an entire year. The crude on board is worth around $80 million, and who gets that remains a controversial matter. Heres what we know so far: Why the UN has been sounding alarms about this ticking time bomb The ship has been abandoned in the Red Sea since 2015 and the UN has regularly warned that the ticking time bomb could break apart given its age and condition, or the oil it holds could explode due to the highly flammable compounds in it. The FSO Safer held four times the amount of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez off Alaska in 1989 which resulted in a slick that covered 1,300 miles of coastline. A potential spill from this vessel would be enough to make it the fifth largest oil spill from a tanker in history, a UN website said. The cost of cleanup of such an incident is estimated at $20 billion. The Red Sea is a vital strategic waterway for global trade. At its southern end lies the Bab el-Mandeb strait, where nearly 9% of total seaborne-traded petroleum passes. And at its north is the Suez Canal that separates Africa from Asia. The majority of petroleum and natural gas exports from the Persian Gulf that transit the Suez Canal pass through the Bab el-Mandeb, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The sea is also a popular diving hotspot that boasts an impressive underwater eco-system. In places its banks are dotted with tourist resorts, and its eastern shore is the site of ambitious Saudi development projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars. A complex and risky operation The first step of the mission was to stabilize and secure the vessel to avoid it collapsing, Gressly said. That has already been achieved in the past few weeks. There are a number of things that had to be done to secure the oil from exploding, Gressly told CNN, including pumping out gases in each of the 13 compartments holding the oil. Systems for pumping were rebuilt, and some lighting was repaired. Booms, which are temporary floating barriers used to contain marine spills, were dispersed around the vessel to capture any potential leaks. The second step is to transfer the oil onto the replacement vessel, which is now underway. After The Safer is emptied, it must then be cleaned to ensure no oil residue is left, Gressly said. The team will then attach a giant buoy to the replacement vessel until a decision about what to do with the oil has been made. The transfer of the oil to (the replacement vessel) will prevent the worst-case scenario of a catastrophic spill in the Red Sea, but it is not the end of the operation, Gressly said. While the hardest part of the operation would then be over, a spill could still occur. And even after the transfer, the tanker will continue to pose an environmental threat resulting from the sticky oil residue inside the tank, especially since the tanker remains vulnerable to collapse, the UN said, stressing that to finish the job, an extra $22 million is urgently needed. What if a spill does occur? A spill would shut the Yemeni ports that its impoverished people rely on for food aid and fuel, impacting 17 million people during an ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by the countrys civil war and a Saudi-led military assault on the country. Oil could bleed all the way to the African coast, damaging fish stocks for 25 years and affect up to 200,000 jobs, according to the UN. A potential spill would cause catastrophic public health ramifications in Yemen and surrounding countries, according to a study by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine. Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Eritrea would bear the brunt. Air pollution from a spill of this magnitude would increase the risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular or respiratory disease for those very directly exposed by 530%, according to the study, which said it could cause an array of other health problems, from psychiatric to neurological issues. Given the scarcity of water and food in this region, it could be one of the most disastrous oil spills ever known in terms of impacts on human life, David Rehkopf, a professor at Stanford University and senior author of the study, told CNN. Up to 10 million people would struggle to obtain clean water, and 8 million would have their access to food supplies threatened. The Red Sea fisheries in Yemen could be almost completely wiped out, Rehkopf added. The tanker has been an issue for many people in Yemen over the past few years, Gressly said. Sentiment on social media surrounding the removal of oil is very positive, as many in Yemen feel like the tanker is a threat thats been over their heads, he said. Who gets the oil? The tanker issue remains a point of dispute between the Houthi rebels that control the north of Yemen and the internationally recognized government, the two main warring sides in the countrys civil conflict. While the war, which saw hundreds of thousands of people killed or injured, and Yemen left in ruins, has eased of late, it is far from resolved. Ahmed Nagi, a senior analyst for Yemen at the International Crisis Group think tank in Brussels, sees the Safer tanker issue as an embodiment of the conflict in Yemen as a whole. The government sees the Houthi militias as an illegitimate group controlling the tanker, and the Houthis do not recognize (the government), Nagi told CNN. The vessel was abandoned after the outbreak of the Yemeni civil war in 2015. The majority of the oil is owned by Yemeni state firm SEPOC, experts say, and there are some reports that it may be sold. From a technical point of view, the owner of the tanker and the oil inside it is SEPOC, Nagi said, adding that other energy companies working in Yemen may also share ownership of the oil. The main issue, Nagi added, is that the Safers headquarters are in the government-controlled Marib city, while the tanker is in an area controlled by the Houthis. The Safer is moored off the coast of the western Hodeidah province. Discussions to determine the ownership of the oil are underway, Gressly said. The rights to the oil are unclear and there are legal issues that need to be addressed. The UN coordinator hopes that the days needed to offload the oil will buy some time for political and legal discussions that need to take place before the oil can be sold. While the UN may manage to resolve half of the issue, Nagi said, there still needs to be an understanding of the oils status. It still poses a danger if we keep it near a conflict zone, he said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Inside efforts to avert environmental catastrophe in the Red Sea" Jadarrius Rose, the unarmed Black man who was attacked by a police dog in Ohio on July 4, described being terrified and fearing for his life during the assault in an interview with CNN. Rose, 23, was driving a commercial semi-truck when he failed to pull over for an inspector trying to stop him for a missing mud flap, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol case report and footage released by the agency. When Rose kept driving, the inspector called for backup. Then, video released by authorities shows police pursuing Rose, who does eventually pull over but does not exit the truck. Rose told CNN that he first called his mother from the truck. She told me if I know I didnt do anything wrong, to pull over, so thats what I did, he said. Looking in his rearview mirror, he saw responding police officers had guns pointed at me, so I didnt feel safe at all. He then called 911 to ask what he should do. I was just trying to figure out if they could help me, he said. I was scared, i didnt understand why they had guns pointed at me, I didnt know the reason for them pulling me over at the time. Rose, still on the phone with 911, said he drove back on the highway, continuing what became a three-county pursuit. Rose said the 911 operator instructed him to follow officers directions, so he ultimately pulled over and exited the truck with his hands up. He said that while a state trooper instructed him to walk toward him, a police officer from the Circleview Police Department told him to stay on the ground or youll get bit conflicting instructions that left him unsure what to do. I just stopped in the middle, because I didnt know what was gonna happen, he said. I was afraid that something would happen, and it did happen. Despite repeated warnings from a state trooper to not release the K-9, former officer Ryan Speakman turned the dog on Rose. Its not clear if Speakman heard the troopers warnings. Video shows that at the moment of the dog attack, Rose was on his knees. Story continues Speakman was fired by the Circleville Police Department after a review of the incident. When the dog was biting me I just was terrified, Rose said. I thought I was going to lose my life. I was in pain. I really couldnt see what the other officers was doing because the dog was biting me and I was just in fear of my life. And I just was screaming in pain, and I just didnt want to die. Like, I didnt want to die in the hands of police. Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney who has previously represented Randy Cox, Ajike Owens, and the family of George Floyd, is representing Rose. Describing the video showing the dog attack Rose, Crump said, Hes trying to do whatever he can do to survive the stop. Thats what Black people want to do when they interact with police, just survive. Hes putting his hands up, hes trying to do everything they said, hes trying to do everything they tell him to do, putting your hands up is the universal sign of surrender, but yet that officer still orders the dog to attack him. Crump and Nana Watson, president of the Columbus branch of the NAACP, both reflected on the optics of a dog being unleashed on a Black man. This harkens back to the 1960s when unarmed Black people, who are not a threat at all, to the police, are still attacked by police dogs, said Crump. Its disturbing that this officer did that in light of all the cameras that he knew was out there. A police review board is investigating the incident. Its findings are expected to be released next week, the mayor and police chief said. What if Im next? For Roses mother Carla Jones, his frantic phone call immediately summoned images of other Black people who have been the victims of police violence. I was nervous out of my mind, she told CNN. I was scared that he was gonna be killed. I thought about Tyre Nichols, she said, referencing the Black driver who died after being beaten by Memphis police in January. Crump is also representing Nichols family. I was like, I dont wanna lose my son, Jones said. I thought about that incident. What if Im next? Crump also pointed out the parallels between Roses case and Nichols. Rose is originally from Memphis, he said. Its the fear of most Black people in America, that when the police pull them over, that its possible that they could be the next hashtag, said the attorney. And the fact that they live in Memphis, Tennessee, where Tyre Nichols, an unarmed black motorist was completely compliant, but yet he got brutalized to the point of where he lost his life. Crump said the Rose family is exploring legal remedies, including suing the Circleville Police Department. The Circleville PD fired Speakman 22 days after the July 4 incident, following a Use of Force Review Board investigation. Chief Shawn Baer said in a statement that Speakmans actions did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers. In the same statement, the department said its policy for the use of canines was followed in the apprehension and arrest. Rose was treated for dog bites at a hospital and didnt need stitches, he told CNN. Hes seeing a psychologist to help process that day. He has been charged with failure to comply, a felony. The family hopes the charge will be dropped. Rose was also terminated by Western Express, the trucking company, on the day of his arrest, according to Crump. Jadarrius Rose represents many young Black men in America, the lawyer said. Trying to do the right thing, trying to be gainfully employed, trying to just mind his business, but yet, why would they pull those many guns on him over a missing mud flap? Jones said that above all else, she is grateful that her son survived. So thankful that my son is still living because he could have went another way he could have been another tale, she said. So Im thankful and Im just grateful to God, that God kept him. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Close to 18,000 more Central Florida students have been approved for vouchers that use taxpayer money to subsidize private, charter and choice school educations after Florida expanded access to the program under HB 1, according to data from the organization that processes the applications. The change, signed into law earlier this year, allowed students of all income levels to be eligible for the program. It was previously limited to low-income students. The expanded program and its popularity have been hailed by school choice supporters as a way to give middle class children top-tier educational opportunities. I expect were going to serve probably somewhere between 75,000 and 100,000 more kids this year, Step up for Students (SUFS) President Doug Tuthill said. A lot of parents very excited about these opportunities, I think were probably going to continue to have applications all the way through the fall, maybe into November. READ: Flagler Schools wants your thoughts on its superintendent search According to SUFS data, as of July 27, Seminole County had seen 68% more applications approved since last year, the highest number in Central Florida. When solely income-based programs were considered, the increase jumped to 86%. Flagler, Sumter, Brevard, and Lake counties rounded up the top five, all with at least 38% more applications compared to 2022. Osceola County had the smallest increase in the region, with just 13%. If every Central Florida student approved for a voucher enrolls in an eligible school an extremely unlikely prospect the voucher program would send $138 million to those schools, based on an $7,775 median awarded funding. READ: Students at 55 Marion County schools to get free breakfast, lunch this school year Under those same assumptions, the program cost would exceed $2.7 billion state-wide. So far, that cost falls within the states budget projections. Story continues I have every confidence [the actual cost] will be within that bucket that we set aside for this year, House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) said during an interview earlier this month, before the data was released. The idea that were giving this as a giveaway to millionaires and billionaires just is not going to play out, it will be a huge help to a lot of middle class parents who really want to make sure their kid goes to the very best school possible. Opponents of the expanded program have latched onto those criticisms that the program would be mostly utilized by the wealthy who are already sending their children to private schools. Their claims were given credence by reports that a Tampa-area school raised its tuition costs to take advantage of the vouchers. READ: Back to school: Heres when schools start across Central Florida Advocates for public schools have also claimed the expanded vouchers would worsen the inequity among school districts. They fear that declining enrollment would lead to budget cuts, or the state simply transferring money from public school budgets to private schools that follow less stringent standards. No parent wants their childs school to meet just bare minimum standards, but parents are unaware that many voucher schools have no standards at all, talking points from the Florida Education Association, the primary lobbying group for public school teachers, said. No standards for who can teach there, no standards for what students are expected to learn, and no standards for safety. The approved numbers will be different than the numbers who actually enroll in voucher schools, but enrollment data wont be available until after the new school year begins. READ: All Orange County Public Schools students to get free meals this school year Tuthill said he believes theres room for all in the new system, especially since school districts continue to struggle with the overall influx of residents into the state. Theres a lot of options in education, and thats the culture were in now, he said. The culture is people want choices. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. The 114th NAACP National Convention officially got underway Friday in Bostons Seaport District. You can feel the energy here already, Mayor Michelle Wu said following a welcome ceremony inside the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Im excited for the impact this convention is going to have in our city. The convention had earlier been planned in Boston a few years back, but didnt happen due to the pandemic, NAACP Chairman of the Board Leon Russell said earlier. The five-day event is the first NAACP national convention held in Boston since 1982, and will include more than 80 guest speakers discussing a variety of hot-button topics impacting the Black community, according to the NAACP. This is really an opportunity for us here in Boston to reintroduce ourselves to Black America, said NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha Sullivan. We know the perception, the reputation we have as one of Americas most racist cities. This moment gives us the opportunity to reframe that. Around 6,000 NAACP delegates from around the country are expected to take part in the convention. Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Boston Saturday to deliver remarks, the White House confirmed Tuesday. This year is like any other year. Were going to focus on affirmative action, womens right to choose, and environmental concerns because the NAACP is a vehicle for Black America to establish what is our agenda and what should public policy look like to improve the quality of our lives, NAACP National President Derrick Johnson said. Candice Babbs traveled to Boston with four of her teen students taking part in the NAACPs ACT-SO Achievement Program. I want the kids to see there are other kids out here like you who are doing great things and expanding their minds and being a part of something so much bigger than our rural area, Babbs said. The convention will include the 2023 Thriving Together Cinematic Shorts Competition, which will provide six filmmakers/activists the opportunity to tell their stories of social justice, according to the NAACP. It will also include ACT-SO programs, which stands for Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics, during which high school students showcase their skills and talents in visual arts and business to performing and culinary arts. Story continues Events will be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center at 415 Summer St. in the Seaport. Attendees may take the T to the World Trade Center stop on the SL1 and SL2 lines. The convention is also about a 17-minute walk from South Station. The convention is open to NAACP delegates and the general public. Tickets for the convention for the general public (as observers who are not voting) are $250 for adults and $110 for youths if purchased in advance and $275 for adults and $135 for youths if purchased on site. Daily tickets, which may be purchased on site, are $100 for adults and $50 for youths. Anyone from the general public with registration questions may get help by email at NAACPConvention@ConferenceDirect.com or by phone at 888-980-8839. Support is available Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information on the convention schedule, visit the NAACP website. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW The number of wild tigers globally has decreased by about 95% in the past century India and Bhutan have reported a marked increase in their wild tiger populations, according to new figures released separately by both countries. India recorded an average total of 3,682 tigers - making it the home of 75% of the world's wild tigers, the minister of state for forest, environment and climate change said. Separately, Bhutan recorded 131 tigers - up 27% from its last count in 2015. The new figures coincide with International Tiger Day. In India, the rise in its tiger population amounts to an annual increase of 6%, the environment ministry said. The population growth is a major conservation success for India, which saw its tiger population plummeting to less than 2,000 in the 1970s due to rampant poaching and loss of habitat. "India's exemplary efforts in tiger conservation and the increase in tiger numbers is not just a statistic but a testament to the determination and commitment of the nation," union minister of forest, environment and climate change Bhupender Yadav said. In the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the growth in the number of tigers was also celebrated. "This is a significant achievement and an indication of a very healthy ecosystem," said Chimi Rinzin, Country Director of WWF-Bhutan. The Bhutan tiger population survey found evidence of Tigers breeding at different altitudes in the country, suggesting the kingdom could help regional populations recover. The news in both Bhutan and India has been welcomed as the world continues to grapple with the increasing loss of species due to issues such as climate change. As a top predator, tigers are considered essential for preserving the complex systems that underpin the natural world. However, they are an endangered species. According to WWF statistics, the global wild tiger population has dropped by around 95% over the past century. The loss of habitat due to human habitation and the illegal wildlife trade are among factors responsible for the decline. Story continues As well as Bhutan and India, Nepal has also made significant strides, doubling its tiger population in the past decade. However, there have been concerns about the growth in tiger attacks in areas where conservation efforts are taking place. In India, as more tigers compete for the same resources, some of them are venturing outside protected nature reserves looking for food. This can bring them into conflict with people living in nearby villages. More than 100 people were killed in tiger attacks in India between 2019 and 2021, according to government statistics. Similar fears exist in Bhutan. "If tigers are to keep thriving, human-tiger conflict must continue to be addressed," Bhutan's national tiger survey report and the WWF said "Increased conflict results in decreased tolerance for tigers and poses a significant threat to both local people and tigers themselves," they said. While Stuart Chapman, who leads the WWF's tiger preservation initiative, acknowledged that the increase in tiger populations can lead to intensifying challenges, he added: "Bhutan is perfectly positioned to be a global champion for approaches that support coexistence between tigers and people." Chris Hale is chair emeritus and a senior consultant at law firm Travers Smith - Travers Smith A senior consultant at the law firm hired by NatWest to investigate the closure of Nigel Farages account has described Brexit as a tragedy. Chris Hale penned an opinion piece in which he referred to the referendum debate as a disturbing mix of xenophobia, racism and nostalgia. Mr Hale, who was described by the industry magazine that ran the article as a pro-Remain lawyer, works for Travers Smith. The leading legal firm was on Friday appointed by NatWest to review Mr Farages case and to look at how the bank handles the closure of accounts. Mr Farage said the latest revelations raised questions over whether the outcomes of the independent investigation can be taken seriously. They come after Howard Davies, the NatWest Group chairman, described the banks former chief executive Dame Alison Rose as a great leader. His comments, which come after Dame Alison was forced to resign over the institutions handling of the case, sparked consternation amongst MPs. Mr Farage tweeted on Friday: NatWest Group have chosen establishment legal firm Travers Smith to investigate my account closure. The chair emeritus and senior consultant, Chris Hale, is a pro-Remain lawyer who said Brexit was a tragedy. He wrote about xenophobia, racism and nostalgia during the Brexit debate These are the same words used against me in the secret Coutts dossier. How can anyone take seriously anything this review will say? Mr Hale made the remarks in a column published by the Law.com website on the evening of June 24 2016, the day after the Brexit referendum result. Result of vote is a tragedy In the opinion piece he wrote that the result of the vote yesterday is for liberal, cosmopolitan Londoners like me a tragedy. Praising the EU for bringing peace to Europe and creating jobs, he added: A detailed examination of the economic, political and security arguments pointed in one direction Remain. The debate, though, was conducted publicly in emotional soundbites and the disturbing mix of xenophobia, racism and nostalgia for a Britain which never existed, underlying much Leave campaigning, adds to my unease as I absorb the result. Story continues Mr Hale was at the time a senior partner at the firm. He is now listed on its website as its chair emeritus and a senior consultant in the private equity and financial sponsors group. There is no suggestion that in his current roles he would be involved in the review of Mr Farages case or would seek to influence its outcome. NatWest initiated the internal investigation after the furore over the decision by Coutts, which it owns, to de-bank Mr Farage over his political views. The scandal has already claimed two bosses scalps with Dame Alison having to resign after it emerged she leaked the former Brexit Party leaders banking details to the BBC. Peter Flavel, the chief executive of Coutts, has also been forced to quit over his handling of the affair, with Mr Davies also under growing pressure. The two-part review will look at Mr Farages case specifically, including whether the bank broke data protection rules by briefing the BBC that he had fallen below its wealth limit. Independent lawyers will then look at a sample of other account closures at Coutts over the past two years to assess the reasons behind them. Travers Smith and NatWest have both been approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. Russian-installed proxy in Kherson Oblast Volodymyr Saldo claimed that Ukrainian forces attacked the railway connecting Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea and Hehichesk in Kherson Oblast with cruise missiles overnight on July 29. Saldo, a Ukrainian politician who defected to Russia's side and was placed in charge of the occupied part of southern Kherson Oblast, said Ukraine had fired 12 long-range Storm Shadow missiles, and that Russian air defense downed all of them. Russian pro-war Telegram channels that generally report on military activity near the front lines, however, did not report air defense operating in the area overnight on July 29. The Russian Defense Ministry reported later in the day on July 29 that its air defenses had downed seven Storm Shadow missiles over the past day. An outpost and infrastructure were slightly damaged by the missile debris, according to Saldo. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims. Dzhankoi, a train hub in northern Crimea, sits around 75 kilometers south of the port city of Henichesk. On June 22, Russian proxies claimed that the Chonhar Bridge, a key connection between occupied Crimea and Ukraines mainland, was damaged in a strike. Saldo once again claimed that it was carried out by Storm Shadow missiles without providing evidence of their use. Dzhankoi lies around 35 kilometers from the Chonhar Bridge. Saldo, who was once Kherson's mayor and councilman, as well as a national lawmaker, is one of the highest-profile Ukrainian collaborators and stands accused of treason. He fled Kherson before it was liberated by Ukrainian forces on Nov. 11. Read also: Ukrainian intelligence: Saboteurs blow up warehouse in occupied Crimea Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. San Franciscos crackdown on drug markets in the citys notorious Tenderloin district has yielded almost as many arrests in the first seven months of the year as there were in the entirety of 2022. But most of those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law are not from the Golden City, police say. "Cities like San Francisco that have robust services, lax enforcement, and cheap drugs have become regional magnets," Bay Area activist Tom Wolf told Fox News. SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR CLAPS BACK AT LEFTIST OFFICIAL OVER DRUG POLICIES: ANOTHER WHITE 'SAVIOR' Officers have made 502 arrests for drug sales as of July 23 in the Tenderloin, Mayor London Breed announced Thursday. San Francisco Police Department Tenderloin Station made 566 such arrests in all of 2022. Police have detained 191 people for openly using drugs in the Tenderloin and adjoining South of Market neighborhood during the past two months, a police spokesperson told Fox News. Of those, only 27% identified as San Francisco residents. "We recognize that our previous methods of combating the drug crisis must evolve," SFPD Police Chief Bill Scott told Fox News in a statement. "We will not tolerate people coming from outside our city to sell, buy and use drugs at the expense of the people who live, visit and work in our city." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Scott said officers have increased "plainclothes operations and buy-busts" in order to catch more dealers. WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE Wolf, who once was addicted to heroin and homeless in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, has long criticized the city's handling of the drug crisis. He said homeless activists and politicians have "largely ignored" data suggesting people flock to the Bay Area for its cheap drugs and lax policing, fearing it will "further stigmatize the homeless." "Unfortunately, ignoring it has caused millions of dollars to be wasted on the wrong things and homelessness has gotten worse as a result. Not better," Wolf wrote in a message to Fox News. Story continues But this year, Breed pledged to bolster police staffing and crack down on open-air drug markets in San Francisco, particularly the Tenderloin neighborhood. "There's too much open drug use and disruptive behavior in our neighborhoods," Breed tweeted Thursday. "We cant stand by while peoples lives deteriorate on our streets." POLICE TOWED RVS FROM A HOMELESS CAMP TO HER STREET. NOW RESIDENTS ARE MOVING OUT, 'OUR TENANTS HAVE LEFT' Police in the Tenderloin have seized around 260 pounds of narcotics so far this year, an amount that has already surpassed the approximately 225 pounds seized in all 12 months of 2022, according to the mayor. "This level of fentanyl taken by [Tenderloin] officers has ballooned," Breed wrote on Twitter. The amount seized year-to-date is 541% the amount seized by the same time in 2021, she added. California Highway Patrol and the California National Guard began assisting local law enforcement with the drug clampdown earlier this year at the behest of Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Im proud of the CHP and CalGuards lifesaving efforts to shut down the Tenderloins poison pipeline and hold drug traffickers accountable," Newsom said in a previous statement. A short film about Gullah Geechee origins shot by a trailblazing director and world-class crew was filmed in Beaufort, St. Helena Island and Charleston in 2022, but other than the cast and crew, few people knew it at the time. Everybody was sworn to secrecy, said Ron Tucker, president and CEO of the Beaufort International Film Festival, who served as location manager. The secrets out. Seeking: Mapping our Gullah Geechee Story was filmed entirely in South Carolina and primarily in Beaufort and on St. Helena Island. It debuted June 28 at the International African American Museum in Charleston, the city that once was North Americas largest trans-Atlantic slave trade port. The acclaimed museum, which highlights the history of the African American journey, is the only place where the new film can be seen today, with tickets available at iaamuseum.org. The crew of Seeking: Mapping our Gullah Geechee Story at Bridges Preparatory School in Beaufort. The museum commissioned the film, which explores the roots of the Gullah people through the eyes of a Black child who sets out to prove his spiritual maturity by embarking on a journey through a sea islands seeking self-reflection and discovery. Its one of those that wont get a lot of attention like Forest Gump or The Big Chill because it wasnt intended to, said Tucker, referring to Hollywood films that have been shot in the Beaufort area over the years. It was intended to bring focus to Gullah Geechee culture and its origins. The making of Seeking marked a return to the Lowcountry for director Julie Dash. Tuckers Beaufort International Film Festival awarded Dash its Robert Smalls Merit and Achievement Award in 2017 for Daughters of the Dust, a 1990 moved filmed on St. Helena Island. The film, the first by an African American woman to be widely released in theaters, won best cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival. And The National Film Registry placed it in The National Film Registry for preservation. The subject of that movie Dashs first feature film was Gullah culture of the South Carolina and Georgia sea islands, with the focus on three generations of women in the early 1900s. Story continues She could have gone anywhere in South Carolina but she wanted to bring it back to Beaufort where her first experience was, Tucker said. And we made it happen. Some scenes in Seeking will be familiar to local residents, based on the trailer, including a prayer house on St. Helena Island and the shores of the Broad River, and the Angel Oak tree on Johns Island near Charleston, the largest live oak tree east of the Mississippi River. Scenes from Seeking were shot at St. Helena Islands Penn Center and the Chapel of Ease, an old church ruins, in addition to Widgeon Park Preserve along the Broad River off of Highway 170, and Bridges Preparatory School in Beaufort. Member of the cast and production crew during filming of Seeking: Mapping our Gullah Geeche story, along the Broad River in June 2022. The location for one scene showing Spanish conquistadors landing was the base of the bridge on the Lemon Island of the Broad River, which is a popular location today for people to fish. Native Americans are seen running through the Low Country terrain featuring palmetto trees and live oaks. Behind the scenes, work occurred at a production office in the former Boys and Girls Club on Boundary Street, Tucker said. And about 20 kids and adults from the area are in the film as background actors. Rebecca Tucker, Rons wife, was the local casting director. The period film ranges from the 16th century to contemporary times and depicts the story of the Gullah Geechee people and the slave trade that landed them in the Lowcountry, with an emphasis on the religious tradition of seeking that dates to the Luba Tribe of West Africa. The production crew of 75 was brought in from around the world to make the $1 million short film, Tucker said. The cinematographer was Bradford Young. His credits include: Selma and Solo: A Star Wars Story and Arrival. A young actor named Jamir Vega, 15, of the Atlanta area, stars in the film. He recently appeared in The Wonder Years and Teenage Bounty Hunter. Jamir Vega is featured in Seeking: Mapping our Gullah Geechee Story. Larry Yazzie, an accomplished Native American dancer, also figures prominently. The founder of Native Pride Productions Inc. in St. Paul, Yazzie has performed at the Olympics, The Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institution. Actor Larry Yazzie, an accomplished Native American dancer, on the set of Seeking: Mapping our Gullah Geechee Story. The main reason for the secrecy when filming was occurring in June 2022 was security, Tucker said. Elaborate costumes were made in the production office in Beaufort, he noted. A lot of that was happening right under our noses, Tucker said. And these were very expensive costumes being made. It was all done right here. National Night Out events set Aug. 1 National Night Out is a free annual campaign that promotes partnerships between the community and law enforcement. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement, heightens crime and drug prevention awareness and brings back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. It takes place on a Tuesday in August every year, in over 16,500 communities from all 50 states, U.S territories, Canadian cities and military bases around the world (Kennewick, Richland and Pasco all are holding separate events on Aug. 1). For more information on how your neighborhood can get involved, please visit your city police departments Facebook page or website. Also, be sure to visit the Support, Advocacy & Resource Centers (SARC) website, Facebook and Instagram pages for more information about crime prevention and advocacy services available in our community. Marisol Cervantes, Kennewick Lets build canals to be fish-friendly I am responding to a July 13 Letter to the Editor from Stan Kuick. Mr. Kuick is in favor of removing the lower Snake dams. I strongly disagree with Mr. Kuick for the following reasons: 1. Dams generate clean power, not contributing to climate change. 2. Dams store water, some of which is used to irrigate thousands of acres of farmland. 3. Dams allow for barge traffic taking numerous trucks off the roads, thus reducing congestion and pollution. 4. Dams allow for recreational boating. I have a houseboat moored at Charboneau Park. Who will compensate me when my boat is sitting on dry land? This removal, all for a fish? Why do we have hatcheries? Oh. thats right. Theyre not wild fish. So? Why is there no discussion to build fish-friendly canals that go around the dams? This proposal to remove these dams is ridiculous and should be dismissed. Tony Schouviller, Pasco China needs to clean up up itself Next time you put on a shirt or any clothing look to see where its made. Next time you look at your computer, TV, car, solar panels wind turbines. They all have something made in China. The biggest polluter of the world is China. Yet they do not have to do anything to create Clean Energy. China is already the worlds largest user of fossil fuels. China last year built more new coal-fired power plants than the rest of the world combined. Story continues The present administration intends to spend more than half a trillion dollars in the next decade for clean energy and climate change, mainly solar panels and wind turbines. The problem is these policies are all gifts to China. The EPA clean energy policies reduce our ability to compete internationally. Giving China even more room to grow its economy and gain an even greater edge over the U.S. According to John Kerry, the Biden administrations climate envoy, whatever the U.S. does unilaterally, without similar action by China, is utterly pointless. Kerry admitted in January 2021 that even if the U.S. were to have zero carbon emissions, almost 90 percent of all the planets global emissions come from outside our borders. Ira Johnson, Kennewick Writer will miss retiring editor This is a letter to the editor about the editor. Cecilia Rexus retired July 28. All of her readers owe a sincere debt of gratitude for the excellent job she has done. Her local candidate interviews were even handed, concise and asked the tough questions that voters needed answered. She balanced the diverse opinions sent to her without personal bias (Does anybody know her own personal beliefs or political leanings?) Inquiries sent to Cecilia were answered quickly, politely and honestly. And on a personal note, Cecilia has kept me out of trouble by refusing to publish my more alienating and potentially offensive comments. Under her watch, the Tri-City Heralds Letters to the Editor grew and gave us all an opportunity to share our diverse personal concerns, opinions and beliefs. This forum is a terrific asset to both the Herald and our community. Lets all join together and give her a heartfelt round of applause. Great job Cecilia! Michael Harrington, Pasco A retired Georgia pastor has confessed to kidnapping and killing 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington while she was walking to Bible camp in Pennsylvania one morning in August 1975. David Zandstra, 83, of Marietta, Georgia, was charged with criminal homicide ; first, second, and third-degree murder; kidnapping; and possession of an instrument of crime, according to the Delaware County District Attorney's office. "The murder of Gretchen Harrington has haunted members of law enforcement since that terrible day in August 1975. The families of victims often say that their lives are forever altered into the before time and the after time," District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a Monday statement. "Gretchens murder created a before time and an after time for an entire community and for an entire county. This heinous act left a family and a community forever changed." David Zandstra, 83, of Marietta, Georgia, is charged with criminal homicide; first, second, and third-degree murder; kidnapping; and possession of an instrument of crime for the killing of Gretchen Harrington. Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger "might rely on an alibi" during his upcoming trial, according to a recent court filing and criminal defense attorney John Henry Browne, who represented serial killer Ted Bundy. Kohberger, 29, who is "standing silent" in the case accusing him of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, reiterated his right to silence in a Monday filing responding to the state's demand to present an alibi. The suspect's defense team said it "continues investigating and preparing his case." His lawyers also said they have "[e]vidence corroborating" the suspect being at a location other than the crime scene at 1122 King Road in Moscow an off-campus house where three of the four victims lived when the murders occurred on Nov. 13, 2022. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP An Ohio jury on Monday convicted a Kentucky man in the September 2010 disappearance of Paige Johnson , a 17-year-old single mom. Story continues Jacob Bumpass, 35, was found guilty of abusing a corpse and tampering with evidence in connection with Johnson's mysterious death. "We are pleased to have been able to bring some semblance of justice to the Johnson family", Clermont County Assistant Prosecutor Clay Tharp said in a Monday statement after the jury reached its decision. Jacob Bumpass, 35, was found guilty of abusing a corpse and tampering with evidence in connection with Paige Johnson's death. MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. The New York prosecutor handling the Long Island serial killer case visited the suspect's house Tuesday, where police have been executing search warrants for more than a week. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said outside the Massapequa Park, New York, home of Gilgo Beach killings suspect Rex Heuermann that police had effectively concluded their search of the property Tuesday. "The evidence doesn't point one way or the other that someone was killed in the house," he told reporters. "We have obtained a massive amount of material that has to be cataloged and analyzed." Police use a backhoe to search Rex Heuermanns house in Massapequa Park, New York, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Heuermann is charged with three murders in relation to the bodies discovered in Gilgo Beach, Long Island. FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA Find Fox News on Facebook Follow Fox News on Instagram Subscribe to the Fox News YouTube channel (CNN) To many observers, South Africas stance on Russias war in Ukraine is puzzling. While the country professes to be non-aligned, Western diplomats and policy experts point to a series of actions that they say proves otherwise. Their list is long: South Africa abstaining from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations; hosting war games with the Russian Navy; repeatedly, and publicly, criticizing the United States; and even, allegedly loading weapons and ammunition onto a sanctioned Russian cargo ship. This week, while many African leaders stay away, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is attending a Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg along with key ministers. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa has historic ties to the former Soviet Union, but that ideological legacy can generally only go so far. Usually, money talks. And the United States and European Unions trade and aid relationship with South Africa vastly outstrips the Russian Federations relatively meager contribution. So, why is South Africa putting this important relationship at risk? Non-profit investigators at the AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism and anti-corruption activists are looking for answers in an unusual place: the Kalahari Desert. A lucrative relationship Many miles from almost nowhere, a giant wall of dirt rises over the scrub. Its the edge of an expansive manganese mine, a metal crucial for making iron and steel. The United Manganese of Kalahari (UMK) mines, of which this is one, are highly lucrative and the company has close financial links to sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Another major player in the mines Chancellor House Holdings (CHH) is a holding company linked to the ANC. For years, Chancellor House hid its connection to the party, but after extensive investigative reporting by the Mail & Guardian newspaper and other media outlets in South Africa, the holding company confirmed the links in 2021, when political parties were required to start making the large donations they receive public. Its managing director, Mogopodi Mokoena, told CNN in a statement that Chancellor House is not a funding front for the ANC, but was set up to help historically disadvantaged South African persons or entities. Mokoena is also board chairman of the UMK mining group. In recent years, the ruling party has been embarrassed by its financial challenges, at times struggling to pay its staff at its iconic headquarters in downtown Johannesburg. Based on publicly available records, its the single biggest donor to the party in recent years. If you add in contributions from Chancellor House, the donations reach at least $2.9 million since 2021. In a statement provided to CNN, UMK said its donations were all above board. Like many international democracies, including the US, the South African legal framework allows private individuals and organizations to make transparent donations to political parties. UMKs donations comply in all respects with national laws, the statement read. Playing a dangerous game But in a country where the line between the ANC and the government is, at best, fuzzy, many here are concerned that South Africas foreign policy towards Russia could be impacted by the connection. I think there is an increasing concern that we are more alive to than ever before. That there could be foreign money from a Russian origin that comes to South Africa, but flows into different political coffers, said Karam Singh, the executive director of Corruption Watch, an influential anti-corruption non-profit group. I think that could absolutely have an impact on how South Africa takes a position on certain policies. The ANC did not agree to an interview with CNN, despite multiple attempts over several weeks, or provide a statement in response to the specific allegations put to it. But the donations and linkages between Chancellor House and the ANC, Vekselberg, and UMK have troubled opposition leaders and Russia-watchers. I think South Africa is playing a dangerous game here and indeed sometimes politicians are putting the political party, the ANC, before the needs of the citizens because it just doesnt make sense to be so closely associated with Russia when the stakes are so high and theres so much at risk, said Steven Gruzd, a Russia and Africa analyst at the South African Institute of International Affairs. The US had long treated South Africa with kid gloves, he said, mindful of not risking an important relationship. Not so in recent months. In May, the US Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety II, publicly excoriated both the government and the ANC for their stance on Russia. In a briefing to local media, he made the accusation that intelligence showed the South African government had sent arms to Russia last December on a sanctioned Russian cargo vessel. Officials have denied that anything was loaded up, but the claim is now subject to a sealed South African government inquiry. But Brigety also took issue with the ANCs persistent criticism of the US and its attitude towards Russias invasion of Ukraine. This is an issue of the political orientation of the ruling party of a country and what it means as the party that is responsible for deploying senior government officials into the government of South Africa, he said. Mokoena, Chancellor Houses managing director, told CNN that the company has no say in ANC politics and that ANC policies are up to the party; he also denied that there was any conflict of interest. He added that the companys donations to the ANC were transparent and unconditional. Meanwhile, the presence of Ramaphosa and other African leaders at the St. Petersburg summit this week underscores Russias importance to the continent and Western powers failure to isolate Putin. The South African government has maintained that its policy of non-alignment is just that, and that it is the best thing for the country and for the long-term prospects of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. It chafes at the criticism from Western powers, but the recent announcement that Putin will not be attending in person an important summit of BRICS nations in Johannesburg next month appears to have given the country an off-ramp. If the Russian president had decided to come, he would have tested South Africas commitment to the International Criminal Court (ICC), given that the ICC has a warrant for Putins arrest on war crimes charges. Longstanding ties The links between South Africa and Vekselberg are not new. Archive images show he was present back in 2006 at a business forum in Cape Town, signing agreement documents with Putin looking over his shoulder. The oligarch runs the Renova Group, a sprawling entity with interests in a wide array of infrastructure and mining projects. The US Treasury sanctioned Vekselberg in 2018 and again in 2022, for supporting Russias invasion of Ukraine. After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Spanish authorities and the FBI impounded his $90 million yacht, Tango, on the Spanish island of Mallorca. But despite Western sanctions, Vekselberg still holds a significant stake in UMK, according to business records held in Cyprus. CNN asked the Renova Group about Vekselbergs involvement and possible influence in South African politics. The assumption of any Renova influence is unfounded. There is absolutely no influence on the ANC and no conflict of interest whatsoever, a Renova spokesperson responded in a statement, adding that it is an indirect minority shareholder of UMK. Non-US companies can often avoid sanctions by reducing the stake of a sanctioned individual in a business to less than 50% and by moving their assets into a trust structure. Vekselberg and UMK appear to have done both, likely reducing the potential for repercussions from the US government. Long-standing investors are fully entitled to their commercial interests in a private company, said UMK, in its statement to CNN. Mr. Vekselberg is not a direct shareholder in UMK and does not exercise any management or shareholder control over UMK. The claims may not be enough to assuage the concerns of skeptical South Africans, or their dogged media, over the possible consequences of the countrys policy towards Russia. It risks investment, it risks trade, it risks jobs, it risks economic growth, it risks the currency, it risks isolation from the West. I think there are there is a lot at stake here, said Gruzd. This story was first published on CNN.com, "South Africas stance on Russia puzzles many. Could a mine in the desert hold answers?" A Republican congressman from Florida has walked back his claim that the Defense Department "placed a heavy financial burden" on the family of a Marine killed in a suicide bombing during the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Rep. Cory Mills, an Army veteran, told Fox News on Tuesday that after meeting with the families of 13 U.S. service members killed on Aug. 26, 2021, at Hamid Karzai International Airport's Abbey Gate, he learned that the family of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee was stuck with a $60,000 bill from the Pentagon to transport her remains to Arlington National Cemetery. But Gee's family said they were not billed by the Pentagon at all. Since the article was published, Mills issued a statement saying the family was confused in its grief, and Fox News edited its headline and story without noting a correction. On Friday, it appeared the article had been removed entirely. Read Next: The Next Frontier for Warfighters Might Be Implants in Their Brains. Is the Pentagon Ready for the Consequences? "We did not have to pay any bill and never had a bill presented," Christy Shamblin, Gee's mother-in-law, told Military.com on Friday via social media. Honoring Our Fallen, a nonprofit that supports families of deceased service members -- to include help during the transfer of dignified remains, paid for Gee's remains to be transported by private flight from California to Arlington National Cemetery. Gee, 23, deployed to aid in the evacuation and withdrawal of Afghanistan in the late summer of 2021. There, a suicide bomb attack killed a Navy corpsman, a soldier and 11 Marines, including Gee. About a week before her death, the Department of Defense released a picture of Gee holding a baby in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. She posted the picture on her Instagram with the caption: "I love my job." A day after the Fox story was published, Task & Purpose reached out to Shamblin, the Pentagon and Honoring Our Fallen. All three denied that the family was stuck with a bill or that they had requested the Pentagon pay for transportation to Arlington. Story continues The Pentagon said it had no record of any charges. "I reached out to Mills early yesterday to make sure I could clarify and set the details straight," Shamblin told Military.com "I am truly very sorry, and Congressman Mills has been very supportive and helpful." On Thursday, the day Shamblin said she reached out to the congressman, Mills released a statement acknowledging the response. "I understand the family of Sgt. Nicole Gee was, in their time of grief, confused regarding transportation proceedings," his statement read, in part. "I am thankful that Honoring Our Fallen was able to assist the family and that the DoD was able to provide clarification on this matter." Gee's remains were transported from Afghanistan to the U.S. in August 2021 by the government, and a memorial was held in her home state of California. Gee was then to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery, but the process for transporting her remains across the country was unclear to the family at the time, according to Shamblin. If a family wants a service member's remains transported to another resting place, like Arlington, they would pay for that transportation up front, according to the DoD. The military would then reimburse the family for those expenses. Mills addressed the policy in his response, saying that "no fallen servicemember's family should ever have to question whether transportation will be paid for or if they will have to pay and be reimbursed at a later date." The details of that policy would prove moot, however. According to Shamblin, Honoring Our Fallen stepped in before the transportation or reimbursement process began. The organization paid for a private flight for Gee's remains. "No monies were exchanged or expected to be paid by our organization or the family," Laura Herzog, CEO of Honoring Our Fallen, told Task & Purpose on Wednesday, adding that the cost of the private flight was paid by a veteran who donated the unspecified funds in Gee's honor. The Marine Corps stayed consistent with the policy that all costs associated with interment be borne by the government, a Pentagon spokesperson said this week. "At this time, we have no record of any incurred charges or any pending requests for reimbursement associated with the transportation of Sgt. Gee's remains to Arlington National Cemetery," the spokesperson said in the released statement. "The Marine Corps takes very seriously the transfer of remains of our Marines -- they never leave a Marine behind, and they care for the families of their fallen Marines." Shamblin told Military.com that the Marine Corps "has always been, and I anticipate will always be, very supportive," adding that the service reaches out often and is responsive to the family. "At the time, I just understood we would be responsible for the cost of her transportation to Arlington," she told Military.com. "I now understand there is a reimbursement process for this." The original Fox News story spread on social media and was used to lambaste the DoD for its apparent callousness and blame the Biden administration for its handling of the tumultuous withdrawal from Afghanistan -- and its tragic aftereffects. The story's central claim was repeated by other outlets like the Daily Mail. The Fox News story was headlined, "Family forced to pay to ship body of Marine killed after Pentagon policy change: 'Egregious injustice,'" before it was muted with softer language. Before the piece was apparently deleted, the first paragraph of the article was changed from saying that Mills was "sounding the alarm" about Gee's family being "forced to pay to move the body of their loved one" to read that the family secured funding from Honoring Our Fallen and that Mills was concerned they had trouble "navigating" the DoD process. Shamblin told Military.com she reached out to the Fox News reporter and "asked for their help making sure the details were clarified." Media relations representatives for Fox News did not respond to Military.com's repeated requests for comment asking why the article was changed without an editor's note after publication, and why it is unavailable online now. As part of journalism best practices, stories that are changed or corrected after publication are updated with an editor's note explaining the decision. "At the time, I was just grateful for Honoring Our Fallen stepping up with a donor willing to help," Shamblin said. "I hope in the future the process of getting your loved one to Arlington after their hometown is without any upfront costs to the family." -- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence. Related: After Marine's Testimony, Republicans Seek Answers from Pentagon on Bombing During Afghanistan Withdrawal (Bloomberg) -- Republican frontrunner Donald Trump cast himself as the partys best shot to retake the White House even as he faces another criminal indictment. Most Read from Bloomberg The 2024 election is our last shot to save America, and theres only one candidate, and you know who that candidate is, the former president said Friday at the Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, a gathering of Republicans in early-voting Iowa that brought together much of the 2024 field, including his chief rival for the nomination Ron DeSantis. Trump, the final speaker of the night, entered to a standing ovation, and in his speech listed the accomplishments from his term, including renegotiating a trade deal with Mexico and Canada and appointing three justices to the Supreme Court cementing a conservative majority that repealed Roe v. Wade. Trump rattled off a series of polling numbers that showed him beating President Joe Biden and highlighted his wide lead in early-voting states. While DeSanctous is losing to Biden in all cases, I wouldnt take a chance on that one, Trump said, delivering a jab at his second-place challenger. The dinner was the first time Trump and DeSantis were in the same venue in Iowa since the governor entered the race as a less polarizing alternative to the former president. But DeSantis has struggled to chip away at Trumps lead, with the RealClearPolitics average of polls showing him trailing by 34 percentage points. DeSantis, who spoke earlier at the event, avoided mentioning Trump, instead touting his record as Florida governor. Trumps appearance at the event comes at a critical time in his campaign, with the former president bracing for yet another indictment, this time in Special Counsel Jack Smiths probe into the aftermath of the 2020 election and the attack on the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Story continues If I werent running, I would have nobody coming after me, said Trump, who mentioned the cases only briefly. His polling and fundraising have spiked after prior indictments as his fervent base and prominent Republicans have rallied to his support. But its unclear if more charges will provide similar momentum. At Fridays dinner, former US Representative Will Hurd of Texas was the only candidate to directly criticize Trump, urging Republicans to move past the party standard-bearer. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison, Hurd said to loud boos from the audience. Trump has been indicted in a federal case over his handling of classified documents and in New York state court where he faces charges over alleged hush money payments to an adult film star. Trump on Thursday was hit with new obstruction charges in the criminal case over classified documents, including allegations that he and two employees tried to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Read more: Trump Faces New Charges Over Footage in Mar-a-Lago Probe Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. By Tim Reid and Alexandra Ulmer (Reuters) - Republican presidential rivals Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis appeared at the same event in the 2024 White House race for the first time on Friday, but even a day after Trump faced fresh criminal charges, it was the former president talking down DeSantis rather than the other way around. Trump, who has all year relentlessly attacked DeSantis, his nearest rival for the Republican nomination, told a crowd of Iowa Republicans "not to take a chance" on the Florida governor he mockingly calls "DeSanctus", among other nicknames. DeSantis was seen as a major threat to Trump at the beginning of the year but his campaign has been flagging in recent weeks. He declined to go after Trump at the Republican Lincoln Day dinner in Des Moines, where the two men and 11 other Republican White House hopefuls were given 10 minutes each in front of 1,200 attendees. Only one Republican candidate - Will Hurd, a former Texas congressman and a longshot, went after Trump - and he was booed after he said: "Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison". Trump has been indicted twice this year, and his poll numbers in the Republican presidential nomination race keep going up. In March, he was charged in New York over falsifying business records over an alleged hush money payment to a porn star, which Trump has pleaded not guilty to. In June, Trump faced yet more charges when special counsel Jack Smith unveiled a 37-count indictment accusing him of willful retention and improper sharing of national defense information. Thursday's fresh charges were related to that case, when Trump was charged with ordering a member of staff at his Florida home to delete security videos to thwart an FBI investigation, among three new criminal counts against Trump, bringing the total to 40. Still, Trump dominates the Republican field, and his lead has grown stronger since the criminal charges. It plays into his central argument that he is a victim of a runaway Justice Department. Story continues The problem for DeSantis and his other rivals is they have not yet worked out a way to counter a frontrunner who is facing multiple criminal charges. DeSantis has shied away from attacking Trump over the indictments, out of fear of alienating the Republican base. But if the Florida governor does not work out a way to take on Trump directly, pollsters say he and the others are running out of time to stop Trump becoming the nominee. Trump's lead over DeSantis, who has been slipping in the polls, is roughly 30%, while none of the other Republican hopefuls have broken out of single digits, according to polls. (Reporting by Tim Reid and Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the 2023 Republican Party of Iowa Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. Trump boasted of his accomplishments as president and his poll numbers. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI Des Moines, IOWA, July 29 (UPI) -- Fentanyl, border security, China and President Joe Biden were the common topics among 13 Republican presidential candidates Friday at the Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines. Former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were among the candidates to rouse the largest reactions of the night. Each focused their ire on the Biden administration and painted a grim picture of what the future holds. "Our country is in decline and Joe Biden is the custodian of that decline," DeSantis said. The dinner is an opportunity for leading candidates to strengthen support in Iowa where the first caucuses will be held on Jan 15. For the rest of the field it is an opportunity to solicit critical donations with less than a month to go before the first Republican debate. Candidates need at least 40,000 unique donors to appear on stage at the first Republican presidential debates in Milwaukee on Aug. 23. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. The theme of the 37-year-olds speech was based on the question what does it mean to be an American?" Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was the only candidate that did not attend. More than 1,200 guests attended the dinner, which cost $10,000 per table. Candidates were allowed 10 minutes to speak and were kept in separate quarters ahead of their scheduled time. Former President Donald Trump was the final speaker at the Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI Trump takes stage "2024 is the last shot to save America and only one candidate is going to get the job done," Trump said. More than 1,200 guests attended the Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Event Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. Photo by Joe Fisher/UPI The former president closed the speech portion of the event, jabbing at Biden and DeSantis along the way. He opened by boasting of the $28 billion in subsidies for farmers that he approved and his nominations of three Supreme Court Justices who were pivotal in overturning Roe v. Wade last summer. Trump said he supports abortion exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. He then claimed, without evidence, that Democrats support killing babies after they are born, a claim he also falsely made in 2019. Businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley (right) meets with attendees of the Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner in his suite at the Iowa Event Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. Photo by Joe Fisher Former Vice President Mike Pence delivered more details about the abortion policy he would support if elected. Story continues "The time has come for a minimum national standard 15-week ban," Pence said. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley greets attendees of the Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Event Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. Photo by Joe Fisher Pence, making his 15th trip to Iowa since leaving the White House, steered away from discussing Trump, aside from promising to make the "Trump-Pence tax cuts permanent." Though he did urge that the Republican Party move away from "politics of personality," if it hopes to win back the White House. DeSantis has been projected as the most likely candidate to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination. He largely delivered the same speech he gave when he was in Iowa two months ago, reciting verbatim several bullet points. He again vowed to send the "woke ideology to the dustbin of history," and said he "refused to let the state of Florida descend into a Faucian dystopia." Between the canned soundbites, DeSantis evoked one of the loudest responses of the evening when he said he would authorize the use of deadly force against drug cartels and send the military to the southern border. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., also stuck to the talking points that are peppered throughout his campaign ads and past speeches in an almost scripted way. When he went off-script, he laid out his goal to create 10 million jobs. He said he wants to see medicines and microchips developed and manufactured domestically to achieve that goal. 'What it means to be an American' Ramaswamy has campaigned aggressively in Iowa, even appearing at the state capitol as lawmakers convened a special session to pass a near-total abortion ban earlier in July. The theme of the 37-year-old's speech was based on the question "what does it mean to be an American?" "If you ask people my age what it means to be an American -- you probably get a blank stare in response," he said. "What it means to be an American -- it means we believe in the rule of law," he continued. "It means you do get to come to this country legally through the front door." Ramaswamy is the son of immigrants from India. Like DeSantis and Pence before him, Ramaswamy emphatically vowed to aggressively shrink the federal government. Specifically, Ramaswamy said he would shut down the Department of Education, FBI, ATF and several other agencies. "This is not a moment for reform. I don't stand for reform," he said. "I stand for revolution." Audience turns on Hurd Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd was far more direct in his criticism of Trump. The crowd applauded Hurd as he shared his background as an undercover agent for the CIA and for his policy ideas. Then he addressed Trump's legal woes. "One thing we need [from politicians] is for them to tell the truth even if it is unpopular," Hurd said. "Donald Trump is not running to make America great again -- to represent the people who voted for him in 2016. He is running to stay out of prison." The crowd quickly erupted into boos. "I know the truth is hard. If we elect Trump we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House," he said. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley referenced current events as well, calling for term limits for Congress. "If this week didn't prove it, you have to have mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75," Haley said to laughs from the audience, referencing a medical incident involving Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Wednesday. While Haley joined in jabbing at the Biden administration, she did not spare the Republican Party from criticism. She said her party shares responsibility for the nation's $32 trillion debt. "I would love to say that Biden did that to us. Our Republicans did that to us too," Haley said. "Did Republicans try to make it right? Nope. All while one in six families can't pay their utility bills." Among the lesser-known candidates to grab the attention of the audience, businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley received a strong reaction when he said he wants to invest in "urban America." "We need both parties to solve this 50-year crisis and make smart, caring solutions," Binkley said. "When we care for the most hurting, the immigrant, the poor, the stranger at the gate -- we will have God's attention again. This is how we get unstuck." Photograph: Charlie Neibergall/AP Nearly every major Republican presidential candidate shared the stage in the early voting state of Iowa on Friday night, as Donald Trump continues to dominate in the polls despite his numerous legal liabilities. Thirteen candidates appeared at the Iowa Republican partys 2023 Lincoln Dinner fundraiser, taking the opportunity to address donors and local party leaders with less than six months left before the states crucial caucuses. Related: Ron DeSantis slashes more than a third of staff as campaign flounders Trump has cemented his lead in Iowa, even as the former president braces for a third criminal indictment. According to a Fox Business poll taken this month, Trump has the support of 46% of likely Iowa caucus-goers, giving him a 30-point advantage over his closest rival, the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis. Trump insisted he was the best candidate to defeat Joe Biden, citing the polls that show him far ahead of DeSantis. I wouldnt take a chance on that one, Trump said of DeSantis, who he consistently referred to as DeSanctis. DeSantis also delivered remarks at the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, which provided the governor an opportunity to reset his faltering campaign. DeSantis recently cut a third of his campaign staff, and was forced to cancel two fundraising events last weekend due to lack of donor interest. According to FiveThirtyEights average of national polls, DeSantiss support among likely Republican primary voters has dipped by roughly eight points since the beginning of the month. The Florida governor talked up his record in the state, which includes attacks on transgender healthcare, abortion access and ethnic studies and LGBTQ+ education policies that he said have allowed the state to beat the lefts agenda. He also vowed to deploy the military to the southern border and use deadly force on cartels. DeSantiss recent stumbles appear to have emboldened some of his primary opponents to go on the attack against the governor. Speaking to reporters in Iowa on Thursday, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina criticized DeSantis over his support for new educational standards in Florida requiring middle school teachers to tell students that enslaved people learned skills that could be applied for their personal benefit. Story continues What slavery was really about was separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives, said Scott, who is the only Black Republican serving in the Senate. It was just devastating. So I would hope that every person in our country and certainly running for president would appreciate that. Scotts primary prospects look to be on the rise, as polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, another early voting state, show him in third place behind Trump and DeSantis. But Trump remains the candidate to beat, as the former president leads DeSantis by 37 points in FiveThirtyEights average of national polls. Scott, who received loud applause, focused on typical Republican talking points during his remarks, pledging to close the southern border. Will Hurd, a former US representative from Texas and lesser-known candidate in the Republican race, left the stage to the sound of boos after he said that Donald Trump is running for president just to stay out prison and that the party must move on. I know the truth is hard. But if we elect Donald Trump, we are giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House, he said. Trump has maintained his frontrunner status even in the face of mounting legal threats. The former president was informed this month that he is a target in special counsel Jack Smiths investigation of efforts to interfere in the 2020 election, suggesting an indictment could be on the horizon. On Thursday, Smith also filed a superseding indictment in Florida, expanding the scope of charges against Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Trump has already pleaded not guilty to a third set of criminal charges in New York, and prosecutors in Georgia may soon indict the former president for attempting to overturn Joe Bidens 2020 victory in the battleground state. Trump did not address the charges against him on Friday, despite typically taking any opportunity to denounce the four criminal investigations as witch-hunts. Trumps primary opponents have struggled in their attempts to address the indictments, torn between supporting a former president who remains popular with the Republican base and highlighting a major vulnerability of the current frontrunner for the nomination. Asked last week about the news that Trump is a target in Smiths investigation of election interference efforts, DeSantis said the then-president should have come out more forcefully when a group of his supporters violently stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021. But to try to criminalize that, thats a different issue entirely, DeSantis said. We want to be in a situation where you dont have one side just constantly trying to put the other side in jail, and that unfortunately is what were seeing now. Reuters/Marco Bello Donald Trumps already-shaky defamation lawsuit against CNN officially flopped Friday, with the federal judge he appointed dismissing the case despite his pleas that the network had associated him with Adolf Hitler. The lawsuit centered around CNNs coverage of Trump after his failed 2020 bid for re-election, where the network repeatedly used the term the Big Lie to refer to Trumps claims the election was stolen. Trump asserted the phrase likened him to Hitler because its been used to describe lies told by the Nazis to justify atrocities in the Holocaust. Trump claimed the phrase defamed him and suggested to viewers hed be Hitler-like in a future political position. Judge Raag Singhal disagreed, however. In a motion to dismiss seen by The Daily Beast, he wrote that Trumps claims were a stacking of inferences that cannot support a finding of falsehood. In short, the claims against CNN didnt amount to defamation under federal law. CNNs use of the phrase the Big Lie in connection with Trumps election challenges does not give rise to a plausible inference that Trump advocates the persecution and genocide of Jews or any other group of people, Singhal wrote. No reasonable viewer could (or should) plausibly make that reference. Trump was demanding $475 million in the suit, which was filed in the Southern District of Floridathe jurisdiction that covers Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate. The former president had pointed to five instances where the Big Lie was used to describe his unfounded election claimssome stated live on air, others in opinion pieces published on CNNs website. The suit said CNN refused to retract the phrases when asked. Singhal made clear he wasnt a fan of CNN using the phrase, saying it was odious and repugnant to use it or other potential references to Hitler and the Holocaust in news stories. Despite this, Singhal acknowledged, bad rhetoric is not defamation when it does not include false statements of fact. And, as has been proven in numerous recounts and audits, Trumps claims about the 2020 election were indeed lies. Story continues As of Saturday morning, Trump had made no acknowledgment of his loss in court. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Donald Trump said it's "wrong" to suggest he's running for the presidency to stay out of prison and signaled Saturday that he's prepared to punch down at any of his rivals who suggest he's doing so. During the Lincoln Dinner on Friday evening a key Republican event in the lead up to the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses Will Hurd and Asa Hutchinson took aim at the former president for his legal troubles, echoing the line that putting a candidate facing multiple criminal charges at the top of GOP ticket spelled electoral disaster. Hurd told the Trump-loving Iowa crowd that the former president was not running to improve America or represent people, but to stay out of prison. The remark, delivered toward the end of his address, drew loud boos from the crowd that continued as he walked off stage. In trademark Trump fashion, the former president responded Saturday with blistering personal attacks on his foes and pushing back hard on the idea that he is running to counter his legal battles. In Iowa last night I noticed that a little known, failed former Congressman, Will Hurd, is ridiculously running for President, Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. He got SERIOUSLY booed off the stage when he said I was running to stay out of jail. Wrong, if I wasnt running, or running and doing badly (like him & Christie!), with no chance to win, these prosecutions would never have been brought or happened! Four criminal cases are playing out against Trump, including two that have yielded indictments. In New York state, he has been accused of falsifying records in connection to paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, and federal prosecutors have charged him with treating classified national security documents carelessly. If I werent running, I would have nobody coming after me, Trump said at the Iowa dinner. Or if I was losing by a lot, I would have nobody coming after me. Story continues On Saturday, Trump posted a copy of a friendly letter between him and former President Richard Nixon, who President Gerald Ford eventually pardoned from crimes he may have committed during the Watergate scandal. Many of his GOP opponents are still treading a fine line regarding a potential Trump pardon. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has repeatedly indicated that he would pardon a convicted Trump if he won the presidency, noting in a Friday interview that he would not be good for the country to have an almost 80-year-old former president go to prison. Mike Pence, Trump's former vice president, has been noncommittal in response to Trump's indictment regarding classified documents and the ongoing investigation around Jan. 6. On the trail in Iowa Saturday, DeSantis said, "If the election becomes a referendum on what document was left by the toilet at Mar-a-Lago, we are not going to win,"according to ABC News. "We got to focus on what the people are looking for in terms of their futures and I just think in 2024, we won't, we can't have distractions," he added. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a prominent Trump critic, hasn't minced words on the former president's legal battles. He has insisted that Trump's indictments have arisen come from his conduct. He skipped the Iowa event to focus on his campaign efforts in New Hampshire. Hutchinson, who launched his presidential run on the principle that Trump could not win another term, described the former president's legal troubles in his speech as a harbinger for the country's future. You will be voting in Iowa, while multiple criminal cases are pending against Donald Trump. Iowa has an opportunity to say: we as a party, we need a new direction for America and for the GOP, Hutchinson said at the dinner. Trump responded to Hutchinson Saturday with another personal attack. Dont weak people like 'Aida' know or understand that the Prosecution of Donald Trump is an Election Interference Hoax, just like Russia, Russia, Russia, or the Fake Dossier, and that he is playing right into Marxists hands, when I am leading the [Republicans] by 50 Points and leading Biden BIG, Trump wrote on Truth. Later Saturday, Trump posted: "WHY DIDNT THE CORRUPT MARXIST PROSECUTORS BRING THESE RADICAL & UNJUSTIFIED CHARGES AGAINST ME 2.5 YEARS AGO, LONG BEFORE MY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN HAD BEGUN. ... THIS IS ELECTION INTERFERENCE & PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!" DES MOINES, IOWA It didnt matter to the Republicans gathered in the convention center ballroom Friday that he'd hurled insults at their wildly popular governor, or that he is facing a cascade of federal charges. When Donald Trump strode on stage here for a major gathering of GOP presidential candidates in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, the entire room of party faithful rose to their feet and roared. In an apparently accidental twist, even the walkout music that played hinted at his situation One could end up going to prison; one just might be president, went the Brooks & Dunn song, bits of which played for every candidate that spoke here. But once again, the former president demonstrated he was still the most dominant force in the room a hall that had just featured a dozen Republicans also running for the nomination. As forks and knives clanked over plates of chicken and mashed potatoes at the state GOP's annual Lincoln Dinner, Trump's reception was a demonstration of the reality that continues to dog the rest of the Republican presidential field: seemingly no conventional rules of politics apply to him. Theres only one candidate and you know who that candidate is to get the job done, Trump said to applause. And the room laughed when he cited a poll that showed Ron DeSantis losing in a matchup with Joe Biden, cautioning that he wouldnt take a chance on that one. Trumps recent jab at Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds , his insinuation that she owes him for her seat in office and declaration that she isnt invited to his events, rattled some establishment GOP figures in Iowa. A state senator flipped his endorsement from Trump to DeSantis. A former Iowa GOP co-chair said he would work against Trump. Two separate groups began running ads about it on television, playing back Trumps words about Reynolds. Yet his public polling average in the state remains more than 30 points ahead of his closest rival. Story continues There's such a large crowd who just can't seem to make much headway against Trump, and DeSantis is falling down in support, said Donald Bohlken, a Warren County GOP central committee member who plans to caucus for Trump. Ron DeSantis is a good man. Frankly, I think all these people are good and interesting people, but it's going to be hard for them to beat Donald Trump. Trump, uncharacteristically, gave just a 9-minute speech, staying under the strict 10-minute cutoff all candidates here were required to abide by. While the crowd was more subdued than at a MAGA rally, and he had to go without his standard God Bless the USA walkout song, Trump still received the strongest response of the night. But as he maintained his status Friday as the Republican Partys most magnetic figure and the frontrunner of the 2024 primary another race was underfoot. It was a fight for the spotlight between DeSantis and Tim Scott. While the Florida governor buzzed around rural Iowa working frantically to revive his hobbled campaign, the South Carolina senator effectively kicked back and enjoyed the crowd of supporters that gathered to hear him at a town hall Thursday outside Des Moines, an event that coincided with his recent bump in polling. Scott is among the lower-polling candidates nudging their way toward DeSantis, as the DeSantis campaign has launched a reset, laying off nearly one-third of its staff. I think among those that have very low name recognition right now, whoever wins among that group is going to be able to declare some degree of a victory, Jeff Kaufmann, chair of the Republican Party of Iowa, said in an interview, acknowledging Trumps continued strength ahead of the caucuses. I can tell you for sure this year, theres going to be three tickets out of Iowa. Whether DeSantis gets one of those tickets out and onto viability in New Hampshire and South Carolina appears now to be in question. With media and donor attention trained on him to catch any misstep, DeSantis, once solidly in second place, is at this moment the most vulnerable of the field. Cash woes have forced his campaign to shrink from a sprawling team to significantly smaller operation, while his trip to Iowa this week featured slightly more modest events than his last trips and a focus on his controversies. Riding in a bus from county fair to meat-processing facility to coffee shop in a packed, five-stop bus tour, DeSantis doubled down on supporting his states new school curriculum that proclaims African American slaves skilled labor could be parlayed to their personal benefit, criticizing a Black congressman in his state who called for it to be tweaked. Meanwhile Scott, the Senates sole Black Republican, held a single, filled-to-capacity town hall where he took a swipe at DeSantis afterward, declaring there is no silver lining in slavery, and calling on DeSantis to clarify his comments. DeSantis fired back, insinuating that Scott is part of a D.C. establishment that all too often accept false narratives accept lies that are perpetrated by the left. Determined to regain traction in the first nominating states, DeSantis, who has slipped from the solid lead he once held over his lower-polling rivals, this week took part in the type of humble retail-politicking that political observers not long ago doubted he would embrace. The stops were planned and organized by the super PAC supporting him, Never Back Down, which has played an outsize role in DeSantis ground game, now increasingly so as his own campaign enacts cutbacks. He shook some hands at the Wayne County Fair. He visited a veterans organization, where he was met not by a crowd of adoring supporters, but a dozen advocates who wanted to speak to him, in detail, about their infrared light machine and other experimental therapies to help veterans. Were going to keep working. Were not entitled to anything, DeSantis said to reporters inside the veterans care home in the small town of Albia. All Im saying is Im going to outwork everybody, and we are going to earn the support. On this trip, DeSantis said, his campaign has seen a bunch of people who are already committing to caucus for us really significant numbers of people. He did amazing, said Sue Miller of Oskaloosa, among those who filled the large dining area of Smokey Row Coffee, just off the town square, to hear DeSantis Friday afternoon. Millers face lit up as she gave her review of DeSantis town hall event. But she said she remains torn between supporting him and Trump and she thinks Scott sounds good too. I kind of wish he'd stay in Florida for another four years and then run as president, Miller said. But we need him. At Scotts town hall Thursday in Ankeney, several attendees said in interviews that they came after being intrigued by his television ads. Scotts campaign has already spent more than $2 million on TV spots in Iowa alone, while a super PAC supporting him has booked $17 million worth of ads in the state through the Jan. 15 caucuses and additional millions in New Hampshire and South Carolina, significantly dwarfing spending plans by any other campaign or outside group. Its a sign that Scott, whose aides and opponents both acknowledge still has room to grow in name recognition, could continue to benefit from his heavy paid-media strategy. When I see his ads on TV I mean, he is just talking directly, common sense to the people, Reynolds said as she spoke before him at his event. And we appreciate that so very much. Outside of Trump, DeSantis, Scott and Vivek Ramaswamy elicited the strongest reactions from the sold-out Lincoln Dinner crowd. The crowd responses Friday at the 13-candidate dinner were no scientific measure of each candidates standing in the state. But to the extent that it captured the enthusiasm or lack thereof for finding a new face of the Republican Party, prospects remain discouraging for anyone not named Trump. The audience offered polite applause for nearly everyone who spoke, even becoming animated at some of their one-liners. But candidates with large national profiles, those like Nikki Haley and Mike Pence who, were it not for Trump, may have been frontrunners in the 2024 GOP primary, drew only polite applause. Chris Christie, Trumps chief critic in the primary, skipped the Lincoln Dinner the strategy he is employing for the whole state of Iowa, opting instead to focus on the more moderate-minded Republicans in New Hampshire. So when Will Hurd the former GOP congressmember who is running for president as a longshot tried to fill that void, he experienced the wrath of a party that still reveres Trump. Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again. Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020, Hurd said to boos from a crowd that had otherwise been cordial to everyone. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison. The jeering became deafening. I know, I know. I know. I know. I know, Hurd continued as the audience erupted against him. The truth is hard. But if we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House, and America can't handle that. The booing continued as he walked offstage. Former President Donald Trump charged ahead with his bid for the 2024 GOP nomination Friday at a major Republican event in Iowa, largely ignoring the new charges he faces in the federal classified documents probe. If I werent running, I would have nobody coming after me. Or if I was losing by a lot, I would have nobody coming after me, Trump said in Des Moines at the Iowa GOPs Lincoln Dinner, a high-profile gathering of party officials, donors and supporters in the state set to kick off the 2024 nominating process in January. It was Trumps only indirect reference to the recent news that the former president, an aide and a Mar-a-Lago worker face expanded charges in the special counsel investigation into Trumps possession of classified documents. Those updated charges are the beginning of a legal process that will play out at the same time as next years presidential race. Trump used his speech which was limited to 10 minutes, a time restraint also faced by the 12 other GOP presidential candidates who spoke at the dinner to highlight a litany of his administrations accomplishments, particularly those with Iowa connections. He pointed to tariffs on Chinese goods and sales of agricultural products to China, his support for ethanol and the replacement of the North American Free Trade Agreement. He also took credit for Iowa remaining the first state to vote in the GOP presidential nominating process a status state Republicans maintained even as Democrats made changes to their primary calendar. Without me, you would not be first in the nation right now, Trump said. He pointed to selectively chosen unnamed polls that he said showed him defeating President Joe Biden in 2024 and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis losing to Biden. I wouldnt take a chance on that one, Trump said of his top-polling GOP rival. Trump, like all other candidates at the dinner, walked out to the Brooks & Dunn song Only in America. As he took the stage, the lyrics that played were: One kid dreams of fame and fortune. One kid helps pay the rent. One could end up going to prison. One just might be president. Story continues The former president appeared uncomfortable at times Friday under the time-constrained format and without a teleprompter. He looked down at his notes for much of his speech and at one point tried to explain why he was speeding through his remarks. Im going quickly because were given 10 quick minutes, so Im gonna go quickly, but we did a lot of things. Its hard to do it that quickly, he told the crowd. Earlier Friday, Trump again did not directly address the new charges brought against him during brief remarks at his Iowa campaign headquarters, instead repeating his past claims that the Department of Justice had been weaponized. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Iowa GOP's Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines on July 28, 2023. - Scott Morgan/Reuters Some rivals speak out Some of his rivals did take direct aim at Trump, the front-runner to win the GOP nomination for the third consecutive presidential election, in their remarks Friday night in Iowa. Will Hurd, the former Texas congressman and noted Trump critic, was jeered and shouted down as he unleashed the strongest attack on the former president of any candidate at the dinner. Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again. Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people who voted for him in 2016 and 2020. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison, Hurd said, as crowd members erupted in boos. He blamed the former president for the GOPs electoral losses in 2018, 2020 and 2022, and said Trump alienated key constituencies that the party needs to win elections: college-educated suburban women; Black and brown communities; and people age 35 and under. The truth is hard, Hurd said, leaning into the blowback. But if we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House, and America cant handle that. Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Iowa GOP's Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines on July 28, 2023. - Charlie Neibergall/AP Former Vice President Mike Pence implicitly urged Republicans to leave behind Trump, his ex-ticket mate. Pence pitched himself as a stronger ideological ally as he told the crowd it was time for new Republican leadership with a proven commitment to the conservative agenda. We must resist the politics of personality and the siren song of populism, unmoored to conservative values, because different times calls for different leadership, Pence said. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who for months has urged the GOP to move on from Trump, also called on Iowa Republicans to steer the party away from the former president in Januarys caucuses. As it stands right now, you will be voting in Iowa while multiple criminal cases are pending against former President Trump. Iowa has an opportunity to say, we as a party, we need a new direction for America and for the GOP, he said. We are a party of individual responsibility, accountability and support for the rule of law we must not abandon that. Attacks on Biden Several 2024 GOP hopefuls used the dinner to attack Biden, frequently in personal terms. Hutchinson and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley both cracked jokes about the number of grandchildren Biden has a reference to presidential son Hunter Bidens child with an Arkansas woman. The jokes came just hours after the president publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild, 4-year-old Navy, for the first time. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks at the Iowa GOP's Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines on July 28, 2023. - Scott Morgan/Reuters Haley said politicians over age 75 should be required to pass mental competency tests that include questions such as How many grandchildren do you have? What? I dont know what you all are laughing at, she said wryly. Her remark also came two days after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the 81-year-old Kentucky Republican, froze for 30 seconds during a news conference on Capitol Hill and was escorted away by his colleagues from the microphone. An aide said later he was feeling light-headed. DeSantis told the crowd there would be no cocaine in my White House and noted that his son is 5 years old and therefore wont be lining his pockets with foreign governments money another clear shot at Bidens son. Appeals to donors Some candidates whose campaigns have yet to gain traction with grassroots donors also used the dinner to plead for contributions as they seek to hit the Republican National Committees threshold of 40,000 unique contributors to qualify for the first presidential debate next month. The key to being in the debate in in your pocket tonight, Hutchinson said. Perry Johnson, the long-shot Michigan businessman, said anyone who donates even $1 to his campaign would get a ticket to a concert by country duo Big & Rich. Larry Elder, the California talk radio host and former gubernatorial nominee, also asked for donations, pledging to raise at the debate topics such as the epidemic of fatherlessness, school choice, combating criticism of the United States as systemically racist, and limiting federal spending. He pointed out that he is the only member of his family who did not serve in the military. If I can put these issues front and center, he said, then I will feel that I have given back to my country. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Kate Sullivan, Kit Maher, Ebony Davis and Brian Rokus contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Former President Trump on Saturday mocked fellow Republican presidential candidate Will Hurd, after he was booed during an Iowa GOP event the night before for slamming Trump amid his growing legals woes. In Iowa last night I noticed that a little known, failed former Congressman, Will Hurd, is ridiculously running for President, the former president posted on Truth Social. He quit Congress because it would have been impossible for him to win in his district he did a really bad job. Anyway, he got SERIOUSLY booed off the stage when he said I was running to stay out of jail,' he continued. Wrong, if I wasnt running, or running and doing badly (like him & Christie!), with no chance to win, these prosecutions would never have been brought or happened! Hurd, a former Texas lawmaker, was booed by a crowd of Iowa Republicans at the Lincoln Dinner after claiming Trump is only running for the White House to stay out of prison. One of the things we need in our elected leaders: To tell the truth, even if its not popular, he said Friday. Donald Trump is not running for president to make American great again. Donald Trump is not even running to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and in 2020. Donald Trump is running for president to stay out of prison, Hurd added, as the crowd began to heckle and boo him. The Texas Republican who has been a sharp critic of Trump echoed claims he made earlier this week after the Justice Department levied new charges against the former president in the classified documents case. The Hill Elections 2024 coverage The DOJs superseding indictment that was filed late Thursday accused Trump of making attempts to delete security footage at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., that may have shown boxes of classified documents being moved around the property. The new charges which bring his count up to 40 in the documents probe also included two co-conspirators: aide Walt Nauta, who was indicted in the original case, and the Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira. Story continues Trump called the allegations ridiculous and claimed they amounted only to election interference at the highest level. He repeated a similar view on Saturday, asking why the Justice Department waited so long to bring the charges. Why did the Radical Left Democrat Prosecutors wait so long to bring these ridiculous cases against me, the former president said in a separate post on Saturday. They could have been brought years ago but no, they waited to bring them in the middle of my campaign for President because that way they could Interfere and disturb my run for the White House. Two more coming, I guess? What they didnt count on is the fact that the people of America understand these thugs and lowlifes, and my poll numbers have only gone up! he added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former President Trumps outsized influence is already being felt in GOP Senate primaries, underscoring his grip on the party even as he faces numerous primary challengers in the 2024 White House race. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, whos running to replace Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), endorsed Trumps presidential bid earlier this week. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R), whos running to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin (D), did the same prompting his GOP primary rival Alex Mooney to point out that he had come out in support of Trump last year. And prior to officially jumping into Montanas contested Senate race last month, former Navy SEAL and businessman Tim Sheehy said he supports Trump 100 percent. The public show of support for the former president is just the latest example of the political sway he continues to hold over Republicans, and could serve as a headache for party leaders who want the GOP to move on from him. Donald Trump continues to be the biggest elephant in the Republican tent, said Mark Weaver, an Ohio-based Republican strategist. Republican voters still want to see him as our partys leader. One Republican strategist described the strategy of endorsing Trump as the path of least resistance. In order to take back the Senate, youve got to win a couple of these key seats, and the only way to win back these key seats is to make it through the primary unscathed, the strategist said. Some strategists see the endorsements as a sign of how the presidential primary is likely to shake out. This is a greater sign than ever before that Trump is most likely going to win the Republican nomination despite the noise in the media, said Republican strategist Ford OConnell. Endorsing Trump at this stage is one of the safest things a candidate could do, he added. This is more about the candidates trying to cozy up to him. The eagerness from some Senate Republican hopefuls to embrace the former president comes after many of Trumps endorsed candidates performed poorly in their general elections last cycle. Story continues Former President Trumps endorsement continues to be a boon in a primary and a bane in a general election, Weaver said. The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (NRSC) is also taking a different approach in the 2024 cycle by playing a more hands-on role in some primaries. Like Trump, the committees Chairman Steve Daines (R-Mont.) has thrown his support behind Justice in West Virginias Republican Senate primary. While there has been tension and disagreement between Trump and Senate leadership, particularly on Trumps unfounded claims that he won the 2020 presidential election, Daines has said he is working with the former president ahead of 2024. We chat frequently. And hes very thoughtful right now looking at these races. He understands its important we have candidates that can win, Daines told CBS News in an interview earlier this month. If you notice, there hasnt been a wave of endorsements coming out so far, because I think were having these thoughtful conversations and getting on the same page. Trump has endorsed in less competitive GOP Senate primaries, like in Indiana, where he threw his support behind Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) a day after former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) announced that he would not run for the seat and after the NRSC endorsed Banks. And earlier this month, CNN reported that Trump told Mooney in West Virginia and potential Senate candidate Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) that he would not endorse them. Daines has endorsed Sheehy in Montana. Democrats, meanwhile, are seeking to use Trumps endorsement against him in the general election, harkening back to Republican losses in 2022. Trump is looming over Senate Republicans primaries and making the GOPs nasty infighting even worse, said Tommy Garcia, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. As Republican candidates fight for Trumps favor, theyre showing the voters who will decide the general election in their states why they should be rejected in 2024. And not every Republican running for Senate is immediately tying themselves to the former president. In Nevada, Sam Brown, who has been endorsed by Daines, has yet to endorse Trump despite volunteering for his campaign in 2020. His primary opponent Jim Marchant, on the other hand, has endorsed Trump. Marchant has also said Brown is the GOP establishments choice, pointing to his endorsement from the NRSC. Mitch McConnell & the establishment needed a candidate & found him in Sam Brown, Marchant said in a tweet earlier this month. We see Reagans bold-colored differences between DC & the real America. Weaver noted that while more anti-establishment candidates may try to use this attack line, theres still much to be gained from an endorsement from the Senate GOP campaign arm. Being endorsed by the Washington establishment can bring valuable contributions from interest groups around the country, but it can also bring some criticism for being too close to the Beltway, he said. Others caution that endorsements should not be seen as integral to the success of a campaign. Ultimately these candidates have got to focus on their message and theyve got to focus on having the resources to disseminate their message, the GOP strategist said. They need to be able to actually run a functional campaign and no endorsement is going to matter if those things arent done, the strategist added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. DES MOINES, Iowa A dozen of the Republican White House contenders who want to keep former President Donald Trump from winning the 2024 presidential nomination joined him here Friday for a dinner with hundreds of influential activists in the state that holds the first caucuses. But as has been the case for months in a race in which Trump polls as the comfortable front-runner, few dared to take even an indirect shot at him. And the one who delivered the nights most slashing attack, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, was booed as he left the stage. Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again, Hurd said, invoking Trump's slogan before bringing up the legal troubles cascading around him, including a superseding indictment approved by a grand jury this week. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison. The loud jeers that rang out inside the Iowa Events Center ballroom at the state party's Lincoln Dinner were at once illustrative of the power and loyalty Trump still commands and the challenges faced by those trying to beat him. Listen, I know the truth, Hurd said, talking over the crowd as he neared the 10-minute time limit given to all candidates. The truth is hard. But if we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House and America cant handle that. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Texas Congressman Will Hurd. (AP/Getty Images) Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson like Hurd, a long shot barely registering in the polls was the only other candidate to criticize Trump overtly and by name. Hutchinsons approach was more mild-mannered, and his speech stirred little reaction among the audience. As it stands right now, you will be voting in Iowa while multiple criminal cases are pending against former President Trump, Hutchinson said. Iowa has an opportunity to say, we as a party, we need a new direction for America and for the GOP. We are a party of individual responsibility, accountability and support for the rule of law. We must not abandon that. Story continues While not crowd-pleasers, Hurd and Hutchinson stood out at an event where all 13 candidates had equal footing. Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann emphasized at the outset that everyone would be held to the time limit. Only Hutchinson went over the allotted 10 minutes; his condemnation of Trump was interrupted by music. Trump, known for rambling campaign speeches that can go on for hours, spoke last and ended with seconds to spare. He appeared rushed, reading from a list of accomplishments. He emphasized how his Supreme Court picks resulted in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and his favorable poll numbers. He sprinkled in a few attacks on his closest competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom he repeatedly called Ron DeSanctus. Trump also repeated his lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him. They rigged the presidential election in 2020, Trump said. Were not going to allow them to rig the presidential election of 2024. Former US president and 2024 Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump arrives to speak at the Republican Party of Iowa's 2023 Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 28, 2023. (Sergio Flores / AFP - Getty Images) He received one of the evenings most robust standing ovations, along with DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been gaining in other polls. DeSantis is attempting to revive a presidential bid that began with promise he polled much closer to and in some cases ahead of Trump earlier this year but has lost ground since he entered the race. He spent Thursday and Friday campaigning across Iowa at events paid for by a supportive super PAC. But rather than adopt new messaging that advisers have suggested could make him more appealing to voters, DeSantis largely stuck to the culture war themes hes been advancing for months. He opened by mocking Bidens son, Hunter Biden, for his struggle with drug addiction and ended with the subtlest of Trump contrasts. The time for excuses is over, DeSantis said. We must get the job done. I will get the job done. Candidates reserved their most pointed attacks for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who in recent weeks has emerged as a frequent DeSantis target. Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, embraced the tack in her speech Friday. A vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris, Haley said. Thats who were actually running against. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who has been critical of Trump and attended Fridays dinner as the guest of an Iowa group that encourages young Republicans to run for office, said he wants to hear candidates draw sharper contrasts with the former president. He questioned whether a 10-minute speech was the best place but said he hopes to hear more at the first GOP debate next month in Milwaukee. Come the debates, thats where theyre really toe-to-toe, Sununu said. I personally like to hear it, because I want to see who has the guts to do it. Whos going to stand on their own two feet and call it out for what it is? This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Donald Trump only needed 10 minutes to show why his growing pile of criminal charges is not yet loosening his grip on the Republican presidential race and why his opponents will find him so hard to beat. The ex-presidents growing legal peril hung Friday over the first showcase featuring all poll-leading GOP candidates on the same stage an American Idol-style audition in Iowa, the first-in-the-nation caucus state. But his closest rivals didnt dare bring up a legal quagmire that threatens to be a liability in a general election if Trump is the nominee for fear of alienating his still-massive support in the grassroots. Minor candidates with much less to lose did take on the stampeding elephants in the room but were rewarded with silence or a torrent of boos. Still, Trump couldnt escape the reality of a campaign in which he seems to be running as much to recapture the powers of the presidency to sweep away his criminal exposure, as to implement an agenda likely to be even more extreme and disruptive than that of his first term. Every candidate walked out to the Brooks & Dunn hit Only in America. But when Trump arrived, the lyrics echoed his uncertain future: One kid dreams of fame and fortune. One kid helps pay the rent. One could end up going to prison. One just might be president. Trump was making his first major public appearance since special counsel Jack Smith slapped him with new charges Thursday over his hoarding of classified documents at his Florida home after leaving office. But Trump, the only one of 13 Republican hopefuls to get a standing ovation before he even spoke, largely ignored a flurry of cases that could force him to split time between courtrooms and the campaign trail next year. He did lash out at the Biden administration for what he claimed was the political weaponization of justice. If I werent running, I would have nobody coming after me. Or if I was losing by a lot, I would have nobody coming after me, said Trump, who has tried to turn his precarious position into a campaign trail virtue by portraying himself as a victim of political persecution. Story continues As well as the classified documents case, Trump has said he expects to be indicted in another special counsel investigation into his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his behavior in the run-up to the mob attack on the US Capitol by his supporters. He is also due to go on trial in March in a case in Manhattan relating to a hush money payment made to an adult film actress. But such is his strength in Iowa where he has a huge lead in the polls and nationally in the GOP that his major opponents avoided risking their own reception at Fridays dinner and their chances in January by raising the new charges. Top opponents keep criticism of Trump offstage Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did stiffen his criticism of Trumps legal situation but did so offstage. If the election becomes a referendum on what document was left by the toilet at Mar-a-Lago, we are not going to win, DeSantis told ABC News. We cant have distractions. Former Vice President Mike Pence implicitly raised questions about Trumps suitability for future office but also avoided openly criticizing his former White House partner. The allegations, including yesterdays allegations against the president in that indictment are very serious, Pence told Fox News with the caveat that Trump was entitled to his day in court. But Im never going to downplay the importance of handling our nations secrets. It literally goes straight to the security of this country. Only candidates who are so far behind that they so far look to have little chance to win in Iowa or anywhere else directly took on Trump. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson went there but it didnt do him any good. As it stands right now, you will be voting in Iowa, while multiple criminal cases are pending against former President Trump, Hutchinson said. We are a party of individual responsibility, accountability and support for the rule of law. We must not abandon that. His comment drew a single clap in an otherwise silent ballroom. Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, an ex-CIA officer, left his stinging criticism of the former president for the end of his speech. Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again. Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020, Hurd said to loud boos. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison, he said as jeers started to crescendo. I know, I know. I know. I know. I know. Listen, I know the truth. The truth is hard, Hurd said, adding, If we (nominate) Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House, and America cant handle that. But judging by the snaking lines to shake Trumps hand in his post-dinner reception and the much-smaller crowds at events hosted by his rivals, Trump remains the darling of his party. Much can change in the months before the caucuses, and its possible the sheer weight of legal threats could begin to weigh down Trump and convince some voters that, despite his hero status, another Republican might be a better bet. But if Trump is to be stopped, there is no sign so far that it will happen in Iowa. Unlike some of the other GOP candidates, Trump is not using the dinner to also hold multiple Iowa campaign stops. On Saturday, he heads to Erie, Pennsylvania, for a campaign rally before what is likely to be an even friendlier audience. A showcase of an accelerating campaign Fridays dinner in Des Moines, the state capital, was a rare occasion when the major GOP candidates appeared in the same place, even if they delivered 10-minute speeches one by one and never clashed onstage. Trump has warned he may skip the first Republican presidential debate on Fox News next month a decision that might make sense given the size of his polling lead. The format of such events makes it hard for any candidate to break out. But its not impossible. In 2007, Sen. Barack Obama delivered a stemwinder that rescued his dawdling campaign at the equivalent Democratic event then known as the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. A few months later, victory in the Iowa caucuses put him on the road to the 2008 Democratic nomination and the White House. On Friday night, the former presidents strength meant that every other candidate was battling to become the Trump alternative, with a strong showing in Iowa that might set them up for a long duel with the front-runner deep into primary season. The field came to Iowa with added incentive because of the wobbles of DeSantis, long seen as the top rival to Trump but who was forced to slash campaign staff amid concerns by donors about his profligate spending and his performance on the trail. DeSantis is now running a classic grassroots campaign in the Hawkeye State, holding small events and looking voters in the eye. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Iowa GOP's Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines on July 28, 2023. - Scott Olson/Getty Images North America/Getty Images Polling is sparse so far as the Iowa campaign speeds up ahead of the caucuses in January, but Trump led in a Fox Business survey this month with 46%. DeSantis had 16%, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott had 11%. No other candidate was in double figures. Despite the indictments hanging over his head, Trump made the most impressive 10-minute presentation. Showing rare discipline in sticking to the script, he demonstrated how he will use the legacy of a presidency that remains hugely popular among activists to disadvantage his rivals. Unlike most of the other candidates, he also tailored his message to the Hawkeye State. Hello Iowa, Im here to deliver a simple message theres never been a better friend for Iowa in the White House than President Donald J. Trump, the ex-president said, before rattling off a list of economic and other benefits, real and exaggerated, that Iowa enjoyed when he was in office. Trump also said that without him, the state would have lost its position as the first to hold a presidential nominating contest. Democrats have already decided that the mostly White, rural state does not represent the diversity of the rest of America and have changed the order of their primary calendar. Without me, you would not be first in the nation right now, Trump said. After a grim week filled with stories about chaos in his campaign and panic among donors about his performance, the DeSantis camp will likely be cheered by the Florida governors reception, and he won one of the few standing ovations of the evening after his remarks. He defiantly vowed to visit every Iowa county and to chase every vote, in a message to those wondering whether soaring expectations ahead of the campaign were misplaced. DeSantis turned the focus from his own plight to the Democrats, arguing that his record in Florida would translate to 2024 success. Im not budging an inch. We are going to fight back against these people, and we are not letting them take over our schools any longer. We are going to get this right as a nation, he said. Everything I promised people I would do, we did. Scott, who is spoken of warmly by many Republican voters in Iowa and is seen as a bright new voice, also slammed Biden in his remarks. He is tearing down every rung of the ladder that helped me climb. I was a kid trapped in poverty, who did not believe that in America all things are possible, the Senates only Black Republican said. While most other candidates were heard politely, none appeared to boost their fortunes significantly. And former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is planting his flag in New Hampshire, didnt even show up. To paraphrase Trumps opening line, there was one message from Iowa on Friday night. The ex-president is going to be tough to beat, in the adoring world of the GOP primary however many more indictments come raining down from the special counsel or elsewhere. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Former President Donald Trump on Friday took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) at a gathering of Iowa Republicans, seeking to cement his grip on the state with less than six months until the state caucuses. Trump and nearly every other Republican running for the partys 2024 nomination spoke at the Iowa GOPs Lincoln Dinner on Friday night in Des Moines. While DeSantis and other top rivals did not attack the former president who in a recent Fox Business Network poll was leading in the state by 30 points Trump wasted little time attacking the Florida governor, who is viewed as his top competition. Im here to deliver a simple message. Iowa has never had a better friend in the White House than Donald J. Trump, Trump said. Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump gestures before speaking at the Republican Party of Iowas 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) The former president repeatedly referred to DeSantis as Ron DeSanctus, shorthand for a longer nickname of Ron DeSanctimonious. Unlike the establishment globalists in this race, I have been an unwavering warrior for ethanol, and I will remain your ethanol champion, Trump said. Ron DeSancuts has aggressively fought against ethanol, which I think would be devastating for Iowa. He fights against it all the time. Trump cited polls that showed him leading President Biden in key swing states, while the same polls found DeSantis trailing Biden. I wouldnt take a chance on that one, Trump said. The Hill Elections 2024 coverage Other polls, which Trump did not reference, have found DeSantis leading Biden in certain swing states. The former president also took credit for maintaining Iowas position as the first caucus on the GOP primary calendar and he touted the tariffs he placed on China during his first term in office, though China retaliated by putting tariffs on U.S. agricultural imports that adversely affected Iowa farmers. Story continues He also took credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, while adding that he supports exceptions to abortion bans for cases of rape, incest and life of the mother. The 2024 election is our last shot to save America, and theres only one candidate and you know who that candidate is whos going to get the job done, Trump said. Each candidate received 10 minutes to speak at Friday nights dinner, or their microphone would be cut off. Most candidates repeated a condensed version of their stump speeches, highlighting broad policy views or their backstory. Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Republican Party of Iowas 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) DeSantis, whose campaign has gone through staffing cuts and criticisms about its spending and lagging poll numbers in recent weeks, took only implicit jabs at Trump in his speech to Iowa Republicans. Were not getting a mulligan on 2024, DeSantis said, a nod to his argument that Trump is not the most electable option. We either win this election and make good on all the promises that were making, or the Democrats are going to throw this country into a hole thats going to take us a generation to climb out of. DeSantis added that he planned to visit all 99 counties in the state because candidates had to earn a top finish in the Iowa caucuses. The comment was a veiled swipe at Trump, who has publicly attacked Iowas Republican governor and skipped a recent gathering of Iowa evangelicals attended by most 2024 candidates. DeSantis and other candidates will likely need to make inroads in Iowa in order to blunt Trumps march toward a third GOP presidential nomination. But a recent Fox Business poll showed 46 percent of likely GOP caucusgoers support Trump, followed by DeSantis at 16 percent and Sen. Tim Scott at 11 percent. All other candidates polled in the single digits. In a clear sign of Trumps enduring popularity in the party, even as he faces mounting legal issues, former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) was booed by the audience as he told the crowd that Trump is running for president to stay out of prison. Democratic National Committee spokesperson Ammar Moussa in a statement said Friday nights gathering showcased that GOP candidates all share the same agenda and are desperate to find some kind of new extreme plank to get an edge. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Joseph Ax (Reuters) -A federal judge has thrown out Donald Trump's $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN, in which the former president claimed the network's description of his election fraud as the "big lie" associated him with Adolf Hitler. In a ruling late on Friday night, U.S. Judge Raag Singhal, who was nominated by Trump in 2019, said CNN's words were opinion, not fact, and therefore could not be the subject of a defamation claim. "CNN's statements while repugnant, were not, as a matter of law, defamatory," wrote Singhal, who sits in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, near Trump's home at his Mar-a-Lago resort. In a statement, a Trump spokesperson said: "We agree with the highly respected judge's findings that CNN's statements about President Trump are repugnant. CNN will be held responsible for their wrongful mistreatment of President Trump and his supporters." The statement did not say whether Trump would appeal the decision. The lawsuit, which was filed in October 2022, highlighted five instances in which CNN either published stories or aired comments referring to Trump's assertions about the 2020 election as his "big lie." The phrase is also associated with the Nazi regime's use of propaganda. The wording, the lawsuit said, constituted "a deliberate effort by CNN to propagate to its audience an association between the plaintiff and one of the most repugnant figures in modern history." But the mere use of the phrase "big lie" is not enough to give rise to a true connotation, Singhal wrote. "No reasonable viewer could (or should) plausibly make that reference," he said. Since launching his first presidential campaign in 2015, Trump has often attacked media outlets whose coverage he dislikes, with CNN a favorite target. Trump is the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, despite facing both state and federal indictments. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Sandra Maler and Deepa Babington) Former GOP Rep. and presidential candidate Will Hurd navigated boos and jeers in Iowa on Friday after declaring that former President Donald Trump was running for president to stay out of prison. Hurds speech at the Iowa GOPs Lincoln Dinner was part of an event featuring a majority of the 2024 Republican field, including Trump, who spoke later in the evening. The former Texas congressman, who trails Trump significantly in national polls, blamed the former presidents 2020 loss on his failure to grow the GOP brand in certain areas before launching into an attack on his current White House bid. One of the things we need in our elected leaders: For them to tell the truth, even if its unpopular, Hurd said. Donald Trump is not running for president to Make America Great Again. Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison. The remark sparked boos and jeers from the Iowa crowd as the candidate neared the end of his speech. And if we elect... I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, said Hurd as he pressed on over the crowds noise. Listen, I know the truth. The truth is hard. But if we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House, and America cant handle that. God bless you, and God bless America. Hurd: Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again.. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison Crowd: *boo* pic.twitter.com/JOvW3ypivx Acyn (@Acyn) July 29, 2023 Hurds comments arrive one day after special counsel Jack Smith filed three new felony charges against Trump in the investigation on the former presidents handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Smith previously charged Trump with a total of 37 felony federal counts linked to his handling of classified documents last month. Story continues The jab follows callsfrom New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who teased but ultimately opted out of a White House bid, for Republican candidates to be more critical in campaigning against Trump. Either youre willing to swing, youre willing to give the punch and take the punch and show leadership, or youre kowtowing, said Sununu in an interview on Fox News last week. I dont understand the politics of it because youre not going to get a Trump voter, right? Theyre with Trump. If the base is with Trump, the base is with Trump. Hes still going to be in the race. So youve got to find your own path. ... Youve got to go through him. You cant go around him. They tried that in 16. They tried to avoid the controversy. Leadership takes it head-on. Related... WASHINGTON It was supposed to be a routine hearing. But the night before Hunter Biden was to appear in federal court in Delaware on misdemeanor tax charges, a Republican congressman, Jason Smith of Missouri, made a last-ditch effort to derail a plea agreement that would keep President Joe Bidens youngest son out of jail. Smith asked a judge to throw out the deal, arguing in a legal brief that the investigation into Hunter Biden had been tainted by political interference. The White House and congressional Democrats suspect the GOP is using Hunter Biden to advance its own political agenda: To damage Joe Biden heading into next years election. Hunter Biden, a 53-year-old attorney and businessman, holds no public office and has no official role in his fathers government unlike Ivanka Trump who held a policy job out of the White House as did her husband Jared Kushner. But his foibles have provided ammunition for those who want to inflict harm on Joe Biden and his presidency. Hunter Biden, I want to remind the (Republican) majority, is actually not the president of the United States, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said recently during a GOP-led congressional hearing in which two IRS whistleblowers claimed the Justice Department interfered in an IRS investigation into the presidents son. Americans want their presidents to be honest and trustworthy, attributes considered so important that pollsters often ask voters to rate those characteristics in a president or presidential candidate. In past election cycles, falsehoods have come back to plague campaigns, such as George W. Bush's erroneous claims that Iraq had "weapons of mass destruction, or Bill Clintons denials of extramarital affairs. Honesty could become a central issue in next years election since the GOP nominee is likely to be Donald Trump, who has repeatedly spread baseless allegations of fraud in the 2020 election. By going after Hunter Biden, Republicans are trying to sow doubts about his father, said author Joshua Kendall, whose book, First Dads: Parenting and Politics from George Washington to Barack Obama, explores the relationships between presidents and their children. Story continues Republicans are certainly trying to slime the president's character through his son, Kendall said. While the GOP investigations into Hunter Biden often have seemed like a mud-slinging contest, they have raised legitimate questions about what involvement, if any, Joe Biden had in his sons business dealings, Kendall said. But Republicans dont help their case when they pull stunts like waving Hunter Bidens nude photos in front of television cameras, he said. If Republicans can calmly make their case, they would get more Democrats to listen, Kendall said. But theyre just in his hyper-partisan, just kind of going for the throats rather than laying out a case. At the White House, questions about Hunter Biden are quickly shut down and dismissed as a personal family matter. Hunter Biden, the youngest son of President Joe Biden, is the target of congressional investigations and GOP attacks. Hunter Biden's foibles fuel GOP attacks Hunter Bidens personal and professional transgressions which range from substance abuse and fathering a daughter out of wedlock to questionable business dealings in China and Ukraine and legal issues over his taxes have provided sensational grist for his and his fathers Republican agitators. When Hunter Biden and the mother of his four-year-old daughter settled a child support dispute last month, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., berated Joe Biden as cold, heartless, selfish and cowardly for failing to acknowledge the young girl as his seventh grandchild. The president publicly acknowledged the child for the first time on Friday. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., stoked outrage last week when, during a congressional hearing, she held up posters with blown-up photos of what appeared to be a nude Hunter Biden engaging in sex acts. The photos reportedly came from a laptop that Biden left at a computer repair shop in 2019. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., ratcheted up the rhetoric even further, suggesting last week that Republican investigations into Hunter Bidens business dealings could trigger an impeachment inquiry against his father. Republicans have been trying to tie Joe Biden to his sons overseas business dealings and point to unverified claims that Hunter Biden put his father, who was vice president at the time, on the phone with foreign business associates. Three GOP-led committees also have opened a joint investigation into the Justice Departments handling of the tax charges against Hunter Biden amid what they claim is improper interference in the case. Wednesdays court hearing on the tax evasion case took a dramatic turn when Hunter Bidens plea agreement with prosecutors collapsed amid questions over the terms of the deal. Biden agreed in June to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges of tax evasion in exchange for prosecutors recommending that he receive probation instead of jail time. The deal also called for Biden to participate in a pretrial program for a gun possession offense. But U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika refused to accept the plea bargain and raised several concerns over the specifics of the deal and her role in the proceedings. The judge said lawyers need to resolve issues with the agreement, including her role in enforcing the gun agreement, before moving forward. As a result, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty. Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican who chairs one of the House committees investigating Hunter Biden, suggested the judges decision gave credibility to the committees probe. Dealing with substance abuse: Hunter Biden's drug use back in public eye as criminal charges could be around the corner Joe Biden on Hunter: 'I'm very proud of my son' Privately, the White House views congressional investigations into the presidents son as a politically motivated abuse of power by the House Republican majority to hurt Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 presidential campaign. For his part, Joe Biden has made no effort to distance himself from his son. Im very proud of my son, he told reporters after Hunter Biden struck the plea agreement on the tax evasion charges. Hunter Biden has attended state dinners and sometimes joins his father and other family members for weekends at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. No other child of a sitting president who didn't hold a public role has faced the same level of scrutiny as Hunter Biden, said David Hopkins, an associate professor of political science at Boston College and an expert on presidential politics and polarization. At times, the antics of other presidential offspring have caused angst for their fathers. Alice Roosevelt smoked in public and snuck whiskey into dry parties scandalous behavior at the time and an embarrassment for her dad, Theodore Roosevelt, who once said he could either be president or control his daughter but could not possibly do both. Ronald Reagans daughter, Patti Davis, wrote what many regarded as a semi-autobiographical novel about a daughter who becomes estranged from her parents, who happen to be the president and first lady. Ronald Reagan called the book interesting fiction. Neil Bush, the son of George H.W. Bush, became a symbol of the savings and loan crisis in the late 1980s because of his involvement with Silverado Banking Savings and Loan, whose collapse cost taxpayers $1 billion. Yet, theres no historical parallel to how much Hunter Biden has been the target of the congressional opposition, Hopkins said. Grandpa Joe: President Biden wont acknowledge his youngest granddaughter. It turns off even some supporters. President Joe Bidens son Hunter Biden arrives for a court appearance Wednesday, July 26, 2023, in Wilmington. Republicans argue Hunter Biden is fair game Republicans and their allies insist that Hunter Biden is fair game. Hunter is frequently in the White House, on Air Force One and at Camp David, said Scott Jennings, a GOP strategist who worked as an aide to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and in the White House for President George W. Bush. Hunter Biden is a known drug addict and a criminal who has time and again exhibited horrific personal judgment, Jennings said. Hes made money millions off his father and in large part paid little tax on it if you believe the sworn testimony of IRS agents. Theres just absolute horrid judgment all the way around here, and Joe Biden appears to have more than just a passing interest or involvement in it. Even Hunters business dealings in Delaware dating back to his fathers time as vice president show how the Biden name helped get business proposals in front of state officials and how easy it was for lines to blur between financial endeavors and politics. Did Hunter Biden get a sweetheart deal? How these cases play out with other defendants Will attacks on Hunter hurt Joe Biden? If the GOP goal in attacking Hunter Biden is to wound his father ahead of next years election, theres no evidence its working. Just one-fourth of voters (27%) in a Morning Consult poll in June said investigating Hunter Bidens finances should be a top priority for Congress. Even among Republicans, fewer than half (46%) said Hunter Bidens finances should be a top priority. Hunter Biden is not Joe Biden, GOP pollster Frank Luntz said. The public cares about what the president does. They dont care about his son. Marcel Cook, a Biden supporter, said the Hunter Biden drama doesnt affect his thoughts on the president. We dont have control of our children when theyre grown, what can you do? said Cook, who has worked nearly 24 years at Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, which Biden visited recently to promote his administrations economic agenda. Im looking at Biden, not his kids, Cook said. Ralph Grecco, who also works at Philly Shipyard and voted for Donald Trump in 2020, said hes less concerned about the controversies surrounding Hunter Biden and more worried about the economy, which he said isnt improving fast enough. As for Hunter Bidens troubles, I look at that as a personal thing, a family matter, he said. Even some Republicans seem to question the fixation on Hunter Biden. I think when we get home, the focus is the economy, the border, crime, Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told Politico. These are the issues that matter and these are the issues were talking about. Hunter Biden, he said, is a focus in D.C., not everywhere else. Contributing: Joey Garrison Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS. How old is Joe? Biden has turned his age into a punchline. But are voters laughing? This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hunter Biden: Will GOP attacks on son hurt Joe Biden in 2024 election? Covering about 24,000 square miles of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin is a natural treasure the awe-inspiring and ecologically diverse Driftless Area. Over 12,000 years ago, the area was bypassed by glaciers during the Ice Age, resulting in a beautiful landscape of waterfalls, bluffs, caves, rare geology, and wildlife. It boasts the largest concentration of cold-water streams in the world, and visitors from across the country travel to the Driftless Area to savor its beauty. Over time, the region has become more susceptible to soil erosion, diminishing water quality, and flooding, threatening wildlife habitats and farms. Protecting and preserving the Driftless Area has long been a priority for farmers, conservationists, local officials, and families alike. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative (DALCI), a public-private partnership, to help farmers fight erosion and restore cold-water stream corridors. The program was a conservation success story, measurably improving drinking water quality and reducing flood risk, but it expired in 2017. More: US officials come to Rockford to tout safe, clean drinking water Thats why were working on the next chapter of Driftless Area conservation through our bipartisan Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative (DALCI) Act. The DALCI Act will re-establish this beneficial program at no additional cost to taxpayers, providing Driftless Area farmers and landowners with the tools to manage and restore working lands, woodlands, prairies, and cold-water streams. Under our bill, farmers will be able to access funding through existing USDA programs to reduce soil erosion and mitigate flooding, sequester carbon, and improve biodiverse habitats a win-win for our farmers, homeowners, and the environment. Empowering the farmers and landowners who call the Driftless Area home, and have known and worked that land their whole lives, is the best way to build on the programs restoration successes. Story continues While we are blessed to have this scenery in our backyards, the Driftless Area also attracts tourists and recreationists nationwide. Its scenic hikes and well-known trout fishing bring new visitors to our communities and boost our tourism economies a 2015 study showed that recreational angling in the Driftless Area generated over $1 billion in annual economic impact for Driftless communities. These dollars are even more impactful in small, rural communities that might not otherwise generate much tourism. Investing in the Driftless Area will have a significant economic benefit for rural Iowa and Illinois and drive tourism to our states for years to come. The Driftless Area is cherished land. We will continue working across the aisle and across the Mississippi River to preserve the Driftless Area for future generations of farmers, families, and recreationists. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson represents Iowas 2nd district in Congress, serving as a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Congressman Eric Sorensen represents Illinois 17th district in Congress, serving as a member of the House Agriculture Committee and Science, Space and Technology Committee. This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Your turn: The next chapter of Driftless Area conservation hits home In late August, Voronezh and Rostov Oblasts of the Russian Federation plan to sign an agreement on the creation of the "Donbas Commonwealth" with the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts (the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics). Source: Vasily Golubev, Governor of Rostov Oblast, in an interview with Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti at the Russia-Africa Forum in St. Petersburg Quote: "Until 2014, there was the Donbass Euroregion. Then, Luhansk, Donetsk, Rostov, and, a little later, Voronezh Oblast joined this Euroregion. This is a structure that existed in Europe, the so-called border cooperation between regions adjacent to another country. Everything collapsed after 2014, but our contacts with Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics were constant. People came, obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation in Rostov Oblast. And then we decided to return, initiating such an agreement, which will be called the Donbas Commonwealth. All [Russian] regions have confirmed their participation." Details: According to the governor, two Russian oblasts, as well as the occupied parts of two Ukrainian oblasts, allegedly "unites the word Donbas," these are the four regions that were part of the territorial concept of Donbas. "Of course, it was once centred on mining work. But today it can be much wider: the humanitarian sphere, relations between people, the educational sphere, the exchange of experience. A separate topic is the relationship between medium and small businesses... Transport infrastructure [,too]," Golubev stated. He added that the agreement is planned to be signed late in August in Rostov Oblast. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attend a press conference after the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations in Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday. Photo by Darren England/EPA-EFE July 29 (UPI) -- The United States will continue to help Australia enhance capabilities at some of its northern military bases, including the development of new missile systems, officials from both countries announced Saturday. The two nations will also continue collaborating on a technology sharing program that will eventually bring nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, the top officials confirmed during the 33rd Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations held in the Australian Gold Coast city of Brisbane. "The principals determined that the Unbreakable Alliance between the United States and Australia has never been stronger -- and that the Alliance remains a partnership of strategic interest rooted in common values and a common determination to preserve stability, prosperity, and peace," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. Austin was accompanied on the trip by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as the two met with Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Penny Wong. The two countries will also continue to align their military cooperation through enhanced joint exercises and expanded rotations of U.S. assets to Australia. The United States will continue to help Australia enhance capabilities at some of its northern military bases, which will include developing new missile systems, American and Australian officials announced Saturday. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI U.S. President Joe Biden in March announced a deal with both Australia and Britain to help construct a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The agreement is aimed at countering growing Chinese naval aggression in the Pacific. The Royal Australian Navy's submarine fleet is exclusively made up of diesel-electric guided missile subs, some of which are due to be retired in the coming years. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Saturday said the alliance between the United States and Australia "has never been stronger." File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI American military officials will help enhance capabilities at two northern Australian bases while beginning work at two new airfields. "The principals further expressed concern about the People's Republic of China's excessive maritime claims that are inconsistent with international law and unilateral actions that have raised tensions in the region," Wong's office said in a statement Saturday. Story continues Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) also confirmed enhanced military cooperation in equipping Australia with nuclear-powered submarines during the 33rd Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations held in Brisbane, Australia. File Photo by Rod Lamkey/UPI "We're also thrilled to announce that we're taking steps to enable Australia to maintain, repair and overhaul critical U.S.-sourced munitions," Austin said during the conference. Blinken during the meeting also pushed back against Australia's attempt to curtail American efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The two countries will also continue to align their military cooperation through enhanced joint exercises and expanded rotations of U.S. assets to Australia. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI Assange, an Australian citizen, has been held in a London prison since 2019 as he fights extradition to the United States over criminal charges under the Espionage Act for leaking U.S. military secrets. Assange lost his latest appeal in June to block the extradition. Blinken said the United States does not comment on extradition proceedings but did confirm Australian officials raised the issue during talks. Fighting has increased in intensity over the last 48 hours, especially in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and the south of Donetsk Oblast, according to the UK Ministry of Defense report on July 29. In the south, fighting is currently focused near the village of Robotyne, located near Orikhiv, in the area of responsibility for Russias 58th Combined Arms Army, the report said. Ukrainian forces also defeated elements of Russian airborne forces 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment to capture the village of Staromaiorske, in Donetsk Oblast, eight kilometers east from Robotyne. Other Russian airborne forces' units continue offensive operations in the Serebriansk Forest west of Kreminna, in the north, but have reportedly achieved little ground. Earlier this week, Ukrainian forces have liberated Staromaiorske village in Donetsk Oblast, according to the footage of Ukraines 35th Marine Brigade and Territorial Defense Forces, published by President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 27. Staromaiorske, which sits on the Mokri Yaly River, is located near the administrative border with Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a few kilometers south of the town of Velyka Novosilka. Two days ago, Ukrainian forces reported winning over the positions close to Staromaiorske. Staromaiorske lies in the Berdiansk direction, one of the three sectors where Ukrainian forces are conducting its summer counteroffensive. Read also: Nathan Greenfield: Ukraines use of cluster munitions to evict Russian troops is both legal and just Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Fresh videos of Western-made armor rolling across open fields, a new settlement liberated, and a lot of noise on Russian military blogger Telegram channels heralded to the world on July 28 that the Ukrainian summer counteroffensive had upped its gear. Almost eight weeks into the long-awaited operation that began on June 5 with limited gains and a fair share of disappointment, the counteroffensive has entered a new phase, as new brigades have been seen committed to the fight. Notice of the new push came first on July 26, when the New York Times reported that Ukraine was committing much of its reserves to a large-scale attack on the sector of the front line south of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where Russian defensive lines are at their thickest. The next day, coming quickly in the footsteps of Russian bloggers reports of losing the settlement, Ukraine announced the liberation of the village of Staromaiorske, the fifth in a string of liberated villages along the Mokri Yaly River in western Donetsk Oblast, about 75 kilometers east of the battles near Orikhiv. The past days attacks have come after the end of a protracted period of more attritional fighting without major territorial gains in the south. While the world media were pondering on whether or not the counteroffensive had already failed in its objectives, Ukraines Armed Forces had changed their tactics to a more systematic, attrition-focused approach. Now, with evidence that the Ukrainian command has committed or is in the process of committing what could be the majority of its reserve units to the battle, the next weeks fighting poses to be crucial for the counteroffensive. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces liberate Staromaiorske village in southeast, reportedly ramp up counteroffensive Three-pronged attack As has been the case since Ukrainian forces first marched forward toward Russian lines in early June, the counteroffensive has been focused on three key axes of the front line. Story continues South of Orikhiv, now tipped to be the location of the main effort, Ukrainian forces have pushed several kilometers southeast of the village of Robotyne, which lies on the shortest route to the strategic city of Tokmak. In several videos circulated on social media, Ukrainian vehicles are seen to reach the first set of Russias fabled dragons teeth anti-tank obstacles, just one part of the combined landscape of Russian fortified defenses, also known as the Surovikin Line after the former commander of Russias war against Ukraine, in the area. While Ukrainian forces seem to have reached this first line, there has been no visual confirmation so far of whether they have been able to hold the new ground that they have covered. As is often the case, individual videos can paint a misleading picture of the reality on the front line. In one such case, Russian sources posted footage of destroyed Ukrainian BMP infantry fighting vehicles, also geolocated nearby, to show Ukraines apparent failure to advance further. You hear the anecdotes from Russian Telegram channels, Rob Lee, military expert and Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, told the Kyiv Independent. Sometimes it's very positive, sometimes it's very negative, it's impossible to tell if this anecdote is representative of the whole or not. Wounded soldiers are taken care of by 3rd Assault Brigade medics near Bakhmut frontline during a counter-offensive in Donbas, Ukraine on July 23, 2023. (Photo by Gian Marco Benedetto/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) On the Velyka Novosilka axis further east, the liberation of Staromaiorske by Ukraines 35th Marine Brigade was met with a worried reaction from Russian pro-war military bloggers. Russian forces defending the village were significantly exhausted by the work of enemy artillery, which continued through the settlement over the past few days, wrote Semen Pegov, better known as WarGonzo, who noted that the defense of the neighboring village of Urozhaine was now outflanked. Still, the settlement remains over 10 kilometers from the main Russian defensive line in the sector, which guards the long, open roads to the occupied cities of Mariupol and Berdiansk on the Azov Sea. Meanwhile, in the east, the ongoing Battle of Bakhmut continues to flow in Ukraines favor, as Russian trenches on the flanks of the ruined city are recaptured one by one by hardened Ukrainian brigades, most of which have been fighting in the area at least since winter. South of Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces led by the 3rd Assault Brigade, renowned as one of the countrys most professional and effective, are closing in on the capture of the key settlement of Klishchiivka, which Russia occupied in January as it approached its near-encirclement of Bakhmut. Progress, albeit slower, is also being made north of the city, with Ukrainian forces inching towards the villages of Berkhivka and Yahidne, whilst also slicing away at a substantial Russian salient around Dubovo-Vasylivka. The attacks around Bakhmut are nonetheless best described as a fixing action, to divert Russian resources away from where the fight carries a lot more strategic weight: in the south. Read also: Where does Russia expect Ukraines counterattack? Overview of defensive lines Switch to attrition After the initial gains and restless attention that characterized the first few days of the counteroffensive, Ukraines progress, especially on the southern front line, had slowed almost to a halt over late June and July. Here, both for Ukrainian and Western officials who were frank about the counteroffensive going slower than expected, and for observers across the world, expectations came up against a sobering reality as the scale and difficulty of the task became clear. Evaluating the reasons for the initial disappointment is difficult, with blurred lines between a lack of resources, as Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi has stressed, potential strategic mistakes by the Ukrainian command, and the unforeseeable challenges of this new fight. Predictably, the main obstacle for a rapid armored advance has first and foremost been the vast, dense minefields placed by Russia in front of their main defenses along the southern front line. To make progress, Ukraine is using a combination of mine-clearing line chargers and breaching vehicles, although these are both in short supply, and often an easy target for Russian artillery and anti-tank fire, as seen by the loss of donated Leopard 2R breaching vehicles in early June. This dangerous job is often done by hand by Ukrainian combat engineers, while Russia is able to replenish its minefields with the use of remote deployment systems. Here, U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles have greatly improved the survivability of Ukrainian infantry in the fight, but that alone is not enough to actually break through. Russian dominance in the air above the battlefield has also played a role, with the U.K. defense ministry noting a significant uptick in the use of Ka-52 attack helicopters to strike exposed groupings of Ukrainian armor and personnel in the southern fields. In my view it's not because Ukraine is making a lot of mistakes, it's mainly because Russia is defending in a competent way and they've got very strong defenses, said Lee. Even if you had a perfect unit executing this plan, they were going to take attrition, it was going to be difficult, there is no easy way to do this. Still, one telling factor has been that most of the successful gains made so far, around Velyka Novosilka and Bakhmut, have been achieved by Ukraines more experienced brigades, which have held their respective sectors for many months without rest. Meanwhile, some of the newer brigades committed from the reserves, such as the 47th Mechanized, have been documented to have faced serious challenges and internal scandals in their first outing on the battlefield. A howitzer is fired as Ukrainian artillery division supports soldiers in a counteroffensive on the Zaporizhzhia front line with M777 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on July 16, 2023. (Gian Marco Benedetto/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) After the initial flurry of action on the southern front line, a marked shift in Ukraines tactics could be observed. Ukraine continued to assault Russian lines, but did so mostly with dismounted infantry, systematically advancing under the cover of artillery fire. Meanwhile, videos released by Ukrainian units showed an uptick in counter-battery attacks targeting Russian artillery, in particular with GMLRS rounds from the HIMARS and M270 systems, as well as with cheap but precise FPV (first-person view) kamikaze drones, which are playing an increasing role in the war on both sides. This picture is backed by the data on Russian losses published by the Ukrainian General Staff, in which Russia is regularly reported to have lost several dozen artillery pieces in a day, compared to earlier in the year when the daily figures were mostly in the single digits. These trends, combined with Washingtons supply of a large tranche of DPICMS cluster shells, means that in the artillery war, Ukraine looks to be enjoying an unfamiliar advantage. During the attritional phases, Russia was clearly taking losses and Ukraine was clearly having success destroying Russian artillery and other pieces of equipment, said Lee, but the question is whether that was enough to set the conditions for a breakthrough now. Read also: How controversial cluster munitions give Ukraine needed punch during counteroffensive Commitment While Russian President Vladimir Putin and some Western commentators claimed very early on that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had failed, the objective truth was that it was impossible to tell until Ukraine committed the bulk of its reserves, which consist of around a dozen brigades, many of which NATO-trained and equipped, complemented by the nine light assault brigades of the Offensive Guard, formed under the interior ministry. Looking at the brigades now entering the fight, the renewed attacks this week are a sign that Ukraine is taking the plunge and committing more units, particularly from its 10th Army Corps, though it remains hard to tell if this represents the bulk of Kyivs reserves. The initial plan was that they wanted 9th Corps (the grouping of brigades sent earlier into the fight) to either get to the main defensive line or breach it themselves, and then get 10th Corps to come in and exploit the breach, said Lee. 10th Corps seems now to have been committed before that. A Ukrainian soldier of the 35th Marine Brigade next to a destroyed Russian tank in the counteroffensive in the direction of Velyka Novosilka, Donetsk Oblast, July 13, 2023. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) According to Lee, the choice to push forward now could have both positive and negative explanations. If it's a positive signal, maybe they've seen a weakness develop because of attrition on the Russian side and now they think they can exploit it, he said. On the other side it might be for negative reasons, if they see that 9th Corps is taking too many losses, they are running through too much artillery ammunition, and there is a concern that they want to have enough ammunition available for the second echelon push. It could be either one of those, but it might be a combination of the two. The results of the next days and weeks of fighting depend much on the attrition rates suffered by both sides, on which there is very little verifiable information. Even then, Lee said, this new commitment of Ukrainian units does not represent an all-or-nothing gambit. It's not fully clear now how many reserves Ukraine still has remaining, he added. I don't think the counteroffensive is going to end in the near future, I think we will see Ukraine eventually going back to that attritional approach with infantry assaults, going into August or maybe September. Read also: As more soldiers go missing, desperate families left in limbo The long game At the time of publication, it remains too early to make conclusions on the success of the renewed Ukrainian counteroffensive pushes. In the medium term, whether or not major gains are made in this new armored advance, Ukraines capacity to continue to attack on the ground and expend ammunition at this rate has a limit, reaching which will signal the culmination of the offensive. It remains unclear what gains Ukraine can make before this time comes, but Kyivs goals have likely been adjusted since the counteroffensive began in June, says Lee. I think Tokmak is the primary goal right now, Melitopol was likely the more ambitious goal of the Orikhiv axis at first, but it comes down to the Russian side, he said. If Russia has enough reserves to commit, it will be tough for Ukraine to keep advancing, but if Russia has to commit reserves in different places and the other units they have available are weakened or hollowed out, then Ukraine might be able to keep going. Feet of the dead body of a Russian trooper seen in the village of Storozheve, Donetsk Oblast, on July 6, 2023. (Alex Chan Tsz Yuk/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Beyond the point of culmination, the picture of how the war will trend in the long term is murky. Before the counteroffensive was launched, much discussion in the West circled around whether this summer was Ukraines last chance to conduct such an operation, given Ukraines heavy reliance on Western military aid. "The window of opportunity is open this year. After next winter, it will be extremely difficult to maintain the current level of assistance," said Czech President Petr Pavel, a retired general who is known for his strong pro-Ukrainian stance, in March. The most likely scenario, according to Lee, is a sustained attritional fight, the results of which likely to be a numbers game between Russian industrial power and the ability of the West to match it with sustained deliveries of ammunition and other equipment. Again, it comes down to Russia, he said. If Russia continues to mobilize, continues to produce artillery ammunition, this might be one of the best chances Ukraine gets. Note from the author: Hi, this is Francis Farrell, cheers for reading this article. I grew up on the other side of the world, but in Ukraine I have found a home unlike any other. Just like with so many of our readers, I understand that you don't have to be from near here to realize how important Ukraine's struggle is for freedom and human rights all over the world. The Kyiv Independent's mission is to lead the way in continuing to bring the best homegrown, English-language coverage of this war, even if the rest of the world's attention starts to fade. Please consider supporting our reporting. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian soldiers repair a Leopard 2 tank in Zaporizhzhya region, Ukraine, on June 21, 2023. Andriy Andriyenko, File/Associated Press Ukrainian forces are using North Korean-made rockets against Russian forces, FT reported. It's unclear how Ukrainian soldiers got the weapons, but one said they were "very unreliable." North Korea is an ally of Russia and has sold them weapons, according to US officials. While North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort, weapons produced in his country have apparently been turned against Russian forces. The Financial Times reported Friday that Ukraine has been launching unpredictable, North Korean-made rockets at Russian troops. Ukrainian soldiers manning multiple-launch rocket systems near Bakhmut showed the weapons to the outlet. A Ukrainian artillery commander told FT his troops don't like using the weapons, which were made in the 1980s and '90s, because they can often misfire or fail to explode. One soldier said, "They are very unreliable and do crazy things sometimes." The use of North Korean weapons was striking given that the country is an ally of Russia. Putin on Thursday thanked North Korea for its "firm support" for the war in Ukraine. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also visited Pyongyang this week to meet with Kim while the country celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. Last year, US intelligence officials said Pyongyang was selling millions of artillery shells and rockets to Russia after sanctions cut the Kremlin off from its typical military supply lines. And in March, the White House said it had evidence that North Korea was again providing Russia with weapons, this time in exchange for food. "As part of this proposed deal, Russia would receive over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions from Pyongyang," John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said at the time. Ukrainian soldiers told FT a "friendly" country "seized" the North Korean rockets from a ship, but did not give further details. A Ukrainian defense official said the weapons may have been taken directly from Russian troops. Story continues "We capture their tanks, we capture their equipment and it is very possible that this is also the result of the Ukrainian army successfully conducting a military operation," Yuriy Sak, adviser to Ukraine's defense minister, told FT, adding: "Russia has been shopping around for different types of munitions in all kinds of tyrannies, including North Korea and Iran." In addition to North Korea, Western officials have said Russia has received weapons from Iran. Politico reported this week that China has also been sending military gear to Russia, including drones and protective gear, relying on a loophole to get around Western sanctions. Ukraine has also been relying on weapons from several different countries in the war, including Soviet-era weapons and arms provided by the West, including the US, United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain. Read the original article on Business Insider Ukraine has passed legislation moving its official Christmas holiday to December 25, further distancing itself from the traditions of the Putin-aligned Russian Orthodox Church, which celebrates the holiday on January 7. The bill was passed by Ukraines parliament earlier this month. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed it into law on Friday. The legislations sponsors said its passage would help Ukraine abandon the Russian heritage of imposing the celebration of Christmas on January 7, and help Ukrainians live their own life with their own traditions (and) holidays. Ukraine and Russia are both majority Orthodox countries, but since Russia illegally annexed Crimea and began supporting separatists in Ukraines eastern Donbas region in 2014, a large part of the Orthodox community in Ukraine has moved away from Moscow. Russias war in Ukraine further accelerated the divide between the two branches of Orthodox Christianity, especially given that the head of Russias Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, fully endorsed the invasion and framed it as a culture clash between the wider Russian world and Western liberal values. The new law will effectively formalize what some churches in Ukraine had already begun practicing. A branch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine allowed its churches to celebrate Christmas on December 25 last year. Ukraines main Greek Catholic church said in February it was moving to a new calendar to celebrate Christmas on December 25 as well. The decision appears to be popular. In December, the Ukrainian government launched a poll asking citizens whether the date for Christmas should be moved to December 25. Nearly 59% of the more than 1.5 million people who voted supported such a move. Alla and Oksana, two teachers from the Zaporizhzhia region who had been forced to flee their homes, said they supported the decision to change the date. They added that they celebrated Christmas on December 25 last year and felt they would quickly adapt. Story continues Ukraine should be a civilized European country, Alla said. This should be the norm for us. Vitalina and Pavlo, a couple from Lviv visiting Kyiv, supported the decision but said the transition would be harder for the parents. Celebrating December 25 is logical. This is how Europe celebrates. We celebrated in December this year and there was nothing difficult about it. We want to be closer to Europe and to the world, Pavlo said. Tetyana, an Orthodox Christian from Kyiv, said the date was not important for her, but was ready to support the move because of its symbolic value. If necessary, we will celebrate on December 25. It is no longer about religion, it is more a sign of statehood. Let it be so. I support the president and my country, she said. The new law will also change the dates of several Ukrainian holidays that are celebrated on the same day as religious festivities. The Day of Ukrainian Statehood the countrys independence day will move from July 28 to July 15, while the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, when Ukraine honors its veterans and war dead, will move forward to October 1 from October 14. CNNs Darya Tarasova contributed to this report For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The Ukrainian military is doubling down on efforts to break through thick Russian defenses in its counteroffensive in the south, which has struggled to gain momentum since being launched at the beginning of June. Ukrainian officials have said little about what fresh units are being committed to the offensive, but the military has clearly added recently-minted units equipped with western armor in at least one important segment of the southern front. The challenges faced by the Ukrainians are perhaps less to do with numbers and more to do with capabilities, training and coordination, factors that are critical when an attacking force is faced with such an array of defenses. Fragments of geolocated video show that western armor such as Bradley fighting vehicles have been part of the renewed assault and that experienced units have been brought into the fray. But tight operational security on the part of the Ukrainians precludes a full assessment of what is being done to reboot the counteroffensive and where. Theres still debate about the size of the additional effort. George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War a Washington-based group told CNN: We had not seen any evidence of a battalion-level attack and certainly no brigade-level attacks. If the Ukrainians are indeed committing full battalions and brigades now as reported, that would mark a clear new phase of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. A Ukrainian brigade is roughly 3,000 troops. Mines and more mines For weeks Ukrainian forces have struggled to break through Russian lines because of layers of defenses: tank traps, other obstacles and dense minefields. According to some Ukrainian accounts, they have resorted to using small groups of military engineers working through forested areas to cut a path through or evade these minefields. But navigating them will not break the back of Russian defenses. Satellite imagery shows multiple layers of Russian fortifications, sometimes 20 kilometers deep: breach one and another awaits. Story continues Despite hurried training, some of it in western Europe, Ukrainian forces appear to be struggling to carry out combined arms operations: the use of multiple different assets to suppress and degrade Russian defenses both in the air and on the ground. Russian attack helicopters and fighter-bombers are exploiting weaknesses in Ukraines air defenses, enabling the Russians to strike Ukrainian ground forces. Conducting a mechanized penetration of this magnitude while the adversary has air superiority is extremely difficult, says Barros at the ISW. Operations are more sequential than synchronized, says analyst Franz-Stefan Gady after a visit to the front lines and extensive conversations with the Ukrainian military. Ukraine will have to better synchronize and adapt current tactics, without which western equipment will not prove tac[tically] decisive in the long run. This is happening but it is slow work in progress. Gady says that in addition, Ukrainian troops he spoke with are all too aware that lack of progress is often more due to force employment, poor tactics, lack of coordination (between) units, bureaucratic red tape/infighting, Soviet style thinking etc. He says that makes the Ukrainians more vulnerable as they try to advance, and there is some evidence of that in the few videos that have emerged on social media. Its not just about equipment. Theres simply no systematic pulling apart of the Russian defensive system that I could observe, Gady tweeted. Weakening Russian defenses to a degree that enables maneuver, which will include the use of cluster munitions, is a critical task in the weeks ahead. The commitment of new units this week does appear to have enabled the Ukrainians make modest advances south of the town of Orikhiv, edging closer to the important Russian hub of Tokmak some 20 kilometers to the south of the current frontline. There are other modest successes further east, but the few frontline accounts to have emerged speak of unceasing Russian aviation and artillery strikes. Kostyantyn Denysov, a member of the Freedom Legion, said the fighting was relentless. In a word, its hell, he told RFE/Radio Liberty this week. There are small arms battles along the entire contact line, counter-battery fighting. Their helicopters are flying here in pairs and shelling our positions, Su-25 assault aircraft are working, dropping bombs on our guys heads. Many units have been brought here to try not only to stop our movement, but also to recapture lost positions in certain areas. The Ukrainian militarys critical need is to gain momentum - and force Russian commanders to make painful choices about where and how to deploy their units. It is far too early to tell whether the Ukrainian counteroffensive has entered a more dynamic phase. The ISW cautions that this kind of penetration battle will be one of the most difficult things for Ukrainian forces to accomplish. Ukrainian servicemen fire a Partyzan small multiple rocket launch system toward Russian troops near a front line. - Stringer/Reuters A vehicle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces moves along the road in Novodarivka village, Zaporizhzhia Region. - Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Getty Images Nor can the Ukrainians focus their entire effort on the south. The Russians still hope to make tactical advances of their own in the north and eastern fronts, so the Ukrainians have to retain substantial and capable forces along the straggling northern front. As former Australian general Mick Ryan writes: General Gerasimov, who we assume retains overall command of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, is implementing a defensive strategy. But concurrently he is conducting offensive activities at the tactical and operation levels, especially along the front that leads north from Kreminna to Kupyansk. The Kremlin has seized upon the slow progress of the Ukrainian counter-offensive: a rare opportunity to go beyond damage limitation. President Vladimir Putin said on July 21 that it was clear today that the Western curators of the Kiev regime are certainly disappointed with the results of the counteroffensive that the current Ukrainian authorities announced in previous months. But this conflict has been a graveyard of premature declarations. There are factors that may work in Ukraines favor. George Barros at the ISW says the Ukrainians may be able to exploit geographical advantages. Russian defensive lines are not all contiguous or uniformly suited for strong defence. Some lines are bisected by water features or difficult terrain. Some lines are arrayed in such a manner that it could make a controlled withdrawal from one prepared defensive line to the other difficult. Pointing to successful Ukrainian attacks along the Mokri Yaly river, Barros says that many such exploitable terrain intricacies exist along the southern frontline. A Ukrainian serviceman inspects a former position of Russian troops. - Stringer/Reuters Russian units are suffering battle fatigue, with insufficient rotation or relief even as reinforcements are brought forward. Elements of the 58th Combined Arms Army have been fighting in Zaporizhzhia non-stop for nearly two months. Its commander, Major General Ivan Popov, was dismissed earlier this month for complaining to the Russian Defense Ministry about the situation. Most observers say that in contrast, Ukrainian morale remains robust. Even so, Gady contends that Russian forces, even if severely degraded and lacking ammo, are likely capable of delaying, containing or repulsing individual platoon- or company-sized Ukrainian advances unless these attacks are better coordinated & synchronized along the broader frontline. The long road Some Ukrainian officials have complained that allied expectations have been unreasonable given the depth of Russian defenses and Russian air superiority and the speed with which they have had to stand up new brigades. While grateful for Western equipment such as mine engineering vehicles and cluster munitions, they say much more is needed. F16s would neutralize Russias air superiority; longer-range artillery would accelerate the damage to the Russian militarys logistics. Absent an unexpected collapse of Russian lines, Ukrainian gains are likely to occur over a long period of time and interspersed with lulls and periods of slower and more grinding efforts as the Ukrainians come to successive Russian defensive lines and themselves require relief and rotation, says the ISW. Gady concurs. I suspect this will remain a bloody attritional fight with reserve units being fed in incrementally in the coming weeks and months, he tweeted. If that is the case, and this conflict begins to resemble the static frontlines that began to solidify in Donbas in 2015-16, when Russian-backed forces captured Ukrainian territory, other questions arise. Will western governments begin to exert pressure on Ukraine to seek a settlement? And given the losses suffered thus far, Russias ability to generate reinforcements and the uncertainties surrounding the US presidential election - will the Ukrainian governments own calculations shift? For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Twitter Screencap A Russian missile strike on a high-rise apartment building and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the city of Dnipro has injured at least five people Friday, Ukrainian officials state. Russian Telegram channels say it was a response to a Ukrainian strike earlier in the day on the Russian town of Taganrog, which you will read more about a little later in this story. Dnipro. Friday evening. A high-rise building and the Security Service of Ukraine's building were hit. Russian missile terror again, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his Telegram channel. https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1685001044269387776 Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the injured people were in the apartment building and that an apartment-by-apartment sweep has been completed. We will do everything to bring Russia to full punishment for aggression and terror against our people, said Zelensky. These bastards will answer. We will do everything for justice. https://twitter.com/warmonitors/status/1684999650258886656?s=12\u0026t=BQRSNakUKt7_8ssZiGBW-A https://twitter.com/SarahAshtonLV/status/1685010770206089216 Russian-installed official Vladimir Rogov said on his Telegram channel that the attack on Dnipro was a reprisal for an earlier Ukrainian attack on the Russian Azov Sea port city of Taganrog earlier Friday. "After the shelling of Taganrog by militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Dnepropetrovsk, the SBU control building was destroyed by a missile attack," Rogue claimed. Russian officials claim Taganrog was attacked by a converted Ukrainian surface-to-air missile Friday. Ukraine carried out a terrorist attack on residential infrastructure in Taganrog (Rostov region) with a S-200 surface-to-air missile converted into a strike version, the Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) claimed on its Telegram channel. You can read much more the conversion of that Soviet-era air defense missile about it in our story here. Story continues The MoD said that the missile was detected and intercepted by Russian air defense systems, but that the wreckage fell on Taganrog, damaging several buildings and causing civilian casualties. Taganrog is in Russia about 35 miles from the Ukrainian border. The Ukrainian side of the border is an area still occupied by Russia. Taganrog sits some 90 miles from the front lines. The epicenter of the explosion fell on the territory of the Taganrog Art Museum, Rostov Oblast Gov Vasily Golubev wrote on his Telegram channel. The wall of the museum, the roof, garages and outbuildings were destroyed. The frames were broken in the windows and balconies of a neighboring three-story apartment building. Golubev said there were no fatalities, but nine people were injured. A second missile was hit by air defense systems - this time in the Azov region, said Golubev, adding details about that incident are still being assessed. https://twitter.com/kyivpost/status/1684917750265720833?s=12\u0026t=BQRSNakUKt7_8ssZiGBW-A https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1684944510244065282 https://twitter.com/COUPSURE/status/1684921973485273089 A dramatic dashcam video shows an S-200 missile impacting in Taganrog. https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1684983321791778816?s=20 Before we head into the latest news from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage here. The Latest While Ukraine appears to be making limited progress in drives through Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts, claims are emerging that its forces are making another push into Kherson Oblast on the Russian-held side of the Dnipro River. Video posted on Telegram and geolocated by the @NoelReports suggests that Ukrainian forces are continuing to push across the Konka River in occupied Kherson Oblast. That's about two miles from the Dnipro River, a little less than two miles west of the Russian-held town of Oleskhy and six miles southwest of the Antonovksy Bridge. That's where Kyiv's forces had previously established a small bridgehead. The latest imagery comes a little more than two weeks after a Russian milblogger said Ukrainian troops had crossed the Konka. https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1684967761485733894?s=20 Ukrainian forces have crossed the Konka River in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast. (Google Earth image) It is unclear from the video - apparently taken by a Russian drone - exactly what is taking place. Nor is it clear the exact objective. If they are Ukrainian forces, they could be looking to enter Oleshky, or just draw more Russian resources away from their defense of the ongoing counteroffensive. The status of the advance near the Antonovsky Bridge meanwhile is also unknown. Earlier this month, we wrote that the bridgehead was still holding. However, a few days later, the official Russian TASS news agency reported that the advance was thwarted. All these advances are taking place under the fog of war and it is hard to know exactly what is going on, so keep that in mind with these types of reports. As we noted yesterday, Ukraine had made progress in two sectors of its counteroffensive. Ukrainian forces captured Staromayorsk, a key logistics node in Donetsk Oblast, where new video emerged reportedly showing the liberation. https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1684675527423008768?s=12\u0026t=BQRSNakUKt7_8ssZiGBW-A Ukrainian forces have also apparently approached a main Russian line of defense around Verbove and Rabotino in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1684609019023945728 A video emerging on social media purports to show threats being made by a Russian warship to a civilian vessel traversing the Black Sea. Ukrainian Border Guards posted a message on their Telegram channel saying that a Russian warship issued a warning to a commercial vessel. They did not name either vessel in the reported encounter. https://twitter.com/anno1540/status/1684891155501121536?s=20 Russian warships continue to act aggressively and defiantly in the waters of the Black Sea, violating all norms of international maritime law, Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraines Office of the President, said Friday in a post on his Telegram channel that also included a video of the encounter posted online. Russia's Federal Security Service said on Thursday it had found traces of explosives on board a foreign vessel en route from Turkey to Russia that had previously entered a Ukrainian port. It was the second such announcement this week involving a foreign ship heading to Russia to pick up grain, according to Reuters The reported warning comes in the wake of Russia pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, hammered out last year to allow grain and other food and fertilizer to be shipped out via Ukraine's Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny. Russia withdrew from that deal earlier this month following Ukraine's attack on the Kerch Bridge. The Kremlin has denied a connection. Speaking of the Black Sea, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate, offered a terse prediction for when Ukraine will liberate Crimea. "Soon," he told the Ukrainian TSN news outlet, without offering any specifics. https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1685011507195621378?s=12\u0026t=BQRSNakUKt7_8ssZiGBW-A Video has emerged on social media of Ukrainian troops in an M1152A1 Humvee using an Arnold Defense LAND-LGR4 four-shot launcher to fire Hydra 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II rockets. APKWS adds a laser guidance system to unguided rockets. You can read more about them in our story here. In the video below, you can see the the operators get into the Humvee, then launch two of the rockets at a Russian target. They can also fire unguided 70mm rockets, as well. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1684796259977109505?s=20 Ukraine's United24 media outlet produced a video showing the work of the Territorial Defense Forces operating domestically-produced Punisher drones, said to have a range of 45 kilometers (about 28 miles). https://twitter.com/SarahAshtonLV/status/1684902306414825472?s=20 The Russians paraded a captured French-donated AMX 10-RC armored vehicle through the streets of occupied Mariupol. https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1684964298337001483?s=20 And finally, watch these Ukrainian soldiers digging through dirt to save one of their comrades all part of the horrors of war ongoing across the front in Ukraine. https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1685019800937062400?s=12\u0026t=BQRSNakUKt7_8ssZiGBW-A That's it for now. We'll update this story when there's more news to report about Ukraine. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com Key developments on July 28: An apartment building and the SBU headquarters in Dnipro were hit in a missile attack Prosecutor General reports on investigation into deaths and abuse at Olenivka prison Reports of explosions in Russia's Rostov Oblast Poland to double the size of its military At least five people have been injured as of 10:20 p.m. local time in a Russian strike on the city of Dnipro that damaged a high-rise apartment building on the evening of July 28. "Rescue services and the police are working on the site. The apartments are being checked. People are receiving the necessary assistance," Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported. Mayor Borys Filatov reported that no one has been killed. The residential building has no tenants, the mayor said, as it was yet to be commissioned. Dnipro, a city of 1 million people in central Ukraine, was hit at around 8:30 p.m. local time following an air raid siren. According to the footage provided by witnesses to the Kyiv Independent, as well as footage shared on social media, an apartment building in the city sustained heavy damage in the attack. The headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was also damaged. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the news. "Dnipro. Friday evening. A high-rise building and the Security Service of Ukraine's building were hit. Russian missile terror again," he wrote on Twitter. Around the same time as the explosions were reported, the Air Force announced the threat of a ballistic missile attack in eastern and southern regions. On Jan. 14, Russia targeted a 9-story apartment building in Dnipro, killing more than 45 people. The Kh-22 missile that hit the building is designed to destroy aircraft carriers. Many families were at home to meet the Orthodox New Year. The attack destroyed 72 apartments, and damaged more than 230 others. Read also: Pain, shock in Dnipros main hospital as families pray for loved ones after Russian attack Story continues Ukraine reports on investigation into deaths and abuse at Olenivka prison The explosion that killed over 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia in Olenivka prison in Donetsk Oblast last year was caused by a thermobaric munition, the Prosecutor General's Office stated on July 28. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which carries out the pre-trial investigation of the case, has examined the circumstances of the attack and concluded that the explosion was caused by a thermobaric grenade launcher, the prosecutors said. As part of their examination, the investigators interviewed 13 released soldiers who were previously held in Olenivka, Ukrinform reported. On July 28, 2022, an explosion in the prison killed over 50 Ukrainian prisoners and injured 75 more. Kyiv called it a deliberate Russian war crime. Ukrainian authorities said that days before the attack the Russians had moved Ukrainian members of the Azov Regiment, who were captured in Mariupol and were awaiting a prisoner exchange, to a separate part of the prison building the one that was destroyed. The Prosecutor General's Office also reported on July 28 that the ex-head of the Olenivka prison and one of his subordinates have been charged over physical, sexual, and psychological abuse of the Ukrainian soldiers imprisoned there. Prior to the partial occupation of Donetsk Oblast in 2014, the former prison head Serhii Yevsiukov, worked in Ukrainian law enforcement, while his subordinate, Kyrylo Shakurov, worked in a prison in Horlivka, according to the Kyiv Independent's sources. The two Ukrainian citizens who collaborated with Russian occupation authorities are suspected of using psychological, physical, and sexual violence against at least 100 prisoners of war, according to the report. The former head of the prison and his subordinate cruelly mistreated the prisoners and violated the norms of international humanitarian law, the prosecutors said, and have been charged with violating the laws and customs of war. Read also: Pregnant medic spent 5 months in Russian captivity: I feared they would take my child away Reports of explosions in Russia's Rostov Oblast During the afternoon of July 28, Russian media and officials reported an explosion in the center of Taganrog, a city in Rostov Oblast. Rostov Oblast Governor Vasily Golubev claimed that at least 12 people were wounded and nine of them were hospitalized. Footage shared on social media shows damaged buildings and smoke rising over the city. Golubev later said that a second missile was shot down near Taganrog. Similar information was shared by Russia's Defense Ministry, which claimed that Ukraine launched the attack at around 5:15 p.m. local time using the S-200 air system. According to the ministry, the projectile was shot down and the debris fell in a deserted area. Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilov wrote on Twitter that the incident was a result of "poor Russian air defenses." The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. There have been multiple reports since the start of the full-scale invasion about fires, explosions, and alleged acts of sabotage in Russia. Read also: This Week in Ukraine Ep. 5 Everything we know about Ukrainian attacks inside Russia Poland to double the size of its military Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jarosaw Kaczynski announced that the size of the Polish military is being nearly doubled in response to the threat posed by Russia and Belarus. Speaking during a visit to the town of Koden near the Belarusian border on July 27, he stated that Polish military presence on the border is being strengthened as well. Existing units are being replenished and three new divisions are being created, for a total of six, with a seventh being a possibility. Recently, thousands of Wagner troops and heavy equipment have poured into Belarus from Russia, after the mercenaries' mutiny against the Kremlin. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said that he brokered a deal between the Kremlin and Wagner, for the mercenaries to be allowed to peacefully leave Russia in exchange for standing down. Earlier, Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported that Wagner was recruiting in Belarus, with the readiness to participate in fighting in Poland and Lithuania as one of the conditions of enlistment. Officially, Belarus and Wagner boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin have said that the mercenaries are there to train Belarusian troops. Ukraine has said that its border with Belarus is secure and is being monitored. Read also: Media: NATO to open repair center in Poland for Ukrainian equipment Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, has said that the Ukrainian military will soon be able to liberate Russian-occupied Crimea. Source: Budanov in a comment to TSN, a Ukrainian news outlet Details: TSN noted that when asked when Ukrainian troops would enter Crimea, the Chief of the Defence Intelligence replied: "Soon". It is noted that Budanov did not name the exact date of the liberation of the peninsula, but only assured that it would happen soon. Budanov also stated that the location of Wagneites on the territory of Belarus does not scare the Ukrainian Defence Forces at all. He called the threat from Belarus unrealistic. He added that there had been no increase in the number of Russian occupation troops. "There are as many of them as there were. But constant mobilisation allows them to constantly replenish the losses they have suffered," he said. Background: In September 2022, Kyrylo Budanov said that Ukraine would return to Crimea by the end of spring 2023. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! The defence forces of Ukraine successfully struck the Chonhar Bridge on Saturday morning. Source: Department of Strategic Communications of Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU), Telegram channel Crimean Wind Quote from StratCom: "The defence forces of Ukraine have successfully launched a strike on the Chonhar Bridge on the morning of 29.07.2023." Details: The Crimean Wind Telegram channel reports that information about the damage to the Chonhar Bridge "is confirmed by Russian tourists who went along the land corridor to Crimea for new experience." On the published screenshot, users write that the Chonhar bridge is blocked due to damage, and Russian invaders send cars to detour. Previously: Earlier on Saturday, Volodymyr Saldo, a Russian collaborator and the Russian-appointed governor of the occupied part of Kherson Oblast, said that Ukraines defence forces attempted to destroy the railway between the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast and Crimea. Background: On Thursday, 22 June, Russians reported an attack on a bridge on the administrative border between Kherson Oblast and Crimea near Chonhar. First, Nikolai Lukashenko, Kremlin-appointed so-called "minister of transport of Crimea", said that it would take several weeks to restore the Chonhar Bridge fully. Later, Saldo said that the damage to the Chonhar Bridge caused by the attack turned out to be more serious, and the bridge will not be restored in 15-20 days. Because of this, the Russians said they suspended bus service between Crimea and the city of Henichesk, Kherson Oblast. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Consequences of the night attack of the Russian Federation on an agricultural enterprise in the Odesa Oblast on the night of July 21 In a bid to safeguard Odesa Oblast from potential future Russian attacks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have implemented a series of measures to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the anti-aircraft defense system. Thats according to Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the South Ukrainian Defense Forces, who was speaking during a national television appearance on July 29. Read also: Russian military vessel threatens civilian ship, raising blockade concerns and international alarms It is evident that the danger emanating from Russia, particularly towards the port infrastructure, has been thoroughly analyzed, and steps have been taken to ensure optimal functionality of the anti-aircraft defense and its utmost effectiveness, Humeniuk said. She expressed hope for the success of these measures but cautioned that the aggressor nation, Russia, may be preparing for further attacks. Observing the enemys recent pause, one can deduce their readiness for subsequent attacks, she said. Read also: Putin ignores Erdogan's proposals for grain deal talks report Humeniuk added that Russia might employ a new tactic for future assaults. Notably, following Russias withdrawal from the grain agreement on July 17, the aggressor nation adopted a fresh strategy involving simultaneous launches of multiple types of missiles. As a result, Odesa Oblast experienced consecutive days of massive strikes, with a particular focus on targeting its port infrastructure. Read also: African leaders lean on Putin to return to the Black Sea grain deal report Humeniuk previously highlighted the challenges posed by Russian missiles like the Onyx and Kh-22, noting they were difficult to intercept effectively, leading to virtually inevitable hits. Tensions escalated when Russia declared on July 19 that all maritime vessels heading to Ukrainian ports would be considered military targets. In response, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine warned that it would view all vessels en route to Russian ports in the Black Sea, as well as ports in temporarily occupied territories, as carrying military cargo, with all the associated risks. Story continues Subsequently, on July 21, Russia conducted missile drills in the Black Sea, further heightening the situation. During these exercises, the occupying forces deliberately sank the Ukrainian corvette Ternopil, which had been captured during the Crimea occupation in 2014, as a demonstration of force. Read also: Russia deploys naval mines on approaches to Ukraines Black Sea ports UK More recently, on July 28, the State Border Guard Service released a video capturing an incident in which a Russian vessel threatened a civilian ship in the Black Sea. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine The ammunition warehouse explosions in Crimea on July 28 were the result of sabotage, Ukraine's military intelligence said. The intelligence agency didn't explicitly say whether Ukraine was behind it. The Kyiv Independent reached out to Andriy Chernyak, a representative of the military intelligence. When asked whether Ukraine was behind the explosions, Chernyak only said that the warehouse "was an enemy site on the Ukrainian territory." According to the agency, witnesses heard two explosions at around 10 p.m. and the sounds of further detonation of ammunition. Several ambulances and police reportedly arrived at the scene. The warehouse was located in Kozacha Bay near Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea and a major port for the Russian Navy. Russia's 810th Separate Marine Infantry Brigade is based in Kozacha Bay, Ukraine's military agency said in its report. Earlier this week, the Russia occupation authorities claimed there was a "security threat" in a different part of Crimea, the Arabat Spit at the eastern end of the peninsula. The strip of land is one of two pathways connecting Crimea with the mainland Ukraine. On July 27, Russians prohibited civilian access to the Arabat Spit. According to the report, only emergency workers and citizens performing defense-related work will be permitted access. This comes a little over a week after the Kerch Bridge was hit with explosions on July 17. The bridge, illegally constructed by Russia in 2018, connects the Russian-occupied peninsula and Russia's Krasnodar Oblast. The Kremlin blamed Kyiv for the attack. Ukraine didn't take responsibility for it, but Ukraine's defense minister said that "attacks on the bridge will go on," as it's a legitimate military target. Bridges across the Chonhar Strait located between northern Crimea and Ukraine's mainland were also damaged on June 22 following strikes. General Staff Deputy Chief Oleksii Hromov confirmed for Ukrinform on July 5 that Ukraine had carried out the attacks using Storm Shadow missiles. Story continues Both bridges the Kerch Bridge and the Chonhar Bridge serve as important routes for Russian military personnel and supplies. Read also: Explosions reported in occupied Crimea, Russian proxy claims drone strike on ammunition depot Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Ukrainian military confirmed that it had struck the Chonhar Bridge, connecting Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast and the occupied Crimean peninsula early on July 29. The Strategic Communications Directorate of Ukraine's Armed Forces' confirmation comes shortly after Russian proxies in the occupied territories of Kherson Oblast accused Ukraine of attacking the railway connecting Dzhankoi in Crimea and Henichesk in Kherson Oblast with cruise missiles overnight. Russian-installed proxy in Kherson Oblast Volodymyr Saldo claimed that Ukraine had fired 12 long-range Storm Shadow missiles, and that Russian air defense downed all of them. The Russian Defense Ministry reported later in the day on July 29 that its air defenses had downed seven Storm Shadow missiles over the past day. An outpost and infrastructure were slightly damaged by the missile debris, according to Saldo. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims. Dzhankoi, a train hub in northern Crimea, sits around 75 kilometers south of the port city of Henichesk. On June 22, Russian proxies claimed that the Chonhar Bridge, a key connection between occupied Crimea and Ukraines mainland, was damaged in a strike. Saldo once again claimed that it was carried out by Storm Shadow missiles without providing evidence of their use. Dzhankoi lies around 35 kilometers from the Chonhar Bridge. Saldo, who was once Kherson's mayor and councilman, as well as a national lawmaker, is one of the highest-profile Ukrainian collaborators and stands accused of treason. He fled Kherson before it was liberated by Ukrainian forces on Nov. 11. Read also: Who does Crimea really belong to? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Kyrylo Budanov Intelligence June 25, 2022 Ukrainian forces will soon enter the Crimean Peninsula, part of Ukraine that has been under military occupation by Russia since 2014, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine has said. Kyrylo Budanov said this while speaking to Ukrainian television channel TSN on July 29. Read also: Panic over Crimean Bridge blasts may cause queues at gas stations in Crimea journalist Asked about the possible entry of Ukrainian forces into Crimea, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence affirmed that this would happen soon. However, he did not specify a particular date for the de-occupation of the peninsula, saying only that it would occur in the near future. Ukraine launched a counter-offensive in early June in what many expect to be a bid to liberate the south of the country from Russian military occupation. Read also: Goal number one. Three Stages of the Return of Crimea - opinion However, the movement of Ukrainian forces forward has been slower than expected, with just a few small settlements having been liberated so far. Nevertheless, the momentum of the Ukrainian advance seems to have picked up in recent days, with fresh footage from the front showing Ukrainian troops in the village of Staromaiyorske, in Zaporizhzhya Oblasts. Military experts, including retired U.S. General Ben Hodges, who frequently speaks to the media on Russias invasion of Ukraine, have predicted that Ukrainian forces will attempt to push down to the shores of the Azov Sea. Read also: Russia admits Crimean Bridge repairs will take longer as Ukraine vows it will never be the same Once there, Ukraine could lay siege to Crimea, having cut off the land route from Russia to the peninsula, and with the Kerch Bridge which leads from Crimea to Russia in range of its UK-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine A UNESCO mission has arrived in Odesa after Russia shelled the historic centre of the city. Source: Odesa City Council Details: The City Council clarified that UNESCO representatives arrived in Odesa to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the damage caused to cultural and religious buildings by missile attacks carried out by Russian forces from 19 to 23 July. The mayor's office says the mission will record and document the consequences of Russian attacks. The mission will work under the leadership of Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, UNESCO coordinator in Kyiv, accompanied by experts. They are inspecting the locations of objects damaged in Russian attacks. UNESCO mission in Odesa. Photo: City Council The City Council reminds that about 50 objects have been damaged, so the work will be intensive. Background: The Air Force of Ukraine reported that the Russians fired 19 missiles of various types, including five Oniks missiles, on Odesa Oblast overnight. Air defence forces shot down nine missiles. The Transfiguration Cathedral was destroyed in another Russian attack on Odesa on early 23 July. Twenty-five architectural monuments were damaged overnight in Odesa's centre, which is under UNESCO protection. One person was killed and 20 were injured, including 4 children, in Saturday nights attack on Odesa. The building of the Greek consulate also suffered damage. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Minneapolis, a city still split along racial lines. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The legacy of structural racism in Minneapolis was laid bare to the world at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and East 38th Street, the location where George Floyds neck was pinned to the ground by a police officers knee. But it is also imprinted in streets, parks and neighborhoods across the city the result of urban planning that utilized segregation as a tool of white supremacy. Today, Minneapolis is seen to be one of the most liberal cities in the U.S. But if you scratch away the progressive veneer of the U.S.s most cyclable city, the city with the best park system and sixth-highest quality of life, you find what Kirsten Delegard, a Minneapolis historian, describes as darker truths about the city. As co-founder of the University of Minnesotas Mapping Prejudice project, Delegard and her colleagues have been shedding new light on the role that racist barriers to home ownership have had on segregation in the city. 'Racial cordon Segregation in Minneapolis, like elsewhere in the U.S., is the result of historic practices such as the issuing of racialized real estate covenants that kept nonwhite people from buying or occupying land. These covenants began appearing in U.S. cities from the early 1900s. Before their use in Minneapolis, the city was more or less integrated, with a small but evenly distributed African American population. But covenants changed the cityscape. Racist wording from the citys first racially restrictive covenant in 1910 stated bluntly that the premises named shall not at any time be conveyed, mortgaged or leased to any person or persons of Chinese, Japanese, Moorish, Turkish, Negro, Mongolian or African blood or descent. As a result, African Americans, especially, were pushed into a few small areas of the city such as the Near North neighborhood, leaving large parts of the city predominantly white. Some of the citys most desirable parks were ringed by white residential districts. The result was an invisible racial cordon around some of the citys celebrated parks and commons. Story continues A Minneapolis police officer in a predominantly black area during unrest in 1967. AP Photo/Robert Walsh By design, not acccident As a scholar of urban planning, I know that Minneapolis, far from being an outlier in segregation, represents the norm. Across the U.S., urban planning is still used by some as the spatial toolkit, consisting of a set of policies and practices, for maintaining white supremacy. But urban planners of color, especially, are pointing out ways to reimagine inclusive urban spaces by dismantling the legacy of racist planning, housing and infrastructure policies. Racial segregation was not the byproduct of urban planning; it was, in many cases, its intention it was not by accident, but by design, Adrien Weibgen, senior policy fellow at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, explained in a 2019 New York Daily News article. The effect was and still is devastating. The Urban Institute, an independent think tank, noted in a 2017 report that higher levels of racial segregation were linked to lower incomes for Black residents, as well worse educational outcomes for both white and Black students. Other studies have found that racial segregation leads to Black Americans being excluded from high-performing schools. In Minnesota which ranks as the fourth most segregated state the gap between the performance of white students and students of color is among the highest in the U.S. Likewise, segregation limits access to transportation, employment and quality health care. Income and wealth gaps According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in Minneapolis the median Black family income in 2018 was US,000, compared to nearly ,000 among white families. After Milwaukee, this is the biggest gap of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. Mirroring the citys income gap is a huge wealth gap. Minneapolis now has the lowest rate of homeownership among Black American households of any city. Residential segregation in Minneapolis and elsewhere is still stubbornly high despite more than 50 years since the passing of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, among other factors. But while some residential segregation is now income-based, racial segregation across the U.S. is more ingrained and pervasive than economic segregation. Zoning out Residential racial segregation continues to exist because of specific government policies enacted through urban planning. A key tool is zoning the process of dividing urban land into areas for specific uses, such as residential or industrial. In the introduction to her 2014 book Zoned in the USA, urban planning professor Sonia Hirt argues that zoning is about government power to shape ideals by imposing a moral geography on cities. In Minneapolis and elsewhere, this has meant excluding undersirables namely the poor, immigrants of color and African Americans. With explicit racialized zoning long outlawed in the U.S. the U.S. Supreme Court ended the practice in 1917 many local governments instead turned to exclusionary zoning policies, making it illegal to build anything except single-family homes. This back door racism had a similar effect to outright racial exclusions: It kept out most Black and low-income people who could not afford expensive single-family homes. In Minneapolis, single-family zoning amounted to 70% of residential space, compared to 15% in New York. Buttressing this, redlining the denial of mortgages and loans to people of color by government and the private sector ensured the continuance of segregation. Anti-racist planning Minneapolis is trying hard to reverse these racist policies. In 2018, it became the first large city to vote to end single-family zoning, allowing upzoning: the conversion of single-family lots into more affordable duplexes and triplexes. [Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversations newsletter.] This, together with inclusionary zoning requiring that new apartment projects hold at least 10% of units for low- to moderate-income households is part of the Minneapolis 2040 Plan. Central to that vision is a goal to eliminate disparities in wealth, housing and opportunity regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, country of origin, religion, or zip code within 20 years. In the aftermath of George Floyds death, Minneapolis City Council acted quickly in advancing plans to dismantle the citys police force. Dismantling the legacy of by-design segregation will require the tools of urban planning being utilized to find solutions after decades of being part of the problem. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters. It was written by: Julian Agyeman, Tufts University. Read more: Julian Agyeman 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. The United States and Australia will deepen their military ties after reaching an agreement that expands their military cooperation as both countries work to deter China's growing influence and territorial claims in the western Pacific. The agreements were announced following an annual meeting of the U.S. Defense Secretary and Secretary of State with their Australian counterparts, held this year in Brisbane, Australia. The agreement will see an increased American rotational presence in Australia to include frequent U.S. submarine visits to a base in western Australia, more U.S. access to airbases in northern and western Australia, increased cooperation between both countries in space, speeding up efforts for Australia to develop its own guided missile production capability and working to establish deeper security relationships with other countries in the region -- most notably Japan. "All of us have felt that the alliance has never been in better shape than it is right now," Richard Marles, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister, said at a news conference held after Saturday's meetings. PHOTO: (L-R) Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin attend a press conference in Brisbane, Australia, July 29, 2023. (Darren England/EPA via Shutterstock) Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the U.S. a "vital ally," adding "It is our closest global partner; our closest strategic partner" and that recent meetings with their American counterparts have been about "operationalizing the alliance in order to ensure peace, stability, and order." Appearing at the same news conference Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed that both nations are focused on maintaining stability and security in the region which is being threatened by China. "Our two countries are defending the international rules based order, which has underwritten peace and security for decades, and which ensures that each country can make its own sovereign decisions free from any coercion," said Blinken who described China's destabilizing actions in the South China Sea and towards Taiwan. Story continues "The results of today's discussions represent yet another major step for our alliance as we work together to enhance stability and deterrence in the region," said Austin. That deterrence capability will become more visible as the U.S. gains access to more bases in Australia that will build upon the the rotational U.S. Marine rotational training presence in Darwin, located in far northern Australia, that has been operating there for the last decade. Under the new agreement the U.S. will gain access to two more airbases in that part of Australia and another base in southeastern Australia where humanitarian supplies that could be used for disaster relief in the South Pacific region and will be pre-positioned. PHOTO: Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands as they attend a press conference after the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) at Government House in Brisbane, Australia, July 29, 2023. (Darren England/EPA via Shutterstock) A more visible presence will be the arrival of "regular and longer" visits by U.S. Navy submarines to HMAS Stirling naval base in western Australia. "These visits would help build Australia's capacity in preparation for Submarine Rotational Force-West, an important milestone for the AUKUS Optimal Pathway that would commence as early as 2027," according to the joint statement released by both nations. AUKUS refers to the strategic security agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States and will help Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines that could be operational beginning in 2035. Until that time the U.S. will provide three Virginia-class attack submarines to Australia to complement its six diesel submarines. A senior U.S. defense official described the force posture agreements disclosed on Saturday as "a big deal" that will improve regional deterrence by having both countries work together across multiple domains, including space. "We agreed that space cooperation would now form a key part of what we do in our military and defense cooperation, and this is a critical step forward," said Marles. PHOTO: A missile is launched during joint military drills as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest combined training activity between the Australian Defense Force and the United States military, in Queensland, Australia, on July 22, 2023. (Andrew Leeson/AFP via Getty Images) "It's actually pretty natural that as space evolves as a domain of human context that it becomes one of the key areas of force posture initiatives," said Marles though he did not provide specifics. Space cooperation has already been visible in the ongoing Talisman Sabre exercise taking place in Australia with more than 30,000 military personnel from 13 countries. In the exercise, U.S. Space Command has provided a Counter Communications System that can counter an adversary's satellite communications. The Talisman Sabre exercise was paused on Saturday as the U.S. and Australian militaries carried out search and rescue operations for the four Australian service members aboard an Australian military helicopter that crashed into the waters off of northeastern Australia. The joint U.S.-Australia agreement is committed to helping Australia develop its own defense industry, an Australian initiative known as Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEO). The U.S. committed to aiding that program by helping to co-produce Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) in Australia by 2025. Under the agreement Australia could also be involved in the future production of 155mm artillery shells that are currently in high demand with their constant use by Ukrainian forces against Russia. US and Australia deepen military ties to counter China originally appeared on abcnews.go.com (Bloomberg) -- Most Read from Bloomberg The US will freeze economic and security assistance to Niger if the country fails to restore its president following a military coup earlier this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Washington is ramping up pressure on Niger to reinstate detained President Mohamed Bazoum a day after the United Nations Security Council condemned the latest coup in Africas Sahel region, which has been increasingly rocked by conflict. The economic and security partnership between Niger and the United States depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days, Blinken said during a visit to Canberra on Saturday, adding that he had spoken with Bazoum earlier in the day. The very significant assistance that we have in place and is making a material difference in the lives of the people of Niger, is clearly in jeopardy, Blinken said. The US has been a key source of assistance to Niger. Western countries in particular have been vocal in condemning his ouster as Niger now stands to join a string of military-run states in the region including Mali and Burkina Faso, which are more closely aligned to Russia than to the West. The European Union also cut off financial support and security cooperation with Niger and called for the full restoration of constitutional order, according to a statement by Josep Borrell, the EUs top diplomat. France also announced Saturday that it was suspending development aid and budgetary support to its former colony. On Friday, the UN issued a joint statement which strongly condemned the coup, gaining support from Russia and China, which have increasingly vief for influence in the region in recent years. Story continues Washingtons latest condemnation comes a day after Nigers presidential guard chief General Abdourahamane Tiani named himself as the countrys new leader, after his forces detained Bazoum earlier this week. Read more: Five Things We Know About Nigers New Military Leader A former French colony, Niger has been considered a reliable partner to the West in the Sahel, which has experienced persistent political and economic instability. France and the US maintain bases in the country as part of international efforts to fight jihadists in the region, while the European Union sees it as an ally in its efforts to tackle illegal immigration from Africa. (Updates with France suspending aid in sixth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Mrs Dorsainvil is originally from the US state of New Hampshire An American nurse and her child have been kidnapped in Haiti, according to a Christian aid charity she worked for. Alix Dorsainvil was working in a community ministry near Port-au-Prince when she was taken, El Roi Haiti said in a statement. The US state department said it was in "regular contact" with Haitian authorities. Officials in Haiti have appealed to the international community to help break the grip of armed gangs on the country. Mrs Dorsainvil is the wife of El Roi Haiti's director and founder, Sandro Dorsainvil. The age and gender of the child are not known. "Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family," the statement from El Roi Haiti added. The charity also said it was working to secure the pair's safe return. The organisation has asked people to "refrain from speculating on social media about this situation in order to protect Alix and her child during this time". Mrs Dorsainvil is originally from the state of New Hampshire, according to the charity's website. "Haitians are such a resilient people. They're full of joy and life and love," she said in video posted by the organisation in which she described her work there. "I'm so blessed to be able to know so many amazing Haitians." Mr Dorsainvil grew up in poverty in Port-au-Prince, according to the charity. In 2014 he graduated from a high school in the US state of Montana. The US government has ordered all non-emergency staff to leave the island An alumni newsletter from the school says the couple married in Haiti in January 2021 and had adopted one boy there while raising two girls. The US state department ordered all non-emergency government personnel and their family members to leave Haiti just hours after the kidnapping. The order to leave came days after the US issued a level-four "do not travel" advisory because of kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and "poor healthcare infrastructure" on the island. Story continues Project Dynamo, a US veteran-led non-profit that evacuates American civilians from risky situations abroad, has said it will go to Haiti to evacuate Americans. The poorest country in the Americas has been in political crisis since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Gangs control around 80% of the capital, and violent crimes such as kidnappings and armed robbery are common. From January to June this year, there have been 1,014 kidnappings in Haiti, according to the UN. Earlier this month, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, called for the creation of a multinational force for Haiti. Kenya has volunteered to take the lead, offering 1,000 police officers to help train local law enforcement. Any mission will be subject to a mandate from the UN Security Council, and formal authorisation from the Kenyan authorities. Kenya's Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said any potential multinational force's job would be to stabilise the situation on the ground and empower local authorities, as the people of Haiti have "suffered enough". Speaking to the BBC's Newshour programme on Sunday, he added Kenya's main aim would be to train Haitian police to help reduce violence and allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians being "held hostage by gangs". "We have decided to lead this process because we don't want to wait for others," Mr Mutua said. JOHANNESBURG- The U.S. has slammed the Kremlin over this weeks Russia-Africa Summit. A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the U.S. expects the Summit to be "more focused on messaging than on substance." The spokesperson added, "We have no indications that Russia is making meaningful commitments at the Summit, nor that Russia is intending to follow through on these commitments." Analysts say that Russia is sending Africa conflicting signals both giving and taking away. Kenyas leader didnt attend the Summit, after Russia pulled the plug on allowing Ukrainian grain to be exported. "The decision by Russia to exit the Black Sea Grain initiative is a stab on the back (sic) at global food security," tweeted Korir SingOei, Kenyas Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs. PUTIN CAREFULLY EXAMINING AFRICAN INITIATIVES FOR RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN PEACE DEALS This pool image distributed by Sputnik agency shows Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with Burkina Faso's junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore in Strel'na outside Saint Petersburg on July 29, 2023. The Kremlins drones also bombed Ukrainian grain silos, destroying 60,000 tonnes of grain, officials said. All smiles at the Summit though, as Russias President, Vladimir Putin, offered some free grain to six of Africas poorest countries and talked about debt relief. But Russias grain ships have yet to set sail. "These summits are long on promises and short on delivery," Steven Gruzd, Head of the Africa-Russia Project at the South African Institute of International Affairs, told Fox News Digital. Referring to the multiple promises made by Russia at the last Summit with Africa, Gruzd added that "little has materialized by way of deals since 2019." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Cameron Hudson put it even stronger, "Russia made big promises at the last summit but failed to deliver on any of them." Hudson, a Senior Associate in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies added, "In particular, promises of increased trade and investment never materialized." The State Department pointed out to Fox News Digital that 46 African leaders went to Washington for last Decembers U.S.-Africa Summit, whereas only 17 heads of state turned up in St. Petersburg for the Russia-Africa event. That is less than half the number of leaders who attended the 2019 Summit staged by the Kremlin. Story continues South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa has metaphorically held a gun in one hand and a dove in the other at the Summit, discussing with the Kremlin closer military ties, and leading an African peace initiative for Ukraine with President Putin. This is nothing but hypocritical hype, Emma Louise Powell, Shadow Minister for International Relations in the Democratic Alliance, South Africas main opposition party, told Fox News Digital. "South Africa cannot pledge mutual military and security cooperation with Russia as our President has done this week, at the same time attempting to mediate an end to the war. This is not neutrality, it is hypocrisy." US LAWMAKERS URGE BIDEN TO PUNISH SOUTH AFRICA FOR SUPPORTING RUSSIA'S INVASION OF UKRAINE So, why do African countries like to cozy up with Putin, irritating both the U.S. and Europe? "Many African nations see a U.S. hegemony in a unipolar or perhaps bipolar, with China, world," the CSISs Hudson commented. "It is a widely held sentiment among African nations that they are more empowered and better off in a multipolar world where they cannot be dictated to by great powers but rather where they can pick and choose their partnership based on terms that are most advantageous to them," said Hudson who previously served as director for African affairs at the National Security Council. Many say that African countries are playing a dangerous game quite possibly with real live ammunition. In May, the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, announced that he was "confident" this African country had supplied arms to the Kremlin, when a sanctioned Russian cargo ship, the Lady R, docked at a naval base near Cape Town. South African President Ramaphosa this week wrote in his regular newsletter that an inquiry into what was on the ship was on track, but gave no further details. However, the incident at the small Simons Town dockyard took place seven months ago. As a result, South Africa is being accused of a cover-up to protect Russia. When approached this week, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "The U.S. government shared information pertaining to the Lady R and its presence in South Africa in early December 2022." The South African Defense Minister, Thandi Modise, even made a joke about the situation, mentioning a popular local chewing gum, Chappies. Speaking in Parliament, Modise said, "We did not send f*k*l (Afrikaans for nothing) to Russia, not even a piece of Chappies." Others do not see the situation as funny. At all. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News Digital this week, "South Africa gladly accepts U.S. trade preferences and development assistance, while it allows seemingly corrupt exchanges of arms with an aggressor state responsible for slaughtering the Ukrainian people." South Africas Shadow Foreign Minister, Emma Louise Powell, lashed out: "Hiding this report from public view will rob the people of South Africa of the opportunity to hold those responsible for this diplomatic crisis accountable." Analysts say that many powerful voices on the Hill are increasingly irritated by how close South Africa is getting to the Kremlin, and questioning whether it is time for duty-free import deals such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to be cut off by Washington. "The Biden Administration should use existing authorities to reevaluate the scope and scale of our current engagement with South Africas government, including its participation in AGOA," Sen. Risch added. Afghan refugees await registration at a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Pakistan. Fayaz Aziz/Reuters Several Afghan refugees in Pakistan who were promised relocation to the US are now facing deportation, CNN reports. For Afghans who served the US military, returning to a Taliban regime could be a death sentence. One expert told CNN many Afghans have yet to receive visas because the US has not established a processing center in Pakistan. After the Taliban overthrew the Afghanistan government on August 15, 2021, hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled the country, fearing for their lives under the new regime. Thousands of them entered Pakistan, acting under American guidance to wait outside Afghanistan as their US visas were processed. Now, nearly two years later, several Afghans who were promised relocation to the US are still in Pakistan and time is running out as they face imminent threats of deportation, CNN reports. Pakistan officials have deported at least 530 Afghans this year, according to CNN, and have made no exception for those awaiting Afghan Priority 2 or Special Immigrant Visas from the US State Department. Special Immigrant Visas in particular are for those who served the US military in Afghanistan, for whom returning to Taliban rule could be a death sentence. One former US military contractor told CNN the Taliban "will punish me, they will put me in jail. Maybe they will kill me? I'm sure they will." This crisis is in part because the US has not established a Resettlement Support Center in Pakistan to further support visa application processing, Haseeb Aafaq a spokesman for volunteer group the Afghanistan Immigrants Refugees Council told CNN. Meanwhile, the State Department told the outlet in a statement that staff in Pakistan are actively working to expand their processing capacity. Since August 2021, 90,000 Afghans have resettled in the US. This is not the first time Afghans who aided the US military have faced barriers to relocation. In the year following the Taliban takeover, the State Department denied visas for several interpreters who served the US military despite their lengthy employment and positive performance reviews. Read the original article on Business Insider Prigozhin praised Putin for the summit with African countries Yevgeny Prigozhin, the notorious chief of Russias Wagner mercenary company, expressed praise for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin after the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, according to a telephone interview with the Afrique Media channel on July 26. Prigozhin commended Putin's efforts to build a personal relationship of trust with African leaders during the summit. "What our president did, he did a very important thing, this is the second forum, and during this forum and certainly in other meetings with most of the African leaders, a personal relationship of trust was built, for Africans it is very important trust in one word," Prigozhin said. While several publications, including Reuters, acknowledged the difficulty of verifying the audio, a voice resembling Prigozhin's could be heard under the French translation. The phone interview was uploaded on YouTube but had only garnered 1,400 views as of late July 28. Read also: Russian dictator said to have ordered warlord Prigozhins elimination, but amnesty for Wagnerites media Notably, this marks Prigozhin's first public statement about Putin since the failed riot on June 24. Earlier reports suggested that Prigozhin was present at a significant Russian-African summit in St. Petersburg, despite previous agreements to leave following the failed coup. The Financial Times highlighted Prigozhin's continued presence in Russia as an indication of his significance within the Kremlin establishment, suggesting that Putin is not yet willing or able to distance himself from Prigozhin. On June 24, the Wagnerites, led by Prigozhin, halted their one-day mutiny after discussions with the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. Following the talks, Putin presented the Wagnerites with three options, one of which was exile to Belarus. Recently, an insider at the Pentagon, cited by U.S. newspaper the New York Times, stated that it was uncertain if Prigozhin had actually been to Belarus, as he might be using doubles to conceal his movements. Story continues Furthermore, on July 14, a photo surfaced online depicting an individual resembling Prigozhin seated in a tent, wearing only his underwear. The Belarusian Hajun Monitoring Project proposed that this individual could indeed be Prigozhin, present at Wagner's militant camp. Read also: Coup in Niger: what Prigozhin is showing Putin 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 NORTH CANTON In his 2015 encyclical letter, "Laudato Si," Pope Francis essentially writes that the health of the environment and care for the world's poor are inextricably linked. In keeping with the pontiff's view, a team of Walsh University's Brother Francis Blouin Scholars traveled to the United Kingdom this summer to help four Catholic dioceses measure their carbon footprint and make recommendations for ways they can become carbon-neutral. A "carbon footprint" is the measurement of carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse gasses produced by the consumption of fossil fuels by individuals, groups or institutions. Greenhouse gases, which can be man-made or natural, trap and release heat, which is beneficial to growth. However, too much results in increased climate temperature. Founded in 2012, Blouin Scholars Program is named after late Brother Francis Blouin, Walsh's third president and a member of the Brothers of Christian Instruction, who founded Walsh in 1960. Areas of study in the four-year curriculum include global health care, genocide, reconciliation and justice, technology and social entrepreneurship, education, equity and justice, water access and quality, human trafficking and mental health. Blouin Scholars fight hunger Walsh students launch campus kitchen to help feed Stark County hungry The UK team's cohort, or specific area of study, focuses on food, hunger and sustainability. In conjunction with Professor Roland Daw's Guardians of Creation Project at St. Marys University in Twickenhamled, England, the 21 students calculated the carbon footprints in the dioceses of Bristol, Northampton, Portsmouth and the Archdiocese of Birmingham. They also worked with the Catholic Diocese of Salford, the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, and Oxford University's Laudato Si Research Institute, which was created in response to the pope's encyclical. Story continues "They were given an Excel spreadsheet that had several hundred locations with energy usage, and then they had to calculate how, with a conversion factor, how that calculated into an overall footprint," said Walsh Associate Business Professor and adviser Karen Stock, who accompanied the students to England. "So, once they had that baseline, then the dioceses were able to look at ways they can reduce that footprint." The students' recommendations were varied, from "smart" meters, to replacing windows to new roofing. "But that was all secondary," Stock said. "The primary focus was to determine where we are today, so we know how we can improve." Stock said that prior to traveling to England, the students did some advance research; however because some of the data was not available, they had to improvise. "What missing data there was, they had to make assumptions about, and troubleshoot with Dr. Daw and the faculty that we brought with us so that could help them go back and deliver their final work," Stock said. "It's a real-world skill because you're not always given 100% instruction on what to do and how you need to do it. So, the pre-work was important to build skills, but we really didn't know until we were there what the exact project would entail. It was up to the students to meet the challenge. Typically, a study-abroad trip involves things that are similar to study in the U.S. We wanted to make this a richer experience where they had hands-on work to do, that would have an impact." The scholars were divided into teams that were balanced according to their skills and talents. "We tried to mix it up," Stock said. "But it really was up to the students to go out and meet with (church officials) and act as consultants and find out what the needs were, and deliver back." The people behind the numbers Nursing student Hannah Olszewski, an incoming senior, said the project helped her to stretch her skill set. "For me, it was really transformational," she said. "I'm a nursing major, so the whole world of business and Excel spreadsheets was new to me, was way out of things I normally do. So, it was really interesting to me to see the interdisciplinary approach, what we were able to accomplish with all of us being different majors and having different specialties." She noted that the British seem fairly united that climate change is real problem, compared to the U.S., where a person's views on the issue often depends on their politics. "The research the students have done is very helpful," said Lyn Murray, chief operating officer of the Clifton Diocese. They have provided a number of practical suggestions that could be implemented by our 104 parishes and curial offices to assist in reducing our carbon footprint. These included behavioral solutions such as installing smart meters to monitor gas and electricity usage and encouraging the recycling of materials. They also suggested various options around insulation of buildings and low-energy lighting solutions. These suggestions will be shared with our parishes to encourage their active participation in helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the Diocese." Olszewski added that for her, the trip was about more than the science. "One thing that really got talked about in our group was seeing the humanity behind what we were doing," she said. "We weren't just dealing with numbers and carbon accounting, which I didn't fully understand until this trip. But we were dealing with the impact that this has on people. 'Laudato Si,' the document that Pope Francis wrote, talks about the common call for us to care for our creation because it's our home. I think, in this work, we were able to see the direct impact that we have; how we can make changes, and the ways in which we can be inspired to come together, even from different cultures literally across the world." Blouin Scholars and incoming seniors MaryBeth Edmundson, a professional writing major, and Anthony DiGicacomo, who's studying supply-chain management, were on the same research team in the Clifton Diocese. A team of Blouin Scholars from Walsh University recently visited the United Kingdom, where they measured the carbon output at four Catholic dioceses and made recommendations to reduce their carbon footprint. "Our diocese really wanted us to focus, along with the carbon footprint, on what they could do practically to become a more sustainable diocese as a whole," Edmundson said. "One of the biggest things that we wanted to focus on that was attainable financially and culturally, was actually making changes within the behaviors of the people in the parishes, so not only doing small things like reminding them to turn off the lights, but actually really having a more sustainable mindset, so drawing back to what Hannah said about the people behind the project." DiGiacomo said there were some parishioners who didn't think much could be done because many of the churches were historic buildings. While there, the students also visited a food bank, and several historical churches and cathedrals. "They never thought they could do anything to them, but we showed them graphs of how the big projects they did that really saved them money, and it was kind of an assurance to them that this stuff actually does work, that there are ways to work around, like changing the windows, or changing the way they heat it," DiGiacomo said. "So, it was really making them see clearly that it can actually work." DiGiacomo, who is familiar with spreadsheets because of his major, said his team produced a year-by-year carbon footprint for their diocese, which didn't have that information. Nick Morris, the Blouin Scholars Program faculty director, said the carbon footprint project is in keeping with what the Blouin Scholars do. There are plans for the students to present an adopted plan this fall to the Diocese of Youngtown's Office of Peace and Justice based on their research in the UK. Public scholars "What our students just did was essentially position themselves as public scholars," Morris said. "And they're taking what they've learned from an academic or scholarly perspective, and are contributing back to the community. They've taken domestic trips outside of Ohio, come back, and worked that with new knowledge, and now they have international experience. They're now prepared to come back to the Diocese of Youngstown as experts on this topic, which is entirely different than just simply being service-oriented students. They're coming in with expert experience, with a global perspective and a very Catholic perspective on how to address these types of issues." Norris, who also accompanied the scholars, said the project also examined the extended carbon footprint of a diocese. "So, if we're talking about a carbon footprint and sustainability from a faith perspective, we have to also think about how the church communicates and carries that culture beyond its doors and its building facilities," he said. To address this, the students created fliers that the churches distributed at Masses featuring a QR code so parishioners could find their personal carbon footprint, and a second code if they wanted to share that information with their diocese. "So, in this way, they'd be actually able to capture what sort of carbon footprint their parishioners have," Morris said. "So, again, kind of extending that culture of sustainability beyond the measurements or required components that are part of the goal of being carbon-neutral, and looking at how their mission of building faith in the community is actually moving forward. It seemed to be well-received." Stock noted that the two-week project took a year to plan, adding that they've heard from universities in other countries interested in duplicating it. Morris said the UK project has transformed the students. "They've gone from being students interested in service, to students who are competent in service-learning, to leaders in service and now contributing members of public scholarship," he said. To learn more about the Blouin Scholars program, contact Morris at 330-490-7600 or nmorris@walsh.edu. Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP Editor's note: This story has been updated with corrected information. This article originally appeared on The Repository: Walsh students conduct carbon-emission research for churches in the UK HAMPTON A chance to run, splash and swim with the guardians of Hampton Beach is a big deal to the children who look forward to Water Safety Day. Ten-year-old Gioia Fournier was one of those kids Thursday, July 28, enjoying paddleboard rides with lifeguards in the ocean behind the Seashell Stage. Five years ago, Fournier was visiting the beach when she became lost, trying to find her mother. The lifeguards found her and reconnected her with her family. Fournier, who lives in Hooksett, has considered the lifeguards her friends ever since and comes with her family almost weekly. Water Safety Day was a day she was not going to miss. Gioia Fournier is 10 and says she hopes to be a lifeguard one day at Hampton Beach, where she has a relationship with lifeguards and participated in Water Safety Day Thursday, July 27, 2023. I know it only happens once a year, but its still the best thing, Fournier said. Water Safety Day, put on from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. by the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation, has been held since 2015 behind the Seashell Stage. The day draws several first responders and experts in water safety who try to connect with the public through games as well as informational conversations at different booths. Fournier said Water Safety Day is an exciting chance to spend time with the lifeguards, and she hopes to join their ranks one day. Paddleboarding with her lifeguard friend Farrah, she said, is a way for her to keep learning about how to act on the beach. A Hampton Beach lifeguard gives a high five to a young swimmer during Water Safety Day Thursday, July 27, 2023. I know where to go. I know what to do when someones in trouble, Fournier said. I know how to be safe. Lifeguards, first responders share knowledge on rip currents, more Lifeguards and other first responders at the beach Thursday were ready to share a range of tips for staying safe at the beach based on their own experience and training. This year, New Hampshire State Park Beach Patrol has made 247 ocean rescues so far, according to lifeguard Chief Patrick Murphy. The number changes every year, 2020 seeing 538 rescues, he said, while last year saw the number drop to 257. The ocean changes every day, Murphy said. To be prepared, the lifeguards train daily from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m., working on swimming, paddleboard rescues, medical training and other exercises. The group this year has 81 guards, mostly between ages 16 to 24 but also including ones that are 46 and 70 years old, according to Murphy. Story continues Hampton Beach rescue: "Human chain" formed to save swimmers caught in rip current Our staff is one of the best around, Murphy said. Every day they just keep getting better. Murphy advises people to always watch for rip currents, which appear calm but in fact pull water with great strength to the ocean. Three people became caught in a rip current Saturday across from Nudd Avenue and were pulled to shore by firefighters and off-duty lifeguards, as well as bystanders. The rip currents form between sand bars and can be between 20 and 100 yards wide, according to Murphy. He said people who become caught in a rip current should stay calm, then swim parallel to the beach so they can reach the nearest sand bar to stand again. Lifeguards at Hampton Beach give young swimmers a chance to ride on safety boards as part of Water Safety Day Thursday, July 27, 2023. There are other ways lifeguards advise people to stay safe. Swimmers are recommended to swim only when lifeguards are on duty, and not to go deeper than chest-deep waters, according to Murphy. Beachgoers also need to bring water to stay hydrated, he said, and to wear sunscreen. Big event coming up: Hampton Beach Seafood Festival teams up with Thunder Over NH to bring air show to beach Beachgoers had the chance to peruse a number of tables hosted by agencies and experts like the Coast Guard, Portsmouth Regional Hospital and the Seacoast Science Centers Marine Mammal Rescue team. Hampton firefighters were on hand to demonstrate how to properly treat wounds using props like fake arms and feet. EMS Officer Kate Meehan said there are plenty of rocks to scrape ones foot at the beach, for example. She advised applying pressure and covering such wounds, as well as elevating them, while calling 911 for first responders to arrive. Hampton firefighter Alex Holmes demonstrates how to stop bleeding on a mannequin by using a tourniquet during Water Safety Day at Hampton Beach Thursday, July 27, 2023. Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Co. owner Dave Cropper spoke about safety for those surfing or stand-up paddleboarding. He recommended never going into the ocean alone, bringing the right gear like a wetsuit for protection against the cold and to never overestimate ones own abilities. He also said people need to be aware of weather conditions and to wear a life vest if paddleboarding beyond the wave breaks. The best thing you can do is get a lesson so you can share the knowledge, Cropper said. Its going to be way more fun and youre going to have a much better experience. Beach games a fun way to learn at Water Safety Day The days list of games included some that the lifeguards enjoy playing even amongst themselves. The beach flags game puts players in a race to capture one of several flags, of which there is one fewer than the number of competitors, similar to musical chairs. A week from Water Safety Day, Aug. 3, the Hampton Beach Lifeguards will host The New England Lifesaving Competition and play games including beach flags for bragging rights. Thursdays games were more about education and connecting with the public. Many in the water with lifeguards Thursday were Fourniers age or younger. Murphy said Water Safety Day is a powerful way to connect with the public and inspire kids like Fournier to consider joining their ranks some day. Many of these kids, this is the best day of the summer, Murphy said. Thats what makes it the best. Fourniers father, Shawn, said Water Safety Day is the reason his family chose to be at Hampton Beach rather than their lake house. He said he has always reminded his daughter there is a big difference between the calm lake waters and the oceans powerful pull. He trusts the lifeguards his daughter has befriended to help her stay safe, too. Shes learned just an amazing amount on safety, swimming, rip (currents) and just not being unsafe in the water, Shawn Fournier said. Its pretty cool. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Water Safety Day at Hampton Beach: What lifeguards want you to know Imploding a building requires powerful explosives, but the second-generation owner of Controlled Demolition (CDI) argues that weather can be more powerful in his line of work. Mark Loizeaux, president of CDI, said he fields calls from governors and CEOs to help take down dangerous and outdated structures, and the first thing he checks is the weather. "The weather plays a role in every single project we undertake and every decision we make about the project," Loizeaux said. "We use it to our benefit or to protect ourselves against it." CDI monitored wind to minimize debris spread of the 34-story Plaza Tower in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 2021. He looks at the weather as both an ally and an enemy when taking down buildings. Many times, weather damage and wear and tear are the reasons he needs to take it down in the first place. "It takes a lot to get me excited," said the man who works with explosives every day. "I'm a very calm person, but I definitely get excited about the weather." His favorite birthday gift last year was a storm-chasing vacation. Loizeaux shared some of his most memorable projects when the weather had everything to do with it. CDI set a world record in 2000 when it took down the Seattle Kingdome. It is the largest structure in the world to be demolished by explosives. The 2021 collapse of the Surfside, Florida, Champlain Towers South killed 98 people. The search for survivors captivated TV audiences, but rescue crews needed help, and Loizeaux said he was called about a week into the operation. "So Governor DeSantis and his emergency management department contacted us," Loizeaux recalled. "They said, 'We need to get up close to the building, but we can't because winds are causing debris to fall. We're not allowed to put our rescuers at risk.'" Tropical Storm Elsa threatened off the coast with even stronger winds. Conventional destruction could trigger another collapse that could crush any survivors trapped in air pockets, Loizeaux said. CDI was tasked with demolishing the Champlain Tower South without damaging nearby buildings. This is an aerial view showing the footprint of the tower after it was cleared out. "They asked how long it would take us to put the structure on the ground," Loizeaux said. "And I said, Probably 24 hours, actually about 10 seconds, but 24-hour lead time." Story continues He said that an hour after felling the tower, rescuers were combing through the debris and looking for survivors again. "Weather always ups the ante," Loizeaux said. "Man thinks he's got something designed to beat the weather. The weather comes up with a new category of a storm, and you've got to rewrite the books." EXPERTS PREDICT SLIGHTLY BELOW-AVERAGE HURRICANE SEASON IN ATLANTIC DUE TO EXPECTED EL NINO INFLUENCES When a partial collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans, which was still under construction, damaged two tower cranes in 2019, officials called Loizeaux. "They were literally moving several feet in the wind at that point in time," said Loizeaux. "Mayor Cantrell literally had to shut down something like 40 square blocks of New Orleans simply because of the height of the cranes." HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TV He keeps a close eye on the wind direction. No matter how much planning, it is the microclimates that dictate when a building comes down, he said. When felling a Baltimore power plant, the team had to wait for a small window of time when the wind shifted slightly to blow the dust away from a neighboring community. He and his crews bring anemometers to measure wind speed and direction at different levels of each structure to be imploded. "So we use the weather," Loizeaux said while relating an example of a tornado-damaged wind turbine. "We use it as an ally, like when I would need the wind to push a tall, slender structure a certain direction away from something that's supposed to remain." He said he tries to use the least amount of explosives possible by harnessing wind energy and gravity. Some of his contracts specify the wind direction and speed ranges. Winds can tear down debris-blocking curtains putting neighborhoods or roads in danger. Winds can also whip up electricity. "If we're out in Nevada, for example, and there are winds, and there's a dust storm. We have to back off because of the static electricity that is caused by those winds," he said. "Even a snowstorm generates static electricity." Lightning and static charges can set off explosives prematurely. WATCH A WIND TURBINE DISINTEGRATE IN TEXAS AFTER A LIGHTNING STRIKE Sometimes he has to work in rough weather to take part of a structure down to minimize damage to foundations. A company recently called him to take down a damaged wind turbine in high winds to prevent "vortex-induced vibration." The Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed due to a similar phenomenon. As the wind blows around a circular structure, he said, it creates a harmonic motion or vibration. That vibration can tear apart the foundation on which a company hopes to build a new turbine. "We consider the wind to be adversarial from a safety-of-personnel standpoint when we're dealing with compromised structures," he said. "The weather plays a role in every single project we undertake and every decision we make about the project." Cold can also be detrimental. The Wisconsin governor summoned CDI to quickly demolish a bridge after frigid temperatures snapped the steel. He had to set explosives to prevent any further damage to the anchored portion. Engineers would need those areas immediately adjacent to build a replacement. Local forecasters and weather sites give teams alerts on thunderstorms, changing wind directions with height and icing. Timing and advanced warning keep his crews safe. "We might only have 5 minutes' warning if you're working in Tampa Bay, thunderstorms pop up every single afternoon," he said. "You don't want to spend an hour and a half climbing to the top of a bridge, knowing that, that afternoon, you may only have 10 minutes to get down before lightning is bouncing all over you." He monitors weather conditions at different heights. Weather often dictates how long it would take someone to get from the top of a project to the safe exclusion zone. He said climbing down from an icy bridge is just as treacherous as doing it in lightning. His teams need to monitor the weather as the dust settles after the implosion and throughout the debris removal process. CDI felled several of the Riviera Resort and Hotel's buildings in Las Vegas. Time of day also matters. Most regulatory agencies require Loizeaux to blast during the day. But not in Las Vegas. He says every one of the 20 to 30 building implosions he has done there took place at 2:30 a.m. on a Tuesday, when the fewest number of people are on Las Vegas Boulevard. Talk about drama in Delaware. Hunter Biden's plea agreement with federal prosecutors was already a political thriller, but few predicted it would crash and burn during a 3-hour hearing after the two sides squabbled over the details. The judge refused to accept the terms on his tax-evasion charges, which keeps President Joe Biden's son in the headlines as congressional Republicans continue to circle the controversial deal. The case isn't a whodunit legally speaking, and a clearer deal is expected to be provided by both sides within the next month. But the younger Biden's saga remains a distraction for Democrats and catnip for the GOP as Congress heads home and the 2024 presidential campaign simmers. July 26, 2023: Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, departs the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges in a deal with prosecutors to avoid prosecution on an additional gun charge. However, the federal judge overseeing the case unexpectedly delayed Biden's plea deal and deferred her decision until more information is put forth by both the prosecution and the defense. It was an awkward 28 seconds of silence that made the most noise in Washington this week. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., froze while speaking during a press conference and had to be escorted away by GOP colleagues. It was a stunning episode and sparked concern given the 81-year-old lawmaker had suffered a concussion months earlier. The incident, coupled with Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., being confused about a vote, has once again put the age of elected leaders in the spotlight. Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott has largely been playing the nice guy in the GOP field as most of his campaign focus remains on his agenda and drawing contrasts with Biden. But asked about new Black history standards in Florida public schools the South Carolina lawmaker, who is the lone African-American Republican in the Senate, started a skirmish with Gov. Ron DeSantis that might be a new contrast in the primary. The decorum of lawmakers is becoming more of an issue. This week, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisconsin, yelled and cursed at a group of high school-aged Senate pages. More frequently we are seeing shouting matches between members, particularly on the House side where lawmakers of the same party are having nasty confrontations. Remember a fist fight almost broke out in January during the speaker vote. Story continues On a slightly lighter note, President Biden's dog is in the dog house after a report came out showing the first family's pup keeps biting people, including a Secret Service agent. Hunter Biden's legal saga continues after plea collapses The five-year federal investigation into Hunter Biden was supposed to end this week with the 53-year-old hedge fund investor pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges that he failed to pay his taxes in 2017 and 2018, thus avoiding jail time for that and a separate gun case. But that quickly unraveled during the hearing when prosecutors and defense lawyers disagreed about the fine print, and almost ripped up the entire deal in court. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who presided over the hearing, was also skeptical. She lobbed several questions about the agreement, and ultimately Hunter Biden entered a not guilty plea until the two sides draft a clearer deal. I know you want to get this over with and I am sorry, Noreika told Biden. But I want to be careful. As the younger Biden works to end his legal mess, the White House made it clear that President Joe Biden would not use his presidential pen to pardon his son. Mitch McConnell 28 seconds later July 26, 2023: (L-R) Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) reaches out to help Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) after McConnell froze and stopped talking at the microphones during a news conference after a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Also pictured, L-R, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), Sen. John Thune (R-SD), and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA). McConnell was escorted back to his office and later returned to the news conference and answered questions. Mitch McConnell is known as the unflinching conservative leader of the Senate who rarely shows a chink in the armor when jousting with political foes. But for almost a half a minute the Kentucky Republican didn't utter a word during a Senate GOP press conference this week, which drew many to speculate about how bad his previous fall in March was. At the time he suffered a concussion and broke a rib. The GOP leader's office said he was "lightheaded" and has continued with his normal duties. USA TODAY confirmed McConnell fell two other times this year, and now uses a wheelchair in certain spaces, which hadn't been known before. McConnell's office again held a stiff upper lip going into the weekend, saying despite speculation he, "plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do." Democrats have issues with aging leaders too, namely concerns about President Biden whose falls make headlines going into his reelection campaign, and with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has faced calls to resign back home in California. This week the 90-year-old senator mistakenly started reading a statement during a routine committee vote. Scott rips DeSantis, Florida on teaching 'benefit' of slavery DES MOINES, IOWA - JUNE 03: Republican presidential candidate Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) greets guests during the Joni Ernst's Roast and Ride event on June 03, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. The annual event helps to raise money for veteran charities and highlight Republican candidates and platforms. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775985049 ORIG FILE ID: 1495687317 Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., hasn't shied away from talking about his racial heritage in the pursuit of the GOP presidential nomination, and has regularly blasted Democrats in defense of the country's record on race. During a stop in Iowa, he didn't mince words about new school standards in Florida backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which say Black people benefited from slavery because it "developed skills" that could be used "for their personal benefit." "There is no silver lining in slavery," Scott said. DeSantis, who is also campaigning in Iowa this week, shot back, however, casting Scott's criticism as being a patsy for Democrats. "I think part of the reason our country has struggled is because D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives accept lies that are perpetrated by the left, he said. Congressman yells, curses at teen Senate pages Republican Derrick Van Orden arrives at the U.S. Capitol on a Harley-Davison on Jan. 3, 2023. Rep. Derrick Van Orden is new to Congress, and has already generated controversy for berating a group of youth in the Capitol. When a group of high school-aged Senate pages were lying on their backs in the Capitol Rotunda taking pictures of the building's dome, the Wisconsin Republican called the pages "lazy s----" and told them to "get the f--- up" off the floor. Senate Democratic and Republican leadership condemned the outburst, which Van Orden refused to apologize about. "I would think that itd be terribly disrespectful to lay on the grave of a soldier that died fighting for freedom," he said. "And I don't know anybody that disagrees." Bad dog! Biden's pup bites Secret Service agent First lady Jill Biden tosses a ball to President Joe Biden as they take their dog Commander for a walk in Rehoboth Beach, Del., Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. President Biden's dogs are still biting people. This time it is Commander, a German Shepherd, who was involved in 10 biting incidents, according to records obtained by the conservative organization Judicial Watch. In one case it was a Secret Service agent who had to go to the hospital. After the attack, an officer who reached out to the hurt agent called the account "freaking crazy" and referred to Commander as "that stupid dog" in a redacted email. This isn't the first time one of Biden's dogs has bitten someone. In December 2021, Major, another German Shepherd, had to live with family friends following a series of biting incidents. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Week in politics: Hunter Biden's plea deal; Scott jabs DeSantis on race Leer en espanol Fifty-seven asylum seekers men, women and children from Guatemala, Brazil, India and Guinea climbed off a bus at the Welcome Center one recent morning. The former school in Phoenix has expanded over the past four years into one of the busiest and most sophisticated migrant shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border. Since the once-vacant building reopened in 2019 as a migrant shelter, more than 105,000 asylum seekers from 84 countries have passed through the same glass doors students entered. The staggering number, including some 16,000 so far this year, reflects the record number of migrants arriving at the southern U.S. border in recent years seeking asylum. Asylum seekers are often released in cities and towns in Arizona and other border states by federal immigration and border authorities. The releases are due to overcrowded Border Patrol facilities, a lack of detention space, legal agreements to protect children and laws that give people fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries the right to seek asylum in the U.S. But the releases have often generated disorder, as communities strain to provide shelter and humanitarian assistance to a crush of asylum seekers amid a mounting homelessness crisis. Circumvention of Lawful Pathways: Inside the federal judge's decision to reject Biden's asylum restrictions at the border The Welcome Center, however, has played a key role in turning Arizona into a model for providing temporary shelter to asylum seekers released by federal authorities in a safe and orderly manner. Buses arrive several times a day, seven days a week, bringing between 100 and 300 asylum seekers daily. Some come directly from Border Patrol stations or Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. Others are arriving from shelters in Yuma and Tucson, which send asylum seekers to the Welcome Center in Phoenix to alleviate overcrowding in cities closer to the border. The center is run by the International Rescue Committee, a nonprofit that helps asylum seekers, refugees and other immigrants resettle in the U.S. Story continues Most asylum seekers are only passing through Arizona after crossing the border and turning themselves over to U.S. authorities. They leave the Welcome Center within a day or two to travel by plane or bus to other states, where they have relatives or sponsors. Despite all the activity, most people are unaware the Welcome Center exists. Even when arrivals spiked briefly in May during the end of Title 42 border restrictions, the center continued to house asylum seekers without a glitch. That is evidence the center has accomplished its mission: creating a large centralized location to temporarily house asylum seekers and avoid the chaos and strain that used to play out regularly when asylum seekers were released in Phoenix and other cities in Arizona. The Welcome Center has provided more capacity and coordination for a safer process for migrants while helping to reduce the burden on Arizonas smaller border towns and communities that dont have the resources or services, said Luis Heredia, state director for U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. Chaos at Phoenix bus depot replaced by coordinated Welcome Center Before the center opened in July 2019, federal authorities used to release busloads of asylum seekers at the Phoenix bus depot day and night, leaving them to fend for themselves. Scenes of families sleeping on the floor with children, many sick with colds and respiratory illnesses caught during their long journeys, or wandering on neighboring streets begging for food, became commonplace from 2014 to 2018. The releases created a political firestorm, drawing the ire of local and state elected officials, while humanitarian groups rushed in to deliver boxes of food, water, diapers and other supplies, turning the bus depot into a scene that resembled a refugee camp. The disorder and confusion at the bus station mostly ended when a network of working-class Hispanic churches stepped forward in 2018, opening their doors to feed and house asylum seekers released by federal authorities. But that effort quickly proved unsustainable. Aiding asylum seekers strained the resources of congregations. The congregations also became fearful after armed members of anti-immigrant groups began showing up, hurling accusations that the churches were facilitating illegal immigration. Then the Welcome Center opened on July 27, 2019 a collaboration between the International Rescue Committee, which provided resources, logistics and organizational skills, and grassroots groups such as the Phoenix Restoration Project, which provided the workforce. The center's lack of visibility is by design. The International Rescue Committee has intentionally kept a low profile to avoid attracting the same kind of unwanted attention that plagued some local churches targeted by anti-immigrant groups that showed up to harass and intimate asylum seekers and volunteers. There are no signs that identify the center. The building is hidden from view by a chain link fence with screening and fortified with a surveillance system and heavy locking gates. Buses enter through a rear gate, allowing asylum seekers to get off without being seen from the street. Even so, at least once someone has fired shots at the building, prompting staff to contact police, who can be seen patrolling the area. "We have had some safety incidents," said Stanford Prescott, the senior communications officer for The International Rescue Committee, noting that no one was hurt. That is why "we are very serious about our safety. It's because there are these real threats out there." From aid volunteer to running a major operation Beth Strano used to collect water and prepare sandwiches to pass out to asylum seekers at the bus depot as a Phoenix Restoration Project volunteer. She now co-runs the Welcome Center. She is one of about 10 former volunteers hired by the International Rescue Committee to staff the center. "Every single day and every single night, families ... were being released on a 24-hour schedule" at the bus station, Strano recalled. "The state of toddlers getting off the busses was horrifying. You know, no shoes, just wearing a diaper and kids hadn't eaten for days. It was very, very rough." But the community responded, Strano said. "We started to build systems that worked to help support people. We started to build relationships as grassroots groups with (the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) to coordinate when they had larger releases," she said. "And it built the foundation for us to come in and build something that could support everybody." The center employs a staff of over 30 people. The bulk of the center's funding comes from federal emergency funding allocations to help communities provide aid to asylum seekers. The rest comes from private donations, Strano said. The center has received nearly $9.9 million in public and private funding in 2023. That includes more than $6.4 million through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program and nearly $2 million through the Shelter and Services Program, both administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There's also been almost $800,000 in other public funding. The center rents the building, which had been vacant for years, from the Phoenix Elementary School District. By providing humanitarian assistance to asylum seekers, the Welcome Center reduces costs that used to be incurred by other local aid groups and medical facilities, Strano said. The shelter also prevents asylum seekers from winding up on the streets and adding to the state's population of unhoused people, she said. Your questions, answered: What does it mean to seek asylum in the US? "The cost savings alone from folks not ending up in the emergency room and instead going through a medical clinic, not ending up at the Greyhound station and ending up as long-term homeless here, that's a huge savings to the entire community," Strano said. Massive facility helps asylum seekers get ready for more travel The center opened with just a few old classrooms converted into dormitories capable of housing about 80 people. The 55,000-square-foot building has since been completely renovated into full-scale migrant shelter, as a recent tour showed. The facility now has the capacity to house 340 people. It is equipped with a clinic where medical professionals conduct health screenings, provide vaccines and dispense medication. The building also has showers and sleeping quarters with cots for families and single adults. There is also a baby playroom and a children's playroom stocked with games and toys. "When you think about the journeys the families have been on, it can take weeks or months to get to this point," Strano said. "They may not have had a lot of spaces where babies and toddlers have had a safe space to crawl or put things in their mouths. So we want to give them that time to be able to relax and let their baby play in a safe space." Beth Strano, asylum seekers and families engagement manager, shows the clothing storage room at the Welcome Center in Phoenix on July 12, 2023. The Welcome Center marks four years of providing shelter, food and other humanitarian assistance to asylum seekers released by federal immigration authorities. Some credit the center for eliminating the street releases of asylum seekers in the past and alleviating the strain placed on local churches that had stepped in to accommodate them. There is also a prayer room to accommodate asylum seekers from various faith traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism. There are rooms stocked with racks of donated clothing and boxes of shoes sorted by size. Asylum seekers can pick out items to replace the soiled or worn clothing they often arrive wearing. Asylum seekers are also given backpacks and personal hygiene supplies to take with them as they continue their journeys. Volunteers check paperwork, looking for errors and ensuring asylum seekers know when to check in with immigration authorities once they reach their final destinations. Hot meals prepared in the former school's kitchen are served in a dining hall. The former school cafeteria also doubles as a living space. On a recent morning, asylum seekers sat together at tables and charged phones. Others waited at a booth where volunteers armed with computers helped book airline tickets, typically paid for by asylum seekers' friends or relatives already in the U.S. A television monitor looped a video explaining how to navigate the security and boarding process at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. A free shuttle transports asylum seekers there. Staff at the center coordinate with officials at the airport, Strano said. Welcome Center persists despite ebbs and flows of asylum seekers The Welcome Center opened in 2019 amid a lull in the number of asylum seekers arriving at the southern border, raising questions about the center's long-term need. But the center was created for the long-term, said Aaron Rippenkroeger, executive director of the Phoenix office of the International Rescue Committee. The movement of asylum seekers ebbs and flows, depending on conditions that push people to flee their home countries, and factors that draw them to the U.S., he said. The center received 8,500 asylum seekers in 2019. In 2020, the number fell to 6,000 after the pandemic forced migrants to stay home and the Trump administration implemented Title 42 border restrictions to quickly expel most asylum seekers. But the number of asylum seekers released at the center soared to nearly 38,000 in 2021 and more than 49,000 in 2022 amid a record-breaking surge of people fleeing political turmoil, violence and poverty exacerbated by climate change and the pandemic. Since May, the number of asylum seekers crossing the southern border has again plummeted, amid several factors, including the roll-out of an app that regulates the number of asylum seekers who can enter the U.S. at ports of entry, stepped-up enforcement by the Mexican government that blocks asylum seekers from reaching the U.S. and a range of new Biden administration policies aimed at deterring asylum seekers. "It's a roller coaster. It feels like it's always been and it always will be," Rippenkroeger said. "If this center were to close, we could be thrust right back into the same situation we were in before. And that would be terrible." Daniel Gonzalez covers race, equity and opportunity. Reach the reporter at daniel.gonzalez@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8312. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The Welcome Center in Phoenix streamlines movement of asylum seekers A military coup this week in Niger, a land-locked former French colony, marked the 13th attempt 10 of them successful to overthrow a government in Africa since 2020, according to researchers. Experts said it's difficult to concisely explain the large volume of coups in Africa's Sahel region. Some point to the presence of extremist militant groups, corruption and poverty that can be linked to France's colonial legacy, as well as that country's introduction of the idea of an entitled political elite empowered, but not safeguarded, by the military. Some of the coup leaders are popular and backed by the populace. Niger's coup, its fifth since it gained independence in 1960, follows warnings from regional leaders and international bodies such as the African Union and Economic Community of West African states that an increasing number of African governments are being overthrown, threatening the democratic process and jeopardizing the fight against terrorism. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. security assistance to Niger are at risk. Recent coups in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali have resulted in closer ties for those countries with Russia. Jonathan Powell, a professor of security and International affairs at the University of Central Florida whose research has focused on tracking coups around the world going back to the 1950s, said it is "absolutely fair to say empirically that this region is the coup capital of the world right now." From 1950 to 2022 there were 486 attempted coups around the world 242 of them successful according to Powell and his research partner Clayton Thyne of the University of Kentucky. Africa (214) has seen the most, followed by Latin America (146), East Asia (49), the Middle East (46) and Europe (17). Turkey saw a bloody coup in 2016. Just last month there was a failed coup in Russia. Definitions of coups vary but it's generally accepted that they involve an attempt by a country's military or other government elites to illegally take power. The Jan. 6 insurrection by a mob of supporters loyal to former President Donald Trump may not, defined this way, qualify as an attempted coup. Story continues Kamissa Camara, a former foreign minister to Mali, said there are few compelling arguments that wholly explain why the Sahel, the vast semi-arid region between the Sahara Desert to the north and its tropical savannas to the south, in which Niger prominently sits, has experienced so many coups in recent years. In fact, the area is often referred to as the "coup belt." "These are very different countries. Their militaries are not really communicating with one another. Some of the geopolitics, security issues and cultures are similar, yes. But there is no one size fits all justification," says Camara, who is now a senior advisor for Africa at the United States Institute of Peace research organization. But Camara, like Fatai Alli, a U.K.-based expert on security issues in West Africa who served in Nigeria's military before becoming a researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said there's no question that France's persisting political, economic and cultural foothold in the region is a contributing factor. "You can't avoid the past," Alli said. Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, front center, makes a statement late on July 26, 2023, in Niamey, Niger, as a delegation of military officers appeared on Niger State TV to read out a series of communiques announcing their coup d'etat. Powell said that, with some exceptions, coups in Africa have increasingly been "undertaken with more caution there have been efforts to try to avoid violence." For example, while in the first two decades after African countries started gaining their independence from European nations, most coups in Africa ended with the execution of the removed leader, "that doesn't really happen anymore," Powell said. Here's a list of recent coups in Africa. Niger: In the 'coup belt' Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum was detained Wednesday by mutinous members of his presidential guard. Military leaders said they acted because of a "deteriorating security situation and bad governance." Bazoum, 64, was elected president two years ago. He has been an ally for the West as it has sought to target Islamist insurgents in the region and stave off the encroaching influence of the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Olivier Guitta, a London-based terrorism expert who runs GlobalStrat, a security consultancy, said that Wagner has for months been using social media to try to discredit Niger's government as it seeks to gain influence there. He described Niger as "very significant" for the fight waged against Islamist terrorism by the U.S. and France." Blinken became in March the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Niger, when he called the country "a model of resilience, a model of democracy, a model of cooperation in the region. In a defiant message posted on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter on Thursday, Bazoum, while detained, said the "hard-won achievements (of Niger) will be safeguarded. All Nigerians who love democracy and freedom will see to it." On Friday, General Abdourahmane Tchiani declared himself Niger's new leader. Bazoum is still detained. There is no indication he has been harmed. "Right now everything is calm. It feels normal on the streets," said Kamed Abdoulaye Algoumaret, a security and intelligence analyst in Niger's capital Niamey, when reached by phone. Algoumaret said a coup in Niger was inevitable because the government under Bazoum was "aimless" and had failed to cracked down on insurgents. He said that many people in Niger blame France for the country's instability, whether to do with its security issues, economic woes or corruption. Burkina Faso: A pair of coups President Roch Kabore was ousted by the army in January 2022 in the first of two coups in Burkina Faso in one year. The military blamed Kabore for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants in the country's north. He was placed under house arrest and released two months later. In September that same year, as the violence worsened, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, the coup leader who removed Kabore and pledged to restore security, was himself removed from power by Captain Ibrahim Traore. Analysts say Burkina Faso has replaced Mali as the epicenter of insurgent violence in the Sahel. Mali: coups make a comback Mali has experienced two coups within a short period of time while struggling struggled with ethnic violence compounded by warring militant groups. In the wake of anti-government protests in August 2020, a group of colonels led by Assimi Goita ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Keita later died of a stroke while at home. A retired colonel named Bah Ndaw was installed as interim president. He was then ousted by the coup leaders in May 2021 and Goita, who was temporarily serving as vice president, was elevated to the presidency. Mali is due to hold a presidential election in February. Sudan: a failed attempt and violence Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan survived what he described as an attempted coup in April this year when a rival general sought to seize control of the resource-rich nation. Sudan has slowly been transitioning to democracy since the removal of President Omar al-Bashir from power in 2019 in a popular uprising. During this time the military has shared power with civilians. According to the Sudanese Health Ministry, more than 3,000 people were killed when General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a rival paramilitary group, tried to oust Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The deaths included those of combatants and civilians caught in the crossfire. Dagalo is still alive but has receded from public view. Sudan has a long history of attempted coups. There have been more than a dozen since the late 1950s. Guineas coup leader: elections, but not right now An army unit seized power in Guinea in September 2021, deposing President Alpha Conde. He was allowed to leave for Turkey, where he received medical treatment. The year before there was widespread rioting after Conde altered the country's constitution to allow him to stand for a third term. He was ousted by a special forces colonel named Mamady Doumbouy. Doumbouy has promised to hold elections in early 2025. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Niger latest 'coup belt' country to see government overthrown A humpback whale breaching off in the coast of Ilhabela, an archipelago in South-East Brazil, at the end of July. REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto In the 1980s, thousands of humpback whales were slaughtered in Brazil for their blubber. After legal protections were introduced, they started repopulating, Reuters reported. Many of the creatures are going back to their original breeding grounds along Brazilian coast. Humpback whales have made a comeback in Brazil decades after been nearly wiped out and slaughtered for their blubber, Reuters reported. A few decades ago, a population of only 300 to 500 humpback whales survived in the country, scientist Jose Truda Palazzo, who works at the Humpback Whale Institute in the state of Bahia, told the news agency. But in the 1980s, legal protections were put in place to prevent further killings, and since then, the whales have repopulated, with population size having grown to about 30,000 in 2022. Many of the creatures are going back to their original breeding grounds along the coast, Palazzo added. Humpback whales have grown to about 30,000 in Brazil after being decimated in the 80s. REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto The population growth in humpback whales should be taken as a good sign for marine conservation not only in Brazil, but worldwide, Palazzo said. "It shows that if we can do effective protection for marine species, most of them will recover," he said. The effort to track the whale population is supported by "citizen scientists," non-professionals with a passion for science who support the work of the scientific community. In the South-East of Brazil, the project "Baleia a Vista" was founded in 2015 by volunteers with the aim of reporting whale sightings. "People became crazy, it's like an addiction. You became addicted to seeing the whales. This is my case," Julio Cardoso, one of the founders of the projects, told Reuters. Read the original article on Business Insider Zhang Meili plans to raise her son Heng Heng with the help of her mother Until last year it was not really possible for most unmarried women to become mothers in China - practically speaking. But a social change is under way and it is driving shifts in policy too. In her flat on the outskirts of Shanghai, Zhang Meili rocks her baby back and forth. As he gurgles away happily, she tells him that she's going to head out soon to earn money for him. After his mother goes to work, two-month-old Heng Heng will be looked after by his grandmother - who recently moved to China's largest city to help her daughter raise her child. That there is no father in Heng Heng's life would be frowned upon by many in China, especially in more conservative rural and regional areas. The belief that a child should not be brought into this world without a mother and a father is still widely held here. In Zhang Meili's case, she says she was lucky to have moved to Shanghai to run a business because being a single mother in this mega-city is much more accepted. "I'm grateful for the tolerance of Shanghai," she says. "I'm from rural Henan, an area which would have a lot of discrimination against me as a single mother." Baby Heng Heng will grow up in Shanghai, where it is less frowned upon to be without a father She became a single mum after her boyfriend's family rejected his choice of bride. They considered her position in society to be too modest. So he broke up with her - even though she was pregnant with his child. I ask her mother, Mrs Zhao, how she felt when she heard the news that her daughter, who is 25, would keep the baby. "My feelings? I was heartbroken," she says. "It's very hard to raise a kid on your own. And, in our hometown, there would be criticism from neighbours." Have her feelings changed now that she's a grandmother? "Now I see him, I'm really happy," she says with a huge smile on her face. Zhang Meili has options that many unmarried women don't have because she runs her own small business. This gives her more independence and control over her life. Story continues Though the little massage shop she runs is still struggling post-Covid, she doesn't need to clear leave with an employer or battle for social acceptance in a workplace because she has given birth to a son who will be raised without his dad. Of course, it has not been easy for Zhang Meili to keep her business afloat during such a rocky time economically, with the added challenges of giving birth, plus knowing that - while attitudes are changing - there are still those who will look down on her. She says that none of her friends backed her decision to keep her child. They thought it would harm her chances of eventually finding a husband, and that it wasn't right for the child to grow up without a father. Zhang Meili runs her own business, which gives her independence "When I was pregnant, I went to the hospital alone," she says. "At the time, my shop was struggling to survive and, when I looked around, I did envy the women who went there with their husbands. "But I chose to become a single mum. I chose to have him, and I needed to get over this." Yet it was not only people's beliefs which made it very hard to become a single parent. Before 2016, the government effectively prohibited this from happening by stopping officials from issuing birth approval certificates, without seeing proof of marriage for the father and mother. Another problem had been the requirement for both parents' ID details to be listed in order for a child to get a hukou - the identity document which all Chinese citizens need to, for example, enrol in school. When I first came to China two decades ago, I recall unmarried women telling me that they would have no choice but to have an abortion if they became pregnant accidentally because a child could not survive in this country without all the required paperwork. Even after these rules changed, it remained virtually impossible for most unmarried women to consider having a child until last year because they could not get access to the health insurance needed to pay for the hospital, or to paid maternity leave. These two things have now supposedly changed but, in practice, an employer must apply on behalf of a staff member for the benefits to kick in - and some companies are still refusing to do it. A lawyer working on cases in this field told us she had a client whose boss at a large franchise would not facilitate her getting access to paid maternity leave. Only after she sued the company did they agree to do it. "It really depends on the openness of the company and the awareness of employers regarding the rights of their staff," the lawyer said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "However local policies are actually vague and sometimes companies are operating in a grey zone here." Some bosses don't understand that the regulations have changed, the lawyer added. Others are not keeping their knowledge up to date because they simply don't want to. They may consider single parenting to be wrong. China would now like to increase its birth rate, but single mothers in the country may still face discrimination Prof Yang Juhua from Beijing's Minzu University says that, under Chinese law, all mothers and their children should enjoy the same rights regardless of marital status. "But, in terms of implementation, it is not smooth," she says. "Why? Because many people still can't understand, and are not tolerant towards, single mothers." Prof Yang, an expert in demography, says the rules were set up without single mothers in mind. "China's regulations are designed for married couples," she adds. "Marriage is the pre-condition. Single parents are still a new thing here and represent a way of thinking which is very different to our traditional ethical norms". One factor driving change for policymakers has been the country's ageing population. After decades of the one-child policy, the government would now like young couples to have more babies, but many are not answering the call, for financial reasons. They think they don't have sufficient funds to raise multiple children. Under these circumstances, if single women want to have children, those in positions of authority have decided they should be encouraged to. Visiting a cavernous exhibition centre in the south-eastern city of Hangzhou, we meet Peng Qingqing, among the toys, nappies and mountains of milk formula at a commercial fair focusing on baby products. Peng Qingqing, who runs an online sales platform, is herself heavily pregnant and unmarried, and, like Zhang Meili, she says that being a businesswoman has made this easier. Peng Qingqing is a businesswoman who is due to become a mother soon "My mum always told me that women should be more independent, confident, and strong," she tells us. "I don't want to marry into another family just because of a child". The 30-year-old says the time wasn't right for marriage when she accidentally became pregnant with her much younger boyfriend, but that she wanted to keep her baby. She says that the shifting status of women in China, especially in terms of their financial independence, has meant that choices can now be made which were not possible just a few years ago. "Traditionally women relied on men and the family for support. As we earn more, men and women become more equal. Women can even employ people to help them," she says. But the vast majority of single women in China are on much lower incomes and remain beholden to the system as it is to support them. The lawyer who's been working on cases relating to women's workplace rights explains that pay during maternity leave is linked to salary. "For grassroots single mothers their incomes are low," she says. "Without proper, paid, maternity leave they could not survive. It's a very practical issue. "These days, the government is encouraging families to have more babies. Some provinces even have financial rewards. But, for single mothers, such support is not available. It's highly discriminatory." Peng Qingqing says the time wasn't right for her to marry when she found out she was pregnant Women who give birth outside of marriage can also face other forms of discrimination, she says. For those in the public service, they may not be able to get political clearance from the Communist Party (certifying that someone is a decent, loyal citizen). The absence of such official approval can mean missing out on promotions or even not getting a government job in the first place. But Prof Yang says she thinks that, as society becomes more tolerant towards unmarried mothers, such discrimination will gradually disappear. If the national government, in the future, requires local officials to more strictly enforce regulations allowing single women to become parents this might also help, she says. As for Zhang Meili, she says this should be a choice for the women themselves. I ask her what advice she would give others who find themselves in the same situation as her and she replies: "It depends on their personal situation but, if they love kids, they should have them. "Don't lose a child because of other people's voices or because of questions coming at you from the outside." At our last Law and Legislation Committee meeting, I heard testimonies from local health care workers. These individuals who survived the COVID pandemic and continue to work full time to take care of us and our loved ones spoke about having to sleep in their cars, taking on second jobs and struggling with whether to remain in health care because they simply dont make enough money to justify doing the work they love. Some of Sacramentos essential health care workers are earning as little as $15.50 an hour thats roughly $32,000 for a full-time job Californias minimum wage. Here in Sacramento, that means they would be paying around 75% of their salary to afford a market-rate, one-bedroom apartment. Opinion Low pay, overwhelming workloads and risky working conditions are making it hard to retain our current health care workforce and to recruit new employees into the health care industry. People who work hard every day to help others should be able to pay rent, buy groceries and provide for their families. These are our constituents, neighbors and caregivers. Health care workers who are unable to make ends meet while working full-time is bad policy for our community. This is why Im leading the effort for the City of Sacramento to pass a Health care Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance which would establish a $25 per hour floor for wages for all individuals who work at health care facilities in the city of Sacramento. While many cities across the state have taken similar steps (and the state legislature is currently considering a bill to make this requirement statewide), this hourly wage rate is a significant issue right here in our community. The MIT Living Wage Calculator says that a living wage for two working adults with two children in Sacramento County is $27.82 an hour for each adult. While this ordinance falls just short of that calculation, it is a critical step toward ensuring that working families in our city can afford to make ends meet. Story continues As the capitol city, we are no stranger to bold, brave policy making. Sacramento needs to show California that we stand with our health care workers. Unfortunately, however, my colleagues on the Law and Legislation Committee were not convinced. They requested a robust regional economic and health impact assessment, which will take months and potentially thousands of dollars to complete. Meanwhile, our essential health care workers will continue to struggle to take care of themselves and their families. I know one thing for certain: I dont need a study to tell me that people doing lifesaving work while making less than $25 an hour is bad policy. Thankfully, state leaders appear to support a $25 per hour floor for wages for Californias health care workers. Senate Bill 525 from Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) proposes just that, with a $21 per hour minimum for the first year if made into law, and a $25 per hour minimum starting in 2025. In May, the bill passed in the state senate. I am proud to stand with health care workers to ensure that Sacramento residents and their families are well cared for. We all deserve medical facilities that are safely staffed, and health care workers deserve a salary that meets their needs. Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela represents District 4. Young evangelical Christians are facing a dilemma whether to follow in the footsteps of their parents or pursue other choices. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images The extent to which the number of white evangelicals have declined in the United States has been laid bare in 2021 by the Public Religion Research Institutes 2020 Census on American Religion. The institutes study found that only 14% of Americans identified as white evangelical in 2020. This is a drastic decline since 2006, when Americas religious landscape was composed of 23% white evangelicals, as the report notes. Along with a decline in white evangelicalism, the data indicates a stabilized increase in the number of those who no longer identify as religious at all. Scholars of religion refer to this group as nones, and they make up about a quarter of the American population. These statistics are even more drastic when considering age. In short, older Americans are much more religious than younger Americans, while millennials are likely to not practice or identify with religion. This data is significant. Even though white evangelicals tend to be politically vocal and influential, several are known to be leaving the faith. Increasingly, scholarship is tracking the emergence of those defecting from religion. Religious studies scholar Elizabeth Dreschers 2016 book, Choosing Our Religion, examines numerous cases in which people transition away from their faith. She notes that people leaving evangelicalism tended to express anger and frustration with both the teachings and practices of their childhood church. Although the statistics are sure to capture the attention of various readers, the data can give only limited insights into the more nuanced perspectives specific to critiquing white evangelicalism. Over the past six years, I have been part of a team of scholars from various disciplines and universities examining the hesitancy and rejection of younger individuals either leaving or attempting to reform evangelicalism in America. Some younger evangelicals are disenchanted with their faith traditions staunch and divisive political positions and how theology has been used to prop up these positions. Story continues Younger evangelicals experiences Between 2010 and 2018, I conducted over 75 interviews with those dissatisfied with their evangelical faith and observed multiple white evangelical megachurches. My interviewees, all white, were typically in their late 20s to early 40s and highly critical of the Christian faith of their youth. These interviewees respond differently to their dissatisfaction. Some completely leave their faith while others try to reform their faith from within. For the majority, church was a major part of their social life, and they described rigid expectations to defend their theology, politics and spiritual communities to outsiders. Several of those interviewed during my research mentioned how politics had influenced the theology of white evangelicalism in the United States. Rob, who resides in Florida and spent the majority of his early adult life as a musician in a white evangelical megachurch, told me that his church preached God, country and the Republican Party. He was even taught as a teenager that Jesus was definitely a Republican, and he characterized God as quite angry, a cosmic referee seeking to regulate the lives of the faithful. Today, Rob identifies as a progressive Christian and holds a much more generous view of his god. My research shows some younger evangelicals are fatigued with white evangelicalisms allegiance to the Republican Party and to specific stances on racism and sexuality. White evangelicals categorize these issues as a culture war for the soul of America an internal struggle for who will define and decide the future of America. By framing these issues as a cultural battle, white evangelicals maintain an embattled posture targeting a list of such enemies as liberals, secularists and atheists. As sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry note in their study of Christian nationalism, white evangelicals maintain a collective desire to protect their cultural-political turf. Furthermore, in a racially and ethnically diversifying and increasingly pluralistic country, some evangelicals experiences transform their positions on political issues. Take for instance, the issue of immigration policies in the United States. White evangelicals as a group highly favor restrictive immigration policies. Some evangelicals have taken a position against restrictive immigration policies. AP Photo/Sarah Betancourt However, Jerry, one of my interviewees who lives in North Carolina and grew up Methodist, cited the white evangelical position against restrictive immigration policies as a reason to question his faith. Today, Jerry identifies as spiritual but not religious; while still an evangelical, Jerry explained, When it came to issues of immigration, we wanted our kids to know what it means to be an outsider. We want our kids to have a global experience. His theological interpretation of the Bible at that time taught Jerry to welcome outsiders, and he applied this to national borders. Political changes can shift religious beliefs. Jerrys growing cultural awareness eventually replaced his evangelical interpretation of Scripture. He notes, As opposed to looking to the Bible or church for answers, lets have a multicultural world perspective to answer those questions. Likewise, Sarah grew up in Kentucky, spending much of her childhood in church services, Bible studies and Christian camps within a Baptist denomination. Part of me likes the idea of church, she says, but I think I like the idea of just helping people more. Thats my idea of what a Christian is, someone who helps others. She admits this while maintaining that for her personally, religious identity is unimportant. Sarahs involvement in poverty alleviation in Kentucky influenced her attitudes on how she sees white evangelical worship today: The way that the church operates in Kentucky is so backwards. Its all about the self. About pleasing yourself. Its all white, middle- to upper-class people watching a big screen with a full band. I think thats probably the opposite of what Jesus wanted. Why is this happening now? For those trained and disciplined within white evangelicalism, the insular and authoritarian nature of the faith often creates circumstances where questioning or critiquing the faith seems impossible and can lead to shunning. Brandy, in Tennessee and raised a Baptist, recounted that her family actually held a religious intervention, with a screen, PowerPoint and projector, after she stopped attending her familys church. She experienced ostracization: I felt rejected, overlooked, looked down upon, she says. I felt apart from the community. Brandy is still a Christian and attends another more progressive church regularly, but her evangelical family refuses to accept her church as legitimate. This is only a sample of interviewee comments I heard indicating a growing disaffection with the political stances and alliances of white evangelicalism. They represent a growing movement of exvangelicals those who grew up in the faith but have since abandoned it. The staunch resistance to civil unions, transgender rights and womens equality, along with the inability of white evangelicalism to grapple with its racialized and patriarchal structures, is misaligned with some of these younger perspectives today. As the report indicates, many millennials are simply rejecting traditional forms of religion altogether. 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: Terry Shoemaker, Arizona State University. Read more: Terry Shoemaker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. A wildfire sparked by lightning raged Saturday near popular tourist destinations in the North Carolina mountains, U.S. Forest Service officials said. Several hiking trails are closed, and rangers urged drivers on U.S. 221 North in McDowell County to use caution. The fire burned late Saturday afternoon in an area north of Marion and west of the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area in McDowell County, according to a Forest Service news release at 4 p.m. Nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the East, Linville Gorge is the deepest, most rugged gorge in the Eastern U.S., according to Blue Ridge Heritage.com. The fire is estimated at 6 acres with no current containment, officials said in the release. The wildfire burned in an area north of Marion and west of the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area in McDowell County, U.S. Forest Service rangers said. By Monday, the fire grew to 8 acres and was 25% contained, the Forest Service said in an update. A lightning strike started the fire on Friday, investigators determined. A large number of downed, dead trees were fueling hot spots, according to the service. Minimal rain fell overnight Saturday, and the fire continued to burn Monday with low intensity along a dry ridge, according to the Forest Service. The Dobson Knob No. 2 Fire, as the Forest Service calls it, was reported Friday evening, rangers said. The fire burned on the north side of Dobson Knob near the North Cove community. The area is rocky and remote and has a history of wildfires, rangers said. The fire is about 110 miles northwest of Charlotte. Firefighters focused from the start Friday night on protecting private property and any nearby structures, according to the Forest Service. The fire burned Saturday on U.S. Forest Service lands and a small portion of private property, officials said. No injuries have been reported. No structures are at immediate risk, according to the service. To protect the public and firefighters, trail closures are in place for the Mountains to Sea Trail from the north fork of the Catawba River to Dobson Knob Road on the west side of Linville Gorge. Trail closures are in place for the Mountains to Sea Trail from the north fork of the Catawba River to Dobson Knob Road on the west side of Linville Gorge in McDowell County, rangers said. North Cove, Woodlawn and Linville Falls communities may experience smoke. The heaviest amounts of smoke are expected overnight and later Sunday morning as the smoke settles in low-lying areas. Story continues Linville Gorge Wilderness Area in Pisgah National Forest was among the first areas to be included in the National Wilderness System with the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964. The fire was burning Monday in a rocky knob that has a large amount of dry, receptive fuels, officials said in the update. However, the forest canopy surrounding the knob has less receptive fuels, and that will help slow the spread of the fire, according to the Forest Service. The area is generally inaccessible, so its unsafe to send in firefighters, according to Mondays update. The U.S. Forest Service released this photo of the fire on Monday, July 31, 2023. Twenty-five firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service, North Carolina Forest Service, McDowell County Emergency Management, and the North Cove Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire. Dear Gov. Bill Lee, As a coalition of elected officials and community leaders in Williamson County, we are calling on you to reconsider the special session scheduled for Aug. 21 and resume discussions about future legislation to create safer schools and communities during the regularly scheduled General Assembly in January 2024. Among our main concerns: Regarding the tragedy at Covenant School this past March, there is still an ongoing investigation that has unanswered questions. Consequently, we request you allow the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department to complete its work so the public may have a better understanding of the root cause of this tragic event. Tennessee has always been a state at the forefront of embracing the values of faith, family and freedom. Let us allow the facts to come forth, so we can ensure we are protecting these values and not inadvertently violating the constitutional rights so many have fought and sacrificed for to make this country and state what it is today. Photographs of Mike Hill, Evelyn Dieckhaus, Katherine Koonce, William Kinney, Hallie Scruggs, and Cynthia Peak were placed at a makeshift memorial by the entrance to the Covenant School on March 30 in Nashville. A shooter killed six at the school March 27. Regarding the timing of the special session, most if not all of our local public and private school students will have already been back in session for a couple of weeks. At this same time, university students will be preparing to start their fall semesters. After what we witnessed at the State Capitol this past March when activists sought disruption over productive conversations, we believe it would be in the best interest of our students and citizens to avoid what could potentially become a dangerous public safety situation. Hear more Tennessee voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought-provoking columns. Regarding funding needed for the special session, as a fiscally conservative state government, any additional costs or resources required should be a consideration. This would include additional security, which to our understanding may include bringing back the Tennessee National Guard from the crisis at our U.S. border. Story continues Finally, please consider the impact this may have on local law enforcement outside of the metro Nashville area. This would include the Williamson County hotel and hospitality district, as there is sure to be an overflow of individuals traveling from other parts of the state and country. Our law enforcement agencies work hard to keep our communities safe, so let us avoid placing additional stress on their already significant workload. We encourage you to take time to fully consider the concerns we have presented, and additional time given to our legislators for all the facts of the Covenant tragedy to become known and considered before the next regularly scheduled session of the General Assembly. This will allow them more time with constituents to discuss how together we can create safer communities. We should not allow agitators to control the narrative and promote an agenda that does not align with the will of the people of Tennessee. Most respectfully, Mary Smith, Williamson County commissioner, 5th District; Dusty Rhoades, Williamson County Sheriff; Greg Sanford, Williamson County commissioner, 5th District; Lisa Hayes Lenox, Williamson County commissioner, 1st District; Gregg Lawrence, Williamson County commissioner, 4th District; Pete Stresser, Williamson County commissioner, 4th District; Christopher Richards, Williamson County commissioner, 7th District; Barb Sturgeon, Williamson County commissioner, 8th District; Cyndi Miller, State Executive Committee member, District 27, Tennessee Republican Party; Romonte Hamer, Williamson County Young Republicans chair; Dr. Tracy Miller, Williamson County Republican Party chair; Hannah Tiblier, Williamson County Republican Party, first vice chair; Elliott Franklin. Williamson County Republican Party, second vice chair; Brandon Bell, Williamson County Republican Party, third vice chair; Courtney Laginess, Williamson County Republican Party, treasurer; Tim Raynaud, Williamson County Republican Party, assistant treasurer; Diane Chenard, Williamson County Republican Party, secretary; Christine Deekens, Williamson County Republican Party, assistant secretary; Kathy Danner, Williamson County commissioner, 4th District (2010-2018); Debbie Deaver, Williamson County Republican Party chair (2017-2019); state Sen. Joey Hensley, District 28; state Rep. Todd Warner, District 92; Beverly Burger, city of Franklin alderman, Ward 1; Robin Steenman, Williamson Families Board, chair; Steve Hickey, Williamson Families Board, first vice chair; Olivia Shupe, Williamson Families Board, second vice chair; Debbie Pace, Williamson Families Board, secretary This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Opinion: Williamson County leaders: Gov. Lee, call off special session The windows to a city union heads Range Rover were hit by BB pellets as it sat inside an NYPD Police Academy parking lot in Queens, the union president said Saturday. Sayed Rahim, president of the city traffic enforcement agents union, said he was addressing a group of 62 traffic enforcement agent recruits at the academy on 28th Ave. in College Point about noon on July 21 when both the driver and passenger-side windows on his personal vehicle were damaged. There were two holes in the passenger side window and there was one in the drivers side, which was cracked, Rahim, 67, told the Daily News. This is a highly secure area. Nobody can get in without an ID scan, so Im really surprised. Rahim left his 2019 Range Rover in the packed parking lot about 11:30 a.m. When he returned, he noticed that his windows were damaged. None of the other vehicles in the full lot, which is roughly the size of a city block, were damaged, including the two cars parked on either side of him, Rahim noticed. Cops securing the academy surmised that the windows may have been hit with BB pellets, the union head said. Theyre assuming that they were hit with a BB gun or someone threw something at the car window, he said. Ive come to the academy many times before and I never had a problem. But, when they went to check the academy security footage, they learned that the camera positioned by the spot where Rahims car was damaged wasnt working. Rahim was stunned by the bizarre turn of events. The academy is a highly secure place, Rahim told The News. If they cant protect a union president, how can they protect the public? Rahim had come to the academy to encourage the new recruits who will soon be part of the NYPD and write parking tickets and direct traffic throughout the city to always be on their guard as theyre out on the street. Traffic enforcement agents are regularly assaulted, spat upon and screamed at by upset motorists, he said. The union is currently in discussions with the city to equip their members with body worn cameras to record the abuse they constantly face. Story continues The NYPD confirmed that it has launched an investigation into the matter. No BB fragments were found, but there are many loose stones in the parking lot, a source with knowledge of the case said. The lot also has uneven ground and speed bumps, so the windows could have been damaged by kicked-up stones. For his part, Rahim doesnt believe he has any enemies at least none daring enough to vandalize his car at an NYPD facility. In 2019, Rahim was temporarily removed as president of Communication Workers of America Local 1182 over concerns of financial improprieties and an allegation of sexual harassment. But Communications Workers of America leaders ultimately cleared him and allowed him to run for the office again, which he won last year. Like all union heads, he has rivals but Rahim joked that the only people he constantly fights work in City Hall. People think someone targeted me because of my political position, but everyone knows Im a good, friendly person, he said. Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty One day during last months Pride festivities, the White House flew a trans-inclusive flag and conservatives predictably lost their minds about it. The very idea of the government telling trans people they are welcome in America rubbed some in the media and in the U.S. Senate the wrong way. Trumps former top adviser Stephen Miller called it a warning about how civilizations unravel from within. Where does it end? critics of trans visibility often ask, as though each act of tolerance only hastens the hand basket ferrying us all to hell. If something as egregious as a flag is possible, where does it end? Meanwhile, back in reality, the only real progress made with regards to the LGBT community this past June was in the existential war against it. Toward the end of an already brutal Pride Month, the Supreme Court ruled that businesses may discriminate against LGBT customers, but only in circumstances that go against their religious beliefs, like a same-sex wedding. Unlike the rights fears about what untold evils a flag may portend, though, the dire consequences that critics of this ruling were afraid of did not remain hypothetical for long. Within days of the decision, a salon owner in Michigan declared on Facebook: If a human identifies as anything other than a man/woman, please seek services at a local pet groomer. You are not welcome at this salon. Period. So much for special circumstances. By now, it comes as no surprise that the right would celebrate this ruling as a victory for free speech. Whats bizarre is that they also seem either unaware or ambivalent about business owners someday applying their newfound legal right to discriminate against people they do care about. Somehow, that same imagination that always envisions incendiary consequences somewhere down the line cant conceive of any eventual issues on this one. Its an all-too-familiar pattern. While conservatives often perform their fear of a mythical, militantly progressive future, they refuse to engage with the many briskly accelerating catastrophes in our actual present. They are terrified of Americans falling down slippery slopes, even as several cascading avalanches crash down all around them. (Considering that climate change is one of the catastrophes theyre ignoring, though, even as the Florida coast becomes an endurance-challenge jacuzzi, maybe just pretend both those slopes and that avalanche are made of lava.) Story continues Contrary to what that hysteria suggests, when Democrats are in power, they dont descend these slopes nearly fast enough. Barack Obama likes to talk about the glacial pace of progress, and Dems have largely internalized this idea. Theyre careful not to demand too much too fast; essentially strapping on traction cleats with ice spikes to safeguard against slippery slopes. To the frequent frustration of progressives, Dems often use means-testing to ensure only the most practical, incremental measures toward radical change, no matter how morally urgent. This is perhaps why the opposition tends to fearmonger around what might happen, or what could conceivably happen, rather than what is well and truly happening. Whenever conservatives ask Where does it end?, correct responses include Not here and Calm down. This question is just a tacit admission, though, that whatever theyre outraged about is too innocuous to attack on its own merits, rather than the dystopia it might usher in. And when theyre not engaging with an imagined future, theyre mad about a fantasy presentsay, the one in which trans youth have paved the way for students who identify as cats to demand litter boxes in classrooms. Unfortunately for them and everyone else, conservatives have a long track record of fighting against feared future events that never come to pass. They claimed that tearing down statues of racist Confederate war heroes would lead to removing statues of problematic faves like George Washington, which it didnt. Theyve screamed about trans people attacking kids in public bathrooms for ages, without it ever emerging as a real issue. (Imagine the years-long meal they would have made out of even one single incident!) And in perhaps the biggest parallel to the trans communitys current civil-rights struggle, conservatives for years predicted that same-sex marriage would open the door to bestiality, polygamy, and in the case of then-Rep. Steve King, marrying ones lawnmowernone of which saw any uptick in the near-decade since Obergefell v. Hodges. Conservatives arent even arguing otherwise. Theyve just surrendered to the demonstrated will of the majority theyd been fighting, allowing hindsight to reveal how ridiculous and cruel their positions were all along. While the right has spent so much energy agitating against outcomes that never came, however, the dystopian future that liberals have been warning about has seemingly sprung up all around us. These long-feared Where does it end? scenarios have led to our current era, which sometimes looks and feels like The End. The left has warned against environmental, structural and financial deregulationjust to name a few issuesand now our buildings are collapsing, our trains are derailing, and banks keep failing. Theyve been warning about climate change for decades and now the sky just occasionally turns red, and earlier this month Earth reached the hottest day ever recorded on four consecutive days and now July appears to be the planets hottest month on record. The left warned that lax gun control would lead to more mass shootings and rage killingswhich it continues to dowhile the right thinks the real long-term threat is that the shootings will result in any gun-control measures whatsoever. (Where does it end?, asked Fox News Mark Levin about the response to the Parkland massacre in 2018.) And then theres the long line of liberal doomsaying around Roe v. Wade, which conservatives swore was settled law and whose removal last summer resulted in an ongoing human-rights crisis that threatens to get even worse. Theyre not stopping here, President Biden recently said, while marking the anniversary of SCOTUS striking down Roe. It was neither exaggeration, hyperbole, nor Chicken Little fearmongering; just a realistic assessment of how a 6-3 SCOTUS plays goal-line defense for progress, with the support of a fully emboldened, mask-off GOP. Conservatives are not making practical, incremental measures toward long-term radical change. They openly aspire to resurrect a backwards version of America right now, and they dont care whether theres majority buy-in or not. There is still hope, though, and it lives in Minnesota. Democrats in the Land of 10,000 Lakes clawed back a two-vote majority in last falls midtermsperhaps not coincidentally soon after three GOP state reps discussed classroom litter box nonsense on the House floorand proceeded to go on a legislative bender for the ages. Governor Tim Walzs list of wins since then reads like a checklist of the average MAGA grandads worst nightmares, touching on everything from reproductive rights, gun control, recreational weed legalization, trans rights, green energy, and way too much more to mention. Governor Walz and his team are not trying to sensible their way into making constituents lives better, theyre just doing it. They have seemingly realized that the kind of conservative who paints support for trans people as a pipeline to pedophilia isnt worth reasoning with or trying to win over with practical measures. The right fights each proposed incremental change as if it were a full-blown revolution anyway, so the only sensible thing to do is swing for the fences. Where does it end? If other leaders follow suit after the next election, it will be fun to find out. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Samantha Laurey/AFP via Getty Images A police officer in Wisconsin is under investigation for running over a woman during a welfare check. Tricia Dorpat, 42, died from her injuries after the officer ran her over on Thursday, police said. Dorpat's daughter said she doesn't see how the officer missed "three-fourths of a person" lying in the street. A police officer in Greenfield, Wisconsin, accidentally drove over the woman they were visiting for a welfare check, killing her, according to local media reports. The Milwaukee Medical Examiner confirmed that the woman who was hit and killed was Tracie Dorpat, 42, of Milwaukee, according to WISN. The officer struck Dorpat at around 6:30 p.m. Thursday near 34th and Holmes in Greenfield, a suburb of Milwaukee, the police department said in a news release, WISN reported. Police have not identified the officer, but said the officer has been placed on administrative leave. According to the news release, the officer was not aware that Dorpat was lying in the roadway when they ran her over. The Greenfield Police Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on Saturday. Dorpat's daughter, Lexy Besaw, told WISN she doesn't understand how the officer missed seeing "three-fourths of a person" lying in the street. "I see a squirrel in the car, I see cats all the time when I'm driving. I'll slam on my brakes," Besaw said. Besaw told WISN a neighbor had called 911 after growing concerned with Dorpat's behavior. The police department said officers called for an ambulance and took Dorpat to the hospital, believing her injuries were non-life-threatening, according to WISN. The West Allis Police Department is the lead agency investigating the case with the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team and the Wisconsin State Patrol reconstructing the scene, police told the outlet. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's office is also conducting an independent review of the case. Read the original article on Insider Visoot Uthairam/Getty Images Prosecutors charged a woman whom they said posed as a medical doctor for more than a year. Maria Macburnie used a relative's medical license to write prescriptions, authorities said. Prosecutors have urged anyone who may have been treated by Macburnie to come forward. A woman with no medical qualifications posed as a doctor for more than a year, writing prescriptions for patients under a relative's identity, authorities said. In a statement issued Thursday, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey said Maria Macburnie posed as a doctor between March 2022 until June this year at Shore Medical Associates in Toms River. Macburnie, 62, has been charged with practicing medicine by an unlicensed person; forgery; health care claims fraud, and three counts of distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. "Macburnie presented herself as Dr. Fe Almazon-Condit a relative of Macburnie's with an active license to practice medicine," the statement read. "During this time frame, Macburnie was prescribing medications, including controlled dangerous substances, to patients." She also submitted multiple insurance claims and bills for services rendered when "Dr Almazon-Condit" was unable to see patients. She was arrested on Wednesday and was being held in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing, the prosecutor's office said. Insider could not establish whether she had a lawyer. Prosecutors also asked that anyone who believed they'd been treated by Macburnie to contact the office. An automated message for Shore Medical Associates said it was now permanently closed, NBC News reported. Read the original article on Insider Aya Besaiso, 24, from Gaza City, has been in full time employment as a consultant ever since graduating (Paddy Dowling/Qatar Scholarships) For generations, the women of Gaza have been overshadowed by men. Their lives were predetermined; forced to marry as young as 13 years old and accept a life of domestic servitude. So what has changed? Since 2007, the modern-day blockade of the Gaza Strip, enforced by Israel, has fuelled one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, at nearly 50 per cent. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) have also reported that 81.5 per cent of the population now live below the poverty line, with nearly 700,000 in abject poverty. Tala, 17, says, For most woman the daily battle is chipping away at trying to change the perspective of families towards more inclusivity for women (Paddy Dowling/Qatar Scholarships) Abeer Al Yazji, 35, a business graduate who was previously part of the Fullbright student programme, explains: Women in Gaza are being left behind. Traditionally, women never challenge; parents, the community, and the prevailing cultural norms in Palestinian society. Your life after school is always set in stone. She continues, Families with limited resources, continue to educate their sons instead of their daughters. A university education remains the only lifeline for women in Gaza. On the enclaves northern borders in Beit Lahiya, Fedaa Ali, 26, one of 14 children, was told by her father, There is simply not enough money to send you to university. Your brothers are the priority. Fedaa says, Communities in rural areas remain deeply conservative and as a result more adolescent girls in my neighbourhood marry earlier, than for example in Gaza City (Paddy Dowling/Qatar Scholarships) Fedaa adds: If you were not in education the pressures to marry are enormous. Nearby in Beit Hanoun, on the northeast edge of the Gaza Strip, Nadia, 23, says, My life would be robbed from me if I did not challenge my father to allow me to continue my studies. Both Nadia and Fedaa successfully applied to the Al Fakhoora scholarship programme which provides university bursaries to undergraduates from marginalised backgrounds in the Gaza Strip. Nadia, 23, has a degree but still faces pressure to marry from her father. My life would be robbed from me if I failed to find the strength and bravery to challenge my family, she says (Paddy Dowling/Qatar Scholarships) One of Gazas considerable challenges is youth unemployment. Of the 292,000 graduates in the enclave, 68 per cent remain unemployed, with women disproportionately affected. Jawaher Al-Naemi, head of the programme at Qatar Fund For Development, which funds the scheme, said, It is critical to empower women to enable them to be active leaders in their communities. Story continues Hiba Al Qedra, 25, teaches private lessons in maths and English to secondary school pupils since graduating (Paddy Dowling/Qatar Scholarships) The programme is committed to ensuring the provision of not only an education degree but a platform for women to pursue their dreams and contribute to the economic growth and development of their nations. The programme provides comprehensive psychosocial support, advanced English language, computer skills, interview techniques, and organised internships in the private sector. Hiba Balawi, 32, says she was exploited in the private sector but my husband gave me the strength to leave and develop myself and my career (Paddy Dowling/Qatar Scholarships) Gazas ungoverned and male-dominated private sector has come under intense scrutiny over the exploitation of graduates, with a focus on women being paid much less than their male counterparts. Some of the women we spoke to told us that shorter-term contracts are common, with little notice period, as well as, job ads often stipulating no maternity pay and asking for preferably no single mothers. Nadia, who graduated with a degree in business administration, explains, I was fortunate to find work in the private sector as a copywriter, however, because I am a woman, I am paid less. Bahia Sabbah, a 40-year-old mother of two, says, early marriage remains a problem in Gaza and with so many marriages ending in divorce, it is important that women are educated and can financially support themselves and their children (Paddy Dowling/Qatar Scholarships) Research by PCBS indicates that female participation in the labour market, registered at 17 per cent in 2022, has flatlined for a decade. Whilst both private and government sectors continue to discriminate against women, the best opportunities for them by far, are emerging in the non-governmental sector (NGO). Several international NGOs operating in Gaza, specify that at least 50 per cent of the project staff must be women and preferably from marginalised backgrounds. Dina Bdair, 22, missed a full scholarship opportunity in Turkey because the community would not support her fathers decision to allow his daughter to travel unaccompanied (Paddy Dowling/Qatar Scholarships) Thomas White, head of UNRWA, Gazas second-largest employer, tells The Independent, Nearly 60 per cent of our staff at the agency are women and many of those hold senior managerial positions. Womens participation at the agency is absolutely not a box-ticking exercise. We are fortunate to be incredibly well served by strong, highly intellectual and skilled females who are there on their own merits. Saha Al -Kurdi, 23, who graduated in 2020, says, the community is very outspoken with their opinions on women studying and working rather than being at home and as you can see the best solution is for both parents to be earning and contributing (Paddy Dowling/Qatar Scholarships) Iman Tayeh, 24, graduated in 2019 and found employment in Gazas emerging freelance sector. She says, In addition to the opportunities for women in the charity sector, Gazas digital revolution is enabling women to work from home and support themselves and their families without having to challenge culture or the community. This for many is the preferred soft approach towards a sense of empowerment. Iman Tayeh, 24, and her mother Raeda, 48, say the past decade has seen significant progress for women (Paddy Dowling/Qatar Scholarships) Academic programmes are equipping women for the challenges that await and NGOs are providing better employment opportunities for women. However, those marginal gains, hard-fought by women in the enclave could be lost unless the rights of women are enshrined in law and enforced by government. Women of Gaza are fighting conflict under occupation and a society, which possibly, will always favour men. However, despite the odds, they remain eternally optimistic that things will eventually improve. Officials release Astroworld investigation report the same day that Travis Scott released his new album, Utopia HOUSTON (AP) Just moments before rap superstar Travis Scott took the stage at the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival, a contract worker had been so worried about what might happen after seeing people getting crushed that he texted an event organizer saying, Someones going to end up dead, according to a police report released Friday. The texts by security contract worker Reece Wheeler were some of many examples in the nearly 1,300-page report in which festival workers highlighted problems and warned of possible deadly consequences. The report includes transcripts of concertgoers 911 calls and summaries of police interviews, including one with Scott conducted just days after the event. The crowd surge at the Nov. 5, 2021, outdoor festival in Houston killed 10 attendees who ranged in age from 9 to 27. The official cause of death was compression asphyxia, which an expert likened to being crushed by a car. About 50,000 people attended the festival. Travis Scott performs at Day 1 of the Astroworld Music Festival at NRG Park, Nov. 5, 2021, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File) Pull tons over the rail unconscious. Theres panic in people eyes. This could get worse quickly, Reece Wheeler texted Shawna Boardman, one of the private security directors, at 9 p.m. Wheeler then texted, I know theyll try to fight through it but I would want it on the record that I didnt advise this to continue. Someones going to end up dead. Scotts concert began at 9:02 p.m. In their review of video from the concerts livestream, police investigators said that at 9:13 p.m., they heard the faint sound of someone saying, Stop the show. The same request could also be heard at 9:16 p.m. and 9:22 p.m. In an Aug. 19, 2022, police interview, Boardmans attorneys told investigators that Boardman saw things were not as bad as Reece Wheeler stated and decided not to pass along Wheelers concerns to anyone else. A grand jury declined to indict anyone who was investigated over the event, including Scott, Boardman and four other people. Story continues During a police interview conducted two days after the concert, Scott told investigators that although he did see one person near the stage getting medical attention, overall the crowd seemed to be enjoying the show and he did not see any signs of serious problems. We asked if he at any point heard the crowd telling him to stop the show. He stated that if he had heard something like that he would have done something, police said in their summary of Scotts interview. Hip-hop artist Drake, who performed with Scott at the concert, told police that it was difficult to see from the stage what was going on in the crowd and that he didnt hear concertgoers pleas to stop the show. Drake found out about the tragedy later that night from his manager, while learning more on social media, police said in their summary. Marty Wallgren, who worked for a security consulting firm hired by the festival, told police that when he went backstage and tried to tell representatives for Scott and Drake that the concert needed to end because people had been hurt and might have died, he was told Drake still has three more songs, according to an interview summary. Daniel Johary, a college student who got trapped in the crush of concertgoers and later used his skills working as an EMT in Israel to help an injured woman, told investigators hundreds of people had chanted for Scott to stop the music and that the chants could be heard from everywhere. He stated staff members in the area gave thumbs-up and did not care, according to the police report. Richard Rickeada, a retired Houston police officer who was working for a private security company at the festival, told investigators that from 8 a.m. the day of the concert, things were pretty much in chaos, according to a police summary of his interview. His concerns and questions about whether the concert should be held were met with a lot of shrugged shoulders, he said. About 23 minutes into the concert, cameraman Gregory Hoffman radioed into the shows production trailer to warn that people were dying. Hoffman was operating a large crane that held a television camera before it was overrun with concertgoers who needed medical help, police said. The production team radioed Hoffman to ask when they could get the crane back in operation. Salvatore Livia, who was hired to direct the live show, told police that following Hoffmans dire warning, people in the production trailer understood that something was not right, but they were disconnected to the reality of (what) was happening out there, according to a police summary of Livias interview. Travis Scott performs at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston, Nov. 5, 2021. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File) Concertgoer Christopher Gates, then 22, told police that by the second or third song in Scotts performance, he came across about five people on the ground who he believed were already dead. Their bodies were lifeless, pale, and their lips were blue/purple, according to the police report. Random people in the crowd not medics provided CPR. The police report was released about a month after the grand jury in Houston declined to indict Scott on any criminal charges in connection with the deadly concert. Police Chief Troy Finner had said the report was being made public so that people could read the entire investigation and come to their own conclusions about the case. During a news conference after the grand jurys decision, Finner declined to say what the overall conclusion of his agencys investigation was or whether police should have stopped the concert sooner. The reports release also came the same day that Scott released his new album, Utopia. More than 500 lawsuits were filed over the deaths and injuries at the concert, including many against concert promoter Live Nation and Scott. Some have since been settled. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Worker warned organizer Someones going to end up dead before crowd surge at 21 Travis Scott show appeared first on TheGrio. Saudi Arabia is due to host peace talks on Aug. 5 and 6, inviting top officials from 30 countries, including India, Brazil, and Western nations, the Wall Street Journal reported on July 29, citing unnamed diplomats involved in the discussion. Russia won't be attending the summit, and China's presence is unlikely, according to the report. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan's attendance is expected, a person familiar with the organization of the event told the WSJ. There was no confirmation yet from the National Security Council, it added. Instead, the large-scale event is set to be held in the port city of Jeddah "to consolidate international support for Ukraines peace demands," the WSJ said. It's not clear which countries will attend the summit yet. According to the WSJ, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine have chosen 30 invitees, which include Egypt, Mexico, Indonesia, Chile, and Zambia. Some countries, such as the U.K., South Africa, Poland, and the EU have already confirmed their attendance, it added. The summit comes as Russia and the West battle over the support of developing countries, which have mostly stayed neutral throughout Russia's 16-month-old full-scale war against Ukraine. Ukraine has also been pushing to win the support of developing nations. President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the summit of the Arab League in Saudi Arabia in May, calling on the Arab leaders, many of whom remain neutral or maintain a close relationship with Moscow, to support his peace plan to end Russia's all-out war. Earlier in 2023, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Kyiv in February and announced $400 million in humanitarian aid. Saudi Arabia has played an important role in negotiating prisoner exchanges with Russia, allowing Ukraine to achieve a major exchange involving nearly 300 people including commanders who were trapped in the besieged Azovstal plant in Mariupol in September 2022. Read also: Why Ukraine chooses to negotiate on the battlefield, not at peace talks Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. US officials are searching for Chinese malware hidden in various defense systems that could disrupt military communications and resupply operations, The New York Times reported Saturday. The administration believes malicious computer code has been hidden inside networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases, officials told the Times. The discovery has heightened concerns that hackers could disrupt US military operations in the event of a conflict, according to the Times. The two nations have been increasingly at odds over Taiwan as well as over Chinas actions in the Indo-Pacific. One congressional official told the newspaper that the malware was a ticking time bomb that could allow China to cut off power, water and communications to military bases, slowing deployments and resupply operations. Because military bases often share the same supply infrastructure as civilian homes and businesses, many other Americans could also be affected, officials told the Times. The malware revelations echo a pattern of recent breaches by China-based hackers previously reported by CNN. Last week, the email account of US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns was hacked, three US officials familiar with the matter told CNN. Earlier this month, Microsoft and the White House confirmed that China-based hackers breached email accounts at two dozen organizations, including some federal agencies. The Biden administration believes the hacking operation which Microsoft said was launched in mid-May gave the Chinese government insights about US thinking heading into Secretary of State Antony Blinkens trip to Beijing in June. Among the agencies targeted were the State Department and the Department of Commerce, which has sanctioned Chinese telecom firms. US officials and Microsoft analysts initially had trouble identifying how the hackers got into the email accounts, which made clear that they were dealing with a sophisticated hacking team, a US official told CNN. Story continues US officials have consistently labeled China as the most advanced of US adversaries in cyberspace, a domain that has repeatedly been a source of bilateral tension in recent years. The FBI has said Beijing has a larger hacking program than all other governments combined. Blinken raised the hacking incidents in a meeting with a top Chinese diplomat in Indonesia earlier this month, a senior State Department official told CNN, but the official would not get into the specifics of the extent to which the hack was raised. We have consistently made clear that any action that targets US government, US companies, American citizens, is a deep concern to us and that we will take appropriate action to hold those responsible accountable and the secretary made that clear again, the official said. CNNs Sean Lyngaas, Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The staff of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has completed the planned switch of the 5th power unit to the cold shutdown mode, simultaneously switching the 4th power unit to a hot shutdown mode. Source: Raphael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, reports the organization's website Details: It is noted that the change in the status of the reactor was carried out in order to conduct maintenance works on the power unit No. 5, which is possible only in the "cold shutdown" mode. Unit No. 5 was switched to the cold shutdown mode on Friday morning, three days after Unit No. 4 was switched to the hot mode. The steam from the No.4 power unit is now being used to clean wastewater at the ZNPP. The rest of the power units remain in a cold state. The IAEA experts, who are at the site, call on the ZNNP administration to study all possible options for installing an external boiler for the production of the necessary steam, which would allow all power units to be put into a "cold shutdown" state. The IAEA reminded that the Ukrainian national regulator, Derzhatomrehuliuvannia, has issued normative orders limiting the operation of all six power units to the state of "cold shutdown". Quote: "Yesterday, the IAEA team visited reactor unit 5 where they observed the reactor vessel, spent fuel pool and the steam generator. The team noted that all equipment seemed to be in normal condition. There were no restrictions during the visit and the team did not observe any mines or explosives. However, during a walkdown within the sites perimeter on Thursday, the team confirmed that the mines that they observed on 23 July were still in place. The IAEA is also continuing to request access to the roofs of the ZNPPs reactors and their turbine halls." More details: The IAEA team is said to have heard isolated detonations over the past few days, some at a distance from the station and some apparently closer. Story continues The IAEA emphasises that its experts at the ZNPP continue to closely monitor the situation regarding the availability of water for cooling the six reactors of the ZNPP and other important nuclear and physical nuclear safety functions following the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam in early June and the subsequent depletion of a huge reservoir near the plant. "The IAEA team reported that the available water supply remains relatively stable, with the water level in the sites large cooling pond decreasing by around 1 centimetre per day due to usage and evaporation. Submersible pumps have been periodically used to pump water from the Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP) inlet channel to the ZTPP discharge channel. The combination of the pumping and heavy rain experienced during the week has seen the height of the ZTPP discharge channel increase by around 25 centimetres. The site continues to have sufficient water for some months," the statement said. The organisation also notes that one of the radiation monitoring stations outside the facility, which was damaged by past fighting, was restored earlier this week and is back in operation. "However, the online data transmission to the SNRIU is still not working. As an interim measure, the data from the off-site radiation monitoring stations is manually provided to the IAEA team, which also regularly conducts independent radiation monitoring at the site. The off-site data and the teams own measurements are uploaded by the IAEA to the IAEAs International Radiation Monitoring Information System (IRMIS)," the message reads. Background: On 24 July, Energoatom reported that the Russian occupiers switched the ZNPP's 4th power unit of the plant into the "hot shutdown" mode, which creates risks in nuclear and radiation safety. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived at the contact zone to greet the soldiers on the Day of Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Source: Zelenskyy on Facebook Quote from Zelenskyy: "Bakhmut front, frontline positions of Special Operations Forces. Today I am here to greet our soldiers on the Day of Special Operations Forces, to honour their strength. I listened to the commander's report and talked to the soldiers. Very powerful and very effective. Although I can't tell any details about the current operations of the SOF only over time but your guys' performance of tasks for the sake of Ukraine is heroic." Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has explained why he vetoed the bill on the allocation of funds for the Holodomor Museum Ukraine should concentrate its efforts on defeating Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his veto of Law No. 9437 on the allocation of UAH 573.9 million ($15.6 million) to complete the construction of the Holodomor Museum in Kyiv. Zelenskyy said the efforts of state and local bodies should be directed to decisions that bring Ukraine's victory closer. Read also: More than 90% of Ukrainians consider Holodomor genocide, according to survey The museum commemorates the millions of Ukrainian victims of the Holodomor, a genocidal artificial famine organized by the Soviet Union in the 1930s under its then dictator Josef Stalin. Construction of the museum was started in 2009. There was then a long pause before work on it began again in 2017. The text of the veto was published by People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak in Telegram. "I believe that the efforts of all state bodies and local self-government bodies should be aimed at making vitally necessary decisions, primarily those that bring the victory of Ukraine closer, so I propose to reject the Law," reads the text of the veto. Yaroslav Zheleznyak/Telegram Zheleznyak explained that a veto can be technical in cases when amendments are made to the draft law, and full when the law is rejected. President Zelenskyy has vetoed this law in full, Zheleznyak said. Read also: Archipelago Ukraine "In other words, more than 300 votes must be gathered in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraines parliament, where pro-presidential parities hold a majority) to overcome it. Of course, this is unrealistic," the MP wrote. Draft law No. 9437 foresaw amendments to the Law of Ukraine On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2023. The construction of the Holodomor Memorial Complex was started in 2008, but it has yet to be completed. In 2009, only the first part was built. The construction of the second part of the museum began in 2017, and it had been planned to complete it in 2023. Read also: Cabinet of Ministers appoints Rostislav Karandeev as new culture minister Story continues Earlier, the former Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko said that he considered it appropriate to allocate more than UAH 500 million during full-scale war to complete the construction of the Holodomor-genocide museum. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the Special Operations Forces (SOF) fighters inflicted particularly tangible strikes on Russian terrorists and took part in key combat operations during the Russian full-scale invasion. Source: President Zelenskyys video address Details: Zelenskyy said he is staying in Donetsk Oblast this Saturday, 29 July; in particular he visited Chasiv Yar, Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka. Zelenskyy personally greeted and awarded to the Special Operations Forces soldiers on the occasion of their professional day. Quote: "Special Operations Forces mean such heroism about which impossible to tell the details. Only years later such specifics of operations. The guys inflict particularly tangible blows on Russian terrorists. What we can talk about now, of course, is participation in key combat operations. Bakhmut in particular, Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Marinka. Soledar. Together with everyone, they defended Kyiv and Hostomel, and Bucha, and Irpin, and Moshchun, and Makariv. Zmiinyi (Snake) Island also SOF together with intelligence, together with the Alpha group and the Navy. Kinburn Spit. Kherson. Now the liberation of Staromaiorske, this is also a result, in particular, of the SOF." More details: Zelenskyy said 17 soldiers of the Special Operations Forces were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine during the war, including 13 titles awarded posthumously. In total, 2,520 soldiers of the SOF received state awards. Background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the contact zone to greet the soldiers on the Day of Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron! Ukrainiani President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the advanced positions of the Ukrainian Special operations Forces in the Bakhmut area Venturing into a front-line hotspot, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 29 visited forward positions of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces near the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, the head of state reported on his Telegram channel. Zelenskyy wrote that he had come to the war zone to congratulate Ukrainian soldiers on the Day of Special Operations Forces, which is celebrated today. "The Bakhmut sector, advanced positions of the Special Operations Forces. Today I am here to congratulate our soldiers on their professional day, to honor their strength. I heard the commander's report, talked with the military. Very powerful, very effective. Thank you!" Zelenskyys post reads. "Although you won't be able to give the details of the actual operations of the SOF only with time but the execution of tasks by you guys for the sake of Ukraine is truly heroic," the president said, addressing the special operations troops. Read also: Ukrainian troops oust Russians near Orikhovo-Vasylivka in Bakhmut area map Earlier, the General Staff reported that Ukrainian fighters are soaking up pressure from invading Russian troops in the Bakhmut sector. There, Ukrainian fighters have successfully repelled enemy attacks in the area south of the village of Klishchiivka, which is itself south of the Russian-occupied Bakhmut. Read also: Everything is ready to liberate Bakhmut, says Syrskyi According to Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar, the Ukrainian military continues to advance in the Berdyansk and Melitopol directions. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are also conducting offensive actions in the Bakhmut sector, attempting to encircle the Russians in the key city. On July 9, Malyar reported that there was an advance on the southern flank of Bakhmut. There, the enemy is on the defensive, but on the northern flank, fighting continues without a change in position. 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 New life is coming to 1222 Main St., where Mark Smith once housed many of his antique cars before he died. The Trading Post, a new coffee shop and convenience store, is opening in the space in September and is operated by Melanie and Peter Traber. The couple, originally from Texas, found their way to Lynchburg about three years ago when their children started attending Liberty University. They fell in love with the area, prompting them to invest in multiple properties, including a 500-acre ranch in Amherst County, where they now raise wagyu cattle. The Trading Post will offer an unique and upscale convenience store and coffee shop experience, Melanie Traber said. The concept emerged from the couples desire to have a downtown spot for quick grocery needs without having to travel to larger stores for just a few items. When it came up for lease, I didnt even realize the extent of upstairs and the basement, she said of the 16,000 square-foot space. The establishment will feature a Western-inspired aesthetic, in line with their Texan roots, creating an atmosphere that stands out from traditional convenience stores. The Trading Post aims to bridge the gap between a market and a convenience store, offering not only typical convenience items but also fresh produce and a selection of pastry items to complement their Illy coffee offerings. While the main floor will house the coffee shop and convenience store, the basement, which exudes a cool industrial car vibe, Melanie Traber said, will feature pool tables, making it a hangout spot during the day for students or professionals seeking a laid-back place to unwind. Youll be able to get some produce which you dont usually think of seeing in the usual convenience store, she said. It will be in between being a market and a convenience store. In addition to the coffee shop and convenience store, the Trabers have plans for the remaining space. The back portion of the main floor will be transformed into an event and wedding venue named Events by Traber Ranch. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, has told some fellow Democrats that she plans to seek the party's nomination for governor in 2025, according to a Politico report. For the record, the Northern Virginia congresswoman says she will make no comment about her future plans until after Virginia's legislative elections in November that will settle control of the House of Delegates and state Senate. There is no announcement, a spokesperson said Friday. As every Democrat in Virginia should be, Abigail is squarely focused on the 2023 General Assembly races and she is actively supporting dozens of winning candidates in the most competitive seats across the Commonwealth." Spanberger already has raised almost $1.2 million through June to defend her congressional seat, according to the Federal Elections Commission. William Moher, chief marketing officer for a technology firm in Arlington County, is the only Republican who has formally filed to run for the Republican nomination in the 7th Congressional District. He has lent his campaign $340,000, according to the FEC. Virginia is the only state in which a governor may not serve consecutive terms. Gov. Glenn Youngkin's term will end in January 2026. Spanberger, a centrist Democrat, has won three campaigns for Congress in swing districts - two when the 7th District was based in western Henrico and western Chesterfield counties, and a third in 2022, after redistricting moved the district to Northern Virginia, where it is now based, in Prince William, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties. Because of her successes in the Richmond and Northern Virginia suburbs, Spanberger is often mentioned as a potential candidate for statewide office. Other Democrats who have indicated an interest in running for governor in 2025 - or who have been mentioned as potential candidates - include Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, former House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, and Del. David Reid, D-Loudoun. Potential GOP candidates for governor include Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares. Spanberger won the 2022 contest by fewer than 5 percentage points. If she chooses to forgo a re-election contest in order to focus on a bid for governor, next year's fight in the 7th is likely to again draw national attention as Democrats try to hold the seat and Republicans see a chance to flip a seat. Spanberger, a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, won an internal Democratic contest in December 2022 for the right to advise the Democratic leadership now in the minority on how to appeal to political independents and swing voters in unpredictable House districts. Either Spanberger, Filler-Corn or Earle-Sears would be the first woman to serve as Virginia's governor. Democrat Mary Sue Terry, a two-term attorney general, lost the 1993 contest for governor to Republican George Allen. Foundation of China-U.S. relations lies in people: Chinese diplomat in U.S. Xinhua) 11:05, July 29, 2023 WASHINGTON, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The foundation of China-U.S. relations lies in the people, said a senior Chinese diplomat at a cultural event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in the United States on Thursday. The event "Evening at the Chinese Embassy" was held in partnership with the local organization "Things to Do DC." More than 200 local community members gathered to experience traditional Chinese culture, watch cultural performances, and taste Chinese delicacies. In her opening remarks, Xu Xueyuan, minister of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, said that the Chinese pursue a harmonious social relationship. She quoted Confucius as saying "gentlemen pursue harmony without uniformity." This line of thinking explains why Chinese people advocate seeking common ground and allow for differences in their daily lives. Xu said that the Chinese seek a harmonious relationship between humans and nature, namely "People's well-being must come first" and "all creatures are equal." These ideas are visible in China's efforts to protect the ecological environment and pursue sustainable development. Xu also said that the Chinese value a harmonious international relationship. The Chinese culture has all along valued peace and harmony among nations and countries. This is apparent in China's foreign policy line that advocates all countries, big or small, are equal members of the international community and fellow partners in building a community with a shared future for mankind. Xu also underscored that the foundation of the China-U.S. relationship lies in the people. Cultural communication is an important bridge for mutual understanding, respect, and commonality. "We hope tonight's program will encourage you to explore more about China and its ongoing efforts for modernization. We also encourage you to travel to China in the future. You will find an open and prospering country of hope and promise," Xu said. In the following cultural session, young diplomats introduced Chinese tea culture to the guests. A tea master showed the guests how to make tea with traditional teaware, and invited the guests to try tea making and tasting. Musicians from the Washington Chinese Traditional Orchestra introduced traditional Chinese instruments including the guzheng, pipa, bamboo flute, dulcimer, and erhu, and performed folk melodies such as "A Joyful Day," "A Heavenly Road," and "Flowers and Full Moon." The students from the U.S. Wushu Academy gave martial arts performances, garnering a lot of applause from the audience. The magician Li Peng, who combined Sichuan opera face-changing with magic, brought the atmosphere to a climax. In the calligraphy booth, the guests learned about China's "Four Treasures of the Study," and tried writing their Chinese names and words for good wishes. In the Han-style clothing booth, they tried on traditional costumes and took pictures. In the food booth, they tasted Peking Duck, Typhoon Shelter Prawns, Yangzhou Fried Rice and other Chinese delicacies. The guests also posed for group photos, expressed their keen interest in Chinese culture, and praised the event as an enjoyable and memorable experience. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) , Jul 29 ( Kyodo ) - Popular Japanese Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke was indicted Friday for allegedly assisting in his parents' taking of their own lives, prosecutors said, in what is believed to have been a family suicide pact. The 47-year-old, whose real name is Takahiko Kinoshi, is suspected of giving his mother Nobuko, 75, and his father Hiroyuki, 76, known as Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danshiro, an excessive amount of sleeping drugs on May 17, resulting in their deaths, according to the indictment. Investigative sources believe that Ennosuke, who was found collapsed alongside his parents at their home in Tokyo on May 18, also intended to commit suicide. ...continue reading With the release of the long-awaited report from state auditor Mike Foley on North Fork Area Transit, many of the questions Norfolkans have been asking for months were answered, and at least in that document, it seems that all signs with regard to any financial improprieties point to former The serious and realistic autonomy plan offered by Morocco for the Sahara under its sovereignty continues to gain a growing international support thanks to the far-sighted vision of King Mohammed VI who is tirelessly working for inclusive development, regional peace and shared prosperity. Building on UN Security Council resolutions, several countries from Africa, Europe, Asia, Americas and the Middle East back Moroccos territorial integrity and laud its pragmatic autonomy plan for reaching a lasting and peaceful solution to the Sahara regional conflict, dealing a hard blow to the Algerian regime and its Polisario separatist puppet. From Washington to Madrid, Berlin, Lisbon, Brussels, Bern, Amsterdam Luxembourg, Rome, Bucharest, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat, Manama, Dakar, Libreville, Ouagadougou, Niamey, Conakry, the Moroccan autonomy plan is seen as the ONLY viable and realistic solution to the Sahara issue thanks to the proactive foreign policy spearheaded by the Monarch. Prime ministers and top diplomats of several countries from around the world have commended the serious efforts engaged by Rabat to advance the UN-led political process for a lasting solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue. They also support the efforts made by the UN Chief Antonio Guterres and his personnel envoy for the Sahara Staffan De Mistura to reach a realistic and practical solution, based on compromise as called for by UN Security Council resolutions. Nearly 30 African, Arab and Latin American countries have opened consulates in the Saharan cities of Laayoune and Dakhla, a diplomatic move confirming their recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara and foiling the hostile plots hatched by the enemies of the North African kingdom. The supporters of Moroccos territorial integrity are impressed by the socioeconomic development of the Sahara thanks to the $8 billion New Development Model (NDM) launched by King Mohammed VI in 2015. This ambitious initiative has given a new impetus to the local economy and helped the region build modern infrastructures (roads, schools, hospitals, airports) The NDM has also boosted renewable energy, tourism and improved the living conditions of local inhabitants who elect their local and national representatives, while those held in the Polisario-controled Tindouf camps, in southern Algeria, continue to suffer lamentable conditions. Convinced that investments and the economic development are the main drivers of growth, progress and prosperity, Morocco has launched several projects in renewable energies, fisheries, industry, ports, highways These projects prompt the interests of worldwide private investors as the Sahara has become gateway to Africa, offering to the Kingdoms strategic partners both proximity and privileged access to the African market. Last week, UK Oblin group announced plans to invest $100 billion in green energy projects to be carried out in the Saharan cities of Laayoune and Dakhla. According to Oblins CEO Brannan Tempest, the $100 bln investment will be used for the construction of a market-leading solar panel manufacturing plant, solar farm, and wind farm. The companys plans include the option to expand further with large-scale renewable energy generation that would be used for the manufacturing of Green Hydrogen and Green Liquid Ammonia. These projects will create several job opportunities in the Saharan region, living in peace and stability, key factors of attracting investors. The ruling Algerian junta has suffered another major diplomatic setback in St. Petersburg at the 2nd Russia-Africa summit after Moscow, Algerias ally, refused the participation of the Polisario, a phantom entity, in the high-profile international gathering. As they excluded the secessionists from the first Russia-Africa Summit in 2019, Russian authorities have not invited Algeria-backed separatist group to the second summit despite attempts made by the Algerian regime. Moscow stood firm, insisting that only sovereign African states recognized by the United Nations are allowed to participate. The humiliating decision of Russia comes few days after the visit paid by Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune to Moscow and his meeting with Vladimir Putin. During this trip, Tebboune showered his Russian peer with extolment and eulogy in a bid to gain support against the West but to no avail. The Algerian rulers, who are stuck in the Cold War era, fail to grasp the global geopolitical changes taking place, leading to a New World Order wherein Morocco is emerging as a new regional power. Today, Algeria has become more isolated than ever. It is snubbed even by its historical allies who are taking their distance from an oppressive, feckless, and corrupt junta, threatening regional peace and stability. The Algerian rulers should learn the lesson and understand that their propaganda and deceit are no longer working and the Polisario proxy war game is doomed to failure. Time has come to expel the Polisario from the African Union as its membership was purchased by the Algerian and Libyan petrodollars during the Cold War era. Russian president Vladimir Putin expressed, on Friday, at the 2nd Russia-Africa Summit, the wish to see Russian-Moroccan relations further strengthen and continue the momentum launched during the visit of King Mohammed VI to Russia in 2016. The Russian president commended, in a speech, King Mohammed VI, expressing the wish to see bilateral relations evolve and go in the same momentum as that launched during the Sovereigns visit to Russia in 2016. Referring to issues relating to food security in Africa and around the world, Putin praised the considerable measures taken by King Mohammed VI to ease global tensions over food products. Head of the Moroccan Government Aziz Akhannouch, who is representing King Mohammed VI at the Summit, said in an address at the first plenary session, that the Sovereign was the first to stress the need for a change of approach towards the African continent on the part of its traditional partners. He recalled, in this respect, that this orientation was expressed on several occasions, notably in the speech the King delivered at the opening of the Morocco-Cote dIvoire Economic Forum in 2014. The Sovereign had then stated that Africa does not need assistance so much as mutually profitable partnerships. Africa needs human and social development projects much more than it needs humanitarian aid. Akhannouch further reiterated Moroccos permanent attachment to its relations with various strategic partners, noting that the Kingdom has worked to diversify its strategic partnerships. The status and future of the African continent, in light of this royal vision, has become a key priority for Moroccos foreign policy, Akhannouch told the plenary session, which was attended by several African Heads of State and Government. This royal vision stems from the fact that Africa has enormous human and natural potential and legitimately aspires to define its role and interests independently and sovereignly in its relations with the rest of the world, he noted. Consequently, the countries of our continent have the right, in complete independence, to determine the nature of the strategic partnerships they wish to forge with the various international groupings and actors, in a manner that takes into account their vital interests. Referring to the excellent diplomatic relations existing between Morocco and Russia since the 18th century, the Head of Government noted that these relations have been considerably strengthened since the Kings visit to Moscow in 2016. During this visit, a deep strategic partnership was established, covering a wide range of areas of cooperation, including agriculture, energy, fisheries, science and technology, culture and higher education, he recalled. Akhannounch also pointed out that this Summit is taking place in a turbulent and uncertain international context, marked by instability and the escalation of conflicts and tensions in several regions of the world. In this context, he outlined the essential and fundamental constants that underpin Moroccos position in the face of the current crises. These include, he said, respect for the territorial integrity of United Nations Member States, compliance with the principles of international law and the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly, as well as the use of peaceful means to settle disputes and avoid the use of force. In this context, and in view of the challenges posed by the Ukrainian crisis to food and energy security, particularly on the African continent, the Kingdom of Morocco believes in the need to intensify efforts and encourage international and regional cooperation to meet the challenges of this crisis, remove obstacles and build a future capable of ensuring food and energy security for all countries on the continent, Akhannouch insisted. Israeli Arkia Airline Company will operate direct flights between Tel-Aviv and Essaouira starting next September under an agreement it signed Friday in Sale, near Rabat, with Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT). The new direct flight by Arkia Airlines will have a total capacity of 11,000 seats. Commenting the deal, ONMT Chief, Adel El Fakir, stressed the importance of the new Israeli direct flights for the Moroccan inbound tourism, saying the new route comes to meet a growing demand from Israeli market. For his part, Arkias Director Gad Tepper said he is upbeat over the pertinence and financial gains of the new airline service that will enable thousands of Israelis to travel to Essaouira to enjoy its popular historical sites. In 2022, nearly 75,000 Israeli tourists visited Morocco, up 87% compared to 2019. At the end of June 2023, some 39,000 Israeli travelers visited the North African Kingdom, a 35% increase compared with the same period of 2022. According to Moroccan Tourism Observatory, Israeli tourist arrivals soared by 146% during the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2019. Since the normalization of relations between Rabat & Tel Aviv in 2020 under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, visits and contacts between Moroccan and Israeli officials intensified, culminating with the signing of a series of cooperation accords in tourism, trade, industry, defense, cybersecurity, technology, scientific research, culture, agriculture, water, healthcare, security Algerias conspiracy theorists continue on a ridiculous trajectory taking aim this time at the UAE, whom they accused of hostile acts including supplying spy technology to Morocco and working together with Israel in the region. The Algerian military junta used Al khabar newspaper as a mouthpiece this time to spread the uncorroborated accusation against Abu Dhabi. The newspaper, citing unnamed sources, accused the UAE of lobbying for normal ties with Israel in the region by pressuring Mauritania to normalize ties with Tel Aviv. The hate campaigns by the UAEs regime took an official character that is beyond reason and that could sap official ties between the two countries due to the impact and scale of the hostile acts against Algeria led by Emirati officials who supplied Morocco with a potent spy software to be used against Algeria, said Al Khabar. In a military dictatorship, the press has been muzzled in Algeria and was reduced to a mouthpiece parroting the regime and expressing its stands on regional issues. The newspaper went on to blame the UAE for simmering havoc in the Sahel and dumping the country with drugs, without offering whatsoever evidence. Algerias conspiracy theories have usually centered on France, Morocco and Israel but it seems now that the UAE is added to the list as the regime seeks scapegoats to pin its woes on. Last June 20, Ennahar, another media outlet controlled by the military rulers in Algeria, said the country asked the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to leave the country after busting four Emirati spies working for the Mossad. The news was later dismissed as a fake by the foreign ministry and the communication minister was sacked as a scapegoat later, the same evening. The real reason however for the worsening ties between Abu Dhabi and Algiers are to be found in the growing relations between the UAE and Morocco at the defense cooperation level. The scale of the use of conspiracy theories in Algeria has extended to blame Israel for wildfires and Morocco for the demise of Algerian diplomacy as it receives blow after blow. The latest blow came from what was supposed to be its ally: Moscow, which gave Algiers a cold shower by refusing to invite the Polisario militias to an Africa-Russia summit. As the diplomatic and economic failure accentuates, so will the resort to conspiracy theories in Algeria. Morocco seeks to transform itself into a regional business hub by leveraging its geographically strategic location, political stability, and world-class infrastructure to expand as a regional manufacturing and export base for international companies, says U.S. latest report on global investment climate. The North African Kingdom actively encourages and facilitates foreign investment, particularly in export sectors like manufacturing, through positive macro-economic policies, trade liberalization, investment incentives, and structural reforms, underlines the 2023 report issued by the State Department Morocco implements strategies aimed at boosting employment, attracting foreign investment, and raising performance and output in key revenue-earning sectors, with an emphasis placed on value-added industries such as renewables, automotive, aerospace, textile, pharmaceuticals, outsourcing, and agro-industry, underlines the document. The country continues to make major investments in renewable energy and is on track to meet its stated goal of 52 percent total installed capacity by 2030, says the report, citing the Kingdoms ambition to increase the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption from 19.5 pc in 2021 to 40 pc by 2035. Opportunities for green investment include smart grids, green hydrogen, energy storage, and renewable energy. According to UNCTAD World Investment Report 2022, Morocco attracted the ninth-most foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa in 2021. Inbound FDI rose by 52 % in 2021 to $2.2 billion, vice $1.7 billion in 2020 and 2019 and a 2018 peak of $3.6 billion. France, the United Arab Emirates, and Spain hold a majority of FDI stocks. Manufacturing attracted the highest share of FDI stocks, followed by real estate, telecommunications, tourism, and energy and mines. Morocco continues to orient itself as the gateway to Africa, and expanded on this role with its return to the African Union in January 2017 and the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), which entered into force in 2021. In June 2019, Morocco opened an extension of the Tangier-Med commercial shipping port, making it the largest in Africa and the Mediterranean; the government is developing a third phase for the port which will increase capacity to five million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Tangier is connected to Moroccos political capital in Rabat and commercial hub in Casablanca by Africas first high-speed train service. In 2022, Morocco introduced a series of reforms to strengthen its anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing legislation, regulations, and criminal penalties to address the weaknesses identified when Morocco was placed on the Financial Action Task Forces (FATF) grey list of countries subjected to increased monitoring due to deficiencies in anti-money laundering and terrorist financing compliance in 2021. As a result of these reforms, in February 2023, Morocco was removed from the FATF grey list. Morocco has ratified 72 investment treaties for the promotion and protection of investments and 62 economic agreements, with several countries including the U.S. and most EU states, to avoid double taxation of income. The North African Kingdom is the only country on the African continent with a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the U.S., eliminating tariffs on more than 95 % of qualifying consumer and industrial goods. The FTA supports Moroccos goals to develop as a regional financial and trade hub, providing opportunities for the localization of services and the finishing and re-export of goods to markets in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. LINCOLN Plans to merge two central Nebraska power districts ground to a halt Friday after the board of one of the districts failed to muster enough votes to move forward with the controversial proposal. The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation Districts board voted 7-5 on Friday to approve a charter amendment and proceed with the merger with Dawson Public Power. But the 7-5 vote fell short of the eight-vote, super majority required in state law for such a merger. A leading opponent of the merger called Fridays vote a huge victory for everyone who depends on the water Central delivers. The vote means that control of the water will remain in Centrals hands, said Gary Robison, a farmer and president of Citizens Opposed to the Merger. Fridays vote drew an overflow crowd to the meeting in Holdrege. The Dawson districts board was scheduled to consider moving ahead with the merger next week, but it was unclear if it would still be considered. The Citizens, a group of irrigators served by Central Nebraska, had formed to block the merger, arguing that they would have less control over water deliveries that they rely on, and that there were no benefits to Central patrons. The two districts first announced plans to study a potential merger in November 2020. Studies indicated that creating a merged district, called the Platte River Public Power and Irrigation District, would cut costs, and would be an ideal marriage of one district that generated hydropower (Central) with one that provides electricity it to homes and businesses (Dawson). But the proposal had traveled a rocky road opponents filed a lawsuit, and then the State Power Review Board (which approves such mergers) rejected the proposal on a technicality. That forced the two districts to go back to the drawing board and once again vote to proceed with the merger. A delay in the vote earlier this month, to allow more talks with opponents, failed to quell critics, leading to the vote that fell short on Friday. Most recently, several groups voted to oppose the merger, including the county boards in Kearney and Phelps Counties, the Tri-Basin Natural Resources District, and economic development organizations in Phelps County and Holdrege, where Central is headquartered. Photo: SERGIO LIMA/AFP via Getty Images For Americans desperate for even-more UFO information than the testimony from intelligence whistleblower David Grusch this week, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has some good news. In a trip to Argentina on Thursday, NASA administrator Bill Nelson reiterated his agencys commitment to delivering a report on unidentified foreign objects next month. I decided as the head of NASA, since there are so many suspicions about aliens, that I would appoint a committee of very distinguished scientists, Nelson told reporters. That committee is deliberating, and they will make their report publicly next month. Now I can tell you in the meantime, until you hear the report, and they will consider using our scientific sensors in space in trying to determine this phenomenon. The agencys UFO panel includes 16 scientists and other space experts, like retired astronaut Scott Kelly. In June, NASA delivered its first public hearing on the matter. Not too much was new: They havent observed credible evidence of alien encounters and pilots often misdiagnose normal airborne objects (including Bart Simpson balloons) for off-world tech. But Nelsons statement that NASA is employing its sensors in space may be a new frontier for UFO researchers: The run-ins that other government agencies have investigated was all collected within Earths atmosphere. In an interview with the BBC, astrophysicist and NASAs UFO panel chair David Spergel said that he hopes citizen science can come into play to help pin down the origin of the few UFO encounters that cant be explained. Weve got three to four billion cell phones distributed around the planet, they take good pictures, and can record the local time, the GPS position, local magnetic fields, and gravitational fields, he said. Together with government radar, he noted that you can get multi-wavelength data and learn more about the properties of the object. And again, most of the time, as you get more data, it will turn out to be something conventional. But the exciting possibility is it [could be] something we dont understand. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. An assistant professor at Auburn University wants to shake up the technological ecosystem in Alabama with a new dry print process that could overturn conventional electronic printing and possibly revolutionize the Internet of Things. But first, Masoud Mahjouri-Samani has to impress the judges at Alabama Launchpad. The statewide business startup incubator will hold the final round of its 2023 competition here in Auburn on August 17. Mahjouri-Samanis company, NanoPrintek, is one of three local startups participating in the Alabama Launchpad final. The other two are VivoSphere, LLC, and Autonoma, Inc. Both NanoPrintek and VivoSphere are part of Auburn Universitys New Venture Accelerator program. NanoPrintek is competing in Alabama Launchpads concept phase competition. If he wins, Mahjouri-Samani will take home $25,000 in seed money and a whole lot of new support for his company. For me, its not about the money, its the access to a package of expertise, Mahjouri-Samani said. Very successful, very active people in the state are volunteering to help other businesses succeed. So Im having access to those experiences. For me, that is one of the biggest values that Im getting out of this. Mahjouri-Samani, an assistant professor in electrical engineering at Auburn, formed NanoPrintek in 2022. Instead of using traditional ink printing, he has created a dry print process that uses nanoparticles to create electrical components such as metals, ceramics, semiconductors, insulators, and composites. The process allows him to print electrical components like sensors, batteries, capacitors, antennas, and solar cells among other items. This is a unique technology that we are leading with in the world. And then we are located here at Auburn, Alabama, Mahjouri-Samani said. This will create a new ecosystem, not only for the economy, but also for education and the workforce. Mahjouri-Samani said his technology is sustainable, supply chain resilient and eco-friendly. He added that it would allow him to print contamination free, multi-material electronics on demand. All his machine needs is a source piece of material, say a gold ring. Put the ring in the printer, and it creates nanoparticles from the atoms in the ring. It then prints and sinters those particles onto any surface in real time. Mahjouri-Samani called his technology groundbreaking. The assistant Auburn professor says he believes his process will not only disrupt the printing world, but also be invaluable to the Internet of Things (IoT.) For anything to connect to the IoT, it requires electronic components. Mahjouri-Samani is providing a cheaper, faster way to create those components. Electronics are the heartbeat of the current society and also the backbone of the next generation, the next industry 4.0 he said. We are going to have Internet of Things. This means that every object will be made to be smart If you have that capability of print, then you can print all these things. You can basically drive the Internet of Things. Mahjouri-Samani was able to start NanoPrintek with the help of New Venture Accelerator, located in the Research and Innovation Center at Auburn. New Venture is the universitys incubator for new business ideas. Mahjouri-Samani said they help people who want to transition their research onto commercialization. New Venture Accelerator started working with me, he said. They encouraged me to open this startup, and then push the technology towards commercialization and make Alabama one of the highest tech places on the earth. For more on Mahjouri-Samanis work, visit nanoprintek.com Government officials showed their appreciation to local first responders on Thursday with a cookout at the Auburn Public Safety Building. Sen. Jay Hovey, R-Auburn, and Sen Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, hosted the cookout on Ross Street. Local law enforcement agencies, fire officials and paramedics gathered to enjoy food and each others company. The cookout was a part of the Alabama Forestry Associations Back the Blue Tour, which celebrates first responders efforts to serve and protect the community. Thursdays stop in Auburn was just one of many cookouts the organization has held across the state in support of police, fire, and EMS. We just saw that first responders werent getting the appreciation that they deserve, whether its the forestry commission fighting wildfires or police officers and firemen, said Anna Morgan Duke, AFAs grassroots coordinator. So we wanted to do something to show that were appreciative of them and what they do. Members of the AFA manned the grill and gave out free hamburgers, hotdogs, chips and drinks to grateful first responders. Hovey, who represents District 27, said the AFA initially presented the cookout idea to him and Lovvorn. The event was particularly important to them with the two elected officials served as firefighters for the City of Auburn from 1997 to 2021. Lovvorn retired from the department as battalion chief. Hovey called the cookout a chance for some laughs and pats on the back with the first responders. Its a good opportunity to celebrate what these guys do and are oftentimes unrecognized and certainly worthy to be celebrated, he said. Hovey said he believed the community was blessed to have an A+ public service department. We need to recognize that we do have that luxury to be able to go about our daily lives without having to worry about our health and safety, because we got such top tier service, he said. Lovvorn, who represents District 79, was thrilled to do something positive for the first responders. He referred to them as pillars of the community. As a retired firefighter, he knows first-hand what a simple lunch could do to lift first responders spirits. He said he worked with some amazing people during his time of service. Were just honored to have this opportunity today and enjoy visiting with the guys and gals and thanking them for their service, he said. I know a lot of these people. Firsthand, I have been through a lot of good days and some not-so-good days with them and some rough nights. Its good to just visit with them today and talk with them and just tell them thank you. The AFA began its Back the Blue Tour in 2021. They partner with local officials for the first responders cookouts in each town they go to. They held 16 cookouts in 2022 and 15 in 2021. Duke said they have covered Alabama from Mobile County to Dekalb County. The goal is to host a cookout in every county in the state. We do this to thank them and show that we support them and their families, and everything they go through Duke said. Theyre the front line of everything that goes on here in Alabama. We need their support, and they need our support. AFA is a membership organization comprised of forest products companies, landowners, loggers, wood suppliers, foresters, and others with a stake in Alabamas forest economy. It maintains a favorable political, regulatory and legal environment for landowners to grow trees. It also provide an environment for forest business owners to manage their operations profitably and sustainably. Not really related to the strike stuff but what a horrible list of movies. Who actually wants to see the third sequel to anything? Reply Thread Link isn't the spiderverse franchise pretty solid? I didn't see the second one bc when I was a teacher I played the first one multiple times and it gave me a headache but I still liked it and thought it was good~ Reply Parent Thread Link Millions of us like Spiderverse. Hundreds like venom. Reply Parent Thread Link trilogies are pretty common in movies lol. lord of the rings, the mighty ducks, blade, spider-man, the matrix, the dark knight, star wars, back to the futurethe list goes on Reply Parent Thread Link Are any of the those third movies really worth watching? After the first sequel, youve kind of gone through almost all of the interesting stuff. Reply Parent Thread Link Return of the King (the third) is my favorite in the series. I didnt see BttF 3 until about 15 years ago but its better than the second IMO. Reply Parent Thread Link uhm yeh? in the case of lotrs the 3rd lit finishes up the story, if you've not watched it then you won't know how it ends lol Reply Parent Thread Link I tried watching the first two and they were both really boring Reply Parent Thread Link Is Return of the King, the story's literal ending, worth watching? Really? Reply Parent Thread Link this person is just walking around wondering whether frodo ever managed to get to mordor or not lol Reply Parent Thread Link lol I've been looking forward to dune II all year so it's gonna be sad when it's inevitably moved I hate these greedy bastards omg Reply Thread Link Screw the film, I was looking forward to the carpet and all that is involved. I'll get over it. Reply Parent Thread Link This is why I'm kind of hoping it's delayed lol. I want to see all the red carpet lewks. Reply Parent Thread Link oops i edited the post since sandstorm posted the sony news already! pretend this was always mostly about the emmys Reply Thread Link Sad about the Emmys, not gonna lie Reply Thread Link My brother was nominated in one of the sound categories and the whole family was so excited because it would be on one of the nationally televised shows. But the AMPTP are a bunch of turds who dont care about art. Reply Thread Link Congrats to him! Reply Parent Thread Link Wow, thats an amazing achievement! Reply Parent Thread Link Congratulations from this Internet person! Reply Parent Thread Link Lol I wanna see how this affects the Oscars!! I could see more of a resistance there cause art~ Reply Thread Link Lol, this sucks but is also like, the least offensive thing he's done by a country mile. Reply Thread Link True but this will unfortunately get more outrage from his peers. Reply Parent Thread Link Yup. Him being seen as a scab is going to be perceived as much much worse than him abusing his family by the Hollywood elite. Its gross and awful. Reply Parent Thread Link Good point bb! Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah I was gonna say, there are other non-union projects that are still filming... Reply Parent Thread Link Postponing the production was a massive call, especially financially, but Brad has listened to the concerns of the people he works with and wants to show his support what a mensch Edited at 2023-07-29 05:30 pm (UTC) what a mensch Reply Thread Link I bet hes pissed that he had to stop his dumb movie. Reply Thread Link Seeing as how hes in desperate need of cash for his never ending lawsuits that are shockingly still getting worse (being sued for $350 million and being investigated for tax fraud in France!!), its not a bold assumption to assume hes pissed when this man has been booking projects and selling whatever he can left and right to pay his lawyers. Reply Parent Thread Link Ohhh TIL. I'm so happy to hear this Reply Parent Thread Link Yes, get him, France! Reply Parent Thread Link He just got his new facelift and now he cant even show it off! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link How else is he going to pay his lawyers and PR people to keep abusing Angelina in court and in the public? Reply Parent Thread Link I love how much Lainey hates Brad Pitt lol. Brad has listened to the concerns of the people he works with AKA people thought it was shady but Brad wouldn't care if it weren't making him look bad Reply Thread Link Does she actually? Reply Parent Thread Link that's my impression at least Reply Parent Thread Link totally Reply Parent Thread Link She does. Shes careful how she talks about him but shes definitely Team Angelina. Shes constantly providing unflattering facts when her talk show cohosts fawn over him. Reply Parent Thread Link I feel like only the comment section on ontd hated Brad Reply Parent Thread Link Pitt's nemesis, interesting. I never followed either of them so I didn't realize there's bad blood between Pitt and Cruise. Looked it up and found an article with this quote: "A lot of people don't realize this, but Brad and Tom competed for so many roles; it was actually ridiculous. Their rivalry is one of the industry's best-kept secrets." Reply Thread Link I guess I assumed that they were fine since they did Interview together but that does make a lot of sense Reply Parent Thread Link Pitt is constantly in a one sided drama where hes angry or perceives other people as threats to him. Hes a very insecure man. Likewise he also occasionally enters one side relationships, where his PR announces how happy he is with someone only for the rumored girlfriend to deny it or be married to someone else. Some friendships as well as I recall where hell say hes besties with some other a listers only for them to say oh yeah we worked or talked that one time havent spoken much since As a result Id guess he sure sees Cruise as his enemy but cruise probably reading his Scientology books not giving pitt much thought. Reply Parent Thread Link Damn I wish there was an expose on this I want the goods Reply Parent Thread Link quinzl13 It seems like a one-sided rivalry, likesaid. He made some snide comments about Cruise after IWTV (Cruise's work ethic/attention to details/reading of the entire books before filming seemed to piss him off), but Cruise doesn't seem to think much about him at all. Reply Parent Thread Link Lol Tom preparing for the role and doing basic homework pissed off brad? Hilarious Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Brad has always struck me as petty and insecure. Hes always taken slight shots at Tom. I forgot which user it was but I remember someone mentioned a few years ago that Brad was a bit jealous of the attention Tom got on set during interview with the vampire. Tom was pretty much golden boy on set and everyone loved him while Brad wanted some attention too and didnt get it as much. The user also mentioned that hed get a bit more pissy when Nicole Kidman visited the set cause then the crews loved even more lol. Edited at 2023-07-29 06:58 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Brad wants his own "Top Gun II" and is running out of time, hence this F1 movie. I'm pretty sure there is no feud and if, it's one sided, TC does not care at all. He's busy being the biggest movie star in the world while Brad tries to find a woman to date who does not deny knowing him. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link The burning question I have now: does Tom Cruise send one of his special cakes to Brad Pitt every year because he's completely unaware of this rivalry? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Such a paragon of virtue. Reply Thread Link ...and there it is, the story he was trying to distract from with the new girlfriend article yesterday. Reply Thread Link Pitts a piece of shit but I feel like we should put a disclaimer on strike posts sourced from Penske, they have an agenda here. Pitt sucks to be sure but Deadline is another AMPTP-affiliated Penske property and this is just more strike-breaking shit-stirring. Theyve been running this story on other outlets of theirs ( https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/2817681/brad-pitt-formula-one-movie-actors-strike/ ) for a couple of days.Pitts a piece of shit but I feel like we should put a disclaimer on strike posts sourced from Penske, they have an agenda here. Reply Thread Link I mean, this courtesy wasn't given to Cruise for asking for an exemption in June, before the strike, to promote his finished film- he was dragged (and rightfully so for declining to jump in the picket line at SAG's request). Pitt was actively filming after a strike was called so why is he given a courtesy for doing something worse to the strike than what Cruise got criticized for? Reply Parent Thread Link I *think* it's a little more complicated. Earlier reports stated that Brad stopped filming, but that shoots continued with all the non-SAG-AFTRA crew. E.g. British stunt performers who are not part of the Union. Lainey's bestie Celebitchy posted about it and edited her initial post in which she called the performers "Scabs" after it was pointed out to her that they weren't even in a position where they were allowed to strike because of British labor laws. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link True but you can't break a strike if members of the union aren't actually striking. Ie Brad Pitt et al were scabbing not striking. But ita re Penske. Edited at 2023-07-29 07:26 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link ia, Jerry Bruckheimer was at the race, acting like they were hard-done by the strike, when in reality its just that Brad wasnt filming. Brad should be pushing the other producers, but at the same time, he doesnt get top billing on that list, Jerry Bruckheimer is gonna do what he wants, and theyre deliberately creating this controversy (while acting like the strike had them at a stand-still.) Reply Parent Thread Link nbc news said he stopped filming the day the strike started, so this would technically be him acting in his capacity as a producer if he isnt actively filming. the framing of this makes it sound like he was scabbing as a SAG member when that wasnt the case Edited at 2023-07-29 09:38 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Fucking disgusting Reply Thread Link Hollywoods Muskrat and Zuck maybe someone can arrange for a fight so these two geriatrics can take each other out Reply Thread Link I'm guessing Muskrat is Pitt and Zuck is Cruise since Muskrat turns everything to shit and then gets all pissy about it. Zuck is probably more evil but he seems to be known to have a work ethic. Reply Parent Thread Link f1 is on summer break after this weekend anyway Reply Thread Link they stopped filming 2 weeks ago btw https://formula.hu/parc-ferme/36084 not that it makes a difference. Reply Thread Link https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/38046714/brad-pitt-f1-movie-filming-hungarian-gp-strike?platform=amp https://twitter.com/f1newslive_/status/1682773990006312960?s=20 actually they were fliming at the Hungarian race last weekend. There's videos of the car racing and the stand in actor they used all over twitter. Reply Parent Thread Link ugh that's scummy of them, then. cancelling then starting again and then cancelling. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah Lainey and I think celebitchy were remarking on the filming/scabbing. Reply Thread Link He did the bare minimum because he got caught? Sounds like Pitt. Reply Thread Link As the electric vehicles (EV) car market booms, automakers are looking to expand their ranges to include electric trucks. Consumer interest in electric trucks has been about as strong as the offering, limited due to the low distance range and long recharging times involved. However, several car manufacturers now have big plans to bring impressive new electric truck models to the market over the next year in a bid to reach a broader market. This month, production started on EV giant Teslas Cybertruck, almost three years after the announcement that the automaker planned to produce a pickup truck model. The Cybertruck will be produced in Teslas Gigafactory in Austin, Texas and a first glimpse of the truck was provided by CEO Elon Musk when he released footage driving around the city. The Giga Texas facility is built on 2,500 acres, with 10 million square feet of manufacturing space. So far, Tesla says its received reservations for over 1.5 million Cybertrucks, costing just $100 per reservation. The projected number of sales is therefore uncertain at present. Despite leading in the world of EVs, Tesla is now catching up to the truck offerings of other automakers, such as Fords F-150 Lightening. Ford began producing its EV truck in 2021, receiving positive consumer interest and good reviews to date. Other big truck makers, including Rivian, GMC, and RAM, also have plans to release highly-competitive electric truck models, meaning the long-awaited Cybertruck will have a lot to prove. The final price of the truck has not been released yet, although it was originally expected to be sold at $39,900 for the single-motor variant and around $70,000 for the three-motor option. There were also rumours that the pickup might be built using bullet-proof glass. With production well underway, Ford uses the same model as the best-selling vehicle on the North American market for the last four decades for its first electric pickup offering, the F-150. Tens of thousands of people across the U.S. have made reservations for the truck since 2021. Ford claims it has a range of 320 miles, with capabilities of powering other equipment, such as tools, and the ability to tow 4.5 tonnes. It will cost consumers anywhere between $60,000 and $100,000. And its not only well-known automakers that are getting in on the competition, with many start-ups developing new, innovative lines of EVs. U.S. consumers may opt for the Rivian R1T, a model thats currently in production by start-up Rivian. The truck is expected to achieve a range of around 300 miles and is capable of 0-60 mph in around 3 seconds. It is also thought to be able to move through over 90cm of water and tow up to 5 tonnes. The pickup will cost buyers around $73,000. Rivian is also producing a 7-seat version of the SUV. Alternatively, Telo, a U.S.-based start-up, thinks it can offer consumers something different with its small modular electric truck. Telo claims its truck has Toyota Tacoma capability, but is around the same size as a Mini Cooper, at 152 inches. As it has no engine, the truck is made more compact, with batteries stored in the floor and motors. The Telo can accelerate from 0-60 mph in around 4 seconds, has a top speed of 125 mph, and has a range of around 350 miles. The company uses space wisely, meaning despite being compact it can seat five passengers or be rearranged to carry heavy and bulky items. Right now, the Telo is still in the prototype phase, but it could provide a blueprint for the future of electric trucks, something more practical and compact with all the capabilities of a traditional pickup. While U.S. automakers are rising fast in the world of EV trucks, they are once again facing staunch competition from Asia. Several Chinese car manufacturers many of which are already leading in the EV market have announced plans to release electric trucks that could compete with offerings from well-known automakers. Chinese company the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group announced this month that the first batch of its Radar RD6 EV pickup truck is now ready for export. The Geely Group is the parent company and co-owners of several major car brands including Volvo, Polestar, ZEEKr, and Lotus. The RD6 starts at a much more affordable $25,000, with China continuing to lead on lost-cost EVs. Geely expects to roll out a whole range of electric lifestyle vehicles, including pickup trucks, SUVs, and ATVs in the coming years. With Tesla expected to bring its Cybertruck to the market within the next year, consumers are increasingly looking to the future of electric trucking. Several major U.S. automakers have already started producing their electric truck ranges and smaller start-ups are not far behind. To add to the competition, China continues to surprise the auto world by producing impressive EV models at much lower prices than their American counterparts, suggesting the Chinese hold on the U.S. EV market could grow over the next decade. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: NEW YORK The day after Jan. 6, 2021, then-President Donald Trump denounced the rioters who violently stormed the Capitol building, breaking through barricades, battling law enforcement and sending members of Congress who were set to formally certify his reelection loss running for their lives. Like all Americans, I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem," he said in a video, condemning what he called a heinous attack." That condemnation was delayed and offered only amid widespread criticism including from fellow Republicans for his role in sparking the mayhem. But 2 years later, any sign of regret or reprimand from Trump has vanished as he prepares to face federal criminal charges for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Now the early but commanding front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Trump regularly downplays the violence, lionizes the rioters as patriots and spreads false claims about who was involved. He has not only vowed to pardon a large portion of Jan. 6 defendants if he wins a second term, but he has also fundraised for them, befriended their families and collaborated on a song that became a surprise iTunes hit. They were there proud, they were there with love in their heart. And it was a beautiful day, Trump said at a recent CNN town hall. When asked if he had any regrets about his actions that day, Trump voiced no remorse and instead seemed most concerned about the lack of attention paid to his crowd size. Jan. 6: It was the largest crowd I've ever spoken to, he said. Trump was always reluctant to condemn the actions of supporters spurred by his lies of a stolen election. As the violence unfolded, Trump ignored the desperate pleas of aides and allies to denounce the rioters and ask them to stand down. And when he did speak out, hours later, his response was tepid: He said he loved the rioters and shared their pain. Trump's evolution began at a time when he was garnering relatively little mainstream media coverage. And it echoed the efforts of some Republicans in Congress, who had tried to recast the mob as nonviolent despite reams of video footage, public testimony and accounts from members of Congress, journalists and Capitol Police officers, 140 of whom were injured that day. It also coincided with a broader shift in public opinion. Polling from Monmouth University showed that between March and November 2021, Republicans grew increasingly likely to say the anger that led to the Capitol attack was justified, with 54% saying the anger was either fully or partially justified in the fall up from 40% that spring. The Pew Research Center also found that, between March and September 2021, Republicans grew less likely to say it was important for law enforcement agencies to find and prosecute the rioters. Only 57% said that it was very or somewhat important in the fall, down from about 8 in 10 six months earlier. That March, in an interview with Fox News Channels Laura Ingraham, Trump claimed the rioters had posed zero threat to the lawmakers who had assembled in the Capitol to certify the Electoral College vote even though the mob tried to breach the House chamber. Look, they went in they shouldnt have done it. Some of them went in, and they're hugging and kissing the police and the guards, you know, they had a great relationship, he said. In fact, many of the protesters violently clashed with police as they stormed the building, smashing windows and ramming through doors. Some brandished weapons; others wore tactical gear. Dozens of officers were severely injured. By that time, many of Trump's supporters had already painted Ashli Babbitt, one of five people who died during or immediately after the riot, as a martyr unjustly killed by police, Babbitt was fatally shot by an officer while trying to climb through the broken window of a barricaded door as Capitol Police scrambled to evacuate members. That summer, Trump began to publicly demand the release of the shooter's identity, despite the officer being cleared of wrongdoing by two federal investigations. Who shot Ashli Babbitt? Trump asked repeatedly. Trump called Babbitt an innocent, wonderful, incredible woman" in an interview with Fox News and described his supporters that day in glowing terms, claiming that there had been a love fest between the Capitol police and the people that walked down to the Capitol. They were peaceful people. These were great people. The crowd was unbelievable, he said. And I mentioned the word love. The love the love in the air, I've never seen anything like it. That fall, Trump taped a video that was played at an event commemorating what would have been Babbitt's birthday in which he demanded justice" for her and her family. In January 2022, Trump first publicly dangled the prospect of pardons for the Jan. 6 defendants at a rally in Texas. If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly, he told the crowd. And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly. At that point, more than 670 people had been convicted of crimes related to the attack, including some found guilty of seditious conspiracy and assaulting police officers. In September 2022, Trump told conservative radio host Wendy Bell that he was helping some of the defendants, though aides declined at the time to elaborate or say how much he had contributed. I'm financially supporting people that are incredible, and they were in my office actually two days ago. It's very much on my mind, he said. Its a disgrace what theyve done to them. ... Contributions should be made. Days later, Trump held a rally in Pennsylvania that included remarks from Cynthia Hughes, the founder of the Patriot Freedom Project, whose nephew was convicted for storming the Capitol. Geri Perna, whose nephew died by suicide while awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to riot-related charges, also spoke. Later that month, the former president called into a small rally held outside a Washington jail where Jan. 6 defendants have been held, led by Micki Witthoeft, Babbitts mother. Were with you. Were working with a lot of different people on this. And we cant let this happen, he said via a cellphone held up to a microphone. Trump's support has only intensified since he formally launched his third campaign. Earlier this year, he collaborated on Justice for All, a song that features a choir of Jan. 6 defendants singing The Star-Spangled Banner, recorded over a prison phone line and overlaid with Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Trump featured the song at the first official rally of his 2024 campaign, standing with his hand on his heart as a music video featuring violent footage of the riot played behind him on two giant screens. In June, he spoke at a Patriot Freedom Project fundraiser to support the defendants that was held at his Bedminster, New Jersey, club. Music to Trump's ears: Whitewashing Jan. 6 riot with song The song is simple and tinny, but that hasn't stopped it from being embraced by former President Donald Trump and his allies in their campaign to rewrite the history of the deadly Capitol riot. They've been made to pay a price that is very unfair, in many cases, he said. An Associated Press review of social media posts, voter registrations, court files and other public records found that the mob was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including GOP officials, donors and far-right militants. But that hasn't stopped Trump from falsely claiming that others were responsible for the attack, including antifa and Black Lives Matter. Last weekend on his social media site, Trump amplified messages claiming that Jan. 6 had been a staged riot orchestrated by the government. Trump was still in charge of the government at the time. States where the most Jan. 6 rioters were arrested States where the most Jan. 6 rioters were arrested #49. Mississippi #48. Nebraska #47. Hawaii #46. Rhode Island #45. Vermont #44. New Mexico #43. South Dakota #42. Alaska #41. Louisiana #40. Nevada #39. New Hampshire #38. Connecticut #37. Arkansas #36. Maine #35. Montana #34. Delaware #33. Oregon #32. Idaho #31. Oklahoma #30. Iowa #29. Kansas #28. West Virginia #27. Wisconsin #26. Minnesota #25. Utah #24. Arizona #23. Massachusetts #22. Maryland #21. South Carolina #20. Alabama #19. Indiana #18. Colorado #17. Kentucky #16. North Carolina #15. Georgia #14. Michigan #13. Washington #12. Missouri #11. New Jersey #10. Tennessee #9. Washington, D.C. #8. Illinois #7. Virginia #6. Ohio #5. California #4. New York #3. Pennsylvania #2. Texas #1. Florida NORTH PLATTE, Neb. The University of Nebraska Medical Center and Great Plains Health signed an affiliation agreement this week that will bring medical students to North Platte. Students at UNMC will be given the opportunity to take their learned classroom skills into real-life situations at Great Plains Health as they work toward completing their education. With physician and nursing shortages across the United States, the groundbreaking agreement will address one aspect to help students attain their goals. UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey Gold and new Dean of Nursing Lepaine Sharp-McHenry were in North Platte for the signing of the agreement. Literally after months of work and years of spectacularly successful collaboration, we signed a master affiliation agreement with Great Plains Health, Gold said. Its a big deal, and I might add that actually of these new umbrella agreement arrangements that we have developed, literally hot off the press, this was the first one that we have signed. In a statement later Wednesday, GPH CEO Ivan Mitchell said, Today demonstrates our commitment to further enhancing our partnership with UNMC so that we can serve our community and build this critical workforce. We appreciate any opportunity to streamline processes that create meaningful clinical experiences for students in Greater Nebraska. Gold said the agreement will help to increase educational experiences for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, therapists and a host of health profession students. Those students will be offered the opportunity to obtain some of their clinical experiences at Great Plains Health, Gold said. Gold said the university has had a number of successful clinical rotation programs previously with GPH. Mel McNea (former CEO at GPH) and I and Lepaines predecessor, Julie Sebastian, put together a number of very successful programs, Gold said. But think of them as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and this agreement brings all those pieces together into a beautiful landscape. Frankly, it will allow us to add pieces over a period of time. Discussions include adding more surgical training, pediatrics training and different types of nursing programs at Great Plains Health. He said the plan is to cultivate similar agreements with other hospitals in Nebraska as well as other states. Our highest and most important focus is in Nebraska, Gold said. This agreement, Gold said, would bolster the medical workforce. At the end of the day, there are only a limited number of things that determine what the future of the health professional workforce is going to be, he said. Of course, you need the substrate. You need the young women and young men who want a career in the health profession. Next is the need for the accredited educational programs, the colleges and universities that provide the faculty and staff, classrooms and simulation. Then you need the clinical experience, Gold said. You need bedside experience, operative experience, emergency experience, and labor and delivery experience. The final step is based on that clinical experience, Gold said, so young women and young men who graduate from those programs want to stay in that community. That is to say, they have to be made to feel welcome, Gold said, so thats what (the hospitals) want to sell. Sharp-McHenry said one of the things the UNMC College of Nursing works to achieve in its programs is getting those students into the clinical placements that Gold described. What weve found is that the more clinical experiences and those times that students spend in the hospitals, Sharp-McHenry said, the higher chance theyre going to choose those places to work after graduation. We really try to work with our clinical partners to open up those clinical opportunities, and this master affiliation agreement will do just that. BLOOMINGTON The Illinois Soybean Association elected new leadership Thursday during its annual meeting in Champaign. Ron Kindred was named chairman after having served as ISA vice chairman for the last two years. Kindred is from Atlanta and farms with his wife, Jayne, and son Jay, growing soybeans and corn. He is a previous ISA director and has served the association for 13 years, including as vice president, secretary and legislative chairman. Kindred has also participated in several committees for the association. Kindred was previously the chairman of the Illinois Soybean Growers SoyPac and a soy advocate for the growers' Voice for Soy program. He represented Illinois on the American Soybean Association board and served as both vice president and secretary for the group. He is active with the Illinois Farm Bureau and served as president of East Lincoln Farmers Grain Co-op and Atlanta Township trustee. Other elected members of the Illinois Soybean Association's executive committee include Brad Daugherty, vice chairman; Tim Scates, secretary; Bryan Severs, treasurer; Dwayne Anderson, assistant secretary treasurer; Steve Pitstick, government relations committee chair; Brian Atteberry, market development committee chair; and Brady Holst, soybean production chair. ISA has a total board of 18 district directors and six at-large directors from throughout the state, working on behalf of Illinois soybean producers and representing more than 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois. Visit ilsoy.org/board-of-directors for more information. Photos: Wednesday during the McLean County Fair BLOOMINGTON A Bloomington man could face up to 60 years in prison after entering a guilty plea in a McLean County sexual assault case involving a minor. Wilmer Marquez Ayala, 36, pleaded guilty before Judge William Yoder on Friday to one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim under 13 years old. The other charges, including six counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor family member and two additional counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim under 13, were dismissed. As a Class X felony, Marquez Ayala could face a minimum of six and a maximum of 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The charge is eligible for mandatory supervised release of at least three years or up to life after he serves 85% of his prison sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sept. 8. Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson Davis, Micah S Livingston, Joshua D. Kevin L. Ewen Emmanuel K. Mpay Ahmad S. Manns Dylan R Mann Tony L. Jackson William R. Linden Zadek U. Moen Zachary T. Willis Cecily M. Sexton Tonisha A. Jackson James A. McConnaughay Jessica M. Longberry Barry D. Guyton Keon E. Spiller Melina Aguilar Carlos D. Cregan Wayne M. Damron Terrance L. Ford Stanley M. Miller Darryl R. Vinson Jarvis K. Heads Wesley M. Noonan Brad Carter Brian K. Burnett Kenneth D. Downey Kenyon J. Bones BLOOMINGTON A 34-year-old Farmer City man is facing his third charge for driving under the influence. Santiago C. Martinez is charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration level of .208 (Class 2 felony) and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence when his driving privileges were revoked (Class 4 felony). Assistant's State's Attorney Mark Messman said in court Friday that McLean County sheriff's deputies responded to a report around 9:30 p.m. Thursday of a vehicle hitting another car in a parking lot and driving away. Officers pulled over the vehicle Martinez was driving and he admitted to officers that he had been drinking, Messman said. According to court documents, Martinez was previously charged with driving under the influence in 2009 and 2021. His bond was set at $30,000 with 10% and additional fees to apply for release. An arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 18. Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson Davis, Micah S Livingston, Joshua D. Kevin L. Ewen Emmanuel K. Mpay Ahmad S. Manns Dylan R Mann Tony L. Jackson William R. Linden Zadek U. Moen Zachary T. Willis Cecily M. Sexton Tonisha A. Jackson James A. McConnaughay Jessica M. Longberry Barry D. Guyton Keon E. Spiller Melina Aguilar Carlos D. Cregan Wayne M. Damron Terrance L. Ford Stanley M. Miller Darryl R. Vinson Jarvis K. Heads Wesley M. Noonan Brad Carter Brian K. Burnett Kenneth D. Downey Kenyon J. Bones Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson Davis, Micah S Livingston, Joshua D. Kevin L. Ewen Emmanuel K. Mpay Ahmad S. Manns Dylan R Mann Tony L. Jackson William R. Linden Zadek U. Moen Zachary T. Willis Cecily M. Sexton Tonisha A. Jackson James A. McConnaughay Jessica M. Longberry Barry D. Guyton Keon E. Spiller Melina Aguilar Carlos D. Cregan Wayne M. Damron Terrance L. Ford Stanley M. Miller Darryl R. Vinson Jarvis K. Heads Wesley M. Noonan Brad Carter Brian K. Burnett Kenneth D. Downey Kenyon J. Bones PALOS PARK Palos Park Police Officer Ryan Franczak was tubing down the Salt River in Arizona while on a family vacation earlier this month when he rescued an older gentleman from drowning. "It didn't phase me that much," Franczak, 31, said. "It almost felt natural." Franczak said he and his wife went tubing July 8 with four family members, tying their tubes together. They started floating about 8:30 a.m., but he said the water depth and current changed rapidly. About three hours into the trip, Franczak said there the current really picked up at a bend in the river. That's when someone shouted, he said. "I heard someone say 'he's gone,' and I dive straight into the water. I didn't even take a breath before jumping in," Franczak said. Franczak said he felt around, keeping his eyes closed so he wouldn't lose his contacts, and felt the man's leg. Franczak said he was able to get ahold of his torso and bring him to the surface. One of Franczak's family members jumped in to help him, he said. They were able to bring the man, who was in his 60s or 70s, to shore and sat with him for about 30 minutes as he caught his breath to ensure he was doing well. "We were able to tell he was OK," Franczak said. The man's family contacted Palos Park Police Chief Joe Miller to let him know about Franczak's rescue. "Officer Ryan Franczak's heroic actions truly represent the mission and values of the Palos Park Police Department and the mantra shared among all police officers that we are never truly off duty," Palos Park police Commissioner Dan Polk said in a statement. Palos Park Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters said it was an honor to recognize police officers. "They work for us every single day to protect our citizens in this community, and to see the outstanding work that each and every one of them do, even off duty, required we all pause to say thank you," Milovich-Walters said. Photos: Pritzker sworn in for second term CHICAGO The 15-year-old Smoke-Free Illinois Act, which makes most indoor public spaces off-limits for smoking, now governs electronic cigarettes as well after Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed into law a measure that was approved with bipartisan support in the spring legislative session. Illinoisans deserve to enjoy public spaces without being exposed unwillingly to secondhand vapor and other electronic cigarettes byproducts, Pritzker said in a statement. Now, e-cigarettes and vapes will qualify under existing anti-smoking laws, reducing air pollution and making a more accessible, healthy Illinois. The act bans smoking in public spaces including a portion of any building or vehicle used by and open to the public. There are limited exceptions, including an exemption for the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont during meetings of tobacco manufacturers and suppliers. Until Friday, these restrictions did not apply to electronic nicotine products such as e-cigarettes, e-hookahs or vape pens. E-cigarettes have become especially popular with young people for many reasons, including the variety of flavors and the lack of stigma associated with the product. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, most e-cigarette users do not consider themselves to be smokers. While cigarette smoking has declined dramatically among Illinois high school students, between 2016 and 2018 e-cigarette use in Illinois increased from 18.4% to 26.7% among high school seniors, the IDPH reports. E-cigarettes pose a significant health risk, IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement. Banning indoor use of these devices sends a strong message that e-cigarettes are not a safe alternative to smoking. Earlier this year, the city of Chicago reached a $23.8 million settlement with Juul Labs over claims that the e-cigarette company aimed its vaping products at an underage market. The city had banned the sale of flavored liquid nicotine products in 2020, and Cook County followed suit earlier this year. While e-cigarettes, with their sleek design and the fact that they do not require a flame, are often seen as less offensive to smoke e-cigarettes in public, the smoke still threatens the respiratory system of bystanders. Secondhand smoke from e-cigarettes has been linked to everything from asthma attacks to heart and lung disease, Joel Africk, president and CEO of Respiratory Health Association, said in a statement after Pritzker signed the legislation. The governor and General Assembly should be congratulated for expanding the Smoke-Free Illinois law and protecting the health of everyone in Illinois. Anyone who is caught using an e-cigarette in a public place in violation of the Smoke-Free Illinois Act can be fined $100 for the first offense and $250 for the subsequent offenses. The owners of the place where the person violates the law could be on the hook for a $500 penalty at first and $2,500 for all subsequent violations for the next year. E-cigarettes have become more prevalent, but they are not harmless, Democratic Rep. Camille Lilly of Chicago, who sponsored the bill, said in a statement. Lets continue to do what we can to reduce smoking, create cleaner indoor public places and produce healthier outcomes for everyone. Photos: Pritzker sworn in for second term Information gathered that there's an uneasy tension in the Consolidated Bank of Ghana (CBD) over the appointment of a Kenyan, Thairu Ndungu as Deputy Managing Director-Operations CBG. CBG is an Indigenous Ghanaian Universal Bank wholly owned by the Government of Ghana and licensed by the Bank of Ghana under the Specialized Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2013 (Act 930). With a corporate head office located in Accra, Ghanas capital and largest city, CBG has about 114 branches spanning 13 regions across the country. It would be recalled that a few days ago, the NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga Central in Upper East Region who doubles as the Deputy Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Finance, HonIsaac Adongo in an interview with Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) said CBD is now a national disgrace - "CBD today is a symbol of National embarrassment". Mr Adongo is demanding the immediate removal of the Kenyan who he alleged is been paid an expatriate salary which according to him is an unnecessary cost to the nation. The NDC MP's concerns over the appointment of the Deputy Managing Director of Operations have attracted the overwhelming support of many bankers as well as key leading members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). The leading members of NPP and some bankers who spoke to This Paper under the condition of anonymity to avoid politicization of the issue have all called on the President, Nana Akufo-Addo to urgently intervene to remove the Kenyan from his post and appoint one out of many Ghanaians who equally qualified for the same position. According to them, it is an insult and indictment on the part of the Government to look unconcerned without immediately addressing the issue to allow it to escalate. "It's our own interest to address this matter as soon as possible before it gets out of hand. This is not NPP and NDC usual politics", a furious Leading member of NPP stated. Adding that some of these mistakes of our government led by Nana Addo are avoidable and I wish it's resolved as soon as possible THAIRU NDUNGU is Deputy Managing Director Operations of Consolidated Bank Ghana. Thairu has a BSC in Mathematics and a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science, both from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. However, despite the above experience many concerned bankers, and leading politicians including NDC and NPP believed the country has many more than qualified Ghanaians who could be given the source. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Announcer GH (@theannouncergh) Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Democrats killed a Republican bill that bans flying flags other than the American flag on government buildings. It comes after conservatives slammed President Joe Biden for the display of the Progress Pride Flag at the White House. Ban of Non-American Flags on Government Buildings According to Fox News Online, Senate Democrats successfully thwarted a Republican-backed bill to ban the flying of non-American flags on government buildings. The Republican-sponsored legislation, tabled under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sought to limit the display of foreign flags on federal properties, post offices, courthouses, and other government-used structures. Sen. Roger Marshall, Republican, proposed the ban as an amendment to the NDAA. The conservative legislator cited concern about preserving American heritage and upholding national pride. Marshall argued on the Senate floor that "it would be right and proper that... on the grounds owned by we the people, that only one flag... the one flag that represents this idea of America, should be unfurled." Despite that, the Republican measure still carries some exemptions. The ban excludes a few flags, such as the POW/MIA flag, other US state flags, and foreign diplomat flags, to name a few. However, the bill faced strong opposition from Democrats, who vehemently argued against it. Leading the charge against the GOP's proposal, Senate Democrats passionately voiced their concerns on the Senate floor, championing inclusivity, tolerance, and the rich tapestry of America's multicultural fabric. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Democrat, says on the Senate floor, "[Let us] be clear that that is about not being able to fly the Pride flag. Wisconsin's first woman Senator stresses that "LGBTQ+ Americans are our neighbors, our loved ones, our constituents, and our colleagues." On top of that, she pointed out that LGBTQ+ people "serve in our armed forces and federal government, making sacrifices every day for their country." The Republican proposal won a 50-49 majority. However, the amendment required at least 60 votes to pass the Senate leadership. With that in mind, the proposed legislation did not make it. Meanwhile, a single Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, united with Republicans to support the measure. Read Also: Biden's Campaign Touts Big Haul; Billionaire Linked to Jeffrey Epstein Backs Democratic Leader's Re-Election Bid White House and Pride Flag It is worth noting that United States President Joe Biden's Pride celebration displayed the Progress Pride flag between two US flags at the White House last month. According to Reuters, the hanging of the Pride flag drew flak online. Some argued that Biden violated the US Code on the flag. Subsection 7e states that the American flag "should be at the center and at the highest point of the group." A National Flag Foundation board member Peter Keim says the Flag Code does not address the display of flags at the White House portico. However, he notes that the display of the Progress Pride Flag still violated the Flag Code in "spirit" since it was more prominent than the two US flags. Related Article: Conversion Therapy Ban: Michigan Officials Move To Support LGBTQ Youth Against Discredited Practice @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Government Spokesperson, Kofi Tonto has waded into discussions on the issue involving Mrs. Cecilia Dapaah in which her two house helps have stolen monies belonging to her from her house. Mrs. Cecilia Dapaah caused the arrest and prosecution of two of her house helps who stole 1 million dollars, 300,000 euros and millions of cedis from her bedroom and shared it among themselves, families and boyfriends. However, Mrs. Cecilia Dapaah received a backlash after the news broke out, resulting in her resignation and arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor. The Special Prosecutor is investigating her to establish whether or not the monies were corruptibly acquired. As the matter is ongoing, there are some members of the New Patriotic Party and a section of the public who have built a strong defence for her with some claiming she is well-to-do, hence she having a million dollars sitting at home is not shocking. Others also claim her family members gave her the monies for keep on their behalf. Kofi Tonto, sharing his thoughts on the issue during Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo", says emphatically that if Ghanaians are asking the source of Cecilia Dapaah's wealth, it is their right to do so. He noted that Madam Cecilia Dapaah is a public servant, therefore if such huge amounts of money are found in her home, it surely raises eyebrows. "Ghanaians are not wrong to demand or ask Mrs. Cecilia Dapaah where she got the money from...Ghanaians have every right to question where Madam Cecilia Dapaah got the money from," he said, adding "we have killed people for less in this country". Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The EU has suspended all security cooperation with Niger after the country's army took power in a coup. It comes shortly after the US declared its "unflagging support" for ousted president Mohamed Bazoum - seen as a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants. On Friday the head of the presidential guards unit Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani declared himself Niger's new leader. He said insecurity, economic woes and corruption led him to seize power. But there are now concerns in the West about which countries the new leader will align with. Niger's neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, have both pivoted towards Russia since their own coups. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell joined the US and France in refusing to recognise the coup leaders and said security cooperation and budgetary aid was being suspended indefinitely. Also on Saturday the African Union called on the Niger army to return to base within 15 days. Mohamed Bazoum - Niger's first elected leader to succeed another since independence in 1960 - is currently thought to be in good health, and still held captive by his own guards. On Friday evening US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned those detaining him that "hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance" was at risk. However, the leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has reportedly described the coup as a triumph. "What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonisers," Yevgeny Prigozhin was quoted as saying on a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel. "With colonisers who are trying to foist their rules of life on them and their conditions and keep them in the state that Africa was in hundreds of years ago." He added: "Today this is effectively gaining their independence." The BBC has not been able to verify the authenticity of his reported comments. Wagner is believed to have thousands of fighters in countries including the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali, where it has lucrative business interests but also bolsters Russia's diplomatic and economic relations. Wagner fighters have been accused of widespread human rights abuses in several African countries. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Kofi Tonto, a government Spokesperson and staunch member of the New Patriotic Party, has supported the decision for all the presidential aspirants of the party to sign an undertaking not to run as independent candidate after their primary to elect a flagbearer. The NPP leadership has cautioned the aspirants against defecting from the party to contest on the ticket of another political party or run as independent in next year's Presidential elections. The aspirants are to agree to this directive and pledge their unflinching allegiance to the NPP and commit themselves to support whoever emerges victor at the end of the primary. "The party wishes to reiterate that any Aspiring Presidential Candidate who flouts any of the above guidelines and modalities or conducts himself in a manner that brings the Party's name into disrepute shall be deemed to be in breach of the Party Constitution and will, accordingly, be sanctioned, including being disqualified from contesting in the Primaries," a statement signed by the NPP General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong read. Kofi Tonto, speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, advised the aspirants to heed the directive by the party stressing no one who loves the NPP will attempt running as independent candidate. To him, "the moment you make up your mind to form your own party or run as independent, you are dividing the front of the party". He noted that any aspirant who flouts the order lacks credibility. "If you lose and form your own party, then you don't love NPP. It means you deserve the defeat. You are not credible," he asserted. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video As part of preparations towards the successful conduct of the General Elections in Liberia, the ECOWAS Secretariat and the AU Commission jointly commissioned a team of experts to undertake a pre-assessment mission to Liberia to ascertain the countys preparedness for the General Elections in October 2023. The mission was led by Prof Attahiru Jega former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria. The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Mrs Jean Mensa participated in the mission. Other members included Ambassador Haja Alari Cole, a Member of the ECOWAS Council of the Wise and Mr Elyse Oueddraogo, Chairman of the Independent National Commission of Burkina Faso. The Mission also comprised a joint technical team from the ECOWAS and AU Commissions. Members met with a variety of stakeholders including the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Justice, the Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court, the Chairperson and some members of the National Election Commission as well as the leadership of Political Parties among others. The meetings were coordinated by the Resident Representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission in Liberia, H. E. Jospehine Nkrumah. The missions insights from the engagements held would help shape the electoral support to be provided to Liberia by the ECOWAS and AU. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video " " A boy leads his class in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag at an elementary school in 1940. Esther Bubley/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images Every American schoolkid can recite the Pledge of Allegiance by heart, even if they have no idea what "indivisible" means or they think the whole thing is a tribute to some guy named "Richard Stans." The author of the Pledge, which was originally written as part of a patriotic marketing campaign, would likely be amazed that his 22-word statement which did not include "under God" remains a classroom staple more than 125 years after its creation. Advertisement The Pledge of Allegiance was written in the late 1800s, a time of tremendous social upheaval in the United States. Industrialization drew masses of people away from farms and into crowded cities while an unprecedented wave of immigrants, most of them penniless and uneducated, poured in from Europe. Like today, politicians and public opinion were split on the threat immigration posed to what it means to be "American." In 1892, a former Baptist pastor named Francis Bellamy was working as an assistant editor at a magazine called the Youth's Companion, a national publication for kids and their parents. Bellamy was also a Christian Socialist, a group striving to create a more just and equitable society through Christian values. Bellamy believed that one of the best ways to "Americanize" and peacefully incorporate these waves of immigrants was through patriotic programs in the public schools. The very idea of public schools hardly existed in America before the Civil War, says Charles Dorn, a professor of education at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine and co-author, with Randall Curren, of "Patriotic Education in a Global Age." "The 1870s and 1880s were really the first time that people began thinking of public schools as a place where you can do things to create a better society," says Dorn. "For example, you can create more patriotic Americans if you get them when they're young and you start teaching them to be loyal to the United States." Even though Bellamy was a fan of patriotism in public schools, he didn't write the Pledge of Allegiance with the notion that it would be recited daily by every school kid in America. His most pressing concern was selling magazines. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A French grunt fish swims around a coral reef in Key West, Florida on July 13, 2023. Super-heated seawater off the Florida Keys has grown so perilous to the world's third-largest barrier reef that scientists are now removing samples of coral from ocean nurseries to place in cooler land-based tanks. Sea temperatures off Florida have risen to extraordinary highs this month, presenting a severe threat to the barrier reef. "Hot water is not good for any marine organism, whether it be coral, fish or lobster. So we run the risk of having massive fish die offs, sea turtle die offs, things like that," said Alex Neufeld, projects coordinator with the Coral Restoration Foundation. Surface water temperatures rose above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) several days earlier this month, and on Monday hit a record 101.1F in Manatee Bay, a sound near Key Largo. Coral can routinely survive sea temperatures between 70 and 84F (21 to 28.8C). "This is the worst that I've seen. And I think many people would agree that... it has the potential to be the worst one that the Keys has ever experienced," Neufeld said. Neufeld's nonprofit group, working with other local groups, has been collecting samples of genetic strains of coral from nurseries "and pulling them into land-based facilities where the water parameters can be controlled, and where they can be safeguarded," he said. As scientists race to ensure the survival of reef-based sea life, business owners despair over the possible impact on tourism to the Florida Keys. Brian Branigan, a 65-year-old boat captain who rents launches to tourists from Big Pine Key (near Key West), says the warming has shaken him. French grunt fish and a longspine squirrelfish swim around a coral reef in Key West, Florida. "What has happened in the last two weeks is terrible, shocking. I wanted to cry myself, when I was in the water, snorkeling to see this," he said as he took AFP to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, some five miles (eight kilometers) off the coast. Just a few feet below the boat, barracuda, blue tang surgeonfish and parrotfish dart around a reef populated with coral that is turning white, a sign of severe stress. The bleaching of the reefs appears to be accelerated this year, and summer heat has barely passed its mid-point. Bleaching occurs when stressed coral expel algae living in symbiosis with them, providing them with nutrients and giving them color. Fallout from damage to the reef could definitely spill onto land. 'Very sad' According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida's coral reefs generate $2 billion in local revenue and 70,400 full- and part-time jobs. Brad Roberts traveled with his family from Fort Myers on Florida's Gulf Coast to Islamorada in the Keys to fish for lobster. "What's happening is very sad to see. A lot of these people make their living off the reefs. And I don't think people will want to come down here and see a bunch of dead coral," Roberts said. Brian Branigan, a 65-year-old boat captain who rents launches to tourists from Big Pine Key (near Key West), says the warming has shaken him. Sport fishermen, a significant sector of tourism, may have a change of heart toward the area. "If you come down here and have four bad trips, and only one good trip, well, you're probably going to want to spend your tourist dollars somewhere else," said Roberts, an insurance company employee. Branigan, who learned to scuba dive 48 years ago, depends heavily on sport fishermen and scuba aficionados to rent his boats. "We are concerned about how it will impact us, personally and financially," he said. "I'm sure it will have some negative impact and maybe catastrophically even." While business owners worry about survival, Neufeld and other scientists remain busy seeking to gather coral samples from nurseries. "We've taken representatives from all of those corals and... we've actually moved them to physically different locations to further safeguard and build in a bit of redundancy for those critical species," he said. For two weeks now, groups like Coral Restoration Foundation have been collecting the samples to bring to land-basedless heatedtanks, he said. Their mission is essential to protect the barrier reefbut also indirectly the humans living on shore. Reefs, in addition to harboring numerous marine animals, are one of the main protective barriers against hurricanes and storm surges made more intense by global warming. 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that nearly half of the drinking water in the United States is contaminated with "forever chemicals," the per- and polyfluoroakyl substances known as PFAS that can cause cancer and other health complications. And Southern California is among a handful of regions nationwide with a higher probability of tap water contaminated with PFAS. These findings are worrisome, particularly for communities that are already suffering from other sources of pollution. In Los Angeles County, water agencies in cities such as Commerce, Montebello, Monterey Park, Vernon, Downey were found to have PFAS higher than the recommended levels as early as 2019. Los Angeles County supervisors this week launched an effort to assess the full extent of PFAS contamination in drinking water supplies. It's a good first step, but state and local authorities must do more to ensure drinking water is free of these chemicals, which are found in many household products, including cookware and cosmetics. PFAS were first classified as an "emerging contaminant" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2016. But little is known about any disparities of PFAS contamination in different ethnic communities or the specific harms this pollution may be inflicting on these communities. Last month, researchers at the University of Southern California began a new study on the health effects of PFAS contamination in drinking water in Los Angeles County, focusing on the predominantly Latino communities in the east and southeast that are overburdened with environmental pollution. The multidisciplinary study, which involves researchers from USC's medical and engineering schools, aims to develop prevention strategies and large-scale, sustainable remediation solutions that can be implemented in a cost-effective manner. Lead researcher Lida Chatzi, director of USC's Center for Translational Research on Environmental Health, said previous research has linked exposure to PFAS to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic disorders. Other research she has conducted found that a mixture of PFAS can cause the disruption of critical biological processes in youth, increasing the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, developmental disorders and many types of cancer. In the latest study, scientists will study the effect of newer PFAS that have been created to replace those found to be harmful. Federal officials have long known that PFAS, which have been detected in the blood of humans and animals, have been linked to many negative health effects and are found in thousands of commercial and industrial products such as nonstick cooking pans, water-repellent outerwear, non-stain food packaging, firefighting foam and many more. However, government action has been sluggish and too narrowly focused. The Biden administration has proposed the first national drinking water standards for six PFAS, but there are more than 12,000 types. California has recently banned the use of PFAS in many products, such as cosmetics, clothes, food packaging, cribs and firefighting foam. This year, state lawmakers are considering legislation that would ban the chemicals in products such as artificial turf and menstrual underwear, pads, tampons and other items. These moves may lower our exposure to PFAS, but scientists say this is not enough. Contamination of PFAS is so widespread it requires action from multiple government agencies to regulate PFAS levels in water systems, implement large-scale removal of existing PFAS and prevent future contamination. Their persistent toxicity may add an extremely dangerous layer of pollution if detected in communities already struggling with environmental damage, such as those in southeast Los Angeles County. The Biden administration's plan to tackle PFAS contamination includes a grant program for disadvantaged neighborhoods, but the burden for initiating remediation should not fall on these communities. Each new study on PFAS has only uncovered more evidence of their omnipresence in our lives. This means that federal regulators should consider banning all PFAS as a class, as recommended by many scientists. More research is needed to assess the full range of harmful effects and to find sustainable ways to remove these toxins from drinking water. This will be particularly important as California and other states consider reusing wastewater to help replenish groundwater supplies, a move scientists believe will increase PFAS toxicity in our water. The findings of the USGS study were not entirely surprising, but they should not be ignored. 2023 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The powerful algorithms used by Facebook and Instagram to deliver content to users have increasingly been blamed for amplifying misinformation and political polarization. But a series of groundbreaking studies published Thursday suggest addressing these challenges is not as simple as tweaking the platforms' software. The four research papers, published in Science and Nature, also reveal the extent of political echo chambers on Facebook, where conservatives and liberals rely on divergent sources of information, interact with opposing groups and consume distinctly different amounts of misinformation. Algorithms are the automated systems that social media platforms use to suggest content for users by making assumptions based on the groups, friends, topics and headlines a user has clicked on in the past. While they excel at keeping users engaged, algorithms have been criticized for amplifying misinformation and ideological content that has worsened the country's political divisions. Proposals to regulate these systems are among the most discussed ideas for addressing social media's role in spreading misinformation and encouraging polarization. But when the researchers changed the algorithms for some users during the 2020 election, they saw little difference. "We find that algorithms are extremely influential in people's on-platform experiences and there is significant ideological segregation in political news exposure," said Talia Jomini Stroud, director of the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin and one of the leaders of the studies. "We also find that popular proposals to change social media algorithms did not sway political attitudes." While political differences are a function of any healthy democracy, polarization occurs when those differences begin to pull citizens apart from each other and the societal bonds they share. It can undermine faith in democratic institutions and the free press. Significant division can undermine confidence in democracy or democratic institutions and lead to "affective polarization," when citizens begin to view each other more as enemies than legitimate opposition. It's a situation that can lead to violence, as it did when supporters of then-President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. To conduct the analysis, researchers obtained unprecedented access to Facebook and Instagram data from the 2020 election through a collaboration with Meta, the platforms' owners. The researchers say Meta exerted no control over their findings. When they replaced the algorithm with a simple chronological listing of posts from friendsan option Facebook recently made available to usersit had no measurable impact on polarization. When they turned off Facebook's reshare option, which allows users to quickly share viral posts, users saw significantly less news from untrustworthy sources and less political news overall, but there were no significant changes to their political attitudes. Likewise, reducing the content that Facebook users get from accounts with the same ideological alignment had no significant effect on polarization, susceptibility to misinformation or extremist views. Together, the findings suggest that Facebook users seek out content that aligns with their views and that the algorithms help by "making it easier for people to do what they're inclined to do," according to David Lazer, a Northeastern University professor who worked on all four papers. Eliminating the algorithm altogether drastically reduced the time users spent on either Facebook or Instagram while increasing their time on TikTok, YouTube or other sites, showing just how important these systems are to Meta in the increasingly crowded social media landscape. In response to the papers, Meta's president for global affairs, Nick Clegg, said the findings showed "there is little evidence that key features of Meta's platforms alone cause harmful 'affective' polarization or has any meaningful impact on key political attitudes, beliefs or behaviors." Katie Harbath, Facebook's former director of public policy, said they showed the need for greater research on social media and challenged assumptions about the role social media plays in American democracy. Harbath was not involved in the research. "People want a simple solution and what these studies show is that it's not simple," said Harbath, a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center and the CEO of the tech and politics firm Anchor Change. "To me, it reinforces that when it comes to polarization, or people's political beliefs, there's a lot more that goes into this than social media." One organization that's been critical of Meta's role in spreading misinformation about elections and voting called the research "limited' and noted that it was only a snapshot taken in the midst of an election, and didn't take into account the effects of years of social media misinformation. Free Press, a non-profit that advocates for civil rights in tech and media, called Meta's use of the research "calculated spin." "Meta execs are seizing on limited research as evidence that they shouldn't share blame for increasing political polarization and violence," Nora Benavidez, the group's senior counsel and director of digital justice and civil rights said in a statement. "Studies that Meta endorses, which look piecemeal at narrow time periods, shouldn't serve as excuses for allowing lies to spread." The four studies also revealed the extent of the ideological differences of Facebook users and the different ways that conservatives and liberals use the platform to get news and information about politics. Conservative Facebook users are more likely to consume content that has been labeled misinformation by fact-checkers. They also have more sources to choose from. The analysis found that among the websites included in political Facebook posts, far more cater to conservatives than liberals. Overall, 97% of the political news sources on Facebook identified by fact-checkers as having spread misinformation were more popular with conservatives than liberals. The authors of the papers acknowledged some limitations to their work. While they found that changing Facebook's algorithms had little impact on polarization, they note that the study only covered a few months during the 2020 election, and therefore cannot assess the long-term impact that algorithms have had since their use began years ago. They also noted that most people get their news and information from a variety of sourcestelevision, radio, the internet and word-of-mouthand that those interactions could affect people's opinions, too. Many in the United States blame the news media for worsening polarization. To complete their analyzes, the researchers pored over data from millions of users of Facebook and Instagram and surveyed specific users who agreed to participate. All identifying information about specific users was stripped out for privacy reasons. Lazer, the Northeastern professor, said he was at first skeptical that Meta would give the researchers the access they needed, but was pleasantly surprised. He said the conditions imposed by the company were related to reasonable legal and privacy concerns. More studies from the collaboration will be released in coming months. "There is no study like this," he said of the research published Thursday. "There's been a lot of rhetoric about this, but in many ways the research has been quite limited." 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Economic worries are prompting young Europeans to delay or forgo parenthood. Credit: Harbucks, Shutterstock.com As Europe's population ages, understanding the causes of declining birth rates becomes more important. When demography expert Daniele Vignoli asked young couples for their thoughts about having children, a theme emerged: uncertainty about the future. In an experiment that Vignoli conducted in Italy and Norway in 2019, he showed a total of 800 couples in their 20s and 30s newspaper headlines about the economy. His aim was to explore how negative media coverage might be affecting people's choices about when, or whether, to have a baby. Vanishing youth Some of the 1,600 participants told him that their own economic difficultiesspecifically a lack of work or access to housingmeant they felt unable to have a child. Others described an increase in general anxieties about the state of the world. "Our results showed very clearly that fertility is affected by uncertain narratives of the future," said Vignoli, a professor of demography at the University of Florence in Italy. He leads a project that received EU funding to explore how fertility across Europe is changing and being shaped by multiple anxieties in people. Called EU-FER, the six-year initiative is due to wrap up in August 2023. Angst about the future is causing more and more people in Europe to delay having a child or to decide against having any at all, according to Vignoli. In the 1960s, Italians had 2.4 children on average. Today they have 1.25, below the EU average of 1.53. In Italy, the average age at which women have their first child is 31.6 yearsamong the oldest in Europe. These figures are below what demographers term "replacement level"the average number of births required to keep the population size stable in the absence of migration. In 2022, more than half of Europe's population was older than 44.4 years and more than a fifth was over 65. "Aging doesn't just mean having an increasing share of the elderly," said Vignoli. "Aging also means having fewer and fewer younger people around." Economic shocks Young people are growing up in a world buffeted by disruptions that range from rapid technological changes and worsening climate change to widespread air, sea and soil pollution and geopolitical conflict among nuclear-armed powers. A particular point of interest for the EU-FER researchers has been the effect on European birth rates of the 20072008 global financial crash. Whereas previous economic shocks such as the oil crisis of 1973 caused a temporary dip in fertility, the 20072008 banking meltdown was different because birth rates continued to decline even after the economy started growing again, according to Vignoli. He believes the turbulence a decade and a half ago marks the point at which people's uncertainty about the future began to take hold. The disquiet has been accentuated since then by the COVID-19 pandemic that struck in 2020 and triggered a severe global recession, according to Vignoli. "The economic shock of the pandemic and the subsequent cost-of-living crisis have further deepened the effects on fertility," he said. Although total births in the EU rose slightly in 2021 from a record low in 2020, Vignoli expects overall fertility rates in Europe to continue to fall in the coming years. In the view of Dr. Anna Matysiak, an expert in employment and family dynamics, increased automation in the labor market has further contributed to reducing fertility in Europe. "Workplace changes have significant implications for fertility as they cause uncertainties," she said. "But also the need to reskill and adjust takes away from the time people could spend on childbearing and childrearing." Matysiak, an associate professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Warsaw in Poland, is coordinating another projectLABFERthat received EU funding to assess how fertility is affected by such job-market trends as greater automation and flexible work hours. The five-year project runs through September 2025. Job angst The research so far has shown that people in occupations that feature labor-replacing technologies, including in Germany, Italy and Sweden, are more likely to delay having children. Structural labor-market changes like automation fundamentally alter the nature of jobs and even destroy some of them, requiring people to retrain and venture into new areas, according to Matysiak. Changes like these can destabilize family life, even in countries such as Sweden and Norway with highly regulated labor markets. Matysiak's analysis for Sweden has shown that couples who faced such challenges at work were also more likely to divorce. In general, manual workers are the most exposed to labor-replacing technologies and, as a result, have become more restrained in their decisions about creating a family, according to Matysiak. There's an inverse social effect with regard to flexible working. While working from home has become much more common since COVID-19, the beneficiaries tend to be people in highly skilled jobs. Once again, manual workers find themselves at a disadvantage. On a positive note when it comes to expanding families, increased work flexibility may be associated with couples choosing to have more than one child, according to Matysiak. On the other hand, policies such as greater flexibility put in place to support working parents haven't brought forward the age at which people have their first child. "We assumed that it would have an effect, but couples are not necessarily having children earlier as a result," Matysiak said. Action time She and Vignoli believe the effect of uncertainty on birth rates will only increase in the years ahead, especially as artificial intelligence in the workplace becomes more prevalent. Both researchers also think that couples will need more governmental support at work and home to bolster their confidence in starting or expanding a family. According to Matysiak, policies are much needed to help people stay in the labor market. These include better access to counseling and training. Matysiak also argues for new rules to protect workers from long hours and prevent spillovers from paid work into family life. In any case, as Europe's population ages and increasingly relies on younger generations, a continuing trend of declining birth rates would ultimately create uncertainties for all. "Demography defines our past, but it also sets our future," said Vignoli. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Increases in extreme fire weather are set to continue without greater action to address climate change. Asterisks signal the level of global warming at which extreme fire weather is unprecedented, compared with the pre-industrial climate. Credit: Jones et al. (2022) Fanned by strong winds and record temperatures, wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes recently spread from the hilly interior to the densely populated coastline with astonishing speed, leaving authorities with the daunting task of evacuating thousands of residents and holidaymakers from harm's way. The role of climate change in heightening the risk of wildfires cannot be ignored. The world is, on average, 1.2C warmer than in the pre-industrial climate, and this extra heat is bringing more frequent heatwaves and droughts. These weather conditions make the environment more fire-prone, and their increasing frequency has exposed already fire-susceptible regions such as the Mediterranean to greater risk of disaster. Scientists use a fire weather index to estimate how flammable vegetation becomes under a set of weather conditions including temperature, humidity, wind speed and how recently rain fell. In the Mediterranean, the frequency of extreme values on this index has increased faster than virtually anywhere else on Earth since the late 20th century. As a result, the Mediterranean now faces 29 additional days of extreme fire weather a year. Greece's recent bout of extreme fire weather emerged from a heat wave that would have been at least 50 times less likely in the pre-industrial climate. Days with extreme fire weather are set to increase through to 2100 if emissions are not reduced. Due to changes in the global climate, the UN Environment Programme predicts an increase in extreme wildfires of up to 14% by 2030 and 50% by 2100. Even at 1.5C of warming (the threshold nations pledged to halt temperature rise to as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement), a 40% greater area is expected to burn in the Mediterranean. Breaking down the causes of wildfires When attributing the cause of a wildfire, it is important to distinguish between the factors that cause a fire to ignite and those that cause vegetation to become so dry that they are primed to burn. Climate change alone cannot ignite a firea spark from an ignition source or lightning is necessary. Actions taken before, during and after a fire can reduce the prevalence and severity of wildfires. Credit: OECD, Author provided Arsonists were blamed for starting at least some of the fires in Greece, although arson is actually a minor cause of wildfires in the country. Of the past Greek wildfires with a verified ignition cause, only 23% were caused by arson. Most arose from fires on farmland initially started to burn crop waste or encourage new growth of pasture grasses, or from fires on scrubland and grassland that were lit to manage unwanted vegetation. With climate change providing more of the conditions that support fire, fresh opportunities are arising for people to start fires, whether on purpose or by accident. The frequency of extreme fire weather will accelerate if global warming exceeds 2C, but the world can still avoid the most severe outcomes by rapidly reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. It is not too late to stop burning the fossil fuels that are driving climate change and extreme weather. The worst can still be avoided Regions like the Mediterranean have naturally fire-prone landscapes, and it is unrealistic to expect people to exclude fire from their lives completely. Society must learn to adapt and live with fire while increasing preparations for more extreme fires in the future. Wildfire budgets have historically prioritized fighting active fires. For example, in Greece, 92% of the national budget for forest fires was devoted to suppressing fires during the 2010s, with only 8% devoted to preventing them in the first place. As well as investing in firefighting teams and equipment, countries should develop better early-warning systems, evacuation plans, fire-resistant buildings, and computer models of fire behavior. Programs that make communities more aware of their role in fire safety, including stopping arson and accidental ignitions, are also critical. In many parts of the Mediterranean, decades of rural land being abandoned have caused vegetation to grow more densely than in the past. This denser vegetation can mean more fuel for wildfires, promoting more intense burning. One option to keep this fuel in check is to use controlled burns during safe weather windows. The wildfires in Greece are a stark reminder of the threat posed by climate change, and the costliness of missing international targets to reduce emissions. Decisive action to curb emissions, manage fuels on the landscape, and prepare communities can still lower the risks that fires will pose in future. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Bud Light parent firm Anheuser-Busch announced layoffs after its boycott controversy involving transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The beer behemoth is trimming down its workforce by about two percent. Bud Light Parent Anheuser-Busch Lays Off Employees As per The Washington Post, Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, announced that it will be laying off hundreds of employees in the United States. The layoffs come after months of declining sales for Bud Light, which began after the company sent a commemorative can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April. The Anheuser-Busch spokesperson says that the layoffs impact less than two percent of its US workforce, roughly 360 employees. The giant beverage maker flaunts 18,000 workers in the country. The looming job cuts specifically affect the corporate workforce of the Bud Light parent. And as such, the layoffs skip the brewing, sales, and warehousing units of the once-top-selling beer. Anheuser-Busch chief executive Brendan Whitworth announced the workforce reduction. The Bud Light parent big boss says, "While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success." Whitworth also explained that layoffs are necessary to "simplify and reduce layers" within the organization. Read Also: Kid Rock, Bud Light's Largest Critic, Still Sells the Beer in His Bar Bud Light Slips From Top-Selling Beer Ranking The layoffs come as Bud Light faces increasing competition from other brands, such as Modelo Especial. Out Kick reports that Modelo recently surpassed Bud Light in sales for the first time, and its sales are still growing. In other words, Model Especial is now the top-selling beer brand in America, dethroning Bud Light's long-time reign. The Mulvaney controversy has had a lasting impact on Bud Light's sales. As NBC News reports, the beer brand's sales in the final week of June slumped by roughly 28 percent year on year. The figures are according to the Neilsen IQ data. As the Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch weathers the storm of a boycott controversy, the aftertaste of layoffs lingers in the air. How the layoffs will impact Bud Light in the long run, remains to be seen. However, the brand faces serious challenges following the boycott campaign from conservatives targetting the trans partnership. Although Withwoth assured that the company continues to stand behind the LGBTQ community, Mulvaney had a recent revelation. The trans influencer says that Bud Light's parent firm never contacted her amid the widespread attacks against her. She says it was worse "than not hiring a trans person at all." Related Article: 'No Way Out but Through': Levi's Ex-boss Says Bud Light Should Weather the Storm After Dylan Mulvaney Campaign @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Graziano La Grasta, a local contractor and standup paddle board enthusiast, rides a small wave off South Beach, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Miami Beach, Fla. Humans naturally look to water for a chance to refresh, but when water temperatures get too high, some of the appeal is lost. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell In the sweltering summer heat, nobody tries to cool off by jumping into a hot tub. In parts of Florida, however, that's what the ocean has felt like. Earlier this week, sea surface temperatures reached as high as 101.2 degrees Fahrenheit (38.4 degrees Celsius) around the state's southern tip in Manatee Bay, according to the National Weather Servicealthough scientists said the context for Monday's reading is complicated. "It was like there was no difference between humidity of the air and going into the water," said Chelsea Ward of Fort Myers, Florida. Triple-digit ocean temperatures are stunning even in Florida, where residents are used to the heat and where many retirees find refuge from cold, northern winters. Several other nearby spots reached the mid-90s (about 35 Celsius). A storm finally came through on Wednesday, helping water temperatures drop back down in to the more temperate 80s (about 29 Celsius). Humans naturally look to water for a chance to refresh. Every summer, millions grab their swimsuits for a day on the beach and a chance to cool off in the watera break from everyday work and worry. Pools offer the same relief and a place for friends to gather. But when water temperatures get too high, some of the appeal is lost. Boats are anchored at Manatee Bay off the Florida coast near Key Largo, on Friday, July 28, 2023. Triple-digit ocean temperatures are stunning even in Florida, where residents are used to the heat. Credit: AP Photo/Daniel Kozin Ward, 47, doesn't keep her beach bag in her car anymore even though she lives minutes away from the beach in Fort Myers. Lately, the water is just too hot. On Sunday, when her friend asked if she wanted to go to the beach, the two decided against it after discovering the water temperature was around 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius). When it's hot, the body cools down by sweating, which evaporates and releases heat. Dipping into the ocean is typically so refreshing because heat efficiently transfers from your body into the water. But as water temperatures climb, that effect diminishes and you lose less heat less quickly, according to Michael Mullins, a Washington University toxicologist and emergency medicine physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. A hot tubor a stretch of ocean water hotter than body temperaturereverses the transfer of heat into your body. That's not a pleasant experience on a sizzling, humid, Florida day. "It would feel," Mullins said, "like you are swimming in soup." Beachgoers wade in the ocean at Crandon Park, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Humans naturally look to water for a chance to refresh, but when water temperatures get too high, some of the appeal is lost. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell ICE BLOCKS FOR YOUR POOL? WHY NOT People already tend not to swim that much in the Florida waters that were so extremely hot earlier this week. The water can get muddy and there are alligators and crocodiles in the area, too. But high temperatures anywhere can make swimming less pleasant. Through Friday, Phoenix endured highs above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) every day this month. Pools are warm. About 150 miles (240 kilometers) to the northwest in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, Stefanee Lynn Thompson, 50, wanted to keep guests cool for a pool party she hosted Sunday. The heat had raised the pool's temperature to 96 degrees (36 Celsius). Her friend recommended she go buy ice blocks. She ran to the grocery store, picked up 40 of them and dumped them in the pool. She set up fans, too. All that hard work dropped the pool's temperature a grand total of 4 degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 degrees Celsius). Beachgoers lounge in Crandon Park, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Key Biscayne, Fla. In the sweltering summer heat, nobody tries to cool off by jumping into a hot tub. In parts of Florida, however, thats what the ocean has felt like. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell "When it's 120 out, anything helps," Thompson said. Recently, ocean temperatures off the western coast of Florida have been a few degrees above normal, sitting around 88 to 90 degrees (31-32 degrees Celsius). It's not just humans that suffer when the oceans warm. Sea corals are bleaching. They can be hurt when water temperatures rise above the upper 80s (low 30 degrees Celsius). July has been so hot that scientists announced a global heat record even before the month ended. Climate change is creating a hotter world, warming oceans and making some storms more destructive. Sea surface temperatures are somewhat above average around Florida, but they are far higher in parts of the North Atlantic near Newfoundland where they are as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) hotter than usual. Maria Argueta, 38, cools off with her son Matthew Pastrana, 2, and niece Aurora Reyes, 10, during a cloudy day respite in the high 80s from an ongoing heat wave, at the aquifer-fed Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, Fla., July 27, 2023. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File The extremely high sea surface temperatures recorded earlier this week off Florida's southern tip were caused by lots of sun, little wind and no storms. "I've never seen temperatures 100 degrees in Florida Bay in the 21 years I've been in the Keys," said Andy Devanas, science officer at the National Weather Service in Key West, Florida. IS THE WATER THAT WARM EVERYWHERE? And there are some questions about how representative Monday's 101.2-degree reading in Manatee Bay were. Water there is shallow and thus heats up quickly. If there's lots of sediment, that can raise temperatures, too, according to David Roth, a forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center. By contrast, stop by the YMCA pools on the North Shore of Massachusetts near Boston and you'll descend into water that's around 78 to 80 degrees (26 to 27 degrees Celsius). The ocean nearby is cooler, too. Sea surface temperatures off Cape Cod, for example, barely touched the mid-70s (about 24 degrees Celsius) this week. Galo Felipe Espinoza Sanchez, 5, left, swims with his dad and cousin at Crandon Park beach, during the family's visit to Florida from Ecuador and France, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Humans naturally look to water for a chance to refresh, but when water temperatures get too high, some of the appeal is lost. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell Residents and tourists enjoy South Beach, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Miami Beach, Fla. Humans naturally look to water for a chance to refresh, but when water temperatures get too high, some of the appeal is lost. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell A research associate in the Lirman coral lab at University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, carries a tray of baby coral brought in from one of the school's open water Key Biscayne coral nurseries, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Key Biscayne, Fla. The university's coral restoration program is scrambling to save as much of the nursery coral as they have space for, after biologists in the Florida Keys earlier reported bleaching of coral due to high water temperatures. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell People swim in the ocean off of Crandon Park, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Humans naturally look to water for a chance to refresh, but when water temperatures get too high, some of the appeal is lost. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell Graziano La Grasta, a local contractor and paddle board enthusiast, rides a small wave off South Beach, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Miami Beach, Fla. Humans naturally look to water for a chance to refresh, but when water temperatures get too high, some of the appeal is lost. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell Shae Gurdon, 26, an eyelash specialist on vacation from New York City, takes a selfie in the ocean on South Beach, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Miami Beach, Fla. Humans naturally look to water for a chance to refresh, but when water temperatures get too high, some of the appeal is lost. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell People enjoy the beach in Crandon Park, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Humans naturally look to water for a chance to refresh, but when water temperatures get too high, some of the appeal is lost. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell Residents and tourists enjoy South Beach, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Miami Beach, Fla. Humans naturally look to water for a chance to refresh, but when water temperatures get too high, some of the appeal is lost. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell When Maria Argueta, 38, has time off from her job at an open-air decorative plant nursery in Homestead, Florida, she'll go with her family to swim. "This year, the heat is stronger," she said. The hot ocean water doesn't bother her, but sometimes she takes her 2-year-old son and other members of the family to the Venetian Pool, a public facility in Coral Gables fed by water from an aquifer that's always in the 70s. The very cool water, she said, is refreshing. Florida's humid weather makes it harder for sweat to evaporate and cool the body down. People in south Florida know the ocean doesn't tend to offer real relief from that suffocating heat. "You aren't getting much cooling at all," Roth said. "Nobody goes into the water in South Florida in the summer really except to swim, because it is comfortable to swim, but it is not refreshing." 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A representation of the internal structure of the Earth. Credit: USGS "A diamond is forever." That iconic slogan, coined for a highly successful advertising campaign in the 1940s, sold the gemstones as a symbol of eternal commitment and unity. But our new research, carried out by researchers in a variety of countries and published in Nature, suggests that diamonds may be a sign of break up tooof Earth's tectonic plates, that is. It may even provide clues to where is best to go looking for them. Diamonds, being the hardest naturally-occurring stones, require intense pressures and temperatures to form. These conditions are only achieved deep within the Earth. So how do they get from deep within the Earth, up to the surface? Diamonds are carried up in molten rocks, or magmas, called kimberlites. Until now, we didn't know what process caused kimberlites to suddenly shoot through the Earth's crust having spent millions, or even billions, of years stowed away under the continents. Supercontinent cycles Most geologists agree that the explosive eruptions that unleash diamonds happen in sync with the supercontinent cycle: a recurring pattern of landmass formation and fragmentation that has defined billions of years of Earth's history. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this relationship are debated. Two main theories have emerged. One proposes that kimberlite magmas exploit the "wounds" created when the Earth's crust is stretched or when the slabs of solid rock covering the Earthknown as tectonic platessplit up. The other theory involves mantle plumes, colossal upwellings of molten rock from the core-mantle boundary, located about 2,900km beneath the Earth's surface. Both ideas, however, are not without their problems. Firstly, the main part of the tectonic plate, known as the lithosphere, is incredibly strong and stable. This makes it difficult for fractures to penetrate, enabling magmas to flush through. In addition, many kimberlites don't display the chemical "flavors" we'd expect to find in rocks derived from mantle plumes. In contrast, kimberlite formation is thought to involve exceedingly low degrees of mantle rock melting, often less than 1%. So, another mechanism is needed. Our study offers a possible resolution to this longstanding conundrum. We deployed statistical analysis, including machine learningan application of artificial intelligence (AI)to forensically examine the link between continental breakup and kimberlite volcanism. The results of our global study showed the eruptions of most kimberlite volcanoes occurred 20 to 30 million years after the tectonic breakup of Earth's continents. Furthermore, our regional study targeting the three continents where most kimberlites are foundAfrica, South America and North Americasupported this finding. It also added a major clue: kimberlite eruptions tend to gradually migrate from the continental edges to the interiors over time at a rate that is uniform across the continents. It hasnt been clear how the molten rock carrying diamonds got to the surface from deep within the Earth. Credit: N. Deligne / USGS This begs the question: what geological process could explain these patterns? To address this question, we employed multiple computer models to capture the complex behavior of continents as they experience stretching, alongside the convective movements within the underlying mantle. Domino effect We propose that a domino effect can explain how breakup of the continents eventually leads to formation of kimberlite magma. During rifting, a small region of the continental rootareas of thick rock located under some continentsis disrupted and sinks into the underlying mantle. Here, we get sinking of colder material and upwelling of hot mantle, causing a process called edge-driven convection. Our models show that this convection triggers a chain of similar flow patterns that migrate beneath the nearby continent. Our models show that while sweeping along the continental root, these disruptive flows remove a substantial amount of rock, tens of kilometers thick, from the base of the continental plate. Various other results from our computer models then advance to show that this process can bring together the necessary ingredients in the right amounts to trigger just enough melting to generate gas-rich kimberlites. Once formed, and with great buoyancy provided by carbon dioxide and water, the magma can rise rapidly to the surface carrying its precious cargo. Finding new diamond deposits This model doesn't contradict the spatial association between kimberlites and mantle plumes. On the contrary, the breakup of tectonic plates may or may not result from the warming, thinning and weakening of the plate caused by plumes. However, our research clearly shows that the spatial, time-based and chemical patterns observed in most kimberlite-rich regions can't be adequately explained solely by the presence of plumes. The processes triggering the eruptions that bring diamonds to the surface appear to be highly systematic. They start on the edges of continents and migrate towards the interior at a relatively uniform rate. This information could be used to identify the possible locations and timings of past volcanic eruptions tied to this process, offering insights that could enable the discovery of diamond deposits and other rare elements needed for the green energy transition. If we are to look for new deposits, it's worth bearing in mind that there are currently efforts by campaign groups to try to eliminate from world markets those diamonds that are used to fund wars (conflict diamonds) or those coming from mines with poor conditions for workers. Diamonds may or may not be forever, but our work shows that new ones have been repeatedly created over long periods in the history of our planet. More information: Thomas M. Gernon et al, Rift-induced disruption of cratonic keels drives kimberlite volcanism, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06193-3 Journal information: Nature This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. HAMPTON A Hampton teen is facing a weapons charge following a crash. On July 25 at about 10:45 p.m., state police responded to reports of a one-car rollover crash on state Route 22A in Hampton. The 18-year-old driver and sole occupant was transported to Glens Falls Hospital for evaluation due to minor injuries. During the investigation, Troopers located an illegally possessed firearm in the vehicle. Upon being released from the hospital on Wednesday, the suspect was charged with a felony count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon-loaded firearm. The person was issued an appearance ticket returnable to the Hampton Town Court on a later date. New York State Police does not release the name of arrested individuals under the age of 19. PITTSBURGH A study published last month in the journal Sleep Health found that regular napping is linked to larger brain volume and could indicate anti-aging properties of napping. While past research looked at people's brains and sleep habits and made correlations, this study with global collaboration including Harvard Medical School took it one step further in analyzing participants' genes to locate specific traits associated with napping. The Allegheny Health Network Center for Sleep Medicine thinks it's a step in the right direction for learning more about sleep and cognition. It is estimated that one in three U.S. adults does not get adequate sleep (an average 7 to 8 hours a night), and that around 18% of Americans have a sleep disorder. Teens need more sleep than adults, to accommodate a developing brain. Chronic poor sleep can decrease immune function and increase risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and other health conditions. However, power naps characterized as an intentional 15- to 30-minute nap, typically in the afternoon can temporarily relieve the burden of a sleep deficit, and some studies have shown they have benefits for cognition. The new study's researchers asked people aged 40 to 69 about their power-napping habits: Did they nap regularly, sometimes or rarely? They then combed through participants' genomes to find similarities. The study sample came from more than 300,000 people who had registered with the UK Biobank, a vast consortium of participant genetic and medical data. The National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program, of which Pitt is a partner, is a similar cohort-based program but said it does not yet have the data to conduct a similar study, an NIH spokesperson said. In those who napped regularly, they found specific genes consistent across the cohort that were associated with napping behavior, suggesting that some sleep habits are ingrained. "Although our question is not necessarily unique, our approach is," said Hassan Dashti, assistant investigator in anesthesia, critical care and pain medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, a professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and an author on the study. Variables such as disease, depression, sleep disorders and poor sleep quality might impact a person's propensity to nap, making it hard to parse out the true reason for napping in a scientific study. But looking at genes, which a person has over their lifetime, can help rule out some of those confounders. "Relying on genetics is a powerful tool because now we can control for those variables," said Dashti. In addition to the napping genes shared among those who snoozed regularly, the researchers also found that those who reported napping had larger total brain volumes compared to those who only napped sometimes or not at all. Brain volume has been a measure of overall brain health and propensity for aging in previous studies, as the aging brain tends to shrink. In this study, researchers estimated that the brain size of those who napped was protective against the equivalent to 2.6 to 6.5 years of aging. "Napping does have a protective effect on overall brain health," said Dashti. The study also looked at markers of cognition, such as reaction time, visual memory and the size of a participant's hippocampus a region deep in the brain largely responsible for memory. Researchers did not find correlations between regular napping and these functional measures of cognition, which they said surprised them, as previous research has found benefits to napping on these measures. Daniel Shade, medical director of the AHN Sleep Disorders Center and a board-certified sleep medicine specialist, said like any study, this one had some strengths and some flaws. "Brain volume is nice as an anatomical finding, but it's not a functional finding," he said, meaning the results don't signal that a larger brain is linked to functional changes like better reaction time or memory. "I was surprised not to see [that]." Shade was not involved in the research. He said the study was a great foundation to build upon scientific knowledge of links between sleep, napping and dementia, which more than 7 million Americans suffer from. "This is starting to show directions of where we need to go with research," he said. Being both a researcher and a clinician in a sleep clinic, Shade thought the genetics component was a novel addition to the study, and that it reflected in part what he sees in the clinic. "Some people have a daily nap and that's just them, and others can't nap," he said. "If you don't need to nap, you shouldn't." Dashti echoed this: "Even with these findings, I would never recommend people to start napping if they don't need it. However, if you feel the need to, napping is OK." It's important to recognize, said both researchers, that power naps can't erase chronic bad sleep. "If you consistently sleep six hours, you're going to accrue a sleep deficit," said Shade. "Short naps will increase attention for a period of a few hours, but what [they] won't do is compensate for a preexisting sleep debt." When we stay awake for long hours and lag on proper sleep, a chemical in our bodies called adenosine builds up, causing us to feel sleepy (caffeine is an adenosine blocker). This behavior, said Shade, also promotes a sort of proinflammatory response, as proteins called cytokines ramp up production. Napping can reduce this sleep pressure, temporarily alleviating the urge to sleep, which accrues throughout the day. And while the genetic analysis gave more evidence that this protective napping behavior is ingrained in some people, it could also be true that people who nap regularly are able to do so based on other proffered benefits. "They have the gene, but they also have the opportunity," said Shade. "Daytime napping is a privilege and a luxury," said Dashti. "These people have a comfy bed, and they have time in the day to nap." And this could signal that those populations are enjoying other health benefits, too. Using the UK Biobank, study participants were only white Europeans, so there's an opportunity to replicate the study in a more diverse cohort. Shade also suggested the possibility of a longitudinal study, looking at people's napping habits over a period of many years and tracking who gets dementia and who doesn't. He was also interested to see the napping and memory aspect of the study explored further. "It would be great to see a functional correlation, but that's probably their next step," said Shade. Researchers reiterated that feeling extremely sleepy throughout the day, sleeping long hours at night (typically 10 hours or more) or taking longer naps of around 2 hours could be a sign of an underlying problem that should be checked by a sleep specialist if these problems persist. Naps should be intentional, 15- to 30-minute periods. "We don't want to use a nap as a mechanism to compensate for poor sleep," said Dashti. EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP Elijah Goare looks forward to Halloween every year. The 12-year-old from Indianapolis spent the better part of his Saturday morning pushing around a giant boxed animatronic, looking for his parents to put it aside before they made their big purchases. They were part of the first hundred or so people to shop at Spirit Halloweens flagship store in the township. I love it. Words cant express it, said Elijah, whose face lit up talking about his favorite holiday while parents Stu Goare and Miriah Luke guarded their haul. Spirit Halloween, part of the locally based Spencer Gifts LLC brand, is celebrating 40 years of costumes, frights and anything else associated with the spooky season around the corner. The rabid interest in Halloween is evident every year, even with the stores annual reopening coming on the doorstep of the dog days of summer. Thousands of people endured heat that reached the 90s on Saturday just to be among the first to get some Halloween shopping done. Hundreds of people had camped in the parking lot in front of Spirit since early Friday morning. By noon Saturday, more than 2,000 people had checked in to get into the store, with another 1,000 or so expected to turn up by the stores closing at 5 p.m., a representative said. Egg Harbor Township police officers were present the last two days to make sure people were camping safely and that no one got a little too rambunctious once inside the store. Spirits lot was full by 9:30 a.m., 90 minutes before the doors opened at 11. A huge white tent was set up around the side of the building, where free snacks were handed out by Butterfinger and Spirit, and where there was free water, games, free sketch artists who happened to also work for Spirit, free face painting and more. Some local businesses were there, including Beach Buns bakery in Northfield, which partnered with Butterfinger for a sweet treat. We certainly were prepared for everything to make sure everybody was safe, and everybody seems to be having a good time, Spirit CEO Steven Silverstein said. EHT Mayor Laura Pfrommer made an appearance, and Spirit representatives cut the ribbon just before letting the first customers in. Once inside, it was a mad dash toward the back of the store, where dozens of boxes of animatronics sat awaiting the horde. The animatronics are often the stars of the show, Silverstein said. These are the things people talk about. We work on this year in and year out. Every year we introduce a whole new array, and its really a part of the passion of what we do. All in for Desmodus Social medial influencers, with cameras and phones in hand, claimed their big boxes, recording the experience for their social media pages later. They were joined by others who were looking to add to their animatronic collections, including Colton Cole, 14, of Laguna Beach, California, and Fernando Hernandez, 17, of Arlington, Virginia. This guy right here was the main one I was going for, said Cole, pointing at Desmodus, a 6-foot-tall bloodthirsty bat born deep in the caves of the rainforest, according to the websites description. The Goare family, of Indianapolis, were able to get their hands on Slim, a 7-foot clown, and his pal Stilts, another demonic clown standing nearly 8 feet tall, as well as a jump-scaring demon. Stu Goare said the family has about 200 animatronics, and they were excited to add their new ones to the haunted house they put together every year. Its awesome to see how many people come out to enjoy this, said Miriah Luke, 41, who has been coming to the opening the last four years with Stu and Elijah Goare. They arrived at the parking lot around 5 a.m. Friday and camped out. Stu said it was a good mix of meeting new people and reuniting with others met in prior years. It was worth the wait, said Stu, 59. Rachel Iwanyszyn, 34, has been a big fan of Halloween since she was a little kid growing up in Michigan, where the holiday is popular, she said. She was there with Sade Paige, 31, a cosplayer and social media influencer who has loved Halloween as long as she can remember. The two now live in Brooklyn, New York, and decided to make the two-hour drive down for the opening. Its been fun to see everybody and how excited everyone is for Halloween this year, Iwanyszyn said. Its definitely more excitable this year than previous years. I feel like Halloween is amped up this year. Joe Cano, 47, and Amy Wojciechowski, 41, of Northfield, like to bring their 13-year-old daughter, Scarlet, to Spirit every Sunday. The family camped out early Friday morning. Its amazing. Every year it grows, Wojciechowski said. Joe Canos birthday was Friday, so they decided to make a weekend of it, including time at Spirit. They bought a candelabra, a creepy doll and a few other decorations for around the house. Once July 5 hits, their stars and stripes get put away and its spooky season until Nov. 1. In 2021, I think, was their first big grand opening, and we were here and there wasnt nearly as many people then as there was today, Joe Cano said. Celebrating 40 years Spencers started in 1947 in Easton, Pennsylvania, as a catalog company. In the mid-60s, really the birth of the mall, Spencers was one of the first stores in a mall, Silverstein said. Spencers first location was at the Cherry Hill Mall in Camden County. Theyve grown with the malls over the years. Spencers had its own niche clientele as it sold novelty merchandise. Silverstein said it was almost a rite of passage being a teenager walking the malls to wander through a Spencers. Spirit Halloween started as the birth of a temporary Halloween concept in California. Stores would pop up at random locations throughout the years. In 1999, Spencers bought Spirit and brought its headquarters to Egg Harbor Township. Since then, the chain has gone from about 60 stores in the late 1990s to about 130 in 2003 when Silverstein took over, he said. Now, there are more than 1,500 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Halloween, itself, is a unique experience, Silverstein said. I hesitate to call it a holiday. I call it an event. Its a family event, a social event, something everybody participates in, and its been growing. I like to think that Spirit has had a lot to do with really bringing Halloween to the communities. One of the things Silverstein is proud of is the Spirit of Children initiative. Spirit has raised more than $110 million since 2006, with 100% of proceeds going to more than 150 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. The flagship store partners with Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. It is something that really relates to the experience of Spirit Halloween, Silverstein said. We go into those hospitals and bring Halloween to these kids in a way they otherwise might be able to experience it. Silverstein also praised Spirits ability to be resilient as a retail brand, especially in the changing retail climate in which people shop heavily online. Look, every year when we sort of launch this amazing phenomenon we call Spirit, there is this sense of the impossible actually happening, Silverstein said. Each year we challenge ourselves to do it bigger and better, and its really for these fans who love what we do. And getting that kind of positive energy I think really energizes us. GALLERY: Spirit Halloween opens for 40th season Climate Central's Patricia Martinez Sastre also contributed to this report. PLEASANTVILLE With air as muggy as the tropics and the low tide along Lakes Bay smelling like sulfur, Danielle Kilburn, 32, was swelling up again. I went to the doctor. The question they always ask to see if its normal swelling or trending toward preeclampsia is Do you wake up fine? Kilburn said. And I wake up as swollen as a balloon. Preeclampsia can pose many dangers for an unborn baby, according to the Mayo Clinic. Kilburn, who moved from Colorado last September, lives without air conditioning in her rented Pleasantville home, shared with her fiance, young child and soon-to-be baby. She works as a math and physics tutor and is worried about the impact extreme heat could have on her newborn. My fear is that I have about a month to have a baby and to find a way to get this house cooled down, because it could be a matter of life and death, Kilburn said. Being exposed to extreme heat during pregnancy stresses the fetus and can lead to complications both for the mother hypertension, gestational diabetes and the baby, like lower birth weight, medical research shows. Also, being too warm while sleeping can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Climate change affects almost every facet of life, from our bodies to the economy, the culture and the physical landscape. Humid summers in South Jersey were always tough, but with the warming climate theyre getting tougher, with nights that are warming up and exposing the most vulnerable like pregnant moms to heat stress that doesnt let up. Even in a summer that hasnt seen much extreme heat, the hotter nights and overall warming trend have many impacts on health. To better understand how hotter summers are changing life in our communities, The Press of Atlantic City and Climate Central a non-advocacy climate change science and news organization teamed up for this special report. Defining a heat wave is murky, here's one way to define it better The definition of a heat wave is murky, and varies from place to place. Meteorologist Joe Martucci has more on the topic and explains what one meteorologist says could bring a standard definition across the globe. Warmer, stickier nights The big problem with warmer nights is that they dont allow people to recover, said Tony Wolf, who researched climate change and human physiology as a postdoctoral scholar in kinesiology at Penn State University. Heat stress places a higher demand on the normal physiological processes of the body our heart has to pump more blood per minute in order to deliver more blood to the skin, which increases strain on the cardiovascular system, Wolf said. We also see increased ventilation rates during heat stress, potentially contributing to respiratory distress in some people. If the number of extremely hot nights keeps growing, as studies predict, that increased physiological strain could add to the likelihood of health issues from heat exposure. Humidity worsens that scenario by preventing the evaporation of sweat, which normally cools the body. The combination of heat and moisture is what experts call heat index value. While air conditioning has made these more frequent sultry nights more tolerable, those without it face rising risk of harm during the summer. Those most at risk are the elderly with comorbidities such as hypertension or diabetes, outdoor workers, children and pregnant women. Historically, the Atlantic City area has had on average three days per year with a heat index above 100, according to a 2019 study by the Union of Concerned Scientists. By midcentury, that number could increase to 22 days per year if our heat-trapping emissions arent reduced, and up to 47 days per year by the late century. Were looking at roughly a month and a half with a heat index above 100 when you might be really hot or experiencing those hot nights. Thats a long time, said Kristina Dahl, a principal climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. On the other hand, if we take really bold action and we swiftly and dramatically reduce our emissions globally, we could limit that frequency of extreme heat to 14 days per year. The trend Dahls group projected is already here, and its not just for afternoon temperatures. A long-running weather station at the Sen. Frank S. Farley State Marina in Atlantic City showed an average of only one night a year that failed to fall below 75 degrees between 1881 and 1910. Today, the average is 12 nights a year, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Other stations show the same fast-rising trend in the past 30 years. Life without AC Despite the growing exposure, not everyone can access air conditioning. For many residents in South Jersey where data show large at-risk populations with a high rate of low-income families and ailments like diabetes not everyone can afford it. At least 12% of home energy expenditures are spent on air conditioning in the mixed-humid climate region, which includes South Jersey, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That amounts to between $200 and $300 a year in higher utility bills. For residents with lower incomes, that extra cost is hard to cover. I hate being sticky all damn day. I hate humidity, said Shondalei Rodriguez, of Northfield. However, I suffer because of the electricity bill. Like, who can even afford the bill anymore? Rodriguez only turns on her window units during the hottest days. Kilburn has the same worries about turning on the air conditioning. The summers are financially a really hard time for us, so I appreciate saving money. But Id rather save in other ways, she said. Id gladly spend the money on air conditioning and save it somewhere else. And then there is the rare couple living in an oceanfront apartment in Atlantic City who choose not to have air conditioning. Zach Katzen, 44, agreed to the no-AC lifestyle at the urging of his girlfriend, Valerie Feo, 35, who sleeps under blankets even on the hottest nights. Now he spends many evenings with his face in front of a floor fan while watching television, and he takes as many as five showers a night to cool off. Sometimes at night I will regret that choice (not to get air conditioning), Katzen said. Health and heat Heat can kill. Other weather disasters may be more spectacular, like wildfires or catastrophic storms such as Sandy and Ida, but heat is the number one killer among extreme weather events. At least 181 people died in New Jersey from heat stroke between 2000 and 2020, according to state Department of Health statistics. The worst years were 2002 and 2011, with 21 deaths each summer. Nationwide, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 600 to 700 preventable deaths per year are caused by extreme heat. But thats only a fraction of a much more worrisome reality, because most heat-related deaths are attributed to other causes heat contributes to, such as heart attacks. Resilient NJ program, Atlantic County residents address climate change mitigation The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has completed its second round of publ When we do more complex analyses and we try to understand how many people actually would not have died in absence of extreme heat because of this sneaky and indirect mechanism that will exacerbate existing comorbidities the number of deaths attributable to heat can go up between 12,000 to 20,000, said Dr. Tarik Benharhnia, an associate professor of climate change epidemiology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego. Heat also puts South Jersey residents in the hospital each summer. Among the six counties in New Jersey with the highest rates of hospitalizations for heat-related illnesses, Atlantic ranked second, Cape May third and Cumberland tied for fifth, according to data for 2016 to 2020 from the New Jersey Department of Health. There is no single temperature or heat index threshold where everyone starts to feel the effects of extreme heat. And while it affects each of us differently, generally, at a heat index of 90 degrees, vulnerable groups like outdoor workers, seniors and children start to become affected, according to climate scientists. At a heat index around 105 degrees, nearly everyone is at risk. Yes, we can adapt physiologically to the heat, said Wolf. But the extent to which we can adapt, as the environment around the world continues to warm, is kind of anybodys guess at this point. Why nights are hotter Since records began in 1943, the mean nighttime minimum temperature between June and August has risen almost two degrees at Atlantic City International Airport, according to NOAA. The overall increase in Atlantic City has been more than five degrees since records were first taken in 1874. Across most of the U.S., since records began in 1895, nights have warmed at a rate of 1.58 degrees per century, nearly twice as fast as the warming rate observed for maximum daytime temperatures. Several factors explain why nights are hotter and, over the past several decades, tend to be warming faster than days across the U.S.. One cause relates to the varying thickness of the layer of air affected by carbon dioxide, which blankets the earth more warmly at night. Burning fossil fuels adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Another cause relates to the way a warming climate creates more clouds over land, which tend to absorb in the nighttime the heat coming back out from the surface toward the atmosphere. Our urban environment also plays a part. Especially within large metropolises, city landscapes hold in the heat, a phenomenon called the urban heat island effect, said Jennifer Vanos, an associate professor in the Global Futures Laboratory in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. Its at nighttime when all of the buildings and the concrete that have been absorbing that heat all day long start to emit it into the atmosphere, she said. And so then we see that the cities are not cooling off as fast as the rural areas. Even the use of air conditioners plays a role in the problem. When in operation during nighttime hours, they continuously emit heat into their surroundings. Studies in several cities around the world have shown this can increase the mean outside air temperature about 3.5 degrees and exacerbate the urban heat island effect. Its like a pump that takes hot air from inside to outside, said Benharhnia. So of course if a lot of households do that, it will automatically increase the temperature. Adapting to hotter summers Less affluent residents endure the worst health impacts of extreme summer heat. In addition to struggling with the cost of air conditioning, low-income residents tend to live in denser, hotter neighborhoods, where long-term underinvestment has provided too little shade, green space or facilities to escape the heat. In South Jersey and on the Jersey Shore, Rutgers Universitys heat vulnerability indexs most severe ratings include most of Atlantic City, a section of Pleasantville east of Main Street and between Stillwater County Park and Route 30 much of Wildwood and the entirety of West Wildwood. Climate-change scholars warn that heat-health disparities between rich and poor will grow with rising temperatures. They cited the importance of public policies to support historically underfunded areas, vulnerable groups and communities of color facing the impact of extreme heat. The most vulnerable areas are always our urban centers: Newark, Elizabeth, Trenton or Camden, said Dr. James Shope, a research associate at the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers, who worked on its heat vulnerability index. But if youre looking at those areas that would be considered more suburban or rural, the south still highlighted a lot. And that comes down to income disparities as well as health disparities. Shope said communities can protect vulnerable residents during extreme heat by checking on them and providing information. For example, going door to door to make sure seniors are OK during a heat wave, and to inform residents about cooling centers and other resources in their primary languages. Longer-term, communities can encourage more passively cooled or energy efficient buildings, as well as urban reforestation in low-income areas that were completely paved over. We build differently for hurricanes, so how can we build differently for heat? said Vanos. Treating heat as a disaster, the way other disasters are treated, I think is a really important factor in driving funding towards communities who really need it to save lives. For Kilburn, such help cannot come too soon. When her family moved to Pleasantville, she did not know her home would not have air conditioning. Newly purchased fans and one evaporative cooler did not work as expected. It literally did not cool anything, she said. Were slowly trying to cobble together air conditioning units and cool down one room at a time, but it is not going well. This is a two-story, three bedroom house, and its definitely old. Kilburn wishes she could at least have the choice, and the money, to provide air conditioning for her loved ones. That will have to wait, despite her numerous fears. Im scheduled for a C-section. We are going to move (the delivery) back a week or so to give my body a break, said Kilburn, whose newborn is expected in August. GALLERY: No AC in AC (Photo : David Guralnick-Pool/Getty Images) Michigan high school gunman Ethan Crumbley wrote about his sick plans in a handwritten journal, documenting his plot to target "pretty" females and make himself renowned. In a recorded manifesto played in court on Thursday, Ethan Crumbley stated that he was "going to have so much fun" shooting his classmates the night before he murdered four students and injured seven others. Relatives of Crumbley's victims who attended his sentencing hearing were horrified to hear him boast that he would be the next school gunman and that he needed to "teach them a lesson" by carrying out the massacre at Oxford School. Michigan School Shooting Suspect's Journal Reveals Obsession to Violence Prosecutors told CNN on Thursday that Crumbley, who has pleaded guilty to the atrocity, made the startling statements in a manifesto he recorded the night before carrying out his devastating plan. Crumbley indicated he would attempt to shoot as many individuals as possible. Phoebe Arthur was the first victim fired by Crumbley; she survived but was severely injured. Crumbley stated in his letter that he did not wish to perish and wished to be remembered. Additionally, prosecutors presented evidence and witness testimony indicating that the mass shooter delighted in torturing and murdering young birds. In text messages sent to a close friend months before the school massacre, Crumbley expressed a desire to abduct, rape, torment, murder, and dismember a classmate and described drowning children as "the greatest sensation." The courtroom was also shown a silent video of the actual massacre, in which Crumbley emerged from a restroom armed with a pistol and opened fire on students as they changed classes. Several victims' families wept discreetly as they witnessed the homicides of their loved ones. The prosecution requested that the adolescent be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Never-before-seen video footage of the shooting was also presented by the prosecution. Students who witnessed the carnage are also anticipated to provide testimony, USA Today reported. The prosecution will attempt to persuade the judge that the shooter merits a life sentence without parole for his offenses. Families of the victims are anticipated to be present in court. The video and student testimony are part of Crumbley's so-called Miller hearing, a mandatory proceeding during which the judge will decide whether a life sentence without the possibility of parole is appropriate for the teen who murdered four students and injured six students and a teacher in the shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford Township, Michigan. The expected duration of the hearing is two to three days. Lt. Timothy Willis, the hearing's first witness, stated that a 22-page journal was discovered in a restroom stall, presumably left by Crumbley before he emerged from the hallway at Oxford High School and began firing. Read Also: UK 'Mistakenly' Sends High-Classified Emails to Russia Ally Mali Instead to US Will Ethan Crumbley Serve Life in Prison? During the hearing, a five-minute surveillance video depicting the horrific shooting was presented in court as distraught family members of the victims watched. However, per the judge's orders, the media did not broadcast or photograph the video. In October, Crumbley withdrew his defense of insanity and pleaded guilty to 24 offenses, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, and terrorism. Since the US Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that juveniles must be treated differently than adults, teenagers convicted of first-degree murder in Michigan rarely receive life without parole. A juvenile will only be sentenced to life in prison if he or she is deemed incorrigible, irredeemable, and has no reasonable chance of rehabilitation, according to Margaret Raben, former president of a statewide association of defense attorneys. Per Daily Mail, Judge Rowe has set aside at least two days for the hearing, but a decision is not expected immediately. The attorneys for Crumbley will contend that he should be released at some point, claiming that the teen's untreated mental illness and "abhorrent family life" culminated in the violent act. Related Article: Gilgo Beach Serial Killer's Home Discovered Containing 'A Lot of Evidence' as Police Announce End of Search @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan's ex-wife Sussanne Khan praised Infosys founder Narayan Murthy for addressing Kareena Kapoor Khan. A video of Murthy sharing how Kareena ignored her fans on a flight while he was also on board is making the rounds on social media. He discussed the incident and expressed his surprise at the actress's lack of fan interaction. Kareena Kapoor was seated next to me when I was travelling from London the other day, according to Murthy. Numerous people approached her and greeted her. She made no attempt to respond. I was a little taken aback. They all expected me to stand up and talk with them for a minute or so when they approached me. Sudha Murthy, Kareena's wife, chimed in to say that Kareena has a million fans. She had to be worn out. Murthy asserted that this was not the problem, though. The problem is that you can reciprocate someone's affection in any way, no matter how cryptically you choose. That, in my opinion, is very crucial. DES MOINES The weather and the Republican presidential primary in Iowa are heating up. On a day when the heat index throughout Iowa scorched into the triple digits, 13 presidential candidates addressed a gathering of Iowa Republicans albeit indoors, under the refuge of air conditioning at the state partys annual summer fundraiser, the Lincoln Dinner. More than 1,200 people paid at least $150 for a ticket and showed up to hear the candidates speak at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines, according to a state party spokesman. Conversations with some of those Iowans who attended showed that the primary is far from a settled matter, even though former President Donald Trump has dominated early polling on the campaign. Trump has a 34-point lead over his nearest competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in Real Clear Politics rolling average of national polling on the Republican presidential primary. There has not yet been substantive polling on the contest in Iowa, but what little polling has been published also shows Trump with a large lead over the field here. The Republican Iowa caucuses, the first casting of presidential preference in the nation, is scheduled for Jan. 15. Republican Party of Iowa state Chair Jeff Kaufmann implored the gathering of Iowa Republicans to support the partys eventual nominee in the general election against Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden. Yes there's going to be some elbows (by the candidates during the primary). Yes this is a full-contact sport, Kaufmann said Friday. But we are going to unify and get rid of that fool in the White House. What Iowans are saying Brad and Natalie Peterson, of Kellerton, said before Friday nights candidate speeches they were interested in hearing from South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott. The husband and wife, wearing Trump Country stickers handed out by the campaign, said they support Trump but are open to another candidate. They said they like Scotts personality and life story. I think hes a true American story. I think hes the type of person whos going to try to bring people together, Natalie Peterson said. I think we hear that a lot, but theres something about him just with events weve seen him speak at. But I would just want to see him in person. Scott often emphasizes his personal story and family history in campaign ads and speeches. He was raised by a single mother and says his grandfather left school at an early age to work on a cotton farm in the Deep South. The Petersons said they are wavering on Trump, in part because of instances where he goes rogue and makes inflammatory statements. I still think he can run the country really good. I think he can get us out of the hole were in, Brad Peterson said. But sometimes some of the stuff he says just kind of gets me. Dave Walford, of Grinnell, expressed a similar concern. Walford said he likes Trump and appreciates what Trump did during his first term. But he is concerned that Trump would lose the general election to Biden, as he did in 2020. Walford said he also likes Scott, Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. I do not have a favorite but there are some people I do like. My main objective is to getting someone that can be elected, Walford said. I appreciate what (Trump) did for the country the first time. My concern is how many people are going to vote against him because they don't like him, or don't like what he says. That, on the other hand, does not concern Roger Rinderknecht, of Clive. Rinderknecht would prefer that Trump is the candidate, although he also likes and would feel comfortable supporting DeSantis. He said Trumps sometimes abrasive style does not concern him. I know (Trump) says bad things. He talks bad. He runs people down. He does all the bad things that a guy shouldnt do. But hes still the best candidate, Rinderknecht said. Democrats charge Republicans have far-right agenda Democrats at a news conference earlier Friday slammed what they called the far-right agenda of the Republican presidential candidates. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz joined Iowa Democratic leaders and said Democrats offer an alternative to the culture war issues in the Republican primary. During this years legislative session, Minnesotas Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party took control of the state House and Senate and passed laws strengthening abortion rights, providing universal free school lunch and paid family leave. While theyre going to go over there and debate tonight what books to ban, were banning hunger in our schools with the help of the Biden-Harris administration, were building out for the future, Walz said. These are the things that make a difference. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said the policies espoused by Trumps Republican competitors are no different from his MAGA agenda. Tonight were going to see desperate candidates peddle divisive rhetoric and extreme policies to pull Americans apart and to win over the fringes of their base, Hart said. Donald Trump, the undisputed leader of the party, is running again, promising to expand on his failed agenda. Photos: Republican presidential candidates share stage at Iowa campaign event A former Muscatine city attorney has voluntarily consented to a 30-day suspension of his law license after the Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board received a complaint, accusing him of violating conflict of interest rules. Matt Brick, of the Brick Gentry Law Offices in East Des Moines, cannot practice law for 30 days, beginning Aug. 1, court records show. His license will be eligible for reinstatement the day after the 30-day suspension expires, though he must first file the appropriate application for reinstatement. In a written response, Brick admitted that while he was serving as city attorney of Muscatine, he aided former city administrator Gregg Mandsager while Mandsager's defamation case against the city was pending and after Mandsager was removed from his office. Brick admitted in 2018 he had communicated with Mandsager contrary to the interests of my client, the city, in the same time period. According to the statement, Brick emailed Mandsager a copy of an email he sent to the city council, regarding the manner in which Mandsager was being evaluated. The exchange occurred while Mandsager's defamation case against the city was active. Brick said he sent a draft copy of the email to Mandsager, seeking input, before sending it to the council even incorporating a suggestion by Mandsager in the email. In April 2019, Mandsager wrote Brick, asking for advice about settling a pending defamation suit. Brick responded to him about potential claims he could file against the city if terminated within a year of the end of the litigation. The defamation suit was settled in May 2019 when the city awarded Mandsager $50,000, and the city council then began taking steps that led to Mandsagers discharge. As city attorney, I advised the city council about this matter, Brick wrote. I continued to communicate with Mandsager about his pending termination. During a city council meeting on Oct. 17, 2019, council member Kelcey Brackett requested a future agenda item to discuss terminating Mandsagers contract. Less than an hour after the end of the meeting, Brick wrote in his response to the disciplinary board, Mandsager texted him and stated he was thinking about filing for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Brick replied that he would file if he were involved in the same circumstance. Mandsager started the process that same evening. On Oct. 22, 2019, Brick wrote, he and Mandsager met in person and discussed several potential claims Mandsager might have against the city. He didn't disclose the meeting to the the city council and didnt discuss specific claims being considered by Mandsager. He also supplied names of employment attorneys to Mandsager. On Oct. 24, Brick said, he helped Mandsager draft a letter to the city council, regarding FMLA and advised Mandsager to remove any reference to taking the leave due to stress. Although I had previously communicated with Mandsager about Mandsagers best argument for a breach of contract claim related to the change to the city code, I assured council members Brackett and (Santos) Saucedo that I told Mandsager kind of forcefully that I did not agree with Mandsagers position on the matter, Brick wrote. He also identified council member Nadine Brockert as someone he might be able to pressure to vote against his termination. On Dec 5, 2019, the council voted to end Mandsagers contract. Brick said he sent a text to Mandsager that he was working behind the scenes on Mandsagers behalf. After the council voted, he texted Mandsager, Those (expletive) just made you a lot of money. Mandsager has since filed suit against the city and the council members who voted to terminate his contract. The suit is pending. Brick has not worked for the city since the end of 2020. Muscatine communications director Kevin Jenison said in a previous interview that Brick wanted to reduce his load and pursue other avenues. Jenison said that Brick communicated when the council was looking for a new city attorney that he would not be applying. Hopkins and Huebner P.C. was the only firm to respond to the request. Brent Hinders of Des Moines is the current city attorney. He just decided it was time to keep things closer to home, Jenison said. During the Jan. 2, 2020, meeting, then-council member Osmond Malcolm asked that the possibility of changing city attorneys be discussed. He said Brick had done a great job, but with an impending council change, he thought it might also be time for a change in counsel. The filings in the disciplinary action can be viewed at https://www.iacourtcommissions.org/ords/f?p=106:15:105645354639734:::15:: Photos: Attorneys for amputee, spouse, hold news conference on lawsuit after building collapse in Davenport A 38-year-old Manderson man was found guilty of eight counts, and acquitted of one, after his trial this week for a brutal sexual assault on a 19-year-old woman earlier this year. After about three hours of deliberation, a nine-woman, three-man jury found Gabriel White Plume Sr. guilty of aggravated sexual abuse by use of force, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assault by strangulation or suffocation, distribution of methamphetamine to a person under age 21, tampering with a witness, assault resulting in substantial bodily injury, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and sexual abuse. White Plume faced two counts of aggravated sexual abuse by use of force, but the jury acquitted him of one. During closing arguments on Thursday morning after a three-day trial where jurors viewed footage White Plume took of the Jan. 10 assault, Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen called the events "his disturbing, disgusting idea of pleasure." White Plume took the stand during the last day of testimony. He testified that he, the victim, and another man who is facing charges Edison Jumping Eagle engaged in a consensual threesome after drinking heavily and using methamphetamine. "That's the kind of relationship we had," he said. Poppen summarized the injuries the woman suffered, including severe bruising on her hip and thigh, a cigarette burn, and a two-inch vaginal tear. When White Plume took the stand, Poppen asked him about the bruising on the victim's thigh, he said he caused "part of it." When she asked about the cigarette burn, White Plume said the victim's mother told him that helped her calm down. He testified he did not cause the tear. White Plume testified he never forced the victim to have sex with him or Jumping Eagle. He said "no one could control (her)," and claimed they abused each other. When White Plume took her to the Indian Health Services Hospital on Pine Ridge, she had low oxygen, a high pulse, and had suffered a cardiac event. Poppen said the victim needed blood transfusions because of how much blood she lost. After White Plume was arrested and taken to the Pine Ridge jail, he obtained a cell phone and contacted the victim on Facebook, asking her to drop the charges. That caused the government to charge him with witness tampering. White Plume's sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Jumping Eagle, White Plume's alleged accomplice, is charged with nine separate counts, including sexual abuse and assault. His trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 12. In heat reaching over 90 degrees Thursday afternoon, Rapid City firefighters hauled hose up to the fourth floor of the Pennington County parking garage and sprayed water on the underside of an SUV during training on how to extinguish electric vehicle fires. Although the SUV was gas powered and not on fire, the firefighters treated it as if it was an electric vehicle with a fire in its battery. There are about 2.4 million electric vehicles registered in the U.S., according to a 2022 U.S. Department of Energy count. California has the highest number more than 900,000. South Dakota has the third least at 1,170. Wyoming and North Dakota are the only other two states with fewer electric vehicles. However, Rapid City Fire Department Operations Lt. Mark Raderschadt said the training is still important, so firefighters will know how to react when they do encounter an electric vehicle fire. "We're just the next day away from it happening here. Lots of other fire companies have already had to deal with these," Raderschadt said. According to a June 21 New York Times article, electric vehicles caused over 100 fires and killed 13 people in the city so far this year. Those deaths originated from e-bike fires and electric scooters, which use the same type of batteries lithium ion batteries as electric cars. Training Section Lt. Roy Kottwitz said electric vehicle batteries are divided into individual cells like "1,000 matchsticks." Those cells will start to have a heat runaway issue, and they just run away from one cell to the next, to the next," Raderschadt said. "You can have a pretty huge fire that's pretty hard to put out because they're protected with a big steel underplate so that they don't get damaged, but that also makes it very hard for us to get the water where it needs to go to cool them." Cooling the battery is the primary strategy for putting out a battery fire, regardless of the vehicle it powers. By cooling the cell that's burning, that can stop the chemical chain reaction, and prevent the fire from spreading to the next metaphorical matchstick. It isn't always as simple as spraying water on the underside of an electric vehicle where the battery is stored. Raderschadt said some vehicles have too low a clearance to reach the battery that easily. "We might have to look at being able to lift the car to the side some and make access. Those are the dangers and the things that we find hard to overcome," Raderschadt said. Kottwitz explained that it's safe to use water on a battery fire because it's a closed circuit and doesn't run back into the ground the way a power line or a house circuit does. The department began training on electric vehicle fires at the beginning of the year, Raderschadt said. The fires are unique in that even when they're put out, there's still a risk they'll start up again. He said some cities have resorted to submerging vehicles in a water-filled yard waste dumpster to ensure they're truly out. "There's no rhyme or reason to if that vehicle is completely done or not. The only way to really know if that vehicle is completely done with having some type of thermal runaway and a fire is if it's completely burned up and gone or dismantled and taken completely apart," Raderschadt said. Main Streets sidewalks looked like a scene reminiscent of Mary Poppins on Friday as chalk artists lined the streets of downtown Hamilton, kicking off the annual Daly Days celebration. The Sidewalk Chalk Competition returned for a second year after last years successful debut. Participating artists were given chalk as well as a numbered and marked off piece of sidewalk downtown to create their works of art. The event had a number of return artists from last year including 17-year-old Elliada Craig, of Hamilton. Craigs chalk-art piece this year is a colorful portrait of her dog, a Siberian husky named Kodiak. Its fun to be out on the street and making art and then people see it and bring so much joy to people, Craig said as she worked away, her arms, legs and clothing covered in a colorful dusting of pink and blue chalk. The event in sponsored by the Hamilton Downtown Association with cash prizes provided by the Bitterroot Arts Guild totaling $500. There are three different categories: teams and families, 12-18-year-olds, and adults 19-100. Cynthia Fleming, who works for the city of Hamilton, was participating for her second year as well. Last year her poppy-filled design celebrating hope was inspired by her favorite poem, Hope Is a Thing with Feathers, by Emily Dickinson. This year her composition is about celebrating joy. Fleming, who has a background in art, said she enjoys taking part in the event for the community aspect of it all. Its just amazing, she said. I love it. While many of the artists designs reflected a personal choice, style or statement, some of the artwork was created to help raise awareness for local nonprofit organizations. Pieces promoting the Bitterroot Arts Guild and Hamilton Farmers Market were drawn on Main Street. Anita Wotkyns and her four daughters Lacy, Ruby, Nora and Isabelle worked together on a piece. Wotkyns, who directed a childrens museum in Utah, is working to start a nonprofit childrens museum in the valley. The groups drawing of a smiling and happy girl in vibrant colors is meant to raise awareness of the Bitterroot Discovery Childrens Museum. The drawing even includes a QR code that connects people to the organizations website. We wanted something really bright and happy and just kind of evoking the joy of being young in the summer, Wotkyns said. The Chalk Art Festival last year was really fun, we were really excited to do it again, and its a beautiful day to do it. Following the Sidewalk Chalk competition Friday, a dodgeball tournament was held to raise funds for cystic fibrosis, followed by a Friday Night Market and Street Dance featuring the 406 Band. Main Street in Hamilton will be blocked off on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bitterroot Bouncers will be set up as well as a mechanical bull and the ever-popular wiener-dog races. The Farmers Market will also be taking place downtown on Saturday morning. For more information on Daly Days and this weekends events, please go to the Hamilton Downtown Associations website at https://visithamiltonmt.org/. When Geoffrey Tandy was summoned to secretive Bletchley Park in 1939, he had no idea what to expect. A volunteer at the Royal Navy Reserves, Tandy wanted to serve Britain however he could as World War II threatened his countrys existence. But as a cryptogamist for the National History Museum, Tandy wasnt quite sure where he fit in. Cryptogamists studied algae, a skill that wasnt in high demand when it came to military strategizing. Tandy was greeted by representatives for the Ministry of Defense, who seemed excited at the prospect of Tandy joining the top-secret efforts at Bletchleytoo excited, really, about someone whose expertise was in seaweed. At some point, it occurred to Tandy that the Ministry may have made a mistake. The exact details are lost to history, but it became clear that someone had mistaken his job of cryptogamist for a cryptogramist a codebreaker, which is exactly what men like mathematician Alan Turing were doing at Bletchley. The mistake led to a moss specialist being deposited into one of the most intense covert operations of the war. Unfortunately, for Tandy he could not return to his previous position he had knowledge of the top secret code breaking activities at Bletchley Park. Generally useless to the group, Tandy did pretty much nothing for nearly two years. Then something happened that would eventually turn the war in the Allies favor. In 1941, after Allied forces torpedoed German U-boats, they managed to salvage some rather important documents from the wreckages, including papers which were instructions for users of the German Enigma Machine on how to unscramble messages. The problem: The papers were hopelessly waterlogged, damaged, and in dire need of quick restoration before they could be put to use. If something wasnt done soon, the intelligence coup would become a water-logged blob. The Ministry needed someone who was an expert in drying out water-damaged, fragile materials. Perhaps someone who may have had training in preserving algae in such a manner. They needed someone like Tandy. After years of doing nothing, Tandy finally got his chance to make himself useful in defeating the Nazis. Using absorbent materials he had gathered from a museum, Tandy dried the pages and returned them to legibility. The Bletchley codebreakers, particularly super code breaker Allan Turing, were able to use the information to crack German communication, allowing Allied forces to get a glimpse of their strategy. The deciphering likely hastened the end of the war by two to four years, thereby saving millions of lives in the process. Its not quite clear how Tandys fortunate misplacement occurred. Did a recruiter see a typographical error, with Tandys occupation getting the extra R? Or did someone simply misread it? Either way, the misunderstanding turned out to be quite fortuitous. Referencing the story in a 2012 speech, British politician William Hague said it demonstrated just how useful wide expertise can be, especially during a crisis. So the next time you feel down for not being the ideal job candidate, remember that an algae expert, brought to a top-secret military location by accident, helped stop one of the biggest atrocities in human history and by so doing, saved countless lives. Tandy stands as one of countless unsung heroes of World War II from soldiers who conducted daring raids to dozens of people who smuggled thousands of Jews to safety. Montana State Universitys Western Agriculture Research Center hosted its largest annual Field Day Thursday, with just over 300 guests learning about the onsite research that directly supports fruit and vegetable growers in Montana. MSU-WARC Superintendent Zach Miller, Ph.D., has been at the WARC for 10 years. We are paving new roads for agriculture for the state of Montana, Miller said. We do work on fruits and vegetables, high-value small-acre crops and we do this work because while it can be incredibly profitable it is incredibly expensive to start that operation. We are doing the research so that when farmers want to go down this road it is smooth. He said many farmers are looking for quality and the WARC does the research ahead of the need. Our farmers are farming for flavor, he said. They are farming for the best-tasting greens and freshest and best apples, and we can grow a lot of high-quality produce but in the lab is where we do a lot of that work. Is this the best-tasting apple? Does it have more nutritional value? Will these grapes work to make a great wine? Miller said the WARC has been doing research here since 1907 with dedicated faculty. Work has been done in the farmhouses at the WARC. Weve been asking for a new facility, he said. A few legislative sessions ago we were given permission to build a new building, which will be the first new building here in 100 years. He announced WARC matched the goal of $300,000 set by the Montana Legislature that unlocks the funding so a new building can begin. We have reached that goal with all of your support, Miller said. In the end, we had over 120 different donors across the state, outside the state, individuals, foundations, and businesses. Its great to see that support, it is great to be moving forward. It will serve as a resource for farmers in Montana for generations to come. Kierstin Schmitt, administrative associate, said furnishing the building will be another goal. We will have another reach for equipment, Schmitt said. There will be a lot of costs. But this success came from our capital campaign because people are more and more interested in what we are doing. [The Field Day] is our opportunity to show off and bring people here. After a barbecue of curated produce from the farm and local producers, key speakers included Zach Miller, Jim Miller, the Vice President and Dean of College of Ag Sreekala Bajwa, Ph.D., the Superintendent MSU-Northern Ag Research Center (Havre) and Department Head of Research Centers Darrin Boss, Ph.D., and Daniel Grant, Ph.D., Associate Director or Research Development of extension and Engagement. Visitors were treated to a farm tour to see the 13 areas where WARC faculty researchers and MSU collaborators grow and study their horticultural research projects from lentils to grapes, addressing what varieties do best, when to plant them, how to grow them, how to manage weeds and pests, the best watering options, when to harvest, how to add value and new tools available. As the only horticulture research center in the state we answer questions from, literally, from across the state, Schmitt said. Were the only one that is doing fruits and vegetables instead of cattle and large grains. Many of the guests at the WARC Field Day had ties to the research and resources. Luna Llena Vineyards owner Rich Torquemada said he raises cold-hardy grapes and sells them to many different wineries in Montana. Right now, White Raven Winery in Columbia Falls buys my grapes, Torquemada said. I was selling to Backroads Cider who changed hands recently. Im going on my 10th year and worked with Zach and these people a lot; they have an experimental vineyard here. They gave me lots of information and we worked on grants together. Torquemada has 500 vines on 1 acre surrounded by a 7-foot-high fence and grows raspberries and other fruit. He makes his own hobby wine from the grapes he doesnt sell. There are a lot of good things for grape growing in Montana, he said. There are around 50 grape growers across the state and probably a dozen in the Bitterroot Valley. Torquemada was president of the Montana Grape and Wine Association, for more information visit mtgwa.com. The evening ended with tastings featuring Big Dipper haskap honeyberry ice cream made from berries grown at WARC and other local products. Two Yellowstone County residents, one of whom was arrested Thursday on a $500,000 warrant, are facing multiple counts of child sex abuse following an investigation on the part of Yellowstone and Lewis and Clark County law enforcement. Emily Elizabeth Hale, 34, has been charged with three counts of child rape and an alternative charge of attempted child rape. A second suspect, a 51-year-old man, is facing similar charges along with one count of incest. The Billings Gazette is not identifying the second suspect in the interest of protecting the identity of the alleged victim. County prosecutors are alleging Hale and the second suspect sexually abused a girl at a residence in Ballantine several times when the girl was less than 12 years old. The charges came after the girl disclosed the abuse to her mother. In August 2022, court documents said, the Lewis and Clark County Sheriffs Office received a call regarding a sexual assault. An LCCSO deputy met with the victims mother, who allegedly said the girl revealed being abused by Hale and her former step-father nearly four years prior while they were living in Ballantine. Details of the case were sent to the Yellowstone County Sheriffs Office, and a deputy contacted the girls mother the same day. That conversation led to a forensic interview between the victim and a child advocate, according to charging documents, during which the child said her former step-father sexually abused her while her mother was at work. On at least three occasions, Hale allegedly joined in the abuse. During the forensic interview, court documents said, the girl described a situation where her former step-father tried to bribe her with toys, asking her to tell her mother that Hale alone had been sexually abuse her. In January 2023, a YCSO detective allegedly spoke with Hale. When speaking with the detective, according to charging documents, Hale said she had been forced to engage in sexual activity with the girl by her step-father at the time. Yellowstone County prosecutors filed charges against both suspects July 26. Per those documents, a YCSO detective made several attempts to contact the girls former step-father but was unsuccessful. The same day charges were filed, District Judge Donald Harris signed $500,000 arrest warrants for Hale and the second suspect. While the crime of sexual abuse impacts all demographics in the United States, young girls are especially vulnerable. Underage girls represent 82% of all minor victims of sexual violence, according to data from the non-profit Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. In Montana, according to the most recent publication of the U.S. Department of Public Health and Human Services report on child maltreatment, there were 3,077 children victimized in 2021. Of the categories tracked by HHS, the majority of children identified as victims in Montana most frequently suffered from neglect. However, there were 90 children in Montana who were victims of sexual abuse that year, down slightly from the 107 victims identified in 2020. Hale was booked in Yellowstone County Detention Facility on Thursday, and is scheduled to make her initial appearance in court July 31. She faces up to 100 years of prison if convicted of rape or attempted rape. Anonymous reports of child abuse of any kind can be made through the National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-4AC-HILD (422-4453). The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services also maintains a 24-hour hotline for child abuse reports at 1 (866) 820-5437. A Glendive woman convicted of stealing more than $119,000 from an elderly man whose finances she managed was sentenced Thursday to three years and four months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Gina Larae Mann, aka Gina Larae Neva, 54, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, said U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court also ordered $119,269 restitution. Mann preyed upon a recently widowed victim instead of helping him. Even worse, she helped herself by spending his money for her own benefit. Manns conduct destroyed the financial security, good credit, and peace of mind of an elderly man who trusted her. Our office will continue to hold accountable those who exploit the most vulnerable among us and I applaud Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla E. Painter and the IRS Criminal Investigation for investigating and prosecuting this case, Laslovich said. Ms. Mann abused the trust of a vulnerable man for her financial gain. Now she will pay for her crimes by serving a federal prison sentence where she will not be able to take advantage of anyone else, said Andy Tsui, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office. As a community, it is our responsibility to care for our elders. As a law enforcement community, it is our duty to hold individuals accountable who abuse their position of trust and steal from the people that are under their care. Mann offered to help the victim, a recently widowed elderly man who was familiar with Mann and trusted her with his taxes and bookkeeping, according to court documents. After gaining control of the victims bank account, Mann stole more than $119,000 through various methods, including taking money directly from the victim and opening several lines of credit in his name without his knowledge. The scheme caused the victim financial ruin and destroyed his credit, he said. In a statement provided to the court, the victim said of Manns conduct, She ruined my life and I will live with it for the rest of my life, trying to fix the mess she has created. Manns scheme began in early 2018 and continued until late 2019 when the victim discovered the fraud after receiving overdraft notices from a credit union. When interviewed, Mann told federal agents that the victim wanted to be a partner in her business and claimed she used ATM cash advances from a credit card to pay for her business location, car payments and insurance. Neither statement was true. The victim was not aware of and did not authorize any of Manns withdrawals or credit card transactions. The government further alleged that Mann transferred funds directly to her business and her own account, sent thousands of dollars to her husband and withdrew more than $1,000 at a casino and liquor store in Billings. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla E. Painter prosecuted the case. The IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. US President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Friday, July 28, that removes the authority of victims' commanders to decide whether or not major military offenses, such as sexual assault, will be prosecuted. Instead, the directive places that authority in the hands of independent military lawyers. The order is the official implementation of legislation approved by Congress in 2022 intended to tighten safeguards for military members, who previously had to rely on the discretion of their commanders to investigate allegations of abuse. Crucial Step in Combating Military Sexual Assaults According to AP News, legislators argued with defense officials for years over how to address the problem of sexual assaults in the armed forces. The argument was that independent attorneys would strengthen prosecutions since commanders were often ready to dismiss allegations or occurrences in their units to shield individuals suspected of violations. Leaders in the military were opposed to the idea because they feared it would weaken the position of commanders. The modification was one of more than two dozen proposed by the independent review panel on sexual assault in the military established by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in 2021. Also, it was included in the yearly military bill. Because it calls for a shift in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, it required presidential approval. Senior Biden administration officials told reporters on a teleconference before the order was released that it was the most significant revision to the military's legal code since the code was established in 1950. In fact, the Pentagon had been pressing ahead with the adjustment for some time. The special trial counsel offices were established by the military branches a year ago. By the end of this year, the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force will have full control over prosecution choices. That prosecutorial discretion will broaden to cover sexual harassment cases beginning January 1, 2025. See Also: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Condemns Molesting Controversy in Manipur Following Months of Silence Improvements for Easier, Safer Ways to Report Crimes The changes are being made as the military attempts to address the mounting tide of sexual assault allegations inside its ranks. While the services have made progress in making it simpler and safer for soldiers to come forward, they have had far less success in lowering the number of attacks. The record has climbed almost every year since 2006. There were approximately 8,942 complaints of sexual assaults against service members during the 2022 fiscal year, up from the previous year's total of 8,866. Since many individuals are hesitant to disclose attacks in the military and in society as a whole, defense officials have long claimed that a rise in reported assaults is a good trend. They argue that increased reports suggest that people have faith in the reporting system, are satisfied with the assistance provided to victims, and are holding more perpetrators to account. See Also: Conor McGregor Denies Sexually Assaulting Woman at NBA Finals Game @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. EUREKA Two men died in a shooting that authorities are investigating as a murder-suicide after they argued at a boat launch in northwestern Montana. Authorities were sent to the Rexford Bench boat launch near Eureka around 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday because of reports of a shooting, The Missoulian reported. Officers determined that 40-year-old Oregon resident Eric Newman and 51-year-old Christopher Foster, of Kalispell, Montana, were arguing while loading boats, the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. Newman got into his car to back down the ramp and Foster then allegedly pulled out a handgun and shot Newman, according to the sheriff's office. Foster retreated to the parking area and was later found in his vehicle with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the statement said. Both men died at the scene. The Eureka Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol agents, the U.S. Forest Service and the Eureka Volunteer Ambulance department also responded. An investigation is ongoing. Even more people were removed from Medicaid coverage in Montana during the second month of a massive process to re-determine the enrollment qualifications of everyone on the program. The pace of removals and data showing most of those who lost coverage ended up there because they failed to provide requested information to the state health department triggered two groups to ask the federal government to address their concerns and push the state to consider pausing or slowing the rate of the process called "unwinding." The state health department reported that 19,244 people were removed from Medicaid in May, compared to 14,960 in April when the unwinding started. That means nearly half of those in the first two rounds of reviewing coverage qualifications have lost their health insurance, or a total of 34,204 people. The removals are happening as part of a process going on nationwide. During the federal public health emergency declared for the COVID-19 pandemic, people who were approved for Medicaid coverage remained on the program regardless of fluctuations in their income or other metrics used to determine qualifications. But with the end of that emergency status earlier this year, states began the process of reviewing those qualifications. More than 64% of those who lost coverage did so not because the state determined they were ineligible, but because they failed to return information asked for by the Department of Public Health and Human Services. It's unclear how many of those people would have remained qualified for Medicaid if they returned the paperwork. About a quarter of the population reviewed so far (that the state was able to gather information for) was determined ineligible for continued coverage. The unwinding process is set to take 10 months total. Jon Ebelt, a spokesperson for the state health department, said in an email this week the department started the process with populations more likely to lose coverage because they were previously qualified based on income or other things more likely to have changed over the last three years. It will then move to review coverage for the aged, blind and disabled populations in the fourth month of unwinding. DPHHS expects these initial months to have a higher closure rate as a result of this population-based approach, Ebelt wrote. He added people can still re-apply for coverage and appeal decisions about ended coverage, and that the department has worked with partners to inform people about other options for health insurance like the federal marketplace. Challenges with the process Earlier this month the Montana Budget and Policy Center and Montana Women Vote sent a letter to the federal government expressing "deep concerns about the process and outcomes of the Medicaid unwind in Montana." Though still in the early stages, we have encountered many issues that seem at odds with the shared goals of the state, advocates, and providers to ensure that people can move through the process fairly and without undue hardship and to minimize, to the extent possible, unnecessary coverage loss, the letter reads. The letter referenced a backlog of renewals submitted before the end of May but still pending and terminated coverage for those stuck in that process, as well as excessive call center wait times from between two to eight hours. In a response this week, Ebelt wrote that the state is following requirements in law to re-evaluate if people are qualified for coverage. With the federal pandemic health emergency now over, DPHHS is exercising its statutory responsibility to verify the eligibility of Medicaid recipients. This includes recipients who may have enrolled in Medicaid during the pandemic and no longer qualify for coverage, including those who reentered the workforce and have employer-sponsored health care coverage, Ebelt wrote. The letter also raises concerns about how fast the state is moving through the reviews. Though the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid suggest states process no more than one-ninth of their Medicaid population every month, Montana is attempting more than that over five of the first six months, the letter points out. In total, the state will initiate 75% of renewals in the first six months of the unwinding. Given the stories we have heard from Montanans, we are concerned the state is attempting a renewal pace which exceeds its ability to provide people with accessible and accurate renewals, the letter reads. Ebelt wrote that the state is processing Medicaid redetermination cases in a timely and accurate manner, and in accordance with a plan submitted to and reviewed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. He added that the department is leveraging a variety of communications tools and operational flexibilities offered by CMS. To date, over 30,000 Montanans have been redetermined eligible for Medicaid, with more renewals on the way as our 10-month process steadily continues, he wrote, adding that the department when possible tries to verify who is qualified for coverage through an automatic electronic process. Hurdles in the system But the letter says there are issues with enrollment for people getting information from the state and trying to provide what's asked of them. We have heard many anecdotes of individuals who followed instructions, believed they were still covered, and did not receive notice that they had been disenrolled until they were turned away at the pharmacy or clinic," the letter read. Additional problems the letter notes include a non-functioning virtual chat assistant on the health department's website, the application portal being overly complicated and logging out people who are trying to work through the application process, and the helpline disconnecting people during long wait times. Given the serious and endemic nature of these issues, we believe that the large number of Montanans being unenrolled includes a high percentage of people who have not had a fair and timely redetermination process and who may still be eligible for coverage, the letter reads. Ebelt said the department is working to address wait times. DPHHS is exploring ways to simplify the phone tree options, increase speed of answer, and resolve questions quickly. The department is dedicated to serving each and every client, Ebelt wrote. To best serve those calling the helpline, staff spend as much time as necessary with clients to ensure their case is properly processed, their questions are answered, and next steps are clearly communicated. What continuous coverage has meant for people Skye McGinty, the executive director of All Nations Health Center in Missoula, said her organization has been using a $1 million grant the center pursued to help connect people with health insurance. The focus groups include kids, pregnant people and the Native populations. The center works with about 2,000 active clients, about 70% of which are eligible for Medicaid, McGinty said, and eligibility specialists work with them to apply for and keep coverage. While people may mistakenly think the Indian Health Service is synonymous with health insurance, its not. And with about 40% of the states Native population living off reservations, care is frequently accessed elsewhere. All Nations also serves the entire Missoula population, not just Natives. Additionally, people often need specialized or additional care beyond what the clinic can offer, such as a podiatrist or asthma specialist, services that can be expensive without insurance. Having continuous eligibility on the program during the pandemic was dramatically helpful to reliable access to health care, McGinty said. For three years we completely paused all of that and it had a huge, monumental, tremendous impact for our patients who arent having to think about it, McGinty said. It meant a decrease in their anxiety and their fear about not being able to access health care at all. People dont have as much fear as when they have to go through a redetermination process every year. It was a time when it was so uncertain and really scary for a lot of people, and at least there was a constant of If we need medical help, if we need some amount of coverage, then we do have that through Medicaid. Roadblocks to keeping coverage Many people first gained coverage during the pandemic, so navigating the re-enrollment system is new to them, McGinty said. Its no secret to everyone this system is really clunky and the application process is really esoteric, McGinty said. If you dont have the right documents and you dont have your taxes in order, theres a lot of different delays that can happen. Its pretty discouraging having to go through that system, especially by yourself. There are other challenges besides the complex paperwork process. For people who live in rural areas, they might not be able to check their PO Box every day and could miss deadlines to re-enroll. They might also not know what the mail coming from the health department is, or not have transportation available to make trips to a place to get help navigating the enrollment process or be able to take time off work or away from caregiving obligations. For pregnant people, theres additional racism in traditional western medical settings where value judgements are made about people of color expecting children. The additional pressures put on them to be high-performing parents and seen as doing everything possible for their children can make it a challenge to find capacity and time for other things. Marilyn Gomez, an eligibility specialist with All Nations, said many of her clients arrive to her confused about paperwork theyve received, perplexed by the forms the state needs filled out or after learning their coverage was already terminated. Ive had multiple clients come in saying they verified their address and were waiting for paperwork in the mail and now in the month of June or July, they go to the pharmacy to pick up medications and they tell them youre closed (meaning their coverage has ended), Gomez said. One of Gomezs clients was caught in a complicated web when his coverage was terminated. He didnt receive any of the mail to complete his redetermination process because his account was initially established under his now ex-wife and communication was sent to her. Though the man qualifies for benefits, he wasnt able to get a warning about what was about to happen or send the state information to show he should receive them. Then when he submitted a new application online, the system automatically associated him with his former wifes account, further delaying the process. Because this patient had an urgent medical need with his medication, I was on hold for five-and-a-half hours and finally got an agent who said they couldnt find his application at first, Gomez said. Because his application was linked to someone else's with no way to correct that, the man needed to do another application over the phone again. Other patients are waiting through the 45-day window for their reapplications to be processed after a denial. If somebody's diabetic and they need to get their medicine, I cant tell them Oh, Medicaid is pending but you can go get your insulin, Gomez said. People can also be intimated by the sheer amount of information mailed to them, Gomez said, along with the process to apply online. Theres a dual-verification requirement to establish someones identity, and without a laptop or cellphone its not possible to submit. A lot of the people Im working with are not technologically savvy, Gomez continued. She had to get a work-issued smartphone to help people navigate the verification process, which requires the ability to take and submit a photo online. Patients who lose access to health insurance are no longer able to keep seeing their doctors for chronic conditions that get worse without regular treatment, McGinty said, and can also lose access to medications. Thats been the biggest fear Ive heard from our clients is the disruption, McGinty said. Thats huge and then the disruption for their children is huge, whether its physicals or sick child visits, theres a big fear around losing that coverage for kids. Its not healthy for our people to be cold-turkey stopping and restarting medication. Children losing coverage By July 13, 13,748 children and teens under the age of 18 have lost Medicaid coverage through the unwinding process, Ebelt said. The number of children who have lost their health care in the past two months is concerning. It is more than every Montana public preschooler and kindergartener enrolled last year, said Stephanie Morton, the executive director of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Montana. Children need access to checkups and essential vaccinations. Those with chronic health conditions, such as cancer and diabetes, may miss medications that keep them alive. Administrative hurdles to keeping eligible kids and families covered are adding to the already difficult job of parents and caregivers in our state. Gomez, the enrollment specialist, said information coming from the health department doesnt help parents understand that even if they exceed income limits for adult programs, their child still may qualify for Healthy Montana Kids programs. Theyre not aware of the diversity of programs offered, so they go and search the income limits and it brings up the one for them as adults and theyre not interpreting the information correctly, Gomez said. People may also get denial letters for themselves but not realize it doesnt necessarily apply to their children. Families can be placed onto transitional Medicaid to offer some coverage while trying to get insurance elsewhere, but theres minimal information provided about the program and people often dont know if that means their child is still insured, Gomez said. Going forward CMS has stopped the redetermination process in a dozen states, not including Montana. CNN reported earlier this month Daniel Tsai, director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, told reporters in a press briefing that despite all the preparations and what we know has been a tremendous amount of work at the state level and in the community, we are very concerned about the level of terminations, meaning disenrollment, that we are seeing across the country. Outreach efforts in Montana have included approximately 100,000 text messages to households most likely to have new mailing addresses encouraging them to update their contact information, Ebelt wrote. The health department also plans a new public service announcement campaign about redetermination, to run through the rest of the process. Still, groups like the organizations that signed the letter to the federal government and All Nations in Missoula worry about the pace of review and disenrollment. Those 10 months are going to go by really fast, McGinty said. Harbinger. Bellwether. Symptom. Insult to injury. Algal blooms periodically bedevil the Big Hole River. But not like this one, say people who know the river well. Algae itself is not necessarily uncommon, but river-wide, thick neon blooms sure are, said Brian Wheeler, executive director of the Big Hole River Foundation. Looking back over the last, say, 25 to 30 years, folks I talk to simply dont remember ever seeing such extensive blooms or such widespread algae so regularly, he said. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality recently took water quality samples related to the algal bloom. DEQ expects to have water quality sample results back from the lab by the end of August, said Moira Davin, a spokeswoman for the agency. Our monitoring team also completed a visual assessment of algae growth and documented moderate to high growth from Melrose to Glen, she said. Based on the visual assessment, the algae doesnt appear to have harmful algal blooms present. The sample results will help inform us about the state of the water quality and what could be contributing to the algae blooms. Davin said DEQs team works with regional partners like the Big Hole Watershed Committee and the Big Hole River Foundation to support ongoing volunteer water quality monitoring, projects to reduce pollutants and restore streambank vegetation and more. A river still in peril: Trout numbers in the Big Hole hit historic lows Experts around southwest Montana say that, among the many factors at play, we should look at disease and bureaucratic failures as possible explanations to the declining populations. Although algae can play a beneficial role in aquatic environments, dense blooms of algae can doom aquatic life. They block sunlight, clog fish gills and affect the breathing of creatures like shellfish. Then, when the bloom dies and decays, its decomposition can deplete oxygen in the water and release harmful gases. On July 21, the nonprofit Upper Missouri Waterkeeper described the algal bloom downstream of Divide as miles-long, neon-green and noxious. The organizations press release was headlined, Another blow to the Big Hole River. The river, long famous for scenery and fly fishing, has made news this summer because of concerns about declining trout populations. Those revelations have discouraged some anglers but others have floated or waded and happily reported catching trout. The Upper Missouri Waterkeeper, based in Bozeman, said the new algal bloom adds to the suite of troubling conditions plaguing the river and basin this summer. The organization cited historic lows in populations of brown and rainbow trout, warm water temperatures and low flows. A healthy river needs balanced physical, chemical and biological processes, and all three on the Big Hole River are sadly degraded, said Guy Alsentzer, executive director of Upper Missouri Waterkeeper. In the face of climate change, trout population decline and excessive nutrient pollution, we need to take decisive action with science-based solutions capable of restoring this world-class waterway, he said. One key concern has a long history: low flows and accompanying increases in water temperature. Trout need cold, clear water. Conflict often rears about water withdrawals for irrigation by ranchers in the Big Hole Valley and elsewhere in the Jefferson Basin. Those withdrawals, combined with drought, reduce flows. In early June, Eileen Ryce, fisheries division administrator for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, spoke to this issue. Trout populations in many streams in southwest Montana have seen decline in recent years, and research continues to point to perennially low stream flows and high water temperatures as contributing factors, Ryce said. DEQ has described this summers Big Hole algae downstream from Divide as a filamentous green algae bloom. Filamentous green algae forms green, cottony masses that are free-floating or attached to rocks, debris or other plants, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. It features fine, green filaments sans leaves, roots, stems or flowers. The algae frequently form dense mats. And it can have beneficial effects. According to Rutgers University Cooperative Extension, Filamentous algae are an essential component of the aquatic ecosystem. They serve as a food source for protozoa and invertebrates, provide oxygen to the water and provide habitat for small animals including aquatic insects, fish, snails and scud. High water temperatures, low flows and the abundant sunshine of a Montana summer also set the stage for algal blooms. Nutrients flowing into waterbodies exacerbate the problem. Water quality testing by the Big Hole River Foundation has identified the upper Big Hole River valley, which hosts a multi-generational cattle ranching community, as a source of nutrient loading. Manure and fertilizer can add nutrients to the river. Dean Peterson, a fourth-generation rancher in the upper Big Hole, has said he believes manure is a more likely nutrient source than fertilizer. He noted many ranchers have worked to keep cattle away from the river. Peterson is a board member for the Big Hole Watershed Committee and has said he recognizes that both the ranching community and the angler outfitting and guiding community on the Big Hole rely on a healthy watershed. Wheeler, also a board member for the Big Hole Watershed Committee, said nutrients washing into the upper Big Hole certainly could be associated with an algal bloom miles downstream. While our high nutrient results are tilted more consistently towards the upper river, its pretty easy to conceptualize that what is upstream flows downstream, he said. And high levels of total nitrogen and total phosphorous have certainly not been exclusive to the upper river with the exception of our headwaters sample site, excess levels of nitrogen and phosphorous have been recorded at all our mainstem sites at some point. The Rutgers Cooperative Extension observes that algae problems arise when excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) cause excessive growth to reach nuisance levels resulting in an algal accumulation known as mats, moss, water net, frog spittle or scum. Over-abundant growth can interfere with recreational activity and degrade water quality. Wheeler said triggers aside from nutrients can help initiate and sustain algal blooms. He cited flow velocity, pH levels, sunlight and water temperature as potential contributors. He said the current algal bloom appears similar to a 2020 event that followed a fierce rainstorm near Divide that flooded the Maidenrock Road and washed in materials from surrounding fields. Save the fish: Groups outline projects to save Big Hole River trout After historically low counts of trout were found in three popular stretches of the Big Hole River, people have begun rallying around the 153-mile freestone river in southwest Montana. The resulting bloom exploded from there to Glen, Wheeler said. He said it is important to recognize that once an algal bloom emerges, theres no effective contemporaneous intervention. However, if we work toward managing water quality based on what nutrient data is measurably showing us, then we can begin to anticipate the likelihood of an emergence of algae, he said. For example, when the Big Hole River Foundation finds nitrogen and phosphorus levels well above the numeric thresholds beyond which a negative impact on beneficial use is more likely, for multiple consecutive years, it's really no surprise that the Big Hole would see an extensive bloom, Wheeler said. Especially as the water drops and it gets hot and bright. He said data submitted to the state from the foundation each year could help inform proactive management, pinpoint sources of nutrients and reduce nutrient loading and prevent algal blooms altogether. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, Wheeler said. CHENNAI, India, July 29: Environment ministers from G20 nations failed to agree on peaking global emissions by 2025 and other crucial issues to address the global climate crisis at their meeting in India on Friday, France's representative said. No breakthrough was possible on several key points ahead of this year's COP28 climate talks, with negotiations also failing to reach a consensus on drastically scaling up renewable energy use. "I am very disappointed," France's ecological transition minister Christophe Bechu told AFP after the meeting. "We are not able to reach an agreement of increasing drastically renewable energies, we are not able to reach an agreement on phasing out or down fossil fuels, especially coal," he said. "Records of temperatures, catastrophes, giant fires, and we are not able to reach an agreement on the peaking (of) emissions by 2025." The discussions with China, Saudi Arabia, and on climate issues with Russia had been "complicated", he added. The Chennai meeting comes days after energy ministers from the bloc -- which represents more than 80 percent of global GDP and CO2 emissions -- failed to agree on a roadmap to cut fossil fuels from the global energy mix. That was seen as a blow to mitigation efforts even as climate experts blame record global temperatures for triggering floods, storms and heatwaves. Some major oil producers -- such as Russia and Saudi Arabia -- were blamed for the lack of progress. All present at Friday's conference understood "the severity of the crisis" facing the world, Adnan Amin, chief executive of this year's COP28 climate talks, told AFP. "But I think there's a kind of political understanding that still needs to be achieved," he added. Amin said it was clear that questions of "national interests" still had to be resolved before firmer commitments could be made on fossil fuels. "It's very clear that every country in the world will start by looking at its immediate self-interest," he said. Most delegations were led by their environment and climate change ministers, while the US delegation was headed by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. Also at the talks was Emirati oil boss Sultan Al Jaber, who will lead the upcoming COP28 talks in the United Arab Emirates starting in late November. He has been heavily criticised for his apparent conflict of interest as head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company because burning fossil fuels is the main driver of global warming. - Livelihoods destroyed - With raging wildfires in Greece and a heatwave in Italy, European Union environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius said ahead of the gathering that there was "growing evidence on the ground of devastating climate impact" and "the livelihoods of people are being destroyed". But progress in global negotiations has been slow, with the G20 polarised by Russia's war in Ukraine and sharp divisions on key issues. Questions on financing the transition and ameliorating its short-term impacts have long been a point of contention between developing and wealthy nations. Major developing countries like India argue that legacy emitters need to spend more to underwrite global mitigation efforts in poorer nations. After a long Memorial Day weekend, Raymond Royall decided he would take his 1977 fiberglass open motorboat out for one more time before selling it for good. The former Richmond City Council member set out from a Hampton Roads marina alone and told his friends and family he would be back for dinner. But Royall never made it back. Before the sun came up, his boat was picked up by the Virginia Beach Marine Patrol. Its starboard side had a deep, 3-inch gash leading all the way to the hull of the boat. All of the life jackets were on deck. In the days that followed, search-and-rescue teams worked around the clock searching for Royall. Helicopters and boats were sent out on the Chesapeake Bay. The Coast Guard expanded the search, setting up a 40-square-mile area. Still, Royall remained lost. By day three, he was presumed dead. With gatherings and activities planned for the following weekend, the Coast Guard reported high chances, 70%, of Royalls body being found. But weeks came and went with no sign of him. By the end of July 1978, Royalls wife decided it was time to hold a funeral service to honor the five-year, tenured 9th District council member, businessman, church leader and father of two. Heaven is a more joyful place because of Brother Royalls presence. Yet, we are left with a deep sorrow, the Rev. James Barwick stated in the Wednesday, July 12, 1978, edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The service, attended by over 500 people in the community, served as closure as friends and family resigned themselves to accept his untimely death. That was until a man going by Michael Royall, bearing a similar appearance as Raymond, was spotted driving the same car as the presumed deceased in Missouri. While Royalls disappearance shocked the city, Richmonders were in for even more of a shock when days following the search, the local Bank of America seized all of the vehicles and closed the doors on Royalls Dodge car dealership. The same day, the Coast Guard called off the search, citing it had scoured every possible area without any luck. Shock turned to speculation as whispers spread around town about Royalls finances, his disappearance and whether he was really dead. According to bank officials, Royall had been in financial distress for some time with loans tallying up. He was set to meet with the bank to decide next steps the day he went missing. Likewise, Royalls next-in-line salesman had decided to leave town, telling everyone he was moving to Florida. This only kept up the rumors. And soon they proved true when, in September, just three months after his disappearance, the FBI announced Royall had surfaced in St. Louis and a statewide search was underway. The bureau told Times-Dispatch reporters Dale Eisman, Bill Miller and Tim Wheeler in the Tuesday, Sept. 26, 1978, edition of the paper that Royall was living in the same building with two of his business associates and had been working for a beer distributing company under the alias Michael Royall. When hired, he gave a different Social Security number and listed his birthday as Sept. 24, 1941 10 days before his actual birthday. According to Pam Stelzer, one of his St. Louis coworkers, Royall had told her and other coworkers that he had lived in Richmond and served on the City Council. He claimed that his wife and child had died in a car accident and that he was in Missouri to escape his previous life. According to Stelzer, Royall was a great coworker, confidant and friend. On Thursday, Michael called to say goodbye to me. He was so damned conscientious. Here the FBI was after him and he stopped to call me to say goodbye and to tell me about three accounts that needed attention, Stelzer said. He didnt say where he was going. We were both quite upset. He was okay at first. But I told him I was going to miss him, and he began crying, and I began crying. While the FBI learned of his whereabouts in September, it would be two more months before the law would catch up with him. In December 1978, Royall returned to the city looking pale and much thinner to face various charges relating to his faked death. By 1979, he accepted a plea on two of eight charges against him and paid $15,000 for his crimes. After that, life moved on and Royall faded into obscurity as just one of many infamous Richmond city politicians who faced financial and legal troubles. That was the case for nearly a decade. Then, Royall agreed to sit down with the same Times-Dispatch reporter who covered most of his disappearance, capture and trial. At his new home in New Orleans, Royall offered his side of the story in the Sunday, July 7, 1985, edition of The Times-Dispatch. According to Royall, his decision to leave behind his family, friends and business was one of impulse. Ultimately, he could no longer take the stress. So he got into his boat, pointed it out into the bay and just let it go before swimming back to the shore. It was a decision that would cause a lot of problems including exile from the city he had an intense, passionate love affair with while living there. Despite his choices, Royall said he learned from it and considered himself a completely different person. My marriage was deteriorating. My business was deteriorating. And I was on every committee, every board, every commission. There was in my personal and business life too much pressure to cope with, Royall said. If I didnt have, I came as close as anyone to having a nervous breakdown. I had to escape it. From the Archives "From the Archives" is a series of stories exploring the history of Richmond and the reqion through the files of The Times-Dispatch. Have a topic you'd like us to check out? Email reporter Em Holter at eholter@timesdispatch.com and visit richmond.com to see more from our archives. Iranian and Iraqi Shiite Muslims beat their heads and chests Friday during an Ashoura mourning ritual in Tehran, Iran. Millions of Shiite Muslims in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and around the world on Friday commemorated Ashoura, a remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, that gave birth to their faith. Iraq, Lebanon and Syria planned their remembrances for Saturday. Shiites represent over 10% of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims and view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein's death in battle more than 1,340 years ago at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, ingrained a deep rift in Islam and to this day continues to play a key role in shaping Shiite identity. In a span of three days, the U.S. Department of Labor announced it had recovered $2.5 million in unpaid wages for over 450 employees involving eight different companies. As evidenced by the announcements, there is no one industry that continues to violate the Fair Labor Standards Act a 1938 law that requires non-exempt employees to be paid overtime for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The law also provides for minimum wage and has special rules around tip pooling for tipped workers. The FLSA permits recovery of not just the back wages owed to the employee and attorneys fees, but the law has a special provision referred to as liquidated damages which doubles what is owed to the employee as penalties. Multiple FLSA provisions were center stage in the announcements that employers had violated, among them: A New York gas station, convenience store and Subway franchise operator will pay $178,000 for eight employees, including about $90,000 in back wages for overtime and minimum wage violations, and an equal amount in liquidated damages, and payment for willful violations. A supermarket in Utah will pay $502,609 in back wages and liquidated damages for 148 workers to include $251,305 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to the affected employees as well as $22,390 in civil money penalties for the overtime violations. The DOL announced it also penalized the supermarket for attempting to prevent DOL investigators from interviewing employees and instructed them to tell investigators they did not work more than 40 hours per week. Telling workers to lie to federal regulators is absolutely an unacceptable workplace practice. The DOL called upon the supermarket industry to comply with labor laws. The DOL announced, Supermarket industry workers are often paid flat daily or weekly rates of pay and are deprived of their earned overtime pay. It said, The department is dedicated to making sure workers are paid as required by federal law. No employee should fear their employers wrath for reporting pay concerns. A pest control company in Alabama will pay $64,000 in back wages for 41 workers who worked over 40 hours in a workweek and were denied overtime pay. A food wholesaler in Hawaii will pay $73,000 to 11 warehouse workers to include $36,685 in unpaid overtime wages, $36,685 in damages and $8,877 in penalties for the reckless disregard of the law, according to the announcement. The DOL said of the violations, Investigators determined the employer illegally gave workers the option to either clock in overtime hours worked or to accept cash payments to avoid paying taxes on those earnings. The employer also violated FLSA recordkeeping requirements by keeping inaccurate time and payroll records. A San Diego cafe owner will pay $127,000 in back wages and damages to 18 employees, including waiters and cooks, due to unpaid overtime. The DOL found that some employees were required to work up to 67 hours per week without proper compensation. The DOLs recovery includes $63,674 in unpaid wages and an equal amount in damages, in addition to $7,263 in penalties for the reckless disregard of the law. The DOL announced, Restaurant employers such as Jimmy Carters Mexican Cafe cheat workers and commit wage theft when they refuse to pay employees earned overtime wages, said Wage and Hour District Director Min Park-Chung in San Diego. Cooks and servers often work long hours and, like all workers, must be paid in compliance with federal labor laws. Employers who undercut their workers wages will be held accountable. The owner of six Connecticut restaurants will pay a whopping $858,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 105 workers. According to the announcement, the judgment included withheld tips from the workers. A staffing agency in California will pay $373,000 in back wages for 23 caregivers who were denied overtime, some of whom worked 12 to 16 hours a day. The DOL reported that the company paid employees straight-time rates for all hours worked, including what should have been overtime hours. A Wisconsin restaurant chain will pay $272,000 to more than 100 employees for a variety of labor violations, including denying 110 servers, cooks and other employees earned wages and tips and employing three minors to work later and longer hours than the law permits. The DOL found that the company operated an invalid tip pool by illegally including kitchen staff and cooks, which are not tipped occupations, into the tip pool. The DOL stated, By doing so, the employer lost its ability to claim credit for tips toward its minimum wage and overtime obligations for tipped employees, such as servers. All of these violations reveal a grim outlook on how employers are operating their businesses and failing to comply with basic labor laws. Employees frequently feel that they have no voice and are uncertain of their rights. Employers must comply with federal and state wage payment laws, without exception, and the employee and employer cannot agree otherwise. More information on federal labor laws can be found at www.dol.gov. In Virginia, employees can report violations to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry at www.doli.virginia.gov. From the Archives: 250 photos of Richmond in the 1940s Belle Isle Bellwood Drive-In Bowler School Cowardin Avenue Christian Recreation Center Floods Glenwood Country Club Grace Street Maggie Walker Powerline Public bath house Schools Semmes Shawondasee Sixth Street Market Sixth Street Market Streetcars on Main Street Swimming and diving championship The Mosque Trolley Water tower Stockyards Richmond fires Trolley organ grinder Mail box Mooer's Field 1940s floods Cornshusk rug farmer Sixth Street Market Tredegar Sixth Street Market Sixth Street Market Patsy Garrett boys club Hunting draft pool hall Mosque pool rollerskate Times-Dispatch Beavers Blues Armory Boulevard Byrd Field C&O Central State Hospital Central Station Post Office Churchill City Stadium Cowardin Avenue and Hull Street Curles Neck Dairy Dixie Elba Fishing Forest Lodge Fountain Freedom Train Friendship Train 1947 Monument Avenue Grocery Ice Kensington Avenue apartments Main Street Main Street Mayo Bridge Memorial Day parade Mules Nickel prank Oilfield Old Manchester water works Shawondasee Shriners parades Skyline Sledding State toxicologist Street Sweepers Sunshine Sue Tickets Traffic Trolley Tuberculosis ward University of Richmond Valentine Museum Fire Cary St Paper Powhatan Hill Playground Street scene race car Doll hospital West Avenue Broad St. mill Main Street Station Churchill Draft Air Scouts Maggie Walker pinball machines 1945 Allied Victory Day American Red Cross American Red Cross Armistice Belgian Friendship Building and Bell Tower Blackout Bojangles Braille cookbook Broad Street Station Bryan Park Carter Sisters Cigarettes City Stadium Confederate Soldiers Home Defense Special No. 1 train Draft Elba School Executive Mansion Fire Gasless parade Grace Arents School Grace St Grace Street pollution Henrico Red Cross Motor Corps Highland Springs Volunteer Fire Department Holden Rhodes House Ice James River flood Magnet mailboxes Main St Mayo Bridge Medical College of Virginia Melons Military parade Miller & Rhoads wagon mobile canteen Mobile kitchen Mooers Mooers Field Pamunkey Indians Parade Parking ban Parking Lot Canteen Quiz Kids Ration tokens Rationing Red Cross Richmond Quartermaster Depot Robert E. Lee Camp Confederate Soldiers Home Rosa D. Bowser library Scrap metal drive Shoe ration Sixth Street Market Street Sweepers Thomas Jefferson High School Cadet Corps Tin drive Toll house Trolley Typewriter repair Virginia Department of Agriculture War bonds Water tower Weimans Bakery Wilcox Lake WLEE WLEE Women in Production Service Womens Army Corps Works Progress Administration George Wythe Laundry Dog fortune teller Air Raid Wardens YMCA Charter Change Travelers Aid Society street sweepers Dupont 1940s floods Acca Temple elevator Restaurants Restaurants Red Cross Motor Corps shoe ration Air Raid WWII WWII Bikes sampson Dorothy Lamour Rationing typewriters Bellwood Native Americans Fort Lee ScrapMetal WWII WWII American Red Cross Production Corps archery bricklaying class Camp Lee Camp Lee Clark Gable Deep Run races Deep Water Terminal Em Bowles Locker First and Merchants National Bank of Richmond Gasless Sundays Liquid stockings Monument Methodist Mrs. Cupid nurses Old-fashioned swimsuit contest Pearl Harbor front page Rats Rockingham National Turkey Festival Sergeant Jack Blizzard Seven Pines Baptist Church Snowstorm Snowstorm State Library WWII Cavalier Arena Pamunkey Brookfield Patrick Henry carriages rollerskate Railroads Red Cross Richmond Terminal Richmond Colts 1940s floods Commuting in and out of Richmond will cost a little more beginning Sept. 1, when tolls are scheduled to rise on the Downtown Expressway, Powhite Parkway and the Boulevard Bridge. But the Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority is letting drivers know theres an E-Z way to limit the out-of-pocket expense. Save money before this change takes effect and create a VA E-ZPass account today, the regional authority says on its Facebook page. The Facebook message is part of a campaign that the RMTA began in late June and intensified this month to remind Richmond-area residents of the impending toll increases and remind them that the cost will be less for drivers who pay electronically, instead of with cash. Tolls at the main plazas on the Downtown Expressway and the Powhite Parkway will rise from 70 cents to 90 cents for drivers with an E-ZPass, but they will be $1 for motorists who use cash. Similarly, tolls will rise from 35 cents to 45 cents on the Boulevard Bridge and from 20 cents to 45 cents on three other on-ramps for those who pay electronically, while people who use cash will pay 50 cents. (Longtime residents refer to the Boulevard Bridge as the Nickel Bridge, a reference to the fee drivers paid to cross it until 1973.) We really dont want people to be surprised, said Joi Taylor Dean, CEO of the authority. While public awareness is the main purpose behind the social media blitz, the secondary goal is to encourage people to sign up for a Virginia E-ZPass account and transponder. The transponders, usually mounted on windshields, already make paying tolls easier by communicating electronically at plazas so that drivers do not have to stop or find cash to pay. After Sept. 1, drivers will also save money with E-ZPass. Its the easiest and most efficient way, Dean said in an interview. There is a third message in the RMTA posts on social media sites the additional money is necessary to make the expressway system safer and more reliable. Youve probably heard that the RMTA system will increase its tolls on September 1, a Facebook post said on July 18. But did you know that RMTA does not receive any federal or state tax dollars? Another, on July 14, advised that on Sept. 1, there will be a necessary toll increase to assist in the maintenance of safer roads for all commuters and travelers. These funds will be dedicated to essential improvements that enhance your journey on RMTAs system. What social media posts cannot capture is the urgency behind the first toll increases in 15 years on a commuter system founded in 1966. The COVID-19 pandemic throttled down public use of the road system, as people stopped driving to work because their offices had closed or had begun operating remotely. Toll transactions plunged by 27% between the 2019 and 2021 fiscal years and are not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2039. Consequently, the RMTA collected a cumulative $26.7 million less in tolls over three fiscal years 2020, 2021 and 2022 but continued to make essential capital improvements to the 51 lane miles and 36 bridges that it maintains in the region. The bonds issued on the system will not be fully repaid until 2041. The authority is also planning ahead for an eventual transition to all electronic tolling, already used in Maryland and other states, to entirely eliminate cash collections and the need for attendants to make change. That will not happen for three to four years, Dean said this spring. In the meantime, however, the RMTA is trying to calm any concerns over the ability of drivers to pay their tolls with coins, including nickels and dimes. The systems aging toll collection machines will still take them, but the authority discourages use of pennies and encourages quarters for cash payments. The machines do not like pennies, Dean said. They do not like nickels. They do not like dimes. We would prefer that people put in quarters. The price differential provides an incentive by making setting the cash tolls at $1 or 50 cents, which are divisible by 25 cents. In addition to Facebook, the RMTA is posting messages on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Threads, a new messaging site. It is taking out digital ads on Google and Facebook. It plans to remind drivers with digital message boards on the highways and bridges. It even plans to distribute a one-page flyer at toll plazas as the date for the increase comes nearer. Our primary goal is to make sure people know whats coming, Dean said. Photos of the Downtown Expressway construction in the early to mid-1970s Traveling southeast from Richmond, the Capital Trail stretches 50 miles through both Virginia and American history. Being an outdoor enthusiast and a self-described history buff, I was elated to discover there was a multiuse path connecting the current state capital, Richmond, to the colonial capital of Jamestown. I knew I wanted to do a Through Our Lens feature on the trail, because it combined both of my passions. With my bicycle laden with camping gear and plenty of water, I made my way through history towards Jamestown, considered by many to be the start of America. You can thank Whitt Clement, said Cat Anthony, executive director of the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation. He was the Secretary of Transportation for Virginia, and he was one of the people who first helped us to get initial funding for a portion of the Capital Trail. Heading toward Jamestown along the trail, youll pass many historical markers. One marks the site where then-Richmond mayor Joseph Mayo surrendered the city to the Union Army near the end of the Civil War. Farther along the trail, another marks the first Thanksgiving in America. Theres just a lot of history along the trail and along Route 5, and the trail is just a great way to show it off, Anthony said. In a car, its hard to stop and read things. But on bike, or walking or running, its easy to just stop and read different signs and see whats going on. Efforts to create the trail began in earnest in 2003, spearheaded by Clement. However, the Virginia Department of Transportation conducted a study in 1991 and recommended installing a bicycle lane, Anthony explained. The trail is maintained by VDOT, with the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation fulfilling the roles of planning future expansions, upgrades and marketing. We actually are a very unique trail, Anthony said. Having the DOT maintain the trail and the city of Richmond maintains a portion of it as well, but also the VCTF working with stakeholders, programming, doing events, marketing the trail, so it is a very unique partnership. A very unique model that you dont see often in the other states. The paved trail slowly transitions from the farm fields surrounding Richmond into boardwalks over waterfowl-filled wetlands and forests. The stories I learned from the markers along the way culminated in arriving at Jamestown, where I was filled with a feeling of accomplishment, having just biked the length of the trail. Also, there was excitement to see the historic settlement and learn more about the history of the site. Preservation Virginia and the National Parks Service co-maintain the site and the ongoing archeological excavations. It's an unique but fitting relationship, because Preservation Virginia has owned the James Fort property since 1893, before the NPS was founded. That's much in the same way the Powhatan tribes owned the land before the English settled on the same territory. I spent the night at the Chickahominy Riverfront Park campground after leaving Jamestown for the evening. I returned the next day to explore the museums and spend more time taking in the scope of the tenuous relationship between the native tribes and the English. All while waiting for the midsummer Virginia heat to wane before heading back through history toward the modern city of Richmond. From the old capital to the new capital. Carlee Russell, who disappeared for two days in Alabama, is facing possible charges for two felonies. Any of which could put her in prison for a year if she is found guilty. Alabama Police Pursuing Criminal Charges Against Russell Jefferson County Chief Assistant District Attorney Lane Tolbert told ABC News that charges of fake reporting to law enforcement and fabricating an event might be brought against Russell. He said that the maximum sentence for class A offenses is one year in prison. Tolbert informed the media outlet that they just advised what they think the charges should be. He added that the office of the circuit clerk of Jefferson County, Bessemer Division's office, will be responsible for filing any criminal charges. Earlier this week, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said that charges against Russell had not yet been filed. Tolbert told Fox News that they will make the charges public when and if they are brought. See Also: Carlee Russell' Disappearance': Alabama Woman Confesses to Fake Kidnapping, Lost Child Report on Highway Russell Made Up Abduction Story According to the New York Post, the 24-year-old nursing student from Alabama vanished on July 13 at 9:34 PM local time after she called police to report a child wandering along the northbound side of Interstate 459 in the Birmingham area. She said a narrative about being abducted by a white guy with orange hair and then showed up at her parents' home two days later, following a frantic 49-hour search. Her whereabouts when she was missing are unknown, thus the investigation will continue. On Monday, July 24, Derzis said his office had received a letter from Russell's lawyer, admitting she was never abducted and that her 911 call about a missing child on a highway was false. Russell apologized to the community, searchers, police, and her family in a letter, Derzis said. Russell also said that she fabricated her story alone. During this strange ordeal, Russell had looked up the abduction action film Taken and the Amber Alerts website. In a statement made after originally supporting Russell, her boyfriend now says he is "blindsided" and "disgusted" by her behavior. After rumors spread that Russell was fabricating her trauma, she was sacked from her work at Birmingham's Woodhouse Spa. Meanwhile, retired FBI special agent Jonathan Gilliam told Fox News that the lady may be financially responsible for some or all of the costs associated with the investigation into her disappearance, which he estimated to be well over $100,000. He told the media that the potential dangers and costs of the project rapidly added up: "You know, you're looking at dozens of man hours plus the fact that somebody could get wrongly convicted or killed or, you know, so the cost and the safety of it adds up very quickly." See Also: Bryan Kohberger's Defense Team Set To Provide Suspect's Alleged Alibi, Seek Dismissal of Indictment @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Colombian detained from Cancun International after cocaine found in luggage Cancun, Q.R. Members of the National Guard (GN) have arrested a Colombian man at the Cancun International Airport for cocaine possession. On Thursday, the unnamed passenger was taken into custody in Terminal 2 after Customs found a package of apparent cocaine in his luggage. When carrying out checks in the international flights area of Terminal 2 of the Cancun International Airport, the elements observed that a passenger, coming from Bogota, Colombia, entered through the automated selection mechanism, corresponding to a red light at the tax traffic light, that is, it was subject to customs review, the National Guard reported in a statement. The suitcase was first entered into an X-ray machine, detecting a possible illegal substance for which they proceeded to carry out a manual inspection and confirmed that it was a package wrapped in a black bag and aluminum foil with an approximate weight of 1 kilo, which concealed white powder with the characteristics of the drug known as cocaine, which is why he was arrested, they explained. Following its discovery in 1999, the Nebra Sky Disc spent three years on the black market until authorities seized the relic in a 2002 sting operation. Shortly thereafter, in 2005, Regensburg University archaeologist Peter Schauer claimed the disc was a modern forgery. His arguments have been dismissed; the corrosion and other lines of evidence are a testimony to this object's advanced age. Advertisement Still, the nature of its recovery raises questions. The two men who found the sky disc claimed they unearthed it at a site near Nebra, Germany about 111 miles (180 kilometers) southwest of Berlin. Since the disc was considered property of the state, they had no legal right to dig it up or attempt to sell it. But these guys did both. And in 2005, they were found guilty of illegal excavation. " " A pair of Bronze Age swords, among other artifacts, was allegedly found near the site of the Nebra Sky Disc discovery in 1999. Schellhorn/ullstein bild/Getty Images Before the sting, the looters tried to sell the disc as part of a collection that also included two axes, two swords and other artifacts allegedly taken from the same location. Is It Bronze Age or Iron Age? Right now, the disc is on display at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, Germany. According to the locally based State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archaeology's official website, it "cannot be directly dated" using radiometric dating techniques. Yet all is not lost. Radiocarbon dating shows that the bark on one of those associated sword hilts is about 3,600 years old. If the sky disc was made at the same time (more or less), then it's definitely a Bronze Age treasure. However, a controversial paper, released in September 2020, proposes that the disc's place of origin may not have been reported accurately. The authors also suspect it could be 1,000 years younger than previously thought, making it an Iron Age relic. Harald Meller, director of the Halle State Museum, isn't sold. Neither is Deputy State Archaeologist Alfred Reichenberger, who wrote a press release questioning the 2020 paper. "The colleagues not only ignore the abundance of published research results in recent years, their various arguments are also easily refuted," declared Reichenberger's statement. According to this January, 2021 story in The New York Times, the controversy concerning the age of the disc continues to rage unabated. Looters, a court case and rejected fakery charges. After everything it's been through just in the past 21 years or so one wonders what the future has in store for the mysterious Nebra Sky Disc. Now That's Interesting Capitalizing on his artistic background, the great astronomer Galileo Galilei published detailed sketches of sunspots and the moon's pockmarked face. Dalondo Moultrie is the assistant managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can e-mail him at dalondo.moultrie@seguingazette.com . Niger: La France suspend son aide au developpement et son appui budgetaire La France suspend "toutes ses actions d'aide au developpement et d'appui budgetaire" au Niger apres le coup d'Etat militaire contre le president elu Mohamed Bazoum, a annonce samedi le ministere francais des Affaires etrangeres. Paris "demande le retour sans delai a l'ordre constitutionnel nigerien, autour du president Bazoum, elu par les Nigeriens", reaffirme le ministere dans un communique. Situe en plein coeur du Sahel, le Niger est un vaste territoire desertique dote d'une population de quelque 20 millions dhabitants, avec une croissance demographique parmi les plus elevees au monde. En 2022, l'aide publique au developpement francaise pour le Niger, l'un des pays les plus pauvres du monde, s'est elevee a 120 millions d'euros. Un montant legerement superieur etait jusqu'ici programme pour 2023, mais ne sera donc pas delivre au pays, selon le Quai d'Orsay. Le president francais Emmanuel Macron, en deplacement en Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinee, a condamne vendredi "avec la plus grande fermete le coup d'Etat militaire" au Niger, "dangereux" pour la region, et a appele "a la liberation" du president Bazoum. Le Niger etait l'un des derniers allies de la France au Sahel, une region minee par l'instabilite, la precarite et les attaques jihadistes. La France, qui a mis fin a l'operation antiterroriste Barkhane et s'est retiree du Mali sous la pression de la junte de Bamako, compte actuellement 1.500 militaires deployes au Niger qui operaient jusqu'ici conjointement avec l'armee nigerienne. Le coup d'Etat a Niamey est le troisieme dans cette zone depuis 2020, apres l'arrivee de militaires au pouvoir au Mali et au Burkina Faso. Might we want presidential candidates to pledge not to appoint federal circuit judges to SCOTUS? | Main | FIRST STEP Act sentence reduction used to address "FBI invented" conspiracy in which feds were "the real lead conspirator" July 29, 2023 Another weekend round-up of all sorts of sentencing and punishment stories and commentaries Another busy week means another really long list of press articles and commentary that caught my eye as blogworthy and yet that I did not find time to blog about. I will seek to catch up with this round up, while hoping readers might flag any items from this list (or elsewhere) that they consider particularly important: From CommonWealth, "Its time to end eternal punishment for young adults: We should ban sentences of life without parole for young offenders" From Fox News, "Dealer linked to Michael K Williams death sentenced to 30 months after Wire creators call for leniency" From The Guardian, "Struggling DeSantis and Pence attack criminal justice law they championed" From The Hechinger Report, "A second prison: People face hidden dead ends when they pursue a range of careers post-incarceration" From The Hill, "Delayed justice is a hidden crisis in our federal justice system" From the Los Angeles Times, "Californias free prison calls are repairing estranged relationships and aiding rehabilitation" From NBC News, "Bill to ban solitary confinement in federal prisons introduced in House" From the New York Daily News, "Advocates demand Schumer do more to end crack cocaine sentencing disparity" From the New York Times, "We Know What Happens When We Prosecute Drug Dealers as Murderers" From Politico, "Clarence Thomas Created a Confusing New Rule Thats Gutting Gun Laws" From Reason, "Hunter Biden Shouldn't Go to Prison for Violating an Arbitrary Gun Law" July 29, 2023 at 03:17 PM | Permalink Comments Post a comment SIOUX CITY -- Training service technicians, welders and pipefitters to work on high-pressure boilers is not a simple undertaking. It's a career pathway to the middle class for men and women with a high school diploma, but to get there requires a specialized set of skills learned largely on the job. So when the opportunity came about for Plains Mechanical Services to join forces with the Canadian firm of Thermogenics, which had a more robust training program, John Quade made his move. "The decision for me came down to, quite frankly, their ability and resources to help us with training," said Quade, general manager at Plains Mechanical, who owned the company before it was acquired by Thermogenics in April. "Training in this day and age is just incredibly important. There's just not -- people (with the) technical knowledge just aren't as readily available as they once were. And this is a specialized profession." Plains Mechanical Services is a Sioux City firm that specializes in boiler repair, maintenance and parts. The company's crews work primarily on boilers in industrial settings and in large commercial heating systems. It's a relatively stable market, and a low-profile industry. "Anybody who's using steam boilers to produce their product" could be a Plains Mechanical customer, Quade said. Quade said the company is recruiting for five positions at the moment; these workers would more than likely need to be trained. The company currently employs around 20 people. "Training on each specific piece of equipment, takes years to get to," he said. "It's hands-on. They have to travel for training, they have to be able to work on all sorts of different equipment, all different sorts of manufacturers. In order for us to do the full training, currently we'd have to send them to dozens of different locations for hands-on training. And this relationship with Thermogenics, they've got a solid training program in place that they use for service technicians." Besides getting access to Thermogenics' more-muscular training program and its broader market footprint, Quade said Plains Mechanical will largely retain its autonomy, and is continuing to do business under its old name. "That was a big part of it, too," Quade said. "From a leadership standpoint, I still am leading the company," just with a different title. "We operate completely separately, and they leave us to what we're doing," he added of Thermogenics. Plains Mechanical was founded in 1994 by Jeff Reinders and four partners. Reinders was the former president and general manager at the boiler firm of R.W. Rice, which was acquired that year by Rasmussen Mechanical Services. Within four years of its founding, Plains Mechanical had customers stretching from South Carolina to Kansas to Texas. "Now's a good time to be in boilers," Reinders told The Journal in 1996. "It's specialized enough. I can't think of anything I'd rather do." Quade purchased the company from Reinders in 2021. Thermogenics, a privately held company with its head office in Aurora, Ontario, was founded in 1975 and has operations in the U.S. and Canada. One month after the acquisition of Plain Mechanical was announced, Thermogenics announced its acquisition of another U.S. boiler firm: Orlando, Fla.-based Industrial Engineering. DES MOINES The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners is expected Wednesday to review the ethics complaint the Sioux City school board filed against former superintendent Paul Gausman. The Board of Educational Examiners will determine if probable cause exists to proceed toward a public hearing on the complaint, which alleges Gausman attempted to bribe two newly-elected school board members to pick a board president the then-superintendent preferred. The BOEE also would have the option of dismissing the case during its monthly meeting Wednesday in Des Moines. Sioux City school board president Dan Greenwell filed the complaint in December 2022, with backing from the majority of the seven-member board. The filing came nearly six months after Gausman left the Sioux City district to become superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools. The complaint claims that Gausman approached newly-elected board members Bob Michaelson and Jan George on Nov. 17, 2021, five days before they took office, and asked what it would take for them to support Perla Alarcon-Flory's bid for re-election as board president. Dr. Gausman directly offered to allow Mr. Michaelson and Mr. George to make any of their desired changes in school operations, programs, activities, and other matters in exchange for their vote for Ms. Alarcon-Flory as president of the board, Greenwell said in the letter to the Board of Educational Examiners. Greenwell's letter claims the conversation took place at a public place in Des Moines with Alarcon-Flory present. Michaelson and George objected to Gausmans offer multiple times, according to the complaint. Ms. Alarcon-Flory remained silent regarding the bribery offer during the discussions at the table, Greenwell said in the letter. The complaint alleges Gausman admitted to the post-election conversation at a meeting on Jan. 27, 2022, with Greenwell and Goodvin present, as well as in a separate discussion with then-board vice president Monique Scarlett. In the complaint, Greenwell also contends Gausman disclosed information from a confidential closed-door board meeting to some district staff. Greenwell alleges Alarcon-Flory passed on the information to Gausman, who then shared it with his cabinet members. Gausman allegedly admitted to Greenwell and Goodvin that he shared the information and the cabinet members also confirmed they received the information from the superintendent, according to the complaint. Alarcon-Flory recently resigned from the board to relocate to Arkansas with her family. The BOEE is a professional practices panel that establishes and establishes and oversees the licensing process for educators at the state's accredited schools. Sergeant Bluff-Luton schools superintendent Chad Janzen chairs the eight-member board, which is appointed by the governor and subject to Iowa Senate confirmation. Because BOEE complaints are not considered public records under state law, they are only identified by case numbers during the board's open sessions. But a related lawsuit Gausman filed against the school district and four board members listed the complaint number, allowing The Journal to track the case through the BOEE's proceedings. At a April 21 meeting, the BOEE denied Gausmans motion to dismiss the complaint, sending the report instead to a state investigator. The BOEE also directed the investigator to gather more information and return the case to the board before Wednesday's meeting. Greenwell, a frequent critic of Gausman before and after Greenwell was first elected to the board in 2019, previously filed an identical ethics complaint on Aug. 1, 2022 with the same claims in an similarly worded letter, without board support. The BOEE requires complaints to be from the district, and the one filed in August was not approved by the school board. Gausman requested Greenwell's complaint be dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction, but Greenwell had withdrawn his complaint prior to any ruling. In his lawsuit against the school district and four board members personally -- Greenwell, George, Goodvin and Michaelson -- Gausman alleges the board held illegal closed-door meetings citing the wrong Iowa code sections in order to avoid notifying Gausman or the public of their discussion of him and the following board decision to file a complaint against him with the Iowa BOEE. The suit claims on Jan. 24, 2022, March 28, 2022 and Nov. 30, 2022, the board held special meetings and closed sessions to discuss Gausman and his professional qualifications. The school district has countered that it followed proper procedures in conducting the meetings, citing a section of the state code that allows closed sessions to evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge is being considered when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individuals reputation. Gausman led the Sioux City district for 14 years before leaving for the Lincoln public schools on July 1, 2022. A former Beatrice police officer was arrested on Monday for allegedly installing hidden cameras in the home of a woman, according to a search warrant filed by the Gage County Sheriff's Office. Anthony Chisano, 41, who served the Beatrice Police Department from 2011 to 2021, is also accused in the affidavit of installing a tracking device on the woman's vehicle. Chisano was arrested Monday at his home in Lincoln and transported to the Gage County Detention Center on felony charges of unlawful intrusion of electronic communication, intercepting electronic communications, and for stalking, a misdemeanor, a sheriff's office press release stated. According to the search warrant, the woman discovered the tracking device underneath the front dash of her vehicle in March and turned it over to deputies. Later that month, the woman told the sheriff's office she discovered a camera hidden inside a carbon monoxide detector, as well as cameras concealed in electrical outlets in a bathroom, bedroom and living room. The woman told deputies in an interview she did not authorize the installation of the cameras. Deputies removed the cameras and took them to the Nebraska State Patrol, where an examination by the Technical Crimes Unit found more than 6,000 recordings, each broken down into 5-minute increments. Chisano can be seen in the earliest recordings taken in December 2022 appearing to install the covert camera in the bathroom electrical outlet and adjusting its field of view, according to the search warrant. He was also seen adjusting a countertop mirror so that a reflection into the shower was visible. Subsequent videos appear to show Chisano installing the cameras in other rooms of the house. The affidavit indicates videos were captured of adults and children in each of those rooms, apparently without their knowledge. State Patrol investigators disassembled one of the cameras and discovered it had an antenna, which apparently allowed it to transmit to a cell phone, according to court records. While several components of the camera can be purchased online, the device was not believed to be a retail product, investigators alleged in the affidavit. Deputies seized two cell phones, a laptop computer, two iPads, a pair of digital storage devices, a GPS tracker, as well as tactical gear belonging to the Beatrice Police Department, including a ballistic vest, helmet and shield, gas mask, and first aid equipment. Chisano posted 10% of a $25,000 bond and was released. Sheriff Millard Gus Gustafson said the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office filed the charges against Chisano due to his previous role as a law enforcement officer in Gage County. Corey O'Brien, chief prosecutor for the Attorney General's Office, was appointed as a special prosecutor in the case, according to court documents. Top Journal Star photos for July 2023 The Facebook Privacy Settlement is about to end. This means that you only have little time left to claim your part of the $725 million settlement. If you haven't received yours, here's what you need to know. Facebook Privacy Settlement Deadline is Near According to CNBC's latest report, Facebook users have less than a month to apply for their share of the Privacy Settlement of the platform. This settlement, which costs $725 million, is being distributed to qualified users. Although there's a chance that you will receive less, depending on the number of users claiming their shares, it is still free money. If you are interested, here are the steps you can follow: First, make sure that you're a Facebook user in the U.S. between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022. After that, you need to fill up the Facebook Privacy Settlement form. You can either search for it online or click this link. Once you submit your form, you need to wait for further updates from Facebook. If you're eligible, you will receive your settlement money via PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, a prepaid Mastercard, or a physical check. You have until Aug. 25 to submit your Facebook Privacy Settlement form. Read Also: Facebook's Targeted Ads Risk Legal Hurdle in the EU About Facebook Privacy Settlement According to Forbes' latest report, Meta agreed to the $725 million settlement to settle the allegations claiming that Facebook is sharing users' private information with third-party companies. These accusations are serious since many of the third-party companies that Meta is allegedly sharing data with are high-profile ones. The settlement was signed in December 2022. Because of its amount, it is considered the largest class action settlement of its kind. But, the settlement helped Meta to end years of litigation over Facebook's role in incorrect data sharing with a data consultancy firm used by former U.S. President Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. If you want to learn more about the Facebook Privacy Settlement, you can click this link. Related Article: TikTok, Facebook, YouTube Sued by Over 2,000 Families Due to Kids' Mental Health @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. SPRINGFIELD, S.D. -- Viewing the Missouri River at Springfield, sandbars covered with thick vegetation hide the fact this was once open water, the western end of Lewis and Clark Lake. But since the 25-mile-long reservoir began filling in 1955 after Gavins Point Dam was built near Yankton, South Dakota, sediment from the Missouri and its tributaries has steadily accumulated in the lake, creating a massive sand delta that slowly creeps farther into the lake year by year. "It's very easy to go into the bluffs over Springfield and take a look at the river and see every year the delta moves a few hundred feet to the east," Springfield Mayor Scott Kostal said. As the city builds a new water treatment plant with two water intakes from the river, Kostal wonders how long it will be before the sediment raises the river bed and clogs them. Residents behind and around the delta face similar concerns. Sediment has caused the river to slow and rise behind the delta, causing flooding in adjoining fields and pushing groundwater into basements. An estimated 5.1 million tons of sediment enter Lewis and Clark Lake each year, and sand now fills 35% of the reservoir's capacity. With that level predicted to reach 45% by 2035, local governments, businesses and private citizens continue to seek solutions. "I know everyone realizes this isn't going to happen overnight," said Kostal, also the executive director of the Missouri Sedimentation Action Coalition, or MSAC, a group of about 60 stakeholders formed in 2001 to educate the public and look for ways to combat the sedimentation. Since its inception, MSAC has partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to explore possible solutions. Though any remedial actions are likely years away, the corps expects to reach a major milestone by the end of August, when it hopes to release a report on a study taking an in-depth look at economic costs and benefits of sediment management at the lake. It won't suggest solutions, but will provide MSAC with data it can use to determine preferred alternatives. In short, the report will set up the next step toward a final plan. After gaining MSAC's input, the corps will enter a new phase of study: performing engineering analysis of selected solutions, determining their costs and developing a management plan while at the same time seeking the millions of dollars in government appropriations that will be needed to fund whatever solution, or solutions, are pursued. "At this point we don't know whether that's one management method or three or five," corps hydrologist Paul Boyd said. "There has to be a discussion about what is the pain threshold for management," or what kinds of changes or inconveniences those affected are willing to accept in return for sediment reduction. That next phase of study will take at least two years, and any management plan then will be subject to public hearings by the corps and other federal agencies. Add in the unpredictability of gaining appropriations from Congress, and large-scale sediment management actions are years away, testing the patience of MSAC members fully aware no solution will be reached overnight. Still, just five years ago, Boyd said, the corps was nowhere close to a project plan. "It is going forward," Boyd said of the studies. "We are very much doing everything we can to move it along as fast as we can. We're doing things we weren't doing 10 years ago." There are three ways to manage the sediment: prevent it from entering the lake, keep it moving through the lake or remove it. How to achieve any or all of those methods is the hard question. Many options already are under consideration, all varying in how practical or disruptive they may be. It's a foregone conclusion none of them will be cheap. "Solving that problem is really painful. The cost will be big no matter what you do," said Rollin Hotchkiss, a Brigham Young University civil and construction engineering professor who has studied reservoir sedimentation worldwide and has been involved with Lewis and Clark Lake discussions since he was at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln prior to going to BYU in 2005. The problems caused by sediment aren't always so obvious, Hotchkiss said. It's easy to see marinas and boat docks silting in and water supply intakes becoming threatened -- problems that exist mainly along the river's shores. But sediment in the middle of the lake, though often deep beneath the water surface and unseen, impacts recreation and navigation. Eventually, sediment spreading across the lake bed will encroach upon Gavins Point Dam, threatening power generation and other functions. The corps has spent years conducting computer modeling and engineering studies on five options: 1. Dredging -- mechanically removing sediment from the lake. 2. Flushing/sluicing -- periodically draining the lake to a level that allows the river to push sediment through it. 3. Limiting the entry of sediment into the lake. 4. Collecting sediment in Missouri River tributaries before it gets to the river and lake. 5. A hybrid of those measures. "We're at a point right now where I don't think anything's off the table," Boyd said. Though remediation on a large scale is far off in the future, small-scale operations are in the works or under consideration to determine their effectiveness. MSAC is seeking a grant of up to $150,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to test a load collector on the Niobrara River, which contributes 60% of the sediment that empties into the Missouri at Lewis and Clark Lake. The technology would catch sand before it reaches the lake, though a use for the trapped sand has yet to be determined. If MSAC were to receive the grant, testing could begin next spring or summer, Kostal said. Also of intrigue is an unmanned automated dredge, developing technology that was a winner in the Bureau of Reclamation's Guardians of the Reservoir challenge to develop new methods to remove sediment. Comparing the automated dredge to a Roomba robot vacuum, Boyd said it could operate around the clock and possibly be more economical than manned dredging operations. It also would allow recreational activity on the lake to continue with minimal interruption. If funding works out, Kostal said, it's possible the dredge could be tested in 2025, though it also raises the question of what to do with the sediment removed from the lake. In the meantime, the corps will be zeroing in on costs of all options under consideration. Implementation of any plan will be dependent on when funding is available, Boyd said, and the corps has begun seeking funding from and partnerships with federal agencies and engaging local and state governments. "How to fund it is a separate issue," he said. "It's a long road to get real dollars to fund this with." Though the reservoir still has nearly two-thirds of its water storage capacity, waiting too long to address the sedimentation could eventually cause problems not just at the lake, but downstream to Sioux City and beyond, Boyd said. A reservoir filled with sediment would reduce the ability to mitigate floods. Eventually, the sediment would reach Gavins Point Dam and move through the spillway. At that point, the ability to trap and manage sediment essentially would be lost, and the corps' ability to generate hydropower and regulate the river for downstream navigation would be affected. The time to explore options is now, because many of them could disappear as the reservoir fills. How do you associate the United States with the following countries: China, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam? If your initial thought relates to conflicts, that is true. However, if you thought of some of Americas largest trading partners, you are also correct. All four countries are among the top seven largest importers of American goods. In fact, China, Japan, and South Korea are among the top ten importers of Iowa products. The connections between trade, security, and international relations were all highlighted last month when the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition held its Heartland Summit in Sioux City and Detroit. Although the Midwest is not near the coasts, the agricultural and manufactured goods produced here are highly valued across the globe. The ties between the US and these countries are more than economic. Just last month, the aircraft carrier USS Reagan docked at Danang, Vietnam. The US and Vietnam have gone from enemies to security collaboration in 50 years. Such activities only happen because of diplomatic efforts by the State Department. Often too underestimated is that trade, security, and treaties occur due to the efforts of American diplomats and the goodwill generated by US development funds. American assistance is often misunderstood, with the cost overestimated and the impact underestimated. American foreign assistance is less than one percent of the federal budget. While it has been used for humanitarian purposes, the primary goal is to increase stability internationally. Japan and South Korea are both excellent examples of countries that developed and are now providers of assistance internationally. Because of past success with other countries, the aid provided now can be augmented by those who have received it in the past. This increases the overall value of the investment while minimizing the cost. It also serves as an excellent contrast to other countries. The Chinese government has significantly increased its engagement internationally. Their Belt and Road Initiative is on track to make investments in 149 countries. Most of the projects tend to focus on large infrastructure projects. The construction is usually done by Chinese workers, which does not benefit host countries. Projects often are provided as a loan that may be guaranteed by a host nation asset. The bottom line is that Chinese investments and assistance are estimated to have been worth over $460 billion over ten years. China is already the top trading partner for 46 countries around the world. Chinese engagement has the strong potential to increase their influence which will reduce opportunities for American exports in the future. We must recognize the challenge these engagements present us. At the same time, we must acknowledge that there are competing challenges within the US, including significant deficits. The fiscal agreement reached earlier this year will constrain federal spending on many worthy items. Fiscal constraints should not, however, result in significant reductions to the international engagement budget. The long-term economic and security consequences will far outweigh any short-term, small-scale impact on the budget. As former CENTCOM commander and Secretary of Defense James Mattis once put it: If you dont fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition. On a personal note, Ive seen how American investments helped transform the country of Kosovo when I deployed there a decade ago. The engagement changed from reconstruction to targeted investment as the Kosovars gained capability. In return, Kosovo has worked to repay those investments. In 2020, Kosovo deployed over two dozen members of their Security Force in partnership with the Iowa National Guard in the Mideast. That action meant that two dozen Iowa families and employers did not have an empty place at home or at work. Its hard to put a price tag on that. A Sioux City resident, Steve Warnstadt is government affairs coordinator for Western Iowa Tech Community College. He is a former Democratic state senator and retired Army National Guard brigadier general. He and his wife, Mary, are the parents of one son and one daughter. With David Letterman partnering with Iowa-based Hy-Vee in the racing world, we think it might be great for him to make an appearance in Sioux City. Were not expecting him to bag groceries (like he did at a Hy-Vee in Des Moines last week). Wed like him to visit the location of his first Late Show home office. Letterman, you may remember, did a Top 10 List each night on his NBC show. When he moved the franchise to CBS in 1993, he brought the list with him. Each one was brought to viewers from The Home Office. The first CBS home office? Sioux City, Iowa. Letterman chose the site because it had the only CBS affiliate that didnt carry The Late Show with David Letterman. KMEG station management figured Star Trek reruns would do better in the time slot, so they passed. That made Sioux City a prime target. Rather than take the nightly drubbing, city officials decided to embrace it. The then-vacant City Hall was officially dubbed The Home Office and featured a life-sized cutout of Letterman in the window. The gimmick brought thousands of tourists to Sioux City and special events featuring Letterman regulars Larry Bud Melman and Mujibur Rahman. The then-fledgling Sioux City Explorers drafted the sidekicks and participated in a rally in front of City Hall to bring The Late Show to Sioux City. The gimmick worked -- Letterman won over KMEG; in return, Sioux City got great publicity. Letterman, however, never stopped in Sioux City (though he did provide plenty of support for the community, offering tickets and other items for various fundraisers). Now might be the time for a visit. As one of the owners of RLL Racing (and a part-owner of Hy-Vees racecar), he was in the state for the Hy-Vee Indycar Race Weekend in central Iowa. We figure itd be great to have him drive a few more miles and celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Late Show. Aug. 30 will mark the anniversary of the start of The Late Show with David Letterman. What better way to commemorate the milestone than with a visit to the original Home Office? Wed even get a Top 10 List ready. Welcome to this weekends edition of the Surge, Slates politics newsletter, which will soon be known by a single-letter name: Z. Maybe Y. Nobodys giving the letter H what it deserves these days, though. Well, regardless of what we end up going with, the Surge will soon control global finance. This edition is a lil loopy! Weve got a House member screaming at Senate pages for appreciating neoclassical aesthetics. Weve got another White House dog biting everyone. Where are the aliens and why will the Pentagon not release their nudes? Plus, whos getting indicted, who cant get a dang plea bargain through, and whats going on with Mitch McConnells health? But first, let us begin with Meatball Ron, the Rebooter. Large corporations like PayPal, Nextdoor, and Heinz can make a major impact by supporting small business grant programs. This week, all of these companies announced new funding rounds to support underserved businesses. Read about these small business grant programs and more in the list below. Venmo Small Business Grant PayPal just announced the second iteration of its Venmo Small Business Grant. This funding round will provide grants of $10,000 to 20 small businesses along with mentorship that covers various topics, from financial analysis to digital marketing. The grant program will prioritize supporting businesses in under-represented communities, providing practical support to help accelerate the growth of small businesses. Aside from that, businesses must set up a Venmo business profile to qualify. The online application portal is open now through August 7. Small Business Spotlight Sell Your Business Drive Traffic to Your Website Advertise Your Business Here Nextdoor Kind Foundation Keep It Local Business Fund The Nextdoor Kind Foundation recently began accepting applications for the Keep It Local Business Fund, its small business microgrant program. The foundation is partnering with the NAACP and Hello Alice to fund and facilitate the program, which offers $5,000 microgrants to entrepreneurs of color. The program initially launched earlier this year and has already provided more than $100,000 in grants to small businesses. In addition, to grant funds, the organization is also providing extra resources to recipients, like free advertising on Nextdoor and access to business training. The online application portal is open now through September 4. Heinz Black Kitchen Initiative The Heinz brand is supporting Black-owned food businesses through a new grant program. The company is partnering with the Lee Initiative and Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice to fund and facilitate the program. Heinz is pledging $1 million to the program, bringing the companys total contribution up to $3 million over the last three years. During this funding round, up to 60 eligible businesses will receive grants of up to $25,000. The online application portal is open now through July 31. Buffalo American Rescue Plan Act Grants Buffalo, New York, recently allocated $3.5 million of its American Rescue Plan Act funding to a small business grant program. Eligible businesses that experienced financial harm due to the pandemic will have the opportunity to apply for grants of between $5,000 and $50,000. The grant program was just recently approved by the Buffalo Common Council, so details are still being worked out. Vermont Business Emergency Grant Assistance Program Vermont is about to unveil its new Business Emergency Grant Assistance Program to support businesses and nonprofits affected by recent flooding. The Department of Economic Development is facilitating the $20 million program, which will offer grants to cover up to 20 percent of a businesss documented damage. The maximum grant amount is $20,000. But those that experienced more than $1 million in damage may exceed that cap. Additionally, $1 million will be set aside specifically to support agricultural businesses. The state plans to release more details about the program on July 31 and open the application portal later that week. Opelika Chamber of Commerce Small Business Grant Program The Opelika Chamber of Commerce in Alabama is now accepting applications for its Small Business Grant Program. Eligible businesses can apply for grants of up to $5,000. About 80 percent of the funds will be reserved for existing businesses, and 20 percent will be reserved for startups. To qualify, businesses must be licensed in the city of Opelika, have ten or fewer full-time-equivalent employees, demonstrate a need for funding, and have not received a grant through this program in the past 12 months. The application deadline for this funding round is August 18. Get the latest headlines from Small Business Trends. Follow us on Google News. Contracts For June 16, 2023 Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $12,790,407 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification (P00067) to a previously awarded contract (N0001918C1048). This modification adds scope to provide for the integration of the handheld imaging tool into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in support of establishing a baseline organic maintainer capability, as well as providing joint technical data, training and services required to allow for the transition to organic maintainer capability for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers and non-Department of Defense participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in June 2025. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $7,523,752; fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,957,539; and non-DOD participant funds in the amount of $2,309,116 will be obligated at the time of award, $10,481,291? of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Contracts For June 20, 2023 No applicable data. Contracts For June 21, 2023 Raytheon Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded a $293,771,544 firm-fixed-price modification (P00011) to a previously awarded cost- plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, fixed-price incentive (firm-target), indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0001920D0013). This modification increases the contract ceiling to procure F-135 propulsion system spare parts and depot lay-in material in support of the F-135 propulsion system requirements for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales customers and non-Department of Defense participants. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana (79%); East Hartford, Connecticut (14%); and Bristol, United Kingdom (7%), and is expected to be completed in December 2026. No funds will be obligated at the time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Contracts For June 22, 2023 No applicable data. Contracts For June 23, 2023 The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded an $11,643,519 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00071) to a previously awarded contract (N0001916C0032). This modification adds scope to provide continued aircraft integration and engineering manufacturing development software development in support of Engineering Change Proposal 6472, integration of Next Generation Jammer on EA-18G aircraft. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (90%); Whidbey Island, Washington (8%); and Patuxent River, Maryland (2%), and is expected to be completed in January 2024. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,039,000; and Royal Australian Air Force Cooperative Funds in the amount of $8,604,519, will be obligated at time of award, $3,039,000 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Contracts For June 26, 2023 June 2031. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,163,738; fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,420,000; fiscal 2023 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,505,000; fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $33,000; fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (Defense Wide) funds in the amount of $520,500; fiscal 2022 ship conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $122,000; fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Defense Wide) funds in the amount of $4,000; and fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $100 will be obligated at time of award, $2,424,100 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Command, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Contracts For June 27, 2023 June 2031. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,163,738; fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,420,000; fiscal 2023 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,505,000; fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $33,000; fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (Defense Wide) funds in the amount of $520,500; fiscal 2022 ship conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $122,000; fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Defense Wide) funds in the amount of $4,000; and fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $100 will be obligated at time of award, $2,424,100 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Command, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Contracts For June 28, 2023 Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum, Maryland, is awarded a $15,784,105 firm-fixed-price modification (P00001) to a previously awarded contract (N0001922C0051). This modification adds scope for the production and delivery of additional Airborne Electronic Attack Weapons Replacement Assemblies (WRA) to include: 15 WRA-7 B-Kits, 15 WRA-8 B-Kits, 11 WRA-7 B-Kit spares, 11 WRA-8 B-Kit spares, and time critical parts for WRA-8 B-Kits, as well as associated engineering, technical, and data support in support of EA-18G aircraft upgrades. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland (70%); and Bethpage, New York (30%), and is expected to be completed in December 2025. Fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $15,784,105 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Contracts For June 29, 2023 Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, is awarded a $26,558,279 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00117) to a previously awarded contract (N0001916C0002). This modification increases the contract value to extend the period of performance in support of Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) Mid-Band (MB) engineering and manufacturing development, as well as add scope to provide software support, to include management, design, development, test, and delivery for NGJ-MB software systems for the Navy and the government of Australia. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California (93.2%); McKinney, Texas (4.2%); Fort Wayne, Indiana (1.6%) and Patuxent River, Maryland (1.1%), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. Fiscal 2023 Royal Australian Air Force cooperative funds in the amount of $21,246,622 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, is awarded a $24,874,626 fixed-price incentive (firm-target), cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00002) to a previously awarded contract (N0001923C0037). This modification exercises options to procure two Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) Mid-Band (MB) training pods (one for the Navy and one for the government of Australia) and NGJ-MB spares, as well as provide non-recurring engineering in support of NGJ-MB low rate initial production. Work will be performed in Forest, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed in April 2026. Fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,333,697; fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,981,669; and Royal Australian Air Force cooperative funds in the amount of $6,559,260 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Contracts For June 30, 2023 Frontier Electronic Systems Corp., Stillwater, Oklahoma, is awarded a $94,099,269, cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hardware in support of the AN/SPQ- 15(V) Data Distribution System (DDS) and supporting engineering services. This contract will address the need for the procurement of hardware in support of the AN/SPQ-15(V) DDS programs. Work will be performed in Stillwater, Oklahoma (80%); and various Navy shipyards (20%), and is expected to be completed by June 2028. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $500 will be obligated at time of award, which will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. All other funding will be made available at the delivery order level as contracting actions occur. This contract was competitively procured via the System for Award Management website, with one offer received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N0017823D4501). Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $70,298,476 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00003) to a previously awarded contract (N0001922C0046). This modification adds scope to provide for maintenance and sustainment operations of the Norway and Italy Reprogramming Laboratory facilities and systems, to include consumables and spare material/tooling support in support of the F-35 program for non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Eglin, Florida (80%); and Fort Worth, Texas (20%), and is expected to be completed in April 2027. Non-DOD participant funds in the amount of $23,432,826 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engine, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded a $66,084,257 modification (P00002) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0001923F0019) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001921G0005). This modification definitizes the order to provide design engineering, program management support, technology maturation, risk reduction, long lead material and hardware, and weapons system integration to support F135 engine enhancement efforts for the F-35 Lightning II program. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut (92%); and Indianapolis, Indiana (8%), and is expected to be completed in February 2024. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $32,442,129; and fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $28,625,000 will be obligated at the time of award, $28,625,000 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Insitu Inc., Bingen, Washington, is awarded a $31,955,872 firm-fixed-price modification (P00004) to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0001922D0038). This modification adds scope to procure hardware in support of the RQ-21A Blackjack and ScanEagle unmanned air systems platforms for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Foreign Military Sales customers to include four RQ-21A air vehicles; 20 ScanEagle air vehicles; and 62 ScanEagle payloads and turrets; as well as various support equipment, spares and sustainment spares. Work will be performed in Bingen, Washington (88%); and various locations outside the U.S. (12%), and is expected to be completed in June 2026. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Contracts For July 3, 2023 No applicable data. Contracts For July 5, 2023 Mission Systems Davenport Inc., Davenport, Iowa, is awarded a $12,065,976 firm-fixed-price order (N0042123F0113) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0042122G0101). This order provides non-recurring engineering in support of the redesign and upgrade of the existing On-Board Oxygen System GGU-12+ oxygen concentrator for the government of Australia F/A-18F program. Work will be performed in Davenport, Iowa, and is expected to be completed in November 2026. Foreign Military Sales customer funds in the amount of $12,065,976 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Contracts For July 6, 2023 Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $122,706,700 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00079) to a previously awarded contract (N0001921C0020). This modification definitizes critical technical refresh actions in support F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) pilot and maintainer training site stand-up, schedules, support capability, and overall training system sustainment. Additionally, this modification adds scope to provide non-recurring engineering and necessary materials to refresh end of life components in fielded F-35 JSF pilot and maintainer training devices for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (80%); Fort Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (15%); and Fort Worth, Texas (5%), and is expected to be completed in December 2025. Fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $39,316,982; fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $28,107,219; FMS customer funds in the amount of $15,184,063; and non-U.S. DOD participant funds in the amount of $23,298,433 will be obligated at time of award, $28,107,219 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aeronautics Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $76,046,196 firm-fixed-price order (N0001923F0220) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001920G0005). This order procures spares to support flight test and an initial two year sustainment after the delivery for three unique configuration E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft for the government of France. Work will be performed in Liverpool, New York (19.8%); Melbourne, Florida (16.1%); Indianapolis, Indiana (15.7%); St. Augustine, Florida (7.6%); Menlo Park, California (7.1%); Bethpage, New York (6%); Edgewood, New York (4.9%); Woodland Hills, California (4.7%); Baltimore, Maryland (3.1%); Provo, Utah (1.8%); Valencia, California (1.3%); Falls Church, Virginia (1.2%); West Chester, Ohio (1%); Clemmons, North Carolina (1%); various locations within the continental U.S. (CONUS) (8.7%); and various locations outside the CONUS (0.30%), and is expected to be completed in August 2027. Foreign Military Sales customer funds in the amount of $76,046,196 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Teradyne Inc., North Reading, Massachusetts, was awarded a $24,039,447 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for an Automated Test System (ATS). This contract includes five performance years which will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $24,039,447. Work will be performed in North Reading, Massachusetts and is expected to be complete on June 26, 2028. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funds in the amount of $2,152,061 will be obligated at time of award via Delivery Order 0001; this funding expires Feb. 28, 2025. This contract was not competitively procured via a synopsis posted in the System for Award Management in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). The Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00178-23-D-4403). (Awarded July 5, 2023) Bell Textron Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $22,500,000 firm-fixed-price, undefinitized order (N0001923F0028) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001921G0012). This order provides up to 24 months of in-country aircraft maintenance for eight UH-1Y and four AH-1Z aircraft, and up to 36 months of in-country contractor engineering services for the government of the Czech Republic. Work will be performed in Namest', Czech Republic, and is expected to be completed in July 2026. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $11,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Contracts For July 7, 2023 No applicable data. Contracts For July 10, 2023 No applicable data. Contracts For July 11, 2023 No applicable data. Contracts For July 12, 2023 No applicable data. Contracts For July 13, 2023 Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $99,528,620 firm-priced-incentive-firm-target undefinitized modification (P00001) to a previously awarded advanced acquisition contract (N0001923C0003). This modification procures long lead time materials, parts, components, and efforts in support of maintaining on-time production and delivery of 147 Lot 18 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (59%); El Segundo, California (14%); Warton, United Kingdom (9%); Cameri, Italy (4%); Orlando, Florida (4%); Nashua, New Hampshire (3%); Baltimore, Maryland (3%); San Diego, California (2%); and various locations outside the U.S. (2%), and is expected to be completed in January 2027. Fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $24,912,660; fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,415,960; and FMS customer funds in the amount of $68,200,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity Contracts For July 14, 2023 No applicable data. Contracts For July 17, 2023 General Atomics, Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, is awarded a $30,191,431 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00014) to a previously awarded contract (N0001921C0016). This modification exercises options to provide maintenance, supply chain and spares management, logistics, and sustainment support for the MQ-9 Reaper aircraft, and dual control mobile ground control stations to ensure they are mission capable for the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii (35%); Yuma, Arizona (20%); Patuxent River, Maryland (15%); Poway, California (10%); and various locations outside the U.S. (20%), and is expected to be completed in January 2024. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $30,191,431 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/australia-expects-us-assistance-in-manufacturing-missiles-1112243442.html Australia Expects US Assistance in Manufacturing Missiles Australia Expects US Assistance in Manufacturing Missiles The United States plans to help Australia start manufacturing missiles in the coming years, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Saturday. 2023-07-29T13:10+0000 2023-07-29T13:10+0000 2023-07-29T13:10+0000 military richard marles antony blinken australia aukus us defense industry lloyd austin indo-pacific /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/0a/0d/1089904954_0:659:2048:1811_1920x0_80_0_0_fcff8ec99b34fcdcb3db867afffc452a.jpg Speaking at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin following annual US-Australia ministerial talks, Marles said that visits of US nuclear powered submarines to Australian waters were expected to become more frequent. Speaking at the same press conference, Austin said that the United States was also set on helping Australia produce guided multiple launch rocket systems by 2025. The US is also planning to facilitate the weapons purchases for Australia and enhance cooperation, Austin added. "We are racing to accelerate Australia's access to priority munitions through a streamlined acquisition process. We are also thrilled to announce that we are taking steps to enable Australia to maintain, repair and overhaul critical US-source munitions," he told the press conference. Blinken and Austin participated in the 33rd annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) as part of their separate trips to the Indo-Pacific region. Austin's tour also includes a stop in Papua New Guinea, while Blinken is set to visit Tonga and New Zealand. The AUSMIN took place as part of the two countries' efforts to enhance the AUKUS trilateral alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The AUKUS pact is aimed at boosting security cooperation between the three nations, including through the delivery of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230724/us-militarizing-australia-for-conflict-with-biggest-trade-partner-china-1112106984.html australia indo-pacific Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International us-australia military cooperation, us missiles, us nuclear subs, richard marles, american missiles for australia, aukus, australia purchases american weapons, american weapons for australia, us munitions, guided multiple launch rocket systems, mlrs https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/biden-in-first-ever-publicly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-from-hunter-1112235321.html Biden in First-Ever Publicly Acknowledges 7th Grandchild From Hunter Biden in First-Ever Publicly Acknowledges 7th Grandchild From Hunter President Biden issued a statement on Friday that acknowledged that Navy Roberts is his son's daughter and his 7th grandchild. 2023-07-29T03:08+0000 2023-07-29T03:08+0000 2023-07-29T03:05+0000 americas joe biden white house hunter biden child support jill biden /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/07/04/1083303848_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_96f2d11d8d29cd3b46c7d7917bf75dcb.jpg US President Joe Biden publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild for the very first time on Friday in a statement that specifically described her as a grandchild.It was marked first acknowledgment by the president that the child was his sons daughter. Hunter Biden was earlier forced to take a DNA test after Roberts sued him for child support. The two recently settled the child support case for an undisclosed monthly payment by Hunter Biden. Roberts was also suing for the right to give Navy Roberts the Biden last name, but she dropped that request as part of the settlement.Hunter Biden wrote in his 2021 memoir that he met Lunden Roberts while in the throes of a drug and alcohol addiction, which included crack cocaine.The Biden administration was the subject of criticism for refusing to acknowledge the child, something that intensified as Bidens other grandchildren frequently visited the White House.The first son has four other children, three with his first wife, one with Roberts, and one with his current wife, Melissa Cohen. Joe Biden has two other grandchildren from his eldest son Beau, who died from cancer in 2015.The commander-in-chief credited his grandchildren for convincing him to run for president in 2020. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230728/is-bidens-doj-not-indicting-hunter-to-let-statute-of-limitations-expire-1112230020.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Ian DeMartino Ian DeMartino News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ian DeMartino navy roberts, navy biden, how many kids does hunter biden have, illegitimate biden child, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/elon-musk-says-russia-ukraine-should-start-turning-other-cheek-to-end-cycle-of-conflict-1112235614.html Elon Musk Says Russia, Ukraine Should Start 'Turning Other Cheek' to End Cycle of Conflict Elon Musk Says Russia, Ukraine Should Start 'Turning Other Cheek' to End Cycle of Conflict Billionaire Elon Musk said that he believes Ukraine and Russia should adopt the Christian principle of "turning the other cheek" and forgive each other to end the conflict. 2023-07-29T02:53+0000 2023-07-29T02:53+0000 2023-07-29T02:53+0000 world elon musk ukraine russia nato x /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/0c/1109375196_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_af8506b3c7e71e815539013eaf0e9619.jpg "The thing is that people in Ukraine and in Russia can find a million reasons to hate the other side, if you just look at the history," Musk said on Friday in an online conversation on X platform. "So this is why you know, the Christian principle of turning the other cheek is a very wise one because if you do not ultimately forgive your enemy, you're stuck in a cycle of retribution forever." There has to be some realism and we cannot label Russia as "pure devil" and Ukraine "pure angel" because "there are no angels in war," Musk added. 'Turning the other cheek' is an old Christian phrase that has its origin in the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament. One should respond to the other with retort. Elon Musk had an online discussion on his newly named platform "X" with the American entrepreneur and a candidate in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries Vivek Ramaswamy on Friday. Musk spent a considerable amount of time talking with Ramaswamy about the Ukrainian crisis. Ramaswamy voiced his opinion that NATO should not admit Ukraine and that the Pentagon's leadership needs new people. ukraine russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International x, ukraine conflict, russia's special operation, elon musk calls for peace Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is urging the US Justice Department to pursue Microsoft for "negligent cybersecurity practices" that allowed Chinese espionage hackers to collect hundreds of thousands of emails from cloud users, including those of US Department of State and Commerce officials. The letter was sent to the Department of Justice, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday, July 27. Also Read: Microsoft Detects China-Based Hackers Breaching Email Accounts Is Microsoft Covering Up Details of Major Security Breach? So far, Microsoft's disclosures have avoided saying that the company's infrastructure was compromised. This includes the Azure Active Directory (AD), a supposedly secure part of Microsoft's cloud offerings that large organizations use to manage single logins and multifactor authentication. In a report by Ars Technica, critics have said that the information Microsoft has released so far proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the successful attack was accomplished by exploiting flaws in code for Azure AD and other cloud products. Both the software developer and cloud service provider suspected that vulnerabilities in their Azure AD or Exchange Online email service were to blame for the breach. According to Microsoft's Threat Intelligence team, the Chinese government-affiliated hacker group Storm-0558 began exploiting their products on May 15. On June 16, after being alerted by a client, Microsoft researchers successfully drove out the intruders. However, 25 organizations' accounts had already been compromised by Storm-0558 at that point. Microsoft has attempted to explain how the nation-state hackers traced the email accounts of some of the company's largest customers by using vague phrases like "issue," "error," and "flaw." Due to this vulnerability, attackers were able to get a defunct encryption key used by Microsoft Accounts to sign in users to Exchange. The corporation had not updated the situation in the last 13 days when it indicated it did not know how Storm-0558 had gotten the key. Microsoft said an in-depth analysis revealed that the attackers were able to successfully generate legitimate Azure AD login tokens by using the Microsoft Account, abbreviated as MSA, key. The MSA key was used to sign tokens for Azure AD, despite Microsoft's intent that it be used primarily for consumer accounts. According to Microsoft, a validation flaw in the company's code allowed for the forgery to occur. Holding Microsoft Accountable Wyden demanded that US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, CISA Director Jen Easterly, and FTC Chair Lina Khan hold Microsoft responsible for the hack. He said that Microsoft was covering up its part in the SolarWinds supply chain attack, which Russian hackers exploited to infect 18,000 users of the network management software made in Austin, Texas. Some of these clients were targeted in subsequent assaults that allowed hackers access to their networks. This group included nine government agencies and 100 organizations. He equated the SolarWinds case's actions with those he said caused the current breach at the Departments of Commerce and State, among other major clients. Also Read: EU Launches Antitrust Inquiry With Microsoft for Bundling Teams With Office Apps @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/explosion-at-fireworks-factory-in-thailand-leaves-at-least-10-dead-over-100-injured-1112250256.html Explosion at Fireworks Factory in Thailand Leaves At Least 10 Dead, Over 100 Injured Explosion at Fireworks Factory in Thailand Leaves At Least 10 Dead, Over 100 Injured At least 10 people are dead and over 100 others are injured following an explosion at a firework factory in Thailand, which is believed to have been caused by a spark from a welding machine. 2023-07-29T19:49+0000 2023-07-29T19:49+0000 2023-07-31T17:08+0000 world thailand bangkok accident explosion /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/07/1d/1112250099_0:12:1322:756_1920x0_80_0_0_63bb9e289258d99cec1662d95267aa5f.png The explosion took place at around 03:00 p.m. local time (08:00 GMT) in the Thai town of Su-ngai Kolok, bordering Malaysia, at a warehouse of the fireworks factory where construction work was underway at the time, the Thairath daily newspaper reported. The preliminary police data suggest that the explosion was caused by a spark that flew into a box of fireworks during the welding of metal structures, the newspaper reported. The fire caused by the blast was extinguished by 04:30 p.m. local time, the report said. A warehouse storing firecrackers in Sungai Kolok exploded this afternoon, the latest number is nine dead and 115 injured, Narathiwat Governor Sanan Pongaksorn told the AFP news agency.The fire is now under control. Preliminary investigation suggests the cause is a technical error during the steel welding process, as the building is under construction.The police and the provincial administration launched an investigation into the incident, the Thairath daily newspaper added. thailand bangkok Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International thailand, explosion, firework factory, injuries, death toll, accident, incident, report https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/joe-biden-expected-to-go-on-ten-day-vacation-1112232888.html Joe Biden Expected to Go on Ten Day Vacation Joe Biden Expected to Go on Ten Day Vacation On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Eagles co-founder Randy Meisner passing away, and Documents released showing the White House pressured Facebook to censor speech. 2023-07-29T04:05+0000 2023-07-29T04:05+0000 2023-07-29T12:11+0000 the backstory radio west africa drones weaponry ukraine wilmington fbi israel robert f. kennedy jr /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/07/1c/1112232731_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_0d244e3d8ffda535016aa1a9523729d5.png Joe Biden Expected to Go on Ten Day Vacation On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Eagles co-founder Randy Meisner passing away, and Documents released showing the White House pressured Facebook to censor speech. Daniel Lazare - Independent Journalist and Author | Biden Claims to Have Cured Cancer, Elderly Political Leaders, and Russia's History with AfricaKim Iversen - Independent Journalist and Host of The Kim Iversen Show | Joe Biden is a Lousy Father, Twitter Blue, and RFK Jr's Support for Israel In the first hour, Lee spoke with Daniel Lazare about the mainstream media's ignorance of Africa, drone warfare, and elderly American politicians. Daniel discussed the affirmative action decision by the Supreme Court and rich parents donating to colleges. Daniel commented on Mitch McConnell's senior moment and Joe Biden going on a ten-day vacation.In the second hour, Lee spoke with Kim Iversen about Youtube loosening its restrictions, Robert F. Kennedy Jr's years of support for Israel, and rent in Southern California. Kim discussed the problems with Joe Biden's parenting skills and how Hunter Biden has been frustrated with funding the Biden family. Kim spoke about the rising rent prices in Los Angeles and RFK Jr's stance on Israel.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik. west africa ukraine wilmington israel russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Lee Stranahan https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png Lee Stranahan https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Lee Stranahan https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png the backstory, russia-africa relations, joe biden's health issues, drone warfare, affirmative action, rfk jr's support for israel, hunter biden's crimes https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/kim-jong-un-pledges-to-develop-cooperation-with-china-to-new-high-1112238042.html Kim Jong-un Pledges to Develop Cooperation With China to New High Kim Jong-un Pledges to Develop Cooperation With China to New High North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hosted a reception for the Chinese delegation on Friday, during which the parties agreed to further develop cooperation and respond to the complicated international situation, the North's state-run news agency reported on Saturday. 2023-07-29T06:48+0000 2023-07-29T06:48+0000 2023-07-29T06:48+0000 asia kim jong-un north korea xi jinping china chinese communist party /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/07/1d/1112237870_0:167:2048:1319_1920x0_80_0_0_01d15607064b038621bccac5777b5f2b.jpg This week, the Chinese delegation, led by Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong, traveled to North Korea to take part in the celebrations of the anniversary of the end of the Korean War. It is the first visit of foreign officials to the country since the COVID-19 outbreak, media reported. During the reception, North Korea and China reaffirmed their stand to steadily develop the cooperation onto a new high stage through close strategic and tactical collaboration, as well as to cope with the complicated international situation on their own initiative, the news outlet reported. Kim Jong Un also reportedly expressed gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping for having dispatched a delegation to the celebrations, as well as for sending personal letter with best wishes. On July 27, North Korea marked the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War of 1950-1953. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230728/70-years-of-uncertain-peace-making-of-the-1953-korean-war-ceasefire-1112227639.html china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International asia, north korea, china, north korea-china partnership, china dprk https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/mass-rally-in-tel-aviv-against-judicial-reform--1112245524.html Mass Rally in Tel Aviv Against Judicial Reform Mass Rally in Tel Aviv Against Judicial Reform Israel has been rocked by political protests since January when controversial reform plan was first unveiled. Demonstrations intensified in July as Parliament began the official discussion of amendments and passed part of the in the first reading. 2023-07-29T17:17+0000 2023-07-29T17:17+0000 2023-07-29T17:17+0000 world middle east judicial reform israel benjamin netanyahu knesset political protest /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/07/1d/1112245365_0:120:1280:840_1920x0_80_0_0_aa5a0129e629678bd4048e6b73353ca9.jpg Sputnik brings you a broadcast from Tel Aviv where Israelis protest against government judicial reform. Opponents of the bill believe that the changes will over-empower the Knesset (Parliament) and executive branch while undermining the position of the Supreme Court. They stress that reform will curtail the Supreme Court's power to review and strike down laws that it rules unconstitutional and give the ruling coalition a greater say in the selection of judges. Advocates of the bill, including PM Benjamin Netanyahu, insist that Knessent and government are elected directly by the Israeli people, while judges are appointed officials that is why their powers undermine democracy.Follow Sputnik's live feed to learn more! israel Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Mass Rally in Tel Aviv Against Judicial Reform 29 July Mass Rally in Tel Aviv Against Judicial Reform 29 July 2023-07-29T17:17+0000 true PT62M12S 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International israel, political protest, judicial reform, knesset reform, protest israel https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/putin-ball-now-on-ukraines-side-with-regard-to-talks-1112235097.html Putin: Ball Now on Ukraines Side With Regard to Talks Putin: Ball Now on Ukraines Side With Regard to Talks Ukraine abandoned the agreements reached after the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kiev area and Moscow does not understand why Western countries are dragging Ukraine into NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. 2023-07-29T02:27+0000 2023-07-29T02:27+0000 2023-07-29T02:24+0000 world vladimir putin ukraine russia nato the united nations (un) un charter russia-africa summit 2023 /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/06/0c/1111086924_0:317:3072:2045_1920x0_80_0_0_27a84bf1b0df32922284e7dbc88a43ba.jpg "Not everyone knows this, but we know it well, that Kiev received its sovereignty and independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union on the basis of a declaration of independence, and in this declaration it was written in black and white that Ukraine is a neutral state. And for us, it is of fundamental importance," Putin said at a Friday meeting in St. Petersburg with the heads of African delegations."Why the West began to draw Ukraine into NATO is not very clear to us."The Russian leader added that Moscow has repeatedly publicly voiced its readiness for talks with Kiev. He further underscored that despite the West's failure to comply with the UN Charter, Russia is in fact ready to seek a peaceful settlement to the Ukraine Conflict."They do not care for the UN Charter, they refer to the international law only when they believe that these tools can be used against someone, in this case against Russia. They will not succeed, it is too primitive," he stated. Doubling down, Putin noted that Russia has not in any regards violated the UN Charter and acts in full accordance with it, adding that its principles should be respected by all. "There should not be any double standards, unilateral sanctions and attempts to ensure their own security at the expense of others," he said.Moscow Values African Countries Approach in Finding Ukraine SolutionThe Russian president went on to state during the Friday meeting that Russia has carefully analyzed the thoughts and considerations of African countries on Ukraine, and appreciates their determination to find a just and fair solution to the Ukraine crisis.During the meeting dedicated to the topic of Ukraine, the Russian leader expressed the hope that African colleagues understand the nature and origins of the Ukraine crisis.The Russian president emphasized that it was the coup in Ukraine in 2014, which Western countries actively supported, that led to the current crisis.Putin also thanked African leaders for their approach in seeking a just and fair solution to the Ukraine crisis. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230726/west-torpedoed-ukraine-peace-because-we-want-war-with-russia---rfk-jr-1112150461.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230728/russias-partnership-with-africa-contrasts-with-western-colonialism-1112216285.html ukraine russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russian president vladimir putin, ukraine conflict, nato membership, russia-africa summit 2023, un charter https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/rec-to-promote-russian-companies-in-ghanas-markets-1112243189.html REC to Promote Russian Companies in Ghana's Markets REC to Promote Russian Companies in Ghana's Markets The Russian Export Center (part of VEB.RF) has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Ghana-Russia Business Development Council (GRBDC), REC reports. 2023-07-29T13:24+0000 2023-07-29T13:24+0000 2023-07-29T13:24+0000 economy russian export center jsc (rec) ghana russian economy under sanctions /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/07/04/1096941462_0:0:3021:1699_1920x0_80_0_0_c0f64a6b09241b89d490f8e577d51029.jpg "The signing took place in St. Petersburg at the Russia-Africa forum on July 28. The agreements involve the promotion of Russian companies in the Ghana market. The document was signed by GRBDC President Lawrence Avuku-Boateng and Dmitry Prokhorenko, Director for the Development of the REC Foreign Network," the document says.The Ghana-Russia Business Development Council is a non-profit organization that brings together Russian and Ghanaian companies interested through the promoting of business relations between the two countries. It is planned that GRBDC will actively facilitate the establishment of business missions and attract potential partners for Russian companies wishing to enter the Ghanaian market."The partnership will provide Russian companies with the opportunity to expand their activities and strengthen their position in Ghana, one of the fastest growing economies in West Africa. GRBDC will also inform about major projects developing in the country. This will allow Russian companies to be aware of opportunities to participate in such initiatives," Prokhorenko saidGhana is one of the high-priority countries for Russia on the African continent in terms of trade and economic relations - thanks to both the stable growth rate of the national economy and significant natural resources. Ghana is currently implementing a number of major infrastructure projects in the construction of oil and gas pipelines, terminals, and is actively modernizing port infrastructure. In 2022, REC Group supported exports to Ghana exceeded $31 million.As one of the leading cocoa production and export centers, Ghana is also of interest to Russian companies in terms of imports. Previously, most of the cocoa products imported to Russia from Ghana came through European trading companies. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230728/first-chinese-cargo-train-arrives-in-russia-via-bridge-over-amur-river-1112222892.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230727/bidens-nominee-for-top-diplomat-on-eurasia-says-does-not-see-russian-economy-collapse-1112174191.html ghana Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International rec, russian economy under sanctions, russian export center, ghana economy, markets for russia https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/russia-bans-rice-exports-until-december-31-2023-1112239207.html Russia Bans Rice Exports Until December 31, 2023 Russia Bans Rice Exports Until December 31, 2023 The Russian government said on Saturday that it had imposed a ban on the export of rice and rice groats until December 31, 2023, in order to to maintain stability in the domestic market. 2023-07-29T07:59+0000 2023-07-29T07:59+0000 2023-07-29T08:04+0000 russia russian economy under sanctions eurasian economic union south ossetia abkhazia /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/07/1106110845_0:169:3043:1880_1920x0_80_0_0_3f0dc9ff8b13b66bbb6b7233d4931068.jpg "The government has imposed a temporary ban on the export of rice and rice groats. The restriction will be in effect until December 31, 2023. The decision was made to maintain stability in the domestic market," the government said on Telegram. The ban will not affect the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the government also said. Rice and rice groats could be sent abroad for humanitarian aid, as well as within the framework of international transit transportation, the government added. south ossetia abkhazia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russian economy under sanctions, russia rice ban, russian trade restrictions https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/russian-forces-seize-swedish-cv90-ifv-in-special-op-zone-for-the-first-time-1112246504.html Russian Forces Seize Swedish CV90 IFV in Special Op Zone for the First Time Russian Forces Seize Swedish CV90 IFV in Special Op Zone for the First Time Russian servicemen captured a Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) during a battle with the Ukrainian military outside Krasny Liman; this is the first vehicle to have been taken as a trophy by the Russian military in the special military operation zone, a Sputnik correspondent reports. 2023-07-29T16:39+0000 2023-07-29T16:39+0000 2023-07-29T17:35+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine ukraine sweden russia nato infantry fighting vehicle (ifv) /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/07/1d/1112246939_0:171:3034:1878_1920x0_80_0_0_e3a0793730c8275cece616839650cb3f.jpg Russian servicemen captured a Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) during a battle with the Ukrainian military outside Krasny Liman; this is the first vehicle to have been taken as a trophy by the Russian military in the special military operation zone, a Sputnik correspondent reports. More than 500 of these IFVs are in service in Sweden. Sweden announced in February that it would deliver 50 of these vehicles to Ukraine. On July 7, the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov said that the CV90 infantry fighting vehicles had arrived in Ukraine and were ready for battle. According to him, this is the first such trophy obtained by the Russian military in the special operation area. The abandoned vehicle was subsequently dragged to the rear. The soldier noted that judging by the number, the CV90 was manufactured in 2018. The soldier highlighted that inside the vehicle some of the Swedish inscriptions are duplicated in Russian. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned the NATO countries that they are "playing with fire" by supplying weapons to Ukraine. The Kremlin noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also stated that the US and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, "including not only the supply of weapons, but also the training of personnel... in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries." https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/russia-tests-trophy-ukrainian-military-equipment-results-revealed--1112239587.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230707/russian-troops-seize-near-intact-uk-storm-shadow-missile-to-be-checked-by-specialists--1111714641.html ukraine sweden russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International swedish cv90, bofors 40 mm automatic gun l/70, stridsfordon 90, strf 90, western-supplied weapons to ukraine, ukrainian crisis, ukrainian conflict https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/south-african-president-thanks-russia-for-offering-free-grain-supplies-1112236949.html South African President Thanks Russia for Offering Free Grain Supplies South African President Thanks Russia for Offering Free Grain Supplies ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Sputnik) - African countries are grateful for Russia's offer of free grain supplies, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at... 29.07.2023, Sputnik International 2023-07-29T05:29+0000 2023-07-29T05:29+0000 2023-07-29T05:36+0000 world russia south africa vladimir putin cyril ramaphosa black sea grain deal /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/09/0a/1100633252_0:159:3078:1890_1920x0_80_0_0_9a6221e13ee15486cd0dfc78f8f64a01.jpg Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with the leaders of African countries in St. Petersburg on Friday. The talks were dedicated to the conflict in Ukraine. Ramaphosa said on Friday night that the main goal of African delegations was not to come to St. Petersburg to ask for free grain supplies from Russia, but African countries were nonetheless grateful for Russias offer to those in need. Putin said earlier at the Russia-Africa summit that Russia was going to supply grain to African countries on a commercial basis as well as free of charge. On July 18, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, commonly known as the grain deal, which provided for a humanitarian corridor to allow exports of Ukrainian grain over the past year expired, as Russia did not renew its participation in the deal. Moscow emphasized that the deal's component on facilitating Russian grain and fertilizer exports had not been fulfilled. The second Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum is taking place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg from July 27-28. Chairman of the African Union Azali Assoumani said on Friday that African countries were very satisfied with the results of the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg. Sputnik was an official media partner of the Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230727/ex-austrian-fm-kneissl-hails-russia-africa-summit-as-outshining-eus-negative-approach-1112193876.html russia south africa Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russia-africa summit, south africa, black sea grain initiative, black sea grain deal, russia supplies grain for free to africa, russia's free grain supplies to africa https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/us-australia-agree-to-create-joint-intelligence-center-by-2024-1112246202.html US, Australia Agree to Create Joint Intelligence Center by 2024 US, Australia Agree to Create Joint Intelligence Center by 2024 The governments of the United States and Australia said on Saturday they had agreed to create a joint intelligence center by 2024 to enhance defense cooperation between the two nations. 2023-07-29T15:28+0000 2023-07-29T15:28+0000 2023-07-29T15:28+0000 military us australia aukus five eyes /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/105518/01/1055180127_0:0:1921:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_b31b4ae0f253be84a41f031dfc1b0133.jpg "The principals agreed to establish Combined Intelligence Centre Australia within Australia's Defence Intelligence Organisation by 2024. The Centre would further enhance the long-standing intelligence cooperation between the Australian Defence Intelligence Organisation and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, focused on analysing issues of shared strategic concern in the Indo-Pacific," the authorities said in a joint statement issued after the 33rd Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN). The US and Australia will also seek opportunities to further deepen cooperation with India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea, the statement read. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said earlier in the day that Canberra expected US assistance in the manufacturing of missiles, as well as the enhanced presence of US nuclear powered submarines in Australian waters. The AUSMIN took place as part of the two countries' efforts to enhance the AUKUS trilateral alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The AUKUS pact is aimed at boosting security cooperation between the three nations, including through the delivery of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230628/aukus-seeks-to-expand-despite-violating-nuclear-nonproliferation-treaty-scholar-1111528242.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230724/us-militarizing-australia-for-conflict-with-biggest-trade-partner-china-1112106984.html australia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International aukus, five eyes, joint intelligence, australia uk intelligence, spy